                       THE BRAILLE MONITOR

                            May, 1987

                    Kenneth Jernigan, 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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       articles for the Monitor, and letters to the Editor
             should be sent to the National Office. 

                             * * * *
 


Monitor subscriptions cost the Federation about twenty-five 
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made payable to National Federation of the Blind and sent to: 
 

                National Federation of the Blind
                       1800 Johnson Street
                   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

                  NFB NET BBS:  (612) 696-1975
               WorldWide Web:  http://www.nfb.org
CONTENTS

MAY 1987

HAVE YOU MADE YOUR RESERVATIONS FOR PHOENIX

THE CAROL COULTER CASE
VICTORY FOR THE BLIND OF MISSOURI AND THE NATION

VICTORY IN THE BILL SAKER CASE by Diane McGeorge

NLS COMMENTS ON ABRIDGEMENT OF BRAILLE BOOKS

SEATTLE AQUARIUM SEES IT OUR WAY:  DOG GUIDES NOW ALLOWED IN
  by Albert Sanchez

MODEL LAW FOR INSURING BLIND URGED

NOTES FROM AN UNPROFESSIONAL WRITER by Mary Main

RITA LYNCH
STORY OF SUCCESS

MY FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO WORK by Donna Hemp

WSSB AND THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE by Ben Prows

MARK TWAIN SPEAKS AT A MEETING TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE BLIND

LACK OF VISION NO HANDICAP, SAYS BLIND PLAYER AS SHE SETS SIGHTS
ON SUPER BOWL OF SCRABBLE

PROCLAMATIONS

CANE TRAVEL WORKSHOP
  by Christine Boone

RECIPES

MONITOR MINIATURES


     Copyright, National Federation of the Blind, Inc., 1987
HAVE YOU MADE YOUR RESERVATIONS FOR PHOENIX


  Have you written to the National Office to make your
reservations for the National Federation of the Blind convention
in Phoenix this summer?  Better hurry.  There will be mesquite
cooking, wonderful convention hotels and meeting rooms, tens of
thousands of dollars of prizes (including a grand prize of $1,500
to be drawn at the banquet), stimulating program items, and the
renewal of friendships and the making of new ones. 
Federationists will begin arriving at the convention hotel by
Friday, June 26, and many will stay until Sunday, July 5.  It
will be a memorable convention with exciting activities.  Get
your reservations in, and let's get together in Phoenix.


THE CAROL COULTER CASE

VICTORY FOR THE BLIND OF MISSOURI AND THE NATION


  The January, 1987, Blind Missourian
(the publication of the National Federation of the Blind of
Missouri) carries two articles concerning the Carol Coulter case.

The first, entitled "I'm Glad It's Over," is by Tom Stevens; and
the second, entitled "'Safety' Used to Deny Opportunity: The NFB
Responds," is by state President Gary Wunder.  These articles are
accompanied by the relevant correspondence which completes the
picture.
  The story is simply told.  It deals with Carol Coulter, who was
denied an unrestricted day care license solely on the ground that
she was blind.  Of course, the Federation could not permit this
situation to go unchallenged, nor could we rest until it was
favorably resolved.  Here is the way it happened as told by Tom
Stevens, Gary Wunder, and the correspondence:

--------------------

I'm Glad It's Over

by Tom Stevens

  That was the reaction of Carol Coulter as she commented on the
controversy that had involved her for nearly a year.  She was
speaking of the fact that she has been issued a certificate by
Missouri Division of Family Services which states that she can
conduct a day care service for children 0-12 years old.  That
certificate is unlike an earlier one which stated: "... with a
full-time assistant present at all times."
  Carol and her husband Gene joined the National Federation of
the Blind when they were students at the University of Missouri
at Columbia.  Both served their terms as Columbia Chapter
president and were active in the student organization.  After
graduation in 1982 Carol spent almost two years seeking a job and
becoming a mother, "... which slowed down looking for a job."  In
April of 1984 she took a job as a social worker with Missouri
Division of Family Services and resigned a year later to take a
job at a day care center.  She was the lead teacher at the
center, supervising one adult worker and nine infants.
  After Carol had made the application, a DFS worker named Mary
C. Parker came to the Coulter home to look things over.  There
seemed to be no problem, but Carol was concerned.
  When the first certificate was issued, it had the infamous
restriction requiring her to have a sighted attendant.  Carol
wrote a request for clarification and received a letter
(reprinted later in this article).
  Even though she had a limited certificate, Carol wasted no time
in getting her business started.  Employing a full- time sighted
assistant, she found business somewhat slow.
  Meanwhile an appeal was made to the Office for Civil Rights. 
There were visits from an OCR representative and from others
working for DFS.  Carol believes "The questions they asked could
have been asked of anyone, and no question about blindness was
asked." The eight-month wait ended in mid- November of 1986 with
the unrestricted certificate.
  The necessity for an assistant was highly uneconomical. 
"Basically, I was doing the day care for nothing," noted Carol.

Presence of NFB

  How did the NFB help?  "Mostly by supporting.  If I had not
been a member, I might have given up.  But I knew that if I let
the restriction stand, they might do the same thing to someone
else."
  When she joined the NFB several years ago Carol had no idea
that she might need the assistance and support that the NFB has
provided in this case.  She did not ask what the "country" could
do for her.  Instead, she has assisted others.  Fortunately,
because of her prior preparation, we of the NFB were there.  That
is our way.

--------------------

"Safety" Used to Deny Opportunity The NFB Responds

by Gary Wunder

  In last year's presidential report I mentioned Carol Coulter
and her difficulty with the Division of Family Services (DFS). 
Although Carol is certified to teach school, the Division of
Family Services determined that she could be licensed to provide
day care for children only if she had an assistant on duty at all
times.  The letter from the Division states very clearly just how
limited blind people are considered to be.  It states that
children sometimes fight and that Carol would not know that a
fight was in progress and would not know which child or children
were in need of care.  It also says that children sometimes
require medication and raises concerns about Carol's ability to
administer it.  The letter assumes that the only method a blind
person might use is to place a bottle in a specific location and
then speculates that someone might move the bottle or bottles,
and children might be given the wrong medication.
  Shortly after the state convention the NFB of Missouri filed a
complaint with the Office for Civil Rights alleging
discrimination on the basis of blindness.  We said that the
failure fully to license Carol was discriminatory because
(1) there was no reasonable basis for issuing a restricted
license and (2) the action was detrimental to Carol because it
increased her cost of doing business.  In fact, the need for an
assistant made the business unprofitable unless Carol cared for
six or more children.
  After eight months of negotiating and waiting, the Division of
Family Services has rendered its decision.  Carol has won a
complete victory.  She is fully licensed with no restriction or
requirement for an assistant.
  The correspondence speaks for itself, but I have some
additional thoughts.  The Coulter case shows just how much we can
accomplish when we set our minds to a task.  Collectively, we are
a strong and vital movement.  Part of why we are strong has to do
with courage, and there is no better example of courage to be
found than in the case of Gene and Carol Coulter.  Gene works for
the Division of Family Services, the very agency we brought
action against.  The Coulter family risked their very livelihood
to do what was right, and in part they did this because they
believed that the National Federation of the Blind would see that
justice prevailed.
  The business of helping blind people is no game.  Our impact on
the lives of blind people is enormous, and the consequences of
our action or inaction are both frightening and encouraging.
  If we do not take action, Carol and other blind persons are
excluded from providing day care services.  Where there is no
NFB, it is frightening to think that another opportunity for
gainful self-employment is denied.  The strangling noose of
unemployment is tightened.
  When we of the NFB enter into these cases, there is great
reason for optimism.  We play the game seriously.  The final
victory is ours when we have the courage and the determination to
take it.

--------------------

                Jefferson City, Missouri March 11, 1986

Dear Ms. Coulter:
  This is to advise you that after a study and evaluation of your
day care facility a Certificate of License is enclosed and being
issued as follows: 6 children, ages infant through 12 years with
no more than 3 under age 2 including only 2 under age 1, with a
full-time assistant present at all times (daytime care only). 
This License is issued to you effective March 3, 1986, through
January 31, 1987.  It is not transferable.
  Your facility has been assigned #000201776.  Please use this
number on any correspondence with our office.
  It is our plan to continue to visit your day care facility
during the year, not only to help you continue to meet licensing
rules, but also to offer suggestions for improving your child
care practice.  The services of the Licensing Representative are
always available to you.
  Licensing rules require that the Certificate of License be
posted inside near the entrance of the facility where it may be
easily seen by parents or others who visit.
  You have the responsibility to be aware of and comply with all
applicable zoning, building, fire, and safety requirements.  The
issuance of this license does not supersede these local
requirements.
  We appreciate your cooperation in helping us determine your
eligibility for licensure, and we look forward to working with
you.

                              Sincerely, Pat A. Wojciehowski
                 Acting State Supervisor Licensing Unit
             Division of Family Services

--------------------

                Jefferson City, Missouri March 20, 1986

Dear Ms. Coulter:
  I have received and reviewed your March 13, 1986, letter.  As
you recall, you requested an explanation on why it was necessary
to specify that you have a full-time assistant present at all
times.  You also stated a licensed provider may care for up to
six (6) children without an assistant present.
  According to the licensing summary provided by Ms. Parker, she
states you are legally blind with correctable vision to 20/200. 
After consultation with her supervisor and myself, it is felt
that for the safety of the children an assistant needs to be
present in the home at all times.
  The decision was based on the fact that should an emergency
situation arise, for example a fire, an assistant would be able
to aid you in finding the children, so they could be evacuated
from your facility.
  We also based the decision on the fact that should a child need
medication, you may not be able to tell if you are providing the
proper medication to the child.  For example, a mother provides
medication for her child and signs the forms so you may give the
child the medication.  You place it in a safe container. 
Inadvertently it gets moved.  How could you tell if this was the
correct medication for the child?  An assistant could provide the
assurance the child is receiving the proper medication.
  Another factor in making the decision was how would you tell if
two children in the same proximity need assistance?  Again, an
assistant could provide you with the information on which child
needed your assistance.
  We have a similar situation in another part of the state.  The
provider has an assistant present at all times, and it is working
very well.  It is good to see other interested people like
yourself providing day care to children in your area.  It is
often a difficult task and requires many long hours as you well
know.
  I hope I have answered your questions.  Should you have further
questions, do not hesitate to contact your Licensing
Representative, Mary Caroline Parker.

                              Sincerely, Pat Wojciehowski

--------------------

                Jefferson City, Missouri November 19, 1986

Dear Mrs. Coulter:
  This is to advise you that after study and evaluation of your
day care facility it has been determined that you comply with day
care licensing rules without the requirement of employing a
full-time assistant.  Therefore, this condition has been removed
from your license to operate a day care home.  A new Certificate
of License is being issued as follows: 6 children, ages infant
through 12 years with no more than 3 under age 2 including only 
2 under age 1 (daytime care only).
  I wish to thank you and Mr. Wunder for your cooperation and
assistance in helping us determine your eligibility for licensure
without an assistant.
  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions
regarding this matter.

                              Sincerely, Jerry Simon
               Assistant Deputy Director Children's Services


VICTORY IN THE BILL SAKER CASE

by Diane McGeorge


  This article appears in the Winter, 1986, issue of News and
Views, the newsletter of the National Federation of the Blind of
Colorado.  It emphasizes once again the impact which the National
Federation of the Blind can have on the lives of blind
individuals and why it is important for the blind person to
participate on a daily basis in the activities of the Federation
at the local chapter and state affiliate level, as well as
nationally.  If someone (in fact, a great many someones) had not
worked in previous years to build and strengthen the Federation,
it would not have been vigorous enough and knowledgeable enough
to help Bill Saker when he needed it.  Here is the article:

  Bill Saker came to his first NFB of Denver Chapter meeting
about four years ago.  He was then a student at the University of
Denver, studying to become a clinical psychologist.  He was first
introduced to the organization by Betsy Zaborowski, and although
Bill came to the chapter meetings from time to time I don't think
he really felt that the NFB was an organization which would be of
much importance in his life.  He was a busy student and didn't
have time to bother with monthly chapter meetings or the drudgery
of the daily routine of participation.
  Bill moved to Boston in 1983 to enroll in his internship
program in order to obtain his doctoral degree in psychology. 
Betsy was also in her internship at another hospital in the
Boston area, and when we were NAC tracking she brought Bill to
the picket line and talked with him about why we were
demonstrating against the oppression of NAC.  While in Boston
Bill became an active member of our Cambridge Chapter.  He
returned to Denver in June of 1985 and in February of 1986 began
employment with Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital.
  During our recent state convention we discussed the Bill Saker
case during that agenda item entitled "The National Federation of
the blind in Action." Bill had been notified by Social Security
that the stipend he received during his internship would be
considered salary.  Once again, as in Wayne Miller's case, he was
ordered to repay a substantial amount of money.
  On October 1, 1986, a hearing took place before the
Administrative Law Judge in Denver.  "The NFB is the authority on
Social Security regulations concerning the blind, and that
information became invaluable in presenting the facts accurately
during my hearing," Bill said.  On November 25 Bill received a
favorable decision from Judge Rucker.  We quote the decision in
part:

--------------------

Findings

  1. The claimant was found to be disabled within the meaning of
the Social Security Act beginning on August 22, 1975.
  2. The claimant's impairment was, and still remains, statutory
blindness.
  3. The claimant, during 1983, was a clinical psychology intern
at the Boston Veteran's Administration Center.
  4. The Veteran's Administration Hospital provides a stipend for
all interns in the amount of $10,000.00 which is not related to
the services rendered by the students during their internship
(which is a mandatory aspect of their curricula for the doctor's
degree in clinical psychology).
  5. The claimant's internship during 1983 does not constitute
substantial gainful activity within the meaning of this Act and
Regulations.
  6. The claimant's disability ceased in December, 1985, when he
first demonstrated his ability to engage in substantial gainful
activity.


NLS COMMENTS ON ABRIDGEMENT OF BRAILLE BOOKS


                    Danbury, Connecticut February 5, 1987

Mr. Frank Kurt Cylke Director
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. Cylke:
  In the handcopied Braille version of the American Presidency by
Richard M.  Pious a transcriber's note appears.  It states that
all footnotes will be omitted because the works cited "are
unavailable."
  I had thought that the issue of abridging books was settled
long ago in favor of completeness.  It seems self- evident to me
that footnotes deemed helpful to the sighted would be of equal
value to the blind.  I have observed that if a blind person wants
to read a book, he or she will find a way to get it read.
  Is the omission of footnotes from Braille books a matter of NLS
policy, or is this one instance an aberration?  Thank you very
much for your attention to this matter.

                              Sincerely, Richard Fox

--------------------

                        Washington, D.C.  February 18, 1987

Dear Mr. Fox:
  Thank you for your letter of February 5, 1987, about the
omission of footnotes in the Braille edition of American
Presidency.  I can assure you this was indeed an aberration.
  On investigation my staff found that this book had been
transcribed in 1979 by volunteers.  The NLS Technical Standards
used by volunteer organizations in the transcription of Braille
titles for this agency state that no omissions can be made
without a justifiable reason and prior approval by the NLS
contract monitor.  If an omission has to be made, the following
statement must appear at the end of the table of contents page in
the first volume: "This Braille edition contains the entire text
of the print edition except --- ."  This is the only statement
which should appear--certainly not such a comment as you found
about books not being available.
  I believe the aberration in this instance happened because the
work done by volunteer transcribers, as well as our quality
assurance of titles produced for the program by these individuals
or groups, was not enforced to the extent it could have been
prior to 1982--due to personnel shortages.  Since that time
strict monitoring of volunteer contracts and quality assurance
have been instituted here at NLS, and mistakes of this type are
not tolerated.
  I have directed my staff to have American Presidency produced
in its entirety as press Braille.  The title received excellent
reviews when it was published and should be in our national
collection.  The Braille edition could be available to you within
the year.
  Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

                        Sincerely yours, Frank Kurt Cylke


SEATTLE AQUARIUM SEES IT OUR WAY:  DOG GUIDES NOW ALLOWED IN

by Albert Sanchez


  As Federationists know, the NFB of Washington has for the past
two years been deeply involved in the Jackie Galloway situation
(see Braille Monitor for November, 1985, and December, 1986).  At
the same time we have been active to achieve equality and
fairness under the White Cane Law of the state of Washington for
dog guide users in a different part of our state.
  Last June at the installation luncheon for the newly elected
officers of the Greater Seattle Chapter one of the agenda items
was a talk given by Pat Ostenson from the Seattle Aquarium.  One
of the things that she told us about was the availability of a
cassette tape that included reading and descriptions of the
various displays along the tour.
  Then, as often happens, the other shoe fell when she began
telling us about their policy regarding dog guides.  The
veterinary and biological departments had determined that it was
dangerous to the aquatic life residing in some parts of the
aquarium to allow dogs in the immediate vicinity.  The policy
went on to define two solutions to the matter:
(1) Dog guide users would be restricted to certain "safe"
segments of the tour and be able to keep their dogs with them; or
(2) If the dog guide users insisted upon taking the complete
tour, they would be required to be separated from their dog
(which would be taken care of by a staff person) while the blind
person was taken (by another staff person) through those portions
of the tour that were restricted to the dog.
  As it can be imagined, when it came time for questions and
comments from the audience the overall view was expressed that
neither of these so-called solutions was acceptable and that in
fact the policy might be in violation of the White Cane Law.
  After much discussion state president Gary Mackenstadt directed
the NFB of Washington Dog Guide Committee to work with the
aquarium to try and resolve the differences.
  In November, as chairman of that committee, I met with Mr. John
McMahon, director, and other department heads of the aquarium. 
Our meeting was cordial, and as the attached memorandum
indicates, very productive.  Just another reason--Why the
National Federation of the Blind.

--------------------

Memorandum

December 17, 1986
TO: All Staff
FROM: John McMahon
RE: New Dog Guide Policy

  At a recent meeting held at the request of Al Sanchez of the
National Federation of the Blind we reviewed Aquarium policy
which closed the marine mammal area to dog guides.
  The following individuals attended that meeting: Mr. Sanchez,
C.J. Casson, Pat Ostenson, Robert Anderson, and myself.
  In preparation for that meeting I obtained information about
dog guide policy from: New England Aquarium, New York Aquarium,
National Aquarium in Baltimore, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Shedd
Aquarium.  None of these facilities had a policy as restrictive
as ours and, more importantly, none had any difficulties due to
dog guides (and in one case, untrained pet dogs) in their marine
mammal areas.
  Also, in preparation for the meeting C.J. Casson reviewed
current information regarding virus (parvovirus) transmission
with our veterinarian, Dr. Karesh.
  After a discussion of the training and health care requirements
of dog guides by Mr. Sanchez, C.J. Casson recommended that
Seattle Aquarium policy be changed.  After additional discussion
it was the consensus of the group that Seattle Aquarium policy be
changed so as not to restrict visually impaired visitors or
hinder their mobility in the marine mammal areas.
  Therefore, effective immediately, Seattle Aquarium policy is to
offer visually impaired visitors accompanied by dog guides the
same access to Seattle Aquarium facilities as sighted visitors. 
Our former restrictions which did not permit dog guides in the
marine mammal areas no longer apply.
  We appreciate your compliance with this new policy.  If you
have any questions, please let me know.


MODEL LAW FOR INSURING BLIND URGED


  (This article by Gaynell Terrell appeared in the February 10,
1987, Clarion (Mississippi) Ledger.  It shows what can be done
when the blind work with purpose and determination.  As
Federationists know, Sam Gleese is President of the National
Federation of the Blind of Mississippi, and E. U.  Parker is a
past president and one of the leaders of the organization.  Here
is what the article says.)

  Advocates for the blind say the state should strengthen
regulations prohibiting insurance companies from discriminating
against blind persons who seek to buy life, accident, or health
insurance.
  And on Monday they took their case to the state Insurance
Department.
  "The proposed regulation would benefit blind persons in the
state of Mississippi tremendously," said Sam Gleese, President of
the National Federation of the Blind of Mississippi.
  The Insurance Department held a hearing on a proposed model law
supporting the right of blind persons to buy life, health, and
accident insurance at the same price as sighted persons. 
Interested parties have five days to submit written material for
or against the proposal.  The state then has thirty days to
decide whether to put it into effect.
  The Mississippi Association of Life Underwriters supports the
model law.
  Officials with the state's vocational rehabilitation for the
blind estimate 8,281 persons in Mississippi have been declared
legally blind, the largest number of blind persons per capita in
the nation.  About 755 new cases of blindness are reported in the
state each year.  Many of these, advocates for the blind say,
have trouble getting insurance.
  In 1976 Mississippi became one of the first states to adopt
regulations preventing discrimination against the blind by
insurance companies.  State Insurance Commissioner George Dale
said the proposed regulation would be "more far- reaching" and in
line with stronger rules adopted by other states.
  Dale said insurance companies haven't proven that blind persons
are a greater risk for life or health insurance policies, and
until they do should not deny insurance to the blind.  He said
the proposed regulation will make it unlawful to deny insurance
because of blindness or charge the blind higher rates.
  E. U. Parker, 64, a State Farm Insurance agent in Laurel, has
been blind since the age of eleven.  He said insurance companies
have historically been reluctant to underwrite insurance policies
for the blind.  "The problem is that underwriters are people. 
They have prejudices just like everybody else."
  "Your better companies quit this type of discrimination in the
last fifteen years.  We've made great progress, but we haven't
gotten there yet," he said.
  Gleese said his case is one such example.  When he sought
health insurance for himself, his sighted wife, and daughter a
year ago he was told he was a poor risk.
  "They would insure my wife and daughter, but not me," he said. 
Since then the company, Western Fidelity, has written coverage
for Gleese and his family.


NOTES FROM AN UNPROFESSIONAL WRITER

by Mary Main


  (This article appeared in the December, 1986, Slate and Style,
the publication of the Writers' Division of the National
Federation of the Blind.  Mary Main is a published author.  She
is a leader of the National Federation of the Blind of
Connecticut.  She is a dedicated member of the movement.  Beyond
all of this, she is charming, witty, intelligent, down to earth,
and just plain fun.  Federationists will remember her
presentation at the NFB convention in Louisville in 1985.  Here
is what she has to say (perhaps too modestly) about her career as
a writer.)

  Only now when I am coming to the end of my writing career do I
realize how unprofessional a writer I am.  I knew nothing about
writing when I began.  I regarded it as a pastime, a pleasant
escape from the realities of life.  That eventually I was able to
publish half a dozen books and a number of short stories and
articles was due very largely to luck.
  I began trying to sell my stories while I was still living in
Buenos Aires, sending them overseas to London magazines.  They
were all returned, after several months, for the voyage took
three weeks.  Sometimes they came with an encouraging note; once
with a strip of apple peel between the pages.  Well, I thought,
at least the office boy has read my story.
  Only after I had come to live in New York, at about the time of
Pearl Harbor, did my luck change.  The timing was right.  The
short story was much, much more in demand then than it is now,
and many of the young writers were in the army or doing war work.

I, having been born in Argentina, was considered suspect and not
eligible for war work.  I volunteered for work in a children's
hospital, which left me plenty of time for my writing.  When I
sold a story to a church magazine for four dollars, I thought I
had it made--and so it seemed.  A few months later I sold a story
to Colliers Magazine for four hundred dollars.  I had in the
meantime acquired an agent, and here again I was in luck.  Helen
Strauss, who was to become one of the most successful literary
agents in New York, had recently joined the William Morris Agency
and was on the lookout for new writers.  Under her guidance my
stories sold--spasmodically to be sure--to the slick magazines. 
It was too easy, or so I thought.
  Because I sat at my desk for three or four hours a day, seven
days a week, I thought I was a professional writer.  I was not. 
Of course, the best way to learn to write is to sit down and
write, but there is much more to it than that.  I should have
begun many years before accumulating that knowledge and
experience which is to the writer what weightlifting is to the
athlete or worms to the fisherman, and I should have written it
all down.  Memory is not to be trusted for those specific details
which, when used with discretion, are what make a story
convincing.  Life in Argentina had given me a splendidly rich
background for my writing, but I had not made full use of it.  I
had not been inquisitive enough.  I had not asked enough
questions.  I had not observed how other people live and work.  I
had not listened to the rhythms of their speech.  When I came to
write, details were missing, and my first impressions (which
should have been retrieved from a diary) had lost their
freshness.
  I have not found that reading my manuscripts to my friends has
been of much use.  They were all too anxious not to hurt my
feelings.  On the other hand the criticisms of my editor or my
agent, although often as chilling as a mid- March plunge in the
ocean, were invaluable.
  Most of what I have learned about writing I have learned from
reading other people's books.  I have always been an omnivorous
reader.  I read for pleasure, which is, after all, the best way
to read.  But I did not keep my own writing in view.  I did not
study style and technique.  I did not decide whether I wanted to
write romantic novels, suspense stories, or biographies and read
the best in the field.  Indeed, I never did decide what sort of
book I meant to write.  I wrote largely for my own pleasure,
which is not perhaps the best way to write.
  Only when I began to read the biographies of other writers did
I realize how much experience, knowledge, scholarship, and plain
hard work went into their writing and gave so much depth and
richness to it.  Daunting as this discovery was, not only did I
find these biographies of absorbing interest, but they excited
and stimulated me.  They made me want to sit down and begin all
over again.  How much I wish I could.
  Had I been less lazy--and I must confess laziness was at the
bottom of my lack of professionalism--I might have built up an
audience for my stories before fiction became so much more
difficult to sell.  However, limited as my success has been, I
have never regretted becoming a writer.  To be sure it is a most
difficult way to earn a living, but it has given another
dimension to my life.  It has added immensely to my interest in
and understanding of the world around me, particularly of people.

Young or old, charming or detestable, brilliant or boring, people
are all grist to the author's mill.  Their feelings, their fears,
their failures, their foibles, are all threads to be woven into
that secret tapestry from which one day a story may emerge.
  Editor's note: Write to Mary Main at:  Old Mill Lane, Stamford,
Connecticut 06902.


RITA LYNCH

STORY OF SUCCESS


  Rita Lynch is one of the leaders of the National Federation of
the Blind of Missouri.  Her story symbolizes the accomplishments
which can be made when the positive force of the National
Federation of the Blind combines with the ambition and personal
determination of the individual.  Earlier this year Rita sent a
letter to the National Office of the Federation, telling of her
experience with the Federation and also of her experience with
the state agency.  With her letter she sent a newspaper article. 
If one read the article without reference to the letter, it would
give a different picture of the state agency from the one which
emerges when the article is taken in context.  Here in part is
what Rita says:

--------------------

                Jefferson City, Missouri January 23, 1987

Dear Dr. Jernigan:
  I am writing to explain the enclosed newspaper clipping.  It
appeared in the Sunday, January 18, issue of the Jefferson City
News and Tribune.  It pretty well explains the past year for me. 
This may not seem like much of an achievement to most people, but
I am proud of it myself.  I feel that I have come a long way in
the past five years.  In early 1982 I never would have dreamed of
how far I would come in just this short period of time.  Now I
feel very optimistic about the future.
  It all started when Barbara Cheadle called me to come to an
informational meeting about blindness sponsored by the National
Federation of the Blind.  There is so very much I could say about
how the NFB has changed my life, but I feel you already know
that.  I feel for those blind persons who do not know about the
Federation and those who do not realize the importance of adding
their strength to our movement.  In December of 1984 when I came
to the Leadership Seminar at our National Office I was and am so
proud of it.  I am very proud to be a Federationist and will
continue to do all I can to further our cause.
  It was not easy getting the state agency here in Missouri to
help me with my training by providing the equipment I needed, but
I kept after them and even had to go to the top to get some
action.  I felt the strength of the Federation behind me.  I am
so very grateful to all those who have made it possible for us to
have an organization which affects the lives of the blind so
greatly.  I shudder to think what it would be like without our
organization.  I realize, though, how important it is that we all
do everything we can to keep this movement alive.  As you say, we
must work for those who will need the Federation after us.  I am
ready, willing, and anxious at any time to do whatever I can for
our cause.

                              Sincerely, Rita Lynch

--------------------

JEFFERSON CITY NEWS AND TRIBUNE January 18, 1987

Vocational Training Pays Off For Blind Student

  Rita Lynch, wife and mother, has decided to go for it in the
computer office world!  She is enrolled in Office Technology at
Nichols Career Center.  Rita is blind.
  After she started losing her sight, soon after her high school
graduation, the organization National Federation of the Blind
(NFB) helped her build confidence and gave her courage to step
out to join the working world.  She is Vice President (and past
president) of the Jefferson City Chapter of the NFB and serves as
chairperson for the state legislative committee.
  "Now that my children are all in school, I made the decision to
get more training for a future career," says Rita.  Since
January, 1986, she has been working towards the competencies that
would provide her with the skills as an office
secretary-receptionist.
  Skills that she has acquired over the past year at Nichols
Career Center including typing memos, business reports; and
tabulations; records management; filing systems (she has her own
Braille system); reprographic systems; customer services; and
accounting systems.  Her clerk-typist skills, spelling, and
grammatical proficiency have continued to improve....
  The Bureau for the Blind provides Rita with an IBM personal
computer with a special voice output device so that she can
"proofread" the text she produces.  Another piece of equipment
the bureau provides is a special calculator that sounds out
numbers as she enters data and then speaks back the total.  She
will use this equipment not only to continue her training but
also later on the job.
  Nichols Career Center has also trained her on the transcriber,
and Rita can produce mailable copies from tapes and dictation.
  "With Rita's skill in office procedures and word processing and
with her special attitude, she will make someone an excellent
employee," says Arlene Broeker, instructor at Nichols....
  Mrs. Lynch is a very busy lady, wife, mother, student,
community leader, and soon-to-be secretary-receptionist.  She
looks forward to the new year and to her future employment.


MY FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO WORK

by Donna Hemp


  (As Federationists know, Donna Hemp
was for a number of years President of the National Federation of
the Blind of North Dakota.  She resigned from that position only
after the plant where she was working closed, and she moved to
Minnesota to take another job.  The following article appeared in
the Fall, 1986, Minnesota Bulletin, the official publication of
the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota.  It causes one
to ponder about the worthwhileness of the rehabilitation system
in the United States as it is currently structured.  It also
causes one to have second thoughts about the pleas we have heard
so insistently for the past few years from some of the agency
leaders that we all get together to support the agency system and
see that it continues to receive increasing amounts of federal
and state money.  Donna Hemp's story speaks eloquently, not only
about the rehabilitation system but also about the National
Federation of the Blind.  What would have happened to her if
there had not been a strong NFB?  Here is how she tells it,
followed by a note from the Editors of the Minnesota Bulletin.)

  High school was in the past, and it was now time to begin the
task of training for my first love.  I wanted to be a machinist.
  Most people told me I was nuts, but I was able to convince my
Minnesota State Services for the Blind counselor to give me the
chance either to succeed or fail just like anybody else.  The
counselor recommended a vocational school, but the instructor's
attitude toward blindness was beyond archaic.  I then persuaded
my counselor to let me choose the school.
  I called many, many schools, interviewing their directors and
machining instructors until I found DAVTI, the Duluth Area
Vocational Technical Institute.  The director there was so
positive.  He told me that DAVTI had the greatest instructor.  He
went on to say that if it can be done, this man, Mr.  Dietrick,
would teach me all I needed to know.
  Mr. Dietrick was an excellent instructor.  He had more patience
than anyone I have ever known.  He helped me when necessary, but
his philosophy was to train me to be able to do the work just
like anyone else.
  I completed what was to have been an eighteen-month course in
nine months.  The instructor decided to keep me in school and let
me practice on the machines until I secured a job.  He felt it
would keep my skills sharp so that I would have no hesitancy
which could scare a potential employer away.
  The State Services for the Blind placement people in St. Paul
didn't take my readiness to find a job seriously.  It became
apparent to both DAVTI and me that I would have to take action to
force SSB to wake up and get with it.  I was given the tip that I
should write to a U. S. Senator or Congressman for help.  I wrote
to the late Senator Hubert Humphrey, because I felt he would be
the most enlightened about how people should treat the
handicapped.  I received a letter from the Senator seven days
after I sent mine to him.  He assured me that he would get right
on it for me.  He did just that.  Two of the SSB placement people
arrived in Duluth almost immediately.  They informed my
instructor that one of them was to go into Minnesota and the
other to North Dakota.  Their orders were not to return to St.
Paul until they had found me a job.  One of the placement men
admitted to my instructor that SSB had gotten what it had coming.
  Two weeks later I went to work for a wonderful man in a small
town in North Dakota called Rugby.  Karl Wiederoder was almost a
carbon copy of my instructor.  The point is, until the serious
searching began I could and would not have known that Karl
existed.
  It looked as if I was settled for life.  The company, Rugby
Hydraulics, manufactured hydraulic cylinders for farm machinery. 
The bottom fell out of the agricultural economy.  I, after eight
and one-half years, found myself unemployed because Rugby
Hydraulics was no more.
  I contacted the North Dakota Department of Vocational
Rehabilitation (DVR) to obtain help in locating another job.  It
would have been easier to explain Minnesota's actions when I was
looking for my first job than it was when North Dakota DVR did
the very same thing.  I tried everything to get DVR to help. 
First of all they made me take a physical examination.  Secondly,
my counselor asked me where he should begin looking.  He had no
idea that he should get a list of machining associations from the
public library.
  This went on for seven months.  I then wrote to Senator Quentin
Burdick for help.  He found the North Dakota agency in such a
state of confusion that his office told me I would need to talk
with state senators about passing legislation to clean up the
agency.  It was the U.
S. Senator's feeling that the state senators could do more, since
the problem seemed to be more within the confines of state
government.
  I did just that.  I contacted both State Senator William Parker
and State Representative Gene Watne.  I also contacted the Minot
Daily News and a local television station.  I was angry because I
felt I had already proven myself capable.  I had excellent
recommendations from DAVTI, my former employer, and from workers'
compensation.  That's right.  I even had to have a special letter
proving to employers that I was a safe worker, even though I had
worked for Rugby Hydraulics for eight and one- half years.
  The DVR people bungled badly in their responses to the
news reporter.  They told him that all the jobs were on the East
Coast.  Then they told him they were going to take me to
Minneapolis to seek a job.  They went on to say that the reason
they had made me take the physical exam was that handicapped
people's health changes about every two months.  Needless to say,
they did not come off looking too smart.
  When DVR finally started helping, I was asked a lot of strange
questions by prospective employers.  I was asked questions such
as: How can you prove your safety record?  Are you sick a lot
because you're blind?  Are you strong enough?  Can you learn? 
What do we do with you if you cut yourself?  How will you find
the bathroom?  And on and on and on.
  After seven grueling interviews within a two-day period we
found what looks to me to be another excellent machine shop
called Kurt Manufacturing in Minneapolis.  I can't believe it. 
They did not ask me one of those wild questions.  They never even
called Karl, my past employer.  They were open and honest about
how they felt.  They called me back for a second interview, and
two hours later they offered me a job!  Meeting people like Karl
and the people at Kurt make it all worthwhile.
  If it had not been for the constant support and the uplifting
words from the people in the National Federation of the Blind, I
am almost certain I would not have held up through all of this.
  Note: Donna Hemp, who was the President of the National
Federation of the Blind of North Dakota when she lived in Rugby,
has been working at the Kurt Manufacturing Company in Minneapolis
since August 25, 1986.  All is going well at work, and
Minnesotans are pleased to welcome Donna and her husband John to
our midst.  How many others like Donna have sought assistance
from the rehabilitation agency for the blind in learning about
blindness or in finding employment?  How often have we
encountered negativism, delay, and disappointment?  Why is it
that agency administrators demand that we work with them, and at
the same time they complain that we ask too much of them?


WSSB AND THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE

by Ben Prows


  (This article appeared in the Winter, 1986-87 issue of the
Blind Washingtonian, the newsletter of the National Federation of
the Blind of Washington.  Ben Prows needs no introduction to
Federationists.  He is one of the long- time leaders of the NFB
of Washington.)

  Ever since the NFB persuaded the state legislature to upgrade
the Washington State School for the Blind by taking it out of the
Washington Department of Social and Health Services, Governor
Gardner's office has been interested in reorganizing state
services for the blind for more efficient administration.  To
that end Kathy Sullivan, representing the Governor's office,
called representatives of organizations of the blind and deaf
community together for "explore options" during the summer and
fall of 1986.  The NFB was the only organization of the blind to
be represented at both of the meetings in Olympia, though some
other groups met for the first session during July.
  During the fall of 1986 rumors flourished, and indeed were
nourished by Paul Dziedzic, Director of the Washington State
Department of Services for the Blind (WSSB), that the Governor
supported a proposal to put the state School for the Blind under
the Department.  At one point it was clear that Mr. Dziedzic
wanted some administrative control of the School for the Blind.
  The NFB did not favor this proposal.  We championed the
position that the school had just been reorganized, and the
legislation passed in 1985 should be given a chance to work
rather than putting the state school through another
reorganization.  In addition, we were not at all certain that
WSSB could adequately provide the necessary expertise to the
educational system, since it has some house cleaning of its own
to perform.
  Thus, we were pleasantly surprised on November 3, 1986, when
the Director of the Washington State Services for the Blind
announced to a crowded advisory committee meeting held in Seattle
that the Governor's office had decided to drop any proposed
changes in the structure of the state organization for the School
for the Blind.  WSSB would not be getting any administrative
responsibility for the school.  Mike Freeman, the NFB
representative to the WSSB advisory committee, moved that the
committee commend the Governor for the decision, and the motion
was unanimously passed.  It was clear from that meeting that the
blind community was united, at least for the present, in its
opinion that the legislation currently in effect concerning the
state School for the Blind should be given a chance.  The Office
of the Superintendent of Public Instruction should be made to
recognize that education of the blind children of the state of
Washington is vital.  The NFB will work with SPI to insure that
the issues of education of the blind are understood so that the
lives of all blind persons will be improved.  We support the
current administrative structure of the School for the Blind and
WSSB.


MARK TWAIN SPEAKS AT A MEETING

TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE BLIND


  On March 29, 1906, Mark Twain presided at a meeting at the
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.  The purpose of the
meeting was to raise funds for the New York State Association for
Promoting the Interests of the Blind.  Twain's address (as
reported in a collection of his speeches) [1] contains most of
the worst stereotypes about blindness.
  The blind live in darkness.  It is dismal to be blind--dismal
at best.  It is the responsibility of the community to find
something that the blind can do to occupy their time so that it
will not be so "irksome."  By implication the blind can only work
with their hands, and even then, it is primarily so that they can
feel that they are not objects of charity.  The blind are
"sufferers," most of whom once had sight, so they now miss the
light.  The blind make things (we wonder if he means it) better
than the sighted, and they are more honest than the sighted. 
Twain knows exactly what it is like to be blind because on a very
dark night he once got lost in a large room and couldn't find his
way back to bed for several hours.
  Of course, Mark Twain was not more unenlightened than the
average educated person of his day.  Rather, he typified the
attitudes of the time.  It is instructive to compare the notions
of 1906 with the notions of 1987.  It is also interesting to note
that most of the members of Twain's audience at the Waldorf on
that night in 1906 were blind.  How would a large audience of the
blind of today react to Twain's speech?  Sometimes the best way
to determine how far we have come is to pick a point in the past
and see where we were then.  Certainly we who are blind have made
tremendous progress in the twentieth century, and most of us
would have no trouble identifying the principal vehicle of
change.  Of course, it is and has been the National Federation of
the Blind.  Here for comparison and contrast with 1987 is what
Mark Twain said in 1906:

Speech as Presiding Officer

Public Meeting of the
New York State Association for Promoting the Interests of the
Blind
Hotel Waldorf-Astoria March 29, 1906

  If you detect any awkwardness in my movements and infelicities
in my conduct, I will offer the explanation that I never presided
at a meeting of any kind before in my life, and that I do find it
out of my line.  I supposed I could do anything anybody else
could, but I recognize that experience helps, and I do feel the
lack of that experience.  I don't feel as graceful and easy as I
ought to be in order to impress an audience.  I shall not pretend
that I know how to umpire a meeting like this, and I shall just
take the humble place of the Essex band.
  Some twenty-five years ago there was a great gathering in a New
England town.  There were orators and singers and all sorts of
things.  It was really an extraordinary occasion.  The little
local paper went into ecstasies in trying to do justice to it and
in praising the speakers, the militia companies, the bands, and
everything else.  Toward the end the writer ran out of adjectives
and phrases of glorification, and then found that he had one band
left over.  He had to say something about it, so he simply added:
"The Essex band done the best it could."
  I am the Essex band of this occasion, but I'll do the best I
can, with good intentions.  I've got all the documents of the
objects of this association and this meeting and a lot of
statistics, but I never could do anything with figures.  The
multiplication table is the only mathematics I know, and as soon
as I get up to nine times seven I don't know that--84, I think it
is.  I can't even figure on the name for the society, it is so
long.  I would write it out for you to take home with you, but I
can't spell it, and Andrew Carnegie is somewhere down in
Virginia.
  This association, which is in the hands of very energetic and
capable persons, who will surely push it to success, has for its
purpose to search out all the blind and find work for them to do
so that they can earn their own bread.  Now it is dismal enough
to be blind--it is dreary, dreary life at best, but it is a life
that can be largely ameliorated if we can find something for them
to do with their hands and to relieve them of the sense that they
subsist on charity, and often reluctant charity.  It is the only
way we can turn their night into day and give them happy hearts.
  Most of these sufferers have seen the light and know how to
miss it, and it is for us to relieve their dreary lives by
teaching them the many profitable industries they can pursue. 
That association from which this draws its birth in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, has taught its blind to make many things.  They
make them better than most people, and more honest than people
who have the use of their eyes.  The goods they make are readily
salable.  People like them.  And so they are supporting
themselves, and it is a matter of cheer, cheer.  They pass their
time now not too irksomely as they formerly did.
  What this association needs and wants is $15,000.  The figures
are set down, and what the money is for, and there is no graft in
it or I wouldn't be here.  And they hope to beguile that out of
your pockets, and you will find affixed to the program an
opportunity, that little blank which you will fill out and
promise so much money now or tomorrow or some time.  Then, there
is another opportunity which is still better, and that is that
you shall subscribe an annual sum.
  I have invented a good many useful things in my time, but never
anything better than that of getting money out of people who
don't want to part with it.  It is always for good objects, of
course.  This is the plan: When you call upon a person to
contribute to a great and good object, and you think he should
furnish about $1,000, he disappoints you as like as not.  Much
the best way to work him to supply that thousand dollars is to
split it into parts and contribute, say, a hundred dollars a
year, or fifty, or whatever the sum may be.  Let him contribute
ten or twenty a year.  He doesn't feel that, but he does feel it
when you call upon him to contribute a large amount.  When you
get used to it you would rather contribute than borrow money.
  I tried it in Helen Keller's case.  Mr. Hutton wrote me in 1896
or 1897 when I was in London and said: "The gentleman who has
been so liberal in taking care of Helen Keller had died without
making provision for her in his will, and now they don't know
what to do."  They were proposing to raise a fund, and he thought
$50,000 enough to furnish an income of $2,400 or $2,500 a year
for the support of that wonderful girl and her wonderful teacher,
Miss Sullivan, now Mrs. Macy.  I wrote to Mr. Hutton and said:
"Go on, get up your fund.  It will be slow, but if you want quick
work, I propose this system," the system I speak of, of asking
people to contribute such and such a sum from year to year and
drop out whenever they please, and he would find there wouldn't
be any difficulty, people wouldn't feel the burden of it.  And he
wrote back saying that he had raised the $2,400 a year
indefinitely by that system in a single afternoon.  We would like
to do something just like that tonight.  We will take as many
checks as you care to give.  You can leave your donations in the
big room outside.
  Now, I want you who have sight to know what it means, what a
calamity it is, to be blind, to be in the dark.  I know what it
is to be blind.  I was blind once.  I shall never forget that
experience.  I have been as blind as anybody ever was for three
or four hours, and the sufferings that I endured and the mishaps
and the accidents that are burning in my memory make my sympathy
rise when I feel for the blind and always shall feel.  It
occurred after an excursion from Heidelberg to a medieval town
about twenty miles away.  I took a clergyman along with me, the
Reverend Joseph Twichell, of Hartford, who is still among the
living despite that fact.  I always like a minister with me on an
excursion.  He makes a fine lightning rod for such excursions as
the one we made.  The Reverend Twichell is one of those people
filled with patience and endurance, two good ingredients for a
man traveling with me, so we got along very well together.  We
went up by rail, and circumstances were such as to bring us back
on a raft.
  In that old town they have not altered a house nor built one in
fifteen hundred years.  We went to the inn and they placed
Twichell and me in a most colossal bedroom, the largest I ever
saw or heard of.  It was as big as this room.  I didn't take much
notice of the place.  I didn't really get my bearings.  I noticed
Twichell got a German bed about two feet wide, the kind in which
you've got to lie on your edge because there isn't room to lie on
your back, and he was way down south in that big room, and I was
way up north at the other end of it with a regular Sahara in
between.
  We went to bed.  Twichell went to sleep, but then he had his
conscience loaded and it was easy for him to get to sleep.  I
couldn't sleep.  It was one of those torturing kinds of lovely
summer nights when you hear various kinds of noises now and then.

Off in the southwest of that room a mouse got busy, and I threw
something at it.  It pleased the mouse, and it kept on making the
noise.  But I couldn't stand it, and about two o'clock I got up
and thought I would give it up and go out in the square where
there was one of those tinkling fountains, and sit on its brink
and dream, full of romance.
  I got out of bed, and I ought to have lit a candle, but I
didn't think of it until it was too late.  It was the darkest
place that ever was.  There has never been darkness any thicker
than that.  It just lay in cakes.
  I thought that before dressing I would accumulate my clothes. 
I pawed around in the dark and found everything packed together
on the floor except one sock.  I couldn't get on the track of
that sock.  It might have occurred to me that maybe it was in the
wash.  But I didn't think of that.  I went excursioning on my
hands and knees. Presently I thought, "I am never going to find
it; I'll go back to bed again."  That is what I tried to do
during the next three hours.  I had lost the bearings of that
bed.  I was going in the wrong direction all the time.  By and by
I came in collision with a chair and that encouraged me.
  It seemed to me, as far as I could recollect, there was only a
chair here and there and yonder, five or six of them scattered
over this territory, and I thought maybe after I found that chair
I might find the next one.  Well, I did.  And I found another and
another and another.  I kept going around on my hands and knees,
having those sudden collisions, and finally when I banged into
another chair I almost lost my temper.  And I raised up, garbed
as I was, not for public exhibition, right in front of a mirror
fifteen or sixteen feet high.
  I hadn't noticed the mirror; didn't know it was there.  And
when I saw myself in the mirror I was frightened out of my wits. 
I don't allow any ghosts to bite me, and I took up a chair and
smashed at it.  A million pieces.  Then I reflected.  That's the
way I always do, and it's unprofitable unless a man has had much
experience that way and has clear judgment.  And I had judgment,
and I would have had to pay for that mirror if I hadn't
recollected to say it was Twichell who broke it.
  Then I got down on my hands and knees and went on another
exploring expedition.  As far as I could remember there were six
chairs in that Oklahoma, and one table, a great big heavy table,
not a good table to hit with your head when rushing madly along. 
In the course of time I butted thirty-six chairs and enough
tables to fill the dining room of the Waldorf.  It was a hospital
for decayed furniture, and it was in a worse condition when I got
through with it.  I went on and on, and at last got to a place
where I could feel my way up, and there was a shelf.  I was
delighted.  I knew that wasn't in the middle of the room.  I was
then certain that I had not passed the city limits.
  I was very careful and pawed along that shelf, and there was a
pitcher of water about a foot high, and it was at the head of
Twichell's bed, but I didn't know it.  I felt that pitcher going,
and I grabbed at it, but it didn't help any and came right down
in Twichell's face and nearly drowned him.  But it woke him up. 
I was grateful to have company on any terms.  He lit a match, and
there I was, way down south when I ought to have been back up
yonder.  My bed was out of sight it was so far away.  You needed
a telescope to find it.  Twichell comforted me and I scrubbed him
off and we got sociable.
  I have never found the sock, but the hours of darkness I
experienced in the exploration in that room were not empty hours.

 They served their purpose.  The Reverend Joe Twichell had longer
legs than I, and we both wore pedometers on that trip.  As I walk
in my sleep, I always wore mine to bed with me.  When I got up in
the morning I found that I had gained sixteen miles on Twichell. 
Again, my reflecting after the mirror incident made me remember
to tell the landlord that Twichell had broken it.  But that
adventure taught me what it is to be blind.  That was one of the
most serious occasions of my whole life, yet I never can speak of
it without somebody thinking it isn't serious.  You try it and
see how serious it is to be as the blind are and I was that
night.

  1. Fatout, Paul, Editor. Mark Twain Speaking.  University of
Iowa Press, 1976.


LACK OF VISION NO HANDICAP, SAYS BLIND PLAYER AS SHE SETS SIGHTS
ON
SUPER BOWL OF SCRABBLE


  (This article by Bob Lundegaard appeared in the January 24,
1987, Minneapolis Star and Tribune.  As Monitor readers know,
Nadine Jacobson is one of the leaders of the NFB of Minnesota. 
As the article makes clear, she is also an avid Scrabble player. 
Federationists lead widely varied lives, but they tend to excel
at whatever they do.  Here is the article.)

--------------------

  There was a Scrabble tournament for the blind in Michigan on
the same November weekend that the area's top Scrabble players
gathered at Wisconsin Dells for a tourney of their own.  Nadine
Jacobson didn't have to think twice about which one to attend.
  "Look, I could have competed in that blind tournament," she
said, "but I don't think separate but equal ever works.  Besides,
a blind person can play as well as a sighted person."
  She proved her point by finishing third in the Wisconsin
tournament's intermediate division. Now she's setting her sights
on the North American Scrabble Championships--the Super Bowl of
Scrabble--in July.
  The first qualifying round for the national tournament will be
held at 11:00 a.m. today at the South St.  Anthony Recreation
Center at Cromwell Avenue and Territorial Road in St. Paul. 
Codirector Robin Proud said that more than 150 contestants have
registered, making it the largest field for a Scrabble tournament
in state history.  Contestants who win at least two of their four
games today will advance to a two-day tournament in April at
which they must win eight of ten games to advance to the
Nationals.
  Playing in a national championship sounds like an ambitious
goal for Jacobson, considering her handicap.  No, not the fact
that she's blind.  She doesn't consider that a handicap.  Her
biggest problem has been preparing for a tournament, a time when
most serious Scrabble players are poring over word lists to
sharpen their vocabularies.
  Until now, Jacobson couldn't do that, since word lists weren't
available in Braille.  Then she heard of a book that lists all
the seven- and eight-letter words in the Scrabble dictionary in
alphabetical order.
  "It's called a bingo book in Scrabble lingo," she said.  (A
"bingo" is a word that uses all the letters on one's rack,
earning the player a fifty-point bonus.) "I heard that the people
who had put the book together in New Mexico had used a computer.
  "My husband is a computer programmer-- thank God!--so they made
the discs available to him for just the cost of the discs and he
hooked them to a printer that prints Braille."
  That explains why Jacobson, sitting at the dining room table of
her home in south Minneapolis, had a stack of Braille sheets
nearly a foot thick beside her.
  "And that's only about a third of the eight-letter words," she
said.  "At this rate we'll have to build an addition to the
house."
  As far as she knows, Jacobson is the first person to convert
those word lists to Braille.  And in their den Steven Jacobson
has devised another learning helper: an IBM personal computer
with speech capability, plugged into the Scrabble dictionary.
  When she types a word on the keyboard, a voice tells her if the
word is acceptable while the same information appears on the
screen.  If the word isn't good, the voice tells her the usable
words on either side of it.
  The only problem with the computer, as her husband sees it, is
that "we may need a second computer, because she'll be using this
all the time."  He is also blind but doesn't play Scrabble.
  Jacobson owns two Braille Scrabble
sets.  She keeps one at home and one at the home of her most
frequent opponent, Carol Madden, another tournament player, who
is sighted and often drives her to Scrabble matches and
tournaments.
  Until now, Madden has also been her main learning source,
reading her lists of the acceptable three-letter words while
Jacobson recorded them on her Braille writer.
  "It's a good-natured rivalry," said Madden, who lives in St.
Paul with her husband, a retired English professor.  "We usually
play once a week, about four games in the afternoon.  I think I
rank higher than she on a national level, but we're evenly
matched."
  The Braille sets have a board and letter tiles with Braille
markings so that Jacobson can survey the game with a touch of her
fingers, but she also relies on her memory of previous plays to
plan her next move.
  She's amused by the reactions she draws from people playing her
for the first time.  "Some people assume that playing a blind
person is going to be a piece of cake," she said.  "You know, 'No
problem.  I've got the game.'"
  Veteran Scrabble players know better.  In a New Year's Day
get-together at the home of Dan and Robin Proud, Jacobson caused
a stir by scoring 147 points in a single turn with the word
"capsizes." Her opponent was Robin Proud, one of the region's top
players.
  Not many opponents are overly solicitous.
  "A funny thing about Scrabble is that it does bring out our
competitive edge," she said.  "Some people  have an innate
feeling that they shouldn't get beat by a blind person, that it
means there's something wrong with them, because they assume that
blind people aren't as competent.
  "So if they get beat by a blind person, that's a real problem. 
And, of course, it isn't.  Blindness just isn't an issue."
  This attitude--that the blind shouldn't be treated differently
from sighted persons--is what put Jacobson in the spotlight in
1985.  She and her husband were charged with disorderly conduct
in Louisville, Kentucky, as the result of an airline incident in
which they refused to move from their seats, which were next to
an emergency exit.
  They contended that they could handle emergency procedures as
competently as a sighted person--possibly more so if the lighting
inside the plane was reduced.  They were acquitted.
  They were returning from a national convention of the National
Federation of the Blind.  Steven is secretary of the Minnesota
chapter.  Nadine does volunteer work, particularly in the area of
insuring proper educational facilities for the blind.
  "Other organizations of blind people," she said, "believe that
it's a pitiful, sad thing to be blind and that the only kinds of
jobs blind people can do are sheltered employment or makework
situations.
  "The real problem with blindness is that seventy percent of
blind people of working age are unemployed.  They have job
skills, but people have so many funny ideas about blindness.
  "I have a master's in social work from the University of
Minnesota, and I've gone out applying for jobs, and the
interviewer, rather than asking me what's my theory of social
development or how I'd motivate people, wants to know how I'm
going to find my way to the bathroom."
  Jacobson worked eight years as a social worker.  "Then I took a
break, which most people who've been social workers for eight
years can understand."
  She was born in Minneapolis thirty- three years ago.  "I was a
premature baby.  I weighed two pounds, three ounces--I know
that's hard to believe to look at me now--and I had a twin
brother, who died at birth.
  "The reason I'm blind is that they put too much oxygen in my
incubator.  The fact that they saved my life, though, is what's
important.  I consider myself very fortunate to be alive.
  "And the blindness?  So what?  My mind is good.  I get
everything done in life that I want to get done."


PROCLAMATIONS


Official Memorandum by
WILLIAM P. CLEMENTS, JR.  Governor of Texas
Austin, Texas

Greetings:
  The National Federation of the Blind is the oldest and largest
organization of the blind in the United States.
  This organization continues to integrate blind persons into the
general society by changing negative impressions about blindness
into positive attitudes.
  The National Federation of the Blind has developed many
programs including, but not limited to: a highly competitive
scholarship program for college students; job opportunities for
the blind that have helped hundreds of blind people obtain
suitable, dignified positions; the production of printed,
Braille, and recorded materials on blindness; working with
parents of blind children; providing technical assistance to
employers; helping blind citizens to gain and retain their rights
through advocacy action.
  The National Federation of the Blind has set the highest
standards possible in order to achieve the goals of opportunity,
security, and equality for all blind people.
  Therefore, I, William P. Clements,
Jr., Governor of the State of Texas, do commend and applaud the
actions of this positive and creative organization and call upon
my fellow Texans to support the efforts of this group by
proclaiming February, 1987, as

National Federation of the Blind Month

and urge appropriate recognition thereof.

  In official recognition whereof, I hereby affix my signature
this 23rd day of January, 1987.

William P. Clements, Jr.  Governor of Texas

--------------------

CITY OF AUSTIN

Proclamation


  WHEREAS, the National Federation of
the Blind (NFB) was founded in 1940 to end discrimination against
the blind and to secure first-class citizenship for all blind
persons; and
  WHEREAS, through the years the NFB has worked to change
attitudes about blindness and has provided information and
technical assistance to parents, teachers, and school
administrators, as well as business, political, social, and civic
leaders regarding blindness; and
  WHEREAS, the NFB continues today
to promote the use of Braille, and its scholarship program helps
many blind students pay for college expenses; and
  WHEREAS, the membership of this organization deserves
recognition for its positive image, philosophy, and activities.
  NOW, THEREFORE, I, Frank C. Cooksey, Mayor of the City of
Austin, Texas, do hereby proclaim the month of February, 1987, as

National Federation of the Blind Month

in Austin and call on all citizens to support the goals and
aspirations of this fine organization which is dedicated to
promoting the well-being of all blind persons.
  IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the City of Austin,
Texas, this 24th day of January, 1987, A.D.

Frank C. Cooksey
Mayor of Austin


CANE TRAVEL WORKSHOP

by Christine Boone


  I am pleased to report that at this summer's National
Federation of the Blind convention in Phoenix we will once again
be holding a Cane Travel Workshop.  This workshop will take place
on Saturday, June 27, beginning at 9:00 in the morning.  There
will be an introduction to some of the basics of cane travel
along with an orientation to the hotel.  This orientation may not
be necessary to all participants, but it provides us with an
excellent place to start applying some of the techniques of
travel.  Next, we will break into small groups (three or four
students and an instructor).  Everyone will spend a couple of
hours traveling around the hotel and the surrounding area, after
which you are free to have lunch with your group or to go off on
your own.  After lunch students will have an opportunity to
travel for an hour or so on their own to practice the lessons of
the morning.  We will reassemble at about 3:00 for a recap of the
day's events.
  Obviously, you will not learn everything there is to know about
travel during this brief session, but it can provide you with a
valuable start from which you can proceed on your own.  If you
are interested in attending this workshop, it is helpful for us
to have this information in advance for planning purposes.  We
are, of course, also in need of instructors.
  If you want to take part as either a student or an instructor,
please write to me at this address: Christine Boone, 1909 N. E.
18th Street, Lincoln City, Oregon 97367; or call (503) 994-8496. 
Just send your name and address and specify whether you want to
be a student or an instructor.  Hope to see you all in Phoenix
with your walking shoes on.


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

RECIPES

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


                        January 26, 1987

Dear Dr. Jernigan:
  Due to a stirring motion on your behalf by our sweet, spicy,
and bubbly state President, Barbara Pierce, the Capitol Chapter
of Ohio got together and stewed over the issue for a while.  We
felt we couldn't table the issue, nor did we desire to settle
for any half- baked solutions.  Luckily, just as a few of us
started steaming and others boiling over, we cooled down, tossed
a few ideas around, and started cooking.  For our finished
product we were able to whip up two dozen recipes for the Braille
Monitor.
  Hopefully in the future we will be able to keep this on our
back burner, rehash it, and send more gastronomical delights your
way.  We do not wish you to think we would dessert you in your
time of knead.  We take grate pride in offering whatever morsel
we have leftover to make the Braille Monitor a most tasteful
publication.

              Warmly (about 325 degrees)
                         Diana R. Felice Corresponding Secretary
                         Capitol Chapter NFB of Ohio

--------------------

                        February 9, 1987

Dear Diana:
  I have just received your letter and recipes, and I thank you
and the Capitol Chapter for showing that you have a steak in the
Monitor.  I intend to milk your letter for all that it is worth
and hope that I won't get creamed for doing it.  It is better to
butter someone up than to knife them when you ask them to fork
over whatever it is you want.  I believe you know no onions. 
Certainly no one could say that you didn't know beans about
cooking.  In fact, your recipes will be batter than many we have
used.  Therefore, taking sage advice and trying to curry a little
favor, we will publish your recipes in the May Monitor, and I am
sure no one will beef about it.  I'll be sizzling you soon.

                        Kenneth Jernigan Editor

P.S. Have you heard the song "When it's apple blossom time in
Orange, New Jersey, we'll make a peach of a pair?"


BEEF SCALLOPINI

1-1/2 pounds round steak (cut in thin, narrow, three-inch strips)
4 medium potatoes (peeled, halved, and cut into thin slices)
Italian seasonings to taste 1 onion, minced
1 pint mushrooms (cleaned and cut in half or in quarters)
1 bay leaf
season salt to taste
1 tablespoon Italian olive oil

  Brown minced onions in oil. Add steak slices and brown.  Simmer
upon adding mushrooms and potatoes plus seasonings.  Add water
and maintain a broth.  Simmer one hour; stir often.  Serve hot. 
Serves four.


STUFFED ZUCCHINI

4 medium zucchini
2 celery stalks, minced
1 small bag Italian bread croutons 1 onion, minced
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded lettuce 1/4 cup chopped spinach 1 tablespoon
olive oil grated cheese

  Cut zucchini lengthwise and parboil.  Spoon out seeds.  Place
zucchini halves on oiled cookie sheets.  Brown onion and celery
in one tablespoon olive oil.  Add croutons and 1/2 cup water. 
Simmer.  If seeds are small, chop and add 1/2 cup to mixture
along with lettuce and spinach.  When stuffing has simmered, add
egg and beat it in.  Carefully pack stuffing into zucchini. 
Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for forty- five
minutes to an hour.


APPLE NUT QUICK BREAD

3 cups whole wheat flour 3 eggs
2 tablespoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon allspice 1 cup milk
1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 cup melted butter 1 cup chopped
nuts
2 cups fresh chopped apples 1 cup honey

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease nine- by five- by
three-inch loaf pan.  Line bottom with waxed paper.  Blend flour,
baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice together.  Add
honey, milk, and eggs.  Blend well.  Add melted butter and beat. 
Add nuts and apples; mix well.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake
fifty minutes to an hour.


MOO GOO GAI PAN

2 whole, large chicken breasts (skinned, boned, and halved)
3/4 teaspoon minced, peeled ginger root (or 1/4 teaspoon ginger)
pinch of salt
15 ounces drained Chinese straw mushrooms
2 ounces drained regular mushrooms 8-1/2 ounce can bamboo shoots,
drained 7 ounces thawed, frozen snow pea pods 1 tablespoon corn
starch
1/3 cup salad oil
2 tablespoons dry sherry
3/4 cup walnuts

  With a sharp knife in a slanting position, slice across width
of chicken breast to make very thin slices.  In medium bowl mix
well chicken, cornstarch, sherry, ginger, and 1-1/2 teaspoons
salt.  Set aside.  In a skillet, wok, or five-quart saucepan over
medium heat in hot oil, cook walnuts about three minutes,
stirring often.  Drain nuts on paper towel.  In hot oil in
skillet, stir-fry mushrooms, bamboo shoots, snow pea pods, and
1/2 teaspoon salt until snow peas are tender-crisp (three to five
minutes).  Spoon vegies into a bowl, leaving oil in skillet.  In
remaining oil stir-fry chicken mixture about five minutes or
until chicken is tender.  Stir in vegies.  Spoon onto warm
platter; sprinkle with walnuts.  Makes four servings.  Serve over
rice.


BUCKEYES

1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cup peanut butter
1 pound confectioner's sugar

   Work together by hand and form into small balls.  Chill well.

Coating:
12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1/2 paraffin bar

  Melt chocolate and paraffin in double boiler.  Dip balls on
toothpicks into chocolate three-quarters of the way.  Place balls
onto waxed paper.  Chill one hour.


CRANBERRY BUTTER

8 ounces soft butter or margarine 1 can whole cranberries
1 - 2 tablespoons orange marmalade

  Combine ingredients well.  Chill.  Keeps for two to four weeks.

Excellent on warm breads, rolls, and muffins.


BETTY'S SPECIAL SALAD

Combine together in a bowl:  1 medium container large curd
 cottage cheese
1 cup pastel colored marshmallows (mini-size)
1 can well-drained crushed pineapple 1 small package lemon jello
1 small package lime jello

  Chill at least a couple of hours.  Pastel colored
mini-marshmallows may be substituted for white.  Fruit cocktail
may be substituted for crushed pineapple.


CHOP SUEY COOKIES

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
6 tablespoons milk
1 cup coconut
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup green cherries (candied) chopped 1/2 cup red cherries
(candied) chopped 3/4 cup shortening
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

  Cream sugar and shortening; add eggs.  Add flour and milk
alternately to mixture and blend well.  Add other ingredients,
blending thoroughly.  Drop by the teaspoon onto greased cookie
sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees until slightly brown.  Makes four to
five dozen cookies.


MONITOR MINIATURES * * * * * * *


**GENERATIONS:

As the media would tell it:  My grandmother was a lady; My mother
was a girl; I am a woman;
My daughter is a doctor;
My granddaughter will be a drug addict.

As the pessimist would tell it:  My grandmother was a lady; My
mother was a girl; I am a woman;
My daughter is a doctor;
My granddaughter will be a lady.

As the optimist would tell it:  My grandmother was a lady; My
mother was a girl; I am a woman;
My daughter is a doctor;
My granddaughter will be a lady.

Cycles:
There have been doctors before.

**Honored:
  Patricia Tessnear, Secretary of the
Eastern Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of North
Carolina, was honored as Wilsonian of the Week by the Wilson
Daily Times on January 19, 1987.  She was chosen because of her
work with the visually impaired and blind residents of Wilson
County, North Carolina, and her community service as a violinist
and volunteer in several community service organizations.

**Coordinator:
  Long-time Federationist Arthur Segal
has been appointed Handicapped Services Coordinator for the city
of Baltimore, Maryland.  He assumed the duties of the position
Monday, March 7, 1987, working as part of the Mayor's staff.  He
will serve both the city and the blind with credit.

**Wonderful 75th:
  The National Federation of the Blind of Washington is pleased
to announce that the Hazel tenBroek 75th Birthday Party dinner is
now available on cassette tape.  For further information, or to
get your copy, send a $5 check or money order made payable to the
NFB of Washington, c/o Albert Sanchez, Secretary, NFB of
Washington, North 3319 Nevada Street, Spokane, Washington 99207,
or call (509) 483-1037.

**Pacesetter:
  Dr. Homer Page (Deputy Mayor of Boulder, Colorado, and one of
the leaders of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado)
was honored on Sunday, February 1, 1987, when he was selected by
the Boulder Daily Camera as a "Pacesetter" making a major
contribution to the community.  The award was instituted three
years ago by the Daily Camera.

**Mother Earth:
  We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  "The Mother Earth News magazine is now available on cassette
tapes.  Through special arrangements I have made with Mother
Earth News, Inc., I am now able to offer these cassettes to the
blind.  For those not familiar with the Mother Earth News this is
a fine magazine containing articles on gardening, practical home
living, and many other subjects of interest to a wide variety of
people.  We have begun taping with the current January-February,
1987, issue.  Back issues will be available on a request basis. 
Cost per single issue is $4, with a full year's subscription
being offered at the special rate of $20.  This is a savings of
$4 off the single copy price.  If interested, send checks or
money orders made out to REX LAMPMAN to the following address:
The Mother Earth News on Tape, c/o Rex Lampman, 240 Quincy
Street, Twin Falls, Idaho 83301."

**Computer Magazine:
  We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  "TACTIC is an international Braille quarterly concerning
technology for the visually impaired.  Offering practical
information on hardware and software using Braille, synthesized
speech, or enlarged print output, TACTIC is a consumer-oriented
publication.  Reviews are written by blind and visually impaired
consumers--both professionals with technical expertise and those
working in other fields who have intimate knowledge of one
product.  Regular features carry short news items of newly
released products, programs, or services related to technology;
and readers exchange problems, solutions, and tips.  TACTIC is a
resource for both the beginning would-be computer operator and
the researcher or programmer with sophisticated technical
knowledge.  As of January 1, 1987, the subscription price is $10
annually (approximately one-third of the actual production cost,
which is subsidized by Clovernook Printing House for the Blind). 
To order write: TACTIC, Clovernook Printing House for the Blind,
7000 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45231.  Send article
submissions or questions directly to the magazine's editor,
Deborah Kendrick, at the same address."

**Elected:
  Deborah Brown writes:
  "The Martin County Chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind of Florida is getting the new year off to a good start, and
we wish to inform you about what we are doing.  Our 1987 officers
are Harry Collier, President; Peter Russillo, Vice President;
Deborah Brown, Secretary; and Laura Collier, Treasurer.  We have
done well in our annual calendar sale, selling over 500
calendars."

**Maxi Aids:
  We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  "Maxi Aids, Inc., dedicated to independent living of the blind,
visually impaired, physically disabled, hearing impaired, and
senior citizens with special needs.  Our address: Maxi Aids,
Inc., 86-30 - 102nd Street, Richmond Hill, New York 11418.  Our
telephone number: (718) 846-4799; toll-free: (800) 522-6294. 
Free gifts with your order; free catalog; fast service, low
prices, large selection."

**Married:
  The February, 1987, newsletter of the National Federation of
the Blind of Mississippi says:
  "John Holly of Madison and Elizabeth Murphy of Lucedale,
Mississippi, were married on October 27, 1986.  Congratulations
and best wishes to you two!"

**Dabbling:
  In the February, 1987, newsletter of the National Federation of
the Blind of North Carolina Hazel Staley says:
  "In our last newsletter we discussed our participation in a
hearing held by a task force appointed by the governor to look
into the feasibility of combining the schools for the deaf and
blind in the state.  The findings of the task force are now in. 
It was decided to leave all the schools as they are now.  A lot
of money was spent and a lot of furor created over a situation
whose outcome seemed perfectly clear before the task force ever
began its work.  This is another example of people dabbling into
problems about which they know nothing."

**Interviewed:
  The Management Review for March, 1987, features an interview
with Rami Rabby entitled "Mainstreaming the Handicapped Without
Tokenism" in his capacity as a management consultant.  The
article beings as follows:
  "Most progressive employers, especially in the United States,
have at least in theory accepted the idea that physically
handicapped persons can be capable, useful employees. 
Unfortunately, however, that acceptance has not always been
translated into more than token efforts to employ them."

**Elected:
  Patricia Tessnear, Secretary of the
Eastern Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of North
Carolina, writes:
  "Recently the Eastern Chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind of North Carolina held its elections.  Those elected are as
follows: Danny Herringen, President; Judy Watson, Vice President;
Patricia Tessnear, Secretary; Eddie Tessnear, Treasurer; Ramona
Knight, Board Member; and Ann Sumner, Board Member."

**National Scholarship Research Service:  Jim Mitchell has asked
us to carry the
following announcement:
  Any student attending the NFB national convention this summer
in Phoenix will be able to purchase the financial aid search
provided by the National Scholarship Research Service for the
special price of $25.00.  This is a significant reduction from
the regular $45.00 price.  There is a further reduction of $10.00
if the student cannot get vocational rehabilitation to handle the
cost.  For further information, contact Jim Mitchell at the
national convention or:  2752 Middleton Avenue--#29H, Durham,
North Carolina 27705; (919) 383-2125.

**Want to Purchase Brailler:  Georgia Clark writes:
  "The National Federation of the Blind of Flint, Michigan, is
looking for a used Perkins Brailler in good condition.  The
chapter is interested in purchasing one for its exhibit on
blindness at the Flint Children's Museum (a hands-on museum for
children and adults).  Please mail inquiries in any form of
medium to:  National Federation of the Blind, Greater Flint
Chapter, P. O. Box 555, Davison, Michigan 48423."

**Toothbrush:
  A comment from the Editor:
  In the normal cause of things I meet and talk with a variety of
people.  Many of them would like the Federation to sell products
which they manufacture or distribute.  Although there are
exceptions, mostly (unless the product deals directly or
indirectly with blindness) we don't do it.  Not long ago a man
came to my office and showed me an electric toothbrush.  I tried
it out, and I must say that it was a delight to use and quite
effective.  However, I didn't think it was the sort of thing we
ought to stock for sale.  But I liked it so well that I thought
Monitor readers would like to know about it, so here is a
description.  It is called the Interplak Home Plaque Removal
Instrument, and its suggested retail price is $99.  It is what
you might call a sort of family toothbrush since it comes with
two heads, which are removed by a simple pulling motion. 
Additional heads are available for purchase.  The Interplak is
becoming widely available in department and drug stores and is
approved by the American Dental Association.  It is said that the
instrument removes over ninety percent of the plaque from the
teeth; whereas, the normal toothbrush removes only about fifty
percent.  If you can't find the Interplak in your local stores,
you can call a toll-free number for information or to order it: 
(800) 334-4031.  Credit cards are acceptable.  So why tell you of
this?  I thought you might want to know--and besides, no one has
ever said that the Monitor is set in its ways.  Incidentally, it
may be possible to get discount prices through some stores.  What
I gave you was only the suggested retail price.

**Superintendent Speaks:
  The January, 1987, News from Blind Nebraskans (the newsletter
of the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska) carries the
following item summarizing an address given by the Superintendent
of the Nebraska School for the Visually Handicapped at the
convention of the NFB of Nebraska last fall:
  "Mr. Regler started off by thanking the NFBN for its assistance
in influencing the Legislature to kill the bill which would have
resulted in the consolidation of the Nebraska Schools for the
Blind and the Deaf.  He stated that this is a phenomenon which is
taking place across the country, perpetrated by people who don't
seem to realize that people with different sensory disabilities
will, necessarily, have different inherent needs with respect to
those disabilities.  He went on to add that he is distressed by
the fact that many educational programs for the blind have been
integrated into those for the mentally retarded.  He raised the
possibility that educators of blind children have oversold the
fact that, with the aids provided by high technology and proper
training, blind people can more easily cope with their problems
than can those with other disabilities.  This has, he believes,
resulted in gross neglect of educational programs for blind
children in residential schools.
  "The current enrollment at NSVH is thirty-seven students, down
from forty- one students last year.  There are eight new students
this year, two of whom are from Iowa.  A new problem has risen
this year in the form of a rule which states that any student who
leaves his/her school district to attend NSVH must first get
approval from the State Board of Education.  This results in a
maze of paperwork for parents of new students.  Only two students
have been approved so far, with two more being processed.  We
were called upon as an organization to give our support to any
families facing this difficulty."

**Successful Seminar:
  The February, 1987, Palmetto Blind (the magazine of the
National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina) carries the
following item:
  "The 17th annual statewide seminar of the NFB of South Carolina
was held at the Federation Center of the Blind in Columbia on
Saturday, January 3, 1987.  Approximately 175 members
representing twenty-three chapters and divisions across the state
attended the annual meeting.  It was a full day; much information
was disseminated; and members departed with a renewed spirit and
commitment."

**Why the Writers Division:
  Lori Stayer (writing in the December, 1986, Slate and Style,
the publication of the Writers Division of the National
Federation of the Blind) says:
  "During the convention of the National Federation of the Blind
of New York State I was asked by one of the officers of the Human
Services Division of the NFB why the Writers Division needed to
be in existence.  To my credit I didn't shudder or even faint but
managed an answer that must have sounded reasonable, because she
subsequently joined our ranks.  I believe I said that if we would
not write about ourselves in a positive manner, who would?--but
that the Writers Division had justification for its existence
merely in that we encourage blind writers to get out there and
risk criticism in an effort to be heard.  If we boost the skills
and self- confidence of even one writer, we need no other
justification."

**Tin Cups are Spotted:
  Writing in the February, 1987, News and Views (the newsletter
of the National Federation of the Blind of North Carolina), Hazel
Staley says:
  "On October 18, 1986, while broadcasting the Duke vs. Maryland
football game, Gary Sparber, a sports announcer for WBT of
Charlotte, made a very derogatory remark which we had to deal
with.  In giving credit to his spotter, the person who keeps
track of the names and activities of the various players, Mr.
Sparber said that when he came into the broadcast booth to
announce a game he was like a blind man with his tin cup, his
white cane, and dark glasses, that he had to rely completely on
the spotter to tell him what was happening.  Needless to say, he
received many, many phone calls from a large number of irate
Federationists.  Although he did not apologize publicly on the
following broadcast as we had asked him to do, he did appear to
be very remorseful, and I think it is safe to say that he is
fairly well educated about blindness now and will never make that
kind of mistake again."

**Dialysis:
  Dialysis will be available during our National Federation of
the Blind convention in Phoenix.  Individuals needing dialysis
are asked to contact Dorothy Hailston, Head Nurse, South Phoenix
Dialysis Center, 1332 South 5th Avenue (near Buckeye Road and
Fifth Avenue), Phoenix, Arizona 85003, telephone (602) 253-1954,
TWO months prior to arrival date.  She will need insurance
information and data from the individual's physician.  If persons
are on Medicare with no supplemental insurance, they are asked to
pay twenty percent of the dialysis costs prior to receiving
dialysis (approximately $27 to $30 per time).  The South Phoenix
Dialysis Unit DOES NOT accept B-Positive hepatitis patients. 
Persons who fall in that category must contact Good Samaritan
Hospital Dialysis Unit, 1111 East McDowell Road, Phoenix, Arizona
85006, telephone (602) 239-2000, in order to assure a dialysis
schedule.  Individuals must contact the dialysis units prior to
arrival in Phoenix.  The American Kidney Fund has, in the past,
assisted with funds for individuals unable to pay the twenty
percent charges.  Each person who needs financial assistance
ought to contact the American Kidney Fund at one of the
following: Maryland residents call (800) 492-8361; All other
persons call (800) 638-8299.  The South Phoenix Dialysis Unit is
close to the Hyatt Regency Hotel.  There is a direct bus line
between the hotel and the dialysis unit, or cab fare one way is
approximately $3.00 for a trip which takes five to ten minutes.

**Wants Correspondent:
  We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  Reola T. Jarrett, 825 East Belmont Avenue, Flint, Michigan
48503, is interested in finding pen pals who share her interests
in sports of all kinds.  She is also interested in corresponding
with members of the A.M.E. Church.  Since Ms.  Jarrett is deaf
and blind, she requests Braille letters.

**Tina:
  Curtis and Peggy Chong are among the leadership of the NFB of
Minnesota.  Hanging in there, somewhere close, is their
eight-year-old daughter, Tina, who is in the third grade. 
Recently Peggy wrote:

Dear Dr. Jernigan:
  Two weeks ago Tina's class studied Martin Luther King.  One of
the assignments was to write their version of the speech "I Have
a Dream."  I'm sending you a copy of Tina's.  The original hangs
here at our state NFB office.  I think Tina really understands
Martin Luther King Day.  I'm very proud of my little girl.  The
part about kids deals with divorce-related matters.

                             Peggy Chong

Tina's Essay

  I had a dream that blind people could ride in the exit row and
that kids don't get thrown out.

                              Tina Chong

**Profile in Miniature:
  Doris Henderson, President of the Progressive Chapter, National
Federation of the Blind of Texas in Dallas, writes to President
Maurer:
  "Among the approximately 100 members of the Dallas Chapter are
sheltered workshop employees, housewives, a realtor, two Internal
Revenue Service employees, a Department of Labor employee, a
worker from the federal Department of Agriculture, a medical
transcriptionist, a public school librarian, public school
teachers (both retired and still working), and even two people
who work for the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. 
Everything I learned in the leadership seminar yields many
positive results.  We expect to exceed 100 members in 1987."

**Lions to Meet:
  Boyd Wolfe, one of the leaders of our affiliate in Arizona and
Chairman of the Deaf-Blind Committee, writes:

  The South Phoenix Sunrise Lions Club
invites Lions attending the 1987 convention of the National
Federation of the Blind to our breakfast meeting Wednesday
morning, July 1, 1987.  We meet for breakfast at 6:30 a.m., and
we adjourn shortly after 8:00 a.m.  This will give you time to
get back to the Civic Plaza for the morning session.  Art Dinges,
President of our Phoenix Chapter, and I are members of the South
Phoenix Sunrise Lions.  Those of you who wish to attend please
contact: Boyd C. Wolfe, 1314 North First Street, Apartment 214,
Phoenix, Arizona 85004; (602) 255-0631.  If at all possible, I
would like to hear from you before the convention so we can plan
to provide transportation.  We hope to see as many of our fellow
Federationists as possible.  If it is convenient, I would
appreciate your writing in Braille.
