The Braille Forum
Vol. XXVII July-August 1988 No. 1

Published Monthly by the American Council of the Blind
Mary T. Ballard, Editor

*****

Promoting Independence and Effective Participation in Society

* National Office: 
Oral O. Miller 
1010 Vermont Avenue, N.W.
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005 
1-800-424-8666

* Editorial Office 
The Braille Forum: 
Mary T. Ballard 
190 Lattimore Road 
Rochester, NY 14620 
(716) 442-3131

THE BRAILLE FORUM is available in braille, large-type, and cassette tape (15/16 ips). 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 LeRoy Saunders, Treasurer, American Council of the Blind, 1010 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005. 

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/her Last Will and Testament may do so by including a special paragraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, you may wish to contact the ACB National Office.

For the latest legislative and governmental news, call the Washington Connection at (202) 393-3664. Available 24 hours a day.

Copyright 1988
American Council of the Blind

*****

** Contents

President's Message, by Otis Stephens

News Briefs from the ACB National Office, by Oral O. Miller

ACB Awards 1988 Scholarships, by Stephanie Cooper

Fifty Years of "Creating Jobs Changing Lives," by Kathleen Megivern

Important Federal Regulations Affect Workshop Workers, by Oral O. Miller

ACB and the Wall Street Report Revisited

And Turn the Cassette Over: A Letter from Britain, by Kingsley Price

Founder of Music School for the Handicapped Teaches :Skills for Life," by Fran Ludman

DCAWB to Celebrate Its Diamond Jubilee

Orienteering: A New Sport for Blind and Visually Impaired, by Pat Price

ALL Convenes Task Force to Address Personnel Shortages, by Kathleen Megivern

BRL in Service

Blinded Veterans Association Wins Court Order Protecting Its Name

Elderly Blind Deserve a Chance for Meaningful Life, by Billie Elder

New Advance in Word Processing: Helping Blind Professionals and Office Workers "SIFT" for Themselves

AFB Invites Nominations for Best Narrators of Talking Books

75-Year-Old Legally Blind Man Shoots Burglar

BINGO!

High Tech Swap Shop

Here and There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon

*****

** President's Message
By Otis Stephens

On Thursday, June 2, James R. Olsen, Executive Director of ACB Enterprises and Services, underwent successful open-heart surgery. I am pleased to report that Jim is now 
back home and is making a rapid recovery. He expects to return to the office in the near future. Jim Olsen is a truly dedicated staff member of exceptional ability. His many contributions to the American Council of the Blind over the years merit the highest commendation. 

By the time this message is published, the 1988 national convention will be history. Those in attendance will have heard first-hand about the steady progress ACB is making financially and about plans for the further restoration of programs and services. For those Braille Forum readers able to attend the convention, I would like to take this opportunity to summarize a few points emphasized in my report to the membership at the Little Rock meeting.

First of all, we are making headway in diversifying sources of income. The Combined Federal Campaign is producing a larger proportion of revenue than ever before. Although the precise figure for the current year cannot yet be determined, we are confident that it will substantially surpass any previous annual total. We are also confident that individual and affiliate contributions in 1988 will exceed the $45,000 figure reached in 1987. Your continued assistance in this area is vitally important. Thus far in 1988 we have received two significant grants from major business corporations. We are greatly encouraged by this development and will make every effort to obtain additional support of ACB programs from the corporate community. I am also pleased to report that Thrift Store income has shown some improvement in recent months. 

All of this is good news for ACB, but we still have a long way to go. We need to fill additional staff positions, publish more issues of The Braille Forum, expand our WATS line service, and offer more scholarships to qualified blind students. During this period of growth, it is also very important that we consider other services and programs not offered in the past, but possibly of equal importance to blind and visually impaired people. You can be of great assistance in helping us identify new initiatives. If you have suggestions about additional services that we might offer or new approaches that should be explored, please communicate your ideas to me or to any other Officer or Board member. Your ideas will be given serious consideration as we identify priorities for the future. 

It was my pleasure to participate in the annual convention of the Florida Council of the Blind held in Orlando during the weekend of June 10-12. As many of our readers know, the Florida Council is one of ACB's largest and most active affiliates. It has contributed impressively to our national organization both financially and from the standpoint of leadership over the years. At its recent conven­tion, the Florida Council conducted a series of informative workshops on the following topics: "New and Old Employment Opportunities for the Visually Impaired"; "Seeing Yourself as a Blind Person"; "Interests and Concerns of Visually Impaired Women"; "A View from a Blind Diabetic"; "Library Services for the Blind"; and "Parliamentary Procedure." The workshop format provided ample opportunity for discussion and full participation in the exchange of ideas. The meetings were well attended, and the quality of participation was excellent. It is encouraging to observe the number of affiliates that, like the Florida Council, are planning innovative, informative programs not only at state conventions, but in their approaches to legislation, public information other projects throughout the year.

In closing, I want to take the opportunity to extend special congratulations to a long-time ACB member and friend, Mrs. Geraldine H. Pye of Macon, Georgia. Each year, the Georgia Association of Education and Television Station WTBS select one teacher from among the thousands who offer instruction at elementary and secondary levels for induction into the Georgia Teacher Hall of Fame. This year that highly prestigious award (which gained national recognition from President Reagan) went to Gerry Pye, who for many years has served as an elementary-school teacher at the Georgia Academy for the Blind. The point to be emphasized here is that a totally blind person competed successfully with thousands of sighted teachers and was recognized strictly on the basis of her excellence as a teacher. I can think of no better role model for blind persons interested in pursuing careers in the teaching profession.

*****

** News Briefs from the ACB National Office
By Oral O. Miller 
National Representative

The old adage about April showers bringing May flowers may not apply to the routine of the ACB National Office. However, there are important events which usually take place around the beginning of May. One such event is the annual meeting of the President's Committee on the Employment of the Handicapped (PCEH). This year’s schedule was as busy as ever. For example, one day I took part in the annual meeting of the People-to-People Committee on the Handicapped, while Stephanie Cooper was participating in another function as one of the judges for the 1988 PCEH Media Award program. Last year the standing committees and subcommittees of the PCEH were reorganized, and it is now the policy of the PCEH to hold its national meeting outside of Washington, D.C., every other year. This change was made in order to encourage more people to become familiar with its objectives and activities.

The British Broadcasting Company, or BBC, is known worldwide as the authoritative source of information concerning England. It may come as a surprise to some people, then, to learn that independent television service is also available in the United Kingdom. It was recently the pleasure of the ACB National Office to greet and visit with two independent television reporters from England who were in the United States obtaining information on the nature and quality of services available to handicapped people in this country. 

In early May, it was my pleasure to represent the American Council of the Blind at the spring meeting of the North American and Caribbean regional meeting of the World Blind Union, held in Toronto, Canada. Much of the agenda was dedicated to matters relating to the upcoming international conference of the World Blind Union, scheduled to take place in Spain in September. I want to thank our host, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, for the outstanding hospitality extended to all the meeting participants. It is always interesting to me to ascertain how services are delivered to blind people and what role those blind people play in determining the nature and availability of those services in other countries. Since this was my first visit to the CNIB, and since I had never before discussed the exact nature and role of the CNIB with any of its officials, I was surprised to learn, for example, that the CNIB, which is the largest service provider in Canada, is not a government agency, but a federally chartered non-profit corporation which receives funds from the national government, the various provincial governments, and its own well-organized fund-raising activities. Although the Canadian Council of the Blind is growing and becoming a more effective advocate every year, membership or consumer organizations do not yet play the role in Canada which they play in the United States. 

One modern political reality is that legislators and government administrators look more and more critically at laws that impact only on people with a specific handicap (such as blindness). Another reality is that many programs must be specialized sufficiently to benefit people with a specific handicap. For example, a program designed to encourage job accommodation for the benefit of handicapped people must be sufficiently broad, yet sufficiently flexible, to accommodate, among others, people in wheelchairs, people with hearing disabilities, and people with visual impairment. Although most advocates for disability rights agree in in the importance and necessity of cross-disability cooperation, they also see the practical difficulties in ongoing national cross-disability organizations. I am pleased to report that at one meeting which I recently attended (chaired by blind sailor Jim Dickson), there was a substantial discussion as to whether a national cross-disability organization would be the appropriate and most effective type of organization to deal with various problems. The fact that the matter was discussed was encouraging. The notion that "All services benefit all disabled people equally," or that "One size fits all," must be examined more and more critically as we continue to fight the trend toward merging of service-providing agencies into larger and larger umbrella organizations.

As pressure continues to merge service providers into umbrella organizations, it is going to become more and more important for the quality of services and the operations of the agencies to be evaluated pursuant to objective standards dedicated to ensuring quality service and public accountability. The American Council of the Blind continues to be an active participant in the National Committee for the Advancement of Accreditation by the National Accreditation Council. At the most recent meeting of that committee, ACB pushed for a statement in its objectives to the effect that there should be benefits accruing to accredited organizations, in recognition of their greater level of service and accountability. In most of the areas of activity involving accreditation (education, health care, vocational training, etc.), there are extremely important benefits accruing to accredited organizations, and in a very high percentage of those fields, meaningful accreditation is mandatory. Interesting points to ponder!

Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, would be astonished today by the conduct of such transactions as the payment of personal bills and carrying out of personal banking transactions by means of the push-button telephone, available in most parts of the country. However, now that we are in the age of the computer and telephone industry divestiture and partial deregulation, it is fair to say that we are just beginning to scratch the surface concerning the application of communications. As this article goes to press, we are preparing to host in the ACB National Office a consumer forum for the purpose of providing input to a senior vice president of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company concerning future applications of communications services. In short, Southwestern Bell is looking years into the future, beyond simple voice communication. Undoubtedly a number of "mind­boggling" possibilities will be discussed during this forum.

*****

** ACB Awards 1988 Scholarships
By Stephanie A. Cooper

The American Council of the Blind awarded its 1988 scholarships totaling $11,000 to eight outstanding blind students at its 27th annual convention, July 2-9, in Little Rock, Arkansas. The awards were given to students in academic, professional, and vocational curricula at the undergraduate and graduate level. Hundreds of qualified blind and visually impaired students applied for these awards.

Four Floyd Qualls Memorial Scholarships were awarded by ACB. 

The recipient of the ACB scholarships in the graduate category is Tina Ann Davis, a candidate for a doctorate degree in counseling from Memphis State University in Tennessee. Tina hopes to pursue a career in counseling and psychology.

In the undergraduate field, the winner of the ACB scholarship is Tony Roe, a student of marketing at the University of Texas in Austin. Tony hopes to continue his studies in the field of law and one day practice law which addresses client consultation on taxation, investments, and potentially IRS interfaces.

Another undergraduate who beat stiff competition for the 1988 ACB scholarships was Robert Englebretson, III, an entering freshman who will be attending the University of California at Santa Barbara, working toward a Bachelor of Arts in German studies. Robert is a native of Fair Oaks, California.

In the vocational/technical category, ACB awarded a scholarship to Trina Nixon, a resident of Prescott, Arkansas, who will be pursuing an associate's degree at St. Mary's campus of the College of St. Catherine in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Trina, a woman of her times, will be studying in the new field of chemical dependency. 

The Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship for 1988 was awarded to Heidi von Ravensberg. Heidi is finishing up a two-year program in business at Lane Community C and will be transferring to the University of Oregon in Eugene to complete her bachelor's degree. 

The VTEK scholarship, being administered by the American Council of the Blind for the second year, awarded to Melissa LaGroue, an entering freshman at Birmingham-Southern College. Melissa will be pursuing a degree in education.

This year for the first time, ACB administered two scholarships residents of the State of Pennsylvania. These scholarships were available by the Estate of William G. Corey of Pittsburgh. The winners of these scholarships were Brian McCall of Landsdowne and Lynn Mattioli of Reading. Brian is an entering freshman who will be studying political science. Lynn is an undergraduate at Albright College in dietetics. 

The American Council of the Blind is pleased to assist these outstanding scholars in achieving their career objectives.

*****

** Fifty Years of "Creating Jobs Changing Lives"
By Kathleen Megivern

The Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act, the statute which established a program for the purchase by the Federal Government of products made in workshops employing blind and handicapped people, celebrates an important anniversary this year. It was 25, 1938, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed what then called the Wagner-O'Day Act into law. Fifty years later, National Industries for the Blind marked the anniversary with its largest meeting ever, held in the Washington, D.C., area. Among the many dignitaries present for this very special birthday party were Senator Jennings Randolph, who was sworn into office on the same day as President Roosevelt.

It was Senator Randolph who wrote the foreword for a book recently commissioned by National Industries for the Blind, entitled "Creating Jobs Changing Lives: The Wagner-O'Day Act and the Workshops for the Blind, 1966-1988," by Irving Dickman. In talking about the story told by this book, Senator Randolph says: "... (I)t is a story of challenges overcome and opportunities created, of the thousands of blind and additionally severely disabled men and women who through their determination, dedication and hard work have demonstrated their productive capabilities even to those who most doubted them. I salute these men and women -- and those connected with the workshop movement who helped to make their achievements possible -- because their accomplishments make all of us a little more optimistic about the future of our country and of humanity. I am also optimistic that a program which has already faced and overcome so many challenges in its first fifty years can successfully meet the challenges of the future -- the ongoing technological revolution, the continuing changes in our society, the way society looks at its handicapped citizens, the rising aspirations and expectations of blind and severely handicapped men and women themselves. An organization like National Industries for the Blind, based on sound business management, but firmly dedicated to its 'people side,' is the best guarantee of that." 

The history of the early days of the Wagner-O'Day program sounds a bit like a "Who's Who" of the blindness field, with names prominent such as Peter J. Salmon, M.C. Migel, and Maurice Tynan. The book also chronicles some lesser-known but equally interesting details, such as the fact that one of the Congressmen who voted in favor of the bill was Representative Matthew Dunn, a Democrat from Pennsylvania who was blind himself.

While the early history is fascinating, more recent events make interesting reading as well. Expansion of the Wagner-O'Day Act took place in 1971 when the amendments sponsored by Senator Jacob Javits (R., NY) extended the program to include services as well as products, and to encompass workshops for other severely handicapped persons. However, the debate at that time makes clear that it was everyone's intention to preserve a priority for the blind workshops. But memories seemed to dim (perhaps conveniently), and in 1983 the National Association of Rehabilitation Facilities filed a petition with the Committee for the Purchase of Products and Services of the Blind and Other Severely Handicapped to substantially modify the "blind priority." When the Committee voted unanimously to deny NARF's petition, they took their challenge to the courts. Eventually the NARF challenge led to an amendment to the procedures whereby NIB exercises its "blind priority."

Perhaps far more serious than this challenge to the blind priority are the ongoing efforts from the small business community. These efforts strike at the very heart of the JWOD program, challenging the right of any of the workshops to exercise a priority in doing business with the Federal Government. This part of the story has not yet been resolved. 

But despite these and other challenges to the program, the numbers continue to tell the most effective story: In the year ended September 30, 1987, NIB represented 81 agencies for the blind that operated 104 workshops. Those workshops employed 6,361 blind people, of whom 2,721 have severe handicaps in addition to blindness. Blind workers were paid $44 million in wages and fringe benefits in that year. A total of 665 blind employees were promoted, with 29 moved into management positions; and 1,618 blind persons were placed competitively outside of the workshops. Total workshop for F.Y. 1987 were $271,333,965.

*****

** Important Federal Regulations Affect Workshop Workers 
By Oral O. Miller 
National Representative

Recently the U.S. Department of Labor issued its first proposed regulations in 22 years that will have a significant impact on the wages paid to handicapped workers subject to special sub-minimum wage certificates issued under the 50-year-old Fair Labor Standards Act. These proposed regulations are important because approximately 6,000 people in the United States work in workshops or other facilities that are eligible to receive such certificates. Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act authorizes the employment of disabled workers at special minimum wage rates below the regular minimum wage, if such certificates have been issued. The wages paid, however, must be commensurate with those paid to experienced non-disabled workers doing essentially the same type of work in that vicinity. The rational is that, but for these certificates, these workers would not have employment opportunities.

There is not time or space here to summarize the entire law or the proposed regulations. They are long and involved. However, a few of the proposed regulations that will implement the 1986 amendments to the law are very important.

Specifically, Section 525.22 of the proposed regulations provides, for the first time ever, that any employee receiving a special minimum wage may petition the Secretary of Labor to obtain a review of that rate. Upon receiving the petition, an Administrative Law Judge shall inform the employer and other interested parties of the date of a hearing, which shall take place within thirty days. In deciding whether a subminimum rate is justified, the Administrative Law Judge shall consider the employee's productivity, the conditions under which the productivity was measured, and the productivity of other workers doing essentially the same type of work for other employers in that vicinity, and under the same conditions. In these proceedings, the burden of proof will rest on the employer. Within thirty days after the hearing, the Administrative Law Judge will issue a decision, which can be appealed by an interested party within fifteen days. 

The procedures then discuss such matters as the finality of orders, appellate procedures, etc. However, the real importance of these proposed regulations is that they set up for the first time an administrative framework for settling some of the most controversial issues that have plagued this field for almost fifty years.

It remains to be seen how the final regulations will resemble the proposed regulations. The public has until July 19, 1988, to submit comments on the proposed regulations. Anyone wishing a print or recorded copy of the regulations should contact the ACB National Office.

*****

** ACB and The Wall Street Report Revisited

In May, an executive for Dow Jones & Company, visited the National Office of the American Council of the Blind to discuss renewing with ACB the monitoring program of the Wall Street Report. Braille Forum readers may remember that ACB participated in a program with the Wall Street Report in late 1985 and in 1986. 

At that time, the American Council of the Blind and Dow Jones & Company entered into a mutually beneficial agreement whereby ACB members were enlisted to monitor radio stations around the country which aired the Wall Street Report. Members were asked to listen to a radio station in their area and to tape the segment which contained the Wall Street Report. ACB wants to thank those dedicated members who gave their time and energy during the previous monitoring project and to encourage you to get involved again. You did such an efficient job that Dow Jones & Company has requested that ACB members begin to monitor its radio broadcasts again, beginning in August of this year.

We are looking for volunteer ACB members to participate, if/when the project is set up in your city. If you meet the requirements listed here and you would like to be considered as an ACB monitor, please contact the ACB National Office and leave your name, address, and telephone number:

1.  You live in the metropolitan area of one of the cities listed below.
2.  You have a tape recorder with 1 7/8 ips (standard speed).
3.  You are available to listen designated radio stations and record short program periods between 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M., mainly weekdays, but weekends may be involved in certain cities.

Complete details will be provided to each monitor at the time a monitoring period is arranged in his/her specific city. 

The first seven areas monitored are: Honolulu, Hawaii; Nashville, Tennessee; Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Princeton, New Jersey; San Antonio, Texas; and Greenville, South Carolina. If you live in these areas and would like to be involved in the Wall Street Report monitoring project, please call the ACB National Office as soon as possible to sign up.

We expect to be conducting monitoring projects in each of the following cities over the next year or so: New York, Greenwich (CT), Stamford (CT), Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Princeton (NJ), Wilmington (DE), San Francisco, Boston, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Tampa, Seattle, Miami, Pittsburgh (PA), St. Louis, Denver, Sacramento, Phoenix, Prescott (AZ), Baltimore, Hartford (CT), New Haven (CT), Indianapolis, San Diego, Portland (OR), Orlando, Daytona Beach, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Nashville, Columbus (OH), New Orleans, Raleigh (NC),Greenville/Spartanburg (SC), Oklahoma City, Buffalo (NY), Grand Rapids, Salt Lake City, Memphis, San Antonio, Norfolk, Providence, Harrisburg, Charleston (WV), Louisville, Dayton, Birmingham, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, Wilkes­Barre, Albany (NY), Palm Beach, Tulsa, Albuquerque, Los Alamos (NM), Jacksonville (FL), Wichita, Fresno, Des Moines, Austin, Davenport, Spokane, Springfield (MO), Tucson, Altoona, Las Vegas, Colorado Springs, Fort Myers/Naples (FL), Fort Wayne, Madison, Santa Barbara, Tallahassee, Boise, Odessa­Midland (TX), Columbia (MO), Palm Springs (CA), Eureka (CA), and Honolulu.

We encourage you to get involved by calling the ACB National Office and signing up for this project. We hope to begin monitoring the first seven cities in early August. This is a way for both the American Council of the Blind and Dow Jones & Company to benefit from continued interaction.

*****

** And Turn the Cassette Over:
A Letter from Britain 
By Kingsley Price

I am an avid reader. When I am not working at my job, I am almost certainly, if not asleep, listening to some tape or other. So when my job took me to England for a few months, I immediately arranged with Royal National Institute for the Blind to borrow one of its talking book machines. It arrived in the mail very quickly, and shortly afterward cassettes began turning up regularly. 

I have just finished listening to A Tiger for Malgudi, by an Indian writer, prominent both here in Britain and in his own country. I shall give you his name at the end of this letter. I cannot remember it: it is not on the cassette in braille although the title is, and none of my readers is here to read it from the print. 

The novel is the story of a tiger, Raja, recounted by Raja himself while he awaits his death from old age in the captivity of a zoo. He tells us of his early life as an animal in the jungle, of the killing of his cubs and mate for their pelts, of his own capture and training as a circus performer, of his starring role in a film which collapses after his attack upon a cruel trainer, of his rescue by a holy man, and of his arrival, under his rescuer's tutelage, at a saintliness very like the latter's own before they part, each calmly to await his end. It is a charming, sad story with a profound moral message for present-day humanity. 

The book is read in a strong, clear voice by John Livesey; at a pace, not so slow that the words fall apart into chaos before the sentences are finished; and, except for dialogue, in a crisp, neutral tone that does not suggest that the user of the machine is an infant of rather low intelligence. But these virtues are somewhat offset by an unhappy fault. Noticing, apparently, that the author is an Indian, Livesey reads all the dialogue in an Indian accent, although no indication of such an accent appears in the printed text. The message of the book is perfectly non-national -- indeed, thoroughly universal in its scope. Add to the accent the fact that contributions of female characters are read in a high, of male characters in a low register; and you have dialogue whose delivery becomes not infrequently unintelligible and so ludicrous as both to distract the listener's attention from the story and to weaken the impact of the important moral that lies beneath charming surface.

The machine itself has some very good, and some very bad features. The voice reproduction is excellent compared to that of machines I have used in the United States. There is a fast-reverse lever, so that one can check on earlier passages with relative ease. But, there is no fast-forward lever; so that having re-read an earlier passage, there is no way of returning to one's place except of replaying every single intervening word -- a formidable task, since one track of the cassette used may run for one hour and a quarter. 

At the end of the first track of A Tiger for Malgudi, Livesey interpolates the following: "That is the end of Track 1. At the end of this announcement, move the control level to off. Remove the cassette. Turn it over, and replace it in the machine. Then press the track-change button once. Do this now.” A similar communication occurs at the end of every track except for the last, of course, of all the books I have listened to over here.

In Britain, those who read books with the help of tapes enjoy a clearer medium than they often do elsewhere; but one is inclined to believe that there, as in the United States, they are not accorded the status of full-fledged, independent readers. The s recorded are interpreted for them by those who do the recording, and the machines are constructed in such a way as to make a careful reading of any book extremely difficult.

Well, I am glad to have the machine and the cassettes while I am in Britain. They make reading possible. But alas! It is little better here than in the United States. In both countries, the blind and others who use tapes to read suffer from the fact that they are not given books to read, but someone else's interpretations of them, and machines that make access to the book itself, much more difficult than it need be.

Kingsley Price
University of Sussex

P.S.  The name of the Indian writer is R.K. Narayan.

(Kingsley Price is a distinguished blind scholar and teacher. He attended the California School for the Blind, where he became a protege of the legendary Dr. Newel Perry. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. He taught first at the University of Nevada-Reno, and at Sarah Lawrence. Then for many years, and until his recent retirement, he was a professor of philosophy at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. During the past year Dr. Price has taught at the University of Sussex and is now visiting at The Institute of Education of the University of London.)

*****

** Founder of Music School for Handicapped
Teaches "Skills For Life" 
By Fran Ludman

(Reprinted from Fighting Blindness News, RP Foundation Fighting Blindness, Winter 1987-88)

In 1977, musician Pat Hart joined together with twelve friends to form a music school specifically for the visually handicapped. At the time, she never dreamed that her idea would grow into a multi-faceted cultural arts school with satellite programs throughout the state of Connecticut. 

Today, the Music Foundation for the Handicapped, for which Hart serves as executive director, enrolls 400 students, ranging in age from 4 to 85, with various disabilities. The weekly curriculum has been expanded to painting and puppetry, dance and creative writing, in addition to individual and group instruction in music.

Affected by RP herself, Hart, a classical guitarist, has always been involved in music, but it was only after completing college as a journalism major, pursuing a career in public relations and raising four children, that she returned to school for her music degree.

After finishing her course work in 1976, Hart began to investigate the opportunities in music for the visually handicapped across the United States. She found very little. 

"Early on, we discovered that people with disabilities wanted to learn the same things as people without disabilities," she said. 

The school is headquartered at the University of Bridgeport, where it is provided with office and classroom space. Along with a small staff, 25 professional artists work with the Foundation's diverse student population. 

Its music program includes instruction in voice as well as a variety of "traditional" instruments -- piano, guitar, flute, harp, saxophone, clarinet, percussion, and banjo -- some "non-traditional" ones, such as autoharp and dulcimer.

The Music Foundation also brought the New Visions Dance Project to Connecticut. Although originally designed to introduce dance to blind and visually impaired children, the Project now includes students of all ages, with a variety of disabilities.

The innovative dance program was developed by the Alvin Ailey Dance Center for modern ballet. "It's great for children with a visual handicap to be in a dance class, where they can be comfortable moving freely," Hart explains.

Approximately half of the Foundation's students are children and young adults. While the program has grown to include students with a variety of disabilities, Hart estimates that 30 percent are visually impaired.

Visually impaired music students from beginner to advanced who are familiar with braille are provided with training in reading braille music. The Optacon, a sophisticated electronic reading device, is also taught for reading print scores. In fact, the Foundation is the only school in Connecticut that offers instruction in music braille and the use of the Optacon for reading music.

Although a few students may go on to make a career out of it, that is not the primary purpose of the Foundation, Hart continues. "We are interested in teaching students skills to use for enjoyment the rest of their lives, and in teaching them something they can share with others." 

During her ten years with the Foundation, however, several young adults with RP have pursued careers as professional musicians, Hart recalls. One went on to receive a music education degree in guitar and keyboard. Another youngster came to the Foundation at age 12. An inner­city youth, he admitted several years later that the Music Foundation had given him the encouragement he needed. "This young man overcame great odds," Hart says. "He encountered a lot of difficulty convincing schools he needed assistance because of his RP." Last year, he graduated from college and intends to pursue a graduate degree. 

In describing the wide menu of offerings for students, Hart notes, "It's important for people with RP to realize that they can do all of these things. Blindness is certainly not the worst thing in the world. Look at people who do all kinds of amazing things. Thank goodness we've gotten away from the stereotype that blind people need to sit in the corner."

A United Way agency and accredited school for the arts, the Music Foundation for the Handicapped receives its funding from grants, individual contributions and fees for service. Its fees, however, are based on a sliding-scale depending upon family income. Anyone interested in further information can contact Pat Hart at (203) 366-3300, voice or TDD.

*****

** DCAWB to Celebrate Its Diamond Jubilee

Is there an ACB affiliate that can prove it is 75 years old? There is at least one: the District of Columbia Association of Workers for the Blind (DCAWB). Obviously, it existed as an organization a long time before it affiliated with the American Council of the Blind in the early 1970's. And, no, it was never affiliated with the former American Association of Workers for the Blind.

For about the first half of its illustrious history, it performed many of the functions and provided many of the services which have since been taken over by various government agencies. For example, in the early years of the talking book program, it was responsible for the distribution of talking book machines and for other library-related services for the blind. As an advocacy organization, it early entered the political arena to convince the District of Columbia government that blind students living in the District were entitled to a free, public education, even if that meant attending a residential school in one of the adjacent states. 

The DCAWB, which customarily conducts its meetings in conjunction with periodic Saturday luncheons, plans to celebrate its 75th birthday Diamond Jubilee, the weekend September 23-25, by hosting an educational conference, legislative workshop, and several interesting and entertaining tours or outings. The Planning Committee, under direction of DCAWB President Edmund Browning, has not yet completed the agenda, but among the activities being planned are a legislative workshop under the direction of Scott Marshall, a discussion and demonstration of Descriptive Video Services (or "television for the blind"), a presentation by a famous United States Senator from the state of Kansas with a very short name, a panel regarding the extent and future status of education of blind children, demonstrations of the newest Kurzweil Reading Machine and accessible computer games, an address by President Otis Stephens, a birthday cake and champagne birthday party, entertainment by Red and Peggy Graham of "Duffy's Tavern" fame, an evening at the theater featuring audio descriptive service, and a narrated, hands-on tour of the world-famous National Arboretum. 

Invitations will be sent in August to ACB members and friends in nearby states such as North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York. However, anyone else interested in coming is cordially invited to come! Anyone not living in one of the named states, but wanting to receive a copy of the Jubilee agenda after August 1 should notify the ACB National Office.

The District of Columbia Association of Workers for the Blind is not getting older: it is getting better!

*****

** Orienteering -- A New Sport for Blind and Visually Impaired 
By Pat Price

While a well-known and practiced sport in Scandinavia, where it originated in 1918, orienteering is a sport that is not yet widely recognized or practiced in the United States. Traditionally, it is a timed cross-country race utilizing map and compass to plan the most efficient route between check points in an unfamiliar environment. Typically conducted over woods and fields, orienteering courses have also been adapted to parks, neighborhoods, and even shopping malls.

Through the support of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the efforts of Michael Bina of Texas Tech University and Brice Blasch of the Rehabilitation Research Development Center in Decatur, Georgia, orienteering as an educational vehicle for the blind and visually impaired is being explored. Dr. Blasch participated in planning and as an observer in the first orienteering meet for blind people held in the United States, under the sponsorship of the Arkansas Enterprises for the Blind, the Arkansas AER Association, the University of Arkansas­Little Rock Rehabilitation Personnel Program, and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock Military Science Department. Participants included 21 blind and visually impaired children and adults from the Arkansas School for the Blind, the Texas School for the Blind, and the Arkansas Enterprises for the Blind. 

The advantages of orienteering instruction and completion for visually impaired people are many. Perhaps the greatest advantage is the development of confidence through meeting the challenges of travel within an unfamiliar environment. Integral to this achievement is accuracy as well as consistency in the use of orientation and mobility skills. Other skills which are required and are enhanced are the use of cardinal directions through sensory and environmental feedback and/ or compass, and development of time and distance judgment -- crucial in route travel absent of landmarks or uniform parameters. Participation in orienteering training and events also provides one with the opportunity to increase endurance and to learn about and appreciate nature.

The response by the participants was positive and enthusiastic.

*****

** ALL Convenes Task Force 
To Address Personnel Shortages 
By Kathleen Megivern

The Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind (ALL) convened the National Policy Task Force on the Personnel Crisis in Training and Services for the Blind in Baltimore Maryland, on March 18-20, 1988. This meeting was the culmination of several years of discussions of concerns from many different quarters of the blindness system about the problem of personnel shortages in areas such as vision teachers, orientation and mobility specialists, and rehabilitation teachers. The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) had formed a committee three years ago to begin addressing the problem of personnel shortages, and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) had had a task force even prior to that. But the ALL meeting marked the first concerted effort where representatives of seventeen national organizations, representing every segment of the blindness system, gathered to discuss this issue and possible solutions. 

Among the organizations represented were the American Council of the Blind, ALL, AFB, AER, the National Association of Parents of the Visually Impaired, the National Council of Private Agencies for the Blind, the Council for Exceptional Children-Division on the Visually Handicapped, National Industries for the Blind, the Blinded Veterans Association, the National Accreditation Council, and the Council of Executives of American Residential Schools for the Visually Handicapped. In addition, resource people from university programs and other areas of expertise were included. 

This was very much a "working conference," and the group labored all weekend to identify and prioritize both the causes of the crisis and potential solutions. Three follow-up committees were formed to implement the selected strategies and carry on the work of the National Policy Task Force.

A detailed report of the meeting is available from the ALL office, 1919 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20006.

*****

** BRL In Service

BRL in Service is a new company formed to give the braille-literate population more equal access to hospital and outpatient health-care services by providing hospitals with a service that would transcribe any and all printed materials given to patients into Grade 2 braille. The following letter was mailed by BRL in Service to all hospitals with over 100 beds in the continental United States two months ago. Response has been disappointing.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce a new service to you which will benefit your hospital and its image, and the braille­literate, visually impaired patients you serve.

As new legislation dealing with access for the disabled has been increased in the past few years, doors have been widened, light switches and elevator buttons lowered, ramps installed, and braille information signs have been added. BRL In Service can assist your hospital in adding to what you have so far done in this area.

BRL In Service would like to make it possible for you to provide all braille-literate visually impaired patients with comprehensible printed material that the patients usually receive at your facility in Grade 2 braille. This will enable patients to truly have access to all necessary information for hospitalization and give the patient a lasting impression of your thoughtfulness. We would like to suggest some of the materials you may consider having translated into braille for your hospital: Admission Consent forms; Patient's Bill of Rights; information book and/or materials given upon or prior to admission; Valuables Deposit forms; Release of Information and Assignment of Insurance forms; Consent for Operation and/or Anesthesia forms; information routinely given on admission to a patient unit; any other printed information given on a one-time basis. 

All materials that are brailled by BRL In Service will come to you attached to your own hospital forms for inclusion in the patient's chart; i.e., consent forms. ...

BRL In Service feels that more hospitals would be willing to accommodate the needs of the braille-literate population if this population were to demand equal access (see Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) to printed information in the form of braille transcriptions. BRL In Service wants blind and visually impaired individuals throughout United States to know that hospitals now have this capacity and that it can be made available to the braille-literate population once the need is expressed. 

Any questions or requests for further information may be directed to BRL In Service at (212) 874-4138.

*****

** Blinded Veterans Association Wins Court Order Protecting Its Name

In a landmark decision issued on March 8 by Federal District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson in Washington, D.C., the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) was granted an injunction prohibiting the Blinded American Veterans Foundation, a newly formed corporation, from using the name "Blinded American Veterans Foundation," or any name in which the words "Veterans" and "Blinded" (or "Blind") are used together. The judge held, after a trial at which histories and activities of the two organizations were spelled out in testimony, that the BVA (a Congressionally chartered veterans organization founded in 1945 by blinded veterans of World War II) has established itself as the "pre-eminent private voluntary proponent of the interests of blinded former U.S. service personnel," and that its name "is entitled to protection against all competitors employing a name which is confusingly similar."

The Judge found that the Blinded American Veterans Foundation, which was organized in 1985 by former employees of the BVA, "was deliberately named, and presently refuses to change its name, to enable it to capitalize upon the association in the mind of the charitable public between the words 'Blinded' and 'Veterans' … and thus to compete with (the BVA) for the funds of those inclined to give to such a cause." Indeed, the judge held the "startling success" of the new organization in raising money from the Combined Federal Campaign in 1986, when it had no office, no staff, and virtually no activities, was due to the confusion between its name and that of the Blinded Veterans Association.

Judge Jackson also protected the letters "BVA" by which the Blinded Veterans Association is known. He enjoined the defendant organization from using the initials "BAV" or "BAVF," since they would be confused with "BVA" by the public.

*****

** Elderly Blind Deserve a Chance for Meaningful Life 
By Billie Elder

During the year that ran from September 1986 to August 1987, 23 Arkansas Enterprises for the Blind staff members and friends of AEB led a double life. In the week we performed our professional duties, and on weekends we participated in seven independent living workshops. These workshops were located in outlying areas of the state which traditionally have been under-served. 

The target population of the workshops served was the older blind segment of the population, a large population group that is growing even larger every year as people age. 

The Arkansas Council of the Blind received a $15,700 grant from Arkansas Vocational Rehabilitation Department to provide independent living services to blind and visually impaired people living in small towns in rural areas of Arkansas. The Council had to provide an additional $1,744, or 10 percent of the over-all cost of the project. It was our goal to provide these elderly people with an opportunity to examine a variety of aids and devices that are now available to help the visually impaired become more independent and to prevent the necessity for them to leave home and enter an agency or institution. 

As the project director, I couldn't be more pleased with the willingness of our ACB members, who include many AEB staff members, to give up their weekends to help with this project. The 23 volunteers who presented the workshops donated a total of 1,049 hours to our cause. We held workshops in Helena, El Dorado, Hope, Fort Smith, Springdale, Jonesboro, and Mountain Home. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Arkansas geography, these towns are spread out all over the state, with Springdale a 400-mile round trip from Little Rock, where most of the volunteers live. 

The staff left Little Rock on Friday afternoons following a day's work, and traveled to the work sites and set up hundreds of exhibits and prepared for the activities on Saturday. At each site, participants arrived eagerly, ready to state their needs, and they stayed as long as they could on Saturday to talk with the staff and examine the exhibit of aids and devices, everything from canes to visual aids to communicative devices. 

A total of 132 visually handicapped individuals and 94 family members and friends attended our workshops. Most of the participants had heard of the aids, but never had the opportunity to examine them tactually or to learn how to acquire or use them. 

Another goal of the project was to provide a wealth of materials about agencies where help was available to them. Following each workshop, we made referrals to the Arkansas Division of Services for the Blind (DSB) and AEB of those people who expressed a desire for additional independent living services. We also wanted to provide participants with counseling services to help them retain or enhance their feelings of self-worth. 

Of course, we got full support from Division of Services for the Blind employees who worked in the areas where workshops were held. Other organizations who aided our efforts were the state Health Department, the regional libraries for the blind, community groups such as Lions Clubs, churches, nursing homes, hospitals, county extension agents, area offices on aging, ophthalmologists and optometrists. The local media helped us to announce the workshops, and some gave us special coverage. 

AEB staff and others who volunteered to work with the project benefited by the experience of working in the field and realized the great need for the independent living seminar approach to helping hundreds of visually handicapped older people in the state. Most of the workshop participants expressed intense feelings of loneliness and frustration and hopelessness. Most of them are not involved in family and community activities and feel very isolated and often deserted by family and community.

The Arkansas Council of the Blind plans to continue to sponsor additional workshops as we have the financial means. The greatest need in the blindness community is for educational programs designed to meet their needs. The older blind have built our society, and they now need a little help and assistance. The Council feels that Arkansans have a wonderful legacy bestowed on them by the older segment of the population, and that we are compelled by conscience to do what we can to make life more meaningful and pleasant for them now. 

(Note: Billie Elder, former Second Vice President of the American Council of the Blind, retired in December 1987 as AEB field consultant. She is currently involved in volunteer work at AEB, The Arkansas Council of the Blind, and her church.)

*****

** New Advance in Word Processing: 
Helping Blind Professional and Office Workers "Sift" for Themselves

The old adage to "Shift for yourself" could become "sift for yourself," thanks to a new advance in processing that makes the blind and partially sighted more productive.

The new "Sift" programs, developed by Arts Computer Products, Inc., of Boston, save time and money in converting printed text to braille. The programs -- known as WP-Sift and PC-Sift -- simplify the production process for people using the IBM PC, PS-2, or compatibles to convert print materials into braille -- and the person at the keyboard doesn't even have to know braille.

"It's a matter of sifting," laughed Peter Duran, Arts president. "We've developed two programs that use a few simple commands to shift from the print to braille mode. WP-Sift filters out all the WordPerfect code signals that have no meaning in braille ... things like bold type faces, colored letters, margin settings, and line spacing. PC-Sift literally takes documents originally set up for ordinary printing and converts them to a handy format for braille. Sifting a print file before brailling can save up to 35 percent in paper consumption. 

"Major formatting problems commonly encountered in converting printed material to braille have been eliminated and replaced with commands that fit the braille system," Duran explained. "We estimate that the streamlined system will save hours of trial-and-error formatting on shorter documents, and several days of labor on longer presentations such as books."

According to "Sift-users," the new system employs simplified commands that ensure good formatting of even the most difficult material, including documents stored on disks that require much time and work before printing on a braille page. Even problems like paragraph indentations and adjusting the number of braille characters on a page -- different from the larger number on a printed page -- can be handled through the Sift commands needed to produce highly readable braille documents. 

The Sift programs from Arts are accessories to a software package called "PC Braille," developed by Arts in 1982. 

"You can braille things right out of the WordPerfect files," explained John Covicci, a blind computer consultant from Leesburg, Virginia. He said that the time-consuming job of reformatting has been "greatly reduced."

A large public library in Arington, Virginia, also uses Sift. Library staff will "sift" and braille documents from computer disks brought in by blind and partially sighted people. This service is provided without charge.

Both Sift programs meet the demanding standards set by leading organizations that regularly review the rules for braille production, including textbooks.

For further information, contact Arts Computer Products, 145 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02111; (617) 482-8248.

*****

** AFB Invites Nominations for 
Best Narrators of Talking Books

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is inviting nominations for the 1988 Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year Award and the Talking Book Hall of Fame. The Alexander Scourby Award was established in 1986 by AFB in memory of its most popular talking book narrator, and the Talking Book Hall of Fame is being established this year to recognize significant lifetime achievement in the narration of talking books for blind, visually impaired, and physically handicapped people.

All talking book readers are eligible to nominate a talking book narrator for each award -- the Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year Award and the Talking Book Hall of Fame -- which will be presented in December in New York.

To receive a braille/print nominating ballot for the awards, call AFB's toll-free hotline, 1-800-232-5463 (New York residents call 212-620-2147), or write the name of one narrator for each award on your own ballot and submit it to: American Foundation for the Blind, Department PR, 15 W. 16th Street, New York, NY 10011. Nominations must be postmarked no later than October 1, 1988. 

Previous recipients are not eligible for the Alexander Scour by Narrator of the Year Award, which was won in 1986 by Bob Askey of Longmont, Colorado, and in 1987 by Merwin Smith of Denver.

*****

** 75-Year-Old Legally Blind Man Shoots Burglar

Harry F. Covard eases his wheelchair across his living room into a tiny kitchen cluttered with medicine bottles and boxes of food. The legally blind, 75-year-old man moves slowly. A muscle disease has disabled his body, making it difficult to push the chair or speak. And he's tired, so he lets his 82-year-old wife, Ethel, do most of the talking. ...

After a knife-wielding burglar invaded the kitchen of the couple's Syracuse home Friday, Harry Covard picked up a .22-caliber rifle and fired one shot at the man.

"I didn't aim. I just shot from the hip, trying to scare him away," Covard said. "I didn't even know I hit him."

The suspect, William D. Carter, 22, who lives in the same block as the Covards, was wounded in the stomach ...

Harry and Ethel Covard are described by their neighbors as quiet, religious people who have lived in their house since 1945. Pictures of Jesus and the Last Supper hang alongside photographs of their children and grandchildren. A crucifix is posted over their bed. 

Friday's incident was the third time the Covards have been the victims of burglaries. Three years ago after two burglaries at their two-and­a-half story home, Covard borrowed a rifle from his son and began stashing the weapon near his bed. Until Friday morning, he had never fired the gun.

The Covards said they were lying in bed, both having trouble sleeping, when they heard banging and breaking glass near the back door. 

"We were both awake. We must have had a premonition or something, because neither of us could sleep," Ethel Covard said. 

Ethel, who uses a walker to get around, said she looked into the kitchen and saw a young, tall man standing there. 

"Harry yelled at this guy, 'Get out of here, or I'll blow your head off.' The guy just stood there with his head stuck around the door." 

When the suspect moved further into the kitchen, Ethel Covard picked up an air-powered pellet gun and fired six shots at the intruder, missing all six times. One pellet put a pea-size hole in a cupboard. 

The burglar, saying nothing, put his arm around a 13-inch Zenith color television next to the refrigerator. She threw a chair at him, then ducked behind a table next to her husband, who was sitting in his wheelchair in the bedroom doorway.

The intruder then took his hand off the TV and raised what appeared to be a knife toward the woman in a threatening gesture. With that, Harry Covard, who said he make out the intruder as a blur despite being legally blind, pulled the rifle's trigger.

"All of a sudden," Ethel Covard said, "the man was gone." ...

After emergency surgery, Carter was charged with first degree robbery and first degree burglary. ... Police said 
Covard would not be charged because he was defending himself during a break-in. ... 

Covard said his only previous experience with guns had been as a hunter and in target-shooting. ... (He) said he wasn't intimidated by the intruder and vowed to do worse to the next person who breaks in. ...

*****

** Bingo!

"Micro" is the word that truly describes the EWM Bingo card, when compared to other cards available to the visually impaired. It measures only 5 1/4 by 5 1/4 inches (the standard size used by most sighted players), yet it is very easy to read and use, requiring less table space. This makes it possible to play more cards with less reach. In thorough test marketing by the developer, the card was received with great enthusiasm. In fact, several totally blind people are playing six cards at public bingo, with no difficulty keeping up.

Construction is of high-grade materials, beginning with a sturdy 80-point card laminated to a 10 mil PVC overlay that has been molded to accommodate standard plated steel washers, holding them firmly in place even if the card is tilted 80 degrees. Each washer is supported by a ledge that protects the braille from being mashed. Washers may be removed with a wand or the card can be turned over into a box. Washers were preferred to the conventional plastic covers by all of the test-market participants. 

A non-skid backing is applied, and the edges of the card are waterproofed to help prevent damage if there is a spill, and also to allow for cleaning occasionally with a damp cloth. Each card is packaged with 26 washers. More can be purchased at any hardware store. 

Price per unit is $7.00, with discounts for bulk orders. To order, or for further information, contact Electronics Wei-Made, 7216 Arlington Drive, St. Louis, MO 63117; (314) 645-1857. Make checks payable to Electronics Wel-Made.

*****

** High Tech Swap Shop

* FOR SALE: ViewScan portable reading and information gathering system -- Includes all tutorial manuals. This system is built around the Epson HX-20 computer. Used less than one year. Original cost in excess of $3,300. Will sell for $2,000. Contact Mitch Pomerantz, 620 S. Ardmore Avenue, No. 4, Los Angeles, CA 90004; (213) 389-1552.

* FOR SALE: VersaBraille II -- four months old. Original price, $4,000. Asking price, $2,000. Contact Rose Resnick Center, 1299 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA 94109. Or call (415) 922-0444 after 5:00 P.M. Pacific time. 

* WANTED: Used talking calculator in good condition. 
* TO TRADE: 19-inch Visualtek for a 12-inch Visualtek in good working condition. Julie Carroll, 949 East End Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15221.

*****

** Here and There
By Elizabeth M. Lennon

Stan Beauregard, who presides over the Post Office at St. Albans, Vermont, a town up near the Canadian border, believes he is the only blind postmaster in the United States. Beauregard supervises 22 employees, in a Post Office serving approximately 12,000 customers.

Cooking with Sunshine is a tone­indexed cassette cookbook being prepared by the Food Editor of Georgia Sunshine magazine. Included are hundreds of original recipes, many from famous restaurants. For further information, contact Peter Davis, 827 North Charles Street, 2R, Baltimore, MD 21202. 

Any artist over 18 years of age with a physical disability may enter the 1988 Harmarville International Competition. Categories include painting (any medium), drawing, ceramics, sculpture, graphics, fiber, photography, and poetry. Over $3,000 in prize money will be given. For more information, contact Harmarville International, Harmarville Rehabilitation Center, Box 11460, Guys Run Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238. 

From Hoosier Starlight (Indiana): Taunnie Howery was born 13 years ago in Simi Valley, California. It was not until she was 4 months old that her parents realized she was blind. When she was 2 years old, they purchased a piano and Taunnie immediately began picking out tunes with her thumbs. Eighteen months later she composed her first classical composition, appropriately titled "Taunnie's Rhapsody." Shortly thereafter Taunnie listened to the beginning of a Bach composition and accurately finished the song on the piano. She had not previously been exposed to Bach. Now, at age 13, she composes, sings, and plays piano, keyboard and organ. Taunnie is adept with synthesizing and recording equipment and does her own mixing. In addition to her music expertise, she excels as a mainstreamed public school student, participating in athletics and a variety of extracurricular activities.

Would you like to hear about collecting vintage radio with everything intact? Are you new to vintage radio, and would you like to be initiated into the world of comedy, news, mystery, and daytime serials? If so, you may be interested in membership in the North American Radio Archives. Members receive a newsletter in braille or on cassette and have access to radio memories on cassette or open-reel tape at reasonable cost. Annual membership is $15 ($30 with the newsletter in braille). Make checks payable to NARA and mail to Jackie Thompson, P.O. Box 118781, Cincinnati, OH 45211. 

The Game and Education (GEM), by Automated Fun Inc., is a system that enables visually impaired persons to play highly active talking games. The system consists of a keyboard, program cartridges which are slipped into the right-hand side of the keyboard, and an internal speaker. GEM cartridges currently available include Tug-of-War, Sub Hunt, Monster Shoot, Bowling, Casino, Scientific Calculator, States and Capitals, Math Tutor, Spelling Tutor ... To hear a demonstration of the GEM Bowling game, call (703) 536-7749. For further information on GEM, contact Automated Functions, Inc., 6424 N. 28th Street, Arlington, VA 22207; (703) 536-7741.

From Focus (ACB of Indiana): Sandy Lingofelter, a charter member and former director of the ACB of Indiana, experienced the thrill of a lifetime when she personally presented widely acclaimed Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight with a beautiful 4-by-6-foot afghan she had crocheted in red and white, the school's colors, with the IU symbol in the center. The presentation took place at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis immediately before the opening tip-off of the Indiana-Pennsylvania game in the Hoosier Classic basketball tournament.

The Federal Trade Commission has lifted some restrictions on commercial eye-care goods and services that could increase competition and lead to lower prices for consumers, according to the AARP Newsletter. The FTC also decided to continue to require that eye practitioners give out eyeglass prescriptions to all customers, thus giving them the prerogative to shop around for the most competitive price.

From The Blind Californian: The Kings Tape Library for the Blind is a source that will locate books upon request. An extensive computerized list covering a number of libraries makes it possible to have a search made by title, author, or subject. The service is free. Persons wishing a print response should enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope; those wishing a braille response should include a Free Matter address label. Write Chris Mackey, Director, Kings Tape Library for the Blind, 202 W. Grangeville Boulevard, Hanford, CA 93230. 

Orientation and mobility instructor wanted. Regional Consortium looking for AER-certified instructor to evaluate and instruct children (pre­kindergarten to grade 12) in 12-parish region of north Louisiana. Moderate travel; active caseload; approximately 12 students. Responsibilities also include organizing and providing in­service to teachers and parents. For full details, contact Mrs. Kay Kirby, Supervisor, Special Education, Ouachita Parish Schools, P.O. Box 1642, Monroe, LA 71210; (318) 388-2711. 

The Blinded Veterans Association has named Billie Jean Hill as Director of Public Relations and Associate Editor for the BVA Bulletin. She is a founding director of the radio reading service in Mississippi and serves on the executive board of the Association of Radio Reading Services, Board of Directors of the Council of Citizens with Low Vision, the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee for the National Library Service talking book program, and the Board of Publications of the American Council of the Blind. 

The Braille Revival League of Alabama is compiling and brailling the 1988 NCAA college football schedule. This year's schedule will include 100 teams, covering the major conferences plus major independents. Cost is $5.00. Send orders to: Allen H. Gillis, Route 12, Box 2985, Cullman, AL 35055.

Sense-Able Braille Books is a recently formed non-profit organization founded by a transcriber and his wife. Its aim is to produce braille books for young adults -- specifically, 7th grade through high school. Books are produced on computer, and all copies are paper originals -- no thermoform. To request the first catalog in September, write Sense­Able Braille Books, P.O. Box 333, Ludington, MI 49431. Specify print or braille.

Recording for the Blind celebrates its 40th anniversary in 1988. Anne T. Macdonald founded RFB in 1948 to assist blinded war veterans as they attended college under the G.I. Bill of Rights. At that time, RFB operated from an attic in a branch of the New York Public Library. Forty years later, RFB now has 31 studios nationwide and approximately 4,000 volunteers serving 22,000 blind and print handicapped students and professionals. RFB's recording service adds 3,000 new tapes annually to the master tape library located in the Anne T. Macdonald Center, which currently houses approximately 70,000 volumes.

In stereo -- some of the best music by blind Americans. On two stereo C90 cassettes, this is a collection of music from America's best-known and lesser-known blind musicians. The three-hour collection is available for $10.00 from the News Reel Club, Inc., The Music Special, 5 East Long Street, Columbus, OH 43215. For information, phone (614) 469-8201.

For sale: specially marked (braille) ham radio equipment, available at bargain prices from Tom Benham, W3DD. Included are receivers, transmitter, frequency marker, transformers, filter capacitators, and chokes. For full description and prices, write to T.A. Benham, 1043 Lancaster Avenue, Berwyn, PA 19312, or call (215) 296-2114.

RP Messenger newsletter, available in sight-saving bold print and on two-track audio cassette, is now available in braille. Also "Stress and Well­being," second in a series entitled "The Business of Living Booklets," is available in both sight-saving bold print and on two-track audio cassette. For order information, contact Dorothy Stiefel, P.O. Box 8388, Corpus Christi, TX 78468-0388, or call hotline, (512) 852-8515. 

The 1988-89 catalog of LS&S is now available in large print. The catalog contains over 800 aids and devices for people with sight limitations, many of them new to the market this year. Write LS&S Group, Inc., P.O. Box 673, Northbrook, IL 60065, or call toll-free, 1-800-468-4789 (in Illinois, call 312-498-9777). 

New among products offered for sale by Ann Morris Enterprises is a portable tone indexer which can be used to mark the location of pages or notes on tapes with any recorder. The tone is audible during Fast Forward and Rewind modes on any cassette player with Cue/Review. For further information or for a catalog contain­ing many items useful to blind and visually impaired persons, write Ann Morris Enterprises, Inc., 26 Horseshoe Lane, Levittown, NY 11756. 

NewsBits is a monthly audio magazine focusing on the computer industry. Oriented toward the MS DOS and PC DOS market, it covers developments in the field of adaptive equipment and also includes features on computer-related subjects of general interest. A one-year subscription is $49.00 (which includes a 12-cassette case to store the monthly issues). Write Talking Computers, Inc., 6931 N. 27th Road, Arlington, VA 22213. TCI also offers a number of "Talk-To-Me Tutorials," including Introduction to MS DOS, Artic Plus DOS, VertPlus DOS, Go-1-2-3, Go-WordPerfect, and the latest, Go-dBase. All tutorials are recorded on 60-minute cassettes and come attractively packaged in bookshelf binders. For further information, call toll-free, 1-800-458-6338.

###