The Braille Forum Vol. IX March 1971 No. 5 Published Bi-Monthly by the American Council of the Blind Oklahoma City, Oklahoma * Editor: Earl Scharry 5714 Ridgeway Ave. Rockville, MD 20851 * Associate Editors: George Card 605 South Few St. Madison, WI 53703 Alma Murphey 4103 Castleman Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110 * President: Reese Robrahn 329 Woodbury Lane Topeka, KS 66606 * National Representative: Durward K. McDaniel 20 E Street NW Suite 215 Washington, DC 20001 To inform its readers and to provide an impartial Forum for discussion. ***** ** Table of Contents Notice to Subscribers And So to Press President's Message, by Reese H. Robrahn Milwaukee Set to Welcome Biggest ACB Convention, by George Card Something New Up Wind, by Wyman Howard Preview of Legislation, by Durward K. McDaniel Banking in Braille -- A Bank with Imagination Division for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, RSA, Abolished, by Durward K. McDaniel Hyde Park Corner: Let's Not Cloud the Friendly Skies, by John J. Murphey Author! Author! An Organization -- Local Style, by Fred C. Lilley A Misleading Statement, by George Card Oklahoma Library Open House, by Travis Harris A Call for Nominations ACB -- New York Seminar Here and There, by George Card Leonard Robinson Retired, by Durward K. McDaniel Hadley Offers Course in Computer Programming National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults Receives Surplus Land ACB Officers Directors ***** ** Notice to Subscribers The Braille Forum is available in braille, large type, and on tape -- seven-inch, dual track, ips 3 and 3/4. Subscriptions and address changes should be sent to Floyd Qualls, who is in charge of our three mailing lists. His address is: 106 N.E. 2nd Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104. Items intended for publication should be sent to the editor or to one of the associate editors. Those much-needed and appreciated cash contributions should be sent to ACB Treasurer Fred Krepela, 241 State Street, Salem, Oregon 97301. ***** ** And So to Press Our secretary in the Volunteer Services Section is a sincere Christian. The other day she was reading the Bible to one of her young sons and paused to comment that Jesus is coming again. The boy, with practicality far beyond his years and all the candor of childhood, exclaimed, "What! After the way they treated Him before?" I am sure he would view with much less reverence but equal incredulity my rashness in assuming the burdens and responsibilities of the helm of the Forum. I edited one issue previously, back in the spring of 1961; and, though I did not suffer any indignities, I can recall some of the tedium and most particularly the relentless persecution of the looming deadline. Yet, in the end, the temptation of the opportunity to report and perhaps to some small degree to help to mold the activities of this imaginative and innovative organization proved stronger than my misgivings. The outstanding qualities of those who have preceded me will be both an inspiration and a challenge -- going back to the erudition of Hollis Liggett, the finesse of Marie Boring, the dedication of Ned Freeman, and last, but by no means least, the competence of Alma Murphey. The response of everyone has far surpassed my most optimistic expectations. No one whom I have asked for help or for material has declined, and some have even volunteered without being asked. I hope it will continue that way. I have no wish to make this magazine a one-man show. It is my ambition to stock it as fully as possible with original material from the membership and to involve as many people as possible both in its content and in its management. I ask your cooperation and your indulgence. ***** ** President's Message By Reese H. Robrahn During our 1970 Oklahoma City Convention charters were presented to four new affiliates: the Alabama Federation of the Blind, Inc., the Iowa Council of the Blind, the American Council of the Blind of New York, and the Las Luminarias of New Mexico Council of the Blind. The admission of these four fine organizations brought our affiliate strength to twenty-six. Since then four more organizations have been approved for affiliation. They are: the Visually Impaired Secretarial Transcribers Association, President, Betty Ann Jones; the American Council of the Blind of Pennsylvania, President, Earl L. Bigger; the Arkansas Council bf the Blind, President, Chester Holden; and the Louisiana Council of the Blind, President, Robert McLean. Our affiliate strength is now thirty, and I anticipate several additions by July, 1971, Convention time. I extend for all ACB members a warm welcome to these new vigorous young organizations. We eagerly await the pleasure of their participation in the proceedings of our Milwaukee, 1971, Convention. For a number of reasons not important here there has been a fast-growing movement at all levels of government toward reformation and reorganization which has swept across the land during the last two or three years. One of the most consistent features of these reformation and reorganization plans is the lumping together of all programs and services in the areas of social services, rehabilitation programs, and educational services into one large flotilla department of government. Just as consistently, programs and services for the blind and visually handicapped are relegated to a much-submerged position at the bottom of the totem pole. This trend has come at a time when Legislators and Congressmen are taking long and hard second looks at requests for appropriations of funds for all governmental services. It also comes at a time when minority groups and forces from all corners of the land have risen up to demand their fair share of government programs and services. Thus, blind and visually handicapped citizens have become a mere fraction of the vast numbers of citizens now competing for a share of the tax dollar to fund needed special programs and services. Many leaders in organizations and agencies of and for the blind have come to realize that the many years of hard work that produced the comparative progress and advancement in programs for the blind and visually handicapped may be seriously jeopardized. Many of these leaders have recognized the need for, and have initiated, cooperative action among the several professional and interest groups. This fact is demonstrated by meetings of the designated leaders of six organizations and agencies of and for the blind during the past year. This group of leaders dubbed its cooperative effort the National Inter-Organizational Committee on Services to the Blind, and it approved the following statement for publication: "A meeting of National organizations of and for the blind was held in Chicago on September 30 and October 1, 1970. Attending was the President or Director of each organization which included the following: American Association of Workers for the Blind Dr. Douglas C. MacFarland American Council of the Blind Judge Reese H. Robrahn Association for the Education of the Visually Handicapped Mr. Carl Davis American Foundation for the Blind, Inc. Mr. M. Robert Barnett National Council of State Agencies for the Blind Mr. Joseph Kohn National Federation of the Blind Mr. Kenneth Jernigan "The purpose of the meeting was to develop a method for national organizations interested in the needs of blind people to come together and discuss those needs and the National trends and legislation which affect them. The group may also act in an advisory role or committee to administrators of Federal programs for the blind. "Those attending the meeting made it clear that this is not an attempt to develop a super agency. Nor is it an effort to have every National organization adopt a uniform point of view. There is much to be said for differences in points of view as to stimulus to progress. Rather, the meeting was conceived as an opportunity to bring together key leadership for the purpose of discussing and reviewing those National needs and trends that require organizational support in order to gain congressional and legislative attention and endorsement. To the extent that such support can be indicated, to that extent it was felt the public and the various branches of government would be more receptive to the identified needs of blind persons. "A system of rotating chairmen for these meetings has been adopted. The first meeting of a year ago was chaired by Dr. Douglas C. MacFarland, President of the American Association of Workers for the Blind. The second meeting in Chicago was chaired by Mr. Joseph Kohn then President of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind. The next meeting will be chaired by Mr. Kenneth Jernigan, President of the National Federation of the Blind." "To provide for an orderly transition, each President of a National organization whose term of office runs for one year only will meet with this group for one year after his term along with the new President of that organization." So there can be no doubt as to the official policy of the American Council concerning the autonomy of governmental agencies serving the blind and visually handicapped, the ACB Board of Directors adopted the following statement for publication: "ACB POLICY STATEMENT ON AUTONOMY AND ADMINISTRATIVE INTEGRITY OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES SERVING THE BLIND "REASSERTING AND REAFFIRMING: There is incontrovertible justification and validity, well established by long practice and experience, that it is not only desirable but it is necessary for best results and efficiency in the expenditure of funds for programs and services for the blind to be planned and executed separately and independently from programs and services for other categories of disabled and disadvantaged persons; and, "REITERATING: Reasons for the foregoing but not limited to those stated, are as follows: 1. In terms of numbers the blind constitute a very small minority as to the total number of disabled and disadvantaged persons or by comparison with other specific disabled or disadvantaged groups; and thus as a minor segment of a large government department or agency the programs serving the blind are submerged by sheer force of numbers and inevitably receive less than the fair share of departmental or agency funds. 2. Inevitably, the small minority status of programs for the blind within the department or agency results in little, if any, participation by the administrators of such programs in the over all policy making of the department or agency. 3. The resulting limited funds and lack of status seriously jeopardizes the capacity of the programs for the blind to attract and retain qualified and specially trained staff personnel. 4. It is generally recognized that by reason of the nature and extent of problems dealt with in programs and services for the blind the average time expended per case is substantially longer than the average for other categories of disabled and disadvantaged; and as a consequence the large multi-service department or agency tends to neglect the former and favor the latter in the interest of compiling a "good record." 5. The resulting lack of adequate funds, inferior status 1 shortage of personnel and general neglect by administrators in superior positions prevents innovations, excludes chance for expansion of the programs, and there sets in a general deterioration of established programs and services. "It is therefore the policy of the American Council of the Blind that any and all programs and services for the blind established and administered by the government must be positioned in the governmental structure, administratively and functionally, so that the administrator of such programs and services shall have a voice and participate in the budget making and policy making processes of the department or agency and that he shall have direct access to and communication with the office of the governor or appropriate chief executive, and with the legislature." ***** ** Milwaukee Set to Welcome Biggest ACB Convention By George Card Because the 1971 convention will be most centrally located since Louisville, and because we now have more than double the number of affiliates we had at that time, and for a number of other reasons, we are expecting the greatest convention this year in the history of ACB. Largely settled by German and other Europeans who fled from the persecution which followed the 1848 revolutions and since 1890 by many immigrants of Polish and Italian extraction Milwaukee is now a truly metropolitan city of 750,000. Including its immediate environs, the total reaches 1.7 million. Since the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway, it has become an ocean port as well as being one of the principal Great Lakes shipping points. 12,730 acres are devoted to parks and beaches. One of the most famous points or interest is the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory. Its three tremendous glass domes each house a different climatic setting of botanical life. One contains a tropical rain forest, another desert vegetation and the third is used as a garden under glass with background plantings for winter, Easter, Mother's Day, summer, autumn and Christmas. The Milwaukee County Zoo has become world famous. Its animals are grouped by the continents from which they come. There are 165 wooded acres with a miniature railroad and small truck trains. There are at least 13 restaurants within a 2-3 block radius of the Sheraton-Schroeder Hotel, which has recently been remodeled and refurbished. The July climate is usually pleasant, but air conditioning is now universal in Milwaukee. There are many deluxe restaurants and night spots for the most adventurous. Among the speakers whom we expect are the following: M. Robert Barnett, head of the American Foundation; Dr. Douglas McFarland, of HEW; Dr. Matthew Davis, known worldwide for his research into the causes and treatment of diabetic blindness; Marjorie Hooper, of the American Printing House; Adrian DeBlaey, of our Wisconsin agency for the Blind; Roy Andries deGroot, blind author of "The Movable Feast" in ESQUIRE magazine, who recently visited and analyzed the great Milwaukee restaurants; Benjamin Pumo, Director of the Metropolitan Society for the Blind in Detroit; Eunice Fiorite, coordinator of the Mayor's Advisory Committee in New York City; and William English, new Superintendent of the Wis. School for the Visually Handicapped. We have others who have been invited, including Chester Lauck, who took the part of Lum Edwards in the well-known radio skit of Lum and Abner; and Stan Musial. Governor Pat Lucey, who is a longtime personal friend, will be with us if he can possibly arrange it and there will be other later additions. The convention proper will be called to order at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 28. Other sessions will be held Thursday forenoon, all day Friday and all day Saturday with adjournment no later than 5:00 p.m. on the last day. The Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America, Visually Impaired Data Processors International, Visually Impaired Secretarial Transcribers Association, the American Blind Lawyers Association and perhaps other sub-groups will be meeting on Monday & Tuesday, July 26 and 27. Each group is making its own arrangements with the hotel. Thursday afternoon and evening will be given over to organized recreation. The first 40 who sign up for it will be given a lake cruise, with the bus leaving the hotel at 1:30 p.m. All others will be taken to the great Schlitz Brewery for a tour and a generous sample of the product. All buses will converge at the beautiful new Badger Home for the Blind complex at around 4:00 p.m. and delegates will be guided in small groups through the buildings. This is the largest home of its type in the U.S. which is entirely conducted and controlled by the blind themselves. There will be a catered sit-down dinner at around 5:30 and in the evening there will be a concert and dancing. The banquet will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, July 30. George Fogarty, whom I think of as the "Golden Voice from the Golden Gate" will be the featured speaker. He is undoubtedly the most gifted orator in our organization. There will be other short items, and the finale will be a 25-minute concert by a group of blind musicians, each one of which is an artist in his own right. Everyone is urged to make his reservations at the Sheraton-Schroeder Hotel, 509 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53203, as early as possible. It's always more fun to be where the action is. ***** ** Something New Up Wind By Wyman Howard How often do ideas of inventions, processes or devices come about through chance happenings or accidents? An apple falls. A screw turns. Water rises. This account, too, begins with an accident. In Burlington, Iowa, The Russell Printing Company is located. It is not unusual as printing companies go. Most cities have such business places. You can take anything in print to the Russell Company, and, in a matter of hours, have thousands of copies made easily and inexpensively. The Russell Company, like many others, uses an off-set printing press. In this process a picture is made of the material to be printed. The press rapidly prints copies of the original material on ordinary paper from the picture. But, one day, something happened at The Russell Company, a thing which makes this company different from the others. Someone dropped a coin into the off-set printing press. Upon discovery of the coin, there was fear that the press might be damaged. To the surprise of the observers, not only was the press unharmed, but a copy on paper of the coin came out in relief. Ned Russell, owner of the company, then conceived of the idea of reproducing braille on his off-set printing press. He began working with a friend who knew braille. He realized a measure of success from his efforts. Through further research, he initiated a process of making spirit copies in braille from a master copy. The fluid softens the copy paper and pressure transfers the braille from master to copy. Mr. Russell may have come up with one, possibly unique, answer to the problem of how to reuse discarded containers. He cut off both ends of a beer can. He punched out a braille spirit master on the remaining cylindrical portion of the can. He then placed an address in braille on some envelopes. His first printing effort was to prepare and send out a kind of newspaper in braille which he called The Fifth Dimension. He sent this publication to as many braille readers whose addresses he could obtain. He included a reply card with his publication to be returned by those who found the newspaper of interest. He received a favorable response from the limited group to whom he sent The Fifth Dimension. The publication was free to its readers. The cost of its printing was covered by advertising. The paper was light hearted in character and its content included things from recipes to horoscopes. The advertising itself had a certain charm since it was written especially for The Fifth Dimension. Mr. Russell has hopes of continuing The Fifth Dimension at some time in the future if he can secure a firm list of names of persons who might receive the paper to secure the funds from advertisers. The state newsletter of the Iowa Council of the Blind was printed in braille by Mr. Russell using his off-set printing press. Soon he will be printing the second newsletter to be put into braille. Mr. Russell is now equipped to provide a speed print, braille service. The copies will be on plastic base paper. He can reproduce up to a thousand copies of an original piece of braille material within 24 hours after receiving it. Anyone interested in this service should write to Mr. Russell; he will furnish you with costs and other information. His address is the Russell Printing Company, 1611 Osborne Street, Burlington, Iowa 52601. ***** ** Preview of Legislation By Durward K. McDaniel The 92nd Congress began with a normal deluge of bills introduced, and a more meaningful summary must await the next issue. Senator Randolph has expressed his continuing interest and will again introduce amendments to the Randolph-Sheppard Act, which will again be supported by the major organizations of and for the blind including the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America. In the last session this legislation was defeated because of the strong opposition of unions of government employees and because there was not enough time to pass it at the close of the Session. H.R. 1 is the major social security and welfare bill and is in substance the same as the bills which were passed by the House in the last Session. The Ways and Means Committee began executive sessions on this bill in January without allowing witnesses to testify. A majority of the Committee have endorsed the disability insurance proposal which would qualify blind persons for benefits after six quarters of coverage without limiting earnings. This provision is not in the bill although the provision allowing benefits for blind persons who are fully insured is in it. After House action, a fuller report will be made. The controversial amendments to the Wagner-O'Day Act have been introduced again by Senator Javits: S. 557. There are some changes, but the principal purpose of the bill is to expand the authorization for the purchase of products by the Federal Government to include workshops for the severely handicapped. Several articles have appeared in the Forum stating the Council's opposition to this legislation. It is supported by many organizations for the handicapped and by several influential organizations for the blind including National Industries for the Blind and the General Council of Workshops for the Blind. Ironically, the workshops for the blind are suffering severely at this time because of substantial declines in government purchasing, and many of them have laid off large numbers of blind workers for this reason. A meeting was held on February 12, 1971 to persuade Federal Prison Industries to release orders to the workshops for the blind. Nevertheless, support for the expansion to other shops continues without regard to the effect on employment of blind workers. The major organizations of and for the blind have agreed on important changes in the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, and bills will exist as this is being read. We contemplate that this cooperative joint effort will be extended to other legislative subjects. ***** ** Banking in Braille -- A Bank with Imagination (The following is a letter from the Virginia National Bank, Staunton, Va., 24401, which makes no extra charge for the braille feature of its checking account service.) "Virginia National Bank began this service in April, 1965, and we now have 28 braille accounts as far west as California. We are proud to serve the visually handicapped and have received many nice letters and comments from our braille account customers. Ours was the second bank in the country to adopt this program; Chemical Bank New York Trust Company, the first, greatly aided us in setting up our program. We purchased a limited supply of braille checkwriters from Chemical. S. Tepfer and Sons, Inc., in Brooklyn, New York, manufactured the plates. A special checkbook is required for the checkwriter, as not every check will fit the slots. We had these checks made especially for this use. "In essence, this is how the checking account works. The blind person gets the signature card from the bank by writing in or by a personal visit to one of our offices. The signature card, with his initial deposit, is then sent to us in Staunton, which is the center for this type of account. An account is then opened for the blind person, and, if requested, a letter in braille with the checkwriter and checks are sent to the customer. We do not enclose styluses. The account is then ready for use. "Every month a statement is sent to the customer in braille, with a regular statement. Whenever there are questions, or problems, the customer contacts the Staunton office. ... "To someone who can see the checkwriter, which resembles the braille pocket guide, its use is almost self-explanatory. The cells on the left of the top plate correspond with the check stub and should be used for stub information. The cells on the top give the customer braille information on the check. The cut-outs provide a guide for the Blind person to write out or print the date, the payee, the amount (both written out and in Arabic numerals to the right), and a place to affix his signature. "At the beginning we had a little bit of trouble since the specially designed checkbooks had only the Staunton office transit number on them. We did not have a name of a city put on them because the people from other locations may wonder why they used a bank in Staunton. We now have 'Braille Account' put on the top of every check, and we have not had any trouble since then. "... We have the Virginia School for the Deaf & Blind here in Staunton, and we have hired one of the instructors, part­time, who reads and writes braille but is not deaf, to braille out our statements the first of every month. If we have any correspondence with one of our braille account customers that needs to be answered in braille, she also takes care of this for us." ***** ** Division for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, RSA, Abolished By Durward K. McDaniel On December 19, 1970, the Secretary of HEW, Elliot Richardson, signed a Statement of Organization, Functions and Delegations of Authority, which effectively abolished the Division for the Blind and Visually Handicapped when the Statement was published in the Federal Register ten days later. Among other changes, a Division of Special Populations has been created, and the blind are included within its jurisdiction by reference. In the description of the new Division's functions and authority the following significant words appear: "... Provides opportunities and mechanisms for the full development of projects, programs and services for individuals and groups who suffer from specific disabilities or who share common conditions of characteristics, medical or otherwise, which permit categorical identification .... Provides leadership and consultation to regional offices, State agencies, and grantees in the development and expansion of rehabilitation programs and services for all disability groups, including alcoholics, drug addicts, arthritics, epileptics, the blind, heart, cancer and stroke victims, those suffering communication disorders, etc. ..." When representatives of the major national organizations of and for the blind learned of the Secretary's action, a conference was requested with the Administrator of SRS and Commissioner Edward Newman of RSA. Seven organizations' representatives participated in a conference on February 4, 1971, but there was no promise to restore the Division for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. There was talk about an office for the blind within the Division of Special Populations, but this idea was unacceptable to the organizations represented. ACB is enlisting the action of individuals and organizations throughout the country to assist in the restoration of the Division for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. Specifically, communications should go to Congressmen and Senators protesting the abolition of the Division and requesting them to intercede with the Secretary of HEW to obtain the reinstatement of the Division for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. The following letter states the case for the retention of the Division, which had existed for more than 25 years: Washington, D.C. February 4, 1971 Mr. John D. Twiname, Administrator Social and Rehabilitation Service Department of Health, Education and Welfare Washington, D.C. 20201 Dear Mr. Twiname, We appreciate the opportunity afforded us to meet with you and Dr. Edward Newman today. The undersigned representatives of the major national organizations of and for the blind express deep concern regarding the Statement of Organizations, Functions and Delegations of Authority published in Volume 35, Number 251 of the Federal Register for Tuesday, December 29, 1970. In particular, we are unequivocally opposed to the elimination of the separate organizational status heretofore accorded the Division for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, which was accomplished without any consultation whatever with the organizations involved in this field. We strongly urge the restoration of the Division for the Blind and Visually Handicapped with continuing divisional status within the Rehabilitation Services Administration. The History of the Rehabilitation Movement is replete with examples which empirically and concretely demonstrate that the blind do not receive adequate and appropriate services when the responsibility for extending such services is vested in an organization concerned with serving all disability categories. Because the blind are a small minority and have unique needs and special problems, organizations concerned with the delivery of services to all disability groups have never been able to adequately serve the blind. The inability of such organizations to serve the blind effectively has been conclusively demonstrated within local communities, within the states, and within a variety of other activities supported by the Federal Government. We submit that this principle is even more true with respect to SRS programs. The action set out in this recent Statement of Organizations, Functions and Delegations of Authority is incompatible with every positive improvement made in this country to upgrade services for the blind in the past 150 years. Almost a century and a half ago it was recognized that blind children could not receive adequate educational services in the absence of separate educational programs and facilities. Soon after this, separate state and private agencies were established in recognition of this need. Today more than 2/3 of the states have deemed it necessary to maintain separate state organizational units to administer rehabilitation programs for the blind. Hundreds of private organizations have been established throughout the United States to support this effort. The most recent example of this failure of a multipurpose organization occurred in the case of the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness, which failed to meet the needs of research into the prevention and amelioration of blindness. At the urging of organizations of and for the blind, Congress chose to correct this failure by statutory establishment of the National Eye Institute. Similar failures have led to the establishment of a National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults and to the establishment of special educational services for deaf-blind children. Because of the unique problems of blindness, many separate specialized activities have been undertaken in the past by the Federal Government to meet these needs, including in particular specialized programs such as those established by the Randolph-Sheppard Act, the Wagner-O'Day Act, and certain provisions of the Social Security Act, or as operated by the American Printing House for the Blind. In 1936 when general agencies were responsible for the administration of vocational rehabilitation services to all disability groups, those general agencies were able to report successfully rehabilitating only two blind persons in the entire United States. During the Federal fiscal year 1969 approximately 209400 blind and visually handicapped were reported as successfully rehabilitated under the State-Federal Rehabilitation Program. This result could not possibly have been accomplished in the absence of specialized and separate programs and facilities for the blind, and these gains are all the more significant in the light of the chronic shortage of staff and funds experienced by the Division for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. Despite these obstacles, the leadership and assistance extended by this Division have been key factors in making the aforementioned gains possible. There remains a critical need for greater understanding and acceptance of blindness, and the elimination of the Division for the Blind and Visually Handicapped in no way contributes to meeting this need. The problems of blindness require the establishment and maintenance of pertinent and responsive programs. The primary determinant of the organizational arrangements developed to carry out these programs must be the functional requirements of adequate service delivery systems — and not the theoretical and assumptive perceptions of a structure apparently established primarily to serve administrative convenience. On behalf of the more than one million severely visually impaired Americans who have relied on this Division for coordination and leadership in rehabilitation efforts extended in their behalf, we strongly urge the restoration of the Division for the Blind and Visually Handicapped to its former status. Sincerely yours, FOR THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF WORKERS FOR THE BLIND: Peter J. Salmon, Legislative Committee Chairman Finis E. Davis, Member, Advisory Committee on Legislative Policy John L. Naler, Executive Director FOR THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND: S. Bradley Burson, First Vice President Durward K. McDaniel, National Representative FOR THE ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATION FOR THE VISUALLY HANDICAPPED: Carl J. Davis, President FOR THE BLINDED VETERANS ASSOCIATION: Irvin P. Schloss, Immediate Past National President FOR THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE AGENCIES FOR THE BLIND: Burt L. Risley, President Charles W. Hoehne, General Counsel FOR NATIONAL INDUSTRIES FOR THE BLIND: John W. Hanger, Vice President, Government Marketing Div. FOR THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND: John N. Taylor, Past President John F. Nagle, Chief, Washington Office ***** ** Hyde Park Corner (It has been suggested that we take this department out of the mothballs and revive it. Since the following rousing and cogent article was conveniently at hand, we decided to dust off the cobwebs and hope for further business.) * Let's Not Cloud the Friendly Skies By John J. Murphey Anyone who imagines that the National Federation of the Blind can adduce valid reasons for its opposition to the "two for one" air fare bill, which ACB drafted and has kept before Congress since 1963, should carefully scrutinize the NFB President's rationalization in the Braille Monitor for November, 1970, under the title "Let's Keep the Skies Friendly." You will note, first, that he would have us regard the air fare bill as something new. It isn't. There is nothing new in the proposal. It merely seeks Congressional permission for the airlines to grant the same concession many railroads and bus companies have been granting us for a long time. It is entirely consistent with much that is now history. The Monitor article states that "It first came to the attention of the NFB at the 1964 convention." As a matter of fact, if one may be permitted to refer to the record, the NFB adopted a resolution strongly endorsing such legislation as far back as 1949. (The text of the NFB resolution favoring two-for-one air travel is given in full following this article.) The proposal is not new, because we already have the same concession from the buses and trains, no damage to the image of the blind is done by having it adopted. It already exists, and no publicity is now being given to it. The concession that would be asked if this bill authorized it is not dissimilar to that granted to students, the clergy, members of the armed forces, or families. Like these other special concessions, that to the blind passenger would be a give-and-take matter: The traveler saves money; and the carrier is saved the total loss of carrying an empty seat. The relationship is that between buyer and seller, not much different from that which obtains when a retail store offers bargains in order to move its stock. Second, the NFB President contends that bus and train concessions have been abused by the blind, and that the image of the blind (whatever that purely hypothetical treasure may be) is thereby damaged. He laments: "A number of blind persons who are quite capable of paying full fare for trains and for a guide use the 'two-for-one' tickets merely as a means of cutting costs. ... Very often a man and wife or a parent and child use these tickets as a means of having a vacation more cheaply or otherwise saving money, while at other times the same blind person will travel alone if it suits his convenience. The public, the buses and the railroads think the 'two-for-one' is used because the blind person can't travel otherwise, but in these cases the 'two-for-one' is actually used as a means of saving money." It must come as quite a shock to the many blind travelers who use these tickets to save money — and reduce the special costs of blindness -- to be thus branded as chiselers. I do not so regard them. Nor would I wish to subject each applicant to the obnoxious means test, which would result from restricting the use of these tickets to the poor and/or incompetent, which the NFB President seems to prefer. Such a policy would also necessitate having travel skills evaluated by a mobility expert, a cumbersome procedure to say the least. It would be a retrogression to the outmoded theory that blind people should be helped in distress, not out of it. Third, the author of the "Friendly Skies" article persists in regarding "two for one" as charity. He says, "They should receive adequate public assistance in cash from the government as a matter of right. They should not have to ask for support in kind from private companies as a matter of charity." Well, how about that! We must ask the obvious questions: Are those of you who avail yourselves of the special rates offered to you any more objects of charity than the family or the student or the clergyman who take advantage of similar bargains? Are you any more of a public charge than the self-styled "independent" blind travelers who depend quite heavily upon the impromptu services of busy transport officials and/or passersby? So perhaps it would be a good thing for all of us to adopt the slogan: Live and let live. Finally, after dwelling on the dazzling possibilities of the disability insurance bill, the "Friendly Skies" advocate comes in for the kill. Here's how: "Opposing the 'two-for-one' will almost certainly increase the chances of passing the disability bill. It will show that the blind are not always trying to get and never willing to give. It can be used as an argument for responsibility and maturity." If this Machiavellian approach is to be taken in support of the disability bill, one can only hope that our national legislators won't be nauseated by such a wanton display of hypocrisy. The air fare bill and the disability insurance bill are both excellent; they should receive our full support. But our interest in them is their only connecting link. Each will stand or fall independently of the other. So, divesting the arguments advanced in opposition to the air fare bill of their superficial plausibility, we are left with the question, what really has caused the NFB and its President to abandon principles once endorsed by official action of the membership. The real underlying reason must be his prejudice against ACB and its proposed legislation. If this is a sample of the "responsibility" and "maturity" he wants Congress to see in the blind, may heaven help us all! ( The National Federation of the Blind Resolution No. 260 WHEREAS for many years railroads and bus lines in the United States, under regulation of the Interstate Commerce Commission, have granted to blind persons and their guides the right to travel on one fare; and WHEREAS blind persons are finding it increasingly necessary to travel by air; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in annual convention assembled at Denver, Colorado, on this 22nd day of June, 1949, that we urge the Civil Aeronautics Authority to permit airlines to accord the same right to blind persons traveling by air with their guides, and we further urge all transportation lines to adopt this practice. The foregoing resolution was unanimously adopted by the National Federation of the Blind on June 22, 1949. ***** ** Author! Author! In the last issue of the Forum there appeared a warm, sparkling gem of an article packed with lots of good common sense and adorned with a light touch of satire. People kept asking us, "Who wrote that article, 'Now They Tell Us?' It was great!" Though the style was vaguely familiar, we didn't hazard a guess. Then Alma Murphey informed us that it had been contributed by our old friend of early Hyde Park Corner days, Mary Walton. Of course! Alma was puzzled and chagrined that somehow there had been no by-line with it. She asked us to apologize to Mary and the readers. So, to the author, on behalf of the Braille Forum, a thousand pardons and a thousand cheers!! ***** ** An Organization -- Local Style By Fred C. Lilley It is not my privilege to be called a charter member of our organization since, at the time of its inception I was not a resident of St. Louis, Mo. However, as its current president I have traced its history, and I believe it to be a typical organization of blind people, who banded together for a common good. In writing such a narrative, one faces the danger of neglecting to give full credit to all those who were instrumental in the formation of the project. I therefore will mention the name of just one -- David Krause -- who now resides in Washington, D.C. as he was the prime mover and first president of the organization. It was early in 1955 when a group of blind citizens of the St. Louis area met and discussed the formation of a local organization. They believed their primary purpose should be the development of information relating to work done by blind people, and the education of the public, with emphasis on employment for the blind. Previous to this time, other local organizations had concentrated on pension and welfare programs; and although these were very much needed, this group felt that the field of employment for the blind had been neglected. One of the first tasks was to decide upon a name which would reflect the purpose for which these people had come together. After much lively discussion, they settled on the name, Real Independence Through Employment, Inc. They knew that the name was long and perhaps rather cumbersome, but they also knew that the acronym RITE would be readily understood and accepted. Consequently, on October 15, 1955, the organization was chartered under its formal name. It was immediately evident that all lofty ideals required financing if they were to be implemented. The members of RITE, like members of most other organizations, tried various methods of fund-raising. However, they finally decided upon the sale of boxed candy as their best money-making venture, and the proof of their good judgement lies in the fact that RITE's annual candy sale is still the backbone of its financial structure. Their first effort toward public education was a booklet, entitled: "Blindness As We See It," which contained twelve articles intended to enlighten its readers so that they might react in the proper manner when meeting blind people and their problems. Throughout the years of its growth, RITE has had a significant impact upon the St. Louis community. For a lengthy period it operated Telenews, a telephone service of information for the blind people of the area. It has financed, through interest-free loans businesses started by a couple of blind people. The children of its members are eligible for interest-free loans to further their education when it is determined that funds are not available from any other source. Each year the children of RITE members who complete a year in high school are given a $50 award. This program was begun in an effort to stimulate high school students to continue their education rather than join the ranks of dropouts. Annually, RITE hosts a luncheon or dinner to publicize NEH Week, and present as part of the ceremony a certificate of appreciation to a company in the area noted for its employment of blind and other handicapped people. Although RITE is essentially a local of the organization, it has also had some impact on blind people of the state of Missouri. In 1957 at the annual convention of the Missouri Federation of the Blind, RITE was designated to investigate the possibility of forming a credit union. Thanks to the RITE who spearheaded this project, Missouri now has one of the members soundest and most successful credit unions operated by the blind in the country. In June of 1965, the annual presentation of the $50 High School Awards was covered by a reporter from the St. Louis Globe Democrat. The resulting article was brought to the attention of Mr. James McDonnell, president of the McDonnell-Douglas Corporation, and captured his imagination because, as he said, "Here is a group of blind people who do not hold their hand out for help, but are helping others in their community." The article states that it was the desire of the organization to produce an educational film which would document the abilities of blind people. Accordingly, Mr. McDonnell authorized his film department to produce such a movie for RITE. Since its production, "Striving for Independence" as the film is called, has won several national awards and has been viewed by thousands on all major TV stations in the St. Louis area. It has been sent free of charge by the McDonnell-Douglas Corporation to all organizations requesting it throughout most of the United States. On October 8, 1969, RITE took one of its most important and progressive steps, the purchase of a building to be used eventually as a recreation center. The past year has been devoted to the rehabilitation of the building, and a great deal has been accomplished, including central air-conditioning which was financed by the Lions of District 26A. Individual Lions have donated their labor, time and talent to the physical restoration of the interior. Of course, it will take additional time and money to complete the project, but we have confidence in the eventual success of our efforts. In summation it is hoped this article will serve to stimulate blind people everywhere who believe that organizations of the blind are a necessary part of the community. Continue to believe in and work for the betterment of your group. Let us remember that we have an obligation to the total community, that we must not only expect to be helped but should find projects which will be of help to others in the community. It is also hoped that this article will serve to refute the arguments of the doubters who believe that we who are blind should be institutionalized and cared for rather than care for ourselves. If we, the members of RITE, can aid anyone in a local effort, please feel free to call on us. ***** ** A Misleading Statement An article appeared in the October Braille Monitor titled "What is a Separate Agency for the Blind." It consisted of an exchange of letters between A. E. Towne, Director of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in Wisconsin, and the Director of the Iowa Commission for the Blind. Mr. Towne makes it appear that the administrative changes affecting the Bureau for the Blind in Wisconsin were done with the knowledge and acquiescence of the Wisconsin Council. This is misleading, to say the least. For more than two years, ever since the proposal was first made to merge our specialized agency with Mr. Towne's Division, the Wisconsin Council has fought it tooth and nail. We made several appearances before Mr. Wilbur Schmidt, Secretary, Department of Health and Social Services (of which general rehab is a Division), and we published a white paper setting forth what we believe to be unanswerable objections to such a merger. It was only after the situation appeared completely hopeless, and after Mr. Schmidt had given us written assurances that the identity of our state agency for the blind would be preserved at all costs, that we felt compelled to accept the inevitable. We are still convinced that the real impetus for these mergings and submergings is a desire on the part of agency people for greater administrative convenience, rather than any genuine desire, hope or expectation of providing better services to the blind. Mr. Schmidt has promised us that there will be a meeting with our Council every six months and a careful review of what is going on. We shall continue to scrutinize all developments, and if our fears are finally justified, we may have to go to our state legislature for relief. George Card, Executive Secretary Wisconsin Council of the Blind, Inc. ***** ** Oklahoma Library Open House By Travis Harris The Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped had an open house for the public on January 14 and 15, 1971. The Library is a branch of the Department of Institutions, Social and Rehabilitative Services, Division of Visual Services. Among the activities for the two-day open house were tours of the facility, demonstrations of equipment used to produce books for the blind, and recognition of the volunteer workers who provide services to meet the special needs of blind patrons. Of special interest to open-house visitors was the newest acquisition of the Library, a machine that will enlarge ordinary print into large print. This is the only Regional Library in the United States offering this type of service to its patrons. Plans are under way to train volunteers in the use of this machine. More than 50 volunteers were briefed by the special guest of the open house, Mr. Robert S. Bray, Chief of the Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress. The Oklahoma Library presented certificates of recognition to the volunteers from across the state who produce textbooks, magazines and other special material on audio tape and in braille for blind students who can obtain the information in no other way. The Library publishes in print and in braille four bibliographies each year for its 2,500 active readers. Some of the materials which make this a special library are: braille maps, braille globes, braille music, cookbooks, typing instructions: braille stock market reports, Twin Vision books, braille football and baseball schedule, tactile instructional materials, radio amateur's handbook, and large print song books. During the two-day open house approximately 500 people visited the Library. Mr. Bray made special appearances on three local television stations, and more than 20 newspapers carried the story. Another unique feature which is now a part of the overall library service is a licensed radio inquiry system for books for the blind and physically handicapped. Travis Harris, Oklahoma Visual Services Director, transmitted the first message over the network on January 15, to Mr. Bray's office in Washington, D.C., requesting clearance on a list of books for a local reader. Mr. Bray talked about the new radio service with librarians and ham operators in Oklahoma City; Des Mones, Iowa; Lincoln, Nebraska; Phoenix, Arizona; Aurora, Illinois; Gadsden, Alabama; and Washington, D.C. Fifty-one ham operators from more than 14 states throughout the country checked into the network on January 15 and agreed to handle inquiries for books for the blind to libraries in their areas. Sponsored by the American Council of the Blind Service Net, the library network was organized to find books for readers. Students and other readers needing particular books will make requests to the network through an operator. Other operators in the net will contact libraries in their areas. We feel that Oklahomans are much more aware of the Library's growing services to the blind and physically handicapped as a result of this very successful open house. ***** ** A Call for Nominations Mrs. Catherine Skivers, 836 Resota Street, Hayward, California 94545, is the chairman of the ACB Ambassador Award Board of Judges for 1971. Some nominations of candidates for the Ambassador Award have already been received. Now is the time to make your nomination. The ACB Ambassador is selected each year from candidates who are blind and who by their lives, associations and activities demonstrate their integration into and interaction with the life of their communities. It is not necessary that a candidate be a member of or active in any organization of the blind or that he be engaged in work for the blind. Send your nominations now in print or braille to the chairman of the Board of Judges. ***** ** ACB -- New York Seminar More than 60 blind persons gathered at the Piccadilly Hotel in New York City on February 6 to participate in a multi-purpose seminar sponsored by the ACB of New York. The seminar theme was legislation — Federal, state and local. In addition special afternoon sessions were held on other subjects by the Visually Impaired Data Processors International (VIDPI) and by the Visually Impaired Secretarial Transcribers Association (VISTA). The legislative seminar was presided over by Donald Connorton, President of the ACB of New York. Panel leaders were Dr. S. Bradley Burson, 1st Vice-President and Legislative Chairman of ACB, Nathaniel Seaman, Chairman of the Legislative Committee of the New York State Federation of Workers for the Blind, and Eunice Fiorito, Coordinator of the Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Handicapped, in New York City. Mary Jane Schmitt, Secretary of ACB and 1st Vice-President of the ACB of New York, summarized the legislative objectives of the Empire State Association of the Blind, NFB. Durward K. McDaniel, National Representative of ACB, was the special luncheon speaker on the subject of ACB membership and presided at the afternoon session on legislation. Legislative proposals were freely discussed and debated, and issues were recorded for further consideration as legislative objectives for the ACB of New York and its newly formed chapter, the New York City Council of the Blind. Irwin Lutzky, 130 Martense Street, Brooklyn, is the chairman of the New York City Council of the Blind. The special VIDPI session was presided over by Richard J. Snipas, of New York, national Treasurer of VIDPI. Special consideration was given to new plans for publication of brailled programming material. This subject was presented by S. Bradley Burson, a member of the VIDPI Board of Directors. VIDPI will hold its 1971 seminar at the Sheraton-Schroeder Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 26 and 27. The VISTA special session was presided over by Betty Ann Jones, President of VISTA and 2nd Vice-President of the ACB of New York. A featured speaker was Herbert Barach of Miami, Florida, who appeared for the special purpose of recruiting visually impaired medical transcribers for employment in Florida. Inquiries from interested persons may be sent to him in care of Donald Connorton at 7080 S.W. 23rd Street, Coral Park Apartment 210, Miami, Florida 33155. Mr. Connarton has recently accepted employment as a medical transcriber in Miami. The annual meeting of VISTA will be held on July 26 and 27 at the Sheraton-Schroeder Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ***** ** Here and There By George Card From the NEW OUTLOOK FOR THE BLIND: Effective January 1, 1971, the Detroit Society for the Prevention of Blindness will merge with the Metropolitan Society for the Blind, Detroit. -- Alexander Scourby, noted actor and narrator, received the Francis Joseph Campbell Citation of the Round Table on Library Service to the Blind in recognition of his 32 years of recording talking books. -- Alex H. Townsend has been named to succeed Eric T. Boulter as associate director of AFOB. -- The National Guide Dog Training Center, Melbourne, the main facility of the Royal Guide Dogs for Blind Associations of Australia, is providing instruction in the use of the dog guide, the long cane, the ultrasonic torch and the new binaural spectacles that were recently developed by Professor Leslie Kay of Canterbury University, Christchurch, New Zealand. By providing such comprehensive service under one roof, the Center is able to supplement the less specialized services being provided by other agencies throughout Australia and New Zealand. -- Frederick Picard, a veteran U.S. diplomat, has been named executive director of the Catholic Guild for All the Blind, Newton, Mass., succeeding the Rev. Thomas J. Carroll. After January 1 Medicare recipients who enter hospitals will be responsible for the first $60 of their bills, a rise from the present $52. -- Nursing home inspections have been called "a national farce" by Rep. David H. Pryor (D-Ark.). Because of the "lack of a federal system of inspection and enforcement to assure quality care," Pryor has submitted a House resolution calling for the creation of a "Select Committee on Nursing Homes and Homes for the Aged." From the FEDERATION NEWS (Michigan): Heartening progress at the Legislature. Only spouses and parents of a minor child are now legally liable for support of a blind person. The standard of categorical aid has been increased by $7.50 per month over the previous year. On September 17 the brand-new Michigan Rehabilitation Center for the Blind was dedicated in Kalamazoo. It has the latest in equipment, and will serve a maximum of 50 clients. In Michigan the three organizations of the blind, the ACB and NFB affiliates and the Michigan Workers for the Blind, hold a joint meeting each year to try to agree on a solid-front legislative program. From PERFORMANCE: Fifty percent of the students at the Eastern Blind Rehabilitation Center in West Haven, Conn., are blinded Vietnam veterans. Blinded veterans of previous wars gave time late last summer to tell these newly blinded soldiers about their own successful employment histories. They heard from a darkroom technician, a university professor, a lawyer, two social workers and a clinical psychologist. Some tapes were made, to be spliced and catalogued for the reference of blind veterans at other centers. From the Washington WHITE CANE Editorial: Miss Jacklyn Redinger, who graduated from the U. of Washington with a 3.4 grade average and was accepted into Phi Beta Kappa, was arbitrarily rejected as a cadet teacher by Roosevelt High School in Seattle. From THE STYLUS, Oregon: A rehabilitation facility for the blind has been established in Salem, Oregon. Individuals may reside there from two to three months and will receive assistance in communication skills, mobility, psychological adjustment to blindness and vocational evaluation. The MISSOURI CHRONICLE publishes the first message of the newly elected President, Alma Murphey. In speaking of the convention of the MFB she writes: "The convention's distinguished guest of honor, Floyd Qualls, (ACB Board member, Oklahoma Federationist, director of the Oklahoma League for the Blind) proved to be an excellent moderator, an accomplished banquet speaker and a delightful visitor." The convention adopted a resolution to study the Montana Summer School for the Adult Blind with a view to instituting a similar program. -- Calvin Carl Lewis, longtime leader of the Joplin Chapter, died on August 24 at the age of 71. -- The 63 Lions Clubs of Missouri, District 26-A, have signed an agreement with the Missouri Dental Service Corporation and Blue Cross to administer a $12,000 dental care program for the students of the Missouri School for the Blind, 90% of whom are indigent. This is but one of a long series of projects by this group to help the School. The last time I was there the Lions had just outfitted the marching band with brand new uniforms. -- The football team of the Troy, Michigan, High School has a middle guard, Mike Chastain, with only light perception. Coach Bob McElreath says, "He is probably the strongest kid on the squad." Chastain says, "Actually I'm just in there to tear up the offensive play. I just knock down anyone around me." -- The Missouri School for the Blind was once called the "Blind Asylum." From the HOOSIER-STAR LIGHT: Indiana has joined the number of states offering education and training for blind adults. Those without high school diplomas will be able to obtain equivalent certificates. The capacity is 80 students and there is no tuition. It is located at 701 North Delaware Street, Indianapolis. -- Two instructional books for guitarists are now available on loan from the Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20542. -- Among the new titles on tape available from the DBPH are: The Art of Accompanying and Coaching by Kurt Adler and History of Western Music by Donald Jay Grout. -- From the same source there is now available on magnetic tape The Radio Amateur's Handbook published by the American Radio Relay League. -- A recent survey showed that 334 blind persons were employed in teaching positions in elementary and secondary schools and that more than 800 blind college students were taking teacher training courses. From the AFB Washington REPORT: Anyone engaged in or preparing to engage in education for the handicapped is eligible to apply to a participating college, university or state educational agency for a graduate fellowship or an undergraduate traineeship. With less than half of the seven million handicapped pre-school and school-age children in our country now receiving specialized educational assistance, these new traineeships will help to close the gap. Stipends -- junior-year traineeship, $300; senior-year traineeship, $800; master's-year fellowship, $2,200; post-master's fellowship, $3,200. An allowance of $600 is provided for each dependent of a graduate fellow. Those participating in summer session training or special study institutes receive a stipend of $15 per day while enrolled. Dean Sumner, founding ACB member and former Board member, writes from his Fly-By-Nite Ranch that his oldest son Scott, a high school senior, has been named a National Merit Scholar and was placed on the All-State AA Football Team as offensive tackle. Deaf-blind Jack Murphey, husband of the retiring FORUM Editor, is featured in a long and highly complimentary article in the St. Louis POST-DISPATCH of December 21. It tells how, after losing his hearing in early manhood, he immediately invented a communications code which Alma uses with lightning rapidity to keep him fully informed of what is going on, even during a rapid exchange of views in the course of a discussion or debate. It tells how he taught himself skills in caning, rush work and furniture repair and how he earned a livelihood for his family of six children. The article goes on: "John Murphey is slim, erect and gray-haired. He looks like the philosophy teacher he wanted to be." From INSIGHT: The Institute of the All Russia Society for the Blind near Moscow plans to set up a miniature modern city in its grounds, complete with simulated city noises, to help blind people become oriented. Their plans also include an indoor swimming pool, a winter garden, gymnasium and vocational training facilities. From the KAB NEWS (Kansas): About 200 persons attended the Golden Anniversary Convention, October 9-11, at the Jayhawk Hotel, Topeka. One of the resolutions adopted dealt with the possibility of a chartered bus to the 1971 ACB convention in Milwaukee. --After a 10 1/2-year absence, John Thomas, first President of the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors, will return to Topeka to take over the stand in the new telephone building. The Thomas family adopted Phyllis, a Korean orphan, who is now a slim, pretty young lady of 13, and it is hard to remember the little chubby orphan who knew no English seven years ago. -- Braille Institute of American observed its 50th Anniversary last year. -- The newest regional center for the training of deaf-blind children has been opened in Colorado Springs, Colo., with an initial enrollment of eight students. From the Genesee FEDERATION NEWS (Michigan): Howard L. Myers, blinded in Vietnam in 1967, received the highly coveted American Salesmasters' "Oscar" Salesmanship Award in Detroit on December 1. In his first year he sold almost 1 1/2 million dollars' worth of life insurance policies. ***** ** Leonard Robinson Retires On April 1, 1971, Leonard Robinson of Silver Spring, Maryland will end 33 years of government service as he retires from the staff of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for the District of Columbia. Mr. Robinson is nationally known for his work in support of the Randolph-Sheppard Act, which was adopted in 1936. He is well known for his work in ACB. In 1971 he received a special citation from the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America and also received the Ambassador Award from ACB. He is President of the Foundation for the Handicapped and Elderly, Inc., and expects to devote a great deal of time as a volunteer in the achievement of the Foundation's purposes after he retires. He says that the Foundation will sponsor at the outset a low vision clinic at the George Washington University Eye Clinic, under the direction of Dr. Monsour Armaly. This clinic is very much needed in Washington, in order to be available for persons with impaired eyesight who cannot obtain normal correction with ordinary glasses. Many of these persons are now employed, but their jobs are insecure due to their inability to do the necessary reading. There are other persons in need of this clinic who are now seeking employment, but with their impaired eyesight they are limited to very few job opportunities. The Foundation will also use its money to help persons being rehabilitated in the greater Washington area who are in need of clothing and furniture. These persons will be clients of vocational rehabilitation departments of Northern Virginia, District of Columbia, and Montgomery and Price George's Counties of Maryland. This merchandise will be obtained for them at the Good Will Industries. The Foundation, therefore, will supplement the work of vocational rehabilitation agencies within the area. Before Leonard Robinson entered the government service, he was a practicing lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to his activities for the Foundation, he will continue his active membership in his Lions Club and in ACB. The BRAILLE FORUM congratulates this worthy public servant upon his retirement and anticipates his future voluntary contributions to the welfare of blind and handicapped citizens. ***** ** Hadley Offers Course in Computer Programming (Excerpted from the Illinois Braille Messenger, January 1971) The Hadley School has announced that qualified blind persons wishing to prepare themselves for a career in computer programming may now apply to the Hadley School for the Blind for enrollment in a newly developed braille-by-mail correspondence course on basic computer science. Dr. Warren Germain, chairman of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, stated that an estimated 500 blind computer programmers are already employed in the United States. The new Hadley course will for the first time enable a qualified blind person to gain a basic knowledge of computer programming through correspondence study and thereby to prepare himself for on-the-job training or advanced preparation. Computer Programming, which was developed under a grant from the International Business Machines Foundation, will be offered without charge to the blind students. Applicants should have a high school diploma and, preferably, some college credits or other evidence of intellectual capability. All Hadley School courses are offered to blind persons wherever they may live through tutorial instruction by mail, tuition free. Inquiries should be addressed to: Hadley School for the Blind, 700 Elm Street, Winnetka, Illinois 60093. ***** ** National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults Receives Surplus Land In a public ceremony held on February 22, 1971, at the temporary headquarters of the National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults in New Hyde Park, New York, John D. Twiname, Administrator of the Social and Rehabilitation Service of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare signed an order conveying 25 acres of prime surplus property located at Sands Point, Long Island, N.Y., to the Industrial Home for the Blind for the exclusive use of the National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults. ***** * ACB Officers President: Judge Reese Robrahn, 329 Woodbury Lane, Topeka, Kansas 66606 First Vice-President: Dr. S. Bradley Burson, 917 Kenyon Street, Downers Grove, Ill. 60515 Second Vice-President: Vernon Williams, 217 Western Union Bldg., Aberdeen, South Dakota 54701 Secretary: Mrs. Mary Jane Schmitt, 510 Tarrington Rd., Rochester, New York 14609 Treasurer: Fred Krepela, 241 State Street, Salem, Oregon 97301 ** Directors Mrs. Cathie Skivers, 836 Resota St., Hayward, California 94545 George Card, 605 South Few Street, Madison, Wisc. 53703 Floyd Qualls, 106 N. E. 2nd Street, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73104 Earl Scharry, 5714 Ridgeway Ave., Rockville, Md. 20851 J. Edward Miller, 2621 Chesterfield Ave., Charlotte, N.C. 28205 David Krause, 2121 P Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037 Fred Lilley, 7629 Dale Ave., Richmond Heights, MO 63117 Don Cameron, 724 S. Davis Blvd., Tampa, Fla. 33609 ###