                       THE BRAILLE MONITOR

Vol. 41, No. 2                                     February, 1998


                     Barbara Pierce, Editor


      Published in inkprint, in Braille, and on cassette by

              THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

                     MARC MAURER, PRESIDENT


                         National Office
                       1800 Johnson Street
                   Baltimore, Maryland  21230
                   NFB Net BBS: (612) 696-1975
              Web Page address: http://www.nfb.org


           Letters to the President, address changes,
        subscription requests, orders for NFB literature,
       articles for the Monitor, and letters to the Editor
             should be sent to the National Office.




Monitor subscriptions cost the Federation about twenty-five
dollars per year. Members are invited, and non-members are
requested, to cover the subscription cost. Donations should be
made payable to National Federation of the Blind and sent to:


                National Federation of the Blind
                       1800 Johnson Street
                    Baltimore, Maryland 21230


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

ISSN 0006-8829


                            Contents

Retraction Requested
     by Barbara Pierce

Of Mr. Magoo, Disney, and the National Federation of the Blind
     by Marc Maurer

Watch for Details

The Impact of Braille Reading Skills on Employment,
Income, Education, and Reading Habits
     by Ruby Ryles Ph.D.

One Family's Fight for an Appropriate Education
     by Jim Marks

Changing Perceptions About Blindness by the Hundreds
     by E. Randy Cox

Challenging Biblical Stereotypes of the Blind
     by Elizabeth J. Browne

My Undiscovered Future
     by Kevin D. Ledford

Letter to Missouri's Governor
     by Kevan C. Worley

Despite Blindness, Couple Sees Joys of Life
     by Darci Smith

Questions and NFB Answers
     by Betty Woodward

To and From the Convention Hotel
     by Norma Crosby

Science Museum's Hands-on Exhibits Let Visitors See Dinos,
Reach for the Stars
     by Kelly Melhart

Emerson Foulke Dies
     by Marc Maurer

Recipes

Monitor Miniatures

        Copyright  1998 National Federation of the Blind


[PHOTO/DESCRIPTION: President Maurer stands with the Governor of
Maryland, who is holding an NFB mug. An NFB banner is visible
behind them. CAPTION: The third annual Maryland Technology
Showcase took place December 3 to 5, 1997, in the sprawling
Baltimore Convention Center. Technology producers from across the
country and around the world staffed booths in which they
demonstrated the newest technology available to the public. The
Showcase began with a breakfast hosted by the state of Maryland
and attended by a number of dignitaries. During this event
President Maurer (right) presented Governor Parris N. Glendening
(left) with the Champion of Jobline 1997 Award in recognition of
Maryland's being the first state to offer this employment
information service to the public. Following the presentation,
Governor Glendening, trailed by a number of representatives of
the press, toured the Showcase. The National Federation of the
Blind staffed a prominent booth during the entire three-day
technology fair. Federation representatives demonstrated
America's Jobline, the telephone-accessible listing of job
openings, and discussed this exciting new technology with members
of the press and public.]


                      Retraction Requested
                        by Barbara Pierce
                                
     We recently received a request to retract a statement made
in the November, 1997, issue of the Braille Monitor. If we become
aware that an error has been made, we are, of course, eager to
correct it as soon as possible. If, on the other hand, we believe
that our information is accurate, we are equally emphatic in our
refusal to retract. In any case, the lead story in the November
issue was a report on Tom and Mary Ann Sember's lawsuit against
the Braille Monitor and its resounding failure in the
Pennsylvania courts. Early in the article the following text
appears: "Larry Israel, now President and CEO of Telesensory,
Inc., has been quoted as commenting that the Federation would
learn its lesson this time around."
     On December 15 I received the following e-mail letter from
Mr. Israel:
                                
     In the November, 1997, article regarding the Sember lawsuit,
you say that I have "been quoted as commenting that the
Federation would learn its lesson this time around."
     I have never made such a statement, publicly or privately,
nor even any statement which could reasonably be interpreted as
saying or implying that. It does not reflect any opinion I have
ever held about the Federation. The alleged quotation suggests
hostility or animosity on my part towards the NFB, which is
untrue and not an accurate representation of my opinions.
     I regret that you have seen fit to publish this
unattributed, unsubstantiated, and untrue quotation and hope that
you will publish this statement denying its truth. I also would
have been pleased to provide you with a statement of denial prior
to your publication had you called me to verify the alleged
quotation or at least to determine if I had any comment about it.
                                                Very truly yours,
                                      Larry Israel, President/CEO
                                          Telesensory Corporation
                                
     The source for the quotation, who did not wish to be
identified, has repeatedly confirmed the accuracy of the
statement he says he heard Mr. Israel make. We leave it to
Monitor readers to draw their own conclusions from the
discrepancy.
                                
                                
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Marc Maurer]
 Of Mr. Magoo, Disney, and the National Federation of the Blind
                         by Marc Maurer
                                
     At the 1997 convention of the National Federation of the
Blind, a resolution was adopted which demanded that The Walt
Disney Company refrain from producing a live-action film
featuring the character Mr. Magoo. Mr. Magoo is a bumbling,
stumbling, idiotic character who makes supposedly humorous
mistakes because of his inability to see. As soon as he dons his
glasses, he is rational and capable. Much of the time he refuses
to wear his spectacles, and his lack of vision causes him to make
foolish mistakes which (according to the writers of the movie)
are funny. The misunderstandings of blindness caused by the Magoo
character have bedeviled the lives of thousands of blind people.
     At the time of the convention I wrote to Michael Eisner,
President of The Walt Disney Company, asking him to come to the
convention to discuss the matter. Not long after the convention a
senior vice president at Disney indicated that he wanted to talk
with us about the Magoo film. In August this vice president,
accompanied by one of his associates, came to the National Center
for the Blind. Our initial conversation was tentative, but fairly
quickly we moved to substance.
     A second meeting occurred with The Walt Disney Company's
representatives in late September, and this meeting was followed
by many, many telephone conversations, which continued until
Thanksgiving.
     As our discussions with Disney were getting underway last
August, a Washington-based lobbyist and representative of the
film industry told one of our members that there would be no
changes in the Magoo film, that there would be no discussion
about the presentation of blindness with major movie-making
companies, and that there would be no result for the National
Federation of the Blind from our challenge to the Disney company
except scorn and ridicule. This movie industry representative
told us that The Walt Disney Company is one of the principal
shapers of public opinion in America. The National Federation of
the Blind hasn't got a chance. People will think what Walt Disney
wants them to think. They won't pay any attention to the blind,
he told us. He seemed to think that we should give up, that we
should offer an apology, and that we should leave the realm of
public opinion to the experts.
     When the Disney officials came to the National Center for
the Blind, we repeated the conversation and asked if they had any
comment. They responded that they had no wish to antagonize. They
had come in good faith, they said, and they intended to discuss
the substance of the matters we had raised.
     During the next few months we offered The Walt Disney
Company many suggestions, and we urged the company to portray
blind people more accurately in film. The officials of The Walt
Disney Company that visited the National Center for the Blind
have come to recognize that the National Federation of the Blind
has a base of knowledge and understanding much broader than they
had ever anticipated. They have also come to respect our capacity
and our point of view. They decided to add a message to the end
of the film--a message which makes an effort to mitigate the
damage caused by the negative portrayal of the blind that is an
unstated but inherent part of the character Mr. Magoo. The
statement says: "The preceding film is not intended as an
accurate portrayal of blindness or poor eyesight. Blindness or
poor eyesight does not imply an impairment of one's ability to be
employed in a wide range of jobs, raise a family, perform
important civic duties, or engage in a well-rounded life. All
people with disabilities deserve a fair chance to live and work
without being impeded by prejudice."
     Between the time of the adoption of our resolution in July
and the release of the Magoo film in December, much interest was
generated by the activity of the Federation challenging Disney's
production of the Magoo movie. Thousands of newspaper articles
reported the Federation's protest. Hundreds of radio stations
carried interviews, and television stations coast-to-coast
reported stories of the Federation's opposition. For weeks one of
the top stories in entertainment circles was the Federation's
objection to Magoo. I participated in a number of interviews,
including the nationally televised evening news programs, "20/20"
and "Public Eye." 
     Some of the commentary about Magoo was favorable, and some
of it was not. Sometimes we were understood, and sometimes we
were not. There were even those who attempted to make of us the
butt of their jokes. When Barbara Walters of the "20/20" program
attempted to make fun of the Federation for protesting the
misrepresentation of Magoo, Federationists in Indiana picketed
the local ABC television station. However, whether the coverage
was complimentary or critical, the story persisted--not only for
weeks, but for months. The blind wanted to be treated with
respect, and The Walt Disney Company wanted to make blindness
synonymous with inferiority and humor.
     Some people said we didn't have the wisdom to laugh at
ourselves. Others, such as Bryant Gumbel, host of CBS's
nationally-televised "Public Eye," recognized that we were not
complaining about humor but about misrepresentation dressed up to
look like humor. Here are some excerpts from the interview
broadcast on "Public Eye." Bryant Gumbel introduces the topic.
The interviewer is Bernard Goldberg. Of the seven people
interviewed, three are from the National Federation of the Blind;
one, Hank Saperstein, is the Executive Producer of the Magoo
film; one is an advocate for those with muscle disorders; one
represents the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance;
and one is an advocate for stutterers. Here are excerpts from the
interview:
                                
Bryant Gumbel: These days, no matter what the joke may be, it is
harder and harder to make it to the punch line without offending
someone. All of which has left us wondering about how thin-
skinned the society would become. Our Bernard Goldberg went
looking for some answers with an old character named Mr. Magoo.
                                
Bernie Goldberg: He's been part of Americana for about fifty
years. Nearsighted, stumbling, bumbling Mr. Magoo. And now,
coming to theaters near you, the new Mr. Magoo, and this time
it's no cartoon. That's Leslie Neilson playing Magoo. It's
supposed to be a comedy, but not everybody's laughing. 
                                
Marc Maurer: We don't think blind is necessarily beautiful, but
we don't think it's a good idea to make fun of people who are
blind.
                                
Goldberg: Marc Maurer is president of the National Federation of
the Blind. He thinks Mr. Magoo is a menace to blind people. What
would you say to the producers of Mr. Magoo?
                                
Maurer: I think that they should consider the damage that they're
causing. They should consider scrapping the film.
                                
Goldberg: Never mind that Magoo isn't blind, that he's
nearsighted. To Marc Maurer that's not the point.
                                
Maurer: Magoo is not blind. We have heard that over and over. But
when he's not able to see, he's an idiot. The message is sent. If
you can see, you're all right. If you can't, you're not. 
                                
Joanne Wilson: My parents, they didn't know anything about
blindness.
                                
Goldberg: Joanne Wilson runs a center for the blind in Louisiana.
                                
Wilson: All they knew is they saw me as a little child do some of
the Magoo things. I mean, I tripped over my brother in the
doorway; I ran my tricycle off a flight of stairs. You know, they
saw me doing some of these things, and the only image they knew
of blindness was the Mr. Magoo cartoon. And so it made me feel
really embarrassed about being blind.
                                
Barbara Pierce: Mr. Magoo goes around totally clueless about
what's happening in his world.
                                
Goldberg: Barbara Pierce is editor of the Braille Monitor
magazine. She had some sight as a child and remembers watching
Magoo on television.
                                
Pierce: Mr. Magoo gives people the wrong idea of what it's like
to be blind.
                                
Goldberg: Yeah, but Magoo isn't a documentary; it's a comedy
thing.
                                
Pierce: It shapes ideas and understandings because that's what
entertainment's all about.
                                
Goldberg: (cutting her off) and--and what? We watch Mr. Magoo,
and we say blind people are a bunch of losers because they're
always bumping into things? Is that what you're saying?
                                
Maurer: Precisely. 

                                
Goldberg: Really?
                                
Pierce: We have...
                                
Goldberg: (cutting her off again) Who says that?
                                
Maurer: Mr. Magoo is a powerful image (Bernie Goldberg groans)
and the image is one that says if you are blind you have no
capacity.
                                
Hank Saperstein: I think America better re-examine what's
happened to our sense of humor.
                                
Goldberg: Hank Saperstein is one of television's pioneers. He was
part of the team that produced classics like "The Lone Ranger"
and "Lassie." But he's best known as Mr. Magoo's dad. His company
produced the first Magoo cartoons, and now he's executive
producer of the movie.
                                
Saperstein: I think that they're oversensitive. I think that
they're making mountains out of molehills. 
                                
Goldberg: You see, that's what some blind people are upset about.
He's walking on a high wire, and he doesn't even know it. 
                                
Saperstein: But he doesn't fall off. He doesn't lose. The bad guy
loses. The bad guy will fall off. And that's a lesson. Magoo's a
winner, winner, winner, winner all the way. Two hundred films are
there to prove it.
                                
Goldberg: So what's your message to those people?
                                
Saperstein: Lighten up. Get real. Sit back and laugh. It's a
cartoon. 
                                
Goldberg: You have no sympathy with their argument.
                                
Saperstein: I resent their argument. 
                                
Goldberg: And in these sensitive times Mr. Magoo isn't the only
pop culture icon under attack. Remember the Nutty Professor?
Guess which group doesn't like him. 
                                
Nancy Marciello: It made me angry, it made me upset...
                                
Goldberg: She's Nancy Marciello, and she represents a group
called the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.
                                
Marciello: There were a lot of very negative stereotypes about
fat people, in particular the scene around the dinner table. That
in particular perpetuates the idea that people are fat because
they're gorging themselves all the time, which of course is
ridiculous.
                                
Goldberg: Your complaint is that fat is somehow funny in American
popular culture?
                                
Marciello: And it's beyond funny. It's okay in our culture to
discriminate against fat people.
                                
Goldberg: And the Nutty Professor contributed to that?
                                
Marciello: Because people have the mindset that fat people are
fat because they eat too much, and it's their own fault.
                                
Goldberg: That's not true? 
                                
Marciello: That is not true. I...
                                
Goldberg: Those people aren't fat because they eat too much. And
that's not all folks.
                                
Ira Zimmerman: Let's try and educate the public about being more
tolerant.
                                
Goldberg: Ira Zimmerman is an advocate for stutterers. Over the
years he's taken Warner Brothers to task. Yes, over Porky Pig. 
                                
Zimmerman: Kids made fun of my stuttering, and a few of them
called me Porky Pig.
                                
Goldberg: Look, if you had a magic wand, what would you do with
Porky Pig?
                                
Zimmerman: Probably roast him.
                                
Saperstein: When do we stop this nonsense? At what point do we
not let self-appointed do-gooders become the censors of free
expression and a free society?
                                
Goldberg: Self-appointed do-gooders?
                                
Saperstein: I don't want to risk any blind person, fat person,
short person, tall person, lame person, autistic person, speech-
impaired, height-impaired, or any other one telling a nation what
it can make as movies, television shows, and plays. 
                                
Goldberg: That's very politically incorrect. Very politically
incorrect.
                                
Saperstein: Hey, you're talking about the people that threw the
tea overboard in the Boston harbor. You want to talk about
political correctness, that's this country. We're politically
incorrect. That's how we got to be where we are.
                                
Goldberg: Well, there are stutterers...
                                
Saperstein: How 'bout Disney naming the movie Snow White and the
Seven Height-Impaired Pals? I mean, how far do we carry this
nonsense? 
                                
Goldberg: It's a thin line between being sensitive and being
oversensitive, and how you see it depends on which side of that
line you're standing. You don't think you're being too sensitive
about this?
                                
Pierce: No, we see the level of damage that happens because of
this. We've been through it before; we're bracing to go through
it again. We don't think we are being absurd about it.
                                
Goldberg: I'm not gonna kick a blind person after watching Magoo.
                                
Maurer: But if you're asked if you want to have a blind person
serve as mechanic on your automobile....
                                
Goldberg: Well, you know what, no offense, I don't. I don't. I
don't even like the guys who can see working on my automobile.
(Pierce groans.)
                                
Maurer: Precisely what you mean is that, if you're blind, you're
gonna be less capable than if you're sighted, and that's the
presentation of Magoo.
                                
Goldberg: And this war on Magoo is going international. The
Federations for the Blind in Great Britain and Germany have also
weighed in against Magoo, threatening to boycott the film. 
                                
Saperstein: This is kookomania here that's going on with deciding
now what should be made, what the public can be exposed to. The
public will decide, as usual. They will either buy the tickets or
they won't.
                                
Gumbel: Bernie, I can hear a lot of folks listen to Mr.
Saperstein, and applauding his point of view. He calls it
kookomania, he calls it nonsense, he tells these people to
lighten up. Would he feel the same way if the jokes were about
his ethnicity?
                                
Goldberg: Well, you're onto something, and I think it's called
human nature. If I slip on a banana peel, that's not funny.
That's a tragedy. If you slip on a banana peel, it's a riot. I
mean, we're all sensitive to one degree or another about
ourselves. But what are we supposed to do about it? No
nearsighted jokes, no fat jokes, can't have any bald jokes, no
short people jokes, no women jokes, I mean, what happens next?
Some guy comes down and says, "Why did the chicken cross the
road?" and we have the chicken lobby filing a complaint?
                                
Gumbel: But it also depends on whose ox is being gored here;
look, I don't like jokes about black folks. I can assume you
don't like jokes about Jewish people. Can you not appreciate that
for people who are blind, or heavy, or short, or stutterers, or
whatever, that for them that is the equivalent of our race, our
religion, our ethnicity? 
                                
Goldberg: Yeah. I think that all the people who were in that
story are not only nice people, but sincere people. But if we
continue down this road, you could make the case that we're gonna
have a very polite America. And I put the word polite in
quotation marks, but we're also gonna have a very bland America.
Maybe we just need to, as Saperstein says, just lighten up a
little.
                                
     Interviews such as this were seen by hundreds of thousands
of people all over the country. The work we are doing came to the
attention of many people who would not otherwise have been aware
of Federation activities. Perhaps the people who most frequently
applauded our efforts to curb the impact of Mr. Magoo were the
parents of blind children. One letter from a parent of a blind
child says:
                                
     I am a father/daddy to my beautiful daughter that is twenty-
one months old and blind.
     Tonight I was watching the TV, and the CBS program "Public
Eye" had a segment about some blind adults advocating against the
cartoon strip "Mr. Magoo." To say the least, I felt very insulted
by the man that writes the script for that cartoon for the
insensitivity he has to people who are blind. I was very
impressed and happy to hear the blind people on the program
"Public Eye" speak against such an uneducated and insensitive man
and the cartoon. The comments of the producer of the Magoo film
were very appalling. I felt like calling the TV show and letting
him know what I think!
     My family has felt the effects of such insensitive humor
about people who are blind. Society as a whole, from our
experience, is very uneducated and sometimes very insensitive to
what it is really like to be blind or, for that matter, to have
any disability. We experience it daily, whether at the grocery
store, department store, or strolling in the neighborhood.
Believe me, it still does not stop us from going out with our
precious daughter, but it is very challenging sometimes. We can't
educate everyone, but we sometimes try to explain to people
because it is in our heart to do so. Being blind is not what they
see on TV.
     I'm thankful to see you take a stand against this
insensitive cartoon, and if there is any advocating you have that
we can assist with, please feel free to let me know.
     Our twenty-one-month old daughter is our miracle girl. She
is a preemie; she started at one pound twelve ounces, but now
weighs twenty-one pounds. She is blind due to retinopathy of
prematurity. Thank you for your effort and understanding.
                                
     This letter from the father of a blind girl is one of many
that have come to the National Federation of the Blind. If there
had been nothing else positive about our effort to modify the
Magoo movie, our introduction to hundreds of parents of blind
children would have made it worthwhile. However, there are
additional benefits. We have come to know some of the senior
officials in The Walt Disney Company. They have indicated that
they will be willing to work with us on the proper presentation
of blind people in film in the future, and they have stated that
they want to help us distribute information about blindness and
the work we do.
     The work of the Federation is serious business. We must do
what we can to ensure that blindness is not misunderstood. This
undertaking is not always simple or straightforward. Subtlety is
sometimes required to achieve our goals. We must be willing to
take advantage of relationships with those who began by being at
odds with us. We must take every road and every path that give
opportunity to the blind. With respect to Magoo, I believe we
have achieved more progress than any of us would have
anticipated; and I believe that we are only at the beginning.
                                
                                
                        Watch for Details
                                
     From the Editor: Last December a federal court jury handed
down a decision that included what may well have been one of the
largest monetary penalties in history in a case in which no
personal injury was at issue. The suit was brought by Independent
Living Aids (ILA) against Maxi-Aids, two vendors in the blindness
field. Preparing a report on this important verdict will be a
massive undertaking--the transcript of the trial is over 3,400
pages. For the moment Monitor readers must be content with a
press release announcing the bare facts circulated by ILA. Here
it is:
                                
             Jury Decides in ILA's Favor in Lawsuit
       and Grants $2,400,000.06 Verdict Against Maxi-Aids
                                
     In an action brought in Federal Court by Independent Living
Aids (ILA), a jury of five women and four men decided unanimously
that for ten years Maxi-Aids and its owners and officers, Elliott
and Mitchell Zaretsky, had willfully infringed on ILA's
copyrighted catalogs and its ILA trademark and had engaged in
unfair business practices and deceptive advertising. In addition
to finding in favor of ILA on two federal counts and two New York
State counts, the jury awarded damages of $2,400,000.06, and
Federal Judge Arthur D. Spatt advised that he would also consider
requiring Maxi-Aids to repay ILA's legal expenses. The six-cent
figure was tacked on symbolically, to reflect recognition of
ILA's complaint that, within a two-year period, Maxi-Aids had won
at least five bids from government agencies for Braille and low-
vision watches by beating ILA's bids by six cents.
                                
                                
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Ruby Ryles]
       The Impact of Braille Reading Skills on Employment,
              Income, Education, and Reading Habits
                       by Ruby Ryles Ph.D.
                                
     From the Editor: As a society we have become increasingly
alarmed in recent years about the growing illiteracy rate among
our children and young adults. This increase is occurring, of
course, at the very time in our nation's economic life when the
need for true literacy is increasing. Today's jobs require much
more skill and technical expertise than ever before, and
unskilled and manual-labor jobs are on the decline. In response
to this national crisis, literacy programs are springing up
everywhere, and both governmental and private-sector programs are
being created and publicized. Just about everyone agrees that
increased literacy means increased opportunity and a better
chance for a real share in the American dream.
     For blind people improved Braille literacy has been the
focus. It has always seemed self-evident that our chance for
success and to share in the American dream increases in direct
proportion to our ability to read and write effectively.
     However, while our common sense has told us that blind
people must master Braille to succeed, supposed common sense has
also told many in the field of special education that such skills
are not important for the blind and that tapes or computers or
large print or magnification devices can be just as effective as
(or maybe even more effective than) reading and writing Braille.
     Now we have a chance to take a look at this important
question, not merely applying common sense and using anecdotal
experience, but examining empirical data derived from an
objective, professional study. The results are not only
interesting but enlightening and instructive. We can only hope
that an entirely new body of knowledge is emerging--data that
once and for all can settle the question of the critical need for
Braille for all blind people who cannot read print easily,
rapidly, and steadily.
     This study was conducted several years ago by Dr. Ruby
Ryles, now head of the Orientation and Mobility master's degree
program at Louisiana Tech University. This was her first major
study examining the effectiveness of Braille (since its
completion she has done a much more extensive study of Braille-
literacy skills). The following article was peer-reviewed and
published in the May/June, 1996, issue of the Journal of Visual
Impairment and Blindness.
     Dr. Ryles began her professional career as a first and
second grade teacher of sighted children. She specialized in
reading and taught sighted children for nine years.
     Then her son Dan was born blind. In order to help Dan more
effectively, Dr. Ryles returned to school to specialize in the
education of blind children. Armed with these new credentials and
her practical experience as the mother of a blind child, she
worked for a number of years teaching blind children in Arkansas,
Alaska, and Washington State.
     Because of her personal experience as a mother and teacher
and her increasing understanding of the problems faced by blind
adults, Dr. Ryles began to recognize the need for a new kind of
training and preparation for teachers of the blind. She
recognized the need for teacher training dealing with attitudes
about blindness and stressing the need for Braille literacy. She
began to understand that this very specific teacher training must
occur if blind children are to have the chance to develop into
confident, competent, and successful blind adults. Therefore, she
enrolled in a doctoral program in special education at the
University of Washington.
     While she was working on her doctorate, Dr. Ryles conducted
her first major study of Braille versus print for partially blind
people. She did not consider the reason or reasons for the
drastic decline in the use of Braille in America. Rather she was
interested in obtaining objective information about the
effectiveness of Braille: specifically, were economic and other
benefits a predictable and measurable outcome when people had
been taught and were using Braille?
     In order to qualify for the study, candidates had to be
congenitally legally blind, be between the ages of eighteen and
fifty-five, and have no other disabilities. Of the seventy-four
adults in the group, forty-three subjects had learned Braille as
their "original, primary medium," and thirty-one had learned to
read using print. This study begins to provide the objective
information we need on the question of Braille versus print. The
study reveals that those who were taught Braille from the
beginning had higher employment rates, were better educated and
more financially self-sufficient, and spent more time doing
pleasure and other reading than the print users.
     The pertinent parts of the study as reported in the Journal
of Visual Impairment and Blindness follow:
                                
     The decline in the number of Braille readers since 1963
(American Printing House for the Blind, 1991) has been widely
discussed by professionals and censured by consumer groups (Rex,
1989; Schroeder, 1989; Stephens, 1989). Although there is no
consensus on the causes of this decline, a number of factors have
been cited. Among them are the rise in the number of visually
impaired children with additional disabilities who are nonreaders
(Rex, 1989), disputes on the utility of the Braille code
(Thurlow, 1988), the decline in teachers' knowledge of Braille
and methods for teaching it (Schroeder, 1989; Stephens, 1989),
negative attitudes toward Braille (Holbrook & Koenig, 1992; Rex,
1989), and the greater reliance on speech output and print-
magnification technology (Paul, 1993).
     Pressure from consumers and advocacy groups has led twenty-
seven [now twenty-nine] states to pass legislation mandating that
children who are legally blind be given the opportunity to learn
Braille. These laws have created further controversy in the field
(Rex, 1992; Schroeder, 1992; Virginia State Department, 1991).
Whereas professional groups such as the Council of Executives of
American Schools for the Visually Handicapped, have called for a
renewed emphasis on teaching Braille (Mullen, 1990), others have
stressed that Braille is only one educational option (Paul,
1993).
     The majority of literature in the field regarding Braille
reading is in the form of qualitative studies and position
papers. Without the balance of quantifiable data, how can any
position on the use of Braille be rationally supported or
refuted? How can teachers determine when to teach Braille and to
whom or consider more basic questions: Should the field continue
to emphasize Braille? Do the outcomes of early Braille training
justify the educational resources required to provide it? Can
training in Braille reading be linked to measures of the economic
success of adults?
     A causal relationship between reading medium alone (either
Braille or print) and the economic success of adults is difficult
to establish. However, the possible effects of a particular
reading medium on the lives of visually impaired children and
adults warrant more objective and quantifiable research than has
been conducted so far. The aim of the study presented here, which
was part of a larger study of the reading habits and employment
of legally blind adults, was to add to the knowledge in these
areas.
     Most disciplines accept that the primary indicators of
socioeconomic status in this society are employment and
education. Therefore, if higher education, employment, and
financial self-sufficiency are considered indicators of success
in adult life, the following research questions become evident:
     1.   What impact does early Braille training have on the
          employment rates of visually impaired adults?
     2.   Does the skill of early Braille reading influence the
          reading habits of visually impaired adults?
     3.   Do visually impaired adults who learned to read Braille
          as their original reading medium have higher rates of
          economic independence?
                                
                             Method
                                
     A search of the literature revealed few longitudinal studies
that measured or defined the success of educational decision
makers in determining reading media for visually impaired
children. For obvious reasons an experimental design was
considered inappropriate for the study. Therefore, because the
author was interested in obtaining quantifiable data, she chose a
structured-interview design with a variety of open-ended,
multiple choice free-answers, and dichotomous questions. She then
conducted telephone interviews with adults who fit the criteria
for inclusion. To assess interrater reliability, random subjects
were informed that a third party would quietly listen in on the
interviews and record answers on a scoring sheet.
     Identification of subjects: The Washington State Library for
the Blind and Physically Handicapped (WSLBPH) identified adults
on this registration list who met the following criteria: they
were legally blind, aged eighteen to fifty-five, and had no
concomitant disabilities; fifty-five was chosen as the cutoff
point to avoid the confounding effect of unemployment because of
retirement or ill health in old age. Although the majority of
adults in the state who are legally blind are registered with
WSLBPH, the fact that the study was restricted to eligible adult
patrons of the library who resided in Washington is a limitation
of the study. (WSLBPH also serves some persons who live outside
the state, but they were not included in the study.)
     For the larger study WSLBPH mailed a packet to 900
identified people that included a letter explaining the study and
a return postcard. The potential subjects were asked to return
the postcard indicating their willingness to participate and to
include their telephone numbers and convenient times for them to
be interviewed. Twenty-three packets were returned unopened
because of incorrect addresses, and 303 response cards granting
permission to be interviewed for the larger study were received.
To protect the potential subjects' anonymity, the response cards
did not include identifying information, such as names and
addresses. Thus it was not possible to do follow-up mailings to
track non-respondents.
     During the actual interview process fifty-one potential
subjects who could not be contacted on the first try were called
four or five times during the eight-week project before they were
considered ineligible. Another seventy-seven were eliminated when
they were called because they did not meet the criteria for
inclusion but had not been ruled out during the initial
screening. Most of those who were eliminated had concomitant
disabilities (deaf-blindness or cerebral palsy); in addition,
several were above the age ceiling of fifty-five, and one was
under eighteen. From the pool of the remaining 175 subjects, a
subgroup of seventy-four persons was identified who met all the
criteria and were congenitally visually impaired. These seventy-
four persons were the subjects of the smaller study reported
here.
     Interviews: The majority of the telephone interviews were
conducted in the evenings, according to the subjects'
preferences, and lasted an average of fifteen to twenty minutes.
Numbers were assigned to the subjects, and the original phone
numbers were not entered with the data.
     During the interviews the subjects were asked thirty-five to
forty questions. These questions were designed to elicit their
visual history; current visual status; preference for and
perceptions of past and present reading media (Braille or print;
listening to audiotaped books was not included); educational
background; and current employment, income, occupation, and
reading habits.
     The subjects' responses were categorized, coded, and
analyzed using descriptive statistics (chi-square). To measure
the accuracy of the scores and categories of responses, a second
scorer simultaneously listened to the interviews and scored and
categorized a randomly selected sample of eight subjects. The
interrater agreement for the sample was 96 percent.
     Subjects: All seventy-four subjects were congenitally
legally blind at the time of the interviews, having been
diagnosed as legally blind before age two, and therefore had no
memory of normal vision. Of the seventy-four, forty-two were
women and thirty-two were men, who lived in rural and urban
areas. As was mentioned earlier, the subjects ranged in age from
eighteen to fifty-five; seven (9 percent) were eighteen to
twenty-four, twelve (16 percent) were twenty-five to thirty,
eight (11 percent) were thirty-one to thirty-six, thirty-two (43
percent) were thirty-seven to forty-two, nine (12 percent) were
forty-three to forty-eight, and six (8 percent) were forty-nine
to fifty-five.
     Thirty-one subjects were employed, six part-time and twenty-
five full-time, and forty-three were unemployed, yielding an
unemployment rate of 58 percent. (The unemployment rate for the
175 in the larger study was 66 percent, which parallels the
national unemployment rate for visually impaired adults reported
by Kirchner & Peterson, 1988). The subjects' annual personal
incomes ranged from less than $7,000 to $70,000; the majority
(thirty-nine, or 53 percent) reported annual incomes of less than
$7,000.
     The majority of the subjects (forty-two, or 57 percent)
reported current vision levels of no light perception or light
perception only (nineteen men and twenty-three women). In
addition, twenty-two (29 percent) had vision levels between
20/300 and shadow vision, and the vision of the remaining ten (14
percent) ranged from 20/200 to 20/300. Eleven subjects said that
their visual acuity had deteriorated before they graduated from
high school, and eighteen said that it had deteriorated
afterward; three reported improved visual activity during their
school years.
     With regard to educational levels, ten subjects (14 percent)
had a high school education or less, twenty-three (31 percent)
had attended college but had not graduated, twenty-four (32
percent) had bachelor's degrees, and seventeen (23 percent) had
graduate degrees. The women tended to be slightly better educated
than the men; twelve (12 percent) of the forty-two women,
compared to six (19 percent) of the thirty-two men, had graduate
degrees.
     With regard to reading media, forty-three subjects (58
percent) had learned to read Braille as their original primary
medium (hereafter referred to as the BR group), and thirty-one
subjects (42 percent) had learned to read print as their original
primary medium (hereafter referred to as the PR group) in
childhood. One of the subjects who had initially learned to read
Braille uses both Braille and print as an adult.
                                
                             Results
                                
     Employment: As figure 1 shows, the BR group had a
significantly lower unemployment rate (44 percent) than did the
PR group (77 percent) (X2=10.499; p<.0148). Of those who were
employed, 16 percent of the BR group and 13 percent of the PR
group were in professional positions, 23 percent of the BR group
and 10 percent of the PR group were in skilled positions, and 16
percent of the BR group,but none of the PR group, were in
unskilled positions. Furthermore, 42 percent of the BR group
versus 23 percent of the PR group were employed full-time (forty
or more hours per week), and 14 percent of the BR group, but 3
percent of the PR group, were employed part time (X2=7.031
p<.0297).
NOTE: Figure 1 represents visually the data reported in the text.
     The extent of Braille use in adulthood was an important
variable in examining the employment rates of the BR group. Using
qualifying criteria for each category, the author determined
Braille use to be extensive, some, or minimal. Extensive Braille
use did not guarantee employment, but within the BR group it was
apparent that the subjects who reported extensive personal and/or
professional use of Braille had a far lower unemployment rate (33
percent) than did the total sample (58 percent). Of the twenty-
four subjects in the BR group who were employed at the time of
the study, twenty-two met the criteria for extensive Braille
users.
     Five subjects in the PR group were taught to read Braille
after they learned to read print. None reported using Braille
extensively, and all were unemployed at the time of the study.
                                
     Reading Habits: Addressing reading in this type of research
design is problematic, particularly because the study was based
on self-reported data. Therefore, three symbols of literacy in
this society were examined: the number of hours per week spent
reading (Braille or print), the number of books read in an
average year, and the number of magazines currently subscribed
to. Figure 2 compares the number of hours in an average week that
the BR and PR subjects spent reading (for their jobs and for
pleasure). It is significant that sixteen subjects in the BR
group and five in the PR group read more than twenty-one hours
per week (X2=13.852: p<.0166), whereas three in the BR group
versus nine in the PR group read one hour or none during an
average week.
NOTE: Figure 2 represents the number of hours spent reading each
week--0 to 1 hours, Braille readers 3, print readers 9; 2 to 5
hours a week, Braille readers 4, print readers 9; 6 to 10 hours a
week, Braille readers 9, print readers 4; 11 to 20 hours a week,
Braille readers 10, print readers 4; and 21 or more hours a week,
Braille readers 16, print readers 5.
     As Figure 3 shows, the BR group read significantly more
books per year than did the PR group (X2=23.138:p<.0008).
Thirteen of the forty-three BR subjects but only three of the
thirty-one PR subjects read twenty-one or more books per year,
and three BR subjects versus fourteen PR subjects read no books
per year. These findings are consistent with the greater number
of hours per week that the BR group spent reading. Furthermore,
in accord with the greater amount of time spent reading and books
read, the BR group reported subscribing to significantly more
magazines than did the PR group (X2=13.435: p<.0038). For
example, eight BR subjects but eighteen PR subjects subscribed to
no magazines (see Figure 4).
NOTE: Figure 3 represents the number of books read per year--zero
books a year, 3 Braille readers, 14 print readers; 1 to 5 books a
year, 16 Braille readers, 5 print readers; 6 to 10 books a year,
4 Braille readers, 7 print readers; 11 to 20 books a year, 7
Braille readers, 2 print readers; and 21 and over books a year, 6
Braille readers, 3 print readers.
Figure 4 represents magazine subscriptions at the time of the
study--zero subscriptions, 8 Braille readers, 18 print readers; 1
to 3 subscriptions, 19 Braille readers, 7 print readers; 4 to 6
subscriptions, 9 Braille readers, 5 print readers; over 7
subscriptions, 7 Braille readers, 1 print reader.
     Table 1 depicts the point basis for a scale on which each
subject was assigned points based on values of the three
variables previously discussed.
NOTE: The table represents points awarded for hours a week spent
reading, books a year read, and magazine subscriptions. Hours
spent reading a week: 0 points for 0 to 1 hour, 1 point for 2 to
6 hours a week; 2 points for 7 to 20 hours a week; 3 points for
20 or more hours a week. Number of books read a year: 0 points
for 0 to 1 book read; 1 point for 1 to 5 books read; 2 points for
6 to 20 books read; and 3 points for 20 or more books read.
Number of magazines subscribed to: 0 points for none; 1 point for
1 to 3 magazines; 2 points for 4 to 7 magazines; and 3 points for
7 or more magazines.
The total points attained by the subjects were plotted on a 10-
point scale, and the subjects were divided into four groups. The
subjects in Group 1 scored 0 or 1 point; those in Group 2 scored
2, 3, or 4 points; those in Group 3 scored 5, 6, or 7 points; and
those in Group 4 scored 8 or 9 points. For example, a subject who
read twelve hours in an average week, read four books in the
previous year, and currently subscribed to six magazines would
receive a total of five points and hence would be placed in Group
3.
     Thirty-six percent of the PR subjects and four percent of
the BR subjects were in Group 1, 35 percent of the PR subjects
and 33 percent of the BR subjects were in Group 2, 26 percent of
the PR subjects and 47 percent of the BR subjects were in Group
3, and 3 percent of the PR subjects and 16 percent of the BR
subjects were in Group 4. The results were significant
(X2=14.674: p<.0021), the most noticeable difference being in
Group 1.
[CAPTION FOR TABLE 1: Basis for Scale.]
     Education: The overall difference in the mean educational
levels of the BR and the PR groups was small and not
statistically significant (X2=4.035; p<.2577). The distinction
between early Braille readers and early print readers was at the
highest level of education: Thirteen (30%) of the 43 BR subjects
but only four (13%) of the thirty-one PR subjects obtained
graduate degrees. It is also worth noting that only two of the
subjects in this sample (n=74) and in the larger sample (n=175)
had doctoral degrees; both were in the BR group.
     Self-Sufficiency: Although the overall income levels of the
two groups were not statistically significant (X2=7.059,
p<.2163), the representation of the BR and PR subjects in the
three income ranges--highest range ($25,000 to $70,000), middle
range ($7,000 to $25,000), and lowest range ($7,000 or less)--are
of interest. The BR group was over-represented in the highest
range, and the PR group was over-represented in the lowest range,
but both groups were similarly represented in the middle range.
Thus 25 percent of the BR group versus 7 percent of the PR group
were in the highest range, 28 percent of the BR group and 31
percent of the PR group were in the middle range, and 47 percent
of the BR group but 62 percent of the PR group were in the lowest
range. In addition, the subjects' responses to the question, "Do
you receive money on a regular basis from a nonemployment source,
such as SSI (Supplemental Security Income), SSDI (Social Security
Disability Insurance), public assistance, food stamps, or
Medicaid?" were significant (X2=4.805; p<.0284): 49 percent of
the BR group, compared to 74 percent of the PR group, regularly
received such public entitlement benefits.
     Past and Present Reading Ability: In any study self-reported
data, especially retrospective data, must generally be considered
suspect. Nevertheless, the subjects' responses to questions
regarding their perceptions of their past and present reading
ability tended to follow the other trends reported here:
1.   As a junior high school student could you read as fast and
     as fluently as your classmates? Nine of the thirty-one
     subjects in the PR group, compared to thirty-five of the
     forty-three subjects in the BR group answered yes.
2.   Do you consider yourself a good reader today? Nineteen of
     the thirty-one subjects in the PR group versus forty of the
     forty-three subjects in the BR group answered yes.
     Visual Acuity: Of the seventy-four subjects, fourteen
reported having had 20/200 visual acuity since birth that had
remained stable throughout their adult lives. This level of
acuity is the upper limit of the definition of legal blindness.
Thirteen of these fourteen subjects learned to read print and
were included in the PR group; seven of the fourteen subjects
received Braille instruction later in life but used print as
their current primary reading medium. Four of the fourteen
subjects were employed. Although most subjects in the PR group
reported little knowledge of the Braille code, the four employed
subjects in this group all reported knowing "some" Braille.
     The only one of the fourteen who was taught to read Braille
as a child said that she reads both print and Braille as an adult
but uses print as her primary reading medium. She was one of the
four who were employed in this group. Since this group contained
thirteen PR subjects and only one BR subject, quantitative
analysis of the data was not possible.
     Instruction in Braille reading has traditionally been
reserved for students with the most severe vision loss--those who
cannot see print. It is typically assumed by the general public
that the greater the amount of vision a child or adult has, the
greater his or her advantage in employment and education. The
findings of this study did not support that supposition: acuity
was not a statistically significant factor in the employment or
educational levels the subjects attained. However, the recipients
of public entitlement programs were exceptions to these findings.
Those with partial sight were represented in significantly
greater proportions than were those with little or no sight
(X2=6.045; p<.045). (This finding also held true for its subjects
in the larger study [X2=7.648: p<.0218].)
     Contrary to common perceptions, more sight was not
synonymous with a lower unemployment rate and financial
independence in this study. The subjects who reported the least
vision--light perception only or no light perception--had an
unemployment rate of 52 percent, whereas those with the greatest
degree of vision--20/200--20/300--had an unemployment rate of 67
percent.
                                
                           Discussion
                                
     It is an effort of gargantuan proportions to attempt to
isolate the impact of a reading medium on the life of an adult
who is visually impaired. The interaction of a multitude of
confounding variables (such as mobility, financial disincentives,
and social biases) complicates and confuses attempts to study
employment rates and measures of literacy or financial
independence.
     The legally blind adult subjects were chosen and screened to
provide as representative a sample as possible of otherwise non-
disabled visually impaired adults in the state of Washington.
However, because questions of home support, motivation,
intellectual ability, educational placement, and the like were
not addressed, it is possible that an analysis that would include
these variables would also yield significant results.
Nevertheless, it is rational to expect that the diverse values of
these independent variables existed in both the BR and the PR
groups and thus should not have significantly altered the
findings. However, these issues and their impact on the concerns
addressed here should be the focus of future studies in the
field.
     It is sometimes confusing and always disturbing to read the
staggering unemployment rates of adults with visual impairments.
The implications for the future of today's generation of children
with visual impairments are sobering for professionals in the
field. Rather than focusing on the seemingly overwhelming task of
determining why so many adults with visual impairments are
unemployed, this study concentrated on one possible common factor
of the 33 percent who are employed.
     The impact of Braille reading skills on the subjects'
employment rates was significant--with qualifications. Having a
knowledge of Braille, even as a primary reading medium, did not
increase a subject's chances of employment, but those who had
learned to read Braille as their original reading medium and used
it extensively were employed at a significantly higher rate. Thus
the early acquisition and extensive use of Braille reading skills
were the two factors that had a strong impact on employment
rates. The subjects who had been taught to read Braille as
children were employed (either full time or part time) at more
than twice the rate of those who were taught to read print.
However, the subjects who learned Braille after they learned to
read print did not have a higher employment rate than those who
had not learned Braille.
     In this society the ability to read well is highly valued.
It is an ability to which school districts devote copious amounts
of funds and resources. Classroom teachers spend countless hours
coaxing children to develop the lifelong habit of reading. In
this study the BR subjects demonstrated those positive reading
habits at a significantly greater rate than did the PR subjects.
They spent substantially more time reading, read more books, and
subscribed to more magazines. This finding is particularly
noteworthy when one considers the comparative availability of
print and Braille materials. Because higher education depends to
a great extent on a background of reading skills and habits, it
is not surprising that the BR group also had more graduate
degrees.
     Not only were the BR subjects more prolific readers, but
they perceived their reading abilities, both as children and as
adults, in a more positive light than did the PR subjects.
Whether those who were taught to read Braille were actually more
fluent, skilled readers as children than were those who were
taught to read print is an issue for further study. The point of
interest here is that the overwhelming majority of the BR
subjects (81%) had elevated perceptions of their abilities
compared to only 29 percent of the PR subjects.
     Rehabilitation is also affected by the inability of visually
impaired children to read. Excessive rehabilitation dollars are
spent annually on visually impaired young adults who are recent
graduates of public (and residential) school programs for
visually impaired children. Rehabilitation programs that were
originally designed to retrain adventitiously blind adults
designate a large portion of their annual budgets to congenitally
visually impaired adults who, in theory, should have been
habilitated in childhood education programs. But in reality many
visually impaired young adults are not sufficiently accomplished
in literacy or alternative skills to complete higher-level
degrees or obtain employment.
     As Koenig and Holbrook (1989) noted, the 10-15 percent of
visually impaired children who are totally blind should present
little concern to educators regarding whether they should be
taught to read Braille since those children who are cognitively
and physically capable of reading will be taught to read Braille.
It is the remaining 85 percent of visually impaired children with
various degrees of residual vision who present the print-or-
Braille dilemma to their multi-disciplinary teams. The results of
this study suggest that teaching Braille as an original primary
reading medium to children with visual impairments may encourage
them to develop the positive lifelong habit of reading as adults,
enhance their later employment opportunities, and thereby
increase the possibility of financial independence.
                                
                         Recommendations
                                
     As the field of education moves toward the full inclusion of
students with disabilities in regular school programs, it is
imperative that vision professionals resist the urge to normalize
visually impaired children by insisting that they read only
print. All too frequently decisions on reading media are based on
available resources, rather than on the needs of students.
According to Tuttle and Heinze (cited in Caton, 1991), over 1,400
additional certified teachers are needed nationwide to meet the
educational needs of unserved and under-served children with
visual impairments. Teachers of children with visual impairments
are typically expected to teach sixteen or more students who are
widely spread over large geographic areas (Caton, 1991). Given
such conditions, dedicated itinerant teachers are frequently
forced to assume consulting rather than active teaching roles.
Children cannot adequately be taught to read (in print or
Braille) by consultants.
     It is tragic that school districts (and professionals) may
opt to recommend print as a reading medium under such
circumstances. This article does not address that critical
shortage. However, it should be noted here that in the face of
the restructuring of many university teacher-training programs,
it is imperative to retain and support the growth of categorical
teacher training programs in the field. The shortage of qualified
teachers, as well as researchers, has contributed heavily to the
problems the field now faces. Without qualified teachers
alternative skills, such as Braille, which are specific to
individuals with visual impairments, will by necessity be taught
so infrequently that they will eventually become all but extinct.
If the results of this study are an indicator, omitting Braille
reading instruction from the curriculum of visually impaired
children may well create a handicap far more debilitating than
blindness--chronic unemployment.
                                
                           References:
American Printing House for the Blind. (1991).
     Distribution of federal quota based on the registration of
     eligible students. Louisville, Kentucky: Author.
Caton, H. (Ed.) (1991). Print and Braille literacy: Selecting
     appropriate learning media. Louisville, Kentucky: American
     Printing House for the Blind.
Koenig, A.J. & Holbrook, M.C. (1989). Determining the reading
     medium for students with visual impairments: A diagnostic
     teaching approach. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness,
     83, 296-302.
Koenig, A.J. & Holbrook, M.C. (1992). Teaching Braille reading to
     students with low vision. Journal of Visual Impairment &
     Blindness. 86, 44-48.
Kirchner, C. & Peterson, R. (1988), Employment: Selected
     characteristics. In Data on blindness and visual impairment
     in the U.S. (pp. 169-177). New York: American Foundation for
     the Blind.
Mullen, E. (1990), Decreased Braille literacy: A symptom of a
     system in need of reassessment. RE:view, 23, 164-169.
Paul, B.J. (1993, Spring), "Low tech" Braille vital to high-level
     literacy. Counterpoint, p. 3.
Rex, E.J. (1989), Issues related to literacy of legally blind
     learners, Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 83, 306-
     313.
Schroeder, F. (1989), Literacy: The key to opportunity, Journal
     of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 83, 290-293.
Schroeder, F. (1992, June), Braille bills: What Are They and What
     Do They Mean? Braille Monitor, 308-311.
Stephens, O. (1989), Braille--Implications for living, Journal of
     Visual Impairment & Blindness. 83, 288-289.
Thurlow, W.R. (1988), An alternative to Braille, Journal of
     Visual Impairment & Blindness, 82, 378.
Virginia State Department for the Visually Handicapped, (1991), A
     Study of Braille literacy in Virginia's public schools
     (Senate Document No. 31), Richmond: Virginia State
     Department for the Visually Handicapped.
                                
     Reprinted with permission from the Journal of Visual
Impairment and Blindness. Copyright 1996 by American Foundation
for the Blind, 11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300, New York, New York
10001. All rights reserved.
                                
                                
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Marty Greiser
PHOTO/CAPTION: Cody Greiser]
         One Family's Fight for an Appropriate Education
                          by Jim Marks
                                
     From the Editor: The following article first appeared in the
Spring/Summer, 1997, issue of the Observer, the publication of
the Montana affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind.
Jim Marks is a member of the organization's Board of Directors.
Cody Greiser is a bright, active ten-year-old (see "Around the
Block, to the Mall, and Beyond" in the October, 1997, Braille
Monitor). Cody's father is Marty Greiser, Secretary of the
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children. Cody lives
with his mother, Nancy Taylor of Polson, Montana. Both of Cody's
parents have been fighting to get Cody the education he deserves.
Even when the law is clear, it can be a struggle to insure that
blind children actually get the free, appropriate education in
the least restrictive setting to which they are entitled. This is
the story of one family's fight for justice.
                                
     What you are about to read was gathered from interviews with
some of the parties involved, observations of legal proceedings,
and reviews of relevant documents.
                                
                          Introduction
                                
     Cody Greiser, who is blind, lives in Polson, Montana, with
his mom, stepdad, and sisters. His dad is Marty Greiser of
Dillon, a long-time member of the Montana Association for the
Blind, and Secretary of the National Association of Parents of
Blind Children, a Division of the National Federation of the
Blind. Cody is ten years old and will be going into the fifth
grade this fall at Polson's Cherry Valley Elementary School.     
Recently Cody found himself involved in a struggle for his
literacy and his right to live with his family. It's hard to
believe, but Cherry Valley School officials tried to take Cody
away from his folks by forcing a placement in the Montana School
for the Deaf and Blind (MSDB) in Great Falls. Although an
administrative judge gave the family a mostly favorable decision
following the April 1, 1997, hearing in Polson, the struggle is
far from over.
                                
                      The Family's Position
                                
     Cody's parents, Nancy Taylor and Marty Greiser, want their
son to learn how to read and write in his neighborhood school.
They do not want to take Cody from his home and loved ones to be
placed in a residential program.
     The family knows that blindness is a low-incidence
disability and that ignorance on the part of the school system
requires them to advocate fiercely for Cody's education. They
carefully weighed what was best for Cody before reaching the
conclusion that Cody was better off at home than at MSDB.
      Finding qualified Braille instructors or aides can be
difficult, the family acknowledges. So they proposed an option to
Cherry Valley officials. They asked that Cody travel once a week
to Thompson Falls, a town about fifty miles from Polson, in order
to receive Braille instruction from Kim Bojkovsky. Bojkovsky is a
certified teacher who reads and writes Braille fluently. She
taught Cody when they both lived in Dillon. It happens that
Bojkovsky is blind. [Kim Hoffman Bojkovsky was a 1988 NFB
scholarship winner.]
                                
                      The School's Position
                                
     "Some people in Polson, Montana, believe a sighted teacher
can teach Braille better than a blind person," said Bob Long,
Lake County Deputy Attorney and legal counsel for Cherry Valley
School. He said this to one of the expert witnesses for the
family during the April hearing. The witness was Joanne Wilson,
President of the NFB of Louisiana and Director of the Louisiana
Center for the Blind in Ruston. Wilson had just testified by
telephone about the importance of having a teacher of blind
children know how to read and write in Braille.
      Surprisingly, the school had the burden of proof because it
was the school that wanted Cody's education plan to change.
According to Elaine Meeks, Cherry Valley principal, the school
couldn't find a qualified teacher for Cody, making an MSDB
placement necessary.
     Meeks said that it wasn't a matter of money. The school had
tried but failed to find a competent Braille instructor following
the resignation of Cody's former aide. Meeks said the school had
advertised regionally but later explained that "regionally" meant
advertising in Polson, Kalispell, and Missoula. Meeks therefore
said that the school could not provide Cody with a sound
education and that MSDB was the only alternative.
     Meeks rejected the family proposal to have Cody taught
Braille once a week by Bojkovsky in Thompson Falls. She said such
a thing would force a public school's support of a home school,
adding that Cherry Valley couldn't supervise Bojkovsky properly
unless Bojkovsky was willing to travel to Polson. Due to her
pregnancy and other responsibilities in Thompson Falls, Bojkovsky
had declined to travel. [Mrs. Bojkovsky is a minister's wife and
gave birth to a daughter in April of 1997.]
     Meeks denied the family's request to have Cherry Valley
purchase Braille production equipment. The family wanted the
school to acquire a computer Braille translation software program
and a computer Braille embosser. Asserting the decision wasn't
based on money, Meeks said the school's denial of technology
purchases was due to the school's belief that Cody's Braille
skills had not advanced far enough to warrant the purchase.
                                
                   What the Experts Had to Say
                                
     Testimony was also given by two groups of experts. Speaking
on behalf of Cherry Valley Schools were the MSDB principal and
two MSDB outreach staff members. Speaking for the family were
three members of the NFB.
     The MSDB experts said that in Cody's case their institution
was a more appropriate placement than Cherry Valley School. They
said the MSDB outreach services couldn't compensate for the lack
of a qualified teacher or aide in Polson, so it was their opinion
that MSDB's residential program would serve Cody best. They
dismissed the family's requests for Braille production equipment
as well, saying that the equipment was expensive and no panacea. 
MSDB Principal Bill Davis admitted the hardship of placing a
child in a residential school. He said the parents had to
consider the long-term benefits of a good education over the
short-term benefits of keeping Cody at home.
     During the hearing the quality of education at MSDB was
never fully discussed. Davis admitted that most of the blind
children at MSDB had multiple disabilities. Cody's only
disability is blindness, and he is unlikely to find as many peers
in MSDB as he has in Polson.
     Beyond the formalities of the administrative court, the
family expresses strong concerns about the quality of the MSDB
education. They point out that MSDB had to be sued only a few
years ago when another family wanted their blind child taught
Braille. Moreover, the Greiser family questions the credibility
of the MSDB staff. They wonder aloud about the ability of MSDB
staff to read and write Braille fluently and about staff
abilities in other blindness skills. Notably, one of the MSDB
experts testifying against the family had never even met Cody. As
time goes on, fewer and fewer families with blind children opt
for a residential program. Instead schools like MSDB become
institutions for children with multiple disabilities, and
blindness skills often take a back seat to other issues
surrounding disability.
     Testifying for the family were Joanne Wilson of Louisiana,
Denise Mackenstadt of Washington, and Kim Bojkovsky of Thompson
Falls. Wilson said Cherry Valley School hadn't tried hard enough
to find a qualified Braille teacher. She testified about several
options that Cherry Valley could have undertaken in order to get
a qualified person involved in Cody's education. When she was
asked about what was best for Cody, Cherry Valley or MSDB, she
said it was a difficult decision which could only be made by the
family. However, she pointed out that the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act requires education to take place in
the least restrictive environment. She said she didn't know which
school had the better educational program but that placement at
MSDB probably wouldn't be the least restrictive environment
mandated in the law.
     Mackenstadt, a teacher's aide in a Bothell, Washington,
public school, said it was her job to assist with Braille
instruction and blindness skills in a mainstream school setting.
She explained how well the education of blind children can work
when the school possesses an inclusive, can-do attitude about
teaching blind children. She also reinforced the doubt about
whether Cherry Valley School had done all it could. She added to
Wilson's testimony regarding places to find or train qualified
Braille instructors.
     Bojkovsky talked about what she had done with Cody when she
was his teacher in Dillon and about what she could do for him in
the future. She said the once-a-week time would be adequate, but
not ideal. And the adequate instruction which allows Cody to
remain at home is far better than putting him in any residential
program, she said.
                                
                     What the Judge Decided
                                
     Dennis Loveless, the Montana Hearings Officer for the Office
of Public Instruction, decided mostly in favor of the family. He
wrote: "Analysis of all the factors apparent in this case
indicates that the continued education of Cody Greiser at Cherry
Valley School under the program proposed by the parents would
take advantage of appropriate available resources in the least
restrictive setting."
     Besides endorsing the family's wish to have Cody remain at
Cherry Valley School with one-day-a-week instruction with
Bojkovsky, Loveless also decided that Cherry Valley should
acquire Braille production technology. He decided not to
reimburse the family for legal fees and not to order any
additional evaluations of the competency of Cherry Valley or MSDB
staff. It is deeply ironic that Cherry Valley School will incur
no legal expenses at all since it was represented by the Lake
County Attorney's office. Equally ironic is the never-mentioned
but undeniable fact that only those who spoke on behalf of the
family read and write Braille well.
                                
                          It Ain't Over
                                
     Even though the Loveless decision was clear, Marty Greiser
reports that Cherry Valley School refuses to send Cody to
Bojkovsky because they have now hired a Braille aide. The school
claims the employment of the aide makes the Loveless decision
largely irrelevant. The family asked to review the credentials of
this aide, but no documents have been forthcoming. In addition,
school officials denied the family's request to begin purchasing
technology items until Cody's teachers come back to work this
fall. In spite of the triumph in administrative court, it looks
as though more court action is likely. It's a cinch that more
advocacy will be imperative.
                                
                                
*****
     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 the 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."
*****
                                
                                
      Changing Perceptions About Blindness by the Hundreds
                         by E. Randy Cox
                                
     From the Editor: Randy Cox is an active Federationist who
lives in Utah. He is sighted, but he holds strong and healthy
views about blindness and blind people. This is what he says:
                                
     My first contact with a blind person came when I was in high
school. My father was assigned by our local church to check
routinely on a member of our congregation who was in his
seventies and didn't make it out to meetings very often. I
accompanied my father on these visits for several months but
never met the second man who supposedly lived there.
     I asked my father why we had not met the other man and was
told that he was blind and stayed in his bedroom in the back of
the house. I later learned that the two men had been business
partners, but when one became blind, they sold their hotels and
restaurants and moved to central Florida, where the once wealthy,
active entrepreneur became a reclusive, incapable shut-in.
      My opportunity to meet this other man came when the man we
checked on became very ill and had to be hospitalized for a time.
My father and I volunteered to take care of the blind man during
this period. I was shocked, however, when I received the list of
instructions on what it would mean to "take care of him."
     He never got out of his pajamas. Most days he refused to get
out of bed. He had to be spoonfed like a young child, and often
this proved to be as messy as feeding my younger brothers and
sisters. He rarely spoke, and if he did, it was in an inaudible
mutter I had difficulty understanding. If he wanted to go
anywhere in the house, I had to position myself in front of him
so he could place both hands on my shoulders. Then I would slowly
shuffle forward, matching his halting, terrified steps.
     Then there was helping him use the rest room. I pause to
mention again that the only thing that had changed about this
once dynamic, active businessman was that he had lost his
eyesight. In all respects, for a man his age, he was perfectly
capable, both physically and mentally.
     Our perceptions come from what we think about what we have
experienced. I came away from this encounter with the idea that
blindness meant helplessness, dependence, atrophy, lethargy, and
hopelessness. Consequently I concluded that blind people should
be pitied.
     My next contact with a blind person came on October 16,
1992. I had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with a woman
named Kristen Eyring in a personal development seminar. She first
got my attention when she walked into the room; I was immediately
struck by her stunning beauty. Soon after the seminar got
started, I learned she was also very intelligent, articulate, and
well traveled.
     As the seminar progressed, I pulled out of Kristen some of
her accomplishments. I learned that she had been a member of a
championship soccer team, had spent a semester studying abroad in
Spain, had been chosen as one of 100 students from across the
country to serve as Senatorial Scholars to Japan, had graduated
from high school in three years, had done volunteer work for her
church in Brazil, had traveled throughout Europe, and had been a
4.0 student in college. Incidentally, she was blind.
     Throughout the seminar Kristen had no trouble crossing
downtown streets, ordering in restaurants, getting to and from
the meetings, and carrying out any number of tasks that my past
experience said should have been impossible for her.
     I was thinking about Kristen recently and how her example
changed my perception of blindness forever. Had I never met her,
I would probably still hold the beliefs I developed from my high
school experience.
     The power of one person's example, for good or ill, can be
enormous. I wonder how many people there are, like me, who have
changed their perceptions about blindness due to Kristen's
example. I began adding them up.
     There are her parents; sister; half-brother; nine step-
brothers and sisters; grandparents; cousins; aunts; uncles;
doctors; teammates; parents of teammates; teachers; classmates;
members of her church congregation; those with whom she
interacted in Brazil, Japan, Italy, and France; members of the
seminar we attended; those who have seen and heard her on the
television and radio programs she has appeared on; and the list
goes on.
     Before long, I realized Kristen has probably been an example
to hundreds of people that blindness is not synonymous with
helplessness, that the loss of sight doesn't mean you have to
lose sight of your goals, that blindness is no reason to slow
down. The impact Kristen has had is repeated across the country
every day by other Federationists. In moments of discouragement,
it is well for us to remember that individual perceptions about
blindness are being transformed every time a competent blind
person crosses a street or chairs a meeting or insists on doing
his or her fair share of any task in the community.
     You may have wondered why I remember that I met Kristen on
October 16. That date is very important to me because a short
time after that, Kristen Eyring became Kristen Cox, my wife.
                                
                                
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Elizabeth Browne]
          Challenging Biblical Stereotypes of the Blind
                     by Elizabeth J. Browne
                                
     From the Editor: Dr. Elizabeth Browne is an active member of
the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois and a frequent
contributor to these pages. As a professor of theology she
recently wrote a book that grapples with the Biblical portrayal
of blindness. This is what she says about the project:
                                
          The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
          But in ourselves that we are underlings.
                                             Julius Caesar, Act I
                                
     Biblical representations of the blind have often caused
unChristian rumblings in my very soul. How often have I sat,
shrinking with embarrassment and, I confess, a little anger, as
the sacred words are loudly proclaimed from the pulpit for all
God's children to hear?
     How often have I prayed for invisibility or for some kindly
spirit to whisk me away from those accusing stares I felt were
fixed in my direction? I could imagine people thinking, "If she
really believed, she could see, too!"
     How often Bible passages relate tales of blind beggars, not
employed, not even in ancient sheltered shops, but right out
there on the public roads, begging, shouting, pleading, abused,
pathetic examples which caused me to question the significance of
these embarrassing stories. We know them too well, and I imagine
that many of you have also flushed with embarrassment at the
stereotype presented throughout the scripture passages for all
pious people to hear and to believe.
     There is Bartimeus, the beggar, shouting out from his
vantage point at the side of the road, "Domine ut videam!" "Lord,
that I may see!" as the onlookers tried in vain to shut him up. I
want to shut him up too, but I know that, "The fault, dear
Brutus, is not in the stars," nor in the Bible, but in ourselves
that we put up with this sacred stereotype.
     Do not misunderstand me. I am deeply committed to my
Christian faith, a believing churchgoer, and now proud to be a
teacher of theology at Loyola University in Chicago.
     Never suppose that these biblical stereotypes are dead, not
even for a moment. They are very much alive and active in both
religious and secular societies today. But how to deal with them?
How best to confront these biblical words, these pathetic
stories, and give them the true significance I know they contain?
In order to bring some semblance of truth into the well-
established folklore about blind people, I determined to take a
serious look at the words of sacred scripture in order to
evaluate its message objectively, with reverence, of course, but
bringing to bear my own and others' experience and wisdom.
     Remember the story in the Gospel of John, Chapter 9, about
the man born blind?
     As the disciples walked along with Jesus, they passed by a
blind man (begging, of course) and asked, "Who has sinned, this
man or his parents that he was born blind?"
     My own parents had to endure the silent condemnation of
relatives and neighbors when I lost my sight, and I am sure those
who condemned them were sure that their judgment of my parents
had a solid Biblical foundation.
     So when I began graduate studies in theology, I began
seriously studying and reflecting on sacred scripture. I
encountered the harsh words of the book of Leviticus:
                                
     Aaron, none of your descendants throughout their generation
     who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his
     God. For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man
     blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face, or a limb
     too long, or a man who has an injured foot or an injured
     hand, or a hunchback, or a dwarf, or a man with a defect in
     his sight or an itching disease or scab or crushed
     testicles; no man of the descendants of Aaron the priest who
     has a blemish shall come near to offer the Lord's offering
     by fire; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to
     offer the bread of his God. (Lev. 21:16-21)
                                
These words of the Bible said clearly that certain individuals
should not even approach to offer worship. And, shockingly
enough, this admonition has been the guiding spirit of religion
as well as society (from that ancient, primitive law even unto
our own modern times) and was not removed from the Canon Law of
the Roman Church until 1983. Note, removed, but never recanted.
     This opening salvo almost caused me to stagger back in
disgust at this Biblical proscription. Where do I go now, I
thought, as I tried to make sense of what I was doing in graduate
theological studies. This is not for the likes of me, nor for any
other like me with various taint or blemish.
     Everyone from time to time feels that God is not listening,
is turning away, but that is just our momentary feeling and
nothing more. God does not regard blind people or women or any
other marginalized person with disdain. I knew this, and a poem
of John Donne seemed to say it for me.
                                
     Though thou with clouds of anger do disguise
     Thy face; yet through that mask I know those eyes,
     Which though they turn away sometimes
     Never will despise.
                                
     Enough! I must now begin to dig, to research, to analyze,
and to reflect. My question became, "If persons are blemished in
any way, are they automatically, spiritually, theologically
excluded from religious consideration? That seems to be the
resounding opinion of all those people in all those churches who
fix their piercing gazes on the blind who sit, squirming, in
their midst.
                                
     If she really believed, really had faith, she could see.
                                
     The unspoken words--and accusations--that resound loudly in
our souls are that we must not have real faith, a really strong
enough belief to allow the saving grace to flood into our
blemished natures and bring back sight, which would make us truly
children of a good and all perfect creator.
     Inwardly, I thought, "Nonsense." Maybe all those people from
countless congregations that listened to the same stories were
inwardly convinced that, if only I had faith, if only I really
believed, I too would be cured. I began to question inwardly,
"Just what do they mean `cured'?" Whatever they thought, I was
determined to ferret it out and forever silence its ugly message.
     Eventually I would become a teacher of theology and be able
to take the time to explore Biblical sources, the time to analyze
their essential meaning, in order to determine their foundation
and basic significance, both theologically and sociologically.
     In my class I necessarily assign the entire Scriptures as a
required text; however, using this text, I have come to grips
with the embarrassing, negative, and unacceptable attitude toward
the disabled, toward women, toward foreigners, and others which
permeate both the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament. Just
how does one explain these biblical images which are so offensive
to us? Just where did all this come from, and why have these
negative stereotypes persisted throughout religious and secular
societies, unquestioned, unexamined?
     Too many outsiders have tackled this problem for us but have
only added to the persistent false stereotype of blind people.
Books and plays and movies and articles have presumed to explain
just who we are, so now I decided that it was my turn to consider
the place of the blind in the Bible and in society.
     Basically, the quest came down to this ultimate question: Is
blindness in the Bible a theological question or a sociological
one? If theological, then we are indeed consigned to a lesser
status; we are not fully children of a loving God. We are
imperfect creatures and cannot reflect God's perfection. But, if
these passages are sociological, cultural, then we can explain
them in light of the primitive eras in which they were written.
They can then be perceived to be as outdated as slavery, as
unlawful as child labor, as simplistic as the beliefs in the flat
earth theory of an unenlightened era.
     This is the quest I undertook, and this quest would
eventually lead me to the writing of a book, The Disabled
Disciple, the fruit of my serious questioning about the place of
blindness in the Bible; in religion; and, ultimately, in society.
In my book I begin to develop a new and different understanding
of blindness--on the model of liberation theology, which by its
very essence confronts and then seeks to overturn structures that
are antiquated, destructive, and false.
     Of course, as members of the National Federation of the
Blind, we are familiar with such confrontational tactics and
would easily understand my forthright approach to this subject.
Now, since nobody on the staff of the Braille Monitor is
clamoring to review my book or, perhaps, because they have not
yet heard of its existence, I thought I would write my own
announcement of its publication, hoping to be as objective as
possible, so that I might inform fellow members just what I have
done and, more important, why I have done it.
     My approach to this important question is, of course, far
different from the proliferation of books concerned with the
inclusion of the marginalized in all areas of society. It flows
from the experience and expertise of someone who is actively
working to live and to achieve true inclusion in every area of
life, not merely the religious.
     In my book I look at the origin of the stereotype of the
blind from earliest time, from the words of Leviticus in the
Hebrew Scriptures to the role of blind beggars in the New
Testament, as well as public statements of the Roman Catholic
Church, its law, and its persistent false stereotype of blind
people. I also consider many aspects of the secular laws and what
effect all these have had on the status of blind people today.
     In the end I can only conclude that attitudes about
blindness, in the Bible as well as in religious tradition, are
not theological but sociological phenomena. This is an essential
distinction which must never be overlooked. This is the solid
foundation of a true understanding and appreciation of what
blindness truly is and the goal toward which we should all
continue to work. The publication of my book has been announced
on the Worldwide Web, and several reviews have declared The
Disabled Disciple: Ministering in a Church Without Barriers by
Dr. Elizabeth Browne a "must read: for anyone interested in a
theology of inclusion"; "the work has more than disinterested
validity; it brings a personal knowledge and concern to this
important discussion. [The author] brings to the subject a
lifetime of personal experience, dedication, and involvement to
this essential goal of mainstreaming, socially, academically, and
religiously throughout her life."
     Published in March, 1997, by Ligouri Press, The Disabled
Disciple has 123 pages, eight chapters, a reader's postscript, an
appendix, guidelines, excerpts of documents, including laws, and
much more. It is obtainable by requesting it from your local
religious or secular book store, or from Ligouri Publications,
(800) 325-9521, for $12.95. It will also soon be available from
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic. I hope that those who read it
will give me their honest opinion.
     This is what I have done, and if the muse and my publisher
continue to look favorably upon my humble efforts, I shall
continue to pursue them in the near future. Until then, remember:
The fault, dear reader, is not in our stars (or in the Bible),
but in ourselves if we are underlings.
                                
                                
                     My Undiscovered Future
                       by Kevin D. Ledford
                                
     From the Editor: Before the state rehabilitation agency
serving the blind of Missouri decided it would no longer send
Missouri residents to the Colorado Center for the Blind for
rehabilitation training in the skills of blindness, Kevin Ledford
requested to be sent to Denver for job and skills training. (See
the July, 1997, issue of the Braille Monitor.) By his own account
he had been completely unsuccessful in keeping jobs and had
little faith in himself. The following is his story of what
happened when he was able to benefit from an NFB adult training
center's unique blend of hope, high expectations, and hard work.
Kevin Ledford is a living reminder that anything is possible when
a determined blind person is offered real opportunity. It's
tragic that Missouri has closed the door on those in the state
who would like to follow Kevin's example. This is what he says:
                                
     According to the old adage, "If at first you don't succeed,
try, try again." Try again, I certainly did. Unfortunately it
took me six years to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
During that time I asked others what I should do rather than
listening to my own heart and daring to do what deep down I
believed I could.
     My story began with my graduation on June 2, 1992, from
Theodore Roosevelt High School in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1993 I
started working with the Missouri Division of Rehabilitation
Services for the Blind. Since my graduation in 1992, I have held
several positions as temporary manager and assistant manager in
various Business Enterprise Program convenience stores and have
worked in several fast-food chains. I even attempted the
management training for the BEP program. I was unsuccessful in
all these efforts. I made two attempts at college, but I was
unsuccessful in getting readers, books on tape, and the other
accommodations necessary for visually impaired students.
     By June of 1996 I was preparing to lose my latest job, this
one with Webster University Bookstore in Webster Groves,
Missouri. I had been hearing about a customer service training
program in Denver that had an excellent reputation, especially
with its employment-placement rate, which averaged 90-100 percent
and today is 93 percent. By the next week I had my plane ticket
in hand, ready but scared to explore a new city where I had never
been. I left the comfort of home, friends, and family knowing
nothing about this new life in Colorado.
     On June 17, 1996, I entered the Colorado Center for the
Blind on South Broadway in Denver--scared, unsure of my
capabilities, and almost certain I was facing yet another
failure. I was pleasantly surprised at the reaction I received
from the staff. These teachers made me feel welcome, cared for,
and a part of the team. With their help and continuous support, I
began to feel better about my abilities, potential, and self-
confidence.
     To my surprise and extreme pleasure, I finished my training
program with a job offer from PRIMESTAR as a sales and service
consultant, which I started on November 4, 1996, on my way to a
new beginning in Denver.
     I began my association with the NFB by becoming a member of
the Denver Chapter in July, 1996. Being a member, moving to
Denver, obtaining a great job, making new friends, attending my
first state and national conventions, and being involved with the
Colorado Center for the Blind have made me aware what it means to
be a functioning, successful, and competent blind person. Though
I still have some useable sight, I am slowly losing it, so I have
begun to prepare for that day.
     I recently celebrated eight months on the job, and I will
soon begin taking classes at the Metropolitan State College of
Denver, where I plan to study accounting with the ultimate goal
of a master's degree or higher with which I can move up in my
company or possibly even start my own business. However, I will
be careful. I will begin with just a couple of classes because I
don't want to get in over my head right at the start.
     People vary in their opinions of the NFB. However, if it
weren't for the NFB's support, encouragement, and leadership, I
know that I would not be who I am today. I am eternally grateful
to the NFB, the Denver Chapter, and other Federationists. Thank
you from the bottom of my heart. My sincere hope is that I can
always make a difference to blind people and, more important, to
the world.
                                
                                
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Kevan Worley]
                  Letter to Missouri's Governor
                       by Kevan C. Worley
                                
     From the Editor: The preceding article was an effective
personal description of what the Colorado Center for the Blind
did to rescue one Missouri citizen from a life of disappointment
and failure. One might have thought that any state agency serving
blind people or, in fact, any state official would have been
pleased to know that such an option was available to citizens of
the state. But Missouri is not just any state. (See the July,
1997, issue of the Braille Monitor for the story of Missouri's
decision to stop sending residents of the state to the Colorado
Center.) When he heard about the Missouri mess, long-time
Missouri resident Kevan Worley wrote a letter to the governor
telling his own story and urging him to intervene to protect
other blind citizens who might be interested in receiving truly
effective rehabilitation. Here is what Kevan Worley wrote:
                                
                                       Colorado Springs, Colorado
                                                    July 13, 1997
                                
Hon. Governor Mel Carnahan
Jefferson City, Missouri
                                
Dear Governor Carnahan:
     As a former long-time Missouri resident, I was saddened to
hear the other day that Missouri Rehabilitation Services for the
Blind will no longer be sending clients to the Colorado Center
for the Blind for adult adjustment-to-blindness training. This
prestigious training center has given Missouri tax-paying
citizens value for more than seven years. I could tell you
stories of dozens of blind and visually impaired Missourians who
have been assisted because they chose to attend what many
consider to be this country's best training center for blind
individuals, but I would rather share with you my own story.
     As a Missouri resident I spent much of the decade of the
80's unemployed, drawing the Missouri Blind Pension, and
floundering in self-doubt, confusion, and non-productivity. I had
a few part-time jobs but was never able to keep them and was
never able to find myself as a blind person or to define myself
as a person who happened to be blind. I had not developed the
skills that would allow me to compete on terms of equality and be
productive, healthy, happy, alive, and willing and able to give
to my community. But I was fortunate that in 1991 I had a
rehabilitation counselor who was supported by the then director
of Missouri Rehabilitation Services for the Blind, Mr. David S.
Vogel. They supported my wish. In fact, they urged me to attend
the Colorado Center for the Blind in Denver, Colorado.
     I attended the Center from June, 1991, through December,
1991. Governor Carnahan, this training program changed my life. I
cannot adequately express to you the tough challenges they laid
down before me, the support they offered me in order that I might
meet those challenges, the insight they helped me discover, the
daily living skills of blindness they taught me, and the change
of attitude they inspired me to achieve. This wonderful,
comprehensive program for blind people has an expert staff of
caring, educated blind role models and sighted instructors to
teach independent travel skills, Braille, typing, computers, the
art of dressing for success, cooking, cleaning, checkbook
balancing, life management, job readiness, and more--depending
upon the individual needs of the client.
     During the last three months of my stay at the Colorado
Center for the Blind, I worked twenty-five hours a week as an
intern in the Public Information Department of the Regional
Transportation District, downtown Denver. That experience was an
integrated part of my program and prepared me to leave the Center
adjusted and ready for real employment.
     I left the Center at Christmas, 1991, and I have had full-
time, quality employment ever since that time. Yes, I am indeed
proud that I no longer flounder in unemployment, drawing the
Missouri Blind Pension. I am a hard-working, community-minded,
tax-paying, contributing citizen and, regardless of what some
small group of blind people may say to the Missouri
Rehabilitation Service, my success and the success of dozens of
blind individuals in this country is due to the progressive,
well-rounded, creative, and energetic people at the Colorado
Center for the Blind.
     I recently came across a statistic saying that during the
past year the Colorado Center for the Blind had the number one
job placement record of any private agency for the disabled, not
just the blind but for the entire disability community. Not
having had a connection with the Colorado Center for the Blind
since 1991, I was happy to read that statistic, but I wasn't
surprised.
     Governor Carnahan, I know that you have much to occupy your
time, but I urge you to do whatever you can to make sure that the
blind citizens who are clients of the Missouri Rehabilitation
Services for the Blind and want to attend a quality, progressive
training center be allowed to do so. Perhaps no blind person or
family member of a blind person has taken the time to appeal to
you, but, as I say, I was a Missouri resident for many, many
years and, in fact, met you on more than one occasion before you
became governor. I believe that, if you review the situation
personally, you will see quite clearly that there is no reason to
keep deserving blind Missourians from being able to choose to
attend the Colorado Center for the Blind.
     I attempted to call Missouri Rehabilitation Services to find
out what was going on, but employees there refused to speak with
me about this matter, saying it was too touchy a subject for them
to deal with. At least two of these folks, when I was a client a
number of years ago, were very open and outspoken, but these
people sounded almost scared to me. I have to wonder what is
going on. I am hopeful that the Governor of Missouri will take
the time to find out.
     I really believe that, when any blind person is denied
training, it actually hurts all blind people. If a blind guy from
Springfield or a blind woman from Rolla is denied services and
just sits around the house all day, they are not out there in the
world with self-confidence, opening doors of opportunity and
employment for all of us. You would think professionals at an
agency for the blind in Missouri would understand the need to get
blind people excellent training. I cannot comprehend how
bureaucrats in an agency that once helped me have become so
wishy-washy or bamboozled and bullied by what must be only a few
in the blind community who, because of their own lack of self-
worth, would keep other blind citizens of Missouri from having
good training and an equal shot at success and self-respect.
     When I attended the Colorado Center for the Blind in 1991, I
learned to travel independently using a long white cane. I
learned to travel with confidence in rural and urban settings
using city buses and crossing major, complicated intersections
with ease and grace. At the Center my fellow students and I
prepared tasty meals for forty, fifty, and even sixty people and
did it efficiently and attractively. We were expected to attend
job-training classes, including outside job experiences. A
variety of jobs was offered to us. We could pick from such things
as receptionist and cafeteria dishwasher. On our own time we
could even sell pull-tab tickets at the local National Federation
of the Blind's bingo game. These real-world job experiences are
simply not available to Missouri's blind citizens at any other
training center that I know of. One of the most important
components of my training at the Center was the classes in which
we discussed our own attitudes about our blindness. We were
taught and inspired to overcome our negative attitudes and the
negative attitudes of others about blindness.
     I know of many blind people who would say the same kinds of
things to you that I am saying in this letter if they were
contacted. Governor, I implore you to look into the problems at
the Missouri Rehabilitation Services for the Blind and make the
necessary changes so that blind people of your state can receive
information about the Colorado Center for the Blind and, if they
wish, make the life-changing choice to attend it.
     Although I have lived out of state for several years, I
still have hundreds of family members and friends back in
Missouri. I will ask them to keep me informed about the situation
at Missouri Rehabilitation Services for the Blind. I feel very
sure that, once you investigate the situation, positive changes
will happen.
     Thank you very much for your consideration of my views.
                                                       Cordially,
                                                  Kevan C. Worley
                               President, NFB of Colorado Springs
                                
                                
           Despite Blindness, Couple Sees Joys of Life
                         by Darci Smith
                                
     From the Editor: The following story first appeared in the
October 17, 1997, issue of The Michigan Catholic. For those
inclined to believe that only in recent years have blind people
taken their place in the communities as fully contributing
citizens, this is a salutary reminder that in every generation
some blind people have managed to make a considerable
contribution. Here is the story:
                                
     Robert and Jennie Mahoney have lived a life devoid of few
joys: He served eighteen years in the Michigan Legislature, and
together they raised ten children. Nothing short of miraculous is
that both are blind.
     "You're given one life, and you've got to do the very best
you can with it," said Robert Mahoney, seventy-six. "And it's not
easy--life is hard. People today want to think that everything
can be easy, and you don't have to struggle or fight or work for
anything. "But half the joy in life is making some success out of
it," he added. Robert Mahoney's successes prompted him to write
his autobiography, Living Out of Sight, which he self-published
in 1995.
     Jennie Mahoney became visually impaired following a high
fever at age three and lost the remainder of her eyesight at
eleven. Robert Mahoney has been blind in one eye since birth and
lost sight in the other as the result of detached retina suffered
in a skiing accident while an eleventh-grader at Holy Redeemer
High School in Detroit.
     The two met at the Michigan School for the Blind in Lansing,
where the young Jennie Kubinger studied for ten years, and Robert
Mahoney attended for a year. She graduated and went on to become
the first blind student at Adrian College, majoring in home
economics. He earned his high school diploma from Detroit's
Northern High School.
     In 1941 they married and rented an apartment in Detroit and
became members of St. Raymond Parish. To support his new wife,
Robert Mahoney sold blind-made products--mops, brooms, brushes--
door-to-door. A few years before, he had been one of the first to
obtain a Leader Dog out of Rochester, he said, and Patsy helped
him on his route.
     "I always figured that the grace of God was there that
really helped us along," Robert Mahoney recalled. "We tried to
follow our faith, all the teachings."
     The young couple started their family in 1944 with the birth
of their son Gary. Three daughters--Roberta, Rosemary, and
Colleen--and six more sons--Dennis, Joseph, Mark, Michael, Bill,
and Robert--would follow. "The first five, I think, were the
hardest," said Jennie Mahoney, now seventy-eight. "As the kids
got a little bit older, they could help a bit, even just running
and getting a diaper for you helps." When the children were
young, she recalled putting bells on their shoes to keep track of
where the little ones were.
     After twelve years in door-to-door sales, doctors told
Robert Mahoney--who was born with two bad heart valves--that he
had to find a new profession. "I had everything against me when
you come down to it: blind, a bad heart, and a big family," he
said.
     But then, as Robert Mahoney would say, "God opened a
window." At the urging of a friend, Robert Mahoney ran for
Democratic precinct delegate. A few years before, he had waged an
unsuccessful campaign for the same office. This time, however, he
won. All of his years as a door-to-door salesman paid off in
grassroots connections. In 1954 he ran for the Michigan
Legislature and won for his eastside Detroit district.
     And so Robert Mahoney was off to Lansing as Michigan's first
blind state representative. While he represented his constituents
five days a week in the state capitol, Jennie Mahoney was home
raising their brood. "Jennie said she used to have a nervous
breakdown every day," Robert Mahoney laughed.
     In 1956 the Mahoneys established a mail-order business,
Michigan Notary Service, which sold seals, bonds, rubber stamps,
and other notary needs. Jennie Mahoney took care of the business,
basically run out of the couple's bathroom, while her husband
served in Lansing.
     "When the phone would ring, Jennie'd yell and say, `You kids
be quiet, the business phone!'" Robert Mahoney explained. "She'd
go into the bathroom, close the door, and put on her professional
voice. . . . On the back of the toilet Jennie had her slate and
stylus, and she'd write their name and address down in Braille."
With information in hand, Jennie would move into her second
office--their bedroom--and remove the typewriter from under the
bed, Robert Mahoney said. "She'd get some material to mail out,
type the envelope out, then put a stamp on it, and have the kids
go to the mailbox," he added.
     "It was really hard the first year, but then it kind of
escalated and it was better," Jennie Mahoney recalled. Michigan
Notary Service is still in business today, with the couple's
daughter Colleen operating it.
     Robert Mahoney stayed in the Michigan Legislature for
eighteen years and is best known for introducing the bill that
requires hunter safety classes for young people. To prove that
anyone could buy a hunting license, the blind legislator went out
and bought one himself. The bill passed the following year.
     Faith is central to the Mahoney family, and the couple
recalled attending daily Mass and the family praying the rosary
together. While in Lansing Robert Mahoney joined other
legislators for morning Mass each day. "Without that I don't
think we could've made it," Robert Mahoney said of their faith.
"The grace of God was there."
     It was his pro-stance on busing and fair housing that
eventually "drove him out" of his legislative position in 1972,
Robert Mahoney said. "As a man and a Christian, I had to pay more
than lip service to my principles and convictions," he wrote in
his 1995 book. "It's always much easier to say the things people
want to hear and so much harder to tell them what they should
hear." Robert Mahoney went on to serve on the Wayne County Board
of Commissioners and as a lobbyist, eventually moving his family
to Lansing, then to Livonia, and finally back to Lansing again.
     The advent of computers has made life easier for the blind,
the Mahoneys reported. Most days Robert Mahoney can be found
surfing the Web on a special Braille computer or sending e-mail
to friends as far away as England. They also have printers to
print both regular type and Braille, as well as a scanner that
reads the daily mail. "And (mail) that we don't understand, why
the kids are always coming over at lunchtime or in the evening,"
Jennie Mahoney said.
     Now residents of Lansing, where they belong to St. Gerard
Parish, the Mahoneys spend much time listening to books and
magazines on tape, attending Mass, and playing cards or games.
"Jennie and I play cribbage every day," Robert Mahoney said. "We
play two games, and we have a tournament going all the time. It's
really vicious," he laughed.
                                
                                
[PHOTO/CAPTION: a woman stands behind an almost life-size snowman, complete
with hat, scarf, and white cane. CAPTION: Betty Woodward and an April Fool's
Day snowman made by husband Bruce]
                    Questions and NFB Answers
                        by Betty Woodward
                                
     From the Editor: Betty Woodward is a member of the NFB of
Connecticut Board of Directors and President of the Greater
Hartford Chapter. She takes every opportunity she can to educate
the public about blindness and the work of the National
Federation of the Blind. This is what she says
                                
     One cold winter morning a fifth grader from a nearby town
called me at our National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut
Community Outreach Office. We have received many calls from
students looking for information about blindness and Braille.
Somehow Kristyn seemed different. She asked if she could come to
our community outreach office and talk to me. Of course I said
she certainly could.
     A few days later Kristyn and her mom arrived at our office.
She took out a notebook and pencil and, while her mother took a
back seat, Kristyn asked me several questions about blindness,
about Braille, about me, and about the National Federation of the
Blind. She left our office armed with flyers, Kernel Books, and
an offer from me to visit her school.
     Early in May I found myself sitting in a classroom of first
graders, their teacher, Kristyn, and my driver. To the best of my
knowledge, these kids had never met a blind person before. They
asked all of the usual how-do-you questions. But the question
that topped them all that day was one addressed to my driver,
"How did you get her into the car?"
     "I didn't," my friend said. "She got in by herself."
     What an opportunity we Federationists have to set an
example, to teach and to show, yes--even first graders--(or most
especially first graders) that it is respectable to be blind,
that being blind doesn't mean being unable to do all the things
everyone else does or go everywhere everyone else goes.
     I can talk to first graders or senior citizens and let them
know by my attitude, abilities, and actions that I am living a
full and complete life even though I am blind. These encounters
give me the opportunity to let people know what the National
Federation of the Blind means to me and how it has changed my
life.
     By the way, Kristyn has been diabetic most of her young
life. I hope she will always remember the things we talked about.
                                
                                
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Norma Crosby]
                To and From the Convention Hotel
                         by Norma Crosby
                                
     From the Editor: Now that 1998 is actually here, it is time
to begin making serious plans for attending the National
Convention, July 4 to 11. The first step is making your hotel
reservation. For your convenience, here is the information you
will need: room rates are singles, $41; doubles and twins, $43;
triples, $45; and quads, $47, plus a tax of 12 percent. There
will be no charge for children in the room with parents as long
as no extra bed is requested.
     To make room reservations write directly to Hyatt-Regency
DFW, Post Office Box 619014, International Parkway, Dallas-Fort
Worth Airport, Texas 75261, or call (972) 453-1234. Hyatt 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 hotel. The hotel will want a
deposit of $50 or a credit card number. If a credit card is used,
the deposit will be charged against your card immediately, just
as if you wrote a $50 check. If a reservation is cancelled prior
to June 15, 1998, $25 of the $50 deposit will be returned.
Otherwise refunds will not be made. Here is what Norma Crosby has
to say about transportation in the Dallas/Fort Worth area:
                                
     Federationists attending the 1998 convention will find many
things to occupy their time when the convention is not actually
in session. However, in order to experience some of those
pleasures, you will have to leave the airport and the comfort of
the Hyatt Regency DFW, which is located on the airport grounds.
Transportation into Dallas or Fort Worth can be a little
complicated if you don't have access to a car. But knowing
Federationists, I'm sure that groups will form and creative minds
will find a way to get around the fact that both Dallas and Fort
Worth are about twenty miles from the airport property. In an
effort to help everyone make the arrangements that will insure
their fun, here is some information about transportation
companies which can provide visitors with rides to Dallas, Fort
Worth, and most of the small towns surrounding the airport
property. So, if you want to spend some time Texas two-steppin'
in Fort Worth or enjoying a day at the Galleria and a night at
the West End District in Dallas, use the following information
and have lots of fun.
     You can always use a taxi for a day of fun or a short
errand, but if you have only a small distance to go, you will
want to find several other Federationists to share your cab,
since there is a minimum charge for leaving the airport property.
In 1993 the minimum was $10, and it may have risen since then.
That's expensive. However, four people could share a cab and pay
only two or three dollars each. Federationists are always willing
to share with one another, even if they have never met before.
So, if you want to go to one of the area malls, you should
organize a taxi group or contact one of the transportation
services to try to negotiate a better deal than cabs can provide.
     When you are planning to go to Dallas or Fort Worth, the
transportation services are a good option if there are only one
or two going. If three or four people want to make the journey, a
cab might be preferable, but the services do offer group rates,
and a little planning can net you a reasonable price and a
private van. Most of the services listed here will come to the
hotel and provide you with door-to-door service to almost
anywhere in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Just call ahead and
let them know what you want to do, and you'll soon be having a
great time kicking up your heels in Big D or sipping a cold
longneck in Cowtown.
     Each of these services operates a little differently, so
it's a good idea to check with more than one service to insure
that you get the best rates possible. If you decide to make plans
with friends after arriving at the convention, you should make
note of the numbers listed and contact the services once your
plans are firm. Here is the list:
                                
A.S.T.A.R.               1-800-531-1204
AAA Atlas Limo & Bus     1-800-854-6678
Aircar                   1-214-351-6306
Discount Shuttle         1-800-748-0789
                         1-817-267-5150
Super Shuttle            1-800-BLUE VAN (258-3826)
                         1-817-329-2000.
                                
     Aside from questions about transportation, people have been
asking what shopping and other services are available in the area
immediately surrounding the hotel. So here is a bit of that
information.
     There are malls with food courts, major department stores,
and specialty shops all around the airport. Those who attended
the 1990 and 1993 conventions will remember the Irving Mall.
There is also a mall in Lewisville, and recently Grapevine, the
town just outside the airport property, opened a large, new mall.
Of course, there are also restaurants and other attractions in
the area. The Ball Park, home of the Texas Rangers, is located in
Arlington. So is Six Flags Over Texas. Texas Stadium is in
Irving--that's where the Cowboys play, you know. The small towns
in the airport area are filled with people who will treat
visitors like family, and you should try to experience some of
the cuisine and small shops in them.
     Of course, having the money to eat, drink, and be merry in
Dallas, Fort Worth, or Grapevine is important, and visitors will
be pleased that the airport is home to a number of automatic
teller machines. For your convenience ATM's are located in
Terminal 2E by gates 4, 11, and 22; in Terminal 3E by gates 27
and 38; in Terminal 4E by gates 14 and 21; and in Terminal 2W by
gate 11.  
     You should also note that one of the conveniences of meeting
at the Hyatt Regency DFW is that it may not be necessary to get a
cab to take you to the hotel. The airport runs a subway train
that stops near the long corridor running between the east and
west towers of the hotel. The ride is free, and the trains run
frequently. So, if you have luggage that you can carry or roll,
this is a great option to consider.
     Finally, let me say to those who were not able to attend the
1990 or 1993 conventions, which were also held at this hotel, the
facility is wonderful. The staff is a delight, and there are
restaurants for every taste and pocketbook. Some people may be a
little leery of coming to this hotel because they fear they won't
be able to get to town to have a good time. I can tell you that
those who came to the last two conventions at the Hyatt DFW
managed just fine, and we have heard lots of positive comments
about the facility, the two major host cities, and the
hospitality people experienced. So come and join us. No problems
are ever too big for Federationists to overcome working together.
Transportation to Dallas and Fort Worth during the convention is
small potatoes compared to the important issues we will be
discussing and the decisions we will be making. Come be a part of
the excitement and fun.
                                
                                
[PHOTO/CAPTION: The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History]
   Science Museum's Hands-on Exhibits Let Visitors See Dinos,
                       Reach for the Stars
                        by Kelly Melhart
                                
     From the Editor: The following article appeared in the June
22, 1997, edition of the Fort Worth Star Telegram. It gives
families one more idea about things to do in the Dallas/Fort
Worth area before or after the convention this summer. The
article is reprinted by courtesy of the Fort Worth Star Telegram
                                
     At the edge of the Cultural District a dinosaur has taken up
residence at 1501 Montgomery Street, an Acrocanthosaurus to be
exact, a meat-eating dinosaur cousin to the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The fourteen-foot-tall, 40-foot-long dinosaur is part of the
DinoDig exhibit at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History,
one of eight permanent exhibits. The outdoor discovery area
allows children and adults to get their hands dirty while they
dig for imitation dinosaur bones.
     Missy Matthews, marketing coordinator for the museum, said
all the exhibits are interactive and aid the learning process.
"Studies have shown that that's the way people learn," she said.
"When they can discover things for themselves, it is a much more
meaningful experience than reading a label."
     Other hands-on exhibits include KIDSPACE; Hands on Science;
History of Medicine; Your Body; IBM Calculators and Computers;
Rocks and Fossils; and People and Their Possessions, which
includes the demonstration and discovery area, Hands on History.
The museum combines the mysteries of the past with the
technologies of the future to create a learning environment for
children and adults, Matthews said.
     "We are science and history," she said. "We are an
educational institution, and so our overall criterion that the
films and exhibits have to meet is to educate. "
     The museum is also home to a 390-seat Omni Theater, the
Museum School, the Noble Planetarium, the Museum Store, and the
Courtyard Cafe.
     The Omni shows educational films in a state-of-the-art
theater that houses an eighty-foot domed screen and a seventy-
two-speaker sound system. The science and nature films are shown
for a limited time, but the short footage that gives a
stomach-dropping helicopter's-eye view of Fort Worth precedes
every show.
     The Museum School on the lower level of the museum offers
instruction for children from preschool through the sixth grade.
Kit Goolsby, the museum's director of education, said the fifty-
six-year-old school has such a reputation that parents stand in
line every fall and spring to register their children in the
unusual program.
     "It is truly unique because it is based on the collections
in the museum," she said. "The hands-on introduction to natural
science, physical science, and history isn't possible anywhere
else where you don't have the collections to support the
curriculum."
     The museum is open seven days a week. Admission to the
exhibits is $5 for adults and $4 for children ages three to
twelve and seniors. An exhibit pass is good throughout the month
in which it is purchased. The exhibit pass does not include
admission to the Omni or the planetarium, but discounts are
offered for admission to all three.
     The Omni Theater is also open seven days a week, and
admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. The
Noble Planetarium offers shows Wednesday through Sunday. Cost is
$3. Museum parking is free and is located in the Cultural
District parking area on the west side of the Will Rogers
Memorial Center.
                                
                                
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Emerson Foulke, 1929 to 1997]
                       Emerson Foulke Dies
                         by Marc Maurer
                                
     On Monday, December 29, 1997, Dr. Emerson Foulke, a long-
time member and leader in the National Federation of the Blind,
died of cancer at his home in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Foulke
was well known in the field of research regarding blindness and
Braille. He established the Research Laboratory at the University
of Louisville, where he served as a professor of psychology for a
quarter of a century. For over a year in 1995 and 1996 he was the
director of the International Braille Research Center, an
international research organization focusing on Braille and
communications for the blind.
     Dr. Foulke was a leader of the National Federation of the
Blind of Kentucky. He was instrumental in the establishment of
the Research and Development Committee of the National Federation
of the Blind, and he was one of the principal researchers
designing innovative products for the Federation. In 1993 he was
granted the Distinguished Blind Educator of the Year Award by the
National Federation of the Blind. He was widely published in the
field of Braille and tactile communications. He worked
extensively to enhance understanding of Braille codes and to
ensure their ease of use. He is one of the best-known authors
dealing with research into the use and importance of Braille.
     These are facts about the life and contribution of Emerson
Foulke, but they do not demonstrate the character of the man. He
was enormously curious about the way things are done and how
people think. He was warm and generous and always prepared to
offer a joke or a story. He could be serious and analytical, but
he felt that the leavening of an amusing anecdote or a shaggy dog
story would help to lighten the mood and make the day go better.
He was prepared to give a hand and help a friend, but he was also
prepared to share his knowledge, his experience, and his
resources with someone he had only recently met. Among his
enormous curiosities, he conducted the most extensive research in
the nation regarding the way in which blind people learn through
tactile images. His contributions must be measured not in
individual accomplishments but in the framework of the mind and
spirit that he brought to creating a better life for the blind.
     My life and the lives of many other Federation members have
been enriched because Dr. Emerson Foulke was our friend. He is
gone, but the spirit of excitement, of exploration, and of
enthusiasm that was an essential part of him is with us still.
     The obituary in the Louisville, Kentucky, Courier-Journal
has this to say about Dr. Emerson Foulke, a Federationist who
will be greatly missed:
                                
            Emerson Foulke Dies; Was U of L Professor
                     Innovator for the Blind
                      by Katherine L. Sears
                                
     Emerson Foulke, a retired psychology professor at the
University of Louisville who established a research center that
developed alternative forms of reading and communication for
visually impaired adults, died of cancer Monday at his Louisville
home. He was sixty-eight.
     Foulke, who had been blind since he was two, worked to
develop alternatives to Braille because most blind Americans
can't read Braille, he told the Courier-Journal in 1976.
     He founded the Perceptual Alternatives Laboratory in 1968
and served as its director until he retired in 1992.
     Foulke developed techniques to compress information from
audio tapes. His equipment could speed up recordings of books and
text and still enable someone to retain pertinent information.
     He also worked to increase the number of ideas that could be
expressed in Braille to make it easier for people to understand
complex subjects such as chemistry and math.
     Foulke also developed for blind people a curved cane that
wouldn't get caught in sidewalk gratings.
     Lela Johns, an assistant of Foulke at the lab, said the
university closed it after he retired. But Foulke continued to
devise improvements to computer codes in math for the National
Federation of the Blind, Johns said.
     "He was still very active in the research for improving the
educational techniques and communication for visually impaired
people," Johns said. "He was a very challenging person to work
for. He always wanted to learn more."
     Louisville resident Tim Cranmer, who chairs the
International Braille Research Center in Baltimore, said Foulke
was known worldwide for his innovations in electronic
communications for blind and visually impaired people.
     "He is probably the most widely published and widely quoted
(person) in the field of Braille research and tactile
communications," said Cranmer, who also is blind. "His loss is
absolutely profound as far as our field is concerned. We do not
have a successor for Dr. Foulke."
     Cranmer said Foulke recently received the Louis Braille
Memorial Award, a 3-ounce solid-gold medallion and $10,000, from
the International Braille Research Center, which Foulke helped
establish in 1985.
     Last year Foulke spoke to the World Blind Union meeting in
South America. He also earned the Distinguished Teaching Award
from the University of Louisville.
     His survivors include his wife, Marilyn Foulke; sisters
Margaret Meyer and Patricia Rountree; and a brother, Eldridge
Foulke.
     He willed his body to the University of Louisville School of
Medicine. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. January 10 at
First Unitarian Church, 809 South Fourth Street.
                                
                                
                             Recipes
                                
[PHOTO/CAPTION: David Andrews]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: David Andrews is seated at a table with two
full plates of food before him. He has a fork in hand and is
clearly ready to dig in. CAPTION: David Andrews always
appreciates good food, prepared by his own hands or anyone
else's.]
                   The Ultimate Chinese Feast
                        by David Andrews
                                
     From the Editor: This month's recipes come from the National
Federation of the Blind in Computer Science. When I consulted
with division president Curtis Chong about gathering recipes, he
was delighted to have the division represented by one of the
finest cooks in the entire organization. Most people know David
Andrews as the past director of the International Braille and
Technology Center for the Blind at the National Center for the
Blind and as the systems operator for the NFB's computer bulletin
board. But many people in New Mexico, Baltimore, the Twin Cities,
and lots of places in between also know him as an excellent
Chinese cook. His outlook on cooking is casual; his style is
free-wheeling; and his results are memorable. This is what he
says:
                                
     One common stereotype about people who work around computers
concerns our eating habits. Common wisdom would have us dining
endlessly on Coke, pizza, Cheese Doodles, Hostess Twinkies, and
the like.
     While I have been known to call Domino's on occasion, I also
know my way around the kitchen, as well as the dining room and
the computer room. To emphasize the point, I here offer my
instructions for the Ultimate Chinese Feast. This meal, if done
in its entirety, takes preparation over several days and should
not be attempted by the kitchen impaired. However, as Curtis
Chong, the President of the NFB in Computer Science, can attest,
the results are well worth the effort.
     The menu for the Ultimate Chinese Feast includes hot and
sour soup, chicken and cashews, stir-fried cabbage, Szechuan
cucumber salad, meat or vegetable fried rice, steamed rice, and
jasmine tea. You can, of course, omit some items from the menu or
add more, as I once did, but be prepared to spend lots of time in
the kitchen.
     A note on ingredients: Most of the ingredients for these
recipes are available from well-stocked supermarkets. They all
now carry bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and soy sauce. Most
supermarkets now also carry ginger root, tofu, and snow peas.
Some of the more esoteric ingredients--tree ears, etc.--will have
to be obtained from Chinese or Asian markets or by mail order.
The Chinese dark vinegar and Szechuan pepper used in the Szechuan
cucumber salad recipe are necessary to achieve authentic taste,
so make substitutions at your own risk, but it can be done.
     Do not buy inexpensive grocery-store soy sauce such as La
Choy or Chung King. This stuff isn't true soy sauce and is
terrible. I would recommend Kikkoman. It is made right here in
the good old U.S.A., is quite good, and is widely available.
     A note about measurements: Many of my measurements are
somewhat imprecise. If you are into measuring things exactly,
take up baking; otherwise, head for the kitchen and experiment.
You can vary most measurements according to your budget, the size
of your guest list and cooking vessels, and your culinary
preferences. I will provide guidelines, but I generally don't
measure closely, so many of the amounts are approximations. Just
use common sense and your hands and have fun!
     The first step is making the stock for the soup. You can use
canned chicken broth to save time, but I personally would never
do such a thing.
     Put a large chicken into a big pot (at least six quarts),
cover with at least two quarts of water, and add a carrot, an
onion, and a rib of celery, each of which has been cut into
several pieces. You don't have to peel the carrot or remove the
celery leaves because you are going to discard the vegetables at
the end anyway. You can also add a couple of bay leaves and a
handful of black peppercorns. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover,
reduce the heat, and cook for at least two hours--three or four
is better. Add water if needed, you want at least eight cups of
stock at the end. Turn off the heat and let the pot cool.
     Pour off the stock into another container and refrigerate
overnight. Sort through the remaining contents of the pot. Save
the chicken meat--to make chicken curry casserole. (That is a
recipe for another day.) Discard the chicken skin, vegetables,
and spices.
     The next evening you can use the chicken stock to make the
hot and sour soup. You will be able to lift the fat from the top
of the stock since refrigeration causes it to rise to the top of
the container and congeal.
                                
                        Hot and Sour Soup
                                
Ingredients:
8 cups or more chicken stock
1/2 to 1 pound pork (from chops or pork steak)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
A handful of Chinese dried black mushrooms
5 or six tree ears
A handful of lily buds
1 package tofu
1 tablespoon black pepper or more to taste
1/4 cup vinegar
2 eggs beaten
2 tablespoons corn starch mixed with 1/2 cup water
                                
     Method: Soak the mushrooms, tree ears, and lily buds in warm
water for about half an hour. This stuff smells pretty funky but
is good in the soup. These ingredients are available from Chinese
or Asian markets. They may be called different things. The black
mushrooms are usually called "that." Tree ears may be called
"black fungus," and lily buds may be called "golden needles" or
something else. They are all dried products. The tree ears are
generally fairly large pieces of matter with many folds and
crevices. The lily buds are thin and about two inches long.
     After soaking, cut out the stems from the mushrooms and tree
ears and cut them into strips. The stems may be quite tough.
Remove the stem ends from the lily buds. Cut the pork into 1/4 by
1/4 by 2 inch strips and sprinkle with the soy sauce.
     Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the meat, dried
Chinese matter, vinegar, and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and
simmer for ten minutes. If you like your soup hotter, add some
red pepper or tabasco sauce.
     Drain the water from the block of tofu and gently squeeze a
little more out. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to the soup after
the ten-minute cooking time; cover and cook for three minutes.
     Gently pour the beaten eggs into the soup, beating and
mixing them in with a fork. Cook for a minute or two, then add
the corn starch and water. Be sure that there are no lumps in the
corn starch mixture. Stir well to prevent lumping and cook for
another minute or two to allow soup to thicken a little. You can
serve immediately with chopped green onions to garnish each bowl,
or refrigerate the soup overnight for the feast. If your guests
ask you what is in the soup, and they invariably will, be evasive
until they are finished. They really don't want to know they are
eating fungus.
                                
                        Dave's Ginger Mix
                                
     One key ingredient in many of my Chinese dishes is something
I will call "Dave's ginger mix." It is fresh ginger root with a
little extra kick.
     I wash one or more fresh ginger roots, cut them into chunks,
and throw them into my food processor--peel and all. You are
going to cook them anyway, so they won't hurt you. I add two or
more fresh jalapeno peppers, stems removed, and at least three
cloves of peeled garlic. You can vary these ingredients according
to your taste.
     Process this mixture into a coarse paste. Use it in the
recipes below. You can also put it into a Ziploc bag, sealing and
flattening the bag with the mixture inside. This makes a thin
sheet of Dave's mix. Freeze the whole thing, bag and all; and,
when you need ginger, break off a piece, thaw, and squeeze some
of the liquid into the dish being prepared.
     On the day of the event, get up early and start chopping.
With Chinese cooking you need to do virtually all of the
preparation ahead of time. Once you start stir-frying, you won't
have a lot of time to chop and mix.
     Also remember to call your house-cleaning person in advance.
After all, one of the reasons for hosting such an event is that
it's a great excuse to clean the old homestead.
                                
                       Chicken and Cashews
                                
Ingredients:
2 or more boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon Dave's ginger mix
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
oil for stir-frying
2 more tablespoons Dave's ginger mix
5 or 6 dried red peppers (optional)
2 ribs celery
2 green peppers (or one green and one red)
1/4 pound snow peas
1 onion
1 package of fresh mushrooms
1 can bamboo shoots
1 can sliced water chestnuts
other optional vegetables
1/2 cup chicken broth or 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1/2
     cup warm water
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
a handful of cashews (about a cup or as many as you can afford)
                                
     Method: The secret of this recipe is marinating the chicken.
Cut the boneless skinless breast pieces into strips about two
inches long by 1/4 inch thick. Depending on how thick each breast
fillet is, you may want to lay the slices flat and cut each one
in half lengthwise to make narrower strips.
     Put the chicken, corn starch, egg white, salt, soy sauce,
and 1 tablespoon of Dave's ginger mix together in a bowl, mix,
cover, and refrigerate for at least two hours. Stir at least once
during the marinating process.
     Cut the celery diagonally into 1/4 inch pieces. Cut the
peppers into strips 1/4 inch by two or three inches. Cut the
onion into eighths and separate into pieces. Wash, dry, and slice
mushrooms. Drain the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, reserving
the liquid. Wash the snow peas, dry, and remove the stems. I
prepare the vegetables ahead of time, storing each in a Ziploc
bag. It is important to keep them separate from each other since
each cooks for a different amount of time.
     Other optional vegetables include green or Chinese cabbage,
zucchini, green onions, green beans, carrots, etc. Add according
to your taste, budget, size of guest list, and size of wok. The
mandatory vegetables can also be varied according to the same
factors.
     In a wok or frying pan heat 1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable
oil--not olive oil. Get the oil fairly hot and add the chicken--
marinade and all. Stir-fry for five or six minutes, until the
chicken is just about done. Remove from the wok and set aside.
Some of the marinade ingredients will stick to the wok. Scrape
them up and add them to the chicken if you wish, draining off
oil. I stir-fry using an implement that is a cross between a
spatula and a spoon. It has a handle, is round at the business
end, and is perforated with dozens of small holes. It is slightly
concave in shape. I found it in the kitchen-implement section of
my grocery store. It is great for turning stir-frying food, and
the holes permit you to remove the chicken from the wok, draining
off oil at the same time.
     Wash the wok and return it to the stove. Heat two
tablespoons of oil, and add two tablespoons of Dave's ginger mix.
Stir-fry for thirty seconds and add hot peppers if you wish.
Stir-fry for fifteen more seconds, then add celery. Stir-fry for
one minute, add green and red peppers and cook for another one to
two minutes. Continue stirring the whole time. Add the onions and
cook for another minute or so. Add the snow peas, mushrooms, and
oyster sauce and cook for another two minutes. You can add any
optional vegetables at the appropriate times. Experience and your
taste for doneness will guide you.
     Add the bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and cooked chicken
and mix to heat. Add the chicken broth and allow to heat for
thirty seconds or so. Mix together the reserved bamboo shoot and
water chestnut liquids, soy sauce, and corn starch. Stir well to
dissolve the corn starch. Make a well in the middle of the wok
and pour this liquid into it. Let it sit for thirty to forty-five
seconds to thicken, add cashews, and mix everything together.
Turn off heat and serve.
                                
                       Stir-Fried Cabbage
                                
Ingredients:
8 cups or more of green cabbage, bok choy, or a mixture of the
two
3 medium onions
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon Dave's ginger mix
4 tablespoons soy sauce
                                
     Method: Coarsely chop the cabbage. Peel the onions, remove
ends, cut into eights, and separate into individual pieces.
     Heat the oil and stir-fry my ginger mix for thirty seconds.
Add a handful of dried red peppers if you enjoy such things as I
do. Add onion and stir-fry for about a minute and a half. Add the
cabbage and continue stir-frying until the cabbage reaches the
doneness you like; it should take four or five minutes. Add the
soy sauce and cook for another thirty seconds.
     This dish can be made in advance and reheated in the
microwave without a major degradation in its quality. It is quick
and easy and goes well with baked chicken. Since cabbage and
onions keep for a relatively long time, you can almost always
have the ingredients at hand, especially if you keep the ginger
mix in the freezer. It is also delicious when mixed with cooked
egg noodles.
                                
                           Fried Rice
                                
Ingredients:
4 cups or more cooked rice
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup of cooked meat (shrimp, pork, chicken, beef, or whatever
you like)
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced green pepper
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 egg beaten (optional)
1/4 cup soy sauce
                                
     Method: Cook the meat in advance and cut into 1/4-inch dice.
The meat can be omitted if you prefer vegetable fried rice.
     Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and add the ginger
mix. Stir-fry for about thirty seconds. Add all the vegetables
and stir-fry for about two minutes. Add the meat and mix
everything together. Next add the rice, stir-frying constantly.
It will take a while to get everything mixed together; don't add
it all at once. Stir-fry to heat. Some of the mixture will stick
to the wok. Don't worry about it. If you are going to all this
trouble to cook dinner, someone else can wash the dishes.
     Add the soy sauce and egg (the egg helps to bind everything
together), mix well. Serve and modestly accept the praise.
                                
                     Szechuan Cucumber Salad
                                
Ingredients:
2 medium cucumbers, (about 1 pound)
3 cloves garlic
2 green onions, minced
1 tablespoon Chinese dark vinegar
1 tablespoon chili flakes in oil
1/2 teaspoon ground Szechuan pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
                                
     Method: If you have tender summer cucumbers from someone's
garden, you can leave most of the skin on the cucumbers. If you
have the grocery store variety, remove most of the skin in
lengthwise strips.
     Cut the cukes in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
Cut each half into two pieces lengthwise once again. Then smack
each piece with the side of a Chinese cleaver or the side of a
big knife. This opens up the flesh to accept the sauce better.
Finally cut strips into 1-inch pieces.
     Mince the garlic until it is nearly a paste. A little added
salt may help with this process. Mix the garlic paste with the
rest of the sauce ingredients and pour over the cucumbers. Allow
them to sit a few minutes, then serve.
                                
                       Chili Flakes in Oil
                                
     Method: Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan until
it starts to smoke. Turn off heat and allow to cool for three
minutes. Add 1/4 cup chili flakes (ground red chilies). The oil
will foam and turn dark. Store covered in the refrigerator.
                                
     This dinner can be somewhat difficult to orchestrate, which
is why you must make the soup in advance. It is also helpful to
have all shopping, cleaning, and table-setting done in advance.
Prepare all vegetables, sauces, and cooked rice the day of the
feast. There are many good rice steamers on the market, including
one sold by the NFB's Materials Center. You may wish to serve
steamed rice along with the fried rice since many people like to
eat their chicken and cashews on a bed of rice.
     You can heat the soup and serve it to your guests when they
arrive. This meal should be taken at a leisurely pace. The
chicken and cashews should be started slightly ahead of the fried
rice. While it is possible to man both woks, it is a little
difficult. I usually draft one of the guests to stir one of the
woks while I handle the other and parcel out ingredients and
sauces for both at the appropriate times. People are usually glad
to help because they want to know how it is all done.
     As mentioned earlier, the cabbage can be heated in the
microwave. And don't forget to boil water to make the tea. The
experience can be a little hectic, but well worth the effort.
                                
     P.S. I once served this meal to Eileen Rivera, former
President of the Baltimore Chapter, and she went into labor with
her daughter Maria later the same evening. I make no claims
either way, but it is an interesting fact.
                                
                                
                       Monitor Miniatures
                                
Braille Books Needed:
     Monitor readers may remember that in the March, 1997, issue
we carried a notice from Judith Kramer offering free Braille
books while her supply lasted. The response to the notice was
overwhelming. Long after the books were gone, she received the
following letter from Ethiopia:
                                
                                                November 12, 1997
Dear Mrs. Judith Kramer,
     I am a blind teacher of history in Ethiopia. I also study
law in evening classes. When I read in the Braille Monitor that
you have available books in Braille, I felt great joy, because in
my area there is no library, and I almost work and study empty-
handed. As a result I determined to write for more information
about the books and to request available books of history, law,
or English. Hopefully, I expect your quick response.
                                                       Sincerely,
                                                    Teklay Tesfay
                                
     If anyone has Braille books on the requested topics that
could be donated, send them to Teklay Tesfay, P.O. Box 211,
Mekele, Tigray, Ethiopia.
                                
For Sale:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     I have for sale an electric battery-operated Canon
typewriter with three cartridges and manual, $100; Scrabble board
game, $50; Checkerboard and checkers, $15; Dominoes, $15; Braille
compass, $25; and a Braille watch, $20. Contact Jake E. Miller,
434 N. Washington St., P.O. Box 5001, Millersburg, Ohio 44654,
(330) 674-0015.
                                
Elected:
     Patrick Comorato, Board Member of the Greater Philadelphia
Chapter of the NFB of Pennsylvania, reports the chapter's recent
election results. The new members are Margaret Mason, President;
Leon Conaway, First Vice President; Bernice Johnson, Second Vice
President; Marilyn Klein, Secretary; and Lois Holmes, Treasurer.
Patrick Comorato and Stanley Ingram are the new Board Members.
                                
Computer System for Sale:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     I have for sale a complete computer system (two years old)
including access technology. The system includes a Gateway 2000
p5-133XL computer. The full tower system includes a 133 MHz
Pentium processor, 32 megabytes of memory, a 1.6 gigabyte hard
disk, 3.5 and 5.25 inch floppy drives, a 3-disk quad speed CD-ROM
changer, Creative Labs AWE32 Sound Blaster sound card and
speakers, Matrox Millenium SVGA video board and 17-inch monitor,
and a Jumbo 1.3 gigabyte tape backup drive. The system also
includes Windows 95, DOS 6.22, Office 95, Encarta 95, backup
software for the tape drive, and various other CD-ROM disks and
other software programs. The system can also be sold with a
SynPhonix 215 speech synthesizer, the latest versions of Artic's
Business Vision and WinVision, and the SONIXTTS module. I am also
willing to throw in a Hewlett-Packard 2p scanner with interface
card.
     I am asking $2,500 or best offer for everything. I would
prefer to sell everything together but might be willing to sell
the access hardware/software and the scanner separately if no one
is interested in the whole package. You can contact me by calling
(612) 696-1679 or sending e-mail to david.andrews@nfbnet.org
                                
Correction:
     NFB of Iowa member John TeBockhorst of SOS Send Our Silks, a
small company selling silk-flower arrangements, writes to say
that in the Miniature appearing in the December issue the
business Web site address was incorrect. The right address is
http://www.sossendoursilks.com
     We regret the error.
                                
Max Woolly Dies:
     We recently learned that on Friday, December 19, 1997, J.
Max Woolly, superintendent of the Arkansas School for the Blind
until his retirement in 1982, died at the age of eighty-three.
Until very recently Mr. Woolly, who received many honors in the
blindness field, continued to be an influential force at the
Arkansas School for the Blind.
                                
For Sale:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Accu-check II Freedom blood glucose monitor with voice
output. Best offer. Call Doris at (402) 273-4361.
                                
Elected:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Tina Hansen recently wrote to announce that in April of 1997
the Capitol Chapter of the NFB of Oregon elected the following
members to office: Jackie Shepherd, President; Kathlene McGrew,
Vice President; Tina Hansen, Secretary; and Donna Henry,
Treasurer.
                                
In Memoriam:
     Ramona Walhof, President of the NFB of Idaho, reports the
death of Ethel Vulgamore, former President of the Magic Valley
Chapter in Twin Falls and organizer of the West End Chapter in
Buhl. She died on December 7, 1997, in Twin Falls at the age of
eighty-nine. Ethel lost her vision in her seventies, took
training, and became dynamite in working with other blind people.
Although Buhl is a small town (just over 3,000 people), Ethel was
determined to have a chapter there, so she built it. When one of
our deaf-blind members could no longer live alone, Ethel took her
into her own apartment and looked after her. The beginning of her
story appears in Walking Alone and Marching Together. Her memory
continues in the hearts of those she touched. She lived a full
life and continued active and productive through most of her
eighties. She will be missed.
                                
Fortune Cookies:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Lucky Touch Fortune Cookie Company is a student-operated
business at the California School for the Blind that sells giant
fortune cookies (about six inches by five inches by four inches)
with combined large print and Braille fortunes, and regular-sized
fortune cookies with Braille fortunes. The standard cookies sell
for 40 cents each and the large ones for $6 each. We can also put
in customized fortunes. For more information please contact
Judith Lesner, Advisor, at (510) 794-3800, extension 300, or e-
mail to jlesner@supreme.cde.ca
                                
Audio Darts Tournament:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Audio Darts of Pittsburgh will hold the first Harold
Schledel Darts Tournament during the weekend of April 17 to 19,
1998, at the Best Western Motel, 3401 Boulevard of the Allies,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The room rate is $69 plus tax per
night, and four persons may share a room. For room registrations
call (412) 683-6100. The first event will be at 7:30 p.m. on
Friday, and the tournament should conclude at 5:00 p.m. on
Sunday. The cost of the entire tournament will be $60. Make
checks payable to Audio Darts of Pittsburgh, and mail to Louis
Wassermann, 2503 Silver Oak Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15220. For more information, call Lois Briggs (412) 366-2630,
Harold Schlegel (412) 921-0172, or Joe Wassermann (412) 687-5166.
                                
For Sale:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Kurzweil Personal Reader with scanner, software (version
2.2) and cassette and print manuals for $1,000 or best offer.
Call Cheryl Daube at (312) 236-8569.
                                
JAWS for Windows Needed:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     The Voice of Print of the Northwest Florida Radio Reading
Service, Inc., a free service for the blind and physically
handicapped, needs the Jaws Screen Reader for Windows 95 at a
reasonable price or a tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit
organization. We will greatly appreciate the help since our
organization is run strictly by volunteers. For further
information contact us toll-free at (888) 941-2888. Please leave
your name and number, and we will return your call as soon as
possible.
                                
For Sale:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Jumbo Braillewriter, $400 (negotiable); talking adding
machine, $200 (negotiable); and Braille 'n Speak 640, $900, with
carrying case and cable. Contact Kathy at (617) 969-3496 (cannot
return long-distance calls).
                                
Back Issues of the Braille Monitor on NFB NET:
     NFB NET, the National Federation of the Blind's computer
bulletin board system, now has over eleven years of Braille
Monitors available for on-line reading or downloading. NFB NET
went on-line in early 1991 and from the beginning has made
available all copies of the Monitor dating from late 1990 to the
present. However, users have steadily asked for older back
issues.
     With the help of Mrs Dyer, who was formerly in charge of the
Records Center at the National Center for the Blind and who now
serves as Dr. Jernigan's secretary, we are now able to make the
Braille Monitor available on NFB NET, starting with the November,
1986, issue.
     All issues can be either read on-line using the v (View)
command or downloaded to your own computer. They are available as
both ASCII text files and zipped versions of the same file. These
zipped files are much faster to download but require a special
unzip program to extract the file. This program is also available
from NFB NET. It has the name "PKZ204G.EXE"
     Each issue's name starts with the letters BRLM and is
followed by a two-digit year code, a two-digit month code, a
period, and either a TXT or ZIP extension. For example, the
November, 1986, Braille Monitor is "BRLM8611.TXT" or
"BRLM8611.ZIP" and the January, 1998, Monitor is either
"BRLM9801.TXT" or "BRLM9801.ZIP"
All of the Braille Monitors are located in File Area 3.
     You can reach NFB NET with a conventional modem by calling
(612) 696-1975. If you have an Internet connection, you can
Telnet to NFB NET free by using the address "nfbnet.org"
                                
Elected:
     At its November, 1997, meeting the Greater Long Island
Chapter of the NFB of New York elected the following officers:
David Stayer, President; Christine Faltz, First Vice President;
George Dominguez, Second Vice President; Loraine Stayer,
Treasurer; Sara S. Berger, Corresponding Secretary; Lynn Juhlin,
Recording Secretary; and Brad Greenspan and John Stevenson, Board
Members.
                                
Database of Accessible Books and Materials:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) introduces
Louis, the Database of Accessible Books and Materials for People
Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired (formerly called CARL ET AL).
Named Louis as a celebration and continuation of the work of
Louis Braille, this cooperative database provides bibliographic
location information for books and materials in Braille, large-
type, recorded, and computer disk formats. These materials are
available from 200 agencies across North America.
     Louis is now available on the Internet at the APH Web site
http://www.aph.org
Louis can also be accessed by direct dial-in. Contact Christine
Anderson, Resources Services Manager, to receive software for
direct dial-in access.
     There is no charge for access to Louis, but APH asks major
agencies and schools submitting titles and searching Louis to
make an annual contribution of $300. Contact Christine Anderson,
Resource Services Manager, (502) 899-2338 or (800) 223-1839, or
Gary Mudd, Public Relations Director, (502) 895-2405. You may
write to American Printing House for the Blind, Inc., at 1839
Frankfort Avenue, P.O. Box 6085, Louisville, Kentucky 40206-0085,
or fax a request to (502) 895-1509.
                                
Summer Music Institute:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     The Music and Arts Center for the Handicapped is accepting
applications from motivated blind musicians throughout the United
States, in high school or beginning college, to participate in
its third Summer Music Institute for Blind College-Bound
Musicians. This three-week program, to be held in July at the
University of Bridgeport, will provide exposure to music Braille,
music composition by computer, keyboard, theory, and ensemble as
well as strategies for study and independent living in a college
setting. Enrollment is limited to fifteen students, who will be
accepted based on their applications and over-the-phone
interviews. Cost of the program, including tuition, room and
board, and materials, is $2,500. Partial scholarships are
available. Applications must be completed and returned by May 1.
     The National Resource Center for Blind Musicians provides
information to musicians, students, and teachers on music Braille
and accessible music technology. The Center can provide advice
about music systems or put people in touch with someone in its
national network of blind musicians with experience in a
particular aspect of the field.
     For an application to the Summer Music Institute or to reach
the National Resource Center, contact the Music and Arts Center
for the Handicapped, 600 University Avenue, Bridgeport,
Connecticut 06601, phone (203) 366-3300,
e-mail 102730.163@compuserve.com
                                
New Chapter:
     Robert Greenberg reports the formation of the Orange-Durham
Counties Chapter of the NFB of North Carolina on December 9,
1997. The officers are Robert Greenberg, President; Tonia
Valletta, Vice President; and Denise Schlosser,
Secretary/Treasurer.
                                
Braille Materials Needed in China:
     We recently received the following request from Larry
Campbell, who conducts international programs for the Overbrook
School in Philadelphia:
     The Overbrook School for the Blind has been co-sponsoring a
leadership development and English-as-a-second-language course
for young leaders within the China Association of the Blind.
While I have been to China on many occasions in the past, this
time I was struck by the large number of young blind persons who
are struggling to learn English. Most of them have little or no
access to Braille materials in English other than those we are
providing in conjunction with this course. Therefore the few
magazines that do get there are read and reread until the Braille
is virtually worn flat. For example, one young man with whom I
spent some time was reading an old issue of Parenting magazine,
which I think he must have had memorized from rereading it so
many times.
     It occurred to me that if NFB members had magazines or
literature that they were no longer in need of, the materials
could be put to very good use by these young people in China. The
China Braille Press has set up a section of its library to
accommodate such donations and to arrange for their circulation.
In fact, Zhu Ming, who participated in the Overbrook
International Program a couple of years ago, is now working in
the Foreign Language Department of the China Braille Press. Send
your Braille materials to Lawrence Campbell, Administrator,
International Program, Overbrook School for the Blind, 6333
Malvern Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19151-2597, or China
Braille Press, Foreign Language Dept., 39, Cheng Nei Street, Lu
Gou Qiao, Beijing 10072, China.
                                
For Sale:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Zoomtext for DOS, good condition, never used. I bought wrong
version and would like to sell for $150. Contact Ricky Melchor,
593 S. Kam Avenue, Kahului, Hawaii 96732 or e-mail to
Ricmelogg@aol.com
                                
New Chapter:
     Donald Capps, President of the NFB of South Carolina,
reports the formation of the affiliate's fifty-seventh chapter on
November 18, 1997. We welcome the Allendale County Chapter into
the Federation family. The officers are Robert Thomas, President;
Naomi Johnson, Vice President; and Vivian Durden, Treasurer.
                                
Tactile Map List:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Here is the 1998 book list of tactile drawings and maps from
the Princeton Braillists:
     Atlas of the Middle East, 69 pages, $20, including shipping.
     Atlas of North and South America, three units in four
volumes: Unit 1, Northern North America, 59 pages; Unit 2, The
United States, two volumes, 124 pages; and Unit 3, Middle and
South America, 51 pages. Price of four volumes is $50, packaging
and shipping, $6. Individual volumes, $15, packaging and shipping
$4.
     Basic Human Anatomy, 31 pages, $15 including shipping.
     Maps of Individual U.S. States: Florida, 12 full-page maps
with keys; New York, 13 full-page maps with keys; Pennsylvania, 9
full-page maps with keys; Vermont, 9 full-page maps with keys.
Cost of each booklet is $6 including shipping by free mail.
     Maps of Morocco, 19-page booklet with seven full-page maps
with keys, $5 including shipping by free mail.
     Maps of Russia and its Former Republics, 16-page booklet
with 6 maps with keys, $4 including shipping by free mail.
     Send check or purchase order to the Princeton Braillists,
28-B Portsmouth Street, Whiting, New Jersey 08759-2049. Credit
card and fax service is not available. Further information may be
obtained by calling (732) 350-3708 or (609) 924-5207.
                                
Choice Magazine Listening:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     Free audio tape anthologies of unabridged selections from
over 100 magazines for anyone who cannot read regular print.
Contact Choice Magazine Listening, 85 Channel Drive, Port
Washington, New York 11050, (516) 883-8280, fax: (516) 944-6849.
                                
For Sale:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     New complete Braille Blazer portable embosser and full case
of Braille fan-fold paper; new complete DECtalk PC speech
synthesizer, both complete and never taken out of packaging. Must
sacrifice for $2,750 or best offer, shipped to you. Call Jerry
Russell at (303) 769-4581.
                                
Barriers to Employment:
     We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
     The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on
Blindness and Low Vision at Mississippi State University requests
assistance in identifying innovative strategies or practices to
assist those who are blind or severely visually impaired in
overcoming barriers to employment. If you know of rehabilitation
providers or employers willing to share their expertise in
overcoming employment barriers, contact Amy Skinner at (800) 675-
7782, or write her at MSU-RRTC, P.O. Drawer 6189, Mississippi
State University, Mississippi 39762.
                                
                                
                           NFB PLEDGE
                                
     I pledge to participate actively in the effort of the
National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality,
opportunity, and security for the blind; to support the policies
and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its constitution.
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