Large Type Edition The Braille Forum Vol. XIX April, 1981 No. 10 ACB 1981 National Convention: Make Plans Now! Proposed Budget Cuts Threaten Vital Programs and Services: Transportation Employment Rehabilitation Education Published Monthly by the American Council of the Blind Mary T. Ballard, Editor ***** * National Office: Durward K. McDaniel National Representative 1211 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Suite 506 Washington, DC 20036 (202) 833-1251 * Editor, The Braille Forum: Mary T. Ballard 190 Lattimore Road Rochester, NY 14620 (716) 244-8364 ** Contributing Editors George Card 605 South Few Street Madison, WI 53703 Elizabeth Lennon 1315 Greenwood Avenue Kalamazoo, MI 49007 ** 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 Summit Bank Bldg., Suite 822 310 4th Avenue, S. Minneapolis, MN 54415 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 Coalition Fever Battles the Budget-Cutting Blues, by Kathy Megivern ACB Convention, 1981: Preview of the 1981 Convention Program, by Oral O. Miller More Fun Time in St. Louis, by Assunta Lilley Calling All Students to a Special Seminar Contest Sponsored by National Association of Blind Teachers, by Edna Schmidt Blindness Blamed on Worm From the Archives: What Is the Braille Free Press Association?, by Marie M. Boring Battelle Study to Help Libraries for Blind Better Measure and Evaluate Service A Method for Setting Up a Self-Help Support Network for People with Progressive Eye Disease, by Mimi Winer BANA Annual Business Meeting National Skiing Championship Tournament Cancelled by Good Weather! In Memoriam: William T. Snyder Here and There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon Notice to Subscribers ***** ** Report from the ACB President Oral O. Miller Although the American Council of the Blind has worked very closely with the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped (PCEH) for many years, not until very recently was the American Council invited to become an official member of the PCEH. Membership on this prestigious committee will increase ACB's stature as a national organization of the handicapped which is actively working to expand and improve employment opportunities for the blind throughout the country. Edward LeMoine of the ACB national staff is serving as a member of the Program Planning Committee for the PCEH national meeting this year. It was my pleasure to serve on that committee last year, and it is an honor for one organization to have a representative on that committee for two consecutive years. By the time this issue of The Braille Forum is in the hands of most of its readers, an ACB Action Memorandum tape will almost certainly have been distributed to all affiliate officers and many other members, informing them of our plans to conduct our first national legislative workshop in Washington, D.C., on May 12-13-14, 1981. The main purposes of the workshop will be to educate the attendees regarding the Federal legislative process and to give them an opportunity to have direct contact with their Congressmen and Senators concerning timely legislative matters. The workshop, which necessarily will take place on weekdays, will consist of presentations by knowledgeable legislative specialists and pre-arranged appointments with Senators and Congressmen. Since the amount of money available for subsidizing attendees is limited, ACB, in extending invitations to the workshop, will have to give priority to members who live in the states and districts of the Congressmen and Senators who serve on the Committees that are most likely to deal with matters of concern to the blind (such as civil rights, education, employment, housing, transportation, and Social Security or medical insurance). We wish we could automatically invite a representative from every state affiliate, but such a practice would not allow us to concentrate on the critical legislative committees. In attempting to select ACB members who live in the appropriate states and districts, it will be necessary, of course, to confer with many of the state affiliate presidents, and in some cases it will not be possible to follow the priority system exactly. While enough money has been appropriated by the ACB Board to provide meaningful subsidies to the workshop invitees, it may be necessary to ask some of the state affiliates to share with some of the unusually high transportation costs of members from distant or out-of-the-way places. All state affiliate presidents and officers should inquire about the Action Memorandum concerning the legislative workshop if they have not received a copy by April 20. At the time ACB started planning its regional leadership training seminars, it was realized that, due to the great distances and high transportation costs involved, it would be very difficult for many members of the Aloha Council of the Blind to attend such seminars. At that time, the Aloha Council asked (for the first time) that a separate seminar be scheduled in Hawaii so the seminar could be brought to its members. Although provisions were made for a small number of Aloha Council members to attend the West Coast seminar, the Aloha Council leadership persisted in urging that it would be feasible to conduct a seminar in Honolulu if the Aloha Council would make every effort to guarantee maximum attendance from all the islands on which it has members. The ACB Board of Directors accepted the idea (three requests later) and, as a result, the Honolulu leadership training seminar is scheduled to take place the last weekend in May, 1981. Due to the high cost of transporting the instructors to the seminar, it will not be possible to provide the same meaningful subsidies to the Aloha Council members that have been provided to the attendees at the other leadership training seminars. In spite of this, however, the Aloha Council has committed itself to have as many people present as were at each of the three preceding seminars. We commend the Aloha Council for such commitment, and we are confident that the seminar will be a rousing success, if the spirit of commitment is an indication of anything. As plans for the 1981 ACB national convention become finalized, I want to call your attention to the separate article in this issue of The Braille Forum concerning the students workshop that will precede the convention. This will be a very important and worthwhile workshop for all students, and I urge all affiliates to see to it that they are represented by students at the workshop. Also, students who may be interested in attending should contact the ACB affiliates in the states where they live or are attending school. In short, we want to see to it that all interested affiliates are in contact with interested students. Although the details may not yet be published, readers of The Braille Forum should be aware that many aspects of the 1981 ACB national convention will be devoted to our indefatigable, dedicated, and retiring National Representative, Durward McDaniel, and his equally dedicated and indefatigable wife, Aileen McDaniel. Watch the next issue of The Braille Forum for more information on this subject. ***** ** Coalition Fever Battles the Budget-Cutting Blues By Kathy Megivern February, 1981 may do down in history as the month in which more coalitions were formed in Washington, D.C., than during any previous 28-day period. The reason: Ronald Reagan's proposed budget. Even as the national press was reporting on the "honeymoon" between Mr. Reagan and the American people, organizations representing the handicapped, the elderly, the poor, and other minorities were reeling from the potential impact of what amounted to a Reagan declaration of war against education, health, welfare, and social service programs. Initially the shock was so great that the opposition seemed paralyzed. However, as the far-reaching implications of the budget cuts became clear, the opposition geared up for battle. There seemed to be a coalition forming for each area threatened by the proposed budget, and the American Council of the Blind, as well as other groups representing the disabled, found itself a part of many of these alliances. As Robert G. Kaiser, staff writer for the Washington Post, stated in a March 11 article entitled "Budget Shifts Money from Poor to Rich": "Reagan's budget is the most extraordinary attempt by any President in modern times to re-allocate the resources of the Federal Government ... It would at the same time wipe out a generation of programs that were established on the theory that only the Federal Government can or will aid the neediest members of society. These are the 'categorical' programs ... that the new Administration wants to abolish by incorporating them in unrestricted grants to state and local governments. The total value of these grants would be one-fourth or more lower than today's level of spending on the categorical programs that they would replace." This excerpt from Mr. Kaiser's article outlines the two-pronged attack by the Reagan Administration upon health, education, and social programs. First, there is the drastic cut in Federal dollars available for such programs. While a 25% cut in available funds would seem devastating enough in and of itself, no one was surprised by such a proposal, and even the Carter Administration had been headed in such a budget-cutting direction. The more troublesome aspect of the Reagan program is the "block grant." Rather than earmark Federal money for specific categories such as child welfare, adoption assistance, or rehabilitation, under a block grant system, each state would be handed, "no strings attached," an amount of money to finance all, any, or some of the previous "categorical" programs. In the area of health and social services, the Administration proposes four block grants. One would be for preventative health; one would consolidate general health programs; third would combine emergency welfare assistance and the low-income energy assistance program; and the fourth would be social services. This grant would consolidate many of the current social services programs such as day care for children of low-income working parents; funding for senior citizen centers; the visiting nurse program; meals on wheels; and child welfare programs to help abused and neglected children find shelters, foster homes and adoptive parents. Also folded into this huge block grant would be the rehabilitation program. Funding under this block grant would be 25% less than the total Federal dollars now going to the programs. Other block grants that could equally devastating for advocates disabled people are the grants being proposed in education. Here there would be two grants — one to state education agencies, from which money to support state-operated schools for the handicapped would come; and a second block grant to local education agencies (LEA's). Included in the LEA grant is the money for migrant education, adult education, emergency school aid, basic skills improvement, and education of handicapped children. Again it is important to remember that the philosophy of the block grant is to return control to the state and localities. Thus, the Federal Government would be imposing no requirement on how much of or in what way any of the money is spent. One obvious effect of such a program is that the most vocal, most powerful constituencies will get the money, and each group of disabled, disadvantaged, or minority persons will be pitted against the others. Thus, we begin to understand the importance now more than ever before of coalitions to fight this massive attack upon Federal Government as we know it. It is important to emphasize once again that under the Reagan budget, these block grants would total anywhere from 20% to 30% less money than the states are currently receiving for all of the same categorical programs. In addition to the budget proposals encompassing devastating cuts and block grants, certain agencies have clearly been targeted for extinction. This list, which seems to grow daily, includes the Community Services Administration, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, and the Legal Services Corporation. In addition, Secretary of Education Terrell Bell has been quoted as saying that the Reagan Administration will seek repeal of Public Law 94-142, the Education of All Handicapped Children Act. In a letter from Secretary of Health and Human Services Schweiker to Hon. Thomas P. O'Neill, Speaker of the House of Representatives, other repeals are proposed, including the repeal of all except Sections 501, 503, 504, and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As we go to press, the American Council of the Blind has joined with several coalitions to fight these revolutionary proposals by the Reagan Administration. We will be testifying before Congressional committees and conferring with Congressional staff persons. But much of this battle must be fought by you, the members and friends of ACB. We urge you to write your representatives in Washington, with copies to President Reagan, stating your opposition to the block grant proposals and to the devastating cuts in the budget. The Reagan Administration would have people believe that those of us who oppose the proposed budget are "selfish special-interest groups," concerned only with our own needs and selfishly willing to let the economy collapse around us rather than make a sacrifice. That is not the case. We simply ask that the sacrifices be evenly shared, the burden of hard times shouldered by all -- especially those most able to do so. There are selfish interest groups at work, but they are not the groups representing disabled, poor, elderly, or minority Americans. Mr. Kaiser's March 11 article in the Washington Post makes it all too clear whose "selfish interests" are being protected: "In dollar terms, wealthier Americans would obtain by far the most out of the Reagan budget; they would win big under the proposed changes to the tax code. For example, if the tax cuts were fully enacted, a family with an income of $200,000.00 a year would be able to keep about $30,000.00 that it now pays in Federal taxes. Business … too, would benefit significantly from the Reagan tax proposals, though these increased depreciation allowances are similar to ones that the Democratic controlled 96th Congress seemed ready to approve even before Reagan was elected. The biggest winners will be profitable, established corporations that want to invest heavily in new plant and equipment." ***** *** ACB National Convention, 1981 ** Preview of the 1981 Convention Program By Oral O. Miller ACB National Convention Coordinator Every good convention consists of a fine balance between cultural or leisure time activities and informative convention program presentations. We think you will agree that the 1981 convention has achieved that fine balance. A few topics, such as library service and technology for handling the printed word, are of continuing interest and importance to the blind and visually impaired. Accordingly, we have invited Mr. Frank Kurt Cylke, Director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, to brief us concerning the latest developments and plans in connection with nationwide library services and technology. Whether many of us realize it or not, library services and technology influence not only our leisure reading habits, but many of the attitudes and practices involved in the education of the blind. Speaking of the education of the blind, do you know which school for the blind has probably touched and benefited more lives than any other school for the blind in the world? You are right if you guessed the Hadley School for the Blind, located in Winnetka, Illinois. At the upcoming convention, we will have our first opportunity to meet the school's new director, Dr. Frank Penland, and to learn more about his "little school" which manages to conduct such a wide-ranging educational program by correspondence in dozens of subjects, while using dozens of qualified blind instructors, many of whom have never set foot on the Winnetka campus. I cannot count the number of times within recent years that I have heard laments concerning the decreasing use of braille, especially in the educational process. But I have never heard a knowledgeable, well planned, objective, and well-documented discussion or presentation on such aspects as the connection between braille and academic achievement, employability, etc. Indeed, I would think it would be very difficult to document conclusions on these subjects. However, one of the highlights of the upcoming national convention program will be a presentation (probably in the form of a panel chaired by the chairman of the Braille Authority of North America) dealing with this extremely vital subject. Although the ACB national convention has been addressed by international speakers, they have been few and far between. This year, however, we hope to have the pleasure of being addressed by Sheik Abdullah M. Al­Ghanim of Saudi Arabia. Sheik Al­Ghanim, who is blind, is chairman of the Middle East Committee and Vice President of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind. Inasmuch as 1981 is the International Year of Disabled Persons, as so designated by the United Nations, it is very appropriate that we have an opportunity to learn more about life as it exists for the blind in the Middle East. Not even a short preview of the upcoming national convention would be complete without urging all conventioneers to leave time for a leisurely stroll through the exhibit area. The ACB national convention is coming to be recognized for having one of the best and most popular collections of exhibits of articles and services of interest to the blind in the United States. Only by viewing the exhibits and talking to the exhibitors can we hope to stay up to date concerning the latest advances in technology and new services for the blind. I repeat -- seeing the exhibits is a must! Be sure to check the next issue of The Braille Forum for more information concerning the program of the upcoming national convention. Finally, since everyone knows that the various special-interest meetings will begin on Sunday, July 5, and the ACB convention will end on Saturday afternoon, July 11, I urge you to make your travel plans NOW so you may qualify for the best travel fares. In the words of the famous old song, "Meet me in St. Louis, Louis!" ***** ** More Fun Time in St. Louis By Assunta Lilley, Chairman 1981 ACB Convention Host Committee This month, the Host Committee would like to describe more of the exciting tours being planned for conventioneers, as well as some of the many tourist attractions in and around St. Louis. The Chase-Park Plaza Hotel, convention headquarters, faces beautiful Forest Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the world. This was the site of the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, and some of the buildings constructed then are still in use today. Within this beautiful setting is located the Municipal Opera, or "Muni Opera," for short. This outdoor theater with a seating capacity of 12,000 is perhaps the largest outdoor theater in the world. Bu don't let the name "Muni Opera" mislead you. The shows presented there are of the Broadway variety often brought in from New York City with the original cast. Two nights at the "muni" are being planned -- one for the early arrivals on Sunday, July 5, and one on Thursday, July 9. The shows change each week and run from Monday through Sunday. So those of you who are ardent theater-goers can, if you choose, see two shows. A tour that cannot be duplicated anywhere in the world is the Jefferson Memorial Arch. This unique structure of stainless steel rises 630 feet into the air — higher than the Washington Monument. The train of eight capsules which takes visitors to the top is a masterpiece of engineering, and there is no sensation of the revolving motion as it travels up the leg of the Arch. The view from the top is spectacular, covering many miles over the city and across the Mississippi. Although dog guides are welcome, it should be mentioned that in some cases dogs have reacted unfavorably to the ascent. Upon descending from the Arch, conventioneers will enter the Great Western Museum, which contains a covered wagon, a full-sized buffalo, and many articles necessary for survival on the long trek westward from St. Louis in pioneer days. There are explanatory recordings, and all exhibits may be examined by touch. The Host Committee feels this is probably one of the most interesting and least expensive of the tours. In addition to the Muni Opera, Forest Park also contains the world-famous St. Louis Zoo, an art museum, a planetarium, and the Jewel Box, an area set aside for beautiful floral arrangements. You may wish to visit these spots at your leisure. Or a one-hour bus trip will take you to Six Flags Over Mid­America, a large amusement park. Here a single entrance fee entitles visitors to all rides and entertainment features. Again we remind you that convention headquarters is the Chase-Park Plaza Hotel, 212 N. Kingshighway, St. Louis, MO 63108; telephone (314) 361-2500. Room rates are single, $24; double,$28; triple, $30. Rates for suites: parlor and one bedroom, $75; parlor and two bedrooms, $135. Children under 18 may occupy a room with parents at no extra charge if the room is adequate for all needs; that is, no extra linens, pillows, etc. Roll-away beds are available for $12 each. Look for more next month! ***** ** Calling All Students to a Special Seminar Blind students have been telling us for a long time that more of them would enjoy coming to the ACB national convention and the national conferences of the special-interest affiliates if they could afford to do so. So something is now being done about that situation! More specifically, the American Council of the Blind, with the cooperation and assistance of the National Alliance of Blind Students (NABS), is scheduling a special seminar for blind students preceding the 1981 ACB national convention and is asking all of its state affiliates to help by co-sponsoring eligible students. The "get-acquainted mixer" and orientation for the seminar will take place on Sunday evening, July 5, 1981, at the Chase-Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, and the one­day seminar itself will take place on Tuesday, July 7. The committee which is in charge of planning and conducting the seminar is chaired by Dr. Judy Dixon of New York, and its members are Mr. Eugene Lozano of California, President of NABS, and Mr. Christopher Gray of Washington, D.C. ACB First Vice President Delbert Aman and ACB President Oral Miller are consulting resources for the committee. The seminar itself will deal with topics of vital importance and interest to students -- topics such as dealing with the printed word (textbooks, readers, equipment, etc.); using existing college and other services; Supplemental Security Income and other benefit programs (vocational rehabilitation, basic education opportunity grants, scholarships, etc.); advocacy on the campus (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, problem. solving, etc.); the benefits of organizations and recommendations for future action. Useful seminar materials, which may be taken home, will be provided in braille, large print, and on tape. We are asking each ACB state affiliate to assist with this invaluable seminar by co-sponsoring a blind student (totally or partially blind) who either lives in its state or attend! school in its state. We are asking the affiliate to pay the first $200 plus 50% of the cost of transportation above $200 for the student selected ACB will pay 50% of transportation costs above $200 plus $200 for room and meals while at the convention. It is expected that the sponsored students will attend the special seminar, attend special-interest conferences of interest to them, and attend the ACB national convention, leaving no earlier than Saturday, July 11. We are asking the special-interest affiliates to extend honorary registration privileges to any students who may be interested in attending any of their sessions. In selecting the students to be sponsored, the state affiliates should follow these guidelines: (1) The blind student must be at least 18 years of age and must have completed high school by the date of the convention. (2) The blind student must already be, or must plan to be, a full-time student next fall, in college or other post-secondary education. (3) The blind student must be pursuing a degree or a certificate in an ongoing educational or training program (as contrasted with a student who is merely taking courses to pass the time away). (4) The blind student should be able and willing to take home with him or her the materials and knowledge received at the seminar so they can be shared with other students in his or her state or affiliate. (5) The blind student should have demonstrated some leadership ability in his or her school or community. A few more details concerning the special seminar for students have been included in an ACB Action Memorandum tape which will almost certainly be in the hands of all affiliate officers and directors, as well as many other active ACB members, by the time they receive this issue of The Braille Forum. This article is for the information of our state affiliates as well as blind students who may be interested in attending the seminar. In fact, blind students who are interested in coming should contact the ACB affiliate in their state. Any student who does not know how to contact the local ACB affiliate should contact the ACB National Office at 1211 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 506, Washington, DC 20036. It should be emphasized in closing that the seminar is not limited to sponsored students only. Any other students -- prospective students and recent students -- are urged to attend and take part. ***** ** Contest Sponsored by National Association of Blind Teachers By Edna H. Schmidt, President National Association of Blind Teachers Over the years many blind and visually impaired teachers have developed unique techniques for handling classroom situations. The National Association of Blind Teachers is compiling a looseleaf notebook listing and explaining such techniques. These should be extremely useful to blind teachers. NABT is sponsoring a contest in which we ask blind and visually impaired teachers to participate. If you have a technique which has been helpful to you and which you would like to share with others, please send it to Mr. Floyd Cargill, 216 W. Miller Street, Springfield, Illinois 62702, by November 1, 1981. Entries should be short and to the point. You may use braille, print, or tape. The best entry, in the opinion of the judges, will receive an award of $50. In case of duplicate ideas, the judges will reserve the right to decide which one shall be chosen. The winner will be announced at a later date. All entries will become the property of NABT and will be considered for inclusion in the collection. ***** ** Blindness Blamed on Worm (Reprinted from the Framingham, Mass. News. By Robert Melton, News staff writer) When the eye doctor asked Carol H. Carroll's husband whether their five-year-old son had recently injured his eye, the Framingham woman knew something was wrong with her boy's vision. But never would (she) have guessed it was a tiny parasite -- a minuscule worm common in dogs and cats -- that permanently robbed young Sean of sight in his right eye, or that the same type of organism would infect her two daughters, who have had to have their blood analyzed every month. What doctors at Framingham Union Hospital diagnosed in Sean and his two sisters was an infection by toxocara canis, a roundworm found in popular pets, but which the medical world is just now beginning to understand. "This whole thing scared me because we had no idea something like this would happen and because nobody we talked to knew anything about it," she said. "The doctors think Sean has been blind for a year now. It just never showed up in regular tests. By the time they found it, Sean couldn't be treated at all. "When he had his routine eye exam in October, the doctor asked my husband whether Sean had hurt or poked his eye -- and he hadn't," Mrs. Carroll said. "We took him to a specialist, who said this worm had died on the optic nerve and had left a scar there. "You can still see it -- a quarter of an inch long, round and curly, a black dot behind the eye," she said. ... Tests also showed traces of the parasite in the two daughters -- three­ and six-year-olds -- who are now on a strict regimen of monthly blood tests, Mrs. Carroll said. Tests on the young baby boy, aged 7 months, showed no toxocara. "He's never been outdoors, of course," Mrs. Carroll said. "It is curable if you catch it in the beginning, but the symptoms are the same as for a cold," she said. Antibiotics are prescribed if the blood tests prove positive, according to Mrs. Carroll. Joel L. Bass, Director of Framingham Union's Child Care Clinic, said toxocara infection is not contagious in humans. Toxocara can never reach the adult, egg-laying stage of its life cycle while in the human body, he explained. "It's difficult to diagnose this condition," Bass said. In the past two years, Bass has diagnosed twelve cases of toxocara infection. Youngsters lost vision in one eye in two of these cases. "We're still not sure whether there are any preventive measures we ought to be taking, say, that maybe children should not be with young puppies," he said. "We haven't gotten that far yet, nor do we know why this disease happens -- only that it does." (Mrs. Carroll) said she fears the disease may recur in her family. "That scares me -- the chance it will start up again. You think you've got it cleared up and then ten years later it starts again." Three years ago doctors developed the so-called ELISA test, a blood sampling that can tell analysts whether larvae have been in the bloodstream, Bass said. Customary blood tests can also turn up a key toxocara telltale: a high number of eosinophils, the white blood cells that are part of the body's natural defenses. "But since the ELISA test is so new, nobody really knows what the normal incidence of this disease is," Bass said. "My suspicion is that it's far more common than we ever thought." ... An adult toxocara worm can lay as many as 200,000 eggs a day, and a single larva can disrupt or damage a human body, Bass said. Parasites, common in nature, are animals which depend on another organism for food and protection. Experts say that after hatching in a human' s intestinal tract, toxocara larvae usually migrate through the bloodstream to one of two places — the liver area or the eye. If lodged in the liver, spleen or lungs, the larvae produce visceral larvae migrans, a persistent condition of rashes, cramps and wheezing. Toxocara is just one worm that causes this disease. If, instead, the larvae move to the retina, ophthalmic toxocara results; this disease produces no rashes or wheezing, but the victim often loses his eyesight. Doctors still are not certain what makes the animal travel to this location. ***** ***From the Archives ** Putting Things in Perspective By Christopher Gray Since the beginning of "From the Archives," many readers have commented upon the series. These comments have been primarily positive; however, there have been requests for clarification and a change of focus in the reprints. The following article by Marie Boring has been chosen with these requests in mind. Though it was politically motivated, it was written to place major historical events in perspective for the general readership of The Braille Monitor and the Braille Free Press. It provides readers of today with a look at the efforts that were being made to bring about a positive reunification of the National Federation of the Blind. It was on the strength of this information that a majority of the NFB membership was able to gain a clear and consistent picture of the events which had taken place. Within the next four months, many of these members were to leave the organization because of these events and subsequent events during the 1961 convention in Kansas City. Marie Boring was the president of the North Carolina affiliate and had been a member of the Executive Committee from 1957 until she was ousted in 1959 along with Durward McDaniel. She was the editor of The Braille Free Press throughout 1961. ** What Is the Braille Free Press Association? By Marie M. Boring (Reprinted from The Braille Free Press, June, 1961) ... In 1957 the Executive Committee of the National Federation of the Blind was called into session for its first meeting between conventions since the Federation organized in 1940. President tenBroek called the meeting at the request of two members of the Executive Committee who felt the need of more information and more coordination between the NFB President and the Executive Committee. This meeting resulted in the adoption of a resolution by the Executive Committee relinquishing to the President complete authority to handle the affairs of the Federation between conventions. Following the meeting only one point of view was reported in the Federation's magazine, The Braille Monitor. Early in 1958 the North Carolina affiliate adopted and circulated a resolution expressing opposition to the resolution passed by the NFB Executive Committee and instructing its delegate to the NFB convention to take steps to encourage the NFB Executive Committee to assume its constitutional duties as "the governing body of the Federation between conventions." This resolution brought forth numerous circulations -- most of them sent out at NFB expense -- questioning the motives of the two Executive Committee members who had not supported the Executive Committee resolution. The Illinois affiliate investigated the issue and submitted its findings to state presidents. This circulation contained some rather serious charges, not by the Illinois affiliate, but by individuals on both sides of the controversy consulted by the affiliates. At the 1958 convention, the resolution (with a few minor changes) concentrating power in the President was made a part of the NFB constitution, replacing the provision that the Executive (Committee) be "the governing body of the Federation between conventions." Also, at the 1958 convention the delegates censured the Illinois affiliate for having circulated to state presidents the results of its investigation of the growing controversy over the inactivity of the NFB Executive Committee. The censure resolution was an extremely better one, and many Federationists felt that such punishment should not be dealt without thorough investigation and prior notice to the affiliate charged. Following the 1958 convention the Monitor again published what many Federationists considered to be a biased report on the convention action. The Monitor refused to publish articles explaining the then minority point of view. On September 12, 1958, Dr. tenBroek circulated a blistering personal attack on two members of the Executive Committee. A request for the list of persons receiving this circulation was denied one of the persons attacked -- these persons had only their personal funds and limited membership lists with which to defend themselves. With this September 12, 1958, circulation from the office of the NFB President began widely distributed bitter attacks from both sides. The Monitor and the President's office were largely responsible for one point of view. Individuals, local groups, and state affiliates were responsible for the other. The North Carolina affiliate, hoping to end the barrage of personal attacks, adopted and circulated a resolution calling on the NFB President to ask the NFB Executive Committee and the convention to make a decision as to whether NFB funds, facilities and the office of the President should be utilized to attack NFB members. This matter was never settled. The reform group within the NFB felt that there should be some means of balancing the propaganda of the Braille Monitor and of the circulations from the President's Office. They felt that members under attack should have some means of defending themselves. They felt that Federationists should be acquainted also with the facts as the reformers saw them. And so, in February of 1959 a group of Federationists met at Memphis to organize the Braille Free Press Association. The sole purpose of this organization was to provide a magazine through which members of the National Federation of the Blind could express themselves on any issue concerning the well-being of the Federation and of the blind in general. The Braille Free Press Association was not organized to attack the Federation. It was organized to provide a voice for those who were denied the pages of the Federation publications. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of individuals. Only those resolutions presented as such can be attributed to groups or organizations. If the Braille Free Press is to be judged evil for engaging in personal attacks, then the same judgment must rest on the Braille Monitor. If the Braille Free Press and all "Free-Pressers" are to be outlawed, then it seems to me only proper that the Braille Monitor and its contributors must likewise be outlawed. I believe we all agree that something must be done to stop the rash of character assassinations, but I believe that no good purpose can be served by the increasingly negative and reactionary measures adopted at Boston, Santa Fe and Miami. It seems to me fitting and proper that we adopt policies which will safeguard officers and members alike from circulated character assassinations. Such measures, however, unless they deal alike with each and every member, including the officers and the President, are meaningless. In this respect, let me hasten to differentiate between personal attack and criticism of officers in a society such as ours. Certainly we in the Federation cannot afford to deny our members the right to judge those elected to serve us on the basis of their service. In our way of life, I believe that one of the greatest attributes of a servant of the people is the ability to take criticism gracefully -- to profit by that criticism which is constructive and to ignore that which is not. Certainly I believe that those elected to serve cannot afford to be oversensitive to suggestions that their established policies should be changed. It seems to me that this oversensitive attitude on the part of the present NFB administration has been largely responsible for the reactionary convention decisions which have created the dilemma in which we find ourselves. If we are all willing to get seriously down to work to find constructive ways to solve our differences, if we avoid the kind of negative decisions which have resulted from our past three conventions, if we all "let him without sin cast the first stone," then I believe that our Kansas City convention will see us back on the road toward our place in the sun as a forceful organization. ***** ** Battelle Study to Help Libraries for Blind Better Measure and Evaluate Service A study aimed at helping libraries serving blind and physically handicapped individuals to better measure their services has recently begun at the Columbus (Ohio) Laboratories of the Battelle Memorial Institute. Battelle is a non-profit, public purpose organization. Founded in 1929, it conducts research on a contract basis for industrial firms and governmental agencies. Its work has covered a wide range of fields, from biochemistry to energy to computer technology, from ceramics to transportation to education and training … In the early 1960s, under contract to the Veterans Administration, it developed the Battelle Optaphone, an eleven-tone auditory reading machine, predecessor to the Visotoner and Stereotoner. As part of a two-year program sponsored by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress (NLS), Battelle specialists are developing ways to review individual libraries with regard to standards recently published by the American Library Association and recommended by NLS. Results of the Battelle review can then be used by individual libraries to evaluate their services. Some 160 libraries across the country cooperate in the NLS program, providing recorded and braille books and magazines to a readership of more than 700,000. The standards outline both quantitative and qualitative levels of library services. They focus on size of collections, budgets, and other measurable components, as well as user satisfaction. According to Battelle's Ann M. Walker, who heads the study, Battelle will address (1) the differences in perception among administrators, regional librarians, users, and others that affect the implementation of the standards; (2) the need for consistent collection of comparative data, as well as a consensus on the types of data required; and (3) the need for feedback from parties affected by the assessment. The standards themselves also will be assessed for completeness and applicability, and a program for their ongoing monitoring will be developed. "A review program is very important to the NLS/BPH network," Walker said, "because it elicits data about the level of service, facilities, staff, and budgets of individual libraries. This information then can be used by libraries in planning programs and services." In addition, she said, with the review program, individual libraries will have comparative information on the network as well as an overall assessment of the entire library system. To assist with and strengthen validity of the study, an NLS Standards Review Advisory Bord has been established to work closely with the Battelle staff. The twelve members of the Advisory Board consist of representatives from the four conferences of the library network, state library agencies, NLS, and consumer groups. Although several consumer groups were invited, only two chose to send representatives -- the American Council of the Blind and the National Association for the Physically Handicapped. And of these two, only ACB's representative, Judy Dixon of the American Council of the Blind of New York State, was present at the first session of the Board's initial meeting in February. The purpose of the NLS Standards Review Advisory Board is to assist Battelle Columbus Laboratories in reviewing the NLS network in relation to the American Library Association standards of service for the Library of Congress network of libraries serving the blind and physically handicapped. The general responsibilities of the Board include: attending four meetings over the next two years; responding in writing with comments and criticisms to documents from Battelle, such as proposed data-gathering tools, questionnaires, site visit guidelines, field visit reports, contents of final report, etc.; participating in the development of qualitative measurement criteria for those standards which are difficult to qualify; serving as liaison between Battelle and the groups represented by the Board; aiding in defining a data collection plan; and aiding in formulating recommendations to ALA for improvement or revision of areas in the standards. ***** ** A Method for Setting Up A Self-Help Support Network For People with Progressive Eye Disease By Mimi Winer The ideas and techniques described in the following article were developed by Vision Foundation, Inc., of Massachusetts, a non-profit information center and self-help organization serving the newly blind, the partially sighted, and people with progressive eye disease. They describe methods for setting up a self-help support network and information program which can be used as a model by others should they so desire. We of Vision hope that these ideas will be as helpful to other people who are losing their sight or who have recently become blind as they have been to us. Some of Vision's services, which are all initiated, developed, and maintained by people with sight loss, include: 1. An information resource and referral center. 2. A buddy phone system 3. Area self-help groups for people dealing with new sight loss. 4. A quarterly large-print and cassette newsletter. 5. A large-print and cassette inventory list of more than 100 resources gathered from around the country and available in various media. These items, most of them free, include large-print cookbooks, sample magazines, brochures, catalogs, maps, etc. 6. A supportive tape library of particular interest to the newly blind. 7. A statewide toll-free number. 8. A two-minute statewide telephone information tape, changed regularly, which describes new benefits, job opportunities, recreational programs, and other items of interest to the visually impaired community. 9. A large-print and voice-indexed cassette book, Coping With Sight Loss: the Vision Resource Book. Although Vision is now in its own office, its services were originally set up in our own homes, and our self-help groups generally continue to be home-based. In our early development several years ago, we had no knowledge of the multiple services and resources available to us. By getting together in small groups and through rapping on the phone, we exchanged bits of information on resources and benefits for the visually impaired. Little by little, we learned more and more about services available to us. We began putting this information on file cards. Finally I was asked by one of our totally blind participants to put all the material on tape. Out of this effort came the large-print handbook, Information and Resources for the Newly Blind and Visually Handicapped of Massachusetts. Although written for helpful Massachusetts information for residents, it was helpful information for others concerned with sight loss as well. This first book is now out of print, and the new one, Coping With Sight Loss, has been planned to be more national in scope. It has been designed with a looseleaf format so that other organizations can add relevant information of their own. An ACB affiliate or chapter might well set up such an information service and perhaps develop a resource manual to serve local area needs. Just keep putting the new information (by category) on file cards -- until you have enough material to work with. In this fashion, every local organization or group can have its own resource book. As we exchange information, our knowledge of resources continues to grow. A major problem for most people with deteriorating vision is the loss of easy access to transportation. Vision found that people with new sight loss often have great difficulty in getting to meetings held in one central location. For this reason, a buddy telephone network was developed. As each new participant comes into the organization, the following information -- with permission, of course -- is placed on index cards: (1) date of initial contact (Note: we never make first contact; all new participants must call or write us first); (2) name; (3) address; (4) phone; (5) age; (6) name of eye disease (Note: Vision's services are available to anyone with sight loss as well as to sighted family members); (7) degree of loss: i.e., still driving, still reading, legally blind, light perception, totally blind; (8) date of onset of eye problem and/or legal or total blindness; (9) other handicapping conditions, such as hearing loss or systemic illness; (10) occupation; (11) interests; (12) marital status and children; (13) referred by -. As this list of cards grows, you will be able to put people of similar interests, backgrounds, and eye problems -- and, most importantly, those who live close enough -- in touch with one another so they can make frequent toll-free calls. In this way, a natural system for information sharing and emotional support can be developed without major expense. Note that Vision uses this method primarily for those with progressive loss and new blindness. Occasionally sighted family members also need buddies, and they, too, are put in touch with appropriate people. Since Vision does not solicit membership of people with sight loss, you may wonder how we are contacted. In the beginning, people heard of us by word of mouth. Now they are sent to Vision through low-vision clinics, social workers, and agencies serving the blind. There have also been articles in local newspapers, and we have had the good fortune to be on several television programs. We have moved from a home setting to our own office. Our expenses, which are rising with increased requests for services, are presently being met by grants, corporate donations and individual memberships. Some 500 people statewide are now involved in Vision programs in one way or another, and nationally several thousand people have been served with resources and information. As stated previously, this work was all done in our own homes until recently, and I would suggest that you start in this fashion, too. All you need are two people to begin a program. Move slowly and carefully so that a strong central core can develop as you expand. Vision self-help groups are formed when there are enough people in a local area to set them up. Each area group is kept in touch with other area groups by an area group coordinator. Area coordinators keep in touch with one another on a regular basis -- both for information exchange and for the purpose of matching up phone buddies. Sometimes a member one group needs a more suitable buddy from another group, and area coordinators initiate such contacts on request. As the program expands, some of this work of hooking people into people is being done by office volunteers and staff, and we must sometimes refer to our office intake cards as well. We have found that eight to ten people in a self-help group is the ideal size. Each group is set up by one or two coordinators, who work in cooperation with the host or hostess in arranging for transportation, time of meeting, etc. Again, as the program expands, some of these arrangements are being funneled through the Vision office. An area coordinator attends several group sessions before becoming a group coordinator, so that he or she will feel comfortable in this role. Each new coordinator is also given a group coordinator training kit, which consists of a sample self-help group meeting on cassette, local and national resources, an inventory list of resources in the Vision office, and other relevant materials. As the program began to spread, the groups became so large that it was necessary to start meeting in public places rather than in our own homes. As soon as this happened, the groups lost much of their personal touch, and thus much of their value. We realized that a homelike setting was best, with size limitations for each group. Thus, when private homes or apartments are not available, we try to provide a homelike setting even in public buildings. The groups are open-ended and flexible, with people coming into and out of them as they have need. Occasionally a sighted spouse will attend and discuss the problems of progressive sight loss from his or her point of view. We never try to play a professional role. Each member of the group goes through stages of active/passive participation as individual and group needs require it. If deep emotional or other problems arise, participants are referred for professional services. There are psychiatrists, ophthalmologists, psychologists, and other professionals serving the visually handicapped on the Vision Advisory board. Unlike group sessions held by professionals, which usually run weekly for about two hours, Vision groups (ideally and when transportation is available — more available than in the past, I might add, now that we have funding for paid drivers) run once a month and last from three to four hours. The once-a-month format reduces transportation needs, and the three to four-hour sessions allow people to unwind and to gather all the information they may need. Personal contact is maintained between monthly sessions by the buddy phone system. Each group session is a somewhat nonstructured happening, varying with the needs of a group at a given time. The usual format for a new group is as follows: First hour -- unwinding and informal introductions. Second hour -- sometimes part of the third hour -- group coordinator disseminates information on major benefits and services. The coordinator then introduces him/herself formally and talks about his/her eye disease and personal methods for coping or non-coping with the problem. After talking for about five minutes, the coordinator touches the next person as a signal to speak. When the circle is complete, people usually start asking each other questions at random. The main role of the coordinator is to see that each person gets a chance to vent feelings or have a question answered, and that no one person dominates discussion. At this point, there is a break for refreshments. The last hour is often spent in one-to-one peer counseling. If the group is an established one, the format may vary. More time may be spent on airing feelings and less on information. A speaker may be brought in for part of the session to demonstrate a new device or to discuss special services. Not all problems can be solved in the group sessions, and buddies often check in with one another by phone later for further reinforcement and support. The following resources have been found helpful: 1. Group coordinator training kit. 2. "How to Succeed in Being Blind" - supportive and informative article written by a professor who gradually lost his sight from retinitis pigmentosa. 3. "Teaching a Course on Resources to the Newly Blind" - Vision Foundation. 4. Coping With Sight Loss: The Vision Resource Book. 5. "Where Do I Go from Here?" and "Promises to Keep" - Dialogue Publications. Supportive and informative material for the newly blind and their families. 6. Catalog of Publications - American Foundation for the Blind. 7. Reference Circulars - National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. We found that the many excellent NLS reference circulars gave a wealth of information and help. It is good to keep checking regularly, as new ones are added all the time. 8. Such magazines as the following: The Braille Forum, The Braille Monitor, Contact, Dialogue With the Blind, Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, Matilda Ziegler Magazine, News Reel, Programs for The Handicapped, The RP Messenger, Talking Book Topics. 9. Vision Inventory List - Vision Foundation publication. For further information concerning the above resources or if you have other questions, please contact Vision Foundation, Inc., 770 Centre Street, Newton, MA 02158; telephone (617) 965-5877, or Massachusetts toll-free, (800) 852-3029. ***** ** BANA Annual Business Meeting The annual business meeting of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) was held in the conference room of the American Printing House for the Blind, Louisville, Kentucky, on November 19-20, 1980. BANA's counterpart in Great Britain, the Uniform Type Committee of Great Britain, has changed its name to the Braille Authority of the United Kingdom (BAUK). A special planning committee was created to work with representatives from BAUK to facilitate planning for a proposed International Conference on Braille for English-Speaking People, tentatively scheduled for 1982. The joint committee will establish parameters for the discussion of braille codes during the conference. It includes Dick Evensen, Chairmen, and Maxine Dorf, National Library Service, and Jane Cooter, Canadian National Institute for the Blind. BANA and BAUK hope to achieve uniformity of braille currently used in North America and the United Kingdom. The American Council of the Blind adopted a resolution at its 1980 convention pledging support for the international conference. That resolution was distributed to all BANA members organizations, with the request that each consider the adoption of a similar resolution. Bettye Krolick, on behalf of the Technical Committee on Braille Music Notation, presented the "Second American Addendum, 1980" of the "Revised International Manual of Braille Music Notation, 1956," compiled by H.V. Spanner and published by the American Printing House. The Addendum was returned to the Music Committee for a number of changes before being submitted for publication. An ad hoc subcommittee of the Technical Committee on Braille Textbook Format was created to take Appendix E of the "Code of Textbook Formats and Techniques" and expand it into a new code. High priority will be given to the project, with a draft of the code expected within a year. The committee includes Jane Vermeer, CNIB, Chairperson; Alice Childers, Jane Cooter, and Yancey Smith. The following were appointed by their respective member organizations to be BANA Board members for the next three years: Floyd Cargill, American Council of the Blind; William Gallagher, American Foundation for the Blind; Michael Sears, Clovernook Printing House for the Bind; and Kenneth Jernigan, National Federation of the Blind. Officers elected to serve during the next year are: Chairman, Floyd Cargill; Vice Chairman, Ralph McCracken; Secretary, Jane Vermeer; and Treasurer, Joseph Sullivan. ***** ** National Skiing Championship Tournament Cancelled by Good Weather The general lack of snow in much of the United States during the past winter was no respecter of persons or events. Not only did it drive many ski areas into virtual bankruptcy, but it also forced the cancellation of the first national championship winter sports tournament scheduled by the United States Association for Blind Athletes (USABA), to have taken place at the Deer Mountain ski area near Deadwood, South Dakota, from March 4-8, 1981. The event was not cancelled until the last possible minute, in hopes that more snow would fall. The tournament coordinators made the painful decision to cancel the event after deciding that there was not enough snow on the ground to safely conduct the downhill events. Arrangements had been made at an alternate location nearby for conduct of the cross-country skiing events. There was not enough time to reschedule the tournament at a location in another part of the country. The USABA plans to conduct a national championship winter sports tournament late next fall or next winter, so anyone who is interested in competitive skiing (both downhill and cross-country) should check future issues of this magazine for announcements concerning the tournament and other events. Although other organizations sponsor downhill and cross-country skiing events, it should be emphasized that the USABA has been designated as the official organization in the United States for the selection of blind skiers to take part in international competitive and demonstration events. Accordingly, it is extremely important for any skiers who may be interested in sanctioned national or international competition to take part in events sanctioned by the USABA. Athletes who are not already USABA members may obtain membership applications from the president, Mr. Arthur E. Copeland, 55 W. California Avenue, Beach Haven Park, NJ 08008. USABA members are also eligible to compete in the other sporting events sponsored by the organization. ***** ** In Memoriam: William T. Snyder William T. Snyder, Executive Director of the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America, and dear friend to many in the American Council of the Blind, died of a stroke on Monday, February 23, 1981, at the age of 62. Bill Snyder had long been active in aiding blind and handicapped persons, even before his appointment as Executive Director of ALL in 1978. Bill was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended the Maryland School for the Blind. He also graduated from City College in 1936 and with honors from the University of Pennsylvania in 1940. Later he did graduate work at Johns Hopkins University and obtained a master's degree from the University of Maryland. The list of Bill's civic and volunteer contributions is awesome. On his death, he was President of the Baltimore Radio Reading Service, Inc. From 1957 to 1971 he served as Executive Director of the Kidney Foundation in Maryland, during which time he was active in drafting that state's Anatomical Gifts Statute. He also helped the Kidney Foundation amass a paid staff. All of these activities were in addition to the successful operation of his own public relations firm, William T. Snyder and Associates, which has been in existence since 1947. Bill headed the Maryland delegation to the White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals in 1977. In 1975 he became President of the Committee to Eliminate Architectural Barriers and Travel Obstacles to the Handicapped in Baltimore. Bill was also active in Common Cause, the Rotary Club of Baltimore, the Vestry of Immanuel Episcopal Church, and the John Eager Howard Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. As well as serving as Executive Director of ALL, Bill was also editor of ALL-O-GRAMS. ***** ** Here and There By Elizabeth M. Lennon Peter J. Salmon (1895-1981) died in New York City on January 23 at the age of 85. His career in service to the blind and deaf-blind spanned 64 years. A pioneer and innovator in rehabilitation, employment, low vision, and other services, Dr. Salmon's unique achievement was in the creation of programs for the deaf-blind. Throughout his career, he was affiliated with the Industrial Home for the Blind in Brooklyn, New York. Starting as business manager, he rose to the position of executive director in 1945 and, following his retirement in 1966, served as administrative vice president. It was as soon as he assumed IHB's executive directorship that Dr. Salmon established the nation's first comprehensive rehabilitation program for deaf-blind persons. This ultimately developed into what is today the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults in Sands Point, New York. This spring, Thomas Dickey, a 71-year-old blind Amherst College alumnus, is planning to bicycle cross-country from his Palo Alto, California home to his 50th reunion at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He will be accompanied on his tandem bicycle by a member of the Amherst College Class of 1981. "Such a cross-country bicycle trip is highly unusual for a 71-year-old man," writes an Amherst official, "and unheard of for someone who is also blind." Marvin Price, a member of the American Council of the Blind of Indiana and husband of ACBI's immediate past president, Pat Price, was recently promoted to Assistant Chief of Rehabilitation Services, Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Indiana Rehabilitation Services. He was formerly Lead Counselor in the agency's Indianapolis office. From This Week: Contact lenses that can be left in the eyes for two weeks without removal were recently approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The new "extended wear" lenses are thinner and contain more water than conventional soft lenses and cost $150 to $200 more, according to Dr. Robert Morrison, an ophthalmologist of Harrisburg, Pa. and New York City. "Some people cannot put contacts in themselves," notes Morrison. "Some are too nervous, others, like victims of arthritis, have hand problems, and some just do not see well enough to put them in. The new contacts can be put in for these patients and they can come back in two weeks, have the contacts taken out, cleaned, and put back in." The Cybertyper, a new teaching/typing machine developed for the training and employment of blind individuals, is described in Four Sight (Greater Detroit Society for the Blind). Developed by Eliot Friedman of Cyberon Corp., who is blind himself, the Cybertyper provides immediate feedback to the student or teacher as to speed, accuracy, and spelling while typing. Currently it has a limited vocabulary, with spelled-speech capability, but is being moved into a third stage of development, word processing. For more information, contact Lyle Thume, University Health Center, 4201 St. Antoine, No. 90, Detroit, MI 48227. The Christian Record Braille Foundation, Inc., invites interested persons to participate in its annual summer camp program for the blind and visually impaired. There is no charge for the one-week stay at camp, but those who attend are asked to cover their own transportation expenses. The Foundation operates 42 camps throughout the United States and Canada, with programs for young people ages 9 to 19 as well as for adults of all ages. In addition, each year a New Vision Camp is added to the program, with counselors specially trained to work with the physically disabled; that is, persons in wheelchairs or on crutches, persons with hearing impairments, etc. For information on the camps or on other services of the Foundation, write the Christian Record Braille Foundation, Inc., 4444 S. 52nd Street, Lincoln, NE 68506, or call the toll-free number, (800) 228-4189. Inquiries concerning the camp program should be directed to Frank Peterson. From Hoosier Starlight: Mechanic Archie Knoll works on car motors every day, but he never sees the spark plugs or battery cables that make a vehicle run. Since the age of 11, Archie has been totally blind, but he feels his lack of sight is an advantage in the world of grease and wrenches. For the past five years, Archie, 40, has been practicing his craft at the Terre Haute (Indiana) Wastewater Treatment Plant, where he services vehicles for the sewage and police departments. "I can work in the dark, while those with sight cannot," says Archie. -- The lifesaving requirements of cardiopulmonary resuscitation are: listen closely, feel carefully, and react. Computer specialist Roger Smith, blind since birth, says these requirements are part of everyday living. Smith has recently completed a CPR course routinely offered to U.S. Finance and Accounting Center employees at Fort Harrison, Indiana, where he works. "CPR is the type of thing that doesn't really depend on whether you can see," Smith says. "You have to be able to listen and feel." The 1981 annual meetings of the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, November 14-15, at the Atlanta American Motor Hotel. Co-hosting the meetings are Atlanta Area Services for the Blind, Georgia Academy for the Blind, Georgia Factory for the Blind, as well as the Georgia Federation of the Blind, ACB's affiliate. The meetings will include the annual membership meeting and banquet and the annual meeting of the Board of Directors. The public is welcome. -- Two more ACB affiliates have joined the list of organizations publicly sponsoring the work of NAC. They are Guide Dog Users, Inc., which has become a sponsoring member, and the Tennessee Council of the Blind, which has become a supporting member. The Board of Directors of AAWB, in cooperation with the Board of Directors of AEVH, announces formation of an AAWB/AEVH Alliance which took place March 1, 1981. The formal name will be the American Association of Workers for the Blind/Association for Education of the Visually Handicapped Alliance. The governing vehicle for the Alliance will be a Joint Management Committee composed of an equal number of officers of each association and chaired in alternate years by the president of each association. President Richard Umsted of AEVH is the first chairperson of the Alliance. Each association will maintain its individuality and separate operation. From Mid-Florida Mumbles (Mid-Florida Council of the Blind): "Our February meeting was really something special. To begin with, we almost broke all attendance records, with 85 of us showing up to hear City Commissioner Nat Ford speak and to enjoy the Valentine's Day activities ... One of the children brought her valentine to me and said, 'Can I have a different one? This one has holes in it.' It was brailled!" -- The same issue tells of a Florida Council of the Blind official pin. The pin has a lady with a dog guide on the right and a man walking with a cane on the left. Also it has FCB in braille at the top. The pin sells for $1.50. "The Eyes Have It" is a Chicago-based support group formed by and for diabetics with retinopathy. It provides a forum where members can exchange experiences, emotions, and practical information about the twin conditions of diabetes and visual impairment. Although not a therapy group, members believe it can help diabetics to an understanding, acceptance, and management of the changes in their lives which retinopathy can bring. The group meets twice a month at the headquarters of the American Diabetes Association, 6 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. From Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness: The American Foundation for the Blind Consumer Products Department is exploring the possibility of adapting a standard household thermostat (White­Rogers) by placing tactual markings at temperature settings for 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, and 90 degrees. To help determine the potential market for such a product, agencies and individuals are invited to contact Karen Sussman, Consumer Products Development Center, American Foundation for the Blind, 15 W. 16th Street, New York, NY 10011. -- Dog guides are not only mobility aids, but they help to start conversations, according to a study done at Arizona State University. Nineteen students (sighted students were used because they were easier to find than blind subjects) were trained to use dogs and canes. They then donned dark glasses and took walks along the streets of Phoenix, discreetly followed by observers who noted the number and nature of social encounters. When walking with a dog, 1.6 "social interactions" per walk took place. Most of the conversations lasted from two to fifteen minutes. When walking with a cane, students had only half as many social interactions (.8 per walk), and they were short -- an average of only 23 seconds. ***** ** 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. ###