The Braille Forum Vol. XVI August 1977 No. 2 Published Monthly by the American Council of the Blind Oklahoma City, Oklahoma * President: Floyd Qualls 501 N. Douglas Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73160 * 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 ACB Officers Notice to Subscribers In Memoriam: Loretta Freeman, by Floyd Qualls "Good Luck and Carry On!" Assessing Braille Efficiency, by John Buckley The Council of Citizens with Low Vision -- A New ACB Organization in the Making, by Durward K. McDaniel Progress in Vendors' Suit on Federal Rule Reform Tell an Optometrist OASDI and SSI Increases "And Now We Bring You -- The Elbee Audio Players!," by David Swerdlow Columbus Lions Produce Braille Football Schedules, by Crawford Pike Braille Authority of North America June Meeting Sensory Aids News LCCR Honors Carter Appointees Arizona Council of the Blind Social Services and Rehabilitation, Inc. -- Home Industries Program Let's Share Resources, by Norma L. Schecter Coming Soon on Television ... Including Me Here and There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon ***** ** ACB Officers * President: Floyd Qualls, 501 North Douglas Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73106 * First Vice President: Alma Murphey, 4103 Castleman Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110 * 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, 1120 Coddington Place, Charlotte, NC 28211 ***** ** Notice to Subscribers The Braille Forum is available in large-type, cassette tape, and flexible disc. Send subscription requests and address changes to The Braille Forum, 190 Lattimore Road, Rochester, NY 14620. Items intended for publication may be submitted in print, braille, or tape and should be addressed to the editor, Mary T. Ballard, 190 Lattimore Road, Rochester, NY 14620, or to one of the associate editors: George Card, 605 S. 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 Those much-needed and appreciated cash contributions may be sent to ACB Treasurer J. Edward Miller, 1120 Coddington Place, Charlotte, NC 28211. Anyone wishing to remember ACB 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, your attorney should communicate with the ACB National Office. ***** ** In Memoriam: Loretta Freeman By Floyd Qualls "None knew her but to love her. None named her but to pray." In July of 1961, Ned and Loretta Freeman stepped into national prominence in work for the blind. They had been active in the Georgia Federation and members of the National Federation of the Blind, but neither placed them in the national limelight. The American Council of the Blind was formed on a July day in 1961, and Ned Freeman was elected as its first president. He held this position until 1966, when he was succeeded by Reese Robrahn. One might have thought Ned was getting all the attention, but that is pretty much the way Loretta would have wanted it. She was there by his side, ready to read, to run errands, to do whatever was needed to assist her husband in the fulfillment of his duties as ACB president. And there was much to do. The new organization had a list of charter members scattered throughout the United States. There was a formal constitution to be drafted; local affiliates to be formed; a national periodical to be printed and distributed. So much work and so little money to work with! Those formative years were lean, but Ned and Loretta weathered them. They knew how to instill loyalty and devotion; they could inspire others to work; they believed in a cause and made others believe in it. Wherever Ned's work with the Council took him, Loretta went along. She was a companion, secretary, chauffeur ... Whatever was needed by Ned, Loretta provided. If it was good for Ned and good for the Council, it was what she wanted. In 1966, when Ned's tenure as president ended, he and Loretta took over the task of editing The Braille Forum. As if compiling the material were not enough, they saw to the production of editions in braille, large-print and open­reel tape, enlisting Georgia friends to read for the tape edition. A strong organization was developed. A respected publication was born. What better bequest could be left to others? The untimely death of Ned Freeman in 1969 left a very heavy load on Loretta's shoulders. She struggled with it bravely, but in time it was more than her physical strength could stand. She gave up her work with The Braille Forum, but she did not give up her interest in ACB and in the blind of Georgia and of the nation. She contributed articles to the magazine when she could. When she could, she came to ACB National Conventions. Her interest and her efforts never waned. In recent years, Loretta's health failed. She had been working on a history of the American Council of the Blind. She had sorted tapes, records, and other materials which the National Office of the Council should have. She never ceased thinking about the blind. Last year she proposed establishing a scholarship for blind students in the name of her husband, "The Ned E. Freeman Scholarship." She proposed donating a sum of money to found this scholarship, with the hope that ACB and others might contribute to it. How to handle this generous offer is now before the ACB Board of Directors. On the 23rd of June, 1977, Loretta Freeman departed this life. She left behind two sons, two daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as brothers and sisters. She also left behind uncountable blind friends -- friends who knew her great depth of thoughtfulness -- friends who share her warm and always understanding disposition -- friends who will always remember Loretta Freeman as a person ready to share their joys and their sorrows, and to give counsel whenever and wherever it would benefit others. The name Loretta Freeman may not be recorded in America's history books. No magnificent monument may proclaim her deeds to posterity. But those who knew her will always remember her part in the growth of work for the blind. Thousands who may never hear the name Loretta Freeman will have greater opportunities, better lives, and recognition as citizens of the community because Loretta Freeman lived. "None knew her but to love her. None named her but to pray." ***** ** "Good Luck and Carry On!" When the ACB Board of Publications last November authorized production of a flexible disc edition of The Braille Forum, it also determined that the open reel edition -- initiated by Ned Freeman in 1966 -- should be discontinued Since there were still some 400 subscribers on the mailing list, it was decided to phase out open-reel gradually over a period of time. When these plans were communicated to Gus and June Mann, readers of the recorded edition from the very first, their reaction was one of regret, yet one of understanding and acceptance of changing circumstances. Their one request was that they be notified before open-reel was finally discontinued, so that they could include in the final issue a personal message to their many friends and readers. During the past few months, problems have arisen due to breakdown of equipment and difficulties generally in circulation procedures. Regrettably, there is no alternative but to discontinue the open-reel edition at this time. A notice is being sent to all open-reel readers to determine which edition they now prefer. Because of the unanticipated turn of events, it was not possible for Gus and June Mann to say good-bye to their many friends and readers in the final open-reel edition. However, perhaps that is just as well. We officially announce the end of the open-reel Forum with a sincere "Thank you, Gus and June." You will always be part of the "Forum Family." Your friends go beyond readers of the open-reel Forum and include, in addition to the many readers who once knew you through the cassette edition, the wide-ranging membership of ACE for whom you have worked so long and faithfully. We are pleased to share with the entire readership of The Braille Forum the following message from Gus and June Mann: When a relationship of more than a decade ends, many memories remain. Our association with the American Council of the Blind has always been anonymous, but one which we have enjoyed. As the need for open-reel copies of The Braille Forum ceases and our task is completed, we want to say thank you for letting us share your concerns and interests. Beginning with Ned Freeman, on through Mary Ballard, the recording task has made us glad to be a small part in your endeavour. I wish we could say good-bye to each of you personally, but that is not our style. So, until our paths cross again, good luck and carry on. June and Gus Mann ***** ** Assessing Braille Efficiency By John Buckley Department of Speech and Theater University of Tennessee Advances in communication technology, ranging from the invention of the cassette and development of more sophisticated disc recordings to projects for the computerized production of braille materials, have done much to make printed matter more readily available to the blind. Improvements in technique, however, have not always kept pace with technology. Braille, the primary communicative medium of the blind, has remained essentially unchanged and, with a few exceptions, unexamined with regard to its effectiveness at communicating information. In other words, how efficient is braille at communicating information, and what might practically be done to improve the system? Two recent studies in linguistics of written standard American English make it possible to begin answering these questions with considerable reliability. In 1968, W. Nelson Francis and his colleagues at Brown University published the results of a six-year, computer-based study of present-day American English. Three years later, J.B. Carroll, senior research psychologist for the Educational Testing Service, completed a similar study of present-day children's English. These studies are of significance for two reasons. First, their results are drawn from a representative cross-section of printed materials read by the American public. Therefore, Francis surveyed sports and hobby publications as well as news and non-fiction, and Carroll studied children's magazines as well as 3-9 grade texts. Second, the use of sophisticated computers permitted Francis and Carroll to study a very large body of printed matter. As will be seen later, this is especially important in gauging the efficiency of certain types of braille symbols. Francis, in The Brown University project, covered slightly more than one million words of text and 50,000 distinct words, while Carroll's investigation was expanded to include six million total words of text with 80,000 distinct words. Third, this massive collection of printed material yielded an impressive variety of data with which to interpret the efficiency of braille. "Efficiency" merely means the space that is saved (the number of braille cells) by the use of any whole-word or part-word sign. Braille is not only designed to communicate meaning but to do so economically. For example, dot 5 "t" saves two cells (the dot 5, and the letter t take up two cells whereas the grade one form takes up four). To determine how maximally efficient this whole-word sign is, it would be necessary to know (1) how often the word "time" is used in written English, and (2) if there is a similar word or combination of letters which stands in greater need of a sign. Unfortunately, it is not possible to present more than a summary of the research relating to the efficiency of Braille here, but such a survey is nonetheless suggestive. (Carroll's data on written children's English generally supports those appearing in the Brown University study of written adult English and is therefore omitted to permit a more detailed discussion of the limitations of the material to braille.) First, some words not having braille signs are among the most commonly occurring in contemporary English. While all words with braille whole-word signs appeared a median average of 707 times in the Brown study, "is" occurred 10,099 times, "are" 4393, "has" 2429, and "what" 1908 times. Second, a large number of braille signs are used so infrequently as to be of minimal value in conserving time or space. Eleven words having braille signs appear less than twenty-five times in the more than one million words of text used in the Brown study. Twenty words occurred less than seventy-five times, and thirty-six had fewer than 200 references in the one million words. The following are a few of the least used, and the number of times they occur in one million words are: deceive/deceiving: 2 rejoice/rejoicing: 5 oneself: 5 yourselves: 8 afterwards: 16 declare/declaring: 18 altogether: 30 tonight: 38 thyself: 0 Put another way, "deceive/deceiving" occur only twice in 2,000 pages of standard print. Third, several signs would be significantly more efficient if they were used to represent other words. Ideally, a sign would stand for that single word in a category whose representation by a short form offered the greatest saving of space. Therefore, the letter "p" should be used, in theory at least, to represent the whole word beginning with "p" whose total occurrence in written English occupies the most space. "People" is not only the most frequently occurring word beginning with the letter "p" in standard English, but its contraction affords the greatest saving of space possible with this sign. While most signs are maximally efficient or close enough so that any change would be of minimal value, there are a few exceptions. For example, using the "dot 5 y" for "young" saves 770 cells in the Brown University study. However, permitting the "dot 5 y" to stand for the far more common "year/years" results in a saving of 1609 cells. Allowing "dot 5 l" to represent "life" rather than "lord," "dot 5 m" to represent "made" rather than "mother," and "dots 4, 5, and 6 s" to represent "state" rather than "spirit" would result in seven, five, and four times the current saving of space respectively. Moreover, the words "year, even, new, and she," if replaced by the present signs for "young, every, name, and shall," would save more than twice as much space than is done currently, even allowing for the additional space that would be needed for the expanded forms of the presently contracted words. Fourth, any attempt to make braille a more economical means of communication will have to include a thorough review of part-words. Despite the attention given here to whole-word forms, the Brown study reveals that approximately 76 percent of the words in standard English prose are used less than five times in every one million printed words. In addition, words having five letters or more, seldom represented by a whole-word sign, account for 32 per cent of standard English and 65 percent of the characters, or letters. Little is reliably known about which combinations of letters occur with what degree of frequency in written English. Consequently, it is impossible to state with certainty the most effective method for using part-word signs in conserving time and space. These observations are more than interesting information; they have potential application to the everyday use of braille. To suggest that it is too difficult to master new symbols or learn new meanings for old symbols is wholly without foundation in linguistics, semantics, language acquisition, psychology, and general communications. Thereby indeed, it is axiomatic in these fields that people not only learn new symbols throughout their lifetime but also acquire new meanings for old symbols so often, and usually with so little difficulty, that they are scarcely conscious of the effort. Countless school children do this every year when they learn to write script rather than print. Hundreds of thousands of other people master sizeable bodies of new meaning in association with old symbols when they learn a foreign language, shorthand, court reporting, or any of the several different systems of sign language for the deaf. Indeed, chimpanzees have not only been taught 160 of this latter type of sign, but have taught other chimpanzees. Many braille users have had occasion to associate new meanings with old symbols, probably without even realizing that they were doing so. Such was the case whether one read print first and then learned braille or vice versa. Braille, incidentally, is a uniquely difficult system to learn, since one has to master two completely opposite symbol systems simultaneously, braille for writing and braille for reading. The same process applies to anyone, trained in traditional mathematics, who has had to learn to use the abacus. In sum, authoritative research suggests that, although braille is a uniquely effective method of communicating information, the reading, writing, and production of braille materials could still be simplified. Additional studies of part-word signs, with the thoroughness and reliability of those of Francis and Carroll's research would greatly aid efforts to improve braille efficiency. Finally, the English language changes over time, and braille must be flexible enough to reflect those changes. Nothing in contemporary knowledge about language and symbols indicates that this cannot be done. ***** ** The Council of Citizens with Low Vision -- A New ACB Organization in the Making By Durward K. McDaniel It is a well-known fact that most of the people who are generally classified as "blind" have some residual vision. It is also a known fact that needs and problems exist which are unique among such persons because they are often considered by many in the normally seeing public to be neither blind nor sighted. In recent years, substantial progress has been made in developing aids and technology to help low-vision people make better use of their vision. However, the right and the need for each individual to make maximum use of his or her remaining sight has not been recognized in many parts of the country, nor are the latest services and technology available in most of the country. It is altogether fitting and proper that low-vision people should accept the responsibility of doing something about these conditions by forming their own organization, which all persons with low vision, as well as members of their immediate families, would be invited to join. A meeting to set in motion the machinery for this new special-interest organization was held in Chicago on April 30, 1977, with a second planning conference held in Washington, D.C., on June 30. A third meeting was planned for The American Council of the Blind Convention in Miami Beach in July, and a major national meeting will be announced to perfect the new organization. Its official purpose clause is as follows: "The Council of Citizens with Low Vision is an advocacy membership organization, the purposes of which are: "1. To establish the right of people with low vision to make full use of their vision through all necessary aids, services, and technology. "2. To provide a mechanism through which low-vision people can express their individual interests, needs and preferences. "3. To educate the public, the professional, and low-vision people themselves as to their capabilities, potentialities, and needs of such persons. "4. To establish outreach programs to ensure that all individuals with low vision have access to necessary services. "5. To promote needed research to prevent blindness and improve maximum utilization of sight. "6. To support the development of pre-service and in-service professional training programs to expand comprehensive low-vision services throughout the country." Applications for membership in the Council of Citizens with Low Vision can be obtained from the ACB National Office and from Marvin F. Brotman, 22 Howard Street, Newton, MA 02158. ***** ** Progress in Vendors' Suit On Federal Rule Reform The suit filed in January, 1977, by the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America, its officers, and by the American Council of the Blind sought to require the Department of Health, Education and Welfare to publish new Proposed Rules which would conform to the law (as those published in December, 1975, did not). The plaintiffs asked the Court to require a time for Public comment and an additional 45 days thereafter for final Rules to be Promulgated in accordance with the law. The Court was also asked to require the Federal Government to complete the studies and evaluation mandated by the law, the filling of the ten positions within the Office for the Blind and Visually Handicapped as directed by law, and the making of national surveys to seek out new locations for vending facilities and other jobs for blind persons as the law directs. Instead, HEW published its Rules on March 23, 1977, and thereafter a motion to dismiss was filed in the case, claiming that since Rules had been issued and the other duties had been or were being performed, the case was then moot and, therefore, no legal controversy remained between the parties. The plaintiffs objected because the Rules, as issued, are in many substantial ways quite contrary to the statute, and because all of the duties and responsibilities imposed by the Randolph-Sheppard Act had not been performed as claimed. On June 8, 1977, the Court overruled the motion to dismiss the case and granted the plaintiffs 20 days to file a supplemental complaint, which has now been done, alleging with considerable particularity the conflicts between the published Rules and the law. Thus, the Court will resolve the dispute. Major reformation of the Rules is absolutely essential if the ambitious goals set by the law are to have any chance to be achieved. Much valuable time has already been lost and the state licensing agencies have been unable to plan effectively for the doubling of the number of facilities, because of the absence of the mandated Federal leadership in this program. RSVA and ACB have been carrying the load in this reform effort. It is time for state licensing agencies to start demanding of HEW directly, and through Congress indirectly, that effective legal rules be issued. And, it is time for the state licensing agencies to join in legislative demands with RSV A and ACB for 100% Federal funding for establishing new vending facilities. We were all quite serious in the six-year effort to obtain progressive amendments to the law. We are determined now to require the Government to follow the law in the interest of blind people whom we represent and whom the state licensing agencies serve. ***** ** Tell an Optometrist (Reprinted from ALL-O-GRAMS, Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America, July, 1977) The Des Moines Register of May 1, 1977, carried an article under this headline: "JERNIGAN HAS KEY RQLE IN VISION FIRM." Two days later the paper reported: "Four founders put up $85,000 to start a company to sell eye insurance," and, "Jernigan head organizer of eye-care unit: investor." The articles discussed the founding of the National Eye Care Association. The purpose of the Association is "to promote optometrists and sell insurance against accidental blindness. Two of the persons identified as original investors are Kenneth Jernigan, Chairman, Iowa Commission for the Blind, and Mary E. Anderson, Deputy Assistant Director of the Iowa Commission for the Blind. Mr. Jernigan is president of the National Eye Care Association. The NECA offers membership for sale through optometrists for $10 ($19 for families). Their patients receive referral appointment services and an insurance policy against total blindness by accidental causes. Total blindness from accidental causes results in payment of $75,000. Optometrists should know that the NECA is offering insurance on a condition which occurs extremely rarely. The National Society for the Prevention of Blindness and the National Eye Institute statistics both indicate accidental total blindness occurs with less than one out of every one million persons per year. Some quick math reveals the startling truth: For every $100 the National Eye Care Association receives in the form of premiums, it will pay out less than $1 in benefits. Prominent optometrists who are lending their names to the organization, as well as others who might be contacted by the NECA, should be aware of the incredibly low incidence of total blindness by accidental causes in the United States. Optometrists themselves will be able to calculate the extent to which their patients are being served by such an insurance agreement. The NECA has chosen Forum Insurance Company (a subsidiary of Montgomery Ward) of Providence, Rhode Island, as the insurance carrier. The insurance association is registered in Iowa and Illinois, with plans to expand to other states. ***** ** OASDI and SSI Increases (Reprinted from AFB Washington Report, June, 1977) HEW Secretary Califano has announced that Social Security (OASDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments will increase automatically by 5.9% with the checks beneficiaries receive July 1. Under the law, Social security and SSI checks increase automatically each year if the Consumer Price Index rises 3% or more over specified measuring periods. Through this mechanism, the purchasing power of Social Security and SSI recipients is maintained despite inflation. The average monthly Consumer Price Index rose by 5.9% from the first quarter of 197 6 through the first quarter of 1977, which is the measuring period for the 1977 benefit increase. This increase requires an automatic 5.9% increase in Social Security and SSI payments. Previous cost-of-living increases were 8% in 1975 and 6.4% in 197 6. The increase in Social Security benefits will take effect for the month of June and will be reflected in the checks the 33.4 million beneficiaries receive July 1. The SSI increase takes effect in July and is payable to the 4.3 million recipients beginning with the July 1 SSI check. The fiscal year 1978 cost to the trust funds of the Social Security benefit increase will be $5.3 billion. The SSI increase will cost $265 million and will be paid from general funds of the Treasury. For a female worker retiring at age 65 in 1977, the maximum Social Security benefit will increase from $422.40 to $447.40 monthly. For a male worker retiring at age 65 in 1977, the maximum Social Security benefit will increase from $412.70 to $437.10 monthly. The difference in maximum benefit amounts payable to men and women will end with workers who reach age 65 in 1978 or later. The minimum Social Security benefit for a worker retiring at age 65 in 1977 will increase from $107.90 to $114.30 monthly. The average benefit of a retired worker will increase from $221.00 to $23 4.00 monthly. For an aged couple, both of whom are receiving social Security benefits, the average payment will increase from $377.00 to $400.00 monthly. The average benefit for a disabled worker who has not attained age 65 will increase from $248.00 to $262.00 monthly. The maximum Federal SSID payment for an individual will increase from $167.80 to $177.80 monthly. The maximum Federal SSI payment for an eligible couple will increase from $251.80 to $266.70 monthly. For SSI purposes, an eligible couple is one where both spouses are either aged, blind, or disabled. Most states provide payments supplementing the Federal SSI payment levels for some or all categories of recipients. ***** ** "And Now We Bring You -- The Elbee Audio Players!" By David Swerdlow Opening music: ... The date: Sunday evening, October 10, 1976 … The place: Hotel Summit, New York City ... The occasion: Annual Convention, American Council of the Blind of New York State. The banquet is over. Coffee and dessert have been served. There is much laughter and gaiety in the air. It has been an exciting convention. Now the emcee holds up his hand. His voice crackles over the loudspeaker. Suddenly there is a hush. He makes an introduction and the evening's finale begins: a performance by the ELBEE Audio Players: "Winter Cruise," by W. Somerset Maugham, a dramatic reading production in one act ...For more than an hour, this troupe of blind and sighted amateur repertory players -- the first of its kind in the country -- holds the rapt attention of the audience. It spins the story of a lonely spinster lady, Molly Reid, on a tramp cargo ship -- the only woman passenger on board with 28 brawny sailors. Like the radio dramas of the golden past, there are no sets or costumes. This is a play to be heard instead of seen! Who are the ELBEE Players? When did they begin this exciting extension of the theater? What is their program? ELBEE was founded in the summer of 1962 by David and Lillian Swerdlow. He is blind; she is sighted. "There is something intriguing and magical about the theater," said David. "We knew there was a need for a certain kind of drama group -- and responded to it. My wife and I felt strongly that the blind as well as the sighted should be involved much more as performers -- not necessarily on a professional level, but as an avocation, over and above their daily work." "And here we are, fifteen seasons and 350 performances later," exclaimed Lillian. "ELBEE is still growing and constantly exploring new ideas. We've only just begun to scratch the surface of the possibilities of audio drama." "In our 1976-77 season," added David, "this is ELBEE's cast. I'd like you to meet them ... Tom Colicino; Kitty Gormley; Karen Eisenstadt; Howard Fink; Bob Hart; Baybie Hoover; Stanley Mann; Michael Petelka; Marcia Stein; and Jim Muro (our sound engineer). Let me say that all the players are employed at full-time jobs as teachers, social workers, artists, lab technicians, government and hospital employees, and office workers. Two ELBEE Players are members of ACB, Karen Eisenstadt and Howard Fink." Participation in a drama group requires talent and artistic discipline. To make a play come alive -- from words on paper to a vibrant performance -- cooperative, positive, creative effort is called for. In drama, as everywhere else, nothing ever happens by itself. The ELBEE Players are a dedicated troupe. Their goal is to serve the community through audio drama -- plays to be heard instead of seen. Let the Players speak for themselves. Howard Fink: "I get a great deal of enjoyment just from acting in live dramatic readings. It is difficult to express all my feelings ... However, there is one factor I believe stands out above all others. A part of my work for the New York City Department of Social Services as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, I meet many different kinds of people with differing views, goals, and objectives. When I act in one of our productions, it gives me the opportunity to become another person in another place and time. By doing this, I gain a greater understanding of people and their needs and aspirations." Kitty Gormley: "I have been with the group for many years, and each season is more enjoyable than the one before. I like good constructive activity, and ELBEE is it." Joe Birstein (former ELBEE Player, now an attorney in Texas): "ELBEE reaffirmed a long-held belief that audio is more imaginatively satisfying and more wide-ranging than stage acting. Almost magical. Audio is an interesting paradox in that it is limited to sound -- and it is this limitation which is its strength. On the wings of imagination, audio can go anywhere, say, sing, play. Oh, how I miss the brilliant radio writers of a generation ago. TV has yet to come up with their equal. ... On the stage, an actor with strong mimetic talent can compensate for a mediocre voice. In radio, on the other hand, an actor is not allowed to have a characterless voice -- unless, of course, the role should call for one. The radio (audio) actor must have range, control, power, flexibility, in much greater measure than his stage counterpart. It is said that the eyes are the windows of the soul. This is even truer of the voice. A keen listener can tell almost as much as a psychiatrist from the voice." Bob Hart: "I was introduced to ELBEE just this season, coming in through a radio advertisement. It's been satisfying and fun (with a couple of difficult moments). The high point of my experience was when after several rehearsals of Maugham's 'Winter Cruise,' we were all seated at a long table in a New York hotel, to perform my first time for an audience. In the moment of expectant and attentive silence -- just before we began -- I realized: We are actually performing! We are a group!" Howard Fink: "Here I am again. One more thing: Putting on ELBEE plays in many different settings, before many different audiences, is educationally beneficial to the general public. It demonstrates to them what the blind can do in the arts -- and that they can work cohesively with their sighted counterparts." Currently, ELBEE's repertoire lists more than 45 plays -- the best in the American and British theater. However, only six are performed each season. During the 1976-77 season they did: Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman's "You Can't Take It With You"; John Van Druten's "I Remember Mama"; Patty Chayefsky's "Marty"; Thornton Wilder's "Our Town"; W. Somerset Maugham's "Winter Cruise"; Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's "Ladies and Gentlemen"; "This Is Entertainment -- ELBEE Style!" (scenes from four plays). The Players have learned to hold on to their audience despite all obstacles and diversions. They still talk and laugh about a performance at Bellevue Hospital a few years ago. The patients had been brought down to the doctors’ cafeteria in wheelchairs and stretchers ... No sooner did the show begin when the loudspeaker crackled: "Calling Dr. Powell! ... Calling Dr. Roberts! ... Calling Dr. Bernstein! ..." From then on, these interruptions from the medical world were frequent -- and, to say the least, distracting. At the most crucial and dramatic moments, those calls would blare forth. But on went the ELBEE Players! ... After a while, they began to see the humor of it -- and took these distractions in stride. They even began to enjoy those calls and kind of missed them when they didn't come in -- at the wrong time! ... At the end of the performance, the patients in attendance cheered! What an audience! The outstanding thing ELBEE has learned is that audiences, blind and sighted, young and old, love to listen to a story. Like troubadours and minstrels of old, ELBEE is a mobile troupe of storytellers. It brings good theater -- in audio form, of course -- to churches, temples, hospitals, colleges, and community centers in the Greater New York area. Wherever there is an audience, you may find ELBEE! As George Cukor, the renowned film director, has said: "Never underestimate an audience ... When they react the way you don't want them to, when they laugh in the wrong places, there is something you have not done effectively ... You must interpret audience reaction calmly and correctly. Just keep in mind, the audience -- like the customer -- is always right." The ELBEE Players heartily agree with George Cukor. Every performance and every new audience is a challenge. They study them constantly, reach out to them, and thrive on their reactions. Many of the Players say: We may have a good production, but what really turns us on is the warm, receptive audience out there -- listening, enjoying, applauding. How are ELBEE plays selected? On the basis of a strong story line, dynamic dialogue, combined with, as one Player puts it, "a bit of old-fashioned philosophy." Because very few playwrights write expressly for audio, the Swerdlows have found it necessary to adapt original works into the form they require. After securing permission from the author, they perform the strictly visual into audio. At all times, they keep as close as possible to the original story. The more they adapt, the more they come away with great admiration and respect for the playwright. These are truly creative men and women. "Our fifteen years of adapting major plays," said David, "has been a rewarding experience. The technique we developed has enabled us to bring fascinating drama to countless audiences. When you really get down to it, adaptations are the link between all forms of creative writing in the performing arts." "That's right," said Lillian. "For instance, in the field of music alone -- Remember? 'Fiddler on the Roof' comes from the stories of Sholom Aleichem; 'My Fair Lady,' Pygmalion; 'Hello, Dolly,' the Matchmaker. And that's mentioning only a few. I could go on and on." An ELBEE show resembles a radio studio performance. (Due to copyright restrictions, they never broadcast on radio or television, but always perform live.) The players are seated in front of the audience at a long table -- on floor level -- never on stage. Blind players use braille scripts; the sighted, standard typed breakdowns. There is a hot-pink tablecloth covering the table. Two tape recorders are rigged up -- one for recording the play, the other for music and sound effects. The ELBEE Players never use microphones. Their voices must always project to the back of the hall ... Remember? They must be heard instead of seen. While admittedly an amateur group, the ELBEE Players constantly strive for perfection. Audio drama is no shortcut or mere reading. An ELBEE production runs the whole spectrum of dramatic demands. Like any professional actor or actress, each of the Players grapples with problems of characterization, motivation, voice changes, and dramatic nuances. Rehearsals are held one evening a week at 621 West End Avenue, New York. Intensive three-hour sessions are held. To achieve greater dramatic unity, the entire play is rehearsed at one sitting. It is at these concentrated rehearsals that a play is pulled together. As Burt Lahr, the famous comedian, often said: "The purpose of a rehearsal is not necessarily to give a good performance -- but to prevent you from giving a bad one." ELBEE's fifteenth season will be remembered for the introduction of a new project, the musical in audio style. Words and music! This is a brand-new dimension for them: "Scenes from Great Musicals -- ELBEE Style!" ... "Fiddler on the Roof"; "Company"; and "Oklahoma" (nine songs, five of them duets). Each scene is a dramatic story within itself -- and all the songs come right out of the fabric of the situation. Three blind musicians -- Blair Blanton, Howlett Smith, and Edward Fedush -- have provided piano accompaniments -- but with this important difference: They are not present at rehearsals or performances. Their music has been pre-taped and spliced into the overall music and sound effects reel. The players just sing along on cue with this ingenious arrangement. On April 12, 1977, they opened this new production successfully at an out-of-town tryout in New Jersey at the Paramus Public Library. "If this season's tryouts prove successful," David said, "ELBEE may tackle a full-scale musical -- not just scenes. There is a vast and marvelous repertoire in the musical theater. This means not only Broadway hits, but Gilbert and Sullivan and other operettas as well. The field is limitless. ... The theater holds for us a very special enchantment. I believe that it is through the arts that we all come to realize how broad and wonderful our world is. What is the mystery of this age-old enchantment? Much has been written and said about it. We know for certain that everything our blind and sighted players do always begins with words and music set down on paper; words that dance right on to a stage; words that shout: "'Listen, everybody. Don't go away. I have something to show you. Please don't go away. I have something important to tell you.'" And now we take you back to the ACB convention and the conclusion of the dramatic reading of "Winter Cruise." Miss Molly Reid, the lonely spinster, has just returned from her yearly winter trip-and rushes into the arms of her friend, Nora Price, on the London pier. Miss Reid: Nora, how nice of you to meet me at the boat! How are you? Nora: I'm fine. I missed you terribly! ... Why, Molly, are you crying? Miss Reid: No, not really. But let me blow my nose. ... Oh, I must wave! See that man waving through the porthole? That's Pierre. I must wave good­bye to him once more. Good-bye, Pierre, good-bye! ... Come, let's go. They're bringing the luggage down. I always say, Nora, one has to take things as they come. Nora: What sort of things do you mean? Miss Reid: Just funny, unexpected, rather nice things. There is no doubt that travel definitely broadens the mind ... Let me take one last look at the ship. This has been the best winter cruise I've ever had. They provided everything, including -- romance. Nora: Romance? How nice! ... But I expect you'll be glad to get back to Molly's Tea Parlor. Miss Reid: Oh, I don't know. ... Nora, I think I'm going to change the name. I'm rather tired of Molly's Tea Parlor. I thought I'd change it to -- Cafe Pierre!!! Announcer: You have just heard "Winter Cruise," by W. Somerset Maugham ... We hope you enjoyed tonight's show as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. Until we meet again: The ELBEE Players wish you a very fond -- Goodnight!!! Concluding Music. ***** ** Columbus Lions Produce Braille Football Schedules By Crawford Pike The TV screen showed the touchdown. The narrator was ecstatic! The co-eds in the girls dorm were spellbound as Oklahoma's longest winning streak was ended by the charge of Notre Dame. Although I was fortunate enough to hear the touchdown that ended the longest winning streak in the history of collegiate football, I still regret not having been able to have enjoyed the entire game. I had walked into the lobby of the girls dorm of a southern university on a Saturday afternoon to pick up my date for the evening. Since I am blind, I was unable to read the daily newspaper which proclaimed in bold type that the TV headliner of the day would pit the Irish of Notre Dame against the Sooners of Oklahoma, who held the nation's longest winning streak. Twenty years later, we are trying to see that the blind sports fans at least in the Columbus, Georgia area are better informed. The combined Lions Clubs of Columbus provided the Talking Book Center of the Bradley Library with a Thermoform braille duplicator. We used this duplicator to reproduce the Southeastern Conference football schedule for 1976 in braille for the blind fans in our area. The Columbus Evening Lions, of which I am a member, spent the major part of one Saturday actually cranking out braille copies, proofing them, and stapling separate sets together. The completed copies were then sent to blind sports fans in each state having a football team in the Southeastern Conference. The Library of Congress, Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, announced our project in its national bulletin. As a result of this announcement, many states whose teams played Southeastern Conference opponents requested copies for their blind readers. The Kentucky Library for the Blind read of our project in the Library of Congress bulletin and decided to duplicate the Southeastern Conference basketball schedule for blind fans who enjoy this sport. Why couldn't all collegiate sports events be made available in braille? The cost is actually not that great. For example, the Southeastern Conference schedule which we produced cost less than $1 per copy. Blind fans would Probably buy or contribute to the cost of production of the sports itinerary of their favorite team. Any Lions Club who would like to sponsor the brailling of a collegiate schedule in their area would need only to buy a ream or two of Thermoform paper costing $25 a ream. Volunteers can be found to furnish the physical effort and time necessary to produce, package, and mail the material to one address. The sponsoring Lions Club must then see that interested blind fans in their area receive copies (libraries will help) in time for them to enjoy that important game. For further information, contact Crawford Pike, 4408 Chalfonte Drive, Columbus, GA 31907. ***** ** Braille Authority of North America June Meeting The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) met on June 9, 1977 at the O'Hare Ramada Inn, Rosemont, Illinois. The following organizational delegates were present: Chairman Harold G. Roberts, American Association of Workers for the Blind; Floyd Cargill, American Council of the Blind; Marion Wurster, American Foundation for the Blind; Ralph McCracken American Printing House for the Blind; James E. Haralson, Association for Education of the Visually Handicapped; Robert A.J. Gildea, Association of Computing Machinery; Edward G. Brown and Darleen Bogart, Canadian National Institute for the Blind; Martin F. Droege, Clovernook Home and School for the Blind; and Mrs. Irwin Richman, National Braille Association. Representatives from the Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, and from the National Federation of the Blind were absent. Each member of BANA had been asked to critique an "Unsolicited Proposal Setting Standards for Braille Produced by Computers," developed and submitted by Peter Durand, Director, ARTS Service Bureau, Protestant Guild for the Blind, Inc. Following a lengthy discussion, the chairman was instructed to inform Mr. Durand by letter that consideration of his proposal had not been completed. However, present reactions indicate that it is not likely to be approved for support. The Committee agreed that one of its first objectives must be to decide just how far we are willing to go to make changes. Some members feel that it is impossible ever to eliminate all human intervention in computer-produced braille. Even so, there should be a consistent effort to make it possible for persons with no formal training in the braille code to input material into a computer system. An estimated five to twelve proposals for new library braille codes exist as a result of the conference on computerized braille sponsored by the American foundation for the Blind in June of 1976. Robert Gildea will work with appropriate people to obtain a copy of the proceedings of that conference for each member of BANA. After each member has had a chance to study the proceedings, they will meet in an effort to reach a consensus regarding all the proposed changes and to make recommendations about how BANA should proceed. It is generally believed that at least five of the proposals for a new literary braille code are worth careful consideration. BANA anticipates a close working relationship with the Florida State University Braille Project. FSU is reported to have submitted a request for funding to study the problem of computerized braille. No decision was reached regarding support for that proposal, since a copy was not available. BANA expects to have all material developed by FSU submitted to it for final approval. The real authority of BANA will not be delegated to FSU. The question of membership in BANA was thoroughly discussed. The method of expanding the old Braille Authority to the present board was reviewed. Techniques of getting groups involved with the full membership were reviewed. Floyd Cargill moved and Robert Gildea seconded that BANA membership remain as it is for the next year. Motion carried. Cargill moved, Gildea seconded, that the Constitution and By-Laws Committee develop a procedure for expanding membership to include countries in addition to the United States and Canada after June of 1978. Motion carried. The chairman was encouraged to maintain dialogue with appropriate people in New Zealand and other countries to the effect that they may become members in the future. A method for handling questions sent to BANA was seen as an urgent need. Reference was made to an inquiry concerning music scores that had been directed to BANA three months ago and had not been officially handled. Bobbie Richman, Floyd Cargill, and Ralph McCracken were named as a committee to develop a method for handling communications. The next meeting of BANA is scheduled for the week of November 13. ***** ** Sensory Aids News (Note: This is the first of a series of releases by the American Foundation for the Blind devoted to sensory aids and devices for blind and visually handicapped people.) One of the most frustrating aspects of blindness is the impossibility of reading print. Materials are transcribed into braille or sound recordings, but there is always delay for the blind person. For several years, organizations and individuals have been working on machines that read printed matter aloud. There are currently three systems well along in development. Kurzweil Reading Machine. This system is well along in development and a small number of prototypes are in the field undergoing evaluation already. The machine has a nonportable desk top station where printed matter -- books, magazines, typewritten letters in a variety of standard type styles -- are scanned by an optical character reader. The scanned images are transmitted to an electronic control unit, which isolates the print character forms, recognizes letters, computes the proper sequence of speech sounds and generates fully comprehensive full-word synthetic English speech at approximately 150-200 words per minute. The Kurzweil system operates like microfilm readers commonly available in libraries in that a user comes to the station, positions the printed matter he is interested in, and controls the machine as he selects and listens to the material read to him. The user may read words, lines, ask the unit to spell out words, and control reading speed, pitch, and volume. The Kurzweil project is being supported at the federal level by the Veterans Administration, Rehabilitation Services Administration, and the Office of Education. It also has private foundation support. The first units of the Kurzweil reading machine will sell for about $50,000. Initially, the machine is intended for use in large institutional settings like schools, libraries, and local helping agencies. Kurzweil Computer Products, Inc. is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts (telephone 617-864-4700) Telesensory Systems, Inc. Print to Speech Accessory for the Optacon. Telesensory Systems, Inc. (TSI) has successfully manufactured and marketed the Optacon, a device about the size of a large cassette tape recorder, that has a small hand-held camera which scans printed matter and converts print images into tactile stimuli capable of being sensed and recognized by the finger. The Optacon reverses the action used in reading braille during which the finger passes over raised coded symbol groups representing printed letters. With the Optacon, patterns of ink print characters are traced out by vibrating reeds on a stationary finger. More than 3,000 Optacons are in current field use. The newest TSI innovation involves conversion to synthetic speech of the patterns picked up by the hand-held Optacon camera. This is achieved by attaching an accessory box to the Optacon which weighs about thirty pounds and is transportable, but not fully portable. The attachment feeds the output signals from the Optacon scanner to an encoder and speech synthesizer. The TSI speech effort is being developed by Dr. Jonathan Allen of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Allen's speech program, at this time seems slightly superior to the VOTRAX speech synthesizer currently being used by Kurzweil and Mauch. Twelve persons are assigned to this crash TSI/MIT project, which is receiving federal support from the National Science Foundation. Production units of the TSI device are expected to sell initially in the $10,000 range and to be within the prospects of affordability of individuals or their employers. An additional advantage achieved by the TSI device is that its hand-held scanning camera permits more rapid skipping, browsing, and active feedback about page format, and location of headings, than does a stationary mechanical scanner. TSI is based in Palo Alto, California (telephone 415-493- 2626) and it has also successfully produced and marketed about 3,000 calculators with speech output. TSI has a proven national marketing, training and maintenance capability. Mauch Laboratories Speech Output Attachment to the Stereotoner. In the early 1970s Mauch Laboratories introduced a device called the Stereotoner. The Stereotoner has a small hand-held camera unit which scans printed matter and converts electronic images of inkprint type face to audible tones. With a great deal of skill and training, an individual can learn to read by interpreting the sequence of unique tones as words. The present efforts are to convert the electronic impulses to synthetic speech by sending them through a computer for interpretation and to a speech synthesizer unit for generation of English speech. The Mauch effort uses a hand-held scanner with a desk top computer and speech synthesis unit. At this time it is not intended to be fully portable. However, it has some advantages over the Kurzweil machine which uses mechanical line-by-line scanning. Current estimates for the cost of the Mauch Laboratories system are in th$12,000 range. This project is being supported by the Veterans Administration. Mauch Laboratories, Inc. are located in Dayton, Ohio (telephone 513-299-8751). * The Future It is clear to AFB that as time goes on each of these organizations will begin to meld the most desirable features of each approach into refined prototypes for advantageous and differing applications. Thus, the Kurzweil device will ultimately -- utilize a hand-held scanner; TSI will incorporate its hand-held scanner into a stationary mechanical scanner; and all the developers will move toward fully portable units. The quality of the speech and the number and variety of type faces that can be accurately read will increase over time for all systems. None of the current systems, for example, can interpret handwritten material. For the present, the American Foundation for the Blind encourages continued financial support for the development and formative, constructive evaluation of all these differing technical approaches. Successes and failures are to be expected as we move from a research phase, to a prototype phase, to a manufacturing phase of improved devices. The AFB hopes that the anticipated problems of the early machines will be viewed as a challenge by each of the producers and their supporters and turned into successively superior models so that our dreams of a flexible, reliable, and high-quality reading machine capable of being independently operated by the blind can be realized. More than a million severely visually impaired Americans, who presently cannot see well enough to read ordinary newspaper print even with glasses on, have that dream too. ***** ** LCCR Honors Carter Appointees On the evening of June 16, several members of Congress and more than 400 representatives of civil rights organizations associated with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights paid admission to attend ceremonies sponsored by LCCR to honor about 100 appointees of the Carter Administration who symbolize the equal-opportunity mission the LCCR has stood for. Some of the most notable honorees were Rev. Geno Baroni, Assistant secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; Patricia Roberts Harris, Secretary of HUD; Lucy Benson, Under-Secretary of State; Clifford Alexander, Secretary of the Army; Midge Costanza, Special Assistant to the President; Drew Days III, Assistant Attorney General; Barbara Babcock, Assistant Attorney General; Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Ersa Poston, Commissioner of the U.S. Civil Service Commission; David Tatel, Director of the Office for Civil Rights, HEW; and Cynthia Brown, Deputy Director of the Office for Civil Rights. The occasion was presided over by Clarence Mitchell, elder statesman of all civil rights lobbyists and chairman of LCCR. A reception was held in the Caucus Room of the Cannon House Office Building. Secretary Harris said in her remarks that she had been present at the founding of LCCR 28 years ago. It now includes 141 participating organizations, including the American Council of the Blind, which was represented on this occasion by Durward and Aileen McDaniel. ***** ** Arizona Council of the Blind Social Services and Rehabilitation, Inc. -- Home Industries Program The concept of a home-industries program was introduced by John Vanlandingham, a blind Phoenix practicing attorney, former judge and state legislator, who felt that employers in business and industry could profit from Using the talents of the blind and handicapped who were home-bound. "There are approximately six thousand blind and visually impaired living in Arizona cities and isolated areas. Until now, there has been no vocational program to reach the home-bound." The Home Industries Program at the present time consists of three distinct employment aspects that are generally preceded by work adjustment evaluation and/or job training: (1) Industrial subcontract work. The Home Industries staff solicits on a continuing basis for contracts from private industry in the areas of sub-assembly, assembly, and packaging. (2) Sales outlet operation. This program employs persons interested in and suited for sales work. Training is given in sales and record-keeping. The products sold are those produced by the blind and visually impaired, and donated Thrift Store items such as clothing and household items. (3) Home-crafted production. Most of the home craft work is done by persons in isolated areas and reservations in remote areas. The product must be of high quality and be unique. Tim Patton, former Arizona Industries for the Blind production supervisor, is the manager of training/production, using a mobile unit to bring materials and training to the home-bound persons. He supervises the instructors who work with the clients on a continuing basis. The goal of the program is full utilization of clients' skills and capabilities. Many of the clients participating in this program are those too severely handicapped to work in competitive industry. Besides being blind or visually impaired, these people may have other physical or emotional problems. Older people are also eligible for the program. Some of the participants are severely disabled and will never be totally self-supporting economically, although some will move into private industry. Bob Brower is the executive director and can be contacted at the Home Industries Program office, 5033 N. 19th Avenue, Suite 111, Phoenix, AZ 85015. He is a former supermarket and department store executive. He has served as national president, Little People of America, Inc., and most recently as job placement coordinator, Goodwill Industries, Phoenix, Arizona. As a professional speaker, he presents the concept of the program to many local and state organizations, thus continually stimulating the interest of the general public and the business community. The presentation is low-keyed; however, financial support and donations of resalable products are gratefully accepted. Bob is also vice chairman, Governor's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. The Home Industries Program is currently involved in contracts with several electronic firms in the areas of packaging and assembly, and for the re-upholstery of office furniture. Tennis racket stringing is an ongoing source of income for the clients. Several new home-crafted items are in the development and marketing stages and hold promise of many productive hours of work for the program. Frequent informal meetings of staff are held to brainstorm new ideas and products that can be developed. Product development is important to maintain a constant flow of work for the clients. Commercial contracts are sometimes short-term and, though essential to the program, can create scheduling and production problems. Arizona Council of the Blind Social Services and Rehabilitation, Inc. -- Home Industries Program is young and aggressive and moving towards "putting useful hands to work." ***** ** Let's Share Resources By Norma L. Schecter Have you heard about Touch Aids, C. and E. Krueger, 1049 Redondo Way, Hemet, CA 92343? They're a delightfully "craft-y" couple who make a number of games and educational items for children primarily, but some of them can be enjoyed by adults, also. Their wooden tick-tack-toe game has instructions for a variation that is a good strategy mind-stretcher for people of any age, and their Signature Training Board of deeply engraved pressed wood includes a check-signing guide. Prices are quite reasonable ($4 for a braille map game, for example). They have a free brochure. Do you own a four-cell slate? ("Why would anybody want a four-cell slate?" you ask.) It's for putting marginal notes in a book that you own, and it is smaller than standard braille -- not quite as high, closer together, and with smaller, pointier dots. From Royal National Institute for the Blind, 224 Great Portland Street, London, W1n 6AA, England; listed as Catalog No. 9363, Tylor Margin Guide; costs 26p (that's British new pence). Their pamphlet, "Apparatus and Games for the Blind -- Overseas Price List," has lots of interesting items, such as reflectorized white canes, carpentry tools, household gadgets like an egg-poaching ring, metric rules and tapes, and lots of games and puzzles. They also have a catalog. A new and less expensive version of Bingo is being prepared for thermoforming and will be available from Braille Institute of America, 741 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029. Write to Miss Susan Maure, Braille Transcribing Coordinator, for details and cost. Want an instant 5% savings on braille paper in books or articles for your own use? Standard Literary Braille is done with 25 lines of 38 cells each though both the paper and the machine are capable of 42. But those clever people at the Hong Kong Society for the Blind simply turn the paper 90 degrees -- and Presto -- 26 lines instead. Need some brailled or large-typed material for your own use and don't want to pay the cost of regular binding? Two possibilities: Try three-hole punching (or two-hole, or even one-hole) and hold the pages together with chicken bands. You know, the colored plastic bands on a chicken's leg. For smaller stuff bantam rings, for voluminous material, turkey rings. Or if you require the support of a stiff cover, ask a doctor or local hospital if they'll give you old, discarded X-rays. They're big enough and heavy enough to do a fine job. ***** ** Coming Soon On Television ... Including Me Including Me is a one-hour TV show designed to raise public consciousness about the needs of children with handicaps -- and to explain the responsibility of school systems to meet those needs, as mandated by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Written for a general family audience, the central purpose of the show is to create positive attitudes ... to help average citizens understand that people with handicaps are more similar to than different from people without handicaps. The show is built around a series of profiles of youngsters who are blind, deaf, retarded, emotionally disturbed, orthopedically impaired, and severely and multi-handicapped. The film is a public service special of Capital Cities TV Productions, Inc. Including Me will be produced on PBS stations throughout the country on September 15. Watch local papers for exact time. ***** ** Here and There By Elizabeth M. Lennon From ALL-O-GRAMS (Affiliated Leadership League): Ralph Sanders, president and Director of Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, was unanimously elected president of the National Federation of the Blind at its convention on July 6. He succeeds Kenneth Jernigan, Director of the Iowa Commission for the Blind, who had been NFB's president since 1968. Jernigan was not a candidate for any office. John T. McCraw, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, was elected to NFB's executive committee. NFB aggressively supports unionization of workshops for the blind. There is no union in the three shops operated by Blind Industries and Services of Maryland. Informed observers doubt that NFB will promote unionism in the Maryland shops. Jernigan is still the president of the American Brotherhood for the Blind, which inherited the use of NFB's solicitations with neckties after NFB mysteriously abandoned all direct-mail fund-raising late in 1976. The National Institute of Rehabilitation Engineering (NIRE) has developed a new, portable, night-vision aid which can be ordered by mail at a cost of $49.95 plus postage. The aid can be used immediately upon receipt by any night-blind person who has adequate day-time vision. It provides night-time vision at distances up to eight to ten feet. For a free brochure, send a self-addressed, stamped ($.24 postage), business size envelope to NIRE, Pompton 1Lakes, NJ 07422 (telephone 201-838-2500). From BPHL UPDATE (Michigan): Artcenter is a non-profit society devoted to the musical needs of blind persons. Recordings from the Center's music library which includes works from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic period, can be borrowed without charge: Also available are articles and books on music. For further information, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Artcenter, Box 8812, St. Louis, MO 63102. ---- The visually impaired or blind diabetic can now correctly and consistently load syringes with the lnsulgage loading guide. A separate, pre-calibrated guide is made for each dosage size, with nothing to set or adjust. Dosage size is marked in print, braille, or raised, sharp-edged numbers. Write Meditec, Inc., Englewood, CO 80110. A grant has been awarded to the Central Oklahoma Transportation Authority (COPTA) of Oklahoma City to support an experimental program designed to offer inexpensive taxi service to elderly and handicapped residents who cannot use regular mass transit. This Urban Mass Transportation Administration grant represents the first time that operating assistance funds have been used to support such a program, according to Transportation U.S.A. Under the program, an elderly or handicapped person pays only one-half the taxi fare registered on the meter. The other 50% is reimbursed to the taxi company by COPTA. Professionals, librarians, students, and researchers in the fields of blindness and deafness in the Philadelphia area now have a major reference library and resource center to use at Temple University. Dedication of the Nevil Reference Library for Sensory Impairment was held May 5. More than 1,000 publications, books, monographs, pamphlets, and periodicals, all relating to blindness and deafness, as well as several major bibliographical resources on writing in the two fields, will be housed there. As of March 6, 1977, United Air Lines no longer limits the number of blind passengers permitted on any one aircraft. Previously, these passengers were considered non-ambulatory. For safety reasons, United limits the number of non-ambulatory passengers. However, United has now determined that blind passengers do not fit into this category and are just as capable as sighted people in responding to an evacuation situation. From TSI NEWSLETTER: A recent ruling by the Office of Human Development, Rehabilitation Services Administration, Washington, D.C., authorizes states to use "set aside" or Federal funds to purchase speech "talking" calculators as standard equipment for vendors in the Business Enterprise Program. This ruling was made in response to an inquiry made by Jim Carballo, Director of Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind of Mississippi. From VIEWS AND VENTURES (Virginia Commission for the Visually Handicapped): The number of eye injuries related to car battery explosion has risen sharply in the last several years, according to the Virginia Society for the Prevention of Blindness. Car batteries are filled with a mixture of water and sulfuric acid which, under certain conditions, such as during battery charging, can give off hydrogen and oxygen gases. When mixed, these gases are potentially explosive, and many explosions have been triggered by the use of a match while looking into a battery. Protective eyewear is recommended for anyone working with batteries. Part II of the popular cookbook, "Coffee Klatch Nibbles," is now available in braille and large print from the Visually Impaired Secretarial Transcribers Association (VISTA). This book, containing recipes for salads, casseroles and desserts, is in looseleaf form, with a washable plastic binder. Part II is available for $1, but for those who do not have Part I, both sections can be obtained for $3 from Roseanne Diehl, 2005 Columbia Pike, Apartment 424, Arlington, VA 22204, or from Trudi Musier, 22A Byrne Court, Wayne, NJ 07420. The ACB of Maryland Newsletter reports that preliminary tests of a Telebook were so encouraging that the concept will take its final exam during a one-year test in three Ohio communities. In this closely studied experiment, talking books and selected magazines will be transmitted from a central library to specially modified television receivers in the home. Cost analysis will be made up of three options: a fully automatic reader-operated system, a semi-automatic system, and a manually operated system. All will be delivered by cable. --- More will soon be heard about Digibraille, a portable braillewriter that stores coded braille and/or voice on cassettes for later use. It was developed in France and will soon be demonstrated in this country. From PERFORMANCE: The International Disabled Expo, the nation's only public and professional trade show/conference of products and services for the disabled, will be held August 19-21 at the completely accessible O'Hare International Trade and Exposition Center in Rosemont, Illinois. The Paralyzed Veterans of America originated this concept to answer the needs of disabled people in locating services, products, and government agencies. The Disabled Expo will focus on four groups: ambulatory handicaps, non-ambulatory handicaps, blindness, and deafness. For further information, write Jack Powell, Paralyzed Veterans of America, 32 Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601. ---- "Seeing eye" dogs once had a monopoly on helping people. True no longer! New on the scene are "hearing" dogs who act as ears for the deaf and hearing impaired. These dogs are trained to respond to all sounds a hearing person would react to -- a car horn, doorbell, smoke detector, alarm clock, a crying child, boiling water ... The training of "hearing" dogs, presently under the auspices of the American Humane Society, is neither as expensive nor as extensive as training a dog guide. Virtually any dog, regardless of size or breed, can be trained. ---- Recorded summaries of legislation affecting the disabled which is introduced in Congress is now available for loan from the Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540. From JOURNAL OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND BLINDNESS: A new writing technique for blind persons is being promoted by the Lions Clubs of the Netherlands. Called "Pen-In Script," the technique involves using a small template (a rigid plastic sheet) with 20 regular notched squares and nine lines. The writer simply guides his pen to make one letter per square. Attached to the template are a plastic sheet, carbon paper, and a sheet of regular paper on which the message is written. The plastic sheet allows the blind person to keep an embossed record of the message for his own reference. For further information, write Lions International, Pen-In, P.O. Box 148, Doom, The Netherlands. ---- Recent studies indicate that a drug called Timolol may have a profound effect upon the treatment of glaucoma. Up to now, the principal drug used to treat glaucoma has been Pilocarpine, which must be administered every six hours. Timolol appears to work at least as well as Pilocarpine, and only two drops are a pp lied each day, one in the morning and one in the evening. From NEWS AND VIEWS (American Association of Workers for the Blind): The first major international conference devoted entirely to the welfare of deaf-blind adults and maturing youth will be convened September 11-16, 1977 at the Statler-Hilton Hotel, New York City. Sponsored by the Committee on Services to the Deaf-Blind of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, the Helen Keller World Conference on Services to Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults will gather experts in rehabilitation of the deaf-blind and an impressive number of outstanding deaf-blind persons themselves from more than 20 countries. Though official participants will attend by invitation, provisions are being made for a limited number of observers. For information, contact Dr. Richard Kinney, Chairman, WCWB Committee on Services to the Deaf-Blind, c/o the Hadley School for the Blind, 700 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL 60093. Free instructional material about the "Sensi-Quik" cane and walking by touch is available in braille, print, or on record from the Go-Sees, 84 Perth Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10804. ---- A wide variety of "Feel and Read, See and Read" greeting cards, in print and braille, is available from Harry A. Fribush, Apartment 104, 400 Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY 12203. Write Mr. Fribush for full information. ###