The Braille Forum
Volume I October 1962 Number 3

Published Quarterly by the American Council of the Blind

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

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

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

Executive Offices 
RFD 3, Conyers, Georgia

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** 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 ACB news and programs, but its pages will also be available for the free expression of views and opinions. Insofar 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. In controversial matters space will be made available for the presentation of all divergent points of view.

** Notice

The Braille Forum is available in braille, ink-print and on tape. Miss June Goldsmith of 652 East Mallory Avenue, Memphis 6, Tennessee, should be notified of any change of address or of any person desiring to receive the braille or ink-print edition.

The tape edition may be obtained from Mr. Melvin D. Cohen, Tape Library for the Blind, Inc., 94 Broad St. SW, Atlanta 3, Georgia.

Letters and material for publication should be submitted to the Associate Editor nearest you or to President Ned E. Freeman, RFD 3, Conyers, Georgia.

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** Table of Contents

ACB Convention

Invocation

Report of the ACB President, by Ned Freeman

Convention Vignettes, by Ora Howerton

ACB Resolutions

World Council Responds to ACB Resolution

New Federal Welfare Law, by George Card

ACB Board of Directors Meetings

Periodicals Available on Talking Book Records

Low Speed Recordings

Periodicals Available on Tape

Tape Recorders as an Aid to the Blind, by Melvin D. Cohen

Let's Organize a Voicespondence Club, by Jack C. Lewis

Jesse Anderson Chats

Hyde Park Corner, conducted by Earl Scharry

The Challenge of Social Work, by Barbara C. Coughlan

A Superb Record

Progress in Africa

Here and There, with George Card

Amazing Marksman

New Film Stars Blind Actors

ACB Officers and Directors

ACB Constitution and By-Laws

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** ACB Convention

More than one hundred persons gathered at the Pick Mark Twain Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, to attend the first annual convention of the American Council of the Blind on July 14, 15 and 16, 1962. 

Ned E. Freeman, ACB President, delivered the invocation at the opening session on Saturday morning, July 14, and the convention was welcomed by Chester Stoval, Director of Welfare for the City of St. Louis, and by Mrs. Assunta Jackson, President of RITE, the convention host organization. The Saturday morning session also included the report of the Credentials Committee , the reading of the rules recommended by the ACB Board of Directors, the adoption of the convention agenda , the appointment of the Nominating Committee composed of one person from each of the 25 states and the District of Columbia represented at the convention with June Goldsmith acting as Committee Chairman, and the adoption of the portion of the Constitution providing for the election of officers and directors. 

The Saturday afternoon session included discussions on credit unions and Civil Service. The speakers at this session were: William Madden, Director of Education with the Missouri Credit Union League; William Harris, Field Representative with the Illinois Credit Union League; Don Barnhart, Local Representative of CUNA Mutual Insurance Society; and Gardner E. Hart, Director of Selective Placement in the St. Louis Regional Office of the Civil Service Commission. 

The Sunday morning session included the adoption of a portion of the Constitution, the President's report to the convention and the election of officers and directors. A list of the officers and directors will be found elsewhere in this issue.

The Sunday afternoon session was planned as a meeting aimed toward developing an understanding between the American Council of the Blind and other agencies and organizations of and for the blind. Messages were read from the American Association of Workers for the Blind and from the Blinded Veterans Association. Arthur Voorhees, Program Specialist, Vocational and Rehabilitational Services for the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind, discussed the activities of the Foundation. 

The Sunday afternoon session concluded with a debate on unordered merchandise mailings led by Arthur Lown of Atlanta, Georgia. Lown presented a motion that the convention instruct the ACB Board of Directors to terminate its unordered merchandise mailing as soon as possible. At the end of the debate, the motion was defeated. 

The convention banquet was held on Sunday evening, with David Krause of Washington, D.C., acting as Master of Ceremonies. A special award was presented to Congressman Karsten of Missouri for his outstanding service to blind persons in connection with his work on the Missouri-Pennsylvania Dual Aid Plan. The principal speaker at the banquet was John I. Rollings, President of the Missouri State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

The Monday morning session was given to the discussion and adoption of a Constitution and six By-Laws for the ACB.

The Monday afternoon session included reports from the ACB Treasurer, the Audit Committee, the Finance Committee, the Publications Committee and the Public Relations Committee. The membership voted to hold its 1963 convention in Chicago and the 1964 convention in New York City. The report of the Resolutions Committee concluded the Monday afternoon session.

This issue of the Braille Forum carries the Constitution, the By-Laws and the Resolutions adopted at the St. Louis convention. Tapes of the convention may be obtained by writing to president Ned E. Freeman, Rt. 3, Conyers, Georgia.

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** Invocation

Written for the opening of the first Annual Convention of the American Council of the Blind
By the Rev. Dr. Erwin H. Bode

Lord God, Father of eternal grace, Whose spirit pervades all efforts honestly put forth, all designs thoughtfully worked out, we lift our thoughts this morn to express our thanks for life given, favors granted, and opportunities extended. Grant, we pray Thee, that by whatever name we call Thee or though we call Thee by no name at all, every soul here in Thy presence may turn to Thee at the beginning of this venture for cleansing, empowering, and inspiration.

Speak Thou through whatever medium Thou mayest choose and let us Thy children listen attentively and respectfully. Grant to those here in leadership the wisdom which is derived from communion with Thee, and let those who follow and adopt their suggestions be ever aware of the sincerity of purpose of those whom they have selected to direct them. Take from each of us — pride of ability, love of self, demand for honor, and indulgent pettish ways, and grant us to walk in the wisdom which the ages have found to be good, and Thy children have detected to be ageless.

Give to the members of this assembly the wit to work out their problems in harmony and peace, grant them the joy of service readily granted to others because of a higher commitment to Thee, and let the fruits of their labors bring blessings to the many who look to this session for aid and sustenance of every sort.

Beyond the power to speak the needs of all, we lift in secret prayer the intimate wants of our lives in personal character and in inter-relationships. According to the riches of Thy grace, minister Thou to the needs of Thy people. We pray thus in the spirit and the name of the Saviour Who detecting need was ever ready to respond in generous and whole-hearted giving of Himself. Amen.

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** Report of the President 
To the first Annual Convention of the American Council of the Blind
July 15, 1962

My observations of reports of presidents has been that they are for the most part looking backwards, a pointing with pride. I am frequently reminded of the little poem about the firefly: 

The firefly is brilliant, but he hasn't any mind, 
He goes blundering thru the darkness with his headlight on behind. 

You see, the firefly doesn't care where he is going; he just wants to know where he has been. Now this report will be a little different because I am much more interested in where we are going than I am in where we have been. In making progress, the important thing is not so much the speed at which one proceeds, but the direction. If you have a 350-horsepower car and go tearing down the highway at 120 miles an hour just for the sake of going, you are not likely to arrive anywhere -- except at a hospital or cemetery. Let us choose our course, know where we are going and then make progress as we can. 

Earl Nightengale, who is a favorite of mine, mentions in one of his talks that, if a ship captain should take the wheel of his ship and start out of the harbor without a very clear idea as to where he was going and how he was going to get there, he would blunder all over the Atlantic Ocean and maybe out into the Pacific and never get anywhere at all. The direction is the thing that counts. 

In various articles which have appeared in the FREE PRESS and in the FORUM, written by me and by others, we have pointed out what seems to be our philosophy. This is mine, at least, and I believe from talking with you and from correspondence I have had with many of you that this represents a considerable body of opinion in the American Council. We are concerned about blind people, but we are not only concerned about blind people, we are concerned about people. We are interested in furthering not only our own welfare but the welfare of everyone -- the welfare of the country. We don't want to be a selfish special interest group which is concerned only with things that will benefit us materially or directly. There are others who are in a whole lot worse shape than we are, as you know. There are sighted people who need just as much in the way of guidance and training as does any blind person. There are the newly blinded people who are looking to us to show them the way in a new and frightening experience. I am convinced that we as blind people can give help to these as no sighted person can do, no matter how well educated, trained or experienced. This is a people-to-people project. On the local level and on the state level and as individuals we must seek out those who need our help, those who need that friendly hand on the elbow, the confidence that we can give because we have been through this experience. This is, to my mind, one of the most important functions of any blind organization on any level.

We are, of course, concerned with improving the public image of blind people and handicapped people generally. It is important that we get over to the public, and especially to prospective employers, the fact that blind people have many and varied abilities and that it is ability and not disability that counts; that the blind employee is a good employee; that the handicapped employee in general is a superior employee. All of these things, I believe, are much more important than lobbying in Congress and before state legislatures for special privileges and handouts for the blind.

I know that there is a lot of room for improvement in legislation, particularly in some states where the legislation has not kept pace with what is available in other states or permissible under Federal law. Assistance in such matters should be made available by the American Council of the Blind to local and state organizations that need and request this help. This was set forth in our legislative policy printed in the April FORUM and I feel sure the convention will approve that policy.

Speaking of the FORUM, let me say that it has been most heartwarming to Loretta and me -- and I am sure to Marie and Eddie and to Durward -- to hear the wonderful expressions of appreciation for the April FORUM that we have had from you here at the convention as well as through the mail. This first issue of our magazine would not have been possible without many hours of dedicated service by each of those I have mentioned, nor can future issues succeed without the support and backing -- as well as material for publication -- from each of you. Here are two things in the July FORUM, besides the convention agenda, which I would especially recommend to you: an excellent article by Earl Scharry and the report of the meeting of the Board of Directors in Chicago, April 28-29.

The first year of the America Council of the Blind has been a very interesting and, I feel, a productive one. My heartfelt appreciation to all of you for your cooperation and support. May we go forward in the future, all working together, along the course which it is the duty of this convention to establish, remembering always that it is direction and not speed that counts.

*****

** Convention Vignettes
By Ora Howerton

Ned and Loretta Freeman reflect the traditional Old South with quiet dignity and gentle assurance. The ACB is in safe hands. ... Alma Murphey, self-effacing, self-reliant, tireless in service -- an amazing woman. The Cards, George and Darlene -- He, experienced, undramatic, capable, compassionate … a line from Shakespeare seems to fit. "Beware of being in a quarrel, but, being in see to it that thine enemy beware of thee." She, slight, fastidious, charming. ... Love those Scharrys, him and her ... Mary Jane Hills, a bundle of enthusiasm, energy, working round the clock beyond the call of duty. A purple heart for M.J.  ... Kind, lovable Marie Boring. Don't let her soft southern drawling voice mislead you -- her eyes can narrow ... June Goldsmith, someone I should like to know better. … Bud Orrell, alias General Winfield Scott ... To Durward, "It astonishes me how idealistic you can be about this matter and how unrealistic you are about another matter of equal merit." Durward grins, continues pacing back and forth in steps as even and measured as his legal words explains, the matter at hand. ... Paragraph by paragraph, line by line, the new constitution and by-laws for ACB are evolving through discussion, deletion, substitution. ... A voice rich and warm calls, "Point of order." The chair recognizes Irving Selis of New York, "So why does it read 'Total human community'? Doesn't the word 'community' imply human, or do we wish to pointedly exclude all the dogs?" ... The word 'human' was deleted. The reading continues. A controversial point arises, more discussion, clarifications and deletions. ... Relax, Robrahn, you were speaking with a friend at your door in the hotel when a female member-at-large, passing by, exchanged greetings and said she would write you a letter as soon as she returned home. Silence. Above and around your head question marks were doing The Twist. The female giggles softly at your dismay. ... The air conditioning in the committee room was too severe for comfort. Durward, seated in a chair at the window in his customary posture -- one leg over the table -- to further his comfort had wrapped the long window drapery about himself. Aileen, coming hastily into the room and taking note of the ultra comfort in which her spouse was disporting himself, crossed the room to him. Without a word, her hands like little white birds flying in the dark swiftly, silently unfrocked him from the draperies. Durward calmly pursued the discussion. 

*****

** ACB Resolutions

(Following are the pertinent portions of resolutions adopted by the American Council of the Blind at its July, 1962, convention.)

Resolution 62-01. -- BE IT RESOLVED that the American Council of the Blind make every effort possible to assure that more federal funds are made available for eye research and programs for the prevention of blindness and that these grants be distributed to reputable universities, laboratories and physicians dedicated to these objectives. 

Resolution 62-02. -- BE IT RESOLVED that this organization favors amendment of Section 223 (c) (2) of the Social Security Act to clarify the definition of disability in the following respects:

1. To provide that earnings accruing to a disabled individual who qualifies for benefits in other respects shall not be considered as substantial unless they would be considered as excess earnings under the provisions of Section 203 (f) of the Social Security Act; and

2. To provide that a person who has by previous employment demonstrated his ability to engage in substantial gainful activity shall nevertheless not be denied benefits if he is unable to find employment because of his disability;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Committee of the American Council of the Blind be empowered and directed to draft legislation embodying these changes and to work for its introduction into Congress and its passage.

Resolution 62-03. -- WHEREAS, the number of blind teachers employed in residential schools for the blind, in the self-contained classes for the blind, in public schools, in resource classes for the blind, and in regular private and public school classes is steadily increasing throughout the United States, thus demonstrating the public's awareness of the ability of properly qualified blind persons to teach;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that this organization recognizes the importance of maintaining high standards of educational preparation and of careful selection of able persons for the teaching profession in order to continue the successful beginning in this area of professional employment.

Resolution 62-04. -- BE IT RESOLVED that this organization gives its wholehearted and enthusiastic support to the provisions of S. 394, introduced by Senator Jennings Randolph, which would assure the income from vending machines operated in facilities covered by the Randolph-Sheppard Act exclusively to blind operators of vending stands in such facilities;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the American Council of the Blind endorses the provision of this bill providing for the creation of a Presidential Board or Commission to hear and pass upon appeals from authorized state executives who believe that the intent of the law has been violated by a federal department but urges that this provision be broadened so as to extend the right of appeal to blind vending stand operators who have been aggrieved by the action or inaction of a federal department in this respect;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Committee of the American Council of the Blind be authorized to take any action which it may deem expedient to promote the enactment of these measures.

Resolution 62-05. -- BE IT RESOLVED that this organization seek additional appropriations for the Library of Congress to be used for the supplying of braille and Talking books to the United States Office of Information to be distributed in the Mideast and Southeast Asian areas, such braille and Talking books to be of a type which will furnish a true picture of the history of the United States and of the social and economic conditions of the free democratic countries;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Office of Information be urged to obtain appropriate braille and Talking books from all other possible sources, such as any existing surplus supplies in regional libraries and in schools for the blind.

Resolution 62-06. -- BE IT RESOLVED that this organization request Congress to make funds available to provide communicating devices to deaf-blind persons in order to allow them to lead fuller lives.

Resolution 62-07. --  BE IT RESOLVED by the American Council of the Blind, a newly-organized and rapidly-growing nationwide association of blind persons in the United States, that this organization sends cordial greetings to the Executive Committee of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, commends most warmly the achievements of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind during this first decade of its active existence, and salutes the noble aspirations which were embodied in the goals which the World Council has set for itself; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the American Council of the Blind looks forward to the time when this organization will be permitted to participate actively in the splendid work which is being carried on by the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind.

Resolution 62-08. -- BE IT RESOLVED

1. That Congress be urged to amend the law authorizing Talking Book services so as to make it possible for persons suffering from unique visual conditions making it impossible for them to read to have the benefit of Talking Book services; and
2. That the Library of Congress be urged to liberalize its interpretation of the law or its rules and regulations, insofar as possible, so as to accomplish this purpose; and
3. That Congress be urged to appropriate additional funds in order to make it possible to provide this additional service; and
4. That copies of this resolution be sent to the American Foundation for the Blind, the American Association of Workers for the Blind, the American Association of Instructors of the Blind, and other organizations and agencies which might assist the American Council of the Blind in achieving this objective.

Resolution 62-09. -- BE IT RESOLVED that this organization is opposed to merging of the categories of public assistance which would be permitted under the proposed new Title XVI of the Social Security Act included in H.R. 10606 as reported by the Senate Committee on Finance.

Resolution 62-10. -- BE IT RESOLVED that this organization supports the Senate amendment to H.R. 10606 permitting the states to exempt up to $50 a month of earned income in determining the need of aid recipients in the old age assistance category; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the American Council 6f the Blind support legislation in the next session of Congress amending Title XIV of the Social Security Act by extending the exemption of earned income to the category of assistance to the disabled.

Resolution 62-11. -- BE IT RESOLVED that the President of this organization appoint a committee to contact as many deaf-blind persons as possible to learn: first, whether they believe they would benefit by the establishing of generally recognized and legally accepted insignia to indicate deaf-blindness and safeguard its bearer; second, if so, whether they believe that the American Council of the Blind should undertake to have such insignia generally recognized and legally accepted;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this committee report its findings and recommendations to the 1963 convention of this organization.

Resolution 62-12. -- BE IT RESOLVED that the President of this organization appoint a special committee to study the function and operation of sheltered workshops for the blind and that this committee report its findings to the 1963 convention of this organization for its guidance in formulating the policy of the American Council of the Blind on this subject.

Resolution 62-13. -- BE IT RESOLVED that representatives of this organization consult with officials of the United States Post Office Department or, if necessary, seek appropriate legislation, for the purpose of amending the postal laws and regulations to make it possible for individuals to mail reading material on tapes to blind persons without charge.

Resolution 62-14. -- BE IT RESOLVED that this organization prepare and support legislation providing that all state rules and regulations and state plans of operation required by federal laws as a condition precedent to receive federal grants in aid be public record and open to inspection by any citizen.

Resolution 62-15. -- BE IT RESOLVED that this organization whole-heartedly supports the concept of a medical insurance program financed through Social Security funds and that it believes such medical insurance benefits should be available to both aged and disabled recipients of Social Security benefits.

Resolution 62-16. -- BE IT RESOLVED that this organization supports Section 154 of H.R. 10606 as amended by the Senate Committee on Finance, which amends Title X of the Social Security Act to provide that a blind person who has an approved plan for achieving self-support shall have additional income and resources necessary to the fulfillment of such plan disregarded in determining need; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the American Council of the Blind urge Congress to delete from Section 154 of this bill the limitation of this provision to a period of twelve months duration.

Resolution 62-17. -- BE IT RESOLVED that a study be made by this organization of legislative proposals pertaining to vocational rehabilitation which are now pending or which may be introduced in the next session of Congress, including proposals relating to independent living services, federal financial support of workshops, and administrative control, and that the findings of this study be reported to the Board of Directors of the American Council of the Blind for appropriate action.

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** World Council Responds to ACB Resolution

In a letter recently received by Ned Freeman, President of the American Council of the Blind, John Jarvis of London, Secretary-General of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, said in response to a resolution adopted by the ACB at its July convention: "... (We convey) to you on behalf of the Executive Committee our appreciation of the greetings and sentiments expressed in your Council's Resolution 62-07. We are most grateful for your kind message and would ask you to convey to all members of the American Council of the Blind our greetings and the sincere thanks of our Executive Committee and Officers of the W.C.W.B."

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** New Federal Welfare Law
By George Card

H.R. 10606 became Public Law 87-543 after it had been adopted by both houses of Congress and signed by President Kennedy. It contains a number of very important changes.

1. The Federal matching share in the case of the programs for the aged, the blind, and the disabled is increased to twenty-nine thirty-fifths of the first $35 of the average monthly payment per recipient and the maximum for matching is raised to $70 on a permanent basis effective October 1, 1962. The former formula had been four-fifths of the first $30 with a maximum of $66.

2. Beginning September 1, 1962, the new law authorizes 75 percent Federal matching in all public assistance titles for certain services to be specified by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, including services to help applicants and recipients attain self-care (old-age assistance); self-support and self-care (aid to the blind and disabled); and to strengthen family life (aid to dependent children).

3. States will be allowed to operate programs for the aged, blind, and disabled under a single plan.

4. In determining need for aid to the blind a state must, in addition to exempted amounts ($85 a month in earnings plus half of the balance) exempt such other amounts of income and resources as may be necessary to fulfill a state-approved rehabilitation plan for a blind individual. Such an additional exemption cannot exceed a period of 12 months.

5. The provision of the 1950 amendments, which granted an exemption to certain aid to the blind programs in effect at that time (Missouri and Pennsylvania) from the income and resources test of Federal law, is placed on a permanent basis.

The provision consolidating the categories (Title XVI) was opposed by most agencies for and organizations of the blind and many fear that it may result in such a scrambling of services that the blind -- who constitute almost a negligible minority -- may suffer a tremendous setback.

Now that the Missouri-Pennsylvania exemption has been made permanent, it is hoped that this will permit other states to adopt more liberal, wholly state-financed programs similar to those now approved in these states.

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** ACB Board of Directors Meetings

The Board of Directors of the American Council of the Blind held three meetings during the time of the July, 1962, convention. The first of these meetings was held on Friday evening, July 13, prior to the opening of the convention on Saturday morning. At this meeting the Board of Directors took the following action:

1. Instructed that the Credentials Committee report to the convention should include the names of all ACB members in attendance. 

2. Instructed that the President should appoint one member from each state represented at the convention to serve on the Nominating Committee. 

3. Directed that the Board of Directors should serve as the Rules Committee at this first convention, with the following rules recommended to the convention: Members must wear identifying badges at all sessions of the convention. Any speaker wishing the floor must state his name when addressing the chair. Everyone may make or second motions, place names in nomination and vote. During debate on a given question no speaker will be permitted more than one speech until everyone has had an opportunity to express himself. First speeches on any given question will be limited to five minutes and second speeches to one minute. 

4. Adopted agenda for recommendation to the convention.

5. Decided to leave to the in-coming Board of Directors decisions on matters related to the greeting card mailings, namely, the drafting of the appeal letter and the choice of a receiving station for the mail.

The second meeting of the ACB Board of Directors was held on Sunday evening, July 15, following the banquet. This was a joint meeting of the retiring members and the in-coming members of the Board of Directors. At this meeting the Board of Directors took the following action:

1. Approved the appointment of George Card as National Membership Chairman.
2. Instructed the Treasurer to prepare application forms for membership in the ACB. 
3. Appropriated $250.00 for the President's expenses.
4. Discussed the editorship of the Braille Forum. $100.00 per issue was appropriated to be used by the editor for defraying the expenses of preparing the magazine. 
5. Approved an appeal letter to be used in the greeting card mailings.
6. Authorized the Finance Committee to any negotiations with the fund-raiser in connection with fall mailings of greeting cards. 
7. Instructed ACB Treasurer, Reese Robrahn, to arrange for the receiving and opening of mail from the greeting card sales.

The third meeting of the ACB Board of Directors was held on Monday afternoon, July 16, immediately following the close of the convention. The Board of Directors took the following action:

1. Ratified all actions taken at the joint meeting on the previous evening. 

2. Approved a proposal that the Braille Forum can be used to circulate reports on meetings of the ACB membership and Board of Directors in complying with the requirement in the ACB By-Laws that the Secretary send to each ACB member a summary of all official actions taken at such meetings.

3. Instructed the President to appoint a committee of two persons to work with the Secretary in reviewing the minutes before releasing them, since the report of official actions of the membership and the Board of Directors must be made to the members before the minutes can be approved at the succeeding meetings. Marie Boring and Mary Jane Hills were appointed to this committee.

4. Instructed the President to appoint a committee to advise and help promote the formation of credit unions among ACB affiliates. Durward McDaniel was appointed to serve as Chairman of this committee.

5. Directed that the registration fee at the convention be used to pay for the plaque presented to Congressman Karsten and to reimburse RITE for a portion of its expenditures incurred as convention host.

6. Approved the appointment of the following committee chairmen: Legislative Committee, Paul Kirton; Public Relations Committee, David Krause.

*****

** Periodicals Available on Talking Book Records

According to an August 31 announcement by Alfred D. Hagle, Reference Librarian, Division for the Blind, Library of Congress, current issues of the following periodicals, on talking book records, are available to legally blind persons on free loan directly from the nearest Regional Library for the Blind:

American Heritage (bimonthly) 33 1/3 rpm
Articles on American history, culture and civilization

Braille Technical Press (monthly) 16 2/3 rpm
Electronics and amateur radio

Christian Record Talking Machine (quarterly) 33 1/3 rpm
Religious periodical from Christian Record Benevolent Association, Lincoln, Nebraska

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (monthly) 33 1/3 rpm
A selection of mystery stories

Holiday (monthly, beginning with the December, 1962, issue) 16 2/3 rpm
Travel, touring, historic places and events

John Milton Recorded Sunday School Lessons (quarterly) 33 1/3 rpm

John Milton Talking Book Magazine (quarterly) 33 1/3 rpm
Religious periodicals from John Milton Society, New York

New Outlook for the Blind (monthly, except July and August) 16 2/3 rpm
Articles of interest to professional workers for the blind

News of the Week in Review (weekly) 16 2/3 rpm
From the Sunday New York Times

Newsweek Talking Magazine (weekly) 16 2/3 rpm
Recording of the well-known news magazine

Reader's Digest (monthly) 16 2/3 rpm

Senior Citizen (monthly) 33 1/3 rpm
Articles of interest to the aging

*****

** Low Speed Recordings

From the ABC DIGEST (Calif.): Beginning in January, 1963, all Talking Books will be issued on ten-inch, 16 2/3 rpm records. All new juvenile titles are now being recorded at that speed. THE READER'S DIGEST has announced their change to the new speed effective with the July, 1962, issue, and the State Library has already sent the machine agencies the names of all READER'S DIGEST borrowers with one-speed machines. They will recall these machines and exchange them for two-speed models. All one-speed machines will be exchanged as rapidly as possible. Those using their own phonographs may use adaptors if they do not have the slow speed already. Since books recorded at the slower speed will cost less than the old type, more titles can be made available.

*****

** Periodicals Available on Tape

According to an August 31 announcement by Alfred D. Hagle, Reference Librarian, Division for the Blind, Library of Congress, the following periodicals on magnetic tape are available from the Division for the Blind of the Library of Congress:

Atlantic Monthly (monthly)
Nonfiction articles on a variety of subjects, fiction, humorous essays, poems, and book reviews

Changing Times (monthly)
Articles of general interest to consumers on ways to save money, economic outlook, education and job opportunities

Current (monthly)
Reprints of articles and speeches on physical and social science, national and international problems

Foreign Affairs (quarterly)
Political science and government, with emphasis on foreign policy

Galaxy (bimonthly)
Science fiction stories

Harper's Magazine (monthly)
Articles on politics, science, personalities, art, finance, business and literature; reviews of current books

Kenyon Review (quarterly)
Articles, stories, verse, and reviews of current books; for the advanced student of literature

Personal and Guidance Journal (monthly, October through May)
Q S T (monthly)
Selected articles and information of interest to amateur radio enthusiasts

Social Work (quarterly)
Articles of interest to social and caseworkers

*****

** Tape Recorders as an Aid to the Blind
By Melvin D. Cohen

(Ed. Note: Melvin D. Cohen is with Tape Library for the Blind, Inc., and provides the tape edition of this magazine.)

I consider myself to be a sighted friend of the blind. I am also an amateur tape recordist. For the last several years I have engaged in the pursuit of my hobby in the service of the blind to the mutual benefit of both of us.

For those who are not familiar with the instrument, let me explain in simple language just what a tape recorder is, what it will do and what it cannot do. Basically, a tape recorder is an amplifier combined with a mechanical transport system for drawing the tape across the recording head. As a buddy of mine in the TV repair service calls it, it is a radio with a meter on top. So, to the uninitiated it may seem like a complicated instrument. Actually, it is very simple, and you don't have to be an electrical engineer to use one. It will record speech from a mike or music, etc., from a radio or TV and reproduce it whenever you like simply by replaying the tape; and, when you are tired of the material, you can erase the tape simply by re-recording on the same tape. The tape can be recorded, played and then re-recorded almost indefinitely, making it a very inexpensive means of entertainment and education of the blind.

Now, is this just a toy, or is it something of real value to you? Let me explain some of the things that are possible with this instrument, and then you decide.

Since a tape recorded on one machine will play on another, it is possible to use a small reel of tape as a means of communication between yourself and anyone else who has a recorder. You thus talk a letter to family or friends, no matter where they might be. The same tape is sent back and forth, carrying the message both ways, the previous signal being erased when the new one is recorded. The tape will last for years, and you can talk for about 30 minutes for around 5 cents worth of postage. There are tape recording clubs where people who want to swap tapes can exchange conversation, music, readings, etc. I'll have more to say about such clubs further on.

In addition to using the machine for correspondence or for recording of free music from other people's records or from the radio, there is more and more reading material available on tape. Many organizations, including the Library of Congress, are recording books on magnetic tape. You might well wonder why this is necessary, since the Talking Book records are still going strong. For one thing, not everything can be recorded on Talking Book records or in braille. Both of these processes are comparatively costly and consume a lot of time; so the material presented in these two forms must be carefully selected. Tape, on the other hand, is a simple process, since the principal recording material (the tape) can be salvaged and used again and again. Thus, many things that were not available in the past in braille or on Talking Book records are now becoming available on tape. Besides the Library of Congress, the Philadelphia Library, Science for the Blind at Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, the Tarver Memorial Library, Noel, Viginia, and the Tape Library for the Blind, Atlanta, Georgia, all have material recorded on sound tape. Religious material is available from the Gospel Tape Library, Walker, Iowa. No one would ever suggest that taped material should ever supplant the Talking Book records of the Library of Congress, but this material complements it. "Gone With the Wind" didn't put "The Saturday Evening Post" out of business; and, in the same way, taped material is not in competition with the braille publications or the Talking Books. 

Also, for the many people who lose their sight late in life, the learning of braille is a difficult process, while learning to use a tape machine is fairly simple and brings immediate enjoyment.

Also, many of the tape clubs provide numerous services for their blind members. One such club -- the Voicespondence Club of Noel, Virginia -- has a service committee who look after the needs of any handicapped member. They will find an individual reader for an individual blind person. They try to match people of similar interests. In this way, not only does the blind person get any specialized material he may desire, but both he and the sighted reader enjoy the process together. I have had the pleasure of helping a couple of blind people secure their amateur radio operator's license, as well as helping another blind person pass his civil service exam. From the sighted person's viewpoint, I not only gained information I might not have otherwise obtained, I also had the satisfaction of knowing I did these people a personal service they might not have had otherwise; and all of them are now close personal friends.

Just how valuable a tape recorder would be to you, only you can decide. I know that hundreds of blind people have these machines and are getting a lot of enjoyment from them.

Should you decide such a machine would be useful to you, please don't make the mistake of buying the cheapest one available. Like everything else in this world, you usually get what you pay for. You can get an electric machine for as little as fifty dollars, but advice is to steer clear of them. Expect to pay from $100 to $200 for a serviceable machine. And keep away from stereo and quarter-track machines until you have become experienced in the art of tape recording. I think stereo is fine for the music lover who has some technical skill, but for the beginner who gets tangled up with the two-channel system before he can handle a single channel, it usually is enough to discourage the man for life. So, it is my opinion that a beginner should get a monaural dual-track machine in the medium-price range.

Anyone who wants more information than can be presented in this brief article may write me, and I will be happy to give any further information desired.

It is my opinion that, next to the invention of braille, and the typewriter, the tape recorder is the most useful invention for the blind.

*****

** Let's Organize a Voicespondence Club
By Jack C. Lewis

(Ed. Note: Jack Lewis of Atlanta, Georgia, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina. He is currently employed as field manager for the Mableton Construction Company of Atlanta. He is President of the Alumni Association of the Georgia Academy for the Blind of Macon, Treasurer of the Georgia Federation of the Blind and Georgia Membership Chairman for the American Council of the Blind.)

If the American Council of the Blind is to be truly representative of its members, then it is necessary that the rank-and-file of this organization be given ample opportunity to express their views as well as that they be kept informed on matters pertaining to the interest of the blind.

Very few organizations deteriorate because of external forces, but rather because of complacency within the organization. To guard against such a tragic mishap, channels must be kept open so that our members can not only express their opinions but can also play an active part in influencing policy-making decisions. The ACB has numerous enthusiastic members who are unable to attend national conventions, either because of financial reasons or because of conflict in schedule. No doubt these conscientious members could render unlimited service to ACB if the appropriate opportunity were presented to them. The proposal I have in mind would not only encourage active participation by the rank-and-file in the organization, but it would also provide a recreational and social outlet to ACB members.

A Voicespondence Club within the American Council of the Blind would be a major step toward insuring and activating the enthusiastic participation of its members. Compiling a list of participants, stating their addresses, occupations, hobbies, interests and other pertinent information would enable ACB members to intelligently select tape pals who share similar interests. This Voicespondence Club would likewise open the way for a tape library which would enable blind persons to receive pertinent data which would contribute immensely to their education.

Tape recorders can be purchased from many organizations for the blind throughout the country. Some of these agencies work out reasonable monthly payments. Such an investment would be an investment in the American Council of the Blind. 

If you are interested in this worthwhile project, I suggest that you write to the editor of the Braille Forum. Your letters requesting prompt action on this project should contribute much to ensure its success. I would like to know more of you better. I hope to be talking with you soon.

*****

** Jesse Anderson Chats

(Reprinted from May, 1962, New Messenger, Salt Lake City, Utah.)

In our March issue I talked about the value of giving and mentioned that everyone, regardless of status or station, has something to give. To carry this theme a bit further, I wonder sometimes whether we as blind people have not become "takers" rather than "givers." In other words, have we not confused the word "service" with the words "serve us?" We appeal to legislatures, the national Congress and society to accept us as normal citizens. Are we really consistent and can we blame our sighted friends for being somewhat confused? The right to organize is certainly important, but the right to get and keep a job is even more so. 

We who are blind have come a long way in the past 50 years. We have gained much in the way of social acceptance and in achieving. But we have only made 
a beginning. 

A friend of mine in a nearby state recently applied for a state civil service examination for the position of counsellor in the state employment service. The head of the state merit system council said that there was no reason for him to take the examination, because the job in question was not in the field of work for the blind. This was the sole cause for the denial, and the other qualification s of the applicant were not even considered. I need not dwell on this case, because I know that some of you have had similar experiences. The easy way is to accept such denials and to continue to be wards of the nation and the state. But, for our own sakes and that of future blind per sons who will follow us, we must make the effort to overcome the prejudices and get the jobs. But, to succeed in these matters, we as blind people should properly orient our own attitudes and decide where we are going. Society has tended to rate us as either geniuses or village idiots without a middle ground. In many instances, we are responsible for these attitudes. I believe that the best approach to social acceptance and community status (economic and otherwise) is to face our various problems as individuals who happen to be blind, rather than to belligerently demand certain rights and privileges because we are blind. 

One could go on for pages on this subject, but this is not my purpose. I merely wished to share a few of my thoughts on this subject with you. How do you feel about it?

*****

** Hyde Park Corner
Conducted by Earl Scharry

The Spirit of St. Louis. At St. Louis, last July, the groundwork was laid for a new kind of organization of the blind -- one that is designed to be sensitive to and responsive to the will of its membership at all times. We believe that the constitution and by-laws which were hammered out are admirably suited to the achievement of that type of organization. Yet we know from experience that a constitution and by-laws cannot in themselves ensure a democratic and representative organization. Of equal importance are the vigilance and integrity with which we defend these provisions and the spirit in which we apply and interpret them. How excellent and significant this organization will become will depend upon what each of us does from here on to make it excellent and significant.

We are reminded of an incident which occurred while Benjamin Franklin was U.S. ambassador to France. A French scientist was conducting an experiment with a balloon. It was a pretty primitive experiment by present-day standards of space travel, but Franklin, with his all-encompassing curiosity, was observing it with rapt attention. A man standing next to him commented skeptically, "But of what use is a balloon?" Franklin turned to him with the rejoinder, "Of what use is a new-born baby?"

Like the primitive balloon experiment and the new-born baby, no one can foretell at the outset how useful this new organization may become. It all depends on how it grows and develops -- on how we make it grow and develop.

We have proclaimed our intention to make ACB a democratic organization. This means of course that it must be responsive to the will of the majority. But what we sometimes forget is that protection of the rights of minorities is as much a part of democratic traditions as is the ascendancy of the majority. Today's majority must not be allowed to tyrannize over today's minority, which may be tomorrow's majority. To make our organization responsive to the will of its membership, we must ensure that that will has the opportunity to respond to the ever-shifting currents at work in the open market of popular opinion. We must give our minorities the right to promote their views, as well as giving the majority the right to implement its views.

It was for this reason that to this (not wholly disinterested) observer, the incident which best revealed the spirit of St. Louis and what we hope will continue to be the spirit of ACB was the Sunday afternoon debate on fund-raising. This debate was precipitated by a group who objected to the use of the unordered merchandise method of fund-raising. The Board had already rejected their views by the decisive vote of 11-2, and they were therefore most decidedly a minority group — what in stormier days might have been called a "disgruntled few." In the vote which followed the debate they were again decisively defeated. Yet there was no ignominy in their defeat. They had expressed without inhibition and with ardor and skill the convictions which they felt on this subject.

Again we are reminded of an anecdote. A little boy was suffering from a painful ear infection and had to be examined by a specialist. He put up such a battle that the specialist needed the help of two assistants and was completely exhausted when it was all over. He presented the little fellow with a bonus of two lollipops instead of the customary one and explained, "Son, this isn't for being a good boy, but for putting up such a damn good fight."

It is not necessary here to assess the merits of the fund-raising debate. The important thing is that throughout the debate no suggestion was made that the prior vote had settled the question irrevocably or that it was disloyal to question the decision, and there was no hint of punitive measures. As long as this spirit of open-mindedness prevails in our organization there will be no danger of its policies congealing into a rigid party line. Our minorities will remain to contribute to the growth of the organization as valued members, and there will be no risk of disintegration.

Sound Off. As has been stated before in this column, readers are cordially invited to share our platform and express their views with candor. So far, there hasn't been
a stampede to climb aboard, but with this issue we are pleased to present our first Corner contributor. She is Mary Walton of El Dorado, Kansas, and her own words are her best credentials. Though she expresses her ideas entertainingly and lucidly, we would guess that there might be those who would arrive at a different conclusion, which they might be stimulated to express. Her comments follow:

"I wonder if it has ever occurred to anyone else that the blind are just about the world's noisiest people? A deaf-blind man finds he cannot use Teletouch for communication with his hearing friends because others in the home in which he resides object to the noise made by the machine. But we who hear have our problems along this line, too. I never realized this till about ten years ago, when I was in college. Having grown up in a school for the blind, where one is literally engulfed in sound from morn till night, I had never given a thought to the fact that noises we had come to take for granted could be disturbing to others. The rising bell -- and in those days take it was not the automatic electric monotone you hear everywhere now, but a big dinner bell that pealed forth with a loud ding-dong that could be heard for blocks -- went off at 6:15 a.m. and was rung at regular intervals until 10:00 p.m. As small children we were a noisy, boisterous lot, despite all the efforts of matrons and teachers to tame us, and made a good deal of racket, not only in play, but even in ordinary conversation. As small children our dorm was upstairs over the music hall, where people practiced at all hours of the day; and when we grew older it was up over the typing room and the offices, and down in the basement were the kitchen and dining rooms, with their constant clatter of dishes. And in the classrooms there was always a hum of activity, such as one would find in any classroom, with the addition of the swish of braille pages and the clicking of many slates. 

"Having grown up in such a world of sound, it was a real shock to learn that the little bit of noise I made could disturb anyone. When, at times, it was necessary for me to take notes in chapel programs, I was forced to leave my accustomed seat for one under the balcony because the sound of my slate and stylus made it difficult for my neighbors to hear the speaker. I had one class in which there was only one other member; but, though there was a typewriter in the classroom, I had to take my examinations in another part of the building because the noise of my typing interfered with my classmate's concentration on the answers. I not only studied with a reader, but relied heavily on the talking book for much of my material -- and never had a roommate after the first semester. I have always been a great one to read in bed; but I have found it is impossible for me even to curl up quietly with a book without making a little noise -- fingers running across a Braille page and the turning of the heavy pages I was told interfered with my roommate's slumbers. And it goes without saying that, with those of us who snore, our hapless roommates are not even allowed to enjoy a bit of silence when we sleep! The story is pretty much the same with those who use Braille writers, even the new, quieter ones; and, advertisers to the contrary, there is no such thing as a wholly noiseless typewriter. No doubt there are many other things that make up the aura of noise surrounding a blind person.

"What to do about it? Set the engineers to work trying to make the appliances we use every day less noisy? Isolate ourselves from others during those times when we must make the most noise? Insist on inflicting our nearly illegible handwriting on everyone with whom written communication is required, so that no one will be disturbed by the noise of slate, Brailler or typewriter? No, none of these seem feasible solutions to any part of our problem, for researchers in the field of electronics are even now working on devices which, if and when perfected, will enable us to read print and travel more unerringly -- and all of them that I have ever heard demonstrated get their information across to us by sound. So it would seem that science is trying to make things even noisier for those who would have to live with us. So perhaps the best and 'soundest' solution to our problem would be to include in our public education campaign a fact that I have never heard mentioned anywhere in such releases as 'What-to-Do-When-You-Meet-A-Blind-Person' leaflets -- that those who would live and work with blind people must be prepared to learn to live with a certain amount of noise they would not otherwise encounter."

*****

** The Challenge of Social Work
By Barbara C. Coughlan
Director of the Nevada State Welfare Department

(From the January NEW OUTLOOK FOR THE BLIND)

"... A budget director may see social work as a 'giveaway' program; a believer in a strict laissez-faire policy may see it as 'do-gooderism' practiced by a group of 'starry-eyed idealists'; still another may see it as a step toward the welfare state, socialized medicine, and a host of other evils. ... One view of the profession was expressed recently by a reporter when he asked a girl who had won a beauty contest why she had chosen such an 'unattractive' profession as social work for a career. 

"… The first principle of social work is the right to self-determination. Experience has shown that no matter how desirable a given course of action may be, it will not work unless the client chooses it freely himself. ... It takes the highest degree of self-discipline on the part of the worker to remember that the greatest help he can give to the client is to assist him to see his problem, whether it be emotional, economic or social, in the most realistic light possible. ... The social worker must acquire the skills which will enable him to lead his client (not pressure him) into a pattern of responsible social action, based upon the client's newly perceived insight into himself and his relationship with those around him. The social worker must believe in the worth and dignity of the individual. ... It is the role of the social worker neither to condemn nor judge the client, nor in any way take away from his feelings of self-respect. ... The client cannot deal effectively with his own problems if he is fearful, hostile, or anxious. 

"... Social work certainly has much to offer in connection with teaching the adult blind. ... There is a positive value if the home teacher himself is blind, provided that he has made a satisfactory adjustment to his own problems, since this facilitates the feeling of acceptance. ... Any plan arrived at has a better chance of success if it is one in which the blind person has participated. Nothing is more futile than referring a blind client for vocational rehabilitation if he has unresolved feelings about whether he is capable of becoming wholly or partially independent. ... Obviously, the individual cannot move into a plan for vocational rehabilitation if he has not accepted his loss of vision as something he has to live with from now on. ..."

*****

** A Superb Record

(From the Oakland, California, ORIENTATION CENTER ALUMNI NEWSLETTER)

Ten years ago the Oakland (Calif.) Orientation Center for the Adult Blind opened its doors to a blind student. Set up by a 1951 Act of the Legislature as a pilot program to find more effective ways of meeting the needs of the blind of California, the Center has been responsible for the growth and development of a new approach to the problems of blindness. The learning of physical skills that make it possible for a blind person to compete with his sighted peers is of prime importance. Of even greater importance are the psychological aspects which have made it possible, in a comparatively short time, to return many blinded individuals to their homes well on the way to complete economic and social independence. Our Administrator, Mr. Allen Jenkins, who because of his years of experience with blindness itself and his great understanding of the real problems involved, can, better than anyone else, explain the basic philosophy upon which the Orientation Center was founded. He says: 

"Blindness is no respecter of persons. Its victims are not specially selected for good or evil; rather, blindness is something which occurs at random, striking the just and the unjust, the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the genius and the imbecile, but for the most part, it occurs to just ordinary people. It is something which, by definition, strips its victims of eyesight but not of humanity, for the blind person basically is the same person after blindness as before, having the same talents, aspirations, feelings and drives; in short, possessing all those qualities which every human being possesses and, at the same time, retaining those characteristics and quirks which make each of us identifiable as an individual. 

"In other words, the blind are people. They have every kind of need and difficulty that one usually finds among ordinary people and, in addition, there are some problems which arise from blindness that require special attention. These problems basically are of two kinds, physical and social. ... Since every phase of living is centered around eyesight, the blind person necessarily must make a number of radical adjustments in his mode of living. In our time, changes are pretty well systemized and readily taught. They consist of such things as Braille, typing, travel training and the like. With these, the loss of sight is no longer an overwhelming loss but rather one which can largely be offset by such alternatives as mentioned above. 

"'In addition to the physical aspect of blindness, there is a sociological one which is at once more subtle and more serious. This problem is not a direct consequence of the loss of sight. It is not inherent in blindness; but rather is a consequence of the attitudes, beliefs, superstitions and misconceptions which people generally hold about the meaning of blindness -- namely, that blindness is far more than the loss of sight; that it is the loss of mobility, intelligence and emotional stability, that the blind person is doomed to live out his days in idleness, loneliness and dependency. To overcome this phase of blindness, training alone is not enough. There must be stimulation and encouragement of the victim of blindness so that he overcomes the image of the helpless blind man, and substitutes in its stead a new and constructive self-image in which he pictures himself as a human being in the full sense of the word. Once this is accomplished, he will then be able to hold his head high. He will be capable of meeting and assisting in overcoming the obstacles that have been placed in his way and thus go on and make for himself a full and rewarding life.

"... 1962 finds OCB a veritable hive of activity, a waiting list of anxious applicants and plans for a new school that will accommodate twice as many students as are now enrolled. 

"The activities of our alumni in the fields of employment demonstrate forcefully the effectiveness of the psychological climate which surrounds all students who attend the Center. Each is encouraged to develop self-determination, self-discipline and self-responsibility. The more mature individual soon grasps the idea and dares to plan and explore the possibility of returning to the same job he had before he lost his sight, regardless of the seeming impossibility of such action. ... Many Orientation Center students, blind since birth, are inspired by the success stories of employed blind people they hear about while attending the Center and decide that the y too will prepare themselves for responsible positions. At the present time there are at least thirty alumni attending college, working toward law degrees, teaching credentials, degrees in social welfare, or taking stenographic courses. Eight of the thirty-six blind teachers in the public schools of California have attended the Orientation Center, three alumni have full time jobs in social welfare, two are Home Teacher-Counselors, one is a teacher in an orientation center for the blind in another state. All are self-supporting, contributing members of their communities.

"... Since most of the instruction is individualized, the student usually decides when he is ready to leave. Average length of time is six and one-half to seven months. ..."

The article contains enthusiastic letters from 43 graduates who have made outstanding successes in their subsequent careers. Here is the one written by Miss Onvia Ticer, famous blind teacher in the public schools of San Leandro, California:

"It is difficult to put into words just what the Orientation Center has meant to me. If I could point to any one thing that has been outstanding, I feel it has been the wholesome attitude which surrounded me in those first few months when I was exploring ideas and techniques which would help me to regain my economic independence. Until I attended the Center, I did not know it was possible to continue in my profession as a teacher. Once I was aware of that, I felt sure that I would return to the classroom. The information I gathered and techniques I learned at the Center proved to be the background I needed to begin work all over again. I just hope that the next ten years of the Orientation Center will be as far reaching in this state and nation to the lives of blind persons as the first ten years have been. With the many success stories of alumni from all over the state, the real proof of the value of the Center becomes more apparent each year."

*****

** Progress in Africa

From the CANADIAN COUNCIL BULLETIN: "Listening skeptically, the witch· doctor threw a challenge at the slight Englishman discussing blindness among the tribe's children. 'What can you do that we can't?' the old African asked, after nonchalantly conjuring a toad out of his assistant's ear. John Wilson, with a flourish, removed his glass eye, and remained indisputably one up on the witch doctor. 'Actually, I hate doing this sort of thing, playing on African fears of magic, but sometimes it seems the only way to get things across,' said the Director of the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind. In this witch doctor's area, Luapula in Northern Rhodesia, one grownup in forty-five and one child in thirty is blind. Cause of their blindness remained a mystery until Society workers discovered it was the witch doctors' attempt to protect against measles, a relatively new disease in Africa. An herbal concoction they put in infants' eyes proved so strong, when analyzed in the laboratory, that it charred a matchstick.

"The RCSB is determined to grapple with this appalling state of affairs. The Society believes that two mobile clinics operating over three or four years could give about 100,000 eye treatments at an approximate cost of 3s. a head. Plans for an emergency sight-saving and sight-restoring exercise in this area are now being discussed with government authorities on the spot. Money will be needed, but the RCSB is confident that it will be found. Only a few years of concentrated effort is needed to reduce blindness in this region to normal proportions. 'I think the witch doctors will accept it, so long as they can take credit for the cure. After all, these chaps don't want to blind the children, they simply don't have anything better to use,' said Mr. Wilson. ...

"The kind of job the Commonwealth Society can do is demonstrated by its experience in Ghana. River blindness, correctly known as onchocerciasis, is spread by the 
simulium fly which breeds in fast flowing water. In Northern Ghana there are villages where one person in ten is blind. Villagers can be seen planting crops along guiding fences of bamboo stocks and feeling their way along ropes down to the river. The disease, causing blindness in almost all those bitten by the fly, affects a great crescent of Africa running from the northern edge of West Africa down into Central Africa and up in the east to the so-called Country of the Blind in Kenya. 

"In 1952 the fly was found breeding on the great reservoir above the Volta River dam, with danger that new hydroelectric power schemes would carry the fly-borne disease south into new areas and cities. Studies showed the fly could breed only for 28 days in the year and how it could be wiped out with insecticides. Now the Ghana government has taken over this fly control as a major health scheme. 

"Blind persons in Africa are sometimes treated with almost mystical reverence, because the Koran says the blind are blessed by Allah. Elsewhere, blindness 'is considered a first-class reason to pinch a chap's watch.' Sometimes blind infants may be abandoned in the bush to die. In other cases, a woman will trudge 200 miles through the bush to get eye drops for her baby. 

"Trachoma, which affects 50,000, 000 people all over the world according to World Health Organization statistics, can also be brought under control. In one African 
study a long-acting sulfa drug given to 45,000 children brought the rate down from 40 percent to 8 percent. Now that the trachoma virus has been isolated, work is going ahead on a vaccine, to be used experimentally this year in Gambia, West Africa."

*****

** Here and There
With George Card

An article in the March NEW OUTLOOK points out that the law in Israel, which compels employers to hire no less than five percent of workers who are physically handicapped, specifically exempts the blind. This, of course, reinforces the popular notion that the blind are unemployable. 

From LISTEN (Feb.): "An eight-week strike by blind workers at the Lighthouse for the Blind, St. Louis, Mo., has ended with both the workers and the Lighthouse agreeing to the appointment of an arbitration board to attempt to settle their differences. The strike, called to gain recognition of Local 160 of the AFL-CIO Leathergoods, Plastics and Novelty Workers Union, began last Nov. 20 when approximately half of the 80 employees did not report for work and established a picket line at the Lighthouse. ... The President of the Lighthouse Board was quoted as saying, 'To recognize the union would not accomplish a thing except to take money out of the workers' pockets for union dues.' ..."

"What is said to be the only hole-in-one ever achieved by a blind golfer was scored by Charles Tooth, 57, of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Hamilton, Ontario, who sunk the hole-in-one on a 167-yard hold at the Pasadena Golf Course, according to an A.P. dispatch." ... "Even though there are White Cane Laws on the books, the blind pedestrian should not consider the cane as a magic wand which will automatically stop cars, buses and trucks in their tracks. All pedestrians should treat traffic with respect and patience. ... Gradually new cane travelers realize that perhaps they are not attracting as much notice as they originally believed, and that people tend to look up to them with admiration. People who regularly travel with the use of a cane concern themselves little if any as to whether people are looking at them or not. Rather than a badge of blindness, the cane is a symbol of emancipation." ...

1962 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Workers for the Blind, of St. Louis. This organization, which is ow a chapter in the Missouri Federation of the Blind, was one of the seven charter members of the NFB in 1940. It will hold a gala banquet this fall as a climax to its year-long celebration.

Dr. Robert Fletcher, blind chiropractor of Kalamazoo, Mich., and former President of the Michigan Federation of the Blind, died on May 1, as the result of smoke inhalation during a fire at his residence. Dr. Fletcher was a familiar figure at NFB national conventions between 1944 and 1958 and was in charge of taping the programs at many of them.

From HORIZON (British): "A Japanese printer has succeeded in producing the first picture book for blind children. Kinzo Akiyama makes use of the electronic printing method to produce on paper the various 'touch' sensations on six different textiles. Blind children are told in advance that the touch of nylon stands for red, the touch of cotton for yellow, and so on. Once the children memorize the simple rules, they can readily visualize spring flowers and other colorful subjects in the raised illustrations."

From THE NEW BEACON (British): "In 1960 the first guide dog training center in the Soviet Union was opened in Moscow. The dogs are loaned to the blind without charge but remain the property of the All-Russian Society of the Blind." ... "In the U.S., the Library of Congress has made available in Braille, two of the standard income tax return forms, together with the instructions which go with them. These can either be borrowed from the regional libraries or purchased from the APH." ... "In September, 1961, the second ten-month course for blind physiotherapists opened in Prague with fifteen students -- all of whom are now employed in government hospitals in Czechoslovakia, to the full satisfaction of both doctors and patients. In Belgrade the fifteen blind graduates of its physiotherapy school in 1960 are also all employed in clinics operated by the Yugoslav government." ... "The President of Guinea, who was recently awarded a Lenin Peace Prize, has decided to devote he entire eight million Guinea francs which the award carried to the establishment of a enter for the blind in Guinea."

From the NEW OUTLOOK FOR THE BLIND (May): "The E.R. Johnstone Training and Research Center, a state institution in Bordentown, New Jersey, is presently conducting an experimental institutional program for a specially selected group of retarded, emotionally disturbed and neurologically handicapped blind children. ... 'Blind children in state institutions are not uncommon,' says Josephine Taylor, Director of the N.J. Commission for the Blind's educational program, who serves as consultant to the unit, 'but this is the first time a special program of this kind has been set up for them.' About fifty blind children in the state have problems similar to those now in the Johnstone Unit."

On May 26 more than 150 friends of Matt Schmidt, for many years Manager of the big blind-operated Badger Home for the Blind, in Milwaukee, attended a farewell banquet in his honor. Matt is retiring and moving to a little cottage far out on the Sturgeon Bay Peninsula and close to the shore of Lake Michigan. He has been a delegate at many national conventions and counts his friends by the thousands. 

The second conference for the exchange of ideas and techniques for blind teachers of blind children in public schools was held recently in Los Angeles. 600 copies of the monograph which reported the first conference, held the previous year, had been distributed throughout the country.in response to requests from rehabilitation officers, administrators, boards of education, blind teachers, training colleges, librarians -- as well as one from England and one from Puerto Rico. Dr. Isabelle Grant and Miss Onvia Ticer had conceived the idea of these conferences and have provided much of the driving force which has made them so successful. A number of keen, alert, intelligent, young blind aspirants to the teaching profession were present. Dr. Grant, Miss Ticer and Mrs. Sally Jones, a teacher at the Oakland (Calif.) Orientation Center, have been compiling a verified list of blind teachers. The tally is still incomplete, but to date it shows a count of more than one hundred blind teachers in the regular public and parochial schools (of which 50 are totally blind) and more than one hundred fifty in the residential schools. Readers of the BRAILLE FORUM are urged to send the names of any blind teachers in their areas to Mrs. Sally Jones, 420 Hawthorne, Oakland 9, Calif. 

From the WORLD COUNCIL NEWSLETTER No. 11: "The French Press recently gave an account of a skiing contest in Courchevel in which a blind man, who is also one-legged, won second place in 1 minute and 20 seconds longer time than the winner of the event. Etienne Chappaz trained at Courchevel, which has special skiing classes for blind children and one for war invalids." ...  "An interesting venture is that organized by the Braille Institute of America in California. They have recently opened 'practice apartments' the purpose of which, as they state, is to provide suitable premises where special training may be given to blind students in home economics. The apartment consists of a living room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms, two kitchens (one all electric and one with gas), a laundry room and a dining room. The aim of the course is to help recently blinded housewives, middle-aged men and women who live alone and young single men and women who have never before kept house. It is designed to cover all phases of homemaking; nutrition, meal planning, food buying, food preparation and serving, laundry, home maintenance and such skills as room arrangement, decorating, entertaining, marking and storing of food and supplies. Besides general housekeeping techniques students also learn useful 'hints' such as fixing Braille labels on clothes hangers for easy identification." 

From the MONTANA OBSERVER -- (minutes of the April 6-8 Board meeting): "... Moved to table any affirmative action concerning adoption of Affiliate Standards and other conditions promulgated at the 1961 N.F.B. Convention." (Carried).

Those who knew him have been deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Stanley Henderson, of Berkeley, Calif., on May 2. The brothers Henderson, Raymond and Stanley, have had most significant roles in the organized blind movement. Raymond, a distinguished lawyer in Bakersfield, became the energetic and beloved Executive Secretary of the National Federation and won universal respect and admiration. He died in the middle '40s. Stanley, with no financial resources or backing, became a highly successful businessman and invested so shrewdly that he was able to leave $80,000 to cancer research at the University of California. He finally became disillusioned with NFB leadership and joined the Associated Blind of California as a charter member.

Fred Pearson of San Diego (who wrote such a fascinating account of his visit to Sweden and Great Britain last year) is making a second trip this summer and plans to call upon leading figures in blind welfare throughout most of continental Europe. It is most pleasing to learn that John Hebner has largely recovered from his serious illness. Both Pearson and Hebner are charter members of ACB.

A recent issue of LISTEN contains the fascinating account of a highly successful New York City executive who has been totally blind since the age of 24. He is Mr. Irving A. Manacher, who is President of Central Coal Company and Central Petroleum Company and Chairman of several affiliated companies in greater New York, Westchester and northern New Jersey. ... And from the same issue: "In a report from the SPRINGFIELD UNION we learn that a Greenville firm is manufacturing for trial across the country a calculator with a revolutionary design intended to speed up mathematics education of blind children. ... This plastic device has Braille numerals, 0 to 9, on rows of wheels on abacus-like enclosure atop a pegboard. We are told that as the wheels are rotated they click into position holding the proper number up while the operator goes on to set up the problem. Once the problem is set up, the blind person works it out as a sighted student using paper and pencil would do. It is claimed that the Mallindine aid performs all arithmetical functions -- addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Mallindine says that blind students, after they become familiar with it, can operate the device as fast as a sighted person can run an electric calculator. According to the report, Michigan Molds has turned out 350 of these devices to be sent out for trial runs. ..." "In announcing the discontinuation of basket making as part of the New York Lighthouse program for blind men and women, Exec. Director Allen W. Sherman said that the workers in the future will engage in 'far more satisfying manual operations' by operating modern machinery in the wood-working shop and 'will travel along more imaginative avenues of productivity by working with ceramics.'" ... "The first double corneal transplant operation ever performed in Great Britain restored sight to a guide dog which had become blind. ... Two mongrels were put to death to make the corneas available for the guide dog." ... "... One blind guide dog owner, Richard Scanlon of Long Island, an Arthur Godfrey fan, reports that his dog, Taffy, is upset by Godfrey's 'frequent and vigorous use of phooey' and barks and runs to her master for comfort whenever the word comes through the radio." ... "An eye research building to be constructed at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore will provide 'the world's largest unified facility for study of the eye,' according to an announcement in the P.O.B. News of the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness. ..."

Alma Murphey reports that the Quincy, Ill., Chapter of the Illinois Federation and the Hannibal Chapter of the Missouri Federation, which are across the Mississippi from each other, have been taking turns in sponsoring joint get-togethers for some time now. In the MISSOURI CHRONICLE, she writes: "... My first chance to address a Lions Club cropped up on April 4th. ...I came away convinced that we should make every effort to interest the Lions in our work. What I have in mind is not parties and presents; my hope is that those kind and intelligent men may become acquainted with our philosophy and actively support our efforts to promote the well-being of blind people." ... "On April 13, I attended a meeting at which representatives from agencies for mentally retarded and crippled children, the American Foundation, the Missouri Bureau and the Missouri School for the Blind met to plan a program of training for multiple-handicapped blind children."

It is reported that Richard Kinney, famous deaf-blind Assistant Director of the Hadley Correspondence School, who has spoken at many state conventions of the organized blind, and whose stirring address at the Rome meeting of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind in 1959 received world-wide acclaim, was married on June 16 to Evelyn Warmbrodt of St. Louis.

From VIWEPOINT (U.K.): "Most of the main motor parts for Russia's Sputnik and space satellites are made by blinded war veterans, said a senior Soviet official in Scotland recently. Mr. G.T. Drozdov, First Deputy Minister for Social Security, said: 'Every effort is made to place our war-blinded in industry and make them feel they have a hand in Soviet progress.'"

From the WASHINGTON STATE WHITE CANE: "... More money is spent on eye wash than on eye research. ..."

From the VISUALLY HANDICAPPED VIEWS (S.D.): "The South Dakota Association of the Blind assisted, to the extent of $400, in making possible the first corneal transplant ever performed in this state."

From the KENTUCKY CARDINAL: "A small white blur at the end of the bowling lane guided Jim Miller, 349 Manor Ave., Millersville, Pa., to roll ten straight strikes at Lancaster Lanes on Oct. 20, 1961, amid the hushed amazement of his buddies. ... Jim sat down, not realizing in all the excitement that he had two more throws. When he resumed, he toppled five pins and picked up the other five for a spare on his last ball, for the grand total of 285. ..." Excerpt from the Kentucky vending stand law: "All of the net income from vending machines which are on the same property as a vending stand shall be paid to the blind operator of the vending stand." ... "Now in his 34th year as police magistrate in Harrodsburg, Ky., white-haired Judge Oscar E. Gortney has been blind since boyhood, but he hasn't let that prevent him from becoming outstanding in his job. ..."

From the Washington WHITE CANE: "Question: Please define the terms Ophthalmologist, Oculist, Optician and Optometrist. I find the terms very confusing. Answer: The term Ophthalmologist is synonymous with the term Oculist. Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine, and the Ophthalmologist is an eye physician and surgeon. ... An Optician is a skilled technician, who supplies and fits glasses on the prescription of a physician. ... The word Optometry comes from two Greek words -- opto- meaning 'eye' and meter, 'measure'. The Optometrist measures the focus of the eye for glasses and may supply them. He is not qualified or permitted to use drugs for these tests or for any other purpose. He is not qualified to diagnose ocular disease or to treat ocular disease. ..."

From the NEW BEACON: "The Hadley School announces the preparation of a new home study course, Independent Living without Sight or Hearing, for Braille readers who have lost or who are losing their hearing. The course will present practical information and proved techniques of value to the doubly-handicapped individual who seeks the fullest possible life through cultivation of his remaining senses and powers. It will deal with such subjects as general adjustment, communication methods, voice preservation, recreation, travel skills, employment opportunities, available services, and how to win co-operation. It will be available free to blind persons with hearing impairments anywhere in the world, bringing them comprehensive information such as they may now spend years in acquiring -- if, indeed, they acquire it at all. Richard Kinney, himself deaf-blind, will supervise the course."

From the HOOSIER STAR-LIGHT: "… Police in Gary, Indiana, recently apprehended a blind burglar who had robbed a series of homes with the aid of his guide dog. John J. Knowles, 26, was arrested on a first-degree burglary charge after a witness had spotted him and his dog climbing out of the window of a house he had just robbed." … A blind youth, Dale Langston, 19, of Fort Worth, Texas, is regarded as one of the nation's top six animal dealers, it was reported at a recent Rochester, New York, meeting of a zoo association. Langston began his business five years ago with a mountain lion and fifty dollars in cash. Today, his stock includes 1,500 animals." 

From the CANADIAN NATIONAL NEWS OF THE BLIND: "During the last session of Parliament the blindness allowance was increased from $55 to $65 a month and exempt earned income for a single per son was raised to $1380 a year, for a blind person with dependents to $1860, and for a blind couple to $2460."
 
From WE, THE BLIND (Pa.): "The first text of its kind designed to meet the needs of blind people interested in small business management, has been printed by the Overbrook School for the Blind and distributed to fifty schools throughout the country. ... The book is divided into three sections. The first contains general business information; the second, terminology and principles of accounting; and the third, information relating directly to the operation of a business. Printed in both Braille and ink-print, the book is designed to have practical applications for blind students preparing for the business world. ..."

On June 18, Harold Campbell, beloved former President of the Montana Association for the Blind and Montana delegate at many recent national conventions, underwent very serious surgery. Latest reports indicate that he is doing as well as can be expected. He is receiving scores of letters and telegrams expressing sympathy and best wishes from innumerable friends. He had planned to attend both national conventions in July but had to cancel all travel plans.

Dr. Isabelle Grant, famous blind teacher in the Los Angeles public school system, has received a Fulbright Award which will permit her to return to Pakistan and continue her splendid work there.

At its June convention, the Iowa Association of the Blind elected Bill Klontz to a second two-year term as its president.

At least three very well-known blind citizens of this country have recently been elected presidents of their Lions Clubs — Dean Sumner at Watertown, S.D., Clyde Ross at Akron, Ohio, and George Burck, at Leonardo, N.J.

From the ABC DIGEST (Calif.): "California now has 16 blind insurance salesmen. Insurance is a wide-open field for energetic, enthusiastic blind salesmen with the ambition to acquire the know-how." ... "John Pittman, Supt. Of the Turlock High School, states that Ronald Miller, blinded in a 1954 auto accident, has won the respect and confidence of his 160 sophomore English students as well as of school administrators and fellow teachers. ... Miller's classroom is identical to any other at THS, except for a simple device which enables him to use the blackboards with greater confidence. Twine has been stretched across the board in parallel lines, five to six inches apart. These permit him to write in a straight line, and to utilize the entire board." ... "News of the death of Justin Johnson, Supervisor of Community Relations and Public Affairs for the Hughes Aircraft Company, brought sorrow to a great many handicapped persons, including blind persons, who had been given employment in his own plant and throughout the nation as the result of his unremitting efforts. He believed that total disability is extremely rare, that almost always there is a remaining potential within the individual which can be developed into useful employment." ... "Four blind men are employed on a barbecue equipment assembly line in Inglewood, doing the work of seven with sight employed there last year. ..."

Amazing Marksman

(From the Daily News of Springfield, Mass.)

Robert J. Bizon, factory worker at the Smith & Wesson small arms plant, like many of his fellow employees, is fast becoming a crack pistol shot … although he has been totally blind for 13 years.

Mr. Bizon, who even makes his own targets on braille paper, has been practicing since last September, primarily for the personal challenge involved. For example, on an outdoor range he uses a Smith & Wesson Model 41, 22 cal. semi-automatic target pistol. He sights by bringing the gun barrel against a "V" block and then, raising the weapon a predetermined amount, brings it on line with the target. The first few shots are called by an observer, but after he has found the range, the blind marksman simply brings the weapon down to touch the block and relocates himself between shots.

At home he practices on a homemade range in the cellar, using an air pistol and a target constructed on gongs of varying diameters which tell him where he is in relation to the bull's eye. A slightly different method of sighting is used, however. His "V" block is fixed, rather than on a tripod, and a large sheet of paper is held over the pellet trap. A test shot is fired with the gun resting on the block and the target hung centered over the original test shot.


The 26-year-old man has been employed as a machine operator for five years at the corporation, which is noted over the world for its line of hand guns. At the plant adjustable angle brackets have been devised for locating fixtures in line with the spindles of his drill press and special braille faced gauges are used in measuring the work with tolerances down to half a thousandth of an inch. According to D.R. Hellstrom, Smith & Wesson Vice-President, Mr. Bizon's work is of extremely high quality, and his production under the firm's piecework system is high with virtually no scrap.

Mr. Bizon lost his eyesight at the age of 13. He was educated at the Valentine School in Chicopee, graduating from the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown. His post-graduate year was spent at Chicopee High School and in machine shop training at Chicopee Vocational School. In addition, he has taken an engineering course at West New England College in Springfield. He was originally introduced to Smith & Wesson by John Hobin, Rehabilitation Counsellor for the Massachusetts Division for the Blind (Boston).

At the plant he is also the representative of the Smith & Wesson Athletic Association for the night shift, keeping records of membership cards and dues in braille. At his home at 189 Wilson Avenue, Chicopee, he enjoys woodworking and reading (often by tape recorder). Moreover, he is a member of the Voicespondence Club, charter member of the American Council of the Blind, and legislative director of the Greater Westfield Association of the Blind.

*****

** New Film Stars Blind Actors

(From the ILLINOIS NEWSLETTER)

A movie whose cast is made up mainly of blind children and adolescents is in the making, according to an article in the NEW YORK SUNDAY TIMES. "Forbid Them Not," an hour-long documentary, is about a boy who loses his sight in an accident at the age of twelve and of his emotional storms before he begins to make adjustments at the Foundation for the Junior Blind in Los Angeles.

Fifteen-year-old Michael Cole plays the leading role. Although Cole has been blind since birth, he plays the part of a sighted person during the first part of the picture.

According to the TIMES, the film is being produced solely with volunteer help and has a total budget of $214. Movie studios allowed film labs and recording facilities to be used without charge, unions allowed technicians to contribute their services free, and friends served as extras in the film. As most work on the film has been done on weekends, it has taken four years to complete. The movie is narrated by Jose Ferrer.

The picture was designed to be shown in schools, churches and before civic organizations to convince the public that blind people can become self-sufficient members of the community and must not be condemned to pity and the "tin-cup." Now it is hoped that the motion picture industry and the state departments may want to arrange for a wider showing.

***

"... At the present time the annual increase in world population runs to about forty-three millions. This means that every four years mankind adds to its number the equivalent of the present population of the United States, every eight and a half years the equivalent of the present population of India ... It is against this grim biological background that all the political, economic, cultural and psychological dramas of our time are being played out. As the twentieth century wears on, as the new billions are added to the existing billions (there will be more than five and a half billions of us by the time my granddaughter is fifty), this biological background will advance, ever more insistently, ever more menacingly, toward the front and center of the historical stage. The problem of rapidly increasing numbers in relation to natural resources, to social stability and to the well-being of individuals -- this is now the central problem of mankind; and it will remain the central problem certainly for another century, and perhaps for several centuries thereafter. A new age is supposed to have begun on October 4, 1957. But actually, in the present context, all our exuberant post-Sputnik talk is irrelevant and even nonsensical. So far as the masses of mankind are concerned, the coming time will not be the Space Age; it will be the Age of Over-population. ...

-- From Brave New World Revisited, by Aldous Huxley

*****

** Officers and Directors
American Council of the Blind

* President:
Ned E. Freeman
Route 3
Conyers, Georgia

* First Vice-President:
Durward K. McDaniel
Suite 305 Midwest Building
Oklahoma City 2, Oklahoma

* Second Vice-President:
David Krause
4628 Livingston Road, S.E.
Washington 20, D.C.

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

* Treasurer:
Reese H. Robrahn
210 Crawford Building
Topeka, Kansas

* Directors for Four-Year Term

George Card 
605 South Few Street 
Madison, Wisconsin 

G. Paul Kirton
Room 6327
Department of the Interior
Washington 25, D.C.

Delbert K. Aman
220 West Second Street
Pierre, South Dakota

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

* Directors for Two-Year Term

F. Winfield Orrell
5209 Alabama Avenue
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Earl Scharry
186 Vernon Avenue
Louisville 6, Kentucky

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

Robert W. Campbell
253 Stonewall Road
Berkeley 5, California

*****

** Constitution

American Council of the Blind, Inc.

(Editor's Note -- The following draft of the Constitution and By-Laws was taken from the convention tapes and may not necessarily be written in the final form, lettering, etc., which the Constitution Committee may establish.) 

* ARTICLE I. Name. 
The name of this organization shall be American Council of the Blind, Inc. 

* ARTICLE II. Purpose. 

The purpose of the American Council of the Blind is to strive for the betterment of our total community:

A. Through a representative national organization primarily of blind people. 

B. By providing a forum for the views of the blind from all corners of the nation and from all walks of life. 	

C. By elevating the social, economic and cultural level of the blind. 

D. By improving educational and rehabilitational facilities. 

E. By broadening vocational opportunities. 

F. By encouraging and assisting the blind, especially the newly blind, to develop their abilities and potentialities and to assume their responsible place in the community. 

G. By cooperating with public and private institutions and agencies of and for the blind. 

H. By providing for the free exchange of ideas, opinions and information relative to matters of concern to blind people through the publication of a braille magazine.

I. By conducting a program of public education aimed toward improving the understanding of the problems of blindness and of the capabilities of blind people.

* ARTICLE III. Membership, Voting and Dues.

Any resident of the United States of America, its territorial possessions and the District of Columbia (hereinafter known as states) who has reached the age of eighteen years is eligible to become a member of this organization upon complying with the provisions hereinafter contained.

A. The membership of this organization shall be of two classes, voting and non-voting.

1.  Voting members shall be affiliated organizations, their members and members-at-large of the American Council of the Blind.
2.  Non-voting members shall be individuals and organizations holding sustaining memberships.

B. Affiliation.

1.  Any organization having at least twenty-five voting members, the majority of whom are blind, may apply for affiliation with this organization. Such application must be approved by a majority of the Board of Directors. To remain in good standing, an affiliate must comply with these requirements at all times.
2.  Any individual may apply to become a member-at-large, provided he meets the qualifications set forth in the By-Laws.

C. Voting.

Each voting member attending a national convention shall be entitled to one vote. In addition, official delegates from affiliates shall cast the number of votes to which their organization is entitled as provided in the By-Laws.

D. Dues.

Dues shall be paid on a calendar year basis.

1.  The dues of affiliated organizations shall be on a per capita basis.
2.  The amount of all dues shall be set forth in the By-Laws.

E. Suspension and Expulsion.

Any affiliate or member-at-large may be expelled or suspended by a two-thirds vote of the convention after a hearing, as prescribed in Robert's Rules of Order Revised. In the proceedings to expel or suspend the affiliate or member-at-large charged shall have the right to vote.

* ARTICLE IV. Officers

A. The officers of this organization shall consist of: a President, a First Vice-President, a Second Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer and their terms of office shall be two years.

B. In addition to the officers, this organization shall have eight Directors to be elected by the convention for terms of four years. At the first election, the last four shall serve for two-year terms. Not more than one Director shall be elected from any one state.

C. The officers of this organization and the eight Directors shall constitute the Board of Directors.

D. No officer of this organization shall be elected for more than three consecutive terms to the same office, and no Director shall be elected for more than two consecutive terms. All members of the Board of Directors except the Secretary and Treasurer must be blind.

E. No member of the Board of Directors shall receive compensation for services to the American Council of the Blind. He may be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in the exercise of his duties. No professional staff employee of the Council shall be eligible for election to any office in this organization.

F. Officers and Directors shall be elected by a majority vote cast at any regular national convention.

* ARTICLE V. Powers and Duties of the Convention, the Officers, the Board of Directors and of Committees.

A. Any voting member of this organization may make or second motions, propose nominations, serve on committees and be elected to office. The convention shall determine the time and place of its meetings. 

B. Officers of this organization shall perform the usual functions of their office as prescribed by Robert's Rules of Order Revised unless otherwise provided for in the By-Laws. 

C. The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of this organization between conventions, provided that it shall make no policy decisions and take no official action in conflict with existing decisions or actions of the convention. 

D. The Nominating Committee shall consist of one person from each state selected by a majority of the votes certified to that state. The President shall appoint a Chairman who shall conduct the Committee meetings. The Chairman shall have no vote. All meetings of the Nominating Committee shall be closed, with only committee members permitted to attend.

* ARTICLE VI. Meetings.

A regular meeting of this organization shall be held once each year, to be known as the annual convention. The majority of all votes certified and seated at the convention shall constitute a quorum to do business.

* ARTICLE VII. Procedure

In the absence of provisions contained herein or in the By-Laws, all proceedings of this organization shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order Revised.

* ARTICLE VIII. Amendments.

This constitution may be amended at any regular convention of this organization by a two-thirds vote, and By-Laws by a simple majority vote, of those present and voting according to voting procedure contained herein, provided that such proposed amendment shall be read from the floor of the convention at least twenty-four hours prior to the time of final action on the same; and provided further that such proposed amendment shall be presented in writing to the Constitution and By-Laws Committee on or before the first day of the annual convention.

** BY-LAWS

American Council of the Blind

* BY-LAW I. Members-at-Large.

Any person who is not a member of an affiliated organization of the American Council of the Blind may apply for membership-at-large. Such application shall be made to the Treasurer in writing, and it shall be accompanied by one year's dues. A majority of the members-at-large residing in any one state must be blind.

* BY-LAW II. Voting.

A. Roll call voting shall be by states. For purposes of a roll-call vote, each state shall designate a Chairman who shall tabulate and announce the vote of that state. Affiliates whose membership extends into more than one state shall be called at the end of the roll call of states.

B. Each affiliate represented at the convention shall be entitled to one vote for every five of its voting members or major fraction thereof, but shall not exceed a total of one hundred votes.

* BY-LAW III. Dues.

A. Dues of members-at-large shall be one dollar per year. Their right to vote shall be conditioned upon payment of dues not less than thirty days prior to a national convention.

B. The right of an affiliate organization to vote shall be conditioned upon the payment of twenty cents for each voting member which, together with a certified list of such voting members, must be in the hands of the Treasurer no later than March 1 each year. Such certified list shall contain the names and addresses of voting members as of December 31 of the previous year. No affiliate shall be required to pay more than one hundred dollars in any one year.

C. The dues of an individual sustaining member shall be ten dollars a year, and those of a sustaining organization shall be twenty-five dollars a year.

* BY-LAW IV. Duties of the Officers.

A. The President shall be responsible for the supervision of all employees of this organization and for the selection and dismissal of all employees of this organization except professional staff. The President shall select professional staff subject to approval by the Board of Directors.

B. The Secretary of this organization, in addition to the usual duties of such office, shall furnish to each affiliate and member-at-large a summary of all official actions taken at each convention or meeting of the Board of Directors as soon as possible following the close of each convention. The Secretary shall maintain a roll of the certified voting members of each affiliate and of the members-at-large.

C. The Treasurer of this organization, in addition to the usual duties of such office, shall forward the names of all voting members received to the Secretary. The Treasurer shall furnish a financial report at each meeting of the Board of Directors.

* BY-LAW V. Powers and Duties of the Board of Directors.

A. All appointments of professional staff shall be submitted to the Board of Directors within thirty days and must be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

B. Dismissal of professional staff shall be the sole responsibility of the Board of Directors. Such dismissal shall require a majority vote of the Board of Directors and only after the employee in question has been offered an opportunity for a hearing.

C. The Board of Directors shall elect a sub-committee of three which shall recommend a budget to the Board of Directors for the ensuing calendar year. Once a budget has been adopted by the Board of Directors, it cannot be altered except by a two-third vote of the Board of Directors.

D. The Board of Directors may be polled by mail.

* BY-LAW VI. Standing Committees.

A. The President shall appoint a National Membership Chairman who shall in turn recommend to the President the appointment of one or more membership chairmen from each state.

B. The President, within sixty days after the close of each national convention, shall appoint a Chairman and four additional members as a Resolutions Committee. This Committee shall receive and prepare resolutions to be considered at its opening meeting in conjunction with the ensuing national convention. All resolutions submitted to the Committee shall be presented, with or without the Committee's recommendation.

C. The President shall appoint a Publications Committee consisting of a Chairman and four additional members. Subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, the Committee shall select an editorial staff and shall determine editorial policy for all American Council of the Blind publications.

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