THE BRAILLE FORUM Volume XLV November 2006 No. 4 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 (TM) is available in braille, large print, half-speed four-track cassette tape, and via e-mail. Subscription requests, address changes, and items intended for publication should be sent to Sharon Lovering at the address above, or via e-mail to slovering@acb.org. 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. Join the MMS program and help improve tomorrow today in ACB. Contact Ron Milliman by e-mail, rmilliman@ziggycom.net, or by phone at (270) 782-9325 and get started making tomorrow look brighter today! To make a contribution to ACB via the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 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 2006 American Council of the Blind TABLE OF CONTENTS President's Message: Cruising Ahead: ACB Explores the World, by Christopher Gray ACB Convention 2007: Minneapolis, by Carla Ruschival Primary 2006: My First Secret Ballot, by Karyn Campbell From Your Perspective: The Truth About E-Voting, by Dorothy Hewston Summer ACB Membership Seminar, compiled by Ardis Bazyn CareerConnect Offers Solutions for Job Seekers, by Detra Bannister Focus on Student Involvement, compiled by Ardis Bazyn Solving the Transportation Problem of Getting People to Your Meetings the High-Tech Way, by Ronald E. Milliman Here and There, by Susan Lichtenfels Letters to the Editor High Tech Swap Shop FORUM SUBSCRIPTION NOTES You can now get "The Braille Forum" by podcast! To subscribe, go to "The Braille Forum" page on www.acb.org. If you do not yet have a podcast client, you can download one from the Forum page. To subscribe to "The Braille Forum" via e-mail, send a blank e-mail message to brailleforum-L-subscribe@acb.org. ARE YOU MOVING? DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION? Contact Sharon Lovering in the ACB national office, 1-800-424-8666, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. Give her the information, and she'll take care of the changes for you. Happy Thanksgiving! ***** PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE CRUISING AHEAD: ACB EXPLORES THE WORLD by Christopher Gray If there's one thing we love to do in America, it's travel! Whether it's from Seattle, Wash. to Portland, Ore. or from Portland, Maine to Boston, Mass., we're a country on the go. Much of this travel is done by car, though for those of us who are blind or visually impaired, quite a bit of it is done by train or bus as well by necessity. In our cars, buses and trains, though, we're missing something. In fact, pun intended, we're missing the boat. Think back now to a time when people traveled constantly up and down the great riverways and lakes of our country like the Mississippi River or Lake Michigan. Consider a time when the transatlantic crossing was viewed with a mixture of skepticism, romanticism, and with an eye to luxury and escape. Think of the allure of great monuments to human engineering such as the Panama Canal, or of cities based significantly on water travel such as the romantic and beautiful canals of Venice, Italy. There's no question that travel by water is something we've tended to forget and downplay in the past several decades. However, did you know that boat travel is experiencing a resurgent growth both here and abroad? Have you heard perhaps from friends about the possibilities of traveling in the United States and abroad on luxury cruise liners that bring back the best parts of 19th century ocean liner travel? Believe me when I tell you that such possibilities exist, and ACB can help you experience them. You may find it hard to believe what is possible today, and affordable, too. I certainly did. My first ACB cruise was put together by an ACB visionary, Robert Acosta, and took place on the SS Emerald Seas right after the 1987 ACB national convention in Los Angeles, Calif. My parents and I, along with almost 50 other ACB members and friends, took a leisurely cruise down the Pacific Ocean into Mexico and back to Los Angeles for three fun-filled and relaxing days. Cruising today is not just about traveling from one place to another, it's about entertainment, eating well, and, if you like, taking tours of the areas you visit. We didn't have another ACB cruise until 2003, but from then on, these have become an annual event for our organization. Recently, Marvelena and I had the opportunity to attend what may be the longest and most incredible cruise we've had to date, a trip along the European Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, taking in Italy, Croatia, France, and Spain. It was a truly incredible trip, and almost 50 ACB members and friends along with nearly 20 of their guide dogs enjoyed a 12-day experience that will go down as a significant event to be remembered! There was a time, not so long ago, when cruise lines hesitated to take blind and visually impaired cruisers. They expressed safety concerns, feared problems with guide dogs, and were generally ignorant about what blind people could do and how we could be independent and self-sufficient. In the past 10 years, through the efforts of ACB and many others, several cruise lines have been educated about these matters and have become far more welcoming of all disability groups. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision against one particularly resistant company created an environment that is not only tolerant and accepting of blind and visually impaired cruisers, but that invites and welcomes us onto their ocean liners. In addition to this, companies that operate these ships are extremely interested in expanding their business and attracting all segments of our country into their vacation packages. Today, one meets 10-year-old cruisers along with their 90-year-old grandparents, enjoying an environment that can entertain all age groups and that has activities to meet everybody's preferences. Whether it's water sports in an outdoor pool, or a fierce game of bridge or canasta, whether you want pizza and beer on an outdoor deck or an elegant tea with a classical music ensemble, these events are there for the enjoying on any reputable cruise liner today. On this most recent ACB cruise, we began by touring the Vatican in Rome. You don't need to be a Catholic to enjoy and appreciate the incredible amount of history contained in this tiny, self-contained country. I was truly inspired when visiting the public areas of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, and I was equally inspired and awed when standing in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and in St. Peter's Square from where so many Christmas masses have been transmitted throughout the world. Attached to these historic holy venues is a huge Vatican museum. On this tour, we were taken to gallery upon gallery of statuary, primarily made up of statues showing heads and torsos, animal representations, gargoyles, and religious symbols of all sorts dating back to the 4th century B.C. Due to months of negotiating, done by Damar Travel on behalf of ACB, we were allowed to touch all of this wonderful, historic stonework, and we were provided with information about its approximate time of creation and historical genesis. The detail of this stone work, truly discernible by touch, is simply unbelievable. Not only can one feel the body stance and the clothing, but it is easy to tell by feel the movement of the clothing, carved into the stone, showing a person running and causing their clothes to billow out behind them. We were shown and could feel the differences between the Greek human abstractions based on ideals and perfection as opposed to the Roman realism of carving that distinguishes each technique from the other. A second matter distinguished this tour, though we didn't know about it at the time. It seems that our tour marked the first time that people have ever been allowed to bring animals into the Vatican. A strict prohibition against this has existed for centuries. Thanks again to the careful preparation of Damar Travel, this restriction was lifted. Because of both the acceptance of the guide dogs and our being allowed to touch the statuary, you can imagine the presence and excitement of the local press. For us, this was only the first day, and only the first tour. You can imagine the excitement felt by all of us there. Time does not permit me to give you a description of each port of call or each tour. I wish it did. Such venues as a Croatian farm, a gondola ride in Venice, eating tapas in Barcelona, each can lead to a story of its own. And all of these things are in addition to what is available on the boat itself. We cruised on the Liberty, a huge boat containing for our trip 2,997 passengers and approximately 1,000 crew as well. That's a lot of people! It's mind-boggling even to think of how all those people get fed three meals a day, let alone pizza 24 hours a day and several buffets as well, all included in the base price. ACB cruising is definitely a wonderful way to spend some vacation or leisure time if you're already retired. Not only will you have fun, but when enough people cruise on one of our trips, this acts as a great fundraising vehicle for the organization as well. It's one of those true win-win situations. Others who attended this cruise may write about it in future issues, and I certainly wanted to share my experiences with you while they are fresh in my mind. In conclusion, let me tell you about the next two upcoming cruises to whet your appetite. The first cruise is in the southern Caribbean. Personally, this is one of my favorite areas to visit. The people are incredibly friendly, the music is energetic, and the warm water is unbelievable. The cruise takes place Feb. 4-11, 2007; it departs from San Juan, Puerto Rico and travels to St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, and Aruba. Prices start at $750 per person for the seven-day event. That's less than $220 per day for a couple and includes room, tax, meals, and so much more. All rates include seven-day cruise, port charges, government fees, and gratuities. The second cruise for 2007 goes to Alaska and takes place Aug. 29- Sept. 5, 2007. The cruise departs from Whittier, Alaska which is near Anchorage, and travels to Prince William Sound, the College Fjord, Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, the Lynn Canal, Ketchikan, sails the Inside Passage and then travels on to Vancouver, British Columbia. Prices start at $1,075. Again, prices include the seven-day cruise itself, port charges, government fees and gratuities. For reservations, call ACB's representative at Damar Travel, Dave Kronk, toll-free at 1-800-999-6101 or e-mail him at dave.kronk@damartravel.com. This is truly a wonderful way to take a great vacation, relax, get a great perspective on the world, and take advantage of one more increase in the civil rights for blind and visually impaired Americans. Better yet, you can do it with other ACB members, and you have personnel at Damar Travel who know our needs firsthand, and who really do a great job for our organization and its members. Happy traveling and cruising! ***** ACB CONVENTION 2007: MINNEAPOLIS by Carla Ruschival June 30 to July 7 are the official dates, and Minneapolis, Minn. is the place. The 2007 convention of the American Council of the Blind will fill the Hyatt Regency and the Millennium Hotels, located literally across the street from each other on Nicollet Mall. The national convention committee has just completed several days of intense work in Minneapolis, and the local host committee is extremely well-organized and hard at work. Many details are already falling into place, and by next July ACB will be ready for one of the best national conventions ever! Here are answers to some questions you've been asking: The 24-story Hyatt will house two-thirds of the sleeping rooms. General sessions and exhibits will be on the first floor, across the hall from each other, and many break-outs and other activities will be on the second and fifth floors. Across the street at the 14-story Millennium will be the remaining one-third of the sleeping rooms. Some meetings and events will also be housed there. The two hotels are connected by a skywalk on the second floor. The hotels are in downtown Minneapolis, so you will be within easy walking distance of many restaurants and stores. The light rail stop is about seven blocks away, and there are lots of buses passing by all the time. It costs just 50 cents for people with disabilities to ride either the light rail or city bus. Taxi fare from the airport is about $28, plus an extra small fare for each additional passenger. The shuttle costs $16 per person. As has been the case for the past several years, anyone wishing to reserve a suite must do so through ACB rather than the hotel. While there is certainly a sufficient number of suites to handle the average demand at a convention, the needs of special-interest groups must be met before other reservations are approved. An afternoon scheduling change has been approved by the ACB board, effective with the 2007 convention. In 2006, 67 different groups scheduled over 350 meetings and events during convention week. Breakfasts started at 7 a.m., and lunches at 12:30. In an effort to try to eliminate some scheduling conflicts, special-interest groups and ACB committees (such as women's concerns and SASI) are being asked to complete their Monday through Thursday afternoon program meetings by 4:30 p.m. Focus groups will be scheduled between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Please note that this change DOES NOT affect mixers, receptions and other late afternoon/early evening events. You can now make reservations directly with either the Hyatt or the Millennium. Room rates at the Hyatt are $81 (single/double) and $91 (triple/quad). Add $3 to each rate for the Millennium. Call 1-800-233-1234 for Hyatt reservations, or 1-800-522-8856 for the Millennium. For questions about the convention, or to discuss arrangements for suites, contact Carla Ruschival at (502) 897-1472, or by e-mail at adamcarla@bellsouth.net. ***** PRIMARY 2006: MY FIRST SECRET BALLOT by Karyn Campbell It is March 21, 2006, the day of the primary election, and there is anticipation in the air as I get ready to go vote. I will be voting by secret ballot for the first time in my life and I have been voting since 1980. I went downstairs to wait for the bus shortly before 9:30. I did not want to be late as I had no idea how long it would take. Finally around 9:35 the bus arrived and I was on my way to a new experience. I arrived at the polling place after being let out of the bus at the entrance where people were going in to vote. I walked down the hall to where I heard voices and was eventually met by an election judge. He asked me if I wanted to use paper or vote electronically. I told him that I wanted to vote electronically. I got in line to check in and waited behind at least one other person with a disability. I got to the table and met Mary, who checked me in and helped me get started. She was required to ask me which ballot I wanted since Illinois is a closed primary state (meaning you have to declare which party you are taking a ballot for). I told her that I wanted a Republican ballot. She made a card for me, then we went over to the machine. The first card did not work; it came up "ballot canceled." I had requested audio only, but this did not seem to work. I did hear a comment about having to call the Election Commission about the problem. Mary made another card, which worked. I heard the directions and was told that my ballot was displayed on the screen. I wasn't happy with this, but did not fight the matter due to the problems with the card in the first place. I would later find out that there was a bug in the software involving the message displayed on the screen. Mary did what she was required to do; she was prepared and well trained. She showed me where the keypad was and I was on my way. I went through each race and made my choices, using the six key to move forward and the five key to make my selection. I rarely had to use the four key to move back. When I was done, I was able to get an audio summary of my ballot and went through to make sure it was right. It was right the first time and I submitted it and the machine printed it. At that point, I was done voting. I checked out and got a little sticker that said "I Voted." This sticker didn't last long; but the memory of my first secret ballot will last a lifetime. I went back to the door where I had come in so that I could wait for my ride. While waiting, I got to see some other people come in as well as students pass to the next period. Since our polling place is in a school, I must say what a herd of elephants on the latter activity. What I love most about today is the fact that no one knows how I voted. I was explaining this to a colleague at work, who was happy for me. Mary, the election judge, commented afterward that Ray (my husband) and I had done a lot of work to make sure this happened; I told her that there were a lot of others involved at the national level. She thought it was neat that we could now vote via secret ballot just like everyone else. Due to a moderate hearing loss, speech and volume are important issues for me. These issues include the quality of the reading as well as the volume of the voice. The person who read the ballot did an excellent job; I had no problems understanding what was being read. I could understand it as each name was pronounced clearly and distinctly. It helps to have a local person read the ballot. Volume was the other issue. I was able to turn up the volume easily when I needed to do so. I did not have to do anything with the rate of the speech. They also had over-the-ear headphones there. After I voted, I listened for the returns to come in and, along with my husband, tracked the local returns online. It was nice to know that my vote truly counted. I knew that my vote was among the numbers being read on the screen. My vote affected the total. This was neat! The first step has been taken and there is no turning back now. I eagerly await the general elections on Nov. 7. ***** FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE: THE TRUTH ABOUT E-VOTING by Dorothy Hewston (Editor's Note: "From Your Perspective" is a column that appears occasionally. Its contents vary from technology to religion, from internal goings-on to items of concern in the blindness field in general. The opinions expressed are those of the authors, not those of the American Council of the Blind, its staff or elected officials. "The Braille Forum" cannot be held responsible for the opinions expressed herein.) As the parent of a visually impaired young adult, I was deeply dismayed by Melanie Brunson's article in the November 2004 issue of "The Braille Forum" urging your membership to push for expanded use of the electronic voting machines that have widespread, documented problems, as apparent in the 2004 presidential election. To quote California Secretary of State Kevin Shelly, "The core of our American democracy is the right to vote. Implicit in that right is the notion that that vote be private, that vote be secure, and that vote be counted as it was intended when it was cast by the voter. And I think what we're encountering is a pivotal moment in our democracy where all of that is being called into question." I couldn't agree more with what he said, and a cursory review of the facts surrounding e-voting is essential for understanding why there must be 1) national standards and full funding for transparent and independent testing, evaluating, and certifying voter equipment, 2) utilization of standardized voting machines in the USA, and 3) a voter-verified paper trail or VVPAT that will foster public confidence in the accuracy and integrity of the election process. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 was a Congressional attempt to streamline voting procedures so that there was no repeat of the 2000 election debacle where a Congressional investigation found over one million voters disenfranchised. Unfortunately, the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission was not implemented quickly enough, resulting in states using federal funds to buy whatever voting machines they wanted. In addition, unclear rules regarding provisional ballots were never addressed. What is very disturbing is the relationship between some disability lobbyists, namely the NFB and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), and makers of electronic voting machines. And if the ACB and AFB are mirroring these groups by pushing for these voting machines without having any knowledge of the security and accuracy problems that many computer scientists and state election boards have verified, then their motives are called into question. Not only has the NFB benefitted from a $1 million award from Diebold, its new partner and a leading maker of automated teller machines and touch-screen voting terminals, but the AAPD has also received $26,000 from voting companies. It is reasonable and logical for everyone to be disturbed by these groups that don't disclose their relationships to manufacturers as they lobby hard, speaking around the country, and even using lawsuits in the recent election to force counties and states to buy touch-screen voting machines. Over 175,000 voting machines were used in this presidential election. About 30 percent of voters, or 40 million people, used paperless ballots, as compared to only 12 percent of voters four years ago. And the vendors paid for the nationally standardized testing of these machines; that itself was flawed because security failures were not identified. Uncertified software, like that of Diebold, has made its way into voting machines, as evident from 17 counties in California. A recent investigation in Maryland, which bought 16,000 direct recording electronic machines from Diebold for the 2004 election, paid for computer experts to test the machines. The team leader, Michael Wertheimer, a former National Security technical director, found "considerable security risks that can cause moderate to severe disruption in an election." Even bipartisan support for reforms to assure integrity of the election within the battleground state of Florida, as noted by former presidents Carter and Ford, was ignored. Secretary of State Glenda Hood, along with Gov. Jeb Bush, worked to have Ralph Nader's name on the ballot, despite criticism of his signature lists, as they also purged many voters from the registrant rolls who were entitled to vote. I could go on with further specific evidence to support reforms and upgrading of the currently used voting equipment. These machines failed to log thousands of votes in North Carolina; machines started counting backwards in many Florida and Ohio counties. One Ohio county with only 800 registered voters noted 3,893 votes for President Bush. There are numerous reports of touch-screen machines noting the candidate that a voter didn't originally vote for, as caught at the final review screen before the vote was registered. Some errors might be attributed to voters resting their hands or thumbs on the edge of touch screen machines, something that visually impaired and blind voters might have more easily happen to them. Considering the incredibly long wait times to vote, it is also probable that tired voters might have missed the final check of their vote and logged a vote for the other candidate. To date, there are more than 995 incidents involving electronic voting machines in this election being investigated. We should all applaud the efforts of groups that have been working to inform the public of the need to decrease computer voting risks and increase voter confidence in the legitimacy of elections. A VVPAT is a strongly recommended addition to voting machines to provide auditable elections. The Election Verification Project is such a group; it's a national coalition of technologists, voting rights and legal organizations pushing for these reforms. The Verified Voting Foundation (www.verifiedvoting.org), a non- profit corporation, is also working for these reforms. I strongly urge all citizens to visit that organization's web site and endorse the resolution of electronic voting. Black Box Voting (www.blackboxvoting.org) is another non-profit consumer protection group that is currently attempting to audit the 2004 election in light of the numerous documented problems with the electronic voting machines. It is an arduous and expensive task that every citizen should support monetarily. It is vital that every registered voter be able to vote. But it is equally essential that elections occur on nationally standardized, independently tested voting machines that are certified by bipartisan election officials and include a voter-verified paper audit trail. Only with these measures will transparency of the election process be assured and voter confidence in the integrity and accuracy of our electoral process be achieved. Everyone should hope that the unprecedented turnout of the recent election becomes the norm for voting in each and every future U.S. election! ***** SUMMER ACB MEMBERSHIP SEMINAR Compiled by Ardis Bazyn At this summer's seminar, we focused on two topics: membership benefits and planning successful meetings. We also heard from Earlene Hughes from Blind Information Technology Specialists, since they received the Membership Growth Award for having the highest percentage increase in membership this year. If you would like copies of the flyers that were handed out at the convention, please call Ardis Bazyn at (818) 238-9321 or e-mail abazyn@bazyncommunications.com. Successful Meetings: When, Where, and How? When do you hold meetings? Are they convenient for most people to attend? Saturdays, Sundays, or weekday evenings may work better for working people to attend. Where do you hold meetings? Do you have them in restaurants, public meeting places, churches, libraries, or senior centers? Senior centers may keep younger people away. You could hold occasional ones in senior centers to attract them as well. How do you invite people to meetings? Do you have phone trees, e-mail lists, flyers, PSAs or ads on radio and in newspapers? Do you have your meetings announced on radio reading services in your area? Do you plan your meeting in advance? Do you have speakers, topics of discussion, and a prepared agenda? Giving out this information in advance might help attendance. Does your president run a good meeting? Is there a greeting, welcome to newcomers, and a positive atmosphere? Are difficult people handled well (such as "thank you, but we must move on")? Is your meeting organized? For example, is there an order for regular reports, old business, new business, speaker or program? Are meetings interesting and/or challenging for most members? Is there a mix of advocacy, support mechanisms, networking, as well as socializing? Does your meeting incorporate some networking and get-acquainted time? Do you have a lunch, dinner, or snack either before the meeting starts or afterward? Do you have an assistive listening system? These systems include a cordless microphone and whatever number of assistive listening transmitters you purchase. This might help those with hearing difficulties. You could consider applying for a grant from a Lions Club in your area. ACB Member Benefits - Purpose: Provides positive advocacy for blind and visually impaired people and helps change stereotypes of society and promotes social, economic, and educational opportunities - Provides education about blindness, resources, and support - Advocates for members on specific issues: discrimination, housing, employment; availability of talking ATMs, accessible pedestrian signals, accessible web sites, and talking voting machines - Awards student scholarships - Donates scholarships to first-timers for conventions - Finds mentors to give advice and help in problem-solving - Publishes monthly magazine, "The Braille Forum" - Hosts listservs for sharing blindness issues - Updated web site with information and resources, www.acb.org - Produces Internet radio shows, www.acbradio.org - Plans an annual convention, including special-interest affiliates Affiliate Benefits - Builds local chapters as support network for members - Awards scholarships for students - Develops loans for employment - Grants crisis funds for emergencies - Produces brochures with tips and ideas - Disseminates up-to-date information through phone or email - Publishes quarterly affiliate newsletters - Hosts listserv sharing blindness issues - Updates web sites with information and resources - Plans annual conventions and seminars ***** CAREERCONNECT OFFERS SOLUTIONS FOR JOB SEEKERS by Detra Bannister "Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love." -- David McCullough Are you looking to connect with other people with vision loss about career education or exploration? Would you like to share tips on finding job leads, getting hired or succeeding at your job? What about finding a mentor to journey with you as you decide on a career path or educational goal? Maybe you would like a place to discuss the technology you need to get your job done. If you answered yes to any of these questions, AFB CareerConnect is for you. AFB CareerConnect is a free resource for people who want to learn about the range and diversity of jobs performed by adults who are blind or visually impaired throughout the United States and Canada. Whether you are a student exploring careers, a job seeker investigating work options, an employer planning to diversify your workforce, a professional working with visually impaired people, or a friend or family member assisting someone who is blind or has low vision, this web site can help you. The CareerConnect site has general information about the United States labor market in a completely accessible format that will help you determine which jobs are hot and which are not. You can link directly from the home page to a search option that allows you to explore careers by occupational category, interest area, and by keyword or job title. However, before you start your career exploration, you may want to check out the Tips for Career Exploration document that is listed under the Job Seeker option on the menu bar; this will help you determine which jobs you would be best at and enjoy most. In addition, CareerConnect houses a database of successfully employed blind and visually impaired adults who are willing to discuss their work lives and how they perform their day-to-day work responsibilities with or without accommodations. To search for a mentor, you can link directly from the home page, and narrow your search by city, state or province, country, key word, affiliation or mentor identification number. In the near future, the search tool will be simplified to a Google-like search. One thing to keep in mind is you don't need to fill in every edit box in the search tool because the more specific criteria you enter, the fewer matches you will find. Also on the site, you will find many firsthand accounts from nurses, a judge, an audiologist, campus service worker, TV host, a project manager, a sales representative, and many interesting others telling how these mentors found and succeeded at their jobs. Each quarter a new story is posted. Becoming a registered CareerConnect user is easy and free, and allows you to build or edit a Personal Data Sheet or resume, maintain an electronic calendar, or correspond with a mentor using the web site to maintain confidentiality. And if you are someone with vision loss who is successfully employed, and want to share your experiences with others, consider becoming a CareerConnect Mentor. It is uncomplicated and undemanding, yet incredibly rewarding. The site offers so many resources. Check out the menu options on the right side of the CareerConnect home page to see all of your choices. But don't stop there! At the bottom of the home page, you will find a section called Headline News that includes the latest opportunities and information available. CareerConnect also welcomes your feedback, so don't hesitate to contact the program staff at 1-888-824-2184 or via e-mail, careerconnect@afb.net. ***** FOCUS ON STUDENT INVOLVEMENT compiled by Ardis Bazyn The summer membership focus call was held Aug. 21, and it focused on outreach to students. Although all of the ideas could be used for any audience, many strategies were generated around getting student involvement. Has your affiliate provided children's programs at conventions? Also, children's activities would expose visually impaired children to visually impaired adults. Joint youth activities during your convention could be both educational and recreational. Golfing, goalball, bowling, and swimming are good recreation options as well as a game night or pizza party. Adults and youth could have lunch together in between the various sessions. A talent show might encourage participation from both youth and adults. A reception for scholarship winners is another way to link members with students winning the awards. Your affiliate could have a mentoring program where visually impaired members are linked with visually impaired youth or other newly blinded adults. You could have a career fair as part of your convention. In this way, students and adults looking for work could be attracted to your convention. When you invite prospective exhibitors, why not consider ones that might be more applicable to youth? A career or employment panel could alert students to various possibilities in employment. If your affiliate doesn't currently have a junior membership for those under 18, it could consider adding this option. How does your affiliate handle first-timers at conventions or other activities? Do you have a first-timer seminar or meeting of some type? Whether it is a breakfast or a simple seminar, it is important to have a time for first-timers to learn about your organization and how membership would be a benefit for them. You should allow enough time for them to ask questions. Your affiliate could provide a buddy for first-timers who could meet with them when they arrive or meet after the first-timers seminar. You could have a place on your pre-registration form for a person to request a buddy for their first convention. Some activities during your conventions or during the year could provide a way to link up with other visually impaired students and adults. How about having a Braille Literacy weekend? How about having a barbecue or cookout, or a beach or pool party? Or you could hold a youth advocacy and career weekend, emphasizing the importance of self-advocacy and assertiveness in reaching your career goals. Other seminars on topics such as researching on the Internet, public speaking, instruction on computer programs, mobility issues, GPS systems, traveling with a guide dog, employment discrimination, housing discrimination, and others might encourage additional participation. Advocacy training events or legislative seminar weekends might help members feel comfortable contacting their legislators or local officials about needed changes in services or legislation. State agencies should be given your organization's brochures to send to their clients. Both organizations (ACB and NFB) should be able to have their brochures disseminated to all visually impaired clients. You should encourage officials from your state agency to attend your convention so they can understand how your organization's events could benefit their clients. Your members should volunteer to speak to clients at your state orientation center. You could talk about laws that protect people with disabilities from discrimination. Also discuss such issues as insurance companies trying to charge higher rates to the visually impaired. Civil rights pertain to all sorts of issues, including emergency housing. Inform your audience about your advocacy committee or network of members which can assist other visually impaired people in dealing with discrimination issues. Always be sure to include contact information on any handouts given to groups your members attend. If your affiliate is aware of other groups working with the visually impaired, whether they be youth or adult groups, try to work with them. Contact parent groups, rehabilitation centers, and senior centers and provide them with information on your seminars or activities. There is also a free service available for those who wish to get tips in managing the kitchen; it is called "Ears for Eyes," and may be seen at www.earsforeyes.org. Please set aside time to participate on the next membership focus call on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006 at 8 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Pacific). The topic will be: "How can chapters use their Christmas/holiday event to attract new members? What do you do now or what can you suggest to others?" The call-in number is 1-866-633-8638 and the pass code will be the date (111906). Sunday, January 21 will be the date of the following call. The topic for January will be "New strategies for the new year: What should we do differently to attract new members in this new year?" The time for this call will also be 8 p.m. Eastern. See you next time! ***** SOLVING THE TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM OF GETTING PEOPLE TO YOUR MEETINGS THE HIGH-TECH WAY by Ronald E. Milliman "Gee, I would love to come to your meetings, but I live over here in Owensboro which, as you know, is about 35 miles from Bowling Green, and I just have no way of getting there." How many times have you heard something similar to this when you were trying to get new members, or even long-time members, to your monthly meetings? Well, that kind of scenario has been a source of frustration to me for several years. We have current, and potential, members in several little towns surrounding Bowling Green where our regular meetings are held, but they have not been able to attend because there is no public transportation available, no volunteers that have stepped up and volunteered, and nobody else has offered to help solve the transportation problem. So, as a result, we have tried to keep people in these outlying areas as involved as possible using our e-mail listserv and with telephone calls, but it has been extremely difficult. That is, difficult until now! We have come up with a solution that, while it may not be the perfect solution, improves the situation considerably. No, we have not been successful in duplicating the Star Trek Transporter, but close to it. We are simply taking advantage of some contemporary technology that is readily available to most, if not all, ACB affiliates, chapters, and special interest groups. In short, we are using the power of the Internet, a program called Skype, and some readily available hardware to connect our members and guests from areas surrounding our city into our monthly meetings. The key element is the Skype program. This is a free program that can be used to communicate by voice between computer users or even between your computer and someone on a regular telephone. With the free version, currently, there can be up to as many as the originating control computer and eight other people on their regular telephones connected together in the conference mode. So, this means our group can be connected to as many as eight other members and/or guests during our meetings. In the computer-to-computer mode, there can be as many as 100 people connected together in a conference or chat mode. Our initial trials using this approach in our South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind (SCKCB) monthly meetings have been extremely successful. To be more specific, to accomplish this feat, we are using a laptop, a Gateway model M675, that is equipped for wireless operation, a wireless network that allows us to connect to the Internet, a set of Sony portable speakers (Active Speaker System SRS-T57) which I recently purchased at the national convention, two wireless microphones with matching VHF receivers, and an audio mixer along with the necessary connecting cables and adapter plugs. We connect the computer to the Internet using the local area network. Then, the two VHF receivers for the wireless microphones are plugged into the audio mixer. In turn, the mixer is plugged into the microphone input jack of the computer. A few sound checks are necessary to achieve the correct audio levels for the two wireless mikes and the master control of the mixer, but with our equipment, that was not too hard to do. Once the system is set up and adjusted, you are all set to start your meeting and have the people in the surrounding areas connected interactively. In our case, the people in the room where the meeting was being conducted could hear the people connected by Skype through the Sony portable speakers perfectly, and the people in the outlying areas could hear the meeting proceedings just fine too. The people in the surrounding areas could fully participate, just like in a telephone conference call, except the overall quality seemed better than most conference calls I've been on. However, it is necessary to have a high-speed, broadband Internet connection to achieve acceptable voice quality results. We are fortunate to be able to hold our meetings in a nice facility that has a high-speed, broadband, wireless local area network that we can connect with using my laptop. The Skype program is very easy to obtain free by going to www.skype.com and select the link for the download. It is also pretty intuitive to learn. There are many blind people using it, so it is not difficult to obtain help if you need it. I am always delighted to help. My contact information is at the end of this article. Is all of this equipment really necessary? No! I just happened to have the two wireless microphones, receivers and the audio mixer for another project I am working on, and I thought it might make the voice transmissions more intelligible. However, I have tested the same basic system using a good quality computer microphone and obtained very favorable results too. It is very important to try to point the microphone toward the people speaking in the room in order to pick up what they are saying. For that reason, I felt it was better to have the two wireless microphones. The wireless microphones are readily available from DAK Industries at www.dak.com for only $49.95 each, and the audio mixer costs only $29.95. Of course, there is shipping and handling on all orders shipped. DAK's toll-free number is 1-888-707-1897. They are located on the west coast. My contact person there is Dan Cluster. He is extremely helpful, and if you contact him, tell him Ron Milliman, the blind fellow in Kentucky, told you about DAK. No, before you even think it, I have absolutely no business ties with this firm whatsoever. I am just very impressed with their products and service. Dan even advised me against one digital editing program I wanted to order; he told me it was all graphical and had no keyboard commands. He could have just sold it to me, figuring it would be my problem, but he didn't. I was surprised that he was knowledgeable enough to think about the graphical interface and the lack of keyboard commands. If you have any question or need help, I can be contacted by Skype at rmilliman, or by e-mail using rmilliman@ziggycom.net, or by phone, (270) 782-9325. I hope you will try this approach for solving the transportation problem. ***** HERE AND THERE by Susan 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. NEWEST RELEASES FROM NBP National Braille Press has added to its collection of Braille and PortaBooks. "Blog On! Reading and Writing Blogs with a Screen Reader" by Anna Dresner covers finding the blogs that interest you, reading them, keeping up with them, and creating and writing a blog of your own. "Slow Cooker Meals" by Betty Crocker includes 56 recipes for soups, meats, one-dish meals, and even a dessert. "Word for Windows Quick and Easy for Word XP and Word 2003" adapted by Sharon Monthei is a basic, step-by-step tutorial for the latest versions of Word that instructs how to create, save, and print documents, format text, and revise work. In "A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children," Caroline Kennedy passes on her own family's tradition of creating a scrapbook of poems chosen by the children in lieu of gifts to their mother and grandparents. "Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs" by Byron Barton is a braille-and-print board book that describes dinosaurs by size and physical features, and includes six plastic miniature replicas so kids can check out the features for themselves. For the complete contents and descriptions of these books, visit www.NBP.org, or call 1-888-965-8965. AIRPORT IMPLEMENTS ACCESSIBLE PAGING SYSTEM Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the first in the world to use a state-of-the-art paging system that is accessible to everyone with a disability. Visitors now send and receive messages at Paging Assistance Locations or PALs. The names of those being paged are both announced through speakers inside the terminal and displayed on monitors throughout the airport. Messages may be sent in a variety of ways, including a touch screen, a braille-enhanced keyboard, a telephone handset or headset, or an EZ access device for those with limited hand mobility. And the instructions are available in English, Spanish or German. REX, THE TALKING BOTTLE Ever wish your prescription medication bottle could tell you the directions for taking the medicine inside? Wish no more! Rex, the Talking Bottle, verbally identifies bottle contents through the simple push of a button and allows you to hear information about your medication. To get one, contact MedivoxRx Technologies, Inc., at 1-866-RX-TALKS (798-2557), or write the company at 5001 Baum Blvd., Suite 770, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. BRAILLE LABELS FOR LITERACY The Labels for Literacy program is designed to place braille on more mainstream products in order to increase the usage and understanding of braille. The program will also increase access to brand and product information for blind and visually impaired consumers. It produces sheets of self-stick labels that identify common brands and products in large print and braille. To sign up for these free labels, fill out the form at www.labelsforliteracy.com/survey_form.html. ACCESSIBLE BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS The Virginia M. Woolf Foundation provides people who are visually impaired with access to all types of publications by increasing the size of the type used to 18, 28 and 48-point. Publications can be viewed on a computer screen, read with speech synthesizers, or printed using the free Adobe Reader. The collection includes more than 80 U.S. Supreme Court opinions, miscellaneous government publications, and extensive classic literature. Visit www.ebookmall.com for the complete selection and to purchase. For more information, call (310) 379-8321 or e-mail info@text-key.com. SEEKING DESCRIBED MOVIES We want any descriptive videos in good shape to add to our lending library collection. We offer 175 movies for a one-time $25 gift (in the United States only). Call Bob Langford at (214) 340-6328 during business hours Central time. BRAILLE PAGER ON THE HORIZON Samsung, the Korean electronic giant, recently won gold honors at the Industrial Design Excellence Awards for its braille mobile phone. The Touch Messenger allows visually impaired users to send and receive braille text messages. Users will be able to use two braille keypads on the phone to send messages, while a braille display screen on the lower part of the phone will allow them to read incoming messages. To learn more about the Touch Messenger, visit http://www.samsung.com/PressCenter/PressRelease/PressRelease.asp?seq=2006070 3_0000268454. CLASSIFIEDS FOR THE BLIND "Connections" is an e-newsletter that provides world-wide classifieds for the blind. Whether you provide a product or service, or want to buy, sell, or trade an item, "Connections" may be able to help. You can place your first 50-word ad for free. Future ads of 50 words are $5; 250-word articles are $20. Ads run for one month and reach more than 500 subscribers. Contact Megan Green with your ad copy at Connections, 1410 Westfall Place, Stayton, OR 97383 or call (503) 767-3786. To subscribe to this free e-newsletter, send a blank message to mnoel71@juno.com. FREE AUDIO LIBRARY Books Aloud, Inc. provides a free audio book library service for people of all ages who are unable to read printed books on their own due to a visual, physical, or learning disability. Books Aloud records on regular two-track tapes and offers a few CDs. The collection includes almost 6,000 titles in various categories. The "Touch & Sound" program provides children's books in a kit containing a print-and-braille book that accompanies the audio book. Service is provided in the U.S. and Canada. Client application and verification of disability forms are required to begin service; these are available online at www.booksaloud.org or by calling (408) 808-2613. TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS AdaptiveWare offers a wide range of products at reasonable prices. One such example is a Pentium-based PC with flat panel display, all-in-one device, screen reader and OCR software for only $1,595. You can contact AdaptiveWare to build a system for you by calling (615) 884-8904 or e- mailing kathy@adaptiveware.biz. AFFORDABLE COMPUTERS Would you like a computer, but just can't afford it? There are computers available for $100 from Bob Langford. Your computer will come with Pentium III (or faster), 128 megs of RAM, Windows 98 (second edition), a demonstration copy of Window-Eyes, speakers, a 56K modem, sound card and a CD-ROM drive. It also includes a step-by-step audio tutorial (six cassettes) on Windows 98 and Window-Eyes, and a 40-page tutorial in large print for Windows 98 for those who can use a mouse, as well as a mini- tutorial on keyboarding. This offer is good in the United States and Canada only. Call Bob Langford at (214) 340-6328 during business hours Central time to get started on your computer journey! ARTIFICIAL RETINA NEWS The U.S. Department of Energy is currently working on the Artificial Retina Project. This collaborative, multi-institutional effort's goal is to develop an implantable microelectronic retinal device that restores useful vision to people blinded by retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. The basic concept for the retinal prosthesis is to bypass the photoreceptor (light-receiving) cells destroyed by retinal disease and transmit light signals directly to the brain. Three retinal prosthetic devices are now in testing or development. A first model was implanted in six patients, who are now able to distinguish light from dark and localize large objects. A second, more compact device containing more electrodes (for greater visual resolution) is currently undergoing pre-clinical studies and awaits approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for human trials. A third, far less invasive and higher-resolution model is under development. The ultimate goal is to provide vision that enables facial recognition and large-print reading vision, using materials that will last for a lifetime. None of the devices are yet available to the public. For information about eligibility for future studies, call Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. at (818) 833-5092. For more information on the project, see the web site (ArtificialRetina.energy.gov). To subscribe to the free newsletter, visit the web site or call (865) 574-0597. NEW PRODUCTS FROM PERKINS The Perkins Institute offers a variety of blindness products including publications, talking books, braille writers, and braille literacy. The Light Touch Brailler reduces the key force needed by 40 percent for longer, faster use. Also available is the MuVo Mix 512-megabyte device that allows users to transfer downloadable audio book files from the Perkins Library's Unabridged Project, featuring audio book files from Overdrive. To request an electronic product catalog, contact mystuff@perkins.org. CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SPECIAL NEEDS COMMUNITY The authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series are seeking stories to be included in a new book tentatively titled "Chicken Soup for the Special Needs Community: 101 Heartwarming, Helpful, Healing Stories That Offer Inspiration and Promise Surrounding the Lives of Special Needs Individuals." Through these stories, readers will learn how others facing similar challenges surmounted the many obstacles they had. You have an opportunity to contribute to this new series by sharing stories of personal experiences that demonstrate your strength, insights, knowledge and wisdom. For more details on the specific story topics needed, or to submit your tale, send an e-mail message to hmcnamara@verizon.net or visit www.chickensoupforthesoul.com. TRAVEL FUND-RAISING OPPORTUNITY Clay Publishing operates a travel agency that specializes in helping people with disabilities, including the visually impaired. The company offers a fund-raiser that gives 30 percent of its travel commission back to the visually impaired. For more information, visit www.claypublishing.com/site_info.php?id=27 or call 1-888-846-6286. ***** LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The contents of this column reflect the letters we had received by the time we went to press, Oct. 16, 2006. Letters are limited to 300 words or fewer. All submissions must include the author's name and location. Opinions expressed are those of the authors. Regarding A Previous Letter to the Editor I would like to respond to Larry Johnson's comments about the articles by Ed and Toni Eames. It is certainly remarkable that this couple is thought of so highly for their obvious manipulation of people (volunteers) and their reluctance to pay for any services. But it is even more surprising to have Mr. Johnson suggest that this attitude and behavior should be imitated and taught to other blind people. Perhaps I missed something somewhere, but I thought ACB and most of the organized blind movement stood, among other things, for encouraging independence and self- reliance as much as possible. It seems to me that no rehab agency should deliberately reward such abject dependence on the good will of others. -- Keith Black, Lakewood, Calif. The author's response: "No man is an island," and no person can live life totally independent of others. We need each other. Independence is a myth. The nature of our society is interdependent. Just as blind people sometimes need the help of sighted people, so sighted people sometimes need help. There is nothing to be ashamed of in asking for or accepting help. I have benefitted immensely from the help of volunteers all of my life. During my school years, I received thousands of hours of volunteer reading service from fellow students and from community volunteer organizations. As an adult, I continue to receive invaluable assistance from volunteers helping with such things as transportation, recreation, shopping, reading printed material, or serving as sighted guides. I have also been a volunteer, serving my community as a member and/or officer with more than two dozen committees, commissions and organizations. Those who serve as volunteers often benefit from assistance of other volunteers. Volunteers account for hundreds of thousands of hours of valuable service each year to their communities. Volunteers offer time, talent, energy and experience. Where would ACB be without volunteers -- our officers, directors, committee members, convention helpers (sighted and visually impaired)? Are we guilty of manipulating them and taking advantage of their good will? I don't think so. The vast majority of volunteers are interested, concerned individuals who want to lend a hand, offer their talent and time to help their neighbor. Our response should be to show them recognition and express our appreciation. I am grateful for the volunteers who have come to my assistance when I have needed it, and equally grateful for the opportunities which I have had to be a volunteer and give something back to my community. Volunteerism is, without a doubt, a vital component to the economic life and social welfare of our society. -- Larry Johnson, San Antonio, Tex. Seeking Assistance to Attend Convention I ask "Braille Forum" readers to help me. I want a well-wisher to take me to the 2007 ACB annual convention. I would very much like to attend the convention because it would help me as one of the Malawian blind seniors to inform my fellow blind Malawians about the needs and the education for the blind on an international basis. Anyone interested in helping me should write to me in braille and print at Mtengapo Mini Market, PO Box 224, Kasungu, Malawi. Remember that God blesses giving hands, so he will bless you for whatever you do for one of his people. -- Fatsani Nderema Bandah, Kasungu, Malawi, Central Africa ***** HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: PowerBraille 40. Recently serviced. Includes power adapter and serial cable. Asking $600 plus shipping. Call David Van Der Molen at (519) 669-1456 or e-mail dvm@cyg.net. FOR SALE: Gateway notebook computer, high-end Pentium M, 1 GB RAM, 100 GB hard drive, slim and lightweight. Has full-size keyboard with keypad and wide screen; includes the newest installed JAWS screen reader and Kurzweil scanning software, Microsoft Office, integrated wireless, docking station with stereo speakers, long battery life (more than four hours), thousands of songs on hard drive, watch movies and record too with the R-DVD drive, multiple USB and card reading slots. Only months old, in perfect condition. Asking $2,000. Pay directly with cash or use your credit card and pay me with PayPal. Call Al at (571) 276-6085. FOR SALE: Dell notebook computer. Comes with all original CDs, Windows XP media center edition duo core 2.0, and much more. E-mail or call Son Kim at skpoet711@gmail.com or (510) 535-2486. PayPal only. If you are within the east bay of California, and you can pick it up locally, cash is preferred. WANTED: Donation of disk drive for Braille 'n Speak 2000 with all cables. Can't afford price. Contact Angel at (641) 297-4900 extension 1277. 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 Ed Bradley, Houston, TX Ray Campbell, Glen Ellyn, IL Brenda Dillon, Hermitage, TN Billie Jean Keith, Arlington, VA Oral Miller, Washington, DC Carla Ruschival, Louisville, KY Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD Naomi Soule, St. Louis, MO Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA David Trott, Talladega, AL Ex Officio: Charles Hodge, Arlington, VA BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS Mike Duke, Chairman, Jackson, MS Charles Hodge, Arlington, VA DeAnna Noriega, Fulton, MO Ken Stewart, Warwick, NY Cindy Van Winkle, Bremerton, WA Ex Officios: Ralph Sanders, Las Vegas, NV Janelle Edwards, Springfield, MO