The Braille Forum
Volume I April 1962 Number 1

Published Quarterly by the American Council of the Blind

* Associate Editors 
Mrs. Marie Boring 
1113 Camden Avenue 
Durham, North Carolina

George L. Howeiler
P.O. Box 336 
Sandy, Oregon

Mrs. Mary Jane Hills
74 Falstaff Road 
Rochester 9, New York

* Executive Offices 
RFD 3, Conyers, Georgia

*****

** Table of Contents

The Braille Forum and New Horizons, by Marie Boring

Greetings to All ACB Members ..., by Ned E. Freeman

Coming! First ACB Convention

ACB Statement of Purpose

Financial Stability for ACB

ACB Legislative Consultation Service

Ribicoff Backs Missouri-Pennsylvania Legislation, by G. Arthur Stewart

Fore! Attention Golfers

European Holiday, by C. Fred Pearson

Accreditation of Service Programs for Blind People

Glaucoma, by John E. Eichenlaub, M.D.

Hyde Park Corner, by Earl Scharry

From Temporary to Permanent Employment, by Assunta Jackson

Sorry, No Blind Available, by Jack Charles Lewis

A Peep Hole into the Earth, by Ralph McGill

Here and There with George Card

Here and There with Blind Children

Book Review: Blindness, by Father Carroll (Reviewed by C.B. Minner)

The Greatest Miracle

To the Ladies

Have You Heard

Tragedy Claims Rosario Epsora, by David Krause

High Honor Comes to ACB Director Juliet Bindt

Taylor Resigns NFB Presidency

In Anticipation of NFB Expulsions — A Voice in the Wilderness

ACB Officers and Directors

*****

** Statement of Editorial Policy

The BRAILLE FORUM is dedicated to promoting the greater independence, autonomy and dignity of all blind people. 

The FORUM will carry official ACE news and programs, but its pages will also be available for the free expression of views and opinions. In so far as possible the FORUM will publish news of organizations and agencies of and for the blind and any developments of interest to its readers. Timely material is solicited. 

Selections of material will be made on the basis of interest, timeliness, originality, clarity and forcefulness of expression of controversial matters space will be made available for the presentation of all divergent points of view.

** Notice

Included in this issue is a pre-addressed Post Card on which you are asked to check the appropriate box advising whether or not you wish to continue to receive THE BRAILLE FORUM. Be sure to type or print plainly your name and address. Future issues of the FORUM will be sent only to those who indicate their interest by returning this card. 

All requests for the BRAILLE FORUM, and changes of address, should be sent to: Miss June Goldsmith, 652 East Mallory Ave., Memphis 6, Tenn.

Please specify whether you wish Braille or inkprint edition.

Requests for the BRAILLE FORUM on tape should be sent to: Melvin D. Cohen, Tape Library for the Blind, 94 Broad St., S.W., Atlanta 3, Ga.

Letters and Material for Publication should be submitted to the Associate Editor nearest you or to: Ned E. Freeman, President, American Council of the Blind, Rt. #3, Conyers, Georgia

*****

** The Braille Forum And New Horizons
By Marie Boring

This is the first issue of the BRAILLE FORUM. It is published by the American Council of the Blind, a new national organization of blind per sons established in July of last year. Information concerning the publisher will be found elsewhere in this issue. We concern ourselves here with the aims and policies of this magazine. 

Many of those receiving this first issue of our magazine have during the past three years become acquainted with the BRAILLE FREE PRESS, a magazine published by the Braille Free Press Association. Some of its readers have requested information concerning the future of this magazine. The Braille Free Press Association has been dissolved, and all its assets have been transferred to the American Council of the Blind. The BRAILLE FORUM has thus become to some extent the successor to the BRAILLE FREE PRESS. However, as the American Council of the Blind is a new organization with broader aims, the BRAILLE FORUM is a new magazine with broader horizons. 

Though the BRAILLE FORUM is published by the American Council of the Blind, it has not been planned as a house organ of the publisher. There are already in the United States 105 braille publications. Of these, 30 are house organs of organizations, schools or agencies. Most of the remaining publications are dedicated to specific fields, such as religion and news. 

It is the hope of the American Council of the Blind to publish a magazine that will be unique in its approach and broad in its presentation. As the name implies, the BRAILLE FORUM will present to blind persons a medium through which they themselves may discuss any issue of special interest to blind people. It is the aim of this magazine to open its pages to all and to give space in so far as is practicable to discussions on both sides of those issues which may be of a controversial nature. It is hoped that the pages of the BRAILLE FORUM will also be used to disseminate information of special interest to the blind population of the country. 

At present the BRAILLE FORUM is prepared by an editorial board under the direction of a publications committee. This magazine will succeed if the readers make use of its pages and demand the fulfillment of its promise. 

We believe that many of our readers are not interested in any publication so insipid as to be totally without bias. However, we also believe that a publication so narrow as to present only one point of view would soon cease to hold the interest of many of our readers. We believe that there is a need for the kind of publication which inspires thought and presents a challenge in developing attitudes toward blindness and the problems of blindness. It is hoped that the BRAILLE FORUM will appeal to those who seek the freedom to develop their own opinions and their own personal philosophy toward life and the handicap of blindness without the kind of presentation that gives the impression that one must fit into a special pattern or be cast forever into outer darkness. The aims of the BRAILLE FORUM then might well be stated as fairness, growth and progress.

*****

** Greetings to All ACB Members and Readers of The Braille Forum
From Ned E. Freeman, President -- American Council of the Blind

A new national organization of the blind brings you a new national magazine of, for, and by the blind. We hope it will be read by every member of the family and your friends. We want this to be your magazine and will bend our utmost efforts to make it the kind of magazine you want. The purpose of the BRAILLE FORUM is to provide information and news and to stimulate discussion and the exchange of ideas and opinions on all subjects in which you are interested. These pages are open to anyone for the expressing of ideas and opinions so far as the limitations of space, good taste and the libel laws will allow -- even though the views expressed may differ from those of the editors of this magazine or from the consensus of ACB opinion.

The BRAILLE FORUM will be published as frequently and to as large a mailing list as available funds, material and interest will permit. Our present plan is to appear during the last month of each calendar quarter. We are sure that our non-member readers will understand that ACB members must be given priority on our mailing list. The BRAILLE FORUM will, however, be sent free of charge to anyone requesting it so far as the available supply will last. Copies may also be obtained on a circulating basis from the regional braille libraries and on tape from the Tape Library for the Blind in Atlanta.

Elsewhere in this issue will be found a proposed statement of purpose which will be submitted to the first national convention of ACB at St. Louis, July 14-15-16. Further convention news will also be found in these pages. This convention will have the very important task of drawing up a permanent Constitution, electing officers and determining the future course of the Council. A large and representative group is expected, and we hope that many of you will begin now to plan to attend so that you may take part in the discussions and help make decisions which will benefit all blind people for years to come.

If the American Council is to build a sound, forward-looking program we must have the support, advice and cooperation of all individuals and organizations whose goals are the same as ours. The following committees are already at work. If any of them can be of assistance to your local or state group, or if you have ideas which you feel would be of value on the national scale, your correspondence is invited. Most of the people on these committees have had many years of experience in their field and all of us will be happy to serve in any way that we can.

Public Relations and Education Committee -- Chairman Dean Sumner, 1187 Mayfair Drive, Watertown, South Dakota

Employment Opportunities and Orientation Committee -- Chairman, Ed Hill, 7910 E. 53rd Terrace, No., Kansas City 61, Mo.

Legislative Committee -- Chairman, Durward McDaniel, 305 Midwest Building, Oklahoma City 2, Oklahoma

Finance Committee -- Chairman, F.W. Orrell, 5209 Alabama Avenue, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Publications Committee -- Chairman, Floyd Qualls, 311 North Seventh Street, Muskogee, Oklahoma

A committee under the chairmanship of Delbert Aman, 220 West Second Street, Pierre, South Dakota, has been working for many months on the draft of ACB's Constitution. The final form which this document will take will, of course, not be known until the convention has acted upon it. However, the following principles are expected to be incorporated: eight directors, each of whom will be directly elected by the delegates from the region which he represents, together with the five constitutional officers, will form the Board of Directors which will be the governing body of the Council between conventions. This Board will be responsible for the interpretation of policy as established by the convention, the adoption and maintenance of a budget as directed by the convention, and all matters of personnel and policy.

Whether ACB will continue as an individual membership organization or whether it will become an organization of local affiliates or a combination of both of these will be determined by this or subsequent conventions. In any event, it is contemplated that Charter Members will retain voting rights. Charter Membership is available until the Convention to any interested person who contributes $5.00 or more to the American Council of the Blind.

It is with confident anticipation that we present the first issue of our new BRAILLE FORUM and I am looking forward with much pleasure to the privilege of getting acquainted with many of you in St. Louis. In the meantime, I would enjoy hearing from you personally -- and please let us have your contributions of news, ideas and opinions for the FORUM!

***

The Pennsylvania Federation of the Blind has just completed its 25th year of real service to the blind -- not only in the Keystone State but to the nation as a whole. One of the oldest of the state organizations, PFB, and its president, Frank Lugiano, deserve our hearty congratulations and best wishes for many good years ahead.

***

We hurriedly parked the car in front of the Post Office and dashed in to mail a letter. Pushing out again we noticed people pointing down the street with their mouths hanging open. There was our small car at the foot of the hill, right under a traffic light. "Where was your emergency brake?" asked the man of the law. "It wasn't an emergency, officer, I just went in to mail a letter."

*****

** First ACB Convention
General Convention Chairmen -- Aileen and Durward McDaniel, 305 Midwest Bldg., Oklahoma City 2, Okla.

The American Council of the Blind will hold its convention in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 13, 14, 15 and 16 (Friday through Monday) at The Pick-Mark Twain Hotel at 8th and Pine Streets. An agenda in greater detail will appear in the next issue of this magazine. Hotel rates are as follows: single bedroom, $6.50; double, $8. 50; twin, $9.50; three to a room $3.00 extra; and $13.50 for a two-room suite. Alma Murphey, 4103 Castleman Ave., St. Louis 10, is Chairman of local arrangements. All reservations should be made directly with the hotel and copy sent to Mrs. Murphey. Be sure to mention ACB in order to receive special rates. 

This is expected to be prin1arily a working convention because of the necessity to adopt a constitution and to make numerous major policy decisions. The convention will be open to all interested persons, and they will have the right to speak whether they are members or not. Charter membership rolls will remain open up to the time of the convention. The charter membership fee is $5.00. During this formative period, all membership is on an individual basis. (It is quite possible the constitution will provide for the member ship of organizations as well as individuals.) 

July 13 will be devoted exclusively to committee meetings covering the subjects of major importance to the members of a representative national organization of the blind. Individuals and organizations throughout the country are invited to express themselves on subjects of interest both before and at the convention. This invitation extends to members and non-members alike and to all subjects, including the structure of the organization. It is contemplated that many will come to the convention for the express purpose of learning more about the organization and that many organizations will send official observers for the same purpose. 

Since this is to be primarily a working convention, much of the program will consist of discussion and consideration of proposals. There will be some outside speakers, but it is anticipated that the convention will use consultants more than it will speech makers. This is a rare opportunity for all of us to become architects of a great national organization. Ideally it should result in a composite which will be acceptable to the vast majority of people within the field of membership. 

The Council is pleased to accept the generous offer of RITE to act as host of its first convention. Many of us have enjoyed. the hospitality of this local organization in St. Louis and its timely offer is greatly appreciated. RITE takes its name from the initials of the words of the slogan "Real Independence Through Employment." Two members of the Council's Board of Directors have come into the organized movement through this local group.

***

Home is the place where half the family waits -- until the other half comes back with the car.

*****

** ACB Statement of Purpose

(Temporary statement adopted by Board of Directors of American Council of the Blind for consideration by the ACB Convention)

The PURPOSE of the American Council of the Blind shall be to provide a representative national organization, primarily of blind people, that will:

1. Elevate the social and economic level of the blind,
2. Improve educational and rehabilitational facilities,
3. Broaden vocational opportunities,
4. Encourage and assist the blind, especially the newly blind, to develop their abilities and potentialities and to assume their responsible place in the community,
5. Cooperate with public and private institutions and agencies of and for the blind,
6. Provide for the free exchange of ideas, opinions and information relative to matters of concern to blind people through the publication of a braille magazine,
7. Conduct a program of public education aimed at improving the understanding of the problems of blindness and the capabilities of blind people.

*****

** Advertisements Appearing in Die Blindenwelt (West Germany)

Blind widower (51) employed, apartment provided, is looking for a housekeeper, sighted and with good residual vision (40-50) …

Blind widower (38) 1.60 meters tall, 3 children, his own home, would like to exchange letters. Object, eventual marriage …

Technician (28) 1.82 meters tall, very congenial, peaceable, intelligent, many interests, would like a harmonious marriage with a blind girl …

Independent girl (47), 1.72 meters tall, Catholic, with residual vision, would like to become acquainted with gentlemen with residual vision. Object, eventual marriage.

Blind steno-typist (23) would like to exchange letters with gentleman. Eventual marriage not excluded. …

(Editor's note: Do you want such a column in the "FORUM"?)

*****

** Financial Stability for ACB

Like any new organization whose membership includes no millionaires, the American Council of the Blind has had to face difficulties in financing even a minimum program. We have had to depend entirely on membership dues and upon the generosity of certain sympathetic local and state groups. But the future now looks much brighter than we could have hoped last July. 

Negotiations have now been completed for our sponsorship of the sale through vending machines of imprinted gum balls, on a nationwide basis. The gum balls are large enough (100 to the pound) so that our name can be imprinted on each and the vending machines will bear stickers or decals which will read: "Space for This Machine Has Been Donated for the Benefit of the American Council of the Blind." The manufacturer has guaranteed a very substantial minimum royalty each year. The program has met with enthusiastic acceptance by big and little operators all over the country. They are especially happy (and so are we) with the arrangement whereby the royalty to ACB will be based on the shipments of gum rather than on reported sales. The manufacturer, Leaf Gum Company, will furnish our Treasurer with duplicate invoices each month, so that we will have a sure-fire check.

The man who has been largely responsible for the successful negotiations is Mr. Charles E. Buckman, of Green Bay, Wisconsin. He is a sighted ACB charter member, who joined at Kansas City and has worked very closely with George Card and the rest of ACB's Finance Committee. The sponsored gum program which he set up for the Wisconsin Council of the Blind in 1953 has given that organization a total net return of approximately forty thousand dollars since then. 

Mr. Buckman spent a week in Miami during March attending the annual national convention of the Bulk Vendors' Association. The Leaf Gum Company provided a booth for him which was devoted to exhibits and literature concerning the sponsored gum program of ACB. Much interest in the program was indicated by operators attending this meeting. 

How can our members help to police this program? There is always the possibility that an unscrupulous operator, here and there, may attempt to substitute gum balls which do not bear our imprint. Whenever any of you learn of the location of a gum ball machine to which is attached a sponsorship sticker or decal, spend a penny and check the gum ball for our imprint. Whenever possible, thank the location owner for graciously permitting one or more of our sponsored machines to be installed in his place of business.

***

Whales' teeth are used as money in the Fiji Islands. Out there, when they put the bite on you, they really mean it.

*****

** ACB Legislative Consultation Service

The American Council of the Blind has initiated a consultative and advisory service to organization of the blind throughout the country commencing immediately. This service will be available to local and state organizations upon request made to the ACB Legislative Committee. Members of the committee and associated persons will perform these services. ACB will not promote any particular set of ideas for state legislation on its own behalf. Determination of legislative objectives will be made by the respective local or state organization requesting the service. 

ACB will hold its first convention in July of 1962, at which time major policy decisions will be established. In the meantime, the ACB Board of Directors will take no action as an organization on national legislative matters with one exception. Perhaps all our readers are familiar with the unique dual aid-pension programs in Missouri and Pennsylvania. Your attention is called to a special article in this issue on this subject. ACB has decided to assist organizations m these two states in their effort to assure permanent federal participation in their aid-pension programs. 

Members of the ACB Legislative Committee are:

Durward McDaniel, Chairman, 305 Midwest Bldg., Oklahoma City 2, Okla.
Earl Scharry, 186 Vernon Ave., Louisville 6, Ky.
David Krause, 4628 Livingston Road, SE, Washington, D.C.
Paul Kirton, Rt. 1 PO Box 324, Oakton, Virginia

*****

** Ribicoff Backs Missouri-Pennsylvania Legislation
By G. Arthur Stewart, Chairman
Legislative Committee
Missouri Federation of the Blind

The following article was published in the St. Louis-Post-Dispatch Friday, March 2, 1962, under the heading "Ribicoff Backs Permanent U.S. Aid to Missouri Blind. 

"The Department of Health, Education and Welfare for the first time is supporting a move to provide permanent Federal Aid to the Missouri and Pennsylvania programs for assistance to the blind.
 
"Representative Frank M. Karsten (Dem.), St. Louis, said Secretary Abraham A. Ribicoff had assured him that he would support an amendment to be offered by Karsten next week making the aid program permanent.

"For many years, the Missouri and Pennsylvania programs have had to be authorized by periodic temporary resolutions, because they are somewhat more liberal than the present Federal standards." 

The blind of Missouri have been working diligently since 1950 to make the Missouri and Pennsylvania plans permanent. In the past, with the cooperation of many interested friends in Washington, we have been able to keep our program alive by extensions to the cut-off date. This year, with the complete cooperation of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, as stated in the above article, we feel that we will be successful in deleting the date. 

We in Missouri earnestly solicit the support of all our friends everywhere for this program and hope you will all write your Congressmen and Senators asking them to work for the adoption of this legislation. The blind of Missouri want to thank you for your assistance, and we know that with the sincere help of everyone we can accomplish our goal. 

(Editor's Note: We are advised that the provision eliminating the cut-off date affecting the Missouri and Pennsylvania programs is incorporated in Section 136 of H.R. 10606. This bill is a most comprehensive revision of the Social Security Law. It has already passed the House and is now pending before the Finance Committee of the Senate. We have not had an opportunity to evaluate this entire law, but we strongly urge our readers to contact their Senators asking their support specifically for Section #136 of H.R. 10606. Senator Harry S. Byrd is Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.)

*****

** Fore! Attention Golfers

The Druid Hills Golf Club in Greater Atlanta will be the scene of the 1962 National Blind Golf Championship Tournament, May 18, 19 and 20, according to an announcement by W.T. "Bill" Cooksey, President, The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, Inc. 

This exhibition of talent is expected to attract thousands of spectators from the entire Southeast. 

Participants, all blind, are expected from states across the country and Canada. 

Early entries have been received from Charles Boswell, Birmingham, Alabama, current champion; Robert G. Allman, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Peter Bell, Oak Park, Michigan; William Wilman, Old Orchard Beach, Maine; Thomas J. Hurley, Albany, New York; Joseph C. Lazara, Waltham, Massachusetts; Benjamin Pearlman, Lester, Pennsylvania; Arthur E. Smith, Telford, Pennsylvania; Harold Urick, Euclid, Ohio; and M.C. "Jack" Hayes, Clanton, Alabama.

Recognition in various forms has been bestowed on each of these blind athletes. For instance, Charles Boswell, defending champion, blinded during World War II, was selected by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association to receive their award for the most courageous athlete of the Year 1957. He also received the Ben Hogan Trophy at the National Award Dinner of the Golf Writers Association of America for 1958.

The tournament will be under the sponsorship of The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, Inc., a project organization of Georgia members of the International Association of Lions Clubs.

Transportation and living expenses of tournament contestants will be paid by the sponsoring organization. Anyone interested in entering this competition should write for further details to: Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, 291 Peachtree St., Atlanta, Ga.

*****

** European Holiday
By C. Fred Pearson of San Diego, Calif.
(From the ABC Digest, published by the Associated Blind of California.)

(Editor's note: Mr. Pearson wishes to give special credit to George Card and Mrs. Juliet Bindt for much of the success of his European travels. He says: "I attribute the phenomenal success of my trip to the detailed preliminary preparations and particularly to the letters of introduction written for me to Charles Hedkvist in Stockholm, to John Colligan and John Jarvis of the Royal National Institute for the Blind in London and to Tom Drake of the RNIB Rehabilitation Center in Torquay; to letters written by the local Lions to the Lions in Stockholm and London; to the services secured through Juliet Bindt of Dr. Florrie Holzwarrer in scheduling appointments and acting as my guide while in New York City; and to the faithful and constant assistance of my dear friend Eric Binney throughout my European trip.")

My trip is ended, but it can never be forgotten. During the five weeks that it lasted I lived more than I usually do in a whole year. From beginning to end it was packed full of interesting and exciting experiences, all of them important and useful. It was the crowning event of my life, and how happy I am to have had it.

The flight to Copenhagen on a DC-8 was most pleasant and at the same time exciting. Transferring at Copenhagen, the flight to Stockholm, Sweden, was also made by jet.

At Stockholm, I was greeted by a most charming Swedish young man and young lady, by my good and faithful friend, Eric Binney, from England, who was to be my guide throughout my travels, and by two members of the Lions Club, who were also officials of the factory for the blind (Blifa) that I had come to visit. 

The following day I had a long interview with Charles Hedkvist, the blind man who heads De Blindas Forening, the National Association of the Blind in Sweden; he is also the manager of Blifa. He gave me a general outline of work for the blind in Sweden, and he told me the story of Blifa in particular. Blifa was established 15 years ago. It now owns its own mod ern three-story building, employs 55, 35 of whom are blind, and manufactures 50 different products. The estimated output for this year will be approximately $800,000.00. The workers belong to the union and are paid union wages. They sell entirely to big users -- government agencies, schools, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, etc. -- but intend to enter the retail market this coming year. Their principal products are soap, detergents, waxes and polishes. I find it is not a cooperative as I had thought but that it is owned by De Blindas Forening, with Mr. Hedkvist as its head and an advisory board of business and professional people. They promised to help us in any way they can to establish a similar project in San Diego.

I also had an interview with Dr. Mihrgard, who heads Sweden's general rehabilitation program. He gave me a very comprehensive report.

The rest of the five days in Stockholm we spent seeing the city; visited the Royal Palace and the old town and took a sight-seeing trip by boat around the harbor. Stockholm is a most beautiful city.

One of the main objectives of my trip was to visit my parents' old home in Dalarne, a province some 200 miles to the west and north of Stockholm. Our trip there by train took us through beautiful woodland and through countless lakes. Our friend, Mr. Tornstrand of Blifa, arranged with his cousin, who was visiting in the area, to help us locate my father's home. The old home still stands, though it dates back at least 200 years. The ancient kitchen range and mangle and three huge ornate tile heating stoves are all that remain of the original furnishings. The property now belongs to the county and is being used as a holiday home for children. I also visited my mother's birthplace, on the site of which has been built a huge hospital for the chronically ill, and also the old church she attended, the original of which dates back to 1310.

From Dalarne we went to Oslo, Norway; then on to England where we visited for 12 days with Eric's family in Preston, Lancashire, England.

While in Preston I had an interview with a Mr. Noble, manager of a sheltered workshop there and former head of the national workshop association. He told me England has 75 workshops for the blind and that it is the practice to place as many of the blind workers as are qualified in private industry, keeping in the shops only the ones who cannot be so employed. I was surprised to find how few of the blind both in Sweden and England are encouraged to go on to colleges and universities. In this respect, both of these countries are far behind the U.S. However, they appear to be ahead of us in placement of blind workers in industry. One reason for this in England is the fact that the country is now experiencing full employment.

We spent one day in London, during which we visited the Royal National Institute for the Blind; then on to Torquay where we visited the rehabilitation center.

Torquay is a beautiful seaside resort town in Devons hire in southern England, where we had the pleasant experience of eating Devonshire cream at the Tudor Rose, an attractive little restaurant. The rehabilitation center at Manor House and American Lodge is really an orientation center with similar functions to those at Oakland, California. The director, Mr. Thomas Drake, who is blind, was a most gracious host. Mr. and Mrs. Drake, the staff and the trainees appear to make up a closely knit unit. This I believe to be the secret of its success.

Returning to London, we again visited the Royal National Institute for the Blind and spent some time doing the traditional sightseeing including Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London, though we didn't get inside it. I was very much impressed with the wide scope of services offered by the Royal National Institute for the Blind and am especially pleased with the fact that it is a private institution, not a Government agency.

I loved both Sweden and England. Both are beautiful countries. Both are rich in history and have a greater respect for the past than we do. Also, both seem to have more time for living, since they are not driven by the mad desire to accumulate material things to the extent that we Americans are. However, competition with us in their own and foreign markets is driving them into more and more mechanization, and this I am afraid will drag them into the mad scramble. It may be that this will only be a passing phase, for I am convinced that there is more survival good in their way of life than ours.

A seven-hour nonstop jet flight from London to New York was exciting. At my hotel, I was met by my New York guide, Dr. Florrie Holzwasser, who is a friend of Juliet Bindt's. Mrs. Bindt had asked her to be my guide around New York. Dr. Holzwasser had made appointments for me at Abilities, Inc., the Industrial Home for the Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind, and the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

I was particularly impressed with Abilities, Inc., which employs about 400 severely handicapped persons and is managed by Henry Viscardi, himself handicapped. I had a short interview with him. He gave me an autographed copy of his latest book, "Laughter in the Lonely Night."

Perhaps the most inspiring experience of my whole trip was my visit to the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Bellevue Hospital and my interview with its founder and head, Dr. Howard Rusk. This was the first rehabilitation center in the world and was built at a total cost of $7,000,000.00 entirely through private subscriptions. It provides complete services including psychological and social readjustment, medical care, prosthetic devices, training and placement. It was facilities for more than 150 inpatients, and many more outpatients. In addition, there are 70 doctors and many more physiotherapists from all over the world in training here. It is truly a world center. The entire place radiates cheer and hope. We were taken on a tour of the Institute by a Mrs. Lake, a wheelchair victim of polio, and I felt highly privileged to have her. She was one of the most cheerful and inspiring personalities I have ever met.

She is a member of the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. She showed us a beautiful tribute from President Eisenhower and another from the President of Chile. The latter she was given from a trip alone to Chile last summer with a view to stimulating interest in a rehabilitation center there. She told us of having delivered the 72nd birthday address of the Statue of Liberty, which in the past has always been delivered by the President, a member of his cabinet, or some top Government official. Service men carried her to the top of the statue, which she said was one of the great moments of her life. Service is a religion here -- and what a religion -- Dr. Rusk is its organization fountainhead. He is one of the great men of the age and, I hope, the forerunner of a legion of others like him. To meet him and to see the results of his efforts is to become a disciple.

Dr. Holzwasser and I covered the city, doing the traditional sight-seeing. Lack of space prevents us from listing everything. We were taken on a private tour of the United Nations building by an attractive Danish girl, who let me examine a miniature podium in the assembly chamber and inspect drapes, hangings and soundproofing of the walls. We had lunch in the restaurant in the basement.

All the sight-seeing and special appointments were crowded into just four days. Dr. Holzwasser was a most excellent guide and charming companion, and I am most grateful to her and to Juliet Bindt for arranging my meeting with her.

On my way home from New York, I spent a day with George and Darlene Card at Madison, Wisconsin. This, I thought, was a very nice way to top off the cake. They were most gracious hosts.

I arrived home on September 11th, glad to be back, and yet sorry that such a wonderful experience should come to an end. It was, I thought, a perfect way to celebrate my retirement.

***

A jeweler, after watching a certain man stop every morning to check his watch against the chronometer in the store window, went out one morning to speak to the time-conscious gentleman. "We consider it quite a compliment that you check your watch each morning as you pass our store."

"Yes, I check my watch every morning on the way to work."

"Time must be important in your business."

"It is. I'd lose my job if my watch wasn't right."

"We are glad we can be of service. What is your business, sir?"

"The first thing I have to do every morning is blow the 7 o'clock whistle."

"Ei, Yei, Yei," moaned the jeweler. "We are both lost now. I set our chronometer by that whistle every morning!"

*****

** Accreditation of Service Programs for Blind People

From a memorandum to organizations and agencies concerned with services to the blind, from the American Foundation for the Blind. 

... The American Foundation for the Blind has ... announced plans which are to be set in motion which, if wisely conducted, should lead to a system in the United States for the evaluation and accreditation of service programs for blind people ... discussions of the necessity for clarification of the needs of blind people and the setting of standards for programs which attempt to meet those needs has been stimulated, in general, by awareness of opinion from two important segments of our population --

1. The growing expression by leaders of service programs in literature or at conventions of concern about the absence of standards and the distortion of the public image of their agency activities; and
2. The repeated expression of criticism and confusion on the part of the general public which is asked to support the nation's health and welfare programs, including the area of blindness.

The American Foundation for the Blind itself, through facts and figures accumulated through survey and research, as well as the constant collection of opinion, adds to these expressions its conviction that all too many blind persons are not receiving the type and quality of services which are their privilege in this democracy. 

For many years, there have been various efforts launched to identify service standards in many categories, and there has been in existence for some years at least one noteworthy effort to bring about a self-evaluation by agencies -- the AAWB Seal of Good Practice. It also is encouraging to note the recent progress being made by groups concerned with sheltered workshops, rehabilitation centers, guide dug agencies, educational institutions, and libraries serving blind readers to set forth what minimum professional standards and what proper service practice should be. 

The intent, then, of the Foundation's proposal is to assist all appropriate groups to accelerate their studies; to expedite the creation of a national structure under which such groups could coordinate their efforts and cooperate for achievement of common goals; and to evolve an accrediting system which would be respected by all legitimate agencies and organizations, and which eventually the general public would recognize as a guide for financial support and a source of assurance of sound services for blind people.

... The first major step will be the conduct of a study -- a study that will utilize and adapt the experience of other professional groups and associations to project the method, the scope, and the structure necessary to carry out an accreditation program in the field of work for the blind.

In general, the Foundation is assuming the initial responsibility for securing funds and the retention of a minimum study staff to prepare the preliminary plan of action, establish an advisory study group, arrange for participation by representatives of all essential organizations and provide a system for the selection of functional standard-setting committees and a plan of committee work.

Obviously, it will require some time before a progress report on these preliminary phases can be made, and a formal system for the receiving of opinions and participation with others established. We profoundly hope, however, that anyone concerned with this general problem and interested in this proposal will begin communicating their ideas.

As stated earlier, specific details have not yet been worked out. As proposed by Mr. Jansen Noyes, Jr., President of the Board of Trustees of the American Foundation for the Blind, and as unanimously endorsed by his colleagues on our Board of Trustees, the original statement by him does reveal certain general and basic principles which we at the American Foundation for the Blind will be following throughout this undertaking. Excerpts from his statement follow:

"... We are all somewhat familiar with the publication, during past months, of general criticisms of the total field of health and welfare, with the unavoidable conclusion that there is a real need for improvement. In summary, these large­scale reviews which are going on have to do with efficiency of fund raising, efficiency of administration, clarity of purpose, and the raising of standards of service. Our specialized field may not always have deserved some of the sweeping criticisms which have been published about it. All too often, those who are rightly interested in protecting the public and the client from misrepresentation or inefficiency have been frustrated by the lack of information and standards in this field. ... Nevertheless, we are all too conscious of the fact that the public is confused by the multiplicity of appeals and that at both national and local level there is a need for improvement of service programs for blind people, both administratively and professionally. It is my proposal to you that the Board of Trustees of the American Foundation for the Blind accelerate through some form of voluntary standard-setting and evaluating system a general improvement in these conditions.

"The American Foundation for the Blind has, over the years, devoted a substantial portion of its efforts and resources to advancing standards of services for blind persons. For at least ten years, the Foundation has had an active interest in the possibility of establishing some form of 'certification' or 'accreditation' for client service agencies. Accreditation or the setting of requirements for membership in national organizations have proven their value in education, health care, and social welfare. Thus, in expressing its concern for the establishment of standards and controls in the field of services for blind persons, the American Foundation for the Blind is simply demonstrating the fact that it is in consonance with the established trends relating to self-regulation in these fields.

"... In work for the blind, standards and criteria will need to be established on the basis of the present structures and functions of the operating agencies. The goal ought to be, at this time, raising of standards, but not standardization. 

"It was only a year ago that a review committee of this Board asked the staff to prepare certain basic information and recommendations, and my report is based partly upon this preliminary work. However, at least another year of study and preliminary planning undoubtedly must occur. Even so, there are certain basic ideas and principles which seem already clear, and I would like to have you consider them as strong suggestions. As I see it, such a plan definitely must include full participation by those groups in the United States, both specialized and generalized, which are already in existence to identify standards and evaluate programs. 

"Each of the primary service areas should have an independent but coordinated subcommittee to do or control the evaluating work in its area. ... In the area of financial standards, the plan should include the full use of committees of auditors and the resources of such organizations as the National Social Welfare Assembly and the National Information Bureau. ...

"We all recognize that there are a multitude of other factors to be considered before any system of accrediting of service programs can be launched in addition to the question of organizational and financial structure of the national body. ...

"... I wish to repeat that it is not our intention to suggest that the American Foundation for the Blind will itself conduct a policing program, but rather that it would arrange to expedite a program of evaluation and accreditation which would find its authority in a democratic representation of all legitimate interests in this field. While all of us commend the tremendous effort now being put forth by many organizations in the interests of blind persons, I hope you also will agree that there is enough misunderstanding, misrepresentation, and probably ineffectual activity which the public is being asked to support, that we all should join together in a pioneering effort to reduce these confusions to the greatest possible extent."

*****

** Glaucoma
By John E. Eichenlaub, M.D.

(Editor's Note: This article is reprinted from "LIFE AND HEALTH," Nov., 1961, by permission of the publisher, Christian Record Benevolent Association, Lincoln, Nebraska.)

"My eyes are certainly getting old quickly," Mrs. Peterson said. "Just in the past six months I've needed reading glasses for everything. And I'm only forty, doctor."

"Have you had any other trouble?" the doctor asked.

"Once in a while. It seems as if my eyes are blurred over for a moment or two, but it passes off. "

"Is there a bright ring around the street light when you go out at night?"

"Yes, I remember there is, now that you mention is. A halo around any bright light."

"Any other changes? Eye discomfort after you've been in a dark place, poor vision at night, headache on one side or the other?"

"No, none of that."

Mrs. Peterson had typical early glaucoma. With immediate care her case of glaucoma was completely cured without surgery. It might not have been cured at all without prompt attention.

A million glaucoma victims walk the American streets today ignorant of the threat which hangs over them. Nine out of ten can keep vision for the rest of their lives if they discover and care for their condition before it is too late. They need not join the 20,000 people who are totally blind and the 150,000 people who are blind in one eye because of this disease.

Whenever the pressure inside your eyeball gets high enough to cause trouble, you have glaucoma. There are many different reasons for that build-up of pressure. Different kinds of glaucoma strike in different ways and at different ages. All kinds have one thing in common: pressure greater than 27 to 31 units. It causes damage and changes that lead to still more pressure. Glaucoma is treated much the same and has much the same hazards, no matter what starts it. The vicious circle of high pressure leading to damage and to still higher pressure has to be broken. 

Glaucoma runs in families to some extent. But it is possible that glaucoma will strike you even though none of your relatives have had trouble. It is possible that you will escape even though many of your relatives are victims, but you should be more watchful in this case. 

Glaucoma often sneaks up on you. Its early signs may be no more than Mrs. Peterson's: halos around lights after dark, rapid failing of focusing power, and occasional blurring of vision. Poor vision in dark places and discomfort after a stay in the dark are due to pressure of the iris against the fluid blotting area around its base. Headache may occur, often on one side only.

If the condition is unchecked, loss of vision begins. Early loss is at the edge of your field of vision. You can still see quite well when you look directly at something. You have trouble only when you cross a street or drive your car past an intersection. Later loss becomes more extensive. Large blind spots develop. Often the lens of the eye is harmed, and a cataract results. If nothing is done, blindness results.

The back four-fifths of your eye contains clear jelly. The front fifth contains clear fluid. This fluid bathes the lens, the iris, and the back of the clear cornea. About a teaspoonful forms in each eye every two hours. It forms a little ridge of tissue behind the iris, flows through the pupil, and is blotted up at the outer margin of the clear cornea just in front of the iris.

Sometimes glaucoma comes on quickly. One of my patients called me to his home. His left pupil was much larger than the right, and the white of the eye was bloodshot.

"Can you see out of this?" I asked.

"I don't know, my head hurts so. I haven't been able to hold my eyes open. My head, oh, my head!" 

"But try, just for a second. Can you see my fingers?" I covered his good eye.

"Yes, but just barely. Oh, doctor, I'm not going blind, am I? I didn't know I was going blind!"

"You probably won't. But it is fortunate that you called me at once. Six or eight hours of this crisis is about all an eyeball can stand."

Acute glaucoma often strikes young adults, although it sometimes holds off until the thirties and forties. The pain is so intense that you usually can't tell just where it is. Your head throbs as if it is about to burst. You do not want to use your eyes, so you may not realize for hours that you cannot see.

You have to move fast when acute glaucoma strikes. There is never any question that something is wrong, and you are driven by the pain to seek help.

The more common chronic form of glaucoma comes on later in life. It is very likely to cause no dramatic symptoms such as pain. You can seldom say at what hour or day or week your trouble started. This indefinite period gives it a head start, and makes care urgent as soon as the condition is discovered.

Glaucoma can be fought by trying to cut the amount of fluid formed in the eye or by trying to let more of it blot into the system. These are the ways of treating the disease without operation:

1.  Diamox. This new medicine blocks one of the enzyme systems your body uses in forming fluid for the inside of the eye. Given in tablet form, it cuts down formation of the fluid without affecting the rate of outflow from the eye. This treatment reduces the pressure.

2.  Pilocarpine, Eserine, Doryl. These eye drops make the pupil get smaller. This treatment pulls the iris away from the blotting area at the iris margin. When the pupil is small, more fluid can be soaked up from the eye. Perhaps through the actions of these medicines the blood vessels in the blotting area also open up somewhat.

3.  DFP is a new medicine that has the same action, but it gives several days' effect from one application.

There are also several surgical techniques on glaucoma:

1. Cyclodiathermy. An electric needle is placed on the outside of the eye over the fluid-forming area. When the current is turned on, part of the fluid-forming area is destroyed. If this needling is done in several spots, fluid formation may be cut down enough to relieve glaucoma. The method is especially useful when there is bleeding inside the eye. 

2. Removal of part of the iris makes fluid pass more easily into the area where it will be blotted up. Modern eye surgeons often take small pieces from around the edge of the iris, leaving the pupil unmarred. When the surgeon thinks best, he still uses the older operation that removes a whole wedge of iris. 

3. New channel operations open pathways to parts of the eye where blood vessels can soak up excess fluid. The most common operation of this kind opens a. pathway from the fluid-containing part in front of the iris to the layer beneath the retina at the back of the eye. 

4. Blotting canal openers. In babies with glaucoma and a few other cases, the surgeon can sweep a knife along the area where fluid should be soaked up, laying open the vicinity of the blotter canal.

A new instrument lets eye doctors actually look around corners, so that they can see what needs to be done in this area. Called a gonioscope, it gives a clear view of the base of the iris across the blotting canal. If the angle between the iris and the cornea is too narrow, your doctor can now actually see what is wrong.

5. Wicks through the eyeball. If the fluid from the eye can be passed through the heavy layers of the eyeball, it will soak up into the blood vessels of the outer lining layer. One way for the surgeon to do this is to drill a hole and let it heal in such a way that the scar will be porous. Another ways is to lead a strip of iris out through the heavy layers of the eye and stitch it in place under the light outer layer. It acts as a wick.

Some combination of these measures can cure 70 percent of glaucoma victims and keep another 20 percent from losing vision during their life span. If your doctor is to get such good results, he has to spot glaucoma early. He has to be on the lookout for it all the time. When you show up with suspicious symptoms, he has to check for this disease.

He can get a rough idea of how much pressure there is in your eyeball by feeling it. If he gets you to look down (not close your eyes) and feels your eye with the tips of his fingers he can tell whether the eyeball is exceedingly hard. This test is not accurate enough to use when there is any real reason to suspect glaucoma, but will sometimes turn up unsuspected cases.

Accurate measurement of pressure in your eyeball is done with a tonometer, an instrument that measures the pressure necessary to dent the front of your eye. Drops are used to knock the nerves out of action, and then the instrument can be held painlessly against your eye. Your doctor reads the pressure off a scale. 

Another way to spot early glaucoma is by measuring the breadth of your field of vision. Your doctor can get a rough idea of this measurement by getting you to cover one eye, look at his nose, and tell when you first see his finger as he moves it into your seeing area. An instrument to check more accurately holds your head steady. You fix your eye upon a dot, and your doctor moves a metal spot along a track until you can see it. Such perimetry is quite accurate and lets your doctor map out your field of vision exactly. 

One other way in which glaucoma can often be found is by looking at the back of the eye with an ophthalmoscope. Your doctor usually darkens the room for this test. He gets you to look at a certain spot. Then he takes a little light with a peephole and some tiny lenses attached. By shining the light into your eye, he can look at the nerve sheet through which pictures reach your brain. The nerve fibers gather into a bundle before they go on to the brain. Here at the head of the main nerve of vision, the pressure of glaucoma pushes the nerve fibers out into a cup. This cup does not show up right away, especially in sudden severe cases, but it is often a tip-off to the presence of glaucoma. 

When you need help with your vision after the age of 45, there is a considerable chance that glaucoma may lie behind your difficulty. The medically trained oculist or ophthalmologist is the safest man to handle problems of this kind. An optometrist fits glasses -- he does not find and treat eye disease. The months you might lose learning that glasses are not enough could cost you some vision for life. 

You should get the benefit of early treatment for glaucoma if it strikes you. Be alert to its warning symptoms. Get your doctor to include at least a rough test for glaucoma in every medical examination. Get a proper professional examination for glaucoma if any kind of visual difficulty develops after age 45. If you do this, the odds are overwhelming that you'll keep your vision in spite of glaucoma.

(Editor's Note: Glaucoma is a serious disease which is responsible for a large proportion of the blindness occurring in the middle years. Our readers are asked to give the widest possible publicity to the information above.)

*****

** Hyde Park Corner
By Earl Scharry

Soap Box, Anyone. In the March, 1961 issue of the "Braille Free Press" there was a column called Hyde Park Corner, which was a miscellany of comment such as we imagined could be made at the famous "Speaker's Corner" in London's Hyde Park. Some people have suggested that this be continued as a regular feature in the BRAILLE FORUM.

We believe that such a department could serve a worthwhile purpose. If there is one distinguishing characteristic among blind people, it is their insistence on being individuals, and hence on being without any common distinguishing characteristics. They want to work together, but they want to retain their individualities. One of the functions of a magazine like this should be to encourage individual self-expression. Hyde Park Corner would be the haven of the individualist. It will be your opportunity to blow off steam, to comment freely, to expound unorthodox ideas, to relate some revealing experience or some favorite anecdote.

All new ideas must originate with individuals, germinate for a time in a minority group, and eventually grow into general acceptance. This, then, is our opportunity, too, to tap the fringes and frontiers for new ideas.

Here is your chance to have a soapbox of your own. If you have anything worthwhile to say or to relate, climb aboard! Send your contributions (literary, not financial) to Earl Scharry, 186 Vernon Avenue, Louisville 6, Kentucky. In the meantime, just to keep it warm, we'll have to occupy the soapbox ourselves, until more interesting claimants appear.

Too Little Too Late. Blind people today are frequently lacking in the spirit of adventure and independence which characterized so many in earlier days. Joe Brake, of Dubuque, Iowa, and John Gifford, now of Spencer, Iowa, were, I think, among the most daring blind men I have ever known. They used to constantly knock about the country together unaided. On one occasion, as I recall their story, they were in a strange railroad station and happened to wander too close to the edge of a loading platform and plunged off. Just as they were taking off into space, a workman nearby yelled a belated warning. After their forced landing he complained, "Didn't you hear me tell you to look out?" John replied: "Yes, but it wasn't easy to stop halfway down."

Tars and Gripes Forever. Though we are sometimes apt to think so, the blind do not have a monopoly on fault-finding. Griping is a traditional American custom by which the individual expresses his resentment against regimentation. We hear that it is especially prevalent in the armed services.

We feel especially drawn to the anonymous hero of this little story: A naval recruiting office poster bore pictures of three types of sailors. Under the first was written, "I want adventure"; under the second, "I want to travel"; and under the third, "I want education." All across the poster in large letters, our unknown champion in the lists of gripes had written, "I want out!"

Now our son writes us from the Fleet Weather Facility in Norfolk that it is reported there that Mitch Miller, of the popular TV show, "Sing Along with Mitch," has come out with a new song dedicated to the Navy called "Bitch Along with Mitch."

Organization and Segregation. Advocates of organizations of the blind have always been caught between the horns of a dilemma. Their goal is integration into society — individual opportunity, individual initiative, individual achievement. Yet to promote this goal they have had to advocate uniting the blind population into a separate and distinct group. To many people this presents an inescapable contradiction. We ought to face this dilemma frankly. Making faces or fists won't make it go away.

Certainly segregation of the blind into isolated groups or institutions is most destructive of initiative and opportunity and is the last thing that is wanted by independent and earnest blind people inside or outside the organized movement of the blind. But organization and segregation are not synonymous. In organizations, individuals merely pool their efforts to attack problems common to all of them. In other areas, they function as individuals, and, though occasionally an organization may lose sight of the fact, there need be no segregation involved. On the other hand, it seems to us that where organizing is most strongly resisted, there is more apt to be complete dependence on the sighted, or segregation into tight little groups of blind people.

It would be so nice if we could solve all our problems on a purely individual basis. But many of the problems common to blind people simply cannot be solved in this way. Just for an instance: We have heard some complaints lately that recipients of unemployment insurance are cut off from all benefits if they enroll in a program of training for a new type of work. Surely everyone would agree that this is unfair and unwise, and that it is especially hard on a blind worker, who probably can find no job opportunities employing his former skills. Yet how does one solve this or similar problems on an individual basis? The wheels of justice, whether judicial, legislative or administrative, are ponderous. An individual is not likely to be able to bring to bear the weight necessary to move them, no matter how persuasive or eloquent his arguments.

Some of us are prone to depend upon established governmental agencies to bring about change in such a situation. Yet such agencies, though their influence and resources may be invaluable in bringing about reforms, need prodding as well as help from the outside. Complete reliance upon government and the abdication of self-help is the surest and most direct route to dependence, regimentation and segregation. It is the way of the slave states, not the democratic American way.

There remains in the minds of some disillusioned and discouraged individuals the question as to whether the blind have the capacity and the will to manage their own affairs. The recent rash of purges and of harsh, punitive and repressive measures in the National Federation of the Blind, together with the many irresponsible and devious financial transactions, all acquiesced in by a large segment of the rank-and-file membership, have caused these people to doubt that a national organization of the blind can be made to work.

However, the principle of organization is nonetheless valid because it has been applied to private ends. When we commit ourselves to such a complex project, we should expect to have to exert continuing vigilance and effort. We cannot expect to set it in motion and assume that the job is done. There will be occasional setbacks and constant struggles. We should not abandon the principle when we denounce the abuses. We should not throw the baby out with the bath water.

Unsung Heroines. We believe that one of the most worthwhile jobs in the field of work for the blind is done by the thousands of women throughout the country who transcribe books into braille by hand. Not only do these volunteers fill in many of the gaps left in the fiction available to blind readers, but many a blind student is indebted to them for badly needed textbooks and many an employed blind person would be unable to secure material necessary to the performance of his duties were it not for their painstaking work.

Most blind people have enough difficulty learning to write braille after a fashion, even though they use the system every day. Imagine, then, the Herculean task performed by these women in learning to write braille which is not only readable, but technically accurate according to all the intricate rules of press-made braille, when this is the only contact they have with it! Their work is designed to make blind people independent, and they expect and get little recognition for it. The only exception is that on each volume the words "Transcribed into English Braille" are followed by the name of the transcriber. Our sympathy is all with the transcriber who with more inspiration than inadvertence, wrote "Translated into English Braille by ..."

And They Don't Fall in the Gutter. Not long ago we saw the schedule of the annual tournament for blind bowlers and were amazed at the large number of participants and the phenomenal growth of this sport among blind enthusiasts. The following excerpt from a Washington, D.C., paper may be of interest to many of these keglers and prospective keglers:

"Bowling isn't out of reach of the blind. Tubular steel hand rails enable them to play the sport even if they can't see the pins. Two six-team leagues are organized here at Town Center Bowl and Pentagon City.

"... Dave Krause, who is totally blind and President of the new league at Town Center, explained his feeling when bowling. 'The rails are the key, of course,' he said. 'Without them we don't have any idea how to approach and roll the ball.'

"'It's the sudden movement that can throw you off, unless you have that rail. You notice that we hold lightly on top of it, not clutching but just using it as a directional guide.'

"... In its third week of activity, the Town Center league of six three-person teams needs sponsors, a problem common to bowlers everywhere. Part of the money will be used to send teams to the American Blind Bowlers Association tourney in Philadelphia this spring.

"Incidentally, national regulations insist each team have one totally or legally blind bowler, one who is fully sighted and the others partially sighted. The one who can see completely does the scorekeeping and tells his or her teammates how the pins are spotted for spares. 

"The blind bowlers, as you might expect, are effusive about their activity. Buddy Keith of the Pentagon City League, explains: 'This is the only really competitive sport we can participate in. I think it's wonderful.'

"Keith rolled in the national tournament in Indianapolis last spring, opening with a 37 game and following with a fine 180. ..."

*****

** From Temporary to Permanent Employment
By Assunta Jackson
Reprinted from THE MISSOURI CHRONICLE
Published by the Missouri Federation of the Blind, Inc.

(Editor's note: Mrs. Jackson, a native of St. Louis, graduated from the Missouri School for the Blind in 1937, and from Mound City Business College in 1938. As the following article reveals, she has led a varied and active career, but that is by no means the whole story of this married working girl's achievements.

(In addition to being a devoted wife, a meticulous housekeeper and a marvelous cook, she is vice-chairman of the finance committee of the Missouri Federation of the Blind, President of the Missouri Federation Credit Union, President of Real Independence Through Employment (RITE) and prominent in the Missouri School for the Blind Alumni Association. Furthermore, Assunta was among the first few blind persons admitted to the Federal Civil Service in Missouri, and we believe her to be the only blind worker who is a two-time winner of the annual cash award for Sustained Superior Performance in a Federal office. Nor is that all. In 1961, as her office's candidate for the Civil Servant of the Year award -- a competition open to the entire Federal department -- she won a plaque and honorable mention. Thus she has not only vindicated the judgment of those who hired her; she has also smoothed the way for other qualified blind workers seeing Federal employment.) 

I began my employment career as a proofreader on a WPA project in October of 1940. I worked on this project for nine months until July, 1941, when I left to be married. After a respite of almost two years I found employment at Jasper Blackburn Products in war work making rear gun sights for the Army's semi­automatic carbines. In December, 1943, I left this company, not because my gun sights were faulty, but because my employer had completed his government contract.

The beginning of the year 1944 found me breaking into war work at Century Electric Company, making commutators for electric motors. In the recession of 1948 I was one of the many unfortunates who fell under the axe. Though I did not realize it at the time, this proved to be a blessing in disguise; the war was over and had been for more than three years, and so I decided to get into the work for which I had been trained -- typing.

While still brushing up on my typing at business school, I received a call for employment as a Dictaphone typist at the City Welfare Office, and there I stayed until 1952, when I went to work for the Civil Service Commission. It was because I realized that my chances of advancement were better in the U.S. Civil Service than the State Merit System that I took the Civil Service examination in October, passed it, and the next month went to work as a Federal employee.

On November 17, 1952, as a Federal employee, I became a member of the Transcription Unit, which is one part of the Investigative Division of the Ninth U.S. Civil Service Region. It is the work of the Investigations Division to conduct full field investigations of applicants for certain jobs with AEC, NASA, AID, USIA and others. The investigations are carried on in the field, an area of seven states comprising the Ninth Civil Service Region, and their findings are typed by the Transcription Unit.

Here's how it works. A man who has lived in Fargo, North Dakota, all his life, an engineer in the field of electronics, wants to work for NASA at Huntsville, Alabama. A full field investigation is conducted at Fargo, is dictated on discs at the field office, and the discs are sent to St. Louis so that the reports may be typed by the Transcription Unit. Or perhaps the man has not lived in Fargo all his life. Maybe he has lived in three or four other cities in three or four states. In that case, the investigation is covered at these points also. This gives you an idea of the broad scope that the investigative program can assume.

Although my work is confining and sometimes becomes monotonous, it does have its lighter side. The investigators, though well trained, are, after all, only human and sometimes dictate humorous errors because words come out the wrong way. For example, there was the sentence: "He spoke with precision and often stopped to stink (think) before he spoke." And, there was the man who had "physical deformatories" and was "hospitalicized." Then there was the man who was a "dress head cutter" instead of a head dress cutter. And there are many others, which all go toward adding a little humor in the working day of the transcriber. However, these little humorous slips in no way detract from the feeling of pride and satisfaction which comes from doing this very important work of a very confidential nature.

In closing, let me say that in the past few years Civil Service has opened up many opportunities for employment to handicapped people, and more and more handicapped people are filling Civil Service positions. I have not regretted my decision to enter Civil Service, and am quite sure that others also holding Civil Service jobs will agree with me. My work, which requires accuracy in typing and correct transcription, is a source of satisfaction to me.

*****

** Sorry, No Blind Available
By Jack Charles Lewis

(Editor's note: Mr. Lewis is a graduate of the Georgia Academy for the Blind -- 1951 -- and the University of North Carolina -- 1955. He has been in sales since finishing college, several years of which were spent selling cemetery property. He has 10 percent vision, unable to read print at all.)

Perhaps after reading this article you will wonder, as I do, how much truth there is in the saying, "God helps those who help themselves; the Government helps those who don't."

In the past few months I made a diligent search for two legally blind persons to fill part-time jobs with a guaranteed weekly income. The result? A poignant realization of the apathy and complacency that exist among many of our unemployed blind.

As Field Manager for the Mableton Construction and Roofing Company of Atlanta it is my essential task to be responsible for the production of prospects for potential sales in the home improvement business. For this we rely heavily on telephone solicitation. I immediately saw this as an opportunity to provide at least two totally or partially blind persons with a part-time, yet profitable, livelihood. A blind person can function with the same efficiency as a sighted person when names and telephone numbers, taken from a city directory, are read onto a tape recorder.

Griff Eastin, Counselor for the Atlanta District of the Georgia Visional Vocational Rehabilitation, did not only pledge his earnest support, but also agreed to provide a tape recorder for each of these blind telephone salesmen. He subsequently submitted the names of about twenty prospects. A few of these individuals declined for just and understandable reasons. Others politely promised to contact me as soon as they had an opportunity to think it over. Of those who arranged a personal interview with me, only one honored the appointment. This young applicant, having driving vision during daylight hours, had unlimited possibilities and was not in need of this particular opportunity.

I was constrained to look elsewhere for my salesmen because the sales division was dependent upon the telephone operation for their prospects. Because of their known dependability and my desire to provide an opportunity for these neglected unemployed, I was determined to hire the physically handicapped. 

This time, OVR distributed notices to their other division. The only inquiry came from 45-year-old Harry Bredosky, who is afflicted with a defective thyroid. Harry, having been with our company since November, is on a twenty-five-dollar-a-week drawing account against commissions and has earned as high as $173 in a single week, working from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. We have since hired a 47-year-old arthritic victim as well as two physically normal men. Incomes will vary according to personality and efficiency, averaging $30 to $60 weekly.

Numerous industries throughout the United States rely heavily on telephone solicitation for their prospects. Many of these businesses pay strictly commissions -- others a guaranteed salary or draw against commissions. Such a field of employment could literally employ hundreds of blind people throughout the nation. "Wanted: Telephone Solicitors" can be found in most all major newspapers in the country. The opportunity is ours for the asking.

"Ask, and ye shall receive; Seek, and ye shall find; Knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

*****

** A Peep Hole Into the Earth
By Ralph McGill
Reprinted from the Atlanta Constitution and used by permission

(Ralph McGill is a recent Pulitzer Prize winner, and his column appears in newspapers throughout the country.)

"An astonishing fact, and one the National Science Foundation is quick to point out, is that we know much more about outer space and the moon itself (240,000 miles away) than we do about the earth on which we live.

"Members of the foundation staff were as exalted in spirit, as were all other Americans, by the marvelous success of Colonel John Glenn in taking a complex mechanism of science and making it perform like a show horse along the Milky Way and the bridle path of the stars. But the staff smiled a bit wryly. Their announcement of a contract to a Texas company to make a drilling, which will extend through perhaps three miles of sea and an equal number of miles of crust, received scant attention.

"There have been some experimental drillings but not enough to do more than indicate success. The work schedule may not be accurately estimated. It is loosely described as likely to take as long as seven years, but as having a possibility of completion within three. The attempt to explore beneath the surface of earth, even through a peep hole no larger than a drill core, lacks the drama of a venture into space. But it is not without excitement.

* Fundamentalists

"Colonel Glenn has said that he and the other astronauts have received letters from religious fundamentalists, who demand that they 'leave God's place alone.' The geologists who wish equally to know what is beneath the earth and what will be revealed by cores from millenniums of silt deposited on the ocean's floor, also are denounced by religious fanatics for not 'leaving the creator's handiwork as it is.'

"The geologists will not do it any harm. Nor will the space men. Great damage could be done by nuclear weapons loosed hundreds of miles in space. It theoretically is possible to cause planets to be jarred out of orbit. If this were to happen, the worlds and stars might collide in one vast Wagnerian clash of planets with the winds that blow between the worlds singing one last requiem. We do not need to fear the scientists of geology or space.

"Silt from the ocean floors, having settled there throughout the billions of years since earth was formed and the rains came to make the seas, might teach much of the history of earth and oceans, as cosmic dust from the moon's surface will reveal to us some of the secrets of the universe.

"For years, scientists have conducted expeditions and studies to explore the physical and biological conditions of the ocean. Deep sea soundings have been carried out for approximately 200 years. The first soundings of ocean depths involved the use of a familiar facility found in every household, a ball of twine. Of course, technology in this field has advanced over the years, as it has in the other sciences. 

"Now we are going deep.

* Test Drills

"Test drills, which the Texas company will pursue, were made a year ago from a specially equipped ship off the shore from La Jolla, California. Water depth was 3, 000 feet. The drill core reached 1,035 feet beneath the ocean floor. In a second try off Mexico, in one of the deep sea troughs (11,700 feet), the test went 600 feet into the earth's crust. The site of new tests has not been determined.

"Geologists believe on the basis of their several sources of research, that the interior of the earth consists of four layers. The so-called crust is believed to average about 10 miles in thickness. It is thinner beneath the oceans. There is then the 'mantle,' some 1,800 miles of closely packed rock; the source of volcanoes, an 'outer core' of molten material which is some 1,300 miles thick, and then the inner core of unknown solid material with a radius of about 800 miles.

"The drill cores, of course, will bring us samples of the rocks which make up the mantle. Then age, chemical content, radioactive content, et cetera will be revealed. The sediment of the seas, piled atop the mantle through all the centuries, will also tell their story. So, we seek knowledge -- in the air above, and in the earth below."

***

The one-year-old Georgia Federation of the Blind Credit Union celebrated its first anniversary by declaring a dividend of 4 1/2%. During this first year the Credit Union has served 65 members and has accumulated assets of $4,500.00.

***

** Here and There
With George Card

The Canadian Council of the Blind OUTLOOK carries an account of the first western hemisphere conference of agencies and organizations of and for the blind. In March, 1961, delegates from 20 nations and observers from Europe gathered in Guatemala City. "It was difficult for those of us from Canada to realize that these countries are barely starting programs which have been in existence in our country for many years. For instance, they have never used braille paper in Guatemala; their only material for this purpose has been heavy brown paper. The delegates believed the conference was a big step forward in work for the blind in Latin American countries. Demonstration centers are to be established in Guatemala City and Sao Paulo, Brazil. ... The conference was jointly sponsored by the World Council and the American Foundation for Overseas Blind." ... "Due to Mohammedan taboos, Dr. S. Sergejovich Golovin, a Russian-born ophthalmologist, was unable to use human corneal material for transplants while practicing in the Arab Kingdom of Yemen. He restored vision in one eye of a Yemenite patient by the use of a monkey cornea but when this patient returned to his native village he was ostracized by his neighbors, who considered him unclean because of his carrying a part of a monkey in his body. The patient returned to the hospital and demanded the removal of the 'unclean' part from his only seeing eye." ... From "Listen," August 1961, "Blind voyagers traveling on the Queen Elizabeth or Queen Mary have the opportunity to of reading braille books regularly stocked in the libraries of the Cunard Line's two super-liners." ... "3,783 titles are listed in the new catalog of Recording for the Blind, Inc." … "This organization recently received a letter reading 'Please cancel the service. Everything has been delivered sour.' Investigation showed that the subscriber had intended the letter for his local dairy!" ... "Congress has just appropriated $45,000 for research and development of tape recordings and playback equipment for the Talking Book program." ... "Blind vending stand operators in Massachusetts increased their annual income by 25 percent in the past fiscal year. An average net income of $4,153.44 was reported for the year ending June 30, 1961, as compared with $3,288.60 for the previous year." ... "An experiment said to be the first formal study of blind teachers in sighted classes ever done in the U.S. is being conducted at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois. Participants in the eight-week experiment are five blind students who are being tested to determine their alertness to classroom situations. The purpose is to discover techniques which can help a blind person to become an effective teacher of sighted children. The director states that research material in this area is now almost non-existent." … "Victor Riesel, the famous columnist who was blinded 5 years ago by an acid-throwing assailant, has been named by President Kennedy to the second highest post on the President's Committee on the Employment of the Handicapped."

"...- At the present time it is estimated that less than 3,500 blind persons, or approximately 1 percent of the estimated total blind population of the United States, are using dog guides and that there is a potential of approximately another 1 percent who could use them. ... " -- Arthur Voorhees in the January NEW OUTLOOK

"Following the October 2-4, 1961, annual National Rehabilitation Association convention, held in San Francisco, C. Esco Obermann stepped into the Association's presidency. Dr. Obermann, who is Director of the St. Paul (Minn.) Rehabilitation Center, succeeded Mary E. Switzer, Director of the United States Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. The post of president-elect, vacated by Dr. Obermann, went to Don L. Russell, the State Director of Vocational Rehabilitation in Arkansas. Russell will succeed the present president at the close of the Association's conference this year, slated to take place in Detroit, Oct. 22-24. ...-" -- From the January NEW OUTLOOK

From the NEW BEACON (U.K.): "Mr. Thomas Gaygan, who lost his eyes and both hands from an exploding booby trap in Tunisia during World War II and was afterwards trained as a switchboard operator, has just passed the official test for braille writing. This is the same test given to home teachers. The time allowed is seven days, but Mr. Gaygan made it in four. The Research Dept. at St. Dunstan's had adapted a braille writer for his use. The keys are about three inches longer than normal and are spread far enough apart so that Mr. Gaygan can press them one at a time." The same issue records the death of Charles E. Browne, famous science lecturer, at the age of 96. When Professor Browne was 85, he became totally blind, following which he gained great proficiency in both the reading and writing of braille and learned touch typing. 

Norman Coombs, totally blind Rhodes Scholar, has become a lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York. He had completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin prior to his year at Oxford and then had returned to complete work on his Ph.D. He had been the recipient of two scholarships from the Wisconsin Council of the Blind. The Dean of the Institute states that Norman was hired strictly on his merits, without regard to his disability. A Rochester reporter became aware of this new member of the faculty when he spotted him, with his young wife, Jean, operating a tandem bicycle.

The joint investigation of the feasibility of eight-hour tapes and light portable tape recorders -- possible substitutes for the present talking book equipment -- which has been carried on by Recordings for the Blind and the Library of Congress at a cost of $62,000, was scheduled to be completed last December. 

An organization of the blind in New York State is considering an attempt to have the present state law forbidding racial discrimination in housing extended to protect the physically handicapped against such discrimination.

From the ABC DIGEST (Calif.): "... As mankind is painfully learning, indecision is not overcome simply by taking some unequivocal stand and maintaining it, come hell or high water! ..." "... Bob Campbell is compiling a biography of Dr. Newel Perry as one of our ABC projects. ..." At its November convention in Long Beach, the Associated Blind of California re-elected its president, Mrs. Juliet Bindt, to a second two-year term and voted to contribute $100 to the American Council of the Blind.

From the HOOSIER STAR-LIGHT (Dec.): "The 1961 Amendments to the Social Security Act extended the deadline for applying for disability benefits to June 30, 1962. This gave people with long-standing disabilities a year longer in which to apply. Those who delay their applications beyond June 30, 1962, may lose all rights to present and future benefits for themselves and their families. ..." "... Both begging and support of beggars are social anachronisms that can impede the efforts of the great majority of handicapped people who lead constructive lives and can interfere with the work of public and private agencies that exist to help self-respecting persons help themselves. ..." "... George M. Gillispie, of Los Angeles, two-time President of the Blinded Veterans Association, has now become Executive Director of that organization. ..."

In the January issue of the Washington State WHITE CANE, Frank M. Stewart, who has most ably edited this publication for the past five years (after telling his readers that the magazine may soon be suspended) states his reasons for resigning at this time -- both from membership in the Washington State Association of the Blind and from his editorship. "... Our decision to discontinue as editor for WSAB has nothing to do with the imminent cessation of its publication. Our decision to resign from the organization was based partially on its unwillingness to oppose certain terms laid down by the national organization (of which WSAB is a member affiliate) for continued membership -- terms which we find quite intolerable and essentially devastating to the concept of independence for the blind that is so frequently talked about by organizations of the blind. ..."

The Wisconsin Council of the Blind is proud to report the brilliant success of another beneficiary of several of its scholarship awards. Martin Kleiber, of Milwaukee, has just completed his first semester as a teacher of differential calculus and analytical geometry at Milwaukee College of Engineering. A part of his technique is the memorizing of long formulas, which he has worked out in his mind, and the dictating of the steps to students who write them on the blackboard for the class. Martin was blinded as a child and when his parents came to Wisconsin from Germany a few short years ago he could scarcely speak a word of English. He received his Master's Degree from Marquette University last spring.

From the UPI: "Dr. Herbert E. Kaufman of the University of Florida reported at a symposium on the results of research at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, that a drug has been found which apparently controls a virus infection that is the cause of the major corneal disease leading to loss of vision in this country. He said 25 patients afflicted with the virus -- known as herpes keratitis -- were treated with the drug, and all were cured within a week."

It is reported that a newly invented device which will enable blind persons to identify denominations of bills will soon become available. The little machine fits easily on a desk or counter. The procedure is as follows: after the blind person wraps the bill around a special plate, inserts the plate in the machine and twists a knob, he holds four fingers over four plunger buttons. If number one button pops up, the bill is a single; number two button means a $2 bill; number three, $5; and number four, $10. If all four buttons come up, the bill is a twenty.

The merger of the Ophthalmological Foundation with the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness was announced jointly by the two organizations recently. 

"Antibiotic ointment supplied by the United Nations Children's Fund is helping to cure trachoma and related eye infections at a cost of about 20 cents per person for a year's treatment, according to a recent report." -- THE SIGHT SAVING REVIEW

The World Health Organization (WHO), with the active co-operation of the International Society for the Prevention of Blindness and the World Council, is making extensive preparations for a world-wide observation of Prevention of Blindness Day on April 7, 1962. The publicity will stress the fact that most of the world's blindness is preventable and will emphasize the necessity for active international co-operation. 

Florida WHITE CANE BULLETIN reports that the Florida Federation's Credit Union held its annual meeting on January 20. Don Cameron and Larry Thompson, both of Tampa, are now President and Chairman of the Credit Committee, respectively. The credit union now has 81 members and almost $6,000 in deposits. 

Ft. Pierce Chapter was admitted to full membership at the Board meeting of the Florida Federation of the Blind on Jan. 21, with Vernon Lee as President. 

The current issue of PERFORMANCE records the setting up of a Goodwill Industries workshop in Mexico City, signalizing the expansion of that organization into the international field. 

THE BLIND ADVOCATE (London) reports that a unique new service is being planned for the blind people of the United Kingdom. Through a system of closed-circuit television, the blind person could hold a letter or document before a camera and it would appear on the screen at a central office, where it could be read back over the telephone. The service would be entirely private and would avoid the complications that can arise in a blind person's home when all his correspondence has to be read to him.

From THE SIGHT-SAVING REVIEW: "There are an estimated 4,000,000 people in the United States with amblyopia -- poor vision in an eye due to lack of use" ... "Fortunately an increasing number of doctors are becoming aware of the possibilities of low vision aids and are willing to spend extra time with patients where there is a possibility of improved vision."

The December NEW BEACON (England) lists the seven outstanding developments of the past year in British blind welfare as -- (1) the steady change-over in sheltered workshops for the blind from traditional crafts to what they call "light engineering," more familiarly known to us as "machine shop"; (2) the opening of Rushton Hall a second school for blind children with additional handicaps; (3) much progress in the transition from disc-recorded talking books to cartridge tapes"; (4) the enactment and implementation of the new "human tissue law," which has made it so much easier for people to bequeath their eyes after death and has multiplied many times the available supply of useable corneas; (5) the opening of Wilton Grange, a home and center for the deaf-blind, ideally arranged for the convenience and happiness of these doubly handicapped people; (6) the closing of two of the sunshine homes for blind babies, made possible by the complete elimination of retrolental fibroplasia as a cause of blindness in infants; (7) the placement by the Royal National Institute for the Blind of the five thousandth blind person in competitive employment ... 

... Working on the principle of echo location, which enables bats to fly at high speed through mazes of fine stretched wires without collision, Mr. L. Kay, lecturer in the Electrical and Engineering Department of the University of Birmingham, hopes to produce an electronic device which blind people can wear in the form of spectacles to warn them of approaching objects. 

From the OHIO BULLETIN: "Andrew Willis, a member of the Lorain County Council of the Blind, will celebrate his 101st birthday December 25. He is believed to be the oldest member of the organized blind movement in the U.S.''  

From THE LION: "An idea born in the mind of Don O. Nold, blind member of the Berwyn, Ill. Lions Club, and encouraged by Illinois Lions, may soon be a popular medium of news and entertainment for blind adults. Called 'The Talking Lion,' it is a recorded magazine edited to appeal especially to sightless per sons who cannot read braille. Four editions will be published each year, and the records can be played on the standard 'talking book' machines. ... It is planned that 'The Talking Lion' will be distributed free to blind persons who are ... designated by Lions Clubs which contribute. ... Approval of the new project came from past International President, Finis E. Davis of the A.P.H., who said: 'There isn't such a publication for the blind now available, so it would fill a void in the literature for the blind today.'"

From WE THE BLIND (Pa.): "In Pennsylvania 'L.P.G.' stands for Legislative Planning Group, composed of all agencies for the blind and all organizations of the blind, banded together for the express purpose of achieving maximum legislative results. We are coming to the close of nearly ten years of joint effort in this direction and the results have been most gratifying. Prior to these ten years there was a twenty-five-year period of bitter, vicious fighting, which sapped the funds and energies of all agencies and organizations of and for the blind and provided the legislator with a perfect excuse for not supporting legislation for the blind -- 'when you people get together on legislation for the blind, come back, and we will see what can be done'." 

In October the Australian Federation of Organizations of the Blind held its biennial "conference" in Brisbane. This organization was founded in 1913 and now has affiliates in every Australian state. It regards as its greatest achievement the abolition of the means test in 1953, and it is now striving to make compulsory the reporting of new cases of blindness, so that the often tragic loss of time between onset and discovery may be done away with. 

Mr. Phil Pederhouse of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, recently set a new record for blind golfers by completing the 18 holes in 89 strokes, which broke the record set in 1955 by Charles Boswell of Birmingham, Alabama.

A new half-million-dollar home and center for the blind has just been opened in Sudbury, northern Ontario. 

Meredith Wilson, the famous orchestra leader and composer, visited the Iowa residential school at Vinton on Oct. 4. He sang many of his own compositions and said that he had come because he had been so impressed when he saw the school's marching band in its appearance on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Wilson was born in Mason City, Iowa, which he had in mind when he wrote and produced THE MUSIC MAN. The Vinton School has now acquired a bus to transport students to various activities. 

Both the North and South Dakota schools opened last fall in their new locations, Grand Forks and Aberdeen, respectively. They were formerly at Bathgate and Gary —both of which were small hamlets and almost inaccessible by public transportation. 

From the WORLD COUNCIL NEWSLETTER: "Mrs. W. Bending of Canada recently resigned the presidency of the Canadian Council of the Blind after 17 years in that office. She refused a further nomination because she felt that experienced younger members should have an opportunity." 

... "This issue records the enactment in Japan of its first comprehensive workmen's compensation law and also of a law-making compulsory the employment by both government and private industry of a fixed percentage of seriously handicapped persons." (It may be pointed out that most American organizations and agencies of and for the blind are opposed to all measures of this last type.) "Australia -- A new venture is reported from Tasmania where a braille street guide for the blind people of Hobart has been prepared. It is designed to show such features as traffic lights, etc." "India -- Twenty-three blind physiotherapists trained at the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind are now practicing privately in hospitals. ... The first Indian home teacher has been trained there. ... and it is hoped that this will be the first step in setting up a nation-wide home teacher service." ... "Sweden -- students graduating from schools for the blind are given a typewriter and a braille writer. ... Newly blinded adults are trained at special rehabilitation centers. The length of training is from nine months to three years, and there are refresher courses. ..." "Washington, D.C. -- OVR has awarded Georgetown University a grant for a two-year experiment to develop methods for training blind persons as Russian language translators and radio monitors. ... Upon completion of the course, qualified students will be considered for employment by the Central Intelligence Agency."

The Orientation Center in Oakland, Calif., under the able and enlightened direction of Allen Jenkins, has been regarded by me as just about the best of its kind in the U.S. In the opinion of this writer, its only peer is the orientation center in Torquay, on the coast of southwestern England. There was considerable worry when it became known that the Oakland building would have to be demolished because it lay in the direct route of one of the new freeways. The California Legislature, however, has just provided money for the erection of a new center in El Cerrito, thus ensuring that this fine institution will continue to serve the newly blinded citizens of California.

From an American Foundation release: "Technical devices designed for the education, rehabilitation and personal aid of blind persons are the subject of an international survey and analysis which recently got underway under the auspices of the AFB. To culminate in an international conference on technical devices, planned for the spring of 1962, the world-wide survey of success and failure in efforts to alleviate the effects of blindness upon an individual was prompted by the need for a highly efficient system for international exchange and cooperation. ..."

The Minnesota Organization of the Blind has completed extensive remodeling and new construction of its Home and Center at 1603 Eustis St., St. Paul. A dedication banquet was held November 11.

From THE LION: "Q. What is a delegate at large? Ans. One who goes to a convention without his wife."

*** Here and There
With Blind Children

** Speaking of Integration
Two Good Examples

Dalton, Georgia -- "Gail Stamps, 10-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Stamps, Linden Drive, has been blind since birth, but this handicap isn't keeping her from 
getting an education. She is in the fourth grade here at City Park School, along with other children her age. 

"It has taken a lot of work during the past four or five years to prepare Gail for enrollment in the public schools of Dalton, but now it is worth all the effort, says her mother, as she relates with humble pride some of her daughter's accomplishments that show remarkable progress. 

"Gail attended the Georgia Academy for the Blind at Macon for four years. She learned to write with a slate and stylus, to read Braille, and many other things which will help her throughout life.

"Last summer, she lived with an aunt in Atlanta and learned to write on a Braille writer in a special course taught by Mrs. Mary G. White of the Atlanta school system.

"Then Miss Pauline Ogletree of Dalton High School's commercial department, taught her how to use a typewriter. When school started in the fall, Gail enrolled in the fourth grade at City Park School.

"This, briefly, is the history of her formal education. But Gail has had much more training than indicated here. Her father is a golf pro, formerly an amateur champion, and the family has traveled or resided in about 40 states. The fact that her father is an outdoor athlete may have influenced Gail in not becoming an 'indoor person,' altogether.

"Starting when she was just a baby, her outdoor activities have amazed all her friends -- even her parents, who after a few hair-raising experiences decided to let her do just about anything that a child without a handicap might do.

"Even as a tot, she would climb to the top of the largest slide in a playground and slide down, showing enormous glee and enjoyment. Now her favorite outdoor sports are swimming and diving.

"Gail is president of her Junior Fellowship group at the First Presbyterian Church. She was in charge of a program recently, writing out her part in Braille and reading it off to the church group.

"Gail is not in the least introverted. She is friendly with everyone and is fun to be around. At home and at school Gail's mobility is remarkable."

*** Reprinted from Florida WHITE CANE BULLETIN
From Tampa Tribune, Tuesday, November 7, 1961:

** Guided by Bells -- Blind Girl Marches with School Band at Miami

MIAMI, Nov. 6 (AP) -- Leah Russell, a member of Southwest Miami High School's band, marches down the football field straight as a soldier, guided by two bells and the ringing courage of her heart.

Blazing floodlights never bring squints to her blue eyes; the floodlights are black to Leah.

"I have only one terrible fear," said Leah, blind for all of her 16 years. "I'm scared ... that sometime I may not hear the sound of the bellplayers ... and I'll go marching off by myself ... all alone ... in the wrong direction. I would be so ashamed."

* Plays Flute

Almost three years ago Leah began studying the flute, painstakingly putting the music into Braille. Last year, her band director, Marvin Mockabee, welcomed her into his 64-member unit.

"As a sitting member only," said Mockabee, "she practiced with us, played in concerts, but I was afraid to try her out as a marcher." Leah said she felt lonely -- sitting out the football game marches -- and finally pleaded to be taught. It was trying and often frightening for Leah. "But her patience and determination almost brought tears to our eyes," Mockabee said.

The "left flanks" and "right flanks" gave the girl more trouble. Then Mockabee conceived the idea of the "bellplayers" guides.

As the band struts down the field, two husky bellplayers pound the big shiny instrument with Leah marching between them.

* Keeps in Line

With the radar-like hearing of the blind, Leah maintains a straight line of march -- the sound of the bells measuring distance for her.

"When the bells stop momentarily, you can see her hesitate," said the band director. "But then the boys whisper, Leah, we're coming to the left flank ... or a right flank ... get ready."

Working alone in her world of darkness, Leah earns a near straight-A average. She does her homework in Braille.

"Some day," she said, "I will become a teacher and perhaps help other boys and girls to march in the dark."

*****

** Book Review

BLINDNESS, What it is, What it does, & How to live with it. Rev. Thomas J. Carroll, Little Brown & Co., Boston, 1961. Reviewed by: C.B. Minner, Ph.D., Educational Director, Oklahoma League for the Blind.

There is no justification for another cursory review of this book. Many have appeared in print, and several of them from various publications have been reprinted in LISTEN, Vol. XIII, No. 4, Dec. 1961. But there is need now for a deeper probe into the book's structure and content in order to pint up the controversial issues on which the author takes positive, forthright positions.

The book appears in four parts; but basically it is two "books" in one. In parts One and Two, constituting one of these "books," the concern is with total, "true" adventitious blindness in adults occurring after appreciable sighted experience. In parts Three and Four, selected topics are discussed with reference to blindness in general. The book must be read and evaluated with these separate "books" kept clearly in mind; otherwise, there is bound to be a blurring of perspective, a confusion of issues.

The first "book" must be read with determined understanding. There is an almost overwhelming invitation to read it with extreme emotionalism. This is its great danger. The unwary general reader and indeed the newly blinded person himself may very easily find his misconceptions and emotionally charged notions about the awfulness of blindness reinforced. It is a relentless elaboration of all the losses which the advent of blindness in adult life can mean, and then a successive indication of how these losses can be mitigated in more or less degree. In my opinion, it is enmeshed too deeply in "the new social theory" in which the individual is "nothing but" the product and the dupe of strangely and strainedly concocted "social forces." (Several other whole books in the field are far deeper in that mire.) And in addition it seems to me that there is a sort of forced or deliberate harshness, a squeezing for the last drop, in this detailed portrayal of every possible loss which blindness can mean. Blindness is a much simpler phenomenon than here portrayed. It becomes complicated only by the complexities of the personality to which it becomes adjunct. Blindness as such easily can be lived with if it is not made awful by extraneous forces; and in my opinion, it is quite possible that this relentless presentation can be one of those forces.

The "book" rests too heavily on the position that when a person loses eyesight there are certain direct, inevitable effects or consequences which have to be named, analyzed, and counteracted, to bring the blind man "back into" normality, society, adequate functioning. Blindness may be, theoretically, a possible 20-fold loss or "20-fold death." But, practically, it is seldom if ever that multiplication of disruption. And only by restricting the focus to suddenly and totally blinded adults can there be even an approach toward justification of the book's major position. As an analysis of possible factors to look for, it is exhaustive and useful; but as a statement of what blindness is of its very nature, the book is too labored, too devastating, too lacking in factual substantiation. Of course, it is true that some blinded persons go all to pieces and have to be put back together again; but that's just because they were the very persons who would; it may very well not be just because they lost their eyesight.

In the other "book," comprising the last third of the volume, the author takes forthright positions on a number of highly controversial issues. Father Carroll can never be accused, as too many of us still can be, of straddling the fence. He chooses sides and plays hard on that side. That's the way it should be as we strive to measure up to his intelligence and human understanding in playing the game. But even so, at many places I find the treatment lacking in the very realism which the volume so strongly advocates generally. Examples are: insurance against blindness of $85.00 per week, elimination of specialized job-training facilities for the blind, shying away from "work where work can be found" in favor of only proper placements, the treatment of workshops, volunteers, the use of the blindfold for visitors, etc. It is good to have such issues raised; but with overemphasis the blindfold, for example, easily could become as obnoxious as the fragrance garden. 

To characterize this book as a whole I find myself wanting a stronger word than stimulating; perhaps it is agitating, disturbing, disconcerting. Its effect is a strong admixture of "yes" and "no." One can always make sensible points on either side of a given issue; you can even make sensible points against going up in an airplane. The book is full of strong and stimulating points of view; but still, at many places, I am left "agitated" by the need to face more realistically facts as they are and are likely to remain for a long stretch of time to come. 

It would take a great many additional words to say all of the good things that are true about this volume and about the stimulating influence of its author. They can be summed up in my absolute conviction that this volume must receive top priority for brailling and recording, and studious reading by the widest public.

*****

** The Greatest Miracle
From Good Shepherd News
Covington, Georgia

It is the greatest miracle of all times. To exist is to be a part of it. It is the privilege of everyone to behold. The improbability of it far exceeds that of any of the miracles reported in the Bible or the most fantastic flights of imagination -- and yet it happens hundreds of times every day. 

A miracle is an occurrence for which there is no scientific or materially rational explanation and by this definition there is no greater miracle than the birth of a human infant. The doctor, biologist, the biochemist know the sequences of events and something of the factors which determine why the child might have grandpa's nose or great-aunt Matilda's square jaw -- or even Uncle Leo's bald head in later years -- but the miniature perfection of each tiny member so exquisitely formed for its specific purpose remains an unfathomable mystery. 

And the life which animates this tiny human being is the greatest mystery of all. The existence of life, even in the microscopic one-cell organism, defies all of the laws of chemistry and physics. Given such a microscopic living organism, what we have learned of evolutionary processes may, to some extent, explain the development of man and all the other multitudinous forms of living creatures -- provided that we accept the intelligent intrusion of divine purpose at appropriate points along the way. 

Suppose that man with al! of his knowledge, intelligence and ability to control natural forces does someday succeed in producing in his test tube something he can call "living." This still would not affect the impossibility of the production of the original living organism in the primordial sea by mere chance chemical association. 

With all our science, with all our knowledge, with all our rational ability we still cannot improve or go beyond this which was written more than a century ago:

Life, I know not what thou art
But know that thou and I must part,
But where and how and why we met
I own to me is a mystery yet.

*****

** To the Ladies

"My face I don't mind it, for I am behind it -- The fellow in front gets the jar." Let's get a good jar of cold cream and give the fellow in front a break. Like a drop of grease on a squeaky motor, a bit of well-placed skin lubrication can make a world of difference. A smile is actually easier as well as prettier when the skin is smooth and supple. Just a few minutes before stepping into bed each night can work wonders -- especially for those who are about to pass that magic margin into the realm of the not-so-young. The most effective schedule goes something like this: after a bit of brisk exercising followed by a warm -- almost hot -- bath, massage a good moisture cream into the face with a gentle circular motion while the face is still warm and damp, then lean way over with the head hanging down and pat the face vigorously all over. Take two good deep breaths before getting into bed and a relaxed night's sleep is almost assured.

And how about that breathing that is supposed to be so natural? Is it? If the wonderful secret of deep breathing hasn't been learned, then another treat is in store. Stand -- or sit at desk, in car, bus or wherever -- but hold shoulders back and head erect. With mouth closed tight, pull in as much air as the lungs can hold and hold it. Then relax in a slump and open the mouth to expel all air. Repeat several times and those taut muscles and tense nerves will feel refreshingly released. Add a bit of stretching -- wa-a-a-ay up, way back, reach out with the arm far to the left and then to the right -- and you'll be glad you did!

*****

** Have You Heard?

The many hundreds of blind persons who have attended conventions of the National Federation of the Blind will be saddened to learn of the death of Wayne Applegate, the beloved former President of the Kansas Association for the Blind, who passed away on October 17 after a lingering illness. His kindly voice and his warm personality will be sorely missed.

Don and Bernadine Cameron of Tampa are enthusiastic and very happy over the acquisition of a tiny girl baby which they adopted early in December.

Mary Jane Hills made her professional debut as a song stylist with a well-known Eastern group called the Blind Artists' Guild at a concert in Elmira, N.Y., on Oct. 26. Later in the season she will appear with this concert group at Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester, and Albany.

Claire Fince, blind member of the Wisconsin Board of Tax Appeals, was conducting a hearing at which one witness occupied the stand for five days. His testimony was very wearisome and much of it irrelevant. On the afternoon of the fifth day, Claire's Seeing Eye dog emitted a low, moaning yawn, and Claire could not resist the temptation to say, "Objection sustained."

It has just been learned that the second of Louisiana's two greatest leaders has passed away. Dr. Gordon Slemmons of Shreveport, former President of the Louisiana Federation of the Blind, died a few days before Christmas. His death occurred less than six months after that of his great friend, Ufemon Segura.

Dean and Donna Sumner, Watertown, South Dakota, have announced the arrival of their fifth son on February 27. The young fellow is named Drew Herbert. Congratulations!

Delbert and Jeannie Aman have moved into their new home, 220 West Second St., Pierre, South Dakota.

Word comes from California that John Hebner, active in the affairs of the Associated Blind of California, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on March 1. He is recuperating nicely and may be addressed at 5157 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, California.

The culmination of still another convention romance comes with the announcement that, on Thanksgiving Day last, Alaric Nichols, President of the Vermont Council of the Blind and a Director of the American Council of the Blind, and Sylvia Burton, Recording Secretary of the Empire State Association of the Blind (New York), became engaged. They plan to be married on May 5. This happy train of events was set in motion when these two met for the first time in Kansas City last July. They will make their home in Bellows Falls, Vermont, where Alaric is employed by the H. Margolin Co.

Charles Lane, blind lawyer, originally from Tennessee, transferred from the Pentagon to the Federal Trade Commission in October, met and married Elizabeth Schnapp, of Coatesville, Pa., on Feb. 17, and is now a GS-9. The Air Force had held him at a GS-5 for the entire period of his stay with that group.

A.L. Archibald, and his employment by the Department of Labor was one of the subjects of discussion by Secretary Goldberg on Jan. 14, during the NBC program "Youth Wants to Know."

*****

** Tragedy Claims Rosario Epsora
By David Krause

News of the tragic death of Rosario Epsora, age 55, long-time leader in the organized blind movement, was carried in an Associated Press report from New York City dated January 20, 1962. While few details are known about the tragedy, the following facts were revealed by the brief newspaper account.

"Rosy," as he was known to his friends, was visiting a former schoolmate, Brown Hilton, in the latter's New York City apartment. Both men were trapped and burned to death when an unexplained flash fire raged through the building. Hilton managed to get within six feet of the outside door, but "Rosy" never escaped from the bedroom.

"Rosy" lived most of his adult life in Baltimore. He was a long-time employee of the Glen L. Martin Aircraft Company and was the regular organist for one of 
Baltimore's largest churches. During his many years of dedicated service as a member and leader of the Maryland Brotherhood of the Blind, he was responsible for bringing about many important social and economic improvements for the blind of his state. Although greatly curtailed in his activities in recent years by a serious heart ailment, he never lost faith or interest in the organized blind movement. As is true of all of us in the American Council of the Blind, he looked upon the formation of this new national organization in Kansas City last summer as a necessary and important step in the cause to which he devoted much of his life. We shall sorely miss him both as a friend and a colleague.

*****

** High Honor Comes to ACB Director Juliet Bindt
From Berkeley, California, Daily Gazette, March 19, under heading "Local Woman Awarded Phi Beta Kappa Membership"

National honors were heaped on Mrs. Juliet King Bindt of this city, a director of the American Council of the Blind, during recent ceremonies at Claremont College ... One of the most distinguished blind women in the entire state, Mrs. Bindt was given Phi Beta Kappa membership as a graduate of Scripps College. Also announced was the formation of a new scholarship to be known as the Juliet King Scholarship, set up at Scripps to be awarded a blind girl. 

Although unable to read since high school freshman days, Mrs. Bindt, with the aid of readers, graduated from Los Angeles High School and Scripps College in 1934 ... She received a social service certificate from the University of California in 1939, and in 1948 she took special training for teachers of the adult blind at the University of Washington. In the late '30s she worked as a social worker for the blind with the Alameda County (California) Welfare Dept. and since then has been employed with the California State Department of Education as a Home Teacher-Counselor for the Adult Blind. ... Ten years ago the Macmillan Co. published the book "A Handbook for the Blind" written by Mrs. Bindt. ... The blind localite has served in many capacities for numerous professional organizations. ... American Association of Workers for the Blind ... selected her as one of the six home teachers to the adult blind in the United States to participate in a research study. ... She was co-founder and charter president of the Western Conference of the Adult Blind ... is also active in National Rehabilitation Assn ... California State Employees Assn. ... East Bay Center for the Blind ... charter president of the Associated Blind of California, Inc., and a past president of the Berkeley Business and Professional Woman's Club ... Although she has no sight at all, this distinguished woman travels by plane, train and bus unaccompanied ... "A person without sight ... must learn to be patient and more observing. He must develop imagination and resourcefulness. He must have courage and a desire to use his abilities for fuller living if he is to have a happy life." ... Mrs. Bindt has not confined her activities to work for the blind. ... She belongs to international relations groups and loves to dance, swim, and play cards. ... Mrs. Bindt was selected for Phi Beta Kappa membership from among thousands of Claremont College graduates. ... She was given the national honor in recognition of her outstanding scholarship record at Scripps and for the later use she has made of her liberal arts education.

*****

** Taylor Resigns NFB Presidency

According to a bulletin recently issued by the National Federation of the Blind, John N. Taylor is resigning from the presidency of that organization. Taylor, who is Assistant Director of the Iowa Commission for the Blind, was elected President of the NFB in July of last year. 

Perry Sundquist, who was elected First Vice-President of the Federation last July, succeeds Taylor as President. Sundquist heads the Division for the Blind in the Department of Public Welfare in California. 

The Chairman of California's Department of Public Welfare is former President of the National Federation of the Blind, Dr. Jacobus tenBroek.

*****

** In Anticipation of NFB Expulsions
A Voice in the Wilderness

To Members of the Executive Committee of the National Federation of the Blind and to All State Presidents from Clyde Ross, President of the Ohio Council of the Blind (Dated November 6, 1961 five days before the NFB Executive Committee meeting): 

The Ohio Council of the Blind approved the Six-Point Supplement to the NFB Affiliate Standards, because they believed that to reject them meant disaffiliation with the NFB. They want a strong National Federation of the Blind. They believe that our difficulties can yet be ironed out. In re-electing me as President, they did so with the request that I use my influence to bring about revisions in NFB policies by persuading the NFB Executive Committee to refrain from expelling affiliates and to get a clear-cut definition of the word "attack." The OCB asks for the deletion of Points Five and Six from the Six Points. Because the NFB convention approved the Six Points, the OCB convention, as a part of the NFB, felt obligated to concur. They are not happy with Points Five and Six. A strong dislike was expressed for the expulsion of state affiliates and of individuals within the state affiliates. Members of the OCB convention and the Executive Board have faith that I can persuade the NFB Executive Committee to see the fallacy in the present NFB procedure.

Members of the Ohio Council of the Blind were in agreement with me in failing to understand how we can strengthen an organization by dismembering it. Therefore, in their behalf, I beseech the NFB Executive Committee to reconsider its policy of tearing NFB to pieces. In the United States, we have a two-party government. In some European countries, we have a multiple-party system. In Russia, you vote for the party in power or suffer the purge. The NFB has asked for the right to organize. At least one of the reasons for this demand was so that we could express our thoughts without reprisal from the agencies. Now my friends, we find the National Federation of the Blind inflicting judgment upon its members as disastrous as any agency could inflict it. 

Now let us turn to logic. If you and I are banned from the organization we helped to develop, the natural reaction for you and for me is to get together to do the thing that we are not allowed to do in the NFB. Hence, we already have the American Council of the Blind. You can either have an opposition party within the NFB or you can have an opposition organization outside of the NFB. I am not on my knees, begging you. I am at my own table, as you, my friends, on November 11th, will be seated at the conference table, trying to reason how we can get back to studying programs helpful to all blind people instead of wreaking vengeance upon each other. 

Along with the Ohio Council of the Blind members, I still maintain that, if I have $5.00 in my pocket that I want to contribute to anybody or to any organization, $5.00 that I have earned with my own labor, the National Federation of the Blind has no right to tell me I dare not contribute to whom I please. I am a Lion. I have never joined the Kiwanis, the Rotarians or the Optimists. Upon investigation, I find that there is no rule in these organizations that would prohibit my being a member of all of them at one time. There are cases where men do belong to two or more of these organizations. I find that, if my employment justified it, I can belong to two or more Labor Unions. I find men belonging to two or more veterans organizations. I find people belonging to two different churches. In the face of these facts, does it make sense for us to tell our members that, if you are caught contributing $5.00 to the American Council of the Blind, you will be expelled from the National Federation of the Blind? Are we organizing a Gestapo?


*****

American Council of the Blind

** Officers

* President:
Ned Freeman
Route 3
Conyers, Georgia

* First Vice-President:
Dean Sumner
1187 Mayfair Drive
Watertown, South Dakota

* Second Vice-President:
David Krause
4628 Livingston Road
Washington, D.C.

* Secretary:
Mrs. Alma Murphey
4103 Castleman Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri

* Treasurer:
Reese Robrahn
408 Columbian Building
Topeka, Kansas

** Directors

Mrs. Juliet Bindt
2709 Derby Street 
Berkeley, California

Mrs. Marie M. Boring 
1113 Camden Avenue 
Durham, North Carolina 

George Card 
605 South Few Street 
Madison, Wisconsin 

A.H. Drake 
Duval Hotel
Tallahassee, Florida

Mrs. Mary Jane Hills 
74 Falstaff Road 
Rochester 9, New York 

Durward McDaniel 
305 Midwest Building 
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 

Alaric G. Nichols 
30 Henry Street 
Bellows Falls, Vermont 

F. Winfield Orrell
5209 Alabama Avenue
Chattanooga, Tennessee

###