The Braille Forum Vol. XVI October 1977 No. 4 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 The Original Seven of the "Organized Blind Movement" -- Where Are They Now?, by Durward K. McDaniel A Blurred Vision of Europe, by Yoshiaki Nakamoto ALL Comes of Age Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America Citizens' Rate Postage -- How Good Is Your Handwriting? ACB Profile: Billie Elder, Second Vice President, by Kay Thompson We Want You! New Glasses So Blind Can Drive? My World, by Alice Bankston NECA Sues NAC, by Durward K. McDaniel Time Payment Plan for Speech Plus California Vendors Call for Oversight Hearings Sensory Aids News: The Elinfa Cassette Braille Recorder ACB — Deep in the Heart of Texas The Old Dominion ACB — Yes! ACB Affiliate News: Iowa Convention Highlights, by Beulah Madolozzo North Dakota Highlights, by Doranna Robertson Arizona Council Convention, by Earl (Bud) Bigger Here and There, by George Card ***** ** 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, at the above address, 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. ***** ** The Original Seven of the "Organized Blind Movement" -- Where Are They Now? By Durward K. McDaniel In 1940, Gayle Burlingame, then President of the Pennsylvania Federation of the Blind, ran notices in several braille magazines asking persons interested in forming a national organization of the blind to communicate with him. Some did, and in November, 1940, he presided over a two-day meeting at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in which representatives from six other state organizations participated (California, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin). At this meeting, the National Federation of the Blind was formed and Jacobus tenBroek was chosen president. Twenty years later, there were 49 organizations in the Federation, but it was in the throes of major internal dissension. At its 1960 convention, six organizations opposed to the ruling faction were suspended from membership and could not vote. At its 1961 convention, tenBroek resigned as president, and his faction retained control of the organization by the margin of one vote, with the six suspended organizations not voting. Immediately after that convention, the NFB's executive committee adopted additional "standards" for affiliates to agree to as a condition of membership. The "standards" were designed to be unacceptable to several dissenting organizations, which were required to expel one or more of their leading members. Fifteen organizations, having about 40% of the total national membership, refused to conform to the new "standards" and were notified that they had forfeited their charters of affiliation. Thus, three of the original seven -- Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri -- were driven out of the organization. On March 12, 1977, the Federation's national president convened a meeting in Philadelphia, formed a new organization, the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania, and proclaimed it to be the state affiliate replacing the Pennsylvania Federation of the Blind — which was, and still is, very much in existence. Thus, another of the founding organizations was dropped On June 4, 1977, the United Blind of Minnesota, Inc., one of the original seven, voted to withdraw from NFB, leaving only the Ohio and California organizations of the original seven in the NFB. A portion of the news release announcing this decisive action follows: "The United Blind of Minnesota, Inc., at its annual meeting held June 4 in Minneapolis, resolved by an overwhelming majority to terminate its affiliation with the National Federation of the Blind. This decision by one of the founders of the national organization is particularly significant. Carl Kuhl, President, Milo Gilliland, newly elected First Vice President, and Jim Ryan, chairman of the Legislative Committee, stated that there are three basic reasons for this action. 1. The pressures for a single affiliate in Minnesota continue to increase. It has been impossible for the United Blind to work with the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota on even very limited projects. The differences between the two organizations are too fundamental to permit a successful combination. It was determined the issue could be resolved most expeditiously by this action. 2. It was felt that the requirement for strictly disciplined conformity with the National Federation of the Blind directives leaves too little room for self-determination. 3. It was agreed that the blind have passed through the period of organization, recognition, and militancy and must now enter a new productive era by working in a responsible and constructive manner with organizations of and for the blind. With the emergence of other disability groups also demanding rights and attention, it is vital that the blind really become united." Over the years, several affiliates have been expelled from the National Federation, including recently those of the District of Columbia and New Jersey. In several other long-time Federation affiliates, unpublicized contests for power and control are going on, generally between traditional Federationists from the tenBroek generation and the new generation of young politicians. At one of its recent conventions, the Federation's national, president announced that a majority of the delegates attending had not been members of the Federation prior to 1970. Traditional Federationists have been deeply troubled for several years as hard-working leaders from the tenBroek generation have been displaced. This transition was brought home to many when John F. Nagle was summarily terminated as chief of their Washington Office and when publication of The Braille Monitor was removed from California, which is the affiliate with the largest membership now that the Pennsylvania Federation is out. ***** ** A Blurred Vision of Europe By Yoshiaki Nakamoto (Reprinted from Aloha Council of the Blind Newsletter, July-August, 1977) Although I wasn't able to clearly see the sights of Europe, I was able to taste, smell, feel, and hear Europe. I tasted Europe by eating wieners and sauerkraut in Germany, pasta in Italy, French cuisine in France, and famed Austrian pastries. I smelled medieval Europe when I visited Rottenburg in Germany, Venice and Rome in Italy, and Paris in France. I also smelled the century-old canals in Venice, Italy. No one can forget them. I was able to feel the green and unpolluted environs of the Rhine River in Germany, with vineyards on the right and left of me and castles high atop these same hills. This was repeated along the Danube River Valley in Austria. I heard the millions of people and thousands of cars in the streets of London, Rome and Paris. To best sum up my trip to Europe, I was re-living my history and geography lessons of my early days, especially when jogged by such names as Piccadilly Circus in London, Rottenburg in Germany, the Castle of the House of Hapsburg in Austria, and St Peter Palazzo in Rome; the French Riviera in Nice, and Lake Geneva in Switzerland; and the Louvre in Paris. ***** ** ALL Comes of Age A birth announcement in July of 1976 might have read something like this: Name: Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America. Date of Birth: July 11, 1976. Weight: 28 member organizations. Parents: Agencies for and Organizations of the Blind. One year later, this infant, born out of hopes and dreams to improve the lives of blind people, has, indeed, proved to be a child prodigy. Let's look at some of the vital statistics today. It has almost doubled in weight, with the Tennessee Council of the Blind recently voting unanimously to become the 50th member organization. Height: The sky's the limit! ALL has tried its wings, has found them sound, and has begun to prove itself as a force to be reckoned with in increasing the influence of visually impaired persons, their rights, and the quality of their service programs. Several times during the past year, ALL spoke out forcefully to voice concern over announced Government policies affecting the lives of handicapped individuals. When public statements and regulations were issued, first by the United States Civil Service Commission and later by the Federal Railroad Administration, which failed to make reference to the handicapped, letters of concern were written, and conferences requested on behalf of ALL by Chairperson Durward K. McDaniel of the American Council of the Blind. On August 3, letters were directed to the Office of Management and Budget and to the Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs expressing ALL's concern "about the failure of the Civil Service Commission and the Executive Branch to implement the affirmative action provisions and anti­discrimination statutes of the Federal Government relating to the employment and advancement in employment of blind and handicapped persons." The letters called for establishment of procedural rules to deal with complaints of Federal employees and applicants for employment, together with adequate funding to deal effectively with remedial procedures for complaint and investigation, and advocated an Executive Order to expedite the implementation of Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Twice during the year ALL appeared and entered testimony before Congressional committees. On February 28, Chairperson McDaniel testified at hearings before the Subcommittee on the Handicapped of the Senate, Committee on Human Resources with reference to legislation dealing with education, rehabilitation, and related subjects. On July 27, he appeared before the Subcommittee on Social Security of the House Committee on Ways and Means to testify regarding disability insurance. In May, the first issue of ALL-O-GRAMS, official newsletter of the Affiliated Leadership League, was published. Plans call for distribution of ALL-O­GRAMS from time to time as the activities of the League and matters of particular concern to member organizations dictate. This, then, is ALL's record during its first year of life. Two distinctly separate threads were consistently interwoven to provide a unifying spirit throughout two days of meetings at ALL's Second Delegate Assembly, held in St. Louis on August 6 and 7: on the one hand, a consciousness of and respect for the complete autonomy of each member organization; on the other hand, the concept of strength, through consensus, in united action. "I do believe," stated Chairperson Durward McDaniel in his report to the Assembly, "that you are going to hear a great deal more of ALL in this next twelve months, and I do believe that we are now turning the corner on this business of is ALL here to stay." Underscoring this statement in his report to the Assembly, Vice Chairperson Jansen Noyes, Jr., delegate from the American Foundation for the Blind, outlined some of the actions and recommendations approved by ALL's Executive Board on August 5. Direction was given to a number of key committees for action to be pursued during the coming year-Legislation, Human Rights, Fund-Raising Ethics, and Membership. A new committee was appointed to encourage increased representation of blind people on governing boards and committees of organizations serving the blind. This committee was charged to develop plans for the training of potential members so that they will be truly effective. All committee recommendations for action are to be made to the Executive Board, and in turn forwarded to the full membership for suggestions and approval. The Board also recommended employment of an executive director of ALL, to be exclusively responsible to, and to spend full time on the affairs of the League. Members of the Executive Board, to serve until the next delegate Assembly, are as follows: Durward K. McDaniel, Chairperson (Washington, D.C.) -- National Representative, American Council of the Blind Jansen Noyes, Jr., Vice Chairperson (New York, N.Y.) -- Chairman, Board of Trustees, American Foundation for the Blind Elizabeth M. Lennon, Secretary (Kalamazoo, Mich.) -- Secretary, Michigan Association of the Blind Joseph J. Larkin, Treasurer (Brooklyn, N.Y.) -- Executive Director, Industrial Home for the Blind Cleo B. Dolan (Cleveland, Ohio) -- Executive Director, Cleveland Society for the Blind William J. McConnell (Hampton, Va.) -- President, Association for Education of the Visually Handicapped Robert T. McLean (New Orleans, La.) -- President, Louisiana Council of the Blind Karen Perzentka (Madison, Wisconsin) -- Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America Pat Price (Indianapolis, Ind.) -- First Vice President, Visually Impaired Secretarial Transcribers Association Louis H. Rives, Jr. (Little Rock, Ark.) -- Administrator, Arkansas Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired William S. Thompson (West Palm Beach, Fla.) -- Executive Director, Lions Industries for the Blind, and President, General Council of Workshops for the Blind Six policy resolutions were adopted by the Assembly and are printed below. For further information concerning the Affiliated Leadership League, contact Roger P. Kingsley, Administrative Director, Suite 506, 1211 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20036. ***** ** Affiliated Leadership League Of and for the Blind of America * Resolution No. 77-1 The reporting of Vocational Rehabilitation data on service categories is of great value in accountability and service improvement. Presently, some states are not doing categorical reporting of rehabilitation statistics of the number of visually impaired persons rehabilitated each year. The Department of Health, Education and Welfare annually publishes rehabilitation statistics from all of the states and should require uniform reporting standards from all states, particularly including rehabilitation statistics on the number of persons rehabilitated who are visually impaired and the number of persons rehabilitated who are legally blind. ALL, through its National Delegate Assembly, acting on the seventh day of August, 1977, requests that the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare require uniform reporting of such categorical rehabilitation statistics. * Resolution No. 77-2 The Advisory Committee on Sheltered Workshops in the Department of Labor has functioned since 1939. This committee had had real impact in helping the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor on problems relating to the employment of handicapped workers. This committee has recently been disbanded. ALL believes it is important for such a committee to be maintained. Congress is now considering amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act. ALL favors an amendment to reestablish the committee as a statutory committee under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Therefore, the National Delegate Assembly of ALL, acting on this seventh day of August, 1977, authorizes and directs its Executive Board and its Government Relations Committee to take all necessary action to secure the establishment of a statutory advisory committee on sheltered workshops in the Department of Labor. * Resolution No. 77-3 In the last few years the Department of Health, Education and Welfare has recognized the needs of older persons. It has established the Office on Aging to see that the health, financial, housing, transportation, nutrition, and leisure time needs of older persons are met. We feel that their efforts have been positive, but it is time for the Office on Aging to recognize special groups, such as the visually impaired. The older blind person has the same needs plus others because of his visual impairment. Therefore, the National Delegate Assembly of the Affiliated Leadership League this seventh day of August, 1977, brings these needs to the attention of the Office on Aging. Funds should be set aside to develop services for older blind persons so that they can function independently and be participating members of society. They should have the opportunity to receive all of the services that other older persons have the right to receive according to their special needs. * Resolution No. 77-4 The reorganization plan for the Office of Human Development published in the Federal Register on August 1, 1977, is inconsistent with the intent of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1974, in that it provides for the possible imposition of an additional administrative layer between the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration and the Assistant Secretary for Human Development. It further provides that the grants management function, which is an essential element of effective administration, will be separated from the Rehabilitation Services Administration. The effect of this proposal is to deny to the Rehabilitation Services Administration the status and integrity which the Rehabilitation Act requires and which are essential to the most effective service to our nation's disabled citizens. ALL, in its National Delegate Assembly on the seventh day of August, 1977, directs its officers to present strenuous objections to the proposed reorganization plan as it pertains to RSA, and to offer HEW expert assistance from the field in arriving at a more suitable legal and functional organization format. * Resolution No. 77-5 The Federal law prohibiting discrimination against the physically handicapped in Federal employment was passed in 1947 but has not been adequately enforced. Furthermore, to date no regulations on Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 have been promulgated. Blind and disabled persons are experiencing discrimination in obtaining employment on all levels and throughout all departments, agencies, and branches of the Federal government, but the antidiscrimination law of 1947 and Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 do not make provisions for recourse or court appeal on the part of blind or disabled persons who have been discriminated against when seeking employment within the various branches of the Federal government. Therefore, the National Delegate Assembly of the Affiliated Leadership League, acting on this seventh day of August, 1977, directs its Executive Board and appropriate committees to take all necessary steps to ensure the immediate promulgation of regulations to implement the above cited laws. It also directs its Executive Board to request the President of the United States to issue an Executive Order directing all branches and parts of the Federal government to develop and implement an Affirmative Action Program for employment and advancement of blind and disabled persons on all levels; such Executive Order should include goals and timetables and requirements that written reports be submitted to the President of the United States and the Congress. The National Delegate Assembly further authorizes the Executive Board to take any necessary legal action to protect the rights of visually impaired and disabled persons and to insure the effective administration of these laws. * Resolution No. 77-6 The Affiliated Leadership League has established a policy favoring specialized categorical service delivery systems for visually impaired persons because the experience of participating organizations in this coalition and many other service organizations has demonstrated conclusively that such systems have been more effective in meeting the service needs of such persons. This organization notes with concern certain statements and announcements by the Carter administration indicating a preference or an intention to establish more generalized non-categorical, sometimes called "one-stop" delivery systems. This organization believes that the abandonment of specialization in service delivery systems would be detrimental to the interests and needs of visually impaired and other handicapped persons. Therefore, the National Delegate Assembly of the Affiliated Leadership League, acting on this seventh day of August, 1977, directs its Executive Board and appropriate committees to take all necessary action, including preliminary conferences with representatives of the Carter administration, to avoid the adverse consequences of such indicated changes in service delivery concepts for visually impaired and other categories of handicapped persons. ***** ** Citizens' Rate Postage How Good Is Your Handwriting? (Editorial Note: We are publishing a letter from the U.S. Postal Service to Irwin Lutzky, a member of the Howe Society (American Council of the Blind of New York State), who had complained about the handwritten address criterion, to alert everyone to its effect on many visually impaired persons and to encourage expressions of interest and testimony at any public hearings. Members of Congress will also want to know how this will affect some of us.) Dear Mr. Lutzky: Postmaster General Benjamin F. Bailar has asked this office to respond to your recent letter, and to express his appreciation for taking time to give him your views regarding the recently announced Citizens' Rate. In presenting the recommendation for a Citizens' Rate to the Postal Service Board of Governors, Postmaster General Bailar stated his belief that the special Citizens' Rate was feasible and in the public interest. Establishment of this Citizens' Rate would mean that the average American would be able to continue to conduct correspondence for $.13, rather than for the sixteen-cent first-class rate for regular-rate first-class mail. There is no question that a three-cent price increase would impose somewhat of a hardship to a segment of our Postal customers -- customers who do not use the Postal Service in large volume, but who depend on it when they do. We have a responsibility to consider their needs. The Postmaster General listed several proposed qualifications which the user would have to meet in order to mail at this preferred rate. In addition to certain postal processing limitations, the following were recommended: Citizens' Rate mail must bear Zip Codes in both delivery and return address; Postage must be prepaid by postage stamps; Letters must fall within the range of standard size, shape, and thickness requirements in order that the Postal Service can process them on our letter-sorting machines; Either the delivery or the return address must be handwritten. We realize that this latter proposal may pose an obstacle for those persons, who are unable to write because of a physical impairment. I want to assure you that this matter will receive careful consideration from both the Postal Service and the Postal Rate Commission as the decision-making process goes forward. There are many other aspects to be considered during the forthcoming decision-making process. Hearings will be held at the Postal Rate Commission, at which time all intervenors (including representatives of the individual mail users) are expected to express their viewpoints. There will undoubtedly be much notice given in the press and on radio and television in the months ahead regarding this important subject. In addition, the Postal Service will issue press releases to the media at various times in order to keep customers fully informed of the actions being taken. Sincerely, Thomas W. Chadwick ***** ** ACB Profile Billie Elder -- Second Vice President By Kay Thompson (Kay Thompson is Publicity Director for Station KTHV/TV, Little Rock, Arkansas. Working with Billie Elder, she has devoted many hours of her personal time to reading, secretarial, and other services in behalf of the American Council of the Blind.) One's first impression on meeting Billie Elder is one of friendliness. Silver-haired, attractively attired, her whole personality is revealed through her sincere, smiling face. Billie was born in Green County in East Tennessee and attended school in Morristown, later graduating from Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, Tennessee. She taught school for one or two years in South Carolina and then became a bride, continuing her teaching off and on and becoming the mother of two children. Then she settled down to homemaking. In April, 1964, having lost her sight gradually over a period of years as a result of retinitis pigmentosa, Billie came to the Arkansas Enterprises for the Blind for personal adjustment training. Upon completion of that training, she was offered a position on the staff as braille instructor. She immediately realized that she wanted more training in work with the blind, and this led to attendance at Western Michigan University at Kalamazoo, where she received her Master's degree in rehabilitation of the adult blind. She returned to Arkansas Enterprises for the Blind, where she has remained to this time, except for eight months in 1976 which was spent as a teacher in the graduate rehabilitation teacher training program in Little Rock for the University of Arkansas. Presently Billie is Senior Instructor and Supervisor of Educational Services at AEB. Billie's involvement in work for the blind includes past president of the Arkansas Council of the Blind, past Board member of the Association of Rehabilitation Teachers; she was host committee chairman of the fifteenth annual convention of the American Council of the Blind, held in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in July, 1976; and is a past president of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Association of Workers for the Blind. Presently she is second vice president of the American Council of the Blind, chairman of ACB's Leadership Training Seminars, member of the Finance Committee for ACB, chairman of Interest Group XI (Rehabilitation Teachers) of AAWB, is on the Executive Committee of AAWB, and is a member of the Governor's Advisory Committee of the Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired, State of Arkansas. Under the sponsorship of the International Services for the Blind, Billie attended a conference in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in November of 1975. The conference was sponsored by the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind to. consider the situation of blind women in the world. Billie's interests include all things cultural-drama, reading, writing, music. ... She writes poetry and has contributed articles to both Dialogue with the Blind and The Braille Forum. For The Braille Forum, she won the Ned E. Freeman Article of the Year Award in 1974 for "May Their Tribe Increase," on program building. She attended adult drama classes for several years at the Arkansas Arts Center. She has written several plays which have been presented by groups and over radio. One play, "A Giant Step," concerning Sir Francis Campbell, the Father of Modern Rehabilitation, has been used at several meetings of the blind, including the 1973 ACB national convention in Knoxville, Tennessee. Billie loves "recycling" discarded items, making them into something pretty or useful. She is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church and is a past board member of that Church. The lasting impression one gets after talking with Billie Elder and observing her is one of vitality, involvement, and interest in people. She is the type of person who makes an outstanding contribution to any organization to which she belongs. ***** ** We Want You! If you are a high school senior, college student, or enrolled in a post­secondary training program, then the National Alliance of Blind Students (NABS) wants you. This organization, an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, is dedicated to encouraging blind students to pursue post-secondary education or vocational skills. NABS, through its bi-monthly newsletter (published in large-print and cassette) and its annual meeting, held in conjunction with the ACB annual convention, provides a forum for discussion of the special problems encountered by blind students and professionals practicing their skills, and those of blind students in training for their professions. Concerns explored at the 1977 conference in Miami Beach, Florida, for example, included financial aid through scholarships, fair housing legislation, a more even distribution of the quantity and quality of services provided by state agencies throughout the country, and for NABS to act as an information referral source for blind students and for educators. NABS is seeking to publish a "survival skills" booklet which will offer suggestions on how to obtain readers, recorded materials, and other services essential to the survival of blind college students. At the next annual meeting, to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, and hopefully at all meetings thereafter, the National Alliance of Blind Students will hold a joint session with the National Association of Blind Teachers. The groups hope to exchange educational information as well as personal experiences of common interest. If you meet the criteria and are interested in joining this organization, or wish more information, or wish to receive the newsletter, then WE WANT YOU to write Eugene Lozano, Jr., President, National Alliance of Blind Students, 1211 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 506, Washington, DC 20036. Remember! The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. Therefore, ACB needs NABS and NABS needs you. ***** ** New Glasses So Blind Can Drive? (UPI, Sunday, May 1, 1977, by Patrick McCormack, Health Editor) Nearly blind persons will be eligible to drive cars in New York State starting May 1 if they train to use glasses with high-powered telescopes built in. The super-spectacles enable persons with only 20% of normal vision to meet the vision test for driving -- 50% normal. The glasses -- "bioptic telescopes" -- were developed by Dr. William Feinbloom of New York, international authority on low vision. His research with visually handicapped drivers over the past eighteen years was instrumental in the adoption of the new law-the first in the nation. In an interview, Feinbloom said 15,000 nearly blind persons in New York could take the driving test after a 60-day training period required by law. Across the country, he estimated 150,000 persons similarly afflicted could be trained to use the glasses and pass driver's tests. Twenty-five states are considering laws similar to the one in New York. The glasses weigh 2½ ounces and are worn like ordinary glasses. But protruding from the center of each lens is a one-inch-long miniature telescope. Feinbloom said the lenses can be powered up enough to give a person with 10% of normal vision more than 60% of normal sight. But the New York law limits use of the glasses to those with 20% of normal vision. The glasses are built like a bifocal -- the upper part containing the wide-field telescopes that enable the driver to see a half-mile or more; the lower lens section is for seeing the dashboard and cars immediately ahead. Feinbloom said the glasses, which cost from $900 to $1300, can be used while driving day or night and in all kinds of weather. A wrap-around sunshield makes them look like sunglasses with a thick frame. I tried the glasses on and they tended to make the corners of the room curve. The same for the place where the ceiling and the walls meet. They exerted a terrific pull on the eyes -- or so it seemed. It is this power that gives those with low vision a full view of the road or five lanes of traffic. Feinbloom said his experimental work demonstrated more than ten years ago that low-vision drivers could adapt to the use of telescopes as readily as other drivers learn to use their rear-view mirror. The "breaking in" period involves a lot of up-and-down motion with the head until the person learns how to make the glasses work. Feinbloom, in the American Journal of Optometry and Physiological Optics, reports on 300 near-blind students 18 to 73 who were able to drive once fitted with the telescopic glasses. After training, each was classed as an exception to the then driving law and issued a license. ***** ** My World By Alice B. Bankston The moon at night, the dawn's bright glow, The wind that brings its message Of flowers, and grass and good brown earth, Of pine trees, tall enough to touch White clouds that sail the sky's blue vault; The tang of ocean, rolling in, White-lipped, to kiss the tawny sand, All this is mine, all this I see In memory. ***** ** NECA Sues NAC By Durward K. McDaniel Alleging that it has no connection, direct or otherwise, with any non-profit organization, the National Eye Care Association (NECA) filed a $10 million damage suit against the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped and its executive director, Dr. Richard W. Bleecker, on August 17, 1977. The plaintiff asked judgment for $2½ million actual and compensatory damages and $7½ million punitive damages. The complaint says that NAC is "engaged in the business of influencing legislative, judicial and executive functions of state, local and Federal governments, through the practice of lobbying and otherwise, as those functions affect blind and visually handicapped persons throughout the United States." It does not acknowledge NAC's standard setting and accrediting functions. The plaintiff’s complaint states that NECA is engaged in the business of providing a range of services and benefits to the general public related to the promotion of regular eye care and accompanying services, together with other benefits; that its services are financed through the sale of memberships; and that its memberships are marketed exclusively through participating optometrists. After describing the crucial role of optometrists in selling NECA memberships, the complaint alleges that certain state optometric associations and practicing optometrists with whom the plaintiff was negotiating either broke off negotiations or indicated hesitancy to enter into contracts with the plaintiff as a result of contracts made with them by the defendants. The NECA complaint states that by the end of July, 1977, it had about 105 contracts with practicing optometrists in Iowa; that at the time the complaint was filed, at least one of these optometrists had withdrawn his sponsorship, and that a substantial number of others ceased or severely curtailed their performance. The complaint alleges that these actions were induced "totally and exclusively" by Dr. Bleecker and NAC. The complaint, in reciting the loss of business in Iowa, did not mention the extensive adverse publicity which NECA and its president, Kenneth Jernigan, had received in the state. On May 1, 1977, NECA was publicized in the Des Moines Sunday Register under the headlines, "JERNIGAN HAS KEY ROLE IN VISION FIRM" and "JERNIGAN'S ROLE QUESTIONED." This article began thus: "One morning last week, Kenneth Jernigan, Director of the Iowa Commission for the Blind, showed up on NBC's Today show to introduce a film about sightless people. While he was there, Jernigan put in a plug for the National Eye Care Association, a new organization formed to promote 'healthy vision.' "Jernigan didn't mention that the National Eye Care Association, Inc., is an Illinois-chartered, profit-making corporation whose chief activity is the sale of insurance through optometrists. "The president of the company, coincidentally, is Kenneth Jernigan." In the same article, the questions and reservations of Representative Thomas Higgins of Davenport were described as follows: "I think as long as the appearance of a conflict of interests exists, he (Jernigan) should be forthcoming about the precise nature of his association with the firm, his financial involvement, his duties, and what if any referrals there would be between his organization and this corporation,' said Democratic Representative Thomas Higgins of Davenport. "Higgins said he has been a supporter of Jernigan's position as head of both the Iowa Commission and National Federation of the Blind a dual role that has sometimes stirred controversy. "The National Federation of the Blind is a non-profit advocacy group, Higgins noted. On the other hand, Higgins said the National Eye Care Association 'has a title that would make people think it is non-profit. There is a fundamental difference in being associated with a profit-making corporation.'" On May 3, two other articles, one in the Des Moines Tribune and the other in the Des Moines Register, added to the adverse publicity. The only specific allegation in the complaint is that a letter from Dr. Bleecker which is critical of NECA was delivered to the president of the Minnesota Optometric Association and that this resulted in NECA's suffering monetary damages. The defendants have filed an answer denying all material allegations. Informed observers anticipate that this litigation will be the source of continued anti-NAC agitation by the National Federation of the Blind. Many optometrists have privately and in their associations reacted negatively to the idea of their profession being involved in selling non-professional services and to their becoming embroiled in political controversies of others. ***** ** Time Payment Plan for Speech Plus In response to the many requests for an installment method of purchasing the Speech Plus calculator, Telesensory Services, Inc. is now offering a time payment plan to individuals wishing to purchase a calculator. TSI hopes that this will relieve the financial burden of a large one-time payment and will allow more people to benefit from this valuable device. TSI is offering the time payment plan for a limited time only. Any purchase made between October 15 and December 20, 1977 will be eligible. This is how it works: Make an initial payment of $125.00 with your order to get your calculator. Then make six monthly payments of $46.50 to pay it off, with your first payment due in January. The total price is $404.00, which includes a small surcharge to offset administrative costs, equal to 11.34% simple annual interest. So if you have wanted a Speech Plus calculator but couldn't fit it into your budget, now's the time to give yourself or someone you know a super Christmas present. Address: Telesensory Systems, Inc., 3408 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304. Remember, only orders received by December 20 are eligible. ***** ** California Vendors Call for Oversight Hearings (Editorial Note: After reciting a long series of administrative defaults in the implementation of the Randolph-Sheppard Act and citing the Defense Department's proposed rules on vending facilities, the California Committee of Blind Vendors adopted a strong resolution, the "RESOLVED" portion of which is printed below to encourage cooperative action by vendors and all interested persons.) BE IT RESOLVED, by the California Vendors Policy Committee, representing all of the blind vendors in the Business Enterprise Program for the Blind of California, herein assembled in Sacramento on this 27th day of August, 1977, that this body requests the Congress of the United States to assist in the implementation of this Act by conducting oversight hearings within thirty days and instructing all departments of Federal Government to immediately comply with the provisions of Public Law 93-516, including the sharing of income from vending machines on Federally controlled property, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this body requests that Congress provide special authorization for funding, including 100% Federal funding for new locations to bring the vending facility program up to its potential, and BE IT ALSO FURTHER RESOLVED, that this body shall send copies of this resolution to Congress and shall also send it to other State Committees of Blind Vendors for their adoption. ***** ** Sensory Aids News The Elinfa Cassette Braille Recorder Many times when inventors set out to solve one problem, they ultimately solve another. Such is the case with a remarkable new product from France -- the ELINFA braille cassette recorder. The inventors, a linguist and a nuclear engineer, were actually attempting to develop methods for computer-assisted transcription of French braille literature. So successful were their efforts, however, that they also invented the world's first portable braille cassette recorder. With the ELINFA recorder (named after the manufacturer), a blind person can silently and quickly record braille directly onto ordinary tape cassettes. Later, the braille can be played back on the recorder's built-in display at a speed determined by the reader's own reading rate. One standard C-90 cassette contains 300,000 braille characters, (150,000 on each track), equivalent to 6 braille volumes. Measuring only 8 x 9 x 2 inches and weighing 4 lbs., the new recorder also contains a microphone and a loudspeaker. It is powered by rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries. A switch allows the user to change immediately from sound to braille (or the reverse) so that both can be recorded and played back on the same tape. A braille keyboard, conveniently mounted on the face of the recorder is made up of the 6 classical keys plus one key for spacing. As braille signs are recorded onto the tape cassette, they also appear on a tactual display in successive lines of 12 characters that move from right to left. When reading from a pre-recorded cassette the braille text is electronically transferred from the recorder's memory bank in blocks of 120 cells so that a full cassette can be read without interruption. The recorder can also be used to receive or send digital information. Other braille recorders as well as adapted electronic calculators can be plugged into a connector located on the side of the recorder. When two or more ELINFA recorders are connected together it is possible to control all of them simultaneously, and to transfer material in braille from one recorder to the others. Several models of electronic calculators can be adapted for usage with the new braille recorder. Once connected, such calculators may be operated either by their own keyboards or by that of the braille recorder. In the latter case, mathematical functions performed on an adapted calculator can be read immediately on the recorder's braille display. Calculations that appear in braille on the recorder's tactual display appear simultaneously on the calculator's illuminated visual display. Methods currently being developed will also allow the ELINFA recorder to be interfaced with IBM 82-C electric typewriters. In this way, as a sighted person having no knowledge of braille types a text on a typewriter, it will be recorded in braille on the recorder's cassette. Conversely, a blind person will be able to type a text in braille on the ELINFA keyboard and have it simultaneously typed in ordinary inkprint letters on a sheet of paper in the IBM electric typewriter. Experiments have shown that the new device can also be converted into a portable braille terminal by means of standard interfacing that alters braille characters for read/write operations into a computer code. A blind computer programmer could thereby write a program into the braille recorder, read it back, make corrections and, by switching the recorder through an appropriate connection, transfer the program directly to the computer. The same operation can also be done through telephone lines and specialized networks, and Telex messages can be received and recorded directly in braille on a tape cassette. Already being introduced in France by the Electronique Linguistique Informatique Appliquees, the ELINFA braille recorder will be made available shortly to blind persons elsewhere in the world. The American Foundation for the Blind is assisting the developers with plans for demonstrating and distributing the device in the United States. ***** ** ACB -- Deep in the Heart of Texas A new statewide organization was formed in Austin on August 27. The ACB of Texas will be the 50th affiliate of the American Council of the Blind. ACB President Floyd Qualls and National Representative Durward McDaniel were there, and both predict a great future for this new organization. Officers and directors elected were: Curtis McKee of Austin, President; J.M. Marsh of Houston, Vice President; Marie Chandler of Austin, Secretary; Agnes Conradt of Austin, Treasurer; Directors -- Geneva Wade of Dallas, Truett Childre of Houston, Charles Garret of San Antonio, and Kenneth Best of Athens. ***** ** The Old Dominion ACB -- Yes! Adopting a motto, "Overcome Division -- Acting Collectively Benefits," a new organization, the Old Dominion American Council of the Blind, was born in Richmond of September 17. It begins auspiciously with 104 members, widely spread over the Commonwealth. A constitution was adopted providing for two annual conventions, in March and September. The following officers and directors were elected: Charley Hodge of Arlington, President (he is a graduate of Harvard Law School and an attorney for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission); Linda Wiggins of Richmond, First Vice President; Paul Kirton of Ladysmith, Second Vice President; Nora Murchison of Lexington, Secretary-Treasurer; and three Board Members -- Charles H. Monroe of Arlington, Bessy Pryor of Richmond, and Bernard Breen of Richmond. Edward Peay of Roanoke, who served as chairman of the Membership Committee, will be the editor of the new organization's periodical. The American Council oi the Blind was represented at the meeting by National Representative Durward K. McDaniel. ***** ** ACB Affiliate News * Iowa Convention Highlights By Beulah Madolozzo The Hotel Fort Des Moines was the setting of the seventh annual convention of the Iowa Council of the Blind, held in Des Moines, June 10-12. Friday night conventioners were kept busy with Board and committee meetings, gearing up for two days of productive, stimulating activity on Saturday and Sunday. In welcoming conventioners to Des Moines, former City Councilwoman Florence Myers Wallace presented the keys of the city to ICB President Joe Klosterman. A short memorial service, conducted by ICB Vice President Larry Schaefer, was held for Earl Scharry, who had passed away in November, 1976. Mr. Schaefer also delivered the keynote address, stressing the fact that the Iowa Council is speaking out ever more effectively, legislatively as well as in matters of concern to the blind of Iowa. Mary Berdell, a former councilwoman and presently a social worker with the Waterloo Public School District, pointed out the importance of a positive attitude in order to bring about significant change and improvement. Afternoon speakers included a representative of the Des Moines Police Department and a consultant with the Governor's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. In addition, American Council of the Blind President Floyd Qualls spoke of the purposes, goals, and continuing growth and effectiveness of the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America (ALL). Highlighting the Saturday night banquet was the attendance and participation of Iowa Governor Robert Ray, who commented upon his experiences with blind people. He remarked that there is so very much to be done, but that goals can be accomplished only by pulling together. Durward McDaniel, ACB National Representative, focused attention on the new road to travel through civil rights coalitions as the blind continue their struggle for equality under the law. ICB's two annual awards were presented by Richard Farmer-the Chester A. Hill Order of Merit to Noma Hochstatter of Des Moines and the Joe Klosterman Award to Loretta Rice of Vinton. Dorothy Schaefer of Waterloo was chosen as ICB's delegate to the ACB national convention. A revised constitution and by-laws were adopted. James Saeugling was elected to the Board of Directors to fill the unexpired term of Georgia Irwin, who had passed away during the year. The 1978 convention will be held in Waterloo. * North Dakota Highlights By Doranna Robertson The 33rd annual convention of the North Dakota Association of the Blind was held in Fargo in early June. The reports of Treasurer George Olesen and Finance Chairman Darrell Kline reflected good financial health of the affiliate. The 1976 White Cane drive brought in some $4,000, and although a similar drive is being planned for 1977, it was suggested that new cities be budgeted in the United Fund wherever possible. Among projects sponsored by NDAB is the highly successful summer camp program, which this year included an auction of crafts following the camp session. To encourage membership in NDAB, five graduates of the North Dakota School for the Blind were given memberships in the affiliate and the offer of expenses to attend the convention. Two students, Carol Nelson and Kenneth Berger, were in attendance. Dennis Everson, the only blind delegate from North Dakota, told of his experiences and impressions of the White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals. It was pointed out that the Association has available funds to conduct career days for students at the North Dakota School for the Blind, with representative NDAB members meeting with parents and young people to inform them of vocational opportunities. Such a career day, it was suggested, might be worked in with the 70th anniversary alumni reunion of the North Dakota School for the Blind in 1978. Funds were appropriated by the convention for the reunion and for bringing to it some of the older alumni, who are to be given special honors. Opal Garness of Jamestown was named editor of NDAB's Promoter for the year 1977-78. Now available only in large print, the Executive Board is investigating the feasibility of a cassette or flexible disc edition. NDAB went on record as favoring driver education for children of blind parents before they would ordinarily be eligible for such a course in school. Dennis Everson was elected delegate to the 1977 American Council of the Blind convention in Salt Lake City, with John Henning as alternate. Olga Neil was elected Vice President, and Dolores Stenvold and George Iszler were elected to the Board of Directors. Olga Neil invited the convention to Grand Forks in 1978. * Arizona Council Convention By Earl (Bud) Bigger Beautiful Flagstaff, 6,900 feet above sea level, was the site of the 1977 convention of the Arizona Council of the Blind, held Saturday, June 4. Following appropriate remarks by the Mayor of Flagstaff, Frances Bigger, President of the newly formed Flagstaff Chapter, which hosted the convention, welcomed the members ·and many guests present. A highlight of the morning session was the presentation by Mr. Tom Brew from the Flagstaff office of State Services for the Blind, together with his guest, Mr. Eric Billie, a representative from the Toyei Opportunity Center located on the Navajo Indian reservation. They described the Center's program and its work with the large Indian population in this area of the state. From Flagstaff, State Services for the Blind covers an area encompassing approximately 55,000 square miles (better than one-third of the state). This is a rural area with many small towns, including several Indian reservations, extending from New Mexico on the east to California on the west, from Utah on the north to a line from Bullhead City in the south to Alpine in the east. As Tom aptly put it, this can often cause monumental problems and headaches. The library program for the blind and physically disabled in northern Arizona was described by Mrs. Katy Winkle, Special Services Library Director. This library is a part of the Flagstaff main library system, under the direction of Mrs. Maggie Nation. Together these two ladies have done a wonderful job in providing services to the community over the years. Bud Bigger, one of Arizona's delegates to the White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals, gave a report and commentary on this important national conference. There was considerable interest from the convention in what he had to say, as was evidenced by a lively question-and-answer session in which many persons participated. Following lunch, with entertainment provided by a string quartet composed of students from Northern Arizona University and members of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, the afternoon session was devoted largely to convention business. Committee reports were given, resolutions were passed, and election of officers was held, with Harry (Casey) DeLint being named new president of the Arizona Council of the Blind. Some 80 persons attended the evening banquet, with entertainment this time by a Mexican band. Special tribute was paid Immediate Past President Mrs. Harlene Stone, and the membership charter of the newly organized Flagstaff Chapter was presented to chapter President Frances Bigger. In accepting the charter, she expressed appreciation on behalf of the membership for having been accepted as the newest link in Northern Arizona. ***** ** Here and There By George Card From the JOURNAL OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND BLINDNESS (AFB): Public Law 92-318 prohibits any educational institution that receives financial assistance f:rom the Federal Government from denying admission to any visually handicapped person. The recently passed Attorneys' Fees Act provides attorneys' fees to those barred from educational institutions, as wen as to those involved in other civil rights issues. The passage of this act ensures that cases of discrimination can be brought to court. Heartiest congratulations to the members of the Montana Association of the Blind, who, by their prompt and forceful presentations at a legislative hearing, brought about the defeat of a bill which would have merged their thus far separate Division of Visual Services with General Rehab-as reported by the Montana OBSERVER. The Arizona Council of the Blind NEWSLETTER announces the acquisition of a brand-new chapter in Flagstaff. The new group was honored by having the state convention as its guest. The Florida Council of the Blind also welcomes a new chapter -- this one in Miami. At its organizational meeting, more than fifty applied for membership. The application of a Spanish-speaking chapter in the Miami area is also expected to be acted upon at the next Board meeting. THE WHITE CANE BULLETIN also informs its readers that visually impaired applicants for a wide range of Federal positions may now obtain the examination questions in braille, large print, or on cassette, and also sample questions in these media to study in preparation for such examinations. For further information as to when examinations will be held, get in touch with your nearest Federal Job Information Center. The toll-free number to call to find out where the nearest office is located -- (800) 555-1212. The problem of the relocation of the California School for the Blind is discussed in the most recent issue of ACBC DIGEST. Apparently, an ideal spot already owned by the State has been found in nearby Albany, but commercial interests are also trying to get this land. The MAB NEWS (Michigan) reports that John Dempsey, Director of the State Department of Social Services, tried to get the Legislature to transfer services to the blind to the counties, where it would be administered by inexperienced and unqualified people. Strong opposition from the organized blind was able to defeat this recommendation. Later, he issued a directive putting secretarial help into pools, thus depriving counselors and rehabilitation teachers of qualified, and experienced secretarial assistance. So far, pressure by our Michigan affiliate has kept this from being implemented. But the blind of Michigan have other worries. A survey team has made a number of very disturbing recommendations for changes in the operation of the state schools for the blind and for the deaf. The most threatening is a possible merger of the two campuses at Flint. Equally serious is the possibility of services to the blind being transferred to another government agency, with the strong possibility of losing its identity and the blind being thrown in with all the other handicaps. The Library for the Blind has been transferred to the basement of the general state library and is now accessible only by a set of steep and narrow stairs from above. Finally, this issue reports that the Genesee Chapter (Flint) has purchased a well-equipped building for its new home. Thirty thousand dollars of the downpayment was raised through bingo. The National Braille Association and the NBA Braille Book Bank have both moved to new quarters. Please note the following changes of address: National Braille Association, Inc., 654A Godwin Avenue, Midland Park, NJ 07432 (telephone 201-447-1484); and NBA Braille Book Bank, 422 South Clinton Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620 (telephone 716 232-7770). From KAB NEWS (Kansas): On October 18, 1976, Dr. Richard Schutz became the second Director of Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired, replacing Harry Hayes. —U.S. military post exchanges in the United States and abroad are now selling tennis rackets manufactured by Kansas Industries for the Blind. For several months, the sales volume has been in the $20,000 range. Eunice Fiorito, President of ACB of New York State, writes in the current issue of that organization's newsletter in part: "Through the leadership of our former two presidents, we have grown from a handful of visually impaired concerned New Yorkers to an organization consisting of seven chapters. ... Through the efforts and work of each member of ACB/NYS, we, as an organization, have impacted on Executive Branch of Government, the State Legislature, and some the agencies and departments that are by law structured to serve us and to meet our needs." From the TCB NEWS (Tennessee Council of the Blind): The editor reports that the Nashville chapter now has 55 members and that soon fourteen mini­buses will be available to bring handicapped people to meetings, supermarkets, etc., and that three will be equipped with lifts for wheelchair occupants. -- LaVerne Humphrey writes from Knoxville that classes have been organized there to teach sign language to friends and relatives of the deaf. The Knoxville chapter has a new 15-passenger van with a hydraulic lift, to serve the blind of the area. -- This chapter has an unusual fund-raising project -- the sale of chilidogs at various public gatherings. From THE TRUMPET'S VOICE (Iowa): Friends and former students will be saddened to hear of the recent death of Donald W. Overbeay, 66, of Columbus, Ohio. He had been superintendent of the Iowa and Ohio residential schools for the blind and was in his very first year of retirement. The Illinois BRAILLE MESSENGR has an interesting item about Mamie Tuttle, the feisty, driving spirit of the Quincy chapter. The election officials would not permit her to vote unless accompanied into the booth by two of them. Mamie knew that the old law had been repealed some years back and made such a fuss that the incident was picked up by both radio and television. When she was able to prove that the officials had been arrogantly ignorant of the law, she received sheepish apologies from all involved. -- Richard Kinney, famous deaf-blind president of the Hadley Correspondence School for the Blind, has now appeared before audiences in 35 countries and has been a guest lecturer at Harvard, the University of Chile, the University of Paraguay, and the University of Riyadh in Arabia. Our Oklahoma affiliate surely did its full share in making the Miami Beach convention a success. It not only paid full air fare and hotel expenses for both its official delegate and alternate, but in addition set up a fund of $5,000 from which any OFB member could draw $100 if he or she attended. From AP: Bob Greenberg has a booming voice, a sports storehouse in his head, boundless enthusiasm, and a slate-and-stylus method of taking notes that leaves bumps on paper. He is a sportscaster for Chicago's Radio Station WBEV. Blind since he was 12, Greenberg is a "color man," filling the air with chatter between baseball innings, football downs, and basketball time-outs. He is married and has a family. He does all the pre-game and post-game interviews and the statistical wrap-ups. The World Council for the Welfare of the Blind NEWSLETTER reports that a computer terminal which allows the visually handicapped to have on-line communication with a computer will be announced at a special press and demonstration preview in London. Delivery is to be commenced during the late summer of 1977. -- Richard Kinney estimates that there may be about 200,000 deaf-blind persons in the world today. Blind men and women living in the New York City area, attention, please! Do you enjoy acting and singing? If so, why not join the ELBEE Players, a troupe of blind and sighted amateur repertory players? We are now in our 16th season of dramatic reading productions of major plays and musicals. No dramatic experience necessary, but you should have a good voice, speaking or singing. No memorizing of lines, but you should be a fast braille reader. Rehearsals about once a week. Performances about 20 a season. Call David Swerdlow, TR4-5704. Correction: The August "Here and There" column carried an announcement of the VISTA cookbook, "Coffee Klatch Nibbles." Please note that this publication is available in braille and regular print, not large print, and that Parts I and II are available at a cost of $4, not $3, as stated in that notice. Address orders to Roseanne Diehl, 2005 Columbia Pike, Apt. 424, Arlington, VA 22204, or to Trudie Musier, 22A Byrne Court, Wayne, NJ 07420. The April issue of the AFB JOURNAL reports that the Sanitone, a "talking" wristwatch, is expected to be in commercial production by the end of this year. It will show the hours and minutes on its face, and a synthetic voice will announce the time when a button is pushed. -- Construction is currently under way at the Cleveland Society for the Blind of a 28,600-foot residential rehabilitation center. It will include dormitories for multi-handicapped clients, classrooms, craft rooms, a physical fitness room, a cafeteria, study rooms equipped with Optacons, tapes, typewriters, talking books and other reading aids. The building is expected to be completed by October, 1977. -- A Federally funded $9 million college for handicapped students will be built in Weed, California. The college has been described as a rehabilitation village to provide handicapped persons with the necessary skills to enable them to enter the job market. Completion of the twelve-building complex is expected in 1979. -- On January 1, 1977, the American Foundation for Overseas Blind was renamed the Helen Keller International. Miss Keller was a founding member in 1915 and served on its Board of Directors. ###