The Braille Forum Vol. XXI January, 1983 No. 7 Alexander Scourby Honored for 45 Years of Service to Talking Book Readers Published Monthly by the American Council of the Blind Mary T. Ballard, Editor ***** * National Office: Oral O. Miller 1211 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Suite 506 Washington, DC 20036 1-800-424-8666 * Editorial Office The Braille Forum: Mary T. Ballard 190 Lattimore Road Rochester, NY 14620 (716) 244-8364 * Contributing Editor 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: Dr. Otis H. Stephens 2021 Kemper Lane, S.W. Knoxville, TN 37920 * Second Vice President: Dr. Robert T. McLean Box 237 Department Of Mathematical Sciences Loyola University New Orleans, LA 70118 * Secretary: Karen Perzentka 6913 Colony Dr. Madison, WI 53717 * Treasurer: James R. Olsen Summit Bank Bldg., Suite 822 310 4th Avenue, S. Minneapolis, MN 55415 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 President's Message, by Grant Mack All Roads Lead to Phoenix, by Ruth Bagby Druding Reflections, by Fred Krepela News Briefs from the ACB National Office, by Oral O. Miller Letter to the ACB National Representative Braille Literacy Begins with the Slate and Stylus, by Carlton Eldridge More Student Scholarships Awarded by ACB Rives and Scourby Receive 45th Annual Migel Medal Award Hiring Disabled People: The Experience of Federal Contractors, by Barbara Nelson "People Can Change ... A Person Can Choose!" Orientation and Mobility for the Partially Sighted, by R. Victoria Berg Pennsylvania College of Optometry Leads Way with Master's Program in Vision Rehabilitation Light in the Shadows: Feelings About Blindness (Book Review) Contacts Save Sight of Infants Mobility and Exercise, by Charles A. (Chick) Crampton ACB Affiliate News Here and There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon Notice to Subscribers ** President's Message By Grant Mack This is the time of year when we make New Year's resolutions and become involved with all kinds of high resolve. Many businesses and some individuals use this time to good advantage. Budgets are established; expansion plans are considered; in fact, the year-end seems to be a time for future planning of all kinds. Unfortunately, a good bit of the individual planning some of us do is never really intended to be carried out. Our planning merely becomes an exercise in wishful thinking. Frequently, it takes shape in nothing more than New Year's resolutions - resolutions which are often broken the end of January. You should know that a group of dedicated members of the American Council of the Blind Board of Directors which comprises the Budget Committee involved themselves in a serious session of meaningful planning in Washington, D.C., early last month. The Budget Committee is chaired by Carl McCoy from Florida. The other two members on the committee are Delbert Aman from South Dakota and ACB Treasurer Jim Olsen. Sitting in on the lengthy deliberations were ACB National Representative Oral Miller and your President. The final budget will be approved by the entire Board at its mid-year meeting, which will be held in Phoenix on January 8. Such planning makes certain that the ACB money - your money - will be spent wisely and for your benefit. And, as you know, a complete financial report will be made available to each of you. We could well emulate this kind of planning in our personal lives. The merits and techniques of planning and goal-setting have been emphasized during each of the leadership training seminars sponsored by the American Council of the Blind during the last couple of years. During the most recent of these seminars, held in Fort Worth, Texas, on November 19-20, 1982, the more than 100 people who attended were again reminded of the importance of planning and goal-setting. Hopefully, each of us can be motivated to do a better job of planning our own lives and setting more meaningful goals for our future success. One goal that I hope each member of ACB will consider this year is to attend the national convention in Phoenix, Arizona, in July - particularly you who live in the western part of the United States and who have never attended a national convention before. It has been several years since ACB has held a national convention west of the Mississippi River, so this is an opportunity to attend one close to home in 1983. Phoenix is a marvelously wonderful convention city. Before you develop negative thoughts about Phoenix in July, you should understand that this great southwest metropolis is desirable even in the summer. Two years ago, Lions International held its convention in Phoenix in late June, and Mr. Bill Chandler, the president of Lions International, stated that this was one of the three best convention sites in which the Lions had ever held a convention. The other two were Tokyo and Hawaii. The Junior Chamber of Commerce chose to hold their national convention in Phoenix in mid-summer a short time ago and have expressed interest in returning soon. Arizona is a land of rare and beautiful contrasts, featuring more national monuments than any other state in the Union. From the Grand Canyon in the north to Tombstone in the south, there are a variety of attractions that stagger the imagination. Millions have thrilled at the delicate beauty of the Painted Desert and the unique attractions of the Petrified Forest. A large western yellow pine forest graces the north central part of the state. Spreading out south of this great timberland is one of the most interesting desert areas of the world. The giant saguaro cactus is found in great abundance in this arid land which teems with desert life of all kinds. This unusual land attracts visitors by the millions every year. The warm, dry air and fertile soil have made Phoenix and the Salt River Valley one of the fastest growing centers in this country. Phoenix must have much going for it as a place to live year round, judged by the many celebrities who make their homes there. A list of those celebrities includes Joe Garagiola, Hugh Downs, Dick Van Dyck, Erma Bombeck, Amanda Blake, Dorothy McGuire, Glen Campbell, Stanley Marcus, and Dick and Tom Van Arsdale. We may be fortunate enough to get one or more of these people to be guest speakers at our convention. At any rate, the Host Committee is working hard to plan an outstanding ACB convention, and I urge each of you to set your sights on Phoenix in July. Predictably, 1983 is going to be a successful year for the American Council of the Blind. It will be successful because of careful planning and thoughtful implementation of those plans. Each of you can also have a successful 1983 if you will establish realistic and attainable goals and work hard to achieve them. ***** ** All Roads Lead to Phoenix: 1983 ACB National Convention By Ruth Bagby Druding Each day, time is drawing closer to the dates of the 1983 national convention of the American Council of the Blind, to be held July 2-9. Convention headquarters is the Phoenix Hilton hotel, in beautiful downtown Phoenix, where special room rates are $30.00 for a single and $34.00 for a double. All roads do seem to lead to Phoenix! It is serviced by all of the major national airlines, as well as by countless minor carriers. Interstate Highway 10 cuts through the city about a mile from the hotel. The airport is about three miles from the hotel; Greyhound, Trailways, and Amtrak stations are just a few short blocks away. Roads close to the hotel lead to large shopping malls, museums, and ancient Indian ruins. Other roads lead to the world-famous Grand Canyon (a few hours away), or to Old Tucson, where many Western movies have been made. Still other roads lead the traveler just a few miles out of town in distance, but a whole century back in time, with cowboy cookouts and shootouts reminiscent of the Old West. These are but a few of the attractions the Host Committee is considering in order to make your "look into the sun" pleasant and memorable. You can do your part by talking up the convention to your affiliate and letting the committee know of your desires. The convention functions as a result of careful planning, but the feedback from you can help to make it function more effectively. Hal Newsom is the chairman of the 1983 ACB Convention Committee. Contact him by writing ACB Convention Committee, 3124 E. Roosevelt, Phoenix, AZ 85008, or by calling (602) 273-1510. Finally, a note to all ACB special­interest presidents. By this time, you should have received a letter from Maxine Schramm, 1983 ACB Special­Interest Chairperson, requesting the name of your program chairman or other individual who is responsible for planning your organization's conference or seminar in Phoenix. If you have not received this letter, or if you have not contacted Mrs. Schramm as of this date, write or call her immediately at the address and telephone number given above. ***** ** Reflections By Fred Krepela This article is directed primarily to the attention of those handicapped individuals who consider themselves to be self-sufficient in education, employment, travel, and generally in the activities of daily life in which they interact with society as a whole. Hopefully, it will make all of us stop and think: How do our actions and decisions affect the actions and attitudes of the general public in their relations with less sufficient, less independent handicapped persons? The background and experience of my sister and me are given here only to show that we have the experience to present this article. The information about Cousin Sam is only incidental, but it was the reason for the trip and the reflections. Many long-time members of the American Council of the Blind will remember me, as I served as ACB treasurer from 1968 to 1972. In 1972, I was the general chairman of the ACB national convention in Portland, Oregon. I helped organize the Oregon Council of the Blind in 1953-54 and served as state president for three years and on the OCB Board for some 18 years. For twelve years I served on the Oregon Commission for the Blind. As a totally blind person, I owned and managed my own very successful printing business for almost 36 years. Both my sister Georgia and I belong to that group of handicapped persons who consider themselves capable of independent living. Georgia, deaf, went to Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C., the only liberal arts college for the deaf in the United States. After graduating in 1937, she married Tom, also deaf, who graduated from Gallaudet in 1934. For a number of years she was state president of the Oregon Association of the Deaf, and she has been active in the National Association of the Deaf. She and her husband taught at the school for the deaf until their retirement. In May 1981, my cousin Sam of Fresno, California, had a heart attack and was hospitalized. Since he had no living relatives in the area, my sister and I decided to visit him to see what could be done for him. We rode a bus to Fresno. As we were both unfamiliar with the city, we asked the bus depot manager, Mr. Smith, about hotel accommodations. After calling several hotels, he found one which had rooms. He pointed out the hotel two long blocks down the street and offered to call a taxi. But it was a nice morning, so Sis and I walked to the Vagabond Hotel. At the hotel, we were given lovely main-floor rooms at a reasonable price. We ate several meals in the hotel restaurant and were graciously given any assistance we needed with reading the menu and with our meals. When we visited Sam, we found that he had greatly improved, so we decided to leave for home. We notified the hotel manager that we would be leaving. He informed us that check­out time was 1:00 P.M., but that since the hotel was not full, we could check out any time in the afternoon. The hotel manager's wife took care of our payment and walked outside with us, where her husband was in his car with the motor running. He said he would be glad to drive us to the bus depot. Sis and I conferred, and since we were such independent persons, we thanked him for the offer, but decided to take our small suitcases and walk. At the depot, the manager, Mr. Smith, helped us by checking our baggage. While waiting for our bus, we noticed that Mr. Smith was asking most of the other, non-handicapped passengers if there was anything he could help them with, and everyone seemed to have questions about travel. In answer to all of these, he gave suggestions and advice. His helpfulness to the general public made me reflect on our refusal to allow the hotel manager to drive us to the depot in his car. Now, over a year later, I feel certain that he and his wife may have been deeply hurt because we did not accept their offer of a ride. Again on reflection, I wonder if these people will ever again offer to do something for a handicapped person. How many handicapped persons who really need such help will not get it because we refused this gracious offer? My purpose in writing this article is to point out the necessity of being very careful when refusing assistance from the general public. Are we causing the general public to become disenchanted with helping the handicapped? Are we preventing less independent handicapped persons from receiving the assistance they really need? Are we giving the general public its rightful pleasure in helping someone they consider less fortunate than they? Reflect! Are we becoming too independent? ***** ** News Briefs from the ACB National Office By Oral O. Miller What a successful finale the southwestern leadership training seminar was! From Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming they came, more than one hundred strong, to take part in ACB's seventh leadership training seminar, which took place in Fort Worth, Texas, the weekend of November 19-21, 1982. The event completed the coverage of the country, the first seminar having taken place in Chicago in early 1979. Among the special guests present in Fort Worth were friends of the American Council of the Blind from New Mexico and Wyoming, and their presence underscored ACB's interest in establishing an affiliate in Wyoming and reactivating its affiliate in New Mexico. Some of the other significant facts about the Fort Worth event are that it was the largest in the series, and its attendees were, on the average, the youngest group to attend any of the seminars. It is recognized that the seminars have been educational, beneficial, and well received, and, while the ACB Board of Directors will have to make many difficult budgetary and programmatic decisions when it meets in Phoenix, Arizona, in early January, 1983, the lessons learned from the seven training seminars will be very useful in making decisions regarding future education and training. During November 1982, ACB members and friends received material announcing ACB's new term life insurance plan. Because of unforeseen difficulties experienced by the insurance agency, some people received their applications later than contemplated by the agency. Therefore, a special reminder was included, extending the application deadline based on the date materials were received. Since the plan is a good one, members who are interested in signing up should do so as soon as possible. Further, non-members may become eligible for the plan by joining the American Council of the Blind as a member of one of its affiliates or by joining as a member-at-large. Anyone wishing further information about membership should contact the ACB National Office. During January 1983, we plan to announce details about the 1983 ACB national legislative workshop and visit to Congress. Some state affiliates have not yet sent us the names and addresses of active members living in all the Congressional districts in their state. So we are now reminding them to send that information to the ACB National Office as soon as possible. Allow me to take this opportunity to wish each reader of The Braille Forum a truly happy and prosperous New Year! ***** ** Letter to the ACB National Representative November 22, 1982 Dear Oral: My warmest expressions of congratulations to you, to the ACB staff, and to the presenters who combined to offer such an outstanding program this past weekend in Fort Worth. I am extremely gratified that the American Council of the Blind has so clearly recognized and reacted to one of the most important needs within our disabled consumer movement, that is, to increase the number of disabled persons (blind or otherwise) who are willing and able to assume leadership roles within our organizations. I was genuinely excited by the spontaneous and positive reactions to the seminar from those participants with whom I spoke, particularly the younger folks. That is where our hope and strength truly lies. Hats off for a job indeed well done! - Larry Johnson, San Antonio, Texas ***** ** Braille Literacy Begins with the Slate and Stylus By Carlton Eldridge The Reader's Digest, March 1979, contains an article entitled "Everything Begins with the Pencil," with the tag line: "Seven inches of wood and graphite. It may be the most underrated intellectual tool man has ever devised." According to the article, some 2.5 billion pencils — enough to circle the world eleven times at the Equator - are manufactured and sold annually in the United States. It has been said that if the pencil were suddenly to disappear, the world of scholarship, science, industry, business, and art would come to a grinding halt. The slate and stylus is for the blind what the pencil is for the sighted. One of the first tools of learning put into the hands of a sighted child is the pencil. At an earlier time, one of the first tools put into the hands of a blind child was the slate and stylus. I know, because I was a blind child and my classmates were blind children. Most of the "literate" blind of today come from this era. At the present time, in our traditional schools for the blind, much of the teaching is by rote or by the recorded word. This might be called the "story hour method." In the mainstream, it is "sit and absorb." When and if the writing of braille is introduced, it is by the cumbersome braille writer, which, like its ink-print counterpart, the typewriter, is essentially non-portable. The slate and stylus can be slipped into the pocket or purse (just as the pencil can), to be used easily and unobtrusively, whenever and wherever the need arises - for taking notes in class and committee meetings, for telephone numbers, addresses, and everyday jottings. Imagine lugging a typewriter about, whipping it out of its case, and finding a flat surface on which to place it, merely to record a telephone number! The sighted world uses the pencil as a primary tool; the typewriter as a supplement. In like manner, the slate and stylus is the primary tool for the blind; the braille writer is the supplement. Denying the blind child the slate and stylus is tantamount to denying the sighted child the pencil. Nearly every sighted person owns and carries a multitude of pencils. Few blind people own and carry a slate and stylus. They do not possess, nor can they use, the basic tool of intellectual life. It is inconceivable that so many blind students of today are permitted to drift through college without this skill. Recently I met a blind college student who had been denied the slate and stylus and was forever condemned to go hither and yon with her braille writer "bumping" along in a backpack. The continuing argument (and excuse) for not teaching or using the slate and stylus is that one must learn to write from right to left, turn over the page, and read from left to right. This is supposed to be very difficult. However, my generation accomplished this feat in natural course. The sighted child must learn four letter forms - upper and lower case, in both print and calligraphy. Braille has only one underlying letter form. Several years ago, a number of my sighted friends surprised me by purchasing slates and styluses and learning to read and write braille for correspondence. They reported that they had little difficulty in adjusting to the reversal of the page in writing and reading. Through serious teaching procedures, how simple would be the learning process for the young child whose mind is fresh, open, and uncluttered! The real reason behind the general dereliction in the teaching of braille - and especially the basic use of the slate and stylus - is that colleges and universities devoted to the training of teachers of the visually impaired are more interested in the psychological, sociological, and mobility prowess of the blind than in their professional proficiency and the basics of literacy. This ignores the fact that the aforementioned personal qualities develop as a natural result of the confidence emanating from a well-rounded, total education. Testimony indicates that teachers of the blind (especially those with sight) are given only perfunctory training in braille, and that, only on the braille writer. Are we settling for lesser educational standards for the blind than for the sighted? Shall we, through a neglect of the basic tools of literacy (the slate and stylus), risk slipping back into the Middle Ages, when education for survival was considered sufficient for the blind? Or, shall we affirm a dynamic, total education, for a place of dignity and service - yea, even for equality and competition - within the sighted community? If for the sighted "Everything Begins with the Pencil," and that implement "may be one of the most underrated intellectual tools man has ever devised," so must its counterpart, the slate and stylus, hold for the blind. Let us return the braille writer to a status equal with that of the typewriter - as supplemental tools of literacy which are usually introduced on the junior and senior high-school level, after the basic writing skills are learned. ***** ** More Student Scholarships Awarded by ACB Two more outstanding college students have recently received Floyd Qualls Memorial Scholarships for the 1982-83 school year. These deserving freshmen are David W. Hertweck of Kirkwood, Missouri, a physics major at Washington University in St. Louis, and Holly Elaine Dickinson from Houston, Texas, who is studying rhetoric and communications at the University of Tulsa. The ACB Scholarship Selection Committee was pleased to award $1,250 to each of these blind students to assist them with tuition and fees and other school expenses. This money was made available when Ms. Gillian K. Holzhauser of Findlay, Ohio, one of the original 1982 Floyd Qualls Scholarship recipients, was unable to return to classes this past September. Ms. Holzhauser expressed her sincere appreciation to the American Council of the Blind for the opportunity of being named an outstanding visually impaired student and is grateful she was introduced to ACB through this scholarship program. Gillian congratulates Mr. Hertweck and Ms. Dickinson and is pleased that one of the scholarships was presented to a communications major, as Ms. Holzhauser is working as a newspaper reporter for the Fostoria Review Times, Fostoria, Ohio. Applications for the 1983 Floyd Qualls Memorial Scholarships are now available from the ACB National Office. The deadline for this year's competition is April 30, 1983. ***** ** Rives and Scourby Receive 45th Annual Migel Medal Award On October 28, 1982, at the close of the second annual Helen Keller Seminar, the 45th annual Migel Medal award ceremony took place. In recognition of their contributions in services for blind and visually impaired Americans, Alexander Scourby and Louis H. Rives, Jr., each received the award. Mr. Rives, whose life work has been devoted to the field of blindness, received the Migel Medal in the professional category. Mr. Rives was awarded a J.D. degree from the College of William and Mary, after which he began his long career with the Federal Government, holding various positions dealing with vocational rehabilitation. He held membership on the Board of Directors of the National Accreditation Council of Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped, where he served two terms as president of its executive committee. He is a life member and past president of the American Association of Workers for the Blind; a life member of the National Rehabilitation Association; a member of the Advisory Committee to the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults; a member of the Board of Directors of both National Industries for the Blind and the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America; and member of the Board of Trustees of the American Foundation for the Blind. Alexander Scourby was selected to receive the Migel Medal in the lay category for his 45 years of service as a talking book reader at AFB. The Foundation's talking book program produces over 400 recorded books annually for the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Mr. Scourby was introduced and the award presented by ACB National Representative Oral O. Miller. His remarks are certain to be of interest to the thousands of blind people who have thrilled to Mr. Scourby's reading over the past 45 years. ... People who dedicate themselves to furthering the interests and rights of the blind do it in many different ways. Often those people work mainly behind the scenes and, therefore, do not come into direct contact with the people being served, while others have much direct contact and, therefore, are well-known by the people being served. Our honoree lay person today does not really fall into either category, because, although his name and voice are known to hundreds of thousands of blind people in the English-speaking world, he has not been in direct contact with anything like that number. I may be a somewhat typical example of many of those people, in that, before leaving my childhood home in the Kentucky hill country to continue my education at the State School for the Blind following the loss of my sight, I had never heard, or heard of, a "talking book." However, when I heard one for the first time, I was immediately pleased and impressed by its value and usefulness in bringing the printed word to people who cannot read it for themselves. As a young talking book listener, I soon became familiar with the names and voices of most of the talking book readers, many of whom were also familiar radio announcers and personalities in Louisville, the home of the American Printing House for the Blind .... Very soon I came to recognize and appreciate the name and voice of one talking book reader or narrator who was recording in far­away New York City at the American Foundation for the Blind, and over the intervening thirty years or so, I have listened to that voice, enjoyed the verbal pictures it has drawn, tensed to the frightening situations it has described, and hung on many of its words while moving through suspense-filled adventures. I am not especially a romantic person, and I have never been a hero-worshiper. But I have admired, appreciated, and respected our honoree for his dedication and talent in the area in which I first heard about him. Not until recently did I know what an incredibly versatile, well-rounded, and multi-talented man our honoree is. He was born in Brooklyn (a fact which, fortunately, cannot be detected from his reading), and after studying journalism for a time at West Virginia University, he returned to New York to become an apprentice member of the Eva Le Gallienne Civic Repertoire Theater for the 1932-1933 season. For the next few years, he played with various small theater groups in the New York area and on the New York State Borsch Circuit. He made his debut on Broadway in 1936 in "Hamlet," with Leslie Howard, a production in which he played the Player King both in New York and on tour. Since then he has appeared in dozens of plays on Broadway and elsewhere throughout much of the English-speaking world. Some of the outstanding plays in which he has appeared include "Richard II, " "Henry IV," "A Flag Is Born," "Crime and Punishment," "Detective Story," "Darkness at Noon," "St. Joan," and "The Late Christopher Bean." By the early 1940s he had continuing roles on five radio "soap operas," and during World War II he did broadcasting in both English and Greek for the Office of War Information. In 1952 he appeared in his first Hollywood film, “Affair in Trinidad,” with Rita Hayworth and Glen Ford. Thereafter he appeared in more films and TV dramas than he can enumerate. He has also narrated documentaries by the score, not to mention dozens of commercials. At various times, we have all heard him as the voice of Eastern Airlines, Zenith, Xerox, Chevrolet, Ford, and Hilton Hotels. Our honoree's involvement with the American Foundation for the Blind started in the spring of 1937 when he was a member of the cast assembled by AFB for the recording of "Antony and Cleopatra." In the fall of that year, he recorded his first talking book, Rafael Sabatini's "Captain Blood," a book which I read on record when I was approximately 11 years old. So this fall marks the completion of a 45-year engagement at the talking book studios, during which our honoree has recorded almost 500 titles - including such heavyweight tomes as "War and Peace" (twice), "Les Miserables" (twice), The King James Bible (three times - or is it four?), Joyce's "Ulysses," and Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain." He has said that he hopes to continue reading and recording until he can no longer produce an audible sound. Speaking for the hundreds of thousands of blind people who have enjoyed his work over the past 45 years, I hope he remains able to produce such sounds for many, many more years. Ladies and gentlemen, it is a distinct pleasure and honor for me to present to you Mr. Alexander Scourby, a most deserving recipient of the Migel Award. ***** ** Hiring Disabled People The Experience of Federal Contractors By Barbara Nelson Staff Attorney Companies that sell goods and services to the Federal Government are required by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to take affirmative action to hire and promote qualified handicapped persons. The actual practices of these companies in hiring and providing reasonable accommodation to enable handicapped employees to complete their job assignments effectively were recently studied by Berkeley Planning Associates for the United States Department of Labor. The study, entitled "A Study of Accommodations Provided to Handicapped Employees by Federal Contractors," concludes that, generally, the accommodations provided to handicapped workers are relatively inexpensive. In fact, the study found that 51% of the special accommodations made for handicapped people cost nothing, 30% cost less than $500, and only 8% cost more than $2,000. The study concluded that: "Accommodation is very important to the employment of many disabled, but to those firms most actively providing accommodation, it is 'no big deal.' It happens routinely as needed. It rarely entails much cost. It is done not out of charity, but in order to make the worker more productive on the job. It usually works; firms are satisfied with the outcome 80-90% of the time. Accommodation opens major employment doors to the handicapped. A third of accommodated workers say they could not have held the job without the accommodation. The accommodations that have been done are not the expensive purchases of equipment or difficult removals of architectural barriers discussed in the news media and which are the fear of many firms. Rather, firms and disabled workers find ways to make the disabled worker productive through minor adjustments of the job and work place - transferring the worker to a job or physical site where the impairment does not give rise to a handicap, transferring some tasks to other workers, moving furniture, raising desks or lowering a phone, and so on." These optimistic conclusions shield some underlying problems and provide some insight into the barriers to employment faced by many blind and visually impaired people. The study concluded that the most expensive and extensive accommodations tend to be provided to totally blind people and people in wheelchairs. This type of expensive accommodation was also most often provided to hire skilled workers and by large companies. Unfortunately, small firms, the source of the largest number of new jobs in the economy, are less likely to hire handicapped people. In addition, the largest impediment to the hiring and accommodation of handicapped workers cited by employers in the study was lack of job skills of handicapped applicants, which made accommodation an "uncertain investment." In all, 28% of the firms in the study reported having no handicapped employees. This leads to the conclusion that Section 503 has not yet opened many new employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired persons. It appears that most companies are doing what they would have done prior to the enactment of the law. The study found that a strong and visible commitment by top management was the key to a successful affirmative action program for handicapped people. Some of the factors often suspected to be barriers to hiring handicapped people were found to be only slight constraints. Virtually none of the employers in the study indicated that suspected negative reactions from customers, co-workers, or unions deterred them from hiring disabled workers. Section 503 has the potential to open broad new employment opportunities for visually impaired people in private industry, where they have often been excluded. However, without stronger enforcement and monitoring, continued efforts to educate and improve the attitude of management about the abilities of disabled people, and opportunities for disabled people to receive high quality vocational training needed to qualify them for available jobs, this potential will remain unused. (NOTE: Mainstream, Inc., has developed a packet of information for handicapped people explaining Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires companies that sell goods and services to the Federal Government to provide employment opportunities to handicapped people. A limited number of these information packets, called "503, a Law Meaning Job Rights for Handicapped People," are available in print or on cassette from the ACB National Office.) ***** ** "People Can Change ... A Person Can Choose!" (Reprinted from the Radio Talking Book Calendar, published by the Communications Center, State of Minnesota Services for the Blind, Nov. 1982) The new Pillsbury Center is a very elegant place, featuring an open atrium with much shiny chrome and smooth marble; even the elevators exude opulence. The offices of Connecticut Mutual Insurance are equally attractive, and the conference room off the reception area is large and comfortable. Jim Faue-Stempfley strides in, accompanied by his guide dog Zenith, who settles down under the table with a resigned sigh, as an attractive, dark-haired young woman cheerfully brings coffee at Jim's request. Until May, 1980, Jim was plain Jim Stempfley, but when he married Anna Marie Faue, they combined their names to celebrate their new union. "No real problem" with family or record-changing, Jim smiles. Looking at this handsome, well­groomed young professional man, one finds it hard to believe that his early years were more like those of "Tex" or some other S.E. Hinton hero, or even a modern-day Oliver Twist. The youngest of nine children, he was born with Marfand's Syndrome — a rare genetic disease (Lincoln had it, as well as a famous violinist whose name momentarily escapes Jim) which can affect any area of the body. With Jim, it was the eyes. He was born with both dislocated lenses and cataracts, as well as problems with his skeletal frame. With several operations, corrective lenses, and bifocals, he ended up with pretty good vision as a youngster. His young life he refers to as "classic modern" - parents divorced when he was 3, then his mother married and divorced again. She usually held down two jobs, "she didn't want to be on welfare," but it didn't leave much time for her kids; so at age 14, Jim ran away from home. He was with his dad for a little while, then ended up in a group home, Red Wing Reform School for Boys. It was there that he lost the sight in his right eye - "from a blow to the head," he comments tersely, which caused a detached retina. Things went from bad to worse in his life. "I was pretty wild, on drugs and alcohol by my 17th birthday. I think deep down I knew I would eventually lose sight completely, and I was angry about that. I also had some other things I wanted to get done." He traveled around the country, alone or with some equally mixed-up friends, and eventually ended up in Washington, D.C., with a brother. "I realized that here I was, a drunk with an eighth-grade education, going nowhere." He took himself back to Minnesota and moved in with his sister, and returned to high school. "My sister had a child, and for the first time I had a regular routine - school during the day and acting as a surrogate father at night." Jim graduated from South High School in March, and three weeks later, totally unexpectedly, he lost his sight completely. "I had just moved into communal living, and I didn't tell anyone in the house except my roommate for two weeks. Two months later, I had surgery which failed. "The next few years were alternately sight and no sight, a series of ten or eleven operations, culminating in a cornea transplant three weeks after his wedding. ("I did get to see my bride.") And finally, permanent blindness. "It's easier, really, to be totally blind rather than alternately blind and seeing," Jim states matter-of-factly. In 1970, he worked for Fish Enterprises, doing anything and everything, and went to night classes at the U. He found the business-oriented classes "mind-expanding," and he was able to keep up through a combination of hard work and recorded textbooks from the Communication Center. . .. He also found something else at the U. "I met my future wife the first week there. She was a reader for blind students, and a member of Unicorn, an organization whose sole aim is dispelling myths concerning handicapped persons." Jim became active in the group, also, and eventually became its president. He began to do a lot of thinking about what he wanted out of life, and eventually decided the insurance business was one which suited his talents and abilities. "I didn't want to be part of the corporate world, where I might be a token handicapped person in a company, or where I might be forced into a slot which I didn't fit into, and perhaps be put out to pasture at 65, when I might be at my peak. I feel good about what I am doing. I have good people skills and feel that I can have the clients' best interests foremost. "Besides," Jim says candidly, "I am a slougher. My nature is to take the easy way out. I know my bent, and a corporate job might not encourage me to push. This job not only taps my abilities, but forces me into a pattern of work. Sure, I could sleep in, take a week off, but two months down the line, the results would be apparent. I have to be organized.'' And organized he is. He puts in 50-hour weeks servicing his clients, who are mostly professional people, corporate officers, and small-business owners. With the help of the Communication Center's braille section, he developed a calendar, which divides his day into half-hour slots and extends over a five-week period. In this way, he can make his own notes on a braille writer and hand his client a typed presentation. ... He receives all of the Radio Talking Book's business-oriented programs, as well as sends in material to be recorded. Each week, one Communication Center volunteer, John Hill, tapes "Names in the News," a local business news feature chronicling corporate promotions, people who might be candidates for Jim's services. "I'm not asking for a handout, but I'd be a fool not to take advantage of anything that's available to make me better at what I do. It would take me a long time to find a reader as good as those at the Center. It's hard enough to train a secretary to the specific needs of a blind person." For a similar reason, Jim joined up recently with Connecticut Mutual, where he is an independent agent, but can take advantage of the amenities of a nice office, better computers, and a support staff. "I am required to have a certain level of performance to maintain my office." When asked about his wife and family, Jim smiles again. "You met Anna Marie. She's out on a marketing assignment now, but she's the one who brought us coffee." She is currently part of Jim's working team as well as his life partner. Their plan is for her to remain as his secretary for another few months, then spend full time at home with the other important part of Jim's life, 9-month-old Stephen, born last Thanksgiving and a continual joy and motivator. For Stephen, Jim plans all the things he missed as a child. "I want to give him guidance, be a role-model, install a solid moral foundation, and also be the person he can ask questions, like 'why should I study?' I want Stephen at age 18 to be able to step out on his own, accept as much responsibility as he can handle. I am not going to dictate, but I am going to try to guide. ... Jim continued, "Someone once said, 'People change - but seldom.' I believe people can change, at any stage in their life. They can buck the system and become what they want to be. A person makes choices every day. Your socioeconomic level or a disability doesn't have to dictate what you become. A person can choose." (Jim Faue-Stempfley is a member of ACB's Minnesota affiliate, the Gopher State Blind Associates.) ***** ** Orientation and Mobility for the Partially Sighted By R. Victoria Berg, M. Ed. Orientation and Mobility Instructor (Reprinted from Vision Views, Spring 1982, Published by Vision Foundation, Inc.) Orientation is knowing where you are and where you are going. Mobility is moving safely and effectively through the environment. Partially sighted people have varying types and degrees of difficulty with orientation and mobility. Generally speaking, a person with a loss of visual acuity can see the area he is walking into, but cannot see details of objects. A person with a visual field loss can sometimes see clearly ahead, but cannot see objects which are low or on the side of the path. Most people with partial vision do, however, share some major areas of difficulty: utilizing and integrating all sensory information; dealing with changes in the level of illumination; and incorporating optical aids into orientation and mobility. Utilizing and Integrating All Sensory Information - Because a partially sighted person must use more energy to interpret visual information, he has a tendency to ignore other sensory information. Using other senses often leads to more effective problem-solving. At an intersection, for example, a person can look straight ahead to determine whether his intended path is free of cars and listen for the surge of traffic at his side to determine when to cross the street. Instruction in visual, auditory, haptic, cutaneous, and olfactory skills, and in the use of low vision aids, can increase one's efficiency and can help determine when a visual method is more effective than a non-visual method. Many people find that their vision is used more effectively if they direct it forward to the sidewalk­street and use a cane, guide dog, or electronic travel aid for protection and information. Dealing with Changes in the Level of Illumination - Many people with vision problems require more time for their eyes to adapt to changes in illumination, especially when moving from bright to dark areas. A person whose eyes adapt slowly must be prepared to allow time for adaptation or must shift from a visual to a non-visual method of travel. It is possible to partially control the effects of bright illumination by wearing sunglasses, a visor, or a hat with a broad brim; by shading your eyes with your hand; or by walking on the shady side of the street. A person with vision in both eyes may find it helpful to close one eye when approaching a darker area; after entering the darker area, he may open the closed eye, which will have already begun to adapt to a lower level of illumination. Incorporating Optical Aids into Orientation and Mobility - Low vision aids may be used to enhance the confidence, competence; and independence of a visually impaired traveler. All optical aids should be prescribed by a low vision doctor or clinic. If a person can describe his vision needs in detail, he is much more likely to obtain useful aids. A person may use a near-vision aid to read street maps, public transportation maps, bus and train schedules, menus, price tags, phone books, and elevator buttons. A hand-held telescope may be used for reading street signs, house and office numbers, store signs, bus stop signs, the number and destination of an approaching train or bus, a wall directory in an office building, the aisle signs in a supermarket, the menu in a fast-food restaurant, and the floor indicator in an elevator. Some formal training may be necessary to use these aids successfully. Suggestions for Orientation: 1. Plan route effectively; sometimes it is safer to make three street crossings at an intersection to avoid one difficult or dangerous crossing. 2. Hang travel references (maps, floor plans, etc.) on a wall with good illumination. Plan routes in advance and make notes so that you can remain oriented en route. 3. Go with someone else the first time you travel in an unfamiliar area. Identify landmarks you can use when you return alone. 4. Use a penlight or flashlight to read travel plans or street maps after dusk (or a menu in a dark restaurant). Suggestions for Mobility: 1. If your vision fluctuates predictably during the day, plan activities such as reading, writing, or shopping for the most efficient time. 2. Travel and shop in off-peak hours, if possible. 3. Stand in a position so that you can see the traffic or "Walk" light closest to you. 4. Deciding when to seek formal O and M instruction and when to begin using a long cane is difficult. If you find that you are anxious and tense when walking outside, that you no longer travel to places you would like to go, or that your travel is limited to familiar areas during certain hours of the day, you should consider an O and M evaluation. Many people find that they are much more relaxed when using a cane; they are no longer afraid of falling. If you feel that you are limiting yourself and are beginning to feel "homebound," work toward the freedom and independence that formal instruction may provide. ***** ** Pennsylvania College of Optometry Leads Way with Master's Program in Vision Rehabilitation The Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) has received an $840,300 grant from the Mary Ethel Pew Medical Trust to initiate the nation's first Master of Science Degree Program in Visual Rehabilitation. Both the design of the Master's program and the dollar amount granted represent milestones in special education by colleges of optometry. PCO will offer the only Master's program in the United States training professionals with exclusive emphasis on serving the low-vision and partially sighted population. (Traditional graduate level courses have focused on the totally blind population.) This Master's program will build on the educational and clinical reputation of the William Feinbloom Vision Rehabilitation Center, internationally known component of the College's clinical patient care facility, the Eye Institute. The Feinbloom Center's interdisciplinary staff works with partially sighted patients from around the world, many legally blind and/or elderly, interested in maximizing their visual potential. The vision rehabilitation graduate program is designed to transfer the interdisciplinary low-vision concept from a service to an educational/training context. There will be ten to twelve students per class, representing an interdisciplinary mix of O.D.'s, M.D.'s, orientation and mobility specialists, special educators, rehabilitation counselors, and teachers, social workers, and other rehabilitation and education specialists. The program expects to begin accepting students in the fall of 1983, after a year of concentrated planning and development. During the second year, the 52-credit-hour curriculum will be evaluated and plans for a part­time program for professionals who cannot afford a full year away from their employment will be finalized. By the third year, both the full- and part-time programs will be fully implemented. Graduates will be awarded a degree of Master of Science in Vision Rehabilitation. Audrey Smith, M.Ed., Director of Training for the Low Vision Research and Training Center, PCO, will be director of the new Master's program. ***** ** Light in the Shadows: Feelings about Blindness (A book review reprinted from the Arkansas Democrat, Sept. 19, 1982, by Marvin Schwartz, Democrat staff writer) (Light in the Shadows: Feelings about Blindness, by Elizabeth C. Perry and F. Hampton Roy, M.D., World Eye Foundation, $10.00, 123 pages). For any of the 47,000 people who become blind each year or anyone who knows one of the 500,000 legally blind people in the United States, the World Eye Foundation has issued a "must read" publication. "Light in the Shadows" is a collection of interviews with seven individuals whose visual impairments range from partial sight to absence of vision. The volume, prefaced by Dr. F. Hampton Roy, founder of the World Eye Foundation, includes an explanation of the medical condition of each of the subjects and a definition of the various degrees of blindness. Far more than a medical treatise, "Light in the Shadows" is a moving, sensitive portrait of individuals striving to achieve their independent identities in a world they cannot or can barely see. Today's visually impaired person is shown attempting a variety of challenging tasks, from learning computer programming to performing the relatively simple act of shopping by themselves in a mall. Helen Clegg, a 77-year-old Arizona woman whose interview is one of the most inspirational in the book, describes how the carrying of a white cane, the blind person's traditional walking aid, was to her a mark of defeat. Barbara McClung, an Arkansas Native who awoke one morning in her college dormitory unable to see, describes with a chilling accuracy the helplessness she felt inching her way down the building's stairs to reach a telephone and call for help. Yet Ms. McClung, like the others who share their personal understandings in this book, has risen above her handicap. A published author, Ms. McClung describes her current feelings. "I've learned much from this experience of blindness," she says. "I've learned that blindness means not only without sight, but without knowledge. I may not have vision, but I will never be blind." Roy and Elizabeth C. Perry, co­authors of the book, have allowed the personalities of each of their subjects to emerge and bind the reader with sincere emotional ties. Finishing this volume, one feels moved, as though each of the speakers had been beside you in the room, calmly and patiently explaining their innermost feelings. The volume closes with two extremely informative chapters, one detailing the visually impaired person's adjustment process to the new life style that must be entered. The final chapter, titled "The Blind Tell the Sighted About Blindness," speaks for itself. It is a plea for understanding, an attempt to bridge the profoundest depths and establish the common bond of humanity. "Light in the Shadows" is augmented by a sequence of photographs that capture the facial expressions of each of the book's subjects. These professional portraits, as much as the interviews themselves, remind the reader there is no substitute for the precious gift of sight. Like the personalities in this book, Roy and Ms. Perry have created a labor of love, a work whose depth of feeling and human insight is not likely to be found in many works of non­fiction. "Light in the Shadows," printed in extra-large type for the visually impaired reader, is available from the World Eye Foundation, 200 E. 25th Street, Little Rock, AR 72206. The $10.00 cost of the publication becomes a tax-deductible contribution to that non-profit organization. ***** ** Contacts Save Sight of Infants San Francisco - AP: Surgery and soft contact lenses fitted soon after birth, can save the sight of babies born with severe cataracts, eye specialists report. The treatment is demanding and time-consuming: Parents must keep their babies from losing or eating the lenses and make frequent trips for eye care in the first years of life. But without swift action, the afflicted children "almost always grow up with terrible vision," said Dr. Creig S. Hoyt III, an associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of California. One baby in 7,000 to 10,000 is born with severe cataracts, or cloudiness of the lens, in one or both eyes. Although surgery later in life can correct the defect and make the eyes appear normal, most of the young victims still can't see. Eye specialists now believe they know why poor vision persists after corrective surgery - The cataracts block critical stimulation to visual portions of the brain in the first weeks and months after birth. In the new treatment, cataract surgery comes within a day or two of birth, and the baby then gets tiny eyeglasses or, more often, long-wear soft contact lenses to provide the sharp image crucial to the full development of the brain's visual center. Hoyt said that surgery and the fitting of artificial lenses should be done within eight weeks of birth for babies with cataracts on both eyes, or within sixteen weeks with one eye. On 27 single-cataract babies who had the affected lens surgically removed before they were six weeks old, seventeen today have good reading vision. He and his associates fitted the infants with specially made lenses and made regular computerized measurements of the nerve responses in the babies' eyes. The most troublesome aspect of the treatment is keeping the lenses in the babies' eyes. Children in his study lost lenses at an average of ten a year, he said, and even a few days without the special lenses will produce a loss of vision. ***** ** Mobility and Exercise By Charles A. (Chick) Crampton For some time, I had felt the need of exercise. My heart was acting up, and I was getting fat and lazy. When I tried to walk briskly along the sidewalk, I found that my cane constantly kept getting hung up in the grass on either side of the walk. This necessitated slowing my pace. I then began walking in the street, alongside the curb. I would take three or four paces and then tap the curb to keep my alignment. During the interim, I would hold my cane straight out in front of me. This alerted me to parked cars. I found that this method allowed me to walk at quite a brisk pace, with few hang-ups or stops. Of course, trash along the curb is a slight problem. I use an extra long, telescoping, light plastic cane, as manufactured by Walter Crandel of 7855 Lakeville Highway, Petaluma, California 94952. The lightweight cane keeps my arm from becoming tired on long walks. The extra length warns me of parked cars in plenty of time, and the telescoping feature helps avoid scratching the cars. I find that this procedure has allowed me to improve my heart condition and leaves me feeling better all over. Of course, I travel this way only on residential roads and streets where traffic is light. Don't try it in heavy traffic! Use common sense and stay healthy. (Chick Crampton is president of the Florida Council of the Blind and was the recipient of the Ambassador Award at ACB's 1982 convention in Atlanta.) ***** ** ACB Affiliate News New Hampshire was the ninth state to join the Union. In 1983, New Hampshire will become the 47th state to become affiliated with the American Council of the Blind. The New Hampshire Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired came into official being on Saturday, October 23, 1982, in Concord, the state capital. This marked the group's second organizational meeting and culminated several years of membership development activity by the national ACB staff. Elected president of the newly formed organization was Stephen Buckley of Keene. John McMichael of Berlin was named vice president; Mrs. Claudia Pattison of Merrimack, Secretary; and Mrs. Linda Metcalf of Hampton, Treasurer. Representing ACB at the meeting were Laura Oftedahl, Director of Public Affairs, and Stan Beauregard, member of the Board of Publications. Also participating from the neighboring Vermont Council of the Blind were VCB President Hayden Nichols, Immediate Past President, Al Nichols, and Peg Coty. Final action on acceptance of a constitution and by-laws was deferred to the spring meeting. The October 23rd meeting was held in the newly acquired headquarters of the New Hampshire Association for the Blind, with Gale N. Stickler, Executive Director, as host. The American Council of the Blind of New York State held its 1982 annual convention in Binghamton the weekend of October 22. This year's convention was unique in that it was held jointly with the annual meeting of the Parents of Visually Handicapped Children of New York State. Some of the sessions were held jointly; others separately, but left open for members of either group to attend. The interchange of ideas between parents of visually impaired children and blind adults was stimulating and underscored the necessity for more — much more — communication and interaction between these two groups in the future. Among the five resolutions passed by the convention was one which calls for the forming of a committee to establish a meaningful mutual relationship between parents of visually impaired children and adults who, though visually impaired, have assumed their rightful place in the community at large. The following officers were elected for a two-year term: President, Dorothy Matano; First Vice President, Catherine Gleitz; Second Vice President, Kathleen Lyons; Third Vice President, David Schriebstein; Recording Secretary, Mary Gryc; Corresponding Secretary, Ellen Gerson; Treasurer, Meryl Horowitz. At the annual convention of the Illinois Federation of the Blind held in Galesburg October 23, 1982, members voted to change the name of their organization to the Illinois Council of the Blind. The Illinois Council of the Blind is an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind. The name change will more readily identify the state organization with the national ACB. ***** ** Here and There By Elizabeth M. Lennon From The Lantern: The Massachusetts Legislature recently passed Chapter 112 of the Acts of 1982, which amends the Charter of the Perkins School for the Blind to expand its purpose to allow the training and education of persons with handicaps other than blindness. The original Charter limited the school to “educating blind persons.” Since blind students are fewer in number and are more significantly handicapped than in former years, it has been difficult to maintain broad and comprehensive services with full clinical support. The wealth of materials and professional knowledge that has been amassed to serve the additionally impaired deaf-blind may now also be used to serve deaf persons not now well served elsewhere. In addition, the traumatically head-injured blind now served by Perkins can share curricula, facilities, and staff with non­visually impaired traumatically head­injured, when space is available. From NBA Bulletin (National Braille Association): Through a generous donation from the American Contract Bridge League, the braille edition of the National Braille Association catalog can now be provided free of charge to braille readers. There is a charge of $3 for the print catalog. Address National Braille Association, 654A Godwin Avenue, P.O. Box 300, Midland Park, NJ 07432. A programmed text on cassette for learning how to voice index has been prepared by Florida State University's School of Library and Information Studies, under a grant from the Exxon Education Foundation. The programmed text on cassette is intended to teach blind persons how to voice-index pre-recorded text on their cassette recorders. Techniques for selecting words and phrases to tag segments of text, and for recording these words and phrases at fast-forward speed, are discussed and exercises are provided. The recorded programmed text on voice indexing may be obtained for $6, prepaid, from Elpro, Inc., P.O. Box 3634, Langley Park, MD 20787. The Association on Handicapped Student Service Programs in Post­secondary Education (AHSSPPE) will hold its sixth annual conference at the Oakland Airport Hilton, Oakland, California, July 20-23. To receive registration information, contact Susan O'Hara, Chair, AHSSPPE '83; University of California; Disabled Students Program; 2515 Channing Way; Berkeley, CA 94720; (415) 642-0518. An alumni association is now forming for all former students of the Veterans Administration Eastern Blind Rehabilitation Center, West Haven, Connecticut. Since the V.A. recently opened a fourth rehabilitation center in Birmingham, Alabama, for blinded veterans from the southern states, plans are to form an alumni association for this center as well. So let's hear from all of you. Maybe we can start a newsletter, and even plan a yearly get-together. Contact Eric P. Gaskell, 1925 16th Avenue, Apt. 210, Vero Beach, FL 32960; (305) 567-6461. The MAB signature guide was designed by the Massachusetts Association for the Blind Workshop and is partially produced by its multihandicapped blind employees. It is made of flexible, durable, non-glare plastic and combines both an attractive, folding, wallet-size signature guide (also useful in check endorsement) and a built-in pocket for business and credit cards. Price: $1.00 each, plus applicable 5% sales tax for Massachusetts residents. Quantities of under 25 will be sent Free Matter for the Blind. For larger quantities, shipping is included in the purchase price if prepaid. Write MAB Workshop, 44 N. Beacon Street, Brighton, MA 02134. Unique toys and learning aids for children were featured in "Pioneering Playthings," an exhibition which ran throughout the month of December 1982 at the Lions Gallery of the Senses, Hartford, Connecticut. These imaginative devices were developed by the Telephone Pioneers of America. Projects initiated by the Pioneers include radio-equipped talking bears for use in speech therapy, blinking bunnies whose eyes respond to vocal sounds, for use with deaf children, and beep baseballs and basketballs for visually impaired sports enthusiasts. Also in conjunction with the exhibit, the Lions Gallery featured the puppet show, "The Kids on the Block." These nearly life-size puppets represent children with disabilities. By showing how handicapped and non-handicapped children interact, they help all children to feel more comfortable with disabled persons. From RT News (Division XI, AAWB): Calendars for 1983 in Grade 1 braille are available for $1 from Mrs. Judy Dorman, P.O. Box 478, Madison, VA 22717. ... Free pamphlets of raised-line and large­print checks can be obtained from De Luxe Check Printers, 20961 Knapp Street, Chatsworth, CA 91311. Visually impaired persons desiring quantities of these checks must order them through their own local bank, to ensure correct account numbers. For 200 checks and 80 deposit slips, the cost is $8.20, plus tax and delivery. From Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness: A Portland, Oregon, woman graduated this past spring from the University of Oregon at Eugene with two doctoral degrees in clinical and counseling psychology. While this represents outstanding achievement for anyone, it has special meaning for scholar Adeline Beght, 48. She lost her sight and hearing because of childhood drug addiction stemming from treatment for osteomyelitis and alcoholism, according to an article distributed by the Associated Press. Degrees in hand, she plans to expand her private counseling practice in Portland and feels she can diagnose and treat psychological problems as affectively as her peers. Corning Glass Works has developed special photochromic lenses that could ease vision problems for patients with some types of retinal degeneration and other low-vision ailments. The lenses are made of photochromic glass which darkens when exposed to ultraviolet light and lightens when the light source is removed. Initial testing of the lenses reveals that some patients may experience greater comfort and improved visual acuity under most bright lighting conditions. Corning will make the lenses available to any prescribing vision­care professional. For additional information, write Technical Products Division, Medical Optics, Corning Glass Works, MP 21-2, Corning, NY 14831. Stick N' Glow tactile decals can be used to label Rubik's Cube and other puzzles and games for use by the visually impaired. The simple geometric designs are easy to feel and are actually die cut into two decals. Each packet includes 54 squares, making 108 decals - enough to label a Cube puzzle and for numerous other applications where tactile labeling is desired. For further information, write Joseph Conrad Corp., Box 14230, Spokane, WA 99214. The U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs, in cooperation with the Consumer Information Center and the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, have published "Direct Contacts for Consumers," an 18-page brochure which lists Federal toll-free telephone numbers by subject area and toll-free numbers for Federal information centers which can answer questions about the Federal Government. Single copies are available free from Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, CO 81009. From Sharing (Handicapped of New Jersey): United Airlines has ordered 22 wheelchairs for their new Boeing 767's. These newly designed, folding chairs fit easily in narrow airplane aisles. They are much narrower than conventional models and have four small wheels. Many people have expressed the desire for a well organized listing of household hints for visually impaired persons. The staff and students of the rehabilitation teaching program at Northern Illinois University have taken on this project and are soliciting suggestions. The idea is to include short suggestions and tips, on the order of "Hints from Heloise," which would be especially useful to blind and visually impaired persons. Input is sought from readers in the form of hints, suggestions for organization, and a title for the publication. Please send your ideas by February 1, if possible, to Patricia Bussen, Department of Learning, Development and Special Education, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL 60115. A first! Body movement classes taught by a blind woman experienced in ballet stretch, aerobics, and body­building. Fully participate in workout sessions. Substitute the humiliation of feeling frustrated with the joy of being able to follow the instructor completely. Individual or group instruction is available to New York City area residents. A 60-minute class on cassette is also available. Write or call Maureen Carole Young, Manhattan Plaza, 484 W. 43rd Street, Apt. 12-Q, New York, NY 10036; (212) 239-1474. The Second International Symposium on Visually Handicapped Infants and Young Children: Birth to 7, will take place at the Concorde Hotel, Aruba, May 22-27, 1983. The Symposium will bring together various disciplines concerned with the development and education of visually handicapped infants and young children. One important focus of the symposium is techniques and service alternatives which are appropriate for use in rural or developing countries. Special help will be provided for visually impaired or Spanish-speaking participants. To receive information about the symposium or requirements for submission of abstracts, or to have your name placed on the mailing list, contact Donna Heiner, International Institute for Visually Impaired, 0-7, Int., 1975 Rutgers Circle, East Lansing, MI 48823. ***** ** Notice to Subscribers The Braille Forum is available in braille, large-type, and two recorded editions — flexible disc (8 1/3 rpm) and cassette (15/16 ips). As a bimonthly supplement, the recorded editions also include ALL-O-GRAMS, newsletter of the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America. Send subscription requests and address changes, as well as items intended for publication, to The Braille Forum,190 Lattimore Road, Rochester, NY 14620. 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 ACB 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 a special paragraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, you or your attorney may wish to contact the ACB National Office. ###