The Braille Forum Vol. XII September-October 1973 No. 2 Published Bi-Monthly by the American Council of the Blind Oklahoma City, Oklahoma * 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 * Editor: Mary T. Ballard 190 Lattimore Road Rochester, NY 14620 The Braille Forum seeks to promote the independence and dignity of all blind people; to stress responsibility of citizenship; to alert the public to the abilities and accomplishments of the blind. The Braille Forum carries official news of the American Council of the Blind and its programs. It is available for expression of views and concerns common to all blind persons. ***** ** Table of Contents Notice to Subscribers The Blindness System and the People It Serves, by Durward K. McDaniel Marjorie Hooper Retires from APH An Open Letter to the Membership of ACB ACB Convention Roundup, by Durward K. McDaniel ACB Resolutions 1973 Convention Tapes Available Report on Proceedings of the Seminar on Citizen Consumer Participation, by Reese Robrahn Seminar on Special Education, by Otis Stephens Editors Workshop, by M. Helen Vargo Kentucky Cancellations: What Do They Mean to the Blind of Kentucky? Hadley School Seeks Consumer Guidance Utah IRS Director Named to National Post RCA Audio Center -- New Low Price Legislative Roundup, by Durward K. McDaniel Dialogue Sponsors Writing Seminar State Convention Highlights "Theoretical Breakthrough" in Study of Eye Diseases ASCII Could Spell Jobs Here and There, by Lowell Holland 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. Anyone who wishes to remember the American Council of the Blind in his or her Last Will and Testament may use the following language in a special paragraph for that purpose: "I give and bequeath unto the American Council of the Blind, a District of Columbia not-for-profit corporation, the sum of $_____" or: " _____ percent of my net estate" or: "the following described property: ...". "Said bequest is made and devised to be used for its corporate purposes in the interest of blind and visually impaired persons." If your wishes are more complex, have your attorney communicate with the Council's national office. ***** ** The Blindness System and the People It Serves By Durward K. McDaniel (Speech given at the Biennial Convention of the American Association of Workers for the Blind, Cleveland, Ohio, July, 1973) I bring you greetings today from the officers and directors of the American Council of the Blind and its slightly more than 10,000 bona fide members. A representative organization of consumers has a difficult time dealing with this kind of system because, in fact, there is no single system. The blindness system is made up of a heterogeneous collection of agencies and institutions engaged in one form or another of services to blind persons. Most of them are autonomous. Most of them have their own power structures, and it is necessarily with these power structures that a representative organization should and must deal. Everybody knows that historically service agencies and institutions, with few exceptions, were begun for the blind by others. In recent time, the concept of consumer or citizen participation has gained strength and respect, and I want to talk about that subject in terms of how it can be implemented and how the AAWB can help in the implementation. It is the policy of the American Council to work within this heterogeneous system. We made that decision because we believe that within the system changes can be made to improve living conditions for the blind population. We accept every opportunity to influence change within the system. But, working within the system does not mean that we must approve the status quo nor that we acquiesce in practices followed in the present service delivery system. Probably the principal question for the power structure of the system at this time is: To what extent are they willing to permit a greater participation by blind and visually impaired persons and their representatives in those various power structures? If the answer to that question is too negative or too slow in coming, then I think it is inevitable that there will be extensive reference to legislative and judicial remedies. I want to talk first about mandatory consumer participation. By its nature, the mandate derives from legislative and judicial process. To date, these processes have had only a limited effect for consumers in the handicapped field. However, precedents are building, and some of them are applicable in our field. The legislative remedy is certainly available to everyone seeking such mandates. Ordinarily, such mandates are resisted by the system. In the judicial area, we are quite weak, in that the standing to obtain judicial relief has not been clearly defined or applicable. On the voluntary side of the subject, we have witnessed a gradual and progressive change during the past ten years in the attitudes of many within the power structures. There is now a greater respect for the concept that blind and visually impaired people should help make policy, plan delivery of services, and evaluate service programs. We do recognize that the present degree of participation is a minor factor, except in a few instances. The key question for us is: How can we best bring about the transition from a situation in which consumers have almost nothing to say to a point where they will have very much to say about what happens in service programs for the blind? We are talking about more than a token representation on a board of directors. An organization representing blind people has to be, and ought to be, concerned about policy-making, the planning of programs, the delivery of services, and the validating of service statistics. This is not an academic subject, and I will be specific about it a little later. The matter of definition of the term is one which should be settled. The word "consumer" is one which leads people off in many directions, and it is not really an accurate term because we are not talking about only those who are presently receiving services. And, in any event, we will never accept such a narrow definition. It is our belief and position that there are many blind and visually impaired persons who can perform effectively in these roles as citizens, and without regard to their status as consumers of services. We advocate the substitution of the word citizen instead of consumer. The term "citizen," we submit, needs no definition. But we are not going to make the kind of progress we need in work for the blind if we think in terms of having blind persons in nominal positions. We need to establish the rights, procedures, and remedies as well. I said earlier that legislation had not availed much, but there is an outstanding exception for veterans. By law, the Veterans Administration must recognize veterans organizations whose representatives appear on behalf of veterans who have claims before the V.A. That arrangement has worked extremely well, and it has not adversely affected the administration of V.A. programs. The ombudsman system would be a very valuable tool to bring about maximum efficiency and enforcement of standards in the rendering of services to visually handicapped people in this country. The Vocational Rehabilitation Amendments which were vetoed last fall carried a provision for the first time for public funding of consumer advocacy programs by HEW. It was only a beginning, and it was defeated by the veto. But something like that consumer advocacy program is needed to protect the interests of blind clients. Much has been said about the "numbers game" and the lack of required accountability. There needs to be an independent validation system to assure that services are in fact rendered as they are claimed. We have consistently advocated as a part of the rights of blind persons that they have recourse to administrative and judicial review of the acts and omissions of public and private agencies. Those are five adjuncts -- very, very important adjuncts -- to citizen or consumer participation. Any one or all of them would materially improve service programs in work for the blind. I was asked by Mr. Whitstock when he wrote me about my speaking if I would comment upon ways in which AAWB might better serve blind persons, and I shall try to do that in a moment. I know that this heterogeneous collection of agencies and institutions makes it difficult for any single organization to reach a consensus in this field. I think it would be very advantageous if all service agencies were to be a part of AAWB, where decisions can be reached. But that is not possible at this time. I have always had the view that the main purpose of AAWB was to serve its members, and certainly that must be true. But beyond that, I suggest that the AAWB should become a joint advocate of the rights, procedures and remedies for blind persons. I suggest to you that there is no absolute, irrevocable conflict between the one who serves and the one who is served. As long as we look at these things separately, as long as power structures protect what they have and resist the incursion of the beneficiaries into those power structures, then there will be conflict. What I have to say about the sharing of power assumes that those who would share power would do so for constructive purposes, and not for the purpose of destroying. We would like to urge a joint advocacy program in which the AAWB and its members would participate. To do that, I think we would all have to agree that the people it serves are more important than the system. Otherwise, I think this field is based on many false premises. The American Council of the Blind intends to continue working within the system, and it will cooperate with the AAWB and any other organization which is dedicated to, and which will work for, the same goals. After all, without the blind population, there would not be an organization of the blind and there would not be professional workers for the blind. We are dedicated to the proposition that the improvement in the lives and living conditions of blind people is the main purpose for which we should all be striving. I close what I have to say here today with the invitation to consider what I have outlined and for AAWB to join as an advocate of these goals in the interest of blind people. ***** ** Marjorie Hooper Retires from APH -- Named Executive Secretary, NBA The National Braille Association, Inc., with headquarters in Midland Park, New Jersey, is very happy at this time to announce the appointment of Marjorie S. Hooper as its first Executive Secretary, effective August 15, 1973. Miss Hooper is probably one of the few people whose entire life has been spent in work for the Blind. When she was three years old, her father became the superintendent of the Wisconsin School for the Blind in Janesville, where she attended school through the eighth grade. As she put it, "Even when I went to the Janesville High School, I couldn't get away from my father, as he was president of the local school board. I had the dubious honor of having spent three years in kindergarten, ages 3 through 6, and five years in high school, where I graduated at 16 and spent a post-graduate year involved in such activities as continuing to be assistant editor of the high-school weekly and of the high-school annual, not to mention taking a course in auto mechanics. No wonder I have loved printing all my life." A graduate of Mt. Holyoke College, she spent her first three years after college at the American Foundation for the Blind. In 1933, Miss Hooper left the Foundation because she could not stand living and working in New York City any longer. At that time she went to the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky, where she stayed forty years, retiring June 30 of this year as the Editor, a position she has held since 1943. At the time she went to APH, there were forty employees (now there are more than 550), and she was hired as one of the first college graduates outside of the superintendent to be employed. She says that she has worked in nearly every department of the Printing House at one time or another, except the machine shop and running the bookkeeping machine, but including such positions as head of magazine circulation, manager of the embossing and printing plant (when APH was much smaller and one person could do it all), head of fund-raising, acting office manager, acting head of educational research, and textbook consultant. "Those were Depression and World War II days, and I took my hand at whatever was necessary at the time, including demonstrating that women could run a braille printing press as well as do other jobs formerly held by men only." In 1973, Miss Hooper was made President-Elect of NBA, which office she has resigned to become Executive Secretary. National Braille Association's 2,800 members are responsible for providing a significant percentage of the braille, large-type and recorded texts used by blind and partially sighted students in elementary and secondary schools and in colleges and universities. Miss Hooper brings to her new position all the knowledge and verve for working for which she is so well-known. We wish her every success. ***** ** Open Letter to the Membership of ACB On behalf of the Convention Committee and the Tennessee Council of the Blind which hosted the 1973 National Convention in Knoxville, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ACB members who attended the Convention and did so much to make it a success. Without your support and encouragement our efforts could not have been effective. As chairman of the Convention Committee, I have received many compliments both by phone and through the mail, and while I appreciate these kind words, I would like to say that the chairman by no means does the job alone. It takes a good committee to complete the advanced planning and to carry out the objectives of the convention. I was fortunate in having a highly cooperative, hard-working, and capable committee. This made my task of coordinating convention arrangements much simpler than it otherwise would have been. As usual our national representative, Durward McDaniel, was efficiently at work seeing to it that the hundreds of details that go into the organizing and staging of a national convention were completed in accordance with our established guidelines. I wish to express a special word of thanks to the management and staff of the Hyatt-Regency Hotel for the excellent service that they provided throughout the convention. I would also like to thank Knoxville Mayor Kyle Testerman and his staff for their thoughtfulness and cooperation. The Knoxville Transit Corporation and the local news media also deserve our appreciation for the work that they did during convention week. Perhaps the one thing that makes this National Convention most memorable for the hundreds who attended from all over the United States is the excellent work done by numerous volunteers: Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, church groups, and private individuals from the Knoxville-Oak Ridge area. They did a marvelous job as guides and served in whatever capacity they were needed. Several of the guides have expressed their appreciation for the opportunity of spending what they described to me as a wonderful week with a wonderful group of people. Richard Stansfield Convention Chairman ***** ** ACB Convention Roundup By Durward K. McDaniel More than eight hundred came to Knoxville for a convention week which featured 46 working sessions. There was something for everyone, including bluegrass and country music, tours to the top of Old Smoky and to the Atomic Museum, numerous receptions and parties -- some of them unscheduled and uncounted. In addition to all this, committees did meet and report. Eight special-interest organizations held their regular annual conference. Reports of special-interest organizations will appear in the Forum as space permits. ACB featured six special seminars, which were moderated by the following: Special Education, Dr. Otis Stephens; Training of Volunteers, Mrs. Billie Elder; Citizen Participation in Agencies and Institutions Serving the Blind, Judge Reese H. Robrahn; Editors Workshop, Helen Vargo; Lobbying for Legislation, Dr. Bob Riley; and National Health Insurance Legislation, Susann Stoiber. In addition to the foregoing, nationally known speakers included Hon. J.D. Lee, President of the American Trial Lawyers Association; Professor Mayo L. Coiner, Memphis State University School of Law; Hon. Frank Bratton American Bar Association; Dr. Andrew Holt, Professor Emeritus, University of Tennessee; Dr. Robert Smithdas, of the National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults; Tris Coffin, President of Lions International; Elaine Parker, Director of Services for the Blind in Tennessee; Roland Roy, Educational Consultant at Central Piedmont Community College; and last but not least, our banquet master of ceremonies, the one and only Archie Campbell of television's famous "Hee-Haw." A different kind of special feature was the premier of a dramatic presentation, "Sir Francis Campbell, Father of Modern Rehabilitation." Its author is our Second Vice President, Billie Elder. It was presented by student players from the University of Tennessee. Perhaps you did not know that Sir Francis Campbell was a native Tennesseean, who graduated from the Tennessee School for the Blind. The story of his life. and work will undoubtedly become better known through repeated productions of this new dramatic presentation. Edna Schmidt of Milwaukee received ACB's 1973 Ambassador Award, which was presented at the banquet by Sue Graves on behalf of the Awards Committee. Our newest ambassador is widely and favorably known to blind people throughout the country. Karen Gearreald received the Ned E. Freeman Award for the best original article of the year published in the Braille Forum. Her article was "Read As Fast As You Can." It was fitting and proper to have this award presented by Loretta Freeman, who is so well known to most of us. Ned became the editor of the Braille Forum after he voluntarily retired from the presidency in 1966. Editing the Braille Forum was Ned's favorite job among the many he performed for the Council. ACB welcomed three new affiliates: ACB of Indiana, William G. Smith of Fort Wayne, President; Guide Dog Users, Inc., Garland Dowling of Silver Spring, Maryland, President; and the Nebraska Association of Workers for the Blind, Gerald Eckery of Lincoln, President. Tennessee hospitality was at its best from the Governor's Office on down. Governor Winfield Dunn and Mayor Kyle Testerman of Knoxville each proclaimed the occasion to be American Council of the Blind Week. You would not expect to find a new hotel, designed in an Aztec motif, on the banks of the Tennessee River and in the shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains. But it was there, and we filled it with people. The hotel staff helped to make it a great convention. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other volunteers helped to make it an even greater convention. The success of it all came about through the work of so many people that we cannot name them here. Richard Stansfield was the general chairman of the convention, and his hard-working committee of nineteen deserves recognition: Johnson Bradshaw, Otis Stephens, Ernest Campbell, Helen Wild, Floyd Morgan, Francis Morton, James Mayfield, Henry Goforth, Richard Wild, Ray Mowery, E.T. Harber, Otis Henry, Laverne Humphrey, Pat Alton, Tony Robinson, Jean Moran, Bernard Bagwell, Sarah Lewis, Arnold Whaley. You have to be there to believe it -- so many people interested in so many serious things, all blending together in the spirit and purpose of the ACB. We were all exhausted when it was over, glad to have had the experience -- See you in 1974. ***** ** ACB Resolutions In addition to resolutions reflecting concerns of various committees, seminars, and special-interest organizations appearing elsewhere, the following general resolutions were adopted by the 1973 Knoxville convention: * Resolution 73-01 WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind is dedicated to improving and developing programs of the blind throughout the nation; and WHEREAS, such improvements and development require a considerable expenditure of money; and WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind is at this time not in the financial position to carry out such improvement and development programs; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the American Council of the Blind, in convention assembled at Knoxville, Tennessee, on this 21st day of July, 1973, that the President shall appoint a subcommittee of the Finance Committee, of not more than three members, to develop as soon as possible a nationwide solicitation-by-mail fund-raising program; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the American Council of the Blind provide the necessary funds to implement said program. * Resolution 73-02 WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind has a substantial and continuing interest on behalf of the blind population of the United States in health-care needs and health-care delivery systems; and WHEREAS, the rising costs of health care through existing systems assure that a large percentage of the general population, and an even larger percentage of the blind and handicapped population, will be deprived of adequate health care; and WHEREAS, the absence of uniform health-care standards and controls has compounded the problems of poor quality in this field; and WHEREAS, the need for a complete program of health services for all blind persons is given high priority by our organization; and WHEREAS, the need for comprehensive planning in this field must be recognized if skyrocketing health-care costs are ever to be curbed; and WHEREAS, this organization wishes to accept its responsibility to improve health care for the total community; and WHEREAS, the only plan which will ever assure comprehensive health care for the blind population is contained in S-3 and HR-22; and WHEREAS, this legislation contains safeguards of the rights and interests of the consuming public; and WHEREAS, more than forty highly respected organizations and institutions have formed an alliance, the Health Security Action Council and the Committee for National Health Insurance, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the American Council of the Blind on July 21, 1973, at the Hyatt-Regency Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, that participation of the Council in such alliances as those named above be authorized and that Council officers and members throughout the country be encouraged to work in such alliances at national, state and local levels, in support of the enactment of national health-care legislation, including the provisions, principles, and coverage of S-3 and HR-22. ***** ** 1973 Convention Tapes Available Tapes of the 1973 Knoxville convention, at ips 1 7/8, are available from Francis Morton, 127 Rural Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 37209. Those interested are asked to send two 1,800-ft. reels (Do Not send money, please!) and a self-addressed mailer. Proceedings of the Third Annual Editors Workshop are available on one 7-inch, 4-track reel, at ips 1 7/8. Send $1.50 to Walter Schreiner, 230 Storey, Topeka, Kansas 66606. The first annual meeting of ACB's Committee for Deaf-Blind Adults is also available on tape. For full information, write to Boyd C. Wolfe, Jr., 74 N. Huron Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43204. ***** ** Report on Proceedings of the Seminar on Citizen Consumer Participation By Reese Robrahn A group of 58 citizen consumers, all of whom were blind or visually impaired, assembled on July 15, 1973, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Knoxville, Tennessee, to participate in and conduct a planning seminar on consumer participation. The proceedings were chaired by Judge Reese Robrahn, who was most ably assisted by a panel of three: Dr. Larry D. Baker, Assistant Professor of Management and Organizational Behavior, School of Business, University of Missouri at St. Louis; Floyd Qualls, President of the American Council of the Blind and Executive Manager of the Oklahoma League for the Blind; and Durward K. McDaniel, National Representative of the American Council. The seminar was convened upon invitation issued by President Qualls, as the result of an unusually high incidence of response to a survey questionnaire mailed by the American Council to all agencies serving the blind and visually handicapped. Invitations were directed to citizen consumers who are blind or visually impaired, and who now represent or have recently represented users of services for the blind and visually handicapped, in the capacities of adviser, consultant policy-maker, or planner with agencies providing programs and services for the blind and visually handicapped. The seminar constituted itself as a commission and adopted the following resolution, which was submitted for consideration of, the convention of the American Council of the Blind and was unanimously concurred in and confirmed by it. * Resolution Adopted by the Commission on Citizen Consumer Participation at the Annual Convention of the American Council of the Blind, Knoxville, Tennessee, July 15, 1973 WHEREAS, during the last decade the principle of citizen consumer participation of advisers, consultants, and policy-makers and planners in the affairs of government and the community, at all levels, has been recognized and accepted generally as an appropriate and necessary function of our system of democracy; and WHEREAS, more and more citizens who are blind or visually impaired are being selected to serve on advisory and policy-making and planning committees, boards and commissions, and like bodies, of agencies, both public and private, which provide programs and services to children and adults who are blind or visually impaired; and WHEREAS, it is not only appropriate and desirable, but it is the established right and duty of citizen consumers who are blind or visually impaired, to serve in such capacities as to all agencies providing services to the blind and visually impaired; and WHEREAS, there is a dearth of literature and information on the subject of consumer participation, especially in the area of programs and services to the blind and visually impaired; and WHEREAS, many citizens who are blind or visually impaired, so selected to represent the users of such services, profess the lack of knowledge and adequate information as to some or all aspects of such programs and services; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by this Commission of citizens who are blind or visually impaired, called into convention by the American Council of the Blind at the Hyatt-Regency Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, this 15th day of July, 1973, that this Commission respectfully calls upon the President of the American Council of the Blind to appoint an appropriate commission of citizens who are blind or visually impaired, and charge such commission with the following office: 1. Study and recommend and implement, where possible, ways and means to develop literature for the dissemination on the subject of our concerns here, as set forth above. 2. Study and recommend and implement, where possible, ways and means to conduct workshops and training seminars on the subject of our concerns here. 3. Study and recommend and implement, where possible, ways and means to provide consultative services and expertise to legislative bodies and other agencies, both public and private, on the subject of our concerns here. 4. Study and recommend an appropriate structure for the ongoing organization to implement fully our concerns here. And, further, this Commission respectfully calls upon the President of the American Council of the Blind to reconvene in 1974 such appointive commission and a like body of citizen consumers who are blind or visually impaired. Respectfully submitted, Reese Robrahn, Chairman * Resolution 73-08 BE IT RESOLVED by the American Council of the Blind, in convention assembled at Knoxville, Tennessee, this 21st day of July, 1973, that this convention concurs in and affirms the resolution adopted and reported by the Commission of Blind and Visually Impaired Citizen Consumers. ***** ** Seminar on Special Education By Otis Stephens Among the first of the pre-convention meetings was a Seminar on Special Education held Sunday afternoon, July 15, and attended by approximately fifty ACB members. Professor Eugene Doll of the University of Tennessee, a specialist in the teaching of children with multiple handicaps, served as a guest participant. ACB members taking part in the seminar included teachers and administrators in educational programs for the visually impaired in states representing all regions of the country. Discussion of major priorities and problems, with particular reference to the educational needs of blind children, was wide-ranging, vigorous and informative. Subjects receiving principal attention were: (1) The problems of meeting the unique needs of blind students at a time when nation-wide trends appear to favor broad approaches to the field of special education. It was pointed out that children with visual impairments comprise only a small minority of the total number of students requiring special educational services and that approaches currently in vogue threaten to undo much of the progress previously made in developing effective teaching and learning programs for the blind. (2) The related problem posed by the enrollment of growing numbers of multi-handicapped students in residential schools for the blind. According to several participants, this factor is contributing to the serious erosion of educational standards in many of these schools. (3) The greater use of residential schools as resource centers for the education of blind persons of all ages on a state-wide basis. A number of residential schools are moving in this direction, and we were given an interesting description of the resource program recently begun at the Idaho School for the Blind. (4) The great difficulty of providing and maintaining adequate educational standards for blind students in general, and for those in rural areas in particular. Much was said about the glaring lack of uniformity in such programs, not only from one state to another, but at county and municipal levels within a single state as well. It was the general consensus of opinion that a serious and sustained effort must be made to retain the quality of existing programs at a time when school budgets are tight and the particular needs of blind students are not receiving sufficient attention in the field of special education. * Resolution 73-06 WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind recognizes that substantial progress has been made in the field of special education, with particular reference to the needs of blind children, but that development in this field has not kept pace with innovations in other educational areas; and WHEREAS, residential school and public school programs, both of which occupy important places within the total system of education for the visually impaired, should place primary emphasis on sound educational standards; and WHEREAS, visually impaired children are entitled to full educational opportunities as a matter of right; and WHEREAS, no well-defined mechanism exists through which blind persons can influence the development of programs of special education; and WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind should assist blind persons in urging improvement in educational facilities and resources available to blind children; and WHEREAS, the Special Education Seminar held at the Hyatt-Regency Hotel, Knoxville, Tennessee, on July 15, 1973, brought forth strong expressions of interest in and demand for standards of high quality in special education of blind persons, both at elementary and secondary school levels; and in the field of continuing adult education; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the American Council of the Blind in assembly on this 21st day of July, 1973, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Knoxville, Tennessee, authorize the establishment of an Institute for Special Education, to serve within the Council, as a channel through which our organization can inform and educate the public, and in particular the blind population, of problems, needs, and alternative solutions in this area, and to provide a mechanism for advocating the teaching of systems and practices that have proved to be effective, and the establishment and improvement of all other special-education services wherever needed throughout the country. ***** ** Editors Workshop by M. Helen Vargo A critical look at organizational publications and articles was seen as the most valuable benefit of this year's Editors Workshop, according to many of the 50-plus participants in Knoxville, Tennessee. This was the third such workshop sponsored by the Board of Publications of the American Council of the Blind. Presenters and authority presenters included Floyd Qualls, President, ACB; Mrs. Loretta Freeman, former columnist for the Braille Forum; and Don O. Nold, Editor of Dialogue. Editors of chapter and affiliate bulletins, and prospective editors of such publications, requested the Board of Publications to design a workshop which would help them to improve their know-how to serve their readership through higher quality bulletins, regardless of the size or format. Considerable attention was also devoted to possible methods of financing these publications, and included consideration of how Postal Regulation 138 influences the cost of distribution. Participants requested a fourth workshop, which will be scheduled for Chicago, just prior to the 1974 ACB annual convention. ***** ** Kentucky Cancellations: What Do They Mean to the Blind of Kentucky? EDITOR'S NOTE: Prompted by the last-minute cancellation of two speakers, both Kentuckians, from the 1973 Knoxville convention, the following letter was written by Mr. W. A. Routh to the Honorable Wendell Ford, Governor of Kentucky. In forwarding a copy of his letter to the Braille Forum, Mr. Routh expressed the hope that pertinent correspondence dealing with the participation of these speakers in, and their subsequent withdrawal from, the 1973 convention might also be published. * August 24, 1973 Dear Governor: Will you kindly advise me of the status and current personnel of the Statutory Advisory Committee, Division of Service for the Blind? I was a member of the original committee appointed by Governor A.B. Chandler and continued serving during the administrations of Governor Burt Combs, Governor Edward Breathitt, and Governor Louis B. Nunn. The Committee was little more than window-dressing and never functioned properly. The chairman exerted no authority. The director of the Division, an active member of the National Federation of the Blind, succeeded in having himself made secretary to the Committee, setting the time and place for the infrequent meetings, and controlled its activities. Little business of a substantive nature was ever transacted. As a long-time member of the Statutory Advisory Committee and former member of the Kentucky General Assembly, I am deeply concerned by the involvement of the Director of the Division of Services for the Blind in the affairs of the National Federation of the Blind and the Director's susceptibility to the influence of that organization's president, Mr. Kenneth Jernigan, of Des Moines, Iowa. It is a deplorable commentary on the permissive processes of government in the Commonwealth when a research scientist at the University of Louisville and an assistant director of the Division of Services for the Blind can be intimidated by threats of reprisal by influences outside of our State had they persisted in keeping their commitment to address some eight hundred delegates of the American Council of the Blind meeting in Knoxville, Tennessee, the 18th day of July. Dr. Emerson Foulke, a research scientist at the University of Louisville, was so threatened by telephone and telegrams from the National Federation of the Blind that Mr. Stuart Gatewood, Assistant Director of the Division of Services for the Blind, had his appointment cancelled by a letter from the Director stating that he had talked with members of the National Federation of the Blind while he was attending a convention in New York City who had advised him that it would be inadvisable for Mr. Gatewood to keep his appointment. Neither time nor space will permit a detailed enumeration of the nefarious and devious practices of the Director of the Division for the Blind. Many of these acts are reprehensible, and some are suspect of chicanery, if not worse. It is a question of whether or not the Director has the ability, the integrity, or the initiative essential for competent administration of the department that he heads. Many of the more than 7,000 blind people in Kentucky feel that a thorough investigation and complete audit of the Division of Services for the Blind is urgently needed. If you desire more specific information, I can furnish it. Indeed, I shall welcome an appointment to discuss the affair at your convenience. The following letters were written by Mr. T.V. Cranmer, Director Division of Services for the Blind, Commonwealth of Kentucky, to Mr. Durward K. McDaniel, National Representative, American Council of the Blind: * March 15, 1973 Dear Durward: May I suggest that you accept Mr. Stuart Gatewood as a speaker for the American Council of the Blind program at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, July 20, concerning some of the innovations in the program for the blind in Kentucky. Mr. Gatewood can report on our integration of blind students into the public vocational educational schools, as well as our most successful interim employment program for all blind college students and graduates. Kentucky is among the first to be able to guarantee to every blind college student summer work in a variety of fields, including state parks, office experience, practice counseling, public-health work, and a wide variety of other state jobs. Furthermore, Kentucky is in a position to guarantee at least one year of employment to every blind college graduate in a professional position in the Government. This is accomplished through a formalized arrangement with the State Department of Personnel. Kentucky has many programs to be proud of, and we hope that you will invite Mr. Gatewood to share this information with the many blind Americans attending this convention. * July 10, 1973 Dear Mr. McDaniel: While attending the National Federation of the Blind convention in New York City, the Kentucky delegates held a caucus at which they passed a motion urging the Director of Services for the Blind to refrain from contributing to the convention program of the American Council of the Blind. Since all of our State chapters were represented at this caucus, I must conclude that our attendance at the ACB convention would offend the organized blind of our state. I have therefore advised Mr. Stuart Gatewood of the necessity to withdraw from the ACB program. While I cannot experience empathy for the organization which you represent, I nevertheless wish you every personal success. ***** ** Hadley School Seeks Consumer Guidance The Hadley School for the Blind is considering development of one or more of the following free correspondence courses and will appreciate your guidance as a potential "consumer:' Please list the THREE courses you would most like to see added to the Hadley curriculum and send your vote to: Research Department, The Hadley School for the Blind, 700 Elm Street, Winnetka, Illinois 60093. Please also indicate your preference in having the courses of your recommendation developed in Braille, on cassettes, on open-reel tapes, or in large print. Courses under consideration are: 1. Braille Speed Reading 2. Courtship, Marriage, and Family 3. Career Training for Legal Secretaries 4. Home Repairs by the Blind Householder. 5. How to Write Legible Script 6. You and Your Eyes (hygiene, disease, treatment) 7. Great Religions of the World 8. Playing to Win at Chess 9. Listening for Pleasure and Profit 10. Astrology for Fun and Conversation ***** ** Utah IRS Director Named to National Post Mr. Robert H. Terry, Director of the Ogden, Utah IRS Service Center for the past ten years, was recently named Assistant Commissioner for Accounts Collection and Taxpayer Service, Washington, D.C., effective August 19. Twice the recipient of IRS Commissioner awards for exemplary leadership and management ability, he will have functional responsibility for ten IRS Service Centers, plus collection and taxpayer service activities, on the national level. Mr. Terry has guided the growth of the tax processing operation in Utah from a remodeled warehouse to a modern $11 million facility which hires over 3,000 employees during peak seasons. Along with growth in the physical plant, however, he has also guided a growth in the utilization of human resources. Among the increasing number of handicapped employees at the Western Service Center, five blind workers are now serving on a permanent, full-time basis. Faith in the value of every human being as an individual is the mark of a true leader. To such faith can be attributed Mr. Terry's interest in the handicapped. And in turn, these handicapped employees themselves have done much to guide and strengthen that interest. This was clearly evident when, in the fall of 1972, Mr. Terry played an active role in the annual convention of the Utah Council of the Blind. Speaking at that convention, he pointed out the importance of dealing with people, not with blindness. "In IRS, we have a number of occupations represented in the blind family," he said, "attorney, economist, computer programmer, IRS agent, taxpayer service representative, tax technician, clerk, clerk typist." When asked about the possibility of blind persons serving in a supervisory capacity, his reply was: "As they get to know what's going on, there is no reason at all why they cannot use this knowledge in directing the work of other people. ... The main task is convincing people throughout the Center that there are jobs blind people can do." In the course of a discussion of the Optacon, Mr. Terry was asked whether he would consider it within the province of IRS to buy such equipment as part of the tools for an employee. Although unfamiliar with the work being done in the reading-aids field, his attitude was, "Perhaps we could at least get one or two units and run a pilot study on this particular kind of approach." Today the work skills of two girls at the Ogden-Center have been greatly broadened by use of Visual Tek. NaDeen Hackwell, so well known to many ACB members, has never before seen well enough to use print. Yet now she fills out her own time sheet, does some filing, routes forms and mail to departments throughout the Center, and aids in various clerical sorting and alphabetizing duties. Though Mr. Terry will be missed in Utah, his broader leadership on the national level is a contribution of which his home state can be justly proud. ***** ** RCA Audio Center -- New Low Price WHILE THE SUPPLY LASTS: The radio that is more than just a radio, the RCA Audio Center Model RZC375W is now available at the greatly reduced price of $20.60, plus $.50 shipping charge and any applicable local sales taxes. The Audio Center covers the standard AM and FM bands, as well as VHF and UHF TV audio. All dials and switches are marked in braille symbols. The unit contains a 4-inch speaker for clear, full-bodied sound, even at high volume levels; built-in antennas for AM, FM, VHF and UHF; solid-state construction; plastic cabinet finished in simulated walnut grain; measures 3 3/4 by 13 1/4 by 7 1/4 in. Those interested should send a letter-order and check (being sure to give complete shipping instructions including Zip code) to: R.F. Cage, Manager, Special Sales, RCA Sales, Inc., P.O. Box 11009, Indianapolis, Indiana 46301. ***** ** Legislative Roundup By Durward K. McDaniel As we go to press, legislation dealing with labor, HEW appropriations, funding for libraries, adult-education amendments, elementary-and secondary-education amendments, air-travel fare concessions, vocational rehabilitation amendments, copyright amendments, and amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act are at various stages. Some of them will become law. Presidential vetoes are probable on some of these important measures. An updated report will appear in the next issue. The following have been finally enacted: Older Americans Act Amendments -- Continuing Resolution to September 30, 1973 (which permits the expenditure of funds for several programs of importance to our readers, even though authorizations have not been extended and appropriations have not been made), and the second supplemental appropriation, retroactive for fiscal year 1973, which is effective for expenditure through September 30, 1973, and which provides some funds for vocational rehabilitation, including the National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults. Congress adopted liberalizing amendments dealing with social services, which counteract earlier legislation and Administration policy. The effective date of rules and regulations promulgated earlier this year was extended to November and a requirement was made that future regulations must be approved by a majority of the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance. It is much too soon to predict the outcome of this contest between the Legislative and Executive branches on the issue of social services. New amendments have been enacted to the Supplemental Security Income Program, Title XVI, which goes into effect next January. Effective next July, the amount of the benefit for a fully eligible individual will be $140.00 per month (a $10.00 increase), and the amount for a fully eligible couple will be $210.00 per month (a $15.00 increase). Another amendment provides for the considering of the financial needs of an ineligible person who is essential to the well-being of the beneficiary and who resides in his or her home. This "essential person" provision is common in the expiring federal/state welfare programs. Its inclusion in Title XVI will liberalize benefits in such cases but it applies only to those who are receiving such benefits under the federal/state program in December, 1973. This more liberal provision will not be available to those who qualify for benefits initially in or after January, 1974. Still another amendment affects state supplementation of Federal benefits which begin in January, 1974. Originally the supplementation was entirely optional for each state, but it had become clear that some of the states would not supplement the new Federal benefit enough to equal present grants to adult recipients. Therefore, as an inducement to such states, the law now requires state supplementation of Federal benefits up to present levels as a condition to the State's receiving Federal matching funds for Medicaid programs, Title XIX, which will continue to be a federal/state program. However, this lever for supplementation will not affect those states in which welfare grants do not exceed the amount to be paid to eligible individuals and couples in the new Federal program. As in the "essential person" amendment discussed above, this new supplementation provision applies only to persons who are receiving assistance in December, 1973, through a federal/state welfare program. It will not apply in any state which has a constitutional restriction affecting such payments. A state could decide to forego Federal matching for its Medicaid program ana thereby avoid supplementing payments. As we go to press, it is too soon to know what all of the affected states will do. There are strong rumors that one or more of the states will challenge this provision in litigation. When this measure was originally before the Senate Committee on Finance, the Council urged an amendment to give handicapped employees of state welfare agencies the privilege of transferring to Federal employment because of the inevitable reductions in force which will occur. But the final enactment last year did not include the amendment. However, the most recent amendments provided a qualified preference for state employees who are displaced by the change in programs. The preference applies to state employees, without reference to any handicap. There are many blind employees in state welfare agencies who may be affected by this new preference. Applications for employment may be made at any Social Security district office. Such applications should be made without delay. ***** ** Dialogue Sponsors Writers Seminar A seminar for aspiring blind writers will be sponsored this October by Dialogue, recorded and brailled magazine, according to an announcement issued by Dialogue's editor-publisher, Don O. Nold. The three-day session will be held at the Oak Park Arms Hotel, Oak Park, Illinois, on October 26, 27, and 28. Several nationally known celebrities in the authors field will appear under the direction of Annette Victorin, editor of Dialogue's library section. One of these will be Miss Gwendolyn Brooks, Pulitzer-Prize-winning poet, who is scheduled to speak at the Saturday luncheon. Og Manvino, editor and president of Success Unlimited, a national magazine for those seeking a better life through self-improvement will speak at the Sunday luncheon. His talk, "What Editors Look For," will clue participants on how to write selling articles. Bernice Clifton, successful blind author of several books, will join Mrs. Victorin in discussing how to organize material for book publication. Her book, NONE SO BLIND, has won rave notices from many critics and was recorded on talking-book discs. Dialogue has received tentative acceptance from several famous writers and editors. Registration is $25.00 for each participant, $10.00 of which must be paid in advance as a deposit. Final date to send deposit is October 1 to be assured of a reservation. Deposits will be accepted later only if vacancies or cancellations permit. This $25.00 fee includes reception, Saturday and Sunday luncheons, and all materials provided for future study. Special room rates are being secured for pre-registrants. Send $10.00 deposit with your name and address to Dialogue, Berwyn, Illinois 60402. ***** ** State Convention Highlights "Progress of the Organization and Where It Stands in the State of Iowa" was the theme of the welcoming address by President Lyle Williams at the opening session of the 1973 convention of the Iowa Council of the Blind, held June 22-24. Following the usual chapter and committee reports, the program boasted an outstanding array of speakers on various subjects of concern to the blind of Iowa, among them education, welfare, and employment. Mr. Charles Woodcock, Superintendent of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, Vinton, addressed the convention on "Progress and Changes in the School." Mrs. Norma Vance, Assistant Director of the State Department of Social Services, spoke concerning "Welfare of the Blind and Changes in the Offing." This was followed by an address by Mr. Ed Kelly, Supervisor of Special Services Employment Security Services Commission, on "The Blind Individual and Employment Services for the Blind." As somewhat of a change of pace, Mr. James Vogelaer, new director of Radio Station KIOA of Des Moines took as his topic "Communications and Public Relations." Mr. Vogelaer continued his active role in the convention, presiding as master of ceremonies at the Saturday night banquet. Among awards presented at the banquet was the Joseph Klosterman Award, given this year to Mr. Joseph Sangman, Jr., of Waterloo, for his unselfish service and concern rendered on behalf of the blind of Iowa. The Chester Hill Award was presented to Mr. Ted Hunter, retired engineer of Collins Radio, formerly of Iowa City. Mr. Hunter invented the container for transporting the eye for corneal transplants, donating $4,000.00 of his own money to perfect the invention. He was instrumental in starting the Eye Emergency Net of ham radio operators. Since its beginning, there have been some 6,000 cornea transplants. Highlighting the banquet was an address by Floyd Qualls, President of the American Council of the Blind and Executive Manager of the Oklahoma League for the Blind. His topic was, "Here We Are, and Where Are We Going? If Not Me, Who, and If Not Now, When? And How Far, Can the Blind Penetrate into the Society of This Country?" The 1974 convention will be held in Waterloo, Iowa. ***** ** "Theoretical Breakthrough" in Study of Eye Diseases (Reprinted from the Boston Globe, Aug. 18, 1973.) A Boston eye specialist and a Cambridge physicist have claimed "a theoretical breakthrough" in understanding why many eye diseases block out vision and in suggesting what might be done to restore sight. Their work, just published as a book-length treatise, has thus far produced no breakthroughs in treatment for victims of common eye disorders, such as cataracts. However, according to Dr. David Miller, one of the authors, their theories illuminate dozens of new approaches to treatment of cataracts, scarring of the eyes caused by injury, and other conditions that cause cloudiness in eye tissues that are normally transparent. "There are probably 100,000 separate eye disorders and most of them lead to opacity of these clear tissues," noted Dr. Miller, chief of ophthalmology at Beth Israel Hospital. Miller and his collaborator, Prof. George Benedek of MIT, assert that the milky or scarred portions of the lens or cornea caused by disease or injury should not be thought of as opaque -- or, as they put it, as "brick walls." Currently medical practice holds that the only way to restore sight in such cases is to remove the obstruction and fit a thick corrective lens or to attempt to cornea transplant. But it may be possible in 10 or 15 years, say Miller and Benedek, to compensate for the obstructions rather than to resort to surgery to remove them. Miller explained in an interview: "The cloudy obstructions don't hold back the light. But they scatter it so it is unintelligible." An appropriate analogy would be radio static, which is as nonsensical to the ear as the scattered light is to the eye. With this observation -- backed by detailed description of the physics of light scattering -- Miller and Benedek claim that it should be possible to unscramble" or "reclaim" the light, reversing the optical effects of the cataract or clouded area. To prove it they borrowed some concepts from a Burlington research firm that was under contract from the Army to figure out how to "look" through clouds to track missiles and planes. "Cloud structure," Miller explained, "is not that dissimilar from a cataract, at a very basic level. In other words, they both appear opaque because they scatter light waves in all directions rather than allowing them to pass through uninterrupted." With the help of George Reynolds and Joel Zuckerman of Technical Operations, Inc., and a two-year grant from the Army, Miller and, Benedek devised a way to "unscramble" light dispersed by a cataract. First, they took a cataract removed from a human eye and mounted it in a frame. Then they took the absolutely uniform green light of an argon laser and shined it through the cataract, while part of the laser beam was reflected by mirrors onto a piece of film. The film, struck by both the reflected laser light from the mirror and the cataract, was literally etched by the light into a precise "map" of the minute peaks and valleys in the cataract. Such a "map" is called a hologram. By making a reverse image of the hologram, they found that they had a perfect lens for "unscrambling" light that passed through the cloudy cataract. Using the hologram filtering lens, they made a cloudy cataract appear relatively clear again -- clear enough to read an eye chart through. "The hologram is easy as heck to make on the laboratory bench," Miller said. "The problem is making a hologram when the cataract is inside the eye." To do this, it would be necessary either to get a laser light source inside the eye or to devise a way to put a reflective surface in the eyeball, off of which to bounce the laser light. Even if this problem is solved, there will be others. For one thing, so far the hologram "lens" will unscramble only laser light. "To see well with this system," Miller said, "a person would have to be in a room illuminated with laser light." Second, the hologram "lens" would have to be fixed at a perfectly precise distance from the eye. This problem might be solved through use of a specially constructed contact lens. Miller and Benedek are convinced that the problem can be overcome, but the Beth Israel ophthalmologist acknowledged that it might be "10 or 15 years" before there is a practical alternative to eye surgery. ***** ** A.S.C.I.I. Could Spell Jobs Reprinted from Washington Reporter The letters A.S.C.I.I. stand for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. With prompt effective action on the part of influential people those same letters might have stood for jobs for thousands of blind workers. The code consists of dits or electrical impulses which a teletype machine or a computer translates into letters and numbers. These impulse configurations do not correspond to print letters in any way and thus the code which uses them could have been based on the same numerical system as the Braille alphabet. Dot one in Braille could have been set down as "dit" or impulse number one; "b," dots one and two, as impulses one and two, and so forth. If this had been done ten years ago at the time the ASCII code was adopted, most of this country's teletypes and computers would today automatically be Braille writers with the connection of a relatively simple electric Brailler. But the ASCII code was not devised to correspond with Braille and an eleventh-hour effort to have Braille included as part of the code has apparently failed. Recently the National Bureau of Standards undertook a study on whether to expand the ASCII code from its original six "dits" to seven. At that time Eric Fray of Oak Park, Illinois, wrote to the bureau urging that the Braille alphabet be included among the expanded character possibilities created by the seventh "dit" or impulse. Dr. Ruth Davis, a bureau staff member, responded with a rather inaccurate memo to the effect that Braille is incompatible with regular type because of necessary extra characters in Braille such as the capital and the number sign. Obviously, Braille readers would be glad to do without these characters in exchange for the great advantage of being able to read directly from The Associated Press wire or The New York Stock Exchange ticker. Eric Fray did not have the backing of any organization of blind persons and so his request, made in the interest of all the blind, was dismissed without serious consideration. If blind persons all over the country had been made aware of what was at stake and had chosen a skilled representative to plead their case in Washington, the outcome might well have been different. The lesson so painfully reinforced by this ASCII fiasco is that lack of communication is still the biggest handicap to be overcome by those who cannot see. The American Council of the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind have ways of communicating with their individual members but so far no one has been able to come up with a means of reaching all blind persons in the country with a single piece of information at the same time. We do not have any miracle remedies to propose but we do suggest that unless communications are improved among all blind people, more opportunities will be wasted like the one lost when the American Standard Code for Information Interchange needlessly bypassed Braille. ***** ** Here and There By Lowell Holland The Social Security Administration, in cooperation with Social and Rehabilitation Services of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare and the Library of Congress, has recently published five of its information pamphlets in braille. These pamphlets include: "Disability Benefits for Blind People," "Estimating Your Social Security Retirement Check," "Your Medicare Handbook," "Your Social Security," and "If You Become Disabled". These pamphlets have been revised to include the 1972 amendments to the Social Security law. It is planned that updated replacement pages will be furnished as further changes occur in the law. Because of the many requests the SSA will be unable to provide braille editions of these pamphlets on an individual basis. However, a distribution pattern has been developed to make the braille editions available for ready reference to the visually handicapped. Braille editions of all five Social Security pamphlets have been mailed to Schools For The Blind, Rehabilitation Centers For The Blind, National Organizations of the Blind, State Agencies For The Blind, and Regional Libraries of Congress. Individuals may have access to the braille editions through any of the above-named sources. From the BVA Bulletin: The Blinded Veterans Association has recently announced expansion of its field service program through funds provided by the Veterans Administration. A field service director and three field representatives have been employed who will each serve a designated geographic area of the United States. Each has been accredited as a national service officer with the Veterans Administration and will be able to assist blinded veterans with claims and other services for which they may qualify. The field representatives will also conduct public relations activities and work closely with other agencies and organizations for the blind to develop employment opportunities and other services for blinded veterans. The field service staff, their addresses, and geographic areas served are as follows: Dennis R. Wyant, Field Service Director, 1735 DeSales Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20036, Southeast Region; Don E. Garner, 1421 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, Northeast Region; Buddy D. Spivey, 700 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201, Central United States; Robert G. Utley, 49 4th Street, San Francisco, California 94103, Western Region. From the Topeka State Journal: Braille bus schedules believed to be the first in the nation are available to blind patrons of Topeka's Intracity Transit System. Announcement of the new service was made by representatives of the Bus System and of Agencies which cooperated in the project. H.R. DeTournay, Executive Vice President of American Transit Corporation of St. Louis, which manages the Topeka Bus System, called the braille schedules a "true innovation" in service to bus patrons. "We fully expect the braille bus schedule to be adopted by every public transit system in the country, and within a very short time, become a service that is standard," he said. The idea for the braille schedule was conceived by ATC and carried out in cooperation with the Lions Club of Topeka, Kansas Services For The Blind, and American Red Cross volunteer braille transcribers. The braille schedules will be sent to blind patrons on request at no charge. Schedules are also offered in large type for patrons with partial sight. From the Lantern: "The times, or more specifically today's pupils, require us to place more emphasis on vocational training." The Perkins School, which has previously described its program as almost entirely prevocational, is stepping out on a new path. The work experience program which was introduced two years ago by the Industrial Arts Department on a small scale has proved its worth and will be expanded. Courses will be given in Business Education including salesmanship and canteen management, transcription typing and office practice, child management, and a course in vocational information. The Department of Psychology and Guidance will also administer a series of evaluative tests which measure aptitudes in manipulative skills as well as general intelligence. Pupils' progress will be carefully followed as their abilities and interests develop. They will be encouraged to pursue specific goals. Additional attention will be given to training in daily living skills and self-care. The Home Economics Department will be enlarged, new laundry facilities will be established, and a new student kitchen will be set up. From Recording For The Blind News: In a significant breakthrough, David W. Hartman, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania, has been admitted to Temple University's Medical School in Philadelphia, the second such blind person in history. Mr. Hartman plans to take all the medical courses which sighted students take toward becoming a psychiatrist in rehabilitation. American Medical Association records indicate there have been at least nineteen practicing blind physicians since 1900 of whom all but one lost their sight after graduation from Medical School -- Public Law 92-318 now makes it illegal for a college or university receiving federal funds to refuse to enroll students because of blindness. The American Civil Liberties Union stands ready to advise students who feel they are being illegally discriminated against -- Peter, the Revolutionary Tsar, a major new biography by blind author, Peter Putnam, who serves on RFB Board of Directors, has been published by Harper and Row. The Hadley School for the Blind has announced publication of a book entitled "Independent Living Without Sight and Hearing." The book was written by Richard Kinney, Executive Director of the school. In the Foreword of the book, Jeannie Ridenour, Public Relations Director of the Hadley School, comments as follows: "Unique in being written by a deaf-blind educator for use by deaf-blind young people and adults, 'Independent Living Without Sight and Hearing' is offered in the ink print edition as an illuminating and helpful resource to friends and families of deaf-blind persons, to professional workers with the blind or the deaf, to teachers and schools active in special education, to doctors, nurses, dentists, attorneys, and others likely to encounter the dual handicap at some time in the course of their work, and to all members of the public who will welcome authoritative, yet entertainingly presented, insight into the lives of a little known group." It is the basic textbook for a correspondence course offered by the Hadley School For The Blind to braille reading deaf-blind persons throughout the world. Deaf-blind persons are invited to write to the School for further information as are blind persons threatened by hearing loss, deaf persons facing potential serious visual impairment, teachers and professional workers in relevant fields and friends and relatives of persons who are deaf-blind. Address inquiries to Department of Studies For The Deaf-Blind, Hadley School For The Blind, 700 Elm Street, Winnetka, Illinois 60093. From New Life: One of the most far-reaching programs at the Arkansas Enterprises For The Blind is the training offered for professional workers with the blind. Since the program was formalized in 1969 more than 150 professionals have received specialized training at the Rehabilitation Center. The program is coordinated by AEB Director of Research and Staff Development, Dr. Allan L. Ward. Practical professional training and internships are provided in eight areas including orientation and mobility, home teaching, rehabilitation teaching, counseling, speech therapy, social work, rehabilitation education, and the training of rehabilitation teachers in specific areas such as braille, abacus, etc. According to Contact, published by the Massachusetts Association For The Blind, The Sheraton Ocean Park Inn located in the heart of the Cape Cod National Sea Shore opened in May offering special services to the visually and physically handicapped. For those confined to wheelchairs, ground floor access to rooms and wide doors to all necessary facilities are available. Menus are in braille and large type for the visually handicapped. A tactile map of the Inn's layout assists in giving directions to the pool, sauna bath, cocktail lounge, dining rooms and other facilities. Mary T. Prussman of Marketing Public Relations, Sheraton Park Inn, is most enthusiastic about the special services. From Children of the Silent Night (Perkins School Newsletter): "A Handbook for Parents of Deaf-Blind Children" developed by the staff of the Deaf-Blind Department at the Michigan School For The Blind has been translated into Spanish. Both the Spanish from and the English versions are available at no charge from A. Charles Weir, Coordinator, Midwest Regional Center for Services to Deaf-Blind Children, Michigan School For The Blind, 175 Willow Street, Lansing, Michigan 48906. From The Rehabilitation Teacher: The Telephone Pioneers of Central Pennsylvania will be glad to record on cassette tape without charge for those desiring this service. This group is especially interested in recording current books and articles for professional staff who are visually handicapped. However, please do not send highly technical material. Mail all requests with materials and cassette tapes to Mrs. Alma Stewart, Bell Telephone Company, 210 Pine Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101. Evelyn C. McKay, 75, an early pioneer in work for the blind died May 29 1973. One of the original professional staff which created the role of the American Foundation for the Blind in work for the Blind, she served as Associate Editor of the Outlook for the Blind from 1931 to 1943. At her instigation, a committee on statistics was established between the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness and AFB, resulting in standardization of physician eye reports and classification by amount of vision. She promoted the training and certification of home teachers through summer courses she organized at Western Reserve and the University of Michigan. Upon her retirement from AFB, she helped found and served as Executive Director of the Louis Braille Foundation for Blind Musicians. ***** ** 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 ###