THE BRAILLE MONITOR
PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

                            CONTENTS

                                                   FEBRUARY, 1990

NFB CELEBRATES FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY

PRESIDENT BUSH PROCLAIMS NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND DAY

NATIONAL BRAILLE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER FOR THE BLIND
OPENS NEW OPTIONS FOR BLIND COMPUTER USERS

DICK EDLUND ELECTED TO THE LEGISLATURE
by Kenneth Jernigan

OF SHAKESPEARE AND DOG GUIDES
by Dr. Elizabeth Browne

UNUSUAL HOBBY: FEDERATIONISTS HAVE AS MUCH DIVERSITY AS OTHERS

THIS IS HOW WE WORK: A RESOLUTION FROM WEST VIRGINIA

FEDERATIONIST EXCELS AT MARTIAL ARTS

THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING

COLLEEN ROTH SEES TO IT IT'S A HAPPIER WORLD
by Tom Ensign

ART SCHREIBER HONORED

WITH PRIDE WE DEDICATE
by Karen Ortega

1990 JOB REPORT
by Lauren L. Eckery

COULD HANSEL BUILD A GINGERBREAD HOUSE?
by Heidi Sherman

DIABETICS, DON'T GIVE UP ON BRAILLE
by Allan Nichols

HERE'S HOW IT'S DONE

JERRY DRAKE DIES

RECIPES

MONITOR MINIATURES

     Copyright, National Federation of the Blind, Inc., 1991[PHOTO: Hazel tenBroek speaking at microphone in Harbor Room.
CAPTION: Hazel tenBroek, the first First Lady of the National
Federation of the Blind, speaks at the National Center for the
Blind in Baltimore on November 16, 1990, at the fiftieth
anniversary celebration of the founding of the National
Federation of the Blind.]

[PHOTO: Marc Maurer and Kenneth Jernigan standing at microphone
in Harbor Room. CAPTION: Marc Maurer (left) and Kenneth Jernigan
speak at the National Center for the Blind in Baltimore November
16, 1990, at the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the founding
of the National Federation of the Blind.]

                NFB CELEBRATES FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY

     From the Associate Editor: On November 16 and 17, 1940, the
Pennsylvania Federation of the Blind was conducting its annual
convention in Wilkes-Barre.  Representatives from organizations
of the blind in six other states joined the Pennsylvanians on
that Saturday to discuss the important question of forming a
national consumer organization.  Sixteen people took part in that
fateful meeting and, as a result, assumed their place in history
as the founders of the National Federation of the Blind. 
     On November 16, 1990, in state capitals and other cities and
towns across the country, celebrations of that important event
took place. A number of governors, mayors, city councils, and
county executives presented proclamations honoring the National
Federation of the Blind. And representatives of the organized
blind movement proudly walked alone and marched together in
salute to our history, dedicating ourselves to carry forward the
work that our founders began fifty years ago. Each of these
solemn processions around a civic landmark or state capitol
culminated in an appropriate ceremony and commemorative
photograph. In newspaper interviews and television and radio
appearances across the nation, Federation leaders announced the
official publication of our book, Walking Alone and Marching
Together. 
     They also described with understandable pride the National
Braille and Technology Center for the Blind being dedicated that
day at the National Center for the Blind in Baltimore. In
addition they told the press and public that the National
Federation of the Blind will be establishing a low-interest loan
program for blind people who need to purchase technology. 
     The Federation has always recognized that technology is only
a tool enabling already competent blind people to extend their
efficiency. It opens doors and multiplies possibilities, but it
is not a magic wand, able to produce a capable blind person where
before there was only a semiliterate, uncertain one. For this
reason, Federationists also announced the beginning of a
nationwide effort to pass legislation in every state guaranteeing
the right of every legally blind child to be taught Braille and
requiring that every special education teacher who works with
blind children pass a test administered by the National Library
Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped that would
certify competence in both reading and writing Braille. 
     These new initiatives, though they were announced and
discussed across the country, were most impressively unveiled at
the ceremony at our national headquarters in the National Center
for the Blind.  A number of state and federal dignitaries
attended the event, and Mrs. tenBroek flew to Baltimore from her
home in Sacramento, California, for the occasion. 
     Most of the presentations took place in the beautiful Harbor
Room, which looks out over the city to Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
Then the group adjourned to the courtyard to watch Mrs. tenBroek,
President Maurer, and Dr. Jernigan cut the ribbon to open the
National Braille and Technology Center for the Blind, which is
located in an impressive two-floor facility in the central
courtyard area at the National Center for the Blind. The National
Braille and Technology Center for the Blind is unique since
nothing else like it now exists, or has ever existed, anywhere
else in the world. A full description of the Center is given
elsewhere in this issue of the Braille Monitor. Here is what
happened on November 16, 1990, when the Federation officially
turned fifty and the nation wished it and us a happy birthday: 
     DR. JERNIGAN:  This, for us, is a memorable occasion. It was
fifty years ago on this day that the organized blind movement in
the United States came into being with the founding in Wilkes-
Barre, Pennsylvania, of the National Federation of the Blind. It
is, therefore, particularly fitting that we should meet here
today, fifty years later, to celebrate the birthday of the
organized blind movement in this country and to inaugurate
certain initiatives. I want to begin this program by reading to
you two letters. First, from the House of Representatives from
Congresswoman Beverly Byron, we have this to President Marc
Maurer: 
Dear Mr. Maurer: 
     I am sorry that I can't be with you today to help celebrate
the fiftieth anniversary of the National Federation of the Blind.
How wonderful that you are celebrating this special anniversary
by announcing the establishment of the National Braille and
Technology Center for the Blind at the national headquarters in
Baltimore. For the first time in history there will be gathered
under one roof for display and comparison all equipment that can
be used to produced Braille. The low-interest loans being made
available to purchase this equipment will surely help to improve
Braille literacy in our country. The NFB is to be commended for
working so hard to meet its objectives of providing all blind
people with the tools necessary to become productive members of
society. Congratulations on your anniversary and on the opening
of the National Braille and Technology Center for the Blind.
Please accept my best wishes for many years of continued success.

Sincerely, 
Congresswoman Beverly Byron

     DR. JERNIGAN: From the United States Senate to President
Maurer:

Dear Mr. Maurer:
     Congratulations. It is with great pleasure that I
congratulate the National Federation of the Blind on its fiftieth
anniversary. What a great way to celebrate, by establishing the
National Braille and Technology Center for the Blind in
Baltimore. Unfortunately, I will not be in the Baltimore area and
will be unable to join you for your anniversary. I commend NFB
for the outstanding work and dedication it is doing. The work you
do to further independence for blind people is a moving testimony
to the ideal of self-empowerment. You have made history and
changed history, and I look forward to even greater achievements
in the second half of your first century. Keep up the great work.

Sincerely,
Barbara Mikulski
United States Senator

     DR. JERNIGAN:  In beginning this program of commemorating
our fiftieth anniversary, it is only fitting to say that, in
establishing the National Braille and Technology Center for the
Blind and in announcing these other initiatives, we are ushering
in a new era for blind people in this country. You will shortly
have the opportunity to see the National Braille and Technology
Center for the Blind. It is established and a going concern,
although Mr. Miller and others on the staff worked late into
yesterday afternoon to get it up and going. 
     One of the people who deserves credit for the technology
that brings this Center into being is Mr. Charles Cook, who is
here. Mr. Cook, of course, has developed and created our Braille
translation system. I should also say that we have with us today
Mr. Arthur Segal, who is Handicapped Services Director for the
Office of the Mayor, and Marian Vessels, who is Director of the
Governor's Office of Handicapped Individuals. We are pleased to
have both of you here and appreciate the fact that the mayor and
governor have asked you to come. 
     For the first item on our program, I want to present to you
the President of the National Federation of the Blind, who will
have remarks to make, Marc Maurer:
     MR. MAURER: Thank you, Dr. Jernigan. On the fiftieth
birthday of the National Federation of the Blind, it is suitable
that we look back to the beginning of our organization and that
we look forward to the next fifty years. We have come to
understand that, just as we Americans did at the founding of our
nation, we as blind people must find a way to secure independence
and equality for ourselves. No one can give that to us; we must
find a way to do it. 
     So today we are releasing to the public the fifty-year
history of the National Federation of the Blind, the book,
Walking Alone and Marching Together. This book is the history of
the organized blind movement of the United States, and it is the
record of the work that blind people have done for fifty years.
We gathered together in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1940 to
begin the process of making a future for the blind. At that time
there wasn't anything with which to work, except the hopes and
the dreams of those who had come together to think about a future
that would be different from the past. This record of the fifty-
year history of our organization is a suitable record. It has
both elements. It says that, if we want to make progress, we must
learn to stand on our own and to be independent. Yet, in order to
achieve that independence and to gain that equality, we must
learn to work with one another and be a part of a larger society.
     As we issue this book to the public today, we think about
the next fifty years and the initiatives that are being announced
here today--the National Braille and Technology Center for the
Blind and the call for literacy for blind people throughout the
United States. Two parts to that call for literacy must be made.
One is that we call upon the legislators of the states and the
Congress of the United States to adopt legislation making it
possible for those who want to learn Braille to get a chance to
have it. In many states, as you know, there is no Braille
available for blind children, and many of the teachers who are
expected to teach the blind cannot either read or write Braille.
If you can't read it, then you can't write it. It is astonishing
that anybody should suggest that you might be able to teach it.
     We are establishing the National Braille and Technology
Center for the Blind, which makes it possible for us to gain
information, but you can't gain the information if you can't read
the printed word on the page. Therefore, we call upon the
Congress and the legislators to adopt our legislation and develop
the literacy programs. And we'll do our part as well. We have the
National Braille and Technology Center, but we are also
announcing the establishment of a low-interest loan program,
which will make loans available to buy technology at a three
percent interest rate for those who need but cannot afford it. In
the 1950s and the 1960s I was a child, a blind child, growing up
in the Midwest. I wondered what it would be like when I came to
be an adult. I read the materials in the books that were then
available to me, and I thought about my own life and hoped that
it might be worth something. But I knew that I was blind, and I
knew that the way blind people had always been portrayed was
negative, was not independent, was always second-rate. For
example, I went to a swimming pool (I had swum for many years and
was reasonably good at it), and the lifeguard said to me, "You
can swim in the shallow end, but don't swim in the deep water." 
     I said to myself, "Why?" 
     The lifeguard said, "It would be more difficult to watch
you," which makes no sense to me today, but I didn't argue about
it then. Only later, when I met the National Federation of the
Blind and learned that we as blind people can do the same things
that other people do, that we can have the independence that
other people want, that we can achieve the kind of lives that
other people are looking to achieve if we will only work at it
and do our part, did I know that those incidents were not
right.    
     So, today, we announce these initiatives. I look forward to
the next fifty years and to a time when the blind are not kept in
the shallow end of the pool. In that day we will have the
opportunity to read and will know how to do it, and then blind
people will be a significant part of this society in the place
where we ought to be making our contributions. So happy birthday
to the National Federation of the Blind! 
     DR. JERNIGAN: Thank you, President Maurer. We must move on
to the next person to be introduced, who is, as far as I know,
the only person now alive who attended the founding meeting of
the National Federation of the Blind. Her husband Dr. tenBroek
was our first president and our founder. I first came to know him
in 1952. He and I came to be the closest friends. He was my
mentor and teacher and, as I have often said, spiritual father. I
first met Mrs. tenBroek in 1952. She is the founding first lady
of the National Federation of the Blind. It is with pleasure that
I present to you Mrs. tenBroek. 
     MRS. tenBROEK: Thank you, my friend. If you don't stop, I'm
going to cry. It's very exciting to be here today and to remember
what it was like in Wilkes-Barre all those years ago. The seven
states who sent representatives are frequently called the
intrepid ones, but at that time they had no idea they were being
intrepid. What they knew was that the time had come for blind
people to break those bonds, however gentle, of kindness and
custodialism and go for it. It was time to claim their position
in society as independent, producing, contributing members and to
take their place with the rest of the citizens in fulfilling the
obligations of citizenship as well as partaking of its
privileges. 
     The idea that blind people could be independent was not
entirely new, but it was well hidden and stepped on whenever it
reared its head... and nobody thought that that could ever
happen. But there was that group of people who felt that it
could, and Dr. tenBroek especially felt that, with education--and
this is a familiar phrase in the Federation--with education and
training, the blind could become independent. Having acknowledged
the fact of blindness and having acquired the skills and the
alternative methods of dealing with it, the blind should take
advantage of every technological advance that has ever come down
the pike. Of course, he had no idea what was down there. It is to
Dr. Jernigan that we must hail the salute today for seeing what
was down there and making it available through this new and
wonderful center.
     DR. JERNIGAN: Thank you very much, Mrs. tenBroek. Next it is
my pleasure to present to you the Commissioner of Rehabilitation
Services of the United States Department of Education, Mrs. Nell
Carney. I have known Mrs. Carney a long time; as a matter of
fact, early on in her life and reasonably early in mine, she was
a student of mine in high school. She has done good work
throughout her life in helping blind persons achieve independence
and first-class status. We are pleased that she could be with us
today, and I want to present her to you now for whatever she
cares to say. 
     MRS. CARNEY: Thank you, sir. It's certainly an honor to be
here today and to bring you greetings from the Bush
administration, the only administration in our history which has
made disability issues a primary concern of the federal
government. As President Maurer said, it is appropriate to look
backward and then to look forward today, I believe. As a young
person growing up in Tennessee and being blind, I learned very
early in my life the impact that the advocacy and activity of the
National Federation of the Blind could have (and indeed did have)
on educational and rehabilitational services in which I
participated. As I advanced through my educational and
rehabilitation activities and training and went on to a career
and at one point in my life participated in the National
Federation of the Blind movement, it became even clearer to me
that this organization would make a difference so that we would
never again return to the societal attitudes toward blindness
that we had once experienced. 
     It seems like a very short time in a lot of ways that so
much could have been done in fifty years. For those like Dr.
Jernigan, Dr. tenBroek, Mrs. tenBroek, and many, many other
people, who toiled so diligently in this movement to build it to
what it is today, who have literally devoted their lives to this
movement, it must have seemed like a very long five decades. As
we look ahead in this decade of technology and advanced activity
and programming in education and rehabilitation, it is
appropriate, Dr. Jernigan and President Maurer, that you--that
we--should open a National Braille and Technology Center for the
Blind as we face the new challenges of providing educational and
rehabilitation services to people who are blind. I look forward
to working with the leadership of the National Federation of the
Blind and with the National Braille and Technology Center for the
Blind as we together move forward to create new opportunities for
the blind of this country. Thank you very much. 

     DR. JERNIGAN: Thank you, Commissioner Carney. I realize that
you have major accomplishments, but I hope I may be pardoned for
having some pride in your accomplishments because you were once a
student of mine. 
     I want to present to you now, for comments that he would
care to make, somebody who has been a real friend of blind people
in this state. Attorney General Joseph Curran has worked with us
through the years. I have called on him to help us on a number of
occasions, and he has always done gladly what he could do to help
us and has always shown himself to be a friend of the blind of
this state. It is, therefore, particularly appropriate that he
should be with us today on this fiftieth anniversary birthday and
as we announce these new initiatives. I present to you now Joseph
Curran. 
     JOSEPH CURRAN: Thank you very much, Doctor, President
Maurer, distinguished leaders in government. I'm grateful I was
in a position to be of help to you. I want to thank you very much
for inviting me to be here today on this very happy birthday; and
being parochial for a moment, we in Baltimore are obviously
pleased that you saw good reason to come to Baltimore from the
other state that you had been in for many years. That is why, I'm
sure, the mayor's representative is here and the governor's
representative is here. We are very pleased that Baltimore in the
state of Maryland plays a role in the progress that you have
made. I don't want to extend my remarks any longer because I want
to get downstairs and see those tremendous pieces of equipment.
I'm not going to buy one of those $80,000 Braille  printers, but
maybe we can see what we can do about one of those cheaper
models. You know money is tight in the federal government, and
money is tight in the city and state. So I am just happy to be
here, and I want to reiterate that we in the law department of
the state are pleased to work with you from time to time. Call
upon us whenever you need us, and rest assured that you have a
friend in government with Governor Schaefer and Mayor Schmoke and
myself. Thank you.
     DR. JERNIGAN: Thank you very much, Attorney General Curran.
Now to bring greetings to us from the National Council on
Disability, I want to present the Deputy Executive Director of
the National Council, who is Dr. Harold Snider.
     HAROLD SNIDER: Dr. Jernigan, Mrs. tenBroek, and colleagues.
As a long-time member of this organization, it is indeed my
pleasure to be here with you, representing the National Council
on Disability. I have a message that I would like to read to you
from the Council's Director, Sandra Swift Parrino: 

     On behalf of the members and staff of the National Council
on Disability, it is my pleasure to congratulate the National
Federation of the Blind on the occasion of its fiftieth
anniversary today. The achievements of the National Federation of
the Blind over the past fifty years have been truly remarkable.
Your organization has always been a leader in advocacy for the
rights of blind persons. 
     I would also like to congratulate the Federation on its new
initiatives announced in conjunction with its fiftieth
anniversary. Making technology available for the blind through
low-interest loans is a significant step in the right direction.
Braille literacy is absolutely essential if blind persons are to
succeed in employment. The National Council on Disability wants
to work with the Federation to ensure that those persons who
teach Braille to the blind in federally financed programs are
competent to do so. Your National Braille and Technology Center
is a major achievement, and I look forward to visiting it on my
next trip to Baltimore. 
     I understand that you have recently published Walking Alone
and Marching Together: A History of the Organized Blind Movement
in the United States. This book is a testimony to the
effectiveness of a grassroots, self-help movement like the
National Federation of the Blind. 
     Finally, I am sorry that I can't be with you on this most
auspicious occasion. We look forward to working with the National
Federation of the Blind. Please accept my best wishes for your
continued success.

Sincerely,
Sandra Swift Parrino

     Dr. Jernigan then thanked Dr. Snider and announced that
Maryland State Representative Elijah Cummings, a long-time friend
of the Federation, was unable to attend the celebration but sent
his greetings. Representative Bryan McHale, in whose district the
National Center for the Blind is located, then made a few
congratulatory remarks. 
     DR. JERNIGAN: I want next to present to you the acting
executive director of the President's Committee on Employment of
People with Disabilities, Dr. Ralph Pacinelli. Of course, the
chairman of that committee is our good friend, Justin Dart, who
said that he would have liked to be here if he could. We didn't
know we were going to have this celebration soon enough for him
to do that. We are very pleased, however, to have you with us,
Dr. Pacinelli, and I want to present you now. 
     DR. RALPH PACINELLI: Thank you, Dr. Jernigan, distinguished
guests, and friends. I'm pleased to be here to represent Justin
Dart. You all know about Justin Dart and his work in the field of
advocacy and rights for all people with disabilities. Dr.
Jernigan is right--he does apologize for not being here. He
dearly wanted to be here. But it is a special treat for me to
represent him and the committee today for two reasons. Dr.
Jernigan didn't mention it, but I am an executive on loan from
Commissioner Carney's program to the President's Committee. So I
get to do double duty today--the work of the Committee and my
real position of record, the Regional Commissioner of RSA in
Philadelphia, which includes Maryland as one state within that
region. And we, too, are delighted that the decision was made to
move from Iowa to Region III--a very intelligent move, I'd like
to add. I'd like to salute the NFB on this birthday for the
reasons of enlightenment and professionalism, the pursuit of
independence and employment and productivity for individuals who
are blind, and the work that you do that impacts on all people
with disabilities. I want to salute you for that on the occasion
of your birthday and also to pledge to you the support of the
President's Committee in the important work that we know you will
continue to perform in the many years ahead, the many good and
glorious years ahead. So thank you very much. 
     DR. JERNIGAN: Thank you, Dr. Pacinelli. Now, I present to
you a long-time friend, colleague, fellow worker in this field, a
man who I think has done a great deal to advance the well-being
of blind persons. He is the Director of the National Library
Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library
of Congress, Mr. Frank Kurt Cylke.
     Mr. CYLKE: Thank you very much, Dr. Jernigan. When thinking
about coming down here, I thought of why we were here. And, of
course, I wrote some notes, and I was going to inform you all
about that. Then, I thought, how wonderful is that? To tell you
why you are here? You know that. You know you are here for the
fiftieth anniversary of the NFB; you know you are here because of
this magnificent building that we are in. You know that we are
here, of course, to open the National Braille and Technology
Center for the Blind. So I gave some more thought to Kenneth
Jernigan and Dr. tenBroek. I thought about Marc Maurer. Then I
started thinking about the thousands and thousands and thousands
of other people who have been involved with the Federation over
the fifty years and the impact that they have made on the library
program for the blind and physically handicapped--the input that
they have had, the suggestions they have had, the benefits that
they have paid to society (and I think that's the most important
thing), the benefits that they have received from the books, the
magazines, the other informational material that they
synthesized; and (like everyone else) they went to work, put what
they learned into action, and used the library program, used the
NFB (in the best sense), and made a better world for all of us.
     So I want to say thank you, Dr. Kenneth Jernigan; thank you,
Marc Maurer; and thank you, Mrs. tenBroek and Jacobus tenBroek,
for the opportunity and the privilege of working with you. I
certainly hope that we'll be doing so for many years ahead. Thank
you very much. 
     DR. JERNIGAN: Thank you, Mr. Cylke. I intend to be around
for the hundredth anniversary. I hope you will, too, and we'll
get together and talk again at that celebration. Now, as I said,
shortly we'll be going down and actually having a hands-on
demonstration of the National Braille and Technology Center for
the Blind. Mr. Miller will be in general charge of that,
demonstrating the machines, and others will help. 
     Anyway, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, is where it all started
fifty years ago; and it is, therefore, particularly appropriate
and fitting that we have with us a member of the United States
House of Representatives from Wilkes-Barre. He is Congressman
Paul Kanjorski. Congressman, I have here a copy of Walking Alone
and Marching Together, which is the definitive history of the
organized blind movement in this country from 1940 to 1990. It
was written by a distinguished professor, Dr. Floyd Matson, who
is in the Department of American Studies of the University of
Hawaii. The copy of the book that I will give you is autographed
by Dr. Matson, by Mrs. tenBroek, by President Maurer, and by me.
It is a pleasure to give you this book and also to have you with
us here to celebrate this anniversary. 
     CONGRESSMAN KANJORSKI: Mr. Director, thank you very much.
 I'll certainly honor that. I'm really pleased to have it. Mr.
President, Mrs. First Lady, Mr. Attorney General, members of the
state legislature, and distinguished visitors here today, you
know, when you represent a city like Wilkes-Barre that is an
older eastern city that perhaps has passed beyond the limelight
as this nation has expanded west, you think of the part your city
has played in history. In 1940 Wilkes-Barre gave birth to the
National Federation of the Blind, and now the National Federation
of the Blind does its parent great honor because probably your
national and international reputation exceeds that of the city
that gave you birth.
     I have often heard that people consider blindness as a
disability--what nonsense! What better evidence can there be than
Dr. tenBroek's distinguished life, blind members today of every
profession imaginable, new and diverse business opportunities for
blind people, even a former member of the State Senate of
Pennsylvania who was blind and who aspired to and almost won the
lieutenant governorship. How often we allow the characteristic of
blindness to stunt our ambition and to create a discriminatory
wall in this country. The importance of this fiftieth anniversary
is that the founders of this organization demonstrated great
foresight about how far it could go.
     I want to tell you one little personal thing, though,
because this organization did me the great honor of requesting me
to introduce Resolution 667, which recognized the fiftieth
anniversary of the National Federation of the Blind. When the
request came to my office, as hundreds do every year, my staff
and I met, and I said, "What an honor. I wasn't aware that
Wilkes-Barre was the NFB's founding place." But there were only
two or three weeks left in the Congressional session, and a bill
cannot go to the floor to have a national day in commemoration of
a particular organization unless it has the sponsorship of a
majority of the House of Representatives, 218. That's no small
chore, and we indicated that to the organization. Well, you may
not have learned all the characteristics of success in life, but
I can tell you one thing, you know the political process of the
United States. In less than one week, this national organization
propelled more than 218 members of the United States House of
Representatives to contact my office--and tied my telephones up,
I may say. We had the sponsorship, and this moved through. That
attests to political sophistication among those who are usually
thought of as having very little. You understand the system. 
     Illiteracy, whether the victims are blind or sighted, is
inexcusable and unacceptable in our system. So as we move into
this new, enlightened age of the 90s and the next century, I'm
proud to be just a little part of an organization that came about
and grew from a seed planted some fifty years ago in my home
town. On the basis of the resolution we passed in Congress, we do
have today, hot off the press, the proclamation in recognition of
the Federation and its outstanding work. The Congress by joint
Resolution 667 has designated November 16, 1990, as National
Federation of the Blind Day and has authorized and requested the
President to issue a proclamation in observance of that day. 
     I'm not going to go through the full proclamation because it
is lengthy, but I do hope we can have it translated into Braille
so that every member of the organization eventually can read it.
The conclusion of the proclamation is, however, "Now, therefore,
I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do
hereby proclaim November 16, 1990, as National Federation of the
Blind Day. I encourage all Americans to observe this day through
appropriate programs and activities that reaffirm our
appreciation of the rights, needs, and abilities of persons who
are blind. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this
fifteenth day of November in the Year of our Lord, nineteen
hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States
of America, the two hundred and fifteenth. --George Bush,
President of the United States."
     Dr. Jernigan, on behalf of the President and the Congress of
the United States, I am pleased to present to you the first
original copy, which will be followed by the official document,
the Proclamation of the President of the United States,
designating this day as National Federation of the Blind Day. 
     I have just one little thing that is also hot off the press
and hot off the feet of some young page. This morning I had to do
a lot of fast work. That is, I know you are dedicating the Center
today, and in representation of the people of the United States,
I have asked that a flag of the United States be flown over the
Capitol. In fact, this morning it was, and I would like to
present it to you with a certificate that says, "This is to
certify that the accompanying flag was flown over the United
States Capitol on November 16, 1990, at the request of the
Honorable Paul E. Kanjorski, Member of Congress. This flag was
flown for the fiftieth anniversary of the National Federation of
the Blind." I hope we are all around to see another flag flown at
the hundredth anniversary.
     DR. JERNIGAN: Congressman Kanjorski, we appreciate your
remarks. We appreciate the proclamation, and we much appreciate
your bringing the flag. As a matter of fact, I can assure you
that the proclamation will be translated into Braille, or rather
it has already been translated. I won't take time to read it
either, but I have it here. In reading the first paragraph of it
only, I want to make a point that I think all of us should keep
in mind. What reasons are given by the people, sometimes the
professional educators, who tell us that Braille should not be
made available to blind children? It is not the cost, for it
doesn't cost very much. As a matter of fact, you can get an
instrument for making Braille for $5 or less. The paper doesn't
cost that much. The reason, we are often told, is that Braille is
inadequate, slow, inefficient, outdated. Nonsense! You have seen
people read Braille here today, and in no other way could a blind
person do some of the things that we have done. Recording is
fine, but it won't cut it on an occasion like this. Large print
is fine, but you can't haul around big pieces of equipment for
generating oversized print. Besides, many people couldn't use it
anyway. Braille is as usable as print, and very often the people
who are unwilling to teach it have simply been inadequately
prepared or were too lazy to learn it. That, we must put an end
to! That's the reason for announcing our initiatives. 
     I read you the first paragraph: "Since its founding half a
century ago, the National Federation of the Blind has been a
leading advocate for Americans affected by severe visual loss.
Its administrators, staff, and supporters know that persons who
are blind possess not only the desire but also the ability to
lead full, independent, and productive lives, and they have
encouraged all Americans to recognize this fact as well." 
     Now again, to make the point, and not simply to brag about
reading--all of us, I suppose, should brag about our ability to
read--for that is a passport to a full life. But I believe that
the demonstration, not just of my reading, but of others who have
read here today, would indicate that Braille is just as effective
as print. We should not ever let anybody propagandize us to the
contrary. I say that particularly since we have some state
officials of Maryland here. If you hear in the future that we are
out there lobbying to try to get the right for blind children to
have literacy, don't take seriously anybody who says, "It can't
be done." It can be done.


[PHOTO: Kenneth Jernigan in Harbor Room shaking hands with
Congressman Kanjorski and receiving presidential proclamation.
CAPTION: Congressman Paul Kanjorski (left) presents presidential
proclamation to Kenneth Jernigan at the National Center for the
Blind in Baltimore at the fiftieth birthday celebration of the
National Federation of the Blind November 16, 1990.]

                    PRESIDENT BUSH PROCLAIMS
              NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND DAY

     From the Editor: When an organization is distinguished by
having Congress set aside a special day in its honor and when the
President of the United States issues a proclamation on that day,
no editorial comment is appropriate or required. Here is the
proclamation:

           NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND DAY, 1990
        By the President of the United States of America
                         A PROCLAMATION

     Since its founding half a century ago, the National
Federation of the Blind has been a leading advocate for Americans
affected by severe visual loss.  Its administrators, staff, and
supporters know that persons who are blind possess not only the
desire but also the ability to lead full, independent, and
productive lives, and they have encouraged all Americans to
recognize this fact as well.  
     Through an effective community outreach program, the
Federation has been working to enhance the public image of blind
Americans and to promote real equality of opportunity for these
members of our society.  This outreach program includes
television and radio appearances by Federation members, public
presentations, and the distribution of educational materials.  In
addition, the Federation produces monthly and quarterly
publications that serve as a valuable source of news and
information on issues affecting Americans with impaired eyesight.
     If the United States is to remain a strong and prosperous
country, one that is competitive in the rapidly changing global
marketplace, we must utilize the talent, creativity, and skill of
all our citizens.  Helping more blind Americans to enter this
country's social and economic mainstream is, therefore, not only
a moral imperative but also a wise investment in our Nation's
future.  On July 26, I was pleased to sign into law the Americans
With Disabilities Act of 1990.  The world's first comprehensive
declaration of equality for persons with disabilities, this
legislation prohibits employers covered by the Act from
discriminating against qualified applicants or employees on the
basis of a disability; it guarantees persons with disabilities
access to public accommodations, such as offices, hotels, and
shopping centers, and it calls for improved access to
transportation, State and local government services, and
telecommunications as well.  This legislation--like the efforts
of the National Federation of the Blind--reflects our commitment
to ensuring equality of opportunity for all Americans.
     In recognition of the Federation and its outstanding work,
the Congress, by House Joint Resolution 667, has designated
November 16, 1990, as "National Federation of the Blind Day" and
has authorized and requested the President to issue a
proclamation in observance of that day.
     NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United
States of America, do hereby proclaim November 16, 1990, as
National Federation of the Blind Day.  I encourage all Americans
to observe this day through appropriate programs and activities
that reaffirm our appreciation of the rights, needs, and
abilities of persons who are blind.
     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States
of America the two hundred and fifteenth.  

                                                      GEORGE BUSH
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Marc Maurer (left), Hazel tenBroek, and Kenneth
Jernigan cut the ribbon to open the National Braille and
Technology Center for the Blind at the National Center for the
Blind in Baltimore November 16, 1990.]

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Braille embossing devices and other technology
are demonstrated at the National Braille and Technology Center
for the Blind in Baltimore November 16, 1990.]

[PHOTO: David Andrews, sitting at a computer in the National
Braille and Technology Center for the Blind. CAPTION: David
Andrews, Director of the National Braille and Technology Center
for the Blind.]

             NATIONAL BRAILLE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER
           OPENS NEW OPTIONS FOR BLIND COMPUTER-USERS

     On November 16, 1990, Marc Maurer, Kenneth Jernigan, and
Hazel tenBroek cut the ribbon to open the National Braille and
Technology Center at the National Center for the Blind in
Baltimore. This act marks the beginning of a unique program since
nowhere else in the world today is there a collection of
technology like this one. (See "NFB Celebrates Fiftieth Birthday"
elsewhere in this issue.) At the close of the brief ceremony,
invited guests streamed into the beautiful new two-story
facility. The second floor contains offices and a conference
center, and the first floor (comprising the heart of the
operation) consists of a large room more than a hundred feet long
containing technology. 
     What the guests saw on November 16, 1990, (and what future
visitors will see) was enough to take the breath away--at least
of those knowledgeable enough to recognize what they were
experiencing. For the first time anywhere, every Braille-
producing, computer-driven printer in the world of which those
operating the Center are aware is present under the same roof.
Would-be purchasers, consumers, interested professionals, and
curious members of the public can tour, observe, and operate the
equipment. 
     But this facility includes much more than Braille printers.
Computers with refreshable Braille displays, raised-line drawing
equipment of various sorts, scanners and readers, and a growing
array of voice output computer screen-reading systems are also
there, ready to be tried and compared with each other. 
     Around the perimeter of the large room is a series of
stations displaying various groupings of equipment available for
demonstration. Several members of the NFB's staff are trained to
conduct tours and demonstrate the equipment to groups. Those
visitors with a serious personal or professional interest in
studying and comparing several systems can make arrangements to
spend extended time in the facility and discuss technicalities
with David Andrews, the newly appointed Director of the National
Braille and Technology Center for the Blind, who assumed his
duties on January 14, 1991.
     Mr. Andrews has a master's degree in broadcasting and ten
years of experience in the radio reading service field. For the
past seven years he has worked intensively with a number of
computers and computer projects. Most recently he has been the
director of NEWSLINE for the Blind, the dial-up newspaper service
provided to blind New Mexicans by the New Mexico Commission for
the Blind. Developing the new facility at the National Center for
the Blind offers Mr. Andrews the opportunity to use all the
skills he has amassed in the last decade.
     When one enters the National Braille and Technology Center,
Station 1 is on the right at the near end of the long wall. By
traveling in a counterclockwise direction around the perimeter of
the room, a visitor can examine the equipment in all thirteen
stations. The type and variety of equipment available are
changing constantly, but at the time of this writing (mid-
January, 1991) the following is an accurate description of the
devices available for demonstration in this exciting new
facility:
     STATION 1:  Leading Edge Personal Computer, Braillo 400S
Braille Printer, and Pixelmaster Printer. The Braillo 400S is
distributed in the United States by the American Thermoform
Corporation. It is manufactured by Braillo Norway and produces
interpoint Braille at 400 characters per second. It costs
$80,000. The Pixelmaster, which produces tactile color graphics
print and Braille, is distributed by American Thermoform and
manufactured by Howtek, Inc. It generates print or Braille at the
rate of 20 seconds per page using black ink and 3.2 minutes per
page using full-color graphics. The cost of this device is
$6,889, and it can be found already in many business offices. The
cost of adding the Braille-producing font to the existing
equipment is comparatively minimal. The National Federation of
the Blind provided the technical know-how to adapt the
Pixelmaster for the production of Braille and worked closely with
Howtek to make the necessary alterations.
     STATION 2: Leading Edge Personal Computer, Speaqualizer, and
Braillo 200 Braille Printer. The NFB Speaqualizer is a hardware
speech-output screen-reader developed by the National Federation
of the Blind and distributed by the American Printing House for
the Blind. Its cost is $810. The Braillo 200 Braille Printer is
distributed by American Thermoform and manufactured by Braillo
Norway. It produces 200 characters per second of interpoint
Braille and costs $39,995.
     STATION 3: Leading Edge Personal Computer, Speaqualizer, TED
600 Braille Printer, and Resus RS214 Braille Printer. The TED 600
Braille Printer is manufactured and distributed by Enabling
Technologies and produces interpoint Braille at 450 characters
per second. It costs $37,500. The Resus Braille Printer is
distributed by American Thermoform and manufactured by Resus
International, the Netherlands. It produces Braille at 140
characters per second and costs $15,595.
     STATION 4: Leading Edge Personal Computer, Thiel Braille
Printer, and Marathon Braille Printer. The Thiel Beta X3 Braille
Embosser is distributed by Blazie Engineering and manufactured by
Thiel, GMBH, Germany. It produces Braille at 130 characters per
second and costs $15,500. The Marathon Braille Printer is
manufactured and distributed by Enabling Technologies. It
produces Braille at 200 characters per second and costs $11,500.
     STATION 5: Leading Edge Personal Computer, Braille BookMaker
Printer, and Braillo 90 Braille Printer. The Braille BookMaker
Printer is manufactured and distributed by Enabling Technologies
and produces interpoint at 80 characters per second. It costs
$8,995. The Braillo 90 Braille Printer is distributed by American
Thermoform and produced by Braillo Norway. It generates 90
Braille characters per second and costs $5,795. 
     STATION 6: Leading Edge Personal Computer, Speaqualizer,
Ohtsuki Print/Braille Printer, and Index Braille Printer. The
Ohtsuki Print/Braille Printer is distributed by American
Thermoform and manufactured by Ohtsuki Communications Products,
Inc., Japan. It produces print and Braille simultaneously at 8
characters per second and costs $5,180. The Index Advanced
Braille Embosser is distributed by Humanware, Inc. and
manufactured by Index International, Sweden. It generates 50
Braille characters per second and costs $3,795. 
     STATION 7: Leading Edge Personal Computer, Versapoint
Braille Printer, and Romeo Braille Printer. The Versapoint
Braille Embosser is manufactured and distributed by Telesensory.
It produces Braille at 40 characters per second and costs $3,795.
The Romeo Braille Printer is manufactured and distributed by
Enabling Technologies and generates 40 Braille characters per
second. It costs $3,450.
     STATION 8: CompuAdd Personal Computer, DECtalk, and Canon
Scanner with Calera TrueScan. The DECtalk is a speech output
screen reader, produced and distributed by Digital Equipment
Corporation, which costs $4,498. The Canon Scanner (Scanrite
System) is an optical character scanner produced and distributed
by Canon, Inc. With a 2-megabyte expansion card, the Canon
Scanner costs $3,995. With a 4-megabyte expansion card, the cost
is $4,995. In either case, Calera OCR software is included.
     STATION 9: Kurzweil Personal Reader Model 7315. The Kurzweil
Personal Reader scans printed material automatically or with the
use of a hand-held device. The text can then be read by using the
device's built-in DECtalk speech output system. The cost is
$12,160, including carrying case and shipping.
     STATION 10: Zenith 183 Portable and Navigator Braille
Interface. The Zenith portable is a laptop computer, which is
here equipped with the Navigator refreshable Braille display. A
forty-character Braille line display is demonstrated in this
unit. Telesensory manufactures and distributes the Navigator, the
cost of which is $5,595.
     STATION 11: Braille 'n Speak and Braille Blazer. The Braille
'n Speak is a laptop Braille computer with speech output,
produced and distributed by Blazie Engineering. It can be cabled
to either a print or a Braille printer and costs $945. The
Braille Blazer, also manufactured and distributed by Blazie
Engineering, produces 10-15 Braille characters per second on 8-
1/2 by 11-inch paper only. It costs $1,695. 
     STATION 12: Eureka A4. This is a Braille laptop computer
with speech output, which can be cabled to a print or Braille
printer. It is manufactured by Robotron Australia and distributed
in this country by Enabling Technologies. Its cost is $2,595,
with additional cost for options.
     STATION 13: Creative Form and Sensory Quills. The Creative
Form is produced and distributed by American Thermoform
Corporation. It can produce a high or low relief impression on a
plastic sheet by use of heat. It costs $2,895 plus shipping. The
Sensory Quill produces a raised line on a plastic sheet and
enables one to make tactile drawings. It is an intriguing
instrument. There are two models of this machine at the National
Braille and Technology Center for the Blind, both procured in
1987. At that time the cost was $425 for the smaller (or
Personal) Sensory Quill and $795 for the larger (or
Institutional) model. At the time of this writing we do not know
whether this product is still manufactured or what its price is.
     This is an inventory of the items currently located at the
National Braille and Technology Center for the Blind, but very
soon there will be expansion and change. In fact, it is
contemplated that the Center will be in a constant state of
expansion and change. Already the Center is in the process of
adding Artic Technology's Business Vision and the Arkenstone
Reader, and other additions will be made in the immediate future.
It is the objective of the National Braille and Technology Center
for the Blind to have on display at all times at least one of
every currently produced computer-driven Braille-embossing
device, regardless of the cost and regardless of where the item
is manufactured. It is also the objective of the Center to have
on display as many speech communication devices as can be
secured. So far as is known, there is no other facility like this
one anywhere in the world. The National Braille and Technology
Center for the Blind should, in its own way, contribute to a
revolution in communications for the blind. It should allow
comparisons and contrasts which have never before been possible,
and it should bring the blind closer to full participation in
society and control of their own lives.
[PHOTO: Dick Edlund talks with a man while campaigning at a local
scenic park. CAPTION: Dick Edlund (right) successfully campaigns
for a seat in the Kansas legislature, and that means going to the
people.]

             DICK EDLUND ELECTED TO THE LEGISLATURE
                       by Kenneth Jernigan

                         State of Kansas
                     Certificate of Election

     I, BILL GRAVES, Secretary of State of the State of Kansas,
do hereby certify that at the General Election held on the 6th
day of November, A.D. 1990,

                    RICHARD J. (DICK) EDLUND

                was duly elected to the office of
                State Representative, District 33

for the regular term beginning on the second Monday of January,
A.D. 1991.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused
to be affixed my official seal, this 28th day of November A.D.
1990.

                                                      BILL GRAVES
                                               Secretary of State
                      ____________________
     The certificate was brief and the language formal, but the
drama which it symbolized was as significant and poignant as the
struggle of the blind for first-class citizenship and equal
status in society. This was the first time, so far as anyone
knows, that a blind person has been elected to membership in the
Kansas legislature, and one of the few times in any state
legislature anywhere in the country.
     Dick Edlund is, of course, no stranger to the blind of
America. He served as treasurer of the National Federation of the
Blind from 1974 to 1978 and as president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Kansas until October of 1990 when it
was certain that he would be going to the legislature. He has not
simply been a leader in name but also in action. In the seventies
and eighties he led the battle to organize the workers in
sheltered shops throughout the country, seeking better living
standards and the rights of collective bargaining. He traveled
tirelessly to help state affiliates of the Federation and do
trouble shooting; and he was (and continues to be) a source of
strength in the organized blind movement and at NFB conventions.
     The March, 1982, Braille Monitor said:

     Richard Edlund preaches Federationism every chance he gets--
as the newspapers of Kansas attest. In one article he is quoted
as saying: "Any loss of one of the body's senses is naturally
going to create a problem. But it is little more than that if a
person has some training and the right attitude." In another
interview he said: "We maintain that blind people can be just as
competitive as anyone else if they have the proper training. All
we're saying is give the blind the same chance as the sighted
person." Or at another point in that interview: "We've got to
change public attitudes. Today if a blind person is very
successful, he's labeled an exception in the blind community. If
the public would only give us a chance to prove ourselves, we
could make cases like this the accepted rule."

     Born in 1924, Edlund was blinded in his late teens as the
result of a blasting cap accident, and he soon learned to hold
his own and do his share. As he later told a reporter: "My
parents let me know that just because I was blind I wouldn't get
any special treatment. I had to get back to work and take my
place in the family." After high school Edlund wanted to become a
lawyer, but a counselor told him it would be impossible because
he was blind. Since that time he has had varied jobs--including
owning and managing an airport. He successfully took courses in
engine repair and has taught the skill to other blind persons. As
Federationists know, he owned and operated a hardware store for
many years, doing what independent hardware merchants do--cutting
glass, making keys, selling feed, and advising his customers.
     When he decided in early 1990 to run for the state
legislature, he was no stranger to politics. He had been a long-
time precinct leader in the Democratic party and was for years
the campaign manager for one of Kansas's leading legislators,
Fred Rosenau. Federationists will remember that Dick and his wife
Eileen brought Rosenau to one of the NFB national conventions
several years ago.
     Rosenau retired from the legislature in 1988 and was
succeeded by a Republican, Hank Turnbaugh, who was a popular
insurance man. So when Dick Edlund decided to run, he had to face
an incumbent--and before having the right to do that, he had to
win a primary against three other Democratic opponents. One of
these was a newspaper publisher; one was a fire chief at
Colegate; and the third was a real estate broker. Dick Edlund was
prepared to lay it on the line, to prove that a blind person can
be "just as competitive as anyone else."
     In the June 13, 1990, Record (the newspaper published by one
of his opponents) an article was carried announcing Edlund's
filing. It said:

     Richard J. "Dick" Edlund filed as a Democratic candidate for
State Representative from the 33rd Legislative District, June 5,
at the Secretary of State's office in Topeka.
     Edlund is currently the president of the National Federation
of the blind of Kansas, a position he has held since 1971. He is
a member of the Delaware Masonic Lodge No. 96, the Kansas State
Library Committee for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, an
Advisory Board member of the division of Services for the Blind,
and the Kansas Taxpayer's Coalition.
     He has served as a Democrat Precinct Committeeman for the
past 26 years in 9-8B.
     Edlund was the owner and operator of Edlund Hardware in
Muncie for 40 years until 1986. He also was the organizer of the
"Antique Aircraft Association." He owned and operated Edlund
Airport, a landing strip at 86th and Kaw Drive, until 1971.
     Edlund said he will work for sweeping tax reform in Kansas.
He said he will eliminate real estate and personal property tax
by broadening the sales tax base through elimination of "special
interest" exemptions. He also said he will work to find the $1.5
billion necessary to eliminate the property tax state-wide from
the $3.5 billion currently going uncollected.
     Edlund said he opposes any increase in the sales tax rate.

     The Kansas primary was held on Tuesday, August 7, and as
might have been expected, the contest heated up in the week
before election--but Edlund was doing all right. He was proving
that "a blind person can be as competitive as anybody else." The
August 2, 1990, Kansas City Star carried an article which said in
part: "The four Democrats vying for the chance to replace
Republican Hank Turnbaugh in the 33rd Kansas House District agree
that property tax relief is the biggest issue of the campaign.
Only one, however, voiced a plan for reducing property taxes."
     As Federationists would have guessed, the one candidate who
had a plan was Edlund--and as they also would have guessed, he
would manage to get the name of the National Federation of the
Blind prominently displayed. Here is how the Kansas City Star
article continued:
     "Richard J. (Dick) Edlund, 65, president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Kansas, said Wyandotte County and
about 10 other Kansas counties are dying. The economic sickness
will continue to spread unless strong medicine is administered,
he said. Edlund advocates abolishing all property taxes, which
contribute about $1.5 billion to the state budget. He said he
wold replace the lost revenue by removing some of the many sales
tax exemptions written into current tax laws. If all of the
exemptions were removed, $3.5 billion would be collected, he
said, `so somewhere there has got to be $1.5 billion.'"
     August 7 came, and Edlund beat his three opponents. Now, he
must face the incumbent, but first he had to face something else-
-something which might have been expected, the charge that
because he was blind he couldn't handle the job. Obviously the
incumbent was scared, so he appealed to superstition and
prejudice, to man's ancient fear of the dark. Here is how it was
reported in the October 4, 1990, Kansas City Star:

     Kansas Rep. Hank Turnbaugh of Kansas City, Kan., never
brings up his general election opponent's blindness in his
campaign for re-election. When asked about Dick Edlund, however,
the 33rd District Republican is candid:
     "I respect the man. I consider him a friend, but at the same
time there is the question of whether he'll be able to function
in that setting.
     "We see about a thousand bills, and it's very important to
read and study them. It would be very difficult for him,"
Turnbaugh said of Edlund, his 65-year-old Democratic foe.
     Edlund, who was blinded in a construction blasting accident
at age 19, said while his blindness may suggest problems in
coping with life, it is only a nuisance to him.
     "Blindness is inconvenient as hell, but it's not a tragedy,"
said the winner of last summer's four-candidate Democratic
primary race.
     Edlund's blind friends include an Alabama legislator, two
judges, several attorneys, and the president of a major
corporation, he said. He met most of them during his tenure as
treasurer of the National Federation of the Blind, an elective
volunteer office he held 14 years until 1988. He still is
president of the National Federation of the Blind of Kansas, and
has been since 1971.
     Edlund notes he has worked as a lobbyist and advocate for
the blind in the halls of government for many years, including
the Kansas Legislature and Congress.
     "I've spent so much time up there (Topeka), I probably know
25 percent of the legislators," Edlund said. "And I know the
procedure and the process."
     Edlund said he routinely tackles large volumes of printed
material by hiring "readers" to review documents and record the
highlights on tape.
     "With a well-trained reader, I can get through more stuff
than a guy who sits down and reads a whole document," he said.
     He takes notes in Braille and also uses a small tape
recorder. His wife of 20 years, Eileen, serves as his driver and
co-worker. Both are long-time party precinct committee members.

     So said Edlund's opponent in his desperation effort to ward
off defeat, but the people weren't buying it. We have come a long
way since the founding of the National Federation of the Blind in
1940, and our campaigns of public education have had their
effect. On election day in November Dick Edlund and the blind of
the nation were the winners. Here is how it was reported on
Wednesday, November 7, 1990, in the Kansas City Kansan:

                  Edlund Unseats Turnbaugh for
                     Only Legislative Change
               by John Carras, Kansan Staff Writer

     Hank Turnbaugh, a Republican elected to the Kansas House of
Representatives from Wyandotte County two years ago, was the only
incumbent state representative in the county to go down to defeat
in Tuesday's election.
     Turnbaugh, an insurance agent, lost big to Democrat Richard
Edlund, a blind man who formerly owned and operated a hardware
store here. Edlund won, 2,564 votes to 1,716 for the 33rd
district seat.
     Edlund, who snared 60 percent of the vote, said he
campaigned 18 hours a day but spent something less than
$5,000....

     This is how the newspaper reported it, and the election is
now behind us. At the time of this writing (early January, 1991)
Dick Edlund is preparing to take his seat in the Kansas
legislature and has been appointed to three prestigious
committees: Labor and Industry, Federal and State Affairs, and
Economic Development. For the second time in the twentieth
century the Democrats hold a majority in the Kansas House of
Representatives, so Edlund will be working from a position of
strength. This position will be further enhanced by the fact that
Kansas also elected a Democrat as governor last fall, one who is
a friend of Edlund.
     So where does all of this leave us? What does it mean to the
blind of the nation that Dick Edlund has been elected in Kansas?
In the first place it should be said that he will not be simply a
one-issue legislator. He was elected to represent all of the
people of his district, and that is exactly what he will do. He
will be a legislator for the people of Kansas--all of the people,
not just the blind. But when all of that is said, every blind
person in the nation will benefit from the fact that Dick Edlund
will be in the state capitol in Topeka this year.
     I have known Dick Edlund for almost twenty years, and I have
worked with him closely in a variety of situations. He knows the
political process, and he is a realist. He will do all right in
the legislature. (Anybody who can survive in the political give
and take of the Federation will do all right in any legislature.)
And ultimately (especially if we do not expect the unreasonable
and the impossible of him) he will play a deciding part in
determining the direction of programs for the blind in Kansas
during the next two years.
     There is something more: The election of this man at this
time has tremendous symbolic significance. It makes a statement
in tangible form about what the National Federation of the Blind
is and is becoming--about what we the blind are and are becoming.
We are moving with a mighty sweep toward first-class status and
full participation in society, and no force on earth can stay our
progress. Yes, it is true that Dick Edlund is simply one person
elected to one state office in one district--but the impact is
far greater than the event. The message goes out to every blind
person in the country; it goes to all who work with us and wish
us well; and it goes to those who do not.





                  OF SHAKESPEARE AND DOG GUIDES
                     by Dr. Elizabeth Browne

     Monitor readers with long memories will remember the name of
Dr. Elizabeth Browne (see the Braille Monitors for January, 1980
and February, 1981. Dr. Browne is a balanced, moderate, rational
woman; but woe betide the business person who is unwilling to
allow her dog guide entrance into a place of public
accommodation. Recently she wrote to the Braille Monitor to
recount the latest of her adventures. Though Dr. Browne is a
resident of Chicago, she and her husband went to Stratford,
Ontario, in the spring of 1990 for a short vacation. This is the
way she tells the story:

     "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in
ourselves, that we are underlings."
     Vacations for me are far more than lying about on a warm
beach and absorbing the lethal rays of sun. Vacations which
include the thrill of theater and stimulating discussion along
with the warm, sunny sands of a beach are what I long for.
     So early in the spring my husband and I, and dog guide
Candide, made plans for another trip to the Stratford Festival in
Canada to enjoy the drama and talks and to wander through the
charming, quiet town with its myriad of excellent restaurants and
antique shops. All was planned ahead. Accommodations reserved and
tickets purchased in advance, we drove north into Ontario.
     At the door of the quaint, picturesque motel we were
stopped, refused entrance despite our reservation, and abruptly
told that no dogs would be allowed. "No pets," the angry
proprietor snapped, and his equally outraged wife joined in with
her rendition of Canadian law: "No pets!"
     "Let me have men (motel owners) about me who are fat (who
know the law). Yon proprietor had a lean and hungry look!"
     What to do? A long drive from Chicago, tickets in hand, but
nowhere to stay.
     We retraced our steps to the Festival Information Center and
told our story. The sweet and friendly clerks were sympathetic
and, after having checked with all the local motels, hotels, and
inns, informed us that no place would allow the dog. "No pets,"
they said and felt very sad but finally placed us for one night
only in another motel.
     In the morning we began to check out local laws, and we
started making phone calls. Pilot Dog School in Columbus, Ohio,
read Ontario's law to me over the long distance line, while the
mayor's office attempted to mediate the unpleasant situation by
phoning the obdurate owner of the motel. Nothing doing.
     Next the director of Stratford Tourism was called in, and
she too attempted mediation with the motel owner, but all in
vain.
     Now a city attorney was phoned and advised us that there are
two laws on their books: the Blind Persons' Rights Act, enforced
by the local constabulary and magistrates, and a provincial law
about public accommodations. He suggested that we contact the
Human Rights Division in London, Ontario, to file a complaint,
which we did, but also advised that we could lay a charge before
the local magistrate, which we also said we were quite willing to
do.
     Our own version of the Berlin Wall was now firmly in place,
and from each side we dug in for battle. On one side the
intransigent motel owners; on the other, my husband, my dog
guide, and I.
     When they sensed that we were not about to be cajoled out of
our well-planned vacation, we were directed to the police station
to "lay a charge." The police were polite but seemed bewildered
as they deposited us to wait in an "interrogation room," frigidly
cold and windowless, perhaps in hopes that it would freeze us out
and we would take leave. We sat and shivered and waited.
     "There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the
flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries."
     Finally, a provincial officer arrived. I imagined I could
hear a military firmness as he marched into the cold room to
interrogate me about what exactly I wanted.
     "Simple; my accommodations, my vacation, my rights,
justice!" "Well," he said, "do you want to press charges? Are you
willing to return to Canada when this comes before the judge?"
"Absolutely!"  
"Follow me," he said, and off we went to the motel, following the
squad car and noting happy guests picnicking on the lawn, puzzled
about the new arrivals with their police escort.
     We were finally invited in to meet the suddenly complaisant
owners of the motel, who explained that it was all a
misunderstanding. If only we had told them what a dog guide was,
and so on and on we went as they attempted to save face.
     We moved in for the rest of our stay and received an
invitation from the City of Stratford to be wined and dined at
its most exclusive restaurant, The Old Prune, where we were
warmly welcomed and treated with the elegance and charm that this
delightful Shakespearian town offers.
     The motel owner did not charge us for one night's stay and
apologized for the inconvenience he had caused us.
     Oh yes, we are planning our next trip there this fall. (The
following is a copy of the thank you-note I sent to acknowledge
their official concern and apology.)
Barbara Quarry, Department of Tourism
August 27, 1990
The Stratford Festival
Stratford, Ontario, Canada
     Thank you once again for making our Stratford trip a
delightful and enriching experience. The theater was excellent,
the dining splendid, and the accommodations most suitable and
even charming.
     But, most of all, thank you for helping tear down the walls
of misunderstanding and unfriendliness and restoring hospitality
and dignity to a regrettable situation.
     Please convey my sincerest gratitude to all those who were
concerned and helpful: our host at the Swan, Judy Purcell at the
Mayor's Office, Gerry Cullerton for clarifying the legal
situation, Officer William Kreps of Sebringville, and most
especially to the Old Prune and its charming hostess and its
sumptuously delicious and artistically presented fare.
     It was an experience we shall long remember and frequently
share with friends.
     Looking forward to our next Stratford trip, hopefully this
fall.
                              Sincerely yours,
                              Dr. Elizabeth Browne


[PHOTO/CAPTION: Portrait of Donna Maglin.]

               UNUSUAL HOBBY: FEDERATIONISTS HAVE
                   AS MUCH DIVERSITY AS OTHERS

     From the Editor: We have often said that the members of the
National Federation of the Blind are a cross section of society,
having as much diversity and difference as the rest of the
population. There was a time when the blind, like other repressed
minorities, were constrained to fit a single stereotype--but no
more! If you need evidence, we think we can give it to you in
this article.
     Donna Maglin is a long-time member of the Federation--
steady, working for a living, minding her own business, and as
normal as the next person. But she has an unusual hobby, one
about which your editor had no knowledge until he received the
following letter:

Concord, New Hampshire
October 4, 1990

Dear Dr. Jernigan:
     I am enclosing a copy of the article that appeared in last
Monday's Wall Street Journal regarding a rat and mouse show in
which I participated as a member of Northeast Rat and Mouse Club,
International. I was not specifically mentioned in the article,
but my rat, Pudgy, who was mentioned, took second place in pet
class.
     One of the purposes of the Northeast Rat and Mouse Club,
International, is to promote rats and mice as pets. Any blind
person who joins NRMCI will, if he or she requests, receive our
club newsletters on cassette. The club member who reads the
newsletter does an excellent job, describes all pictures, and
reads everything, including the ads. We currently have two
chapters, one located in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan
area, and one for people living in New England, although we have
members all over the country and expect that more chapters will
be formed. Even if distance keeps one from participation in any
club activities, the newsletter alone is worth the $15 annual
dues.
     For further information contact Liz Fucci, President, NRMCI,
275 Spring Street, Ossining, New York 10562; telephone (914) 762-
6299.

Sincerely,
Donna Maglin
                      ____________________
     When I read that letter from Donna, my curiosity was piqued,
so I read the Wall Street Journal article. I think it is worth
sharing with Monitor readers. As you read it, keep in mind that
most members of the Rat and Mouse Club are sighted, that the Club
does not discriminate against the blind, that Club publications
are made available to the blind in an accessible form, and that
blind persons vary as widely in their tastes and hobbies as
sighted people do. More power to Donna Maglin and her show rat
Pudgy, and congratulations to Pudgy on his second-place award.
Here is the Wall Street Journal article:

                     THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
                         October 1, 1990

                     What's Not to Love In a
                Long Pink Tail And Big Red Eyes?
                              * * *
                    Finest Rats on East Coast
                      Line Up to Be Judged;
                     And the Winners Are...

                         by Ellen Graham

     BLOOMFIELD, N.J.--Groomed, and powdered, their whiskers
aquiver with excitement, some of the finest rats on the East
Coast line up on the judging bench, awaiting what may be the
pinnacle of their show careers.
     A back yard in the New Jersey suburbs may be a far cry from
Madison Square Garden, but then, this isn't the Westminster
Kennel Club.
     It's the fall show sponsored by the Northeast Rat and Mouse
Club, a group beguiled by the rodents that most people love to
loathe. Rat fanciers, especially, confess that until they found
the club, theirs was a lonely and more or less secret passion.
"We kind of soft-pedaled it because we didn't want to be pegged
as kooks," says Elizabeth Fucci, club president.

So Easy to Love

     Ms. Fucci, a peppy brunette who keeps 125 rats and 50 mice
in her three-room apartment in Ossining, N.Y., is an ardent rat
booster. As pets, she explains, they are both loving and low-
maintenance. "Rats greet you, they interact, they try to please,"
she says. "They are as close to a dog as you're going to get in a
rodent."
     Ms. Fucci, who has thinned her colony from an earlier peak
of 700 rats and 500 mice, has few illusions about the magnitude
of the rat's public relations problem. Still, club members
believe that as the rat comes into its own on the show bench, the
scorn heaped upon animal and owner alike should diminish. Says
Bob Rizzie, the host today: "Shows take the rat out of the sewer
and make it respectable."
     Fancy rats--the purebred cousins of the wild rats that
scurry along alleyways and lunch in garbage cans--have been bred
and shown in England for almost a century. Shows in this country
began about 20 years ago in Southern California. In 1988, Ms.
Fucci and four other fanciers started the Northeast Rat and Mouse
Club. Today, it has about 100 members, divided about evenly
between "ratters" and "mousers," as they sometimes call
themselves.
     The 38 rats being  exhibited in Bob Rizzie's backyard are
all Norway rats. Rarer breeds, such as Rattus rattus, or the roof
rat, and the African giant pouched rat, aren't represented today.
     These "fancies" come in a dizzying array of colors and coat
types. Besides the common smooth-coated variety, there are
velours, whose coats have the texture of crushed velour; curly-
coated Rexes; and hairless Sphynxes. As for color, the club's
hefty official rule book lists no less than 22 shades, including
apricot and lilac. Marked varieties may be hooded, blazed,
striped, spotted, masked, or "potpourri."
     Once classified, animals are scrutinized for conformation to
strict standards. Rats must have full tails--equal to or greater
than the body in length; points are deducted for missing tips.
Overlong teeth are faulted. Eyes--black, pink, or ruby red--must
be large but not bulging; whiskers should be straight and long--
except in varieties requiring short, curly ones.
     Temperament is crucial, too. Here the rule book is crystal
clear: "Any rat which bites any judge shall be eliminated."
Judges nuzzle the animals to assess their sociability, and sniff
their fur for "off" odors, another serious fault. "Rats have a
sweet natural odor" that smells like sandalwood, says Ms. Fucci.
"If you wore it, people would flock to you."
     But this show isn't just for the body beautiful. Some rats
are entered in the more democratic "pet" class, an event designed
to encourage adoption of defective animals that might otherwise
wind up as snake food--the dread fate to which pet stores consign
culls. Today's entrants include Ms. Fucci's Weebee, a young male
with a wry neck, and Pudgy, a rat born without eyes.
     "This is horrible--I hate doing pets," mutters judge Roxanne
Fitzgerald, a teacher from Los Angeles who is flustered by the
lack of firm standards in this category. "When you see a little
face like that looking up, how can you eliminate it?" After much
stewing, she awards top honors to "Dr. Eric Joshua III," whom she
pronounces a "nice big buck rat--very responsive."
     Judging of the main event--rat standards--proceeds after a
tense moment in which the judges search frantically for a missing
rat belonging to Ms. Fucci. It turns out that the rat, Fuzzy
Britches, was disqualified at the door when he began wheezing.
"Just a stress reaction," Ms. Fucci shrugs. "This happens."
     One by one, rats are eliminated--this one for skittishness,
that one for obesity. Judge Gina Loiacono gives the top prize to
Suki, a black and white hooded doe, whom she holds by the tail,
inspecting its underbelly. "No spots on the groin--that's good,"
someone remarks.
     Suki's owner, Eileen Brown of Trevose, Pa., has 25 rats. "I
like their temperament--so gentle," she says, kissing Suki on the
nose. Her husband isn't as smitten, but Mrs. Brown says he tells
her, "If it keeps you sane, go ahead."
     To break the tension of the day-long affair, rat races are
held during lunch. Bob Rizzie has constructed a wooden track
complete with a sliding starting gate. Grouped in heats, the
contenders run down the track, coaxed along by their owners,
known as "jockeys."
     The two-dozen spectators cheer as Mr. Rizzie's rat Molly and
Ms. Fucci's Weebee compete in the final heat. It's no contest.
Molly dawdles at the gate, while Weebee--after a detour to gnaw
on a wooden strut--sprints across the finish line.
     "He was born to it," Ms. Fucci crows, clutching Weebee's
golden, winged trophy. She says that Weebee has been in training
for months, tirelessly running laps on her bed, where he sleeps.
     The much-awaited "Best in Show" event, judged by Ms. Fucci,
pits the top rat--Mrs. Brown's Suki--against three mice: winners
of the English mouse, American mouse, and Egyptian spiny mouse
categories. The trophy goes to Harlequin, a black satin roan
mouse owned by Wanda Wilson of New Cumberland, Pa. "He epitomizes
the American standard," Ms. Fucci declares, as Harlequin perches
atop its 18-inch trophy. Suki places second.
     Today's show, all agree, is a model of efficiency and
decorum compared with previous events, which were somewhat
fractious affairs plagued by delays, rule disputes and, in at
least one instance, a narrow brush with flying fur. A TV crew
completely disrupted one show, Ms. Fucci recalls indignantly, by
trying to "stage a showdown between a neighborhood cat and an
exhibitor's beloved pet rat."
     Club members grow weary of defending their hobby. Wanda
Wilson, whose article, "I'm OK, You're OK," appeared recently in
the club's bimonthly journal, writes of her relief at finding
kindred spirits in the club who are "so reassuringly sane" and
who don't bore her, as other friends do, with chatter about
baseball scores, star charts, and high-fiber diets.
     After all, baseball scores don't come when called (rats
respond to their names) or have endearing, humanlike ways. Ms.
Fucci is charmed by the way her domesticated rats wet their hands
in their water bottles, carefully shake off the excess, and wash
their faces.
     Yet, humans tend to fear the rat, and club members offer
lots of theories that address this. Some trace it to the plagues
of the Middle Ages, and the wild rat's reputation for spreading
disease. Others think it all boils down to the animal's long,
hairless tail. For Bob Rizzie, it's the name itself. "Just the
word turns people off," he says.
     Not much help are lurid newspaper accounts of jumbo "killer"
rats stalking the subways. But club members are quick to draw a
distinction between their pampered pets and rats in the wild.
"Wild rats probably deserve the bad rap they get," concedes Ms.
Loiacono, a Manhattan artist. "It's like the difference between a
pet dog and a wild dog."
     Even Liz Fucci, who spends eight hours a week cleaning out
62 cages of rats and mice, wouldn't tolerate an invasion of her
home by a street-wise rodent. "I'd have no qualms about
[trapping] it," she says. "A sewer rat is an absolute no-no--you
don't know where it's been. I'd have to protect my own colonies
from disease, even if it meant killing a wild rat to do it."


                      THIS IS HOW WE WORK:
                 A RESOLUTION FROM WEST VIRGINIA

                National Federation of the Blind
                        of West Virginia
                        Resolution 90-01

     WHEREAS, one of the chief purposes of the National
Federation of the Blind (NFB) is to support equal employment
opportunities for blind persons; and
     WHEREAS, for many years blind persons have been employed as
long-distance telephone operators, utilizing various forms of
adaptive technology to perform their job duties as well as their
sighted colleagues; and
     WHEREAS, in early 1989 two blind persons, James Olive and
Vicki Smith, who were employed as long-distance operators at the
Charleston office of AT&T Corporation, were notified that the
company planned to install new computerized switchboard equipment
which, the company said, could not be modified for use by a blind
person; and
     WHEREAS, the installation of such equipment, the company
said, would result in the downgrade or possible loss of
employment for the two blind operators; and
     WHEREAS, both the National Federation of the Blind of West
Virginia (NFBWV) and Local 2001 of the Communication Workers of
America (CWA) offered support to Olive and Smith in an effort to
preserve their jobs; and
     WHEREAS, this support led to a series of meetings involving
the workers themselves, along with representatives of AT&T, CWA,
and the NFBWV, aimed at discovering technological solutions to
the problem facing the blind workers; and
     WHEREAS, both the company and union representatives involved
in these discussions displayed a genuine eagerness to do whatever
was necessary to assist Olive and Smith in retaining their level
of employment; and
     WHEREAS, through its nationwide network of blind persons,
the Federation was able to help the company and the workers to
identify and evaluate various technological options and
ultimately to discover systems which enabled Olive and Smith to
continue to perform their respective jobs in an efficient and
competitive manner; and
     WHEREAS, this type of cooperative discussion is an excellent
example of the kind of creative problem-solving which leads to
productive and secure employment for blind persons: Now,
therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of
West Virginia, in annual convention assembled this fourth day of
August, 1990, in the city of Lewisburg, West Virginia, that this
organization commend both AT&T Corporation and the Communication
Workers of America for their positive attitudes toward the
equality and employment potential of blind persons and for the
spirit of cooperation which characterized their participation in
the discussions which secured competitive employment for James
Olive and Vicki Smith; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this positive problem-solving
scenario serve as a model for future efforts to secure employment
for qualified blind persons; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be
sent to appropriate officials of AT&T and CWA and to the
president and executive director of the National Federation of
the Blind.










                 ******************************

     If you or a friend would like to remember the National
Federation of the Blind in your will, you can do so by employing
the following language:

     "I give, devise, and bequeath unto National Federation of
the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230, a
District of Columbia nonprofit corporation, the sum of $_____ (or
"_____ percent of my net estate" or "The following stocks and
bonds: _____") to be used for its worthy purposes on behalf of
blind persons."

                 ******************************

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Greg Hanson, one of the leaders of the National
Federation of the Blind of Iowa, demonstrates self-defense
techniques to Dale Cochran, Iowa's Secretary of Agriculture. Mr.
Cochran, a Democrat, served for many years as majority leader in
the Iowa House of Representatives and worked closely with Dr.
Jernigan when Dr. Jernigan was Director of the Iowa Commission
for the Blind. Mr. Cochran has always been a friend and supporter
of the blind and constructive programs for the blind. The picture
was taken January 16, 1991, at the annual Information Fair of the
National Federation of the Blind of Iowa in Des Moines.]


              FEDERATIONIST EXCELS AT MARTIAL ARTS

     From the Associate Editor: The following story, written by
Debbie Hare, appeared in The Daily Iowan in Iowa City, Iowa, on
July 24, 1990. Greg Hanson is the Vice President of the Five
Seasons Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa
and a man who practices his Federation philosophy. In late
November, 1990, he will attempt to earn his temporary black belt
in tae kwon do. It is highly characteristic of Greg, however,
that he has not limited his interest in the martial arts to his
personal gratification. Instead he has designed and taught
community classes for others who need to learn self defense. Here
is what the Daily Iowan had to say: 

     UI student Greg Hanson doesn't let blindness slow him down.
     Hanson, who lost his sight to diabetes seven years ago, is
involved in several community and university activities in which
he incorporates his firsthand interest in rights and independence
for blind people.
     Hanson transferred to the University of Iowa in June, 1989,
after attending Briar Cliff College in Sioux City and
Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa.
     Hanson designed his own interdisciplinary honors major in
public relations at the University of Iowa. His honors thesis is
called "Attitudes and Behavioral Norms of the Sighted Public
Toward Organizations and Agencies for the Blind."
     After receiving his degree next spring, Hanson plans to
enter a graduate program at the UI and eventually work in public
relations and fund-raising for a social group or agency.
     Dan Berkowitz, UI assistant journalism professor and one of
Hanson's major advisers, said Hanson is the first blind student
he has worked with.
     "Greg is very purposive in what he does," said Berkowitz. "I
see him as being rather successful."
     Hanson is now gathering research on impressions and
misconceptions sighted people have of blind people.
     "I've lived in both worlds," Hanson said. "I know the
attitudes of the sighted world about blindness."
     Hanson's wife Sue said many people seem to think he is deaf
and dumb as well as blind. People often raise their voices,
assuming Hanson is hard of hearing, and often defer questions to
her instead of talking to Hanson directly, she said.
     Among his other achievements, Hanson is also vice president
of the local chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. He
said he works with the NFB because it focuses on blind people
helping themselves and being independent, as well as educating
the public about blindness.
     Hanson is currently designing a self-defense course for
blind people. He said there have been several muggings of blind
people in Des Moines.
     The response to these crimes by the sighted public is often
that blind people shouldn't be out alone at night, he said, and
added that kind of attitude is counterproductive to blind people
achieving independence.
     Hanson also teaches a self-defense course in his
neighborhood for women and children, and he trains in tae kwon
do.
     Hanson became interested in martial arts in 1985 for
exercise and to work on his balance, control, and agility. But he
was repeatedly turned away from martial arts classes because
instructors wouldn't teach a blind person.
     He finally found a tae kwon do instructor who would work
with him in Sioux City. After moving to Iowa City, he began
training at Choe's Tae Kwon Do, 224 Stevens Drive.
     Since Hanson can't see the instructor demonstrating styles
and techniques at the front of the class, he said it takes a
little more effort and modification. The instructor has to put
Hanson's body in position initially for him to learn new
techniques.
     When he is sparring with opponents, they must yell before
hitting or kicking him, and he has adapted a beeper for them to
wear so he can track their location. Someone must tap the wood
when he is breaking boards so he can locate the target.
     Hanson said his tae kwon do class has accepted him, and he
is expected to master the same techniques and styles as everyone
else. But Hanson said he has had to fight discrimination at
tournaments, where only black belts agreed to spar with him
because the others were afraid Hanson would hurt them.
     "I've never hurt anyone yet," said Hanson.
     He said he has the disadvantage when his opponents are
hitting or kicking because he can't see where it's coming from. 
On the other hand, Hanson said, he has an advantage with spin
kicks. Usually people have to turn their heads to spot their
opponents before kicking, but Hanson can spin kick simply by
sound.
     Last Saturday Hanson tested for a black tip on his red belt,
only two levels away from a black belt. He will find out soon
whether he has advanced.
     In Hanson's spare time, he and his wife run a mobile music
service called Dancin' in the Dark. She runs the lights and
Hanson is the disc jockey.


                    THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING

     From the Associate Editor: One of the most satisfying
aspects of watching the years roll by as a member of this
movement is observing the growth and maturation in people who
have joined the organization more recently. As a member of the
Scholarship Committee in 1985, I was assigned the task of
notifying Ken Silberman, an astronomy major at the University of
Pennsylvania, that he was one of that year's winners. His file
was impressive. In addition to his academic work in a field which
I could not fathom, he indicated that he had been a member of a
volunteer fire department and had done scuba diving. 
     We talked at length by telephone several times that spring,
and I came to understand that Ken, like so many others, was doing
some remarkable things, but he had no real self-confidence as a
blind person. He could not use Braille. He did not travel
effectively or confidently with a cane. His alternative
techniques for completing his mathematical and scientific work
were inefficient and cobbled-together. In short, I did not hold
out much hope for his future despite his impressive academic
record. 
     I am learning, however, that one should never underestimate
the power of the Federation's impact on a person of character and
determination. Ken looked around that summer at the first truly
competent blind people he had ever seen and decided that he
wanted what they had. He took himself off to a rehabilitation
program in which he really could master Braille and the use of
the white cane. He earned a master's degree from Cornell in
aerospace engineering, and he began looking for a job. He found
one in data base management at the Naval Ship Systems Engineering
Station in Philadelphia. But he has continued to nose around for
something that would lead more directly toward aerospace program
management.  Meanwhile, he began working as a Job Opportunities
for the Blind volunteer in Pennsylvania, which helped him to hone
his own skills in job-hunting. Now it is all paying off. Here is
a letter which explains what has happened and puts it all in
perspective: 

September 18,  1990
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dear President Maurer: 
     It has often been said that change is the only true
constant. I guess this is so. At any rate, I'm not doing anything
to disprove this philosophy. On 21 October, I shall be starting
work at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in the Space Data and
Computing Division.
     My job will involve researching and interpreting data from
the archives in response to the queries of astronomers. The data
from all American (and some foreign) space missions is stored in
these archives. It's time to put some of my undergraduate
training to work.
     It's not exactly what I want, but it gets my foot in the
door. I had hoped to get into the space program from the military
side. Oh well, there's more than one way to skin a cat. I hope to
move into management. (Based on my experience in government, this
is an area where my talents are desperately needed.)  I plan to
do a superior job, to learn what opportunities are available or
can be made, and to use some political finesse to make helpful
allies. Who knows? With a lot of hard work and a little luck, I
might get to fly. After all, when the space station becomes a
reality, they're going to need a lot of disciplines, not just
fliers. I know this is a lot of dreaming. But, if you don't shoot
for a target, you won't ever hit it.
     A lot has happened since my first NFB national convention in
Louisville. I've gone from being a mess to being one of the best
in 5 years. Back then, I didn't believe that a blind person could
do very much. However, after being touched by the Federation and
its leaders that summer, I could only conclude that Ken Silberman
couldn't do very much. And I was not prepared to be content with
that. There was only one thing to do--get off my backside and get
to work. Well, this job is the result. Not bad, eh?  
     As I close this letter, I am struck by the fact that I could
not have achieved any more if I had been sighted. Of course, it
would have been much easier if I had not had to overcome the
handicap of the professionals who did their best to set up road-
blocks in front of me. But, with the help of the Federation, I
have done it. The proof of the pudding is in the tasting. I've
earned this job. I deserve it. And I've got it!

Sincerely yours,
Ken Silberman



[PHOTO: Portrait of Colleen Roth. CAPTION: Colleen Roth,
Federationist from Ohio.]

          COLLEEN ROTH SEES TO IT IT'S A HAPPIER WORLD
                          by Tom Ensign

     From the Associate Editor: Like most of us, Colleen Roth has
many responsibilities. She is a wife and mother of a multiply
handicapped daughter, who requires a great deal of attention and
supervision. But also like many others in the National Federation
of the Blind, Colleen refuses to limit herself to her personal
life and responsibilities. She finds time to do lots of things in
her community, and her community stretches across the nation. In
the April, 1990 Braille Monitor we carried a Monitor Miniature
announcing that she had been chosen as a Jefferson Award winner
in the Toledo, Ohio, area. Subsequently she was invited to
Washington, D.C. as one of seventy winners from across the
country to compete for the national award. On Thursday, May 21,
the Toledo Blade ran a story written by Tom Ensign about Colleen
Roth and her many activities. Here is what it had to say:

     Colleen Roth spends a lot of time helping people less
fortunate than herself.
     She also spends a lot of time helping people more fortunate
than herself.
     In fact, Colleen Roth spends a lot of time helping just
about anyone who needs it, and she dearly loves her work.
     She must. Here's a quick rundown on just some of her
volunteer activities:
     - Chairman of the committee on the multi-handicapped blind
of the National Federation of the Blind.
     - First vice president of the Parents of Blind Children
Division in Ohio.
     - First vice president of the Toledo Federation of the
Blind.
     - President of Association for Retarded Citizens in Wood
County.
     - A volunteer with Family First (a support group for parents
with children with disabilities).
     - A surrogate parent who acts as advocate for children with
disabilities who live in foster homes or institutional settings
and don't have parents to speak for them.
     - A volunteer reader for the Sight Center Audio Network.
     - A licensed respite-care provider (a specialized
baby-sitting service to children with disabilities) in Wood and
Lucas Counties.
     The list goes on, and while her activities are impressive,
they are particularly astounding when you consider that Mrs. Roth
is blind.
     Not only that, her husband Dudley is also legally blind, and
their adopted daughter Karen is legally blind and profoundly
retarded.
     That would seem enough to keep anyone busy, but these are
not handicaps to Mrs. Roth. In fact, she's not too fond of the
work "handicap."
     "I use the word "disability," she says. "We're only
handicapped by our attitudes and those of society. My blindness
is a disability, but it is not a handicap."
     Mrs. Roth has met and overcome some severe adversities in
her 38 years. She was born a premature twin. Six days later her
sister died, and Colleen was in an incubator three months. It was
during this time that she became totally blind.
     She was reared in Toledo by her grandmother and was educated
in Catholic schools. She graduated from Ursuline Academy and
Bowling Green State University.
     As she was growing up, she had a fervent interest in helping
people and became involved in volunteer work. She married and had
a daughter Monica, who was visually impaired and mentally
retarded. Two years ago, when she was 6, Monica was killed in a
bus accident.
     "I've never had a feeling of helplessness that has to do
with blindness," Mrs. Roth says. "I had a feeling of helplessness
when my daughter died."
     Many might have withdrawn into depression and self-pity, but
Mrs. Roth didn't have the inclination or the time.
     Last June Karen came to live with the Roths, and in February
they legally adopted the 19-year-old girl. She has provided a
light that was dimmed with Monica's death.
     Karen needs total care, and Mrs. Roth fits that in with all
the rest of her activities.
     Mrs. Roth is quick to praise people who help her out so she
can go out and help others, and she has special thanks for her
friend, Mary Lou Andaverde.
     "I wouldn't be able to do all the things I do without Mary
Lou. She reads and drives for me. There are lots of mailings,
lots of trips to the post office. She reads the letters to me and
just puts in so many hours. She's really an exceptional woman. I
have a lot of material to send out to people, and she does so
much. I can type, but I avoid it when I can because I have
rheumatoid arthritis, and it causes problems with my hands.
     "There are a lot of people who help me in so many ways; you
wouldn't believe it. Sometimes I feel guilty because if it wasn't
for all the people in my life who do things so that I can
volunteer, I couldn't do it."
     She has a feisty spirit and says what she thinks whether
it's popular or not. For instance, she does not believe in
mainstreaming. "I believe that sometimes a mainstream setting is
actually more restrictive. If the services that a person needs
are not available in a mainstream setting, and the teacher and
other people in that setting object to it, you're not going to
get good feedback.
     "There are many who would disagree with that, but I can tell
you from my own experience that it can be very painful being
where you are not wanted."
     There are certainly many areas where she is wanted, and her
volunteer efforts were recognized recently when she was one of
five Toledo-area residents who won a Jefferson Award for public
service.
     The local competition was sponsored by WTVG, Toledo Channel
13. She then was nominated for the national competition and was
in Washington, D.C. Tuesday and yesterday for the ceremonies.
     She didn't win the national honors, but it really wasn't too
important to her.
     "I believe everyone should find something to do for someone
else in this world," she says. "Everybody has some talent, and it
can be as simple as going over and checking on an elderly
neighbor. Everybody has something to contribute, and if more
people contributed and reached out to other people in the world,
we'd have a happier world to live in."
     There's little doubt that Mrs. Roth will be continually
striving to make our world a better place, even if it's sometimes
difficult to see the beauty.
     With her, love is blind.

[PHOTO: Arthur Schreiber standing at microphone. CAPTION: Arthur
Schreiber.]
                      ART SCHREIBER HONORED

     As Monitor readers know, Arthur Schreiber is one of the
leaders of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico;
but because of his unassuming demeanor, many of his other
accomplishments are not so well known. For many years he has been
one of the leaders of the radio broadcasting industry in this
country, and he has also made substantial contributions to the
civic betterment of any community where he has lived.
     On November 15, 1990, Mr. Schreiber was honored by the
American Lung Association. In a letter about the event Fred
Schroeder, NFB Board Member and Director of the New Mexico
Commission for the Blind, said:

     On Thursday, November 15, 1990, Arthur A. Schreiber was
honored by the American Lung Association as the recipient of its
National Gold Medallion for Humanitarianism Award. Arthur is only
the seventh individual in the nation to be honored in this way.
     Arthur's contributions to the community at large, and in
particular his support of the National Federation of the Blind,
have done much to promote positive attitudes toward blindness.
Arthur's stature as a community leader and successful business
person are living testimony to the belief that blind people can
lead normal lives, as fully participating members of society.
     The National Gold Medallion for Humanitarianism Award was
presented to Arthur during the annual Lung Association banquet in
Albuquerque. Bruce Williams, a notable talk show host from NBC's
"Talknet" was the evening's featured speaker. New Mexico's civic
leaders, including Congressman Steve Schiff and Lt. Governor Jack
Stahl, were present at the banquet to pay tribute to Arthur, and
to honor him for his numerous contributions to the community.
     As you will see from the enclosed banquet program, Arthur is
committed to furthering the work of the National Federation of
the Blind and uses every opportunity to promote a positive
attitude toward blindness.

     The banquet program booklet to which Fred Schroeder refers
says:

                       Arthur A. Schreiber

     In 1981 Arthur A. Schreiber moved to Albuquerque, New
Mexico, to become the new General Manager of KOB Radio. Neither
he nor the Land of Enchantment has been the same since.
     A long-time radio man, Art knew the value and responsibility
of being a part of the community he lived in and, of course, he
immediately became immersed in the professional and public
activities of his new city.
     It was less than a year later that his life completely
changed. As Art says, "The lights went out." He became blind. Few
of his new friends knew that Schreiber had lost the sight in one
eye many years before due to a torn and detached retina. Suddenly
the same condition blinded the other eye. After seven months of
surgery and special training, Schreiber was back in Albuquerque
with a promotion to general manager of both the AM and FM
stations. He had very little vision but he had a new insight and
a banner to carry. He knew the problems of people with handicaps
and he was determined that others would hear.
     Mr. Schreiber brings a unique perspective to the position of
radio station general manager for he is one of the few in the
business who has done it all in radio news: reporter, news
director, national and then White House correspondent, and bureau
chief.
     During his news career, he covered many of the significant
and historical events that made the sixties a decade to be
remembered... events such as manned spaced flight, national
political conventions, civil rights, and the first United States
tour of the Beatles.
     But Art Schreiber has never forgotten the thrill of getting
his first full-time radio job at WHIZ in Zanesville, Ohio. It was
a station where he could learn to do everything, and he soon
learned so well that he moved to Cleveland as a news director and
17 years with Westinghouse Broadcasting Company.
     During that time he served as national political
correspondent covering the campaign of John F. Kennedy. Later he
covered President Kennedy's funeral. Throughout the sixties he
was at every major civil rights disturbance in the United States,
including the Watts riots in Los Angeles. He traveled with Dr.
Martin Luther King and was on the Selma to Montgomery march.
     In 1964 Art Schreiber was one of five news people who
traveled with the Beatles on their first cross-country tour of
the United States. He was with them for five weeks, hitting 27
cities in 31 days. During the many night-long Monopoly games he
played with John Lennon, a strong friendship was formed that
continued until Lennon's death in 1980. He also lost a few shirts
and ties as the Beatles' adoring fans would literally rip off
souvenirs from anyone in the Fab Four's entourage. Looking back,
Schreiber describes it as his most difficult but exciting
assignment.
     His other Westinghouse duties were equally frenetic as he
was tapped to be the White House correspondent during the L.B.
Johnson years and asked also to establish bureaus in Madrid, Tel
Aviv, Bonn, Saigon and Hong Kong.
     After he moved into management, Schreiber's resume reads
like the list of top news stations in the country. He managed
stations in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and St.
Paul before moving to Albuquerque. KOB was not in a success
pattern when Schreiber took over. He has led the stations to the
top in the market, and KOB is recognized as the most listened-to
station in New Mexico.
     At one point in the 70s he left radio and took a new
challenge. When gas was in short supply and lines were long,
Schreiber was living in Los Angeles, the single-car driving
capital of the United States. One day while waiting in a three-
hour gas line he decided that something could and must be done
and came up with the idea of Commuter Computer. With the help of
Mayor Bradley of Los Angeles, the county of los Angeles, and Arco
Oil and Gas it became the first non-profit cooperation between
business, industry, and the private sector and one of the first
ride pools in the country. The program grew from 100 riders a
month when it began in 1972 to over 25,000 a month when he went
back in 1977.
     Art Schreiber has become a champion of the blind and will
not accept a speaking engagement without the understanding that
he may educate his audiences briefly on the problems the blind
experience. He is Chairman of the New Mexico Commission for the
Blind and on the Board of the New Mexico Federation of the Blind
which has given him their "President's Award" honor. Recently,
due to Schreiber and the Commission's work, New Mexico has become
the third state in the country to start a "talking newspaper" by
which blind people can dial on their phones certain sections of
an Albuquerque newspaper and hear the news or sports or even the
grocery ads or comics firsthand.
     There are few professional or community boards that Art
Schreiber has not been a member of. He is past president of the
New Mexico Broadcasters Association, President of the Albuquerque
Press Club, and is currently a member of the Second Judicial
District Judges' Nomination Commission, the Coalition for
Children, and the American Lung Association among others.
     With his encouragement, KOB Radio has sponsored several
American Lung Association fundraising activities: The Million
Dollar Hole in One, The Ski Privilege Card, and the Bike Trek
through northern New Mexico. He himself is working on the
Association's major gift campaign.
     Arthur A. Schreiber is truly a friend of non-profit
agencies, a person who understands their needs and is always
there with a warm and welcome smile and an outstretched helping
hand.
     His many awards include the prestigious Dupont award from
the Columbia School of Journalism and the Broadcast Pioneer's
"Golden Mike" award.

     This is what the banquet booklet program said, and November
15, 1990, was truly a day to remember, not only for Art Schreiber
but also for all of the blind of New Mexico. Earlier that day
broadcaster Tim Gallagher aired the following editorial:

                 Art Schreiber--One of our Best

     It is rare when people gather to honor one of the
community's "good people."
     Such an event takes place tonight when Art Schreiber, KOB-AM
and KOB-FM radio vice president and general manager, receives the
National Gold Medallion for Humanitarianism Award. The award is
made by the New Mexico chapter of the American Lung Association
in recognition of Schreiber's many community efforts.
     And that list is long. His latest coup is arranging for the
reading of the Albuquerque Journal news articles over the
telephone to blind people. But Schreiber's contributions only
start there.
     Find a worthy cause in Albuquerque and you'll find his radio
station's name attached. Blankets for the needy. Clothes for poor
school children. Shelters for the homeless.
     Cynics might argue that most of the community efforts are
designed only to raise the radio stations' profiles and attract
more advertisers. And while that might be true for the bottom-
line bean-counters at corporate headquarters, it is the
antithesis of what drives a good person such as Art Schreiber.
     We remember one private party thrown by former Mayor Ken
Schultz who was touting the mayor's annual charity ball--a swanky
affair that raised money for worthy causes. Art suggested the
hosts serve bean soup and bread to the guests so they had a
little taste of what it was like to be needy. For some reason
that suggestion fell on deaf ears.
     His other ideas have been more successful. It is great to
see his efforts recognized.

[PHOTO: Karen Ortega and others in front of Tucson library during
dedication of book. CAPTION: In front of the new Tucson, Arizona,
City Library (left to right): Thomas Garcia, Tucson public
librarian; Carol Zimmerman, Executive Aide to Mayor of Tucson;
Karen Ortega, member of the NFB Distribution of Publications
Committee; and Lee Kerr, President of the Tucson Chapter of the
NFB of Arizona.]

                     WITH PRIDE WE DEDICATE
                        by Karen Ortega 

     From the Associate Editor: Karen Ortega is the president of
the National Federation of the Blind of Tucson and is Arizona's
appointee to the NFB Distribution of Publications Committee. She
takes her responsibilities seriously, and her chapter is prepared
to work hard alongside her. All of us can benefit from Tucson's
example. Our book, Walking Alone and Marching Together, is a
valuable resource that should be in every library and university
in this country. Each state affiliate and local chapter can help
the blind everywhere by making a New Year's resolution to work
energetically to spread the word about the book to those who have
responsibility for building book collections in every community.
Sometimes (as in the case described here) it is appropriate to
present a copy of the book. But mostly we need to let book buyers
know that it is available and a bargain at its price. This is the
way the Tucson chapter did it:

     On July 16, 1990, our new book, Walking Alone and Marching
Together, was dedicated by the blind of Arizona to the citizens
of Tucson for use in our new main public library. (We had already
been working with its staff on other issues.) Here is how it
happened--and happened quickly after our 1990 national
convention.
     At the Dallas convention, during the first week of July,
each state president was asked to designate someone from the
delegation to represent the affiliate at a special meeting of the
Distribution of Publications Committee. It had been decided that
a concerted effort was needed to have our new book spread far and
wide throughout the land. I was extremely pleased when Ruth
Swenson, President of the National Federation of the Blind of
Arizona, asked me if I would represent Arizona at the committee
meeting. President Swenson made it clear, however, that if I were
to have the privilege of representing Arizona on the Committee, I
also had the responsibility for doing something when I got back
home. So I did.
     The Arizona affiliate had bought several copies of Walking
Alone and Marching Together at the convention so that we would
have some to use as gifts and others to show to prospective
buyers. We decided to make a gift of the first copy.
     On the Monday after the convention I set to work. First I
called our Mayor to see if I could get him to agree to
participate in a dedication ceremony. I figured that, since he
probably had the busiest schedule, I should get his commitment
first and then work around his schedule. After I explained what
the Federation is and what we wanted to do, he agreed to
participate. The first available appointment he had was just one
week later, so I grabbed it.
     Then, I called key officials of our new main public library
to arrange for their participation. Once I told them what was
going on, they too were eager to participate. And, of course,
once they knew the Mayor was coming to a dedication ceremony out
in front of their new library, you couldn't have kept them away
with a team of horses.
     Next I called our newspapers and television stations. I told
them about the Federation and what was going on with the
ceremony. When they learned that the Mayor and key library
officials would be participating in the dedication, they were
naturally interested and promised to be there.
     We then called our own chapter members so that we would have
a good crowd on hand for the event. The final step in the
preparation process took place on the morning of the ceremony. I
checked back with all of the major participants to make sure that
they were still coming.
     We had a wonderful ceremony, and our pride in the Federation
and in our new book was bursting out all over. To emphasize the
Braille literacy bill which we were successful in passing this
year, the presentation of the book was made by reading from a
Braille text. Our Tucson chapter members were on hand in good
numbers to represent not only the blind of Arizona but also the
blind of the nation. All of the City officials were pleased with
the presentation and pledged to make good use of Walking Alone
and Marching Together. Also we received both television and
newspaper coverage.
     As a long-time Federationist and a former teacher of mine,
Jan Gawith, used to say, "We done good!"
     It is our hope that other appointees to the Distribution of
Publications Committee will do the same.


                         1990 JOB REPORT
                       by Lauren L. Eckery

     Laurie Eckery is one of the many Job Opportunities for the
Blind (JOB) volunteers across the country. One reason she is an
effective volunteer in this program is that she knows firsthand
what it is to suffer job discrimination. (See the June, 1989,
Braille Monitor for the story of her victory in a ten-year
employment discrimination suit against the Bishop Clarkson
Memorial Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska.) Early in 1990 Laurie and
two other blind people were hired by the Marriott Corporation to
work taking hotel reservations by telephone. This kind of job
using computer technology holds a lot of promise for blind
people. Not everyone is suited to the demands of the work, but
these first three blind Marriott employees are clearly doing
splendidly in their new jobs. 
     Laurie has been keeping Lorraine Rovig, Director of the JOB
Program, fully informed about her problems and progress with the
job. Here are excerpts from two of Laurie's letters that chart
her successes and illustrate the ways in which a knowledgeable,
patient, resourceful blind person can solve problems and educate
co-workers: 

Dear Miss Rovig,
     Well, did you survive the convention in good shape? I bet
you did. I was a little frazzled for a couple of days, but I
think I am getting enough rest to catch up some. It was hard to
go back to work, but it was also really neat to have my job to go
back to once I got there. People had noticed I had been gone and
wanted to know about how things were in Texas.
     Some of what I will relate in this report I already told you
at the convention, but I wanted to write it down officially in
case any of the information could be helpful to someone else.
     The three of us blind folks who were hired by the Marriott
World-Wide Reservation Center in March, 1990, are doing just
great. Our work time is divided into four-week periods, and at
the end of each period our statistics are compiled, and our
supervisors go over them with us. If people do well in any area,
their names are put on a list, which is posted on the bulletin
board, and their achievements are publicly recognized at our team
meetings, which occur once a period. All three of us scored in
this way during the fourth period (coming right out of training)
and again in the fifth. I would guess we will be in the top in
sixth period, judging by the statistical review I had today. 
     I had the best conversion ratio in general sales in the
center for fourth period. This entitled me to two hours of work
time by one of our supervisors, which I can take whenever I like.
The other two blind employees have also been top in conversion
ratio and top in sales. I have been second or third in sales. My
sales record may be slightly lower overall because I am so
thorough with customers and tend to put their needs above
hurrying. 
     You asked me at convention if we knew why we were doing so
well. Today I received a perfect score on monitoring (which does
not happen very often) and very high scores in other areas. I
asked my supervisor if he had any thoughts on why the three of us
were doing so well. His first remark was, "Laurie, you guys are
so good. You're just good!" He said we were dedicated to our
work, really worked during training, were trained well, and are
exceptional listeners. I believe another factor might be that
jobs have not come easily to us. The other folks could go work at
the McDonald's across town if they lost their jobs at Marriott.
We would be capable of such work but would most likely not be
hired. Therefore, I think we may work harder, knowing that we
cannot take this job for granted. In my case, it took three years
and three months after a master's degree finally to get my job. 
     Also two of us are family folks and are not caught up in the
social scene in such a way that we would be irresponsible off the
job with dire consequences. Most of the employees are much
younger than I am, and my life is quite tame compared to some of
what I hear. Also, I would guess that our IQ level is probably on
the high side if we were to consider the average of those working
at Marriott. This may be untrue and may mean absolutely nothing.
I am just guessing. At any rate, Marriott is very pleased with
our work, and they have hired a blind person in Utah and may have
hired another in California. We have been observed by hotel
personnel from all over the country, and Omaha plans to hire more
blind folks, possibly this fall. 
     Several state rehabilitation clients have come in to observe
us. In fact, it is not at all unusual for someone to be standing
behind us while we work. If anyone had told me this would be
happening, I would have been frightened and self-conscious.
However, we are so busy that we barely notice it. It pleases us
to be enlightening folks and perhaps helping other blind persons
find similar employment. In this vein, I did end up talking to
several people at convention about my job and may be hearing from
some others. None sounded interested in relocating to Omaha (who
would?), but they were interested in finding similar work in
their home areas. That's exciting!
     We had problems regarding our phase two training in resorts,
courtyards, and residence inns. Most agents go into special
services a month or so after phase one training. We have been in
general for more like three months. This, by the way, may be
another factor in why we are doing so well; I just thought of
that. Anyway, I was persistent in inquiring occasionally about
more training. The other two expected me to do this. We began to
be concerned that they thought we couldn't handle the extra load.
Finally we were told that it was taking a long time to get the
materials on tape for us and to find a trainer who was free to
work with us this summer. All of this has been remedied. We begin
phase two training next week, July 16, for two weeks. We're
getting their best trainer in resorts. We know that there are
quite a few videos in the regular training, so we are anxious to
find out if we will see these also. I hope we do, so there won't
be a problem.
     I mentioned in a previous report problems in access to much
of the information that pours out of the Reservations Center. We
have been trying various means of dealing with this general
problem. Some information is now being put on the computer, which
is convenient for everyone. The reception desk folks are taping
memos that come to them, and they now have a duplicator, so they
can make copies for all of us. The best method for me is to have
my little APH recorder or Talkman with me at all times. If
something comes up, I can turn it on and have my supervisor
explain or read it on the spot. He has gotten a kick out of this.
Their major problem is remembering to tell us things. I had this
same problem at the Red Cross and other places I have
volunteered. The tape recorder method with my reminding them by
asking for information seems to be working very well for me. If
all of us do this, they may go nuts, however. Maybe we can
duplicate the information I get, although I think that we all
should be somewhat responsible for getting our own information.
     Also, now that we know more people, they are likely to ask,
"Did you go visit the such and such hotel representatives
upstairs? They have such and such for us." Sometimes I already
know, and sometimes not. We all ask each other if there's a
special premium or whatever. Word of mouth is something that
takes a while, especially since there are so many workers, and we
all have different shifts. But it can get better.
     The cafeteria situation is still not ideal, although most of
the time I have laughed about it. They still put the three of us
together and tend to think of a certain table as ours, and one
day one of them cut my pizza in small strips. I have quietly said
that much of this is not really necessary, but it is hard to deal
with because they like us a lot, and they think they are doing it
to be extra kind. I will continue to observe the trend and see
how the others feel about it. The problem is that I don't think
it bothers one of them very much; and, since the other sees quite
a lot, he is exempt from some of it. I wonder what will happen
when we get more blind folks at Marriott; maybe that will be the
time to deal with this problem. Some days I bring my food from
home and sit where I want. That works well. However, I like
Marriott food and prefer to eat it much of the time. There are
also picnic tables outside. I may try that alternative sometime. 
     That's all for now. 

Sincerely,
Laurie Eckery


[PHOTO/CAPTION: Portrait of Heidi Sherman.]

             COULD HANSEL BUILD A GINGERBREAD HOUSE?
                        by Heidi Sherman

     Heidi Sherman is one of the leaders of the Student Division
of the National Federation of the Blind. She recently completed
training at Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions (BLIND, Inc.),
the National Federation of the Blind's rehabilitation center in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. The following article is reprinted from
the Fall, 1990, edition of "The Student Slate," the newsletter of
the national Student Division. Of course Hansel can build a
gingerbread house. The secret is to tackle the job one small step
at a time. Here is Heidi Sherman's account of learning this
lesson: 
     The blind are on the road to first-class citizenship. The
National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and
Visually Handicapped (NAC) has been reduced to a mere skeleton of
an organization. Some of us are receiving the quality training we
need to live full and productive lives, and more and more members
of the general public are realizing that blindness is
respectable. These are major accomplishments, considering the
mere fifty years of the NFB's existence. At the 1990 National
Federation of the Blind convention in Dallas, Texas, we set goals
for the next fifty years. We will continue to work for passage of
the Air Travel Rights for Blind Individuals Act in Congress. We
will strive to see that blind people begin to play a significant
role in choosing the facilities in which they receive their
training, and increasingly blind people will come to participate
fully in society because they will have the training and the
confidence to do so. Let me tell you how I discovered that
igniting a flame in a gas oven deserves a place in this list of
lofty accomplishments. 
     A short time after I completed my training at BLIND, Inc. in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, I had an experience that reduced me to a
gelatinous blob of helplessness. Unbeknownst to me, early one
cold Minnesota day, the exterminator inadvertently extinguished
the pilot light in my gas oven. How could he have known that such
an innocent act could challenge all that I had fought for during
the nine months that I had just spent at BLIND, Inc.?
     When I got home that evening, I was very hungry, and I
craved something hot--something that required a good searing in
the oven. As I turned the temperature gauge, I noticed that the
familiar whooshing sound of gas was curiously absent. I stood
there for what seemed an hour, and finally I realized that the
pilot light must have somehow been extinguished. A parade of
alternatives came to mind. Should I order out? Should I call the
building manager and ask her to light the flame for me? Should I
settle for a cold, unsatisfying sandwich? Or, should I just sit
and starve? The flame would have to be lit eventually since I
couldn't order out every night. I cringed at the thought of
calling the building manager and confirming her belief that blind
people are incompetent. But I really wanted something hot in my
stomach; so, if I couldn't have that, then I would have to settle
for starvation unless I could manage to light the flame myself.
     Peering into the shadowy cavern of the oven, I strained to
see with my limited vision where the sound of the spewing gas was
coming from. Throwing caution to the wind, I stuck my head into
the oven, thinking all the time of the witch in Hansel and
Gretel. In frustration I began to throw lighted matches at any
little black opening I could distinguish. Ten minutes passed, and
I withdrew my sore neck and blackened nose, sat back on my heels,
and yelled in frustration. Turning off the gas, I sat paralyzed
by my greatest fear--the fear that I could not do the thing
facing me because of my blindness.
     Beset by a black cloud of defeat, I suddenly had a
realization, which gave me hope. I had been forgetting a major
lesson of my training. At BLIND, Inc. I learned that a blind
person can have a successful career, lobby for legislation, climb
a mountain, or achieve anything else he or she wants. The most
important lesson, however, is that in order to reach these goals,
you have to do the preliminary, usually small, things first. You
can't raise a house without laying a foundation. You can't get a
job without knowing how to sign your name.  And you certainly
can't climb a mountain without first sweating in the foothills.
In the National Federation of the Blind we talk about the
importance of setting goals that are based on high expectations
for ourselves, but these dreams will forever remain mere dreams
if we can't muster the guts and determination to work toward
them.
     Switching on the gas, I inched forward and began feeling
inside the oven. Very quickly I located the source of the gas and
drew the lighted match to it, keeping my head well out of the
oven. Like the sound of a roaring crowd, the flame ignited. This
time my shout was one of joy. In great satisfaction I cooked the
best meal that I had ever eaten.


[PHOTO: Portrait of Allan Nichols. CAPTION: Allan Nichols,
Federationist from Wyoming.]

               DIABETICS, DON'T GIVE UP ON BRAILLE
                     by Allan Nichols       

     From the Associate Editor: This article is reprinted from
the Fall, 1990, edition of The Voice of the Diabetic, the
quarterly publication of the Diabetics Division of the National
Federation of the Blind. Allan Nichols is an active member of the
National Federation of the Blind of Wyoming. He is also a
determined and courageous man--the very stuff of a good
Federationist. His recognition of the importance of Braille and
his battle to learn it will hearten anyone engaged in the same
struggle. Here is Allan's story as he tells it:

     If you are a long-term insulin-dependent diabetic like me,
and you have attempted to learn Braille, you may have said to 
yourself, "Oh, I can't learn Braille, my fingers aren't sensitive 
enough." Unless there is a substantial loss of feeling in one's 
fingertips, there is hope for some diabetics, at least, to use
Braille. I can't speak for everyone, but I can relay my own
experience and pass along some tips which may help those with
this problem.
     Long-term diabetics often have a condition known as
"diabetic neuropathy," a circulatory problem causing many of the
complications that we diabetics often encounter. Neuropathy
causes not only insensitivity in the fingertips and toes, but
also blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, and other related
medical problems. I have been a diabetic for over 25 
years and have suffered several of these complications. 
     In 1964 at the age of 13 I was diagnosed as having diabetes.
It wasn't until I was twenty-two years old that I began noticing
the first complications. 
     The first, diabetic retinopathy, began with a hemorrhage in
my left eye. Then four years later, after some photocoagulation
treatments on both eyes, including laser and xenon light, I lost
most of my vision. 
     I was first introduced to Braille in July, 1978, at the
Allan H. Stuart Camp for the Blind and Visually Handicapped
located on Casper Mountain near Casper, Wyoming. Camp lasted for
two weeks, and I was able to learn grade one Braille, as well as
other alternative techniques of blindness. 
     At that time I had reasonably good feeling in my fingertips
and was able to pick up this skill fairly quickly even though I
didn't think so at the time. My expectations of my ability to
learn Braille in such a short time were a bit naive and inflated. 
     At camp I used jumbo Braille, which enabled me to understand
the makeup of the cells more easily. Later I was introduced to
the regular-sized Braille letters, with which I thought I would
have trouble. Looking back, it seems to have been just a matter
of experience. 
     At that time I didn't see the true benefits of learning
Braille, other than giving me the ability to play cards again,
which I had missed doing with my wife and friends. About once a
week, we had gotten together just to unwind and have fun with our
card games. 
     After I learned to read grade one Braille, I slowly began
increasing my reading speed on the cards until I was able to read
nearly as fast as I had before I lost my eyesight. However, my
main motivation was still little more than the ability to play
cards. 
     After being blind for about ten months, I began having
problems with swelling in my ankles, a sign of kidney disease, as
I found out later. By April, 1979, I was rather sick due to
kidney failure. By June I had gained twenty-five pounds from
fluid retention due to my kidneys' inability to function
properly. 
     Looking at it in retrospect, it is scary to think that I
almost died of congestive heart failure. This condition is caused
by the improper filtering of blood through the kidneys. 
     During this time I did little more than exist, although I
was running a small coffee shop. My regular working hours were
from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; I worked only in the mornings on
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and dialyzed in the afternoons,
1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 
     It was very taxing on my system, and I hated the whole
regime--the restricted diet, the constant fatigue, the severe
cramping while on dialysis--not to mention the fact that my
doctors treated me like a child. Also, I gained too much weight
between dialysis sessions. 
     After almost dying a couple of times because my blood sugar
and potassium levels were too high, I decided that there must be
a better way to live than the way I was doing it. 
     After some careful investigation and evaluation, I went, in
June, 1980, for a kidney transplant. I told myself and several
other people that it would be better to die on the operating
table in the pursuit of a good kidney than to continue the
agonizing way I was living. It turned out to be one of the wisest
decisions that I have ever made. If I had it to do over again,
even with the problems that I encountered then and since, I would
go through it all again. Despite some complications after the
transplant, I now had a good working kidney. And, for the first
time in a long while, I felt human again. 
     Even anti-rejection medication for the transplant was not
without its own complications. Shortly after my operation, I
noticed that I was losing the feeling in my toes. Despite this
concern, I was able to put my life back together. However, about
five weeks after leaving Bishop Clarkson Memorial Hospital in
Omaha, Nebraska, I had to return for three weeks when one of my
old kidneys became infected; it had to be removed. 
     At this point I had several complications which probably
reduced my circulation. First, my diabetes continued to be a
factor. Second, I had just spent a year on renal dialysis with
all of its complications, not to mention all of the surgeries
involving anesthesia and pain killers. Finally, there was a new
difficulty of which I was ignorant for several years. That was
the problem of the anti-rejection medications, prednisolone and
Immuran. Prednisolone, which is similar to the steroid
prednisone, was given to me. I was the first patient to use it to
prevent kidney rejection. It offered the benefit of preventing
calcium from leaking out of my bones. 
     There is, however, a complication with these drugs. Recently
I have read several articles about transplantation in The Voice
of the Diabetic, and I discovered that we transplant patients
have a greater risk of amputation. 
     Sure enough, I was one of the unfortunate ones to be faced
with not one but two amputations of my feet, which developed
after two separate incidents of infected sores. 
     The first one took place in 1981, when my right foot was
amputated. The next one was in 1987, beginning with a series of
amputations of the toes of my left foot, resulting in the loss of
my leg up to about six inches below my knee. I now have a matched
set of stumps and use two artificial legs. 
     During these health problems I had a lot of time on my
hands. Since the coffee shop where I had been working closed due
to its poor location, I decided that with all of this time I
would teach myself to use grade two Braille. 
     I got some beginning textbooks from Services for the
Visually Handicapped here in Cheyenne and began to work on it
without an instructor. The pace was slow because of the problems
associated with my neuropathy, and I was only able to work on it
for short periods of time, before the Braille characters would
seem to mush together. 
     If I hadn't had so much empty time, I might have given up on
the whole project. But I wanted to be able to read some magazines
I had received from National Geographic and Guideposts.
     I found that I had to have patience with myself so that I
could learn Braille. I made several false starts. There were
times when I would read a lot and times I would not read at all.
But I began to realize what advantages reading and writing
Braille offered. 
     I began to use the slate and stylus which were given to me
at the Casper Mountain Camp, where I had first learned to use
Braille. During this period I used Braille for little more than
phone numbers and short notes. All this time on my hands also
allowed me to think, especially about how I wished I could be
working at a satisfying job again. I knew that if I was ever to
work again, especially in a satisfying job, I would have to learn
the alternative techniques of coping with blindness. Braille
would have to be high on the list of priorities so that, when I
went back to college, I could take my own notes. At that point I
was introduced to the students and staff of the Colorado Center
for the Blind (CCB) in Denver at a convention of the National
Federation of the Blind of Wyoming. 
     I had been a member of the NFB since 1983, but I didn't
really appreciate all of the benefits that I could gain from such
an affiliation. 
     Talking with Diane McGeorge, Director of the Colorado Center
for the Blind and President of the Colorado affiliate of the
National Federation of the Blind, and others convinced me that I
could gain the necessary skills that I needed to compete on equal
terms with my sighted counterparts at college and in the job
market. 
     It took a lot of haggling with the Wyoming rehabilitation
agency counselors; but, in February of 1989, I began attending
the Colorado Center for the Blind in Denver. 
     The changes made in the lives of those fortunate enough to
attend such a facility are dramatic! Besides the training in cane
travel, daily living, Braille, and using the computer for the
first time, we engaged in special activities such as
cross-country skiing and a six-week course in technical rock
climbing. 
     I began feeling good about myself as a blind person. Using
Braille in everyday life began to make some sense.  
     I began using it to make grocery lists, to balance a
checkbook, and to take messages at the apartments and at the
Center. Using Braille more increased my reading speed. 
     I was really enjoying my training at the CCB, especially
attending the convention of the National Federation of the Blind,
held in July, 1989, in Denver. 
     My whole world came crashing down at the close of the
convention, however. This was partly due to the walking I had
done during the convention and partly due to the heat during this
time. (It was over 100 degrees for most of the week.) At this
time I developed a sore on my right leg where my stump was
rubbing on the inside of my artificial leg. The sore became
infected, and soon I was unable to put on my right prosthetic
leg. I ended up having to spend more time in the hospital and had
several setbacks before I could resume my training at the CCB. 
     Again, I had more time on my hands. I had to use a
wheelchair or a walker to get around. This time I was determined
to make the best use of my time by earnestly working on my
Braille. 
     To become more proficient in Braille, I began to use the
Perkins Brailler. To keep up both my Braille skills and my
spirits, I began writing some original jokes for my family and
the students and staff at the Colorado Center. 
     I found that using the Perkins Brailler was a lot faster
than using the slate and stylus, although they both have their
uses at different times. 
     I also got some Braille material to read, although there is
precious little found in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I read my first two
books just for pleasure, All Quiet on the Western Front and The
Bridge at Toko-Ri.
     I made some discoveries about how I could increase my
reading speed and comprehension. These included making sure that
my diabetes was under control, getting regular exercise
(especially before trying to read), having the Braille material
at the right level to facilitate circulation, and having my
fingers warm enough. 
     The most important of these was keeping my blood sugar
properly regulated, for my most effective reading was done when a
desirable blood sugar was reached. I found that keeping my arms
at a slightly downward slant while reading improved blood
circulation to my hands. I also found that reading in a warm room
or warming up my hands after being outside during cold weather
helped me with character recognition. 
     My leg finally healed, enabling me to continue my training
at the CCB. So in mid-October of 1989, I returned to the Center
to finish my training there. 
     I believe that this whole experience has given me more of an
appreciation for the abilities I possess instead of worrying
about any diminished capacity that I might have. 
     I graduated from the Colorado Center for the Blind on
December 8, 1989, with my next step to be the continuation of my
college training. 
     Presently, I am attending Laramie County Community College
in Cheyenne. I plan to complete my bachelor's degree at the
University of Wyoming in Laramie and eventually work toward
becoming a marriage and family counselor. 
     It has been my experience while taking my psychology and
computer courses that Braille is an indispensable tool for me,
even though I do use the talking computer for some applications. 
     When it comes to taking my own notes, Braille is quite
valuable in the learning process. I have discovered that just the
process of typing Braille notes from the textbook has enabled me
to comprehend the material more easily than I would have done if
I were merely listening. 
     Both my Braille and computer keyboarding skills have
improved while I have been back in college. I have not been
tested on my typing speed lately, but the true test has been
using both skills effectively and expediently. I have found that
I can increase my reading speed and remember all of the
abbreviations which used to give me trouble. 
     My typing from my computer textbook alone has become quite a
voluminous pile of notes. 
     Another benefit of using the Perkins Brailler has been an
increase in my reading speed as my typing speed increases. I
believe that the two are related. 
     I don't know how fast I can get in my reading and writing of
Braille, but I know that I wouldn't want to return to the way I
was before I learned how to use this valuable tool. I would urge
any blind person to use Braille if at all possible. Especially if
you are a diabetic and have some feeling in your fingers, be sure
you use it or you will lose it.


PHOTO: Portrait of Mildred Rivera. CAPTION: Mildred Rivera,
Federationist from California.]

                      HERE'S HOW IT'S DONE

     From the Editor: The following correspondence is self-
explanatory and should encourage the rest of us to do likewise:

San Francisco, California
December 3, 1990

Dear Dr. Jernigan:
     Enclosed please find a copy of a letter I wrote to Cornell
University's Uris Library regarding Walking Alone and Marching
Together. As you will note, it is dated November 16, 1990. I have
recently received a response, dated November 25, 1990, that the
Uris Library will be purchasing our book. It is amazing how such
little effort resulted in such swift, positive action.
     I felt that these letters would be helpful in giving other
Federationists ideas for marketing our book. It is always
gratifying to do things that will help change what it means to be
blind in this country.

In Federationism,
Mildred A. Rivera
                      ____________________
San Francisco, California
November 16, 1990

Mr. Yoram Szekely
Head Librarian
Uris Library
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Dear Mr. Szekely:
     I am writing to recommend to your library the purchase of
the book entitled Walking Alone and Marching Together. It is a
documentary of the organized blind movement in the United States
from 1940 to 1990.
     As an alumnus of your University, I was always impressed by
the vast amount of diverse literature that was available on
campus. Unfortunately, this was not true with regard to material
that accurately portrayed the blind in America. Now that there is
a chance to change this unfortunate circumstance, I urge you to
purchase this book. It is written by a well-known and respected
author, Floyd Matson, and is over 800 pages long. Walking Alone
and Marching Together contains essential facts and material left
out of virtually every other book written about the blind. I have
purchased this book for my personal library and have found it to
be a valuable resource.
     Enclosed for your convenience is a short description of the
book and an order form. I look forward to hearing that you have
chosen to add this book to your fine collection.

Sincerely,
Mildred A. Rivera, Esq.
Graduate Cornell School of Industrial Labor Relations 1986
                      ____________________
Ithaca, New York
November 25, 1990

 Dear Ms. Rivera:
     Thank you for your letter of November 16, 1990, suggesting
that Uris Library acquire a copy of the book Walking Alone and
Marching Together by Floyd Matson. We appreciate your taking the
time to bring this work to our attention and will be ordering a
copy within the next couple of weeks.

Sincerely yours,
Yoram Szekely, Director
Uris Undergraduate Library
Cornell University


[PHOTO: Portrait of Jerry Drake. CAPTION: Jerry Drake (1918-
1990).]

                        JERRY DRAKE DIES

     From the Editor: On December 2, 1990, Jerry Drake of
California had a massive heart attack. On December 12 he died
without ever regaining consciousness. His death brought many
memories to me, for he was one of my early students at the
California Orientation Center for the Blind in the 1950s. More
than that, he continued as a lifelong friend and colleague until
the time of his death.
     Jerry was a quiet man, but he was steady and strong of will.
He was not belligerent, but nobody was going to push him around.
He had the right kind of philosophy about blindness--and he
cared. He was not flashy, nor was he a great orator--but he made
continuing contributions, contributions of the sort that few make
and all will miss. He was of that solid unshakable phalanx which
constitutes the body, the heart, and the soul of the National
Federation of the Blind.
     In a letter dated January 10, 1991, Sharon Gold (the
President of the NFB of California) said:

Dear Dr. Jernigan:
     Enclosed is a copy of the remarks I prepared and presented
at the services for Jerry Drake, which were held in the Little
Church of the Flowers at Forest Lawn Mortuary in Glendale on
December 15. I am also enclosing a copy of a letter from Ollie
Cantos, which Sheryl read during the services at the request of
the family and then placed in Jerry's hands.
     Two other people spoke during the services, in addition to
the minister. They were Joy Smith, the President of the Santa
Barbara County Chapter of the NFB of California and a long-time
friend and colleague of Jerry's, and Hazel tenBroek, who
represented the National Office.
     On Friday, December 14, the Los Angeles City Council was
adjourned in honor of Jerry upon the motion of Councilwoman Joy
Picus. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors also adjourned
in memory of Jerry on December 18. In addition, Los Angeles Mayor
Tom Bradley recognized Jerry by issuing a City of Los Angeles
document in his memory.

Cordially,
Sharon Gold, President
National Federation of the Blind of California
                      ____________________

                     Eulogy for Jerrold Drake
                        December 15, 1990
                         by Sharon Gold

     We have gathered here today to pay tribute to our brother 
and colleague, Jerrold Drake. The blind of California and this 
nation will miss Jerry, but we must not spend undue time mourning 
his death since Jerry would not want us to do so. Instead, Jerry 
would want us to hold an NFB chapter meeting, to get together for 
an evening of Federation fellowship, or to go out and find young 
blind people to introduce to our movement. 
     Jerry was a reasonably young man when he lost his sight. It 
was in the early 1950's and Jerry was working as a truck driver 
to support his family. After losing his sight, he went to the 
California Orientation Center for the Blind where he received 
rehabilitation training in preparation for returning home to 
again become a contributing member of society. 
     At OCB, Jerry met Kenneth Jernigan, a young blind instructor 
at the Center who introduced Jerry to the philosophy of the 
National Federation of the Blind. While at the Center, Jerry 
learned the skills of blindness. He learned to read and write 
Braille, to use a typewriter, to cook for himself, to  travel
independently on streets and public transportation using a white
cane, and to understand the laws relevant to the blind. 
     From Kenneth Jernigan, Jerry learned that blindness need not 
stand in the way of chores sometimes thought to be done only by 
the sighted. This philosophy was instilled in the OCB students 
when Mr. Jernigan led the students to the Berkeley home of 
Jacobus tenBroek, the President of the National Federation of the 
Blind, where there was a need to cut down large trees and to 
clear land in preparation for construction. Jerry frequently 
talked of those days when he sawed down trees and split logs. 
     Unfortunately, when Jerry completed the rehabilitation 
training program at the Orientation Center for the Blind, Social 
Security laws were such that if a blind person worked and earned 
even a mere pittance (well below the poverty level), he would 
lose all benefits and could never regain these benefits at some 
time in the future. Jerry therefore could not afford to go to 
work. Thus, he set out to learn everything that he could about 
the laws pertaining to Social Security and other public benefits 
for the blind. It became his mission in life to help other blind 
persons. 
     For many years, Jerry traveled all over California, using 
public transportation and serving as a National Federation of the 
Blind volunteer advocate for blind persons to assure that these 
persons received the services and meager benefit payments to 
which they were entitled. In this capacity, Jerry represented 
blind people in literally hundreds and hundreds of case reviews 
and administrative hearings before the Social Security 
Administration and other public agencies. Jerry was responsible 
for bringing about the correction of many mistakenly denied 
Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, and other public 
benefit payments, and he stood against falsely claimed 
overpayments. 
     One case that Jerry helped to initiate and for which he 
served as a consultant was the case of Charles Livermore vs. the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services. This case, which 
pertains to the deeming of spousal income to a blind or disabled 
recipient, was won in the United States Court of Appeals for the 
Ninth Circuit. As a result of the court order, on February 11, 
1985, the Social Security Administration issued to Supplemental 
Security Income recipients the Livermore Notice, which was 
entitled "We May Owe You More Money." Today the decision in the 
Livermore case remains the law of the land when computing benefit 
payments for blind and disabled persons who have working spouses.
     Through his work as a member of the National Federation of 
the Blind, Jerry helped to press for the passage of the 1977 
Amendments to the Social Security Act. These amendments 
permitted persons receiving Social Security benefits to become 
successfully employed with reasonable salaries before benefits 
are terminated. The 1977 Amendments to the Social Security Act 
also made it possible for a blind person to regain benefits under 
specific circumstances. In other words, these amendments made it 
possible for persons such as Jerry to seek employment and to 
become self-supporting. Unfortunately, by the time the 
amendments were signed into law, Jerry had reached the age where 
the new laws were of no help to him. However, Jerry continued to 
serve as an advocate to assure that the amendments were properly 
applied to younger blind persons.
     Jerry's experience and abilities and his knowledge of the 
laws pertaining to persons receiving benefit payments caused me 
to appoint him as the representative of the National Federation 
of the Blind of California to serve on the Board of Directors of 
the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. Jerry held this 
position for four years and, at the time of his death, he served 
not only as our representative to this Board but as a member of 
the Board's Finance Committee. Just last month Jerry traveled  to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he represented the Los Angeles 
Legal Aid Foundation at a national legal aid symposium.
     For thirty-five years Jerry tirelessly and unselfishly 
served his fellow blind. It was not unusual for Jerry to be at 
the bus stop at 6:00 a.m. ready to travel for two or three hours 
one way to help a blind person. Jerry also spent hours traveling 
to NFB chapter meetings and providing guidance to young or 
inexperienced chapter officers. Sometimes Jerry took an active 
role in the chapter meeting while other times he provided quiet 
support.
     Jerry, your understanding and loving concern for others 
brought you to touch the lives of many people. In one way or 
another, you have helped all of us to grow. We can all take a 
page from your "Book of Life" for you lived by the notion that 
"It is better to give than to receive."


                             RECIPES

     From the Associate Editor: By February the New Year's
resolutions to lose a few pounds have usually worn a little thin
even if we have not. Then, smack in the middle of the month,
comes Valentine's Day with its sweets and gifts to loved ones.
Here are some recipes suitable for the occasion. Prepare them
with good cheer. 
                    APPLE COUNTRY COFFEE CAKE
                        by Barbara Pierce
     This recipe has many virtues, not the least of which is that
it freezes well and defrosts beautifully, making the cook look
good whenever it is served. 

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 egg 
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 packages dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
1 can apple pie filling or 1 recipe scalloped apples (see note)

Topping:
1/2 cup reserved apples
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

     Method: In a large heavy saucepan melt the margarine and,
stirring constantly, add the grated cheese over low heat until
cheese melts. Stir in sour cream, 1/3 cup sugar, egg, and salt.
Dissolve the yeast in the water and add to sour cream mixture. Be
sure that neither the water nor the sour cream mixture is hot
enough to kill the yeast (over 110 degrees). With a wooden spoon
or an electric mixer beat in the flour until dough is stiff
enough to knead. Then turn it out onto a floured surface and
knead for about 10 minutes, adding only enough flour to make the
dough smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large buttered
bowl and generously butter the top. Cover the bowl with wax paper
and a tea towel and put it in a warm place until dough doubles in
bulk, about an hour and a half. 
     Punch the dough down and divide it in half. With a rolling
pin roll one half of the dough about 1/2 inch thick. Cut 15
circles with a 2-inch round cookie cutter. Roll the other half of
the dough and the scraps from the first half into a 13 x 9
rectangle and place in a greased 13 x 9 pan. Spread the dough in
the pan with the apple pie filling or the scalloped apples,
reserving a half cup for the topping. Arrange dough circles on
the surface of the apples in 5 rows of 3, butter the circles,
cover the pan, and put it in a warm place until doubled, about
one and a half hours. Keep an eye on the pan; with active yeast
this process will take less time. Bake the coffee cake in a
preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Stir topping
ingredients together and at the end of the baking time put a
generous dollop of topping on each circle. Return the coffee cake
to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve hot or cold.  
     Note: As I received this recipe it called for canned apple
pie filling, which works acceptably. But through the years I have
come to prefer home-made scalloped apples instead. These are easy
to make and delicious as an accompaniment to pork or chicken. For
use in the coffeecake, generously butter a 3-qt. casserole dish
and fill it with peeled apples that have been sliced about 3/4 of
an inch thick. Pour over 1/4 cup melted margarine or butter and
toss with 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar (depending on the tartness of the
apples) and 1/4 to 1/3 cup flour. Summer apples are more liquid
when they cook and require more flour. Be sure to add a generous
amount of cinnamon to the flour and sugar--at least a teaspoon.
Cover the dish and cook in a 375-degree oven for about a half
hour or in the microwave until half done. Uncover the apples and
finish cooking in the oven. Apples are done when they feel soft
when stirred. Cool the apples before using them in this recipe. 

                     STRAWBERRY ALMOND BARS
                        by Sue Drapinski

     Sue Drapinski is the Treasurer of the National Federation of
the Blind of Michigan. Everyone who has tasted these cookies
agrees that they are something special. 

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oats (quick-cooking)
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter (or oleo)
1/2 cup jam (strawberry, raspberry, peach, or apricot)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 cup slivered almonds

     Method: Mix together the first 4 ingredients until crumbly,
and set aside 2 cups of the mixture. Press the rest evenly across
the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Stir together the jam with
the almond extract and spread evenly on the crust. Next mix
almonds with the reserved crumbly mixture and spread evenly
across the top,pressing gently. Bake at 350 degrees for 30
minutes. Cool completely and cut into bars.



                         FOOLPROOF FUDGE
                         by Gail Bryant

     Gail Bryant is an active member of the Columbia, Missouri,
chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. Her husband Ed
edits The Voice of the Diabetic, the publication of the NFB
Diabetics Division, so her contributions to these pages usually
keep to the dietary straight and narrow. This delicious fudge is
an exception. 

Ingredients:
24 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces
12 ounces white baking chocolate
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) sweetened condensed milk 
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch salt
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
     
     Method: Heat milk and chocolate together in microwave or on
top of stove. Add remaining ingredients. Place in greased 9 x 13-
inch pan. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight preferably. Makes
about 4 pounds of sinfully delicious, delightful fudge.

                          ANGEL CRISPS
                        by Ronald Greene

     Ronald Greene is one of the leaders of the National
Federation of the Blind of Iowa. In addition to being a fine
cook, he is principally responsible for enabling Iowa
Federationists to participate in the Boone, Iowa, annual
Pufferbilly Days Parade.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening (half butter)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

     Method: Cream sugar, shortening, egg, and vanilla. Add
sifted dry ingredients and form into balls the size of walnuts.
Dip top half of ball into water, then into granulated sugar.
Place on ungreased baking sheet. Press down in center of ball
with finger. Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes.




                         FROSTED COOKIES
                        by Ronald Greene

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup strong hot coffee
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped nuts

     Method: Blend shortening, sugar, and egg. Add hot coffee and
stir well. Sift dry ingredients and add them to the shortening,
sugar, and egg. Add raisins and nuts and mix well. Pour mixture
into a jelly roll pan to the thickness of 1/4-inch and bake 10-15
minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and while still warm
spread with icing made of 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon
melted butter, and enough hot water to make mixture of spreading
consistency. Food color can be added to this frosting as a
festive touch. Cut into squares to serve.

                        BANANA SPLIT CAKE
                         by Gail Coppel

     Gail Coppel is one of the leaders of the National Federation
of the Blind of South Carolina. 

Ingredients:
2 sticks margarine, room temperature
2 eggs
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 bananas
1/2 cup cherries, chopped or halves
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 9-ounce Cool Whip
1/2 cup coconut
1 #2 can crushed pineapple

     Method: Mix 1 stick margarine and 2 cups graham cracker
crumbs and pat into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Beat the
following no less than 15 minutes: 1 stick margarine, 2 eggs, 2
cups confectioner's sugar. Spread this mixture over the graham
cracker crumbs and cover with sliced bananas. Drain and spread
pineapple over bananas. Cover with Cool Whip. Sprinkle cherries,
coconut and pecans on top. Refrigerate overnight.


                   * * MONITOR MINIATURES * *
**New Chapter:
     Sam Gleese, President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Mississippi, writes: The Mississippi affiliate is
pleased to announce the birth of chapter number two for the year
1990. On August 11, 1990, in the presence of members from the
Jackson and Hazlehurst chapters, the Warren County Chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind of Mississippi was organized.
The officers are as follows: Tommie L. William, President;
William Rider, Vice President; Lavion Dillon, Secretary; Evelyn
Moody, Treasurer; Exell McDonald, Secretary-Treasurer; and L. C.
Holmes, Jr., Board Member.

**Coincidentally:
     We give you the following letter without comment:

Cincinnati, Ohio
November 4, 1990

Dear President Maurer:
     The following can only be considered as hearsay evidence,
having been told to me. On October 25, 1881, the "shoot-out" at
the O.K. Corral took place; 109 years later I was born. A person
of my tender years--days--cannot really be expected to draw any
significance from these two events. What I do know is that my
name is Edward Paul Dressell, Jr., and I was born at 11:49 a.m.
on Thursday, October 25, 1990. I weighed in at 5 pounds, 9
ounces, and was 18 inches long. I am told that I was born with a
hair lip and cleft palate and will have to undergo a series of
operations but that all should be taken care of by the time I am
9 months old. From what I understand, this is part of the
Federation mystique--experiencing severe problems then going
about the business of overcoming them. Sounds like my kind of
organization. Doubtless you will be hearing from me in years to
come. Best wishes.

Cordially,
Edward Paul Dressell, Jr.

**Students:
     Michael Baillif, President of the Student Division of the
National Federation of the Blind, says: 
     The Student Division of the National Federation of the Blind
will host its second annual National Conference of Blind Students
prior to this year's Washington Seminar. Everyone is invited to
join us Friday evening, February 1, for hospitality and
socializing. Saturday's full agenda will include presentations on
civil rights, attitudes about blindness, and chapter development.
The conference promises to be both philosophically and socially
stimulating. Our festivities will be capped off by an eventful
banquet on Saturday evening. Students attending the conference
will additionally have the opportunity of participating in the
Washington Seminar and playing an active role in meeting the
legislative challenges of the National Federation of the Blind.
The prevailing Washington Seminar hotel rates will commence on
Friday evening, February 1. For more information contact Diane
McGeorge at 1608 Steele Street, Denver, Colorado 80206; (303)
778-1130; or Michael Baillif at: P. O. Box 8A, Yale Station, New
Haven, Connecticut 06520; (203) 436-2611. This is an event not to
be missed. See you in Washington, D.C.!

**Elected:
     Janet Schwartz, Secretary of the Tempe-Mesa Chapter, writes
as follows: "On Saturday, November 17, 1990, the Tempe-Mesa
Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona
elected the following officers: President, Debra Newman; Vice
President, Susan Schaffer; Secretary, Janet Schwartz; and
Treasurer, Norman Gardner. Two board positions were also filled--
Mark Feliz and Ruth Swenson."

**Chiropractic:
     We recently received the following letter, which says in
part:
     "As a blind student, I have just completed my first semester
at Palmer College of Chiropractic. I have found that many of my
texts written by the instructors are available in computer format
either by the professor himself or through him in the form of the
printer's computer file. Then, by working closely with my
school's computer center, I am able to download into my Braille
'n Speak and then save it in another format. I am interested in
finding other blind chiropractic students and blind practicing
chiropractors. I am also happy to correspond with or talk to
anyone who might not have thought of the career of chiropractic
but who is interested. Please write in any format to: Duane
Hudspath, 631 East 15th Street, Davenport, Iowa 52803."

**IRS:
     The Internal Revenue Service has asked us to carry the
following announcement: "Did you know free tax assistance is
available evenings and weekends? It is a community and IRS effort
through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Call
1 (800) 829-1040 for the VITA site nearest you."

**Diabetics Chapter Organized:
     Donovan Cooper of California writes as follows: On November
1, 1990, we organized the Diabetics Chapter, NFB of California.
Ed Bryant tells me that, although other states have diabetic
divisions or diabetic affairs committees, California is the first
state to have organized a diabetics chapter. The following
officers and board members were elected for two-year terms:
Donovan Cooper, President; Donna Siebert, Vice President; Matt
Millspaugh, Treasurer; Adonna Frankel, Secretary; and Betty
Hendricks, Board Member.

**Elected:
     Arthur L. Williams, Treasurer of the Pueblo Chapter of the
NFB of Colorado, writes as follows: The NFB, Pueblo Chapter, held
its annual election of new officers and board members for 1991.
The election was held at the regular November meeting, and
elected to office were: Kay Howard, President; Leroy Quintana,
Vice President; Triva Bright, Secretary; Catherine Tonne,
Treasurer; David Kovach, First Board Chairman; Dorothy Keen,
Second Board Chairman; and Theresa Apodaca, Third Board Chairman.
The outgoing officers and board members were given a large vote
of thanks for their hard work during the past year.

**Used Equipment Clearinghouse:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement: "I
am keeping a list of items in good condition (slate, Braille
writers, etc.) which blind persons wish to sell. I am also
keeping a list of aids and appliances which people would like to
purchase. If you would like to buy or sell, please write to
Barbara Mattson, 134 Hall Street, Apartment A, Spartanburg, South
Carolina 29302; or call (803) 585-7323."

**Mississippi on the Move:
     Sam Gleese, the energetic President of the National
Federation of the Blind of Mississippi, writes as follows: On
November 3, 1990, the Mississippi affiliate took a trip to the
southern tip of the state. The purpose of the trip was to
organize the Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind of Mississippi. And now for 1990 the number is 3. In the
presence of the members of the Jackson and Hazlehurst chapters,
the Gulf Coast Chapter was organized with the following officers:
George Roberts, President; Billy Hallman, Vice President; Kate
Roberts, Secretary; Mabel Witherspoon, Treasurer; and Diana
Hallman, Board Member.

**North American Van Lines:
     In the spring of 1989 we entered into an agreement with
North American Van Lines regarding members of the National
Federation of the Blind who use North American to move household
articles from one place to another in the 48 lower, contiguous
states (that is, not including Alaska and Hawaii).  Recently
there has been a change in this agreement which increases the
reduction in moving rates available to our members.  Previously,
if you arranged for North American Van Lines to move, you got a
contract that let you move with 35% off the normal moving costs
and 25% off the normal storage costs if you were a Federationist. 
(There are published tariffs that say how much moving companies
should charge for moving materials from one place to another by
truck.  The Interstate Commerce Commission establishes the
rates.)  Our new agreement provides for a 40% rate reduction.  In
addition to the rate reduction, North American Van Lines will
continue to make a contribution to the National Federation of the
Blind equal to 2% of all costs of moving for those who use this
program.
     If you want to contract with North American Van Lines to
move your materials, you should call Cindy Rupples at 1-800-873-
2673.  Tell her that you are a member of the National Federation
of the Blind, that you know about the agreement between the
National Federation of the Blind and North American Van Lines,
and that you want to sign up to get moved.  Then remind her that
2% of the moving costs will be contributed to the National
Federation of the Blind.

**Update:
     In the January, 1991, issue we printed an announcement about
the availability of a wonderful new cookbook from the National
Federation of the Blind of New Mexico. The book is still
available and is still worth purchasing, but David Andrews is no
longer the person to contact. He has now become Director of the
National Braille and Technology Center for the Blind and has
moved to Baltimore as noted elsewhere in this issue. Simply
Simpatico may be ordered by contacting Chris Boone, 10517 San
Gabriel Road, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87111, (505) 275-7645.
Checks in the amount of $10 for a computer disk copy or $15 for a
Braille copy should be made payable to the National Federation of
the Blind of New Mexico.

**Thanks Offered:
     In the January, 1991, issue we reported that Steve Benson,
member of the Board of Directors of the National Federation of
the Blind and President of the NFB of Illinois, recently
underwent surgery. He now writes the following note to Monitor
readers:
     During my recent hospitalization, December 1 through
December 19, 1990, I received good wishes from many
Federationists from all over the country. To each of you who took
the time to call or write or send some wonderful gift, thank you.
I appreciate your thoughtfulness very, very much. I am home now
and in the midst of a prolonged--at least for me prolonged--
recovery.  The doctor says that I am doing well, and I expect to
be back at full speed within a few short weeks. Thanks again to
all of you who expressed your concern.

**National JOB Seminar Planned: 
     Lorraine Rovig, Director of the Job Opportunities for the
Blind (JOB) Program, reports that JOB will hold its 1991 National
Seminar on Sunday, June 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the New Orleans
Hyatt Regency Hotel. Registration will take place at the door
beginning at 12:00 noon. The seminar is free. 
     JOB is a joint program of the National Federation of the
Blind and the U.S. Department of Labor. Anyone who is legally
blind and looking for work in the United States is invited to
register to receive our free nationwide job-hunter's magazine on
cassette as well as our other services. Some of these are
available to agencies and individuals assisting blind job
seekers. Some services are also available to employers interested
in hiring competent blind workers. Call 1-800-638-7518 to
register or to get more information on JOB.
     The national JOB seminar is planned with the blind job
seeker in mind. If you have some of the following concerns, it is
for you:
  *  Do you ask yourself, "What job can a blind person do?" 
  *  Do you want to ask direct questions about the techniques
that allow one to be competitive and successful in real jobs? 
  *  Do you want to meet someone who successfully uses only blind
techniques, or do you need advice on practical ways of combining
low vision ones with them? Do you need to know how to plan now
for the future when you may have less sight and your low vision
techniques won't work for you?
  *  Do you need tips on dealing with interviewers or employers?
  *  Do you want to meet legally blind scientists, secretaries,
mechanics, telephone operators, counselors, salesmen,
psychologists, English teachers, and representatives of many
other occupations?
  *  Do you know anyone who is blind and has a good job? Do you
wonder how you can find a job for yourself?
  *  Do you have questions about voice output and Braille output
computers or the Arkenstone Reader as compared to the Kurzweil
Personal Reader? Do you need ideas for funding the purchase of
these or other useful aids?
     The Job Opportunities for the Blind national seminar is 
three exciting, down-to-earth, practical, idea-laden hours of
information for blind people seeking work. Join us. If you can't
make it to convention, call JOB to receive the cassette copy.
We'll help you increase your chances of getting the job of your
choice.

**Diabetic Technology Lending Library:
     We recently received the following news release from BLIND,
Inc. (the NFB's rehabilitation center in Minneapolis, Minnesota),
which says in part:
     BLIND, Inc. has received a grant to open a diabetic
technology lending library and instructional service. This will
greatly improve services to blind diabetics throughout the state.
The Independent Management for Blind Diabetics project will be
offered throughout rural and metropolitan Minnesota. The STAR
Grant (Systems of Technology to Achieve Results) will allow us to
purchase equipment to loan to newly blinded diabetics. The
technology will include audio glucose meters for testing blood
sugars, systems for measuring insulin, and other home health care
aids. Participants will be referred by their State Services for
the Blind counselor. For more information call or write BLIND,
Inc. at: 33 South 5th Street, Suite 101, Minneapolis, Minnesota
55402; (612) 339-8401. Ask for Janet Lee or Ronda Del Boccio.