The Braille Forum Vol. XV May 1977 No. 11 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 Special Notice to ACB Participants in White House Conference Civil Rights Legislation for the Handicapped, by Roger P. Kingsley ALL Joins in Legislative Testimony, by Durward K. McDaniel More About the ACB National Convention and "Heaven in '77" "Sign 504 -- Delay No More!" Human Rights -- Where? by Reese Robrahn Randolph-Sheppard Rules -- At Last! by Durward K. McDaniel What Most Tourists Never See, by James G. Chandler "Blind Power?" in Massachusetts Oklahoma Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, by A. Marie Morrison They Said It Couldn't Be Done New FAA Rules Affecting Air Lines and Handicapped Passengers ACCD Annual Delegate Council Meeting What Course Federal Reorganization, by Durward K. McDaniel Where Literary Treasures and Service Abound George Meany Honored by Presentation of Eugene V. Debs Award Braille Authority Meets Here and There, by George Card Calendar of Events ***** ** 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 braille, large-type, and cassette tape (1-7/8 ips), and flexible disc. 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 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 should be sent to Floyd Qualls, 501 North Douglas Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73106. 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. ***** ** Special Notice to ACB Participants In White House Conference All delegates, alternates, and official observers at the White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals who are members of the American Council of the Blind are invited to meet together on Monday, May 23, at 2:00 p.m. in the Maryland State Caucus Room. Room numbers are not yet available. When making inquiry, ask for the room of William T. Snyder. ***** ** Civil Rights Legislation for the Handicapped By Roger P. Kingsley (Roger Kingsley is Administrative Coordinator in the ACB National Office and is currently completing his Ph.D. in political science from Rutgers University.) A historic event took place on February 16, when the Civil Rights Amendments Act of 1977 was introduced in the House of Representatives. For the first time, the handicapped are included as a class of citizens in a major civil rights bill. Sponsoring the legislation are Representatives Don Edwards of California and Robert F. Drinan of Massachusetts. Both Congressmen are influential members of the House Committee on the Judiciary, and Edwards is chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights, where the legislation will initially be considered. The bill itself (H.R. 3504) seeks to accomplish two general goals: (1) improve the effectiveness of the equal employment section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) and the fair housing section of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Title VIII); and (2) expand civil rights protection from discrimination in jobs and housing to cover additional classes of people, specifically the handicapped. The first of these goals is to be accomplished by revamping the structure of agencies responsible for implementing and enforcing the provisions of Title VII and VIII. Presently, the task of combatting discrimination in employment is handled by three Federal agencies: the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Civil Service Commission, and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance. The result of this distribution of responsibility in the past has been overlap, neglect, and inaction. The new legislation would consolidate these efforts under the EEOC and create a new position of Chief Executive Officer to oversee the administration and enforcement of regulations in hiring practices. Concurrently, housing discrimination would be attacked by vastly increasing the authority of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in enforcing the provisions of Title VIII. Most significantly, it would permit the Secretary to issue "cease and desist" orders requiring The Carter Administration is also committed to the consolidation of Federal civil rights agencies. The aim is to improve the functioning of programs without reducing civil rights activities. The Congress and the White House have both recognized the need for reorganization in this area, and there appears at least a good possibility of cooperation between the branches of Government in enhancing future enforcement of civil rights laws. The handicapped are to be added as a class of protected persons through Sections 102 and 211 of the Civil Rights Amendments Act of 1977. The first will prohibit discrimination on the grounds of handicap in employment, and the second will make handicap a basis for criminal violation in instances of refusing housing opportunities. The two areas are intimately linked, as Representative Drinan emphasized on the floor of the House of Representatives on February 17. "The inability of minorities, woman, and handicapped individuals to obtain decent housing is frequently related," he stated, "to their inability to obtain decent employment. Conversely, discrimination in housing regularly precludes such persons from gaining access to good jobs." The legislation is now beginning the arduous voyage through committee hearings, debates, amendments, and votes. But it is probably the most significant civil rights bill in years. We will follow its progress with keen interest and, whenever possible, will add our voices to those supporting its realization. ***** ** ALL Joins in Legislative Testimony By Durward K. McDaniel Photo caption: Senator Hubert Humphrey, Durward K. McDaniel, Senator Jennings Randolph, Reese H. Robrahn, and Irvin P. Schloss. (Editor's Note: We regret that the braille, tape, and disc readers must miss the picture which appears in the large-print edition of Irvin P. Schloss, Reese H. Robrahn, Senator Jennings Randolph, Durward K. McDaniel, and Senator Hubert Humphrey. The picture was taken at Senator Randolph's request during testimony on legislation dealing with education, rehabilitation, and related subjects.) February 28 marked the first occasion for my testifying on behalf of the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America. There will be many similar appearances in the future, particularly as this new and unique coalition of organizations reaches (through consensus) more and more policy positions. Forty-two organizations of and for the blind have joined ALL, and a large number of others are now considering participation. In order to provide full information about ALL's activities, a summary of the positions taken in that testimony is as follows: The Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America: (1) favors 100% Federal funding of the cost of direct case services for visually impaired persons. (2) favors 100% Federal funding of the cost of establishing new vending facilities under the Randolph-Sheppard Act on Federal and other properties. (3) favors establishment of a comprehensive rehabilitation services program. (4) favors the establishment of a program of rehabilitation services for older blind persons. (5) favors a program of incentive grants which would be paid to the states on the basis of the number of severely handicapped persons who are placed in competitive employment after rehabilitation. (6) favors an amendment to Section 112 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to provide for the establishment of a Client Assistance Program in each state, such program to be administered by independent organizations through grants from separately authorized appropriations for such purpose. (7) favors an amendment to enlarge the Inter-Agency Committee on Handicapped Employees under Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to include as members those disabled individuals representing national organizations of handicapped persons. (8) favors an amendment giving statutory status to the Office for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, and providing that its director will be an assistant commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration. (9) favors the establishment, maintenance, and protection of specialized agencies for the blind as the preferred means of serving the blind and visually impaired people. ***** ** More About the ACB National Convention And "Heaven in '77" Tentative plans are becoming firm plans as Florida's "Heaven in '77" committees work to finalize their efforts. The ACB national convention will be held July 10-16 at the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Although other meetings and activities will undoubtedly be scheduled before the convention announcement is mailed, plans now call for a variety of meetings and seminars beginning on July 10. Some of the special-interest organizations that will be meeting include the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America, who plan to sponsor a tenth anniversary dinner on Monday night and a lunch on Tuesday; the World Council of Blind Lions, which will sponsor a luncheon or dinner and a reception; the Visually Impaired Secretarial Transcribers Association; the American Blind Lawyers Association, which will sponsor a luncheon on Tuesday and a special seminar on civil rights for the handicapped on Tuesday evening; the National Alliance of Blind Students, which will sponsor a reception Monday evening jointly with the National Association of Blind Teachers; and the Visually Impaired Veterans of America. Also, blind radio amateurs, the Visually Impaired Data Processors International (with an informal dinner Monday evening), Guide Dog Users (with an informal dinner Monday evening), the National Association of Blind Teachers (with a luncheon on Monday), and the Blind Rehabilitation Teachers (with breakfast on Wednesday) will meet in conference. The exact meeting schedule and program for each of these organizations and groups will be publicized in the convention announcement and/or the next issue of the Braille Forum. If any other special-interest groups plan to hold conferences or other activities, they should contact the ACB National Office immediately with pertinent details. Plans are being made to schedule several extracurricular activities for conventioneers. On Thursday afternoon, there are several choices: deep-sea fishing, a behind-the-scenes visit to the Miami Seaquarium where you will be able to touch the mammals, a boat trip and dinner to a famed restaurant, or an evening at the theater. A tour of the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind can be arranged if there are enough people interested. On Friday afternoon, at the same time as the business meeting, a magic and clown show will be held for children. The clown makes fabulous balloon animals. On Friday evening after the banquet, a dance combo will be performing from 9:30 to 12:30. ACB musicians will be doing their thing by providing "gathering music" prior to each program and business session. Entertainment at the banquet will also be provided by ACB musicians. As you can all readily see, there will be something for everyone during "Heaven in '77." The National Convention Program Chairman, Vera McClain, of Florida State University, has informed us that efforts are being made to obtain an extremely important and influential elected Federal official to speak at the ACB banquet Friday evening. While not all speaking invitations have yet been confirmed, it is anticipated that a variety of nationally known speakers will cover important topics such as civil rights of the handicapped, ways in which providers and handicapped users of transportation services may work together more effectively, ways in which the blind themselves may improve their vocational opportunities, services available to the handicapped from the United States Small Business Administration, "The Sighted and Their Handicaps," new ophthalmological developments regarding electronic reading devices and other revolutionary aids. In the very near future, you will receive the convention announcement and pre-registration forms. Please register for every conference or activity in which you are interested, inasmuch as several are expected to be extremely popular and well attended. It will definitely be to your advantage to register for the ACB convention, because several exceptionally attractive prizes will be awarded to convention registrants only. If you have not received a copy of the announcement and pre-registration form by mid-June, you may obtain copies from the ACB National Office. There is business to be done -- fun in the sun -- so come to "Heaven in '77," everyone! ***** ** "Sign 504 -- Delay No More!" Editorial Note: The following is a reprint from the Congressional Record of April 5, 1977, and is a statement of Representative Edward Koch made on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, together with an attached statement of Dr. Frank Bowe, Executive Director of the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, which was made a part of the record by Representative Koch. Mr. Koch is a Democrat from New York and is presently a candidate for the office of Mayor of the City of New York. Mr. Koch. Mr. Speaker, at noon today, along with my colleagues, Chris Dodd, and Pat Schroeder, and Clarence Mitchell of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -- NAACP -- I attended a press conference called by the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, Inc. We were there to support 36 million disabled American citizens in their demand that Secretary of HEW Joseph A. Califano issue regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as required by the Congress. These regulations are long overdue and should have been signed and issued in the prior administration. It would be an abomination if President Carter's new administration failed to forthwith carry out the law of this country as well as his own pledges to the handicapped. Listening to Dr. Frank Bowe read his statement, a copy of which I am appending, brought me close to tears -- not out of pity, because the leaders of the handicapped and the handicapped themselves do not ask for pity, but out of an enormous feeling of admiration for the courage of these people in overcoming handicaps: They are simply demanding the right to participate as equals for jobs they are capable of doing. They want no special consideration in employment, but simply the right to apply and not be rejected on the basis of their handicap, when the handicap is not job-related. It is outrageous that we have permitted this situation to go on for so many years, abusing our fellow citizens in this way and losing their productivity and genius. The handicapped across the country are at this very moment demonstrating in front of HEW buildings, urging that the Secretary of HEW sign the necessary regulations implementing Section 504. We here in the Congress must take every step necessary to assure that these regulations are signed, by speaking out, by considering additional legislation, by holding oversight hearings, and by telephoning Secretary Califano. I telephoned Secretary Califano this afternoon, to urge that he do only that which is decent and what is required by the law itself. Regrettably, when I called, the Secretary of HEW was not in, but I left word with his office and with the general counsel of HEW, asking that my inquiry be answered promptly. I subsequently received a return call from Klenn Kamber, project manager of the 504 Work Group, who advised me that the Secretary had told demonstrators picketing HEW here in Washington that he would sign the regulations no later that early May, but that he was not committed to them in I regret the delay on his part, and even more his lack of commitment to signing the regulations in their current form. I urge everyone interested in redressing the legitimate grievances of the handicapped to write to Secretary Joseph Califano requesting his immediate signature to the regulations as is. I urge every member in this Chamber to read the appended statement of Dr. Bowe. If it does not move you to action, I ask you to examine your conscience. In the course of the press conference, Dr. Bowe recited from memory the text of Section 504, to wit: "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 ..." It was as though he were reciting the Declaration of Independence or the Magna Carta. And in fact that is exactly what it is. If Section 504 were fully implemented, the handicapped would be set free. ***** ** Statement of ACCD Director Bowe Despite the passing of the April 4 deadline, Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Joseph A. Califano has not issued regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the civil rights act for this nation's 36 million disabled citizens. He did not promise strong language protecting the long-violated rights of disabled people. He did not pledge enforcement that would honor President Carter's campaign promise to "vigorously seek out and redress discrimination against the handicapped." The Secretary has failed to fulfill the promise of equal rights in education, employment, health and social services the Congress made three and one-half years ago. Equally of concern to us, the present course of action of the Secretary and his staff to seriously weaken draft regulations, prepared after the most extensive and intensive period of preparation any Federal agency has undertaken in recent memory, defies the promises of the President, the express desires of the Congress, and the repeated urging of disabled Americans themselves. ... We believe Mr. Califano must listen to disabled citizens, to the President, to Congress, and to concerned Americans. He must now develop strong regulations and an effective enforcement program to end the blatant and systematic denial of equal opportunity for people who have abilities which must be developed if this country is to achieve its goal of equality for all citizens. He must realize that his delay and his present attempts to build loopholes, waivers, and exemptions into the regulations excuses rather than prohibits discrimination. Each day his inaction fails to protect one million disabled children and youths who are out of school altogether, and four million who receive inadequate and inappropriate services from school districts receiving Federal funds, six million disabled people who cannot use public transportation or take advantage of other essential health and social services funded with billions of Federal dollars, uncounted millions of disabled adults fully qualified for employment, who are denied equality of opportunity by employers receiving Federal support, hundreds of thousands of disabled people who are paid only half the minimum wage by workshop employers subsidized with Federal monies. and tens of millions of Americans seeking to re-enter the mainstream of society after two hundred years of exclusion. ... Today ... thousands of disabled Americans whose rights are being jeopardized will come to HEW offices to call for their rights. They will tell their own stories-of discrimination in employment, of denial of education, of failure to receive needed health services, of inaccessibility of buildings and transportation systems built with Federal funds. They will be joining a long line of civil rights protesters who have found dramatic action necessary to obtain equal treatment in this country. I have learned that many disabled individuals are now determined to go to HEW and to stay there until adequate regulations are signed and an enforcement program begun. Disabled people are first-class citizens in this country and expect to be treated that way. ... Disabled people seek prompt, strong, and vigorous implementation and enforcement of their rights and will settle for nothing less. ... Thousands of disabled Americans join me today in calling upon the President to alter Secretary Califano's present course of action and to ensure full protection of civil rights of America's 36 million disabled citizens. Disabled people in this country have waited two hundred years for their most elementary human and civil rights. They are determined to continue their action for as long as it may take until they are protected from unjust discrimination. If the President does not respond now, we will carry our cause to the White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals in May. To paraphrase a recent candidate for the Presidency, disabled people do not intend to lose. ***** ** Human Rights -- Where? By Reese Robrahn At one o'clock in the afternoon, April 5, Washington, D.C. time, approximately 400 citizens with disabilities assembled at the offices of Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, to protest the continued delay in the signing of the regulations for the implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. of 1973, and to protest the Secretary's announced decision to rewrite the regulations with changes which will weaken and render them ineffective. Simultaneously throughout the nation, additional hundreds of handicapped citizens gathered to join in the protest at each of the HEW regional offices. Some demonstrations lasted for the day. Some were concluded the following day. The sit-in demonstration at the HEW San Francisco office continues to the day of this writing, April 12. Late in the afternoon of the first day, Secretary Califano made an appearance before the demonstrators at his offices, during which he restated his intention to make the changes in the regulations, but promised to have them signed sometime in May, prior to the White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals. Approximately sixty demonstrators, among them Reese Robrahn of the American Council of the Blind Washington Office, Eunice Fiorito, President of the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, and several other ACB members, elected to sit in overnight. It was at this stage of the protest that HEW officials recognized the fact that the demonstrators were very serious about their mission and their purpose. With Peter Libassi, General Counsel-Designate of the Department of HEW, on hand and calling the signals, armed guards were stationed to confine the demonstrators to a small area of the sixth floor of the building. Telephones were turned off. The demonstrators were informed that they would not be permitted to use the telephones except upon the permission of HEW officials in an extreme emergency; that they would not be permitted to leave the sixth floor and return to it; that they would not be permitted to have food brought to them by others, nor could they get food for themselves; and that once they left the secured area of the floor, they would be excluded from the building and would not be allowed to return. However, at no time were the demonstrators requested or ordered to leave the building. Late that evening, a Washington Post newspaper reporter was denied entrance to the building to interview the demonstrators, and the following morning, an American Broadcasting Company TV news crew was ordered not to talk to the demonstrators and not to take pictures for a period of about one hour. This denial of access by the news media was countermanded and all three network TV news crews appeared and stayed with the demonstrators throughout the day. Leaders of the demonstrators were engaged in several hours of discussion during the nighttime, early morning, and morning hours, in an effort to dissuade Mr. Libassi from these inhumane tactics and from carrying out the decision to change the regulations and further delay enforcement of the law. At 10:30 on Wednesday morning, the demonstrators were allowed to have brought to them from the cafeteria one cup of coffee and one doughnut each. Sympathetic cafeteria employees, however, brought more coffee and sweet rolls than the demonstrators could consume at one sitting. Because most of the demonstrators had not come prepared to sit in until arrested, and to sit in without food and without communication with the outside world, late Wednesday afternoon all present made the decision to walk out as a group, with the understanding that many would return later. Where are the human rights about which President Carter speaks? Are they guaranteed for all citizens of the United States, or are they reserved for the affluent and for the politically powerful? This time, handicapped people didn't even get peanuts from the Carter Administration, but the demonstrators promised to return again and again to demand and to secure their right to full participation in society. ***** ** Randolph-Sheppard Rules -- At Last! By Durward K. McDaniel On March 23, 1977, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare issued Rules for the vending facility program. As published, the Rules reflected some influence from blind vendors and allied organizations, but they fell short of the congressional mandate for uniform standards, Federal leadership and oversight, and affirmative provisions which would double the number of job opportunities in five years. The Rules, as written, would return to Federal property managers some of the authority which the 1974 Amendments took away from them. In that respect, the Rules infringe upon the statutory authority of State Licensing Agencies, State Committees of Blind Vendors, and the priorities legislated for blind persons on Federal property. The old Federal "permit" system is still there, and so is a unique bidding system for cafeterias. The Rules follow the old format by which HEW asks each state to tell it what they are going to do -- a kind of "reverse leadership." The Rules attempt, in part, to recognize the role and statutory function of the elected Committees of Blind Vendors, but that recognition is isolated and substantially infringed by many separate specifications of power to be exercised by State Licensing Agencies without reference to participation by the Committees. There are special provisions which would exclude photocopy, pay telephone, and amusement machines from the vending program. The National Park Service and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are partially excluded, although HEW does not have the power to amend an Act of Congress. A novel rationalization emerges in these Rules -- anything which has not been generally or traditionally sold in the vending program is somehow not covered by the Act where certain Federal agencies and interests are involved. About half of the sixteen pages of small print were used to explain the Rules, and a large portion of the Rules consists of unnecessary repetition or paraphrasing of parts of the Act. While the Rules show major improvement over those originally proposed, they fail in several major ways to conform to the 1974 Amendments to the law. The Randolph-Sheppard Vendors lawsuit is still pending, and the Court will have to decide these and other issues. ***** ** What Most Tourists Never See By James G. Chandler (Editor's Note: James G. Chandler was for thirty years a librarian, and at the time of his retirement several years ago, he served as Assistant Director of Libraries at the University of Maryland. Since his "retirement," he has found many ways of working with and for the blind. As an active member of Volunteers for the Visually Handicapped, a group of men and women in the Washington, D.C. area who serve the blind in many ways, his specialties have been transportation and as a volunteer braillist. He is an active member of the ACB of Maryland and serves the American Council on the national level as a member of its Library Committee.) I have just returned from a 30,000-mile journey. The landscapes, the oceans, the cliffs, the trees, the historic buildings -- all were breathtaking and memorable. But much of what I saw was entirely unnoticed and unknown to 99% of the thousands of travelers with whom I rubbed elbows on this trip. In London, tens of thousands of commuters pass through Great Portland "Underground" station each day. But how many of them realize that less than two blocks away is the headquarters of the Royal National Institute for the Blind? RNIB employs 1,400 persons, designs and distributes aids and appliances, prepares the British style of talking books, and plays a major role in job training and placement and in welfare referrals. Many of their raised­line maps are sold internationally, and they work closely in many ways with official and private media. The RNIB Students Braille Library contains 15,000 titles in 50,000 volumes, available on loan throughout the world. The National Library for the Blind, 35 Great Smith Street, London, has 40,000 titles in 300,000 volumes. These also can be borrowed by mail in the United Kingdom and abroad. Most international borrowing is from library to library, and copying is likely to be restricted or prohibited. The general RNIB Library does not contain special format materials, but does have an extensive collection of annual reports and similar documents from organizations of and for the blind in many countries. There is a steady stream of users from groups that have failed to keep a full set of their own records and are now trying to draw together a cumulative history of their accomplishments. Instant copying is available and is paid for by vouchers good for one to 20 pages each. It was amusing to watch the startled(?), skeptical(?), concerned(?) drivers, passengers and pedestrians who heard the beeping at the street intersection nearest to RNIB. It did sound rather like an approaching emergency vehicle, but its real purpose is to notify blind persons in the vicinity that traffic has been stopped by the signal and it is safe to cross the street. How many of the sighted passers-by are aware of that? Inside the elevator of the RNIB building at 206 Great Portland Street, the floors are announced by a recorded voice. Why isn't this clever idea used elsewhere? RNIB is developing an escort service for blind visitors. It hopes to be able to greet blind travelers in twenty or more languages. Of the tens of millions who read newspapers in the United Kingdom, how many know that there are 200 locally organized groups of volunteers who produce periodic cassette summarizing both general and local news for the blind and handicapped? My daughter was a library science student last year and sent me a copy of the Australian Library Journal for 9 August, 1976. The cover contains fourteen lines of tactile braille, each proclaiming the title of the lead article. Only after reading it several times did I catch the double meaning of this title: Seeing to the Blind (or, as the British write it: seeing to the blind). How they "see to it" in Australia may be somewhat scattered, but much is going on. I met with many of the hard-working staff at the Braille and Talking Book Library in Melbourne. Of course, this library is unknown to most of those who pass it every day or work only a few blocks away. Tasmania is an island off the south of "mainland" Australia. It amounts to 1% of the land surface of Australia. It is one of the states of Australia and, partly because it is separated from the mainland, it frequently acts quite independently. But very few Tasmanians are aware of the programs for the blind, or even know of any instances of blindness in their community. (The Editor didn't say this, so I will: "So, what's new about that?") But there is a plus side that Tasmanians should be proud of. A few insistent persons went ahead, when many experts said it could not be done, and set up a volunteer HEAR A BOOK service, funded by local Apex Clubs and other service and charitable groups, supplemented by small government grants. Ninety volunteer readers record books that are centrally duplicated on cassettes and made available through public libraries. At the start there were three outlets on the island of Tasmania, and now sixteen libraries on the mainland are also distributing these recorded books. Gradually the word is getting around. And some of those with ears will hear it; and some of those with eyes will see it; and some will learn from a friend; and some will read about it in the Braille Forum. ***** ** "Blind Power?" in Massachusetts (Reprinted from the Boston Evening Globe, Feb. 24, 1977. By Carol Surkin) Massachusetts Commissioner for the Blind Sandy Matava is the focus of repeated and unfair criticism, in spite of the good work she has done during her year and a half on the job. Matava has become the target of attacks from elements within the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), a national consumer group with about 600 members in Massachusetts. Her work has the support of groups like the Bay State Council of the Blind American Council of the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind the Legislature's Special Commission on the Handicapped, and the Blind Leadership Club. In fact, the state president of NFB, William Burke of Worcester, approves of Matava's record, but a vociferous minority in the NFB seems committed to her ouster. The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind provides vocational welfare and social services to about 7,000 blind persons in the State. It has an annual budget of $20 million, of which $300,000 pays for administration. The rest is paid out in direct assistance or for purchase of services for blind persons. The NFB had built a close working relationship with Matava's predecessor, John Mungovan. Mungovan had headed the Commission for more than 25 years when he retired in 1975. Between 1970 and 1975, although beyond retirement age, Mungovan stayed in office as a favor to the Sargent Administration, running a caretaker operation, awaiting selection of his successor. NFB is known nationally for its strong lobbying techniques. The American Council of the Blind was started by former NFB members who were alienated by the Federation's tactics. In Massachusetts, NFB particularly liked the work of the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton. The Carroll Center was started to meet needs of veterans blinded by injuries suffered in World War II. It specializes in support services for patients blinded in accidents. While Mungovan was still in office in early 1975, he drafted a 27-point policy agreement with NFB's liaison committee with the Commission. Included in the agreement was a commitment to have the Carroll Center provide all State-paid training to blind people learning to use canes. Mungovan also guaranteed a certain minimum days of service from the Carroll Center annually. This was costly for the State because, while the Perkins School charged a daily rate of $255 and the Hope Center in Springfield charged $285 a day, the Carroll Center cost $390 a day. In 1975, the Carroll Center received $450,000 in service payments. When the Dukakis Administration began its search for a new commissioner, the NFB had a candidate. That candidate was considered sympathetic to the NFB, but was unsatisfactory to the Administration. Matava was assistant director of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind when Governor Michael Dukakis appointed her as the new commissioner in September 1975. Apparently angered that their candidate was rejected, a group of NFB members immediately picketed the State House in protest. In the December, 1975 Braille Monitor, Albert A. Evans, Recording Secretary of the NFB of Massachusetts, wrote that Matava's appointment was "the most vicious sort of treachery perpetrated on the blind in the Commonwealth." Also published was a letter from the NFB's national president denouncing Matava. This harassment of Matava continues, mostly through letters to various city, state, and Federal officials, charging her with incompetence. The Commissioner meets once a month with a coalition of constituent groups, but NFB insists on separate sessions with Matava. Meanwhile, Matava has built a record of management reform in the Commission. She has instituted a promotion system based on staff evaluation. Once chaotic bookkeeping is now orderly. She has ended the policy of guaranteed purchase-of-service levels for places like the Carroll Center. Services are purchased according to what blind clients need. The Carroll Center now receives about $250,000 from the Commission for services. This cut has angered some NFB members. In tightening Commission management, Matava also upset some NFB people by clamping down on the loose operation of the State's "blind workshop," where some employees had been collecting a full week's pay for a few hours' work. Her action came after the Governor's Management Task Force criticized the program because the production level returned only 20 cents for every dollar invested by the Commission. At a time when funds are scarce for most state programs, Matava has worked effectively to provide good service to her blind constituency. It is about time to put aside harassment and focus on the recent improvements in the State Commission for the Blind. ***** ** Oklahoma Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities By A. Marie Morrison During the local and state meetings leading up to the White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals, disabled citizens of Oklahoma were brought together as a group for the first time. Until then, each group had been meeting separately, each considering its own concerns as special to that particular group -- the blind, the deaf, and those in wheelchairs. It became increasingly apparent, however, that we were all concerned about many of the same issues. The first real recognition of this fact came, perhaps, when we found that we were all unhappy that handicapped persons had not been included in the initial planning stages of the Oklahoma White House Conference. This was the issue that drew us together for the first time. At first we discussed some sort of demonstration, but quickly realized that if we walked out of a meeting, we would no longer be a part of it. And we did want to have some input into the planning, even if only from that point on. Therefore, we established ourselves as the Blue Ribbon Consumer Caucus and decided to wear a blue ribbon in our lapel. Only persons with very obvious handicaps were chosen to wear the blue ribbon. We asked for and were granted a conference with our State White House Conference chairman in order that we might present to him our immediate demands. Most important among these issues was the fact that we wanted to have input into the selection of delegates and alternates to the National White House Conference. Our demands were met, but only after a series of meetings with state leaders. Through this experience, we learned how to work together as a group, and we learned that all of us must be participating members of society. This was only the beginning. In Tulsa, a group known as Wheelchair Independence Now (WIN) changed its name to Win Independence Now and changed its by-laws to include all handicapped persons. Similar groups were formed throughout the state -- in Norman, in Oklahoma City, and elsewhere. As an example of what can be done by working together on the local level, let me describe what took place in Tulsa, since I am a member of that group. When plans were being drawn up to remodel the terminal at the Tulsa Airport, we were asked to meet with the architect, who wanted the building to be barrier-free for the handicapped. I was invited to participate as a blind person, although I am now multi-handicapped, with disabilities in my extremities in addition to blindness. Problems of parking, curbs, getting from one floor to another, and the concourse itself were all discussed during this conference. Of these, the question of curb cuts best illustrates the value of working together. Blind people need a straight curb for purposes of alignment in crossing streets. Wheelchair people require a ramp. A curb cut has been designed which allows both groups to maneuver safely, and this was introduced to the architect at the airport. By discussing this mutual problem ahead of time, we did not present a conflicting point of view between the two handicapped groups, but, rather, concurred in a solution satisfactory to both groups. This kind of success at both the state and local level illustrated convincingly the value of and need for a statewide coalition of handicapped individuals, to decide the issues for ourselves and to strengthen input into activities affecting our lives. Thus, leaders from several groups of handicapped persons met to plan and to set in motion preliminary steps for forming such a coalition. The first general meeting was held in Tulsa April 1-3. The conference was financed jointly by the Oklahoma affiliate of the American Council of the Blind and the Easter Seal Society. Eunice Fiorito, President of the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, was the keynote speaker and she remained throughout the weekend for consultation with those present. Immediately following Mrs. Fiorito's address on Friday evening, by-laws were adopted and officers elected, and the Oklahoma Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities was born. Sessions on Saturday morning were developed around themes such as civil rights, education and independent living, while afternoon workshops were designed to help those present develop effective leadership skills to strengthen organizational efforts on the local and state level. Delegates were chosen to attend the third annual Delegate Council of the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, to be held in Washington, D.C., May 19-22. After experiencing first-hand how much more effective we are as a coalition than as individual groups, we in Oklahoma believe that being a part of a national coalition of citizens with disabilities will enable us to accomplish those objectives designed to permit handicapped persons to participate fully in the mainstream of life. ***** ** They Said It Couldn't Be Done If a man can't see to read, suffers a hearing loss, and has no hands to write, how can he succeed in a profession that requires voluminous reading and writing? That's what everyone asked Jim Womack when in 1950 he decided to study law -- everyone, that is, except Jim Womack. Five years earlier, near the end of World War II, a mine explosion had cost him both his arms, the left one near the shoulder and the right one just below the right elbow. He also lost his right eye and has only faint vision in his left. Both eardrums were punctured, causing some loss of hearing. But Jim wouldn't listen to anyone who said he couldn't become an attorney, and today, besides his prosperous law practice, he is involved in several successful business enterprises, as well as community and youth activity programs. That's why the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) last August named James L. Womack, 50, of Winnfield, Louisiana, the nation's Outstanding Disabled Veteran for 1976. Jim was born in Sikes, Louisiana, in 1925. He joined the Army in 1944 and was married shortly after that. He saw a lot of combat with the infantry during World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of the Saar River. After returning to action following recuperation from a minor wound that earned him his first Purple Heart, a German mine blew up in his face on March 2, 1945. That mine took his arms and his vision and impaired his hearing. A blow like that would stop many men, but Jim came back fighting. In a hospital rehabilitation program, he learned to operate a lathe and turned out some attractive furniture, feeling the wood with his lips as he shaped each piece. Following his discharge from an army hospital in July, 1946, he returned to Sikes, where he raised cattle and ran a farm for a few years. "For a while, I was scared," said Jim, "and I felt a little sorry for myself. But my wife Geraldine gave me a lot of support and I got over it pretty soon." But Jim wanted more out of life than he was getting, and he decided to study for a career in law. After a long search for a college that would accept him with his handicaps, he entered Louisiana Tech in 1950. But his troubles with officialdom hadn't ended. Authorities at the school and in the Veterans Administration said studying law would be impossible. "Later, I found out a doctor was telling these people, I'd fail and probably have a nervous breakdown because of it. But I'd have lost my mind faster if they had held me back. I made good grades my first year, taking the same courses as pre-law students. So when the V.A. said they wouldn't pay for me to take pre-law, I told them I'd do it without their help." That's exactly what he did. After six months of holding out, the V. A. saw how mistaken they were about Jim, admitted it, and returned to his aid. He entered law school at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge in 1952; graduated fourth in his class in 1955, receiving the Order of the Coif; and returned to Winnfield to set up a law office. Those first tastes of success simply fired his ambition, and he has since built a large legal practice. Jim gets along very well with a hook prosthesis on his right arm only. "The left one just gets in the way," he says. When his son Michael (who graduated last year from LSU Law School) was a Cub Scout, Jim and his wife became interested in the Scouting program. Active ever since, he received one of Scouting's highest honors, the Silver Beaver Award, in 1968. He has also volunteered his services in behalf of the Salvation Army, the Heart Fund, and the Louisiana Society for Crippled Children. He has served several times as a member of the Winn Industrial Development Corporation, which encourages industry to locate in Winn Parish. Invited last year to participate in the national conference of the American Blind Lawyers Association in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Jim not only impressed those present by his formal presentation, but contributed significantly to discussions and deliberations throughout the conference. James Womack has as much to give blind and handicapped persons nationally as he has already given him home community. Hopefully his is a name to be heard much more frequently in the future. ***** ** New FAA Rules Affecting Air Lines and Handicapped Passengers (The following letter to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency is in response to rules recently published. Readers will recall the hearings and criticisms of rules which were proposed more than two years ago.) April 14, 1977 Dear Dr. McLucas: We have read with interest the new Rules and comments thereon published in the Federal Register April 7, 1977, affecting air lines and handicapped passengers. We are pleased to learn that the tests conducted confirmed our belief that the rules which were proposed some time ago were unnecessarily restrictive and based on false premises about handicapped people. We are nevertheless concerned about the latitude of authority which the new Rules delegate to air lines. We refer specifically to Section 121.586: (a) No certificate holder may refuse transportation to a passenger on the basis that, because the passenger may need the assistance of another person to move expeditiously to an exit in the event of an emergency, his transportation would or might be inimical to safety of flight unless -- (1) the certificate holder has established procedures (including reasonable notice requirements) for the carriage of passengers who may need the assistance of another person ...; and (2) At least one of the following conditions exist: (i) The passenger fails to comply with the notice requirements in the certificate holder's procedures; (ii) The passenger cannot be carried in accordance with the certificate holder's procedures. Handicapped persons will have no practical way of knowing what procedures various air lines may file in various district offices of the FAA, nor what the allegedly "reasonable notice" requirements may be. The Rule invites air lines to impose conditions in their procedures for which the FAA has established no objective criteria. It is not in the public interest to permit an air line to rely upon its own procedures to deny transportation to a paying handicapped passenger. The Rule provides for certain transactions between the FAA and the air lines in the establishing of their procedures, but you have entirely omitted any involvement of the public, handicapped persons, and their organizations. Also, you have omitted the effect of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1973, Public Law 93-112. That civil rights statute applies to air lines because they receive Federal financial assistance. Accordingly, we submit that Section 504 prohibits discriminatory procedures pertaining to handicapped passengers -- the purported Rules notwithstanding. Section 504 is also applicable to the earlier Rule giving certain discretionary authority to the pilot in command. We would appreciate your sending a copy of the FAA circular which offers guidance to air lines on the foregoing subjects. We know that the vast majority of air line personnel and handicapped passengers are reasonable and prudent people. We are also aware of a number of instances, some of them rather recent, in which handicapped persons were arbitrarily denied transportation. Such denial should not be tolerated by the FAA, and its rule-making authority should preclude discrimination rather than to invite the air lines to create arbitrary conditions through procedures which will not be easily accessible to the public. Sincerely, Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America By: Durward K. McDaniel, Chairperson ***** ** ACCD Annual Delegate Council Meeting The American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities will hold its third annual Delegate Council Meeting May 19-22, 1977, at the Sheraton Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Business of vital importance to the disabled community will be conducted during morning sessions. Afternoons will be set aside for workshops on such issues as civil rights, education, employment, reorganization of Federal programs serving the handicapped, life support services, and effective use of the media. On Saturday, May 21, the Coalition will hold its first annual Awards Banquet. The dinner will be preceded by the President's Reception, to which members of Congress and Administration officials will be invited. For further information concerning registration or particular events, call or write the ACCD office at 1346 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Room 817, Washington, DC 20035; phone (202) 785-4265. ***** ** What Course Federal Reorganization? By Durward K. McDaniel As Congress produced legislation giving the President substantial authority to reorganize the Executive Branch, curiosity and concern increase for many within the field of blindness and the handicapped. One of the unofficial explanations of the Administration's delay in filling the position of Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services Administration has been that most of the obviously qualified applicants favor categorical service delivery programs for handicapped persons and are thereby unacceptable to the new Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The following excerpts from an edited conversation with Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Secretary of HEW, published in The Washington Post March 29, 1977, illustrate his bias and the basis for our concern: "... One sense I have strongly about what's happened is that there are many, many programs now legislated with incredible specificity. There's an education program which requires us to write 90 regulations in 240 days and sets the exact date on which each regulation has to be issued. There are 381 programs set up by statute that can't be changed. ... "The tension between the Congress and the Executive, which I think we have less of here than elsewhere, at least at the top, is there. It's there in part because the Congress has in many ways been running a lot of these programs for the last few years since Watergate. Now there's an executive (Carter) who's come in and wants to run them and is saying to Congress, 'All right, you pass the laws; we'll execute them.' "Another thing. The staffs on the Hill are much, much better and larger than they ever were, and much more powerful. That's the biggest change that I've noticed since the last time I was in Government. That is a big change. "I've told the governors on more than one occasion that they'll have less trouble with a President like Carter than they will with the Legislative Branch. Congress has gotten down into the ways states can organize or not organize their own state systems. Under the Vocational Rehabilitation Act Amendments, in the last few years they legislate that no funds can go to the state in that area unless the state has a separate vocational rehabilitation agency. That's the extent to which things have changed. "But I understand the Congress. I am sure I would have done the same thing. They could not trust anybody. They didn't trust anybody in the Nixon­Ford Executive to execute their programs. And in the education area, under the law, lots of programs have been triggered one upon the other. You can't fund a program you might want to fund unless you fully fund two or three other programs. A statute like that was unheard of in the '60s ..." In another development which may hint at the new Administration's policy toward the handicapped in the area of welfare reform and social services, HEW Assistant Secretary Arabella Martinez told a political conference of the National Association of Social Workers, "We desperately need to have a comprehensive coordinated and integrated social services system." She told the social workers gathered for the March 29 meeting in Washington, D.C., that interest groups and fragmented pieces of legislation passed by the Congress make this goal difficult to attain. Although she discussed these "pieces of legislation" administered by the Office of Human Development, which include the Rehabilitation Act, she specifically mentioned only child and aging programs. The following are direct quotes: " ... and if you look at the aging program, you have pieces of programs. We simply do not have a social services strategy for the aged. So what you do is you provide income maintenance and social services — and if the aged person lives, sometimes in a very unlivable community, afraid to go out and afraid to stay in, so what are you doing for that person? "And we haven't developed a concept about comprehensive social services, and I'm not sure that it's possible, given all of the various interest groups who are all striving to get a bigger piece of the pie, of a very small pie, for their own groups. So you have the handicapped fighting the elderly ... I must say, I have a hard time being sympathetic to that kind of what I call parochialism. "Now, I think there are some serious problems that I think we are going to need to address, and one has to do with the whole business of categorization versus block grants. Although people keep putting these on opposite poles, they really are different things. You could give block grants for categorical programs and not lose the focus on specific target groups. "The business of giving block grants and saying to states (and this is a very personal opinion), 'Do with it what you want, and what is done is based not on need, but on political expediency,' is a problem we have to address. I don't think that states do this deliberately, or that they are vicious, or that they are terrible states and they don't care about people. I do think that the Federal Government has not provided the kind of leadership that is essential and states want ... So we hope that in our reorganization we trust we will be able to provide the kind of technical support and other support for the providers of services, especially the states." These and other signs tell us that we cannot merely wait to learn what happens. Organizations and individuals must act now to let the Carter Administration know that they want to preserve categorical programs for blind and handicapped persons -- to strengthen them, not weaken them by their merger or amalgamation with other programs. ***** ** Where Literary Treasures And Service Abound (Reprinted from the Telegraph-Hearld, Dubuque, Iowa, Tuesday, Nov. 16, 1976) (Editor's Note: The Tri-State Independent Blind Society of Dubuque, Iowa, draws for its membership upon the states of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Although not an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, a number of its members are active in ACB's Iowa affiliate, the Iowa Council of the Blind. Certainly its initiative and emphasis upon service to blind people represent the kind of positive, innovative programs which are so important a part of the purposes and goals of the American Council. We are pleased to share this story of achievement with our readers.) The public library has the books you are looking for, but the book store run by the Tri-State Independent Blind Society at the Iowa Inn, 9th and Iowa Streets, has books you never thought were available. Be it a first edition copy of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind or the complete Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester, or a dog-eared paperback of Days Gone By, you may be delightfully surprised to find it in the tiny book store. There are more than 10,000 hardbacks and 5,000 paperback books crammed on to the store's bookshelves. Don Gagne, president of the Tri-State Independent Blind Society and manager of the store, said he started with a few books on table tops in July of 1973. Soon, with donations from libraries and private collections, plus customer exchanges (bring in three paperbacks, get one free), the shelves began to fill. Because of the latter policy, dozens of the popular novel Love Story have been brought in for exchange. In fact, copies of the book form an entire row in the corner of the store. Religious books histories and biographies are abundant, and you may blow the dust off some of the classics and find your favorite. "We're never going to get enough books," said Gagne, who once found a copy of a 17th-century Bible in his store. But before he could warn his employees not to sell it, his prize possession was gone. Money from the book store sales pays for programs initiated by the Tri-State Independent Blind Society, which does not accept money from Federal, state, or local agencies. Last fall, with the aid of $2,500 raised by radio station KDTH, the Society had enough money to buy a van to transport blind and handicapped people around Dubuque. "We bought an air conditioner last summer for an 80-year-old blind woman who couldn't get out of her home," Gagne said, "and we got a partially blind high-school girl a large-print dictionary." Gagne lets blind people keep the profits from their handicraft items that are also sold in his store. Gagne's biggest sale revenue comes from book sales. Paperbacks are sold for half and sometimes a quarter of their original cost. "At first people thought we were here for the blind and not for other people," Gagne said. "Some day, with enough customers, we can buy our own books." ***** ** George Meany Honored by Presentation Of Eugene V. Debs Award Reese and Nelda Robrahn represented the American Council of the Blind at the testimonial dinner, by invitation, honoring George Meany, President of the AFL/CIO, on the occasion of presentation to him of the Eugene V. Debs Award for 1977, presented by the Social Democrats, U.S.A. The festive event was held at the Shoreham Americana Hotel, Washington, D.C., on March 31. Bayard Rustin, National Chairman of the Social Democrats, U.S.A., presided, and among those paying tribute to Mr. Meany were I.W. Abel, President of the United Steel Workers of America, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Senator from New York State. The award presentation was made by Sidney Hook, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, New York University. Letters and telegrams of congratulation were received from scores of well­wishers throughout the country, among them messages from the President and Vice President of the United States. George Meany is credited as being the leadership force in the American labor movement which was responsible for bringing together and unifying the movement into one strong federation through the merger of the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. ***** ** Braille Authority Meets The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) met at the Ramada O'Hare Inn, Des Plaines, Illinois, April 4, 1977, with 100% of the delegates present. These included Floyd Cargill as delegate from the American Council of the Blind, Rami Rabby representing the National Federation of the Blind, Darlene Bogart of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and Betty Epstein, the incoming president of the National Braille Association. The by-laws as prepared by Durward McDaniel, National Representative, American Council of the Blind, and Richard Evensen, Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, were discussed in detail. A number of amendments were proposed. These included clarification of the word "volunteer" to refer to hand transcription. When a delegate who is an officer no longer represents the member organization, that office becomes vacant. An alternate delegate does not automatically become an officer. The chairperson of BANA can appoint members to all technical subcommittees. Such appointments shall be made on the basis of knowledge and expertise in a particular area, with no other limitations. Proposed changes to the Braille Code shall be advertised widely, submitted to selected professional persons for review, and field-tested before they are adopted. A great deal of discussion centered about how these tests and reviews would be made. It was agreed that the BANA Board would assume responsibility for all field-testing. It was recommended that a new section be developed covering the bonding of the treasurer and annual audits in accordance with legal regulations governing not-for-profit organizations. A thirty-day notice shall be required for all meetings. A motion was adopted commending Durward McDaniel and Richard Evensen for the fine job they did in writing the by-laws. It was agreed that Durward McDaniel should be invited to handle the legal problems necessary to incorporate BANA in the Washington, D.C. area. A memorandum of agreement between BANA and Florida State University, together with a number of amendments suggested by Durward McDaniel, was reviewed and adopted. Florida State University has four technical subcommittees working on their braille project, in the areas of mathematics, music, computer science, and textbook format. These committees will be acknowledged by BANA as technical committees. Florida State University will not field-test any of their proposed changes, but will turn their suggestions over to BANA. BANA reserves the right to review all braille codes. Since BANA defines North America as including the United States and Canada, a motion was adopted inviting Canada to nominate a member to each and every technical committee to be established. Considerable discussion centered around the problems involved in making literary braille compatible with computers. Florida State University has indicated that its project could consider this problem if additional money and time were not required. Robert Gildea expressed considerable interest in the project. He agreed to acquire and distribute copies of the proceedings of a conference held by the American Foundation for the Blind in the summer of 1976. This, together with another proposal submitted for researching the problem, is to be reviewed by each member. A critique of the proposal is to be submitted to all members of BANA prior to the next meeting. The next meeting of BANA is scheduled for June in the Chicago Area. ***** ** Here and There By George Card In one of the last issues of THE NEW OUTLOOK FOR THE BLIND, the statement is made that even after twenty years of experimenting, there has been almost no progress in finding a safe use for oxygen to save the lives of premature babies. Apparently, no mixture containing more oxygen than ordinary air is entirely free from the danger of causing retrolental fibroplasia. In recognition of the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Randolph-Sheppard Act, Senator Mike Mansfield of Montana, Majority Leader in the Senate, addressed his colleagues in that body with words of the highest praise for Jennings Randolph, now his Senate colleague. He reviewed the growth of the program and spoke of the large number of visually impaired men and women who have found remunerative employment and happy, useful, and productive lives because of that 1936 law. John Jarvis, former Secretary-General of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, and who was a principal speaker at the ACB 1964 national convention in Rochester, New York, is now living in retirement in southern England. He writes: "The ACB certainly seems to be making good progress. I am looking forward eagerly to the monthly Braille Forum next year. If it lives to the high standards set by the by-monthly publication, it will always contain material of much interest." THE SEEING EYE GUIDE states that 194 persons obtained dog guides in 1976-a new record; also that the Seeing Eye has provided some 1,200 radio stations with public service announcements dealing with such matters as interference with the work of dog guides by a well-intentioned but uninformed public, the legal rights and privileges of dog guide owners, and the availability of trained dogs to qualified applicants. Darlene and I were privileged last October to be guests at a special dinner given to honor the visiting Durward McDaniel at a downtown Seattle hotel by the Washington affiliate of ACB. On that occasion, Arnold Sadler reported on his trip to Honolulu, where he had been sent to welcome our big new Hawaii affiliate. He reported that almost a hundred members were present at the organizational meeting. Only a few short years ago, there was real hostility between the organized blind of St. Louis and the St. Louis Society for the Blind, caused by conditions in the sheltered workshop operated by the latter. Happily, things have changed. The trend everywhere in recent years, largely brought about by the organized blind movement itself, has been for far greater participation by consumer groups. The MISSOURI CHRONICLE reports that Alma Murphey has just been appointed to the Society's Board of Directors, thus giving the blind another voice in its management. ---- The Missouri Federation Credit Union now has assets in excess of $132,000. ---- A strong resolution was adopted calling upon both the Missouri School for the Blind and the public school authorities to make the teaching of braille to all educable visually impaired students a required course. The MFB objected to the decision of the educational authorities that it was their prerogative to decide on an individual basis whether or not such students should be trained to read and write in braille. If this resolution goes unheeded, the appeal will be to the State Legislature. In the ILLINOIS BRAILLE MESSENGER, we read of a unique telethon sponsored and managed by the Hadley Correspondence School for the Blind. Every one of the 2,000-plus students in the United States will be given an opportunity to comment by telephone. Hadley is using this method to keep its curriculum and planning in touch with actual consumer needs. ---- The Illinois Braille and Sight-Saving School is one of only three such residential schools in our country selected for foreign exchange students. This year, two blind Japanese girls are in attendance. From the Canadian Council of the Blind OUTLOOK: An anonymous Indian Poet said: "Yesterday is already a dream and tomorrow is just a vision. But today, well lived, can make every day a dream come true and every tomorrow a vision of hope." For the first time in its history, the world-famous Tate Gallery in London has prepared an exhibition of sculpture for the blind. So that they may not lose their way, a rubber textured path all around the exhibit can guide the feet of the blind visitors. A descriptive braille booklet is given out and members of the staff are stationed at strategic points to talk about the various masterpieces. From the December NEW OUTLOOK FOR THE BLIND: At least one state Massachusetts, has purchased Optacons for some of its blind trainees. ---- An article by Professor Hannan Selwyn, himself blind, has glowing praise for the skilled actors and actresses who narrate talking books, but he is highly critical of the Book Selection Committee, who approve only a very few really important books. He writes: "They seem to think the general blind reader is a hedonistic dunderhead who can appreciate relatively little beyond Zane Grey or Faith Baldwin." He also thinks it was a mistake to supply cassette machines without recording heads: "The saving was only about $10, and the blind have been deprived of a most useful device." ---- Blind students at Oklahoma State University are provided with detailed relief maps of the campus and instructions in braille. From JOURNAL OF BLINDNESS AND VISUAL IMPAIRMENT (AFB) — In this very first issue, an item tells Of a new program for the dissemination of Optacon training which has received around $1 million as a grant from the Office of Education for the first year of what is hoped to be a three-year project. Some 100 teachers of the visually impaired were given a cram course in teaching Optacon reading. They are each to be provided with Optacons and teaching materials, and some 200 blind students will be taught this reading skill the first year. If the additional funding is forthcoming, 650 more will receive the training during the second and third year. In hockey, a goal-tender must have absolutely superb vision in order to intercept the puck that comes flying toward the goal he is defending. It can come with terrific speed and comes from flying any and every angle. Julian Baretta, goalie for the league-leading University of Wisconsin team, who leads the whole country in the matter of the fewest goals scored against him, has vision of just 24/100 without his contact lenses. THE TRUMPET'S VOICE (the Iowa Council newsletter) reports that Don Overbeay, superintendent of the Iowa Braille and Sight-Saving School, and who after that held the same position at the Ohio School for the Blind, is retiring this year. His wife will teach one more year. ---- Our Iowa affiliate is setting up a memorial fund in the name of the late Earl Scharry, former editor of the Braille Forum and former ACB Board member. ---- Lyle and Aldeane Williams are now living in Michigan, where Lyle has found employment. He was perhaps the main driving force in organizing the Iowa Council of the Blind and has represented it as a delegate at ACB conventions. The Arizona Council NEWSLETTER praises Hughes Air West for having the good judgement and fairness to employ Ray Robey, visually impaired, as an aircraft mechanic. Ray has received an award as the outstanding rehabilitant of the year. Norman Robinson, blind Chicago lawyer and former president of ACB's Illinois affiliate, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped. The MAB NEWS (Michigan) describes a braille computer project at the North Central Technical Institute in Wausau, Wisconsin, which can produce a page of Grade 2 Braille in six seconds and which is supplying bus schedules, telephone directories, reference works, or anything else useful to blind persons throughout the nation. Up to this time, only 1% of such material has been available. With the addition of new regional libraries for the blind in Alaska and Vermont, the total number has now reached 56. Only Wyoming and North Dakota do not now have at least one. ***** ** Calendar of Events American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, Third Annual Delegate Council Meeting -- May 19-22, 1977-Sheraton Park Hotel, Washington, D.C. White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals -- May 23-27, 1977 -- Sheraton-Park Hotel, Washington, D.C. American Blind Bowling Association -- May 26-30, 1977 -- Statler-Hilton Hotel, New York, New York Iowa Council of the Blind Spring Convention -- June 10-12, 1977 -- Fort Des Moines Hotel, Des Moines, Iowa; Durward McDaniel, National Representative, American Council of the Blind, banquet speaker American Council of the Blind Annual Convention -- July 10-16, 1977 -- Deauville Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida American Association of Workers for the Blind Biennial Convention -- July 17-20, 1977 -- Portland-Hilton Hotel, Portland, Oregon National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped, Board of Directors Meeting -- July 21, 1977 -- Portland-Hilton Hotel, Portland, Oregon Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America -- August 6-7, 1977 -- Ramada Inn, St. Louis, Missouri Michigan Association of the Blind -- October 21-23, 1977 -- Kalamazoo, Michigan National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped, Annual Membership and Board Meetings -- November 14-15, 1977 -- Phoenix, Arizona ###