The Braille Forum
Vol. IV March, April, May 1966 No. 6

Published Bi-Monthly by the
American Council of the Blind
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

* Editor:
Mrs. Marie M. Boring
113 Camden Avenue
Durham, N.C. 27701

* Associate Editors:
George Card
605 South Few St.
Madison, WI 53703

Ned E. Freeman
136 Gee's Mill Road
Conyers, Georgia 30207

John Luxon
7310 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, Michigan

* Executive Office:
ACB Board of Publications
136 Gee's Mill Road
Conyers, Georgia 30207

*****

** 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 ACB official news and programs, but its pages will also be available for free expression of views 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 divergent points of view.

** Notice

The BRAILLE FORUM is available in braille, inkprint and on tape. Miss June Goldsmith, 652 E. Mallory Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38106, should be notified of any change of address or of any person desiring to receive the braille or inkprint editions. 

The tape edition may be obtained from Ned Freeman, 136 Gee's Mill Road, Conyers, Georgia 30207. 

Letters and material for publication should be submitted to the Editor or to one of the Associate Editors.

*****

** Table of Contents

Go South, Young Man -- To Atlanta

ACB President's Fireside Chat

ACB Legislation Introduced in Congress

Two More Affiliates for ACB 

The Ideal Guest 

Safety Lenses Endorsed 

Literary Award Honors ACB President 

Mobility -- What Is It?, By Joseph F. Clunk

Wisconsin Council Concerned for Multiple Sclerotics

Lessons in Living at the Alabama School of Piano 
Technology 

Eye Research Lags 

Blind Navigators in Jaguar Race 

Recently Blind Mechanic Relearns Old Skills 

Letters From Readers 

How to Submit Material for Publication

Practicing As We Preach, By Joseph Hunt, Assistant Commissioner, VRA, Washington, D.C.

I Am A 20/200, By John B. Sevier 

Preparation of Blind Persons for and Their Employment In Commerce and Industry, by Louis H. Rives, Jr.

Slow Me Down, Lord, by O.L. Crain

Here and There

ACB Officers and Directors

This edition is assembled and mailed by members of the Oklahoma City Chapter of the Oklahoma Federation of the Blind.

*****

** Go South, Young Man -- To Atlanta

Have you ever ridden on a train drawn by a wood-burning locomotive, vintage 1860, which may at any moment be attacked by Indians? Have you ever wanted to wander through the house and grounds of a genuine Ante-Bellum Georgia Plantation? Have you ever wondered how Sherman's march to the sea appeared to Georgians? Have you ever swung through the air to a mountain top via a Swiss air lift? 

All these experiences, and more, await you at the ACB convention in Atlanta, July 20-23. This year's tour will be an afternoon at the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial State Park and will be climaxed by an old-fashioned Southern barbecue (without the usual political speeches). All major attractions at the park and transportation will. be furnished at one reasonable charge which will not exceed $7. 

The gracious Atlanta Biltmore Hotel with its lovely gardens will be our headquarters and there will be much to see and to do in addition to the convention program. Within a radius of 2 or 3 blocks of the hotel are eating facilities ranging from the most reasonably priced grills to exotic Chinese, Mexican, Italian and Continental cuisine. Shopping tours are being arranged to one of the world's largest and finest centers. The Atlanta Theatre Under the Stars will be presenting a popular musical. 

But we don't want you to become so involved in Atlanta's famous Southern Hospitality that you skip the Convention program sessions. There will be the seminars on topics of special concern to you, including, among other subjects, Mobility, Fashion and Grooming, Household Management and Home Repairs. A discussion of how the law affects each of us will be one program item and another will be concerned with how each of us is concerned in the political affairs of our communities -- all related to the general convention theme "We Live In A Sighted World." 

We will also hear of the progress which has been made toward the pilot project seeking to develop and strengthen Credit Unions serving the blind and a report on pending Federal Legislation which will affect our interests. And perhaps most important of all, this is an election year. All Officers and four Directors will be elected by the convention. 

The room rates at the Atlanta-Biltmore will be $7 for singles and $12 where two occupy a room, either double or twin. The cost of the banquet will be $4. It is believed that you will enjoy your stay with the Biltmore. Be sure to send your reservations in early, directly to the hotel. THIS IS IMPORTANT. The Biltmore is holding space for us but there will be other activities in Atlanta during our convention week which may make space at other hotels difficult to obtain.

The full Convention program will appear in the next issue of the FORUM.

*****

** ACB President's Fireside Chat

My Friends:

We regret to announce that Marie Boring has found it necessary, for personal reasons, to resign her position as Editor of the BRAILLE FORUM. The FORUM is greatly indebted to Marie for her conscientious dedication and superb judgment which have guided the FORUM through the growing pains of these first four years. The Board of Publications as well as the Editorial Staff express their heartfelt thanks to Marie and their very best wishes to her in her new work. Marie, with the assistance of her dog guide, Tamba, is now a medical secretary in Chapel Hill, but she still lives at the same address in Durham. Finding Marie's successor will be a difficult task, but the Publications Board is at work and hopes to have a solution by convention time. This vacancy is one of the reason the January issue was late reaching you and why we are combining the March and May numbers in this issue. For the time being George Card, Earl Scharry and I will be rotating the editorial responsibility. I prepared the January issue and George has put the present number together. Earl will wield the blue pencil for the July issue.

It has been our very good fortune to receive as a gift from the organization which sponsors our Tape Library Services a new tape duplicating machine. This machine will copy both tracks of an 1800 ft. reel of tape in about 23 minutes. Our new machine makes it possible for us to prepare the more than 40 copies necessary for the circulation of the tape edition of the FORUM in much less time than formerly. Copying the book "Using the Cranmer Abacus for the Blind" by Fred L. Gissoni has been greatly facilitated. We have been gratified to receive many requests from schools and agencies as well as individuals for these instructions in the use of this valuable tool. We will make copies on your own tape if you will send us a full 1800 ft. reel for the book itself and an additional reel of at least 400 ft. to accommodate the practice exercises which appear at the end of the book. If you wish us to furnish the tape, we will do so at the total cost of $2.75.

This machine was designed by Professor T.A. Benham, a totally blind physicist and electronics specialist at Haverford College, who was the founder and is still the guiding light of "Science for the Blind."

Again, in the Atlanta area, we are faced with a serious problem from vending machine companies, especially ARA, who are doing their utmost to replace blind-operated vending stands with their machines. Many of us have spent much time and effort attempting to counteract this pressure. We hope a satisfactory solution has been reached at the Atlanta Post Office stand. The machines are still there, but so are the blind operators at no loss in income. A more difficult problem is facing us, however, in the case of a stand in a privately owned manufacturing plant. We do not know what the solution here will be. If any of you have succeeded in solving similar problems in your area, your advice and suggestions would be appreciated.

Remember to make advance reservations for the ACB Convention, July 20-23, to assure accommodations at the Atlanta Biltmore Hotel. I'm looking forward to seeing you in Atlanta.

Faithfully yours,
Ned Freeman

*****

** ACB Legislation Introduced in Congress

Two pieces of legislation upon which the American Council has been working for several years, in accordance with resolutions passed at ACB conventions, have now been introduced into the Congress by Georgia's James A. Mackay.

H.R. 13933 is the Air Travel Fare concession bill. This would permit the granting of free transportation to guides or dog guides accompanying totally blind persons and is presented as an amendment to the Federal Aviation Act of 1958. Congressman Younger of California introduced a similar bill last year and both are now pending before the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.

The airlines are granting more and more reduced rates for families, those under 22, service men, etc., and it is possible that these bills will meet with less opposition from the carriers than was the case in the previous Congress. In any event, it is important that you write to the sub-committee on aviation of the House Committee expressing your support for this legislation.

H.R. 13932 amends previous acts relating to books for the blind furnished by the Library of Congress "So as to authorize the furnishing of such books and other material, including musical scores, instructional texts and other specialized materials, to other handicapped persons." The "other handicapped persons" to be covered under the provisions of this bill are those "certified by competent medical authority as unable to read normal printed material as a result of physical limitations."

The bill further authorizes the Library of Congress "to contract or otherwise arrange with libraries, agencies," etc., for the circulation of such material and authorizes appropriations which will permit the use of Federal funds to assist the libraries in furnishing the additional services authorized by this bill.

This bill is identical with H.R. 13783, which is the Committee's own bill incorporating all of the suggestions and modifications of the original H.R. 60 which were made to the committee by the American Council of the Blind. These bills are pending before the Committee on House Administration, which is under the chairmanship of Congressman Omar Burleson of Texas. Your support of this legislation to make the Talking Book program available to others so severely disabled as to be unable to handle ordinary printed matter should be made known to your Congressmen and to the House Committee, addressed to Congressman Burleson.

*****

** Two More Affiliates for ACB

At the 1965 convention in Louisville, when charters were presented to the thirteen affiliates, it was pointed out that our beloved country also began its career as a nation with thirteen members. Vermont became the fourteenth state. The Vermont Council of the Blind became the fourteenth ACB member organization in early February. Its president is Hayden Nichols, P.O. Box 25, Brandon, Vt., brother of Alaric Nichols, one of the founding members of the American Council of the Blind. Alaric and Sylvia hope to represent the Green Mountain State at Atlanta next July. 

A little later in the same month, a vigorous and enterprising group in metropolitan New York became our fifteenth. It is strongly organized under the leadership of Mr. Irving Selis, 127 W. 23rd St., New York, N.Y., 10011, who has attended most of our past conventions and has taken an active part in their proceedings.

The ACB warmly welcomes these two fine organizations to the family circle and their addition will give us representation in the only section of the U.S. which has been missing from our growing roster.

*****

** The Ideal Guest

From the SEEING EYE GUIDE (Sept., 1965) via HOOSIER STAR-LIGHT: "A cattleman in Arizona wrote for reservations at a California hotel and asked if he could bring his dog. He received the following reply, which we run without comment:

"In 40 years of hotel business, I have never had to eject a disorderly dog. Never has a dog set fire to a bed. Never has he sneaked a girl into his room. Never has a dog stolen a towel or a blanket or gotten drunk. Your dog is very welcome. If he will vouch for you, you can come along with him."

*****

** Safety Lenses Endorsed

From the CATHOLIC GUILD FOR THE BLIND NEWS: "'We surround ourselves with safety glass in our automobiles, our offices, and our homes but neglect this safeguard in something much closer to us -- our eyeglasses.' This forceful expression of an unfortunately true paradox was made in a recent editorial published in the influential NEW YORK STATE JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. The editorial emphasized how low the cost is for either case-hardened or plastic lenses in comparison to the value of the protection they afford the human eye. It enumerated the categories of people who need this protection most: children, laboratory workers, those who operate power lawn mowers and tools, and others. Then it noted that although written law clearly requires the use of safety lenses in industry, the law of survival, which is expected to operate outside of industry, is too often honored in the breach. An eye covered with fragile glass, the JOURNAL stated, 'is exposed to danger that may strike at any time -- fragmentation, penetration, infection, scarring, and the whole dreary train that may lead to loss of vision.' Sight, the editorial concluded, is a priceless sense and no contingency should be overlooked to conserve it. Safety lenses are valuable protection for everyone who wears eyeglasses."

*****

** Literary Award Honors ACB President

The Ned Freeman Literary Awards will be presented this year to students at the Georgia Academy for the Blind. The Academy has for a number of years offered its students awards for excellence in literary composition, the contest being sponsored by Ways and Means for the Blind, Augusta, Georgia.

This year, at the suggestion of Hubert E. Smith, president of Ways and Means, the designation of these prizes has been changed to honor ACB's President. "We are glad to see your organization use this excellent Awards Program to honor a Georgian who is trying to do so much to promote the interest of blind people both locally and nationally," said Mr. Lee Jones, Superintendent of the Academy. The annual Awards Day at the Academy is scheduled for May 13, at which time President Freeman has been invited by Mr. Jones to personally present the Literary Awards, which are cash prizes of $25, $10 and $5. A number of other awards will also be given at this time for outstanding accomplishment in such areas as Citizenship, Spelling, Perfect Attendance, Good Grooming, Mobility, Piano or Music, Physical Education and Field Day.

The Literary contest rules are established and the judging done by a committee from the faculty of the school.

"The students at the Georgia School have been turning out worthy essays," Mr. Smith reports, "and we believe they will improve now that the contest is completely localized."

*****

** Mobility -- What Is It?
By Joseph F. Clunk

(Editor's note -- Many FORUM readers will need no introduction to Joe Clunk. He pioneered the field of rehabilitation for the blind in both Canada and the United States as long ago as 1919. He is still active in the work as a Department Supervisor in the Maryland Workshop for the Blind, Baltimore.)

The term mobility came into active use with the relationship of blindness when Adjustment Centers were first established about 1946. Apparently, we suddenly discovered that it is good business for a totally blind person to be able to travel alone with the use of a cane, and we began to assume that special training or special methods are involved. In these prehistoric days, we called it travel training and interested staff members at the Adjustment Center assumed the responsibility for teaching mobility. As usual with human affairs, we now find it necessary to goldplate this activity, and we are now acquiring a whole new profession that we call parapetology. Is travel with a cane so complicated as to require all this fuss and all this science? I sometimes wonder if we are forgetting that the individual has an obligation to use a little imagination, a little intestinal fortitude of his own, a little self-discipline, and perhaps a little desire to be reasonably self-reliant and reasonably active. One of the penalties of age is that the individual may reminisce too much and may forget that times are changing in trying to analyze the problems of mobility for blind persons since 1919.

I am of the opinion that the automobile manufacturers are in a conspiracy to reduce the number of totally blind travelers by eliminating the noise in the automobile and thus making it more difficult for us to hear traffic. In many ways, however, this is a blessing because any loud noise provides a sound barrier or wall that makes it difficult to hear the lesser noises that are frequently coming from dangerous sources, and thus we should approve the conspiracy of the automobile manufacturers.

Why does a newly blinded individual find it difficult to travel about with a cane and without a sighted guide, either two-legged or four-legged? The first problem is that of object perception, and this is something for which sighted persons have very little use and which very few of them develop. I am assuming, of course, that the person blinded in early childhood or infancy automatically develops object perception or has a good many bruises to show for his effort in travel. I have been of the opinion for many years that object perception can be developed rather quickly by the newly blinded adult if a little information is given as to its characteristics such as the silent waves of air or radiations or whatever you want to call them that come from any solid stationary object such as a tree or lamp post 6" or more in diameter, a parked car on the opposite side of the street, the wall of a building or any other similar item on the landscape. I well remember my first months of travel which began two months after I was discharged from a hospital as a newly blinded person.  During my first couple of weeks, I successfully located more telephone posts, lam posts, and trees in my neighborhood than I ever thought had been installed in the entire world. After a few bumps, I began to notice that just before the crash, I had a peculiar impression or sensation on the face. Then I began looking for this impression and discovered that it occurred only when I was near a large object, and if I paid attention to it and backed away from that area, a crash did not occur. If I reached out with my cane and located the object before hitting it, the pain was considerably less. In those days, there were no parapetologists or psychologists to direct this development.

Another problem was that of walking a reasonably straight line so as to be able to cross the street and hit the opposite side at the sidewalk line without going out into the middle of the parallel street. To achieve this, I practiced walking on the sidewalk without touching a cane to the ground and by using traffic noises as a sound beacon to control direction. Of course, I got into the neighbors' yards rather quickly or I stepped off the curb, but this deviation was reduced by practice and in a very short time, I was able to walk a hundred feet in a reasonably straight line and thus acquired enough skill to cross a 50-foot street and hit the sidewalk on the other side. This also involved learning to set myself at an exact right angle to the curb I was leaving. Then the street engineers began cutting off the corners so as to permit the automobile to make the turn without difficulty and this meant that I had to move over to the left or right from the corner before starting across the street.

During the same year period, I found it to be good business to let a cane drag in the grass along the edge of the sidewalk and act like a rudder on a ship. On those streets where the fire plugs and telephones are on the inside of the sidewalks, it is sometimes good business to touch the edge of the curb, but here again, we have to look out for open car doors and projecting parts of trucks, etc. What is the best procedure in these situations? That is something that each individual must determine for himself and in accordance with the landscape in which he lives.

These are the mechanics of mobility, and they can be easily learned. It has also seemed to me that the fundamental requirement for mobility of the individual is one of mental attitude which includes such things as desire, elimination of fear, and, of course, motivation.

Why do you want to travel alone? If you are content to be dependent upon other people or other forces outside of yourself, then you will not travel alone. If you rationalize to the effect that -- I don't want to go anywhere unless someone else is going also -- well, you won't travel alone. If you are content to be in a mental and physical jail or if you are proud of your ability to emotionally coerce friends and neighbors to take you places -- well, then you won't travel alone. Fear of personal injury is probably one of the greatest problems in this situation. How are you going to eliminate it? Of course, the development of object perception will bring you confidence in your ability to detect solid objects before hitting them. Development of ability to maintain direction will also give you more confidence, but Iin the final analysis, it is necessary for all of us to know that there is a God that looks after us and that will give us information and guidance when we need it. You might say that this is dependency upon an outside force, but it is also recognition of a source of strength that every human being requires. Regardless of how much effort we may individually make, none of us can live in a present-day society in the same manner as Robinson Crusoe lived on his island, and even he had a helper. On the other hand, there is no occasion for us to lean completely on everyone around us when we have need to do a little shopping in a store, to visit a friend or relative, or to go on a business or pleasure trip.

Many of us find that canes with the following characteristics are most satisfactory. A cane should not weigh more than 8 oz., preferably 6 oz.; should be constructed so that 50% of the weight is in the upper 1/3 of the cane at the handle end. When the arm is down at your side and you are in a normal standing position with the cane resting on the ground, the top of the handle should reach to a point about 2 inches below your elbow; the tip of the cane should be light enough so as to permit you to swing the cane from side to side and to stop it at any time without effort and without a pendulum effect. If the cane tip is too heavy, then it will require effort to stop its movement and it should stop as easily as you stop the movement of our hand. A heavy cane lacks sensitivity and maneuverability. There are many advocates of the long cane that reaches up to the shoulder of the individual. The old travelers agree that if you like a 5 ft. cane then you should have it and if you trip your friends with it then you can have the fun of explaining. Many persons like collapsible canes and that too is a matter of taste. The old travelers don't want a cane to collapse under them when they need support on a bus or in going up and down stairs. Each of us should use the cane that provides the most satisfaction for himself.

The guide dog is a blessing to the individual that requires that kind of service. I believe that no one should use a tool unless it is required, and I have preferred to develop my own strength and my own abilities to the maximum and to secure the extra help only if I require it. I have seen a number of blind persons acquire guide dogs only to secure attention from the public. Anyone who needs a guide dog should certainly have it.

Visualize your immediate surroundings after securing as much information as those around you will provide. Maintain your memory of familiar places that you have seen before blindness and compare your new community or environment with the familiar places. Always keep constantly informed as to the direction in which streets are laid out and the relationship of buildings and stores, etc. to those streets.

The mechanics of mobility require constant investigation and a continuous curiosity. You can lose the ability by the lack of use, even lose ability to travel by the lack of use in the same manner as you can lose your ability to sing by a long silence.

Regardless of whether you are going anywhere it is necessary to practice some travel at least two or three times per week. Don't take any unnecessary chances, but on the other hand don't become a rocking chair expert.

*****

** Wisconsin Council Concerned for Multiple Sclerotics

(From the Annual Report of the Wisconsin Council of the Blind, November 30, 1965.)

Almost by accident we discovered a person who had become blind as a result of multiple sclerosis. A little research into this rather obscure disease brought to light the fact that the loss of vision is quite frequently one of the tragic concomitances of M.S. and this led to the suspicion that there might very well be other cases in Wisconsin of which we had had no previous knowledge. We carried on a survey, with the help of the state's field workers in this area, and this revealed that there were no less than twenty-three current instances of blindness brought on by the nerve-ravaging effects of multiple sclerosis. We found also that, in at least several cases, the attending physician had very little real knowledge of what he was up against because of the comparative rarity of the disease. We learned that there was at least one authoritative book on the subject, which was fairly short, concise and clearly written. Its title was "Living At Your Best With Multiple Sclerosis" by a West Coast physician who had specialized in this field. We arranged for the recording of this work on 33-1/3 R.P.M. discs and distributed them to all blinded victims. We have good reason to believe that these recordings are proving very useful to both patients and their doctors.

(Editor's note -- Perhaps the Wisconsin Council will share their discs with interested persons in other states; if not, the American Council will make the book available on tape.)

*****

** Lessons in Living at the Alabama School of Piano Technology

(Editor's note: The following is a slight condensation of an article by Homer L. Jacobs, vocational supervisor, which appeared in the December New Outlook for the Blind and is used with permission.)

To live a life without enjoying to the full all the activities of life is not really living. This thought describes the philosophy of the School of Piano Technology at the Adult Blind Department of the Alabama School for the Deaf and Blind, Talladega, Ala. We believe that in addition to the skills essential to employment, the full range of activities of life should be injected into the training program.

The School of Piano Technology is located in the lower Piedmont area in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in east central Alabama. It is easily accessible by car, bus, train, and airplane. Airports are located at Anniston, which is 24 miles north, and Birmingham, which is 54 miles west.

This training center project was originally designed to serve qualified applicants in piano technology from VRA Region IV, six of the southeastern states. But the full range of training in the program has attracted applicants from 11 states. To date, over 55 students have been enrolled and over 40 are now graduates and certified piano technicians employed in 9 different states. Those enrolling must meet the high standard of qualification that has become traditional at this school. Those who complete the course have received the best training possible.

There are five soundproof tuning booths for students, and twelve individual work stations. Both the tuning booths and the work stations are fully equipped with all the elements essential to complete and adequate training. Basic courses are tuning, regulating, repairing, and refinishing; equal emphasis is placed on all aspects of the training. The refinishing of the piano case is a vital part of the training program which includes the repair and refinishing of all models -- from stripping down, to sanding, to spraying -- and all the other areas that together make a high quality finished product, not only in the mechanism of the piano, but in its total appearance and use.

Essential outside experiences are provided for the students. The instructor goes with the students into the homes, churches, schools, and other places where pianos are used. The purpose is to further on-the-job training, salesmanship ability, to estimate costs, and other activities essential to securing work and completing a full job. Interrelated with these basic courses, training is given in the physics of sound, business management, and salesmanship. The school deems it extremely important that the students should have excellent training in these three areas if they are to be successful in their chosen field. The unique aspect of this school is that all trainees receive instruction and experience in the activities of daily living, proficiency in mobility, written communicative skills, and in other areas that make for complete living. Having equipped these students in these various areas, the school assists them in securing employment and follows up with supervision and contacts to see if they are experiencing success in their chosen field. In this way the school puts its philosophy into action, enabling its graduates to continue to live the full and active life for which they were trained during their stay in Talladega.

*****

** Eye Research Lags

(The following article appeared in the June issue of the Hoosier Star-Light.)

Advance copies of a report entitled "Ophthalmic Research: USA" are now being distributed by Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., a national voluntary research foundation in New York City. The report, the result of a two-year study sponsored by the foundation, points out that ophthalmic research lags far behind other types of medical research because of a lack of coordinated scientific efforts. The study, to which The Seeing Eye, Inc. was a financial contributor, shows that care of blind persons costs the country an estimated one billion dollars annually. Yet, in 1963, only $14 million was spent for blindness prevention. Of this amount, only $9 million was spent in direct support of clearly defined ophthalmic research programs.

Eleven percent of all outpatients treated at medical schools alone are eye patients, the report reveals. This doesn't include those treated in general hospitals or by private doctors. Also, eight out of 10 cases of blindness are the result of diseases whose causes are unknown.

One of the major handicaps to eye research, the report states, is its lack of proper status in the nation's medical schools. In the majority of institutions, ophthalmology is a subdivision of surgery, creating a situation which has crucial scientific disadvantages, such as a lack of laboratory space. The report urgently recommends that the amount spent annually on ophthalmic research be quadrupled and that means must be found to increase tenfold the number of professional researchers in the field. The report concludes, "When we compare the vast amounts spent on care for the blind with the pitifully inadequate sums spent on eye research, we may well ask if we ourselves have not been blind in our total approach to the problem."

Since 1958, The Seeing Eye, Inc. has contributed a total of $311,813 for medical research in the prevention of blindness and for eye research building funds.

*****

** Blind Navigators in Jaguar Race

From the AP (Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia): "With blind people as navigators, the Jaguar Drivers' Club of Salisbury staged a motoring rally. Seventeen high-powered Jaguars took part in the 47-mile event. As the route had been kept a strict secret, the drivers had to rely completely on the instructions which had been given to their navigators -- in braille. All that the drivers could do to help their navigators was to check times and milometer readings, with a typical conversation going something like this: 'Take the first right, then the third left, and you should see a cattle crossing marked a mile ahead. How many insulators on the high-tension pylon coming up on your left? Twelve? Splendid! Then we should now have done 15 miles in 43 minutes. ... No? Well then, we have two minutes to make up before the next level crossing!'  The run took 2 1/2 hours, and the winners had a time error of only six minutes.

"The winning navigator was a 16-year-old girl named Lindsay Akehurst, who found that she was slowly losing her sight while in high school. Her courage was such that, when her plight was reported in the local press, $5,500 was raised to send her to the Royal College for the Blind in Britain. She returned to Southern Rhodesia only two days before the rally. Such was the interest aroused that one of the blind competitors, a 12-year-old boy, was flown to Salisbury from Bulawayo especially for the event. Such was the determination of the blind navigators to compete on normal terms in a 'normal' rally that they turned down suggestions that the navigator's prize should be something of special use to a blind person, such as a radio. Instead, they insisted that the winning driver should receive a trophy. ..."

*****

** Recently Blind Mechanic Relearns Old Skills
(From "The Atlanta Constitution," December 31, 1965)

Talmadge Barnes is looking forward to the new year. Two years ago he wasn't as optimistic about the future. He admits he is proud of himself, because he has relearned what most others do as daily habit. A former garage mechanic, Talmadge, 25, lost his eyesight in August, 1964, because of glaucoma.

Talmadge and his wife Cathy will spend New Year's in Denver, Colorado, where he has been attending the Automotive Training School, to become an automotive mechanic. Five months before the young Atlantan became totally blind, he had what doctors termed "finger vision." A month after that he lost sight completely in one eye, and by August his case was called hopeless. In one short year, Talmadge learned to read braille, to type, to write longhand. He learned to sew on buttons, to dress himself with the help of braille labels telling what colors each article of clothing is. He learned mobility, the ability to get around by himself. Readjusting to a sightless world, Talmadge enrolled in the training program at the Community Services for the Blind, a service of United Appeal. It took him 15 weeks to re-learn what he had formerly done as a sighted person. "Talmadge is an optimistic person who faces life as it comes," said Miss Mary D. Wilkins, a social worker at Community Services. In the spring of 1966, Talmadge will complete the course at the Colorado school and return to Atlanta where he is hopeful of a new career.

Talmadge wrote back to the Atlanta agency which is financing his schooling that there are two other blind students in his classes. Both the sightless and the sighted are taught side by side. "I take notes in class," he said in a letter, "and tape the written material from the book, plus my notes, and then listen to the tape ... So far, my average is 70 to 80." That was one of the first letters he wrote. In a later letter, Talmadge reported he had raised his grades to a "B." And in another one, he said his average in a theory class "was better than some of the sighted boys, and I was proud." School officials estimate it will take 27 weeks to complete the course, but Talmadge has hopes of finishing sooner. "They are going by what other blind boys have done," he said. "They want you to know your work before you leave." He and his wife, whom he married only two weeks after he became blind, are adjusting to their new life in Colorado.

He doesn't know yet where he'll be working when he returns to Atlanta, but primarily he is thankful he will be able to work. 

*****

** Letters from Readers

From Mike Sofka, 228 Jefferson Street, Newark, New Jersey 07105: "... ACB Resolution 65-05 was the best passed by any '65 convention and I hope that its recommended goals will be achieved because there is so much hanky-panky phonyism in work for the blind in spite of the fact that over a billion dollars is being poured into it. ..." (Resolution 65-05 states in part -- "... that the Board of Directors be instructed to seek regulations or legislation which would - 1. Require the signature of the rehabilitation client acknowledging that he knows his case is being closed, and 2. That the client be permitted to file a statement indicating his satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the services rendered.)"

***

From Dalton Brown, 4912 Baccich Street, New Orleans, Louisiana: "... I am also happy to learn that there are 53 people in Louisiana who do read this fine publication. My wife and I both read the FORUM but to tell you the truth, she kind of hates to see it arrive because when I sit down to read the current issue, as she puts it, I neither hear nothing nor respond to anything until I have read it from cover to cover. I have learned to like a cold plate for dinner on the day of arrival of the FORUM."

*****

** How to Submit Material for Publication

Material submitted for publication in the BRAILLE FORUM should follow the same principles as apply to articles for publication in any other medium. Briefly these are --

1. Type, double spaced, with at least three inches head space on the first page and generous margins on both sides.

2. The name of the author and the approximate number of words should appear in the upper right-hand corner of the first page. An abbreviated form of the title should appear in the upper left-hand corner of each additional page and pages should be numbered.

3. Remember that space (either print or braille) is expensive. Write, polish, boil down, and re-write until you are certain that you have said the important things in the best way and with the fewest words possible.

4. Eliminate personal pronouns as much as possible. The first person is permissible in autobiographical material or when relating personal experiences but should be held to an absolute minimum.

5. No editor has the time and should not be expected to re-write articles submitted. About all the blue pencil can do is to delete, make minor corrections and say "print" or "delete."

*****

** Practicing As We Preach
By Joseph Hunt
Assistant Commissioner, VRA, Washington, D.C.

(Editor's note -- At the close of this article Mr. Hunt asks each reader to appraise the programs for the blind in his area in the light of the principles and philosophy which he has here expressed. It is to be hoped that the progressive attitude of the Federal Administration will filter on down and be implemented at the local and individual counselor level. We are sure Mr. Hunt would be interested in your comments as to the results of your survey.)

A few years ago some of us in the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration paused long enough to put in words what we thought were the simple, basic principles on which we had been acting with respect to rehabilitation of blind people. It fell to me to put those principles into words, but I thought then, and I think now, they come very close to a consensus of the people who have gotten results from their programs of rehabilitation for people with eye troubles. For this reason I would like to repeat and offer them to the BRAILLE FORUM.

The very first principle of work for the blind is exposing blind people to the wisdom of the market place. From our very first training courses we have tended away from recommendations which segregate. For this reason, we have for many years given priority to every plan or program which we thought could lead to employment of the blind worker where he was in constant touch with the world at large, not a world of the blind. All who are familiar with our programs will recognize this as the lodestar at every stage of our policy making and arrangements for grants in research. 

The second basic principle on which we have acted through the years has been the rule that work for the blind must be concerned with how you do things without sight, or with limited sight. To the degree that the time of workers for the blind is diverted away from this consideration, a program for blind people is diluted. We feel we come closest to the heart of the matter in our programs which are firmly linked to good, clear, validated techniques of doing things without the aid of the eye.

This suggests a contrasting principle; namely, that although we attack problems head on, knowing them for what they are, we do not suppose that all progress comes from agencies for the blind. Braille developed raised dots in a school for the blind, but Edison invented the talking book without even knowing it was to be a great aid to the blind people. We are most anxious to capitalize on the gains of science in general for blind people.

This, again by contrast, suggests a fourth principle; namely, to avoid delusions of grandeur. Certain personal kindnesses of a very simple, practical nature can make all the difference between acceptance or rejection of a rehabilitation program offered by a State or Federal Government. This is why we have gone out of our way to sustain the mission of home teachers, but beyond that to develop a formula for recruiting and training volunteers to extend the usefulness of home teachers.

A fifth principle puts together elements of the other four I have advanced. This is the encouragement of general competence of blind people, rather than tremendous concentration on one skill or trick whereby the blind individual may justify his existence economically, but otherwise be in virtual custody rather than the manager of his own person. There is no doubt that a kind of efficiency can be developed in group care of handicapped people which may save effort, but lose the individual.

This brings me to a sixth principle. Work for the blind is in large measure the management of human affairs, both emotionally and morally, as well as intellectually. This is an art, but it is not a science. More than finance, more than law, people are the nub of the entire problem complex in work for the blind. This work is concerned with widely scattered clients who are potential trouble spots for themselves and others. This service to reach them depends on human legs which are willing and able to go the second mile again and again. For this is required the eternally constructive person. A primary function of work for the blind is to attract the creative and hold off the destructive worker.

There is a hazard to the independence of blind people in what a blind friend of mine calls "immediate efficiency." This occurs when super-organized custodianship provides an environment so charged with high standards of physical performance that a blind person, especially a newly blinded person, simply has not a chance of real participation in activities of daily living. He is among the functioning, but not one of them, because the clever, the swift and the impatient sweep him along at their pace, whether or no. His fork may sometimes disappear mysteriously from his plate, suddenly to present itself gently but insistently (and laden with heaven-knows-what delicacy) to his lips, which he may well open with surprise and close with as much grace as he can muster under the circumstances. Extreme, yes, but it has been known to happen. Some of this comes of simply not knowing what to do around blind people, but some of it comes of knowing quite well, yet being unable to control the tyrant of efficiency. A deeply respected dog guide trainer is quoted again and again for saying the essence of work for the blind was a "controlled desire to get things done." Really good work for the blind keeps this aphorism forever in mind. Someone observed during the war that a unique service was performed by Miss Helen Keller because when she visited a hospital for soldiers or sailors, she disorganized it just enough to be livable for a blind person. How she accomplished this miracle we may all wonder as we attempt to emulate her.

Organized work for the blind in certain quarters at least is truly admirable. Though I cannot supply you with names and addresses, I do urge you to look about you in your Community and State and make a fresh evaluation of resources for blind people, based on some of the personal considerations I have tried to point up.

The subject of blindness preoccupied some magnificent pioneers, whose impetus was almost invariable that noblest attribute of the human being -- the desire to help those unlike oneself. Polarity in altruism was the very essence of Samuel Gridley Howe's philosophy. And the very best work for the blind brings blind people to the point of looking beyond themselves not only for help -- but to people who need the kind of help blind people themselves are able to give.

*****

** I Am A 20/200
By John B. Sevier

The writer presents this personal testimonial to the readers of the BRAILLE FORUM in the hope, expressed as a plea, for a better understanding and acceptance of the needs and problems of all visually handicapped persons as individuals, both socially and in employment. If the experiences of a "borderline" or extreme case such as this will bring into clear focus the worth and potential of each person as an individual, then the writing will be more than justified.

The author is now 40 years of age and was born with cataracts which, despite numerous eye operations, still leave him with what one politely calls a residual vision of one-tenth normal (20/200). His vision is stable since infancy. He has learned to read any type of print at close range with a low vision aid. Because of severe nystagmus and the necessity to wear very thick lenses, his eye difficulty is obvious to all; because of having partial sight, he is unable to conceal the negative consequences of this through dark glasses and the nystagmus makes the use of contact lenses impractical. He cannot and does not read braille because of a below average sense of touch; he does not have hyperacute hearing. Because of stable residual vision and the necessity to use this to the fullest extent possible so as to preserve his vision for the future, the programs in the public schools and in the residential schools for the blind proved totally inadequate to meet his needs. With the aid of one of the first "sight saving" classes in the country during his junior high school years, he was able to graduate from the public high school of a medium-sized Southern city, despite considerable pressure placed on his parents to "ship him off" to a "blind" school where at that time education was based on the premise that all students were totally blind or soon would be and no effort would or should be made to work with the remaining vision of the student. In public school the author was largely accepted as a "normal" student and person and made accommodations to the environment as best he could. The first contact with what it really means to be a "blind" person came when State assistance was needed to continue his education and in seeking employment. He found out the full implications of being defined as "blind"; though the agencies and professions were aware of the distinction between "legally" blind and "totally" blind, practically speaking they took no account of this distinction. The stereotype said that all blind persons must read braille as they cannot read print; they must use white canes or dog guides as they cannot get about otherwise; they must adjust to real or future permanent total blindness immediately; above all else, they must be cooperative with their masters in implementing this stereotype, else be branded as unstable, unemployable, or worse still, be cut off from all rehabilitation services forever.

After his college experience, during which time the State Commission for the Blind offered only token aid and no counseling, the writer found himself "on the dole" for over two years while the agencies decided whether this "blind" person was worth something as an individual or nothing at all. Part of this "treatment" or "adjustment" consisted in attending a Pre-Conditioning Center for the Blind where the emphasis was on the needs of the newly blind, the totally blind, and the retarded blind and no evaluation was made of the special problems of those with residual vision. Nowhere in his 40 years has this author ever been "rehabilitated" as an individual, but rather has been treated as a member of a class whose members are judged by the foregoing stereotype; his "adjustment" was toward a typing skill possessed long before the agencies ever heard of him!

If this sounds like an extremely negative portrait, let the reader understand that the writer brings this forward to show the individual differences in handicapped persons and how tragic, even disastrous, the consequences are of treating all persons in a class alike. Here the problem of community attitudes toward the legally blind becomes a factor. It is a common practice of minorities to take over dominant culture patterns as their own in their quite natural bid for acceptance. The failure of many "totals" to understand the similarities and differences between themselves and the partially seeing has been a shock. This brings into clear focus the truism that when the legally blind want and need acceptance from the community as a whole they should practice what they preach by accepting each other as individuals.

In order to gain a more balanced picture of the progress being made in one of the progressive school systems of the East, in the education of the visually handicapped child, Dr. Harrie M. Selznick, Director, Special Education, Baltimore Public Schools, was interviewed. The Special Education Program emphasis is primarily on the "seeing" child whose visual acuity ranges between 20/400 and 20/70, maximum corrected in the better eye, with glasses! The emphasis in the various sight saving classes is on the integration of the child into the total school program, not the permanent classification or categorization of a child as "blind" or "seeing." With the aid of individual evaluations from the medical and psychological points of view, the child is placed in one of four regional sight saving classes in the elementary grades, with the idea in mind of returning him to the total school community in the junior or senior high grades. Itinerant teachers are provided when needed, together with large print books, as well as consultations with the child's teachers and school principal. When it is found that the child is well enough along that he no longer needs these special services, his case is closed and he now becomes a "normal" child in a "normal" classroom situation. Of course Dr. Selznick faces many trying problems in attempting to carry out these very laudable objectives including inadequate budget, insufficient staff, and not the least important, an inadequate community understanding of the special problems and needs of these exceptional children. As an example of his personal philosophy, which it is hoped will become typical of other school program administrators in years to come, the Baltimore School System presently employs a 20/200 who can read print. When there was adverse criticism of the fact that a "blind" person was hired, Dr. Selznick's answer was: "We are not hiring a blind person, we are hiring a teacher." This author came away from Dr. Selznick with the feeling that a good start is being made toward the early recognition of the special educational needs of the individual child with low vision and at least a start is being made in Baltimore toward the implementation of a positive educational philosophy in the local public schools. There is, however, a long road to travel.

In conclusion, let it be stated once again that this author pleads for acceptance of himself as well as all visually handicapped persons, whether "totals" or "partials," as individuals, both socially and in evaluation of their employment potential. As long as 20/200's and others with lower vision are classified as legally blind, it is the prime responsibility of the "partial" himself to accept the fact that he is severely visually handicapped and identify himself with the cause of all the handicapped in their struggle for equal rights for all. Only when the foregoing is accomplished can the visually handicapped come to the "sighted" community and expect, even demand, equally just treatment. As all handicapped persons begin to practice individual tolerance and acceptance, this will carry over into the community image of the blind and visually handicapped, and consequently the individual can do his or her bit toward altering that image to the benefit of all.

*****

** Preparation of Blind Persons for and Their Employment in Commerce and Industry
By Louis H. Rives, Jr.

(Editor's Note: Excerpts from speech delivered to the 1964 General Assembly of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind. It is devoutly to be hoped that the ideals and aspirations expressed by Miss Switzer and Mr. Rives will be adopted and brought to fruition at the state level. This is where results are obtained.)

In "Blindness -- 1964," Miss Mary E. Switzer has pointed out that the U.S. Vocational Rehabilitation Administration is "committed to a program of intense promotion of vocational individuality for blind people -- to safeguard them against being herded into lines of work convenient to society, but crushing to personality, to find instead a lifework which by its very nature gives the greatest possible opportunity for functioning of each unique combination of talents."

She adds, "For so small a segment of our population, dealing with so hard a reality as blindness, this is certainly not too much to expect of our affluent society."

And she adds further, "The area to be explored is what human beings can achieve ... while knowing what cannot be achieved is important too, this should not be the major focus."

It is the purpose of this paper to show how we in the United States are attempting to put into effect this formula, particularly with respect to preparation of blind persons for their employment in commerce and industry. A primary point to be made is that our first principle of promoting vocational individuality would be violated if we were able to show great numbers of blind people in any one occupation. We have upwards of 400,000 blind people in the United States and roughly 30,000 identifiable trades and occupations. Our purpose is not to discover how many blind people we have settled with a particular vocational prescription. Rather it is to open up for each blind person the kind of opportunity which is suitable to him. We like to bear in mind that blindness in and of itself does not make him basically equivalent to other blind people.

This is not to ignore what blind people have in common with regard to special methods of general usefulness, such as braille. We see the necessity for gatherings of blind people for intensive training in the use of such things. But when we learn that 1,000 blind students are scattered in more than 400 colleges for higher education in the United States, we think this is as it should be. ...

We have certain basic instruments on which we rely. These consist of processes and institutions which we have tried and found workable. A whole constellation of these is prevocational, having to do with primary functions of self-management without sight. We have found it pays dividends to put forth a great deal of effort in this prevocational stage of treatment and training. A prevocational element which at its best encompasses all others is the rehabilitation center for the blind as it has evolved in late decades. This provides exposure to an environment which is therapeutic, instructive and, above all, efficient with respect to blindness. An optical aids clinic for the low-visioned is either available or an integral part of such an institution. Mobility training is a must, as is practical help with an unlimited number of other personal skills by which the human being must manage himself and his life if he is blind. Not the least of these is his relationship with himself and with the world. And though we do not insist on psychotherapy, we do insist that those who run these programs know what it is and what are the potentials of the science and healing arts in this area, as well as how to make them available when they are necessary. The usual basis of our method in these centers, however, is common sense of a kind which is forever preoccupied with finding out how things can be done without sight and teaching blind people to do them. A major development in this respect is the trained sighted mobility instructor, an American contribution to work with the blind. We now have two university courses where instructors learn this skill. ...

Most of our actual vocational training is done outside these centers. It is in this part of our program that we give most emphasis to individual handling. At first, through our counseling procedures and then through special arrangements, we plan for various kinds of experience with the sighted in a program for the sighted and with as few adaptations as possible. The vocational counselor is the guiding spirit, manager and engineer of the concept. The 1954 amendments to the Vocational Rehabilitation Act provided for the establishment of university training courses for rehabilitation personnel, including counselors. Of these courses, there are 37, one of which is at Southern Illinois University, where a special five-weeks course is given called "Developing Employment Opportunities for Blind Persons in Competitive Occupations." 

We expect these counselors and placement specialists to be highly versatile and very sensible. Their duties may be described as doing whatever has to be done, whenever it has to be done, to get their clients ready to work and working. Their job is to bring suitable resources into play and into harmony, including both their own and the client's initiative. Needless to say, the management of the industrial community and the right rapport with employers is crucial. We expect these men to be diplomats. We also expect them to be relentless workers and unremittingly devoted to their job of selling positive ideas about blind people.

The putting together of resources to produce a dynamic program of vocational rehabilitation may be illustrated in several projects of which we are particularly proud.

At Wahpeton, North Dakota, we have a demonstration program of how one of the nation's outstanding trade technical schools may be used to train blind workers for the competitive labor market. A course in the machine shops is currently offered and courses in gasoline engine repair and electronics are planned for the fall. Other courses such as data processing and various phases of automotive mechanical work will be blended into this program. 

Another successful program bringing valuable resources into play is a project undertaken by Georgetown University to develop a system for teaching blind students to translate Russian and German as heard in broadcasts. Of an original 15 trainees, all but one are now engaged in advanced language training; 11 have been offered full-time employment in government establishments. A second, larger group is completing a two-year training program, and it appears that the great percentage of these individuals will likewise be employed.

Plans have been completed for a demonstration project to begin next month at the University of Cincinnati for training blind persons as computer programmers. The methods and techniques developed during this project will not be designed solely for the highly professional, scientifically oriented performers, but for individuals working in much more routine situations, such as payroll and inventory control.

We are firmly convinced that, while we are currently in a period of change with regard to the mechanization and automation of many occupations, in the long run these advances will provide employment to many more blind persons. These individuals will, of course, require training comparable to and probably more extensive than that provided the sighted individual. We want to be very honest with the world about this. Much trouble in the past has come of the old "No-such-thing-as-can't-a-blind-person-can-do-anything" propaganda line. When we put forth our determination to overcome the obstacles, we want to do it in a framework of reality that the world can accept. Experts in manpower development programs estimate that in the next generation individuals will have to be trained at least four times to remain competitive. We believe something more may be required of those who are blind. We have had a little difficulty weaning ourselves away from some ideas we acquired during World War II when blind persons were used extensively in industry with comparatively little training. We were a little spoiled by employers who were keenly competitive for labor. But as we moved into that situation in history known as the population explosion, some of the hard realities of blindness have reasserted themselves. We think we have what it takes to deal with these realities firmly and effectively. If there is one idea on which American life is based, it is the idea that work is dignified. This is what makes us tick, and when we occasionally sparkle, it is because of this -- not because of anything we have in our pockets or in our banks.

*****

** Slow Me Down, Lord 
By O.L. Crain

Slow me down, Lord! Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me, amidst the confusion of my day, the calmness of the everlasting hills. Break the tensions of my nerves with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory.

Help me to know the magical restoring power of sleep. Teach me the art of taking minute vacations, of slowing to look at a flower; to chat with an old friend or make a new one; to pat a stray dog; to watch a spider build a web; to smile at a child; or to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.

Slow me down, Lord; and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life's enduring values that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.

*****

** Here and There

From the ACB DIGEST (California): "Some of the aspects of welfare legislation were frightening to many of us, since passage of a few of the measures would have set us back fifty years or more. We can be thankful to have come out as well as we did. ... Of the 23 counsellor-teachers now serving the blind in the Rehabilitation Department, 16 are themselves blind. ... 'What the cane is to travel, the abacus is now to the blind business person. This newest of aids opens up careers to the blind which were not accessible,' stated Henry Kruse, Business Instructor at the State Orientation Center. ... The October convention adopted a resolution urging ACB conventions to use a secret written ballot to eliminate personal feelings involved between candidates and among those voting. ... Another resolution deplored the dropping of the prevention of blindness program because the modest appropriation was entirely deleted by the last legislature. A glaring example of false economy. ... Because of the fluctuation and distortions prevalent on many tapes coming from the Blind Division of the Library of Congress, the Association urged that the Library do more proof reading of the tapes, especially technical and educational tapes. ... With the passage by the United States Congress and the signing by President Johnson of H.R. 8310, rehabilitation of the blind -- and of all the disabled, for that matter -- can now take a great stride forward. ... We now have the means, we feel, for realizing many of our proposals to deal with the many unmet needs of the blind of our State. ... 'Rehabilitation is the key to our welfare programs. It represents a dramatic shift from the concept of merely doling out funds to an all-out push on restoring people to independence or self-support. California regards people as its most important resource.' -- Perry Sundquist. ..."

Something of a breakthrough was achieved recently w hen the Great Data Processing Corporation authorized the purchase of two telebraille switchboards for operation by blind employees. The girls are being trained at Aberdeen, S.Dak., where the original telebraille instrument has been in operation for some time.

A 16-year-old blind student living in Cross Plains, Wis., is able to ride his bicycle to church by reason of the fact that his younger sister attaches a tin can to the rear wheel on her own bike.

The newly elected President of the Illinois Federation of the Blind is Mr. Norman Robinson, 7109 S. Calumet Avenue, Chicago, Ill. 60619. He has been a member of its Board of Directors for some years and has been very active in promoting its objectives. He has been one of the most successful blind lawyers in the Middle West. His father was an outstanding athlete in his own right and coached such famous major leaguers as 'Red' Ruffing, the great Red Socks and Yankee pitcher, and 'Sunny Jim' Bottomley, the slugging first baseman of the old St. Louis Cardinals. 

From the December NEW OUTLOOK: "David W. Olson, former superintendent of the Kansas School for the Blind, took over duties as Principal of the Overbrook School for the Blind, Philadelphia, Pa., on July 1. ... This issue also reports that, during 1965, the top staff positions became vacant in both the AAWB and the AAIB. Dr. Gordon P. Connor resigned from his position as Executive Director of the AAWB and was succeeded by Mr. Alvin V. Zeiset. Maurice Olson resigned as Executive Director of the AAIB to accept a position as Superintendent of the Mo. School for the Blind and was succeeded by Mr. R. Paul Thompson."

Dr. John Dupress, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- who has made 7 trips to England to study technological advances there in recording, solid dot braille and mobility aids -- has expressed sharp criticism of the resistance in this country to the adoption of the tape cartridge system of Talking Books and to other improved British devices. He states that this resistance has been based on a narrow nationalist outlook.

A noted medical authority calls attention to the danger of spreading trachoma and other infectious eye diseases through the indiscriminate borrowing of eyebrow pencils. At least 80 cases of trachoma were traceable to this cause in San Jose, California.

From the January ZIEGLER: "Miss Adelia Hoyt, who retired from the Library of Congress staff 30 years ago and whose perhaps greatest contribution was the development of the volunteer transcribing service of the American Red Cross after World War I, celebrated her 100th birthday on December 31st. In 1940 she was awarded the Migel Medal for outstanding service to blind persons."

Another ACB member who attended the New York Conference on Services and Accreditations was Victor Buttram, of Peoria, Ill. He expressed disappointment that less than 25% of those present were blind.

Bob O'Shaughnessy graduated from the University of Southern Illinois in December and started work as a member of the staff of the Business Enterprises program of the Illinois Rehabilitation on January 1. He and Alberta will live in Chicago.

From THE NEW BEACON: "The order of St. John of Jerusalem has been involved in the battle against blindness since 1882 when it began to operate the famous ophthalmic hospital in the old Jewish city. The hospital underwent many vicissitudes, being largely destroyed by the Turks in the first World War, as well as being damaged from time to time by earthquakes. A new building was completed in 1960. This is provided with facilities for research as well as for the treatment of diseases of the eye. It now has a large nurses training center and a branch of the International Eye Bank, the headquarters of which is in Washington, D.C. Each year about 100,000 patients are seen and some 6,000 surgical operations performed."

This item may be of interest to the 50 blind persons who are now engaged in computer programming and to the many others who are planning to enter this field: The association of Computing Machines Committee for professional activities of the blind is pleased to announce jointly with Recording for the Blind, Inc. that computing reviews will soon be available on records and magnetic tape: If you want the discs on loan write to: Recording for the Blind, Inc., 215 East 58th, New York, N.Y., 10022, Att. ACM Project. If you want this information on tape, send a blank 1200 ft. magnetic tape to Recording for the Blind, Inc., 100 Stockton St., Princeton, N.J., Attn: ACM Project.

Frank Deweese and Louise Spaid, who attended our Louisville convention, and became ACB members, were united in marriage on December 30 and now make their home at 122 Walnut St., Johnstown Pennsylvania.

From the OHIO COUNCIL OF THE BLIND BULLETIN: "The Summit County Society of the Blind (chapter of the Ohio Council) has employed an Executive Director, John Gard, formerly with the Division of Services for the Blind, and more recently with the Lorain County Center for the Sightless. ... Twenty-three children at the Ohio State School for the Blind got new glasses recently. Some of them are now reading printing no bigger than that used in the newspaper. The blind children who now see have been fitted with special optics that have microscopic lenses. Before getting the new optics, the children had vision that allowed them to see only large objects and in a few cases very large type."

From the March ZIEGLER MAGAZINE: "Robert J. Smithdas, Director of the Deaf-Blind program, Industrial Home for the Blind, Brooklyn, N.Y. and himself deaf and blind, will be honored on April 28th as the "Handicapped American of the Year" by the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. In addition to his successful career at the IHB, Mr. Smithdas is a highly regarded poet. This year a book of his collected poems will appear. In 1958 the story of his life was published by Doubleday & Co., entitled 'Life at My Fingertips.'"

From the NAPH PIONEER: "During the past fiscal year the Vending Stand Program nationally has achieved substantial gains in terms of 5.4 percent in new locations, 10.3 percent in gross sales, and 6 per cent in average operator earnings. The Vending Stand Program, with its gross sales now approximating $60,000,000, is big business." 

From the Canadian National News of the Blind: "Three years of research came to fruition recently with the publication of 'No Compromise', the story of Colonel Baker and the CNIB. The writer is Majorie Wilkins Campbell, author of seven books and twice winner of the Governor General's medal. Colonel Baker, who was blinded in the First World War, is the founder and was the long-time director of the CNIB and served as first President of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind. He was the featured banquet speaker at our Chicago convention in 1963. ... "The International Air Transport Association has stated that member airlines have agreed to carry, free of charge, human eyes from England to India, Pakistan and Malaysia under the program of a British Eye Bank. ... The man who perfected the first effective car headlights was blind. He was J. Banks Nicholson of Washington, D.C., and his invention was quickly adopted by car manufacturers throughout the world in December, 1923. ... In Gedera blind persons are issued keys to insert in special traffic light standards. A bell rings to tell them when it is safe to cross the street and continues to ring until they have crossed."

From the CHICAGO TRIBUNE: "National league telecasts will cost the sponsors $65,000 a minute." 

From the FLORIDA WHITE CANE: "With the current issue, this excellent state publication enters its 10th year and is now using large type print and thus obtaining free mailing privileges for the ink-print as well as the Braille edition. ... The Amateur Radio Eye Bank Network has now served as intermediary for the 1,000th partial eye replacement since it was organized in 1962. ... Preserved sclera can now be used to patch a ruptured eyeball or to reinforce a weak area to prevent a rupture. ... Congressman Henry Reuss suggested that Congress establish an office of administrative counsel which would represent constituents in their battles with administrate agencies. ... The first blind member of the Board of Governors of the Florida state agency is Mrs. Mary Inez Malden, a 5th grade teacher in Jacksonville, whose class is made up of sighted children. ..."

From the January NEW OUTLOOK: "The following brief excerpts are from the results of a questionnaire sent to state directors of Business Enterprise programs, as reported by the New York Commission for the Blind. ... One set of answers was especially shocking. The 30 states answering reported there were 281 blind persons working as assistants to licensed operators in the program and 1,163 sighted people in the same category -- more than four times as many. One state had blind assistants only, while eleven had sighted assistants only. ... In five states, the number of sighted people in the program exceeded the total of all the blind persons in the program. ... The highest salaries were paid to sighted rather than blind workers -- an interesting point in a program created by law for the benefit of blind persons. ... Miss Katharine Cornell, distinguished actress, and Miss Mary E. Switzer, United States Commissioner of Vocational Rehabilitation, received the 1965 Migel Medals from the American Foundation for the Blind. The Migel Medal is the highest honor in the United States in work for the blind. ... The American Council was one of only two organizations of the blind mentioned by THE NEW OUTLOOK as financial sponsors of the Conference on Standards and Accreditation in work for the blind, attended by President Ned Freeman -- the other was our Kansas affiliate. ... With this issue we are announcing the retirement of Editor Howard M. Liechty, who is to be replaced by Patricia Scherf Smith."

From the AP: "Flowers, potatoes, bees, bats, and oysters are among many living things that can tell time without a clock -- or rather, their internal mechanisms which serve as clocks."

From LISTEN: "A new program leading to a doctorate in education 'with concentration in the area of the visually handicapped' has been announced by the special education department of Colorado State College, Greeley, Colorado. ... In an effort to win the right to serve as a juror, a blind New Jersey political science professor initiated court action recently after he had been rejected as a prospective juror because of his blindness. 35-year-old Dr. Edwin R. Lewison, assistant professor at Seton Hall University, filed his complaint in the State Supreme Court."

From THE LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL: "... A wrestling team made up of students of the Kentucky School for the Bind has won the State High School Wrestling Tournament over a field of 17 schools. Some of the sighted high schools had as many as 3 boys trained for each division. The KSB team of only 9 asked for no special concession and received none. When competition ended and it was announced that they had taken first place by one point over Newport Catholic, they received a standing ovation."

The American Foundation for the Blind, 15 W. 16th St., New York, N.Y. 10011, has begun the issuance of a quarterly newsletter. If you want to be on the mailing list, write to AFB. AFB wants your opinion as to whether there should be a Braille edition of this newsletter. The initial issue contains the announcement of several new project developments, including a recorded edition of the Boy Scout Manual (to be distributed through the regional libraries), an audible compass which will emit a sound for every direction except north, equipment for recording the new compressed sound records -- double speed reading without change of pitch -- and a telephone attachment enabling the deaf­blind to receive messages tactually. 

Floyd Qualls has accepted the position of Executive Manager of the Oklahoma League for the Blind in Oklahoma City. The League is an arm of the Oklahoma Federation. 

Tragic news from Vermont -- on December 20 Clarence Briggs, former State president, was run over and killed. He will be sorely missed by the friends he made all over the U.S.A. 

From the PEORIA AREA OBSERVER: Editor Vic Buttram received an ad for a sponsored 21-day European trip for blind persons -- the two conditions being that they must have $1,317.50 and must be accompanied by a guide dog. His comment? "Oh boy, just imagine fighting, barking dogs, everyone mad at each other over this; oh me; are you interested?"

The Ohio Council of the Blind held a successful seminar on February 12 and 13, attended by about 60 interested participants.

The Wisconsin Council of the Blind, following the example of its sister organization in Missouri, has now joined the Foster Parents' Association and has adopted a little seven-year-old blind girl, who lives and attends school in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Her first charming little thank-you letter has just been received by her 18 foster parents.

The September issue of SEEING EYE GUIDE featured the career of Mr. Monroe Fox, who opened the only law office in Chama, New Mexico, in 1954. He had been blinded in World War II, in which he served as a member of a Naval Underwater Demolition Team. He lost his sight when his ship was bombed off Hiroshima. Largely through his own effort, involving an incredible amount of arduous legal work, he succeeded in getting his town incorporated, a water system was next, promoted recreational facilities, next a sewer system, natural gas system and a garbage disposal site. 

Many individual members-at-large have neglected to send in their 1966 membership dues of $1. In order to vote at the Atlanta convention, your dues must be received before June 20th. Send dues to Mr. Reese Robrahn, 308 Columbian Building, Topeka, Kansas 66603.

From an article by Terence E. Carroll, in the March NEW OUTLOOK FOR THE BLIND: "... It should be recognized, that there is no intrinsic virtue in 'work' in and of itself; virtue is imputed to it by individual attitudes that have been learned. The fact that a great many individuals in our society share the attitude that work is virtuous does not mean either that all people should share it, or that it is even a healthy attitude for all those who do. ... This ideology reaches its zenith in the sheltered workshop movement, and particularly in the rationale for the terminal (or to use the current euphemism, 'extended employment') workshop whose principal justification would seem to be that, 'Idle hands are the Devil's work shop' ... Certainly the need for expansion in terminal workshops might not be either as urgent or as necessary as we frequently hear if we change some of our attitudes toward the intrinsic honorific value and virtue of work and stopped looking for a twentieth century model of the seventeenth century workhouse. ..."

*****

** ACB Officers and Directors

President: Ned E. Freeman, 136 Gee's Mill Rd., Conyers, Ga. 30207 
1st Vice President: Durward K. McDaniel, 305 Midwest Bldg., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 
2nd Vice President: David Krause, 4628 Livingston Rd., SE, Washington, D.C. 20032 
Secretary: Mrs. Alma Murphey, 4103 Castleman Ave., St. Louis, Missouri 63110 
Treasurer: Reese H. Robrahn, 308 Columbian Building, Topeka, Kansas 66603

** Directors

George Card, 605 S. Few Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53703 
Vernon Williams, 217 Western Union Bldg. Aberdeen, S.D. 57401 
Paul Kirton, Room 6327, Dept. of Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240
Mrs. Marie M. Boring, 1113 Camden Ave., Durham, N.C. 27701 
F. W. Orrell, 5209 Alabama Ave., Chattanooga, Tenn. 37409 
Mrs. Mary Jane Schmitt, 55 Queens St., Rochester, N.Y. 14609 
R. L. Thompson, 104 West Hanlon St., Tampa, Fla. 33604
Fred C. Lilley, 1155 W. 83rd St., Apt. 216, Chicago, Ill. 60620

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