                       THE BRAILLE MONITOR



                     Barbara Pierce, 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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                       1800 Johnson Street
                   Baltimore, Maryland 21230 

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



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

                            CONTENTS
                                                   DECEMBER, 1994


WAS IT SWISS OR HONG KONG: THE STORY OF MAXI-AIDS
by Kenneth Jernigan and Barbara Pierce

LINDA GETS A CANE: Parents Prevail in Due Process Hearing
by Barbara A. Cheadle and Douglas C. Boone

TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON
by Barbara Pierce

THE VALUE OF PLANNING
by Kenneth Jernigan

WHEN THE BLIZZARD BLOWS
by Marc Maurer

NFB TECHNIQUES FOR EDUCATING EMPLOYERS
by Christine Flory

DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR OF BLIND CHILDREN AWARD FOR 1995
by Sharon Maneki

THE 1995 BLIND EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
by Stephen O. Benson

YOU'RE GOING FOR ALL OF US
by Homer Page

THE BLIND TABLE
by Bill Meeker

CONVENTION 1995
MAKE PLANS FOR CHICAGO
by Kenneth Jernigan

WELCOME TO CHICAGO
by Stephen O. Benson

CONVENTIONS! CONVENTIONS!
by Stephen O. Benson 

RECIPES

MONITOR MINIATURES



Copyright  1994 National Federation of the Blind
[LEAD PHOTOS/CAPTION: The 1995 convention of the National
Federation of the Blind will be held in Chicago at the Hilton and
Towers Hotel, formerly the Conrad Hilton and today the flagship
of the worldwide Hilton chain. Shown here is the hotel's columned
Great Hall with its exquisitely restored ceiling fresco, one of
the most beautiful hotel public areas in the world. [Photo #1: Marvin Sandler stands speaking into a microphone. Caption: Marvin
Sandler]
[Photo #2: Elliot Schreier sits at a table. Caption: Elliot Schreier]

                   WAS IT SWISS OR HONG KONG:
                     THE STORY OF MAXI-AIDS
             by Kenneth Jernigan and Barbara Pierce

     Among those who buy products for the blind in bulk and then
provide them to the public, Maxi-Aids has generally had a
reputation for competitive prices and on-time delivery--
characteristics that have resulted in much business for Maxi-
Aids. It sounds like the American dream in action, but alas,
there appears to be an underside, one that raises disturbing
questions about ethics in general and the willingness of some
volume purchasers to look the other way when it is cost-effective
or convenient.
     Admittedly competitors have everything to gain if one of the
most successful of them can be put out of action. But the
accusations that continue to circulate about Maxi-Aids will not
go away. In fact, they surface with increasing rapidity and
seriousness as the months and years go by. The allegations are
far-ranging. They include but are not limited to selling Hong
Kong-made watches as Swiss and one-jewel mechanisms as seventeen-
jewel; offering payoffs to employees of competitors to steal
product designs for Maxi-Aids; and masquerading as a woman-owned
business to get the competitive edge for a contract and as a
minority-owned company a few months later when that seemed
helpful. In fact, there seems to be no end to the charges and
complaints. 
     Disturbed by the rumors circulating in the blindness field,
the Braille Monitor began to try to sort out facts from
suspicions and specifics from generalities. There was no dearth
of people willing to make statements about their experience with
Maxi-Aids and its founder, Elliot Zaretsky, as well as his two
sons, Mitchell and Harold. One of these statements was submitted
by Marvin Sandler, President and CEO of Independent Living Aids
(ILA). Here it is:

Statement by Marvin Sandler, January 17, 1994:
     Our problems with the Zaretskys, father and son, go back to
the inception of Maxi-Aids and involve the wholesale copying of
our catalogs and our product descriptions, even the use of our
photos, which they simply cut out of our own catalogs and had
photocopied. As an example I am enclosing a copy of a page from a
Maxi-Aids catalog of the late 1980's, showing Braille watches. It
contains photos of our own Braille watches, photocopied from our
catalog, and on which a typewritten "MA" has been pasted over our
own "ILA" logo. We eventually were able to identify 105 different
products on which Maxi-Aids had copied our photos, our product
descriptions, and even our catalog numbers--thus stealing our
intellectual property and cheating us of the fruits of our
labors.
     We retained legal counsel, and I have a file about an inch
thick containing letters written by our attorney, demanding that
Maxi-Aids cease and desist from the wholesale copying of our
catalog. In response, we have several evasive letters from the
Zaretskys, promising to take remedial action (which, I might add,
was never taken).
     In response to the oft-heard complaint, "I can't find a good
looking watch that I can see," my wife and I went to Hong Kong in
early 1991 and designed a line of low vision watches which proved
to be extremely popular. They proved to be so good that we won
the 1991 Texas Commission for the Blind bid for low vision
watches, and our watches became the standard for the following
year.
     When the 1992 bid was tendered with our watches listed as
the standard, Maxi-Aids was the winning bidder, having beaten us
by 6 cents per watch, under circumstances that I can only regard
as suspicious since he [Elliot Zaretsky] has beaten us by the
same 6 cents figure on several bids before and after the 1992
watch incident. 
     Shortly after Maxi-Aids won the Texas bid, one of my Hong
Kong suppliers sent me copies of faxes that had been received
from Maxi-Aids, and which were signed by Mitchell Zaretsky,
containing photocopies of our watches and asking that the
suppliers manufacture the same watches and put the Maxi-Aids logo
on them. The Texas bid required that a sample be sent if the
watch to be supplied was not the standard (which was our own
watch). Armed with the knowledge imparted by the faxes sent by my
own supplier that Maxi-Aids did not even have a sample, much less
quantities of merchandise to fill the Texas order, I called the
Texas Commission to find out the status of the order. I was
advised that Maxi-Aids had submitted one of my watches, with my
logo on it, as his sample and promised to deliver the identical
watch with his own logo if he got the order. Although I protested
that it was unethical to submit one of my watches as his own
sample and equally improper for the Texas Commission to accept
such a submission, the bid was awarded to Maxi-Aids. This
reinforced my belief that the playing field was not level.
     The watches that the Zaretskys copied from us appeared in
the 1992-93 Maxi-Aids catalog, as per the enclosed photocopy of
page 19 of that year's edition. They listed the watches as Swiss-
made and even stated that "All Maxi-Aids watches are made in
Switzerland. All have seventeen-jewel movements." Although his
business tactics can almost always be described in joking terms
as beneath reproach, he sank below his lowest standards and
engaged in outright fraud, by describing a 1-jewel Hong Kong
watch as being seventeen-jewel, Swiss-made. As usual, he used our
own photo, taken right from our catalog, and blotted out our logo
and used it for his catalog.
     I can't begin to describe how upset I was to see the product
that I had worked so hard to develop simply stolen and then
fraudulently advertised as Swiss made--thus unfairly making his
watch seem superior and diverting sales to him that we should
have made.
     In an effort to make sure that I had all the facts before
taking further action, I had one of my employees purchase two of
his watches and have them shipped to her home address. The
watches arrived and were in NFB boxes. Each had a warranty
certificate that stated, "Maxi-Aids watches are made in
Switzerland...." However, if you examine the watch, at the very
bottom, straddling the "6," you will see the words "Japan Mov't."
We also took the back off the watch, and it states, "Maxi-Aids
Watch Company, Hong Kong." It is a clear case of fraud, and we
turned it over to the New York State Attorney General.
     The New York State Attorney General took no interest
whatsoever and advised that they do not take action on complaints
submitted from competitors. I called Albany and acknowledged that
my motives were not pure but pointed out that fraud was fraud and
that our interests coincided. I was stonewalled, and nothing was
done to follow up.
     Perhaps encouraged by the fact that no one in an official
capacity will do anything, the Zaretskys have continued with the
fraud, and in their latest catalog, pages of which are enclosed,
they have even put asterisks next to the watch to call the
reader's attention to it.
     The asterisks next to the fraudulent listing may also be a
way for them to rub my nose. For many years we have used the
slogan "CAN-DO Products" to advertise our items. I notice that
the latest Maxi-Aids catalog has a listing on the cover of "DO-
MORE Products."

     That is Marvin Sandler's statement--and it is, to say the
least, disturbing. Distressed to learn that Maxi-Aids might
without our permission be using NFB watch boxes to package its
allegedly fraudulent products, we arranged to have one of the
watches ordered, and indeed it arrived in an NFB box. Needless to
say, the National Federation of the Blind has taken no part in
the production of watches that pretend to Swiss quality and
seventeen-jewel construction when that is not the case.
     In short, the use of our logo on a Maxi-Aids watch box was
not only unauthorized but implied a relationship and an
endorsement which did not exist and had never existed. Quite a
number of years ago we did buy a number of watches from Maxi-
Aids, and our logos were on the boxes. We can only speculate that
(using our logo, which we had provided to Maxi-Aids for the
manufacture of our own boxes) Maxi-Aids caused additional boxes
to be manufactured, used those boxes for their own watches, and
thereby sought to trade on our good name and reputation and
create the impression of an alliance and endorsement which did
not exist and had never existed. We repeat that this is
speculation, but one thing we can say for certain: we long since
stopped buying anything at all from Maxi-Aids, even if their
price was the lowest to be had. We did this because we did not
like their behavior or dealings. All of this was before we
learned of the unauthorized use of our logo or of the experiences
of others. 
     The alleged bid in Texas caused us to contact Pat Westbrook,
Executive Director of the Texas Commission for the Blind, with
questions about the agency's 1992 bids for low-vision watches and
other matters. Mr. Westbrook expressed complete surprise at the
information we gave him and said that he would need to talk to
his auditing department before making any statement. Mr.
Westbrook later told us that the letter accompanying the
Independent Living Aids (ILA) bid was dated August 1, 1991. He
said that the price quoted for men's watches was $21.23. He said
that the Commission's "date received" which was stamped on the
ILA bid was illegible. He said that the "date received" which was
stamped on the Maxi-Aids bid was readable and showed August 2. If
one assumes that the ILA bid was dated as reported and that the
Maxi-Aids bid was correctly stamped as to time of receipt by the
Commission--neither of which assumption we can substantiate at
this time--Commission staff are unlikely to have had an
opportunity to give information about the ILA bid to Maxi-Aids. 
     Be that as it may, Mr. Westbrook reports that the Maxi-Aids
bid is characterized by unexplained, one might almost say
extraordinary, peculiarities. He says that it shows a price for
the low-vision men's watch of $23.98, two dollars and seventy-
five cents higher than the ILA bid. A line is drawn through this
figure, Westbrook says, and it has been changed to $21.94, still
seventy-one cents higher than the ILA bid. But that is not all!
This figure too is lined out, Westbrook says, and the final Maxi-
Aids bid is $19.95, one dollar and twenty-eight cents lower than
the ILA bid. So Maxi-Aids was given the order.
     Westbrook says that he and other Commission personnel find
these alterations suspicious. So do we. But apparently the Texas
Commission personnel did not find the alterations suspicious
until the Braille Monitor began to investigate--some three years
after the fact. When pressed for a possible explanation, Mr.
Westbrook postulated that perhaps a disgruntled ILA employee or
somebody in another state agency with an earlier bid deadline
might have passed the ILA figure on to Maxi-Aids. And, of course,
this might be the case--or it might not be the case. We simply
don't know.
     Mr. Westbrook reports a similar circumstance in a Maxi-Aids
bid in recent times. Here is how he tells it: On July 5, 1993,
the Texas Commission for the Blind received bids from both ILA
and Maxi-Aids. The ILA price quoted for the women's low-vision
watch was $16.82 and the Maxi-Aids price was $16.95, which would
have been thirteen cents higher than the ILA bid. But wait! Just
as before, the Maxi-Aids price was crossed out and adjusted to
$15.94, making it the low bid by eighty-eight cents.
     Assuming that the Commission date-stamping is reliable,
there is no way, Mr. Westbrook says, that the Maxi-Aids changes
for the 1992 contract could have been made after the ILA bid
reached Texas. Commission procedure, Westbrook says, is to leave
all bids sealed until the deadline has passed. Then they are all
opened and recorded by a group of employees working together. All
bids that are compliant with Texas regulations are then
considered, and the lowest is chosen. There is a clear
understanding, Westbrook says, that the Commission is not bound
by the agreement if during the contract period the Commission
finds the same product at a better price.
     The Westbrook explanation not only sounds plausible but also
implies ultra care and circumspection. However, the very steps in
the procedure that are designed to keep it pure make possible
another scenario. It is easy to open and reclose sealed bids; it
is undoubtedly difficult to maintain constant surveillance, if
indeed anybody thinks it necessary to do so when trusted
employees are involved and when no suspicion exists; and the
repeated crossing out of lines and substituting of figures lends
credence to suspicion. 
     On the other side of the argument is the statement by
Sandler that he was beaten by 6 cents for the 1992 contract when,
if the Westbrook statement is true, he was finally beaten by more
than that. However, this may be more than offset by the curious
coincidence that the "date received" which was stamped on the ILA
bid is apparently conveniently illegible while the stamp on the
Maxi-Aids bid is reported to be readable. When this is added to
the repeated crossing out of lines and changing of prices, the
argument of mere happenstance becomes harder and harder to
believe. 
     Independent Living Aids is not the only producer to express
outrage at the Maxi-Aids methods. Here is what E.L. Bryenton,
President of Brytec, Inc., says:

Statement by E.L. Bryenton, February 16, 1994:
     In March, 1992, we entered into a contractual agreement with
Maxi-Aids, Inc. for the distribution of NOTE TELLER in the New
England states only. This agreement was negotiated with and
signed by Mr. Elliot Zaretsky after promising to comply with all
clauses of agreement.
     In June and July, 1992, we were advised by some of our small
regional distributors that Maxi-Aids was promoting NOTE TELLER in
their regions and causing other problems. Because of these
problems that were confirmed by us and denials by Mr. Elliot
Zaretsky, we requested that our agreement be terminated within
sixty days in compliance with our contractual agreement. 
     Maxi-Aids has refused to pay for products that had been
shipped to them during the term of our agreement. Maxi-Aids has
also included NOTE TAKER in their 1993-94 catalog that states
there is a one-year warranty. This is misleading to customers,
who assume that Maxi-Aids, Inc., is an approved distributor, and
are very disappointed when they are advised that there is only a
six-month warranty by our company and no warranty by Maxi-Aids,
Inc.
     As discussed, we have had numerous complaints from visually
impaired and blind customers as well as other distributors about
Maxi-Aids, Inc.

     There you have the experience of Brytec. Here is what Ann
Morris Enterprises, Inc., has to say: 

Statement by Ann Morris, President, February 16, 1994:
     Ann Morris Enterprises, Inc., designed a money organizer
wallet and had them manufactured in India. We had been selling
many to Maxi-Aids until they decided to take our wallet and copy
it and wholesale it for less than we could. When approached,
their response was that it is part of doing business. We sell
nothing to Maxi-Aids and do not conform to their unethical
business practices. 

     If the foregoing statements are true, the word that comes to
mind is "unethical," but such dealings are not the only arrows
alleged to be in the Maxi-Aids quiver. Until recently Elliot
Schreier was the Director of the National Technology
Center/Consumer Products Department of the American Foundation
for the Blind (AFB). With the consent of Carl Augusto, President
of the American Foundation for the Blind, Mr. Schreier made the
following statement:

Statement of Elliot M. Schreier, March 1, 1994:
     I was contacted by one of the principals of Maxi-Aids, who
asked me to meet with him at their offices to discuss various
"business opportunities." I went to the meeting, and after a
short time an opportunity was presented to me, and it was not
what I had expected. Maxi-Aids proposed that I manufacture AFB-
designed products for them to sell without telling the American
Foundation for the Blind (AFB). Maxi-Aids would then pay me for
my services on the side. Maxi-Aids had been buying these products
from AFB but could obviously make more of a profit through this
approach. The intent was clear--I should steal from AFB in order
for Maxi-Aids to sell products at a greater profit (and make
money for myself, too). I was quite surprised and bothered by
their offer. I immediately informed my supervisor at AFB of the
business opportunity that was offered, and it was decided that
nothing be done at that time, and we let the matter drop.
     Recently we have heard of two other similar circumstances
that show how diligent Maxi-Aids is in pursuing business dealings
such as the one proposed to me. Maxi-Aids approached both our
electronics manufacturer and one of our former engineers with a
similar proposal to the one offered me. Essentially, the offer
was for them to duplicate AFB products for Maxi-Aids without
AFB's knowledge. Fortunately, both our manufacturer and former
engineer are ethical and told us what had occurred. It was again
decided not to pursue the matter.
     In this field we have very few developers willing to risk
money on research and development for a low-incidence population.
Those who do hope to make a reasonable profit on their
investment. Situations such as those I described hurt everyone,
including the consumer and the developer. This can result in
fewer products at higher costs.
     I hope that it would help to avoid these types of situations
if they were openly discussed in a public forum.
     
     That's what Mr. Schreier has to say. Paying people to steal
competitors' designs, misrepresenting the quality of products,
and refusing to comply with contractual agreements--all of these
alleged practices enable Maxi-Aids and the Zaretskys (according
to the belief of most of those with whom we talked) to increase
their profits and lower their bids. But there are other ways in
which Maxi-Aids reportedly manages to get the jump on its
competitors.
     Sources tell us that in 1993 Maxi-Aids and Vis-Aids
submitted identical bids for a contract being let by the
Department of Veterans Affairs. Maxi-Aids was awarded the
contract because, according to the VA, it had identified itself
on the bid form as a woman-owned company. This was news to
everyone in the field. Even a brochure produced by Maxi-Aids
itself describes the company and its subsidiaries as owned by two
brothers, Mitchell and Harold Zaretsky. 
     To constitute a woman-owned business, the VA says that at
least fifty-one percent of a company's stock must be owned by a
woman or women who are U.S. citizens and who control and operate
the company. Elliot Zaretsky's daughter Pam (who, we are told, is
a young mother of twins) was apparently the woman in question,
though it is hard to credit the idea that in 1993 she owned a
controlling share of the company and was the working, salaried
leader of the management team. 
     In any case, by June of 1994 Maxi-Aids was bidding again on
VA contracts, this time as a small, disadvantaged company--with
Harold, who is deaf, listed as the principal stockholder. Again
the bids were close, and again Maxi-Aids won--according to the VA
because of its disadvantaged status. Protests were lodged with
the Department of Veterans Affairs, and an investigator was
assigned to the case, although it seems clear that, even if the
judgment is made that Maxi-Aids made untrue claims about its
ownership, nothing will be done about awarding the bid to the
company's competitor. Next time is apparently soon enough for the
VA to insist upon accuracy and honesty, never mind justice and
the taxpayers' dollars. 
     The status of the investigation is unclear at this writing.
When contacted by the Braille Monitor for comment, the
investigator refused even to confirm that he had been assigned
the case, but he referred us to an Assistant Investigator
General, who also refused to make any comment since he said the
investigation was still in progress. 
     We are told by a source close to the situation that, after
the VA's investigator visited the Zaretskys, Elliot apparently
happened to find a letter which he passed on to the investigator
which explains all the confusion about the ownership of Maxi-
Aids. As far as we know, the letter has not actually been read by
any of those in the blindness field who are disturbed about the
contract awards. But the investigator described the letter to one
person, who reports that Elliot Zaretsky explained that Pam was
the majority stockholder in 1993 but that she relinquished her
stock to Harold early in 1994. Why it should have been Harold,
the younger son, and not Mitchell, who is the President of Maxi-
Aids, is not clear. And no one can figure out how Maxi-Aids can
qualify as socially or economically disadvantaged. 
     When asked how long this investigation might be expected to
last, Jack Kroll, Assistant Investigator General of the
Department of Veterans Affairs, said he had no idea but that
complicated cases could easily take a year or more. One might be
tempted to question how complicated this case actually is, but
anything can become clouded when the bureaucracy gets hold of it
or especially, it seems, when it involves the Zaretskys. In any
case, those who lodged the protest in the first place will be (or
should be) notified when the investigation has been completed,
according to Mr. Kroll. They can then attempt to obtain the
documents in the case under the Freedom of Information Act. Until
then one supposes it will be business as usual at Maxi-Aids and
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
     There are still other facets to the Maxi-Aids story. Mohymen
Saddeek has been in the blindness field for a considerable number
of years. He is now the president of Technology for Independence
(TFI) and was formerly the head of Boston Information and
Technology Corporation (BIT). He tells of a number of interesting
contacts with Elliot Zaretsky and Maxi-Aids. 
     He says that his first memory of Zaretsky was a telephone
call from him in which Zaretsky said that since he was one of
Saddeek's distributors, he would like to order certain products
at a reduced price. Saddeek, who says he had never until that
time heard of Zaretsky, states that he later learned that
Zaretsky had taken the BIT catalogue, cut pages and pictures from
it, added his own text, and circulated it as a Maxi-Aids
catalogue, claiming to be a distributor. 
     Mr. Saddeek tells of later incidents. Here is a summary of
what he says: 
     Elliot Zaretsky tried a particular maneuver with him on
three separate occasions--once with talking scales, once with a
talking money identifier, and once with talking watches. Since
the pattern was always the same, the incident concerning the
watches will suffice to make the point.
     Zaretsky, according to Saddeek, called him and asked how
many Seiko watches he had to sell. Saddeek told him that he had
several hundred. The Seiko is a comparatively expensive watch. 
     According to Saddeek, Zaretsky then told him that he could
sell him these expensive watches at an unbelievably low price, in
the neighborhood of twenty-five dollars. Saddeek says he told
Zaretsky that he would be glad to buy all that Zaretsky could let
him have, beginning with a thousand. Zaretsky said that it was a
deal and that he was glad to be able to do it. According to
Saddeek, he then said that he didn't have the watches in his
warehouse at the moment but that they would be coming shortly. In
the meantime he needed watches to sell so as not to interrupt his
flow of business. Therefore, he would like Saddeek to ship him
several hundred Seikos at the low price he intended to give
Saddeek.
     Since this was a pattern, Saddeek says he felt certain that
Zaretsky had no watches at the price he had offered and had no
way of getting any. Saddeek says that he felt this was simply a
ruse to try to get his watches at a below-cost price. Saddeek
says he simply laughed at Zaretsky, who went into a rage and was
abusive. This is how Saddeek tells the story, and although we
cannot verify it one way or another, it blends into the picture
that others have painted. 
     Sources tell us that on more than one occasion Zaretsky has
called a competitor in the field and asked how many of a given
product the competitor had that he could sell to him. Then,
according to these sources, Zaretsky would call the sales
department of the competitor and say that he had just talked with
the owner, who had sold him a given number of the item at a
specified price (always exceedingly low), and that he needed them
shipped immediately. The shipments, according to what we are
told, were sometimes sent before the owner caught on. 
     With these statements and charges before us, we called Maxi-
Aids on Tuesday afternoon, November 29, 1994, and talked with
Mitchell Zaretsky, who acknowledged that he was president of the
company. He said that Elliot Zaretsky is now only a consultant.
     As to the specific charges, Mitchell Zaretsky categorically
denied them. He said that the investigation by the Department of
Veterans Affairs has "been taken care of," but that even if it
hadn't, he didn't think it mattered--that it was unimportant, and
that his bid was also the lowest. With respect to Mr. Schreier's
charge concerning the offer to pay him on the side for American
Foundation for the Blind products and designs, Zaretsky said,
"That's hogwash." In fact, he said all of the charges were
hogwash and that he couldn't see what difference it made whether
most of them were true or false. He said that his sister Pam had
the majority stock in Maxi-Aids one year and that his deaf
brother Harold had the majority the next year, and that Harold
still has the majority but that he (Mitchell) is president. He
avoided the question whether Pam and/or Harold had ever actually
operated and controlled the company. 
     He said that the truth was that when Maxi-Aids entered the
blindness field, prices of appliances and materials for the blind
were high and that Maxi-Aids had brought them down. He further
said that if people wanted to talk about appropriating the labor
of others, he could cite the incident of the money identifier,
which he said Maxi-Aids had spent time and money to develop. He
said that another company had then somehow got hold of the
product and had claimed that it was theirs. When we asked him to
identify the company, he declined, saying that he was not hunting
trouble with anybody but wanted to talk about positive things.
     In this connection he wondered why the Braille Monitor was
interested in this sort of thing at all. He said he couldn't see
what benefit it was to the customers--that we should be printing
positive things about new products that Maxi-Aids had developed. 
     Concerning the situation in Texas, Zaretsky said that there
was nothing wrong with crossing out lines on bids since a company
had the right to change its mind anytime before the bid proposals
were actually opened. We asked him whether the crossed-out lines
and price changings had occurred after the bid was submitted but
before it was opened (in other words, at the offices of the Texas
Commission) or whether the alterations had been made in his
office before the bid was mailed. He said he wasn't sure, that he
didn't know, and that he didn't see what difference it made.
     He said that all of his Braille watches were made in
Switzerland. He said he understood the term "Swiss-made" to mean
that a watch was both made and assembled in Switzerland and that
none of his Swiss-made watches were assembled in Asia. He said
that his low-vision watches were quartz and, therefore, had no
jewels at all. He said that jewels were only applicable to
manually wound watches. He acknowledged that some of his low-
vision watches were made in Hong Kong. 
     Zaretsky was most emphatic in denying that Maxi-Aids now
copies or has ever copied other people's catalogues or now covers
or has ever covered other people's logos with its own. He took a
different tack concerning the selling of Maxi-Aids watches in
boxes with NFB logos. He first said that it might have happened
on one or two occasions several years ago when NFB was buying
watches from Maxi-Aids. When we told him that the occurrence was
recent, he said that somebody might mistakenly have grabbed a box
that had been used by a customer in returning merchandise and
sent out a Maxi-Aids watch in it or that some boxes with NFB
logos might have been left over from former times and used
unintentionally. As with the other charges, he shrugged the whole
thing off as if it made no difference. He said that there was
certainly no intent to imply NFB affiliation or endorsement. 
     On another matter, we talked to Zaretsky about a company
called See-More, which sells magnifiers. Zaretsky at first said
it was affiliated with Maxi-Aids. On further questioning he
changed his statement to say that See-More was a separate company
and that it was simply located in the same building as Maxi-Aids
but not affiliated with it. After more discussion he said that
Maxi-Aids might own some stock in See-More. He finally said that
Maxi-Aids did not own stock in See-More but that some of the
Maxi-Aids principals might. At that point it didn't seem
worthwhile to pursue the matter further. 
     Later the same afternoon (November 29) Mitchell Zaretsky
called us. He seemed concerned about our earlier call to him and
said, "We are pretty open and pretty honest." He went on to say
that he had two children (one of them a boy named Daniel, who was
born about a month ago) and that his family was his life. He said
that there had been no "charges" and that he didn't see why we
were interested in these vague allegations. 
     We talked with Elliot Zaretsky on December 6, 1994. He said
that he was now in semi-retirement, but his responses and
demeanor indicate that he is still very much in charge at Maxi-
Aids. He said that his daughter Pam was the majority stockholder
because, as he put it, when you have two sons, they can feel some
rivalry toward each other.  He later said that Harold owns the
company--and still later that Harold does not yet own it but is
about to own it. 
     We read to Mr. Zaretsky the various statements we have
printed in this article, and his responses were fairly uniform.
He said that Marvin Sandler is a liar. He denied that Maxi-Aids
had submitted ILA's watch to the Texas Commission for the Blind
and also denied that a bid with crossed-out prices had been
entered. He said that Texas would not have accepted such a bid. 
He later said that if such a bid was submitted, the alterations
would have been made in the Maxi-Aids office and that Mitchell's
initials would have been put by the parts that were crossed-out. 
Zaretsky said that Maxi-Aids has never copied anybody else's
catalogue or anybody else's photos. 
     We read Zaretsky the statement of Elliot Schreier. He
responded by saying that Schreier is a liar. Then he asked if we
knew why "the American Foundation for the Blind went down the
tubes"--presumably referring to AFB's liquidation of its aids and
appliances department. He wanted to know whether we knew that
Elliot Schreier had "tried to buy the American Foundation for the
Blind"--again presumably referring to the Foundation's aids and
appliances department. 
     He said that Schreier had, indeed, come to his office but
that what Schreier wanted was quite different from Schreier's
statement to us. He hinted that Schreier had made shady
proposals, but when we tried to pursue the matter, he said that
he didn't want to say anything bad about anybody--that everybody
should just get along and work with each other. 
     We asked Mr. Zaretsky about the shipping of Maxi-Aids
watches in boxes containing National Federation of the Blind
logos. He said that such shipments had been made. He said that a
number of boxes containing NFB logos had been left over from the
time the Federation had bought watches from Maxi-Aids and that
twelve or fourteen watches were sent out in these boxes. When we
pointed out that this was an illegal and unauthorized use of the
NFB's logo, he said that he had stopped the use of the boxes as
soon as he learned about it. 
     Zaretsky said that Maxi-Aids was started about ten years ago
in order to provide a business for his deaf son, Harold. As
already noted, he first said that Harold now owns the company and
then that Harold is only in the process of owning the company. He
said that Harold is married and that he and his wife are
expecting a child. 
     With respect to the bid that was made to the Department of
Veterans Affairs, Zaretsky said that the claim of being a
minority owned company was a mistake made by Mitchell. He said
that Mitchell had made the error of believing that Maxi-Aids was
a minority-company because it is owned by Jews. Zaretsky said
that Jews are, after all, a minority. He said that the
investigator from the Department of Veterans Affairs was, as he
put it, a "nice man," who said, "Forget the whole thing." 
     When we read him the statement from E. L. Bryenton, Zaretsky
said that Bryenton was a liar. He said that it was true that he
was holding more than $6,000 of Bryenton's money and that he
intended to continue to hold it until Bryenton apologized to him
for the way Bryenton had behaved. He said that Bryenton was
supposed to give him six months' notice before canceling the
contract and that he hadn't done so. When we read him Bryenton's
statement that the contract called for a cancellation notice of
sixty days, Zaretsky said that maybe it did but that Bryenton had
given him no notice at all.  
     Immediately after our conversation with Zaretsky we called
Bryenton, who began his response with the comment, "So many
untruths." Bryenton said Zaretsky and Maxi-Aids repeatedly
violated the provisions of the Brytec contract and that he gave
Maxi-Aids two verbal notices, followed by a written notice. He
said that Zaretsky called him to say that he was willing to have
the contract canceled if Bryenton would sell him twenty-one more
NOTE TELLERS to satisfy outstanding orders. Bryenton says that he
agreed to this and was about to ship the NOTE TELLERS when he
learned that Maxi-Aids had canceled its check for the previous
shipment. Apparently this is the money Zaretsky says he is now
holding. Bryenton said he is still having trouble in trying to
repair the damage done by the misrepresentations made by Maxi-
Aids.
     When we mentioned the name of Ann Morris, Mr. Zaretsky said
that she is a nice person, one who does business with him on a
continuing basis. When we read him the statement by Morris, he
said that she was not telling the truth. He said that the wallet
in question was not hers at all but that even if it was, there
would have been nothing wrong with what was claimed.  He said
that you could take a product (a game of Scrabble, for instance),
modify it a little, and sell it as your own without any problem. 
     Shortly after our conversation with Zaretsky, we contacted
Ann Morris, who repeated her statement that she had provided the
money to develop the wallet. She said that she would never sell
anything to Maxi-Aids that was not generally available on the
market since she felt that the Zaretskys would copy it and sell
it as their own, and that she never buys anything from Maxi-Aids
if she can possibly get it anywhere else. She said that she feels
the Zaretskys are completely unethical. 
     When we told Zaretsky of the charges by Mohymen Saddeek,
Zaretsky said that Saddeek is a liar. Zaretsky said it would be
foolish to suppose that anybody would sell a Seiko watch for
twenty-five or thirty dollars; and when we told him that this was
exactly the point, he simply repeated that this was foolishness.
     Zaretsky said that he had worked at Vis-Aids until about ten
years ago and that he had left on good terms. When we told him
that Vis-Aids said that he had not left on good terms, he said
that he had had no problems with Henry Eisen, the owner of Vis-
Aids, but that his wife had had a problem. He declined to say
what the problem was. 
     Toward the end of the interview, Zaretsky hinted at all
kinds of wrongdoing on the part of others in the blindness field,
but he declined to be specific. He said such things as, "It
wasn't my son who was indicted for fraud," and "I could say
things about the bankruptcy." He ended by saying that all of
those that we had discussed are, as he put it, "nice people." He
said that he didn't want to say anything bad about anybody. 
     There you have the litany of charges and denials. What are
we to make of it? We carefully examined a Maxi-Aids low-vision
watch, and it clearly says on its face that it is a Japan
movement. When we removed the back, we found stamped on the
movement the words "one 1 jewel." We examined documents from both
Maxi-Aids and Independent Living Aids, and we believe there is no
doubt that copying of photographs and text occurred, as well as
cutting and pasting. We have examined the 1992 Maxi-Aids
catalogue, and page nineteen is headed "Men's Low Vision Watches:
Swiss made." Page nineteen contains listings for both manual and
quartz watches. The heading clearly indicates that all are
covered by the Swiss-made claim. Page twenty is much the same,
with the added fact that the claim is made that all Maxi-Aids
watches have a seventeen-jewel movement. 
     This is the evidence we found, and the charges are serious.
This is why we have presented these lengthy statements and
reports in such exhaustive and tiresome detail. The implications
are too important to permit any other kind of treatment. These
matters affect every blind person in the United States and every
sighted person who is engaged in work with the blind or who has a
blind family member.
     All of us in the blindness field (consumer organizations,
service providers, and manufacturers and vendors of appliances)
have a trust and an obligation. In the struggle of the blind to
move from second-class status to first-class membership in
society, there are roadblocks enough without having to deal with
questionable behavior from within. We who are blind seek not only
the rights and privileges but also the responsibilities of
citizenship. An important part of those responsibilities is self-
policing and scrupulous conduct.

[Photo #1:Portrait.  Caption: Barbara Cheadle]
[Photo #2: Doug Boone sits at a table with a microphone in front of him.
Caption: Doug Boone]

                        LINDA GETS A CANE
             Parents Prevail in Due Process Hearing
           by Barbara A. Cheadle and Douglas C. Boone

     From the Editor: The following article first appeared in the
Spring/Summer, 1994, issue of Future Reflections, the quarterly
magazine of the National Organization of Parents of Blind
Children, a division of the National Federation of the Blind.
Barbara Cheadle is the President of the NOPBC and the editor of
the magazine. Doug Boone is an experienced teacher and consultant
in the blindness field. Parents are very often pressured by
school districts to agree to things they believe to be wrong for
their blind children. This is the story of one family's fight to
do what was right and their ultimate victory. Their experience
may well help others facing such struggles; it should certainly
encourage all of us. The article begins with Mrs. Cheadle's
words. Here it is:

     Three years ago I wrote an article for Future Reflections
about the canes-for-preschoolers revolution. I concluded that,
except for individual skirmishes and disagreements about the
length of the cane, type of tip, and other such details, the
revolution was pretty much over. After all, the American
Foundation for the Blind--that bastion of sacred and time-honored
traditions in the field of blindness--was selling kid-size canes.
I couldn't think of a surer sign that giving canes to small
children was no longer considered a radical act by the O & M
profession. However, victory was perhaps announced too soon. For,
even as I wrote that article, I was well aware of another trend
developing in the O & M field: the use of pre-cane devices.
     This idea has actually been around for some time. It began,
perhaps, when professionals noticed that little kids would use
certain push toys as a bumper. Now, there is nothing profound
about this discovery. Any blind kid who is curious and has been
encouraged to move about and explore will discover that holding a
stick-like object out in front of him or her will eliminate some
bumps and falls. But simultaneous to the acceptance of the notion
that even preschoolers can use a regular cane came more
experimentation with these so-called pre-cane devices. Initially
the devices were unadapted toys, such as the hula hoop,
push-carts, and toy push-poppers. Then adaptations were made: the
hula hoop was weighted with sand, the push-popper reduced to a
stick with a wheel on the end. Then whole new devices were
created: walker-like pre-canes were created out of light-weight
plastic tubing.
     These devices are often touted as beneficial for
multiply-handicapped children--youngsters with cerebral palsy who
had an uneven gait or a weak grasp or other motor problems. As
such, these contraptions have come to be called alternative
mobility devices (AMD's). However, the same apparatuses are also
called pre-canes and are used with blind children who have no
other disabilities as a preliminary step or stage before going on
to instruction with a regular long white cane.
     The obvious questions this practice elicits are these: What
does an alternative mobility aid or pre-cane device do that a
cane doesn't? Does it develop the muscles, motor skills, and
movement patterns necessary for regular cane use? Is it just as
effective as a cane in a variety of settings--hallways, stairs,
curbs, playgrounds, pavement, gravel, and so forth? Is it easier
to use? Can the child more easily transfer from a pre-cane to a
cane as opposed to beginning with the cane? Does the pre-cane
give the user the same kind of sound cues and feedback that the
tap of a cane gives? Does it allow the user to walk at a normal
pace and gait? If the answer to even one of these questions is
"No," the next question I pose is: what's the point? If regular
cane use is the desired goal and if young kids--including many
with multiple disabilities--can use the regular cane effectively
right from the get-go, why take a detour?
     That was the question Dale and Arlene Delker of South Dakota
found themselves asking their school district in the fall of
1992. It was a simple situation. The Delkers wanted their
seven-year-old, totally blind foster daughter, Linda Perez, to
switch from the pre-cane device she was using in school to a
regular long white cane and to get instruction in its use. (Linda
had used a toy push-cart in the fall of 1991 and was later given
a Connecticut pre-cane--a rectangular device made out of hollow
tubing. However, the Delkers lived in a rural setting with lots
of dirt; gravel; and uneven weedy, grassy areas around the home.
The Connecticut pre-cane was not usable in this environment.) The
Delkers had attended several seminars and events sponsored by the
NFB of South Dakota and were regular readers of Future
Reflections. Through this contact with blind persons they had
become convinced that Linda, despite her other developmental
delays, was ready to use a cane.
     The school district responded by contracting with the South
Dakota School for the Visually Handicapped for a mobility
evaluation. Based upon the results of this one-and-one-half-hour
evaluation--an evaluation in which the child never touched a
white cane--the school district refused the request. Furthermore,
even though Linda used a long white cane at home (she had had
some private instruction from a blind teacher--also a member of
the NFB), she was not even allowed to bring the cane to school.
     The Delkers were not going to give up so easily. They knew
what their daughter needed; they knew their rights; and they were
not going to be deterred. They then requested an independent
evaluation. When the school district refused the request, they
proceeded, with the help of Karen Mayry, President of the NFB of
South Dakota, to arrange an independent evaluation for their
daughter with mobility instructor and evaluator Douglas C. Boone
of Nebraska. In an attempt to outmaneuver the Delkers, the school
district filed for a due process hearing with the South Dakota
Board of Education on April 23, 1994--about two weeks before the
Boone evaluation was to take place. The school district asked the
board to uphold its evaluation and to deny reimbursement to the
Delkers for the independent evaluation conducted by Doug Boone.
The Delkers, of course, not only asked for reimbursement but also
requested the South Dakota Board of Education to rule on the
question of Linda's readiness to use a long white cane.
     In the course of preparing their case and again with the
assistance of the NFB of South Dakota, the Delkers gathered some
information about pre-cane devices from Joe Cutter, a mobility
instructor from New Jersey. Mr. Cutter's credentials included
extensive experience in working with blind and blind, multiply
handicapped children from infancy through the early school years.
Mr. Cutter began giving canes and cane instruction to young blind
children in the very early years of the canes-for-pre-schoolers
revolution. He also experimented with pre-cane devices and
alternative mobility aids with his young blind students. Mr.
Cutter was not available as a witness for the Linda Perez case,
but he wrote a letter for the Delkers about his experiences. The
Delkers' attorney used quotations from this letter (along with
quotations from other letters and articles by progressive O & M
instructors) in the brief submitted to the board for the due
process hearing. Because of the valuable information and insight
Mr. Cutter's letter sheds on the use of pre-cane devices, it is
reprinted in full following this introduction.
     The Perez case depended most heavily, of course, upon the
independent mobility evaluation conducted by Douglas C. Boone.
The heart of this article, therefore, is Mr. Boone's description
of his involvement with the case, the complete text of the
evaluation he conducted, and the results of that evaluation.
     Parents of blind children often find themselves in a dilemma
about evaluations. How do they know if a mobility evaluation is
thorough and really covers what it should? What should be
observed? How long should it take? Mr. Boone's evaluation is an
excellent model of a well-planned and conducted cane-readiness
and mobility evaluation. The decision of the board in this case
was clearly influenced by the completeness of this evaluation.
There was simply no comparison between the earlier, and clearly
inadequate, mobility evaluation and the one conducted by Mr.
Boone.
     Finally, we conclude this article with the findings of law
and decision reached by the South Dakota Board of Education in
the Douglas School District v. Delker/Perez case. In brief, the
board concluded that the school district had not provided the
Delkers with an appropriate mobility evaluation and awarded them
reimbursement for the independent evaluation conducted by Douglas
Boone. This was, for all practical purposes, a victory for the
Delkers. The board declined to rule, for technical reasons, on
the Delkers' question about Linda's readiness to use the cane. It
seems that the school district refused to recommend any IEP
mobility goals until after the due process hearing. Therefore,
there were no IEP goals regarding mobility upon which the board
could base a decision. The board did state that "The school's
action in delaying a decision on Linda's IEP until completion of
the due process hearing was not appropriate under regulations."
     The school district correctly interpreted the board's
decision as a mandate to use the Boone evaluation as the
foundation for developing Linda's IEP mobility goals. Today Linda
uses her cane in school and has regular mobility lessons with her
long white cane.
     But none of this would have been possible without the
National Federation of the Blind. Because of the NFB the Delkers
had a steady stream of information and inspiration coming
regularly through their mail box in the form of Future
Reflections and other publications. Karen Mayry, President of the
NFB of South Dakota, gave freely of her time to advocate for
Linda in IEP meetings and to locate information and resources for
the Delkers. It was through the NFB that the Delkers met
competent, confident blind adults who gave them a vision of what
Linda's future could be, if she had the right training. Here is
the letter from Joe Cutter regarding pre-cane devices, followed
by the Boone evaluation and the final due process decision:

                                              Wharton, New Jersey
                                                     May 23, 1993

Mrs. Karen Mayry
President, National Federation of the Blind  of South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota

Dear Karen:
     As an orientation and mobility instructor with the New
Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, I became
concerned regarding our recent conversation about a
seven-year-old blind child. There is apparently a disagreement
between home and school over which travel tool promotes
independent ambulation and thereby increases safety,
effectiveness, and confidence. The child was evaluated by an
Orientation and Mobility Instructor. The long cane was determined
to facilitate her independent movement. She took to it, as you
said, "like a duck to water." On the other hand, the school is
promoting the use of some other tool that they refer to as a
pre-cane. I am moved to share with you my thoughts on differences
in points of view over this concept of a pre-cane.
     The term "pre-cane" implies that the structure and function
of the device fits into some continuum of progression for using
travel tools and that the cane would be the next step along this
assumed progression, once the blind child has mastered its
predecessor. After twenty-three years of experience as an O & M
instructor (I am also a certified teacher of the blind and
visually impaired and possess a Masters of Arts in Teaching the
developmentally handicapped), I believe that this notion of a
pre-cane is more fancy than fact. What we know about children in
general is far less than what we think we know. Blind children
are particularly vulnerable to adult assessments that do not
develop from observations of children, but rather are imposed
upon them by an adult-centered model.
     There is no research of which I am aware that validates or
substantiates this pre-cane concept that some other tool must be
used prior to the use of a cane. In addition, my personal
experience does not support this notion. I have used a variety of
tools to experiment with the facilitation of movement in blind
children, such as a hula hoop, a Connecticut Pre-Cane, a t-shaped
cane with roller tip, and so forth. The components of movement
needed to use many of these devices are actually more complex and
may demand more sophisticated motor schemes and planning than
those required by the simple design and function of the cane.
Certainly a blind child's gait is negatively affected by an
inappropriate travel tool.
     The essential question is: Does the cane facilitate movement
when the child is exploring the world and safely moving about in
it? The best way to know is to follow the child's lead. A child
who takes to a travel tool like a duck to water is telling the
adult what is best. When a child's travel tool promotes a sense
of security and autonomy in free movement, much more brain power
is available for orientation and for enjoying the feeling of the
movement itself. Over the years I have introduced the cane to
many children--some were as young as twenty months of age--
without a pre-cane device. As they matured, these children
engaged in higher levels of prehension and technical skill and in
time learned appropriate adult techniques. My experience tells me
that introducing a cane much later in a child's life presents a
barrier to independent movement and to the development of the
grace and poise that is within them.
     I hope these thoughts assist the school in re-evaluating
their present position towards independence in travel for this
seven-year-old child. In my years of teaching orientation and
mobility, my thinking has changed about the readiness of blind
children to travel with a cane. What changed over time were not
the children, but my perception of their abilities and readiness.
It is this area of what we think we know that shifts over time.
If I had known to follow and observe the child more carefully
twenty-three years ago, many more blind children would have had
the opportunity to develop independent travel concepts and skills
much earlier in life. I know now that, more than any other tool,
the cane facilitates the movement of the walking blind child.
This seven-year-old child is at a crossroad. The school can
either facilitate or interfere with her development. How exciting
it would be for home and school to be offering the same travel
tool with similar enthusiasm and commitment.
                                                       Sincerely,
                                                       Joe Cutter
                              Orientation and Mobility Instructor
        New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired

     There you have Joe Cutter's letter about pre-cane devices.
Next is Doug Boone's description of the independent mobility
evaluation he conducted for the Delkers:

                      Erring on the Side of
                      Positive Expectations
                       by Douglas C. Boone

     In the middle of April, 1993, I received a phone call from
Karen Mayry, President of the National Federation of the Blind of
South Dakota. She informed me that a seven-year-old blind person,
Linda Perez, was not receiving instruction in the use of her long
white cane. Furthermore, she was not being encouraged or allowed
to use her cane in the school. The wishes of Linda and her
parents, as presented in IEP meetings to the Douglas School
District, near Rapid City, were being discounted in favor of the
recommendation by the regional orientation and mobility (O & M)
consultant, who had prescribed a pre-cane device for Linda.
     Karen explained that the child was developmentally delayed
as a result of a number of problems associated with premature
birth and low birth weight. She also told me that Linda had
worked a few times with Konnie Hoffman, a blind member of the
Rapid City chapter of the Federation and a teacher with special
education background. Konnie's work with Linda revealed a high
degree of motivation for using the long white cane and an
appreciation for the fact that blind adults use canes. (Miss
Hoffman is a cane user.) As a result of this initial success,
Linda's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dale Delker, had requested that the
regional O & M consultant evaluate her ability to use the cane.
The instructor performed the evaluation without giving Linda the
opportunity to use a cane and concluded that Linda was not yet
ready for the cane.
     As a private consultant in the field of blindness and visual
impairment, I have established a policy of not relying on others'
perceptions of a situation. Instead, I like to evaluate each
situation or human need personally and then pursue a course of
action based on fact. I also proceed on the assumption that it is
best to err on the side of positive expectation--I always first
assume that a given task or challenge can be accomplished by the
person with whom I am working.
     The experiential and philosophic foundation I bring to this
process has been shaped in part by my employment in three state
blind rehabilitation agencies. In those jobs I was often called
upon to consult with educational facilities regarding the needs
of blind and visually impaired adults and children for cane
travel and industrial technology classes. Also vital to my
foundation of knowledge is the extensive sleepshade training I
received when I first entered the field and my continued
philosophical growth by reading the literature and knowing the
members of the National Federation of the Blind. With this
background I set about designing an appropriate evaluation of
Linda Perez's ability to function with the long white cane. Here
is the text of that evaluation:

                  Proposal for O & M Assessment

     The following is a proposal for contract services to assess
the feasibility of the introduction to and subsequent instruction
in the use of the long white cane as an aid to mobility for Linda
Perez, beginning on Sunday, May 9, 1993, and concluding on
Monday, May 10, 1993.
     The assessment will be conducted in a two-phase process: at
the student's residence on the first day and at the student's
school on the second day. The assessment schedule will help to
minimize the Hawthorne effect by allowing for the development of
rapport with the consultant in the secure environment of the home
on the first day. This arrangement will also allow for parent
observation of the process. The second day of the assessment will
provide for an expansion of the assessment in a more structured
environment with observation by interested instructional staff.
The second day will seek to provide a review of those areas
(listed below) which were assessed on the first day. The
provision of two days of assessment will seek to minimize the
chance that the student might have an off day and thus skew the
results of the assessment. Both days of the student's assessment
will cover, to the extent possible, the following:
1. Establish rapport between the evaluator and parents and
student.
2. Begin evaluation of student's: a. expressive and receptive
language skills, b. level of community/environmental awareness,
c. level of social awareness.
3. Evaluate student's ability to collect; correctly assess;
and/or use auditory, tactile, and other available environmental
information.
4. Provide for the evaluation of the student's balance under a
variety of situations and conditions.
5. Evaluate the student's ability to grip the cane and begin
manipulating it.
6. Instruct and evaluate the ability of the student to slide or
tap cane so as to provide a clear path for movement.
7. Confirm the ability of the student to incorporate, at a level
consistent with that of beginning students, the following
elements in the use of the cane: a. grip, b. slide or tap, and c.
acceptable width of arc.
8. Make a basic assessment of the student's psychomotor skills in
general.
9. Assess student's maturity level and ability to maintain
concentration necessary for beginning use of the cane.
10. Evaluate the student's ability to stow the cane in an
appropriate location and retrieve the stored cane.
     All of the above will serve to determine the readiness of
the student to begin a course of instruction in the use of the
long white cane.
     Of necessity the assessment will be conducted at a pace
commensurate with the student's attention and tolerance levels.
To provide for these considerations, the assessment will be
interspersed throughout both days of evaluation.
     A written report will be sent by FAX to the school no later
than the morning of May 14, 1993, and a FAX will be sent to the
parents to a location of their choosing. This will be done in
order to acquaint all interested parties with the findings of the
assessment.
     The summarized results of the evaluation are provided below:

                     O & M Evaluation Report

Locations for the Assessment: Student's residence; Rapid City
Mall; and the Douglas School Badger Clark building, Carousel
building, and surrounding school environment as related to
Linda's instructional needs.
     The evaluation began on the morning of May 9, 1993, at the
residence of Linda Perez. My first efforts were directed toward
establishing rapport with Linda and her parents. I asked Linda to
get her cane. She independently found the cane with only a verbal
prompt from her parents to tell her that the cane was on the
porch. Linda was receptive to becoming acquainted, and I soon
asked her to show me her favorite toy. She took her cane, without
prompting, and returned with a busy box. Approximately fifteen
minutes later I asked Linda to put her toy back, which she did
without any difficulty. I then asked her to get another toy. This
time she chose a puzzle. She came back to the table and began
working on the puzzle. After a short time she asked about the
location of her cane. It was at this point that I demonstrated to
Linda how she could store the cane under her chair. Linda
exhibited a good attention span while working on her puzzle.
     Mr. and Mrs. Delker next provided me with information
regarding various self-help skills which Linda is able to
accomplish. While this is not directly related to the assessment
of Linda's ability to use a cane, a cursory review of her level
of functioning is desirable in order to understand her behavior
when using the cane. The discussion revealed an overall
development in the range of a three- to four-year-old. Her
parents stated that Linda has specific tasks to do in the home. A
recommendation was made to encourage Linda to become involved in
the selection of her own clothing since activities of this nature
contribute to independent thinking and concept development. It
should be noted that this portion of the assessment was for the
benefit of the consultant and was/is not intended as an official
finding regarding age-appropriate development.

     Evaluation of Outside Use of the Cane: As we prepared to
leave the house for the outside evaluation, Linda prompted her
parents by asking for her cane. I believe this was a significant
act, demonstrating an awareness of the cane as a tool for
independent mobility.
     As we came down the ramp from the house, Linda found a
section of plywood with the cane, then stomped on it to confirm
the feedback she had received from the cane--an act not
inconsistent with beginning cane-users of any age. This
demonstration of awareness of the auditory feedback available
from the cane is significant in view of the limited experience
Linda has had with the cane.
     Once in the yard, Linda followed her father's voice toward
the place where the bus stops. Linda continued to use her cane in
a somewhat sporadic arc, mostly keeping it near to the ground but
occasionally raising it. Linda displayed ease in using the cane
in either the right or left hand. This ambidextrous approach to
the cane is a skill well worth fostering, as it provides for
independent mobility when carrying heavier objects which can be
shifted between hands to minimize fatigue. While I generally
introduce this skill later in a student's instruction, I do not
view early alternation of hands for cane use negatively.
     From the bus stop we proceeded to the lamb pen. Again Linda
followed her father's voice. She used the cane surprisingly well
over uneven surfaces, including tire ruts, unmown grass, mud, and
loose gravel. When she arrived at the lamb pen, she was not
facing the pen but was parallel to it. Her father made note of
this fact and prompted her to put the cane in front of her. She
extended the cane and swung it to her left, found the fence with
the cane, then turned and appropriately faced the lambs. This
action represents an understanding of the value of the cane as a
tool to collect information from the environment.
     Next I asked her to find the chicken house. (I had heard a
chicken as Mrs. Delker was gathering the eggs.) Linda needed one
additional auditory cue, then proceeded in the direction of the
building. After locating the chicken house, she turned and
approached the feed shed, which Mr. Delker had entered. After
arriving at the feed shed, I showed Linda how to determine the
height of a step by using her cane. The step was inordinately
high, approximately fourteen inches off the ground. After several
exploratory tries, Linda crawled into the shed. At all times she
maintained contact with the cane or remembered where she had
placed it. This behavior demonstrated Linda's awareness of the
value of the cane in enabling her to move effectively in her
environment. As we returned to the house, Linda continued to use
her cane while following sound cue information from her parents'
voices.

     Evaluation at the Mall: At my request, Mrs. Delker drove
Linda and me to the mall for an evaluation of cane use in an
unfamiliar location. Upon arrival at the mall, Linda unbuckled
her seat belt. This was the first time she had self-initiated and
independently accomplished this task.
     As we entered the mall, Linda immediately noticed the sound
feedback available from the cane and swung it with additional
vigor. Initially Linda seemed a little intimidated at the
prospect of walking about using only her cane and not hanging on
to her mother's hand. This behavior was not surprising given her
limited instruction in the use of the cane to date. Most people
experience some fear and apprehension when encountering new
environments.
     As we walked in the mall, Mrs. Delker asked Linda to find a
bench. Without further information Linda reached out and found
the bench using her cane. During this portion of the evaluation I
observed multiple incidents of Linda's swinging the cane
vertically and horizontally at waist height or above. After a
number of interventions by Linda's mother failed to produce a
controlled arc, I suggested to Mrs. Delker that she briefly take
the cane from Linda the next time she failed to heed an oral
warning to use the cane properly. Linda once again
inappropriately swung the cane, and Mrs. Delker took the cane and
said that, if she were to swing the cane improperly again, she
would have to walk the mall holding her mom's hand instead of
using the cane.
     At this point I suggested that perhaps Linda was tired and
that we should conclude the evaluation. It is significant to note
that no additional misuse of the cane occurred as we returned to
the car! In my opinion, the modification of Linda's negative
behavior, which coincided with the prospect of losing the cane
because of misuse, demonstrated the value she places on it. As we
left the mall, Linda found a two-foot drop-off with the cane. She
knelt down to feel it, sat down so that her feet were on the
lower surface, then stood up again. We returned to the car and
concluded the day's activities.

     Evaluation in the School Environment: The evaluation on the
morning of May 10, 1993, was conducted at Linda's school and
included the Badger Clark building, Carousel building, and other
areas used in the provision of Linda's education plan.
     I began the school portion of the evaluation by observing
Linda exiting from her main school bus and moving to the small
bus in which she waits until a school staff member comes to
escort her to the building. In going from the large to the small
bus, Linda exhibited excessive vertical raising of the cane
similar to that I had observed in the mall on Sunday, May 9,
1993. When leaving the bus and encountering the bus steps, Linda
did not seem to know how the cane could provide information
regarding the step height. Neither of these observed deficits
represents inability. They reflect lack of instruction and
consistency of cane use. It is worth noting that when Linda went
up the steps to the second bus, she seemed instinctively to use
the cane to locate the next step. Once again she showed her
appreciation of the cane by maintaining constant contact with it
at all times.
     After a short wait two school staff members came to the bus
to get Linda. I introduced myself and let them know I was present
for the day to observe Linda using the cane at her school. Linda
then began to follow the staff to the building, located a metal
grate on the sidewalk, crossed it, and proceeded into the
building. She followed the adults down the hall, located the door
to her classroom with her cane, and entered. Without asking
Linda's permission, a staff person took the cane from her and
hung it up. At that point I offered to put on a pair of
sleepshades and demonstrate how the cane can act as an effective
tool in mobility. None of the school staff indicated a desire for
me to do so.
     Linda's first class was physical education, and it was
necessary to walk approximately one and one half blocks outside
to the track area. The staff person who was taking her to the
track referred to the cane as a stick. I explained that the
proper term was cane, and she apologized. I informed her that no
apology was necessary since no one could expect her to know all
of the terms related to blindness and visual impairment.
     As we continued, I again observed the ease with which Linda
switched the cane from one hand to the other. At one point Linda
walked off the sidewalk and onto playground gravel. When asked by
the staff person to get back on the sidewalk, Linda located the
sidewalk with her cane and, after some independent
re-orientation, continued in the proper direction. At another
point Linda stepped off the sidewalk onto a grass edge and seemed
to be exploring and experimenting with her cane. This action of
using her cane as a tool to collect information and to satisfy
her curiosity is yet another indicator of her readiness to use
the cane.
     At one point the staff person grabbed the cane and was
teasing Linda by pulling on the cane and saying they were going
to get her with it. I asked the staff person not to engage in
this kind of activity because Linda, like most students, will
benefit from positive reinforcement in the proper treatment of
equipment--be it baseball bat, eyeglasses, or a cane. These
examples of the staff's lack of knowledge regarding blindness are
not a negative comment on the personnel but rather reflect the
need to empower staff through a specialized in-service training
conducted by professionals and blind role models.
     As we came back from physical education and were approaching
the building, the staff person asked me if I wanted Linda to
trail along the wall. I told her that I preferred that Linda not
do this since the cane could find things for her which she would
miss if she were just trailing the wall. Furthermore, by using
the cane, Linda would be developing transferable skills. When
asked for additional information, I explained that, if a
maintenance worker or teacher left a tool box or some other item
in the hall, trailing the wall would result in a collision. On
the other hand, when Linda is using the cane correctly, she can
easily detect and walk around items hurriedly left in the hall.
To her credit, this explanation made sense to the staff person.
     Just before we entered the building, Linda began to tap more
heavily, again indicating her ability to use echo location
information produced by the cane. She stomped a few times to
confirm the cane information and proceeded into the building.
Once inside, her speed increased as she walked down the hall
without trailing. Soon she asked the staff person if she could
stop by the office and was allowed to do so. When she was in the
proximity of the office, she heard sound cues coming from within.
She extended her cane to her left and entered the office without
contacting the door. Even the staff person commented on how well
Linda was doing with the cane.
     As Linda left the office, again smoothly passing through the
door, she turned left to proceed to her home room. The staff
person and I arrived at the door and paused; Linda continued
approximately thirty feet. She stopped, without comment from
either the staff person or me, turned around, and walked back to
the door. When she reached it, she swung the cane into the
opening and then she entered. The staff person acted very
appropriately, allowing Linda to discover and resolve her error
on her own.
     Once again I extended an offer to demonstrate under
sleepshades the full cane technique used by blind persons. I told
the staff they had only to ask. No one did.
     While waiting for Linda in her home room, I heard an
instructor outside the classroom repeat twice to sighted
students: "Please keep your hands off the wall; we have art work
on the walls!" Encouraging trailing walls in place of using the
cane does not facilitate efforts to mainstream Linda. Instead it
serves to enhance the differences between her and her peers. This
subtle and unnecessary double standard can have negative
implications for both Linda's self-concept and the expectations
which peers have for her.
     The next significant event related to this assessment
occurred when it was time to go from Linda's home room to her
mainstream class. A staff person informed Linda that it was time
to go to Carousel (her mainstream classroom). Another student in
the class was looking at Linda's cane. While retrieving the cane
from the lad, the staff person informed Linda that they were
running late and would have to hurry. As she finished her
statement, she hung up the cane, took Linda's hand, and proceeded
down the hall. Approximately one quarter of the way to the
mainstream classroom I heard Linda ask for her cane. The staff
person told her that they were late and didn't have time for the
cane. Linda's question reflects the value she places on her cane.
The response to the question indicates the need for staff
training regarding the importance of cane use in the development
of Linda's self-confidence and independence.
     That failure to permit Linda to have her cane with her was a
lost opportunity to reinforce her independence. Indeed, after
arriving at the mainstream classroom, Linda needed to go from one
location in the room to another. The staff person told her to go
on over. Then almost immediately she said, "Take my hand; there
are kids on the floor." Again, this was another example of a lost
opportunity to teach Linda and her peers that blind people can do
things by themselves.
     Next the class members, including Linda, were asked to go
outside and get an egg carton which had been filled with dirt and
planted. Linda's assigned staff person accompanied her, helped
her find a carton, and lined up with her to come back into the
building. They had stopped just before the sidewalk to wait for
other children to move inside. When the staff person indicated to
Linda that the line was moving, she moved forward, caught her toe
on the edge of the sidewalk, and almost fell. With the cane Linda
could have been in control of her own mobility and collected the
information relevant to her needs. She might still have stumbled,
but maybe not. Because she was not allowed to take her cane to
the mainstream class, she did not have it available for recess or
for the walk back to her home room.
     A different staff person led Linda back to home room by a
different route. This inconsistency in going to and from various
locations occurred several times and appeared to be the norm. It
would be helpful for the staff to learn the value of Linda's
using the same routes during this early period of Linda's
learning how to maintain her orientation.
     It is salient to the evaluation that when Linda used the
cane at school, she exhibited none of the negative behaviors she
had displayed while at the mall on Sunday, May 9. Whatever the
cause for this improved respect for using the cane, the absence
of negative behavior simply means one less thing the staff at the
school would need to modify.
     Also noteworthy is the fact that during the morning I
observed Linda at school, with the exception of one staff person,
no one else prompted her to use either the pre-cane device or the
long white cane. Instead the staff consistently took Linda's hand
to accompany her to various class activities.
     It is significant to note that, while staff were reluctant
to expand their knowledge of the cane, I did observe a high level
of commitment and concern for Linda and a good deal of
coordinated effort in expanding her knowledge of geometric shapes
and enhancing various concepts in general. These efforts should
contribute significantly to Linda's development of spatial
awareness and her ability to generalize information when moving
about with her cane.

                       SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
     Linda demonstrated:
1. a willingness and motivation to use the cane;
2. awareness of the value of the cane as a tool to assist her in
her mobility;
3. awareness of sound feedback available from the metal cane tip
and ability to use the information;
4. awareness of texture variables, as they relate to orientation
and mobility;
5. good use of echo/sound cues;
6. recognition that the cane can locate objects and openings
through its purposeful extension in the desired direction;
7. a willingness to explore her environment with the cane;
8. a firm grip on the cane for extended periods of time;
9. excellent balance in a variety of evaluation environments;
10. an increased pace when using the cane as opposed to trailing
the walls; and
11. good travel orientation.

                         RECOMMENDATIONS

     As a result of the evaluation, I make the following
recommendations:
1. Conduct future instruction in orientation and mobility using
the long white cane.
2. Encourage use of the cane for all independent mobility as
often as possible in the school and in home life.
3. See that staff, parents, and peers receive in-service training
in basic use of the cane by blind role model(s) and professional
staff so that they will be better able to reinforce the use of
the cane in and out of the school environment.
4. Establish set routes during this early phase of O & M
instruction for going to and from classrooms. This will allow
Linda to concentrate more on the skills associated with
manipulation of the cane and less on keeping oriented.
5. Give some emphasis and priority to cane use until Linda
develops more skills. For example, perhaps on Mondays and
Wednesdays Linda might use all of her allotted time just going to
and coming back from, say, physical education (or some other
class). Learning independent mobility is a priority on those
days. On Tuesdays and Thursdays Linda takes her cane but may also
take a staff person's hand to get to P.E. quickly so she can
participate. On these days the emphasis is on class
participation. This approach is suggested as an interim solution,
pending Linda's development of speed and self-confidence in using
the cane. Careful consideration should be given in a plan of this
nature to assure minimum disruption of her academic curriculum.

     Those were my findings, but the school continued to resist
the Delkers' request for Linda to receive instruction in the use
of the long white cane. Indeed, the Douglas School District chose
to contest payment for my services even though it is the right of
parents to seek outside evaluation in cases where the school and
parents disagree.
     A Fair Hearing date was set for June 23, 1993, to be held in
Rapid City. The school district, represented by their legal
counsel, called upon a number of professional staff and the
regional O & M consultant to testify. Thanks to the help and
support of Karen Mayry, Mr. and Mrs. Delker, represented by South
Dakota Advocacy Services, called witnesses who defended the need
for the independent evaluation. Among those testifying at the
hearing in support of meeting Linda's actual training needs were
Konnie Hoffman and me.
     Since this was to be the first time that I had to provide
testimony in a hearing, I alleviated some of my apprehension by
staying outside the courtroom. Soon it was my turn to testify.
The counsel for the school district began with rather low-key
questions, asking about my background and seeking weak links in
my professional experience which would discredit me. Then came a
question which caught me completely off guard! The school's
counsel asked: "Isn't it true that you first learned of this job
from Karen Mayry, the NFB's Rapid City representative?" I
answered that I had learned of the Delkers' need from Karen and
that she was the President of the Federation in South Dakota. He
next said: "And isn't it also true that the NFB has referred jobs
to you on numerous other occasions?" To which I answered: "No, it
is not true. This is the first such referral!" There was complete
silence in the courtroom. The counsel then asked, "No other jobs
at all?" To which I also answered, "No!" (When Karen contacted me
in April of 1993, I was in the first full month of
self-employment as a consultant. And if it had been the 100th
consulting job referred to me by the NFB, what does that have to
do with the appropriateness of the evaluation? My Federation
membership was not a surprise to the school; it was listed on my
resume.)
     In July of 1993 the Hearing Officer handed down his ruling
and found in favor of Mr. and Mrs. Delker and ordered the Douglas
School District to reimburse the Delkers for the cost of the
independent evaluation. The school district has since obtained
the regular services of an O & M instructor for Linda Perez, and
she is reported to be making fine progress in the use of the
cane, using it not only at home, but also in school.
     It was a long road for Linda Perez and her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Delker, a road they should not have had to travel. But since
they did experience the objections of the school, it was nice to
have the help of Karen Mayry and the many other Federationists
who subsequently provided advice, moral support, information
about resources, and perspective regarding blindness through
articles published in the Braille Monitor and Future Reflections.
There are times when we simply cannot go it alone.

     There you have the story from Doug Boone's point of view.
What follows is the complete, unedited text of the hearing
officer's decision in the Linda Perez case. It includes
references to pertinent segments of the law, history of the
intent of the law, and relevant court cases, as well as
references to arguments and evidence submitted by both parties in
the case.
     You may be tempted to skip this segment, but I hope you will
not. Parents and advocates can learn much by reading original
documents. The IEP and all the rights that parents have in that
process would be meaningless without the right to appeal and to
have that appeal heard before an impartial, qualified hearing
officer. But parents cannot effectively use this right if they do
not understand the process or have a practical grasp of what they
can reasonably expect to get out of it.
     As demonstrated in the Linda Perez case, hearing officers
much prefer to deal with procedural questions as opposed to
educational instruction issues (e.g., Did the Delkers have the
right to reimbursement for an independent evaluation? versus
Should Linda Perez receive cane travel instruction?). Even when
the parents prevail, seldom will the ruling mandate particular
IEP goals. Rather the ruling will focus on the appropriateness or
inappropriateness of the evaluation(s) in question. The hearing
officer will then order both parties to go back to the drawing
board and write another IEP or, even more fundamentally, order
them to get another evaluation. If parents have not understood
and anticipated the limitations of due process rulings, they may
end up winning the battle but losing the war.
     Here then are the Conclusions of Law and the Decision
portion of the July 9, 1993, South Dakota Board of Education due
process ruling in the Douglas School District v. Mr. and Mrs.
Dale Delker case:

                       CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

1. The parties received due, proper, and legal notice required in
contested cases.
2. The Hearing Officer has jurisdiction over the parties and the
subject matter of this action.
3. The Douglas School District has not met its burden of proving
by a preponderance of the evidence that the evaluation it
provided for Linda Perez was sufficiently appropriate to defeat
the Delkers' right to an independent educational evaluation.
4. The Delkers are entitled to reimbursement for the costs of
obtaining the independent educational evaluation of Linda Perez
by Douglas Boone.
5. The Hearing Officer makes such other and further conclusions
of law as are contained in the written Decision, filed herewith.

                            DECISION

     The Decision of the Hearing Officer is that the independent
educational evaluation obtained by the Delkers was consistent
with their rights pursuant to the South Dakota Special Education
laws, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, and
its implementing regulations. Thus the Delkers are entitled to
reimbursement for the cost of this independent evaluation.
     Additionally the school needs to take the Boone evaluation
into account in determining Linda Perez's independent educational
program as it relates to cane use. The decision whether Linda is
ready for cane use and training should be made in the first
instance by the placement committee and parents, taking into
account all information about Linda, including, but not limited
to, the Mundschenk evaluation, the Boone evaluation, Linda's
current use of both the pre-cane device and the cane, the
family's support or non-support of either plan, and such other
factors that may be relevant in determining an appropriate and
beneficial IEP for Linda.
     As pointed out by the school, the landmark case in special
education was Board of Education, Etc. v. Rowley, 458 U.S. 176
(1982). There is a two-part test to be applied in these cases:
(1) whether the procedural requirements of the Education for All
Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (the Act) have been followed;
and (2) whether the individualized educational program (IEP)
developed through the Act's procedures is reasonably calculated
to enable the child to receive educational benefits.
     The school argues that there is no issue about the procedure
used but that the only issue is the substance of Linda's
educational program. This argument is incorrect. The case is
before the Hearing Officer on a procedural issue raised by the
school itself, namely, whether its evaluation of Linda was
appropriate so as to defeat the procedural right granted to the
Delkers by the Act for an independent educational evaluation
pursuant to 20 U.S.C. 1415(b)(1)(A) and 34 C.F.R. 300.503(b).
     If the case at bar had been a challenge to the educational
program provided by the school for Linda, then Rowley would
undoubtedly control and require that the school's plan be found
to be appropriate. The school is to be commended for developing
an excellent overall educational plan for Linda. It is clear that
Linda has benefited from the implementation of the IEPs that were
developed for her. As Linda's teachers noted, Linda has
progressed remarkably, and she enjoys school a great deal.
     The issue, however, is whether the school properly refused
the Delkers' request for an independent educational evaluation
for Linda regarding her readiness to learn cane skills. Linda had
been given an initial comprehensive evaluation in October, 1991.
Between October of 1991 and the fall of 1992 Linda changed
considerably. She was not functioning at the same level as a year
earlier. Linda's teachers stated that her skills had grown and
improved beyond all prior expectation. According to the end-of-
the-year report from the Student Resource Room, "since the
evaluation was completed [October 1991] Linda has made wonderful
progress. . . . Linda has amazed us and has gone beyond any
expectations." Thus, by the fall of 1992 the conclusions from the
October 1991 evaluation about Linda's skill levels and
developmental age were no longer accurate.
     The October, 1992, re-evaluation was necessary because of
the changes in Linda's circumstances. ARSD 24:05:25:06 provides
that "Re-evaluations shall be conducted every three years or more
frequently if conditions warrant or if the child's parent or
teacher requests an evaluation. . ." In this case the changes in
Linda's abilities, as identified by Linda's teachers and her
parents, warranted the re-evaluation, which was conducted by Jane
Mundschenk in October 1992. Additionally, Mrs. Delker had
specifically requested this re-evaluation for the purpose of
determining Linda's cane readiness, due to Linda's apparently
successful experiences with a cane since the 1991 evaluation.
     Several important considerations that merited the October,
1992, re-evaluation, then, were as follows: (1) Linda had changed
and grown considerably in her performance levels over the last
year; (2) Linda had received cane instruction from Konnie Hoffman
for several weeks and had gained considerable skills in her
ability to use a cane since 1991; (3) Linda was using a cane
regularly at home; (4) Linda could not use her pre-cane at home
because of environmental considerations; (5) Linda's family had
become strong supporters of, and advocates for, cane use and
training instead of pre-cane use; and (6) Linda's guardian, Mrs.
Delker, specifically requested an evaluation of Linda's ability
to use a cane.
     The school was not able to prove the appropriateness of its
evaluation conducted in October, 1992, because the evaluation did
not address these considerations. For example, Ms. Mundschenk
stated that she relied on the stale October, 1991, findings
regarding Linda's performance-level age for her abilities; there
was no re-assessment of whether and how much Linda's performance
levels had actually changed over the last twelve months. Ms.
Mundschenk denied any knowledge of the training that Linda had
received from Konnie Hoffman. Ms. Mundschenk did not consider
Linda's use of a cane at home or the environmental limitations
for pre-cane use. Ms. Mundschenk did not take into account the
attitude and potential supportiveness of Linda's family regarding
cane use or pre-cane use.
     Although the written criteria used by Ms. Mundschenk for her
evaluation appeared to require inquiry and observation of the
child's use of a cane, Ms. Mundschenk's October, 1992, report
stated that she did not assess Linda's use of a cane. In a letter
dated May 22, 1993, Ms. Dunmire offered the school's explanation
why Ms. Mundschenk did not test Linda's use of the cane: "A cane
was not used at the time of the assessment as the examiner felt
it was inappropriate for Linda at the time for various reasons."
The report of the examiner, Ms. Mundschenk, stated, however, that
Linda's "ability to use a cane would have also been assessed, but
it was not available." Ms. Mundschenk also testified that she had
not received documentation from the school about Linda's use of a
cane.
     Thus, on its face, the October, 1992, evaluation did not
appear to evaluate the changes in circumstances that Mrs. Delker
believed demonstrated Linda's cane readiness. Moreover, Ms.
Mundschenk relied upon conclusions regarding Linda's skill levels
that were a full year out of date. It is true that in October,
1991, Linda was reported to have skill levels of a two- or
three-year-old. By October, 1992, however, these skills appear to
have grown considerably, according to the reports of Linda's
teachers. Yet there was no new information provided to Ms.
Mundschenk on these critical points.
     Finally, the methodology used by Ms. Mundschenk appeared to
be somewhat summary and rushed. Ms. Mundschenk stated she spent
approximately one and a half hours observing Linda in her school
environment and without use of a cane. It is true that she stated
this methodology was accepted in the field, yet, when contrasted
with Mr. Boone's method of spending eight hours over a two-day
period studying Linda in a variety of settings (home, school, and
public mall), all with Linda actually using a cane, it would seem
that Ms. Mundschenk's method may have missed important
information about Linda.
     The right of a parent to obtain an independent educational
evaluation, when the parent disagrees with the evaluation
obtained by the school, appears to be a significant and
compelling right. 20 U.S.C.  1415(b)(1)(A) identifies certain
required procedures, which include "an opportunity for the
parents or guardian of a child with a disability . . . to obtain
an independent educational evaluation of the child." One
important concern of Congress in enacting this protection appears
to have been to assure that all relevant information ought to be
considered by a school in developing an IEP to avoid erroneous
classification of children or their conditions. For example,
Senate Report No. 94-168, explains some of the background to the
procedural protections under the Act:
          . . . [T]he Committee specifically requires . . .
     that procedural safeguards guaranteed to parents . . .
     provide adequate protection against erroneous
     classification. . . .
          The Committee is alarmed about the abuses which
     occur in the testing and evaluation of children and is
     concerned that expertise in the proper use of testing
     and evaluation procedures falls far short of the
     prolific use and development of testing and evaluation
     tools. . . .
          All relevant information with regard to the
     functional abilities of the child should be utilized in
     the placement determination. . . .

     Senate Report No. 94-168, at p. 29, 2 U.S Code & Cong. News,
94th Cong., 1st Sess 1975 at p. 1452-53. (Emphasis supplied).
     Congress intended to assure that, if a mistake was made, it
should be made in obtaining too much, not too little, information
for placement decisions.
          The federal regulations provide:

          (b) Parent right to evaluation at public expense.
     A parent has the right to an independent educational
     evaluation at public expense if the parent disagrees
     with an evaluation obtained by the public agency.
     However, the public agency may initiate a hearing under
      300.506 of this subpart to show that its evaluation
     is appropriate. If the final decision is that the
     evaluation is appropriate, the parent still has the
     right to an independent educational evaluation, but not
     at public expense.
          (c) Parent-initiated evaluations. If the parent
     obtains an independent educational evaluation at
     private expense, the results of the evaluation:
          (1) Must be considered by the public agency in any
     decision made with respect to the provision of a free
     appropriate public education to the child, and (2) May
     be presented as evidence at a hearing under this
     subpart.

     34 C.F.R. 300.503(b) and (c).
     These regulations implement the procedural requirement of
providing for an independent educational evaluation. It is
important to note that the regulations also require that the
school take into account the results of any independent
evaluation, even if the school's evaluations were fully
appropriate. Here, however, the school did not mention or
consider the Boone evaluation during the May 17, 1993, IEP
meeting. Moreover, the school did not try to establish a goal for
Linda at this meeting because of the pending due process hearing.
     The school's action in delaying a decision on Linda's IEP
until the due process hearing was not appropriate under the
regulations. The school should have taken into account the Boone
evaluation and its conclusions and, in conjunction with all other
relevant information then available, proposed an IEP for Linda.
The determination whether the Boone evaluation should have been
at public expense had no bearing on Linda's IEP. The purpose of
the due process hearing is never to order a school to follow any
particular IEP, but is instead to determine whether the school's
IEP and procedures used to develop the IEP are consistent with
the requirements of federal and state law.
     It is premature for the parents to request that the Hearing
Officer decide whether Linda is ready to be trained in cane
travel. The school and the parents must first together make this
decision at an IEP meeting, taking into account all available
information and coming to a decision. If the parents challenge
the IEP or the procedures used to develop it, then upon hearing,
the IEP can be assessed pursuant to the requirements of the Act
as construed by Board of Education, Etc. v. Rowley, 458 U.S. 176
(1982), and other relevant cases. At this time, however, the
position of the school that: "The goal relative to independent
mobility will be developed after the due process hearing and the
IEP adjusted accordingly" makes it impossible to determine
whether its IEP will be consistent with the Act.
     The school suggests that a parent may not be reimbursed for
an independent educational evaluation if the evaluation is
obtained while the school's request for a due process hearing is
pending. This is incorrect, although the parents do take a risk
in obtaining the early evaluation. Burlington School Committee of
the Town of Burlington v. Department of Education, 471 U.S. 359
(1985). In Hudson v. Wilson, 828 F.2d 1059 (4th Cir. 1987), the
Court of Appeals addressed a similar contention. The school
argued that it should not have to provide reimbursement for an
independent educational evaluation because the parents obtained
it after the school had requested its due process hearing. The
Hudson court rejected this argument.
     In granting the Delkers' request for reimbursement, the
Hearing Officer has considered the submission by Mr. Boone of his
billing. There was no evidence submitted to indicate that this
billing was unreasonable or inappropriate. Therefore, the Delkers
are entitled to reimbursement of the full cost of the
consultation as evidenced by Parents' exhibit P-F.
     In their brief the parents have requested that the Hearing
Officer award them attorney's fees. In her letter of May 22,
1993, Ms. Dunmire also requested information about attorney's
fees. The Hearing Officer has provided both parties with a copy
of the "Handicapped Children's Protection Act of 1986." This
should explain the current law regarding the awarding of
attorney's fees.
     The Hearing Officer is without authority to make an attorney
fee award for the instant hearing. This was clarified in the
legislative history to the above enactment. According to the
committee report, "The Committee intends that 5.415 will allow
the Court, but not the Hearing Officer, to award fees in
administrative proceedings." PL 99-372, 4 U.S Code & Cong. News,
99th Cong., 2nd Sess 1986 at p. 1804. Therefore, the Hearing
Officer is without jurisdiction to rule on the parent's request
for attorney's fees.
     The Hearing Officer finds that the Douglas School District
has done an excellent job in developing Linda's educational
program. Testimony and written reports show that Linda's teachers
and Douglas personnel demonstrate a great deal of caring and
dedication to helping Linda obtain an excellent education. They
are to be commended for their efforts and their success.
Likewise, Linda's guardians have proved to be diligent and caring
parents who offer a great deal to the school. Their involvement
and participation in Linda's placement meetings and IEP
development has provided very valuable insight and information to
school officials. It is truly rewarding to see such actions by
both parties.
     These actions convince the Hearing Officer that neither the
school nor the parents are tied to some philosophy that does not
take into account Linda's particular needs. The Hearing Officer
specifically finds, and encourages both parties to recognize,
that the school and the parents have shown that they are
concerned only with Linda's individual well-being and proper
development, not with some abstract philosophical goal.
Recognition of each other's good faith and legitimate concerns
should assist the parties in developing an appropriate and
beneficial IEP for Linda that takes into account all relevant
information available.
                                 Dated this 9th day of July, 1993
                                       Mark Falk, Hearing Officer

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

[Photo: Barbara Pierce smiling, stands with her cane, holding a walkie-talkie
and her briefcase. Caption: Barbara Pierce]

                 TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON
                        by Barbara Pierce

     When I was a child, I had the reputation, largely
undeserved, of being organized. While it is absurd to imagine
that blind people always know the location of all their
belongings or at least the place they were left, it is certainly
true that one spends a lot less time hunting for things if one
notices where they have been set. The result is that many blind
people are motivated to form good habits in organizing their
possessions.
     In the same way we often find it easier consciously to make
a mental note of meetings, phone numbers, errands, short grocery
lists, and the like, than to jot them down in Braille or record a
note on tape. The calendar notations and post-it notes that
confirmed pencil-users depend upon are easier to find and glance
at than are Brailled or taped notes. The result is that we
practice using short-term memory and develop tricks to help us
remember things accurately. Since this skill is even more
efficient than calendar notations and post-it notes, we are
usually given credit again for great powers of organization.
     The capacity to plan is often another element in our
reputation for organization. Most of us do have good reason to
make careful plans in conducting our lives. I have friends who
are willing to drive to the supermarket three or four times in
the course of preparing a recipe simply because they will not
form the habit of reading through the entire list of ingredients
and checking their supplies before beginning or before making the
first trip. When getting to the store means taking a bus, calling
a cab, or asking someone else to make a special trip, one is more
likely to be certain that the list is complete. Without the
luxury of wandering around stores or glancing through magazines
to find gift ideas, one is more likely to listen carefully for
suggestions from friends and family members before heading out on
a shopping expedition.
     When I was a child, preparing for Christmas was a lengthy
and arduous process for me. I enjoyed it tremendously, but I
recognized early on that I had better get started at about the
time school began in the fall. For one thing, money was hard to
come by. I had a modest allowance but no other income--with the
possible exception of birthday money that I could sometimes
smuggle into my Christmas hoard without my mother's noticing that
I had not spent it on something for myself. She could be counted
on to help me select appropriate and inexpensive gifts for my
brother and father, but the big problem every year was what to
get her for Christmas.
     My mother was wonderful, and I would cheerfully have
mortgaged the universe to buy her the dining room furniture or
stove she wanted, but even I knew these were beyond my means. Dad
always took us two kids Christmas shopping a couple of weeks
before the big day, and he could usually be talked into an
advance on allowance up through Christmas, which added another
fifty cents to the cash available for Mother's gift.
     The year I turned eight I noticed that Mom was short of
mixing bowls. I was forever being given the job of washing out a
bowl in the middle of a baking project so that we could reuse it
for something else. I decided that a set of mixing bowls just
might be within my limited budget and would certainly be
something my mother would truly appreciate.
     The great day of the annual shopping expedition finally
came, and, clutching two dollars in quarters and my dollar of
birthday money from Aunt Julie, I set out to find the best mixing
bowls in Pittsburgh. And against all odds I succeeded--a nest of
four Pyrex bowls in yellow, blue, red, and green was sitting on
the shelf waiting for me to find it. It is barely possible that,
unbeknownst to me, my father subsidized the purchase, telling me
that the cost was $3, but I think my brother would have pointed
out the actual price if Dad had tried to deceive me. In any case,
I believed that I had achieved the near impossible and succeeded
in obtaining the perfect Christmas gift for my mother. And on
Christmas morning she behaved as though that was exactly what I
had done. The thrill of that victory of planning and discipline
taught me my first real lesson in the gratification of
organization.
     Winter is the season of planning. Certainly the logistics of
the holiday season tax our abilities sorely. But the new year is
also a time of taking stock and making changes. Strict diets in
preparation for spring fashions, New Year's resolutions in the
hope of reforming one's character, even poring over seed
catalogues in affirmation that spring will come: all these
bespeak the human impulse toward planning and reformation.
     In the National Federation of the Blind winter is also the
season of planning. Our Washington Seminar is our first step of
the year in contacting the Congress about our legislative
concerns. In local chapters and state affiliates this is the time
for setting goals and planning activities. It can also be a time
for each of us individually to determine what we intend to do
during the coming year to improve our own lives and those of
other blind people. Whether it's selling Associates, advocating
for parents and their blind children, or talking with public
officials about the problems facing blind citizens, we can all do
more in 1995 than we have done this year. It is time to make our
plans.

[Photo: Dr. Jernigan enjoys a laugh with three students from the Louisiana
Center Caption: Dr. Jernigan is pictured with three students at the Louisiana
Center for the Blind; Emily Fuselier (left), Angela Howard (center), and Chris
Sebastian (right)]
                      THE VALUE OF PLANNING
                       by Kenneth Jernigan

     From the Editor: The following article first appeared in The
Journey, one of the recent books in the Federation's Kernel
Series of paperback books. It says much about the character of
the author and the nature of the organization he has spent his
life shaping and strengthening. Here it is:

     Blind children are as different from each other as sighted
children, but this may not hold for every characteristic. If, for
instance, blind children want to get along and do well, they have
to learn to plan. At least I did.
     As I have often said, living on a farm in rural Tennessee in
the late twenties and early thirties was altogether different
from what we know today. Not only did we not have a radio, a
telephone, electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, or a
newspaper. We didn't have automobiles either. It wasn't that we
didn't know what a car was. It was just that one didn't pass our
house on an average of more than once a week. When we wanted to
go somewhere, we walked, rode a horse, or traveled in a wagon
drawn by two mules.
     Besides me, there were three others in that four-room house,
my father and mother and a brother, who was four years older than
I. Visitors were rare, and the other members of the family were
usually busy. As to entertainment, it was scarce--and even
reading wasn't available until after I went away to school in
Nashville when I was six.
     In the circumstances I had to make my shots count, both for
the short run and the long run. Early on, I knew that an
education was essential if I didn't want to spend the rest of my
life in isolation on the farm, which I didn't. I also knew that
there would be a fairly brief window of time to set things in
motion.
     After I started school, I spent nine months of every year in
Nashville and three months at home on the farm. That meant that I
pretty much lost contact with any local children who might have
grown up as friends, and it also meant that I would have three
months of isolation and boredom if I didn't find something
productive to do. And I didn't just want entertainment. Well,
that too--but something more, something that would help me get an
education, something that would help me get off the farm.
     By the time I was in the sixth grade, I had started getting
Braille and recorded books from the Library of Congress. I
ordered from the main library in Washington, from a library in
Cincinnati, and from another in Illinois. I don't know whether I
was supposed to use only one, but I didn't think it was safe to
ask, believing I had better let well enough alone. I spent my
summers reading, sometimes (not always but sometimes) twenty
hours a day--and I took notes on every book I read, planning to
be able to make top grades when I got to college, with time left
over for participation in extracurricular activities. I thought
this would help me build a record of not just being a bookworm.
By the time I finished high school, I had read hundreds of books
and had stacks of bulging folders of Braille notes.
     In my senior year of high school (that would have been 1945)
I had my first contact with the federal-state rehabilitation
program. A counselor came to the School for the Blind, and he and
I sat down for a chat in what was called "the parlor." (The
school was in an old southern mansion, and the amenities
lingered, high-ceilinged parlor and all.) When we got past the
niceties, the counselor asked me what I wanted to major in when I
went to college. I told him I wanted to be a lawyer. He left the
subject, talked for a while about the crops and the weather, and
then circled back to it. He asked me to tell him three or four
things I might like to do.
     I was a late teenager (maybe a brash one), so I told him I
didn't need to give him three or four. I wanted to be a lawyer.
He was not an unkind man, but when you cut through the verbiage,
what he said was clear. I could either be a lawyer and pay for it
myself, or I could be something else and the rehabilitation
agency would help. Academically I was prepared for college, and I
had done what I could as a blind boy growing up on a farm to save
money. Also my dad and mother were willing to do what they could
to help. But all of it together wasn't enough, in addition to
which I didn't feel right about putting strains on the family
finances. In short, I went to college and was something else.
     As I have said, the rehabilitation counselor was not an
unkind man, and he undoubtedly thought he was acting in my best
interest; but I now know that he was wrong. There are, to my
personal knowledge, hundreds of successfully practicing blind
lawyers in this country today. If the National Federation of the
Blind had been stronger at the time and if I had known of its
existence, maybe things would have been different. Or maybe they
turned out all right after all.
     In any case I started college in the fall of 1945, but the
day before I was to enroll, I became seriously ill with a
ruptured appendix. So I was six weeks late.
     Tennessee Tech is located in the hills of upper middle
Tennessee, and before the Second World War it had only four or
five hundred students. Now, in the fall of 1945, it suddenly had
a student body of 2,000, most of them combat-hardened veterans. I
was the only blind student on the campus, and even though my
rigorous planning stood me in good stead, there were touchy
moments.
     When I went to my first English class, for instance, the
teacher said to me publicly: "Young man, you there on the back
row, I don't object to your being in my class, but I think it is
only fair to tell you that you will fail. A blind person can't do
college English." I said I hoped I would get a fair opportunity
to try, and he assured me that I would.
     Later, the biology teacher was blunter and more terse. I had
decided to sit on the front row this time, and the teacher was
neither gentle nor kindly disposed. He had obviously had a run-in
with the college administration because of me, and he wasn't
happy. His speech went to this effect: "You can sit in this class
if you want to, but I can tell you right now that you will fail.
I didn't want you here, but the dean made me take you."
     When I ventured to say that I hoped I would have an equal
opportunity, he replied with what I can only call menace, "Don't
worry! You will!"
     The next day in laboratory I learned what he meant. There
were four of us at each lab table, and I was handed a microscope
along with the rest. When I asked what he wanted me to do with
it, he said, "It's not my problem. You said you wanted an equal
opportunity. Here's your microscope."
     Let me not be misunderstood. Almost uniformly I was treated
with understanding and respect, and even the English and biology
teachers eventually came around. The first quarter each of them
gave me a B, but after that I got A's. As a matter of fact, the
biology teacher became as belligerently my defender as he had
been my detractor.
     As the college years went by, I made the grades I had hoped
and planned to make, but an experience in my senior year is worth
noting. I had become so accustomed to being able to make A's that
perhaps I had become careless, or maybe just a little too big for
my pants. I had all of the credits I needed to graduate, but just
for fun I enrolled in a class for advanced athletes. I was
reasonably good at standing on my hands and other gymnastics, but
I was totally outclassed. When the coach told me he was going to
have to give me a B, I was not disappointed but grateful.
Inwardly I felt that I probably deserved an F for presumption. I
had no business enrolling in the class in the first place. From
that experience I learned a valuable lesson, one that has stood
me in good stead for the rest of my life.
     I not only made the good grades for which I had prepared
during the summers of my boyhood on the farm, but I took part in
intercollegiate debating, became a member of the editorial staff
of the college newspaper, and got elected to a variety of club
and class offices. In addition, I helped pay my college expenses
by selling candy, tobacco products, and sundries.
     When I finished my degree at Tennessee Tech, I went on to
graduate school and later into teaching and other activities, but
the basis of it all (the underpinning which made it possible) was
the early preparation, the habit of planning I developed as a
child.
     Today's blind youngsters are, by and large, not discouraged
from going to college, and Braille and recorded books are more
plentiful than they have ever been. But there are still major
obstacles to the blind person seeking a career and a full life.
The National Federation of the Blind is now strong enough in
every part of the land to play a major role, and public attitudes
are better than they used to be. Even so, one thing is unchanged.
Planning is still the essential foundation of success.

[Photo: President Maurer stands reading his Braille watch. Caption: Marc
Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind]

                     WHEN THE BLIZZARD BLOWS
                         by Marc Maurer

     From the Editor: the following article first appeared in the
latest of our Kernel Books, also titled, When the Blizzard Blows.
It begins with Dr. Jernigan's introductory note. Here it is:

     As Kernel Book readers know, Marc Maurer is President of the
National Federation of the Blind. In this story he recounts with
painful honesty an incident which helped to shape his character--
an incident which helped prepare him to lead the National
Federation of the Blind.

     If a musician wants to become a virtuoso, it is necessary to
practice. If an athlete wants to be a star, practice, practice,
and more practice will be required. It seems to me that the
simple but important things are often overlooked. When I think
back, it seems to me that these simple things are often the most
notable. I like the winter months--especially when there is snow.
The cold is stimulating, and the bite of the wind offers a
challenge that requires preparation. One of the pleasures of the
winter is stepping from a windy thoroughfare, after a long trudge
through the snow, into a warm and steamy cafe for a cup of
coffee. The gloves and hat come off, and the hands are grateful
for the warm cup.
     In 1976 I was a student attending law school in
Indianapolis. I had begun college in 1970 and been married in
1973. Although I had been able to find some employment during the
summer months, jobs (as is often the case with blind people) were
hard to come by. My wife Patricia and I lived in a one-bedroom
basement apartment on the west side of town, four or five miles
from the law school.
     My wife, who is also blind, had been able to find employment
(after a long, long search) as a typist for Blue Cross. Her
checks paid the rent and bought some groceries, but there wasn't
a lot of money left over at the end of the month. Our outings
were infrequent and strictly rationed. Once we went to Wendy's
for burgers. I remember eating two triples. I was very full but
not the least bit sorry. Another time we went to dinner at Long
John Silver's for fish and chips.
     Each morning during the week, I would walk about a quarter
of a mile from our apartment to the bus stop. After about a
twenty-minute ride, the bus would drop me near the law school.
Classes began about 9:00 o'clock in the morning. Sometimes they
continued (with intermittent breaks) until late afternoon. But I
was often finished with my formal work shortly after lunch. Then
there would be study in the library or reading and writing back
in the apartment.
     At about two o'clock one afternoon, my classes had come to
an end. I had heard on the radio that morning that there might be
snow, and as I walked to the bus stop, I reflected that the
weatherman had been right. There was already almost half a foot
of it on the ground, and the stinging wet flakes were pouring
from the sky-a veritable blizzard. The wind whipped the snow
into my face and down my collar.
     When I reached the bus stop, I discovered to my surprise
that there were two other people waiting for the same bus. At
that particular stop I was almost always alone. Today, however, a
woman was waiting with her three-year-old grandson. Oh, but the
wind was cold. Nevertheless, we talked about what a pleasant
thing it would be to get inside, out of the storm.
     After a time the bus arrived. I climbed aboard, put my money
in the fare box, and took my seat a couple of places behind the
driver. The woman climbed aboard also with her little grandson.
She explained to the driver that she was planning to travel the
other way (east not west) but that it wasn't very far to the end
of the line, so she would ride out with us and come back.
     The driver said that this would be all right, but she would
have to pay two fares--one for going out, and the other for
coming back. The grandmother explained that she didn't have that
much money with her. So the driver told her that she must get off
the bus, walk one block over to the street on which buses
returned toward town, and wait. With great reluctance and a
little sadness, the woman and the child left the bus, and we
started away from the bus stop.
     Within a block I was wondering why I hadn't done anything to
help. I wanted the grandmother and the little boy to be warm. I
could have made my wish come true. But I sat without moving until
the opportunity had passed. I looked in my pocket to see how much
money I had with me, and I found two or three dollars. That would
have been more than enough to cover the cost. I could have paid
the fare myself, but I didn't. I let the driver put the woman and
the child off the bus into the storm.
     The recollection of that little boy and his grandmother are
with me still. For almost twenty years I have been sorry that I
did nothing to help. These two people symbolize for me the need
to be prepared and to plan ahead to seize opportunities when they
come. I could have made a difference to them that day, but I
wasn't prepared to think in those terms.
     If I want the world to be a generous place in which to live,
I must begin with generosity in my own life. If I want (as indeed
I do) strength of character, courage, gentleness, and the ability
to face adversity, I must plan ahead to find ways to instill
these characteristics both in myself and in those I meet. Part of
behaving well is the habit of thinking and acting in a certain
way. All of this comes to mind when I remember a certain blizzard
while I was waiting on a street corner for a bus.
     When I was in Indiana, it was very unusual for a blind
person to be attending law school. I was able to be there because
my friends in the National Federation of the Blind had worked and
planned in the years before I joined the organization to make it
possible.
     I needed books and a way to write that my professors could
understand. I needed to know the techniques and skills that can
be used by the blind to accomplish those things that would
ordinarily be done with sight. I needed a background in traveling
with a white cane. I needed the capacity to read and write in
Braille.
     I needed to know how to manage the ordinary activities of
getting along on a daily basis--how to rent an apartment, how to
acquire the use of a truck and a driver to move my belongings,
how to manage a checking account, how to be sure that my neckties
matched my other clothes, and how to locate people who would be
willing to serve as readers--both for incidental matters like the
mail and for those heavy law books. The National Federation of
the Blind had helped me with all of this and had also assisted in
finding the money to pay the tuition and other school fees.
     But this is only a part of what the National Federation of
the Blind provided. Far more important than all the other matters
were the encouragement and support I received from my friends and
colleagues in the Federation. What they said was, "You can do it;
don't give up; keep trying; you'll make it!"
     The law degree that is hanging on my wall would not be there
if it had not been for the National Federation of the Blind. The
planning and preparation which are responsible for that degree
continue for thousands of other blind people throughout the
nation. Do we want blind people to be independent and live
successful lives? Of course we do. What must be done to create a
climate of opportunity and to foster the kind of training which
is needed? We must plan to build our programs with these
objectives in mind. We want blind people to be a part of our
society.
     We want to help build our country so that we can be proud of
what we have in America. That is why we have the National
Federation of the Blind, and that is why I wish I had helped the
woman on the bus.
     Today I would certainly do it. Twenty years ago I didn't.
Our road to freedom is a long one with many twists.

[Photo: Chris Flory sits at a table. Caption: Chris Flory]

             NFB TECHNIQUES FOR EDUCATING EMPLOYERS
                       by Christine Flory

     From the Editor: Christine Flory is the Job Placement
Coordinator at the Colorado Center for the Blind in Denver. She
was one of the speakers at the Job Opportunities for the Blind
Seminar at the 1994 National Convention in Detroit. She is
energetic and creative, and she understands and believes in
Federation philosophy. The result is that she is helping blind
graduates of the Colorado Center for the Blind find and keep jobs
in larger and larger numbers. This is what she had to say about
her work:

     I have two roles. The first is to work at the Center with
all the students in doing job readiness training. I teach a class
every week and work individually with people. We develop
vocational objectives. We do marketing plans and all sorts of fun
stuff. At least I think it's fun--and the students don't fall
asleep in my class--so I'm assuming that so far it's been fun for
them too. We work on everything from interviewing to writing
resumes, from hygiene to the importance of confidence and
competence.
     The other part of my job is that I contract for the Colorado
vocational rehabilitation agency, which means I spend time with
rehabilitation clients who are legally blind. I run a job club
for them. I cover job readiness and provide job announcements as
well as doing direct job development.
     That's really what I want to talk about today--direct job
development--the interaction I have with employers. First, I want
to say that having confident, competent blind job seekers makes
my job easy. My NFB training in being positive has also helped me
take action and educate employers.
     Today I want to talk about three specific employers. I chose
each of them for particular reasons. The first one is the Arapaho
County Sheriff's Office. I was working with a gentleman who had
been a deputy sheriff for ten years and was hurt on the job. As a
result he was now blind. Chris had taken the time to develop his
computer, cane travel, and Braille skills. He worked very hard on
his "rehab," as he called it--"I got my rehab together." When
Chris and I met, I asked him what he wanted to do. But the only
thing he wanted was to go back to work at the sheriff's office.
Chris recognized that he wasn't going to be out on the street,
driving a car and doing what he used to do. So we sat down and
brainstormed. I said, "Chris you worked there; what do they need?
Where is their weak point? Let's come up with a plan and present
it."
     That's exactly what Chris did. He called me a couple of days
later and said, "I've got it!" People call the jail all the time
wondering whether their brother Bob was in jail, what did he get
arrested for, how long is he going to be in there, what is the
bail, when is he going to be in court, and all that kind of
question. Chris explained that the procedure has always been that
whoever grabbed the phone tried to answer the questions. It took
extra time and annoyed the staff. They needed to have one person
who could access the information, handle the calls, and give the
callers the information they were legally entitled to.
     I asked where the information was. Chris said it was in the
computer. That was all we needed. Chris called the sheriff and
the under-sheriff, which was very tough for Chris because those
guys were extremely intimidating. Chris called me and said that
we had an appointment. So we went over there.
     Just as we went in, I told Chris that the sheriff was my
neighbor and that therefore he wasn't going to intimidate me.
That seemed to help Chris a little because he realized that this
guy could be a neighbor and not just the sheriff.
     We talked to the sheriff and under-sheriff, and they
listened and said, "You're right, we do need somebody to handle
the calls." We talked about how much time Chris could save other
officers so they could be doing other things. But the bottom line
was budget. I said, "Well, when do you do the new budget?"
     They admitted that they were actually writing it right then.
I suggested that we write the position in and see if it got
through. Chris and I then did a lot of letter-writing and phone
calling, but we didn't hear anything. Chris was getting
depressed, and, to tell you the truth, so was I.
     Then a phone call came in mid-December. Under-sheriff Allan
said, "Chris can you be at work January 7? Do you think you can
get your equipment in and set up by that date? Because we got the
budget, and that is what our starting date is."
     Chris said, "Sure, no problem." Then he called me in a
panic. I told him that somehow we would meet the deadline.
     We then met with Captain Henn, who was going to be his
direct supervisor, and we went through all the details of
training. We talked about what would work. We needed a personal
computer because the office was running off a mainframe and
everybody has dumb terminals, but Chris would need a smart front-
end in order to use his screen review program. All you computer
gurus out there are saying, "Oh yeah, I know that stuff." But we
had to learn it. So we went through step by step figuring out
what we needed. The other thing we needed was a programmer to
write some macros so Chris could get around the screen quickly
and gather information.
     We decided what he was going to need and got it together. We
had a deadline to meet, so we got the equipment, and I sent the
programmer out. I called Captain Henn and told him the programmer
would be there that afternoon. Later that day I got a call from
Captain Henn, who was just delighted because, as he said, in all
the years he had been working at the jail no blind person had
ever come there. Now suddenly, in just two weeks two blind people
had come. Chris was the first, and the programmer that afternoon
had been the second. He couldn't get over how great it was that a
blind person was doing this complicated programming. I said,
"Captain, I practice what I preach. I wouldn't refuse to hire
blind people and then ask you to do it." He just laughed.
     Chris started the job. As I often do, about a week later I
dropped in to check on how things were going with him and heard
Chris answer the phone and give out information. He told the
caller that Billie Bob was going to be in jail for quite a while
and visiting hours were such and such. He gave out all the
information. When he got off the phone, I told him how well he
was doing with the computer. But it was clear that something was
wrong. I said, "Chris, you don't sound good; what's going on?"
     For a minute he didn't say anything. Then all of a sudden he
said, "No one talks to me. I don't even go down to the cafeteria
anymore. I just stay here because no one talks to me, and it's
really uncomfortable."
     We talked it over, and I told him he should talk to Captain
Henn about what was going on, and maybe we could do some staff
education. I said, "These guys are probably feeling a little
uncomfortable. They knew you prior to the accident, and now they
don't know what to say. Chris, I'm going to be honest with you.
You are their worst fear. They realize that this could happen to
them. It happened to you; it could happen to them."
     Chris admitted that he was afraid to talk to his boss for
fear it would jeopardize his job, but he asked me to do it, and
of course I agreed to.
     Over the next two months or so I spent many hours training
the deputy sheriffs. It was actually a lot of fun. The only
trouble was that they wanted me to train all three shifts, so I
was out there at midnight, in the early morning, and in the
afternoon doing the education. Some of the guys started saying,
"I didn't know he knew I was standing there." Chris kept telling
me that people would come in the door and stand there, before
walking away. I assured him that they just didn't understand. I
suggested that he say hi and start talking to them. I took a lot
of information with me--pamphlets, alphabet cards, and so on. Not
only have they started talking to Chris, but a couple of the guys
have purchased slates and styluses and are writing notes to him
in Grade I Braille. You can see that things are great with Chris.
     But it's really important to recognize that at the beginning
we forgot a critical part of this training--the co-workers. We
did the supervisor; we did the sheriff; we did everybody but the
co-workers. Chris assumed that, because those guys were his
buddies, things were going to be fine with them. This is a great
success story, but it was also a good learning experience for
both Chris and me.
     Another company I want to talk about is Citicorp Diners'
Club. I worked specifically with the Diners' Card. I don't know
if any of you have a Diners' Card, but their Authorization and
Cardholder Service is located in Denver. One of the executives
strongly urged the human resources people to explore the
possibility of hiring blind people to do customer service.
     I got a phone call from Diners' Club, which doesn't happen
very often. It was clear that they were open to the idea of
hiring blind people, or at least they had been told to be, but it
was also clear that they were hesitant. I decided very quickly
that I needed to make this a positive experience for the human
resources people as well as for the blind people we were going to
be placing there.
     I began with videotape. I had had a videotape done of some
individuals working at Pizza Hut. The videotape showed the
employee with the caller talking into one side of the headset and
the computer plugged into the other. This gave the Diners' Club
people something to look at.
     Then I suggested that we go visit a blind person on the job
and actually do some job shadowing. Bit by bit we educated these
people and broke down the barriers. The next step was setting up
the computers. That really was the longest part of the whole
process--getting their Management Information Services (MIS)
hooked up with the computer programmers that we work with and
getting all the communication problems worked out. We had to
organize personal computers, the programming, split headsets,
emulation, and so on. It all took several months.
     Then we needed to find the blind people to work there.
Citicorp was looking for someone who had customer service skills,
a good phone voice, and computer skills. They needed somebody who
already had screen-review-program and voice-output experience so
that, as soon as they walked in, they could do the job. They also
wanted somebody who could type forty-five words per minute. That
was actually a pretty easy bill to fill. The first person we
placed started in authorizations, which was a pretty simple job.
It was two screens. A merchant calls in and says, "This is the
cardholder number, this is how much, and this is my merchant
number. Can I have an authorization?" Then the employee assigns
an authorization number. I had one person at work, and Citicorp
called me and suggested that we could get another blind person
hired and use the special equipment on another shift since it was
just sitting there not being used when the employee was off. So
we got another person out to apply.
     Now there were two people working at Diners' Club, and
within a year they were applying for promotions. Diners called me
and said, "Look we have no choice but to promote them; they
deserve it. Can we get computer programmers back in here to do
programming for other jobs?" That was easy to do. At the same
time Diners' opened up more positions in customer service for
cardholders, which was the job that the two blind people had been
promoted into. So they hired a third blind person. For this job
there were sixty-four screens for which macros had to be
programmed. It took quite a while, but we got it done. As I said,
the three blind people started doing customer service for
cardholders only, but they are now doing customer service for
merchants as well. And I am proud to tell you that their call
time--the number of calls they handle--is exactly the same as
their sighted peers. Their paper work was being produced by their
PC's. At the end of the day they just printed out a form. Diners'
Club is now considering having all their customer service people
produce their reports by computer because supervisors often have
to go back to the employees to confirm information from hand-
written sheets. So maybe we have changed something at Diners' a
little.
     Another thing that happened was that other positions around
the company started opening up, and several blind people applied
for those. One gentleman is now working in collections. There are
two people working in card origination. Diners' Club did all
those hires on their own. They knew the computer programmer, and
they bypassed me. Maybe I should have felt hurt, but I didn't. I
think it's wonderful that they have begun actively hiring people
without me.
     The last place I want to talk about is Pizza Hut. I don't
know whether it's this way across the country, but in Denver we
have a central number to call for pizza. The order goes to a
customer service bank, and from there a computer sends your pizza
order out to the nearest store. They started this system in about
1991. About that time we began noticing that Pizza Hut was
constantly running ads in the paper for employees in customer
service. It was ridiculous. I called them and asked if they were
having trouble keeping employees. They said they were, and I told
them that I had the solution. I went out, and we talked about the
problem. They were willing to hire blind people, and we went
through all the computer stuff that I talked about earlier and
got a job set up. They started by hiring two people to work on
one computer to cover different shifts. At the present time Pizza
Hut has modified six computers and has hired thirteen blind
employees to work on various shifts.
     One thing that is neat about both Citicorp and Pizza Hut is
that blind people are being promoted. Of the original blind
people who started working at Pizza Hut, one is a trainer for
customer service. Another is the head of special services, which
handles the complaint desk. And another is in special services,
which handles the Spanish calls and makes sure that all new Pizza
Hut materials are put into Braille for the blind employees.
     All three of these employers saw to it that their personnel
policies and other important documents were put into Braille for
the blind workers. All of the blind employees I've talked about
today are Braille users. Chris regularly uses Braille to keep his
notes. At Citicorp everything is in Braille except the daily
memos. They have set up a process in which one of the secretaries
spends an hour a day going to each of the blind employees and
reading the memos. Any document not produced on a daily basis is
put into Braille, but it's the daily memos in which things
change--those are read to the employees.
     Pizza Hut has also done a wonderful job of making everything
accessible. By the way, Pizza Hut is in a terrible part of
Denver. The bus service is awful. But that's changing because
Pizza Hut is taking an active role in advocating with the
transportation district in Denver to get that changed. The NFB
has had a lot to do with that by assisting them to find out how
and where to complain and advocate. I really appreciate the fact
that Pizza Hut has invested time and energy in doing that.
     Before I finish, I want to touch briefly on a couple of
tools I use with the employers. I begin the process with a
generic letter. Here it is:

Dear Mr. Employer:
     Employers have told us that they often do not have time to
engage in a search for appropriate job candidates. I'd like to
take this opportunity to introduce services of our agency which
may be beneficial to your company. The consumers with whom we
work include community employers and individuals who are blind.
We work to provide employers with trained, pre-screened,
qualified applicants with skills that match your employment
needs. In addition, we can provide your company with information
and education on qualified workers, the Americans With
Disabilities Act, and the ways in which the ADA may apply to you.
These services are provided at no cost. We are a team of
professionals with expertise in placement, training, and
employment. We also provide a wide variety of other services.
     Enclosed you will find information on our program and
benefits available to you. We look forward to establishing a
working relationship with your company.
                                                       Sincerely,

     With that I send a guide to benefits which was put together
by the Colorado vocational rehabilitation agency and the Colorado
Center. This is a list of job analysis, employer education,
targeted job tax credit, on-the-job training, job coach, and
follow-up services. I also send information about the targeted-
job tax credit. I then call and make an appointment. When I
actually go to see someone, I take two things with me. One is a
folder full of information: Job Opportunities for the Blind's
"Taking the Mystery Out of the ADA"; "Insurance Coverage for
Blind Workers," prepared by JOB; the 1992 JOB Employer Bulletin,
which has wonderful information on reasonable accommodations; "Do
You Know a Blind Person"; "What Is the National Federation of the
Blind"; the Colorado Center brochure; and an NFB Braille card.
While we are talking they usually begin feeling the Braille card,
and this seems to get them in the right frame of mind for my
proposals. As I said, all these things are in an attractive
folder with a slot for my business card, and I give them this
information to look at and keep.
     I also take a presentation notebook with me. Our services
and job analyses are laid out and displayed on separate pages,
and I explain everything. It's a leave-behind. I tell them that I
will be back in a week to pick it up. It gives me a good excuse
for my next visit. Videotapes are also good. Audio tapes also
work. The idea is to leave something that has to be picked up
again. The thing that stimulates more comments than anything else
I give out is the section on interviewing a blind person in
"Taking the Mystery Out of the ADA." It makes employers think,
and they seem to appreciate it. The other thing that catches
their eye is the section on firing a blind person. I encourage
you to take that hand-out with you, because it works.
     The other thing that is really important to know is the
don'ts. I mentioned some of the do's earlier: explaining, being
competent, having good hygiene, etc. But we haven't really talked
about what not to do. Assuming that the employer knows anything
at all about blindness or the ADA is very dangerous. A lot of
employers don't know the first thing. The human resources people
may know about the ADA, but you are talking to a supervisor who
probably doesn't know anything. So don't assume a thing. Educate
as you go. Explain how you'll do the job. Remember that they
aren't allowed to ask. Recognize that, when they say, "Well, you
would have to go to three conventions a year; is that a problem?"
what they are really asking is, "Can you travel independently,
and how do you do it?" Just tell them. Take every opportunity to
explain.
     The other thing that I have seen create disasters is going
in to a job interview with a list of technology that you would
have to have in order to do the job. When you rattle off a string
of equipment names and capacities and functions, you are very
likely to overwhelm employers. All they can see is huge dollar
signs, and they will be totally confused. Explain the technology
generally but briefly without going into detail, unless you are
asked specific questions. Be prepared to go that extra step.
Don't leave them guessing about how you can get the job done.
Anticipate questions like "Will your technology affect my
mainframe? Is it going to crash?" You need to know those things.
That's where educating yourself and taking initiative will pay
off.
     My final reminder is remember that "I can't" should not be
in your vocabulary when you are looking for a job. When you go
into a job interview, you cannot use phrases like "I can't do
that, I can't see how that's going to work; I can't be expected
to meet that standard." It won't work. You must have confidence
in yourself, and you have to walk in and convince them that you
know how you are going to do the job.
     That doesn't mean that it's better to make up answers to
questions you weren't expecting. You can always say, "What an
interesting question. I never thought of it quite that way
before. Can I get back to you with the answer? I can call the Job
Opportunities for the Blind 800-phone line. JOB has a nationwide
network of working blind people organized by the National
Federation of the Blind and sponsored by the U.S. Department of
Labor. I'm sure I can talk to someone who has the answer we
need."
     Then be sure to call that 800 number, get the answer, and
call the employer back the next day. One mistake people make is
not following through. I always encourage people to tell
potential employers that they have resources. But you don't have
to wait for Miss Rovig to answer the JOB line in Baltimore and
tell you where to go for your answer. Begin now to establish your
own network of Federationists across the country to encourage you
and help answer your job-related questions.
          In closing I want to say that every day I thank the NFB
for teaching me the positive, active approach to working with
employers and also for providing the people I work with--both the
employers we have found and the blind people who are competent
and confident and ready to go out and get a job. The best thing
that happens to me any day of my job is getting a phone call and
hearing the voice at the other end say, "I got a job."

[Photo: Sharon Maneki stands speaking into a microphone. Caption: Sharon
Maneki] 

                     DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR
                OF BLIND CHILDREN AWARD FOR 1995
                        by Sharon Maneki

     From the Editor: Sharon Maneki is President of the National
Federation of the Blind of Maryland. She also chairs the
committee to select the Distinguished Educator of Blind Children
for 1995.

     The National Federation of the Blind will recognize an
outstanding teacher of blind children at our 1995 convention July
1 to 7, in Chicago, Illinois. The winner of this award will
receive an expense-paid trip to the convention, a check for $500,
an appropriate plaque, and an opportunity to make a presentation
about the education of blind children to the National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children early in the
convention.
     Anyone who is currently teaching or counseling blind
children or administering a program for blind children is
eligible to receive this award. It is not necessary to be a
member of the National Federation of the Blind to apply. However,
the winner must attend the National Convention. Teachers may be
nominated by colleagues, supervisors, or friends. The letter of
nomination should explain why the teacher is being recommended
for this award.
     The education of blind children is one of our most important
concerns. Attendance at a National Federation of the Blind
convention will enrich a teacher's experience by affording him or
her the opportunity to meet other teachers who work with blind
children, to meet parents, and to meet blind adults who have had
experiences in a variety of educational programs. Help us
recognize a distinguished teacher by distributing this form and
encouraging teachers to submit their credentials. We are pleased
to offer this award and look forward to applications from many
well-qualified educators.
                NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
         DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR OF BLIND CHILDREN AWARD
                        1995 APPLICATION

Name:                                                            

Home address:                                                    

City:                             State:         Zip:            

Day phone:                     Evening phone:                    

School:                                                          

Address:                                                         

City:                            State:          Zip:            


List your degrees, the institutions from which they were
received, and your major area or areas of study.

                                                                 

                                                                 


How long and in what programs have you taught blind children?

                                                                 


In what setting do you teach?     residential school classroom

   special education classroom    itinerant program

    other, please explain. 


How many students do you teach regularly this year?              


What subjects do you teach?                                      

                                                                 


How many of your students read and write primarily using: 

    Braille      large print     closed circuit television  

    recorded materials     small print

     Please complete this application and attach a letter of
nomination, one additional recommendation written by someone who
knows your work and philosophy of teaching, and a personal letter
discussing your beliefs and approach to teaching blind students.
You may wish to include such topics as the following:
    What are your views on the importance to your students of
     Braille, large print, and magnification devices; and what
     issues do you consider when making recommendations about
     learning media for your students?
    When do you recommend that your students begin the
     following: reading Braille, writing with a slate and stylus,
     using a Braille writer, learning to travel independently
     with a white cane?
    How should one determine which children should learn cane
     travel and which should not?
    When should typing be introduced, and when should a child be
     expected to hand in typed assignments?

     Send all material by April 15, 1995, to Sharon Maneki,
Chairwoman, Teacher Award Committee, 9736 Basket Ring Road,
Columbia, Maryland 21045; telephone: (410) 992-9608.


[Photo: Steve Benson stands with his cane. Caption: Steve Benson]

            THE 1995 BLIND EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
                      by Stephen O. Benson

     From the Editor: Steve Benson is a member of the Board of
Directors of the National Federation of the Blind and President
of the NFB of Illinois. He also chairs the committee charged with
identifying each year's Blind Educator of the Year. Here is what
he has to say:

     Several years ago the Blind Educator of the Year Award was
established by the National Association of Blind Educators (the
teachers division of the National Federation of the Blind) to pay
tribute to a blind teacher whose exceptional classroom
performance, notable community service, and uncommon commitment
to the NFB merit national recognition. Beginning with the 1991
presentation, this award became an honor bestowed by our entire
movement. This change reflects our recognition of the importance
of good teaching and the impact an outstanding blind teacher has
on students, faculty, community, and all blind Americans.
     This award is given in the spirit of the outstanding
educators who founded and have nurtured the National Federation
of the Blind and who, by example, have imparted knowledge of our
strengths to us and raised our expectations. We have learned from
Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, and President Marc
Maurer that a teacher not only provides a student with
information, but also provides guidance and advocacy. The
recipient of the Blind Educator of the Year Award must exhibit
all of these traits and must advance the cause of blind people in
the spirit and philosophy of the National Federation of the
Blind.
     The Blind Educator of the Year Award is presented at the
annual banquet of the National Federation of the Blind. Honorees
must be present at the National Convention and at the banquet to
receive an appropriately inscribed plaque and a check for $500.
     The members of the committee which will select the 1995
Blind Educator of the Year Award are Steve Benson, Chairman,
Illinois; Patricia Munson, California; Homer Page, Colorado; Judy
Sanders, Minnesota; and Adelmo Vigil, New Mexico. Nominations
should be sent to Steve Benson, 7020 North Tahoma, Chicago,
Illinois 60646. Letters of nomination must be accompanied by a
copy of the nominee's current resume and supporting documentation
of community and Federation activity. All nomination materials
must be in the hands of the committee chairman by April 30, 1995,
to be considered for this year's award.


[Photo: Dr. Page stands at podium speaking into microphone holding his cane.
Caption: Homer Page]
                   YOU'RE GOING FOR ALL OF US
                          by Homer Page

     From the Editor: The following story first appeared in
Standing on One Foot, one of the Kernel Books, our paperback
series telling the public what blindness is like and how blind
people live our lives. It begins with Dr. Jernigan's introductory
note. Here it is:

     Homer Page is totally blind. He is a university professor
and an elected official in his community. He attributes much of
his success in life to his mother, who also happens to be blind.
Here he tells his mother's story:

     D'Arline Creech was born on September 12, 1915. She came
into this world in a small farm house near Troy, Missouri. She
attended school in a one-room schoolhouse, no more than three
hundred feet from the place she was born. In many ways her life
was uneventful, but in many other ways she represents some of the
strongest dimensions of the human experience. It is her story
that I want to tell. It is a special story to me because D'Arline
Creech Page is my mother.
     Blindness is a condition that has existed in my family for
many generations. There are at least six generations of us who
have learned to live positive, productive lives as blind persons.
I am the first in this line to receive an education and make my
way in the broader world. Much of this is due to the changing
times and to the effect that the National Federation of the Blind
has had on the attitudes of our society. Yet one does not make a
successful life without being grounded in a strong personal
identity drawn from past generations.
     I am fifty years old. I have been blind from birth. I have
earned a Ph.D., and I have lettered in wrestling at a major
university. I have taught in universities, and I currently serve
as a County Commissioner in Boulder County, Colorado. My life has
been enriched by friends and family from across this nation and
the world. I now have a grandson who at this writing is six
months of age. As I look back on my life and my blindness, I
become more and more aware of the ways in which my mother taught
me to have pride and worth as a blind person.
     My mother was born on the same farm in Missouri where I was
born. She always had very low vision, but as she grew older, her
vision decreased. She dropped out of school after the tenth grade
and lived a very limited life for the next ten years. Her mother
was also blind. They lived together after her father's death on
the family farm.
     During this time my grandmother and my mother provided a
home for a number of foster children. This was during the
Depression of the 1930's, and money was very scarce. They scraped
by and managed to pay the taxes on the farm and not to lose it.
Many of their neighbors were not so successful.
     My father and mother had grown up together and attended the
same one-room country school. They were married in 1940. My
father had grown up as an orphan. He had made his way as a rodeo
cowboy and a musician. When my mother and father were married, he
moved into the family farm and took on the responsibilities of
managing it.
     My mother and father raised three children and improved
their economic position through hard work and the careful use of
the scarce resources that they had available to them. They were
married over thirty-five years before they took a vacation. My
mother canned fruits and vegetables each year. They grew their
own meat and dairy products. We were always well fed, clean, and
well loved. We never knew that we were economically deprived. We
always thought that we were just fine, and I still think we were.
     However, our family had one very difficult winter. In 1947
the crops failed. My father had just returned from the army, and
our resources were practically non-existent. My parents went to
town to find jobs. My father was hired to work on the railroad,
and my mother found employment in a local garment factory. This
was hard work for her. She had to cut and sew women's lingerie.
She had to follow a pattern. It was stressful work, and it was
hard for her to keep up with the production quotas. She got paid
by the piece. However, she worked all winter, and with the income
that they each earned, they bought cattle and seeds for the next
year's crops. It was the only time that she had to work outside
the home. She never complained and was glad to make her
contribution. However, she was also very glad to be able to quit.
     My mother was never a leader at the neighborhood church or
in the local school. She was always quiet in meetings. She was
not a leader in the family. She never tried to prove herself to
anyone. Yet I learned more about living productively from her
than anyone else. What was it, then, that this simple woman
offered to me that I found so valuable?
     My mother looked for ways to be productive around the farm.
She didn't have to look very far. She was patient. She defined
the jobs that needed to be done and that she could do. She did
those jobs well and with consistent discipline for many years.
She washed our clothes on a washboard. She cooked and cleaned and
canned. When my father got a job as the local town marshal, she
washed and ironed his uniforms with great pride. He looked very
professional in his well-pressed uniform, and she took great
pride in that.
     My mother cared for her children. She defended them as well
as disciplined them. She made sure that they went to school and
did their homework. She also made sure that they did their
chores.
     Often blind and sighted persons alike will say, "Well, what
can I do; what can I do that is worthwhile and meaningful?" All
too often we fail to recognize the obvious. There are many
valuable things which each of us can do if we choose to do them.
     Is my mother a model for this generation of blind persons
and especially for blind women? In some ways she is not. She
never had an opportunity to learn Braille or to travel
independently. She never went to school and developed an
occupation outside the home. She was not a leader, nor was she
outspoken on the issues of the time. In many ways she was
dependent on others: first on her mother and then on my father.
Yet in spite of all of these things that she was not, I believe
that there is much that is instructive about her life.
     Throughout the generations blind persons have not had the
opportunity for an education or for full participation in our
society. It was easy enough to sit down and allow others to care
for them. Many did, but many like my mother patiently waited for
the chance to serve. They found that chance in different ways.
Some were street musicians--they created the blues. Others worked
in sheltered workshops. Still others like my mother raised
families. They were proud people. They believed in themselves
because they knew that they were contributing. They had a kind of
mental toughness that allowed them to endure through all of the
self-denying experiences which were their lot in life. Even
though they were dependent and even though others may have felt
sorry for them, they patiently waited, and, when their time came
to give, they took advantage of it.
     To these innumerable blind persons who (in spite of
everything) found ways to be productive those of us who have
found our way in a broader world owe great debts of gratitude.
They never quit trying. They were patient, and they waited. When
their time came, they produced. Those of my generation and the
generations to come have doors opened for us that those before us
did not. Yet we too have our barriers to overcome--frustrations
and those stubborn, pervasive societal attitudes that would keep
us dependent. From those who have gone before us we can learn
endurance and patience. We can also learn the joy that one can
derive from giving, from being of worth to others, and from being
productive.
     My mother was a very happy person. She drew joy from her
family and from her sense of personal worth. She knew we needed
her, and that gave her great pleasure. She knew she counted. She
never became cynical or depressed because she was not something
other than herself. She knew she belonged. This joy and wholeness
are still another gift that the generations who came before us
can sometimes offer to us. They suffered. Their dreams were
diminished because of their lack of opportunity, but they
endured. My generation and those yet to come will have more
opportunity. I hope they will also have as much joy and as much
of a sense of self-worth.
     Often I am asked to discuss what it is like to be blind.
There's always a need to try to change the attitudes of sighted
and blind persons alike, so I talk about how easy it is to live
as a blind person. I talk of the rather simple adaptations that
allow me to do all of the things that my job and life demand. I
talk of all of my blind friends who are involved in exciting,
challenging careers. All of these things are true, and they will
be true even to a greater degree for the generations to come
because we truly are changing what it means to be blind. Yet I
will always remember what happened when I left home to go to
college. My mother gave me money that she had saved and said to
me, "Do well. You're going for all of us."

[Photo: Portrait. Caption: Bill Meeker]
                         THE BLIND TABLE
                         by Bill Meeker

     From the Editor: Bill Meeker is the President of the
Milwaukee Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of
Wisconsin. He is thoughtful and alert to the subtle and not so
subtle messages blind people receive every day. The following
article first appeared in the fall, 1994, edition of The
Wisconsin Chronicle, the publication of the National Federation
of the Blind of Wisconsin. Here it is:

     Cultural exploration can take many forms. We can travel to
other countries and experience them firsthand, or we might study
them through reading or listening to lectures, music, or
shortwave broadcasts. Then again, we might literally taste and
smell them. I am speaking, of course, of that most satisfying
mode of cultural experience, eating the food of other countries
at restaurants.
     I should qualify this statement by admitting that my own
gastronomic travels have been limited to ethnic restaurants
inside the United States and Canada and that in the term "ethnic"
I include American restaurants in different regions of this
country.
     In addition to its food, each eating establishment affords a
glimpse of dining customs and practices of the land or region
whose food it serves. Among the almost infinite variety of these
customs and practices is one common to nearly every restaurant,
regardless of its location or regional or cultural specialty.
     Those who pay close attention to such things are already
saying to themselves, "Ah yes, he is speaking of the blind
table."
     And those who don't notice such things are now saying,
"What's the blind table, anyway?"
     Usually, it's the first table you come to after entering a
restaurant. While it is arguably not the worst table in the
place--the table next to the bus pans, kitchen, or bathrooms
takes that honor--it is frequently the draftiest and always the
most heavily trafficked. And it is a ghetto of sorts because we
are placed here solely because we possess the characteristic of
blindness. Skeptical? Try this simple experiment. Pick a
restaurant; go alone or with a group of blind people at a quiet
time when the blind table is less likely to be occupied. The
presence of sighted people in the group will skew results. Note
where you are seated. Record the results. Repeat the experiment
enough times to obtain a meaningful sample. Test for statistical
significance. By the way, how was the food? If the food was good,
but results inconclusive, write a grant proposal for additional
funding in order to continue your research.
     You may feel that writing about topics like the blind table
is frivolous; so did my Dale Carnegie-esque apologist for the
silent majority, Uncle Gladhand Brightside. He said, "But it's
closer to the door and easier for you to get out."
     "Thou seemest overmuch concerned with my leaving. What's the
hurry? Remember, when I leave, so does my money. And besides,
it's my eyes that don't work, not my legs."
     "But somebody has to sit there."
     "Yes, but not a handful of the people most of the time.
Look, when you stop hassling me about sitting in the exit rows of
your airplanes, I'll stop hassling you about sitting in the exit
rows of your restaurants."
     "Is this such a serious problem?"
     "No, it's an annoyance." But it's also illustrative of the
mostly negative assumptions the sighted world, regardless of its
ethnicity, often makes about blind people and a reminder of how
far we have yet to go. It reminds me, too, that I must always be
watchful and assertive wherever I am. For the price of freedom
is, indeed, eternal vigilance.

[Photo: The Chicago skyline as seen from a boat on the Chicago River. Caption:
A view of the spectacular architecture of the City from the Chicago River]

                        CONVENTION 1995:
                     MAKE PLANS FOR CHICAGO
                      by Kenneth Jernigan 

     The time has come to plan for the 1995 convention of the
National Federation of the Blind. As Federationists know, our
recent National Conventions in New Orleans, Charlotte, Dallas,
and Detroit have been record-breaking in every sense of the word-
-excellent programs, good food and facilities, and wonderful
hospitality. But Chicago in '95 promises to be the best we have
ever had. All you have to do is to remember our Chicago
convention in 1988, and you will know what a wonderful experience
is in store.
     We are going to the Hilton and Towers hotel at 720 South
Michigan Avenue in Chicago. You have to be there to believe it.
Read Steve Benson's article elsewhere in this issue, and you will
know what I mean. This exquisite hotel, built in the 1920's,
originally had over 3,000 rooms. In the 1980's it was remodeled
to have only 1,543 rooms, but the elevators (all fourteen of
them) and the rest of the infrastructure for a 3,000-room hotel
were left intact. Mrs. Jernigan and I have now been to the Hilton
and Towers for several planning meetings, and each time I am more
impressed than the last.  
     As usual, our hotel rates are good. For the 1995 convention
they are: singles, $47; doubles and twins, $49; triples, $54; and
quads, $57. In addition to the room rates, there will be a tax,
which at present is almost 15 percent. There will be no charge
for children in a room with parents as long as no extra bed is
required.  
     In recent years we have sometimes taken hotel reservations
through the National Office, but for the 1995 convention you
should write directly to Hilton and Towers Hotel, 720 S. Michigan
Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60605, Attention: Reservations; or call
(312) 922-4400. Hilton has a national toll-free number, but do
not (we emphasize NOT) use it. Reservations made through this
national number will not be valid. They must be made directly
with the Hilton and Towers in Chicago.  
     Here are the convention dates and schedule; Saturday, July
1--seminars for parents of blind children, blind job seekers, and
vendors and merchants; several other workshops and meetings.
Sunday, July 2--convention registration, first meeting of the
Resolutions Committee, other committees, and some of the
divisions. Monday, July 3--meeting of the Board of Directors
(open to all), division meetings, committee meetings, continuing
registration. Tuesday, July 4--opening general session, evening
gala. Wednesday, July 5--general sessions, tours. Thursday, July
6--general sessions, banquet. Friday, July 7--general sessions,
adjournment.
     Remember that we need door prizes from state affiliates,
local chapters, and individuals. Prizes should be relatively
small in size and large in value. Cash is always popular. In any
case, we ask that no prize have a value of less than $25.
Drawings will be made steadily throughout the convention
sessions. As usual the grand prize at the banquet will be
spectacular--worthy of the occasion and the host affiliate. The
1994 grand prize in Detroit was a thousand dollars in cash. The
1995 grand prize will be at least as good. Don't miss the fun! 
You may bring door prizes with you or send them ahead of time to:
Pam and Don Gillmore, 5132 West Fletcher Street, Chicago,
Illinois 60641-5049. 
     The displays of new technology; the meetings of special
interest groups, committees, and divisions; the exciting tours;
the hospitality and renewed friendships; the solid program items;
and the exhilaration of being where the action is and where the
decisions are being made--all of these join together to call the
blind of the nation to the Hilton and Towers Hotel in Chicago in
July of 1995. Come and be part of it--and for further information
read the following article from the Illinois affiliate for color
and details. 

[Photo: A wide angle shot of the Hilton and Towers hotel. Caption: Chicago
Hilton and Towers preserves the grandeur of the past]

                       WELCOME TO CHICAGO
                      by Stephen O. Benson

     From the Editor: Steve Benson is not only a member of the
Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind but
also the President of the National Federation of the Blind of
Illinois. Moreover he is a resident of Chicago, so he knows
whereof he speaks when he talks about the host city for the 1995
convention of the National Federation of the Blind. This is what
he has to say about the Hilton and Towers and the city that
surrounds our convention hotel:

     Chicago was incorporated in 1837. In 1840 little more than
4,000 people called it home. By 1860 it had swelled to more than
112,000. The city's history, political and economic climate,
energy, spirit, and character are captured in its nicknames:
Mudtown, City on the Lake, City of Big Shoulders, Hogopolis, Hog
Butcher for the World, Railroad Hub of the Nation, Gem of the
Prairies, City of Churches, Financial Capital of the Midwest,
Windy City, and Convention Capital of the World. This latter
claim is not made frivolously, for Chicago is equipped to play
host to the world--and the people come. Chicago has 25,746 hotel
rooms. An additional 41,000 rooms may be found in the
surrounding, collar counties. The largest convention Chicago
hosts, the International Machine Tool Association, meets every
two years and attracts more than 115,000 people. By the end of
1994 more than 3.8 million people will have attended conventions
in the Windy City. The anchor for all this activity, McCormick
Place, offers 1.3 million square feet of meeting and exhibit
space.
     Chicago hosted its first convention of the National
Federation of the Blind in 1950. The first political convention
to meet here was the Republican National Convention of 1860, at
which Abraham Lincoln was selected to carry the party's banner to
the White House. Many political conventions have woven strands
into the rich and varied fabric of Chicago's history, but none
has made more impact on the lives of blind Americans than the
five NFB conventions previously held here. So our 1995 national
convention in Chicago, the sixth, makes this city our "Sweet
Home." Taking nothing at all away from the splendid conventions
of recent years, 1995 will be the biggest and best by far. It is
fitting, then, that the site of next year's convention should be
one of the most spectacular hotels in the world.
     The Chicago Hilton and Towers, 720 S. Michigan Avenue,
Chicago, Illinois 60605, (312) 922-4400, is a Chicago landmark
and the flagship property of the Hilton chain. To the east of the
hotel, across Michigan Avenue, sprawls Grant Park with its
beautiful formal gardens, its wildflower garden, Buckingham
Fountain, museum campus, the Patrillo Bandshell, Columbia and
Chicago Yacht Clubs, Burnham Harbor and athletic fields. This is
a magnificent and proper setting for a hotel that received the
1994 Mobil Travel Guide's Four Star Award.
     When built in 1927 at a cost of thirty million dollars as
the Stevens Hotel, it was the largest in the world with 3,000
guest rooms. It had a rooftop eighteen-hole golf course with real
grass; a 25,000-volume private library; an art gallery; a five-
lane bowling alley; a swimming pool; and its own hospital, police
force, fire department, and three-story industrial laundry still
in operation. To say that it was roaring-twenties opulent is an
understatement.
     In 1945 Conrad Hilton acquired the property, and in 1951 the
hotel was renamed after its owner. In 1984 the hotel was
renovated with major structural changes, including the reduction
of guest rooms to 1,543 at a cost of 185 million dollars. Other
changes included converting two private ballrooms to a 5,000-
square-foot grand luxury suite, which rents for $4,000 per night
and which, I'm sad to say, none of us will occupy. The project
not only restored the hotel to its 1927 grandeur, it surpassed it
in many ways and placed the Hilton and Towers in a more
competitive position for today's business climate.
     The Hilton and Towers is a majestic structure that occupies
a full city block north to south and more than half a city block
east to west. The hotel boasts 120,000 square feet of exhibit
space, more than fifty meeting rooms, a 510-car attached garage,
a state-of-the-art fitness center, a full-service business
center, the Stevens Art Gallery, four excellent restaurants,
three lounges, a unisex hair salon, a shopping area, and twenty-
four-hour room service--and that doesn't begin to tell the story
of this very special facility.
     As you step through the Hilton and Towers front doors on
Michigan Avenue, you enter the spectacular Great Hall with its
restored gold leaf frescoes and elegant, graceful curving
staircases leading to the Grand Ballroom and other meeting space
on the second floor. Immediately to the right is Lake Side Green,
a two-story atrium lounge that features entertainment, billiards,
and light refreshment. Immediately to the left is a corridor
leading to the shopping area and escalators to the lower level
exhibit area. Continuing through the Great Hall, you come to the
central (north to south) corridor. Across this corridor, directly
in front of you, is the elevator lobby with fourteen elevators on
the north, west, and south sides. The east side of the elevator
lobby is the open side. If you turn right (north) in the main
corridor, you will find on the right side the assistant manager's
desk, the hotel's registration desk, and the bell stand. Across
the corridor from the hotel's registration desk is the Pavilion
Restaurant. At the end of the corridor is the Concierge. If you
turn left, there are rest-rooms for men and women on the right
side. Straight ahead is the carport.
     The Pavilion is a French country cafe surrounded by a
spacious veranda dotted with colorful flowering plants.
Contemporary and impressionist art adorn the area. The menu
features sumptuous breakfasts and lunch and dinner buffets, plus
a wide selection of burgers, pasta salads, sandwiches, and many
daily specials. The 275-seat restaurant is open from 5:30 a.m. to
1:00 a.m.
     If you turn left from the Great Hall (south) you will find
on the right side of the corridor Buckingham's, the hotel's fine
dining signature restaurant. This warm, club-like space seats 165
guests. It is decorated in high-lacquered mahogany woods, gray
and white marble, beveled mirrors, and upholstered walls with
brass accents. Watercolors, line drawings, and paintings of
Chicago's Buckingham Fountain by local artists hang throughout
the room. Buckingham's features steak, chops, and seafood. It is
open from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. and requires reservations. For those
interested, Buckinghams claims the largest selection of single
malt scotch whiskeys in the city, a total of 106.
     Continuing south through the main corridor, on the left side
are Ciro's Jewelry; Parnell's Irish Shop; a flower shop; and W.H.
Smith's Store, featuring newspapers, magazines, toiletries, and
so on. On the right side are men's and women's rest-rooms. Kitty
O'Shea's Irish Pub and Restaurant is next on the left side. At
the end of the corridor, straight ahead, is Accent Chicago,
featuring souvenirs and gifts. Make a right turn, and on the
right is Chicago's own world-class Fanny Mae Candy. Here are
treats unequaled anywhere. Next on the right are escalators
leading up to the International Ballroom. Straight ahead and down
several steps is the newly renovated Continental Ballroom.
     The southeast corner of the Hilton and Towers is an
extraordinary area. If you pause there for a bit of refreshment,
you may hear echoes of William Butler Yeats, Brendan Behan, Sean
O'Casey, James Joyce; or you may detect just a hint of the little
people. You are certain to hear the cadence and lilt of English
as spoken on the Emerald Isle. The place is Kitty O'Shea's Irish
Pub and Restaurant. The 150-seat pub is an authentic Irish tavern
reminiscent of centuries-old establishments in Ireland.
     Hilton sent a design team to Dublin and gave them the dirty,
thankless job of visiting some forty pubs to study floor plans,
decor, menus, and other little touches that could carry the
ambiance of those legendary gathering spots to Chicago. The
Hilton and Towers has done the job just right.
     The oak plank flooring and ceramic floor tiles in green,
orange, black, and white; the hand-carved mahogany and marble
bar; the glass shelving; and ceramic mugs are imported from
Ireland. The antique beer taps were donated by the Guiness
Brewery in Dublin. The food is authentic, and the chef, bar men,
and wait staff are Irish natives working here on a culinary hotel
exchange program.
     Tradition and hospitality abound in this warm and merry
place. True to Irish custom, according to manager Eamon Brady,
"Loyal customers are honored by personalized mugs. You may have a
ceramic Guiness mug registered for your use and hung from the
ceiling above the bar."
     Distinguished Irishmen of Chicago have added a special touch
to Kitty O'Shea's. Past presidents and officers of the Irish
Fellowship Club have donated shillelaghs that have been carried
in the city's annual St. Patrick's Day parade. The black thorn
staffs hang in Shillelagh Corner.
     And then there's the entertainment. Nightly from 9:00 p.m.
to 2:00 a.m., you can hear Irish balladeers sing the songs of the
Old Sod. Better than that, there are sing-alongs. You can lift
your voices in the singing of "Johnny McAdoo," "Whistling Gypsy,"
"Jug of Punch," "Jolly Tinker," and many more rowdy and sweet
aires. Kitty O'Shea's is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.,
with food served until 9:00 p.m. Partake of Irish lamb stew;
shepherds pie; potato and leek soup; and, if you like, Blarney
Burgers. Don't miss Kitty O'Shea's.
     For a moment let us revisit the magnificent Continental
Ballroom, which was recently renovated at a cost of two million
dollars. From its stunning 3,700-square-foot foyer to the state-
of-the-art sound system, to the twenty-three glittering
chandeliers and thirty-six wall sconces, this 10,000-square-foot
room, decorated in green, mauve, and violet, is well coordinated
with the decor of the hotel.
     The second floor of the hotel features the Versailles-
inspired 16,600-square-foot Grand Ballroom with its twenty-two-
karat gold frescoes and crystal chandeliers and the nearly
22,000-square-foot International Ballroom. In addition, the
second floor houses the Normandy Lounge, site of the Buckinghams-
hosted Sunday brunch with a 120-foot buffet. The elegant Normandy
Lounge overlooks Grant Park and is graced by chairs from the
ocean-liner, S. S. Normandy. In addition, north of the elevator
lobby is the Boulevard Room. It is worth noting that this was
once a nightclub that featured a floor show on ice.
     The Hilton and Towers has hosted every President since
Franklin D. Roosevelt and heads of state from Japan, England,
Sweden, Denmark, Greece, and Ireland. In addition, such notables
as Charles Lindbergh; Maria Callas; Frank Sinatra; Richard
Burton; Walter Payton; Michael Jordan; Babe Ruth; Ray Charles;
and many, many more have stayed at this hotel. Next year the
Hilton and Towers will welcome us, the National Federation of the
Blind. Large and elegant as it is, the hotel definitely has the
warmth and feeling of a fine home. Much of the credit for that
goes to the outstanding, well-trained staff. The Chicago Hilton
and Towers will be our home for a week in 1995. As we add a
chapter to our history, so too we will add a chapter to the
history of this magnificent hotel and to the history of Chicago.
The Illinois affiliate looks forward to being your host and to
continuing the positive work of the National Federation of the
Blind. Welcome to Chicago!

[Photo: A wide angle shot of a portion of the Chicago skyline dominated by the
Sears Tower building. Caption: Sears Tower presides over Chicago's dramatic
skyline.

                  ** CONVENTIONS! CONVENTIONS!
                      by Stephen O. Benson
     In addition to the article about Chicago, which appears
elsewhere in this issue, Steve Benson and the members of the NFB
of Illinois have prepared the following information to whet your
appetite for the 1995 convention of the National Federation of
the Blind:
     As everyone who attends Federation conventions knows, each
one takes on its own flavor and characteristics. That was
certainly true of the 1994 convention of the National Federation
of the Blind of Illinois, September 30 through October 2. The
convention was billed as a tuneup for the 1995 national
convention, and it lived up to its billing and to all our
expectations. Nearly 160 Federationists and friends from across
Illinois and from six other states gathered at the Hyatt Regency
Hotel in Lisle, Illinois, in a celebration of progress and to
make a united commitment to our march to freedom.
     Spirits were high when convention activities opened with a
JOB seminar on Friday afternoon, September 30, and they rose from
there. Our student chapter met on Friday evening and Saturday
afternoon with exciting results. Our parents chapter meeting was
packed with information and a spirit of sharing and purpose that
bodes well for the new slate of officers.
     In addition to presentations that focused on access to the
news via dial-up services, an outstanding employment panel,
comments from the State Department of Rehabilitation Services,
and the library, Saturday afternoon's program peaked with the
showing of That the Blind May Read, our new film on Braille
literacy.
     Saturday evening's pre-banquet activities, and indeed the
banquet, will be long remembered. At approximately 5:30 p.m., as
the scholarship committee met and as Federationists made ready
for the evening's activities, the hotel was plunged into darkness
by a major power failure. Federationists, including the national
representative, Sharon Gold, found themselves wending their way
up and down as many as fourteen stories of steps. The banquet was
held in a large outdoor pavilion, heated, fortunately, against
the autumn chill. As the banquet was called to order by Master of
Ceremonies Brian Johnson, the hall was illuminated by candles and
emergency lights only, and there was no power for the public
address system. Despite the unusual circumstances, the banquet
unfolded without a hitch. Enthusiasm continued to swell with
cheers and Federation songs. Sharon Gold delivered a masterly
banquet speech punctuated by the excited calls of a flock of
geese migrating along the Great Lakes flyway.
     Enthusiasm continued to mount during the Sunday morning
business session's presidential report, treasurer's report,
resolutions, election, and discussion of next year's National
Convention. We were reminded of Dr. Jernigan's admonition to
prepare for tomorrow and today will have been taken care of. The
Illinois affiliate hopes you will be prepared for the
Federation's biggest and best convention. We know we will be. The
1994 convention of the NFB of Illinois reached crescendo with
what we regard as the frontispiece for our 1995 convention in
Chicago. It is a tape recording that goes like this:

     All roads, railroads, and airways lead to Chicago:
transportation hub of America, crossroads of the world, with one
of the globe's busiest international airports.
     In 1995 more than 3,000 Federationists and friends are
expected to pass through O'Hare Field, Midway Airport, Union
Station, and the Greyhound terminal, and along Chicago's
expressways, to attend the fifty-fifth annual convention of the
National Federation of the Blind from July 1 through July 7. Here
is some of what this great American city has to offer.
     Spreading west from thirty miles of Lake Michigan shoreline,
more than twenty of which is devoted to recreation, is Carl
Sandburg's "City of Big Shoulders." Within its boundaries or
immediately surrounding Chicago are located two of the nation's
top ten academic institutions, Northwestern University and the
University of Chicago. There are six law schools; seven medical
schools; eighteen four-year colleges and universities; a world-
renowned library; a world-class art museum and school; one of the
world's finest symphony orchestras; and five outstanding museums
devoted to American history, natural history, astronomy, science
and technology (and their application in industry), and the John
G. Shedd Aquarium with a collection of more than 8,000 fish and a
spectacular oceanarium housing whales and dolphins.
     One of Chicago's two major zoos (the Lincoln Park Zoo, open
every day of the year) is free. Chicago has two professional
baseball teams and scores of nightclubs featuring jazz; blues;
and comedy, including Second City. In addition, there are
countless fine restaurants that reflect the many cultures and
nationalities that comprise Chicago.
     Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, which hosts more
than four million visitors each year, houses an actual coal mine,
the U505, a Nazi submarine captured intact during World War II,
an extensive space technology exhibit, and the dramatic Omnimax
Theater.
     The world's first skyscraper with a steel frame was erected
in Chicago. Today three of the five tallest buildings in the
world are located within two miles of the Hilton and Towers
Hotel. The Sears Tower, 1,454 feet high, and the John Hancock
Center, 1,285 feet high, have observation decks that provide a
panoramic view of a four-state area and the southern tip of Lake
Michigan--second largest body of fresh water in North America,
350 miles long and 100 miles wide. The elevators in the Sears
Tower ascend to an observation deck 103 floors above the street
at a speed of eighteen miles an hour in seventy seconds. It is a
thrilling experience.
     Just a short distance from the hotel, one can hire a horse-
drawn carriage to tour the Gold Coast and Streeterville, two of
the most fashionable areas in the city. What a wonderful and
relaxing way to cap off an evening after dining in one of
Chicago's finest restaurants.
     NFB Convention '95: We know who we are and we know where
we're going. See you in Chicago! My kind of town.

                             RECIPES
     This month's recipes come from Nevada.

                  BROCCOLI AND TURKEY CASSEROLE
                        by Peggy Christy

     Peggy Christy is a member of the NFB of Nevada's Southern
Chapter. She also tap-dances at senior citizen centers and other
places.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups chopped cooked turkey
1-1/2 cups chopped cooked broccoli
1 can cream of cheddar soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheese
seasoned bread crumbs

     Method: Mix all ingredients together. Put in pan that has
been sprayed with Pam. Top with seasoned bread crumbs. Sprinkle
with grated cheese. Bake 30 minutes at 325 degrees.

                          INSTANT FUDGE
                        by Peggy Christy

Ingredients:
7 ounce milk chocolate bar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 stick margarine
7 ounce jar marshmallow cream

     Method: Combine all ingredients and heat in microwave. Mix
well. Add nuts and pour into greased (cooking spray is fine) 9-
by-13-inch pan.

                    SALSO CON CARNE E FUNGHI
                    (MEAT AND MUSHROOM SAUCE)
                        by Rita Abruscato

     Rita Abruscato is a member of the Board of Directors of the
NFB of Nevada and has been a member of the Southern Chapter for
many years. As her name would suggest, she is a fine Italian
cook.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef 
 1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 can tomato paste
 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper seeds
1 cup boiled sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1 large can plum tomatoes
salt to taste

     Method: Heat oil in saucepan. Add mushrooms, garlic, pepper
seeds, and beef and simmer 5 minutes. Stir frequently. Add
tomatoes and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. Stir
occasionally to prevent sticking. The longer this cooks, the
better the flavor. Keep hot over very low heat until ready to
use. This is enough sauce for 1-1/2 pounds of spaghetti or any
type of pasta. Serves 6 to 8.

                   GRANDMA FISHER'S ICE CREAM
                        by David Buchanon

     David Buchanon is Secretary of the NFB of Nevada and a
member of the Southern Chapter. He has been an active member for
a number of years. David is a veteran of Vietnam and does a lot
of volunteer work at the Veterans' Clinic in Las Vegas.

Ingredients:
4 to 6 eggs
2-1/2 cups sugar
16 ounces whipping cream
16 ounces half and half
 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vanilla

     Method: Mix all ingredients until blended. Put mixture into
ice cream maker. Add enough milk to reach the line marked on the
ice cream maker's can and freeze according to manufacturer's
instructions. Enjoy.

                          SHRIMP CREOLE
                        by Margie Baldwin

     Margie Baldwin has been a member of the NFB of Nevada for
about ten years. In that time she has served as President of the
Southern Chapter and Secretary, First Vice President, and now
President of the Nevada affiliate.

Ingredients:
 1/4 tablespoon garlic powder (or 1 clove of garlic)
1 cup chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons margarine
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
2 small bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
 1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon
dash cayenne pepper
12 ounces canned shrimp 

     Method: Combine garlic, onion, green pepper, celery, and
margarine. Saut in microwave. Stir in tomato sauce, wine, bay
leaves, parsley, thyme, bouillon and pepper. Cook until done,
about 5 minutes on high; then cook 15 minutes on medium low heat.
Add shrimp and microwave for 10 minutes more on medium low. Serve
over rice. If you wish, you can prepare this dish on the stove
instead.

                         DATE NUT BREAD
                         by Helen Thome

     Helen Thome has been a member of the Southern Chapter of the
NFB of Nevada for a number of years.

Ingredients:
1 cup dates, cut fine
1/2 cup sugar
 1/4 cup butter
 3/4 cup boiling water
1 egg, well beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts

     Method: Mix dates, sugar, butter, and water in bowl. Stir
until the butter melts. Cool. Stir in egg, soda, flour, salt, and
nuts. Place in a buttered 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Bake about 50
minutes at 350 degrees.


                 ** ** MONITOR MINIATURES ** **

** New NFB-Produced Video on Braille Available:
     For a long time advocates of good Braille instruction have
needed an effective, brief way to tell legislators, educators,
and members of the general public why it is so important for
children who cannot use print as efficiently as their peers to
learn Braille early. That the Blind May Read is now here, and it
fills the bill exactly! At last summer's convention a number of
Federationists gathered together to talk about the impact that
being denied Braille has had on their lives. The result is a
powerful videotape narrated by Dr. Jernigan and told in the words
and voices of the people who know firsthand what a difference
Braille literacy can make. The tape is available in two versions:
one seventeen minutes long and costing $20 and the other twenty-
seven minutes long and costing $35. Tapes can be ordered after
12:30 p.m. EST from the Materials Center, National Center for the
Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230; phone,
(410) 659-9314. Orders must be accompanied by a check, money
order, or credit card number.

** Braille Regulations Adopted in Alabama:
     We recently received good news from Mike Jones, one of the
leaders of the National Federation of the Blind of Alabama. Here
is the letter he wrote:

                                              Birmingham, Alabama
                                                 November 1, 1994

Dear Mrs. Pierce:
     Please find enclosed information related to the Braille
literacy success in Alabama.
     The Braille literacy movement was a model of cooperation.
Led and initiated by the National Federation of the Blind of
Alabama, the Braille literacy process began on June 11, 1993, and
culminated on September 8, 1994, with the State Board of
Education's unanimous adoption of Braille literacy regulations
for the state.
     Officials from all the blind consumer groups and agencies
serving the blind, as well as educators and parents of blind
children, all worked together in a spirit of cooperation to form
the Braille Literacy Task Force. The single task of improving the
education of blind children in Alabama was foremost on everyone's
agenda.
     The State Department of Education worked as hard as any
group on the committee to insure that both our language and plan
for implementation would be approved by the Board.
     The Alabama Braille regulations were scripted from many NFB
Braille bills. Our regulations contained textbook provisions;
mandatory reading media assessments; and mandatory performance
evaluation based on student age, ability, and grade level. They
also strengthen the IEP process to include time lines and
specified Braille instructional periods. Alabama already had
certification requirements that specified that a teacher must
complete a core-curriculum teacher-training program for the
visually impaired. This last appears to be the only weak link in
the new process.
     The teacher-training program in Alabama is located at the
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), which is a poor
training ground for future teachers of our blind children. The
Braille Literacy Task Force made several recommendations that
would help strengthen the training program. To this point UAB
officials have ignored the views of the blind, the professionals,
and even their own alumni. The program continues to operate in
mediocrity and ignore the needs of the teachers in the field and,
most important, the needs of blind children.
     The UAB Vision Program notwithstanding, the Braille literacy
movement, which was spearheaded by the NFB, is becoming a fertile
training ground of its own. Already, because of the movement, we
have seen a statewide training program in reading media
assessments, more money allocated for Braille textbook
production, new job openings for vision teachers, and future
plans for more teacher training. This has been a powerful example
of what the organized blind can accomplish by taking the lead and
working in partnership with others who have the same concerns.

                                                       Sincerely,
                                                 J. Michael Jones
                                    President, Magic City Chapter
                                                   NFB of Alabama

** Braille Materials Available:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     The Louis Braille Center offers a small selection of quality
books at low prices. Books available include: Random Acts of
Kindness, by the editors of Conari Press, in Braille, $12; The
Reading Fingers, Life of Louis Braille, by Jean Roblin,
translated from the French by R. Mandalian, in Braille or print,
$10; and Quick Reference List of Braille Signs, compiled by the
Louis Braille Center, in Braille, $3, print and Braille, $4. A
free catalog is available in Braille or print. Contact Louis
Braille Center, 11050 5th Avenue, N.E., Suite 204, Seattle,
Washington 98125; or Phone/fax (206) 368-8288.

[Photo: Members of the Dover Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind
of New Hampshire pose for a group photo. Caption: Pictured during the
installation of officers ceremony of the Dover Chapter National Federation of
the Blind of New Hampshire, are (from left) Paul Richards, treasurer; Alain
Poulin, president; Dawn Hodge, vice president; Terry Dufault, outgoing
president; Roger Prince, new member; and Bruce Gillis, Secretary] 

** Elected:
     The Dover Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of
New Hampshire installed new officers at its September, 1994,
meeting. They are Alain Poulin, President; Dawn Hodge, Vice
President; Paul Richards, Treasurer; and Bruce Gillis, Secretary.
The chapter will celebrate its eighth anniversary in November. 

** More Growth in the NFB Family:
     On June 23, 1994, the Abbeville County Chapter became the
forty-third local chapter of the National Federation of the Blind
of South Carolina. The chapter officers are Carolyn Cummings,
President; Pearl Murphy, Vice President; Gail Cummings,
Secretary; and Lorraine Coy, Treasurer.
     Then, on Tuesday, November 1, the Lee County Chapter of the
NFB of South Carolina became the forty-fourth. The following
officers were elected: Eleanor Farmer, President; Gloria
Atkinson, Vice President; Linda Rose, Secretary; Mrs. Harris
Cannon, Treasurer; and Carrie Thomas, Social Director. Counting
the three statewide chapters in the affiliate, there are now
forty-seven chapters in the NFB of South Carolina.
Congratulations to the officers and members of these new chapters
and to the entire South Carolina affiliate.
     On October 22, 1994, the National Federation of the Blind of
Cuyahoga County became the newest NFB of Ohio chapter. The
officers are Cheryl Fisher, President; Annette Anderson, Vice
President/Secretary; and Claudia Hunter, Treasurer. The entire
chapter attended the state convention, which took place three
weeks after the organizing meeting. Congratulations to these
Federationists as well.

[Photo: Myra Lesser is sitting and holding her son Alex. Caption: Myra Lesser
and her son Alex]

** Here I Come, Ready or Not:
     Myra Lesser, member of the Board of Directors of the
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, a division of
the National Federation of the Blind, recently made an excellent
thirty-minute video in which school personnel and parents talk
about their experiences having Myra's son Alex as a first-grade
student in his elementary school. The camera follows Alex walking
around the school, using the cafeteria, working with other
children and teachers, and generally participating fully in
school activities. The purpose of the tape is to reassure
teachers and other professionals about the experience of
welcoming a blind child into the regular classroom when there is
appropriate instructional support. 
     Those interested in ordering the video Here I Come, Ready or
Not should contact Myra Lesser directly. The video sells for $10
to Pennsylvania residents and $25 to out-of-state residents.
(Price includes shipping and handling.) Checks should be made
payable to Lancaster/Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 and sent to
Myra Adler Lesser, 137 Lesser Lane, Chicora, Pennsylvania 16025.

** Elected:
     Rita Szantay, Secretary of the National Federation of the
Blind of Washington, reports the affiliate's recent election
results. The new officers are Gary Mackenstadt, President; Mike
Freeman, First Vice President; Kay Kipp, Second Vice President;
Rita Szantay, Secretary; and Ben Prows, Treasurer. Elected to
serve as board members were Dan Fry, Mark Noble, Albert Sanchez,
and Noel Nightingale.


[Photo: Megan Winfield and her principal are standing in his office. Caption:
Megan Winfield and the principal of her school] 

** Reading for Louis Braille:
     From the Editor Emeritus: I recently received a letter from
Cydna Oman, Vision Specialist for Calaveras County, California,
concerning a project by Megan Winfield of Angels Camp,
California. The letter said in part:

          My Braille reading student, Megan Winfield, has
     been raising money to contribute to the NFB efforts to
     help restore the Louis Braille family home and museum
     in France. I read of this project in one of your
     magazines.
          We enlisted interested sponsors who agreed to
     donate 2 cents to the NFB pledge for every page of
     Braille Megan read from the start of school until the
     end of September.
          Megan read 200 pages during the allotted time. She
     earned a $4.00 contribution from each sponsor for this
     activity. The total contribution is $36.00.

     In a letter to Megan I said:

          Megan, it is clear that you are a girl with
     determination and the right kind of spirit. You know
     how to get things done. This is what it takes to make
     the world a better place for all of us. I hope I will
     have the chance to meet you someday. Meanwhile I want
     to thank you for what you have done to help restore the
     place where Louis Braille was born.

** Volunteers Wanted for Research Project:
     We have been requested to carry the following announcement:
     Dr. Kenneth Ring, professor of psychology at the University
of Connecticut and author of Life at Death and Heading Toward
Omega, is directing a research project focusing on blind people
who have had either a near-death experience or an out-of-body
experience. If you have had one of these experiences and would be
willing to be interviewed by telephone, please call Dr. Ring's
research assistant, Sharon Cooper, at (203) 487-4170 or write to
her at 145 Courtyard Lane, Storrs, Connecticut 06268.

** For Sale:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     I have a Braille 'n Speak 640, 1992 revision, in excellent
condition, includes spell checker. Package includes serial cable,
computer accessories kit, and battery charger. Asking $1,000 or
best offer. If interested, call Shawn Cox at (804) 487-6692; or
contact by Braille or cassette at 50 Burtis Street, Portsmouth,
Virginia 23702.


[Photo: Board Members of the NFB of Wyoming pose for a group photo. Caption:
Newly elected National Federation of the Blind of Wyoming Board Members; from
the left (front row) officers--Allen Nichols, Claire Jepson, Ernest Hagen,
Tammy Kearney, (second row) members--Evelyn Tobin, Wes Weakland, Chuck Hale,
Jeanne Dierks]

** Elected:
     Donald C. Capps, President of the National Federation of the
Blind of South Carolina, writes to say that he was the national
representative to the NFB of Wyoming convention from September 30
to October 1, 1994. During the convention plans were undertaken
for a vigorous campaign to adopt a Braille literacy law as well
as to re-establish the state's vending facility program. The
following new officers were elected: Claire Jepson, President;
Allan Nichols, Vice President; Ernest Hagen, Treasurer; and Tammy
Kearney, Secretary. New Board members are Evelyn Tobin, Wes
Weakland, Chuck [Cici] Hale, and Jeanne Dierks.

** 1995 Writers Division Contests:
     The National Federation of the Blind Writers Division will
sponsor poetry and fiction contests again in 1995. Deadline for
submissions in both is May 1, 1995. A $5 entry fee is required
for each submission. Cash prizes will be awarded. For complete
rules contact Loraine Stayer for poetry at 2704 Beach Drive,
Merrick, New York 11566; or Tom Stevens for fiction at 1203
Fairview Road, Columbia, Missouri 65203.

** Wedding Bells:
     Michael Smith and Mary Hartle, both members of the Bix
Beiderbecke Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of
Iowa, were married on August 20 in Davenport, Iowa, and attended
their first state convention as a married couple the first
weekend in October. Congratulations to the Smiths.

[Photo: Tony Burda is standing and speaking into microphone. Caption: Tony
Burda]

** Honored:
     Tony Burda, Second Vice President of the National Federation
of the Blind of Illinois, was recently honored by the Mayor of
Chicago's Office for People with Disabilities. He received one of
the five 1994 August W. Christmann Awards. The awards recognize
individuals and organizations whose service and contributions
have improved the lives of people with disabilities. The text of
this prestigious award reads as follows:
                         City of Chicago
           Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
                             and the
                      MOPD Advisory Council
                           present the
                          Ninth Annual
                      August W. Christmann
                             Awards
                    Monday, October 17, 1994
                        Auditorium of the
                        MOPD Field Office
                          Sponsored by
                      BlueCross BlueShield
                           of Illinois

     The caption of the picture that appeared in the Chicago Sun
Times reads:
     Shortly after Anthony Burda graduated near the top of his
class at the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy in 1978,
he was barred by the State of Illinois from taking the
pharmacist's licensing exam because he was blind. Mr. Burda won
the right to take the exam following a two-year court battle, the
first of several he would wage for himself and other persons who
are blind or visually impaired.
     Since 1981 Mr. Burda has been a certified specialist at
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Poison Control Center, where he
handles thousands of calls every year, providing a wide range of
emergency assistance. An active member of the Chicago Chapter of
the National Federation of the Blind since 1977, Mr. Burda has
increased public awareness by championing many disability-related
causes, including the passage in 1983 of legislation allowing
people who are blind to serve on juries.
     An accomplished athlete, Mr. Burda has also participated in
numerous events, including the 1990 Chicago Sun-Times triathlon.

** For Sale:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     I have for sale a BrailleMate notetaker that is one year old
and in excellent condition. It includes a new Braille cell; voice
synthesizer; 1 128K ram card; y-connection cable to connect
BrailleMate to a Braille or print printer and a computer, and a
copy of the manual in print, Braille, 3-inch computer disk, and
cassette. Asking price is $1,000 or best offer.
     I also have a 400-channel, programmable scanner which I
would like to sell. It includes a rubber duck antenna, print and
tape manuals, and AC adapter. Asking price $200 or best offer.
The scanner covers a range from 25 Mhz to 1300 Mhz.
     If interested in either item, please contact Michael Todd in
Braille or tape or by phone at P.O. Box 144, Littlestown,
Pennsylvania 17340; (717) 359-8254.

** Job Vacancy:
     Those who read the November, 1994, issue of the Braille
Monitor will be interested to read the following announcement,
which we have been asked to carry:
     Superintendent. State School for the Blind needs individual
with administrative degree, eligible for certification through
Arkansas Department of Education. Prefer minimum of four years
experience. Vision certification must be obtained within three
years of hiring. Salary negotiable (maximum: $57,000), must live
on campus, housing compensated by state. Send application and
resume to Search Committee, c/o Sandra Hubbard, Personnel
Officer, AR School for the Blind, P.O. Box 668, Little Rock,
Arkansas 72203. Deadline for applications is January 15, 1995.

** Elected:
     Nancy Coffman, Secretary of the NFB of Nebraska, reports
that on October 16, 1994, the following new officers were
elected: Della Johnston, President; Nancy Oltman, First Vice
President; Dorothy Westin, Second Vice President; Nancy Coffman,
Secretary; Cheryl Livingston, Treasurer; and Nye Bond and Joe
Larson, Board members.

** Two New Books Available from National Braille Press:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement; and,
though the Editor knows too little about the second book to make
an intelligent comment about it, the first is an excellent book
in its own right and a delight to have available in well-
formatted Braille. Here is the NBP announcement:
     National Braille Press has Brailled 100 cookie recipes for
you--just in time for your holiday baking. For the very first
time Debbi Fields, the creative force behind those famous Mrs.
Fields Cookies, shares 100 of her favorite recipes in Mrs. Fields
Cookie Book. 
     Create classic cookies like Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip and
Oatmeal Raisin Chews or fancy cookies like Russian Tea Cakes and
Chocolate Cream Filled Hearts--just like Debbi and her family
bake at home.
     Originally produced for the Library of Congress, this two-
volume bakers' delight costs you only $10.95--less than the print
book price.
     Also available from NBP is DOS 6.2 Quick Reference guide,
which gives you immediate answers to your most-asked MS-DOS
questions.
     This handy guide, from Que, clearly explains the most often
used commands, options, and features of MS-DOS. You'll find all
the information you need to get more out of MS-DOS. This
versatile reference guide provides instant access to both the
syntax and use of most MS-DOS commands. DOS 6.2 Quick Reference
features:
      Alphabetical task-oriented command listings;
      Extensive, easy-to-use index;
      Tips and shortcuts for increased productivity.
     Three volumes in Braille for just $9.95--the same price as
the print edition. Order both books from National Braille Press,
88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; or call (800)
548-7323 and charge it on your MasterCard or Visa.

** Speedy Braille Transcription Available:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Do you need something put into Braille for your group,
business, agency, professional organization, or personal use?
Contact NFB of Minnesota member Maureen Pranghofer for quick,
high-quality transcription at 4910 Dawnview Terrace, Golden
Valley, Minnesota 55422; or call (612) 522-2501.

** Elected:
     The Mt. Diablo Chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind of California held its annual elections October 15, 1994.
Elected were Corinne Vieville, President; Nick Medina, First Vice
President; Margaret Conry, Second Vice President; Jim Powers,
Treasurer; and Paul Watson, Secretary. New Board members are
Betty Waltrip and Karen (Giggles) Williams.

[Photo: Portrait. Caption: Michael Cramer, June 18, 1951 to November 3, 1994]
** In Memoriam:
     Steve Benson, President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Illinois, reports the following sad news:
     On Thursday, November 3, 1994, Mike Cramer, a long-time
member of the NFB of Illinois, suffered a fatal heart attack at
age forty-three. Mike became an active member of the Federation
in the early 70's. He served several terms on the NFB-I Board of
Directors and for five years as Chicago Chapter President.
Equally important, Mike regarded holding office as unnecessary
for active involvement in the movement. He was a frequent
participant in Washington Seminars and in NAC demonstrations.
Mike's people skills and his interest in transportation suited
him perfectly for all kinds of organizational activities,
especially managing shuttle bus service at national conventions.
There is absolutely no doubt that Mike Cramer loved the National
Federation of the Blind; he showed it in his generosity and in
his willingness to give unselfishly of his time and energy, even
in recent years when his health didn't always allow him to do all
that he wanted to do. We extend our condolences to his mother and
sister. Mike Cramer will be greatly missed by all of us.
     His family asked that contributions be made to the National
Federation of the Blind in memory of Mike.

** Canes for Kids in Alabama:
     The following article appeared in the Birmingham Post-Herald
on October 14, 1994. It is a good example of the positive
publicity and constructive public education that grow out of NFB
cane banks. Here it is:

       New Service Lets Growing Blind Children Swap Canes
                      by Michaelle Chapman

     Cindy Bennett is only four, but she has been using a white
cane to help her get around since she was two.
     Blind since birth, she will outgrow numerous canes by the
time she reaches her full adult height.
     That could be expensive for her parents--canes for children
run about $30--but it won't be now.
     Her mother, Sue Bennett of Hoover, is one of the organizers
of the Alabama White Cane Loaner Bank.
     The new service will allow blind children to exchange their
outgrown canes for larger ones free of charge.
     Affiliated with the National Federation of the Blind, the
loaner bank will also sell canes to adults, Mrs. Bennett said.
     That is being done to allow them to get replacements for
broken canes immediately. Ordering them can take weeks.
     Mrs. Bennett said users of the bank's services do not have
to be members of the National Federation of the Blind.
     The loaner bank is housed at the Alabama Institute for Deaf
and Blind Birmingham Regional Center, 220 34th St. South. Mrs.
Bennett said the bank has about fifty canes, but plans call for
it to have many more than that. Statistics show that about 700
Alabama children are blind, she said, but many of them have
multiple handicaps that would prevent them from using canes.
     The loaner bank is also intended to encourage parents to
allow their blind children to use canes. Mrs. Bennett said many
youngsters do not get canes until they are twelve or older,
although they can learn as toddlers. She has been told Cindy is
one of the youngest Alabamians finding their own way with a cane.
     "It's her tool of independence," she said.
     Cindy sees light and colors, but she cannot make out even
huge letters. Mrs. Bennett said Cindy has tiny eyes and bilateral
cataracts.
     She said Cindy's cane has made life much easier for the
preschooler. "I don't have to run interference for her anymore,"
she said.
     Mrs. Bennett said every blind child should have a cane.
"Every child needs to run around," she said. Without canes they
have to walk along with someone.
     She said parents who balk at the idea of canes need to be
educated about their value. That is one of the reasons for next
week's celebration of White Cane Safety Day.