The Braille Forum Vol. XXIV July 1985 No. 1 Published Monthly by the American Council of the Blind Mary T. Ballard, Editor For the latest legislative and governmental news, call the Washington Connection after 6:00 P.M. weekdays or all day weekends and holidays. Toll Free -- 1-800-424-8666. ***** * 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) 442-3131 * 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: Durward K. McDaniel 9468 Singing Quail Drive Austin, TX 78758 * Secretary: Karen Perzentka 6913 Colony Drive Madison, WI 53717 * Treasurer: James R. Olsen American Council of the Blind Summit Bank Building, Suite 822 310 4th Avenue, S. Minneapolis, MN 55415 Promoting Independence And Effective Participation In Society Copyright 1985 American Council of the Blind ***** ** Contents ACB Officers President's Message, by Grant Mack ACB Presents Scholarships to Outstanding Blind Students, by Laura Oftedahl News Briefs from the ACB National Office, by Oral O. Miller A Consumer's Perspective on the Rehabilitation System, by Brian Charlson HEATH Resource Center "I've Never Been Mad About How I Am Because I've Never Been Any Other Way" Report on Annual Meeting of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Collection Building Activities, by Janet Clary Money Talks The Votegetter, by Aubrey Welle International Survey of Classical Music A Matter of "Lost Equipment" Fire Safety Manual for the Visually Impaired, by Pat Price Electronic Industries Foundation Seeks New Assistive Devices Sweaters, Scarves and Hats ... Homemade High Tech Swap Shop In Memoriam: Fred C. Lilley, by Alma Murphey Here and There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon Calendar of Events Notice to Subscribers ***** ** President's Message By Grant Mack By the time you read this, many of you will have just returned home from the annual convention of the American Council of the Blind in Las Vegas. Most of you are probably still recovering from jet lag and loss of sleep. In addition, many of you first­time attendees may not know it, but you have been infected by a little varmint called the "convention bug," whose bite is quite serious, though not fatal. The symptoms of this malady first appear a few months after the convention has ended. They are: 1. You have started to secretly save your money for the next convention. 2. You will find yourself searching for the convention promos which begin to appear in the fall issues of The Braille Forum. 3. You have written to one of your new friends whom you met in Las Vegas to learn when he or she plans to arrive in Knoxville. 4. You have been thinking about next summer's vacation schedule much earlier than ever before. 5. You have already been to the local library and checked out books relating to the geography and history of Knoxville, Tennessee. 6. Finally, you know you're a complete "goner" when you call your travel agent and ask for air fares to Knoxville. The bite of this strange bug is more grave for some than for others. In some cases, it is so serious that no known remedy has been found except to return to an ACB convention every year for another "fix." Your luck on the "slots" may not have been so good, but you will discover that you really did "hit the jackpot." You will no longer have to fret with an annual decision on whether or not to attend future ACB conyent1ons. You will look forward to "speaking your piece" and "having your say" at least once a year. You will look forward to once again being stimulated by ideas freely expressed and debated. You will again thrill at the realization that your thoughts and ideas were important to others. Your psyche will once again thrive in a democratic environment and you will look forward to again flexing your "idea muscles." You will long to meet new and stimulating friends. You will also have great satisfaction in knowing that your voice, in concert with the voices of hundreds of other blind and visually impaired people, contributed to a great expression of consensus on issues important to the welfare of blind persons throughout this nation. You will be proud that no one spoke for you: you spoke for yourself. You were educated, entertained, excited, and edified. So, I say to you who are in the incubation period of this bittersweet ailment, relax and enjoy it and let nature take its course. See you in Knoxville next July! ***** ** ACB Presents Scholarships to Outstanding Blind Students By Laura Oftedahl Director of Public Affairs It's not often that one finds a music therapist, a physicist, an aspiring Congressional page, a business manager, and a computer scientist all gathered for one reason — all blind people and all from different regions of the country -- Florida, California, Arkansas, Washington, and Pennsylvania. The scene was the 1985 ACB scholarship awards ceremony during the opening session of the 24th annual convention of the American Council of the Blind. These top scholars were sponsored by ACB to be in Las Vegas to receive their important awards. Many of the other 17 ACB scholars recognized the rich experience that an ACB convention offers and traveled to Las Vegas to take part in the awards ceremony and Convention Week. The American Council of the Blind awarded $25,500 in scholarships this year to outstanding blind and visually impaired postsecondary students. The competition for the Floyd Qualls Memorial Scholarships ($24,000 in awards) and the Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship (one award of $1,500) was stiff. Three hundred students from entering college freshmen to doctoral candidates and vocational students vied for these honors. We would like to introduce the 1985 ACB scholars. CHERYL SEDEI -- Cheryl received a $3,000 scholarship for her graduate studies in music therapy at the University of Miami. This interesting area of study has afforded her many valuable experiences, including employment as a music therapist/biofeedback technician in a pain clinic and work with mentally retarded adults, penal code males, and autistic children. Her involvement with the National Association for Music Therapy Students includes many presentations on music and its influence on health. Cheryl would like eventually to open a clinic for terminally ill children and to teach at the university level. Extracurricular activities include piano, knitting, swimming, and taking advantage of the Florida sun while away at school there from her home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. PETER WILSON -- To assist him with his undergraduate studies at Harvard, Peter Wilson receives a $2,500 scholarship from ACB. Peter describes himself as "incorrigibly curious, especially about the hidden and technical aspects of things. I like to design and build small hardware projects and really value my work experience at NASA's Ames Research Center on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)." It's no wonder that Mr. Wilson is pursuing a degree in physics and wants to work in a technical/physical field. His most important hobby is music. He plays in a band, has produced studio tapes for which he composed the music and played all of the instruments, and recently built an electric bass guitar. One of Peter's goals is to "keep my mind open and always changing." DAVID WILKINSON -- David is entering Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, as a freshman this fall and was awarded $2,500 by ACB to assist with his studies in the humanities. This past year, as a senior at Forrest City High School, he served as president of the student council and body and spent much of his spare time tuning pianos to raise some extra income. David describes his experience with wrestling in school like this: "While wrestling during elementary school, I learned the values of perseverance and humility. I lost every match for over two years. However, through a lot of determination and a coach who wouldn't let me quit, I went on to become state champion in high school." David's goals include wanting to be a Congressional page in Washington, studying overseas as an exchange student, and some day, perhaps, working a couple of years in a third world country. TERINA HARTLEY -- Terina is a top winner in the vocational/technical student category of the ACB scholarships, having won $1,500 to help her begin the business management curriculum at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Washington. She is currently president of the Z-Club, a group of girls who provide service to the school and community through such projects as throwing parties at retirement homes, cleaning the school campus, helping people with their gardens, and raising money for needy causes. Her summer job experience includes working at a gas station pumping gas and taking care of other station duties. Terina would like to finish school and become a self-sufficient, productive, and independent business manager. ELIZABETH (BETTY) KERRIGAN -- Betty receives the Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship of $1,500, made possible by the Tarver Foundation of Richmond, Virginia. She is entering her junior year at Marywood College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where she is majoring in mathematics and computer science. The list of math and science awards Ms. Kerrigan has received is a long one. Aside from her studies, Betty loves sports and enjoys introducing others to the advantages of involvement in sports. She coaches a girls' basketball team (fifth through eighth graders) and says, "I not only teach them the rules of the game, but also the value of working together as a team and learning to get along with others. After all, I feel the latter two are much more important and will be much more valuable to them throughout their lives." Betty is a deserving scholarship winner and an example of how it pays to re-apply for the ACB scholarships, even though you may not be selected as a winner the first time you apply. Twelve more bright and articulate students have been honored with ACB Floyd Qualls Memorial Scholarships for use during the 1985-86 school year. In the graduate area, CHRISTIAN SHINABERGER of Santa Monica, California, receives $2,000 for his studies in public health/epidemiology at the University of California. The $1,000 recipients include BRIAN PARSONS of Locust Grove, Virginia, who is at the University of Virginia in the environmental science program, and SHEILA ZAKRE of Flushing, New York, who attends CUNY Law School at Queens, specializing in human rights issues. LISA GAZAREK, a pre-law student at Harvard, receives $1,500 from ACB. Other continuing undergraduate winners are: BEATRIZ CARVALHO, Hudson, Massachusetts, a psychology major at Framingham State College, who was awarded $1,000, and LISA HEINS of Murphysboro, Illinois, a psychology student at Southern Illinois University. Lisa receives $1,000 and plans to attend medical school to become a psychiatrist. In the vocational/trade school arena, these deserving students have been named ACB scholars: PAULA SOLPER ($1,500), specializing in child care and development at Milwaukee Area Technical College; CHARLENE GUGGISBERG ($1,000), of Winthrop, Minnesota, beginning her studies in physical therapy assisting at St. Mary's Junior College in Minneapolis; and SONJA ALLARD ($1,000), of Detroit, Michigan, who is in the cafeteria management program at Henry Ford Community College. Each and every one of the 300 applicants for the 1985 ACB scholarships is to be commended for his/her outstanding academic accomplishments and perseverance in becoming integrated into social, recreational, religious, and community activities. Applications for the 1986 ACB scholarships will be available in August. All students who are enrolled in studies beyond high school for the 1985-86 school year and who need financial assistance are encouraged to apply. Persons who have applied previously, yet have not been awarded a scholarship, are urged to re-apply, as the competition varies from year to year. Finally, the ACB Scholarship Committee members, who spent countless hours reviewing applications, interviewing applicants, and selecting recipients and alternates are to be complimented for a job well done. Members include: M.J. Schmitt, Chairperson; Otis Stephens, Patricia Price, Robert Campbell, Janet Clary, Carla Franklin, Billie Jean Hill, Cheryl Peterson, Connie Pierce, Granger Ricks, Walt Smith, and Geraldine Stroh. ***** ** News Briefs from the ACB National Office By Oral O. Miller National Representative An annual meeting of the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped (PCEH) dominated much of the National Office schedule during the first few days of May. For example, on the first full day of the meeting, the National Representative spoke at a seminar regarding issues facing sheltered workshops. At the same time, the Director of Public Affairs was taking part in a workshop dealing with public service media productions. The following day, Larry King, host of the late-night talk show bearing his name, presented to the American Council of the Blind the PCEH award for the most outstanding radio public service announcement of the year. (See "ACB Wins Top Award for Low-Vision Radio PSA," The Braille Forum, April 1985.) During the PCEH meeting, ACB's Public Affairs Director also participated in a workshop dealing with the employment prospects of blind students. I want to commend the Pennsylvania Council of the Blind for the legislative workshop it conducted in Harrisburg in early May. It is my understanding that the workshop was patterned after ACB's national legislative workshop and that the PCB members were received cordially by the legislators and aides they visited. Such workshops are very effective. During May, it was the pleasure of the National Representative to speak on the program of the D.C./Maryland chapter of the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AERBVI). The meeting was very well attended, and the program covered a wide variety of topics, ranging from psychological implications of blindness to the importance of recreational and leisure activities. ACB's handbook for the training of airline employees regarding service to visually impaired travelers has been so well received by the airlines and the travel industry that it has already gone into its second printing. The enthusiasm with which the handbook is being received is attested to by the following letter recently received in the ACB National Office from a United Airlines flight attendant: To Whom It Concerns: Thank you very much for your new publication concerning how airline passenger service personnel can assist visually impaired passengers. I have the pleasure of serving these passengers quite frequently as a flight attendant for United Airlines. I now feel much more confident in assisting them with the same level of self-esteem and dignity that anybody is entitled to receive, thanks to your booklet. Once again, thank you. -- Wendell Soohoo, Chicago, Illinois. In view of the outstanding reception the handbook has received and the spirit of cooperation which it had engendered on the part of many airline officials and employees, we are asking Braille Forum readers who write to airlines concerning individual difficulties to send us a copy of their letters so that, in appropriate cases we may be of greater assistance. A reminder: The ACB National Office is still interested in receiving unwanted slates, styluses, braille writers, braille watches and clocks for eventual transmission to needy blind people in developing countries. ***** ** A Consumer's Perspective on the Rehabilitation System By Brian Charlson NOTE: On June 11, 1985, Brian Charlson, member of the Board of Directors of the American Council of the Blind, testified before the Subcommittee on Select Education of the House Committee on Education and Labor, concerning the operation of the Federal/state rehabilitation system. Also at the hearing were state agency administrator Madeleine Will, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, and three other consumer representatives. Mr. Charlson was one of the few witnesses who addressed specific problems with respect to this country's rehabilitation service delivery system. His comments are insightful and well worth reading. The Subcommittee plans at least four hearings between now and the fall in preparation for re-authorization of the Rehabilitation Act next year. Mr. Chairman: My name is Brian Charlson of Watertown, Massachusetts. I lost my sight at the age of 11 as the result of a household accident. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss with you today some of my experiences as a recipient of rehabilitation services, first in the state of Oregon where I grew up and went to college, then later in the state of Massachusetts to which my wife and I have recently relocated. The good news is that I am presently employed as a computer training instructor at the Carroll Rehabilitation Center for the Blind in suburban Boston, Massachusetts. The bad news is that I obtained my present job despite the rehabilitation system. In fact, I am still waiting for a counselor from the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind to make a home visit to open my case file. The Commission advised me that it would take about ten weeks before such a visit could be scheduled. Thus, I got my present job before my rehabilitation case file was even opened. Please don't misunderstand me! I have found many rehabilitation professionals to be dedicated, committed people who try to serve their clients to the best of their ability, considering their training, experience, and the strictures of the Federal/state system. Unfortunately, I have found most rehabilitation counselors to be more concerned with case facilitation (completing the necessary paper work required by the Federal/state system), rather than emphasizing meaningful guidance, counseling, and placement services designed to assist a handicapped individual achieve his or her employment objective. Perhaps many counselors are ill equipped to provide such services. In Oregon, for example, the only educational requirement for a rehabilitation counselor or a job developer is a college degree — any kind of college degree! But allow me to get back to my own personal story. Prior to my final year of high school, I attended a vocational evaluation program at the Commission for the Blind headquarters in Portland, Oregon. I am sure, Mr. Chairman, that you will be able to identify with my career goal. I wanted to obtain a degree in political science to prepare me to enter public service. The Oregon Commission for the Blind agreed to provide me with reader services, and I managed to pay my own tuition at a community college for the first two years of my higher education. I then transferred to Willamette University, a private school in Salem. It was the ideal classroom for me, since the campus was located across the street from the state capitol building. I also worked to pay part of my expenses at Willamette. By the time of graduating from college in 1978, I discovered that I was ill-prepared to achieve my vocational objective. The Oregon Legislature is a part-time governing body, and most members of the Legislature by necessity have outside full-time employment. I was never advised of this fact when I first discussed my vocational objective with my rehabilitation counselor while still in high school and subsequently agreed to an individual written rehabilitation plan. Undaunted, however, I took part­time employment as a staffer with the Oregon Legislature. I worked there during the 1979, 1981, and 1983 terms and progressed to the position of assistant sergeant-at-arms, a patronage position lasting six to eight months during each term, at a salary of $860.00 per month. In 1980, I also worked as a vending facility operator in Oregon's business enterprise program. I thought the vending job would give me the necessary financial base to allow me to start my political career. It didn't, and I returned to the Legislature as a staffer during the 1981 term. I also worked between legislative sessions for the City of Salem as a human rights specialist. All of these jobs were obtained through my own efforts, without any placement assistance from the Oregon Commission for the Blind. In 1983 my rehabilitation case was closed. I fought the closure because I felt that perhaps an advanced degree such as a master's in public administration or public relations would help me to secure full-time employment commensurate with my abilities and interests. Unfortunately, as it turned out, I was employed during the '83 term of the Legislature for a period of eight months which under the Commission's policies, meant that my case file would have to be closed. Oregon closes cases after six months of successful employment. Ironically, both the Commission and I knew that I would be out of work at the end of the '83 term only two short months later. I was advised that I would be eligible for post-employment services. Post-employment services consisted of something called "Job Club," a periodic meeting of blind job-seekers at which we would compare notes, feed each other's paranoia, etc. It was very definitely a low-cost form of post-placement services — I doubt it cost the Commission for the Blind a dime. Unfortunately, post-employment services did not include such things as resume printing, assistance in developing job leads, or other useful personal marketing assistance. Needless to say, all of this was very discouraging. Although I had done well in school and working for the Legislature, I still lacked full-time employment (and, for that matter, even the tools to obtain full-time employment). Yet, as far as the Oregon Commission for the Blind was concerned, I was a successful rehabilitation case closure. In 1984, my wife, who is also blind, was offered a position as assistant director of a library in Massachusetts. We decided to relocate to the east coast and have resided in suburban Boston since the beginning of this year. I immediately started to look for a job in Boston. I thought that perhaps my new-found interest in personal computing would help me secure full­time employment. I called the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind to ask their assistance in updating and printing my resume. I told them that I was anxious to find work; they told me that it would take ten weeks for a counselor to visit my home to fill out the Commission's application for service. Keep in mind that my medical records, eye test results, and the like were all part of my case records in Oregon. The Commission did suggest that I call two local Projects With Industry programs for possible job leads. One program offered me an opportunity to train as a telephone operator for an emergency medical response service. I declined the offer, because I felt I would be grossly under-employed in such a position; the job was more suitable for a high-school graduate. Finally, I did find a job as a computer training instructor with the Carroll Rehabilitation Center for the Blind, certainly not a job in public life in line with my vocational objective, but I am working and proud of the fact. Although the Massachusetts Commission had nothing to do with my obtaining my present position, the rehabilitation system will undoubtedly be credited with another "successful" case closure. Remember, I secured the job before the application for rehabilitation service was even filled out. I could have easily gone to the Commission's office in Boston to complete the paper work, but no! They told me to wait; a home visit was mandatory under the Commission's policies. Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, I do not think that my frustrating experience with the rehabilitation system is atypical. I have been in a position to see how the system works (and often doesn't work) for many people. I was a member of the Board of Directors of the Oregon Commission for the Blind from 1979 to 1984. I fully understand many of the problems which I have identified do not have simple solutions. Likewise, as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Council of the Blind and as a state affiliate vice president in Oregon, I know others have been denied adequate post-placement services or have experienced other difficulties similar to or more egregious than my own. I was lucky because I am young, aggressive, and bright (at least that's what my mother says). Can you imagine, Mr. Chairman, my difficulties with the rehabilitation system if I were old, meek, or just scared! We need to re-think how best to deliver rehabilitation services in this country. The goal has always been employment - but what kind of employment? An entry level job? The system is presently geared to such placements or, worse still, favors the less expensive homemaker closure. Obviously, the rehabilitation system should not be expected to maintain a handicapped individual throughout his working life. It seems to me, however, to be a matter of degree. An employer may need continuing advice from a rehabilitation agency as a blind employee moves up the career ladder. An agency ought to be expected to provide such assistance and should also be able to participate in creative financing plans where necessary to allow an employee who has adequate resources to obtain a piece of technology needed for advancement on the job. How can we solve some of these challenging problems? I think it's more than just a matter of money. The rehabilitation system as well as the consumers it serves should re­examine what we want out of the rehabilitation system. If employment is the goal of rehabilitation - which I think it is - we must decide exactly what that means. We also must train our counselors with an emphasis on the employment objective. I believe that New York University has a rehabilitation training program which offers to its students an internship in business. Such programs should be encouraged and replicated so that rehabilitation counselors will have a better understanding of the needs of business and can thus better advise and place their clients. We must explore better ways for the rehabilitation system to reach out to business so that the rehabilitation counselor can better sell the abilities of his or her clients. Better criteria for provision of post-placement services should be established, more specific than the program guide as presently contained in the RSA manual, in order to ensure the uniformity and adequacy of such services. Finally, we need to establish interstate cooperation in the rehabilitation program in order to avoid wasted duplication of time and effort. Mr. Chairman, we don't have a national rehabilitation program in this country. Rather, we have what seems to me to be 84 separate state programs, with very little meaningful coordination from the Federal Government. ... I am a member and director of the American Council of the Blind because that organization believes in solving problems through cooperative effort. I do understand the difficulty faced by the rehabilitation system as it tries to respond to what is perhaps one of the most complex problems facing society today: rehabilitating handicapped persons who themselves are as diverse as humanity itself. We must make the rehabilitation system work better through creativity and innovation. Money is only part of the solution. Of course this is a challenging task, but I am happy to tell you, Mr. Chairman, that there are many dedicated people - professionals and consumers alike - who are willing to meet this challenge today so that handicapped Americans can have a better rehabilitation system tomorrow. We look forward to Congress's support and involvement in this endeavor. ***** ** HEATH Resource Center One of the most valuable and accessible information resources in the nation's capital is HEATH (Higher Education and the Handicapped). If HEATH doesn't have the information being sought, it will make a real effort to check into the request and follow up with the person seeking the information. Now, that's action from Washington! HEATH operates the National Clearing House on Postsecondary Education for Handicapped Individuals. The center gathers and disseminates information in such areas as educational support services, adaptations, opportunities on American campuses, vocational/technical schools, adult education, and other training after high school. HEATH's staff responds to written as well as telephone inquiries from students, teachers, parents, and counselors throughout the nation. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and has a broad-based, 13-member advisory board. Its quarterly newsletter as well as over fifteen informative fact sheets are available free of charge. Print copies can be requested from the HEATH office. Cassette recordings of the HEATH materials are available through the network of regional libraries for the blind and physically handicapped. Persons who have problems obtaining the cassette publications from their regional library are urged to report their difficulties to Laura Oftedahl in the National Office of the American Council of the Blind. Laura serves on the HEATH Advisory Board. HEATH's newest fact sheet, "Opportunities After High School for Persons Who Are Severely Handicapped," provides information about vocational, educational, recreational, and residential opportunities available to persons with severe or multi­handicaps. Other HEATH fact sheets address the following topics: "Access to the Science Lab," "Career Planning Placement," "Community College," "Strategies for Advising Disabled Students," etc. The publication on financial aid for postsecondary education and training of students with disabilities is currently being revised, with input from Ms. Oftedahl, who is serving on the steering committee for this project. Direct all questions and requests for print information to: HEATH, 1 Dupont Circle, Suite 670, Washington, DC 20036-1193; (202) 833-4707. ***** ** "I've Never Been Mad About How I Am Because I've Never Been Any Other Way" (Reprinted from the Minneapolis Star and Tribune, Sunday, Feb. 10, 1985, by Jim Klobuchar) In the prime of his life, what Martin Mundinger did best was feed the pigs and collect fresh eggs. He can't stand up straight, and it took him fifteen years to get a college degree at age 53. But I found it comforting to think about Mundinger's view of the world yesterday when a man with a rough­neck style stomped into the elevator I was riding. He muscled three people to find an accommodating corner and then blew smoke into the faces of all the passengers. I cleared my throat to deliver a suitably steamy speech on behalf of the abused when I remembered two things: The building had only four floors and this was the third, and Mundinger might have figured out a better response to the bumptious elevator rider. Mundinger occupied an almost invisible slice of the news this past week. He received a little award a couple of nights ago for being who he is, but it was lost in the usual cataract of words and pictures that pour out of the information foundaries. Yet he knows something about calm and reconciliation, and we might take a minute to listen this morning. I admit he is oddly placed as a tutor and makes no claim to be one. His qualifications as a productive citizen don't leap out at you. He couldn't take those fresh eggs to the market in Moorhead years ago because he couldn't drive. He couldn't drive because he was legally blind. He couldn't feed the pigs as well as most farmers because he had cerebral palsy. When he walks, his back is bent and his limbs aren't as manageable as yours and mine. "I've never been mad about how I am," he said, "because I've never been any other way. I was the youngest of ten children, and this is how I started life. My family loved me, and that is how I started with people. I don't know what it would be like to have everything perfect in the world. I think a lot of people get angry and unfair and hurt others because something important in their lives isn't perfect. But nothing ever is." It's unlikely that many people who watched Mundinger in his early years could have conceived a moment like Friday night when he stood at a Sister Kenny banquet to receive an honor for the thousands of unsolicited hours and the wisdom this blind and partly paralyzed man has given to the largest club in the world, the handicapped. It is the largest because it includes all of us. You don't have to live in a wheelchair to qualify. "When you think about it," Mundinger said, "we all have some kind of handicap." He meant trouble and weakness, and we all belong in the club if for no other reason than for the arrogance of doubting that we can learn something durable by watching how a Martin Mundinger lives. He helped on his father's farm when he was able in the years after they left Bertha, Minnesota. He absorbed the oblique looks of people who thought he was retarded, and he didn't resent it. The more he thought about the retarded, the more he realized they were in the same club. Their handicap was different from his. It wasn't more shameful. When he was in his late 30's, he went to a school in Wichita, Kansas, to reduce the effects of the palsy, and for years when he could spare the time from his volunteer work with the Minnesota Society for the Blind, he attended classes at the University of Minnesota. In 1969 he earned his degree in sociology. In 1981, at age 64, he married and now lives at St. Louis Park. His wife is blind. His simple appearance, shuffling through the door and telling troubled people there's nothing wrong with today —only how we look at it — has given the day a finer feel to thousands. He can barely make out images up close, but he sees much deeper than most of us, and he is worth knowing on a day like today. The son of a minister, Martin Mundinger was born in Todd County, Minnesota, in 1917. The youngest of ten children, he was afflicted by cerebral palsy as an infant, which left him with a twisted spine, club foot, impeded speech, and a vision impairment. Early education was difficult for Martin. One year he was even banned from the classroom because his teacher thought him unteachable. Patient teaching at home by his father, the discovery of large-print books, and a new teacher helped him complete school. For several years, Martin lived in Kansas undergoing rehabilitation and working as an aide at the Winfield Training School for the Severely Retarded. After returning to Minnesota, and 23 years out of high school, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota, first through extension and eventually full-time. In 1969 he received a B.A. degree in sociology. He was then 51 years old. In 1973, Martin began working at the Minneapolis Society for the Blind, first as a recreational aide and later coordinating the entire recreation program. A long-time member of the American Council of the Blind of Minnesota, Martin Mundinger has served the organization as Board member, as Secretary, and now as Treasurer for the second time. In 1983 he was the first recipient of the ACB of Minnesota Service Award. ***** ** Report on Annual Meeting of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Collection Building Activities, National Library Service By Janet Clary On May 16-17, 1985, I was privileged to represent the American Council of the Blind at the annual meeting of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Collection Building Activities, sponsored by the Collection Development Staff of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. The meetings were held at the NLS headquarters in Washington, D.C. Other reader representatives on the Committee included Charles Delong from Alabama, representing the Southeastern Region; George Ossentjuk from Michigan, Midlands Region; Ruth Gordon from Connecticut, Northern Region; Ronald Miller from California, Blinded Veterans Association; and Ed Meskys from New Hampshire, National Federation of the Blind. Representatives of the Western Region and the Paralyzed Veterans of America were unable to attend. Librarian representatives included: Nancy Huggins, Texas State Library; Catherine Ford, Iowa Commission for the Blind Library; Bessie Oakes, Utah State Library Commission; and Shirley Bean, Division for the Visually and Physically Handicapped, Prince George's County (Maryland) Memorial Library. Several NLS staff members were also present. The purpose of this meeting was twofold: (1) to set forth priority recommendations for collection building activities for fiscal year 1986; and (2) to develop a Collection Assessment Manual to support the new collection building policy. The two-day meeting opened with welcoming remarks by Jackie Wintle, Assistant Director of NLS, and announcements by Mona Werner, Head of the Collection Development Section. Readers and librarians first met in separate groups to discuss and draw up lists of priority recommendations. The groups then met jointly to discuss each list of recommendations and to combine those recommendations into one prioritized list. During the course of the discussion, Ms. Werner, who chaired all joint meetings, pointed out some of the problems in obtaining materials to expand the NLS collection. These include clearing for copyright, older books requested by readers being out of print, and access to two identical copies of a book for both narrator and monitor. Another problem mentioned was the bad condition of many of the favorite older books. Among the final priority recommendations were: • Reissuance of the classics, such as the works of Tolstoy, Shakespeare, etc.; • Addition of computer books in all media and in all areas, avoiding duplication where possible; • Expansion of the children's collection, with emphasis on materials on cassette and/or in print/braille for pre-school through elementary grades, including high-interest, low-vocabulary materials, sports, and mysteries; • Production of specialized bibliographies, such as books by author, books on parenting skills, series and family sagas, and books about medicine, particularly diabetes and eye disease; • Production of more American and world history fiction and non­fiction, with emphasis on the World War II era; • Production of more "how to" and humor books; • Production of more high-interest, low-vocabulary materials for adults, such as unsophisticated short stories; • Indexing of Braille Book Review and Talking Book Topics; • Publication of annual items in Braille Book Review and Talking Book Topics concerning use of the library, the inter-library loan program, and the function of the microfiche catalog; • Placing of adult magazines immediately following adult books, children's magazines immediately following children's books, and foreign-language magazines immediately following foreign­language books in Braille Book Review and Talking Book Topics; • Production of a booklet published by dog guide schools on the laws of each state concerning dog guides; and • Production of widely read women's and men's magazines such as People, Woman's Day, Forbes, etc. Most of the morning session on the second day was devoted to discussion of development of a Collection Assessment Manual. It was finally recommended that each group member consult readers and librarians in his/her state or district and send recommendations for the manual to Ms. Werner by no later than August 1. Ms. Werner will then send a summary of the responses to each group member by no later than October 1. This action will lay the groundwork for the task to be performed by the Ad Hoc Advisory Group for 1986. After discussion of voice- and/or tone-indexing with staff members from Production Control, a recommendation was approved to voice­ and/or tone-index such materials as "how to" books, cookbooks, medical books, reference books, and anthologies, according to the structure of the book. NLS staff members from other departments were present to answer questions about playback equipment, the music collection, high-speed braille production devices, computer braille books, and design of cassette mailers. During the concluding session, Mrs. Molly Woodruff, a member of the White House Conference on Library and Information Services Task Force, discussed the importance of obtaining representation within this library consumer group as well as librarians. ***** ** Money Talks A stranger recently walked into the headquarters of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Library System, wrote out a check for $1,000, and said that he wanted the money used to buy "talking" dictionaries for blind people. The money was enough to pay for twelve copies of the Houghton Mifflin Concise Heritage Dictionary, available from the American Printing House for the Blind on 55 voice-indexed cassettes stored in binders. With the help of the county public schools and Volunteers for the Visually Handicapped, a private agency, twelve recipients were found. "I was ecstatic when I got it in the mail," said ACB member Holly Hunt, an information specialist who has been totally blind since birth. "I've never had a dictionary, and I'm a person that really enjoys writing and using words. I'm a vocabulary freak, and now I don't have to bug a sighted person to look something up." In addition to Holly Hunt, other recipients of the dictionaries paid for by the $1,000 check include several students, a Ph.D. candidate, a public information coordinator, and a retail salesperson. The man who wrote the $1,000 check stipulated that the story be told so that others might be prompted to make similar gifts. ***** ** The Votegetter By Aubrey Welle (Editor's Note: Aubrey Welle and his wife Laura are both former active members of the Missouri Federation of the Blind (now the Missouri Council of the Blind). Mr. Welle, who is retired, is the inventor of the device described in the following article. The idea for the Votegetter arose because of a recognized need for more orderly voting procedures at affiliate meetings. Mrs. Welle, a charter member of the MFB, served for eight years as editor of the Missouri affiliate's newsletter, The Missouri Chronicle.) Although it has been in use since 1971, most people have never heard of the Votegetter. It can be used as a very reliable means of conducting elections or voting of any kind in organizational work. It has no application, however, in public elections. Its reliability, its ease of operation, and the fact that only with collaboration on the part of many persons could it be possible to "rig" a vote make the Votegetter a device which a club might very well want to consider acquiring. Some larger clubs use several - some have as many as four. As soon as voting is completed, an accurate count is immediately available, thus saving much time and error. When an important issue comes up, it can be put to a secret vote within minutes. For example, with 46 people in attendance at a meeting and two Votegetters, a vote can be taken, beginning to end, in six minutes. The Votegetter is easy to operate, both for the attendant and for the voter. Housed in a vinyl-covered, custom-made cabinet, it is 7 1/2 inches deep, 6 inches wide, and 10 3/ 4 inches high, and it weighs seven pounds. There is a door on the front so that the voter can reach in and press the key of choice and then close the inner door. A "sonalert" tone sounds, indicating that the vote is complete and telling the attendant to clear and move to the next voter. What would keep one from voting twice, you may ask. First, there would have to be direct, premeditated collusion both by the voter and by the attendant. Second, the "sonalert" tone alerts the next voter that it is his/her turn to vote. Third, the sum of all the votes must equal that of all the voting attendance present. The capacity of the Model C-4 is four candidates or issues at any one voting. A six-key model (more expensive) is also available. The keys used for voting are numbered in braille, but the digital readout of the tally does require at least partial vision. A Model DV-4 is voice-synthesized, but, of course, this is more expensive. Current prices range from $250.00 to $650.00. The guarantee includes a 30-day trial period as well as 90 days on service and parts; with future service and parts at cost. For further information, write Aubrey Welle, Wel-Made Electronics, 7216 Arlington Drive, Richmond Heights, MO 63117; or call between 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.: (314) 645-1857. ***** ** International Survey of Classical Music Braille Music, an International Survey is the title of a recent British publication which lists the locations of braille transcriptions of classical music throughout much of the world. In compiling the survey, its author, John Henry, visited braille libraries and publishing houses in more than forty countries. "Braille music is possible to come by - provided one knows where to find it," Henry stated in a recent interview for the Rochester (New York) Democrat and Chronicle. "That's why I've taken on this project. And I believe it is the first of its kind ever." John Henry, a Rochester native and serious classical musician who plays the harpsichord, has been blind since birth. He attended the New York State School for the Blind in Batavia for a time and then a Rochester public high school. He studied in the Preparatory Department at the Eastman School of Music before attending Georgetown University, where he studied Russian linguistics. Although John Henry now is consumed by his interest in the harpsicord, it wasn't always that way. As a child, he toyed with the family piano. "Like most children, at 7 or 8 I began to pick up things by ear." After settling in England (he has lived and concertized in London for the past two decades), he received an invitation to lecture on keyboard music from 1500 to modern times. It was then that he became more familiar with that thin-voiced, early keyboard instrument, the harpsicord. "It rather grew on me," he said. "It was like a disease. I never looked back." Henry's research project was born of the fact that so little braille music is available for his instrument. During his studies at the Eastman School, he found that libraries of music schools seldom include braille music. Part of the problem, he concedes, is storage. For example, the 48 Preludes and Fugues of Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier'' fill two volumes in print. In braille, they require an entire shelf. Because braille transcriptions are so rare, Henry has had to rely on a sighted assistant and an Optacon to learn music. Although admittedly he has had difficulty finding appropriate scores in braille, this was not John Henry's greatest difficulty. The biggest problem was that existing transcriptions were often "frightfully old" and mis­labeled. Even print editions from which braille transcripts had been copied were sometimes riddled with mistakes. There are some modern editions, he explained, but much of the brailling was done between 1918 and 1945. So, painstakingly, he has had to compare notes from a sighted colleague and a modern edition against the braille edition to make sure the braille edition was usable. Braille Music, an International Survey, (6.95 British pounds, or about $8.00), was published in ink in October 1984 and will soon be available in braille and on tape. For further information, write National Library for the Blind, Cromwell Road, Bredbury, Stockport, Cheshire, United Kingdom. ***** ** A Matter of "Lost Equipment" By Oral O. Miller Imagine this situation: Jim Chalfant, a blind downhill skier from Longview, Washington, raced out to an excellent start behind his sighted guide as both pointed their skis down Spirit Mountain near Duluth, Minnesota, during the 1985 Winter Sports National Championships of the U.S. Association for Blind Athletes. Jim, an experienced racer who has competed against the best blind skiers in the world on the slopes of the Alps, skillfully raced around the first few slalom gates on the Spirit Mountain course, while settling into the maneuvering rhythm which all good downhill ski racers must generate in order to maximize their speed and agility. However, then it happened! His sighted guide, speeding along only a few feet ahead of him, shouted the word which all blind racers know to obey immediately: "Stop!" Jim instinctively went into a hard snowplow maneuver to reduce his speed and bring him to a stop, while at the same time swerving to miss his guide, who had already stopped. The electronic timing device which was activated as Jim left the starting line ticked on as many precious seconds elapsed before the guide shouted for Jim to start again and continue through the course. As soon as Jim and his guide raced across the finish line, the guide informed race officials that he had to get back to the top of the mountain on the chair lift to locate some "lost equipment." That lost equipment turned out to be his upper dental plate, which had fallen out during a sharp turn as he was shouting instructions to the speeding Chalfant behind him. The order to stop was an automatic one, but the decision to resume the race was made after the guide, failing to see the missing plate in the heavy snow, decided quickly to continue on in the race. Jim did not win the race; he finished third. However, the USABA Technical Committee later examined the circumstances, evaluated Jim's racing record and despite his third-place finish, placed him on the team to represent the United States at the 1986 World Winter Sports Championships for the Handicapped, tentatively scheduled to take place in Sweden. ***** ** Fire Safety Manual for the Visually Impaired By Pat Price (Reprinted from "The Price Tag," Hoosier Starlight, January 1985) It seems to me that achievement is one of the things that divides humanity from the beasts. It is a thing humanity recognizes. We have halls of fame, Emmies, Oscars, Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, and thousands of other formal types of recognition of outstanding achievement. Who's Who in America grows larger with every edition. The number of new products available and the new inventions which make life easier from generation to generation all testify to man's thirst for more achievement. No matter what kind of society or political system a country may have, it seeks to provide recognition for what it regards as achievement. Admittedly, the subject of this column might not qualify for inclusion in one of the well-known lists just mentioned, but I believe you will concur with this reporter's opinion that it does qualify for special recognition by those of us with impaired vision. While visually impaired persons find it essential to develop numerous skills just for daily independent living, greater difficulty can be experienced in overcoming emergency situations. This is undoubtedly because such occurrences are infrequent and trained behavior is not usually developed. Most would agree that persons without sight need training and greater self-discipline to cope with any emergency that could place them in an unsafe environment. A fire can be a tragic experience for most anyone. Based upon this premise, the Los Angeles Fire Safety Education Unit of the Los Angeles, California, City Fire Department, with the assistance of the Braille Institute and Francis Blend School, has recently published, in very large print (24-point type) and braille, a safety manual to assist the visually impaired to better prepare themselves for the dangers they may encounter in a fire emergency. In reviewing the personal copy recently presented to me during a conference in Los Angeles, I find it to be extremely well designed. Through a unique indexing system, it provides quick access to its various sections. These include a page to insert emergency numbers, clearly defined instructions for rapid evacuation procedures, fire prevention (including a common fire hazard home checklist), recommended behavior during a fire emergency, and several pages devoted to well-known but often ignored or forgotten safety rules. Perhaps the summation of this entire project is described accurately in the anonymous aphorism: "Getting something done is an accomplishment. Getting something done right is an achievement." Congratulations, LACFD, for achieving, being sensitized to and then meeting, a genuine need. ***** ** Electronic Industries Foundation Seeks New Assistive Devices The Electronic Industries Foundation Rehabilitation Engineering Center (EIF/REC) is interested in identifying new assistive devices, with and without electronic components, which could impact the lifestyle, productivity, and health of persons with disabilities. Responding to a national need identified by the National Institute of Handicapped Research, the Electronic Industries Foundation established a non-profit, NIHR-supported Rehabilitation Engineering Center. The Center works to facilitate transfer of promising new devices to the marketplace by stimulating private industry participation in the production and marketing of assistive devices. A primary goal of the Center is to increase the availability of safe, effective, reasonably priced devices to meet the needs of numerous persons with disabilities. Individuals or organizations who have developed prototypes with broad applicability are invited to contact Robert Mills, 1901 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20006; (202) 955-5825. Proprietary information will be protected. Suggestions should be limited to devices completed as working prototypes which are not already in production, and which have not been licensed to a manufacturing firm. ***** ** Sweaters, Scarves and Hats ... Homemade Knitted outerwear manufacturers will once again be able to hire workers who want to work out of their homes. The Department of Labor's new regulations spell out the conditions under which home knitters may work. Employers must first obtain a certificate from the Labor Department authorizing such employment. Without such a certificate, home workers may not legally be employed and their employers will be subject to existing sanctions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which safeguards the minimum wage rate. Because the industry is relatively small (about 63,000 production employees nationwide, only a small frac­tion of whom are home workers), the Department believes vigorous enforcement will be easy. It should be noted that the new rule does not apply to individual knitters who sell their handiwork independently. They may continue as in the past. ... Details: Federal Register, Nov. 5, 1984, p. 44261. ***** ** High Tech Swap Shop * FOR SALE: Optacon - very good condition. Price: $1,700. Contact Irma Smalley, 10 Manhattan Square, Apt. 8-J, Rochester, NY 14607; (716)325-3401. * FOR SALE: Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language - 72 volumes. Excellent condition. $150. Write in braille or print: Harry Steinmetz, 11708 Senwood Street, Norwalk, CA 90650; or telephone (213) 864-5909. ***** ** In Memoriam: Fred C. Lilley 1913-1985 By Alma Murphey Members of the Missouri Council of the Blind and many people in the St. Louis area were shocked and saddened to learn recently of the death of Fred C. Lilley, long-time member of the organized blind movement. He went to the hospital on the afternoon of May 29, and no one was prepared for this development early the following morning. Fred was born on June 22, 1913, in Cincinnati, Ohio, but lived most of his adult life in Illinois until moving to St. Louis in 1967. After losing his sight in his early 30s, he began working with the Illinois Federation of the Blind in programs to improve the lives of blind people. He was an employee in the vending stand program in that state for 20 years, five years of which were spent as its assistant director. He also became quite active with the Lions, specifically the Oak Lawn Lions Club in Chicago, and he eventually chalked up a 29-year perfect attendance record at Lions Club meetings. He came to St. Louis in 1967 and married Assunta Zoia Jackson, a lady who is equally well known in St. Louis and throughout the country. Upon moving to Missouri, Fred took up where he left off in Illinois with the organized blind and with the Lions. He joined the Maplewood Lions Club, and his close associations with that entire movement brought many substantial financial contributions to RITE (Real Independence Through Employment), a St. Louis affiliate of the Missouri Council of the Blind. He served as RITE's president for four years and during that time spearheaded the purchase of its building and served as the building manager for RITE until the time of his death. In St. Louis he worked for the Department of the Army, first as Director of Benefits and Services, then as Coordinator of Employment of the Handicapped. He retired in 1980. Behind every great man is an equally great woman, so they say, and Fred Lilley was no exception. Assunta, with her boundless energy and competence and many skills, including typing and the use of braille, did much to assist him in his work with RITE and with the Lions, and especially in his position as Executive Director of the Missouri Council of the Blind, a position to which he was appointed in 1980 and held at the time of his death. He served on the National Advisory Board for the vending facility program, the Advisory Committee of the Missouri Bureau for the Blind, the Advisory Board of Midwest Braille Volunteers, as a member of the Governor's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, and was the first blind person to serve on the Advisory Board of the Missouri School for the Blind, a position of which he was justifiably proud. He received the Handicapped Employee of the Year Award from the Department of the Army in 1975, the George Card Award from the American Council of the Blind in 1980, and the Ellis M. Forshee Award from the Missouri Council of the Blind in 1978. This later award he shared with Assunta. Fred was the proud father of a daughter, Lydia (Dee) Pajula, and grandfather of her three wonderful children, all now living in Baltimore. Many more names and dates could be included here, but I prefer to think of Fred as a generous, compassionate friend who will be sorely missed by blind and sighted people alike throughout the country. Our sympathy, love, and encouragement go out to Assunta during this trying period for her loss - an experience which many of us know so well. ***** ** Here and There By Elizabeth M. Lennon From AFB News: With its gift of $150,000 to launch the new National Technology Center at the American Foundation for the Blind, the UPS Foundation, main charitable arm of the United Parcel Service, continues a long-standing commitment to helping under-privileged and handicapped persons. UPS began its association with AFB several years ago when it sought an umbrella organization whose expertise in the blindness field could facilitate the equitable distribution of Kurzwell Reading Machines to those who could not afford them. *** American Airlines, Inc., and the AFB recently announced the design of a new Air Safety Card in braille. The card, which is now on all American Airlines aircraft, "represents a major step in the self-sufficiency of the handicapped," according to American's Vice President of Passenger Services, William E. Crosby. "Blind and visually impaired persons now can read the safety instructions and find for themselves the features of an aircraft like the nearest exit, oxygen masks, vests, and overhead storage compartments." UPI - Chesapeake, Virginia: Mark Daniels, 24, a blind man who drove a car five miles because his female companion was too drunk, was recently convicted of drunken driving, fined $425, and warned he would be jailed if he ever drove again. Daniels had pleaded innocent and told the judge he wasn't driving. If museums frustrate you because everything interesting is off limits to touching, you'll be interested in a new publication of ACB affiliate, Friends in Art. The booklet, "New Attitudes at the Museum," is based on the panel discussion FIA sponsored at last year's ACB convention. Experts from the Smithsonian, Horizons for the Blind, and other institutions shared their ideas on making museums more accessible. Their ideas are presented in this booklet, which is available for $3.00 per copy, both print and cassette. It can be ordered from FIA, 9116 St. Andrews Place, College Park, MD 20740. Get a cassette copy for yourself and a print copy to donate to the local museum. It may just be the prod they need to get started with tactile tours and large-print museum guides. Bible Alliance, Inc., P.O. Box 1549, Bradenton, FL 33506, phone (813)748-3031, is offering free Bible cassette tapes of the New and Old Testaments, plus Bible Messages, to all who are legally blind and those permanently disabled to such extent as to affect their reading ability. Orders from individuals directed to Bible Alliance should include written certification of blindness or reading handicap from an organization for the blind or from a physician, if possible. Certification is not necessary if an organization for the blind orders for the individual. Further details are available upon request. Attention: Mr. Lee H. Hilliard, at the above address. The Mid-American Conference of Rehabilitation Teachers will hold its annual conference at the Bismarck Hotel in Chicago, August 1-3. The agenda will relate to various aspects of rehabilitation teaching for the blind. For further information about the conference or about MACRT, contact Judy Pool, 1919 N.W. 30th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73118, (405) 424-5818, Ext. 2523, or Glenda Farnum, Visual Services, No. 73, P.O. Box 26768, Oklahoma City, OK 73126, (405) 424-5818, Ext. 2527. A new experimental technique to lower dangerous build-up of fluid pressure in the eye from glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness in the United States, often works when standard treatments don't. The technique, which was administered to "last-ditch" patients at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, involves "spot heating of the inner surface of the eye wall with beams of ultrasound to create a new drainage channel for the fluid." It achieved 80% success, according to a recent article in American Health. From Hoosier Starlight: Disabled American Veterans National Commander Chad Colley has announced that the DAV will donate $1 million to the Statue of Liberty­Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. The gift is to be used exclusively to provide full accessibility in both architectural construction and program and service delivery for disabled persons (including the visually and hearing impaired) at both the Statue of Liberty and the embarkation facilities at Battery Park. In a very special promotion, Walt Disney Home Video will join video dealers nationwide in contributing to nine agencies that work in the area of prevention of blindness and service to the blind a percentage of the profits from "Love Leads the Way," a movie based upon the true story of the founding of the Seeing Eye movement in the United States. The film, which was released in late February, was made solely for home video and will not be shown in movie theaters. "Love Leads the Way" stars Timothy Bottoms as Morris Frank, the determined young man who founded the Seeing Eye in the 1930's. The promotion should result in the single largest charitable donation ever made by the home video industry, according to Prevent Blindness News. Brock Marketing is pleased to announce an innovative breakthrough in affordably priced aids for the visually impaired, a new Library of Congress format cassette player for only $79.95. Features include: plays Library of Congress format four-track cassette recordings; capability for two-track recording; variable speed control from 15/16 to 1 7/8 ips; special high-speed setting for shorter Fast Forward/Rewind time; portable (4 C cells, not included) or AC operation-AC adapter included; dimensions, 2 by 6 by 10 inches. Send orders and inquiries to: Brock Marketing, Inc., 20475 Farnsleigh Road, Center Office Building, Suite 105, Shaker Heights, OH 44122; (216) 752-0355. The National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped (NAC) has launched a comprehensive review of its standards for agency services with the initiation of a project to review the standards for workshop services. Originally codified in 1966 and last updated in 1976, the workshop standards are being revised again to reflect current management and operations of workshops as well as changes in relevant legislation such as the Fair Labor Standards Act. NAC encourages all interested persons to review the draft revised standards and offer suggestions. If you would like to receive a copy when it becomes available, write National Accreditation Council, 15 W. 65th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10023. Amoco Oil Company and its participating Amoco dealers have introduced a program to assist physically disabled motorists with gasoline purchases, according to Michigan Special Education Newsletter. Dealers offering the Handicapped Service Program have agreed to pump gasoline for disabled motorists at designated self-service islands and to charge them the self-service rate. From Focus (ACB of Indiana): At a recent meeting of the International Cartographic Association, a new Commission on Tactual and Low-Vision Mapping was formed. One of its functions will be to distribute worldwide a quarterly publication. Anyone interested in securing this publication should contact Professor G. Weidel, Department of Geography, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742. The 1984 edition of "Volunteers Who Produce Books" is now available in large-print and braille. This directory lists by state volunteer groups and individuals who produce materials on tape and in braille and large-print. Each entry lists the name, address, and telephone number of the group or individual, as well as services and specialties provided. Other sections of the directory contain information on braille proofreaders certified by the Library of Congress, state special education resources, sources of braille writing equipment, and sources of books in special formats other than through the regional libraries. For a copy of "Volunteers Who Produce Books," in large-print or in braille, contact your cooperating network library. Dr. William Feinbloom, 81, founder of the Optometric Center of New York and the Feinbloom Vision Rehabilitation Center of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, died of a heart attack in Miami earlier this year. Dr. Feinbloom was one of the world's most renowned optometric scientists and the man who pioneered development of specialized optical devices to help persons who are partially sighted. ACB member Brad Greenspan was recently honored by a proclamation by town officials of Islip, New York, in tribute to his efforts in response to the needs of others. The proclamation states that he "has provided a superior example of what may be accomplished by a positive attitude." Mr. Greenspan is First Vice President of the Central Islip Lions Club, a member of the Outreach Advisory Council to the Suffolk County Cooperative Library System, and Advisor and Advocate for the Handicapped to the Suffolk County Office for the Aging. "Touch the Baby: Blind and Visually Impaired Children and Patients: Helping Them Respond to Care," is a new 14-page booklet from the American Foundation for the Blind. It describes in words and pictures how doctors, nurses, and other health-care providers should handle blind and visually impaired babies and pre-schoolers. Single copies are free and multiple copies are for sale from the AFB Publications Department, 15 W. 16th Street, New York, NY 10011. ***** ** Calendar of Events This Calendar of Events is prepared by the Public Affairs Director in the National Office of the American Council of the Blind to assist ACB affiliates as well as national organizations of and for the blind in publicizing their events. We need your conference dates to maintain this popular service. Please contact Laura Oftedahl at 1-800-424-8666 as soon as your meetings are set. August 17 - Aloha Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired State Convention - Honolulu, HI August 23-25 - Michigan Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired State Convention - East Lansing August 30-September 1 - Tennessee Council of the Blind State Convention - Memphis September 20-22 - Old Dominion Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired State Convention - Arlington, VA September 27-29 - Kansas Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired State Convention - Topeka September 28-29 - Mountain State Council of the Blind State Convention - Harpers Ferry, WV October 4-6 - Oklahoma Council of the Blind State Convention - Oklahoma City October 11-13 - Missouri Council of the Blind State Convention - St. Joseph October 18-20 - ACB of New York State Annual Convention - Hauppauge, Long Island October 18-20 - ACB of Ohio State Convention - Columbus October 18-20 - Oregon Council of the Blind State Convention - Portland October 25-26 - ACB of Minnesota State Convention - Minneapolis October 26 - Connecticut Council of the Blind Fall Convention - Wallingford ***** ** Notice to Subscribers The Braille Forum is available in braille, large-type, and cassette tape (15/16 ips). As a supplement, the braille and cassette editions also include ALL­O-GRAMS, newsletter of the Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind of America. Subscription requests, address changes, and items intended for publication should be sent 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, American Council of the Blind, 1211 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 506, Washington, DC 20036. You may wish to remember a relative or a 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/her Last Will and Testament may do so by including a special paragraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, you may contact the ACB National Office. ###