Large Type Edition The Braille Forum Vol. XIX August, 1981 No. 2 American Council of the Blind Elects Grant Mack President Oral Miller Named National Representative 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: Grant Mack 139 East South Temple, Suite 5000 Salt Lake City, UT 84111 * First Vice President: Otis H. Stephens 2021 Kemper Lane S.W. Knoxville, TN 37920 * Second Vice President: Dr. Robert T. McLean 2139 Joseph Street New Orleans, LA 70115 * Secretary: Karen Perzentka 6913 Colony Drive Madison, WI 53717 * Treasurer: James R. Olsen Summit Bank Bldg., Suite 822 310 4th Avenue, S. Minneapolis, MN 54415 ** Directors Delbert K. Aman 115 5th Avenue, S.E. Aberdeen, SD 57401 Robert Campbell 253 Stonewall Road Berkeley, CA 94705 Adrian DeBlaey 912 N. Hawley Road Milwaukee, WI 53213 Christopher Gray 1104 N. Stafford Stret Arlington, VA 22201 Charles Hodge 2895 S. Abingdon Street, Unit A-2 Arlington, VA 22206 Carl F. McCoy 925 E. Magnolia Drive, Apt. D-7 Tallahassee, FL 32301 Patricia Price 337 S. Sherman Drive Indianapolis, IN 46201 LeRoy Saunders P.O. Box 24020 Oklahoma City, OK 73124 M.J. Schmitt 528 Des Plaines Avenue, Apt. 2A Forest Park, IL 60130 Dick Seifert 1023 Scott Street, Apt. F Little Rock, AR 72202 ***** ** Contents ACB Officers Directors A Beloved Pilot Surrenders the Wheel, by George Card ACB Convention, 1981 -- Part I: Appointments and Elections Report from the ACB Immediate Past President, Oral O. Miller Report of ACB National Representative, Durward K. McDaniel Grant Mack, President of ACB Changes and Challenges, by Roberta Douglas Floyd Qualls Will Be Remembered, by Durward K. McDaniel Lawsuit Settlement Is Victory for Blind Vendors The Road to Growth, by George Fogarty ACB Wins Kansas Lawsuit, by Durward K. McDaniel Congressional Budget Process Nears Completion, by Kathy Megivern ACB Co-Sponsors National Consumer Education Conference 1982 Ski for Light Applications Available Here and There, by Eizabeth M. Lennon Notice to Subscribers ***** ** A Beloved Pilot Surrenders the Wheel By George Card I have listened to the many reassuring statements to the effect that, even without the wise head and strong guiding hand of Durward K. McDaniel, everything is to continue to be just fine. The American Council of the Blind — which is already the largest, most influential, and most highly respected organization of the blind in the western hemisphere -- will keep right on growing in numbers and effectiveness. And I really believe this -- with my mind -- but when I try to visualize our future without Durward, my heart falters. With the invaluable aid and counsel of his peerless consort, Aileen, he has brought us safely through some mighty rough waters, avoiding dangerous shoals, sharp rocks and treacherous currents, until now at last we seem to be on the open sea, with a favorable wind and all sys terns "Go!" It is often said that we do not fully appreciate a great blessing until we are about to lose it. I truly believe this is not true in the case of our departing National Representative. I have never heard the smallest complaint or criticism during these past twenty years. I believe he has had our complete trust, our admiration, and our gratitude from the very first. Most of us know that without his indomitable faith, his dauntless perseverance, and his great fighting spirit, we would not be where we are today. He was the first to become convinced that the national organization of the blind to which we all then belonged was becoming not only a dictatorship, but a corrupt dictatorship. For a while he had only a corporal's guard with him -- such brave souls as Floyd Qualls, Marie Boring, David Krause, Archie, George Burck, Ufemon Segura, Rosario, and a very few others. Tragically, those last two named were lost to us by death in our very first year. His first real chance to state his case came at Boston, in 1958, at the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind. I tried to defend the Administration's autocratic and illegal policies in a debate with Durward. The outcome was inevitable, because at that time the great majority still believed Jacobus tenBroek could do no wrong and could never be wrong. If that outcome had been decided on its merits, however, Durward would have won by a wide margin. As it was, he made a considerable number of important converts to the cause of reform. The following year, at the Santa Fe convention, there was an all-day debate, and this time Durward was not alone. This time, many prominent and eloquent speakers threw their support to the reform movement and a goodly number of people were persuaded that it was high time to halt the drift toward authoritarianism. Then came The Braille Free Press, and the reform movement had a powerful voice. But it took the holocaust of that awful Sunday night in Miami in 1960 to shock into full awareness such former stalwart tenBroek idolizers as me. Ironically enough, as the future was to show, that night marked the beginning of the long disintegration which the thenceforth Jernigan-dominated NFB was to undergo, and which seems to be continuing to this day. At the St. Louis convention, the topic under discussion on all sides was our departing National Representative. There was a great deal of speculation as to the future of ACB and a considerable amount of apprehension. There was universal agreement, however, on one point: that this gathering marked the end of an era. Personally I am thankful that I could have been around during the great building years. During these past twenty years, we have had four excellent presidents: Ned Freeman of Georgia, Reese Robrahn of Kansas, Floyd Qualls of Oklahoma, and Orla Miller of Washington, D.C. Ned and Floyd have gone to their rewards, and the other two have become professionals in our field. It is to take nothing from these fine men to say that when the real crises came, we turned, with simple, childlike trust and faith, to that wise, unflappable, ever-resourceful man from Oklahoma. The convention itself will be dealt with elsewhere. All I need say here is that the delegates seized every possible opportunity to demonstrate their love and their gratitude to Durward. The banquet, which was billed as a "roast," soon lost that character and turned into a heartfelt testimonial, as was right and proper. At the end, a thunderous ovation came. In conclusion, I would like to say just this: All Hail to the Founder of the American Council of the Blind — DURWARD K. McDANIEL! ***** *** ACB Convention, 1981 ** Part I: Appointments and Elections The end of an era! A time of change! A shifting of gears! A sense of nostalgia for the past, coupled with speculation and optimism for the future! These threads were woven inextricably into the very texture of the 1981 national convention of the American Council of the Blind, held July 5-11 in St. Louis, Missouri. The 5-11 in Missouri St. Louis, Federation Missouri. of the Blind Host Committee, so capably chaired by Mrs. Assunta Lilley, is to be commended for a convention well planned and well executed throughout. Yet no convention can stand alone. The management and staff of the Chase-Park Plaza Hotel are to be commended, also, for the important part they played in making the entire week the great success it was. Though registration figures are not yet available, the fact that convention headquarters, the Chase-Park Plaza, was sold out well in advance and an overflow hotel had to be used speaks for itself. Following the 1980 convention, Durward McDaniel announced to the ACB Board his intention to retire as National Representative as of August 31, 1981. Subsequently, a search committee was established and the position was widely advertised. Early in the 1981 convention, ACB First Vice President Delbert Aman assumed the chair and announced his appointment and the Board's endorsement of Oral Miller to fill that position. President Miller then announced two additional staff appointments: Scott Marshall of Buffalo, New York, to succeed Reese Robrahn as Director of Governmental Affairs, and Barbara Nelson of St. Paul, Minnesota, to succeed Kathleen Megivern as Staff Attorney. According to the ACB Constitution, election of the five officers is to take place in odd-numbered years. The office of president became vacated by virtue of Oral Miller's appointment to the ACB professional staff. The office of secretary became vacated since the incumbent, M. Helen Vargo of Topeka, Kansas, had served her third two-year term. All other officers were eligible to stand for re-election. Officers elected at the July 11, 1981 business meeting were as follows: President, Grant Mack of Salt Lake City, Utah, a private businessman in the field of insurance; First Vice President, Dr. Otis Stephens of Knoxville, Tennessee, Professor of Political Science, University of Tennessee; Second Vice President, Dr. Robert T. McLean of New Orleans, Louisiana, Professor of Mathematatics, Loyola University; Secretary, Karen Perzentka of Madison, Wisconsin, homemaker and former secretary of the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America; and Treasurer, James R. Olsen of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Executive Director, ACB Enterprises and Services. With these elections, two one-year vacancies were created on the ACB Board, and the following directors were elected: Delbert K. Aman of Aberdeen, South Dakota, with Services to the Visually Impaired, South Dakota Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, and Patricia Price of Indianapolis, Indiana, supervisor in the Policy Owners Service Department, Indianapolis Life Insurance Company. A detailed report on convention business matters (resolutions, constitution and by-law amendments, etc.) and on the formal program will be included in upcoming issues of The Braille Forum. Convention tapes will be available from the Braille Forum office. For details, see the September issue. ** Report from the ACB Immediate Past President Oral O. Miller (Editor's Note: Oral Miller's final report to the membership as ACB President was prepared to be given as part of the 1981 national convention program in St. Louis, Missouri. However, because of the press of business before adjournment on Saturday afternoon, this was not possible. The report is, therefore, instead printed below.) As I enter the last few hours of my term as President of the American Council of the Blind today (July 11 1981) and prepare to assume the duties of National Representative, it is natural, if not inevitable to experience feelings of both pride and humility -- pride in the progress which the American Council of the Blind has made in the past three years, and humility concerning the enormity and complexity of the new position I am assuming. Since I have published a monthly report in The Braille Forum for the past three years, my report today will not attempt to go into great detail concerning specific activities. Nevertheless, several accomplishments and objectives should be mentioned. One of the facts in which all ACB members may take pride is the dramatic financial stability which the ACB has experienced since 1978. While the groundwork for our dramatically improved economic condition was laid prior to mid-1978, much credit should be given to the skillful negotiations conducted by our National Representative at that time and the careful planning and stewardship of the Board of Directors of ACB Enterprises and Services over the intervening years. This stability has enabled ACB to support the forward-looking programs and services which have been discussed in almost every issue of The Braille Forum over the past three years. The ACB Board of Directors itself is to be commended for its decision to share our improved condition with our members, our affiliates, and the blind generally -- e.g., through the conduct of regional leadership training seminars; the sponsorship of an extremely successful national legislative seminar; the sponsorship of a successful and forward-looking national workshop on student affairs; the granting of thousands of dollars to our affiliates to assist them in membership development and improved communications with their members through affiliate publications; the providing of limited assistance to essential committee personnel in connection with national conventions; the dramatic improvement of communications with the membership by means of outgoing WATS lines from and incoming WATS lines to the ACB National Office; the significant improvement of national convention mailing procedures and membership information management; ; the development of effective public service announcements in connection with the Thrift Stores; the development of public service announcements which are soon to be released concerning ACB itself; the successful execution of well-planned litigation (both administrative and judicial) which has had impact on thousands of lives beyond the boundaries of ACB membership; the sponsorship of countless ACB members who have served on dozens of working and advisory committees; to many Government departments as well as public and private agencies; and the sponsorship of an evaluation site for the testing and development of the "Talking Optacon" (the next technical step forward in the development of electronic devices that can read the printed page). In a sense, the aforementioned projects and services are only the "tip of the iceberg," because, at the same time, the American Council of the Blind has come to be recognized by both Federal and state legislators and administrators as the most effective, realistic, and articulate spokesman of the blind in the United States. In addition, while we have not beaten our chests about it and screamed it "from the barricades" or from the picket lines, our programs have made us the only growing national organization of the blind in the United States, as well as the largest organization of the blind in the United States. For years I have been hearing the same tired hackneyed, groundless, unsubstantiated claims which you have been hearing concerning the purported membership of another organization of the blind. But our programs and achievements obviously speak for themselves! During my term as ACB president, it has been my policy to be a visible and working president, and to that end, I have spent almost every weekend out of town on ACB business, and during the past year I have originated between 400 and 500 pieces of correspondence relating to ACB business. In addition, I have spent countless evenings at the ACB National Office conferring with the National Representative and other staff members. Although this level of activity has forced me to perform my duties with the Federal Government in a more efficient manner, it has also allowed me to familiarize myself with many of the countless issues in which we are so vitally interested. It has also made me aware of the dozens of things that still need to be done in behalf of ACB members and the blind generally. While no one can easily take the place of a man possessing the dedication and knowledge of our retiring National Representative, Durward McDaniel, I am confident that the team of national staff members now being put together will, after an initial period of orientation, continue to "rack up" successes at the pace to which we have become accustomed. We, the members of the American Council of the Blind, are at an exciting and challenging point in our growth and operation, because, especially if Federal funding for service programs is to be reduced as drastically as indicated, there is going to be an even greater need for the services we provide, the programs we administer or advocate, and the skills and expertise we possess. My decision to leave the Federal service after 21 years and to accept the position as National Representative of the American Council of the Blind has not been made in haste, because of some of the benefits I will be losing. However, I have made my decision based on the realization that I can work more effectively for the benefit of the members of the ACB and the blind generally in my new position. I am making this move based on the realization, also, that the new president, Grant Mack of Salt Lake City, will perform his duties in an exceptionally conscientious and capable manner. I should like to add that it is a compliment to the philosophy and structure of the American Council of the Blind that we can, with confidence and reassurance, hand the leadership gavel to a successor in the sure knowledge that he or she will perform his or her duties in an outstanding way. The fact that our constitution sets a realistic limit on the number of terms which an officer may serve stimulates the development of new leadership and the continual injection of new ideas. I shall conclude these remarks by assuring you that I am looking forward to working with you, the members and friends of the American Council of the Blind, in my new capacity as National Representative. ** Report of ACB National Representative Durward K. McDaniel (Excerpted from remarks before the national convention of the American Council of the Blind, St. Louis, Missouri, July 10, 1981) Thank you, Mr. President and future National Representative of the American Council of the Blind. … I will talk on a variety of topics, and if you think I have all of my notes on these two small pieces of paper, you're right. After one lives with the job of National Representative for thirteen years, all one needs is some code words and some abbreviations, and from there on it just comes out. ... As you know, the National Office has been operating for the past almost seven months without Reese Robrahn's services ... But we've had to work a little faster and try a little harder to cover the bases in this very eventful year that we are in at this time. One of the developments which we could not have anticipated, and it has been very helpful to us -- and I want to give credit before I forget about it -- In the process of organizing the League of Disabled Voters, of which I am currently the president, we attracted the dedicated interest of Kathaleen Arneson, who had for 20 years been working for the Rehabilitation Services Administration, and most most recently as its legislative representative to Congress. When Kay resigned to retire in January, she came to the League of Disabled Voters as a member and as a volunteer legislative liaison for that organization. In the working out of the efforts to implement that new and future organization I believe of great importance, the League of Disabled Voters, ACB offered Kay Arneson desk space and the use of a telephone, and she has been invaluable in helping us cover the subcommittee hearings, outside private meetings dealing with the budget cuts, the block grant issues, Social Security issues, and many, many others. It is appropriate that I should acknowledge her contribution. She is a volunteer, and I look forward to her association with ACB on that basis for a long time to come. ... The legislative scene in Washington is a madhouse. There is no better way to describe it. All of the social service programs have been under close scrutiny -- I might say critical scrutiny -- by the Administration. I think for the first time in my adult life I consider myself to be a conservative. Labels don't usually mean much, but I like to quote Dr. Newel Perry, who was one of the people who got organizations of the blind on the map in this country. Dr. Perry once said that he (speaking of himself) was a conservative about everything we have as blind people and a liberal about everything we want as blind people. And I think that Ronald Reagan has made a conservative out of me, because I certainly don't want to turn the calendar back by 40 or 50 years. We have, in the process of dealing with budget cuts, which we have opposed, and block grants, which we have opposed, formed many new alliances with other people who also are opposed to the same things. We and others have realized that if unrestricted block grants are sent to the state governments to be spent as somebody there wants to spend them, all of the legitimate interests of categorical programs will be thereby transformed into competitors. It would make a sort of a monetary jungle out of the funding of service programs for people. We think that's a very reckless way to reform the Government. If the Federal Government is spending money foolishly, we do not believe that merely transferring the spending to the state of lesser amounts of money is an intelligent way to solve waste in the Federal Government. There may be some virtue in getting the Federal Government off our backs. I don't think that that virtue is as great or any greater than putting the state governments on our backs. The gains that we have made over a long period of time are all threatened. As I believe Kathy Megivern told you in her remarks the other day, we have succeeded in avoiding block grants for vocational rehabilitation and special education for the handicapped. The American Council of the Blind, of course, did not do that alone. Many good people with common interests coalesced to bring that about ... We have saved those categorical programs for this time. That doesn't mean that next year we'll be safe. Someone made the point at our legislative seminar in Washington that at this time, as important as national organizations are in the total scheme of Federal relations, the state organizations within ACB and other organizations are going to be increasingly important. Their functioning is going to be absolutely essential to help keep the gains we have made and to make any improvements that can be had. ... Somewhere in this report, I intend to talk about trends of the future, and maybe now is as good a time as any. I think the trend of supporting litigation to advance our common cause will grow. We participated with the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America, American Association of Workers for the Blind, National Council of State Agencies for the Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind, and the D.C. Committee of Blind Vendors, and some individual vendors, in filing a suit to compel the Secretary of Education to finally fill those ten personnel positions in the Bureau for the Blind and Visually Handicapped in Washington that the Randolph-Sheppard Amendments of 1974 directed them to do. They had just ignored the law for all that time. I am glad to tell you that that case has been resolved satisfactorily. They have filled those positions, and money that we spent on that case is going to show up many-fold over in the success and retention and improvement of the Randolph-Sheppard vending facility program in this country. We probably saved the Bureau from total extinction by filing that lawsuit. You know, ACB doesn't get any money from the Federal Government, so we don't have to be shy about whom we sue. ... I know Oral is strongly committed to greater service to members and affiliates, and I am sure that that is going to be a major trend — not that we haven't been doing it, but I think you will find that we will be doing more and more of it as the 80's roll by. I know that you will all welcome that, and as our financial condition improves, I think the relationship of the national organization to the members and to the state organizations will also improve. You know, of course, and many of you were there at the legislative seminar in May, that that was, for a first effort, a very gratifying experience. I do hope, and I believe, that that experience will become a regular event and that the visibility and effect of constituents from home districts will impinge ever more effectively on what Congressmen do affecting us. I think our legislative seminar was a good trump card in defeating block grants. ... I think the trend of the future -- and I hope it will include, a national support center dealing with rights and concerns of handicapped people. ACB has, through the budgeting process, endorsed the idea. I have gotten a number of other organizations such as the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, the National Association of the Deaf, the American Blind Lawyers Association, to endorse the idea. And as I have explained to each in turn, this is not something that expect to direct myself. My role is to get it established. Somebody else will be doing the running of it. I may or may not be on that project's board of directors. In anticipating retirement, I said this to the Board of Directors once, that I want to leave some things for my successors to take care of. It's badly needed. Some of the public-interest law centers which have been established during recent years are struggling; some of them are closing up because they can't get the money. And I will say this: I think it's a mistake for any such project dealing with the rights of people to depend heavily upon government money. Any time you take issue with a government that gives you the money, you're inviting them to stop giving you money. ... So I would say this to you: I think that not just the organizations that I have named, but all of those that I believe will come in to such a consortium project -- the organizations themselves, I think, need to, and ought to, finance this national law center to assure its independence and its purity of purpose to really protect the rights of blind and handicapped people in this country. We are just about the last identifiable group to come to this kind of project which would be accountable to organizations such as ACB, and I hope and believe, true to the purposes of such a law project, even if that dos involve suing a state government or the United States Government wherever they are wrong -- and they are wrong many times in matters that vitally affect handicapped people. I am going to continue my activities when I am former National Representative in a variety of external affairs that are very important to ACB. The Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America is one of the innovative, progressive ideas that have come along. I intend to serve the next three years on that Board of Directors. I intend to serve the next two years on the Board of Directors of the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities. I intend to serve the next year on the national board of the Association of Radio Reading Services. And -- There are a number of other coalitions that we are identified with that are based in Washington, D.C., and in those areas I intend to relinquish representation to Oral and to anybody else on the staff that he designates to represent ACB. And I will say this about those that I said I wanted to stay with: I do hope that this organization will seriously plan for representation of ACB in those external organizations by somebody other than Durward McDaniel in the future, because that relationship is extremely important and multiplies our influence many times over and cements our relationship in this field of rights and responsibilities and benefits. Part of the transition which I proposed to the ACB Board when I said that in twelve months I want to retire is to pass on the leadership and working roles to more of the talented people in this organization, because, you know, ACB, unlike individuals, is going to be here forever! And that network of interrelation has got to be carried on. We have the ability, the people to do it, and I hope that in the next two years plans will be made for others to pick up the ball and to keep ACB well represented and strong in this whole system which is so important to us. One of the ambitions which I have, and which I very well may be able to effect better out of office than I could in office, is the strengthening of this movement, by whatever name you want to call it. There is no doubt at this time that the American Council of the Blind is the center of that movement, and I find expressions from blind people who are not members of ACB for a need for unity within the organized blind movement. Some organizations which are now independent are interested; some organizations which have other affiliations are interested; some organizations which have other affiliations are becoming interested -- rejecting the idea that blind people's interests can be served by foolish competition and controversy and agitation -- yearning for the day when we can all get together. And I do believe, at the tender age of 65, that I can do some effective work to bring that about -- to bring all of the constructive interests within organizations of the blind together. And that is one of my retirement objectives! ***** ** Grant Mack, President of ACB In its 20th year, the American Council of the Blind elected its fifth president, Grant Mack, of Salt Lake City, Utah. He was elected to the ACB Board of Directors in 1978 and has been the vice chairman of the ACB Enterprises and Services Board since that time. He is a past president of the Utah Council of the Blind. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America at its meeting on July 3, 1981. After his military service in the Navy, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Utah. Grant became a successful life insurance agent and continued this career with great success after he lost his sight. For several years, he has been recognized for his outstanding performance in the Leadership Club of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, with which he is associated. Grant Mack's election by acclamation attests to the widespread recognition of the leadership ability of this positive personality. He is a careful, considerate man who has the ability to be decisive based on the merits of ideas, issues, and facts. He is a progressive promoter of projects, and he is thoroughly imbued with the philosophy and methodology of ACB. You will read and hear much of and from Grant Mack in the coming years. In accepting the ACB presidency, he addressed the convention as follows: "I am humbled and overwhelmed by your actions just now. And I guess you know you've changed my life! ... But I want you to know that I will never purport to speak for you. I will speak in your behalf, and I will try to reflect the principles that ACB has developed, and try to convey to the people in this country exactly what ACB is all about. And I would challenge you to do the same thing. "One last thought: You know, you can survive on acceptance, but you must be cherished to flourish. ACB will flourish as you come to cherish it and as you convey this to the people around you. I would challenge you to do this so that together we can move forward and let ACB be something that everyone in this whole country knows about and understands. "Thank you very much." ***** ** Changes and Challenges By Roberta Douglas ACB National Office Manager A new whirlwind of activity has struck the ACB National Office! All hands are preparing for a smooth transition of personnel staffing, highlighted by the retirement of Durward K. McDaniel, National Representative for the past thirteen years, and the arrival of our new National Representative, Oral O. Miller. In reference to Durward's wise counsel and indefatigable drive, Oral has commented that although he does have rather large feet, the size of the shoes to be filled presents a very real and formidable challenge. However, challenges are not new to Oral, as his activities of the past few years attest. His direct involvement in the national affairs of the American Council of the Blind goes back to 1974 when he was named National Convention Coordinator, a position which brought him in contact with affiliates and members throughout the country. In 1976 he was elected to the ACB Board of Directors and served two years as chairman of the Budget Committee. In 1978, at the Salt Lake City convention, he was elected President, and in that position he has traveled far and wide, consulting with affiliates on program and chapter development. Representing the ACB and serving on the U.S. delegation to the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, he has attended meetings in Belgium, Sweden, and Russia. Oral will be retiring from 21 years of active service with the U.S. Government, most recently as trial lawyer in the Office of General Counsel with the U.S. Small Business Administration. This position, located in Washington, D.C., has afforded him the opportunity to become familiar with National Office activities, duties, and responsibilities. The American Council of the Blind looks forward to his leadership as National Representative, his broad organizational skills and administrative talents, and the congenial and friendly manner with which he carries out a job. Welcome, Oral Miller! To represent ACB in governmental affairs, the Council has selected Scott Marshall of Buffalo, New York. Given the legislative climate of 1981, Scott's abundance of energy and experience are going to be a tremendous asset. A native of upstate New York, Scott graduated in 1973 from the University of Rochester and in 1976 from Harvard Law School. Since then he has been associated with Jaeckle, Fleischmann and Mugel, a Buffalo law firm. His professional experience has encompassed a variety of specialty areas, with emphasis upon civil litigation and appellate practice. Sott's involvement and interest in issues and concerns of handicapped people is varied. He has served as a member of the National Accreditation Council's Committee on Accreditation and as director and vice president of New York State Industries for the Blind. He is also an active member of the Erie County Council for the Disabled, the Lions Club of Buffalo, and the American Blind Lawyers Association. Ham radio operators worldwide are familiar with his call letters, as he is the older of an Advanced Class amateur radio license and, in cooperation with other operators, has participated in handling emergency and routine messages worldwide. Welcome, Scott Marshall! Barbara Nelson of St. Paul, Minnesota, has been selected to fill the position of staff attorney in the ACB National Office. A graduate of Hamline University and the University of Minnesota Law School, Barbara brings with her a wealth of experience in legal advocacy for the blind. In her most recent position with the United Blind of Minnesota, she has represented people with legal problems arising out of blindness, such as discrimination, Social Security eligibility, consumer fraud, and the right to rehabilitation services. People from Florida to South Dakota have had an opportunity to see her in action, as she has been a lecturer and trainer at regional workshops and conventions, speaking on such subjects as Social Security benefits for blind people, legal rights of the handicapped, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Barbara is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Blind Lawyers Association, and the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives. We are as impressed with Barbara as she is with the goals and philosophy of the American Council. Welcome, Barbara Nelson! ***** ** Floyd Qualls Will Be Remembered By Durward K. McDaniel Members of the American Council of the Blind and countless others knew and revered Floyd Qualls as a person, as a worker, and as a friend. He died on June 29, 1981, after a prolonged illness. I visited with Floyd just three weeks earlier and found my long-time friend and co-worker to be thinking of many things and people and of the upcoming ACB convention, which he knew he could not attend. Floyd finished his sixth year as ACB's third president in 1978, one of his major contributions to the organization and to all blind people. Appropriately, the ACB Board, at its July 11 meeting, took the first step toward establishing a project which will permanently commemorate his name. His fifty years of dedicated service have left their permanent mark on several organizations having to do with blindness and visual impairment. When freedom of speech became a vital issue in the National Federation of the Blind, he helped to form and was elected president of the Braille Free Press Association, which published a series of history-making issues which will be re-published as a part of that history. He was, of course, a charter member and one of the principal architects of the American Council of the Blind. In his native Oklahoma, Floyd was a leading worker in three major organizations: the Oklahoma Council of the Blind (as it is now known), the Oklahoma League for the Blind, and the largest credit union for the blind in the country. He served as president of all three at different times. For nine years, beginning in 1966, he was the Executive Director of the Oklahoma League for the Blind, which he developed into one of the leading social service agencies in the Southwest. Before retiring from that position, he arranged for the acquisition of the League's modern facility containing 80,000 square feet of space and more than four acres of land. He was a skillful writer, a business manager, a successful administrator, and a leader of people. Thus, this could not be a typical recognition of the passing of a great and unforgettable person, who touched our lives in so many ways with his ability, personality, and affection. At its National Delegate Assembly July 2-3, the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America paused to pay tribute to Floyd Qualls. ACB members Grant Mack and LeRoy Saunders spoke movingly of their friendship with him and of his lasting effect upon their lives: Grant Mack: "I would like to take just a few minutes this morning to pay a special tribute to Floyd ... I want you to know that ACB and the blind, organizations of the blind, was Floyd Qualls to me for a number of years. I first attended a convention in 1975 in Mobile, Alabama. Floyd Qualls impressed me very favorably and is the reason that I became involved and stayed involved. I have deep regard for Floyd and his memory." LeRoy Saunders: "I think most of us in this room knew Floyd Qualls personally. He was a person who touched many lives in his 72 years of life on this earth. His involvement and his perseverance to make things better for visually impaired people certainly made an impression on all of us, and of course all of us reaped benefits from this. I have known Floyd for many years, but I was fortunate in that I was asked to come to Oklahoma as his assistant some eight years ago. The experiences I had and the knowledge that I learned from this man, I can never forget. So each of you, in your own way, let's thank God for having the opportunity of knowing this fine person." Grant Mack: "Now I wonder if we could, in respect of Floyd's memory, bow our heads and have a few moments of silence. ..." ***** ** Lawsuit Settlement Is Victory for Blind Vendors A recently announced settlement in the case of Miller v. Bell marks significant victory for blind vendors and their supporters. The lawsuit was instituted last December by the American Council of the Blind and six other organizations of and for blind people, as well as individual blind vendors. The plaintiffs were suing the Department of Education in an effort to force that agency to fulfill its long-overdue obligations created by the Randolph-Sheppard Act Amendments of 1974. That legislation mandated that ten additional full-time personnel be assigned to the Office for the Blind and Visually Handicapped within the Rehabilitation Services Administration to administer the vending facility program. Those positions were never filled, and when the suit was filed, there were only three persons assigned to administer the program. Prior to the institution of this litigation, there had been no movement whatsoever on the part of the Government to fill any of the positions. However, in response to lengthy negotiations, a reorganization plan was drawn up and settlement terms were finally agreed upon. The terms of the agreement include a commitment on the part of the Government to assign eight persons full-time and one deputy director half-time to administer the Randolph-Sheppard vending facility program. In addition, one person in each of the ten regional offices of the Rehabilitation Services Administration will spend 25% of his or her time on Randolph-Sheppard responsibilities, and an attorney within RSA will work full-time on vending facility matters. Because of the Federal hiring freeze, the Department of Education could not agree to recruit new persons. However, the reorganization plan within RSA will achieve the desired result of assignment of ten additional full-time positions to the program. Although the case is now officially dismissed without prejudice, the plaintiff organizations will continue to monitor actions taken by the Department of Education to assure that the terms of this significant victory are in fact fulfilled and the Randolph-Sheppard vending facility is finally allowed to grow. In addition to the American Council of the Blind, the plaintiff organizations were Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America, D.C. Committee of Blind Vendors, American Association of Workers for the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind, National Council of State Agencies for the Blind, and the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America. ***** ** The Road to Growth By George Fogarty (The following article is excerpted from the keynote address given by George Fogarty at the first Northern California Conference of the American Council of the Blind of California, held in April, 1981. Though prepared with ACBC specifically in mind, the message to caring, concerned blind persons is national, if not universal, in scope and significance. Mr. Fogarty is a charter member of the American Council of the Blind and has served several terms on its Board of Directors.) Instead of a keynote speech, which this is supposed to be, there are those who might wish it were a sermon, for as someone has said, a sermon helps people in different ways: some rise from it greatly strengthened; others awake from it greatly refreshed. It is hoped that a keynote address will renew our fervor and inspire us to go forth with a strengthened resolve to add to our accomplishments and to persuade others to join in this effort. It is with much nostalgia that I approach this assignment, for it kindles within me the crusading spirit which often served me well when contacting an employer on behalf of those who meant so much to me. I knew of their ability, of their worth, and the image I had of them, I wanted others to share so that they might know the rewards such sharing could bring. These were people who had spent much time and effort and had undergone great personal sacrifice not asked of many, in acquiring a skill for a job that did not require the sight they lacked, but did demand the skill they possessed. I knew many people in my field far better equipped in needed skills than was I. Yet this complete confidence in those I represented made it possible for many of them to prove their worth to others. There are some here today far better able to recount the worth of the American Council of the Blind of California and of its potential. But here, too, there could hardly be one more convinced of its worth and of its possibilities. This is why I welcome this task and the opportunity it affords me to express myself concerning these things. In the early years, when the blind first organized in California, the need for doing so was far more obvious to many than would seem to be the need today. We had nothing then, and it was apparent that unless we made our needs known and demanded action through a united voice, nothing would change. For a number of us -- rapidly diminishing -- we were most fortunate to come under the influence of Dr. Newel Perry, Director of Advanced Studies at the California School for the Blind. He devoted his entire life to improving the lot of his fellow blind. We never questioned him; we believed in him and followed him. Because most blind youngsters spent most of their formative years at the California School for the Blind, then almost the only place we could be assured of an adequate education, Doctor got to know most of us and used the opportunity to imbue us with his zeal and exciting vision of a life of fulfilled accomplishment, though blind. It was natural, therefore, for us to assume that to go on unorganized was to remain disorganized, and that to do so was to prevent the dream from ever becoming a reality. Today, with the emphasis on mainstreaming in education -- stressing the importance of ignoring differences -- somehow convinced that by doing so, they'll disappear; with so many agencies, both public and private, largely directed and staffed with sighted professionals, offering services to the blind; with so many benefits now available to the blind -- most of them obtained by the blind themselves, a fact not known to most blind recipients other than those of the organized blind -- it is understandable why most blind people today might question the need for organizations such as ours. Weren't they taught to dismiss their blindness as insignificant during their formative years? Weren't they encouraged to look to the agencies for help and guidance when needed? Doesn't the image of blindness as helplessness and hopelessness persist and not disappear with the disappearance of sight? Fortunately for some of us, this dilemma did not exist. Self-help and the strength we found in each other was the sole source available to us then if we were to seek independence and fulfillment in life. It takes far more courage and foresight today to make this choice, when other less strenuous ones are urged upon us. Yet, having known the excitement, the adventure, the source of strength and security self-knowledge and self-reliance bring -- priceless possessions acquired in no other way -- we seek to share this experience with those destined to follow a similar road, though made broader and smoother by the procession preceding them, by reaching out and welcoming them in. For nothing less can adequately compensate for the good life we have known. For many individuals belonging to a state or national organization of the blind, it is their first important step toward making an internal adjustment to the physical conditions imposed by blindness. To have the example and the help of those who have traveled a similar path can go far toward creating the incentive and self-confidence that will be needed for a suitable solution to many of the problems they, too, now know. It is as a member of an organization of the blind, as distinguished from an organization of the disabled, that we can best lend our weight to local, state, and national campaigns for corrective social and economic legislation and administrative reforms toward a more realistic means of overcoming the economic and social barriers which are the handicap of blindness. We must never lose sight of the fact that government never acts; it reacts. And we must forever be vigilant to see that it does. Now when so much that affects us most is to be removed from Washington and returned to the states, it is here where we are most needed. The necessity for a strong and active organization has greatly increased, not diminished, if we are to retain the gains we have made, and which are already seriously threatened, or to have any hope of advancing constructive programs for the blind. In preparing for today's remarks, my mind went back to the day many of us left the only state and national organization of civilian blind and formed the California Association for the Blind, later to be ACBC -- preceding by nearly two years the creation of the American Council of the Blind, now, twenty years later, the nation's leading organization of the blind. One of the basic philosophical differences that split our ranks then is one that is splitting the women's movement for equal rights today. In an article covering a national convention of the National Organization of Women (NOW), held in Texas last year, I believe it was, a reporter wrote of it: "They made it an us against them campaign and they lost." Many who believed in equal rights and equal opportunity moved out of the spotlight into the cool darkness. The newspapers assigned over 900 women reporters to cover the convention. It was akin to asking twelve physicians to serve on a jury in a malpractice suit. The editorial cheers were resounding. The conference moved far beyond equal rights -- which, by the way, might have fared better if it had been labeled equal rights and responsibilities. The militants had their way -- and lost the support of millions of men and women who wanted women to get a better deal. It is one thing to fashion a formula for fairness and growth, which we did on that day; quite another to put it into practice and have it work. Much of what we said and sought to do there then, 22 years ago this August 9, is to be found in the preamble to our constitution. Judge for yourself the result: We believe that organizations of the blind should be established on the principles on which America was founded. We believe in the dignity of the individual and that our local, state, and national organizations should be dedicated to respect for these principles. We believe that we must have respect for the rights of minority opinions within our organization. We believe that any state or national organization must respect the integrity and autonomy of the local organization. We stand firmly dedicated to the principle that the membership and delegates of each organization, local, state and national, shall have the right to express their views and cast their ballots without fear of reprisal. We believe in the principle of representative government and a convention that is truly a deliberative body. We believe that delegates should be selected for their integrity, judgment, responsibility and fairness and, in general, believe that delegates should attend conventions uninstructed. We believe that a basic responsibility of our organizations, local, state and national, is to promote goodwill, among the blind and on behalf of the blind. Wherever our influence can be promoted by the practice of good public relations, this is to be preferred to coercive methods of establishing and enforcing laws and programs. We believe the best interests of the blind are served if they can democratically work out the solutions to their problems within a unified organization. Other things we stressed then and have sought to keep ever before us are these: The responsibility of the blind individual to the community. The importance of our being a service organization and not merely a political action group. To work with other handicapped groups on common problems that result from disability. To cooperate with agencies and organizations working in behalf of the blind, convinced we can have more effect on future policy of these agencies and organizations by working with them rather than by staying on the outside as a critical observer. To require that the leaders be directed by the membership, not the membership by the leaders. To actively seek representation on boards and committees of those seeking to serve the blind. In undertaking any journey, wherever it may be, without two essential ingredients it must soon be abandoned, however desired it be. We must have the fare to pay our way and the people who can take us there. When asked what he considered necessary in order to carry on a successful war, Napoleon (who is generally recognized as quite an authority) said there are three things necessary. They are money, money, and money! A budget has been described as something you stay within if you go without. It is such a budget that has kept us from attaining many of our goals and from realizing the growth and involvement for which we had hoped. The other ingredient to undertaking a successful journey is that of the people who can take us there. We call it leadership. And what makes a leader? Involvement. This usually begins at the local level, in the chapters -- serving on committees and holding office; taking an active role in your chapter's activities; using your strengths and interests or discovering them by undertaking an active role. From the confidence gained and the contributions made in this way come those the state organization must look to for leadership and guidance. Just as the state leaders come from chapter involved members and leaders, so, too, our national organization must look to its affiliates for involved and proven people. Those of us who came under Doctor's influence learned very early our true role in life. For all that he did and said and taught, this above all 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 is the word I pass on to you. ***** ** ACB Wins Kansas Lawsuit By Durward K. McDaniel A short time after the American Council of the Blind Thrift Store was opened in Kansas City, Kansas, the State Attorney General filed a suit for injunction and to compel compliance with the state's loosely worded statute dealing with charitable solicitations. That law was obviously designed to regulate solicitation of money — not the solicitation of discarded merchandise, as practiced in the Thrift Store operation. In the suit, there was no allegation that we were engaging in misrepresentations, fraud, or in illegal schemes, plans or designs in the soliciting of used merchandise from the public. ACB registers and reports to the five states in which its other Thrift Stores are located. We had no objection to reporting in Kansas, except for one provision of its law which the Attorney General contended also applied to Thrift Stores. That provision related to the solicitation of funds, which included the sending of unordered merchandise (such as neckties and greeting cards) to the prospective contributor. It also provided that 75 percent of the gross proceeds of such solicitations must be available for charitable purposes, a requirement which no Thrift Store operation could ever meet. In the trial, we told the Court that the 75 percent provision in the law was the only obstacle to ACB's registering and reporting as required by another section. Fortunately, the Court ruled that the contested provision does not apply to our Thrift Store operation and directed that we comply with the other provisions of the law within 60 days, which will be done. It is well known that ACB receives a major portion of its income from its Thrift Store operations. This suit was filed more than five years ago and caused us to use substantial sums of money in its defense. It was the only suit filed by the Attorney General against any Thrift Store operation in the state. Naturally, we wondered why. We learned that it was filed at the request of a state legislator and his constituent, Richard Edlund, treasurer of the National Federation of the Blind, both of whom live near Kansas City. On the day of the trial, an observer in the courtroom identified himself as Tom Anderson, representing the National Federation of the Blind. Before and during the trial, he conferred with the Attorney General's trial attorney. This lawsuit has been publicized in the Federation's magazine, using distorted and misleading claims. We ignored all of this, pending a court decision which has now set the record straight. We believe that most Federation members would not approve of such competitive tactics and practices if they knew about them. Certainly, the American Council of the Blind will continue its Thrift Stores and will open new ones. Be assured that we will contend with all such tactics and practices intended to interfere with this legitimate source of funding. ***** ** Congressional Budget Process Nears Completion By Kathy Megivern In a frenzy of last-minute activity just prior to their July 4 recess, both the Senate and the House of Representatives passed versions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Bill. While certain funding levels are severely cut, especially in the House version, advocates of programs for the handicapped succeeded in keeping rehabilitation, special education, and developmental disabilities out of any proposed block grant. While it seems likely that the Reagan Administration will push again sometime in the future for including these programs in a block grant, for this round, at least, those laws remain unchanged and the programs will stay categorical. As for funding levels, in the Senate, most of the programs affecting disabled persons will be "flat funded," or maintained at pre­rescission 1981 levels, for the next two years. The authorization levels for the state grant components of both the special education and the rehabilitation programs will be raised by 5% in 1982 and 10% in 1983. But even as the Senate raised the state grant portion of these two programs, the House made its harshest cuts in these same sections. The House approved authorization levels for the vocational rehabilitation program of $844. 9 million in fiscal year 1982 and $910.3 million for 1983. That figure for 1982 is $164.1 million below the Senate, and for 1983 it is $143.7 million less than the Senate. The difference comes almost entirely from the lower figure for the state grant portion of the program. In special education, the House figures are lower, also, although the cuts are not as severe as those for rehabilitation. The House version authorizes $37.8 million less in 1982 and $85.9 million less in 1983 than the Senate version. Because the Senate and House versions of this massive budget bill have many differences, a conference committee is hard at work trying to come up with a compromise bill which can pass both houses. Advocates for the handicapped are working with staff people on Capitol Hill and others to try to assure that the far lower House figures are not in the final bill. In the chaotic final hours before the House passed its version of the budget bill, many amendments were added and removed. One such provision was added to the version of the bill containing a rehabilitation block grant, but was mistakenly left in the bill even after the block grant provisions were removed. This provision repeals Section 2(e) of the Randolph­Sheppard Act. There was a good deal of panic as rumors spread that the House bill was repealing the vending facility program. Representative Latta (R., OH), who sponsored the budget bill, made it clear on the floor of the House of Representatives that the language repealing Section 2(e) was just a mistake and would be corrected. While there appears to have been no permanent damage done, this is just one example of the reckless way this budget bill was pushed through Congress. While all the attention has been focused on the budget process in Congress, other legislation has been making its way through the channels. One example of a bill which has gotten very little publicity, but which could have major implications, is S. 807, the Federal Improvement Assistance Act. This bill has been reported out of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. A similar version was actually passed by a voice vote by the full Senate near the end of the last session of Congress in December, 1980. What this bill does is establish a special procedure for the consideration of block grant legislation. S. 807 would make fundamental changes in Congressional procedures. For example, Congress would have only 90 days to act on a Presidential proposal to consolidate Federal assistance programs; Congress could not amend a Presidential proposal either in committee or on the floor; if authorizing committees have not acted within a specified period, they are automatically discharged from further consideration of the proposal; thoughtful discussion of proposals would be limited because the bill changes normal rules governing consideration on the floor. Additional provisions in S. 807 provide for standardized, across-the-board regulation and monitoring of important protections built into Federal assistance programs. Opponents of the bill fear this would result in weakening of those regulations. The bill also would cause cross-cutting of regulations and monitoring procedures, with minimal opportunity for public participation. The Administrative Procedure Act requirements for notice and comment could, therefore, be circumvented. The President could also suspend cross-cutting requirements for up to one-half year in certain circumstances, thereby allowing executive suspension of statutorily mandated Federal assistance policy without the consent of Congress. S. 807 would abolish all existing "maintenance of effort" requirements. Some Federal assistance programs now require that states or localities maintain current funding levels so that the Federal money supplements rather than supplants state and local money. S. 807 would repeal these provisions, Congress could, but would not be required to, replace a particular program's maintenance of effort requirement with a standard provision outlined in S. 807. Finally, S. 807 would allow state and local governments to monitor and enforce Federal standards in lieu of Federal monitoring and enforcement, once a Federal agency has certified that the state and local procedures are the "equivalent" of the Federal ones. By this means, it would be possible to take civil rights enforcement out of the hands of the Federal Government and put it into the hands of the state and local governments. The sponsors of S. 807 are Senators William Roth (R., DE), John Danforth (R., MO), David Durenberger (R., MN), William S. Cohen (R., ME), Lawton Chiles (D., FL), and Harrison Schmitt (R., NM). There are also two similar versions of this bill in the House of Representatives -- one introduced by Wendell Bailey (R., MO), and the other introduced by Cecil Heftel (D., HI). Braille Forum readers are urged to write to their Representatives to express their opposition to the "Federal Assistance Improvement Act." ***** ** ACB Co-Sponsors National Consumer Education Conference "New Independence for Low­Income Aging and Disabled Consumers" is the working theme of a conference to be held in Arlington, Virginia, September 29 and 30, 1981. In response to a request from Virginia H. Knauer, Special Assistant to the President and Director of the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs, the American Council of the Blind will join other special-interest organizations in sponsoring the workshop. Conference objectives include training community leaders in consumer education and government participation, to help them work with low-income aging and disabled persons; the high-lighting of successful self-help projects; the distribution of materials focusing on issues and programs benefitting this special population; developing techniques for cultivating volunteers to work with community organizations; and the identification of Government and non-Government resources. Individual workshop groups spanning the two-day period will focus on a wide range of very specific issues. The conference will convene at the Marriott Twin Bridges Hotel. The registration fee is $60.00, which includes luncheons on September 29 and 30 and a reception on the 29th. For more information, contact the ACB National Office or Juanita Yates at the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs, telephone (202) 755-8892. ***** ** 1982 Ski for Light Applications Available The eighth annual Ski for Light International will be held in the Black Hills of South Dakota, February 7-14, 1982. Ski for Light International, sponsored by Healthsports, Inc., in cooperation with the Sons of Norway and the Black Hills Ski for Light Regional Committee, is a week-long program designed to introduce visually impaired and other physically disabled adults to cross-country skiing. In 1982, approximately 110 disabled individuals will take part. Many of these participants will never have experienced cross-country skiing before. All instruction in skiing is done on a one-to-one basis, allowing each participant to proceed at his or her own pace. Each blind, visually impaired, or mobility impaired person is assigned an experienced, able-bodied cross-country skier who will act as an instructor/guide for the entire week. In past years, participants have ranged in age from 18 to 67, with a nearly equal number of men and women. Ski for Light seeks to teach cross­country skiing to as many disabled persons as possible. The major emphasis of the program is on learning an activity that a participant can take back to his or her home community to enjoy with able-bodied as well as disabled friends. Visually or mobility impaired adults may request participant applications from Grethe Twiford, Screening Coordinator, P.O. Box 2971, Reston, VA 22091. The approximate cost is $175 for first-timers; $225 for repeaters. This cost covers room and board based on double occupancy. Stipends are available for first-time participants based on need. Application deadline is November 15, 1981. ***** ** Here and There By Elizabeth M. Lennon ACB member Maxine Dorf of Washington, D.C., was inducted into the presidency of the National Braille Association at its 16th national biennial conference in Albany, New York, May 18-21. NBA is an organization made up of volunteers and professionals who respond to requests for braille transcribing, tape recording, large-print typing, and special services such as binding, thermoforming, etc. As part of its service to central and eastern Kentucky, the Bluegrass Council of the Blind (Lexington) sponsored and coordinated a wide range of activities at the Lions Club Fair, June 19-27. In addition to maintaining an information center and exhibiting a wide range of new technology, aids and appliances, and recreational, educational and craft items, the group sponsored a health fair -- a fair within a fair, featuring a wide range of free medical tests such as blood typing and blood-level testing, hearing, glaucoma screening, cancer screening, blood pressure, etc. Participating in the fair were a number of local medical and health­related organizations, a cancer research group, the Lions Club Eye Bank, and others. The Hennepin Poison Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is conducting a nationwide study, according to the newsletter of the American Council of the Blind Parents, to determine the incidence of accidental poisoning among visually impaired children. The purpose of the study is to develop a warning symbol which will alert visually impaired children to a potential poison. Such symbols for sighted children have greatly reduced the number of accidental poisonings. If you are the parent of a blind child who has been accidentally poisoned, or if you have suggestions for poison-proofing your home for a visually impaired youngster, please contact Martha Greiner, Hennepin Poison Center, 702 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415. From Michigan Educator for Visually Impaired Persons: Physically disabled persons between the ages of 15 and 35, who are interested in improving their education and who meet certain requirements, are invited to compete for a $1,500 scholarship. Criteria for the Student Aid Award, given every two years by the Venture Club of the Americas, are based on financial need and the capacity to benefit from further education. Deadline for applications is February 1, 1982. For an application and the address of the Venture Club nearest you, write Monica Gizzi, Program Secretary, Soroptimist International of the Americas, 1616 Walnut Street, Suite 700, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Upfront, a new monthly magazine published specifically for the handicapped, will provide national coverage of news, legislation, financial developments, travel, entertainment, and leisure activities specifically geared to the handicapped population. Classified ads will also be incorporated in the tabloid format, to provide a helpful exchange of information, products, and opportunities. Subscription price is $12.00 a year. Write Upfront, 90 Cherry Street, Box 519, Johnstown, PA 15907. The Independence Factory is a unique, non-profit corporation which develops and manufactures self-help devices for handicapped persons. Any person with a problem can write to the factory, where three full-time volunteers will try to solve it at no cost. Write Mr. Fred Carroll, The Independence Factory, 1385 Central Avenue, Middletown, OH 45042. Arthur E. Copeland, President of the U. S. Association for Blind Athletes, was elected Vice President of the new International Blind Sports Association, at the first international congress in Paris, April 21-24. This first congress brought together some 40 countries, with over 100 delegates, and was formed for the purpose of developing a wide range of friendship between nations through sports and athletic competition. This should make possible the eventual strengthening of international rules governing all competitive sports events. From Opportunity (National Industries for the Blind): A recent Washington Report article on Senator Jennings Randolph (D., WV) highlighted the Senator's 36-year involvement with Congress and focused on the tremendous changes he has witnessed during his tenure. Of particular interest to blind persons is the following paragraph excerpted from the article of this U.S. Chamber of Commerce publication: "When asked what he considered to be his greatest legislative victory, he does not list at the top such measures as those that led to the building of the country's interstate highway system and required the safe disposal of hazardous materials. Instead, he elaborates on the legislation that mandated removal of architectural barriers for the handicapped, required protection for health and safety of coal miners, and provided jobs for some 4,000 blind people." From The Matilda Ziegler Magazine: Captain Richard H. Kaufman of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, 3956 Calle Valle Vista, Newberry Park, CA 91320, offers a braille edition of his useful pamphlet, "Warning -- Hotels Could Be Hazardous to Your Health." From Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness: A new prosthesis may be able to extend the active lives of dog guides, according to Dr. Hugh Butler, a veterinarian at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, where experiments have demonstrated the success of a hollow steel hip "bone" that attaches without pins or cement and does not come loose. Deterioration of the hall and socket in the hip joint has been known to cripple German shepherds, Great Danes, Labrador retrievers and other heavy dogs. But, with the new surgery, the animals are able to recover the use of their legs. The prosthesis was originally developed in Switzerland, where Dr. Butler was teaching a course in orthopedic surgery. The Low Vision Council of Southern California, a chapter of the Council of Citizens with Low Vision, is seeking information on experiences people have had in collecting reimbursement for low vision aids from Medicare and private insurance companies. If you have submitted bills to any insurer, particularly Medicare, the Council would appreciate your letting them know which insurer was billed, what aids were allowed, and how much reimbursement was received. Address correspondence to: Low Vision Council of Southern California, P.O. Box 1341, Santa Monica, CA 90406. ***** ** Notice to Subscribers The Braille Forum is available in braille, large-type, and two recorded edtions -- 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. ###