                       THE BRAILLE MONITOR



                    Kenneth Jernigan, Editor
                Barbara Pierce, Associate Editor


     Published in inkprint, Braille, on talking-book disc, 
                        and cassette by 


              THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND 
                     MARC MAURER, PRESIDENT 
 


                         National Office
                       1800 Johnson Street
                   Baltimore, Maryland 21230 

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                   Baltimore, Maryland 21230 

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



ISSN 0006-8829THE BRAILLE MONITOR
A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

                            CONTENTS

                                                    OCTOBER, 1992

SERENA CAN WAIT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL

ARCHITECTURAL BARRIERS FOR THE BLIND: THE MYTH AND THE REALITY

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE AGENCIES FOR THE BLIND ISSUES POLICY
STATEMENT ON BRAILLE LITERACY

MAKING THE ADA WORK FOR US
by Ed Eames

SETTLEMENT IN MARYLAND VENDORS' LAWSUIT
by Donald J. Morris

BLIND VENDOR STILL IN JAIL
by Donald J. Morris

SOCIAL SECURITY FOR THE BLIND: THE PROGRAMS OF TODAY AND THE
PLANS FOR TOMORROW
by Gwendolyn S. King

THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND 1993 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
by Barbara Pierce

BLIND PROFESSOR RECEIVES MACARTHUR AWARD

THE PITFALLS OF COMPLACENCY
by Curtis Chong

THE VOICE OF THE DIABETIC: SPREADING THE WORD MADE EASY
by Ed Bryant

SOUTH CAROLINA: BIGGER AND GROWING

RECIPES

MONITOR MINIATURES








     Copyright National Federation of the Blind, Inc., 1992[3 LEAD PHOTOS: 1) Seth Leblond reads a Twin Vision
(print/Braille) book. 2) Emily Reynolds reads Twin Vision book,
while mother reads along. 3) Tim Day and Torri Anderson read Twin
Vision and raised line drawing books. CAPTION: From Maine to
California, Braille readers are leaders! Seth Leblond (above,
left) from Maine; Emily Reynolds from Louisiana, reading with her
mother (above); and Tim Day, pictured with toddler Torri
Anderson, both from California (left) all enjoy reading Braille
and use it every day. Once again it is time to circulate forms
for the Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest for young readers.
Those of us who use Braille constantly or who wish we could
efficiently do so recognize the importance of encouraging
elementary and high school students to perfect their skills. This
contest is our way of letting blind students know how much we
want to help them learn to read Braille rapidly and well. At the
center of the print edition of this issue is a copy of the
contest form which may be removed and used. Additional forms may
be obtained by contacting the National Federation of the Blind,
Materials Center, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland
21230.]


[PHOTO: Mother and 2 children work at kitchen table, breaking
broccoli. CAPTION: Carol Castellano takes every opportunity to
educate her children. Here, Serena and John learn to break fresh
broccoli into spears.]

            SERENA CAN WAIT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL

     From the Editor: As Federationists know, Carol Castellano of
New Jersey is one of the leaders of the Parents of Blind Children
Division of the National Federation of the Blind. She is also a
determined, committed, and knowledgeable Federationist. As
evidenced by the following correspondence, she has taken the time
to study the literature and learn the law. She knows her
Federation philosophy and lives it. The hearts of all of us
should be gladdened by this correspondence and what it implies.
Here it is:

                                              Madison, New Jersey
                                                     June 2, 1992

Dear Dr. Jernigan:
     Recently I received a phone call from the principal of my
daughter's school. I was told that Serena, who is in first grade,
would no longer be allowed to wait for me after school at the
bottom of the hill with all the other children. She would now
have to be picked up in the office. When I asked if something had
happened, I was told, "We're concerned for her safety." When I
questioned why there was concern for her safety, the principal
answered, "Because she is blind."
     For two years, kindergarten and most of first grade, Serena
had been waiting with no problem for me to pick her up. Putting
this restrictive policy into effect in May of her second year in
that school seemed ludicrous. When I informed the principal that
there were laws against such discrimination, I was assured that
school personnel were not discriminating against Serena; they
were just concerned with her safety.
     I spoke to Mrs. Maurer soon after the phone call from the
principal, and it is at her suggestion that I am sending the
enclosed letter I sent to the superintendent of schools in our
school district.
     Had it not been for my contact with the Federation over the
years and my familiarity through the literature with NFB
positions on issues (the airlines issue in particular), I would
not have been able to formulate so persuasive an argument. I am
happy to report that the superintendent decided in our favor "in
deference to the strong feelings set forth in [the] letter."
Serena will continue to come down the hill and wait for me at the
corner.
     Can't wait 'til the National Federation of the Blind
convention in Charlotte.

                                                     Best wishes,
                                                 Carol Castellano
                      ____________________
                                              Madison, New Jersey
                                                     May 22, 1992

To the Superintendent of Schools:
     I am writing to explain our position on whether or not our
daughter, Serena Cucco, can safely wait for me to pick her up at
the bottom of the hill at Kings Road School.
     Serena has good safety awareness. She knows about the school
driveway, the street, the curb, and the traffic. She is aware of
the crossing guard and what his job is. She comprehends the scene
that is occurring as the children wait for their parents after
school. Generally, she does not stand on the sidewalk to wait.
The sixth grader who accompanies her down the hill usually stops
on the blacktop path, several yards back from the corner. Serena
stands in one place, alone or with other children or mothers, and
waits calmly, patiently, and alertly, to hear my voice.
     Unsafe behaviors do occur at the bottom of the hill outside
Kings Road School. Children play tag wildly, sometimes stopping
their running at the edge of the curb. Many children push and
shove each other practically into the street. Several children
are kept waiting for a long time before a parent comes to pick
them up. Parents continue to ignore safety instructions and park
their cars where the road narrows. As people parallel park along
the street, the rears of their cars jut into the sidewalk where
children are walking and playing. Parents continue to congregate
at the corner, even though they have been requested not to.
Serena, however, is engaged in none of these unsafe behaviors.
     Has a separate policy been put in place to guard the safety
of the children who play too wildly or push and shove at the
corner? Is a special watch being kept over the children whose
parents do not come for fifteen or twenty minutes? Or is Serena
the only child for whom a separate policy has been formed?
     We do not believe that our daughter is unsafe when she is
standing at the bottom of the hill waiting for me. If we thought
she were, we would be the first to request an accommodation. As
we understand it, the issue of safety was brought up by a teacher
who saw Serena waiting alone one day. This teacher was evidently
unaware that there have been many days over the past two years
that Serena has waited alone for me for several minutes and that
I had explicitly told the sixth-grader that she did not need to
wait with Serena until I arrived.
     As usual, without any discussion with us, a policy was
decided upon and I was issued an order: Serena would not be
allowed to walk down the hill; I was to pick her up in the office
from then on.
     Those who decided on this plan did not consider the effect
this separate treatment might have on Serena's confidence and
self-image; they did not consider that this action would prevent
her from ever learning the skill of walking down the hill
independently, safely, and efficiently, and of course did not
think that perhaps we, the parents, might have something relevant
to contribute regarding the situation.
     This safety concern is the product of someone's inaccurate
perception, assumption, projection, or fear. It is not based on
reality. Reality is that Serena has waited on that corner for
almost two years entirely without incident. (The principal
concedes that there has never been an incident or even near
incident in which Serena was in any danger. The crossing guard,
too, stated that there have been no problems with Serena's
waiting at the bottom of the hill.)
     The perception that a blind person cannot be safe because
she is blind is typical of the way our society in general thinks
about blindness. It shows a lack of understanding of the fact
that blind adults lead independent lives and of the process of
gaining skills that leads to that ultimate independence. My
husband and I know blind adults who travel wherever they want to
go independently; one of our acquaintances (totally blind, I
believe since birth), in fact, travels the world as a member of
the Foreign Service. Serena will never gain the skills for
efficient, safe, independent travel if 1) she is not allowed to
participate in activities such as walking down the hill and
waiting alone, and 2) her confidence and self-image are
undermined by custodial policies based on other people's
inaccurate perceptions about blindness.
     We wonder if, according to the person or people who decided
that Serena can no longer wait safely alone, a magic age will
come when suddenly she will be ready to wait alone. Will waiting
alone somehow become safe? A child surely will not gain the skill
she needs without the opportunity to practice. Independent
mobility, like most things children learn, is a process. Serena
is learning to cross streets, for example. This year she is
crossing quiet streets alone; I do not need to walk beside her
because she is well on her way to mastering the skills of knowing
when she is in the middle of the street, walking purposefully,
looking for the curb or cutout, and stepping up quickly and
efficiently. I do not feel she has mastered listening to traffic
on a busy corner, and we do not allow her to cross in traffic
alone. It is a process, and as she gains skill, we, her parents,
will allow her increasing independence and responsibility.
     The Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act before it, were written to counter historical
attitudes of custodialism that were based on false perceptions of
what disability involves. There are things my daughter cannot do;
but please do not keep her from doing something she can do
perfectly well and with safety just because of someone's
perception that she cannot be safe because she is blind.
     The anti-discrimination laws do not allow exclusionary
policies to be made on the basis of a person's disability. The
ADA uses such language as "No qualified individual with a
disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from
participation in or be denied the benefits of the services,
programs, or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to
discrimination by any such entity" (Title II: Sec. 202). The ADA
also ensures that "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" (Title V: Sec. 501 d).
     We hope that the seeds of custodial attitudes will not be
sown or nourished by policies decided upon by the Madison School
District. We don't want Serena or those dealing with Serena to
view her as dependent and not capable. We hope you will help us
in our striving toward a self-sufficient, independent future for
Serena.

                                                       Sincerely,
                                                 Carol Castellano


[PHOTO: Peggy Pinder speaks at podium microphone, reading
Braille. CAPTION: Peggy Pinder.]
[PHOTO: Richard Hudnut speaks at podium microphone. CAPTION:
Richard Hudnut, Chairman of the American National Standard
Institute's Committee on Accessibility.]

              ARCHITECTURAL BARRIERS FOR THE BLIND:
                    THE MYTH AND THE REALITY

     On Friday afternoon, July 3, the delegates to the 1992
convention of the National Federation of the Blind settled down
to examine the vexed question of dealing appropriately with the
alleged architectural barriers that are supposed to endanger
blind people on every side. Studying and then stipulating methods
of warning us about these hazards has consumed time and attention
from the American National Standards Institute Committee on
Accessibility for several years. 
     The Federation's position has been that most of these
supposed dangers are imagined and the rest can be easily and
efficiently detected by proper use of the long white cane or
guide dog. Since society can never install warnings at every
location in which some person with insufficient vision might be
hurt, we would do far better to concentrate our efforts on
improving the quality and availability of travel training in this
country so that all Americans with limited vision can move about
safely.
     Almost a year ago, President Maurer asked the Federation's
Second Vice President Peggy Pinder to attend the upcoming
meetings of the ANSI Committee on Accessibility as the NFB's
representative. In her Friday afternoon speech, Miss Pinder told
the audience what happened when she took that assignment. Here is
what she said: 

     ANSI has long been a sort of joke in the National Federation
of the Blind. I first heard of ANSI in the mid-seventies as the
people who thought that the blind needed detectable tiles and
knurled doorknobs. For years, ANSI (which stands for the American
National Standards Institute) symbolized misguided officialdom--
people who decided how to rebuild the world to take care of
problems they thought the blind had without ever once consulting
the blind ourselves. 
     Knurled doorknobs were invented by somebody as a tactile way
of alerting the blind that they were about to enter a hazardous
area. These included stages, boiler rooms, and loading docks--all
places where blind people I know work. The concept was that the
blind didn't know where they were, didn't know where they were
going, and wouldn't find out until it was too late unless the
sighted people around them built cues into the environment to
warn them of danger. We laughed and used ANSI as an example of
willful wrong-headedness. 
     Detectable tiles emerged from the same premises. These were
defined as deliberately shaped or roughened areas within the
walking surface, placed to alert the blind that there was danger
ahead. The dangers included those same loading docks as well as
transit platform edges, streets, and parking lots. As the concept
of detectable tiles grew, it metastasized into a cure-all for all
the travel ailments of the blind, not only warning us of dangers
but also providing what is called "wayfinding," the marking of a
path so that the blind can detect it with cane or foot and follow
the markings to the destination. Again we laughed. Didn't these
people know that canes or dogs, used and controlled by the blind
person with good training and experience, already provided us
with all the information we needed for safe travel and for
wayfinding?  Didn't they care?  Apparently not. They never asked
us if we wanted the detectable tiles. They just standardized them
and supported their installation. 
     All of this had long been part of my background when
President Maurer called me last November to give me an
assignment. He said that he needed me to go to an ANSI committee
meeting. 
     I didn't actually refuse to go. I tried to temporize, to
suggest alternatives, to raise doubts as to whether anybody
really, really needed to go. Mr. Maurer waited me out, every now
and then patiently reiterating the assignment. When I got done, I
had, of course, agreed to go. I thought one of the two of us must
have flipped, and I was pretty sure it was me. Go to ANSI, that
group of narrow-minded, humorless, professional custodians who
had entertained us for the past fifteen years with their updates
of the new paternalism and whose 1986 standard had suddenly been
adopted more or less complete in the federal accessibility
regulations? I couldn't really think of very many places I'd less
rather be! And I went. 
     Through conversations with other ANSI accessibility
committee members, I learned that my assessment of the ANSI
committee had once been accurate. However, as the building code
and manufacturer communities began to take accessibility more
seriously in the mid-'80's, ANSI had decided to assign one of its
veteran trouble-shooters to the accessibility committee, Mr.
Richard Hudnut. Although he has never said this himself, I gather
from the bits and pieces of history I have heard from others that
Mr. Hudnut reached much the same conclusion we in the Federation
had reached about the ANSI accessibility committee, and he dug in
to make changes. He recruited fine minds and strong people from
all sectors affected by the accessibility standard, using his
long service and distinguished stature in the standards community
to attract others who shared his commitment to effective,
cost-efficient problem solving. When I arrived for the meeting in
December as the representative of the National Federation of the
Blind, the ANSI standard was much improved from the almost
archaic 1986 version now largely copied in federal law. The only
parts that hadn't changed much at all since the mid-seventies
were those dealing with the blind. Knurled doorknobs were gone,
but the detectable tiles were there in profusion, now grown to
cover the edge of every parking lot and reflecting pool and the 6
feet in front of every corner in the country where there is a
ramp. Detectable tiles are now defined scientifically as "raised
truncated domes with a diameter at the base of nominal 0.9
inches, a height of nominal 0.2 inches, and center-to-center
spacing of nominal 2.35 inches and shall contrast with adjoining
surfaces, either light on dark or dark on light."      In
addition to all these protections for the blind, I found that
ANSI had somehow gotten the wrong standard for Braille, a
standard which lacked the specification of all five dimensions
necessary to define Braille. The Braille standard required
production of a dot much higher than we see in books, yielding
signs that are actually painful to read, and it failed to
prohibit what amounts to proportional spacing in Braille,
allowing a signmaker to push cells together to save space, and
actually making the Braille incorrect. For example, alarm if you
push it together in Braille becomes tharm. And I've seen a sign
that said exactly that.
     The Braille was no problem. I had with me a copy of the
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
Specification 800 from its engineering manual. I also did a
little drawing, tracing around a penny to create a diagram of
three Braille cells. On this penny drawing, I then displayed the
various relationships that had to be defined and controlled. I
told the committee that the NLS specifications had been the
standard for Braille in this country for more than fifty years,
for so long, in fact, that NLS no longer has records about when
it was first adopted. Wherever the other standard came from, it
wasn't the one everyone used, and it was producing Braille
different from that to which we are all accustomed. The ANSI
committee promptly and a little irritably adopted the NLS
standard with some muttering under its breath about who had
foisted off upon it some other standard than the standard
standard. 
     In light of the Braille discussion, it is interesting to
review the committee membership. In addition to people
representing the three model building codes, numerous disability
groups, manufacturers of various products, and state and federal
accessibility officials, membership has long been held on this
committee by the American Foundation for the Blind and the
American Council of the Blind. The American Foundation
representative served as chairman of the membership committee and
strongly opposed the NFB application for membership on the ground
that ACB already represented the blind on ANSI. Although no one
from the NFB was in the room, the ANSI committee voted thirty-
three to three to admit the NFB to membership. During the Braille
discussion at the December meeting, both AFB and ACB remained
silent, and neither chose to answer the questions regarding where
the wrong standard had come from or why the right one was never
presented before. 
     During the week-long December meeting, I spoke to anyone who
would listen about the NFB's objections to truncated domes. Many
of the people with whom I spoke indicated that they had no idea
that the domes were unnecessary, hazardous in themselves, and
expensive. They said that they would be glad to remove them. In
addition, people who had worked with the domes waxed quite
eloquent about problems of installation and maintenance. The dome
discussion at the December meeting took place on Friday afternoon
with a thin crowd present, and my motion to delete the whole
section failed by one vote. I was horrified since I could count
at least four or five people who would have voted for the motion
if they had still been there. Well, I thought, there will be
another meeting in June. We can work between now and then. 
     I discussed the setback with Mr. Maurer and told him that I
thought there was probably a group of other people in the same
position we were--knowing that the current draft of the standard
wasn't right yet. I suggested that, if we cooperated with these
other committee members by voting negatively on the standard and
working for further change, our combined strength might prevail.
I suggested that the same group might serve as a broad-based and
strong force for advocating change in the Architectural and
Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (ATBCB) rules based on
the improved ANSI standard. He told me to try it. 
     The NFB worked with building owners and managers, state
building code officials, and other disability groups in voting no
and seeking further change. At the same time, our arguments had
taken root, and the committee leadership had decided that ANSI
should be published as it stood and used as the basis for asking
ATBCB to change its rules. Our group of negative votes threatened
both the consensus and the plan for immediate publication. I got
numerous calls, assuring me that "we can get the tiles out next
time." But, if we wanted to get rulemaking started, we would have
to go along and play by the rules and let the detectable tiles
stay in this standard since any change in substance would delay
publication of the standard for at least a year.
    Again I discussed all this with Mr. Maurer, and he decided
that the Federation should vote against the draft standard anyway
and seek elimination of the domes before we agreed to the
standard. As he put it: "The Federation isn't afraid of making
people mad. What we are afraid of is failing to stand up for the
dignity of blind people. We won't ever do that. Go for it." 
    My job was to take Mr. Maurer's instructions and translate
them into reality. As usual, he told me to do the thing which
would build the best future for blind people. I went for it! The
problem was to find a way of getting the domes out without
triggering a backlash against the Federation. One track for this
activity involved helping the building code people see that they
could play an important role in changing the federal regulations
which also have domes in them. It was necessary to get the power
of a broad array of support for eliminating the domes from the
federal regulation. In fact, we had been so successful in
convincing the code people to work to change the federal regs
that they began pushing hard for immediate publication of the
existing ANSI standard as promised without removing the dome
language. They argued that, having delivered the ANSI document on
time, the Committee would have a solid position from which to
pressure the federal government into changing its regulations.
The second track was yet to be found. 
    I went to Chairman Hudnut. I just plain told him what the
problem was:  the Federation could never support a standard with
the domes in it, and yet the Federation didn't wish to cause
unnecessary trouble. I asked him if he, with his long experience
on ANSI committees, saw any way out of the dilemma. I did not
know Mr. Hudnut's position on truncated domes then, and I do not
know it now. He has never said, and he has never voted. But I had
confidence in him that, as an active and committed chairman, he
would provide advice to any committee member who sought it. He
did, explaining to me the method to use to dump the domes and
still publish this year.
    Mr. Hudnut also pointed out that, using the same procedure, a
member such as the Federation which had voted negatively could
decide to change its vote to affirmative, thereby strengthening
the consensus which ANSI seeks for its standards. 
     The truncated dome discussion at the June meeting a month
ago took almost three hours. The AFB and ACB explained how
necessary these tiles were and how important it was to have
precise measurements. Here is the summary of the Federation's
arguments against the domes as I filed them in voting negatively
on the standard:
     1. Truncated domes in particular and detectable tiles in
general are unnecessary for the blind and unsafe for everyone.
Without tiles and domes blind persons now move safely throughout
the current environment, proving that tiles or domes are
unnecessary to achieve access. 
     2. When achieving their intended purpose (interrupting
normal cane use), tiles or domes actually pose a hazard to the
blind cane user since they deliberately break the normal flow of
information through the cane at precisely those points in which
normal information is most vital. 
     3. Tiles or domes potentially pose a safety hazard to all
persons since they will stubbornly retain ice, snow, and debris;
pose an ongoing maintenance problem; and catch the heels or
wheels of unwary passers-by. The domes are sort of like
symmetrical little cobblestones, a surface we have given up for
many good reasons, including safety and maintenance. 
     4. The studies which claim to show the necessity and value
of domes or tiles are methodologically flawed and are all based
on the assumption that tiles or domes are necessary, the exact
point that is not yet proven. 
     5. The Federation is supportive of accessibility for all
disabled people and is concerned that the domes or tiles, applied
widely, will constitute an accessibility barrier for persons
using wheelchairs and for those with other mobility impairments. 
     6. The Federation is vigorously opposed to the installation
of domes or tiles on subway platforms and specifically urges that
these not be installed unless and until there is specific
evidence that they are needed because: 
     a. Locations with known drop-offs such as subway platforms
are areas in which cane users are particularly sensitive about
interference with normal cane use, and interference is
specifically intended by installation of the domes or tiles; and 
     b. The Federation believes strongly that accessibility
should be affordable as well as effective. Recent estimates from
a large metropolitan transit authority indicate that retrofitting
a single station will cost at least $40,000 (for the tiles alone,
not for any of the additional retrofitting) and that ongoing
maintenance of the installation will, over time, cost even more. 
     Once again, the blind are being forced to insist that we are
already safe; can already handle the responsibility of watching
out for our own safety; and do not need others to take care of us
under the guise, this time of that new buzz word of the '90's,
"accessibility."  In other words, I said to ANSI that we blind
people have the tools and the knowledge and the ability to find
our way ourselves, that we take this responsibility for ourselves
as other Americans do and gather the information we need from the
current environment to do it safely and efficiently just as other
Americans do. We don't need the world re-engineered for us. We
use it as it is. What we need is good training and good attitudes
about ourselves. Then just turn us loose and leave us alone. We
will be fine.
     Others at the ANSI meeting joined in. Numerous committee
members indicated that they simply were not convinced that the
expense and disruption were necessary. For example, you
Californians know about the BART statistics. In the San Francisco
subway system detectable tiles were installed on every platform
edge. But the statistics show large decreases in accidents before
the tiles were installed and actually showed an increase after
installation. A representative of people using wheelchairs said
that the people he represents believe the tiles may very well
pose a difficulty and even a complete barrier to persons in
wheelchairs and with other mobility impairments. 
     The elevator guy pointed out that his industry has been
compelled to spend millions on devices to level elevator cars
precisely; why then, he asked, are others being instructed
deliberately to unlevel walking surfaces? The hotel guy pointed
out that experience in his industry shows that the occurrence and
severity of slip-and-fall accidents can be inversely correlated
with the amount of foot surface one has in contact with the
walking surface. The domes are designed to reduce the walking
surface on purpose. 
    When the vote was finally taken, the count was nineteen
against the domes and only seven in support. The domes and
detectable tiles of any kind are out of the standard. 
    With the ANSI standard much revised and strengthened in
general, with Braille correct, and with the "detestable" tiles
(as I have heard several federal officials call them), removed,
the ANSI standard is now for the first time something close to
what we in the Federation would like. There are still problems,
but they are minor compared to the ones we have already solved.
The next step is to help to bring about changes and improvements
in the federal regulation by teaming up with other like-minded
folks whom we have found through ANSI. 
    So, President Maurer, I went as you asked and did as you
directed. We now can look forward to a day when detectable tiles
are in nobody's standard anywhere. There is work to do, but we
now have friends and contacts all across the country with whom we
can work to make these changes. So far as I'm concerned, nobody's
laughing at ANSI any more. 

     Richard Hudnut, Chairman of ANSI's Committee on
Accessibility, followed Peggy Pinder to the podium. He confessed
later that he had not been sure when she began her remarks where
she was heading. He was much relieved when it became clear that
she had been pleased by the Committee's recent activity. 
     In addition to chairing the Committee on Accessibility, Mr.
Hudnut serves on the American National Standards Institute Board
of Directors and chairs its Appeals Committee. He has also served
as an independent consultant retained by the Builders Hardware
Manufacturers Association for the past twenty-seven years, and he
has occupied a number of other positions that demand shrewdness
and practical good sense. Here is what he had to say: 
 
     I understand now why Peggy didn't tell me what she was going
to say; I'm not sure what I'm going to say. But I'll struggle
through it just the same. I was going to say that my introduction
was more generous than it was deserving; however, with some of
Peggy's remarks I'm going to be very modest and say, "Yeah, it
was deserving." Although I have met a few blind people in my
life, this is the first time I have had a chance to speak to an
audience largely composed of blind persons. I am glad that so
many of you have gathered, have made the decision to take your
lives into your own hands and to make decisions for yourselves. I
also know that there are far too many people in our country who
have not yet realized that our fellow citizens who are blind are
and should be fully welcomed into our society. There is
unfortunately still a great deal of prejudice, misunderstanding,
and inequality in our society. I hope that this message today
will describe for you at least one step toward the elimination of
these.
     My topic is the activities of the American National
Standards Institute A117 Committee on Accessibility. When one
thinks of access, people in wheelchairs generally come to mind,
and indeed the arrangement of building elements to make travel
and building usage possible for these people is more obvious to
most, for example, than Braille on elevator car controls.
     The Committee responsible for writing the ANSI A117.1
Standard is made up of a number of special interest groups both
from the building user and the building owner points of view.
Additionally, there are representatives of the building code
enforcement community, manufacturers of products being regulated
in some fashion, and various groups involved with disability. At
present the committee membership is made up of organizations
representing these constituencies. We have recently determined
that individuals not sponsored by a specific organization, but
with expertise not presently represented, should be eligible for
committee membership. In short, the objective is to offer
participation to every entity having a direct and material
interest in the content of the Standard and who can contribute to
its worth.
     The genesis of the ANSI process is consensus, a word also
very important to your organization. ANSI has worked for decades
on approving standards for almost anything you can think of. When
an ANSI standard is desired, ANSI requires the people who would
be affected by the standard (i.e., manufacturers, users,
builders, building code people, experts in the area) to be
represented. Under the ANSI banner, these people are gathered
into a single room and encouraged to reach a consensus, forging
the concepts and phrases which will literally standardize safe
and efficient design and use of whatever the standard covers. In
effect we use the country's motto: Out of many, one. ANSI has
been very successful in supporting this over the years, and the
standards it approves are used daily in numerous areas. When
accessibility became a topic of discussion, ANSI accredited the
A117 committee in the early seventies to begin the forging of a
standard that would distill into usable words the how-to of
access.  
     The content of the Standard covers a very broad array of
subjects, and it is for this reason that the committee membership
is quite large, about fifty as a matter of fact. This entails
presentations by those with mobility impairments, those who are
deaf, those who are blind, those with restricted use of their
limbs, and those who speak as advocates without having any of
these disabilities. Those of us on the Committee who are not
identified with a cause or type of disability sometimes find
ourselves in the difficult position of listening to disagreements
among the advocates of the people we are attempting to serve.
This is part of what happened in the detectable tile discussion.
     We also hear from those with a different sort of self-
interest involving the required use or non-use of products or the
configuration, size, and placement of such products. We can at
least to an extent overcome the zealous product manufacturer
looking for what I call the legislated sale. While there are many
products that undeniably may make things somewhat more
convenient, these products are not necessarily essential for
access or egress. However, when these products are championed by
a segment of those interests we are attempting to serve, such as
a disability group, we must then pay attention. This is another
part of what happened in the detectable tile discussion.
     As so eloquently expressed by your leadership, people with
sight are not the experts on blindness. People who are blind are
the experts on blindness. But when two organizations, each made
up of people who are blind, flatly disagree on a given issue, it
poses a problem. We then find ourselves in the unenviable
position of choosing sides. Naturally this involves listening to
the two or possibly more points of view and deciding which is the
more persuasive. 
     While blindness is obviously a disability in the strict,
descriptive sense of the term, it certainly does not strike me as
a devastating, life-ruining condition. Instead, I find your
position that it is nothing more than a nuisance is much more
accurate. It reminds me of a process we are going through in
revising the building codes by mainstreaming the provisions in
A117.1 that are regarded as equally beneficial to all people
whether physically disabled or not. I know that the most common
use of the term "mainstreaming" in your organization refers to
choices of educational settings. However, in the building code
context we use "mainstreaming" to mean the insertion of
requirements in a building code that are applicable to everyone.
One example in the accessibility context for which some people
have resisted another kind of mainstreaming is emergency building
evacuation. As for me, I totally reject and resent some emergency
evacuation plans I have seen prohibiting people with disabilities
from using the exit stair enclosures. And who are these disabled
people?  Those who are blind, among others. The justification? 
"The guide dog might cause problems. The cane might trip people.
The disabled would slow egress for those who are not disabled." 
And other silly reasons. What is even more distressing is the
understandable lack of outcry by disabled persons victimized by
these silly restrictions for fear of losing employment.
     The controversy over tactile cues symbolized by the use or
non-use of truncated domes was an especially difficult problem
for the A117 committee. They are required by the Access Board
Guidelines. They were proposed and tentatively adopted by the
A117 Committee, and it was not until the National Federation of
the Blind became active on the Committee through the very
effective participation of Peggy Pinder that we became aware of
the disagreement among people who are blind as to the usefulness
of truncated domes--difficult because it went beyond an argument
among people who are blind. It included concerns expressed on
behalf of people in wheelchairs, people who use walkers or canes,
and others who saw what they perceived as a possible tripping
hazard.
     In other words the whole truncated dome discussion taught me
that we have not yet perfected the networking method necessary to
bring all of the views we need to everyone's attention in time
for enlightened study and action. Without the full range of
views, which most certainly includes the expertise and advocacy
of the National Federation of the Blind, the ANSI Committee on
any given issue is in danger of adopting criteria based on
emotional gut reaction, even if it seems instinctively incorrect.
In this instance, the NFB position will likely prevail because it
was felt by most to be the most enlightened. At any rate, a
substantial majority of the Committee (Peggy gave you the vote)
chose to agree with the NFB position and removed the requirement
for truncated domes, as did the Board for the Coordination of
Model Codes, a group under the Council of American Building
Officials, which also serves as the Secretariat of the A117. 
     Let me talk a moment about my frustration over the lack of
coordination among the provisions of the ANSI accessibility
standard, the Access Board guidelines, and the ADA itself. The
Access Board guidelines were largely based on pre-existing Board
criteria and the ANSI standard published six years ago. Members
of the ANSI Committee updated, revised, improved, and
strengthened our new accessibility standard using the ANSI
consensus process. So the new standard about to be published is
somewhat different and we think better than the Access Board
guidelines. We would like to help the Access Board further
improve its guidelines as well as bringing about standardization
among standards. With this in mind, both the A117 Committee and
the Board for the Coordination of Model Codes (BCMC) will be
recommending to the Department of Justice to begin rule-making
procedures to resolve this and other issues.
     I know that your organization knows about ANSI, ADA, ADAAG,
BCMC, and DoJ. The Americans with Disabilities Act itself is
certainly the most widely discussed civil rights enactment, with
more impact than any such legislation since the original Civil
Rights Act in 1964. I know that your organization had
reservations about the ADA from the beginning and insisted on the
inclusion of a provision which allowed any disabled person to
refuse special treatment of any kind. Without this provision you
believed that the ADA could become a source of segregation of the
blind. With it you have determined to work hard to make sure that
the ADA does not come to separate and stigmatize the blind. You
are in the forefront of working to make ADA a true civil rights
act instead of another link in the chain keeping the blind out of
full participation in society. That President Bush consulted with
your Executive Director Dr. Jernigan relative to this Act and
conferred upon him the Distinguished Service Award is a great
tribute to him, but more important, to all of you--the members of
the National Federation of the Blind.
     Thank you so much for listening, and I hope you will go away
from this session with hope for the future and the knowledge
that, working together, we are making significant progress. 

     That is what Richard Hudnut said in his remarks at the NFB
convention. Until a last-minute illness kept him at home,
Lawrence W. Roffee, the executive director of the Architectural
and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (ATBCB) was to have
taken part in this panel presentation. He subsequently sent Peggy
Pinder a copy of the remarks he had intended to make, and they
are particularly interesting because they express the views of
the man who heads the ATBCB. He began by observing that "The NFB
has the reputation of being one of the better organized and
articulate advocacy organizations." He went on to summarize the
NFB's philosophical position on architectural barriers as he
understands it: "For too long many people--those with various
disabilities and those without disabilities--have made
assumptions about the relationship of people who are blind to the
built environment. There have been too many incorrect assumptions
about the abilities of people who are blind.
     "Ms. Pinder's comments to the Board on our recent request
for information on our research agenda are particularly
appropriate. She wrote: `My plea to the ATBCB is to begin, not
with studies, but with careful thought about what is being
studied and why. Assumptions about blindness and its effects on
the abilities of the people whom it affects are so deep in the
human psyche that they must be consciously identified and
rejected before proceeding with any study.'
     "The same," Mr. Roffee continued, "can be said about
assumptions about any person with any kind of disability. The
Access Board is now finding that assumptions about the abilities
of a variety of people with disabilities are incorrect or at
least need to be closely questioned. It is becoming quite evident
that many of the early studies that underlie most current
accessibility standards are based on questionable assumptions....
The Board will be examining and giving careful thought to the
basic assumptions that underlie many of the technical standards."
     A little later he said, "I think it is becoming more and
more accepted that legislation cannot be passed for people with
disabilities, regulations cannot be developed for people with
disabilities, accessibility standards cannot be developed for
people with disabilities, and local businesses cannot make their
establishments accessible for people with disabilities." He went
on to state his hope that the time is coming when everyone will
recognize the necessity of doing these things with disabled
people. He summarized his thought by saying: "The [ATBCB]
standards must be based on reality and cannot stigmatize any
sector of the public." 
     Mr. Roffee's prepared remarks concluded with a paragraph
that, even in his absence from the convention session, captured
the view of everyone in the room at the close of this fascinating
agenda item. He said, "I think that it is possible to take the
myth out of accessibility. There are many indications that it is
starting to happen. You and I know that it will not happen
overnight. We also know that there will be numerous political
battles along the way. On behalf of the Access Board, I look
forward to working with this organization, the ANSI Committee,
and many other organizations to make it happen and get rid of the
myth."


        NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE AGENCIES FOR THE BLIND
           ISSUES POLICY STATEMENT ON BRAILLE LITERACY

     From the Editor: The National Council of State Agencies for
the Blind (NCSAB) met in Alexandria, Virginia, in mid-May of this
year. I appeared on a panel at their May 13 meeting and found the
group enthusiastically receptive to what I had to say. One of the
actions taken by the group at their meeting was the adoption of
the following statement:

                        BRAILLE LITERACY
                    A Policy Statement of the
        National Council of State Agencies for the Blind
                            May, 1992

     In today's information age literacy represents the primary
tool by which individuals compete. Literacy, unlike other skills,
is not an end in itself, but rather the means to a virtually
unlimited variety of ends. It is the key to prosperity since
literacy opens the way to information by tearing down barriers of
myth and ignorance.
     Braille is the primary means to literacy for the blind.
Braille has been described as having liberated a whole class of
people from a condition of illiteracy and dependency and given
them the means for self-fulfillment and enrichment. Nevertheless,
large numbers of blind people do not know Braille and, therefore,
find themselves in a state of functional illiteracy. As a result,
blind people have lacked many of the fundamental opportunities
which enable them to become self-supporting, contributing members
of society.
     The National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB)
is an organization composed of the directors of forty-two public
agencies charged with providing rehabilitation services for blind
persons pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.
The purpose of this Act is to develop and implement comprehensive
programs of vocational rehabilitation and independent living for
individuals with handicaps in order to maximize their
employability, independence, and integration into the workplace
and the community. As such, the NCSAB, through this policy
statement, wishes strongly to emphasize the importance of Braille
literacy for blind persons as the central means through which
blind persons are able to maximize their employability,
independence, and integration into the workplace and the
community.
     It is the position of the NCSAB that, given proper training
and opportunity, the blind are able to function competitively in
society. Central to this conviction is the understanding that
true equality is a product of having the skills necessary to
compete and the confidence to put those skills into practice.
Thus, NCSAB encourages a strong emphasis on the mastery of
literacy skills and on the development of an attitude that
recognizes the true ability of blind people. In this way, blind
persons will have the tools truly to integrate themselves into
the workplace and the community, thereby fulfilling their
potential as contributing, participating, taxpaying members of
society.


[PHOTO/CAPTION: Ed and Toni Eames seated in a general session of
the 1992 NFB national convention.]

                   MAKING THE ADA WORK FOR US
                           by Ed Eames

     Ed Eames is the President of the Fresno Chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind of California.

     For the reputed forty-three million disabled Americans, the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 has potentially far-
reaching effects. It is a civil rights bill reaching into every
facet of our lives including employment, transportation, leisure,
recreation, etc. With its emphasis on rights rather than
privileges, the ADA can become an important element in our fight
for independence and full integration into American society.
However, we as blind citizens must determine which provisions of
the Act and its attendant regulations should be used to further
our goals of security, equality, and opportunity.
     Based on recent experience, I want to explore three aspects
of the bill that have implications for me and other NFBers. These
are public transportation, car rental and prisoner rights.
     As a result of the ADA transportation regulations published
on September 6, 1991, every municipality with a public
transportation system was mandated to establish an ADA advisory
council. Members had to be drawn from the disability community,
as well as the transportation providers. This committee had to
work on a plan to comply with the regulations scheduled for
implementation on January 26, 1992. I was asked to join this
group in Fresno and currently serve as chairperson of the Fresno
Area Express (FAX) ADA Advisory Council.
     Since moving to Fresno five years ago and joining NFB, I
have appeared before several committees dealing with the unmet
needs of blind passengers using the public transportation system.
A request I made year after year was to have drivers announce
stops where two or more bus routes intersect and at other major
intersection points. I was always assured this request would be
taken into consideration, but nothing ever happened. Imagine my
joy, when I discovered the ADA regulations required this
accommodation! Not only would this be helpful to us as blind
passengers. It would also help visitors not familiar with the bus
system, seniors, those involved in conversations, and multitudes
of others.
     As chairperson of the ADA Advisory Council, I pushed for
involvement of the disabled community in sensitivity training for
drivers who would have to conform to the law. Many promises were
made to Council members about involvement, but we were not
consulted. Our Council strongly recommended discussions with the
drivers to inform them of the various elements of the law. Once
again, we got promises rather than action. Approximately a week
before implementation, drivers were notified by mail about the
need to announce stops. For several weeks after the starting
date, daily reminders were given to the drivers by central radio
dispatch indicating the legal requirement of making
announcements. Needless to say, many drivers resisted this change
in their usual routines.
     As chairperson of the Council, I wanted to avoid a direct
confrontation with the drivers while still obtaining compliance
with the law. I invited bus driver union representatives to our
meetings and got them involved in the advisory process. Despite
these efforts, I continued to hear about bus drivers' violating
the law by refusing to make announcements.
     On June 2, 1992, Lon Kafton, secretary of our NFB chapter,
and I decided to investigate these complaints. Lon and I rode in
eight buses between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Four
drivers announced stops; four did not. I then filed formal
complaints against the four non-announcers.
     Shortly after filing the complaints, I contacted a local
television station about this issue. They sent a reporter and a
camera man to ride with me on two buses. In the presence of the
television camera, both bus drivers announced stops. In spite of
this compliance, the reporter put together a story based on my
letter of complaint to the head of FAX and his response. Current
reports indicate a much greater compliance with this element of
the law. Since the filing of the complaints and the airing of the
story, every bus driver with whom I have ridden has announced
stops.
     In April I flew to Phoenix, Arizona, with my wife, Toni, and
a sighted friend, Deb Harper. Several weeks prior to the trip, we
arranged to rent a car at the airport from Dollar car rentals.
When we arrived at the airport, the counter clerk refused to rent
to us because we wanted to charge the car on our credit card and
have Deb as the driver. The clerk was adamant in his position
that this was company policy. I asked to speak with his
supervisor, who proceeded with the same litany: "It's company
policy." Recognizing the futility of my efforts, I went to Budget
car rentals, where I had no problem renting a car with Deb as
listed driver and me as payee. Unfortunately, I had to pay more
for the Budget car, since I had not made an advanced reservation.
     After returning home, I filed a complaint with the United
States Department of Justice. I was contacted at the end of June
by a lawyer working for the Department. She is investigating the
matter and believes my rights under the ADA have been violated.
She suggested that in addition to the federal action, I hire a
private lawyer and pursue the matter in the civil courts. This is
an action I am considering.
     Two years ago Willie, a member of our local NFB chapter, was
convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to fifteen years
to life in prison. He is appealing his conviction and wants
access to the prison law library in order to participate in
preparing his appeal. During the last two decades, federal courts
have guaranteed these rights to participate in the appeals
process for all prisoners.
     Willie is legally blind and needs magnification in order to
read print material. The authorities in the California Department
of Corrections claim Willie has the same access rights to the law
library as all other prisoners. In fact, they suggest that if he
needs help locating necessary law books, a library clerk can
provide assistance. When I pointed out this would not give Willie
access to the material since he can't read the books, they did
not think this was a relevant issue.
     After several attempts to break through the bureaucracy,
Toni and I, as NFB field representatives, filed a complaint with
the U.S. Department of Justice in late January. Since our filing
this complaint, Willie has been transferred to the California
Medical Facility at Vacaville. However, he still has no access to
the law library.
     The Department of Justice is investigating our complaint.
Richard Waters, the lawyer in charge of the case, has obtained
permission to investigate conditions at Vacaville. He will be
coming to California and has asked us to join him in his
investigation. We plan to do so.
     It should be obvious from these three ADA-related issues
that this legislation can be used to further our goals of equal
rights and opportunities. However, it is up to us to learn the
full implications of the law and use it to further our cause. One
of Dr. Jernigan's famous rallying cries was to join him on the
barricades. In a similar fashion, I urge all NFBers to gather
together on the ADA compliance battlefront.


[PHOTO: Portrait. CAPTION: Don Morris.]

             SETTLEMENT IN MARYLAND VENDORS' LAWSUIT
                       by Donald J. Morris

     From the Editor: As Federationists know, Don Morris is a
long-time active member of the Federation. He now operates
O'Leary's Emporium, a vending facility at the National Fire
Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. As Don said in the letter
accompanying his article, "There is no way that blind vendors in
Maryland could have achieved this success without the strength
and support of the National Federation of the Blind. With only
twenty percent of vendors taking part in the withholding action
we achieved an excellent settlement. Who knows what might have
been accomplished if more had been willing to stand with us in
our effort to bring the Maryland Vending Program into compliance
with the Randolph- Sheppard Act."
     That is what Don Morris says, and his comments underscore
the point we repeatedly make. The Maryland vendors were illegally
being charged a high percentage of withholding from their
earnings--and not just on the net as the federal law requires
(and had required since 1974) but on the gross. Moreover, they
were subject to whatever whim the Division of Rehabilitation (the
state licensing agency) might choose to exercise since the rules
and regulations required by federal law had never been
promulgated. Yet, only twenty percent of the vendors were
prepared to stop paying the illegal withholding fee (or, as it is
called, the set-aside) even though the NFB assured them that it
had the determination, the strength, and the resources to protect
them.
     Not only vendors throughout the nation but other blind
people as well should take to heart the lessons of the Maryland
vending case. If we as blind people will only have the faith, the
guts, and the good sense to stand together in the NFB, we will
prevail. The seventeen vendors who stood up to be counted
profited by doing so--and strange as it may sound, some of those
who didn't stand up thought that they should receive an equal
percentage of the money which had accumulated from the set-aside
which the seventeen had shown the courage not to pay. The
settlement was good (indeed, it was excellent, a total victory),
but think what it might have been if a majority (or, better yet,
all) of the vendors had stood together with the NFB. Here is Don
Morris's article:

     The benefit of collective action is well described in the
following scenario regarding a recent NFB victory in Maryland.
Maryland blind vendors were denied opportunity for earnings and
protection under the law as a result of a decades-long failure of
the Maryland Vending Program for the Blind to honor the Randolph-
Sheppard Act. Here's how it happened...

Chronology

     1974 - Randolph-Sheppard Act amended requiring state
licensing agency to obtain redesignation from Rehabilitation
Services Administration; adopt updated rules and regulations for
state's vending program; provide upward mobility training; take
set aside (if any) on net proceeds, not gross sales. 
     1978 - Rules and regulations published by Rehabilitation
Services Administration to implement 1974 Amendments.
     1983 - Maryland continues to collect set-aside on gross
sales; has not obtained redesignation as state licensing agency;
does not provide upward mobility training; has still not adopted
updated rules and regulations to conform with the 1974 federal
law.
     1984 - Blind vendors agree to give up all fringe benefits
(Blue Cross/Blue Shield, bookkeeping and accounting service,
program paid retirement, vacation and sick leave, extermination
service, fair minimum return) in exchange for the elimination of
all set-aside charges. 
     November, 1984 - The Committee of Blind Vendors and the
State Licensing Agency complete negotiations on updated Rules and
Regulations. State Licensing Agency submits them for "legal
review and sufficiency" (Note - the Rules were submitted to an
assistant attorney general assigned to the Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation).
     July, 1985 - Fringe benefits are eliminated, but in
violation of 1984 agreement a set-aside (though reduced) still
continues--and in violation of the 1974 federal law set-aside is
still charged partly on gross instead of entirely on net. 
     September, 1987 - NFB of Maryland Convention - Vendors
discuss with Dr. Jernigan our efforts to achieve compliance by
the Maryland Vending Program with Randolph-Sheppard Act. Dr.
Jernigan assures blind vendors we would be supported if we
refused to pay any set-aside until the Maryland Vending Program
is in compliance with Federal Law. 
     October 1987 - Seventeen blind vendors refuse to make set
aside payments to the Maryland Vending Program citing Program
non-compliance with Randolph-Sheppard Act and Regulations. 
     Christmas Eve, 1987 - Certified letters received by all
seventeen vendors notifying us of termination in 30 days if we
don't pay up.
     January, 1988 - Injunction obtained by NFB to protect the
rights and status of the seventeen blind vendors. Lawsuits filed
in State Court and Federal District Court to require program
compliance with the Randolph-Sheppard Act. Set-aside continues to
be withheld and threatened termination is put on hold pending
resolution. 
     March, 1988 - Updated rules and regulations previously
approved by blind vendors are finally approved by the State
Licensing Agency. The State Licensing Agency submits a request to
Rehabilitation Services Administration for redesignation. 
     May 1988 - Redesignation by RSA achieved fourteen years
after the amendments. Maryland was the last of all States in the
country to achieve such redesignation. Blind vendors resume
payment of set-aside. Set aside that was withheld earlier remains
unpaid. 
Variety of legal actions, briefs, filings, depositions, and
motions continue throughout. Deposition of State Licensing Agency
personnel and the discovery reveal documentation of violations of
the Randolph-Sheppard Act.
     1989 - Circuit Court declares that blind vendors must
exhaust "administrative remedies" contained in the Rules and
Regulations for the Maryland Vending Program for the Blind. The
catch of course is that there were no valid rules and regulations
at the time we entered into the Suit. 
     July, 1990 - We filed the appropriate request for the
administrative review. This is the initial step; it is informal
in nature; and it was conducted by employees of the State
Licensing Agency. Guess what: They found in favor of themselves!
     January, 1991 - The next step in this often delayed process
is the full evidentiary hearing. We made our request and the
hearing was convened. This hearing was conducted by a "neutral
judge," an employee of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
During testimony State Licensing Agency personnel admitted, "Yes,
we violated the Randolph-Sheppard Act, but we thought it would be
in the best interest of blind vendors to do so."
     February, 1991 - Admitted guilt notwithstanding, the DVR
hearing officer also declared that the State Licensing Agency was
blameless. The State Licensing Agency demanded that the seventeen
of us pay them the set-aside we had withheld. 
     April, 1991 - The final administrative procedure commenced
with our petitioning the Federal Department of Education,
Rehabilitation Services Administration, to convene an ad hoc
arbitration panel to hear our grievance.
     May, 1991 - RSA acknowledged our petition and agreed to
convene an arbitration panel but suggested to the State Licensing
Agency that they exert their best efforts to settle this matter
before it comes to arbitration.
     Throughout the remainder of 1991, negotiations were
conducted by our attorneys and the Attorney General. While blind
vendors refused to give the withheld set-aside to the State
Licensing Agency, we did agree to establish an escrow account
under the control of the NFB attorneys. This money was to be held
until all remedies had been exhausted. Standard issues of the
Braille Monitor are not sufficiently large to detail all of the
settlement proposals which went back and forth. Relevant however,
is the settlement which was achieved, the highlights of which
include:
     SET ASIDE which had been paid at 9.75% of net proceeds would
immediately drop to 8.5% January 1, 1992; 7% in July, 1992; 5.5%
July, 1993; 4% July 1994; 3% July 1995. It will continue at a
rate no higher than 3% until the year 2009. 
     VENDOR FRINGE BENEFITS: Each blind vendor will receive
$2,000 per year to be applied to fringe benefits of the vendor's
choosing: life insurance, retirement, health insurance, etc. This
benefit will be adjusted for inflation annually. The fringe
benefit payment is also guaranteed through the year 2009. 
     KENNELLY HIGHWAY VENDING INCOME: Maryland has a very
successful Highway Vending Program. It generates hundreds of
thousands of dollars of royalties to the program each year. One
hundred percent of the Kennelly income will be utilized in the
Maryland Vending Program. This likewise is guaranteed through the
year 2009.
     WITHHELD SET-ASIDE: The approximately $50,000 set-aside
withheld by the seventeen vendors was refunded from the escrow
account to all blind vendors in Maryland (fifty percent going to
the seventeen of us who withheld and the balance distributed to
the others).
     Additionally, the seventeen of us were "...released and
discharged from any and all claims for set-aside for 1987 and
1988." Furthermore, the State agrees "...not to retaliate in
retribution for their withholding set aside during that period or
for participating in the lawsuit."
     In exchange for the above settlement, we had to agree to
drop the matter and keep straight faces while the State included
a disclaimer that they did not admit any wrongdoing.
     In 1987 Dr. Jernigan assured us that if we took the action
necessary to bring the State of Maryland into compliance with the
federal law, protect our rights, and increase our income, none of
us would lose our job because of taking that stand. I have always
believed Dr. Jernigan, but I must admit that when my Christmas
Eve letter of termination came and as one forum after another
refused to rule in our favor, I questioned what I was doing. The
questions weren't out loud, but I did ask them of myself. Clearly
this is one more example of why the NFB. Although the seventeen
of us represented less than twenty percent of all vendors, our
unified action, supported greatly by the NFB, prevailed. As is
often the case, we lost skirmishes and battles along the way, but
perseverance and commitment by the NFB WON THE WAR. To Dr.
Jernigan, President Maurer, and all of the nation's members of
the NFB, Maryland vendors thank you.


                   BLIND VENDOR STILL IN JAIL
                       by Donald J. Morris

     From the Associate Editor: When the rights of blind people
are in question, one never knows when lightning is going to
strike or where. On May 13, 1992, Sharon Maneki, President of the
National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, and members of the
state's merchants division, received the first news of Baltimore
County's impending action against Bill Ramsey, the blind vendor
who ran the food and sundries concession at the county jail. The
following five days of hectic activity resulted in the gathering
of a large group of blind supporters at the May 18 meeting of the
Baltimore County Council on Bill Ramsey's behalf. Here are the
details as written by Don Morris, Treasurer of the Maryland
Merchants Division, in the Summer, 1992, edition of the Braille
Spectator, the publication of the NFB of Maryland:

     The title of this article might surprise you; you'll be even
more surprised to learn that this is good news. Bill Ramsey, a
long-time vendor in the Maryland Vending Program, has
successfully operated the prisoners' commissary at the Baltimore
County Detention Center. Bill has done an excellent job,
receiving praise from county officials and from satisfied
customers. That's not all. Bill has donated television sets and
other such items to the benefit of prisoners' recreation areas,
and he has been an all-around good citizen.
     All of this aside, County officials had decided to throw
Bill out of jail and bring in another vending company that
promised to pay the county a big commission for running the
place.
     A reporter for the Baltimore Sun newspaper learned of the
plan at a county budget meeting. He reported on the proposed
action, and the matter was brought to the attention of the
National Federation of the Blind of Maryland's Merchants
Division. Joe Byard, president of that group, and George Fear,
member, called radio stations and started telling Bill's story.
The Maryland Committee of Blind Vendors, the official advisory
body for the Maryland vending program, passed a motion to come to
Bill's defense, but other than that the Committee took no action.
     Sharon Maneki learned that the County Council would be
meeting on Monday, May 18, and suggested that Federationists
attend to take part in the citizens' speak-out portion of the
meeting. Because of the quick work done by Sharon and Joe,
approximately thirty blind people (blind vendors and members of
the NFB) came to the meeting. Testimony on behalf of Bill and the
vending program was provided by Sharon Maneki, Jim Gashel
(Director of Governmental Affairs for the NFB and long-time
advocate for blind vendors), Joe Byard, George Fear, and Al Hill
(another Maryland blind vendor).
     The Council listened with interest and promised to talk to
the County Executive. On Wednesday morning, two days after the
Council meeting, County Executive Roger Hayden reaffirmed the
County's satisfaction with Bill Ramsey. He went on to say that
Baltimore County no longer has any plan to remove Bill from the
business he has built or the customers he serves.
     The people who organized support for Bill and who spoke on
his behalf were certainly the leaders in this crisis, but it is
also true that many other people played an important part in
persuading the County Council to keep Bill Ramsey in his vending
location. Everyone who attended the meeting or made phone calls
or wrote a letter helped to win this victory. The National
Federation of the Blind can fairly take credit for protecting the
rights of a blind vendor who was at the mercy of the political
establishment. Here is the letter I wrote to William Howard,
Chairman of the Baltimore County Council, explaining the
situation: 

                                             Emmitsburg, Maryland
                                                     May 18, 1992

Honorable William Howard, Chairman
Baltimore County Council
Baltimore, Maryland

Dear Sir:
     This letter is written in support of Bill Ramsey and for
continuing his opportunity to support himself and his family by
serving the needs of prisoners at the Baltimore County Detention
Center.
     Mr. Ramsey is a blind person who has been a participant in
the Maryland Vending Program for the Blind (MVPB) for more than
ten years. For the past eight years he has operated the prison
commissary facility in Baltimore County.
     In the middle 1970's Baltimore County recognized that it was
a losing proposition to operate this facility with County
Detention Center employees. Baltimore County approached the
Maryland Vending Program for the Blind to learn of any interest
on the part of MVPB in operating this activity. In the early days
the operation was only marginally profitable. However, the
application of management expertise by the MVPB and the
commitment of the blind managers operating the facility have made
this a viable facility. This commitment, coupled with increased
detention center population, results in this facility's now
generating an income which puts Bill Ramsey approximately on a
par with the average income of all other working Marylanders.
     Unlike most of those working Marylanders, however, Mr.
Ramsey bears expenses not typically faced by other taxpayers. Mr.
Ramsey is blind. As a blind person doing business in the Maryland
Vending Program for the Blind, Mr. Ramsey is required to remit 8-
1/2 percent of his income to the MVPB. This assessment helps to
fund the Maryland Vending Program and helps to create additional
employment opportunities for other blind people who are striving
to be taxpayers, not tax users.
     According to Department of Labor statistics, seventy percent
of all able-bodied working-age blind people are unemployed. When
unemployment among the sighted population reaches a level of
seven percent, society is rightly concerned. Even at that high
level (seven percent), work opportunity for blind people is worse
by tenfold. If Baltimore County denies Bill Ramsey the
opportunity to pay his own way, Bill Ramsey will no longer
contribute to society but will be dependent on public assistance
for his livelihood.
     Mr. Ramsey has sighted employees who will likely join the
growing ranks of unemployment recipients. They, however, will
have better prospects for future work than will Bill Ramsey. If
Baltimore County forces him out of the small business he has
built and nourished, not only will Bill suffer, but the taxpayers
(including those in Baltimore County) will be required to provide
Bill's maintenance and support. This will benefit no one.
     Baltimore County Detention Center establishes the prices for
which Bill can sell his merchandise; they establish the products
he is permitted to sell; they require that Bill employ and pay
for off-duty guards to assist in the delivery of merchandise to
prisoners; and, of course, they require that Bill maintain
absolute security to prevent the distribution of contraband which
could threaten the lives of working prison employees.
     It is true that Baltimore County does accounting for
prisoner funds and makes appropriate deductions for those
prisoner accounts when purchases are made from the commissary.
This cost is borne by Baltimore County. Please note--this expense
will continue whether Bill Ramsey or any name vending company is
operating the commissary.
     Bill Ramsey is a good business person. Where profits can be
made consistent with good customer service, Bill will make them.
Presumably another vendor would try to do the same. In a recent
newspaper article Baltimore County representatives were quoted as
saying, "Another company would pay the county $50,000 for the
opportunity to run this commissary." That is simply not
consistent with reality. Any corporate entity that tries to run
this facility with a non-resident manager, instead of an on-site
entrepreneur, will simply not be able to generate sufficient
funds to make such commission payments to Baltimore County, to
generate corporate profit, and to provide customer service of the
quality now being offered. This would not be the first instance
in which unrealistic promises were made in an attempt to gain a
foothold. Once Baltimore County has gone through the ordeal of
changing to the new supplier, you will likely hear that
previously unforeseen conditions are causing the new supplier to
renege on the original deal and that projected commissions will
not materialize.
     Baltimore County Detention Center employees argued that the
unappropriated funds generated from vendor commissions will
permit them to provide accouterments for prisoners at no cost to
the County. But in the newspaper article they failed to mention
that on a number of occasions Bill Ramsey has donated television
sets and related items to the Baltimore County Detention Center
for use as deemed advisable by Detention Center officials.
     Consistent with State budget reductions, Baltimore County
must surely face similar budget pressures. While this is a very
real and pressing problem, it is simply not acceptable to expect
one blind person to pay the cost of correcting it. Surely you
will want to avoid, if possible, assessing higher taxes to
Baltimore County residents; this is a laudable objective.
However, taking 100% of Bill Ramsey's income is not an acceptable
means of achieving this end.
     Bill Ramsey is facing a dilemma in that, if he does nothing,
he loses his livelihood. If he speaks out, he runs the risk of
alienating Detention Center officials. Caught in this dilemma,
Bill was forced to speak out. As a result, evidence of
retaliation has been reported to me in that Bill was left locked
in an isolation area between two cell blocks for more than twenty
minutes.
     Not only must Baltimore County Council representatives
support Mr. Ramsey in his effort to provide for himself and
family while serving Baltimore County; you must take appropriate
measures that will assure that Mr. Ramsey does not experience any
further harassment or misuse of official powers.

                                                Very truly yours,
                                      Donald J. Morris, Treasurer
                                 National Federation of the Blind
                                               Merchants Division

     P.S. The media and public sentiment are overwhelmingly on
the side of right. Bill Ramsey is receiving support expressed in
the strong public outcry against Baltimore County. Your prompt
action in favor of Mr. Ramsey will quickly broaden this support
to include Baltimore County, this time as the good guys.

     That was the letter I wrote to the Baltimore County Council
on the day of its meeting to consider this issue. The following
day the Baltimore Sun carried a story by Larry Carson, which
described the meeting and the testimony that was heard. The
article was published the day before the Council actually decided
to retain Bill Ramsey in his location. Here it is: 

              Baltimore County Council Hears Appeal
                      To Keep Blind Vendor

     A group of about twenty blind people went before the
Baltimore County Council last night to ask that Bill Ramsey, a
fifty-two-year-old blind vendor, not be forced out of his
business of operating a snack and toiletry shop in the county's
detention center in Towson.
     The administration of County Executive Roger B. Hayden is
considering a proposal to hire another contractor--who is not
blind--to run the stand in exchange for a percentage of the
profits.
     "Where is it going to stop?" asked Alfred Hill, who is
legally blind and operates a similar stand at the Social Security
Administration in Woodlawn.
     Sharon Maneki, President of the Maryland chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind, told the council that replacing
Mr. Ramsey with another private contractor who is promising to
pay the county part of his profits would "set a dangerous
precedent and will weaken the program for the blind."
     James Gashel, another Federation officer, said unemployment
runs around seventy percent among the blind and that 4,000 blind
vendors compose the largest single employment group among people
with the disability nationally. The vendors operate in many
public buildings under a 1936 federal law that created the blind
vendors program. "He's not just another contract vendor," Mr.
Gashel said of Mr. Ramsey.


[PHOTO: Portrait. CAPTION: Gwendolyn King, Commissioner of the
Social Security Administration.]

                 SOCIAL SECURITY FOR THE BLIND:
        THE PROGRAMS OF TODAY AND THE PLANS FOR TOMORROW
                      by Gwendolyn S. King

     From the Associate Editor: The final item on the Wednesday
afternoon agenda of the 1992 convention of the National
Federation of the Blind was an address by the Commissioner of the
Social Security Administration, Gwendolyn King. In introducing
her, President Maurer pointed out that the NFB has had a
productive working relationship with the Social Security
Administration for a number of years. The Federation assists
individual blind people to obtain the Social Security benefits to
which they are entitled--exactly what the agency would have us
do. We also assist Social Security officials whenever possible.
Working together, we are gradually improving entitlements for
blind Americans. 
     Mrs. King was sworn in as the eleventh Commissioner of the
Social Security Administration on August 1, 1989. In the
intervening years, she has made a conscientious effort to improve
the programs which she administers. Recognizing her work on
behalf of SSA program recipients, the convention delegates
welcomed Commissioner King enthusiastically. This is what she
said:

     Thank you very much and good afternoon. I will tell you that
I arrived at the Convention Center this afternoon just in time to
hear your distinguished president describe the horror stories of
your members with Social Security--first a $32,000-overpayment
which was in error, then a $10,000-overpayment which also was in
error, and on and on. And my Regional Commissioner from Atlanta,
Gordon Sherman, who is with me today, leaned over and said,
"Commissioner, he's warmin' 'em up for you." [Laughter] 
     Let me just say what a pleasure it is to be here. The Social
Security Administration works with a lot of good strong advocacy
organizations. And I stand here today to tell you in all candor
that there is no organization that works more closely or more
productively with us and no organization that has a clearer
agenda for bettering the lives of its members than the National
Federation of the Blind.
     I also want to applaud your impeccable sense of timing in
scheduling this meeting. By juxtaposing your convention with the
upcoming holiday weekend, I think you send a very important and
very necessary message. Independence is not just a virtue that we
celebrate and enjoy collectively as a nation. Independence is
also a right and a privilege that belongs to each individual
citizen who seeks to attain his or her goals, aspirations, and
dreams without being held back or held down by any impairment.
     This weekend we will celebrate the 216th anniversary of our
nation's independence. And of the 216 Independence Days America
has experienced, this year's is most significant because this is
the first Independence Day in which the law of the land includes
the Americans with Disabilities Act.
     This year we can celebrate an Independence Day in which men
and women and children with disabilities can enjoy more
opportunities and a greater degree of independence and fairness
than ever before in our nation's history.
     America is changing, changing in a way that your
organization has advocated for some time. After too many years in
which people without sight, people without hearing, people in
wheelchairs were not given an opportunity to show their talents
and display their abilities, we are finally coming around. It's
taken a while. In fact, society's and government's awakening to
the rights of citizens with disabilities reminds me of a story of
a man who came across a dog one day, a dog who was lying on a
porch whimpering, whining, and moaning.
     The man asked the dog's owner, "Why is he moaning and
whining like that?" 
     The dog's owner said, "He's lying on a nail." 
     The man said, "Well, why in the world doesn't he get up and
move?" 
     The dog's owner said, "I guess it just doesn't hurt him
enough yet."
     For far too long in this nation the plight of Americans with
disabilities must not have hurt us enough to move. We knew it
wasn't right to deny opportunities to people with physical or
mental impairments. We knew it wasn't right to treat Americans
with disabilities as an invisible segment of our population. But
it must not have hurt us enough to move.
     Well I'm proud to say that that has now changed. We are
committed to a new day, a fairer day for citizens with
disabilities, not only through the signing of landmark
legislation, but also through policies and programs intended to
give people the help they need to take advantage of newly opened
doors and newly created opportunities. There is a strong
realization by this administration that laws like the ADA must be
accompanied by strong, determined helping hands to give people
the opportunity to make the most of this new era. And I hope and
expect that the strongest of those helping hands will come from
the Social Security Administration.
     We have a challenge ahead of us. According to the Easter
Seal Society, there are more than thirteen million working-age
people with disabilities in this country. In 1990 more than eight
million of them were not working. I can give you some figures
from the Social Security Administration. Last December nearly
230,000 SSI beneficiaries who were blind or disabled were
actively working. But those 230,000 people represent only 6.2
percent of all of our beneficiaries with disabilities.
     Those numbers lead one to wonder, how can we move all the
people who want to work from dependency to working self-
sufficiency? Where are the answers going to come from?
     I think the answers are within our reach. We can find the
keys to independence, self-sufficiency, and opportunity for all,
if we simply move in the right direction together.
     At the Social Security Administration, I believe, moving in
that direction requires that we too listen. Because I know you
speak for yourselves. I know you've given us good advice and good
direction in the past. There are three steps that we must take in
Social Security. We need to do a better job locating and
assisting the people who need our help, who are already eligible
for our benefits, but who are not getting them. Second, we need
to make our programs effective and responsive to the needs of our
beneficiaries. And, third, we need to develop new and better ways
to help our beneficiaries achieve lives of independence,
productivity, and greater fulfillment. Let me take them one at a
time. 
     Before we can begin, we have to reach all the people who
need our help. In Supplemental Security Income and Social
Security Disability Insurance we have instruments that can
provide critical financial assistance to those who need it. The
challenge with these programs, SSI in particular, is in finding
the people who are eligible for benefits but are not now
enrolled. 
     For nearly three years we have been conducting an intensive
SSI outreach campaign, a cooperative effort with advocacy groups,
community organizations, and concerned citizens throughout the
country. And I think we are achieving some very significant
short-term and long-term goals.
     In the short term we are substantially increasing the number
of people receiving SSI benefits. In March of 1992, for example,
we provided SSI benefits to over 85,000 people who are blind.
That is the highest such total in the history of the SSI program.
Overall we have increased SSI applications and awards by over
forty percent in the last two years. Those percentages represent
thousands of people getting critical SSI assistance that they
weren't getting previously--assistance that translates into food
and clothing and shelter.
     In the long-term, we are working on creating innovative
outreach mechanisms and techniques that will be in place for
years. We have engaged in cooperative agreements with
organizations from coast to coast to develop outreach programs.
We had, for example, an agreement last year with St. Joseph's
School for the Blind in Jersey City, New Jersey, to establish a
statewide outreach strategy to identify children and young adults
who are blind and who may be eligible for SSI. We expect to enter
into additional agreements this year with organizations that have
outreach proposals designed specifically to help people who are
blind. We have hired a contractor, who is in the process of
evaluating the St. Joseph program to see if we can replicate it
in other states and regions throughout the country. 
     My goal is to create an SSI outreach structure that will
endure. The faces in government will constantly change, but I
want SSI outreach to people who are blind, who are aged, who have
a disability to remain an urgent national priority.
     Reaching out to people also involves good communication
skills. That, too, is a priority at SSA. We've taken a number of
steps to make our programs and our public information more
accessible. We provide materials about our policies and programs
to 110 radio reading service stations each month.
     We have worked with the Library of Congress to prepare both
a cassette tape and a Braille booklet on SSA programs and
benefits to the library's network of 160 libraries across the
country. We want to continue to make our materials available and
accessible to you, and I want you to know that I always welcome
any new ideas from you to help us do that.
     Step two in our process to achieve self-sufficiency and
independence has to do with making our programs as effective and
responsive as they can be. It doesn't do us much good to conduct
an effective outreach campaign if the benefits that we're
offering people are seriously flawed.
     When I looked at the SSI program, I saw that it was
fundamentally a program created eighteen years ago that had never
been reviewed by any group outside of government to see if the
people we were helping were even feeling that the program was
working adequately and effectively as far as they were concerned.
So I decided to take a closer look. I assembled a group of
experts and advocates and asked them to conduct a series of
public hearings throughout the country to see what people think
about SSI and the way the Social Security Administration manages
it. We wanted to hear both the bad and the good, and boy did we
hear it!
     We got some very frank and candid comments about problems
that people are having with SSI, that people thought we needed to
fix right away. We have been told that SSI benefits were too low.
We've been told that the rules on in-kind support and maintenance
are far too stringent and that, by reducing benefits when family
or friends lend a helping hand, we are discouraging family
members from playing any kind of a helping role. We've been told
that the resource limits set by the SSI laws are too low, that
people cannot set aside money for medical bills and other
emergencies for fear of losing their SSI benefits.
     Now that we've collected all of these comments, we move on
to the next step. We are going to be publishing that report of
the modernization group in the Federal Register. We're going to
take those comments and put together a blueprint for improving
the SSI program, which we will try to get included in next year's
legislative agenda. 
     We're already trying to improve the services in our offices,
and that service, I think, will continue to get better in the
near future, for two major reasons: First, technology is always
helping us. We're automating the SSI claims-taking program,
getting rid of all those paper forms and collecting electronic
data. We've had promising results during our testing of the
process, and I believe we're going to expand it to most of our
offices in the country next year.
     We're taking further steps to deal with the huge increase
we've had in disability applications over the last couple of
years, an increase that was unprecedented in the history of
Social Security and that resulted in a number of delays in the
processing of claims.
     The Office of Management and Budget released $100 million in
contingency funds to SSA. I nagged them and nagged them and
nagged them. Finally they called and they said, "Mr. Darman had
two messages for you. The first is, he's releasing the one
hundred million. The second is, he doesn't want to hear from you
anymore this year."  I thought I had done my job well.
     With that money we will be able to process over 200,000
additional disability cases this year. We've also undertaken a
series of initiatives to streamline the disability process. With
these additional monies and with the initiatives, we are now able
to provide decisions in most states within a reasonable period of
time, and improving the disability program will continue.
      It means maintaining up-to-date medical evaluation
criteria. When SSA's Commissioner spoke to you last year, our
Office of Disability had just initiated a comprehensive review of
the adult and child special senses and speech criteria in the
listing of impairments, and we were in the process of soliciting
input from outside experts and advocacy groups. Jim Gashel of
your organization gave us invaluable information and advice.
     We've done a good deal since then. Written comments have
been received and analyzed. We are collecting the information we
need, but we still have a lot of work to do. The process will
continue; we will keep you apprised of our progress, and we
continue to appreciate your insight and your suggestions. 
     With these improvements underway, that brings me to the
third step toward self-sufficiency I want to talk about today.
That is developing better ways to help our beneficiaries achieve
independent, productive, fulfilling lives.
     One of the problems I've always had with government is that
it doesn't tend to be too creative in its thinking. In government
we always think that everything can be reduced to one or two
options that we can pick from, and everything will be all right.
It reminds me of the young man who was applying for a government
job. He saw the question, "Do you favor the overthrow of
government by subversion or undermining it with actions that are
militaristic." He thought it was a multiple-choice question, so
he circled subversion. We're always looking for the easy way out,
the easy choices. But you know, sometimes the options are all
difficult. I think, when that happens, we have to remember the
words of that great American philosopher Mae West, who said,
"When it comes to a choice between two evils, I always pick the
one I haven't tried before." We need to pursue a number of
avenues to try to help people get away from dependency and move
toward self-sufficiency. And we should not limit ourselves with
narrow options that come to us because of cost. 
     First of all, we're improving our communication to people
who may wish to begin moving into the work force. We are finding
that a number of people are eager to move to the work force.
Thanks in large part to suggestions made by Jim Gashel, we began
developing a series of letters about work incentives targeted to
specific groups. Two of the first three letters we developed were
targeted toward recipients who are blind. And I thank the
National Federation of the Blind for helping us develop the
appropriate language for both letters.
     The first letter was sent to nonworking SSI recipients who
are blind to offer advice about the various work incentive
provisions that are already available to them. The second letter
will go to working SSI recipients who are blind to inform them of
specific exclusions of work expenses for which they are already
eligible.
     We're also very much aware of the fact that many SSI
recipients may be reluctant to seek or accept a job unless they
know how those earnings will affect their SSI and Medicaid
benefits. This is a critical issue. If an SSI recipient wants
that information and we don't get it to him quickly enough, he
might lose a potential job opportunity.
     We have provided all of our field offices with a computer
software program which will take information about the SSI
beneficiary that is already in our records, combine it with that
person's anticipated earnings and work expenses, and then provide
a written estimate of how much that person can expect to receive
in SSI benefits for the next five months. I think, with this new
service in place, people can feel more confident about making
that difficult decision to re-enter or enter the work force.
     Many of you are familiar with PASS, our Plans for Achieving
Self-Support. For those of you not acquainted with it, PASS is a
program in which SSI recipients can use some of their income to
attain a particular work or education goal. For example, a person
could set aside money to go to school or get job training or
start a business, and SSI will not count that set-aside income
when we determine that person's eligibility. 
     With the assistance of your organization and others, PASS is
working. It's the kind of program that is focused and
compassionate. It builds a bridge between dependency and
independence. It allows people to take the steps they need to
take to move forward. And I thank you again for your advocacy in
promoting this valuable program.
     Another endeavor underway at SSA is called Project Network.
Project Network is a new direction for government, a way to make
government assistance more personal, more caring, and
custom-designed to an individuals's needs and concerns.
     We are providing participating SSI and disability insurance
beneficiaries with a case manager, a person who is familiar with
the beneficiary's background, with the beneficiary's work or
educational goals, and with the beneficiary's particular
rehabilitation needs. The case manager will work with the
beneficiary in designing a custom-made, personalized
rehabilitation and employment plan and then stay with that
beneficiary every step of the way--lining up rehabilitation and
training services, making employment contacts, acting as the
center of a network of essential services.
     We're testing a number of different models in the SSA field
offices, with private and public agencies. This is going to be a
two-year pilot program. It is already underway in the Dallas-Fort
Worth area and will begin this fall in Spokane, Washington, and
Tampa, Florida. I am optimistic about it because I think it can
drastically improve our effectiveness in helping people with
disabilities to make a successful leap into the work force.
     Let me just close by thanking you again for inviting me to
join you today. These are exciting days for the Social Security
Administration, for the National Federation of the Blind, and for
all of us who desire a world that offers equal opportunity to
every individual.
     When I think of your organization and the fight you have
carried on for independence and self-sufficiency, for dignity and
respect for people who are blind and visually impaired, I am
reminded that your organization is living proof that being
without sight does not preclude you from having the gift of
vision. The high hopes you have for your fellow citizens and the
high enterprises you have undertaken will pay great dividends to
those today and those tomorrow who will not allow their
sightlessness to stand in the way of their hopes, their dreams,
or their personal vision. I am proud to stand with you in your
endeavors, and the Social Security Administration looks forward
to working with you for many years to come. Thank you very much.

               NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
                 1992-1993 GUS GISSER MEMORIAL 
               BRAILLE READERS ARE LEADERS CONTEST
                          Sponsored by
                National Federation of the Blind 
               Parents of Blind Children Division
       National Association to Promote the Use of Braille

     The 1992-1993 ninth annual Braille Readers are Leaders
Contest is dedicated to the memory of Gus Gisser. Deaf-blind, Gus
was born over 70 years ago in a time of limited opportunities and
little encouragement for the disabled. Rising above the harsh
odds, he traveled independently and mastered Braille. Gus loved
children and was dedicated to promoting Braille literacy among
blind and deaf-blind persons of all ages.  In memory of his
dedication to Braille and his love for children, special awards
will be presented this year to deaf-blind contest participants.
These awards are made possible by a generous donation from the
National Federation of the Blind of New York.

                       Purpost of Contest

     The purpose of the NFB's annual Braille reading contest is
to encourage blind school children to read more Braille. It is
just as important for blind children to be literate as it is for
other children. Good readers can have confidence in themselves
and their abilities to learn and to adapt to new situations
throughout their lifetimes. The NFB's Braille reading contest
helps blind children realize that reading Braille is fun and
rewarding. 

                    Who Can Enter the Contest

     Blind school age children from kindergarten through the
twelfth grade are eligible to enter. The student competes in one
of five categories. The first category is the print to Braille
beginning reader. This category is for former or current print
readers  who began to learn and use Braille within the past two
years. This includes: 1. formerly sighted children who became
blind after they mastered print, and 2. partially-sighted print
readers who are learning Braille in addition to, or in place of,
print. (NOTE: Kindergarteners and first-graders are NOT eligible
for the print to Braille category.) The other categories are
grades K-1; 2-4; 5-8; and 9-12. Students in ungraded programs
should select the category which most closely matches their age
and performance level. 

                     Prizes for the Contest

     First-, second-, and third-place winners are selected from
each of the five categories. All winners receive a cash prize, a
special certificate, and a distinctive NFB Braille Readers Are
Leaders T-shirt. In each category first-place winners receive
$75.00, second-place winners $50.00, and third-place winners
$25.00.  (Please read the segment on Deaf-Blind Awards for
details about these special awards.)  All contestants receive a
Braille certificate and a special token for participating in the
contest. Schools are encouraged to schedule public presentations
of the certificates. Alternatively, presentations may be made in
the classroom, at the local National Federation of the Blind
Chapter meeting, or in some other appropriate setting. Members of
the National Federation of the Blind will award the certificates
and other prizes whenever possible. 

                  Most Improved Braille Reader

     Special recognition will be given to the top five
contestants, regardless of category, who demonstrate the most
improvement over their performance in the previous year's
contest. To be considered for the Most Improved Braille Reader
award, the contestant must enter the contest for two consecutive
years and cannot be a winner in the current, or any previous,
Braille Readers are Leaders contest. Winners of the Most Improved
Braille Reader award receive $10.00. 

                      Rules for the Contest

     Winners will be chosen based on the number of Braille pages
read. The one who reads the largest number of Braille pages will
be the first-place winner; the second largest the second-place
winner; and the third largest the third-place winner. The
completed contest entry form must be received by the judges no
later than February 15, 1993. Contestants must submit with the
entry forms a print list of the materials read. Entry forms sent
in without this list will be returned to the sender. This list
must contain the following information: 1. student's name and
contest category; 2. title of book or magazine; 3. magazine date;
3. author of book or article; 4. number of Braille pages read in
each book, magazine, or article; 5. total number of pages read;
and 6. signature of the certifying authority. 

                      Certifying Authority

     The certifying authority is responsible for:
     - Verifying that the student read the Braille material
listed and that the material was read between November 1, 1992,
and February 1, 1993; 
     - Filling out and sending in the contest entry form in an
accurate, complete, and timely fashion; 
     - Assisting the student in finding Braille materials to read
for the contest. 
     - Teachers, librarians, and parents may serve as certifying
authorities. The certifying authority must also be prepared to
cooperate if the contest judges have any questions or need
additional information about an entry. All decisions of the
judges are final.

                        Deaf-Blind Awards

     Students eligible for the special one-time only deaf-blind
awards are those whose hearing impairment has a noticeable impact
on their educational program. The top deaf-blind student in each
of the five categories receives $50.00, and each deaf-blind
participant receives a contest T-shirt. The certifying authority
must mark the appropriate box on the entry form, which identifies
the applicant as a deaf-blind participant, and sign a statement
(also on the contest entry form) verifying that the participant
meets the contest deaf-blind criteria. (The judges may, at their
discretion, request additional verification, such as medical or
school records, of the hearing impairment.) The deaf-blind prizes
will be awarded in addition to any other prizes the participant
may win.

For more information contact: Mrs. Sandy Halverson, 403 West 62nd
Terrace, Kansas City, Missouri 64113; evenings: (816) 361-7813;
or Mrs. Barbara Cheadle, National Federation of the Blind, 1800
Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230; day: (410) 747-3472. 

                        Common Questions 

     1. What if I didn't know about the contest until after it
began. Can I still enter?  YES 
     2. If I enter late, can I still count the Braille pages I
have read since November 1?  YES, if your certifying authority
will verify that you read those pages. 
     3. Can I count my Braille textbooks? NO 
     4. Can I count textbooks if they are not the ones I am now
using for my regular classwork? YES.
     5. What if I don't finish reading a book? Can I count the
pages that I did read? YES. However, be sure to note this on the
entry form when you list that book. 
     6. Can supplemental reading books to beginning reading
series be counted for the contest? YES. 
     7. What constitutes a Braille page? EACH side of an embossed
piece of paper is considered one page. If you read both sides,
then you have read two pages. This is true even if there are only
two Braille lines on one side. On the other hand, you can only
count the pages you have actually read. If a book has 35 pages,
but you just read 10 of them, then you can only count 10 pages.
Also you CAN count title pages, tables of contents, Brailled
descriptions of illustrations, etc. as long as you really read
those pages. 





                               CONTEST ENTRY FORM 
                        NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
                               GUS GISSER MEMORIAL
                       BRAILLE READERS ARE LEADERS CONTEST
                      November 1, 1992 to February 1, 1993

[ ] YES...I am a deaf-blind or hearing impaired Braille reader. 
I verify that this participant meets the criteria for the deaf-blind awards for
this contest. ______________________________ (signature of certifying
authority)
[ ] YES [ ] NO  Did you enter last year's contest (1991-92)? 
[ ] YES [ ] NO  Have you been a winner in a previous Braille Readers are
Leaders contest? 

Student's Name___________________________________  Age _______ Grade___________


Address __________________________________________ City________________________


State_______ Zip__________ 

Parent's Name _____________________________ Phone (Home)__________________
                                                  (Work)__________________  

Certifying Authority/Position: Parent [ ] Teacher [ ] Librarian [ ]  

Name___________________________________________________

Address________________________________________________

City___________________________State_____Zip___________

Phone (Home)__________________ (Work)__________________

School Name/Address____________________________________ 

                   ____________________________________
     
Mail entry to: Mrs. Sandy Halverson, 403 West 62nd Terrace, Kansas City,
Missouri 64113

Category: (Check one) 
[ ] Beginning Print to Braille                  
(This is for children, grades 2-12, who have begun to learn and use Braille
within the past two years.)        

[ ] Kindergarten and First Grade               
[ ] Second through Fourth Grades
[ ] Fifth through Eighth 
[ ] Ninth through Twelfth  

One of the prizes for the contest is a special T-shirt.  If you should be a
winner, what size would you require?  (Check one) 
  Children's  S (6-8) ______ M (10-12) ________ L (14-16) _____ 
  Adult      S(34-36) ______ M (38-40) ________ L (42-44) _____ 

Name ___________________________ Category ____________Total Braille Pages
______________ 
Please use this form when turning in the list of books, magazines, and articles
read. If additional paper is needed, be sure to put the student's name and
his/her contest category at the top of EACH page and staple the papers together
securely.

BOOKS 
1. Title:____________________________________________________________________ 
   Author:___________________________
   Number of Braille pages read:____________
2. Title:____________________________________________________________________ 
   Author:___________________________
   Number of Braille pages read:____________
3. Title:____________________________________________________________________ 
   Author:___________________________
   Number of Braille pages read:____________
4. Title:____________________________________________________________________ 
   Author:___________________________
   Number of Braille pages read:____________
5. Title:____________________________________________________________________ 
   Author:___________________________
   Number of Braille pages read:____________

MAGAZINES 
1. Name and date of magazine:_________________________________________________
Number of Braille pages read:___________ 
2. Name and date of magazine:_________________________________________________
Number of Braille pages read:___________ 
3. Name and date of magazine:_________________________________________________
Number of Braille pages read:___________ 

Total Braille Pages : _________________ 
 
To the best of my knowledge, this student did read these Braille pages between
the dates of November 1, 1992, and February 1, 1993.

______________________________________________ 
Signature: Certifying Authority 

Mail entries to:  Mrs. Sandy Halverson 403 West 62nd Terrace Kansas City,
Missouri 64113 

For more information call Mrs. Halverson evenings at (816) 361-7813; or Mrs.
Barbara Cheadle day at (401) 747-3472 

ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 15, 1993

              THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
                    1993 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM 
                        by Barbara Pierce

     If you were a college or graduate student, what could you do
with $10,000, or even $2,000? Tuition, books, rent, adaptive
equipment: the demands are endless, and the money one has
available never stretches far enough. As the parent of three
students, I know how unbalanced the equation can be that arranges
demands on one side and resources on the other. And all of us
know just how many more expenses blind students have than most
others.
     That is why the National Federation of the Blind established
a scholarship program many years ago and why we expanded it in
1984. For the most part, people do not believe that blind post-
secondary students who have the same dreams as their sighted
counterparts are quite right in the head. If they are so foolish
as to pursue such fields as international relations, electrical
engineering, or medicine, they are dismissed immediately as "out
of touch with reality." Even if they major in education,
counseling, or computer science but do not express a burning
desire to "help blind people live more satisfying lives,"
obstacles are still often placed in their paths. 
     We in the National Federation of the Blind begin with the
premise that blind students have as much right as anybody else to
try to fulfill their dreams, and we believe that blindness as
such is no reason to assume that a given individual cannot do a
designated job or enter a particular profession. The individual
may not have the intelligence, dexterity, stamina, creativity, or
alternative skills to do the work successfully, and some of these
limitations may well prove insurmountable; but blindness, which
is so often held up as the obvious explanation, is not really the
culprit. 
     The National Federation of the Blind's 1993 scholarship
program seeks to find the twenty-six most outstanding blind post-
secondary students in the United States today and honor them for
their ground-breaking work. We want to help them on their way as
much as we can. We will present them with awards ranging in value
from $2,000 to $10,000, and we will bring them as our guests to
the 1993 convention of the National Federation of the Blind to
experience first-hand the excitement and stimulation of a
gathering of the largest and most dynamic organization of blind
people in the country today. 
     Every state affiliate and local chapter can help in
spreading the word of this extraordinary opportunity for
America's blind students. Scholarship applications have been or
soon will be mailed to financial aid offices in educational
institutions around the country, but many of these will be filed
for reference when students come to ask about financial
assistance. It is very helpful to have local representatives
deliver or mail forms to the actual college administrator who
works with blind students. Being identified with such a valuable
national scholarship program gives the local chapter and state
affiliate prestige and respect, and the local touch insures that
more blind students will actually have an opportunity to apply
for these scholarships. 
     Anyone can order scholarship forms from the Materials
Center, National Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street,
Baltimore, Maryland 21230. State Presidents and members of the
1993 Scholarship Committee will be sent scholarship forms. These
may be copied as long as both sides of the form are reproduced.  
The 1993 Scholarship Committee has been appointed. This hard-
working group will gather in the spring to evaluate hundreds of
scholarship applications. They will also work closely with the
scholarship winners during the convention in Dallas, Texas. The
following people have been appointed to serve on the 1993
Scholarship Committee: Peggy Pinder, Iowa, Chairman; Adrienne
Asch, New York; Steve Benson, Illinois; Charles Brown, Virginia;
Sharon Buchan, Alaska; Douglas Elliott, Nevada; Priscilla Ferris,
Massachusetts; Michael Gosse, Pennsylvania; John Halverson,
Missouri; Allen Harris, Michigan; David Hyde, Oregon; Bill
Isaacs, Illinois; Carl Jacobson, New York; Kristen Jocums, Utah;
Susan Jones, Indiana; Tami Dodd Jones, Michigan; Kathy
Kannenberg, North Carolina; Scott LaBarre, Minnesota; Melissa
Lagroue, Alabama; Reggie Lindsey, Tennessee; Sharon Maneki,
Maryland; John Miller, California; Maria Morais, New Mexico;
Homer Page, Colorado; Barbara Pierce, Ohio; Ben Prows,
Washington; Eileen Rivera, Maryland; Fred Schroeder, New Mexico;
Larry Streeter, Nebraska; C. Edwin Vaughan, Missouri; Ramona
Walhof, Idaho; Jim Willows, California; Joanne Wilson, Louisiana;
Gary Wunder, Missouri; Robin Zook, Utah.
     Here is the text of the 1993 National Federation of the
Blind scholarship application form:

                NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
                    1993 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

     Each year at its National Convention in July, the National
Federation of the Blind gives a broad array of scholarships to
recognize achievement by blind scholars. All applicants for these
scholarships must be (1) legally blind and (2) pursuing or
planning to pursue a full-time post-secondary course of study. In
addition to these restrictions, some scholarships have been
further restricted by the donor. Scholarships to be given at the
National Convention in 1993 are listed here with any special
restrictions noted:
     1. Ezra Davis Memorial Scholarship; $10,000; endowed by Ezra
Davis and given by the American Brotherhood for the Blind, a
nonprofit organization which works to assist blind persons. No
additional restrictions.
     2. National Federation of the Blind Scholarships; sixteen to
be given: two for $4,000; five for $2,500; nine for $2,000. No
additional restrictions.
     3. Anne Pekar Memorial Scholarship; $4,000; given in loving
memory of Anne Pekar by her parents, who say "The purpose of the
scholarship is to help others as Anne had tried to do in her
various volunteer endeavors. ...It is our hope that this small
gesture in her name will remind us of the wonderful things about
Anne and, in particular, her concern about other people and her
desire to help." Winner must be a woman between the ages of 17
and 25.
     4. Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship; $3,000; given in
memory of Melva T. Owen, who was widely known and loved among the
blind. She and her husband Charles Owen became acquainted with
increasing numbers of blind people through their work in the
"Voicepondence" Club. Charles Owen says: "There shall be no
limitation as to field of study, except that it shall be directed
towards attaining financial independence and shall exclude
religion and those seeking only to further general or cultural
education."
     5. Howard Brown Rickard Scholarship; $2,500; winner must be
studying or planning to study in the fields of law, medicine,
engineering, architecture, or the natural sciences.
     6. Frank Walton Horn Memorial Scholarship; $2,500; given by
Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Barnum, the mother and stepfather of
Catherine Horn Randall. No additional restrictions, but
preference will be given to those studying architecture or
engineering.
     7. National Federation of the Blind Humanities Scholarship;
$2,500; winner must be studying in the traditional Humanities
such as art, English, foreign languages, history, philosophy, or
religion.
     8. National Federation of the Blind Educator of Tomorrow
Award; $2,500; winner must be planning a career in elementary,
secondary, or post-secondary teaching.
     9. Hermione Grant Calhoun Scholarship; $2,000; Dr. Isabelle
Grant endowed this scholarship in memory of her daughter. Winner
must be a woman.
     10. Kuchler-Killian Memorial Scholarship; $2,000; given in
loving memory of her parents, Charles Albert Kuchler and Alice
Helen Kuchler, by Junerose Killian, dedicated member of the
National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut. No additional
restrictions.
     11. Ellen Setterfield Memorial Scholarship; $2,000; given in
memory of Ellen Setterfield by Roy Landstrom, who says: "During
the course of her life, she gave of herself to defend the dignity
and self-respect of those around her." Winner must be studying
social sciences at the graduate level.
     Criteria: All scholarships are awarded on the basis of
academic excellence, service to the community, and financial
need.
     Membership: The National Federation of the Blind is an
organization dedicated to creating opportunity for all blind
persons. Recipients of Federation scholarships need not be
members of the National Federation of the Blind.
     Making Application: To apply for National Federation of the
Blind scholarships, complete and return the application on the
reverse side of this sheet, attaching to the application all the
additional documents there requested. Multiple applications are
unnecessary. Each applicant will be considered for all
scholarships for which he or she qualifies. Send completed
applications to: Miss Peggy Pinder, Chairman, National Federation
of the Blind Scholarship Committee, 814 - 4th Avenue, Suite 200,
Grinnell, Iowa 50112; (515) 236-3366. Form must be received by
March 31, 1993.
     Reapplication: We have often awarded scholarships to persons
applying for the second or third time. Even if previously
submitted, current applications must be submitted to be
considered for current scholarships. Those who have previously
applied are encouraged to apply again.
     Winners: The Scholarship Committee reviews all applications
and selects the scholarship winners. These winners, the same
number as there are scholarships to award, will be notified of
their selection by June 1 and will be brought to the National
Federation of the Blind convention in July at Federation expense.
This is in addition to the scholarship grant.
     The National Federation of the Blind Convention is the
largest gathering of blind persons (more than 2,000) to occur
anywhere in the nation each year. You will be able to meet other
blind students and exchange information and ideas. You will also
be able to meet and talk with blind people who are successfully
functioning in your chosen profession or occupation. Federal
officials, members of Congress, and the makers and distributors
of new technology attend Federation conventions. Above all, a
broad cross section of the most active segment of the blind
population of the United States will be present to discuss common
problems and plan for concerted action. It is an interesting and
exciting week.
     Awards: The day before the convention banquet the
Scholarship Committee will meet to determine which winners will
receive which scholarships. The scholarship awards will be made
during the banquet.

                NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
                  SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORM

     Read reverse side of form for instructions and explanation.
Form may be photocopied but only if reverse side is also
included.
     To apply for a scholarship, complete this application form
and mail completed application and attachments to: Miss Peggy
Pinder, Chairman, National Federation of the Blind Scholarship
Committee, 814 - 4th Avenue, Suite 200, Grinnell, Iowa 50112;
515-236-3366. Form must be received by March 31, 1993.

Name (please include any maiden or other names by which you have
     been known): 
Date of birth: 
School address: 
School phone number: 
Home address: 
Home phone number:
Institution being attended in spring semester, 1993, with class
     standing (freshman, senior, etc.): 
Cumulative grade point at this institution: 
Institution to be attended in fall of 1993, with class standing.
     Send by separate letter if admitted to school after
submitting     completed application:
List all post-secondary institutions attended with highest class
     standing attained and cumulative grade point average: 
High school attended and cumulative grade point: 
Vocational goal:
State your major:
Awards and honors (attach list if necessary):
Community service (attach list if necessary):

Attach the following documents to completed application:
     1. Send us a letter: What schools have you attended?  What
school do you plan to attend during the coming year?  What honors
have you achieved?  What have you done to deal with situations
involving your blindness?  What are you like as a person?  What
are your goals and aspirations?  How will the scholarship help
you?
     2. Send two letters of recommendation.
     3. Provide current transcript from institution now attending
and transcripts from all other post-secondary institutions
attended. If you have not yet attended such an institution or
have not completed one year of study, send high school
transcript.
     4. Send a letter from a state officer of the National
Federation of the Blind evidencing the fact that you have
discussed your scholarship application with that officer. We
prefer that you discuss your application with the Federation
state president, but a letter from any Federation state officer
will suffice. President's address provided upon request.






                 ******************************
     If you or a friend would like to remember the National Federation of the
Blind in your will, you can do so by employing the following language:
     "I give, devise, and bequeath unto National Federation of the Blind,
1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230, a District of Columbia
nonprofit corporation, the sum of $_____ (or "_____ percent of my net estate"
or "The following stocks and bonds: _____") to be used for its worthy purposes
on behalf of blind persons."
                 ******************************

[PHOTO: Geerat Vermeij examines various types of seashells.
CAPTION: Geerat Vermeij.]
 
            BLIND PROFESSOR RECEIVES MACARTHUR AWARD

     Those who attended the 1988 convention of the National
Federation of the Blind, held in Chicago, Illinois, will remember
that one of the speakers was Professor Geerat Vermeij, a marine
biologist whose address was entitled, "To Sea with a Blind
Scientist." He spoke passionately of his love of science and his
conviction that blindness need not prevent anyone with the
ability to engage in the scientific discipline from pursuing that
goal. He also warned his audience that, in his experience, a
thorough knowledge and extensive use of Braille were essential to
good record keeping. His self-confidence and insistence on
acquiring the opportunities for research that are necessary to a
first-class working scientist exemplify Federationism in one of
its most effective forms.
     Through the intervening years we have watched Dr. Vermeij's
progress with interest. From the University of Maryland, where he
was teaching when we first helped him win his battle to obtain a
place on a research ship which he had been denied because of
blindness, he moved on to the Department of Geology at the
prestigious University of California at Davis, near Sacramento.
His career has continued to be distinguished, and this summer he
received a truly extraordinary honor.
     On Tuesday, June 16, 1992, the MacArthur Foundation
announced the names of the recipients of the famous MacArthur
Awards for 1992. Dr. Vermeij is one of this year's honorees. Many
newspaper stories were written about the winners. The following
is the relevant portion of a front-page article from the June 16
edition of the Sacramento Bee, which describes Professor
Vermeij's honor. Here is the article:

            Davis Professor Wins $280,000 as "Genius"
                        by Ramon Coronado

     Geerat J. Vermeij has been blind since age three, but he has
made a career out of seeing things most people can't see.
     The fifty-four-year-old University of California, Davis,
professor, collects, studies, and teaches others his observations
about seashells.
     "What they tell us has broad implications," said the Dutch
immigrant, who believes the study of the evolution of shell-
bearing marine animals imparts lessons about architecture, the
world economy, and even the arms race.
     Citing Vermeij for his lasting discoveries about how animals
protect themselves against predators and factors affecting
extinction, the MacArthur Fellowship Foundation on Monday
selected Vermeij as one of the winners of one of its genius
grants.
     This year's fellowships from the John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation ranged from $150,000 to $375,000. The
grants, which have been presented by the huge philanthropic
organization since 1981, went to thirty-three artists,
scientists, leaders, and thinkers who were recognized for their
talent and creativity.
     Vermeij, who likes to be called Gary, was awarded $280,000
to spend as he wishes. He said he plans to use some of the money
to travel and some to help students.
     Sitting in a small den in his Davis home Monday night,
Vermeij was surrounded by bookshelves filled with volumes of
Braille, many of which were specially transcribed for him.
     "When you go into science, there's essentially nothing in
Braille," said the Princeton and Yale graduate, who has authored
two books of his own.
     For Vermeij, who came to this country at age nine, the study
of shells was a lifelong ambition.
     "I have known what I wanted to do since fourth grade," he
said, recalling his fascination when a teacher brought shells
from a Florida beach into a New Jersey classroom.
     The biggest obstacle during his education, he recalled, came
when a state agency for the blind declined to pay someone to read
books about shells to him.
     Eventually the state agency backed down, and Vermeij went on
to earn his Ph.D. in biology and geology. He taught zoology at
the University of Maryland for seventeen years before arriving at
the University of California at Davis in 1988, where he is now a
professor in the geology department.

     That is what one reporter had to say upon the announcement
of Dr. Vermeij's award. On August 17, in conjunction with the
presentation of the MacArthur Awards, the Fresno Bee carried a
more complete profile of this distinguished scientist. Here it
is:

      With a Touch of Class, Blind Scientist Makes His Mark
              Davis Professor is a World Authority
             on Mollusks, Animals that Build Shells
                          by Jules Loh

     "I do not think of blindness as an advantage," the professor
was saying the other day, in all seriousness. Well, of course
not.
     But neither was Geerat Vermeij, the blind professor,
speculating on possible reasons why he was chosen just recently
for a $280,000 grant to use as he pleases, no strings attached.
     There's no reason to suspect the award was for anything
other than solid scientific accomplishment. That and the safe bet
that with financial distractions removed, further meritorious
research would result.
     Vermeij's curious remark was in response to an even more
curious comment on his blindness by a colleague. The man was
admiringly puzzled by Vermeij's almost uncanny perception of
subtle differences in the structure of seashells.
     He had watched Vermeij turn shells in his hands, inspecting
each tiny ridge and crevice with patient fingers, and had
wondered if his insight could be in part because Vermeij was, as
he put it, "unencumbered by sight." Unlike others, Vermeij did
not rely on color, often an undependable clue to identification,
and seemed to see more.
     Geerat Vermeij (his name is pronounced Ver-MAY; his friends
call him Gary), a professor of paleobiology at the University of
California at Davis, is a world authority on mollusks, animals
that build shells.
     Scientists know him as the one whose work has moved the
understanding of mollusks from the merely anatomical to the
analytical. Vermeij's research has uncovered the ways shells
work, why some species have survived their predators and others
become extinct.
     Thus he has added a significant line of inquiry into the
study of evolution. One of his books, subtitled "An Ecological
History of Life," is considered a large contribution in the field
of marine conservation.
     He has written three books and about ninety research papers.
He edits Paleobiology, the premier journal in that field, and
will take over in the fall as editor of Evolution. He also
teaches several geology courses at the university.
     Scientists across the world know Vermeij not just from his
work but personally. His field trips have taken him to about
forty countries whose shorelines have become as familiar to him
as the shells he brings back. He is equally at home on a reef or
in a mangrove swamp as in a lecture hall or museum.
     The $280,000 fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation, he
says, will allow for even more travel.
     "When there's an opportunity to go I can just go," he says.
"Money is valuable, but time is even more valuable. Now I can buy
an occasional bit of time."
     But why? The blind poet asks, "Doth God exact day labor,
light denied?" Vermeij's reply, like Milton's, is his work
schedule. Like Milton, he has neither time nor inclination for
self-pity.
     "Blindness is a nuisance that can be largely overcome,"
Vermeij says. "It is not a disaster. It is not to be pitied or
revered. It is just a condition that has to be dealt with as you
get on with life."
     Geerat Vermeij is forty-five, of average height, lean, with
sharp facial features and a thin reddish beard and mustache.
     He was born in a small town in the Netherlands where doctors
diagnosed his poor eyesight as infant glaucoma. "I remember
seeing colors, although shapes were never very sharp," he says.
He remembers the colors, also the pain from pressure that would
have caused brain damage. At age three, "quite sensibly," he
says, they removed his eyes.
     He had his ninth birthday on a ship bound for the United
States, specifically to New Jersey, a state which his parents
found to have a most enlightened program for the blind.
     "I had been in a school for the blind since I was three,"
Vermeij says. "It was a boarding school. It was horrible to be
away from home, but there was no alternative.
     "In New Jersey, the state commissioner for the blind
believed--as did my parents, and I agree--that the blind should
go to public schools."
     The state provided textbooks in Braille and he caught up
quickly. He graduated from Nutley, New Jersey, High School first
in his class, the 1965 valedictorian.
     "Back in fourth grade," Vermeij recalls, "I had a teacher
who was directly responsible for one of the most important turns
in my life.
     "Her name was Caroline Colberg. She came back from a
vacation in Florida that year with a bunch of shells and put them
on the windowsill to decorate the classroom. I was astonished.
     "When I was a kid I collected things as kids do--pine cones,
acorns, leaves, all of it, including shells.
     "But those Florida shells were so much more elegant in shape
and texture than anything I'd seen before. To me they were works
of art. I still think so.
     "The first scientific question I think I asked myself was,
`Why are these shells so much prettier than the shells in
Holland? Why don't they have the same chalky texture?'
     "The question is still valid. I've gone some way to
answering it but I don't have the complete answer by any means."
     Questing after the answer, Vermeij took a bachelor's degree,
summa cum laude, from Princeton in three years and went straight
into the doctorate program at Yale, which he also completed in
three years.
     "My thesis compared tropical snails with temperate ones. It
was an OK study. It got published," he said, and added, smiling,
"like many other unimportant studies."
     Vermeij has considerably higher regard for the papers he has
published since, at a pace that causes other scholars to blink.
     "I believe in the publish-or-perish system," he says.
"Scientists who don't publish are shirking their responsibility.
Many who don't are afraid to be wrong, a misplaced fear. You're
apt to be wrong sometimes. So long as you're not wrong all the
time it's OK."
     Vermeij comes right out with what some researchers might
also consider a heresy, their obligation to teach.
     "The research certainly enriches my teaching," he says, "but
it also works the other way around.
     "Sometimes I give a lecture and a question will arise in my
own mind that I don't have an answer to, or just an interesting
problem. If I didn't have to teach, they probably might not have
occurred to me."
     Vermeij taught for seventeen years at the University of
Maryland, the last nine as a professor of zoology, before moving
to the University of California three years ago.
     His years at Maryland, he says, gave him the enviable
opportunity to work every Saturday in the world's largest
collection of crustaceans at the nearby Smithsonian Institution's
Natural History Museum.
     Even so, to live in California with a whole ocean at his
doorstep had been his ambition.
     "This is where I've always wanted to live," he says. "I
couldn't be happier."
     In his university office are a bank of drawers containing
his precious shells and fossils and others, newcomers, on his
work table waiting to be studied, classified, stored away. "They
give me inspiration."
     Shelves hold one hundred-fifty bound volumes of his own
Braille notes of the 10,000 papers and books he has read, cross-
referenced so he can locate citations for his own writings.
Colleagues are astounded by his recall of everything he has read
or heard.
     His home is a ten-minute bus ride from campus. He and his
wife, Edith, whom he met at Yale where she was a molecular
biology student, have a ten-year-old daughter, Hermine.
     The new federal law to ban job discrimination against the
disabled may help advance a quiet crusade Vermaij has been waging
all his life. But the problem, he says, begins long before the
first job application.
     "One of the general sadnesses is that the blind are
discouraged by presumably well-intentioned people from pursuing
what they want to pursue.
     "I was turned down for a trip to the Aleutians aboard a boat
owned by the University of Alaska. Too dangerous. Insurance and
all that. But I had met the person who turned me down aboard the
same boat in New Guinea.
     "Many blind people feel themselves terribly inferior as a
consequence of having been told that so many times. A very
important first step is to make people feel it's okay to be
blind."
     Actually, he says, in his opinion sight is not the most
inconvenient of the five senses to lose. "Hearing would be worse,
although a deaf person might not agree. Or touch."
     Nobody, he feels, should be denied a chance at the fullest
life possible by someone else's notion of what's good for them.
     "They should have equal opportunity. That, of course. But
not," he said, groping for the term, "you know...affirmative
action. Not that. People shouldn't have to wonder, or have others
wonder, about their true merit. I believe that can only hurt the
people it's designed to help.
     "I see it as my main mission to be as successful as I can be
at my chosen profession and that it represent real scientific
accomplishment. If that rubs off on the blind, that's fine."
     Geerat Vermeij, then, appears to have a further response to
that colleague who was puzzled by a sightless professor's uncanny
grasp of the remarkable beauty of a seashell:
     No, there is no advantage to being blind. Nor should there
be.


[PHOTO: Portrait. CAPTION: Curtis Chong.]

                   THE PITFALLS OF COMPLACENCY
                         by Curtis Chong

     From the Associate Editor: Curtis Chong is the Vice
President of the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota
and President of the National Federation of the Blind in Computer
Science, the computer science division of the National Federation
of the Blind. His experience with disabled student services
offices is unfortunately not uncommon. In the Spring, 1992, issue
of The Student Slate, the publication of the National Association
of Blind students, he wrote of his experience and warned his
readers of the pitfalls that can befall those who rely
unquestioningly on the services of disabled students offices.
Here is what he has to say: 

     Many years ago, when I first began attending the University
of Hawaii, I came across a program called Kokua. Kokua is a
Hawaiian word meaning "help." The espoused purpose of the Kokua
program was to help handicapped students attending the University
of Hawaii; and, since I was blind, I was eligible to receive the
help offered by the program.
     Kokua maintained a staff of college students who served
variously as readers, note takers, and guides. They were paid
with rehabilitation funds. Kokua staff, for example, would
perform the tedious and frustrating tasks involved in
registration. Instead of having to stand in line for hours in a
large and crowded gymnasium to register, blind students had
merely to provide the helpful Kokua staff with the list of
classes they wanted to take, and, presto! they were registered.
     Much of the time of the Kokua student staff was used
recording college textbooks. The service was so efficient that
blind students never had to find out during the previous semester
what texts were going to be used for the current semester; Kokua
had enough student readers available to tape books on demand.
Most blind students at the University of Hawaii loved the Kokua
program. It did everything for them. They didn't have to plan
ahead to have books taped. They never had to hire their own
readers. They didn't have to stand in long registration lines.
When tests needed to be taken, everything was handled by Kokua.
Blind students didn't even have to learn how to travel
independently; there was always a guide available to take them
from class to class. 
     In short, blind students at the University of Hawaii became
complacent, taking the services they received for granted.
Perhaps even more tragic, many of them failed to recognize that
their complacency was ruining their long-term prospects for a
successful and productive future.
     Consider the hiring of readers. The students employed by the
Kokua program were paid for with rehabilitation funds. In fact,
by the time I began attending the University of Hawaii, blind
students were expressly prohibited from using rehabilitation
funds to pay for their own personal readers. They were required
to use the services of the Kokua staff. Thus, they were deprived
of the invaluable experience of seeking out, hiring, supervising,
and occasionally firing personal readers.
     Many blind students never learned to be independent
travelers, preferring instead to depend upon the helpful guides
furnished to them by Kokua. Never venturing into unfamiliar
territory on their own, they necessarily limited their prospects
for future employment.
     Each and every blind student on the University of Hawaii
campus was regarded as a non-entity by most of the professors on
campus. When a question came up about how a blind student would
take a test, professors would invariably consult with the Kokua
office rather than with the blind student. In fact, the Kokua
staff members, not blind students, were consulted concerning all
problems on campus involving blindness.
     There were a few blind students on the University of Hawaii
campus, including me, who recognized the existence of the problem
and tried to deal with it. The system was, however, deeply
entrenched, and our efforts were hampered by the fact that we
were working in opposition to the basic desires of the many blind
students who wanted to have things as easy as possible.
Nevertheless, we did manage to achieve a small measure of
success. We were able to establish a study area for blind
students in one of the university's libraries, independent of the
Kokua office. This allowed blind students to study on campus
after Kokua staff locked up at 5:00 p.m. Additionally, we were
able to prevail upon the state rehabilitation agency for the
blind to permit rehabilitation funds to be used to pay for
readers hired by individual blind students. 
     Back when I first started going to college, programs like
Kokua were in the minority. Today, just about every major college
campus in the country has some form of office specifically
designed for students with disabilities. Some are more positive
than others. It is human nature to take the easy way out and to
let such offices do everything: recruit and hire readers, guide
students from class to class, determine how tests will be taken,
and provide staff to accomplish the tedious activities of course
registration. Now as never before, blind students cannot afford
to be complacent. For if they rely upon disabled student offices
to handle even the most rudimentary aspects of their education,
they will be selling themselves short and denying their
tremendous potential to achieve true equality with their sighted
peers.
     If you are attending a college or university with an office
for disabled students, ask yourself whether or not it is
providing its services in a manner calculated to promote true
independence. Is it encouraging students to gain invaluable
expertise in the management of sighted readers? Are students
expected to travel about campus independently? Are college
professors encouraged to deal directly with the blind students in
their classes instead of going to the office for disabled
students? Are blind students expected to handle registration
activities for themselves? If these questions cannot be answered
in the affirmative, blind students must take immediate action to
correct the situation.
     Blind students cannot afford to permit complacency and the
natural desire to take the easy way out to bolster an environment
which encourages dependence, laziness, and irresponsibility. In
today's corporate world there are no special services available
to blind employees. Although my employer, IDS Financial Services,
chose to purchase some assistive technology for me once I proved
I could do the job of systems programming, company officials
would laugh at the suggestion that a staff of readers and guides
be made available to a blind employee. I am expected to travel
anywhere to obtain technical training, and I am expected to
manage my own sighted readers. IDS is not unique in this regard.
     It is vitally important for college students to develop
basic skills in independent travel, management of readers, and
execution of their own college affairs; and it is critical that
these skills be learned before or during college. Failure to
develop these skills at the right time can and often does result
in the loss of a paying job.


[PHOTO: Portrait. CAPTION: Ed Bryant.]

                   THE VOICE OF THE DIABETIC:
                  SPREADING THE WORD MADE EASY
                          by Ed Bryant

     From the Editor: Ed Bryant, who is a well-known
Federationist from Missouri, is the editor of the Voice of the
Diabetic, the publication of the Diabetics Division of the
National Federation of the Blind. Here is what he has to say:

     The Voice of the Diabetic, a nationally distributed
quarterly magazine published by the Diabetics Division of the
National Federation of the Blind, contains articles and
information on all aspects of diabetes and blindness. Emphasizing
self-management, alternative techniques, and independence, the
Voice is an upbeat, positive publication that offers support and
information to blind diabetics, those who are losing vision due
to diabetes, the health profession community, and to other
interested persons. The current circulation of the seven-year-old
magazine exceeds 43,000 and is expected to grow. The Voice is
formatted in print and on one-half-speed audio cassette.
     The Voice is now offered free upon request to any interested
person who informs us that he or she wants to become a member of
the Diabetics Division. Although there is no membership fee,
donations are gladly accepted. Most persons want membership.
However, some do not. Persons not wishing membership can still
receive issues of the Voice without charge. However, those
nonmembers not paying the $15 yearly subscription fee may be
removed from the mailing list. Persons requesting the Voice
should specify the desired format: audio cassette, print, or
both.
     Because an estimated 15,000 diabetics become blind each
year, the need for the Voice has skyrocketed. To reach those who
are unaware of the Voice, distributors are needed to make the
publication available at locations of public patronage, such as
libraries, pharmacies, doctors' offices, hospitals, supermarkets,
beauty salons, etc. Every copy distributed in such places
educates the public about the work and philosophy of the NFB.
Such distribution has recruited thousands of diabetics to
membership.
     The Diabetics Division needs a coordinator in each state.
Duties of the position would entail apprising affiliate and local
chapter presidents of the division's outreach activities, as well
as assisting with Voice distribution. Although helpful, personal
experience and/or expertise about diabetes is not required.
     I request state presidents to contact me if they have
someone in mind for state coordinator. Individual Federationists
interested in becoming a state coordinator should contact their
state president and/or me. For information regarding
distribution, interested persons should communicate with me
directly. Persons wishing to receive the Voice as a member or
nonmember should contact the Voice editorial office. Direct your
communications to: Ed Bryant, Editor, Voice of the Diabetic, 811
Cherry Street, Suite 309, Columbia, Missouri 65201; phone: (314)
875-8911.


[PHOTO: Portrait. CAPTION: Donald Capps.]

               SOUTH CAROLINA: BIGGER AND GROWING

     From the Editor: From Friday, July 31, to Sunday, August 2,
1992, Mrs. Jernigan and I had the pleasure of attending the
convention of the National Federation of the Blind of South
Carolina, which was held this year in Greenville. It was truly an
invigorating and uplifting experience, for the NFB of South
Carolina is one of the most active affiliates we have, as well as
possibly the biggest. More than 350 people were in attendance
throughout the meetings and at the banquet; top state officials
and civic leaders were present; and the atmosphere was one of
optimism, belief, and confidence in the future.
     Much of the credit must, of course, go to president Don
Capps and his wife Betty. They give their full time to the
Federation, and they are building an organization which is
unparalleled in strength and performance. Many other state and
local leaders are also emerging and deserve credit. Their
influence is being felt far beyond the borders of the affiliate.
     Throughout the convention there was talk of organizing a
chapter in every county of the state, and I have no doubt that it
will be done. At that time there were thirty-six chapters and
three statewide divisions. Now there is already a thirty-seventh.
As Monitor readers know, president Capps publishes on a weekly
basis a summary of activities called a "Positive Note." This
bulletin goes to leaders throughout the state, and in view of the
sustained success in organizational growth in South Carolina, it
seems worthwhile to print Positive Note 313. All of us would do
well to reflect on the South Carolina example and try to emulate
it:

                    Positive Note No. 313

     The NFB of South Carolina has another important family
member.  The Greater Bamberg Chapter was organized Tuesday
evening, August 18, and became the 37th chapter of the NFB of
South Carolina which continues to grow and grow.  Not only does
the Greater Bamberg Chapter strengthen the NFB of South Carolina,
but it also makes our national organization stronger as well. 
Thus, the NFB of South Carolina is now comprised of 40 chapters
and divisions with no state affiliate of the NFB having more.  At
a downtown Bamberg restaurant, 26 persons attended Tuesday
evening's organizing dinner, which was successful in every
respect.
     Here is how it all started.  At the recent Charlotte
National Convention Shannon Watson, recently elected vice
president of the NFB of South Carolina student division, and
other students joined Betty and me for lunch.  Believing fully in
young people, and particularly in the young people of the NFB of
South Carolina, I asked Shannon if she would be willing to accept
the primary responsibility for organizing an NFB chapter in her
area.  Without hesitation, Shannon gleefully accepted the
assignment.  Six weeks later, I am glad to report that Shannon,
with the help of other Federationists, was successful.
     This time it was not primarily and principally Betty and
myself who did the actual leg work in making this chapter a
reality.  Instead I called upon other capable, and I might add,
younger Federationists to work in the Bamberg area to assist
Shannon. Parnell Diggs, recently elected treasurer of the NFB of
South Carolina and vice president of the Columbia Chapter, along
with his fiancee, Kim Gossett, an associate member of the
Columbia Chapter, spent last Friday in the Bamberg area calling
upon blind persons.  Monday Mike Sutton, president of the
Columbia Chapter and member of the NFB of South Carolina board of
directors, spent all day calling upon blind individuals in the
Bamberg area.  Our thanks to Parnell, Mike, and, of course,
Shannon for a job well done.
     It was my pleasure to preside over the organizational
meeting and talk about the many accomplishments of the
Federation.  We were pleased that the editor of the local
newspaper was present and promised to do a feature story on this
new chapter including using a picture of the newly elected
officers.
     Appropriately, Shannon Watson was elected president of the
chapter. She is very bright and energetic and will undoubtedly
make an excellent president, and she has lovely and supportive
parents. Shannon is a sophomore at the College of Charleston. 
She has attended two national conventions, as well as several
conventions of the NFB of South Carolina, and served as a
counselor at the recent children's camp at Rocky Bottom.  She has
a winning personality, and her enthusiasm is contagious.
     Robert Anderson, Sr., was elected vice president with Justin
Nevins, who attends Francis Marion University, being elected
secretary-treasurer.
     Plans are already under way to organize the 38th chapter in
another part of the state.  The accomplishments of the NFB of
South Carolina are such that we have the capacity and ability to
organize a chapter in any part of the state.  Please understand,
however, that it does take dedicated members like Parnell, Kim,
Mike, and Shannon to take time out from their many activities to
make the necessary contacts.
     It also takes money to travel throughout the state and to
host organizing dinners. Applying strict conservative fiscal
management in organizing a chapter, it still requires several
hundred dollars, particularly with the NFB of South Carolina
giving the new chapter a start-up treasury of $100.00.  However,
the NFB of South Carolina cannot utilize its limited funds in any
better way than to invest them in the blind themselves, just as
we did in Bamberg.
     When you have an opportunity to participate in White Cane
Week or to make living memorials, all Federationists should do so
as these funds are spent wisely and solely on behalf of the
blind.
     Final thought: Whatever fills your mind will control your
life.


                             RECIPES

     From the Associate Editor: This month's recipes are from
Delaware.

                         BLUEBERRY SALAD
                         by Gerri Driver

     Gerri Driver is a member of the Board of Directors of the
National Federation of the Blind of Northern Delaware.

Ingredients:
2 small packages grape Jello
2 cups boiling water
1 medium can crushed pineapple
1 can blueberry pie filling
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup nuts, chopped

     Method: Dissolve Jello in 2 cups boiling water. Add crushed
pineapple and blueberry pie filling. Refrigerate until mixture is
set. Combine the remaining ingredients to make the topping and
pour over the Jello mixture. You may wish to substitute cherry
Jello and cherry pie filling.

                        MARSHMALLOW SALAD
                         by Gerri Driver

Ingredients:
1 16-ounce can fruit cocktail, drained
1 8- or 10-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
3-1/2 ounces coconut
1 bag small marshmallows
1 8-ounce package sour cream

     Method: Mix all ingredients together and let stand overnight
in refrigerator.

                         STRAWBERRY PIE
                         by Gerri Driver

Ingredients:
1 9-inch baked pie shell
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons strawberry Jello
1 cup water
fresh strawberries

     Method: Mix sugar, flour, Jello, and water well. Bring to a
boil and cook for 1 minute. Cool. Pour over crust with whole or
cut-up strawberries. Chill four hours. Serve with whipped
topping. 

                        STUFFED MANICOTTI
                        by Patricia Beck

     Pat Beck is a member of the Board of Directors of the
National Federation of the Blind of Delaware.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste, (1 1/3 cups)
2 cups water
2 tablespoons dried basil, crushed
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
dash pepper
1-1/2 to 3 cups fresh ricotta or cream-style cottage cheese,
     drained
2/3 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
2 slightly beaten eggs
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 manicotti shells
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

     Method: In large saucepan brown meat lightly and drain
excess fat. Add onions, garlic, tomato paste, water, parsley,
basil, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, and pepper. Simmer uncovered about
30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile combine ricotta or
cottage cheese, 2/3 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley,
1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cook manicotti shells in boiling,
salted water till tender and drain. Rinse shells in cold water.
Stuff shells with cheese mixture. Use a small spoon or cut the
shells lengthwise with scissors, open to fill. Pour half the
tomato/meat sauce into 12 by 7-1/2 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange
stuffed manicotti in a row. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle
with remaining 1/2 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese. Bake in 350
degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

                      PORK CHOP OVEN DINNER
                        by Patricia Beck

Ingredients:
6 pork chops, about 3/4 inch thick
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
dash pepper
1 bay leaf
6 small carrots, drained, pared, and halved
1 medium onion, thinly sliced

     Method: Trim fat from chops. Heat fat in skillet. When about
2 tablespoons melted fat accumulates, remove trimmings. Combine
flour, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Dip chops in mixture and
brown well, about 15 minutes per side. In 3-quart casserole,
combine water and next five ingredients. Sprinkle carrots and
potatoes generously with salt. Place in the liquid. Arrange chops
atop, add onion slices, and cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 1-1/4
hours or till vegetables and meat are tender, basting once or
twice. Skim off excess fat, remove bay leaf, and garnish with
parsley. Makes 6 servings.

                       BAKED TUNA SUPREME
                        by Patricia Beck

Ingredients:
1 10-ounce package frozen broccoli
1 9-ounce can tuna, drained
1 10-1/2-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cubed sharp processed American cheese
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

     Method: Cook broccoli according to package directions,
omitting salt in cooking water, and drain. Arrange in a 10 by 6
by 1-1/2-inch baking dish. Flake tuna and place over broccoli.
Combine soup, milk, and cheese. Heat till cheese is melted. Pour
over tuna. Combine crumbs and butter, sprinkle over top. Bake in
moderate oven (350 degrees) for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 6
servings.


                   * * MONITOR MINIATURES * *

**Cookbook:
     The Kanawha Valley Chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind of West Virginia has compiled a cookbook called Welcome to
Our Table. The book is now available only in print, but the
chapter hopes to sell enough copies to be able to produce it in
Braille. The price is $10 plus $2 shipping and handling. Send
orders to: Ed Greenleaf, 502 Piccadilly Street, Charleston, West
Virginia 25302; phone: (304) 345-8998.
     Editor's comment: This is a well-put-together book. It has
over 100 pages plus an index and a section on household hints. It
is well worth the money.

**For Sale T-1200:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
Toshiba laptop computer with a 20 meg hard drive and a 3.5 inch
floppy disk drive. Computer will come with the accent speech
card, extra battery pack, and carrying case. Computer was
purchased in August, 1990, and has not been used much. Price
$2,500. Call Denise Avant (312) 878-9518 between 7:00 and 9:00
p.m. or anytime on weekends.

**NFBTRANS Source Code Available:
     Over the years, many people have made suggestions about what
they think NFBTRANS, the Braille translation software written by
the National Federation of the Blind, should do.  Some of these
changes we have implemented, and some (for a variety of reasons)
we have not.  Now, however, we are doing something virtually
unprecedented in the blindness field.
     As a service to the computer-using and Braille-reading
communities, the National Federation of the Blind is releasing
the source code to NFBTRANS.  You are now free to obtain the
source code by downloading it from NFB NET, our computer bulletin
board service, and you may make whatever changes to the program
you desire.  Do you want NFBTRANS automatically to format files?
Go ahead and write the code.  Do you want NFBTRANS to take its
settings from a configuration file? Go ahead and write the code. 
NFBTRANS is written in Pascal; and Charlie Cook, its author,
reports that he could convert the code to C for those who would
prefer it in that language.
     In releasing the source code we require only the following
things: 1. Do not use NFBTRANS as the basis for a commercial
program.  We are releasing the source code to the computer
community as a gift, not to enrich individuals or companies.  2. 
If you make changes, please upload the modified source code and
executable programs to NFB NET so that we can share them with
others and possibly incorporate your changes into a much improved
master program.  
     NFB NET can be reached by calling (410) 752-5011.  Our modem
can make connections between 300 and 9600 baud.  Your other
parameters should be set for 8 data bits, one stop bit, and no
parity.  The source code can be found in File Area 4, and
modified programs and source code should be uploaded to the same
area.  Message Area 4 is for the discussion of NFBTRANS.  If you
have things you would like to see in the program, leave a message
in area 4.  NFB NET will act as a collection point for everyone's
ideas and will try to find willing programmers to make the
suggested changes.  NFBTRANS author Charlie Cook has also
promised to check in on NFB NET periodically so that you can
reach him with your questions by leaving him a message.
     If you have any questions about any of this, you can leave a
message for David Andrews on NFB NET or call him at the National
Center for the Blind, (410) 659-9314.

**Volunteer Payees:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:

                     Social Security Report

                  Social Security Beneficiaries
                      Need Volunteer Payees

     While most people receive their Social Security and
Supplemental Security (SSI) benefits directly, some people need
assistance in managing their finances.  Benefits to these
individuals are paid through representative payees who receive
the checks on behalf of the beneficiaries and provide for their
personal needs.
     The process of assigning a representative payee begins when
Social Security is made aware that a beneficiary cannot handle
his or her own benefits.  Usually, this occurs when another
person applies for benefits on the beneficiary's behalf.
     In each case, medical or other evidence must establish that
the beneficiary is not capable of managing his or her own
benefits before a representative payee will be assigned.  For
many beneficiaries, a family member or friend serves as the
payee. But for a growing number of individuals, no one is
available to fill this role.  In an effort to ensure that
beneficiaries who are unable to handle their own finances have
qualified representative payees to act in this capacity, the
Social Security Administration is recruiting organizations with a
base of responsible volunteers.
     For groups interested in pursuing payee programs or for more
information about Social Security, we have produced an
educational closed-captioned video, "Serving as a Representative
Payee".  For more information, please call or write to: Louise
Ross, Office of Public Affairs, Social Security Administration,
P.O. Box 17743, Baltimore, MD 21235; (410) 965-4031.

**Growth in Florida:
     From the Editor: President Maurer recently received a letter
from Wayne Davis, the President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Florida, which underscores the growth and progress which
the Federation is experiencing in that state. The letter said in
part:
     "I am writing to give you a picture of the growth we have
experienced here in the NFB of Florida in the past year. As you
well remember, we got our merchants division chapter started at
our 1991 state convention. The president is Richard Cruz of
Tallahassee. In March of this year we started a new chapter in
Pinellas County, which is the St. Petersburg area. The president
of that chapter is Doug Towne. In May of this year we started a
new chapter in Pompano Beach. Joseph Naulty, who resigned as
president of the South Palm Beach Chapter to start the new
Pompano Beach Chapter, was elected president. During the first
week of June we organized the Gator Chapter in Gainesville, and
the president is Julaine Arient-Rollman."
     Not only are the members of the NFB of Florida building and
strengthening the affiliate, they are also energetically engaged
in the day-to-day work of the Federation. Janet Caron, vice
president of the newly established Pompano Beach Chapter, was
recently awarded a plaque honoring her as "Advocate of the Year"
by the Broward County Human Relations Division's Advisory Board
for Persons with Disabilities.
     It is evident that Wayne Davis and the other members of the
NFB of Florida are building a united, strong organization, one
that will bring benefit to the lives of the blind of the state
and nation.

**Kurzweil for Sale:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
Kurzweil Reading Machine (model #7315-20)--This model has desk-
top scanner. Does not have hand scanner. Version 2 software.
Includes manual in print, Braille, and cassette. Machine and
manuals in excellent condition. Would like to sell for $6,000,
but will consider best offer. Contact: Mitchell Green, 1511 F
Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508, phone: (402) 435-8953.

**Expanding Public Service:

                                              Nederland, Colorado
                                                    June 22, 1992

Dear Mr. Maurer:
     I am proud to tell you that I have been elected by popular
vote as trustee for the town of Nederland, Colorado. I am the
first-ever elected blind person to serve in this office.
     I also came out of the Boulder County Democratic Party
Convention with a unanimous delegate vote as the candidate for
Colorado State House of Representatives, District 13.
Unfortunately, I was disqualified for this office by the
Secretary of State due to a length of time registration
qualification.
     I am a member of the Boulder, Colorado, Chapter of the NFB
and attribute much of my public work to the encouragement of
Homer Page. I give you this information to say thank you to NFB
and to encourage others to try, try, try. See you in Charlotte!

                                              David H. Shortridge

**Want to Adopt a Child:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     "Christian couple, married 18 years and childless, seeks to
adopt a son between the ages of three and twelve. Couple offers a
rural home, education in private Christian school, and enough
love and personal attention to spoil any child. Couple will
accept child of American, European, Hispanic, Oriental, Asian, or
(most especially) Jewish birth. Couple also accepts mild
exceptionalities such as partial sight, speech impediment, mild
retardation, loss of one limb. Couple cannot afford private
attorneys' fees or securities required for foreign children.
Therefore, there is an opportunity for some person or persons who
would like to provide for an orphan to have a part by providing
this initial fee if necessary. Contact: Joyce and John Stiff,
Route 5, Box 215, Savannah, Tennessee 38372, phone (901) 925-
5108. No collect calls, please."

**Canes Needed:
     Junerose Killian of Connecticut has asked that we carry the
following announcement:
     Have you canes that are unwanted, outgrown, or no longer
needed? The Cultural Exchange and International Program Committee
of the NFB sends canes to our blind brothers and sisters in
developing countries. Please send these cane donations, Free
Matter, to: Mrs. Junerose M. Killian, 7 Champlin Hill Court,
Niantic, Connecticut 06357. To Monitor readers overseas: If you
request a cane, please indicate your height so that we may send a
cane of appropriate length.

**Music Center:
     Buddy Gray is a Federationist who operates a piano tuning
and music center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He sells guitars, drums,
pianos, electronic keyboards, band instruments, sheet music, and
books. Federationists who are in the market for any of these
items should consider dealing with Mr. Gray. Not only is he a
Federationist but he says he will give a donation to the
Federation for each purchase that is made by a Monitor reader--
which means, of course, that you should identify yourself as one
when ordering from Mr. Gray. Contact: Buddy Gray Music Center,
505 15th Street, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401; phone (205) 345-1296.

**For Sale:
     John Neville has asked us to print the following:
     Eureka laptop computer for sale. It is in excellent working
condition with upgrades. Asking $2,000. If interested, please
write to Neville Physiotherapy Clinic, 810 Vernon Street, Nelson,
British Columbia, V1L 4G5, CANADA; or call (604) 352-2414.

**Good News for Personal Computer Users:
     We have been asked to print the following: 
     Recording for the Blind announces its first catalog on
computer disk. The Quarterly Disk Catalog, QDC for short, is now
available from RFB. Each issue of the QDC lists every book added
to RFB's audiotape library during the previous three months. The
QDC also contains the catalog of RFB's entire electronic text
collection, called E-text.
     The Quarterly Disk Catalog comes complete with a reading
program called READ and step-by-step instructions. QDC entries
include title, author, publisher, date, and edition, as well as
an annotation and subject headings describing the book, its table
of contents, and the RFB shelf number for easy ordering. A QDC
subscription is $12 per year. To subscribe, send your name and
address, along with your payment (check, money order, MasterCard,
or Visa), to RFB Customer Services, 20 Roszel Road, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540; or call toll free at 1-800-221-4792.

**Elevator Markers:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     For over eleven years Aids Unlimited, Inc., has been
supplying Touch 'N See Tactile Markers with Braille and raised
characters for elevators, rest rooms, other rooms and spaces, or
to handle almost any special need. Touch 'N See Tactile Markers
meet the requirements of ADA. To meet the increasing demand of
all types of organizations to comply with ADA, the Easier Ways
Division of Aids Unlimited, Inc., is appointing qualified blind
persons nationally as manufacturer's representatives to market
Touch 'N See Tactile Markers. For further information call Hal
Bleakley at (410) 659-0232 Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, or write: Aids Unlimited, Inc., 1101
North Calvert Street, Suite 405, Baltimore, Maryland 21202.

**Elected:
     Sandy Jo Hansen, Vice President of the Black Hills Chapter
of the National Federation of the Blind of South Dakota, reports
that on June 4, 1992, the chapter held its annual election. The
following members were elected to office: Joe Bollwerk,
President; Sandy Hansen, Vice-President/Treasurer; Irene Sears,
Secretary; and Nobel Mellegard, Board member.

**Bowlers Not Bowled Over by Bowl-A-Thon:
     The Capital District Chapter in Albany, New York reports the
following success story: 
     On Saturday, May 2, 1992, our NFB chapter  held its annual
bowl-a-thon to raise funds for the chapter and the state
affiliate. The unusual thing about this event was that we pulled
it off without rails or sighted volunteers to keep score, guide
bowlers to the alleys, or help them find balls. Though we had
thought one volunteer was going to come, he was not able to. 
     In true NFB spirit, one member figured out how to keep
score, those with better hearing helped others find the alleys,
and some used sheer guts and determination in order to keep our
fund-raiser from going into the gutter. A good time was had by
all--reconfirming our conviction that blindness is merely a
nuisance.

**T-Shirts for Sale:
     Hazel Staley, President of the National Federation of the
Blind of North Carolina, writes to say that the affiliate still
has a few T-shirts commemorating the 1992 convention for sale.
They are five dollars each, plus one dollar per shirt for
shipping. We still have all sizes. Shirts may be ordered by
contacting Hazel Staley, 5310 Farm Pond Lane, Charlotte, North
Carolina 28212.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Joe DeBeer's 90th birthday party was held at the
home of Jan Bailey in Rochester, Minnesota. Pictured holding the
cake with Joe are Pam Iverson and President of the NFB of
Minnesota, Joyce Scanlan.]

**Birthday Celebration:
     More than thirty-five friends helped long-time NFB member
Joe DeBeer celebrate his ninetieth birthday on Saturday, June 6,
1992, at the home of Federationist Jan Bailey in Rochester,
Minnesota. Monitor readers will remember Joe from his lively
presentation during our fiftieth anniversary convention in
Dallas, Texas. Joe attended his first National Convention in 1941
but had been active back home in Minnesota for years. To this day
Joe stays active in the Federation in his community. He is
looking forward to his one hundredth birthday.

**FEMA Adds Emergency Publications:
     We have been asked to print the following: 
     Three additional emergency public information booklets have
recently been made available by the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) in formats accessible to visually impaired persons.
     FEMA Director Wallace E. Stickney said the three
publications are part of FEMA's commitment to provide emergency
preparedness self-help information to all sectors of the American
public.
     The "Checklist for Emergency Preparedness" (L-154) provides
general information for personal and family emergency
preparedness to meet a variety of situations. "Your Family
Disaster Supplies Kit" (L-189) lists tips on the types of
resources to keep on hand should an emergency such as an
earthquake or hurricane occur. "Emergency Food and Water
Supplies" (FEMA-215) offers suggestions on life-sustaining foods
and means of obtaining potable water if utilities break down.
     The three pamphlets have been combined into one special
publication available in Braille or on a single audio cassette.
Copies of the "Emergency Preparedness Checklist" alone are also
available on 16-2/3 rpm flexible soundsheets. FEMA plans to
produce other public information materials in accessible formats
in its ongoing effort to meet the requirements of the Americans
with Disabilities Act.
     To order, write to FEMA, P.O. Box 70274, Washington, D.C.
20024. To order all three publications on cassette or in Braille,
ask for FEMA Publications L-154, L-189, and FEMA-215 combined,
and specify format. Specify flexible soundsheet if you wish to
receive the "Emergency Preparedness Checklist" (L-154) alone.

**For Sale:
     We have been asked to print the following:
     Spanish Made Simple, by Jackson and Rubio, includes complete
text of inkprint book through chapter fourteen and Spanish-
English, English-Spanish glossaries in six Braille volumes,
excellent condition, and complete inkprint text included, $45. If
interested, please do not send money, but reply in Braille or
cassette if possible (no phone calls, please) to Janell Peterson,
303 Harvard Avenue, East, Apt. 302, Seattle, Washington 98102.

[PHOTO: Portrait. CAPTION: Ever Lee Hailey.]

**Wedding Bells:
     On May 23, 1992, Ever Lee Hailey (President of the Garden
State Chapter and member of the Board of Directors of the
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey) and Daniel Dow (a
computer programmer, accounting teacher, and consumer advocate,
who works for the New Jersey Commission for the Blind) were
married at the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Haddonfield, New
Jersey.  Congratulations to the newlyweds!

**New Catalog of Braille Books Available:
     Seedlings Braille Books for Children's new 1993 catalog
became available September 1, 1992. Twenty-nine exciting new
selections have been added, bringing the total number of books
available in Braille to one hundred sixty-two.
     Prices have not been raised for the seventh straight year,
and the average price is just $8.00 per book (which is half of
what it costs to produce the books).
     The types of books offered range from board books for
infants, complete with print, Braille, pictures, and textures, to
Nancy Drew Mysteries for eight- to twelve-year-olds.
     These books are kept in stock, and prompt shipping is a high
priority, but please order early to avoid the holiday rush. To
obtain a catalog, write to Seedlings, P.O. Box 2395, Livonia,
Michigan 48151-0395; or call (313) 427-8552.

**Planning to Move?
     Since 1989 the National Federation of the Blind has had an
agreement with North American Van Lines regarding members who use
North American to move household articles from one place to
another in the forty-eight lower, contiguous states (which does
not include Alaska and Hawaii). Several members have used this
service and have saved a considerable amount of money in doing
so. North American recently increased the amount of discount
which they will offer us. If you arrange for North American Van
Lines to move, you will get a contract that will let you move
with forty-two percent off the normal moving costs and thirty-
five percent off the normal storage costs. In addition to the
rate reduction, for those who use this program North American
will make a contribution to the National Federation of the Blind
equal to two percent of all costs of moving.   
     If you want to contract with North American Van Lines to
move your posessions, you should call Cindy Rupples at 1-800-873-
2673. Tell her that you are a member of the National Federation
of the Blind, that you have heard about the agreement between the
National Federation of the Blind and North American Van Lines
giving these discounts, and that you want to sign up for your
move. Then remind her that two percent of the moving costs will
be contributed to the National Federation of the Blind.

**Elected:
     The National Association to Promote the Use of Braille held
its annual convention meeting on June 30, 1992. The following
officers were elected to serve one year terms: Betty Niceley,
President; Mike Freeman, Vice President; Nadine Jacobson, Second
Vice President; Linda Mentink, Secretary; and Dr. Emerson Foulke,
Treasurer. Dues for NAPUB are now $5 and should be sent to Mrs.
Betty Niceley, 3618 Dayton Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky 40207.

**Modern Maturity and New Choices Magazines Now Available:
     Catherine Randall, who chairs the National Federation of the
Blind Committee Dealing with the Concerns of the Senior Blind,
reports the following information: Senior blind friends can order
Modern Maturity magazine from the Arizona Regional Library for
the Blind through inter-library loan by contacting their regional
libraries for the blind. New Choices magazine is offered on
flexible disk from the National Library Service. Those interested
in receiving a subscription should contact their regional
libraries for further information.
     Mrs. Randall gave particular thanks to Frank Kurt Cylke,
Director of the National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped, for his responsiveness to the needs of
older blind Americans.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Sharon Gold, pictured here with William Barr,
Attorney General of the United States.]

**Job Opportunities at the U.S. Department of Justice:
     For the past several years the National Federation of the
Blind, our Job Opportunities for the Blind Project, and the
National Association of Blind Lawyers have been working closely
with the United States Department of Justice to direct qualified
blind persons to fill positions available in the Department. A
representative from the Selective Placement Program of the
Department's Equal Opportunity Office has participated in NFB
conventions to recruit qualified blind lawyers.
     On June 4, 1992, Attorney General William Barr held a
meeting in Washington, D.C., with representatives of the disabled
community. Its purpose was to discuss ways to locate qualified
blind and disabled persons who might be interested in applying
for employment in the Justice Department.
     Sharon Gold, President of the National Association of Blind
Lawyers, was invited to attend this meeting.  She commended the
Department of Justice and Attorney General Barr for taking the
lead in publicizing employment opportunities in the legal
profession to the blind and disabled community and recommended
that this information be disseminated through the Rehabilitation
Services Administration to the state departments of
rehabilitation and other agencies serving the blind and disabled.
In this way those counseling blind and disabled persons would be
aware of the many career opportunities within the U.S. Department
of Justice for attorneys, interns, and others interested in
related careers, both in Washington, D.C., and across the
country.
     For more information, contact the U.S. Department of
Justice, Office of Personnel Management, Washington, D.C. 20530.

**New Chapter:
     We have just received the following announcement from Ronda
Del Boccio: We are pleased to announce that the High Plains
Chapter of the NFB of Colorado came to life this summer. This
Greeley-based chapter has already begun working on issues of
local importance, including improving bus and paratransit
service. The chapter officers are as follows: President: Ronda
Del Boccio; Vice President: Peggy Woodward; Secretary: Harold
Luke; Treasurer: Peter Reum; Board Member: Gertrude Duff.

**Computer Game for Sale:
     "Run for President," Version 3.0, is now available. This is
an IBM and IBM-compatible computer game  that works well with
speech output and has great sound effects. The player runs
against the computer for President of the United States,
travelling around the country and gathering electoral votes. The
version 3.0 upgrade costs $5 to authorized users and $20 to new
purchasers. For your copy send a check to Richard DeSteno, 20
Meadowbrook Road, Short Hills, New Jersey 07078. For more
information call (201) 379-7471. The game will be sent on a 5
1/4-inch diskette unless a 3 1/2-inch one is required.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Pictured here (left to right) are Sharon Maneki,
Anna Cable (seated in wheelchair), Cherry King, Tom Bickford,
Jerry King, Judy Rasmussen, Lloyd Rasmussen, Al Maneki, Brenda
Mueller, Al Saile, and Evelyn Saile.]

**Ninety-Ninth Birthday Celebration:
     Sharon Maneki, President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Maryland, reports in the Summer/Fall, 1992, edition of
the Braille Spectator: 
     On a sunny Saturday afternoon, May 23, a dozen members from
the Central Maryland and Sligo Creek Chapters brought a birthday
cake, punch, cookies, coffee, and an assortment of gifts to the
Columbia home of Anna Cable to celebrate her ninety-ninth
birthday, which actually was to occur on June 29. The earlier
date was chosen since most of the participants would be at our
national convention on Anna's birthday.
     Everyone at the birthday party could not help being
impressed by the physical strength, mental prowess, and zest for
life shown by this magnificent woman. She still lives
independently in a home managed by Catholic Charities. She
remembered the names of spouses and children of members of the
Sligo Creek Chapter whom she had not seen in years. She regaled
us with stories of her youth in Ohio. A charter member of the
Sligo Creek Chapter, she recalled an earlier incident in the
chapter's history when membership had diminished and a vote was
taken to dissolve the chapter. She could not vote for
dissolution; the Sligo Creek Chapter has grown and prospered ever
since.
     Anna learned to read Braille in her sixties and was an avid
Braille reader for many years. She was baking cookies for Sligo
Creek Chapter bake sales as late as eight years ago. She
confessed that she had to give up writing letters on a typewriter
last year and is now forced to carry on her correspondence,
including writing periodically to a group of fifth graders, with
the assistance of a reader.
     At the end of an enjoyable gathering, Anna Cable unwrapped
her many birthday gifts. Her response to a gift certificate for
dinner for four at Morgan's, donated by the Columbia Hilton, was
typical: "When do I go?" The certificate is valid for the next
twelve months. There is no doubt at all that Anna and her friends
will get over to Morgan's one of these days for a fine dinner.
     Happy birthday, Anna! Our hopes and our prayers go with you.
You are an inspiration to all of us.

**For Sale:
     Four-month-old Navigator with forty-character display,
eight-dot computer Braille cell. Price includes all manuals,
accessories and shipping. Still under warranty. Will consider any
offer above $5,500. Contact Maureen Young, evenings or weekends
at (619) 260-1213. No collect calls please.