                       THE BRAILLE MONITOR

                           April, 1988

                    Kenneth Jernigan, Editor


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


              THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND 
                     MARC MAURER, PRESIDENT 
 


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                       THE BRAILLE MONITOR
  PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND CONTENTS
                           APRIL 1988

SPANISH BLIND WIN BIG IN LOTTERY    by Kenneth Jernigan

WHEN YOU ARE ASKED TO SIT IN AN EXIT ROW      by W. Harold
Bleakley

AIRLINE SAFETY AND THE IDEALIZED PASSENGER   

LOUIS BRAILLE AND THE AIRLINES     

TO BE A CHILD 
MORE ABOUT THE AIRLINES  

PERKINS SCHOOL FIGHTS HIV DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT      by Mark
A. Perigard

EUREKA A4: THE ARRIVAL OF A NEW CONCEPT  by Mooris Priwler

THE SPEAQUALIZER AS AN EQUALIZER    by Curtis Chong

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT   AN AREA OF INCREASING EMPHASIS  by Tim
Cranmer

BRAILLE 'N SPEAK   A STORY, AN UPDATE  by Deane Blazie

IT IS A MATTER OF ATTITUDE    

COMPETING ON TERMS OF EQUALITY AS BLIND STUDENTS    by Fred
Schroeder

BILL WOULD MERGE AGENCIES FOR HANDICAPPED by Deborah Skipper

FRANK LEE   PORTRAIT OF A LEADER    by Ramona Walhof

A QUESTION OF ETHICS by Christine Faltz

MERIT FINDS ITS REWARD  by Scott LaBarre

YOU CAN BANK ON THE POWER OF THE ORGANIZATION      by Ben Prows

SELF-DETERMINATION OF BLIND WORKERS IN CHINESE GUILDS   by C.
Edwin Vaughan

OPEN MIKE REACHES MILESTONE   

RED CARPET TREATMENT  by Stephen Benson

A NEW BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITORING INSTRUMENT 
FOR THE BLIND DIABETIC    by Ed Bryant

RUTH GOODWIN DIEs  by Kenneth Jernigan

RECIPES   

MONITOR MINIATURES  

Copyright, National Federation of the Blind, Inc., 1988
               SPANISH BLIND WIN BIG IN LOTTERY
                       by Kenneth Jernigan
What is money?  According to the dictionary it is:   1. (a)
standard pieces of gold, silver, copper, nickel, etc., stamped by
government authority and used as a medium of exchange and measure
of value; coin
or coins: also called hard money (b) any paper note issued by a
government or an authorized bank and used in the same way; bills:
also called paper money 2. any substance or article used as
money, as bank notes, checks, etc. 3. any definite or indefinite
sum of money.  That is what the dictionary says, but money is
something more than that or, at the very least, the definition
can be put another way.  Money equates with time, because we
exchange units of our time for units of money.  In fact, this is
true even when we think we are exchanging money for tangible
items; for unless those items are processed, transported, and
presented to us in a usable form, they are worthless.  And the
only way the processing and the transporting can take place is by
the expenditure of somebody's work in other words, somebody's
time.
So when we go to a furniture store or a supermarket, we are not
just looking at chairs, tables, or food but also at packages of
time.  To take the matter a step further, we are also looking at
packages of human life, for our lives are measured in units of
time.  Therefore, a suit of clothes or a piece of furniture is
not just the material item but also packaged time, or packaged
life.  Looked at in this way, present labor (like a tomato just
picked from the garden) is
fresh time, and a desk or chair (like canned fruit) is stored
time.  Money is packaged time, and it is primarily exchanged for
other units of time, some fresh (ongoing labor) and others stored
(finished goods made with someone's past labor).  Money packaged
time, packaged life.
Someone (I don't remember who it was) once said: The nice thing
about money is that when you have it, you don't have to think
about it.  And Charles Darwin said: Any man who dares to waste
even an hour of time has not learned the value of life.
All of these esoteric reflections on money are simply a way of
introducing interesting facts about the economic circumstances of
the blind of Spain.  Recently I came across news articles
indicating that ONCE (the Spanish National Organization of the
Blind) operates a national lottery, which in 1986 yielded over a
billion dollars.  I found this information so startling that when
Pedro Zurita (Secretary General of the World Blind Union and one
of the leaders of ONCE) visited the National Center for the Blind
here in Baltimore, I asked him about it.  He confirmed the
essentials of what I had read and gave me some of the background.
He said that in the late 1930's General Franco authorized the
Spanish National Organization of the Blind to operate a lottery. 
It was a means whereby the blind (by selling lottery tickets and
otherwise managing the operation) could have employment.  The
arrangement continued through the years and still exists. 
However, the amounts of money involved have altered drastically.
From what Zurita told me I gather that until the early 1980's,
the proceeds from the lottery were fairly modest.  Such is
obviously no longer the case.  As I understand it, the government
operates a lottery of its own.  Then, there is the lottery
operated by ONCE.  Other lotteries are not legal.
As the proceeds from ONCE's lottery have increased, so have the
protests from other groups of the disabled.  Of course, this is
what one would expect.  Apparently ONCE is attempting to quiet
some of the unrest by employing large numbers of other segments
of the disabled, and it would seem that this effort is meeting
with a degree of success.  If Pedro Zurita is representative of
the other leaders of ONCE, I
think there is every likelihood that the problems will be
handled.  Zurita is capable, sophisticated, streetwise,
intelligent, well educated, and personable.  Here are two
Associated Press articles which appeared widely throughout the
United States late in 1987:
____________________
                        Blind Profit On 
 Spain's Passion for Gambling

MADRID, Spain They stand on street corners, recognizable by their
white canes and the lottery tickets looped around their necks. 
In
the fifty years since they started, they have become as much a
national figure in Spain as bullfighters.
They are members of the National Organization of Blind Spaniards,
formed during the Spanish Civil War to find jobs for the indigent
blind.
In the past few years, the organization has become an economic
powerhouse, fueled by revenues from the lottery tickets its
people sell in the streets.
More commonly known as ONCE, the acronym derived from its name in
Spanish and by coincidence the Spanish word for eleven, it was
the brainchild of a group of blind civilians who found the
Spaniards' passion for gambling a way to give jobs, training, and
dignity to the blind in the bitter winter of 1938.
But ONCE's skyrocketing fortunes over the last four years have
surpassed even the most optimistic hopes of its pioneers.
 In the long run, the idea of the lottery was to provide funds to
train the blind,  said Francisco Gutierrez, 76, a founder and the
organization's first national director.
 We set up the lottery as an attempt to eliminate the factors
that made it necessary.  But while ONCE has succeeded in
educating Spain's blind and changed public stereotypes about
them, it has by no means phased itself out of existence.
The organization spent the equivalent of $4.5 million this fall
on an advertising campaign aimed at increasing by twenty percent
the $1.5 billion the lottery earned in 1986.  It offered a weekly
grand prize of 100 million pesetas ($880,000) in addition to the
daily prizes of up to $80,000 in pesetas far in excess of the 2.5
pesetas it offered as the prize in 1938.
ONCE's 18,500 ticket sellers 13,000 of them blind and the rest
physically handicapped earn an average monthly salary of $1,100,
which is well above the government-decreed $415 national monthly
minimum wage.
According to Gutierrez, a retired physical therapist who was left
sightless by a childhood eye infection, the change since December
13, 1938, when ONCE began the lottery, has been enormous.
 In those days if you didn't have a family with money, you had to
beg in the streets,  he said.   Around ninety percent of the
blind population was illiterate then. 
The organization's recent economic leap from earnings of $348
million in 1982 to $1.4 billion four years later was engineered
by a group
of young, blind professionals who swept aside the old guard and
transformed ONCE from a modest institution into a major political
and economic force.
 The takeoff was logical,  said an ONCE spokesman, Juan Gonzalez. 
 The group elected in 1982 was younger and more dynamic with lots
of new
ideas.  Before then, ONCE was run by very conservative, very
elderly gentlemen. 
Said founder Gutierrez, who is now involved in the fight for
better pensions for ONCE's 12,000 retirees:  The boys who run the
organization today were educated in our schools.  They are the
new blind who don't have to go around playing music in the
streets. 
ONCE's success is due in large part to gambling's being a way of
life in Spain even before 1763, when the Marquis of Esquilache,
King Carlos III's economy minister, introduced the state-run
lottery.
According to government figures, Spaniards spent $20 billion on
legal gambling last year.  Spain trails only the United States
and the Philippines for the distinction of the world's top
gambling countries.
Slot machines alone, legalized in 1977 after a fifty-three- year
ban and now found in nearly every Spanish bar, earned $9.9
billion last year, followed by the state-run lotteries, bingo
parlors, and ONCE.

The new directors fought to strengthen ONCE in 1984 against its
recently legalized competitors by combining its then regional
lotteries to offer larger prizes.
As they planned this fall to launch the  cuponazo,  as the new
weekly grand prize is known, they began pressuring the government
to crack down on thirty-five illegal lotteries.  The government
itself runs three lotteries and controls ONCE's earnings.
In return for the government action against the country's largest
illegal lottery which employed physically handicapped salespeople
ONCE agreed to hire 5,000 to 7,000 of the handicapped.
It also won governmental approval for the cuponazo,  which means
big ticket in spanish, as a part of the deal.
ONCE's public relations director, Enrique Sanz, acknowledges the 
cuponazo  may cut into government lottery earnings, but he says
the state cannot afford to hurt the organization, which has
eliminated the need for social security aid to the blind.
____________________
                          Spain Lottery
MADRID, Spain Riot police clashed with handicapped people who
jammed traffic in downtown Madrid Tuesday in a demonstration to
demand they be allowed to sell lottery tickets through their
organization.

Thousands of handicapped demonstrators, backed by the leftist
Workers' Commissions trade union, disrupted traffic on Madrid's
main Castellana Avenue for several hours before police moved in.
Demonstrators hurled bottles and sticks at police vans and called
police  assassins. 
Witnesses said police dragged some demonstrators from the street. 
There were no immediate reports of arrests.
The demonstrators had arrived from different parts of Spain to
protest a government order banning them from selling lottery
tickets through their organization, called Prodiecu.
Prodiecu spokesmen said the group rejected its incorporation into
ONCE, a government-authorized national organization for the
blind.  ONCE runs a popular daily lottery draw.
An ONCE statement issued Tuesday said it objected to Prodiecu and
other illegal lottery organizations using its daily draw numbers
for their own lotteries.
The statement said ONCE in October incorporated 2,500 handicapped
people who are not blind into the 4,500-member organization.
It also said ONCE had offered to incorporate up to 7,000
handicapped people into the organization and help them obtain
other jobs than selling lottery tickets.
            WHEN YOU ARE ASKED TO SIT IN AN EXIT ROW 
                      by W. Harold Bleakley
 (As most Federationists know, Harold Bleakley is President and
principal owner of Aids Unlimited, Inc. Alternative Independence
Devices and Services.) 

Here's a new switch on our exit row battle with the airlines.  On
December 22, 1987, we had reservations on Continental flight
#1133 to Denver for the Christmas holidays.  For three weeks we
had had assigned seats A and C in row twenty-three, a two-seat
row.
I arrived at the door of the plane just before my wife.  As I
stepped into the plane, the flight attendant asked for my
boarding pass, then started down the aisle to show me to our
seats.  On down the aisle, she stopped and said,  Here we are, to
your right, Sir.   I slid into the window seat and stowed my cane
by the bulkhead.  My wife sat down in the aisle seat a moment
later.  We buckled up and were all set to go.
A minute or two later another flight attendant asked to see our
ticket jackets.  She then said,  Oh, you folks should be in row
twenty-three.  I said,  Isn't this row twenty-three?  It's where
the flight attendant directed us. 
 No, this is row twenty, but that's all right.  The folks that
were going to sit here can sit in row twenty- three.   Then the
attendant left.
A few minutes later I heard the same attendant talking to people
a couple of rows forward, asking them to move  over here  and
others to move  up here.   She then came to our seat to ask if we
would move two rows forward.  I asked why.  She said that we were
sitting in an exit row.  I had not noticed that we were.  I said
that this was ridiculous and pointed out that an attendant had
directed us to this seat and that the attendant to whom we were
talking had stated that we should stay where we were in row
twenty and that the
folks who were assigned there originally would sit in row
twenty-three.  The attendant told me that it was the law that a
blind person could not sit in the exit row.  I told her that
there was no such law and that she was misinformed.  Another
attendant beside her told her that it
was not the federal law but a law of Continental Airlines.  The
attendant then said that, nevertheless, we had to move because it
was an exit row.
I stated that we would not move and that we would file suit
regarding the harassment and discrimination we were receiving. 
At that point the attendant said,  Oh, well, if it's going to
cause a problem, please continue to sit where you are.  It's all
right.  Don't bother to move.  Everything is fine.  She then
walked away, and we heard no more about it.
The airlines still cannot get it right, but at least this was a
new switch on an old, aggravating problem.
                         AIRLINE SAFETY 
AND THE IDEALIZED PASSENGER
Al Sten is one of the leaders of the National Federation of the
Blind of Massachusetts.  Recently he wrote to his Congressman
(Brian Donnelly) and asked for help in getting the Department of
Transportation to treat the blind in a nondiscriminatory manner. 
Congressman Donnelly
sent Mr. Sten's letter to the Department of Transportation and
subsequently received a reply from B. Wayne Vance, one of DOT's
attorneys.
In the past DOT's letters have mostly not attempted to deal with
the issues but have simply been promises to look into the matter. 
As
you will see, the Vance letter is different.  It tries to make
logical arguments.   Monitor  readers must judge for themselves
whether the effort is successful.
In a letter to the  Monitor  Editor Al Sten says, referring to
the Vance letter which follows:
 The letter did not convince me that the airlines are right on
this one, but I would like your opinion about it.  As you and
others have said, the airlines could handle this problem by
having no passengers sitting next to emergency exits. 
Alternatively, DOT could force this practice on them.  I mention
this because the enclosed letter suggests
that passengers often may have thrust on them safety-related
responsibilities that in my opinion belong to airline personnel. 
If that is true,
I predict that there will be some needless tragedies and some
costly, very legitimate lawsuits following from them.  If it's
all just a ploy, if all of this verbiage about what a passenger
in an exit row must be able to do means nothing because the
passengers won't really be doing it, then I suspect that we have
reached new levels of deceit in this war.  Incidentally, Bob
(Senator Dole) never doled me out
a letter, not even the mass-produced, vague, word-processed kind.


Here is DOT's letter to Congressman Donnelly, along with the 
Monitor  Editor's letter to Al Sten:
                                U.S. Department of Transportation
                                                 Washington, D.C.
                                                 January 12, 1988
                                     The Honorable Brian Donnelly
House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. Donnelly:
Secretary of Transportation Jim Burnley has asked me to respond
to your referral of correspondence from your constituent, Mr.
Albert Sten.  Mr. Sten, a member of the National Federation of
the Blind, expressed his concern about the issue of exit row
seating for blind passengers.
In implementing the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986, the
Department
has the explicit statutory responsibility of ensuring
nondiscrimination on the basis of handicap, consistent with the
safe carriage of all passengers.  With respect to seating
policies, the Department believes, consistent with its
nondiscrimination obligations, that airlines should not single
out passengers with disabilities for exclusion from exit rows. 
Consistent with its safety responsibilities, the Department's
aviation safety agency, the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), believes that it is important that persons who sit in exit
rows can, expeditiously and without assistance, perform certain
functions necessary to an emergency evacuation.
These functions include not only physically opening the exit door
but also such things as ascertaining outside conditions that
might create a hazard if the door is opened (e.g., a fire, a long
drop to the ground).  They include not only moving quickly to and
through the door but also locating controls (e.g., to activate
the slide if the slide does not deploy automatically) and helping
other passengers find a safe path away from the aircraft. 
Persons seated in exit rows who cannot readily perform these
functions, whether or not they have a disability, may endanger or
slow an emergency evacuation.
These concerns were the basis, in the regulatory negotiation, of
the Department's proposal that an airline could exclude disabled
passengers from exit row seats only if the airline had and
consistently enforced a policy barring from those seats all
persons who could not perform the necessary functions (e.g.,
frail elderly persons, as well as blind or mobility-impaired
persons).  Under this proposal, the FAA would
have promulgated a safety regulation consistent with this
approach.  Addressing the issue in this way was, in our view, a
good-faith attempt to meet both our nondiscrimination and our
safety obligations under the Air Carrier Access Act.  We regret
that other parties not only disagreed with this proposal but also
refused to discuss the matter further to determine whether there
were other possible approaches consistent with our statutory
responsibility.  We, of course, have made no final decisions on
this matter.  In the very near future we intend to issue
a notice of proposed rulemaking responding to this issue and the
numerous others on which we gained consensus or valuable
information during the regulatory negotiation process.
Mr. Sten also raises the issue of attendants for deaf- blind
passengers.  The Department issued an enforcement decision on
this subject on November 6, 1987.  The  Southwest Airlines Co.
Enforcement Proceedings  determined that the carrier's policy of
requiring all deaf-blind passengers to travel with attendants was
discriminatory and ordered Southwest to permit deaf-blind
passengers to travel unaccompanied if they are able to establish
some means of communication with airline personnel.  I hope this
information is helpful.

                                                       Sincerely,
                                                   B. Wayne Vance
                                                  General Counsel
                                              Baltimore, Maryland
                                                 February 8, 1988

Dear Al:
I have read with interest the letter of January 12, 1988, from B. 
Wayne Vance (the Department of Transportation's General Counsel)
to Congressman Brian Donnelly, and I think it is deceptive both
by omission and distortion.  When I was participating in the
regulatory negotiation process last summer, I personally heard
officials of the Flight Standards Administration of the Federal
Aviation Administration say repeatedly that they felt that there
was no safety question involved in blind persons' sitting in exit
rows on planes.  They said that if they had felt there was a
safety question, they would long since have made appropriate
regulations.  The Flight Standards Administration is that branch
of FAA which is responsible for determining questions of safety
in air travel.  Only when FAA attorneys began to apply pressure
did
the nature of the comments by Flight Standards officials change. 
Rather than oppose the airlines, the FAA apparently finds it
easier to duck behind the safety issue.
The problem with the arguments in the Vance letter is that they
are
all based on one false premise namely, that sighted persons
(excluding the elderly and children) are uniformly capable and
alert.  The blind person (with whatever limitations and strengths
he or she may possess) is compared with the ideal sighted person
a person who in most cases does not exist.  Last fall when
Senator Dole promised to help deal with the problem, he said that
it would not occur to anyone to suggest that he should not be
allowed to sit in an exit row.  Yet (because of his physical
handicap), he would not, he said, be able to open the exit.
When we were taking both sighted and blind people to the
Baltimore airport to make a test evacuation of a World Airways
plane, we had to eliminate from consideration many of the sighted
that we might have chosen.  One had back problems; another had
foot problems; and still another had difficulties with heart and
blood pressure.  In the real world of everyday commercial air
travel none of these people would have been excluded from the
exit row.  Why, then, should the blind be held to a higher
standard than the sighted?
Then, there is the matter of serving drinks to passengers in the
exit row seats a matter which we keep bringing up and which both
the FAA and the airlines continue to dodge.  If safety were the
prime consideration instead of economics, the airlines would have
a policy of not serving drinks to passengers in exit rows. 
Repeatedly they sell liquor to such passengers to the point of
making them drunk, and then they have the effrontery to talk with
a straight face about their concern with safety.
In this same vein there is the matter of carry-on luggage.  In
the regulatory negotiation sessions the airline representatives
were not willing to discuss it at all, but I have yet to hear
anybody deny
that the carry-on luggage which is routinely permitted is a real
safety hazard--not just the phony kind of bugaboo which is raised
concerning the blind.  Why then do the airlines not enforce a
rule against excessive carry-on luggage?  The answer is simple. 
It is a question of economics.  If one airline should prohibit
such luggage, its competitors would get the upper hand, so nobody
does it.  Yet, we are told that blind persons cannot sit in the
exit rows because they cannot open doors and move rapidly.  I
wonder whether a large suitcase can do the job more efficiently. 
All of this does not deal with the matter of light and dark
something we have repeatedly brought to the attention of federal
officials and airline personnel and something which they have
just as repeatedly ignored.  Half of the time it is dark, and
sometimes (even when it
is not dark) airplane lights go out and the cabin is filled with
smoke.  This is especially likely in cases of emergency.  In such
circumstances the average blind person would have a distinct
advantage over the average sighted person in opening the exit and
getting out of the plane.  One pilot for a large airline has said
under oath that for safety reasons he would prefer to have at
least one blind person in an exit row on his flights in case of
an accident during darkness.
The truth is that if you consider the scarcity of accidents in
proportion to the number of miles which are flown and the
relatively small numbers of blind people who likely would be on a
given flight at a given time, the potential risk would almost be
zero even if all of the claims by the airlines about the
unsafeness of the blind were true.  The serving of liquor to
passengers, the permitting of smoking, the carry-on luggage, the
undetected emotional and physical problems of the average
passenger, and a hundred other things are much more real as
problems than the minimal risk potentially posed by the blind. 
Nevertheless, the airlines persist in their phony game of  It is
all a matter of safety,  and the FAA bows to the pressure and
seeks to take the easy way out.
In truth and in fact we are not dealing with a safety issue at
all but a question of civil rights, and we simply will not be
bullied and intimidmated into submission.  We will speak to the
public and the Congress until we get results.  And make no
mistake about it--we will be heard, and we will be heeded.

                                                       Cordially,
                                                 Kenneth Jernigan
                                               Executive Director
                                 National Federation of the Blind

                 LOUIS BRAILLE AND THE AIRLINES

It has been said that fifty percent of all advertising is wasted
and that if we could only know which fifty percent, we could save
a lot of money.  In the summer of 1987 the National Federation of
the Blind took its case concerning the airlines to the public. 
We took full-page ads in the  Wall Street Journal , the 
Washington Post , and  USA Today .  The question naturally arises
as to whether
this was a good use of resources.  What precisely did we
accomplish how much name identification, how much good will, how
much public enlightenment?

Of course, we will never fully know the answer, but the effect
was probably far more potent and widespread than we realize. 
Advertising is like that.  Many hundreds of letters of support
came to the National Office of the Federation, and we heard
nationwide discussion and comment.  But what about the people who
didn't write or make public utterance?  How much impact did our
message have on the average person in the average community the
doctor, the minister, the farmer, and the factory worker?  Did
the ordinary thinking man and woman in this country become aware
of what we were saying, and if so, how often was our message
taken beyond the immediate problem of the airlines to a general
understanding of an overall social attitude which is wrong and
must be changed?
Again, we can never fully know since anything which happens that
influences the social conscience forever changes the total body
of public opinion, even if only to a small degree.  However, we
have indications, both as to impact and overall duration.
Jolene Boshart reports in the December, 1987,  News From Blind
Nebraskans  on a sermon given by Dr. Otis Young at the First
Plymouth Church in Lincoln.  Here in part is what Dr. Young said:

Let's begin with a story.  A small three-year-old child was
playing in his father's workshop.  It was filled with leather and
tools for punching the leather, because his dad was a
harnessmaker.  The little boy was able to reach one of the tools. 
He had seen his father use the tool many times.  It was a leather
puncher.
Imitating his dad, the boy placed the punch on the leather and
punched.  Nothing happened.  The little face bent lower to
determine what might have
gone wrong; the punch slipped; a scream brought his father
rushing across the room.  His son's left eye was bleeding from a
deep wound.

That year was 1812, and medical science knew little about
treating injuries in the human eye.  In addition, France was at
war, and doctors who might have been available for tending the
wounded and the poor were away at battle.  A few more days of
anxious waiting brought bleak news: The other eye was also
swollen; the infection had spread.  Soon there came a morning
when the sister appeared to wake up her brother.   Why are you
getting me up when it is still dark?  he asked.
 No,  the sister replied.   It is a bright day, and the sun is
already high.   Never again would this individual see the bright
sunshine.
Attitudes toward the disabled in the nineteenth century were
cruel.  Blind, lame, and deaf people were considered to be cursed
by God and were objects of scorn.  Louis, however, was surrounded
by caring, challenging adults.  His father was determined that
the boy would be allowed to harness all of his remaining talents. 
When little Louis stumbled while crossing a room and his mother
rushed to his aid, his father would gently hold her back.   Let
him find his own way,  he would say.  Thus encouraged by his
father, Louis soon learned his way around his own home and could
be trusted on the village streets.

Another positive influence on Louis was the local priest.  Father
Paully saw behind those sightless eyes a brilliant and eager
mind.  On one of his visits to the home, Father Paully announced
the wonderful news: He had persuaded the school officials to
allow Louis to attend school.  The boy's joy was later matched by
the school officials' surprise when they discovered at the end of
the first semester that the student with the highest grades was
Louis.
But Louis's academic victories were short-lived.  When the
village schoolmaster was transferred to another part of France,
local students were shifted to a neighboring district.  There,
the officials were adamant: no blind child would clutter up their
class.  A depressed Louis retreated to the loneliness of his
room.
Father Paully did not give up.  He discovered that there was a
school for the blind in Paris, only half a day's journey away. 
There, Louis could attend classes with other blind children.  He
could be taught music.  And most remarkable of all, it was
rumored that the school contained books printed especially for
the blind.
Unfortunately, Louis's school fell far short of its reputation. 
Its administration was far more interested in discipline than it
was with learning.  Indeed, attitudes toward the disabled were
scarcely better there than they were on the streets of the city. 
Most disappointing of all were the books promised for the blind. 
They were created by simply embossing large print letters on a
page so that by using one's finger, one could laboriously
identify them one by one.  Deciphering a single paragraph could
take more than fifteen minutes.  Moreover, there were only
fourteen such books in existence. However, one fall Louis
returned to school to discover that a new headmaster had been
appointed a man whose compassionate approach was in striking
contrast to that of his predecessor.  Dr. Pignier showed an
interest in all of the students under his care, and paid special
attention to Louis.

At a weekly assembly that fall the new headmaster presented a
novel device consisting of a slate and stylus for punching holes
in paper which had been devised by the French military for
passing information in the noise and darkness of battle.  By
punching in patterns, coded messages could be put onto the paper
and read by the fingers.   Of course,  the headmaster cautioned, 
the holes take up so much space that only the simplest messages
can be sent this way.  But the device makes an interesting toy. 
Some of you may want to play with it in the library. 
Louis rushed directly to the library.  What a fascinating idea! 
In a few minutes he had mastered the system, and then he began to
try to simplify it.  Each evening, after spending the necessary
amount of time with his studies, Louis turned to the slate and
stylus.  He slept little.  A nagging cough that had been with him
for months became worse.  When he returned home that summer, his
parents were distressed by the sight of their emaciated son. 
Equally disturbing was the amount of time he spent with the new
device, punching meaningless holes into endless pieces of paper.
Late that summer a new approach occurred to Louis.  He imagined a
cell of six dots, two across and three vertically.  How many
combinations could be made with that arrangement?  He discovered
that he could encode ten letters by using only the top dots of
the cell.  Punching out one bottom dot and repeating the original
ten patterns gave him ten more letters.  By using the other
bottom dot, he could complete the alphabet, with codes left over
for punctuation.  In a tiny space
he had devised patterns that could be read quickly with the
fingers.  His hands could race across the page as quickly as eyes
could read print.  And with practice he could punch out a message
fast enough to take notes in class or write letters home.  At age
fifteen Louis Braille had devised a system for reading and
writing that would transform the lives of many blind people
throughout the world.
Louis Braille was instrumental in removing stumbling blocks, such
as illiteracy, from the lives of blind people in his day.  Today,
blind people are still working to remove obstacles.  And that's
what the message of the National Federation of the Blind in a
recent issue of the  Wall Street Journal  was all about.  It
reminded all
of us not to put stumbling blocks in the way of the blind, and
especially concerned airline travel.
Here, instead of removing stumbling blocks, it seems that new
ones have been added.  The gist of the message was this:  To
those of you who have sight, we who are blind might seem to need
different treatment; but let us decide that.  Too often we are
not treated as individuals with the normal range of capabilities
and differences.  Rather, we are treated as  the handicapped ; we
are treated like little children.  According to the ad, the
airlines have not been allowing passengers who are blind to sit
in seats located in exit rows, even though these seats are
allotted to children, those who are drunk,
or those who are too infirm or illiterate to operate the safety
windows in a competent manner.  The airlines fear that in the
case of emergencies people without normal sight might not be able
to function in the necessary ways or that they might be trampled
by other passengers trying to get out.  However, those who are
blind reply that they can get on
and off the plane as quickly and as easily as anyone else.  They
further point out that if the emergency occurred at night when
the cabin was dark, or the occurrence of the emergency caused a
smoke-filled cabin, a blind person, unaccustomed to seeing, could
be at a greater advantage than a sighted person and could be a
tremendous help to others.  What we forget is that all of us are
blind in certain ways.  We all have our blind spots.  We see
vices in others, for example, before
we see them in ourselves.  We are frequently blind to our own
prejudices.

                                 
 TO BE A CHILD  
MORE ABOUT THE AIRLINES
                                              Creston, California
                                                 November 1, 1987

Dear United Airlines:
 I have sent you this letter to report an incident that should
have never happened on United flight 1119 from Seattle to San
Francisco, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, September 29, 1987.
My husband (sighted) and myself (blind) were scheduled to take a
3:00 p.m. United flight, same day and destination.  We arrived
early to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport at 12:00 noon and proceeded
to check in our luggage when a United ticket checker asked what
we were going
to be doing for the next few hours.  We answered waiting for our
3:00 p.m. flight at the airport.  He then suggested that we might
want
to take flight 1119 at 12:30 since there were stand-by seats
available on this flight.  I asked if there would be any
standy-by seats together, and she said probably yes.  We agreed
to take flight 1119.  The ticket checker changed our tickets and
suggested we go directly to the loading gate, which we did.
Upon boarding, I told the stewardess our seat numbers (14-A and
C).  She told me to go back to the middle of the plane, right
side.  Just as I was getting ready to sit down, the same
stewardess came rushing
up behind me and told me she would have to ask me to please sit
somewhere else.  I asked her why, and she replied,  It's a
company policy not to seat blind people in exit row seats.   I
said that this is not the government's Department of
Transportation policy.  I then told her that if this was a night
flight, my chances of finding the exit door would be far greater
than a sighted person's since I am used to getting around in the
dark.
The stewardess replied,  I have no arguments with you, but that
is company policy.   I said,  Let me talk to the pilot.   She
said I would have to talk to her supervisor, and she left.
Meanwhile I continued to stand in front of my seat, 14-A.  My
husband took a seat on the opposite side of the plane, one row
up.  The stewardess returned within five minutes.  She said,  The
pilot would take full responsibility for my sitting in that seat. 
 I promptly got ready to sit doown when the same stewardess took
my white cane from me and quickly placed it in an overhead
cabinet two rows ahead of me.
I said,  Can I please have my cane back?  Putting my cane up
there is like putting my eyeballs up there.   She then took my
cane down while I explained to her that it 4is telescopic and
would fold up quite small while she watched.  I also told her I
would even wear it on my hand with its strap if she was concerned
with it being loose upon takeoff.
She did not say a word and left only to return a few minutes
later with another stewardess telling me,  You are going to have
to prove to me that you can at least reach for the emergency exit
door handle,  which I did promptly.
At this point I was really getting tired of being treated like a
twelve-year-old child.  Having to prove anything to two strangers
is absurd!  The harassment did not stop there.  By this time my
husband called over to me,  Now will you come over here and sit? 
I said,  Are you kidding, after having to fight for my seat?   I
was not moving, so he joined me in seat 14-A, and I sat in seat
14-B.  No other person sat in seat 14-C.
The stewardess proceeded to explain to all passengers the safety
rules and air bag use.  I listened and understood, but that
wasn't enough for our stewardess.  When the explanation was
finished, our stewardess and another walked to my seat, and with
an air bag in hand told me to reach for the air bag held over my
head, which I did.  Then they told me to show them that I could
find the button to release the air bag, which I did.  I even
offered to show them how to put on the mask if they wanted me to. 
They did not, and off they went.
My husband told me that all during our one-hour and twenty-minute
flight I received ugly sneers from the stewardesses.  This had
been
my third flight in one week, and only on flight 1119 was I
intimidated, degraded, and embarrassed in front of a plane full
of people.  Often during this flight I felt like telling the
stewardess:  I am blind,
not deaf, not senile, or childish, so please don't treat me as
such.   I am a thirty-six-year-old woman with an A.A. degree in
data processing as a programmer.  I have worked as a cashier,
department store manager (indoor patio department), clerk, and
housekeeper for many years until January, 1987, when my blindness
required me to stop driving.  I have been a 4-H leader for four
years and worked with many students and teachers on various
school projects including serving as president of our school
improvement program for two years.  I seriously doubt that many
people would  Fly United  if they had to undergo the harassment I
did on this flight!
I have enclosed some important information on blind people and
would stress to your personnel training officer that they take a
few minutes to go over it with each United employee.  Half the
problem with blindness is teaching people to understand that only
a small percentage of all blind people see nothing at all, and
the rest of us can see some colors and movement and are, indeed,
still blind.

                                                       Sincerely,
                                                     Kathy French
                         PERKINS SCHOOL 
 FIGHTS HIV DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT
                       by Mark A. Perigard
 (This article appeared in the January 28, 1988, issue of  Bay
Windows,  New England's largest gay and lesbian newspaper.) 


The Perkins School for the Blind, a Watertown facility renowned
for
its care and instruction to the handicapped, is seeking to have
dismissed a discrimination complaint from the estate of a blind
hemophiliac who was seropositive for the AIDS antibodies.
Loretta W. Holway, an attorney representing Perkins, said the
charge of employment discrimination filed with the Massachusetts
Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) does not survive the
death of Scott Eckholdt, a former assistant resident manager for
Perkins.
Alec Gray, the lawyer for Eckholdt's estate, vigorously
challenged the January 5 dismissal motion, accusing the Perkins
School of acting
as  if we wait long enough, we don't have to pay for our actions.


Eckholdt, 28, died last July from an ailment unrelated to his HIV
status.  The Perkins administration had put the three-week-old
employee on full paid medical leave last February after learning
his HIV antibody status.
A representative of MCAD could not predict when the agency might
consider Holway's dismissal motion.
According to Holway, the Perkins staff decided  in a fair and
compassionate manner  that the risk of infection to Eckholdt's
charges, blind, retarded adults, many of whom act out violently,
she said, was too great.
Gray disagreed sharply, saying the school removed Eckholdt
without ever exploring any other work opportunities within
Perkins.  The school never attempted any reasonable
accommodations, never attempted, never even tried to  find
another slot for Eckholdt or to modify his job duties, he said.
Holway commented,  It's not like Eckholdt was working as a
computer operator.  If he had been, we would never have had any
concerns at all.  It just wasn't a normal working environment. 
Gray charged Perkins and Holway in court documents of following a 
strategy of delay and procrastination,  of refusing to respond 
to the merits of the complaint. 
 Only because Perkins followed tactics of delay am I in the
position of having a dead client,  he said.
According to him, Perkins administrators placed Eckholdt under a
great deal of mental stress and anxiety.  Administrators first
said he could not return to his job without the written medical
opinion of his physician about the potential risk he posed in the
workplace.  After Eckholdt's doctor said there was no 
substantial risk,  Perkins administrators demanded that he submit
to an examination from a physician of their own choosing, Gray
said.
  [T]he Perkins School for the Blind attempted to justify
its discriminatory conduct by seeking some medical personnel who
would agree with the school's preordained position,  Gray wrote
in his MCAD complaint, filed last November.
Holway defended Perkins' actions, saying,  We needed medical
advice as to the possible risk of infection to residents who were
also blind.  It was a very unusual situation which we anticipate
will never occur again. 
After his death in July, Eckholdt's parents directed Gray to
continue to pursue the job discrimination charge.  Negotiations
for a settlement fell through last August, both attorneys said. 
According to Gray, Eckholdt's parents would have been satisfied
if Perkins had made a charitable donation in the range of $5,000
to a nonprofit organization working on behalf of hemophiliacs.
Perkins administrators never seriously considered the settlement
offer, Holway said.   We didn't have any obligation, moral or
legal, to accede to Mr. Gray's demands,  she said.
Even if the Perkins administration felt it had been in the wrong,
it would have been unable to make a settlement, Holway claimed. 
             EUREKA A4: THE ARRIVAL OF A NEW CONCEPT
From the Editor: When I was in London in November of 1987 to
attend the meeting of the officers of the World Blind Union, I
met a man named Milan Hudecek.  He told me that he was a refugee
from Communist Czechoslovakia, having escaped from there several
years ago.  He said that he went to Australia and set up a
company specializing in the development of computers and
electronic devices.  He had received training as an electrical
engineer in Czechoslovakia. 
His purpose in being in London was to promote a new product (the
Eureka
A4) which his company (Robotron) had recently put on the market. 
I examined the Eureka briefly and, in fact, fleetingly considered
bringing it home with me, experimenting with it to see whether it
might be helpful in writing speeches, articles, and such like. 
But my usual attitude about hands-on experience (mine, that is)
with computers prevailed, and I contented myself with a cursory
look and a passing conversation.  Hudecek tried several times to
get me to examine the machine in more detail and learn how to
operate it, but I fended him off.
I hasten to add that this does not mean that I thought the
machine
was poorly constructed or without merit.  Quite the contrary.  I
thought it might be of real value and that the blind of the
United States might be interested in it.  In short, my resistance
was personal, not institutional.
Hudecek told me that he had a partner, an Australian lawyer named
Mooris Priwler.  He said that Priwler had been to the United
States and would soon be making another visit.  He also said that
Priwler would come to see me at the National Center for the Blind
here in Baltimore; and as promised, Priwler came.  In fact, he
visited me several times in January and was present during our
March on Washington the first week of February.
Priwler also visited Curtis Chong in Minneapolis and had
conversations with a number of other Federationists.  Curtis
tells me that the Eureka A4 has a number of good features but
that he would like it much better if he could speed up the
speech.  Priwler says that Robotron will be giving priority to
this.
The Research and Development Committee met at the National Center
for the Blind during the weekend of January 30-31, 1988, and they
looked at the Eureka.  I heard the opinion expressed that the
quality of the speech left something to be desired, but I also
heard favorable comments about the overall function and operation
of the machine.  Of course, it must be kept in mind that the
members of the committee had not examined the Eureka A4 in depth
and that Priwler was not here to demonstrate the machine or
discuss it with them.
My impression of Priwler is that he is sincere and has integrity. 
He says that Robotron intends to promote the Eureka A4 vigorously
and
to provide prompt and efficient service once the machine is
bought.  I believe he means what he says.  I told him that we
would be willing to take messages and receive written
communications for him until he could establish an office in this
country.
We now have a Eureka A4 at the National Center for the Blind for
use and for demonstration purposes, and we will be getting at
least a
few more to sell to those who want to buy them.  I believe that
Robotron has not settled on its final price but that it intends
to charge somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,200-$2,300 for the
Eureka A4.
Is the machine a good buy at this price?  I am not in a position
to say, but most of the people who have used the Eureka A4 seem
to like it and to feel that it is of real value.  The price may
be a barrier to some, but if the machine really performs in such
a way as to be a major factor vocationally or in leisure
activities, most of those who want it will probably find a way to
get it.
I told Priwler that we would help inform the blind of the nation
about the Eureka A4.  To this end we are printing the following
article, unedited and just as he wrote it.  Robotron should have
the opportunity to present its message to the blind of the nation
in its own words, so here is Mr. Priwler's article:
(note)
 New tools for the visually impaired are introduced regularly,
but totally new concepts are announced seldom.  When a product of
an entirely new and truly beneficial concept arrives, it changes
our ways of thinking and creates a plethora of new opportunitiies
and possibilities.  Developed and tested to specifications and
desires of many blind users, Eureka A4 is such a landmark
product.  Referred to as the Rolls Royce of the tools for
visually impaired people, Eureka A4 combines the largest variety
of desirable features all in one small affordable package.
After being launched in Australia, United Kingdom, and New
Zealand, Eureka A4 is now available in America.
Eureka A4 is a new class of product because of its small physical
size and a very large number of practical, easy to use functions
not found in any other mahcine.  This article outlines briefly
the special elements of Eureka A4.

                   Size and Physical Features

Eureka A4 is the size of a standard sheet of writing paper,
approximately 11 by 8 inches, 1.5 inches thick.  It weighs about
3.5 pounds (1.5 kg). You can fit four of the elegant,
ergonomically designed Eurekas into one standard briefcase.
Information is entered in Braille via a Perkins-style keyboard on
the front of the machine.  Alternatively, a standard
typewriter-style keyboard can be connected to Eureka A4.  Modern
silicon rubber technology makes the feel of the Braille keys very
pleasant, while the gold-plated contacts assure utmost
reliability.
Eureka's output is primarily via the in-built speech synthesizer
with an unusually smooth voice of almost human quality.  It is
very easy
to get used to the sound.  On the back of the machine there is a
communication connector allowing the transfer of text from Eureka
A4 to printers or embossers and exchange of information with
other computers.  Text or other information can also be stored
for later reference on 3-1/2 inch diskettes using the in-built
disk drive.  Each diskette can store 792 KBytes of data, i.e. up
to 300 pages of densely typed text.
Other physical features include sockets for headphones, for
telephone connections to use with the in-built modem and for
power adapters to recharge the internal battery.

                       Practical Functions
Many people comment on the elegant design of the case as well as
the presence of the disk drive and auto-dialing modem which is
unusual in a battery-operated device of this size and weight.
However, what really sets Eureka A4 apart is the impressive list
of in-built practical functions.  They are too numerous to
describe in detail.  Therefore, only a brief description of the
major functions follows.

A. Electronic Secretarial Functions

1. Word Processor A Wordstar compatible word processor with
additional special features, such as enhanced cursor movements, a
word count function, and the ability to store files in different
formats.
2. Note Taker An electronic notepad for quick note taking without
disturbing your other activities.
3. Clock and Calendar The clock includes an alarm, stop watch,
count-down timer, and programmable time announcer.  The calendar
informs you of the day of week for any date or the date for a
specified day of the week.
4. Diary/Appointment Scheduler The diary lets you store
appointments and messages.  At the present time and date the
machine switches itself on automatically (or interrupts your work
if you are currently using it) and announces the message.
5. Scientific Calculator This calculator contains scientific as
well as statistical functions and an unlimited number of
memories.  Another feature of the calculator is the ability to
review previous calculations.

6. Telephone Directory You can store names and telephone numbers
and, if required, Eureka A4 will automatically dial the number
for you.
7. Database Eureka's disk-based database makes it possible to
store
a large number of records (such as membership lists, hobby
collections, or stock inventory) and access them quickly by
index.

B. Communication and 
Computing Functions

1. Communication Terminal Eureak A4 can be used as a terminal for
other computers either via the serial communication interface or
the modem.  A facility to transfer files between Eureka A4 and
other computers is also included.  In addition, Eureka A4 can be
connected to IBM PC compatibles as a screen reader using software
which is available as an option.
2. Basic Programmable Computer With Eureka's specially designed
talking Basic, you can create with ease your own computer
programs.


C. Other Unique Facilities

1. Music Composer Eureka's Music Composer makes it possible to
compose and edit four-voiced music using three different musical
instruments.  You can store the music on disk for later change or
replay.
2. Thermometer The Thermometer measures room temperature.  You
can connect an external thermometer to Eureka to measure body
temperature, etc.
3. Voltmeter The voltmeter makes it possible to use Eureka's
voice output for various measuring devices.  Examples include a
meteorologist using Eureka to read gauges in a weather forecast
bureau and an owner of a recording studio using Eureka to measure
sound levels of his recording equipment.

                           Ease of Use

Many Eureka A4 users commented that once you learn the basic
steps, the machine is very easy to use.
You don't have to memorize Eureka A4 commands because of the
special help facilities.  As you use the machine, it talks to
you, advising of the next step.  At any time you can make the
machine inform you of the available functions and your current
selection.
In addition, supplied with the machine is a step-by-step tutorial
on audio cassette which assumes no technical knowledge.  The
tutorial is supplemented by a quick reference tape.
Robotron, the manufacturers of Eureka A4, also offer Eureka
Course Manuals for tutors and organizations wishing to hold
training courses for Eureka A4.
The unprecedented number of desirable features all fitted into
one portable and light-weight package explains why Eureka A4
represents a totally new concept in a class of its own.
The portability, practicality, power, and affordable price have
resulted in many Eureka A4 units being used to advantage in
schools and colleges, at work, and at home.
                THE SPEAQUALIZER AS AN EQUALIZER
                         by Curtis Chong

 (As  Monitor  readers know, Curtis Chong is the President of the
National Federation of the Blind in Computer Science and one
of the leaders of the National Federation of the Blind of
Minnesota.  He is employed as a systems programming specialist at
IDS Financial Services in Minneapolis, Minnesota.) 

The Speaqualizer was developed by the Research and Development
Committee of the National Federation of the Blind.  Using its
expertise in computers and the Federation's positive  philosophy
of blindness, the Committee put together a piece of equipment
which promises to put the blind
on an equal footing with the sighted as far as computers are
concerned.

A number of companies have already developed speech software
systems for the IBM PC.  Why, then, is the Speaqualizer so
significant?  For one thing, all of the speech software available
for the IBM PC depends upon the presence of the Disk Operating
System (DOS). Without DOS,
none of the speech software will work; and although DOS is the
operating system most frequently used on the PC, other operating
systems such as the new OS2 are used as well.  These other
operating systems are not available to the blind via speech
software.
Even in the DOS environment, the speech software approach has not
been entirely successful.  Some commercial software such as IBM's
3278 emulation system and SmartCom virtually  take over  the
keyboard, making it impossible for any speech software to receive
keyboard commands.  Other commercial packages actually disable
any speech software because they take over system interrupts
vital to speech software operation.  In a situation where the
user's environment
is frequently changing (a not uncommon situation in today's
rapidly-changing business environment),  there is no guarantee
that speech software will work in all cases.
The Speaqualizer goes further than anything else to eliminate
these problems. It is completely transparent to the computer's
operating system.  Because it uses hardware to intercept data
being sent to
the video monitor as opposed to software, it uses absolutely no
computer memory.  No system interrupts are needed by the
Speaqualizer.  All Speaqualizer functions are performed via an
out-board keypad.  This means that the computer keyboard is
completely free to be used with commercial software, regardless
of whether or not such programs take over keyboard interrupts. 
Since the Speaqualizer functions outside of the operating system,
its functions are not affected by programs that use interrupts or
large amounts of system memory.
Unlike speech software packages that have to wait for the
operating system to be loaded before they can begin functioning,
the Speaqualizer starts speaking as soon as you turn on the
computer.  Even if you have problems loading your operating
system, you can still use the Speaqualizer to hear what is being
displayed on the video monitor.

As mentioned earlier, the Speaqualizer is particularly useful in
environments where frequent software changes occur. Many
corporations continually purchase new software for their IBM
PC's, and the Speaqualizer permits the blind PC user to maintain
a much higher level of confidence that the new software will be
available for use with speech output.  This translates into
increased productivity on the part of the blind PC
user which further translates into more jobs with access to more
software.

Unlike speech-based screen reading programs, the Speaqualizer is
relatively simple and straightforward to learn.  For example,
while screen reading software may require you to learn a little
bit about your operating system just so they can be installed,
the Speaqualizer does not.  Then, there is the fact that you do
not have to absorb the rather confusing concept that, in one mode
of operation, your PC's keyboard tells the screen reader what to
do while, in another mode, the keyboard sends commands to
whatever application you may be running.  With the Speaqualizer,
you only need to master the controls on the out-board unit which,
by the way, has only nineteen keys.  In practical terms, a PC
user
can become proficient with the Speaqualizer in a very short time
often as little as a few hours.
The Speaqualizer consists of three physical components.  The
first component is a full-sized card which is designed to fit
into a full IBM PC expansion slot.  This card contains all of the 
logic  that enables the Speaqualizer to  do its thing.   This
includes all speech synthesis functions, all text-to-speech
algorithms, all cursor monitoring functions, volume and speed
controls, buffering
of video monitor data, and so forth.  All commands to the
Speaqualizer are processed by this card, and all of the firmware
that enables you to  review  the data displayed on the video
monitor is stored here.
The second component is an RS232 cable which is used to connect
the Speaqualizer card to the out-board control box.
The third component is the out-board control box itself. 
Commands to the Speaqualizer are sent via nineteen keys on this
unit.  You can hear the speech generated by the Speaqualizer
either through the speaker in the box or through a quarter-inch
headphone jack.
With the nineteen keys on the top of the out-board control box,
the Speaqualizer can be instructed to read individual words,
lines or characters on the screen.  The Speaqualizer can
determine the location of the system cursor at any time.  The
Speaqualizer can spell individual words.  If you have trouble
hearing the difference between individual letters such as  S  and 
F,  the Speaqualizer can pronounce each letter using the standard
phonetic alphabet. Accordingly,  S  becomes  Sierra,  and  F 
becomes  Foxtrot.   A special Read Cursor enables the
Speaqualizer to read anything on the
screen without disturbing the system cursor.  Multiple levels of
punctuation pronunciation are provided, and there is even a
special mode that will speak graphic characters on the screen. 
Changing pitch is used to indicate the presence of individual
uppercase characters or words containing capital letters.  A
Keyboard Monitor is provided; this enables you to hear individual
keystrokes as you type them.  To top it all off, the Speaqualizer
can be instructed to generate a double beep when it detects data
on the screen that is displayed in, for example, reverse video. 
You can instruct the Speaqualizer to search the screen for
underlined text, reverse video text, highlighted text or blinking
text.
The Speaqualizer is equipped with a special Monitoring function
that enables it continuously to monitor a specific line and
column position on the video display.  If the contents of the
monitored position change, the Speaqualizer will automatically
read the entire line.  This is particularly useful for programs
that write status information to a fixed location on the screen. 
The Monitoring feature will permit
you to receive automatic notification the moment such status
information changes.
Through the use of the Tabbing feature, you can define windows on
the screen.  This is especially useful for programs that make use
of columns (e.g., spreadsheets).
One of the most pleasing features of the Speaqualizer is its
ability to  kill  speech immediately.  With the press of a
button, you can silence speech at any time.  Most speech
functions of the Speaqualizer are interruptable. For example,
suppose you are currently reading line 5 on your screen.  Now, if
you depress the Say Next Line key, the Speaqualizer will try to
read line 6.  If you hear the first few words on line 6 and
decide that you really wanted to hear line 7, simply depress the
Say Next Line key again.  The Speaqualizer will immediately
silence the reading of line 6 and proceed to speak the contents
of line 7.  This  interruptability  is a tremendous time-saver
and a significant aid to a blind person's productivity.

One of the most frustrating things about hardware is its
inability
to absorb future enhancements.  However, the Speaqualizer was
deliberately designed to allow for future updates to the
firmware.  Speaqualizer firmware is stored on EPROMs which are
easily replaced.  Future updates to the firmware will be shipped
on an EPROM chip.  All you have to
do to install the new EPROM is remove the old chip from the
Speaqualizer card and insert the new one.  It is as simple as
that.
The Speaqualizer will work with many more application programs
than traditional speech software systems.  However, it will not
work with all programs that can run on the IBM Personal Computer.
Some programs on the market today use graphics to paint
characters on the screen.  The Speaqualizer will not work with
these  bit mapped graphics  programs.  Other programs remove the
system cursor from the screen
and utilize some form of video highlighting to denote a  cursor.  
Although the Speaqualizer may be able to read the characters
displayed on the
screen and determine the video attributes of these characters,
the program  cursor  can be difficult to locate.  If you keep
these limitations in mind when purchasing software, the
Speaqualizer will perform a tremendously useful service for you. 
Also, bear in mind that future revisions to the firmware will
probably alleviate many of these problems.
Unlike anything else that has been put on the market today, the
Speaqualizer makes the IBM PC a veritable talking computer. 
There is nothing else like it.  Even more significant, it was
designed by Federationists with expertise both in computers and
in blindness.  In other words, the Speaqualizer is truly ours.
The Speaqualizer is currently being distributed for the National
Federation of the Blind by the American Printing House for the
Blind.  The current price of a Speaqualizer is $799.95. If you
are interested in obtaining a Speaqualizer or simply want to
obtain more information about it, contact the American Printing
House for the Blind at 1839 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville,
Kentucky 40206.  The phone number to call is (502) 895-2405.
                    RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
 AN AREA OF INCREASING EMPHASIS
                         by Tim Cranmer
 (As  Monitor  readers know, Dr. Tim Cranmer is internationally
recognized for his preeminence in technology for the blind.) 

Four years ago Dr. Kenneth Jernigan (then President of the
National Federation of the Blind) initiated a program of research
and development
by appointing a committee with the responsibility of finding new
applications of technologies and influencing emerging
technologies aimed at solving problems resulting from blindness. 
The Research and Development Committee is the result of that
decision.  Selecting members for the R & D Committee was easy. 
Federationists had already distinguished themselves in the field
of technology through their participation in the Committee for
the Evaluation of Technology and the Division of NFB in Computer
Science.  The present R & D Committee came largely from these
training grounds.  Our very active committee meets two or three
times a year and maintains continual contact by phone between
meetings.  Our last meeting in February of 1988 at the National
Center for the Blind in Baltimore was typical.
We studied and examined firsthand the newest tools available to
engineers tools like programmable logic arrays that enable an
engineer to design special purpose circuits that meet specific
design requirements.  These PLA's, as they are called, may
contain hundreds of logic gates (and, or not gates and latches)
that can be interconnected and changed at will to build circuits
needed in such things as future versions of the Speaqualizer.
Another state-of-the-art technology studied at our meeting is 
surface-mounted components,  which allows integrated circuits to
be mounted onto
printed circuit boards without using wire leads.  These tiny
parts sit directly on copper pads etched on the circuit boards,
where they are soldered by heating the entire assembly.  The
Braille 'n Speak uses surface mount technology to achieve its
small size while retaining a large memory and other sophisticated
features.
Our Committee experienced firsthand the potentially useful
material variously called Nitinal, Biometal, Memory metal, etc. 
This fascinating material possesses the property of remembering
any shape that it is forced to assume.  For example, if you bend
a piece of nitinal metal into the shape of a print letter S while
it is heated a little above room temperature, you can then cool
the wire to room temperature and bend it into a complete circle. 
It will keep its new shape until
it is warmed a bit and then it will forcibly snap back into the
shape of an S.  This is more than a parlor trick.  This property
of Nitinal is being applied to the design of a full page Braille
display that really looks promising.
All of our meetings include exploration of current concepts,
tools, and materials that enable us to maintain our position of
leadership in the application of science and technology to
products useful to all of us.
A committee is an excellent mechanism for exploring questions
like what is needed and what are the best methods to achieve a
goal.  But when it comes time to implement the committee's ideas,
you need one person to take charge.  Once the project leader is
identified, other committee members direct their input to him or
her.  That's how we usually work.
In the short life of the committee we have pursued a fair number
of projects.  Some have been outstanding successes while others
must be accepted as learning experiences.  Here are samples of
both:
The Speaqualizer exemplifies the R & D Committee's design skills. 
This powerful tool enables blind computer users to read IBM and
compatible personal computer screens.  The Speaqualizer is
discussed elsewhere in this issue of the  Monitor .  Suffice it
to say here that for those entering the IBM personal computer
world, the Speaqualizer is the screen reading tool to start with. 
It will prove to be all you will ever want or need.
It should be noted here that the availability of the Speaqualizer
should significantly improve by the time this appears in the 
Monitor .  We have just learned that the American Printing House
for the Blind (which we have named as our distributor) is now
producing 200 Speaqualizers and plans to stay ahead of future
demand.
The R & D Committee continues to improve the NFB synthetic
speech.  Our  voice  is heard in the PocketBraille machine
produced by the Kentucky Department for the Blind and
manufactured and sold by Southland Manufacturing Company of
Lexington, Kentucky.  The committee is currently developing a
unique stand-alone speech synthesizer using the NFB speech
algorithm and circuit design.  This unit features small
size battery or a.c. operation, a nonvolatile user dictionary of
pronunciation, and a low price.  Negotiations look promising for
acquiring synthetic
speech in other languages (French, Spanish, and German) for our
synthesizer.  This product is not now available.  It's just one
of several things our
committee is working on.
Also under developing is the NFB scientific calculator, which
could be added to many speech or Braille devices, including the
Speaqualizer
or the products based on the Kentucky PortaBraille-PocketBraille
technologies.  The Braille'n'Speak is perhaps the best known
member of this family.  The
NFB scientific calculator will be available we don't know just
when or in what form.
The R & D Committee did the work of translating the typesetter
codes used to produce the ink print edition of the Random House
Concise Dictionary into Grade II Braille.  This work was done in
cooperation with the National Association to Promote the Use of
Braille (NAPUB).  The dictionary may be obtained from NAPUB by
contacting President Betty Niceley, 3618 Dayton Avenue,
Louisville, Kentucky 40207.  A talking edition of the dictionary
has been prepared for the Apple II Computer.  It should be
available later this year.  A version for MS/DOS is planned.

Did I promise to cite  a learning experience?   It once seemed
like a good idea to read a computer screen by moving a  mouse 
(not the cat kind but the kind used with computers) on the desk
top.  As the mouse is moved horozontally across the desk, the
computer's cursor moves across the screen and a speech
synthesizer reads aloud the contents of the line.  Or, by moving
the mouse vertically, the synthesizer could be made to speak the
contents of columns.  We made it work.  We fine-tuned it and
debugged it and concluded that it was not a good idea after all. 
We decided to throw no money down the rat hole.  As a matter of
fact, we learned a great deal from the mouse experiment
pertaining to how we blind computer users can relate gross manual
movements to spatial relations on visual screens.  It sounds like
a good subject for a master's thesis in psychology.  I'll leave
it there.
The National Federation of the Blind is a recognized leader in
research for the blind.  Scientists and engineers are coming to
us in increasing numbers.  They ask for our endorsement of their
proposals to funding sources.  They seek our professional
guidance.  Most of all they seek our knowledge and skill as
technically competent blind men and women.

The Reseach and Development Committee is composed of the
following members:  Tim Cranmer, Chairman; Curtis Chong,
President of the National Federation of the Blind in Computer
Science and Systems Programming Specialist, IDS Financial
Services, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Charles Cook, owner of his own
computer consulting company and developer of
the NFB Braille translator and the other computer systems at the
National Center for the Blind in Baltimore; Emerson Foulke,
Professor of Psychology and Director of the Perceptual
Alternatives Laboratory at the University of Louisville; Mike
Freeman, Computer Systems Programmer, Bonneville Power
Administration, Vancouver, Washington; Abraham Nemeth, Eminent
mathematician and inventor of the Nemeth Mathematical Code; Mary
Ellen Reihing, Assistant Director, Job Opportunities for the
Blind, Baltimore, Maryland; Harold Snider, Director, Access for
the Handicapped, Washington, D.C.; Curtis Willoughby, Systems
Design Engineer, Northwestern Bell Telephone, Des Moines, Iowa;
James Willows, Electronic Engineer, Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratories, Livermore, California.
                        BRAILLE 'N SPEAK 
A STORY, AN UPDATE
                         by Deane Blazie
                            The Story

Last July at the National Federation of the Blind convention I
introduced Braille 'n Speak, a talking note taker with Braille
keyboard and speech output.  Many people who saw it there and
heard about it in the  Braille Monitor  said that at $895 it
seemed too good to be true.  It purported to be: a quiet
note-taker with Grade II Braille-to-print translator, a talking
Braille notebook with 200K memory (200-300 Braille pages), a
talking clock and calendar, a talking computer terminal, a
talking telephone directory, a battery-powered speech
synthesizer, a portable
word processor, a note organizer.  And all of this fits into a
pocket-sized package that weighs one pound.  Sure!
It is understandable that one would be skeptical.  After all, in
the computer business many products are talked about, but some
never materialize (we call them vaporware).  But Braille 'n Speak
really can be seen and felt, and it really does what is said of
it.  For two months even I could not believe that I had actually
developed such a product.  It was so neat.  For over fifteen
years prior to this I had been involved in building and marketing
products that would do only a few of these tasks.  Those products
cost thousands of dollars and were anything but portable. 
Nonetheless, they were useful, and a few hundred were sold.  But
with today's (literally last year's) technology, it was made to
fit into a coat pocket and run for ten hours without a battery
charge.
When I was no longer part of Maryland Computer Services (it's a
long story with a happy ending) I had the urge to do something
more in the industry.  It had to be something that I could
develop at home with my limited resources.  I also knew that
there had to be a less expensive way to market it so that the
cost could be low.  My friend Fred Gissoni was working on the
Kentucky PocketBraille, and I thought it would be a good basis
for a product.  Braille 'n Speak is the result, and we are all
living happily thereafter.
On a more serious note, the comments I am getting about Braille'n
Speak are worth more to me than all of the time and money I have
invested in it.  (So why don't I lower the price?)  Here are some
of the things people have said:
 This thing has changed my life. 
 If I would  have had this when I was in school, who knows what
I would have been able to do. 
 It is a miracle. 
 Every day I find a new use for it. 
 It is the first bit of technology that I can really afford. 

 I can even take it to bed with me at night.   My daughter won't
put it down. 
On the down side there have been a few bugs and a few frustrated
users.  But in spite of the problems the first machines had,
users were very considerate and supportive of me in finding them. 
Many of the suggestions you have given me have been incorporated
into the product, and that brings us to the second part of this
article.

                           What's New?

The big news is that the calculator and stop watch are now
available.  These two options are added programming in the ROM
(what makes Braille 'n Speak smart).
To use the calculator just enter in Braille O-chord (letter O
with the space bar held down) and then enter C.  Braille 'n Speak
will respond in speech with  CALCULATOR READY.   Now you can
enter a calculation.  For example, if you were out to dinner and
needed
to divide the bill ($37.50) three ways, you could enter the
following:  37.50/3 E-Chord.
The E-Chord is the command for Braille 'n Speak to EXECUTE. 
Braille 'n Speak will then say  TWELVE POINT FIVE ZERO.   Now if
you want to compute what a fifteen percent tip is, you can enter:
*.15 E-Chord.
Braille 'n Speak will say  ONE POINT EIGHT SEVEN,  which is
$1.87.  Notice that Braille 'n Speak remembered the previous
answer and multiplied it by fifteen to compute fifteen percent. 
Or you could have done both in one calculation by entering:
37.50/3*.15 E-Chord.

The four functions are PLUS (+), MINUS (-), MULTIPLY (*), and
DIVIDE (/).  You can change the precision so that it speaks up to
twelve digits after the decimal point.  Braille 'n Speak's
calculator uses 14-digit numbers in all of its internal
calculations.  At this time it does not have scientific
functions, but you can enter numbers in scientific notion (1200.5
would be 1.2005e3.  Once you have computed an answer, you can
insert it into your file by using the insert command I-Chord
E-Chord.
The stopwatch is especially for those of us in the broadcast
industry, also for exercise fanatics and cooks.  You enter the
stopwatch mode by typing O-Chord W, and Braille 'n Speak will say 
STOPWATCH READY.   Now pressing dot three will reset the time,
dot six will start and stop it, and the space bar will speak the
timer without stopping it.  It reads the time to a tenth of a
second accuracy.  The last value spoken is stored and can be
spoken by pressing dots one, three.
By pressing the number sign you activate the countdown timer, and
Braille 'n Speak will say  ENTER COUNTDOWN MINUTES.   You can
enter the number of minutes you want counted.  Then, it will ask 
ENTER COUNTDOWN SECONDS,  and you can enter a number of seconds
and the counting will begin.  Braille 'n Speak will announce the
number of minutes to go at ten minutes, five minutes, three
minutes, one minute, and when the time is up.  Pressing the space
bar at any time will tell you how much time is left.  Is that
useful?
These features are available together as an option to new
purchasers
($99) or as an update for current owners ($99 plus $10
shipping/handling).

Also new is the over-write command, which allows replacing one
character
in a file with another with just two keystrokes (compared to six
before).  Time and/or date can now be inserted in a file
(computer Braille only) by using the insert command just like in
the calculator.  Files can be individually protected from being
written into, just as the help file is now.
Finally, all known bugs in the Braille 'n Speak have been fixed. 
This includes many Grade II translation errors, as well as those
nasty ones that cause you to lose information.  Thanks for being
patient with me.

                           The Company

So how can you sell (and market) a product like this for under
$1,000?  While that still remains to be seen, so far it is
working very well.  We are a  Mom and Pop  shop in every sense of
the word.  Marty (my wife) answers the phone, sends out
information, takes orders, opens the mail, helps users, prepares
shipments, and keeps the records straight.  Bryan (my oldest son)
builds parts, assembles units, helps customers over the phone,
and runs errands.  Chris (my middle son)
helps assemble and keeps our bulletin board (301-879-XXXX)
running.  Stephen (four) sings along.  I work full-time-plus as a
computer/engineering consultant and do Braille 'n Speak work
after hours.
But for all the work we put into the product, it wouldn't be
possible without your support, your suggestions, your critical
comments, and your patience.  Thank you.  For more information on
Braille 'n Speak contact: Blazie Engineering, 2818 College View
Drive, Churchville, Maryland 21018; (301) 879-5504.
                                 
IT IS A MATTER OF ATTITUDE 

 (This article appears in the December, 1987,  Newsletter  of the
National Federation of the Blind of Virginia.  The article is
not signed, so presumably it was written by the  Newsletter's 
capable editor, Seville Allen.) 

Our NFB literature is full of references showing how attitude
about blindness plays a primary role in how we handle that
characteristic.  I recently moved into a neighborhood that is
convenient for walking to shopping and community activities. 
Since a short walk will get
a person most anywhere, many other blind people live in the area. 
On two different occasions, while waiting for a traffic light to
change, a blind man asked me if I would help him across the
street.  Both times I said that I would.  In the first incident
the man placed his hand on my shoulder, the light changed, and we
crossed the street.  The man thanked me and continued walking
down the sidewalk.  The second time the man asked for assistance
the story remained the same until we reached the opposite side of
the street.  My cane clicked on a pole.  The man asked what the
noise was.  I told him that it was my cane hitting the light
pole.  The man asked,  Cane?   I said yes, that I am also blind. 
His trust turned to immediate anger.  I was informed in a loud
voice that I was terribly inconsiderate to have endangered both
of our lives.
I share this story because it points out how our attitude about
blindness can cause us to limit ourselves and/or our belief about
ourselves.  In this case we were safely across the street, but
rather than think about that, the man acted on his apparent
belief that it is dangerous
for blind people to cross the street alone or without sighted
assistance.  How often do any of us sell ourselves short when we
believe that because we are blind we cannot explore a new
neighborhood, take a vacation without a sighted person as a
companion, apply for a job, or browse in a shopping mall?
                 COMPETING ON TERMS OF EQUALITY 
 AS BLIND STUDENTS
                        by Fred Schroeder
 This article appeared in the Fall-Winter, 1987-88,  Student
Slate,  the publication of the Student Division of the National
Federation of the Blind.  As Federationists know, Fred Schroeder
is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Federation
of the Blind.  He is also the Director of the New Mexico
Commission for the Blind. 

We are all familiar with the words of Dr. Kenneth Jernigan,
Executive Director of the National Federation of the Blind, who
has told us that, given proper training and opportunity, the
blind can compete on terms of equality with the sighted.  The
truth of this statement has been affirmed time and time again
through the achievements of blind persons in virtually all fields
and professions.  Blind persons work as lawyers, teachers,
engineers, scientists, computer programmers, secretaries,
independent business persons, and, in each, perform at levels
comparable to their sighted peers.  The question, therefore,
becomes not whether the blind can compete but rather how the
individual blind person can best equip him/herself to function on
terms of equality.

Far too often we as blind persons are led to believe that
functioning on terms of equality means nothing more than
producing an equivalent product.  This thinking leads to the
assumption that if a project is placed before us, we are
functioning competitively if we are able
to complete the project adequately.  For the blind student, this
concept is often applied since the nature of university training
is frequently outcome-based.  The university instructor routinely
gives reading assignments and assigns various projects and term
papers, each with a deadline for completion.  For this reason the
blind student may
grow accustomed to assessing his or her ability to function
competitively solely in terms of whether he or she is able to
complete assigned work within the prescribed time period.  The
problem with this way of thinking is that it overlooks the need
to function competitively within the process.  It is not enough
simply to be able to produce
a high quality term paper.  The process by which the paper is
researched, organized, and eventually written and produced is of
equal significance.

When I was in college I knew a blind student who maintained a 4.0
grade point average.  However, to maintain this average this
individual told me that he never took more than six to nine hours
each semester.  This fellow did not know Braille.  When I asked
him how he took notes, he told me that he recorded every class
session and later at home hooked two tape recorders together so
as to make an edited or condensed copy of the lecture material. 
Since this process meant that for each class hour it was
necessary to spend an additional hour to hour and
a half to edit the tape, nine class hours during the week would
require an additional nine to fourteen hours in preparing
recorded notes.  To make matters worse, this fellow told me that
he  handled textbook material in the same manner.  He would order
texts on cassette from Recording for the Blind (RFB) and, hooking
two tape recorders together, would make a condensed version of
the portions he felt to be most important.
This example highlights a variety of problems, both technical and
attitudinal.  It is clear that the method used by this student
was, at best, cumbersome and inefficient.  Nevertheless, from a
purely outcome-based perspective, his system seemed to work. 
That is, he maintained a 4.0 grade point average, albeit taking
in excess of six years to earn a baccalaureate degree.  I could
not help wondering whether upon graduating from college this
fellow would realize that his methods of functioning placed him
at a real disadvantage.  I am sure that he did not consciously
think that an employer would happily assign him half as much work
as his sighted peers or, alternatively, that he would expect to
work twelve to sixteen hours a day to produce at the same rate as
his co-workers.
I suppose if the problem were merely technical, then my friend
(the student, intelligent as he was) could surely have been made
to understand that process and product must be taken together as
a whole.  I believe that the real problem faced by my friend was,
in truth, related to his attitudes and beliefs about blindness. 
He had never taken the time to learn Braille not because he was
too dimwitted to learn
it but rather, I suspect, because Braille is associated with
blindness, and he was reluctant to regard himself as a blind
person.  If a person believes that blindness necessarily
encompasses inferiority, then the individual will predictably
avoid thinking of him/herself as a blind person.  The tragic
twist in this example is that, in an effort to avoid thinking of
himself as blind, my friend rejected the skills that would have
made him competitive in lieu of techniques which in practice made
his performance inferior.
During the era I was in school, portable cassette recorders
emerged on the scene and were heralded as the fundamental tool by
which blind students could function competitively.  No longer
were blind students encouraged to use the slate and stylus;
instead they were told that with a tape recorder in class we
would no longer risk missing vital information.  With this
reasoning we cashed in a note-taking device which would have us
ending each class period with a half dozen pages of concise notes
for a device which consolidated nothing, providing us merely with
a verbatim record of the hour's lecture.  Mostly, I found that I
never got around to listening to all the tapes I made during a
semester.  Therefore, rather than making me more competitive, the
tape recorder resulted in my performance declining.  I am ashamed
to admit that, had I been honest with myself, the real reason I
cashed in my slate and stylus for a tape recorder was that I did
not truly believe that as a blind person I could compete on terms
of equality and, therefore, I was willing to settle for an
inadequate system which placed me at a disadvantage.
Of course, tape recorders serve a purpose and, when used
properly, can result in efficient use of time.  The problem comes
when a tape recorder is used so that an individual can put off
learning the skills of blindness which, in the final analysis,
will allow him/her truly to function on an equal footing with
others.
For the current generation of students a new panacea has burst
onto the scene.  I refer to the current fascination and
preoccupation with computer technology.  As with the cassette
recorder of a decade and a half ago, the computer is touted as
the single most significant
tool for today's blind students.  I do not mean to suggest that
computer technology is not useful.  In fact, this article is
being prepared on an IBM PC.  The computer is terrific for
editing text, revising drafts, checking for typographical errors,
and so on.  However, I think we should be careful to keep the
computer in perspective.  Today there are blind students who,
like my friend of years ago, do not know Braille.  And, like my
friend, many of today's students who do not know Braille will
argue that Braille is bulky, tedious, and in a word antiquated. 
They contend that speech technology gives them technological
literacy without the long hours of study necessary for good
Braille reading and writing.  When I say that a computer should
be kept in perspective, I suppose the best way to look at it is
in terms of whether, on the one hand a computer is being used
merely as a tool to enhance learning or, on the other, as a way
to avoid dealing with blindness or thinking of yourself as a
blind person.  It is necessary that as blind people we not sell
ourselves short nor should we settle for inadequate training,
placing us at a disadvantage.

For blind students the measure of effectiveness needs to be
whether you are functioning competitively both in terms of
outcome and in process.  If you believe that blindness makes you
inferior, then you will settle for inferior methods of
functioning.  You will come to believe that a tool that allows
you to do more than you did before is good enough rather than
considering whether a variety of tools applied correctly might
enable you to perform on an equal basis with your sighted peers. 
Functioning better is not good enough.  We as blind people must
insist on the training which will allow us to function equally
with the sighted.
It is vital that blind students seek training in the skills of
blindness before pursuing academic training.  Once the student is
proficient in cane travel, the use of Braille, the abacus, and
other techniques used by capable blind persons, then he/she will
be able to keep in perspective the other tools that become
available.  The skills of blindness not only allow you the
techniques to function fully but
provide the means through which true self-confidence can be
established.  Before an individual can function as a whole human
being, he/she must believe that he is a whole human being. 
Conversely, truly to believe in yourself as being equal with
others, you must have the skills to put your beliefs into action. 
I have been told by ambitious blind students that they cannot
afford to interrupt their studies to acquire training in the
skills of blindness.  The cost of this decision is often paid
through settling for less than adequate techniques and, worse,
through assuming a belief that you cannot be expected to function
at a level comparable to your peers.
Computers are valuable tools, as are cassette recorders, but it
is the skilled craftsman who knows both the abilities and the
limitations of each tool and when best to employ their use. 
Perhaps the single best means for learning the skills of
blindness is through participation in the National Federation of
the Blind.  The skills of blindness
were not given to us by the educational or rehabilitation
establishments but rather come to us through the collective
experience of tens of thousands of blind men and women.  The
techniques together with an attitude about blindness which
assumes full participation are necessary to be able truly to
compete on terms of equality.  In July of 1988 thousands of blind
people will meet in Chicago, Illinois, at the annual convention
of the National Federation of the Blind.  It is in this setting
that real progress for the blind in society can be realized.  As
a part of the National Federation of the Blind, you will have the
opportunity to join with us and promote both the training and
attitudes necessary for full participation so that we as blind
people will be able to demonstrate to ourselves and others that
we can compete on terms of equality.


  BILL WOULD MERGE AGENCIES FOR HANDICAPPED by Deborah Skipper
 E. U. Parker, one of the long-time leaders of the National
Federation of the Blind of Mississippi, sends us the following
article.  It appeared in the February 4, 1988,  Clarion Ledger.  
As will be quickly apparent, there is nothing new or constructive
in the proposed bill discussed in the article.  Despite the
claims of its sponsor, the legislation would not result in
savings, less confusion, or coordination of services.  It would
(as experience has repeatedly shown) achieve the exact opposite. 
Here is the article. 

Five state agencies currently serving the needs of 378,000
disabled Mississipians would be merged into the Department of
Rehabilitation Services under a bill introduced Wednesday by the
Legislature.   This is the first step in the reorganization
process over the next four years,  said state Senator Bob Usey of
Gulfport, who introduced the bill.
The restructured department would have a combined staff of about
1,700 employees and a $65 million budget, 60 to 70 percent of
which is federally funded, said John Cook, commissioner of
Rehabilitation Services.  Backed by 14 cosponsors, the proposal
seeks to expand Rehabilitation Services, putting under its
umbrella Vocational Rehabilitation for
the Blind, the Mississippi School for the Blind, the Mississippi
School for the Deaf, Mississippi Industries for the Blind, and
the Mississippi Children's Rehabilitation Center.
Usey and Cook said the agency seems to be the first to offer its
own restructuring plan, in keeping with Governor Ray Mabus's
agenda to reorganize state government.  Mabus has not endorsed
the proposal but has no problems with it, Cook said.
 We haven't yet analyzed it,  said Anne Sapp, Mabus's special
assistant for health and human resources.   Basically, from the
governor's point of view, he is concentrating on his major
legislation right now. 
The proposed legislation originated last summer, Usey said, when
he encountered difficulty finding the right agency to help one of
his disabled constituents.
 This would create one-stop rehabilitation services in the state
of Mississippi,  Usey said at a press conference.   Most people
don't have the time to wade through the myriad of services to
find help. 
Rehabilitation Services, which meets the needs of the state's
working age population, would serve disabled people from birth
through adulthood under the proposed legislation, Cook said.
The intent of the legislation in 1983 creating the Department of
Rehabilitation Services was to combine services for the disabled
under one agency, he added.
The agencies were separated because of fears that the legislation
would dismantle Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind and other
existing structures serving people who are blind, he explained.
 This bill preserves the organizational integrity of each agency, 
Cook said.   More importantly, it protects the money and the
service delivery system.  There will be no change, just a change
of board. 

The legislation would create one board to replace the separate
boards currently overseeing the various agencies.
Cook said he has met or scheduled meetings with the agency heads
affected by the bill along with the Council for the Blind and the
Federation
for the Blind to  assure them those programs will be protected. 

Elton Moore, executive director of Vocational Rehabilitation for
the Blind, said he could not comment until he reviews the bill.
The merger of boards would create an initial savings, Cook added.

Since many of the programs are 80 to 100 percent federally
funded, a savings to the state general fund from staff cutbacks
would not
be significant, according to Usey.  But accountability and
long-range planning could result in a future cost savings for the
state, he said.

 It could reduce some administrative costs,  Cook said.   But at
this point we've done everything we can to protect the agency
delivering services to the blind. 
Daryel Dunaway, who coordinates the agency's attendant care
program and is a paraplegic, said the reorganization is a good
move.
 I'd rather see all the rehabilitation services under one
umbrella than see them separated under several different
departments,  Dunaway said.
                           FRANK LEE 
PORTRAIT OF A LEADER
                        by Ramona Walhof
In Huntsville, Alabama, the pastor of Lakeside Methodist Church
is
the Reverend Frank Lee.  Lakeside claims the best educated
congregation of all black United Methodist churches in Alabama. 
Reverend Lee has experienced far more discrimination and
misunderstanding within the church and outside it because of his
blindness than because of his race.  When he first became an
ordained minister ready for assignment to a church, the
conference leadership planned that he would be a conference
evangelist serving without salary.  He objected.  The church he
wished to be assigned to was being left without a minister. 
There was no escaping the belief on the part of conference
leaders that
a blind man could not handle the responsibilities of a church
pastor.  Church members in all but one of the churches to which
Reverend Lee has been assigned have also objected at first to
having a blind minister.  In the United Methodist Church it is
not customary for the pastor to request a certain church. 
Rather, the conference bishop and district superintendents confer
with local churches to make the assignments.  Reverend Lee found
that he must depart from this practice and make the request.  As
a young minister, he must challenge the decisions of his
superiors, something not calculated ordinarily to gain their
confidence and respect.  It was necessary, and it was done.
Although it took some confrontation and persuasion to get
appropriate assignments, Reverend Lee has in time been accepted
and gained respect by the members of the churches he has served
and by the conference leadership.
 All I want to do is get there,  he says.   Once the people get
to know me, then I'll stick.   And he has been right.
Frank Lee was born in Semmes, Alabama, in 1942.  Soon afterward,
his family moved to Dothan.  He found himself in the middle of a
farm family of fifteen children.  At the age of six one eye was
injured in an accident.  The medicine available to the Lees at
the time was not adequate to prevent infection from spreading to
the second eye, causing total blindness before many months had
gone by.
Frank Lee feels fortunate that his family learned of the school
for the blind in Talladega, and he went there a year later.  He
remembers always crying when he had to leave home and return to
school.  He
also remembers that it was the only way for him to get an
education.  The academic education was quite good.  Frank
participated in many sports, including baseball and volleyball,
as well as participating in the choir from a very young age
through high school.
The school Frank Lee attended was the Alabama Institute for the
Deaf and Blind, which consisted of four separate parts.  There
was the school for the deaf who were white and the school for the
blind who were white.  Then, there was the school for the deaf
who were black and the school for the blind who were black.  The
campus for the blind black was very small, but it was separated
from all others.
Looking backward we can see many things that should be and are
different today.  Nevertheless, Frank Lee remembers things that
were exciting opportunities to him at the time.  In 1952 Frank
was the first child in his part of the school to use the Perkins
Braille Writer.  In 1962
he was in the third class to graduate from the blind black
school.  Prior to 1959 blind black students were so few in high
school that they took courses in a public school in Talladega and
received their high school diploma from that school.  While most
schools for the blind
in the 1950's and early 1960's were just getting a good start at
integrating blind  youth into public school classes, the school
for the black blind at the Alabama Institute was just getting
enough black blind students to offer a complete high school
curriculum.  Integration was still almost a decade away.  The
quarter of a century from the 1960's until now seems a long time. 
There has been a dramatic change for blacks in our society.  For
the blind there has also been progress, but the contrast for the
blind is not nearly as great.  We have a very long way to go.
Between 1962 and 1966 Frank Lee spent twenty-one months operating
a vending facility under the Randolph-Sheppard program.  But he
wanted to go to college.  He had had good grades in school, but
it was not until 1966 that he was able to convince the
rehabilitation agency to help him.  In 1970 he earned a
bachelor's degree in psychology from Talladega College. 
Throughout college Frank worked from time to time as camp
counselor and in vending facilities.  He was also active in
church work through all of that time.  In 1962 he preached his
first sermon, and he had been singing in church choirs for years
before that.  In 1973 he completed studies at Interdenominational
Theological Center in Atlanta.  He also studied at Colgate
Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, New York.
Wedding bells came for Frank Lee in 1976 when he married Frankie
Boyd, whom he met in college.
In 1982 Frank was introduced to the National Federation of the
Blind by a friend, Charles Williams.  Frank had known of the
organization before but had not investigated much.  He had been
busy.  When invited personally, he went and joined immediately. 
The NFB made sense to Frank Lee.  Before long he was invited to a
leadership seminar at national headquarters in Baltimore and was
elected to office.  In
1985 he was elected Treasurer of the state affiliate, the NFB of
Alabama.  Reverend Lee was happy with the Federation.  He more he
learned, the better
he liked it.  And the Federation was pleased with him.  In 1986
Frank Lee was elected to the National Board of Directors of the
National Federation of the Blind.
Frank is a hard worker in the Federation.  He is not backward
about expressing himself, but often he leaves the speech-making
to others.  He says he is still growing and learning.  In 1987
Frank Lee was the winner of the Associates contest.  By
recruiting 228 members at large for the Federation, he raised
$2,756 for the treasury, teaching each recruit about blindness
and the NFB as well.  Although relatively
new to the Federation and still new on the Board, Frank Lee has
proved himself a leader.  We expect to hear much more from him in
the 1990's.

                      A QUESTION OF ETHICS
                       by Christine Faltz
 (Christine Faltz was awarded the Melva T. Owen Scholarship at
the 1987 convention of the National Federation of the Blind in
Phoenix, Arizona.  She is a freshman at Princeton University. 
Clearly she is both perceptive and possessed of a conscience.) 

I had been bothering the employment coordinator at my high school
for nearly six months.  I wanted a summer job.  I had held a
part-time job as a receptionist at a mental health hotline from
December, 1985, to September, 1986, the beginning of my senior
year.  I quit in order to join extracurricular activities. 
However, I wanted a job for the next summer so that I would have
some money for college.
At first I tried to find a job tutoring English or Braille. 
There was nothing to be found.  I worked in my high school's
guidance office from October to January and continued to hope for
a part-time job that would offer more working hours.  I had my
own phone bill to pay now, and I was used to having my own money
for social outings instead of having to ask my parents for it.
Toward the end of June, my search came to an end.  I was
ecstatic!  I would be working as a day camp counselor for
children aged three to five at Farmingdale University.  This camp
was sponsored by Helen Keller Services for the Blind.  I was
optimistic.  I had helped parents with small children before, and
I had prepared a seven-year-old partially retarded girl for her
First Holy Communion when I was thirteen.  I remembered
confidently the praise of past employers and the admiration of my
coworkers.  I could not wait to start.
On Monday, July 6, two days after returning from the NFB
convention in Phoenix, I began my summer job.  There were four
boys and one girl in my group.  It was interesting to observe
their distinct personalities over those six weeks.  The head
counselor, whom I will call Janet, had never worked with the
blind before.  This probably does not make much of a difference
since many who work with the blind never learn
anything about us anyway.  However, take the fact for what it is
worth if anything.  The other counselor, whom I will call
Michelle, had worked in the nursery for a number of summers.  At
first I liked both of them, especially Janet.  She treated me as
an equal; she did not talk or act condescendingly toward me. 
Michelle did both of these things a few times, but I overlooked
the incidents since she was basically a nice person.
Soon, however, the problems began.  One day Michelle was stung by
a bee and was unable to come to work the next day.  Another
person was sent to help with the children.  I felt terrible. 
There were many times when I felt I could have done more if they
had only given
me the chance.  There were countless times when I would say, 
Janet, can I do that?  or  Michelle, what can I do? 
More often than not the answer would be,  No, I've got it,  or 
No, it's already done. 
On Parents' Day the children's mothers crowded into the little
nursery for lunch. As the mothers spoke in a cluster across the
room, I sat at the table helping a totally blind boy with his
lunch.  He had a habit of holding his sandwich with one hand,
which usually resulted in a mess.  I, too, am totally blind, and
I realized I had to devise a way of reminding the little boy to
hold the sandwich with both hands without annoying him.  At first
I gently touched his hands in order to make sure he was eating
correctly.  After a few times he said,  Don't do that. 
I sat for a moment, thinking things over.  Not only did I have to
remind him every once in a while to hold his sandwich correctly
but offer positive reinforcement at the same time.  So I said, 
Very good honey.  Remember to hold that sandwich with both hands
now.  I'm proud of you. 
About three minutes later I repeated these words, changing them
slightly.  At this point the assistant director of the camp (Mrs.
B) snapped,  Christine, he is eating with both hands. 
 I know,  I said, attempting to explain. But I can't see his
hands, and I'm trying to  
 He is eating properly,  she interrupted tersely, walking away. 
A well of deep resentment rose and flooded me.  She had simply
ignored my explanation and had not offered an alternate method
for the task at hand.  It bothered me for the rest of the
afternoon.
The next day was Friday, the day of the weekly staff meeting.  A
fellow worker said,  I really don't know if anyone else feels the
same way, but I sometimes think that the criticism we receive is
a little strong.   The director and assistant director brushed
the complaint aside with typical administrative expertise, and
the group was asked to bring on any other complaints, if any.  I
had resolved to leave the incident of the previous afternoon
alone, but since the other girl had spoken, I decided to voice my
concern.  I politely told my story, adding that Mrs. B had
probably been uptight about having parents in the nursery but
that I still felt I should have at least been able to explain
myself.
The reply that came back was:  Parents don't make me uptight. 
And furthermore, I have worked with handicapped children for many
years.  Very few of you here have degrees in education of the
handicapped.  Those of us who do, welcome suggestions; but when
something is wrong, we are going to tell you so, and that's that.

 I should know a little about the handicapped.  I am allegedly
one of them,  I muttered.  There was no answer.
The last day of camp arrived, after a number of other incidents. 
(For example, on the previous day at the presentation given to
the parents by their children I was told that it would be better
to leave my dog guide home because of the crowd.  This forced me
to use a cane.  This would not have been a big deal had I been
able to use my right hand to work with it.  I had to walk down
the side aisle of the auditorium with one of my young charges,
however, and according to the plans, the children had to be on
the right side of the counselors.  I cannot use a cane with my
left hand.  I was unable to get on and off the stage gracefully,
and at one point I could not find my seat.  I had to ask the
four-year-old whose hand I was holding to take me back to my
seat, because he had partial sight.  Imagine how incompetent
I appeared when I stood for a full minute at the front of the
auditorium with no idea where to go.  At rehearsal two days
before, my dog had taken me directly to my seat.  I have heard
Mrs. B say time and time
again that she has spent her life promoting the competence and
capabilities of the blind.  She succeeded in taking the means of
my capable mobility away, along with my confidence, in front of
approximately seventy-five parents.  But let us move on to the
finale.)  Janet suddenly became short with me.  She ordered me
around like a drill sergeant, and I figured she was upset because
it was the last day.  An hour before the conclusion of summer
camp Mrs. B and Janet called me over to speak with them.  The
first words said to me were:   This discussion should have taken
place a lot sooner.  I want you to know, Christine, that under no
circumstances would we rehire you next year.  For a split second
I was stunned.  Then, the words and the tone of
the words swept through me, and I shot back,  Under no
circumstances would I consider working here again. 
 Well, that's fine,  Mrs. B said.   But I think you should know
our reasons, for your own good in the future.   She went on to
tell me that Janet had continually spoken of my  poor job
performance  and the fact that she had spoken with me about my
attitude  many times. 
When I insisted that she had never spoken to me about such
matters, Janet said,  Well, maybe I wasn't direct enough.  Maybe
I was too subtle, because I'm a nice person.   I almost laughed. 
The
only thing that stopped me was the painful fact that she was so
pathetic.  I knew how much Janet was liked, and I knew for a fact
that she had
already been invited back for the next summer.  This woman was
twenty-three and had worked as a high school teacher for one year
for students in the special education program no less!  Is this
the symbol of today's educators?  Are they so unethical, so
unable to treat their own coworkers as people with feelings? 
Janet's lies showed a blatant disrespect for me as a human being. 
I was far more than simply indignant.  I had been unjustly
accused.
I am not writing to the  Monitor  to  acquit myself, 
however, for I was never guilty.  I am writing to show the gross
development of a terrible irony.  This woman, who knows nothing
about the blind and probably never will, will continue a summer
job working with very young blind children, the blind children of
the future.  The irony lies in the fact that she, as the head
counselor, was unable to deal with an adult blind person
maturely, let alone professionally.  She refused to allow me to
do things I asked to do, she treated me horribly, and she used
the fact that our superiors at the camp liked her.  It was her
word against mine.  This is a camp allegedly for the blind.  A
blind person was treated deplorably at this camp not as a camper
but as a worker.  My resentment is not simply for what I
experienced.  I worry for the children who will be attending this
camp in the future.  How many more unethical  professionals  are
out there, condescending toward and doing damage to the very
people they are employed to help?  They obviously do not know the
first thing about education or relating
to people.  Let us resist their forces of ignorance and
condescension.  Our children are in their hands.
                     MERIT FINDS ITS REWARD
                        by Scott LaBarre
 (This article appears in the Fall-Winter, 1987,  Student Slate, 
the publication of the Student Division of the National
Federation of the Blind.  Scott LaBarre was awarded a $4,000 NFB
Merit Scholarship at the national convention in 1986.  He is
Secretary of the national Student Division and an active
participant in the National Federation of the Blind of
Minnesota.) 

In Phoenix, Arizona, on July 2, 1987, at the annual banquet of
the National Federation of the Blind there were twenty- six
scholarships awarded ranging from $1,800 to $10,000.  Three
students received a National Federation of the Blind Merit Award
of $4,000.  I write this article after having the opportunity to
visit with each one of these winners.  It is definitely an asset
for the Federation to have Tom Ley, Susan Qashu, and Laurence
Smith as members of our movement.
We travel southward towards Ruston, Louisiana, and we arrive at
Louisiana Tech University, where Tom Ley is a junior math
education major.  Tom is no stranger to the Federation.  He is
currently the President of the Louisiana Student Chapter and
Second Vice President of the national Student Division, a
position to which he was elected during the national convention. 
Even with his involvement in the organization, the 1987
convention was his very first.  He related how impressed he was
by the convention and said that for him it was very important to
see
blind people succeeding in all facets of life and types of
professions.  He also felt very special as a scholarship winner
and was extremely honored to be recognized for his achievements.  
At convention I felt the true sense of the movement,  he said.
Tom also has a wide variety of interests.  He enjoys reading
science fiction, following sports, observing Louisiana politics,
and writing.

Tom told me that he wasn't exactly sure of what his future will
hold, but he thinks that for starters he will get a master's
degree in math, going on to get a Ph.D.  He would like to teach
on the university level.   I want to be Professor Ley,  he said. 
He enjoys political life enough that you cannot rule out the
possibility of Tom's becoming a politician himself.   My name
just may appear on a ballot some day,  says future Senator Ley.
Our next stop is in North Hampton, Massachusetts, where Susan
Qashu is a junior mathematics major at Smith College.  Her trip
to Phoenix as a scholarship winner was her first large-scale
involvement with
other blind people.  She says that she felt both overwhelmed and
encouraged by what she experienced.  By meeting many other blind
people, she feels much more confident about herself as a blind
person.   I
came back to school feeling as if I could do anything,  she said. 
She also related that it is much easier for her to deal with
everyone where her blindness is concerned.  It is very
encouraging to see the positive effect which the convention and
Susan's contact with the NFB have had on her life.
Susan's major activity currently is pursuing a mathematics major. 
It is also very important for her to spend quality time with her
friends and family.  Susan is literally trying to race to the
top.  She enjoys running very much and hopes to compete on the
Smith College track team.  She also earns a little income, as
well as a lot of enjoyment, by working in the Smith green house. 
Most recently she has become active in the Massachusetts Student
Chapter.  After receiving a bachelor of science degree, Susan
wants to do research in the area of improving teaching techniques
in mathematics, for she feels that math is very poorly taught in
today's society.
Now we end up on the other side of the nation in Boise, Idaho,
where Laurence Smith is a forty-year-old senior at Boise State
majoring
in social work.  Unlike our previous two winners, the Phoenix
convention was his second national convention.  He says that  I
was there
for all the right reasons.   In the year between the 1986
convention and Phoenix he feels that he grew a tremendous amount
as a blind person.  He was most honored to be chosen as a
scholarship winner and was pleased at the chance to meet with and
get to know some of the leaders of the movement.
Laurence was part owner in a trade club before becoming blind. 
He
has a great family, with six daughters.  For Laurence, family
activities
are a very important facet of his life.  He also enjoys being a
handyman fixing and repairing whatever needs attention.  Just
recently the computer
has become another of his hobbies.  He very much enjoys working
with people, and he plans to attend graduate school and obtain a
master's degree in social work.  He also plans to continue his
involvement in the Federation as a means of helping the blind
attain first-class citizenship.
The National Federation of the Blind is proud of the 1987 award
winners,
as well as all of the 1987 scholarship recipients.  Through such
recognition of young leaders, the Federation is helping to change
what it means to be blind.
   YOU CAN BANK ON THE POWER OF THE ORGANIZATION by Ben Prows
 (Ben Prows is an attorney and one of the most active leaders of
the National Federation of the Blind of Washington State.) 

If anyone should doubt the power of the National Federation of
the Blind, let that person read the following correspondence.  In
just a few letters we were able to accomplish something that
would have
taken an individual years to get done if the accomplishment were
possible at all.
My wife Suzi discovered that in order to enter the vault to open
the safe deposit box she had rented from Rainier Bank in Seattle,
she
had to have an extra bank official or a sighted friend accompany
her.  She complained to bank officials, who excused this policy
as a matter of safety.
Then, she complained to the Washington State Human Rights
Commission, which told her it would be better if she didn't file
a formal grievance because the bank was  doing it for your own
good. 
So the NFB went to work once again fighting for the rights of all
blind persons in the state who wish to rent a safe deposit box on
terms of equality with their sighted peers.  We did not threaten,
demonstrate, or harass the bank officials.  We simply explained
the power of the organization and how it is used.  Our tactics
did the trick as you will see:
____________________
                                             Seattle, Washington 
 August 27, 1987

Mr. Robert Truex 
Chief Executive Officer  
Rainier Bank Corporation 
Seattle, Washington

Dear Mr. Truex:
I am writing as President of the National Federation of the Blind
of Washington, Greater Seattle Chapter, to ask that you change a
policy at Rainier Bank that is unnecessary for the blind.  My
wife has rented
a safe deposit box from your bank for about one year.  She has
discovered that a blind person must either bring a sighted friend
or have a second bank official available to accompany him/her
into the vault to extract the safe deposit box.  The rationale
for this policy is apparently that the blind person (and
presumably the bank) is protected from theft of items from the
box by the one bank official that goes into
the vault.  At the same time, the bank is protected from false
accusations of theft by the blind person.
First, blind persons are just as capable as sighted persons of
determining whether something has been taken from a safe deposit
box.  We use alternative techniques and skills to function as
normally as anyone else on a day-to-day basis, and if something
is missing from a safe deposit box, we can easily tell and
describe what is not there.  It is true that someone intent on
stealing objects from a safe deposit box could do so quietly and
possibly undetected by the blind person,
but the thief could also do so undetected by a sighted person. 
Pick-pockets don't just take the wallets of the blind.
Secondly, the argument that this policy affords the bank
protection from unfounded accusations of theft by a blind person
is also false.  A sighted customer could just as easily allege
that the one bank official that normally goes into a safe deposit
box vault has stolen something from his/her box.  There is really
no difference between a blind person and a sighted person when it
comes to dealing with the contents of a safe deposit box.
The National Federation of the Blind is the oldest and largest
organization of blind persons in this country.  We believe that
we as blind persons can function normally in society as well as
our sighted peers.  We are opposed to policies and practices that
discriminate against the
blind or cause us to be treated differently solely based on
blindness.  This is why I am writing to request that you
immediately change your policy for the blind and apply the same
treatment for blind customers as for sighted ones.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.  I am
looking forward to hearing from you.

                                                      Sincerely, 
Ben Prows, President 
Greater Seattle Chapter
                                National Federation of the Blind 
 of Washington
____________________
 We received a response in September of last year that was, to
say the least, bureaucratic:
____________________
                                             Seattle, Washington 
 September, 1987

Dear Mr. Prows:
Your August 27 letter to G. Robert Truex, Jr., regarding safe
deposit policies has been referred to the Consumer Affairs Group
for reply.

You are correct that our policies have been established to
safeguard the personal and valuable possessions of our customers. 
I apologize for any inconvenience our entrance requirements may
have caused your wife or others and will refer your letter to our
Branch Banking Division for their consideration.
Thank you for writing to call this concern to our attention.

                                        Sincerely, Archie M. Hall
                                                   Vice President
                                           Consumer Affairs Group
                                            Rainier National Bank
____________________
 Following this non-response, I wrote again to the bank.  I felt
it was time to up the ante a bit.
____________________
                                              Seattle, Washington
                                                 October 11, 1987

Dear Mr. Hall:
Thank you (I think) for your letter of September 4, 1987,
responding
to me as President of the National Federation of the Blind of
Washington, Greater Seattle Chapter.  As you know, I wrote to you
requesting that your bank change its policy of requiring an extra
official or sighted person to accompany blind persons when
accessing safe deposit boxes at your banks.
In your letter you stated that my concerns had been referred to
the bank banking division for consideration.  I did not receive a
copy of the new bank policy concerning the blind or any
indication that
the old discriminatory policy had been repealed.  The National
Federation of the Blind of Washington is holding our state
convention in Seattle
next weekend (October 16-18, 1987), and I will report on our
correspondence to date.  In addition, our state newsletter  (The
Blind Washingtonian)  will carry a story concerning this issue in
the next edition.  Therefore, I would appreciate a prompt reply
to this letter.  Please provide
me with a copy of your new policy that permits the blind to be
treated in the same manner as their sighted peers regarding the
terms and conditions for renting and access to safe deposit
boxes.
Thank you very much for your immediate attention to this matter.

                                                       Sincerely,
                                             Ben Prows, President
                                          Greater Seattle Chapter
                                 National Federation of the Blind
                                                    of Washington
____________________
After this letter reached the officials at Rainier Bank, a
somewhat frantic call to our toll-free telephone number was
answered by Denise Mackenstadt, who explained that what we want
is to be treated just as any other individual who rents a safe
deposit box.  We want the dignity afforded to other bank
customers.  She was told that the policy was being changed.  On
November 5, 1987, we received the following letter:
____________________
                                              Seattle, Washington
                                                 November 5, 1987

Dear Mr. Prows:
Following receipt of your October 11 letter, I talked with Denise
Mackenstadt and reconfirmed that we were reconsidering our
policies with respect to safe deposit box access by blind
customers.  I am happy to report that earlier this week a
decision was made to eliminate all special requirements for safe
deposit access by blind customers.

Again, thank you for writing to relate your concerns since
quality, equitable customer service is our number one priority.

                                                       Sincerely,
                                                   Archie M. Hall
      Vice President/Consumer Affairs Group Rainier National Bank
____________________
Following receipt of the final letter, my wife went to the bank
to put some materials in the safe deposit box and again was
confronted by an official saying she had to have an extra person
with her when she went into the vault.  She showed the official
the change in policy and was then allowed to enter the vault just
like any other customer.

This is just another reason why the blind of this nation are
fortunate
to have the power of the organization behind them.  Through the 
Braille Monitor , state publications, and with the other tools we
have,
we will prevail.  You can bank on the power of the National
Federation of the Blind.
     SELF-DETERMINATION OF BLIND WORKERS  IN CHINESE GUILDS
                   by C. Edwin Vaughan, Ph.D.
 (Dr. Vaughan is Professor of Sociology at the University of
Missouri at Columbia.  He is also one of the leaders of the
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri.) 

In the United States the history of blind people has been
characterized by the domination of agency-based programs.  Until
recently blind people themselves had little influence on the
direction of agency programs and philosophy.  The struggle is now
intense, as blind people require agencies to provide programs and
activities consistent with goals of independent living and full
participation in society.  In the United States most of the 
professional  writing about rehabilitation and blindness
describes narrowly focused  inventions  or programs aimed at
helping blind people adjust to the world as seen by  blindness
professionals.   Almost never do we see articles describing
self-determination alternatives for organizing opportunities for
the blind.  This article provides an historical and comparative
perspective of one instance of self-determination by blind people
The Guild of the Three Emperors, a guild of blind entertainers in
Beyshing, China.
As early as ancient Rome and Greece individuals of like interests
organized themselves into guilds in order to more efficiently
pursue religious, social, or economic concerns.  Guilds were
frequently organized to protect the interests of members, either
from forces within a society where government was weak, or from
government itself when its representatives could easily exploit
individuals.
In medieval Europe many occupational areas were organized as
guilds for either craftsmen or merchants.  These guilds regulated
access
to employment opportunities and provided training to enable
individuals to enter and progress to higher levels of employment.
In medieval China for at least 1,000 years guilds of craftsmen,
workers, and merchants were common.  Their purpose was to prevent
exploitation from government officials and to provide internal
regulation of trade and craft areas of employment.  There was in
Beyshing, formerly Peking,
a guild comprised of blind persons who made a career of singing,
entertaining, and storytelling.  Parents would seek to place a
young blind son into this guild so that he might learn a trade
for his future lifelong employment.  As he mastered the required
skills, he would rise in status in the guild to the level of
master.
Blind guild members in China were self-governing.  The guild was
governed by a board of forty-eight members of whom forty-seven
were blind.  The secretary was the only sighted person.  The
guild governed itself with regard to membership, including the
discipline of members, the charges for services, and the
recruitment of new members into the guild.  The guild met twice
each year, and, not unlike some of our annual conventions, the
meetings lasted until 5:00 a.m.
 The Gild of the Blind, who make a business of singing,
storytelling, and entertaining holds its meetings on the 2nd of
the 3rd month and the 8th of the 9th month, celebrating the
Chinese festivals on the 3rd of the 3rd moon and the 9th of the
9th moon, as the meeting lasts until 5 o'clock the next morning. 
It was our good fortune to be given the privilege of attending
one of these meetings.  As the gild has no gild hall, it borrows
the Ching Chung Miao, a temple in South City outside of Hatamen,
and there, all day long, a constant stream of blind men was
coming and going.  They were greeting their friends, discussing
politics and conditions of business, and enjoying the tea and
cakes that had been provided; and it was a strange sight to see
so many blind people together, each with his long bamboo cane,
tapping, tapping, tapping, as they moved around the hall. 1
Note the use of long bamboo canes for mobility purposes.  Had
they
been taught by sighted,  credentialed,  orientation and mobility
specialists?  The field work on which these observations were
based was completed by 1925.
Apparently custodial treatment was not the dominant form; the
blind master assumed no responsibility for the safety of blind
apprentices.  A special understanding relieved the master from
any responsibility for his blind students who might possibly be
injured in the course of their training.2  Self-discipline
characterized this guild.  Blind members who broke the guild
rules were punished by other guild members, punishment ranging
from seventy to one hundred strokes with the bamboo cane. 
Younger members were punished by the cane while older members
were required to pay a fine.
The guild was named the Three Emperors Association after its
three patron gods:  The God of Heaven, The God of Earth, and The
God of Men.3  After the initial religious ritual the meeting
progressed with elements that may strike a familiar note:
 After all forty-eight of the officers had worshiped before the
gods, the musicians gave a two hour concert with their best songs
and music.  Any who had written new songs during the past year
were called upon to give them at the time.  Following the
concert, the business meeting was held from 12 to 2.  It
consisted of reports and the discussion of methods for
strengthening the gild, and of ways
and means for making the business of the blind entertainers more
prosperous.  At the end of the meeting a report giving a
statement of the condition of the gild, a resum of the business
the past year, and the names of all the officers, musicians,
committeemen, and subscribers was burned on the alter so the gods
might have a complete report of the work and development of the
gild. 4
The book from which these remarks are drawn had no special
interest in blindness.  We know little about the condition of the
blind in the China of that day except for that of guild members. 
We do learn that this group of blind workers was
self-determining.  Such examples from the past and other cultures
can give us a vantage point more clearly to view modern day
custodialism.

FOOTNOTES:

1. Burgess, John Stewart. 1928.  The Guilds of Peking . New York: 
Columbia University Press. p.103
2. Ibid., p. 160
3. Ibid., p. 104
4. Ibid., p. 105
                   OPEN MIKE REACHES MILESTONE
On Friday, December 18, 1987,  Open Mike , a taped publication of
the National Federation of the Blind of Rhode Island in
cooperation with the Diocese of Providence, reached its fifth
year in circulation.  The two hosts of this informative magazine
are two long-time Federationists, our former president Edmund
Beck and Father Gerard Sabourin, who has served in many
capacities since our reorganization in 1970.  The event was
celebrated with four special guests: Richard Gaffney, President
of the NFB of Rhode Island; Kenneth Brackett, Treasurer; Mary
Jane Fry, Recording Secretary; and Rhode Island's Secretary of
State, Kathy Connel.  Ms. Connel presented citations to Mr. Beck,
Father Sabourin, Richard Gaffney, and Kenneth Brackett.  There
was also media coverage by two local television stations to
record the event.  The members
of the NFB of Rhode Island look forward to many more years of
listening to  Open Mike .
                      RED CARPET TREATMENT
                        by Stephen Benson
 To insure that Federationists attending the 1988 national
convention thoroughly enjoy themselves, our Illinois affiliate
will roll out
the most vibrant red carpet and will present six tours that will
appeal to a variety of interests.  These tours are designed to
introduce you to Chicago and help you finish convention week with
a flourish and a second wind.  All six tours will occur on
Wednesday, July 6, 1988.
There will be advance ticket sales for five of the tours.  That
will help us plan more accurately for the appropriate number of
buses and guides.  Tour tickets will be on sale at the hotel
beginning Friday afternoon and all day Saturday, Sunday, Monday,
and on Tuesday morning before the general session.  However, you
are strongly urged to order tickets ahead of time.  Ordering
instructions will follow tour description.  Please read them
carefully and follow them to the letter.

                              TOURS
 1. Museum of Science and Industry and Henry Crown Space Center,
12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Visit a new and exciting exhibit at the
Museum of Science and Industry.  A new wing has been constructed
especially for the space center which includes hands-on exhibits,
tracing the development of the space program of manned and
unmanned space travel, and demonstrating space advances and
experiences.  The big feature
of the exhibit is the Omnimax Theatre, which projects a motion
picture on a domed screen covering a 180 degree field of vision.
Enjoy  The Great Barrier Reef  an experience in deep sea thrills
and adventure.  During this film you will see the world's largest
coral reef and the various living species sharks, fish, and
aquatic plant life that live in and off of the reef.  You'll see
scientists exploring the reef and diving crews who examine the
many wrecks on the bottom of the ocean.  The Omnimax journey will
saturate your senses as it unfolds on a seventy-six-foot diameter
tilted, domed screen.  Using the world's largest film projector
with the brightest image yet developed and seventy-two speakers
producing 20,000 watts of audio power, you'll witness
unprecedented technology before coming back to earth.
While at the Museum of Science and Industry visit some of the
thrilling permanent exhibits, such as the U-505, an authentic
German submarine;
take a ride into a working coal mine; walk through a pulsating,
sixteen-foot-high replica of the human heart.  The museum is
designed specifically for visitor participation.  Visitors push
buttons, turn cranks, lift levers, operate computers, and become
involved in other ways in an unforgettable living experience.
2. Chicago, City of Neighborhoods, 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Behind
the famous  Loop,  the towering skyscrapers, and the familiar
lakeshore, lies a colorful tapestry of neighborhoods that
visitors seldom see.  Explore a fascinating Chicago on this
insider's tour of the Italian, Greek, Mexican, and German
communities.
Around the turn of the century immigrants poured into the city by
the hundreds of thousands.  They arrived jobless and poor,
speaking no English, and settled in neighborhoods with their own
kind, where they recreated the atmosphere of their homeland. 
Life centered around the beautiful neighborhood churches, built
with the first dollars the immigrants earned in America.
Today, many  of these neighborhoods remain unchanged, with
restaurants, shops, language, and customs reflecting their
national origin.  Although a few of the more successful residents
have moved to outlying communities, they return to the old
neighborhood to celebrate festivals, feast days, and family
occasions at the church.
By special arrangement you will go inside one of the outstanding
neighborhood churches, whose architecture and decoration enrich
the city aesthetically as well as spiritually.
Visit the world famous Hull House, established one hundred years
ago by Jane Addams as an island of comfort and inspiration. 
Although most of the settlement house complex has been destroyed,
the original Hull mansion has been graciously restored.  A tour
of this lovely old home will include an illuminating slide
lecture on the pioneer social worker and the neighborhood she
served.
Your tour will include the site of Mrs. O'Leary's barn and a stop
at an Italian bakery for delicious refreshments.
3. Museum of Broadcast Communications and Chicago Highlights,
1:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.   Return with us to those thrilling days of
yesteryear .   Take a heartwarming trip down memory lane or
an enlightening journey into the development of modern
telecommunications.  Relive the Golden Age of radio and
television through the finest collections of radio and
videotapes.
Visit the A. C. Nielsen Research Center or the Kraft Television
Theatre, or a series of Decade Rooms.  Photo exhibits complement
retrospective screenings.
Chicago's own Chuck Schaden has assembled over 45,000 local,
regional, syndicated, and national radio programs.  And on the
lighter side, Jack Benny, Burns & Allen, Fibber McGee & Molly,
and Bob Hope entertain us from their early radio days.
There are unforgettable moments in sports.  The 1983 White Sox,
the 1984 Cubs, and the 1985 Bears victories are recalled on
videotapes.

After your journey into telecommunications enjoy the best of
Chicago
on a wonderful introduction to the city.  Cruise along Michigan
Avenue's Magnificent Mile and pass Chicago's most beloved
landmark, the Water Tower, and the elegant Water Tower Place. 
Heading northward along
Lake Michigan's beautiful Outer Drive, you will reach the city's
glamorous Gold Coast.  These are just some of the wonderful sites
that make Chicago a truly great American city.
4. DuSable Museum and University of Illinois, 1:30 p.m. - 4:00
p.m.  DuSable Museum of African American History, Inc., is named
for Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, a pioneer of mixed African and
European parentage, who in 1779 was the first permanent settler
in Chicago.
The museum was founded in 1961 by a small group of dedicated
educators, artists, historians, and civic leaders who sought to
preserve and disseminate the contributions of Africans and
Afro-Americans to American and world culture.
At the museum your tour guide will explain to you the special
exhibit dedicated to the founder of Chicago Jean Baptiste
DuSable.  Included in your tour will be the other exhibits at the
museum the Carnival Brazil Exhibit, the Slave Exhibit, and
Treasures of the DuSable Museum.

Following your visit to the museum your guide will accompany you
on a tour of the exciting modern campus of the University of
Illinois
at Chicago.  Here you will find outstanding examples of landmark
Chicago architecture.
5. Lake Michigan Boat Ride, 2:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.  Take a short
walk from the hotel to the Michigan Avenue Bridge and enjoy
Chicago from its most impressive vantage point Lake Michigan. 
Your one and a half hour fully narrated cruise will take you down
the lakefront to view the spectacular skyline; into the Chicago
River; and through the  Locks,  the system that forces the river
to  run backwards. 

Ordering Instructions:
Send ticket requests for tours numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 to: NFB
Tours, Chicago Is, 151 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1104, Chicago,
Illinois
60601.  You must indicate, by number, the tour for which you are
requesting tickets.  Requests must be accompanied by checks or
money orders made payable to: Chicago Is.  Ticket prices are:
Tour #1, $15.00; Tour #2, 15.00; Tour #3, $14.00; Tour #4,
$14.00; Tour #5, $8.00.

An Evening at Second City
Tour #6 is an extra special event, an evening at Second City. 
There will be no advance sale of tickets for this tour.  Second
City tickets will be available at the NFBI Information Desk for
$12.00 each on a first come, first serve basis.  The theater
seats 300 people, so you are advised not to wait until the last
minute.  That may be too late.
Second City is Chicago's internationally acclaimed comedy
showcase that has among its graduates: Alan Arkin, David
Steinberg, Shelly Long, Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Gilda Radner,
Bob Newhart, and Shelly Berman.  The theater rings with laughter
over the saucy political satire and fun poked at the human
condition.  Buses will leave the hotel at 7:45 p.m.  This will be
a memorable evening.  Don't miss it!
See you in Chicago July 2-9.
           A NEW BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITORING INSTRUMENT 
FOR THE BLIND DIABETIC
                          by Ed Bryant
  (As  Monitor  readers know, Ed Bryant is the Editor of the 
Voice of the Diabetic,  the newsletter of the Diabetics Division
of the National Federation of the Blind.) 

Around the first of October, 1987, EquiMed Medical Products,
Inc., of Lenexa, Kansas, contacted me about one of their
products)Glucochek
S. C. Audio Monitor, a blood glucose monitor with audio output. 
The Food and Drug Administration had just approved Glucochek. S.
C. Audio Monitor, and EquiMed wanted to notify everyone of its
new product.

Although blood glucose monitoring is important to all diabetics,
those of us who are blind have a more difficult time testing
blood sugar levels, because there never has been a monitoring
device with audio output that wasn't accompanied by an
astronomically high price tag.  With Glucochek S. C. Audio
Monitor, the blind can independently and accurately check their
own blood glucose levels and at a reasonable price.  EquiMed
contacted me because I am a blind diabetic experienced with
instruments used by blind diabetics and because I am the editor
of  Voice of the Diabetic .  They made an appointment to
demonstrate their audio model to me, and after having examined
it, checked into its qualifications, compared it to similar
instruments produced by other companies, and personally tested it
for about three months, I can honestly say that I am impressed.
It is easy to use.  The only difficulty I encountered was getting
the drop of blood onto the test strip, but this is a problem
common
to all instruments of this type.  Instruction from a medical
professional or from someone experienced with the instrument is
advisable to get you started.  Once you know how to operate the
instrument, getting the drop of blood onto the test strip just
takes a little practice.

Glucochek S. C. Audio Monitor is accurate.  While trying it out I
had several blood samples taken from two different pathology
labs.  The blood glucose readings of the two labs and that of
Glucochek S. C.  Audio Monitor were exactly the same.
EquiMed's audio model has a large digital read-out display board
and
it emits electronic tones to signal testing procedures and blood
glucose values.  For example, if your blood glucose level were
123, Glucochek
S. C. Audio Monitor would relay this information to you by
beeping once to signify the numeral  1,  pausing, then beeping
twice to signify the numeral  2,  pausing again, and then beeping
three times to signify the numeral  3. 
Glucochek S. C. Audio Monitor is cheaper.  Only two other
companies manufacture blood glucose devices with audio monitors. 
One company offers a speech module that is attached to a blood
glucose analyzer.  The price of the speech module is $420.  The
analyzer units run from $189
to $209.  All accessories are extra.  The other company offers a
portable talking blood glucose meter at $479.95.  All accessories
are extra.  The
regular price of Glucochek S. C. Audio Monitor with all its
accessories audio monitor, guide for application of blood onto
strip, duo-set carrying cases, twenty-five test strips, alcohol
applicator, cleaning brush, confidence check strip, cassette tape
instructions, large type or picture instructions, and Braille
instructions comes to $479.95.  As a special promotion offer,
EquiMed is taking $80 off its regular $479.95 price for National
Federation of the Blind purchasers.  To take advantage of this
offer just mention on ordering that you heard about Glucochek
S. C. Audio Monitor through the National Federation of the Blind
(NFB).  This reduced price of $399.95 includes a $30 certificate
payable to
the health professional of your choice to demonstrate the
instrument.  On ordering the audio monitor, be sure to include
the health professional's name and address.  A certificate will
accompany the Glucochek audio model to be signed by the health
professional and the user and then returned to EquiMed.  EquiMed,
in turn, will mail a check in the amount of $30 to the medical
professional.  Neither of EquiMed's competitors includes a
professional demonstration in its price.  One supplies
instructions with its monitor but not a professional
demonstration.  The other recommends a professional demonstration
but, no provision for it is included in its price.  Furthermore,
EquiMed has offered to make a substantial contribution to the
National Federation of the Blind for the sales initiated by us.
For dealers, distributors, and health educators, EquiMed is
offering a twenty-four-minute video tape free of charge.  To
order, contact EquiMed Medical Products, Inc., 8347 Melrose
Drive, Lenexa, Kansas 66214.  Their toll-free phone number is
(800) 452-7536.  If you are calling from Kansas, call (913)
541-0800.
When filing the necessary insurance forms, your need for a blood
glucose monitor with audio output must be documented by a
physician.  Be sure to put on the form that Glucochek S. C. Audio
Monitor has audio output.  To receive the extra reimbursement to
cover specially adapted equipment, such as the Glucochek S. C.
Audio Monitor, the physician must also specify that the patient
is blind or visually impaired.  EquiMed will assist anyone who
needs help filling out the necessary forms.  Just call one of the
telephone numbers already mentioned.
I am a totally blind diabetic, and with Glucochek S. C. Audio
Monitor I can test my own blood glucose levels without assistance
and without problems, and I know many other blind diabetics who
can do the same.  As the National Federation of the Blind
emphasizes, blindness is not synonymous with inability.
Remember, EquiMed offers an $80 discount to Glucochek S. C. Audio
Monitor purchasers who mention that they have heard about its
audio model from the National Federation of the Blind.  If you
would like to learn more about Glucochek S. C. Audio Monitor,
contact me, and for $1 I can send you a cassette tape that
explains the audio model in more detail.  Send your check or
money order to: Ed Bryant, 811 Cherry Street, Suite 306,
Columbia, Missouri 65201, or call me at my office at (314)
875-8911 or my home at (314) 445-1928.RUTH GOODWIN DIES
                       by Kenneth Jernigan
A convention of the National Federation of the Blind is far more
than business sessions and program items.  It is meeting old
friends, getting acquainted with first-time attendees, and a
whole range of social activities and human contact.
For me one of the pleasant rituals of each convention in recent
years was my brief conversation with Ruth Goodwin of Brockton,
Massachusetts, and her sister Beatrice Davis.  Our conversations
were never long or extremely profound, but they were always warm
and close.  Ruth was a dedicated Federationist, and she lived her
Federationism from day to day and convention to convention.
This morning (March 4, 1988) I received a call from Ruth's
sister.  She told me that Ruth had just died of cancer.  I had
known for some time that Ruth was having problems, but I had
hoped she would be able to come to Chicago this summer to the
convention.  This was what she had wanted above all other things.
Her sister told me that she was eighty-three on February 22 and
reminded me that last year's convention in Phoenix was the first
time she had missed since she started attending.  It would have
been her fifteenth consecutive convention, but it was not to be. 
Ruth's sister told me that, even though Ruth could not be there,
she hoped to be able to come to Chicago this summer.  I hope she
can, for Ruth would have wanted it that way, and it will be a
renewal and a comfort to shake her hand and remember.
Ruth Goodwin--one of our best.  May she rest in peace.  


                       R  E  C  I  P  E  S
 

RAISIN GRANOLA MINI BITES
                       by Frances Townsend
 (Frances Townsend lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.) 

Ingredients:
1 cup raisins
1 6-ounce can apple juice concentrate
1/2 cup oleo (1 stick)
1 egg
1-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon shredded orange peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups granola or rolled oats
Heat raisins, juice, and oleo until melted.  Cool.  Beat in egg. 
Mix flour, soda, and cinnamon together.  Stir into raisin
mixture.  Add orange peel and granola.  Let dough stand one to
two minutes or until cereal absorbs some of liquid.  Drop by
round teaspoon two inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. 
Mash down to flatten.  These will not spread as they bake.  Bake
at 350 degrees about ten minutes or until light brown on the
bottom.
 Contains one gram protein, eight grams carbohydrates.  Great for
the diabetics. 


                          CHEESE BREAD
                          by Bob Herron
 Bob Herron, husband of Theresa Herron, was a navy cook and,
from all indications, a good one.) 

Step #1:
1 ounce yeast
1-1/4 ounces sugar or honey
2 cups water
Step #2 (mix until well formed and pliable):
1-1/4 quarts water
1 cup oil
1-1/2 ounces tabasco
12 ounces cheese
4 ounces corn meal
5 ounces milk powder
7 pounds bread flour
1/4 ounce salt

Make up in one-pound loaves.  Put in bread pan and bake at 400
degrees.  After it is baked, eat hot.  I think it is best this
way.  Makes about ten to twelve loaves.  Note: You can use
cottage, cream, or any kind of shredded cheese.
                      WISCONSIN BEER BREAD
                        by Lorraine Rovig
 (Lorraine Rovig was formerly a librarian at the Iowa Commission
for the Blind.  She is now employed at the National Center for
the Blind in Baltimore. 

This is the easiest bread in the world to make.  There are only
four ingredients, and it doesn't seem to matter if one gets
sloppy and measures a little too much or too little of any of the
four.  It is failproof.
Grease one loaf pan, bottom and sides.  Preheat oven to 375
degrees.  Leave your can of beer out overnight to get to room
temperature or run the can under hot water to warm it up if it
has been in the fridge.  Stir together: 3 cups of self-rising
flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar,
and 1 teaspoon of baking soda.  After mixing these three dry
ingredients, open your can and pour (one can of warm beer--twelve
ounces).  Mix again until liquid is all absorbed into dry
ingredients.  The dough will be very sticky.  Plop into the
greased bread pan, spread the sticky batter so it doesn't all
mound in the center, but don't worry that it never gets level
across the top.  (This just gives your bread more of that
homemade  character. )
Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for forty-five minutes or
until lightly brown on top.
The loaf will be heavier than store-bought white bread.  Butter
the top when it comes out of the oven for a little added flavor.
This has an irresistibly great taste when still hot from the
oven, but be aware that it is not going to slice well when hot. 
Tastes great toasted, or covered with cheese in a cheesemelt, or
dunked in a bowl of soup, or . The Baltimore Chapter's social
committee made fifteen loaves for the lunch held before our
January meeting.  We discovered  dark  beer, while more expensive
than the basic cheap brand I usually use, does make a beer bread
that is even better than usual.
                         YAMS AND APPLES
                         by David Walker
 (David Walker is a Federationist from Missouri.) 

Ingredients:
3 medium yams
3/4 to 1 cup thinly sliced apples (peeled)
1/4 cup brown sugar
dashes of cinnamon
1/8 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup apple water (saved)

Separately, cover apples and yams with water and boil until
almost done.  Save apple water.  Peel yams.  Grease two- quart
casserole or baking dish with butter or margarine.  Place
alternating layers
of yams (broken and pressed) and apples (apples on top of yams). 
Then, sprinkle in brown sugar, dashes of cinnamon, and pats of
butter or margarine over each layer of apples.  Cover entire
mixture with one- quarter cup of water and bake for thirty
minutes at 350 degrees.          
MONITOR MINIATURES

**Contest for Writers:
The Writers' Division of the National Federation of the Blind is
conducting two contests during 1988.  Contest rules:  Poetry: 
Inclusive dates, January 1, 1988 to December 31, 1988.  Line
limit, 35 (may be less, of course).  Entrance fee, $3.00 per
entry.  You need not be a member
of the Division to enter.  First prize, $50.00.  Second prize,
$25.00.  Winning entries will be published in Slate and Style. 
Entries should be typed, double spaced.  Make checks to  The
Writers' Division, N.F.B.  and send your entries to Loraine
Stayer, 132 Beach Drive, Merrick, NY 11566.
Fiction:  Inclusive dates, January 1, 1988 to December 31, 1988. 
Word limit, 2,000 words.  Entrance fee, $3.00 per entry.  You may
enter more than once, and you need not be a Division member to
enter.  First prize, $50.00.  Second prize, $25.00.  Entries
should be typed, double spaced.  Winning entries will be
published in Slate and Style.  Make checks to  The Writers'
Division, N.F.B.  and send your entries to Tom Stevens, 5825 A
Percival Road, Columbia, South Carolina  29206.


**Elected:
Mary Donahue, secretary of the Austin Chapter of the National
Federation
of the Blind of Texas, writes:
 The National Federation of the Blind of Texas is alive and well
in Austin.  As chapter secretary, I am pleased to report the
results of our election of officers, which we just held.  The
1988 officers
and board members are as follows:  President, Jeff Pearcy; first
vice-president, Tommy Craig; second vice-president, James
Bradley; secretary, Mary
Donahue; treasurer, Margaret (Cokie) Craig; board member position
1, Zena Pearcy; and board member position 2, Norma Baker. 

**Dies:
Lucy Carpenter, President of the Eastern Orange County Chapter of
the NFB of New York, writes:
It is with deep regret that I announce the death of one of the
Eastern Orange County chapter members.  Ada Fletcher died on
Wednesday, December 2, 1987.  She held the office of second vice
president until illness forced her to resign, much to her regret. 
In spite of her physical discomforts she did attend two of our
state conventions and dreamed of one day participating at a
national convention.  I remember her saying so many times,  I
love my NFB.  I love my chapter.   And she did.  We will miss her
very much.

**Resource List For Writers:
The National Federation of the Blind Writer's Division has
compiled a resource list outlining all items available for
purchase through the Division.  All resources are relevant to
writers and the list includes recordings of the Division's Annual
Meeting, workshop, back issues of the quarterly magazine,  Slate
and Style  and an extensive bibliography of books about writing
and publishing available to blind people from various suppliers. 
While most resources are on tape, there are some print and
Braille offerings.  For further information, or to obtain a free
copy, contact Nancy Scott, 1141 Washington Street, Easton,
Pennsylvania 18042.

**Audio Magazine:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:  The
Insighter, a nonfiction bi-monthly magazine on audio cassette, is
now available
from Central Coast Services for the Blind, 750 Bay Avenue, #515,
Capitola, California 95010, at $25 per year.  The publication,
which debuted in February, 1988, is a superb market for
freelancers.  Payment is currently $20 for 1,500- to 3,000-word
personality profiles and interviews
with prominent blind individuals.  NFB chapter news is most
welcome.  Announcements and pen pal sections will be featured as
well.  The editors (Patricia and Dennis Holter) are blind
Federationists.  Telephone (408) 462-5463 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00
Pacific Time. 

**Report From Florida:
Deborah Brown writes:   Dear Fellow Federationists: We of the
Treasure Coast Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of
Florida have begun the year by electing officers.  This year we
have a new president, Jane Sprague.  She has been contributing
her talent
and energy to the chapter since its founding in 1981.  Our other
officers are Peter Russillo, Vice President; Deborah Brown,
Secretary; and Laura Collier, Treasurer.  Some of our recent
activities include our annual calendar sale, in which we sold
over 300 calendars.  We also had a Christmas party with some of
the members of the newly formed Gold Coast Chapter in Fort
Pierce.  Our goal for this year is to make the community more
aware of who we are so that we can help the blind in this area
become more independent. 

**At the Prime Minister's Gate:
David Andrews, head of the Kansas Audio Reader, writes:
 I found the enclosed piece on a computer bulletin board system
the other day.  I thought that you might be interested in it.  It
would seem that protesting is not exclusive to the United States:

  Dateline: New Delhi, India, July 7, 1987:  Several hundred
blind demonstrators fought with riot police outside Prime
Minister Rajiv Ghandi's residence.  At least thirty protesters
and ten police were injured, hospital sources said.
 The protesters were demanding job quotas and protective
legislation, witnesses said.
 The United News of India, quoting police, said demonstrators
tried to break down a barricade and enter Ghandi's compound but
that police pushed them back.
 S. K. Rungta, General Secretary of the Confederation of the
Blind, said the protesters were demanding jobs for four thousand
sightless
people [and] within three months representation for the blind in
Parliament and State Assemblies, and a Braille press in each
state. 

**Orange County:
Deanna Morss writes:
I am writing to you regarding the various activities of the
Orange County Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of
California.  At our December meeting election of officers was
held.  The officers are as follows: Deanna Morss, President; John
Bates, Vice President; Neva Golding, Secretary; Brent Rassmussen,
Treasurer; and three Board Members: Maryann Barrios, Mark
Pritchard, and Patty Rassmussen.
The Orange County Chapter once again participated in the annual
Hike-A-Thon/Bike-A-Thon on October 10, 1987.  The Hike-A-Thon was
held at Doheny State Park,
and we raised approximately $3,800, of which $2,000 was raised by
Mark Pritchard, our Fundraising Chairman.  I might also add that
youngest hiker (Brian Rassmussen, four months) arrived timely at
the finish
line in his baby buggy.  Brian was adopted by Brent and Patty
Rassmussen in late July, 1987.
The Orange County Chapter collected approximately fifty White
Cane Safety Day proclamations throughout Orange and Los Angeles
Counties.  I am enclosing a picture of our secretary, Neva
Golding, receiving the proclamation from the Mayor of the city of
Anaheim.
I am enclosing the community awards certificate that Orange
County was given for its work within Orange County.  This award
was given last April when Rod Duffield was our chapter president.
I am enclosing an article written by one of our members, Tobby
Weiseman.  I think that her article shows the many ways in which
we can supply the public with information about our organization.
Our chapter had three new members at the February, 1988, meeting. 
We believe we will have a tremendous year in chapter growth and
participation.

**New Baby:
Richard Gaffney, President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Rhode Island, writes:  On Monday, February 8, 1988, at
11:30 p.m.  Marc Leslie Applegate made his entrance into the
world.  He weighed six pounds, nine ounces, and was twenty inches
long.  His parents are Howard and Laurie Applegate.  Both Howard
and Laurie are members
of the Rhode Island affiliate, and Howard serves on the board of
directors.  Mother, son, and father are all doing well.  We
extend to them our congratulations and best wishes for a long and
happy life.

**Scholarship:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
Applications are being accepted for the Barbara Jackman Zuckert
Scholarship for blind part-time students at The George Washington
University.  Scholarships of up to $2,500 for the 1988-89
academic year will be awarded to one or more visually impaired or
blind students at The George Washington University.
Barbara Jackman Zuckert Scholarship brochures and application
forms can be obtained from the Office of Disabled Student
Services, The George Washington University, Rice Hall, Suite 401,
Washington, D.C.  20052.  The deadline for receipt of completed
applications for the 1988-89 award is May 30, 1988.  The award
recipient will be announced prior to registration for the fall
semester, 1988.
For further information please contact Christy Willis,
Coordinator of Disabled Student Services, or Linda Donnels,
Assistant Dean for Educational Services, at (202) 994-8250.

**Revitalized Chapter:
Claudette Fletcher, President of the Las Cruces Chapter of the
National
Federation of the Blind of New Mexico, writes:
 I was recently elected President of the Las Cruces Chapter of
the NFB of New Mexico.  Catherine Peterson was elected Vice
President, and Barbara Bergman was elected Secretary-Treasurer. 
Allison Romero and Mike Ruddy were elected to the board.  We are
trying to get this chapter back on its feet. We are conducting a
membership campaign,
and we are also working on areas of public awareness.  Catherine
Peterson and I have been on television news, and we will be
featured on an interview show on the local PBS t.v. station. 
Also, we just worked vigorously to help keep the public transit
system here locally.  Members of the city council did not see any
real reason for having it, but they were willing to listen when
we barraged them with letters and appearances at city hall.  We
still have the transit system, and we are very glad to have it. 

**Loans for Reading Machines:
At a recent Los Angeles meeting the American Foundation for the
Blind announced that it was establishing a low-interest loan fund
to help blind persons purchase reading machines.  To this end the
American Foundation for the Blind said that it was allocating
$1,000,000 to
the project and that the Xerox Corporation was committing a like
amount.  The machines, which are a new generation of the Kurzweil
Reading Machine
and which are known as  Personal Readers  are expected (according
to AFB's news release) to sell for fifty percent or less of the
current Kurzweil prices.  Those interested in more information
are asked to write to Michael Petell, Director of Development,
American Foundation for the Blind, 15 West 16th Street, New York,
New York 10011.

**Elected:
Dawn Roberts writes:  The members of the Fort Wayne, Indiana,
Chapter would like to have the results of their recent election
published in the  Monitor Miniatures  some time soon: President,
Garry Siebern; Vice President, Dawn Roberts; Treasurer, Jeanne
Miller; and Secretary, Barbara Schmidt. 

**Wedding Bells, NFB Invited:
We recently received the following announcement in the National
Office:  I, Michael D. Carroll, and Carol M. Barvoets will be
getting married on the date of September 17, 1988, in Pensacola,
Florida, at Saint Thomas More Church.  All of the NFB is welcome,
so come and wish us well.

**Southland Writers Conference:
Sponsored by the Writers Division of the National Federation of
the Blind and the Louisiana Center for the Blind, a writers'
workshop
will be held August 12, 13, and 14, 1988, in Ruston, Louisiana. 
Special workshops for fiction, non- fiction, and poetry writing
will be offered; and much time will be devoted to critiquing
individual work.  In addition, other special areas of interest
will be covered, including a grant-writing seminar, how to get
published, and a section on resources.  For more information
please write to: Jerry Whittle, 22 University Boulevard, Ruston,
Louisiana 71270; or call (318) 251-2891.  Cajun cuisine and good
Southern hospitality complete the weekend package.

**Tips for Parents:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  Parent Tips: A Guide to Blind and Visually Impaired Parents : 
This booklet has been written by a totally blind mother of three. 
It begins by addressing expectant parents, and goes on to discuss
general babycare, administering medicine, traveling with
children, feeding, and teaching concepts such as color.  The book
includes a resource
list as well as a bibliography of books the author has found
helpful.  Available in inkprint (not large type) and on two
tone-indexed cassettes, two-track, standard speed.  Send $7.95
per copy, specifying cassette or inkprint, to Janiece Betker,
1886 29th Avenue, N.W., New Brighton, Minnesota 55112; phone
(612) 635-1435. 

**Elected:
Mildred Dickey, Secretary of the Lakes Region Chapter, National
Federation
of the Blind of New Hampshire, writes:

 The Lakes Region Chapter-NFB held elections on November 14,
1987, with the following results: President, Alain Poulin; First
Vice President, Edmund Meskys; Second Vice President, W. Richard
Huber; Secretary, Mildred Dickey; and Treasurer, John Pakder. 

**New Chapter:
Barbara Pierce, President of the National Federation of the Blind
of Ohio, writes: On November 28, 1987, nine staunch
Federationists gathered in Canton, Ohio, to form the National
Federation of the Blind of Stark County.  This vigorous young
chapter replaces the Philomatheon Society as the NFB Chapter in
the greater Canton area.  The group wrote an exemplary
constitution and elected Mary Pool, President; Arthur Leading,
Vice President; Wilma Johnson, Secretary; Mary Lou Cupac,
Treasurer; and Clarence Cordray and Fred Lotze, board members. 
We are expecting great things of our newest Ohio chapter.

**Candle in the Window:
Janiece Betker writes:
 Candle in the Window is sponsoring a seminar for blind parents
to be held July 11-13, 1988, at Wilder Forest near Marine-on-St.
Croix, Minnesota.  Wilder Forest is comprised of one thousand
acres of lush greenery, preserved from days gone by, with modern
accommodations and an air conditioned meeting center.
 This regional event will draw participants from the states of
Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and North and
South Dakota. Transportation from the airport or from bus or
train stations will be provided where needed.
 Program items will include the following topics: public
perception of blind parents, teaching the child about blindness,
discipline-setting rules, and whether the blind parent must be a
`better parent.'
 The cost of the seminar will be $125 per person.  For an
application and further information write to Janiece Betker, 1886
29th Avenue, N.W., New Brighton, Minnesota 55112; phone (612)
639-1435.  Please specify whether you would prefer your
application in Braille, on tape, or in large print. 

**Please Write:
Edgar Sammons, Route 1, Box 1840, Mountain City, Tennessee 37683,
writes:   Here is something I would like you to put in the
Monitor.  Back in 1944 I worked in Asheville, North Carolina, for
the Asheville Mike Company.  There was a good many blind people
who worked there.  If
any of them are Monitor readers and come into contact with this
announcement, I would like to hear from them. 

**Blind Accountants:
Bryan Sattler, a member of the Capital District Chapter of the
NFB of New York, writes to say that he is interested in
corresponding with others in the accounting field.  His address
is: 131 Clayton Road, Schenectady, New York 12303; telephone
(518) 370-1773.

**Surgery and Recovery:
Sid Allen, former national board member and one of the leaders of
the National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia, writes:
 We were in San Francisco in January, and my wife had an
unexpected emergency illness while there.  She was not able to
return home until February 20, after two major surgeries: triple
by-pass and carotid artery.  Even though it was an ordeal, Marge
is back in good health, and her future looks good. 

**New Chapter:
Hazel Staley, President of the National Federation of the Blind
of North Carolina, writes:  The National Federation of the Blind
of Martin County, North Carolina, was organized February 11,
1988.  By-laws were adopted, and the following officers were
elected: President, Roy Everett; Vice President, Ross Winbush;
Secretary-Treasurer, Linda Taylor; Board Members: Debbie Everett
and Calvin Lacy.  Roy is running for the state senate in his
district.

** Monitor  Reader:
A  Monitor  reader from Michigan writes:  Enclosed please find my
1988  Monitor  subscription money order.  It is a pleasure to be
able to pull my weight with money I have earned.  I have been
reading the  Monitor  for many years and have never been in a
position to pay for the privilege of having the  Monitor  and
have appreciated the fact that it has come every month anyway.  I
am planning to attend the convention in Chicago this summer.

**ASB's New Director:
In the last issue of the Braille Monitor we carried an article
about the Associated Services for the Blind of Philadelphia.  In
a news release dated January 22, 1988, ASB says in part:
 The Board of Directors of Associated Services for the Blind is
pleased to announce the appointment of Vince McVeigh as the new
Executive Director for the agency.  In his former position as
Assistant Executive Director of the Elwyn Institutes, Main
Campus, Mr. McVeigh has been responsible for providing
consultative vision services for handicapped clients and
coordinating the delivery of professional services to
clients and their families.  His experience in services includes
deaf-blind services, physical and occupational therapy, and
vision services.  Mr.  McVeigh is past president of the Council
for Exceptional Children, National Division for Visually
Handicapped. 

**Brailled Patterns Available:
John Dragona writes:  Crocheting and knitting patterns that have
been published by  Good Housekeeping  magazine are now available
in Braille for fifteen cents per page.  Requests must include the
originals, photocopies, or cassette copies of the patterns (for a
quick return) or mention of the issues and page numbers in which
the patterns were published.  Crocheting and knitting patterns
that have appeared in other sources can also be Brailled. 
However, originals or copies of those patterns must be
accompanied by permission from
the publishers to reproduce their material in alternative
formats.  For more information or for information on the low cost
of Brailling of other material, contact TFB Publications, 238
75th Street, North Bergen, New Jersey 07047; (201) 662-0956. 
Correspond by Braille, cassette,
or print, but please include full return address in the
correspondence. 


**LaLeche League:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:

 Braille and taped materials are now available on a lending basis
from LaLeche International, Inc.  These materials deal with
breastfeeding, nutrition, and childcare.  The league magazine, 
New Beginnings  is now available on tape at an annual cost of
$10.  This money goes toward the purchase and duplication of
tapes and mailers.  If you wish a subscription to  New Beginnings
, please send check or money order to LaLeche League
International, Inc., c/o Mrs. Judy Jones, 782 Northview Drive,
Twin Falls, Idaho 83301. 

**Elected:
Richard Webb writes: On December 12, 1987, the Des Moines Chapter
of the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa elected officers
and
board members for 1988 as follows: Fred Moore, President; Curtis
Willoughby, First Vice President; Joel Jeffries, Second Vice
President; Richard Webb, Secretary; Jacquie Cummings, Treasurer;
and board members Keith Marshall, Jan Ray, Les Secor, and Lora
VanLent.

**Adopted:
We recently received the following communication in the National
Office:  We've Adopted!  We've added someone special to our
family it's true; and now we're introducing this precious child
to you.  Name: Kevin Randall Morris; Age: ten and a half months;
Joined our family on:  January 19, 1988; Parents: Richard and
Dianna Morris.  Dick is Treasurer of the Springfield Chapter and
Public Relations Chairman for the NFB of Missouri.
