The Braille Forum Vol. XVI February, 1978 No. 8 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 Associate Editors Notice to Subscribers What Is Wrong With 503 and 504, by Reese Robrahn "Sell It For Scrap" Order Now Saving Sight and Lives It Can Be Very Cold and Lonely Out There!, by William Pickman New Social Security Earnings Exemptions for the Blind, by Durward K. McDaniel Consumerism and the Handicapped -- Impediments and Preparing for the Challenge, by Dr. Larry D. Baker "What's Up With Braille" -- National Braille Press 50th Anniversary Forum California Bank Issues Passbooks in Braille The Mowat Sensor -- Newest in Electronic Travel Aids Credit, Accreditation, and Credibility, by Dr. Richard Kinney The 700 Hours Appointment, by Andrew Woods The Goat Herder ACB Affiliate News: ACB of Maryland Convention AEB Names New Executive Director Here and There ***** ** 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 ** 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 ***** ** Notice to Subscribers The Braille Forum is available in braille, large-type, and two recorded editions -- flexible disc (8 1/3 rpm), which may be kept by the reader, and cassette tape, which must be returned so that tapes can be re-used. Send subscription requests and address changes to The Braille Forum, 190 Lattimore Road, Rochester, NY 14620. Send items intended for publication in print, braille, or tape to the Editor, Mary T. Ballard, at the above address, or to one of the Associate Editors. Those much needed and appreciated cash contributions may be sent to the ACB National Office, 1211 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. -- Suite 506, Washington, D.C. 20036. The National Office now has printed cards available to acknowledge to loved ones contributions sent in memory of deceased persons. You may wish to remember someone by sharing in the continuing work of the American Council of the Blind. 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 may communicate with the ACB National Office. ***** ** What Is Wrong with 503 and 504 By Reese Robrahn Upon passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, its Title V was heralded by many as the long-awaited solution to the employment problems of disabled people of this nation. In Title V, there was Section 504, which prohibited discrimination against handicapped persons in all programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance. There was Section 503, which required affirmative action in the employment of handicapped persons by Federal contractors. There was Section 502, which created a compliance board for the elimination of barriers in access to transportation and buildings and other physical facilities. And, there was Section 501, which provided for affirmative action in the employment of handicapped persons by all Federal departments and agencies. The Department of Labor, charged with Federal contract compliance, acting with all due deliberateness, was the first to issue final regulations to carry out its responsibilities under Title V, April 19, 1976. By that time, it had already become clear that the Department of Labor, in its performance under interim regulations, regarded compliance enforcement obligations as a low-key public awareness program. The vast majority of Government contractors, after giving signature to affirmative action assurances, gave mere lip service to the fulfillment of their obligations. The result is a permissive Section 503. The membership of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board is entirely made up of Federal department heads or their designees. They have carefully avoided stepping on the toes of one another and have indulged themselves in an exercise of mutual back-patting. Readers of The Braille Forum know well the story of travail in bringing about the promulgation of Regulations under Section 504, finally published on May 4, 977. The role of the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Joseph A. Califano, Jr., may be aptly characterized as that of the Section "reluctant dragon." On the one hand, hand, he threatens vigorous enforcement of Section 504; and on the other hand, he fails to abide by the directive of Executive Order 11914 to issue guidelines for the other Federal departments and agencies on their 504 Regulations, and he fails to set up any effective compliance and enforcement plan for Section 504. In the meantime, those programs and activities which receive Federal financial assistance from HEW continue to pocket Federal dollars and at the same time claim that it is too costly to comply with Section 504. And they ask, time and time again, what ought to be an embarrassing question to the Federal establishment: How is it that we must eliminate discriminatory practices against handicapped persons and expend funds to make our facilities and programs and services accessible and available to handicapped persons, while at the same time the Federal departments and agencies fail and neglect to do so? The official response to this and like queries is official silence or, at best, the response: There is so little legislative history that we just don't know what Congress intended. The fact that is obvious to all is that the United States Civil Service Commission and the Federal Government are the last and the most resistant to do something positive toward complying with the mandate of the Congress under Title V. The percentage of handicapped persons employed in the Federal Government has declined annually since 1971. Discrimination in the hiring, placement, and advancement of handicapped persons in Federal jobs is widespread and flagrant. The Federal departments and agencies continue to write job descriptions with qualifying requirements which are not job-related and which automatically disqualify handicapped persons, such as the requirement that the applicant must be able to read printed material the size of regular typewriter lettering, or that the applicant must be able to hear speech in a conversational tone. There can be no doubt concerning the intent of the Congress when it passed Title V of the Rehabilitation Act, if the record is read. This is readily apparent from the following excerpts from Congressional committee reports: "That for those millions of handicapped individuals who pay taxes and have the right to expect that their tax money will go toward making their environment more accessible and employment easier, the creation of a compliance mechanism to eliminate architectural barriers, and of an affirmative action program to ensure that they have the right to employment which complements their abilities, represents overdue avenues of restitution for previous societal neglect." (S. Rep. No. 93-48, First Session 16 (1974), 93rd Congress) "To be a handicapped American was to be the victim not only of separate treatment but of unequal treatment as well." "The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the first major step to change what had gone on before and bring the force of the Federal Government to bear in remedying discrimination against handicapped persons. "There are three important provisions of this law which were defined to correct some of the major problems: 1. To require that the Federal Government itself act as the model employer of the handicapped and take affirmative action to hire and promote the disabled, we enacted Section 501 of the Act ... "Frankly, I think the time for excuses has now passed. We don't have the time to listen to why it is so difficult to enforce the basic rights of the American people-whether or not they happen to have a handicapping condition." (Statement of Senator Harrison Williams, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, Hearings before the Subcommittee on the Handicapped, May 5, 1976) What is needed is a strong Section 501 non-discrimination rule in the employment of handicapped individuals in the Federal Government, a strong affirmative action program for handicapped persons in the Federal Government, a strong commitment of compliance and enforcement, and a sensitivity training program for all major supervisory and personnel office employees. At the risk of being accused of indulging in the numbers game, we arrive at the following conclusion: What is wrong with 503 and 504 is 501. ***** ** "Sell It For Scrap" Order Now Saving Sight and Lives (Reprinted from Sundial, publication of the Eye Research Institute of Retina Foundation. October, 1977) The year: 1967 -- The place: Office of Naval Research --The order: "Sell it for scrap. The Harvard University cyclotron is outmoded and no longer useful in the field of experimental physics." But two circumstances intervened to save the installation from dismemberment: (1) the cost of dismantling the installation came high and the Navy's funds were low; and (2) the Boston medical community had demonstrated the potential usefulness of using the proton beam generated by the cyclotron in the treatment of disease. Result: Today the cyclotron is providing hope for both sight and life for individuals affected with a particularly dangerous eye cancer. This cancer is called malignant choroidal melanoma and has always represented grave problems in both diagnosis and treatment. While many methods of treatment have been tried, including radiation, removal of the afflicted eye is the most common approach. Unhappily, even after the removal of the eye, unless diagnosis, timing, and surgical procedures are "just-so," fatal cancer may appear elsewhere in the body at a later date. Staff members of the Eye Research Institute had been among the medical leaders that had saved the cyclotron. But it was to be only after many years of theoretical calculations and laboratory experimentation before the safety and possibility for success would warrant use of cyclotron proton beam therapy on eye patients. Procedures now in use employing the proton beam of the cyclotron to treat eye tumors were developed by a physician-research team of two Eye Research Institute staff members, Evangelos Grogondos, M.D., and Ian J. Constable, M.D., in collaboration with physicians of Massachusetts General Hospital and scientists and technicians of the Harvard University Physics Department. Treatment of these tumors involves an invisible beam of charged particles known as protons, generated by the cyclotron. The beam is meticulously aimed at the small tumor in the patient's eye. The patient is awake during the therapy; he feels no pain and there are little, if any, side effects. Ten patients have been treated by the proton beam, and to date, no further growth of the tumors has been observed in any patient. In fact, there has been an indication of size reduction in two of the cases. Prior to being selected for treatment, each patient was thoroughly examined by a team of physicians. The procedure involves a total of eight to ten treatments, but only one individual treatment is made on any given day. The preparation for each treatment requires about 2? hours, although the patient's presence is required for only thirty minutes and the actual treatment takes less than two minutes. The bulk of the 2? hour time period is spent firing up the cyclotron to obtain an exact beam of protons which emerges from the instrument with 160 million volts of energy. The cyclotron itself is actually a machine used for speeding up particles derived from atoms which are electrically charged. It is housed in a special building and looks very much like a large doughnut. The inside of the doughnut is maintained in a vacuum, and the electrically charged particles revolve in a circular motion in it. Each time they pass a given point, they are pushed up in speed by a 10,000-volt electrical surge until they have reached an energy level equal to 160 million volts. At that point, they are ready for use in treatment. The size and shape of the proton beam is established by a series of brass openings known as apertures, which perform a function similar to the aperture of a camera. The beam can be controlled so that it assumes the actual size and shape of the target tumor. Once the cyclotron is up to speed, the patient is brought into a room, where he is seated in a dental chair. His head is placed in a specially designed holder which includes an appendage which the patient places in his mouth and bites on. His head is now totally immobile. Physicians now begin the task of carefully lining up the tumor in the patient's eye with the "barrel" of the cyclotron. Once the tumor has been "lined up" by the use of X-rays, a television image of the patient's eye, magnified 20 times, is presented on a standard television screen. Two physicians, who will monitor the treatment to be certain the proton beam goes exactly to the target, mark the position of the eye in grease pencil on the television screen. Should the eye move from these coordinates during treatment, either physician can push a button and halt the treatment instantly. This prevents the patient from receiving a large dose of radiation any place other than the target tumor. The capability to place the proton beam exactly on target is a major factor in this therapy. There is another radiation treatment in use, Cobalt 60 ophthalmolic plaques, but one major disadvantage of this latter treatment is the inability to precisely target the radiation. This can best be explained by thinking of the cyclotron as a rifle and the cobalt 60 ophthalmic plagues as a shotgun. Furthermore, the nature of the proton radiation is such that it will affect no other tissue before or beyond the target tumor. (Editor's Note: It is the age-old obligation of the physician to utilize all means available to relieve suffering, save or prolong life, and in the case of ophthalmology, to preserve sight. The use of the Harvard cyclotron is a perfect example of high technology applied to such a desirable end. Proton therapy is, however, also a good example of a costly half-way technology. Among the major goals of "Basic Biomedical Research" is "to understand cancer," with the hope that through that understanding, "applied research" will prevent the definitive, low-cost preventative or curative cancer technology of the future.) ***** ** It Can Be Very Cold and Lonely Out There! By William Pickman In April of 1977, an agency for the blind -- a rather large agency for the blind in Manhattan -- opened a new sheltered workshop for blind employees. The New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped was told, in assembly, that these sheltered workers were to be treated as employees, earning the minimum wage or above, depending upon production. I subsequently learned that although employees were receiving Social Security, sick leave, layoff pay, and similar benefits, the agency was not providing them with medical coverage. Upon inquiry, I was told by the agency that "medical benefits are too expensive" for handicapped employees. The non-handicapped employees, nevertheless, were receiving such benefits. After some intensive negotiations, I filed under Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and requested a compliance review. This action I had to initiate on my own, on behalf of blind employees at the New York agency. The New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped was either not willing or not able to participate. I learned that as a result of some of the intensive work carried out by Reese Robrahn, Director of Research and Governmental Affairs in the American Council of the Blind's Washington Office, the Federal courts had mandated that the Office for Civil Rights, the Federal agency charged with legal functioning of Section 504, clear up its backlog. But staff to process cases under Section 504, I was informed, was extremely limited. After some insistence on my part, the New York office was able to accept the case. At this point, the New York office then attempted to divide its load, distinguishing between first and second-party complaints and third-party complaints. The complaint I had filed was on behalf of a third-party complainant; that is, I was not directly involved, nor did I wish to use the names of any of the employees, because there was evidence that the agency would attempt to intimidate other employees. When it began to look as though third-party complaints would be postponed into the indefinite future, I again contacted the ACB National Office. Reese Robrahn, so helpful and effective throughout all of these negotiations, was able to get to the Office for Civil Rights. Within one hour, I was contacted by the New York office, which indicated that they had been overruled and that they would accept the case and activate it as soon as possible. At the outset, I indicated it can be very cold and lonely out there. And it can! But a boost from a strong ally not only lifts morale, but it can also move things forward much more rapidly. One of the factors which enabled me to use Section 504 effectively was the availability of the Section 504 Regulation and related materials in braille, flexible disc, and large print. Availability of these materials in a usable format and their distribution to blind persons in? a position to put them to good use came about largely because of the efforts of ACB. This is just one more indication that ACB is doing its job, and doing it effectively. ***** ** New Social Security Earnings Exemptions for the Blind By Durward K. McDaniel The December issue of The Braille Forum reported that the United States Senate had adopted an amendment to H.R. 9346 which would have entirely removed all limitations on the amount of earned income of a blind Social Security beneficiary. The Joint Conference Committee rejected that amendment and agreed to a new amendment which will be described here. H.R. 9346 has been signed by the President and is now a part of the Social Security Act. Commencing with 1978, the amount which a blind beneficiary can earn without losing the monthly benefit will be the same as that permitted for retired beneficiaries, ages 65 to 70. Those monthly and annual amounts will be: 1978, $333.33 1/3 and $4,000.00; 1979, $375.00 and $4,500.00; 1980, $416.66 2/3 and $5,000.00; 1981, $458.33 1/3 and $5,500.00; and 1982, $500.00 and $6,000.00. Prior to these amendments, earned income exemptions for retired beneficiaries were affected by built-in escalation factors which will again become operative after 1982 for retired beneficiaries, ages 65 to 70, and for blind beneficiaries. Heretofore, beneficiaries aged 72 and over were exempt from any limitation on their earned income. The new law extends that complete exemption to beneficiaries aged 70 and over. Also under the new law, persons who retired before reaching age 65 will be restricted to prior earned income exemption amounts (until they reach age 65), but they will be entitled to the built-in escalation factor until then. Prior to 1978, the earned income exemption for blind and disabled beneficiaries has been set administratively by the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. That will continue to be the case for other disabled beneficiaries. The Substantial Gainful Activity Rule has been unsatisfactory from the beginning and has led to arbitrary disqualification of disabled applicants who were unemployed, and some disability beneficiaries who actually earned less than the maximum of $200 per month allowed by the Secretary. The new law declares that no individual who is blind shall be regarded as having demonstrated an ability to engage in substantial gainful activity on the basis of earnings that do not exceed the exempt amount which is applicable to retired individuals aged 65 to 70. In presenting the Joint Conference Committee Report, Congressman Jonathan B. Bingham of New York said, "We feel blind persons experience greater ongoing financial problems in seeking permanent employment than other disabled individuals, which require special consideration." The Report itself says: "The conferees are aware that this establishes a different test of Substantial Gainful Activity for blind persons than is applied administratively for persons with other disabilities. The conferees do not intend that the new SGA level established for the blind should be applied to other types of disability." The higher earned income exemption for the blind only modifies the disincentive to earn. ACB will advocate that the earned income exemption of $780 per year allowed for Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries be increased to $4,000 per year. ACB has supported the liberalization of the Substantial Gainful Activity Rule for all disabled beneficiaries, and this writer regrets that the new and more liberal provisions do not apply equally to all beneficiaries. ***** ** Consumerism and the Handicapped -- Impediments and Preparing for the Challenge By Dr. Larry D. Baker School of Business Administration University of Missouri -- St. Louis Consumerism is playing an ever-increasing role in our society, and it is impacting on the field of rehabilitation. Those involved in this field must understand what consumerism is and gain an appreciation for the frustrations which have led handicapped persons to become advocates of consumerism. Further, the handicapped, as well as providers, must understand how impediments such as reluctance of administrators, cliques of consumer leaders, and lack of consumer preparedness thwart consumer involvement in the rehabilitation process. These impediments will be eliminated only if handicapped consumers prepare themselves for this new role. They must take a proactive approach and work with providers to achieve goals common to both. * What Is Consumerism? Briefly stated, consumerism is the direct participation of those who ultimately consume goods and services in determining what goods or services are needed and will be made available: how, when, and where they will be provided; and who will provide them. The underlying premise is that the ultimate consumers of products or services have the right, as well as the ability, to make important contributions in determining the nature and delivery of that which is provided them. Consumer involvement in our society is not new. Marketing specialists have long given considerable attention to consumer wants or needs. Commercial organizations should not make an effort or incur cost to develop, produce, and market a product for which there is no consumer need or for which no need can be created. In the private market a number of firms may compete to satisfy various consumer needs. The free marketplace provides consumers with a "smorgasbord" of opportunities. They may purchase one of several brands and models of automobiles, one of several foods packaged in many different ways, many styles of clothing, or many forms of entertainment. Regardless of what consumer needs may be, there typically is an array of alternatives. This allows them to engage in what might be coined "voluntary consumerism." In some special cases purchase of goods or services, such as. utilities, is not voluntary and subject to free choice. Basic needs must be satisfied, but no options are available. This results in what might be coined "involuntary consumerism." In these cases government intervenes through regulatory agencies which attempt to protect the interests of both consumers and providers. * Consumerism and the Handicapped The plight of congenitally or adventitiously handicapped persons is most analogous to that of involuntary consumers. They suffer from limited choices in programs and services to satisfy needs arising from their handicapping conditions. They do not have a "smorgasbord" of opportunities from which to choose. Since these needs are highly specialized and constitute a limited demand, the programs and services provided to meet them are costly. Only a few public and private organizations attempt to meet these needs; therefore, handicapped persons typically have a limited array of educational, vocational, and social opportunities. And, when options are available, handicapped persons may not be given an opportunity to choose among them. Non-commercial organizations which provide programs and services for the handicapped should be just as concerned as those which are commercial in identifying and satisfying consumer needs. Why develop and provide costly programs and services for which there are no needs or which fall short of fulfilling their purposes? Much despair has been experienced by handicapped persons and those concerned with their plight. They believed consumers had something valuable to contribute in the planning and delivery of services. These beliefs led many persons and organizations to push for legislation which guaranteed consumer involvement in virtually all aspects of services for the handicapped. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, P.L. 93-112, is the federal government's instrument of intervention to overcome handicapped persons' plight as "involuntary consumers." It provides for many forms of consumer involvement in rehabilitation, e.g., Individualized Written Rehabilitation Programs, Sec. 102 and Client Assistance, Sec. 112(A). The act in Sections 101(A) (18) and 401 (C) institutionalizes the most important form of consumer involvement. These sections provide for consumer representation on policy-making boards, committees, and councils of organizations in the rehabilitation system. Only by having input at these levels can consumers significantly influence administrative decisions which affect them. * Administrators' Reaction to Consumerism Some administrators of provider organizations see consumer involvement, especially mandatory involvement, as a direct attack on their professional competence and feel threatened by it. These administrators may be guilty of "foot-dragging" when it comes to consumer participation. They may engage in many activities designed to avoid or forestall consumer participation; and if "foot-dragging" is not possible, their approach to including consumers may amount to little more than "window dressing," tokenism, or placation. Many, and maybe most, administrators believe that involving consumers is a useful endeavor, and not an imposition on their professional prerogatives. They also believe that there is a moral obligation to include handicapped persons in the decision-making process. In fact, many of them sought meaningful consumer input long before the need to do so was legislated. They have been highly enthusiastic about consumer involvement. Some administrators' reluctance to enthusiastically open their boards, committees, and councils to consumers is somewhat understandable. Administrators of provider agencies as well as consumer organizations face the same serious problem -- a lack of qualified consumers. * Consumer Leadership Cliques While there are competent consumers, many organizations of or for the handicapped do not have a sufficient number of qualified members who can make an effective contribution to decisions about programs and services. Many of these organizations are controlled by only a few members. Their control is often self-perpetuating, and as a result, a majority of the members do not have an opportunity to be active participants in their own organizations. Views expressed and positions taken tend to be those of a few who control, not necessarily those of the general membership. Further, when provider agencies select consumer participants or when consumer organizations appoint representatives, those selected are likely to be from the clique. What is the net result? A small clique of elite and powerful consumers develops, and involvement is limited to that group. Thus, a broad base of consumer ideas, beliefs, and feelings is not represented. For consumer participation to be what was intended by the legislation there must be extensive involvement by a broad array of handicapped persons. Consumer participation may be limited by administrators' reluctance to accept consumer involvement, as well as centralized power and control in consumer organizations. However, in many cases participation is further limited by handicapped consumers' lack of knowledge and skills. * Consumer Preparedness Traditionally, handicapped persons have had limited opportunities to acquire the knowledge and develop the skills required to be effective consumer participants. Most handicapped persons have knowledge of their disability and some knowledge of the programs and services provided them. However, more than this limited preparation is needed. Consumer involvement will have a positive and significant impact on rehabilitation only when there are enough qualified handicapped persons available to fill advisory positions. Sections 101(A) (18) and 401(C) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 may appear to have put the onus on rehabilitation administrators to make consumerism functional. In reality the onus is on handicapped consumers. They must prove they are able to carry out the consumer advisory role which they sought and which has now been legislated. No administrator should be forced to place unqualified persons in decision-making roles. If this has to occur for provider organizations to meet the legal requirements pertaining to consumer involvement, it will legitimatize the concern and reluctance of some administrators to making such appointments. Further, it will legitimatize outcries of tokenism and placation on the part of consumers who realize their involvement has little worth. Consumer participants must demonstrate that participation is an integral part of an effective rehabilitation system. It cannot be consumerism for the sake of consumerism. What needs to be done? Organizations of and for the handicapped must begin to develop the knowledge and skills of their members which are prerequisite to effective consumer participation. Overcoming the lack of consumer preparedness would also invalidate the provider argument that consumers are incapable of making significant contributions. It would also expand the base of competent consumers which diminishes the likelihood of leadership cliques. Consumer preparedness includes knowledge and skills. Pertaining to organizations, such as leadership, committee functions, communications, parliamentary procedures, and legislation. Many consumers do not understand what an organization really is or how it is structured. In fact, limitations traditionally experienced by some handicapped persons could well have operated to make them less aware than the general public. To make an effective contribution they need to understand basic concepts such as goal-setting, planning, organizing, controlling, and decision-making. The abilities to work and through others are essential. Without leadership skills handicapped persons will not gain the respect of their fellow consumers, or administrators of provider agencies. Consumers who help make policy decisions which influence all aspects of an organization should have an appreciation for the functional impacts of those decisions. Consumerism involves membership on boards, committees, and councils. Therefore handicapped persons must be able to function effectively as either chairpersons or committee members. Effective expression of ideas, feelings, beliefs, and facts by handicapped consumers is also essential and requires competency in communication skills. While formal parliamentary procedures are not always needed, there are times when they facilitate group action. Anyone, including consumers, participating in a meeting may lose credibility in the eyes of other participants if they unavoidably demonstrate ignorance of generally accepted procedures. Although some parliamentary procedures are very complex, only a few simple ones must be known to effectively conduct or participate in most meetings. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 greatly expands opportunities for handicapped persons. However, it is only one of many federal acts affecting services for handicapped persons. These are augmented by many state laws and local ordinances. Consumers cannot make effective decisions about programs and services without knowing the legal rights of handicapped persons. Knowledge of legislation is essential so that it may be used to its maximum in relieving the plight of the handicapped and when necessary, to facilitate economic, educational, and social opportunities. * Conclusion Consumerism is impacting on the field of rehabilitation as elsewhere in our society. It is of particular significance that handicapped persons have traditionally experienced limited educational, vocational, and social choices. They have been "involuntary consumers." The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 mandates consumer participation which may be thwarted by provider attitudes, consumer leadership cliques, and a limited number of knowledgeable and skilled consumer participants. If each of these impediments is to be overcome, handicapped persons must take the initiative. Knowledge and skills in the areas of organization, leadership, committees, communications, parliamentary procedures, and legislation are necessary to make a significant impact. Handicapped persons can develop in many of these areas. Each must engage in self-improvement programs that will facilitate their making contributions which will be both valued and solicited by providers. ***** ** "What's Up with Braille?" -- National Braille Press 50th Anniversary Forum In celebration of its 50th anniversary on Wednesday, October 27, the National Braille Press held a one-half-day forum entitled "What's Up with Braille?" at the Museum of Science, Boston. Panelists and exhibitors explored in depth current and potential future developments in the use and production of braille. "I see that there are some very real problems inherent in the nature of braille," conceded NBP Director William Raeder (Mr. Raeder is blind) in his closing remarks. He cited specifically the bulkiness of braille, the expense of braille, the long time required to produce braille, and the general lack of availability of materials in braille. "I see that over the next fifty years -- and, indeed, over the next five years -- or five months -- it is incumbent upon us at the National Braille Press to respond to the challenge to provide the interstructure to come between that technology that we learned about here this afternoon and the desperate needs of consumers so that they can lead independent lives and be in touch with the information that they need through braille." Exhibits included the Duxbury and ASI computer-braille systems; the Kurzweil Reading Machine; the ELINF A digital-cassette paperless braille reading and writing machine; the Schoenherr Braillotron with T.I 30 calculator; and the Braillex electronic dictionary. ***** ** California Bank Issues Passbooks in Braille An innovation "to assure privacy and to maintain human dignity" for the visually handicapped has been introduced by Laguna Federal Savings and Loan Association at its Laguna Hills (California) branch. The first passbook in braille ever processed by a savings and loan association in the United States was issued to Mrs. Phyllis McFee of Laguna Hills, Leisure World, by Frank Bruno, Vice President and Branch Manager, when Mrs. McFee opened a savings account on Thanksgiving Eve. A Perkins Brailler has been installed and three members of the Laguna Hills office have completed studies with Mrs. Norma L. Schecter, instructor at the Beach Cities Braille Guild, Inc. These employees are now instructing other staff members, who soon will be prepared to serve the visually impaired. The new system will be operational in three categories: (1) a braille passbook for those who can read braille; (2) ?a passbook in large type for those who have some residual sight; and (3) tape cassettes for the purpose of recording transactions orally. Mrs. Schecter became interested in volunteer work for the blind after she read for a fellow student at UCLA twenty years ago. Her column, "Let's Share Resources," which appears from time to time, has been very popular among readers of The Braille Forum. "This work has become an addiction with me," Mrs. Schecter says. "Also, my husband is a C.P.A. who has strong feelings about preserving the privacy of clients. By helping the blind, we free them from dependence upon families and friends for many personal activities." "The Association has committed itself to this project as a community service, not as a profit-making enterprise. If just one person benefits and can gain privacy for personal financial transactions, it will be well worth our endeavors. We hope to serve many in the future," Frank Bruno explained. The new passbooks are neatly bound. The cover bears the name of Laguna Federal Savings and Loan Association in both large print and braille. The first page of braille gives the Association's Post Office box number, and the second the depositor's name and address. Subsequent pages are for transactions. ***** ** The Mowat Sensor -- Newest in Electronic Travel Aids Newest in the family of electronic travel aids for the visually impaired is the Mowat Sensor, soon to be marketed by Telesensory Systems, Inc. The Mowat Sensor transmits a beam of high-frequency ultrasound into the area which the user wants to explore. Objects in or near the travel path are detected by the beam, which is reflected back, causing the sensor to vibrate silently. The rapidity of the vibrations indicates the distance from the sensor to the object. When there are no objects within range, no vibrations are felt. If more than one object is in the travel path, the device signals the closest one. Since the signal is silent, the sensor is inconspicuous and does not attract undue attention to the user. The Mowat Sensor beam is elliptical in shape, with a width of 15? and a height of 30?. This shape, which. approximates the human form, enables the user to locate a clear path of travel. The narrow 15? beam width permits precise determination of the location of any object by scanning horizontally with the device. The sensor is designed to complement a primary travel aid such as a long cane or dog guide. Its use simplifies location of landmarks, doorways, mailboxes, bus stops, or a clear path of travel through a crowd of people, construction site, or similar congested area. Other possible applications range from using the device to maintain a place in a line of people to locating a dropped object on the floor. Because the signal is vibratory, the device can be of significant benefit for deaf-blind persons. To gain maximum benefit from the Mowat Sensor, it is important that the user gain training from a mobility specialist. Training programs are of a short duration and are available in most locations nationwide. A single control switch performs the on-off function and permit the user to select either of two distance ranges: a one-meter range for travel in congested areas, or a four-meter setting for travel in open areas. The sensor uses rechargeable battery contained within the unit, which provides up to eight hours of use per charge. Nine-volt, non-rechargeable transistor radio batteries may also be used and can be changed by the user. Price: $495. For further information, contact Telesensory Systems, Inc., 3408 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304. ***** ** Credit, Accreditation, and Credibility By Dr. Richard Kinney, President Hadley School for the Blind (Delivered at the banquet of the Annual Meeting of the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped, Phoenix, Arizona, November 14, 1977) President Rives, Colleagues, and Friends: My 14-year-old son, Clark, who likes to ride horses on Camel-back Mountain here in Phoenix during his Christmas holidays, sends you special greetings. I myself am delighted to be in Phoenix again, having just flown in, as President Rives noted, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, where I was privileged to deliver both the keynote and the wrap-up at the first Brazilian Seminar on the Education of the Deaf-Blind. The Brazilian Seminar on Education of the Deaf-Blind was the first of what I hope will be many national and regional conferences developing in the wake of the historic First Helen Keller World Conference on Services to Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults convened last September in New York. As many of you already know, more than 200 delegates and observers, many of them deaf?blind, from 30 countries participated in this great pooling of ideas and aspirations. I am proud to say that not only did NAC have representatives at the Conference, but your Accreditation Council this very afternoon haled the Declaration of Rights of Deaf-Blind Persons adopted thereat, and pledged to use the Declaration as a guideline in developing standards for service to deaf-blind persons. You are, therefore, implementing already the policy I shall advocate this evening! We who are deaf and blind appreciate your support, for your endorsement of the Declaration will give it added weight when it is introduced in due time to the General Assembly of the United Nations and will facilitate development of programs serving deaf-blind persons in nations of the world where little is now being done, though there is much to do. Let me highly commend both your sensitivity to human need and your swiftness of action in promoting progress. ... When members of an accreditation council foregather, any credit a speaker may ascribe to accreditation is likely to be received as highly credible. We all like to be numbered among the good guys and gals, and a speaker may perfectly well talk through his hat so long as he tells us we are wearing a white one. My purpose, however, is not to laud un sombrero blanco, but, rather, to examine how accreditation can reflect more credit on the school and agencies so honored, and be accepted with more credence by both the general public and by people who are blind. What is accreditation? It is recognition that an organization meets certain acceptable standards delineated by the accrediting body. The hope is that an organization originally falling short of such standards can be helped to improve itself to the point where it can meet the standards and thereby gain accreditation. But what is a standard? Is it a minimum floor of performance below which an organization dare not function if it is to gain accreditation? If so, the formula becomes, "Up, up and away -- till you have reached the level of the floor!" Mind you, I am in no way opposed to helping an organization out of the basement and up to the foyer. But ours is an idealistic society with its eyes instinctively raised to the penthouse! I, for one, believe in a double standard: the minimum standard acceptable and the ultimate standard envisionable! The United States has never yet fully succeeded in making all men free and equal. But the dream is there, the goal is there; we have an ultimate standard to give us direction, motivation, a destination against which to measure our step-by-step progress. Today there is a controversy as to whether a sheltered workshop should be subject to the Federal minimum wage laws. While conceding it may not be possible for all workshops in all areas to pay the workers at least the Federal minimum at once, is not the desirability to do so a goal worth acknowledging? Robert Browning knew that a man's reach should exceed his grasp. If we reach for the stars, we may at least touch a rainbow! During a Papal audience, I once told Pope Paul why I was traveling from country to country to advocate greater opportunities for people with special problems. The Holy Father replied, "I bless your good intentions." Note that he didn't vouch for my performance, but he did bless my intentions. Too many people, I am afraid, do not understand that today's standards are merely a step toward tomorrow's higher standards. Put another way, standards are milestones along a road, but travelers must know where the road is going if the milestones are to have deep meaning. May I suggest that both the general public and the blind public will have greater sympathy with the greater respect for our efforts if they understand that standards are a means to an end and that this end is obviously good and desirable? What is the end, the objective, for which we set standards? Is it the neatness with which an organization keeps its books? The number of specialized degrees among its staff? The quality of the mortar between its bricks? All of these are no doubt relevant to an organization's overall effectiveness. But they are hardly criteria that will reach out and grab the man in the street or thrill with emotion the bosom of a blind person the organization serves. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. When Little Jack Horner sat eating his celebrated Christmas pie, the crucial question was not the quality of the thumb he pulled out, but rather, the quality of the plum! An organization is as good, is as worthy of accreditation, as the quality of the service it renders. We can be "plumb certain" of that! In evaluating an organization, there are, of course, many technical, many professional, points on which we will want to touch -- just as an expert mechanic in appraising an automobile will want to examine, in turn, the spark plugs, the fuel pump, the tires. But the pay-off question must always be: "Does the car run? Does it reliably transport passengers from where they are to where they want to be?" Similarly, the final, decisive question for a service organization must be: Does it really serve blind people and serve them well? Does it help blind persons move from where they are to where they want to be? There is no special merit in helping blind persons move from where they don't want to remain to where they don't want to go! Service is a matter of helpful transportation for willing passengers toward a desired destination, not a professional hijack. We are, therefore, right in laying increasing emphasis on the goals of those we serve in forming the organizational goal. The organization's professional and working staff are human beings, too, with rights and prerogatives that deserve protection. But as our professional goal is to serve, so our professional standards should be to evaluate and upgrade service. As a blind consumer, poet John Milton was presumably not referring to members of NAC when he wrote: "They also serve who only stand and wait." Let us make both our immediate standards and our ultimate goals better known. Above all, let us make sure that we ourselves have thought them out and know them. To consult without insult, to confer without slur, to create without recrimination -- Surely this is the road to where we all want to go. Am I dreaming tonight in Phoenix? Is it possible that blind people and sighted people, ardent consumers and dedicated professional workers, will some day bury the hatchet -- not in each other's heads -- but in the good earth on which we all must live? As an educator in the field of overcoming blindness for some 23 years, and as a consumer of special services in the same field for even longer, I answer emphatically, "Yes!" From coexistence to co-assistance is but a short step. From "Live and let live" to "Love and help live" is a single stride further. Inspirational dreaming? We dream of united effort, and the world is built on dreams that have come true or are in the process of coming true. Handicapped or unhandicapped, we are all human beings living together on one planet and destined to one fate. In the end there is only one standard -- the standard of our humanity. By making clear -- to ourselves, to consumers, to the public -- that NAC's standards are a stairway of rising steps to a better world for human beings, we will gain, and we will deserve to gain, credit, credibility, and accreditation. ***** ** The 700 Hour Appointment By Andrew Woods A valuable mechanism in assisting blind and other handicapped individuals in obtaining employment in Federal service has been the temporary 700-hour appointment program. The 700-hour appointment has provided handicapped individuals an opportunity to prove themselves in a real work situation while giving supervisors an opportunity to see the handicapped person perform before making a commitment to hire that individual permanently. In the past, these temporary appointments at GS-7 and below were restricted to 700 hours within a twelve-month period. Recently however, the grade level restriction was removed to permit the 700-hour appointment to extend through GS-15. A handicapped person may qualify for a position under the 700-hour appointment program if he or she meets certain criteria established by the Civil Service Commission. For example, a handicapped individual is considered to meet the Civil Service Commission's qualifications where appropriate certification is received from a counselor of the Veterans Administration or a state rehabilitation agency. Eligible handicapped individuals have been defined by the Commission as "people with physical impairments which are sufficiently severe that they qualify medically for an excepted appointment." This would include, but not be restricted to, individuals who are blind, deaf, cerebral palsied, paraplegic, or quadriplegic. Do not be misled into thinking that there is not an abundance of 700-hour appointments waiting for the asking. It is significant that overall employment of handicapped individuals within the Federal service has not substantially increased within the past four years. Nevertheless, the 700-hour appointment, coupled with the statutory affirmative action requirements such as those under Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, can serve as a vital mechanism in obtaining available employment for handicapped individuals. The important thing is for handicapped individuals to seek possible ? positions under the 700-hour appointment. Such appointments do not subject handicapped individuals to the inequities of competitive Civil Service examinations. Special arrangements can be made for those persons whose impairment prevents them from competing equitably; for example, providing readers for the blind and interpreters for the deaf, waiving certain verbal tests for the deaf, and allowing additional time for the cerebral palsied and others with poor hand and finger coordination. Notwithstanding the temporary nature of the 700-hour appointment, handicapped individuals (including myself) have obtained permanent positions through this program. Further particulars about the 700-hour appointment may be found at Federal Personnel Manual, FPM Chapter 306, Subchapter 4, and Chapter 316, Subchapter 4. ***** ** The Goat Herder (Reprinted with permission of the Braille Sports Foundation.) The Sioux Falls (South Dakota) De'Lighted placed two players on this year's Beep Baseball Association's World Series All Star Tournament Team, Captain Dave Miller and 26-year-old Jim Carlson. Unfortunately for Jim, shortly after receiving his trophy, he suffered an injury that sidelined him from the championship game. It must have seemed ironic to Jim to be incapacitated from an injury on that particular day. Exactly one year ago from that day, Carlson lost his sight. Jim and some companions were grouse-hunting when a sudden burst from a shotgun left him in critical condition. There were 79 pellets lodged in various parts of his head and upper body. Doctors counted 56 between Jim's solar plexus and his chin and 23 in his face. Pellets entering the left eye had severed the optic nerve, while in the right eye the retina had been blown off. Doctors at first thought that they could restore the vision in Carlson's right eye, but after two unsuccessful operations, he was left totally blind. For as long as he can remember, Jim has had a taste for the outdoor life. "I was schooled in wildlife and fisheries," he said, "so I naturally took to fishing and hunting." After graduating from high school in 1969, he left Sioux Falls for Colorado. There he became, as he likes to put it, a "construction working ski bum." After a couple of years, he came back to South Dakota, where he worked on oil rigs and for a short time tried his hand at logging. Jim was working as a carpenter in Keystone, a small town in the Black Hills, when he met and married Linda, his wife of six years. Their two-week honeymoon overseas turned into a year?long grand tour. But upon their return home, Carlson picked up where he had left off, working in construction and fishing and hunting. But now Jim was wondering if he would radically have to change his lifestyle. Doctors were telling him that it would be at least three months before they could release him from the hospital. Jim couldn't wait that long to find out. A week after being taken off the critical list, he was out and about. "I had to prove to myself that I could do it again," he said. "At first I had to go step by step to find out if I could still even set up my own tent. It took a lot of time and practice, but now I can put up my tent faster than some people who can see." Carlson quickly found that fishing, camping, hiking, and horseback riding were still enjoyable. "The biggest difference for me is that I can't go it alone, and living in a rural community, I have a heck of a time just getting there." Although his loss of sight has prevented his gainful employment, it has not prevented him and Linda from remodeling their home. They live in the small town of Volga, kitty-corner from the first grain field south of the highway. But you will be lucky if you find the Carlsons there. They rarely spend a full day at home. If it's not outdoor activities that take them away, it's usually Jim's love of music. Since the accident, he has received more than one offer from various area rock and country-western bands, who feel that his knowledge of music and recording equipment would make him a good sound man. However, Jim feels that that type of life is too tenuous. Instead, he plans to attend South Dakota State University at Brookings, beginning his studies this fall. Jim thinks he'll pursue a degree in law. But a college degree is not necessarily the dream that's aflame on the back burner of his mind. He dreams of one day purchasing 80 acres in the southern Black Hills. On this land, he would build a dude ranch. It would be a business patterned after BOLD, Inc. (Blind Outdoor Leisure Development). He said, "Everything that I enjoy has to do with the outdoors, and I want everyone else to be able to share in my experience." At any rate, he has already determined that his education will have to work itself around the 1978 Ski for Light. The event will be held in Deadwood, South Dakota, and Carlson plans to attend. Having never cross-country skied before, he figures it's high time he gave it a try. Also, on the winter weekends that precede Ski for Light, he plans to have friends from the Black Hills area re?acquaint him with downhill skiing. One of the more novel sports Carlson has become involved with since losing his vision has been goat racing. A friend of his who used to work with Jim on construction jobs talked him and his dad into joining a goat club about four months ago. Although the club's weekly meetings are held at a place too far distant for Jim and his father to attend, they have raced Jim's goat in competition. The rules of goat racing are simple: Take a small country town with both ends of the main street blocked off. The handlers with their goats stand behind a starting line at one end of the street. Their assistants take up positions behind the finish line at the opposite end. When the start signal is given, they begin calling their goats, while at the same time the handlers at the other end send the animals on their way. The first goat to race from one end of the street to the other wins. Throw in a night of bands and street dancing, along with good food and plenty of beer, and you have the makings of a top?notch goat race. Unfortunately for Carlson, his goat, Toby, who races under the name of Screwdriver, could do no better than second in a heat race. Nevertheless, he proudly wears a cap when he plays beep baseball which states in bold letters that "Goat racers need love too ... " His teammates have also taken to calling him "the goat herder," a title well deserved. Carlson supports a thick, bushy, six-inch-long black chin beard that is the envy of any goat herder or goat. Carlson first heard about beep baseball from Dave Vogel, who just happened to be his counselor while he was going through the program at the Sioux Falls Center for the Blind. Carlson was learning braille, taking mobility training, and working with the Optacon when Vogel first turned him on to the game. In the beginning, Jim admitted that he felt more than a little apprehensive. But that feeling soon passed. "I think that beep baseball is one of the most inspiring things that's happened to me. I can't really explain it except to say that it's a feeling I get whenever I'm out there that no matter what the situation is, I've just got to give it one hundred per cent." In a very real sense, being selected to the National Beep Baseball Association's World Series All Star Tournament team is a fair mark of just how far Jim Carlson has come in such a short time. Without doubt, in his own mind he would look upon a national title for Sioux Falls as being an adequate mark of progress for next year. ***** ** ACB Affiliate News * ACB of Maryland Convention The ACB of Maryland held its annual convention December 3 at the Lord Baltimore Hotel in Baltimore. The featured speaker was M. Eugene Spurrier, who was promoted to his present position as Administrator of Services for the Blind within the State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation upon the retirement of George Keller last summer. George (Buck) Gillispie, who expects to return to Connecticut after completing his career with the Veterans Administration, submitted his resignation as president of the ACB of Maryland. Robert E. Johnson, Director of Development for the Maryland chapter of the Arthritis Foundation and vice president of the ACB of Maryland for the past three years, will fill out Buck's term until next fall's election. The Board of Directors of the ACB of Maryland presently consists of Robert E. Johnson of Baltimore, President; Gladys Loeb of Silver Spring, Vice President; Hugh Bunnell of Riverdale, Secretary; Marybel Patrick of Bowie, Treasurer; and George Abbott of Wheaton, Richard Patrick of Bowie, and Laurinda Steele of Bethesda as Directors. The current challenge facing the ACB of Maryland concerns what posture it will take during the upcoming session of the State Legislature regarding the adequacy of services for the blind in Maryland. One alternative being considered is to support the creation of a commission for the blind similar to that which was recently established in the State of Washington. ***** ** AEB Names New Executive Director Howard H. Hanson, long active in ACB's South Dakota affiliate, the South Dakota Association of the Blind, began his duties as Executive Director of Arkansas Enterprises for the Blind on December 1, 1977. He succeeds Roy Kumpe, who will officially retire January 31, following 39 years as AEB's Executive Director. Howard Hanson comes to AEB after 28 years' association with South Dakota Services to the Visually Impaired. He began his career as a rehabilitation teacher and rehabilitation counselor, before serving as agency director for the past twenty years. Under his guidance, the South Dakota agency was among the first ten agencies in the country in the number of rehabilitations per 100,000 population. Mr. Hanson was graduated from the South Dakota School for the Blind. He earned his B.S. and Master's in sociology from the South Dakota State University, Brookings, and did post-graduate work at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1949. He served as Lions District Governor in south Dakota in 1957-58 and founded the South Dakota Lions Sight and Service Foundation in 1965. He has served as president of the American Association of Workers for the Blind and of the National Rehabilitation Association and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped. Arkansas Enterprises for the Blind was founded by Mr. Kumpe in 1939 as an agency to assist the blind in locating and financing vending stand sites. In 1947, it was organized as a rehabilitation center to provide personal adjustment, pre-vocational, and vocational training. Mr. Kumpe solicited the assistance of the Arkansas Lions, who adopted the program as their state project. Since 1947, AEB has served 4,000 individuals from all 50 states and 30 countries. It has grown from a single leased building to a six-building complex capable of serving 90 trainees. ***** ** Here and There From an official release dated December 18, 1977: Two inaccessible dormitory towers at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have caused the Federal Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board to sue the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provided funds for construction of the eight-story structures. The legal action cites failure to comply with the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, which requires all buildings and facilities owned, occupied, or financed by the United States Government to be accessible to and usable by physically handicapped persons. Alleged non-compliance includes lack of accessible primary entrances, ramps, sidewalk, parking lot, and elevator. The Washington Star for November 9, 1977, reports that the Food and Drug Administration, citing five cases of blindness, is cracking down on surgically implanted plastic lenses used following cataract and other eye surgery. The agency said it wants the use of such lenses restricted to investigational purposes. That means doctors who implant the lenses must participate in a formal investigation, the results of which will be submitted to the FDA. In addition, patients must be told in writing the good and bad aspects of the procedure and must sign a form stating they know what they are doing. The FDA said about 50,000 Americans have received lens implants in the last twenty years. Evergreen Travel Service, Inc., announces the following White Cane tours for the Blind for 1978: Le Grand Tour de Caribbean -- April 22 -- 11 days, 10 nights, with departure from Atlanta, Georgia -- An in-depth tour of Trinidad, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. Canadian Rockies -- The very best of Canada and Western America, including Victoria, Vancouver, Glacier Park, Jasper National Park, and more. 15 days, 14 nights, with departure from Seattle, Washington, on July 30. This tour was re-scheduled to start just when the ACB convention finishes in Salt Lake City, according to Betty Hoffman of Evergreen Travel, with the idea that "many people might be able to come on from that and join our group." For full information, write White Cane Tours, Evergreen Travel Service, Inc., 19429 44th Street, W., Lynnwood, WA 98036. A new affiliate publication, the Connecticut Council of the Blind Newsletter made its debut this past November. In a chatty, informal style, Editor Dayle Bates of East Hartford reported on the success of several fund-raising projects collecting newspapers for recycling, a yard sale, and a Home Industries party-for a total profit over a six-months period of $248.41! She cited several CCB members for their active participation in the work of the affiliate and included a notice suggesting that anyone wishing to receive The Braille Forum or wishing a change of correction on The Braille Forum mailing list contact the editor, giving full address. (Editor's Note: I might suggest that if all affiliate publications could include such a notice from time to time, new members would know how to subscribe to The Braille Forum and current members would have the address readily at hand for communicating corrections and changes.) For the present, the CCB Newsletter is being published semi-annually in print and braille. A braille pamphlet, "Employment of Blind Persons in the Federal Service" (BRE23), published by the U.S. Civil Service Commission is available nationwide by calling, writing, or visiting the nearest Federal Job Information Center. Extra print copies are also available from the ACB National Office. The address and toll-free telephone number within the state can be found in your telephone directory or through Directory Assistance. Friends of Hazel Scharry, widow of Earl Scharry, former editor of The Braille Forum, will be happy to learn of Hazel's marriage on November 26 at Sacred Heart Church in Dubuque, Iowa, to a long-time family friend, Alfred Noel. Alphey was blinded in his right eye when hit by a baseball when he was in eighth grade, and at 17 he lost all sight when hit by a baseball in the left eye. The Scharrys and Alphey first became friends forty years ago when Alphey was one of Earl's braille students. Hazel is president and Alphey is vice president of the Tri-State Independent Blind Society. The Noels live at 2406 Washington Street in Dubuque. "Easy 'n Thrifty Recipes for 2" is a 16-page booklet in braille, available without charge from the Rice Council, P.O. Box 22802, Houston, TX 77027. Fourteen recipes are included, ranging from Porkchops with Cumin Rice to Creamy Rice Pudding. Recipes have been rewritten, replacing all visual descriptions with appropriate directions for timing and measuring. For example, a recipe stating, "Brown in oil," has been changed to read, "Cook in oil at moderate heat for five minutes." The booklet is also available in large type and regular print. From DISABLED USA: When a radio/television station applies to the Federal Communications Commission for renewal of its license, the application includes a "Community Leader Checklist." This checklist is composed of those organizations whose public service needs are served by the radio/television station. At the present time, the checklist does not include handicapped people or organizations of handicapped people. We believe that this list is important. We have sent a letter to the chairman of the FCC to publicize this effort, and we encourage others to take action. Write Hon. Richard Wiley, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20554. An improved version of the Dymo Braille Writer will soon be available from the American Foundation for the Blind, 15 W. 16th Street, New York, NY 10011. Whereas the old Dymo Braille Tape Writer had only 30 character positions, the new writer will feature 45 character positions, including, in addition to the alphabet and numerals, the number sign and capital sign, several punctuation marks (including the decimal point), and a variety of whole-word and part-word contractions. Price of the new Dymo Braille Tape Writer (AFB Model BTW-400) is $33.95. This includes three free rolls of 1/2 inch vinyl labeling tape. In addition to the vinyl labeling tape, the new writer can also be used with AFB's 1/2 inch magnetic and aluminum labeling tape. The United States Association for Blind Athletes (USABA), National Sports Development Committee will sponsor the second National Championships for the Blind, to be hosted by Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois, March 29 through April 1. In addition to competition in swimming, track and field, and wrestling, USABA will hold a goal-ball team championship. Goal-ball is an internationally popular sport for the blind, but new to the United States. Over 200 legally blind athletes of both sexes, representing 24 states, competed during March of 1977 in the First National Championships. The goal is to double participation this year. For further information and entry blanks, contact Dr. David Beaver, USABA National Sports Development Committee, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455. ###