THE BRAILLE FORUM Volume XLIV October 2005 No. 3 Published by the American Council of the Blind THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND STRIVES TO INCREASE THE INDEPENDENCE, SECURITY, EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY, AND TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE. Christopher Gray, President Melanie Brunson, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor National Office: 1155 15th St. NW Suite 1004 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 467-5081 Fax: (202) 467-5085 Web site: http://www.acb.org THE BRAILLE FORUM is available in braille, large print, half-speed four- track cassette tape, computer disk and via e-mail. Subscription requests, address changes, and items intended for publication should be sent to Sharon Lovering at the address above, or via e-mail to slovering@acb.org. Submission deadlines are the first of the month. The American Council of the Blind is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, visit the ACB web site and complete an application form, or contact the national office at the number listed above. Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Mike Godino at the above mailing address. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office can make printed cards available for this purpose. To remember the American Council of the Blind in your Last Will and Testament, you may include a special paragraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, contact the ACB national office. To make a contribution to ACB via the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 2802. For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the "Washington Connection" toll-free at (800) 424-8666, 5 p.m. to midnight Eastern time, or visit the Washington Connection online at http://www.acb.org. Copyright 2005 American Council of the Blind TABLE OF CONTENTS 'Unbelievable': Hurricane Katrina Roars Across Gulf Coast, Floods Big Easy, by Sharon Lovering Editor Search Ends, by Melanie Brunson Remembering Walter Siren Talk the Talk to Walk the Walk, by Ken Stewart A Close Encounter of the Wrong Kind, by Allen J. Casey Reflection on the History of White Cane Safety Day, by Adam Pobursky On Medicare? You May Qualify for Extra Help to Pay for Prescription Drug Costs Affiliate News Summary of the Post-Convention Meeting of the Board of Directors, July 9, 2005, by Winifred Downing New Methods of Optic Nerve Atrophy Treatment, by Boris Meshevtsev Wrapped Up in Stereotypes, by Carson Wood Bingo!, by Kathy McKeon Here and There, by Sue Lichtenfels High Tech Swap Shop ***** 'UNBELIEVABLE' HURRICANE KATRINA ROARS ACROSS GULF COAST, FLOODS BIG EASY by Sharon Lovering Flood waters poured down city streets as the levees and flood walls in New Orleans broke. Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes and go to the Superdome, only to be re-evacuated elsewhere later when conditions at the stadium deteriorated. Entire Gulf Coast towns in Mississippi were reduced to rubble. A total of 90,000 square miles of Louisiana were affected by the storm; a swath of Mississippi 70 miles west to east was affected. "The Gulf Coast was the most damaged," said Becky Floyd, president of the Mississippi Council of the Blind. "We're beginning to check on people [there] now." The cities sustaining the most damage were Biloxi, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, and Moss Point. Floyd noted that Kenny Maddox, a Mississippi Council member from Jackson, had spoken with Melba Caminiti down on the coast, who informed Maddox that most folks were able to get out of the way of Katrina. Caminiti's mother, however, fell and broke her hip during the storm; she had to have surgery a week later. "Most of the ones we know got out," stated Vernon Daigle, manager of the Louisiana Council of the Blind office. He readily cited examples: Kim and Tommy Venable, along with the Camardelles, drove to Houston before the storm hit. Clattie and Larisha Gibbs are staying in Baton Rouge; Lola and Donna Siren are in Baton Rouge as well. The Sirens, at press time, did not know how their apartment in New Orleans fared in the storm. "It's still bad down there," Daigle said. "They're not letting anybody in as far as we know." In Baton Rouge during the storm, there were 75-mile-per-hour winds, causing trees and tree limbs to fall, cutting power lines. Phone lines were also affected. Daigle said that every time he'd try to call out, he'd get a message saying "all circuits are busy at this time; please try your call later." Many who tried to call him got the same message. Other parts of Louisiana took the brunt of Katrina's wrath. "Slidell and St. Tammany Parish got hit bad," Daigle noted. "We haven't heard anything from up there." A number of homes on the lakefront were destroyed. In Hammond, which is north of New Orleans, there was a great deal of wind damage and power outages. Albany just regained electrical power on Sept. 8. The Twin Bridges, over Lake Pontchartrain, are completely out. Parts of them were taken away by the storm. "It's tough getting in and out of New Orleans," he said. Most traffic is being diverted off Interstate 10 (where the bridges were knocked out) and onto Highway 61. As for New Orleans itself, "The disease situation is horrific. They have very little power, very little sewage treatment if any, [and] no running water. It's still a very tough situation, and they're saying it may take a few months to get all the water out. St. Bernard Parish, just below New Orleans, is in very bad shape. They have water you wouldn't believe." Looking back a few decades to 1969, Daigle compared Katrina to Camille. "Camille missed the New Orleans area," he said. "It went toward Gulfport and Biloxi. This one hit us more directly than Camille did. Betsy hit us a lot harder than Camille did; we had 90-mile-an-hour winds in New Orleans, as opposed to 145 in this one. And the water damage in Camille was fairly light; in Betsy we did have levee breakage and flooding in the 9th ward and the St. Bernard Parish. It was a lot worse this time. There's places down there that I understand were 25 feet under." Though the water is being pumped out of the city now, thanks to assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers, the Big Easy is still approximately 50 percent flooded. "This is far more devastating than Betsy or Camille was," Daigle stated. "This is by far the worst hurricane and aftermath that we've ever seen in the New Orleans area. They don't seem to have a handle yet, and they're just beginning to find out how many people were lost. They'll find them, I'm sure, for weeks." Floyd agreed. "There's really no comparison. This was so much broader a storm. Its range was far greater than Camille. The area has built up so much down on the coast since Camille, there's so much greater population ... that the damage is tremendously greater than the damage caused by Camille. My brother went to the coast after Camille and he said just seeing the pictures ... Camille caused nothing like the damage that Katrina caused. Camille didn't sweep foundations clean; Katrina did. One of the biggest differences is the water surge. The water surge with Camille was not nearly as great, as serious, as the water surge with Katrina. The wall of water hitting houses just knocked them off their foundations, destroyed them, and left the foundations clean." Starting Over Most of the evacuees are having to start new lives. "There are people all over the place," Daigle added. "Baton Rouge has grown by about 100,000 people." All told, Katrina evacuees have spread out across the United States into 25 or 30 states, including Texas, Maryland, Virginia, Arizona, California and Washington, D.C. Stores in Baton Rouge felt the strain of the increased population. "Grocery stores ran out of stuff almost totally and they're beginning to get resupplied in a fair manner," he said. "But there's such a strain ... your choices are limited. They were out of some things -- produce especially. The night after the storm I went to Wal-Mart and they were out of so many things and close to being out of others." Daigle bought the last box of Ritz crackers and some lunch meat, along with other items, and waited to check out for about an hour and 15 minutes. "People were amazingly patient and courteous. The lines were orderly, there was no problem with people shoving or raising their voices or anything when we were there." Floyd's biggest concern was locating blind people who had lived on the coast to see what their needs really were. Many who left will have damage to their homes, and assistive technology that will need to be replaced, both hardware and software, she stated. "There's so many things you don't even think about. Clothing, silverware, everyday china, cookware, sheets, towels, [the list] just goes on and on [of] all the things that we take for granted [that] they're going to need." On the positive side, people have banded together to help. "The outpouring of volunteerism here has been phenomenal," Daigle said. A number of churches have been assisting in the rescue efforts, too. Local officials converted the Lamar-Dixon Center from a people rescue center to an animal rescue center, and they've had people going down to New Orleans to rescue animals. That center has processed 800 animals so far. If the officials were able to contact the animal's owner, or someone knew to whom it belonged, they kept it at the center. Other animals were taken to animal control units and shelters, and the officials were assisting in getting those animals adopted. "It's beginning ... to be an effort to rectify the situation for these folks." Floyd concurred. "There are groups, primarily church groups, that are going down and helping people cut up trees, get them off buildings and so forth. The actual clearing of areas where all the debris flew over and landed somewhere else is going a little more slowly. But they're beginning to get trucks down there to haul away debris ... so they can search for bodies. It's going to be slow. It's going to take months to get it cleaned up to the point where most things could rebuild if they wanted to. We have some old homes that have withstood many a hurricane that succumbed to Katrina ... Jefferson Davis' home was one of those. It had significant damage." However, she added, the state expects to be able to rebuild it so that it's a replica of its former self. As far as pets go, "They flew out about 500 pets yesterday," Floyd stated. "There are pets in shelters everywhere because people couldn't take their pets with them into Red Cross shelters. Some of the church shelters did, but most shelters would not. So they would have to abandon their pets to the ASPCA or Animal Rescue or some shelter for animals and those shelters will hold those animals for two weeks, and then they'll put them up for adoption." A number of vendors are looking for new places to work after the buildings they'd previously worked in were destroyed by the wind, rain and floods. Floyd noted, "It's going to be a long time -- a number of years -- before the coast gets back to normal. We expect hotels, chain hotels, and casinos to come back first. Then they will start building back some of the homes. Some of the small businesses probably won't come back. A lot of the people will move permanently. Johnnie Cochran lost his business; he was a vendor. The military home where he had his business was severely damaged, and ... he won't have work for a while. The BEP here, they're trying to find him another location to work so that he won't be out of a job. It may necessitate a move on his part; I don't know. But he's OK. He did get out of the area." And of the five NIB-associated agencies located in the area, only two experienced no effects of the hurricane: Louisiana Association for the Blind in Shreveport, and Alabama Industries for the Blind in Talladega. Damage to the Lighthouse for the Blind in New Orleans is believed to be extensive. Bill Price, president of the Lighthouse, is currently in Mississippi and unable to return to New Orleans to assess the situation due to the damage and restrictions imposed by the local government. Over in Mississippi, the LCI facility in Hazlehurst sustained some minor damage as well as short-term loss of water and power. The real concerns are with their operations in Gulfport and Natchez. The NIB facility in Gulfport, LCI Industries, was severely damaged, according to Pat Beattie, director of public policy and consumer relations. Employees who worked there have been given three choices of where they can go to work: Hazlehurst, Miss.; Durham, N.C., LCI's headquarters; or Louisville, Ky. Natchez sustained damage, but its employees have not been able to assess the situation fully. Mike Duke of Jackson, Miss., said the situation wasn't too bad there. There were tree limbs in his yard, and no power, but the roof and the house were still standing. "It's a mess," he said, "but we're head and shoulders above" the people on the Gulf Coast. People in Jackson are OK, he noted, but he hadn't heard from anybody south of Jackson. Duke and other ham radio operators were assisting with such things as providing shelter and assisting with the dispatching of local emergency services. If there were another storm of this magnitude, "Mississippi couldn't handle it," Floyd said. "That part of the coast would become desolate because financially the state couldn't deal with it. We in Mississippi had become accustomed to the income from the casinos ... from the hotels, from the tourism ... all that's been wiped out. That's very devastating to the state economy. Hopefully that's a once in a lifetime hurricane." What Can You Do To Help? If you are an ACB member who has moved or temporarily relocated due to the hurricane, please contact the national office at 1-800-424-8666 and let us know you're OK. Please also give us your new address and any needs you have. When calling after 5 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m. Pacific), press extension 12. If you have news of other ACB members, let us know that, too. ACB has set up a relief fund for the hurricane's victims. To contribute, make your check payable to ACB Relief Fund and send it to ACB, 1155 15th St. NW, Suite 1004, Washington, DC 20005. The Federal Emergency Management Agency asks that individuals with disabilities register to receive the full range of federal assistance. Call 1-800-621-9029 (voice) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY). The Alabama Council of the Blind is supporting a couple of different programs that are feeding and housing victims of Katrina. To aid in this effort, make checks payable to the Alabama Council of the Blind and mail them to P.O. Box 1213, Talladega, AL 35160. All funds raised will go directly to the aid of the blind that have been affected by the tragedy. RSVA is asking that anyone who wishes to give relief to displaced vendors send contributions to Richard Bird, 6991 York Road, Parma Heights, OH 44130. National Industries for the Blind has established the NIB/NAEPB Hurricane Relief Fund for its agencies' employees who are victims of this storm. NIB will facilitate the collection of funds which will be disseminated back to those employees. All checks should be made payable to NIB and sent to Kathy Gallagher, Senior Human Resources Employment Specialist, National Industries for the Blind, 1310 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314-1691. The Department of Health and Human Services has a toll-free hotline available for people in crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. By dialing 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255), callers will be connected to a network of local crisis centers across the country that are committed to crisis counseling. Callers will receive counseling from trained staff at the closest certified crisis center in the network. ***** EDITOR SEARCH ENDS by Melanie Brunson I want to begin this article by publicly thanking all of those who expressed an interest in serving as editor of "The Braille Forum." We received applications from a number of very enthusiastic and highly qualified individuals. After considering all of them, one person has finally been selected to be the editor of "The Braille Forum," and I think you will be pleased with the selection. You are reading an example of this person's work as you peruse the pages of this magazine. The new "Braille Forum" editor is Sharon Lovering. Sharon has worked for ACB, as editorial assistant, for 12 years. She has demonstrated her commitment to ACB in countless ways during her tenure, and during the past year and a half, has proven her abilities as acting editor of this publication. Please join me and the members of the board of publications in congratulating Sharon. We are looking forward to many more years of her fine work. She is a person who has already demonstrated that her hands are capable, and that her heart is with ACB all the way. ***** REMEMBERING WALTER SIREN October 16, 1927-July 15, 2005 It is my sad duty to report the passing of Walter Siren (W5RNH) of New Orleans. He died July 15 around 5:30 p.m. Central time after he was disconnected from life support about two hours earlier. He entered the hospital the day after returning from Las Vegas with what they said was kidney failure and went down from there. He was both a longtime ham and member of the ACB. Walter Siren was 77, born October 16, 1927, died July 15, 2005. He is survived by his wife Lola and daughter Donna, both longtime ham radio operators and ACB members. As most of you could not be at the funeral services for Walter Siren, I thought I'd write a few words of tribute so that you could get a taste of what it was like to say farewell to him and of what his life was like. Silent key Walter Siren, W5RNH, is now in his final resting place. We gathered on July 18 at Lake Lawn Funeral Home in New Orleans to say farewell to Walter. There was quite a turnout of mourners to celebrate his life and accomplishments. The funeral service was simple yet very dignified and included four of Walter's favorite hymns: "Rock of Ages," "Precious Lord, Take My Hand," "It Is Well with My Soul," and "He Leadeth Me." Pastor Michael Fox spoke the eulogy and offered a final prayer. After a brief graveside service, many gathered for a post-funeral dinner given by his church, which featured lots of good food and fellowship. We will all miss Walter, but the turnout of people (considering that everything, including the visitation, was on a weekday) spoke volumes as to what he meant to all of us. One thing about Walter that comes to mind is this: My first computer training was in 1987 at a class given by the University of New Orleans. I took the class immediately after the one taken by Walter and his daughter Donna. But it would be another six years before I was able to purchase my first computer, which was a DOS-based 486. Not having had the benefit of my own computer at the time of the course, I had forgotten much of what I had learned, so I more or less had to start over again from the ground up. It was Walter who helped me a lot during those days. It took patience and hours of work to get everything going, but whenever I needed help or got myself into trouble, he was always there to help. If he couldn't help right when I called, he would offer to do so later at a time that was agreeable to both of us. Another thing I remember is that after his retirement as a vending stand operator, his former clerk took his location over, but later decided he would be happier clerking for someone rather than running his own location. Walter came out of retirement temporarily and went to the location to help him work it during his last two weeks for no pay, just to make sure his last two weeks would run smoothly and that the facility would be in good hands when it was transferred to its new operator. He also was one of the people who got me interested in ham radio. I have known Walter and his family all my life. His wife Lola taught braille to several sighted mothers of blind children when we were in elementary school, including my own. This is a tremendous loss not only to me but to all who knew him. But while we all feel this loss, he would want us all to keep going and do our best, because life goes on. (For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with the term "silent key," it is a term used by ham radio operators to refer to one of their own who has died, and W5RNH was Walter's ham call sign.) -- Harvey Heagy (N5HAU), Metairie, La. For me, Walter Siren has been a convention fixture as long as I've ever gone to conventions, since 1976. If I didn't run across Walter, Donna, and Lola somewhere in the hotel, I'd hear Walter's familiar friendly voice on the floor sooner or later. He took a keen interest in the affairs of ACB and in the procedure used by the organization in getting its work done. Walter had a great ability and desire to learn new things. In the mid- 1980s, he came to TeleSensory Systems to learn to use the Optacon, even though he was planning to or perhaps had already retired. I well remember one evening I invited him to dinner, and he nearly wore me out pressing me on very technical and obscure points of VersaBraille and computer use for equipment of that time. Many people half his age lacked the understanding of such details and still may to this day. I was extremely proud to appoint Walter as the moderator for the ACB-L listserv. He served in this role in some difficult circumstances from time to time. His kindness, equanimity, and caring for people were evident and great strengths that were well-used while filling this role. Walter never hesitated to let you know his opinion on a topic, particularly if you asked. But he could do so while exhibiting respect for other points of view, even while pressing his own. He was by no means a "know-it-all," and truly used his opinions on a topic to work on furthering his learning and understanding along with that of others. All the best, Walter. Help us remain positive if and when you can, as you did for us for so very many years. -- Chris Gray, San Francisco, Calif. I am very saddened to hear about Walter. I have known Walter for about 25 years. He was active in the ACB group in New Orleans when I was a member of that organization. Dr. Bob McClain was the president. Walter was very active in ham radio at that time as well as ACB. He was the one who introduced me to the ham community in New Orleans and was the first person I met when I first moved there from Texas. He was one of those fellows that was funny when he wasn't trying to be. I especially liked Walter because he was a straight shooter. If you didn't want to know what he thought about something, no matter what it was, then you'd better not ask him because he would tell you, and it wouldn't be sugar-coated. I always considered that as one of Walter's assets and a characteristic I greatly appreciated. We have lost a very special member of our organization. -- Ron Milliman, Bowling Green, Ky. Thank you for sharing this sad news with those of us who knew Walter, both via the Internet and in person. What a kind, and morally upstanding, respectful and much respected man Walter was. I remember with pleasure and gratitude the excellent way that Walter moderated the ACB-L listserv. His respectfulness and obvious commitment to allowing people to express a diversity of opinions and to share information freely were standards that garnered our admiration and emulation. I know how much his family cared about him, and he about them, and I am sure that he will be very much missed, not only by his nice wife and daughter, but also by countless friends and acquaintances. Thank you, Walter, for sharing so much of your time and your personal commitment to truth and to democracy with so many of us from ACB, from Louisiana, and the blindness community as a whole. We will remember you fondly, and we will miss you. -- Penny Reeder, Montgomery Village, Md. ***** TALK THE TALK TO WALK THE WALK by Ken Stewart A tragic pedestrian fatality recently prompted many messages on listservs and a Forum article ("Who Will Speak for Brandy Prince?," July-August 2005). The victim was a woman who was walking in the street when struck. She was traveling legally with a white cane. Numerous pedestrians with visual impairments must move along routes every day where there is insufficient protection from moving vehicles. My own experiences may offer encouragement to others who need safer routes of pedestrian travel. My weekend home is about four miles from the nearest public transportation. Circumstances require that I make that trip on foot on many occasions. About half the distance is along a two-lane county arterial highway. My highest priority was to get paved shoulders added, but for a long time I got little more than lip service in my personal conversations and telephone calls to the county's Department of Public Works officials. I had initially gained access to them after attaining an appointment to the federally mandated County Transportation Advisory Committee. My first victory actually came on the town road linking my village destination to the county highway. Attending meetings of the town board regularly, and serving in several volunteer capacities for the town, I got to know the Public Works commissioner well enough that he approached me at one meeting with a most heartening offer. He was about to repave that stretch of road and indicated he could add a bit to the total width, enough to create a pedestrian lane on one side. He apologetically asked if it would be acceptable if the lane was narrower than the "best practices" standard for such lanes, of four feet. The topography limited his options. I immediately and gratefully endorsed his design. Soon thereafter, my treks to the bus stop were much safer along that part of my journey. Without warning some months later, suddenly there were newly paved shoulders on the county highway too. On both sides, but variable in width and generally narrow. The county applied a white lane separation stripe on its near edge. I got no notice of this improvement but I suspected that the town's example had helped move the county officials forward. About the same time I utilized my position as vice chair of the town shade tree commission to locate sugar maple trees along the south side of one stretch of the highway. I no longer have sufficient sight in full daylight to walk in daytime, but in those days I could, and I looked forward to the summer shade as I strolled by a mammoth cornfield. Nowadays I admire those flourishing trees in the friendliness of twilight, or in the light of the silvery moon. My trips from home begin on a half-mile of privately owned dirt roads. I have taken care to remain an active member of our homeowners' association, and influence decisions every way I can to assure these dirt roads are maintained in a manner that keeps them as accessible as possible for me. Between the dirt roads and the county highway is a stretch of tranquil town road. But for it, too, I found a way to have my say. On behalf of the homeowners' association, I arranged for a radar speed check by the town police. At the far end of my trips to the bus stop is a village with sidewalks. I have had several conversations with village officials about improving their quality, which is currently best suited for the proverbial mountain goat, and would be virtually impassable for a person using a wheelchair. A note of irony was introduced when each side street crossing received beautiful new curb ramps! I had better luck with the village when I proposed an accessible pedestrian signal at a central intersection. Within weeks I was invited to a meeting between the village and state Department of Transportation representatives who have jurisdiction because Main Street is State Route 94. Soon there was a front-page photo in the local newspaper displaying the new devices, me, and of course, the local elected official who led the governmental effort. In a presentation at a program session at the 2005 American Council of the Blind convention, I emphasized two aspects of effective advocacy -- persistence and personalization. The first concept is obvious. By "personalization" I mean developing a personal relationship with the governmental people who make the decisions which can give us pedestrians safer, better paths of travel. As I have observed elsewhere too, my own experiences have tended to be more effective when I am speaking as one blind pedestrian with a need, rather than as a representative of an entire organization with a more general agenda. I would include that notion, too, in my definition of "personalization." For what it's worth, I would add that it is more likely to be an administrative official, rather than an elected official, who will act on a specific pedestrian need. In my village, there is a parliamentary style of government; the departments are headed up by the elected members of the village board. So it is the same people to deal with. But on the town and county levels, I avoided any involvement with my elected representatives and dealt with the bureaucrats. Having been one myself for several decades, I know that they get more requests than they can attend to promptly. Hence the first principle of persistence. That is the way to move your need up higher on his to-do list. The choice to invest my advocacy energy in contacts with the executive branch of government, rather than the legislative, has held true on the state level also, as well as in New York City. One of my "Big Apple" adventures was referenced in "The Braille Forum" ("On the Avenue, Sixth Avenue," September-October 2004). I am reminded also of a related experience pertaining to public transportation needs. As a member of my town's Comprehensive Plan Board, I wrote the section of the proposed master plan for our community that advocated for the introduction of public transportation. When the board's finished draft was submitted to the town board for adoption, they referred it first to the town's planning board. The document subsequently came back to the town board with slight editing. Fortunately, I spotted an added phrase at the start of the public transit section -- "While not needed yet ..."! My protest at the town board's adoption proceedings killed that mischievous qualifier. So we must talk the talk more in order to walk the walk more safely. The answer to Allen J. Casey's question, "Who Speaks for Brandy Prince?" -- We all must. ***** A CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE WRONG KIND by Allen J. Casey It was a warm, clear, delightful October afternoon, one more typical of spring than fall. It was a perfect day for my ritualized walk to the post office to collect the mail. It was a relatively short distance, only seven small-town blocks. It very nearly was the last day of my life. By nature I am a cautious person, particularly when walking on city streets. I do not jaywalk. I do not cross against the light. I do not challenge cars and trucks for street space. I have always been aware of the dangers inherent in being a pedestrian. But I never expected the risk to become reality. As I left the post office and approached the intersection, the traffic signal turned green. Cross-street traffic stopped. And I stepped into the crosswalk. I had taken only four or five steps when I heard the sound of an engine accelerating and found myself facing the front of a car hurtling toward me. I remember throwing out my hands -- to stop the car, of course - - and nothing more until I came to my senses lying on the pavement several feet from the crosswalk. I was not certain what had happened, but I knew I was in trouble. This experience is filled with irony and frustration. For years I have spoken out regarding pedestrian safety, or lack thereof, the indifference of local officials, the absence of adequate enforcement of traffic laws, the lack of wheelchair ramps at critical intersections and other safety issues. Neither letters to the editor nor conversations with city council members, the city manager and the chief of police have elicited action. Much too often the public attitude also has been one of indifference. Occasionally indignation prevails, as it did when one driver took exception to my presence in a crosswalk when he was turning into the street I was trying to cross. He stopped his truck in the middle of the street, rolled down his window and shouted at me. His words in a printable context: Get out of the street before you cause an accident! Hopefully, he is a minority. Yet just one careless, indifferent or aggressive driver can inflict irreparable harm. One could argue that my accident was a statistical aberration, a fluke. While this may be true, the argument needs closer examination. Statistically, it is unlikely that I will be struck by another automobile. Statistically, blind and visually impaired pedestrians are a blip on the population radar. Statistically, we are involved in relatively few accidents with vehicles. Statistically, we would be hard-pressed as a community to shape public opinion. Statistically, we are not among the economically affluent. Statistically, we are safe and secure. Such reasoning is not uncommon. However, it begs the question: How does one value the life, health and safety of any person, statistically? Statistically, we have a fight on our hands. What must we do to prevail? We must identify the problem and the solution. We must elevate the level of public awareness of the problem to a sense of commitment and a willingness to act. We must stand with the greater community of people with disabilities to demand that pedestrian safety and related traffic laws be enforced firmly and consistently. We must insist that necessary and required pedestrian safety enhancements be in place, including ramps, properly marked crosswalks and accessible signage and signals. We must hold public officials accountable for the level of pedestrian safety in our communities. We must never surrender our rights! As I lay on the pavement that October afternoon listening to the sound of the approaching ambulance which would transport me to the hospital, I thought of so many things. How serious were my injuries? Would I live or die? Would the pain racing through my body ever subside? Why did the driver hit me? More than anything I thought of my daughter who, in only nine days, was to deliver her first child, my first grandchild. If I could do nothing else in this world, I wanted to see and hold my granddaughter, talk to her and experience another of life's miracles. Would I take my last breath before she breathes her first? Alexis Nicole Adams arrived on schedule and in good health. I have held her. I have talked to her. I have indeed experienced another of life's miracles. ***** REFLECTION ON THE HISTORY OF WHITE CANE SAFETY DAY by Adam Pobursky The white cane is not just a tool that can be used to achieve independence; it is also a symbol of the blind citizens in our society. To honor the many achievements of blind and visually impaired Americans and to recognize the white cane's significance in advancing independence, we observe October 15 of each year as "White Cane Safety Day." Today, the white cane works both as a tool for the blind as well as a symbol, but this has not always been the case. Throughout history, the cane, staff, and stick have existed as traveling aids for the blind and visually impaired. Dating back to biblical times, records show that a shepherd's staff was used as a tool for solitary travel. The blind used such tools to alert them to obstacles in their path. For centuries, the cane was used merely as a tool for travel and it was not until the 20th century that the cane, as we know it today, was promoted for use by the blind as a symbol to alert others to the fact that an individual was blind. This new role for the white cane had its origins in the decades between the two World Wars, beginning in Europe and then spreading to North America. James Biggs of Bristol claimed to have invented the white cane in 1921. After an accident claimed his sight, the artist had to readjust to his environment. Feeling threatened by increased motor vehicle traffic around his home, Biggs decided to paint his walking stick white to make himself more visible to motorists. It was not until 10 years later the white cane established its presence in society. In February 1931, Guilly d'Herbemont launched a scheme for a national white stick movement for blind people in France. The campaign was reported in British newspapers leading to a similar scheme being sponsored by Rotary Clubs throughout the United Kingdom. In May 1931 the BBC suggested in its radio broadcasts that blind individuals might be provided with a white stick, which would become universally recognized as a symbol indicating that somebody was blind or visually impaired. In North America, the introduction of the white cane has been attributed to the Lions Clubs International. In 1930, a Lions Club member watched as a blind man attempted to make his way across a busy street using a black cane. With the realization that the black cane was barely visible to motorists, the Lions Club decided to paint the cane white to increase its visibility to oncoming motorists. In 1931, the Lions Club International began a national program promoting the use of white canes for people who are blind. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, blind people had walked with their canes held diagonally in a fixed position, and the role of the white cane took on a symbolic role as an identifier. But when the blind veterans of World War II returned to America, the form and the use of the white cane were further altered in an attempt to help return veterans to participatory lifestyles at home. Dr. Richard Hoover developed the "long cane" or "Hoover" method of cane travel. These white canes were designed to be used as mobility devices. They returned the cane to its original role as a tool for mobility, but maintained the symbolic role as an identifier of blind independence. During this period, the white cane began to make its way into government policy as a symbol for the blind. The first special White Cane Ordinance was passed in December 1930 in Peoria, Ill. It granted blind pedestrians protection and the right-of-way while carrying a white cane. In 1935, Michigan began promoting the white cane as a visible symbol for the blind. On February 25, 1936, the city of Detroit passed an ordinance recognizing the white cane. To promote the new ordinance, a demonstration was held at City Hall where the blind and visually impaired were presented with white canes. The following year, Donald Schuur wrote the provision of a bill and had it proposed in the state legislature. The proposal gave the carrier of the white cane protection while traveling on the streets of Michigan. Gov. Frank Murphy signed the bill into law in March 1937. During the early 1960s, several state organizations and rehabilitation agencies serving the blind and visually impaired citizens of the United States urged Congress to proclaim October 15 of each year to be White Cane Safety Day in all 50 states. This event marked a climatic moment in the long campaign of the organized blind movement to gain state as well as national recognition for the white cane. On October 6, 1964, a joint resolution of the Congress, HR 753, was signed into law authorizing the President of the United States to proclaim October 15 of each year as "White Cane Safety Day." The resolution read "Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives that the President is hereby authorized to issue annually a proclamation designating October 15 as White Cane Safety Day and calling upon the people of the United States to observe such a day with appropriate ceremonies and activities." Within hours of passage of that resolution, President Lyndon B. Johnson went down in history as the first to proclaim October 15 as White Cane Safety Day. The presidential proclamation emphasized the significance of the use of the white cane as both a tool and a visible symbol. In the first White Cane Proclamation, President Johnson commended blind people for the growing spirit of independence and the increased determination to be self-reliant and dignified. He said in part: "A white cane in our society has become one of the symbols of a blind person's ability to come and go on his own. Its use has promoted courtesy and opportunity for mobility of the blind on our streets and highways." During most years since 1964, the president has proclaimed October 15 as White Cane Safety Day. On October 15, 2000, President Bill Clinton again reminded us of the history of the white cane as a tool, and its purpose as a symbol of blindness: "With proper training, people using the white cane can enjoy greater mobility and safety by determining the location of curbs, steps, uneven pavement, and other physical obstacles in their path. The white cane has given them the freedom to travel independently to their schools and workplaces and to participate more fully in the life of their communities. It reminds us that the only barriers against people with disabilities are discriminatory attitudes and practices that our society has too often placed in their way." As we observe White Cane Safety Day 2005, let us recall the history of the white cane, its emergence as a tool and a symbol through history; a staff of independence. Let us also recall the events that have permitted us to celebrate October 15 as White Cane Safety Day. ***** ON MEDICARE? YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR EXTRA HELP TO PAY FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS Article Courtesy of the Social Security Administration Medicare's new prescription drug program, which goes into effect in January 2006, is not just for older Americans. If you or someone you know is a Social Security disability beneficiary who is also entitled to Medicare, the new prescription drug coverage program is available to you, too. Open enrollment for the new plan runs from Nov. 15, 2005 to May 15, 2006. But Social Security is now taking applications from Medicare beneficiaries who may be eligible for extra help to pay for monthly premiums, annual deductibles and prescription co-payments under the new prescription drug program. The extra help can save qualified beneficiaries an average of $2,100 per year. To qualify for the extra help, a person or married couple living together must have limited income and resources. For an individual, your total annual income must be below $14,355 and your resources valued below $10,000. The limits for a married couple living together are higher: $19,245 in combined annual income and $20,000 in resources. These resources can be slightly higher -- an additional $1,500 per person -- if you will be using some of the money for burial expenses. If you receive disability benefits from Social Security and are working, some of your earnings might not count toward those income and resource limits. In fact, less than half of your wages would be counted. If you have expenses for things that you need in order to keep working, they could be deducted from your earnings, too. Social Security is now mailing letters to nearly 19 million Medicare beneficiaries who we have identified as potentially eligible for this extra financial help. The letter includes an application and a return-addressed, postage-paid envelope. If you get this application, please read it, complete it and return it to Social Security. If you did not get a letter and application in the mail, but think you might qualify for the extra help, go to our web site at www.socialsecurity.gov. Some beneficiaries will automatically qualify for the extra financial help. Anyone who has both Medicare and Medicaid, or Medicare and Supplemental Security Income, or anyone whose state pays his or her Medicare premiums, will not have to complete an eligibility application. Also, it is important that all beneficiaries understand that even if they qualify for the extra help, they still need to enroll in a Medicare- approved prescription drug plan to obtain both coverage and the extra help. ***** AFFILIATE NEWS Welcome to Our Convention! The Old Dominion Council of the Blind will hold its annual state convention at the Quality Inn Governor, located at 6650 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, Va. from Oct. 28-30. Friday will be dedicated to those recently experiencing vision loss and to senior citizens coping with sight loss. There will also be voting machines from local jurisdictions available for hands-on training. Saturday will feature a full morning dedicated to panel discussions of finding, getting and keeping jobs, and getting promoted. The afternoon will feature the keynote address from ACB executive director Melanie Brunson as well as seminars on changes in Social Security and information on the drug card. There will be plenty of time to socialize at meals and at our Saturday banquet, which will include entertainment as well as a visit to the hospitality suite. We will hold our business meeting on Sunday at NIB's new headquarters, 1310 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Va. Room rates are $75 for singles, $80 for doubles, $85 for triples and $90 for quads, plus 8.5 percent tax. All rooms except singles will contain two queen beds. Make your hotel reservations by calling 1-800-221-2222 or (703) 532-8900. Please mention that you are a member of the Council of the Blind to get the special rate. For more information, call Debra Chandler at (703) 298-6299. A Great Big Thanks to Chris Gray! North Dakota Association of the Blind expresses its deep appreciation to ACB President Chris Gray for attending and participating in our 2005 state convention June 10-12! This year's convention was held at the Doublewood Best Western Hotel in Bismarck, N.D. Chris was one of our banquet speakers; his speech addressed issues and events that have happened recently that have had a significant effect on the lives of people who are blind. It was very informative and was well-received! Other highlights at our convention included a presentation that portrayed the character of John Colter, who was a member of Lewis and Clark's Core of Discovery. For the purposes of his speech, the presenter entered into the character of John Colter to reflect on his experiences as a member of the team of the Lewis and Clark expedition and finished his presentation with a re-enactment of the paddle dance that the team often used for entertainment. Guest speakers also gave presentations on recent developments in diabetes research and diabetic retinopathy and other advances that have been made in the treatment of eye diseases. North Dakota Association of the Blind truly appreciates the continued involvement of ACB and its officers and leaders in our NDAB state conventions! Louisiana Gains New Local Chapter On Aug. 21, 2004, a group of interested people met to discuss the forming of a new local chapter of the Louisiana Council of the Blind. We elected officers on Oct. 9 and discussed various names for our chapter. We chose Acadiana Area Council of the Blind because we wanted to stress the Acadian heritage of many of our members and to reflect the fact that we were open to having members from Lafayette Parish and its surrounding parishes (counties) of southern Louisiana. We have decided to make our main project the establishment of a radio reading service to serve blind, visually impaired and print-challenged people in our area. David Faucheux, chapter president, attended the IAAIS conference that was held in Kansas in June to learn more about radio reading services. We are also trying to establish an online presence through the ACB web site. Sweet Nothings: Diabetics in Action ACB Diabetics in Action held its first meeting at the convention in Las Vegas. Officers are: Dee Clayton, president; Patricia Wolf, first vice president; Steve Heesen, second vice president; Alice Ritchhart, secretary; and Jeff Bishop, treasurer. Board members are: Carol Edwards, Steve Nakagawa, Shirley Roberts and Russ Dougherty. After the meeting, we held a social, at which there was much talk about future meetings of ACBDA. Everyone is very excited about furthering the education of all diabetics. Proposed meeting topics include: finding a famous person who is a diabetic to speak to us and having some of the vendors of diabetic equipment come and show us their wares. Each month we will hold a conference call concerning diabetic issues. To learn more, subscribe to the listserv, acb-diabetics- subscribe@yahoogroups.com. ACBDA's membership currently numbers 40; the organization encourages anyone to join. You don't need to be a diabetic. Dues are $10 a year. Send them to Jeff Bishop, Treasurer, 1631 W. Maplewood Dr., Tucson, AZ 85746. ***** SUMMARY OF THE POST-CONVENTION MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, JULY 9, 2005 by Winifred Downing Though Alan Beatty and Oral Miller were a little delayed, all officers and members of the board of directors were present when the meeting opened at 1 p.m. Budget, Brian Charlson: The latest data we have is the report on 2004 made available in January 2005. Every effort is being made to get ACB's financial house in order. One of the requirements for the interim comptroller whom ACB intends to hire is the preparation of quarterly reports, a step that will vastly improve knowledge of the monetary situation. There has been no request for transfer of funds from the reserve, but it is important to remember that this is the time of year when the organization's expenses are greatest. Jim Olsen's emphasis on managing so that bank fees are kept at a minimum still guides those who handle ACB's finances. It is anticipated that, in the future, expenses involved with the national convention will be included in the budget process. Toward that end, the draft of the 2006 budget will contain an estimate of those expenditures, with full inclusion in the 2007 budget. The motion to adopt this plan passed unanimously. A motion was also adopted to have Mike Godino take the position on the budget committee which had been held by the previous treasurer, Ardis Bazyn. Direct Mail Campaign, Ralph Sanders: It has been possible to do only two of the three mailings we had hoped to accomplish by this time, thus sending out 110,000 pieces instead of 150,000. 300,000 pieces in six mailings were approved by the board at the January meeting and will be sent ultimately. The cost of the recent mailing was $35,400, and the donations received totaled $15,431. That amount plus the $3,000 from the first mailing constitute our receipts to this time. 1,100 donors have been identified, and the average gift has been $39.50. It is anticipated that the cost of the mailing will be covered by the fourth mailing. The chief cost of the mailings has been, of course, the purchase of lists. Miller expressed the opinion that the donor letter was too gentle and needs to be more aggressive. The board also discussed the vehicle donation program and how and whether its list of donors can be accessed and added to the donor list ACB is assembling. Office Manager And Staff, Melanie Brunson. (1) Because most members do not have access to the leadership list, they frequently miss information concerning pending legislation. To address this problem, a conference call concerning these matters is contemplated, perhaps once each month. (2) The ability to make materials available in the various formats needed is impaired by difficulties with office equipment. Part of the problem arises from the age of the equipment and part from expecting, especially with regard to the braille production, more than the machines can handle. What we really need is heavy-duty braille printers. The tape duplicator has been in the repair shop three times, each problem costing $500. A third component of the situation is that the computer system in the office is becoming outdated (Windows 98); and the long-term difficulties we have had with our telephone system have been well-known for several years. A capital campaign to address these severe needs is the only way of dealing with these problems. (3) Efforts are progressing toward establishing a smooth working relationship between the Minneapolis and Washington offices. All officers and board members should feel free to report problems they experience with any processes relying on office staff and procedures. (4) Day Al-Mohamed has been working on last year's resolutions. All the priority 1, most of the priority 2, and even some of the priority 3 resolutions have been dealt with, and plans for handling this year's resolutions are promising. Jeff Thom, chair of the resolutions committee, later read the list of priorities assigned to this year's resolutions. The priority ratings are established according to the time sensitivity of the resolutions and consideration of what action should be taken. Priority 1 resolutions are dealt with during the first week after the staff returns from the convention. (5) Sharon Lovering, "Braille Forum" acting editor, reviewed the statistics concerning the various formats in which the magazine is issued. The drop-off in tape and braille readers is offset by the considerable growth in the number of people receiving the magazine online. A distressing factor is the large number (upwards of 350 each month) of magazines returned. Each large print and taped return costs 70 cents, and each braille issue, $1.50. The taped edition of the convention newspaper was received well by those who couldn't use the braille or large print versions. (6) Terry Pacheco, coordinator of affiliate and membership services, said that there had been an astonishing increase in the number of requests for interpreters and assistive listening devices, 70 by the opening of the convention. The sight and sound impaired committee meeting on Tuesday had 38 participants, and there is every indication that the welcome extended to deaf-blind persons will bring more of them to our conventions. The equipment and the interpreters are costly, and it is hoped that grants can be secured in the future to assist our efforts. We cannot now provide listening devices for every meeting being held throughout the convention, something sought by some hearing-impaired attendees. A motion was passed to refer to the budget committee the matter of meeting expenses required by attendees with disabilities in addition to blindness. Pacheco was pleased and grateful to announce that a position will be open for an assistant in the membership and affiliate services department. Otis Stephens, a past ACB president, announced that he is working with two colleagues at the University of Tennessee to produce a three-volume encyclopedia on the history of American civil rights and liberties. The work is half completed, and publication is expected in 2006, or 2007 at the latest. He hopes to have the entry he is preparing on the considerable part ACB has played in this area ready for examination by the September board meeting. The work will be "The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Civil Rights and Liberties" and should be available in every library of any size. Convention Topics: Carla Ruschival explained that the 2006 ACB convention will be in Jacksonville, Fla., July 8-15. The change in date from our usual pattern was caused by the hotel having booked two conventions for the same dates; and, to atone for this error, a number of valuable concessions are being made. A representative visited this convention to observe every aspect of the preparation to be made: exhibit space, meeting rooms, meals, dog guide accommodations, and so on. One problem that will need to be addressed before next year is the habit ACB members have of reserving rooms far in advance and then waiting until near the end of the reservation period to cancel them. That practice can cost ACB dearly. Cynthia Towers spoke of the need to understand just what a volunteer is expected to do, since some attendees had the attitude that they could demand services far above what volunteers are routinely trained to give. Another area of concern before the next convention is the signs used to set apart seating for the states in the general sessions. Registration, the individual meetings, and the operation of the ACB Cafe went well. The advertisement of tours will need to contain an explanation of possible changes caused by a variety of circumstances to avert some of the complaints this year; and affiliates that make individual plans for buses will be asked to work through ACB to ensure uniformity of service. Fall Board Meeting: The board discussed the pros and cons of a telephone conference call versus a face-to-face meeting. Edwards moved that the board hold its meeting via conference call. There were five in favor of the motion, nine opposed, and one absent. Bradley suggested that the group meet in Houston on the third weekend of September at the Marriott Hotel, since he has reason to believe that he can get rooms there at a substantial savings. That date and place were approved by voice vote, and the exact time of the meeting was set for Saturday and Sunday, ending by noon. The meeting was adjourned. (Note: Subsequent to the board meeting, various circumstances have caused a change in the date and place for the fall meeting. It will occur in Minneapolis, Minn., the first weekend in October.) ***** NEW METHODS OF OPTIC NERVE ATROPHY TREATMENT by Boris Meshevtsev The first sensational reports on successful trials of optic nerve atrophy cure started to appear in world mass media in the late 1970s. Most of the reports were describing tiny electrodes implanted into human brains, and eyesight restoration by means of electrostimulation, which initially reproduced a kind of artificial vision. Later on, many newspapers published stories and photos of people who had been totally blind since birth who, after getting such electrodes, started to distinguish large objects and bright colors. Soon such reports became more frequent in the world's press. Most Russian publications referred to the Human Brain Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg (those days Leningrad) and the renowned scientist and neurosurgeon academician Ms. Natalya Bekhtereva. Having total optic nerve atrophy in both eyes myself with no light perception, I at that time was thrilling with interest to the subject and wrote several letters to the institute. The answer I've got confirmed that the media stories were true, but they reported that then they were taking for treatment only those patients who had accidental recent brain trauma and needed neurosurgery anyway. And, moreover, a hope of vision restoration could, as a rule, have only patients with at least a bit of light perception. I had neither fresh trauma nor any light perception, so I decided to keep waiting for a further scientific breakthrough to happen. Well, at last my dream came true after nearly 30 years. Recently in Russian Braille and audio-cassette magazines there again appeared some information about new methods of treating optic nerve atrophy and other related disorders in the laboratory of the Human Brain Institute in St. Petersburg. In reply to my e-mail inquiry, lab official Anton Feodorov sent me rather detailed information (36 kilobytes of e-text format in Russian) about their research, practice and recent developments, which I found very interesting and hopeful. So I decided to share this encouraging news with "Braille Forum" readers. The Malfunctioned Sensory Systems Restoring Laboratory Many human ailments resulting in considerable deterioration or total loss of vision and/or hearing -- those most important sensory functions of the human brain -- do not submit to medical treatment, even with the very up-to-date therapeutic, surgical or other traditional methods. Both the disorders of visual and auditory functions themselves, and their causing illnesses may lead to disturbances of the human brain functioning; the restoration of lost sensory functions could be possible only by stimulating the nervous system. In such a case, improvement can be obtained either by means of stimulating the affected segments of the optic or auditory systems, or by stirring up of the human brain's "inner reserves." The scientific and practical activities of the Sensory Systems Laboratory research are just focused on the exploration of specific induced conditions that take place in the human central nervous system in response to medicinal electric effects upon afferent entries of the cerebrum sensory systems, as well as studying the possibilities of their adjustment and restoration under pathology. The scientists and experts developed the "Electric Impulse Modulating Effects Method," which makes it possible to help the patients whose sensory systems were impaired or damaged. The method was based upon the neuro-physiological findings obtained in the institute by the research team led by academician and HBI Chief Scientist Natalya Bekhtereva. Having summarized the laboratory team's more than 30-year-long electrostimulation experience research, it's become possible to perfect the principles and create a new kind of medical treatment requiring neither implant nor any surgery at all, hence no risk for the patient's life or health. The parameters of applied electrical impulses are similar to those generated by the human nervous system. This similarity allows positive influence upon neural cells of the human brain which haven't yet perished but lost their functions at the impact of illness, as well as upon the neural centers themselves responsible for sensory information processing. This method is being used to treat various visual function disorders: optic nerve atrophy of various derivations, such as pregnancy pathology, fetal hypoxia, newborn brain trauma, toxicosis and miscarriage threat; infectious diseases such as meningitis and encephalitis; brain inflammation, intracranial trauma, etc.; retinal degeneration disease, ambylopia, progressive myopia, spasmodic accommodation disorders, computer display sickness and many others. It also works fairly well for restoration of sensorineural hearing impairment of multiple derivations such as congenital, various pregnancy problems, neural infectious diseases, ototoxic antibiotics, narcotics, cranial trauma and other origins. The treatment is painless, it causes no side effects and -- most importantly -- it doesn't have any age-rating limitations. The stimulation procedure is easy, convenient, effective, and can be performed even in outpatient offices. Computer-based apparatus and software, developed by laboratory specialists to use the Electric Impulse Modulating Effects Method, was oriented to mimic frequency-amplitude characteristics of the human brain's visual and auditory projection nerve centers. The method proved to be very effective and patient-friendly. During the testing and curing procedure, the patient is simply sitting in an armchair. The apparatus' multi-channel vision-stimulating electrodes are applied externally at specific points on the patient's face and fixed with the help of special spectacles. The auditory analyzer's electrodes are mounted on the patient's head like a pair of headphones. The passive electrode is put on the patient's wrist like a bracelet. During the stimulation, a patient might feel as if he/she sees quick bright flashing of colors and, possibly, slight pricking, that's all. One session lasts about 30 minutes. Assessment of the treatment efficacy is a somewhat complicated matter because each result depends, first of all, on the patient's individual condition. However, optic nerve atrophy, once considered an incurable disease, is becoming curable. Appraisal of laboratory treatment results revealed that the treatment produced some additional positive effects. The Electric Impulse Modulating Effects Method came into use to treat neuropathology of childhood (the psycho-motor and psycho-verbal delay syndrome), as well as for effective restoration of speech and memory disorders, and integration into the program of speech development for hearing-impaired children and even sometimes to help multiple sclerosis patients. This method for visual and auditory impairments along with other lab-invented diagnostic and treatment technologies were copyrighted by the Russian Federation. Along with the electric impulse stimulation technique, the experts developed and began using another innovative method -- so-called "Nozoto- Therapy." It is based on stirring up the spare personal capabilities of a human organism, which have to do with correction of immune disorders having been provoked by a disease. The method has been applied for treatment of vision and hearing ailments. Both methods mentioned above could be used both in stationary and dispensary conditions. However, if the visual and/or auditory function disorders of a patient are accompanied by a neurologic and somatic pathology, the medical treatment should only be implemented in clinical condition of the HBI. Treatment begins with a physical examination by the lab's specialists (neuropathologist, neuro-ophthalmologist, otolaryngologist and speech therapist). Patients receive a neuro-physiological examination along with examination of the impaired sensory functions (electro-encephalogram, induced visual potentials, objective audiometry) and finish with electrical stimulation. The individual course of treatment, based upon results, consists of 10 to 15 daily electrostimulation sessions. When the treatment is completed, patients receive a secondary examination, after which a proper drug therapy may be prescribed. In the case of major pathology presence, as a rule, the recurrent treatment courses may be administered after four to six months. The most distinctive feature of the HBI laboratory's practice, in comparison with other medical centers treating the similar kind of pathologies, is its long-term experience implementing the Electric Modulating Impulse Stimulations method as the mainstream technique against the hard cases of ophthalmological and neuropathological disorders. The method's efficiency proved to be nearly 55 percent. The close cooperation with other HBI laboratories, which are equipped with up-to-date high-tech diagnostic and treatment instruments, contributes to the cure rate. Also, the laboratory team is permanently carrying studies of foreign colleagues' newest achievements and is ready to share its own experience and scientific projects with those willing to cooperate, whether foreign entities or individual colleagues. The laboratory personnel provides close attention and careful service to their patients, beginning with that patient's clinic survey, throughout the course of treatment, and extends to further post-treatment medical support when needed. The cost of one course (for a Russian citizen) is about $100. For foreign patients, it may be several times that amount. Yet I believe the cost of treatment is a far cry from the pile of money required for implant neurosurgery. Unfortunately, the Human Brain Institute web site doesn't have much information in English. However, using the materials given to me by the lab official, I believe I could answer some questions from "Braille Forum" readers. I do not know whether they have an English-speaking person on their telephone service. But their contact information is as follows: Laboratory manager: Alexandra Chibisova Lab contact person: Anton Feodorov Mailing address: Sensory Systems Laboratory, Institute of Human Brain, 9 Academician Pavlov Street, St. Petersburg, Russia 196376. Phone and fax: (7812) 234 56 79. E-mail sensys@ihb.spb.ru; web site, http://www.sensys.ihb.spb.ru. ***** WRAPPED UP IN STEREOTYPES by Carson Wood People get wrapped up in trying to become a stereotype that is accepted by peers they feel are important and advantageous to impress. I found myself deep in thought, meandering through my lifetime, as I did my leg workout in this morning's quiet. Happiness in life must always come from within. Understanding that when we agree with another person's point of view, this agreement empowers that person. Agreeing with another person is sometimes used as a way to gain favor. This entire social situation might be better off avoided. As young people, we get totally caught up in what others think, pushing us into stereotypical roles we often really would rather not be in. The snowball effect pushes us deeper and deeper down roads that often go in the wrong direction. The choice of being a leader, who practices independent thinking and individualism, although the tougher road in life, is the high road to happiness. This life choice does not come easy and may take years to learn. When fear can be instilled in another person, that fear is control. The fear of controversy and voicing opinion comes from low self-esteem, which brings us back to fear. This all came to mind when I recalled a gym mate complaining about the music the other day. I recalled how in the '70s, there were distinct social groups that clashed due to intolerance. There were the bumper stickers that read, "Disco is dead and rock is rolling." In high school, there were the freaks, the jocks, and the brownies. Today, there are the skaters, the Goths, and the Abercrombie and Fitch people. The gym was quiet this morning. I'm approaching 44 years old. The things that once mattered a lot seem so foolish now. My stereotype comes from my own mind's eye. My creative mind defines who I am. I may be inspired by the look of others, but I'm my own person. My hope is that young people can see themselves in their own creative minds with a healthy dose of love for themselves; that they can be independent thinkers who challenge rather than blindly follow, and people who can define themselves by their positive inherent attributes, independent of superficial social expectations. ***** BINGO! by Kathy McKeon Someone asked me why I would bother taking a deaf-blind woman to a Bingo game in my building. The short answer is that she gets to be in the company of her neighbors and she gets a meal prepared and served by the Bingo ladies. The fact that she can't see or hear doesn't even matter. She can feel the full room. It helps with the loneliness that is with her constantly. Try plugging up your ears with some cotton or with earplugs and blindfold yourself with a dish towel. And NO PEEKING! Do that for just one hour and then multiply that deprivation by 24 hours. You can try it without having to do anything; you can just sit there and concentrate on being deaf and blind, and just feel what it's like. Then you can hope to know how my neighbor feels. Then you can understand why Margaret would like to attend a Bingo game that she can't hear or see. This lady never goes out on a regular basis. A sister-in-law helps care for her material needs -- medicine, banking, rent, clothes, and sometimes groceries or a meal. She takes her to get her hair done, or to the doctor's. A dedicated aide comes in to help with her housework several times a week and to do any shopping she needs done. She has a lovely woman named Belva who has been coming faithfully since 1989 to read the Bible with her. Once a week, over and over, this 90-year-old woman comes to visit her 85- year-old friend, and they read the Bible together. One reads it in Braille, the other reads it in large print. One is white and one is black. One is a Jehovah's Witness, one is a Baptist. Together, they have traced the path of Jesus, over and over again. Together, they have studied the life and times of the Bible. Together, they have forged a bond that is strong enough for a deaf-blind woman to cling to on her lonely days. And most of her days are lonely. Why does she want to go to Bingo? She hasn't heard a human voice since 1960. She lives alone; her only sibling died fairly young; her parents are long gone. At 9 years of age, she had whooping cough and measles. It left her optic nerve and inner ear nerve damaged. By age 12 she was losing her hearing and her sight. By age 15, she was legally blind. She stopped going to public school in the 10th grade. She learned to cane chairs, knit and crochet. She attended a school for the blind in Connecticut, where she lived with her mother; she learned to read braille. Somewhere along the way, she learned to cook for herself. She is a senior volunteer who makes lap robes, shawls and washcloths as needed. For her, Bingo means she will not be alone for a few hours. Bingo means she will win prizes that she can use, so she can spend her cash on something else. A jug of laundry detergent, a roll of paper towels, a box of cookies and a chocolate bar are precious commodities to this lovely and independent woman. Rather than be bitter about her lifelong condition, she is pleasant and sweet -- funny, too. She loves a good joke and she loves the gossip of the building. For a deaf woman, she hears more than I do! She often tells me what's going on where we live. To communicate, she places her finger on a round disk, where each braille letter pops up, one letter at a time. Her visitor types the letters to each word, and Margaret spells them in her head until the sentence is done. It takes longer on some days to get the message across. Her patience is longer than mine -- it's her only way to talk to someone. She and her regular visitors have developed a type of shorthand. One touch on the back of the hand means yes; two is no. Hugs are always welcome. Tactile impressions help make up for the other sensory deprivations, but can never be enough. One of her favorite excursions is out to dinner on her birthday. Her friend Patty and family take her out for a fish dinner, which she loves. Next is to my apartment. I am four doors away. She has shared Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners with me. We all enjoy each other tremendously. After we eat, we lead her to my big blue recliner chair, where she naps while we do the dishes. She says she sleeps best here -- we are awake and watching over her, so she sleeps deeply, for once. She has been on the Spirit of Norfolk a few times and just loves that boat ride. Bingo is her next favorite activity. I raise her arm into the air, and she knows to yell out, "Bingo!" Her neighbors and I always chuckle to hear her enthusiastic shout. We're all happy for her. Even when we fail to make Bingo, the volunteers let her shout and then give her a prize to take home. She knows by feel and weight what it is before we can even tell her. Now that you know what deprivation she experiences, maybe you can understand how Bingo is so important. It's not about the game; it's not the winning, although she loves her prizes. It's about friendships. It's about being with people who feel like family. It's about knowing that you aren't all alone in this wide world. It's about being able to feel that someone is near. It's knowing that God is in charge, and that your friends care about you. Deaf, blind, paralyzed, arthritic, old, young, hurting or not -- it's that someone loves you enough to do your banking and pay your rent; to take you to a Bingo game that you can't see or hear. You can feel it, can't you? Anyone willing to write a braille letter to Margaret Beale may reach her at 613 Scotland Street, Apt. #110, Williamsburg, VA 23185. The author of this article can be reached at Abledbyk9@widomaker.com. She is a former RN, now disabled by a spinal deformity; her abilities are increased by a happy chocolate Lab, Rebel, who is trained to pull her out of bed and to pick up what she drops. ***** HERE AND THERE by Sue Lichtenfels The announcement of products and services in this column is not an endorsement 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 held responsible for the reliability of products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to info@acb.org, or call ACB at 1-800-424-8666 and leave a message in mailbox 26. Please remember that postal regulations prohibit us from including advertisements, and that we need information two months ahead of actual publication dates. CONGRATULATIONS! Blind Mice Mart and the Mouse Hole Scholarships congratulate the 2005 Mouse Hole Scholarship essay winner, Amelia Wearstler. While attending Olympic High School in Bremerton, Wash., Amelia maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and was active in the ACB and the International Order of Rainbow for Girls. The Mice are proud to have Amelia as their 2005 winner and wish her all the best as she begins studying early childhood education at Olympic College in her hometown. To read Amelia's essay, visit www.blindmicemart.com and select the Mouse Hole Scholarships link. The 2006 scholarship essay contest will open in March. For details, visit the web site, or write to Blind Mice Mart, 16810 Pinemoor Way, Houston, TX 77058; or phone (713) 876-6971. Blind Mice Mart is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time. Remember, your purchases there fund the scholarship program! COMPUTER CONSULTANT Got a computer problem? Cory Jackson can help you solve it. He is good at troubleshooting and solving computer problems. He offers assistance via telephone for $20 per hour. For first-time users and long-term customers, the fee will be only $10 for the first hour until January 1, 2006. Phone him toll-free at 1-866-222-9046, or e-mail him at info@3wcomputing.com. NEW DVDs INCLUDE NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION Great news for DVD users on the motion picture front. Universal Home Entertainment has included a descriptive narration track on the mainstream DVD releases of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and the award-winning "Cinderella Man." Universal previously released a special DVD version of the DVS-narrated edition of "Ray" that was distributed through Walmart.com and Amazon.com. Kudos to Universal for committing to having closed captioning and audio description included on all major motion picture releases. NLS EMPLOYEES HONORED The 2005 Francis Joseph Campbell Award has been bestowed upon two highly deserving individuals this year. Judith M. Dixon, NLS consumer relations officer, and the late Wells B. Kormann, chief of the NLS Materials Development Division, have been recognized for making an outstanding contribution to the advancement of library services for the blind and physically handicapped. The honor includes both a citation and a medal awarded by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies of the American Library Association. DONATE BOOKS ON CD The Sri Lanka Federation of the Visually Handicapped is developing an audio library for the visually impaired community of Sri Lanka. Donations of books on CD are needed to assist with the education and rehabilitation of these individuals. Both academic and non-academic titles are welcome. Send audio book contributions to: Miss Sashika Withana, 141/4, Vajira Road, Colombo 5, Sri Lanka. For additional information, send an e-mail to sashikaw@gmail.com or visit www.SLFVH.org. HUMANWARE MAKES MANAGEMENT PLANS In August of this year, Dr. Russell Smith, Chief Executive Officer of HumanWare, was killed in a plane crash. In reaction to his death, the corporation's board of directors has named Gilles Pepin, the head of HumanWare Canada, as the acting CEO of the HumanWare Group. Pepin was the President of VisuAids when it merged with Pulse Data International to form HumanWare in January 2005. The appointment will last for approximately six months while an extensive search for a new CEO continues. CLINICAL TRIAL Those affected by Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome (HPS), a rare type of albinism, now have the opportunity to participate in a ground-breaking clinical trial for a drug designed to treat the pulmonary fibrosis of HPS. The trial is being run by doctors from the National Institutes of Health at its clinical center in Bethesda, Md. All trial-related medical care and transportation will be free to participating patients. For more information contact Donna Appell at 1-800-789-9477 or (516) 922-4022. NEED HELP FINDING SOMETHING? The FOFA EZ Finder is a new product that has been developed to help people locate their keys, wallets, remotes, and other "lost" items. When you attach an EZ Finder to frequently lost items, you can press the button of another EZ Finder to activate the locator alarm of the missing item. The system is $29.95 plus shipping and includes one key fob and one flat finder with double-sided tape. Each EZ Finder has six buttons on it, numbered in braille, allowing each EZ Finder to find six other misplaced items. The EZ Finder uses a two-way wireless operation that works up to 30 feet. Learn more by calling 1-877-439-3463, or visiting www.4EZFINDER.com. WINDSONG NOVEL AVAILABLE This enjoyable historical novel, set on Mackinac Island in 1837, is now available in large print and regular print through Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com. If you would like an autographed copy, order directly from the author, Kelly Ferjutz, by e-mailing books@netlink.net, or writing to PO Box 1837, Cleveland, OH 44106. Be sure to specify the ISBN for your copy: large print, ISBN 0-9759251-8-0, or regular print, 0-9759251-6-4. Regular print copies cost $15 each; large print, $22 each. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS NAMED JWOD CHAMPIONS Eight members of Congress were recently honored as JWOD Congressional Champions by NIB and NISH. Those recognized were: Reps. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.), Ray H. LaHood (R-Ill.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), and Cathy McMorris (R-Wash.); Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), and George Allen (R-Va.). Each person received a special plaque commending them for their dedication to the JWOD program, which provides a federal marketplace for products and services available through the national network of more than 600 community-based non-profit agencies. ACCESSIBLE MUSEUM TOURS NOW AVAILABLE The Jewish Museum offers specialized tours of its exhibitions for visitors who are blind or partially sighted. Museum docents are trained to provide Verbal Imaging Tours of any exhibition and Touch Tours of the permanent exhibition. Touch Tours feature handling objects, reproductions, tactile images and fabrics, and can focus on the following themes: "Art in the Ancient World" and "The Modern Jewish Experience." Tours are available by appointment for individuals, adult groups and school groups, and must be booked at least three weeks in advance. The tours are provided free with the purchase of museum admission. To schedule a tour, call (212) 423-3289 or e-mail access@thejm.org. The Jewish Museum is located at 1109 Fifth Avenue, on the corner of 92nd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City. NEW PERSONAL EMERGENCY REPORTING SYSTEM The PERS-3600 is a new personal emergency reporting system for elderly users, those with a medical condition, or anyone living alone. The system enables users to make emergency phone calls to a 24/7 central monitoring station via a standard telephone network. The console has a large built-in HELP button and can receive signals from up to 16 panic-button-style transmitters. Each console button's function is identified in braille for users who are visually impaired. Synthesized voice prompts are available to provide important audible messages to the subscriber (Emergency, Fire, Timer Done Soon, etc.). The system can also be used as a smoke/fire alarm, door monitor, and motion detector. For more information on the PERS-3600, contact Linear LLC at 1-800-421-1587 or visit www.LinearCorp.com. NAEIR OFFERS SUPPLIES The National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources offers new supplies to non-profit organizations, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and clinics. It receives millions of dollars worth of donated goods from companies across the United States and redistributes them to schools, churches and health care facilities nationwide. Membership dues range from $495 to $595 per year, plus shipping and handling. The supplies themselves are free, and range from office supplies to arts and crafts items, clothing and shoes to maintenance and cleaning supplies. To become a member, call 1- 800-562-0955 or e-mail member@naeir.org. BLIND STUDENT SEEKS SUPPLIES Alemayehu Amato, a ninth-grade student in Ethiopia, is seeking supplies to further his education. He needs a brailler, white cane, braille magazines, a braille Bible, blank cassettes and a tape recorder. If you have any of these items to spare, send them to him at the Association of Blind Students, P.O. Box 326, Imuolaita Soddo, Ethiopia. LEARN BRAILLE QUICKLY! Quick Braille is a new way to learn the braille code. It is shaped like a braille cell, with six dowel pegs provided to form any braille letter. And it's compact enough to carry along with your slate and stylus, 2 « inches by 1 « inches. To place an order, make your check payable to Robin King for $15 and send it to Robin at 34 Carter Ave., Wilmington, NC 28405. SIGNATURE & READING GUIDES The Jewish Guild for the Blind recently produced a heavy-duty card for use by people with low vision as a signature guide and as a guide for reading. It is made of black vinyl, measures 3 « inches by 6 inches, with a half-inch wide, five-inch long rectangle cut out of it. Single copies are free to anyone requesting one. Additional cards cost 40 cents each, or $4 for a dozen. Contact SightCare, Jewish Guild for the Blind, 15 W. 65th St., New York, NY 10023; phone 1-800-539-4845, or e-mail Sightcare@jgb.org. IVY-COVERED WALLS "Steep Are the Ivy-Covered Walls" is about a man who had to leave the construction business after 16 years because of retinitis pigmentosa, only to start battling his state's commission for the blind for the right to attend college. While climbing through the stages of uncertainty, self- doubt and insecurity, he also found himself confronted with rampant discrimination and indifference throughout his college years before evolving into a self-actualized warrior against the systems that dared not accept and accommodate people with disabilities in the years before the Americans with Disabilities Act. You will laugh; you will get angry; you will share his attraction to the braille teacher who changed his life. This true story is available on a 3.5-inch disk in Microsoft Word, plain text, or in a braille format that can be read with a BrailleNote, Braille Lite and other such machines. To order yours, send $6.50 to John Dragona, 234 Lafayette Ave., Cliffside Park, NJ 07010. MOYER PUBLISHED IN CHICKEN SOUP BOOK "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Creating a Better World," released in August, features an essay by Jeff Moyer. His narrative, "Losing It Finding It," was rated in the top one percent of submissions by reviewers who selected stories from thousands of entries for this Chicken Soup book. MATH TEACHER SOUGHT Bob Groff is seeking a math teacher who can help bring his math skills up to the seventh-grade level. His skills are currently at the second-grade level. Groff would like to take Hadley School's math courses. The teacher must know Nemeth code and be able to use the abacus. Contact Robert Groff Jr. at 487 PC Circle, Quitman, AR 72131, or phone (501) 589-2886. COMPUTERS AVAILABLE Need a starter computer to enter the world of computing? Or do you need a backup computer for emergencies? The Texas Center for the Physically Impaired offers you an entire computer system computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, modem, sound card, CD-ROM, synthesized voice and manuals for $100. Contact Bob Langford at (214) 340-6328, or write to him at the Texas Center for the Physically Impaired, 11330 Quail Run, Dallas, TX 75238. ***** HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: 32-cell BrailleNote with Keysoft 6.11, build 26. Includes AC adapter and carrying case. Also included is BrailleNote GPS version 3.1 with the EarthMate GPS receiver, plus its charger, carrying case, and maps of the whole country on CD. The BrailleNote's one remaining SMA count and the service contract purchased from Humanware are transferrable; Sendero Group will provide technical support for the GPS. Asking $3,000. Contact Jane Sheehan, 14311 Astrodome Dr., Silver Spring, MD 20906-2245; phone (301) 598-2131, or e-mail jcsheehan@comcast.net. FOR SALE: Romeo R25 embosser. Asking $1,000 or best offer. Contact Patrick Neazer at (615) 972-8444, or by e-mail, pneazer@runbox.com. FOR SALE: Pentium 2 400 mHz laptop with JAWS 5.0, Window-Eyes and Open Book Ruby pre-installed. Asking $325. Talking scientific calculator, $225. Braille 'n Speak 2000, with two batteries, external disk drive, $425. Contact Brian at (785) 267-0500. FOR SALE: One BrailleNote QT 32-cell. Unit has 48 megs of flash memory and Keysoft 6.11. Comes with a new turtleback leather case and all accessories. Battery was recently replaced. Hardware maintenance agreement is good until mid-January 2006. Asking $3,500, but will consider any reasonable offer. Contact Paul Henrichsen at (559) 292-4030 or paulh52@pacbell.net. FOR SALE: Dr. Atkins' Carbohydrate Gram Counter, volume 2, $5. Betty Crocker's Low-Fat, Low-cholesterol Cookbook, volume 4, $5. Write braille letter to Eileen Wuest at 34 Kelly Ct., Lancaster, NY 14086-3062. FOR SALE: HP Pavilion notebook computer, Athlon 3000+ (very fast processor), with docking station (speaker bank) and wireless keyboard and mouse, 512-meg RAM, 60-gig hard drive, DVD RW, integrated wireless Internet, JAWS speech installed, Kurzweil 1000 9.0 installed, Windows XP + Microsoft Office/Word, multi-card reader, 6 USB ports, long-life battery (watch DVD movies), awesome stereo sound, 2,500 songs and hundreds of digital books on drive, high-end computer ready for Internet, scanning and much more. Asking $1,800 or best offer. Call Alfred at (571) 276-6085. FOR SALE: BrailleNote with 18-cell braille display, comes with super disk drive, and carrying case with strap. In very good condition. Hardly used. Asking $2,000. Call (240) 430-1017. FOR SALE: Braille 'n Speak 640, recently updated. Asking $500. Sharp talking calculator with AC adapter, has clock timer. Asking $35. Contact Franklin Tompkins at (205) 879-0665, or e-mail ftompkins0665@charter.net. FOR SALE: Electric brailler, $250. Two external disk drives for notetakers, $200 each. Color coordinator, $100. Two braille Monopoly games, $50 each or best offer. Contact Roger at (510) 849-3537. FOR SALE: Reconditioned Perkins brailler with hinged hard cover, $450. Insul-gauges for BD U-100 insulin syringes and Medi-coolers, $125 for the lot or $5 per gauge. 19 brailled pill minders. Asking $2 each, or $30 for the lot. Audiophile 2496 sound card, still in box. Asking $75 or best offer. Contact Robert Ziegler at (763) 537-8000 or via e-mail, jemob@earthlink.net. FOR SALE: Pulse Data VoiceNote with transferrable warranty and technical support. All accessories included. Like new; only 3 months old. Asking $1,100. (Assistive technology loan fund approved.) Contact Steve at (517) 347-7046. FOR SALE: Talking Franklin Language Master, $200. Disk drive for Braille 'n Speak or Type 'n Speak, $200. Contact Adam Pobursky at adpob@charter.net. FOR SALE: BrailleNote QT32. Comes with KeySoft 6.11, Spanish, French and German multilingual software. Asking $2,600. Alva braille display in excellent condition. Asking $3,000. IBM computer, 10 years old. It has a parallel port and two serial ports (one male and one female). Asking $500 or best offer. Contact Josh Kennedy at jkenn337@kutztown.edu or call (610) 858-5204. WANTED TO BUY: Used braille writer, in good condition. Contact Jean in Auburn, Calif., at (530) 888-1560. WANTED: One Perkins brailler in good working condition for shipment to Ethiopia. Contact Pam Croson via e-mail, pkcroson@aol.com. ACB OFFICERS PRESIDENT CHRISTOPHER GRAY 94 RAMONA AVE. SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT M.J. SCHMITT 119 SHELL EDGE DR ROCHESTER NY 14623 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT MITCH POMERANTZ 1115 CORDOVA STREET #402 PASADENA, CA 91106 SECRETARY DONNA SELIGER 3912 SE 5TH ST DES MOINES, IA 50315 TREASURER MIKE GODINO 104 TILROSE AVE MALVERNE NY 11565-2024 IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT PAUL EDWARDS 20330 NE 20TH CT. MIAMI, FL 33179 ACB BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alan Beatty, Fort Collins, CO Ed Bradley, Houston, TX Brian Charlson, Watertown, MA Billie Jean Keith, Arlington, VA Oral Miller, Washington, DC Carla Ruschival, Louisville, KY Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD Naomi Soule, St. Louis, MO Cynthia Towers, Seattle, WA David Trott, Talladega, AL Ex Officio: DeAnna Noriega, Colorado Springs, CO BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS Mike Duke, Chairman, Jackson, MS Cindy Burgett, Bremerton, WA Rochelle Hart, Sioux Falls, SD Charles Hodge, Arlington, VA DeAnna Noriega, Colorado Springs, CO Ex Officios: Ralph Sanders, Las Vegas, NV Janelle Edwards, Manhattan, KS