The NFBF OUTREACH The Official News Magazine of the National Federation of the Blind of Florida ISSUE #4 -- AUTUMN, 1993 President Editor Wayne Davis Dan Hicks 1949 Marseille Drive 4608 West Longfellow Avenue Apartment 2 Tampa, FL 33629 Miami Beach, FL 33141 (813)837-4831 (305) 861-8425 TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM THE PRESIDENT Wayne Davis Page 3 NFB RETURNS TO DALLAS Dan Hicks Page 6 J O B NEWS Gloria Mills Page 9 ASSOCIATES UPDATE Janet Caron Page 10 IN HARNESS Marion Gwizdala Page 11 PAC PLAN UPDATE Jeffrey Harmon Page 13 FLORIDA HOLDS FIRST ANNUAL TRANSPORTATION DISADVANTAGED CONFERENCE IN ORLANDO Marilyn Baldwin Page 14 THIS IS 20/200! Dan Hicks Page 16 DUTIES OF A CHAPTER PRESIDENT Wayne Davis Page 20 CHAPTER NEWS Page 22 ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUES Page 23 RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA FOUNDATION LABELING MYTHS AS FACTS Marion Gwizdala Page 25 OUTREACH MICROS Page 29 OUT OF CONTEXT Page 31 WHAT'S COOKIN'? Page 33 SMILES Page 33 EDITORIAL MATTERS Dan Hicks Page 35 3 ___________________________________________________________________ FROM THE PRESIDENT ÄÄ Wayne Davis ___________________________________________________________________ During our 1992 state convention in Orlando last October, a resolution was passed by the convention that directed me as state president to do everything within in my power to encourage Commissioner of Education Betty Castor to appoint a qualified blind person as Director of the Division of Blind Services. As you know, the past director, Mr. Carl McCoy, retired effective December 31, 1992, and we were informed about his upcoming resignation well before our 1992 state convention. Acting as directed by our convention I wrote to, and called Commissioner Castor several times on the appointment of a new DBS director. In the beginning I got no response from her office on this issue. January 1993 rolled around, and Ms. Castor appointed Mr. Whitt Springfield as Acting Director of the Division of Blind Services. We kept the pressure on in various ways all through the winter and spring to try to get the Department of Education to appoint a qualified blind or visually impaired person to that job. At long last Cecil Golden, who works directly under Ms. Castor as the Deputy Commissioner of Education, called me on the phone, and asked me to serve on a five person committee to screen the applicants who had applied for the job of Director of the Division of Blind Services. The people selected to serve on this committee by Mr. Golden were: Ms. Terrie Blessing, president of the Florida Council of the Blind; Dr. George Stocking, president of the Blind Veterans Association; Mr. William Thompson, the director of the Palm Beach Lighthouse for the Blind, a sheltered workshop; Mr. Bruce Miles, a member of the Division of Blind Services Advisory Counsel, and myself, as President of the National Federation of the Blind of Florida. Although I did not really approve up the makeup of this committee, I did agree to take part because, I reasoned, it would be better to have some influence on and knowledge of the proceedings than to remain on the outside. Mr. Golden said that the committee members would receive 4 copies of the applications of all the 19 people who had applied for the position. He also said that we, the committee members, were to review them and pick our five top choices. At that point the votes were to be tabulated, and we, the committee members, would travel to Tampa, to interview the top five vote-getters among the applicants. At that point we would vote again, and come up with our recommendation for the job of Director of the Division of Blind Services. We did in fact receive the applications and resumes of each of the 19 applicants. Shortly there after I received a call from Mr. Golden telling me that all the committee members except Ms. Blessing and I felt that they knew the candidates well enough that they did not feel a need to personally interview them. We, the members of the committee, then had a conference call with Mr. Golden. I voted to interview the applicants, and so did Ms. Blessing. The other three voted not to interview, but rather to just have Mr. Golden call each of us individually to get our vote on who we wanted for the DBS Director. At that time I called Mr. Golden, and told him that the state was leaving itself wide open for criticism. He agreed with me, but said that since it was the wishes of the committee, he would go ahead with the voting. When he called me back to get my vote he told me that so far Whitt Springfield had four votes. I cast my vote for one of the blind applicants. All of this took place just a day or so before I left for our National Convention. Upon arriving in Texas, I discussed all of this with our national leaders, and upon my request, James Gashel, NFB'S Director of Governmental Affairs, faxed a strong letter to Betty Castor. I also sent Ms. Castor a letter, as did many of you. Several days passed after I returned home from the convention before I got another call from Mr. Golden. He told me that he and Ms. Castor had decided to interview the three top nominees, Ted Hull, Boe Barrett, and Whitt Springfield, before making a decision on who would get the DBS director's job. Hull and Barrett are both blind. This took place, and Mr. Springfield was selected to be the new Director. Although I am less then pleased with the 5 decision. it, after all, is a decision that was made by Betty Castor, and since she is the Commissioner of Education, she has the right to choose whomever she feels is the best person for the job. We did get something out of the process that I am very proud of. I asked Mr. Golden to appoint the same committee to oversee the operation of the Division of Blind Services and to report directly to him or Ms. Castor. Ms. Castor has responded to that request. We got that committee. This will give us a direct line to the people who oversee the Division of Blind Services. It will also cause them to closely watch what is going on with DBS. I have sent Mr.Springfield a letter of congratulation, and I have invited him to speak at our upcoming 1993 state convention in Boca Raton. In closing I want to thank Mr. Golden and Ms. Castor for letting us have a voice in choosing a new director for DBS, and also for setting up the advisory committee. I also want to wish Mr. Whitt Springfield the very best success in his new job. Although we feel that a qualified blind person would have been better suited for that job, I will do everything within my power to help Mr. Springfield, and the Division of Blind Services to fulfill their duties of providing good and effective services to the blind citizens of our state. I wish you the very best, Whitt, and I look forward to working with you. And I want to take this opportunity to invite you to attend our annual State Convention, to be held October 8, 9, and 10, 1993, at the Sheraton Inn, Boca Raton, 2000 NW 19th Street, Boca Raton, FL 33431-3362 Since we are the largest organization of blind people, we get great room rates. Singles and doubles are just $35.00. Tripples are $45.00 and quads are $55.00. All of these room rates are per night and tax is not included. We have had to expand into an overflow hotel, the Holiday Inn, right across the street from the Sheraton. The cost for convention registration this year is just $10.00 and the banquet is $20.00. For more information, contact your chapter president. Or give me a call at (305)861-8425. 6 ___________________________________________________________________ NFB RETURNS TO DALLAS ÄÄ Dan Hicks ___________________________________________________________________ The fifty-third annual National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind was held at the Hyatt Regancy Dallas Fort Worth, near Dallas Texas, July 3 through 10, 1993. Many of you will remember that this was the location of our fiftieth annual convention three years ago, and a fine convention it was, but this time the hotel facilities were improved, and it seemed there was even more to do in the limited time available to those who attended. 2,043 persons were registered for the convention. This is not a record for the NFB, but the Florida affiliate set its own record, with 83 people from all over the state, making us number six in attendance. Last year, we totalled 65 Floridians, putting us in twelfth place, so this was an increase in attendance we can be proud of. The convention got underway Saturday morning with a variety of seminars and meetings addressing NFB-Net, the concerns of parents of blind children, stress-reduction, and many other topics. There was a JOB seminar, an instructional meeting in how to use the Braille 'N Speak, a meeting of guide dog users, and an author's workshop. Saturday evening featured a Fiddle Music and Pizza Party and a meeting of the Public Relations Committee. Registration began Sunday morning, and ran as smoothly as ever. Also, the exhibit hall opened, giving convention goers a chance to gather all the NFB literature they could ever want to read as well as a chance to talk to vendors of all kinds of aids and appliances for the blind, ranging from low-tech items such as slates and styluses and canes, to the cutting edge of the high- tech world, including computers and speech synthisizers, closed circuit television devices, and many other items between these extremes. Many NFB chapters and affiliates hawked such wares as tee-shirts, brownies, hats, cheese, stuffed animals, and many other things, including the ever-popular raffle tickets. Floridians took turns manning our table, selling tickets giving 7 contributors a chance to win one of three vacation trips. The drawing will be held at our State Convention in Boca Raton, in October. The Resolutions Committee meeting was held Sunday afternoon and about a dozen more division and committee meetings were held Sunday evening, including the meeting of the Committee on Library Services and the Deaf-Blind Committee. Monday Morning, the NFB National Board of Directors meeting was held, and the rest of the day was taken up with Committee and Division meetings and a few parties. There was simply much too much to do for one person to be able to take in any more than a small fraction of the activities. Tuesday morning, July 6, saw the beginning of the first of many General Sessions. One of Tuesday's highlights was the introduction of Hank Dekker, a blind sailor, who planned to sail solo across the Atlantic Ocean, to commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and to raise awareness of what blind people can doÄÄand money for the NFB. While this journey was not to be completed, because of the unusually bad weather and other unforseen difficulties, the publicity surrounding the launch was very favorable to the NFB. (See the August issue of the Braille Monitor for more information on the attempt and on the press coverage. "Presidential Release" number 197 gives details of some of the difficulties involved in this venture.) The Texas Barbecue under the Stars took place Tuesday evening at Bear Creek. Shuttle busses ran the whole time, so attendees could go and come as they chose. The food was better than at the Texas barbecue three years ago, and there were lots of free beer and soft drinks to help counteract the Texas heat. And all evening there were plenty of music and dancing and great conversation. Somebody forgot to turn off the automatic sprinkler system for the grassy area near the lake, and a few Federationists got an unexpected cooling-off. But I don't think anybody minded all that much. As per the usual convention routine, there was no Wednesday afternoon session, leaving everyone a chance to choose from a wide variety of tours to Billy Bobs, Six Flags, and other places of 8 interest. As happens every two years, all but two of the national board positions came up for election. For the first time, Sharon Gold, President of the NFB of California, was elected to the board. Here is the way our National Board now looks: President, Marc Maurer; First Vice President, Joyce Scanlan; Second Vice President, Peggy Pinder; Secretary, Ramona Walhof; Treasurer, Allen Harris; Board members, Charles Brown, Don Capps, Glen Crosby, Priscilla Ferris, Sam Gleese, Sharon Gold, Frank Lee, Diane McGeorge, Betty Nicely, Fred Schroeder, and Joanne Wilson. Two new Kernel books were introduced at this year's convention. They are called As the Twig is Bent and Making Hay. They, along with the two earlier Kernel books What Color is the Sun and The Freedom Bell , can be ordered from our National Center in Baltimore. (In this issue's "Out of Context", you will find quotes from both of these new Kernel books.) The banquet speech delivered Thursday evening by President Marc Maurer was felt by many to be Maurer's best. It was reminiscent of some of the best speeches given by Dr. tenBrook and Dr. Jernigan during their presidencies, but in President Maurer's inimitable style. In short, it was a great speech, one to look forward to reading if you weren't able to attend the banquet. If you have never attended a National Convention of the NFB, there is no way I can hope to describe the feeling of being there. Every convention is different. And every conventioneer has different experiences from every other. Now is the time to make plans to attend our next national Convention in Detroit, Michigan. The 1991 National Convention in New Orleans broke all previous records with over 2,700 participants registered. It looks as if 1994 in Detroit will break the 3,000 mark, and we want you to be a part of it! 9 ___________________________________________________________________ J O B NEWS ÄÄ Gloria Mills ___________________________________________________________________ Gloria Mills is JOB Chairperson for the Florida Affiliate. GET A JOB Calling all persons who are looking for work! Last time, we talked about having a business in your home. That may not appeal to everyone. So, a lot of you go to your local Division of Blind Services and ask to see a rehabilitation counselor. I hope that you will be willing to continue to make all the decisions that pertain to your looking for work. The decision has to be yours. You must be an active participant. 1. Set some goals. Decide what it is you would like to do in the line of work. 2. Investigate what training needs you will have and find out what adaptive equipment you will need. 3. Prepare a resume, which includes all of your work experience, including nonpaying volunteer work experiences, such as NFB Chapter Secretary. 4. Start networking with other people who are also looking for employment. If there are enough people interested in your area, start a job club. You can conduct mock interviews and share leads. 5. Register with JOB, by calling 1-800-638-7518. Over a thousand blind people had found work through this program, which is sponsored by the NFB. What you don't want to do is sit at home and wait for someone else to find you a job, because that is what you will be doing for a long timeÄÄsitting at home waiting. One last thing: Any of you who have found work in the last six months, whether through JOB or not, please share your good news with me. JOB coordinators throughout the country are compiling data so that others like yourselves may be helped. My number is (813)837-4831. Nest time, we'll talk more about how to prepare a resume. 10 ___________________________________________________________________ ASSOCIATES UPDATE ÄÄ Janet Caron ___________________________________________________________________ Janet Caron is Associates Chairperson for the Florida Affiliate, and is still ahead of everyone else in the state in terms of Associates gathered! As this issue's offering demonstrates, she would welcome more competition. Webster's Dictionary defines "Associate" as: "To unite as a friend, partner or companion (verb); one having an interest in common with another (noun)." As Associates Program Chairperson for the state of Florida, I would like to extend an invitation to each and every one of you to urge your family and friends and other interested parties to join the NFB as Associate Members. Surely each of us has at least one friend or family member who would be pleased to support us in this worthy endeavor. Instead of feeling awkward or embarrassed, we should take the positive attitude of inviting them to participate with us, in helping the blind to help ourselves. Tell these prospective Associates that among the many uses this money would be put to each year at our national convention, over $100,000 in scholarships is awarded to 26 worthy recipients. Surely this should impress them in a positive way!. Within the past few years, Florida has steadily risen to a respectable level in the standing of states. I realize that we all have many time-consuming things to do in our lives, but because I personally feel that this program is so vital and important to our movement, I have placed it very high on my priorities list. Please join with me, and let's get Florida in the top ten. We can do it, not "walking alone", but "marching together"! 11 ___________________________________________________________________ IN HARNESS ÄÄ Marion Gwizdala ___________________________________________________________________ Marion Gwizdala is Chairman of our Guide Dog Users Committee. In past issues of the OUTREACH, "In Harness" has dealt with the rights of guide dog users. These rights centered around the responsibility of businesses to provide "full and equal access". With every right, however, there are concomitant responsibilities. This month, I would like to present my thoughts about the respon- sibilities of guide dog users. The primary responsibility of a guide dog user is to maintain control of the dog at all times. Control begins with dailyÄÄtwice daily is recommendedÄÄobedience. All too often we tend to slack up on daily obedience, citing such as excuses as "I'm too busy!" or "It's really not as important as the school makes it out to be!" In a recent conversation with Bob Roberto at Southeastern Guide Dogs, Inc., I asked what the most common problem graduates seemed to have. Without hesitation he said, "Control! And the first thing I ask is if they are doing daily obedience. Usually they're not." Bob said that even the busiest person has time for daily ûobedience by working it into the routine of daily life. "When you're brushing your teeth, put the dog in a sit and stay. When you feed your dog, put him down and don't let him up until you release him. Obedience doesn't necessitate need to be regimented. However, lack of control will cause a dog to overrun curbs, miss overhangs, and lead to behavioral problems." Recently, a guide dog user called me seeking assistance with the problem of a local restaurant owner who was denying the team access. I called the business and was told that they had no problem with guide dog users patronizing them. However, just as they would expect a sighted guest to conform to certain rules of etiquette, they felt a guide dog user should do the same. It was explained that the guide dog was poorly groomed since it had a noticeable odor and an obvious flea infestation. Furthermore, the dog had a gas problem 12 which was quite disconcerting to the other diners. Special care needs to be taken to keep our guide dogs well groomed. Fleas are a health problem, not only for your guide dog, but also to humans. And odorsÄÄwhether external or emittedÄÄmake people and dogs unwelcome. If your dog has a flea problem, consult your veterinarian or pest control company. If it has an external odor, check for signs of skin problems. Gas can usually be cured by changing dog foods. As far as I know, every county has a "pooper scooper" law, mandating that pet owners clean up after their dogs relieve. Most of these laws exempt guide dog users from this requirement. I feel this exemption is not only unnecessary, but illogical. Guide dogs go places most people do not take their pets. If a guide dog relieves in such a place, it is the responsibility of the user to clean up after the dog. It also gives the user an opportunity to assess the health of the dog. Loose stools can be an early indicator of serious health problems. If your school did not teach you about picking up after your dog, talk to a graduate from a school which does. It is our responsibility to the community to keep public areas clean. Blindness does not exempt us. The 1993 State Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Florida is approaching quickly. As the largest organization of the blind, a large number of guide dogs will be there. You need to start now to prepare your dog for the convention experience. If you have been lax on daily obedience, start today. If your dog doesn't work well in crowds, take a trip to the mall to simulate the experience. Expose your dog to other dogs to avoid any aggressive behaviour toward other teams. There will be designated relief area at the hotel and every dog user will be expected to do his or her part in keeping this area clean. As guide dog users we are a highly visible part of the community. Whether we realize it or not, we are watched very carefully. What we do reflects upon other blind people in general and other guide dog users specifically. We owe it to ourselves and to he movement to maintain good control and cleanliness. As we pick up our harness handles and give the command to our dogs, remember that it is not only a direction for the dog, but also of the blind through the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind. Forward! 13 ___________________________________________________________________ PAC PLAN UPDATE ÄÄ Jeffrey Harmon ___________________________________________________________________ Besides being Second Vice President, Jeff Harmon is PAC Chair- person for the Florida Affiliate. What does the NFB mean to you? To me it means protection, strength, and the defense of our civil rights as blind people. As many of you know, it costs money to run an organization like ours. The time has come for each of us to start giving money to the NFB through the PAC Plan. Whatever the reason you are a member of the NFB, you should stop and think about the fact that this organization cannot exist without our financial support. I realize that several chapters are already on the PAC Plan. But if each individual member will sign up with PAC, this will add up to more money than the chapters can ever give. You can sign up with PAC for as little as $5.00 a month. As members of our movement, I believe it is our duty to do so. At the beginning of this message, I stated what being a member means to me. Let me explain more. As many of you know, my wife Erlinda gave birth to our daughter Michelle, on April 30 of this year. When it became time for us to check out of the hospital, the nursury would not release our baby until late afternoon. They considered us high risk parents because of our blindness. We explained to them that we are members of the National Federation of the Blind, and that we know our civil rights as blind parents, and that our blindness has nothing to do with taking care of our own child. They finally released us, but stipulated that they would send a nurse to our home for a few weeks, to make sure that we can handle our child, and that we can properly take care of her needs. As it turned out, they tried to send three different nursing service agencies at the same time. So Erlinda and I had a conversation with NFBF President Wayne Davis. He advised us that it would probably be best if we refused these services as soon as possible. He knew that we didn't need their help any more than 14 sighted parents. He said that he and his wife Carmen had a similar problem when they had their child, David. We followed Wayne's advise and are proud to tell you that we have a very healthy baby. Now you can see why we give to the PAC Plan. I hope you realize how important the NFB is to all our lives. Ask your chapter president for a PAC form. Or write or call me for more information at: 806 Central Parkway Unit 1 Stuart, FL 34994 (407)221-7269 ___________________________________________________________________ FLORIDA HOLDS FIRST ANNUAL TRANSPORTATION DISADVANTAGED ÄÄ Marilyn Baldwin CONFERENCE IN ORLANDO ___________________________________________________________________ Marilyn Baldwin is President of our Greater Orlando Chapter She is known throughout the state as a hard worker for improvement in transportation services. During the week of August 10 through 12, 1993, more than 300 people came to Orlando, Florida to attend the first annual Florida Transportation Disadvantaged Conference sponsored by LYNX, the Transit Authority for Orange, Seminole, and Osceola Counties and the Transportation Disadvantaged Commission. Those who attended stayed at the Omni Hotel in downtown Orlando and the workshops were held at the Expo Center. It was a wonderful opportunity to network with professionals and consumers from across the state while learning more about the many aspects of the program. The first plenary session was called "Visions for Transportation Mobility in the 21st Century". I had the privilege to be one of five panelists participating in the session. My message was that we have seen a good deal of progress in the area of transportation thanks to the state legislation that created the 15 Commission and its trust fund that is used to pay the portion of an individual's transportation that is not sponsored by any other agency. In order to meet the increasing transportation needs of Florida's elderly and disabled population, each community must have a dedicated source of funding for mass transit that will also include paratransit. We must maximize the use of mass transit by travel training and obtaining a fully accessible fleet of fixed route busses. The service must become more frequent and user friendly. Transportation coordinators, operators, and consumers must all work together as a team with our local and state elected officials to face mobility in the 21st century. LYNX, our local transportation coordinator, was awarded the Urban Community Transportation Coordinator Award. Mr. Paul Skoutelas, Executive Director of LYNX, received the William G. Bell Award. And last but not least, Mr. Dennis Dee, Paratransit Supervisor for the A+ Link program, was given the Pat Turner Award. As yo can see, LYNX has done an outstanding job here in Orlando. There were other awards given to areas across the state in recognition of superior work in the field of Transportation Disadvantaged services. All in all, this was a wonderful and well-attended event. Some of the state's elected officials who participated in the program were: Ben Watts, P.E., Secretary, Florida Department of Transportation; The Honorable Ed Healy, Florida House of Representatives Chairperson, House Transportation Committee; and The Honorable Irlo Bronson, Florida House of Representatives Vice Chairman, House Transportation Committee. Mr. Bruce Antone, Legislative Assistant to Senator Buddy Dyer was also present. Some of you may remember Mr. Don Wedewer, former Director of DBS; he now volunteers his time as Transportation Disadvantaged Commissioner representing the disabled. If you are not familiar with the Commission, it is very important that you learn about it and support its endeavors to secure funding to provide for transportation needs throughout the state. You may call the Commission at 1-800-342-5557. Jo Ann Hutchinson is the Executive Director and has worked hard to improve Florida's Transportation Disadvantaged Program. 16 ___________________________________________________________________ THIS IS 20/200! ÄÄ Dan Hicks ___________________________________________________________________ The list of jobs and other activities that can be performed by blind people is growing daily. The length of this list is limited primarily by our own desires and imaginations. Still, how often would it occur to many of us that producing a television program should be on this list? The members of the Tampa Bay Chapter have done it. And we are not the first NFB group to do so, and certainly not the last. Public Access Television was an idea originated by the Federal Government to give citizens a voice, by allowing them to produce or appear on locally produced television programs, telecast over their community cable systems. These federal requirements have since been reduced or eliminated. However many communities still have public access studios and channels. Public access programming is just thatÄÄtelevision shows produced by non- professionals, carried over certain frequencies, into the homes of the subscribers of a cable system, or perhaps several cable systems. This could amount to a potential audience of millions of people, depending on where the cable system is located. Even if a small percentage of all TV-viewing households tunes in to a particular program, they could add up to a sizeable audience. As in many areas, public access programming ranges from very interesting to stuff you wouldn't want your parrot to watch. There are religious programs for a variety of faiths, programs produced by and for children, Democratic political programs, Republican political programs, and one hosted by a Nazi. There are programs where people wear business clothes, programs where the hosts wear strange costumes, and programs showing people wearing nothing at allÄÄshown only late at night. The First Ammendment reigns supreme, and there is very little that is taboo. Some of the programs are of commercial television quality or close to it, and some are worse than those videos your uncle Fred made when he first got his camcorder. But, if the almost unlimited freedom of public access 17 programming gives some persons and groups a chance to be bad, it also gives a much larger number of persons and groups a wonderful opportunity to do their best, to produce informative, interesting, andÄÄyes, even entertainingÄÄTV shows that are not dependent on the ability to command high ratings or the ability to sell soap or razor blades. As a matter of fact, there are no commercials, though a lot of public service announcements are aired between programsÄÄincluding some produced by the NFB national office, and by the Tampa Bay chapter. Tampa Bay Chapter Vice President Marion Gwizdala was the first to suggest the idea that we should actually produce a TV show. He knew that a few chapters and affiliates had done it beforeÄÄincluding the Miami ChapterÄÄand he guessed we could do the same. We knew we couldn't do any worse than some of the shows that we'd seen on our local public access channels. Marion came up with a name for the program: 20/200ÄÄborrowing the name and loosely borrowing the formatÄÄfrom ABC's successful news magazine 20/20. We later added the subtitle: Changing What It Means To Be Blind!. Public access TV is different in Tampa from the way it is in Miami and in a lot of other cities, where production crews are supplied by the public access center. We would be totally in charge of producing each episode. Jones Intercable would allow us to use several hundred thousand dollars' worth of studios and equipment and train us to operate everything, but we would be in charge of setting up the studio, lighting, operating cameras, videotape editing, and everything else that goes along with making a television series. Six of us signed up to take the thirteen week training course: Marion Gwizdala, Chapter Treasurer Frank Pisacane, Frank's wife Frances Pisacane, their daughter Genie Pisacane, Chapter Board Member Lloyd Matthews, and myself. Each of us learned to work in each stage of the operation, but it soon became apparent that there were some things each of us were more interested in and able to do than others. Lloyd, for instance, had worked for years as an electrical engineer prior to losing much of his sight; he took to handling the electrical work and as if he'd been doing it for years, which is because he had. Frances 18 and Genie, the only fully sighted members of our group, were natural lighting and set directors. They were very hard to please, and made us do our best work. Marion furnished ideas and did a lot with the audio. Frank is the best of us at operating the electronic character generator that provides our on-screen titles and special effects, and has produced some of our best public service announcements. I suppose my strongest point is in technical directing and editing. But I want to stress that all of us have done all of these things, and done them well. Tampa Bay Chapter President Gloria Mills has not been able to be with us as much as she or we would have liked, but she had been invaluable in helping to keep us on track and on schedule and in providing ideas. She has appeared on camera several times, done interviews, and written one of our JOB public service nnouncements. We work very well together as a teamÄÄa team composed of opinionated people with sometimes differing ideas about how some things ought to be done, but a team always willing to listen to what each member has to say, and the experience has been a good one for all of us. We were sorry to lose Genie from our group after just a few episodes. After becoming certified as a producer, she got a job with the local Radio Reading Service. We have worked hard to include every member of our chapter, who has been interested in appearing on our show, or in otherwise helping out. Secretary Sherrill O'Brien devoted many hours helping us with our braille and guide dog shows. By the way, the show on guide dogs was hosted by Erin and Diamond, Sherrill's and Marion's guide dogs. Believe me, it worked out very well. My daughters Katie and Robin were with us for a few sessions during the spring and summer. Katie, who was then ten, was enthusiastic and tall enough to be an excellent camera operator, and we wasted little time in getting her trained and certified. Robin, seven, watched audio levels for us. Marion's then six-year -old daughter Aislinn served as an energetic runner. And all three girls have also appeared on camera. In addition to the shows on braille and guide dogs, we have produced programs on JOB, talking books, DBS, the radio reading service, the 1993 National Convention, technology, and other 19 topics. I would like to thank every member of the Tampa Bay Chapter, who helped in ways too numerous to mention here. And I would like to thank President Wayne Davis, who gave us support, loaned us copies of the shows the Miami Chapter made to give us ideas, and also loaned us his chapter's big NFB logo. We also thank Gena Bollig and Julio Llompart of Jones Intercable who gave us training, technical support, good ideas, and encouragement. At this time, we have about finished our thirteen episode series. We have already made arrangements to re-run the series, and hope to gather more publicity for the program. The people at Jones Intercable and Paragon Cable, which also runs our show, seem to like the idea of our program. I think it is because 20/200 is a good example of the more than 95 per cent of Tampa public access programming that is oriented toward improving the community. They have asked us, and we have agreed, to place all episodes of 20/200 in their permanent archives, to be re-run at various times in the future. As far as I have been able to determine, I am the first blind Public Access Producer to be certified in the state of Florida. And Frank and Marion are the second and third. We have one of the highest producer ratios of any group to be trained by the Jones Intercable Public Access Center. This certification is portable to other cooperating public access facilities throughout the nation. It has been our goal to further the cause of the National Federation of the Blind and to present a positive attitude toward blindness. I think we have succeeded, though it has taken a lot of hard work. It has also been a lot of fun, and I don't want to shortchange that part of it. We will probably continue to produce specials from time to time, as the need or inspiration arises. If your chapter is interested in doing something like this in your area, please contact us. Public access is there to be used by everybody. And blind people can make television programs. As we say at the beginning of each episode: "And now, the Tampa Bay Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind presents: the only television program produced by blind people. From across the nation, throughout the state, and into your home, this is 20/200: Changing What It Means To Be Blind!" 20 ___________________________________________________________________ DUTIES OF A CHAPTER PRESIDENT ÄÄ Wayne Davis ___________________________________________________________________ In addition to being NFBF State President, Wayne Davis is President of the Greater Miami Chapter. I am often asked what the duties of a Chapter President really are. That question has a very complex answer, because a chapter president is many different things at different times, and therefore, he or she has many different duties. If you are a chapter president, you are the elected leader of your local chapter. As such, it is your duty as president to preside over meetings, schedule meetings on a regular monthly bases, call and chair board meetings, establish committees, and appoint people to chair them, and dissolve committees when they are no longer needed. As chapter president, you are bound to follow the chapter's Constitution, the constitution of the State Affiliate, and the Constitution of the National Federation of the Blind. Therefore, it is the duty of every Chapter Officer to study and really learn what those three constitutions say. They are our bylaws, and must be followed. As president of your chapter, you are a vital link between national and state leaders and your members. It is very important that you carefully read each issue of the Braille Monitor and the OUTREACH as soon as you get them. They contain vital information you will want and need to know. The same is true of the Presidential Release. These often advise and direct us to take immediate action, so it is a good idea to play your Presidential Releases as soon as you get them. And you are remembering to play them in your meetings, aren't you? Playing the Presidential Release at your chapter meetings is a very important way of linking all of our chapters together into one vital movement. If the above listed items were all that a Chapter President had to do, it would still be a lot of work, but it does not stop there. As president, you are usually the spokesperson for the 21 local chapter, and as such will be asked, from time to time, to stand up and make a report before meetings of the NFBF, or to speak to local meetings of one kind or another in your community. You will find yourself involved in political fights within his community in order to uphold the rights of the blind people. You will be very likely to find your living room full of boxes of candy for candy sales to raise money for the local chapter. So, if you ever want to reclaim that living room for family use, you will find that one of your duties includes working with the rest of the membership to sell that candy. A Chapter President will need to do some travelling. There are meetings, State and National Conventions, and seminars to attend and take part in. There are legislators to be influenced in Tallahassee and in Washington. You will find that you spend a great deal of time on the phone, because people in your Chapter, as well as other blind people in your community will be calling you to find out about meetings, to ask questions about state and local laws, and to get help with an endless variety of problems. It is the duty of a chapter president to listen to those people, and to do everything you can to help them. An effective president knows how to delegateÄÄyou cannot and should not try to do everything yourself. But, ultimately, how well the chapter operates is the president's responsibility. Being a Chapter President is not an easy job, but it is a great one. You have to be willing to give a lot of time to other people, but the good feeling you get from helping to make things happen and improving the lives of other blind people makes the job well worthwhile. So, if you are a Chapter President, stop reading this, and get back to work. If you are not a Chapter President, but are thinking about running for the office, I hope this little article will give you some insight into what to expect. If you are not a Chapter President, and have no interest in becoming one, you might want to give your Chapter President a phone call, and thank him or her for all the things he or she does that you didn't know about. Until Now. 22 ___________________________________________________________________ CHAPTER NEWS ___________________________________________________________________ From Joe Naulty, President, Pompano Beach Chapter... The Pompano Beach Chapter is fairly new, now fifteen months in existance with 120 paid members recorded. Our officers are all very dedicated people with backgrounds that deserve the confidence of all members. Vice President Ms. Janet Caron is a State Board Member and is Chairperson of the state Associates program. Ron Burns, original- ly from Maryland, has been doing an excellent job as secretary. Our treasurer, Ms. Gayle Boyd, is Branch Manager of a bank. Our board members are: Ms. Helen C. Weil, who is from New York and has thirty years' experience in writing grants and developing rehabilitation programs; Mr. Carl Weiss, a forty year member of the NFB who has worked as a professional rehabilitation counselor; and Mr. Arthur L. Skidmore, an active member of the Lions Club, who has helped our chapter by selling 200 tickets for the state and chapter raffle, now in progress. Ms. Weil and Mr. Skidmore attended the National Convention in July, with Janet Caron and myself, thus encouraging others to participate on future occasions and realize the wonders that take place and the knowledge that can be derived from attending our National Conventions. We are constantly working for the improvement of our chapter and for our blind and disabled friends. We are now trying to encourage our members to attend the State Convention in October at Boca Raton, especially because the location is so close to home. This will give us the opportunity to network with other NFB members around the state. Our next fund-raiser will take place with a Granny's Attic sale. A good fundraiser is a fitting way to complete a great year! 23 From Gloria Mills, President, Tampa Bay Chapter... We've had a very good year, this year. Last issue, I told you that we had started a TV program on public access cable. Well, we're still doing it, folks. We now have put together ten different programs on blindness. For more information read Dan's article in this issue. We had twelve members attend our Leadership Seminar in Lake Wales, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Frank Pisacane and Dan Hicks were our roving reporters with mikes and video cameras in tow. In May, we solicited local businesses to purchase ads in a flyer, which we put together and distributed at our free car wash fundraiser on June 19. We had a great time and made $500.00, after expenses. After the car wash, we had twenty-four people over that afternoon for hamburgers and lots of fun. In July, four of us, Sherrill O'Brien, Lloyd Matthews, Dan, and I, went to the National Convention in Dallas. We all learned a lot and had a good time as well. We are now planning for the state convention and on doing something on the local level for White Cane Safety Day, on October 15. ___________________________________________________________________ ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUES ___________________________________________________________________ We all have some kind of special knowledge, a little collection of neat little tricks that help us do what has to be done or that make like more enjoyable. Send in your techniques for dealing with blindness or with any other situation. Send us your consumer tips and helpful hints and give us a chance to share them! It is easy to make a copy of a 4-track National Library Service cassette book. All you need is a dubbing stereo cassette deck or two stereo cassette recorders connected to each other through a stereo system or with patch cords. The four tracks of the NLS tapes 24 are the same four tracks used by stereo cassette machines. They are used differently, but the cassette deck doesn't know that. If your deck has double speed dubbing, you can copy a six-hour tape in forty-five minutes. (Remember that NLS uses C-90 length cassettes.) Ah, you ask, but is this legal? Judy Dixon of the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped guarantees that it is within the law for you to make a copy of an NLS book for your own use. This could be a way to build a useful personal Talking Book library. You can tell which side of a milk or juice carton to open by looking for the seam on one of the corners of the main part of the carton. The side you are supposed to open will be opposite that seam. Do you use recorded recipes when you cook? Put your cassette player in a plastic bag. You will still be able to operate the controls, but the machine will be less likely to become messy. Eating a large spoonful of peanut butter will often cure a case of hiccups when nothing else will do the trick. Do you get into several cassette books at a time and forget which track you are on in each book? Put the tape you are currently reading in the container, on top of the front stack (the stack closest to the latches) with the side you are reading up. If you are on sides one or two, leave the left latch undone. And if you want to remember to return to tracks three or four, leave the right latch undone. Or vice versa, as long as you're consistent. From Gloria Mills, Tampa... Put print and braille labels in your linen closet to show where sheets and towls of various sizes are supposed to go. That's what they do in the National Center in Baltimore. 25 ___________________________________________________________________ RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA FOUNDATION LABELING MYTHS AS FACTS ÄÄ Marion Gwizdala ___________________________________________________________________ Marion Gwizdala is vice president of the Tamps Bay Chapter. Here is a Letter he wrote to the RP Foundation in response to an article publishes in its newsletter. Marion Gwizdala 820 Valley Hill Dr. Brandon, FL 33510 15 August, 1992 Fighting Blindness News RP Foundation 1401 Mount Royal Ave. Baltimore, MD 21217 To Whom It May Concern: In 1973, I was diagnosed as having Retinitis Pigmentosa. Shortly thereafter my mother started receiving the newsletter of the RP Foundation Fighting Blindness. I read several articles in the newsletter and noticed that it spent a lot of time talking about, in one way or another, how horrible it is to be blind, how preferable it was to be sighted, and how those with residual vision can lead an almost normal life. Not long ago a woman called me about a meeting of the National Federation of the Blind, an organization of blind people with which I volunteer in Tampa. She was very frightened of the prospect of losing her eyesight to RP. She had been referred by the RP Foundation to a peer counselor in Orlando. She told me, "He referred to blind people as bats and blinks, told blind jokes, 26 and cautioned me not to marry a blind person. When I asked why not, he asked me who would do my laundry for me?" I recently read the Spring 1992 Fighting Blindness News In true form, you continue to promulgate the myths of blindness with a seemingly authoritative article reprinted with the permission of the American Association of Ophthalmology. The writer is a scientist who obviously knows a lot about vision and macular degeneration but has no concept, in fact has misconceptions, about blindness. Let me borrow the closing format of the article and statements in the article to illustrate my point: MYTH: "You won't need a white cane, though you may wish you had one, when your standing in front of a clock and have to ask what time it is, or which of the two doors is the right bathroom, embarrassing situation encountered by millions of older Americans who have lost central vision ... " FACT: The white cane is a respectable tool of blindness. It is neither embarrassing to carry a white cane or to ask someone which of the bathrooms is the correct one or to ask someone the time. MYTH: "People with macular degeneration retain enough peripheral vision to care for themselves and remain active." (This implies that people who are totally blind cannot care for themselves and are not active.) FACT: Blind people are able to care for themselves independently. Blind people are lawyers, business executives, teachers, and parents. Blind people can care for themselves and others. Blind people are active in their community, participating in all areas of community life. MYTH: "With counseling, people can learn to use some of their peripheral vision to help them see more clearly and to cope with the practical tasks of everyday life." 27 FACT: Blind people perform the "practical tasks of everyday life" without the use of vision. Again, this is a case of what is not said rather than what is. With the proper training, the newly blinded person can learn to use the techniques of blindness to perform tasks formerly done with eyesight rather than use inefficient eyesight. Such techniques as cane travel and braille are valuable tools for people with central vision loss. What blind people really need is not more counseling and therapy to cope with blindness. The blind, especially the newly blinded, need training and opportunity. MYTH: "Visual aids and devices can assist many patients...in leading a comfortable and relatively normal life." FACT: This statement, explicitly stated as fact, is the most damaging myth about blindness: People with eyesight lead a normal life. A normal life is relative to how much a person can see. If a person has no eyesight their life is relatively uncomfortable and abnormal. Simply put, this is a lie. My life is not uncomfortable because I am blind. My blindness does not cause me to live an abnormal life. I work, go to school, am married, and have a child. There is nothing about my life that would be considered abnormal. I do not contend that it is not useful to have eyesight. I am not minimizing the research the Foundation supports. What troubles me is that your publication speaks of blindness as if it were horrible because of the helplessness and dependency it creates. When articles are written about a blind persons's accomplishments, readers must think they are exceptional, since, in your words, eyesight is necessary to lead a normal life. A friend of mine has RP. At age 28, he has only poor central vision. He has told me how embarrassing it is to ask others what bus is coming, to talk to the teacher about his classroom needs, and how his social life is severely restricted because of his lack of night vision. I've encouraged him to use a cane. His resistance to using a cane 28 is it's symbolism of blindness. He doesn't consider himself blind because he can see. He is trying to use what little eyesight he has to be "normal". In the meantime he places himself at risk and limits himself socially and professionally because he believes that it is not respectable to be blind. Blindness is ranked third as the most feared condition, according to a recent Gallup poll. Only AIDs and cancer are feared more. Consider that you may be contributing to that fear by your publication. After all, someone may wrongly assume that, since you deal with research about a cause of blindness, what you say about blindness is fact. Tens of thousands of blind people prove you wrong. I encourage you to print a more realistic view of blindness. After all, your newsletter may be the only information some people read about blindness. If you need more information, please contact: Marc Maurer, President National Federation of the Blind 1800 Johnson St. Baltimore, MD 21230 (410) 659-9314 Sincerely yours, Marion Gwizdala cc: Marc Maurer, National Federation of the Blind American Academy of Ophthalmology 29 __________________________________________________________________ OUTREACH MICROS __________________________________________________________________ WELCOME MICHELLE Congratulations to Jeff and Erlinda Harmon on the birth of their daughter Michelle on April 30, 1993. Many of us got to see and hold her at the latest National Convention in Dallas. We wish the Harmons all the best. BRAILLE LOW-FAT COOKBOOK OFFERED In a unique partnership, the National Federation of the Blind and a small Chicago communications company are distributing inexpensive low-fat recipe books to blind, gourmet, health- conscious chefs. The cookbook, entitled 32 Delicious International Low-Fat Dishes, provides recipes from France, Italy, China, Greece, and the Mid East. Easily prepared recipes for main dishes, sauces, dips, and salads are presented in grade two Braille. The NFB receives $1.00 from the sale of each book, which is priced at $4.95. To order, send check or money order for $4.95 per copy to: No Limits, Inc., 2936 West Fitch, Chicago, IL 60645. For more information, Contact Marc Zalkin at (312)465-8569 or NFB. RESOLUTIONS SOUGHT FOR 1993 STATE CONVENTON From Dan Hicks, Chairperson of the 1993 State Resolutions Committee: The Resolutions Committee meeting is scheduled for October 8, after the Hospitality at the 1993 Florida State Convention in Boca Raton. Additional meetings of the committee may be necessary, though we will do our best to take care of all business in this one meeting. I am requesting that all proposed resolutions be sent to me at the address on page 1 as soon as possible. If you 30 have an idea for a resolution but are not sure how to develop it, now is the time to get help in turning that idea into a resolution. There have been numerous examples of Resolutions in past issues of the Braille Monitor, and there are several Florida State Resolutions reprinted in the last issue of the OUTREACH (Issue #3, Spring, 1993). If you don't have a copy of the last OUTREACH contact me and I will send you one in print or cassette so that you will have an example of the resolutions format. I am stressing this because we want people to turn in written reso- lutions, not just ideas for resolutions. Although I prefer that they be mailed to me in advance, resolutions may be turned in to me at the State Convention, any time up until the beginning of the Resolutions Committee meeting, Friday night, but they must be in writing (print or braille) and they must be in resolutions form. This does not mean that the committee cannot or will not propose changes to the resolution, however these changes are subject to the approval of the person or group presenting the resolution to the committee. The committee will vote either to recommend or not to recommend that the resolution be approved and adopted by the Convention, but you, the presenter of the resolution, always have the option of bringing your resolution to the floor of the Convention. Every resolution must have a person at the Resolutions Committee meeting and at the Convention to present, speak for, and take responsibility for that resolution. If you plan to submit a resolution, but are unable to attend the Convention, then you must find someone who will speak for your resolution before the Convention. Resolutions are very important to our movement. They are the means by which we, the members of the NFBF, set the policies that will govern our organization for the coming year and beyond. I encourage you to start thinking about Resolutions you would like to see adopted and contact me as soon as possible. I look forward to seeing all of you in Boca Raton. Please remember to contact President Wayne Davis or me if you would like further information. Our addresses are on the front cover of the OUTREACH. 31 __________________________________________________________________ OUT OF CONTEXT __________________________________________________________________ "We must remember that we did not inherit the world from our parents, but that we are borrowing it from our children." ÄÄJim Hensen "Blind children don't see. They must use a cane. Canes help a lot. Blind children must know what things are.....Go see things with your children. "Blind children read braille. They must have braille books. Braille is fun! I like to read and write braille." ÄÄTim Day "Advice from a Seven-Year-Old" As the Twig is Bent "The hobo has two watches you can't buy in Tiffany's. On one wrist, the sun. On the other wrist, the moon. Both bands are made of sky." ÄÄJack Kerouac Lonesome Traveler "Diplomacy is the art of saying `nice doggie' till you can find a rock." ÄÄWynn Catlin "The purpose of research is to drive us out of the hypotheses in which we hitherto have taken refuge, into that state of thoroughly conscious ignorance which is the prelude to every real advance in science." ÄÄJames Clerk Maxwell "You can observe a lot just by watching." ÄÄYogi Berra "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. ÄÄHelen Keller 32 "Some people hope to achieve immortality through their works or their children. I would prefer to achieve it by not dying." ÄÄWoody Allen "A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers." ÄÄH. L. Menchen "How do my alternative techniques compare with those of my sighted colleagues? Let's compare a few of them. I use a reader to help me with my paperwork; my boss uses a secretary. My co- workers take notes with pens and pencils; I use a slate and stylus to write Braille. My colleagues use a computer with the help of a monitor and a printer; I use a computer with the help of a speech synthesizer and a Braille embosser. My fellow employees travel about safely with the help of sight; I travel about safely with the help of my white cane. The sighted have techniques that work for them and the blind have techniques that work equally well." ÄÄKenneth Silberman "Blindness and the Brooklyn Bridge Making Hay "One plus one is two, two plus two are four, and five will get you ten, if you know how to work it." ÄÄMae West "Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainly is absurd." ÄÄVoltaire From Gloria Mills, Tampa... "We do not want compassion, we want understanding; we do not want tolerance, we want acceptance; we do not want charity, we want opportunity; we do not want dependency, we want independence." ÄÄDr. Jacobus tenBrooek "Within the Grace of God" Walking Alone and Marching Together 33 __________________________________________________________________ WHAT'S COOKIN'? __________________________________________________________________ This issue's recipe comes from Gloria Mills, President of the Tampa Bay Chapter and NFBF Board Member. NOODLE BAKE 1-1/2 pounds ground beef 1 8-ounce container sour cream 1 cup scallions (green onions), 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce chopped 1 12 ounce package egg noodles 1 cup grated cheddar cheese salt, pepper, garlic powder Start by boiling 6 cups water to cook noodles. Once water boils and noodles are cooking, brown ground beef in skillet. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. When meat is brown, add tomato sauce. Let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Once noodles are cooked (about 10 to 12 minutes), drain warm noodles. Mix noodles, sour cream, chopped scallions, and cheese together in a bowl. Combine portions of all ingredients slowly, to thoroughly mix. Alternate layers of noodle mixture and ground beef mixture until all used up in 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Microwave at medium power for 12 to 15 minutes. Let stand for three to five minutes and serve. __________________________________________________________________ SMILES __________________________________________________________________ Diner: Waiter, where is my order of escargots! I've been waiting for more than an hour. Waiter: I'm sorry, sir, but you know how snails are. 34 Benny: How can I be so lucky at poker and yet so unlucky at the racetrack? Lenny: Probably because they won't let you shuffle the horses. A young man was applying for a job as a railroad switchman. The interviewer asked, "What would you do if you saw two trains heading for each other on the same track?" "I'd throw the lever to switch one of the trains on another track," replied the applicant. "What would you do if the lever was broken?" "I'd manually set the warning lights." "And what if the warning lights did not work?" "I'd use hand signals to try to warn the trains." "And if that didn't work either?" "Well, I'd call my brother." "Your brother? What could he do?" "Oh, nothing. He just loves to watch train wrecks." Teacher: Michael, are you ready to give your report about nitrates? Michael: Yes, Teacher. They're cheaper than dayrates. Hugh: Wanda is such a pessimist! Sue: How can you say that? She's always saying she looks forward to the future. Hugh: Yes, but only so she can complain about how much better things used to be! Q. How many computer programmers does it take to change a light bulb? A. Can't be doneÄÄthat's a hardware problem. And computer users will like this one from Gloria Mills of Tampa... Q. What do you get if you cross Lee Iacocca and Count Dracula? A. An AUTOEXEC.BAT 35 ___________________________________________________________________ EDITORIAL MATTERS ÄÄ Dan Hicks ___________________________________________________________________ Please remember to write with your comments, suggestions, and submissions for SMILES, WHAT'S COOKIN'?, OUT OF CONTEXT, etc.. We want to hear from you. There are still chapters that have never sent us an item for CHAPTER REPORTS. Let's hear from all of you! Don't be shyÄÄlet's let the Official OUTREACH Author's Motto be: "If in doubt, send it out!" What do I mean by that? Well, there is a story told among science fiction enthusiasts about a fan who once said to editor John W. Campbell, "I've done a lot of writing, but nothing good enough to send to your magazine." Campbell replied, "How dare you reject stories for my magazine!" We are pleased and proud to announce the "Miami Lost" by Wayne Davis, which appeared in the last issue of the OUTREACH, was reprinted in the August, 1993 issue of The Braille Monitor. Congratulations Wayne! We wish to thank those of you who donated boxes or bags of cassettes to recycle into copies of OUTREACH. Some of you didn't identify yourselves, and we do thank you, but those we can thank by name are: Cathy Barja of Tampa, Carl Miller of Fort Pierce, Janet Caron of Pompano Beach, Sherrill O'Brien of Tampa, Pearl Taffel of Pembroke Pines, and Leona Grahn of Tampa. Please keep the tapes coming inÄÄit helps us to keep our costs down. Thanks to all of you who submitted articles. Special Thanks to Patti Johnson of Panama City for proofreading the print edition. If you spot any typographical errors in this issue, they are hre fualt. Of course I'm just kidding! Really, Patti, thank you very much for helping us to keep our print edition looking good. Thanks always to Wayne and Carmen Davis, Jeffrey and Erlinda Harmon, Ken Rollman, and Gloria Mills. And thank you for supporting OUTREACH and the National Federation of the Blind!