The Braille Forum Vol. XVIII April, 1980 No. 10 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, 3701 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 236, Washington, DC 20008 * First Vice President: Delbert K. Aman, 115 Fifth Avenue, S.E., Aberdeen, SD 57401 * Second Vice President: Dr. 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 South 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 Report from the ACB President, Oral O. Miller Only a Matter of Time?, by Christopher Gray ACB Way Out in Front -- Derbytown Convention, 1980, by Carla S. Franklin For Your Information -- From the ACB Board of Publications, by Harold Dachtler Resolution to Proclaim "Helen Keller Day," by Kathy Megivern Toastmasters International -- Reaching Out for Success White House Response Concerning President's Failure to Include Handicapped Florida Waiver Legislation Is Withdrawn From the Archives: "And Now He Belongs to the Ages," by A.L. Archibald Status Report on Civil Rights Legislation, by Kathy Megivern Working Together for a Better Agency, by Carla S. Franklin Tactile American Currencies: H.R. 6027 Emerges, by Louis J. Finkle, Ph.D. ACB Affiliate News: Kansas Convention Notes ACB of New York State Convention BANA Annual Meeting Here and There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon Notice to Subscribers ***** ** Report from the ACB President, Oral O. Miller Since I did not have a report in last month's issue of The Braille Forum because I was out of the country during part of January and February, a brief report concerning my trip would seem to be in order. I was designated by the U.S. Association for Blind Athletes (USABA) to serve as group leader for the blind cross-country skiing team sent by the USABA to compete in the 1980 Winter Olympics for the Handicapped, held in Geilo, Norway, the first week in February. The team, which consisted of seven blind skiers, plus sighted ski guides and coaches, was put together at the completion of trials conducted in Colorado during November, 1979, and it was the smaller part of the over-all American handicapped team, the majority of whose members were amputees and orthopedically handicapped skiers. The Handicapped Winter Olympics, which were sponsored by the International Sports Organization for the Disabled, conducted only cross-country skiing competition for the blind competitors. Until early 1979, the sponsoring organization had intended to conduct downhill skiing competition for the blind, also. However, those plans were changed with reference to the 1980 event, which was the first in which blind competitors from throughout the world were invited to participate. The American team went first to Oslo, Norway, for approximately a week of training and acclimatization before moving on by train to the picturesque mountain village of Geilo and the Olympic competition. While our cross-country skiers did not win any medals in any of the six races in which they competed (three for women and three for men), they did not finish last against their far more experienced and better trained European and Canadian counterparts. Many of the European competitors had benefitted from government-supported or government-endorsed training programs which had been in operation for many years, whereas our skiers were selected only three months beforehand and, due to abnormally light snowfall in most of the United States during the 1979-80 winter, most had almost no opportunity to practice and train on the snow before going to Norway. During the Olympic Week in Geilo, some of the American blind skiers and coaches conducted a widely viewed and warmly received demonstration of the feasibility of downhill skiing as an event for blind competitors in future handicapped Olympics. The USABA plans to set up both cross-country and downhill competitive skiing programs in the United States, and those programs will be publicized in The Braille Forum. By the time this issue of The Braille Forum is in the hands of its readers plans for the leadership training workshop to be held in Chicago the weekend of April 18-20, 1980, will have been completed, and hopefully the representatives to attend from the states of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri will have been selected and will have their travel plans already made The workshop, being co-sponsored by the American Council of the Blind and the Illinois Federation of the Blind (the ACB affiliate in Illinois), will take place at the Bismarck Hotel and will concentrate on such practical and important subjects as public education and public relations, fund-raising, membership development the legislative process, advocacy before governmental agencies, civil rights of the handicapped, and the orderly conduct of business. We are sorry that it has been necessary to limit the total number of people who may take part in this workshop, which will, in many ways, serve as a pilot for future regional workshops. One very encouraging fact about the upcoming workshop in Chicago is that ACB is able to provide a small subsidy to assist each workshop participant with his or her transportation expenses. The 1980 ACB national convention will take place, as most readers of The Braille Forum know, in Louisville, Kentucky, from July 12 through July 19. Specific articles about convention plans will continue to appear in The Braille Forum. However it is hoped that -- thanks to the efforts of the ACB officers, directors, staff, and committee members -- there will be a noticeable improvement this year in the mailing of the pre-registration packets. Last summer, a committee, chaired by Dr. Robert McLean of New Orleans, was appointed to look into the feasibility of computerizing much of ACB's membership and other information, with the aim of streamlining membership services. Over the months, that committee, assisted by ACB staff and officers, has explored many possibilities, and while ACB cannot yet afford the kind of comprehensive system it would like to have, we are now ready to take the first step into computerization. It is hoped that one of the first benefits of this step will be the prompter and more efficient mailing of our 1980 national convention pre-registration packets. However, let me emphasize again and again and again that no system in the world can mail material promptly if the information which is supposed to be included in the material has not been submitted promptly. Also, we have to remind our readers that, although computers are amazing machines, there are inevitably some errors which take place and result in such things as incorrect addresses, duplicate copies being sent to the same person, etc. We ask for your patience during this, the "shake-down" year, and we ask that all errors be reported to us immediately so corrections can be made. In addition, it is possible that this year's convention pre-registration packet will be a single unit of material. That is, the convention announcement and pre-registration form may be physically attached to the return envelope along a perforated line. If such a system is used on a trial basis this year in an effort to save money and reduce handling time, I want to alert all recipients of such material to examine it carefully so as to tear it along only the perforated line and return it otherwise as directed. ***** ** Only a Matter of Time? By Christopher Gray At the 1979 ACB national convention, what began as a procedural matter reared up into a potential threat to the democratic underpinnings and principles upon which the American Council of the Blind stands. Stated simply, the issue raised was the right of an affiliate to vote freely on the convention floor. In debate on an amendment to an amendment to the ACB Constitution, this right was denied on grounds that there had been no great interest demonstrated in speaking from the floor, that time was short, and that the issue in question was of little real importance. In reality, there had been many calls for the floor; the business meeting had only recently begun; and the issue in question was to seriously affect an amendment to the Constitution. This article is an attempt to set matters in perspective and to propose actions that should be taken to eliminate any ambiguities and vague areas in the matter of affiliate representation in the future. For those not familiar with voting procedures at national conventions, an explanation is in order. First, each certified member of an ACB affiliate and each member-at-large is entitled to one vote when present on the convention floor. This is commonly referred to as the "standing vote." In addition, each affiliate is entitled to one vote for each 25 of its certified members, provided that no affiliate may cast more than 25 votes. It is in the casting of this affiliate vote that controversy has arisen. The manner in which this vote is taken is by roll call of the state and special-interest affiliates represented at the convention and certified annually by the Credentials Committee. The formula for determining the affiliate vote and the procedure for certifying members and delegates are clearly delineated in the ACB Constitution and By-Laws. What seems not to be well defined, however, is precisely when an affiliate roll call vote is required. In Grand Rapids, it was determined that a roll call vote was not necessary on an amendment to an amendment of the Constitution. The rationale was that an amendment to an amendment was not significant enough to warrant taking the time for a roll call vote. However, does not an amended amendment change a constitution just as effectively as a simple amendment? And should it be treated less lightly? The ACB Constitution and By-Laws is not a document based upon momentary whim or shortsighted perception. It is a document which should reflect our greatest goals and aspirations; our highest ideals; our right of democratic action. Our Constitution is the very essence of our organizational being. Democracy is not advertised as a quick or efficient way of doing business. If we cannot take the time, however, to allow affiliates their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote, especially in matters affecting the Constitution itself, something is wrong! The counter-argument to this is that there are those irresponsible people who would demand a roll call vote even on minor issues if given carte blanche. However, I recall almost no such disruptive and irresponsible behavior in past conventions which I have attended. Regardless of individual perceptions of this issue, there obviously needs to be clarification of when a roll call is and is not required. I propose the following: In all constitutional matters, be they amendments or amendments to amendments, there must be a roll call if anyone expresses doubt concerning the outcome of a vote. Second, on resolutions, motions, and other similar business matters, a roll call must be taken if formally requested from the floor by either (1) delegates from five affiliates, or (2) ten voting members. Many affiliates pay the expenses of delegates to represent them at national conventions. In many cases (particularly with new affiliates and with smaller, poorer affiliates), this is a real financial hardship. Affiliates must not be robbed of their right to representation. I believe that the guidelines outlined above would ensure stability and democracy within ACB and would protect and guarantee the voting right of each affiliate. ***** ** ACB Way Out In Front -- Derbytown Convention, 1980 By Carla S. Franklin Louisville is known for its fabulous conventions, and we of the Kentucky Council of the Blind are planning just such a fabulous week for you. There will be planned events and impromptu happenings to please everyone. Convention Week will actually get under way Saturday, July 12, and will wind to a close a full week later on Saturday, July 19. Here is a partial schedule of events; many more will be announced in the May and June issues of The Braille Forum and in the official convention program which you will receive upon arrival in Louisville. July 12-13: Section 504 Workshop, conducted by Reese Robrahn and Donna Eggert. July 13-15: Special-interest meetings and conventions; special events sponsored by these groups, many of which are open to all interested conventioneers. July 14: RSVA Dance (open to everyone). July 15: American Printing House for the Blind Tours (free to all who register for the ACB convention). July 15: ACB Board of Publications Workshop. July 15: VISTA Job Fair. July 15: Special-Interest Recognition Night at Louisville Downs Race Track; dinner and racing (coat and tie). July 16-19: ACB Convention. July 16: Awards Gala. July 17: Bardstown Tour -- Dinner and outdoor live performance of the musical, "The Stephen Foster Story" (coat and tie). July 18: ACB Banquet and Dance. July 19: Elections; close of Convention. Keep this schedule handy, and add to it as more events are announced next month. Many of you are now beginning to make travel plans to Louisville. Louisville boasts a central location -- convenient to many other major cities by both bus and air. You might decide to come by bus (Greyhound or Trailways), by air (Eastern, Delta, American, U.S. Air, TWA, Piedmont, Ozark), or by car (I-64, I-65, I-71, and I-264). When you arrive at bus station or airport, you will be anxious to get to the Galt House as quickly as possible. Both Greyhound and Trailways are a short taxi ride from the hotel (about $1.50). From the airport, taxi fare will cost approximately $7.50. Prior to the convention, the Host Committee will make taxi companies aware of the convention, as well as of laws affecting the transportation of dog guides. Upon arriving at the Galt House, convention headquarters, you will be pleasantly surprised at the accommodations. From the street-level lobby to the revolving restaurant overlooking the Ohio River, this 25-story hotel is the ultimate in modern convenience and comfort. Room rates are as follows: singles, $19; doubles, $25; triples, $29; quads, $33; one-bedroom suites, $85. To make hotel reservations, call or write: The Galt House, 140 N. 4th Street, Louisville, KY 40202; telephone (502) 589-5200. If you have any questions concerning the convention, or if we can be of assistance to you in any way, call or write: 1980 ACB Convention Management Committee, P.O. Box 306, Louisville, KY 402021; telephone (502) 895-4598. ***** ** For Your Information From the ACB Board of Publications By Harold Dachtler, Chairman The ACB Board of Publications wishes to keep readers of The Braille Forum and members of the American Council of the Blind informed on matters of special interest. The first of these items is that this coming summer at the ACB national convention in Louisville, Kentucky, the Board of Publications will sponsor a Publications Workshop, to be held Tuesday afternoon, July 15, from 1:30 to 4:30 P.M. The workshop is open to anyone who has an interest in or works on the production of any type of publication. Featured will be George Covington, who works out of the ACB National Office in Washington, D.C. Mr. Covington has a degree and several years' teaching experience in journalism. Some of the program will be structured, but much time will be allocated to input from those in attendance. We encourage all affiliates and chapters to be represented. Bring sample copies of your publications. Beginning in July, 1980, the Board of Publications will sponsor a writing competition, open to all. This new writing competition will replace the selection process presently being used to select the recipient of the Ned E. Freeman Article of the Year Award. Listen for further information at the upcoming annual convention, and watch for written details in The Braille Forum sometime after July. We encourage all affiliate and chapter presidents, secretaries and/or membership chairmen to keep on hand a supply of Braille Forum subscription cards. This is an easy way to get new members on the Braille Forum mailing list quickly or to communicate changes of address or changes of edition to the Editor. The cards are available upon request from the Editor, Mary T. Ballard, 190 Lattimore Road, Rochester, NY 14620. It is important to keep the affiliate publications directory up to date. So if you have a change of editorship or a change of address for your publication, please notify the Editor of The Braille Forum. ***** ** Resolution to Proclaim "Helen Keller Day" By Kathy Megivern On February 19, 1980, the Senate unanimously passed Senate Joint Resolution 127, which authorizes and requests the President to officially proclaim June 27, 1980, as "Helen Keller Day." That date marks the 100th anniversary of Miss Keller's birth. Senator Howell Heflin (D., AL), sponsor of the resolution, is from Tuscumbia, Alabama, where Helen Keller was born, and he served at one time as Miss Keller's attorney. The resolution, as originally introduced, had some problems. For instance, the American Foundation for the Blind was mistakenly identified as the American federation of the Blind. In addition, there were references to "darkness," "despair," and "defeat," leaving exactly the kind of image of blindness that the American Council of the Blind has been working to dispel. Senator Heflin and his staff were responsive to suggested changes, and they worked closely with ACB and other organizations to draft a more appropriate resolution. Consumer advocates made it clear that the resolution should emphasize the positive, and not capitalize on the pity or fear so frequently evoked when the topic of deaf-blindness is mentioned. In addition, it was felt that the resolution could provide a good opportunity to make a statement about the needs and abilities of disabled Americans now, one hundred years after Miss Keller's birth. Following is an excerpt of Senator Heflin's remarks made on the floor of the Senate just prior to unanimous passage of Senate Joint Resolution 127. "The commemorative day which this resolution authorizes will be celebrated in conjunction with several events planned around the country in Helen Keller's honor. Among these is the Helen Keller Centennial Congress to be held in Boston the week of June 23, 1980. The annual Helen Keller Festival will be held during the weekend of June 29 through July 1, 1980, in Tuscumbia, Alabama, which was Helen Keller's birthplace and my home town. Also during this week the U. S. Postal Service plans to issue a commemorative postage stamp in honor of both Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Other events and ceremonies have been planned by various organizations throughout the country that will also coincide with the 100th anniversary of Helen Keller's birth. "There is a much more important reason for the adoption of this resolution Which I would like to offer for the consideration of my colleagues. It is my feeling that this resolution offers a unique opportunity to do much more than just set aside one day to honor an outstanding disabled American. It provides a chance to call attention to just how much can be accomplished by even the most severely handicapped person when proper education, training, and opportunities are made available. "All too often, tributes such as these tend to focus solely on the accomplishments of the individual being honored. Certainly, the courage and achievements of Helen Keller should not be overlooked, for they offer hope to many of our disabled citizens. More importantly, however, they also offer proof of the remarkable human potential which lies within each of us, disabled or not. How many Helen Kellers have been lost because of the assumptions of people around us that such individuals could not contribute to society? We, as a nation, can no longer afford to waste such untapped potential. "By focusing attention on the fact that Helen Keller's disabilities were minor compared to her talents and abilities, this resolution can be our first step in educating the nondisabled public to the potential of the talents and abilities of other handicapped individuals and to the importance of bringing these citizens into the mainstream of American life so that all of us can benefit from their contributions. "With this resolution, we can celebrate with pride the miracle of Helen Keller's life and, in so doing, we can also celebrate the potential, the achievements, and the talents of all disabled Americans." ***** ** Toastmasters International -- Reaching Out for Success Can you always say what you really mean? Do others find you worth listening to? Are you afraid to speak before a group? According to a recent survey reported by Toastmasters International, almost half of the people questioned listed speaking in public as their No. 1 fear, outranking even the fear of death by a two-to-one margin. Toastmasters International has helped thousands of persons to develop their public speaking and leadership potential. Effective listening and speaking skills are essential to everyone, especially to those who must communicate without sight. The need to develop these skills is a matter of paramount importance to the blind, and Toastmasters is doing everything possible to respond to the special needs of its blind members. How can Toastmasters help? Toastmasters will show you how to express your thoughts, ideas, and opinions and how to develop your leadership potential through an enjoyable, yet thoroughly professional, educational program. The best way to learn is by doing, and that's how Toastmasters works. Your first speech will be an "icebreaker" -- a chance to introduce yourself to your fellow Toastmasters. From then on, you work at the pace which suits you. You will be introduced to techniques on how to identify and state your purpose and how to properly construct a speech. You will gain valuable "how to " experience in the use of voice variety, word pictures, persuasion, and you will learn how to make what you say crystal clear to your listeners. Special reading projects will broaden your outlook. As you progress, you will learn to develop your vocabulary to make your presentations more interesting. The Toastmasters program also includes effective evaluation. This evaluation of a member's prepared, impromptu speaking effort is performed by fellow Toastmasters in a constructive and helpful manner, utilizing a prepared evaluation procedure that is an integral part of the program. Once the basics are mastered, there is ample opportunity to practice and develop the finer points of becoming an effective communicator. And, as your own communication skills increase, you will become more keenly aware of the qualities of an effective speaker. There is ample opportunity for members to express their thoughts in conversation in the extemporaneous speaking portion of Toastmasters meetings -- to learn the basic skills of leadership -- to serve as master of ceremonies, lead discussion groups, act as committee chairman -- to gain experience in conference, convention, and program planning and arrangement. Toastmasters International has formed four clubs for the blind over the past year. Because written educational materials are such a vital part of the Toastmasters learning experience, a number of the manuals have been produced in braille and on cassette tape. Some of these manuals can now be obtained from World Headquarters, while others will soon be available. These recorded and braille materials are enabling many blind persons to join and become effective members of Toastmasters clubs in their local communities. "Public speaking is especially challenging for the blind," suggests a recent article in The Toastmaster, official publication of Toastmasters International, "because gestures, timing, eye contact, and often written notes are so important to the success of a speech ... Blind Toastmasters depend upon evaluations from sighted members for guidance in these areas. Their goal is to develop speaking styles so smooth that the audience won't even notice they can't see. "Evelyn-Jane Davis, the winner of Toastmasters' 1977 international speech contest, has shown other blind members just how far they can go despite their handicap. Ms. Davis, who holds a key management position at the IRS, says Toastmasters has made it possible for her to start a second career in public speaking, and she credits Toastmasters with helping her develop the skills she needed to sell herself when she left her law practice to seek her current position as Federal Women's Program Manager for the IRS. "Winning Toastmasters top speaking award didn't stop Ms. Davis from continuing her involvement in Toastmasters ... In fact, she says the organization is as important to her as ever today. "'Toastmasters gives me an opportunity to create and try new things when I know my job and salary aren't at stake,'" she explains. "But, she stresses, the blind have as much to contribute to Toastmasters as they stand to gain. "'Blind people are very sensitive to vocal tone and pace, so they can be excellent evaluators,' says Ms. Davis, who lost her sight as a teenager. 'The blind and the sighted have a lot to share with each other. When we work together in Toastmasters, it makes us put ourselves in other people's shoes to experience the world as they do. That's the essence -- the purpose -- of communication.'" For information about Toastmasters and about materials available in braille and recorded form, contact Toastmasters International, World Headquarters, 2200 N. Grand Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92711. ***** ** White House Response Concerning President's Failure to Include Handicapped "I would like to see the elimination of remaining discrimination in our country against women and against blacks and against Hispanics and against the poor." In response to these words by President Jimmy Carter in a New Year's Day interview on ABC Television, the American Council of the Blind addressed a mailgram to the President expressing concern at his failure to make any mention of the handicapped as a minority group who daily face discrimination in its most severe form (see The Braille Forum, February, 1980). Under date of February 21, 1980, the following reply was received by ACB President Oral 0. Miller. Note that although the letter is responsive to the mailgram of January 4, it does not address President Carter's same omission of the handicapped -- not once, but several times --in his speech before the 30th Annual Meeting of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights on January 27 (See The Braille Forum, March, 1980). Dear Mr. Miller: On behalf of President Carter, I want to thank you for your recent correspondence concerning the civil rights of handicapped individuals. The President's record on enhancement of the rights of handicapped Americans is evidence of his past and continuing commitment to this vital issue. It was an unfortunate oversight that he did not include the handicapped as a group that still suffers from discrimination in his recent ABC interview. In his written State of the Union message released January 21, 1980, the President did reaffirm his support for important civil rights legislation: "Last year, I supported legislation which would prohibit discrimination against the handicapped in private employment and housing. I will continue to support that initiative this year ... " We will continue to work with the Congress on these and other important civil rights matters. We appreciate knowing of your concern on this. Sincerely, Stuart E. Eizenstat Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs and Policy ***** ** Florida Waiver Legislation Is Withdrawn The call came to the ACB Washington Office on Tuesday, March 11: "The good news is that the Stack bill is dead!" The reference was to H.R. 5143, a bill sponsored by Representative Edward J. Stack (D., FL). As reported in the January Braille Forum, the Stack bill would have given the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare the authority to waive current requirements in Federal law concerning the administrative structure of state rehabilitation agencies. The bill was introduced after Florida lost a lawsuit in which they had challenged the Federal requirements. Advocates of disabled persons were nearly unanimous in their opposition to this bill, which posed a serious threat to the integrity of rehabilitation services. The bill had been scheduled for a "mark up" and vote by the House Education and Labor Committee on Wednesday, March 12, but the American Council of the Blind and other organizations worked closely with the committee staff and managed to convince Mr. Stack that his bill could not pass the committee. Rather than subject the State of Florida to yet another defeat on this question, Mr. Stack decided to withdraw the bill. Staff of the Committee on Education and Labor called with the good news and thanked ACB for its help on this important issue. In addition, the American Council of the Blind thanks all of its members who communicated with their Representatives concerning H.R. 5143. They are to be congratulated for their effort in this victory. ***** ** From the Archives "And Now He Belongs to the Ages" By A.L. Archibald (Reprinted from The Braille Free Press, March, 1961) These successive tidal flows of legislation Doctor (Perry) clearly recognized would not have been possible without popular support for his activities. Strong backing was necessary from among the blind first of all. He had a genius for winning support from public figures, and he had demonstrated his own great qualities of leadership among his fellows since the time he was a growing youth. But he knew that he could not alone accomplish all that he wanted to see done. No one understood better than he the values of organizational effort. From his college days onward, he believed strongly in organizing blind people to study and take action for the improvement of the lot of their fellow blind. Even then, he envisaged the possibility of uniting vigorous associations of blind people on a local and regional basis to push toward national organization. Wherever Doctor went in his travels, except in Europe where he was a visiting stranger, he stimulated people to organize themselves for action in common. Many of these organizations failed to outlast his personal leadership, and others did not live up to their purposes following his departure from the scene. His belief that organizations of the blind could be strong and purposeful remained nonetheless undiluted. I once asked Doctor why he relied for so long a time in California on the organized Alumni of the School for the Blind. His answer was simple and complete. He had found out that he had to train leaders first. He had to discover blind people with ability and understanding who also possessed what he characteristically referred to as the necessary "public spirit" to want to lead others. Most of them in California were molded by him from the time before they reached adulthood. His efforts to stimulate able people were not limited, however, to one state. This purpose strongly influenced his development of the American Brotherhood for the Blind and its publication, The All Story Braille Magazine, which was circulated throughout the country from the early 1920s to 1957. It was Doctor's idea that braille reproduction of some of the best short stories which had appeared in ink-print would provide the sugar coating that would induce increasing numbers of capable persons to read and absorb the Legislative Supplement which he edited and included in the magazine. His search for leadership talent and interested people was nationwide and persevering. How many blind men and women can really look back upon these writings of Dr. Perry as the source of their inspiration and desire to participate in organized endeavors is a figure that will never be fully known. Doctor had little interest in compiling such a statistic. He was content as the decades passed to witness his expectation being fulfilled that leaders would come forward all across the country when they realized what could be achieved through worthwhile organizations. A solidified and inclusive statewide organization representing the blind became at last a reality in California in 1934 when Dr. Perry gathered around him from up and down the length of the state the cluster of adherents who had joined themselves to the principles and goals which had been his mark. Giant strides forward were taken over the years that followed. The California Council for the Blind, with Doctor as its president till his 80th birthday in 1953, gained such stature, influence, and public respect that it rapidly became the clearing house for all ideas and proposals affecting blind people in the state. Its activities not only resulted m great improvements of conditions among the blind of California, but also influenced developments enhancing the situations of blind people beyond the borders of the state. Membership in the Council was earnestly sought by every organized group and agency in the state which had any interest in blind people. Doctor's conception of an inclusive organization which represented all interests concerned with the blind proved to be ingenious. Within its structure and machinery, the Council uniquely included systematic consultation and deliberation with key figures in public and private agencies serving the blind. The statewide body was constructed to remain always representative of blind people in the state, because a decisive majority voting strength was retained by delegates elected directly by organized groups of blind persons. But a limited number of designated persons holding particular positions in agencies in which the blind were interested were admitted to voting membership as delegates by virtue of their specific positions. In consequence, the discussions that took place at the semi-annual and special meetings of the Council brought out all the relevant facts and viewpoints, and at the same time they brought all interests together in mutual good-will to undertake programs of common action. With Doctor in the presiding chair, no subject was ever left until it was thoroughly understood by all participants, no question ever dropped until all differences of opinion and interest were adequately explored, and no proposal ever pushed through before fellowship of common cause was realized. In his time, the Council functioned to resolve conflicts, not to pursue them. The philosophy of his leadership will last and grow in vitality so long as there are conscientious men and women to grasp its purport. The heirs of his tradition are numerous and strongly dedicated to their heritage ... As a blind man, Doctor knew his place in history and what he must therefore do. Even in his youth, Dr. Perry recognized he was part of the gathering movement among blind people to claim an equal place for themselves in society. Although most of his contemporaries, both sighted and blind, could not grasp what was beginning to happen, he sensed and understood the uncertain stir among some of the blind to reach out for the opportunities of equality which are the search of our democratic civilization ... History's lesson was clear in Doctor's mind. What he recognized was that, as in the case of others, blind people would reap a harvest as individuals and as a group only if the reward came as the fruit of their own labors. I can still hear him saying in a midnight conversation, "The movement to organize is a movement toward responsibility. Some of the blind are wising up. They are learning that they've got to be responsible for themselves personally, and they are learning that the blind have got to be responsible for what happens to the blind tomorrow and ten or a hundred years from now. Of course, if they don't act like responsible people, they aren't going to get anywhere, and they aren't going to have organizations that are worth much!" That was the key to Doctor's philosophy and the buttress of his wisdom. It was Dr. Perry's ingrained sense of responsibility in all that he ever did or said which distinguished him from others as a great man, a doer, a successful man, and a genuine leader among men. ... His biography will surely be written one pay, and the heart and genuine greatness of this wise and gentle man will be widely acknowledged; for Dr. Perry, though standing hardly more than five foot five, was nonetheless a giant among his generation. Until that time, his gifts to the world and the real stature of this kindly and benevolent humanitarian will be best understood by those who grew to maturity by drinking at the fount of his vitality. Now he belongs to the ages, but he has left behind a magnificent heritage. His was a life worth living, and from him blind men everywhere have gained a destiny. The only live recording of Dr. Newel Perry which seems to exist is a tape supplied by a former student and close friend, Bob Campbell of Berkeley, California. The presentation is part of a panel on problems in education of the blind, recorded at the 1953 convention of the National Federation of the Blind, shortly before Dr. Perry's 80th birthday. Here in his own words he tells some of his thoughts as a student at the California School for the Blind on his future as a blind man and reflects generally on education of the blind. "Thinking upon the possibilities of a blind man living a full, abundant life started with me at a very, very early age. And I haven't worked it all out yet. When I get old, maybe I'll know more about it! "Eventually, we larger boys -- Some of them were boys of considerable wealth, but they didn't know what they were going to do either. So I remember we got together, three of us that used to sit up and talk till almost breakfast time, when we should have been asleep, about these problems. So we decided that we were going to get wise. We wrote a letter, a circular letter, and sent it to the principal of each of the schools for the blind in the United States; told them our age and what we were doing and what we had studied, and we wanted to know what they thought we could do and if it would be possible for the three of us to go to college. Every one of them said don't go to college -- every single one ... not to try it; that an education to a blind person -- now, listen to this -- an education to a blind person would only increase his discontent. Well, as a child, that struck me as the heights of folly. I thought that very foolish. I think that yet! ... "Now, I don't know. I think that education -- whatever you mean by it -- In education there's -- well, it's learning, isn't it? But that's not the most difficult part of it. The most difficult part of it is developing character. Our great weakness in educating blind children is that we have no way of giving them responsibility. A sighted boy has to milk the cow every night. If he doesn't, he's going to hear about it ... "Now, what are you going to do with a blind boy in a school for the blind? If you give him something to do -- they've tried that -- his mother comes to the school and raises a great row and says she didn't send that boy down there to be doing menial work ... She doesn't realize that the sense and realization of what responsibility is is a very, very important thing in the education of anyone who wants to be a mature man ... "Blind people need a tremendous amount of courage, and we have no particular way of teaching it to them ... the very thing they need most ... Well, how is this blind boy going to get it? Will he get it in the public school? Will the public school teacher scold him, or will she sit around and constantly explain and discuss and elaborate on this boy's wonderful, marvelous ability -- which all we blind people have, you know ... "I think this is a question that will go on for a good many years. It's going to go in favor of the public school for several years. There will probably be something of a return ten or fifteen years from now, and that's about the way it should go. I think it will work itself out. But I wouldn't get one notion in my head and stick to that and think that that's the only system and that you've got hold of something that's new and it's going to solve all problems. It's not. "It really doesn't make such a terribly vital thing whether he is educated in the school for the blind or the other. They each have their advantages, and I think the way to solve it is to send him to the blind school till he's able to look after himself a little and then send him to the sighted school and supply him with his needs ... " What a flood of memories is called forth with the reading of this article! It tells of the years of our common experience, those of us who shared those years. We were his students, and later his comrades in a social movement of limitless possibilities. These memories, while deeply personal, are not unique, for those others have them, too. I shall forever treasure the countless hours spent in Doctor's company -- in his home, at his table; reading history with him far into the night, as if read for the first time for him, making of it an exciting and living thing that has ever after been a source of joy to me; walking the streets at his side, re-living in the strength his never-failing optimism and confidence gave. As one of his students expressed it, when expressing our mutual debt to him -- unfortunately, when he was no longer with us -- the key to Doctor's great influence with us was, first of all, the fact that he was blind and therefore understood our problems; and second, he believed in us and made it manifest. Like others, because of Doctor, I early formed an attitude toward blindness, rather rare for those with useful sight, an attitude which completely influenced my life and made of it an exciting and fulfilling adventure otherwise, I feel sure, denied to me. There were other truths he shared that molded our dreams of accomplishment in a way that made life good. We were to assume, all of us -- and later to learn -- that sighted people generally have boundless goodwill toward the blind, and utterly false conceptions as to the consequences of blindness. We early understood much sooner than we otherwise would that it is this misconception as to its nature which creates the social and economic handicap that comes with blindness. In my 28 years of seeking opportunities for my fellow blind, I never lost sight of this -- a fact that made a difference in what I did and was able to do. In all that he did and said and taught, this, above everything else, was to be our charge: To make public activity as a rule of life, a sense of responsibility to exert personal effort to improve the lot of others. This was the word he left with us; this was the debt we owed. His words, his voice! How often they echo in the tabernacle of my memory! We who knew him, shared his days and much of his nights; who shared his life and loved him ? we are very special people, and know it, for he made us so. -- George Fogarty, Oakland, California ***** ** Status Report on Civil Rights Legislation By Kathy Megivern The two major pieces of legislation affecting the civil rights of disabled persons have yet to be passed by either house of Congress, but there has been much activity behind the scenes. S. 446, the bill which would add the handicapped to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination in employment, remains stalled in the Senate. The bill was reported out of committee last September, but cannot come to the Senate floor for a vote because several Senators have placed "holds" on the bill. Members of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights have been working with advocates of various disability groups to initiate some activity in the House of Representatives. It is hoped that such movement in the House will also help to trigger progress in the Senate. As we go to press, Representative Paul Simon (D., IL), Chairman of the House committee on Education and Labor, has agreed to be the chief sponsor of a House version of S. 446. Representative Augustus Hawkins (D., CA) is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Employment, which would deal with the bill, and he has agreed to co-sponsor. We are now working on other members of the Education and Labor Committee in the hope of securing additional co-sponsors. As we go to press, there has been no action in the Senate on S. 506, the Fair Housing Act Amendments. This bill adds the handicapped as one of the classes protected by Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale or rental of housing. The Senate subcommittee held hearings on this bill last year, but has not reported it to the full committee for action. On the House side, however, there has been much activity. The House Committee on the Judiciary voted on March 5, 1980, to report the House version of the Fair Housing Act Amendments to the full House of Representatives for a vote. Unfortunately, before the committee agreed to a final version of the bill, some very negative amendments were proposed and passed. The amendments which did the most damage to the provisions affecting handicapped persons were introduced by Representative M. Caldwell Butler (R., VA). Mr. Butler succeeded in his efforts to have one provision of the bill stricken entirely. The paragraph in question would have prohibited the discriminatory use of exclusionary zoning to keep group homes and community residences of handicapped persons out of a neighborhood. Advocates of the disabled knew this provision was in trouble, and as late as the morning of March 4, they believed a compromise had been worked out with Republican members of the committee. But the compromise fell through, and Section 804(h) was stricken from the bill. Another of Mr. Butler's damaging amendments would require a disabled renter who makes modifications (at his own expense) to a residence, to restore the premises to their original condition when he moves. Thus, it is possible that a mobility-impaired person who had a doorway widened to accommodate a wheelchair could be required by the landlord to restore the doorway to its original dimensions. Representatives Edwards (D., CA) and Drinan (D., MA) spoke against this amendment, but it passed the committee by a voice vote. The bill now goes to the floor of the House, where it faces another difficult battle. The inclusion of handicapped persons in the general, non-discrimination provisions of the Fair Housing Act is an important step forward, but the limiting amendments certainly weaken the benefits to persons who require any modifications in order to rent a residence. The Senate bill remains "clean" (that is, without any limiting amendments). Of course, that may change when the committee goes to work on it. But civil rights advocates will continue the fight to keep the bill as strong and effective as possible. ***** ** Working Together for a Better Agency By Carla S. Franklin In 1976, the state agency for the blind in Kentucky was a division within the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, Department of Education. The 1976 Legislature passed a bill which subsequently created the Bureau for the Blind. This agency was taken out of the Department of Education and became a separate agency within the Education and Arts Cabinet. Because of the many problems which could have been created by this bill, the Kentucky Council of the Blind opposed it vehemently and did succeed in obtaining a bureau rather than a three-member commission, which would have been totally dominated by the National Federation of the Blind of Kentucky. Since 1976, many fallacies of the law have come to light. For example: (1) The agency is more costly to operate because of increased numbers of administrative positions. (2) Client services have not increased, since additional funds available to the Bureau have had to be used for administrative purposes. (3) The Advisory Committee to the Bureau acts as rubber stamp for the Executive Director, who has total and complete control over the agency. (4) The Advisory Committee, because of the method by which it is appointed, does not represent the blind of Kentucky, but, rather, the interests of a few. (5) The Bureau for the Blind in Kentucky has six divisions within it. Each division requires a director. Because of this enforced fragmentation of services, clients are unable to obtain a comprehensive, well-coordinated rehabilitation program. All of these problems were pointed out by KCB in 1976. However, these opinions could be expressed only after the bill was introduced to the Legislature, since the Council was not consulted during the developmental process. The authors and proponents of the bill adopted an attitude which was uncompromising and self-serving. Now, in 1980, we are happy to report that the mood has changed. A study of the Bureau for the Blind was initiated last fall by Kentucky's Program Review Committee. This committee is composed of members of the state House of Representatives. The study will be made public early in 1980. It is known, however, that there will be several recommended changes in the Bureau. One such change deals with the fragmentation of services into separate divisions; another addresses increased administrative costs within the Bureau, without adequate accompanying increases in client services. On December 17, 1979, a meeting was held between staff members of the Bureau for the Blind, the Kentucky Council of the Blind, the National Federation of the Blind of Kentucky, and the State Vendors Committee. The purpose of this meeting was to draft a proposal, acceptable to all, which could be used as a base tor new legislation for the state agency serving the blind. It was hoped that this draft could address problems cited by the investigative study and that, if passed, it would result in much-improved services to the blind of this state. The proposal agreed upon by the coalition-type group would: (1) create a nine-member commission; (2) establish functions of the agency, without requiring specific divisions; (3) establish set terms of office for commissioners; (4) establish specific duties for the Board of Commissioners, as well as a system of checks and balances within the administration of the agency. We of the Kentucky Council of the Blind are pleased. We are pleased with the proposal and with the spirit of cooperation between the agency, consumer groups, and others in developing it. Although we are quite aware that there will be amendments and changes to this draft during the legislative process, we are confident that this time we will come away from the lawmakers with a sensible, workable bill and, subsequently, with improved services for the blind of Kentucky. ***** ** Tactile American Currencies: H.R. 6027 Emerges By Louis J. Finkle, Ph.D. (Dr. Finkle is with the Department of Special Education, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia.) The snowball effect emanating from Resolution 78-24 of the American Council of the Blind, as reported in The Braille Forum, Volume XVII, No. 3, dated September, 1978, is becoming a physical reality. Daily confusions resulting from paper currency exchanges in the United States dictated that something be done to make transactions more accurate. It was pointed out by this author in an article relating to "Converting to Tactile American Currencies" (The Braille Forum, November, 1978) that all Americans "at one time or another, in a moment of haste, inadvertently exchange paper currency of the wrong denomination." The author proposed the use of tactile, embossed dots to alleviate an acknowledged deficit. However, several strong criticisms to such use of technology were later well presented. Thickness of bundles, insertion of dots, counterfeiting dots, and significant costs were detrimental factors to be weighed. Surprisingly, such arguments were not ventured from the Treasury Department, but by an aide in a Congressman's office! It is the perseverance of this aide and the support of the Congressman that should be focused on. After the above articles appeared in The Braille Forum, a Congressional aide, Rich Foster, Rich Foster, telephoned my Harrisonburg, Virginia office to discuss the possibilities of tactile currencies. The exchange of further telephone calls, contacts with other supportive persons, and sharing of ideas also included the suggestion that he contact Dr. Carson Nolan, nationally known researcher/director of the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky. Within less than one year, Foster had succeeded where many of us could not. On December 4, 1979, the 96th Congress received H.R. 6027, to provide that Federal Reserve notes shall be printed in a manner which enables an individual who is blind to determine the denomination of each such note. The author, the Honorable Representative Fortney H. (Pete) Stark, of the 9th District, California, happens to be Rich Foster's boss! The bill stipulates that all four corners of a $1 bill be eliminated; that three corners of a $2 bill be eliminated; that two corners of $5 and $10 bills be eliminated (different corners, diagonally/adjacent, respectively); that one corner of a $20 bill be eliminated. In a letter addressed to several agencies and organizations serving blind persons, Stark points out that, "Unlike the braille or other embossings similar to those proposed by this author in 1978, this plan (clipping) cannot be rendered useless by wearing of the bills, as the wearing will not affect the missing corners." This author fully concedes that Stark's proposal is much more feasible to implement and fully supports H.R. 6027. This is a real opportunity to finalize the conversion of American currencies to a tactually comprehensible system which would yield benefit to all blind and sighted Americans. Although it may not be the ideal system meeting everyone's needs and/or expectations, it is a tremendous step in the right direction. Therefore, if everyone reading this article would contact their Senators and Representatives to show a solid force of support, all Americans may one day "see" the differences between each of our paper currencies. While at it, let Rich Foster or Congressman Pete Stark know that you are lobbying for H.R. 6027. They can be reached at 1034 Longworth Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. Knowing that the American Council of the Blind supports these efforts, relay your support to the ACB National Office, 1211 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 506, Washington, D.C. 20036. Finally, if it would be of any benefit to establish a special task force to support efforts and monitoring, thereby accelerating the progress of the bill through the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, and other subsequent committees, this author would be willing to assist in any manner possible. In fact, each of us should support this effort to ensure the emergence of America's tactile currencies. Therefore, if everyone reading this article would contact their Senators and Representatives to show a solid force of support, all Americans may one day "see" the differences between each of our paper currencies. While at it, let Rich Foster or Congressman Pete Stark know that you are lobbying for H.R. 6027. They can be reached at 1034 Longworth Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. Knowing that the American Council of the Blind supports these efforts, relay your support to the ACB National Office, 1211 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 506, Washington, D.C. 20036. Finally, if it would be of any benefit to establish a special task force to support efforts and monitoring, thereby accelerating the progress of the bill through the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, and other subsequent committees, this author would be willing to assist in any manner possible. In fact, each of us should support this effort to ensure the emergence of America's tactile currencies. ***** ** ACB Affiliate News * Kansas Convention Notes The theme of the 59th annual convention of the Kansas Association for the Blind was "Involvement" ... And those who attended found themselves involved in a weekend of varied, interesting, and entertaining events. The American Council of the Blind was represented on the program by Delbert K. Aman, First Vice President. Mr. Aman's presentation contained a legislative update, as well as a synopsis of recent activities by ACB and many of the organizations with which the Council works so closely: The keynote address was given by Dr. Gerald Tomanek, President of Fort Hays State University. The University was also well represented by Dr. Nevell Razak, Dean of the Sociology Department, who gave the banquet address. The Program Committee arranged for five workshops to be held on Saturday afternoon. These workshops covered topics ranging all the way from makeup to Social Security - definitely something for everyone! Each workshop was repeated so that conventioneers could attend any two of the varied and educational sessions. The exhibit area was full of interesting displays, including an assortment of blind-made products, low-vision aids, and Kansas historical items. The Hays Arts Council sponsored a 16-piece tactile art showing for conventioneers. Two award presentations were made to KAB members. The Extra Step Award was given to Mrs. Esther V. Taylor of Kansas City. Mrs. Taylor was convalescing from surgery and therefore missed the meeting -- only her second absence from a KAB convention since 1928. The Eleanor A. Wilson Award was presented to another outstanding woman, Mrs. Ann Card of Topeka. Among the resolutions passed at the business session was Resolution 79-4 providing for the name of KAB to be changed to Kansas Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Inc. Also at the business session new officers were elected as follows: President -- Walt Thomas, Dodge City; Vice President -- Shirley Smith, Wichita; Recording Secretary -- Georgia Layton, Topeka; Corresponding Secretary -- Bernice Brown, Hutchinson; Treasurer -- Harold Hodges, Topeka; Secretary-Treasurer of the Revolving Fund -- Judy Chase, Topeka; four-year Board members -- Bill Lewis of Wichita, and Frank Roth of Topeka; and two-year Board member -- Lee Razak of Collyer. A special thanks goes to the members of the newly organized Northwest Kansas Association for the Visually Impaired, the KAB chapter which so ably hosted this very successful convention. * ACB of New York State Convention "Civil Rights of the Blind" was the theme of the 1979 convention of the American Council of the Blind of New York State. Conventioneers gathered in Buffalo for a Veterans Day weekend of varied and informative presentations. After being welcomed by a representative of the Mayor's Office, convention delegates were addressed by William B. Hoyt, a New York State Assemblyman. Mr. Hoyt gave a thorough report on bills in the State Legislature affecting blind persons. Everyone who has ever been a pedestrian was interested in the panel discussion on traffic laws as they affect pedestrians. The panel consisted of Joseph Galante, mobility specialist, Robert Bahl of the National Traffic Safety Council, and Thomas Duebell, a Buffalo police officer. It was agreed that there is a serious need for greater public awareness and increased enforcement of laws protecting pedestrians. Other program topics included visually impaired senior citizens and a report on recreation activities, primarily Ski for Light. The new Director of the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped discussed the status of the Commission. Mr. Martin O'Connell expressed his determination to provide quality services to blind New Yorkers, and he emphasized the importance of good communication between blind consumers and the Commission. The Sunday evening banquet was highlighted by a report from ACB President Oral O. Miller. Mr. Miller discussed the broad range of activities in which ACB as a national organization is involved. Banquet entertainment was provided in the form of piano music by Irving Shire. Four resolutions were adopted unanimously at the Monday morning business meeting: calling for greater efforts, through public education and defensive driving courses, to ensure the safety of all pedestrians; urging the New York State commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped to seek accreditation by the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped, and to require accreditation by all volunteer agencies which it funds; establishing a task force on accessibility of library services to the visually handicapped; and supporting legislation to make paper currency identifiable, differentiated by corner elimination. ***** ** BANA Annual Meeting The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) held its annual business meeting at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Toronto, November 15-16, 1979. The following member organizations were represented: American Council of the Blind -- Floyd R. Cargill; American Foundation for the Blind -- Loyal E. Apple; American Printing House for the Blind -- Ralph E. McCracken; Association for Computing Machinery -- Joseph E. Sullivan; Association for the Education of the Visually Handicapped -- George V. Gore, Ill; Canadian National Institute for the Blind -- Mrs. Helen Perry; Clovernook Home and School for the Blind -- Martin Droege; National Braille Association -- Mrs. William Epstein; and National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped -- Richard Evensen. Absent were the American Association of Workers for the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind. Marjorie Hooper was present to report on the Florida State University project. A liaison committee was created to work with the National Uniform Type Committee of the United Kingdom (NUTC-UK) and appropriate representatives from other English-speaking nations to negotiate compromises that would result in a common Braille Code for all English-speaking people. Richard Evensen of the National Library Service will be chairperson of that committee. The American Printing House for the Blind, Association for the Education of the Visually Handicapped, American Foundation for the Blind, and Canadian National Institute for the Blind will also be represented on the committee. An ad hoc committee led by Mrs. William Epstein, National Braille Association, had a preliminary meeting with representatives from NUTC-UK on June 1, 1979. The goal of the joint project will be to eliminate differences between the existing codes. Careful consideration will be given to the number of changes that might be proposed at any one time, so that readers will not be swamped by them. This joint international project will be given highest priority. Florida State University has worked for the last three years to develop a uniform Braille Code in several specific areas. As the project comes to an end, SANA prepares to continue the fine work it commenced. Technical committees have been created to assume the responsibilities in specific areas. Each technical committee will be composed of experts. Each will be prepared to field questions by braille transcribers, teachers, and braille users. Mr. George G. Bennette, Director of Arts and Leisure Education, The New York Association for the Blind, 111 E. 59th Street, New York, NY 10021, will head the Braille Music Technical Committee. The group will strive to make the braille music code flexible enough to cover all areas of music, including guitar, chant, and modern music. BANA will strive to coordinate the work in this area with other nations to keep the music code international. The Mathematics Technical Committee will be chaired by Robert T. McLean, Ph.D., Chairman, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA 70118. The committee will work to develop a mathematical code that is sufficiently progressive to meet the needs of braille users of all ages and levels of proficiency. The committee's sphere of interest will include scientific notations. The Braille Textbook Format Technical Committee, headed by Ralph E. McCracken, Editor, American Printing House for the Blind, Inc., 1839 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206, will expand its range of activities to include guidelines for tables, maps, and charts. This committee and the Literary Braille Technical Committee have been functioning under the aegis of BANA for several years. Maxine Dorf, National Library Service, is the new chairperson for the Literary Braille Technical Committee. She will bring a wealth of professional experience to this committee. She will be able to work closely with the special committee headed by Richard Evensen to develop a uniform international braille code for all English-speaking people. Comments, suggestions, and technical questions from users, producers, and teachers of braille are welcome. Technical questions will be relayed to the appropriate committee for official research and interpretation. Communications may be directed to either the chairperson of a specific technical committee or to the chairperson of the BANA Board. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is conducting research for the purpose of publishing a book on "World Braille Usage." William Poole, London, is head of the project. SANA will cooperate in the research to the extent appropriate. A previous work of this sort was published in 1952. Officers elected to conduct the affairs of BANA during the next year are: Chairperson -- Floyd R. Cargill; Vice Chairperson -- Ralph E. McCracken; Secretary -- Helen Perry; Treasurer -- Joseph E. Sullivan. ***** ** Here and There By Elizabeth M. Lennon UPI, Washington: The phrase, "20-20 vision," which has long been synonymous with perfect eyesight, is about to become another victim of metric conversion. The new standard will be 4-4. The National Academy of Sciences Committee on Vision is expected to recommend that the eye chart test fall in line with the metric system -- along with inches, quarts, and ounces. One result will be to chop about 7 feet off the distance from which an eye chart is read -- from 20 feet to 4 meters. From Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness: Roger Craven, the man who developed guides for visually impaired persons to the King Tut exhibition, has now produced plastic sheets with diagrams of earth, moon and sun, as well as information printed in braille, so that visually impaired people can follow what happens during an eclipse. Craven, a Seattle resident, is a retired official of State Services for the Blind. -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved applications for two new contact lenses, both of which can be worn for a period of 30 days by persons who have undergone cataract surgery. These lenses should prove especially useful to aging and multi-handicapped individuals who have difficulty in handling contact lenses that must be removed daily. The new lenses are produced by Cooper Laboratories, Inc., and by Continuous Curve Contact Lenses, Inc. From NLS News: A new system developed in Norway permits conversion of print material into braille text automatically, with a substantial reduction in time and labor for braille printing. The printing component operates at about 230 characters per second and is driven by a computer. The machine can print a double-sided braille sheet in 20 seconds, faster than conventional methods. This system uses compositor tapes and drive presses for print publications. -- Dr. John Gill of the University of Warwick, England, has developed an inexpensive braille writing device that enables people to write braille from left to right rather than from right to left. The Warwick device consists of a plastic sheet of raised dots. In writing, braille characters are selected from these dots. A sheet of paper is placed loosely over the plastic and the writer presses a stylus over the appropriate dots. Talking Book Topics announces that, beginning with the March issue, the magazines Foreign Affairs, Personnel and Guidance Journal, QST, Social Work, and The Writer will be converted from cassette to flexible disc direct circulation publication. If you have been receiving any of these magazines on cassette from your regional library, you will automatically receive the flexible disc edition. If you are not currently a subscriber and wish to receive any of these publications, contact your regional library. Frank S. Penland was recently named president of the Hadley School for the Blind, Winnetka, Illinois, effective April 16, 1980. "Mr. Penland comes to the Hadley School," said Arthur Dole, Ill, Chairman of Hadley's Board of Trustees, "with a broad background and a wealth of experience and leadership in education and administration in the blind service field." Most recently, Mr. Penland served as Director of Education Services for the Virginia Commission for the Visually Handicapped. -- The Hadley Board of Trustees has also announced establishment of the Dr. Richard Kinney Chair for Education of the Visually Handicapped. Dr. Kinney, who had been blind since the age of 7 and deaf since his sophomore year in college, was president of the Hadley School until his death in early 1979. The Kinney Chair will have an endowment of $50,000, the income from which will be used to support an educator selected by the School. During 1976, reports Sundial (publication of the Eye Research Institute of Retina Foundation), an estimated 165,000 traumatic eye injuries occurred to children between the ages of 5 and 17. Two-thirds of these injuries happened during sports or play activities, and most of them were preventable. Sports in which most accidents occurred were: hockey, 31%; arrows, darts, and guns, 19.3%; motorcycles, ski-doos and bicycles, 16.5%; tennis, squash and badminton, 10.3%; baseball and softball, 8.2%. When Jan Turley completes United Airline's five-week computer training program, she will become the first partially sighted airlines reservation clerk using a closed-circuit TV, according to Visualtek News. Before sustaining her visual loss, Ms. Turley worked for 14 years as a United flight attendant. Arkansas Enterprises for the Blind, a private, comprehensive rehabilitation center serving adult blind and visually impaired individuals on a state, regional, national, and international level, is seeking candidates for the position of Executive Director. Salary is negotiable, depending upon qualifications and experience; liberal fringe benefits. Send resumes and requests for further information to: Jess Odom, Chairman, Search Committee, Arkansas Enterprises for the Blind, 2811 Fair Park Boulevard, P.O. Box 4055, Little Rock, AR 72214; telephone (501) 664-7100. From Programs for the Handicapped: Can and should persons with visual and physical disabilities assert themselves in the marketplace? This will be the subject of a new, experimental series to begin this fall on New York City's radio reading service, lntouch Network. Funded by the Office of Consumer Education, HEW, the weekly course will combine radio broadcasts with telephone hotline listener participation. Listeners will receive information and advice on such subjects as inflation fighting skills, Social Security and SSI, Medicare and Medicaid, tax deductions, money management and credit, insurance buying, deception and fraud, tenant's rights, how to cope with inaccessible printed material on forms, labels, ads, etc., and how and where to complain. Vision Foundation, Inc., has just updated and reprinted its large-type Inventory List. This 14-page list carries over 100 items -- most of them free -- which have been gathered from around the country. Materials include sample magazines, brochures, cookbooks, catalogs, and other informative resources in print, large print, braille, cassette, and disc. Not every item is available in all media. Single copies of the large-print Inventory List are free; bulk orders, $.50 each; cassette copies, $2 each. Send order with check for cost items to Vision Foundation, Inc., 770 Centre Street, Newton, MA 02158. Xerox Corporation recently announced acquisition of the Kurzweil Computer Products, Inc., of Cambridge, Massachusetts, developer and manufacturer of the Kurzweil Reading Machine. The company will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Xerox. Its chairman and president, Raymond C. Kurzweil, founded the company in 197 4. He and the other 130 employees will be retained. Xerox is paying about $3.6 million in cash for all remaining stock in the firm, plus an additional payout in 1982. The company will, Xerox believes, help it create "office of the future" systems. Kurzweil had sales of about $3.2 million in the fiscal year ended July 31, 1979. "The '80s: Pitfall or Promise," will be the theme of this year's Annual Meeting of the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, to be held April 30 through May 2 at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C. -- The Canadian National Institute for the Blind will host a fall regional meeting of the National Braille Association to be held at the Hotel Toronto, Toronto, Canada, October 20-22. This is the first meeting NBA has held in Canada. -- The Ex-Students Association will hold its annual alumni meeting at the Texas School for the Blind, May 30 through June 1, Cost of the weekend is $25. For further information, write Ex-Students Association, 1100 W. 45th Street, Austin, TX 78756. Two organizations have announced tours planned specially for visually impaired people this spring and summer. Evergreen Travel Service, Inc., 19505-L 44th Street, W., Lynnwood, WA 98036, offers two tours: a visit to St. Louis, with a cruise on the Mississippi Queen, August 5-15, costing $1,295, and a trip to Central Europe from September 28 to October 12, costing $1,545. A new group, Tours for Special People, with Jim Rawls, a blind California history teacher, as coordinator, is offering four tours: a cruise on the Mississippi Queen and visits to Las Vegas, San Francisco, and San Diego. For further information, write Tours for Special People, c/o Tops in Tours, 10213 Sepulveda Boulevard, Mission Hills, CA 91345. From Dialogue with the Blind: Orlo Nichols, an employee of the Social Security Administration in Baltimore, has been designated as a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, after having successfully passed all nine required tests. He is the first blind person to accomplish this feat. -- Marjorie S. Hooper was awarded the degree Doctor of Humane Letters by Mt. Holyoke College. She is a member of the Braille Authority of North America and in 1973 retired as Braille Editor of the American Printing House for the Blind, where she had worked for 40 years. In an effort to make its educational offerings more accessible to the handicapped, Toccoa Falls College, Toccoa Falls, Georgia, announces several improvements in its program for visually impaired students. A braille and tape library (including a braille dictionary and braille Bible) is being developed. All tests and syllabi are transcribed into braille, and class handouts are either taped or brailled. A corps of volunteers has been organized to tape any textbooks not otherwise available. Four visually impaired students are currently enrolled, and the college is anxious to open its program to others. Interested students may contact the Office of Admissions, Toccoa Falls College, Toccoa Falls, GA 39577. ***** ** 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 a relative or friend by sharing in the continuing work of the American Council of the Blind. The National Office 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. ###