The Braille Forum Vol. XIV November-December 1975 No. 3 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 1211 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Suite 506 Washington, DC 20036 (202) 833-1251 * 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. ***** ** Contents Notice to Subscribers Where Next? by Floyd Qualls ACB Litigation to Protect Handicapped Children Randolph-Sheppard Default -- Action and Proposed Solution Unpopularity Contest Two New Affiliates in the Making Something New on Campus: Engineering Aspects of Blindness, by William B. Campbell and Otis H. Stephens The Gift, the Giver, and ACB, by Billie Elder Hindsight Plus Foresight Equals Insight, by Jack Lewis New Hope in Tennessee, by Jeanie Campbell An Opportunity of a Lifetime: Fun While Learning to Ski -- And More!, by Oral Miller NAC Meets Again, by Reese Robrahn A Free-Lancer Reminisces from Afar, by Earl L. (Bud) Bigger Second National Conference on Radio Reading Services in Planning Stages Handicapped People: the Newest Militant Minority? State Convention Highlights: Kentucky, 1975, by Carla Franklin Florida Council Convention, by O.L. Joiner OFB Convention, 1975, by Judy Pool New York Convention, by Janice Harden 1975 ACBI Convention, by Paul Filpus Something to Think About Here and There, by Harold Rowley ACB Officers and Directors ***** ** Notice to Subscribers The Braille Forum is available in braille, large type, open-reel tape (dual-track, 3 3/4 ips) and cassette (1 7/8 ips). Send items intended for publication 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, WI 53703 Margaret Freer, 11816 West Blue Mound Road, Wauwatosa, WI 53226 Ione B. Miller, 9291 Fermi Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123 Joseph Wiedenmayer, 5604 Montgomery Street, Chevy Chase, MD 20015 Subscriptions and address changes for all four editions should be sent to Floyd Qualls, 106 N.E. 2nd Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104. Those much needed and appreciated cash contributions may be sent to ACB Treasurer J. Edward Miller, 2621 Chesterfield Avenue, Charlotte, NC 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. ***** ** Where Next? By Floyd Qualls No doubt many of us dream of visiting faraway places, with little expectation of ever actually going there. "Lightning" has struck twice in my case in the past two years. In 1974, it was my privilege to go to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to attend the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, and the first two weeks of this past October I spent touring parts of the Soviet Union. Three years ago, both countries were only names on maps, with some knowledge of their history in my mind. The All-Russia Association of the Blind invited a few representatives of organizations of and for the blind in America to visit the Soviet Union and observe programs for the blind there. The American Foundation for Overseas Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind, the American Council of the Blind, and the National Federation of the Blind were those named by the Association. The National Federation of the Blind declined the invitation, and Dr. and Mrs. Douglas MacFarland of the Rehabilitation Services Administration were given the slot. The others were Mr. and Mrs. Harold G. Roberts, AFOB; Mr. and Mrs. Loyal E. Apple, AFB; my nephew, George Qualls, DVR, Wisconsin, and I. This was a small, most congenial group, and excellent traveling companions. A book would be required to chronicle the two weeks, so at this time I will endeavor to list a few items of interest and a little about the itinerary. The four couples arrived at different times at the International Airport, Moscow, on September 27. An Association representative met us, saw us through customs and to our hotel. The Association representative was Lucy. She speaks very good English and accompanied us throughout our stay in the U.S.S.R. Before going further, I must state that the hospitality and genuine friendship of the Russian people we met have no superlative. Everyone wanted to be helpful, and all of us struggled to communicate when Lucy was not immediately available. The bearded, sinister Russian we frequently see depicted in movies and on the TV screen was nowhere to be found in Russia. George had the only beard in the Soviet Union! The Soviet Union is made up of fifteen republics. The largest is the Russian Federation, which includes Siberia. Our tour took us to Lithuania and Georgia, in addition to the Russian Federation. The All-Russia Association of the Blind has a physical structure similar to the American Council. The blind of each region and each republic organize and elect delegates for the "national" Association. The organization goes a bit further than this, however. The blind are not only organized in the various republics, but also organizations are formed of workers in industries according to the type of work they do -- as students, as teachers, and so on. This "governmental" structure has its top officials which, in fact, are a form of government representing the blind. The Association has departments for a variety of concerns -- housing, product procurement, transportation, finance, and other needs of the blind. Workshops are called "enterprises" or "factories " and the Association has 215 in the Soviet Union. Each of these is fit into a master plan devised and established by the Association, which holds a "convention" once each four years. Through delegates, officers are chosen and affairs of the organization are dealt with. Mr. Boris Zimin is current president or chief administrator, and it was through his efforts we were invited to visit the Association's activities. Every blind person in Russia who wants to work has a job. The idea of one accepting the benefits and goods of the state and not wanting to contribute to production is inconceivable. Those choosing to work at home may do so, and they need not be homebound as we understand the term. The worker is free to select the type of work he wishes to do, and pay varies with the amount of production and the skill required. Many blind are teachers. Education is free to all. We thought it a little strange that blind teachers in elementary schools are required to teach blind children. All blind persons are granted a stipend or pension from the state. This is not affected by the amount an individual earns. It is difficult to compare the wages with U.S. wages. A worker earning 180 rubles a month (about $250) receives, in addition, his pension, free housing, free public transportation throughout the Union; pays no taxes; can draw a retirement pension at an early age and continue to work. Vacation resorts are established on the Black Sea, and one month's free vacation is provided each worker who wishes to go there. Some 20,000 blind can be accommodated each year. Russia's national population is approximately 250 million; the estimated number of blind, 267,000. Of these, 183,000 live in the Russian Federation. Mr. Apple worked hard to identify the yardstick for determining blindness. It obviously is different from that used here but he was not able to nail it down. One interesting statistic is that the ratio of blind males to females is 55 to 45. There is only speculation as to why. Causes of blindness and the ratio of older blind to the young are very much the same as in the U.S. A total of 78,000 blind in the Russian Federation are now working. Some 58,000 are in industries within the Federation. The Association's annual profits from the industries amount to around 80 million rubles ($1.40 exchange). The industries produce articles largely related to the electrical industry -- parts for telephones, TV's, computers, electrical systems of tractors and automobiles, and the like. Some of the equipment is very sophisticated, and only in Tbilisi did we see "make work" type of production. Here this industry is quite young, and machinery has not been installed. The ratio of blind to sighted workers is set by the government at 55 to 45. This provides a slightly different picture when home workers are counted in the 55 per cent blind. Some 250 engineers are assigned to research and development in employment of the blind. The Association applies to the proper governmental ministry for stated items to produce, and if the ministry is convinced that the blind can produce these, they are automatically turned to the Association. Fifty percent of the industrial production is in cooperation with state industries and 50 percent is in the state plan, meaning half is a part product that fits in with other industries and the other half is the end product. Profits from the industries are used by the Association to build housing for workers, support education for the blind, build and maintain houses of culture for recreation, physical fitness, music, dancing and art, and to support research in engineering and eye care. The visit was programmed from beginning to end. If permitted, I will reveal more from time to time. We returned home very pleased, very tired, and very glad to be back. ***** ** ACB Litigation to Protect Handicapped Children On November 12, 1975, the American Council of the Blind filed suit in U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Honorable F. David Mathews, Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, as well as Terrell H. Bell, Commissioner of Education, and Edwin W. Martin, Deputy Commissioner of Education. The Council is suing because of HEW's failure to implement parts of the Education for the Handicapped Act ("EHA"). The Council is represented in this action by attorneys from the Children's Defense Fund and by Durward K. McDaniel, National Representative. On August 21, 1974, Congress enacted the Education Amendments of 1974, amending in part the Assistance to States for Education of Handicapped Children Program. These amendments were passed "for the purpose of assisting the states in the initiation, expansion, and improvement of programs and projects for the education of Handicapped Children at the pre-school, elementary school, and secondary school levels, in order to provide full educational opportunity to all handicapped children." The amendments required the states to submit plans to HEW in two stages before receiving EHA funds. Under the first stage, any state wishing to receive EHA funds for fiscal year 1975 had to submit an approvable state plan to the Commissioner of Education, establishing a goal of providing full educational opportunities to all handicapped children and giving priority in the use of such funds to handicapped children who are not receiving an education. Under the second stage, any state wishing to receive funds for any fiscal year after July 1, 1975 was required to provide the Commissioner of Education with an amendment to the state plan before August 21, 1975. This amendment had to set forth the policies and procedures which the state would undertake to assure that (1) all handicapped children in the state in need of special education are identified, located, and evaluated; (2) the confidentiality of this information will be protected in accordance with regulations to be issued by HEW; and (3) the state establishes a specific goal for providing full services to handicapped children, complete with a timetable and list of facilities, personnel, and services needed to meet this goal. The plan amendment was to be made available to parents and other members of the public at least thirty days before submission to HEW. To enable the states to submit complete plan amendments to HEW by August 21, 1975, Congress required HEW to promulgate confidentiality regulations prior to that date. In addition to the requirement that the confidentiality regulations be promulgated in advance of August 21, the 1974 Education Amendments required that they be promulgated by April 18, 1975, unless permission for delay was explicitly granted by both the House of Representatives, Committee on Education and Labor and the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. On April 9, 1975, HEW sent letters to the House and Senate committees indicating that the confidentiality regulations would not be forthcoming by April 18. The indefinite postponement of these regulations was not approved by the House and Senate committees. Despite the requirement that the confidentiality regulations be promulgated by April 18 so that the states would have sufficient time to prepare and submit complete plan amendments in accordance with these regulations by August 21, HEW has not yet promulgated them. Because of its own failure to promulgate these regulations HEW then proceeded to send memorandums to state school officers' stating that partial funding would be provided for fiscal year 1976 without submission of the necessary plan amendment simply by requesting that the 1975 plans be accepted for 1976 (so long as they acknowledged that an amendment would have to be submitted sometime in the future). Under this procedure all of the states received funding for the first quarter of 1976 in direct violation of the law. On August 20, 1975, a second memorandum went out, stating that since the regulations had still not been promulgated, the states would not have to provide any procedures for protecting the confidentiality of the handicapped students in their plan amendment for funding for the second quarter of fiscal year 1976. They would have to submit a plan for identification and evaluation of handicapped children, as well as a specific goal for providing full services to handicapped children. But HEW waived the requirement that plan amendments be available to parents and the general public at least thirty days prior to their submission. The failure of HEW to issue confidentiality regulations and their commitment to the states to grant EHA funding without requiring a state plan setting forth the policies and procedures to be used to safeguard the privacy of handicapped children during and after the identification and evaluation process has caused great harm to handicapped children in need of special educational services. Children in need of special educational services, living in states which have chosen to begin identifying and evaluating handicapped children without confidentiality procedures are exposed to the risk of permanent stigma. Those living in states which have chosen not to begin identifying or evaluating handicapped children until the confidentiality regulations are promulgated must suffer the consequent delay in educational services. ***** ** Randolph-Sheppard Default -- Action and Proposed Solution * November 7, 1975 The Honorable F. David Mathews, Secretary Department of Health, Education and Welfare Washington, D.C. Dear Mr. Secretary: Understanding the difficulties inherent in the drafting of regulations to implement my amendments to the Randolph-Sheppard Act for the blind, I have delayed until now any expression of my concern. I believe, however, that the time has come to prevail upon you in the strongest terms to approve these regulations. More than eleven months have passed since Public Law 93-516, which includes the Randolph-Sheppard Act Amendments, was enacted. In my view, this is an inordinate length of time to delay these important provisions. Blind vendors and persons training to be blind vendors have been plagued by uncertainty. State agencies for the blind have been curtailed in their ability to expand blind vending opportunities. Federal agencies and their installations, along with employee associations, have been unable to plan adequately or to know fully what is expected of them under the Act. I urge you to approve the pending regulations and thus eliminate any further delay in the implementation of the amendments to this vital program. Please let me have a response at your earliest convenience. With best wishes, I am Truly, Jennings Randolph * November 20, 1975 The Honorable Jennings Randolph United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Randolph: We concur in your letter of complaint to the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare under date of November 7, 1975. In adopting the Randolph-Sheppard Amendments of 1974, Congress set a goal of doubling the number of job opportunities in the vending facility program within five years. The first year has been wasted because of the administrative default, primarily that of the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration. We can understand the dilemma with which the new Secretary was immediately confronted upon assuming his office a short time ago. The Federal oversight and leadership which Congress mandated for the vending facility program does not exist and will not unless decisive action is taken by the Secretary, either voluntarily or involuntarily. This organization has petitioned Congress for oversight hearings to investigate the politics and default of the Rehabilitation Services Administration. We believe such hearings are urgently needed. We also believe that judicial action is now timely and necessary to terminate the unfortunate state of default and inertia which has thwarted the implementation of the vending facility program and many phases of the rehabilitation program. We request that you and other members of Congress consider joining as plaintiffs in an action which this organization proposes to initiate to compel administrative compliance with these Acts of Congress. We suggest that one of the issues which should be included, and which would be of special interest to members of the Senate is that arising from the fact that the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration has not been confirmed in that position by the Senate, as required by law. In forthcoming hearings on rehabilitation, this organization will advocate a special authorization for 100 percent Federal funding of such sums as may be necessary for the establishment of vending facilities on Federal and other properties. State licensing agencies have been unable to plan because of the Federal default. Even if the Federal administration is compelled to act and make necessary internal reforms, the second year will be used up in doing what should have been possible during the first six months. We believe that 100 per cent Federal funding will be the only way to accelerate the growth of the vending facility program. Respectfully, American Council of the Blind, Inc. By Durward K. McDaniel ***** ** Unpopularity Contest Here are 21 disabilities. If you can, rank them in their order of social acceptability to you: alcoholism, amputee, arthritis, asthma, blindness, cancer, cerebral palsy, deafness, diabetes, dwarf, epilepsy, ex-convict, heart disease, hunchback, mental illness, mental retardation, old age, paraplegic, stroke, tuberculosis, and ulcer. Psychologist John L. Tringo of the University of Kentucky asked this question of 455 people in four groups -- high-school students, college students, graduate students, and rehabilitation workers. He wanted to study the social distance these people felt for those who are handicapped. He found hidden physical handicaps (ulcers, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, heart disease) were most acceptable. Yet cancer, also usually a hidden disability, ranked far down the scale. Amputees ranked higher than paraplegics. Blindness and deafness ranked in the upper third of acceptability, yet the employment rate of blind and deaf people is low. At the bottom of the list: mental retardation, alcoholism, and mental illness. Reason for all this? Don't try to attach any more reason to these rankings than to the reasons why some people don't like those with dark skin and others don't like those with long hair and blue jeans. Now here's how the handicaps ranked in Dr. Tringo's study: ulcer, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, amputee, blindness, deafness, stroke, cancer, old age, paraplegic, epilepsy, dwarf, cerebral palsy, hunchback, tuberculosis, ex-convict, mental retardation, alcoholism, and mental illness. ***** ** Two New Affiliates in the Making As we go to press, we have just learned of two new organizing meetings. The first was that of the West Virginia Council of the Blind, whose temporary officers are: Charles Baumgartner of Parkersburg, President; Dr. Robert Stilwell of Morgantown, First Vice President; Mr. C.C. White of Huntington, Second Vice President; Denzel E. Smith of Kingwood, Third Vice President; Donna Cottrell of Charleston, Secretary; and Keith Bucher of Reader, Treasurer. We will welcome West Virginia at the 1976 convention. The second was that of Concilio de Ciegos Puertoriquenos, of which Hector Ronda of Mayaguez was elected president. Names of other officers will be published when more complete information has been received. Carl McCoy represented ACB at the organizing meeting on November 9 in Guaynabo, where five hundred people gathered for the meeting -- by all odds the largest organizing meeting of blind people ever held! This outstanding organizing effort is the result of the work of a large membership committee and many others. Jose Cuevas of Santurce was the chairman of the committee. We will also welcome representatives from our Puerto Rico affiliate in Hot Springs. ***** ** Something New on Campus: Engineering Aspects of Blindness By William B. Campbell Otis H. Stephens New courses and new approaches to learning are transforming many universities in the 1970s. Influenced in part by students' demands for greater "relevance" in the curriculum, and even more by rapid changes in technology, some faculty members have begun to reconsider their basic assumptions about what students ought to learn and how they can best learn it. Programs in traditional fields such as mathematics, English, and history are becoming more innovative. New courses in communication, computer science, and ecology are gaining recognition and popularity. Lines long separating academic disciplines are gradually eroding. More and more interdisciplinary teaching is being undertaken. In light of the severe financial problems now confronting higher education it is uncertain whether this trend toward greater innovation and experimentation will continue. But it is clear that many old beliefs about the proper content of a university curriculum and the best ways to convey and absorb knowledge are, more than ever, open to debate. In keeping with the changing campus environment, we here at the University of Tennessee decided about a year ago to offer an unconventional elective course called Engineering Aspects of Blindness. Although our professional fields, biomedical engineering and political science, are far apart, we share a common concern about the difficulties facing university students who have serious physical impairments. Bill Campbell has long been troubled about the problems that our man-made environment imposes (often unnecessarily) on physically handicapped persons. Otis Stephens, like many other blind persons, finds a number of these problems to be simply part of the routine of life on a congested campus. Both of us recognize that the occupational and social discrimination still encountered by many physically handicapped people is compounded and often directly influenced by difficulties inherent in an environment that has been allowed to develop with little regard for their special needs. We decided to go beyond the mere recognition and criticism of this problem by offering an interdisciplinary course dealing with the kinds of environmental difficulties that blind persons encounter on a large urban campus, and identifying ways by which to alleviate these difficulties. One of our objectives was to sensitize sighted persons to the routine problems that a blind person faces in going from place to place on campus and in gaining access to university programs and activities. Since most students do not have to deal with these problems at all, our first task was simply one of spotlighting the difficulties. The campus of the University of Tennessee is quite an obstacle course, even for people without physical impairments. It covers several hundred acres, is bisected by numerous busy streets, and has its share of rough sidewalks, steep hills, and noisy construction work. Add to this the erratic driving and parking habits of thousands of students, and you have nothing short of a mobility nightmare for blind persons. We took this sprawling, crowded campus as our laboratory and assigned the class a twofold task: First, each of the eleven students was given a part of the campus or service area immediately adjoining it and was required to identify and describe every recognizable hazard or obstacle in that area. In an effort to make the situation more realistic, the students walked blindfolded either through a classroom building or on a heavily used campus sidewalk -- always taking reasonable safety precautions, but trying to gain first-hand impressions of what a blind pedestrian typically confronts. The second phase of the class assignment was development of a master tactile map of the campus and adjacent business district. Copies of this detailed map will soon be available, free of charge, to blind students, faculty members, and visitors. The students presented oral and written reports on their segments of the class project. These reports contained, in addition to basic information, many suggestions of ways in which various physical barriers could be reduced or eliminated. It was interesting but by no means surprising, that the students pointed out a number of obstacles that are potentially as dangerous to sighted persons at night as to blind people around the clock. From time to time, several blind persons from the local community visited our class and added their impressions of the problems that a large campus poses for anyone with a sight impairment. In class discussion, we attempted to explain the close relationship that exists between a blind student's self-confidence or uncertainty, success or lack of success, and the ease or difficulty of physical access to the full range of campus activity. Students were positive in their evaluations of the course. We were generally pleased with the experiment and felt that the course was successful in at least two respects: (1) it gave to one group of undergraduate students a chance to deal first-hand with human and environmental problems of a very practical kind, unnoticed by most people, and yet directly affecting virtually all blind persons who travel independently in urban areas; and (2) the course served as a basis for direct action aimed at the reduction of difficulties that for years have frustrated blind students on the UT campus. The undergraduate Alumni Council, for example, has funded duplication of the master tactile map so that it can be made available to anyone needing it. The course will be offered again next year; and if evaluations continue to be favorable, it will probably be added to the curriculum in biomedical engineering. ***** ** The Gift, the Giver, and ACB By Billie Elder Chairman, ACB Finance Committee The season of gift-giving is upon us. This is the season when we express our generosity to those we love and cherish. At this time, we remember those who have performed acts of loving kindness toward us, and in some small measure, we try to express our appreciation for the bounties we have received, the services rendered, and the love bestowed. The impulse to share is strong within us. Every organization must provide its members a way of sustaining the life and vitality of the organization. Along with your Christmas cards, you will receive a brochure from ACB and an invitation to become a sustaining member. The opportunity to sustain, nourish, and perpetuate the life of ACB is always available to you, but the holiday season, which celebrates the virtue of sharing through gift-giving, heightens our awareness of the great service this organization has rendered to the visually handicapped during the last year. A gift of ten or more dollars to ACB is a beautiful way to express your dedication to the goals and ideals of ACB, the organization which has so richly blessed the handicapped of the entire nation. Remember ACB with a generous donation, and your generosity will be multiplied many times during the coming year. Play Santa Claus for ACB by giving a sustaining membership to a loved one. Those who have very little and those who have "everything" will be equally pleased with a gift of a sustaining membership. ***** ** Hindsight Plus Foresight Equals Insight By Jack Lewis What blind persons want and need more than anything else is jobs. Many types of employment, however, have been denied to the blind. Why? Is it because we are not qualified to work on an assembly line, to sell drygoods in a department store, or to be automotive mechanics? No! A snack bar operator in Atlanta received specialized training as a transmission expert after losing his vision. As an avocation in his spare time, he overhauls automobiles and sells them at a profit. Yet he has been unable to obtain employment as a transmission specialist. Employers are likely to say, "I would not hold a blind person back, but a blind person is simply unable to see how to do the intricate, detailed work required in automotive transmission repair." In reality, what this employer is doing is imposing his own pre-conceived notions of what a blind person cannot do. Psychologists tell us that we develop our own self-concepts largely through the eyes of others. If our parents, brothers, sisters, teachers, and other key people in our lives relate to us with confidence and trust, we will grow up with a sense of self-confidence and independence. On the other hand, if we are treated as helpless and incapable of caring for ourselves, not allowed to make our own decisions, we are likely to grow up with feelings of inferiority and inadequacy. The greatest tragedy comes when a blind person begins seeing himself in the same helpless and pitiful manner that others view him. He grows up without ever recognizing his true abilities. Even if he is given an opportunity to work, he may not have the self-confidence or the imagination successfully to adapt. Can vocational rehabilitation counselors and other professionals engaged in work with the blind eliminate these barriers to productive employment? Not alone. But neither can organizations of blind people by themselves. Yet, by working together, these stereotype prejudices can be overcome -- those prejudices that have been keeping so many of the blind unemployed and socially restricted for thousands of years. All members of the American Council of the Blind have a heavy responsibility. We must beat the bushes harder than ever before, searching out the blind, reaching into the slums, the housing projects, institutions, wherever blind persons may be. They must be rescued from the indolent security of their rocking chairs and from the "do-gooders" who wait on them hand and foot. These blind men and women must be drawn into the American Council, where they can see for themselves just how successful the blind can be if properly motivated and given the right training and opportunities. The vast majority of visually impaired persons have never had the opportunity to become acquainted with others in the same boat. By becoming personally acquainted with medical transcribers blind lawyers, piano tuners, housewives, snack bar operators, and factory workers, they can gain insight about blindness which they had previously not dreamed possible. In this way, a blind person can learn about opportunities of which he had no prior knowledge, and perhaps discover his own potential. He gains these insights through the eyes of his fellow blind. It is thrilling to attend a convention of the American Council of the Blind and to learn first-hand of all the various occupations in which the visually impaired are successfully engaged. We are primarily dealing with attitudes which are constantly changing. As attitudes change, so do opportunities. The important thing is that our own attitudes be based on realism, not on daydreams and wishful thinking. ***** ** New Hope in Tennessee By Jeanie Campbell The great value of cooperative political action in promoting legislation beneficial to blind persons has been shown in the State of Tennessee during the past year. In November, 1974, two months prior to the opening of the 1975 session of the Legislature, leaders from four state-wide organizations formed the Tennessee Joint Committee on Legislation for the Blind. Representatives from the Tennessee Council of the Blind (an ACB affiliate), the National Federation of the Blind of Tennessee, the state chapter of the American Association of Workers for the Blind, and the Alumni Association of the Tennessee School for the Blind comprised the original committee. The committee was later expanded to include representation of blind vending facility operators and workshop employees. The Joint Committee gave its chief attention to the drafting of two bills. The first of these calls for the reorganization of Tennessee Services for the Blind and its elevation from the status of a unit within the Welfare Department to the position of an independent agency. The bill is drawn with a view toward increasing the involvement and influence of blind consumers in formulating policies of the agency. It also calls for expansion and upgrading of current services to the blind of Tennessee. At this writing, legislative hearings are being conducted throughout the state as a means of assessing the existing program. Final action on the bill is expected in early 1976. The second measure proposed by the Joint Committee is an amendment to the Tennessee Mandatory Education Act of 1972. This amendment, in slightly modified form, was enacted into law last spring. In brief, it provides that parents of blind children shall be given free choice in determining whether to send their children to public school or to the Tennessee School for the Blind. It requires that parents be informed of the existence of the School for the Blind and of its programs, as a means of making an informed choice. The amendment also provides that, regardless of the State's commitment to the development of educational programs for blind students within the public school systems of all the counties, a strong, competitive educational program leading to the high-school diploma shall be maintained at the Tennessee School for the Blind. It is apparent that in promoting both these legislative measures the Joint Committee was able to draw upon the abilities of a wide cross-section of blind persons within the State. The enthusiasm, commitment, and sense of purpose that characterize the work of the Committee were most encouraging. ***** ** An Opportunity of a Lifetime: Fun While Learning to Ski -- And More! By Oral Miller The 1976 Ski for Light cross-country skiing event for the blind will take place in Bloomington, Minnesota from January 25 through February 1. The 1975 "Race" held in Colorado last February was an outstanding success, but the 1976 event, which is expected to attract upwards of 100 blind participants from the United States and Canada, will surely be even more successful. Participants in the 1976 event will be provided with excellent equipment, quality one-to-one instruction by experienced skiers, outstanding accommodations at the Marriott Inn, a variety of social experiences (including an opportunity to meet several blind Norwegian and Swedish skiers), and an opportunity to demonstrate the progress they have made. The "Race" is not a race in the usual sense, and its competitive aspects will not be emphasized. It is intended to be primarily a demonstration of the progress each participant has made during his week of instruction and practice. The week's activities are to be part of the Twin Cities Winter Festival, and they will receive national and international press and TV coverage. The event is being sponsored by Ski for Light, Inc., a non-profit organization, which in turn will receive major assistance from the Sons of Norway and the Sons of Norway Foundation. Although each participant will be given an opportunity to pay as much as he can afford toward the total cost of the participation -- items such as transportation to and from Minnesota, room and meals at the Marriott Inn, transportation between the Inn and the skiing area, etc. -- efforts will be made by the sponsoring organizations to subsidize participants needing such assistance. Since the Race Committee probably will not be able to accept the application of everyone wanting to participate, it is important for anyone interested to contact the Committee as soon as possible in order to obtain additional information and to complete an application. The general criteria to be applied in screening applications provide that an applicant must be at least 18 years of age, should have relatively poor sight, should have evidence of leadership ability in organized activities, should be, or should have been, active in some physical activity (although not necessarily a strenuous one)! and should be willing to encourage other blind people to participate in cross-country skiing and other recreational physical activities, if they find this enjoyable and beneficial themselves. Let me repeat that this is an opportunity of a lifetime! Anyone interested in obtaining additional information or applying for acceptance for the 1976 event should contact Mr. Kjel Bergh, Public Relations Chairman of Ski for Light, Inc., 5428 Lyndale Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55419; telephone, (612) 827-3666. ***** ** NAC Meets Again By Reese Robrahn On November 12 and 13 at Little Rock, Arkansas, there assembled the annual membership and Board of Directors meetings of the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped. From across the nation there came representatives of member accredited agencies and schools serving adults and children who are visually impaired, representatives of national organizations of the blind, sponsoring members, members of the NAC Board of Directors, and observers. Billie Elder, Second Vice President of the American Council of the Blind and President of ACB's Arkansas affiliate and the Arkansas chapter of the American Association of Workers for the Blind, Roy Kumpe, Director of Arkansas Enterprises for the Blind, and Max Wooley, Superintendent of the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and other state officials welcomed the assembly with true southern hospitality, Arkansas style. ACB members present have now experienced first-hand the friendliness and warmth of many of those who will participate in hosting our 1976 convention at Hot Springs, Arkansas. The sample was delightful, and the prospect of enjoying an entire week of such hospitality is irresistible. NAC officials had planned for approximately 75 people to attend the reception and banquet festivities, but the number served at the banquet was 96. The meetings may be characterized as open and enthusiastic, complemented by an atmosphere of optimism for the future of NAC. Thirteen seats on NAC's 35-member Board of Directors were filled by election. Five of the thirteen individuals elected are blind. These include Miss Elizabeth M. Lennon and Dr. Otis H. Stephens of the American Council of the Blind, Russell C. Williams, David L. Schnair, and Roy Kumpe. Daniel D. Robinson retired from the office of President of NAC, having served in that capacity with exceptional understanding and conscientiousness under extraordinarily trying circumstances and times. The pickets and observers of the National Federation of the Blind were again present with their signs proclaiming that "NAC hurts blind people" and their misrepresentation that NAC will not permit blind people to serve on its Board of Directors. How NAC hurts blind people is still unexplained, and, or course, NAC does permit blind people to serve on its Board — to the ratio of approximately one-half at present. Of great significance to the blind people of this nation and to the future of NAC was the election of Louis H. Rives as President. Lou, as he is affectionately known to his many friends and acquaintances, is blind. He formerly served as Director of the former Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Handicapped of the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare and as attorney for the Civil Rights Commission of that department. Immediately prior to the NAC meeting on November 7, the Governor of Arkansas announced the appointment of Lou Rives as Director of the Arkansas Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Louis H. Rives, in accepting his new post as President of NAC, made the following statement and pledge: "I am keenly aware of the responsibility and the challenge of the task which you have given me. I accept it with a great deal of humility, but in the firm conviction that we have turned the corner, that NAC is here to stay, and that with your help -- every one of you -- we can make NAC what we know it can be: the bulwark of supporting better services for blind people in this nation. "In the time ahead, I want to make it completely clear that I will do everything I can to meet the National Federation of the Blind halfway. I will hold out an olive branch of conciliation, if they wish to conciliate on reasonable terms. But I will do nothing which will in any way impair the effectiveness, the independence, or the integrity of our election processes, nor will I give the control of this organization to anybody except this organization. With this olive branch, I will also wear a bullet­proof vest -- and I think perhaps some iron pants! "There is not much more I can say, except to thank you, to pledge to you my full support and whatever talents I have to make NAC at the end of its first decade and the beginning of its second a point of high achievement, a point of good faith, and a point which I hope we can look back on as a time when blind people got their break, and got their break because we stood firm and held out for high standards, for independent evaluation, and for accreditation which means that agencies that are serving blind people are good agencies and good to serve those people, and that NAC does not hurt blind people." ***** ** A Free-Lancer Reminisces from Afar By Earl L. (Bud) Bigger (Reprinted from the Pen and Pencil, Annual Publication of the Pen and Pencil Club of Philadelphia) In the 1960s when I was attending Temple University, in order to earn some money, I set up a freelance news organization in and around Philadelphia. This organization paid off so well while I was attending college that I kept right on with it until I left Philadelphia in January of 1970. It's interesting to look back now and to observe from this distance things I did in those prior years. First I decided that I had better find out just how police and fire department personnel went about their work, the types of equipment they were using, and just what sort of procedure and terminology was involved in their work. I particularly chose police and fire reporting because it paid off on a free-lance basis better than other types of journalism. I learned everything I possibly could about members of both departments, especially their "slang," which when I heard it over the radio I immediately knew what it meant. I could also talk to firemen or policemen on the phone, and they often would make remarks that were perfectly clear to me, but which might have caused others to wonder. I particularly enjoyed getting stories from the Main Line and similar areas where police and fire people would not talk to reporters. My closeness to them held me in good stead. Came the election of 1963, and how was I going to cover such an event? Having to add up returns and the fact that I was blind presented a problem. I solved it in the following manner: I invited a math major, a young lady about 20 years old — a classmate of mine at Temple — to have dinner with me election night. About 7:45, which was fifteen minutes before the polls closed, I said to my dinner companion, "My dear, I don't think I will be able to get you back to the dorm and get back to Election headquarters on time. How would you like to come along with me and see what it is like in one of the busiest election headquarters?" Of course, as I had hoped, she was only too willing to accompany me. She added up all the returns not only for me, but for all of the reporters there. It was, in fact, one of the best and most profitable election nights I had ever had. I recall another occasion when I was covering racial demonstrations. I pulled up to the police station on the day before Easter Sunday and got out of the cab. As I did so, some three hundred demonstrators turned the corner and started toward the police station, which was surrounded by cops. I was caught between the police line and those three hundred demonstrators. Everybody stopped, and I am sure they stared with their mouths open, watching a blind man standing there just swinging his white cane, as I did so often. At this point, the cab driver became very uneasy. I paid him off, and he quickly drove away. I walked into the police station and an officer said to me, "Who are you?" I told him. He said, "Do you realize what you have done?" I said, "No." He then proceeded to tell me that the three hundred demonstrators and the police halted their confrontation to watch me pay off a cab driver. I managed to make friends with many of the police and demonstrators, and this enabled me to cover the story from both sides. I also covered school board meetings, and in order not to miss anything, I had to develop my own type of braille shorthand. While working as a free-lance reporter, I managed to accumulate quite a bit of radio equipment with which I monitored police, fire, and state police messages, as well as airport signals. I could pick up stories not only in the Philadelphia area, but for quite a distance around. Because of this, I had many clients. It was a very exciting business, and very profitable. I recall the Philadelphia Fire Department using a special frequency for multi-alarmers and messages it didn't want the public to hear. It was called F2. While sitting at home, I was able to monitor those multi-alarm fires (and there were some big ones in those days). Most of the newsrooms did not have the equipment to pick up the F2 broadcasts, so I cashed in on my information to my clients. Because I had such good contacts and relationships with doctors, nurses, firemen, police, politicians, etc., I was able to cover stories and still go out at times for a night on the town, which most of you know I did quite often in those days. All I had to do was leave a phone number. I often would get tips on breaking stories while sitting in the Pen and Pencil Club and various other places. I recall one night at the P and P when I received a phone call about a plane crash. I was able to break the story before anyone else. The old Pen and Pencil Club really was a unique institution. You could go in there any night of the week and run into some of the strangest characters in town. I hope that someday the Club again will be what it was in the past — a place where a reporter could go and have a conference with his friends. (We call them conferences, don't we?) I have been in press clubs all around the country. Some of them are fancy palaces; others have the best restaurants in town. But none of them has the atmosphere of the old Pen and Pencil Club, where reporters could get together and discuss their mutual interests. I really had something which I definitely miss. ***** ** Second National Conference on Radio Reading Services in Planning Stage Under the auspices of the American Foundation for the Blind, approximately eighteen representatives of agencies and organizations providing radio reading services for the blind, representatives of National Public Radio, and representatives of organizations of the blind were convened at St. Louis, Missouri, on October 28 to discuss the need and the planning of a second National Conference on Radio Reading Services for the Blind. William T. Gallagher, Director of the Program Planning Department of the American Foundation, and Patricia Smith, Director of its Publications Department, hosted the conference on behalf of the Foundation, and Reese Robrahn represented the American Council of the Blind. It was decided that a second national conference should be held at Minneapolis, Minnesota, during the early part of May, 1976, the exact dates to be announced later. A six-member steering or coordinating committee was elected to formulate and plan the program for the conference. Stanley Potter, Director of the Minnesota Agency for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, was designated as chairman, and Reese Robrahn was one of the members of the committee elected to serve. The Planning conference discussed areas of concern which would be appropriate for program content for the conference, among which were the following: administration and management, funding and financial aspects, copyright legislation and legal considerations, utilization of volunteers, involvement of users of the services or consumers, distribution of some programming material on a national basis, and display and exhibiting of receivers and other appropriate equipment. Many of the readers of the Braille Forum are aware of the fact that ACB has been in the forefront as an exponent in initiating radio services for the blind, and our interest and knowledge in this important service will continue in order that this kind of communication remains a valuable and meaningful informational and recreational program for the blind. ***** ** Handicapped People: The Newest Militant Minority? By John Mathews Washington Star Staff Writer "I can feel it from dealing with people on the street. They seem to fear to touch us, because it might be catching. They give their money to Columbia Lighthouse or Easter Seals, but they really want us kept out of the way. They give us separate jobs, so they don't have to see us; or separate transportation or separate recreation programs. We are more than actively ignored; we are actively avoided." Like many so-called handicapped or disabled people, Roger Petersen, who has been blind since birth, feels he belongs to one of the more shunned and ignored minorities in American life. "Out of sight out of mind" has long been the catchphrase to describe the blind, the deaf, the retarded, the physically disabled, mentally ill or other handicapped people. IN RECENT YEARS, however, the handicapped have become increasingly outspoken and impatient. They are now the newest emerging minority, ready to make an imprint on the national consciousness, as the racial and ethnic minorities, the elderly and the women's movement have done in the past. "We are a good deal more vocal -- or the common word is militant -- than we have been," said Durward K. McDaniel, national representative of the American Council of the Blind. "We haven't taken to picket lines, but we have used more indirect methods, like litigation and negotiations." Perhaps the most dramatic instance of handicapped people taking to the courts was the successful 1973 lawsuit resulting in a federal court decision here requiring the Metro subway system to install elevators for the handicapped at a cost of $65 million in its initial 41 stations. In less publicized actions, physically handicapped people have been bringing lawsuits against airlines for refusing to allow them to travel on regularly scheduled flights. Parents of handicapped children in the District, Maryland and elsewhere have won lawsuits requiring public school systems to provide their children with appropriate education, or funds to obtain such education in specialized private schools. And just last week, using a $240,000 grant from the U.S. Office of Education, the George Washington University Law Center and Gallaudet College, opened up a legal services center, operating from a trailer on the college's campus. Hearing impaired people, who have had difficulty getting service from regular private and public legal aid services which do not provide an interpreter proficient in sign language, can walk in and talk to a staff lawyer, aided by a qualified interpreter. GLENN A. GOLDBERG, a GW Law Center instructor who heads the project, said a wide variety of possible class-action lawsuits or legislative proposals are also under consideration. Problems under investigation now include: higher insurance rates charged hearing impaired people despite actuarial tables showing better than average accident records; publicly supported television programs which are inaccessible to deaf people; or government programs or services deaf people cannot use because of the communications barrier that could be surmounted by use of teletype devices. Organizations of handicapped people are also lobbying on Capitol Hill for amendment of virtually all existing civil rights laws to include discrimination against the handicapped. For example, discrimination against the handicapped could be added to Title VI of the Civil Rights Law of 1964, which prohibits any agency or organization receiving federal funds from discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin, and Title VII of the law prohibiting discrimination in employment. While handicapped people want to extend their rights through new laws, they are also concerned about the lack of implementation of existing laws. The focus currently is on provisions of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 -- unnoticed by the public at large, but of crucial importance to handicapped people. Even though the law was two years old last month, regulations for two key sections are still not in final form. Section 503 of Title V of the act mandates that any businesses or agencies receiving federal contracts must adopt affirmative action programs for hiring of disabled and handicapped people. The Department of Labor, given authority to implement that provision, issued draft guidelines in August, which some organizations feel are far weaker than affirmative action programs dealing with minorities and women. THE LABOR REGULATIONS, still open for comment and possible revision, set up an objective of "reasonable accommodation," instead of the specific goals and timetables -- which some employers maintain are quotas in disguise -- mandated for the hiring and promotion of racial minorities and women by firms with government contracts. Even though the regulations are not yet in final form, the Labor Department has regularly been handling complaints from persons alleging job discrimination on the basis of disability. Examples of complaints filed with the department, sanitized to protect individual identity, show that many persons, who never thought of themselves as handicapped or disabled, can suddenly find themselves labeled and discriminated against: A woman in her mid-50s, who had a radical mastectomy two years ago, is denied a factory assembly job because insurance coverage requires a five-year period between an operation for removal of a cancerous breast and eligibility for health coverage. An engineer is found highly qualified for a job as an aerosystems specialist, but is not hired because of a 30-year policy by the Fort Worth company against hiring diabetics. A 47-year-old man receives an offer from a suburban Boston company in a military communications equipment field. He passes the company physical, authorizes the company to contact his personal physician, but fails to disclose he suffered a mild heart attack some years earlier. He is not hired. A woman is not hired as clerk-typist because in her adolescence she broke her knee, and the employer feels it may be physically difficult for her to remain seated at a desk for long periods of time. Seeking a job as a brakeman for a railroad in Omaha, a man flunks the physical because X-rays show he has an extra vertebra. He is considered an insurance risk, even though he has never had any back problems. Labor Department files are filled with cases, as well, where physically handicapped people, those with past history of mental illness or with current conditions like epilepsy, and people with speech, hearing and visual problems are denied jobs. Many of the cases, including some detailed above, are settled once a company is made aware of Section 503 of the rehabilitation bill. Amendments to the bill last year, expanded the definition of the term handicapped or disabled to give protection to a much wider class of people. The law now covers people who are in fact handicapped; those who are incorrectly labeled or regarded as handicapped, such as those who have recovered, partly or fully, from heart attacks, cancer, mental diseases. WHILE REGULATIONS for Section 503 should be in effect within a few months, implementation of the other key Section 504 is still not in sight, even though Congress last year expected full implementation during 1974. Section 504 almost provides handicapped people with the guarantees given on the basis of race under Titel VI of the Civil Rights Act. It reads "No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States ... shall, solely by reason of his handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination, under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.' The scope of Section 504 is practically limitless. It would affect public school systems, public colleges and private colleges receiving federal grants, hospitals, state agencies receiving federal funds. Employment, government services and programs would all be affected. A case could be made under the section, for example, that all public-school systems must provide education to handicapped children, regardless of the degree of their handicap or the cost to the state. Perhaps the most visible impact of Section 504 deals with making facilities accessible to the handicapped. So-called "architectural barriers," could be challenged as unlawful, like lack of wheelchair ramps which make it impossible for a handicapped student to enter a school or college building or prevent another handicapped person from getting health care, welfare assistance of other help. "YOU CAN SAY that the greatest form of discrimination is denying handicapped people the ability to enter buildings where federal programs exists," said John Wodatch, acting director of the new programs office of the HEW civil rights office. This summer, HEW, which has the responsibility for implementation of Section 504 was ready to issue draft guidelines, but Wodatch added, "We found out about Executive Order 11821." The order, issued by President Ford in last November as part of his WIN (Whip Inflation Now) program, requires an "inflationary impact statement" to accompany any new program or regulation, which may cost more than $100 million. The more than two-year delay by HEW on issuance of Section 504 regulations is an "incredible default of responsibility," said McDaniel, the national representative of the American Council of the Blind. "There's really no defense," acknowledged Wodatch of HEW. To Roger Petersen, and other so-called handicapped people, the unenforced laws on the books are living evidence that handicapped people are still being denied their rightful place in society. "When there are more ramps and audible signals at street crossings, more handicapped people will be able to get out," he said. "This is the rationale of all civil rights laws. You integrate schools so the races will get to know each other. But in terms of integration, handicapped people are still way behind 1954." SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, handicapped organizations attended a news conference called by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights -- a major umbrella group of civil rights groups, unions and religious organizations -- to protest a new HEW rule that would limit government action on individual complaints alleging discrimination. It was an historic gathering of minorities: blacks, Spanish surname and Indians, people in wheelchairs, blind and deaf people, joining together in a common cause. One outspoken leader in the women's movement denounced HEW and charged it with "being blind" with respect to civil rights issues. Many of the veteran liberals shuddered at the gaffe and Roger Petersen broke the ice. "I attribute that comment to the speaker's feminine illogic," he said. The embarrassed woman later told Petersen, "We all have a lot of consciousness-raising to do." ***** ** State Convention Highlights * Kentucky, 1975 By Carla Franklin The Associated Blind of Kentucky held its second annual convention in Louisville on July 11-12. Convention attendance was well above expectations, with a better than 40 percent increase over the 1974 convention. The convention opened on Friday evening with an informal meeting and social hour. Saturday was a full and busy day, beginning at 9:30 a.m. with the keynote address by President Anna Rose Cain. Will D. Evans, Superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Blind, addressed the convention concerning changes currently under way in facilities and educational opportunities available to blind and visually handicapped children at the State residential school. A most significant part of the morning's program was a speech by Dr. Lyman V. Ginger, Superintendent of Public Instruction in Kentucky. As many of you are perhaps aware, major changes are currently being planned for the Division of Services for the Blind within our state, as well as for other services concerning the visually impaired. Dr. Ginger, in a very straightforward manner, outlined his position and intent in dealing with these programs. He further stressed the need for coordination and cooperation between agencies and groups serving the blind in Kentucky. The afternoon session commenced with an address by Julian Carroll, Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Governor Carroll spoke of his concern for the improvement of services to the blind, and of his desire to work in close cooperation with all groups working with or representing the visually handicapped. Reports on the Fingertip Patterns Project (the production of braille sewing patterns) and the ABK Cassette Recording Unit were heard by the assembly. Other committee reports included legislation, public service, ways and means, and publicity. ABK welcomed its first local chapter into the membership. The Bluegrass chapter from Lexington was well represented at the convention, as seven of its twenty members were in attendance. The first project of this chapter was the operation of an information tent at the eight-day Lions Bluegrass Fair in Lexington. Convention publicity was quite varied in scope. In addition to radio and television announcements and appearances by ABK members, Durward K. McDaniel, ACB National Representative, who also served ably as convention banquet speaker, was a guest with other ABK members on the talk show, "585-2385," aired for 90 minutes on the 50,000-Watt, clear channel WHAS Radio in Louisville. New officers of the Associated Blind of Kentucky were elected as follows: President, Donald Franklin, Louisville; First Vice President, Cyrus Bayer, Lexington; Second Vice President, James Shaw, Louisville; Secretary, Mary Lou Lacefield, Louisville; Treasurer, Susan Richards, Louisville; and Editor of Publications, Carla Franklin, Louisville. ** Florida Council Convention By O.L. Joiner Approximately 200 interested members and visitors met at the Holiday Inn North in Lakeland for the Florida Council of the Blind 1975 convention. A highlight of the business sessions was a resolution to be presented at the American Council of the Blind national convention in Mobile, calling upon the President of ACB to institute a periodic presidential bulletin to be disseminated to affiliates, containing comprehensive information concerning activities and accomplishments of the President and National Representative, the Board, and others conducting business on behalf of ACB. The high point of the convention, besides the social interchange and normal activities, was the banquet. Jack Lewis of the Georgia Federation of the Blind was master of ceremonies. Don Wedower, Chief of the Florida Bureau of Blind Services, introduced the banquet speaker, Representative Redmond of the Florida Legislature. Representative Redmond told those present of the fight to have the Bureau of Blind Services removed from the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, which was undergoing a regionalization change, and to place the Bureau under the Education Department. Representative Redmond introduced this bill as a result of lobbying done by members of the Florida Council. The bill was passed, and the Bureau of Blind Services in Florida is now a part of the Department of Education, under Special Education. It is hoped that in the future, the blind of Florida will see an improvement in services, with input from the Bureau to clients and from clients to the Bureau. The 1977 national ACB convention, "Heaven in '77," to be held in Florida, was also discussed. A committee consisting of Jay Root (Chairman), Joe Hershey, and O.L. Joiner was appointed to implement plans. The 1975-76 FCB officers are: President, Paul Sparkman; First Vice President, Karen Lourcey; Second Vice President, Don Cameron; Secretary, Mary Inez Mauldin; Membership Chairman, Chick Crampton. The officers expect to do bigger and better things for the Florida Council of the Blind in the year to come. * OFB Convention, 1975 By Judy Pool The 1975 annual convention of the Oklahoma Federation of the Blind was held in late September in Tulsa. Participants throughout the convention numbered about 150. The theme of this year's convention was, "The Age of Aquarius in Education of the Blind in Oklahoma." Guest speakers on the main program on Saturday included: Bob Funcston, a State Representative in Tulsa; Marcia Mitchell, instructor from the Little Lighthouse for the Blind in Tulsa; Dean Wyrick, Regional Representative of the National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults in the Dallas, Texas office; Travis Harris, Director of Visual Services in Oklahoma; Kent Bowers, programmer with the Radio Talking Book; and Beall Pickett, mobility and orientation instructor at the Oklahoma School for the Blind. OFB members were honored by the presence of Senator Jim Inhoffe, who spoke at the banquet on Saturday evening. A dance followed the banquet. The main portion of the business meeting on Sunday morning consisted of the election of officers and board members, as follows: President, Ray Jones; First Vice President, Norman Dalke; Second Vice President, Shirley Croxton; Secretary, Patricia Merriman; Treasurer, Marie Morrison; Public Information Director, Janie Byars; and Board members-at-large, Richard Bentley, June Masters and Dennis Williams. A unique service provided at this convention was that a man appeared from the Traffic Bureau to issue identification driver's licenses for blind persons. The law regarding such a license was passed in Oklahoma several years ago, but blind people have not taken real advantage of it. The convention adjourned on Sunday, with most members planning to attend the OFB quarterly Board meeting in December. * New York Convention By Janice Harden The sixth annual convention of the American Council of the Blind of New York State, Inc. was held Labor Day weekend in Rochester. On Saturday, Carl Augusto of the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped explained the history and functioning of NAC. B.T. Kimbrough, Editor-in-Chief of Dialogue magazine, told about that publication. Sunday was devoted to exploring the pros and cons of the "umbrella" concept. It was the consensus that the American Council of the Blind of New York State favors all services for the visually handicapped being administered by a single agency, with these services as its only objective and with the agency head reporting directly to the Governor on a level equal to all other service-providing agencies. At the business meeting, resolutions were adopted supporting National ACB Resolution 75-01, protesting the discriminatory conduct of Dr. Andrew S. Adams, Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services Administration, and calling for oversight hearings to investigate his actions and the overall administration of the national rehabilitation program; favoring increased state supplementation to SSI; providing identification cards for the blind; requesting a Governor's Conference on the Handicapped. The 1976 convention will be held in New York City. * 1975 ACBI Convention By Paul Filpus The American Council of the Blind of Indiana held its fourth annual convention on October 10 and 11 in South Bend at the Sheraton Motor Inn. The convention began formally on Friday evening with a reception for Mr. Fred Silver, who is Director of the Division of Services for the Blind in Indiana. Saturday morning began with a business meeting chaired by President Paul Filpus. The election of officers and directors resulted in the following: Re-elected to a new one-year term were Paul Filpus, President; Dr. Steven Rogers, Vice President; Evelyn Meyer, Secretary. Horace Ferguson was newly elected to a one-year term as Treasurer. Pat Price, who served the maximum of three years as Treasurer, was elected to a three-year term as Board member. Cade Verner and Harvey Jefferies were re-elected to three-year terms as Board members. Mr. Herbert Eastman, who represented the National Center for Law and the Handicapped, Inc., gave an excellent presentation on current laws affecting the handicapped. Among the topics covered were: affirmative action, the Rehabilitation Act, Indiana's White Cane Law, and the certification dilemma. The National Center for Law and the Handicapped, Inc., works closely with Notre Dame University. Mr. Eastman is a third-year law student at Notre Dame. ACB National Representative Durward McDaniel reported on matters at the national level. He stayed for the entire day to answer questions and lend his expertise. Miss Jessamine Cobb, Regional Consultant for the American Foundation for the Blind, rounded out the morning's activities with a presentation of the newest aids and appliances available from AFB. She had a number of items with her for demonstration purposes. A general session was held in the afternoon, which consisted of presentations by Dr. Lee Smith and Mr. James Chandler. Dr. Smith is an ophthalmologist, and he spoke on some new techniques for correcting eye problems. Mr. Chandler reported on the progress of his cassette dictionary. Approximately 70 people attended this session. These presentations were well received, and many good questions were asked. The rest of the afternoon was taken up by several small special-interest workshops. Among these were homemaking techniques, use of the Optacon, the feasibility of an ACBI credit union, and blind persons employed in the field of teaching. Mr. Ed Vitu of Telesensory Systems, Inc., demonstrated the Optacon and gave "hands on" demonstrations to interested persons. The convention culminated Saturday evening with a banquet and an address by Mrs. Betty Lynch, Director of Special Education in the South Bend school system. A few door prizes were given out, and fun and fellowship were evident throughout the occasion. It was a great way to end a great convention. A total of 92 people, including exhibitors and speakers, were in attendance for this year's ACBI convention. ***** ** Something to Think About Some members keep a club so strong, While others join just to belong. Some dig right in, some serve with pride; Some go along just for the ride. Some volunteer to do their share, While some lie back and just don't care. Some always pay their dues ahead; Some get behind for months instead. Some do their best, some build, some make; Some do nothing, but only take. Some lag behind and let things go. Some never help their club to grow. Some drag, some pull, some don't, some do. Consider which of these are you. ***** ** Here and There By Harold Rowley Dr. William Feinbloom, a Manhattan optometrist who has long experimented with powerful eyeglasses, has come up with a new glass consisting of three thicknesses of lens, with two air spaces, which may restore vision up to 40 per cent in persons with very low residual vision. A Brazilian girl with only 1 percent vision had 40 percent vision when wearing Feinbloom's lenses. It is suggested that those interested first consult their local optometrist. Biking for the blind. A mechanism that emits a series of "beeps" and is known as a "Cricket" now enables blind people, long deprived of the joys of long-distance bike riding, to engage in this exhilarating pastime. Fastened to the seat of a bike ridden by a sighted companion, this battery-powered device makes it possible for the blind bike rider to follow the leader on his or her own bike. The gadget costs about $10. Inquiries may be directed to Western Electric, Hawthorne Works, Medical Engineering Division, Chicago, IL. Many other applications for the "Cricket" are forecast, such as using it to guide blind swimmers in a pool. Moon Type. Moon type for the blind, once thought to be the best means of reading for the blind, is no longer published anywhere in the United States. Its great advantage was the ease with which it could be learned, but its great disadvantage was that it could not be written by an individual with a small portable device such as a slate and stylus. But devotees of Moon type can still obtain reading matter in that form by writing to the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Moon Branch, Holmesdale Road, Reigate, Surrey, England. Dialogue, a recorded and brailled magazine for the blind and deaf-blind, will lose a familiar voice beginning with the Spring, 1976 issue, but at least temporarily will see an old friend back in the editor's chair. B.T. Kimbrough, who has become almost as much "Mr. Dialogue" as its founder and Editor-Publisher, Don O. Nold himself, has resigned his position as Editor-in-Chief as of November 30 to assume a position yet unannounced. B.T. came to Dialogue in August of 1972 and was named Editor-in-Chief this past January when Don Nold stepped down from that position to devote more time to other needs of the magazine. But at least temporarily, Don will again be back behind the editor's desk. "We are pleased that B.T. was here as long as he was," said Don. "He developed a good tone for Dialogue, and we are going to try to continue it." On October 20, 1975, Charles E. (Ned) Cox, a blind person known to many readers, assumed his duties as the appointed Director of the Division of Services for the Blind, Bureau of Rehabilitation Service, Kentucky State Department of Education. Prior to that time, he was Director of Kentucky Industries for the Blind, a workshop, and the Kentucky Rehabilitation Center for the Blind. The division which he directs now includes the Industries, the Rehabilitation Center, the Business Enterprise Program, the Job Development and Placement Program, and the Field Counseling Service. ---- T.V. Cranmer, former Director of the Division, and Fred Gissoni, a former supervisor of the Rehabilitation Center, have been assigned to other duties within the Division. William G. Ferrell has been appointed the new director of Tennessee Services for the Blind. A native Tennessean and a graduate of Tennessee Tech University, Bill Ferrell has long been prominent in work for the blind of his state. He is a member of ACB and has been active in the work of one of its special-interest affiliates, the World Council of Blind Lions. In an effort to organize an alumni association of former students of the Oklahoma School for the Blind, a meeting is being planned in Muskogee for the weekend of April 30 through May 2, 1976. An early effort is being made to contact former students of the School and to encourage their involvement and participation. Tentatively, registration will be Friday evening and Saturday morning, followed by a business meeting, a luncheon and a tour of the OSB facilities. Many will want to attend the All-Sports Banquet on Saturday night at the School. Further information may be obtained by writing or calling Judy Pool, 1917 N.W. 30, Oklahoma City, OK 73118; phone (405) 525-0635. Under a revised Federal regulation, blind Supplemental Security Income recipients in four states can qualify for higher payments made to blind people, even if they are 65 or older. California, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Iowa have provided higher payments to blind recipients than to the aged, but blind recipients 65 or older could not get the higher amount under previous Federal regulations because they were automatically classified as aged recipients. Now these states can give the higher amount to blind people, regardless of their age. There is no categorical difference in Federal payment amounts to aged, blind and disabled beneficiaries, but states that add money to the Federal payments may vary the amounts by category. Camps and More Camps. Would you believe that there are now so many camps for the blind, especially for children and young adults, that a directory listing most, if not all, of such camps is now available. That's right. This directory will give you such information as which camp is closest to your home, recreational and other services at the camp, dates, cost (if any, though by far the majority of camps for the blind are free). Interested? Then write to National Camps for Blind Children, P.O. Box 6097, Lincoln, NE 68506, or to Camp Au Sable, Box 576, Grayling, MI 49738. Blind Man Refuses Sight. Twenty-two-year-old Ricky Williams, who is one of the most popular studio artists in the New York City area, has been assured that an operation on his eyes will restore his sight. But he said, "There are plenty of people who have eyes and still can't see." Williams is currently studying under the sponsorship of the Louis Braille Foundation, whose director, Shel Freund, predicts a fantastic career for him. Williams is so well oriented in his present lifestyle of studying, composing and playing with the nation's top artists that he feels that to regain his sight would mean a real disruption in his life, including having to learn to read and write all over again. SSI Increase. On July 1, 1975, the basic SSI grant was increased as a result of the cost-of-living escalator clause. The grant for an individual increased from $146.00 a month to $157.70, and for couples, from $219.00 a month to $236.60. A recent study, however, shows that only five states have made a full pass-along of this gain; seven states have made a limited pass-along; five have provided for equal increases or higher; 26 have shown no pass-along or increase; six states had a limited increase; and two were undecided. From TSI NEWSLETTER (Oct., 1975). As of August 31, 1975, a total of 65 orientation and mobility specialists had completed the University Electronic and Boston Mobility Aid College. ---- Mr. Harold Snider, formerly of St. Augustine, Florida, has become the first blind person to be hired by the Smithsonian Institute. He will serve as Education Specialist at the new National Air and Space Museum in Washington. He was interviewed for the job by Astronaut and Museum Director Mike Collins. He will use his Optacon to help him write museum tour material, research early 20th-century aviation for the museum, and attend to the other demands of his job. As Education Specialist, he will also be responsible for both training museum volunteer workers and making museum exhibits as accessible as possible to all handicapped individuals. Law, Anyone? Plans are going forward for the training of blind people to be paralegals. At present, it is hoped that the first class will convene in the fall of 1976 in quarters to be provided by the Michigan Rehabilitation Center for the Blind in Kalamazoo. Meanwhile, interested prospective students of the two-year training program should begin talking to their rehabilitation counselors and should also write to Mr. William L. Coash, Executive Attorney, Calhoun County Legal Aid Society, 205 Capital Building, Battle Creek, MI 49014, in order to be placed on a mailing list and receive updated information about the progress of this training program as it becomes available. Raised-Line Check Books. Raised-Line check books are a necessity for many blind people because they indicate clearly on what line the date, signature, amount, payee, and so on are to be written. Some banks make these available to their customers at cost or free. If your bank does not provide raised-line check books, these may be bought from the American Printing House for the Blind, 1839 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206. Each book contains 25 checks and costs $1.90; Catalog No. 1-0350. When ordering, be sure to include the catalog number, as well as a sample check from your bank. After receiving the book be sure to take it to your bank and have the name of the bank put on it. Your checkbook is then acceptable to any branch of the bank serving you. Jumbo Braille. In response to an expressed need, a braille manual containing jumbo-size braille characters and dots, together with their large-print equivalents, has been prepared and may be ordered from Howe Press, Perkins School for the Blind, 175 North Beacon Street, Watertown, MA. Entitled "Introduction to Relevant Braille," this book will motivate the newly blinded person to persevere through the process of learning braille. ***** ** ACB Officers and Directors * President: Floyd Qualls, 106 N.E. 2nd Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 * First Vice President: S. Bradley Burson, 917 Kenyon Street, Downers Grove, IL 60515 * Second Vice President: Billie Elder, 5317 W. 29th Street, Little Rock, AR 72204 * Secretary: M. Helen Vargo, 833 Oakley Street, Topeka, KS 66606 * Treasurer: J. Edward Miller, 2621 Chesterfield Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28205 George Fogarty, 5565 Florence Terrace, Oakland, CA 94611 Jack Lewis, 541 Woodland Hills Drive, Athens, GA 30601 Lester McGlaughn, 2403 Monroe Avenue, Gadsden, AL 35901 Wallace Menning, 2750 Ellis Avenue, N.E., Salem, OR 97301 Herbert Pitz, 403 Merritt Street, Oshkosh, WI 54001 Norman Robinson, 7107 S. King Drive, Chicago, IL 60619 Reese Robrahn, 818 18th Street, N.W., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20006 Otis Stephens, 20 Fernald Drive, Apartment 32, Cambridge, MA 02138 John Vanlandingham, 5800 N. 19th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85015 ###