THE BRAILLE MONITOR July, 1997 Barbara Pierce, Editor Published in inkprint, in Braille, and on cassette by THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND MARC MAURER, PRESIDENT National Office 1800 Johnson Street Baltimore, Maryland 21230 NFB Net BBS: (612) 696-1975 Web Page address: http://www.nfb.org Letters to the President, address changes, subscription requests, orders for NFB literature, articles for the Monitor, and letters to the Editor should be sent to the National Office. Monitor subscriptions cost the Federation about twenty-five dollars per year. Members are invited, and non-members are requested, to cover the subscription cost. Donations should be made payable to National Federation of the Blind and sent to: National Federation of the Blind 1800 Johnson Street Baltimore, Maryland 21230 THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND--IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES ISSN 0006-8829 THE BRAILLE MONITOR PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND CONTENTS JULY, 1997 The Price of Cowardice: Missouri State Agency Denies Services to the Blind by Barbara Pierce Arizona--Another Strong Braille Bill by Bruce A. Gardner Meet Kathie Mathis: a Fellow Federationist by Deborah Kent Stein Patent Dispute Threatens Prices of Braille Displays: Alva Takes Aim at Everybody Victory for Blind Students in Maryland Taking a Stand at Rye Playland by John Padilla New Mexico Update Internet Odyssey by Peter and Mary Donahue Forty Years a Federationist by Thomas Bickford Will Madness Never End? by Bruce A. Gardner The Power of Being Plugged In by Gerald Moreno K.U. Grad Has News for Doubters by Heather Kirkwood An Old Friend Is Honored: Our Fight Against Insurance Discrimination Remembered by James H. Omvig Recipes Monitor Miniatures Copyright (c) 1997 National Federation of the Blind [LEAD PHOTO/CAPTION: Kenneth Jernigan is shown here on the campus of MacMurray College on May 25, 1997. He has just received the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service at the MacMurray commencement. Also shown in the picture is Federationist Catherine Horn Randall, who is one of the leaders of the Jacksonville community and a member of the Board of Trustees of MacMurray.] The Price of Cowardice: Missouri State Agency Denies Services to the Blind by Barbara Pierce From the Editor: Several years ago Gary Wunder, President of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri and a member of the NFB Board of Directors, was the national representative at the Ohio affiliate's annual convention. During the weekend he had occasion to mention the constructive working relationship the NFB of Missouri had with the state's vocational rehabilitation agency serving the blind, Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (RSB). Together the two groups conducted seminars for students, job- seekers, and the like. RSB contributed funds and expertise, and the NFB did most of the preparation and organization and supplied speakers, discussion leaders, and resource materials. Feedback indicated that participants found these programs useful and inspiring. At the time my reaction was: what a wonderful example of consumer group and state agency cooperation to help blind people. This healthy working relationship gave me hope for what could be done by professionals and consumers of good will and commitment to enable blind people to achieve all that they can. Then, according to Wunder, the Missouri Council of the Blind, the state affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, apparently decided that it didn't like what was happening. Specifically they objected to the joint seminars and to RSB counselors' giving NFB brochures, pamphlets, and publications to consumers of state services. They also objected to the fact that the Colorado Center for the Blind, the adult rehabilitation facility in Denver conducted according to Federation philosophy, was under contract with the state of Missouri to train blind Missourians interested in effective rehabilitation. It wasn't that they had materials or services that they wanted substituted for those offered by the NFB; they merely complained that consumers were likely to be interested in joining the Federation after reading NFB literature; and they didn't like it. Wunder says that in 1993 and 1994 members of the Council began writing letters to RSB complaining about counselors' handing out NFB literature. (Ken Emmons, MCB President, did not return phone calls requesting comment.) The strategy worked. According to Wunder, in 1994 the agency announced that counselors could no longer provide any literature that had not been approved for circulation by the agency. Then they neglected to establish any guidelines for approving such literature. The result was that counselors were no longer able to pass out NFB material to clients. The agency also said that it would only co-sponsor seminars planned by both consumer organizations. If one group subsequently pulled out, agency sponsorship could continue, but agency participation could no longer take place in activities conceived by one group only. The NFB of Missouri filed a lawsuit in August of 1996 seeking to allow counselors who wanted to circulate NFB literature to do so. The case is scheduled to be heard in January of 1998, so agency personnel declined to comment on any matter associated with the case. Meanwhile the Missouri Council of the Blind filed suit in the summer of 1996 arguing that the Colorado Center for the Blind did not train people to accommodate to their blindness. But they failed to cite the specific laws that they alleged were being broken, and several months later they withdrew their case. Representatives of the Council have reported to the governor and members of the legislature that RSB urged them to withdraw the case, assuring them that, if the investigation then scheduled demonstrated irregularities or improprieties, the agency would terminate its contract with the CCB, thereby resolving the situation without going to court. In February of 1997 the agency's advisory council received and discussed an investigation of the CCB program, which cost $28,000 to produce. The council voted to continue the contract with CCB and to make any necessary adjustments within RSB that the report suggested might be called for. The matter might have ended there except that the Missouri Council had learned its lesson well. Agency bureaucrats did not have much courage and could be intimidated by self-serving complainers into watering down services. Returning graduates from all state-financed rehabilitation programs record their views in a survey which in 1995 and 1996 demonstrated emphatically that CCB students found their experience positive, that CCB training was effective, and that they were ready to resume their place in their communities. (The 1995 survey showed that CCB training was the second most highly regarded program among Missouri consumers, and the 1996 survey showed CCB at the top.) According to Wunder, counselors thought the program was impressive. The director even admitted that, as such programs go, this one was fairly inexpensive. But agency officials were not prepared to withstand the pressure being brought by the MCB. Gary Wunder comments sadly that senior RSB officials have no real commitment to providing quality services to blind Missourians. In support of this contention he reports that in the midst of the 1995 fight to preserve federal rehabilitation funding by opposing H.R. 1617 in Congress, Sally Howard, RSB Director, told the RSB Advisory Council that they should do whatever they could to conduct the fight because this was their program. She added that she had come to RSB from the Division of Family Services, and there would be a job for her there, whatever happened to RSB. Wunder says that it was clear to him that RSB was looking for a way to end the relationship with the Colorado Center. Agency officials had known for three years that CCB students were sometimes evaluated for job readiness at the Denver Chapter's bingo fundraiser. This was done only when the students had no objection to the location or the activity, and the students never did much work since the evaluation was completed fairly quickly. But suddenly Missouri took exception to the notion that its students were participating in a Denver Chapter fundraiser. At the May, 1997, meeting of the RSB Advisory Council the bingo matter was raised, and the Council voted to suspend the contract with the CCB. It then voted to urge the staff to try to renegotiate the contract with the Center. This second vote clearly dismayed senior RSB officials, who grumbled audibly about it at the time, according to NFB members of the Council. Regardless of what clients and counselors think of the CCB program, senior RSB officials show no enthusiasm for renegotiating the contract. They have little to worry about, however. The Colorado Center for the Blind currently has a waiting list months long and expresses no interest in jumping through hoops any longer to satisfy Missouri. That is a brief overview of the sad situation currently in Missouri. The following is a portion of Gary Wunder's presidential report to the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri on April 12, 1997. It lays out the situation as Gary saw it in mid-April. Here it is: One of the strategies of opposing counsel in our struggle with RSB has been to assert that I am the mastermind of all this discontent and that the rank and file NFB members know nothing about the issues under discussion. A legal argument like that could only arise from the minds of theorists who have never attended one of our conventions. To cut through most of the verbiage and speak clearly and simply to our struggle, let me quote from a letter I am sending to an assistant in Governor Carnihan's office, Ms. Andrea Ruth: Dear Ms. Ruth: Thank you very much for helping us get a meeting with Governor Carnihan. He seemed very interested and attentive as we discussed our concerns, and all of us in the National Federation of the Blind appreciate his time. Near the end of our meeting the Governor asked that we communicate further with you in an effort to address the concerns we brought. I hope we can get support for our joint resolution urging the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to adopt competency standards for teachers of the blind and that the Governor will encourage them to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law. Some kind of recognition by your office might be helpful in getting the public to see the crucial role Braille plays in the education and employment of people who are blind. The funny thing is that the public already understands the fact that Braille is to the blind what print is to the sighted. It is only the teachers and school administrators who work so hard to find alternatives to teaching this most necessary skill. We touched on two other issues in which actions we would like you to take are less clear. One is the lawsuit we find ourselves in with Rehabilitation Services for the Blind. The issues seem, at least to us, to be simple. We have free literature which blind people find helpful. RSB comes in contact with people when they could most benefit from what we have to share. We have asked that the agency use our literature when their professional staff believe it could benefit a client they serve. What we are asking is consistent with past practices of RSB, and the only reason for a policy change forbidding the use of our literature came about as a result of objections by the Missouri Council of the Blind. Employees of RSB are prohibited from using our literature for clients because we are classified as a consumer organization. We have suggested that RSB use literature from any organization, consumer or otherwise, if Rehabilitation Services for the Blind believes the literature has a message of value to the blind the agency serves. The Missouri Council of the Blind has responded by saying that they will object to RSB's use of any material which might positively influence an RSB consumer toward the National Federation of the Blind. We believe our message is quite consistent with the goals of rehabilitation and that what we bring is a much needed supplement to what the agency can provide. If those who provide services disagree about the importance or relevance of our message, nothing we propose would obligate them in any way to provide it to blind persons they serve. Our only request is that the policy singling out our literature as inappropriate for use by RSB be lifted. In the same vein you know that Rehabilitation Services for the Blind sends some of its clients to the Colorado Center for the Blind, a program started by the NFB. Surveys conducted by RSB of students that attend such facilities consistently rate the Colorado Center very highly, and we are told that the cost RSB is asked to pay is among the lowest charged by centers with which RSB contracts. These positive factors notwithstanding, members of the Missouri Council of the Blind object to the State of Missouri's dealing with the Colorado Center for the Blind because it is affiliated with the National Federation of the Blind. At the last meeting of the Rehabilitation Advisory Council, a member from the Missouri Council of the Blind moved that RSB no longer contract with the Colorado facility because, in his opinion, given its NFB affiliation, it could never meet Missouri's requirements. The vote on that motion found all members of the Missouri Council of the Blind voting in favor of it, members of the National Federation of the Blind voting against it, and members not affiliated with any group voting to defeat the motion. When the Governor asks whether we ever meet to try resolving our differences, I am hard-pressed to know how to respond. The answer to the question do we meet is yes, but those meetings seem not to move us toward resolution. It isn't that we don't understand each other, a context in which meetings might help in sharing perspectives. I think the problem is that we understand each other perfectly and that we simply don't like what we understand. Our experience indicates that it doesn't matter very much that we offer a quality service which blind people and RSB staff like. If we are the sponsors, the Missouri Council of the Blind is opposed. If the Missouri Council of the Blind is opposed, the Agency goes to great pains to distance itself from us. Even when they don't fundamentally alter the program, they at least make sure they are seen to be tough and demanding in their dealings with us. If our perception is correct and our very sponsorship of programs or information is enough to cause opposition which in turn creates reluctance on the part of the state agency, where then is there room for compromise? To Sally Howard's credit, she has asked this same question, and again I think the answer has been that nothing short of our programs' completely divorcing themselves from the National Federation of the Blind is acceptable to the Missouri Council of the Blind. This is not at all acceptable to us. The question the State of Missouri must answer is whether we will turn down quality services which are cost-effective and unquestionably in demand, simply because someone objects to the fact that they are provided by what they consider a rival organization. Not surprisingly I believe that to cave in to these demands is unworthy of an agency dedicated to the rehabilitation of the blind. As difficult as it is for public servants and employees of the state to do, I think you need to go beyond understanding that there is a controversy and determine for yourselves the merit of the programs and the merit of the criticism leveled against them. I propose that you look at the programs of the NFB and the Colorado Center for the Blind, and, if you find them poor, you need to act on what you see by discontinuing contractual relations with us. If, on the other hand, that review finds the programs we conduct effective and economical, I believe you have an equal obligation to act based on your findings and to encourage us in the work we do. You might consider saying to all organizations, consumer or otherwise, that public policy in Missouri will be influenced by positive offerings and not by sniping and bickering. You should say that the State of Missouri is glad that both organizations exist, that it has no preference for one or the other, and that it is perfectly willing to deal with both as their individual programs merit. You should say that we in the organizations are free to argue among ourselves about personalities, philosophies, and attitudes but that Missouri has little interest in framing public policy around our competing views. You should say that all organizations, consumer or otherwise, are welcome to come up with programs to meet the needs of the blind, and, if those programs find favor with Rehabilitation Services for the Blind and the blind people they serve, the resource will be used regardless of the name of the sponsor. That was my letter to the governor's assistant. Turning to our own suit to lift the ban against the use of our literature by RSB staff in their work with clients, we participated in a hearing in October in which we asked that the court issue an injunction temporarily to suspend RSB'S policy. That injunction was denied, and it is clear that we have a long road ahead of us. We were not able to show, to the satisfaction of the judge, that we have suffered any real damage as a result of the RSB policy. She asked us to show that we have been damaged monetarily or that our membership rolls have been diminished. Of course, you and I know that our objection is not that we are financially harmed or that RSB should be a vehicle through which we gain members. Our argument is that blind people have the right to the information we freely provide, that the agency has an obligation to use our material if it believes it may help a blind client, and that state policy should not be determined based on objections from those who consider themselves our rivals. There should be no rivalry when it comes to giving blind people information about Braille, careers, daily living, diabetes, discrimination, education, employment opportunities, Social Security, and technology; but this is in effect what is happening today. When observers say, in their detached and sometimes disdainful way, that this is just a battle between the two consumer organizations, I want to ask them what posture they would have us take. Given that we did not initiate the battle or try to pressure RSB into changing its relationship with another organization, it seems to me we are left with only two choices: One is passively to accept that public policy will be determined by whoever objects and by whoever makes noise, to accept the stigma that somehow our literature, by virtue of the fact that we produce it, is suspect and substandard, and to concede that our message is inconsistent with the message of rehabilitation and services to the blind. All of these concepts we can passively accept while continuing to persuade the Congress, the President, and our fellow taxpayers that rehabilitation is worthy of continued and even expanded funding. This is one choice. The other choice involves testing our beliefs about the land in which we live and the concepts of fairness and justice we hold dear. In a perfect world truth, fairness, and justice might emerge without struggle or sacrifice, but we live in the real world, and we do the best we can with our frail institutions and our own imperfections. One part of me is offended at the effort required to defend a good program and give away our quality literature, but another part of me is grateful that we live in a country where at least there can be a contest between programs and pettiness, quality, and senseless quibbling. Are we certain to win in the end? The answer is that there are no guarantees. If we continue with this action, in the end we may have to content ourselves with the knowledge that we have done what is right; that service to blind people is our number one priority; and that, win or lose, we will retire each night knowing we have conducted ourselves with honor, honesty, integrity, and civility. Our reward must come not in the knowledge that our position will be upheld but in the knowledge that any other choice is to abandon our concepts of fairness, justice, and quality programs for Missourians who are blind. At the time of Gary Wunder's presidential report, he was still hopeful that somehow the unpleasantness might be resolved. But as the weeks went by, he discovered that members of the Missouri Council had been writing letters to legislators and the governor in an effort to undermine the Federation's good name in the state and to ensure that NFB philosophy would have no influence in the thinking of newly blind Missourians. Gary wrote to the Governor in an effort to set the record straight. This is what he said: May 23, 1997 The Honorable Governor Mel Carnahan Missouri State Capitol Building Jefferson City, Missouri Dear Governor Carnahan: I am writing to you in my capacity as President of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri (Federation). I want to thank you again for meeting with me last month, and I want to thank you and those members of the Legislature who recently took steps to distribute scholarship forms to blind students here in Missouri. You will be pleased to know that, out of a pool of 500 applicants nationally and with twenty-six scholarships to award, two young Missourians have been chosen to receive Federation scholarships. It saddens me that I must now write to you concerning a very unfortunate dispute which exists between the Federation and another organization which represents the interests of the blind in Missouri, the Missouri Council of the Blind (Missouri Council). Recently you received copies of letters from the Missouri Council which contain critical and untrue comments about our organization and its relationship with Missouri's Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (RSB), a part of the Missouri Division of Family Services. We were not afforded the courtesy of being sent copies of those letters, and only a passing remark by a Missouri Council member alerted us to the information you were receiving. This is our first opportunity to send a reply to you and to those to whom copies of these letters were sent. For the sake of clarity the letters we are referring to are dated and addressed as follows: 1. February 26, 1997, letter to Ms. Sally Howard, Director of the RSB, by Mr. Newburger, counsel for the Missouri Council. You are carbon copied on this letter by name. We understand that this was also sent to members of the Missouri Legislature. 2. March 3, 1997 letter to Ms. Sally Howard by Ken Emmons, President of the Missouri Council. While it does not indicate so on its face, we understand that a copy of this letter was also sent to you and members of the Legislature. 3. April 27, 1997 letter to Ms. Howard by Ken Emmons. Again, while it does not indicate so on its face, we understand that a copy of this letter was also sent to you and members of the Legislature. In an effort to be aboveboard in the expression of our views and in the belief that they can stand the light of day, we are providing a copy of this letter to the Missouri Council and are asking that they extend the same courtesy to us when discussing programs with which we are involved. We are also sending a copy to Ms. Sally Howard since the agency she heads has been the target of criticism by both the Federation and the Missouri Council and since we are asking that you rectify the injustices we believe have been done by this agency. The Colorado Center for the Blind (Colorado Center), the subject of a substantial portion of the letters sent to you, is loosely affiliated with the Federation. The Federation does not have any direct role in the day-to-day operation of the Colorado Center, and accordingly we cannot directly answer for the Colorado Center. However, the Colorado Center and the Federation do share a similar philosophy regarding blindness, and we respect and endorse the teaching methods employed by the Colorado Center. Because the charges made by the Missouri Council concerning the Colorado Center fundamentally challenge both that philosophy and those methods and because those charges in our view imperil the rights of the blind, we feel compelled to take issue with the charges leveled against both the Colorado Center and the Federation in the letters you have received. The National Federation of the Blind is an organization made up of blind and sighted people who believe that with proper training and opportunity blind people can lead normal and fulfilling lives alongside their sighted neighbors. Equally true is that, without good training and real opportunity, blindness can be one of the most devastating disabilities known to man. A recent poll shows it is feared more than any other disability, save AIDS and cancer. We know that creating opportunity means providing good information about what it means to be blind, so the Federation publishes brochures, pamphlets, and books on subjects ranging from how one can match his clothing to how one can be certain she takes the proper medicine though she cannot see the printed label. Most of our information is provided free of charge in print, in Braille, and on cassette tape. For many years the Federation provided its literature at no charge to the RSB. Until 1994 the RSB freely provided Federation literature to its blind clients. Likewise they also used the literature available from the Missouri Council. For reasons we do not understand, the Missouri Council elected to threaten the RSB with legal action if it continued to give Federation pamphlets to clients. RSB's response was to implement a policy forbidding their staff from giving clients materials the Federation publishes and ordering that they not discuss any of the programs run by the Federation. One such program is Job Opportunities for the Blind, which we run in conjunction with the United States Department of Labor. At RSB's request the RSB, Federation, and Missouri Council met to discuss this issue; and the Federation voiced its view that RSB should continue to use any information, regardless of its source, which could help people who are blind. We made it clear that we had no objection to RSB's using literature from the Missouri Council or any other organization, as long as the professional staff working for RSB thought the publications might help the blind they serve. The Missouri Council took the position that the Federation literature spoke positively about our organization, that it might influence blind people positively toward us, and that the RSB therefore had no business providing it to blind clients, regardless of the need or its value to the newly blind. After more than a year of unsuccessful negotiations with RSB to lift their ban against our literature and the discussion of our programs by RSB staff, we were forced to respond to RSB's direct challenge to our First-Amendment rights by initiating litigation, which is still pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. We deeply regret the failure of negotiations and the necessity for legal action, but we cannot simply stand by and permit our Constitutional rights to be taken from us, while at the same time watching the needs of blind people for information take second place to political considerations. Our experience is that training is essential if blindness is to be a nuisance rather than a devastating tragedy. When we speak of training, we mean teaching blind people to do those things which most people can do with sight. Special techniques enable us to cook, clean, read, write, travel, go to school, learn a trade, and eventually take jobs and assume our place in the community. The Colorado Center has, for some time, taken blind people from Missouri into its program under the sponsorship of Missouri's RSB. As detailed in the letters sent to you and the Legislature by the Missouri Council, it is alleged that the Colorado Center discourages the use of guide dogs and will not allow them in its facility. If this were true, it would be against the law, and, of course, there is no truth to the allegation. The former Director of the Colorado Center is herself a guide dog user, and many people come to the program who use these fine animals. The Federation urged and worked with Senator Wiggins for eight years to have introduced (and finally passed) the first Missouri statute guaranteeing the right of blind Missourians to be accompanied by their guide dogs. This, in addition to numerous cases in which the Federation has used the law to help blind people with guide dogs, should make it clear this charge is totally false. The Missouri Council alleges that the Colorado Center does not teach students to use their remaining vision and that it mandates they wear sleep shades. No student is forced to do anything--the Colorado Center program is for adults, and blind people are treated accordingly. Since people who go to the Colorado Center do so because of low or failing vision, the Colorado Center first seeks to teach skills which are not dependent on vision. When a student has learned that performing essential life activities can be done without vision, the Colorado Center then works with that student to maximize the use of his remaining sight. Sleep shades are indeed used in training, since the temptation to rely on one's remaining vision is second nature for anyone who has it. If the Colorado Center were to teach visual enhancement first, its emphasis would be on what the student lacks or is losing. By first teaching techniques which are not dependent upon vision, the Colorado Center seeks to convey to the student that any usable vision he or she has is a supplement and not an essential ingredient to living in a sighted world. Every reasonable human being would certainly agree that any vision a person has is a blessing that should be used. The only issue for consideration is whether one teaches visual techniques first and then adds blindness techniques later, or whether blindness techniques are the foundation on which one builds other skills. In the letters sent to you, the Missouri Council accuses the Colorado Center of forcing blind people to use a slate and stylus when there are other devices with which to write Braille. The issue of how one writes Braille is not an either/or matter. Just as with print, there are different writing methods for different situations. A slate and stylus is to Braille what a pencil or pen is to print. A Braille 'n Speak device is to Braille users what a computer, keyboard, and screen are to the sighted. A computer costs $1,000 for the sighted, and a pencil costs a quarter. The Braille 'n Speak for the blind costs $1500, and a slate and stylus costs $3.50. The Colorado Center teaches reading and writing skills at all technological levels, believing that, to the greatest extent possible, blind people need as many options as do folks who can see. Consider how cumbersome your life would be if you had to turn on a computer every time you wanted to take or retrieve a phone number or had to carry a computer to the grocery store in order to read your grocery list. To deny blind people a low-tech alternative in reading and writing would be to eliminate a life skill widely employed by both the sighted and the blind in dealing with many day-to-day activities. The Missouri Council tells you the Colorado Center requires its students to use canes produced by the Federation. This is not so. The Colorado Center recommends the long white cane, which the Federation contracts to be produced, because it is the lightest and most durable cane on the market. Cane breakage is most likely to occur when a student is just learning to travel, and providing him or her with the most durable cane available in this training activity is obviously appropriate. While the Colorado Center certainly recommends the rigid fiber glass or carbon fiber canes we have produced, it also makes available canes from other sources and gives them out freely. Current students and alumni can attest to this and have stated as much to interviewers from the RSB. In another Missouri Council allegation contained in the letters sent to you, they contend students are forced to do rock climbing and water skiing. As noted earlier, Colorado Center students are adults, and the word "forced" has no place in this environment. One of the Colorado Center's challenges is to get their students to rethink attitudes about the limited capabilities of the blind, and it is precisely by getting these students to engage in activities generally thought off limits for the blind that the Colorado Center starts to change attitudes at the gut level. The Missouri Council says that alternatives to these activities include reading, bowling, and playing games. While such exercises are unquestionably enjoyable and beneficial, they do not help to reshape one's attitudes about blindness, a critical element in rehabilitation. A complaint made to you is that students at the Colorado Center are offered the opportunity to attend the national convention of the Federation as part of their training. The RSB has known about and endorsed this practice precisely because the convention experience contains so many of the elements of training for which we send blind Missourians to the Colorado Center in the first place. The convention puts our trainees in contact with many blind people who can independently travel, give speeches using Braille, and use technology on a daily basis to do their work. Our convention features over fifty special-interest groups which center on occupations ranging from preachers to lawyers, child care workers to nursing home administrators, body shop workers to college professors, and sheltered shop workers to computer scientists. The Colorado Center and the RSB have endorsed Missouri students attending the Federation national convention as a part of their training because it is the largest meeting of blind people in the world and the most diverse group which annually assembles to address the concerns of the blind. The investigation you commissioned suggested this activity might be a contractual violation. The Missouri Council is pressuring, and RSB is considering seeking a refund for time spent at Federation national conventions. A request for a refund is being considered despite the RSB Director's assertion in February that she knew about students attending Federation conventions, that she had thought it had training value, and that it would be unfair now to hold the Colorado Center liable for participating in an activity which had been considered proper by RSB. The most recent charge to be leveled against the Colorado Center by RSB is that Missouri students have been used by the Colorado Center to do fundraising while in training paid for by the RSB. This charge we unequivocally deny. Under the contract with RSB, the Colorado Center is obligated to provide evaluation services aimed at determining the employability of those it serves. This is generally done by finding an employer who will allow a student to work in his or her place of business and who will then help the Colorado Center in evaluating the student's abilities and work performance. The Denver chapter of the Federation raises money by running a bingo game. As early as 1994 the RSB agreed that the Colorado Center could, with the agreement of the Denver Chapter, use the bingo operation to perform such work evaluations. A student in 1994 was given a two-week internship at the Denver chapter's operation, and reports of his progress in learning work activities generalizable to other employment were filed with and approved by the RSB. In early April of this year another student volunteered to work in this activity to get some on-the-job experience, was allowed to take a half-day shift, and was evaluated as was the student in 1994. Now, however, given the criticism generated by the Missouri Council of the Colorado Center and the desire of the RSB to avoid further controversy, this activity has incredibly been used as the reason for canceling RSB's contract with the Colorado Center. All of this has occurred without affording the Colorado Center any meaningful opportunity to defend against an alleged contract violation. There are, of course, alternatives open to RSB, if it believes this bingo activity has the appearance of a conflict of interest or promotes the National Federation of the Blind. It could specifically disallow use of the bingo operation for evaluations, requiring instead that the Colorado Center seek out other businesses which would work with it to evaluate the potential of the student. The RSB could specifically forbid Missouri students from volunteering to work in the bingo activity, regardless of the value of the work experience or the evaluations springing from it. No matter how many alternatives were suggested to the RSB, however, the Missouri Council insisted that it would only be satisfied with the termination of the Colorado Center contract, and that is precisely what has occurred. In May of 1996 many of the charges discussed here were brought before the Advisory Council that oversees and advises Missouri's RSB. That body asked you to conduct an investigation, and this you did by hiring the St. Louis firm of Armstrong, Teasdale, Schlafley, and Davis, which in turn generated a 100- page report. The report, as many have remarked, contains a little something for everyone. The pattern employed is to discuss an accusation, find no violation of the law, but then say that "some consumers, however, contend. . . ." Similarly characteristic of the report are sections which conclude with "While there is no case law on this subject, some groups of the disabled say. . . ." If the nearly $30,000 spent in this investigation were intended to provide you with an overview of what each group was saying about the other, then our money has been well spent. If, however, the purpose of the report was to investigate supposed violations of the law, we the blind and the taxpayers deserve better than these equivocal statements. Conclusion In retrospect, our most grievous error in dealing with the accusations of the Missouri Council has been to assume that they would sound as ridiculous to others as they have to us and that we would be viewed as engaging in petty bickering were we to mount a full-scale assault on them. We have foolishly assumed that positive programs would, without defense, be enough to counter the baseless criticisms leveled against them, but this neglect on our part has left many free to conclude that, in the absence of information to the contrary, the charges of the Missouri Council must be true. We would like your help in seeing that Missouri renews its contract with the Colorado Center and that RSB lifts its ban on the mention of Federation programs and the use of Federation public information on blindness. Each year we work hard to see that RSB receives the federal and state appropriations necessary for it to do its work of successfully integrating blind people back into the community. We deserve better than to be told that Federation literature and Federation programs are incompatible with the rehabilitation process, simply because they bear our name and because a group which considers itself to be a rival organization offers an objection. Please see that Missouri takes advantage of any program or service which can increase the chance that our blind citizens can successfully live and work alongside their sighted friends and neighbors. Yours Very Truly, Gary Wunder, President National Federation of the Blind of Missouri cc: All Members of the Missouri Legislature Ms. Sally Howard, Director, RSB Missouri Council of the Blind There you have the letter Gary Wunder wrote to the governor, and so far we have no indication of its impact. As usual in such cases, if the governor does not put an end to the nonsense or the agency does not find the courage to do what is best for its consumers of services, the only people who will lose are those Missourians who will become blind in the future or who, for whatever reason, have not yet received rehabilitation. Of course, members of the Missouri affiliate will continue to reach out to those who need their help, but their efforts would have been much more productive if they could have continued to work collegially with the state agency. Ironically, the Braille Revival League, an organization within the ACB, conducts a program in St. Louis, in which volunteers teach Braille to those interested in learning it. Gary Wunder says that RSB takes advantage of this service, and the Federation has never tried to discourage the relationship. The NFB's attitude has always been that there is enough work to go around and that every good program should be encouraged. Wunder says that the NFB's challenge is to find its own ways to serve would-be Braille readers in St. Louis and across the state. It is tragic that the ACB has not shared this attitude and that the state agency in Missouri is afraid to stand up for what is right. As it stands now, neither consumer satisfaction nor effective rehabilitation matters in Missouri. Neither counselor opinion nor consumer-group willingness to assist clients is of importance. Keeping the ACB quiet is apparently all that really matters to the Missouri agency charged with serving the blind. Cowardice has a new name and definition; the name is Missouri Services for the Blind, and the definition is capitulation. [PHOTO/CAPTION: Governor Symington signs the Arizona Braille bill, and Lindsey McHugh smiles in appreciation while other members of the NFB of Arizona look on.] Arizona--Another Strong Braille Bill by Bruce A. Gardner From the Editor: Bruce Gardner is the President of the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona. I am both pleased and proud to announce to the world that Arizona has joined the ranks of the now twenty-nine states which can boast the existence of a strong, comprehensive Braille Bill. We have even added a little twist which, as far as I know, has not been adopted in any other state. During the past few years the NFB of Arizona has been able to gain increasing support in the state legislature through legislative luncheons and other personal contacts. Our hard work has now clearly paid off; but even so, the ease with which we moved through the legislature is nothing short of astonishing. The bill itself is based upon the national model, which has enjoyed the support not only of the NFB but also of the other major organizations both of and for the blind. Our work in drafting the Arizona bill was also a joint effort. The NFB of Arizona worked with the Arizona Governor's Council on Blindness and its member organizations. The task force which drafted the bill was chaired by Dr. Jane Erin, head of the University of Arizona's master's program for teachers of the blind. Our bill (now state law) includes a presumption that each blind student needs Braille; states that, even if only one member of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team wants Braille instruction, then it will be taught; provides that book publishers wishing to sell text books in Arizona must supply a disk from which Braille books can be produced; and requires that the special ed teachers of the blind must pass a national Braille competency test or an Arizona competency test if a national test is not available. The special Arizona twist is this: While several state Braille laws now require that book publishers supply the state with computer disks, these provisions generally apply only to elementary and secondary schools. Thanks to Dr. Erin (she thought of it; we didn't), our law also requires that publishers selling to community colleges or universities must furnish the disks. The remarkable legislative progress went like this: Bill introduced, February 4; heard by House Education Committee on February 12 (passed fourteen to zero); heard by House Rules Committee on February 18 (passed thirteen to zero); full House vote, February 26 (passed fifty-four to zero); heard by Senate Education Committee, March 13 (passed six to zero); heard by Senate Appropriations Committee, March 26 (passed nine to zero); heard by Senate Rules Committee, March 31 (passed six to zero); and passed by the full Senate on April 14 by a vote of thirty to nothing. The Governor signed the bill into law on April 22, 1997. Special thanks must go to Miss Lindsey McHugh of Tucson. Lindsey is a blind nine-year-old who read Braille for both the Senate Education and Appropriations Committees. A couple of usually gruff senators remarked that they did not think it politically wise to vote against the bill in view of Lindsey's outstanding testimony. At the signing ceremony Lindsey McHugh read a brief statement to the Governor and the press. She said: On behalf of the blind of Arizona, we of the NFB thank you, Governor Symington, for having this ceremony and for signing our Braille bill. We are also grateful to Representative Schottel for all of his good work in guiding the bill through the legislature. This Braille bill is the first step in improving education and training for the blind in Arizona. Next, we have to fix rehabilitation training programs for blind adults. We of the NFB of Arizona still have a lot of educating to do to convince parents that partially blind kids will be much more literate adults if they learn Braille when they are young. But this new law will bring true literacy for our blind children one big step closer. Meet Kathie Mathis: a Fellow Federationist by Deborah Kent Stein From the Editor: The following biographical sketch first appeared in the Summer, 1996, issue of the Braille Examiner, a publication of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois. It is part of writer and Illinois affiliate First Vice President Debbie Stein's on-going series of portraits of Illinois Federationists. Kathie Mathis currently serves as Treasurer of the NFB of Illinois. She was successful in her bids on two vending locations mentioned in the profile and is now a working vendor. Here is Debbie Stein's story: Soon after Kathie Mathis finished college, her father died of cancer. One of their last conversations has always stayed with her. "Life is an adventure," her father said. "No matter what happens, some good will come out of it." Judging by the way she has lived, Kathie took those words to heart. After graduating from the University of Missouri in St. Louis (UMSL), Kathie took a job with the Department of Children's and Family Services (DCFS) near Hoopestown, Illinois. As director of a multi-service agency, she found herself trying to serve two rigidly separate communities. Most of the wealthy farm families in the area believed that social service was strictly for the migrant workers who lived outside of town. Kathie began speaking to civic organizations, explaining that social services could benefit everyone. She enjoyed public speaking and saw it as a vehicle for changing people's attitudes. In 1973 Kathie decided to make a major career shift. Following the example of an uncle she greatly admired, she went into law enforcement. As a juvenile officer with the St. Clair County Police Department, she established an exciting new program to work with young offenders. Her Status Offender Program was the first of its kind in Illinois outside Chicago. Young people in the program signed a contract which stipulated several requirements. The child agreed to perform community service and to enter counseling with his or her family. "It was really a tough program," Kathie recalls. "When they came into it, some of the kids just hated me. But as time went on, you'd see their attitude changing. It really made a difference." Whenever she encountered a problem, Kathie tried to find a solution. Her police work gave her the opportunity to set up a variety of constructive new programs. During the 1970's she established one of the state's first drug abuse prevention programs for school-age children. She helped create a recreation center for teens. She also pioneered a crime prevention program for senior citizens. She and her staff led rap sessions at nursing homes and senior centers, teaching safety precautions and encouraging people to report crimes when they occurred. In 1981 Kathie Mathis was appointed Chief of Police for St. Clair County. Somehow she managed to combine her busy work schedule with the demands of raising five children. She was also very involved in church work and Scouting. As her children reached college age, she began to look for loans and scholarships. She soon realized that few families in her community knew these resources existed. She gathered all the information she could about financial aid for higher education and shared it with other interested parents. In 1986 Kathie Mathis suddenly lost the vision in her left eye. Doctors found that she had a rare disease called "histoplasmosis." This condition, which is endemic in the Mississippi River Basin, is caused by a fungus found in bird droppings. "It's a real classy disease," Kathy says wryly. "I have no idea how I got it." The doctors assured her that her other eye would not be affected. Kathie quickly learned to compensate for her loss and resumed all her normal activities. Kathie's work as police chief eventually led her to take a position as deputy federal marshal. The job opened up a realm of exciting possibilities. Federal marshals may work as undercover agents. They may be called upon to deal with drug kingpins or international terrorists. On occasion they protect judges or witnesses during high-profile trials. Kathie was protecting a federal judge early in 1992 when suddenly, from one minute to the next, her right eye ceased to function. She was almost totally blind. At first Kathie was terrified. If she were blind, she could not keep her job. Her whole way of life was crumbling. Doctors told her that there was little hope of restoring her vision. Nevertheless, she underwent a risky operation which seemed to offer her one last chance. The surgery was unsuccessful and led to a series of life-threatening complications. Almost a year passed before she fully recovered her health and could think about the future. Once she accepted permanent blindness, Kathie realized there must still be ways she could remain active and productive. She contacted the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS). After two months a counselor finally arrived to do an intake interview. Kathie asked about the kinds of jobs available to blind people and was told that there were only two choices--work with either Social Security or the IRS. Kathie asked about training in daily living skills and was assured that a home teacher would work with her. The home teacher never materialized. After months of mounting frustration, Kathie enrolled at ICRE-Wood (Illinois Center for Rehabilitation Education at Wood Street) in Chicago. She was launched on a new adventure. Kathie Mathis entered ICRE-Wood with a sense of optimism. At last she would get the vital skills she needed. She wanted training in Braille, mobility, computers--anything and everything. But from the first she found massive obstacles in her way. She was denied Braille instruction on the grounds that it would not help her. She was placed on an endless waiting list for a computer class. She was never given any instruction in the use of the long white cane. Kathie and her fellow students spent most of their time confined to a lounge with nothing to do. They were forbidden to leave the lounge without permission from the staff. "It was terrible," Kathie says. "I saw people come into the program with hope, with a sense of self-worth. By the time they left, they'd been beaten down. The humiliation, the contempt of the staff made them lesser persons." Within her first few weeks at the center, Kathie revived a long disbanded student council. Against enormous resistance from the staff, the students began pushing for improvements in the program. It all finally came to a head with the affair of the Christmas tree. "Christmas was coming, and they weren't going to do a thing to celebrate," Kathie explains. "No decorations, no party, nothing. There was a holiday fund, but the money went for a big staff party. There was absolutely nothing planned for the students." Kathie and the other trainees began asking for a Christmas tree. The staff refused outright. "Why did blind people need a tree?" the administration asked. After all, they couldn't see it. Even when Kathie offered to donate a tree and ornaments herself, she was told it would not be allowed. Eventually Kathie learned that someone had given the center an artificial tree five years before. It had never once been used. The staff said it had somehow been lost. Undaunted, the students kept applying pressure. Finally, on the day before the Christmas break, the tree mysteriously appeared. Even then the staff argued that the students should not decorate it themselves. Blind people would do the job badly. The tree would look lopsided. It would be an embarrassment to the center. But the students prevailed. They decorated the tree themselves and had a memorable Christmas party. They left for the break with a feeling of triumph. Throughout her eighteen months at ICRE-Wood, Kathie Mathis went on pushing for change. For her efforts she was harassed in countless ways--denied courses she wanted, given an impossible schedule which she could not follow, and threatened with expulsion. But finally, in April, 1994, she completed training for the state vending program. Currently she is bidding on two vending locations, one at the Federal Building in East St. Louis and the other in Greenville Federal Prison. She finds it ironic that she has come full circle in a sense, back to federal law enforcement. Kathie's experience at ICRE-Wood taught her that blind people must stand together for mutual support, that they must fight side-by-side. One day a staff member told her about the NFB. He warned her to stay away from Federationists, that they were "a bunch of radicals." Considering the source, this was a high recommendation. Kathie contacted the NFB of Illinois and began meeting with Steve Benson and Bryan Johnson. Those meetings were a powerful learning experience on both sides. Kathie alerted Steve and Bryan to the true horrors of ICRE-Wood. In turn they taught her about Federation philosophy. She discovered that she was not alone. Through the Federation blind people all across the country were fighting for dignity and equality. In 1994 Kathie went to Detroit for her first NFB National Convention. She came home determined to start a chapter in the Belville area. She spent the next year recruiting new members and spreading the Federation message. The Four Rivers Chapter of the NFB of Illinois was chartered at the 1995 state convention in Quincy. "I still really miss police work," Kathie admits. "But I love the things I'm doing now. Really, I've never been happier in my life. I went through some pretty rough times, but a lot of good has come out of it in the end." ************************************************************* A deferred charitable gift annuity is a way for donors to save taxes and make significant donations to the National Federation of the Blind. (The amounts here are illustrative, not precise.) It works like this: James Johnson, age fifty, has decided to set up a deferred charitable gift annuity. He transfers $10,000 to the NFB. In return, when he reaches sixty-five, the NFB will pay James a lifetime annuity of $1,710 per year, of which $179 is tax free. In addition, James can claim a charitable tax deduction of $6,387 of the $10,000 gift in the year the donation is made. For more information about deferred gift annuities, contact the National Federation of the Blind, Special Gifts, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998, phone (410) 659-9314, fax (410) 685-5653. ************************************************************* [PHOTO/CAPTION: Larry Israel] Patent Dispute Threatens Prices of Braille Displays Alva Takes Aim at Everybody From the Editor: Every time one turns around one finds another example of the disadvantages facing producers and consumers alike in a small technology market like the blindness field. Here is the latest crisis hanging over everyone interested in the refreshable Braille display technology used in the portable note takers and in the Braille screen displays of desktop and laptop computers. But this time there may be something consumers can do to help. Larry Israel, Chairman, President, and CEO of Telesensory Systems, Inc., wrote the following memo for the Braille Monitor summarizing the history of the problem: Subject: The Alva Patent Situation Date: May 28, 1997 Deane Blazie asked if I would provide you with some historical background relating to the Alva patent situation. In approximately mid-1992, Telesensory became aware that U.S. patent 4,985,692 had been issued in January, 1991, to Jacob (Jaap) Breider and Arend Arends. Jaap Breider is President of Alva B.V. of the Netherlands, a firm which is a major supplier of refreshable Braille displays. We later learned that similar patents had been obtained in Europe, Canada, and Australia, all of which were assigned to Alva B.V. in the Netherlands, a company of which Breider is Managing Director. The patent purported to cover what is commonly referred to as "cursor routing." This function typically involves some kind of switch near each Braille cell, which, when depressed, will bring the cursor on the screen to that position. This is claimed to be a convenience to users of refreshable Braille displays. For instance, while reading the information on the screen (which does not require moving the cursor), if a typographical error is discovered which the reader wishes to correct, depressing the cursor switch brings the insertion cursor to that letter, and the correction can then be made quickly and easily. In October, 1993, Telesensory received a letter from Jaap Breider claiming that Telesensory's Navigator line infringed on the subject patent and requesting discussions about paying a royalty. (There may have been some earlier correspondence, but this was the first time I had heard of it, based on my current file search.) We also have good reason to believe that numerous other companies were similarly approached at one time or another from that time until the present, including Baum Elektronik of Germany, Frank Audiodata of Germany, Papenmeier of Germany, Lameris BV in Holland, Blazie Engineering in the USA, Tieman B.V. of Holland, KHS of Germany, and Metec of Germany. In each case Jaap Breider claimed that his patent was being violated by what had been since the mid-80's a common feature in virtually all Braille displays. He threatened to institute lawsuits against various parties unless they agreed to pay rather substantial royalties. To the best of our knowledge, he has never filed a patent infringement lawsuit, perhaps because (as I will describe below) there is substantial doubt as to the validity of his patent, nor is anyone paying royalties to him with respect to this patent, as far as we know. It was and is the opinion of Telesensory that the patent was essentially invalid because, among other reasons, (a) a number of products had been marketed in Europe and the USA as early as 1985 which used the same cursor-routing scheme that was now patented; (b) academic papers had been written at the University of Stuttgart (Germany) which predated the European patent application by more than a year and disclosed the idea of cursor routing; and (c) by the time Breider applied for the patent, the idea was obvious (a bar to a patent in almost every country) and was being widely used in many different, independently-developed products. The history of the U.S. patent is interesting because it has a bearing on whether the patent is valid. The application was filed on January 20, 1988. It claimed priority based on a Netherlands patent application filed January 23, 1987. This date is quite important, because it is my understanding that if it could be shown that a device embodying the same technology or idea was marketed more than one year before that priority date of January 23, 1987, the U.S. patent would be invalid. I do not specifically know the effect on the patents in the other countries, but I think it likely that the impact on their validity would be similar (although patent law is sufficiently complex and variable from country to country, that I would hesitate to make any general claims on this point). Note that I have stated above that other products using this same idea were marketed as early as 1985 in the USA and Europe. If that could be proven, then the various patents would be invalid, since any date in 1985 is clearly more than one year earlier than January 23, 1987. As I will show in a moment, that has in fact been proven. Over the next few years considerable action took place in the European Patent Office (EPO), mostly in Munich, in what is called an "opposition." Various other manufacturers, including Baum Elektronik and Metec in Germany, argued to the EPO that the patent was invalid because, among other reasons, of "prior art." It was exceedingly difficult to reach a resolution because many documents were unclear and difficult to recover since considerable time had elapsed. The EPO issued various interim or tentative decisions, first favoring one side and then the other. However, a very recent ruling by the EPO in Munich, dated May 5, 1997, contains the following points: 1. The Baum Braille-Box was publicly available in 1985. 2. The available descriptions of that device indicated that it "destroys the novelty" of Claim #1 in the European patent being examined (which is basically the same as the U.S. patent). 3. If certain associated allegations were supported, for example, by affidavit (a relatively easy matter), then the patent could no longer be maintained in its present version. The parties (Alva and Baum) were given two months more to submit additional information. While the patent holder still has the right to protest further, if that were all there were to it, it is highly likely that the European patent would finally have been rejected, and with it, all the other patents would probably fail as well. However, there is a peculiarity in European law, as I understand it, which allows a patent to be restated to try to make it OK, even after it has been found to be invalid after it was granted (as here). I do not believe this is possible under U.S. patent law. There is little doubt that Alva will now rewrite the patent, along lines suggested by the EPO, so that the opposition and argument will still not reach an end. It is less clear whether the patent can be sustained under U.S. law since I don't think U.S. law permits rewriting the patent once it has been granted. If it's found invalid, that's the end of it. But, once again, I must clearly state that I am not a patent attorney, and this is a particularly arcane legal area, which is difficult to understand with any certainty. So this still leaves considerable uncertainty, and it may well take years to play this out to its final ending. Meanwhile, valuable resources, which could be put to better use benefiting blind people around the world, are being spent in a patent battle in Europe, likely to be followed by one in the USA if necessary. The view of the many companies objecting to Breider's patent is that he patented something which was obvious and being widely used and which he did not, in fact, invent--as most lay people would understand the term. They believe that he was able to get his patents because no one in this small industry has patent lawyers busily watching out for this kind of thing so that they can object at an early stage (which makes the job much, much easier). The fact is that many patents are granted which should not be, simply because no one is interested enough or aware enough to object at an early stage. Most of the time it makes no real difference. In the interests of settling this matter and avoiding legal fees, a number of companies have offered to pay royalties to Breider in some commercially reasonable amount. Breider's only demand until very recently was for a royalty of four percent of the selling price of Braille displays using cursor routing or its equivalent (in his opinion). This would amount, for instance, to more than $200 on a typical 40-cell Braille display and is quite a substantial amount, which would have to be passed along to all customers. After the May 5 EPO ruling of a few days ago and presumably with this information clearly available to him, Jaap Breider called me and asked if I was willing to settle on behalf of Telesensory. I told him that it was a nuisance and was taking time and that I would be willing to pay him a moderate amount, just to be rid of the matter, provided that I could persuade other major manufacturers to do the same (which I think could be done). He rejected my offer out of hand, which means that the battle will continue. We are hopeful, as are other companies who manufacture Braille displays, that this matter can eventually be put to rest in some way which leaves all the parties feeling reasonably satisfied. However, it is unlikely that can be accomplished if Breider continues to insist on an unreasonable royalty for a product feature which all his competitors believe should not have been patentable and for which a patent was obtained only because the patent offices erred by dealing with an area in which they have little knowledge and where there was little published information to refute the unsupported claims of the applicant. In fact, when we have our day in court (which we will do if we are ever sued for infringement here in the United States), we intend to argue (1) that Breider was fully aware of the Baum Braille-Box at the time he filed his initial patent applications in the Netherlands and the USA, (2) that it was wrong of him not to disclose that information to the respective patent offices, and (3) that his patent ought to be invalidated on those grounds alone without more (although there are ample other grounds as well to invalidate the patent). Cordially, Larry Israel Chairman/President/CEO Telesensory Corporation There you have Larry Israel's summary of the situation. Here is the history as Jaap Breider described it to the Braille Monitor. Breider was a student in the early 1980's studying psychology, particularly artificial intelligence and cognitive engineering. He is blind, and he concluded that his work would be easier if he had a Braille display for his computer, so he built one, and in February of 1984 he and a partner established a company in Holland which they called Alva, Inc. Breider conducted some experiments using other blind students at his university. He gave them computer documents with spelling mistakes and timed them as they corrected the errors. He determined that, if there were a way to bring the cursor to the word requiring correction, the task could be completed much more quickly. He took this idea to his partner, who designed and built the tiny switches beside each Braille cell within a week. Breider, who has been in this country for several months, could not remember exactly when this technology was patented, but he did not object to the January 23 date provided by Larry Israel. He said that all the patent applications were submitted at approximately the same time. He has not been able to confer with his attorneys about the May 5 decision by the European Patent Office, so he was not willing to comment on the company's plans in the light of that decision. He did say that he does not at the moment plan to rewrite the European patent because he does not believe it is necessary since the court did not "take it off the table." The obvious question to be answered is what date did cursor routing first appear and how generally was the concept adopted? Will knowledgeable and experienced blind users now volunteer to prepare affidavits about the dates they first had access to cursor routing and related points? Some people may have manuals or data sheets that pre-date the Alva Patent and therefore clearly show prior art. Letters or articles from 1985 might also help if they establish that the technique patented was either obvious or used prior to January 23, 1986, a year before the patent. One particularly thorny point is that the patent claims that the ability to keep one's hands on the Braille cells while also activating a cursor-routing switch is an important characteristic. But, as Larry Israel points out, "This was possible with the bar on a Versabraille, which we considered logically equivalent to the individual switches in a current cursor-routing arrangement, and the provision of a switch next to each cell was an obvious extension and provided nothing innovative or new but was simply an evolutionary growth in technology that many product developers saw at about the same time." Readers who believe that they may have information that could assist in demonstrating that cursor routing was available to users in 1985 should contact Larry Israel. Here is the text of the request he makes: Telesensory Corporation is spearheading a group of manufacturers of Braille products, including Blazie Engineering and many others, who are organized to deal jointly with these patent issues, with the goal of holding down the cost of these products for blind users worldwide. Any information you may have can be sent to Larry Israel at Telesensory Corporation, 465 Bernardo Avenue, Mountain View, California 94043, (e-mail: israel@telesensory.com). If you have documentary information, please send Larry the best original copy you have and retain a copy for yourself. You should also let Larry know if you are willing to have your name and occupation identified specifically in any information submitted to a patent office and if you are willing to sign an affidavit regarding your knowledge and information, if requested to do so." Obviously no one wants to pay royalties for cursor routing to Alva. Deane Blazie commented that he did not want to spend money on royalties that would just drive up the prices of technology for blind users. Larry Israel agreed but pointed out that Telesensory is spending a few thousand dollars every month in legal fees, along with management time and resources, on this case. As with most legal matters, the nuisance value makes it desirable to try to settle even unfounded legal claims. But since Breider continues to be unreasonable in Israel's opinion, it seems unlikely that the matter will be settled anywhere but in court. Rumors circulate suggesting that Alva is financially over- extended and that these royalties would be a helpful augmentation to the company's income. While Breider agreed that money is always useful, he categorically denied that Alva was in financial trouble. He admitted that 1995 had been a poor year for the group, but he said that '96 was quite good, and 1997 appears at this point to be very good indeed. He says that several of his European competitors are in a much weaker financial position than Alva. He pointed out that in August of 1996 Alva purchased Berkeley Access, a division of Berkeley Systems. Such an acquisition took money and could not have been made if Alva had not been in a strong financial position. Alva has moved the sales and marketing part of the operation to new offices in Emeryville, California, and development and supervision to the Netherlands. The new entity in Emeryville is now called the Alva Access Group, Inc. Among its other offerings, it is the only supplier for Macintosh-access products (Inlarge and Outspoken for Macintosh). Alva is now working on Windows 95 access using a refreshable Braille display. When asked why it took Alva so many years to get around to pressing seriously for licensing agreements with the other producers, Breider said that he was busy building his company and its product line. Breider is pleasant but cautious in conversation. He is convinced that this technology belongs to his company, and he intends to get the royalties that rightfully belong to him. The American companies are just as convinced that the technology was generally available before the Alva patent applications were filed. It seems pretty clear that this disagreement will be fought out in court and that, whether it's large licensing fees or fat lawyers' fees, blind consumers will be paying for the final resolution of this battle. [PHOTO/CAPTION: Loretta White] Victory for Blind Students in Maryland From the Editor: Blind students and their parents know firsthand how many subtle and overt ways school systems have found through the years to discriminate against them. Sometimes the students are denied the chance to go places and do things that their sighted classmates have permission to. Sometimes they are excused from activities that are determined to be too hard or too dangerous or too inconvenient. Almost always the reason given is couched in terms of the best interests of the student. Much of the time uninformed students and their families accept such dicta on the grounds that education professionals must know what is best, and sometimes, it must be admitted, they are secretly relieved to be excused from competing. But regardless of the motives on either side, when reasonable accommodation would make participation possible, refusing to encourage that participation is discrimination pure and simple. Increasingly parents and students are refusing to lie down meekly and accept these rulings. Members of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), the NFB's parents division, now understand the importance of resisting discrimination and teaching their children to do so whenever it arises. In 1995 members of the Maryland Parents Division began complaining about the newly introduced Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP). Administered in the third, fifth, and eighth grades, this battery of tests evaluates how well each school is doing at educating its students. Would anyone care to guess which group of youngsters has conveniently been left out of this state-wide testing program? You guessed it: Braille readers! Here is the resolution passed at the 1995 convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland on this subject: Resolution 95-04 WHEREAS, as part of its program of evaluating each public school in the State of Maryland, the Maryland Department of Education requires that every public school student in the third, fifth, and eighth grades take the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program test (MSPAP); and WHEREAS, the scores of students who take this test using a reader are not used at all in tabulating the combined scores given to each school by the staff and local districts; and WHEREAS, the Department of Education neither offers the MSPAP in Braille, believing that its contents cannot be translated into Braille, nor offers some equivalent test the result of which could be used along with the results of the MSPAP to gauge school performance; and WHEREAS, the current MSPAP, in fact, cannot be translated into Braille without compromising its validity; and WHEREAS, the Department of Education has recently sought an opinion from the Office of the State Attorney General concerning whether it is required to offer the MSPAP to students who wish to take the test in Braille; and WHEREAS, laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act collectively require that disabled students, including blind students, receive a free, appropriate public education that includes full and equal participation in all of the programs and activities offered by public schools; and WHEREAS, creating and administering a test for the purpose of measuring school performance in such a way as to exclude blind students from full and equal participation is a blatant and pernicious form of discrimination against the blind: NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in convention assembled this 5th day of November, 1995, in the City of Ocean City, Maryland, that we do condemn and deplore the foregoing policies and practices of the Maryland Department of Education; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon the Maryland Department of Education to cease, at once, using the MSPAP or any other standardized test used for the purpose of assessing school performance that denies to blind students the opportunity to participate fully and equally with sighted students in the school assessment process and to take whatever steps necessary to ensure that any future test designed for the purpose of assessing school performance will guarantee such full and equal participation. That was the resolution passed at the 1995 convention of the NFB of Maryland. It was clear and decisive, and one would have thought that, with representatives from the State Department of Education present, the resolution would have taken care of the problem. But things are never that simple in a bureaucracy. In fact, nothing at all seemed to happen to resolve the problem until Loretta White filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, on June 6, 1996. Until that date no one could be bothered to examine the challenges involved in Brailling the MSPAP test. Then suddenly Sharon Maneki, President of the NFB of Maryland, and James Gashel, Director of Governmental Affairs for the National Federation of the Blind, were invited to a meeting at the State Department of Education on June 24 to discuss establishing a committee to consider Brailling the MSPAP test. The committee was formed and then adjusted when it became clear that some of the out-of-state members would not attend its meetings. Eventually Ruby Ryles, a recognized Braille educator, and Loretta White herself joined the committee, which made its report on October 1, 1996. The following is the speech describing the MSPAP struggle delivered by Loretta White, President of the Maryland Parents Division, at the 1996 Maryland convention, beginning with the editor's note as the report appeared in the Winter 1996-97 issue of the Braille Spectator, the publication of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland: The MSPAP: a Disturbing Trend in the Education of Blind Children in Maryland by Loretta White From the [newsletter] Editor: Loretta White is the President of the NFB of Maryland's Parents Division. Despite her busy schedule she has been an active member of the affiliate and has been responsible for initiating a number of innovative programs to help blind youngsters and teenagers. Loretta delivered the following remarks during the Saturday morning session of our convention. The agenda was deliberately arranged so that her address was given upon Superintendent Grasmick's arrival at the convention. [Nancy Grasmick is the Superintendent of Education of Maryland.] All of us who heard Loretta's remarks, the Superintendent included, were deeply moved by Loretta's keen and sensitive observations. Before I begin my talk today, I'd like to share with you a little about myself. I have been a member of the National Federation of the Blind for over nine years now, and I've been an officer or board member in the parents division for about seven of those years. I'm a special educator, and I'm working toward becoming a teacher of the visually impaired. I'm very happily married, but the bottom line of what brings me here today and what I think qualifies me to speak to you is that I am also a mom. Particularly, I am the mother of a blind child. My daughter Nicole is almost ten years old. I'm sure all of us have heard of MSPAP (Maryland School Performance Assessment Program), but what does it mean, and how does it affect our blind children who use Braille? Well, to find out, I went to the Internet. I searched the acronym "MSPAP" only, and I was stunned at what I found. There are ninety-six Web sites on the Internet related to MSPAP. As I sifted through, I found a lot of good information from the state and several counties. I'll summarize Calvert County's definition from its MSPAP Handbook: MSPAP stands for the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program. It is a statewide testing program to evaluate how schools are doing. Results are used to make improvements in instruction. MSPAP tells schools whether or not their students are meeting state standards for educational achievement. It is different from other tests in that it is not multiple-choice or short-answer. MSPAP is more a test of skills rather than knowledge. It tests students' abilities to apply what they have learned to real-life problems. It includes reading, language usage, writing, math, social studies, and science. Schools are scored in each subject. All students in the third, fifth, and eighth grade who are working toward a high school diploma are tested. MSPAP is important to all students every year because it requires good thinking skills, which have to be taught and developed over a period of time. The test is given during the first two full weeks in May with each grade testing for ninety minutes a day for one week. So what about students with disabilities and MSPAP? Well, the State Department of Education has a fifty-one-page document called "The Requirements and Guidelines for Exemptions, Excuses, and Accommodations for Maryland Statewide Assessment Programs," dated October 10, 1995. The general principles are basically that all students are to be included to the fullest extent possible, and accommodations are to be made to ensure valid assessment of a student's real achievement and are designed to assist a student to move from dependence toward independence. Both as a parent of children with and without special needs and as a special educator, I think this is a good document, because basically it requires the inclusion of all students who are pursuing a high school diploma. And since MSPAP is about accountability for the education of our students, it is right that we be accountable for the education of each and every student. So blind students take the MSPAP right alongside their sighted peers, and we all live happily ever after. Well, not quite. Let me go back again to the Requirements Document. Special accommodations listed include scheduling, setting, equipment, presentation, response, and level of participation. So it would seem that the state is making a real effort to include all kinds of disabilities in the MSPAP, with the exception of one group: blind students. Let's look at the equipment again. The test provides sign language interpreters; large print; calculators; electronic devices, including mechanical spellers, word processors, computers, augmented communication devices, CCTV amplification; audiotaped materials; visual displays; written copies; and other. But no Braille. I personally do not know of a single disability that is not accommodated other than blindness. Excluding Braille users from the MSPAP reinforces existing problems on multiple levels. It reinforces a philosophical problem; it reinforces an educational problem; and it reinforces a personal problem. The federal government is committed to the provision of equal education for persons with disabilities, including equality of opportunity to participate at all levels of education. This is evident in legislation such as IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Check out the policy statements from OSERS over the last five or so years. MSPAP tries to emulate the real world. I'm sure you've all heard of the story of the engineer who could give you the square root of a door knob but couldn't turn it. Well, the purpose of MSPAP is to see if the students can turn the doorknob, so to speak. And this is a good thing. Further, MSPAP checks to see if the students can do this individually, in pairs, in groups, with others they are used to working with, and with those they are not. Again, this is a good thing because this is how the real world works. And isn't that the bottom line, to educate persons who can function successfully in the real world? In a very negative sense, excluding Braille users from MSPAP does imitate the real world. It mirrors the 70% unemployment rate of blind persons in this country. And it goes beyond that. Excluding our children from MSPAP raises the question of whether or not we are truly committed to finding a place for blind people in our society. It suggests that it is acceptable to exclude blind children. The exclusion of blind students from MSPAP also creates an educational problem. Again, the purpose of MSPAP is to raise the level of performance and to create accountability by the schools for the education of our children. It is clearly an attempt to reform and revamp instruction. It is a clear statement that we need to improve the education of our children. This is not anything you don't already know. It is regularly in the news. Excluding our Braille users from MSPAP also means excluding our Braille teachers from the continuing education they need to keep up with improvements in education and instructional practices. At a recent state-level meeting about Brailling the MSPAP test, which included representatives from across the state, a teacher of the visually impaired raised the issue that they were not included in any MSPAP in-service or training activities and that they did not have access to the materials. This meeting included teachers of the visually impaired and administrators from across the state; and, while there were nods of agreement, not one person said his or her county included teachers of the visually impaired. And I don't think I need to belabor the fact that, when our students are placed in local schools, the teacher of the visually impaired basically shoulders the responsibility for the student's education. So why not just get around the Braille issue by using readers? Because it will not work. First of all, how many third or fifth graders have been taught the skills needed to use a reader to get an assignment done? But far beyond that, the key to MSPAP is literacy. Can the student read? And I don't mean just decode words on a page. Can the student understand and use what he reads? Can she locate information to answer a question, pick out major points, identify relevant details, follow directions? It is not reasonable to do this with a reader. For example, if a reader skims for major points, whose skills are you testing, the Braille user's or the reader's? And since MSPAP is inextricably linked to the real world, I wonder how many of you have a reader available and ready to go each time you need something read. The last quibble I have with the exclusion of Braille users from MSPAP is what it does to the student. Unless you have a child who is in school or you yourself are in a school, you may not realize the changes MSPAP has brought. It is truly creating fundamental changes in the way we teach our children and what they are exposed to on a daily basis. Preparation for MSPAP begins on that first day of the school year and escalates all the way to the first two weeks in May, when it is administered. It creates an underlying feeling of excitement and importance. Many schools dedicate a certain time each week when all students are to be engaged in MSPAP activities. I saw a sign at the door of a first grade class that read "MSPAP is Life" in big letters, and underneath it said "Thursday is MSPAP morning." I have seen the MSPAP icons and words on bulletin boards and hanging in the halls of elementary and middle schools alike. Many schools have a MSPAP word of the day, which they discuss and define on morning announcements. Last year I taught in a Baltimore City school, had one child in a Baltimore City school, and had two more children in a school in Anne Arundel County. Starting in about January of last year, we shared over dinner what our MSPAP word was for the week. Almost every newsletter for each of their schools addresses MSPAP, and we even received forms from the school offering parent training on how to prepare for MSPAP and home activities to do with our children. Even though I filled out every one and returned it to school, I never received a single one. When I asked the principal about it, I was told "Oh, your child won't take the MSPAP, so she doesn't need it." Wait a minute. The purpose of MSPAP is to improve the education of our children. "What do you mean my child doesn't need it?" Meanwhile, back on the ranch, our children are experiencing all this in the announcements, in homeroom activities, etc. Even when the involvement is indirect, they get excited. And this is intentional. We want our students pumped up and confident and ready to take the tests. But then when the test comes, our blind students are left out for a whole week. And I'm here to tell you, these kids are not stupid. They do feel left out. They do feel different. They do feel inadequate. My daughter was a third grader last year. She was crushed when she was not allowed to take MSPAP. Even though we had told her it was not Brailled, her answer was "But Mom, Mrs. Kearney said it was for all third graders, and I'm a third grader, too." I had no answer. In conclusion, I would like us to consider what might happen if our Braille users were included in MSPAP. First, our teachers of the visually impaired would have to receive the same training as other teachers so they would be able to deliver instruction that would prepare the students to participate. Second, MSPAP requires that students have "prior knowledge," so teachers of content areas such as science and social studies and other instructional staff would be put on notice that these students are expected to learn the same information as their print-using peers. Third, our Braille students would learn how to participate in cooperative learning in pairs and group activities, because that is how many of the MSPAP activities are administered. Fourth, principals and schools in general would pay more attention to how and how much our Braille students are learning because now these students would count on the school's performance report card from the state. It would create accountability for the education of our blind children, and overall, this would result in full participation across the curriculum and across all activities to the greatest extent possible. Isn't that what we wanted in the first place? There you have Loretta's remarks, and things continued to hang fire throughout the winter. OCR complaints are notoriously slow. Then, in early May of 1997 the log jam broke. In late April the Maryland State Department of Education decided that it couldn't win this one and sent a list of assurances of compliance to the Office for Civil Rights. Since Mrs. White's original complaint had been against both MSDE and the Anne Arundel School District, the department also saw to it that the school district submitted a similar list of assurances. The following is the letter from the Philadelphia office of OCR notifying Loretta White of what had happened and passing along the list of assurances. Here are both documents: U.S. Department of Education Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Office for Civil Rights Brenda L. Wolff, Acting Director Philadelphia Office, Eastern Division April 30, 1997 Ms. Loretta G. White Pasadena, Maryland Dear Ms. White: This letter is to inform you of the determination of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Department of Education (the Department), regarding the resolution of the above-referenced complaint against the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) alleging that the MSDE discriminated on the basis of disability. Specifically, you alleged that MSDE discriminated against your daughter on the basis of disability by failing to administer the Maryland State Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) test in accordance with the provisions of your daughter's Individualized Educational Program (IEP). Please be advised that we are still in the process of resolving the same allegations that were filed with our office against the Anne Arundel County Schools (the District), OCR Docket Number 03961219. OCR is responsible for enforcing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and its implementing regulation, at 34 C.F.R. Part 104, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in educational institutions that receive federal financial assistance. OCR has jurisdiction as a designated agency under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and its implementing regulation, at 28 C.F.R. Part 35, over complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of disability that are filed against public elementary and secondary education systems and institutions, public institutions of higher education and vocational education (other than schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and other health-related schools), and public libraries. Under OCR policy complaint allegations may be resolved upon the submission of written commitments from the recipient that specify the action(s) to be taken to resolve the complaint allegations appropriately. On April 29, 1997, the MSDE submitted such commitments to OCR (copy enclosed), thereby resolving all of the complaint allegations discussed above. As is our standard practice, implementation of the commitments will be monitored by OCR. This letter is not intended, nor should it be construed, to cover any other issues under Section 504 and the ADA or their implementing regulations which are not specifically discussed therein. Please be advised that federal regulations prohibit recipients of federal financial assistance from taking actions which intimidate, threaten, coerce or discriminate against individuals who exercise their statutory rights, or because they filed a complaint with OCR or are taking part in the complaint resolution process. If you feel that such actions have occurred, you may notify this office. Under the Freedom of Information Act, it may be necessary to release this document and related correspondence and records upon request. If OCR receives such a request, we will seek to protect, to the extent provided by law, personal information that, if released, could constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Yvonne R. Davis, Equal Opportunity Specialist, at (21 5) 596-6769. Sincerely, Myra Coleman Team Leader Philadelphia Office Enclosed with this letter were the Maryland State Department of Education's list of assurances of compliance. Here is the document: ASSURANCES In order to resolve complaint number 03964033 filed with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) provides the following assurances: 1. For the Spring 1997 administration of the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) for fifth graders, the MSDE will develop and administer a Brailled version of the test, as a pilot effort and will ensure that the test is administered to blind fifth graders whose educational program includes receiving printed material through a system of Braille. By April 30, 1997, the MSDE will provide written notice to all school districts in Maryland of their obligation to provide the Brailled test to all qualified blind students in the fifth grade and advising of the need to provide written justification if it is determined that any individual blind student should be exempted from the test. Also, at the same time, the MSDE will notify the districts of their obligation to provide practice sessions to those students who will be participating in the test. The MSDE will review the administration of the test and analyze the results of the pilot MSPAP administration by October 1, 1997. 2. The MSDE will notify all Maryland school districts that, starting with the Spring 1997 administration of the test and every year thereafter, all qualified blind students who attend schools in its jurisdiction must be provided the necessary accommodations to enable them to participate in the MSPAP testing program, practice sessions, and home study as effectively as students without visual impairments can participate. The accommodations may include the use of Braille readers and scribes, special equipment, special instructions to teachers who are preparing the students for the test, extra time, or any other modifications to its testing program as will enable each otherwise-qualified blind student to participate in the MSPAP testing program as effectively as can students without visual impairments. 3. For purposes of these assurances, districts will not be required to provide the MSPAP to an individual blind student if an appropriate district Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee provides written justification of its determination that the student should be exempted from the test for a reason(s) other than the student's visual impairment alone. 4. The MSDE will permit a qualified blind student to be exempted from all or part of the MSPAP test only if the appropriate ARD committee of the local school district can demonstrate that the accommodations necessary to enable such student to participate in the testing program, would fundamentally alter the testing program. The MSDE will provide to OCR by December 31, 1997, a written report listing all blind students exempted from the 1997-98 test, the accommodation needed for the student, and the basis of its belief that the accommodation would fundamentally alter the testing program. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS The MSDE agrees to report to OCR the following information regarding the 1997 MSPAP: 1. By June 30, 1997, the number of blind students, by district, school, and grade, as of January 2, 1997; 2. By April 30, 1997, a description of the steps that will be taken to accommodate blind students in preparing for and in taking the test; 3. By June 30, 1997, by name or unique identifier, each blind student in the third, fifth, or eighth grade who took the MSPAP test, a description of the accommodations that were provided to make the student's participation possible. 4. By June 30, 1997, by name or unique identifier, each blind student who is in the third, fifth, or eighth grade and who did not take the test for reasons related solely to his or her blindness. For each such student identify the school, grade, extent of disabilities, and reason(s) for not taking the test, and the identification of the persons making the decision to exclude the student from the test; and 5. By June 30, 1997, a copy of the notice sent to all the school districts outlining their obligations to provide the Braille test and other accommodations. By December 31, 1997, the name or unique identifier of each blind student expected to be exempted from the Spring 1998 test, the accommodation that would be needed, and the basis for the belief that the accommodation would fundamentally alter the testing program. Signed by Nancy S. Grasmick, State Superintendent, dated April 29, 1997. Something truly significant has been accomplished in the fight to establish the equality of blind students in Maryland. Moreover, the precedent will be important in other states and situations when so-called educators try to argue that blind students should not be expected to compete with their sighted peers. Will this victory help Niki, the child for whom the entire effort was made in the first place? Perhaps eventually. But the Anne Arundel School District continues to be so rigid and vindictive that the Whites decided to pull Niki out and began home schooling her part way through this past academic year. Niki is doing well, but as things stand now, she will not be in public school during the first week of May of her fifth-grade year. Whether they know it or not, all blind students in Maryland owe a debt of gratitude to Niki, her mother, and the National Federation of the Blind. [PHOTO/CAPTION: John Padilla] Taking a Stand at Rye Playland by John Padilla From the Editor: John Padilla is President of the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut. In the following anecdote he recalls the first time he stood up for the principle of equality despite what it cost him. Long before I ever became a Federationist, I had the philosophy of the Federation deep in my heart. In retrospect I now recognize that the first time I was called to live this philosophy was when I was eight years old. My family traveled to Rye Beach Amusement Park for a family outing. My older brother and I were too excited to eat the abundant picnic lunch my mother had prepared. We both had one thought--the rides! After we had pushed our picnic lunches from one side of our plates to the other, my parents finally gave us the high sign to enter the wild and wonderful amusement park. Although I could not see the fabulous flashing lights that lined each ride, I could hear the gleeful laughter mixed with high pitched screams from the children whirling around on those legendary rides. For weeks I had imagined myself on the tilt-a-whirl, the ferris wheel, the roller-coaster. I pictured myself bumping and whirling in continuous motion, visualizing each sharp twist and turn. I had heard about these rides from my older brother, but now my dreams were about to come true. My parents had given me several dollars in change before I entered the park. I had also saved the allowance money I had earned specifically for this family outing by doing household chores. With my hand securely in his, my brother led me to the first ride. As we waited in line, I anticipated its twists and turns. Finally we were in the place to get on the ride, but suddenly a voice shattered my anticipation. A burly-sounding carnival operator asked my brother if I was blind. He submissively answered, "Yes." The man then shoved a stack of free ride tickets into his hand and told him that I was allowed to ride free. Why? Because I was blind. This was a real dilemma for my brother since there were far more free tickets than we could have bought with the small amount of money we had. Before he could answer, I told the man, "No thanks. I'll pay for the ride just like everybody else." This would-be philanthropist was demanding that we take these free tickets, but I knew that, if I wanted to be just like everyone else, I could not accept the free ride. Today I hardly remember the rides that day, but I fully remember the stand I took. After we had spent the money we had for the rides, we left the amusement park. As a child I would have been happy to be strapped into the rides until the park closed. But I knew one thing: I did not want to ride for free just because I was blind. At the age of eight I already knew that being blind was respectable, and I still feel the same way at the age of fifty. But my association with the National Federation of the Blind has reinforced my stand. I have always known that what I did that day at Rye Beach was right, but I did not recognize the reason why until I became an active member of the NFB. We are first-class citizens entitled to the same life and liberty afforded to all Americans. I took a stand when I was eight, but the NFB has made me see why that stand was right. New Mexico Update From the Editor: In the October, 1996, issue of the Braille Monitor we reported on the distressing events over the past twenty years and more at the New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped (NMSVH). Things have continued to happen during the intervening months. One of the most hopeful events was that Governor Johnson appointed Jim Salas, a leader of the National Federation of the Blind, as a member of the school's board of trustees. The following three news articles, taken from two Albuquerque newspapers, are self-explanatory. Principal of Blind School Voted Out Regents Let Boss Go After 19-Year Service (Taken from the May 3, 1997, Albuquerque Journal) The Associated Press. The New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped, undergoing a federal investigation, will not renew the principal's contract, school regents have decided. The regents voted 3 to 2 last week in Albuquerque not to renew Diane Baker's contract, which expires June 30. She has worked for the school for nineteen years. "I'm not going to talk about the specific reasons" why the contract was not renewed, Board of Regents President James Salas said. "The Board has to do what it thinks is right, just like all of the decisions of the school," he said. J. Kirk Walter, school superintendent, said he had recommended that Baker's contract be renewed. "She's put in a tremendous amount of time and effort here," he said. "I feel she's done an excellent job with both students and staff." Federal agents have been investigating whether the rights of students were violated at the school, officials have said. The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department said in a February 26 letter to Governor Gary Johnson that investigators would look into whether students at the school were physically and sexually abused, whether they had adequate medical care, and whether the education and habitation at the school were appropriate. The school has been under investigation by the state Attorney General's Office since June, 1996, when nine students sued former Superintendent Jerry Watkins and several current and former school employees, alleging they were physically and sexually abused. The allegations covered a time period from 1972 to February, 1996. Six other students later joined the lawsuit. The school has an endowment of about $100 million and serves about seventy students on the Alamogordo campus and about 300 others around the state. It has a staff of about 180 employees. School for Blind Target of Federal Probe (Taken from the March 14, 1997, Albuquerque Tribune) The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department has notified Governor Gary Johnson of a federal probe into rights violations of students at the New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped. The February 26 letter said investigators will look for violations of federal constitutional and statutory rights of students who attend and live at the school. Although the letter did not say what prompted the federal probe, it said investigators will look into whether students at the school were subject to physical and sexual abuse, had adequate medical care, and whether education and habitation at the school were appropriate. The school has been under investigation by the state attorney general's office since June, 1996, when nine students filed suit against former superintendent Jerry Watkins and several current and former school employees, alleging they were physically and sexually abused. The allegations covered a time period from 1972 to February, 1996. Former Workers at Blind School Told to Testify, Depositions Ordered in Civil Abuse Case by Fritz Thompson (Taken from the May 22, 1997, Albuquerque Journal) Two key figures in a civil suit alleging physical and sexual abuse at the New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped were told Wednesday they can't keep putting off questions about what went on at the school before they left. State District Judge Eugenio Mathis ordered attorneys for former school Superintendent Jeriel Watkins and former coach and physical education instructor Jack Harmon to submit to depositions as soon as the plaintiffs' attorney can set up a time and place. Watkins has said he can't offer testimony because he is suffering from a mental illness, and Harmon said he doesn't want to incriminate himself in a possible forthcoming criminal case. Plaintiffs' attorney Bruce Pasternak said he foresees the depositions being taken sometime in July. Mathis refused to extend protective orders that the two defendants have been using to avoid giving the depositions. "We need to make some progress here," Mathis told lawyers in a hearing that lasted about twenty minutes. Filed in May, 1996, the suit contains allegations from fifteen former students at the Alamogordo school that they were physically or sexually abused by fellow students or school staff members over a twenty-three-year period ending last year. The suit claims the school administration ignored some instances of abuse or created an environment in which the abuse was allowed to take place. Watkins and Harmon, who each were employed at the school for about twenty-three years, are named as defendants. Mark Jaffe, the attorney representing Harmon, asked Mathis to extend the protective order for his client for another six months. He said he was making the request because of investigations being conducted by the state attorney general, the Otero County District Attorney, and the U.S. Justice Department. "If we hold off and allow the investigations to progress, it won't impede the case," Jaffe said. "Some of the claims (by the plaintiffs) are exaggerated and sometimes untrue." Later, when Mathis refused to extend Watkins' protective order, one of Watkins' attorneys, J. Duke Thornton, asked that the deposition of his client be videotaped and that Watkins be accompanied by a psychologist and a neuropsychologist "in case he needs medical attention." Pasternak said he has been informed that Watkins "is not in therapy, but he is on medications." "If Watkins is mentally ill, that explains everything about this case," Pasternak said. "It becomes pertinent to this case." He did not speculate as to when Watkins, who retired July 1, [1996], might have become mentally ill. Mathis ordered that Watkins make himself available for depositions before June 24. Pasternak expects a week or two delay. Through his protective order, Watkins escaped previously scheduled deposition dates on January 15, February 15, and May 15. The case was filed in District Court in Albuquerque. But when both sides disqualified judges in the district, the state Supreme Court chief justice appointed Mathis of the 4th Judicial District in Las Vegas to hear the case. [PHOTO/CAPTION: Peter and Mary Donahue] Internet Odyssey by Peter and Mary Donahue From the Editor: Like other state presidents I am frequently asked for ideas about what chapters can do as constructive projects in their communities. Peter and Mary Donahue are leaders in the San Antonio Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas. Last year their chapter took part in an ambitious and rewarding project that they think could be carried out by other chapters around the country. This is what they say: The ability to go online with a personal computer is perhaps the most powerful feature of today's technology revolution. For a blind person this permits access to information not available by any other means. The chief method of getting information from a remote computer to your PC is through a World Wide Network called the Internet. The Internet is different things for different people in a wide variety of professional, educational, and recreational pursuits. One could easily observe this at the 1996 Internet Odyssey held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. Several members of the Greater San Antonio Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas demonstrated the way in which blind people access the Information Superhighway using a personal computer and adaptive technology. We discussed the way the PC has opened up countless educational and job opportunities for the blind and expressed our concerns about our ability to achieve unlimited access to the Information Superhighway in the future. In addition, chapter members learned how PC's and the Internet work together to move information around the world. We even learned how the Internet touches our lives and gained a deeper understanding of how positive attitudes about blindness among the blind and sighted alike can help achieve our goals of security, equality, and unlimited opportunity for all blind people. What follows is an account of the chapter's participation in this event as told by Greater San Antonio Chapter Secretary Peter Donahue. Our participation in the Internet Odyssey began in an unlikely place, the laundry room at the apartment complex where Mary and I live. I was walking through the laundry room on my way back to our apartment when I met Mrs. Carolyn Awalt, one of our neighbors and a multi-media specialist at United States Automobile Association (USAA), one of San Antonio's largest employers and insurers of military personnel. Mary and I were looking for an Internet provider that could provide a shell account which would allow us to access the Internet using MS-DOS. Ms. Awalt told us about her provider, Texas Net. Several other chapter members were already on Texas Net, and we eventually got an account with this provider. While talking to Mrs. Awalt, I brought up our concerns about the increasing threat to our ability to access the Information Superhighway because of the graphical user interface and graphical web-browsers. In response she said, "This sounds like something you need to tell people at the South Texas Internet Odyssey. Everyone who has anything to do with the Internet will be there; that would be the place to air your concerns." Mrs. Awalt explained that, unlike most computer- and Internet-related shows which spend most of their time razzle- dazzling their audiences with claims about the latest Internet hardware and software trying to entice would-be buyers, the South Texas Internet Odyssey emphasized what the Internet is and the ways many people from many backgrounds and from a wide variety of educational and vocational callings use it. She said that until now there had been little participation in this event by members of the disabled community. She urged us to change that. I told her that it sounded like a great idea and that, if our members wanted to participate, we would need to be put in touch with the organizers so we could make arrangements about our needs. "You make the decision to participate, and I'll see that your concerns are addressed." In the weeks that followed the chapter's board of directors discussed the matter at length and decided to participate in the 1996 Internet Odyssey. We had many questions about how we would carry out this project. First was the problem of the computers we would need. No one wanted to risk transporting their fragile hardware and software or do without it at home during the entire event. Moreover, there was always the possibility of theft if the security at the show was lax. But then it occurred to me that several of us used both Vocal-Eyes from GW Micro, a screen reader for accessing DOS-based applications, and JAWS for Windows from Henter-Joyce, a program for accessing Windows applications. Both of these programs support the Braille 'n Speak from Blazie Engineering, so we could use the Braille 'n Speak as a speech synthesizer. This arrangement would be extremely portable, requiring only a simple set-up and take-down, and we could take the equipment home at night. If we could load the software onto a PC at the show, we wouldn't even have to worry about carting computers back and forth every day. But could show organizers provide the PC? Mrs. Awalt contacted Richard Wadsworth, a professor of computer science at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He said he was glad to hear that we wanted to participate in this year's show and promised to give us all the help we needed, including a PC and transportation for participating chapter members. He even saw to it that we had a phone line for the modem and technical and personal support during the show. My chance meeting with Mrs. Awalt occurred in late August, and the Internet Odyssey was to take place in late October. We had just under two months to put an exhibit together, but we were up to the challenge. We briefly looked for a personality to increase the attractiveness of our exhibit, but the notice was too short. We soon discovered that no other NFB chapter had tried a project like this one, so, though we had encouragement from Mr. Ring at the International Braille and Technology Center and Curtis Chong, President of the NFB in Computer Science, we were on our own to do the best we could. As the show date drew closer, things gradually fell into place. We decided to set up our display in the area for vendors. We shared the location with the San Antonio Express News, our local newspaper; the International Bank of Commerce (IBC); and Diamond Computers, to name a few of many. The important thing was that we were taking our message of hope and a positive view of blindness to the Internet community to help its members understand our concerns about continued full access to the Information Superhighway for blind people and our ability to compete for jobs requiring the use of personal computers. When we learned that there was to be a seminar component to the show, we asked to be included in that program as well. These seminars covered using the Internet; Real Audio (a program for listening to radio broadcasts from around the world through the Internet); designing World Wide Web pages; and video conferencing to conduct business meetings and seminars from headquarters to field offices around the world on the Internet. Our request was granted. We would give our presentation on Monday, October 28, at 5 p.m. In the weeks before the event we worked out the final details of our participation in the show. Professor Wadsworth turned transportation over to Mrs. Margaret Halsema, who by herself handled rides to and from the convention center from all around the city. Lisa Hall and I went to the convention center on the morning of October 26 to set up the equipment and to install the screen-reading software and Procom Plus, the communications software. This was the first time that any of us had used Netscape Navigator since none of us had ever used a Windows Web browser, but we wanted to show folks that Internet access through Windows was possible. As soon as our network connection was working, I got a crash course in using Netscape Navigator. Jaws for Windows has macros that make Navigator more speech-friendly, so it was not too hard to master. On this trip we brought the literature to be distributed during the show. We were not prepared for what awaited us upon arriving at the hall where the Internet Odyssey was being held. The scene was more reminiscent of a warehouse rummage sale than a computer exhibition. When we walked in, we encountered scaffolding, large bags, barrels, boxes, trash, pieces of plywood, and machinery parked everywhere. It was a hot day, and the air conditioning was not yet working. The humidity in that room was fierce. The place smelled of oil, gasoline, and tar, and dust was everywhere. Because we had good travel skills, we traversed this obstacle course with ease. But there was nothing to do but wait until the mess was transformed into the setting for a computer show. We decided that I should come back in the evening to set up the equipment for the next day. In fact, I didn't get to do anything in our booth until after 9:00 p.m. that evening when the computers arrived. Establishing the network for the computer show was an interesting process to watch, but I had my hands full when I began loading the software that we would need. I didn't finish the installation until well after midnight. The next morning we did the final installation of software and made last-minute preparations. We were ready for the opening of the show at 12 noon when we heard the unmistakable opening chords to the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, indicating that the show was open and ready to receive the public. As that afternoon passed, we were visited by many persons, including some teachers of the blind and local business persons and others interested in what we had to share with show visitors. In addition to distributing our literature, we displayed the NFB WEB site and showed visitors the wealth of information about blindness they could find there. We discovered that keeping the computer talking was the key to keeping the public coming to our booth. When the speech stopped, President Sofka would shout: "Come on, Pete, get that speech going! That's what's got them coming over here, so keep it going!" Some of those who listened to the speech complained that they could not understand what was being said. We explained that understanding synthetic speech, especially less-human-sounding synthetic speech, requires one to develop an ear for what is being said and how words are being pronounced. Since we use synthetic speech regularly, our ears are accustomed to it, and we can understand what is being said. However, even some blind people can't understand synthesized speech, and for them and some others large print or Braille access is more desirable. Several of us worked the computer, taking turns during the show. Those who weren't computer-literate were put to work handing out literature and talking to visitors about the NFB in general. Suffice it to say, anyone who wanted to help had a job to do. The high point of the show for us came Monday afternoon, October 28, when we gave our seminar on computer access for the blind. When the announcement was made, people came running from everywhere. Vendors closed down their booths, and even the workers in the CyberCafe came over to see what all the fuss was about. Later we were told that there were fifty to one hundred people at our seminar--the largest number of attendees at any of the seminars during the entire show. President Sofka welcomed everyone and gave a brief explanation of what the NFB was and what we were hoping to accomplish at the Internet Odyssey. Following his speech several of us demonstrated the ways we accessed various components of the Internet. Scott Edwards used Gopher, a program that provides text-based access to various online archives such as the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped's book collection. Then Lisa Hall demonstrated Internet Relay Chat (IRC), which allows one to talk over the Net in real time with folks from around the world. Prior to the show she had arranged with some of her friends on Genie, one of several widely-known online services, to meet her in one of Genie's chat rooms. These are areas where people can meet to discuss matters of specific interest such as surfing the Internet, for example. Her demonstration was received with much applause from the audience. But the climax of the seminar was the sending of an e-mail message around the world on seven different blindness-related mailing lists or listservs. Since we wanted to let the blind of the world know what we were doing to improve access to information and to raise awareness of the need to protect this access, we felt it appropriate to do this in the hope that others would be inspired to do what we were doing. The message read in part: Blind people of the world, This message is coming to you from the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. We are participating in the 1996 South Texas Internet Odyssey to show how blind persons can use a personal computer and adaptive technology and to raise awareness of the threat to our continued ability to access the Information Superhighway posed by the ever-increasing use of graphical user interfaces, bitmap-images, and other factors. The members of the Greater San Antonio Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas would like to encourage you to do what you can to promote awareness of these issues, including participating in events similar to this one. Greetings from all of us, and let's keep the Net accessible to the blind. Yours truly, James Sofka, President Greater San Antonio Chapter National Federation of the Blind of Texas Throughout the week we received responses to that message, congratulating us on our efforts. Some people even shared information about what they were doing in their communities or countries to heighten awareness of the challenges faced by blind computer users. But the highest compliment we received came from Marti Knight, one of the principal organizers of the Internet Odyssey. He said, "If we have accomplished anything at all this year, this is it. Showcasing the use of the Internet by the disabled will more than justify what we have spent in time, money, and manpower to put on this show. This is an area we need to expand in the coming years." The show concluded on October 29, and all of us were exhausted, but we all felt good about a job well done. I believe that not only the sighted public but we ourselves took away something important from this show. For one thing we were the first group of the disabled to exhibit at this show. In addition, we proved to ourselves that, no matter what the size, any of our chapters can stage events such as this when chapter members work together to see the task through. Some of us also took away something deep and personal individually. I for one did. Helping to put this event together for our chapter led me once more to confirm something about myself. I thrive on challenge, and when challenging situations are absent from my life or when the outcome is unsuccessful, I tend to turn in on myself. When I was a child being educated at several residential schools for the blind, students were never challenged to reach beyond themselves in any way. Experiences like the Internet Odyssey remind me how much healthier it is to reach beyond and to experience success. I thank God that today's blind children and their parents have the National Federation of the Blind to encourage them to stretch and grow. Since the show a number of things have happened as a direct result of our participation in this event. For one thing our chapter now has a World Wide Web site: http://www.txdirect.net/users/sdyer/nfb/ We welcome all you Web surfers to visit us online. Several of our members are now on the Internet Odyssey Team, the organization that oversees and organizes the Internet Odyssey and other events to support this and other Internet-related projects here in San Antonio. One of these is installing computer networks in local schools so that the students can have access to the Net for educational purposes. Our work here in San Antonio has sparked interest in having a similar show in El Paso. We have already contacted members of our Greater El Paso Chapter about this proposed event, and they are excited about participating in a show in their area similar to ours. We would strongly urge all local chapters and state affiliates to participate in computer shows. There is a tremendous potential for doing public education of computer professionals and amateurs through a show such as this. This participation could pay back big dividends for us in the coming years. Consider this example. The Internet Multi-media Academy is an organization that, among other things, teaches school-aged students how to design and write computer software for educational purposes. We have requested to be a part of this organization in order to help the kids understand the necessity for designing their programs so that they are accessible to and usable by the blind. At a recent planning meeting of the Internet Odyssey team I heard from a woman who told the group that her son teaches software and web-page design. As a part of his curriculum his students are now required to design their projects so that they can be accessed by blind persons. We haven't solved all of our access problems just by participating in one computer exhibition, but we have planted the seeds of knowledge and understanding. We are excited about participating in this year's Internet Odyssey, and we invite everyone interested to come to this year's show. It will take place October 12 and 13, 1997, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. It is exciting to know that we have gained some strong allies in our fight to keep computers and the Internet accessible to the blind. Let's spread the good news that even in cyberspace we are changing what it means to be blind. [PHOTO/CAPTION: Tom Bickford] Forty Years a Federationist by Thomas Bickford From the Editor: Tom Bickford has been a Federationist for many years. In many ways that experience has shaped and defined who he is and the gifts he has to offer in every part of his life. This is what he says about the enriching influence of the NFB in a person's life: It was in October of 1956 that I first joined the National Federation of the Blind. Kenneth Jernigan was the president of the chapter in Oakland, California, at the time, and that is where I got a thorough grounding in Federationism. I didn't know what I was getting into, but the more I participated, the better it got for me. You had better believe that we had an active chapter. We sold raffle tickets. We wrote letters to legislators. We traveled to the state capital to appear at hearings. We made friendly visits to nearby chapters. We participated in the NFB state conventions. On top of all that we got together for dinner parties. As you see, we were busy. The most important part of these activities for me was a growing understanding that it was all being done by blind people. Meetings were chaired. Reports were given. Trips were taken. Activities were organized. I became part of all that, and I was just as blind as everybody else in the chapter. My first National Convention was the next summer in New Orleans. Many members of the Federation know what a learning experience that can be for a young person. Three days by Trailways bus from Oakland to New Orleans was just the beginning. I had my first experience with that southern food called grits and observed racially segregated facilities for the first time. I had yet to learn how close that would come to my own life. I learned a lot about the Federation, but I learned even more about myself. I have missed more National Conventions than I have attended--some for good reasons and some for bad, but every one of those I attended was full of fun, fellowship, learning, and inspiration. The thorough grounding in Federationism I got has stood me in good stead through the decades. I consider my achievements in and through the Federation as glory to the cause. I have enough ego to be glad when I hear my name spoken or find it published, but I know it is there because I stayed with the Federation, its principles, and its members. Over the years I have served as president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer in the chapters where I was a member as well as chairman and member of many committees. If I tell you of my three proudest achievements, you must believe that they are glory for the cause as well as for me. In 1968 and 1969 I chaired the committee that presented several candidates for the NFB official song. The convention chose the "Battle Song," and that song has inspired us through the years. I am glad that we also inspired more people to write more songs, and now we have books full of songs. In 1971 and 1972 I chaired a committee in Washington, D.C., which presented testimony before Congress that led to the passage of the White Cane Law covering the District of Columbia. It all started when I was trying to help two blind men through a discriminatory situation in a local movie theater. That led to contacting their local Congressman, to whom I sent a copy of Dr. tenBroek's model White Cane Law. When it was all over I got a souvenir pen from the Nixon White House with the Presidential seal on it. In 1992 I found myself explaining to a sighted friend some of the techniques I use to know when to get off the bus. I decided to write it down, and that was the beginning of Care and Feeding of the Long White Cane. I spent lots of evenings and weekends with my Braille writer on my lap, and I received lots of help from my Federation friends in the form of ideas and the physical production of the manuscript. In November of 1993 the Federation published the book, which I am delighted to say has already helped hundreds of people. There is always more work to be done for the cause. How do you know what to do? The more you get involved, the more will come to your attention. If you can do more things and better than I have done, more power to you. There are gavels ready to be pounded; paper waiting for your ink or Braille; interviewers looking for subjects; cakes to be baked and sold; and always more people who need us and whom we need. If you need help, ask, and people and materials will be on your doorstep. Lots of us collect quotations which we find helpful, so here is one for today. "An artist is not a special kind of person, but every person is a special kind of artist." I would add that all of us have more than one talent to bring to the cause. Sometimes I am just a warm body, sometimes a loud voice, maybe a not-so- perfect typist writing a letter, now and again a song leader at a picnic, or part of a brainstorming session deciding how to make use of someone else's talents. Some of these abilities I brought to the Federation, but others I developed after I joined. What kind of artist are you? [PHOTO: This picture of the Gardner family was taken in a barn. Becca Gardner holds the baby and two of the older children hold young goats. The family members are seated on bales of hay. CAPTION: Bruce and Becca Gardner with their six children.] Will Madness Never End? by Bruce A. Gardner From the Editor: Unless they live on otherwise uninhabited desert islands, all blind parents have collections of depressing stories about the people who presume that blindness must make one incompetent to be a good parent and who then communicate that opinion to the world. I remember facing another faculty wife at an Oberlin College social event shortly after I began wearing maternity clothes when my husband and I were expecting our first child. In a penetrating voice she inquired after a long look at my dress, "How do you expect to take care of this baby? Surely Bob can't be around all the time." Now the truth of the matter was that I did not know how I was going to manage a baby. (As a child birth education teacher several years later I would discover that even those first-time parents who think they know what they are doing don't have a clue about what it takes to be a good parent.) But at the time I only knew that I had tackled lots of things in my life as a blind person without knowing beforehand exactly how I would accomplish what I wanted to do, and so far I had always been able to solve the problems or get around them somehow. So I said with as much restraint as I could that I thought I would manage about as well as anybody else would, and then I walked away before she could begin cross-questioning me about the details. By the time we had three children and I had perfected the mother shuffle and the ability to pick up toys in my sleep, I could laugh with genuine humor when the uninitiated commented how wonderful it must be to have children who spontaneously put away their toys to keep the floors clear in the name of parental safety. It was probably the offspring of these folks who periodically asked our children what it was like to have a mom who couldn't cook. Mostly such inquiries merely puzzled the children when they were small because they picked up their toys only when it looked as if I would become seriously angry unless they did so and because I did more cooking and baking than the mothers of most of their friends. But the time came when such misunderstandings and ignorance began seriously to anger them, and I found myself having to teach them and myself constructive ways of dealing with such situations. As so often happens, education was the solution. Together we learned that most people were willing and able to learn the truth about blindness if we stopped to teach them. Laughter and perspective were the tools that enabled us to do the teaching with both patience and firmness. And it worked. The two older children each took part in a play group before starting nursery school, and there was never a murmur about the safety of the toddlers coming to our house when it was my turn to have the children. Our birthday party invitations were always accepted with enthusiasm. In short, the people who had the most contact with our family concluded that blindness didn't have much to do with anything but the marks on the oven control and the Braille on the microwave. In the midst of the struggle with irrationality or the frustration of trying to teach people the truth, it can be very hard to remember that we really are making progress in educating others about the abilities of blind people. That's why it is so helpful to work as part of the National Federation of the Blind. It helps us keep a healthy perspective. In the following little story Bruce Gardner tells about an astonishing series of encounters with a woman who seemed incapable of learning from the data before her eyes. What I would have given through the years to have been an attorney, as Bruce is, in order to add weight to what I was saying! But it is comforting, somehow, to know that even people like Bruce have run-ins like the following. His conclusion is sound; there continues to be plenty for the National Federation of the Blind to do. This is what Bruce says: I know that, although the National Federation of the Blind has for over fifty years been spreading the truth about blindness and making great progress in changing what it means to be blind, incorrect ideas and negative notions about blindness still abound. However, to my surprise, one old misconception that I thought had surely been eradicated by now raised its ugly head and stared me in the face only a few months ago. In February of 1996, when our daughter Becca was just a baby, my wife and I went to San Diego, California, to attend the wedding of a friend. While there, we went to a reception brunch, and we took the baby along. As we left the hotel restaurant and walked out to the parking lot to get into our car, I happened to be carrying little Becca asleep in my arms. A well dressed and well mannered woman came out quickly from the hotel and asked if everything was okay. We replied that it was. She apologized for bothering us and explained that she was just concerned about the baby. She said, "I saw the white cane and, and . . . ." She then excused herself and left. Moments later she came rushing back, fumbling in her purse for a pen and paper and asked for our names. When I inquired why, she said, "I just want to make sure that the baby is all right because, well, I saw the cane and thought you were blind. Sorry to bother you." And she left again. My wife went back into the hotel to change into slacks because we were going to play tourist for a few hours. I decided that, while she was gone, I would walk around the parking lot enjoying the cool breeze with the baby asleep in my arms. A moment later the same woman was back again, trying to get our license plate number. Again she raised her concern about a baby's being held by a man with a white cane. She asked if I was just using the stick as a pointer for a seminar I was conducting in the hotel. I told her it was indeed a blind man's cane and that I was using it because I was a blind man. She again apologized and left in a tizzy. Believe it or not, a few moments later she approached me a fourth time, expressing concern for the safety of the child. By then I had had enough. And believing that sometimes the most appropriate reaction to outrageous behavior is outrage, I took a couple of steps toward her and calmly but firmly said, "Look, lady, I am blind. This is my baby; and I often hold, carry, and care for her. She is just fine!" I then said, "I am also an attorney, and I know the law. If you bother me again, I will call the police." She did not return. Although she was well dressed and well mannered, I could not help thinking she was not quite right in the head. But then I was well dressed and well mannered, too (at least until my last comment), and apparently she thought I was crazy for thinking a blind person could safely and successfully raise children. Because Becca is our sixth child and our oldest three are the most polite and well-adjusted teenagers you could hope to find (parental bias notwithstanding), and because I personally know dozens of blind parents who have successfully raised their children, I think I know which of the two of us was right. Experiences like these cause me to strengthen my resolve to do all I can to help the National Federation of the Blind share with others the truth about blindness. I know we are making great progress, but I am amazed at how long some of the most ridiculous negative notions linger. [PHOTO/CAPTION: Gerald Moreno] The Power of Being Plugged In by Gerald Moreno From the Editor: Those of us who have been members of the NFB for many years sometimes take for granted all the benefits we receive from the organization every day. It's fairly easy for those who read Federation material but remain aloof from contact with members to dismiss as propaganda the enthusiastic stories of those who have recently discovered what a difference the National Federation of the Blind has made in their lives. Gerald Moreno presented the following speech during the Job Opportunities for the Blind Seminar at the 1997 convention of the NFB of New Jersey on April 18. It is a salutary reminder to us all of how important it is that we share the gift of the Federation with every blind person willing to listen. This is what Gerald Moreno said: I wanted to use the hair dryer last week. My daughter likes to keep it in her room, and I always have to look for it. She claims that I do not have enough hair to use a dryer. Annoyed by the search, I grabbed the plug and plugged it in. It didn't work. I had a perfectly good hair dryer, and it didn't work. Then I realized that I had plugged in the wrong cord. When I plugged in the right one, it worked. It wasn't that the hair dryer wouldn't or couldn't work; it should have worked, but it didn't because I had grabbed the wrong plug. The same can be said for the about 70 percent of blind people in this nation who are unemployed. There are perfectly employable blind people out there who, for whatever reason, are not plugged in and not working. Others are working below their potential. I would like to share my experiences with you about the power of being plugged in--how, why, where. I entered Rutgers in 1968. In late 1969 I had to stop driving because my eyesight had deteriorated. At that point I went through what many blind people go through. Many weeks and many tests later I was declared legally blind. Until this time I was not aware that there was a National Federation of the Blind. I registered with the library in Trenton, RFB in Princeton, and the New Jersey Commission for the Blind. At that time the Commission paid for my tuition and books and gave me spending money. Still I didn't hear about the NFB. I graduated in 1972 with a B.A. in economics. Thus I began my job search. No one was interested. I felt alone in a world full of people. It was sort of like being a plug that couldn't find the receptacle where the power was. In November, 1973, I was shopping in the W.T. Grants Department store and had stopped to ask questions of one of the employees. I related my story to him: no job and my wife four months pregnant. Little did I know that he was the store manager. He told me to file an application for a job, and I was hired on the spot. He gave me a chance. Although I was working, this job did not pay enough. I continued to search and finally found a job as a social worker for the Essex County Division of Welfare. It was early 1974, and I still hadn't heard of the NFB. In late 1974 there was a change in managers at my office. A gentleman by the name of William Waldman became the assistant field office supervisor. Mr. Waldman asked me to take oversight of the Work Registration Project. The fact that I was legally blind didn't enter into the equation. Over the next five years I had contact with the New Jersey Commission for the Blind as I developed various needs. I also had contact with other agencies and groups, but I didn't learn about the NFB yet. One thing that I should have done was remain active with the Talking Book Library in Trenton. During my interview I inquired about receiving Talking Books again. After I reapplied, I was put on their mailing list. The library's spring newsletter arrived in March of 1994. After being introduced to the technology available and seeing how it would increase my job performance, I was anxious to call a telephone number listed in the newsletter for more information about computers and adaptive technology. The telephone number belonged to David deNotaris. I called David, and the rest is history. Not only did he talk to me about his computer, he introduced me to an organization that could benefit me. He introduced me to the National Federation of the Blind. Finally I heard! Because I had contact with fellow blind users of adaptive technology, I was better informed. When my employer was about to purchase my adaptive equipment, I found out that they had made some changes, and the substitutions were not compatible. I believe they were acting in good faith, but they didn't have the expertise to assemble a suitable package for me. By that time I had been in contact with a member of the NFB by the name of Bob Kannish. He explained his system to me, and I wanted a similar one. Just before the altered package was purchased, I was able to intercept the order and have it modified. This technological catastrophe was averted because I was plugged in. A potential problem was converted into an advantage because I had contact with those who knew. Due to a rather lengthy process (both the Commission's and my employer's) of testing, evaluations, questionnaires, and more, the adaptive equipment arrived in January of 1995. Should it have taken so long? No, but I did get the equipment. We should probably work on shortening the period between the first evaluation and the arrival of any assistance such as training or adaptive equipment. Think about what would have happened if I hadn't been networking. That is why it is important to be plugged in. You can find out that someone before you has already invented the wheel so that you don't have to reinvent it. When I met David in April, he asked me to go on a bus ride to the National Center in Baltimore the next month. That is where I attended my first NFB chapter meeting. I also purchased my first cane that day. I often wonder when I would have gotten around to buying one if I had not taken that trip. It is very important to remain plugged in. Think of a rechargeable battery. As long as it remains connected to the power source, it is energized. The power in the battery would enable you to listen to a radio or tape this talk. If the batteries were run down, you would be powerless to do what you wanted to do. Just as a battery needs to be charged, so do you. The blind job seeker needs to know how or where to look for a job. Not only the job seeker, but every blind person should take advantage of what is available. As I said earlier, the right equipment was purchased for me because I was plugged in. You remain plugged in by attending local NFB chapter meetings and conventions and by getting on mailing lists such as Job Opportunities for the Blind, the Braille Monitor, and other worthwhile publications. Developing new relationships and networking with those who have walked the path you are about to walk can help guarantee that you will not succumb to the same pitfalls that others have. My life has decisively changed since my introduction to the NFB. New friends, experiences, opportunities, and challenges have come my way. The question some might ask is, "How different would things be if you weren't plugged in?" The truth is that I am plugged in, so I don't have to wonder. What I do ponder is, what is next for me? Recently I read an article by Carol Castellano in the Braille Monitor entitled "Possibilities." (By the way, this appears in the newest Kernel Book, entitled Beginnings and Blueprints.) In the article Carol recounts conversations that she had with her daughter Serena concerning her future. The article reminded me of some conversations that I had with my daughter concerning future possibilities. I said that I was considering going on to further my education. The other possibility was to change careers in a few years. My choices are limited only by my imagination. The possibilities are countless. However, if you aren't plugged in, you will never be aware of the multitude of choices before you. Why limit yourself? Life has enough restrictions of its own. Don't add to them. Become plugged in and informed of the menu of choices in front of you. Place your order and enjoy. You are a peculiar type of hair dryer. You can decide to plug yourself in or not. Plug yourself in and get hot--on fire for success. The choice is yours. I chose to be plugged in over three years ago. Being plugged in has revealed to me things that I wouldn't have known otherwise. This is my third state convention, and I am looking forward to my third national. If you have never attended a National Convention, by all means make an effort and meet us in New Orleans. You will assuredly feel the power of being plugged in. [PHOTO/CAPTION: Heather Kirkwood] K.U. Grad Has News for Doubters by Heather Kirkwood Taken from the July-August, 1996, issue of The Freestate News, a publication of the NFB of Kansas. Editor's note: Heather Kirkwood is a 1992 NFB Scholarship winner and a 1996 graduate of the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Here is her article about her decision to major in journalism and turn it into a lifelong career. My senior year of high school I had two options for fourth period--driver's education and journalism. My guidance counselor and I laughed at the apparent absurdity of the situation. Both classes seemed a waste of time for a legally blind student, but we decided on journalism because it wasn't likely to get me killed. We were right. That was five years ago, and I'm still here, but as I walk down the hill Sunday to receive a bachelor of science in journalism, I won't be laughing. In high school I lived in Germany and had the chance to witness many big stories firsthand. I had been in East Berlin only weeks before the Berlin Wall fell and in Tallinn, Estonia, weeks before residents declared their independence from the Soviet Union. On every trip I carried a notebook in my purse and took copious notes about everyone I met and everything they said. But become a journalist? I didn't allow myself to entertain the thought because I didn't want to be disappointed. I decided I would use my interest in politics to make the news, not report it, and set out for college to major in political science. But my attitudes toward politics and blindness changed a lot during my freshman year. Expectations had been set by people who considered themselves progressive because they made allowances for me. The summer before my freshman year in college I met a blind reporter who worked for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A year later, as I rethought my career goals, I kept thinking about her. Journalism went from an absurd idea to a perfect solution. What other profession would allow me to be a part of current events, get to know lots of different kinds of people, study them, and learn how issues affected their lives? Best of all, I could ask lots of nosy questions and tell people it was my job. I discussed my plans with my counselor at Vocational Rehabilitation Services for the Blind. While her initial response was encouraging, her boss was not enthusiastic. He thought I should think about whether my career plans were realistic. My family reacted the same way. Luckily, I was not convinced. I was a reporter for my college's newspaper and had few problems. The pressure was on, however, when I transferred to Kansas University and took my first reporting class. I felt I had a lot to prove, but I kept up with my peers, and my confidence grew. That is, until I went to cover a city commission meeting. I watched the meeting on television the week before and listened carefully to each member's voice. Then I drew a seating chart and assigned each member a number so I wouldn't have to write their names. Amazed at how crafty and resourceful I thought I had been, I went to the meeting and discovered that Lawrence City Commission members never introduced themselves or recognized each other by name. I also discovered that the sound system distorted the voices and changed their direction. That night tears streamed down my face as I attempted to attribute quotes by process of elimination. I would have to admit to my professor that blindness had interfered with my ability to get the story. I trudged up the hill, turned in my story, and confessed what had happened. My professor looked at me, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "You live in Lawrence right? Don't you have a right to know who is saying what at a meeting? Why didn't you just get up and ask them to identify themselves before talking?" Sometimes the hardest problems have the simplest solutions. Since then I have had two internships and have been a reporter for the University Daily Kansan. Like sighted reporters, I don't like to waste time traveling from point A to point B, so I make lots of phone calls. Many stories involve covering events or meetings that allow me a few hours to arrange transportation or get directions. Now, as I begin looking for a job, I bristle at the idea that there is anything unusual about being a journalist and being blind. When editors ask questions such as how I will cover stories, I have to remind myself that five years ago I would have asked the same thing. Graduation may be a small victory for me, but the war is only just beginning. [PHOTO/CAPTION: Jim Omvig] An Old Friend Is Honored: Our Fight Against Insurance Discrimination Remembered by James H. Omvig From the Editor: Jim Omvig of Tucson, Arizona, has been an active leader of the National Federation of the Blind since the early 1960's. He has played a key role in several major Federation victories, including the struggle to stamp out insurance discrimination against the blind. This is what he says: In late February, 1997, I was contacted by Mrs. Kay Williams of Des Moines, Iowa, formerly an Administrative Assistant with the Iowa Insurance Department. Kay told me that an Insurance Department of Iowa's Hall of Fame was being established, and she asked for my help. Kay was nominating former Iowa Insurance Commissioner Herbert Anderson as a charter inductee into the new Hall of Fame (Herb passed away in 1979). Since she knew that Herb had played a key role in the NFB'S fight to eliminate insurance discrimination against the blind, she felt that a letter from me outlining Herb's contribution in our struggle would give additional weight to her nomination. Of course I agreed to do it. I have now heard again from Mrs. Williams. She told me that Herb Anderson was indeed inducted posthumously as a charter member. She said that my letter outlining what Herb did for the Federation was a pivotal factor in his selection. Following is the text of my letter of support: March 4, 1997 Mrs. Kay Williams, Director Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board Des Moines, Iowa Re: Insurance Department of Iowa's Hall of Fame Support for the Posthumous Induction of Herbert W. (Herb) Anderson Dear Mrs. Williams: The purpose of this letter is to urge as strongly as I can that former Iowa Insurance Commissioner Herbert W. Anderson be among the charter inductees into the Insurance Department of Iowa's Hall of Fame. I consider it both an honor and a privilege to have known and worked with Herb, and it is also both an honor and a privilege for me to have the opportunity to write this letter in support of his induction. I apologize for its length, but the impact Herb had on the lives of blind Americans can be understood only if the story of Herb Anderson and the blind of America is told. The poet Kahlil Gibran, the author of The Prophet, wrote, "Work is love made visible." I believe that this brief but profound phrase captures the essence of the man Herb Anderson. He loved and thrived on his work; he loved the law; he loved good and right and justice; he loved his family and his fellow human beings; and he demonstrated all of this love through his tireless work and his monumental achievements. Also his loyalty, his character, and his integrity were above reproach. And, as if all of this were not enough, it must also be pointed out that Herb possessed a healthy supply of plain old common sense. I first met Herb Anderson professionally (I had previously met him socially) in July of 1976. My wife Sharon and I had traveled by plane from Des Moines to Los Angeles and back during the first week of July of that year. At the Des Moines airport we tried to purchase flight insurance. The carrier would sell $375,000 of insurance to my sighted wife but would sell me only $20,000 worth because I am blind. Upon returning to Des Moines, I went to see Herb to file a complaint of insurance discrimination against the blind. Even though the Iowa Insurance Regulation did not specifically prohibit discrimination based upon blindness, Herb accepted my complaint since, in general, the regulations did prohibit unfair discrimination. His acceptance of this complaint induced speedy action, and the discriminating carrier resolved the problem within a matter of days. However, by this time I had informed Herb that flight insurance was not a blind person's only or even his or her major insurance problem. Some companies would not sell life insurance to us at all. Others would sell, but at an increased rate. Some would sell only to the well-adjusted blind. Many would not sell policies with double-indemnity or waiver-of-premium benefits, and many would not sell medical insurance at all. All of this was based upon the assumption that we were poor risks. It must be understood that I was not asking for any kind of special treatment for the blind. I was asking only for equal treatment under the law, and Herb understood and accepted this premise. Demonstrating something of the thoroughness and fairness of Herb Anderson, he did not simply accept my telling him that all of the foregoing was true. To learn the objective facts for himself and for the Insurance Commission, he conducted a survey of the major carriers doing business in Iowa. The results were so shocking and so outrageous that Herb decided to propose a rule-making procedure to establish an Iowa Rule specifically prohibiting unfair discrimination against the blind. This was a first in the United States. I shall never forget hearing day. Herb had set aside a small hearing room, and he had also decided to conduct the hearing himself. He had assumed there would be two or three witnesses. Instead, more than two-hundred industry officials and representatives from throughout this nation showed up to oppose the rule. The industry does not like to be regulated. The hearing had to be delayed until he could find a larger facility. After each of those officials who testified in opposition was finished making a presentation, Herb asked, "And what empirical data, what evidence do you have to show that the blind are in fact poor risks?" None was able to produce a shred of evidence, and Herb ultimately adopted the rule. His action did not win any friends for him in the industry, but he stood firm in his conviction that the blind must be treated fairly unless it could be shown that we were, in fact, poor risks. Herb's quest for justice and his deep commitment to and concern for his fellow human beings then led him to work with us and to take up the issue of insurance discrimination against the blind as a national project. He invited me to come to Miami in the fall of 1977 to address the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). He said that, from time to time, the NAIC adopted model regulations, and he wanted to work with the blind of America first to establish a model and then to have that model prohibiting unfair insurance discrimination against the blind adopted formally in each of the several states. Herb was suggesting that the two of us engage in no small enterprise--he was proposing that we challenge and take on the entire insurance industry in America. He was fearless. I did go to Florida and made the speech. With Herb's help and guidance, the NAIC decided to create a task force to study the issue. And what a time we had! The task force consisted of thirteen members--eleven industry officials, Herb, and me. Some of the early task force meetings were stormy, and Herb and I each came in for some pretty vigorous verbal abuse. But again Herb stood like a rock. The more hostile and outrageous the attack, the more committed and steadfast he became. To divert for a moment, I must tell another story since it further defines and distinguishes the character and integrity of Herbert Anderson. In the spring of 1977 (at its annual state convention), the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa bestowed its highest honor, The Altig Award, on Herb for his major contribution to civil rights protection for the blind. For many years we had presented each recipient of this award with an engraved plaque in the shape of Iowa and a suitably engraved gold watch, and we did the same for Herb. After the public presentation had been made, Herb came to me in private and told me that he could not accept the gold watch unless we would permit him to pay us for it. Frankly, the blind of Iowa who knew of the incident were distressed and outraged that the laws had become so rigid that we couldn't honor a deserving Iowa state official with the gift of an engraved watch. But in the final analysis Herb won the day. We agreed with him, he paid, and he kept the watch. On the issue of ethics in government, Herb was no doubt a man ahead of his time. Now back to the national anti-discrimination campaign. Ultimately Herb and I convinced the other eleven on the task force to agree to a model regulation, and the NAIC adopted it at its June, 1978, meeting in Washington, D.C. I made a speech to the group and talked with individuals for several days urging adoption of the model but behind the scenes Herb was obviously the one who did a lot of the convincing and vote-getting. We then worked state by state for adoption of the regulation. Through all of this work and close contact with the various states, I learned an astonishing thing--that in many of the states the insurance industry controls the state insurance commissions. I dare say that the same was not true for Herb. He was his own man, and his sole concern was to protect the rights and interests of the citizens of Iowa. Herb attended National Conventions of the National Federation of the Blind both in New Orleans in 1977 and Baltimore in 1978. He reported both on his work in Iowa and also his national effort through the NAIC. He received the Dr. Newel Perry Award, the highest recognition a non-Federationist can receive, from the National Federation of the Blind, in 1977 in New Orleans. By 1978 he had become a beloved figure among the blind of America. Again, in presenting him with the Perry Award, we gave him an engraved plaque, but this time we did not make the mistake of placing him in the unfortunate and embarrassing position of having to buy another expensive, engraved gold watch from us. It should be noted as an aside that over time Herb's interests and concerns for the blind broadened beyond the issue of insurance. He became interested in and committed to the much larger struggle of social justice for the blind. Now it is almost twenty years later. Most blind Americans routinely purchase all types of insurance on an equal basis with the sighted without so much as a ripple. Many of the blind of this generation are not even aware of the struggle. But Herb truly made his mark in the annals of the blind and in our larger struggle to achieve first-class citizenship. Between July of 1976 and the time of Herb's passing in 1979, he and Jodie, his wife, and Sharon and I became close personal friends. I had the opportunity to observe him socially as well as professionally. I have never known a finer human being or a more compassionate, committed, or distinguished public official. His love was clearly made visible through his good and abundant work. Herb touched our lives, and Sharon and I personally, and the blind of America generally, are all the better and richer for it. Herbert W. Anderson truly deserves to be a posthumous charter inductee into the Insurance Department of Iowa's Hall of Fame. Cordially, James H. Omvig Recipes This month's recipes were contributed by members of the NFB of Wyoming and Betty Capps, the First Lady of the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina. [PHOTO/CAPTION: Claire Jepson] Venison Chili by Claire Jepson Claire Jepson is president of the NFB of Wyoming. Ingredients: 1 pound ground venison 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 cup canned tomatoes 1 15-ounce can kidney beans 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional) 1/4 teaspoon chili powder Method: Brown meat in hot fat in skillet. Add onion, stir until onion is brown. Add tomatoes, beans, and seasonings. Simmer for at least one hour. Yields four servings. Ginger Snaps by Ina Baker Ina Baker is from Dubois, Wyoming. Ingredients: 3/4 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1/4 cup molasses 2 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon cloves Method: Mix all ingredients together and roll dough into small balls. Flatten with glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for ten minutes. [PHOTO/CAPTION: Betty Capps] South Carolina Cheese Cake by Betty Capps Ingredients: 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1/2 tablespoon sugar 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 large eggs, beaten 3/4 cup sugar Method: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 1/2 tablespoon sugar together and pat into a buttered microwave-safe pie plate. Microwave the cream cheese for forty-five seconds or until soft. Thoroughly blend the cream cheese with the vanilla, eggs, and sugar. Beat until fluffy and pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust. Microwave for ten minutes or until the filling sets, stirring three times during cooking. Over cake, pour sour cream topping made by combining 1 cup sour cream, 3/4 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Microwave on high for two minutes. The topping must set and the cheese cake chill before serving. Squash Casserole by Betty Capps Ingredients: 2-3 cups cooked and drained squash 1 medium onion, chopped 1 cup grated cheese (sharp works great) 2 slices bread, toasted and buttered 2 eggs 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk Method: Mix squash, onions, half of the cheese, and the eggs together. Add the toast, broken up into pieces, and add the milk to moisten the mixture fairly well. Turn into a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for thirty minutes. Yields four servings. Traditional Chicken Salad by Betty Capps Ingredients: 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder 1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained 2 large firm bananas, sliced 1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained 1/2 cup flaked coconut Salad greens, optional 3/4 cup salted peanuts or cashew halves Method: Place chicken and celery in a large bowl. Combine mayonnaise and curry powder; add to chicken mixture and mix well. Cover and chill for at least thirty minutes. Before serving, add the pineapple, bananas, oranges, and coconut; toss gently. Serve on salad greens if desired. Just before serving, sprinkle with nuts. Yields four to six servings. Swiss Steak by Betty Capps Ingredients: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1-1/2 to 2 pounds beef round steak, trimmed 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced 1 cup water 1 garlic clove, minced 1 cup water 1 tablespoon steak sauce Method: Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Cut steak into serving-sized pieces. Dredge in flour mixture. In a skillet brown steak in oil. Drain and place in a 2-1/2-quart casserole. Top with celery, onion, and mushrooms. Combine water, garlic, and steak sauce. Pour over vegetables. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Yields six servings. Pistachio Candy by Betty Capps Betty says "This recipe could not be simpler but is very good." Ingredients: 1 can ready-made vanilla frosting 1 small box pistachio pudding mix Coconut Method: Mix first 2 ingredients, form into balls, and roll in coconut. Refrigerate so candy is firm. Mints by Betty Capps This recipe can be used for any holiday just by changing the food coloring--very simple. Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons milk 1 box creamy white frosting mix Food coloring 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract Method: Put butter and milk in a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high for forty-five seconds, or until butter melts. Stir in frosting mix. Cook on high for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, or until mixture is bubbly, stirring twice during cooking time. Remove from microwave and stir in food coloring and extract. Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper to cool. Store in an airtight container. Monitor Miniatures New Chapters: The NFB of Ohio is proud to announce the births of three new chapters in the past several months. In December the NFB of Greater Summit County was organized in Akron. Its officers are Bruce Peters, President; Marilyn Donehey, Vice President; Ford Pingstock, Treasurer; and Sharon Ohnmeiss, Acting Secretary. In March we organized the NFB of Muskingum County with officers Chris Carroll, President; Al Pauley, Vice President; Karen Barnett, Secretary; and Beth Duvall, Treasurer. Then in May we went to New Philadelphia and helped a group establish the NFB of Tuscarawas County with the following officers: Carl Russo, President; Dale Short, Vice President; Lori Allman, Secretary; and Peg Weaver, Treasurer. All of these chapters have hit the ground running and are already active and productive participants in the organized blind movement. [IMAGE/CAPTION: This graphic shows the front cover and spiral binding of a book. The visible text reads: The Bridge to Braille Reading and School Success for the Young Blind Child Carol Castellano, Dawn Kosman Illustrated by Lynne Cucco A graphic image of a bridge appears above the title, imprints of a child's hands appear beneath the title with an author's name superimposed on each hand. CAPTION: The newest book in the National Federation of the Blind collection.] Exciting New Book Available: We are pleased to announce the August publication of an important new book for parents of blind children. It is titled The Bridge to Braille, and it is co-authored by National Organization of Parents of Blind Children leader Carol Castellano and Braille teacher Dawn Kosman. The book includes 191 pages of solid advice and clear illustrations, including Braille dots in ink demonstrating important concepts and information. The appendices include step-by-step instructions on learning to write using the slate and stylus. Because of the book's spiral binding, it can lie flat for easy reference and clear photocopying. Here is the press release we received: When her first child was three years old, The Bridge to Braille co-author Carol Castellano wondered how she would teach her daughter the alphabet. If her child had been sighted, she would have begun helping her recognize letters and numbers, but what was a parent to do when the child was blind? Castellano knew the importance of early literacy experiences for children, but could such experiences be translated into a meaningful form for a blind child? When her daughter was in kindergarten at the local public school, new questions came up. How do you form capital letters in Braille? How do you write 2 + 2? The other children in the class, all of them sighted, had page after page of colorful worksheets which provided practice in reading readiness, counting, adding, and subtracting. Was there a way for a blind child to take part in this learning? Castellano began collecting answers for the questions that arose, as she problem-solved with her daughter's classroom and Braille teachers. At last she and Braille teacher Dawn Kosman put the information together in a book, The Bridge to Braille: Reading and School Success for the Young Blind Child. Chapters like "Setting the Stage for Success," "Adapting Materials," "Doing Math in Braille," "Independence in the Classroom," and "Using Technology" show parents and teachers how to guide blind children from early literacy experiences all the way to full participation in the classroom. The book demystifies the education of blind children, authors say, and enables parents and teachers to give ordinary help with schoolwork to children who happen to be blind. The Bridge to Braille is published by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), an organization dedicated to creating a climate of opportunity for blind children at home, in school, and in the community. A division of the National Federation of the Blind, NOPBC provides information, resources, and support to parents and teachers of blind children and fosters contact and partnership with blind adults. The Bridge to Braille costs $12.95 and can be ordered from NOPBC, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230, (410) 659-9314. Check or money order should be made out to NOPBC. For further information, contact Carol Castellano, 23 Alexander Ave., Madison, New Jersey 07940, (201) 377-0976. Free Internet Lists: We recently received the following announcement from Peter Scialli: There is now a free listserv for those interested in learning more about Retino Blastoma. RB is a congenital cancer of the retina that causes blindness and other problems for those born with it and for their families. Everyone with a serious interest in Retino Blastoma is invited to join the list. To subscribe, send a message to Listserv@Medinfo.org In the body of the message enter the text "subscribe R-Blastoma." The other free mailing list is called Scantalk. This is a list for those interested in the subject of scanning, optical character recognition, and other reading technologies used by people who are blind. To subscribe send mail to Majordomo@Bolis.com In the body of the message include the phrase, "subscribe Scantalk." Hands-on Audio Software Training Adapted for the Blind Available: We recently received the following press release, which we pass along to those who may be interested: OneOnOne Computer Training and Ellis Enterprises have collaborated to offer the leading hands-on audio software training with fully adaptive formatting for the blind and visually impaired. This joint effort becomes the first and only training resource in the United States to be in full compliance with 1992 requirements calling for a full range of adaptive PC training for the blind. It uses an interactive audio format that allows learners to work live in the actual software without the need to use simulation. The adaptation process for each OneOnOne course, beginning with Windows 95, which is now available, involves adding audio segments that teach keystroke alternatives to mouse commands and provide sound board interfacing. In addition to courses for Windows 95 and Windows 3.1, adaptive training will be available for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, WordPerfect, and even the Internet. "The Internet is opening up tremendous channels of communications, learning and business opportunities for the blind and visually impaired," explained Mike Ellis, founder of Ellis Enterprises in Lansing, Michigan. "Having learned computing from OneOnOne's tapes myself in the days before the graphical user interface came along, I took it as a personal challenge to put vision-impaired computer users back in the game," Ellis said. For further information contact Ellis Enterprises, 5035 Geraldine Drive, Lansing, Michigan 48917, fax (517) 321-0770, phone (888) 888-9533, or e- mail: 74512.2366@compuserve.com or visit www.oootraining.com/ellis.htm Wedding Bells: We are delighted to report that Lauren Lynn Beach Eckery and James Walter Merryfield were married at 2:00 p.m. on May 24, 1997, at Mount Vernon Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska. Lauren Eckery is one of the leaders of the NFB of Nebraska and often appears in these pages. Congratulations and our very best wishes to the Merryfields. Talking Caller ID Available: We have been asked to carry the following announcement: How many times have you hurried to the phone only to discover that it was someone you didn't want to talk to? CIDney, the talking caller ID unit, has a voice. CIDney provides convenience and security because it tells you who is calling before you answer the phone. All models available will announce the phone number and/or name of the caller over its own built-in speaker. With most models you can record the name of the caller with your own voice (e.g., "It's Mom calling.") CIDney will also log the caller's name and number and the time of the call so you always know who called, when they called, and how to reach them. CIDney is affordable, starting at $59.95, installs in seconds, never needs batteries, and is easy to use. The four models available boast a variety of features including voice announcement over built-in speaker or cordless phone; bilingual (English/Spanish) feature; LED that displays name, number, and time of call; call-log storage; two-phone-line feature (perfect for small businesses); call waiting compatibility; integrated message center for leaving outgoing messages for specific callers; and more. All products work with caller ID services available in the U.S. and Canada and come with a one-year limited warranty. For more information or to order CIDney, contact Full Life Products, P.O. Box 490, Mirror Lake, New Hampshire 03853-0490, or call toll free (888) 888-4153 or (603) 569-2240. [PHOTO/CAPTION: Hank LaBonne] Honored: We are very pleased to report that Hank LaBonne, Past President of the NFB of Louisiana and President of the Chattanooga Chapter of the NFB of Tennessee, has won the Jefferson Award for outstanding public service benefiting local communities. Hank is the Tennessee recipient of this nationally recognized honor presented by the American Institute for Public Service in Washington, D.C. Hank will receive a bronze medallion and a trip to the nation's capital. On June 20 a gold on silver medallion and a prize of $1,000 will be awarded in the United States Supreme Court Chambers to one of the state recipients. The President of the Visually Impaired Training and Learning Center (VITAL) Board, Susan Rousch nominated Hank to receive this honor because of his dedicated service to the blind and visually impaired in the Chattanooga area. Hank helped found the VITAL Center, serves on its Board, and volunteers teaching Braille two days a week at the Center. He was also instrumental in establishing the Chattanooga NEWSLINE for the Blind(tm) service, the first in Tennessee, through a joint effort with Tennessee Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Hank is retired from the music business and is active in his church. He teaches Braille to adults and children and can be found babysitting and performing other needed tasks for his friends. Congratulations to Hank LaBonne. Correction: We recently received a Miniature correction provided by Diane Croft, Director of Marketing, National Braille Press. The original notice appeared in the June issue. The price for The AltaVista Search Revolution is $17.99, not $18.99 as previously advertised. You can order this publication from National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, (617) 266-6160, fax (617) 437-0456. Alumni Reunion: We have been asked to carry the following announcement: The first official alumni reunion at Lions World Services for the Blind (LWSB) in Little Rock, Arkansas, will be held the weekend of September 19 to 20, 1997. The rehabilitation center for adults who are blind or visually impaired was formerly known as Arkansas Enterprises for the Blind (AEB). All alumni and former staff members are welcomed back to LWSB to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Center. The alumni committee is planning a weekend of exploring the campus, food, fellowship, and visiting with former classmates and instructors. The events will take place at the Holiday Inn Airport Hotel and at LWSB. It will be a special gathering for all alumni, spouses, and other guests. Early bird registration at LWSB is encouraged before September 1. Hotel reservations should be made direct to the Holiday Inn Airport (501) 490-1000. For the itinerary and registration forms, contact Elise White, LWSB, 2811 Fair Park Blvd., Little Rock, Arkansas 72204, (800) 248-0734, e-mail address is lwsb@mail.snider.net LWSB Web site on the Internet gives details of the alumni weekend: http://www.snider.net/lions [PHOTO/CAPTION: Shannon Ramsay] Honored: Shannon Ramsay is a blind high school junior who lives in Los Gatos, California. We reprinted an article about Shannon in the June, 1996, issue of the Braille Monitor. Shannon is an active member of the National Federation of the Blind of California and a bright and energetic student. We recently received additional proof of Shannon's contribution to her community. This spring Shannon received first a state scholarship award from Discover Card and then a national award. The notifying correspondence said in part: The Tribute Awards are given by Discover Card in cooperation with the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). They are unique in that they honor students who not only achieve in school, but have outstanding accomplishments in the community and in their personal lives. In recognition of those achievements and in addition to your $2,500 state award, we are pleased to inform you that you have also won a $20,000 national award, for a total of $22,500. The Discover Card Tribute Awards recognize the outstanding achievements of high school juniors in the U.S. and in overseas schools. An awards ceremony recognizing your accomplishments as well as those of the eight other national winners will be held in Washington, D.C., from June 23 through 25. A video crew spent several days following Shannon around her school and community preparing a short presentation about her, which will be shown at the awards ceremony at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington. Shannon has received a remarkable honor, and the Federation family joins Shannon's friends and family in congratulating her. Correction: In the April, 1997, issue of the Braille Monitor the zip code for the Zeigler Magazine was incorrect. Here is the correct address: Zeigler Magazine, 80 8th Avenue, Room 1304, New York, New York 10011, (212) 242-0263. We regret the error. Elected: David Collins, Secretary of the Tidewater Chapter of the NFB of Virginia, reports the April 19, 1997, election of officers. They are Marion Sanders, President; Bill Parker, First Vice President; Stuart Prost, Second Vice President; David Collins, Secretary; Willard Nichols, Treasurer; and Ella Herbert and Charles King, Board members. Ministry to the Deaf-Blind: We have been asked to carry the following announcement: Floyd Rhoads is the administrator of a Christian ministry trying to reach the deaf-blind for the Lord Jesus Christ. The name of this ministry is Outreach with the Blind and Deaf-Blind. We are trying to provide Braille scriptures with the New English Deaf Testament in sixteen volumes, printed with computer Braille on one side of the page. This comes in Grade I and II Braille. We provide a daily devotion written for the deaf. It is transcribed into Braille for the blind and deaf-blind. Our spiritual name is Deaf/Blind Evangelism. We also provide a newsletter called Eyes and Ears with articles of the ministry and other news semiannually. If you are interested in any of our services, please call or write. If you do not need our services, please keep us in prayer and help us with the Lord's work in any way you can. Contact Deaf/Blind Evangelism, 4143 Edmondson Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana 46226, (317) 549-3433. Attention Braille Music Transcribers and Readers: We have been asked to carry the following announcement: Do you want to get up-to-date on the latest Braille music signs and rules that have recently been adopted as the new international standard by sixteen countries? Then you need the New International Manual of Braille Music Notation, published in 1996 in a print edition (282 pages, by SVB Amsterdam) and a Braille edition (3 volumes, by Braille Press Zurich). Previously available only by special foreign order, both editions are now available from a U.S. distributor, Opus Technologies of San Diego, California. In addition, Opus Technologies has created and is now shipping an interactive multimedia CD-ROM edition of the manual. The CD-ROM lets you access the complete text of the manual, including all the examples in music and Braille notation. Audio playback of the music has been added, along with detailed listings which explain the meaning of every Braille sign used in each example. Hyperlinks makes it very easy to navigate through the text. You can access index entries alphabetically or by Braille sign, quickly search the entire manual for specific words or Braille signs, and print or emboss any topic. And as a bonus for those wanting to learn Braille music from step one, included is a CD-ROM edition of Bettye Krolick's How to Read Braille Music, the classic introductory text for learning Braille music. Prices are $249 for the CD-ROM, $79 for the Braille or print edition, and $299 for the CD-ROM bundled with the Braille or print edition. You'll need a multimedia PC with a CD-ROM drive and sound card, Windows 95, and appropriate screen access hardware and software. Contact Opus Technologies, 13333 Thunderhead Street, San Diego, California 92129, Phone/Fax (619) 538-9401, email: opus@opustec.com, website: www.opustec.com Elected: The National Federation of the Blind of South Dakota recently elected officers at its state convention. The new officers are Karen Mayry, President; Eileen Tscharner, Vice President; Denise Jones, Secretary, and Ken Rollman, Treasurer. Board members are Tina Blatter, Peggy Klimisch, and Minnie Erickson. For Sale: We have been asked to carry the following announcement: For sale, 486 IBM-compatible computer with a 200-megabyte hard drive and 5.25- and 3.5-inch disk drives. Also Windows 3.X with 8 meg of memory and many expansion slots. This computer is good for a blind person using many peripherals such as the Openbook, a Braille display, and two parallel printers. A 2400 modem is included. Price is $600. Also, Blazie original disk drive to be used with the Braille Lite and Braille 'n Speak. Price $250. American Heritage Dictionary (cassette), rarely used. Price, $25. You may contact Denise Avant, 3410 N. Lake Shore Drive, Apt. 4L-M, Chicago, Illinois 60657, (773) 325-1117, between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Central Time. You may also e-mail at denisea@netcom.com Window-Eyes 2.0 Now Available: We have been asked to carry the following announcement: GW Micro, a leader in adaptive products for people who are blind or visually impaired, has released version 2.0 of its Windows screen-reading software, Window-Eyes. Window-Eyes 2.0 operates in Windows 95 as well as Windows 3.1 and 3.11. The current $495 price will hold through July 31, 1997, after which time it will increase. If you don't have a Windows screen reader or you are tired of fighting with your current one, please download the free demo at ftp.gwmicro.com For more information check out GW Micro's Web site at www.gwmicro.com or call (219) 489-3671. Elected: The National Federation of the Blind of Oklahoma elected new officers at its April state convention. They are Steve Shelton, President; Nannette Murrin, First Vice President; Ron Miller, Second Vice President; Ron Burns, Secretary; and Joe Triplett, Treasurer. The new Board members are Cordelia Sanders, Sue Lee, Janet Triplett, and Audrey Burns. For Sale: We have been asked to carry the following announcement: Selling an Optacon Model R1D in very good condition. Please call Roueida Salame at (514) 731-3175. Audio Business Digest Service: We have been asked to carry the following announcement: Newstrack Executive Tape Service is the Listener's Digest of business information. For over seventeen years, thousands of executives, business owners, investors, entrepreneurs, and other professionals have listened to this powerful business tool. In every issue Newstrack editors review over 100 top business publications and special sources. They select the best sixteen articles on management, sales, marketing, finance, business strategy, and much more. Since no one has the time to read every important business article, Newstrack has become the ultimate time-saving source in this age of information overload. Newstrack is available on both audiotape and CD. You have a choice of two versions: the small business issue is produced once a month at a cost of $149 per year on audio cassette; the regular full subscription is produced twice a month and costs just $299 per year on cassette. We also offer the transcripts of each article available by e-mail, on 3.5-inch disk, or in hard copy format. To order, call toll-free (800) 334-5771. Mention this notice and receive a 15 percent discount off the regular subscription price. Our subscriptions come with a money-back guarantee. If you are dissatisfied at any time for any reason, just call and we'll promptly refund the unused portion of your subscription. So start letting us at Newstrack do your business reading for you today.