The Braille Forum
Volume II October 1963 Number 3

Published Quarterly by the American Council of the Blind

* Editor:
Mrs. Marie Boring 
1113 Camden Avenue 
Durham, North Carolina

* Associate Editors 
Ned E. Freeman, 136 Gees Mill Road, Conyers, GA
Mrs. Mary Jane Hills, 104 Longview Terrace, Rochester 9, N.Y. 
George L. Howeiler, P.O. Box 336, Sandy, Oregon

* Executive Offices 
136 Gees Mill Road, Conyers, GA

*****

** 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 Editor or to one of the Associate Editors.

*****

** Contents

ACB President's Fireside Chat 

Notices to Forum Readers 

ACB Convention Report 1963, by Alma Murphey 

Some Impressions of the 1963 ACB Convention, by George Card

ACB Directors Meetings, by Alma Murphey 

ACB 1963 Resolutions 

ACB Legislative Program 

ACB Treasurer's Report 

Publications Board Announcement, by June Goldsmith 

ACB Deaf-Blind Committee Report, by Boyd C. Wolfe, Jr. 

ACB Ambassador Award Committee Report, by Earl Scharry 

The Jearldine Noeller Story, by Lovelia Hilty 

Tennessee Federation Convention, by June Goldsmith 

Fine Stories Are Told of Handicapped, from the Washington Daily News

Labor Department's A.L. Archibald, from the Washington Post

Ray Charles, from The Saturday Evening Post 

The Light of Philosophy, by Leonard C. Aymon 

What Price Independence? by Norma Farrar Krajczar 

Last 100 Tape Players 

ACB Tape Correspondence Club, by Jack C. Lewis 

Letters From Readers 

Here and There, by George Card 

ACB Officers and Directors 

ACB Constitution and By-Laws

*****

** ACB President's Fireside Chat

My friends -- Since this is being written in the middle of August, perhaps it should be referred to as the "air-conditioned chat" or the "lakeside chat." In any event, there is a delightful breeze blowing in from the orchard, and I am quite comfortable. Hoping this finds you the same.

At times as I have stood in the pulpit, I have had the feeling that I was shouting in a huge empty auditorium; sometimes I get the same feeling when I am writing this column. Then I get a wonderful letter from one of you that makes it all seem worthwhile. 

The response to my request for stories about outstanding accomplishments by blind people has been deafening silence. Elsewhere in some issue of this magazine will be found the report which I made to the Chicago convention and also a letter concerning ACB committees and their functions. I shall not repeat any of this here, but I do beg your full cooperation.

I do want to make one other request of you. We are trying to make up a list of all the different jobs blind people are doing in this country. Such lists have been compiled for their own states by one or two rehabilitation agencies. Will you please send me the name of the agency responsible for vocational rehabilitation in your state and the name of the person at the head of the division for the blind. Don't leave this for someone else in your state to do, but please do it yourself, and as soon as possible. Also, if you know of someone who is doing what you consider to be an unusual job for a blind person, please include this information in your letter. We feel that such a list could be of great value to counselors, placement officers and their clients. It will also help us to open up new opportunities for the employment of blind persons. 

It was a great pleasure to meet so many of you in Chicago, and I wish more of you could have been there. I never have as much time for visiting with people at these conventions as I would like, but it is always a pleasure to make new friends and to visit with old ones. I am already looking forward to seeing many of you (I wish I could say all of you) in Rochester next July. In any event, I am sure the Rochester convention is going to be a good one, and I hope you start saving your pennies right now so that nothing will interfere with your being there.

Faithfully yours,
Ned Freeman

*****

** Notices to Forum Readers

By-Law #1 of the American Council of the Blind reads as follows: "Any person who has reached the age of eighteen years and who is not a certified member of an affiliated organization of the American Council of the Blind may apply for membership-at-large."

By-Law #2, Section B Provides that affiliates shall have one vote for each twenty-five voting members, but not more than twenty-five such votes.

By-Law #3 Provides that the dues of members at large shall be one dollar ($1.00) per calendar year, and that the dues of affiliates shall be at the rate of twenty cents per year for each certified voting member.

If the American Council of the Blind is to be effective at the national level in promoting the interests of blind people, we must have a large and active membership of both individuals and organizations. Our membership has been growing rapidly, but we need more. If you are not already a member of the American Council of the Blind, you are urged to send your application with $1.00 dues to the treasurer, Reese Robrahn, 210 Crawford Bldg., Topeka, Kansas, and to work actively to bring your state or local group into affiliation with ACB.

***

The Braille FORUM is sent free of charge to any person requesting it in either braille, ink print or magnetic tape. This we are happy to do and trust that our readers find the magazine interesting and beneficial.

Braille printing is expensive. It costs the American Council of the Blind approximately $4.00 per year for each name on our mailing list. If you would like to make a contribution to help defray this cost of publication, it should be sent directly to the treasurer, Mr. Reese Robrahn, 210 Crawford Bldg., Topeka, Kansas.

***

A proposed Statement of Principles and Beliefs appeared in the July issue of the FORUM and your comments thereon were requested. However, because only about two weeks elapsed between the time this Statement appeared and the beginning of the Chicago convention, not many comments were received. 

The Resolutions Committee worked long and diligently studying and revising this Statement, but time did not permit its full discussion on the convention floor. Rather than attempting to rush it through without full consideration and debate, it was decided to postpone formal action on this matter and to refer it to the Resolutions Committee for the 1964 convention for further study and presentation to the Rochester convention.

If you have comments or suggestions as to additions, deletions or revisions you are requested to send these to the ACB president. 

A revised draft of this Statement will appear in a later issue of the FORUM and it will be given full and free discussion at the 1964 convention in Rochester, New York. Begin now to make your plans to be present and to participate in all of the important discussions of this convention.

***

The second annual convention of the American Council of the Blind is now behind us and with the inspiration of informative speakers, lively discussions, renewed and new acquaintances we are beginning another year of enthusiastic endeavor.

It was evident from the way in which the membership entered into the various discussions that you are vitally interested in furthering the purposes and aspirations of our Council. It has long been my conviction that no one person or small group can have all of the answers or all of the good ideas. We need and want each and every one of you, our members, to share with us in achieving the goals toward which we are striving. I cannot know the talents, abilities or interests of each of you, so I am requesting your help. 

Outlined below, in alphabetical order, are the various committees which I hope will function during this next year, with a brief summary of their purposes and functions, as I see them. These suggestions are not exclusive -- or even necessarily inclusive, merely ideas to get us going. 

CREDIT UNION: Durward McDaniel, chairman -- 305 Midwest Bldg., Oklahoma City 2, Okla. -- To encourage in every way possible the establishment of Credit Unions designed primarily to serve a blind membership; to keep the ACB membership advised concerning progress in this field; to advise FORUM readers concerning the services offered by Credit Unions and the advantages to members of such groups.

DEAF-BLIND: Boyd Wolfe, chairman -- 74 No. Huron Ave., Columbus 4, Ohio -- To consider the problems of the deaf-blind and suggest means whereby ACB can be of service in this field. Also, to increase communication between the deaf-blind, the blind, and the general public. 

EDUCATION: Robert Campbell, chairman -- 253 Stonewall Rd., Berkeley 5, Calif. -- To study and report on projects and programs which will enhance educational opportunities for blind children. The field of this committee extends from the pre-school child through college and post-graduate studies.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: John Luxon, chairman, 7312 Woodward Ave., Detroit 2, Mich. -- There is much in this field that needs to be done and many types of jobs that should be opened up for more blind people. The purpose of the committee is to study and recommend projects and programs looking toward the opening up of new or presently under-developed fields of employment; suggest ways of overcoming stumbling blocks which presently exist in some fields; and feed ideas to me, the Public Relations and Legislation Committees as to means whereby employment opportunities for blind persons can be broadened.

EVALUATION OF SERVICES TO THE BLIND: Larry Thompson, chairman, 104 West Hanlon St., Tampa, Fla. 33604 -- People who are receiving services from agencies, institutions and organizations for the blind have many ideas as to how such services could be expanded and improved. This committee can serve as a recipient of suggestions in this field and, in turn, suggest means whereby ACB can further such advances. A special field of interest to this committee can be a study of sheltered workshops and means whereby conditions therein can be improved. 

LEGISLATION: Paul Kirton, chairman, Rm. 6327, Dept. of Interior, Washington 25, D.C. -- To study legislation pending before the Congress and keep the membership informed concerning such legislation. To serve as spokesman for ACB in support of or in opposition to pending legislation in accordance with established ACB policy. It will receive, study and evaluate suggestions made to it by the membership concerning needed revisions of laws or administrative regulations and interpretations, and make recommendations concerning such matters. The committee will also advise state and local organizations on legislative matters upon request. 

ORIENTATION: Person to Person -- Chairman to be announced -- The primary function of this committee is to study and recommend projects and programs which will assist and encourage blind persons -- and especially the newly blinded adult -- out of the inevitable depression toward a full and independent participation in the social, cultural and economic life of his community. This will involve furnishing such people with information as to services and useful techniques available and the achievements of other blind persons. An important function can be the encouragement of person-to-person contact between established blind persons and the newly blind; and the encouragement of agencies rendering services to the blind to make use of both blind professionals and blind volunteers in their orientation services. 

OVERSEAS RELATIONS: Chairman to be announced -- Last year at our Convention a resolution was adopted urging the U.S. Information Service and the Library of Congress to make available to English Braille readers, especially in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa, more Braille books and other material which will improve the understanding on the part of these people of the history, way of life, and the political and economic systems of the United States. The people in these countries are being bombarded with propaganda derogatory to the U.S. and the Free World generally and the increase of factual information to combat this propaganda is felt to be of supreme importance.

PUBLIC RELATIONS: Dave Krause, chairman -- 4826 Livingston Rd., S.E., Washington, D.C., 20032 -- To seek, by means of every available medium of communication, to increase the understanding of the general public concerning the abilities and potentialities of blind persons; the advantages to employers from hiring properly qualified workers who have surmounted handicaps; and to speak for the organization in its contacts with agencies, institutions and the general public.

FINANCE: F.W. Orrell, chairman, 5209 Alabama Ave., Chattanooga, Tenn.

MEMBERSHIP: George Card, chairman, 605 S. Few St., Madison 3, Wis.

Please let me hear from you at your earliest convenience.

Cordially,
Ned Freeman, President
American Council of the Blind

*****

** ACB Convention Report 1963
By Alma Murphey, Secretary

The American Council of the Blind held its second annual convention at the St. Clair Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, on July 19, 20, and 21. Approximately one hundred people registered, and nineteen states were represented.

The first session was called to order by President Ned Freeman at nine A.M. on Friday, July 19. After the invocation, convention chairman Bradley Burson welcomed us to the city, made several announcements and reviewed the agenda. The remainder of the session was devoted to a panel discussion on projects and programs of state organizations. Participants were: Clyde Ross, President of the Ohio Council of the Blind; Juliet Bindt, President of the Associated Blind of California; and Wanda St. Clair, field representative of the Oklahoma Federation of the Blind. Robert O'Shaughnessy, Past President of the Illinois Federation of the Blind, served as moderator. A lively question period concluded the discussion.

The afternoon session featured talks by: (1) Raymond Dickinson, Coordinator of Services for the Blind, Illinois Department of Mental Health; (2) Arthur Eisenberg, Field Representative, Department of Communications, American Foundation for the Blind; and (3) Mrs. Louis Koppenheimer, Vice-President, Board of Directors, Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind. Question periods followed each talk.

Following the invocation on Saturday morning, Mr. George Magers, Assistant Chief, Services for the Blind, Vocational Rehabilitation Administration, delivered a talk and effectively answered questions. Then proposed amendments to the constitution and by-laws were read and the convention heard Credit Union Committee Chairman Durward McDaniel's report and Legislative Committee Chairman Paul Kirton's report.

Most of Saturday afternoon was devoted to talks by distinguished guests: Mr. Louis Vieceli, Coordinator, Placement Counselor Training Program, Southern Illinois University; Mr. James B. Duffin, U.S. Civil Service Commission, Chicago; and Mr. Donald Nold, Editor of the Talking Lion. Four resolutions were then adopted and the session adjourned.

A reception was held immediately prior to the banquet on Saturday evening. The banquet program included: a talk by President Ned Freeman, presentation of the first Ambassador Award by Earl Scharry to Miss Jearldine Noeller of Kansas, three vocal solos beautifully performed by Louis Davis of Chicago, and an address by our guest of honor, Col. E.A. Baker, President of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind. Dr. Bradley Burson proved himself to be an excellent master of ceremonies.

The first item of business on Sunday morning was the Treasurer's report for the year beginning July 1, 1962. The following figures are quoted from the report: Total Receipts $7,019.74, Total Disbursements $5,058.53, Balance as of June 30, 1963, $1,961.21.

During the rest of the session consideration was given to the proposed amendments which had been read to the convention on Saturday. (All amendments adopted by the convention can be found in your copy of the revised constitution appearing in this issue.) 

The newly authorized Board of Publications was set up Sunday afternoon. The three members elected by the convention are: Floyd Qualls, W.A. Routh, and Jearldine Noeller. The two members appointed by the president are: June Goldsmith, Chairman, and Harriet Penner.

After rescinding a motion to hold our next convention in New York City, Rochester, New York, and Louisville, Kentucky, were approved as convention sites for 1964 and 1965 respectively.

A motion carried that the period of conventions be extended to four days, and it was decided that our 1964 convention shall be held on July 23, 24, 25 and 26. 

Paul Kirton presented eleven recommendations of the Legislative Committee. They were all accepted. 

Resolution 6305 was adopted. 

The president announced that time had not been available for consideration of the Statement of Purpose (see Braille Forum for July 1963) and it was sent back to the Resolutions Committee to be presented at a later date. 

After the usual closing announcements, the convention adjourned at five P.M.

*****

** Some Impressions of the 1963 ACB Convention

(Excerpts from a letter written by George Card of Wisconsin to some of his friends who were unable to attend the convention.)

Although the number in attendance was a bit disappointing, this was more than made up for, in my opinion, by the spirit of confidence and optimism which was so much in evidence. We know for sure now that we are going to survive and grow. Where we had only about 180 members a year ago, we now have more than 1100. This time last year we had no affiliates; now we have four and at least six to eight strong organizations are seriously considering throwing in their lot with us. Nearly all the doubt and apprehension and skepticism that was whispered about in the corridors and social get-togethers in St. Louis have gone. It is felt that many who have been waiting for developments will now find the courage to stand up and be counted. 

The financial report showed that we are in a far healthier situation than a year ago, and our future prospects in this all-important area appear much brighter. We have many worthwhile projects awaiting only the money that will make them feasible. For the first time we were able to earmark a few hundred dollars for organization and recruitment.

... There was genuine uninhibited participation by the membership. There was no fear of political reprisals or of future purges. There were spirited exchanges of different views, but the will of the majority prevailed in all cases, with no coercion or brow-beating, and the democratically arrived at verdict of the majority was accepted without any bitterness or recriminations.

To those of you who receive this letter and are not yet openly with us, I say come to our 1964 convention in Rochester, New York, and see for yourself. The dates are July 23-26. The hotel rates are extremely moderate and there will be a side trip to Niagara during the half day of organize recreation; and those of you who wish to go on to the World's Fair, the AAWB convention or the once-in-five-years session of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, all of which will be in New York City (the last two just after the convention) will not have very far to travel. More details will be forthcoming in future issues of the Braille Forum. Any of you who are not yet receiving this publication in braille, inkprint or tape have only to request it. We are becoming increasingly proud of our magazine.

Some of the highlights of the program of the 1963 ACB convention were the following: Col. E.A. Baker, President of the World Council and a truly world figure in blind welfare, gave us an intensely interesting address at our banquet. The first of our annual Ambassador Awards was also presented on this occasion -- to Miss Jearldine Noeller, President of the Kansas Association for the Blind and a teacher of speech correction who has received national recognition. This award will go each year to a blind person who has made an outstanding contribution toward the creation of a favorable image of blindness and blind people in the minds of the sighted public.

A very notable event on the regular convention program was the brilliant legislative report by Paul Kirton, Chairman of the ACB Legislative Committee. As a result of this report, the convention later adopted some eleven briefly but clearly worded legislative resolutions, some of which may seem a bit startling when you read their text in the Braille Forum ... 

Our old friend, George Magers, formerly of Illinois and Nevada and now holding a very responsible position in the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration in Washington, told us of many new and exciting developments in various areas of research now being carried on and of highly promising prospects for employment. I was especially thrilled to learn that VRA (formerly OVR) has at last awakened to the possibilities of physiotherapy as a profession for the blind. The British have been many years ahead of us in exploiting this field. Their great welfare agency, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, long ago set up a college where qualified blind persons -- both men and women -- can be given the first two years training in the techniques which have been adapted for blind practitioners. The final year is spent at the regular college for sighted physiotherapists, and upon completing this last year the blind aspirant takes the same examination as his sighted colleagues. It is claimed that there are now some 400 blind practitioners in the British Isles and a like number elsewhere throughout the English-speaking world. In the last couple of years a British team of blind physiotherapists has been brought to this country to demonstrate what they are able to do, and this demonstration has finally convinced our skeptics.

On the first day of the convention we had a most excellent panel discussion on state projects participated in by Clyde Ross of Ohio, Wanda St. Clair of Oklahoma and Juliet Bindt of California. Later there was a thoroughly stimulating report on the credit union movement as a valuable adjunct to the organized blind movement and as a sound investment for blind persons and groups.

The only important constitutional change was the voting power of affiliates. According to the amended section, each will have one vote for each 25 paid-up members. It was formerly one for each five of its members. It was felt that the revised formula preserved the principle of proportional representation but was somewhat fairer to individuals who spent their money to be present in person at future conventions. This was not an election year.

Our 1965 national convention will be in Louisville, sponsored by our newest affiliate -- the Associated Blind of Kentucky.

*****

** Minutes of Two Meetings of the Board of Directors
American Council of the Blind
By Alma Murphey, Secretary

The Board of Directors of the American Council of the Blind held two meetings during the time of the second annual convention. The first was called to order on Thursday evening, July 18. All members were present except Mrs. Marie Boring of North Carolina.

Budgetary matters were first on the agenda. In response to a	request from the President, the Board voted to increase the utility fund in the amount of $250.00, and to increase the president's contingency fund in the amount of $220.00. The President reported having authorized the use of $100.00 travel money as partial convention expense for a board member, whose presence at the convention was invaluable as he had an important committee report to present. This action was unanimously approved. The amount of $90.00 was appropriated, as salary for the Treasurer's Bookkeeper, for the remainder of the year.

Earl Scharry, Chairman of the Ambassador Award Committee, suggested that, beginning with the sixty-four convention, the recipient of this award be brought to the convention at A.C.B. expense. This suggestion was viewed favorably and up to $250.00 was suggested for that purpose; however, the Board felt that official action later in the year would be more appropriate.

The Chairman of the Finance Committee suggested that it would be more in line with good bookkeeping practices for vouchers to be used in the payment of bills instead of our present practice of appropriating money to be used as a separate fund. A motion carried that, beginning with 1964, the president's contingency fund be abolished and a petty cash fund be established. Vouchers, signed by the president, are to be submitted to the treasurer for the payment of bills, and the petty cash fund will be used to reimburse for minor expenses.

The greeting card mailing was discussed, and Delbert Aman reported that there is need for the ACB to hire a supervisor to work with the bank in Pierre, South Dakota, where the results from this mailing are to be processed. After long discussion, a motion carried, seven to four with one abstention, that Eugenia Aman be hired to fill this position and that she be paid $2.50 per hour. A motion carried that up to three cents per unit be paid to the bank for processing the return mail. It was agreed that George Card would answer correspondence in connection with this project and a motion carried authorizing him to employ clerical help to be paid according to the Wisconsin scale for such work.

A motion carried that the president appoint a sub-committee of the Board to be known as the long-range planning committee. Recommendations of this committee are to be submitted to the Board for consideration.

The Board voted to recommend to the convention that its last year's action with regard to the sixty-four convention site be rescinded. It also voted to recommend Rochester as the 1964 site. After reading the convention agenda, the meeting adjourned.

The second meeting of the Board of Directors was held immediately following adjournment of the convention, July 21, with twelve members present.

It was agreed that serious attention should be given to organizing as soon as possible; therefore, a motion to transfer $400.00 from the Board of Directors travel fund to the membership committee was unanimously accepted. This transfer made $525.00 available for organizing purposes.

An evaluation of this, our second convention, resulted in the decision that, in the future, in addition to a chairman on local convention arrangements, a board member should be appointed as program chairman and the Board should be kept informed from time to time as to the development of the convention program. Delbert Aman was appointed Program Chairman; Mary Jane Hills is Chairman on local arrangements.

The Long-range Planning Committee, as appointed by the President, consists of David Krause and George Card with Winfield Orrell, Chairman.

The following persons were elected to serve on the Budget and Audit Committees:	Budget Committee, Winfield Orrell and Alma Murphey with Reese Robrahn, Chairman. Audit Committee, Fred Lilly and John Luxon with Marshall Warren, Chairman.

A motion carried that legislative bulletins should be circulated to the Braille Forum mailing list as funds permit. It was hoped that at least one could be gotten out before January first.

A motion carried that results of polling the Board by mail should be reported to the Board in the manner of a roll call vote.

It was suggested that the Braille Forum contain an invitation for readers to make financial contributions to the magazine, and a notice to members at large concerning the payment of dues. It was also suggested that the matter of recording the magazine on disks be investigated.

The meeting adjourned at approximately seven P.M.

*****

** Resolutions Adopted by the 1963 Convention
American Council of the Blind

* 6301

The American Council of the Blind in convention assembled at Chicago, Illinois, this twentieth day of July, 1963, wishes to express its deep appreciation and gratitude to Melvin Cohen of the Tape Library, Atlanta, Georgia, for making available on tape recordings of the Forum and other materials of use and interest to the blind. His services have been rendered without any financial remuneration and are an expression of his own dedication and interest in being of service to blind people everywhere.

* 6302

WHEREAS, California has a state program to assist blind persons to become self-supporting; and

WHEREAS, it has been found that eighty percent (80%) of those under this program require more than one year to achieve their plans for self-support; and

WHEREAS, the Social Security Act limits the duration of eligibility for those having plans for self-support to a period of twelve (12) months;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: that the Social Security Act be amended so as to delete any reference to time in its provisions for encouraging blind persons to become self-supporting.

* 6303

WHEREAS, the protection of the lives and limbs of blind pedestrians is a major concern of all of the blind of the Nation; and

WHEREAS, public safety education as to the meaning of the White Cane and the requirements of White Cane laws is necessary to obtain the maximum safety of such pedestrians;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the American Council of the Blind, in convention assembled at Chicago, Illinois, this 20th day of July, 1963, that:

1. Our members, acting individually and through their local organizations, are urged to cooperate to the fullest extent to further public safety education campaigns; and
2. Efforts should be made to persuade the Governors of each of the fifty states to proclaim October 15th "White Cane Safety Day"; and
3. Efforts should be made to enlist the cooperation of Lions Clubs, radio and television stations, newspapers, etc. to bring about the widest possible dissemination of this public safety education; and
4. The editor of THE FORUM be requested to publish this resolution. 

* 6304

WHEREAS, in the past travel concessions have been made by both railroads and bus companies for the convenience of blind people; and

WHEREAS, since the granting of these concessions air transportation has become a major means of travel; and,

WHEREAS, airlines have found it economically feasible to establish family rates for family unit travel; and,

WHEREAS, air transport is a practical mode of travel for blind people;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the American Council of the Blind in convention assembled in Chicago, Illinois, this 20th day of July, 1963, that the American Council of the Blind take the initiative in an effort to obtain travel concessions for blind persons from any and/or all airlines; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the American Council of the Blind solicit the assistance of other organizations in the promotion of this endeavor.

* 6305

WHEREAS, the United States is allowed to have six seats at the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, and

WHEREAS, five of these seats are occupied by representatives of agencies for the blind and one by the National Federation of the Blind,

WHEREAS, there are now two national organizations of blind persons in the United States;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: that the President of the American Council of the Blind is authorized to negotiate with the United States delegation to the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind as to the possibility of the American Council of the Blind being given a place in this delegation, as it seems proper that the organized blind should be as fully represented as possible.

*****

** ACB Legislative Program

(Adopted by the 1963 Chicago Convention of the American Council of the Blind)

Be it resolved by the American Council of the Blind in convention assembled this 21st day of July, 1963, that:

1. The American Council of the Blind supports the abolition of liens in all public assistance categories.

2. The American Council of the Blind supports the abolition of relatives' responsibility in public assistance. *1

3. The American Council of the Blind supports the abolition of residence requirements in all public assistance categories.

4. The American Council of the Blind supports the sweeping reforms proposed in S. 1029 by Senator Humphrey (D.-Minn.), Senator Long (D.-Mo.), and Senator Williams (D.-N.J.), entitled "A Bill to amend the public assistance provisions of the Social Security Act to eliminate certain inequities and restrictions and permit a more effective distribution of Federal funds. *2

5. The American Council believes that blindness alone does not and should not constitute total permanent disability, but we support the concept that some physical conditions should constitute a prima facie presumption of total permanent disability under old age survivors and disability insurance when such physical conditions are multiple or are combined with advancing age.

6. The American Council of the Blind advocates the transfer of jurisdiction over the supervision of vocational rehabilitation services from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare to the Department of Labor.

7. The American Council of the Blind recognizes the need for the abolition of county administration of public welfare.

8. The American Council of the Blind recognizes that Social Security payments are not yet adequate to afford a reasonable standard of living, and therefore we advocate that payments or disregarded earned income or both should be increased in order that a reasonable standard of living could be provided.

9. The American Council of the Blind believes that when workmen's compensation and old age survivors and disability insurance payments are received simultaneously, neither should be reduced because of the receipt of the other.

10. The American Council of the Blind supports the Social Security amendments proposed by Congressman Mills (D.-Ark.) in HR.6688, entitled "A Bill to amend Title II of the Social Security Act to improve and strengthen the actuarial status of the Trust Funds, to permit payment of child's insurance benefits after attainment of age 18 in the case of a child attending school, to extend the period within which ministers may elect coverage, to provide full retroactivity for disability determinations, to increase the annual earnings includible in determining benefits, and for other purposes." *3

11. The American Council of the Blind supports the expansion of library services by the Library of Congress in sound recording to those who have other physical difficulties in reading than severe sight impairment:

*1. We recognize the need for limited relatives' responsibility in the aid to dependent children program.

*2. This bill establishes exempt earned income for all categories of aid; abolishes liens, residence requirements and relatives I responsibility; removes county administration of welfare; clearly establishes minimum property allowances; permits the retention of burial and life insurance arrangements; lowers the age for old age assistance; and provides for certain other reforms in public assistance. This bill has been referred to the Committee on Finance.

*3. This bill, which has a good chance of passing, will improve the fiscal stability of the Social Security fund, provide payments to children receiving Social Security while they are in college, permit ministers an extended period in which to elect Social Security, will increase Social Security payments and the earnings on which payments are calculated from $4800 to $5400, and will grant another extension to retroactive determination of physical disability. This bill has been referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

*****

** American Council of the Blind
Receipts and Disbursements
July 1, 1962 thru June 30, 1963

* Receipts

Cash-on-hand, July 1, 1962: $983.64
Membership at large dues: $62.00
Per capita dues from affiliate organizations: $116.80
Dues of sustaining members, individual: $32.00
Dues of sustaining members, organizational: $25.00
White Cane Week mailing: $447.00
Royalties from ball gum contract: $4,272.72
Contributions from individuals: $226.00
Contributions from organizations: $325.58
Payment for convention tapes: $24.00
Payment for glaucoma leaflets: $5.00

Total Receipts: $7,019.74

* Disbursements

Presidents Contingent Fund: $550.00
Clerical and Auditing (Treasurer): $167.26
Legislative Committee: $15.00
Membership supplies: $91.75
Convention Expenses: $28.01
White Cane Week Mailing and Supplies: $5.00
Travel Expenses: $160.71
Office Equipment: $378.21
Public Relations and Education: $274.78
Office Supplies and Postage: $234.50
Utilities: $196.32
Printing Forum: $2,953.90
Bank Service Charges: $3.09

Total Disbursements: $5,058.53

Balance June 30, 1963: $1,961.21

Balance in First National Bank of Topeka June 30, 1963: $1,961.21

Submitted by: REESE ROBRAHN, Treasurer

*****

** An Announcement from the Publications Board
By June Goldsmith, Chairman

The Publications Board, having conferred and polled itself by mail, has selected and appointed an editor and three associate editors for the Braille Forum. They are: Marie M. Boring, Editor, 1113 Camden Avenue, Durham, North Carolina 27701; Associate Editors, Mary Jane Hills, 33 1/2 Edmonds Street, Rochester, New York 14607; Ned E.  Freeman, 136 Gees Mill Road, Conyers, Georgia 30207; Florence R. Verken, 1322 North 24th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Publications Board voted also: to retain the statement of editorial policy as it appears on the inside front cover of the magazine; that copies of material offered for publication shall be submitted to the editor and associate editors for review and analysis; that the editor and associate editors shall have the right to edit all material submitted; and that the editor shall be guided by the comments and counsel of the associate editors in the final makeup of the magazine.

*****

** Report of ACB Deaf-Blind Committee
By Boyd C. Wolfe, Jr., Chairman

Pursuant toa resolution passed at St. Louis, a letter was written to the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, containing a copy of the resolution relative to providing means of communication for the deaf-blind by OVR. A reply was received from Mr. Lou Rives of that office explaining that under the law money is provided to the States and that it is up to the States themselves to determine how that money is used. Mr. Rives further stated that it would be best to work through the State agencies since OVR had no control other than to see that the money was used for rehabilitation purposes.

This indicates that it is our responsibility to persuade rehabilitation counselors that deaf-blind people can be rehabilitated and that they can do useful jobs if given the necessary means by which to communicate. All too often now these counselors are prone to think that deaf-blind people cannot be rehabilitated because they are both deaf and blind, and that it is a "waste of time and money" to provide appliances for them. Because many of our deaf-blind correspondents indicated a fear that the production of braille material by the Library of Congress was being subordinated to the "Talking Book" program, a letter was written to the Division for the Blind of the Library of Congress inquiring about the possibility of providing more braille books and magazines. A letter from Mr. Bray stated that the major part of the increase in appropriation which the Division for the Blind was requesting for fiscal 1964 was for the purpose of increasing the braille output by the Division.	It was also stated that through the development of the "Thermoform" system of braille duplicating, more of the books in the Library's collection of hand-copied books could be made available to regional libraries which do not have a hand-transcribing program of their own. The committee considers this very good news indeed.

As was previously reported, the idea of a distinctive identification for deaf­ blind travelers received very little support from our correspondents, and some vigorous opposition.

*****

** Report of Ambassador Awards Committee of Judges

Besides unanimously selecting Miss Jearldine Noeller, whose story appears in this issue, as the first recipient of the Ambassador Award, this committee, through mail and a meeting at the Chicago Convention, agreed upon the following recommendations and rules of procedure:

The Committee. It is recommended that the president each year appoint or re-appoint a committee of three judges, one of whom he shall designate as chairman. It is further recommended that no judge shall serve for more than five consecutive years.

In addition to selecting the recipient of the award from nominees submitted to it, the Committee of Judges shall be responsible for determining the wording and tangible form of the award. The chairman, with the advice and consent of the committee, shall be responsible for procuring from the Board the necessary appropriations for expenses in connection with the award and for publicity arrangements.

Nominations. In order to assure consideration for the current year, nominations should be in the hands of the Committee by March 1, and the selection of the award winner shall be made as soon after April 1 as possible and announced to the winner by the chairman. The announcement shall not be made public until the time of the formal presentation. Those making nominations should have personal knowledge of the qualifications of their nominees. It is requested that copies of nominations be sent to each of the three judges, whose names and addresses appear at the end of this report. Any member of ACB, including committee members, may make nominations. The files of the Committee shall be confidential, but they shall be turned over by the members to their successors. Nominations once made shall remain eligible for consideration for future awards.

Standards of Selection. It was felt by the Committee that these should be left as flexible as possible. In general, the person selected should, in the opinion of the judges, through his personal characteristics and activities contribute most to the acceptance and understanding of blind people as capable and contributing members of the community. Relatively more weight should be given to the nominee's contributions over and beyond those made in the course of his regular employment.

The recipient of the award should be a resident of the United States and should be legally blind, though he need not be affiliated with any organization of the blind. No member of the Board of Directors of ACB or of the Committee of Judges, nor of the immediate family of any of these, should be eligible for the award. It was felt by the Committee that attendance at the convention should not be a condition to receiving the award, but the Committee strongly urges that the Board appropriate funds in order to pay the expenses of the award recipient to the presentation ceremonies.

A number of very fine nominations remain in the files of the Committee, but we earnestly solicit further nominations or supporting material for previous nominations to be made as soon as possible before the March 1 deadline.

Respectfully submitted,

Earl Scharry, Chairman 
186 Vernon Avenue
Louisville, Kentucky 40206

Mrs. Juliet Bindt
2709 Derby Street
Berkeley 5, California

Dr. S. Bradley Burson
917 Kenyon Street 
Downers Grove, Illinois

*****

** The Jearldine Noeller Story

Jearldine Noeller came to Kansas from the South Dakota School for the Blind. She was a	shy little girl, who made little impression on anyone. She could not play the piano nor sing louder than a mouse. In class she got by in her lessons and that was about it.

When in the seventh grade, she confided to the superintendent that she wanted to teach and preferred teaching speech. The superintendent wondered how this child with the quavery whiny voice ever got that notion.

Her hands, however, were quick and deft. Some of the girls reasoned that she might work in a shop. It would be nice to work with her. She would help them out of trouble and listen sympathetically to their tales of woe. If her eighth grade teacher had been permitted his way, he would have given her the eighth-grade diploma and sent her home. He was certain she would derive no benefit from high school. But the superintendent saw things differently. When Jeari was graduated from the Kansas School for the Blind in 1938, however, no one predicted a very bright future for her.

Jearldine did not lose sight of her ambition and when she expressed the desire to go to college, her mother was in full accord. This was strange for it had been so hard for her to accept a blind child. She did not wish to have Jeari read Braille on the front porch because it would attract attention. One time, when Jeari was little, she sat her in a chair and said, "If anyone asks about your eyes, don't answer them." When she was asked, Jeri was obedient and the woman said, "The child is deaf too." Nevertheless, Mrs. Noeller bent every effort to give her daughter her desire, for she adored this gentle girl. Jeari chose Friends University at Wichita, Kansas. It was small and offered good opportunities in speech and dramatics.

She entered into the activities of this school, taking part in any athletics that were possible, such as ice skating. She also took part in whatever dramatics were open to her and went with the group when they went out to give entertainments.

Once out of college she seemed always about to secure a position; yet, somehow they eluded her.	Her mother became discouraged, but, if Jeari was, she did not show it.

She and a friend who was her reader in college ventured to New York City. There she found employment with the Trans-Atlantic Press as secretary, but the company went out of business. Her friend remained in New York, but Jearldine returned to Wichita.

During the war Jearldine was placed in Boeing Aircraft, where she worked ten hours each night.	Here again her trained hands came into service. The pay was good, and she saved enough to enter Wichita University, where she received a scholarship for graduate study in logopedics. At the end of two years, Jearldine received her master's degree and a diploma as a speech therapist. She also spent one summer at the University of Wisconsin and now has ten hours toward her doctorate.

Ten years after leaving the school for the blind, she found her life's work. A work suited to her nature and which far exceeded the dream of the little seventh-grader.

For sixteen years she has loosed the tongues tied by various afflictions. She has lifted speech-handicapped children and youth out of loneliness and isolation and placed them in communication with their fellows.

Jearldine is the first blind person in this part of our country to enter the profession of speech therapy. Since she has succeeded, others have entered this field and more are now studying. This is a profession where mind, heart and ear are of greater value than the eye.

Wherever she has taught, Jearldine has purchased a home. She thinks that the fact that she was away from home so much as a child has given her the desire to own and to keep striving for a better one. In this she has succeeded. She has done well in real estate, having started with a modest home and now owning an 8-plex apartment building.

Wherever she has lived, Jearldine has taken an active part in community life. She has been on the board of her church and has taught a Sunday school class. She belongs to a local writing club. She helped organize the Riley County, Kansas, Federation for Handicapped Children. She belongs to the state and national societies of this group. She is active in the American Association of University Women and in Alpha Kappa Gamma, an honorary teachers' sorority. In many of these organizations, she has held office.

While she has moved freely among the sighted, she has not forgotten her old school crowd. For four years she has served as President of the Kansas Association of the Blind, which has inaugurated many splendid activities. She is one of this organizations I participants in our Speakers' Bureau, where she serves admirably. She also speaks of and about her professional work. Her talks are well presented and well received.

My ambassador knows the needs of her own country -- "the country of the blind." She is friendly with the neighboring lands, where dwell the speech-handicapped; and she brings the needs of this group of "nations" to the attention of the "United Nations" where live both the normal and the handicapped. She promotes harmony wherever she is.

(This article was submitted to the Ambassador Awards Committee by Lovelia Hilty, of 309 Van Buren Street, Topeka, Kansas, nominating Jearldine Noeller, of 422 North Eleventh Street, Manhattan, Kansas.)

*****

** Tennessee Federation Convention
By June Goldsmith

The Tennessee Federation of the Blind held its annual convention at the Patten Hotel, Chattanooga, Tennessee, on August 31 - September 1, 1963.	The newly elected officers and Board members are as follows: President, Hoyt Gene Bell, Knoxville; 1st-Vice President, Arnold Whaley, Chattanooga; 2nd Vice-President, James McCormack, Nashville; 3rd Vice-President, James Mayfield, Memphis; Secretary, June Goldsmith, Memphis; Treasurer, F.W. Orrell, Chattanooga; 3-year term on Board, John Brown, Chattanooga; 2-year term on Board, Miss Laverne Humphrey, Knoxville; 1-year term on Board, Aaron Smith, Nashville.

The Tennessee Federation of the Blind voted to affiliate with the American Council of the Blind, and instructed its Board of Directors to take the necessary steps to implement the matter.

*****

** Fine Stories Are Told of Handicapped

(The following article appeared in the July 10 issue of the Washington, D.C., Daily News. John Cramer in his column "Nine to Four-Thirty" is quoting from a speech delivered early in July at the convention of the National Federation of the Blind held in Philadelphia.)

In a recent Philadelphia speech, Civil Service Commission Chairman John Macy told the inspiring stories of a few of the thousands of physically handicapped who do outstanding jobs as Government employees.

He told about:

Ray Goldstein -- "He was a college graduate, a veteran, and had passed our hardest entrance exam for beginning professional and management positions. But he couldn't get a job, and for just one reason. He had lost his sight in the Battle of the Bulge.

"The Commission made a real issue of this case, and pretty well turned the Government agencies in Washington inside out to find a suitable position. He eventually was hired by the U.S. Information Agency, where he became an editor of radio tapes -- a complex and exacting job which he performed with outstanding success. The Agency was not merely satisfied, it was delighted to get him."

Thomas Atkeson -- "A talented and dedicated employee of the Fish and Wildlife Service prior to World War II, Tommy was a captain in the Army when a land mine explosion cost him both eyes and both hands. After such a disaster he could, of course, have been 'taken care of' for the rest of his life, but that was not his idea at all. He was determined to go back to his job as a biologist with Fish and Wildlife.

"With vocational rehabilitation training, he met the requirements and went back to work. His progress as a 'most valuable employee' of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama culminated last year in his appointment as manager of the Refuge."

Alvin Saile -- "He can read typed material with magnification for short periods only, but nevertheless earned both bachelor's and master's degrees and passed the very difficult Federal Service Entrance Exam and Labor Economist Exam, and is now an economist in the Labor Department."

Thelma Quesenberry -- "A telephone switchboard operator in the Commerce Department, who had only partial vision since childhood and has been totally blind since 1955. This is a particularly interesting case in that it is a 'first' -- the first blind switchboard operator employed in the Government under Civil Service."

David Krause -- "Totally blind since five and now assistant to the administrative officer of a department in the D.C. Government. Although eligible for appointment at Grade 7 through the Federal Service Entrance Exam and at Grade 9 through the information Specialist Exam, he made the difficult decision to accept a Grade 3 clerk-typist job in order to 'get his foot in the door.' After two days on the job, he was given a chance to try his hand at writing regulations, and just six months later he was made regulations analyst at Grade 7."

Paul Kirton -- "Totally blind, honor graduate of the University of Texas Law School, attorney in the office of the Solicitor of the Interior Department. Mr. Kirton says: 'Any person with a handicap wants only the chance to do a job. If he can't do the job, you fire him, but he needs the chance.'"

*****

** Labor Department's A.L. Archibald
By William Rice

(The following article appeared in the Washington, D.C., Post on September 1, the day following the sudden death of A.L. Archibald. Forum readers will mourn the passing of a great leader in the organized blind movement.)

A. Lamar Archibald, 49, a man who spent most of his life working to help the blind combat their handicap, died yesterday in his Labor Department office after a heart attack.

An attorney, who was an economics consultant and a legislative analyst, he had a strong motivation for his efforts. He was blind himself.

"Archie believed a blind person was capable of almost anything," a friend said yesterday, "and his main interest was helping blind people become self-sufficient."

A dynamite explosion near his Utah home when he was 10 years old caused Mr. Archibald's blindness. His father took the boy to California where he worked with Newel L. Perry, the blind scholar who pioneered in advanced studies for the blind.

Under Perry's guidance, Archie became a top student despite his inability to read. He entered the University of California in 1932, graduating four years later summa cum laude and a Phi Beta Kappa.

He continued to take courses, and during the early part of World War II he worked in Berkeley as an economics tutor. Although he was unable to serve in the armed forces, the war gave him an opportunity to help the blind.

In 1944 he went to work for the Army as a civilian education and rehabilitation aide. He worked in a Menlo Park, California, hospital with veterans who had been blinded in combat and devised a training program to help them adjust to their handicap.

After leaving the Army in 1946, he became Executive Director of the National Federation of the Blind, a post he held for 11 years.

Using what an associate described as a "brilliant memory and alert imagination," Mr. Archibald represented the Federation at study groups on problems of blindness and helped to prepare state legislative proposals in the field of welfare and rehabilitation of the blind.

During this period he also completed two years of law school at Stanford University.

After two years with the California Council of the Blind, Mr. Archibald came to Washington in 1959 as an economics consultant to the law firm of Weissbrodt, Weissbrodt & Liftin. Two years ago, Mr. Archibald, who lived in the Fairfax Hotel, joined the Labor Department.

He worked in Silver Spring, Maryland, in the Unemployment Insurance Service of the Department's Bureau of Employment Security. With the help of a secretary, who read to him, he assimilated complicated statistical tables needed to analyze the legislation he researched.

At the time of his death, Mr. Archibald was working on two projects. He was writing a dissertation that would have brought him a doctor's degree in economics from California. He also was gathering materials for a biography of Newel Perry.

A bachelor, he is survived by a brother, John Archibald of MacDoel, Calif., and a sister, Mrs. William E. Powell of Magna, Utah.

(Editor's note.  Time and distance has made it impossible for many who were "Archie's" friends and associates to pay final respects to a beloved co-worker. Our readers will be pleased to know, therefore, that "Archie's" sister has stated that his family will be honored to have the American Council for the Blind establish an A.L. Archibald Memorial Fund to help carry on the work of increasing opportunities for the blind to which he gave so much of his life. Contributions to this fund may be sent to the A.L. Archibald Memorial Fund, c/o Reese Robrahn, 210 Crawford Building, Topeka, Kansas.)

*****

** Ray Charles

This fantastically successful blind Negro jazz artist was featured in an article in the August 24th issue of THE SATURDAY EVENING POST:

"... Blind at seven, an orphan at 15, a narcotics user at 16, a millionaire at 32, Charles is an enigma to the world. ... He commands the best contract in the record business, with a royalty of about 12 1/2 cents a single, three times that paid the usual performer. ... Orders for one of his most recent albums, Volume II of MODERN SOUNDS IN COUNTRY AND WESTERN MUSIC, reached the staggering total of $371,000 two weeks before its release. ... During one recent visit to Paris, he sold out the Olympia Theater on 10 successive nights, a feat never before accomplished by an American entertainer. ... He grossed well over two million dollars in 1962. ...

"To the 18 men in his band, he is a tyrant of perfection. He calls seven-hour rehearsals on what might have been days off, memorizing all 18 parts, shouting acid counterpoint to wrong notes, requiring instant recognition of arrangements he invents on the spot. ... Once, while recording the song I BELIEVE TO MY SOUL, he became so dissatisfied with the sound of his choral group, the Raelettes, that he sent them home. Then he sat down with earphones and proceeded to dub in each of the four girls' parts, one at a time, in his own falsetto. When he finished, it was perfectly tight four-part harmony, it was amazing, it sounded just like a sensational girls' group.

"... He can take apart his tape recorder and put it back together again, and when his television set breaks down, he can fix that too.

"He gets a new Cadillac every year and test drives it with someone tapping him on the shoulders to tell him which way to turn. He owns two aircraft, one a twin-engine Cessna for his personal use and the other a 40-passenger Martin 4-0-4 to transport his band on concert dates, and he knows how to fly both planes. ..."

"... Glaucoma struck when he was five. 'My mother,' he says, 'she saw the handwriting' on the wall, God rest her soul. Before I lost my sight, she started teaching me how to do things without seeing. She wanted me to be as independent as anybody else, and I think I am.'

"He refuses to play before segregated audiences and he has made the South accept his conditions. He owns a record company, a music publishing firm, a travel agency, several apartment houses, and is thinking of building a motel chain. He also owns a reputation as a sharp businessman, although never at the expense of his musical integrity. ..."

*****

** The Light of Philosophy
By Leonard C. Aymon

(Editor's note -- Mr. Aymon is a former legislator of Chattanooga, Tennessee.)

I am indeed reluctant to offer a suggestion or to venture into a subject which has for many years had the united efforts, thoughts, energies and directives of some of the greatest minds available in our midst; also there is the financial support of federal, state and local governments, as well as the support of many organizations that are interested in the blind.

We know that the majority of our successful blind have been recipients somewhere along the line, such being made possible by the determined and untiring workers who preceded them. There used to be a class of successful blind who by their own ingenuity and intestinal fortitude, so to speak, to speak, pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. During these days, there were no welfare or rehabilitation agencies to depend upon. Before and during the first 25 years of this century, the blind faced a grave struggle, with little help or encouragement.

The fields of endeavor, as well as resources, were very limited. The blind of that day had a hard row of stumps to blast out. I do not refer necessarily to that group of the nineteenth century, such as Walter G. Holmes and Senator Gore of Oklahoma, but to that group who were about grown when welfare and rehabilitation were not yet thought of.

Such individuals had a vast knowledge of "know-how" gained by hard knocks, mealless days, and an experience similar to that of the pioneers.

What constitutes the Ladder of Success? An ordinary ladder is composed of two runners and sufficient rungs to reach the height desired. The runners (or your plans) point the direction in which you want to go; the rungs are more difficult. Why? Because each rung represents an accomplishment completed. If you have enough rungs to reach the top, you will have enough accomplishments to be successful.

All professions and skills have a ladder of success that is available if we work hard enough for it. This, also, is true of philosophy. What constitutes philosophy and its uses? Each profession and skill has a philosophical trend of thinking which is characteristic of the subject involved. Regardless of whether it is splitting the atom, the space program or the Einstein theory, the processes are the same.

Success entails such things as sacrifice, hardship, a disciplined and intelligent process of thinking, research and long hours of work. If we cannot undergo the battle of trials and errors, self-examination, self-criticism, then I am afraid success is not in our horoscope. After our success becomes factual, then the problems of methods and applications loom upon the horizon.	Even the methods and applications sometimes present problems, depending upon the conditions, circumstances and the job to be done. For example: the recent astronaut Gordon Cooper was aloft -- his success depending not only on his performance, but also on the performance of his ship.

Philosophy is a science within itself -- a process that aids an individual to use his faculties more efficiently. On reaching this state of mind, we are not so afraid of criticism or self-evaluation. In the legal profession, what greater example could we have the philosophy of the law and its application than the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights? We know that it is the greatest document of its kind in the world. It was through research and philosophy that the profession of efficiency experts came into being.

It is at this point that the title of this article applies -- the light of philosophy. After a constructive process of thoughts, research and plans, the light of solution and success are apparent. The methods and application are also imperative. With the basic philosophy of job placement and the legislation at our disposal, let's take a look at one of our greatest problems. After a careful evaluation, all necessary qualifications on a par, let us consider the best methods in preparing blind persons for job placements. If a blind applicant wants to go to college, to college he goes. If he wants to study law, to law college he goes. But suppose he wants to prepare himself for industrial employment; where does he go? It seems to me that this is where our greatest emphasis should be placed. Facilities for training blind persons for industrial jobs are practically nil.

Where can a young sighted man or woman go to learn a skilled trade ranging from typing, IBM computers, Dictaphone, electrical and electronics skills, cabinet making, machine shop skills, drafting and many other technical skills? They can attend one of the new numerous vocational schools in the United States. These schools are supported by funds from federal, state and local levels, besides funds from industry. Industry gets a regular report on the progress of students.

Why has not the leadership among the blind throughout the nation worked to make available similar opportunities for blind persons? Why is it not possible for blind persons to attend these schools? Instead of creating workshops and centers without any tie-in with industry, why not, if necessary, work for legislation that would require the departments of education to make such changes as are necessary to provide training for blind persons in established industrial schools? Since the federal government is already appropriating money for these schools and is expanding this training program of special education, then why should we not get in on the ground floor on the national level? Then each state wishing to participate in the program could adopt laws to coordinate their local programs. Is this the time to strike and shape a program that would fit our needs?

Then, instead of the rehab boys having to go to an industrialist and persuade him that his client is a skilled mechanic, well-oriented and a safe risk, the vocational school where the client was trained would make all the necessary recommendations. Such recommendations coming from a duly authorized school would carry more weight. It seems to me that we should re-examine our programs and our philosophy toward job placement, make plans for a highly constructive future and shoulder to shoulder march to a brighter horizon.

If the organizations of the blind would set up study groups, research groups, general conferences and forums to discuss their findings, I believe our progress would be expedited and our future more secure. If we could only erase the old wagon routes of our thinking and set up a forum for the discussion of new ideas and a more progressive plan of action, I am positive that somebody somewhere would eventually come up with a workable idea. Will not the lack of interest be our Waterloo? We advocate -- and rightly so -- that every blind person become a self-sufficient individual and an independent taxpaying citizen, interested in his community and happy in his civic pride.  But how strong is our advocacy?  Are we "our brother's keeper?" If these remarks merit your attention, lend a helping thought, a helping hand, an idea, a solution.

I believe we should attempt to iron out the wrinkles before presenting the type of legislation to which I have referred. We would likely find some opposition to such legislation from the departments of education. We must be prepared to sell our idea. We should not have to wait for another war to convince our governments that the blind constitute an untapped reservoir of labor.

As a state representative in the Tennessee legislature from 1948 to 1958, I found my colleagues in both chambers to be very sympathetic toward legislation for the blind. Many states have legislative councils that might be helpful in preparing the way for legislation to open vocational schools to blind persons.

Coincidentally, as I write this article, the news is breaking over radio and TV that Chattanooga has been selected as the site for one of the new two-year highly technical vocational schools to be located in the Moccasin Bend area. Seventy percent of the two million dollars required for this school will be provided by the federal government. The Chamber of Commerce, the Manufacturing Association, the Citizens' Committee of One Hundred, the legislative delegation, the mayor and the county judge have all been working on this project for four years. It would have been gratifying if I could have heard on the same broadcast that special equipment would be installed in this school for training blind persons in the state. There is a lot for us to do. Let us use the radio, TV, publications, the halls of Congress and our state legislatures to make our voices heard so that blind citizens can truly take their rightful places in society. There is a new horizon filled with new opportunities. What's your verdict?

If the trend among educators is to train blind children in public schools, then why is it not practical to train our boys and girls for jobs in industry and commerce in our vocational schools? Let us not segregate them like sheep in state shops and centers to work at trades not common in industry, but let us put forth every effort to train and equip our blind men and women for public service.

I would like to hear from any of you who read this article and who may have some ideas and opinions on this subject.

*****

** What Price Independence?
By Norma Farrar Krajczar

"... and he's so independent!"

How often during my experience as a field representative for The Seeing Eye, Inc., would I hear that description of a blind person offered by blind and sighted observers alike. It is a quality both admired and desired as it applies to the handicap of blindness. Happily, however, the quality of independence means many different things to different people and we can never be sure that our concept of it is exactly the same as another person's.

Yes, I think this infinite variety of interpretations is a happy thing, especially for us who are blind. It simply means that we are subject to the same individual differences which characterize all other people, regardless of visual acuity. Consequently, we resent being stereotyped as "the blind," all thinking acting, interpreting in exactly the same way. In this article may I present my own interpretation of the term "independence."

I know several blind persons with wide-ranging interests and activities who certainly must be considered "spiritually independent." The fact that they are unable to move beyond their immediate surroundings without holding to the arms of sighted companions does not affect their personal sense of independence -- but it would seriously interfere with mine! Undoubtedly one's sense of independence is an individual matter.

To many of us the ability to travel about where we must and when we must or wish is an integral part of our sense of independence. For some, the cane, properly used, provides freedom and satisfaction. For others the dog guide is more suitable to our needs and personalities.

I think that we who travel using the above methods must not delude ourselves into believing that we never require sighted assistance. Nevertheless, the inner sense of security and independence we feel is bound to influence those around us and make for happier and more relaxed associations with sighted persons. There are those blind persons who, in my opinion, are kidding themselves into thinking they're "independent" by "bungling" around with no cane or dog, or if they use either, by not accepting suggestions or assistance when they would be most valuable. These people are fooling no one but themselves. They are not physically independent!

At this point may I say that I have achieved what to me represents independence largely through the catalyst of a lovable, enthusiastic, and most effective Seeing Eye dog named Patty. We recently marked our tenth anniversary together; and as it would be impossible for me to envision the course of my career during those past ten years without "Patricia," so, too, it would be impossible to consider the life I have enjoyed without coming to a deep realization of the part she has played in it. This tale, then, is a tribute to her and an attempt to describe the sort of independence she has helped me achieve.

Perhaps it would be safe to say that "we" tackled a career together! Upon completion of graduate school I came face to face with the realization that in order to enter a field not hitherto populated by blind workers -- the area of guidance on the college campus -- I would have to be able to travel independently wherever a college job presented itself. Until that time, partial sight had enabled me to negotiate my limited environment fairly adequately. However, a marked decline in vision forced me to make a real decision. For many reasons, not the least of which was a long-standing and very deep love of dogs, this meant obtaining a Seeing Eye dog!

Immediately upon our departure from Morristown, Patty and I established ourselves at the University of New Hampshire where, in due course, I became coordinator of Religious Activities and project director in the Office of University Development. For three and a half years our office was a beehive of student activity, and we continually trotted around the campus to meetings, classes, and social engagements without assistance, despite the deep drifts of New Hampshire winters or the gales so typical of spring. Meanwhile we were "trying each other out," learning what we could and could not do together, and developing not only the joy of each other's company but the security of interdependence.

Not only as my guide, but in more subtle ways, Patty played her part in my work. As we had the opportunity to meet many homesick freshmen each September, I quickly came to realize that it was my dog conjuring up memories of their own pups at home, who drew them to my office. At first their visits were long and filled with tales of home and high school -- with many intervals for patting and talking to Patty; then the visits began tapering off, and I knew that these insecure "frosh" were at last beginning to find their niches on a busy campus. By early winter, as we passed the same students on campus, there would only be a "hi" to Patty, and a great sense of satisfaction for me!

Our summers were filled with camping, both in an informal way and also in camp counseling and administration. Here, away from comfortable routine, Patty began to learn that life for her would never be predictable, but as long as her mistress was around, it would be happy and secure. Also I realized more fully that with Patty to guide me, I could travel anywhere with ease and confidence. Of course, it took me a while to get used to walking on loggers' "corduroy" roads and up steep, rocky paths; but then, too, it took Patty a while to accustom herself to sleeping with canvas, or perhaps only stars, over her head. Were she able, Patty would sheepishly have to admit that on one occasion -- just one -- her mistress had to lead the way across a narrow stone viaduct over a rushing mountain stream while a trembling dog guide followed with wary eye and drooping tail!

When in 1956 I was presented the opportunity to spend a summer in Europe as a member of the Experiment in International Living, would I, without those three preceding years with Patty, have had the courage to accept? Certainly I was well aware, as I boarded the ship in New York, that despite a totally strange experience with people then unknown to me, there would be one predictable factor in my life during the coming months. This, of course, was Patty. Unquestionably her friendly responsiveness when she was greeted, were it in German, French, or Dutch, brought us in closer contact with, the residents of the countries we visited. Her welfare was a concern of our entire group, Germans and Americans alike, and served as a welding bond in all our activities. For instance, there was a near argument over which of our group would keep Patty company while I, in my turn, toured a world-renowned salt mine in Bavaria -- hardly a place for a Seeing Eye dog.

Shortly after our return from Europe we found ourselves alighting from a plane in Champaign, Illinois, to face a job interview. I was under consideration for the position of head resident of one of the women's residence halls on the campus of the University of Illinois. Considering its enormous size, compared to that of the cozy University of New Hampshire, I was abashed, but beneath my awe was the sense of knowing that, provided I had the ability to handle the job, I could most certainly manage the campus -- for Patty was with me! That assuredness accompanied me off the plane, and it immediately impressed the dean who was waiting to meet us; for she later commented that she had looked at us and thought to herself, "Well, they do look as if they know where they're going."

And we did! I became head resident of first Busey and then Allen Hall, and, of course, Patty was assistant head resident. Quickly she assumed her role as the Hall's "mascot" -- when not in harness! -- and as soother of homesick and insecure students. At the same time she willingly guided me around the campus and here and there across the country from Arizona to Massachusetts on vacation trips, and I might add that the airlines and terminal friends we made on those junkets were many.

It was not, however, until I began my work as field representative for The Seeing Eye in August, 1959, that I fully came to realize what had happened to me during those years with Patty.	In the latter job we criss-crossed the country, involving ourselves in such diverse activities as radio and TV appearances, lectures before hundreds of persons, both blind and sighted, and conferences with countless individuals whose concerns are the problems of blindness.

One Easter Sunday found us in Idaho enjoying the holiday dinner with a Seeing Eye graduate, while the next saw us atop Mt. Royal in Montreal, doing a little sight-seeing during a wonderful Canadian field trip. One autumn we counseled with newly blinded persons at a conference on the shores of Lake Tahoe and on another memorable day we "changed classes" in a huge Massachusetts high school of 3,000 -- to prove that a dog guide could manage madly dashing students and swinging fire doors. Always there were strange cities and unfamiliar hotels to be encountered. Once we had acquainted ourselves with a location it was never again strange to us, and we could manage it completely without assistance. Rather than hold to the arm of porters we would follow them through mazes of airlines terminals and crowds of anxious travelers. We would know that we were being observed. What blind persons aren't? But I discovered that their attitude, over-admiring though it was, was also positive -- and this was important to my sense of independence!

I was, and still am, astounded to hear people speak of dogs' distracting the public's attention from their masters or of masters becoming too emotionally dependent upon their dog guides. I am amused to think that I might be "too dependent" upon Patty as I start off on a shopping expedition and as I suddenly discover myself singing while we trot along completely absorbed in my own thoughts, or interestedly aware, in a relaxed way, of Patty's twistings and turnings as she guides me through hurrying downtown crowds. Long ago I realized my feeling of adventure and accomplishment -- certainly not of dependence -- as we negotiated hectic department stores, strange offices and shops.

This was the feeling I have often enjoyed as I have attended Sunday service in churches completely unknown to me and which I have entered and left without confusion or perhaps even communication with others in the congregation. They might well have thought I was a regular member of their church!

This is spiritual independence born of physical independence, and it has been given to me by that tail-wagging German shepherd. Well do I realize that she is aging and that there will have to be other Seeing Eye dogs who can continue to give me the independence I now find so satisfying. But make no mistake, this independence through Patty has not been realized without cost and by no means to I refer solely to the financial aspects of our relationship. With her successors-to-be, there will also be a price to pay for the special brand of independence they will provide. The price is responsibility. Patty must be provided with a good diet, groomed and exercised regularly, and at all times "considered" as I live my life. I must be responsible for her physical and emotional needs, as well as for her behavior. I long ago learned, however -- as a child growing up in a democratic home and attending democratic schools -- that for each measure of liberty and freedom (independence, if you will) we are privileged to enjoy, there is assigned to us a like measure to responsibility. My inevitable response must be this, that for the spiritual and physical independence, as well as the love and joy she has given me, the measure of responsibility I have assumed for Patty is indeed a humble token.

*****

** ORDERS NOW BEING TAKEN FOR 
LAST 100 TAPE PLAYERS
DELIVERIES BEGIN IN SEPTEMBER

Because of the exhaustion of the supply of Talking Book machines of the obsolete model which can be adapted for tape playback, Science for the Blind will be unable to continue the production of the Inexpensive Tape Players (non-recording) which we have supplied for the last few years. We are currently beginning production of the final 100 machines. Once these have been sold, there will be no more available.

An increase in the cost of parts has forced us to raise the price of the players to $54.00 less 2% for payment within 30 days. 

PREPAID ORDERS: Send check or money order for $52.50 to Science for the Blind, Haverford, Pa., 19041.

*****

** A Report on the ACB Tape Correspondence Club
By Jack C. Lewis

Would you like to become a member of ACB's Tape Correspondence Club? As a result of recent articles which appeared in the Forum, many readers have expressed an enthusiastic desire to participate in this new Tape Correspondence Club, TCC.

Martha Chandler of Palo Alto, California, is anxious to correspond on tape with many of you. Martha, a darkroom technician, is a member of the West Bay Chapter of San Francisco and is an active ACB member. Mrs. Chandler asked this important question: Who is to participate in TCC? Is it to be exclusively for ACB members? Is it to be for all interested persons or is TCC to be for the blind in general? Since TCC is a new project, many of these questions are yet to be solved. My suggestion is this: TCC should be for all of those who are interested in the organized blind movement. It should be directed, however, toward the objectives designated by the American Council of the Blind.

TCC will provide many ACB members with an opportunity to play an active role in ACB affairs. No longer will it be necessary for many of us to be simply part-time ACB members, actively participating only at conventions and local chapter meetings. But, through the facilities of your tape recorder, you will make many new friends. You will have an opportunity to express your views and opinions on many subjects. You will learn other people's views and opinions. Many of our members and other interested persons read these articles in the Forum with keen interest.

Don O. Nold, Executive Secretary of the Talking Lion, will further publicize this project in the fall edition of his magazine. Incidentally, he would like to correspond on tape with some of you who have academic interests. He is particularly interested in getting constructive comments and criticism on his magazine. Many of you who attended the ACB convention in Chicago had an opportunity to meet Don.

As news of this project is made known through the Talking Lion and other periodicals, no doubt numerous people throughout the country will be anxious to participate actively. This will prove to be a major drawing card for ACB, enabling us to recruit many new members. Every effort will be made to help you to select tape pals who hold similar interests.

If you have not already written expressing your desire to participate, why don't you let us hear from you soon? State your name, address, occupation, family background, hobbies and any other information that might help in making the proper selection.

Charles M. See of Cumberland, Maryland, has been in the Maryland Legislature for twenty-five years. He is anxious to correspond on tape with someone who has been or is actively engaged in politics, particularly in the legislative circles. Perhaps there is someone with whom you would like to correspond. Do you know of someone who might like to take a part in TCC? If so, I would be happy to provide this person with the needed information, inviting him or her to participate.

Address your tapes or letters to: Jack C. Lewis, 742 Ponce de Leon Pl., N.E., Atlanta 6, Georgia. There are several persons who are eager to correspond on tape with many of you. I hope to be hearing from you soon.

*****

** Letters from Readers

To the Editor:

As is evident from the enclosed article, the matter of what does or does not constitute an "independent blind person" has fascinated me for the past several years. This was, of course, especially true during my tenure as a field representative for The Seeing Eye, Inc.; but only since I retired from that position to undertake the career of full-time homemaker have I felt in the position to express myself fully on the subject. The result is the enclosed article.

Frankly I have been astonished to hear dog guide users proclaim that only they are independent blind persons; and, of course, I have been shocked and astounded to be accused of being not independent because I have lived for the past ten years in the company of a Seeing Eye dog.

Recently I have obtained a copy of the January, 1963, Braille Forum, and I am most impressed with its purpose and with the quality of the articles presented.	I wonder if your magazine does not provide me with the opportunity to express views and experiences which I have long wished to share with other blind persons. Furthermore, might I suggest that a series of articles by blind persons on their concepts of independence might be an interesting innovation for future issues.

As I note you have three associate editors, I am submitting several copies of this article for their review. ...

May I wish you all good luck with the Braille Forum as I feel a journal of its caliber has long been needed. -- Sincerely yours, Mrs. Norma Farrar Krajczar, 148 Western Avenue, Morristown, New Jersey.

***

To the Editor:

Please let me thank the staff of the Braille Forum for the privilege of receiving such a wonderful and informative magazine. The subjects treated show a high degree of efficiency and a definite effort of intelligent thinking and research. I cannot conclude these remarks without saying that the editorial staff is to be highly commended for the wonderful job they are doing.

My article was prompted by the excellent articles -- one by Joseph F. Clunk (I Have Never Placed a Blind Man) and the other by Mary Jane Hills regarding legislation. I respectfully submit my article for your consideration. -- Leonard C. Aymon, 1901 Duncan Avenue, Chattanooga, Tennessee

***

To the Editor:

... I like the Forum very much and look forward to its coming. So far there has not been any mud slinging such as has been in some magazines in the past, and I hope that you will not start that. Remember, the mud can stick to the slinger also.

I wish the Council or someone could do something about the confusion about the cost of mailing braille letters. It is no use writing to Washington, D.C., for they tell one person one thing and another something different. Also, the local offices are often confused about the amount of postage. Many blind people send braille letters to me without any postage, though Washington promised to write my post office and tell them that it is unlawful to send braille letters free. I still receive letters without postage, I pay 4 cents to mail my braille letters according to instructions which I received from Washington and my local post office. I think there would be less confusion if there were a uniform postal law which would apply to everyone. So far, I have not been required to pay for letters which I receive without postage. If I were required to do so, I would have to drop some of my correspondents. ...

I am a deaf-blind reader of the Braille Forum.	Many thanks and best wishes. -- Miss Helen L. Reid, Rt.  7, Box 394, Chillicothe, Ohio, 45601

*****

** Here and There
By George Card

The Editor of the NEW BEACON (London) points out that new electronic processes could produce Grade I Braille at enormous savings, thus making many additional books and periodicals available, but he questions whether blind readers would have the patience to put up with Grade I after having been conditioned to Grade II, and even Grade III. No one has asked my opinion, but it would be emphatically in the negative.

In April the Lake County Chapter (originally organized by John and Frances Miller, of Crown. Point,) withdrew from the Indiana Council of the Blind.

From National News of the Blind (Canada):  "The Georgie Academy for the Blind has prepared a 33-page booklet and a 15-minute film, 'Horticulture for the Blind,' with the aim of expanding employment opportunities for blind people." ... "The Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind is engaged on a three-year prevention of blindness campaign in the Luapula Valley where one child in every thirty and one adult in every forty-five is totally blind. Measles and malnutrition are the main causes." ... "Vaccine against trachoma, developed by the Lister Institute (England), has now been tried on humans in Gambia and the results are encouraging." ... "Twenty years ago Dr. Murugappa Channaveerappa Modi left a lucrative practice in Bombay and is known as the cataract king. He covers vast areas in Southern India by van and sets up his operating theatre, often in a school. He operates at great speed and is said to have performed 500 operations in a single day. ..."

The adult summer school session, largely financed by the Montana Association for the Blind, will have two instructors during the coming session who are well known to many of our readers. Richard Gustafson, (former President in both Minnesota and Washington State), will handle orientation and cane travel; Ray Penix, former Arkansas President, will teach the use of hand tools, household mechanics and Braille.

From the ILLINOIS NEWSLETTER: "The Rev. Fred Foster, blind since the age of 10, retired in May after 36 years of a highly successful ministry. He was President of the Mary Bryant Home for Blind Women at Springfield from 1946 to 1961, its formative years."

In the May 10th edition of VISUALLY HANDICAPPED VIEWS, Editor Dean Sumner enthusiastically records what he believes will prove to have been a landmark in the history of employment for the blind. The Pacific Bell Telephone Company has developed a revolutionary improvement for the Braille switchboard in Oregon. Through his connections with the parent organization, Vernon Williams, blind lawyer of Aberdeen, succeeded in obtaining the first working model for installation in his state and it was dedicated in an impressive ceremony on May 23. (Delbert Aman, who paid us an overnight visit in Madison on his way to a Home Teachers' Conference in Chicago, told me that the Iowa Commission had tried very hard to secure the first working model, but South Dakota won out.)

The Florida White Cane reports a continuing vigorous campaign by the FFB to secure public support for legislation creating a separate school for the blind in that state. President Larry Thompson and Beulah Flynn have been speaking before many groups and feel greatly encouraged by the response obtained. ... Carl Wiley has succeeded Walter Jones as President of the Sarasota Chapter, which hosts the 1963 state convention. ... The FFB has been greatly pleased over the appointment of Eugene Spellman and Howard Breckan by Governor Farris Bryand to the Florida Council Board. ... "Glenn Hall, of Ft. Lauderdale, who is blind, repairs water meters for the city. His sensitive fingers know which is which among the seven small gears in the mechanism and where all the small parts belong. He also overhauls gear trains for meters and can disassemble the meters themselves."

From WE, THE BLIND (Pa.): "On Sat., May11, 1963, the friends, faculty and staff of the Overbrook School for the Blind witnessed the dedication of the luxurious new athletic building, Nevil House." ... "A new chapter has just been formed called The Sunbury Chapter in the Susquehanna Valley. It will be the center of five counties, Northumberland, Snyder, Montour, Columbia and Union. Its president is Meridith White.

"'Anyone here know shorthand?'" asked the sergeant of the recruits. Two men stepped forward. 'Good,' he said, 'go help with the potato peeling. They're shorthanded there!'"

Although the State of Washington is generally considered to be one of our more progressive commonwealths, and the blind of that state -- because of the relatively liberal public assistance policy in effect -- enjoy relatively more security than the average, its vending stand program has certainly not been outstanding.	There were 26 stands in 1956 and in 1962 there were still 26 stands.	The state ranked 45th in average income to blind stand operators -- a rather pitiful $113.00 per month. ... In March of this year the Tacoma, Washington, Chapter made the final payment on the building it purchased in 1955 -- the realization of a dream which its members have cherished and for which they have worked very hard.

In June of this year the Board of Trustees of the Hadley School reluctantly decided that the enrollment in the School at any one time must be limited to two thousand students. At present there are over 1,500. Henceforth students must maintain a definite standard of performance in order to remain on the rolls. Because the University of Chicago is discontinuing its home study department, through which Hadley college courses were taught, similar arrangements are being made with the University of Wisconsin.

George Burck has been appointed to the New Jersey Board of Public Welfare and is confidently expecting to be reappointed to the New Jersey Commission for the Blind. It is most gratifying that this extremely able blind citizen is receiving the recognition he so well deserves.

At its July convention the Montana Association for the Blind elected Stanley Proctor, 412 2nd Avenue, E., Kalispell, to succeed R. Kenny Richardson of Bozeman.

From THE WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL: "Mr. Wallington Simpson, of Ramsey, N.J., who loves children and who is almost blind himself, has built a bike that will enable a blind boy and his mother to ride side by side. It consists of two 24-inch bicycles, connected by three metal bars. ..."

From the NEBRASKA OBSERVER: "A bill increasing the public assistance grant in this state from $100 to $110 a month has been approved by the State Legislature -- the vote was unanimous." ... "As a public service, Station WRCT-TV, of Philadelphia, assisted by the Seeing Eye Foundation, has produced a 16 mm. sound film entitled 'Fight for Mobility.' The film depicts the importance of mobility to blind persons. Three methods by which movement is commonly augmented are demonstrated in the moving picture -- those of the long cane, the guide dog, and the electronic device. Dr. Richard Hoover, Baltimore ophthalmologist, who devised the long cane method, is interviewed in the film, and Dr. Thomas Benham, physics professor at Haverford College, discusses and shows a current model of an electrical device still in the experimental stage. Those interested in borrowing the film are requested to contact The Seeing Eye, Office of Public Information, 9 Rockefeller Plaza, New York 20, N.Y." ... "The School for the Visually Handicapped has purchased an acreage 4 miles north of Nebraska City with a nice lake for fishing. This property will be used by the students attending school for outings, camping trips, fishing, and other outdoor recreation. ... "The first blind person ever to win laurels as an expert 'speleologist' (explorer of caves) is a 27-year-old French girl named Colette Richard. Sightless since birth, Miss Richard is said to have made 2 major underground explorations, climaxing her adventures by spending a night in the caverns of Saint-Gaudens, France. Described by fellow explorers as 'one of our aces,' the young French woman also excels as a mountain climber, golfer, swimmer, and horseback rider. ..."

Al Nichols reports that the legal action filed by the Vermont Council of the Blind to recover its treasury from those who impounded it to clarify its official status failed to come up during the spring term of court and will not now be heard until the autumn session.

On July 1 Mary Jane Hills joined the clerical staff of the R.J. Strasenburg Co., of Rochester, N.Y., manufacturing pharmaceutical chemists. She is classified as a typist and Spanish correspondent. This was the firm which I represented as its Wisconsin salesman during the 9 years previous to the automobile accident which resulted in my blindness. If I had known then what I know now, I might still be representing this fine old company.

Two very distinguished and important personalities in the area of our special interest were taken by death early last spring. Allan W. Sherman former Director of the Cleveland Society for the Blind and later of the New York Association for the Blind, passed away on March 28. Several years ago he was a featured speaker at one of our national conventions. Dr. Conrad Berens was a great clinician, surgeon and teacher. The Berens' Clinic had become one of the most progressive in the New York area. He was a former President of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology. 

From the HOOSIER STAR-LIGHT: "Workshops for the blind will have their products exhibited in the Better Living Building at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. The exhibit will be under the sponsorship of National Industries for the Blind." ... "I-Tops is a national organization of independent telephone operators and has evinced a special interest in the future of blind switchboard operators. It has already sponsored the training of one blind girl for this work." ... "The recent launching of the American Center for Research in Blindness and Rehabilitation in Newton, Mass., was described as a milestone in bringing new hope and encouragement to the blind. ... Founded by Rev. Thomas J. Carroll, the American Center begins with a background of invaluable experience in rehabilitation and a backlog of unresolved problems incorporated into an agenda of 80 major research projects. ... Many agencies for the blind eagerly anticipate participation in the new Research Center's program on a reciprocal basis. ..."

On this day, July 10, a letter from William Routh, Kentucky membership chairman, brings the glad tidings of the formation of the Associated Blind of Kentucky -- which will apply for A.C.B. affiliation in the very near future.

It is with great sadness that I must report the passing of another pioneer in the organized blind movement. On July 10 Elmer Heldt, of Oak Park, Ill., passed away as the result of an apparent heart attack while on duty at his vending stand. Elmer was for many years a pillar of strength in the Illinois Federation of the Blind and had served as President of that organization.	He was a delegate at many of the earlier national conventions and was beloved by all who knew him.

From the MISSOURI CHRONICLE: "On Sat., March 1, at the annual spring conference of the Missouri Federated Council for Exceptional Children, the Winifred Hathaway Award for Outstanding Service went to Mrs. Elizabeth Carpenter, for many years a teacher of partially sighted children in the upper grades of the Missouri School for the Blind. In the 1940s this devoted teacher found almost no large-print books available and herself copied whole textbooks, using a typewriter with bulletin-sized type. In addition to the citation, she received from her colleagues on the staff a beautiful silver tea set and, from the family of Robert Thompson, former Supt. of the Missouri School and now holding a similar position in Mich., a set of silver candlesticks. With her characteristic humility, she said, 'I may not have deserved this honor yesterday, but I will begin deserving it tomorrow.'" ... "Carl Lewis, for 28 years operator of the stand in the Joplin Post Office, has at last retired. He has been President of his chapter and a delegate at many national conventions." 

From the ZIEGLER: "Miss Thelma Quesenberry has become the first blind telephone switchboard operator to be hired by the Federal Government under civil service." ... "Berge M. Thompson, of Portland, Ore., writes of the formation of a square dance club made up entirely of blind and partially sighted members, with a sighted instructor." ... "The Chicago Progressive Council for the Blind is a new organization dedicated to serving the welfare of Negro blind persons." ... "Helen Keller celebrated her 83rd birthday at her home in Connecticut on June 27th. President Kennedy wrote her: 'You are one of the select company of men and women whose achievements have become legendary in their own time.'" ... "Miss Genevieve Caulfield, world-famous blind teacher in Japan and in Southeast Asia, received the Medal of Freedom in September -- the highest honor a President can confer upon a civilian in peacetime." ... The July issue also reports the death of Garner Chapman, a former President of the Arkansas Federation.

From the FLORIDA WHITE CANE BULLETIN: "... About 20 blind children were not in school this year because of shortage of facilities at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, and in two years it is estimated that 50 blind children will be without any school to attend if something is not done to build new facilities." ... "The average income of operators of blind stands last year was $4,140. This represents a twelve percent increase in average operator income over the previous year." ... "The fact that the housing and dining facilities of our convention hotel this year were open to our colored membership made the convention more enjoyable for all. The business meeting on Sunday ended up with the election of officers. Officers elected were President; R.L. Thompson, 104 W. Hanlon St., Tampa 4, Fla.: 1st V.P., Carl C. Wiley of Sarasota; 2nd V.P., Claude H. Ray of Lakeland; Sec., Lourene Gideons of Orlando and Treas., Herthel Dunnigan, of Tampa." ... "Beulah Holly Flynn, Chairman of the FFB Education of Children and Youth Committee, has received a Ford Foundation scholarship to attend Stetson University this summer and attend their History Institute. She also received a Delta Gamma scholarship of $100 to attend Peabody to continue her training as a teacher." ... "Half of California's hotels, mostly the larger chains, discriminate against blind guests by refusing them accommodations." ... "The newly constituted Board of Directors of the Florida Council of the Blind has instituted some sweeping changes. For example, it has employed a full-time auditor who will be responsible only to the Board and from now on Harry Simmons may not hire or fire any staff employees without the approval of the Board. ..."

From LISTEN: "An operation performed in London has saved the remaining sight in the left eye of Sir Charles Snow, noted author whose books are published under the name of C.P. Snow." (His most famous book THE AFFAIR, has been a great favorite among Talking Book readers.) ... "Blind persons may be able to solve complex arithmetic problems with ease and speed if an idea suggested by the Director of the Kentucky Service to the Blind proves feasible. T.V. Cranmer is testing an adaptation of the abacus, a calculating frame used for centuries by Orientals. ... Earlier attempts by blind persons to use the frame (which consists of 13 wires with five beads on each) failed because the beads would slip out of place unnoticed by the blind user. Cranmer's adaptation uses a piece of felt fitted to the back of the abacus, keeping the beads in position and enabling the computation to be carried out correctly." ... " A blinded veteran of World War II, W. Marshall Smith of Chapel Hill, N.C., has been appointed Judge of the Orange County   Court. ...He is a past president of the Blinded Veterans Association." ... "At a ceremony honoring his 35 years with the American Bosch Co., Springfield, Newton E. Ottone (former President of the Associated Blind of Massachusetts), received congratulations and a gold Braille watch from company vice-president Norton C. Sather." ... "Rosalie Hoffman, noted blind pianist, recently appeared as a guest artist at a Boston Pops Concert, conducted by Arthur Fiedler. ..."

From THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE (courtesy of John Miller): "Peggy Marie Schmidt, 3, owes her life to her blind father. William Schmidt, 29, a teacher, raced down the stairs of his home yesterday when he heard a commotion. He leaped into the pool, 'I felt her leg.' He revived the child by mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. 'You may be surprised a blind man can move so quickly,' Schmidt told newsmen later, 'but I helped to build those stairs and the rest of the house.'"

University credit courses to be given by Hadley this coming year include: Physiology of the Human Eye, English Composition, Creative Writing, Writing Non-Fiction, Short-Story Writing, Writing the Novel, Writing Poetry, Introduction to Dramatic Writing, Writing Television Plays I, Introduction to the Study of Shakespeare and Philosophy. Dick Kinney writes:	"... We are proud to find Hadley numbered among the few home­ study institutions that can meet the National Home Study Council's exacting standards."

From the Peoriarea OBSERVER: "We are sorry to report that, despite our best efforts, the legislature passed a bill placing a lien on the property of recipients of blind assistance. By forcing its four categories into a common mold Illinois will receive $250,000 more in Federal reimbursement but the blind will lose much of the hard-won ground gained in recent years.	On the credit side, residence requirement -- which had been five out of the last nine years -- were reduced to one year." ... "We are all very happy with the new air-conditioning unit which has just been installed in our Center. ..."

The Mid-West Conference of Home Teachers was held in Chicago last June and among the A.C.B. members present were Arnold Auch and Delbert Aman of South Dakota, Pete Campbell of New York, Charles and Esther Kauffman of North Dakota, Otto and Faye Petterson of Kansas, Lewis Davis, Phyllis Stern and Holland Horton of Illinois. Delbert is the retiring treasurer and has been vice president and membership chairman. The conference elected Alvin Roberts, of Carbondale, Ill., as its new President and Tim Cranmer, of Kentucky, Vice President. It was decided to issue a semi-annual newsletter and there was much talk of a national convention, to be participated in by all three regional conferences.


*****
** Aid to the Blind Payments
May 1963

Editor's Note: The following data on aid to the blind payments were abstracted from Table 15 of the September 1963 Social Security Bulletin. 

State; Number of recipients; Average payment

TOTAL: 98,457; $81.75

Alabama: 1,686; $48.16
Alaska: 108; $73.19
Arizona: 857;	 $73.01
Arkansas: 1,985; $68.62
California *2: 12,353; $127.09
Colorado: 264; $105.05
Connecticut: 300; $127.67
Delaware: 284; $75.93
Dist. of Columbia: 189; $73.51
Florida: 2,570; $65.59
Georgia: 3,097; $57.11
Guam: 7; *1
Hawaii: 78; $119.17
Idaho: 132; $96.28
Illinois: 2,792; $94.10
Indiana: 1,802; $81.45
Iowa: 1,292; $101.48
Kansas: 543; $86.50
Kentucky: 2,375; $72.08
Louisiana: 2,798; $80.76
Maine: 407; $81.81
Maryland: 417; $70.00
Massachusetts: 2,274; $133.26
Michigan: 1,676; $94.45
Minnesota: 1,038; $121.30
Mississippi: 3,187; $37.63
Missouri: 4,677; $70.00
Montana: 274; $77.87
Nebraska: 675; $96.30
Nevada: 161; $119.20
New Hampshire: 260; $103.63
New Jersey: 960; $86.08
New Mexico: 346; $76.12
New York: 3,222; $112.22
North Carolina: 5,074; $61.65
North Dakota: 84; $74.99
Ohio: 3,435; $81.77
Oklahoma: 1,701; $114.65
Oregon: 393; $95.37
Pennsylvania *2: 17,807; $74.66
Puerto Rico: 1,615; $8.28
Rhode Island: 102; $87.96
South Carolina: 1,683; $60.45
South Dakota: 138; $65.64
Tennessee: 2,379; $47.72
Texas: 5,083; $68.53
Utah: 180; $78.92
Vermont: 111; $65.85
Virgin Islands: 16; *1
Virginia: 1,137; $66.38
Washington: 657; $81.61
West Virginia: 874; $47.23
Wisconsin: 849; $103.16
Wyoming: 51; $76.08

*1 - Not computed for fewer than 50 recipients.
*2 - Data included recipients and payments for grants without Federal participation.

*****

** ACB Officers and Directors

* President:
Ned E. Freeman
136 Gees Mill Road
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 Until 1966:

George Card 
605 South Few Street 
Madison 3, 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 Until 1964:

F. Winfield Orrell
5209 Alabama Avenue
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Earl Scharry
186 Vernon Avenue
Louisville 6, Kentucky

Mrs. Mary Jane Hills 
33 ˝ Edmonds St.
Rochester 9, New York 

Robert W. Campbell
253 Stonewall Road
Berkeley 5, California

*****

*** CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND, INC.
(as amended July 21, 1963)

** CONSTITUTION
American Council of the Blind, Inc.

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

ARTICLE II. 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 person or organization of the blind, re siding in the United States of America, its territorial possessions and the District of Columbia, (hereinafter known as states) is eligible to become a member of this organization upon complying with the provisions hereinafter contained.

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

1. Voting members shall be affiliated organizations, their members and members-at-large of the American Council of the Blind.

2. Nonvoting 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 as 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. No 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.

G. The Nominating Committee or the Chair shall announce to the convention the employer and type of gainful employment of any nominee for elective office in this organization.

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 offices 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 meeting. 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, Inc.

I. Members-at-Large -- Any person who has reached the age of eighteen years and who is not a certified 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.

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 each twenty-five of its voting members or major fraction thereof, provided that an affiliate may cast not more than twenty-five votes.

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 first each year. Such certified list shall contain the names and addresses of voting members as of December thirty-first 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.

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.

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 subcommittee 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-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.

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

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 not less than 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 reported upon with or without Committee recommendation.

C. An Audit Committee of three individual members shall be elected annually by the Board of Directors. Members of this Committee shall not hold any other elective office and shall serve until their successors have been elected.

VII. Publications Board -- There is hereby created a Board of Publications consisting of five members, whose terms of office shall be two years. The Board shall be selected and constituted in the following manner: The President shall appoint a Chairman and one additional member, and the three remaining members shall be elected at any regular annual convention; provided that at the first election, the three elected members shall be elected for one year; provided further, no member shall serve for more than three consecutive terms, and not more than one Board member shall be appointed or elected from any one state. It shall be the duty of the Board of Publications to select an editorial staff and to determine the editorial policy for all official publications of the American Council of the Blind. The Board shall meet at least once each year, and more often if necessary, upon the call of the Chairman or upon the request of not less than three members of the Board of Publications.

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