The Braille Forum Vol. XVIII December, 1979 No. 6 Published Monthly by the American Council of the Blind Mary T. Ballard, Editor President: Oral O. Miller 3701 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Suite 236 Washington, DC 20008 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 ***** ** ACB Officers * President: Oral O. Miller, Suite 236, 3701 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008 * First Vice President: Delbert K. Aman, 115 Fifth Avenue, S.E., Aberdeen, SD 57401 * Second Vice President: Robert T. McLean, 2139 Joseph Street, New Orleans, LA 70115 * Secretary: M. Helen Vargo, 833 Oakley Street, Topeka, KS 66606 * Treasurer: James R. Olsen, 6211 Sheridan Avenue, S., Minneapolis, MN 55423 ** Contributing Editors George Card, 605 S. Few Street, Madison, WI 53703 Elizabeth Lennon, 1315 Greenwood Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007 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 Contributing Editors Report by the ACB President, Oral O. Miller Minneapolis Society Election a Revealing Experience, by Durward K. McDaniel An Okie Looks at NAC and NFB, by John Simpson From the Archives: The National Federation -- And the Free Press Movement, by Hollis Liggett Utah Council Member Cited for Superior Service State Question Unites Concerned Oklahomans, by Jean Jones UT Library to House Constitutional Law Collection H.R. 3236 Marches On, by Kathy Megivern Save Our Security, by Wilbur J. Cohen South Carolina Lawsuit -- Progress Report, by Durward K. McDaniel IBM Audio Typing Unit Dialogue Founder/Editor Retires ACB Affiliate News: Old Dominion Council Holds Fall Convention Mid-Florida Council of the Blind News Here and There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon Notice to Subscribers ***** ** Report by the ACB President, Oral O. Miller In a recent issue of The Braille Forum, I requested letters from any blind readers who had applied unsuccessfully for positions with the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, within the past year. To date, I have received a number of letters from such people, but the impact of the presentation which we intend to make to the Office for Civil Rights will be greater after we have received a few more letters. Therefore, please let me know of any difficulties you have had with that agency. Because of the very high standards of ethics and accountability required by the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc., many charitable and non-profit organizations are never able to meet that agency's rigorous standards for charitable solicitations. You would readily recognize the names of several of the organizations which have never met those standards. On the other hand, the Council of Better Business Bureaus will not permit any of the organizations which have met its standards to state that they or their activities have been approved or endorsed by the Council of Better Business Bureaus. Charitable and non-profit organizations which have met the rigorous standards are placed on the "Give But Give Wisely List," published by the Council of Better Business Bureaus. I am pleased to announce that on August 10, 1979, ACB Treasurer James Olsen, who has been in consultation with the Council of Better Business Bureaus for several months, received a letter, the contents of which would be a source of pride to all ACB members and friends, especially if they were to examine the "Give But Give Wisely List" for August. I heartily recommend that anyone interested in obtaining additional information should request a copy of that list from the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc., Philanthropic Advisory Service, 1150 17th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036. We would not suggest that you obtain a copy of the list if we did not think it would be a source of pride to you. During September, 1979, it was my distinct pleasure to attend the state convention of the Pennsylvania Council of the Blind, one of ACB's newest affiliates. My visit gave me an opportunity to meet more of its members and to observe first­hand the enthusiasm, imagination, and industry which have enabled that organization to become the strong, vibrant affiliate which it is. Since it is a relatively new ACB affiliate, and since many of its members have not yet had an opportunity to attend one of our national conventions, I received a number of questions concerning the open and democratic philosophy of the ACB. A humorous moment occurred when I admitted during my legislative report that I did not know the exact answer.to a very complicated Social Security question, at which time the gentleman who asked the question complimented me for being the first national organization president he had ever met who did not claim to know everything. During October, 1979, it was a tremendous pleasure for me to be able to accept the longstanding invitation to speak at the state convention of the Aloha Council of the Blind in Honolulu, Hawaii. While there, I had an opportunity to meet the charming, gracious, imaginative, and very hard-working members of that affiliate, whose convention was characterized by cooperation, intellectual stimulation, entertainment, and delightful island hospitality. I was very favorably impressed by the careful planning and execution which obviously had gone into the convention, and I was equally impressed by the quiet, yet very visible level of achievement which its members could justifiedly claim. Although my stay was entirely too brief, I also had an opportunity, thanks to the wonderful cooperation of my hosts and hostesses, to do some of the enjoyable things which cannot be done anywhere else in the world -- such as attempting to ride a surfboard at Waikiki Beach, paddling through the surf in an outrigger canoe, and visiting the Battleship Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. One of the events which will always remain in my memory was the visit which I made with five members of the Aloha Council to the neighboring island of Molokai to visit the Aloha Council members who live at the world-famous Kalaupapa leprosy colony. Because leprosy (whose official name is Hansen's disease), which was once dreaded by all humanity, has been controlled for a number of years by modern drugs and medical procedures, the settlement at Kalaupapa is gradually being phased out of operation. However, many of the older patients who have chosen to remain there are in need of the full range of services available to the blind everywhere else. In fact, one of the long-time resident patients attended the Aloha Council convention in Honolulu and actively took part in its deliberations. Although information on this item is contained elsewhere in this issue of The Braille Forum, I want to mention a very exciting and promising development in the field of office and word-processing equipment which should greatly expand the employment potential of the blind. To be more specific, on November 9, 1979, the International Business Machine Corporation (IBM) announced the introduction of a device which can verbally read what has been typed by several different models of IBM typewriters. By using this device, a properly trained blind secretary or transcriber can read every letter, word, or sentence which has been typed (and stored in the typewriter's "memory"). Initially, the machine, which will cost $5,300, will be available only in five specified sales areas. It was my pleasure to view this machine during a private previewing conducted by IBM during September, 1979, and, because of its obvious potential, it was difficult for me to observe the secrecy to which IBM had required me to agree until the machine was officially announced in November. The American Council was ably represented at the official announcement ceremonies in Washington, D.C., by Mr. Jean Dorf of the Visually Impaired Secretarial Transcribers Association. The members and friends of the American Council of the Blind are to be commended for the decisive action which they took in response to a recent plea to prevent the National Federation of the Blind from seizing control of the Board of Directors of the Minneapolis Society for the Blind. While the special election ordered recently by a Minnesota court has not taken place as of this date (November 13, 1979), agency records indicate that approximately two-thirds of the proxy votes received by the official cut-off date of November 4 were in opposition to the attempted takeover. It is ironic that the NFB, which wanted to take over the agency, and which has for many years claimed a national membership of 50,000 members, managed to obtain only 12,000 proxy votes, compared with approximately twice that number obtained by ACB and others in opposition to the attempted takeover. This should put to rest once and for all the amusing claim concerning 50,000 members. It should also reflect the strength which a democratic and relatively soft-spoken organization such as ACB can muster when necessary. Because cumulative voting will be permitted during the election for the board positions, it is likely that a few candidates being supported by the NFB will be elected to the board, and that will probably be desirable, because they will then have an opportunity to present their views in an orderly fashion and at the same time become better acquainted with the realities of the responsibility that comes with the management of any large agency providing services to the blind. ***** ** Minneapolis Society Election A Revealing Experience By Durward K. McDaniel By now, almost everyone active in the field of blindness must know that there was a court-ordered election of the Minneapolis Society for the Blind's six officers and 24 directors on November 14. Competing national campaigns to produce proxy votes for the election produced more than 37,000 -- about one-third of them by the National Federation of the Blind and two-thirds by the Society itself and other organizations, including the American Council of the Blind. These campaigns featured new, but not unexpected controversies over inflammatory newspaper ads, allegedly forged proxies, and frequent court appearances. Because the court decreed that voting for the 24 directors could be done cumulatively, the Federation was able to elect eight members of the Board, by concentrating all of its proxy votes on those positions. All terms are for two years. The other sixteen directors elected include eight blind persons. The holders of the majority proxies, Ray Kempf and Jim Olsen, were elected to the offices of First Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, respectively. The other four officers, including Richard Johnstone, President, are sighted. The NFB produced 12,896 proxies, many of whom were not Federation members. If you have been misled by the Federation's claim of having more than 50,000 members, you may be shocked by that comparatively small number of proxies. However, a realistic assessment of their membership indicates that they were really quite efficient in the involvement of their members. Nationwide, the Federation lost by a two-to-one ratio, but in Minnesota the ratio of loss was seven to one, proof positive that Minnesotans did not want the Society to become a political power base for the Federation. Last August, the Federation faction was so confident of their ability to produce 100,000 proxies and gain total control of the Society that they rejected the Society's offer to give them thirteen Board positions for six years and $25,000 to avoid having the election. Ray Kempf, who was the national chairman of the successful proxy campaign, has asked that we express the profound appreciation of Minnesotans for the help of the non-residents who voted by proxy, and for the help of the major organizations which worked directly in the proxy campaign. ***** ** An Okie Looks at NAC and NFB By John Simpson As a blind person interested in work for the blind in our country, I have been trying to keep abreast of events and issues, both in Oklahoma and throughout the nation. In September of this year, I learned, along with the media, that the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped (NAC is the more easily handled name) would be holding its annual membership meeting in Oklahoma City in November. I must confess my virtual ignorance as to the functions of this group. I knew only that three institutions that I have had contact with were accredited -- the Oklahoma Visual Services, Oklahoma League for the Blind, and Parkview School for the Blind -- and these three have always seemed to do a good job, as best as I could tell. I also heard that the National Federation of the Blind would be picketing to protest this meeting of NAC. The Federation has opposed NAC for several years, although the exact reason for opposition has always escaped me. I thought this might be a good opportunity to find out what the two groups were for and against. With this as background, I indeed determined to attend the NAC membership meeting and see what went on in the two camps. And camps they were — with the Federationists hanging out together, eating together, sharing rooms. It must have represented marvelous camaraderie, but couldn't have been very educational. When I travel, I like to meet new people and find out things I didn't already know. They did picket -- not with the two or three hundred that they had been forecasting and seemed to keep claiming, but with about 67. They marched in front of the hotel, in an empty downtown Oklahoma City (everybody else was watching the OU football game), carrying their signs, shouting slogans, and singing songs. But when I, or anybody else, asked them any questions, they just said they couldn't talk about it; I'd have to ask a leader. I probably wouldn't last too long in their group: I prefer to speak my own mind. I wasn't able to come up with much about why the NFB is against NAC or why these people were marching in some pretty cold weather, instead of being inside making a contribution to the meeting. The only thing I was able to determine with any certitude is that the Federation doesn't run NAC, and that seemed to be the thing that most disturbed them. Nobody made any arguments that made any other sense, at least not to me. Sure, I'd have to admit to some honest differences with some of the things NAC-accredited agencies do, but that doesn't make them any less honorable or good. I don't think it's possible to run an organization, at least one that deals with controversial or important topics, that doesn't have some disagreement about something. Something else that interested me about the Federation pickets. There didn't seem to be any blind Oklahomans in it. All three agencies serving the blind in this state are accredited by NAC, and virtually every blind person is, therefore, receiving services from one of these agencies or another. If NAC-accredited agencies are so terrible, how come Oklahomans don't know it? I would think that if the agencies were messing up, then Okies would let them know -- fast -- and if they were discontented, they'd sure do something about it fast. So maybe these terrible things NFB says aren't entirely accurate. Another inaccuracy came to light. Numerous claims were made that all these loyal Federationists paid their own way. But LeRoy Saunders -- S-a-u-n-d-e-r-s -- of the Oklahoma League for the Blind got a call in his hotel room at about 2:00 A.M. on Sunday morning. Apparently thinking he was talking to Ralph Sanders -- S-a-n-d-e-r-s -- a leader of the NFB, the caller asked for his check, because he had an early plane to catch. I don't care who was paying what for whom, but I sure hate to be lied to, even if it's just a little thing like that. I heard a bunch of them griping because they couldn't go to closed meetings of the Executive Board of NAC, or some such. Those were meetings at which only members of the Board of Directors were invited, and they certainly could keep anyone they want out. Only elected members were invited. Not even the most ardent supporters of NAC were allowed to attend unless they were on the Board. But the Federationists used this as an excuse to keep out of their "open" meetings people they didn't like. I saw them surround someone to keep him out. Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black. An open meeting is an open meeting, and they shouldn't lie about that either. At least the pro-NAC people tried to turn the other cheek and inject some humor into the whole thing. The NFB sent some observers to the NAC banquet on Saturday night. Travis Harris was the master of ceremonies and heads up a NAC­accredited agency, the Oklahoma Visual Services, which is part of a larger umbrella agency. In his talk, Harris pointed out that two cents from every dollar the Federationists spent went right to his umbrella agency as state sales tax. He then said that the next time the Federation came to town, he hoped they had double or triple the number of people, because he sure could use their money. Just about everybody applauded that sentiment. After seeing what happened, it makes me wonder who has the strength of numbers of the organized blind in America. Perhaps the Federation is falling apart even faster than I had been told. ***** ** From the Archives: The National Federation -- And the Free Press Movement By Hollis Liggett (Reprinted from The Braille Free Press, February, 1960) Editorial Note: This is the second in a series of reprints from The Braille Free Press. Written by Editor Hollis Liggett, the article serves two purposes. First, it defends the Free Press Association against charges levied by National Federation of the Blind President Jacobus tenBroek. This defense is argued through an explanation of what the Free Press movement actually stood for. Further, the article states with unambiguous clarity what the Free Press movement did not stand for. The individual areas of controversy are spelled out at length — an unauthorized $12,100 expenditure for an office on President tenBroek's property, unnecessary travel expenditures, secret salaries, a purge of directors at the NFB national convention in Santa Fe, and arbitrary firings of key NFB employees, just to name a few. Some of the details are not included here, as they are very lengthy and complex. However, this article gives a clear picture of the philosophy and the political position taken in February, 1960, by the Free Press Association. In his final speech before the 1960 convention in Miami, Florida, Durward McDaniel stated to the convention that they had the choice between "one big man and one big organization." This same idea is implicitly stated throughout this article. We wish to remind readers that ACB is in the process of creating an archive of materials which relate to its origin and history. Any relevant information or materials would be greatly appreciated and should be sent to Mary T. Ballard, Editor, The Braille Forum, 190 Lattimore Road, Rochester, NY 14620. In a speech before the National Federation of the Blind convention in Santa Fe, Dr. tenBroek made the following assertions: (1) the Federation Free Press is not federation; (2) it is not free; (3) these people do not have a positive program which can sustain a movement. The validity of these statements rests upon a particular point of view. The Federation Free Press was not authorized and established by official act of the NFB administration, nor has it been financed from the Federation's treasury. However, in answering this, one might pose a similar question: Can a group of Americans legitimately adopt the name "American" for a project not authorized and paid for by the federal government? Those who have written and financed the Braille Free Press have been (with few exceptions) leaders in state and local affiliates of the National Federation. The cost of our operation last year came to slightly more than twelve hundred dollars. This money was raised entirely by contributions from individual federationists and organizations of blind people. This, in itself, is a radical departure from the philosophy and practice of the National Federation. It is so radical, in fact, that the administration cannot reconcile itself to the facts. It insists that some agency has been secretly financing this project. As to whether or not it is free: This again depends on a particular point of view. "Free" is a relative condition, and is often used in reference to some kind of control from which one seeks to be free. We say our nation won its freedom from Britain by the Revolutionary War: but the abolitionists might have countered with derision that the Negro slaves were no more free after the war than they were before. When we chose the name "free," I suppose we were thinking primarily in terms of freedom from control by the tenBroek administration. Even Dr. tenBroek will have to concede that, in this sense at least, it is free. A considerable number of federationists believed (rightly or wrongly) that the Braille Monitor deliberately omitted important information which the administration did not wish known; that it deliberately slanted other information with a view to promoting certain propaganda objectives; and that it actually fabricated explanations for certain unpleasant facts which had to be reported. In keeping with our American tradition of action, we decided to correct this abuse in the most effective way we knew — by producing a publication which is not controlled. Assuredly we have not reached the ultimate in freedom; but we have set up an editorial committee which at least takes absolute control out of the hands of one man. This system serves to spread not only the authority, but also the responsibility. It makes the undertaking a joint, group action, subject to certain restrictions and controls, as against the unpredictable whims of one individual. As to the third tenBroek assertion: that we have no purpose which will sustain a movement; he was expressing a personal opinion, and only time will reveal how prophetic his statement was. The Free Press movement was brought into existence by the imprudent acts and uncompromising attitude of the tenBroek administration. The need for it could be removed by good will and reasonable actions, but I doubt that it will be destroyed by direct assault. We propose to set forth in these pages the principles which brought our movement into being, and the positive reforms for which we stand. One of the basic tenets underlying the tenBroek philosophy is the principle of the "strong leader" -- the idea that a person, once placed in power, should remain there indefinitely; and that ever to change that leadership is a sign of weakness and incompetence. This philosophy lies at the root of many of our difficulties. I heard it actively preached many years ago when I first came into the federation. Even on the local level, we have been discouraged from changing leaders, with the implication that to do so was a sign of instability. One former president of a state affiliate told me that Dr. tenBroek had urged him to go before the state convention and ask for repeal of the constitutional limitation on presidential terms. He told tenBroek that he did not have the gall to go out there and say, in effect: "I am the best possible leader for all times." This philosophy clearly does have merit. Any organization must have some continuity of leadership in order to maintain its stability and growth. Ordinarily one gains valuable experience and develops important techniques and know-how when placed in a position of leadership. He also gains recognition and prestige through his dealings with community officials and civic leaders. None of these things can be accomplished quickly. However, there are a number of fallacies with which this philosophy fails to reckon. It assumes first of all that the most capable person will always be elected leader; and secondly that all of the important work must be done by one person. It also assumes that one cannot make valuable contributions to an organization without occupying the most prominent position. According to the "strong leader" theory, the burden of democracy always rests upon the electorate, without any corresponding responsibility borne by the elected official. The president exercises unlimited powers under the assumption that, if the members do not approve, they will vote him out of office. This sounds laudable to the politically naive, but those who are familiar with the workings of politics know that things are seldom this simple. There are always factors which affect the outcome of any election, many of which may not be apparent to the casual observer. The premise that the electorate will always turn the unwise leader out of office breaks down at the point when the leader becomes a hero. It then becomes a matter of duty and personal loyalty to elect him to any position he desires as a reward for his services. Principles or issues become relatively unimportant. Conversely, refusal to support the hero implies ingratitude and a personal repudiation. Directorships come into being when a popular hero arises, and the populace has not the maturity to withhold powers, and the hero has not the self-restraint to refuse them. There must be a balance somewhere between the indefinite monopoly of leadership by a few, and the instability that is born of too frequent changes. The idea that any one person is indispensable to any organization is childishly immature. Even small local organizations become stagnated when they continue to elect the same leaders year after year. If the same person always remains in the top position, it is an indication either that the organization has failed to attract capable people, or that the leader maintains his monopoly because he cannot believe anyone else could do the job so well as he. In the National Federation, we are confronted not only with the premise of the strong leader, but also with the more insidious dogma that there is no other man besides Jacobus tenBroek who can fill the position of president. George Card stated before the Illinois Federation board in 1958 that, in the eventuality of the death of the president, we would have to turn to a paid executive director. This myth of indispensability has been carefully nurtured by the administration and is accepted by many federationists. If the position of president can be filled only by a university professor with many degrees, and many other honorary distinctions, then the Federation has ceased to be a movement of blind people, and has become the tool of this professor. The president now has at his disposal something in excess of $20,000 annually for clerical help. He also has a large expense account, with which to buy office equipment and supplies; for the purpose of traveling as often or as far as he deems necessary; for the purpose of hiring research for his speeches; or for placing long-distance calls. Until recently, he had four full-time staff workers, with their own secretarial entourage. When one considers all this, and still proclaims that only one man in the United States is capable of filling that position, the argument becomes absurd in the extreme. Let us see what has happened to the National Federation under the "strong man rule." Official spokesmen for the Federation have adopted the attitude that one may solve his problems by pretending they have gone away. Like the ostrich, one need only stick his head in the sand and wish hard enough, and all troubles will disappear. This may be excellent medicine for the hypochondriac, but hardly suffices in the face of reality. ... What is really the cause of our troubles? The administration has asked us to believe that the origin of all difficulties was the firing of A.L. Archibald in 1957. It would be less than candid to claim that this arbitrary act, plus the later firing of (Earl) Scharry, had nothing to do with the controversy. ... If tenBroek had not insisted upon absolute authority in this matter, he would not be required to bear the full blame. Had the dismissal been the action of the executive committee (or ratified by that committee), it could not have become a political issue. tenBroek is a strong proponent of the principle that agencies for the blind must make some provision for a fair hearing in the case of dismissals, or the withholding of services, but he fanatically opposes this same principle when it is applied to his own authority. ... In a recent article by Dickey Chapelle which appeared in the January Reader's Digest, entitled "Cuba -- One Year After," she says, "And the greatest threat to the Castro regime is Castro's own personality -- disorganized, erratic, politically naive. Reluctant to delegate authority, and preferring his bearded cronies to prosaic experts. he ends up by trying to do nearly everything himself. ... The trouble is that Castro has not changed, while his problems have." The National Federation of the Blind has suddenly gained wealth and national prestige, but its leadership has not demonstrated the wisdom and maturity to cope with this new situation. The trouble is that tenBroek's problems have changed, but he is still a revolutionary fighting in the hills. ***** ** Utah Council Member Cited for Superior Service The Braille Forum for July-August, 1976, published an article entitled, "The Four Senses Nature Trail," by Lloyd E. Jacklin. An Editor's Note to that article states: "Lloyd Jacklin is with the United States Park Service and was employed by the Service for about ten years prior to losing his sight. He has been able to retain his job and was responsible for the establishment of a nature trail for the blind in a canyon near Salt Lake City. Because of the success of this experiment, the National Park Service plans to establish similar programs throughout the country." Lloyd Jacklin has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Utah Council of the Blind for the past four years, but resigned his position recently due to ill health. He continues to work almost every day, however, and is a great inspiration to all who know him. In recognition of his outstanding service, Mr. Jacklin recently received the following citation from the U.S. Department of the Interior: Citation for Superior Service Lloyd E. Jacklin In Recognition of Dedicated and Successful Service with the National Park Service Mr. Jacklin entered the National Park Service in 1965 as a Park Guide at Carlsbad Caverns National Monument in New Mexico. He assisted in discovering a new series of cave passages which led to the discovery of the Guadalupe Room, one of the most scenic in the cave today. He became Supervisory Park Ranger at Timpanogos Cave National Monument in Utah and then was assigned to Canyon De Chelly National Monument in Arizona as Chief, Interpretation and Utah Resource State Office Management. Mr. Jacklin is presently the Information Specialist in the Utah State Office in Salt Lake City. In spite of being blind for several years, he has consistently done a superior job. When first coming to the Utah State Office, Mr. Jacklin assisted in writing the text for a Five Senses Nature Trail, which is a self-guide for the seeing, and also the text for a Four Senses Nature Trail for the blind at Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Despite the fact that Mr. Jacklin is blind, confined to a wheelchair, and has had several amputations, his senses are extremely keen. He is aware of visitors' needs and is helpful in every way possible. He keeps up-to-date with current activities in the park, and if there is something he doesn't know, he finds the answer. In recognition of his fine contributions and excellent and enthusiastic performances, Mr. Lloyd E. Jacklin is granted the Superior Service Award of the U.S. Department of the Interior. ***** ** State Question Unites Concerned Oklahomans By Jean Jones (Jean Jones is Editor of the Oklahoma Council of the Blind Newsletter and the wife of OCB past president Raythel Jones.) The Oklahoma Council of the Blind recently joined an informal state coalition calling for defeat of State Question 539. Representatives of education, mental health programs, road and highway programs, and other groups came together to form the Vote No Tuesday Committee. The coalition was led by members of the State's Democratic Party, headed by Governor George Nigh. State Question 539 was the result of an initiative petition sponsored by members of the Republican Party. The Question was presented as a tax reform measure. According to Oklahoma Tax Commission tables, the proposal would have reduced taxes minutely for those making from $15,000 to $30,000 annually and would have provided a substantial tax reduction only for those making over $50,000 annually. Persons with incomes of less than $15,000 would have received no tax reduction under the measure. In addition, the Tax Commission figures indicated that the measure would substantially reduce revenues from the state income tax: an estimated $150 million annually after three years, the period established for implementation of the measure. Supporters of the Question contended that it would provide tax relief for those Oklahomans who assume the burden of state government and that it would force the Legislature to be more responsible in its spending. Although specific programs for the blind would not have been directly affected by passage of S.Q. 539, except in the areas of special education and mental health services, very few of the blind in the state would have received any tax relief from the measure, since most do not have incomes in excess of $30,000. In addition, as citizens of the state, the blind, as other Oklahomans, would have had to face substantial reductions in revenues that now principally support public education, mental health programs, and roads and highways. Further, the Oklahoma Council of the Blind responded to the avowal of proponents of S.Q. 539 that if the Question passed, their next initiative would call for the "un-ear­marking" of state sales tax revenues, now earmarked for the State Department of Institutions, Social and Rehabilitative Services. This department depends upon sales tax revenues to operate programs for the blind and handicapped of the state, as well as programs for the elderly, economically disadvantaged, and special schools and hospitals. By reducing revenues from the state income tax, supporters of S.Q. 539 hoped to force the transfer of sales tax monies to the general fund to be appropriated by the Legislature. This would inevitably result in reduced funds available to social services for Federal matching purposes, a situation that would threaten many programs for the handicapped and disadvantaged in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Council of the Blind felt that it was imperative that the organization take a strong stand on this issue. President Joseph Fallin issued a press release expressing the position of the OCB. Several members made television and radio appearances to discuss the position the OCB had taken on the issue. A press conference was called for the weekend of the State OCB convention, and media attendance was noteworthy. The organization also passed a resolution stating its position on S.Q. 539 and voted to contribute a sum to the coalition favoring defeat of the measure. Program Director Judy Pool was surprised several days before the election to receive a call from the Governor's Office requesting the use of the OCB office for the Governor's election watch party. On the evening of November 6, election monitors from the Governor's Office arrived at the OCB office in Oklahoma City. As representatives from the Democratic Party, the elderly, education, the handicapped, and other Vote No supporters collected, apprehension about the outcome of the election was apparent. Proponents of S.Q. 539 had conducted a well-financed campaign for passage of the Question and had received support of major newspapers in the state's two largest cities. Even as early rural returns came in favoring defeat of the Question, experts predicted that the margins from rural Oklahoma would not offset the Yes vote from urban areas. And, indeed, the margin narrowed as the evening progressed. It was after ten o'clock when the watchers recognized that there was still hope for defeat of the question. Governor Nigh arrived, and in the following hour, as the final returns came in, the mood of the crowd shifted from one of apprehension to one of exaltation. The State Question had been narrowly defeated by a margin of about 10,000 votes. The defeat of S.Q. 539 had a particular significance for the Oklahoma Council of the Blind. It stands as evidence of what can be accomplished when the blind join with other groups to take action on issues of concern to the blind as well as to other citizens. ***** ** UT Library to House Constitutional Law Collection (Reprinted from NLS News, Sept.-Oct., 1979) A 1,150-volume braille collection on Constitutional law and jurisprudence was donated to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, by the family of the late Dr. Samuel J. Konefsky, Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College. Dr. Otis Stephens, UTK political science professor (and member of the ACB Board of Directors), who was largely responsible for the gift, said that the volumes are probably the most complete braille collection of law books in the United States. The collection, valued in excess of $50,000, will be housed in the University's law library. The University is acquiring a thermoform duplicator to permit wide access to the materials. "Selected Essays in Constitutional Law," the legal papers of several U. S. Supreme Court Justices, and several treatises on English common law and American Constitutional law and jurisprudence are among the items donated. ***** ** H.R. 3236 Marches On By Kathy Megivern H.R. 3236, the Disability Insurance Amendments of 1979, has moved another step closer to becoming law. As reported in the October Braille Forum, this regressive legislation was passed by the House of Representatives in September, and quick action by the Senate Finance Committee was feared. On October 31, 1979, the committee's chairman, Senator Russell Long, announced that the committee had concluded its consideration of H.R. 3236 and ordered the bill reported, with amendments. This clears the way for the bill to come to the floor of the Senate for a vote. Although the bill retains its original number (H.R. 3236), the Senate version differs significantly from what was passed by the House. As had been rumored, the Senate committee did produce an omnibus bill combining the negative Disability Insurance (DI) amendments with the more favorable Supplemental Security Income (SSI) amendments. Most of the amendments contained in H.R. 3464 were adopted by the Finance Committee as part of H.R. 3236. These amendments address the problems of the serious work disincentives currently built into the law for disabled recipients of SSI. Provisions relating to the deduction of impairment-related work expenses, the enlargement of the trial work period, and the continuation of entitlement to certain medical and social service benefits for SSI recipients who perform substantial gainful activity were all approved by the committee and incorporated into H. R. 3236. These amendments had all been firmly supported by organizations of and for the handicapped (they will have little impact upon blind recipients). However, attaching them to the unacceptable provisions in H.R. 3236 had been very much opposed. The committee made a few changes in the regressive portions of H.R. 3236, but these so-called "compromises" do very little to change the negative impact. The House-passed version of the bill contained a provision limiting the total Disability Insurance family benefits to an amount equal to the smaller of 80% of a worker's average indexed monthly earnings or 150% of the worker's primary insurance amount. This provision would result in seriously reduced benefits for future disability recipients, especially younger workers with families. In a grand gesture of magnanimity, the Finance Committee raised the limit to 85% of the average indexed monthly earnings or 160% of the primary insurance amount. Likewise, in dealing with the House-passed provision which reduced the drop­out years allowed in calculating average earnings, the Senate committee adopted a slightly different scale from the House version -- still reducing the drop­out years, but allowing one year's earnings to be dropped in calculations for workers under 31. These token gestures are presumably the committee's response to the vehement opposition voiced by nearly every national organization of and for the handicapped. However, these "compromises" are not likely to please anyone. They certainly are not acceptable to the Save Our Security Coalition and its member groups, who oppose any attempt to cut back benefits for future beneficiaries. Meanwhile, proponents of the original Pickle bill were quick to admit that the so-called reforms made by the bill were minor. The Senate compromises further weaken the impact of these provisions, thus making the already "minor reforms" even less significant. Yet, although insignificant in terms of their overall impact upon savings for the Social Security program, these amendments would have a severe effect upon the lives of future disabled persons and their families. The American Council of the Blind, as well as other member groups in the Save Our Security Coalition, will continue to fight this negative legislation. Readers are encouraged to contact their Senators to express urgent opposition to H.R. 3236 as reported by the Senate Finance Committee. ***** ** Save Our Security By Wilbur J. Cohen (Editorial Note: A highlight of the 1979 ACB national convention program was the address by Wilbur J. Cohen, Dean Emeritus of the University of Michigan School of Education, and currently National Chairman of the Save Our Security Coalition, of which the American Council of the Blind is a member. As a young college graduate, Wilbur Cohen went to work for the President's Cabinet Committee on Economic Security in the Roosevelt Administration. A past president of the American Public Welfare Association, he served during the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations as Assistant Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare for Legislation. A long series of major pieces of legislation were adopted which he helped to develop. These include legislation affecting education at all levels, community mental health and mental retardation legislation, and, perhaps most significantly, Medicaid and Medicare. Excerpts from Mr. Cohen's address follow.) I appear before you today as the chairman of a coalition to save our Social Security. This is an organization -- or a coalition, really, of about a hundred organizations -- in the field of the disabled, the blind, the aged, the widowed, orphans, women's groups, minority groups, and church groups which have banded themselves together to oppose some of the amendments that have been recommended to cut back on Social Security benefits, and also to take affirmative action to improve the Social Security program. This organization was created this year when we found that the President and the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare had proposed amendments to cut back the benefits on Disability Insurance for the disabled and the blind, and also to cut back on many of the benefits for the aged and the widows and the orphans in the entire Social Security program. Over the past 45 years, I have been privileged in one way or another to work with the Social Security program. I came into the program in 1934, when it was being formulated under the Roosevelt Administration, and I have been, in one capacity or another -- as a research person, a policy formulator, administrator, or a teacher of the program -- connected with the program for the last 45 years. Now, the Social Security program, used in the broad sense -- not merely just Social Security, but the totality of Social Security programs, including Medicare and Medicaid and all the other programs -- is not perfect. Far from perfect! But I think most of you will agree with me that in these 45 years, we have made remarkable progress, step by step, in improving the program. As I teach the subject, I call that "incremental development," which I think has been the strategic method by which we have gained social reforms over these past 45 or 50 years. Step by step, as we have shown the need and demonstrated the need to the public, the voter or the taxpayer, there have been changes. On the whole during these 45 years, there have not been many backward steps. A little bit here and there, but many times we were taking ten steps forward to one step back. And that, indeed, was progress. However, this last year or so, we have entered into a completely new phase, in my opinion. There are now monumental forces at work in the American political and economic structure which say we have gone too far in protecting the social security of the American people. This is rather an unusual set of circumstances, and I attribute it to these factors — not solely these factors, but primarily these, which are: First, many people today have completely forgotten about the Depression of 1929-33-35, which was the instrumental force in American history causing the change to occur that established Social Security and the idea of protecting the American people against the major hazards of life. Young people particularly today have not only no concept of the Depression; they have no realization that any other might occur, because they have never experienced it ... That creates a political and social situation in which there is little feeling of the need to protect people who have difficulties. Secondly, the costs of many of these programs have risen over a period of time, and both young people and middle-income and middle-aged people are constantly talking about the tremendous costs, the money taken out of their pay roll, the increase of taxes. ... And naturally, those people who have to pay, who think that they will never become disabled or never become aged, or never die, or never become blind, say: Well, why should I pay when I am healthy and when I am wise and when I can work? ... And one or more of these hazards -- either becoming old or becoming disabled, or blind, or dying -- occurs, obviously, to everybody. One or more of those! And so the essential element of protecting people against these risks requires a realization which is hard for many people who are working, working hard, saving, raising a family, to want to pay for something when they don't quite realize the importance of it in the course of a lifetime. The third factor, of course, has been the development of Proposition 13 coming out of California, in which there is a conservative attitude about things, saying: Look, we've got to cut back on the use of energy; we've got to cut back on government; we've got to cut back on this, that, and the other thing -- and we've got to cut back on Social Security, too. So we do have a very difficult socioeconomic situation, and our coalition for social security, recognizing that there has been this monumental change in attitude, brought together these one hundred organizations to attempt to educate the Congress and the American people to the need and importance of our continued protection for these fundamental human rights, as I call them, for a decent life in old age; for a decent livelihood if you meet one of the hazards of life; and especially for the widows and orphans and children where one or more of the parents die. ... I have spent a good deal of my life in developing, administering, and evolving the Disability Insurance program which is part of Social Security. I believe the Disability Insurance program as a part of Social Security has been a very, very monumental improvement in Social Security. It took us from 1935 to 1956 to get the program over the opposition of the American Medical Association, insurance programs, employer opposition, all of which said that if you paid blind and disabled people, it would be the beginning of socialized medicine in the United States. ... We had the complete support of all the blind and disabled organizations, because we were making at that time a monumental change in policy to try to get away from welfare for the blind and disabled, and to emphasize insurance as a matter of earned right. Now, ladies and gentlemen, that is the essence of this controversy. The point is that people contribute while they work, their employer and themselves, to have a contributory, statutory, earned right to the benefits without having to pass a need or resource test, as in the welfare program. I believe that that is the essential public policy issue which we must protect and defend. ... (Mr. Cohen then commented specifically upon H.R. 3236, the Disability is Insurance Amendments of 1979, discussing in some detail those provisions which he characterized as "backward and retrogressive steps." See "H.R. 3236 Marches On," elsewhere in this issue.) Now, their attitude is: Well, if we reduce the benefits for the young persons, they'll have a greater incentive to go out and work. That is the philosophy behind all of these three amendments: lower the benefits, and the lower the benefits you make, the greater the incentive will be for the person to get rehabilitated and go out and get a job. I happen to completely disagree with that philosophy, and that is why I and the group I am affiliated with, and your organization, which has joined our group, are against it. I think rehabilitation and work is a much more important psychological and family and program asset than simply reducing the benefits to force people to go to work. Because, if you once accept that principle, then don't pay them any benefit at all and they have to go to work. If you want the greatest incentive for people to go to work, don't pay them anything. Starve them! I believe that is the wrong philosophy. ... Just to give you some idea what the reduction in benefits would be, I have in my hand here the Congressional report. For the first five years put together, that would reduce the benefits of the blind and disabled by $1,840,000,000 ... The first year, it's $50 million that is taken away from the blind and disabled; then the next year it quadruples to $191 million; then the third year to $351 million; then the fourth year to $530 million; then the fifth to $718 million: and in a short time, it's over a billion dollars a year being taken away from the blind and disabled. I must say, I do not call those modest, inconsequential amendments. And for a blind or disabled person, when it's taken away it's monumental. Now, we may win, we may lose, we may have to compromise on that bill. But, ladies and gentlemen, that is just the iceberg on top of the water. The President and the Secretary have also proposed a series of about ten to fifteen amendments in the total Social Security program which will cut back much more billions of dollars on the aged and the disabled and the widows and the orphans of our country. ... I believe that in the next year or so, some or all of those will be considered, and it is for that reason that our coalition is fighting so hard to let Congress know that whether we win or lose on this one, we're going to be in there fighting on it if it takes the next ten years. ... The situation has dramatically changed in these 45 years. Whereas previously each group looked to its own support because we were moving ahead, now when there is a possibility of moving backward, we must all work together, because if we don't hang together, we're going to hang separately. ... I believe one of the most fundamental things we must do is an educational campaign on younger people to show that their contributions to Social Security are worthwhile; that they're protecting themselves, their family and their future, and they're making it possible for the United States of America to have people free, and use their money to do what they want with, so that they don't have to go on welfare. ... But the whole point of Social Security, the whole point of insurance, the whole point of the earned right concept, is that you don't have to bend your knee to anyone when one of these hazards strikes you; your earned right will give you the benefit as a matter of law, and not as a privilege based upon somebody's noblesse oblige. ... Therefore, if we lose in the House, we're going to go over to the Senate of the United States and make exactly the same fight. And, as I say, ladies and gentlemen, even if we lose, we will then continue our fight on the Social Security program until we can convince the American people and the Congress that because you have contributed to the program, because 105 million Americans have contributed to the program this year, because there are 35 million people drawing Social Security every month, that this is an important part of the American freedom that we have to survive, part of our human right. And I hope you will join these hundred organizations; that your organization will protect and defend these rights and let the Congress know that you believe that this is the wrong way to go about defending the human rights of people of the United States. Thank you. ***** ** South Carolina Lawsuit Progress Report By Durward K. McDaniel The February, 1979 issue of The Braille Forum published an article giving the background and status of a lawsuit which had been filed by the State Attorney General to recover $47,000 from the South Carolina Aurora Club of the Blind, Inc., now known as the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina (NFBSC). The petition alleged that the money had been obtained by constructive fraud when the Board of the Association of the Blind of South Carolina (which was dominated by Federation members) gave the money to the NFBSC, even though the Association's membership had directed that its assets go to the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. Evelyn Hydrick was included as a plaintiff in the suit, as a representative of the Association's membership. The Court of Common Pleas approved a controversial settlement agreed to by a majority of the Board of the South Carolina Commission and dismissed the case. Evelyn Hydrick appealed to the State Supreme Court, which reversed the dismissal and remanded the case for trial. Under the court's decision, the State of South Carolina and the South Carolina Commission for the Blind will now be defendants rather than plaintiffs, as they were originally. The settlement which the court approved earlier was neither approved nor disapproved by the State Supreme Court. That settlement created two trusts to be administered by the defendant, South Carolina Aurora Club, Inc., as follows: 1. Funds in the amount of ten thousand (10,000) dollars of said Trust shall be set aside and held in trust, such Trust to be known as the Ellen Beach Mack Home Award Trust, the income from said Trust to be awarded by the trustees no less than annually to one or more needy beneficiaries, to be used for the purchase, acquisition, renovation, or improvement of a personal residence for the recipient or recipients. 2. All the rest and residue of the trust fund shall be held by the trustees, in trust, to be used to provide for the general improvement of conditions among, and promote the economic welfare of, the beneficiaries. ... The purpose of the second trust would permit the money to be spent to further the defendant's organizational purposes. If the $47,000 ever gets into the Commission's possession, it would have to be used for legally authorized programs which do not include the purposes of the two trusts. Mrs. Hydrick has acknowledged contributions from organizations and individuals which have assisted her in meeting the costs of this litigation. Future costs will be substantial, and she and other blind South Carolinians will appreciate donations which can be sent to her at 1508 Sewanee Drive, West Columbia, SC 29169. ***** ** IBM Audio Typing Unit On November 2, 1979, the IBM Corporation announced the MagCard/A, Audio Typing Unit, which is a voice output for the IBM MagCard II, and Memory typewriters. With the device, a blind person can be certain that the typed material is error free and letter perfect. No longer will the blind need sighted assistance in proofreading, revising, or performing any of the special formats of a typed document, thereby enabling the blind secretary to become totally independent and self-sufficient. When proofreading, the voice output will pronounce in words everything that has been typed into memory, giving spelling and punctuation, and will facilitate statistical typing by telling you the numbers at which the margins and tabs are set. It will let you know how much information will fit on the page and when it is at the end of a ribbon. If you choose, you can set the machine in the keyboard on Mode, in which it will say every letter that is stroked, being very beneficial to a new typist. When revising or typing rough drafts or confidential material, you can depress the Print Off key and not use any paper. You can depress the Print On key when you are ready to play out the final copy. Utilizing this device will create many hiring opportunities for the blind secretary, If you are presently employed and using any of the above IBM typewriters, please contact your local IBM office products sales office for further information in either New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Austin, or San Francisco. If you need training on these magnetic typewriters, the Lighthouse, located at 111 E. 59 Street, New York, NY 10022, will be offering a course. Contact Betty Skleros for more information. ***** ** Dialogue Founder/Editor Retires (Reprinted from NLS News, Sept.-Oct., 1979) Don O. Nold, founder, editor, and publisher of Dialogue, retired August 1. Dialogue, the first disc magazine for blind people, is now published quarterly in braille and large print, as well as on disc. Before becoming editor/publisher of Dialogue. Nold worked as a newspaper man and owned three businesses. During the Depression, he wrote for several local newspapers and for a trucking magazine. In 1938 he started his first business, a letter press show. His other businesses were school supplies and an advertising firm. Dialogue was chartered as a non-profit organization in 1961. Nold and his volunteer staff published their first issue in January, 1962. At that time, only Newsweek and Reader's Digest were available on disc, and most materials about blindness were available only in print. Dialogue's initial support came from Lions Clubs of Illinois. In honor of this support, Nold originally called the magazine The Talking Lion. The name was changed to Dialogue in 1964 when significant support was received from other groups. ... Seventy to 75% of the magazine's content came from other sources when it was first published. But by 1968 the staff began using original material. Today most material for the news and features is original, and free-lance contributors are blind. ... The new editor, Louise Rogers Kimbrough, began as a Dialogue volunteer in 1974. ... The new publisher, Bill Wetendorf, is the former director of the Dialogue studios. He began working with the magazine through the Lions, where he was a fund-raiser for both Dialogue and programs for blind people. ***** ** ACB Affiliate News * Old Dominion Council Holds Fall Convention The semi-annual general membership meeting of the Old Dominion American Council of the Blind was held in Richmond, Virginia, the weekend of September 23-24. Representing national ACB were Mary Ballard of Rochester, New York, editor of The Braille Forum, and ACB Board member Christopher Gray, who recently moved from Seattle to Washington, D.C. The meeting was called to order on Saturday afternoon by President Charles Hodge of Arlington. He welcomed members and guests and gave a brief presidential report, including an account of the ACB national convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan. William T. Coppage, Director of the Virginia Commission for the Visually Handicapped, set forth what the Commission was requesting in terms of legislation for the upcoming session of the Legislature, to commence in January, 1980. He indicated that only technical changes in nomenclature concerning the structure of the Commission itself were being requested. However, he stated, further, that three supplemental budget item requests had been denied by the Secretary of Human Resources and by the Governor, namely: genetic counseling training for Commission staff members, radio reading service, and a neighborhood mobility program to serve particularly the elderly blind. Any support which could be given by the Old Dominion ACB, he suggested, in attempting to get funding for these programs included in the budget at the upcoming legislative session would be very much appreciated. At the Sunday morning business meeting, the membership voted to support efforts to have funding for these three programs earlier denied by the Governor included in a supplemental budget request. The second presentation of the afternoon was a panel discussion participated in by three Virginia legislators who in the past have demonstrated considerable interest in affairs of the blind -- Elise Hines of Arlington, Jerry Baliles of Richmond, and Arthur (Pete) Guison of Stanton. The main thrust of the discussion addressed the issue of blind citizens serving on juries. Delegate Hines had introduced legislation in the last Legislature to prohibit blind citizens from being disqualified for jury duty solely because of their blindness. She indicated that similar legislation would again be introduced in the upcoming session, and the membership voted to vigorously support Delegate Hines' efforts on this issue. Mary Ballard spoke concerning The Braille Forum, its history and development, its objectives, its editorial policy, and what she sees ahead in the immediate future. She also described the wide range of periodic newsletters, large and small, frequent and not so frequent, which are being published by ACB affiliates throughout the country. Officers were elected as follows: President, G. Paul Kirton of Ladysmith; First Vice President, Bessy Pryor of Richmond; Second Vice President, Phyllis Trent of Roanoke; and Secretary-Treasurer, Erma Blace of Vienna. * Mid-Florida Council of the Blind News (Editor's Note: Following are excerpts from a letter received from Kenneth Hubbard of Winter Park, Florida, secretary of the Mid-Florida Council of the Blind. The letter tells what one active, imaginative local chapter of the American Council of the Blind is doing to serve both the blind and sighted communities, as well as to educate the public concerning blindness. It may spark some ideas among other local chapters looking for worthwhile projects and activities.) ... At the present time, we have 140 paid-up members. We are recognized as being the most active in Florida. We have put menus in many of the eating places in Florida. We have a number of braillists who do our brailling. A committee designed and had made a banner which we display at all our meetings and at all our exhibits and at our state conventions. ... Our chapter publishes a monthly bulletin entitled "The Mumbles." It is published in regular type, large print, and on tape. The tape edition is much more interesting, as it includes interviews and musical selections as well as regular business news and coming events. ... Our social events include bus trips to various places of interest in Florida, fishing trips, camping trips, and bowling. We have special horseshoes for our horseshoe pitching contests. We are also asked to participate in parades. Periodically, we have exhibits at the various malls, along with other organizations. We display things made and things used by the blind. This educates the public to what the blind can do. We have a bumper sticker which we designed and try to sell in order to raise money. Our next project is the sale of discount books. ... ***** ** Here and There By Elizabeth M. Lennon From Visually Handicapped Views (South Dakota Association of the Blind): Rochelle Foley, Vice President of ACB's South Dakota affiliate, has been awarded one of La Sertoma's national scholarships for graduate study. Shell is in her final year of a master's program in speech pathology at the University of South Dakota. Catherine Gleitz, President of Guide Dog Users, Inc., was recently the recipient of a Special Merit Award from Recording for the Blind. The award carried a stipend of $200 and was in recognition of her outstanding academic record at Adelphi University, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration, with emphasis on marketing and management. From The Matilda Ziegler Magazine: Nite-Lite is a battery-operated, hand lantern which casts a broad, intense beam of light, easy to follow even for people who have tunnel vision. The lantern weighs five pounds and has a shoulder strap so that it can be carried at waist height while hands remain free. Cost, $84, plus taxes and shipping. For further information, write Farelon-Oceanic, 1333 Old County Road, Belmont, CA 94002. -- "Playback," a cassette magazine designed to inform listeners about sources for low-cost tape and other audio equipment, is available from Edward L. Potter, 1308 Evergreen Avenue, Goldsboro, NC 27530. Publication also contains a classified column for those wishing to buy or sell audio equipment. Send $2 and a cassette mailer for an initial issue. NLS Update reports that at their recent convention in Hollywood, Florida, the Telephone Pioneers were honored for 20 years of service in repairing talking book machines. -- Maxine Dorf, Head, Volunteer Training Section, National Library Service, has been named President-Elect of the National Braille Association. C. Cade Verner, long-time member of the Executive Board and legislative lobbyist for the ACB of Indiana, died in Indianapolis on October 19. He had been in poor health for some time. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind announces publication of an English-Language World Atlas in large-print. To order, send a foreign currency draft (available at your local bank) for $8.95 (Canadian) to: Mrs. Jean Moody, Canadian National Institute for the Blind, 1929 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M4G 3E8, Canada. From the New York Association of Workers for the Blind Newsletter: Safety for blind persons in their homes is being promoted through a project in the Buffalo area under which the Niagara-Mohawk Power Company has supplied its meter readers with large-print and braille identification cards. If the project is successful, the company will take it to the rest of the state. According to Sharing (published by Handicapped of New Jersey), the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT) can supply names of physicians in more than 120 countries who speak English and who have agreed to a standard set of fees for services to travelers. Without charge, the group will send a world climate chart, guidance on type of clothing needed in each country, and information on the availability of food and safe drinking water. Write IAMAT, 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5620, New York, NY 10001. The News Reel Club is an organization of persons, both blind and sighted, who share ideas and experiences through a monthly cassette magazine. Club dues are $6 a year if one returns cassettes in the mailer supplied by the editor, or $16 a year if one wishes to keep the cassettes. For further information, write News Reel Club, Inc., Stanley Doran, Editor, 176 Brehl Avenue, Columbus, OH 43223. From The Vendorscope: Volunteer Services for the Blind, of Philadelphia, offers an Optacon to any individual in need of one, regardless of geographic location, at a subsidized price of $750, plus the cost of a two-week stay in Philadelphia for training. The training itself is without charge. To be accepted for the program, a person must have an evaluation of his or her Optacon learning potential, which may be done by any trained Optacon teacher or Telesensory Systems, Inc. representative. For further information, write Volunteer Services for the Blind, 919 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. AmBiChron is a small, light-weight attachment, operated from a 9-volt transistor radio type battery, which cuts out the squeaky, garbled effect of variable­speed talking book player and enables the reader to listen either more slowly or more rapidly at normal pitch (from one-half up to more than three times normal speed). Because of the enthusiastic reception of the device, the producers have recently been able to reduce the price to $145. Write AmBiChron, 67 Smith Street, Lynbrook, NY 11563. Maureen Young, blind since birth, made her debut this past summer with the New York Grand Opera Company. The 32-year-old soprano sang the lead role, Mimi, in Puccini's "La Boheme," before 12,000 people in Central Park. Miss Young moved to New York two years ago from Chicago, where she had been in public relations work. She is a communications graduate of the University of Illinois and has been singing professionally since the age of 9. From Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness: Homemaker Gladys Loeb has developed a number of labeling techniques usable by blind and visually impaired persons. For non-braille readers, labels consist of miniature plastic representations of items such as meat, fruit, and vegetables. These are attached to plastic bands that go around cans or packages. For ordering information, contact Mrs. Gladys Loeb, 2002 Forest Hill Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20903. The Michigan Association of the Blind, in cooperation with the Rehabilitation Services Administration, Department of Health, Education and Welfare, has produced a movie, "Vision in Productivity," as a vehicle to promote hiring of visually impaired persons. Contact Lucille Karner, Mid-Michigan Center for the Blind, Inc., Suite 200, 115 W. Allegan Street, Lansing, Ml 48933. Through a grant from the National Science Foundation, consultation will be available during the 1979-80 school year in the field of science education for visually impaired students. Mrs. Dorothy Tombaugh, science teacher on leave from the Euclid, Ohio, Senior High School, and widely known for her success in integrating blind and other physically handicapped students into her biology, chemistry, and physical science classes, will tour the country to give slide presentations, to consult on modifications of laboratory equipment, and to display and demonstrate various techniques used in teaching laboratory science to the handicapped. Write American Association for the Advancement of Science, Project on the Handicapped in Science, 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036. Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, Massachusetts, celebrated its 150th anniversary this past spring. The school was founded in 1829 as the New England Asylum for the Blind. — On October 1, a Founder's Day program was held at the Michigan School for the Blind, Lansing, to mark the beginning of a year­long celebration in observance of the 100th anniversary of the school. Arnold Moss, talking book reader at the American Foundation for the Blind for 28 years, was recently received by Pope John Paul II, according to the AFB Newsletter. Mr. Moss portrayed the Voice of God in a command performance at the Vatican of the Penderecski opera based on John Milton's "Paradise Lost." Fidelity Electronics, Ltd., of Chicago has introduced an electronic chess game known as the Voice Chess Challenger. It incorporates Telesensory Systems, lnc.'s synthetic speech and hence is usable by blind chess players. The Voice Chess Challenger will announce moves and captures as they occur. All board positions will automatically be repeated upon command. Ten levels of difficulty of play are possible, allowing individual chess skill and experience to be matched with the Challenger. Price is approximately $325. Need something in braille? The National Braille Association announces continuation of its Reader-Transcriber Registry, which will accept all print materials for brailling, with the exception of textbooks or highly technical manuals. Transcribing is done by braillists certified by the National Library Service, Library of Congress. You may send any print materials you feel would be helpful in work, recreation, or daily living. Charges are $.03 per brailled page, bindings included. Send all materials or inquiries to NBA Reader-Transcriber Registry, Mrs. Lawrence M. Levine, Chairman, 5300 Hamilton Avenue, No. 1404, Cincinnati, OH 45224. The University of Arizona Graduate Library School offers library training fellowships for qualified handicapped candidates for the Master of Library Science degree. Facilities in some dormitories have been modified to provide a barrier-free campus. For further information, write Donald C. Dickinson, Director, Graduate School Library, 1515 E. First Street, Tucson, AZ 85719. ***** ** 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. As a bimonthly supplement, the flexible disc edition also includes ALL-O-GRAMS, newsletter of the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America. Send subscription requests and address changes to The Braille Forum, 190 Lattimore Road, Rochester, NY 14620. Items intended for publication may be sent in print, braille, or tape to Editor Mary T. Ballard at the above address. Those much-needed and appreciated cash contributions may be sent to James R. Olsen, Treasurer, c/o ACB National Office, 1211 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 506, Washington, DC 20036. You may wish to remember someone by sharing in the continuing work of the American Council of the Blind. The National Office now has available special printed cards to acknowledge to loved ones contributions made in memory of deceased persons. Anyone wishing to remember the American Council of the Blind in his or her Last Will and Testament may do so by including in the Will a special paragraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, you or your attorney may wish to contact the ACB National Office. ###