                       THE BRAILLE MONITOR

                           March, 1997

                     Barbara Pierce, Editor


      Published in inkprint, in Braille, and on cassette by

              THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

                     MARC MAURER, PRESIDENT


                         National Office
                       1800 Johnson Street
                   Baltimore, Maryland  21230
                   NFB Net BBS: (612) 696-1975 or Telnet nfbnet.org
              Web Page address: http://www.nfb.org



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                    Baltimore, Maryland 21230


                                


   THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION
 SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND--IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES





ISSN 0006-8829

THE BRAILLE MONITOR
PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

                            CONTENTS
                                                      March, 1997

Lighthouse for the Blind Closes Sheltered Shop
and Feels that It Got a Bum Rap
     by Kenneth Jernigan

Carnival, Life Go On Despite Blindness
     by Rhonda Nabonne

Needed: Blind Individuals for University Training
as Orientation & Mobility Instructors
     by Ruby Ryles

If Only We Could See Through the Eyes of a Child
     by Sue Drapinski

Content Validity of the National Literary
Braille Competency Test
     by Carol B. Allman and Sandra Lewis

A Nonacademic Plea for Common Sense
     by Barbara Pierce

Making Other Arrangements
     by Bruce A. Gardner

Federation Spirit on the Internet
     by Marc Maurer

How I Became a Park Ranger
     by Lynda Boose

Possibilities
     by Carol Castellano

From the Electronic Mail Basket: Teaching
Braille Online
     by Curtis Chong

Lionizing Around New Orleans: Good Food,
Good Times, and All That Jazz
     by Jerry Whittle


The Metal Pole
     by Homer Page

Federationists, Fund-Raising, and Free Enterprise
     by Marie Cobb

Dialysis at National Convention
     by Ed Bryant

Recipes

Monitor Miniatures

       Copyright (c) 1997 National Federation of the Blind

[LEAD PHOTO #1. Six people are pictured here. The four on the left are wearing
costumes and headdresses which prominently include musical notes. The woman on
the right is wearing a coat and a crown. Three canes can be seen.
     #2. A parade float is fringed at the bottom and decorated with musical
notes. Centered at the front of the float is a large record player turntable
and needle arm, angled so that it can be seen by parade watchers. CAPTION: In
New Orleans February means one thing--Carnival, which now fills the week
before the beginning of Lent and ends with the celebration of Mardi Gras. This
year the National Federation of the Blind was invited to ride float #17, The
World of Music float (below), in the Bards of Bohemia Parade. Four of the
Federationists riding the float and throwing plastic NFB cups to the crowd
were (left to right above) Marilyn Whittle, Joanne Wilson, Harold Snider, and
Pam Dubel. Pictured with them are Julie Russell (far right), a Federationist
invited to be a member of the Bards of Bohemia Court, and her escort Billy
Petrino, a student at the Louisiana Center for the Blind.
     #3: A crowd of people in the foreground is watching a parade float pass.
Some hands are raised to catch trinkets thrown from the floats. CAPTION: The
crowd watches the Bards of Bohemia Parade.
     #4: In this picture eight people stand on a stage. Julie Russell holds
her bouquet in one hand and her white cane in the other. The four women are
wearing floor-length dresses and crowns. CAPTION: Members of the Bards of
Bohemia Court.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Kenneth Jernigan]
                    Lighthouse for the Blind
                      Closes Sheltered Shop
                 and Feels that It Got a Bum Rap
                       by Kenneth Jernigan

     In the fall of 1995 The Lighthouse, located in New York
City, decided to close its sheltered workshop and try to help
able-bodied blind employees find work in the regular competitive
market. Even though it would seem hard to quarrel with this
action as a basic concept, some did.
     In its December, 1996, issue, The Braille Forum, a
publication of the American Council of the Blind, raked The
Lighthouse over the coals. In an article titled, "Choice: Not
Just for the Chosen Few," the Forum accused The Lighthouse of
everything from robbing workshop employees of their right to make
choices to a deliberate effort to try to prevent them from
getting work in another sheltered setting. As will be seen from
the article, which we reprint here in full, the language is
anything but dispassionate.
     We have never hesitated to criticize agencies doing work
with the blind when we have thought it necessary. But we do not
publish inadequately researched, politically motivated, biased
articles, which (though they fit the classic definition of "muck-
raking") try to disguise themselves as investigative reporting.
Such tactics do nothing but create strife and ill will.
     Before turning to the text of the Forum article, it might be
worthwhile to examine some of its specifics. In the third
paragraph from the end, there is a sentence which reads: "The
Lighthouse said that the only choice these workers had was to
give up their jobs and collect a benefit check--or to accept work
in substandard conditions." Regardless of what The Lighthouse
management might have felt, is it really reasonable to believe
that a Lighthouse official would have said what is alleged? This
speaks to the tone and flavor of the Forum article.
     And so does a passage close to the beginning. The second
paragraph reads as follows: "There is a controversy raging inside
agencies serving the blind regarding the merits of operating
facility-based employment for blind people." Regardless of how
often one meets politically correct language, it is always just
as distasteful as it was the last time. It attempts to deceive by
using high-flown language.
     As to the present instance, in case you are not familiar
with it, "facility-based employment" is simply the latest way of
trying to sugar-coat the term "sheltered workshop." Let me not be
misunderstood. Sheltered workshops may be good or bad. But we
shouldn't try to pretend by terminology that they are what they
are not. A sheltered shop is a sheltered shop, and it must stand
or fall on its own merit without the prop of a linguistic crutch.
     By way of background, The Lighthouse was established in 1906
by two sisters, Winifred and Edith Holt. Its purpose was to help
blind persons get opera tickets, and The Lighthouse still runs a
music school. Later it established a sheltered workshop, and
somewhere along the way it began to recruit volunteers to do
reading and recording for blind persons. Barbara Silverstone, the
president and chief executive officer of The Lighthouse, says
that in addition to its New York City operation The Lighthouse is
expanding its scope to the national and international stage.
Among other things, this includes training of professionals to
work with people with low vision.
     But back to the article in the December issue of The Braille
Forum. Here it is in full:

               Choice: Not Just for the Chosen Few
                         by Donald Moore

     (Editor's Note: The author is a former president of the
American Council of the Blind of New York. He currently serves as
vice chairman of the board of Industries for the Blind in New
York state.)

     There is a controversy raging inside agencies serving the
blind regarding the merits of operating "facility-based
employment" for blind people.
     While the goal of integrating blind workers into the
mainstream sounds good, the reality can be much different and
should raise serious questions among those concerned with the
continued employment and independence of blind workers. With 70
percent of all blind working-age people unemployed, mainstreaming
today is more of a wish than a viable option, especially for
those without a college education. As you'll see, it all comes
down to the question, "Who should choose what's right for blind
workers, the workers themselves or the people holding executive
positions at blindness agencies?"
     Having just passed the anniversary after The Lighthouse,
Inc. in New York City chose to close its workshop, thus
displacing fifty-five blind workers, it seems fitting to look at
what "choice" really can mean.
     The Lighthouse decided that its workshop facility should
close so that workers could be retrained and integrated into the
mainstream job market. That was the reasoning of its leaders. The
workers had virtually no say in the decision. The Lighthouse was
also facing a need to quickly raise cash because of additional
expenses incurred in paying for what some considered unnecessary
and extravagant expenditures on The Lighthouse headquarters
building on East 59th Street in Manhattan.
     The Lighthouse's answer to its cash-flow concerns? Firing
the blind people and selling the land and building in Long Island
City in which they worked.
     The employees were given notice and told it was for their
good. This despite the fact that they clearly wanted to work, and
those who had been in charge of the former Lighthouse facility
wanted to continue working as well. Furthermore, the operation
had been generally operating at break-even or profitable levels.
     This was a clear example of how a blindness agency's pursuit
of theoretical ideals can run roughshod over a blind individual's
right to choose what is best for him or her. Being blind or
becoming blind does not--and should not--rob a human being of the
ability to determine where, how, and if one will work to support
oneself.

     The Lighthouse workers were very concerned about their loss
of employment and ultimately contacted Jean Mann, president of
the American Council of the Blind of New York, with their
concerns. Jean contacted The Lighthouse, asking that it
reconsider its decision to shut down the manufacturing operation,
but to no avail. Jean then spoke with Steven Ennis, the president
of Industries for the Blind of New York State, and, with me in my
capacity as the vice chairman of the Board of Industries for the
Blind, and--together with National Industries for the Blind--
helped to form a new organization to employ these displaced blind
workers.
     The first meeting with the former Lighthouse employees was
held last fall after work in a modest diner in Queens, New York,
where several of us involved with the new enterprise tried to
give them some hope. We told them of our plan to start a new
shop--from scratch, if necessary--and told them what we'd done so
far to get the shop off the ground. After listening to different
employees tell their stories, I felt really good knowing that we
were trying to offer them the option of employment rather than
unproductivity and unemployment. I feel good knowing we were
working to give them what they wanted--jobs.
     Dr. Barbara Silverstone, CEO of The Lighthouse, Inc.,
promised her board of directors that she would find competitive
employment for all the former Lighthouse employees. However,
employment never materialized for most of them. Several received
training, but that was for jobs that would have paid them less
than they could earn at the former workshop and with worse hours.
     The negotiations with The Lighthouse were really difficult.
Dr. Silverstone apparently felt that her reputation would be
tarnished if a new blind workshop--which the former Lighthouse
employees wanted--were to open and operate in New York City.
Rather than allowing for a smooth transition of the Lighthouse's
former blind employees to a new workshop employer, The Lighthouse
created one obstacle after another to try to prevent the new
workshop from functioning.
     Even though The Lighthouse was shutting down its workshop
and selling the property, it determined not to sell some
essential equipment to New York City Industries for the Blind
that the facility would need to function appropriately. NYCIB has
since purchased some of that equipment from those to whom The
Lighthouse sold it.
     New York City Industries for the Blind, Inc., is open and
has already been able to re-hire all the former Lighthouse
employees who wanted employment, plus some additional people.
Last June Jean Mann and I visited the workshop and were flattered
to receive plaques from the employees thanking us for ACB of New
York's help in getting the workshop off the ground.
     Today New York City Industries for the Blind is celebrating
its successful progress as a new employer of blind people under
the dynamic leadership of Rick Bland, the former Lighthouse
workshop director.
     The moral is that blind people are no different from anyone
else when it comes to their right to choose how they will live
their lives and that they are willing to fight to be able to make
their own choices. The Lighthouse said that the only choice these
workers had was to give up their jobs and collect a benefit
check--or to accept work in substandard conditions.
     If blind social workers and blind agency executives have the
right to choose where and how they work, why not blind workers?
As one NYCIB employee put it, "Not every blind person can go to
college, but that doesn't mean we should be told we're not
entitled to work."
     New York City Industries for the Blind is living proof that
choice is important for every blind person, not just the chosen
few.

     That is the article as it appeared in the December, 1996,
Braille Forum. And as might be expected, The Lighthouse was not
amused. Under date of January 2, 1997, Barbara Silverstone wrote
to Nolan Crabb, Editor of The Braille Forum. She said in part:

     Recently I received two communications in the same mail from
the American Council of the Blind: the first, a request for a
donation from The Lighthouse to support The Braille Forum; the
second, the December, 1996, issue of The Braille Forum with an
article on page 18 that includes grossly distorted and incorrect
information about The Lighthouse. I am bewildered that you did
not choose to check out the facts before printing this article...
     I am enclosing an article entitled "Facts from The
Lighthouse," which I am requesting be printed in its entirety in
the next issue of The Braille Forum.

     So said Barbara Silverstone, and at the time of this writing
(late January) I don't know whether her request will be granted.
Be that as it may, here is the full text of what she asked the
Forum to print:

                 Facts from The Lighthouse, Inc.
                by Barbara Silverstone, President

     Donald Moore's article in the December, 1996, issue of The
Braille Forum contains inaccurate information about The
Lighthouse, Inc., and the circumstances surrounding the
reorganization of its career services program over the past two
years. The following FACTS are presented so that the readers of
The Braille Forum can be fully and accurately informed.

     FACT #1. After lengthy study and as part of its strategic
planning, the Lighthouse Board of Directors decided in the Fall
of 1995 to phase out its sheltered workshop for fifty-seven able-
bodied, legally blind workers in Long Island City and to move its
work activity program for fifty workers who have multiple
disabilities to The Lighthouse facility in Woodside, Queens. Now,
one year later, Lighthouse Industries has been closed, the work
activity program, as an enhanced therapeutic employment program,
is thriving in its new quarters, and Lighthouse consumer and
professional product catalog operations have been reorganized and
expanded under the banner of Lighthouse Enterprises.

     FACT #2. Training and career placement opportunities were
offered to all fifty-seven able-bodied, legally blind workers.
All workers who accepted The Lighthouse's career-placement
assistance have been kept on the payroll until internships could
be provided, and their former salaries were maintained through
their internships. All others received comprehensive severance or
retirement packages. Each worker made his own choice. A number of
workers declined training and placement assistance and opted to
wait for employment with New York City Industries for the Blind,
which was in formation. Fifteen workers chose retirement. Four
have completed training and/or internships and are now working in
competitive jobs at salaries higher than their pay at Lighthouse
Industries. Eleven other individuals are in various stages of
training for competitive jobs.

     FACT #3. The closing of Lighthouse Industries was a
philosophical, not a financial, decision. In short, the
Lighthouse commitment to a philosophy of inclusion in the
workplace for all able-bodied legally blind workers cannot, and
does not, support the sheltered workshop concept.
     The Lighthouse subsidized Lighthouse Industries for many
years so that a workshop option could be available for
unemployed, legally blind workers. The Lighthouse decided to end
this subsidy and devote its financial and personnel resources to
career training and placement in competitive jobs for the
following reasons:
     -    Passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and
          accompanying increased receptivity of employers.
     -    Increased job opportunities in the service and
          information industries offering better pay and benefits
          accrued from working in the mainstream.
     -    Advances in adaptive computer technology.
     -    Marked growth in the Lighthouse career training and
          placement capacity.

     FACT #4. The Lighthouse did consider the desires of able-
bodied legally blind workers--the workers of tomorrow.
Consultations with representatives from all secondary schools in
the New York City area which serve students with impaired vision,
and the job goals expressed by applicants for placement, revealed
that the youth of today are not interested in workshop employment
or workshop training opportunities.

     FACT #5. The demand for competitive employment opportunities
by legally blind adults is increasing, as is the receptivity of
employers. In the last two years Lighthouse career staff have
placed 160 individuals in competitive employment in a wide range
of jobs in the industrial, service, and office sectors. Only a
fourth of the positions required college preparation. The demand
for training and internships is growing, and The Lighthouse is
expanding its career-training and placement staff. The Lighthouse
also recently opened a customer service training program at its
Queens facility and continues to offer competitive employment
opportunities at its newly opened Lighthouse Enterprises and in
SPECTRUM, The Lighthouse Store, located in Manhattan.

     FACT #6. While Lighthouse Industries had always been
subsidized by The Lighthouse (in FY 1995 the subsidy was
$238,000), it was not closed for financial reasons (i.e., "a cash
flow problem"). The resources of The Lighthouse, however, are
finite, and all programs are examined not only from a
philosophical perspective but in terms of their outcomes and cost
effectiveness. The Lighthouse has chosen to devote its resources
to services for the many hundreds of visually impaired youth and
adults seeking employment in the competitive marketplace.

     FACT #7. The recently renovated Lighthouse headquarters
building in Manhattan was financed by a tax-exempt revenue bond
issued by the New York City Industrial Development Agency. The
bond issue enabled The Lighthouse to protect its endowment and
expand its programs to meet the rehabilitation and training needs
of a growing population of people with impaired vision.
     The new Lighthouse facility is recognized as a national
model of universal accessibility and has tripled the
organization's training and classroom space.

     FACT #8. In closing its own sheltered workshop for able-
bodied legally blind workers, the Board of Directors of The
Lighthouse chose to direct its resources to training for
competitive employment and not to subsidize other sheltered
workshops for able-bodied legally blind people.
     However, inventory and equipment were sold for approximately
$750,000 to the newly-established sheltered workshop, New York
City Industries for the Blind. As of January 1, 1997, The
Lighthouse is still owed a considerable amount of money from that
sale.

     FACT #9. The Lighthouse mission, philosophy, and advocacy
efforts are carried out through regional, national, and
international programs to enable people who are blind or have
partial sight to lead independent and productive lives.
Headquartered in Manhattan, The Lighthouse provides
rehabilitation services to adults and children with impaired
vision through eight regional offices in the greater New York
area. It also offers a broad range of educational opportunities
for the public and health and human service providers and
conducts major research studies on the impact of vision
impairment and its amelioration.
     The Lighthouse is a staunch advocate of full inclusion and
equal access for people who are blind and partially sighted and
for full health insurance coverage of basic vision rehabilitation
services.
     The Lighthouse is a not-for-profit organization and depends
on support from individuals, foundations, corporations,
government, and the proceeds from Lighthouse Enterprises, which
comprises its catalog operations and SPECTRUM, The Lighthouse
Store.


[PHOTO: This picture is of two people in formal attire. The woman wears a
floor lengthdress and carries a bouquet and a white cane. She is wearing a
crown. The man is wearing white tie and tails. CAPTION: Billy Petrino and
Julie Russell.]
             Carnival, Life Go On Despite Blindness
                        by Rhonda Nabonne

     From the Editor: New Orleans is a city that knows how to
throw a party. On almost any occasion New Orleanians can put
together bands, floats, throws, and a crowd and voila, an
irresistible parade. Walking between two of our hotels one day
during the 1991 convention, a group of us found ourselves caught
up in a parade. Gradually we noticed the sound of music coming
toward us; then suddenly floats were passing us, and the people
on them were throwing pirate gold at the crowd that materialized
as traffic came to a stop. The jazz had everyone dancing as the
band went by. It was impossible not to smile and grab for the
coins being tossed. We clapped and waved, but too soon the little
parade was gone. We never did know what the special occasion had
been, but we went on our way energized by our brush with this
wonderful city at play.
     New Orleans has been honing its talent for throwing a party
for over a hundred years. The famed Mardi Gras celebration during
the days preceding Ash Wednesday each year is perhaps New
Orleans's most famous event. The city prepares all year for
Carnival and the celebration of Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras. The idea
is to eat, drink, and be merry before facing the rigors of Lent,
the forty days leading to Easter.
     Many different parades take place during Carnival. Each one
is organized and conducted by a Krewe, really a club, comprised
of prominent citizens. Each krewe, and therefore its parade and
ball to follow, has a name: Rex, Endymion, Orpheus, Bacchus, etc.
A king and queen and a court of maids and their escorts are
invited to preside over the festivities, and organizations or
groups are also invited to ride on a series of floats behind the
two carrying the royalty.
     This year the Bards of Bohemia Krewe invited the National
Federation of the Blind to ride on float seventeen of their
parade, which took place on Monday, February 10. In addition,
Julie Russell, a member of the NFB of Louisiana, was invited to
be a maid in the court presided over by this year's queen, the
daughter of nationally known magician Harry Blackstone. Billy
Petrino, a current student at the Louisiana Center for the Blind,
served as Julie's escort and rode on the escorts' float. Julie
rode with members of the court, and six other Federationists took
part in the festivities. They threw plastic cups emblazoned with
the NFB logo.
     The participation of the National Federation of the Blind
was noted by the media. The Cable News Network, National Public
Radio, and Associated Press carried stories about our
participation. The Times-Picayune, the most important newspaper
in New orleans, placed the story on the front page of the Metro
Section of the February 10, 1997, edition. It speaks for itself.
Here it is:


     If someone had told Julie Russell two years ago that she
would lose her eyesight yet finish college, take charge of her
life, and toss Carnival throws from a float, she would have
laughed in sheer disbelief.
     The unthinkable began to unfold in January, 1995: Russell, a
Tulane University senior in the middle of final exams, suffered a
mysterious illness that attacked her optic nerve and in a matter
of days left her blind. The scariest part, she recalled, was not
knowing what the rest of her life would be like.
     As it has turned out, life has not been much different than
what she had expected all along. She recently earned a bachelor's
degree in English and is searching for a job in the hotel,
tourism, and hospitality industry.
     Nor has blindness cut down on her Carnival merriment:
tonight she will be a maid in the royal court of the Bards of
Bohemia and toss Carnival trinkets along with the other riders.
     It was Mardi Gras 1995 that she learned that she need not be
sucked into a cynical existence after meeting with students and
staffers who had come from the Louisiana Center for the Blind in
Ruston for Fat Tuesday.
     After joining the group for breakfast and getting an
impromptu lesson in travel by cane, Russell realized that their
lives weren't much different from hers before her illness and
that options seemed endless. She did have one question.
     "I wondered how they would catch throws," said Russell.
Two years later Russell boasts she's as good as if not better
than the most seasoned bead snatcher and has a pile of loot from
Endymion to prove it. And tonight she'll ride above the sea of
hands, tossing cups and trinkets from Float No. 3.
     The daughter of Tim and Heather Russell, she and about
thirty of her fellow members of the National Federation of the
Blind will be part of the parade, to be followed by a ball at the
Marriott.
     Russell, twenty-three, attributes her bright outlook to the
Federation, which operates three training centers for the blind
in Louisiana, Colorado, and Minnesota.
     Russell, whose family relocated to New Orleans from her
native Fairbanks, Alaska, when she was twelve, is a product of
the Federation's training center in Ruston, where students gain
self-sufficiency and get a chance to go deep-sea fishing, rock
climbing, and bargain shopping in Mexican border towns.
     Computer classes and woodshop are part of the instruction.
To meet graduation requirements, Russell prepared a breakfast,
complete with blueberry bread, for forty people.
     "The National Federation of the Blind gave me all this
wonderful knowledge and a perspective that blindness is really no
big deal," Russell said Sunday at her tidy Mid-City area home,
where she lives alone.
     "With proper training and skills, blindness can be reduced
to a physical nuisance," Russell said.
     Russell became part of Carnival royalty after the krewe's
executive director, Terry McIntosh, invited her longtime friend
Harold Snider to ride in the parade.
     Snider accepted, and Russell was invited to fill a slot in
the royal court.
     "There are very few people who have done what Julie has
done," said Snider, director of the International Braille
Research Center. "Adjustment is usually a more difficult
process."
     Snider, who'll ride in the parade with his wife Linda, said
he's always heard so much about Mardi Gras while growing up in
Jacksonville, Florida, and will finally fulfill a long-held
ambition to ride in a parade.
     "We're doing this to show the public that blind people can
take their place in the mainstream of life," said Joanne Wilson,
president of the Federation's Louisiana affiliate, which will
meet in Metairie from April 11 to 13.
     The National Convention, expected to draw 3,000
participants, will be in New Orleans June 28 through July 5.
     "In New Orleans the mainstream of life right now is Mardi
Gras," Wilson said. "We want to show that blind people can ride
on floats, throw stuff off floats, and take their place in
society."


PHOTO/CAPTION: Ruby Ryles]
        Needed: Blind Individuals for University Training
             as Orientation and Mobility Instructors
                          by Ruby Ryles

     From the Editor: Most people who know Ruby Ryles think of
her as a sensible and intuitive teacher of blind children. Some
of us have become familiar with her research on the importance of
learning Braille as early as possible in elementary school. Now
she is using her expertise in visual impairment to tackle the
serious problem of too few good instructors in the field of
orientation and mobility. This is what she says:

     The Louisiana Center for the Blind, Louisiana Rehabilitation
Services, and the Louisiana Department of Education, in
cooperation with Louisiana Tech University and Grambling
University, proudly announce an exciting, long-overdue program
created specifically to train qualified blind and minority adults
as orientation and mobility (O&M) instructors. Ruston, Louisiana,
home to both Louisiana Tech University and the Louisiana Center
for the Blind, promises to be an especially hot spot in June
because classes are scheduled to begin in the nation's first
university O&M training program specifically recruiting blind
applicants.
     As most Federationists know, many of the nation's most
competent orientation and mobility instructors have been denied
professional training and/or certification solely because they
were blind. This program marks the beginning of a new era. The
Louisiana Center for the Blind, the Louisiana Rehabilitation
Services, and the Louisiana State Department of Education are now
developing certification standards which are fully inclusive of
qualified blind persons. The certification currently being
designed is an alternative to the prohibitive certification of
the Association for Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind
and Visually Impaired (AER). Applicants completing the prescribed
course of study will earn either certification in orientation and
mobility or a master's degree, which will include certification.
Both will be awarded on the basis of meritorious achievement
rather than vision.
     Classes will be held at Louisiana Tech University, one of
Louisiana's major universities. The university is located within
easy walking distance of the Louisiana Center for the Blind
(LCB), one of the nation's premier training centers for the
blind. Known for its highly successful rehabilitation program,
the Louisiana Center for the Blind will serve as host for
internships; practica; seminars; and liberal doses of down-home,
southern-style fun and friendship with students and staff.
University courses in the program will incorporate the theory and
best practices of both the "guided-learning" model which
dominates traditional university-based O&M programs, and the
progressive agency-training model grounded in structured-
discovery learning.
     If an innovative, model program conducted at a state
university with an acclaimed training center for the blind
situated in lovely northeastern Louisiana isn't enough to whet
your appetite for learning, there's more! Financial assistance
with tuition, books, supplies, room and board, and travel is
available. Classes will start in June, and interest in the
program has been heavy, so don't waste time. Call now for more
information. Interested blind adults who have completed an
undergraduate degree are encouraged to contact Ruby Ryles at
(318) 251-2891. Come join us as we begin a new era in the
orientation and mobility field. Note: This grant is funded
through the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services
Administration, under Experimental and Innovative Training
Programs. We welcome sighted applicants as well, but they must
meet the same high standards expected of blind students.

     
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Sue Drapinski]
        If Only We Could See Through the Eyes of a Child
                        by Sue Drapinski

     From the Editor: As spring rolls around again, this little
reminder of the importance of the work that we all do every day
may be helpful. Sue Drapinski is the Treasurer of the National
Federation of the Blind of Michigan. This is what she says:

     The importance of the NFB of Michigan's tutoring program and
the ongoing education of our blind children is immeasurable.
However, the education of the general public about blindness
issues and the capabilities of those who are blind must also be a
high priority. Today's blind and sighted children are the best
teachers. The following tradition in our family demonstrates how
easy it would be if only society could see things through the
eyes of a child.
     Each year our family has a barbecue on Memorial Day weekend.
We invite friends and family and enjoy outdoor games, food,
fellowship, and the local carnival games and rides just a block
away. Each year new friends join us. Last year, Sid and Dawn
Neddo and their children came. Kyle Neddo, who is an eight-year-
old blind child, was one of the twelve children under the age of
ten. He ate with the rest of the kids, played with the rest of
the kids, and went to the carnival with the rest of the kids.
Because Kyle and his family are a part of our Federation family
and because they believe in and live our philosophy, Kyle has
never been excluded from children's activities.
     During the barbecue never once did any of the children
question Kyle's abilities. Never once did they treat him
differently, and most important never once did they assume there
was something he couldn't do. The same is not true for the adults
watching the children play. Some wondered if Kyle should be
running; some worried that he would get hurt; some marveled at
all of the exceptional things he was able to do (such as playing
like any other eight-year-old).
     One by one, the concerned adults realized that neither
Kyle's parents nor those of us who knew Kyle were concerned. They
began to understand a little bit of NFB philosophy--Kyle is no
different because he is blind, and he doesn't need to be treated
any differently because he is blind. The next step is for these
same adults to realize that Kyle is not exceptional, nor has he
overcome great adversity. Kyle, like all of the other children,
was just having fun being a kid.
     As we meet new people and try to spread our philosophy, our
ultimate goal is for everyone to understand the truth just as
simply as the children do--blindness does not make a difference
in who a person is, what he or she can do, or how he or she
should be treated. We have a long way to go, but if each of us
takes advantage of the opportunities presented to us, our
philosophy will prevail.


Content Validity of the National Literary Braille Competency Test
               by Carol B. Allman and Sandra Lewis

     From the Editor: Because Braille users and those who wish
they had been taught to use it have such strong convictions about
the importance of effective teaching of the code to children,
members of the National Federation of the Blind have worked to
ensure that teachers of the visually impaired know the code well
themselves so that they can teach it. Unfortunately, a number of
teachers have opposed our efforts. They offer a variety of
arguments in support of their position, but we have been made
skeptical through the years by transparently poor teaching of
Braille and, too often, a rigid determination to teach print if
at all possible. In short we have become convinced that
insecurity and fear underlie a large part of the teacher
resistance to the movement toward demonstrated competency in
Braille reading and writing for teachers of blind students. A few
months ago word began to circulate about an astonishing article
that had appeared in the Fall, 1996, issue of RE:view, the
journal of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of
the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). Here is the article by
Carol Allman and Sandra Lewis as it appeared:

     Criticism of teacher competence in using and teaching
Braille contributed to the start of a Braille literacy movement
in the 1980's. Because of the Braille movement and the general
agreement that Braille is a literary code of importance for some
people with a visual impairment, twenty-five states [now twenty-
eight], including Florida, have passed "Braille Bills" (Turco,
1993; personal communication, B. Pierce, April 13, 1994). Such
legislation reiterates the importance of Braille for some
students with severe visual impairments and, in most cases,
requires testing the Braille competence of teachers of students
with visual impairments.
     As a result of the Braille literacy movement, the Braille
section of the National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Impaired (NLS) of the Library of Congress has
developed the National Literary Braille Competency Test (NLBCT),
a criterion-referenced test that assesses skill in reading and
writing (transcription) Braille. No other test of this kind
exists, and states that have passed Braille legislation have
considered using the test for one aspect of certifying teachers
of students with visual impairments. If the test, which has not
been used as yet, is to be considered for partial use in teacher
certification, its content must be determined to be valid.
     In 1989, national organizations for the blind (American
Council of the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind,
Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and
Visually Impaired, Blinded Veterans Association, Canadian Council
of the Blind, Canadian National Institute for the Blind, National
Federation of the Blind, and the NLS) formed the Joint
Organizational Effort (JOE) in part to promote Braille literacy.
The group chose the NLS to devise a competency test because it
had expertise in Braille codes and no affiliation with teachers,
universities, or other education or rehabilitation organizations
(National Library Service, 1993).
     An editorial committee of eleven professionals involved in
education or rehabilitation for blind and visually impaired
persons was formed in 1991 to advise on test development. The
committee recommended limiting the test to literary Braille
(excluding math or music codes), including slate and stylus
writing, and not testing Braille teaching methodology. It
recommended that university training programs assure proficiency
in teaching methodology testing through certification standards.
     In the spring of 1992, the editorial committee reviewed a
trial test, which NLS revised on the basis of that evaluation.
Subsequently, thirty-two peer reviewers (64 percent return rate)
in fifteen states evaluated the test. The editorial committee or
NLS selected those reviewers from a list of individuals who had
expressed an unsolicited interest in reviewing the test. Their
responses were positive; most agreed that slate writing was
important, although a few thought it unnecessary. Most
recommended more multiple-choice questions. NLS revised the test
based on these recommendations (Stark, 1993b).
     The NLBCT is described in news releases (National Library
Service, 1992, 1993, 1994) as a three-part evaluation of general
knowledge of the Braille literary code. The test assesses (a) the
ability to write by using a slate and stylus to Braille one
medium-length paragraph, and a Braillewriter to transcribe one
full print page, and (b) the ability to identify Braille errors
in four medium Braille paragraphs. It also requires the candidate
to answer twenty-five questions on the use of Braille rules.
Candidates can use a dictionary, but not Braille reference
materials, to complete the test within four to six hours. NLS
will grade the tests and set passing scores. NLS has set
prerequisites for taking the test the first time and guidelines
for subsequently retaking it.
     The Braille literacy concerns of JOE indicate that
professionals and consumers in the field generally support the
concept of a Braille competency test. However, the NLBCT has not
been rigorously validated, and testing and measurement
specialists agree that assessments used to obtain teaching
certification should have psychometric characteristics that
include assurance that the instrument used has job relevance
(Gorth and Chernoff, 1986). The measurement literature on
validation of teacher certification tests, although limited
(Schmitt and Borman, 1993), supports the need for content
validation, particularly for tests like the NLBCT that are
criterion-referenced tests of skills used in teacher
certification (Shimberg, 1981).
     Unfortunately, the current development of the NLBCT consists
of expert judging and peer review based on personal expertise
(Stark, 1993a) and not of job analysis data. The recommendation
by peer reviewers to assess only knowledge of the Braille code
and not methodology raises particularly the question of the need
for teachers to demonstrate ability to transcribe materials using
a slate and stylus. There is agreement in the literature that
teachers should teach slate and stylus to students. However, if
the NLBCT is designed to assess demonstration of the Braille code
and not teaching of Braille and related communication skills, the
requirement of slate and stylus writing is questionable.

               Issues Surrounding Content Validity

     Technical adequacy of any test through the use of
psychometric techniques is considered standard procedure as
outlined in the Standards for Educational and Psychological
Testing (American Educational Research Association, American
Psychological Association, and National Council on Measurement in
Education, 1985). Primary standards include evidence of validity.
Validity of criterion-referenced tests is widely discussed in the
literature, but content validity is generally recommended as the
primary validation of interest. For teacher certification
purposes, test content validation is generally determined through
an investigation of practitioners who either report or
demonstrate the skills tested while on the job.
     As prospective teachers are tested for competency, it is
critical that the competence be based on the knowledge, skill,
and ability that is demonstrated by practicing teachers. The job
relevance of testing for certification purposes is upheld by
Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American
Educational Research Association et al., 1985) and the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission's overview of the Adoption by
Four Agencies of Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection
Procedures (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1978).      
The assessment of skills through performance rating of
demonstrated skills has traditionally been focused on
occupational areas that lend themselves to completion of a
product through simulated performance of specified skills, such
as secretarial (typing exams) and mechanical functioning (car
repair, building construction, or assembly-line skill)(Fleishman,
1982; Hambleton and Rogers, 1991). Typically, teacher skills are
not defined in ways that allow their simulation for skill
performance assessment. However, Braille transcription competence
is a skill that lends itself to a performance rating on a
criterion-referenced test.
     Legal opinions support the critical nature of content
validity for teacher certification testing. In a 1971 case,
Griggs v Duke Power Company, employees of Duke Power Company
challenged the legality of an employer's using general ability
tests to hire and advance employees. That landmark case in
personnel testing established the concept of job relatedness in
finding that the general ability tests were not validated by
correlation with job relevant tasks (Bershoff, 1981).  In a 1975
case, Albemarle Paper Company v Moody, an employer's method of
determining validity of an employee test was found defective. A
psychologist hired to validate an employee test compared test
scores of current employees with supervisors' judgements of
competence. The court stated that the validation did not analyze
attributes or particular skills needed in the job and thus was
defective methodology. (Bershoff, 1981).
     Two cases in 1981 further addressed the validity of
employment testing. The United States v City of St. Louis case
challenged multiple-choice questions and simulation exercises on
an employee test developed by a panel of experts. The court
concluded that the items were based on opinion rather than actual
observation of correlation between mastery of knowledge and
abilities measured by the test. Although the test assessed
reading and writing skills that were dissimilar to those needed
in the work situation, it threatened the use of simulated
situations in the testing situation. In Guardians Association of
New York City v Civil Service Commission, perhaps the most
sophisticated opinion on employment test validity, the court
found the functional approach of job relatedness for content
validation to be appropriate. The court upheld the city's use of
content validation strategies, supporting further use of
job-relevant content validation for tests of teacher
certification. (Bershoff, 1981).
     Bishop (1993), Harrell and Curry (1987), Heinze (1986),
Olmstead (1991), and Torres and Corn (1990) provided descriptions
of duties of a teacher of visually impaired and included the
transcription of materials into Braille and the interlining of
Braille materials with print. Teachers may demonstrate these
transcription skills by using a Braillewriter, a slate and
stylus, a Braille computer program, or a Braille transcriber
aide. Any assessment of these Braille transcription skills must
necessarily reflect on-the-job activities as carried out by
teachers. Unfortunately there are no quantitative studies or job
analyses to suggest how teachers proceed with Braille
transcription duties.

                        The Present Study

     In the present study, we address the content validity of
Braille transcription on the NLBCT. The need for the test is not
at issue. If the test is an instrument for demonstrating "basic
competency in literary Braille" (National Library Service, 1994,
p.1), then proper validation procedures should show that the test
is related to the job performed by the teacher of students with
visual impairments.

                             Method

                        The Questionnaire

     We designed a Braille Skills Analysis Questionnaire (BSAQ),
choosing the questions by reviewing the literature on Braille-
related communication skills and by evaluating the purpose,
content, and process of Braille transcription skills on the NLBCT
practice test. We designed the questionnaire so that the teacher
respondents could indicate how and how often they used Braille
transcription skills, particularly their use of slate and stylus,
Braillewriter, Braille computer programs, and transcriber aides
in transcribing materials and transcribing with the use of
Braille reference materials.
     We asked fifteen visual impairment professionals to review a
draft of the BSAQ. Using responses from nine of those reviewers
(60 percent), we revised the draft. We then asked ten potential
participants to complete the revised test to determine its
test-retest reliability. We had established a priori that a
test-retest reliability of .85 would be acceptable for
ascertaining that the questionnaire would produce reliable
information. Eight participants (80 percent) returned the
completed questionnaire. Two weeks later we sent a second
questionnaire to those participants who returned the first one.
Six of the eight participants (75 percent) returned the
questionnaires for test-retest reliability computation. We
obtained an average test- retest reliability of .87 from those
six responses. The field test participants were not part of the
initial review, and both groups of participants were deleted from
the participant pool.

                          Participants

     The participants were 233 teachers of students with visual
impairments in Florida, whose names we obtained from the Florida
Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Handicapped,
which maintains an annually updated list of all teachers of
students with visual impairments in Florida. These individuals
would be a source of current on-the-job information about skill
in Braille transcription. The sample of teacher participants
consisted of thirty-two men (14 percent) and 201 women (86
percent).

                            Procedure

     The Florida Department of Education mailed the test and a
return-address, stamped envelope to the 233 teachers. The tests
were coded to the addresses of the participants. The coding was
accessed only by a research assistant who maintained records on
the return of the tests and sent follow-up letters four weeks
after the original mailing to those who had not completed the
questionnaires.

                             Results

     Eighty-one percent (189 of 233) returned the test. Of those
189, 181 questionnaires (96 percent) were completed in a usable
manner. The eight unusable questionnaires were not completed
because the recipients were no longer teaching. Twenty-six men
(14 percent) and 155 women (86 percent) completed the
questionnaire. Seven participants reported that they were tactual
Braille readers. Seventy-five percent of the respondents were
teachers of visually impaired children; 7 percent were
orientation and mobility specialists; 14 percent had dual
assignments; and 4 percent gave no identification. Of these
teachers, 42 percent served prekindergarten through secondary
school children; the remaining 58 percent, in about equal
proportion, taught secondary school children only, elementary and
secondary school children, elementary school children only, or
some other combination of ages. Sixty-seven percent of the
teachers reported that they had taught for more than ten years;
59 percent stated that they had taught students with visual
impairments for more than ten years. The data in Tables One and
Two indicate the locations of teaching assignments and the number
of visually impaired children each teacher taught.
     Teachers who did not use Braille in their teaching
assignments were asked not to answer the remaining questions.
Eighty-nine teachers (49 percent) reported transcribing Braille;
96 percent of those used a Braillewriter, 64 percent used
computer software, and only 12 percent used a slate and stylus.
     We had decided before mailing the tests that to be reported
as content-valid a skill had to be used by 85 percent of
transcribing teachers. Based on the report of eighty-nine
teachers in Florida who transcribe materials for students as part
of their current job, the NLBCT skill of producing print into
Braille by a Braillewriter can be considered content-valid. The
NLBCT skill of producing print into Braille using a slate and
stylus is not content-valid based on the Florida responses.
Although the skill of using a slate and stylus is described in
the literature as desirable for teachers who teach students with
visual impairments, the reproduction of materials into Braille by
that method is not a skill that many teachers in Florida use.
Most teachers who transcribe materials do so with a Braillewriter
or computer software.
     Of the 104 teachers responding to the question about using
Braille transcriber aides to transcribe materials, sixty-five (63
percent) reported not using an aide. However, sixteen (15
percent) reported using an aide for 3-5 hours a week; 16 (15
percent) reported using an aide less than 1 to 2 hours; and 7 (7
percent) used an aide for transcription from 6 hours to more than
10 hours weekly.
     One hundred teachers answered the question about using
reference materials for transcription, and eighty-five teachers
answered the question on using reference materials for
interlining Braille with print. The data in Table three show the
frequency of reported use of reference materials. Table four
contains data on the amount of time teachers spend weekly in
interlining and transcribing Braille.
     Interpretations of the findings in this study need to
consider the following limitations:
1. Participants in this study were volunteers and may not be
representative of the population of teachers.
2. Participants were limited to the state of Florida.
3. Participants in this study may have previously participated in
some aspect of the NLBCT development.
4. Data from this study are self-reported information and may
reflect the participants' biases.

TABLE One. Teaching Assignments of Respondents
Assignment                        Number            Percent

Residential School                 25                  14%
Resource Room                      24                  13%
Itinerant Teaching                 99                  55%
Special Class                      21                  12%
Other (supervisor, media spec.)    12                  6%

Total                              181                 100% 

TABLE Two. Number of Students With Visual Impairment That
Respondents Serve

Program Mode                       Range     M       Mode
Itinerant teaching                 2-32      14.1     10
Resource room                      1-65      11.5     9
Residential School                 3-100     27.4     27

TABLE Three. Frequency of Teacher Use of Braille Reference
Materials
Use                           Always    Sometimes      Never
Transcribing Braille Materials  21           70        9
Interlining Print Materials     14           47        24

TABLE Four. Time Teachers Spend per Week (in Hours) in
Transcription
and Interlining
Skill                    <1   1-2  3-5  6-10 >10
Slate and stylus         10   1    0    0    0
Braillewriter            18   30   21   11   5
Computer Software        7    21   13   6    3
Interlining Braille      9    27   15   7    2

                   Conclusions and Discussion

     We designed the collection of data in this study to
determine if teachers transcribe Braille using a Braillewriter
and a slate and stylus without the use of reference materials as
assessed on the NLBCT. The data from this survey support the
assertion that transcribing Braille with a Braillewriter is a
valid skill to assess as a certification requirement for
prospective teachers of students with visual impairments. Using a
slate and stylus and transcribing Braille without using reference
materials are not valid components for certification
requirements.
     Wittenstein (1993a, 1993b) found that over half of the
subjects he surveyed felt that it was not desirable for teachers
to be certified transcribers of Braille. Currently, Braille
transcribers are certified through a test similar to the NLBCT
that requires transcription on a Braillewriter with use of
reference materials and with particular attention given to
format, structure, and lack of errors on the transcribed
document. If teachers are to be assessed on their ability to
transcribe Braille for student use, those skills should be
assessed through ways typically used by teachers and with
attention to lack of errors on the transcribed document. The data
from this study indicate that transcribing using a Braillewriter
and reference materials is a skill used by over 90 percent of the
teachers who use Braille in their classrooms. Unlike the NLBCT,
the applicants for the Braille transcriber test may use reference
materials and may complete the test in a setting of their choice.
     Over half of the teachers using Braille spent one to five
hours a week interlining print with Braille. Interlining appears
to be a critical skill for a number of teachers and is necessary
in the management of students with visual impairments in regular
classrooms. If regular classroom teachers are readily to accept
students with visual impairments in their classrooms, they need
assurance that the materials are accessible. This suggestion is
supported by Bishop (1986), who identified factors in the
successful mainstreaming of students with visual impairments.
This finding supports the suggestion that teacher preparation
programs include the skill of interlining in Braille coursework.
     The data from this study indicate that 64 percent of
teachers using Braille in their classrooms transcribe with
computer software. This skill may reflect a future trend and
probably reflects teachers' desires to complete needed
transcription in a timely, simplified fashion. It does not
suggest that teachers are illiterate in the Braille code.
     The finding of some use of aides for transcription may
indicate a trend in the use of trained transcribers, which is
supported by Currey and Hatlen (1989), who reported that teacher
"aides are often assigned the job of Braille transcription and
that teachers of the visually impaired are assigned the job of
training those aides in the fundamentals of Braille
transcription" (p.61). This information suggests that a Braille
skill that may need to be included in teacher competency in the
future is the ability to train teacher aides in the transcription
of Braille.
     Based on the results of this study, we do not recommend
using the NLBCT in its present format in certifying teachers of
students with visual impairments. Competence in transcription of
Braille on a Braillewriter using reference materials is a
job-relevant, content-valid skill expected of any teacher of
students with visual impairments. In addition, teachers should be
competent in interlining materials.
     Teachers must have the opportunity to continuously renew and
upgrade teaching skills. In this study, we report that 51 percent
of the respondents indicated that they do not currently use
Braille, and often teachers go for several years with no
Braille-reading students; these teachers require Braille and
Braille device updates (Olmstead, 1991). New and improved
technology, methodologies, and materials become available and
require learning or renewing (Maron, 1983). Commonwealth of
Virginia (1991) and Wittenstein (1993a, 1993b) report that
although teachers generally feel confident in their Braille
skills, they desire some level of inservice training on various
Braille-related communication devices.
     Based on the findings of this study concerning the content
validity of the NLBCT, the Braille Competency Committee of the
Florida Department of Education recommended that this test not be
used for teacher certification. The Braille Competency Committee
established Braille competence standards for teachers and
recommended that prospective teachers' competence in Braille be
assured through the content of university courses, including
passing an examination that allows use of reference materials
while (a) transcribing a lengthy passage from print to Braille on
the Braillewriter and (b) interlining Braille to print. This
committee, recognizing that caseloads of teachers may only
sporadically include students who are Braille readers, also
recommended that regular inservice training in Braille be
initiated for teachers who believe that their skills are rusty.
More than 100 individuals participated in four regional two-day
Braille refresher workshops in the spring of 1996. Future plans
are to provide advanced Braille updating, which would include
teacher competence in the use of software for transcription and
the training of teacher aides to assist in the transcription of
Braille.
     NLS has announced that it will proceed with a nationwide
effort to validate the content of the NLBCT. Our research,
conducted in only one state, can be used as a pilot study for the
larger investigation. It will be interesting to see if the
transcribing practices of Florida teachers are similar to those
of teachers in other states. Should the nationwide validation
confirm that teachers primarily use Braillewriters and reference
materials when transcribing materials from print to Braille, it
seems reasonable that the NLBCT can be made more content-valid by
making changes to the testing procedures that reflect these
job-related practices.
     In the meantime, states that have adopted the current
version of the NLBCT for teacher certification may want to
reevaluate their decision. If the test lacks content validity, as
determined in this study, continued use of the NLBCT as a
determinant of employability may not be upheld in the courts.


[PHOTO/CAPTION: Barbara Pierce]
               A Nonacademic Plea for Common Sense
                        by Barbara Pierce

     Anyone who depends on the ability to read and write Braille
or who needs strong Braille skills and does not have them
undoubtedly finished reading the preceding article frothing at
the mouth. To those unused to digging through reports of research
findings, the striking point in the authors' argument would
appear to be that they surveyed teachers of blind children in
Florida and learned that very few of them ever prepare class
materials for their students using the slate and stylus.
Therefore there is no reason to demand that such teachers learn
to use the slate and stylus, and states using the NLS National
Literary Braille Competency Test (NLBCT) as part of their
certification process for teachers of the blind may eventually be
instructed by the courts to throw out this instrument.
     A close reading of the article reveals that the argument
being presented is actually somewhat more complex but equally
disturbing. I do not pretend to comprehend the professional
jargon completely, and neither did several academics to whom I
showed the article in the hope that they could explain it to me.
But I would like to comment on a couple of disturbing things it
seems to say.
     The authors object to the original decision to construct the
Braille competency test to measure knowledge of Braille rather
than focusing on the teacher's mastery of teaching methods for
working with blind students. They seem to think that assessing
teacher mastery of the code somehow means transcription skills
are being assessed. Their words are: "The recommendation by peer
reviewers to assess only knowledge of the Braille code and not
methodology raises particularly the question of the need for
teachers to demonstrate ability to transcribe materials using a
slate and stylus. There is agreement in the literature that
teachers should teach slate and stylus to students. However, if
the NLBCT is designed to assess demonstration of the Braille code
and not teaching of Braille and related communication skills, the
requirement of slate and stylus writing is questionable." Unless
I am missing something, this reasoning seems astonishing to me.
     The concept of a competency test was first proposed because
so few special education teachers of blind students truly knew
the Braille code and could use it with any facility. As far as I
know, the evidence is anecdotal, but blind people with a good
mastery of Braille reading and writing consistently point to a
teacher or other adult whose instruction and personal skill
enabled the blind youngsters to learn Braille effectively.
Teachers who don't know Braille well are typically unenthusiastic
about teaching it, avoid doing so as much as possible, and make
errors when they are forced to prepare Braille materials.
     There is nothing extraordinary about this phenomenon. It
pops up in human nature all the time. My children had two
different French teachers in high school. One had a beautiful
accent, had been to France, and clearly loved the language. Her
students were excited about French, spoke it whenever they could,
did extra-curricular projects, and enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
I suppose the other teacher liked the language well enough to
teach it, but no one could ever be certain. Her accent was very
poor, and her ability to inspire enthusiasm in her students was
nonexistent. When students expressed interest in taking French at
the local college, she did what she could to discourage them on
the grounds that they would find it too difficult. Everyone
assumed that she was really afraid that her own shortcomings
would be exposed more obviously if the French faculty saw the
results of her instruction. To my mind this is the same set of
very human responses at work that we find in the teachers who
resist having their Braille skills tested.
     The NLBCT was developed, not to predict how successful a
Braille teacher would be in teaching Braille reading and writing,
but to determine whether that teacher possesses the body of
information and skills he or she must teach. A sound knowledge of
Braille reading and writing is a necessary, but not sufficient,
prerequisite to effective teaching. I am mystified as to why this
point seems so difficult for many in education to grasp.
     Another place where ordinary common sense and researcher
logic seem to part company is in the section titled "Issues
Surrounding Content Validity." Specialized terms are discussed in
this section, and in the following passage I do not pretend to
understand the term "criterion referenced tests," but it's pretty
clear the researchers believe that the best way to test the
skills of teachers or would-be teachers is to compare their
abilities to those of actual teachers doing the work in the
classroom, which seems to be content validity. In other words, if
you construct a valid test that measures the skills of the test-
taker against the job being done in the field, you can predict
how well the test-taker is teaching or will teach in the future.
Here is the relevant passage: "Validity of criterion-referenced
tests is widely discussed in the literature, but content validity
is generally recommended as the primary validation of interest.
For teacher certification purposes, test content validation is
generally determined through an investigation of practitioners
who either report or demonstrate the skills tested while on the
job."
     What follows this foggy little passage is a long discussion,
complete with citations of court cases, to support the concept
that generalized notions of what should be taught and assessment
of the test-taker's knowledge of a body of material are
unimportant or at least less important in the certification
process than assessment of the teacher's mastery of methodology.
     Having conducted no research myself and knowing nothing at
all about test theory and test validation, I can only comment
based on common sense. Surely no one would argue that anyone who
has mastered a body of knowledge can necessarily teach it. All of
us have endured teachers who knew their stuff but who could not
communicate it to the class. We are not arguing that knowing the
Braille code well and having the ability to write it with
Brailler or slate guarantee that one can effectively teach a
blind child to read and write Braille rapidly and effectively.
But it seems self-evident to me that one who does not have those
skills and that knowledge will very seldom be able to teach
others mastery of Braille and will be unlikely to believe in its
importance. One must understand algebra before teaching it. A
violin teacher must be able to produce music on a fiddle if his
or her students are to learn to play.
     Some years ago my local NFB chapter invited the teacher of
the visually impaired in our county to come to a meeting and talk
to us about the education of blind children. With pride she told
us that she had been teaching in the system for eleven years, and
never in all that time had a single student in her class needed
Braille. She had assured us at the beginning of the meeting that
she knew Braille and that, if a student really needed it, she
would teach it. What she did not know was that we had been
working with the parents of several students in the county who
had requested Braille for their children, and all the students
had eventually left the school where this woman taught and gone
to the school for the blind, where they could receive Braille
instruction. When teachers like this one are not teaching what
their children need to learn for success in life, how can they
possibly provide a reliable reference for determining the
standards for teacher competency? This teacher genuinely had not
noticed that her prejudice against Braille was actually
preventing her from recognizing her students' needs.
     Of course, the teachers in Florida surveyed about their
teaching do not transcribe much material for their students using
the slate and stylus; teachers haven't done much of that sort of
thing for fifty years. First grade teachers don't prepare
worksheets for their students using pencils either. Yet first
grade teachers do use handwriting and are expected to teach their
students to write as well as read. The authors give lip service
to the concept that slate and stylus instruction should be given
to blind students. In their survey, however, the authors did not
ask how many teachers taught the use of the slate and stylus, and
they certainly made no attempt to ascertain how effective such
teaching was. Those questions were beyond the purview of the
research, which focused on Braille transcription only.
     But I can tell you that very few blind students today are
being taught effective and enthusiastic slate use. The Ohio
affiliate conducts a Braille-writing contest each year--or at
least we try to. We have just changed the contest rules. We used
to present a Braille 'n Speak to the middle or high school
student who wrote the best essay about the importance of Braille
in his or her life. The essay was to be written using a slate and
stylus. Last year we had no contest entrants because, as the
teachers told us, their Braille students could write with a
Perkins Brailler but not the slate. This year we will award extra
points for submissions written with a slate and stylus, but so
far none have appeared.
     I recently received a report from a Federationist whose
affiliate had just completed a daylong trip to the state capital
during which teams of Federationists talked with legislators
about important bills coming up for action. Six high school
students took part in the event, which was wonderful, but not a
single one could take notes of the meetings in Braille. It was
not that they could not take good notes or make a complete and
legible record; these students were unable to take Braille notes
at all! It would be hard to assemble a group of six sighted high
school students interested in attending and able to take part in
such an event who were, to a person, unable to take notes at all.
     These are anecdotes admittedly, but they are stories the
truth of which I can vouch for, and they have occurred in the
past year. In fact, I know only one high school student who is
enthusiastic about using the slate and stylus, and she is being
home schooled by members of the Parents Division in Ohio and has
attended the Buddy Program at BLIND, Inc., for the past three
summers. In other words, her exposure to the poor attitudes of
many teachers of blind students in Ohio has been minimal, and her
absorption of Federation philosophy has been steady and
constructive.
     Is this little essay of mine merely one more indiscriminate
attack on the abilities and attitudes of teachers of blind
students? Absolutely not! In my experience no one is more
enthusiastic about the importance of Braille reading and writing
than those teachers who do know the code well and teach it
whenever and wherever they can. They have seen more clearly than
the rest of us can how important it is and what a difference it
can make to their students at every ability level.
     We can only hope that legislators and education officials
will depend on their own common sense and the experience of blind
adults and those teachers who actually know and effectively teach
Braille to their students. If we have our way, most blind
students will be learning Braille in the future, and most of
their special education teachers will actually be required to
know the code they are teaching. We can only work and hope for
the best and trust that in the meantime ill-conceived research
does not do our children in.


[PHOTO/CAPTION: Bruce Gardner]
                    Making Other Arrangements
                       by Bruce A. Gardner

     From the Editor: Bruce Gardner is the President of the
National Federation of the Blind of Arizona and an attorney with
a responsible position. He has a lovely home and a large and
happy family. By any measure he is a successful and satisfied
man. Bruce's success is not a matter of luck; he has worked hard
and struggled to overcome obstacles. In the following story he
talks about one of these and the way in which his victory has
helped to shape his life. This is what he says:

     I have come to understand that the real problem of blindness
is not the lack of eyesight but the public's lack of insight
about blindness. In other words, it is not the physical
disability but the social handicap (society's attitude) that is
the real problem. It was Henry Ford who said "If you think you
can or you can't, you're right." Given opportunity and training,
a blind person with a little initiative, determination, and the
conviction that there's a way to do the job can find alternative
techniques for doing just about anything sighted people do.
Unfortunately the public's notion of blindness is one of
helplessness and dependence. The blind are generally regarded as
incapable of doing much of anything.
     Because blind people are part of society, we often have the
same low expectations and negative perceptions about ourselves
and thus do much to make those negative perceptions a reality. I
certainly grew up with all the usual misconceptions about
blindness, never mind the fact that I was blind.
     It was not until I was in college that I heard about the
National Federation of the Blind and learned the truth about
blindness. Therefore it was in college that I first started using
my long white cane.
     Before that time I had low expectations and low self-esteem.
I was ashamed of my blindness because I thought blind people were
fumbling, bumbling Mr. Magoos or, worse, virtually helpless
dependents who sold pencils on the street corner. I did not want
to be thought that, so I tried to hide my blindness and, of
course, did not use a cane. But that all changed when I learned
the truth about blindness--that it is respectable to be blind--
and started internalizing that truth.
     A girl I dated a time or two in college after I began using
my cane asked me to Sunday dinner and church afterward. As we
left her apartment to walk to church, she turned to me and said,
"Why don't you just leave your cane here? You won't need it at
church because you will be with me the whole time."
     Although she was a nice young lady and I could tell that she
quite liked me, I felt like saying, "Why don't I just leave YOU
here?" She had now confirmed what I had suspected: she was
embarrassed to be seen with my cane. She was not comfortable
having others know that she was dating a blind man. I decided to
do both. For her sake I left the cane behind when we went to
church; then for my sake I left her behind when we got back.
     Shortly thereafter I met Becca. Unlike many others I had
dated, Becca did not try to deny that my blindness could have an
effect on our relationship. In fact, soon after we started going
together, she told me that she did not want to get serious until
she knew whether she could deal with my blindness. That was
refreshing. Because about a year earlier I had learned of the
National Federation of the Blind, I was finally beginning to
internalize the truth about blindness and come to know in my
heart that it is respectable to be blind. Becca was getting ready
to leave on a two-week vacation, so I asked her to read a couple
of articles while she was gone. I explained that the articles had
been written by Kenneth Jernigan, President of the National
Federation of the Blind, and that they expressed the way I felt
about my blindness. She agreed to read "Blindness, Handicap or
Characteristic" and "Blindness, Of Visions and Vultures." When
she returned from vacation, her ability to accept and deal with
my blindness was no longer a question. Within a few weeks Becca
and I were engaged.
     Becca's mother happened to be coming to Utah and planned to
stop and see Becca, so we took that opportunity for me to meet
her and to announce our engagement. She seemed happy for us, but
she made a few comments like "Don't worry Becca; I won't say a
thing to your father." A day or two later I met Becca on campus
after finishing my shift as the supervisor of one of the
breakfast crews at the dorm cafeteria.
     I asked what her mother had meant. Becca said that her
father was a little old-fashioned and that perhaps I should ask
him for her hand in marriage. So I said, "I know where the pay
phone is; I'll give him a call." Still, I could tell there was
more to it. We were going to school in Provo, Utah, and Becca's
parents lived in California. Even so, apparently her father had
heard that she was dating a blind man.
     When I made the call, it was still early in the morning, and
Becca's father (a physician) was just getting into his car to go
to his office, which was at the hospital. When he came to the
phone, I said, "Dr. Loeb, you don't know me, but my name is Bruce
Gardner, and I have been dating your daughter Becca. I am asking
for her hand in marriage." It would be an understatement to say
that his response was less than I had hoped for.
     He said, "I do not give permission to marry my daughter to
just anyone, and to me you are just anyone. You will have to make
other arrangements." He then hung up the phone. I had the
distinct impression that what he meant by "make other
arrangements" was go marry someone else.
     When I hung up the phone, Becca asked me what had happened.
In answer I said, "Get the phone book. I need to call the
airlines; we are going to visit your parents." Those were the
"other arrangements" I chose to make.
     The earliest flight we could get was late the next day,
which was a Friday, but that gave us time to call Becca's mother
back and arrange for me to have an interview with Dr. Loeb at his
office Saturday morning and at his request to relay to him all
the medical details I could provide about my blindness. Of course
I was scared. What was I to do? What could I say to this
Pediatric cardiologist that would alleviate his concerns about
his daughter's marrying a blind man.
     On Saturday morning, when Becca and I arrived at her
father's office, we learned that Becca was to have an interview
first. Only a few months earlier Becca had graduated from college
and begun work as a registered nurse. Her father was concerned
that Becca did not really love this blind man but only felt sorry
for him and wanted to take care of him as she had done so many
times before with hurt or stray animals and birds.
     When it was my turn, I discussed with Dr. Loeb the medical
aspects of my blindness, and he told me the results of his hasty
research and conversations with the ophthalmologists he worked
with at the hospital. We then discussed my plans to finish
college and attend law school. I also explained to him what my
philosophy was regarding my blindness and asked him to read the
two articles I had earlier shared with Becca. There were many
other NFB speeches I could have given him, but these two articles
summarized the issues well and had helped Becca work through her
concerns, so I used them again.
     After my interview Becca and I went to lunch with her
parents and then accompanied them on their Saturday afternoon
grocery shopping expedition, which was a weekly tradition.
Although I was staying at their home in the guest room, nothing
more was said about my blindness or my engagement to Becca. The
next morning, which was Sunday, Becca and I were preparing to go
to church. At the breakfast table Becca's mother turned to her
father and said, "Becca and Bruce are going to church, and she
wants to wear her engagement ring. Have you made up your mind
yet?"
     With that, her father turned to me, cleared his throat, and
said "did you have something you wanted to ask me?" I almost fell
off my chair. I muttered a lame apology for the abrupt way I had
asked the first time and then formally requested Dr. Loeb's
permission to marry his daughter. He got a tear in his eye and a
lump in his throat as he gave me his permission. He then excused
himself and left for work at the hospital.
     That was all there was to it. It was clear that he had read
the articles I had given him and that he was impressed with the
attitude that I had conveyed and that the articles relayed
regarding blindness.
     I have since made good on my plans to finish college and law
school, and for the past fourteen years I have been successfully
practicing law. Becca and I now have six bright, healthy, happy
children, three of whom are teenagers. Since that interview with
Becca's father, my blindness has not been an issue of concern for
either Becca or her parents. And since that interview I have
grown extremely close to Becca's parents.
     I am grateful to Dr. Kenneth Jernigan and the National
Federation of the Blind for helping me learn the truth about
blindness and enabling me to share that truth with my wife and
in-laws.


s and messages from previous days begin to make me nervous. I know that my
prime responsibility is not to understand the computer but to address the
broad overall needs of members of the National Federation of the Blind.
Consequently I don't spend enough time with computers to become familiar with
the way they work. Nevertheless, we in the National Federation of the Blind
have placed an increasingly heavy emphasis on technological solutions to
information access for blind people. In 1990 we established the International
Braille and Technology Center for the Blind (IBTC)--the only facility of its
kind anywhere in the world. In 1994 we established a Web site on the Internet.
We now distribute the Braille Monitor, Voice of the Diabetic, and a number of
other publications by electronic mail. Shortly after we established the IBTC,
we also created NFB NET, our computer bulletin board service (BBS), and an
increasing number of our communications use our BBS and indeed the Internet
generally.
     Although I do not know how to use the Internet to communicate, I review
many of the documents distributed by members of the National Federation of the
Blind through this electronic medium. Recently, Internet communications from
Jim Rebman and Christian Harris asked for help in finding ways for blind
people to study mathematics. As you would expect, the response of Federation
members was immediate and positive. Not everybody will want to master the
arcana of advanced mathematics. However, some will. Of course, there are many
other topics which we in the Federation might explore. If you want to know
something, ask. Maybe we know the answer. If we do, we'll make it available.
If we don't, we'll try to find out. Here are some examples of recent questions
and responses from the Internet.

Date:Mon, 9 Sep 1996
From:Jim Rebman jrebman@netcom.com
To:       Multiple recipients of list
          nfb-se@lothlorien.nfbcal.org
Subject:  Introduction

Greetings list members:
     My name is Jim Rebman, and I'm sure many of you know me, but some may
not, so I'll give a little background.
     I lost my sight almost seven years ago as a result of diabetic
retinopathy, and just prior to that my kidneys failed. In 1993 I received a
kidney-pancreas transplant and am no longer a diabetic.
     My formal training was in electrical engineering,and from 1980 to 1984 I
was a research assistant/engineer at the Princeton University Plasma Physics
Laboratory, where I developed several microprocessor-based instruments and
controllers for a 12OKv 100 amp DC power system, as well as several different
12-pulse high-current rectifiers and a multi-pulse cycloconverter that was
used to vary the line frequency on the output of a 960 MVA motor/generator
set. Big volts, big amps, and an occasional big boom (grin). Since that time I
have been working almost exclusively with computers on everything from
compiler design/porting, to application-development, to networks and MIS
systems. I am planning on going back to school to finish my bachelor's degree
and eventually to get my Ph.D. in computer science. One of my big concerns at
this point is how I am going to handle the math--I really must learn it all
over again from intermediate algebra through at least four semesters of
calculus. Any tips on how to approach this would be much appreciated.
     Under the heading of miscellaneous: I live just outside of Boulder,
Colorado; love outdoor activities like hiking, rock climbing, and backpacking;
am a board member of the Boulder County chapter; and am also a graduate of the
Colorado Center (1995).
     I look forward to participating in the discussions and especially to
helping students with the tools, techniques, and support they need to venture
into the world of science and engineering as blind people. Of course we can be
scientists and engineers--just look around.

                                    Jim Rebman jrebman@netcom.com

                           __________

Date:     Tue, 10 Sep 1996
From:Mike Freeman mikef@pacifier.com
To:       Multiple recipients of list
          nfb-se@lothlorien.nfbcal.org
Subject:  Help: teaching mathematics to visually impaired individuals
          (forwarded)
start of forwarded message:
From:     Christian Harris chrish@mercury.cs.albany-edu
Newsgroups:misc.handicap
Subject:       Help: teaching mathematics to visually impaired individuals
Date:     07 Sep 1996

Hi,
     I hope that this group is an appropriate place to ask this question. I
am a Teaching Assistant for a course called Discrete Mathematics, which is
sort of "mathematics for computer science majors." The subject matter is
entirely mathematical; we don't do any programming in the course. The work is
all pencil-and-paper, theorem/proof work. It is similar to first-semester
calculus in the amount of work that is assigned over the semester, and the
subject is very heavy on notation--the lecture consists of about 80 percent
board-work. Thus it is highly visual.
     I have a person in my class who is blind. I would like to know if there
are any people out there who have taught visually impaired people highly
symbolic, traditionally visual subjects like mathematics and what methods you
employed to convey what was on the board. Also, if there are any visually
impaired persons out there who have taken mathematics or computer science
courses, I would really appreciate hearing about what methods work the best
and your perspective about this subject.
     I have absolute confidence in my student's ability to comprehend the
material--just in talking to him after the class, I got the impression that he
is brighter than the average student, highly enthusiastic, and very proactive
about getting help. I'm just worried about communicating the material to him
in a way that he can conceptualize. Also I have to strike a balance with the
rest of the class--I don't want to be reading formulas off the board like:
"OK, what I wrote is open-paren, open-paren, open-paren, negation symbol, x,
close paren, . . ." because that will severely limit the amount of stuff that
can be covered and hence harm the other students.
     I'm a bit out of my depth with this situation, I think. I don't know the
first thing about how to teach visually impaired people. My rough plan is just
to conduct the class in the way that I would normally do and try to describe
what's on the board well enough to get the message across to my student. But
that probably won't help him do the homework, or will it? Other than trying
hard to be considerate, nice, and communicative about the course, I don't know
what else to do. Could anyone help me out?
                                                          Thanks,
                                              Christian S. Harris
                                               Graduate Assistant
                                             chrish@cs.albany.edu
                                   Department of Computer Science
                                       University at Albany, SUNY

             ------- end of forwarded message-------

Date:Tue, 10 Sep 1996
From:Mike Freeman mikef@pacifier-com
To:       Multiple recipients of list
          nfb-se@lothlorien.nfbcal.org

     Good afternoon, Christian. I am responding to your post to
"misc.handicap" requesting help teaching mathematics to a blind student. I
have taken the liberty of forwarding your post to the E-mail list of the
Science and Engineering Division of the National Federation of the Blind
(NFB). The NFB is the largest organization of the blind in this country, and
there are quite a number of NFB members (including me) who have studied higher
mathematics and the natural sciences and/or computer science and who can help
you. Indeed the inventor of the current Braille mathematics code used
throughout most of the world, Dr. Abraham Nemeth, is an NFB member and reads
the NFBSE mailing list; I suspect he will have something to say on the
subject.
     I hold a B.A. from Reed College, Portland, Oregon, in physics and an
M.S. in physics from New Mexico State University and have taken numerous
computer science courses. I took all the usual higher math courses so can give
you some ideas.
     First a question: does your student read Braille? If so, is his/her math
text in Braille (if you're working from handouts, are these available in
Braille)? While not absolutely essential, use of Brailled math texts and notes
is highly desirable in that the student has the same material in front of
him/her as your sighted students are privileged to have and she or he can
peruse the material and ponder it at his or her own pace. (I once took a
topology course from taped books alone; and, while I made it through the
course, it was tough! Physics texts, on the other hand, were no trouble for me
on tape.)
     As for a lecture style advantageous to the blind student, I think you
can follow a middle ground between the literal "open paren, open paren, open
paren . . ." style and saying nothing about the equations. Often, especially
in fields such as set theory, Boolean algebra, math logic, number theory, and
the like, you can just read the equations as you write them in the same manner
you would speak them to a colleague while engaging in a discussion while
walking across the campus. In some instances you will have to be precise, but
this is not as hard as it sounds. Proofs in, say, linear algebra often go
quite well aloud, especially if the student has some familiarity with the
material. Let the student be your guide: ask him or her after class if things
were clear or not. It is, in the end, his or her responsibility to see that
she or he learns the material.
     Incidentally, I think you'll find that, if you just relax and start
talking the equations as you write them, you won't be wasting much time, and
your sighted students will also find your presentations much clearer. I once
took an electricity and magnetism course from a very articulate professor (the
only person I've ever known who could just read aloud any electronic diagram
you put in front of him off-the-cuff). I was late for class one day by five
minutes or so. According to fellow students, his presentation became one-
hundred-percent clearer the moment I walked in the door.
     In making certain concepts conveyed by diagrams come across clearly, it
is often helpful to use a raised-line drawing kit (in which thin sheets of
plastic are stretched taut on a rubberized board and a ballpoint pen without
ink is rubbed along the plastic, stretching it to make raised lines). In
multivariate analysis, I once saw a wonderful wooden model showing saddle-
points and the like. Let your imagination (and that of the student) be your
guide. I got quite good at doing all sorts of proofs in my head, and the chief
problem was getting someone who could write them on the board for me fast
enough from my dictation!
     Dr. Nemeth has invented a way of speaking mathematics precisely and
quickly. I do not think it is always necessary, but it really works. You might
wish to correspond with him directly on this subject. His Internet address is:
anemeth@ece.eng.wayne.edu
     Good luck and feel free to ask as many questions as you desire!
                                                       Cordially,
                                                     Mike Freeman
                                     Amateur Radio Calsign: K7UIJ
                                     Internet: mikef@pacifier.com

                           __________

Date:Wed, 11 Sep 1996
From:John Miller jamiller@qualcomm.com
To:       Multiple recipients of list
          nfb-se@lothlorien.nfbcal.org
Subject:  Teaching math to blind students

                                               September 11, 1996

Christian S. Harris
Graduate Assistant
chrish@cs.albany-edu
Department of Computer Science
University at Albany, SUNY

Dear Chris,
     My name is John Miller. I am the president of the Science and
Engineering Division of the National Federation of the Blind. I received a
posting of your message to misc.handicap dated September 10. As you have no
doubt found from prior correspondence from the Science and Engineering
Division of the National Federation of the Blind, the division is full of
ideas on how to make learning math a snap for blind folks. I will continue to
forward the discussion about teaching math to you as it develops on the nfb-
se.nfbcal.org list. I strongly encourage your student to contact me and the
members of the science division. The brightest people and the ways they do
math are right here. The basic question of what alternative techniques will
work best for your student, your student will have to decide for himself class
after class and project after project on the job. What has been written down
from people's experiences, of course, is just the tip of the iceberg. There is
nothing earth-shattering about the advice and experiences of division members,
but in the big picture I think they will help.
     I grew up totally blind since age three. Math has always been my
favorite subject. That's why I am doing algorithm design and fixed-point
implementation of signal processing speech compression algorithms at QUALCOMM.
I received my B.S. and M.S. from Stanford University in electrical engineering
and have been taking graduate courses at the University of California at San
Diego ever since to stay on the cutting edge. The discrete mathematics course
you are teaching sounds quite interesting because it has some useful
applications to what I am doing these days. I have been attending similar
courses specific to signal processing at UCSD over the past year.
     Here are some personal experiences that have given me the most from
class participation. Braille helps. If your student knows Braille and needs
help getting handouts or portions of a book into Braille, have him give me a
call. Places can do it with just a few weeks delay, although more time reduces
the cost and effort considerably. Preparation helps. Usually the first day of
class I make an announcement requesting a copy of another student's notes.
Usually I shop around and keep several people's notes until I find one that
gets the details I think are important. That way the details for rote memory I
pick up later and only worry about those that are pertinent to the discussion
at hand.
     To get anything out of a lecture, I need a solid context. I want to know
down pat the postulates, the symbol and graphing conventions, the basic
framework ahead of time. The best way I learn is to read the relevant material
ahead of time. Homework can be a pitfall. The trick is getting the solutions
in print. Sometimes I would just read my Braille solutions to a grader line
for line. No filling in with "what I meant was." Today I would write solutions
in print or use Latex to laser print my solutions whenever possible. I have
found reviewing my professor's written comments on my written solutions a
useful learning tool. What's more, in print is the way all work needs to be
done on the job, so sorting this out up front is a big help.
     These are the things I ask my professors to do to help me out in the
course: Tell me what in the syllabus will be covered next lecture. Braille
books are usually several volumes. I bring the right one with me to class. If
it is possible to have raised-line drawings of graphs being used in the course
ahead of time, this is helpful too. Then the only additional framework I need
is "I'm now drawing figure 8.5 from the text." Speak the key equations as you
go and describe graphs as you draw them. The weight of responsibility is on
your student to ask when he is confused. There seem to be two kinds of
questions about notation. "You lost me when you substituted the second
expression into the first," which means backtrack and summarize a bit; and
"read the right hand side of the expression again please," which isn't a
request to resummarize the lecture. The error most professors make is stopping
to summarize here and resenting the interruption, when they never said "the
right hand side of the expression" in the first place. Giving specific answers
to specific questions helps the flow of the lecture quite nicely. Describe a
graphic such as "this is a sampled decaying exponential" as you sketch it.
     I have never found that my questions slowed the flow of information in a
class. As it turns out, on the heels of my question always comes a related
question from another student. I sit in the front of the class. When the
professor loses the class, my question is usually the one that brings the
class back to where the professor is going.
     My learning style is my own. Your student may learn completely
differently. Use your own teaching style, the tips that fit naturally with it,
and be guided by the requests of your student. I do believe that a good
framework will help your student learn the most from your class. I look
forward to hearing from both of you and wish you the best with the course. You
can reach me at E-mail: jamiller@qualcomm.com

                                                       Sincerely,
                                           John Miller, President
                                 Science and Engineering Division
                          of the National Federation of the Blind

                           __________

Date:Tue, 10 Sep 1996
From:Dave Schleppenbach engage@sage.cc.purdue.edu
To:       Multiple recipients of list
          nfb-se@lothlorien.nfbcal.org
Subject:  Re: Help: teaching mathematics to visually impaired individuals
               (fwd)

Dear Chris,
     The problem you are facing of teaching mathematics to blind people is
not a new one, and fortunately some terrific advances have been made recently
in the field. First of all, let me recommend that you e-mail Dr. Nemeth, as
others have suggested, and ask his opinion.
     Second, I have written a paper, "Teaching Science to the Visually
Impaired," which deals with the topics of math and science education for the
blind. This, together with other information on our home page, the VISIONS Lab
home page, may prove useful to you. The address is
http://www.chem.purdue.edu/facilities/sightlab/index.html
     Third, we have developed custom software specifically for teaching math
to the blind. Specifically, we have written a program that converts print
equations into Braille, which is available on our Web page. Version 2.0 of our
program, which we have recently finished, includes support for Nemeth Braille
output as well as MathSpeak output, which is the spoken form of mathematics
also invented by Dr. Nemeth. This should be of great use to you in teaching
your student.
     Finally, let me mention that Dr. Mike Kress and Dr. Al Blank have
developed an AudioTactile beginning Calculus course, which uses sound and
tactile graphics to teach calculus. This, along with some of our work in
tactile images, may be another route for learning for your student.
     Feel free to e-mail or call me if you have any questions.

                                                         Regards,
                                               Dave Schleppenbach
                                             VISIONS LAB director
                                                engage@purdue.edu
        http://www.chem.purdue.edu/facilities/sightlab/index.html

     Deane Blazie, a member of the National Federation of the Blind and
president of Blazie Engineering, also responded with additional information as
follows.

Date:Wed, 11 Sep 1996
From:Deane Blazie deane@blazie.com
To:       Multiple recipients of list
          nfb-se@lothlorien.nfbcal.org
Subject:  Re: Help teaching mathematics to visually impaired individuals
               (fwd)

     There is also a graphing calculator program called Graphit that operates
much like the graphing calculators you see at stores. However, it is able to
emboss the graphs of up to ten equations on a Braille embosser. It can also
display in some fashion the information in an audio format. This audio output
is good for single equations.
     Graphit runs on any of the Blazie Engineering note takers like the
Braille 'n Speak. There is also a PC version of the program. It works with
most Braille embossers that have a graphics mode.
                                                     Deane Blazie


[PHOTO: The picture is of a woman in park ranger uniform holding a peregrine
falcon. CAPTION: Lynda Boose]
                   How I Became a Park Ranger
                         by Lynda Boose

     From the Editor: Not long ago I came upon a Talking Book
titled A Superior Death. The author was Nevada Barr. The mystery
was fun, and the author's ability to evoke the scene and the
various characters was certainly above average. But the most
memorable thing about the plot was the casual appearance of
Sandra, a blind secretary in the Park Service office. She was
efficient, funny, and knowledgeable about people and the workings
of the programs she carried out. The techniques she used were
accurately described, but no particular fuss was made about her
competence or her blindness. It struck me at the time that this
author had observed a good blind secretary at some time and
brought her to life in these pages. Then one day Lorraine Rovig,
Director of the Job Opportunities for the Blind Program, sent me
a copy of a letter she had received from Lynda Boose. Miss Rovig
had learned of Mrs. Boose's work as a park ranger and had asked
her to write describing her duties and the ways she had found to
carry them out.
     As I read the letter, I realized that here must be the
inspiration for the character in Nevada Barr's book. I called
Mrs. Boose and asked her if she had ever met Ms. Barr. She
confirmed my guess. For two years Nevada Barr had worked on Isle
Royale, where Mrs. Boose worked. They lived at opposite ends of
the island, but they talked often on the radio and telephone.
Mrs. Boose assured me that, although Barr had drawn on her
observations of Mrs. Boose for the character, there was very
little resemblance between herself and Sandra. Here then is a
matter-of-fact description of how one blind park ranger does her
job:

     Before I started working as a park ranger, I was a teacher
of severely handicapped children in California. Then I met my
future husband, and my life changed drastically. When I met my
husband, he was working for Isle Royale National Park, which is
located in the middle of Lake Superior, seventy miles from
Houghton, Michigan. The Town of Houghton is headquarters for the
park. Some park employees live in Houghton year-round, and others
live in Houghton six months and are on the island for six months.
For the past ten years my husband and I were in the latter
category.
     So how did I go from teacher to park ranger? I was in the
right place at the right time. I did not work my first summer on
the island, but the next summer I heard that the park was looking
for a part-time dispatcher. I felt I could do the job and went
and talked to the chief ranger. We discussed dispatcher duties
and talked about how I could do them. The rest is history. I was
hired part-time, which was two days a week. The next year the
permanent dispatcher left, and I got his job.
     My duties were to monitor and respond to park radio traffic,
monitor the marine radio and respond to any calls to the park
service from boaters, put up the flag, take mail out to the mail
boat, which came about three times a week. This boat carried
passengers around the island. I also answered the phones and took
messages. If there was a medical emergency, I assisted the park
EMT's by relaying messages and calling doctors. This was the most
stressful part of the job. I kept track of lost-and-found items.
I also kept track of case incident numbers and issued them to the
rangers when they needed them.
     To do my job I had the following equipment: a computer with
voice output; a light sensor, which I used for the phones; a tape
recorder; and a Braille writer. I also had an Optacon, which I
used quite a bit to fill in forms before I had computerized
templates.
     One of the biggest challenges was organizing the lost-and-
found. Each item had to be numbered, so I made a database on the
computer, which included everything that appeared on the actual
lost form. People would call me on park radio, I would give them
a lost/found number, and they would give me most of the
information I needed for the computer. Then I would send them an
envelope with both Braille and print case numbers on it. I had
them put the completed form into the envelope and attach it to
the item. This way I could handle the lost-and-found items
without much assistance from a sighted person. I made up a phone-
message form on the computer and filled it in whenever I took a
phone message for someone. I labeled all the mailboxes in Braille
so that I could put the messages in the right mail boxes.
     My husband and I now live in Houghton year round, and I work
in the Houghton Visitors' Center. Last summer was my first summer
in Houghton, and there were lots of new things to learn:
operating a cash register, taking Ranger III reservations, and
answering visitor questions and requests. The Ranger III is the
park service boat, which takes passengers to the island. The
reservation program is computerized, so it didn't take too long
to learn how to use it.
     I now have a scanner and a Braille printer and find them
both very useful. I am working on getting a talking cash
register, which will make me more independent. Right now visitors
have to help a lot when I am operating the cash register. They
don't seem to mind doing this. I just tell them what I need for
them to do, and they do it.
     I have been working for the park for ten years now and
really enjoy it. I like new challenges and learning new things. I
like figuring out how to do things as independently and simply as
possible. I'm glad I was in the right place at the right time and
that I took advantage of the opportunity.


[PHOTO/CAPTION: Serena Cucco]
                          Possibilities
                       by Carol Castellano

     From the Editor: Beginnings and Blueprints is the title of
the latest Kernel Book in our series of paperbacks about
blindness. The following delightful little piece appears in the
book. It begins with Dr. Jernigan's introduction. Here it is:

     Carol Castellano and her husband Bill are leaders in the
National Federation of the Blind's organization for parents of
blind children. They live in New Jersey with their children
Serena and John. Serena is blind and John is sighted. For both of
these children the future is filled with exhilarating
possibilities. With sparkle, pride, and belief Carol shares some
of them with us. Here is what she has to say:

     It took my daughter Serena a long time to decide just what
she wanted to be when she grew up. Whereas my son was only four
when he decided that he would be a dinosaur scientist, it wasn't
until she was seven that Serena realized that her destiny in life
was to be a folk singer. She happily played the chords to her
favorite song, "Michael Row the Boat Ashore," on my guitar.
     Then came the Presidential campaign of 1992. Serena was
eight. She sat rapt before the television listening intently to
the speeches of both parties. After the summer's two national
conventions, she realized that it wasn't a folk singer that she
wanted to be after all . . . it was a folksinging Senator. By
late fall, having heard all three Presidential debates, Serena
was going to be President.
     Her barrage of questions about how she could learn to be
President and conversations about what politicians do kept up for
so long that my husband and I were convinced she really might go
into politics when she was older.
     In the late spring of this year, Serena went out with her
father to pick early snow peas from the garden. Coming inside
with her basket of peas, she told me she was very interested in
gardening. "That's wonderful," I replied. "You'll be a big help
to Daddy."
     Overnight Serena's interest must really have taken root,
because the next day she asked me if I thought the gardens at the
White House were too big for the President to tend, since the
President is such a busy person. "Yes," I replied. "I'm sure
there's a staff of people who take care of the White House
gardens." "Well then, I won't be a gardening President," she told
me. "I'll just be a gardener."
     The desire to be a gardener was still but a tender shoot
when Serena took a piano lesson--just a few weeks after picking
those peas--and realized it was a pianist she wanted to be!
     Serena is at such a wonderful stage of life! Interested in
everything, trying everything out, she sees the world as her
plum, ripe for the picking. She believes in herself, as we
believe in her. And since what people believe largely determines
what they do, it is critically important for parents of blind
children (and other adults in the child's life) to have positive
beliefs about blindness and what blind people can do.
     If we are told (in a journal article or by a teacher of the
blind, say) that blind children usually do not or cannot learn
how to do a certain task and if we come to believe this, chances
are we will not give our child the experience or opportunity
anyone would need in order to do this task. And chances are the
child won't learn to do it.
     Imagine, though, if we--and our blind children--were never
told that blind people couldn't accomplish a certain thing.
Imagine what the results might be if everyone believed that blind
people could do anything they wanted to! Well, I believe this--
and attending NFB National Conventions has solidified this belief
for me. It is this belief which guides the way I bring up my
daughter.
     My husband and I know personally or have heard speak a blind
high school teacher, a college professor, a mathematician, a
scientist, a car body mechanic, an industrial arts teacher, a
Foreign Service officer, an engineer, a high-performance engine
builder, and a man who has sailed solo in races from San
Francisco to Hawaii. This makes it possible for us to glory in
the exhilarating feeling of watching a child look toward the
future and see only possibilities.



          Planned giving takes place when a contributor
     decides to leave a substantial gift to charity. It
     means planning as you would for any substantial
     purchase--a house, college tuition, or a car. The most
     common forms of planned giving are wills and life
     insurance policies. There are also several planned
     giving options through which you can simultaneously
     give a substantial contribution to the National
     Federation of the Blind, obtain a tax deduction, and
     receive lifetime income now or in the future. For more
     information write or call the National Federation of
     the Blind, Special Gifts, 1800 Johnson Street,
     Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998, (410) 659-9314, fax
     (410) 685-5653.


[PHOTO/CAPTION: Curtis Chong]
                From the Electronic Mail Basket:
                     Teaching Braille Online
                         by Curtis Chong

     From the Editor: A couple of months ago now, Curtis Chong,
President of the National Federation of the Blind in Computer
Science, sent me an exchange of comments--can one refer to such
exchanges as letters when they were never intended to appear on
paper? I found the information interesting and, on the whole,
reassuring. It is clear that Federationists are patrolling the
Internet and that people of good will from various places are
working to increase the number of people who know and like
Braille. It is also comforting to see a constructive dialog begin
among folks who started a conversation in distrust and
unhappiness. Here is the exchange that was first printed in the
Winter, 1996, edition of Computer Science Update, the publication
of the NFB's computer science division:

     On December 12, 1996, an announcement was sent out over the
Internet about a new on-line Braille course. The announcement was
made jointly by the School of Education at the North Carolina
Central University (Durham, North Carolina), the Governor
Morehead School for the Blind, and the Shodor Education
Foundation, Inc. In a nutshell the announcement promoted
something called "BRL: Braille through Remote Learning," a
program funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education. Here
is part of the announcement:

          This program provides teachers, parents, social
     workers, and current/future Braille transcribers with a
     series of three integrated, online courses in Braille
     and Braille transcribing. The program is designed to
     offer the Braille student the RIGHT INSTRUCTION (almost
     all aspects of Braille) at the RIGHT TIME (self-paced)
     in the RIGHT PLACE (home or workplace). By combining
     electronic technologies, quality materials, and expert
     instructors, the program has as its goal the provision
     of a complete Braille instructional program to all
     types of consumers nationwide who have an interest in
     some or all aspects of Braille codes.

     Blind people who read the announcement took exception to the
course requirement for a graphical web browser. They expressed
the opinion that this requirement would render the course
inaccessible to the blind. I understand that Bob Gotwals, the
contact person for the course, received many impassioned notes by
electronic mail on this subject. Here is an example of one note,
which was posted to the EASI mailing list:

From Jim Rebman [an active member of the NFB of Colorado]:

     I would like to point out that the technical requirements
and course materials, as you describe them, preclude blind people
who depend on speech synthesis and screen reader technology from
participating in this course. The requirement for a graphical
browser and the use of Java scripts and graphical images (which I
assume are not described) are all integral, yet inaccessible
parts of your course.
     As you are probably aware, blind people can be parents,
teachers, social workers, and Braille transcriptionists. By
making your course materials inaccessible, you are effectively
discriminating against the blind population. I am certain that
this was not intentional but nonetheless, that is the result and,
as somebody who frequents this list, I would think you would be
more aware of these issues. I would also like to remind you that
there are laws that protect disabled people from such things.

                                                    Respectfully,
                                    Jim Rebman jrebman@netcom.com

P.S. Do you plan to do anything about this situation?

     I myself wrote to Bob Gotwals in my capacity as President of
the NFB in Computer Science, asking for clarification. Here is
what I said:

December 17, 1996

Mr. Bob Gotwals
The Shodor Education Foundation, Inc.
Durham, North Carolina

Dear Mr. Gotwals:
     My name is Curtis Chong, and I am the president of the
National Federation of the Blind in Computer Science (NFBCS).
This organization of blind computer professionals and lay persons
works hard to ensure that blind people have equal access to
computer systems and applications.
     I read with interest your December 17 announcement about the
Braille-Through-Remote-Learning program. Your announcement says
in part:

          This program provides teachers, parents, social
     workers, and current/future Braille transcribers with a
     series of three integrated, online courses in Braille
     and Braille transcribing...the program has as its goal
     the provision of a complete Braille instructional
     program to all types of consumers nationwide who have
     an interest in some or all aspects of Braille codes.

     In the section which discusses the technical capabilities
program participants must have, you mention that a graphical web
browser is required. Graphical web browsers imply that some, if
not all, of the information that will be presented to the student
is non-textual--that is, purely visual. This leads me to ask if
your program is intended for persons who happen to be blind or
visually impaired? The requirement for a graphical web browser
implies that it is not. As I am sure you are well aware, it is
not uncommon for blind people to be social workers, parents,
teachers, and Braille transcribers. If, as stated in your
announcement, the program is intended to provide Braille
instruction to "all types of consumers nationwide," how will you
make it possible for blind people to participate in it on an
equal basis with the sighted? I would appreciate some
clarification from you on this point.

                                                 Yours sincerely,
                                                     Curtis Chong
                                                        President
                                 National Federation of the Blind
                                              in Computer Science

     Mr. Gotwals responded to me and to many others as follows:

December 18, 1996
From: Bob Gotwals gotwals@SHODOR.ORG
Subject: Interest in On-line Braille Course
To: Multiple recipients of list EASI EASI@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU

     We are very aware of the fact that the current design of the
Braille online folks makes it difficult for blind individuals to
participate easily. This is a three-year program. . . . Years one
and two are concerned with developing and pilot testing the
curriculum and experimenting with the use of current and emerging
technologies to try to think of new ways of presenting Braille
education. If you read the grant proposal
(http://www.shodor.org/Braille/grant/Braillegrant.html), you will
notice that we intend, once the courses are pilot-tested, to
ensure that all of the materials are 100 percent accessible. We
had asked the granting agency for funding to do this earlier, but
this portion of the request was not funded. What was funded was
the money to develop the materials and to investigate the use of
advanced technologies, such as JAVA and VRML, in the teaching of
Braille.
     What we are counting on is that the improvements in Web
browsers for blind folks by others who are being funded by the
Federal government (and other agencies) will make our additional
task of ensuring accessibility that much easier. Yes, there are a
number of things that we can do early on, such as make liberal
and clever use of ALT tags for images. We're not sure yet how
we're going to handle the heavy use that we make of screen
snapshots, but we're working on it. We think we'll be able to go
a long way towards 100 percent accessibility from the early
stages.
     What are our options? If there is the demand that the course
be 100 percent accessible from Day One, our option might be: we
can't do that at this stage of the game, either for the amount of
money awarded us by the granting agency and/or because of
technical limitations. In other words, we don't even try; give
the money back. If folks are willing to give us the time we need
to develop the course, work on the technological advancements,
get bugs out, and wait/work with others who are looking to
improve browsers, then perhaps everyone wins.
     I've worked in the VI field as a Braillist/teacher for
almost thirty-five years. My master's degree is in education of
the hearing-impaired from the National Technical Institute for
the Deaf. I taught at Gallaudet and am fluent in sign language. I
am well aware of all the issues concerning accessibility, and we
thought a lot about this issue early on (that is why we asked for
the additional funding to make it happen!).
     This Braille education program is, by the way, part of a
larger VI master's degree program that is being developed at
North Carolina Central University. The idea is to make a large
part of that program accessible over the Net, and the Braille
course is the first test of that concept. We sure would like a
chance to make it work....again, if there is a demand that the
effort be made to ensure 100 percent accessibility in the
experimental phase, we can pretty much ensure that the experiment
will fail.
     Tell us what to do. The Foundation that I work for is a
group of computational scientists and educators--we do chemistry
and physics on high-performance computers. We want to do this
work because we think it's important, because we think we have
something to offer, and because we care deeply about the
community. Our original budget proposal was half of what we were
awarded--the U.S. Department of Education felt so strongly that
this work was important that they asked us to look at new
technologies as well as design the series of courses. As
computational scientists we think we can take some of the
techniques that we use on a daily basis to do science to the
problem of helping folks understand Braille better. Hopefully,
we'll have a chance to figure that out, then deal with the
problems of accessibility.
     Looking forward to a reasoned and reasonable discussion of
these issues.

     I wrote back to Mr. Gotwals, and he responded to me fairly
quickly. He chose to intersperse his responses within the
original text of my letter, which is a common practice these days
when communicating by electronic mail. Here is my letter with his
responses, which appear in italics:

December 19, 1996
From: Bob Gotwals gotwals@shodor.org
To: Chong99@cris.com, EASI@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Braille Online

Mr. Chong,
     Thank you for your very kind and supportive note. Some
replies are imbedded in your note. I've taken the liberty of
copying the EASI group on this note.

                           __________

December 18, 1996

Mr. Bob Gotwals
The Shodor Education Foundation, Inc.
Durham, North Carolina

Dear Mr. Gotwals:
     I have received your post to the EASI mailing list dated
December 18, 1996; and I thank you for your candor on this
subject. You acknowledge in a straightforward and no-nonsense
manner that the current design of the Braille-Online program
makes it difficult for blind people to benefit from the course
material. I wish that you had made this clear in your original
announcement so as to mitigate some of the criticisms you have
doubtless received.
     We couldn't agree more and have modified our online
announcement to so reflect this. Future mailings will absolutely
include the appropriate statement. What a wonderful and useful
suggestion. In hindsight this one should have been a no-brainer.
We consider ourselves to be intelligent folks, but common sense
doesn't always prevail!
     Regardless of whether or not Braille Online will be useful
to blind computer users, the fact remains that the blind
community will be better served if more people become proficient
in reading and writing Braille. We, the blind, need teachers of
blind children who believe in Braille and who are competent, both
in its use and in its teaching. We need more skilled Braille
transcribers in order to increase the number of Braille books
that we can read. Above all, we need more people who believe in
the value of Braille so that all blind children will be schooled
in this vital tool of literacy. We cannot know today whether any
on-line method of teaching Braille (such as Braille Online) will
help to achieve these goals, but this should not stop people from
trying to develop new and innovative ways of teaching Braille.
     As I may have mentioned, my foundation is not in the
business of working for or with the blind or deaf communities.
We're doing this work because of my personal interest in Braille
and sign language. I've been doing Braille since I was seven, and
it's been a love affair that has gone on now for thirty-five
years. The opportunity to try to incorporate the work I do as a
scientist and technologist with my first academic love was just
too good to be true. I'm disappointed that we weren't more
careful about the wording, especially regarding accessibility. If
there is a Braille fan club, I'm pushing to be at the front of
the line!
     I am not personally convinced that blind people can learn
Braille using audio output alone or, for that matter, any form of
on-line, computerized instruction. Braille is, after all, a
tactual, hands-on means of reading and writing. Without hard copy
Braille material or a refreshable Braille display (which most of
us can't afford to begin with), how can we realistically expect
someone who is blind to learn Braille?
     Concur. We're not sure where technology will take us, so all
we can do is keep our fingers crossed that the technology will
move us past the audio. We had proposed trying to incorporate a
refreshable Braille display capability to the course (with the
assumption that prices will go down), but the funding agency
didn't or couldn't include that.
     Carrying this thinking a bit further, I hope that your
instructional program will enable sighted participants actually
to feel the Braille they are learning. Instructional programs in
which Braille is presented only visually (e.g., printed dots on
the screen or page) fail to reinforce the notion that Braille is
first and foremost something handled by touch!
     Most of the folks locally here who helped us test the intro
course this past semester prepared their assignments on Perkins
Braillers. Most of them are current VI teachers, so have lots of
access to Braille materials in their school (most of our guinea
pigs were Governor Morehead faculty). In short, I couldn't agree
more. Even as a sighted reader, I use my fingers.
     If I were to make some specific recommendations, they would
be as follows:
     1. I think it is important that your promotional materials
clarify that Braille Online is not now accessible to the blind.
You might even take this notion a step further and clarify that
the target audience for the program consists of sighted people
who will be teaching or producing Braille.
     Done.
     2. I would not hold out much hope that web browsers will
make the graphical world more accessible to the blind. Although
web browsers can and should be made more compatible with screen-
reading systems used by the blind, accessibility to the Worldwide
Web is more readily achieved if web page designers take the time
and trouble to ensure that the design of their web pages meets
basic accessibility guidelines too numerous to list here.
     We have some of those guidelines and will adhere to them to
the maximum extent possible. We'll also be depending on the
community to tell us when we fail. Within technological
feasibility, we'll fix it. I don't share your feelings about web
browsers, however. Perhaps I'm the eternal technology optimist!
After all, didn't Bill Gates say (not too long ago either), "640K
of RAM memory is all anyone will ever need"?
     3. If you haven't considered doing it, provide a way for
course participants to deal with hard copy Braille. Based upon
what I have read so far, it appears that course participants will
be producing Braille with either a Perkins Braille Writer or a
slate and stylus. This is eminently desirable. I wonder how you
envision having them turn in their Braille assignments?
     Folks who did hard copy Braille mailed them to me. Worked
fine. Depending on student load, we'll have local teachers here
help with grading and evaluation. I did have some folks use a
piece of software that emulates a Perkins Brailler. They also had
a chance to use a real Perkins Brailler. They were impressed with
the similarities in the two. We'll continue to investigate that
phenomenon.
     4. I think that some research needs to be conducted
specifically to determine how on-line computerized instruction
courses--specifically, courses to teach Braille--can benefit
people who are blind. My initial notion is that no benefit can be
truly realized unless the course presents information both
audibly (using synthesized speech) and tactually (using a
refreshable Braille display) at strategic points. You may have a
different concept in mind. If so, I would like to discuss it.
     Would love to have that discussion. Again, the current
design depends heavily on photographs (screen snapshots) of the
monitor. On the monitor is the Perkins-emulator program that I
use, which uses a special Braille font. The only way we can think
of now to replace those snapshots is with large audio files.
Unless the recipient has a high speed line, this may be
problematic.
     I want to thank you for taking the time to discuss this
important issue with everyone. I hope that you will not feel
personally offended by some of the comments you may have
received. All of us want more blind people reading and writing
more Braille, and all of us want more and better Braille
instruction and transcription services to be available to the
blind community. Where we may differ is in our respective
approaches.
     I have to admit that the criticism has been difficult. We
should have foreseen it better, and I'm mad at myself for that.
At the same time, I've been a Braillist and a professional sign
interpreter for a long time. A significant part of my life has
been devoted to this work, so it has not been easy. We're still
excited about the work, however, and are determined to do it
right. I concur that we both want more and better Braille
instruction, and that is clearly the goal. I'm not sure our
approaches are that far apart....but hopefully we've started down
the path of making those differences disappear.

                                                 Yours sincerely,
                                                     Curtis Chong
                                                        President
                                 National Federation of the Blind
                                              in Computer Science

     Many thanks again for your thoughtful, insightful, and
instructive letter. Best wishes for a blessed and restful holiday
season. After perhaps a rocky start, I'm looking forward to a
long, professional (electronic) relationship with you and with
other EASI participants.

                                           Robert R. Gotwals, Jr.
                                   Computational Science Educator
                            The Shodor Education Foundation, Inc.
                                               gotwals@shodor.org
               WWW: http://storm.shodor.org/~gotwals/gotwals.html
                                                   (919) 286-1911


     So, there you have it. I don't know how good Braille Remote
Learning will turn out to be. I can't even say if it will help to
increase the number of people who will know Braille well enough
to be of help to us. What I do know is that in its present form
Braille Remote Learning is not accessible to the blind--nor is it
meant to be. Can blind people benefit from Braille instruction
received on-line through the Internet? If the only means of
receiving information we have available to us is synthetic
speech, then I would say "No." If we have both synthetic speech
and refreshable Braille available to us and if different
information is communicated through each channel, then my answer
is, "Maybe."


[PHOTO/CAPTION: The paddlewheel steamer Natchez
PHOTO/CAPTION: New Orleans's French Market]
                  Lionizing Around New Orleans:
            Good Food, Good Times, and All That Jazz
                        by Jerry Whittle

     The National Federation of the Blind of Louisiana is pleased
to announce a wonderful array of tours for this year's national
convention in the great City of New Orleans. To millions of
tourists each year the Crescent City is world renowned for good
food, good times, and good music. This year's selection of tours
reflects the diversity and charm of the great American city at
the mouth of the mighty Mississippi. Federationists interested in
these tours will want to make reservations early. If you have not
yet made your room reservations for the convention, call the
National Center for the Blind and speak to Mr. Cobb. Our block of
rooms at the Hyatt is now full, but he can take your registration
information and make a reservation for you as soon as we have
worked out arrangements with other hotels.
     Even though the tours are fabulous and the Big Easy beckons,
the heart of the convention is reuniting with old friends, making
new ones, enjoying the hospitality of the host affiliate,
browsing through the expansive exhibit hall to view the latest
technology or purchase a new cane from the NFB store, hearing
wonderful and informative agenda items, winning door prizes, and
receiving inspiration at our annual banquet. With all of these
diversions, the days and nights won't be long enough; however,
one thing is certain--the National Federation of the Blind of
Louisiana will be working hard to help you have the most
wonderful week of your life. New Orleans is the place to be the
first week of July, 1997. Where else can you have so much fun
this inexpensively?
     All tours will be pre-sold. Tour spaces are limited, so book
early. The deadline to book tours is May 15, 1997. Tickets will
be mailed to you after May 15, but prior to the convention. To
make tour reservations, include the following information: name;
address; city; state; zip; phone; number of tickets, types
(adults or children two to twelve), and tour number for each
tour. Send this information with your check for the total amount
due made payable to The Life of the Cajun Tours, 4761 Hwy. 1,
Raceland, Louisiana 70394, or call (504) 537-3179. Please make
your reservations as soon as possible; space is limited on some
tours. We must have twenty-five or more people for each tour we
sponsor. The following is the complete list of tours:

                        Saturday, June 28
1. New Orleans Super City Tour. 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., $18 adults,
     $9.50 children.
2. N.O. City Tour & River Cruise. 12:00 noon to 4:30 p.m., $31
     adults, $15.25 children.
3. River Road Plantations (two homes including meal). 9:00 a.m.
     to 4:30 p.m., $54.50 adults, $35.50 children.
4. Oak Alley Plantation (no meal). 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., $29
     adults, $15 children.
5. Swamp Tour, Cajun Meal, Cemetery, City Tour of Thibodaux
     (working sugar cane plantation). 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., $49
     adults, $37 children.
6. Global Wildlife Center (with meal). 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.,
     $46 adults, $37 children.
7. Dinner Jazz Cruise & Transportation. 6:00 to 9:30 p.m., $49.75
     adults only (must be twenty-one or older).

                         Sunday, June 29
8. New Orleans Super City Tour. 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., $18 adults,
     $9.50 children.
9. N.O. City Tour & River Cruise. 12:00 noon to 4:30 p.m., $31
     adults, $15.25 children.
10. River Road Plantations (two homes with meal). 9:00 a.m. to
     4:00 p.m., $54.50 adults, $35.50 children.
11. Oak Alley Plantation (no meal). 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., $29
     adults, $15 children.
12. Swamp Tour, Cajun Meal, Cemetery, City Tour of Thibodaux
     (working sugar cane plantation). 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., $49
     adults, $37 children.
13. Global Wildlife Center (with meal). 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.,
     $46 adults, $37 children.

                        Thursday, July 3
14. New Orleans Super City Tour, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., $18 adults,
     $9.50 children.
15. Oak Alley Plantation (no meal), 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., $29
     adults, $15 children.
16. Swamp Tour, Cajun Meal, 12:40 to 5:40 p.m., $44 adults, $33
     children.
17. Global Wildlife Center (no meal), 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., $27
     adults, $25 children.
18. Dinner Jazz Cruise & Transportation, 6:00 to 9:30 p.m.,
     $49.75 adults only.
19. Pete Fountain Jazz Club (with 1 drink, twenty-one and older),
     9:15 p.m. to 12:15 a.m., $33 adults only.
20. Night Life-Top of the Mart Lounge, Peter Fountain Jazz Club
     (with three drinks, twenty-one and older), 7:15 p.m. to
     12:15 a.m., $42 adults only.

                        Tour Descriptions

New Orleans Super City Tours, Tours 1, 8, & 14
     Travel through three centuries of history and romance as you
encounter "the city that care forgot." Absorb the sights and
sounds of the famous French Quarter and historic Jackson Square.
Your licensed guide presents the history, landmarks, legends, and
splendid architecture that made New Orleans famous. Walk through
one of our above-ground Cities of the Dead (cemeteries) and
marvel at stories of voodoo and piracy on Bayou St. John. Enjoy a
ride along Lake Pontchartrain's shore before traveling through
Mid-City en route to Uptown New Orleans. Follow the clickety-
clack of the St. Charles Avenue streetcars past universities;
Audubon Park; stately mansions; and the world-famous, exclusive
Garden District. Then follow New Orleans into the twenty-first
Century as you pass under the shadows of towering skyscrapers in
the Central Business District (CBD). Cost: $18 adults, $9.50
children. Includes bus transportation from the Hyatt for the
Super City Tour, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tour 1, Saturday, June
28; Tour 8, Sunday, June 29; and Tour 14, Thursday, July 3.

New Orleans City Tour and River Cruise, Tours 2 & 9
     This tour combines the steamboat Natchez Cruise (paddle
wheel) plus the Super City Tour. After your exciting motorcoach
tour through New Orleans, you'll have a few minutes to rest or
snack before boarding the historic riverboat Natchez to the
delightful tunes of the steam calliope. Experience the sights and
sounds of river life that enchanted characters of history and
literature like Mark Twain's Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. View the
ever-changing skyline of the Crescent City from the sunny decks
and climate-controlled comfort of the majestic Steamer Natchez.
Cruise past the Chalmette Battlefield where the legendary Jean
LaFitte and his buccaneers joined forces with Andrew Jackson to
defend our city against the British in the Battle of New Orleans.
Cost: $31 adults, $15.25 children. Includes bus pick-up at the
Hyatt, City Tour, and Steamboat Cruise, 12:00 noon to 4:30 p.m.;
Tour 2, Saturday, June 28; and Tour 9, Sunday, June 29.

River Road Plantations, Tours 3 & 10
     Travel back in time to Nottoway and Oak Alley, Antebellum
mansions nestled along the banks of the Mississippi River. Leave
the modern skyline of cosmopolitan New Orleans behind as you
enjoy the panoramic view of Lake Pontchartrain and travel over
the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Your narrated motorcoach tour takes
you past six Antebellum plantation homes surrounded by massive
oaks, sugar cane fields, pecan groves, and Louisiana countryside.
Walk through two of these beautifully restored homes while
resident guides, many in period costumes, tell the history of the
homes and elegant lifestyles of wealthy plantation families.
Enjoy an authentic Cajun country lunch complete with charming
southern hospitality. Cost: $54.50 adults, $35.50 children;
includes bus transportation from the Hyatt, tour of two homes,
and meal. 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Tour 3, Saturday, June 28; and
Tour 10, Sunday, June 29.

Oak Alley Plantation, Tours 4, 11, & 15
     Feel the gentle breeze of southern hospitality on a tour
that takes you back to the glory of the Old South. Experience a
bygone era in one of the South's most beautiful settings--Oak
Alley Plantation, built in 1839. Marvel at the unbelievable view
of a quarter-mile-long alley of twenty-eight magnificent oak
trees, each over 250 years old. Along the way view the majestic
cypress trees in the swamps bordering the Mississippi River.
Travel past three other plantation homes, legacies from the past
grandeur of historic River Road, from your luxury motorcoach.
Cost: $29 adults, $15 children. Includes bus transportation from
the Hyatt and tour of plantation homes (no meal), 1:00 p.m. to
5:00 p.m.; Tour 4, Saturday, June 28; Tour 11, Sunday, June 29;
and Tour 15, Thursday, July 3.

Swamp Tour, Cajun Buffet, City Tour of Thibodaux, Cemetery &
Working Sugar Cane Plantation, Tours 5 & 12
     Cajun tour guide will bring you to beautiful Bayou Bouef
where you will enjoy a leisurely boat ride into the beauty and
serenity of Louisiana's most picturesque regions. You will see
alligators, nutria, birds, moss-laden oak trees, and much more.
Those who dare can hold a live alligator in their hands and pet
the silky nutria. Following the boat ride and history of the
region, you will be treated to a Cajun buffet, including gumbo,
alligator, and other wonderful dishes. You can visit the Trading
Post with a large selection of gifts and crafts. We travel to
Thibodaux for a city tour and walk through a cemetery known as
the "Cities of the Dead" and visit a working sugar cane
plantation, the store museum, and craft shop. The day will be
filled with the history, culture, and heritage of the Cajuns.
Cost: $49 adults, $37 children; includes bus transportation from
the Hyatt; Cajun tour guide; boat ride; buffet; tours of
Thibodaux, Cemetery, and sugar cane plantation, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m.; Tour 5, Saturday, June 28; Tour 12, Sunday, June 29.

Swamp Tour & Cajun Buffet, Tour 16
     This tour is like the previous one except that there is no
tour of a sugar cane plantation. Cost: $44, adults; $33 children;
includes bus transportation from the Hyatt, Cajun tour guide,
boat ride, and buffet; 12:40 to 5:40 p.m.; Tour 16, Thursday,
July 3.

Global Wildlife Center, Tours 6 & 13
     Ride across Lake Pontchartrain on the world's longest bridge
and take a guided wagon tour of a 900-acre home to many rare,
endangered, and extinct-in-the-wild animals from all over the
world. Custom-built covered wagons pulled by tractors offer
comfortable seating with no obstruction of the scenic view. When
the wagons stop, animals will approach to be fed. Come eye to eye
with a buffalo and feed a family of giraffe. The group will enjoy
a meal at a local restaurant. Cost: $46 adults; $37 children.
Includes bus transportation from the Hyatt, wagon ride, and meal.
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Tour 6, Saturday, June 28; Tour 13,
Sunday, June 29.

Global Wildlife Center, Tour 17
     This tour is like the previous one except that no meal is
included. Cost is $27 adults, $25 children; includes bus
transportation from the Hyatt and wagon ride. 1:00 p.m. to 5:00
p.m.; Tour 17, Thursday, July 3.

Dinner Jazz Cruise, Tours 7 & 18
     When night falls, we board a riverboat and cruise on a jazz-
filled adventure. The sounds of a dixieland jazz band fill the
air as diners enjoy a lavish creole meal. Cost: $49.75 adults
only (must be twenty-one or older); includes bus transportation
from the Hyatt, dinner, and jazz cruise. 6:00 to 9:30 p.m.; Tour
7, Saturday, June 28; Tour 18, Thursday, July 3.

Pete Fountain's Jazz Club, Tour 19
     On this unique tour you'll experience New Orleans nightlife
as a native would. You'll see and hear one of the great New
Orleans jazz musicians, Pete Fountain. Enjoy one complimentary
drink while he performs. Cost: $33, adults only; includes bus
transportation from the Hyatt, Pete Fountain's Club cover charge,
and one drink; 9:15 p.m. to 12:15 a.m.; Tour 19, Thursday, July
3.

Nightlife--Top of the Mart Lounge--Pete Fountain's Jazz Club,
Tour 20
     From cool to red hot jazz and everywhere in between--on this
unique tour you'll experience New Orleans nightlife as a native
would. Your evening begins at the Top of the Mart, where you'll
relax with two complimentary drinks as you enjoy the revolving
cityscape. From there you're off to see a New Orleans
institution--Pete Fountain. Enjoy one complimentary drink while
he performs. Cost: $42, adults only; includes bus transportation
from the Hyatt to the Top of the Mart and Pete Fountain's Club,
and three drinks; 7:15 p.m. to 12:15 a.m.; Tour 20, Thursday July
3.

Y'all come.


PHOTO/CAPTION: Homer Page]
                         The Metal Pole
                          by Homer Page

     From the Editor: The following story by Homer Page first
appeared in Beginnings and Blueprints, the latest in our Kernel
Book series. Here is the article, beginning with Dr. Jernigan's
introduction:

     Homer Page is a leader in the National Federation of the
Blind of Colorado. When he was six years old, he learned a lesson
from a metal pole, and he remembers it well to this day. Here is
how he tells it:

     I was born seven weeks before Pearl Harbor. As were so many
young men of his generation, my father was soon caught up in the
war. For a number of years during my early life he was away from
home in the army.
     My younger brother and I lived with our mother and
grandmother on our family farm. My mother and grandmother were
blind, as was I. They ran the farm while we waited and prayed for
my father to come home. In time he did return safely. But during
this time we were rather isolated.
     During these years I really didn't understand that I was
blind. I enjoyed enormously running in the open fields that made
up our farm. I fell off a table and broke my arm. Another time I
slipped in the water on the back porch, where my mother was
washing clothes. I fell out the back door and broke my arm again.
In each instance I hardly slowed down while I wore a cast. Later,
when I was nine, I broke my collarbone playing tackle football at
school, and still later, when I was fifteen, I broke my arm again
in a bicycle accident.
     Sometimes my cousin, who was a few years older, would come
to visit. He would tell me about going to school. It sounded
exciting. I could hardly wait until I was old enough to catch the
school bus and go to school. I spent many of my days playing
school and dreaming of reading books.
     Finally the day came when I could start school. My father
was home by then. He and my mother took me to school. No one
mentioned that I was blind. When it was time to play that first
day, I joined the other children and went outside.
     Children who are six years old run. They run without
purpose. They run in packs for the simple joy of running. The
children began to run. I joined them, and I too began to run.
     My next memory from this day long ago is still vivid. I ran
into the metal pole that braced the playground slide. In a split
second I was flat on my back. My nose had squarely struck the
pole. I was in a great deal of pain, and the other children were
going on without me. In that moment I realized that I was blind.
     I knew that, if I lay there or if I cried, I could not play
with the other children. I got up to join my new friends. They
never commented, nor did I. I spent my childhood and adolescence
with many of those children. We seldom talked about blindness. I
just took part in whatever activity presented itself.
     No pity or sentimentality was shown to me. When teams were
chosen to play softball, I was chosen last. But when teams were
chosen for math or social studies competitions, I was chosen
first. Those selections were fair, and neither I nor anyone else
questioned them. It meant nothing to me to be selected last. What
was important was that I played, that I played hard, and that I
looked for ways to make a positive contribution to my team.
     In the decades since my encounter with the metal pole, I
have more than once found myself figuratively lying on the
ground. What I learned at six years of age, and have relearned
several times since, is that getting up is the best option. The
other option is to play it safe and not really play.
     In 1981 I was elected to the Boulder, Colorado, City
Council. In 1986 I was chosen to be Deputy Mayor of the city. In
1988 I was elected to the Boulder County Board of Commissioners.
During all but one of my years as a county commissioner I was
either Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Board. However, things
were not always easy.
     In 1980 I ran for the Colorado legislature. The race was
very close. Near the end of the campaign workers representing my
opponent began going door to door in the district telling voters
that, since I was blind, I could not represent them, that I would
only represent the interests of the blind. I lost that election
by 120 votes. That metal pole had just blocked my path once more.
     I got up and started to run again. I found that I had won
the respect of my community. A year later I was elected to the
Boulder City Council. Four years later I ran for re-election. As
top vote getter in the election, I was in line to be mayor, but
once again my blindness became an issue. I was not selected to be
mayor. I was, however, chosen to be deputy mayor. Once again,
that metal pole had gotten in the way.
     In 1988 I ran for the Board of County Commissioners. I
unseated a popular incumbent. In 1991 I was unopposed. My
blindness had simply ceased to be an issue that could help a
political opponent.
     On September 1, 1995, I assumed the responsibility of
directing the National Federation of the Blind's training center
in Colorado. Students at the Colorado Center for the Blind learn
the alternative skills they need to live independent and
productive lives, and they learn the attitudes that they need to
accept and manage their blindness.
     As I work with Center students, there is a perspective that
I hope to be able to share with them. Perhaps I can state it like
this: In the lives of blind persons there are occasional metal
poles. Once it was believed that those poles made life too
dangerous or too difficult for us to be able really to
participate with sighted persons on terms of equality, but now we
know that this is simply not true.
     However, we also know that, when those poles appear in our
paths and flatten us, we must get back up and continue to run
without bitterness or self-pity. We must also improve our travel
skills through life so that we can avoid as many of those poles
as possible. We must be tough enough to play without
sentimentality and smart enough to know that in this way life
will shower us with abundance.


[PHOTO/CAPTION: Marie Cobb]
        Federationists, Fund-Raising, and Free Enterprise
                          by Marie Cobb

     From the Editor: Federationists who have enjoyed meals in
the dining room at the National Center for the Blind know that
Marie Cobb, who runs the kitchen from which all those meals are
served, is a wonderful cook and a gifted caterer. In fact, she
has many talents and is always adding something new to her list
of responsibilities. Here she describes the latest work she is
doing for the Federation:

     As many of you know, some of the National Federation of the
Blind's traditional sources of funding are becoming less cost-
effective each year. In order for us to meet this challenge, we
are constantly searching for new sources of revenue. Last spring
President Maurer signed the NFB on as a distributor for the
American Communications Network, marketer for LCI International
long-distance. This project will succeed or fail in direct
proportion to the number of people who agree to participate in
the program.
     There are about ten Federationists who own ACN
distributorships under the NFB, and we are all committed to
making this relationship between the NFB and ACN a lucrative one.
We believe that the combination of excellent service and
attractive rates will help to make our commitment a reality. At
the same time each of us is working to build a profitable
business for ourselves. The more successful we are as
individuals, the larger the residual income will be for the NFB.
     We want to be certain that everyone understands to whom the
commission from his or her long-distance or any other ACN account
will be paid, so here is the agreement we ten have with Mr.
Maurer. The NFB's ACN representatives will hold business
opportunity meetings at Washington Seminars and at National
Conventions. We will seek customers and offer those who are
interested a chance to examine the business plan. We will also
have a booth in the exhibit hall for the same purposes. Any
person who wishes to become an ACN customer during the Washington
Seminar or at National Convention will automatically be placed
directly under the Federation instead of the associate who
acquires the account. We, the associates, will be building our
personal businesses during this time by recruiting new associates
to work with us.
     Here is the way you can participate:
     1. Fill out a simple form to change your long-distance
carrier to LCI. There is no charge for the switch, and LCI
provides excellent service at a lower rate than many other long-
distance carriers. If for any reason you are dissatisfied with
the service after ninety days, you can go back to your original
carrier at no cost to you.
     2. Ask your friends and family to help the NFB by switching
their long-distance carrier to LCI as well.
     The National Federation of the Blind will receive three to
eight percent of every dollar spent on long-distance calls each
month on all of these direct accounts, and one quarter of one
percent to five percent of all accounts which are generated for
our personal businesses.
     Long-distance service is just the tip of the iceberg. There
is also cellular service through the most advantageous carrier in
each area, and pager service through Pagenet. There will soon be
voice paging as well. In the near future we will also be able to
offer cable access, local dial tone service, Internet access, and
utilities. The potential income for the NFB is really exciting.
     The bottom line is that this costs you nothing and indeed
will save you money each month. It will also help to fund the
important work in which we are all engaged. So please contact an
ACN representative as soon as possible. If you do not know an ACN
representative or wish to explore becoming one yourself, please
contact me, Marie Cobb, at (410) 659-9314 or (410) 644-6352. I
have volunteered to take calls which come into the National
Office or my home and see that those accounts go directly to the
NFB. However, I am also building a file of personal accounts on
other occasions.


[PHOTO/CAPTION: Ed Bryant]
                 Dialysis at National Convention
                          by Ed Bryant

     From the Editor: Ed Bryant is First Vice President of the
Diabetes Action Network, the diabetics division of the National
Federation of the Blind. Here is very important information for
anyone planning to attend the convention and needing dialysis
during that busy week:

     During this year's annual convention in New Orleans,
Louisiana (Sunday, June 29, through Saturday, July 5), dialysis
will be available. Those requiring dialysis must have a transient
patient packet and completed physician's statement prior to
treatment. Conventioneers should have their unit contact the
desired location in the New Orleans area for instructions.
     Individuals will be responsible for and must pay prior to
each treatment the approximately $30 not covered by Medicare plus
any additional physician's fees.
     Dialysis centers should set up transient dialysis locations
at least three months in advance. This helps assure a location
for anyone wanting to dialyze. New Orleans is a popular tourist
destination, and in July the city is very busy. Here are some
dialysis locations:

 Saint Charles Dialysis, 3600 Prytania, Suite 83, New Orleans,
     Louisiana 70115; telephone: (504) 895-3992. About ten
     minutes by taxi from the convention hotel.
 Uptown Dialysis has two locations. A: Truro Hospital, on
     Foucher Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70115. Social Worker
     is Mary Wendt; contact her for information about either
     Uptown Dialysis facility. B: Uptown Dialysis, 3434 Prytania
     Street, Room 200, New Orleans, Louisiana 70115. Use the same
     phone, 504-897-7946, for both. Both locations are about ten
     minutes from the hotel.
 BMA New Orleans, 2000 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana
     70112; telephone: (504) 581-6363. For further information
     contact Jennifer Wallace, administrator, at (504) 455-5535.
     About ten minutes from the hotel.
 DCI of New Orleans, 1400 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
     70112; telephone: (504) 593-9895. Although DCI reports
     itself full now, they may well have a cancellation. About
     ten minutes from the hotel.
 Napoleon Dialysis, 2817 Napoleon Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana
     70115; telephone: (504) 891-8176. About fifteen minutes from
     the hotel.
     PLEASE REMEMBER TO SCHEDULE DIALYSIS TREATMENTS EARLY TO
INSURE SPACE.
     If scheduling assistance is needed, contact Diabetes Action
Network First Vice President Ed Bryant at (573) 875-8911. See you
in New Orleans!


                             Recipes

     This month's recipes come from members of the National
Federation of the Blind of Washington.

                           Pasta Salad
                          by Judy Croy

     John and Judy Croy are active members of the Spokane County
Chapter.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons diced green onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped celery
1 cucumber, chopped
1 can black olives, sliced
1 8-ounce package mozzarella cheese, shredded
5 cups rotini (uncooked)
1 envelope dry Italian seasoning mix
1 8-ounce bottle of zesty Italian dressing

     Method: Cook rotini about twenty minutes according to
package directions; remove from heat and drain while still firm.
Combine all but last two salad ingredients and sprinkle the
envelope of dry Italian seasoning mix over the salad. Add the
bottle of zesty Italian dressing. Gently toss the salad and
marinate it at least two hours under refrigeration.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Barbara Freeman]
                       Frosty the Snowman
                       by Barbara Freeman

     Coffee drinks of all kinds are popular in Washington State.
Here are several local favorites as prepared by Barbara Freeman,
whose husband Mike is President of the affiliate.

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups iced coffee
5 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 pint vanilla or coffee ice cream

     Method: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until
smooth. Serve in tall glasses.


                     Chocolate Coffee Sauce
                       by Barbara Freeman

Ingredients:
 1/4 pound sweet chocolate
1 ounce strong, hot coffee
2 ounces butter

     Method: Break chocolate into pieces and melt in the hot
coffee. Stir well. Let mixture cool. Then add butter, a little at
a time, beating until it is thoroughly blended in.


                           Caf`e Vino
                       by Barbara Freeman

Ingredients:
1 cup cold strong coffee
2 ounces tawny port or Muscatel wine
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon grated orange peel
dash cinnamon

     Method: Whip all ingredients in blender at high speed until
foamy. Pour into chilled wine glasses. Serves two.


                     Spanish Rice de Freeman
                       by Barbara Freeman

Ingredients:
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup rice, uncooked
1 pound lean ground beef or other meat
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
Grated cheese or cubed Velveeta
Small amount of oil

     Method: Put the rice on to cook according to package
directions. Chop the onion and garlic and cook in a small amount
of oil until soft. Crumble hamburger into pan and brown. Add the
spices while the meat cooks. Mix the warm meat mixture with a can
of tomato sauce and the cooked rice. Top with cheese. Turn the
heat off and cover the pan for a few minutes so that the cheese
has time to melt. Serve. This recipe calls for quite a lot of
spice. It is the cumin that makes this recipe so good. You can
leave out the chili powder, but not the cumin. Cubed chicken can
be used in place of the hamburger. This dish is also good without
meat.


[PHOTO/CAPTION: Alco Canfield]
                     Chocolate Zucchini Cake
                        by Alco Canfield

     Alco Canfield is a rehabilitation counselor from Olympia,
Washington. As a new, enthusiastic member, she travels one-and-a-
half hours to Vancouver to attend Clark County Chapter meetings.
She is looking forward to starting a chapter in Olympia.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour milk
2-1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups grated, unpeeled zucchini
 1/4 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips

     Method: Cream sugar with butter and oil. Add remaining wet
ingredients while continuing to beat mixture. Stir remaining dry
ingredients together, and beat into sugar mixture. Fold in
zucchini and pour into greased and floured 13-by-9 pan. Top with
chocolate chips. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes.


                      Green Chili Frittata
                       by Stephanie Yates

     Stephanie Yates is a new member from Seattle. She attended
her first National Convention in Anaheim. At our state convention
in October she was elected to the state board of directors. She
is also spearheading the acquisition of NEWSLINE (tm) in
Washington State.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
10 eggs, lightly beaten
 1/4 pound butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 to 2 4-ounce cans diced green chilies

     Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow 9-by-
13-inch baking dish. Mix flour and baking powder. Add eggs and
butter, blending well. Blend in remaining ingredients. Place
mixture in baking dish and bake 35 to 45 minutes or until set.
Cut into squares and serve.


                 ** ** MONITOR MINIATURES ** **

** Technology Magazine on Cassette:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Bitstream is a bi-monthly audio cassette magazine that is
focused at blind, visually impaired, print handicapped, or other
readers interested in accessible high technology. While the
primary focus of Bitstream is on personal computers with speech
or Braille output, other issues are covered as well. These
include access tools of all kinds. Bitstream is a narrated
magazine with live interviews, reviews, and demonstrations. The
six 90-minute issues cost $22 per year for U.S. and Canadian
subscribers while overseas subscribers are charged $32, and the
tapes are sent by Air Mail.
     All subscriptions must be prepaid by check or credit card.
Unfortunately, we can no longer accept purchase orders.
Individuals interested in subscribing should contact us at (800)
377-0774.

** Prepaid Calling Card Business Opportunity:
     Flowers Bates, a member of the NFB of Mississippi, has asked
us to carry the following announcement:
     Only $20 to get started. No inventory or costly overhead
needed. Earn commissions and hours of free calling time. Call
(601) 249-3622 for more details.

** Debt Analysis Available:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Want to be debt-free and stop giving your hard-earned money
to the banks? Have your debts analyzed and receive a debt
elimination plan that will help you get rid of those debts. For
example, a $38,000 home mortgage at 10 percent for thirty years
will cost $333.48 per month for 360 months. By adding $100
($433.48) to the current note, you can pay off the mortgage in
thirteen years and three months. Call (601) 249-3622 for details
and start getting rid of those debts today.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: George Best, 1933 to 1996]
** In Memoriam:
     Hazel Staley, a longtime leader of the NFB of North
Carolina, writes with deep sorrow as follows:
     On December 16, 1996, George Best died following a long bout
with cancer. He was just four days shy of his sixty-third
birthday. George was a dedicated Federationist. For sixteen years
he served as Treasurer of the North Carolina affiliate, during
which time he made my job as State President much easier. He
loved our state and national conventions and the Washington
Seminar and attended all these events as long as he was able. In
1992 he received the Clarence Collins Award for outstanding
service to the North Carolina affiliate. The Clarence Collins
Award is the state's equivalent of our national tenBroek Award.
     George also loved his church. He sang in the choir and was a
leading member of the church's drama team. He accepted a role in
the 1996 Christmas drama with the understanding that he could
have an understudy in case he was not able to perform. George is
survived by his wife Nancy and five brothers. The North Carolina
affiliate mourns the passing of one of our great leaders.

     All of us in the Federation family join with Hazel and the
North Carolina affiliate in mourning the loss of George Best and
in expressing our condolences to Nancy and to George's family.

** Tours with Classical Themes:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     The Campanian Society, Inc., announces two tours designed
for blind and visually impaired people. Program One, "The
Classical Heritage in America," fall, 1997, will be a one-week
program including visits to important sites whose meaning is
enhanced by a knowledge of the ancient world (Bunker Hill, Hudson
River, Mt. Vernon) and several classical sculpture collections
(ancient and neo-classical) in American museums: New York
(Metropolitan Museum of Art); Baltimore (The Walters Art
Gallery); Washington: (National Gallery of Art, American Museum
of Art); and Philadelphia (Museum of Art). This program will be
seven days and six nights or eight days and seven nights,
starting and ending in New York. Tactile experience, lectures,
and special events are planned for each museum. We will include
not only the museum but also other sites of interest and
importance in the area.
     Program Two, "Northern Italy: Lake Como and the Italian
Alps." is planned for April, 1998. This program will center in
the Lake Como area of Northern Italy, including visits to the
many charming and scenic cities surrounding Lake Como, with an
excursion to St. Moritz in Switzerland. The area is rich in
history. Numerous museums and churches will provide us with
wonderful tactile and intellectual experiences. The length of the
program will be approximately ten to eleven days.
     Please indicate your interest in one or both of these
programs by sending your contact information (name, address,
city, state, zip, phone, fax, and e-mail) to the Campanian
Society, Inc., 5758 Brown Road, Oxford, Ohio 45056, (513) 524-
4846.

** Elected:
     Michael and Robin Thorne of the Rock Hill Chapter of the NFB
of South Carolina report their chapter's recent election results.
The officers for the new term are Lenora Robertson, President;
Marcel Rocque, Vice President; Ricky Hinson and Wenn Spears,
Secretaries; Lyn Hornbe, Treasurer; Ms. Odom and Ms. Bickle,
Social Directors; and Michael E. Thorne, Public Relations
Director.

** Diabetes Action Network Drawing:
     The Diabetes Action Network, a division of the National
Federation of the Blind, provides support and information to
thousands of people. Because operating this valuable network and
producing the Voice of the Diabetic cost money, we must generate
funds to help cover these expenses. The Network has decided to
hold a drawing again this year, which will be coordinated by our
treasurer, John Yark.
     The Grand Prize will be $500! The name of the winner will be
drawn on July 4, 1997, at the annual banquet of the National
Federation of the Blind.
     Tickets cost $1 each, or a book of six may be purchased for
$5. Tickets may be purchased from state representatives of our
Diabetes Action Network or by contacting the Voice Editorial
Office, 811 Cherry Street, Suite 309, Columbia, Missouri 65201,
telephone (573) 875-8911. Anyone interested in selling tickets
should also contact the Voice Editorial Office. Tickets are
available now. The names of those who sell fifty tickets or more
will be announced in the Voice.
     Please make checks payable to the National Federation of the
Blind. Money and ticket stubs must be mailed to the Voice office
no later than June 10, 1997, or they can be personally delivered
to Drawing Chairman John Yark at this year's NFB convention in
New Orleans. This drawing is open to anyone, and the holder of
the lucky ticket need not be present to win. Each ticket sold is
a donation helping to keep our Diabetes Action Network moving
forward.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Prince George's County Councilwoman Audrey Scott is pictured
presenting a White-Cane-Safety-Day proclamation to Southern Maryland Chapter
President Ken Silberman on October 8, 1996.]
** Elected:
     Kenneth Silberman, President of the Southern Maryland
Chapter of the NFB of Maryland, reports his chapter's January 4
election results. The new officers are Kenneth Silberman,
President; Bernetha Mclamore, Vice President; Edward Harley,
Secretary; Gerelene Womack, Treasurer; and Jack Darosa and Mary
Skattie, Board Members.

** Arizona Brailler Repair Service
Now Open for Nationwide Business:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     As a mutual support project, the Arizona Instructional
Resource Center (AIRC) at the Foundation for Blind Children in
Phoenix and the Mohave Treatment Programs Department at the
Arizona State Prison Complex at Douglas (ASPC-D) have jointly
opened a new Perkins Brailler Repair Service.
     The service got off the ground in August, 1995, and has been
working with such tremendous success that it is now ready to go
public. The Arizona Brailler Repair Service is now available to
anybody in the country. In a small, festive celebration in
Douglas last spring, the final details were agreed upon between
the two agencies.
     The Brailler repair service is administered by the AIRC,
with actual repair taking place in Douglas. Top-notch but
inexpensive maintenance and repair (a $15 flat fee for labor)
with a 6-month warranty is guaranteed as part of the excellent
service offered to anyone in the country. Turnaround time is
approximately two weeks. Only if unusual parts must be ordered
from Massachusetts will the repair time be longer since the more
common replacement parts are held in stock at ASPC-D.
     For more information or to send your Perkins for service,
contact the AIRC at the Foundation for Blind Children, 1235 E.
Harmont Drive, Phoenix, Arizona 85020, (602) 331-1470.

** Elected:
     On January 18, 1997, the Greater Seattle Chapter of the NFB
of Washington held elections with the following results: Noel
Nightingale, President; Rita Szantay, First Vice President; Mark
Noble, Second Vice President; Renee West, Secretary; and Gary
Deeter, Treasurer. Elected to serve on the Board were Bennett
Prows and Stephanie Yates.

** New Chapter:
     The North Greenville Chapter became the fifty-fifth chapter
of the NFB of South Carolina on Tuesday, January 8. The following
officers were elected: Lydell Gray, President; Joyce Bowes, Vice
President; George McKinney, Secretary; and Jack Yearwood,
Treasurer. Congratulations to the newest chapter in the South
Carolina affiliate.

** Affordable Gifts:
     Nancy Lynn of Pennsylvania has asked us to carry the
following announcement:
     Affordable gifts for all occasions with income potential
attached. Call (888) 887-6318 any time, day or night, and leave
your name and phone number. You will receive a prompt response.

** CD-ROM Catalog of Braille and Recorded Books Available:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     In February, 1997, the National Library Service for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped released the first production
version of CD-BLIND, a CD-ROM of catalog records completed
through December, 1996. Including the entire catalog of Braille
and recorded books produced by NLS, CD-BLIND contains
approximately 250,000 records of special-format materials from
more than two dozen libraries throughout the world. It is
searchable by title, author, subject, keyword, and much more.
Complete with a revised user manual, this CD-ROM represents the
culmination of several years of testing by libraries and
consumers.
     A subscription to CD-BLIND is available through the
Superintendent of Documents. Send your order to Superintendent of
Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15250-7954,
(202) 512-1800, and request stock number 730-011-00000-8. Payment
can be made by check, money order, VISA, MasterCard, or Discover
card. The price for a year's subscription (four issues) is $92 in
the United States and $115 outside the U.S. The single-issue
price is $29 in the U.S. and $36.25 outside the U.S.
     For further information, contact Mr. Robert Axtell, Head,
Bibliographic Control Section, National Library Service for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped, Washington, D.C. 20542, (202)
707-9248.

** Elected:
     During the fourth annual convention of the National
Federation of the Blind of Puerto Rico on November 9, 1996, the
following officers were elected: Alpidio Rolon, President; Tomas
Cintron, Secretary; and Maria Martinez, Maria T. Rivera, and Jose
A. Rodriquez, members of the Board of Directors.

** Braille Materials Available:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Mrs. Judith Kramer, a special education teacher at Boonton
High School in Boonton, New Jersey, writes to say that she has a
number of books and other materials in Braille, which she would
be pleased to pass on to high school or college students who
could use them. A list of publications is available upon request.
Many of these publications, but not all, have to do with creative
writing. For more information or a list of books with
descriptions, contact Mrs. Judith Kramer, Boonton High School,
306 Lathrop Avenue, Boonton, New Jersey 07005, (201) 335-9700, e-
mail: jkramer@njlink.pppl.gov

** Summer Music Institute, National Resource Center for Blind
Musicians:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     The Music and Arts Center for the Handicapped is accepting
applications from motivated blind musicians throughout the United
States, high school or above, to participate in its second Summer
Music Institute for Blind College-Bound Musicians. A three-week
program to be held in July at the University of Bridgeport will
provide exposure to music Braille, music composition by computer,
keyboard, theory, and ensemble and strategies for study and
independent living in a college setting. Enrollment is limited to
fifteen students, who will be accepted based on their
applications and over-the-phone interviews. Cost of the program
(including tuition, room and board, and materials) is $2,500.
Partial scholarships are available.
     The National Resource Center for Blind Musicians provides
information to musicians, students, and teachers on music Braille
and accessible music technology. The Center can provide advice
about music systems or put people in touch with someone in its
national network of blind musicians with experience in a
particular aspect of the field.
     For an application to the Summer Music Institute or to reach
the National Resource Center, contact David Goldstein, Music and
Arts Center for the Handicapped, 600 University Avenue,
Bridgeport, Connecticut 06601, (203) 366-3300, e-mail
102730.163@compuserve.com

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Catherine Horn Randall receives her award from Neil Kelly]
** Honored:
     Neil Kelly, Illinois State Library Coordinator of Services
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, presented the 1996
Alexander J. Skrzypek Award to Catherine Horn Randall, at the
time First Vice President of the National Federation of the Blind
of Illinois, at the Illinois Library Association annual
conference, May 16, 1996, at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago,
Illinois.
     The award reads as follows: "For outstanding contributions
to the advancement of library services for the blind and
physically disabled of Illinois, presented to Catherine Horn
Randall, Illinois State Library Advisory Committee and Citizen.
Presented by the specialized Library Services Forum of the
Illinois Library Association and the Illinois Regional Library
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped."

** Elected:
     At its November, 1996, meeting the Triangle Chapter of the
NFB of North Carolina held its annual election of officers. They
are Johnna Simmons, President; Wayne Shevlin, Vice President;
Susan Briley, Secretary; and Linda Shevlin, Treasurer. Melissa
Orrsick was elected to serve on the Board.

** New Catalog Available:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Braille money marker, talking compass, talking microwave,
computer games, talking book equipment, and over 500 other items
are all part of the 1997 Ann Morris Enterprises catalog. Request
your free copy in large print, 4-track cassette, or MS/DOS disk
today. Braille is $6. Contact Ann Morris Enterprises, Inc., 890
Fams Court, East Meadow, New York 11554, (800) 454-3175, e-mail:
annmor@netcom.com

** Computer Tutorial for Windows 95 Now Available:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Peter Scialli--proprietor of ShrinkWrap Computer Products, a
local consultant, and vendor for accessible technology--has just
published an audio cassette tutorial called "Windows 95, Removing
the Screen." Presented in an informal style, the tutorial
demonstrates how a blind computer user with adaptive equipment
can easily understand and learn Windows 95. With examples
throughout, Dr. Scialli uses his own speech synthesizer to show
blind people the ease with which they can still operate a
computer despite the precipitous disappearance of text-based
software.
     "Removing the Screen" is available from ShrinkWrap Computer
Products for $40 and is about five hours in length. It comes on
standard audio cassettes and may assist anyone who wants to learn
to use Microsoft Windows 95 without relying on a computer mouse
or visual output.
     Contact ShrinkWrap Computer Products at (800) 377-0774 or on
the Internet at Shrink@Erols.Com

** Income Opportunity Available:
     Lonnie and Gail Wagner of New Mexico have asked us to carry
the following announcement:
     We are in the business of offering three gifts: health,
hope, and freedom through a wonderful home-based business
opportunity. Easy-to-use audio and video tape system to get your
business booming. Training and support only a phone call away.
Wild grown products great for animals and people. For free
information please call (800) 927-2575, extension 02972.

** New Division Formed:
     The SAGE (Senior Action Group Energy) Division of the
National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico became a statewide
division in 1996. The elected officers are Christine Hall,
President; Verna Lorette, Vice President; Jack Traxler,
Secretary; and Ray Baca, Treasurer. Elected to the Board were
George Burman and Fern Lawson.

** For Sale:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Reading Edge in excellent condition, hardly used, with
latest upgrade. Asking $4,000 or best offer. Please contact
Teresa Burke, 66 Post Road, Slag Hill, New York 10973, (914) 374-
3902.
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