The Braille Forum
Vol. XIII July-August 1974 No. 1

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

* President:
Floyd Qualls
106 N.E. 2nd Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73104

* National Representative:
Durward K. McDaniel
818 18th Street, N.W.
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20006

* Editor:
Mary T. Ballard
190 Lattimore Road
Rochester, NY 14620 
(716) 244-8364

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.

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** Contents

Notice to Subscribers

Citizens Committee for the Blind, by Hollis Liggett

New Affiliates in ACB

On a Bicycle Built for Two, by Bud Keith

Expo '75 -- An ACB Special

Tennessee Voters Rights Case, by Durward K. McDaniel

Seeing the World: Sights and Sounds in Australia, by Joseph Wiedenmayer

From Rags to Riches

High-School Equivalency, by Kathy Megivern

Dialogue with the Newly Blind

Artificial Eye Allows Blind to "See"

Legislative Roundup, by Durward K. McDaniel

Tattleoon

Four-Track Cassette Player Available

A Home Like Any Other

State Convention Highlights:
- Educating the Imagination, by Billie Elder
- Washington Council of the Blind 1974 Convention, by Alice Bankston
- Old Organization Celebrates First Anniversary with ACB, by Gerald Eckery

Blind Cadet Gets Squadron Post

Here and There, by Anthony Cimino

ACB Officers

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** 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 cassette (ips 1 7/8). 

Subscriptions and address changes for all four editions should be sent to Floyd Qualls, 106 N.E. 2nd Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104. 

Those much needed and appreciated cash contributions may be sent to ACB Treasurer J. Edward Miller, 2621 Chesterfield Avenue, 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: " _____ %of my net estate"; or: "the following described property: ... ". 

"Said bequest is made and devised to be used for the Council's 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.

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** Citizens Committee for the Blind
By Hollis Liggett

In 1967 there was established in Memphis a unique kind of an organization, the Citizens Committee for the Blind. It was founded by Henry Loeb, who has twice been mayor of Memphis and is now probably the most powerful political figure in the county -- perhaps in the State. But more important, he has had a deep and abiding interest in helping the handicapped, and especially the blind. Most people who know him will agree that he has done more for the handicapped of this community than all of the agencies combined.

When the Committee was established, the vending stand at the Memphis Art Academy was about to be lost because of some misunderstandings between the operator and the director of the Academy. Loeb went before the Board of Directors of the Academy as a private citizen and pleaded that the stand not be removed. He saved the location. It was Mr. Loeb's hope that the Committee would get into problems of this kind and resolve them before they became critical. 

This is how Mr. Loeb went about organizing the Committee: He invited several of the leading ministers of the city, leaders from various civic organizations -- especially organizations of the blind and officials from public agencies serving the blind -- to participate in the organization, thus giving it a broad base of support and wide representation in the community. 

Mr. Phil Baldwin, a retired executive from Sears and a permanent Lion, was chosen as the first chairman. By-laws were adopted and officers selected. The Committee began its operation with monthly luncheon meetings. The Memphis Association of the Blind, the Progressive Guild of the Blind, and some private citizens made financial contributions. However, we decided in the beginning that we would not get into the business of raising money, nor assume financial obligations of any consequence. The idea central to its formation was that the Committee could bring together the participating groups in order to coordinate their activities, to eliminate wasteful duplication, and to provide a forum where divergent ideas and opinions could be aired. 

The Committee did not develop along the lines originally planned. The preachers were busy and never did catch fire with the enthusiasm which Mr. Loeb had. Chairman Baldwin soon got involved in a new business venture which took him out of the city frequently, and he finally resigned because he could not devote the necessary time. A professor at Memphis State University agreed to take over the chairmanship and the Committee continued to grow in numbers and in prestige in the community. 

Surprisingly, the employees at the state agency for the blind have proved to be some of our most valuable members. I say surprisingly, because there has so often been hostility on the part of agency workers toward organizations of this kind -- and hostility on the part of many blind people toward agencies.

What has the Citizens Committee for the Blind accomplished? I would put uppermost the achievement of bringing together disparate and sometimes hostile groups and getting them to work for common goals. It is an accomplishment that leaders from local ACB and NFB organizations have been able to come together in this committee and discuss the problems faced by the blind of our community, and then to work hard on agreed objectives. 

There have been other, more tangible accomplishments. Soon after its formation, the Committee assisted in the passage of legislation which lowered the administrative fee levied on blind vendors from 5% to 3%. The major credit for this bill belongs to Bob Farley, a member of the Legislature at that time and now supervisor of the stand program in Tennessee. Bob is not blind, but he was one of the founders of the Memphis Association of the Blind and was a member of the Citizens Committee. Chairman Baldwin and Henry Loeb lent their support and played a significant part in combatting opposition to the bill which was quite formidable. Francis Morton of Nashville and other blind vendors throughout the State worked diligently for this legislation.

On a number of occasions, we have had blind individuals come before the Committee to make complaints about poor services or unfair treatment on the part of the state agency. Some have come just to ask for help in obtaining a job. We do not screen complaints, since such a procedure would destroy one of the chief purposes of the Committee. Blind people must have an impartial body to which they can appear and know they will be heard, whether or not their grievance is legitimate. 

During the recent legislative session, the Committee successfully sponsored two very important bills. The first makes it mandatory to establish vending stands for the blind on all State-owned property, unless there are already adequate food facilities in existence. The second is a use law ordering the State to purchase blind-made products when they are comparable in price and quality to other products. 

An effort was made last autumn to get legislation which would remove Services for the Blind from the Department of Public Welfare and establish it as a separate entity, with a board of directors chosen from the blind citizens of the State. We failed to get the grass-roots support which we thought we would have, so we postponed action until another session. Plans are under way in the meantime to get the message to the blind people across the state, and we believe we will have their support when they understand what we are trying to do. 

In April, 1973, Tommy Cox came to the Committee with a request for help. Tommy had operated the stand at the main Post Office for fourteen years. The Postal Service completed a big new facility and moved all of the work force from the main Post Office to the new building. Tommy moved, too, expecting to do much better because there were to be four times as many employees at the new installation. But the Postal Service had permitted an Employee Welfare Committee to contract with a vending-machine company for the operation of machines in the working area. And then to add to his woes, the Postmaster ordered the doors locked between the lobby and the work area so that Tommy was left with only the few transients who might pass through the lobby. His income was cut by more than half from what it had been before he moved. The proceeds from the vending machines are controlled and disbursed by the Employee Welfare Committee. The chairman of the Employee Welfare Committee told me that the money is used for sporting events. 

This is one of the most difficult problems which the Committee has tackled, and it remains unresolved (as of February 1974). Congressman Robin Beard interceded, citing provisions of postal regulations, and the Postal Service promised that the vendor's income will be supplemented from the machines enough to bring him up to the salary of the average employee at the installation. 

This is a rather sketchy outline of the work and makeup of the Citizens Committee for the Blind, but I hope I have told enough to give you an appreciation of what such a group can accomplish in your city and state. The influence and dynamic personality of Henry Loeb have been key factors in the success of our committee. Organizations can and should initiate action committees in every community and enlist the help of influential friends.

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** New Affiliates in ACB

The newest organization in the ACB is the American Council of the Blind of South Carolina. Its constitutional convention was held on June 15 in Columbia. By-laws were adopted, projects of interest discussed, and officers and directors were elected as follows: Rev. A.D. Croft of Greenwood, President; Ollie Bledsoe of North Augusta, First Vice President; Ralph Brockman of Greenville, Second Vice President; B.D. Gallman of Spartanburg, Third Vice President; Ellen Boone of Meggett, Secretary; Marvin Lowe of Anderson, Treasurer. Three directors are: Beulah Flynn of Columbia, Joseph B. Clements of Florence, and Mack Nettles of Spartanburg. The Braille Forum salutes South Carolina as the 46th affiliate of ACB. 

An earlier application for affiliation was approved for the National Alliance of Blind Students, which requests your cooperation in acquainting it with names and addresses of blind and visually impaired students throughout the country. Information may be sent to the president, C.E. Bradley, 5609 Rockwood, Oklahoma City, OK 73119, or to ACB's National Office. 

The other new affiliate is the Eddy County Council of the Blind, of which Mr. Gale Pulver of Carlsbad, New Mexico, is the president. 

The Braille Forum welcomes all of these new members into the growing ranks of ACB.

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** On a Bicycle Built for Two
By Bud Keith

In the spring of 1973, a friend and I purchased a tandem bicycle and have found it to be a fun-filled investment for a couple, half of which is blind. We have rolled many miles under varying conditions of weather and road and have learned a few things through the seats of our respective pants. 

With bicycling being the rage of this decade, a wide variety of tandems is available, and the exact model you buy will depend on how much you want to spend, how you plan to use it, and what is available when the bug bites and you are impatient to pedal off. There are several good books on bicycling, and most of them contain tips on selection of size and equipment, maintenance, and so on. However, these books don't consider the possibility of one of the two riders being blind. So I would like to share those aspects of tandeming which are of special consideration for a half-blind couple. 

If the blind rider is the larger of the two, he or she is relegated to the rear of the bike, requiring a degree of compensation for a balance problem. The wide style handle bars should be installed for beginners, as the racing bars will not give the pilot enough leverage, and you might hit the same bridge we did. Also, in turning, the rear rider should lean slightly away from the turn instead of into it, as should the front rider. This helps to prevent having the bike slide out from under both of you and also decreases the amount of torque or twisting stress on the frame. Practice turning before taking off on rough terrain, as a serious accident could occur if a speeding tandem with several hundred pounds of people on it goes out of control. 

Also practice takeoffs and landings. We have found that the smoothest way is for one person -- the one with the longest legs -- to control starting and stopping. I hold the bike upright while my short-legged pilot gets seated and ready. Then, with verbal commands, "Ready! Go!" we press down smoothly on the forward pedal when it is barely past the top of the circle. 

Stopping seems to work best when we use the brakes, instead of trees and walls, applied as smoothly as the situation allows. We both dismount to the left -- a cardinal rule. If for any reason the pilot feels we might step off a cliff or bridge on the left, we occasionally use the right side. But it is best to habitually get on and off on the left, as you would with a horse.

I sometimes feel that the one in the rear does all the pedaling, but I am assured this isn't the case. I can very well shift from back there, so one thing we did to increase my participation was to move the gear-shifting controls to a crossbar. With practice and verbal communication, I know when and where to shift, and the pilot need only be concerned with steering, braking, and describing the passing countryside. The fact that we can carry on a conversation while participating in a real sport makes the activity quite meaningful. We have really shared something when we reach the end of a ride. 

We have ridden on a towpath with horses and hikers, on a logging road in a swamp, and on a small colonial island in the middle of Chesapeake Bay. We have transported our tandem on a small boat, and almost on a plane. We generally haul it on the roof of a station wagon, tied to the luggage rack.

Tandeming has become a meaningful hobby for us, and it is a natural activity for two persons, so long as one can see where he or she is going.

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** Expo '75 -- An ACB Special

By the time you read this, you can hardly have recovered from ACB's 1974 convention in Chicago. But Lester McGlaughn, General Chairman of the 1975 convention to be held in Mobile, Alabama can't wait to get you acquainted with his ambitious project: Expo '75. This unique feature of the convention will exhibit examples and illustrations of the productive capacities and talents of visually impaired persons throughout the nation, many of whom will be present to participate in Expo '75. In addition, the Convention Committee will produce an Expo '75 convention book which will contain biographical sketches of selected persons, with their photographs and in some instances, graphic illustrations of the variety of things they do.

If you have a candidate for Expo '75 and its publication, you are invited to send a biographical sketch of not more than 300 words to ACB's National Office. The sketch should include something about the person's work and your reason for believing that he or she would be a good representative for Expo '75. 

You should not include a photo of your candidate with your sketch -- that will come later. Obviously, the Convention Committee may not be able to use all of the persons nominated. A series of cash prizes will be offered to the nominees who are selected and to those making successful nominations.

Further information may be obtained from ACB's National Office. Organizations which may be interested in sponsoring participants in Expo '75 are encouraged to make their interest known to the ACB National Office. This will be a good way to recognize outstanding achievements by your members. 

The 1975 convention dates are Sunday, July 20, through Saturday, July 26.

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** Tennessee Voters Rights Case
By Durward K. McDaniel

Ralph Brewer of Nashville, Tennessee, writes that he and others have filed a suit in the Federal Court to enjoin the State from enforcing a statute which provides for "assistance to disabled or illiterate voters." A prior statute provided that a physically disabled voter could be assisted by "any reputable person of the voter's selection." The new statute limits such assistance to "his spouse, father, mother, brother, sister, son or daughter, or by one of the judges of his choice, in the presence of either a judge of a different political party or, if such judge is not available, an election official of a different political party."

Plaintiffs allege in part:
"(a) Said Act and specific Code section destroys the right of complainants to vote by secret ballot and compels them to divulge to strangers and/or persons not of their own choice, for whom they cast their ballots.
"(b) Oppresses and strikes down the right of free and open balloting for those citizens and qualified voters subject to the Act, specifically Section 2-716, not imposed upon citizens of this State at large.
"(c) Discriminates against complainants in that said Act imposes restrictions upon complainants and all other persons subject to the Act, not imposed upon citizens of the State at large."

Plaintiffs also allege that the challenged statute is in violation of the Tennessee Constitution and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution.

Significantly, the plaintiffs are officers and leading members of the NFB of Tennessee, the Tennessee Council of the Blind, and Ralph Brewer, President of the Alumni Association of the State School for the Blind. 

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** Seeing the World: 
Sights and Sounds in Australia
By Joseph Wiedenmayer

In my twenty-two years of living in various foreign countries I saw many things before I became legally blind at the end of my career, but I could not always hear what I saw because of my severe hearing loss since childhood. 

It was in faraway Australia that I observed creatures that do not exist anywhere else in the world. If you cannot see them, you can hear or feel the strange and interesting sounds and sights in Australia. Some creatures imitate man-made sounds. Some destroy man's hearing and sight on contact. Some cry and laugh. 

These are some of the things that the unique animals, birds and denizens of the sea do in that vast and beautiful land which is the home of the kangaroo and the brown-skinned Aborigine. During my two years there as U.S. Consul stationed in Melbourne, I saw such sights and sounds as 500-pound clams, four feet high anthills and the famous "bottle tree" as big around as sixty-five feet, and laughing birds. 

The first of the unusual animals I watched was the koala bear, which is sometimes called "Billy Blue Gum" because he lives on blue gum leaves from the grayish eucalyptus tree where he sleeps. The koala is gray and white with a tiny, pouted mouth and big eyes. He weighs only about 20 pounds when fully grown. When he is a baby, he sleeps in his mother's pouch while she is nestled in the tree branches. But unlike any other animal, the koala bear never drinks water. Never! 

Birds of various kinds are also numerous and unusual. The little bellbirds and honeybirds sing beautifully from the tree tops. Although I could not hear them, I was told that they sounded like a spontaneous symphony of sound. Then there is the lyre bird, the size of a chicken, but it cannot fly. This bird, with tail feathers shaped like the lyre instrument, is a sound imitator. It reproduces the sounds of other birds and also those of a train whistle, the rattle of rumbling wagon wheels, and the smacks of the woodcutter's axe. 

Perhaps the most famous and best loved bird of all is the kookaburra, sometimes called the "laughing jackass." About the size of a pigeon, it flies very fast. It chortles, chuckles, and even laughs.

In the sea off the coast of northeast Australia, the most dangerous creature for humans is not the big man-eating shark. It is the small, poisonous crab. Its sudden attack on a swimmer causes intense pain, which is sometimes followed by paralysis of his senses of sight and hearing and even death. 

Before I left Australia, I saw the most wonderful and unique creature in the world. It growls and whimpers like a puppy, but it is not a dog. It lays eggs, but it is not a bird or chicken. It has a bushy tail, but it is not a beaver. It has ears, eyes, webbed feet and a broad bill but it is not a duck. This creature lives in the ground, but it swims in the water to get its food. 

Did you guess what it is? Yes, it's the famous two-foot-long platypus! 

There is much more to hear and feel and have described when you visit tranquil Australia someday. I hope you do. It is worth the trip.

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** From Rags to Riches
(Reprinted from the GFB Digest)

"One man's trash is another man's treasure," says Jim Habel, manager of the American Council of the Blind's Thrift Store in southwest Atlanta. 

"The store has been a tremendous success since they opened the doors last winter," according to Georgia Federation of the Blind President Johnny Wilson. 

Presently there are two Thrift Stores in operation, one in Oklahoma City and one in Atlanta, with plans to open several others in the coming year. The idea is to solicit no longer needed items from the public and to resell them at sharply reduced prices. The item is generally priced at 20 percent of its estimated cost when new. Then an additional mark-down is added for each flaw. "And in two weeks, if the item has not been sold, it is again marked down," states Mr. Habel "and the mark-down continues until the item is sold." The success of the business depends upon the store's ability to turn over merchandise as rapidly as possible.

Contributors are contacted through telephone solicitation. The Metro Atlanta area is canvassed section by section. The pickup crew goes out in its truck in the morning and perhaps covers a 20-block area before returning to the store with discarded items. The donated items are then sorted carefully. Articles of clothing, for example, which are not fit to be worn are sold to a local dealer as rags. What does not seem salable is promptly thrown away; salable items are priced low enough so that people with low incomes can take advantage of the prices and save a little money in the process.

What is this doing for blind people? How does GFB benefit? Of course, any organization must have money to operate. As the American Council of the Blind carries out its program to build better lives for blind people of the nation, the blind of Georgia automatically benefit. and ACB The Thrift Store itself is under private management, and ACB derives a portion of the proceeds through a contractual agreement. ACB's profits are assured, and they make money even if the investor does not. 

What blind people need are jobs. Good Will Industries, which also sells discarded items, employs many handicapped persons. They repair damaged furniture, mend torn clothes, and do many other things to put merchandise in good repair. What is the Thrift Store doing to employ the blind? First, it should be pointed out that the success of the business depends upon rapid turnover and low overhead. Products not already in shape to be sold are never put on display, but are promptly disposed of. At the same time, this keeps the cost to a minimum. For example, the Thrift Store might sell an old bedside table for $3.00, while Good Will, after spraying a coat of paint on it, might sell it for $10.00. Therefore, the number of employees of the Thrift Store is few. Remember, however, that this low overhead keeps the price low, allows for rapid turnover, and makes an even greater profit for ACB in the long run.

Recently President Johnny Wilson reminded Jim Habel that there are many visually impaired persons in the Atlanta area who would like to work as telephone solicitors. Mr. Habel agreed that this was an excellent idea. By simply recording telephone numbers on tape, blind persons are now able to help the American Council raise money to carry on its nationwide movement, and at the same time make a few dollars for themselves.

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** High-School Equivalency
By Kathy Megivern

(Editor's Note: Kathy Megivern is secretary in the ACB National Office. She has had experience in adult-education programs to prepare students for the GED exams.) 

General Educational Development -- GED: What is it? To the substantial number of adult Americans who never completed high school, it could very well be the key to a better job, higher pay, and a more hopeful future. 

The GED is a nationwide test, the purpose of which, as stated by the GED Testing Service of the American Council on Education, is: "... to provide a valid means of measuring the educational achievements of non-high-school-graduate adults and to compare their competence with that of high-school graduates." Once a person has passed the GED exam, a high-school equivalency certificate is awarded, which is as official as any high-school diploma. Responsibility for the GED testing program is shared in each state by the State Department of Education and the Commission on Accreditation of Service Experiences of the American Council on Education. Policies regarding requirements for taking the test and the issuance of certificates are determined by the State Department of Education, and thus may vary slightly from state to state. 

The test itself, however, is uniform. It is made up of five separate parts, testing the student's knowledge in the following areas: English grammar and usage, natural sciences, social sciences, general mathematics, and literary interpretation. Those who make up the GED have tried to place the emphasis on intellectual ability rather than the mass of details which high-school students are expected to memorize. 

The exam is difficult, as perhaps best summed up in the frustrated grumblings of one student, who proclaimed, "It would have been easier to stay in school." 

According to the annual statistical report of the GED Testing Service, American Council on Education, 32.2% of the general adult population who took the test in calendar year 1973 failed to pass it. Of the 144 visually handicapped persons tested, 54.8% failed to pass. Although each state sets its own standards, the predominant minimum standard seems to be a score of not less than 35 on each of the five sections, with an overall average of not less than 45. Students wishing to go on to further education may find that the college of their choice requires somewhat higher scores.

An important and reassuring point for the prospective test taker to remember is that any or all of the sections of the exam may be retaken. This can be done to raise the scores in sections where the minimum was not achieved, or any of the sections can be retaken to bring up the overall average. 

In these days when the liberal-arts college degree often proves virtually worthless to the job seeker, the relevancy of the material which the GED exam requires the student to learn is certainly open to question. It is a fairly accurate gauge of the same material which is taught in most high schools (although supposedly based on a more general knowledge of concepts rather than details). Yet one must wonder what the relevance can be for the adolescent who is learning the soliloquy from Hamlet instead of a vocational skill. Imagine, then, how much harder it is to accept the supposed importance to a middle-age man who only wants a better job to better support his family. This sort of an education is certainly fulfilling and enriching and can be a great source of pride to the learner. However, as stated earlier, many "fulfilled," "enriched" college graduates have wished for a vocational skill to back up their degrees. 

The question is a difficult one. However, for the high-school drop-out, there is little choice but to play the game by the established rules. Whether it be a relevant learning experience or merely a quest for that sheet of paper, the end result is the same. A high-school diploma can open up new job opportunities and/or qualify one to enter training programs or college.

Upon request, the GED exam is available in large print, braille, and on tape. A special braille answer sheet is also available so that the visually impaired person can complete it independently. However, the content of the exam is no different for the visually impaired person.

If you are interested in taking the GED exam, contact your State Department of Education to find out where the nearest official testing center is and where you can receive help in preparing for the test. Often state vocational rehabilitation agencies are recognized GED centers. If you desire any further information, contact the ACB National Office.

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** Dialogue with the Newly Blind

If you suddenly lost your sight, you would ask, "Where do I go from here?" Dialogue, recorded magazine for the blind, has the answer.

Every year, thousands of people lose their sight — some suddenly in an auto accident, and some gradually from disease or injury. After the shock wears off, they are faced with the reality of coping with life. Until now, there has been no answer to their question and no source of information and direction except in print, which the newly blind cannot read.

This need is being met by Dialogue Publications, Inc., of Berwyn, Illinois, with a recorded guide for the newly blind which can help bring them back to a productive life. Begun through a matching grant from Reader's Digest more than two years ago, editors and blind persons consulted for their expertise in work for the blind have written an encouraging, instructive production in sound that a newly blind person can read for himself, entitled "Where Do I Go from Here?" It draws for its text from the experiences of many persons who have gone through the experience of losing sight themselves. These people tell in this recorded effort how they confronted loss of sight and how they have adjusted their lives while remaining productive citizens.

 "While other pieces have been written on this subject," said Editor Don Nold, originator of the idea, "they were produced only in print, and newly blinded persons cannot read them. Doctors dismiss them without giving the information they so sorely need at this point. It is no wonder that they ask the question, 'Where do I go from here?'"

On disk and cassette tape, the guide offers help for those partially sighted as well as those totally blind. It tells how people have revamped their lives not despite blindness, but by using in a new way the talents, education, and experience gained as a sighted person. Margaret Freer, a former member of the editorial staff of Ideals Magazine, who lost her sight more than six years ago, assembled the segments of the guide, gave it titles, and also wrote the companion piece for members of the families and associates of the blind person. Entitled "Promises to Keep," it is in ink-print and outlines the politive "do's" for those who will share the traumatic experiences of learning to live without sight.

A national promotion to make availability of "Where Do I Go from Here?" recording known to doctors, ophthalmologists, health centers, optometrists, Lions Clubs, persons facing loss of sight, and members of their families is in progress.

Write Dialogue, Berwyn, IL 60402, for this aid to the newly blind.

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** Artificial Eye Allows Blind to "See"
(Reprinted from the Braille Reporter)

The artificial eye which would allow blind people to "see" is one step closer to perfection. An international joint research team from the University of Western Ontario in Canada and the University of Utah is currently conducting an experiment in which blind people have tiny electrodes implanted on the visual cortex, that part of the brain which allows people to see. These electrodes, 64 on an inch-square wafer, have electrical leads connected to a computer. The computer provides the power source to stimulate the electrodes.

"We found we were able to present recognizable simple patterns and letters to the patients," said Dr. John Girvin, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Western Ontario. One blind 28-year-old Vietnam veteran was able to draw patterns of what he saw. One of the things the researchers hoped to discover was the effect these electrodes would have on the visual cortex. They were removed after five days with no complications.

"What the blind might 'see' would be a form of sketches or drawings in black and white," explained Dr. Girvin. "It would look like pencil or charcoal sketches."

Eventually researchers hope to perfect an artificial eye in the form of a tiny television camera mounted on the frame of the person's glasses or even on the blind eye itself. The electrodes would then be stimulated by the conversion of light into electrical energy and back again, similar to a television picture tube. Doctors believe such an eye would come very close to natural vision and would aid blind people immensely.

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** Legislative Roundup
By Durward K. McDaniel

S. 2581, the Randolph-Sheppard Amendments of 1974, was passed by the U.S. Senate on June 20. What started out five years ago to be a simple bill has developed into a complex measure. The Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare made a number of compromising changes in the bill in an effort to meet the objections of the Defense Department and unions of Federal employees. While it is expected that the Postal Service and the General Services Administration will still be opposed to the bill, the most serious opposition will come from Federal employee unions, which will seek further compromises or its defeat by the House of Representatives. 

The objections of the Federal employee unions are based on their desire to continue the illegal use of commissions derived from vending machines on Federal property for welfare and recreation purposes. As passed by the Senate, S. 2581 does not provide for the exclusive assignment of vending-machine commission to blind vendors and state licensing agencies. It provides for such assignments according to a complicated formula ranging from 100% where vending machines are in direct competition with a blind vendor, to lesser amounts under other circumstances, and to zero in some cases. The bill does not legalize the payment of vending-machine commissions to unions or committees of Federal employees, nor does it prohibit such questionable practices. 

S. 2581 contains so many progressive and desirable improvements in the law that they cannot be adequately presented here. They will be discussed at length in the next issue of Vendorscope, which is published by the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America. 

The enactment of S. 2581 is so important to the present and the future of the vending-stand program that all interested persons must make an all-out effort to assure its passage by the House of Representatives. It has been assigned to a subcommittee of the House Committee on Education and Labor, and the names of the committee members are listed below. Communications should be sent to the Subcommittee members requesting hearings and favorable action.

Congressman John Brademas of Indiana is Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on Education. The other members of the Subcommittee are: Patsy Mink, Hawaii; Lloyd Meeds, Washington; Shirley Chisolm, New York; Ella Grasso, Connecticut; Romano Mazzolli, Kentucky; Herman Badillo, New York; William Lehman, Florida; Edwin Eshleman, Pennsylvania; Earl Landgrebe, Indiana; Orval Hansen, Idaho; Peter Peyser, New York; and Ronald Sarasin, Connecticut. Correspondence may be addressed to Committee members at U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515. 

We have made progress on civil-rights legislation during this Congress, in that a substantial number, particularly in the House of Representatives, have joined in introducing bills which would add physically handicapped persons to those classes already protected against discrimination by the Civil Rights Act. However, everyone knows that the House Committee on the Judiciary has been preoccupied with impeachment matters, and we expect that nothing will be done on these civil-rights bills this year. Legislative plans for the 94th Congress on civil rights will be discussed more in detail in future issues. 

The Council appeared in support of national health legislation, which can vitally affect the blind population. Its prepared statement filed with the House Committee on Ways and Means follows:

We recognize the existence of a crisis in the acquisition and delivery of health services in this country. The crisis will continue until Congress enacts effective legislation to create a national system of health care which will include all of the people. Our primary concern is for the plight of that segment of the population which consists of persons with serious visual problems, but we recognize that a part of the problem has been the result of a piecemeal approach which has dealt inadequately with only a part of the health­care needs of certain segments of the general population. Many blind persons are living with the insecurity of private insurance coverage, where they can afford it. A much larger number must rely upon the restrictive and changing conditions of Medicaid, Title XIX, which varies greatly from state to state. Still others who qualify for disability benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act are covered by Medicare, Title XVIII, but only after a waiting period of 24 months. We know that a substantial portion of this group has no health­care coverage of any kind from any source. We also know that a similar condition prevails among the much larger group of persons who have serious physical or mental handicaps. 

We are naturally concerned with the health-service needs of blind persons, but we know that these health-service needs and problems can never be dealt with satisfactorily until Congress enacts health legislation for the total population of the United States. Variations in coverage, deductibles, and co-insurance requirements of major bills pending before this committee have been clearly illustrated in testimony by Mr. Leonard Woodcock and other witnesses who have testified. We join with other consumer interest groups in objecting to the inclusion of any provisions which would saddle our national health-care system with the burden of increased costs through administration of the system through the private insurance industry. We object, further, to any provision which would place any part of the administration of a health-care system in State governments. We do not want to repeat and to magnify the mistakes of Medicaid. 

The chief argument made against a comprehensive health­service system such as that provided for by H.R. 22 is that it would be much too costly and is advanced primarily by those who wish to continue a virtually unregulated status quo or to occupy a privileged position in an enlarged system. I.S. Falk, Professor Emeritus of Public Health at Yale University, said in his testimony before the Senate Committee on Finance on May 22, 1974: "My first essential point is, therefore, that the initial national costs for health and medical services will be much the same with the enactment of any of the major bills before you; but what will differ -- and potentially greatly -- is the source of the money and the objects of its expenditure." We concur substantially with Professor Falk's conclusion about initial national costs, but we would reinforce his point with the additional fact that the tax and consumer dollars would buy substantially more health and medical services under the provisions of H.R. 22 than they would under any of the other systems proposed in pending legislation. Moreover, the cost control provisions of H.R. 22 would operate more effectively in the future to control rising costs.

We concur with the principle expressed by Dr. Emanuel Cheraskin and Dr. William Ringsdorf, Jr., in their book entitled Preventive Medicine. They state that: "... a true health program should have as its thesis the anticipation and prevention of disease, rather than the mere identification and treatment." It is undisputed that preventive medicine is not widely practiced in the United States at this time, and it will not be until and unless a publicly administered, comprehensive health service system is established. Such a consumer-oriented system would reduce costs and improve the health of our population. 

The omissions, limitations, deductibles, and co-insurance costs of all of the pending bills except H.R. 22 make them unacceptable as the basis for a national health service system. Also, their reliance for administration upon the insurance industry would distort the perspective and purpose of a comprehensive national health service system. We advocate that Congress place the interests of consumers of health services in a rightfully superior position to those who would continue the status quo for their own privilege and profit.

*****

** Tattleoon
(Reprinted from Vendorscope)

The Cast:
Uncle Samuel - the United States Government 
Little Blind Sambo - the blind vending stand operators A friendly man from the White House - Senator Jennings Randolph 
Nephews, nieces and cousins - Americans 
Documents - the Randolph-Sheppard Act and S 2581

The Story: 

Uncle Samuel was a very powerful, strong and wealthy lawyer. He lived up in a big white house on a hill and kept his clan in order in a rich and beautiful domain.

The clan of the land kept Uncle Samuel very busy up on the hill and for many years he failed to notice among his struggling nephews, one known as "Little Sambo." Because Sambo was blind, he was among the smallest and puniest of the nephews in the land and although he tried very hard, he could never get along without having to ask the other nephews to share their portions with him and Little Samba was very sad about that. Sometimes he held out a tin cup and sang sad songs to passers-by.

Then one time, a long time ago, in fact 6 or 7 Presidents ago (depending on how impeachment is progressing) a friendly man came down from the big white house and saw Little Sambo in his sadness and he said, "Little Sambo, why do you grieve? What is this wish of your heart?" 

And Little Blind Sambo said, "I would like to make my own living like all the other nephews in this great land and I have no way because I am blind and no one will believe that I can and I have no place to go to earn a living." 

So the friendly man made up a document and took it up to the big white house on the hill and Uncle Samuel saw the document and said that it was good and put his stamp on it and placed the document in his big file. The document declared that Little Sambo from then on, could have a corner in the huge corridors of the comings and goings of the nation and that he might sell certain items there to passers-by to earn his living. 

Little Sambo was very happy for this opportunity, and he began to make his own living like all the other nephews in the land, and most of the time he did a pretty good job and then something began to happen. The nephews and nieces and cousins began to look around and see that Little Sambo could make a living and they began to devise ways and means whereby they could participate in the revenue of sales in the huge corridors. 

Soon, all the items that Little Sambo offered for sale were placed in big machines with buttons in the huge corridors and the nephews and nieces and cousins had parties and picnics and sports events and presents and all sorts of fabulous things from the money in the machines. And they began to take more and more, and Little Sambo began to make less and less, and he sometimes had to revert to asking other nephews for a portion of his substance again. 

Then the friendly man came down again and saw what was happening and he wrote up an addition to the document and took it up to Uncle Samuel in the white house on the hill but Uncle Samuel was very busy and he didn't have time for Little Sambo and so the addition to the document lay in the big white house and somebody opened a water gate and the whole place became flooded with terrible words both true and false words and nobody could tell which were the true and which were the false words. There were written words and spoken words and taped words and tapes that were silent and the document addition for Little Sambo was almost completely covered up.

It seems to Little Sambo, like he has been waiting for a long time. Every day the machines take in more money while the earning power of Little Sambo gets smaller and smaller. So now, Little Sambo is just sitting there, quietly waiting to find out what happens in that big white house on the hill and wishing and hoping so much that his document addition will be found and acted on in time.

*****

** Four-Track Cassette Player Available

A specially modified G.E. cassette recorder which will play back four-track pre-recorded cassettes is now available from the American Printing House for the Blind. Otherwise identical to the APH Modified G.E. M8355A Cassette Recorder, this latest model features an additional switch for track change. The unit offers two-track recording and playback at either the standard cassette speed of 1-7/8 i.p.s. or the Talking Book speed of 15/16 i.p.s. Although it will play back four-track pre-recorded cassettes, it should be noted that no four-track record function is available. 

Special features of the APH modified cassette recorder include tone indexing and variable speed which permits cassette speeds to be increased by 40% or decreased by 30%. The unit is powered by six C-cell batteries or can be operated on 110-volt A.C. current.

Four-track modification of G.E. M8355A recorders previously purchased from the Printing House is offered at a cost of $25.00. 

This four-track cassette player will be of particular interest to potential users of books from Recording for the Blind, RFB is presently introducing its new four-track (four hours of reading time), 15/16 i.p.s. cassette service. It will be provided first on a limited basis, in addition to the 1-7/8 i.p.s., four-track open-reel service. RFB expects to have about one-third of its facilities equipped for cassette duplication by September, 1976.

For full information on the APH modified G.E. M8355A cassette recorder, four-track playback (catalog No. 1-0700; price, $92.50), write American Printing House for the Blind, P.O. Box 6085, 1839 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206.

*****

** A Home Like Any Other
(By Dale Singer, UPI, March, 1974)

There are four children in the home of Ethel and Jim Lee, and none of them is quite like any of the others. Christopher is the oldest, an eager eight-year-old, willing to help his mother as best he can to take care of the younger ones. Andria Jean, four, known as Bunny, is a pretty, quiet little girl. Wally, four, is a wide-eyed child with short blond hair and an unobtrusive manner. Melodee, two, attracts the most attention, with her dark curly hair and her quick smile. 

Ethel and Jim Lee have been blind since birth. Their children are not their own, but were brought into a home that showed so much love that an outsider has difficulty in understanding why eighteen adoption agencies didn't want to give the Lees a chance. 

The Lees believe handicapped persons need someone to stand up for them and show adoption agencies that the handicapped are just as capable as anyone else of giving unwanted children the love and the home they need. The Lees also know that despite the fight, the waiting, the frustration, and the humiliation, their struggle was worthwhile. 

After they found they could not have children of their own, the Lees decided to adopt. They were turned down by eighteen different agencies, one of which kept them on the string for more than two years before rejecting them. Finally, in June, 1968, they became the parents of Christopher. They were the first blind couple in Missouri to adopt a child. 

People would ask us, "How can you handle yourselves, much less a family?" We told them that if you've never had candy, then you never miss it: If you've never had sight, you just learn to get along without it. 

Lee teaches piano technology at the Missouri School for the Blind, a few blocks from the family's home on the city's south side. He walks to work with the help of his guide dog, Shayna. Mrs. Lee stays at home with the children, aided by her dog, Sheila. Chris is partially sighted and attends the school for the blind, but is also involved in other activities with sighted youngsters his own age. 

Once they had adopted their first child, the Lees found the road to adopting children a little easier and just as rewarding. Bunny came into the Lee home in 1970, when she was just 51 hours old -- a normal, healthy child. "When the social worker brought her in, I just went to pieces, completely," said Mrs. Lee. 

Later that year, the family took in Wally as a foster child. He had been considered retarded and emotionally slow. But with the Lees, he has shown remarkable progress and will soon attend a nursery school with children his own age. 

The latest challenge has been Melodee Hoang Hoa Lee. Mrs. Lee said she was asked by a social worker in 1972 whether she and her husband would be interested in adopting a black Vietnamese war orphan. "We told them we are not only blind, we're also colorblind," Mrs. Lee said. At the end of a year's struggle with red tape, Melodee made her way into the Lee household. 

Now the Lees want to help others learn the joy that they have had with their new family. Their growing organization with branches in ten states is trying to act 
as a liaison between adoption agencies and handicapped persons who want to adopt.

"We're not fighters," Mrs. Lee said, "but we just thought we should have our rights. Jim and I have had to prove ourselves all along. We took foster children without pay in the beginning, just to show we could do it."

The children fidgeted as their parents spoke, but Mrs. Lee was in firm command at all times, knowing exactly where each child was and what each needed. 

"There is a need for adoptive parents," she said, "and handicapped persons can fill that need just as well as anyone -- maybe better. There are a lot of cases where a child might be institutionalized, when a handicapped couple could take him. The child would at least have a mother and father instead of just a bed and a dresser," said Mrs. Lee. 

Mrs. Lee doesn't want sympathy, and she's not kidding herself about her limitations. "It isn't the best thing in the world," she said. "Jim and I would love nothing better than to be able to see our kids. But we can't, so we have to do the best we can."

*****

*** State Convention Highlights

** Educating the Imagination
By Billie Elder

Educating our imaginations in order to better serve the blind was the theme chosen by the fourth annual state convention of the Arkansas Council of the Blind, held in Little Rock April 19-21, 1974. 

At the first plenary session, President Billie Elder stated that one of the chief obstacles to the development of programs to meet the needs of blind people is the small, uneducated imagination. One of the functions of a membership organization is the creation of innovative programs and projects. The failure to educate the imagination results in inadequate programs for the blind and in limitations imposed upon the capabilities and potentialities of those who have a handicapping visual condition. Many of the limitations imposed upon the blind are not the result of blindness, but the effects of small imaginations possessed by the blind, those who teach them, and those who serve them. In work with and for the blind an active, healthy, functioning imagination is one of the essential ingredients necessary for the development of better social services, educational opportunities, rehabilitation services, vocational training programs, and opening up of new job opportunities. 

Oral Miller, national Convention Coordinator for the American Council of the Blind, developed the theme as it applies to recreation and hobbies. Mr. Miller, past president of the American Blind Bowling Association, explained the recreational opportunities which bowling offers. A questionnaire asking for the preferred recreational activities and hobbies of members was filled out at registration. The results of the questionnaire will serve as a guide to further planning in the area of recreation and hobbies. 

Two annual awards were presented. The Employee of the Year Award was presented to Mr. Monty Ball, a deaf­blind employee of AMF Bicycle Company. Mr. Carroll Strickland, Personnel Manager, received the Employer of the Year Award on behalf of the AMF Bicycle Company. Currently, the AMF Bicycle Company of Little Rock employs five blind persons; two of them are deaf-blind. A third and new award, Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award, was presented to Mr. Carroll Gaither, labor counselor representing AFL-CIO with the United Way, for his outstanding work and assistance in placing the blind in industry. 

Mr. Bill Tomlin narrated the dramatic story of the education, personal adjustment training, vocational planning and counseling which culminated in the placement of Mr. Ball with the AMF Company. Representatives from all of the agencies which had contributed to this ongoing process were present and participated in the story. The honored recipient of the Employee of the Year Award and the audience were kept in constant communication by interpreters. Other deaf-blind persons in the audience were each supplied with an individual interpreter so that they, too, were informed of events as they unfolded. 

One of the unique presentations at the convention was a demonstration lesson given by Mary Weeks to a student from the Exceptional Unit of the Arkansas School for the Blind. The six-year-old student, whose sight and hearing were drastically diminished by rubella, used the sonic ear while working with his teacher. The lesson proved to be an entertaining and informative method used to develop the theme: Educating the imagination in order to better serve visually handicapped children and youth. 

The banquet speaker, Dr. Reed Greenwood, Director of Research, Research and Training Center, University of Arkansas, spoke on the theme: Educating the imagination in order to bring visually handicapped individuals technologically into the 1970s. Dr. Greenwood challenged workers with the blind to be more imaginative in applying existing technology to meet the needs of the blind. He stated that many new vocational opportunities can be developed with more rigorous application of the imagination to the field of vocational training and employment. 

By employing the mini-panel format, all agencies serving the blind in this state had an opportunity to develop a facet of the theme most appropriate to their type of service. Out-of-state speakers included Floyd Qualls, President, American Council of the Blind, who gave a national overview of the progress and challenges facing the organization; Travis Harris, Visual Services Director, State of Oklahoma, who discussed the Educational Radio Talking Book program in Oklahoma; and Durward McDaniel, National Representative, who discussed the legislative program of ACB.

** Washington Council of the Blind 1974 Convention
By Alice Bankston

The Washington Council of the Blind held its 1974 state convention in Wenatchee, Washington, on May 11th, and managed to cover a considerable amount of business 
in this one-day affair. 

Following opening remarks by the Council president, Gary Myrene, and a welcome from the Mayor of Wenatchee, several committee reports were given. Irving Smith detailed progress being made on the Sound-Slide project which, with the cooperation of the University of Washington, should be ready for distribution by fall. Using 30-second slides with coordinated voice descriptions, this will show blind persons in various work and activity situations, will be offered to organizations throughout the state, accompanied by one of the Council's Speakers Bureau. Alice Olssen reported on meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Vancouver School for the Blind, of which she is an ex-officio member, and the present policies of the recently appointed superintendent, Dr. Roy Brothers. The Council passed a resolution approving and supporting these policies as they are designed to enlarge and improve the education and preparation of blind youth to pursue independent, satisfying lives in a sighted world. 

Frank Stewart, editor of THE BRAILLE REPORTER, reported the progress made by the magazine during its first year of publication as a quarterly, which had produced a significant revenue for the Council through continued and increased volume of paid advertising, necessitating expanding the size from 12 to 16 pages, and increasing the mailing list from approximately 12,000 to 14,000 names. While the REPORTER endeavors to include items about Council activities throughout the state, it also aims to publish items of special interest about the activities of blind people elsewhere. 

Dr. Jerome Dunham, superintendent of the State Services for the Blind reviewed the present situation of the agency with particular regard to the new Rehabilitation Act under which agency clients will have more opportunity to help guide plans for their rehabilitative services, but which, unfortunately, excludes funding provisions for non-vocational rehabilitation services to blind clients. He expressed the hope that organizations such as the Council would work with the agency to find ways of continuing these services in spite of the Act's limiting provisions. 

Following lunch a panel of two legislators, State Senator George Sellars and State Representative Earl Tilly, with Council member Arnold Sadler as moderator, discussed present and proposed legislation relating to the blind and other handicapped persons; the best means of obtaining the support of legislators for desired bills; the legislative procedure in Washington, and the primary need for blind people to get together to determine, unify and present their needs and desires to the legislature. 

The business meeting that ended the day's deliberations took up plans for the coming year; the election of officers; a change in the by-laws providing for two-year instead of one-year terms for officers and directors) with one re-election allowed; the passing of six resolutions, including: (1) reiterated support of the Randolph­Sheppard Act; (2) reinstatement of the braille edition of Talking Book Topics by the Library of Congress, Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped; (3) revived emphasis on the teaching of braille instead of sole dependence on electronic devices to prevent erosion of intellectual development; (4) approval and support of present policies of the Vancouver School for the Blind as providing increased preparation for pupils to become better able to cope with living in a sighted world; (5) the wish and determination of the Council to work with any and all agencies and organizations which are striving for the betterment of the blind, so long as such cooperation does not compromise the philosophy and principles of the American Council of the Blind and its own; (6) a recommendation to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services that the State Services for the Blind be allocated a full-time paid Volunteer Coordinator. A member of the Council has been serving in this capacity, as a volunteer, for over three years.

Officers elected were: Gary Myrene, President; Edward Donnelly, 2nd Vice President; and Alice Bankston, Secretary, to serve second terms.

** Old Organization Celebrates First Anniversary with ACB
By Gerald Eckery

The Nebraska Association of Workers for the Blind, an organization composed of the blind and those interested in the blind, has been in existence for over thirty years, apart from any national organization. However, this year was the first anniversary of NAWB's affiliation with the American Council of the Blind -- to its members, a new birth for an old organization.

NAWB held its annual state convention June 7-9 at the Nebraska School for the Visually Handicapped. Over sixty persons registered for the weekend's events. Out-of-state guests included ACB President Floyd Qualls and ACB Second Vice President Billie Elder. Following the Board and Nominating Committee meetings held on Friday evening, all present joined in bingo, an annual tradition.

Saturday, June 8, was a full day of activity and information. Keynoting the morning session, Floyd Qualls spoke concerning what has happened in ACB during the past year. He discussed legislation and proposals put forth by ACB. The first business session included a report by President Gerry Eckery on last year's ACB convention in Knoxville and a report by Lavon Peterson on activities of the Nebraska Council of the Blind. Dr. James Nyman, newly appointed Director of the Department of Rehabilitation and Services for the Visually Impaired, told of the programs and activities of that agency during the past year and in the future. 

At the Saturday afternoon session, the following officers were elected: President, Rick Agman; Vice President, Gerald Eckery; Secretary, John S. Smith; Treasurer, Robert W. Nalley.

For the remainder of the afternoon, Billie Elder and Floyd Qualls conducted a leadership training workshop for development of a stronger, more viable NAWB. During the two-hour presentation and discussion, it was decided by the membership to enact three main objectives: doubling the membership by the time of the next convention, publishing an NAWB newsletter, and raising funds. 

At the annual banquet, Billie Elder, Supervisor of Educational Services, Arkansas Enterprises for the Blind, told of the programs offered by AEB, emphasizing pre-vocational and vocational opportunities.

Sunday was devoted to internal business. A report was given by Gerry Regler, Superintendent of the Nebraska School for the Visually Handicapped. Plans were discussed for the 100th birthday of the school, to be celebrated next year. The membership offered any aid necessary for the organization of a centennial program. Lavon Peterson presented information concerning the development of the Radio Talking Book program in Nebraska, which is soon to be on the air. The membership moved to purchase ten of the special receivers needed in order for the programs to be heard by blind listeners. 

The steps taken by NAWB at this convention to become a stronger, more viable organization throughout Nebraska were indeed a fitting celebration of the first anniversary of its affiliation with the American Council of the Blind.

*****

** Blind Cadet Gets Squadron Post

Senior Civil Air Patrol member Brad A. Greenspan, the only blind member of the Civil Air Patrol in the United States, has been appointed director of communications for the North Country Cadet Squadron. 

The appointment was made by W.O. James D.R. White, squadron commander. 

"Airman Greenspan has demonstrated to me that he can perform the duties of communications officer proficiently and will certainly bring credit upon himself and this unit and the Civil Air Patrol," White stated. 

Greenspan entered the Civil Air program Patrol in March, 1970, with the Suffolk County Squadron on Long Island. 

During July, 1970, he began working with communications. 

Transferred to Ogdensburg squadron in December, 1972, Greenspan continued radio training, moving rapidly through the cadet program. 

His achievements include passing his studies with the CAP on such subjects as power for aircraft, aircraft in flight, navigation and the weather, problems of aerospace power, the dawning space age airports, airways and electronics. 

Because of his own work and the counseling of Capt. Kenneth P. Lord III, ROTC instructor at St. Lawrence University, Greenspan has advanced through the cadet program rapidly and shows much promise, White said. 

No longer eligible for cadet status after March, Greenspan became a senior member in the Civil Air Patrol with the newly organized North Country Cadet Squadron. 

Greenspan is a sophomore at St. Lawrence University, majoring in sociology. He hopes to become more involved in emergency communications. 

His only regret seems to be that he cannot serve his country in the military because of his blindness, White said.

*****

** Here and There
By Anthony Cimino

Readers of the Braille Forum will be interested in the following appointments: Bernard Posner has been appointed Executive Director of the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. No biographical information is presently available on Mr. Posner. -- Mr. Edward F. Rose has been named Deputy Executive Director of the same committee. He will be responsible for the Committee's Washington staff and Committee programs in private and public organizations throughout the country which further employment opportunities for the handicapped. -- Dr. William L. Smith is now Director of the Teacher Corps in the United States Office of Education. Dr. Smith will administer the nationwide program which attracts and trains college graduates to work as teacher interns in schools serving disadvantaged children. -- Joan Hutchinson Miller is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation for Welfare and Rehabilitation Affairs in the Department of HEW. She will advise Secretary Weinberger on developmental legislative programs in the welfare area. -- Mrs. Helen Worden, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Association for the Blind, and Robert Whitstock, President of the American Association of Workers for the Blind and Vice President of the Seeing Eye, Inc., have been elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Foundation for the Blind. -- Edward T. Ruch, formerly with Guiding Eyes for the Blind, has joined the staff of the American Foundation for the Blind as Regional Consultant for the Middle Atlantic States, and Morton M. Kleinman has been appointed Regional Consultant for the New England States, plus New York and New Jersey. -- Harry J. Link has joined the staff of the American Foundation for the Blind as its Specialist in Placement and Employment in the Program Development Division. -- James H. Richardson has been appointed Associate Executive Director of the New York Association for the Blind.

From PERFORMANCE: The American Foundation for the Blind has published an International Catalog of Aids and Appliances for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The catalog has 214 pages and costs $2.00. It can be obtained by writing to the American Foundation for the Blind, Inc., 15 West 16th Street, New York, New York 10011. -- Six students from the Washington State School for the Blind climbed Mt. Hood, the highest peak in Oregon, last October. They prepared for the venture with the aid of a Pioneer group. -- Jimmy Treech, blind since six, gave up teaching at a public junior high school in Anchorage, Alaska, to become a switchboard operator. He now operates the busiest switchboard in Anchorage. 

From THE BRAILLE MIRROR: Mexico's public schools are undergoing quite a change. Blind and sighted children in the elementary grades will study together for the first time in the same classrooms. This educational integration policy is part of a program agreed upon by the Mexican Government and the American Foundation for Overseas Blind. AFOB will administer the program and Mexico will sponsor it. The Foundation will conduct teacher-training courses in special education, with emphasis on the specific techniques for integrating blind and sighted youngsters in the elementary schools. Training of personnel in the field of orientation and mobility is also a part of this project. AFOB has helped to develop similar programs in other countries, such as the Philippines, Iran, Ceylon, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Taiwan, and Malasia. 

From FORECAST: A Diabetes Center has been established at Vanderbilt Medical Center. This was accomplished through a grant of $218,000 by the National Institutes of Health. The purpose for the Diabetes Center is to study the causes of diabetes and to try to find a cure and a prevention for the disease. More such centers are needed, as well as more research. All readers are urged to write to their Congressmen asking them to support the National Diabetes Act. As you know, diabetes is one of the major causes of blindness in this country.

From BRAILLE BOOK REVIEW: A mobile troupe of blind amateur players, known as the Elbee Audio Players, presents dramatic reading productions of popular plays. The players, all of whom are blind or partially sighted, select a repertoire of plays performed for each season, which runs from October to June. The troupe presents about twenty performances each year before predominantly sighted audiences in the New York City area. During performances, the players sit at a long table on stage, using no props other than music and sound effects taped especially for each production. Plays are read from braille transcripts.

From NEW OUTLOOK FOR THE BLIND: Marian Held recently retired from the New York Association for the Blind after fifty years of service. 

From THE BRAILLE REPORTER (Washington State): The project, audio baseball for the sightless, has become a reality. The first World Series of Sightless Baseball is tentatively scheduled to be held in San Francisco in 1975. -- Ed Shirley, blinded at the age of 13 when he fell off a horse-drawn wagon, has been graduated as a motorcycle mechanic from the American Motorcycle Institute, finishing the course in the top half of his class. -- It is estimated that of the 80 million Americans with nearsightedness, 90%, or 72 million, could have their poor vision dramatically improved by a little-known procedure that reshapes part of the eye. Orthokeratology has been used for the past several years with a high degree of success. In the treatment, a series of contact lenses is used to gradually change the curvature of the cornea in much the same way that braces are used to straighten poorly placed teeth. The cost of the special treatment is between $600 and $850. Although results are promising, ophthalmologists caution that there is still the question of how permanent the improvement is, but it is felt that the technique offers great hope and should be investigated further. 

James Burke, a deaf-blind student at the Perkins School for the Blind, received the Wiedenmayer Award for Academic Achievement by a Deaf-Blind Student. He will be attending the National Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. Mr. Wiedenmayer, Associate Editor of the Braille Forum, is Chairman of the American Council of the Blind Committee for Deaf-Blind Adults. 

According to an article in Newsweek (May 6, 1974), Barbara Walters of the "Today" show, who has interviewed many outstanding personalities from all walks of life, considers Robert Smithdas the most outstanding person she has interviewed. Robert Smithdas, a deaf-blind poet, is on the staff of the Industrial Home for the Blind and teaches deaf-blind people in the Brooklyn area. Mr. Smithdas is a consultant to the ACB Committee for Deaf-Blind Adults. 

John F. Nagle is alive and well, living in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and now working for the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington.

On June 15, Governor Malcolm Wilson of New York signed a bill expanding the State's Human Rights Law to protect New York's more than one million physically, mentally, and emotionally handicapped persons against discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodation, and in resort or amusement areas. 

In an experiment carried out with 16 totally blind volunteers at Rosary Hill College in Buffalo, New York, totally blind people were taught to see colors in an ESP experiment. They were able to correctly distinguish between black and white paper 65% of the time and between red and green paper 70% of the time in more than 2,000 attempts. Likelihood of this total score happening by chance is greater than 10,000 to one. 

From VENDORSCOPE: Pebbles point the way to safety in San Diego for blind people crossing a peculiar-shaped intersection in the city. By means of a thin strip of epoxy and gravel laid by city traffic engineers, direction can be followed easily with a cane without hazard to traffic. Terry Flynn, San Diego's Public Works Director, noted that the strip is probably unique in the nation and said such a strip may be placed at other jagged intersections in the city if the blind need it. -- Social Security Administration and the Treasury Department will begin a system this year for paying Social Security and Supplemental Security Income recipients by credit to their accounts in financial institutions. This optional payment method is scheduled to begin in October, and an SSA spokesman says the new system is expected to be a safety factor for the elderly and eliminate difficulty in negotiating checks. This is an answer for recipients that live in high-crime areas, where mailbox theft occurs frequently. 

*****

** ACB Officers

* President: Floyd Qualls, 106 N.E. 2nd Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104

* First Vice President: Dr. S. Bradley Burson, 917 Kenyon Street, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515

* Second Vice President: Mrs. Billie Elder, 5317 W. 29th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72204

* Secretary: Mrs. Catherine Skivers, 836 Resota Street, Hayward, California 94545

* Treasurer: J. Edward Miller, 2621 Chesterfield Avenue, Charlotte, North Carolina 28205

*****

Items intended for publication in the Braille Forum should be sent to the editor, Mary T. Ballard, 190 Lattimore Road, Rochester, NY 14620, or to one of the associate editors: George Card, 605 South Few Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53703; Ione B. Miller, 9291 Fermi Avenue, San Diego, California 92123; Margaret Freer, 11816 West Blue Mound Road, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin 53226; Joseph Wiedenmayer, 5604 Montgomery Street, Chevy Chase, Maryland 20015.

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