T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 1 WASHINGTON SEMINAR by Eric Duffy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 2 STUDENT DIVISION WINTER CONFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 4 THE OHIO LEGISLATURE: OUR ROAD BEGINS NOW by David Robinson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 5 FACTS & FIGURES FOR THE 1991 NFB-OH CONVENTION by Pat Eschbach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 6 REFLECTIONS ON THE 1991 CONVENTION by Tracy Masincupp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 7 A THANK YOU NOTE FROM THE MOTHER OF A BLIND CHILD by Kathy Grant-Arthurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 8 RESOLUTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 10 CHAPTER & DIVISION REPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 14 FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK by Barbara Pierce By the time this issue of the Buckeye Bulletin gets to you, I'm afraid that Christmas will have come and gone. But it will still be the Christmas season, so it is still in order for us to wish each of you peace and joy during this blessed season and all good things during the year to come. This newsletter was so long that we have had to postpone publication of a number of interesting articles until March. For that same reason this column of mine will be very brief. Remember that the deadline for submissions to the Spring issue is February 15. By then our January 4 board meeting, our legislative kickoff, and the Washington Seminar will be history. We will be reporting the highlights of these activities in March. Meanwhile, merry Christmas and happy New Year! WASHINGTON SEMINAR by Eric Duffy By the time you receive this newsletter, the new year will be very close at hand. Of course, this means that many Federationists are already thinking ahead to February and the 1992 Washington Seminar. This will be the eighth that I have attended. In February of 1985 I vowed never to miss another seminar as long as I am able to be an effective part of the team. Though I did not realize it at the time, this event changed my life forever. Aside from local chapter meetings and activities, I had had no other contact with the Federation. I had heard a little about national and state conventions, but I didn't think that they were anything that would do much for me. When I got a call asking if I would like to go to Washington, I thought it would be a nice trip. Bob Eschbach told me that it would be a good experience and that I would learn a lot. Being the skeptic I am, I wondered what I could possibly learn from this group of blind people. After all, the Federationists I had met up to that point were considerably older than I, and I doubted that any of them knew as much about politics and government as I did. When I was a junior in high school, I won a contest sponsored by the American Legion, which entitled me to a free trip to Washington. I had the top score of all Ohio high school students participating in the Legion Americanism and Government contest in 1982, and I was told that I was the only blind person in Ohio ever to win the contest. Furthermore, although I wasn't very far along in my education, I was a political science major, so I didn't think there was a lot I could learn from this group. I was glad that Lori was going with us, however, because I was a little worried about traveling independently. I was pretty sure that everyone else without usable vision would have a sighted guide, too. I had no way of knowing that I was in for the shock of my life. Shortly after arriving at the hotel, I began to feel as though I had been thrown into an icy swimming pool on the hottest day of summer. There were hundreds of blind people traveling with canes and dogs. Where were all the sighted guides? There were a few sighted people around, but they certainly weren't acting as guides. Jim Gashel hadn't talked for more than two minutes before I knew that I could sure learn a lot from him. He talked about vending issues and the concerns of sheltered shop workers. These were not things that I was particularly interested in. But wait, he then said something about improving the rehabilitation system. This was something that I was definitely interested in. For over a year I had been trying to get the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired to change their policy regarding private schools. Of course, logic told me that I was not likely to accomplish this without some help. It was then that the importance of collective action began to sink in. I also knew that I would be much further ahead of the game with a guy like Jim Gashel on my side. Maybe there was something to be said for this Federation after all. Then I met Barbara Pierce. She was bright, articulate, and blind. She was the president of the Ohio affiliate and in charge of public relations for the national organization. Despite the fact that she seemed to be quite busy, she was also very much interested in getting to know me. She seemed genuinely to care about me as an individual. This truly baffled me. I had just met her. Why would she care about me? Well, of course, I soon learned that she cared about me because she is Barbara Pierce, and because that is just the Federation way. I went to bed that night with some very new ideas about blindness but still feeling a little nervous about getting around D.C. The morning came all too quickly. We were soon making the long trek up Capitol Hill. Once again, there were no sighted guides--just hundreds of blind people with their dogs and canes. They were traveling with confidence and speed. I did not want any one to know that I was uncertain about keeping up with the group, so I held on to Lori for dear life. After several meetings with members of Congress or their staffs, I thought, "Good Heavens, if I stick around this group long enough, they're going to expect me to do all that they're doing." By the end of the day I began to want that expectation for myself. All of this is a long way of saying that the Washington Seminar has far more to offer than meetings with members of Congress and a chance to talk about legislative issues. However, these things are also very important. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its amendments expire in the fall of 1992. It is the responsibility of Congress to renew the act, and it is the responsibility of the organized blind of the nation to see that our voice is heard during the re-authorization process. We have the knowledge, we have the strength, and we have the determination to make significant changes in the Rehabilitation Act during this re-authorization. However, we must all do our part to see that this happens. If you would like to participate in the 1992 Washington Seminar, you should contact David Robinson as soon as possible at (216) 788-3640. A van will leave from Columbus very early on Sunday, February 2, and return during the evening of Wednesday, February 5. If you are unable to attend the seminar, it is important that you contact your member of Congress and let him or her know that members of the National Federation of the Blind will be visiting the Washington office and that they will be representing you and the blind of your Congressional district. Of course, individual and chapter contributions to offset the cost of the Seminar are always welcome. Through the Washington Seminar we are changing what it means to be blind. Whether you are a long-time Federationist or a newcomer to the movement, you should experience at least one Washington Seminar. It will change your life forever. STUDENT DIVISION WINTER CONFERENCE by Scott LaBarre EDITOR'S NOTE: This notice appears in the December Braille Monitor. All students should think seriously about attending this event. The National Association of Blind Students (NABS) will conduct its third annual national conference for blind students on January 31 and February 1, 1992, in Washington, D.C. We will kick off the conference with a fun-filled reception on Friday evening at 8:00 p.m., location in the headquarters hotel to be announced. On Saturday, the first, there will be both morning and afternoon sessions, in which we will discuss a wide variety of topics ranging from the how-to's of being a successful blind student to the current issues which confront blind students. On Saturday evening we'll cap the conference with a festive banquet, featuring a keynote address from a prominent leader in the blindness field. In past years the student conference has been a high-spirited, educational, and inspirational event. At the conclusion of the conference the National Federation of the Blind will conduct our annual Washington Seminar from Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 5. Students are strongly encouraged to remain in Washington for the rest of the seminar. It is our opportunity to inform our nation's legislative leaders about issues which are of the greatest importance to the blind of America. The NABS conference and the Washington Seminar will be held at the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C Street SW, Washington, D.C. Room rates are $69 for singles, $74 for doubles, $79 for triples, and $84 for quads. The cost of registration, including a banquet ticket, is $20. To make your reservations, please contact Diane McGeorge at the Colorado Center for the Blind, 2232 South Broadway, Denver, Colorado 80210, (303) 778-1130. Hotel reservations must be made by January 1. For any other questions regarding the conference, please contact Scott LaBarre, 2809 Fremont Avenue South, Apartment 214, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55408, (612) 874-8327. Don't miss this exciting chance to change what it means to be blind. Come join us in Washington. THE OHIO LEGISLATURE: OUR ROAD BEGINS NOW by David Robinson, Chairman, State Legislative Committee As many of you know by now, the NFB of Ohio experienced some success in the Legislature last year with the passage of H.B. 143 by Representative Ray Miller. This piece of legislation, now enacted into law, requires that any classroom teacher hired by the Ohio State School for the Blind be competent in the use of Braille. Of course, like most legislation, it did not do all that we had hoped, but it is a beginning, and now we are ready to take our next step. One of the benefits of H.B. 143 was that it drew attention to the need for Braille instruction of blind children in Ohio. Professional educators, as well as the Legislature, are more aware today of Braille and its importance to blind people. Therefore the Legislative Committee of the NFB-O decided to nurture this awareness by introducing new legislation that would increase the requirements for Braille instruction in Ohio. A bill has been drafted, and we hope to introduce it into the Legislature very soon. In fact, we hope to kick off our campaign for its passage in early January, but more about that later. The bill will include the critical points from our national model Braille bill, as well as parts of legislation from Braille bills already passed in other states. Among these points are: 1. Competency will be determined by standards set by the National Library Service of the Library of Congress. 2. Braille will be considered as the primary mode of reading and writing for blind and visually impaired children. 3. Publishers of text materials purchased by schools in the State of Ohio will be required to make the text available on computer disk so that it can be printed in Braille if needed. To help us with our education of the Legislature, as well as the general public, we will be obtaining a proclamation from the Governor and a resolution from the Legislature declaring the week of January 4, 1992 as Braille Literacy Week in Ohio in honor of Louis Braille (see Resolution 91-04). We hope to hold a press conference and visit with some legislators. This is another big step in bringing literacy back to our blind brothers and sisters. We would like to see as many of you as possible in Columbus next month. Don't forget about our national legislation and our early February Washington Seminar. It will be a great one again this year. If you haven't gone before, you should try to get there. It is an activity that really demonstrates the unity of the National Federation of the Blind and the effect we can have on legislation. FACTS AND FIGURES FOR THE 1991 NFB-O CONVENTION by Pat Eschbach The forty-fifth annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio was held November 8 to 10, 1991, at the Sheraton Hotel in Springdale near Cincinnati. We had 160 registered for the convention, and 142 attended the banquet on Saturday evening. The following is a list of affiliates according to attendance: Cleveland - 28 Stark County - 10 Cincinnati - 22 Youngstown - 10 Miami Valley - 16 Lorain - 7 Springfield - 16 Members at Large - 6 Tri-County - 11 Parents of Blind Children - 4 Capital - 11 Toledo - 4 Four people attended from other states: California, Maryland, and Minnesota. Family members of the scholarship winners and guest speakers were in attendance as well as people representing agencies and the Library for the Blind. Some of the attendance figures are as follows: Fri. p.m. Parents of Blind Children Seminar 30-35 Fri. p.m. Board Meeting 48 Sat. noon Parents Division Meeting 14 Sat. noon Student Division Meeting 10 Sun. a.m. Presidents Meeting 15 The names of those who had died since our last convention were read at the Memorial Service: Springfield, Dorothy Norman, Florence Trivett, Cecil Hites, Vic Duane, Paul Butler, Chester Butler, Jeanie Clevenger, Betty Phipps, Blance Meenach, Beatrice Bradford, and Ethel Macullum; Miami Valley, Kathie Burrier; Toledo, Earl Johnson; Stark County, Harry Brown (father of Mary Pool); and Capital Chapter, Addie Parks. In all the conventions I have attended this was the first time I can remember that people were having such a good time visiting before the doors opened for the banquet that they had to be invited to come in; no storming the doors this year! We gave and pledged a total of $2,755 for the NFB of Ohio during the banquet. Many enjoyed the dance. (No count--they were moving too fast.) REFLECTIONS ON THE 1991 CONVENTION by Tracy Masincupp Editor's note: Tracy Masincupp is the Vice President of the Capital Chapter and an active member of the Ohio Student Division. She was one of our two state scholarship winners this year, and we asked her to write down for us her impressions of the convention. Here is what she wrote: I attended the 1991 convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in Springdale, Ohio, November 8 through 10. It was both enjoyable and thought-provoking. I thought that I might share my views as a scholarship winner with you. First of all, I was the winner of one of two scholarships valued at $500. As one of the two scholarship winners, I was invited to attend the convention with all expenses paid. I was told that I would be presented with my scholarship at the banquet on Saturday evening--my nervousness was a small price to pay for a $500 scholarship. Anyway, Saturday was the most interesting part of the convention to me. One of the speakers on Saturday morning was Shirley Hammond of the Stark County Chapter. She told of her experiences when she decided to return to school and her BSVI counselor and his supervisor repeatedly put obstacles in her way. Each time she overcame a problem, they devised a new one for her. First she was told she could not have the training she requested because they did not believe she was academically suited to attend college. She consistently proved them wrong,but they always found more reasons and ways to make things difficult. Ultimately she got through school, overcoming all of the adversity that BSVI and people in general could dish out. It was a real story of triumph and success on her part. I greatly admire people such as Shirley, who get right around the obstacles placed before them. In the afternoon we heard from many people in the field of rehabilitation. Among these were the directors of three of the adult rehabilitation centers in Ohio. They told us what they are currently doing and something about the clients they serve. Two of these emphasized that the majority of the people they serve are either very young children or very elderly adults. In addition to these Joyce Scanlan was there to tell us about Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions in Minnesota. This is an adult rehab center established and conducted by the Federation, which serves people by immersing them twenty-four hours a day in dealing with blindness and the necessary skills for coping. We also heard from David Cohen, a student at that center, who went there from Dayton, Ohio. The important difference seems to be that the center in Minnesota sees to it that you constantly apply what you learn and does not allow you to leave behind what you learn in class. It was all very interesting. The other really important part of the convention for me was the meeting of the Student Division of the NFB of Ohio. The officers elected were Deborah Byrne, President; Pam Dubel, Vice President; Tracy Masincupp, Secretary; and Kay Klamer, Treasurer. We discussed having three seminars during the upcoming year in order to educate parents, students, and even teachers about what is available to blind students and to develop a sort of network for blind college students. We very much look forward to the coming year and hope to meet many students and interested people who were not able to be with us at the convention. As I have said, the convention went very well, and it was interesting and a lot of fun. I hope to be there next year and to see many of you there as well. A THANK YOU NOTE FROM THE MOTHER OF A BLIND CHILD by Kathy Grant-Arthurs Editor's Note: This year the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio was able to assist several parents of blind children to attend our state convention, and several others were able to join us for the first time as well. Our seminar for the parents of blind children has attracted such parents before, but they have not been able to stay for the entire convention. This year, for the first time, we were delighted to face the problem of arranging for child care throughout the entire convention. These are the problems convention organizers like to have. One of the parents who came was Kathy Arthurs. She brought her almost two-year-old daughter Kaylee with her. Kaylee uses hearing aids as well as the tiniest white cane that we had in our cane bank. (You can see a picture of Kathy and Kaylee, cane in hand, in the October issue of the Braille Monitor.) Kathy wrote a note to the members of the NFB of Ohio when she got home. It reminds us how important our work is and how much parents of blind children need to hear our message and benefit from our support. Here is her letter: New Philadelphia, Ohio November 11, 1991 Dear members of the National Federation of the Blind: I'm writing this letter to thank your wonderful organization for sharing this past weekend with my daughter and me at your Cincinnati convention. As a mother of a blind two-year-old, I found your philosophy about being blind refreshing and your support for our child helpful. It means a lot in our hearts to experience such understanding and true camaraderie from our peers. I'm so much looking forward to future conventions. I'm grateful to the Federation members themselves. Any questions I had about blindness (guide dogs, cane travel, and the system in general) were willingly answered by people who shared their experiences with me and give me their opinions. The speakers were very informative and just as willing to answer my many questions. Some even gave me their phone numbers and addresses for future reference, and I felt at home and at peace knowing that they understood my position as a parent of a blind child. I thought it most wonderful that you had a question time after the speakers. This gave the audience a chance to be heard while the seminar speaker was still fresh in their minds. I also want to mention that, besides business and seminars, the convention also was mixed with just the right amount of entertainment. The dinner dance Saturday night really was great fun, and I was deeply grateful to you for having competent babysitters for our children during social hours as well as convention sessions. The babysitters enjoyed our kids, and I was totally at ease having them in charge. I heard the other parents also express their gratitude. In the future I hope to see more parents at these conventions. It's a truly enlightening experience, and I assure you that I will encourage every parent of a blind child I meet to come and take a part in this wonderful organization. Anything I can give in return to encourage more parents to participate, I will be most willing to do. I will be happy to talk to any parent who may need to talk with another parent about our children. I would be so happy to network with them. Thanks again for your support, cooperation, and, most of all, your understanding for a parent of a blind child. This means so very much to my family. The National Federation of the Blind is truly a breath of fresh air. I am proud to be a new member and call myself a Federationist. Cordially, Kathy Arthurs RESOLUTION 91-02 RSC Acceptance of Accreditation by NAC WHEREAS, high quality in the services provided to blind people is and has always been of crucial importance; and WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind has consistently called on rehabilitation agencies to develop and maintain high standards of program and fiscal accountability, which contribute to effective services; and WHEREAS, the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped (NAC) has for twenty-five years purported to be the only body in the field of work with the blind that could assure quality service through accreditation but, significantly, has never been able to convince the rehabilitation establishment of the plausibility of this contention--never more than twenty percent of these agencies have at one time seen fit to seek NAC accreditation; and WHEREAS, recent events demonstrate that whatever pretense NAC may once have had to respectability and viability it has now lost through financial instability and lack of credibility; and WHEREAS, the Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC) is updating its policy on accreditation requirements for the agencies with which it contracts and proposes to include the National Accreditation Council on its list of acceptable accrediting bodies for such entities; and WHEREAS, some agencies serving the blind in Ohio have maintained their NAC accreditation partly in fear of losing RSC business, but others have disaffiliated themselves from NAC and sought alternate accreditation while continuing to work amicably with the RSC; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in convention assembled this tenth day of November, 1991, in the City of Springdale, Ohio, that this organization communicate in the strongest terms to Robert Rabe, Administrator of the Rehabilitation Services Commission, its objections to RSC's continued inclusion of NAC among the acceptable accrediting bodies listed in the proposed RSC policy; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we offer our assistance and cooperation to the RSC in efforts it may make in establishing meaningful standards and accreditation that will result in quality services for Ohio's blind citizens; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we commend for their foresight those agencies that never sought or have now abandoned NAC accreditation and urge those agencies still accredited by NAC to disaffiliate themselves from this malignant and nearly moribund organization. RESOLUTION 91-03 The Right of Client Choice WHEREAS, the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired (BSVI) of the Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC) has the responsibility to provide blind citizens of Ohio with rehabilitative services, which are intended to lead to their successful employment; and WHEREAS, the Individualized Written Rehabilitation Plan (IWRP) requires that the plan for services must be mutually agreed between the counselor and the client; and WHEREAS, RSC policy stipulates that training in the use of alternative skills such as Braille, orientation and mobility, techniques of daily living, etc., must be conducted by an Ohio agency; and WHEREAS, by and large these agencies failed to provide appropriate client- centered training, while there are training centers outside Ohio that have established a record of achievement in rehabilitation unequaled by Ohio agencies; and WHEREAS, the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the Social Security Administration, leading members of Congress, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services have all gone on record in support of client choice in rehabilitation; and WHEREAS, the "buy Ohio" policy of the RSC limits the right of client choice, requiring clients to sign so-called mutually agreed IWRP's which, in fact, are not in their best interests, are contrary to their wishes, and do not meet their needs; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in convention assembled this tenth day of November, 1991, in the City of Springdale, Ohio, that this organization take all appropriate action to work with the Rehabilitation Services Commission to change its policy of limited choice; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we assist with information and advocacy those BSVI clients who would like to acquire their rehabilitation training outside of Ohio to do so by insisting that the IWRP truly become a mutually agreed document taking into account the needs and interests of the client as well as those of the agency. RESOLUTION 91-04 Declaration of Braille Literacy Week in Ohio WHEREAS, in recent years the instruction and use of Braille have fallen to an appallingly low level; and WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio is striving to reverse this trend; and WHEREAS, it is essential that society recognize Braille as the key to literacy for blind people; and WHEREAS, the inventor of the Braille Code, Louis Braille, was born on January 4, 1809; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in convention assembled this tenth day of November, 1991, in the City of Springdale, Ohio, that this organization request Governor Voinovich to proclaim the week of January 4, 1992, as Braille Literacy Week in Ohio and that he urge Ohioans to recognize and affirm the vital importance of Braille to blind people in their daily lives, their education, and their employment. RESOLUTION 91-05 Sighted Person of the Year Award WHEREAS, Ruth Garwood has graced the conventions of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio for more than thirty years, attending her first state convention in 1958 and missing none until ill health prevented her attendance this year; and WHEREAS, Ruth and her brother Ivan have always demonstrated devoted service to blind people and commitment to solving their problems, both in their actions and through the integrity of their lives; and WHEREAS, Ruth Garwood was recognized for her years of service in the movement by receiving the Sighted Person of the Year Award; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in convention assembled this tenth day of November, 1991, in the City of Springdale, Ohio, that this organization express its appreciation to Ruth Garwood by renaming the Sighted Person of the Year Award as the Ruth Garwood Award. BLIND CITIZEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT by Helen Johnson Editor's Note: In early October the Ohio chapter of a professional organization for people in the field of rehabilitation took place in Toledo. Marcus Canaday, who is now a senior official of the Rehabilitation Services Commission and who uses a guide dog, went into a restaurant for lunch with a group of his colleagues. The proprietor made it clear that the dog was not welcome, and the usual dispute ensued. Only this time, high-level state officials were involved. Not surprisingly, the misunderstanding was soon resolved, and the media in Toledo gave the story lots of attention. Helen Johnson, President of the Toledo Federation of the Blind, decided that the White Cane Law, which afforded Mr. Canaday the protection that he received, should get some attention on White Cane Safety Day, October 15, and the National Federation of the Blind, as the organization that saw to the law's passage years ago, should get some publicity as well. She wrote a letter to the Toledo Blade in the hope that it would be printed on the fifteenth. Unfortunately, with the Columbus Day holiday occurring that same week, the Postal Service did not deliver the letter in time. But The Blade decided to print it anyway. They changed the opening paragraph to reflect the passage of time, and the editor gave space to Helen's letter and credit to the Federation for one of the many things we have accomplished. Here is the letter as it appeared on October 31: To the Editor: October 15 was White Cane Safety Day. On this day blind people across the country celebrated the progress we have made in winning public recognition for our right to come and go freely and safely in society. In Ohio as in other states the laws which protect this freedom are known as the White Cane Laws, and they constitute the first true civil rights legislation for blind people in this nation. The National Federation of the Blind, a grassroots consumer group of blind people, is responsible for passage of the White Cane Laws, and we are proud of both our legislative success and the progress we have made in public recognition of our abilities and capacities. The stories published in The Blade about the problems Marcus Canaday and his dog guide had in a local restaurant demonstrate, however, how far we still have to go. As long as restaurateurs, taxi drivers, physicians, and the like can maintain even briefly that, the law notwithstanding, no guide dog may enter here, none of us in the disability community is completely free. For more than 50 years the National Federation of the Blind has worked to educate the public about the abilities of blind people, and we in the Toledo Federation of the Blind hope that the public attention accorded to Marcus Canaday's experience in our city will serve to remind us all of the rights and abilities of blind citizens. C H A P T E R & D I V I S I O N R E P O R T S NAPUB MEETS by Paul Dressell At its annual meeting during the state convention the Ohio division of the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB) elected the following slate of officers for the coming year: Paul Dressell, President; Peggy Covey, First Vice President; Annette Anderson, Second Vice President; Barbara Fohl, Secretary; and Tina Snapp, Treasurer. The Braille Literacy Bill, which the NFB of Ohio hopes to have introduced this coming year, was discussed, and several Ohio NAPUB members enthusiastically volunteered to testify in its support. The testimony could take one of two forms: what a great benefit Braille has been, or how great a deprivation the lack of adequate Braille skills has been. A number of NAPUB members can speak poignantly from first- hand experience about both of these statements. During the course of the meeting, seven members were added to the ranks of Ohio NAPUB.