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June, 2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS
From The President
Education and Welfare Report
Important Annoucement from RSB
2006 MCB Convention
Attention, Crafters!
Candidate's Corner
Public Relations Report
Emergency Preparedness Committee
401 Blind Task Force Report
Statewide Independent Living Council
Wolfner Library Advisory Committee
Wolfner Library Celebrates 75 Years of Service
"Get out", Easy to Say, But Harder to Do
Insights into Blindness
When Venture Retired, Ella Didn't Miss a Step
Device Provides Words to Live By
Could a Blind Person Who Regained Sight Recognize Objects Previously
Touched?
Affiliate Affairs
From The Lower Left-Hand Drawer
How to Stay Young
Back to the Chronicle
Archives
By Kathey Wheeler
Dear MCB Members and Friends:
A great variety of things seem to have happened during the last quarter. Some were surprising. The question of a change in the name of our library was one. This question arose because on the plaque MCB presented to the Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to commemorate its seventy-fifth anniversary, we used the word "disabled" rather than
"handicapped". I was told by Dr. Smith that the Advisory Board of Wolfner will be discussing this
question and would want to know where MCB stands on it.
I, therefore, discussed with and e-mailed to most of the Board members a question concerning their opinions on whether the wording in the name of Wolfner should be changed from "handicapped" to "disabled". Several want it changed to disabled"; several want it to remain "handicapped" two said, "as long as they keep sending me books I don't care what they call it", and three said, the name should be The Wolfner Braille and Talking Book Library.
Judith Hawley, our representative on the Wolfner Library Advisory Board will take this report to the next Advisory Board meeting. That meeting will be held on May 19.
I enjoyed a chili supper with Agape and Tower on April fool's day.
The chili was very good and the visiting was better.
We are still working to get a new affiliate in Nevada. Tony Moore is the contact person in that group. If you have a chance to contact him, try to make him and his group feel welcome. Maybe a new affiliate will be in place by convention time.
Since the refrigerator in our building wasn't working very well, and because a brown liquid was running from under it, the Board voted to purchase a new one. It arrived a week or so ago. They tell me that it is white and cools well.
For quite awhile, we have been having trouble with the quality and the arrival date of the large print Chronicle. We are trying to solve the problems by sending Envision a camera ready copy which they will process. Hopefully this June Chronicle will be more attractive and will arrive earlier than heretofore.
We are installing canopies in one of fifteen colors available over the side door and over the back door of the building. After they are installed, when I am waiting to get into the building, I can stand under them when it is raining and won't feel as though I don't have enough sense to come in out of
the rain.
The Salvation Army and MCB are beneficiaries of a trust. Celita and Sam are working hard to get lots of heavy stuff out of the house and disposed of by selling some of it and sending some to the thrift store. Please tell them "thank you" for all of that work when you next see them.
The thrift store contract negotiations are progressing. I hope they will be of great benefit to MCB this time. We are continuing with the forensic audit of Henderson Management. I hope that will be finished soon.
The first week of camp will be in June. I hope many of you will attend.
The ACB convention will be in Jacksonville, FL, from July 8 through 15. It will be hot, and the food will be expensive, but there will be opportunities to find out how blindness issues are handled on the national level, see lots of products designed to make our lives more convenient, to talk with old friends and to make new friends.
Unfortunately, we have some members of MCB who are ill.
Merle Chaffin injured his foot on Friday before the Board meeting; Dr. Holt had heart complications on Friday, before the Board meeting, and Bill Burris, who, we thought just had a cold at the meeting, is very, very ill. I have been told by a third party that two other of our members are quite ill.
Whether we know names or not, let us keep all those who are ill in our special prayers.
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This has been an exciting and rewarding legislative year. The state Legislature is about to wrap up their session and we can claim some victory for our work. One of the important issues we worked on for our Legislative Days was the Blind Skills Specialists. With the help of Rachel Storch, Paul Levota, and Danny Moore, the house voted to appropriate $140,000 for two additional Blind Skills Specialists. When it got to the Senate, under the leadership of Senator Chuck Gross, the funds were taken out entirely. A conference committee from the House and Senate was established and after lengthy discussion time, they agreed to fund one specialist and the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education agreed to fund the other. This is so important to everything we do as an organization. We are striving to make sure that the blind children who will be our leaders in years to come will have the resources they need to help them to be independent.
Another Bill that we worked on is HB 1036, Captioning. I felt that this is very important because this would help the children from K through college who have hearing problems to have instructional video information that is accessible. Representative Terese Sanders and I discussed the possibility of
her helping us to work on a bill including descriptive video instruction next year.
We worked on HB 687 to make sure that children entering kindergarten are given a vision exam. This bill has been reworked and now is replaced by one that has provisions that have added licensing stipulations.
It is on the informal calendar at this time. HB 1742, that we worked on for Medicaid for Disabled Workers, was voted due pass.
Senate Bill 917 that we were concerned about appears dead. It would have swept some very important funds, including Wolfner, into the General Revenue, which would have been devastating. Thanks to our work at Legislative Days, it has not gone anywhere. We are being very observant because as Robert Honan of the Governors Council on Disability said, "It could rear its ugly head at any time." We also stated our position regarding our desire that Rehab Services for the Blind not be put under Vocational Rehabilitation. We voiced our opinion that it be under DESE with its own autonomy. This has been shelved at this time but could be taken up again later.
We are grateful to all the help that the Governor's Council on Disability has given to Missouri Council of the Blind during our Legislative Days and during our Legislative Educational Project. Six of us attended the LEP in April.
I look forward to seeing all of you at convention. For the state convention please bring any suggestions for the coming year. This is our organization and I am looking forward to working with all affiliates to make our organization aware of legislative issues and for us to impact legislation at the state and federal levels. I am currently working with legislators to consider drafting beneficial legislation during the upcoming session.
Thanks to all in the state who have made this a successful year.
Mary Pendleton
Education and Welfare Chairperson
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At the meeting of the State Rehabilitation Council on May 12, Mike Fester announced that the RSB office serving South St. Louis would stay in its current location. The proposed relocation of the South office to a new State office building has been a subject of concern among consumers, who felt the
new location would be difficult to get to. However, the North St. Louis office will be moving to the new location on Page Avenue as soon as arrangements can be made. No exact date for the move was given at the meeting.
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The 2006 MCB Convention is quickly approaching. And it is time to begin making room reservations and preregistering for the convention. We will be staying at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City. The address is 415 W. McCarty street Jefferson City, Missouri 65101. To make reservations call
(800) 338-8088, ask for reservations and mention MCB so you will receive the $64 rate.
The banquet menu is cherry-glazed sliced ham, garlic mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, roll, coffee or tea and apple crisp for dessert. The cost is $20. Friday evening's Hospitality menu will be a sub sandwich, chips, cookies, coffee or tea. The cost is $1. If interpreter services are needed, please contact the MCB office to request this service.
Pre-registration rate is $5, onsite registration is $10, and all pre-registrations must be accompanied by payment. Deadline for pre-registration, requests for interpreter services and hotel rooms are all
September 15th 2006.
I would like to take this time to thank the host affiliate, Blind of Central Missouri, for their hard work and for the great convention they are planning.
Eldon Cox
Convention Coordinator
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By Phyllis Lovett
As Chairman of the Craft Room, I am urging all of you who make crafts to get busy. We had a wonderful room at last year's convention and expect the same this year. We need more crafts.
Those of you who are coming to the convention can bring crafts from your affiliate members who can't attend.
Remember, all of the money from the crafts and affiliate fund raising items go directly back to you and your affiliate.
The M.C.B. provides the room and workers. We need your help, so get those talented fingers busy.
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As you know, in the June and September issues of our magazine, we print letters from candidates for offices in MCB.
This year, we will be holding elections for President, First and Second Vice President, and Secretary. So if you are planning to run for any of those positions, please send your letters to me for inclusion in the September issue.
We have two letters to print this time, from President Kathey Wheeler and First Vice President Phyllis Lovett, who intend to run for second terms at the convention.
In addition, I have received a letter from Billie Jean Keith, who is asking for the support of Missouri members attending the ACB convention for her candidacy for another term on the ACB board.
From: Billie Jean Keith
I may not be able to attend your state's caucus in Jacksonville. The President of ACB Government Employees cannot attend the convention this year, and as its Vice President I am responsible for coordinating its activities, including our luncheon and business meeting while Missouri has
its caucus.
Hopefully, if I review my work with ACB, you will still support me as I run for the ACB Board of Directors for my second and last term.
I have been a member of ACB for more than 20 years, and during that time, I served two terms as a state affiliate president, and served three terms as an elected member of the Board of Publications. I also served two terms as BOP Chair during which time I coordinated the convention press room.
Later, I edited the "Here and There" column for several years, and have written numerous other articles for the Braille Forum--from giving advice to parents of blind children to working as a Playboy
Bunny.
During my first term on the ACB Board, I chaired the Rehabilitation Issues Task Force, where we developed two major policy papers for ACB.
The first paper was to provide an overview of what changes were occurring in RSA. The second paper outlined specific steps necessary for blind people to acquire training and services providing skills leading to meaningful careers. The last segment outlined guidelines and an action plan to maintain the essential services unique to blind and visually impaired consumers.
ACB Committee work includes Scholarship, Credentials, Awards, Women's Concerns planning, and the Public Relations Committee. While on the PR Committee, I wrote, produced and secured funding for three radio public service announcements recorded by Willard Scott, that have been distributed
to radio stations throughout the USA, at no cost to ACB.
Anyone who knows me knows of my unqualified commitment to ACB, and that I will follow through on any responsibility I accept.
Occasionally I volunteer in the national office and have helped to coordinate low cost meetings and social events for ACB officers and staff in the Washington DC area.
I would like the opportunity to serve a second term on the ACB Board, and hope Missouri members will support my candidacy.
Sincerely,
Billie Jean Keith
We shall hold an election at our convention this year. Through this election we shall choose a President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, and Secretary. I have been President of MCB for one term and, according to the Bylaws, may run for a second term. I have decided to run
for another term, and hope you will support me.
During my first term, several worthwhile achievements can be counted. We fully staffed the MCB office. We have outstanding competency in both our Executive Director and our Secretary. We have all committee chairs and advisory board positions filled. Money and effort have been invested in our suit against Missouri in an attempt to correct the allocation of the funds used to cover the pension.
Those efforts will continue, and we hope will have a favorable verdict for the recipients of the blind pension.
During this term we have persuaded the thrift stores to start sending us checks for the use of our name in the operation of the Olive Street store. We signed a new contract with the thrift store management company, and shall continue efforts urging the thrift store management to follow acceptable business practices.
Our web site continues to develop, providing useful information about MCB to the public and to our members. Use of technology by our members increases. We shall continue working to further the use of adaptive technology.
Our youth program is expanding to include our sponsorship of youth at our conventions and a grant to a six grader who won a prize for proficiency in Braille. Legislative successes increase with the funding of two more blindness skills positions. We hope to push for legislation resulting in the universality of products which is of paramount importance to us in living our daily lives.
Expansion of our work in transportation is absolutely necessary with increased involvement all over the state. Emergency preparedness is an area which we should explore and plan for. As well as interesting new youth in MCB, we shall provide hope and encouragement to the blind population of
Missouri who are seniors.
There is much to do in many areas which will benefit the blind of Missouri. It would be an honor to be the President of MCB while we work together to achieve our goals.
Kathey Wheeler
President, Missouri Council of the Blind
I am asking for your vote
By Phyllis Lovett
I will be running for first vice-president again this year. I have served the vacated office for the last one and one half years. I have been a member of the M.C.B. for 34 years and have missed only one convention.
I strongly believe in the principles, purpose and the by-laws of the M.C.B. I have had the privilege and pleasure to serve the M.C.B. as first vice-president, second vice-president, Public Relations chairman, board member, scholarship chairman and affiliate representative. I also have chaired several other committees.
I would very much appreciate your support so that I may continue to serve the M.C.B.
Thank you.
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I am happy to report that the first year as your Public Relations Director has been quite interesting. I have so many ideas and desires for MCB and all of the affiliates. At the time of this writing, I have
contacted companies to examine products that would represent MCB in a positive light.
I have some items in now, and I will bring them with me at the next board meeting to distribute.
The large print calendar order for 2007 has been placed. Let me know if there is anything I can do for your affiliate.
We had an informational booth at the Children's Vision Summit in April and distributed 150 packets. This endeavor was a joint effort with Linda Gerken of Youth Services and myself. Actually, Linda did all the work.
I also attended the Power Up conference and had an informational table along with many others. The other 150 packets that Linda put together were distributed and many contacts were made. Thank you so much to Chip and Linda Hailey for helping with that.
Whenever I find a health fair, or any community events that gives an opportunity to let other Missouri residents know about the Missouri Council affiliates I try to be there.
I have also been invited to schools to explain to the students how someone who is blind can function as anyone else. I find the rewards of being with these students, just as great to me. One school sent a donation to the Council in lieu of a payment to me. I do a lot of bragging about MCB.
Have a great summer, and "Go light your world."
Beverly Kaskadden
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GREETINGS and Best Wishes,
First of all, I regret the loss of my previous report and I thank John for printing the statements I had given him. I would really like to have comments from anyone interested in the activities of this committee. Just one person has contacted me. I am aware that time for meetings at state
conventions is hard to get. I do think that if a group of us could get together to discuss emergency planning, we could find out what is needed for our safety in a true emergency situation. There will be more said about this in the September issue of the Chronicle.
Between now and Convention time, I will talk with many people from local affiliates to assess the value of what we are trying to do. I have already seen some booklets on items of preparedness, but I thought their suggestions were not suited to our situation. Until September, have a good summer time.
Maryan Harrison
(From The Editor: For more on this topic, please read the article "get out", easier to say than to do, in this issue of the Chronicle.)
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Submitted by: Patti Schonlau
The Blind Task Force Committee met on February 22, 2006 at the Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA), in Columbia.
Points of Interest:
Nationally there is a discussion of how Randolph-Sheppard Legislation impacts military dining facilities.
A Congressional committee is working on issues related to the National Industry for the Blind and Rehabilitative Services.
There has been a move to get a commemorative coin in the year 2009 featuring Louis Braille.
Blindness Skill Specialists (BSS)
At the state level, funds for additional BSS are again under discussion.
House Bill 401 stated there should be nine BSS. Current House Bill 401 funds are used to support the Truman State BSS and travel costs. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will ask for four percent for two BSS funded out of professional development money (increase travel/raises) and BSS at Truman. The BSS have not had a salary increase in the last five years.
NIMAS: The Task Force will need to monitor the regulations from the U.S. Department of Education regarding IDEA. The NIMAS Instructional Materials Standard Bill has not been moving in Congress. The Department of Special Education has to adopt the standards as a state agency. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must identify a state repository (state entity or contact person to go to the national repository). The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education cannot act until the final regulations come out. If regulations are imminent, we need support for summer/fall for legislative action next year.
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The Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council sponsored its first Transportation conference for people with disabilities.
The conference was held on April 21st 2006 at the Pioneer Campus, located at 2700 E. 18th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference was well attended and we had a wonderful variety of speakers.
Some of the speakers were: Rodney Ruffin from Amtrak, David Martin from Delta Airlines, Carolyn Tylor from (OATS) Transportation Midwest region, Sheila Styron, president of Guidedog Users Inc., a panel of three Independent living centers, and Dennis Stombaugh from (APRIL) Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living.
The audience had many great questions for the speakers, and was given many handouts. I would like to thank my committee for the hard work they did in preparing for this conference. It was a big success!!!
Barbara Dewberry
(SILC) Transportation Chair
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The Wolfner Library Advisory Council meeting was held on March 1, 2006, at 10:00 a.m., in the upstairs meeting room of the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center, in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Director Richard Smith welcomed us and explained we would have a shortened meeting due to the 75th anniversary celebration being held after lunch.
After the reading of the roll call and the reading of the previous minutes, which were approved, Director Richard Smith gave a short report on the progress of the Digital Talking Book Machines (DTBM). He explained they would be given out to the patrons in 2012. The veterans would be the first to receive them.
He further went on to give us some "Wolfner Library Fascinating Facts".
Patrons Served: Individuals 10,556
Youngest patron, age one.
Oldest patron, age 106.
Patrons served for over 50 years, three.
Collection: Cassette books 47,707.
Braille books 16,471.
Descriptive videos 536.
Large print books 1,502.
Total titles: 66,296.
(This is a condensed form of Director Richard smith's report.)
We next had a very short discussion on the name of the library. This was brought up by one of the council members. She explained that some people find it offensive to use the word "handicapped" and they would prefer the word "disabled" instead. Time did not permit a further discussion on
this topic, but it will be discussed at our next meeting on May 19th.
The meeting was adjourned and after a delicious sack lunch, we moved downstairs to the main lobby for the 75th Anniversary celebration. This has been reported on in our Wolfner Library newsletter. In my opinion, a most enjoyable experience was had by all those in attendance. We especially enjoyed the exhibits and the tour through the library.
Respectfully submitted,
By Judith Hawley
MCB Advisory Council Representative
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Submitted by Debbie Musselman, Wolfner Library
On January 8, 1924, the Saint Louis Public Library formed a special department for service to the blind. At that time, the department had a small collection of 360 Braille volumes, and circulated fewer than 100 volumes to the citizens of Saint Louis. Through the years, that department has grown into the Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped located in Jefferson City.
On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed into law the Pratt-Smoot Act to provide embossed books for adult blind residents of the United States and to allow circulation of those books through selected libraries serving as regional centers.
On the following day, a joint resolution of the Senate and the House of Representatives provided $100,000 for the fiscal year of 1932 to enable the Librarian of Congress to carry out the congressional mandate, and thus create the program that would become the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS).
The Saint Louis Public Library was selected by the Library of Congress to be one of the original 18 regional libraries and served Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas.
In 1936, a group of Saint Louis citizens headed by Dr. Meyer Wiener, formed a corporation with the sole purpose of erecting a library building for the blind. The goal was not only to provide a spacious library but a center for recreation as well. This goal was realized on June 6, 1938 with the opening of the Henry L. Wolfner Memorial Library. The first social event held at the center was a dance in September 1938. The library is named in honor of Dr. Henry L. Wolfner, a noted and compassionate eye specialist in the Saint Louis area, who was associated with Dr. Wiener for 35 years.
Wolfner Library now serves 10,556 individuals and 1,627 institutions statewide; contains more than 68,000 titles, 300,000 volumes; and circulates more than 500,000 volumes annually.
A special anniversary reception was held March 1, 2006, in the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center celebrating the 75 years of partnership between the National Library Service and Wolfner Library. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan was the featured speaker. Also in attendance was Judith Hawley of the Missouri Council of the Blind and Library Users of Missouri who presented Wolfner Director Richard Smith with a plaque commemorating the anniversary and a deluxe photo album. Ms. Hawley spoke of the importance of the library to the blind and physically disabled community.
As part of the celebration, a plaque was presented to the United States Postal Service recognizing the essential role it plays in the provision of Wolfner services. Tours of the library were also provided.
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February 8, 2006.
Federal Way Mirror - Tacoma, WA, USA.
From The Editor: Since MCB now has a committee to deal with emergency preparedness, chaired by Maryan Harrison, I thought you might find this article interesting.
With the continual-if-unpredictable natural and man-made disasters in the United States and abroad, it seems like first-responders would follow national guidelines for responding effectively to people with special needs.
Surprisingly, that's not the case.
Most jurisdictions are working toward compliance with the emergency response standards set out in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) created by the Department of Homeland Security in September 2004. All federal agencies have adopted the system, and federal preparedness
assistance funding for state and local emergency response agencies is contingent upon them adopting the standards, too.
But the national system doesn't include emergency response standards specific to people with special needs--the elderly, those who can't see or hear, those who have life-sustaining equipment they rely on, or who have limited mobility.
Furthermore, there isn't anything in NIMS that spells out how to open and organize incident command centers or shelters that consider the people with disabilities.
But there is an organization that has started evaluating emergency responders to see how well they respond to the needs of senior citizens, the medically fragile and those with disabilities.
The National Organization on Disability (NOD), which was created in the aftermath of the 9-11 World Trade Center attacks, recently released its special needs assessment report on Hurricane Katrina response. NOD found shortcomings in a variety of areas--availability of shelter staff trained in American Sign Language, lack of pre-arranged accessible shelter spaces, unwillingness to take the advice or accept the assistance of organizations that work with the disabled or elderly, and failure to provide ongoing disaster updates or information in formats accessible to the blind or deaf.
In addition, many shelters or response organizations lacked the administrative infrastructure to involve the elderly or disabled in their own disaster response, NOD reported. In some cases, shelter staff separated from their families' people with special needs who could have been easily integrated into the general population of the shelter.
NOD'S recommendations for better response, along with ideas generated by emergency-response agencies and advocates for people with special needs, are beginning to form a foundation for a national special needs emergency response plan.
Still, since that plan doesn't exist today, preparation at the local level is key.
Who's who?
Identification is one of the primary concerns facing first-responders. Short of assisted living facilities and nursing homes, police and firefighters today have no idea who in their communities is blind or deaf, or has a mental or mobility limitation.
It's not obvious who has a disability--especially if it the condition isn't advertised. "People with disabilities tend to be insular," said Gaylen Floy, president of the South King Council of the Blind.
"People are resistant. Getting out to a simple lunch is like pulling hen's teeth." There are lots of reasons people are reluctant to let their neighbors know they're disabled, not least of which is a concern for personal safety and security, she said. But that doesn't negate the need to find people with disabilities.
"It's important for police to know about us," Floy said. "It's a dilemma." New technology might be the key. For example, technology exists that would enable elderly or disabled cell phone subscribers to enroll in an additional service that would allow emergency response volunteers to call them wherever they are to warn of an impending disaster and make sure they have a place to go.
In addition, cell phones today can be prioritized, so calls from special needs subscribers could get through jammed cell phone signals first. They could even be satellite connected, to ensure the most vulnerable people were able to notify someone of his or her disability and need for assistance.
Training and preparation
While first responders work through the details of establishing national guidelines for helping people with special needs, some advocates for people with special needs have said it's important they include the elderly and disabled as active participants in the response--to set new standards with them, not about them.
People with disabilities need different kinds of assistance or communications, experts said, but in some ways, they can be better equipped to handle the rigors of dealing with a disaster.
"A person in a wheelchair is perfect for incident manager or a scribe or secretary. They're great decision makers," Doyle said. "A wheelchair itself will rip off a door if it's electric. Those things are strong. "We all have abilities and disabilities," he added. "It has to do with how we use our environment."
Blindness, for example, is considered a disability, but blind people don't need light to navigate an environment, Doyle pointed out. That means a blind person might be a better choice for navigating a dark area, like a building without electricity, than someone who needs light to get around.
It's just that kind of thinking and expertise that will be invaluable for the people who will be in charge of setting up incident command enters, regional and neighborhood response teams, shelters and workplace safety plans.
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Sunday, February 26, 2006
Nevada, Mo. --
A small group gathered in the corner, discussing the books they've been reading. Dan Keller's in the middle of a John Grisham tale;Kathy Wheeler's been reading a military history of George Washington.
It could have been any gathering of like-minded folks, but these two, and many others present, hadn't really gathered to discuss books, although sharing resources to help others like them read were part of the mix during a special meeting held Thursday night at On My Own, Inc., in Nevada.
It was both an informational meeting about forming a local chapter of the Missouri Council of the Blind and a social opportunity for local, visually impaired persons to meet one another, make friends and share information on resources.
Both Keller, a Nevada resident, and Wheeler, president of the Missouri Council of the Blind are blind, and the conversation Wheeler and Keller were having stemmed from Wheeler's explanation to the Herald-Tribune of some of the Braille tools available to visually-impaired persons.
Reading in Braille is rewarding for Keller, but he says if people don't want to learn Braille for extensive reading, learning it well enough to read public signs or instructions is helpful.
Wheeler has an electronic notebook on which she takes notes in Braille. She explained that the Braille alphabet is based on sets of up to six raised dots that can be read by feel. There's a sort of shorthand involved, also.
Letters have common words associated with them as well to make the process of reading and writing in Braille quicker and easier. For example, b for "but"; c for "can" and so on.
Using a stylus and guide, Wheeler also demonstrated writing in Braille by stamping the alphabet onto a card, another form of written communication.
Tools helpful to visually-impaired persons range from high-tech computerized assistive technology to talking phones and other electronics, to a credit-card sized signature guide. It's a device that's placed on a receipt, or for that matter on any document requiring a signature, and is simply used to align the signature in the proper place.
It can be placed above or below the signature. Wheeler said that since the y in her name goes below the line, she places her guide at the top of her signature. Others customize the use of such tools in ways that work for them.
These are some of many resources brought to light, either during the meeting or in casual conversations that took place before and after it.
During the meeting, Wheeler, Chip Hailey, a past president, and Leroy Welch, a former public relations officer for the Missouri Council of the Blind, explained resources and social opportunity available through the organization and urged those attending to seek out resources and support.
Through the organization, members have the opportunity to attend camps and conventions, make friends and seek out adaptive resources, plus getting a voice in legislative matters affecting blind people.
Many at the meeting appeared interested, if not in forming a chapter of the Missouri Council of the Blind, then at least in rooting out those resources, helping one another learn about what's available in Nevada and offering support in many ways.
About 30 people attended the meeting, most of them visually impaired or with someone who is visually impaired; a few represented local businesses that offer services to disabled persons, including those with vision impairments. Great interest was shown in learning to make use of a computer at the Nevada Public Library that is designed for use by visually impaired persons, and in looking for ways to improve quality of life.
Wheeler was impressed with the number of people who attended the meeting, saying first meetings usually involve only a handful of people.
One reason for that, she said, might relate to transportation. "Transportation is always an issue, everywhere. We (the MCB) try to work with the city governments," to improve public transportation, she said and nodded approval at finding Nevada does have some resources in transportation.
Tony Moore of Nevada, who facilitated the meeting, already has several ideas for the future, like coordinating training on the library's computer and for future social and support gatherings to be announced later.
News Leader, Springfield MO
Monday, April 03, 2006
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By Sarah Overstreet
Here is a newspaper article about one of our Springfield members, who is also a frequent contributor on the MCB e-mail list.
Charlotte Thornsberry had to give up her best friend. They didn't have a fight or move across the country from each other, but Venture, Thornsberry's guide dog for the blind for the past eight years,
simply got arthritis. It pained the beautiful golden Labrador to take Thornsberry to the places she needs to go.
"Once you hold a shaking puppy in your lap, knowing it's in pain, it's the only thing you can do," Thornsberry explains. Venture was Thornsberry's ticket to independence, guiding her safely wherever she needed to go. She desperately needed Venture's help; Venture just couldn't provide it anymore.
But, mercy, giving up her best pal of eight years was crushing. "I feel childish because I've cried so much," says Thornsberry, scratching the neck of her new guide dog, Ella. "This baby has such a special place in my heart already, but there will always be a place for Venture."
Thornsberry arranged for Venture to live with a friend in Kansas City who can stay home with her much of the time. Thornsberry didn't want a dog that was used to constant human companionship to be left alone for long periods of time. The friend signed a contract with Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown, New York, where Venture was trained, that she will give Venture all the medical care she requires.
Thornsberry has been on the phone with the new owner every day since the "adoption." Thornsberry was apprehensive about having a new "baby," as she calls her guide dogs, but Ella, a gorgeous black Lab, warmed up to her immediately. "Before the second block (on their first outing), I was relaxed.
Then later, at home, I was down on the floor scratching her belly and she laid her head on my shoulder. It was like an I love you feeling."
On a training session at the Battlefield Mall, Ella behaves like a well-oiled machine. Walking behind Thornsberry is Ellin Purcell, instructor for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. She brought Ella from New York to help acclimate her to her new home and owner. Purcell accompanies the newly paired friends, giving instructions to Thornsberry on where ramps and small bumps are, as Ella seamlessly guides her new owner where she needs to go.
Where there is a kiosk coming up on the left, Ella diverts Thornsberry to the right. Obstacles or a crowd of people to the right? Ella guides Thornsberry to the left.
There is never a stumble, not even a hesitation. She's patient and serene as she waits to have her photo taken at The Picture People at the mall--for a guide dog ID that Thornsberry will always carry with her and photos to show the staff back in Yorktown and the folks who raised her.
"When they're not actually working, they tend to lie down and get out of the way," Purcell explains.
The three had already been to one of Thornsberry's most dreaded spots--the bus shelter in front of Smith-Glynn- Callaway Clinic, lying near the speeding traffic on South National Avenue. The shelter she waits in was once demolished by a wayward car. "She wasn't panicked around the buses; she
was careful, cautious, and not afraid."
Smiling widely, Purcell nods her head. She is proud enough to bust buttons. Falling in love with animals and animal science in college, Purcell has worked with guide dogs for 19 years.
So how does one get a dog such as Ella or Venture, who are so good with the blind--and the blind with "special needs, such as Thornsberry, who has epilepsy, cerebral palsy, diabetes and has just had knee replacement surgery?
The service breeds its own puppies based on successes they've had with other breeding lines, Purcell says. Trained volunteers, "puppy trainers," keep and school the pups from about the time they are weaned until up to 14 months of age.
"The trainers are a gift from God," Thornsberry says. "Ella's manners are just impeccable. I was just wowed. The puppy trainers are responsible for that."
When blind clients apply for a dog, they are put onto a waiting list. When Venture first started to show signs of arthritis two years ago, Thornsberry put herself on the waiting list again. She never expected she would get a dog just at the time Venture had to retire. "I was envisioning months without a guide dog, literally staying within four walls. Your support cane can keep you from falling, but my long cane can't tell me there are two different levels (of ground). A guide dog will tell me which the safest way to go is. Venture literally saved my life several times. And with a dog, I'm so at ease my friends forget I'm blind. I look more normal, and they concentrate on who I am as a person."
There is a list of people waiting to adopt retired guide dogs, Purcell says. The first choice of a new home goes to the blind client, then to the family who trained it, and then the dog is released to the waiting list.
Ella waits patiently as her new master sips a diet Coke in the mall food court, as if she's been near the now-familiar feet all her life. "Once I fell head-first onto the Square before I got Venture," Thornsberry remembers. "Those kinds of thoughts entered my mind when I thought of retiring Venture. But Ella is going to do the same thing for me--give me independence."
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By Frank D. Roylance
Hand-held reader that can convert text into synthesized speech may increase independence for the visually impaired
Not long ago, James Gashel was on Capitol Hill, waiting for a meeting to start, when he realized that he needed some numbers from a chart he was carrying. That was a problem. Gashel is blind, and so was his companion. And the chart was not in Braille. Gashel was reaching for his cell phone to call someone at his office to retrieve the numbers, when his colleague stopped him.
"Why don't you try the reader?" he asked. Of course.
Gashel, an executive at the National Federation for the Blind in Baltimore, was carrying the world's first hand-held reading machine for the blind--just developed by NFB in collaboration with Kurzweil Technologies Inc. of Wellesley, Mass.
Combining a 5-megapixel digital camera with a personal digital assistant, or PDA, the 13-ounce Kurzweil-NFB Reader converts digital images of text into synthesized speech.
Gashel pulled out his reader, snapped a picture of the chart, "and within a minute I had the numbers I wanted," he said. And he didn't have to bother anyone else to get them.
Now in final field tests before its release for sale by Kurzweil this summer, the device was officially unveiled last week at ceremonies at NFB headquarters in South Baltimore.
Thanks to the new reader, Gashel and 75 other blind product testers across the country are sorting through their own mail, reading restaurant menus, identifying packages in the freezer by the labels and discovering many other tasks they can now do without assistance.
It's liberating, Gashel said. "You start to think about your capabilities differently."
In addition to many of the nation's 1.3 million blind people, he also predicts a demand from older people with failing eyesight, and young people with dyslexia or learning disabilities.
The NFB'S collaboration with Kurzweil began more than 30 years ago, when founder Ray Kurzweil, a pioneer of character recognition and text-to-speech devices, came to the federation's offices, then in
Washington.
He had developed the first Kurzweil Reading Machine. The size of an office copier, it could scan a document and read it in a synthetic human voice.
"That was very revolutionary," Gashel said. Until then, blind people were pretty much limited to live readers, or the limited number of publications available on tape or records, or transcribed into Braille.
The Kurzweil reader was big and expensive--$50,000 each, Gashel said. It couldn't read photocopied matter and it had problems with pages crowded with pictures.
But it was clearly a breakthrough. So the NFB bought six, and began working with Kurzweil to improve them. "This was the first time an inventor of a product had ever come directly to us," seeking input from the blind in the development of an "access" machine, Gashel said.
Eventually, Kurzweil began to sell improved versions to schools, libraries and rehabilitation agencies. But even though prices fell over the years, the reader remained too costly for individuals. Just as importantly, "There was always a need for something portable," Gashel said.
By the mid-1990s, the advent of desktop computers and scanners enabled Kurzweil to develop a PC-BASED reader--the Kurzweil 1000. Character-recognition software was improving, too. And laptops made the hardware required smaller.
But one problem remained: "You would have to have a scanner--it would be quite a bit of paraphernalia to carry about," Gashel said.
Digital photography provided the needed breakthrough; that, and the miniaturization of computer power in the PDA--THE hand-held computer that millions use to organize their lives.
The Kurzweil-NFB Reader, which is expected to cost less than $3,000, marries a small, 5-megapixel Canon camera to an ASUS A730 PDA. They are wired together and held by a vinyl case about 6 inches by 3 inches by 2 and ½ inches. It's all operated with just nine buttons, with voice prompts from a small speaker or through earphones.
Holding the device about 16 inches above a sheet of paper lying on a table, Gashel lines up the shot. He is guided by a sort of audio viewfinder: "Right, bottom edges are visible ''' two degrees counterclockwise relative to page."
The camera speaks in an oddly Eastern European male voice, but it's one that's familiar and comfortable for people who use electronic readers. Gashel pushes a button and the shutter clicks. A few seconds later, the device is reading the release aloud, flawlessly.
Tests on a business card and an ATM receipt are rougher. The device misses some lines of type, and mistakes some characters for others. But it does better on a second try, "learning" as it goes along.
Had it been his own ATM slip, Gashel said, "I would have known what I withdrew, and I'd know most of the information, even if it didn't hit itright." Many times, he said, "you're not going for perfect; you're going for What is this?"
Jim McCarthy, 39, director of governmental affairs at the federation, has also been testing one of the readers. A new office arrangement has left him without a nearby assistant, so something as simple as sorting through papers on his desk becomes an issue.
"I'm probably 25 feet from the closest person," he said. It's not a big deal to walk around the corner and ask someone to identify a piece of paper, "but it seems like a waste of time."
The reader "allows people to sort pertinent documents in a way a lot of us aren't accustomed to. That is pretty liberating," he said.
Lou Ann Blake, 46, a visually impaired research specialist at the federation, has also been a test-driver. "I read the cooking directions on a bag of pasta," she said. "It was plastic and I kinda had to flatten it out. But it did quite well." Videotape labels, bills, letters, 401(k) statements--it read them all.
"Some of the pronunciations it doesn't get quite right--legal terms, Latin terms," she said. But "it's amazingly easy to use. I have a harder time using the copy machine here sometimes." But the key advance is the new device's portability, said John Pare, 47, director of sponsored technical programs at the NFB, who started to lose his sight at 35. "No matter where you are, you're constantly being handed printed material," he said. "It's the way the world works. In restaurants, the airport, hotels, at a conference."
The Kurzweil reader enables the blind to grab an image quickly, anywhere--even in the dark--and "read" it themselves instead of relying on friends or strangers to read the documents aloud.
"It's been very gratifying," Kurzweil said. "When we started this project about four years ago, we weren't ''' entirely sure to what extent we could compensate for distortion in the images that would occur using a hand-held camera."
Where a scanner provides a flat, uniform image and perfect lighting, the hand-held digital camera would tilt and rotate relative to the page--then the user would move and the lighting would be uneven.
Worse, the pages of an open book are curved, with portions at different distances from the camera.
"So we developed image enhancing software that takes this image and modifies it to get rid of all those distortions," Kurzweil said. "And we had to fit all this software (along with the character recognition program) into this little computer."
But it worked. "We have 75 in the field, and hundreds very soon," he said. "And the feedback from blind users is that it's having tremendous success."
If it does well, the federation could eventually profit. Gashel said the NFB owns 40 percent of the rights to the technology. In the meantime, the software will continue to be improved so that the device can read more varied and complex material.
Kurzweil also predicts a time when a blind person will be able to enter a room, snap a picture, and have the reader identify the types and locations of lamps, tables, people and other items in the room.
Also, devices "will continue to get smaller over time," he said. Gashel expects the gadget will be crammed into a cell phone some day.
But Kurzweil is thinking even smaller.
"In five to seven years, the camera will pin on your lapel and take pictures as you walk around," describing the scene as you go, he said.
NFB chef and teacher Marie A. Cobb, 59, of Catonsville, who is visually impaired, has been using the reader since January. She has her own hopes.
"What I'm looking for is the day when I can take it into a mall and have it tell me the name of the stores, and the locations on those big directories. I would love that," she said.
Back to Index
PhysOrg.com
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Source: Research: Penn State, By Joe Anuta
(From the Editor: The following article deals with a subject that I have always found fascinating. I would imagine that most sighted people, and probably many blind people as well, believe that a person blind from birth who somehow regained sight would simply open his or her eyes, look around
and instantly recognize objects and faces and immediately know what everything was. But would that in fact be the case? Probably not, at least not according to the limited research that has been done. It would seem that an adult blind from birth or early childhood would have to literally learn
to see. The article raises the question of whether a blind person regaining sight could recognize objects by sight previously known only by touch. But take this one step further. What about recognizing objects never previously touched, like stars, shadows, airplanes, or the top of a very tall building? How would you understand visual concepts like space, height, depth and distance? Could you recognize family members or friends by their faces without hearing their voices or being told who had entered the room? What about the ability to interpret facial expressions? Here is the article. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.)
Most people conceptualize the world largely based on sight, and would find it difficult to function using touch alone. Think about finding the keyhole on your car door at night, or locating that light switch in a dark room. Even if it's too dark to see, a seeing person uses his or her visual memory, along with the tactile sense, to navigate the physical world and accomplish the task at hand.
However, the interconnectedness of sight and touch is not a given for the blind.
Cathleen Moore, associate professor of psychology, explains that the areas processing visual and tactile information are located on the wrinkly, outermost shell of the brain, called the neurocortex. "Sight is located on the back of the brain, and touch along the sides, near the top."
A connection was verified between the two senses in sighted people, Moore says, through a test using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to analyze brain activity. Without looking, the subjects described objects they could only examine with their hands. "Despite being blindfolded, their visual areas were very active. It's as if they translated tactile sensations into visual terms," states Moore. "Obviously, these are integrated."
But although sighted people can picture tactile information in their head, the neurocortex is configured slightly differently for those who can't see.
"It's not like the visual area just atrophies for blind people," explains Moore. Instead, the visual area gets taken over by the tactile.
This concept is called neuroplasticity, the ability of the neurosystem to reconfigure itself. Because of this different brain configuration, blind people who regain their sight may find themselves in a world they don't immediately comprehend. "It would be more like a sighted person trying to rely on tactile information," Moore says.
Learning to see is a developmental process, just like learning language, she continues. "As far as vision goes, a three-and-a-half year old child is already a well-calibrated system."
As an example of the process, she referenced two case studies where blind men regained their sight later in life. Their experiences illustrate some of the difficulties in making the transition from blindness to the world of visual imagery, as well as the surprising importance of one's age at the onset of blindness to one's successful adaptation to sight.
One man known as S.B., in a study conducted by British neuropsychologist Richard Gregory and reported in the journal Nature, lost his sight at 10 months old, only to regain it 50 years later through cornea transplants. He could recognize several objects despite never having seen them, but other aspects of vision left him bewildered, Moore says.
S.B. could tell time from the hands of a clock from previously feeling an open-faced watch, and identify cars and trucks from having repeatedly washed his relative's car.
"I would infer that he just formed a generally applicable spatial representation of these, so conceptualizing the position of hands on a clock or the shape of a car didn't matter if it came through visual or tactile sources," Moore says. "When he gained vision, it was easier for him to interpret them."
"What he wasn't good at was drawings. He basically couldn't extract depth from them," she adds. For S.B., a painting of a countryside landscape was simply a collage of colors and a drawing of a cube simply a series of lines on a page. Gregory's study tentatively attributed this problem to a
part of the brain inappropriately scaling objects, causing S.B. to misjudge their size.
The other man, American Michael May, whose case was reported by CBS News in 2003, went blind at 3 ½ and regained sight at 43.
Surprisingly, although losing sight much later in his childhood, he had a harder time adjusting to vision than S.B. "He can't recognize the faces of his wife and children," Moore says. "One possible explanation for this is that while May was blind, he was essentially trying to compare tactile sensations to visual images he obtained as a child, instead of forming a general spatial representation like S.B., who could only recall the colors red, black, and white.
So while we might think giving sight to the blind would be akin to taking off a blindfold, it is not that simple. The acquisition of sight for S.B. and May brought hardship along with opportunity. "After surgery, some people who regain their sight can become very depressed," Moore states. "For
S.B., he expected the visual world to hold all of this promise, but it didn't. It was dull, and bland." S.B. never learned to read, and sometimes wouldn't bother flipping on the light at night.
Although S.B. died two years after his surgery, May has since gotten better at understanding his vision, confirms Moore. "He is learning to see like an adult learns a second language, slowly and through a lot of hard conscious work. It's very unlike the way a child learns a language--quickly
and seemingly effortlessly. The intriguing difference between S.B.'s and May's cases implies that there are critical periods for learning to see, just as there are heightened periods for language learning."
A very lengthy article about Michael May, called Into the Light, was published in the June, 2005 issue of Esquire Magazine and was reprinted on May 11, after it won an award. The article was also posted on the MCB e-mail list by Bill Benson on May 12. Because of its length, it was necessary to post it in several sections. I just read it. I thought it was fascinating,
definitely worth reading if you are interested in this topic.
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Where we find out what's happening all around MCB
Adaptive Technology, Inc.
The Adaptive Technology, Inc. Board meets every month to keep information coming to our members, and to prepare for the annual meeting in October.
The second issue of the newsletter A.T.M. (Adaptive technology Messenger) will be coming your way in June. If any of the A.T. members did not receive the A.T.M. in March, please let Franklin Johnson know so you will not miss any issues. It is full of useful information.
Franklin has been shopping for some of the best prizes that will be awarded at the convention in October. He is also working on contacting vendors for the Exhibit Room.
Have a great summer, and I will give you another update in the next Chronicle.
Sincerely,
Beverly Kaskadden
Blind of Central Mo
Monday May 1, 2006
Hello to everyone from Sedalia.
April showers bring may flowers,
June will bring us very merry tunes.
We had a very special guest at our March meeting. Our state MCB President Kathey Wheeler and her husband Dan attended our March meeting.
After our main meeting, she gave a very nice talk. She had a lot of positive things to say about our affiliate. Kathey discovered a nice surprise when she got to our meeting.
Eleanor Duggar, who was then Eleanor Thompson, went to school with Kathey's mother. She had heard a lot about her but hadn't met her until our March meeting.
I am proud to report that on March 26, 1976 the Blind of Central Mo. was put into action. That was the day we got our 501C(3). We have three people in Sedalia who are still living that did this. They are Evelyn Cox, Carl Franklin, and Jim Mathewson.
Dan and Kathey found out that the Blind of Central Mo. is celebrating their 30th year as an affiliate in the MCB. They brought us a birthday cake.
Our cake had Congratulations for 30 years of service to the Blind of Central Mo. on it in green, and there are orange roses on it because it's St. Patrick's Day. Kathey decided that we have green for the free state and orange for the north of Ireland. Kathey also sang happy birthday to us. I am very proud of our affiliate.
We have some members that will go to camp in June, some that will go to camp in July, and some that will go to camp in September for the weekend.
Until next time, we hope everyone has many great months ahead.
Keep your smile and a song in your heart. If you can't be good, be good at it.
Trudy Blood
Recording Secretary
Blind of Central Mo
Joplin Service Club of the Blind
The Month of April is almost here so I'd better try and get my short article ready to send. We have lost another member, Helen Flowers, who passed away. Our prayers go out to her family, especially her husband Ervin, who also has health problems.
In March, the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority hosted our Thursday night dinner, and we also had entertainment. Our April dinner is to be hosted by Delta Gamma Sorority and they have entertainment--we do appreciate all that these wonderful people do for us.
Robert Harwell is improving but has not been able to come for our Tuesday luncheon. Tom Fortson (our Tuesday cook) will be gone on vacation in June--we may have to bring a sack lunch.
Have not made any trips since December 1st. Took a week off in February to spend in the hospital. Hope I can get something arranged soon.
We have been so terribly dry in S.W. Mo but as I write this we are getting some wonderful showers and hope we get more.
Best Wishes for a Wonderful Summer.
Sincerely
Valva York
Hello from Lake Stockton
Helen Gillham is the Pop Tab Queen for Lake Stockton. Several people had been saving pop tabs for months and months and Sue Thomas presented this rather large collection of tabs to a surprised Gillham at the February meeting. The pop tabs will be given to Phyllis Lovett at the MCB Convention
in October.
February was heart month and Thomas, a member of the Royal Neighbors of America, presented several LSACB members with bears. As the bears were being distributed, she stated that we, the members of RNA, present these bears from our heart for your enjoyment.
At the April meeting, congratulations were extended to Wayne and Christina Deason on their recent marriage. They were presented with a card and gift from Lake Stockton.
May your neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.
Linda Dawes, Secretary
Missouri Guide Dog Users Report
932 Highway 162 East
Portageville, MO 63873
Phone: (573) 379-5007
Hello once again from the Missouri Guide Dog Users.
Before we turn around twice, the 2006 Convention will be here. This is an election year so be thinking about who you would like to elect. The officers are President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. They will serve for two years. While I was at the April Board meeting, Linda and Chip
Hailey and I looked over some menus which I requested from the Capitol Plaza hotel. Here is the menu for the Guide Dog Users breakfast:
Chilled orange juice, scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, breakfast potatoes and broiled tomatoes, assorted pastry and muffin basket and coffee. The price will be $11.85 per person.
There is a relief area across the parking lot from the hotel. It is a little hard to get to but it is the safest one they could give us. Please remember to clean up after your dogs.
Let me know if you plan to come to the breakfast which will be on Friday October 20th, no later than September 15 or you will not be counted.
Dues are five dollars per person. Thank you.
Yours Truly
Marie Thompson, President
Queen City Council
Greetings from Queen City,
We held our annual garage sale on May 5th. It was supposed to be a two-day event but it had to be shortened due to rain. We plan to have another sale with the left-over items later. Cena Mathis, our faithful lady in charge of the garage sale has been in the hospital and was unable to
participate this year.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bill and Linda Burris, who is in a hospital here in Springfield. We pray that his treatments will go well.
Rosario and Nancy are in Italy for a six-week vacation. Rosario always enjoys going back home to see his birth place and visit his family.
In July, we will be holding our annual picnic for the blind children in our area. We always have a good turn-out for this.
Several members will be attending camp in July.
Until next time, may God bless each and every one of you.
Marilyn Tuso
River City Report
As I write this, the month of April will soon be a memory and May will be blooming out with all the May flowers. Excitement is hearing about the happenings in the MCB affiliates around Missouri.
Thank you for the Chronicle. We have been and are still very busy. We welcomed spring and
summer by having a successful candy sale. On April 7th at our regular meeting, we planned a party for residents at the Ratcliff Care Center. We will be entertaining them with special music, poems, gifts and refreshments.
This will be a combination mother's and Father's day celebration. Picnic information has been sent out for our RCWB annual picnic to be held on June 10 at Cape County Park North, Shelter number 2, starting at 11:00 with lunch to be served at noon. Hope to see you there.
RCWB is saddened that another member, Gladys McCain, is a resident of the Lutheran Home. We have members who visit Mary Howard and Gladys every month.
Debby Barrett, who is a visually impaired resident at Heartland Care and Rehab Center, was a guest at our April meeting. We were glad you came.
We have several members going to summer camp. To the directors, you are in our prayers. Have a fun-filled and safe camp. God bless you.
Thanks for all your time spent preparing and carrying out the plans.
Our Service project for the month of April was to furnish five door prizes for our graduating senior class for their all-night party at Central High School, a neat way to get the name of the River City Workers of the Blind before our youth and to make them aware that the visually impaired can
do things too. We close this article by wishing everyone a safe and exciting summer with family and friends. God's blessing on all our troops.
Communications Committee
River City Workers of the Blind
St. Charles County Council Report
The St. Charles County Council of the Blind has new elected officers. They
are:
John Herzberg, President
Brenda Gebhardt, 1st Vice President
Mary Mellis, 2nd Vice Presiden
Treasurer, pending appointment
Beverly Kaskadden, Secretary
Wilma Yates, Member at Large.
We are having a fund-raiser garage sale on May 13th.
We are also having our installation dinner on June 10th and a BBQ on July 2nd. Five members will be attending the ACB convention in July and at least two members will be attending Cobblestone the last week of July. We are excited to have the St. Charles Lions Club as a benefactor.
Our first meeting after the summer will be the first Monday of August at the St. Peters Senior Center located at 108 McMenemy Road inSt. Peters, Missouri.
We are also selling greeting cards as a fund raiser and plan on selling Christmas and Holiday cards beginning in August.
Submitted by John Herzberg
Southwest Missouri Friendship Council
Our club is doing quite well, although we have had some members in and out of the hospital.
We are sure glad things seem to be going a little better for Elvena Smith, Joy Shirk and Mary Alice Redifer.
We have had another fund-raiser, selling candy bars, which kept some of us quite busy.
Of course, some of us were busy buying them and eating them, too.
Ed Forcum sold around nine boxes of the bars and our President Franklin Johnson said Ed could sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo in Alaska.
We were selling candles, but when they didn't seem to be selling much anymore, Jackie Kennedy said she guessed we just got burnt out.
We have had three great social events, two at restaurants, and a potluck at our meeting hall.
On February 26, Chip and Linda Hailey became grandparents again, when their son and daughter-in-law were blessed with twin girls.
Harold Poiry shared with us that he has always wanted to go to Rome Italy, and that he and his oldest son are going at the end of April.
Alice said she would just stay here, and keep the home fires burning. Maybe she needs some of those candles we couldn't sell.
Harold is also retiring from being our van driver. He has given us fourteen years of great service, and Alice has always been there by his side. God bless them both.
Chip and Linda Hailey and Harold Griffith are going to camp the last week of July. We very much appreciate the kindness of the Joplin Service Club for saving a seat on their van for Harold, because he would have been very disappointed if he could not have gone. He does love his trip to camp every year. Well, that is all I have for this time.
I will look forward to next time.
Bye for now.
Cindy Smart, PR
THE SPRINGFIELD SCENE
by Phyllis Lovett
West Plains Visit: We made our annual visit to the West Plains club on February 13. We always enjoy our visits and in return, West Plains members come to our Thanksgiving dinner. I think it's great for clubs to exchange visits.
Congratulations, Donna Giger!
Our own Donna Giger was selected to become a Life time Member of the ACB at our April board meeting. It could not happen to a more deserving person.
We're proud of you, Donna.
New Members:
We have two new members, Sam Gilliam and Janelle Edwards. Sam is the brother of Mike Gilliam, president of the West Plains club.
Janelle and her husband moved here from Manhattan, Kansas. Janelle has been active in the ACB for several years. She is also a Life time member of ACB. Wow!
Springfield now has two Life time ACB members in one month. Welcome to Sam and Janelle.
White Cane Walk: Our eleventh annual White Cane Walk will be Saturday, May 13. We expect a good attendance but the weatherman is predicting more rain. Our Walk has never been rained out but we have walked between showers. All donations will benefit the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation. I hope we will raise more money than last year. I'll let you know more in September.
Our prayers for Bill and Linda:
We all send our prayers to Bill and Linda Burris. We all pray and hope the chemo treatments will reverse Bill's leukemia.
UWB Update
Hello from the United Workers,
We have a new member. His name is Robert Vaughan and he recently moved here from Carthage, Missouri to look for opportunities in computer work. He is quite knowledgeable about computers and also plays a very mean guitar. We are happy to have him.
We have just learned that Lucille Fierce is now in a nursing home in St. Louis County. We all know how valuable Lucille has been to MCB members and to blind people all over Missouri because of her advocacy. She has been one of the experts in the Blind Pension and other legislative issues. She
has also been an eloquent spokesperson for us in Jefferson City. Please keep Lucille in your prayers.
I would also like to join the many others who have expressed their deep concern for Bill Burris. I have worked with Bill in MCB and had fun with him at camp and I think he is one of the finest people I have ever known.
June is election month so I will report on our new slate of officers in September.
John Weidlich
Back to Index
I think we have a good selection of items for you this time in our lower left-hand drawer, including two new handheld video magnifiers, two computer dating services for the disabled, sources for bibles in Braille, large print and tape, sources for accessible computer games and a vibrating watch. Mention of any of these products should not be taken as endorsement by MCB or me; they are listed for your information.
Having said that, I am going to start off by talking about something that I have seen and used. The Bose Corporation has come up with a unique way to make its newest Bose Music System easier to use for blind people:
they have put Braille on the remote. The latest music system, an AM and FM radio with a CD player, has no controls on the unit. It can only be operated with a 27-button remote control which comes with the unit. The buttons on the remote are very easy to distinguish and the remote can easily be used by a blind person once you learn what all the buttons do, but Bose is also selling a separate remote with Braille markings. The Braille remote has only 17 buttons, each labeled with a two-letter abbreviation in Braille. The Braille remote operates all of the functions of the radio and CD player, but
not the clock, alarm functions or the snooze control. I used the Braille remote for a while to learn the location of the buttons, but I switched to the regular remote, since it is smaller and has more features. But it is a pretty good way to learn how to operate the unit. I believe the Braille remote costs around $12.
The Blind Chef is an e-mail list for blind people who like to cook, want to share recipes and cooking techniques and learn about the latest adaptive kitchen equipment. To subscribe send a blank e-mail to theblindchef-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Executive Products sells protective cases for Braille note takers, which have been specially designed by blind students. The company also sells cane holders and cases for cell phones. Phone: (866) 833-1444, e-mail aleremita@executiveproductsinc.com
Novel Sensations sells gifts ranging from musical novelties to scented items. Contact Charlotte Bettinger, Box 7, Farmington, MN 55024. Phone:
(651) 463-9346. For a catalog send e-mail to novelsensations@charter.net.
Prayers and Psalms for today is a large print CD containing prayers to meet all kinds of life situations and challenges. The same source sells the Large Print Book of Common Prayer on a CD. To order, send a self-addressed envelope with three stamps to Anne Dahlen, 1900 6th Avenue, Apartment 513,
Rock Island, IL 61201, or for more information, e-mail anndahlen@3aol.com.
ETS Inc sells a variety of talking products, including blood glucose meters, bathroom scales and a new talking microwave. You can call the company at (505) 888-3923 or go to www.etsnm.com.
TFB Publications has publications in electronic formats, Word and plain text. They include children's stories, cookbooks, craft patterns, novels, general interest magazines, adult literature, prayers, and medical information. For more information, call (201) 313-8905 or send e-mail to tfb@panix.com.
We know that dating services are very popular these days on the Internet. Here are two specifically designed for people with disabilities.
Friends like me offers friendship, dating and information to meet the social needs of the disabled. It has over 5,000 members worldwide. Membership is $45 for six months, $60 for one year. The web site is www.friendslikeme.org.
The second one, dating4disabled is a free online dating service whose goal is to provide social, intellectual and romantic outlets for disabled individuals. It provides forums, a dating service, chat rooms, and blogs.
You create a profile of your interests and preference when you sign up. The web site is www.dating4disabled.com.
Independent Living Aids is selling a voice-activated telephone answering machine called the Answer. It can record up to sixty messages. All of the machine's functions are controlled by your voice. The cost of the Answer is $249. Independent Living Aids also sells low vision aids, tools, canes, talking clocks and watches, large print books, kitchen gadgets and more. To get a catalog, contact ILA at (800) 537-2118 or visit their web site www.independentliving.com.
Independent Living Aids is also the distributor for the new PVO portable electronic color magnifier. It has a four inch monitor which provides 6 to 12X magnification or it can be connected to a TV for up to 25X magnification. It can be used to read text and view images such as photos from digital cameras. I don't have a price on this, but you can find out more about it by contacting ILA at the phone number or web site given above.
I promised you information about two new portable video magnifiers, so here is the other one. Freedom Scientific has just released the Opal, the ultra portable video magnifier, so called because it can fit in a coat pocket or purse. It displays images on a brightly lit four-inch screen with magnification levels from 3 to 6.4X, using a sliding control. The price is $795. For more information, call (800) 444-4443 or visit www.freedomscientific.com.
New from National Braille Press, (something I wish I could say that none of us need): Simple Ways to Control Your Weight. It is a summary of the basic steps, tips and ideas that can be found in many of the recent books on diet, weight control and fitness. It is a compilation of what all of the leading authorities are saying about the best ways to lose weight and keep it off. You can use it to decide for yourself which ideas might work best for you. It is in one Braille volume and costs $8.00. You can order it from National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115, (800) 548-7323, e-mail orders@nbp.org.
The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind has established a telephone assistive technology support help line at (888) 825-0080. It is intended to be a one stop place where blind people can get answers to questions or problems they are having with any hardware or software relating to assistive technology.
AFB Press has just released what it calls the first ever guide to assistive technology products. It contains profiles of over 200 products to help you determine which ones might be best suited to meet your needs. It also refers users to product evaluations that were published in the Accessworld Magazine. It is available in large print or on ASCII disk for $24.95. You can order it at www.afb.org/store.
Brennfoerders sells Braille and large print greeting cards, and Braille card games like Uno, Rook and Pinochle. Here is the contact information for this company: Terry Brennfoerder, 1431 Fairfield, Lincoln, NE 68521, (402) 477-5370.
To mark its tenth anniversary, Shadows in the Dark has reduced the prices of all of its products by ten percent until the end of the year.
These include Braille and large print greeting cards for all occasions and other items in Braille. The address for Shadows in the Dark is 4600 Pine Hill Road, Shreeveport, LA 71107-2716, Phone: (318) 459-1256, e-mail: info@shadowsinthedark.com.
Sweet Tooth sells chocolate bars with Braille on them. They come in white, dark or milk chocolate, $2.25 for plain, $2.50 with nuts. Sweet Tooth: 32 Vinton Road, Rochester, NY 14622, (585) 544-1853.
MS Focus, the national magazine of the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, is now available on audio CD. Call (800) 673-6287 or visit www.msfocus.org.
GW Micro has released version 5.5 of WindowEyes with increased support for Excel, MSN Messenger and Lotus. For more information, call GW Micro at (260) 489-3671 or go to their web site www.gwmicro.com.
Bible Sources: I have heard of many unique key chains, but this one tops them all: the USB Digital Holy Bible key chain. That's right; this device has the entire King James Bible loaded onto a key chain that can be plugged into the USB port of a computer or laptop for display on a computer screen. It even has a search function. It is not compatible with Windoww 98 or Mcintosh computers. To order, go to www.davidsteele.com/usbdigitalbible.html.
www.audiotreasures.com offers various versions of the Bible on MP-3 and DVD formats.
If you are looking for the Bible and find those sources a little too high tech for you, here is a list of several places that offer various versions of the Bible in Braille, large print or on tape, all free:
Braille Bible Foundation, (800) 766-9080;
American Bible Society, (212) 408-1200;
Bibles for the Blind and Visually Handicapped International, (812) 466-4899;
Hosanna Ministries, (800) 545-6552;
Lutheran Braille Workers, (800) 925-6092;
and Aurora Ministries, Box 621, Bradenton, Fl 34206, (941) 748-3031.
Finally, for an accessible Bible search program, you might try www.bibleseeker.org.
Many people who use computers like to play computer games, but find that a lot of them are not very accessible. But here are some web sites you can check out to find games that are. www.audiogames.net is a place to find out about accessible audio games.
Go to www.braingle.com to find over 7,500 brain teasers, puzzles, riddles and games.
www.kitchensinc.net has free accessible games.
www.gamesfortheblind.com has a large selection of popular games.
www.allinplay.com is a site where blind, low vision and sighted people can play games together on an equal basis.
Another source is www.bavisoft.com, a company that creates software for the blind.
Finally, Audyssey Gaming Magazine is an electronic newsletter all about accessible games for the blind. The web site is www.audysseymagazine.org
Have fun.
I know that most of you are familiar with Braille, low vision and talking watches. Well, a Swiss watch maker has just created a vibrating watch. There are twelve raised marks on the watch face. Constant vibrations tell you the hour and intermittent vibrations give you the correct minute.
If you think you would find this a useful timepiece, call (201) 271-4642 or e-mail bob.friedland@swatchgroup.com.
Vibrations or not, I need to close the drawer for this time, mostly because it's empty. But we'll open it up again in September.
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1. Try everything twice. On Madams tombstone (of Whelan's and Madam) she said she wanted this epitaph: Tried everything twice, loved it both times!
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. (Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches)
3. Keep learning:
Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop."
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and Lots of time with HIM/HER.
6. The tears happen:
Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. LIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health:
If it is good, preserve it.
If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
11. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second time.
And do share this with someone.
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