THE Braille Forum Vol. XXXV October 1996 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 QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE. Paul Edwards, President Oral O. Miller, J.D., Executive Director Nolan Crabb, Editor Sharon Lovering, Editorial Assistant National Office: 1155 15th St. N.W. Suite 720 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 467-5081 Fax: (202) 467-5085 Electronic bulletin board: (202) 331-1058 THE BRAILLE FORUM is available in braille, large print, half- speed four-track cassette tape and MS-DOS computer disk. Subscription requests, address changes, and items intended for publication should be sent to: Nolan Crabb, THE BRAILLE FORUM, 1155 15th St. N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005. Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Patricia Beattie, treasurer, at the above address. If you wish to remember a relative or friend by sharing in the council's continuing work, the national office has printed cards available to acknowledge contributions made by loved ones in memory of deceased people. Anyone wishing to remember the American Council of the Blind in his/her Last Will and Testament may do so by including a special paragraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, you may contact the ACB National Office. For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the "Washington Connection" toll-free at (800) 424-8666, 6 p.m. to midnight eastern time Monday through Friday. Washington, D.C., residents only call 331-2876. Copyright 1996 American Council of the Blind TABLE OF CONTENTS President's Message: The Best of All Possible Worlds, by Paul Edwards ACB Sues D.C. Transit System and the U.S. Department of Transportation, by Julie H. Carroll Report of the Executive Director, by Oral O. Miller The Right to Vote, by W. Burns Taylor Disability Politics: I May Be Blind, But I Can See Through These Empty Promises, by Kathi Wolfe ACB Executive Director Selected To Lead Delegates To China Facts About The 1997 Convention The Glowing Promise Of The ADA Dulled By Recent Federal Appellate Court Decisions, by Charles S.P. Hodge Affiliate News Banquet Speaker Jokes About Pork, Talk Radio, Washington Bureaucrats, by Sharon Lovering Statement In Support Of Residential Schools Ski For Light Holds Magic And Beauty, by Deborah Kendrick Here And There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon Summary of 1996 ACB Convention Resolutions Aging And Blindness: A Woman's Perspective, by Teddie Remhild High Tech Swap Shop PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS by Paul Edwards Lately I have been thinking a lot about the future. One of the reasons for this is that I happen to be a fan of science fiction and many of the novels and stories that make up this genre take place in the future. Also I have been involved in a number of different planning processes both inside and outside of the ACB which have caused me to look ahead a few years at possibilities. Then there is technology. I visited the headquarters of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic last week and looked at what may well eventually become the way blind people read. The system that was demonstrated used CD-ROM technology and, within just a few years, we will be at a place where we will be able to store a 30-hour book on one CD-ROM. That is the tip of the iceberg. The book will also be available as spoken word, read by a human, synthesized speech spoken by a computer or in braille or large print, all available on that single CD-ROM. I was also fortunate to be a member of the Collection Building Activities Advisory Group that met at the National Library Service headquarters in Washington, D.C. There, among other things, we talked about the many ways that the internet is changing the way that librarians and patrons are accessing catalogs and a whole host of other kinds of information on-line. It was there that I began to seriously see the immediate contradictions that face the ACB and its members as we march inexorably toward the best of all possible worlds. Fully half of our members are over the age of 50 and many have not embraced the computer and all that it implies about the future. How should we deal with the fact that, like our society as a whole, our organization is divided between the techies and the "technots." More significantly, how can we help those who have not embraced technology cope with its increasing importance? Some studies suggest that there will be no jobs that don't involve computers by the year 2020. Other studies suggest that most of us will read using computers by the year 2050. Our world is changing! That doesn't alter the fact that many of our members are being left behind! As president of the ACB I find myself seriously concerned. If ACB is to remain at the cutting edge of organizations, we must embrace the new technology. That is why many of you may have noticed that we have a page on the World Wide Web and it is also why we have just begun to operate a moderated list serve. These two terms will mean nothing to some of you, and that's OK. I am also committed to making sure that everything we do using technology is available to those of you who have so far not taken the plunge. It also explains why ACB has decided to make access to information our issue of highest priority over the next few years. Part of the commitment I want to share with you is to make certain that, as more and more information finds its way onto computer networks, our members who cannot or will not access information that way are not left out. In many respects, though it is a scary thought, that will be harder than assuring that computerized information remains accessible. So many elements of our lives are being affected. There are devices that allow you to know who is calling before you even pick up your phone. There are increasing numbers of banks that allow their customers to bank by telephone or by computer. The first television sets with built-in access to the internet have just been marketed, and most cable systems in the country are gearing up to become places where you can compute and watch TV. More and more communities are using bulletin boards and networks for communicating public information about legislation and community activities. The internet is becoming a place where you can shop. Colleges are adopting touch screens for registration. Cars are being equipped with navigational systems that use satellites to figure out where the car is and to plot the best route to get from where the car is to where you want the car to go. More and more, as time passes, people will pay a premium price if they cannot use technology because "virtual stores" have far less overhead and can therefore sell more cheaply. Our organization needs to be working to make certain that blind people are protected from being disadvantaged by their lack of access to technology. We are not, of course, alone. Most people who are older resist learning new things. Many in our country are too poor to afford new technology. The whole thrust of the Tech Act which was just passed aims at assuring that the very rich and the non-disabled people of this country are not allowed to do just as they like. But this will not be enough. There remains the very real certainty that technological change will not be stopped and, a generation from now, there will be no room in the work force or at home for people who have turned their backs on change. What that means is that, as well as monitoring changing technology, we must seek ways to get more people who are blind involved with and using it. There are several places where we can start. Obviously, one place is in the classroom. The provision of IDEA that deals with assistive technology is absolutely crucial. We must assure that the young blind child's access technology needs are addressed as an integral part of his or her educational planning. But we must do more! In every community we need to be sure that adult education classes in computing and the internet are being offered using accessible equipment. We often lose sight of the fact that education doesn't have to end with graduation from high school or college. This is a good project for a local chapter to undertake. If one person turns up for an adult education class, it's easy to send him or her on his or her way. If five or 10 people turn up, it gets a lot harder. Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act your right to accessible classes in adult education is guaranteed. Here in Miami, Fla., we are beginning to do what we must do in other communities as well. We are starting programs that will make computers available at no cost to qualified blind people. They will not be the newest or the fastest computers because we are getting our hardware from companies that are buying new computer systems. We are also asking people to donate older, slower modems so people can get to the internet. Here and in many other cities there is a "freenet" system that is publicly financed so people can access some elements of the internet at no cost. We are also working to create more access for blind people to terminals in public libraries. It's a slow process and it certainly isn't perfect. It's easy to get computers. Computers don't do much good unless you can figure out how to get synthesizers for speech or software for large print. One of the other difficulties we face is that many people who are blind don't want old computers. Also, of course, providing computers without training is empty so we are working on a range of ways to make sure that the people who get computers also learn how to use them. Again, local chapters could consider working with other disability groups to develop projects that are like this one. The point that I am making here is that we cannot sit back and hope that the technology will go away. That won't happen! We must come to terms with it and make what peace we can with it. In the meantime we must protect the rights of people who do not have technology to continue to have access to information and services. I am humbled by how much I don't know every day and I suspect this is true for all of us. None of us can afford to ignore technology and its implications no matter how much we might like to do just that. The information superhighway has already bought and paid for a right of way into all of our lives. This is a fact. How we deal with its arrival is up to each and all of us! CAPTIONS Paul Edwards hands John Horst the microphone along with a life membership certificate. (All photos copyright 1996 by Jon B. Petersen.) Bradley Burson thanks ACB for his life membership, as Paul Edwards looks on. Paul Edwards presents George Wolber of Illinois a life membership while Chris Kupczyk looks on. Chris Kupczyk looks on as Richard Villa receives his life membership certificate from Paul Edwards. ACB SUES D.C. TRANSIT SYSTEM AND THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION by Julie H. Carroll Six years after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has still failed to make its platforms safe for blind riders. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), which is located only about 10 blocks from WMATA headquarters, has granted WMATA time extensions and special exemptions such that the federal requirements for WMATA's platform edges no longer even resemble the federal requirements applied to all other transit facilities in America. WMATA is one of the nation's largest rapid rail systems, providing transit services to approximately three million D.C. residents and millions of visitors to the nation's capitol each year. WMATA receives approximately $300 million each year from the federal government to provide those public transportation services. Yet, because of WMATA's failure to install ADA compliant platform edge warning strips, visually impaired riders do not have equal access to WMATA's services and are at unnecessary risk of falling off WMATA subway platforms. There have been numerous falls by blind and visually impaired riders from WMATA platforms and at least two deaths have resulted. Because of the risk, many blind and visually impaired individuals in the D.C. area restrict their use of the WMATA system to only those stations they are familiar with, and some individuals are deterred from using the system altogether. Since passage of the ADA and the transportation regulations, WMATA has engaged in a series of actions, at taxpayers' expense, to avoid complying with the ADA platform edge regulations, first seeking to be grandfathered out of complying with the regulation, seeking to have the regulation revoked, requesting extensions of time to study alternative surfaces, and, finally, those tactics having failed, obtaining permission from FTA to experiment with an electronic warning system which is much less reliable than truncated domes. Not only is it less effective, it costs nearly four times as much as truncated domes. WMATA estimates that the electronic system would cost some $13 million to install. Estimates of the cost of installing ADA compliant truncated domes range from $3 to $4 million. Although the federal regulations allow for alternative methods of accommodation, the regulations are clear that any alternative must be equivalent or superior to truncated domes. The electronic cuing system developed by WMATA falls far short of being equivalent to truncated domes, and may even place users at an increased risk of harm than would having no warnings at all because it yields inconsistent information, is subject to mechanical failure, and appears to be subject to problems of reflection and false signals. Furthermore, unlike truncated domes, the electronic cuing system requires extensive training, and requires the user to acquire and use an additional piece of technology in order to obtain platform edge information. Despite these flaws, WMATA plans to install the electronic cuing system along its entire Yellow Line by October of 1996. ACB has attempted for years to work with WMATA and FTA to resolve differences, but it has become very clear that a safe, accessible transit system in D.C. will only be achieved by court order. There is also evidence that FTA's failure to enforce the ADA with respect to WMATA has had a chilling effect on compliance by some other transit facilities. On September 5, 1996, ACB along with the Blinded Veterans Association, the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Pennsylvania Council of the Blind, and seven individuals filed suit in federal district court in Washington against WMATA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Federal Transit Administration seeking, among other things, declaratory and injunctive relief under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Administrative Procedures Act. The plaintiffs asked the court to halt installation of WMATA's electronic cuing system and to order enforcement of the ADA platform edge regulations, i.e. installation of truncated domes. REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR by Oral O. Miller Knowledgeable advocates in the field of blindness are aware that the international assembly of the World Blind Union (WBU) takes place every four years in a different major city. However, the 1996 international assembly, held recently in Toronto, Canada, had to share the international stage with the World Blind Women's Forum, which took place in Toronto the week before the WBU International Assembly and which was also hosted quite hospitably by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). The American Council of the Blind was very capably represented at the Women's Conference by, among others, Ms. Gayle Krause of Miami, Fla., and Ms. Kim Charlson of Watertown, Mass. The nature of the proceedings, geographic distribution of the attendees and summary of the actions taken will be reported in a future article in "The Braille Forum," but it should be pointed out that many of the resolutions that were adopted by the WBU international assembly resulted from recommendations or resolutions passed on from the Women's Forum. The 1996 WBU international assembly, which it was my pleasure to attend as the official observer from the American Council of the Blind, took place in the beautiful Prince Hotel in suburban Toronto and brought together approximately 800 delegates and observers from more than 100 nations from throughout the world. ACB First Vice President Brian Charlson, of Watertown, Mass., served as ACB's official delegate during business proceedings. One difference that was immediately discernible between the Toronto assembly and its predecessors was the much greater number of blind women and representatives of developing nations present in Toronto. The WBU and the host organization had intended to increase the number of blind women and developing nations present, and, accordingly, had earmarked additional resources for those purposes. Also, there appeared to be more exhibitors present, although that appearance could have been enhanced by the configuration of the hotel which prevented all of the exhibits from being in one room and forced several to be located along busy corridors or foyer areas. The program content was generally very good, as speakers from many nations developed the assembly theme, "What It Means to Be Blind." Due to the need to translate all presentations into several languages, the pace of all proceedings at such international meetings is usually slower than the pace at meetings conducted only in one language; professional interpreters who are enclosed in soundproof booths in the meeting auditorium translate into several languages simultaneously and transmit those versions to multi-channeled infrared radio receivers that are in the hands of the attendees, who select the language channel they wish to hear via earphones. During the business sessions, Dr. Euclid Herie of the CNIB was elected president for the next quadrennium, succeeding Mr. David Blyth of Australia; Ms. Kicki Nordstrom of Sweden was elected first vice president; Mr. William Rowland of South Africa was elected to a newly created second vice presidency; Mr. Geoffrey Gibbs of New Zealand was elected treasurer, and Mr. Pedro Zurita of Spain was re-elected to the position of secretary general. The constitution of the organization was amended to increase from six to 10 the number of delegates which countries with a population of more than 250 million people may have; the same amendment also raised the number of delegates which nations in other population levels may have. The very broad resolutions that were adopted called for, among other things, the immediate suspension of all armed conflicts so the resources which had been "misappropriated" to these conflicts can be redistributed to the ending of human suffering; for the immediate cessation of feticide and infanticide of blind and visually impaired children; for the establishment and fostering of a program of caring organizations of blind women in widely separated countries in order to facilitate sharing of good ideas and leadership training; for a commitment by every government to teach blind people, especially blind women and girls, to read and write braille; for the fostering by the WBU through its regional structure of small braille production facilities; for the withholding of all funding by the International Olympic Committee to the International Paralympic Committee until the latter organization takes various specific steps to achieve non-discrimination and integration of blind athletes; for the adoption by all governments of measures to forbid discrimination against disabled people and to encourage agencies of the United Nations to increase funding of projects to equalize opportunities for blind and other disabled people; for the governments of all nations to provide immediately those services needed by blind and low-vision girls and women to become competent and contributing members of society; for support of specialized schools for the blind as an integral and necessary placement option in order to guarantee a free and appropriate education for blind children and youths around the world; for recognition that current electronic formats of books should never be viewed as a viable substitute for hard-copy braille, and for the development of national and international systems to ensure the compatibility of formats; for support of the concept of a separate service delivery system and organizational structure for blind people in order to maximize the success of blind people served by rehabilitation agencies; for the development of a strategy to strengthen the WBU in political and organizational matters; and for encouraging broadcasters and legislators to dedicate a portion of digital transmission capacity to audio description sound, to introduce audio description services as soon as possible, and to incorporate the needs of blind people in the design of receivers. The assembly considered another well- intended but exceptionally broad resolution that would have guaranteed participation of blind women in a high percentage of many different offices, positions and groups. However, since that resolution could not be implemented without amendment to the WBU constitution and the constitutions of many other organizations around the world, it was referred to the Executive Committee (board of directors) for further consideration and redrafting. Besides serving as an outstanding opportunity for networking with other advocates from around the world, the WBU assembly served as an opportunity for people with more specialized common interests to come together to discuss those interests. For example, following the conclusion of the assembly, it was my pleasure to meet with a number of blind lawyers from other nations to discuss the practice of that profession in its various forms in other nations and to establish a network for the further exchange of information. The national office of the American Council of the Blind will serve as the repository and communication exchange point for this group. While very important matters involving international advocacy and liaison activities were taking place in Atlanta and Toronto there was serious discussion going on in Washington regarding the ongoing refusal of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to install detectable tactile strips along platform edges as mandated by federal regulations. That refusal has been aggravated by the decision of WMATA to use instead an electronic vibrator system (not yet tested under realistic conditions) that would be not only unsafe but far more costly, unreliable, complicated and vulnerable to weather than simple detectable warnings. (See the separate article by Director of Governmental Affairs Julie Carroll in this issue regarding the lawsuit which ACB and several other plaintiffs filed against WMATA, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration regarding their violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal laws.) THE RIGHT TO VOTE by W. Burns Taylor (Editor's Note: This story serves as an update to "Texas Court Hands Down Landmark Decision on Voting Rights for the Blind," January 1996. The author is one of the original seven plaintiffs involved in the suit.) Seven members of the disabled community of El Paso, Texas filed suit in 1994 against the secretary of state of Texas, both political parties and the County of El Paso in federal district court. Of the seven original plaintiffs, three are current members of the local chapter of ACB. In June 1995 a trial was held in which the plaintiffs alleged that the secretary of state had failed to provide accessible polling places for the mobility impaired or to provide a means by which the blind and visually impaired could vote a secret ballot. In November of that same year, Judge David Briones ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. Pursuant to his decision last November, Judge Briones handed down a decision in the remedy phase of this case in June 1996. He instructed the secretary of state to remedy this violation of the ADA in three stages. First, he ordered the secretary of state to approve no voting system that is not accessible to the blind and disabled by December 31, 1996. The second stage of the decision directs the secretary of state to issue written directives, guidelines and instructions to all counties in the state to render all current polling places accessible by December 1998. The final stage orders that all polling stations throughout the state be totally accessible to the disabled by December 31, 1999. Most sighted people who understand our reasons for bringing this law suit in the first place are incredulous that officials object to our demands. But Antonio Garza Jr., Secretary of State of Texas, has already appealed Judge Briones' decision. Most likely the case will be heard in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans at great expense to the American taxpayers. "The disabled community of El Paso should be proud of itself for filing the first case of its type under the ADA. We fully expect to win the appeal," says James Harrington, lead counsel for the plaintiffs. "Limiting the size of the electorate is invidious to democratic ideals." In the meantime, El Paso County officials have been working to make polling stations in El Paso County accessible in time for the general elections in November. The system that has been tested in some trial runs at the El Paso Lighthouse for the Blind involves the use of a cassette tape player in conjunction with a conventional portable voting machine. After his ballot has been inserted into the machine, taped instructions inform the voter which hole number corresponds to the names of the candidates listed on each page. The voter may then count down the requisite number of holes with the tip of the voting stylus and punch his or her own ballot. Two separate mock tests of this system were conducted at the El Paso Lighthouse for the Blind, involving some 40 individuals. There were some technical problems related to the operation of the tape players but the overall results were very positive. A representative from the state attorney general's office, the El Paso county attorney's office and local polling officials filled out an exit questionnaire for each voter to measure the accuracy and reliability of the process. As of this writing, results from the questionnaire are still not available. The estimated cost to the county to render 120 polling stations accessible will be approximately $2,500. Most of that expenditure will go toward providing low-cost tape players and headsets and for duplicating the instruction tape. "People are watching to see what happens in Texas," said Harrington, an Austin attorney employed by the Texas Civil Rights Project. "Many states have inquired about the success of our system." The general feeling among attorneys and plaintiffs is that this is a landmark case that will eventually influence voting procedures throughout the country. One of the barriers to the development of a system that would be generally applicable, however, is that there is such a variety of voting procedures in operation across this country þ three different ones in Texas alone. It would be an almost insurmountable task to devise a separate adaptation for each of these systems. What would be much more practical would be to develop a standard mechanism for blind and visually impaired voters that could then be installed in all polling places. Officials of Harris County in Houston are considering the introduction of a touch-tone telephone voting system. This might be a method that could be universally applicable. Many have questioned me and the other plaintiffs in this case as to our motives for filing suit in the first place. Many argue that we should be perfectly content to allow someone else to cast our ballots for us. Even many blind individuals believe that our case is a tempest in a teapot and that there are many more important issues that we should be pursuing. Aside from the obvious fact that every citizen in Texas is guaranteed the right to a secret ballot under the constitution, though, the rationale for most of us boils down to a matter of independence versus dependency. We blind and visually impaired individuals have to relinquish so much of our privacy and independence that any modicum we may regain is desirable. By necessity, we must often allow others to be privy to some of the most intimate documents and details of our personal lives: our bills, our bank statements, our personal letters, tax records, etc. Early in life we learn how to bargain and barter þ how to trade a piano lesson for a ride to the supermarket. Trading on our emotions like legal tender, we are forced to buy back our independence and privacy þ one degree at a time þ with cash, with favors, with compromises. And yet the independence and autonomy of the individual lies at the very heart of the American psyche. What amazes me is the hypocrisy of the sighted public who demand the freedom to jump into their cars and drive to the supermarket two blocks away, but stubbornly reject our right to enter our local polling place and freely cast our own ballots without interference from anyone. We who are independent-minded see our victory in this case as a step toward removing one of the last vestiges of institutionalized paternalism of those well-meaning sighted people who say, "Wait a moment. Let me do that for you. It's much easier that way." In response to that mindset we say, "Don't do for us. Help us find a way to do it for ourselves." DISABILITY POLITICS: I May Be Blind, But I Can See Through These Empty Promises by Kathi Wolfe (Reprinted with permission from "The Washington Post," Sept. 1, 1996.) In grade school a teacher kept me out of the class picture because I was legally blind. My eyes looked "funny," I remember her telling me. Years later a New York City deli owner asked me to leave his restaurant, saying, "You're blind. Our customers don't like to sit next to you people." Since childhood, I've often felt like an unwanted ghost in a society that has kept disabled people shunted to the side. Not surprisingly, people like me have been largely invisible in our body politic too. One in 10 voters has a disability, but you would never know it during an election season. No politician seemed to care about my vote. Until this presidential campaign. Suddenly disabilities have become as pervasive as the macarena. Hard as it was to believe, a never-ending stream of disability images paraded across the screen as I sat inches from the TV watching, as best I could, the Democratic and Republican conventions. What little vision I have comes to me through thick lenses that enable me to make out what was going on, but what I saw was astounding: In Chicago, actor Christopher Reeve, paralyzed from a horse- riding accident, invoked the memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who led the country from his (seldom seen) wheelchair. In San Diego two weeks before, Bob Dole spoke of his war wound and his struggle to cope with everyday life and a nearly useless right arm. Earlier that day, the camera crews cut to a carefully staged photo-op that showed Dole in a park with people in wheelchairs sitting alongside their photogenic golden retriever service dogs. I sat glued to the tube, watching with mixed emotions. Right there on national television, I thought, politicians were acknowledging that there are 35 million voters with disabilities. We've become a sought-after constituency. But as I watched Reeve's speech, I found myself getting more and more annoyed. Why was I so irritated, I wondered to myself. Reeve's story touched me very much. Teary-eyed delegates listened raptly to his moving account of his struggle after his accident. But that's the problem for those of us with disabilities. Americans want to admire us þ to be inspired by our personal stories. But they don't want to hear about us as people with civil rights þ or who need health care, or some accommodation to toil alongside others in the workplace. Once when I applied for a job, an editor told me, "I loved hearing your story. I'd like to put it in our paper, but we'd never hire a blind reporter." People want to help "cure" people with disabilities þ to contribute to research. Reeve made a poignant case for more funding to help people with spinal cord injuries. It's terrific when research can help people recover from diseases and injuries. But millions of us can't be cured. We can't get out of our wheelchairs or throw away our canes. When I was born, the doctors, on learning I was blind, told my folks they were sorry I was alive. While being blind hasn't always been easy, I'm plenty glad to be alive. I'm largely self- sufficient, but sometimes I need support. Clinton, as I recall, once claimed to be the avatar of health care. Yet it's hard to see in his policies efforts to ensure that the disabled, many of whom lack health insurance, get the care they need. I can't get private, non-group health insurance, because my blindness would be considered a pre-existing condition. What about the Americans with Disabilities Act? Will Clinton, if re-elected, stand up to the growing backlash against the ADA? Then there's the welfare bill that Clinton recently signed. Because of this law, more than 300,000 disabled children will become ineligible for the Supplemental Security Income program. What happens to these children when they're taken off SSI? It's not just the Democrats but the Republicans too whose disability courting seems disingenuous. I respect Dole's candor about his injury þ about his problems with buttons, ties, dinner parties and taking notes. Dole's frank discussion of his disability is putting us on America's radar screen. It makes it easier for me to be "out" about being disabled. And when I think back to my experience at the New York deli, I gratefully remember that Dole helped get the Americans with Disabilities Act passed. But what will happen to disabled people dependent on Medicare or Medicaid if Dole becomes president? How do you pay for these programs if there's a big tax cut? I'll never forget how humiliated I felt leaving that deli. Now the ADA protects me from such discrimination. Would Dole hold fast to his support of the law in the face of a Republican Congress that believes the ADA is an expensive federal mandate? Dole's not discussing these questions. He's using his disability to make himself seem more human þ to woo this country's voters, both disabled and able-bodied. After seeing Reeve, I had had enough of convention television. Time to give the remote control a rest. But I've been left with uneasy feelings. Sure, it's nice to be courted, but neither Superman nor adoring golden retrievers will help sway my vote. I'm voting for the candidate who's most committed to addressing employment, health care and other concerns that actually affect the lives of people like me. And from what I've seen so far, it's hard to tell who that might be. ACB EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SELECTED TO LEAD DELEGATES TO CHINA Although ACB Executive Director Oral Miller had been familiar with and supportive of the goals of the People to People Committee on the Handicapped for a number of years, he was less familiar with the program of the parent organization, People to People International, and had never seriously considered participating in one of its international exchange programs due to time and resource constraints. People to People was founded in 1956 by then-president Dwight D. Eisenhower to improve communication between Americans and the citizens of other countries. President Eisenhower initially assigned the program's management and operation to the U.S. State Department. When he left office in 1961, the organization was restructured as People to People International, a non-political, private sector activity. Since that time, presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton have supported its goals by serving as honorary chairmen. One of several People to People International activities, the Citizen Ambassador Program, arranges professional exchanges in such disciplines as medicine, building science, education, agriculture, energy, finance, industrial technology, and the basic sciences. Miller's attention was seriously attracted approximately six months ago, however, when the Citizen Ambassador Program announced that it would be sponsoring an exchange program with the People's Republic of China concerning the various aspects of education of the blind and the role of consumer organizations in that nation. He expressed interest, submitted his resume and other information, and several months ago was invited to serve as leader of the delegation. Since then he has worked closely with the Citizen Ambassador Program in refining the purposes and objectives of the exchange, recommending individuals to be invited to join the delegation and communicating with both invitees and confirmed members of the delegation. Although many other invitations were sent out, most of the delegation members who accepted are active members of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired. The professional purpose statement of the exchange states that the delegation of professionals in the area of education of the blind will participate in bilateral exchanges with professional counterparts in the People's Republic of China. The exchange will comprise a series of meetings and formal discussions during which delegates will have an opportunity to explore the history, philosophy and current status of education services for blind and visually impaired people in China. The primary purpose of the delegation is to visit government ministries, selected university campuses, residential and community-based schools, vocational and independent living training facilities, and employment programs for the blind and visually impaired. Among the topics of particular interest to the delegation will be the structure and operation of the national system for educating totally blind and visually impaired people, vocational training and placement (including the use of technology and adaptive aids), sites of rural and urban services, the full range of specialized services and benefits for blind and visually impaired people (e.g. library services, financial assistance, and services for elderly blind), curriculum development along with teacher training and program evaluation, the process for deciding which service programs will be initiated and carried out, independent living training services (e.g. orientation and mobility, communication skills and homemaking), recreation and leisure opportunities, and activities of consumer/membership organizations. It is intended that these exchanges contribute to international understanding, both personally and professionally. While every delegation explores a different topic, all have a common goal þ to bring the people of the world together in a setting that is professionally informative and conducive to improving communication through the language of international exchange. Citizen Ambassador Program exchanges have taken place in more than 50 countries over the years. Each exchange maintains a journal of professional activities (one of many administrative duties of the delegation leader) and following conclusion of the project is published and supplied to each member of the delegation. The exchange qualifies for graduate level continuing education credits because of the extensive professional interaction and learning opportunities. The upcoming exchange on education of the blind will visit four cities þ Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhao and Shanghai. The delegation, consisting of approximately 20 people, will be in China for two weeks, beginning October 12, 1996. The makeup of the delegation is outstanding and varied þ vision teachers from city school systems, faculty and high-level administrators from four schools for the blind, orientation and mobility specialists, retired teachers of the blind, the visual rehabilitation coordinator from a world-famous hospital, the executive director of a national blinded veterans organization, the chief executive officer of a very well-known industrial employment center for the blind and a post-doctoral graduate student from a very well-known university in the blindness rehabilitation field. FACTS ABOUT THE 1997 CONVENTION The 36th annual national convention of the American Council of the Blind will be held in Houston, Texas, from Saturday, July 5 through Saturday, July 12, 1997 at the Adam's Mark. Reservations can be made now by calling (800) 436-2326 or (713) 978-7400. The address is 2900 Briarpark Dr., Houston, TX 77042. The overflow hotels are the Houston Marriott West Side, (713) 558-8338, and the Holiday Inn, (713) 688-2221. Rates at all three hotels are $49 per night (plus tax) single and double, and $59 per night (plus tax) triple and quad. Shuttles will operate between the three hotels. THE GLOWING PROMISE OF THE ADA DULLED BY RECENT FEDERAL APPELLATE COURT DECISIONS by Charles S.P. Hodge As I sat in the hot sun on the south lawn of the White House on July 26, 1990, and witnessed President George Bush sign into law the Americans with Disabilities Act, I along with most of the other advocates for civil rights for the disabled gathered on that occasion had high hopes that in particular the employment discrimination prohibitions contained in Title I of the then-new act would and could lead to liberation and greater independence for disabled Americans in general and for blind and visually impaired Americans in particular. Those bright dreams, however, have taken a series of severe body blows as the long, hot summer of 1996 progressed in a series of unfortunately restrictive interpretations of Title I of the ADA contained in decisions from several federal appellate courts. For example, on August 14, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in its decision in Eckles v. Consolidated Rail Corp. held that any reasonable accommodation sought by a disabled plaintiff which impinges upon the collectively bargained rights of other co-workers embodied in a collectively bargained union contract constitutes undue hardship upon the employer and thus may not be granted by a federal court. This interpretation, if followed and expanded upon by other federal courts, has the potential of making the reasonable accommodation provision of Title I virtually meaningless in the unionized workplace since the union is thereby granted a veto power over any reasonable accommodation request which would even potentially be an exception to or at odds with the provisions of the outstanding collective bargaining agreement. On August 2, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit decided Gonzales v. Garner Food Services. The court of appeals in Gonzales held that a disabled former employee could never qualify as part of the universe of those protected by the ADA, since as a former employee the plaintiff could not demonstrate that he was a qualified individual with a disability as required by the act. If this interpretation is followed to its logical conclusion by other federal courts, even a discharge claim could not be successfully made out. Even if the worst case scenario does not come true and all dischargees are not automatically disqualified from the universe of covered individuals with disabilities under Title I of the act, the Gonzales decision signals disaster for Title I ADA claims by retirees and other former employees. Two decisions made by two separate federal appellate courts on July 31 rank among the most important ones for blind and visually impaired Americans. In McNemar v. Disney Store Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that a Title I ADA plaintiff who had applied for Social Security disability insurance and other state government disability- related benefits was judicially estopped from asserting that he was a qualified individual with a disability. The court argued that by applying for such government benefits for the disabled and stating on his application forms that he was totally disabled, the plaintiff could not now talk out of the other side of his mouth and claim that he was a qualified individual with a disability who could perform the essential job functions of the employment position which he was seeking. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in its decision in Kennedy v. Applause Inc. followed a similar rationale in reaching a virtually identical conclusion that earlier representations of total disability made by the plaintiff on benefit application forms now barred her from asserting that she could perform the essential functions of her job and thus qualify as an individual with a disability. This was so even though in Kennedy the Social Security Administration had eventually denied her application for SSDI benefits, holding that she could engage in substantial gainful activity. These decisions mean, of course, that the vast majority of blind and visually impaired Americans who we know are unemployed and have applied for and obtained SSDI benefits may now well find themselves eliminated from future coverage under Title I of the ADA. These recent federal appellate court decisions under Title I, if followed and confirmed by other federal appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court, would eviscerate Title I for thousands of disabled Americans in general and for most blind and visually impaired Americans in particular. We must, of course, wait to see over the next three or four years how litigation under Title I raising such issues is resolved in other federal judicial circuits. However, it would probably be wise for us as responsible blind civil rights advocates to commence the process of consulting with our colleagues both inside and outside of the disabled community concerning these issues in order to develop strategies to counteract these devastating interpretations of Title I of the ADA. If our worst fears are confirmed by the passage of time and events, and these unduly restrictive Title I interpretations are in fact endorsed and followed by other federal courts, we may even have to consider doing the unthinkable: going back to Congress to seek remedial or curative amendments to clarify Congress' true intent in enacting certain provisions of Title I of the ADA. I realize that the mere thought of opening up the ADA even to constructive amendments is frightening, particularly in the atmosphere which is prevalent in the current Congress, but future Congresses which may be sitting at the strategic moment we decide to once again approach Capitol Hill may well prove to be more friendly and supportive of our desire to make Title I of the ADA the shining ray of hope that we believed it would be for all of us. AFFILIATE NEWS SAN DIEGO IN THE FALL The California Council of the Blind will hold its fall convention in San Diego November 21-24. There will be displays and demonstrations of assistive devices and items for the deaf- blind, exhibits, workshops and meetings. COME TO LAS VEGAS The Nevada Council of the Blind will hold its state convention Saturday, October 26, 1996 in Building C of the First Southern Baptist Church, Sixth Street at St. Louis, in Las Vegas. ACB President Paul Edwards will be the keynote speaker. Jim Stovall, president of the Narrative Television Network, will also be a featured speaker. Stovall will discuss his book "You Don't Have to Be Blind to See." For more information, call David Krause at (702) 737-5714. PENNSYLVANIA CONVENTION In conjunction with its state convention, the Pennsylvania Council of the Blind will hold an employment seminar on November 8 at the Greentree Holiday Inn in Pittsburgh. Designed for visually impaired people seeking employment or career advancement, the program will feature a job readiness session. Participants will have the opportunity to assess their EQ: employability quotient. They will evaluate themselves by answering written questions and scoring themselves on professional, blindness and personal issues. Additional sessions will include the job seeker's survival kit, brief reports by blind people on how they got their jobs, mediation as a tool to resolve difficult situations, high-tech, low-tech or no tech, and partnering with service agency personnel in securing jobs. All presenters will be blind people who are employed. For more information, call the Pennsylvania Council of the Blind at (800) 238-1410. The Pennsylvania convention will occur Friday evening, November 8 through Sunday, November 10. Oral Miller, the executive director of ACB, will be the featured speaker. Additional topics will cover sports and recreational opportunities, organ transplant surgery and a panel on updating agency services. A banquet will be held Saturday evening, and a business session Sunday morning. BAY STATE WINNER Bay State Council of the Blind member Charles H. Crawford was the recipient of the chapter's first Outstanding Service Award. Crawford has served as commissioner at the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind for the past 12 years. He began his consumer activities in the 1970s by serving as a founding member of the Blind Leadership Club, a Boston-based organization that promotes regional, educational and employment opportunities for college students and young professionals; this group evolved into the Bay State Council in 1976. After college, he began his professional career as director of the Massachusetts Client Assistance Project. In 1984, then-governor Michael Dukakis asked him to serve as commissioner. EXPANDING COLORADO? The ACB of Colorado plans to raise funds in 1997 to raise the money necessary to expand into other cities. The group will hold an auction, with ACB members donating items to be sold. Along with the item(s), senders should include a bit of information about the item (or service) to be used in a booklet to be used as a description of all items and as a mini-directory. Cash donations or items to be auctioned should be sent to: ACBC þ Longmont Chapter, c/o Sandy McAviney, Dept. 292, 2255 N. Main St. #108, Longmont, CO 80501. BANQUET SPEAKER JOKES ABOUT PORK, TALK RADIO, WASHINGTON BUREAUCRATS by Sharon Lovering Those attending the banquet at the ACB 35th annual national convention in Tulsa were treated to the political humor of Dr. James Boren, an internationally renowned humorist and scholar in residence in political science at Northeastern Oklahoma State University, who's running for the Senate seat currently held by Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). He had run for president with the Apathy Party of America, "the party for people who didn't care, or were just disgusted. ... My campaign ... was, 'I have what it takes to take what you've got.'" Judging by the number of laughs, Boren certainly had what it took to tickle his listeners' funny bones. "By show of hands, how many of you are from Oklahoma?" Boren asked. "Since I have announced [that I'm running] for the U.S. Senate I have been trying to fight down the fact that I have been a professional humorist for many years and to convince people that I am very, very serious about this campaign." He joked about being a member of the International Association of Professional Bureaucrats (since 1968). "We seek to do what we can to preserve the bureaucratic way of life," he said. "We believe that progress is our greatest mistake. We believe that nothing should be done for the first time. But we are not opposed to cutting red tape, as long as that red tape is cut lengthwise within the structural harmonic." He shared his three basic guidelines for bureaucratic success: "... When in charge, ponder. ... When in trouble, delegate. ... When in doubt, mumble." Boren stated that these three things had helped him through most of his life. "When in charge, ponder, don't do anything. If you do something you might make a mistake. But if you can project an image of productivity, then you can have nearly all of the advantages of having been productive without running the risk of making an error. This is the concept of dynamic inaction: doing nothing but doing it with style." He gave an example of listening to a troubled friend, shaking his head and dropping his jaw, showing concern, but not making a commitment. "When in trouble, delegate þ of course everybody understands that. There's nothing like fixed responsibility to ruin any kind of a career. So you see a problem coming, just delegate it to someone else. It's easy to do. "And when in doubt, mumble þ I have heard so much delightful mumbling since I've been here tonight I feel like I'm almost preaching to the choir." He discussed two different types of mumbling: vertical and linear. With vertical mumbling, "you can make people think you know what you're talking about whether you do or not." He said he'd collected some examples from a document in the Pentagon: bullets were described as "kinetic energy penetrators," peace was "permanent pre-hostility," and war was "violence processing." Linear mumbling is what politicians use during an election year. He gave his listeners "Boren advisory 13: A cautious mouth gathers no foot." Boren told his audience never to argue "with stupid people who may know more than you do," especially when dealing with government. "If your position on an issue proves to be wrong, don't change your position, redefine the issue," he said. "Now if you have a crisis before you þ something is coming of great, major concern þ and you're not quite sure what to do, the first thing to do, of course, is to residuate. ... To residuate ... is where you burrow into a fixed, low profile like the last remains of residual ... and then you hunkerfy there." "Hunkerfying" is going into a mental football crouch. "The most important thing in a crisis is to buy time. ... If you study a problem long enough, it may go away." He stated the purpose of a study committee is "to take a single problem, divide it into its constituent elements, and then you nurture each element until each one becomes a full-fledged problem itself; the essence of the bureaucratic pattern of growth." He shared a few more of his advisories from his Washington observations. One, advisory 36: "In Washington, the frequent flush of money keeps the sewers of communications open." Another observation: "A politician's handshake may be the foreplay to tactual assault. For some public officials, graft is the minimum wage. And taking money from special-interest PACs is legal graft. "In Washington, pigging out on pork is measured by tax dollars, not calories. When a lobbyist and a politician play loophole golf, the score is counted by the number of new holes and the strokes on the palm of the politician. Loopholes are the ratholes of PAC rats. Transpalmation is the movement of money from one palm to another. ... A palmiatrist is a specialist who trims calluses from the palms of politicians." Boren also joked about talk radio, anger, politicians and the religious right. "Talk radio offers much to listeners; it's the black belt in shared ignorance. The trinity of hate radio þ Rush Limbaugh, that two-bit burglar G. Gordon Liddy, Oliver North þ the essences of shared ignorance, optimal arrogance and mangled half-truths seem to prevail. Anger passes; hate lingers. And ignorance has never stopped Jesse Helms from saying what he thinks. Some politicians on the extreme right will fight with religious fervor to protect their right to hate." He urged his listeners to remember this statement: "The poor share; the rich grab. The needy serve; the greedy rule. The weak who care can conquer the strong who don't." CAPTION Jim Boren shares his three guidelines for bureaucratic success with banquet attendees. STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS (Editor's note: The following statement expressing support of residential schools for the blind was drafted by the organizations whose names appear below, including the American Council of the Blind.) Whereas, schools for the blind have a rich and distinguished history in providing quality education to blind children and youths for over 150 years, and whereas these schools are essential if there is to be an array of placement options, based on individual needs, for children, therefore be it resolved that those organizations listed below support specialized schools for the blind as an integral and necessary placement option in order to guarantee a free and appropriate education for blind children and youths. Signed, American Council of the Blind American Printing House for the Blind Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Association of Instructional Resource Centers for the Visually Handicapped Choices for Children Council for Exceptional Children þ Division of Visually Impaired National Agenda Advisory Board Members National Federation of the Blind SKI FOR LIGHT HOLDS MAGIC AND BEAUTY by Deborah Kendrick (Reprinted with permission from the "Cincinnati Enquirer," Feb. 11, 1996.) Spearfish, S.D. þ Magic and miracle are the subject of conversation in this most unlikely place for either to happen. My new friend, John Klemaseski, and I are talking about the multiple meanings of both and he laughs when I say, "We are in the midst of magic and miracle right here." The event is the 1996 Ski for Light International, a 21- year-old program brought from Norway to teach blind Americans to cross-country ski. Many came for the first time, some for the 10th. We are computer geeks or fitness fanatics. We range in age from 18 to 80, but we are all here for one reason: We believe that you don't have to see or walk to enjoy the thrill of cross-country skiing or the beauty of nature. The first night, each blind or wheelchair-using participant is paired with an instructor/guide who has no discernible disability. That first dinner may well be the last time for seven days any of us gives disability a thought. It's not that we never talk about blindness or wheelchairs or solutions to problems those circumstances pose. But any sense that disability renders a person less-than or inferior is completely absent from this temporary microcosm in South Dakota. There is no sense of charity or caretaking either þ just a genuine spirit of loving life. In the real world, we are physicians, lawyers, bus drivers, mountain rangers, etc. Here we are simply "skiers" or "guides." At home, we speak English, Norwegian, or Japanese, but here a smile, a touch, or the sound of another pair of skiers shushing past us on the trail cements quick and permanent connections. When we wind up quarantined for three days out of six, kept from skiing by wind chills dipping to 60 degrees below zero, the magic of Ski for Light shines again as the talents of so many human beings are whipped into an amazing smorgasbord of special- interest sessions and fun. John, my guide, tells me that the blowing snow makes it impossible to see even the cars just outside our hotel, and shows me the pile of snow that has blown in through a crack, the thick frost covering panes of glass. It doesn't matter. Instead of being disappointed, we choose from origami or self-defense taught by our friends from Japan, conversational Norwegian or Norwegian folk dancing led by friends from Norway. There are sessions on the Internet, rock-climbing, mountain climbing, water aerobics, and wine-tasting, not to mention impromptu games of volleyball, ping-pong or Scrabble. Pat and Stan Smith, visually impaired skiers from Delaware, have shipped and set up a talking dart board that attracts sufficient interest for a Talking Dart Tournament late Friday night. My roommate, Laura Oftedahl, works for WGBH-TV in Boston, and calls her employer to ship a dozen DVS videos þ popular movies with a narration track added to describe visual elements. They play continuously in the lounge. At night, dances range from country to disco, where Jeff Pagels with his wheelchair may well be the hottest dancer on the floor. But the real magic escalates on the last day when it is announced at breakfast that today the temperature may be a soaring single degree above zero, and WE WILL SKI! The day is a glorious one, bright and clear, and I want the trails to go on forever. On a familiar and gentle stretch of trail, John closes his eyes and I guide him for a change þ laughing as I ski slightly ahead, shouting information about the terrain as I feel it beneath my skis. Anything is possible this week, it seems, as we hug the birches, pick up pine cones, practice herringbone and glide. It is possible because the sun is bright, the tracks are good, the snow is right, and it is possible because a kind of spell has been cast over us all that says, at least while we're in the land of Ski for Light International, we are all equally capable, lovable, alive. Discrimination rooted in fear and mean-spirited one-upmanship cannot be found in this place. No matter how many things we accomplish, there are some things we cannot do without the help of another human being, and the spirit in which that enabling is offered means everything. The miracle, I should have told John, is this simple paradox: Because you are here, enabling me to ski, you are giving me an incredible gift; and yet, because the magic of Ski for Light is what it is, you believe I am giving you one. SKI FOR LIGHT 1997 INVITES YOU Brainerd, Minn. þ Whether you're a veteran athlete or a couch potato longing for change, Ski for Light 1997 could be the perfect week for you. To be held in Brainerd, Minn., February 23 through March 2, 1997, the 22nd annual Ski for Light will invite more than 100 blind or visually impaired people to enjoy a week filled with cross-country skiing, interesting apres ski activities, good food, fellowship and what has been, for many, a major milestone on the road of life. Begun in Norway and brought to this country in 1975, Ski for Light matches each visually impaired skier with a sighted guide/instructor. With the aid of pre-set tracks and good verbal instructions, blind people are able to enjoy the exhilaration of cross-country skiing and the quiet beauty of winter outdoors. Pace and distance are determined by each individual skier-guide pair, and all who come share in the success of camaraderie and the healthy taste of an outdoor sport. Skiers range in age from 18 to 80, and in ability from the mostly sedentary to world-class champions. In past years, skiers and guides have come from Norway, Japan, Australia, England, France and other countries as well as every part of the United States. In addition to skiing, participants have enjoyed such additional activities as dancing, swimming, skating, and lectures on a variety of topics, as well as exposure to the food, language and culture of Norway and other countries. The 1997 event will be held at the Cragun Conference Center in Brainerd, Minn. Cost of the week will be $575 and will include all meals, lodging (based on double occupancy), ski instruction, equipment for first-time skiers and after-hours activities. Applications must be submitted by November 1. No prior knowledge of cross-country skiing or any sport is necessary. For an application, contact Larry Showalter, 206 Vista Dr., Gahanna, OH 43230, phone (614) 478-7898; or download the application from the Ski for Light home page at http://www.tmn.com/sfl/home.html. HERE AND THERE by Elizabeth M. Lennon The announcement of new products and services in this column should not be considered an endorsement of those products and services by the American Council of the Blind, its staff or elected officials. Products and services are listed free of charge for the benefit of our readers. "The Braille Forum" cannot be responsible for the reliability of products or services mentioned. NEW CARDS The Iffin Group, a graphic design studio in Asheville, N.C., has produced a line of tactile greeting cards. Known as hAndrew cards, the artwork on the front of each card has been embossed so that a visually impaired person can feel the picture. The inside verse is in braille and print. The artwork was drawn by Mickey Cabe, a young artist who lost his sight due to diabetes. A set of six cards costs $12 plus shipping and handling. Another set of six became available in July, and a set of 12 fall holiday and Christmas cards will be coming out soon. For more information, call The Iffin Group toll-free at (888) 884-3346. GREETING CARDS Shadows in the Dark has braille pictured greeting cards available for birthdays, anniversaries, Easter, thank you, St. Patrick's Day, sympathy, get well, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas, Valentine's Day, teacher and friendship. The company also has boxed sets of 10 and 20 cards. Single cards cost $2.50; a set of 10 costs $22.50, and a set of 20 cards costs $45. Send requests to: Shadows in the Dark, 1820 E. Texas St. #803, Bossier City, LA 71111, or phone (318) 747-2317. Business hours are: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Central time). HOLIDAY CARDS The Seeing Eye also has holiday greeting cards available. The cover features a German shepherd puppy sitting in a red-ribboned box. Inside the card are pictures of four puppies sitting in gift boxes, with the words "Happy Holidays!" printed in red. Cards are packaged in boxes of 20, with 20 envelopes. They come with matching stickers. Each box costs $13 (add $2 for postage and handling). Check or credit card orders may be sent to The Seeing Eye, c/o Parcel Plus, 143 U.S. Route 206 South, Chester, N.J. 07930. Checks should be made payable to The Seeing Eye. You can also e-mail credit card orders to http://www.seeingeye@chester.parcelplus.com; provide your name, address, phone number, type of credit card, card number and expiration date. NEW BOOKS, NEW ADDRESS Seedlings Braille Books for Children has a new address: P.O. Box 51924, Livonia, MI 48151-5924. Its 1997 catalog is now available, and it contains 38 new books, including print-braille- picture books for preschoolers such as "The Very Busy Spider," easy print and braille books like "Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat" for beginners, and Newberry Medal winners in braille such as "Shiloh" and "Walk Two Moons" for older children. To receive a free catalog, call (800) 777-8552. TORCH RUNNERS On August 13, John Brockington, president of the Georgia Council of the Blind, and Pat Fitts and Jim Pickett from the Macon chapter, helped carry the Paralympic Torch through Macon. Jane Lyons, president of the Cobb County chapter, did some volunteer work for the Paralympics. SIERRA SKIING Sierra Regional Ski For Light, a cross-country ski program which is based on Ski For Light International, Inc., invites you to share your love for cross-country skiing with 40 other spirited people at the third annual event Friday, February 8 through Sunday, February 10, 1997 at Tahoe Donner Cross-Country Ski Resort in Truckee, Calif. Novice as well as experienced skiers will fill the daytime hours with technique sessions along with free skiing on varied terrain. During the evenings there will be social events. Included in all the fun is the opportunity to meet 40 interesting people from all over California and adjoining states. The total cost for the three days is $135 for those who need to rent skis, and $120 for those with their own skis. This includes room (double occupancy, 2 nights), breakfasts (2), dinners (2), trail passes, equipment rental, and registration. Ground transportation between Sacramento and Truckee will be provided. You may obtain participant applications and have your questions answered by contacting: Sierra Regional Ski For Light, 3510 Gold Creek Lane, Sacramento, CA 95827; or call Julie Lisenby at (916) 362-5759. Completed applications must be received by no later than December 15, 1996, together with a deposit of $25. Applications will not be processed unless accompanied by this deposit. Make checks payable to Sierra Regional Ski For Light '97. More details will be furnished in the acceptance packet. WBP DISBANDS The Womyn's Braille Press is disbanding after 16 years. It has produced feminist literature on tape and in braille. Its library of more than 800 cassette and braille books has been transferred to the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Services in Daytona Beach, Fla. Most titles are available through interlibrary loan. WBP is offering a free index of these books in regular or large print, braille, cassette, or computer disk (PC or Mac). An annotated catalog of the collection is also available at no cost in regular print, four-track cassette or computer disk (PC or Mac). Requests for the catalog, index or both must be made by December 1, and must include format choice. Order from Womyn's Braille Press, P.O. Box 8475, Minneapolis, MN 55408-0475, or e-mail schn0105@maroon.tc.umn.edu. RFB&D WINNERS Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic recently announced the winners of its Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards. They are: Michelle Goodin, Walnut Creek, Calif.; Michelle Macalalad, Norwich, N.Y.; and Tonia Valletta, Nokesville, Va. These awards are presented annually to blind seniors graduating from four-year colleges on the basis of scholarship, leadership, enterprise and service to others. Scholastic achievement award applications are now available for students who are legally blind, registered with RFB&D (individually or with an institution), have received a bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university in the United States (or its territories) between July 1, 1996 and June 30, 1997, and have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or more on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent, if the average is not computed on a 4.0 scale). The deadline to submit applications is February 1, 1997. To request one, call (800) 221-4792. COOPERATING COMPANIES CompuServe and Henter-Joyce are working together to make CompuServe and the Internet more accessible, according to a press release from Henter-Joyce. They are offering a package including JAWS for Windows, CompuServe's interface software for Windows, and a set of training audio tapes. For more information, or to order the package, call (800) 336-5658, or send e-mail to info@hj.com. TALK ME THROUGH Talk-Me-Through tutorials by Phil Scovell are clear step-by- step instructions with "at the computer" demonstrations on cassettes of many PC computer programs used by blind people, such as WordPerfect, DOS, Commo, Telex, Talking Directory, Q&A, and Readit. You don't have to be blind to take advantage of this program. There are tutorials on how to access the Internet, how to send and receive e-mail, how to join chat groups and how to download files from the internet, as well as many more topics. For more information, or to order, contact Ray Lemos, 780 Post St. #26, San Francisco, CA 94109; phone (415) 441-7786, or e-mail raylemos@netcom.com. DOGS ON THE 'NET The Seeing Eye now has a home page on the Internet. It can be found at http://www.seeingeye.edu or http://www.seeingeye.org. The site includes information about the history and operation of the school, all currently available publications, upcoming events, canine health tips, background for potential applicants and puppy raisers, and much more. Global Telecom of Morristown donated the design of the site and will host it on GT's server at no charge. BRAILLE READY Braille Ready, Inc. is a new braille transcription business. Print or computer disk files can be converted into braille and embossed using a double-sided printer. Documents are formatted in accordance with braille standards; the company has a Library of Congress-certified braillist. For more information, call (608) 833-2876. JOBS & MOVING HELP The Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind in Washington and the South Texas Lighthouse for the Blind in Corpus Christi, Texas are offering jobs and relocation packages to employees of Utah Industries for the Blind. Utah Industries' board of directors has decided to phase out manufacturing operations and expand opportunities in service-type positions. Job opportunities in Seattle and Corpus Christi range from metal fabrication, machining and assembly work for Boeing Aircraft contracts, and other automated and semi-automated manufacturing processes for government and commercial contracts. CLIMBING EL CAPITAN In mid-August, Erik Weihenmayer successfully roped up the 3,000-foot sheer face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park for the American Foundation for the Blind's 1996 HighSights campaign. TerraQuest provided online coverage of Weihenmayer and his partners Sam Bridgham, Jeff Evans and Hans Florine as they inched their way up. EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR Diana Lewis, a certified nursing assistant at Westminster Canterbury of the Blue Ridge in Charlottesville, Va., was recently selected as the National Industries for the Blind's Private Sector Employee of the Year. At Westminster Canterbury, she helps care for elderly residents who require constant care and assists the nursing staff with routine paperwork. She was born with congenital cataracts and underwent several eye operations as a youngster. In the late 1980s she moved to Virginia and trained with Virginia Industries for the Blind; while at VIB she earned her GED and trained to become a CNA. Lewis said she might like to get into physical therapy in a few years. CATALOG AVAILABLE Give the gift that says something. Speak to Me! products' new fall/winter catalog is chock full of Christmas and holiday gifts and decorations, as well as a wide variety of children's and novelty products. There are singing and musical Santas and holiday bears, singing and talking greeting cards, Star Trek and X Files talking products, a 60-second recording pen that lets you even retrieve erased messages, singing and musical Coke collectibles, serenity prayer keychain, new hand-held talking Bingo box, and much more. For the kids, there is a cuddly talking blanket and a child's lamp that sings and dims every 15 minutes until it is completely off. For a catalog, call (800) 248-9965 during business hours (Pacific time); request print, cassette or IBM-compatible computer disk. SUPPORT NETWORK Colleen Wunderlich is forming a support network for people who have Leber's congenital amaurosis, a rare autosomal recessive disorder that results in abnormally developed rods and cones on the retina. This condition causes blindness or visual impairment. Other symptoms may occur in conjunction with impaired vision, such as kidney disease and facial malformation. The objective of this network is to provide a way in which people with Leber's can obtain information about educational resources, employment opportunities, discuss common interests or hobbies, and give and receive advice about daily aspects associated with blindness. If you have Leber's, or a family member or friend has it, write to Colleen Wunderlich, c/o Johns Hopkins Hospital, Maumenee Building, Room 517, 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21287-9237, or phone (410) 955-5214. SUMMARY OF 1996 ACB CONVENTION RESOLUTIONS (Editor's Note: The convention considered and adopted 30 resolutions. All resolutions submitted were adopted. Resolution 96-29 was amended to strike all the "whereas" clauses and transmit them to the ACB National Office to be used in the drafting of legislative testimony and position papers.) Resolution 96-01: Expresses regret that plans for the Roosevelt Memorial do not depict President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a severely disabled person. It calls on the Roosevelt Memorial Commission and the National Park Service to provide educational materials in accessible media concerning Roosevelt's true status as a disabled individual. Resolution 96-02: Urges the United States Bureau of the Census to collect additional information regarding blind individuals and entreats the American Foundation for the Blind to intensify its efforts in collecting demographic information. Resolution 96-03: Demands increased funding of public transportation by Congress. It seeks a cooperative effort between the national organization and its state and local affiliates to procure the highest level of funding possible from state and local governments as well. Resolution 96-04: Deplores the quality of coverage for the 1996 American Council of the Blind convention as it appeared in "The Tulsa World." Resolution 96-05: Calls for a budget line item for video description in Corporation for Public Broadcasting-funded projects. Resolution 96-06 is nearly identical, but it calls for a line item budget for video description in National Endowment for the Arts- funded projects. Resolution 96-07: Seeks the establishment of a policy requiring video description in National Science Foundation-funded projects. Resolution 96-08: Seeks the establishment of a policy requiring producers of programs which are funded by the public broadcasting service to provide video description. Resolution 96-09: Calls on WGBH-TV Boston to establish a line item for video description in the final budgets of all of its projects. Resolution 96-10 is nearly identical, but it seeks a line item in WNET's budget for video description in all projects. Resolution 96-11: Urges Congress to re-establish the linkage between Social Security earnings limits for persons ages 65 to 69 and blind recipients. It also commends by name some members of Congress who have fought for linkage. Resolution 96-12: Urges Congress, as part of the reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act, to link the concept of "competitive employment" in placement with earning of federal minimum wage or better rather than "some arbitrary philosophical social engineering experiment which degrades consumer choice in selecting from a wide variety of work settings." Resolution 96-13: Supports categorical and specialized services for blind individuals throughout the reauthorization process of the Rehabilitation Act. Resolution 96-14: Urges use of truncated dome warnings as specified in Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but only as hazard markings. Resolution 96-15: Opposes a position taken by the National Council on Independent Living which is critical of categorical and specialized services; it points out that while more blind people are utilizing independent living center services, those centers are not providing essential skills such as orientation and mobility and training in literary braille. It also points out that while many in the independent living movement are very cognizant of wheelchair issues, appropriate braille and large-print documents are not often provided in a timely manner nor in a format that affords ease of use. It warns that the national organization will join with its state and local groups to "leave no stone unturned in defending categorical and specialized services against the egregious onslaught waged against them by entities such as NCIL." Resolution 96-16: Urges the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress to alter the format of its braille magazine such that the magazine title, date, and volume number are placed at the top of the page, leaving room for the printed material lower down on the page. Resolution 96-17: Opposes development and/or installation of electronic edge detection warning systems similar to those currently being considered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Resolution 96-18: Expresses support for use of curbs with ramps, and supports the use of detectable warnings at locations where curbs have been removed. Resolution 96-19: Supports the Health Insurance Portability Act. Resolution 96-20: Urges further adoption of "ActiveX Accessibility," a standard which enhances the use of adaptive equipment in the Windows 95 operating system. It further urges that the organization launch efforts to more thoroughly educate software developers regarding ActiveX and its importance. Resolution 96-21: Supports the continuation of residential schools for the blind. Resolution 96-22: Calls upon ACB state and local affiliates to take leadership roles in working with other organizations to form coalitions to work toward the protection of categorical and specialized services and residential schools for the blind as an option in the continuum of educational services; it also urges ACB's board of directors to collaborate with other organizations to create materials which can be used by the state and local coalitions; it further calls for the identification of at least two states to pilot coalition approaches and efforts. Resolution 96-23: Calls upon the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services of the United States Department of Education to strengthen the "all students" definition as it applies to school-to-work programs so that these programs will serve more disabled students and urges representatives from ACB state affiliates to fill membership positions on state and local school- to-work councils in order to advocate for the school-to-work needs of blind students. Resolution 96-24: Notes rumors of agreement which could jeopardize the Randolph-Sheppard program and places ACB on record with its affiliate, the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America, in opposing any agreements which would jeopardize the program. Resolution 96-25: Thanks the direct guest services personnel at the Doubletree Hotel and the Adam's Mark Hotel in Tulsa, Okla., the site of the 1996 ACB national convention, for services provided. At the same time, the resolution is critical of the poor judgment and inaccurate information given to press outlets by hotel management staff members. Resolutions 96-26 and 96-27 are the traditional commendatory resolutions accorded volunteers and hotel staffs. Resolution 96-28: Supports changes in U.S. copyright laws to allow materials to be more readily available in alternative media for use by blind Americans. Resolution 96-29: Establishes ACB's position on Social Security reform. Resolution 96-30: Authorizes a new awards category for ACB which would honor individuals regardless of their visual impairment to be given on an as-warranted basis. AGING AND BLINDNESS: A WOMAN'S PERSPECTIVE by Teddie Remhild We in the organized blind movement are quite familiar with discriminatory practices based on prejudicial attitudes against the blind. Sexism is also a widely known and practiced discrimination. Less well-known is the prejudice referred to as ageism. Ageism is the active discrimination perpetuated against those in our society perceived as "older." This particular practice occurs in both vocational and social settings, as well as programs and services available to the general public. Based on the premise just described, older women who are also blind may face a triple whammy of discrimination. "Older," of course, is in the eye of the beholder and may even begin, depending on the circumstances, as early as the 40s. In the case of women who are blind and older and a member of an ethnic minority, the whammy is quadrupled. We are quite aware of the 74 percent unemployment rate among able-bodied blind would-be workers, and of the gender gap in income, with women still earning far less than men, even when doing the same job. The income of non-working women is also notably lower and, in fact, has led to the creation of a community of older women living at or below the poverty level. The latter is due to several reasons, such as the longer life expectancy of women and the dependency of that particular generation on working husbands. For the purposes of my discussion, let us say that ageism generally begins at the age of 50. There is a great deal of evidence that our society discounts and disposes of those over the age of 50, notably women and especially blind women. We seem to be a society which throws away its older generation, segregating them, laying them off, and generally neglecting them. Prejudice is a prejudgment of a person based on appearance and the perception of that appearance. Ageism purports that after a certain age, one is no longer viable in the mainstream of society. Sexism purports that women are less competent, weaker and more needy than males. Prejudice against the blind is rather similar to that of the previous two described. Therefore, a blind woman over the age of 50 looking for a job may be facing insurmountable obstacles. In the case of the ageism practice, we are all guilty of beliefs and behavior which reinforce devaluing of older adults. Gerontologists state that ageism is the only prejudice we eventually turn on ourselves, if we live long enough. If we hate the idea of aging and those who are older, we will wake up one day and be an older person whom we also despise. This does not occur in the practice of discrimination against women or minorities. Thus it is we are not only discriminated against by others, but we often turn it on ourselves, with resultant low self-esteem. How does a 50-plus blind female overcome all of these obstacles? Is there a solution to this overwhelming dilemma? The most optimistic prospects and greatest hope for a solution lie with the "Baby Boom" generation. Since this is the first year that baby boomers are turning 50, their sheer numbers will have an enormous effect on these prevailing attitudes. In addition, they are a generation of activists who have been in the forefront of battles for civil rights for all minorities. The women of this generation have been pioneers in blazing the trail of more choices, more opportunities and more independence. As they age, they will certainly not allow themselves to be discounted, disposed of or disrespected. Contrary to stereotypes and mythology of the society, there are also many older blind women who are still competent, able-bodied and skilled, and still making significant contributions. They are still alert, socially functional and even attractive. They are creative activists and survivors and they pursue viability in the face of multiple layers of discrimination. They are educated and interested and they are interesting. In other words, the realities do not resemble the stereotypes and myths. A new generation is aging and a new day for attitudes toward aging is on the horizon. The challenges are many, but they can be overcome by collective challenges and dissemination of information regarding the realities of aging and the innumerable positive role models. In the next 15 to 25 years baby boomers will be confronting their own aging and all these issues. Blind women in this generation will be even more challenged. Our best hope is their liberated attitudes, their healthy self-esteem and assertiveness. Times are changing, images are changing, roles are changing and we can be the best advocates for ourselves and our future as blind women in their 50-plus prime. HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: Voyager XL5 CCTV. 19-inch black and white screen, six years old. Vista enlarging card for computer. If you're interested in purchasing either of these items, contact Jackie Restle, 9402 Paris Hill Rd., Sauquoit, N.Y. 13456, or call her at (315) 737-9209. FOR SALE: "Low mileage" braille BookMaker interpoint embosser. Used for 1 1/2 years as a demonstration model by the manufacturer, then for two years as a backup embosser by Seedlings Braille Books for Children. Asking $2,750. Call Debra at (800) 777-8552 or e- mail Seedlings at seedlink@aol.com. FOR SALE: Braille 'n Speak 640, 1994 edition. Comes with all manuals, disk and adapter. Asking $950. Contact Clayton Wall at (207) 799-5091. FOR SALE: Complete Versabraille II+ system. Includes dual external drives, cables, braille and print manuals, Duxbury two-way translator. Just upgraded. In perfect shape. Asking $2,100 or best offer. Contact Joel Pincus at (941) 656-1151 after 5 p.m. weekdays or on weekends. No collect calls please. FOR SALE: Voyager XL large screen CCTV with automated x-y table, up to 60 times magnification. Sharp picture. Asking $2,195. Call Tom at (941) 349-5755. FOR SALE: Romeo 40 braille embosser and Duxbury braille translation program. May be sold separately or together. Includes cables and print and braille manuals. Call Darian Hartman at (503) 253-9543, or write in braille, print or on tape to Darian Hartman, 4335 NE 112th, Portland, OR 97220. ACB BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sue Ammeter, Seattle, WA Ardis Bazyn, Cedar Rapids, IA John Buckley, Knoxville, TN Dawn Christensen, Holland, OH Christopher Gray, San Jose, CA John Horst, Wilkes-Barre, PA Kristal Platt, Omaha, NE M.J. Schmitt, Forest Park, IL Pamela Shaw, Philadelphia, PA Richard Villa, Irving, TX BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS Carol McCarl, Chairperson, Salem, OR Kim Charlson, Watertown, MA Thomas Mitchell, North Salt Lake City, UT Mitch Pomerantz, Los Angeles, CA Jay Doudna, Lancaster, PA Ex Officio: Laura Oftedahl, Watertown, MA ACB OFFICERS PRESIDENT PAUL EDWARDS 20330 NE 20TH CT. MIAMI, FL 33179 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT BRIAN CHARLSON 57 GRANDVIEW AVE. WATERTOWN, MA 02172 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT STEPHEN SPEICHER 825 M ST., SUITE 216 LINCOLN, NE 68508 SECRETARY CYNTHIA TOWERS 556 N. 80TH ST. SEATTLE, WA 98103 TREASURER PATRICIA BEATTIE CRYSTAL TOWERS #206 NORTH 1600 S. EADS ST. ARLINGTON, VA 22202 IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT LeRoy Saunders 2118 NW 21st St. Oklahoma City, OK 73107 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR ELIZABETH M. LENNON, Kalamazoo, MI