THE Braille Forum Vol. XXXII December 1993 No. 6 Published By The American Council of the Blind PROMOTING INDEPENDENCE AND EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION IN SOCIETY LeRoy F. Saunders, President Oral O. Miller, J.D., National Representative Nolan Crabb, Editor Sharon Lovering, Editorial Assistant National Office: 1155 15th St., N.W. Suite 720 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 467-5081 Fax: (202) 467-5085 THE BRAILLE FORUM is available in braille, large type, 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 and appreciated cash contributions, which are tax deductible, may be sent to Brian Charlson, Treasurer, 1155 15th St., N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005. You may wish to remember a relative or friend by sharing in the continuing work of the American Council of the Blind. The ACB National Office has available printed cards to acknowledge to loved ones contributions made in memory of deceased persons. 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 1993 American Council of the Blind TABLE OF CONTENTS President's Message, by LeRoy F. Saunders Chicago--That Wonderful Town, by John A. Horst How The Americans With Disabilities Act Stole Christmas, by Paul Edwards Flood Victims Aided By Industries For The Blind, by Sharon Lovering The Future Is Now, by Kate McKenna AT&T Reaches Out To Fight Fraud Legal Access: Holiday Cheer: Models for the '90s, not the '70s, by Charles D. Goldman Red Hot And Smoky, by Billie Jean Hill ADA Shadow Paratransit, by Jean Sanders Confessions Of A Radio Addict, by Kathi Wolfe ACB Constitution And Bylaws: Foundation For The Past -- Challenge For The Future Part III, by Charles S. P. Hodge A Hotel Prepares For A Convention, by Winifred Downing Here And There High Tech Swap Shop PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE by LeRoy F. Saunders At this time we are finishing up the arrangements for the Summit on Accreditation. Hopefully this summit will be the beginning of an accreditation process that will allow blind people to have a better understanding of how well an organization is providing services based on evaluation of the outcome of the people served. We have some excellent speakers on the subject of accreditation, and some who are doing research on this subject of evaluation by outcome. Many of the people attending are representing agencies that offer services to blind and visually impaired people, and others will represent consumers. A report of this summit is forthcoming. As you read this, you are undoubtedly enjoying the holiday season. I would like to wish a most happy holiday to all from ACB. Rest up during this time, for I am sure there will be plenty of work for all of us in the coming year. CHICAGO--THAT WONDERFUL TOWN by John A. Horst, Convention Coordinator In 1994, the 33rd Annual National Convention of the American Council of the Blind will take place in downtown Chicago, that great metropolis of the Midwest. Even in mid-summer, there is usually a breeze from Lake Michigan to make your visit a pleasant one. Tourism is big business in this fabulous city, and exciting excursions are being planned for your enjoyment. Convention dates are Saturday, July 2 to Saturday, July 9, 1994. The hotel is the very recently remodeled Palmer House Hilton, located at 17 E. Monroe St. downtown. Please do not confuse the Palmer House Hilton with other Hilton hotels in the Chicago area. Hotel rates are $47 per night for single and double and $57 for triple and quad. Reservations can be made at any time by calling (312) 726-7500 or the Hilton Hotel's reservation number at (800) 445-8667. The Palmer House has more than 1,600 rooms and very adequate meeting room and exhibit space for our convention needs. As a result, no overflow hotel will be necessary in 1994. As indicated in last month's "Braille Forum," the mid-year meetings of the American Council of the Blind will be held February 4 to 7, 1994 at the Palmer House. Convention rates will apply. Reservations must be made before January 14, 1994. Please use ACB's designated travel agency, International Tours of Muskogee, Okla. You can reach them at (800) 259-9299 to plan for your ACB travel-related needs. Chicago is served by both O'Hare and Midway airports. Both are 35 to 40 minutes from downtown hotels. We recommend transportation between airports and the hotel via Continental Transportation Co. vans. These vans are clearly marked Airport Express in huge letters on the side. A round-trip ticket can be purchased at Continental Transportation counters at each baggage pickup area at O'Hare Airport and at the Southwest Airlines baggage area at Midway. A round-trip ticket costs $25.50. These vans are available every 10 to 15 minutes each day at O'Hare between 6:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. and at Midway 6:30 a.m. to 8:25 p.m. There are also trains from O'Hare costing $1.50 one way which will take you within two blocks of the Palmer House. The cost of a taxi is $25 to $30 one way. Chicago natives encourage caution when using cabs. Be certain that the driver understands your destination, tells you the approximate fare, and does not charge individual fares for each person in your group. Since there will be quite a number of persons attending the February meetings, we will again have the ACB information desk available. Laurinda Steele, assisted by Illinois Council of the Blind members, will again do her usual yeoman's work of providing information on hotel facilities, ACB activities, restaurants in the area and other Chicago data. The information desk will be located on the sixth floor of the hotel where all the February meetings will take place. Make your plans now to spend the early part of July 1994 in Chicago. Don't miss out on a great convention with outstanding exhibits in a fabulous city. Your convention coordinating committee, assisted by the Illinois Council of the Blind host committee under the direction of President M. J. Schmitt, is doing its best to make 1994 the best convention ever. HOW THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT STOLE CHRISTMAS by Paul Edwards (Editor's note: I'm among the first to agree that implementing a landmark law like the Americans with Disabilities Act is serious business. But there have been a lot of headlines lately about political correctness and about reinventing government. I thought it was time to take a humorous look at the ADA, and at regulations in general. As you know, we don't generally use poetry in "the Forum." But it's fast approaching that magical time of year when almost anything goes. Thanks to Paul Edwards for the following Christmas gift.) 'Twas a while before Christmas when Santa Claus said, "Now the ADA's passed, I've a pain in my head. It used to be easy to hire the elves Who made all the toys and who stocked all the shelves. Then the time came when the Congress did say That I had to be careful about who I pay. So I went and got Rudolph to pilot my sleigh. He was racially different, so that was okay. I used to hire men elves but that had to stop. I had to let women elves into the shop. Then Buddhists and Muslims and Croats and Jews Became part of the mix from which I had to choose. And just when it seemed I had got used to all Then the ADA passed and it changed every call. Before I was forced to hire folks from all nations But now I am told to make accommodations! Who understands all that the new law demands? You must hire consultants! Put yourself in their hands! And the first thing they do with a gleam in their eyes Is to measure to see that the workplace complies With the myriad measurements needed and wanted. And then as if that didn't leave one quite daunted, They ask to see each of the jobs that I fill And express consternation at my lack of skill. `No, no,' they opine as they look at each task, `You demand for each job what you simply can't ask!' Then much to my horror, they quietly say: `Rewrite every job or you surely will pay!' Then 'round my poor workshop they frantically caper Clutching their tape measures, ogling each paper! They measure the steps and they measure the door And they mumble and grumble and total the score. Every nook and each cranny gets measured with glee! Then, with obvious joy, they report back to me! `You're not in compliance, dear Santa,' they say; `You must make many changes and starting today You must change every practice you currently use Rebuild every workshop and change who you choose. We don't say that anyone has to be fired! You can keep all the elves who you've currently hired! But choosing the next elf you need for the shop You must change every practice; this nonsense must stop! You must ask every elf-person here to apply Only orthodox questions, and, Santa Claus, try Not to ask about handicaps, that's not allowed! You must ask the same questions to all in the crowd. There is some good news; don't go into a funk You don't have to hire elves who are constantly drunk. But do not reject yonder bibulous elf If he says he's reformed, and is curing himself. Every child in the land would be properly shocked If Santa Claus found himself called to the dock. So alter your factory, change every plan And remove the impediments quick as you can! The children expect it and so does the law. And you can afford it! We noticed with awe All the toys you produce and the money you make! You will never regret all the trouble you take. Oh, by the way, Santa, we couldn't help see All your dolls are unblemished and clearly a. b. Make blind dolls and deaf dolls and crippled ones too That reflect population dispersion that's true! And Santa, we noticed with mortified shock That your toys may discriminate; jettison stock You cannot produce a toy, Santa Claus dear That talks and says things that a deaf kid can't hear. And all of those toys with a visual display Leave blind people out, so they're just not okay! The cars and the trucks that go fast when you race them Exclude all the children who simply can't chase them!'" And Santa Claus said, as he drove out of sight: "Let the parents give presents, I'm off to get tight." So the fear of the courts and that someone would sue Managed to do what the grinch couldn't do! No sleigh bells you'll hear on this Christmas Eve night Merry Christmas to all who continue the fight. FLOOD VICTIMS AIDED BY INDUSTRIES FOR THE BLIND by Sharon Lovering Though the waters of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers have receded into their banks, the water that breached the levees still forms miniature lakes in some areas. But when the Mississippi River began flooding in June, people began organizing relief efforts to help flood victims. "It was a mess," says Edna Freeman, president of the Missouri Council of the Blind. More than half of St. Charles County, Mo., was covered with water. Some small towns were destroyed. Numerous homes were condemned. "Water was just in them too long," she adds. "A lot of mobile home parks were flooded. A lot of them were wiped out." Donna Seliger, president of the Iowa Council of the United Blind, agrees. "The biggest problem is residential," she says. The number of volunteers has dwindled, and, she adds, "People need help winterizing their homes." In order to help Midwesterners affected by the flood, there were many fundraisers for the Salvation Army and the Red Cross, Freeman says. The Salvation Army is helping people find permanent housing, but some people are still in temporary housing. One Missouri Council member's family homestead was destroyed. "All he can do is sit on the hill and [remember] what was there," she says. Seliger says, "A lot of families in low-lying areas lost everything. Some homes are literally falling off their foundations." The city is considering buying some of the houses and moving those people elsewhere, because it's too dangerous, she adds. One of the hardest-hit areas was where the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers joined, known as the "Southeast Bottoms." When officials opened the floodgates of a local reservoir, the water poured into the two rivers, adding to the flood water. "They had to do something," she says. While Seliger was at the ACB convention, she didn't know how bad the situation was. "When we returned from the ACB convention July 11, someone got on the plane and told us what streets we could use," she says. Then she realized the gravity of the situation. By 3 a.m. July 12, Des Moines' water supply had been cut off by the flood's invasion of the water plant. The city's bus system lost six buses under 16 feet of water during the flood, and bus service was cut off for several days. When service resumed, it was sporadic at first. To assist bus service, the city borrowed 10 buses from Omaha. Buses were dispatched out of a spare bus. "If a bus came along, [people would] take it," she states. But cleanup efforts are going pretty well. "That's what everybody's doing: scrubbing," Freeman says. The Salvation Army, the Red Cross, and other groups have provided shelter, food, clothing, towels, bedding, and cleaning supplies. "It was amazing how quickly they addressed some of the problems," she says, adding that the best part of the situation was that "everybody knew what was going on, and everybody helped out. It shows what a community can do if they work together." Seliger agrees, stating that donations of water came from all over the nation, and many churches gathered up truckloads of such items as clothes, towels, bed sheets, and cleanup supplies. Des Moines was out of water for 12 days. Thankfully, they have water now. When the city was without water, businesses were told to close because of the fire hazard, Seliger says. Some trucked water in and managed with a skeleton crew of employees, clad in a variety of clothing. "It was really quite an experience. Everybody wore what they could find. People were going to work in shorts." The return to a normal routine has had its problems. "Most everyone has gone back to work," Freeman states. "One of the problems we had was getting kids back to school." Children whose families' homes had been flooded wanted to return to the same school they had attended to be with their friends. To get those children back to school, district officials sometimes had to bend the rules governing district boundaries. In addition to the Salvation Army and the Red Cross, other groups that sent in items to help flood victims were National Industries for the Blind-affiliated agencies, like the Royal Maid Association. "Our people were working overtime and Saturdays to help out," says Chuck Lange, vice president of sales and marketing for Industries for the Blind Inc. of Milwaukee. His group of about 10 people was working with a New York-based marketing company that was putting together cleanup kits for flood victims. The group supplied about 50,000 scrub brushes and about 25,000 brooms for inclusion in the kit, taking no profit from the items. "We were very pleased that we could help out," Lange says. "We were extremely happy that they came to us . . . We feel real good about being able to help the flood victims." He adds that he would do it again, "although I hope there's no more floods so we don't have to do it again." Ferguson Industries for the Blind in Cambridge, Mass., donated about 30 dozen brooms, a few dozen mop heads and about 100 dozen pillow cases to WBZ radio in Boston for delivery to the Midwest. "We felt obligated -- we had the goods in storage," says Carol Sullivan, director of public relations at Ferguson Industries. "We wanted to do something worthwhile." Royal Maid Association in Mississippi coordinated flood relief efforts with the Hazlehurst chapter of Woodmen of the World. Together, the groups shipped three tractor trailer loads of mops, brooms, sponges, paper plates and plastic forks, knives and spoons, as well as other items, to St. Charles, Mo. "The people there were so excited to get the brooms and mops, more than anything else except fresh water," says Elaine Bounds, director of public relations for Royal Maid Association. "All of our people were glad to help." Many Royal Maid workers helped load the truck. "Any time there's anything going on, national or natural disaster, they get real excited about doing something," she adds. "They want to do their part." Bounds says she heard from people at Woodmen of the World that some of the people who came to the truck for mops and brooms were fighting over them, so afraid they wouldn't get the cleaning supplies they needed. "We feel like they got direct [assistance]," she says. "A lot of good came out of it. . . . it was something they really needed." When the cleanup is over, though, many changes will be apparent. "It'll never be the same," Freeman says. "You can only go back to the houses that weren't condemned, and there aren't many of those." For Harold Patterson of St. Joseph, Mo., whose family's homestead was destroyed, the only thing left of his home is the memories. "It's never going to be the same for Harold or any of the others who lost their houses," she continues. For those who wanted to rebuild, they had to move above the level of the last flood to receive federal financial assistance. Some towns decided to relocate to higher ground. Other problems may occur because the districts in Missouri that did not vote for levee taxes and districts will not get their levees rebuilt. Those areas that voted for levee taxes and districts will receive help in rebuilding levees. In Iowa, people are shoring up the levees in preparation for another flood. The ground is saturated, Seliger says, and weather forecasters are predicting plenty of snow for the winter and a flood of similar magnitude in spring. Nevertheless, she thinks Iowa will be the same again when it's cleaned up. "We're strong people," she says. "We bounce back. It's made us more aware of ourselves and how important life is." Seliger hopes Iowans can all work together shoring up the levees. "I think we'll be prepared next time," she says. Freeman states, "It's something you can't plan for, the flood like we had. You just learn from it." She hopes hydrologists will do a study of the area, looking at what happened, and then laying out comprehensive plans to address it in the future. The Salvation Army and the Red Cross are still requesting cleaning items. To make it a happy holiday season for victims of the Midwest floods, contact your local chapter and ask how you can help them help people in the flooded areas. THE FUTURE IS NOW by Kate McKenna (Reprinted with permission from American Journalism Review, October 1993.) The last time newspapers were this interested in new technology, they were looking for ways to keep the ink from rubbing off on their readers' hands. Now they're exploring how a newspaper can survive, even thrive, without ink -- and maybe without paper. After decades of fearing that new information technology would put them out of business, newspapers are realizing that embracing technology is good business. Voice services, fax supplements and timely electronic news updates are options readers might want -- and can increasingly get elsewhere. Although newspapers in their present form will be around for the foreseeable future, news managers now see the new information technology as a way to broaden their reach. Somewhere between the May 1992 launching of the Tribune Co.'s Chicago Online, which was the first local service available nationwide, and the May 1993 debut of Knight-Ridder's San Jose "Mercury Center," the second nationally available local service, the industry entered a new era. Suddenly newspapers are doing the kinds of things they had always been wary of: investigating new methods and media, spending big money on research and development, and cooperating with the competition. In the few months since the Mercury News went electronic - -making it the first company to create a truly integrated newspaper and online product -- a pack of new converts is lining up: Last summer 19 news companies, including Gannett, the Globe Newspaper Co., Hearst, Knight-Ridder, Newhouse Newspapers, Times Mirror and the Tribune Co., invested as much as $100,000 each to finance the development of the world's first "personalized" newspaper at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sometime this fall, Cox Newspapers' Atlanta Journal and Constitution and Palm Beach Post will unveil online editions, providing readers with complete versions of the dailies -- plus police logs, community sports scores, school menus and other information that can't be squeezed into a normal daily news hole. The Atlanta service will augment Access Atlanta, which was started two years ago and currently has 1,000 subscribers. Cox- owned newspapers in Dayton and Austin may be next. The Times Mirror Co. is working to create online versions of three of its papers, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday and New York Newsday, not coincidentally located in the nation's two biggest markets. Gannett Newspapers will launch electronic editions of its suburban New York City papers this fall, adopting its NewsLink online formula, which has worked well at Florida Today, at its Westchester, Rockland and Putnam county papers. It's not a revolution, but an evolution -- an industry- wide growth spurt that has hit newspapers, first one by one, then in groups, now in waves. From the Los Angeles Times to the New York Times, from mega-chain to the small news group, newspapers are exploring new programs and finding nontraditional ways to give their readers all the news that's fit to print, fax and download. FROM DEFENSE TO OFFENSE Since the 1980s, broadcasters have aggressively exploited new technology to hold their audience and attract new ones. Newspapers, however, have been standing relatively still. In fact, the newspaper industry worked hard in the early 1990s to block one inevitable development, the regional telephone companies' entry into the electronic information market -- a battle fought and lost in the courtroom of Judge Harold Greene and the halls of Congress. But recent shifts within the cable and telephone industries, the surge in popularity of personal computers, and a drawn-out economic recession that has sliced into advertising revenues have combined to force newspapers to look forward. "For a while there, newspapers were primarily identified with blocking the Baby Bells," says Frank Hawkins, a vice president at Knight-Ridder. "It gradually dawned on newspapers that they couldn't -- and shouldn't -- depend on Judge Greene to save them from the future. That defensive kind of strategy was ridiculous. We should recognize these changes and just go on." Much of the new activity within the print industry is fired by the same fuel propelling computer, telephone, cable and entertainment companies: fear. Technology is breaking down the barriers between these once-distinct industries, allowing unforeseen competitors into the new markets. This same technology could render any one of these industries obsolete. "The potential arrival of interactive TV has opened the eyes and served as a wake-up call to newspapers," says Victor A. Perry III, director of new business development at the Los Angeles Times. "The possibility of 500 channels in the home has shaken up the industry. We are at risk of being disenfranchised; they could take our advertising -- and all we'd have left is an editorial product with no advertising to support it. So we've really got to insinuate ourselves in{to} these new worlds." Henry Scott, group director for new business at the New York Times Co., says his paper also has snapped to attention. "There's nothing like adversity and pain to give you focus," he says. The Times is now offering an array of voice and fax services that are proving to be relatively popular, but it has not entered the online service arena as yet. One of the more enthusiastic high-tech converts, Cox Newspapers President David Easterly, points out another reason for news organizations to embrace this technology: "Greed. Because we're going to make some nice money on this." One other chief reason, of course, is market protection. "If the other companies find local news to be compelling," says Easterly, "they will find ways to get that information out there to our readers." And newspapers, he adds, generate a lot more information than it can fit in its pages. "The old line is true: Newspapers print about 10 percent of what we do every day," he says. "Why waste the other 90 percent?" To launch its project, Cox has licensed software from the White Plains, New York-based Prodigy Services Co., a national home computer network owned by IBM and Sears. Consumers will be able to access online versions of the Atlanta papers and the Palm Beach Post through the Prodigy network. Easterly doesn't see the experiment stopping with newspapers, though. "Eventually Prodigy will be able to move this service {of providing Cox newspapers online} on to cable and off we go," he says. "We're not going to wait until cable operators define the world of journalism." That strategy, the best defense is a good offense, finally is making sense to newspaper managers, especially those in coveted major markets. "I think we're acting now very prudently," says Perry. "To waste much more time would be foolish on our parts. We have to fill that niche before someone else does." Moreover, younger generations, and a growing number of older people, are more computer literate. More personal computers with modems in homes, more CD-ROM users, greater speed and ease of usage have combined to create a viable market. Suspecting this, the San Jose Mercury News conducted a survey on local computer ownership and found that nearly 17 percent of adults in Santa Clara County own computers with modems -- almost twice the national figure. "We always think the new media is going to replace the old," says Bob Ingle, the Mercury News' executive editor. "Radio had us quaking; television, the same thing. With the possible exception of the telegraph, each new entry modified the old media." The Mercury News launched Mercury Center, a 24-hour electronic newspaper, providing its Silicon Valley subscribers with the articles du jour, direct communication with editors and reporters, access to newspaper archives and wire copy, downloadable files and continually updated news. It's available for both Macintosh and IBM-compatible computers. Mercury Center is similar to the Tribune Co.'s Chicago Online. Both are available through America Online, a nationwide computer network based in Vienna, Virginia. The Mercury News project is the first in a series of high-tech steps for the paper, which will soon launch fax and voice services. Many other companies, like Times Mirror and the Washington Post, took the opposite tack by inaugurating fax and voice programs before testing interactive projects. RIDING THE WAVE As these and similar experiments continue, the fear that technology will supplant newspapers is receding; in its place stands an industry coming to terms with the inevitable high-tech future. As Roger Fidler, director of Knight-Ridder's design lab in Boulder, Colorado, works on his "flat panel," a computer tablet that can display a specialized digital newspaper, he sees a significant change in attitudes among readers and news managers: They're getting ready for new news. "People are beginning to expect many changes to take place and I think . . . {that} will help make it a reality." Although newspapers view some of these efforts as interim technologies, the in-house expertise they're assembling and the interest they hope to generate among readers is well worth the effort, according to many new media experts. Standing back to see what everyone else does would be a feeble strategy at a time when new technological generations seem to emerge every six months. "Watching and waiting may not be such a great idea for most newspapers," says former New York Daily News Editor James Willse. "I think they'd wake up one morning and find out a substantial portion of their lunch had been eaten. It would be extremely foolish for people as an industry to not find ways to use this technology." There is some flexibility for smaller newspapers, however. "If you're a mid-sized market, then you can afford to be casual," says Victor Perry of the Los Angeles Times. "But not if you're in a large market with competition around you, with major players --cable companies, telephone companies -- eyeing our revenue streams hungrily." Almost as tricky as riding the technological wave is figuring out where and when to jump in. Last spring, companies such as Newhouse, Hearst and Globe Newspapers appointed managers to chart this territory and plot their next moves. Willse started scouting the electronic landscape for Newhouse, former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Alfred Sikes came on to head Hearst Corp.'s newly formed New Media and Technology group, and former Boston Globe Editor Jack Driscoll took over his paper's new media office. Sikes is seeing it all from an entirely new angle. "I find it fascinating -- and potentially humbling," he says. "I felt the commission was a place to be at a very significant time in the industry . . . and I feel the same way about this." THE VIDEOTEX DEBACLE The last time newspapers embraced the latest cutting-edge technology they got burned. It's been little more than a decade --a lifetime in the information age -- since the first pioneering efforts at harnessing "videotex" technology. Times Mirror and Knight-Ridder were first to provide subscribers with online news, entertainment and shopping services via computer with an impressive, multimillion-dollar display. But no one seemed to want it and the projects shriveled. News managers not directly involved in the videotex debacle seemed to almost take comfort in its failure. At least that proved that newspapers weren't so easily replaceable after all. But for the farsighted few hoping to continue high-tech experiments, the failure of videotex stopped everything. "That project poisoned the water for all of us," says Gerry Barker, online service marketing director at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "All people could see was the red ink. The only thing that could overcome those attitudes are success stories." So the Star-Telegram created a success story, collaborating in 1982 with Tandy Corp. to found StarText, a low- cost, low- overhead online newspaper. Even after Tandy dropped out a year later, the Star-Telegram kept plugging away, eventually perfecting a system that became profitable in 1986 -- the only such venture to make money to date. Now the company is licensing its technology to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Kansas City Star, which had been trying their own online versions independently. Similar types of local online systems have sprouted at newspapers in Albuquerque; Atlanta; Beaumont, Texas; Charlotte; Long Island; Middlesex, Massachusetts; Sacramento, and Spokane, using what is commonly referred to as "off-the-shelf" systems. These allow papers to make modest equipment and software investments to start learning and applying this evolving technology now. WHAT IS A NEWSPAPER? The question today is not simply the future of newspapers, but their essence -- raising queries straight out of a communications theory class. What is a newspaper? Ink on paper? Or more? But, for once, there are as many answers as questions. And as many concrete examples of where news is headed as there are nebulous theories. "It's helpful to think of the newspaper as more than a newspaper, a magazine as more than a magazine," says Newhouse's Willse. "What you have now in a newspaper is people who produce . . . advertising {and} editorial content, and then it goes on down to the printing plant. But this huge news organization exists to provide more than just a printed thing in the morning. "The thinking is that this organization could be at the center of spokes of a wheel. The information could be on television, computer, newspaper or Roger Fidler's flat panel. You've got multi-uses of what had been a fairly straightforward process. And in an era where newspaper penetration and readership is down, do we really care if people are getting their information from a newspaper or on a screen?" The answer, says Willse, is simply, "No, we don't." Randy Bennett, who assisted on Knight-Ridder's now defunct videotex project and has worked at America Online, agrees. "Newspapers will become news companies, information companies," he says. "And one of the products they will offer is a paper product, as well as CD-ROM, news channels, online services, etc." The philosophical debate also involves readers, whose needs and inclinations can get lost in the quest for high-tech news gadgets. "There are a lot of possibilities, but what's practical, what's cost-effective, what can be easily used -- that's the $64,000 question," says the Boston Globe's Jack Driscoll. "A lot of people talk about exotic things that can be done, but who really wants it?" The New York Times' Henry Scott believes one can't assume too much about what readers want, especially when it comes to computers, which operate under a different set of rules. "There's a lot of things out there that look interesting," he says. "But the question is, do these {news} applications make sense on computers? Would I ever use it? I always argue that people won't read words off a screen unless they're paid to." New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen is wary of defending a newspaper's role as an information factory. "It is a serious and sometimes fatal error to say that what journalists do is provide information," he says. "The essential tasks of journalists actually have a lot to do with reducing information." He points out that interpreting the news and separating out the extraneous is pivotal to the profession. Therefore, dumping a load of facts into a bottomless database would do little to aid public discourse, inform the community or attract a new generation of readers. Willse also sounds a note of caution for journalists who may be worshipping what he calls the "digital god" too enthusiastically. "It's wonderful that we are able to supply our readers with sports scores on demand, and stats going back to 1938," he says. "But the real reason we are protected by the First Amendment -- and the Home Shopping Network isn't -- is that we have to do good. We shine light in dark places, find out things people don't want us to find out. I would hate to see people get too seduced by the technology and forget that." Certainly, there's a bit of the "millennium syndrome" afoot, as the approaching turn of the century makes people feel they're on the brink of a new age, with a Task Force 2000 forming in almost every industry. The problem is that no one really knows how newspapers will be read and distributed in the next 10 or 15 years, or even five years. Nobody knows if fax and audio services and online networks will prove successful, much less permanent. But the industry is in hot pursuit of the answer. In any event, newspapers will continue to have a strong presence in the next century, according to those laboring to turn their visions of the future into their own Newspaper 2000. "The newspaper's future is absolutely vital," says Cox Newspapers President David Easterly. "The only newspaper companies that are going to get murdered on this are the ones that stand back." WHERE THE ACTION IS Here's a quick tour of some of the hot spots of newspaper high tech: NEWS IN THE FUTURE At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, experts are working on a personalized daily newspaper attuned to the likes, dislikes and information requirements of each individual subscriber. Affiliated with this News in the Future (NIF) consortium, which came together last summer, are 19 news organizations that contributed up to $100,000 each. These include Times Mirror, Gannett, the Globe Newspaper Co., the Tribune Co., Newhouse Newspapers, Capital Cities/ABC Publishing Group and Ziff-Davis, a computer magazine publisher. "There are a lot of ants running off in different directions," says Jack Driscoll, a former editor of the Boston Globe who now heads up the paper's new media office. "But I see a different anthill being built. . . . Whereas we all were going down separate streets -- video, audio, online -- now it's all sort of coming together and we need to sit down together to operate it properly." If standards are needed to make these new media work, if certain choices made now can make applying the technology easier in the future -- these are the issues the consortium can thrash out. The project's work is based on the premise that daily news is now a victim of a "marketplace paradox" -- everyone has different tastes in news, yet these highly personal appetites are fed unwanted, bulky filler. Walter Bender, one of the MIT visionaries, sees the newspaper of the future as the "Daily Me" - -a totally personalized newspaper tailored directly to each reader's taste. If you're a Boston Red Sox fan working in a patent law firm, partial to quirky news stories but deeply interested in foreign affairs, your edition of the paper will reflect those preferences. My edition, emphasizing economic and political news, music, entertainment and arena football, may contain some of the same stories, but not all. There are other NIF projects, but the aim of the five-year project is unclear. Says MIT spokesman John Hynes, "The goals are vague for a reason . . . because we don't know what's going to happen either. For sure, there won't be a single outcome -- meaning the answer to News in the Future is the tablet-sized, electronic flat panel, or online networks, or the Daily Me. "There's a sense within the research facility that the right answers will be multiple. Knight-Ridder might have the right answer, Tribune Co. might have the right answer. There might be six or seven right answers. There's just a sense that there's an awful lot to be done." KNIGHT-RIDDER'S FLAT PANEL Knight-Ridder's Information Design Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, is designing a hand-held flat panel that will display an electronic image with the identity and characteristics of a local newspaper, including all the articles that appeared that day as well as access to the paper's archives. It will have the capability of being continually updated, and will offer full- motion and full-color video at the touch of a fingertip. To cover its bets, however, Knight-Ridder is also a charter member of the News in the Future group. Knight-Ridder's Roger Fidler is planning to begin marketing the flat panel in two years. The first models will perform a variety of personal computing tasks and will run a few programs. "Our belief is that the process of providing electronic editions of the news would take off by 1995," says Fidler, who cautions that market penetration will be slow. "Compare it to how TV got started in the early 1940s . . . with just a few sets and limited programming until more and more people started to get them." He predicts this electronic newspaper will not become fully competitive with print media until about 2010. MERCURY CENTER While Fidler is banking on future markets, the San Jose Mercury News is hoping to capture one now. The newspaper is closely monitoring public reaction to its Mercury Center, the first online service fully integrated within a daily newspaper. Its task is to shape an impersonal medium into a personal one that instills loyalty. "The newspaper is a very friendly medium. It has a personality, and people grow very emotionally attached to the newspaper, . . . which is a good thing for all of us," says Bob Ingle, executive editor of the Mercury News. "Whereas the electronic media is impersonal, dull, no character. But you can give them some personality." To imbue "personality," the Mercury Center is experimenting with using icons amid the print and offering extra services, such as bulletin boards, public forums and an interactive component in which readers can communicate with reporters and editors. "The notion behind all this is to extend the newspapers into the areas where readers are going," says Ingle, "especially in our area." TIME WARNER One of the most ambitious experiments does not involve newspapers -- yet. Time Warner Cable is building the world's first full-service network near Orlando, a fiber-optic "electronic superhighway" into homes. Starting early next year, a test group of about 4,000 residents will receive video on demand, interactive games, full-motion interactive shopping and possibly picture phone service. Although the project does not yet include a major news component, Time Warner is currently talking with the Orlando Sentinel, which is owned by the Tribune Co., one of the first major groups to dabble in online services. How Time Warner's network integrates news will be instructive to newspaper companies laboring to protect their franchises. HIGH-TECH TALK audiotex (or voice services): computer system that allows callers, equipped with touch-tone telephones, to dial a phone number and access information from a prerecorded menu of options. CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only-Memory): a technology for storing digital information on a compact disc. Originally intended for text, CD-ROM works for audio and visual images as well. interactive: commonly used to refer to a two-way exchange of information, usually into the home, allowing personal computer and modem users to "talk back" to their information source through bulletin boards or electronic mail. online services: computer networks such as America Online, CompuServe and Prodigy that offer full texts of articles, archives and interactive services to their customers. videotex: a simple interactive computer system. WHO'S DOING WHAT Newspapers are finding ways to break free of the limits of a daily news hole and are giving readers information they want by fax, phone or computer modem. Below is just a sampling of the services now available: FAX SERVICES There are about two dozen newspapers currently offering fax services, according to the Newspaper Association of America (NAA). They offer updates of news printed in that day's paper and article reprints, as well as information not in the paper, including jokes, comics and extra crossword puzzles. These faxes are either free of charge, paid by subscription or paid for on a one-shot basis. Some examples: The Los Angeles Times offers Mortgage Rate Fax with the day's 15-year and 30-year fixed rate mortgages, and daily prime and fed discount money rates. It also offers a financial fax with the latest stock prices. Among the New York Times' offerings are a fax and voice version of the bestseller list 10 days in advance of publication. The Times also has a fax version of the paper distributed in the Caribbean, Brazil, Japan and Australia, and aboard cruise ships. USA Today faxes have included state-by-state reports on the conditions of savings and loans and life insurance companies, as well as full text versions of interviews published in the paper. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution and Baltimore's Sun stopped printing some financial tables and instead offer them free by fax to interested readers. The free two- to three-page BeeFax from the Sacramento Bee offers comic strips, jokes and games not available in the paper. The paper also has a fax devoted exclusively to golf courses, including reviews and open weekend tee times. The Detroit Free Press will fax readers the full text of U.S. Supreme Court decisions for $1 a page. The paper will also fax tax forms, as will some other Knight-Ridder papers. VOICE SERVICES More than 150 daily newspapers offer free voice services, according to NAA. Readers can call to get sports scores, election results, stock quotes, music reviews, song samples, horoscopes and soap opera updates. While most of these services keep the reader informed, they can also lend themselves to advertising. Sports equipment and resort areas can have their audio ad played during the wintertime ski hotlines, just as auto dealers can insert an ad into a sports update. And then there's voice auto classifieds that give people access to the new and used car market. NAA surveys found more than 200 dailies offering voice personal ads. These can be highly profitable by using a 900- number arrangement, which enables users to get a personal ad when they rent a voice mail box. People calling the voice mail box also pay a fee. CD-ROM Still the almost exclusive territory of magazines, CD-ROM multimedia technology allows users to read text, view video and hear sound from a compact disk played on special computer CD-ROM drives. At the end of this year USA Today will release the first of what it calls a dynamic time capsule -- a CD-ROM compilation called "USA Today: The '90s, Volume I." The disk will contain more than 100,000 news stories from January 1990 to August 1992, including sound clips, photos and graphics. ONLINE CLASSIFIEDS The San Jose Mercury News and Chicago Tribune offer job listings via modem. Knight-Ridder will soon offer the Miami Herald's AutoLine service at other papers in the chain. ONLINE NEWS Subscribers to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's StarText get access to news stories (ranging from current to week-old offerings); stock market prices and Wall Street news updated six times a day; feature stories; movie reviews; movie listings; national and local sports and statistics; and a first look at classified ads the evening prior to publication. Among the other U.S. newspapers that either offer online news services or will be up and running by next year: The Albuquerque Tribune; Atlanta Journal and Constitution; Austin American-Statesman; Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise; Charlotte Observer; Chicago Tribune; Dayton Daily News; Florida Today; Gannett Westchester papers; Los Angeles Times; Middlesex (Mass.) News; Newsday/New York Newsday; Palm Beach Post; Sacramento Bee; San Jose Mercury News; Spokane Chronicle; St. Louis Post-Dispatch and USA Today. PRESS CONFERENCES VIA COMPUTER One of the nation's largest newspaper companies, Dow Jones, has ventured into the real of multimedia with a video service that provides coverage of corporate and government press conferences, breaking news and interviews with executives and policymakers --all through subscribers' computer monitors. Dubbed the Dow Jones Investor Network and launched in September, the service was developed by the firm's Multimedia Group under Martin Schenker, a former Wall Street Journal senior editor. Schenker explains that Dow Jones developed software to alert users with a message on their computers when an event is about to begin or ready for viewing; subscribers can then decide if they'd like to see it. If so, a corner of their monitor becomes a small screen (any running software is not affected) and video is sent to the monitor via cable after being received from Dow Jones through a fiber optic line or satellite feed. The corner picture can also be blown up to full screen. The downside? Cost. The equipment needed is "not a trivial outlay," Schenker says, and early clients are expected to be large brokerage houses and banks. Besides the Investor Network, Dow Jones is also testing a multimedia news service with NYNEX, the New York-based phone company. -- Chip Rowe AT&T REACHES OUT TO FIGHT FRAUD Did you know AT&T offers an exemption from charges for its long-distance directory assistance service as an accommodation for certain customers with disabilities? If you're visually or physically unable to use a telephone directory, you may be entitled to this exemption, which is for personal, residential use. Customers reach AT&T Directory Assistance by dialing 1 (area code) 555-1212. AT&T charges 65 cents for state-to-state directory assistance calls; in-state long-distance directory assistance charges vary. AT&T wants to continue to offer this benefit to the people who need it and use it responsibly. That's why we're taking this opportunity to alert you to an unfortunate situation that's been brought to our attention. Some unscrupulous business owners may be misleading or misinforming AT&T customers about the proper use of the company's directory assistance exemption. These businesses are hiring disabled individuals and paying them to participate in a fraudulent scheme. Once hired, the employee is given lists of names. The employee's job is to call AT&T directory assistance to gather the corresponding telephone numbers. Sometimes the employer provides a list of names and associated telephone numbers and the employee's job is to confirm the telephone number by calling directory assistance. Employees are paid for each telephone number they collect or confirm. Often, the employee receives as little as seven cents for each telephone number confirmed by using AT&T directory assistance. Since the exemption is applied to the recipient's AT&T account, he or she can ultimately be held responsible for full payment of any directory assistance charges that are exempted under fraudulent conditions. An AT&T investigation of its customer accounts indicates that, on average, if the people participating in these scams paid for long-distance directory assistance, it would cost them about $2,000 a month. AT&T is making every effort to put an end to what it sees as blatant exploitation of its customers with disabilities, including, where appropriate, advising the state attorneys general about this situation. Additionally, in order to reduce the incentive for fraudulent use of this benefit, the company has implemented a limit of 50 free long-distance directory assistance calls per billing month in a dozen states and we're considering extending this limit nationwide. This means that customers who make more than 50 long-distance directory assistance calls in a billing month will be charged the standard directory assistance rate for each inquiry above the limit. Since the average consumer makes only five long-distance directory assistance calls each month, we're confident that 50 free calls is more than enough to meet the legitimate needs of our customers. If you'd like more information about AT&T's directory assistance exemption, call the Accessible Communications Long Distance Service Center at 1-800-872-3883. LEGAL ACCESS HOLIDAY CHEER: MODELS FOR THE '90S, NOT THE '70S by Charles D. Goldman, Esq. (Reprinted with permission from "Horizons," December 1993.) This is written in the holiday spirit, with good will to our fellow human beings. This is an institutional, not personal, criticism. No one questions any individual's commitment to effective implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This is about how best to use precious resources to implement the ADA and not using the outdated model of the Rehabilitation Act. It's time for the federal government to get practical and stop funding ADA pamphlets. The private sector and state and local governments have a basic awareness of ADA and other disability non-discrimination mandates. It's time for effective, hands-on technical assistance providing "how to" make the law work, help and enforcement, not elementary education. My concern was piqued after reading of the $1.7 million in grants the Department of Justice awarded this fall to produce various guides, packets and pamphlets, all of which are to promote compliance with ADA. The questions here are basic: Why? Could the money have been spent more wisely, such as in high- powered technical services, developing an ongoing information dissemination mechanism or publication, or on legal services from a megafirm? One caveat must be noted at the outset. Like every other entrepreneur in Washington, D.C., I too sought a (very small) piece of the funds that the Department of Justice made available. If there is work, (as a consultant/subcontractor -- my prospective role) bid on it. Then figure out if the work is really important to the issue. That's business -- if not government. Caveats aside, a brief historical overview of relatively recent developments in disability rights, commencing with the Rehabilitation Act, helps us understand the fundamental flaw in the government's funding of the projects. The first federal law prohibiting discrimination based on disability -- by federal grantees, contractors, and the federal government itself -- was Title V of the Rehabilitation Act, enacted 20 years ago. Regulations were issued in 1977 by the then Department of Health, Education and Welfare to implement the non- discrimination mandate for grantees (Section 504). The Department of Justice was given lead responsibility in this area by an executive order issued in 1980. At the federal level, the issuance of the HEW regulations was followed by complementary programs of technical assistance and complaint processing (enforcement). HEW awarded many grants to help institutions, particularly colleges, comply. Other agencies, such as the old Office of Revenue Sharing with respect to state and local governments, also awarded grants to help providers learn about and comply with the mandates of the Rehabilitation Act. Sadly, the Revenue Sharing program was eliminated in 1983. The Rehabilitation Act also served as an impetus for evolution of legal rights at the state and local levels. Following the adoption of the federal mandate in Title V, there followed a national trend of amending state and local civil rights law to afford protection to persons with disabilities. State laws more commonly covered persons with physical disabilities, though many state laws embraced persons with mental impairments as well. Unlike the federal law, the state and local mandates were wider in their scope of application, as they did not need a governmental financial connection (contract or grant) to apply. In the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Nebraska and many other states, it is illegal to discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability in employment, in private services, public accommodations, etc. -- even if no federal and state money is involved. That's been the law for years -- before ADA was adopted in 1990 and became effective in 1992. The point here is that non-discrimination based on disability is not exactly new. There is a significant historical trail. Indeed, adoption of ADA was legally and politically predicated on the precedents established by the Rehabilitation Act and related laws. If the Rehabilitation Act and state anti- discrimination laws had caused major problems, ADA, with its broad mandates, and some differences from the Rehab Act, would not have happened. When ADA passed, federal agencies and all the Beltway Bandits raced around the country educating people on the new law. A second wave of education followed the adoption of the ADA regulations in 1991. Also, the federal agencies and several private entities produced ADA books, pamphlets, etc. Solicitations on ADA books and training have almost outnumbered reruns of "M*A*S*H" and "Cheers." Memo to the Feds: Get real. Disability is no longer new. The basic point here is that if the federal government is going to provide ADA money, it should use that money in the context of the realities of the 1990s. How many pamphlets and educational projects are necessary to make ADA work? Non- discrimination disability-based mandates are (or should be) old hat to museums, libraries and municipalities. Pamphlets get read if you're lucky and then start to become outdated. If you're unlucky, the pamphlet is already outdated when published and winds up in the circular file. A 20-year learning curve is long enough for a basic understanding that disability-based discrimination is wrong. Spend federal money, not on brochures, but on direct responses to questions and on devising creative, good business/good government solutions for the private sector and state/local government entities. (Recognize the latter are financially hurting, particularly after the lapse of the Revenue Sharing.) Use federal funds to maximize enforcement/prosecution of cases. This is the mid-1990s, not the mid-1970s. Disability is not a brand- new issue. In reality there are problems applying accessibility guidelines -- which in the 1990s are new and improved compared to the 1970s standards. Also, there are certain substantive differences between the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and the state and local laws. There is a genuine need for direct, immediate responses to everyday requests for practical information on how to comply and the availability of resources that can facilitate compliance. Federal assistance -- by contract or grant -- should blend ADA into overall good management and help bridge gaps between the federal establishment and covered entities. Information on new interpretations and court rulings needs to be available -- in a publication or other service -- on an ongoing, updated basis. This technical assistance program must complement enforcement activities. The Department of Justice should have heightened its direct capabilities to provide practical information in a timely manner that keeps covered entities aware of current developments. Enough pamphlets already. At the rate things are evolving from the federal government, there may soon be a new offensive joke: How many brochures are needed to comply with ADA? Answer: As many as your least favorite ethnic group needs to change a light bulb. It is not visible where the critical determinative programmatic decisions are emanating from in this administration. Whether the decisions of the federal agencies are being forced by Congress, the Clinton Office of Management and Budget or other pressures, it is not public information. Who is deciding to fund paper projects and not people? The truly honest answer is a no- brainer: Who cares? The federal establishment needs to get its act together! The Rehabilitation Act model no longer is appropriate. If the feds can't hire good people on their staff because they want to limit the size of government or Congress won't give hiring authority, the appropriate use of the money is to contract out for the highest-powered legal and technical services. That is what the Environmental Protection Agency does, and it works well. Can you imagine how much voluntary compliance would be achieved if the Department of Justice awarded $2 million to a major law firm, such as Hogan & Hartson, Arnold & Porter, etc., and said "go get 'em"? What if the largest architectural firms, such as Skidmore Owings Merrill, got the T/A contract? Entities covered by the ADA would be doing their own brochures and setting up their own hotlines (with TDDs) and pamphlets (in alternative media, such as braille, large print and tape). This is holiday time. We can exchange sincere wishes of good cheer to our friends and thank them for their sincere efforts. But as a true friend, we can say we love you anyway even if your program is screwed up. But now try harder. Try something new. We'll be there for you. We'll testify for your appropriation. This has been an institutional criticism. The only thing personal here is to wish each and every one -- feds too -- a joyous and happy holiday, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Feliz Navidad, and a happy, healthy new year. RED HOT AND SMOKY by Billie Jean Hill Dick Ashley is a member of a champion barbecue team that competes all over the United States. He is also a member of the Nova Council, the Northern Virginia chapter of the Old Dominion Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired. Members of the Nova Council have enjoyed this champion barbecue at annual picnics and this year had another chance to savor this unique barbecue during a benefit to raise funds for Ski For Light. Recently in Washington, D.C., his team, the Potomac Smokers, took part in The First National Capitol Barbecue Battle with more than 40 barbecue teams competing. Judges included local barbecue chefs and food writers. The contest was sanctioned by the Memphis World Championship Pork Barbecue Contest, the World Series for barbecuers. Dick Ashley and the Potomac Smokers took first place in all three categories: whole hog, pork shoulder and pork rib, and quite naturally, won the grand prize. They won $1,000 for each category and another thousand for the grand prize, plus a trip to compete for $25,000 in the Memphis World Championship during the 1994 Memphis in May Festival. Ashley and the Potomac Smokers have competed in the Memphis World Championships for eight years and have always placed in the top ten for the pork rib category. A team can only enter one category in the Memphis contest. Generally about 200 barbecue teams take part. When Ashley became visually impaired a few years ago, he realized that he had to stop flying his own airplane, but didn't want to give up his barbecuing hobby. The head chef/team leader for the dozen-member team wasn't going to lose a good team member either, so the team continues to compete and Nova Council members continue to chow down any time they get the chance. The barbecue team captain says, "You'll never find a bunch of friendlier people than barbecuers." Well, Nova Council members think that championship barbecue is a fitting centerpiece for chapter picnics and parties. After Ashley retired from the federal government, he turned his computer skills into an asset for local organizations, and in recent years, he has become a steadfast volunteer at the information desk at national ACB conventions. ADA SHADOW PARATRANSIT by Jeanne F. Sanders We have reached a new era of transportation for the disabled. Are the blind going to be left out? It is up to each of us to make sure we are not left standing when the bus passes us by because we could not see the destination signs, or even worse, on the tracks of a subway train when it is baring down on us. There are some facts we should know. First, what is shadow paratransit? It is a van system which will pick up and drop off within a three-quarter-mile radius of the fixed route public transportation system. The big problem in New Jersey has been blind people qualifying for the service. Before anyone is approved, the person must apply and be interviewed. These two things determine if you are approved or denied. The first question is what disability you have. If you have more than one, say so. If it happens to be a condition that changes from time to time, say so. An example would be me: I am an albino and when the sun is bright, or there is snow on the ground, I am about as good as having light perception. If you have no sense of direction, say so. There are some conditions that cause blindness and affect other senses, including one's sense of direction. You will also be asked if you use a travel aid, and if so, what kind. Let the interviewer know if you use a dog, cane or optical device. They will want to know if you require a personal care attendant or someone else to travel with you. If you answer yes, remember that transit does not provide an aide for you. Here the answer may be sometimes; if it is, say so. You may travel alone to your job but need assistance when you go shopping. If this is true of you, mention it. Include anything which will support your need for paratransit. The interviewer will want to know how you travel now. Here you may say friends, family, or any other ways you get from point A to point B. It cannot be emphasized enough to elaborate on all answers that will support your need for paratransit. Vulnerability to crime because of a disability does not support your case for service, so forget that excuse. You will be asked questions about your travel patterns on public transit. If you do not use public transportation, why not? Be sure to mention all past bad experiences, environmental or with the transit system itself. Examples include walking in the street due to curb cuts, no sidewalks in your neighborhood, crossing a divided highway, or use of an optical device that you cannot use outside in wet weather. You may also be taking a small child along with you, and you may feel the child wouldn't be safe. Maybe the bus flew by and left you standing there. Give these questions a lot of thought. You will not get the questionnaire in advance, so know why you need the service before the interview. Before you go for the interview, ask a friend -- if you don't know the geographic or architectural barriers -- to describe them for you. You could only be eligible for shadow paratransit in one direction. A barrier that exists in one direction is on the opposite side of the street in the other. Don't forget details like not seeing the bus stop signs, inability to read a schedule, or weather conditions in some parts of the country in winter. If you are denied, you do have the right to appeal. When you are certified in one area, this is good in other parts of your state or any other in which you may travel. You may be videotaped to see if you are telling the truth. Big brother is watching. Your transit authority may even give you mobility training. They can if they so desire. They will also check with your health care provider or case worker. The true purpose for shadow paratransit is to provide service for those in the disabled community who are truly in need; it is not meant to be another entitlement at taxpayer expense. There is a charge, and it may be used to take you to a fixed route bus, so it may cost more than regular transit service. You could end up paying two first zones, or two fares where others will only pay one. Good luck. You are your own best advocate. CONFESSIONS OF A RADIO ADDICT by Kathi Wolfe When I was a child growing up in a small town in southern New Jersey, radio was my "best friend." My parents loved me very much. They spent lots of time telling me stories, reading books to me and taking me everywhere from the circus to the zoo. Yet despite this love and attention, I often felt lonely. Many kids wouldn't play with me at school or come over to my house because misguided adults had said they could "catch" my blindness. To overcome my loneliness, I turned to radio for companionship. Since I couldn't see the screen, I felt left out of the picture when I "watched" television. But when I listened to radio, I felt connected to the entire universe by the voices I heard and my imagination. I had to stay after school when I wrote on a civics class paper that there would be "fewer wars if the hosts of National Public Radio's `All Things Considered' were president." My love of radio has continued throughout my life. Some years later, when I had to have emergency eye surgery at a New York City hospital, I kept my sanity by listening to "All Things Considered." And I found out which doctors had a sense of humor by hearing who, besides me, broke up when NPR's Susan Stamberg laughed. When "Talk: NPR's Susan Stamberg Considers All Things" was published earlier this year by Turtle Bay Books, I was too impatient to wait for it to come out on talking books. ("Talk" is a selection of Stamberg's NPR interviews and reports from 1971 to 1991. It contains her reflections and a timeline outlining the historical and cultural events of these years.) I decided to try an experiment. Last summer, I carried "Talk" everywhere I went in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., and invited people to read it to me. I wasn't sure how this way of getting a book read would work. One hears about the fast pace of modern life and the unfriendliness of people in cities. On the other hand, I've always enjoyed walking city streets and talking to strangers. My intuition told me that "Talk," a book about meeting people over the airwaves, could be used to meet people in the street. My instinct proved to be right. All sorts of people willingly stopped what they were doing to read from "Talk" to me. They picked out what they wanted to read. The man at the grocery who helps me select cantaloupes read the Dave Brubeck interview. He told me that he's a Brubeck addict. After a pharmacist read to me Stamberg's birthday salute to Fred Astaire, we talked for half an hour about our favorite Astaire-Rodgers movies. In a Washington, D.C., subway station, a policeman asked if I needed help. After I told him I was OK, he wondered what I was reading. He looked through "Talk" and said he'd like to read the Joan Didion interview. We sat on a bench while he read Stamberg's conversation with Didion. I learned that the officer writes novels when he's off duty and that he loves Didion's work. I found that people will take time out to hear stories. For example, when a friend read the Ethel Merman interview to me, the mailman, who had come to deliver the mail, stayed to listen. Some homeless people, whom I have gotten to know in the Dupont Circle area of D.C., stopped panhandling to read Stamberg's interview with Lorenzo Milam, a public radio broadcasting pioneer and author of "The Cripple Liberation Front Marching Band Blues." A man named Perry, who wants to get off the streets, enjoys reading aloud. He was disappointed to hear that I had listened to Milam's book on tape. When I told Perry that Milam has written a new book called "Cripzen: A Manual for Survival" (published by Mho & Mho Works), he offered to read it to me. Now every week as I pass through Dupont Circle, Perry reads a chapter of "Cripzen" and I listen to his struggle to find a life outside the streets. Who knows when this experiment will end? Maybe people will be choosing their favorite books and reading them to me in subway stations, coffee shops and on city streets when I'm a hundred and two. I do know though that this reading and listening, like radio, sustain my connection to the universe. ACB CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS FOUNDATION FOR THE PAST -- CHALLENGE FOR THE FUTURE, PART III by Charles S.P. Hodge, First Vice President (Editor's note: Last month's article covered Articles IV and V of the ACB Constitution. References made to Article IV, Section D, and subsequent sections of the article were in error since the 1993 convention has amended Article IV by inserting a new Section D and relettering what used to be sections D through H to sections E through I, respectively. The newly created Article IV, Section D establishes the normal rule that all meetings of the board of directors shall be open to all ACB members and guests invited by the president. The new section also indicates that in certain specified situations, such as when litigation strategy or confidential financial data are at issue the board does have the power to meet in executive session, provided that the issues or questions to be discussed in executive session are announced publicly in the open session before the closed session commences. This month covers Articles VI, VII and VIII.) Article VI, entitled Meetings, contains only two sentences. The first states that there shall be at least one meeting each year of the organization, to be known as the annual convention. The second sentence states that a majority of all votes certified and seated shall constitute a quorum for the conducting of business at the convention. Since under voting procedures set forth in Article III and the Bylaws, there are both individual voting members' votes and affiliate votes which are seated at the convention, this quorum provision establishes a constantly changing number for a quorum and, therefore, is a most problematic provision. As individual voting members are registered day by day at the convention, and as the credentials committee makes its initial, supplemental and/or final reports to the convention, the number of certified and seated individual votes and affiliate votes changes from day to day. Ascertaining at any given moment during the proceedings of the convention what number constitutes a majority of the overall number of certified and seated individuals and affiliate votes is well nigh impossible, and the current quorum requirement thus becomes virtually impossible to ascertain or implement consistent with the intent of the framers of that provision. I believe that our organization should replace this provision with a firmer, more definite quorum requirement. I would suggest a two-pronged quorum requirement such as the presence of at least 100 individual voting members in conjunction with the simultaneous presence of official delegates or alternate delegates representing a majority of all chartered affiliates. This two- pronged quorum requirement would guarantee a reasonable level of attendance by individual voting members on the floor at all times when business is conducted, as well as guaranteeing a democratic, representative presence of all affiliates. The proposed provision would also have the advantage of being definite and much more easily ascertainable than the present provision. Article VII is entitled Procedures and simply specifies that in the absence of provisions in the Constitution and/or Bylaws covering a particular matter or issue, the proceedings of all meetings of this organization are to be governed by the provisions of "Robert's Rules of Order Revised." This provision seems to be simple and straightforward, except for one small problem. "Robert's Rules of Order" has gone through many revisions or editions, and "Robert's Rules of Order Revised," which is specified as our governing procedural authority in this article, is not the latest or most up-to-date revision. Therefore, we might want to revise this provision to specify that our proceedings will be governed by the most recent version of "Robert's Rules of Order." Article VIII of the Constitution is entitled Amendments, and specifies that amendments to the Constitution must be approved by a two-thirds vote (and Bylaw amendments by a simple majority vote) of those present and voting at any annual convention under voting procedures contained within the Constitution and Bylaws. The article then goes on to establish two provisos to the general amending rule. First, the current language and proposed amendatory language of any proposed amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws must be read on the floor of the convention no later than 5 p.m. of the day preceding the day of any final action on the proposed amendment. Second, any proposed amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws must first be submitted in writing to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee on or before the first day of the annual convention. Since in recent years the annual convention has begun with a ceremonial opening session on Sunday evening, the second proviso's "first day of the convention" terminology may become confusing or ambiguous. Must all proposed Constitution and Bylaws amendments be submitted in writing to the committee by midnight on Sunday or Monday of the convention week? This ambiguity should, in my view, be addressed and cleared up by the Constitution and Bylaws Committee. All of the other provisions concerning amendments have not been controversial or posed any problems. This concludes our review of the ACB Constitution. I do point out, however, that a number of provisions which ordinarily are contained in the governing documents of our affiliates are conspicuous by their absence from the ACB Constitution. For instance, the ACB Constitution fails to make any provision for what happens to any residual or leftover assets of the organization upon dissolution. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee may wish to look at and address such omissions. A HOTEL PREPARES FOR A CONVENTION by Winifred Downing ACB members, who are accustomed to staying in hotels because of their experience with their state affiliates, were nevertheless impressed by the unusual spirit and services offered by the Airport Marriott Hotel, the host hotel for the 1993 convention. On the airport vans, visitors had their luggage tagged while they held the other half of the ticket to make sure that their bags stayed with them through the registration process. Checking in at the front desk, they received a braille letter of welcome which explained the use of the key cards and the hotel telephone message service. In the quick meal lines, those serving behind the counter read visitors' badges and addressed them by name. They made a real effort to speak loudly amid the confusion and to make sure that communication was complete. At the Orchid Restaurant braille menus were furnished routinely, and whenever a waiter had time, he was gracious about helping patrons to the buffet that so many wanted to sample. The bellhops in the lobby were constantly on the watch for anyone who needed directions, offering an elbow easily after a friendly greeting. When departure time came, the hotel had a procedure which allowed for the advantages of automatic check-out. The bill was left under the door on the appropriate day, and the guest was invited to dial a phone number where a staff member read the entire bill. If the guest accepted the bill, he could just leave the hotel without the usual hassle at the front desk. Jim Redmond, the convention service manager, could always be found for help when extra chairs were needed, microphones required adjustment, etc. How does a hotel prepare to offer these accommodations to 1,500 to 2,000 blind and visually impaired persons, several hundred guide dogs, and persons with additional concerns like the deaf-blind, those older visitors who had to be a bit more careful, etc.? The council contracted with the hotel several years ago, that part of the arrangement cared for by the sales manager. The file was turned over to Jim Redmond right after he joined the staff last August, and he began immediately to assemble information. He contacted the Marriott hotel in Richmond, Va., where ACB had held a previous convention, and the host hotels in Phoenix and Denver. He met with John Horst, convention coordinator, and Margarine Beaman, ACB's volunteer coordinator, and studied the videos and training materials she had gathered through the years. The whole staff had an opportunity to try their skills and develop solutions to problems when the ACB mid- year board meeting was held at the Marriott in February and when the California Council of the Blind conducted its convention there in May. Each department of the hotel meets monthly to discuss their work. Redmond reported that at one of these meetings the front desk staff and bellhops worked out the luggage tagging system so that patrons registering would not be afraid of losing their bags. In their meeting, the housekeeping staff determined that safety was their first consideration, so they would pull their carts all the way into the door of any room they were working on and leave no trays from room service in the corridors. They also concentrated on the importance of not moving anything in the rooms: if someone inadvertently left a towel on the foot of a bed, that's where a towel was after the room was made up. All members of the staff saw the videos and studied the training materials to overcome the natural hesitancy that many sighted people feel in their initial efforts to help those who do not see. If the workers were ever tired or felt impatient, they certainly never showed such feelings. One of the volunteers described a particularly hilarious occasion when a luncheon for guide dog users was scheduled shortly after the termination of a general session. The staff worked furiously to collect chairs, put up tables, cover them with linen and dishes, and complete all the other preparations required. Meanwhile, 120 patrons and their dogs collected outside the doors and rushed in as soon as they could. The waiters had a challenging task balancing heavily laden trays while they danced around the tails, paws, harness handles, and leashes of the dogs that were behind or beside every chair in the room. They seemed to enjoy the occasion, and no accidents occurred. Redmond said that Marriott hotels strongly emphasize the importance of customer service, but that he had noted a particular, unusual attitude of family cooperation and sharing at the Burlingame facility which he found unique in his hotel experience. He doesn't know how it was instilled, but he -- and everyone who attended the convention -- is grateful for it. Congratulations to the entire Marriott staff for a job well done! HERE & THERE by Elizabeth M. Lennon The announcement of new products and services in this column should not be considered an endorsement of those products and services by the American Council of the Blind, its staff or elected officials. Products and services are listed free of charge for the benefit of our readers. "The Braille Forum" cannot be responsible for the reliability of products or services mentioned. CATALOGS Those interested in doing catalog shopping for the holidays may be interested in a catalog which includes "gift albums." These albums consist of gifts available in a price range of your choice. There are 21 gift albums offering gifts in prices ranging from $15 to $750. All products are 100 percent guaranteed. The albums allow the receiver of your gift to select from a list of items in the price range you decide. For a copy of the catalog, send $3 to Kuschel Business Systems, Apartment 2F, P.O. Box 486, Park Forest, IL 60466. (312) 539-5995. Specify whether you want standard print, large print, braille, cassette, MS-DOS diskette or Apple II disk. STORIES NEEDED Do you have a story to tell about your experiences with health care, good or bad? The President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities needs stories about people's experiences with the current health care system. Tell them, in brief writings or tapes, about how problems with health care systems have affected you, or about successful solutions to health care problems by states, providers or others. Send them as soon as possible to the attention of Maggie Roffee, PCEPD, 1331 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004-1107; fax (202) 376-6868. SKIING PLANS Make plans to ski at Ski X Country the week of Feb. 20, 1994. Lodging, breakfast, lunch each day and three evening meals are included in the fee. Participants will arrive the 20th and leave the 27th. Skis and shoes will be provided for those who need equipment. The cost is $290. Participants and guides will be limited, so make your plans early. Contact Gordon E. Lacy, P.O. Box 43, Buena Vista, CO 81211; phone (719) 395-8152 by Jan. 15, 1994. SHAKE 'N' QUAKE California earthquakes in a can, the fund-raising hit of the ACB national convention, are still available from California Council of Citizens with Low Vision, 4529 18th St., San Francisco, CA 94114. Each quake is $10 plus $3 shipping and handling. One AA battery makes the can shake like an earthquake when some unsuspecting person picks up the can labeled "California Earthquake." Make checks payable to CCCLV and include the address you want the order shipped to. THE REAL MCCOY Carl McCoy, a charter member of the Florida Council of the Blind, was the recipient of the first W.A. Ouzts Award, given in memory of W.A. Ouzts, who gave much of his time and life to working for the blind. IN MEMORIAM Charlie Rhein, a member of the Florida Council of the Blind, died on Oct. 29 as a result of a heart attack. Charlie's family has requested that memorials be sent to the Florida Council of the Blind, c/o Teresa Blessing, 6511 26th St. W., Bradenton, FL 34207. $700 A MONTH? Men and women ages 18-85 without light perception and using no daily prescription medications are invited to participate in a study on circadian rhythms and sleep patterns in the blind at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard Medical School. The study, which involves wearing an ambulatory monitor while you live at home, and spending four to five days in the laboratory each month, pays up to $700 a month for three to five months. This is a drug-free study. Participants will be paid for their efforts and may also find out valuable information about their eyes and sleep-wake patterns. For more information, call Dr. Elizabeth Klerman at (617) 732-4012, extension 3948. BIG MAPS Giant Foods and Safeway in the Washington and Baltimore areas are helping blind people gain access to the stores. Giant will provide a large print store directory to any customer in need of one. In the Washington, D.C. area, call the consumer affairs department at (301) 341-4365; the Baltimore area number is (410) 995-4365. If people have trouble shopping at a Safeway store, talk to the consumer affairs department; in the Washington area, the number is (301) 918-6800. MACY FELLOWSHIP The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision at Mississippi State University is offering the Anne Sullivan Macy Fellowship to a doctoral student interested in conducting research in the field of blindness. The RRTC is particularly interested in visually impaired applicants who have work experience in a rehabilitation agency setting. Interested students need to apply to the MSU Graduate School and the Department of Counselor Education and Educational Psychology doctoral program; materials need to be received by March 1. For more information, contact Dr. J. Elton Moore, Director, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision; Mississippi State University; P.O. Drawer 6189; Mississippi State, MS 39762; (601) 325-2001 fax (601) 325-8989. BRAILLE BIBLES The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped provides a reference circular listing Bibles and other scriptures. The circular also includes nondenominational books on religious subjects. This free listing is available from the Reference Section, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, 1291 Taylor St. NW, Washington, DC 20542. VOICE LABEL Easier Ways Inc. (formerly Aids Unlimited Inc.) recently introduced the Voice Label, an electronic breakthrough based on digital recording. The Voice Label enhances the accessibility of everyday information that is presented in printed form. Blind and visually impaired, functionally illiterate and dyslexic persons all will benefit, as well as many others. For example, Voice Label mounted in a city bus will automatically announce the bus number and route to waiting passengers; stores in a mall and building entrances generally can be identified verbally; instructions for equipment operation can be presented verbally automatically. In short, it can handle many specialized tasks verbally. Voice Label is currently in production. For more information, contact Easier Ways Inc., 1101 N. Calvert St., Suite 405, Baltimore, MD 21202; (410) 659-0232, fax (410) 659-0233. CALL FOR USED BRAILLE The Library Division of BAFACO-Union would like to receive used copies of English reading material, braille and cassette. Send your used braille to Library Division, BAFACO-Union, Post- Code 1360, Demra Dhaka Bangladesh. BRAILLE & PRINT CARDS Braille-Print Christmas cards are now available in four colorful holly designs. Specify: star, cross, wreath, heart or assortment package $9.95 prepaid. Free name personalization in calligraphy, if desired. Checks, MasterCard and Visa are accepted. Phone and mail orders are fine. Prompt delivery. Contact Prophecy Designs, P.O. Box 84, Round Pond, ME 04564; (207) 529-5318. HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: New Hewlett-Packard Scanjet Plus scanner with document feeder $420. Call Tony Santamaria, 1629 Nokomis Ave., Dallas, TX 75224; (214) 331-5112. FOR SALE: Multivoice portable speech synthesizer based on DECtalk technology. This unit is only two years old and in excellent condition. Original price $1,595, asking price $1,025. Also for sale, a Braille 'n Speak classic, Aug. 15, 1991 revision. Includes carrying case, strap, power charger and all cables and adapters for interfacing with a computer plus tutorial on cassette and manual on diskette. Asking $600 or best offer. For more information contact John Harden at 1204 Fremont St. SW, Decatur, AL 35601; phone (205) 350-3044. FOR SALE: Optacon R400-031. Like new. Also Lavender model braille writer. Best offer. Contact Linda Fleming, 2564 Roanoke Circle, Madison, WI 53719; phone (608) 271-3310. FOR SALE: Braille Dorland Medical Dictionary, 49 volumes. Excellent condition, like new, $600, includes handling and shipping. Contact Marianne Fisher, (801) 255-5880 evenings and weekends, no collect calls. Check will not be processed until verification of customer satisfaction. FOR SALE: Kurzweil Personal Reader. Latest software upgrade, book edge reader and hand scanner, leather carrying case included. Willing to tutor by phone without charge. $4,000. Call Nicholas DiCaprio, (216) 932-9969. FOR SALE: Macintosh Plus computer with 60MB hard drive, 4MB RAM, two floppy drives, turbo mouse, tutorials, version 4.0 of Microsoft Word, InTouch software with cable for connecting Optacon II, Imagewriter II printer, $1,400 or best offer. Price includes shipping. Write in braille or print to Margaret Ricciardi, 86 Simcoe St., Oyster Bay, NY 11771 or call (516) 922-1374 after 5 p.m. FOR SALE: IBM Screen Reader with 18-key pad, software on 3.5" and 5.25" disks, printed manual and disk manual, along with Srdnews Letters I have received. Asking $300 for the package, including shipping within the United States. Contact Roger Behm, 1611 Clover Lane, Janesville, WI 53545; (608) 754-0658. FOR SALE: IBM Notebook computer, 386SX with battery, AC adapter and auto 12-volt adapter, includes numerical keypad, comes with all manuals and carrying case. The computer is less than one year old and includes Vocal-Eyes screen-reading software with Accent synthesizer. $2,000. Contact Dr. Larry Baker, P.O. Box 6398, Chesterfield, MO 63006-6398. (314) 230-0900. WANTED TO BUY: IBM electric braille typewriter with standard keyboard. Open to any reasonable price. Contact Dr. Larry Baker, P.O. Box 6398, Chesterfield, MO 63006-6398. (314) 230-0900. WANTED TO BUY: Used Perkins brailler. If you have one, or know of someone interested in selling one, contact David Guilbeau, VAQ-34 1st Lieutenant, Naval Air Station, Lemoore, CA 93245; (209) 998-9204. ACB OFFICERS PRESIDENT LEROY SAUNDERS 2118 N.W. 21st ST. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73107 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT CHARLES S. P. HODGE 1131 S. FOREST DR. ARLINGTON, VA 22204 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT ROBERT J. ACOSTA 20734-C DEVONSHIRE CHATSWORTH, CA 91311 SECRETARY PATRICIA PRICE 5707 BROCKTON DRIVE #302 INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46220 TREASURER BRIAN CHARLSON 57 GRANDVIEW AVENUE WATERTOWN, MA 02172 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR ELIZABETH M. LENNON