The ACB Braille Forum Volume LX November 2021 No. 5 Published by the American Council of the Blind ***** ** Be A Part of ACB The American Council of the Blind™ is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, contact the national office at 1-800-424-8666. ** Contribute to Our Work Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Attn: Treasurer, ACB, 6200 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Suite 155, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office has printed cards available for this purpose. Consider including a gift to ACB in your Last Will and Testament. If your wishes are complex, call the national office. To make a contribution to ACB by the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 11155. ** Check in with ACB For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the “Washington Connection” 24/7 at 1-800-424-8666, or read it online. Listen to ACB Reports by downloading the MP3 file from www.acb.org, or call (518) 906-1820 and choose option 8. Tune in to ACB Media at www.acbmedia.org or by calling (518) 906-1820. Learn more about us at www.acb.org. Follow us on Twitter at @acbnational, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanCounciloftheBlindOfficial. © 2021 American Council of the Blind Eric Bridges, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor 1703 N. Beauregard St., Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22311 ***** Table of Contents President’s Message: I Love the Help, But It Drives Me Crazy When …, by Dan Spoone Fun Facts about Nebraska, by Janet Dickelman Holiday Shopping at the Mini Mall, by Carla Ruschival Vision Loss Thoughts, by Yvonne Miller One of My Greatest Fears, by Patti Cox ACB — Like a Button Box?, by Zelda Gebhard Karaoke Helps Me Find Joy Again, by Darian Slayton Fleming A Brief Overview of Blindness in South Africa, by Jeremy Opperman and Lois Strachan A Visit to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, by Lisa Bryant Passings Affiliate News Here and There, edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins High Tech Swap Shop ACB Officers ACB Board of Directors ACB Board of Publications Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums ** 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 make the changes for you. ** Join the American Council of the Blind for the inaugural launch of the ACB Audio Description Awards Gala on November 18, 2021 – Celebrating in our own words! ***** President’s Message: I Love the Help, But It Drives Me Crazy When . . . by Dan Spoone It’s fall free-for-all this month, and I thought it would be the perfect time to share some of my favorite pet peeves when dealing with help from our sighted community neighbors, friends and family members. Do you remember David Letterman’s Top 10? Here’s my Top 10 peeves. I’m sure you all will be able to relate to several of them. 10. I Must Be Invisible – How many times have you walked up to a business counter with a sighted friend or family member for service? The clerk speaks to your friend like you are not even there. I feel invisible! How can they not see me? I ask a question and they respond directly to my friend. 9. Yard Noise – It’s a pandemic. Every neighbor has a high-powered lawn mower, a weed whacker and a leaf blower. Sometimes on my morning walks, the yard noise is so loud that I can’t hear the cars or other walkers on the sidewalk. I love a well-manicured yard, but these yard toys need mufflers. 8. Front Door Surprise – UPS and FedEx do an outstanding job of delivering packages from our favorite online shops. However, occasionally there is an unwelcome surprise directly at our front door. Sometimes that first step can be a doozy. Please leave our packages at either the right or left side of the front door. Thanks! 7. Wet Floor Signs – I’m a magnet for all wet floor signs. We have lots of rain in Florida, and this means lots of wet floor signs. Man, do they make a loud noise when you send those suckers flying! I believe that I could be a future Olympian if we could make wet floor sign kicking an official Olympic sport. Eric and Clark, could you please bring this up when you talk to the USOPC? 6. Cross Parking – Leslie and I love to go for walks in our neighborhood. We have excellent sidewalks, and our neighbors are really good at trimming the tree limbs and bushes. It’s those pesky service vehicles and moving vans that will get you in trouble. One fine Saturday morning, I was walking full steam ahead, with Leslie a few steps behind. The next thing I knew, I was boomeranging past Leslie in the opposite direction. My cane easily fit under the moving van across the sidewalk, and I hit that side panel midstride. It launched me in reverse before I knew what hit me. Leslie thought I was doing the Michael Jackson moonwalk. Friendly neighbors, please don’t park your vehicles across the sidewalks. Thank you! 5. Door Dash and Crash – I know that you just want to be helpful. I love the spirit of kindness. However, please refrain from holding the door for me when I’m entering my favorite store or restaurant. It’s so much easier for me if I can locate the door handle and open the door myself. It’s an accident waiting to happen when that helpful neighbor insists on holding the door open for me. I will most likely hit them, the edge of the door or the door jamb. It’s a complete mess. It’s a door crash. Please feel free to be rude and let me find the door handle by myself. Thank you for your lack of kindness. We promise it’s OK. Really! 4. You’re So Amazing – Here’s a little secret for all of our sighted neighbors. We are really not that amazing. We’re just trying to live our lives to the best of our abilities. Leslie and I were deplaning from a trip last May to see her family in Las Vegas. It was a normal plane ride home with four hours of sitting in our seats with several trips to the bathroom and listening to our audio books. As several passengers were deplaning, they remarked to Leslie and I how “amazing” we were. Leslie leaned over to me and said, “It must have been my graceful walk to the bathroom.” Really, it’s not that amazing that we can find the facilities. However, finding that flushing handle is another story. Clark, could we advocate for a flushing handle standard? Those suckers can be hard to find in close quarters. 3. Unsolicited Help and Advice – Have you ever had a friend or family member enter your home and feel it’s necessary to share with you unsolicited observations on the appearance of your home? Did you know there are fingerprints on your sliding glass door? I noticed some loose dirt near your front door. Would you like me to sweep it up for you? Leslie had a friend open our microwave oven and remark that there were some crumbs inside. Leslie told her to feel free to give it a good cleaning, if it was bothering her. I’m not sure if anyone would do this in a sighted person’s home. It’s all done in the spirit of kindness and a desire to help, but it’s very annoying. We don’t want to make anyone feel bad for trying to help, but it’s really weird. Has this ever happened to you? 2. Ride Swapping – Your friend or family member offers to give you a ride to a doctor’s appointment or help you run an errand. You are looking out the front door listening for your ride to arrive. A car pulls into the driveway and it’s not your friend. It’s her next-door neighbor. Jane had something come up, so she asked me to give you a ride to the store. Hop in. Why did Jane think it was OK to ask someone else to give me a ride to the store? I would have made other arrangements if Jane had let me know that she was not available. Don’t pass me off like I’m a package for delivery. I know that Jane was only trying to be kind, but this one really bothers me. I feel like I have lost complete control. Please, no ride swapping! 1. Strange Conversation – During my time in management, I have had several strange conversations with my sighted co-workers, but this one really surprised me. One day Marty entered my office to lament his troubles of the day. Marty’s truck had broken down that morning and he was very perplexed about his lack of transportation. His wife had to give him a ride to work. He was unable to go out to lunch. He wasn’t sure how he was going to get home from work, since his wife had the car at her job. Their son needed to get to baseball practice, and he needed some groceries from the store. He was really missing his truck. Finally, he asked, “Have you had a day like this lately?” “Marty,” I said, “I’m the blind guy. This is my normal day.” We both laughed. It made me feel good that Marty had been working with me for so long that he forgot that I was blind. Thanks, Marty; so sad on not having a car for one whole day! Please feel free to share your favorite stories on the trials and funny stories of dealing with your blindness and your neighbors. Happy Thanksgiving! ***** Fun Facts about Nebraska by Janet Dickelman I hope you are as excited as I am about visiting Omaha in July 2022. Join the American Council of the Blind for our 61st annual conference and convention, July 1st through 8th in the Cornhusker State. Here are some fun facts about Nebraska. The state tree is the cottonwood, and the state flower is goldenrod. The state bird is the western meadowlark, whose song is compared to the notes of a flute. I had no idea that states had insects or rocks, but Nebraska’s insect is the honeybee, and their rock the prairie agate. For all you jewelry lovers, the state gem is blue chalcedony. After doing some research I learned this stone “has an inviting, soft blue translucence, and an almost imperceptible movement within the stone that invokes a stillness of silent reverence.” ** Staying in Touch Want to get the latest and most up-to-date convention information? Subscribe to the convention list by sending a blank e-mail to Acbconvention+subscribe@acblists.org. If you received updates for the 2021 convention, you do not need to re-subscribe to the list. For any convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, at (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, janet.dickelman@gmail.com. ***** Holiday Shopping at the Mini Mall by Carla Ruschival The Mini Mall can help you with all your holiday shopping. We have gifts and stocking stuffers for everyone on your list. Choose from ACB backpacks and blankets, power banks and charging towers, duffels and totes and fanny packs. Select a zippered accessory bag, a messenger bag or tablet bag. You’ll find stainless steel tumblers and water bottles, zippered leather-look padfolios and ACB pens, and portable sound spas and low vision-friendly blood pressure gauges. Check out our great stocking stuffers — ACB 60th anniversary keychains, ACB Get Moving Together cooling towels, ACB Hawaiian shirt luggage tags, and Mini Mall gift cards. Have fun with mirror and snake cube puzzles, ACB spinning fidget cubes, tangle puzzles and our new bubble pop fidgets. There are 6- and 10-foot charging cables, flash drives and SD cards from 32GB to 256GB, and organizers to keep everything straight. Listen to the latest audio catalog on your Braille Forum cartridge. Place an order or request a braille or large print catalog by calling 1-877-630-7190. Thanks for making ACB part of your holiday season. ***** Vision Loss Thoughts by Yvonne Miller Coping with vision loss is not as easy as a walk in the park. Especially when the person’s sight may have diminished late in life. All of us know this, whether you lose your sight gradually over time, overnight or have had to live with it for many years. We each have to deal with daily issues of our environment. Ask any low-vision and older visually impaired/blind person what it’s been like; you will get many different stories, as many as the number of people you ask. The people who have sight loss later in life deal not only with the physical loss but all the mental trials as well. You will have similar experiences of being unable to carry out simple everyday tasks that require familiar visual cues of the world around us, such as instant visual information. Other shared experiences include: not understanding what’s going on in your surroundings, eye contact, familiar facial expressions, body language, feeling left out and uncomfortable, becoming isolated and lonely, discouraged, angry, resentful, frustrated, scared, despairing, and resigned. Add to this the impact of one’s vision loss on family, friends, and co-workers who don’t know what to do. Vision loss can present major challenges for all who are touched by it. However, over time, most people find ways to live with their vision loss. We use a variety of adaptive techniques and methods that we’ve learned through vocational rehabilitation services. Developing alternative ways to regain living skills broadens the horizons of those of us living with sight loss to get support from VR professionals and family and friends. We discover training resources and support groups we can join. We can also seek visionary local organizations and find connections with others in our communities. I remember getting tired of sitting on my pity pot and being frustrated, and feeling so isolated that I reached out to seek resources to assist me to regain some independence. I met with Jeff Vanderport, the rep from the Department of Services for the Blind at Bellingham to discuss going to Seattle for training through the DSB program. I thought, “What a concept. They will teach me how to function in a world without relying on sight? Can this really work?” My first attempt, I left after only a few weeks. I got so homesick … I cried when I saw my family. I soon regretted my decision. I returned to the program and graduated from the Orientation Training Center in 1991 and have only positive things to say about the program. The experience taught me daily living skills —mobility, cooking, cleaning techniques, sewing, reading and writing using braille, even woodshop, and learning about useful resources. The program gave me my independence and confidence to manage the way I navigate the environment at home, work, travel and with others. It opened up the world once again. There was a time when I became a shut-in. I recall feeling helpless and consumed with fear. An awful period of depression sent me into a dark hole of being untouchable by anyone. Such a sad state to find oneself in! I finally had to work through all the emotional barriers. I truly wanted more for my life and most of all to move forward, but to what? Meeting the caring, knowledgeable people from the training center gave me solutions on how to carry out everyday tasks through my other senses. The most difficult adjustment was waiting. One must rely upon others for transportation. So it goes according to their schedule. No longer can I jump into my car. I really miss driving. This transition of adjusting to vision loss means dealing with the very real impact that comes with the loss of easy visual cues, loss of information, power, control, fewer options, loss of independence and changes in self-image. The list of losses goes on. Along with these losses are a predictable psychological reaction to grief and the emotional reactions we have to loss. We resist or deny our reality. We’re mad about it. It’s not fair, we are very sad, sometimes even depressed about it and withdraw from life. Eventually we begin to come to some terms with it … accept? Perhaps … adjust to our new reality? Hopefully that’s what we each can do to find ways to cope and navigate more successfully to this life-changing experience. ***** One of My Greatest Fears by Patti Cox One of my greatest fears is that I will wake up in a very cold place, lying on a metal table with nothing but a sheet across my body. If you guessed that I would be in the morgue, you are right. I have an eye disease called aniridia. Aniridia is the absence of the iris, the part of the eye that gives it color. Without an iris, the pupils are always fully dilated. Most people with aniridia have glaucoma, nystagmus and cataracts, among other conditions. My stepdaughter was on the way to the hospital one evening, and I rode in the ambulance with her. I was permitted to ride because I do not drive at night and have this eye condition. The ambulance driver and I were talking about my eye condition and I explained to her about my greatest fear. I asked her what would happen, since my pupils are fully dilated, if I were in an accident and not breathing. She told me that they usually would pronounce me dead. I asked her if people ever just start breathing on their own, and she answered yes. This is her advice that would follow the protocol for any first responder or hospital. It was imperative that I obtain a medical ID bracelet — one that I could put as much information on as possible. I should include the following information on it: • My eye condition and what it means; • Allergies; • Emergency contact information. To say the least, I ordered a medical bracelet the next day. The last thing the paramedic told me was that if I have a living will, I should take a look at it and make sure I have everything spelled out. If I have a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order, they cannot use any life-saving measures. She said I should consider not having a DNR. If I do not want to be put on a ventilator to keep me alive for any reason, then I should be specific. I want everyone to know that it is very important to think about how your eyes can make a difference in the care you could receive. If you have an eye condition like mine, it is so important to make sure that you have some kind of identification in plain sight. First responders look on your body for identification before they look at your phone or wallet. It will make a difference in how they care for you. ***** ACB — Like a Button Box? by Zelda Gebhard There are those who would like to categorize people and put each of us in a tidy box. I do not think it can or should be done! When I was a small child, my mother allowed me to play in the button box. It was not a box but rather a 12-inch shallow metal tin with a lid that snapped on tight. It contained buttons collected by my mother and my grandmother before her. It was the practice in those days that before no longer worn garments were discarded, the buttons were cut off. These were placed in the big round tin. There they would wait until such time as they might be utilized in a new garment or as a replacement on a shirt, dress, or coat with a missing button. Not all buttons in the box were previously used. Some buttons were brand new and still attached to the card on which they were purchased. They were the “extras,” the ones unneeded and unused, for the time being, anyway. For example, when sewing a blouse needing five ½ inch diameter buttons, the selected one might come on a card with four on each card. Thus, two cards would be purchased and used, with three buttons left over. These would be stored in the button box to wait for their selection for another sewing project. As a young child, I was intrigued by the variety of buttons in the box. There were large, heavy ones retrieved from a worn-out coat. Some were small and delicate, like the ones used at the neckline of a blouse. The buttons in the box not only varied in size, they also were of different colors and shapes as well. Yes, not all buttons are round! I remember spending many hours admiring the countless buttons, imagining where they had come from and which ones might be chosen next for a new use. In an effort to keep me occupied and give my busy fingers something to do, my mother would thread a needle with some sturdy embroidery floss, and I would string the buttons I had sorted on it one at a time. On one occasion I might sort them by color and then on another day, I would sort by size. I think those of us who are visually impaired are a little like those buttons in that we are different in many ways. Some of us have been around awhile with former roles or careers, some await unknown paths. Some are on that journey and others are just dreaming about it. Like the buttons, where we come from or our color does not make one of us more precious or sought after than the others. There are some who would like to sort us and separate us by our sight loss like I used to sort the buttons. Let’s not allow ourselves to be put in groups according to our vision. Whether we were born without vision or lost it along the way, if the loss was gradual or immediate, partial, or total, we are in this “tin” of varying degree of blindness together. We are all different, and yet we have more in common than it may seem. ACB is like my button box, the one passed down from generations before me. It is the place we can all be together, those with a past, those just starting out, and those just hanging around with no obvious purpose. There is a special place and purpose for each of us no matter how uniquely different we are. In fact, I believe it is those differences that make ACB a very extraordinary membership organization. Together, through our many diverse perspectives, we see things infinitely more clearly than we can alone. ***** Karaoke Helps Me Find Joy Again by Darian Slayton Fleming The ACB Community Calls have received awards for the life-saving connections people are making, especially during this time of COVID and social distancing. One community call is healing my heart from deep feelings of sadness and loneliness. I lost my husband in 2016 to a second battle with lung cancer. Then I experienced a series of other small and large losses. My paratransit service eliminated two extremely helpful services. I sold my condo and eventually moved into a home with my parents. I had a falling out with my community of blind friends. It felt like my community had abandoned me. Then COVID hit. I began to feel deeply lonely and isolated. I found myself in a deep depression. I realized that the joy I used to feel in life was gone. So, I started thinking, “What used to make me happy?” I remembered that music and singing used to make me happy. As a child, I had an autoharp. I purchased another one and started teaching myself to play again. Then I discovered the karaoke community call. Singing just seems to get those endorphins moving. Like magic, the sad cloud lifts and I find myself enjoying the experience. All the participants are kind and complimentary; it is fun reading the chat after I sing and hearing the words of encouragement between performances. I especially want to thank Cindy and Meka. They run the activity like professionals. They are respectful and encouraging of all performers. When I attend, they greet me with friendly words and voices. When I struggle with the technology piece, they are patient and supportive. The kind words of encouragement help me feel welcome and cared about. I am finding my voice and joy again through song. Thank you, Cindy, for birthing this wonderful community call child. Thank you, Cindy and Meka, for your kind and encouraging spirits. The music of community spells joy for me. I hope it does for you, too. ***** A Brief Overview of Blindness in South Africa by Jeremy Opperman and Lois Strachan To say that South Africa is a complex country with regard to disability in general and blindness in particular would be a woeful understatement. Some explanation and historical context may be helpful. South Africa as a democratic country is less than 30 years old. Prior to 1994 it was a racially divided and segregated society. At face value, this could be stated as a divide between Black and White. However, when one unpacks the multitude of permutations affecting color, creed, wealth, poverty, class, and disability, a far more complex image emerges. The following brief essay must be read with these challenges in mind. It seems sensible to start with legislation. South Africa does not have purpose-built disability legislation such as the ADA in the U.S. We have several benign acts that support non-discrimination or affirmative action, but nothing specific. Ironically, we have one of the few constitutions in the world that specifically mentions disability. Our strongest Act of Parliament that explicitly acknowledges disability is the Employment Equity Act. It clearly states that people with disabilities must be considered for affirmative action in terms of employment, along with women and people of color. But without similar legislation supporting access to other crucial elements such as transportation, education and general accessibility to facilities and amenities, people with disabilities, including the blind, remain vulnerable. It is in this context that we must view the lives of the more than a million blind people in South Africa. ** Education Only a small percentage of the blind in any society will have been blind since birth or childhood. Therefore, blind education is only reflective of those who had early, congenital blindness causes. South Africa has 22 schools for the blind that vary in resources, support and quality of education. This is one of the starkest reminders we have of our regrettably segregated past, since the differences can easily be traced to the schools separated originally by color. Having said that, a handful of blind schools, including some previously intended for students of color, provide exceptionally good primary and secondary education. This is borne out by the impressive educational trajectory of some blind people who came through the system. However, the great majority of blind students barely achieve their high school diploma. Another regrettable fact is that increasingly, math and science are no longer being taught at these schools, which limits the choices many have after school. There is a slowly growing number of mainstream schools that are taking in a few blind and low-vision learners which will hopefully broaden their opportunities. Fortunately, the number of blind students attending university reflects the growing capability of universities to be able to accommodate them. ** Employment Unlike many developed countries, South Africa has a universally dismal record of employment of people across the disability spectrum. Historically, blind employment was more robust compared to most other disabilities, due in large part to the global practice of encouraging blind people to work on telephone switchboards, a practice made popular since the end of the first world war. It is not uncommon to find telephonists who have served their companies for over 30 years. This stereotype was reinforced by the fact that most blind schools that offered high school diplomas also offered training in switchboard operation. This practice continues today. Many blind people have begun their careers as switchboard operators, including these authors. Notwithstanding impressive university degrees, far too many blind job seekers are not even considered for positions that they could do with their eyes closed. This results in almost all blind people being either underemployed or unemployed. But it is always gratifying to hear about well-employed blind South Africans. Of these, two distinct groups emerge: those that are employed in the blind or disability sector, often achieving prominent positions such as CEOs of non-profit organizations, including a South African World Blind Union past president. The other group are those who have nothing to do with the disability sector. In SA we have blind people in senior positions in government, including a past minister of justice, a constitutional court judge, lawyers, industrial and clinical psychologists, several MBA recipients with correspondingly appropriate corporate positions, chiropractors, physiotherapists, bankers, journalists, academics, various IT positions including programmers, analysts, and a blind actuary. In addition, there are many entrepreneurs operating with varying degrees of success. Sadly, the fact remains that well over 90 to 95% of blind and visually impaired people are unemployed. ** Access to Orientation and Mobility Instruction South Africa is twice the size of Texas. The 60 million inhabitants are based in cities and major towns or in dense urban satellite “townships,” or live in far-flung and inaccessible rural areas. We have very few trained orientation and mobility instructors to serve the blind in the country despite there being a world-class College of Orientation and Mobility in Johannesburg, situated on the campus of the South African Guide Dog Association. There are few employment opportunities for O&M instructors due to funding constraints at NGOs. As a result, congenital and late-onset blind people are often overlooked in terms of O&M training. This leads to a perceived inability to manage even basic tasks in a rural homestead, such as fetching water, cooking, cleaning, or going anywhere unassisted. Rare as it is, it is heart-warming to see the evidence of O&M provided to a rural blind person and to see their newly won independence. In urban areas, access to O&M is somewhat easier as there are more blind service organizations, but there are still far too few instructors. We have a well-established 66-year-old guide dog organization, which has allowed thousands of blind guide dog users considerable independence, including both these writers. ** Public Transit There is a direct correlation between blind people having had decent O&M training or access to guide dogs and their utilization of public transit. Public transit options include rail, bus, and minibus taxi. Also, there is a vibrant Uber market in most of the urban centers. Minibus taxis are ubiquitous, while the quality and extent of a rail system depends on the city one lives in. As with most large rural countries, mass transit is limited in rural settings. There are few audio-described routes and destination points. Only one rail link in Johannesburg has proper audio prompting. ** Accessible Media South Africa has a long history of providing blind people with access to braille, tape, and online reading material. However, the selection of material is limited due to the prevailing book famine for blind people, which is made worse since South Africa has inexplicably still not signed and ratified the Marrakesh Treaty. Blind South Africans have only limited access to titles on Bookshare, the world’s largest library of accessible material. Similarly, access to legitimate audio-described film and TV media is mostly confined to Netflix. However, there is a fledgling audio description industry which promises to provide more AD for local TV productions. South Africa is well known for its innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. This can be seen in the innovative ways solutions have been sought to overcome numerous access challenges. This includes locally produced accessible voting templates and additional local language options for screen readers. South Africa has offered accessible ballot templates for blind voters since 2014. South Africa is a keen sporting nation, acquitting itself well at disabled sporting events like the Paralympics and World Championships. We have a keen interest in blind cricket, bowls, and goalball, and won one of the first Blind Cricket World Cup contests held in India in the 1990s. ** Conclusion While this overview may appear bleak, it is a microcosm of the larger situation in South Africa generally. The South African government faces complex challenges relating to the lack of resources in all sectors, and the needs of members of the disability community do not rank high on the list of national priorities. However, there is good work being done by numerous organizations to accommodate the needs of the blind community, and every success brings hope to us as a community. ** About the Authors Jeremy Opperman is an experienced disability inclusion consultant and speaks and writes widely. He serves on the boards of several blind organizations and is a keen Rotarian. You can find him on www.disabilitydesk.co.za and LinkedIn. Lois Strachan is a bestselling author, speaker and podcaster who uses her platform to raise awareness of the capabilities of those who are blind and visually impaired. Find her on www.loisstrachan.com or on social media. ***** A Visit to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice by Lisa Bryant (Editor’s Note: The National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum are located in Montgomery, Ala. For more information, visit https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial, call (334) 386-9100, or email ticketing@eji.org. For groups, email groupsales@eji.org.) When I shared with friends that I was planning a visit to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum, reactions were mixed. Some said there was no way they could make such a solemn trip, while others were intrigued and said the sites were on their to-do list as well. Confronting accounts of our country’s brutal, horrific history of slavery, lynching, its crushing effects of segregation on black Americans is indeed painful. Connecting that history to how justice today is meted out on Black men and women is equally hard. But it is a necessary confrontation. Located in Montgomery, Ala., on the very site where slaves were warehoused before being sold locally or transported to other states, The Legacy Museum is the work of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), headed by acclaimed public interest lawyer and author, Bryan Stevenson. Part of EJI’s mission is to ensure that all of America’s history is told, including its viscous history of slavery. As a visually impaired African-American, I wondered if the collection was accessible. So prior to my visit, I contacted the staff and inquired about accommodations. The staff was receptive and seamlessly arranged for a guided tour. I learned they also had about 50 braille guidebooks on site. It seemed accessibility had carefully been considered. “I’ve always cared deeply about exclusion and what it’s like to be marginalized,” said Stevenson, adding that accessibility was incorporated at inception. “We believe everyone needs to confront the legacy of racial injustice that undermines fair treatment for people in this society, and we want our spaces to be as accessible as possible.” The first exhibit shows the incredible albeit dishonorable role Alabama, and Montgomery in particular, played in the domestic slave trade. Through my guide, Ariel, I learned that in 1860, the state had more slave trading spaces than either churches or hotels, and that in that same year, two-thirds of Montgomery’s population were slaves. Further, Montgomery led the state in the domestic slave trade, while Alabama ranked second in the nation as having the most slaveowners. Following the main entrance exhibits, visitors are then led to a hallway featuring holograms of slaves recounting their traumatic stories. I listened to a young woman painstakingly detail her experience of her family being warehoused, then separated from her sister, never to see her again. The ramp leading to the holograms is dark, so low-vision guests should exercise caution. Hearing these re-enactments is a powerful audio experience. Visitors then enter the main gallery, which displays the extensive research EJI has compiled on slavery, lynching, and segregation. As expected, there are plenty of photos; but the exhibit is dense with text and in various forms such as strips that run down the walls and on the floor. Also on display are replicas of posters advertising slaves for sale (with great details to entice a potential buyer), and ransom notices for runaway slaves. Ariel was quite thorough in reading and describing. I also found the Seeing AI app helpful. In the center of the main gallery is the Racial Terror Lynching Map, an interactive touch-screen kiosk. The map is a visual representation of EJI’s five-plus years of researching lynchings in the United States.1 The research found there were more than 4,000 lynchings in a dozen states. This figure represents what they were able to document — the toll could be much higher. Using the touch screen, you can select a state and see not only the number of lynchings in that state but also the names of the victims. The touch screen is accessible for those with partial or low vision, but there is no audio, braille, or tactile component to this exhibit. In the same kiosk are videos from current, direct descendants of lynched victims. The stories are graphic and difficult to take in. While the audio is good quality, there is no braille or tactile accessibility. Just beyond the interactive kiosk sit over 300 jars of soil gathered through the Community Soil Collection Project. EJI began the project in 2015 with volunteers collecting the soil from documented lynching sites across the country. This is a moving display, with each jar bearing the names of murdered men and women along with the county and date of their lynching. My guide read a selection of these names for me. I did not test it, but I believe Seeing AI would have read the text. As you move to the exhibits of segregation, there are mounted quotes, facts, and videos, some recognizable, such as interviews of Martin Luther King Jr. There are also videos of staunch segregationists. One I found particularly disturbing was a white preacher using Bible verses to support segregation. This section is a bit challenging; many of the videos are playing simultaneously, and it is difficult to tune out the background noise. Plus, some videos are louder than others. There are audio jacks for only some of the videos. Although the last major exhibit is of our contemporary era, it eerily connects incarceration today of black men to slavery, lynching and segregation. Through a simulated prison visit, actual inmates tell their stories. Visitors enter a booth, pick up the phone and hear the individual’s account. One of the more tragic stories is that of Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent 30 years on death row in Alabama. Stevenson personally defended Hinton, and it took over 12 years before forensic evidence finally proved Hinton’s innocence. What makes Hinton’s case a haunting reminder of slavery and lynching is the blatant disregard for truth and the deliberate attacks on the rights of Black people. Hinton recalls being told by an arresting white officer that it did not matter if he was innocent; he was going to be convicted. Similarly, lynching victims were often murdered for the slightest offenses, some hardly rising to the level of a crime. On display are records of victims lynched for failing to respectfully address a white person. As you exit the museum, you enter the Reflection Space with scores of photos of abolitionists, freedom fighters – some known and quite a few that never made the headlines but were just as noteworthy. My guide provided descriptions, but narrator apps will also help you independently experience this gallery. The museum offers daily shuttle buses to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The memorial site is a serene yet solemn space, and is the nation’s first memorial dedicated to the history of slavery and lynching. Just as you enter the space, you are met with a harrowingly realistic and life-sized sculpture of six chained and shackled slaves. One is a woman clutching a baby – also in chains. There appear to be streaks of blood running down the bodies of each piece. There are sculptures throughout, but the main exhibit is the 800 six-foot-high slabs of steel bearing the names of lynched victims and the counties where they were lynched. The pillars are suspended, evoking the act of lynching. However, this is not designed to be a touch exhibit; in fact, many are not within reach. There is ample room surrounding the pillars for white cane users, but the heights of suspension vary, so taller visitors need to proceed carefully. Stevenson said that the EJI team continues to explore ways to keep the memorial and the museum accessible. He noted that feedback from white cane users led them to change the surfaces of paths at both sites for smoother navigation. According to Stevenson, there are a half-dozen guides trained, with an emphasis on assisting blind and visually impaired guests with the content of both spaces. He also added that as COVID-19 restrictions lift and attendance increases, they will train more guides. The staff has also prepared more audio guides and braille materials. The goal is to eventually have all content available in braille. A special thanks to Ariel and the staff who helped me fully experience this dark history. As for the memorial space, Stevenson said guided tours were suspended due to pandemic restrictions, but they are committed to restoring that accommodation. 1 The Legacy Museum Book, EJI staff ***** Passings We honor here members, friends and supporters of the American Council of the Blind who have impacted our lives in many wonderful ways. If you would like to submit a notice for this column, please include as much of the following information as possible. Name (first, last, maiden if appropriate) City of residence (upon passing) State/province of residence (upon passing) Other cities/states/countries of residence (places where other blind people may have known this person) Occupation Date of death (day if known, month, year) Age ACB affiliation (local/state/special-interest affiliates or national committees) Deaths that occurred more than six months ago cannot be reported in this column. ** Janet Barlow It is with great sadness that we write to let you know that our colleague and friend, Janet Barlow, passed away quietly on Sunday, August 1. Janet had always been very private about her health. We don’t think anyone but her closest family knew that she was failing. A couple of weeks ago Janet was enjoying a week on Tybee Island with her husband, Doug, and their three daughters, Jen, Bekah, Tisha, and their families, a gift she had given to all of them each year, for many years. While there, she weakened suddenly and dramatically. Janet spent her last days at home in Asheville, cared for by Doug and the girls. Janet’s contributions to the field of visual impairment are almost incalculable. Janet spent many years in the practice of orientation and mobility (O&M), on the street, teaching vision disabled people to travel independently, most notably at the Center for the Visually Impaired in Atlanta. Her practical experience prepared her well for her next career, researching techniques to make the built environment more accessible to vision disabled travelers. Janet was President of Accessible Design for the Blind (ADB), a small research organization started by Beezy Bentzen. Under Janet’s leadership, ADB became well-recognized for human factors research related to environmental access. Major topics that Janet investigated included accessible pedestrian signals, roundabouts, and tactile walking surface indicators such as detectable warnings and guidance surfaces. In 2017, together with Diane Fazzi, she wrote “Orientation and Mobility Techniques: A Guide for the Practitioner,” a manual for the teaching of O&M, now used as a textbook in university programs preparing O&M specialists. Janet was also the first author of two chapters in Foundations of Orientation and Mobility, the authoritative textbook on the theory, research, and practice of O&M. She authored many papers and was a sought-after speaker at conferences and workshops. Few individuals have had as profound of an impact on a profession as Janet, and hardly any have had such impact on two. In addition to O&M, Janet’s impacts on the transportation engineering profession have arguably been at least as profound, albeit less celebrated and recognized. For well over two decades, Janet has attended countless meetings and conferences – often listening for hours to the conversations and discussions of committees and panels, only to speak up at the right moment to draw attention to the needs and civil rights of persons with disabilities. Those comments were often celebrated, sometimes dismissed, but always had an impact! Janet participated in countless national and international meetings of the Transportation Research Board and its various committees, the Institute for Transportation Engineers, the National Committee for Uniform Traffic Control Devices, and many state and local events. Her impacts live on in the written words of journal papers, research reports, and guidebooks, as well as in the memories many in the two professions have of Janet, her passionate debates, and her field demonstrations to countless professionals of accessibility challenges under blindfold. Janet was a tenacious and deeply knowledgeable advocate for people who were blind and visually impaired. She was a mentor, a role model, and a leader, and we will miss her dearly. She cared deeply about so much and so many of us, consumers and professionals alike, in transportation and in the blindness field. We all leave holes in the lives of others when we pass. Janet leaves a crater in two professions, and in the lives of professionals throughout the United States and in fact the entire world. At the same time her monuments are making streets and sidewalks accessible across the United States and Canada. Janet’s competence, knowledge and work ethic were legendary. Her joy and passion for her chosen work and for her family and friends were a fire that warmed so many of us. Her contributions will live on, and we will miss, remember and celebrate her as we travel through the environment that she helped to shape. Janet was a true friend to those who knew her. As more details on ways to honor Janet’s life become available, we will share these with anyone interested. — Beezy Bentzen, Lukas Franck, and Bastian Schroeder ** Verle Keith Wessel Verle Keith Wessel of Homewood, Ala., devoted husband, father, grandfather, teacher, and counselor, died April 15, 2021 at the age of 77. Verle was born in Princeton, Illinois on Oct. 17, 1943 to Irving and Marie Wessel. He was married to Linda Helm on April 3, 1971 at Deerfield Presbyterian Church in Deerfield, Ill. He and Linda recently renewed their commitment to one another in celebration of their 50th anniversary. Though totally blind from age 4, Verle never let his disability get in his way. After graduating in 1962 from the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, he received a bachelor of science degree in secondary education (1967) and a master of education degree in counseling and administration (1969), both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He then devoted his 34-year career with the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services to helping other blind and visually impaired individuals as a rehabilitation teacher, counselor, and eventually, working for the Bureau of Blind Services as an assistive technology specialist. He also served on the Braille Authority of North America as a member of one of the committees that produced the 1994 revision to the American braille code. He served in many roles on the board of the Illinois Council of the Blind and was active with the American Council of the Blind. He received numerous awards and recognitions for his service to the blindness community, and was an inspiration to everyone he met. Though passionate about his work, Verle was even more committed to his family. He loved spending time with his wife and son, and later, with his two grandsons. After the birth of his first grandson, he and Linda moved to Alabama to be close to his son’s family. He loved traveling, reading, music, the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, and the Chicago White Sox. He was known for his humility, warmth, and compassion, but he will be most remembered for his sense of humor. Verle was preceded in death by his parents and sisters, Jean Scott and Carol Rocke. He is survived by his wife Linda, son Keith Wessel (Sarah), grandsons George and Benjamin Wessel, and brother Norman Wessel (Mary). Memorial gifts for Verle may be made to the Illinois Council of the Blind, PO Box 1336, Springfield, IL 62705, or to Savoy United Methodist Church, 3002 W. Old Church Rd., Champaign, IL 61822. ***** Affiliate News It’s convention season! Want to see your affiliate’s convention listed here? Have you had a successful convention and want to brag a little? Send the information to slovering@acb.org. ** ACB of Indiana Celebrates 50! The American Council of the Blind was formed in July 1961. It became apparent in the fall of 1971 that Indiana needed to establish a state affiliate of ACB. Thanks to the Indianapolis Star Fund for the Blind, a mailing was sent to 8,000 legally blind Hoosiers inviting them to attend an in-person meeting at the Atkinson Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. Current active members Don and Gerry Koors attended this first meeting. Durward K. McDaniel from ACB national presided over the meeting. The first four officers and nine-member board of directors were elected at this historical meeting. The first president, William Smith from Fort Wayne, served for three years. He owned an industrial cleaning and supply company. Don Koors from Indianapolis served for three years as the first secretary. Don, Paul Filpus, and John Huffman are the only original board members still living. To start on a sustainable leadership track, three board members were elected for 3-year terms, three board members were elected for 2-year terms and three board members were elected for 1-year terms. All officers were elected for a 1-year term, and they could serve for 3 consecutive terms. The board began meeting quarterly and continues to do so. After the first meeting, the constitution and bylaws were developed and submitted to the national office for approval. Local chapters began to develop, including: • South Central Association of the Visually Impaired (SCAVI) in Bedford, established in 1981 • North Central in Elkhart/Goshen, established in 1977 or 1978 • Circle City in Indianapolis • Lakota in Columbia City • Heartland Association in Bloomington At present, ACB of Indiana has three active local chapters: SCAVI, Circle City, and Heartland. For over 25 years, ACB of Indiana has shared information with its membership via the quarterly newsletter, “Focus on ACBI.” This newsletter provides a message from the president, chapter news, convention information, board contact information, and articles about issues facing the blind and visually impaired. Other informational resources are the website at acb-indiana.org, the Indiana e-mail list, and the ACBI “Information Station,” a monthly Zoom meeting providing information on various topics. 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of ACB of Indiana. To celebrate, the state affiliate held a picnic at Brown County State Park near Nashville, Ind. Thirty-five people gathered on Aug. 21, 2021 to celebrate ACB of Indiana’s 50 years of providing advocacy, support, and education to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The group met in an enclosed shelter where everyone enjoyed a nice picnic lunch. Door prizes were awarded to 10 lucky attendees. After lunch, everyone joined in singing, “Happy Anniversary to ACB of Indiana,” and enjoyed anniversary cupcakes. The celebration culminated in a dessert auction raising $300! Everyone also got keepsake buttons that had the ACBI logo and listed the years of its existence so far, 1971-2021. During the rest of the afternoon and evening, everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather and took advantage of the state park amenities. Some of us met people for the first time, including board members whose voices we’ve only heard on Zoom board meetings. Everyone said they had a great time and look forward to another picnic. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait another 50 years to have another picnic for our members, but this year’s picnic was certainly one to remember. Happy 50th anniversary, ACB of Indiana! ** Join AAVL, Get a Chance to Win $100! Join or renew your membership in AAVL prior to Feb. 1, 2022 and be entered into a drawing with the chance to win $100 in cash. There’ll actually be two drawings: one for current AAVL members who renew their membership for 2022, and a second drawing for all NEW members. Spread the word! AAVL cares about the well-being of older people who experience vision loss. And we want to double our membership in 2022. So join now, or renew your membership. Contact Kathy Gerhardt via email, treasurer@aavl-blind-seniors.org, or call her at (304) 283-7424. ** ACB Families — A Winning Combination by Carla Ruschival The holidays are almost here, and it’s time for the ACB Families annual membership drive. Time to get in on the fun! Join ACB Families for 2022 by Nov. 30 and have a chance to win a $75 ACB Mini Mall gift card, one of two $50 Visa cards, or a $25 Visa card, just in time to help with holiday shopping. Winners will be drawn at our ACB Families community call on Sunday, Dec. 5. No matter who you are or where you live, you can participate in ACB Families. We hold conference calls on the first and third Sundays of the month. One call features a speaker or discussion topic; examples include easy meal preparation, dollar-stretching tips, virtual school and rehab issues, gift-giving and shopping ideas, and much more. The other call is usually a membership meeting where you can help plan upcoming virtual activities and Families events at the ACB national conference and convention. Both calls are at 9 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. Pacific) on Zoom. ACB Families presented five exciting programs at the ACB virtual conference and convention in July. We visited Mammoth Cave in Kentucky; sat around a virtual campfire as talking book narrators Jack Fox and Jill Fox read stories and answered questions; learned how DNA can help grow our family trees; played Family Feud with CCLVI; and traveled the journey from segregation to integration of schools for the blind. After the convention, door prizes were awarded to 49 lucky people who registered for ACB Families at the convention. Join ACB Families now. Dues are just $8 a year. Pay by credit card by calling (502) 897-1472, or make check payable to ACB Families and mail by Nov. 24 to 148 Vernon Ave., Louisville, KY 40206. Welcome to our ACB family. ** Louisiana Council Convention in Lafayette The Louisiana Council of the Blind will hold its convention Dec. 9-12, 2021, at the Holiday Inn Lafayette North, 2219 NW Evangeline Thruway, Lafayette. Room rates are $92 per night, plus tax. Call (337) 706-8199 by Nov. 26 to reserve your room. For more information, contact Leola Campbell at (225) 614-5988. ***** Here and There edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. “The ACB Braille Forum” cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to slovering@acb.org, or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering’s mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date. ** And This Year’s MMS Winners Are … The winners of the MMS drawing are Allison Fallin from Tulsa, Okla., and Randee Boerboom from Minneapolis, Minn. Allison will receive a $500 Visa card, and Randee will get a Sonos Roam portable smart speaker. Congratulations Allison and Randee, and thanks to all of you who are contributing to ACB with your monthly donations. Stay tuned to see what we come up with in 2022! ** Research Project Needs You! The Illinois Institute of Technology and The Chicago Lighthouse are in the first phase of a clinical trial that will investigate the visual perceptions via an implant for people with profound blindness. Individuals who lost their vision as an adult, but who had normal or near normal vision for at least the first ten years of life may be eligible to participate. To learn more, visit https://chicagolighthouse.org/icvp/ or call (312) 567-5304. ** SSA Expands Compassionate Allowances Program Twelve conditions have been added to the SSA’s Compassionate Allowances Program (CAP). The CAP accelerates the applications of people with certain conditions. To date, more than 700,000 people with severe disabilities have been approved through this accelerated process, which includes 254 conditions. For more information, visit: www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances. ** First Tech Cohort for Startups 2gether International will gather cohorts of 12-15 entrepreneurs virtually, where they will learn about key areas of business, including product market fit, management, sales, marketing, financial projections and negotiations. This accelerator cohort will focus exclusively on elevating founders working in the early-stage, technology-based startups. Google for Start-Ups is funding this project. To learn more about the program and how to apply, visit https://2gether-international.org/pages/tech-cohort. ** Heumann Receives NEA’s Friend of Education Award Judith Heumann — a lifelong disability rights activist, former teacher, Presidential appointee to the Department of Education and State Department (among other accolades) — was awarded the NEA Friend of Education Award. The NEA’s highest award recognizes a person or organization whose leadership, acts or support have significantly contributed to the improvement of American public education. ** Request for Research Assistance Dr. Ron Milliman, a retired university professor, is currently researching the accessibility of online meal kit or meal plan services such as HelloFresh and Blue Apron. If you currently use, or have ever used, any meal kit/plan service, Dr. Milliman would like your feedback. Contact him at rmilliman@twc.com. ** Holiday Stocking Stuffers Available now is a two-album set featuring Ray Starr: “It’s Christmas Time Again” (21 selections) and “’Til The Season Comes Round Again” (12 selections). For more information, contact Ray via email, kb8kyr@gmail.com. ***** High Tech Swap Shop ** For Sale: Brailliant BI-14. Asking $395. This unit can be updated by sending it to HumanWare. To pay via credit card, Roger Behm from Adaptive Systems Technology will be willing to assist you with the transaction; phone him at (608) 758-0933. For more information, contact Raymond Rokita via email, kb8kyr@gmail.com. ** For Sale: HIMS Polaris 32-cell notetaker. The unit is very gently used, and in excellent condition. I will provide a thumb drive with helpful documentation files. Asking $3,000 plus shipping. Will accept PayPal or U.S. postal money order. Contact Tom Behler via email, tombehler@gmail.com, or by phone, (303) 775-1199. ** Looking For: Casey Harper is looking for the following items, either to borrow or have donated: notetaker with Sibelius music-writing software, a print-and-braille printer, and a refreshable braille display. Contact Casey via email, shenmbc@aol.com. ** Looking For: Wayne Coxey is looking for a Sharp talking calculator-clock. Contact him at (509) 619-0916 (Pacific time zone). ***** ** ACB Officers * President Dan Spoone (2nd term, 2023) 3924 Lake Mirage Blvd. Orlando, FL 32817-1554 * First Vice President Deb Cook Lewis (1st term, 2023) 1131 Liberty Dr. Clarkston, WA 99403 * Second Vice President Ray Campbell (2nd term, 2023) 460 Raintree Ct. #3K Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 * Secretary Denise Colley (2nd term, 2023) 1401 Northwest Ln. SE Lacey, WA 98503 * Treasurer David Trott (final term, 2023) 1018 East St. S. Talladega, AL 35160 * Immediate Past President Kim Charlson 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** ACB Board of Directors Christopher Bell, Pittsboro, NC (1st term, 2024) Jeff Bishop, Kirkland, WA (2nd term, 2024) Donna Brown, Romney, WV (1st term, 2024) James Kracht, Miami, FL (1st term, 2022) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (2nd term, 2024) Kenneth Semien Sr., Beaumont, TX (1st term, 2024) Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD (2nd term, 2022) Koni Sims, Sioux Falls, SD (partial term, 2022) Michael Talley, Hueytown, AL (1st term, 2022) Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA (1st term, 2022) ** ACB Board of Publications Katie Frederick, Chair, Worthington, OH (1st term, 2023) Cheryl Cumings, Boston, MA (1st term, 2023) Zelda Gebhard, Edgeley, ND (1st term, 2022) Penny Reeder, Montgomery Village, MD (2nd term, 2022) Cachet Wells, Jacksonville, FL (1st term, 2022) ***** Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums The ACB E-Forum may be accessed by email, on the ACB web site, via download from the web page (in Word, plain text, or braille-ready file), or by phone at (518) 906-1820. To subscribe to the email version, contact Sharon Lovering, slovering@acb.org. The ACB Braille Forum is available by mail in braille, large print, NLS-style digital cartridge, and via email. It is also available to read or download from ACB’s web page, and by phone, (518) 906-1820. Subscribe to the podcast versions from your 2nd generation Victor Reader Stream or from https://pinecast.com/feed/acb-braille-forum-and-e-forum. ###