THE BRAILLE MONITOR
PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

                            CONTENTS

                                                   FEBRUARY, 1992

THE NEXT STEP IN THE AIRLINE BATTLE
by Kenneth Jernigan

SERVICES FOR THE BLIND "ARE A DISGRACE TO THE STATE OF ARIZONA,"
GROUP SAYS

WHY USE THE LONG WHITE CANE?

THE RIGHT TO REFUSE HELP
by Ted Young

GET IT FAST, GET IT RIGHT
by Tim Cranmer

USING READERS ON THE JOB
by Adrienne Asch

STAMPING OUT FALSE ASSUMPTIONS

INDEPENDENCE: TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
by Christine Boone

PARTIAL VISION, PARTIAL PROGRESS
by Christopher J. Kuczynski

BLACK BELT--WHITE CANE
by Jody W. Ianuzzi

OF JUDGES, ATTORNEYS, JURIES, AND THE BLIND
by Olegario D. Cantos, VII

A READER COMMENTS ON BRAILLE

COMING OF AGE NFB STYLE
by Doug Elliot

UPDATE ON MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION AS A CAREER
by Susan M. Turley

UNIQUE VIEW OF VILLAGE: BLIND CHILDREN GET SPECIAL TOUR
by Mary Geddes

SOCIAL SECURITY, SSI, AND MEDICARE FACTS FOR 1992
by James Gashel

RECIPES
by Corinne Whitesell

MONITOR MINIATURES

     Copyright National Federation of the Blind, Inc., 1992
[3 LEAD PHOTOS: Portraits of Jacobus tenBroek, Kenneth Jernigan, and Marc
Maurer, which hang on the wall in the reception area at the National Center
for the Blind. CAPTION: February is a month for celebrating presidents, so it
is fitting that the Braille Monitor display this month photographs of the
portraits that now grace the reception area at the National Center for the
Blind. Framed oil paintings of Dr. tenBroek (above), Dr. Jernigan (lower
left), and President Maurer (lower right) now hang on the north wall of the
seating area beside the receptionist's desk.]

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

[PHOTO: Harold Snider stands at a microphone, reading Braille. CAPTION: Harold
Snider.]

[PHOTO: Portrait. CAPTION: Evan Kemp.]


               THE NEXT STEP IN THE AIRLINE BATTLE
                       by Kenneth Jernigan

     For almost twenty years the National Federation of the Blind
has been working to try to get the nation's airlines to treat
blind passengers like first-class citizens. We have called
attention through article after article in the Braille Monitor to
the increasing tendency of airline personnel to treat the blind
like wards or small children. We have warned that arrogance and
tyranny unresisted feed upon themselves and lead to complete
subjugation. Although the patterns of discrimination and second-
class treatment have been painfully obvious, there have been some
who have said that we are overdramatizing and giving too much
prominence to the airline issue--that we are giving it too much
priority and making of it more than it is.
     In this connection the two letters which follow are
instructive. Here they are:

                                               San Antonio, Texas
                                                   August 2, 1991

Mr. Harold Snider
Deputy Executive Director
National Council on Disability
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. Snider:
     It was a pleasure meeting you at the July 17 meeting at the
Air Transport Association. One purpose of this letter is to thank
you for your insightful comments and suggestions during that
meeting. A second purpose is to seek your assistance and
recommendations for gathering more information needed to
construct the aircraft evacuation (AIREVAC) model.
     In our effort, we are seeking information on a variety of
topics from a variety of sources. You and your colleagues at the
National Council on Disability are an excellent source of
expertise to help guide us in some of these areas. Following are
some questions for which you might be able to provide answers or
help by directing us to the best source(s). Please provide us
information, data, references and thoughts on any of the
following questions.
     We need to determine the incidence of air travel by disabled
individuals. Specifically, we need to determine the probability
that an airline passenger falls into one or more disabled
categories. The disabled categories that we are currently using
are those offered by an FAA report by Blethrow, Garner, Lowrey,
Busby, & Chandler (1977):
     Neurological: Blindness, Deafness, Mental Deficiency
     Neuromuscular: Cerebral Palsy, Old Age, Paraplegia and
Quadriplegia, Hemiplegia, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis,
and Polio
     Orthopedic: Arthritis, Arm Cast, Lower-Leg Cast and Amputee,
Congenital Birth Defects
     Other: Obesity
     1. There are two questions here. First, do you have any data
that would provide us an estimate of the probability that a
passenger would fall into each of the above categories.
     2. The second question is whether the categories above are
adequate, suitable, and comprehensive enough to use in our
project.
     3. As you know, the ability of other passengers to recognize
a disabled individual as one who might need assistance in an
emergency is considered to be an important variable. Do you have
any information or insights about how this variable might be
quantified and measured for different disability categories?
     4. Do you have any information about the probability that a
disabled individual falling into one of the above categories
would be traveling with a personal attendant, relative, or friend
who would assist him/her in an emergency?
     5. Do you have any information on what disabled individuals
expect to happen in an emergency situation. For example, does a
physically immobile person expect someone to come and assist
him/her in an evacuation situation?
     6. What educational materials are available for disabled
travelers to better prepare them for emergency evacuations and
does the disabled population know about and use these materials?
     Once again, we greatly appreciate any information you can
provide. Letters also are being sent to the FAA Civil Aeromedical
Institute, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Air
Transport Association to request related information for the
model.
     Thank you for your time and support,

                                               James E. Schroeder
                                      Applied Human Factors, Inc.
                     (Consultant to Southwest Research Institute)
                      ____________________
                                                 Washington, D.C.
                                                 November 8, 1991

Mr. Horace Deets
Executive Director
American Association of Retired Persons
Washington, D.C.

Dear Horace:
     As you may know, the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 ("the
Act") was intended by Congress to prevent discrimination against
people with disabilities in air travel.  My own experience with
air carriers since the passage of the Act suggests that
compliance has been half hearted, at best.  In fact, thanks to
the airlines, air travel has been the only troublesome part of my
job as Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment opportunity
Commission.  It has come to my attention recently that the Air
Transport Association (ATA), supported by many segments of the
airline industry, is making efforts to chip away at various
provisions of the Act, at least one of which should be of
considerable interest to the American Association of Retired
Persons (AARP).
     I have learned that the ATA has commissioned a $200,000
study to demonstrate that it would be unsafe to allow more than a
certain number of people with disabilities (the number is as yet
unspecified) to fly on the same flight.  In order to make their
point, I believe that the ATA will have to make an argument based
upon function, rather than upon specific, named disabilities,
since the ATA is going to contend that it is the functional
limitations of certain people which will make them a danger to
themselves and to other passengers in the event of an emergency.
     Evidence of this line of thinking is contained in a letter
from a consultant to the Southwest Research Institute, who have
been commissioned to do the study, to Harold Snider of the
National Council on Disability (see attached copy).  You will
note that the letter includes "old age" as a category of people
who might be excluded from air travel. Obesity is also mentioned. 
I think that, before they are finished, the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) will have to include parents who are
travelling with small children as well.
     It is my understanding that the ATA intends to propose a
rule to the FAA once the study is completed.  The rule would
limit the number of people who are members of the various
categories named who would be allowed to fly on the same flight.
     I recall a study that indicated that almost half of all
older Americans have a functional limitation of some sort. Thus,
an elderly person who might have some difficulty moving about
rapidly might arrive at an airport with a valid ticket and be
told that he or she could not board the flight because the
allotted number of places had already been taken up by other
elderly people, or by people with disabilities, people who are
overweight, or parents travelling with small children.
     I hope you agree with me that this sort of nonsense should
be stopped.  I find it particularly offensive when I think of all
the other safety precautions that might be taken which the FAA
refuses to require of airlines. For example, even though most
European airlines have widened exit rows to make it easier for
passengers to disembark in an emergency, the FAA refuses to
promulgate a rule that would require American carriers to widen
exit rows, almost certainly because the carriers would object
that they would lose money.  Similarly, the FAA will not require
U.S. carriers to use flame-retardant materials throughout
airplane cabins, flame-retardant fuel, etc.  The list is long....
     I hope all is well with you.  We should get together for
lunch soon.

                                                       Sincerely,
                                      Evan J. Kemp, Jr., Chairman
                          Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
                      ____________________
     These letters speak for themselves. Let those who think we
have overdramatized and given too much prominence to this issue
consider the chilling possibilities. If the airlines and the FAA
can successfully join forces to make rules limiting the number of
so-called disabled passengers who may ride on the same plane,
even this may not be the end of it. The next step will be still
further custody, control, and exclusion. Despite the passage of
the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 and the Americans with
Disabilities Act (passed only a few months ago), the trend is
ominous. It must be recognized, publicized, and resisted--and the
counterattacks must come now. It is always more difficult to
reverse a bad decision than to prevent it in the first place.
     No, we have not given too much prominence to the airline
issue, and we have certainly not overdramatized it. It is a major
threat to our quest for first-class treatment and equal status in
society, a substantial barrier to our march to freedom. We were
right in passing the resolution at our 1991 National Convention
declaring the airline issue to be one of our top priorities, and
we would be acting irresponsibly if we were to fail to pursue it
with vigor and determination. We join with the chairman of the
federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Paralyzed
Veterans of America, and all of the rest who oppose the
unreasonable and discriminatory behavior of the airline industry
in its treatment of the blind and those with other disabilities.
     And make no mistake! We intend to prevail. We do not seek
strife or confrontation, but we will do what we have to do. We
are simply no longer willing to be second-class citizens. That
day is gone forever. We will win by reason and persuasion if we
can, by stronger measures if we must. But in any event we intend
to win. This issue is too important to permit it to be otherwise.







               SERVICES FOR BLIND "ARE A DISGRACE
              TO THE STATE OF ARIZONA," GROUP SAYS

     From the Editor: The following article by Enric Volante
appeared in the November 25, 1991, Arizona Daily Star.  It
underscores the fact that some state agencies for the blind still
do more apologizing and defending than performing. Arizona has
the reputation of being one of the worst. As the saying goes, "If
you have to be blind, you had better make certain that you don't
live in Arizona."
     The David Wayne Smith who is quoted in the article is no
stranger to the blind of Arizona. He has a constant chip on his
shoulder, always tries to divert attention from the shortcomings
of the state agency by attacking the organized blind, and
demonstrates by almost every pronouncement he makes his profound
lack of information. As is usual in such cases, this does not
seem to trouble him.
     It should be kept in mind that Arizona probably has more
groups accredited by NAC (the National Accreditation Council for
Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped) than any
other state, a fact that is not without significance. Good
programs and NAC accreditation rarely co-exist.
     But Arizona is changing. The blind are increasingly finding
strength and exerting themselves. They have had enough of
promises and poor services and are determined to bring reform to
the agencies. As is understandable, the agencies don't like it
and are resisting. It seems likely that major changes will be
coming in Arizona soon.
     All of this should be kept in mind as Monitor readers
consider the implications of Mr. Volante's article. Here it is:

     In one week early last year, Jim Matise turned 60, was
declared legally blind, and lost his job.
     "Needless to say, I was devastated," the former hotel
manager recalled later. "My wife and I simply didn't know what we
would or could do."
     To get help in finding a new job, Matise went to the Tucson
office of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, part of
the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
     But the rehabilitation supervisor who took his application
told Matise to forget about work and just consider himself
retired, Matise alleged in a letter of complaint to federal
officials.
     "He said, `We can't even get jobs for people who are 21
years old. We certainly can't get jobs for someone like you,'"
Matise wrote.
     Nearly two years after he applied for state help, Matise
remains unemployed. Some advocates of the blind cite his case as
an example of what they call insensitive and ineffective state
services.
     DES officials have denied Matise's account of what happened.
They say the agency tried to help, but that Matise did not fully
cooperate.
     Jim Omvig, a member of the advisory Governor's Council on
Blindness and Visual Impairment, does not buy that explanation.
     "I have never seen an agency for the blind as bad as this
one," Omvig said.
     "You go to a state agency for the blind that says, `Sorry,
we're not going to help you because you're old and blind.' That's
bad, and it is, in fact, absolutely illegal."
     Matise, Omvig, and other members of the National Federation
of the Blind in Arizona, a private non-profit organization with
about 450 dues-paying members, say the state agency needs a major
shake-up to make it more responsive.
     In a resolution passed at the group's convention last month
in Tucson, the Federation said services "are a disgrace to the
state of Arizona and, even more, are causing irreparable harm to
those blind adults who are in need of and qualify for good
rehabilitation services to enable them to lead normal,
independent, self-sufficient, and productive lives."
     Karen Ortega, president of the Federation's Tucson chapter,
said the state service supports the fallacy that the blind have
nothing more to look forward to "than working in a sheltered
workshop."
     But David Wayne Smith, chairman of the Governor's Council on
the Blind and Visually Impaired and a defender of state services,
said the Federation does not speak for many blind people.
     "They represent a very small proportion of the blind in
Arizona," Smith said. "They have a history of complaining about
service in every state."
     Nationally and statewide, more than 70 percent of the blind
fail to find work because of "tremendous prejudice" and a failure
by industry to recognize that the blind are "an extremely capable
population," Smith said.
     A state DES spokesman, who referred inquiries about state
services to Smith, said Arizona statistics show 9,341 people who
are legally blind and 43,109 who are severely visually impaired.
     Three months after Matise applied for job help, Services for
the Blind and Visually Impaired office supervisor George Mayo
wrote that he was closing Matise's case "as I do not believe that
I can assist you in securing meaningful employment due to the
combination of loss of vision and age," records show.
     Mayo and a DES spokesman declined to comment Friday, citing
the confidentiality of client cases.
     Manuel F. Mejia, assistant director of DES's Division of
Employment and Rehabilitation Services, defended Mayo and the
agency in a September 10 letter responding to Matise's
complaints.
     "Dr. Mayo stated it was you that told him, 'nobody will want
to hire me because of my age,'" the letter says.
     Mejia also wrote that Mayo said he advised Matise "that he
had recently placed several clients in jobs that didn't require
any skills for $4 to $6 per hour. You stated you would not work
for such low wages."
     Matise, whose case has since been reopened, calls the
official account nonsense, except that he did say he would not
work for only a few dollars an hour in a workshop for the blind.
He said that's a matter of personal dignity.
     "With a little (secretarial) help, I can do anything. I can
still run an office building. I can still run a big project.
There isn't anything I can't do, but nobody's gonna give me the
chance," Matise said.
     "I don't want them to get me a job. I just want them to get
me the entree. Because I can't just call somebody and talk with
them. I've tried this and the moment that they know that you're
legally blind, they don't even want to see you.
     "But they're in a position where they should be able to talk
and get me an entree, and I can get in there and sell myself,
because I know my profession and I know my field... but nothing's
happening."


[PHOTO: Portrait. CAPTION: Allan Nichols.]

                  WHY USE THE LONG WHITE CANE?
                        by Allan Nichols

     From the Associate Editor: Allan Nichols is one of the
leaders of the National Federation of the Blind of Wyoming. He
recently graduated from the Colorado Center for the Blind, one of
the NFB adult rehabilitation centers, where he mastered Braille
and the use of the long white cane. He is now a forceful and
dedicated proponent of both skills. (See the February, 1991 issue
of the Braille Monitor for his article on using Braille as a
diabetic.) Recently he has been thinking about cane travel and
the importance of coming to terms with the long white cane, and
he has made me stop and think about the same subject. 
     The first cane I was trained to use was made of aluminum and
came to my diaphram. It had a crook at the top; its tip got
caught in every crack in the sidewalk; and I hated it. 
     The summer before I left for college, my state agency
counselor suggested that I switch to a folding cane so that I
wouldn't be so conspicuous. He explained (with faulty logic that
even I should have spotted at the time) that a folding cane
didn't need to be as long as a straight cane. So I armed myself
with a waist-length cane that would fall apart whenever the
elastic wore through--generally in the most inconvenient and
embarrassing places--and entered college.
     Not until I joined the Federation did my cane, like my mind
and my spirit, begin to grow. Almost my first act in the exhibit
hall at my first national convention was to purchase a fifty-
seven-inch straight cane. It was longer than any cane I had ever
seen, let alone used, and it took me a few weeks to get used to
handling the greater length. But through the years my canes have
grown to sixty-three inches. They come to my nose when I am
wearing high heels, and I keep several on hand to use with
different color combinations and in different situations. 
     I often observe cane-users around me and wonder why so many
continue to cling to canes that are obviously and painfully too
short for them. Mr. Nichols has asked himself this same question,
and his analysis appears in the article that follows. But I think
that there are at least two additional factors to consider: 
     Despite all our talk about the many ways in which
Federationists help one another to improve their cane technique,
many of us don't find ourselves in situations in which we can ask
really competent cane travelers to show us what good cane
technique looks and feels like. People who do not travel
independently with confidence usually go to chapter meetings and
state and national conventions with others who are willing to
give them a hand. So they don't find themselves alone with good
travelers where they can talk and work without inconveniencing a
sighted guide. Cane travel seminars at state conventions, in
which people are encouraged to move around the hotel using longer
canes and improved technique, can be very helpful to many
members. Good travelers should make a point of offering to work
with interested people whenever there is an opportunity. This
must be done tactfully, however. It is easy for a short-cane user
to be made uncomfortable by implied or direct criticism. The
truth is that the quality of one's travel skills, not the quality
of one's mind or spirit, is reflected in the length of one's cane
and the dexterity with which one uses it. 
     The other issue that we confront very infrequently is the
question of how to manage the increased length of a cane.
Personally I think it is better to get used to a longer cane
gradually. I don't mean using a long cane occasionally and a
short cane the rest of the time.  Rather, I recommend that people
who do not have the luxury of working with a good cane travel
teacher regularly begin with a cane that is two to four inches
longer than the one they are used to traveling with. The increase
in the amount of information obtained will be immediate and
noticeable, and one can learn to manage the slightly greater
length more easily than one can an increase of ten inches or a
foot. As one's skill and confidence increase, one will
instinctively replace each cane with a longer one until the right
cane length is achieved. Many cane travel teachers suggest that
the cane should come up to the chin. Faster walkers will want
somewhat longer canes. 
     I have heard three complaints leveled at the long cane: it
is hard to stow safely in a car; it is hard to keep out of other
people's way when it is not in use; and it is hard to use safely
and courteously in a crowd. All of these complaints have some
validity, but all are solvable. 
     There are some cars manufactured in the developing world
that really are too small for a long straight cane. I rode in
several of them last year in the Philippines. In such situations
there is no alternative but to use a telescoping cane and
collapse it before entering the car. But most cars driven in
America, even if they are small, are large enough to admit a long
straight cane. The problems evaporate if one remembers to bring
the handle in first if one is entering the front seat and the tip
in first if one is assigned the back seat. When the handle comes
first, push it back over the shoulder nearest the door, and guide
the tip in with your hand until it is resting on the floor beside
your feet. In this way it will not be crushed when the door is
closed. If the back seat of a four-door car is your destination,
get in and slide the tip along the side of the front seat until
enough of the shaft is lying between the front seat and the front
door to allow you to pull the handle through the back door. Hold
the cane close to your body and close the door. Getting into the
back seat of a two-door car will require a certain amount of
trial and error since the size of the door will determine the
best way to bring the cane in. But if you have mastered front and
back seat entry in a four-door car, you will find yourself in
control of the two-door situation. 
     The biggest trick to conscientious management of a cane at
rest is to remember it. Take note of any nearby walls or corners
against which the cane can be propped or slid. If not, can it lie
safely along a row of chairs? I keep my foot on my cane to insure
that it does not decide to migrate while I am doing something
else. One should always know where both ends of the cane are and
should keep them out of patterns of traffic. If you can't tell
whether the cane is stowed safely, ask someone else if it is out
of the way. 
     Traveling safely and considerately has its own tricks and
rules. In the wide open spaces of an empty sidewalk, the cane tip
can arc freely, making a small angle with the ground. The problem
is that a cane held in this position can be dangerous to people
in front of the blind traveler if the tip accidentally gets
between their legs or under one foot. The more densely crowded an
area is, the more nearly vertical the cane should be held. The
larger angle formed by the cane and the ground decreases the
distance one can sweep, but in a crowd one does not need as much
stopping time or distance since one's speed is necessarily
slowed. The pencil grip is the best way to hold a cane in a crowd
since one has maximum control in this position, and the hand can
slide quickly and easily down the shaft of the cane in order to
shorten the length being used. As soon as the path opens again,
with a flip of the fingers the cane will slide back out to its
full length. 
     There is ample reason for each of us to practice and master
these skills. We have all seen people use canes rudely, and one
can hardly blame others for wanting to avoid behavior that can
anger or injure other people. But the long white cane is a
wonderful tool, and everyone who uses a cane at all should be
encouraged to try it. Here is Allan Nichols' article about his
experience:

     Last week I received a telephone call from our chapter
president. He told me about a bad accident that had happened to a
blind woman who lives across from him in his apartment building.
She took a bad fall in an antique store. It is not my intention
to embarrass her in this article. However, I do want to point out
the way in which this unfortunate accident could have been
prevented by the proper use of a long white cane.
     I telephoned her in the hospital the day after it happened
because I was concerned about her. She told me that she had been
in a local antique store, where she asked an employee for
directions to a particular item. She said that this employee had
given her confusing instructions. Before she knew what had
happened, she had walked into a stairwell and had fallen, unable
to stop herself. Her injuries included a broken right wrist, two
broken fingers on her left hand, and multiple bruises on her
neck, head, back, and legs. As bad as things are, she was
fortunate that her fall did not paralyze or kill her. A woman in
her seventies and almost totally blind, she uses a short support
cane when she goes out by herself.
     On the surface this is just an unfortunate accident caused
by miscommunication between a blind woman and a store employee.
However, a closer look at this woman's background sheds light on
the possible reason that this accident occurred.
     She uses a short white support cane for the limited
independent travel she does. According to her friend in the
apartment building, her cane is just long enough to check a few
inches in front of her. She uses it because it gives her support
when she walks. When asked why she does not use a longer one, she
has told him, "I know a person who was in an accident because he
used one of those long canes." I know that she has not had proper
training in the use of the long white cane. In talking with her
just the other day, I learned that in the three times she has
attended the blind camp offered here in Wyoming, no one ever gave
her training in mobility and the use of the long white cane. She
has picked up the limited knowledge she has of how to use her
short cane on her own.
     In the National Federation of the Blind we have the
opportunity to share good ideas and travel techniques with each
other. When one of us encounters a problem or learns a lesson the
hard way, we share the knowledge in an effort to prevent the same
thing from happening to someone else. That is one of the reasons
why we have the NFB training centers located in Colorado,
Louisiana, and Minnesota. I am sure that there are other training
programs across the country also effectively teaching good
techniques to blind people. The Federation's fifty-one years of
progress in sharing information and the good rehabilitation
teaching that exists in several locations suggest that we have
already worked out many of the problems with travel techniques.
The task now is getting this information to the people who really
need it.
     What am I suggesting? Could this woman have avoided this bad
accident? I believe so. First of all, if she had been using a
long white cane, she would have had adequate warning before she
came to the steps on which she fell. A properly sized cane should
sweep two to three steps in front of the user who is walking at a
normal pace. I received a good portion of my mobility training at
the Colorado Center for the Blind (CCB). The travel instructors
encouraged each of us to use a cane that came up to between the
chin and the tip of the nose when held vertically.
     When I first arrived at the CCB in Denver, I was using a
short (forty-eight-inch) straight cane and a folding cane, about
fifty-two inches long. Neither of these, however, was
satisfactory for me to use in walking confidently. The short
straight cane did not allow me to walk upright. It also did not
give me adequate warning of obstacles in front of me. My folding
cane, while a bit longer, was too heavy to allow me to get a good
rhythm when I walked. Its length proved inadequate.
     On my first day of mobility training, my travel instructor
gave me a fifty-seven-inch cane to use. My first reaction to it
was that it seemed to be too long for me. However, the more I
used it, the more I began to rely on its additional length to
warn me of hazards in my path. After a few months of using this
length cane, the size did not seem so unwieldy any more. Before I
finished training at the Colorado Center, I changed to a sixty-
one-inch cane with which I now feel more comfortable. Being about
five feet, ten inches tall, I can walk confidently using this
length with a good measure of safety. I have also found that, if
I project an image of confidence when I walk, people treat me
with more respect. If I look lost or bent over, groping with a
cane that is too short, strangers I meet often react to me as if
I were disoriented and unsure of myself. This view of blind
people perpetuates the myth of helplessness that has for too long
kept us from achieving first-class status.
     Since I have been traveling independently, I have had many
instances in which the extra length has saved my bacon. While
walking on campus at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, I
normally keep a fairly quick pace, especially in familiar areas.
I can remember two instances in which I could have had disastrous
falls. One day I was walking down a hallway briskly, not paying
much attention to where I was going. I was a bit farther to one
side of the hall than I normally walked. Suddenly, I felt the end
of my cane drop. I had located a stairwell that I did not even
know existed. I simply stopped, adjusted my path, and continued
to my destination. With this simple warning I avoided bodily
injury by only a step or two. A second incident happened in a
different building. Again I was traveling quickly to get to an
appointment. I assumed that the hallway was clear as I walked
down it. Unknown to me, someone had placed a cart with
audiovisual equipment in my path, just outside a classroom
doorway. I hit the equipment cart with my cane in full stride,
but because I had the proper length of cane, I had adequate time
to react, and I was able to stop before I cracked into it.
     Certainly there is no way for blind people to avoid all
accidents, just as there is no way for sighted people to do so.
About eleven years ago, when I became the manager of a Randolph-
Sheppard cafeteria in Cheyenne, I had an experience that
graphically illustrates this point. The day that I received the
door keys to my coffee shop for the first time, I felt quite
proud of myself as I left for the evening. I walked out of my
coffee shop located in the basement of the GSA Post Office
complex in downtown Cheyenne and prepared to mount the stairs,
ready to go home. I was not paying much attention to what I was
doing and definitely not covering the area in front of my feet
with my cane. I subsequently plowed my head into the wall next to
the stairwell. Seeing stars for the first time in years, I felt
the blood trickling down my face. Fortunately, a building
maintenance man saw my problem and helped me. In this instance I
do not know if my problem was my lack of attention to what I was
doing, my short cane, or my lack of skill in using it. Perhaps it
was a combination of all three. I do know that I have avoided
similar disasters since then by having the proper size cane and
acquiring the training to use it correctly.
     It seems to me that fear of the unknown is our greatest
enemy. Many newly blinded individuals, and some not so newly
blinded ones, fear going places by themselves. Either they do not
go out at all, or they wait until a sighted family member or
friend can accompany them. I believe that it is their fear of
being involved in an accident that keeps some blind people
confined to their own homes. The use of a long white cane and the
knowledge to use one can ameliorate this fear. After sufficient
training and getting experience using the cane, a blind person
can safely and confidently travel virtually anywhere. The
valuable training I received at the Colorado Center for the Blind
has proven this to me. I have traveled through the streets of
downtown Denver independently with no fear of imperiling myself.
I have used Denver's regional bus system to travel from my
apartment in the suburb of Littleton to Denver, then to Boulder
to walk around the campus of the University of Colorado, before
returning home. All of this travel was done using my own wits and
my long white cane.
     Others may prefer using a guide dog. But whether we use a
dog or a cane, we need to be in charge of where we go and what we
do.
     The cane and the dog are just tools. They can be used
properly or misused. For instance, no one would dare imply that
we ought to outlaw the use of hammers for constructing buildings.
Some people have accidentally hit themselves with a hammer, but
this is no reason to get rid of hammers. They are simply tools,
and people need to know how to use them properly. The same can be
said for the long white cane. It is not simply a device telling
others that we are blind and that they either ought to stay out
of our way or ought to rush sympathetically to preserve such
helpless creatures. The long white cane must be recognized as a
device that blind people use as a tool of independence.
     I am not ashamed to be seen with my long white cane. I think
of it in the way others might regard their eyeglasses. When I
travel on an airliner, I view anyone who wants to take my cane
away the same way as another person might a flight attendant who
tried to confiscate his eyeglasses. Until we blind people feel
comfortable and unashamed walking with our canes, we will not
achieve the first-class status we so rightly want. Until the
sighted world views our canes as normal and a part of our
independence, we will continue to have an image problem. With
adequate education of blind people in using the long white cane,
we can overcome the fear of traveling anywhere we wish. When
others see us participating in our communities, not fearing our
blindness, we will make headway in overcoming the negative
stereotypes that have traditionally plagued us. Let us grab our
long white canes and confidently and fearlessly stride out to
join the rest of the world.


[PHOTO: Ted Young stands at a microphone. CAPTION: Ted Young.]

                    THE RIGHT TO REFUSE HELP
                          by Ted Young

     From the Associate Editor: Ted Young is the President of the
National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania. The following
article appeared in the Fall, 1991, edition of The Blind
Activist, the publication of the NFB of Pennsylvania. It reminds
us again how important it is to stand up and be counted. The
hearing officer who presided at the arbitration hearing in the
case Mr. Young discusses ruled against the blind woman, so with
the help of the National Federation of the Blind she is going
into court to seek justice. As happens so often, when blindness
becomes a factor in a situation, most people check their common
sense at the door. Here is what happened:

     An arbitration case in which I recently testified gave new
meaning to the concept of reasonable accommodation and the right
to refuse help. Of course, blind people deal with the issue every
day, and I have often heard the matter discussed in various
terms. For example, I have heard blind people argue about how
polite one is required to be when help is being forced upon
rather than offered to him or her. 
     Early in the morning, when I am not at my best, I have often
pondered this question while being asked whether I was waiting
for a subway when the subway was the only transportation
available four flights of steps below the street. Most times I 
tried to remember that other blind people might some day need
help, an offer of which might depend upon my current politeness,
that even at 7:00 in the morning I had a social duty to be
courteous; but on certain days it was really an effort. More
recently I have faced the all too familiar attempts to get me to
ride in those siren-wailing airport carts, and the rather
impolite responses to my courteous "No thank you."
     Then, in the late 1980s came the question of the Americans
with Disabilities Act. To the best of my knowledge, the National
Federation of the Blind was the only group that did not
immediately fawn over it, but regarded it practically and
remembered that even a good thing can be misused. It was the
National Federation of the Blind which single-handedly insisted
upon and obtained section (d) to Section 501 of the ADA. That
section states: "(d) ACCOMMODATIONS AND SERVICES--Nothing in this
Act shall be construed to require an individual with a disability
to accept an accommodation, aid, service, opportunity, or benefit
which such individual chooses not to accept."
     There were those who felt that this was an unnecessary
clause, inserted by a group of radical blind people who refused
to recognize that other blind people need help. However, we stood
by our convictions, stating that we would go so far as to oppose
the bill unless our section was included. We knew that, although
blind people should have help when needed, imposed help can be
and is one of the most degrading parts of the discrimination we
suffer as a group.
     But to return to the arbitration case that triggered this
meditation. A woman was invited to a party at an agency for the
blind which always provided guides to help blind people move
anywhere they chose to go, including entering and exiting the
building and going to the bathroom. The agency was doing what it
thought best for the blind. It hosted monthly recreational
meetings and, in this case, a Christmas party at which it
dispensed lunch and presents to the blind guests. As it pointed
out in the hearing, it always provided guides for the blind. In
fact, the only agency witness at the hearing testified that she
had never seen blind people going in and out of the building
without assistance. I am convinced that she truly believed a
blind person could not go to the bathroom or leave the building
independently.
     Then came the fateful day of the 1988 Christmas party. A
group of blind people were driven to the agency and, according to
their testimony, walked in independently. They participated in
the evening's events without guides, and, when it came time to
leave the building, they left independently. But one of them
tripped on the way down the stairs and fell to the sidewalk,
causing some internal bruising and nerve damage. She sued the
agency, claiming that there should have been a stair railing for
her to grab to stop her fall. The agency responded that she
should not have been exiting independently since assistance was
provided, and a reasonable blind person would have waited for a
guide. There were two legal issues in this case: did the absence
of a stair railing on a facility to which the public was invited
constitute negligence on the part of the agency, and did the
blind person contribute to the accident by not behaving like most
blind people and waiting for a guide. The second issue became
important because, even if it were found that the agency should
have had a railing there for blind and sighted persons alike, if
the blind person contributed to the accident by acting abnormally
and exiting on her own, the agency's negligence would have been
reduced or even offset. 
     What a discouraging morning! What an interesting and
depressing case! There are so many issues tied up in this one
case that it would take a book to cover them all. Do we as blind
people feed the traditional attitudes about blindness when we
participate in agency-organized social events for the blind? 
Isn't it interesting that, despite all of the blind people that
have come to that facility over the years, the agency witness had
never seen one of us entering or exiting the building
independently. Was this because the agency discouraged
independence with such force that even blind people who could do
so submitted, or was it confirmation of the fact that people are
likely to see only what they are prepared to believe. In either
case, how sad!
     Probably some reading this article wonder whether a blind
person should have sued at all. "After all," they might suggest,
"we as blind people should graciously accept efforts made to help
us rather than biting the hand that feeds us."  Others would
suggest that if a sighted person could and would sue in our
litigious society, the blind person should have equal right to do
so. What about the fact that a railing would benefit a sighted
person who reached for it when falling? What about the perception
that guides are better than canes for blind people?
     At the heart of this case is the definition of the term "a
reasonable blind person." Whether we like it or not, that
definition is inevitably based on the public's perception of what
a majority of us, that is, the average blind person, can or will
do. If the "reasonable blind person" would not refuse a special
accommodation, any accommodation, and another blind person
refuses it because it is unnecessary, should the facility with
the special accommodation be exempt from legitimate negligence
claims? Could such arguments extend to a blind person's walking
the streets alone and being involved in an accident clearly
caused by another pedestrian, municipal negligence, careless
drivers, etc.?
     How often we see the well-conceived and debated resolutions
and actions of the Federation translated into real world
concerns. Any blind person involved in an accident caused by the
negligence of another will be affected by the foresight of our
movement. How sad it is that many of those who will benefit from
our efforts refuse to join us and help guarantee to others some
of what they have gained through the National Federation of the
Blind. Surely this case and all of the issues it raises
demonstrate how far we still have to go to gain full equality in
our society.


                 ******************************
     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."
                 ******************************

                    GET IT FAST--GET IT RIGHT
                         by Tim Cranmer

     From the Associate Editor: Tim Cranmer is the Chairman of
the Research and Development Committee of the National Federation
of the Blind. He understands and uses the esoterica of the
technological revolution. Even more impressive, he can talk
sensibly about technology in language that can be understood by
people who know little or nothing about his field of expertise.
Recently I have begun making use of the NFB's computer bulletin
board service. I do not use these services happily or comfortably
yet, but I certainly do agree with Mr. Cranmer--NFB NET is filled
with convenient, useful information and services. Here is what he
has to say:

     I enjoy electronic bulletin boards about as much as I enjoy
telephone answering machines. Some of my friends hang around on
computer bulletin boards, which they call BBSs, several hours a
week; some, several hours a day. That's because they enjoy
communicating this way. No doubt about it, it is a great hobby,
but not mine!
     So, why am I writing about it?  Because of the very great
usefulness of the bulletin board run by the National Federation
of the Blind called NFB NET.
     The thing that got me started was the discovery that I could
get my copy of the Braille Monitor long before it reached anybody
on the Monitor mailing list. I got the Braille edition of the
November, 1991, issue on the first day of November. At the same
time I could have received from NFB NET a print edition or  a
compressed copy for storing away on a computer disk. To read the
Braille version, I used my Braille 'n Speak. To listen to the
print edition with a speech synthesizer, I could use either the
Braille 'n Speak or my computer, using its screen access program.
The Braille copy on paper is expected to arrive from the American
Printing House for the Blind (across town from me) in about a
month.
     Besides getting the Braille Monitor fast, a lot of power
derives from using NFB NET. Two examples will make my point. When
"Good and Evil," the ABC Network television show, was degrading
the public's image of blind men and women, I dialed NFB NET to
get the list of names and addresses of the  program's sponsors.
In a few moments I had a properly spelled, perfectly formatted
mailing list of the advertisers with their chief executive
officers and titles. This list was used to produce the inside
addresses for the letters we were writing, along with the
addresses required on each envelope. Furthermore, it was an easy
matter to run off extra copies of this list for others who needed
it. This process is much more accurate than our usual method of
taking names and addresses from a person over the telephone.
     Kentucky will be introducing a Braille bill in the next of
our Legislature. We want to start with the Model Bill, developed
by NFB. Once again, NFB NET served up print and Braille copies of
the Model Bill in less than five minutes. As soon as we finished
receiving these documents over the phone, we put the receiver on
the hook and printed out copies for our print- and Braille-
reading members.
     Is all this high-tech maneuvering complicated?  Not very.
You need a modem, which is a device that can couple your Braille
'n Speak or Computer to the telephone line. Then you dial NFB NET
by entering its phone number on the keyboard of the BNS or
computer. But wait a minute! This is not the time or place for
such detail. Besides, this message is addressed to State
Presidents:
     If you are interested, you can do it yourself, Mr. or Madam
President. Otherwise, talk to the members of your affiliate to
find a volunteer to serve as your NFB NET connection. Every NFB
affiliate has members who know how to sign up and download
information from bulletin boards. Enlist their services, and tell
them to check in by dialing (410) 752-5011.
     NFB NET provides many other services. There are many helpful
files packed with information you can use--electronic mail with
other members and other bulletin boards is one of the more
popular features. I might as well admit it! NFB NET can be fun,
and if you are not careful, it could become your hobby. As for
me, it's the power of this great new Federation facility that
will keep me checking in. That's just what I'm going to do right
now to send this article to Dr. Jernigan. He just might want to
put it in the Monitor. If he does, I'll read it when I get my
Monitor from NFB NET.
     Note: I still hate telephone answering machines.


[PHOTO: Adrienne Asch stands speaking at podium microphone. CAPTION: Adrienne
Asch.]

                    USING READERS ON THE JOB
                        by Adrienne Asch

     From the Associate Editor: Adrienne Asch is a bioethicist
who is completing her Ph.D. She lives in New York City and is an
active member of the Human Services Division of the National
Federation of the Blind. This article is reprinted from the
Spring-Summer, 1991, issue of the newsletter of the Human
Services Division of the National Federation of the Blind. For
twenty years Ms. Asch has supervised readers in complex and
demanding professional projects and coordinated their work with
her own efficient use of technology. Her expertise is carefully
and intelligently come by. Here is what she has to say:

     You may already have developed techniques for effectively
recruiting, training, and working with readers. If, however, you
haven't been happy with your work with readers, or if you haven't
used them in a job setting, perhaps some of the ideas here will
be useful to you.
     I've worked with readers in several different kinds of jobs
and have developed very satisfying and productive working
relationships with many of them. Actually, the people I hire as
readers do quite a number of tasks, i.e., reading, of course, but
also organizing and sorting mail, filing, proofreading, and
myriad other tasks. When I advertise, I make clear that the
largest part of the job is recording of professional material but
that it also includes miscellaneous administrative and clerical
tasks. I specify that the person must be versatile and reliable.
He or she must also be able to follow directions exactly and to
work either independently or under close supervision. I also
specify the number of hours I want and the rate of pay, which at
the moment is seven dollars an hour--comparable with other part-
time jobs for college students in the New York area.
     Whether or not an employer pays part or all of my reader
costs, I insist that I must select, train, and supervise the
reader. For any potential reader I conduct a short telephone
interview and a two-hour in-person interview, during which I take
the reader through a good sample of what he or she would be
doing. I get an idea of how carefully someone reads text,
footnotes, tables, and so forth; whether the person can quickly
find the third paragraph on a page, the fourth chapter in a book,
the bibliographic information needed for citing an article, or a
letter dated July 9, 1988, in a case file containing several
dozen documents. Although I believe it is my job to know what I'm
looking for in a book or case file, I must work with someone who
can follow clear instructions. If my reader is likely to need to
interact with my superiors, colleagues, and support staff, I make
sure that those others get some opportunity to meet with
candidates during the interviewing process. (If, for example,
readers are going to proofread what an office secretary has typed
from my drafts, it is important that the reader and secretary
have an amicable and professional relationship.)

Getting the Job Done

     Depending on what you will have your readers do, you may
want to prepare some training materials for them about how you
want things read, filed, and the like. As soon as I select a
reader, I give them something I've prepared about my filing
system and about how I want things read to me or, more often, to
the tape recorder. Some portion of reading time includes
interaction between the reader and me about what needs to be done
and in what order. If I have a desk piled high with mail, which
is common, usually our first task is sorting what needs to be
attended to quickly, what can wait, and what is junk and is going
to be thrown out summarily. Anything I'm not going to attend to
immediately or anything that I think I'll need to find myself, I
try to label in Braille. Actually, the mail is the main thing
that a reader and I do together. After I give directions, most
filing, photocopying, article-reading, and proofreading can be
done by the reader without my presence. I prefer to be flexible
in the way I work and do not like having a reader schedule unduly
control the rest of my work life. By setting things up so that
readers can do a lot of work on their own, I remain available to
colleagues, unexpected phone calls, or meetings. I can also
accommodate my own rhythms of completing important writing or
reading I'm doing instead of stopping because a reader has
arrived.

Why I Use the Tape Recorder 

     Retaining such flexibility requires that I be organized
about what I want accomplished by a given time, hiring people who
can work well on their own, and that readers put a lot of
material on tape for me to deal with later. I have found this
arrangement by far the most suitable and convenient for me.
Whenever I think there is any chance I will need to keep
something I'm reading (whether it's an article, a long memo, a
complicated letter, or material about a patient or student
written by another professional), I have the reader tape it. I do
this for many reasons. First of all, it means that I don't waste
the reader's time in taking notes as I'm first hearing the
material. The reader can use all the time in recording, and I can
then read at my convenience, speeding up, going back, taking
notes as I go. Also, I have discovered that on the first reading,
however carefully I take notes, there are things I miss. Two
months or years later I may realize that there was something
important in a document that I didn't originally note down. If
the complete document is on tape, I don't have to waste any more
reader time in finding and reading it again.
     Another virtue of having things taped is that the reader is
not then skimming a document, trying to decide what is important.
Eventually you and your reader will know what, if anything, can
be skipped, but be very careful about skipping things or letting
a reader decide what can be omitted. Sometimes a file full of
letters from the same person will suddenly show a new address or
phone number that you discover you need. If all these things are
on tape, you can decide what to skip on first reading yourself,
and if you later realize you need something, you can go back to
find it.
     Obviously, when a tape is likely to contain a great deal of
material, I make a Braille list of what is on each tape and
organize the tapes in a way that makes it easy for me to find the
particular tape and section I need. I use the RFB method of tone-
indexing: once for each page and twice for each new document,
section, or chapter.

The Reading Relationship

     Good readers are indispensable, but good reading
relationships, like any other relationships, take work. I think
it's very good for readers to understand that, while you are in
charge, they are doing a valuable and responsible job in which
they should take pride. Working on their own means that they can
organize their work to take breaks, to change tasks, or to decide
the order of tasks, as long as things are completed on the
schedule you specify. Although I work with three or four readers
every week, I try to organize work so that particular readers
have particular tasks. For example, one reader, who is good at it
and likes doing it, goes through bills, organizes my tax records
to take to my accountant, and so forth. Another may read all the
material on a given subject or about a given case. Yet a third
might do all the work to assist me to get a particular course
syllabus in shape, make all the revisions to my resume, or work
on all the revisions and multiple drafts of an article I'm
preparing. This gives the reader a sense of involvement in a
particular project by seeing how the work in one session affects
what happens next.
     Even readers who do a lot of work on their own deserve to
know that what they do is valued and that their doing it well is
appreciated. They also need to know that their honest mistakes
can be tolerated. It is all too easy for a new reader to record
on the wrong speed, to forget to indicate page numbers, or even
to change tracks or tapes incorrectly. You don't need to tolerate
carelessness, but sometimes even the most careful people make
errors.
     Having the reader work independently preserves my
flexibility and my separateness as a professional. The reader can
be recording while I converse with colleagues, take a coffee
break, make a phone call, write a letter, or do an errand. This
set-up also helps make it clear to everyone with whom I work that
my reader and I are not inseparable, and that I'm the one in
charge. If I must bring a reader with me to review records that
cannot be taken out of a particular setting, I make it clear to
the people at that setting that they must deal with and speak to
me and not to my reader and that my reader is not an
intermediary. I try not to take a reader into such a situation
until we have established the kind of relationship in which it's
understood between us how to deal with such annoying occurrences.
     I've worked with more than a hundred readers over the past
twenty years. Some have worked with me for twenty to thirty hours
a week for months or years. Each time I have to say good-by to
someone I've enjoyed, who has gotten to know my work, my
personality, and quirks, and who can take just the right amount
of initiative to remind me that I haven't answered a letter or
decided what to do about some piece of mail, I wonder how I'll
ever train someone else to do as well. Sometimes a departing
reader helps train his or her successor, which is often quite
valuable. But I have discovered that being clear about what I
want means that I usually can get new readers who will work well
and whom I will enjoy. They will be different, of course, and we
will develop our own set of jokes and shorthand. One of the
things that gratify me is that no matter how much they and I
understand that they enable me to do my work, they have always
seen me as the person doing the work; they bring their
intelligence, personality, and sense of commitment to the job;
often they have ideas and suggestions that improve the way in
which I organize something or express something, but they never
see me as dependent upon them in a way that inspires
condescension. They know they help me get things done, but they
often tell me that I help them by showing them how to organize
time to accomplish several projects and by exposing them to ideas
and fields they may not have known before. They also learn a lot
about the ins and outs of managing as a blind person, and I've
been delighted to discover that several of them have gone about
debunking the nonsensical beliefs of their friends and
acquaintances about blindness. Readers can be allies in changing
negative attitudes about blindness, and that is a pleasurable by-
product of working with them.


[PHOTO: Portrait. CAPTION: David Andrews.]

                 STAMPING OUT FALSE ASSUMPTIONS 

     From the Associate Editor: Everyone has watched what happens
when a mother holds a blanket up between her face and that of her
infant: the baby immediately assumes that she has vanished and
been replaced by a wall of colored cloth. When the mother pops
out again, the infant's rising tide of fear is suddenly replaced
by recognition, and the child breaks into delighted laughter. 
     The toddler assumes, until hard experience teaches a little
caution, that the father will always be there to catch him in
running, jumping, and climbing. Parents try to do so, of course,
but children have to learn that there are limits to any adult's
capacity to be where he or she is needed at every moment. 
     Older children continue to learn hard lessons about making
false assumptions. The five-year-old who assumes that, because he
can't see Mom, she won't hear him lift the lid of the cookie jar
will come to regret his failure to consider all the cues to his
activities. The teen-age girl who assumes that her parents can't
possibly understand her problems, the boy who presumes without
checking that the car is bound to be available for his big date,
and the college student who is certain that the professor
couldn't possibly expect people to remember the names and dates
of all the Popes will all suffer varying degrees of
disappointment and regret. 
     It is fairly easy, if not painless, to learn the dangers of
inappropriate assumptions when the consequences of your mistakes
fall on yourself. At least the experience provides motivation to
correct the error the next time. But what happens when the
repercussions of one's wrong assumptions damage other people?
Since the consequences don't affect the person making the error,
he or she has little motive for changing the problem behavior. In
fact, the person may never even notice the mistake unless someone
else calls attention to it. 
     Blind people are the inadvertent victims of many
assumptions. At one level, the entire "Good and Evil" fiasco
occurred because a lot of people at ABC Television made a number
of incorrect assumptions (See the December, 1991, issue of the
Braille Monitor): Blind people are more or less incompetent. They
are cheerful even when they are behaving embarrassingly and
inappropriately. Blind viewers of the program, if there are any,
probably won't take offense, and even if they do, they won't be
able to mobilize themselves for an effective protest. 
     But the National Federation of the Blind is abroad in the
land. We watch television, listen to and participate in public
debate, and read the professional journals associated with our
occupations and avocations. And increasingly we are speaking up
when ill-informed people make unwarranted assumptions about
blindness and blind people. ABC Television has learned this
truth, and members of Congress and state legislatures around the
country are learning it too. Now it is time for the people in the
computer industry to be exposed to the same lesson. This is an
essential exercise if blind people are ever to be free of
inappropriate assumptions on the part of those who know little
about blindness and understand less about the capacities of blind
people. 
     The damage such people do is almost never intentional, but
it is nonetheless destructive. The temptation is to excuse the
mistake because it was inadvertent, but we must resist this
impulse in favor of education and insistence upon justice.
Unfortunately life very often demands that one choose between
being a door mat and a burr under the saddle. 
     David Andrews, Director of the International Braille and
Technology Center for the Blind at the National Center for the
Blind, reads lots of computer magazines. In May of 1991 he read a
column in PC/Computing that raised his hackles. Here are the
reader's letter and the columnist's response: 
     
                          PC/C Advocate
                       RESTOCKING HASSLES

     I ordered an Intel Inboard 386 from mail-order dealer
Arlington Computer Products, in Arlington, Illinois, but when the
board arrived it was missing a cable. When I called Arlington
Computer, the man who took the call said only, "You got the
product unopened, the way we received it from the manufacturer,"
and promptly hung up. 
     I contacted Intel and, after reciting the serial number on
the Inboard, was told that a sight-impaired person had packed the
product. Intel offered to send me the missing cable. After
several weeks with no sign of the cable, I returned the Inboard
to Arlington Computer. Arlington took six weeks to credit my
account and withheld a 15-percent restocking fee plus $15 for
shipping costs--even though the board was sent via UPS ground.
Arlington shipped an incomplete product. It owes me a full
refund.

                                                --James R. Gorson
                                              Arlington, Virginia
                      ____________________
     That was the letter written by a disgruntled customer to
PC/Computing's trouble shooter. After the magazine staff looked
into the incident, this is the explanation of the problem that
appeared in the publication's pages for everyone in the computer
field to read: 

     According to Arlington Computer Products customer service
manager Ronnie Callaghan, charging you a restocking fee "was a
mistake." You were also overcharged for shipping fees. After
hearing from us, the company agreed to credit your card for the
full amount minus the actual shipping cost of $7.50. Callaghan
also told us that Arlington Computer received and sold nearly 100
boards from Intel that were missing cables. The customer service
representative you spoke to should have referred you to Intel's
toll-free number (800-538-3373) for the missing cable.
                      ____________________
     There you have PC/Computing's resolution of the issue. An
error was made in refunding shipping charges, but it was
rectified when PC/Computing looked into the problem. Everyone was
silent about the explanation of how the cable went missing.
Apparently it made perfect sense that a blind employee would
assemble the product incorrectly. No one bothered to check that
part of the problem. Blind employees are unreliable; that
assumption was a given. But it is not a given, and David Andrews
felt impelled to look into the question. Here is the
correspondence as it reached PC/Computing:

                                             Baltimore, Maryland 
                                                   August 9, 1991

Letters
PC/Computing Magazine
Foster City, California 

Dear Editor:
     Below is the text of a letter that I sent to Andrew S.
Grove, President of Intel Corporation. As you can see, it deals
with a piece that appeared in PC/C Advocate for May, 1991. I hope
that you will print all of this letter because the seemingly
innocent comment in the column which blamed an Intel mistake on a
blind employee has done much to damage the chances of many blind
persons' getting competitive employment in the future. The only
way to start undoing the damage that the column did is for you to
publish accurate information about blind persons and our
capabilities.

Dear Mr. Grove:
     I am writing you concerning a piece that was printed in the
magazine PC/Computing for May, 1991. It was in the section
entitled PC/C Advocate. This is a column which attempts to help
computer users resolve their problems with companies such as
yours.
     My concern is with a letter written by James R. Gorson of
Arlington, Virginia. Mr. Gorson reported that he purchased an
Intel Inboard 386 from Arlington Computer Products, a mail-order
firm located in Arlington, Illinois. Mr. Gorson in his letter
said that the Inboard 386 was missing a cable. When he did not
get satisfaction on replacing the cable from Arlington Computer,
he called Intel. Mr. Gorson reports that, when he called, after
asking for the serial number, your customer service
representative said that "a sight-impaired person had packed the
product."  As a "sight-impaired person" myself, I am outraged by
this statement. (By the way, many of us prefer the word blind to
sight-impaired, which we consider to be a fudge word. Blind is
what we are, and we have no need to excuse the characteristic
with a euphemism--in fact, we are proud of who we are.)
     The statement by your customer service representative is
outrageous for a number of reasons. It is unlikely that he or she
would have said that the product was packed by a woman, a black
person, or a Hispanic, so why is it any more acceptable to say
that it was packed by a blind person?  Intel considers it to be
acceptable to say such a thing because you obviously have
diminished expectations for your blind employees.
     According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment
and under-employment rate for blind persons is over seventy
percent. Any of the other groups just mentioned would be up in
arms with such an unemployment rate; however, it is considered to
be normal for the blind. This is true in part because of the
diminished expectations that society holds for us and that Intel
would appear to share. These are destructive for two reasons: the
first and most obvious is that they are held by society in
general and guarantee that blind persons will find it difficult
ever to get the chance to succeed. Second, they are destructive
because, as members of this group, some blind people come to
accept this scaled-back assessment of their abilities, so they do
not push themselves to succeed since they believe they can't.
     The National Federation of the Blind is a 50,000-member,
nationwide self-help and advocacy organization of blind persons.
We are working to improve the lives of all blind Americans. You
should contact the NFB to obtain up-to-date information on
blindness, blind people, and our capabilities. Contact Dr.
Kenneth Jernigan, Executive Director, National Federation of the
Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD  21230 (410) 659-9314.
In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor, the NFB also
runs a nationwide job placement and public education service
called Job Opportunities for the Blind (JOB). You can contact
Miss Lorraine Rovig, Director, Job Opportunities for the Blind,
at the same address, or call her at 1-800-638-7518.
     At the end of his letter Mr. Gorson reports that Arlington
Computer said that it received some one hundred improperly packed
Inboard 386 boards from Intel. If this is the case, it would
indicate that your blind employee is either poorly trained,
improperly supervised, or both. Either way, it looks to me as if
the blame lies with Intel. For you to blame the blind employee's
blindness is unforgivable.
     While writing this letter an even worse possibility has
occurred to me. It is conceivable that Intel in fact does not
have any blind employees at all and that you or your customer
service representative are blaming the mishap on us because you
think you can get away with it. If this is the case, I hope that
the National Federation of the Blind will consider bringing a
class action suit against you on behalf of all blind persons for
slandering us. Because the statement by your customer service
representative was published and widely read, you have
perpetuated the myth that blind persons are less able than our
sighted counterparts and guaranteed that many more of us will
never be given the opportunity to compete in the work place on
terms of equality. 
     I am sending a copy of this letter to PC/Computing magazine.
I hope that they publish it in their Letters to the Editor
section. This is the best way to undo some of the damage that has
already been done. It would also help for Intel actively to
recruit and promote blind persons. However, if you continue to
hold diminished expectations for your blind employees, you will
guarantee that they will not succeed and will be nothing more
than tokens. While this may make you feel good, because you have
helped some poor unfortunate sightless persons, it will in the
long run not do Intel, your customers, or the blind employees any
good. Once again I urge you to contact the NFB and Job
Opportunities for the Blind to obtain current information on the
capabilities of blind persons so that you can change your ideas
about us.

                                                       Sincerely,
                                                    David Andrews

cc:  PC/Computing Magazine
     Dr. Kenneth Jernigan
     Miss Lorraine Rovig

P. S. Once again, I hope you will publish the text of this letter
in your Letters to the Editor section. It is difficult for most
people to realize that blind persons, given proper training and
opportunity, can compete on terms of equality with our sighted
counterparts. To do this, though, we must begin to overcome
society's fear of blindness and its outdated notions of our
capabilities. You can help us do this!
     Should you need to reach me, my daytime phone number is
(410) 659-9314.

                                                       Sincerely,
                                                    David Andrews

                      ____________________
     There you have Mr. Andrews' letter, and considering the
damage done to the reputation of every blind person who works in
the computer industry, it was courteous and restrained in the
extreme. What follows is the response he received from Intel. No
one was at fault. The customer drew an incorrect conclusion from
what he was told. Apologies have been sent to both the outraged
customer and the magazine. But Mr. Andrews was inappropriately
angry because no insult was intended. But thanks to David Andrews
everyone involved was pulled up short from his unconsidered
assumptions. With luck none of them will readily make the same
error again. That is all that could reasonably be hoped for, but
it is enough. Here is the letter that Craig R. Barrett, Executive
Vice President for Intel Corporation, wrote to David Andrews: 

                                                Chandler, Arizona
                                               September 10, 1991

Dear Mr. Andrews:
     Thank you for your letter about Intel's employment of blind
people. I apologize that we have been unable to respond more
quickly due to the vacations of several people knowledgeable
about the issues cited in your letter.
     I investigated the story reported in PC/Computing and
believe there was a regrettable misunderstanding between Mr.
Gorson and our customer service representative. As best we can
reconstruct, this is what happened. Our technician stated that we
have some of our product packaged by subcontract companies, such
as TVW. The customer then asked what is TVW and was told that it
is the Tualatin Valley Workshop for Disabled Adults, which the
technician said was an organization similar to the Lighthouse for
the Blind. From that statement the customer got the impression
that he was saying the product was packed by a blind person.
Obviously the reference was inaccurate and unfortunate, and
apology letters were sent both to Mr. Gorson and to the
publication. Although Mr. Gorson was left with this mistaken
impression, I assure you that your anger toward Intel's treatment
of blind people is misplaced. Being appalled at the insensitivity
of the quoted remark, we investigated the incident when the
article first appeared; we then initiated a training program to
further raise the sensitivity of our customer service staff. It
is Intel policy to accept responsibility for any error and to
correct it for our customer without blaming the error on an
employee.
     Although there are no sight-impaired or blind people packing
product in the Inboard 386 area, Intel does employ blind people
and people with significant visual impairment. Several of our
employees have degenerative vision problems, and we have worked
out solutions for them to use their talents fully within their
Intel assignments. Our cooperative and creative approaches to
these problems were recognized in November of 1990 when the
Oregon Commission for the Blind recognized Intel as their
Employer of the Year. I was interested to learn of the job
referral program available through the National Federation of the
Blind. We have contacted them in the past for consultation on
workplace accommodation problems. I forwarded your referral
information about JOB to our Diverse Workforce Specialist, who
will add them to her network of sources for our recruiting
outreach programs.
     We appreciate your contacting us, and I hope that this
information will relieve you of your concerns about Intel
managers' and employees' attitudes and policies regarding our
employment practices.

                                                 Sincerely yours,
                                                 Craig R. Barrett
                                         Executive Vice President


[PHOTO: Christine Boone stands holding son in aisle during NFB meeting.
CAPTION: Chris Boone and son Edward at the 1988 convention of the National
Federation of the Blind.]

                INDEPENDENCE: TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
                       by Christine Boone

     From the Associate Editor: Christine Boone is an independent
young wife and mother who has worked hard for the Federation
wherever she has lived since she first found the organized blind
movement. She has learned the truth of the poet's statement that
"Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage." The
most formidable limitations that stifle humanity are chains that
bind the spirit, and most of these are forged in the human mind
itself.
     Independence is a subtle and often misunderstood treasure.
People who are losing their sight frequently rail at their loss
of independence, by which they mean their inability to do things
in the same old way. And if they refuse to master the skills that
will enable them to carry out their daily responsibilities using
alternative techniques, they are correct, for they will be
forever dependent on those around them. We humans don't like
change, especially change imposed on us against our wills, so it
frequently happens that we focus our dislike on the
manifestations of our altered condition: "I wouldn't be caught
dead using a cane." "I don't need Braille." And gradually the
prison walls rise around us, cutting us off both from what we
have been and from what we have the power to become. 
     But independence is also a slippery thing. Even when we
think it is safely and permanently in our grasp, it can ooze away
without our having noticed what was happening. The National
Federation of the Blind has always expended a good deal of energy
breaking down all kinds of prison walls and striking off the
chains that bind blind people. Sometimes the job requires that we
insist on the right to good rehabilitation training. Sometimes we
must fight for legal protections for those demanding equal
treatment. And sometimes we are called upon to struggle against
the temptation to sit back and let others do things for us. Here
is Christine Boone's story of such a struggle:

     The first white flakes of winter swept past us on the wind
as my children and I hurried along the sidewalk toward home. As
we reached the corner, I took a small hand in each of mine,
listened carefully above the sound of the wind, and asked my son
Edward if he thought it was safe for us to cross. "Yes Mommy,
it's cold!" 
     I admonished, "Look to your left; do you see that car
coming?" 
     "Oh yes, we have to wait, Mommy. I knew that."    
     "Well if you knew that, why did you say we could go?" I
asked as the car sped past on the already-damp street. 
     "I don't know; I just did," he replied in the matter-of-fact
tone of a three-and-a-half-year-old. 
     I bent down and repeated the old "Stop, look, and listen"
routine for what seemed like the hundredth time. Then we crossed
the street together, hurried the last quarter block, and stepped
gratefully into the snug warmth of our home.
     Later, as I baked a batch of Halloween cookies while Edward
and Katie took afternoon naps, I pondered the events of the
morning. Was there anything so unusual about our walk together?
Not really, these walks had become something of a routine since
my decision to take a year off from work and stay home with my
little ones. It was a good routine at that--one which we all
treasured. There was a bouquet of fall leaves on the buffet--
leaves gathered lovingly by the children and carried carefully
home, where I arranged them in a basket which was proudly
displayed for all to see. Edward and Katie did not wonder at the
ability of a blind mother to make a fall decoration or to keep
them out of harm's way during a walk along the highways and
byways of Albuquerque. Nor should they wonder about such things.
For me, as for countless other blind men and women today, the
absence of eyesight is an inconvenience at times but nothing
more. But it had not always been that way for me.
     In 1977 I entered college at the University of Colorado. To
say that I was painfully shy would be the understatement of the
decade. Julie, my roommate, was also not long on courage, but
people seemed to warm to her somehow, while I, in my need to
exhibit an independence which I did not feel, tended to push
people away without realizing it. At any rate, there we were,
both blind but neither choosing to admit it. We shuffled around
campus never, of course, carrying canes; yet somehow, by the
grace of God and our fellow students who occasionally took pity
on us, managing to make it to most of our classes.
     As the months passed, we grew more accustomed to the layout
of the campus and a little less frightened about venturing forth.
Then we began receiving phone calls about an organization of
blind people which met every month in Boulder. At first we had no
intention of associating with "those blind people." But the woman
who called us--Anne was her name--was always so kind, and it
never seemed to offend her that we didn't attend her meetings. So
after a few months we broke down and said yes. 
     How well I remember that first meeting! It was run very
efficiently by a blind president. The books seemed to be well-
kept by a blind treasurer. The minutes were thorough and were
quickly read in Braille by a blind secretary. Most impressive of
all, however, was what happened after the meeting adjourned. All
of those blind people left for their homes; they just left! It
was dark outside, and I, caneless, was feeling a bit nervous
about walking the three blocks to my sorority house. And here
were these blind people just tapping their canes in front of them
and heading off down the street or to the bus stop, without
concern or hesitation. That night marked the beginning of a
richer life for me, a life full of freedom and adventure.
     Julie and I both began to use canes. She was already
enlightened enough to use Braille regularly and well, and she
encouraged me to use it too. I had learned the system in high
school but had never really used it in my daily life. Our other
Federation friends taught us the finer points of cane travel, and
we soon began taking part in national conventions, Washington
Seminars, NAC-tracking, and other Federation activities. Before
we quite knew what had happened, we were confident, competent
blind people, graduating from college. The year was 1981.
     In 1982 I moved to Nebraska to take a job with the Nebraska
Services for the Visually Impaired, and before long I was
teaching cane travel to blind adults in the Orientation Center
there. While in Nebraska, I met and married my husband Doug.
     Because Doug is also a cane travel instructor and a truly
enlightened sighted person, he expected and demanded that I, as a
blind person, live what we taught in the Center; and this belief
in me, together with my continued work as a travel teacher,
brought me to the pinnacle of my own independence. There was
really nothing I thought I could not do and nowhere I thought I
could not go. It was a wonderful feeling, one I thought I would
never lose.
     Then, in the winter of 1987, we moved to the wild Pacific
coast of Oregon, where Doug had taken a job with the Oregon
Commission for the Blind. For the first time in my adult life, I
found myself unemployed and living in a small town with no public
transportation. True, Lincoln City did have a cab--one little
car, driven by one man who routinely left town for a day or two
at a time, taking with him my only transit. Furthermore, though
the town was only a half mile wide, it was seven miles long,
which meant that walking to most stores and other businesses
involved trekking two or three miles each way, usually in the
rain--an exercise I did not relish.
     Well there I was, watching the cold, gray winter change
imperceptibly to the cold, gray summer and wondering what to do
with myself. I went to the nearest unemployment office (forty
miles away) and filled out applications. I sent out resumes, had
some interviews, became pregnant, and volunteered two days a week
at the local Chamber of Commerce as a tourist information
specialist.
     After ten months on the coast, we were transferred to
Portland, where I immediately lumbered to the nearest bus stop
and rode off in a state of exhilaration to visit my obstetrician.
In the weeks that followed, I traversed the hills of Portland,
both on foot and by bus. Then Edward was born, and I settled into
a routine which did not involve much in the way of independent
travel. It was very easy for me to rationalize this new behavior.
There were no sidewalks in our part of town, and we lived near a
busy street. It would be extremely dangerous for me to wheel
Edward in his stroller along Garden Home Road with its speeding
drivers, steep ditches, and sharp curves. Of course, the bus stop
was on our corner, and I did not even need to transfer to reach
the grocery store, the mall, or the downtown area beyond.
Nevertheless, I generally confined myself to walking the quiet
streets of our neighborhood, taking the bus only once to the
grocery store, and riding downtown or to the mall only if I had a
very pressing reason. 
     Then it was time for the National Convention in Chicago, and
we packed up the baby and set out, ready to see old friends and
learn new things. When we arrived, I was unprepared for the
feelings of insecurity which overwhelmed me as we stepped through
the door of the Hyatt into that throng of Federationists. No, it
was not my first convention, far from it! I had participated in
conventions for years, teaching cane travel seminars, working
crowd control, and helping people to learn their way around the
hotels and surrounding areas. Yet this year was different--gone
was the confidence which I had once taken for granted, and I
slipped almost unconsciously into the pattern I had begun to
follow at home. I went everywhere with Doug, not using sighted
guide technique, of course, but following him or waiting for him
to tell me which way we needed to go. Even more startling was the
fact that he was as unaware of the change as I and did nothing to
encourage me to strike out on my own. The decrease in my
independence had occurred so gradually that neither of us
recognized the change. You see, it is true: skills which we do
not use, we begin to lose. It becomes all too easy to rationalize
this loss of independence and, almost inevitably,  of the self-
worth that accompanies it without realizing the extent to which
in so doing we jeopardize our own self-respect as well as the
respect of others. Fortunately for me, my colleagues in the
National Federation of the Blind are the best kind of friends
anyone could have. They were not about to let me compromise the
independence which I had worked so hard to attain.
     It was about the third day of the convention, and I was
having lunch with Rosemary Lerdahl. Rosemary had been my
supervisor when I taught in the Orientation Center, and she is a
dear friend and a wonderful person. She began asking me about the
things I had done since coming to Chicago. After listening to my
answers, she suggested that I take in the Exhibit Hall, the Taste
of Chicago, and the shopping when convention wasn't in session. I
explained how difficult it was to do all those things with a baby
along, and she looked over at Edward, who was intermittently
watching the waterfall and smiling at passers-by. She calmly
remarked that he might enjoy some of those attractions too, and
besides, there was childcare. What could I say? I summoned up all
of my nerve and asked quietly, "Rose, do you think I'm
incompetent; I mean, have I lost my skills?" 
     "Well I have noticed that they seem a little rusty, and I
think you have lost a little of your self-confidence." Her reply
confirmed my worst fears. My independence was gone, and everybody
knew it. Federationists are not oblivious; they know when a
colleague who once traveled independently and well ceases to do
so, but neither are Federationists judgmental or critical. We
stand ready to lend help and support in enabling one another to
be the best we can. In keeping with this precept, Rosemary did
not criticize me or ask how I could have let my independence slip
and my confidence erode.
     The next morning, when we left our hotel room, Doug walked
silently beside me, stopping whenever we came to a turning to let
me decide which way we needed to go. Lo and behold, we made it to
breakfast quickly and without incident. Afterward I found the
Oregon delegation, went to work at the information desk, and at
noon went off alone to find lunch for my fellow workers. No,
these were not milestones; indeed I have done all of them at
conventions since without giving them a second thought. But that
day marked the beginning of my return to excellence--the
excellence I must maintain if I am to serve as a representative
of the National Federation of the Blind. At the end of the day I
was exhilarated! I had not lost my independence forever; it had
merely taken a back seat for a time, and as a result I had begun
to feel unsure of myself. I thank Heaven for that lunch with
Rosemary and for her honesty and encouragement.
     I returned to Portland and set to work removing the tarnish
from my travel skills. Edward and I went to the mall to buy a
birthday gift for Doug. We took the bus downtown and met him for
lunch. Edward even came along while I taught cane travel to some
Federationists in the Portland area. A few months later we moved
here to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Doug joined Fred
Schroeder's team at the Commission for the Blind, and Edward and
I hit the road again. After all, there is much to be done when
you move to a new town. Yes, I had a few butterflies the first
time we set out for the bus stop, but we traveled around the city
easily and without incident as Edward rode comfortably on my
back, dosing in our warm New Mexico sunshine.
     How fortunate I am to be a part of the National Federation
of the Blind. It was through the NFB that I first learned about
independence, acquired a long white cane, got my first real job,
and met my fantastic husband. When I unwittingly let my skills
grow rusty and my confidence seep away, it was the Federation
that got me back on track again. Independence is a treasure, a
hard-earned reward for a job well done. Whether we know it or
not, in everything we do, we teach. So let us all protect this
hard-won treasure and pass it on whenever we can.


[PHOTO: Portrait. CAPTION: Christopher Kuczynski.]

                PARTIAL VISION, PARTIAL PROGRESS
                   by Christopher J. Kuczynski

     From the Associate Editor: Chris Kuczynski is one of the
leaders of the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania.
He was a 1985 NFB scholarship winner, and he is now an attorney
with a prestigious Philadelphia law firm. This article is
reprinted from the September, 1991, issue of the Blind Activist,
the publication of the National Federation of the Blind of
Pennsylvania. Here it is: 

     Blind people are merely a cross-section of society, which is
comprised of people with various interests, talents, and desires.
Recognizing this, the National Federation of the Blind has formed
several divisions, each of which deals with issues having
particular significance for its members, while continuing to deal
with the betterment of life for blind people generally. One
distinction that we do not make, however, is that between totally
blind and partially sighted individuals.
     I was not surprised, when I attended my first Federation
function, to learn that not all of the organization's members
were totally blind. But it took me a while to understand that
there are no significant differences between people with no sight
and those with some, at least in the way society ultimately
treats us.
     A Federationist once told me that no matter how much sight I
pretended to have, society would treat me as a blind person, and
I had better be prepared for that reality. I was not prepared for
it, having been raised, as many partials are, in that land
between blindness and sight--blind enough to require certain
adjustments in daily life, maybe even to obtain certain benefits;
but sighted enough that, if I worked really hard at it, people
who met me briefly would not even know I was blind. 
     I don't know what benefit I hoped to derive from this denial
of blindness. I suppose it was the same one that some
rehabilitation counselors believe will accrue to the partially
sighted job applicant whom they advise not to tell an interviewer
about blindness. "Once you get your foot in the door," the
reasoning goes, "you can prove your ability, and your blindness
won't matter." I know of no instance in which feigning sight that
one did not have has ever benefited a blind person in the work
place or anywhere else. Ultimately the blindness will be
discovered by those from whom it is being hidden. The person who
is bluffing sight will either have to learn alternative
techniques to increase efficiency on the job and in other aspects
of life or perform at a lower level of competency. In either
case, society will recognize the person as blind--not partially
sighted or visually impaired. 
     If the problems of the totally blind and partially sighted
are essentially the same (namely, the desire to be treated as
equals in a largely sighted society and the need for proper
training and good attitudes that will help to make this equality
a reality), then the Federation is correct in making no
distinction between its members on the basis of how much sight
they possess. It also follows logically that all Federationists
should combat discrimination in the same way: by recognizing
themselves as blind, by identifying themselves to the public as
blind, by getting whatever training is necessary to function
effectively in society, and by doing those things which will lead
to society's acceptance of them as blind people, having rights no
different from those of the sighted.
     Old habits die hard. It has taken me a long time to destroy
the barriers that society had constructed between partially
sighted, visually impaired, or legally blind people on the one
hand, and totally blind people on the other. Most other partials
share experiences similar to my own. Let me illustrate this fact
by considering the widespread reluctance to carry a cane. 
     A woman I know is familiar with our movement and considers
herself blind. In response to my question about why she did not
carry a cane, she replied that she knew she was blind and was not
ashamed of it. However, she knew that other people had negative
images about blindness. Seeing a cane, those who met her for the
first time would not want to get to know her as a person. They
would immediately judge her as inferior. She felt that the
subject of blindness could be brought up later.
     I then asked her which of two ways of fighting
discrimination she thought would lead to a better result: 1)
Trying to gain acceptance into society as someone who appears
sighted in spite of blindness or 2) Demonstrating, in all that
one does, that there is nothing wrong with the characteristic of
blindness, that it is possible to possess it and to work
alongside sighted people, and that blind people are entitled to
all the rights and privileges of citizenship, regardless of
whether they appear to be like everybody else. I think she agreed
with me in principle that the second alternative really was
better, but in her personal life, the added ease of travel was
simply not worth the discrimination that went along with the
white cane.
     It would be an oversimplification to say that this woman was
ashamed of her blindness. I think she craved the same things that
everyone (blind or sighted) does: the companionship and approval
of others and the right to be given an opportunity to participate
fully in society. She simply viewed the public as uneducable and
maybe as even less receptive to the rights of the blind than it
actually is. I pointed out that she was deceiving herself and
that she derived little if any benefit from trying to hide her
blindness in exchange for possibly diminished freedom to travel.
Further, she was impeding the interests of the blind as a class,
because her reluctance to use alternative techniques sent a
message that blindness was regarded by blind people as being as
much of a stigma as society considers it to be.
     My own early thoughts about the white cane were that I did
not want and did not need to use one. After all, I was a
partially sighted person--legally blind, perhaps, but with enough
travel vision to move about without the assistance and the
corresponding stigma of a white cane. One of the first things I
learned about the Federation was that many of its members who had
better sight than I used white canes. For them (and now for me)
it was both a tool and a symbol of independence and a source of
pride.
     My acceptance of the cane did not occur immediately after
having attended my first NFB convention. It actually began before
the convention but was not complete until years later. In some
way I knew I was blind as early as age five or six. I learned at
that time that I really needed Braille to become literate. At age
eight I began taking mobility and orientation lessons. I knew
that traveling for me would be different from traveling for other
people, since "I didn't see too well," but I knew just as surely
that I did not need a cane. I didn't carry one at all until my
last year in high school when someone suggested it would be
helpful for me to learn to use it "just so that, if I ever needed
to ask for help, people would know that I didn't see too well." 
     I learned to use the cane, but not in the same way or for
the same reasons that totally blind people did. I didn't believe
that the cane might really help me to be a more effective
traveler, but at least some of the stigma was being stripped
away. Nevertheless, I made sure that I carried a folding cane,
used it only in unfamiliar places, and promptly placed it in my
back pack or the closest hiding place when I was in familiar
areas. In fact, during the rest of my senior year in high school,
I did not use the cane at all since, I reasoned, I knew the route
to school and the school building very well.
     Like many other reluctant cane users, I thought that a
change of scenery (an environment in which no one had known me
without the cane) would cause me to start using it on a permanent
basis. However, when I got to college, I used it just long enough
to find out where all my classes were.
     My law school experience was similar, though by my third
year I was taking the cane (thank God for the NFB telescoping
variety) to job interviews. At this point, I really had no
choice, since I had realized that there was no way for me to
travel effectively in unfamiliar surroundings without a cane. My
travel during high school and most of college was narrowly
circumscribed to include only those places with which I was
familiar and those to which sighted companions would take me.
     Even when I started my job, I did not use the cane
regularly. Finally and all of a sudden, I just decided to start
using it and to forget making distinctions between those times
when I needed it and those when I did not. The truth is that I
really need the cane all the time if I want to travel as
comfortably as sighted people. The decision was not as difficult
as I had imagined. For a few days people who knew me asked
whether there had been some change in my vision. After only a few
days the questioning stopped, and I have not discerned any
difference in the way people with whom I have worked or friends
of mine now treat me.
     From the process of learning to accept the white cane as a
method of effective travel (and the corresponding process of
accepting my own blindness), I learned at least three important
things. First and most obvious, I am simply a better traveler
with a cane than without one, and I marvel at the fact that the
public's acceptance of me once meant so much that I was willing
to risk my safety by traveling without it.
     Second, people really did treat me as a blind person whether
I used the cane or not. I do not think I suffered any less
discrimination when I was a more poorly functioning person
pretending to be sighted than when I became a competently
traveling person who knew he was blind. I lost none of my friends
once I began using a cane and would not attribute my friendship
with them to the fact that they knew me first as a person who did
not use one. The fact that I appeared blind by carrying a cane
did not deter my present employer from hiring me, though the
inability to get to the interview independently probably would
have.
     Finally, I learned that I could do far more to advance the
interests of blind people generally as a competent, cane-carrying
traveler than I could do as a person pretending to be sighted.
Whether I believed it or not, refusing to carry a cane when I
really needed one was a way of saying that it was not quite
respectable to be blind, that the only way for a blind person to
fit into society was as a sighted person, and that my interests
and those of the totally blind were different. After all, they
could never quite fit in, being unable to hide their blindness
completely.
     I don't know whether relating my personal experiences and
our discussions persuaded my friend to begin to use a cane. I
find, however, that most blind people who look closely at their
travel skills discover that the white cane can be useful to them.
Their reluctance to use it is motivated by their own learned
misconceptions about blindness, underlying all of which is the
belief that respectability varies in direct relation to vision. 
     As long as false distinctions between the totally blind and
the partially sighted exist, progress for the blind will be a
partial progress--never achieving its full force and effect. But
such distinctions are vanishing, in large part due to the
Federation's philosophy about blindness, and as a result the
blind--all of us--are today making progress more quickly than we
ever have.




[PHOTO/CAPTION: Jody Ianuzzi is pictured here wearing her gi (judo uniform)
and black belt.]

                     BLACK BELT--WHITE CANE
                       by Jody W. Ianuzzi

     From the Associate Editor: Jody Ianuzzi lives in Keene, New
Hampshire, with her husband and two children. Though she has
known something about the Federation for some time, she attended
her first actual NFB gathering this past October when she came to
the New Hampshire affiliate's annual convention. She is now
working hard to organize a chapter in Keene and reports that the
first meeting of the Monadnock chapter of the National Federation
of the Blind of New Hampshire will be held on Sunday, January 12. 
Jody is energetic and capable, and she has become an enthusiastic
Federationist. She brings all these traits to everything she
does, including judo--another discipline to which she is deeply
committed. She addressed the New Hampshire convention about her
experience with judo. Here in large part is what she had to say: 

     A blind woman is traveling alone down a dark, deserted
street. There are some people who might consider her helpless and
vulnerable. I would like to change that image. That blind woman
just might be me on my way to teach my judo class.
     As we all know, the challenges of blindness can be overcome
by learning alternative techniques, but some situations can be a
bit more challenging than others. As a child in public school, I
remember the schoolyard bully, who tested my vision by punching
me in the face. My gym teacher gave me a permanent waiver from
class after years of sitting on the sidelines while the rest of
the class played a variety of ball games.
     Eventually I found a solution to these challenges as well.
Judo became my ultimate alternative technique. When I first heard
about judo classes, I was hesitant. Based on my past experience,
I didn't think the judo instructor would consider me as a
student. Happily, I was wrong! The instructor didn't care that I
couldn't see. He was more interested in what I could do, and I
could do judo. I sincerely mean it when I say that my life hasn't
been the same since that day.
     It is now twenty years later. Life has come full circle. I
am the instructor, and I am recruiting blind and sighted members
to my judo club. I want to give to my students what judo has
given to me.
     Unlike some other martial arts, judo needs no adaptation for
blind players, who have been active in judo for many years,
practicing with sighted players on an equal basis. For blind
children judo can provide an opportunity to be just one of the
kids, both at practice and during club activities. This is as it
should be, because it benefits both the blind and sighted players
and embodies the philosophy of judo as well.
     Judo is a full contact form of self-defense that includes
throwing techniques, pins, chokes, and joint-locks. A basic
principle of judo is that a small person can throw a larger by
using that person's motion to complete the throw. In this way, if
a person pushes you, you pull him or her into a throw.
     The physical benefits of judo practice include self-defense
training, weight control, and physical fitness. With regular
practice there is a noticeable improvement in balance,
coordination, and orientation. Judo can be enjoyed by men and
women of all ages from small children to adults. It is a great
way to get back into shape and stay there while having a lot of
fun, too. One enjoyable aspect of judo is that it challenges the
mind as well as the body. Other forms of exercise can be boring,
and it is easy to lose interest in them.
     My students and I have attended many tournaments and
clinics, both large and small, and we have never been excluded or
shown any favoritism. I remember one tournament we attended at
West Point. One of the club instructors wanted to present my
student with the Best Player trophy, based on her blindness. The
tournament director's reaction was to say, "It's no big deal that
she's blind; I'll give her the Best Player trophy when she comes
here and wins." She won a lot more than a trophy that day. On the
way home from the tournament she told me that it was the first
time in her life she felt like she was just one of the kids. And
for the first time I began to realize that I was giving back some
of what judo had given to me.
     There is a philosophical benefit to judo training. As you
challenge yourself, you gain a feeling of accomplishment that
carries over to all aspects of life. The knowledge that you can
handle a physical conflict makes a verbal conflict much less
threatening. You will find that you develop a strength of mind to
stand up for what you believe in, but also a strength of mind
that will allow you to step back when that is the wise thing to
do. You actually become less defensive and more relaxed. In
twenty years it has never been necessary for me to use judo for
self-defense, but I have used the strength of judo every day in
all types of situations. 
     Part of this strength comes from a feeling that you are in
control. You carry this control with you in confident body
language, in the way you walk and communicate with people. When
you project confidence, you are less likely to be confronted.
     The self-confidence that can be gained from judo is very
important to children. The blind child who is frustrated by his
or her limitations in mainstreamed gym classes or who is
segregated in classes for disabled students can feel less capable
than classmates. Judo gives the blind child the opportunity to
participate in mainstreamed activity on an equal basis with his
or her peers. When the other kids are talking about their sports
and club activities, the blind child can join in with talk of
personal accomplishments. This equality is important to blind
children, but it is also very important to their sighted peers as
well. The focus is on what you can do, not on what you can't. It
becomes less important that you can't play baseball when there is
something unique you can be proud of. "I can" is the concept that
becomes important.
     Self-defense is important to everyone nowadays, but as blind
people we are perceived by some as more vulnerable than others.
Judo gives a balance to this misconception. All of us should
learn to defend ourselves, not just for our own benefit, but as a
means to change society's image of blindness.
     Self-defense can be as simple as being sure of who is at
your door before you open it, or as involved as defending your
life. You should avoid shortcuts through less traveled areas and
stay in places where there is safety in numbers. Also avoid
walking next to buildings since doorways and alleys are places
where someone might hide. Stay in the center of the sidewalk so
that you can be clear on all sides. When I walk down the street,
I try to identify the age, sex, number, and location of the
people around me. This is kind of a game, but it is also a way of
training yourself to be more aware of everything around you, so
you can anticipate a situation before it develops.
     Judo classes are usually taught in a club setting, which
includes men, women, and children of all ages. Judo is often a
family activity. There are judo clubs all over most states. Judo
instructors usually teach at no charge. This might seem
surprising, but we enjoy judo, and we teach because we love it.
Class fees are usually minimal and include club dues, a uniform,
and United States Judo Association membership. The United States
Judo Association has been very active in encouraging instructors
to recruit blind players, and the instructors are already
familiar with the benefits of judo to blind players.
     As you learn judo, your skills and attitude will develop.
The school bully will be less of a threat. You can walk down that
deserted street and be a lot less vulnerable than some might
think. Those people who attempt to dominate you will not be
successful. The unsolicited helper who attempts to take you
across the street or the airline employee who attempts to load
you into the wheelchair will both be surprised to find that you
are in control of the situation. Judo is a way to even the odds
and change what it means to be blind. I have made judo my
ultimate alternative technique, and I hope you will make it yours
as well.
     I hope I have sparked an interest in you to learn judo. It
can change your life as it has changed mine. If you would like
more information or if you would like to locate a judo club near
you, contact Larry Lee, Executive Director, United States Judo
Association, 19 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909,
(719) 633-7750. He is waiting to hear from you!








[PHOTO: Portrait of Ollie Cantos. CAPTION: Ollie Cantos, President of the
National Association of Blind Students of California and Treasurer of the
Gardena Valley Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of California.]

           OF JUDGES, ATTORNEYS, JURIES, AND THE BLIND
                   by Olegario D. Cantos, VII

     From the Associate Editor: Ollie Cantos, who was a 1991
National Federation of the Blind scholarship winner, is a senior
at Loyola Marymount College in Los Angeles. Eventually he hopes
to earn a law degree and enter politics. He addressed the annual
meeting of the National Association of Blind Lawyers held at the
Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 2, 1991. The
following article is based on his remarks. Here it is:
 
     Every day of our lives as blind people, we are confronted
with many challenges. In addition to keeping our own lives in
order, we must deal with the prevailing public attitudes about
blindness. We as Federationists have seen it in our fight for
civil rights and for the right to be trained for and to take part
in the competitive labor market. By the very composition of the
membership of our organization, we know full well that blind
people can be schoolteachers, homemakers, biochemists,
biologists, psychologists, horse ranchers, college professors,
and (of course, my personal preference) lawyers. Many people do
not realize this fact, and they treat us as if we are not capable
of being as productive as other members of society. Often we must
find creative ways to win the battles we wage from one day to the
next. 
     Last May a new battlefront in my life opened. I was summoned
by the Los Angeles County Municipal Court to serve on jury duty
in the Citrus Municipal District. Being the eager student of
Political Science that I am, I reported to the Assembly Room
bright and early on a Tuesday morning--ready to take on the
world.
     The day began with an orientation conducted by the jury
clerk. She emphasized the need for jurors to remain as objective
as possible when hearing a case. She also stressed the importance
of taking seriously the civic duty with which we were charged,
and she explained the procedure that prospective jurors were
obligated to follow.
     We were asked to call a special number every night to learn
from a recorded series of instructions whether or not attendance
was required the next day. We had been divided into groups with
preassigned numbers. Typically the instructions would say,
"Groups 10, 16, 24, and 38 should report to the Assembly Room
promptly at 10:00 a.m.; and Groups 3, 5, 19, and 30 should report
to the Assembly Room at 2:00 p.m. sharp."
     Usually jurors are asked to serve for a period of ten days,
but they can be on call for a maximum of only fifteen days, after
which they are dismissed. Service credit (that is, credit toward
the required ten days of jury service) could only be acquired
through actual attendance. But every day that we were on call
counted toward the three-week maximum.
     Within the building there were eleven courtrooms, often
referred to as divisions. Some specialized in civil cases, while
others focused on criminal. From time to time the jury clerk
called for a panel of twenty-four persons to proceed to any one
of the divisions for jury selection.
     The time spent in the assembly room was an experience in
itself. We were advised to bring much to do, so I did. But
spending time in the assembly room was more than simply making
sure one had something to do during the long hours of waiting. I
met many people from various walks of life. In my conversations
with them, we talked about issues of real substance in addition
to the usual pleasantries that comprise much of civil
conversation. Among these was the philosophy of blindness
practiced and taught by members of the National Federation of the
Blind. I explained to my fellow prospective jurors that blindness
is nothing more or less than a mere characteristic and that we
can compete on terms of full equality with the sighted when given
the proper training in basic skills and the opportunity to
succeed. Some were in agreement with me, while others were subtly
in disagreement; but at least our discussion prompted some
thinking, and I am optimistic that the philosophy of our
Federation did have an effect on the prospective jurors as a
whole.
     I sat in the assembly room for six days. Then, what I was
waiting for finally came to pass. At last, the computer randomly
selected my name as one of the twenty-four possible persons to
serve on a jury. This was my big break, and I was not ready to
allow it to pass without giving it my best shot. At the
designated time we were asked to report to Division 3, which
specializes in criminal cases. At last the moment arrived when I
was to leave the assembly room to take the next step in the jury-
selection process. 
     When our panel arrived in the courtroom, another random
selection took place. One by one, the court clerk called eighteen
people, twelve of whom would sit in the jury box with the other
six sitting on chairs below the jury platform. As she called the
names, I kept my fingers crossed. Would I be lucky enough even to
be given the chance?  Yes, I was. The seat numbers corresponded
to the names consecutively called by the clerk. I was called as
Name thirteen to sit in seat thirteen. I ignored the superstition
of my number. I relaxed and waited for what was to come next.
     There was a list of questions written on a chalkboard, which
we were all required to answer truthfully. Everyone was sworn in
ahead of time to help ensure that we would tell the truth. We
gave the following information:  name, place of residence,
occupation, marital status, and number of children (if any). We
were also told to indicate whether or not we knew anyone in the
legal profession and whether or not we knew either party in the
case. Since we were to answer these questions in the order of our
seating, I had twelve opportunities to listen to and remember the
information I was expected to provide. By the time my turn came,
I already knew what needed to be said.
     Then came the critical period when each attorney would
question whichever prospective jurors he or she wished. Basing
the decision to accept on the answers to these questions, each
attorney would decide whether to thank and excuse Juror X or to
refrain from making such a request to the court. I watched and I
waited, expecting my blindness to be the topic of inquiry. 
     "Your Honor, may I approach the bench?"  the prosecuting
attorney asked. 
     "Permission granted," said the judge. Two minutes of utter
silence followed. Apparently, during this time the prosecuting
attorney had questioned my suitability for the case at hand. 
     "Mr. Cantos," the judge said, "it has been brought to the
attention of this court that your lack of vision may inhibit your
ability to understand the evidence that will be presented." The
judge went on to explain that the case involves the location of
certain streets and intersections and their relationships. This
is a case of "Driving Under the Influence," and knowledge of this
physical evidence may prove instrumental in assisting the jury to
come to a final decision.
     I responded with all the energy I could muster. "Your
Honor," I said, "it is the responsibility of any court of law to
present evidence in a way that all jurors understand. The
attorneys on both sides, therefore, have an obligation to explain
in detail the evidence presented, something which must be done
whether a juror is blind or sighted. I believe that I will be
fully capable of understanding the evidence."
     "Thank you," the judge said.
     More questions were asked, and those jurors who were excused
from seats one through twelve were replaced one by one. The
moment that the first juror seat was vacated, the person seated 
in chair thirteen moved up to take the spot. That was me. Thus, I
took my place as Juror 9. Still more questions were asked, but
none of them was for me. I waited and waited and waited. Finally,
both sides accepted the jury as it stood, and I was now
officially on the jury!
     With pride, I stood with the other 11 jurors and swore that
I would be as objective as possible, that I would not investigate
any of the facts without the express written permission of the
court, that I would not talk to either side at any time during
the trial, and that I would not talk about the trial to anyone.
     After three days of testimony the trial came to an end. It
was time for the jury to deliberate the case. To keep the
proceedings running in the most orderly manner possible, a
foreperson had to be chosen, and I was elected unanimously to
serve in that position. 
     During deliberation it was my responsibility to make sure
that the discussion remained focussed. To ensure order, I asked
everyone to introduce himself or herself and constructed a
seating chart similar to the one which the lawyers maintained of
the jury during the trial. I chaired the meeting with the intent
that all discussion should further the process of coming to a
verdict of guilty or not guilty on each of the counts. 
     At the conclusion of the deliberation, when we had
unanimously agreed to our verdict, we walked into the courtroom
unified. 
     "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a
decision?"
     "We have, your honor," I said.
     "Would the foreperson please state his or her name?"
     "Olegario D. Cantos VII, your honor," I replied. I presented
our official verdict, which I had signed, to the bailiff, who
gave it to the clerk of the court.
     The verdict was read and appreciation was expressed for our
service on this case. Then we reported back to the assembly room
for further instructions. Had I not earned my full service credit
by that time, I would once again have occupied myself with
personal matters in the Assembly Room. But I had done my duty,
and I was officially dismissed from service by the jury clerk.
     All too often we, as blind people, are not allowed to serve
on juries for the sole reason that we are blind. Though criminal
or civil justice is theoretically upheld by the judicial process,
social justice is often violated. Based on the prevailing myths
and misconceptions about blindness, many of the judges and
attorneys who are a part of the system reject blind people as
competent jurors. These representatives of the legal system are
part of the general public, and it is our job to educate them
through our words as well as our actions. Never can we let judges
and attorneys render a negative verdict on the blind. We are not
guilty of the charge of not comprehending the world around us,
simply because we cannot see. We have the evidence to prove it. 
As blind people, we are breaking new ground every day. Slowly but
surely our battles are being won. Every time a blind person
enters an occupation or engages in some unusual activity or bears
a responsibility (e.g., jury service) which society has not
traditionally accepted as suitable for the blind, a precedent is
created and more doors of opportunity swing open. On a daily
basis we are proving to the world that its verdict rendered upon
us is unjust. How? Through the National Federation of the Blind.
     In looking back, I can say that service as foreperson of the
jury was one of the most fascinating and fulfilling experiences I
have ever had. I was actually part of the judicial process. I
played a role in the American justice system. I am grateful for
having had the opportunity to serve and to educate a small part
of the judicial system.








                  A READER COMMENTS ON BRAILLE

                                             Maple City, Michigan
                                                 October 31, 1991

Dear President Maurer:
     The recent articles in the Monitor concerning Braille
literacy have caused me to reflect upon the importance of Braille
in my own life and may be of interest to others who are
considering whether to use it or not.
     First of all, I have been totally blind since age two. So
luckily, no one tried to decide for me whether I should use
limited vision for reading print. My mom read everything she
could to me in my first six years of life, but it was never
enough. Helping my dad run a busy dairy farm didn't give her a
lot of free time to read to me, but I was eager to hear stories,
as all kids are, and to learn as much as I could about the world
I couldn't see. Reading other people's words (pictures of places
and events and feelings) gave me a wonderful feeling of learning
and understanding. The most exciting event in my life as a child
occurred when I went to a sight-saving class, and my teacher said
she would teach me to read and write Braille. Finally I would be
able to read all I wanted, and about anything I wanted to know
more about.
     It was so much fun and so exciting that I never thought of
it as school work. By the third grade I had already gone through
the Braille reading books our school had for children up to the
sixth grade. I borrowed all the books I was interested in from
the state library for the blind, and throughout the thirty-five
years from then to now, I have been thankful every day that I
learned Braille.
     Through junior and senior high school and later in college I
tried to get every course book I could put into Braille. It
usually meant getting lists of books from teachers six months
ahead of needing them. But everyone gladly tried their best to do
it for me. It was always so much easier to understand and retain
more of what I read by reading it myself with my fingers than to
have it read to me by readers or by my use of discs or cassettes.
Braille also allowed me to participate in reading aloud in class
with my sighted classmates and to talk about what I felt with my
family and friends without having to isolate myself in a separate
room, where listening to recorded material wouldn't disturb
others--or, at best, being in the same room and shut off from
interactions around me by having to wear earphones to hear
recorded material. My roommates in college were always envious of
my being able to read in bed late at night without any lights on,
which they couldn't do without disturbing others who were trying
to sleep.
     As I write this letter, I am just turning forty-five years
of age. For thirty-eight of that forty-five years I have relied
upon the reading and writing of Braille for my happiness and
success in school, college, career, and life overall. I read
Braille books to my twin girls now, and have since they were one
year old, starting with the Twin Vision books. I demonstrate
Braille to their schoolmates and explain how it makes it possible
to learn.
     Getting my present job as a reservationist for the Homestead
Resort depended (and, for that matter, still depends) on my being
able to Braille pages of room and condo rates and other
information, which changes regularly and which I must have at my
fingertips to communicate to prospective vacationers when they
call our office. I use my Perkins Brailler, and my wife reads
what I need while I dash it off at night and have it fresh at
hand for the work the following morning. I doubt that I could
have convinced my employer of my ability to handle the job
efficiently enough to have been hired without the ability to use
Braille. This is true even though I have the latest in adaptive
computers with speech synthesis and screen-reading programs. 
     There is nothing that makes a person feel more assured and
independent than being able to write and read his or her own
material--whether for work, education, or leisure. I urge anyone
with children who have little or no eyesight to do all they can
to get their youngsters to learn Braille. It is easier at a
younger age, I believe, and can make a great difference in school
and the rest of a child's life, just as much now as it did for me
more than thirty years ago.

                                                 Sincerely yours,
                                                      Ron Schmidt


[PHOTO: Portrait. CAPTION: Doug Elliot.]

                     COMING OF AGE NFB STYLE
                         by Doug Elliot

     From the Associate Editor: Doug Elliot is the President of
the National Federation of the Blind of Nevada. He is also an
experienced human services professional with large measures of
humor and common sense. This article first appeared in the
Spring, 1990, edition of the newsletter of the Human Services
Division of the National Federation of the Blind. Here it is: 

     When I joined the NFB in 1987, I was unaware of a thing
called the organized blind movement. I was doing some private
practice with blind clients of the Bureau of Services for the
Blind of Nevada. I found most of the clients were in need of
training and equipment to help them get through the day. Of
course, there were those who were either depressed or thought
they should be. Sometimes I would take them out for a walk rather
than treat them--the treatment would be the walk itself. At this
point I was asked to attend a chapter meeting of the NFB. I said
I would; however, I said there might be a conflict of interest
between my practice and involvement with the organization.
     I did attend the chapter meeting, which had been called for
the purpose of organizing blind people in Northern Nevada. With
some apprehension I allowed myself to be elected first vice
president of the chapter.
     After the election I started to read banquet addresses and
other material written by the leaders of the movement. I heard
them make statements about the blind and how we have been
mistreated by society and how, through collective action, the
blind could break down the barriers of discrimination. At that
point I recognized that I had experienced things through the
years that caused me to conclude society had difficulty dealing
with my blindness. It never occurred to me that this might be a
problem facing thousands. I believed that if I were pleasant and
humorous, if I  could make fun of my blindness, I would be well
adjusted. Reading the material presented to me and talking to
other NFB members soon convinced me that I was actually
experiencing discrimination and that my own perceptions about
blindness before I became blind were now interfering with my
growth.
     I started to test some of my NFB philosophy in my treatment
sessions. I found that most of my clients were reluctant to
accept the idea that they could lead normal lives as blind people
because they had been told they would have to go through
depression and other stages of loss first. Some were depressed,
but others were not, and the struggle to find depression was too
much for me and for them. Because of my association with the
Federation, the Bureau of Services for the Blind decided that it
no longer needed me. I left my practice and went to the annual
convention of the National Federation of the Blind in Chicago.
When I returned, I interviewed for two jobs: one as a
rehabilitation social worker at a local hospital, the other as
clinical director of a phone-in crisis center. When I was
interviewed, my approach was different from earlier ones--no
humorous quips about blindness. Questions about how I would
write, walk, read, and function were answered as honestly as
possible. Most important, I took fifty thousand friends to the
interviews, and when in doubt of an answer, I asked myself how my
friends would respond. I was offered both jobs and for the first
time in my career had to make a choice. I still blame the NFB for
that dilemma.
     I took the job at the rehab hospital, and I am still there.
I was recently asked to interview for a job at another local
hospital. My approach continued to be confident, and I once again
took my NFB friends with me. I was offered the job but turned it
down. The pay was better, but the benefits were not as good. I
was complimented by people who had known me for some time. They
commented that I had changed, grown more confident and stronger.
I told them that I now belonged to the NFB, and that was the
reason.
     After I was offered the job and turned it down, I
immediately asked about the possibility of referring other blind
social workers to the opening. The supervisor told me she would
hire the next person on the list, but I believe she would have no
hesitation about interviewing and hiring another blind person if
she had another opening.
     I know that I could be out of a job tomorrow and have a
difficult time finding another, but until that happens, I will
try to be a good example of how blind people can get jobs and
hold them. I will continue to help other blind people find work.
I have come to believe that all blind persons interviewing for
jobs in human services or other positions can become more
confident when they take the NFB philosophy with them. This
doesn't mean carrying a chip on one's shoulder, but being aware
of the problems we all face as blind people and overcoming them
by using our philosophy. Take your friends to the interview.
Those friends are your brothers and sisters in the National
Federation of the Blind.


           UPDATE ON MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION AS A CAREER
                       by Susan M. Turley

     From the Associate Editor: One day a couple of years ago the
telephone rang on Lorraine Rovig's desk at the National Center
for the Blind in Baltimore. Miss Rovig is the Director of the Job
Opportunities for the Blind Program, so this was not a startling
occurrence. But the conversation that followed was unusual
nonetheless. The caller introduced herself as Sue Turley. She
explained that she was taking a course for her master's degree in
education, and she was interested in writing a paper comparing
some of the discrimination problems faced by women with those she
had heard about from the blind medical transcriptionists with
whom she worked in her job as Director of Curriculum Development
for the Health Professions Institute. Both groups seemed to her
to face low wages, lack of advancement, and presumption of
incompetence out of all proportion to their numbers. Could we
provide her with information about blindness and the employment
problems that plagued blind people? Of course we could, and from
that moment there began a mutually helpful relationship between
the Health Professions Institute and the National Federation of
the Blind. 
     Because of Sue Turley's new knowledge of and interest in the
difficulties facing blind people training to become medical
transcriptionists, she began working to insure that materials
produced by the Health Professions Institute were readily
accessible to blind transcriptionists. She worked with Recordings
for the Blind to see that the most up-to-date editions of the
texts used by her organization were available to borrowers. She
also offered her expertise to any blind job-seeker contemplating
medical transcription as a career. Mrs. Turley is honest and
candid about what it takes to do the job well. She is convinced
that blind people can and do make good transcriptionists but that
they must have good skills to do so. As a Certified Medical
Transcriptionist, a registered nurse, and now the holder of a
master's degree in education, she knows whereof she speaks.  In
addition, she respects blind people and is not willing to let
people lower the standards of her profession because a particular
trainee is blind. Here is the article that Sue Turley submitted
to the Braille Monitor about the field of medical transcription
and the opportunities it offers to blind people:

     Medical transcriptionists are members of the health care
team, which includes physicians, nurses, therapists, and other
health care support staff. While not as visible to the general
public as some members of the team, medical transcriptionists
play an important role in providing quality care by transcribing
reports on patients. Transcribing involves typing a medical
report from a physician's dictation and, using medical
terminology, knowledge of English grammar, and editing skills,
producing a report that is accurate and complete. 
     Medical transcriptionists transcribe office chart notes;
history and physical examinations; consultations; letters; memos;
hospital admission notes; emergency department notes; operative
reports; discharge summaries; pathology reports; and many
specialty laboratory, diagnostic, and radiology reports.
     Medical transcriptionists work in a variety of settings,
including medical clinics, doctors' offices, hospitals, private
transcription businesses, and home offices. There is a critical
shortage of qualified medical transcriptionists nationwide, and
they are always in great demand. In general salaries range from
$15,000 per year for those working in doctors' offices or
hospitals to $25,000 and above to those with superior typing
skills or those who manage their own medical transcription
businesses. 
     Medical transcription is a field which has traditionally
been open to blind individuals. Adequate training has always
presented a problem, however. Currently, the need for
comprehensive, in-depth training is critical due to the explosion
of medical knowledge and computer technology, which must be
mastered to function successfully on the job.
     Prospective trainees need to have above-average skills in
spelling, grammar, typing, word processing, and the use of a
speech board, as well as an interest in medicine. Personal
qualities include the ability to work independently on the job
and a commitment to excellence as a member of the health care
team. 
     Training begins with courses in anatomy and physiology,
medical terminology, word processing, human diseases,
pharmacology, and laboratory tests. Also a most important part of
the training process is the transcription of training tapes which
contain authentic physician dictation. The national professional
membership organization for medical transcriptionists, the
American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT), recommends
the use of authentic physician dictation as well as study in the
course areas listed above.
     Health Professions Institute of Modesto, California, is a
nationally known developer and publisher of medical transcription
training and medical reference materials. We are dedicated to
making our training materials and reference books accessible to
visually impaired medical transcriptionists (VIMTs) and trainees.
For individuals who wish to enter the field of medical
transcription, Health Professions Institute has developed an
independent study program which can be completed at home. We have
selected nationally known textbooks in anatomy and physiology and
medical terminology and assured that they were readily available
to trainees from Recordings for the Blind. In addition, we have
had RFB record three textbooks on pharmacology, laboratory
medicine, and the history of physical examination, which were
written and published by Health Professions Institute
specifically for medical transcription trainees. Our training
tapes are divided into two levels: beginning and advanced. The
twelve-tape beginning course presents an introduction to the
science and art of medical transcription and covers every medical
specialty in the twelve hours of dictation. This course
thoroughly prepares the trainee to work in a doctor's office or
clinic. The advanced units provide hospital-level training. Both
courses are extremely comprehensive, use authentic physician
dictation, and give the trainee competitive job skills in the
field of medical transcription. The cost of the complete
Beginning Medical Transcription Course is $840. The cost of the
advanced course is $210 to $280 per medical specialty. Although
an individual may purchase these courses, many state vocational
rehabilitation agencies have purchased these courses on behalf of
their clients. 
     Health Professions Institute also has developed the
following products for our visually impaired customers and
trainees. Our medical word and phrase books, which are sold by
medical specialty, have been put on computer disk in response to
a survey we conducted of VIMTs around the country to determine
which medium they preferred. These word and phrase books on disk
merge automatically with the WordPerfect spellchecker so that
medical documents can be automatically spellchecked. However,
because medical transcriptionists must often search through a
reference book to locate a garbled word from the dictation, we
added a special window to the software which can be activated by
a macro. Within this window a speech board can be used to word
search quickly through the actual contents of the word and phrase
book as displayed on the computer screen. Another popular book
published by Health Professions Institute, Current Medical
Terminology by Vera Pyle, is also available on computer disk with
a window feature. This software package will give VIMTs not only
the words found in the book but their definitions as well. This
is of great help in determining that the word selected is
correct, given the sound-alike nature of many medical words. This
is an extremely important feature for VIMTs and trainees. 
     Health Professions Institute also publishes a national
quarterly magazine entitled Perspectives on the Medical
Transcription Profession. Since its inception Perspectives has
included a full page in every issue dedicated to information of
importance to VIMTs and trainees. Beginning with the Fall, 1991,
issue, subscriptions will be available on four-track cassette
tape, for the same cost ($45 per year) and delivered at the same
time as the print copy.
     Health Professions Institute is dedicated to making our
products accessible to the visually impaired and to counseling
prospective trainees who wish to enter the field of medical
transcription.
     If you would like to train for a career in the field of
medical transcription, you may call me, Sue Turley, for a free
educational consultation at 410-744-4070. You may also talk with
the staff or write to our main office in Modesto, California, to
purchase training materials or medical references:

                  Health Professions Institute
                             Suite 1
                        2105 Lancey Drive
                       Modesto, CA  95355
                          209-551-2112
               Susan M. Turley, CMT, RN, MA(Educ)
               Director of Curriculum Development
                  Health Professions Institute


[PHOTO/CAPTION: Donna Posont stands behind husband Larry and son Paul, who are
seated beside Ray Sewell.]

                     UNIQUE VIEW OF VILLAGE:
                 BLIND CHILDREN GET SPECIAL TOUR
                         by Mary Geddes

     From the Associate Editor: Increasingly state and regional
parent divisions of the National Federation of the Blind are
planning special activities for blind children during day-long
seminars for their parents. The intent is to provide the
youngsters with interesting new experiences under the supervision
of blind adults. The children are encouraged to learn and use the
techniques that will help them in everyday life, and they are
introduced to competent blind adults who can give them confidence
in their own abilities. The challenge is to find activities and
tours that will teach without making a spectacle of the children
or leading the public to draw incorrect conclusions about
blindness and the abilities of blind people. 
     In October of 1991 the National Federation of the Blind of
Michigan conducted a parent seminar, and Donna Posont, one of the
leaders of the NFB of Michigan, assumed responsibility for
organizing the children's activities. The restored village the
group visited was staffed by people with good attitudes and
eagerness to open the facility to disabled visitors. This is the
article that appeared in the Dearborn Press and Guide on October
31, 1991:

     None of the children touring Greenfield Village with leader
Donna Posont Friday could be persuaded to take a turn in the
outhouse on the grounds of the Firestone Farm.
     "Yuk, this is the bathroom?" asked a slightly horrified,
slightly intrigued ten-year-old Cynthia Bowman.
     But the kids didn't hesitate to scramble down the ten steep
stairs leading to the farmhouse cellar, eager to know what was
down there.
     While their comments and actions mimicked the dozens of
students who would tour the same farm that day, this group
carried white canes and used their senses of touch, hearing, and
smell to experience the historical buildings they could not see.
     They were sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind,
an advocacy group that was holding a workshop for parents of
children who are blind in the nearby Holiday Inn-Fairlane.
     They were led by Dearborn residents Posont and her husband
Larry, who are both blind. The group of twenty children dodged
raindrops and mud puddles, but their high spirits weren't
dampened much, except at the prospect of entering the Firestone
Farm's barn.
     "Peeee-yew. This barn stinks," said one hesitant girl.
     "That's only because there are animals inside," assured
David Jones, a group chaperon. 
     The wooly--if smelly--sheep inside ended up being a big hit.
     Jones said the Federation's goal is to encourage kids to
discover how much they can do, not to dwell on their disability.
It encourages them to practice using a cane in real-life
situations and not to hesitate even when tackling such things as
difficult stairs and muddy dirt roads.
     "We say that we know that we are blind but that it is not a
tragedy. At most it is a handicap, and at times it is just an
inconvenience," said Jones, who has normal vision but whose wife
is legally blind.
     It is not common for children who are blind to tour
Greenfield Village, said Grant Fletcher, the coordinator of
school and community programs, but officials would like that to
change.
     The Village formed a committee in February to study ways to
make the facility and the adjacent Henry Ford Museum more
accessible to people with handicaps.
     A special itinerary for Posont's group was developed to lead
them into buildings with several sensory opportunities. Such a
tour for people with special needs had never been formalized
before, said Mallory Waldman, an official with the project
development office.
     "That's why we were glad that Mrs. Posont gave us a call
about this," said Fletcher.
     "The committee is trying to change how new exhibits are done
so that they keep in mind the need for accessibility. It goes
along with the whole theory of inclusion. We don't want to create
special exhibits for anyone. We want them to be able to
participate in what everyone is enjoying," he said.
     The museum allows easy movement for people who use
wheelchairs, but the historical buildings in Greenfield Village
don't lend themselves to the same accessibility, he said.
     And, for people who are blind, the Village is the better
choice because there are no hands-on exhibits in the museum.
     For Posont's group the day was not without a few
organizational problems, a few stumbles, and a few tears.
     But when she found out that Crystal Brown, 7, enjoyed the
sheep because she had never touched one before, Posont said,
"Well, that just made it all worthwhile--to think that someone
had never touched a sheep before, and now we've given her that
opportunity."


        SOCIAL SECURITY, SSI, AND MEDICARE FACTS FOR 1992
                         by James Gashel

     The beginning of each year brings with it annual adjustments
in Social Security programs. The changes include new tax rates,
higher exempt earnings amounts, Social Security and SSI
cost-of-living increases, and changes in deductible and co-
insurance requirements under Medicare. Here are the new facts for
1992:
     FICA (Social Security) Tax Rate: The tax rate for employees
and their employers remains at 7.65%. This rate includes payments
to the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust
Fund of 6.2% and an additional 1.45% payment to the Health
Insurance (HI) Trust Fund. The maximum FICA amount to be paid by
an employee during 1992 is $5,584.00, up from $5,123.30 during
1991. Self-employed persons will pay a Social Security tax of
15.3% during 1992, and their maximum Social Security contribution
will be $8,491.50. Self-employed persons who earn more than
$55,000 will also pay an additional amount into the Health
Insurance Trust Fund. 
     Ceiling on Earnings Subject to Tax: During 1991 the ceiling
on taxable earnings for contributions to the OASDI trust fund was
$53,400.00, and the ceiling on taxable earnings for contributions
to the health insurance trust fund was $125,000. These ceilings
have been increased for 1992 to $55,500 for the OASDI trust fund
and $130,200 for the health insurance trust fund.
     Quarters of Coverage: Eligibility for retirement, survivors,
and disability insurance benefits is based in large part on the
number of quarters of coverage earned by any individual during
periods of work. Anyone may earn up to four quarters of coverage
during a single year. During 1991 a Social Security quarter of
coverage was credited for earnings of $540.00 in any calendar
quarter. Anyone who earned $2,160.00 for the year (regardless of
when the earnings occurred during the year) was given four
quarters of coverage. In 1992 a Social Security quarter of
coverage will be credited for earnings of $570 during a calendar
quarter. Four quarters can be earned with annual earnings of
$2,280.
     Exempt Earnings: The earnings exemption for blind people
receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits is
the same as the exempt amount for individuals age sixty-five
through sixty-nine who receive Social Security retirement
benefits. The monthly exempt amount in 1991 was $810.00 of gross
earned income. During 1992 the exempt amount will be $850.00.
Technically, this exemption is referred to as an amount of
monthly gross earnings which does not show "substantial gainful
activity." Earnings of $850.00 or more per month before taxes for
a blind SSDI beneficiary in 1992 will show substantial gainful
activity after subtracting any unearned (or subsidy) income and
applying any deductions for impairment-related work expenses.
     Social Security Benefit Amounts for 1992: All Social
Security benefits, including retirement, survivors', disability,
and dependents' benefits, are increased by 3.7% beginning
January, 1992. The exact dollar increase for any individual will
depend upon the amount being paid. 
     Standard SSI Benefit Increase: Beginning January, 1992, the
federal payment amounts for SSI individuals and couples are as
follows: individuals, $422.00 per month; couples, $633.00 per
month. These amounts are increased from: individuals, $407.00 per
month; couples, $610.00 per month.
     Medicare Deductibles and Co-insurance: Medicare Part A
coverage provides hospital insurance to most Social Security
beneficiaries. The co-insurance payment is the charge that the
hospital makes to a Medicare beneficiary for any hospital stay.
Medicare then pays the hospital charges above the beneficiary's
co-insurance amount. The Part A co-insurance amount charged for a
hospital stay of not longer than sixty days was $628.00 during
1991 and is increased to $652.00 during 1992. Beginning with the
sixty-first day through the ninety-first day there is a daily co-
insurance amount of $163.00 per day, up from $157.00 in 1991.
Each Medicare beneficiary has sixty "reserve days" for hospital
stays longer than ninety days. The co-insurance amount to be paid
during each reserve day is $326.00, up from $314.00 in 1991.
     The Medicare Part B (medical insurance) deductible remains
at $100.00 in 1992. This is not an annual deductible amount. A
new benefit period can begin sixty days after discharge from a
hospital or skilled nursing facility. The Medicare Part B basic
monthly premium rate will increase from $29.90 charged to each
beneficiary during 1991 to $31.80 per month during 1992.


                             RECIPES
                      by Corinne Whitesell

     This month's recipes come from Alaska. Sharon Buchan,
President of the affiliate, asked Corinne Whitesell, NFB of
Alaska Treasurer, to contribute several of her favorites. Here
they are:

                            BUCKEYES

     If you like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, you will love this
recipe for Buckeyes. Corinne Whitesell brought the recipe with
her to Alaska from Ohio, the Buckeye State, where she lived and
raised her family prior to moving to Alaska.

Ingredients:
2 pounds creamy peanut butter
1 pound margarine
3 pounds confectionery sugar
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate squares
1 rectangular bar of paraffin

     Method: Mix together the peanut butter and margarine until
fluffy. Work in the confectionery sugar. You will have to use
your hands to knead the sugar in because the mixture is very
stiff. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Melt the chocolate
squares and paraffin together in a double boiler over hot water.
Remove peanut butter mixture from the refrigerator and roll into
balls about the size of large walnuts. Stick a toothpick in the
end of each ball and dip about three-fourths of it into the
melted chocolate. The uncoated part of the peanut butter ball
forms the eye of the buckeye. Hold the candy over the pan for a
few seconds after removing from the melted chocolate to allow the
coating to set. Then place it on cookie sheet or waxed paper.
Since the chocolate coating sets very fast, the buckeyes can be
eaten immediately. Store in the refrigerator. Recipe makes 200 to
300 buckeyes.

                  MIRACLE WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa, or 2 squares baking chocolate
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla

     Method: Mix all ingredients together, place batter in a
greased 8x8 inch pan, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350
degrees. This is a quick and easy cake to put together. It is
very moist and delicious without any frosting. But if you do want
to top it with your favorite chocolate frosting, try adding 1/2
teaspoon of almond extract in addition to the usual 1/2 teaspoon
of vanilla extract for an extra special and unusually tasty
frosting.

                       WILD RICE CASSEROLE

     This recipe is a favorite in the North and goes well with
wild game. For the folks in the lower forty-eight, chicken or
turkey can substitute for wild game.

Ingredients:
1 cup wild rice
1 stick butter 
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 pound fresh mushrooms
1 bunch green onions
3 cups chicken broth

     Method: Chop the green onions and mushrooms and saute
together. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and bake for
1-1/2 hours at 350 degrees in an oven-proof casserole dish. Fluff
rice with a fork before serving. 

                             TABUULI

     Corinne spent several years in Beirut, Lebanon. She copied
down this recipe for tabuuli while watching it made by a Lebanese
cook. This near Eastern salad is exceptionally nutritious since
it contains a whole grain product and a good bit of parsley,
which is rated as one of the three most nutritious plants grown
in North America.

Ingredients:
1 cup bulgar
4 cups parsley, discard stems 
2 cups mint leaves, discard stems
1 cup cucumber
1 cup fresh tomato
1/2 small onion (or more to taste)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil

     Method: Pour two cups boiling water over the bulgar and
allow it to stand covered until all the water is absorbed. I
usually do this overnight. The bulgar should be fluffy with no
excess water. Mince all vegetables very fine. A food processor
does a good job of this in a fraction of the time it takes to do
it with a knife by hand. Mix the minced vegetables and bulgar
together. Make a dressing by combining the lemon juice, olive
oil, salt and pepper; and mix all ingredients together.

                             PAVLOVA

     Corinne also spent three years in New Zealand. New
Zealanders are often referred to as Kiwis. The following was a
favorite national desert using kiwi fruit.

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 cup sugar
sweetened whipped cream
kiwi fruit or other fresh fruit

     Method: Beat egg whites and vinegar until very stiff. Add
1/2 cup sugar and beat well. Add rest of sugar and beat until
very stiff. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pile egg white mixture
onto a buttered pan (I use a round pizza pan), forming it into a
thick, round, flat shape with a slightly higher rim. Reduce the
oven temperature to 250 degrees when the pavlova is put in. Cook
at 250 degrees for about one hour or until the top is firm and
slightly browned and the inside is like marshmallow. Once the
pavlova is thoroughly cool, pile sweetened whipped cream into the
center and spread evenly, keeping the cream inside the raised rim
of the pavlova. Place an attractive arrangement of peeled, sliced
kiwi fruit on top of the whipped cream. To serve, slice into
wedges as you would a pie. Although kiwi fruit is preferred and
makes it uniquely a New Zealand desert, other fresh fruit in
season is also good.


                   * * MONITOR MINIATURES * *

[2 PHOTOS. CAPTION #1--Officers of the National Federation of the Blind of New
York State (left to right): Tracy Carcione, Secretary; Ray Wayne, Treasurer;
Gisela Distel, President; Carl Jacobsen, First Vice President; and Enrique
Hatch-Alleyne, Second Vice President. CAPTION #2--Officers of the New York
State Division of Dog Guide Enthusiasts (left to right): Bryan Sattler,
Treasurer; Roxsonne Simms, Vice President; and Tracy Carcione, President.] 

**Report from New York:
     From the Editor: Tracy Carcione, the Secretary of the
National Federation of the Blind of New York, obviously
approaches her responsibilities with determination and
enthusiasm. She writes as follows:
     At our state convention, November 1-3, 1991, we elected new
state officers. David Arocho, our state president for six years,
decided not to run for re-election. Our state secretary, Laura
Herman, also decided not to run. Our new officers will serve two-
year terms. They are: President, Gisela Distel; First Vice
President, Carl Jacobsen; Second Vice President, Enrique Hatch-
Alleyne; Secretary, Tracy Carcione; and Treasurer, Ray Wayne. We
also formed the New York State Division of Dog Guide Enthusiasts.
The officers are: President, Tracy Carcione; Vice President,
Roxsonne Simms; Secretary, Patty Arocho; and Treasurer, Bryan
Sattler. We are excited about our new division, and as president,
I will do all I can to make it a strong addition to our
Federation family and to let people know that it is respectable
to be blind and use a dog guide.

**LifeLine Routing System Update:
     From President Maurer: At our 1991 convention in New
Orleans, we introduced the LifeLine Routing System wherein anyone
could contribute ten per cent of his or her domestic long
distance telephone charges to the National Federation of the
Blind by ordering long distance service through this system.
Forms to sign up were available at convention and subsequently
were distributed throughout the country by affiliate and chapter
presidents. A number of people have joined this program, and we
will soon receive our first contributions from the LifeLine
Routing System. The company which developed and administers this
program (AmeriVision Communications of Norman, Oklahoma) is
referred to in the telephone industry as an aggregator.
Aggregators are required to file documents outlining their
programs with state regulatory agencies that monitor long
distance telephone providers. Currently, AmeriVision has filings
pending in five states: Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina,
Ohio, and South Carolina. Therefore, persons in these states
cannot participate in the LifeLine program at this time. However,
AmeriVision will notify everyone who may have signed up for the
LifeLine Routing System from these states when service is
available to them. Also, AmeriVision informs us that they do not
intend to offer the program in three states: Alaska, Hawaii, and
Wyoming. This program is now fully operational in all other
states and should be joined by all of us. If you need additional
information about the LifeLine Routing System, please see the
Miniatures in the October Monitor, contact the National Office,
or call AmeriVision at (800) 800-7550. Remember to encourage
family members, friends, and neighbors to sign up for LifeLine;
it's one more way to fund our movement.

**Reporter Wants Contact:
     Cherie Heppe, a long-time Federationist from Connecticut,
asks that we carry the following announcement: Janet Reynolds, a
free lance writer and reporter for the Hartford Advocate and
National Public Radio, is interested in gathering information for
a possible article. She would like to be in touch with numbers of
blind persons who have used dog guides or are currently using dog
guides relative to their experiences at the dog guide schools and
their ongoing work with their dogs. Ms. Reynolds is an
experienced reporter who respects individual confidentiality
where requested. She may be contacted at the Hartford Advocate,
30 Arbour Street, North Building, Hartford, Connecticut 06106, or
by telephone at (230) 232-4501.

**For Sale:
     We have been asked to carry the following: I have fourteen
burgundy three-ring binders, perfect for Braille. I am asking $1
each, or $10 for the bunch. If interested, call Barbara
Shaidnagle at (713) 666-6512 after 4:00 p.m. Central Time.

**Toward Equality:
     From the Editor: Many elements go into the mix that we call
equality. Some of these involve rights, others privileges, and
still others responsibilities. The entire composite constitutes
broad participation in the ordinary affairs of everyday life. If
a blind person is in the presence of someone who has a heart
attack, what should that blind person do? Would he or she be
capable of taking charge? For that matter, if others were
present, would they be willing for the blind person to take
charge, or believe that he or she could do so? The answer which
traditional wisdom would give to all of these questions is, of
course, no. We recently received the following article from the
district field director for Southwest Georgia of the American
Heart Association:
     Something took place at the Georgia Industries for the Blind
in Bainbridge last Thursday (November 14, 1991) that was a first
for the state of Georgia. Connie Hardison and Millie Spencer,
members of the American Heart Association's affiliated faculty
from Albany, taught 17 employees of the Industries the life
saving technique of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR. "As
far as we know, this is the first time any blind or visually
impaired Georgia residents have been taught what to do if they
encounter someone who is having a heart attack," Ms. Hardison
said. "We taught them how to handle cardiac arrest or obstructed
airways and how to determine if a patient is conscious or
unconscious."

**The Chain is Long but Effective:
     The following item is taken from the November 14, 1991,
President's Clipboard, the weekly newsletter which Sharon Gold,
President of the National Federation of the Blind of California,
distributes to Federationists of that state:
     While I was at the NFB of Ohio convention, Mrs. tenBroek
called to say that Ann Landers's column for Saturday, November 9,
1991, included a response to a previously published letter from a
blind person. In response to the letter, one of Ann Landers'
readers sent Ann an NFB brochure. Ann took the opportunity to
draw the public's attention to the National Federation of the
Blind. She used NFB literature as a resource to provide some
public education.... The NFB brochure was sent to Ann Landers by
someone in Folsom, which is a suburb of Sacramento. Perhaps the
person obtained the brochure during our recent public awareness
campaign associated with White Cane Safety Day. The Ann Landers
column should be especially instructive to us. Someone connected
with the Federation put one of our brochures into the hands of
some member of the public, and that brochure found its way to a
source that would bring public education to millions of Americans
through a syndicated column. We can't buy that kind of publicity.
It points out the importance of each and every one of us and the
efforts we are making to change what it means to be blind.
Monday, November 11, 1991, brought another syndicated media
message from the National Federation of the Blind, and this time
the message was carried worldwide. The 6:00 p.m. Monday evening
Headline News on CNN featured Dr. Jernigan discussing the laws
relating to blind people sitting on juries. We are, indeed,
changing what it means to be blind.

**Guide Dog Book:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement: "A
Guide to Guide Dog Schools by Eames, Gardiner, and Gingold
describes the ten guide dog schools in the United States. It
covers topics ranging from application procedures to contact
after graduation. In addition, the costs and benefits of working
with a guide dog, myths about guide dogs, and the potential
impact of a guide dog on your life are discussed. The 102-page
book is available in print at a cost of $5, or NLS format
cassette at a cost of $3.50. Checks should be made payable to
Disabled on the Go (DOG) and sent to Ed and Toni Eames, 3376
North Wishon, Fresno, California 93704."

**Computer Hardware, Software, and Services Available:
     We have been asked to print the following:
     Do you need to have printed material copied to a computer
disk so that you can access it from different programs or data
bases or from speech access programs? Do you need ASCII files for
processing to Braille?
     Do you need help buying a computer, software, speech boards,
screen access programs, or other hardware?
     Well, Ferguson Enterprises started their business in 1978,
and they can help you with all of these problems. They can scan
printed material and/or pictures and store them on computer disks
in most word processor formats or pure ASCII format. They also
sell computers, software, and other hardware, including speech
boards (Doubletalk by RC Systems) and screen readers (ASAP by
Microtalk and JAWS by Henter-Joyce, Inc.).
     If you have any further questions, please write to Ferguson
Enterprises, RR #1, Box 238, Iroquois, South Dakota 57353; or
call (605) 546-2366.

**For Sale:
     We have been asked to print the following:
I have a Perkins Brailler, updated model with labeling fixture.
It has never been used. I am asking $450, which includes
shipping. If interested, please contact David Hardingham, 31 Read
Road, Williston, Vermont 05495; or call 802-878-0905.

**Departing Library Official Honored:
     The following article is reprinted from the newsletter of
the Illinois Regional Library for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped:
     Jim Pletz, departing director of the Illinois Regional
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, was honored by
the presentation of an Outstanding Service Award at the 1991
convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois.
Jim was presented with a copy of Walking Alone and Marching
Together: the History of the Organized Blind Movement, 1940-1990
by Dr. Floyd Matson. The book was autographed by Dr. Kenneth
Jernigan, Editor of the Braille Monitor; by Marc Maurer,
President of the National Federation of the Blind; and by Stephen
Benson, President of the National Federation of the Blind of
Illinois.
     Jim has worked closely with the Federation for the eight
years he has served at the Regional Library. He will soon assume
new duties as Director of Programs and Exhibits for the Harold
Washington Memorial Library in Chicago. Jim remarked that, in
leaving the Regional Library for his new position, he was not
leaving the Federation; rather he will have a new perspective and
will continue to work with the Federation to further the rights
of blind people.

**Sell:
     Wanda Story has asked us to print the following: For sale,
Braille Writer, asking $440; men's Braille Seiko watch (new),
asking $95; and two men's Bulova Braille watches, asking $40
each. Please call Wanda at (510) 278-6525; or write to P.O. Box
8701, San Jose, California 95155.

**Sound Times Available:
     Jack Burke, President of Sound Marketing, Inc., has asked
that we notify our readers of the existence of his hour-long
positive outlook audiocassette magazine entitled Sound Times.
Designed for the daily commuter market, this magazine appears 48
times per year. The producers are prepared to offer a qualified
subscription rate of $9.99 per month to interested readers of the
Braille Monitor. For more information call 1-800-451-8273.

**For Sale:
     Ron Kolesar, a member of the Erie County Chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania, has a Talkman
II tape recorder with FM radio for sale. The asking price is
$125. The tape recorder has: an adjustable neck strap, a belt
clip, and a built-in microphone. It comes with headphones and
tape-recorded instructions. It will play two- or four-track
cassettes. Contact: Ron Kolesar, 9910 East Peach Street, Post
Office Box 102, Girard, Pennsylvania 16417-0102.

[PHOTO: Allen Harris stands dressed in a costume of blue jeans and t-shirt;
chains around his legs, waist, and neck; earrings; and a painted face.
CAPTION: The duties of a state president are varied and many. Sue Drapinski,
Federationist from Michigan, sends us this picture of NFB of Michigan
President Allen Harris with the following note: "This is 'Heavy Metal' Allen
Harris at our state convention costume ball October 26, 1991."]

**In Memoriam:
     The following information was sent to us by Kate Mayer,
secretary of the Buffalo Chapter of the National Federation of
the Blind of New York: The Buffalo Chapter of the NFB is sad to
report the death of one of its most committed members, Michael
Deinhardt. As an employee in the workshop of the Blind
Association of Western New York, Mike's efforts went a long way
toward combatting the unfair treatment he and his fellow
employees received. Mike painstakingly documented workshop abuses
on cassette, accumulating a large collection of firsthand
accounts. He was the chapter's most reliable source of inside
information and was dedicated to obtaining minimum wage and equal
treatment for all blind shop employees. In spite of his unstable
health, Mike continued to work diligently for our chapter and
attended a national leadership seminar in August of this year.
Mike Deinhardt's spirit and dedication will continue to inspire
all of us in the Buffalo Chapter, and his presence will be sorely
missed.

**New Chapter Formed:
     Ken Silberman, one of the leaders of the NFB of Maryland,
reports that on November 20, 1991, blind people from southern
Prince George's County and Charles County gathered at Mama
Stella's restaurant in Clinton, Maryland, and organized the
Southern Maryland Chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind. This bouncing-baby chapter has no length, but like all
other NFB chapters, it carries a lot of weight. The following
Federationists were elected to office: Kenneth Silberman,
President; Polly Johnson, Vice President; Vanessa Traynham,
Secretary; and Andre Robinson, Treasurer. Gerelene Womack and
Lillian Wright were elected as Board members. Federationists can
be sure that the general public in Prince George's and Charles
Counties will be learning the truth about blindness from the
Southern Maryland Chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind.

**For Sale:
     We have been asked to print the following: "Used stereotype
machines for the production of zinc plates used in Braille
printing are for sale from Lutheran Braille Workers, Inc. For
more information please contact LeRoy Delafosse, Lutheran Braille
Workers, Inc., P.O. Box 5000, Yucaipa, California 92399; or phone
(714) 795-8977."

**Poetry Contest:
     The Writers Division of the National Federation of the Blind
is holding a Poetry Contest again this year. Submissions will be
accepted until May 1, 1992. Poems should be typed and accompanied
by a $3.00 entry fee per poem. Please limit your poetry to
thirty-five lines or less. Poems may be on any subject. The
Division offers four prizes: $60, $45, $25, and $15. Winning
entries may be printed in Slate and Style, the Division's
quarterly magazine. Please do not enter your submissions in other
contests during the year 1992. If you reprint a poem that we have
published, we ask that you acknowledge previous publications in
Slate and Style and include the date and volume of the issue.
Please provide your name and address on every poem and a self-
addressed, stamped envelope with each submission. Send your
entries to Slate and Style Poetry Contest, 2704 Beach Drive,
Merrick, New York 11566; and make checks payable to NFB Writers
Division.

**New Cookbook Available:
     We have been asked to print the following: "The
Massachusetts Association for the Blind is offering a new two-
volume Braille cookbook, Sconset Cafe: A Village Cafe on
Nantucket Island. Here are recipes with a gourmet bent for all
meals. Surprise your guests with Marinated Shrimp and Avocado,
Rice Pilaf, Chicken Piccata, and Chocolate Raspberry Marquise.
The cost is $20. Write to MAB, Braille Department, 200 Ivy
Street, Brookline, Massachusetts 02146."

**A Shrinking World:
     Jim Fruchterman, president of Arkenstone, announced recently
that in addition to French, German, and English, the Arkenstone
Reading System now supports Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch,
Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Malaysian, and Polish. The
company is currently working on six other Eastern European
languages: Czech; Slovak; Hungarian; Lithuanian; Estonian; and
Lettish, the national language of Latvia. For more information
contact Arkenstone, Inc. at 1185-D Bordeaux Drive, Sunnyvale,
California 94089; or phone 1-800-444-4443; (408) 752-2200; or FAX
(408) 745-6739.

**Buy:
     We have been asked to print the following: "I would like to
purchase an Optacon model RIC or RID in excellent condition. I am
also looking for an external speech synthesizer in excellent
condition, preferably a DECtalk manufactured by Digital Equipment
Corporation. Write to Bill Schiavo, 10 Frederick Street, Apt.
304, Hartford, Connecticut 06105; or call (203) 952-3362 (home)
or (203) 233-5119 (work)."

**Elected:
     Ike Collins, president of the Pitts County Chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind of North Carolina reports that
the chapter met on December 5, 1991, and elections were held. The
following officers were elected: Ike Collins, president and
corresponding secretary; Mike Blank, vice president and recording
secretary; Jeri Graham, treasurer; and Sheila Newbern, board
member.

**Child Care Publications Available in Braille:
     The National Braille Press recently announced the
availability of two new publications. The first, Play It Safe, is
a practical, concise, and informative brochure to educate the
public on toy safety. Prepared by the Association of Trial
Lawyers and the Johns Hopkins Injury Prevention Center, this
Braille brochure is yours free.
     The newly revised and expanded edition of Baby and Child
Care, by Benjamin Spock, MD, and Michael B. Rothenberg, MD, can
now be purchased in thirteen paperback Braille volumes from the
National Braille Press. Thanks to a cooperative agreement with
the Library of Congress, National Library Service for the Blind
and Physically Handicapped, this new edition is available for
$45, a fraction of its actual cost. To order both publications
contact the National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street,
Boston, Massachusetts 02115; or call (617) 266-6160.

**Resource List for Writers Available:
     A newly updated list of literature for sale by the NFB
Writers Division is now available in large print and Braille. The
list contains prices and brief bibliographic notations for each
resource. It includes workshops, annual division meetings, and
other special resources to assist blind writers.
     Most literature is available on 2-track, standard-speed
cassettes. The list is free and can be ordered from Nancy Scott,
1141 Washington St., Easton, Pennsylvania 18042. Please specify
desired format.

**Area Code Change:
     The area code for Baltimore was changed from 301 to 410 on
November 1, 1991. Both codes will continue to connect callers to
Baltimore numbers until November 1, 1992, but after that date
only 410 will do so. All of this means that the telephone number
for the National Center for the Blind is (410) 659-9314. The Job
Opportunities for the Blind listing continues to be (800) 638-
7518.


[PHOTO: Front entrance of the Mint Museum of Art with large fountain in
foreground. CAPTION: It is time to make your reservations for the 1992 NFB
convention in Charlotte. The members of the National Federation of the Blind
of North Carolina are planning the biggest and most exciting convention we
have ever had. Charlotte is a beautiful city. Pictured here is the Mint Museum
of Art, one of Charlotte's landmarks.]