THE BRAILLE FORUM Volume XLV July-August 2006 No. 1 Published by the American Council of the Blind THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND STRIVES TO INCREASE THE INDEPENDENCE, SECURITY, EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY, AND TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE. Christopher Gray, President Melanie Brunson, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor National Office: 1155 15th St. NW Suite 1004 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 467-5081 Fax: (202) 467-5085 Web site: http://www.acb.org THE BRAILLE FORUM is available in braille, large print, half-speed four- track cassette tape, and via e-mail. Subscription requests, address changes, and items intended for publication should be sent to Sharon Lovering at the address above, or via e-mail to slovering@acb.org. Submission deadlines are the first of the month. The American Council of the Blind is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, visit the ACB web site and complete an application form, or contact the national office at the number listed above. Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Mike Godino at the above mailing address. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office can make printed cards available for this purpose. To remember the American Council of the Blind in your Last Will and Testament, you may include a special paragraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, contact the ACB national office. Join the MMS program and help improve tomorrow today in ACB. Contact Ron Milliman by e-mail, rmilliman@ziggycom.net, or by phone at (270) 782-9325 and get started making tomorrow look brighter today! To make a contribution to ACB via the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 2802. For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the "Washington Connection" toll-free at (800) 424-8666, 5 p.m. to midnight Eastern time, or visit the Washington Connection online at http://www.acb.org. Copyright 2006 American Council of the Blind TABLE OF CONTENTS View from the Podium, by Donna Seliger NFB Reunion Breaks Out at the ACB Convention, by Ron Milliman My Memories of Pat Shreck, by Ralph Sanders In Memoriam: Bettye Lou Harper Krause, 1926-2006, by M.J. Schmitt Affiliate News Dealing with Reality, by Margaret Kickert Embracing Blindness, by Leslie Bennett To See or Not to See, by Cecile Betts Unto Us a Preemie Was Born, by Kim and Jon Avila The Recruitment and Retention of Committed Volunteers, by Toni and Ed Eames Letters to the Editor Here and There, by Susan Lichtenfels High Tech Swap Shop FORUM SUBSCRIPTION NOTES You can now get "The Braille Forum" by podcast! To subscribe, go to "The Braille Forum" page on www.acb.org. If you do not yet have a podcast client, you can download one from the Forum page. To subscribe to "The Braille Forum" via e-mail, send a blank e-mail message to brailleforum-L-subscribe@acb.org. ARE YOU MOVING? DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION? Contact Sharon Lovering in the ACB national office, 1-800-424-8666, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. Give her the information, and she'll take care of the changes for you. ***** VIEW FROM THE PODIUM by Donna Seliger The first session of the convention is always a mixed blessing for me. I am excited that convention is getting under way and I'm nervous too. As I sit at the table near the podium where our president, Chris Gray, is about to bang his gavel, letting everyone know it is time to come to order, I can hear a multitude of voices, most of which sound glad to be there. By listening to the applause, I can determine just how many hardy souls are left in the auditorium after the roll call of affiliates is completed. Yes, every year the program committee tries to shorten the Sunday night session, but there is so much happening and only so much time during the week, it seems Sunday is a good time to have important and informative speakers. And the constitution mandates that the roll call of affiliates be completed during the first convention session. By the time President Gray lowers the gavel for the final time and declares the convention concluded, there seems to be a collective sigh of relief as everyone has had a very busy week going from one meeting to another, including yours truly. Having the banquet follow the completion of convention is a celebration of all the work that has been done by ACB in the past year. It is an evening of food, fellowship and fun. I just wanted everyone to know how proud I am of ACB, the members who take time off work and spend a lot of money to attend each year and all those people who do the work behind the scenes to make our conventions the best each year. ***** NFB REUNION BREAKS OUT AT THE ACB CONVENTION by Ron Milliman (Disclaimer and acknowledgements: Parts of this article were fictionalized to fit its theme. However, all names and affiliations are true and accurate to the very best of the author's knowledge. Thanks to my ACB friends who have made the "Big Switch!") Something really interesting caught my attention while attending the ACB national convention in Las Vegas last summer: it was like a big NFB reunion had broken out right in the middle of the convention! My wife Palma whispered in my ear, "Oh, my gosh, you'll never believe who is here this year, and he's walking right ahead of us heading for the exhibit hall!" "Who?" I asked. She replied, "Harold Snider." "Bull pucky," I blurted. "There's no way Harold is here attending an ACB convention." "Well, if that's not Harold Snider, then it is his identical twin brother, and I don't think he has an identical twin!" And so it went throughout the convention. We bumped into person after person, sometimes quite literally, who had been a member of the NFB. We were bouncing around in the exhibit hall when we spotted the Murills, David and Becky, both very successful defense attorneys from Louisville and long-time members of the NFB of Kentucky. "Gee, we haven't seen David and Becky in years!" I exclaimed. "Can you believe we are meeting up with them here at the ACB convention in Las Vegas of all places?" "Becky, what a surprise seeing you and David here. How are you guys doing?" Palma asked. We stood and chatted for a while before Becky said, "Well, we have someplace we need to be in about 30 seconds. So, we better get moving." As we moved on down the row of tables, we came to Beyond Sight's booth. I felt a hand reach out for mine and a voice announcing, "Hello, I'm Robert Leblond. Did I hear you say that you were Ron Milliman?" "Well, Robert, since I don't think I owe you any money, I'll admit to being Ron Milliman!" We both chuckled and began talking. As we were leaving the exhibit area, weaving our way around people, I asked Palma, "Oh, I think I hear Ralph Sanders over there, don't I? If that's him, I want to talk to him and tell him what an outstanding job he's doing with the PR committee." Palma responded, "Yeah, that's Ralph, but he's talking to Donna and Bob Seliger right now." "Hmm, that's interesting. Do you realize that all five of us are former NFB members who have switched over to the ACB?" I observed. "I'm sure we all have our reasons, and collectively, they'd sure make an interesting story. As long as Donna is there with Ralph, it gives me an opportunity to let her know what a bang-up job she is doing as our ACB national secretary. That is a really tough, thankless job, and I am sure glad we have such a top-notch person doing it." The next morning, we met with Carl Jarvis and his wife Cathy and Cindy Burgett for breakfast at the Denny's, which was just down the street from the Riviera Hotel. After we were seated, I asked, "Carl, are you guys enjoying the convention?" "It's been interesting," Carl replied. "What I have liked best about the convention is how accessible the officers, board members and other national leaders are. For me, the opportunity to meet new folks and renew old acquaintances is worth the price of the trip. In truth, I'd rather sit around a table like this drinking coffee and chatting with some new friends about their experiences than to spend time in a long-winded meeting. What I didn't care much for, though, was the length of the opening ceremony. I certainly enjoyed the Sunday evening event, just thought it went far too long, but that's a mild issue. Overall I enjoy the bustle, the confusion and jumble of activities. Something is going on most every minute during the week." Cindy chimed in, "Yeah, I sure have to agree with that. There is sure a lot going on; too much to do all in just one week!" Palma said, "As huge and noisy as all of these places are, it will take us more than a week to just get it figured out as to where is what." We all laughed and heartily agreed. As I joined in the conversation, I was thinking here is another group of six current and active ACB members who were all, except for Cindy, formerly active in the NFB. Later that same day, we saw Rob Hubbard at the BITS meeting, and he remarked on what a great convention Carla and the crew had put together. He noted, "It is the best one ever; better than any of the NFB or previous ACB conventions I've attended." Then it occurred to me that Rob, too, was another former member of the NFB who had made the big switch. At one of the social events, we ran into Ann Brash. She seemed to be really enjoying herself. Immediately to my right, I heard a fellow say, "I'm Richie Gardenhire," and I reached out to shake his hand and reply, "I'm Ron Milliman, and this is my wife, Palma." We stopped to chat a few minutes. On Thursday, as we worked our way from one meeting to another, we saw Sue Ammeter chairing the membership committee meeting; Ardis Bazyn and Earlene Hughes were there too. Just as the meeting was ending, I told Palma, "I would sure like to say hi to Sue Ammeter, if we can work our way over to her." I bumped solidly into someone and said "excuse me" as I walked over to where I heard Sue's voice. "Sue, hey, Sue, I'm Ron Milliman. It is so great to see you!" As we shook hands, Sue said, "Yeah, I feel like we sort of know each other already from the telephone conference call meetings. How's the convention going for you so far?" "Before I answer that, I want you to meet my wife, Palma." As the two ladies exchanged pleasantries, I said, "You asked about the convention; actually it has far exceeded our expectations. So, how about you? What's new in your life?" Sue replied, "Since I retired, I'm enjoying my leisure. I retired in March, and we moved to our new home, which is about 100 miles from Seattle. We have three acres in the country and we are enjoying the quiet. I was just elected president of our new chapter so will be taking on a new role here in my new community. John and I will be celebrating our 34th wedding anniversary in August, so life is wonderful and I feel very, very fortunate." "Gee, Sue that's great! I'm sorry that we have to rush off, but I want to catch Earlene if we can before she slips away, and I think I hear her heading toward the door. So, maybe we'll cross paths again later before we leave," I said as we were trying to spot Earlene in the crowd. Palma stated, "Well, now I don't see her. Somehow Earlene has managed to disappear." I replied, "Then, can we say something to Ardis before she gets away too?" Then Palma said, kind of disgustedly, "Well, shoot, now I don't see Ardis either. There are just so many people all over the place. Oh, here she is, over this way." "Are you Ardis?" Palma asked as we approached a woman who seemed to be picking up some papers. "Yes," Ardis replied. "Hi," I said. "I'm Ron Milliman, and this is my wife, Palma. It's a pleasure to finally get to meet you. How's the convention going for you so far?" Ardis replied, "I have enjoyed most of the programming and the banquet speeches as well as the socializing with members I don't get to see often. I have also enjoyed meeting many I had never met before. I did not have enough time to visit many booths in the exhibit hall because of my busy schedule during the week. I enjoyed the Wednesday night cruise, my big social event for the week. How about you? Have you guys had a good time?" "Like I keep telling everyone, there are way too many people to see and way too many fun things to do, and way, way too little time for it all, but to answer your question, yes, we are having a great time," I said. "The Las Vegas scene has exceeded our wildest expectations." "That's great," Ardis said, "I'm sorry to just run off, but I have another meeting to get to myself. Maybe next time we can chat a little more." Thursday evening several of us met for dinner: Bob and Donna Seliger, William and Sally Benjamin, Ralph Sanders, Pat Shreck, Palma and me. As we carried on our lively conversation, I mentioned my observation that lots of the people we meet at the ACB conventions are former members of the NFB who, for various reasons, have seen the light and made the big switch. Donna chimed in, saying, "Besides Ralph, Pat, you and Palma, Bob and myself, I can think of several other people who were former NFB people and have switched that are in our Iowa group such as Gary Patterson, Creig and Jo Ann Slayton, Don Hansen, Mark Nemmers, and I'm sure there are others that I just cannot think of right now. Oh, yeah, Ardis falls into that category too; she was even involved back in 1981 when John Taylor and Sylvester Nemmers were booted out of the NFB by Ken Jernigan. Many, if not most, of those people elected to switch, eventually, to the ACB. Not all of those people are here at the convention this year, but they have all switched from the NFB to the ACB." Pat noted, "Another one that fits into that category I can think of who is here at the convention is Terri Lynne Pomeroy, and so does Mitch Pomerantz, Sandy Sanderson, and there are tons more." Ralph added, "For that matter, in 1978 the entire NFB of California affiliate was kicked out of the NFB, and many of them switched over the ACB. The same thing happened in Washington state in 1979 or 1980. The whole NFB of Washington affiliate was booted out of the NFB, and many of those people switched from one to the other organization too, including Sue Ammeter, who was even on NFB's national board at the time. Carl Jarvis was among those who switched too, as I remember." It occurred to me that, of the eight of us around the table, six of us were formerly very active NFB people. In fact, I remembered that William had told me once that he was also a member of NFB, but as he put it, he just paid his dues and got "The Braille Monitor." So, in a way, all eight of us are former NFB people. Palma nudged my arm and said, "I think Pat is trying to say something to you." I raised my voice a little and said, "Pat, you'll have to speak up. I can't hear you very well from way down here on this end of the table." Pat said more loudly, "Ron, I would like to talk to you before we leave, and we are really running out of time. Tomorrow is Friday already. So, is there some time tomorrow that we could get together for a little while?" " Well, how about if we meet you for breakfast in the morning early before the business session starts, say 6:30 or 7 o'clock," I suggested. Pat replied, "7 o'clock should be fine. Can you and Palma meet me just in front of the Monaco elevators?" "Will do," I answered. After our breakfast with Pat Shreck, I was sitting at a table with my Kentucky delegation, awaiting the business session to begin, when I felt a light tap on my hand, followed by a sweet voice asking, "Are you Ron Milliman?" I replied, "It sure is! Who's this?" "I'm Janelle. Hi! We finally meet," she said with an enthusiastic tone. "Hey," I responded excitedly: "My very most favorite and prettiest list moderator! What's happening? Gee, it is so great to meet you!" We chatted for awhile before I commented, "Janelle, I sure don't know how you put up with all that you do on that ACB-L list, but you certainly do a wonderful job, even though one of the first things you did when you became the list moderator was to kick me off!" We both laughed, and Janelle said, "You just won't let me forget that, will you?" A short time later, as I was washing my hands and about to leave the men's room, someone bumped into me and asked, "Who's this?" I responded, "Ron Milliman, and who are you?" "Hey, I have seen you on our ACB-L list! I'm James Congdon." "Well, James, it is great to meet you. Are you enjoying the convention this year?" I asked. He responded, "The thing I like the most about the ACB convention is that I don't feel as though I am inside some political machine or militant establishment like I did when I was in the NFB. The ACB doesn't try to force anything on me like the NFB attempted to do all of the time." As I was walking back into the business meeting, I almost tripped up someone with my cane. "Oh, I'm sorry, that is one problem with these canes, they tend to get in the way sometimes." We both laughed, and I asked, "Who did I just about trip up?" "I'm Andy, Andy Baracco. Who are you?" "I'm Ron Milliman, and I have wanted to meet you. I feel like we know each other already since we have communicated so much online with our e-mail posts. So, Mr. Andy Baracco, how do you like the convention this year?" "I love it," he said. "I especially like that it is here in Vegas. I have been able to see a couple of great shows, and I haven't done too badly with the gambling either, and I've eaten some good food. I have even been able to see some relatives, as well as catching up with my ACB friends from around the country. I like the exhibits, especially the technology, and I've spent, perhaps, too much money. I really liked the sessions on digital books and accessible cell phones." Saturday morning, as we were waiting for our flight back to Nashville to go up to our home base in Bowling Green, Ky., Palma and I reminisced over the fantastic week we had just wrapped up in Las Vegas and how much fun the convention had been this year. Palma asked, "What did you like the most?" I thought for a moment, then replied, "Gee, that is really hard to answer. I liked it all. Well, most of it. I didn't care for the cigarette smoke and the cell phones, but everything else was sure lots of fun. I would say if you were asking about just the ACB convention, I enjoyed meeting and talking with all of the people, people that I have seen on the ACB-L list and exchanged posts with over the past few years, but if I had to pick something other than the ACB convention stuff, I'd say I most enjoyed the wonderfully romantic dinner we shared in the Italian restaurant in the Venetian overlooking the gondolas and the Italian vocalist at the helm singing all of the beautiful love songs. It was like they were singing just for us." ***** MY MEMORIES OF PAT SHRECK by Ralph Sanders Pat Shreck, the former president of the Riverside chapter of the Washington Council of the Blind in Vancouver, Wash., died early on June 1 at her home in Vancouver. She had fought breast cancer for seven years. Most members of the ACB will remember her for her vibrant personality, her hard work as manager of the ACB Store, her performances at the NELDS folk fests, and the singing of the national anthem in Pittsburgh. Pat also served one term as president of Library Users of America (LUA), and represented the ACB on committees of the Library of Congress. There was so much more to this lady. My purpose here is to share some more about her life and work with you. She was born Patricia Andrea Shreck on February 26, 1948 in New Jersey. She lost her sight as an infant from retinal cancer. When she was still a small child, her family moved to Kansas where Pat attended the Kansas School for the Blind until after her ninth-grade year. Her father then moved to Longview, Wash. to a new job, where Pat attended public high school until her graduation. She got her bachelor of arts degree in music from Lewis and Clark College in Portland. She worked as a professional musician for many years. She worked in public relations for Northwest Bell in Portland, personnel development for the Bureau of Land Management in Anchorage, Alaska and in the national headquarters in D.C., and her last professional position was in employee training for the Tennessee Valley Authority near Knoxville, Tenn. Pat first became involved in the organized blind movement in the early 1970s where she served with distinction as president of the NFB of Oregon. She played a vital role in the reorganization of the Oregon Commission for the Blind. Her first ACB convention was in Louisville, Ky. in 2000. She attended every ACB convention after that through the 2005 convention in Las Vegas. Pat and I became close friends in 1974 and worked together on numerous projects for more than 30 years. Her loss leaves a large hole in all of our lives. ***** IN MEMORIAM: BETTYE LOU HARPER KRAUSE, 1926-2006 by M.J. Schmitt Yet another charter member of ACB has passed away recently Bettye Krause. She became a student at the Texas School for the Blind in 1936. She is remembered by her classmates for her unusual ability to tap dance, and she performed this effectively on roller skates during exhibitions that people came from miles around to see. After graduation in 1946, she attended North Texas State Teachers College, where she obtained a degree in special education so that she could teach blind and visually impaired children. While teaching in Nevada, she married and had a daughter, Verna Powell, who predeceased her. In 1959, at the NFB convention in Santa Fe, she met David Krause. They were married in 1960 and she moved to Washington, D.C., where she once again began teaching blind and visually impaired children. While living in Washington, Bettye and Dave frequently opened their home to friends who were looking for work. One little-known fact about Bettye was her genuine concern for the children she taught. She worked with a school filled with children coming from low-income families, and noticed first their inattentiveness and the reason for it: they were hungry, and there were no school lunch programs at that time. Out of her own pocket she would buy milk and graham crackers and give them to her students. If that's not grassroots caring, I don't know what is! The Krauses retired and moved to Las Vegas in the 1970s. They were among a small group of people who walked off the convention floor in 1961 and went into the Aladdin Hotel and formed the American Council of the Blind. They were members while in D.C. and were the major organizers and recruiters for the Nevada Council of the Blind. Bettye was its president for a term or two, its secretary at other times, and served wherever there was a need. They headed the local team for our first Las Vegas convention in 1985. She once made me a beautiful afghan. Now, every time I cuddle down under it, I'll remember her with genuine fondness. She was ACB through and through. ***** AFFILIATE NEWS Georgia Council Celebrates Golden Anniversary The Georgia Council of the Blind is very proud to be celebrating its golden anniversary in 2006. And Georgia invites you to attend the convention the weekend of Aug. 3-6 in Savannah. For more details, please phone Marsha Farrow at (706) 857-4221 or Alice Ritchhart at (912) 996-7223. We hope to see many of you in Savannah! ACB of Indiana State Convention The American Council of the Blind of Indiana state convention will be held Sept. 8 and 9, 2006 at the Ramada Inn, Columbus, Ind. Room rates are $79 per night plus 11 percent tax. This includes a hot continental breakfast. Reservations must be made by Aug. 8; call (812) 376-3051. D.C. Council Promotes ACB's MMS Program Following an outstanding presentation by an ADA communications specialist from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority at the April 1 meeting of the D.C. Council of the Blind, each member present received a surprise a pre-addressed envelope containing the forms needed to sign up for ACB's Monthly Monetary Support program. D.C. Council President Oral Miller explained that the program had been revised recently to enable ACB members and friends to give money monthly to ACB and an affiliate simultaneously; that at least 50 percent of the amount designated would go to ACB with the balance going to the affiliate selected; that the designated amount would be taken automatically from a bank account or charged to a credit card; that the money for the affiliate would be paid to it quarterly; that in most cases the banks do not charge a service fee against the accounts of the donors and that this system is the easiest way in the world for members and friends to give an affordable yet meaningful amount (such as $10 monthly) while multiplying the impact of a small donation enormously throughout the year by its painless repetition. The meeting ended with everyone being encouraged to sign up for the program and to urge their families and friends to do the same. At this point, several dozen ACB members are taking part in this program, but this number should be in the thousands. Remember that a $10 monthly donation from just one-tenth of ACB's members would bring in approximately $300,000 yearly which could be used for "The Braille Forum," legislative and legal advocacy, ACB Radio, braille literacy, and countless other ACB and affiliate services. And, oh yes, the D.C. Council members who were not at the April 1 meeting were not forgotten; every member (including those living outside the metropolitan area) will receive a pre-addressed envelope containing the necessary forms and an appeal to join the affiliate president as a participant in the MMS program. Many Thanks Many thanks to all who participated in Rochester's 12 Days to Memorial Day Raffle! Since this was a local effort, the names of most of the winners will not ring a bell with you, but the daughter of one of our members, Kendra Haney, won the $100 one evening, as well as Norman Culver of Talladega, Ala., also an ACB member. Thanks again! ***** DEALING WITH REALITY by Margaret Kickert (Reprinted with permission from the Washington Council of the Blind "Newsline," March 2005.) Is this really happening to me? How will I cope? What will I do? Will I be able to live a relatively normal life? How can I tell anyone? Can I hide this or shall I just stay at home and hibernate? I'll never be able to drive again and I am totally dependent on others. Yuck! These thoughts, along with fear, fright, sadness, loneliness and depression, were some of the thoughts I had when it was first confirmed that I was losing my sight. Last year when the doctor told me to get ready/prepared for vision loss or blindness, I had mixed emotions of anger, distrust (surely there must be something to help me) and fear for the future. My retinitis pigmentosa had gotten worse and was no longer stable, as it had been for years. My friend Lucy had gotten cancer several years ago, and wrote about how she had to walk in "cruel shoes." Now I felt that those cruel shoes had been given to me, and that it would not be an easy walk! Since I did not get RP until 1986, I had managed to work and deal with it, and was always glad when told it was remaining stable. Now the doctor told me that my visual field was severely diminished and that I should start preparing myself for blindness or severe vision loss. This confirmation was so upsetting that I just wanted to stay in the house, crawl under the covers and be by myself. After all, who would want to be around a "blind person," or who would want to go to lunch with me when I fall over or bump into things and embarrass them and also myself? "Be careful," they all say, "didn't you see that?" and "you just have to take it slower." Worse yet, what about my relationship with my husband? How will he be able to stand living with this clumsy wife who at one time was so vivacious, energetic and independent? Now I had lost so much and felt so alone. I never really knew anyone who was blind, nor did I even have friends or family members who were dealing with vision loss. It was a sick feeling. How could this actually be happening to me? I wanted to be alone and away from everyone. After crying and thinking about it for several days, I felt I could not keep up my usual activities. I dropped out of things and said "no" to more activities and groups. I felt I was being a burden, especially to my spouse, but how else should anyone expect me to feel? After many weeks, it felt strange that I was isolating myself and I thought that I had as much right to a good life as the next person. Remembering the strong personality I had before this shock, I decided that I would not give up life just because I was losing my sight. I started to join groups again and tried to have fun. It was not always easy going, and not everyone was accepting of my vision problem, but now it was easier for me to see who my real friends were, and that was a wake-up call. Many people did not even seem to care about, nor were they interested in, people with vision loss. Even though I felt alone in many situations, I realized that I would need to be my own advocate, trudge ahead, and start to think of resources to help myself. Luckily, I remembered the Edith Bishel Center for Blind and Visually Impaired here in the Tri-Cities area. I called them and made an appointment for my husband and me. I still felt so alone and lost when we went down there, and was just miserable. The director, Larry, was very encouraging and while we were there, he introduced me to Bill Hoage. He explained that Bill has my same eye disease and had just recently lost all of his sight. Ah, that was the first person I ever met who had RP, and it felt good to meet and talk with someone who could share my problems. Even though I still felt miserable, I thought maybe there was some hope for me after all. Bill was very outgoing and encouraging during our conversation. I couldn't believe he could be so happy and also be blind! He invited me to the United Blind of Tri-Cities breakfast the following Saturday. Now, "why would I want to go to a blind group?" and "how can I get out of this?" kept popping into my mind. However, my husband thought that this would be a good start and encouraged me to attend. I said I would try it and I was so surprised to find myself in a roomful of blind and visually impaired people. But they all seemed so caring, open, friendly and capable of getting around and doing things that I could not resist feeling that finding this group could maybe, just maybe, be a real blessing for me. Oh, I was ever so slow to accept their invitation to go to lunch with them, as I was still hoping this vision loss would go away. You see, I still have a little bit of central vision left, so I wondered if I should really be with this group! But my husband encouraged me to keep attending the meetings and we kept talking about all of the things I could learn from these folks. By the second month, I decided to join, and slowly I could feel that this group was truly accepting, welcoming and the group for me. Finding the Edith Bishel Center in Kennewick and the United Blind of the Tri-Cities has been a great blessing for me. I am ever so thankful to Larry, Bill, and everyone else who was so accepting and took me under their wings. Diana and Rosemary kept calling me and inviting me to future events, and gave me the feeling that it will be OK to have this vision loss and that yes, I will be able to survive just fine and maybe, just maybe, live a full and active life. I have found some great friends in the United Blind and Edith Bishel groups, have learned so much from them, and am continuing to learn more from them all the time. This has helped me to accept my new problem and deal with it a bit better. Oh, I still have some down days, or times when I feel so lost. I know as my eyesight worsens, I'll still be facing some difficult times ahead. Naturally, I would like to keep the small bit of central vision that I have, but I realize that it can diminish or be gone quickly, plunging me into total darkness. I realize that I must now get ready for the next steps, such as cane training, etc., and that I will have other hills to climb. I'm learning to face reality, and that I will need to make changes in my life, accept new challenges, adapt to new things, but that I will somehow manage to walk in those cruel shoes! It just might not be so bad after all. ***** EMBRACING BLINDNESS by Leslie Bennett As you consider my request for you to embrace blindness, you may rather prefer that I ask you to embrace a porcupine. Imagine embracing that which is unpleasant and unwanted. Blindness, like any other change in life, is not readily welcomed or embraced. It seems the nature of humans is to resist change. We are more comfortable with the known and routine of life. Of course, I use the term "embrace" to attract your attention and perk your interest in the material. Early Fears When one first become blind or loses significant sight, fear is a large part of his/her life. What will I do? How will I continue? Can I ever regain control over the direction of my life? Let us examine these issues. At first, we are only reasonably comfortable when doing the things that others do that do not require sight, i.e. sleeping or eating. We may fear trying new things and anticipate failure. With practice, we find the new techniques become a more natural part of our daily life. We may fear venturing away from home and engaging in previously enjoyable activities. We may feel conspicuous and not accepted by others. We may fear trying our newly acquired skills, as we may not do them correctly. Minimizing the Importance of the Eye One of the techniques that I found helpful in accepting blindness is to reduce the importance of vision in my life. The eye is actually a rather passive organ. They cannot open doors, put on our clothing, or transport us from place to place. With this notion we can increase the efficiency of our other senses, like sound, smell and tactile references, and free our energy to learn new skills. Our feet become more aware of the surfaces we are walking on. We sense rises and declines in terrain. We rely on hearing to tell us where objects are, like escalators. We even rely on smells when passing food concessions in public places. In short, we have a heightened awareness of our surroundings and employ our memory to orient ourselves to where we are and what we need. A Helping Hand Service agencies like Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Iris Network are readily available to help us transition into the new world of blindness. They can provide essential aids and appliances and specific techniques for dealing with daily situations that are unique to the blind. Mobility instruction, computer access, counseling, and home management tips provide us the necessary tools to carry out our daily activities. With practice these new tools become familiar and our lives accede to a new level of normalcy. But we don't have to learn these techniques on our own. Help is there for the asking. There is specific information and "tricks of the trade" already available to help us. With practice these techniques enhance our level of confidence and add positive personal feedback to our daily lives. Pursue the Hobby A major factor in coping with blindness is to find a way to continue pursuing your hobby. My hobby is writing. After considerable time wondering how I could pursue this, it occurred to me that all I needed to do was dictate my thoughts onto a tape recorder. I developed the habit of dictating a short story or comment on tape each day. Soon it was the same as writing. I could express myself and feel creative as well as productive. Establish A Daily Routine Paramount to dealing with blindness and the accompanying hours of solitude is the need to develop a routine of daily activities. Try to do the same sort of thing around the same time each day. This lends stability to your life and replaces the "normal" pattern you once had as a sighted person. Do something to improve your progress like walking and improving your mobility mixed with computer access, and household activities. Call friends and professionals and just talk. Share your progress with others on a daily basis. Keep a journal either on tape or on a computer to provide self-encouragement and chart daily progress. Try to expand your universe a bit each day. Walk a bit further, try a new task, build on your knowledge of the new world and necessary skills you need to live in it. Reclaiming Your Universe When one first becomes blind or suffers significant sight loss, the first concern is "how do I reclaim the life I once had?" With newly acquired skills and equipment, we slowly reclaim our lives. I once lived nearly a quarter mile from my mailbox. To navigate to it I had to go up the street where I lived, cross a small street, venture to a main road and proceed about 100 yards, turn in another road, find a stop sign, turn right and follow another road about 50 yards and cross to the common mailbox. At first, this trip was scary. With practice, it became routine, and my confidence was drastically enhanced. A similar confidence-builder occurred with the acquisition of computer skills. In time, and with proper training, I was able to write again and even communicate with friends via e-mail. Visual Acuity Is Relative I strongly doubt that there is such a thing as having too much vision. If we have reduced sight we soon learn its limitations, such as the ability to read a stop sign, see a Dumpster, see the white lines of a crosswalk, or merely our hand at the end of our arm. All of these things are measurements and define our universe. As we move through the progressive steps of vision loss, we appreciate the new limitations. It may depend on lighting conditions or even vary with the time of day. In short, what you have today is all you can count on. How you utilize it is your choice. Wishing it better does not make it better. Accepting it frees up your energy to live life within "today's universe." Shedding "Poor Me" When we first lose significant sight we become naturally self- consumed. It seems as if we think of our situation as frequently as a teenager thinks of sex. With new skills, and a focus on a new lifestyle of creativity, we gradually shed the self-focused feelings. Talking with others, sharpening our new skills, and even thinking of others who are less fortunate than ourselves helps to diminish the "poor me" thoughts. Getting Lost It is virtually impossible to succeed with mobility without getting lost or turned around. The sudden awareness that you don't know where you are is overpowering. You are alone, you don't know exactly where you are and there may be no other person around to assist. If you can catch this situation immediately and return to the last known position you were in, you may avoid a lot of anxiety. If, however, you continue and get further disoriented, the situation becomes compounded. It is important to realize that you will regain control over your direction. Stop and carefully recall where you have been. Use everything you can to identify your direction: sun, wind, noises of cars, people talking or walking, and continue to search for a familiar landmark. It has been my experience that I am usually not far from where I intended to be. It may be a few feet or a wrong turn that has put me off course. The art of mobility is called orientation and mobility. There is a good reason for this. We cannot diminish the importance of orientation. It is a strong 25 percent of the mix. To avoid being confused it is critical to know where you are within a relative distance. Employ all of your other senses to achieve this focus. If you are supposed to be going up or down on your desired route and find you are not, it is quite likely you may have chosen the wrong direction. One method of reducing the instances of becoming disoriented is to tell someone where you are going and the route you plan to take. It is also helpful to indicate a time frame within which you should reach your destination. I cannot leave this topic without saying you haven't lived until you have become lost. Only then will you appreciate fully the importance of all that you have learned in orientation and mobility instruction. Two Bags to Carry As you travel through the world of blindness, you will need to carry two bags with you. You say, "How can I carry bags when one hand has my cane and the other is the only free limb I have?" It is a good question, but think of this: in one hand you carry a bag of courage. In the other hand you carry a bag of determination. You will find times when it is necessary to reach into each of these bags and pluck out a portion of their contents. They are the fuel of your existence and together feed the fire of positive attitude. Even employing all of the information above, you may reach a point when the "early fears" creep into your life. You can push them back by reaching into those two bags you carry. A little determination and a dash of courage do wonders for a sudden or brief decline in self-confidence. I'm OK and More An important consideration in blindness is to realize that you are not responsible for your condition. You did not choose to be blind. No one else selected you to be the designated blind person. You are a person who has suffered an unfortunate change in your life. You are OK. You are still valued as an individual with all that you contribute to your life as well as the lives of others. In fact, you are better than you once were. You have acquired new coping skills that allow you to function. You are doing what sighted people do without sight. To realize this is to add another shot of confidence to your existence. For a moment, imagine how someone else might cope with your condition. Would they succeed as well or rapidly as you have? Again, realize all of the other contributions you make to daily living. Your brain is still keen, your ideas still valid, and your arms even stronger because you have exercised them by constant use of your cane. In short, you may very well be a better person than you once were because you have been forced to learn new skills and employ them. Not My Bed, Goldilocks Like Goldilocks, who entered the three bears' house, you may not find all of this information suitable for you. You may find your own methods of embracing blindness. We are not all alike; therefore, how you "hug" this condition is not as important as that you do find a way to accept it and live a productive life within your own limitations. ***** TO SEE OR NOT TO SEE by Cecile Betts (Author's note: This essay was included in the collection published by Saddleback College Foundation, Reflections VIII. It has also appeared in the quarterly magazine published by the California Council of the Blind under the title "I See Things Differently," and in the fall 2003 issue of "Alaska Women Speak.") In October 1999, shortly before my 82nd birthday, I drove to the DMV office, passed the written but failed the vision test. "See your ophthalmologist, then return for a road test," the clerk advised. Armed with a report from my doctor stating my vision was 50/200, I returned a month later, passed the road test and received a two-year license. A week afterward, I drove to an appointment with the visual aids representative from the Braille Institute. Jamie tested me with various strengths of handheld magnifiers. "I am not a doctor but I doubt if your vision is 50/200 today. See your doctor as soon as possible." On December 6th, Dr. Lean, a retinal specialist, examined my eyes. "I am so sorry," he said. "There is nothing I can do to improve your sight or to keep it from getting worse." "What is my visual acuity today?" I asked. "It is 20/200 or less in each eye," he replied. "But, that's legally blind," I gasped. "Yes, I know. I will give you a letter so you can obtain some benefits," he replied as he closed my file. I left his office in a daze. With my eyes still dilated by the drops used before the examination, I could hardly see the sidewalk. To get home, I had to cross busy eight-lane Avenida de Valencia. Standing at the curb, I listened intently to the sound of cars speeding by. I could not see the traffic light. Did it change? I stepped off the curb, then jumped back with my heart pounding as an oncoming car blared its horn at me. A Good Samaritan across the street saw my dilemma and called out a minute later, "It is safe to cross now. Traffic has stopped." When I arrived home, I collapsed in my recliner in my darkened room and burst into tears. "I think I could cope with almost any disability," I often told my friends, "except losing my sight." My thoughts tumbled in confusion as I tried to picture how being blind would change my life. How would I travel to my medical appointments and other activities without driving? How would I manage to keep house, use my computer, finish revising and editing my book? Was God punishing me for past sins? I tried to bargain with God. But God does not negotiate. I thought of the many wonderful people I met during 10 years as a volunteer with the Braille Institute Outreach Program in San Clemente. Most, my age or older, lived alone and managed their lives with dignity. Could I do less? I knew the agencies and programs that could help me. The next morning, after a sleepless night, I called the California Department of Rehabilitation, Division for the Blind. Ms. Emerson came to see me, accompanied by her guide dog and her driver. She evaluated my degree of disability. "I'll refer you to a low vision optometrist who can prescribe special devices. These will assist you with shopping, reading and your other activities. I will also refer you to the Salvation Army Rehab for one-on-one instruction in using ZoomText on your computer." I sent the Braille Institute in Anaheim, Calif. a copy of Dr. Lean's letter and enrolled in two classes there. One taught me how to use my computer and printer with the help of ZoomText. The other class, Living with Visual Loss, enabled our group to discuss our feelings and share coping strategies. There are many new things to remember. Now, I have a table model closed-circuit TV, as well as a portable one. I have a 19-inch monitor, a lighted hand-held magnifier and ZoomText for my computer. I have a talking watch. The Bell Telephone Company furnishes a special large-number phone. The Braille Institute, under contract with the Library of Congress, has 22 miles of shelving containing talking books. They also furnish the special player for these 4-track tapes. These are free. My support cane, wrapped in white tape, signifies I am blind. Some people who see it think I am also retarded or stupid. Others don't realize my limitations. I enrolled in an experimental program at the Doheny Clinic in Los Angeles, but after six months they dropped me because my sight had worsened so much. I felt devastated. Again, I had to choose. I could sit home, do nothing, cry, feel sorry for myself, a living death. Or I could find ways to continue with my many activities. I realized when you hit bottom, there is only one way to go, and that is up. I chose life. ***** UNTO US A PREEMIE WAS BORN by Kim and Jon Avila (Reprinted with permission from "Preemies Today," November 2005.) (Editor's Note: Kim and Jon Avila are long-time members of the ACB. Both were scholarship winners and currently belong to the Old Dominion Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired.) Katelyn Elizabeth arrived at just 26 weeks gestation on Nov. 16, 2004, National Prematurity Day. The couple of hours I spent in the hospital before Katelyn was born, I reflected on my career as a teacher for the blind and visually impaired and all of the students I knew who have retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Despite my anxiety, remembering my students gave me hope that my daughter would lead a healthy life. Yet, when the obstetrician told me I had to deliver immediately, my heart sank and the tears poured from my eyes. Even though many of my students were born earlier than Katelyn, I still feared for her life. I knew the chances of healthy survival were in our favor with medical advances to treat premature infants, but it was still devastating. My husband, our pastor, a neonatologist and I all prayed for Katelyn's well-being. Katelyn came into the world weighing 1 pound 14 ounces and was 13 ¬ inches long. The first minutes of her life progressed as expected for a 26- weeker; later, this would not be the case. As my husband and I made our way to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the neonatologist who prayed with us earlier met us at the door to deliver the news. Katelyn had a very rare and life-threatening pulmonary condition, her blood pressure was barely registering and about 30 other things were wrong that I couldn't comprehend. The doctor explained all of their efforts to save her precious life were failing and one final attempt with an experimental nitric oxide therapy would be made. If the treatment did not work, Katelyn would not survive. They let us see her for a few minutes before making us leave. For the next two excruciating hours we were not permitted back in the NICU. Once we were allowed back in, another physician met with us and explained that Katelyn had started slowly responding to the nitric oxide. He listed many concerns about her health and the very prominent threat of her not surviving, but she was fighting very hard to live. Minute by minute, and after countless prayers, Katelyn began to improve. Within six days the oscillating ventilator and nitric oxide were removed. Her blood pressure began to stabilize without the help of medication and all other ailments were showing signs of improvement. Later, head and heart sonograms revealed no sign of hemorrhaging or damage, she passed her hearing test, and she does not have ROP. Throughout the 70 days we spent in the NICU, Katelyn's doctors and nurses warned us that Katelyn would be in the hospital for months, but she surprised all of us. On January 25, 2005, we took our precious miracle home, just 10 weeks after she was born. She was not even due for another four weeks! Bringing Katelyn home was incredible. She was still on oxygen, an apnea/bradycardia monitor and a pulse oximeter; it took three of us to load a five-pound baby in the car! The next several weeks were exhausting, exhilarating and wonderful. I learned so much about my daughter in one night that I never knew while she was in the NICU. Katelyn talked in her sleep, she sang when she was awake and she loved to eat! Katelyn ate constantly from the second she came home until she reached 10 pounds two months later. Week by week, Katelyn got stronger and the need for monitors and oxygen decreased. By mid-April, all of Katelyn's equipment had been removed, the kidney fluid and spots she had from birth were gone and we rejoiced that our beautiful, wireless, happy baby girl was healthy. Every day Katelyn does something new. She gets very excited to hear and play the piano and absolutely loves swing music. She gets sad when things are too loud, but laughs hysterically at Daddy's silly faces. Over the summer I enlisted support from early intervention services to assess and help Katelyn with fine motor skills. She currently receives occupational therapy once a week. As a special-education teacher, I know the benefits of early intervention are crucial for child development. As a mother, I know my job is to let my colleagues help Katelyn reach all of those milestones that may be a little more challenging since she had a rough start. Katelyn is making good progress with her fine motor skills and the gap I noticed in her development months ago is barely noticeable now. I remember telling many of my students' parents to be patient with their children, do not compare and not to be anxious for the future, because we just don't know if there is anything to be anxious about. Now I am following my own advice for my own daughter. Katelyn reached one of her preemie milestones this fall: she got her first cold. Even though she was sick, she still managed to learn new things, play and be just as fun-loving as ever. Doctors are still monitoring her for other health issues that may arise from her prematurity and pulmonary condition. However, we are not going to be anxious because we don't know if there is anything to be anxious about. Katelyn still loves to eat, but her weight gain has slowed down. At 8 months corrected age (11 months chronological) she is 15 pounds 10 ounces and is 26 « inches long. Katelyn is on the brink of crawling; she loves to roll over, scoot, sit and is quite the wiggleworm. Katelyn has great language skills and is two months ahead in this area. As I hold Katelyn while she sleeps, I can still see that tiny little preemie I held for the first time when she was barely 2 pounds. Except for some chubby cheeks, it's amazing how her facial expressions and mannerisms are just the same. Katelyn will turn one this November! The past year has been a journey, but the 10 weeks in the NICU now seem like a small wrinkle in time. Katelyn has come such a long way and is a happy little girl with a big heart from God. Update, January 2006: Katelyn has made great progress over the past few months. She has caught up nicely, crawls, gets into everything, pulls to standing and is trying very hard to walk. Early intervention specialists say she will most likely be dismissed from services very soon. ***** THE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF COMMITTED VOLUNTEERS by Toni and Ed Eames Moments before our Sharp talking calculator went off, we could hear the chug, chug, chug of Joe's Mercedes-Benz diesel parking in front of the house. As the voice went off signaling it was 10 a.m. the doorbell rang, as it did almost every Thursday morning, heralding the arrival of Joe, who had been reading for us during the last five years. This retired executive formerly worked for the telephone company and took his commitment to read for us as seriously as he did his former job! Volunteers Needed After relocating to Fresno, Calif., in 1987 from New York City, we needed to recruit a corps of volunteers to provide reading and transportation services. In New York, reading was provided by the Lighthouse on 59th Street in Manhattan. Toni had a day off from her job as a rehabilitation counselor at Kings Park Psychiatric Center on Long Island every other week to travel from our home in Queens to get access to the dog and cat magazines she loved to read. Ed traveled to the Lighthouse once a week and focused his reading on the anthropological journals he needed for his job as a professor at Baruch College in Manhattan. Volunteer readers were recruited by the agency in blocks of two hours. The quality of the volunteer reading was mixed, varying from a retired professor who thought he was still lecturing to a class of 400 students to a young woman who constantly had to be reminded that she was reading aloud! If a reader did not show up for the scheduled session, the staff made every effort to obtain a substitute, but the quality of these sit-ins was often less satisfactory than the steadies. Transportation was no problem, except for the time involved. From our apartment in Queens to 59th Street and Lexington Avenue took an hour, involved two subway trains and a six-block walk to the subway. Going into and out of Manhattan at rush hour had its fair share of inconveniences ranging from performers blaring their music through amplifiers on the station platforms to being jammed into overcrowded subway cars. Shortly after moving to Fresno we began actively soliciting volunteer help for reading and transportation. What has amazed us is the loyalty of those who work with us and the degree to which they perceive their role in our lives as the equivalent of a salaried position. Recruitment Initially we turned to established organizations as a source of help. An agency in existence for more than a decade was the Friendship Center for the Blind, created to provide services for blind and visually impaired Fresnans. Unfortunately, one of the services not seen as part of its mission was help in recruiting volunteers. Turning to organizations like the Retired Teachers Association, the Volunteer Bureau, etc., we were disappointed when re-directed to the Friendship Center. Clearly, we were on our own in this venture. Our first foray into volunteer recruitment was placing a paid advertisement in "The Fresno Bee," the daily newspaper. After three days of running the ad, two volunteers contacted us. One came for a single session and never showed up again. The other became a long-term reader. Alicia and her husband read for us through their education at Fresno State University until their move to Salem, Ore. Recognizing that the city-wide newspaper was not the best avenue of recruitment, we then shifted our outreach efforts to neighborhood and specialized newsletters and church and synagogue bulletins. From the upscale Villager newsletter going to residents of Fig Garden Village we recruited Joe as well as several others. Club 55 Plus was a group of seniors organized by St. Agnes Medical Center to provide activities for those over 55 and recruit volunteers as hospital greeters and aides. Not only did we join the organization, but also advertised in their newsletter. Finally, we placed announcements in bulletins and newsletters of religious congregations. The Advertisement In all print sources we placed the same basic ad: "Blind couple seeks volunteer readers. Please call 224-0544." Stages of Recruitment Our initial screening was by telephone. When receiving a call, we asked about experience reading out loud, their personal preferences in reading material, something of their work history and availability to read for two hours on a weekly basis. We explained that Toni has lots of dog and cat magazines, Ed has professional journals and we read a great deal of disability literature together. We also informed the caller that we had dogs and cats in residence, so if he/she were afraid of or allergic to indoor animals, things would not work out. To our amazement, Jean, a retired nurse, wanted to participate, but requested we keep our dogs on leash during the reading session, because, having been bitten in the past, she was afraid of them. For two years, Jean read for us at our home until her husband changed jobs and they left the Fresno area. Applicants were screened on the quality of voice and their attitude toward blindness. If they seemed paternalistic or amazed that we were living on our own, we indicated there was an overwhelming response to our ad and we would call them back when needed. For those who seemed good potential candidates, we scheduled an in-home audition. Each of us selected examples of the material we would be listening to on a regular basis for this session. One reader had a problem finding our town house, called in desperation, rescheduled her appointment and followed her husband to our house to make sure she showed up for the re-scheduled time. Hortense, born in Indonesia of Dutch parents, spoke six languages, read for us until the onset of dementia, and loved reading anthropology to Ed! She also read German to a blind student at Fresno State. For those applicants failing the audition, the same approach was used as in screening telephone inquiries. There had been an overwhelming response and we would keep them in a reserve pool of potential readers. For those we felt would be good recruits to our reading cadre, a two-hour weekly appointment was set up. Since Fresno is what we would consider a sprawling suburban-style city, parking near our home is not a problem and big city traffic congestion is virtually non-existent. A volunteer can reach our home in 15 or 20 minutes at most. As equal opportunity volunteer recruiters, we met with a challenging situation. We received a call from another retired nurse who said she loved reading aloud, but had lost much of her hearing. Norma, a widow, had been married to a petroleum engineer and lived all over the world, including the Middle East, South America and England. Her children had gone to private boarding school in Europe as she and her husband relocated from one residential area to another based on his job demands. As Norma continued reading for us during an eight-year stint, her hearing diminished to virtual deafness, forcing us to communicate with her through the telephone relay system and e-mail. Since it became impossible to communicate during a reading session, we selected books rather than magazine articles or mail for our reading sessions. When Toni had breast cancer surgery six years ago, Norma, re-employing her nursing skills, volunteered to come by twice a day to measure the fluid in the drains, part of Toni's post-surgical procedure. At the age of 86, Norma left Fresno to move into an assistive living community in Oregon near her son. Mary Jo, a neighbor living around the corner, cleaned house for a blind friend. When she heard we were looking for readers, she said her mother Betty, an avid reader, would love the job. This was a perfect fit! Several years after starting this relationship, Betty was going off to visit family in Idaho, and suggested her grandson Paul, then 12, would be a great substitute. Extremely skeptical, we invited Paul over for a trial run. This child prodigy was amazing! He could handle any print material we threw at him! When Betty returned from her visit, Paul continued taking the short walk to our house whenever needed. In many ways he became a niche reader. Whenever we purchased a new electronic device, like an answering machine or cell phone, it was Paul who checked out the instructions and taught us how to use the new device. Paul was our youngest reader and his grandmother Betty was among our oldest. Most of our current readers are retired, female and in their 70s and 80s. Of the 25 hours of weekly reading we currently enjoy, Lanie accounts for two-thirds. Like everyone else, she began reading in weekly two-hour sessions. A recent widow and former community theater performer, reading for herself and aloud was her passion. With a great deal of free time on her hands, she offered to read on a daily basis, and two-hour reading stints extended to three hours and beyond! Mail and Bills An issue all of us have who depend on readers, whether volunteer or paid, is privacy concerning the payment of bills and the reading of personal mail. We are fairly open individuals and don't feel threatened by others knowing something of our personal and financial circumstances. However, we do not go over mail with every reader and will only pay bills with a select few. When the bills come in, we set them aside until a reader comes in who we believe can read the bill correctly and make out a check or fill in our credit card number. All checks sent out are brailled and signed by Toni, so they can be reconciled with our bank statements. As Toni has frequently said, "Not all sighted folks are equal!" Over the years, mail has become less of a problem as we have entered the age of e-mail. Much of our private correspondence is now done online and most of our postal mail consists of ads and magazines! Reciprocity and Commitment Recruiting readers is only the first step. Keeping them coming back and enjoying the experience becomes the basis for establishing long-term relationships. Every attempt is made to have our readers feel welcome in our home. Coffee is always available and our cats and dogs go out of their way to interact with these welcome guests. At least a part of each reading session is set aside for socializing and catching up on the lives of our weekly visitors. We ask about their grandchildren, the Elderhostel they recently attended and the activities of their pets. They learn much about us not only by the material we read, but also through our travels and discussion of advocacy efforts. All of our readers on e-mail receive copies of our monthly updates, holiday letters and published articles. When our book "Partners in Independence: A Success Story of Dogs and the Disabled" appeared, each reader was given a signed and inscribed copy. Several years ago we decided to provide a group thank-you to our devoted corps of volunteers. New Wrinkles is a popular vaudeville/cabaret form of entertainment put on by Fresnans 55 or older. Many are former professional comedy, dance and music entertainers and the three-week-long spring performance schedule is always sold out. Knowing the director, we have been purchasing 30 seats for a weekend matinee performance and combining that with lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Not only does this give us the chance to say thank you in a public setting, it permits our volunteers to meet each other. Commitment to the job is demonstrated by their punctuality, willingness to make up reading time if they are sick or going away on vacation, or re-schedule if the usual appointment time gets taken up with medical appointments or meetings. It is further brought home by their disappointment at having to cancel a session when necessary. When Joe, the retired telephone executive, was diagnosed with terminal cancer, we stayed in touch and guaranteed him that his slot on Thursday at 10 was still open for him. When we spoke with his wife after Joe's death, she said one of the things that kept him going was the desire to come back to read to Ed. Since volunteer readers are an integral part of our lives, we go through periods of ebb and flow. New ones enter our lives, old ones leave. Some move away, some become too ill to continue and some can no longer drive. Drivers In deciding to rent our Fresno townhouse, availability of public transportation was a major factor. Three bus stops are within a four-block radius and the buses going to places we most frequently visit stop at these locations. One route stops at Fresno State, Fresno City College, two of the major malls and the downtown area. For a while we were dependent on these buses, supplementing them with taxis when needing to make medical appointments. However, weekly grocery shopping trips required another approach, namely the recruitment of volunteer drivers! Shortly after moving, we were guest speakers at the North Fresno Lions Club and mentioned the need for volunteer drivers. By the end of the meeting the shopping niche was filled. One result of that early relationship led to Ed joining the club, where he is now second vice president. Currently, two fellow Lions Club members volunteer as drivers willing to take Ed shopping and drive both of us to medical and other appointments. As inveterate theater-goers, we have developed an arrangement with friends in which we purchase their tickets to a show in return for chauffeuring service. These arrangements cross the line between completely volunteer driving and paid services, but it certainly is less expensive than taxis and provides us with a sighted describer of the performance. Other Forms of Volunteer Support As computer incompetents, it has been important to develop a volunteer computer support system. Dave, a blind psychology professor at Fresno State with the same configuration of computer equipment and screen reader, but with a quantum leap of knowledge ahead of us, has been willing to help whenever we have problems. He has also been involved in upgrading our system whenever we have taken that step into the abyss! Another friend, Howard, is our electronics maven. He helps rehabilitate those APH machines, talking pedometers, etc. He loves a cup of coffee and we always make sure we have plenty when he comes to do his chores for us. Another Source of Reciprocity Our volunteers give to us without any notion of reciprocity. However, there are built-in reciprocal relationships based on our volunteer efforts in the community. We have been in the newspaper, on radio and on television several times a year concerning disability and general community issues. As one volunteer noted, she didn't have to keep in touch by phone to find out what we were up to; all she had to do was read the newspaper or watch television. In some ways, our volunteer activities validate those of our readers, drivers and other helpers. Many of our volunteers are truly interested in our lives and community activities. Whenever we travel abroad, we share our diaries with these caring folks and make sure a memento from some far-off place is given on our return. Since Fresno is the fruit basket of our country, volunteers will frequently bring grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, peaches and nuts in season. Usually, more is brought into the house than the two of us can consume, so we re-distribute the produce by passing it on to those volunteers who do not have fruit and nut trees in their backyards! Conclusion The issues of independence, mutual dependence and total dependence on others have been themes permeating many aspects of our lives, thoughts and values. Like most other people, our views on these fundamental elements of blindness have changed over time. A constant theme, however, has been the need to rely, at least in part, on help provided by others who are sighted. Within this world of needed help, we have tried to develop an approach that is mutually beneficial to us and to those who provide support. Readers, drivers and other volunteers who have been part of our lives for long periods of time must derive some benefit from this relationship. Our goal is to develop patterns of interaction that can be perceived by these sighted individuals as worthwhile. They must not only be willing to, but want to, come back to read, drive, and help in other ways. Toni and Ed Eames can be contacted at 3376 North Wishon, Fresno, CA 93704-4832; phone (559) 224-0544; e-mail eeames@csufresno.edu. ***** LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The contents of this column reflect the letters we had received by the time we went to press, June 15, 2006. Letters are limited to 300 words or fewer. All submissions must include the author's name and location. Opinions expressed are those of the authors. Regarding Court Reporting In a recent letter to the editor, Beth Terranova asks about court reporting. I've been surprised that more blind people have not embraced this lucrative career. I worked for several years at Stenograph, the world's largest manufacturer of equipment used by court reporters. Court reporters use a special Stenotype machine which resembles a portable piano. They rapidly key in Stenotype, a code which is similar but far more complex than braille. Steno is based on sound, and an English syllable typically has its own single symbol. The machines print steno symbols on paper as they are entered. Modern ones also store the data in memory. The machines do not print English; when a court reporter reads back from the record, she's translating the steno in her head. She may be reading the paper printout or reading from her computer's screen. A blind reporter would probably do this with a braille display. The process of converting steno into English is called "scoping" when it is performed by a person and "translation" when performed by a computer. Computer-aided transcription (CAT) has come a long way since the 1980s, but it isn't completely accurate. So scopists are needed to clean up the translation done by computer. Court reporting schools can take up to four years to train students. Accelerated programs do this in as little as two years. For a while, it was thought that court reporting would become obsolete. But instead of dying, the profession evolved. Today, real-time transcription is common. Computers running CAT software rapidly translate the incoming steno on the fly. The transcript appears live on lawyers' computers right in the trial, often seconds after the words were uttered. This same technology is used to caption live events for the deaf. -- Deborah Norling, Milpitas, Calif. Regarding Accessing a Lifestyle I was fascinated by your article, "Accessing a Lifestyle," talking about talking cell phones, ATM cash machines at Wal-Mart and home appliances. As you remember, I put an article in "The Braille Forum" a few years ago about talking VCRs not being available anymore. I still had one when I wrote the article; it was in the shop getting repaired. It finally quit on me last summer. And they are still not available. They don't make them anymore. I think we blind people should write letters to radio and TV manufacturers and tell them that they should make their products voice-accessible so we can operate them independently. I had to settle for a basic VCR from Sony. In order to set the clock, TV program timer and secondary audio program for video description, I have to be able to see the display window to select the program I want. I had the Louis Braille Center in Edmonds, Wash., braille the manual for me, but it didn't help. You have to press up or down arrow to select the programs you want. You still have to be able to see to do it. -- Joan Ladeburg, Seattle, Wash. ***** HERE AND THERE by Susan Lichtenfels The announcement of products and services in this column is not an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its staff, or elected officials. Products and services are listed free of charge for the benefit of our readers. "The Braille Forum" cannot be held responsible for the reliability of products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to info@acb.org, or call ACB at 1-800-424-8666 and leave a message in mailbox 26. Please remember that postal regulations prohibit us from including advertisements, and that we need information two months ahead of actual publication dates. BEAMAN HONORED Margarine Beaman, who many of you know as ACB's volunteer coordinator, was recently honored with an Older Volunteers Enrich America Award for her volunteer work. She has been involved in numerous organizations, including the Travis County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and MetLife Foundation sponsored the award. CONGRATULATIONS, DAWN! Dawn Brush, a former ACB scholarship winner, graduated from Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D., on May 13 with a bachelor of science degree in sociology and a minor in gerontology. She retired from managing a cafeteria business after more than 25 years, and currently works as a traveling counselor for the blind in the state of South Dakota. GERMAN TOUR OPPORTUNITY VisionOutdoor is a new company based in Germany that is offering tours designed for people who are visually impaired. Its first tour is a combination of nature discovery and cultural activities that includes four destinations in eastern Germany. The tour package accommodates one sighted guide for every two visually impaired travelers. For additional details regarding pricing and dates, visit www.visionoutdoor.de, e-mail info@visionoutdoor.de, or call 0049-521-1640020. TREKK FOR LIGHT 2006 Trekk is a seven-day summer Sports for Health regional adventure run through Colorado Ski for Light. The 10th anniversary summer Trekk will be held Aug. 4-11 in Fort Collins, Colo., and the Rawah Wilderness, located about 60 miles west of the city. Trekk is a cross between llama-assisted trekking/hiking and car camping. Both visually impaired participants and sighted guides are needed for this annual summer sojourn. The program costs $450. Limited scholarships are available for first-year participants. Travel to and from Fort Collins is not included. Space is limited. For additional information, contact James Patchell at jmpatche@yahoo.com or (970) 402-5832 or Kristin Anderson at javagal8703@yahoo.com. DONATIONS WANTED Wendy Olson, a teacher of the visually impaired from New Jersey, will be traveling to Ghana to adapt science and math curricula for 12 blind Wesley College students studying to be teachers. She is seeking financial donations to purchase adaptive equipment, or donations of equipment. The items she seeks include: Nemeth and science textbooks, talking calculators, a braille dictionary, math tools for the blind, JAWS, Kurzweil, a tactile image machine and paper, a braille embosser, and braille writers. If you'd like to donate, please call Wendy at (201) 918-1448. 2006 COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE The 2006 NCAA braille college football schedule is available with 119 division 1-A and some requested division 1-AA teams. It also includes the results of the 2005-2006 bowls, the AP top 25 final polls, and the 2006-2007 bowl schedule. Make your $10 check payable to Allen H. Gillis and send it to Allen H. Gillis, 302 Schaeffel Road, Cullman, AL 35055. Call (256) 734- 4047 or e-mail gill4047@bellsouth.net. AUDIO DART TOURNAMENT Audio Darts of Pittsburgh will host the sixth Harold Schlegel Dart Tournament Oct. 6-8 at the Best Western on Greentree Road in Pittsburgh, phone (412) 922-7070. Make your reservations by Sept. 17! The rate for the weekend is $85 a night singles and doubles, plus 14 percent tax. Add $9 each for a third and fourth occupant. The hotel rate includes manager's receptions and super continental breakfasts. Tournament registration costs $75, $20 for individual events. The total prize money will be $3,550. Events include 301 singles Friday at 7:30 p.m., 301 round robin, 501 doubles, 301 doubles, and 301 triples. All team events are "pick your team." Send your registration fee and contact information to Louis Wassermann, 2503 Silver Oak Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15220 no later than Sept. 25. There will be no refunds. For more information, call Joe Wassermann at (412) 687-5166 or Gene Barton at (412) 341-0114. CHRISTENSEN NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Toledo native Dawn Christensen has been named the executive director of The Sight Center of Northwest Ohio. Christensen's initial involvement with The Sight Center began more than 20 years ago, when she was employed in production and auto parts assembly with the sheltered workshop. Christensen founded the Toledo chapter of ACB, has served as president of the Ohio ACB, and has participated as a board member at the national level. FEDERAL STUDENT AID PUBLICATIONS Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, has a variety of information resources available for blind and visually impaired students considering enrolling in or currently enrolled in education beyond high school. The Student Aid Audio Guide contains a 60- minute overview of the department's federal student aid programs and the federal student aid life cycle including eligibility criteria, application procedures, notification of results, loan repayment options, and deferment and cancellation provisions. To hear it, visit www.studentaid.ed.gov/audioguide, or order a CD copy by calling 1-800-433- 3243. Additional publications are available in braille through the toll-free number. MATH TRAX FREE SOFTWARE MathTrax is a free computer application from NASA that helps students who are visually impaired to understand math. Its text descriptions and "audio graph" allow students to "see" and "hear" mathematical equations, providing access to information that might otherwise have been unavailable to them. To download and learn more about MathTrax for both Windows and Macintosh, visit http://prime.jsc.nasa.gov/mathtrax/. OPPORTUNITY FOR MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONISTS Spheris, one of the largest medical transcription companies in the nation, offers many transcription opportunities. Certified medical transcriptionists with at least one year experience within the last five years may qualify for employment. Benefits include health insurance, 401(K), paid days off, and flexible schedules. Spheris provides JAWS software and 24-hour help desk support. To apply for a position with Spheris, visit www.spheris.com, e-mail your resume to Anne McGirr at amcgirr@spheris.com, or phone 1-800-788-0629, ext. 2629. TWO NEW HADLEY COURSES The Hadley School has recently launched two new courses, "Business Writing" and "Basic Nemeth Code." Business Writing includes four lessons that present the information and practice you need to write successful business communication. "Basic Nemeth Code" (now open to blindness professionals and family members of blind individuals) gives you the tools to read and braille the basic symbols of the Nemeth Code. After briefly describing the development, use and production of the Nemeth Code, this course introduces the symbols and basic rules for brailling math computations. Each course is free, but each has prerequisites. For course and enrollment details, call 1-800-526-9909 or visit www.hadley.edu. AI SQUARED PARTNERSHIPS Ai Squared has partnered with over 150 accessibility resource centers throughout the United States and Canada. Each of these resource centers can provide evaluation of your computer access needs, demonstrate ZoomText, and give personal ZoomText training. Free ZoomText trial packs are also available to try on your home or work computer. You can locate the center closest to you by visiting www.aisquared.com/resourcecenters. APH LAUNCHES NEW PE WEB PAGE The Parent/Teacher Resource for Children with Sensory Impairments is set up as a place to exchange ideas among those who want to create activity programs for individuals or groups who are blind, deaf-blind, or who have low vision. It lists adapted physical education programs, adapted athletic/sports organizations, equipment resources, sport camps, articles, toys and games, books, and services available on the national, regional and state levels. For more information or to submit additional resources, visit www.aph.org/pe. ACCESSIBLE AMERICA AWARDS Cambridge, Mass., West Hollywood, Calif., and Austin, Tex. have won the fifth annual Accessible America Contest, run by the National Organization on Disability. These cities are heralded as national models for their focus on disability issues and successful design of programs, services and facilities accessible to citizens and visitors with disabilities. Cambridge will receive the top prize of $25,000 for its innovative emergency preparedness planning, information dissemination, public works projects, transportation opportunities, inclusion training and outreach to faith-based organizations. West Hollywood and Austin will receive $20,000 and $10,000, respectively. Other finalists were Arlington, Va.; Berkeley, Calif.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Nashville, Tenn.; New Haven, Ct.; and Pittsburgh, Pa. For information about entering the 2006 Accessible America Contest, call Sharone Belt at (202) 293-5960. The deadline is Oct. 31, 2006. TUPPERWARE Christina Brino offers Tupperware products for sale on her web site, www.my.tupperware.com/christinab. Individuals interested in making extra money as Tupperware consultants can get more information from Christina by calling (973) 713-7724 or e-mailing christinab@my.tupperware.com. SLEEP POSTURE PILLOW Dr. Larry Cole has developed a pillow that encourages proper posture for a good night's rest. The SleepPosture (TM) pillow is designed to encourage sleeping on one's side, and is shaped to provide support for the head, neck and back. It also has a patented ear well that enables the ear to remain suspended while sleeping in order to prevent ear pain. The pillow may also benefit people with congestive heart failure because it enables them to remain in an upright position on their right side while sleeping, therefore decreasing stress on the heart. It may also provide relief for expectant mothers and people who suffer from sleep apnea. Learn more about this pillow at www.sleepposture.com; call (901) 767-8824, or e-mail info@sleepposture.com. BLIND PSYCHOLOGIST'S MEMOIR "To the Left of Inspiration: Adventures in Living with Disabilities" is written by Katherine Schneider, a woman blind from birth. She writes about the activities of her daily life, like talking to children about disabilities, traveling, going to church, and working. Kathie's life experiences highlight the warmth and humor in our struggles to be humane with each other, whether we are temporarily able-bodied or disabled. The book, ISBN 1-59858-131-7, is available through online book sellers and in accessible format through www.bookshare.org. BLINDNESS ITEMS WANTED The Rural Blind Progress Centre teaches blind people how to sew, make music, do hand crafts and much more. The center needs braille books and magazines, writing paper, slates and styli, and other educational items. If you have items to donate, mail them to the Rural Blind Progress Centre, c/o K.L. Dhavale, Guravoali, at Post Pen, Dist. Raigad, Maharashtra, India. ON-LINE GLAUCOMA GUIDE U.S. News & World Report in conjunction with Johns Hopkins has recently launched an online guide to glaucoma. Visit the guide at www.usnews.com/usnews/health/eye_vision/glaucoma/glaucoma.about.htm. BLIND MAN'S BLOG Chuck Ayers is blind and has been writing and blogging for over a year now. His writing interests vary from recent experiences to events 50 years past. He loves to include a little humor and sometimes a little commentary. Chuck enjoys hearing from readers. He encourages the exchange of ideas and knowledge. Visit Chuck's blog at home.earthlink.net/~chuckayers/blogmouth/. ASSISTANCE NEEDED Harmony Productions is a Christian ministry working to spread the word of God among people with disabilities. The organization needs photocopiers, cassette duplicators, blank cassettes, Bibles, and braille Bible information. For mailing information, send an e-mail message to peacelovers_group@yahoo.com. BRAILLE INSTRUCTION MATERIALS NEEDED R.T.R. Rabindra from Yala, Nepal works with blind students. He is seeking braille materials such as posters and alphabet instruction. Send items to R.T.R. Rabindra lal Shretha, 16/22 Baliphal, Navanani, Lalitpur, Nepal. DATING WEB SITE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES The www.friendslikeme.org site is a dating and social web site for people with all kinds of disabilities. It includes an audio link for visually impaired users to access the message boards, chat rooms, and information links. Membership is $45 for six months or $60 for one year. Join the club at www.friendslikeme.org. DATING FOR THE DISABLED There's another new web site out there geared specifically for disabled individuals, www.dating4disabled.com. This site is aimed at helping disabled individuals develop their social, personal and romantic lives in a supportive and understanding environment. It offers forums, private chats, a dating service and blogs, among other things, to facilitate personal expression and connection via an on-line community. There is no cost. Visit the web site to join! BLIND SINGLES GROUP Blind-singles is a new online group for blind singles over 18 years old. The aim of the group is to let singles meet other singles with the same disability so they can interact, exchange ideas and form solid friendships. To subscribe, send a blank message to blind-singles- subscribe@smartgroups.com. ***** HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: Braille Lite 2000. Asking $600 or best offer. E-mail Philip at philip-ashley2006@hotmail.com or call (703) 212-9448. FOR SALE: Modular 80 braille display with cables, driver disks and braille manual. Works great with JAWS; don't know about Window-Eyes. Asking $800. Money order or cashier's check only. Call Carrie Scott at (208) 362- 0641. FOR SALE: Teletouch for teaching or learning braille. Has a standard keyboard and a braille keyboard on one side, and a six-dot braille display on the other. Asking $250. Call Ronnie Strote at (815) 654-3190 in the evenings Central time. FOR SALE: Juliet Pro 60 braille embosser. Excellent condition. Asking $2,500. Call Amy at (574) 848-7451 extension 319 or e-mail ascat@maplenet.net. FOR SALE: Type Lite 40. Comes with a QWERTY keyboard, 56K modem and POP3 e-mail support. Includes 18 hours of battery life, a compact flash slot, serial port, charger, the latest firmware revisions, a one-year warranty, and the ability to serve as both a braille terminal and a speech synthesizer. In excellent shape. Asking $3,000 or best offer. Call Don Olson at (703) 920-0922, or e-mail him, olsondo24@comcast.net. FOR SALE: Voice Note Classic BT with version 7.0. Comes with AC adapter/charger, carrying case, earphone, Keysoft 7.0 upgrade, manuals and user's guide, low-power Ethernet PCMCIA card and cable for connecting to the Internet, 128MB compact flash card, a 2-gigabyte compact flash card, a 5- gigabyte PCMCIA card, card holder, and a cassette tutorial covering some of the basic features. Asking $1,250, including shipping anywhere in the U.S. via UPS ground and insurance. Will accept payment by Visa, MasterCard, check or money order, or cashier's check. Contact Pat Ferguson, 205 Joliet Ave. SE, De Smet, SD 57231-2411; phone (605) 854-9296; or e-mail pat@scanacan.com. FOR SALE: New and used cassette tapes in good condition. Includes boxes, labels and padded envelopes. Old-time radio programs from the 1930s through the late 1950s, including CBS Mystery Theater, Lone Ranger, Shadow, Life of Reilly, Jack Benny, Escape, Suspense and many others. Other items also available. Call Joseph Kelly at (903) 794-4852. FOR SALE: Optelec 20/20 CCTV. Asking $500 or best offer. 21-inch KDS computer monitor. Asking $150. Both in excellent condition. Contact John Frank at (662) 615-1430 during business hours Central time, or e-mail him, jfrank@colled.msstate.edu. FOR SALE: Two DECtalk PC internal cards. Asking $100 each. Call Don at (405) 858-8735 evenings or e-mail him, donald801@cox.net. FOR SALE: Braille Note 32 in excellent condition. Asking $1,400 plus shipping. Bookworm, in excellent condition. Asking $700 plus shipping. Mobile phone organizer, does phone calls and e-mail. Asking $1,400 plus shipping. 80-cell braille display. In excellent condition. Asking $2,100 plus shipping. Looking for Versapoint Duo; willing to trade one of the above for one (except the 80-cell display). Contact Isaac Obie via e-mail, Iobie@panix.com, or phone (617) 247-0026. FOR SALE: Clarity Deskmate system. This item was used for about two weeks before the owner lost a substantial amount of vision and could no longer use the device. Asking $2,295 plus shipping and insurance. For more information, or to order this device, call (916) 381-5011, visit our web site at www.atechcenter.net and go to our consignment corner link, or e-mail sales@atechcenter.net. FOR SALE: Open Book 5.0. Asking $200 or best offer. Mini MP3 player with three memory cards, two cases for cards, one wrist carrier if walking, one set of earphones, four AAA batteries to power the MP3 player, and a carrying case for all the items. Asking $150 or best offer. If interested, please contact Nancy at (450) 974-4167 or owenryder@sympatico.ca. FOR SALE: Ultimate talking dictionary for computer, $25. Text cloner scanning program, $25. Four volumes of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" in braille, $35. Contact Adam Pobursky via e-mail, adpob@charter.net. FOR SALE: Braille Lite 2000, unused, with 40-cell display. Comes with braille manual. Asking $1,300. SuperBraille combination laptop computer and personal notetaker. Comes with speech synthesizer and 40-cell braille display, floppy disk drive, CD-ROM and QWERTY keyboard, and heavy-duty carrying case and online user's manual. Asking $1,000. Eureka 4A portable notetaking device from Australia. Uses six-dot braille keyboard and has synthesized speech output. Comes with user's manual on tape. Asking $300. Contact Dennis Farro at (803) 979-2720 or (516) 825-5815, or e-mail dfarro@concentric.net. FOR SALE: Verizon Pocket PC phone already adapted with Mobile Speak Pocket. Comes with charger, case, accessible user manuals, and cable. Initial set-up guidance can be arranged. Asking $900 or best offer. Contact Latonya at Latonya27@msn.com or (443) 465-8761. FOR SALE: Optelec Spectrum color CCTV with 20" high-contrast CRT monitor; utilizes "tilting screen" mechanism for maximum comfort and visibility. Features a smooth riding table, large enough to accommodate a book or magazine. Magnification up to 60X. Hardly used, with original boxes and manual. Asking $900 or best offer. I will ship anywhere in the USA or Canada. Pay by PayPal. Call (408) 263-5015 or e-mail salehbhai2000@yahoo.com. WANTED: Donation of disk drive that works with Braille 'n Speak, Braille Lite, etc. Contact Jos‚ Inacio Laurini, 324 Conego Motta Street, Cabre£va, SP, Brazil CEP 13315-000. ACB OFFICERS PRESIDENT CHRISTOPHER GRAY 94 RAMONA AVE. SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT M.J. SCHMITT 119 SHELL EDGE DR ROCHESTER, NY 14623 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT MITCH POMERANTZ 1115 CORDOVA STREET #402 PASADENA, CA 91106 SECRETARY DONNA SELIGER 3912 SE 5TH ST DES MOINES, IA 50315 TREASURER MIKE GODINO 104 TILROSE AVE MALVERNE, NY 11565-2024 IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT PAUL EDWARDS 20330 NE 20TH CT. MIAMI, FL 33179 ACB BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alan Beatty, Fort Collins, CO Ed Bradley, Houston, TX Brian Charlson, Watertown, MA Carol Ewing, Las Vegas, NV Billie Jean Keith, Arlington, VA Oral Miller, Washington, DC Carla Ruschival, Louisville, KY Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD Naomi Soule, St. Louis, MO David Trott, Talladega, AL Ex Officio: DeAnna Noriega, Colorado Springs, CO BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS Mike Duke, Chairman, Jackson, MS Cindy Burgett, Bremerton, WA Rochelle Hart, Sioux Falls, SD Charles Hodge, Arlington, VA DeAnna Noriega, Colorado Springs, CO Ex Officios: Ralph Sanders, Las Vegas, NV Janelle Edwards, Springfield, MO