The Braille Forum Vol. XI May-June 1973 No. 6 Published Bi-Monthly by the American Council of the Blind Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Editor: Earl Scharry 5714 Ridgeway Ave. Rockville, MD 20851 * President: Floyd Qualls 106 N.E. 2nd St. Oklahoma City, OK 73104 * National Representative: Durward K. McDaniel 818 18th Street, N.W. Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20006 * Acting Editor: Mary T. Ballard 190 Lattimore Road Rochester, NY 14620 * Associate Editors: George Card 605 South Few St. Madison, WI 53703 Margaret Freer 11816 West Blue Mound Rd. Wauwatosa, WI 53226 Ione B. Miller 9291 Fermi Avenue San Diego, CA 92123 To inform its readers and to provide an impartial Forum for discussion. ***** ** Table of Contents Notice to Subscribers Convention Highlights, 1973 Committee Announcements Guidelines for an Orderly Meeting Under Parliamentary Law, by Fred Lilley Special-Interest Preview Notice from ACB Treasurer Introducing Joseph Wiedenmayer Why Charge for Information Calls? The Stereotoner, Newest in Reading Aids HEW Opens Center for Law, Handicapped We Ask You, Mr. Secretary Eyes of the Blind, by Pearl Hand Cockrell Vocational Rehabilitation Veto, by Durward K. McDaniel Persuasion Pilgrimage, by Mary Jane Schmitt Federal Employee Wins Local and National Recognition, by Fred Lilley VIDPI 1973 Convention The One Best Hope, by George Card Regional Libraries Need Federal Funds, by Crawford Pike Crisis for Libraries for the Blind and Handicapped, by Durward K. McDaniel Hearsight Sponsors Essay Contest The Neglected Minority, the Deaf-Blind, by Joseph Wiedenmayer Watson's "Kind of Proud" Here and There, by Kenneth Hinga Social Security and the Blind Hubert Smith Dies Braille Opens Up Nature Leave It to City Hall! ACB Officers and Directors ***** ** Notice to Subscribers The Braille Forum is available in braille, large type, open-reel tape (7-inch reel, dual track, ips 3 3/4), and on cassette (ips 15/16). Subscriptions and address changes should be sent to Floyd Qualls, who is in charge of the four mailing lists. His address is: 106 N.E. 2nd Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104. Items intended for publication should be sent to the acting editor or to one of the associate editors. Those much needed and appreciated cash contributions may be sent to ACB Treasurer Edward Miller, 2621 Chesterfield Ave., Charlotte, North Carolina 28205. ***** ** Convention Preview, 1973 By now you should have received your pre-registration announcement and hotel reservation card for ACB's twelfth annual convention. The ACB convention dates are from 1:30 P.M. on Wednesday, July 18, to 5:00 P.M. on Saturday, July 21. Nine special-interest organizations will hold conferences and business meetings beginning on Monday, July 16. These special conferences will be listed later. In earlier issues of the Braille Forum, preliminary announcements about the events of the outstanding convention week have been published. Several of the special organizations are sending special releases to persons within their fields of interest. If you are not included in any mailing, you may request information from the ACB National Office. On Wednesday afternoon, the 18th, immediately following the opening ceremonies, Governor Winfield Dunn of Tennessee will address the convention. The remainder of the afternoon will be devoted to a seminar on lobbying for legislation. It will be led by Dr. Bob Riley, Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, who will be assisted by other blind persons who are present or past members of state legislatures. This will be an excellent opportunity to improve your legislative skills through the advice and help of experts. Thursday morning's program will feature the President's Annual Report, a discussion of the work at the National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults by Dr. Robert Smithdas, a paper on adult education by Mrs. Elaine Parker, Director, Services for the Blind, Tennessee Department of Public Welfare, and perhaps a surprise dramatic performance. Thursday afternoon will be devoted to special events which are dealt with elsewhere. Friday morning's program will feature presentations by Dr. Emerson Foulke of the University of Louisville, speaking on the Audio Response Time Sharing System; Stuart Gatewood of the staff of the Division of Services for the Blind, Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, speaking on special innovative programs of the Kentucky agency; Crawford Pike of the Music City Soundtrack Association, speaking on its promotion and distribution of country-Gospel-bluegrass music; and Dr. Roland Roy, Educational Consultant at Central Piedmont Community College, speaking on adult education of the blind. The Friday afternoon session will be devoted entirely to a major seminar on national health care insurance. It will be led by a representative from the Health Security Action Council. The last two issues of the Braille Forum have carried articles on this subject. Printed and taped materials are available from ACB's National Office and may be obtained for advance preparation by interested members. The subject is one of critical importance to the blind population. The annual banquet will occur on Friday evening and will feature an address by Dr. Andrew D. Holt, President Emeritus of the University of Tennessee. ACB's Ambassador Award will also be presented. The two Saturday sessions will be devoted to internal business, including committee reports and a report of the National Representative. In these sessions, policies will be established, and performances and goals will be evaluated. If you have new ideas to advocate, you should initiate them through the Resolutions Committee and present them to the membership for determination. Four other major events deserve special emphasis. On Sunday, July 15, two seminars will be staged. The first will include selected persons who want to enlist as volunteer organizers for ACB. The purpose is to train organizing leaders to meet the growing interest in ACB's membership. The second seminar on the 15th will bring together lay and professional persons for the purpose of creating an informed, continuing support group for special education of blind children. While this seminar will have the benefit of professional educators, it is intended primarily to inform and to enlist visually impaired persons to know the value of special education because of their own educational experiences. The third Editors Workshop will occur on the morning and afternoon of Tuesday, July 17. It is sponsored by the ACB Publications Board. The primary purpose is to assist editors and their editorial staffs to improve existing publications and to assist with guidelines for beginning publications. The morning session will be devoted to a panel presentation by experts, including an informal question-and-answer period; the afternoon session will be devoted to small group "think tank" activity, with resource people available in each group. The total group will re-convene for reporting and formal business action. Those who plan to attend and who wish to receive pre-workshop details are asked to contact M. Helen Vargo, Chairman, Board of Publications, 833 Oakley Street, Topeka, Kansas 66606. On Thursday afternoon and evening (while others are having fun), selected participants will attend ACB's first seminar on citizen participation by visually impaired persons in policy-making and advisory positions with agencies and institutions serving the blind. Judge Reese Robrahn will moderate the seminar. Its purpose will be to share experiences and to develop plans for effective participation on a continuing basis. Under the heading of fun and entertainment, the traditional Tuesday evening reception will give everyone a chance to get acquainted. Prior to the reception, a blind organist will perform for conventioneers at a nearby church. On Wednesday evening, Tennessee's leading product, country music, will be the feature of a special performance. But in case you need more country music, the Tennesseeans promise it on special occasions on Monday and Tuesday evenings as well. On Thursday afternoon, you can choose between two tours. One is to the Oak Ridge Atomic Museum, and the other will take you to the top of Old Smoky in the afternoon, plus a shopping tour of Gatlinburg's arts and crafts stores, a picnic supper, and a musical at an outdoor theater. If all of this isn't enough, your interests may relate to the program of one of the following special-interest organizations: American Blind Lawyers Association, National Association of Blind Teachers, Randolph-Sheppard Vendors Association, Guide Dog Users, Inc., ACB Service Net, World Council of Blind Lions, National Coordinating Committee of Blind Students, and National Organization of Visually Impaired Allied Social Professionals. Most of ACB's thirteen standing committees will be holding meetings during Convention Week. The Credit Union Committee will sponsor a breakfast on Thursday morning. The World Council of Blind Lions will present an address by the president of Lions International. If you plan to participate in the ACB convention or in the special conferences, you should request the ACB the convention rates when writing for room reservations to the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 500 Hill Avenue, S.E., Knoxville, Tennessee 37915. The rates are: single rooms, $12.00; double rooms, $18.00; three to a room, $22.00; four to a room, $26.00. (Each room has two full-size beds.) There will be no charge for children under fourteen years of age sharing an accommodation with an adult. Special hotel reservation cards may be obtained from La Verne Humphrey, Knoxville Association for the Blind, 702 E. Jackson Street, Knoxville, Tennessee 37915. ***** ** Committee Announcements In order that the ACB Board, delegates, and members may present proposed constitution or by-law amendments by the first day of the convention, and so that such proposals can be read the day before final action is taken, a meeting of the ACB Constitution and By-Laws Committee has been scheduled for 10:00 A.M., Wednesday, July 18, 1973, at the Hyatt-Regency Hotel, Knoxville, Tennessee. The Committee will remain in session ready to serve the convention through the final business session. Proposed amendments may be mailed to Floyd Cargill, Committee Chairman, prior to the convention at the following address: Mr. Floyd Cargill, 216 West Miller Street, Springfield, Illinois 62702. Rebecca Floyd, Chairman of the ACB Resolutions Committee, asks that all proposed resolutions be sent to her at 850 North Jefferson, Apartment A-6, Jackson, Mississippi 39202. Resolutions may be typed, in braille, on open-reel tape, or on cassette. All typed or brailled resolutions should be on full sheets of paper. ***** ** Guidelines for an Orderly Meeting Under Parliamentary Law By Fred Lilley NOTE: Running organization meetings is never easy, and it is especially difficult when the subject is controversial and feelings begin to run high. Many times, the confusion is brought on because those participating are not familiar with parliamentary procedures and practices. The following brief and simple guidelines for running an orderly meeting were drawn up by Fred Lilley, a charter ACB member and a recent member of its board, who is an accredited parliamentarian. Our attendance grows steadily, and our active interests are constantly reaching into a wider range of subjects. Convention time comes at a premium, and we must make maximum utilization of every minute. We plan to have copies of the following guidelines available at the convention registration desk. If these guidelines are followed by the Chair and the assembly, the convention should run smoothly and consume less time. -- Floyd Qualls, President 1. A member wishing recognition from the Chair should rise and call, "Mr. Chairman." When recognized, he states his name and the purpose for which he has risen. If his purpose is to ask for a Point of Information, or similar privileged questions, the Chair will answer his point. Such questions are valid at any time, including the discussion of a motion or other items of business. 2. A member who wishes to second a motion should secure the Chair's attention in the same manner as above. When he is recognized, he should state his name and say that he wishes to second the motion. Names are important. The member who gives a second to the main motion may object to an amendment and therefore withdraw his second. It is important to keep in mind that a motion is not valid until the Chair has recognized the maker and the seconder of the motion and has stated the motion to the assembly. The motion should be clearly understood before the discussion begins. The fact that someone rises and shouts a motion, and another member shouts a second, does not put a motion on the floor. 3. The purpose of parliamentary law is to ensure an orderly process; to allow the minority to be heard and the will of the majority to prevail. The Chair should make certain that everyone wishing to speak on a motion has an opportunity to be heard. The Chair should not allow any member to speak more than once on a motion until all who wish to be heard have the opportunity. 4. The Chair should not accept any motion which is calculated to cut off debate before a full discussion has been allowed. ***** ** Special-Interest Preview Knoxville, 1973 Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America will meet in Knoxville, Tennessee, July 15-18, 1973. Though details are incomplete, a partial program outline follows: Registration -- Sunday, 2:00 - 6:00 P.M., Monday, 8:00 - 10:00 A.M.; Board of Directors meeting, Sunday, 7:30 P.M.; convention convenes Monday morning, July 16, 9:00 A.M. RSVA will be in session for two and a half days, with guest speakers, get-acquainted sessions, and business sessions of importance to all vending stand operators. There will be panel discussions from both supervisors and operators. We expect representation from most of the states. A feature of this year's program will be a presentation by Mr. Stuart Gatewood, supervisor of the vending-stand program in Kentucky, who will explain how blind vendors are being trained to service their own vending machines. Included will be an actual demonstration of how to tear down such machines for servicing, with a discussion of problems most often encountered and what to do about them, and of what repairs can be made on the spot and what must be left to factory representatives. Rowe Manufacturing Company will provide an exhibit of vending machines. An Open House will be held on Monday night, with the very talented Ray Lynville and his one-man band. The RSVA luncheon will be held Tuesday noon, with a well-known speaker. This luncheon, at $5.00 per person, is open to all who wish to attend. Further information will be. available in the June issue of the Vendorscope or by contacting Francis Morton, 127 Rural Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 27209. The American Blind Lawyers Association will hold its annual conference July 15-17, 1973 in Knoxville, Tennessee. This year the theme of the seminar is "The Blind Lawyer and His Methods of Obtaining Success." Marcia Pierce Burgdorf, Project Attorney for the newly created National Center for Law and the Handicapped, will explain the work of the Center and will discuss ways in which ABLA members might collaborate with NCLH in various projects. For those interested in reading aids, a representative of Telesensory Systems, Inc. will demonstrate the Optacon. The Tuesday noon luncheon will feature an address by Frank N. Bratton, who has served as a member of the House of Delegates to the American Bar Association since 1960. A graduate of Cumberland School of Law, Mr. Bratton received his L.L.B in 1933. He is a member of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, the Advisory Committee on Continuing Legal Education, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the American College of Probate Counsel. In addition, he has served as director of the American Judicature Society and is a member of the International Bar Association and a charter member of the World Peace Through Law Center. There will be a report of progress being made by the ABLA Library Committee, as well as a report by the Board of Editors on the status of the ABLA Law Quarterly. The objectives of this proposed publication are to provide a medium for the exchange of ideas and information on employment and practice, aids and techniques, and news of special interest to blind lawyers and blind law students. Further program details will be provided ABLA members by a special mailing prior to the convention. Other interested persons may obtain further information or membership applications by contacting the ACB National Office or ABLA president, Vernon Williams, P.O. Box 826, Aberdeen, South Dakota 57401. The Visually Impaired Secretarial Transcribers Association will hold its 1973 convention at the Hyatt-Regency Knoxville Hotel, in Knoxville, Tennessee, from Sunday, July 15, through Wednesday noon, July 18. Included in this year's program are the following: Sunday evening, Board of Directors meeting, open to all VISTA members; Monday evening, "Get Acquainted Hour," where those in attendance will have an opportunity to meet and talk with others working in the secretarial field throughout the country; Tuesday noon, VISTA luncheon; Wednesday morning, business meeting, including election of directors. On the theory that more can be learned through free exchange of ideas and information than by formal presentations, this year's program will be geared primarily to audience participation. VISTA is an organization dedicated to stimulating public awareness of the capabilities of the blind secretary and transcriber, and to actively promoting public acceptance of employment of the visually impaired office worker. It seeks to provide a source for answers to questions and problems which may arise in one's day-to-day employment, and to make available the most up-to-date information in the field of office work. Detailed program information will be mailed to all members prior to the convention. Others interested in the program, in further information concerning VISTA, or in joining the organization are invited to contact Betty Ann Jones, 907 Harper Street, Utica, New York 13502. ACB Service Net will play an active role in the Knoxville convention again this year, as it has for the past two years in Milwaukee and Portland. Operating from a "ham shack" atop the Hyatt-Regency Hotel, Service Net members will be on hand throughout Convention Week, ready to handle messages for one and all. Every ham in attendance should save time in a busy schedule for the Service Net business meeting, to be announced in the general convention program. Last year we were proud to boast the largest known gathering of blind radio amateurs ever held. Some 39 hams attended the business meeting, and many others were present at the convention. In the past year, ACB has grown rapidly, and so, too, undoubtedly has the number of hams among our membership. Let's all get together and make this year's ACB Hamfest the biggest and best yet. Guide Dog Users, Inc. plans to meet on Thursday, July 19, 1973 in Knoxville, Tennessee. The morning session will be devoted to a special program to which all are invited. Following a luncheon, the group will hold a meeting of the general membership to conduct necessary business. Guide Dog Users, Inc. concerns itself with the particular interests of blind persons who use dog guides, and with the interests of blind persons generally. Members have been actively supporting legislation to prohibit discrimination against those using dog guides. All interested persons are encouraged to attend this meeting. The National Coordinating Committee of Blind Students plans to meet in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, July 18, for the purpose of organizing the National Blind Student Organization. All interested adult blind students are invited to attend and to participate in outlining goals and projects for this new special-interest area. Inquiries may be directed to Mack Riley, P.O. Box 2401. Bell Gardens, California 90201. ***** ** Notice from ACB Treasurer Officers of ACB affiliates should take special notice of the following: Affiliate dues must be received by J. Edward Miller, Treasurer of ACB, at 2621 Chesterfield Avenue, Charlotte, North Carolina 28205, no later than June 17, which is thirty days prior to the opening of the Knoxville convention. The dues are $.50 for each of your voting members, except that no organization pays more than $250.00. Per capita dues are to be paid for all voting members whose names and addresses have been previously certified to ACB by your organization and for any new members who may have joined since January 1. As you know, your voting members are also voting members of ACB at its national convention, and when they are in attendance, they have full individual voting rights. Each affiliate also has voting rights at national conventions. The organizational vote (as distinguished from the individual vote) is based on a formula of one convention vote for each twenty-five (or major fraction thereof) of the affiliate's voting membership, with a maximum organization vote of twenty-five (not counting the votes of individual members). It is important that you certify the names and addresses of voting members on your rolls as of December 31, 1972 who were not included in in earlier certifications. Members who have joined since January 1 should be certified in a supplemental list, with names and addresses. It is also our sincere desire to maintain an accurate and honest membership roll and to protect the rights of members. Your prompt attention to the payment of dues and to the certification of names and addresses will be greatly appreciated. Incidentally, names and addresses of those who have left your affiliate membership should be certified as deletions, and of course per capita dues are not required for them. ***** ** Introducing Joseph Wiedenmayer, Retired Diplomat From time to time -- and with increasing frequency -- ACB is acquiring new members with truly outstanding backgrounds, persons whose affiliation with our organization should be made known to the general membership. Such a new member is Mr. Joseph Wiedenmayer, of Chevy Chase, Maryland. As a career U.S. Foreign Service officer, Mr. Wiedenmayer was nominated by President Kennedy for promotion to senior officer class and became Consul and First Secretary in the Diplomatic Service. He retired in 1965 after 22 years of service in the Far East, South America, and Europe. He now considers himself "semi-retired." In addition to serving as national Chairman of Education and Information for the Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation, Mr. Wiedenmayer was until 1972 a paid writer and consultant for the Alexander Graham Bell Associations for the Deaf and also worked for the Council of Organizations Serving the Blind. Why is Mr. Wiedenmayer so active in work for the deaf and the blind? Now legally blind (primarily due to advanced retinitis pigmentosa), he was born hard of hearing. Living by his philosophy that a handicap need not be a disability, he became an international economist, a linguist, and a career diplomat, despite serious hearing impairment. Long before his retirement, his hearing loss had advanced to a point where he could hear only through the use of the most powerful hearing aid in his better ear and not at all in the other. By the end of his Foreign Service career, he had also become legally, though, not totally, blind. He still has some usable residual sight and is able to read with his better eye by means of a low-vision lens. Thus, he is partially sighted. Semi-retired? Would that more persons took their full-time employment as seriously as Mr. Wiedenmayer takes his "semi-retirement." Having personally experienced the difficulties attendant upon the visible handicap of blindness and the invisible handicap of deafness, he has set out to share with others his insight into the problems of the handicapped. One result of th.is is his new booklet, "Look or Listen," written for the Division for the Blind, Library of Congress, to improve understanding between blind persons who are hard of hearing and their friends. It is available in braille on loan from the regional libraries or from the American Printing House for the Blind ($.85). Also, it was just published in the Volta Review of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf in Washington, D.C. and large type reprints are available ($.75 each) from that Association. He receives no compensation from sales of the publication as "Look or Listen" is his contribution to society. "It is better," Mr. Wiedenmayer says, "to help a few a lot, than a lot a little." But his compassion goes beyond concern for the visually and hearing handicapped, to demonstrate true insight into the problems and feelings of their families and friends as well as in "Look or Listen," he says! "Remember the needs of the parents of the physically handicapped youth and of the spouse of the handicapped mate. They need empathy and understanding also. "Remember that the invisible moral courage that relatives of the handicapped possess is sometimes difficult to sustain but necessary to retain. "I agree with Voltaire, who said: 'I disagree with the man who denies a god because he is born deaf or blind.'" (EDITOR'S NOTE: Should more such biographical articles of ACB members as the above be included on a more regular basis to encourage young handicapped people and their relatives? Your comments and/or materials for possible inclusion are welcome and needed.) ***** ** Why Charge for Information Calls? (EDITOR'S NOTE: Although the following article, published by Michigan Bell, is based upon findings in just one state, it undoubtedly reflects the situation as it has developed nationwide and is perhaps indicative of what is to come throughout the country with the Bell Telephone Company.) The volume of calls to Information has been rising three times as fast as the number of telephones. From 1961 to 1971, calls to Information nearly doubled, while the number of main telephones rose only 32 percent. Thus over two-thirds of the increase in calls to Information is due to more usage rather than telephone growth. As the volume of Information calls has increased the cost of providing the service has been rising. Today, it costs more than $18 million a year to provide it. And all customers share in the cost of providing Information whether they use it or not -- even though only a relatively small percentage of customers make most of the calls to Information. Recently state-wide studies showed that about 80 percent of the Michigan Bell's customers call Information no more than five times a month. And one-third of the customers make no such calls at all. Under the company's proposal, customers would have an allowance of five calls to Information per month without a charge. Calls in excess of the monthly allowance would cost ten cents each. Thus, four out of five customers -- the 80 percent making five or fewer Information calls a month -- would be unaffected by the charge. Instead, the charge -- which will help offset the rising costs of providing Information -- would be borne by the above-average users. Studies show, for instance, that ten percent of all customers now make almost sixty percent of the calls to Information. This means that at present, the heavy use of service by a few is subsidized by the majority of telephone customers. The company recognizes that some customers prefer to call Information rather than look up the numbers. And they could, of course, continue to do so, since they would have the option of looking up telephone numbers or paying for the use of Information Service in excess of the monthly allowance. Under the Michigan Bell proposal, all calls to Information would count against the monthly five-call allowance -- including calls for numbers not in the directory. However, even including Information calls to obtain numbers not in the directory, 80 percent of the customers still do not exceed five Information calls per month -- as indicated in recent studies. Therefore, the allowance feature of the proposal would still cover the total Information usage -- with no additional charges -- for four out of five customers. Special provisions would be made for blind and other handicapped persons who cannot use the directories, so that they will not be charged for their calls to Information. Additionally, there will be no charge for calls from coin telephones or for Information calls to other area codes. Michigan Bell is asking the State Public Service Commission now for permission to initiate a charge for Information calls, although the Company does not plan to make such a charge effective until the 1974-75 period. The reason for asking for permission at this time is that it will take a number of months to order and install the equipment necessary to record Information calls for billing purposes. The increase in the use of Information has occurred despite Michigan Bell's extensive efforts to encourage customers to use the directory and to maintain their own record of numbers rather than dial for listings. As part of this effort, the company has used advertising to promote the use of directories. The name of the service was changed from information to Directory Assistance to New Number Information. Callers seeking numbers from operators were asked if they had looked in their directories first. Although some of these efforts did cause an initial drop in Information calls, none has resulted in a permanent change in the long-term growth trend of this service. Because there has been little public discussion of the Information problem and the resulting growth in costs, most customers have been unaware of the magnitude and consequent seriousness of the situation. During 1971, which was the peak year for Information calls, the daily volume of Information calls averaged 614,000. The company's efforts to get customers to cut down on usage caused the daily average of Information calls to drop to 564,000. But, in recent months, the calling volumes have again started rising, although they are not yet back to the 1971 high. If the growth were to continue at the 1961-71 rate, it is estimated that Michigan Bell Information operators would be faced with some 300 million calls annually by the end of this decade. At Michigan Bell, approximately one of every three operators works at the Information boards (1,700 of slightly over 5,400). In short, the usage of the Information service in Michigan has grown more rapidly than other services. As it has grown, the cost of providing it has gone up too. This service has been included in the overall cost of telephone service, which is now borne by all customers, even though most of the growth and usage of Information is due to a small minority of callers. Accordingly, the only fair solution to the problem of high usage by a few is to apply a charge for the service, so that those who use more, pay more. ***** ** The Stereotoner, Newest in Reading Aids (Reprinted from Journal of Rehabilitation) A new reading aid for the blind has been developed by H.A. Mauch of Mauch Labs, Dayton, Ohio. The Stereotoner is the result of years of research sponsored by the Veterans Administration. The Stereotoner translates letter shapes into stereophonic sound patterns which the user learns to recognize. This enables the user, with practice, to read printed or typed material of a wide variety of type styles and sized with gratifying speed (up to 60 words per minute reported so far; maximum not yet determined). When its hand-held probe, a miniature camera, is rolled over the printed line, the letters are projected on photocells inside, which trigger the sound patterns. The tiny camera has a zooming range of 10-1, making it possible to read letter sizes from classified ads up to headlines more than 3/4 inches high. Provisions are also made for monaural reading and for reading italics and white-on-black print. The hand which does not guide the probe is free for other activities such as holding down reading material, operating a tracking aid for extended reading, holding up merchandise for reading inscriptions, etc. The small, lightweight control box (17 oz.) contains the circuitry, storage space for the probe and for the two small earphones, and a rechargeable D-size battery which provides nine hours of operation before recharging. For further information, write to: Mauch Labs, Inc., 3035 Dryden Road, Dayton, Ohio 45439. ***** ** HEW Opens Center for Law, Handicapped (Reprinted from COPH Bulletin, Official Publication of the National Congress of Organizations of the Physically Handicapped, Inc.) The National Center for Law and the Handicapped officially opened September 1, 1972. The Center is funded by a grant jointly awarded by the Division of Developmental Disabilities and the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped, both of which are agencies of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Center is housed in the office complex of the Council for the Retarded of St. Joseph County, South Bend, Indiana. On June 30, 1927, Congressman John Brademas (D-Indiana) announced the grant award of $168,862 from his Washington, D.C. office, stating, "The establishment of this National Center is a critical first step to increase governmental and public recognition of the legal rights of the handicapped." The primary function of NCLH is to seek equal rights for all handicapped persons, many of whom have been neglected under the law or discriminated against by public agencies. Operationally, NCLH will develop a systematic approach to raise such legal issues, to seek their resolution, and to communicate the same to interested consumer groups and individuals. Although not specifically limiting itself, NCLH emphasis during the initial year will be placed on the "right to treatment" and "equal education opportunity" issues recently tested within the judicial system. NCLH staff members will be available to provide consultation and assistance to individuals and organizations desiring further information or action to establish legal equal rights for the handicapped. The resources of the Notre Dame Law School will be utilized, and cooperative assistance will be sought from other national organizations in the development of model legislation or administrative rules and regulations. Notre Dame law students employed by NCLH will research substantial legal issues, and such material will be made available to practicing attorneys and others concerned with the rights of the handicapped. NCLH has two basic functions: to educate the public and to assist in legal action. As a part of its educational functions, NCLH will review existing statutes, policies, and regulations affecting handicapped persons, assess the weaknesses of such statutes and regulations, and offer suggestions for remedying those weaknesses. Hopefully, these suggestions will assist state and local governments that wish to avoid criticism and possible litigation. As a second part of NCLH's educational function, both staff members and directors will participate in workshops and seminars concerning the rights of the handicapped. NCLH is itself committed to initiate at least one such workshop during the first year of operation. As its second major function, NCLH will give legal assistance to organizations or individuals who through litigation seek to remedy discriminatory or dehumanizing conditions affecting handicapped persons. Center staff will be available to review the individual circumstances, to review procedures taken toward the desired remedy, and to assist in preparing the structure of further legal recourse. The Center is governed by an eight-member Board of Directors, two of whom are nominated by each of four sponsoring organizations: National Association for Retarded Children, Family Law Section of the American Bar Association, University of Notre Dame, and Council for the Retarded of St. Joseph County. A National Advisory Board to the Center, composed of representatives from several other national consumer organizations and prominent individuals, will soon be announced. At its organizational meeting on August 28, 1972, the NCLH Board of Directors appointed Dr. Joseph Kunz to the post of Project Director for the Center. Dr. Kunz, who received his doctorate in education at the University of Indiana, has wide experience in the education and treatment of the handicapped. He has served as a consultant in a number of government programs, both federal and state, and has published several articles in the field of rehabilitation of the handicapped. Dr. Kunz comes to NCLH from the Council for the Retarded of South Bend, Indiana, where he served as Director of Children's Services. Ms. Marcia Pearce Burgdorf was appointed to the position of Project Attorney. Ms. Burgdorf is a recent graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and assisted as a student in developing the background material for the NCLH project proposal. Two third-year and four second-year law students are working with the NCLH in return for tuition grants. The students have been divided into project teams, and are now reviewing and outlining pertinent precedent-setting cases and the issues involved. NCLH plans to coordinate information pertinent to law and the handicapped and to those individuals and organizations engaged in related activity. A few national organizations already collect, collate, and disseminate this sort of information, but only in regard to their own chartered responsibilities. NCLH intends to complement these efforts through its development of a complete information service. If an attorney in the Midwest is approached with background information suggesting the possibility of litigation, he needs a resource to which he can turn to learn of other efforts that perhaps might reach the point of litigation. NCLH intends to provide that needed resource. ***** ** We Ask You, Mr. Secretary ... (Editor's Note: The following is a letter written to the Hon. Casper Weinberger, Secretary of HEW, from William C. Geer, Executive Director, Council for Exceptional Children.) Dear Mr. Secretary: The Council for Exceptional Children is concerned about recent developments with regard to federal programs for the education of handicapped children that suggest to us inconsistency with President Nixon's policy regarding deinstitutionalization of handicapped children and HEW's policy of education for all handicapped children by 1980. Because of conflicting reports on these developments, we have found it necessary to write directly to you in order to achieve clarification of policy regarding certain issues. Because of the critical nature of these issues, we are quite concerned about their impact on America's handicapped children and therefore request your earliest possible response to the following questions: * Issue 1: It is our understanding that approximately $26 million worth of Fiscal Year 1972 contracts and grants under the Education of the Handicapped Act have been held to be improper because they were finalized by the Contracts Office after June 30, 1972 and thus are now to be charged to Fiscal Year 1973 and Fiscal Year 1974 budgets. Thus $26 million intended to be spent in Fiscal Year 1972 will in fact not be obligated. It is our further understanding that this amount involves: 1. $5,795,000 for centers for deaf-blind children 2. $5,871,000 for handicapped children in the Early Childhood Centers 3. $2,112,652 for regional resource centers 4. $3,223,539 for research and development 5. $8,471,562 for training and personnel 6. $848,332 for captioned films for the deaf and other media services 7. $199,000 for recruitment and information It is our understanding that funds will be taken from Fiscal Years 1973 and 1974 for the Deaf-Blind, Early Childhood, and Regional Resource Centers and thus as a consequence no new children will be admitted to the centers. Under the research program we understand that the Office of Education might have to drop several commitments already made, most significantly to the National Center on Law and the Handicapped. It is also our understanding that the colleges and universities conducting programs to train teachers of the handicapped will have to reduce their budgets by approximately 15%. This is despite the fact that in order to obtain Assistant Marland's goal of education for all handicapped it is critical to reduce the tremendous shortage of qualified teachers. While we do appreciate your very legitimate concern about improving contract procedures, and while we also applaud the efforts that you and some members of the Congress have exerted to enhance the quality and impact of contracts, it is our understanding that the contracts under question for the education of the handicapped were all delivered to the Contracts Office sufficiently prior to June 30 for their processing and that there is no challenge to their quality of impact from a professional point of view. If the understandings as noted above are in fact true, then it seems evident that HEW is requiring that handicapped children assume the responsibility for errors made by the bureaucracy of HEW. We hope that this is not your desire and that the reason that you have taken this action in regard to these contracts is because of lack of legal authority to spend money beyond the end of the fiscal year in which they were made available. Thus, Mr. Secretary, we would like to know the following: Are our understandings on this issue correct/ If not, where are we in error? If they are correct, would you and the administration be willing to support legislation to give you the authority to obligate these funds? This authority would not require additional appropriations, nor would it require you to spend funds beyond that which you intended to spend. * Issue 2: It is our understanding that Title VI of the Education of the Handicapped Act, a program to provide aid to states for the purpose of educating handicapped children, will in fact this year be funded at a level of one million less than that requested in the President's budget for Fiscal Year 1973 (37.5 million), four million less than that spent for Fiscal Year 1972 (37.5 million), and 13.5 million less than the sum required under the continuing resolution (50.0 million). It is our understanding that the reason for this reduction is that the Department is requiring that the Office of Education fund each state at the lowest level that they would have received under the 1960 or 1970 census. If these understandings are in fact true, we find their logic difficult to understand. It would seem that the Office of Education is obligated to follow the formula established by Title VI-B of P.L. 91-230 as written in law. The law does not grant authority to use a combination of census figures. Thus states should be funded on the basis of 1960 census or 1970 census, not at the lowest of the two. Therefore, Mr. Secretary, we would appreciate knowing if our understandings of this matter are correct and if they are so correct, on what logic does the Office of Education defend such practice. Also, do you intend to spend the full $37.5 million budgeted or the $50 million required under the continuing resolution prior to the end of this fiscal year? * Issue 3: Finally, it is our understanding that the Office of Education intends to fund programs under Section 103 (a) (5) of Title I of ESEA at a level lower than that required by law. These are programs designed to provide education to handicapped children in state-supported schools and institutions. Because in many cases this program provides a total educational experience for these children and because of their limited numbers, the law exempts such children from the ratable reductions under the basic Title I program. It is our understanding that for Fiscal Year 1973 this program is authorized to receive $75,962,098, however, the Office of Education has apparently decided to ratably reduce this program at a rate of 80.2%, thus providing $60,938,922. In addition, it is our understanding that the Office of Education intends to use the 1960 versus 1970 census procedure discussed above under Title VI-B which would further reduce funding under this program to a level of $50,191,000. This you will note is approximately $6 million less than the $56,380,937provided under this program in fiscal year 1972 and $25 million less than what the law requires to be spent. This procedure, if it is in fact true, appears inconsistent with the president's expressed goal to improve conditions facing children in state institutions. Therefore, Mr. Secretary, we would appreciate knowing if the understandings we have noted above are in fact true and if they are true, how you can justify their continuance in a law-abiding manner. Also do you intend to spend the full amount ($75,962,098) before the end of this fiscal year? We realize, Mr. Secretary, that there are many critical issues facing your department today and you are often forced to make policy based upon interests broader than simply those of handicapped children, but we feel that it is imperative to share with you and to share with the millions of people in this country are concerned about handicapped children the impact of your policies on the lives of these children who always seem to be at the short end of such decision-making. We appreciate your prompt reply. ***** ** Eyes of the Blind (Editor's Note: Mrs. Cockrell is Poet Laureate for the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs.) Often persons deprived of their physical sight Are perceptive and uniquely wise. Their vision evolves from a spiritual light That illuminates men's inner eyes. Some with physical vision, in essence, are blind For the world has distorted their view, And the clarity gained by a truth-seeking mind Is possessed by a relative few. Perhaps men arrive at a wisdom of ways By perspective, elusive somehow To those who would. bask in the self-warming rays That the lust of their eyes will allow, While the darkness that blind men are called to endure Serves to heighten their spiritual sight. Like the glow of a star, the reflection is sure. It provides them with adequate light. Gifts are squandered sometimes and it just well may be That our physical eyes are inclined To be focused on self while the real eyes that see Are so often the eyes of the blind. -- Pearl Hand Cockrell ***** ** Vocational Rehabilitation Veto By Durward K. McDaniel The Vocational Rehabilitation amendments of 1973 were vetoed, and the Senate sustained the veto. While the bill was not ideal, it did represent many improvements. Unfortunately, however, it became a political football between Congress and the President in the struggle for political power. The President described the bill as "budget-breaking," but in fact it was not an appropriation bill at all. It did authorize the extension and money for the future, but it did not appropriate money. Other objections cited were the non-vocational provisions, the rule-making power vested in the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services Administration, and the categorical authorization of such new programs as that for older blind persons. As we go to press, we do not know what kind of rehabilitation bill the Administration will approve. There are many new bills on the subject introduced, but with all of the furor about the Watergate investigation, apparently very little is being done on this subject. Congressional partisans have been attempting to negotiate a compromise bill, but early in May there was nothing to report. It does seem clear that a less ambitious rehabilitation bill will have to be agreed to, and we hope that in any event something can be done in the near future to extend the life of this program. Early in May, the President signed a bill extending the Older Americans Act. Previously it had been expected that he would veto that bill also. However, Washington observers believe that the Watergate scandals are having some effect on the previous Administration policies. Perhaps the most significant change was the departure from the White House staff of Mr. John Ehrlichman. Future issues of the Braille Forum will keep you advised of progress on vocational rehabilitation legislation. A great effort went into the passage of a good bill, and an even greater effort went into an attempt to override the veto. We can all be pleased with the coordinated effort by organizations of and for the handicapped, but we must keep trying. Following is a breakdown of the vote by which the Senate failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds vote to override President Nixon's veto: For overriding, 60 (Democrats, 50; Republicans, 10); against overriding, 36 (Democrats, 5; Republicans, 31). Those Senators who voted to sustain the veto are listed below: Democrats: Byrd, Va.; Johnston, La.; McClellan, Ark.; Nunn, Ga.; Talmadge, Ga. Republicans: Baker, Tenn.; Bartlett, Okla.; Beall, Md.; Bellman, Okla.; Bennett, Utah; Brock, Tenn.; Buckley, N.Y.; Cook, Ky.; Cotton, N.H.; Curtis, Neb.; Dole, Kan.; Domenici, N.M.; Dominick, Colo.; Fing, Hawaii; Goldwater, Ariz.; Griffin, Mich,; Gurney, Fla.; Hansen, Wyo.; Helms, N.C.; Hruska, Neb.; McClure, Idaho; Packwood, Ore.; Roth, Del.; Saxbe, Ohio; Scott, Pa.; Scott, Va.; Stevens, Alaska; Taft, Ohio; Thurmond, S.C.; Tower, Texas; Young, N.D. ***** ** Persuasion Pilgrimage By Mary Jane Schmitt In an effort to influence Congress to override the President's veto of S-7, the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Howe Society (New York City chapter of ACB of New York) organized a trip to Washington, D.C. on April 3. In less than a week, this organization, with invaluable cooperation from Mayor Lindsey's newly created Office of the Handicapped, of which Eunice Fiorito is Acting Director, coordinated this one-day trip. The agencies and organizations of and for the handicapped were most cooperative; and, for the first time, members of the numerous disability groups banded together toward accomplishment of a common goal. Those who came from New York City were joined by 29 disabled people from Rochester, where efforts were coordinated by the Rochester Area Council of the Blind. When all were assembled, more than 200 persons participated. After the buses and vans were unloaded, Senator Jacob Javits of New York spoke to the group, offering any assistance his office might be able to extend. Visits were made to various members of Congress, but, as you are undoubtedly aware, the Senate sustained the President's veto. Those of us who went to Washington do not, however, consider this trip to be a total failure. For many of us, it was a tremendously maturing experience, making us more aware than ever of legislative needs and prompting our re-dedication to getting the legislative job done. The news media were both responsive and sympathetic, and there was coverage by both NBC and CBS national networks, with an interview by a reporter from the Washington Post. It is quite conceivable that another such trip may have to be made in the future. When the next time comes, we hope to be able to mobilize representation from every ACB affiliate, so plan to come with us and let our Congressmen see firsthand that the handicapped people of the United States are not only willing, but able to speak for themselves. ***** ** Federal Employee Wins Local and National Recognition by Fred Lilley The St. Louis area annually sponsors an event which honors the outstanding employees in the Federal Civil Service. Recognition is based on meritorious service, self-development, and community service. Any Federal agency desiring to nominate candidates in one or more of six categories, three military and three civilian, may do so. The competition is so arranged that those in the scientific field and the management field do not compete against each other, nor does either compete against the clerk or typist. In the same manner, the high-ranking military officer, the non-commissioned officer, and the enlisted man do not compete against each other. Thus, each candidate has an equal chance competing against equal talent. In January of this year, Assunta Lilley, employed by the St. Louis Region of the U.S. Civil Service Commission as a dictating machine transcriber, was notified by her regional director that she had been selected by Chairman Hampton in Washington, D.C. to represent the U.S. Civil Service Commission nationwide as Federal Handicapped Employee of the Year. Of course, this was thrilling news to Assunta, who in her almost 21 years of Government service had never received such an honor. But this was not all; there was more to come. In February she was notified that she had been selected as Federal Employee of the Year, to represent the Civil Service Commission in the St. Louis area. You can imagine her excitement! It could be likened to Cinderella when she was elevated to the status of a princess by the good fairy. March 23 was the date set for the Federal Award Banquet and program, held in the Grand Ballroom of Stouffer's Inn. Assunta, beautifully dressed for the occasion, appeared an hour early for the picture-taking ceremonies, along with sixty other candidates, who were representing the more than 50,000 Federal employees in the St. Louis area. Both before and after the excellent dinner, the U.S. Air Force Band from nearby Scott Field provided entertainment. After a few remarks from the distinguished guests, the 61 nominees were introduced one by one, stepped forward to receive the beautiful plaque, walked across the stage, then returned to their seats. Then came the climax. It was time now for the six finalists, chosen from the 61 nominees. The six selections, it was explained (three military and three civilian), were made by an impartial committee of civic leaders, who based their decisions on the achievements of the candidates from information handed them, the names of nominees withheld. Just like the "Oscars," the Emcee was handed a sealed envelope, which he opened, read the accomplishments of the winner, then announced the name. The 1,200 people present applauded each finalist in turn. And then as the Emcee began to read about the second civilian nominee, I held my breath for a moment. At first it was only a hunch; but then, when I heard the words "daily production of 28 pages as compared to an average of 23 pages for the entire unit," I knew Assunta was a winner. She was escorted to the stage, where she received a beautiful plaque (bronze on wood), naming her Federal Employee of the Year of the St. Louis Area, Civil Service Commission. It was a moment of much emotion for both of us, and an experience which we shall never forget. But the competition for Federal Handicapped Employee of the Year was yet to come. On April 4 we boarded a plane for Washington, D.C., where we were met at National Airport by representatives of the U.S. Civil Service Commission, who were to be our constant escorts during our stay in Washington. The Awards Ceremony was held in the Auditorium of the Department of Commerce on April 5, with Julie Nixon Eisenhower presenting the award to each of the ten national finalists. These ten finalists represented various Federal agencies nationwide, and each received a framed certificate, signed by President Nixon. It would be a grand finale to all the excitement and thrills if it could be reported that Assunta was the winner; but this was not to be. However, the winner was a blind man, an employee of Bolling Air Force Base, who is an electronics genius. Congratulations to him; his victory was well deserved. Other highlights of the Washington trip included a luncheon and show at Bolling Air Force Base Officers Club and a VIP tour of the White House on Friday. If it appears that the part about Washington has been made short in this article because Assunta was not victorious, this is far from the truth. There is every reason to be' proud that she was one of the ten handicapped employees across the country to be recognized for her accomplishments, but there is even more reason to be proud of her victory in St. Louis, because she has been able to illustrate that a "handicapped person can compete successfully with people who are not handicapped." ***** ** VIDPI 1973 Convention The Visually Impaired Data Processors International, a group of and for the promotion and employment of blind persons in the field of electronic data processing, will hold their 1973 convention in Chicago, Illinois, June 28-30. Problems confronting blind employed data processing people will be discussed. An exhibit of equipment as well as its demonstration is also scheduled. It is hoped that those interested in this field will attend. The site is the Playboy Towers Hotel, 163 E. Walton Street Chicago, Illinois. Room rates are $24.00 for a single and $30.00 for a double. Please request rooms directly from the hotel and mention that you are attending the VIDPI Convention to obtain this rate. A registration fee of $25.00 can be paid once you are there or in advance to VIDPI, P.O. Box 844, Evergreen Park, Illinois 60642. Also included will be a cocktail party and dinner as well as the annual business meeting. The Playboy "Bunnies" will be on hand to assist wherever necessary. ***** ** The One Best Hope By George Card N.Y. Times News Service is the source of a Jerusalem dispatch which begins: "A pioneer in the development of the artificial kidney has made what he describes as 'major progress' in the development of artificial sight for the blind. After three years of research, Dr. Willem J. Kolff and a team of scientists have become persuaded that an electronic device can be developed that would permit a blind person to distinguish between light and darkness and to recognize an individual face. With the proper funding for the research already begun, Kloff said the device could be perfected within five years. "'Our hope,' he said, 'is to reach the point where a completely blind person, using this device, could make his way in the world without bumping into other people and things.' "As conceived by Kolff, artificial sight for the blind could be created by the use of two small television cameras. each the size of a bean, mounted on a pair of ordinary eyeglasses. Such miniature cameras are already commercially produced, Kolff said. Tiny wires would lead to a cap on the back of the skull or, conceivably, inside the skull, which would include as many as 400 tiny electrodes to stimulate the occipital lobe and create a point of light, known as a phosphene, in the visual center. 'The important point is that when a given spot on the occipital lobe is stimulated, the person always sees the phosphene in the same place. Thus. using enough electrodes, a single map can be developed to create a recognizable figure.' "A key moment in the research came six months ago when a partly blind patient was able to recognize four electronically stimulated points and recognized them as a square." During the past five years a great deal of material such as the above has been appearing in blindness-oriented publications coming from many countries. I have seldom quoted this in my column because of the extravagant and unrealistic claims being made by the journalists who report the various research projects. Nevertheless, I believe that patterned stimulation of the visual center in the brain will someday become viable. The five-year period mentioned above is almost certainly far too optimistic, but so many scientists are now working on this vital problem that there is every reason to hope that the solution may come well within the lifetime of some of our younger fellow blind. I believe these dedicated men and women scientists are on the right track. ***** ** Regional Libraries Need Federal Funds By Crawford Pike Two bills now in Congress, H.R. 6 and S. 1 have as their chief purpose the recognition that educating blind and handicapped children cost more than educating the non-handicapped and that the excess cost is properly the responsibility of the federal government. Two of the main reasons justifying this position are: 1. Federal funds will give uniform opportunity to all blind and handicapped in all regions of America, and 2. The federal budget is most able to bear this cost. How much more true is this concept when applied to regional library service. Begun on the federal level embodying a multi-state approach, and consisting of equipment and material largely unavailable on a state or local level. This service costs five times the amount required to house and operate a conventional public library. Since this service was begun on the federal level and progressed downward through regions to states and now to sections or states called sub-regions, state legislatures have funded it meagerly or ignored it altogether. Add to this the fact that library service for the blind and handicapped is undergoing dynamic change which will require libraries to purchase expensive recording equipment and employ trained technicians, and is enlisting new readers at a rate unsurpassed in the history of the service. The day is near at hand when the service of the regional library will be decreased if funding is not substantially increased. A few examples of the fact that library service to the blind and handicapped is not equally available throughout the fifty-two regions and eighty sub-regions are the following: 1. One regional library serving sixteen hundred readers has five professional librarians, while another serving six thousand readers has only one trained librarian. 2. Only twenty-two of the fifty-two regional libraries reported owning tape duplicating equipment; 3. Twelve states have multiple sub-regional libraries; and 4. The per capita appropriation for housing, equipping, staffing, and operating a regional library varies from two dollars thirty-seven cents ($2.37) to over forty-eight dollars ($48.00) per reader. To bring an end to this disproportionate service and to bring library service for the blind and handicapped up to the level enjoyed by our non-handicapped friends in "Averageville, U.S.A." will require a bill similar to those earlier cited, or perhaps amendments to those bills. Write to your congressmen requesting them to provide federal funds for regional libraries for the blind and handicapped. Ask them to contact me, or the regional librarian in their state for supporting statistical information. We must do it, or it won't be done. (Crawford Pike is the Regional Librarian of the Alabama Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and is chairman of the ACB Committee on Library Service.) ***** ** Crisis for Libraries for the Blind and Handicapped By Durward K. McDaniel After the veto of the Vocational Rehabilitation amendments was sustained, it became clear that the fate of library funding was almost certainly negative. The Administration had requested no money whatsoever for any library system, including that for the blind and physically handicapped. Accordingly, the American Council of the Blind decided to advocate that the funding which has for several years been administered through the Office of Education be instead added to the appropriation for the Library of Congress. Crawford Pike, Chairman of the ACB Committee on Libraries, came to Washington to confer and to negotiate on this subject, and the Council testified early in May in support of an additional appropriation for the Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress. The amount advocated was $3,150,000 over and above the regular appropriation. Presently approximately $2 million federal dollars go to the regional libraries, and the Council advocated additional sums in order to keep pace with the rapid growth of libraries and readers. Among other improvements, funds were recommended for two multi-state storage and distribution centers and a computerized Union Catalog Service. Also, the Council recommended that the Library of Congress initiate a subcarrier broadcast system as an extension of library services. As we go to press, it is too soon to know what the results will be, but it is hoped that the federal funding for regional libraries can be placed in the Library of Congress, which has since 1931 furnished books and other reading materials for blind people. The appropriation bill for the legislative branch is HR-6691, and it should be enacted by the time you receive this issue. The next issue will report on the results of this effort. ***** ** Hearsight Sponsors Essay Contest With the cooperation of the Montgomery Lions Club, Hearsight is sponsoring an essay contest with cash prizes being awarded the first, second, and third place winners. The contest will begin May 1 and continue through July 31, and is open to everyone who cares to enter. Entrants must submit a short essay, 1,000 words or less, on the subject, "The Image of Blind People." Emphasis should be placed on ways and means of improving the public's understanding of blind people. The essay should attempt to answer such questions as, "What can blind people do for themselves to be more socially acceptable?" "Should there be more blind people trained for professional employment?" "What can be done to increase the interest of employers in the abilities of blind people?" "What can organizations 'of' the blind do to improve conditions among blind people?" Entries must be received between May 1 and July 31, 1973. Send your essay to Hearsight, P.O. Drawer 17, Talladega, Alabama 35160. All entries will be judged by a panel of impartial, qualified judges. Prizes are as follows: First prize - $100.00; Second prize - $75.00; Third prize -$50.00. Winners will be notified and receive their prizes by December 1, 1973. ***** ** The Neglected Minority: The Deaf-Blind By Joseph Wiedenmayer Among the nation's 600,000 profoundly or totally deaf and perhaps an equal number of legally blind, there is a small segment of doubly handicapped people, virtually forgotten and neglected by society. There are, of course, fine educational institutions and training programs for these persons, such as: the National Center for Deaf- Blind Youths and Adults, the Centers and Services for Deaf-Blind Children of the U.S. Office of Education, and various schools and programs for deaf-blind children. But where does the average deaf-blind adult meet, communicate, and socialize with his peers? Where can they attract attention to their vocational and social problems, or even have fun at social gatherings? Virtually nowhere! There is no national council, association, or society for them. There is not even a branch or committee within organizations of or for the blind or deaf with any kind of program for this minority group. The number of deaf-blind people in the United States is not precisely known, but estimates indicate about 15,000 deaf-blind children and perhaps 30,000 adults who are considered "deaf-blind." However, there are many thousands of adults, particularly among the elderly, who are not among the "hard core" deaf-blind, but who are doubly handicapped with both blindness and deafness to a severe degree. They have not had sufficient experience to adjust to their problems, nor to meet or communicate with others who are similarly afflicted. These people are those who are legally blind, but partially sighted, as well as being deaf or hard of hearing. It is now time to establish a national working committee to recognize their needs and desires. Therefore, I urge the American Council of the Blind to establish such a Committee of Visually and Hearing Impaired Adults (VHIA), to embrace not only the deaf-blind, but also people who are both partially sighted among the legally blind, and hard of hearing. Qualifications for participation on the VHIA Committee of the ACB: Legally blind with a hearing loss requiring habitual use of a hearing aid. Functions of the VHIA: 1. Survey and prepare a list of visually and hearing impaired persons in the U.S. 2. Determine their needs and desires. 3. Provide assistance in their employment. 4. Establish a speakers bureau of a few doubly handicapped adults to speak and consult with parents of doubly handicapped children and teenagers, to provide encouragement and guidance as to educational and vocational facilities. 5. Issue a periodic newsletter for such handicapped persons and their relatives. 6. Invite them to local, state, and national meetings of the ACB. 7. Invite them to join ACB. The VHIA Committee of six should include deaf-blind and partially sighted hard-of-hearing adults, a non-handicapped parent, and a professional counselor. The existing government entities cited above could cooperate with ACB in this program. What do you, the reader, think? ***** ** Watson's "Kind of Proud" Doc Watson is the soul of dignity. He is a courtly Southern gentleman from Deep Gap, N.C., dignified, easy-going, informal and, incidentally, blind. Not so incidentally, he is a superb guitarist and a marvelous performer. Sitting in the small dressing room he shared with his son, Merle, who is a pretty fine guitar picker himself, he hunched over his guitar, resting on it, almost prayer-like, as he contemplated the night's work ahead of him. ... "Yes," he said in his slow, quiet drawl, "that's when it all began professionally. I've been a professional musician for about 11 years now. I play before college audiences now, but then it was in coffeehouses mostly. They talk about musicians living on hamburgers and beans, but that's the way it was." He paused thoughtfully, and then continued in his dignified way. "It makes me kind of proud to realize what I've accomplished." What he has accomplished is to become the most widely recognized country-bluegrass performer in the field. There is, to begin with, the versatility of the material. He plays old country songs by Jimmie Rogers, black blues by such writers as Lemon Jefferson, mountain rags and a variety of other songs that bring his audiences an appreciation of the breadth and depth of American musical traditions. It is all done in an easy-going informal, relaxed way that puts everyone at ease. ... The 49-year-old Watson has friendly comments for his son, an equally large bear of a man who calls his father "daddy," and leads him on and off the stage. ... This is a performer all Americans should know and hear. ***** ** Here and There By Kenneth Hinga, Guest Editor A New Trend in Braille Books -- from the ABC DIGEST (Calif.): A trend to the study of foreign languages among blind college students is indicated with the recent publication of the Braille Book Bank Catalog Supplement by the National Braille Association. In the past, foreign language texts made up 50% of the catalog listing; during the past year 2/3 of the new Braille textbooks transcribed were in foreign language studies. The Braille Book Bank is maintained in Midland Park, New Jersey, and at present nearly 1,000 master copies of Braille textbooks are listed in the combined catalog and supplement. The Braille Book Bank is one of the prime sources of Braille College textbooks in the country. Copies of the Catalog and supplement, in print or Braille, can be obtained from the National Braille Association, 85 Godwin Avenue, Midland Park, N.J. 07432, for fifty cents to cover costs of printing and mailing. George Magers, Assistant Director, Office for the Blind and Visually Handicapped advises that a pilot class for blind telephone service representatives is being conducted at the Los Angeles City College, and that another class will be held in Daytona Beach, Florida later this year. For further information, please contact Mr. Magers. The AAWB will hold its annual National Convention July 22, 23, 24 & 25 in Cleveland, Ohio. The theme this year is "A Changing World." For reservations please contact Miss Lois Carmitchel, Registration Chairman, Cleveland Society for the Blind, 1909 East 101st St., Cleveland, Ohio 44106. From the Genesse Federation News: It is estimated that there are a million blind people in Bangladesh, of whom 300 thousand are needlessly blind for want of cataract surgery; 50 thousand are children mostly blinded by vitamin deficiency. A record 326,138 disabled Americans were rehabilitated to productive activities during the fiscal year ending 6/30/72, according to HEW's Social and Rehabilitation Services. VA & BVA CO-OP -- From the Performance Magazine -- In an effort to steer more young veterans, blinded during the service in Vietnam, to take advantage of the excellent Veterans Administration Blind Rehabilitation Centers at West Palo Alto, California, and Hines, Illinois, the Administration has begun a cooperative effort with the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) whereby four BVA representatives will assist in the VA's outreach program to blinded veterans. Both organizations hope that the young vets will respond to calls and letters from other blinded veterans, and consequently will actively seek the benefits available to them. The program, originally charted for one year, could be extended if it shows hope for results. George Card retired as Executive Secretary of the Wisconsin Council of the Blind, Inc. on January 1, 1973 after 28 years in this position. He is being succeeded by Mr. Stanley Nelson of Janesville. Mr. Nelson will move to Madison at the end of his six-month probationary period. From the Grand Rapids Michigan Herald Press -- The article states in part "A 10-year study shows 88.8 percent of persons who were graduated from the Michigan School for the Blind are gainfully employed, tax-paying members of their community. They were in 26 vocational categories, including college students. Most of the 27 married homemakers were employed before marrying. The school's most successful graduate is Steveland Morris, who listed his occupation as 'music.' He is otherwise known as Stevie Wonder, a nationally famous recording artist." From the Performance Magazine, General Foods Ltd., in Montreal, employs five blind coffee tasters. It is erroneous to think that only persons with a very acute sensibility of taste and smell can perform well. On the contrary, they should have an average ability, neither too much nor too little. It is unfortunate, however, that even plants with a large production rarely need more than five to seven specialized panelists (or tasters). ***** ** Social Security and the Blind Reprinted from Performance Policy makers in the Federal Government believe their employer should be a pioneer in the training and hiring of mentally handicapped people. The Social Security Administration today is putting this belief into action with a growing training and placement program for blind telephone service representatives (TSR's). This summer saw the graduation of 13 visually handicapped people fully trained for jobs usually held by the sighted. All now hold jobs in Social Security Metropolitan Answering Service (MAS) Centers throughout the eastern region. Each MAS Center serves several metropolitan areas, and MAS staff, who answer questions and initiate action on behalf of individuals, can save people sometimes lengthy trips to the offices. The training program was begun in 1969 as a result of the successful training of Don Wedewer, a blind double amputee Vietnam veteran. Don, who had just been released from the Miami Veterans Administration Hospital, learned quickly and proved that blind people could handle the job of answering difficult questions over the telephone. Progressing to the limits of his job, Don soon was hired by the Florida Bureau of Blind Services, where he is now a regional supervisor. He did not forget his experience at Social Security, however, and encouraged the organization to institute a special training program for the visually handicapped. In 1969 the first class was opened to Miami residents, and there have been four more training groups since then. The first trainees not limited to the Atlanta Social Security Region, this year's graduates were referred to the program from all over the eastern United States. Don Wedewer himself contacts vocational rehabilitation counselors in the region and notifies them of the classes as they are scheduled. Prospective trainees must go through a 2-day screening in Daytona Beach, Fla., after which 30-40 percent are selected for actual training. The purpose of the screening, says instructor Ted Haxton, is to make sure the people can cope with their handicap both physically and mentally. They should have adjusted to their blindness enough so that it will not interfere with their ability to perform on the job. Haxton is pleased with the program, and says that Social Security now has a total of 50 visually handicapped telephone service representatives on duty. "Of the original class," he says, "seven of the eight graduates are still on duty. The other one is no longer with us because he died." Although visually handicapped trainees receive the same training as the sighted, some aids are supplied for the special needs of the blind. Reference material and the important manuals spelling out Social Security rules are printed in braille or large print for those who need them. TSR's who read only Braille have Braillewriters at their desk to transcribe information given them over the telephone. Lectures and supplementary training materials are provided on tape for the visually handicapped students. State agencies for the blind provide trainees with transportation, living expenses and small income during their 13 weeks of initial training. Ted Haxton says that blind trainees begin their jobs at the same level as their sighted coworkers and have the same potential for advancement. As with any worker, the rapidity of their advancement will depend on their ability to adjust to the working situation and perform their work. On-the-job training will continue, as it does for all TSR's, until they have been in their positions for 2 years, according to Haxton. Commenting on the program, 24-year-old Chris Stavros said she had been looking for jobs for the entire 2 years since she had graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, with a major in political science. "One thing about not having worked before, when I filled out the Civil Service forms I didn't have to give all that stuff about former jobs and employers. I got to skip a whole page." Active in sports, she wants to take up skydiving. Explaining that she could carry a radio on her back and be directed by someone on the ground, she said, "I wouldn't be afraid of the height because I wouldn't know where I was." She has just begun her new job in Washington, D.C. Another of this year's trainees is Mary Stepp, who is legally blind, but able to read regular type. Still, she found her visual handicap made getting a job a real problem. She graduated from Cornell University in 1971, and has been trying to find work since then. Early in the year, her vocational rehabilitation counselor referred her to the Fort Lauderdale program, and she has now started her permanent job in the Social Security office there. She said she enjoys her work and loves Florida, which she would like to make her permanent home. Joyce Taft is totally blind, but her seeing-eye dog Onda is helping her adjust to her new job in Passaic, N.J. Originally from East Orange, N.J., Joyce has had some college training, and would like eventually to have some more. Although she would like to go into speech therapy, she's now taking one day at a time. She admits that having a job makes that sort of casualness easier. George Young is enthusiastic about working for SSA. Sounding already like a well-indoctrinated employee, he said, "I can't imagine how the country would have been without Social Security." The agency would like to be able to train and employ 250 blind telephone service representatives in the future, and is hoping to expand the training classes to other Social Security regions. Plans for a class in Los Angeles are under consideration. Even more exciting is the new plan that similar training programs may be set up for many different kinds of jobs at the agency. For instance, claims representatives, who meet and interview the public, could be filled by the visually handicapped, and experts are thinking of how they might set up classes for those jobs. Experimental at first, training for the visually handicapped has become policy at Social Security. And benefiting are the agency itself, as well as the hundreds of talented workers who will be trained and placed in jobs during the years to come. ***** ** ... From the Augusta Chronicle Wednesday, December 27, 1972 Hubert E. Smith Dies On March 4, 1913, a poor, 16-year-old Augusta boy who had sold Chronicle subscriptions to earn money for a Washington trip went by train to the nation's capital to see the inauguration as President of a man who himself was a former Augusta boy -- Woodrow Wilson. It was the highlight of all he was ever to see, for two weeks later Hubert E. Smith was blinded permanently by a gunshop accident. Now, after a career devoted to helping other blind persons, Hubert Smith has died, and people throughout the country will mourn his loss. Assisted by the power of prayer, he received training at Columbia school for the blind, and at age of 31 opened a workshop for the blind here which became Georgia's first training school for the sightless. He then formed Ways and Means for the Blind, to handle business affairs for blind persons. Profits, invested in mortgages and rental property, were used to assist those who had lost their sight. They helped buy Braille tapes, books, watches, and even paid off home mortgages. It was revealed recently that he had helped the 154th blind couple to own their home. Honors came his way -- Georgia Lions Clubs named him as the state's most outstanding blind citizen; a magazine for the blind gave him a trophy along with the title, "America's Most Resourceful Blind Man;" and Nation's Business Magazine published an article about him. It was all deserved -- more than deserved. He never took a salary for his work, and a few years ago said, "I own nothing in my own name." Here was a man who literally lived for others. We are not likely to see his equal again. ***** ** Braille Opens Up to Nature By Sam Fogg Washington (UPI) -- There is a new breed of sightseer exploring the nation's parks, forests and wilderness areas these days -- the blind. In growing numbers, the sightless have been able to savor the sounds and sense the pleasures of outdoor life through use of "Braille Trails" installed in several hundred sites over the past five years. Basically, the trails consist of hip-high nylon ropes which lead to sign markers in Braille that enable the blind to follow special paths and to read through their fingertips about the world of nature. There are no precise figures on the number of Braille Trail miles or the number of trails available, because they range from small community projects in city parks to rugged excursions into state and national forests. A spokesman for the Interior Department's Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, which is encouraging a program to promote the trails, estimates that the blind now have available about 500 miles of exploration in 200 to 225 nature centers. Some provide walks of only one-third of a mile through quiet park paths within city limits. Others allow the blind to experience the wilderness on more rugged expeditions into state or national preserves. The first Braille Trail came into being in 1967, according to the Interior Department, at Colorado's White River National Forest. It was suggested by Robert B. Lewis of Aspen. The idea caught on so well at the federal, state and local levels that Lewis' prediction of a cross-country network is within achievement. Trails for the blind have proliferated, and elements of a coast-to-coast system now are within a one-day drive to most parts of the country. James G. Watt, director of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation who is heading a drive for more Braille Trails, said: "There is hardly a single patch of green which would not be enhanced by marking a Braille Trail." ***** ** Leave It to City Hall Reprinted from the Florida White Cane Bulletin The Bureau of Blind Services has the supervision of the two vending stands in Jacksonville City Hall. One, the dry stand, is operated by Ernest Parker. The other, a snack bar, is operated by Jay Root. All stands are periodically inspected to be sure they are abiding by the city health code. One day two officials showed up from the health department to inspect Mr. Root's stand. Mr. Root asked if there were any problems. "No," one said, "We will talk to your supervisor. Ah, what is his name." Mr. Root replied. "Ah, how do we reach him?" Mr. Root answered this question. Two officials contacted the supervisor, and the supervisor contacted Mr. Root. Mr. Root was informed that they had said, "You cannot make anything but coffee and cokes and sit on a stool and collect change for pre-wrapped sandwiches, which you have purchased from a sandwich company." When Mr. Root asked his supervisor which health code he had violated, the answer was, "None, they said the place was spotless. The only reason for the command is that the space is too small for the volume of business and production you are doing." At this point it might seem that someone is afraid of honest competition. After all, who can fight City Hall? Well, Mr. Root didn't, City Hall fought for him. When Councilmen couldn't get cheese toast or sausage and biscuits for breakfast, or chili and slaw on their hot dogs at lunch, they became furious. The Health Board's ears burned for two days. The Mayor, Hans Tanzler, sent an official protest and the City Council President sent an official command that all business would resume as previously, so long as the snack bar continued to operate under the health codes. Mr. Root and the Bureau of Blind Services, along with the Health Department, have resolved the problems and everything is back to normal. I have realized several things from watching the past days of action. The blind are still having to prove that they have intelligence, initiative, and integrity. But most of all, if you do your job and do it well, you will come out smelling like a rose. ***** ** ACB Officers President: Floyd Qualls, 106 N.E. 2nd Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104 First Vice President: Dr. S. Bradley Burson, 917 Kenyon St., Downers Grove, Ill. 60515 Second Vice President: Mrs. Billie Elder, 5317 W. 29th St., Little Rock, Ark. 72204 Secretary: Mrs. Catherine Skivers, 836 Resota St., Hayward, California 94545 Treasurer: J. Edward Miller, 2621 Chesterfield Ave., Charlotte, N.C. 28205 ** Directors George Card, 605 South Few Street, Madison, Wisc. 53703 Paul Kirton, Rt. 1, Box 56 C, Woodford, Va. 22580 Lester McGlaughn, 2403 Monroe Ave., Gadsden, Ala. 35901 Wallace Menning, 2750 Ellis Ave., Salem, Ore. 97301 Norman Robinson, 7107 South King Dr., Chicago, Ill. 60619 Reese Robrahn, 329 Woodburn Lane, Topeka, Kan. 66606 Earl Scharry, 5714 Ridgway Ave., Rockville, MD 20851 John Vanlandingham, 5800 North 19th Ave., Phoenix, Ariz. 85015 Vernon Williams, P.O. Box 826, Aberdeen, South Dakota 57401 ###