                           BLIND WASHINGTONIAN                                     
       VOICE OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF WASHINGTON                                     
                                                                          
                               SUMMER 1997
Volume 3                                                                 
Issue 2

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

Blind Washingtonian subscriptions cost the Federation about 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 of Washington and sent to:  National Federation of 
the Blind of Washington, 1701 Broadway, Suite 269, Vancouver, Washington 
98663-3436  

Produced in Grade Two Braille for the National Federation of the Blind of 
Washington by AJS Braille Service, 707 East Garland, Spokane, WA 
99207-3027, (509) 487-8959. 
Mike Freeman, President
1701 Broadway, Suite 269
Vancouver, Washington 98663-3436
(360) 571-7987
e-mail: mikef@pacifier.com

Albert Sanchez, Editor
707 East Garland
Spokane, Washington 99207-3027
(509) 487-8959
e-mail: alberts@comtch.iea.com



     The Blind Washingtonian is available in print, braille and cassette. 
Address changes, requests for additional copies of this newsletter, and 
articles for publication should be sent to the Editor.

                                     
                             EDITOR'S CORNER
                                                                          
                            by Albert Sanchez

     Those of you who are regular readers of the Blind Washingtonian may 
remember that I started the "corner" column soon after taking this 
editorial position.  My idea was that this could be a place where pieces 
of information that were to small for a full-length article could be 
included, (somewhat along the lines of the Monitor Miniatures.) It has 
been my notion for some while that we should add at least one more 
"corner" column to our publication--one for parents and/or teachers of 
blind students here in the state, (call it "Parents/Teachers Corner") and, 
(if enough interest is shown)--one for the students themselves, (call it 
Kids Corner.) I firmly believe that we have an obligation to spread our 
message as far as we can.  I also believe that the children of the next 
generation (and those people who teach and raise them) should have a place 
where they can express themselves.  Please let me know what you think, and 
feel free to send me your articles both for these new "Corners" and for 
the "Washingtonian".  Articles may be submitted in print, braille, or on 
computer disc.  While I'm thinking about it, these same comments could 
refer also to the "Letters to the Editor" column as well. 
     


CONGRATULATIONS!

     We recently received word that there are three winners of the 1997 
"Braille Readers are Leaders" contest (co-sponsored by the National 
Organization of Parents of Blind Children NOPBC, and the National 
Association to Promote the Use of Braille NAPUB) from Washington State.  
They are:  Clarisa Darcy, Amy Mmore, and Stuart Weller.
     the first-place award in the Print to Braille category went to 
Clarissa Darcy. She is in the eleventh grade and attends the Washington 
State School for the Blind. She is deaf-blind.  The first-place prize is 
$75 plus a certificate and teashirt. She read 967 pages.
     The third-place prize, also in the Print to Braille catagory went to 
Amy Mmore. Amy is a 9th grader at WSSB, and received a $25 prize along 
with a teashirt and a certificate. Amy read 575 pages.
     Stuart Weller won second-prize in the category for children Grades 
2-4. This means an award of $50 along with a teashirt and certificate. He 
read 4,338 pages.
     The Washington State School for the Blind also will receive honorable 
mention. Of the schools for the blind who entered students, it had the 
third-highest number of entries (tops being the Kentucky School for the 
Blind followed by the Arizona School for the Blind and Deaf).
     Congratulations to Clarisa, Amy, and Stuart for a job well-done.
     Congratulations also to WSSB. May we have more winners next year and 
may WSSB have the most entries of a school for the blind in the country.

                                     
                         CONVENTION ANNOUNCEMENT

     The annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind of 
Washington will take place during the weekend of October 3-5 1997 at the 
Tacoma Inn Best Western located at 8726 S. Hosmer Street, Tacoma 
Washington.
     Friday afternoon's activities will start with a Job Opportunities for 
the Blind (JOB) seminar, followed later that evening by a combined Board 
of Directors meeting (open to everyone) and dinner (price is $16.00.) The 
resolutions committee will follow the Board meeting.
     This year we will have Priscilla Ferris as our national 
representative. Priscilla, a longtime Federationist and President of our 
Massachusetts affiliate,  has never been to our beautiful state so we will 
want to make her visit with us one she will remember.
     The general session of the convention will be called to order at 8:30 
a.m. on Saturday. Registration will open at 8:00. The cost is $20.00 at 
the door ($18.00 prior to Oct. 3rd). 
     Following adjournment of the morning session a "Parents of Blind 
children" lunch will be held ($10.00.) The convention will reconvene at 
approximately 2:00 p.m.
     Saturday evening will be taken up with the banquet dinner, along with 
the awarding of scholarships, other activities, and, of course an address 
by our national representative.
     The Sunday morning session will top off the federation weekend, 
commencing at around 9:00 a.m.
     Room rates for this activity-filled convention are: $55.00 singles; 
$60.00 doubles, triples and quads.
     For further information contact Mike Freeman, president, NFB of 
Washington at 360-574-8221.

                                     
 STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ADOPTS  REGULATIONS FOR COMPETENCY IN BRAILLE 
                               INSTRUCTION


     From the editor: In the Spring 1996 issue of the Blind Washingtonian 
we described briefly the events surrounding the passage by the legislature 
and subsequent signing of our "Braille Bill" by then Governor Mike Lowry 
(See "A FEDERATION WEEKEND TO REMEMBER")  Then, earlier this year we 
published the text of that legislation. Now we are pleased to provide you 
with the text of the regulations (passed by the Washington State Board of 
Education in June of 1996) mandating competency in Braille instruction. 

CHAPTER 180-16. STATE SUPPORT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS
180-16-238. Assignment of persons providing instruction of braille to 
  students.

(1) No certificated school district employee shall be assigned to 
  provide instruction of braille to students who has not demonstrated 
  competency with the grade two standard literary braille code by:
(a) Successful completion of the National Literary Braille Competency 
  Test;
or
(b) Successful completion of the braille competency test developed at 
  Portland State University;
or
(c) Successful completion of any other test approved for use by the 
  state board of education.

(2) No classified school district employee working under the supervision 
  of a certificated school district employee, which certificated employee 
  meets the requirement of subsection (1) of this section, may produce 
  braille material or provide instruction in the braille code unless the 
  employee has demonstrated competency with the grade two standard 
  literary braille code as provided under subsection (1) of this section.

(3) The state board shall establish a test review committee which shall 
  be responsible for developing criteria to evaluate a test under 
  subsection (1C) of this section.  No test shall be considered for 
  approval by the state board under subsection (1C) of this section unless 
  it has been evaluated by the test review committee and a recommendation 
  for approval or disapproval has been submitted to the board.  At a 
  minimum, the membership of the committee shall include persons 
  representing:
(a) National Federation of the Blind of Washington;
(b) Washington Council of the Blind;
(c) Association of Education and Rehabilitation of the blind and 
  visually impaired of Washington;
(d) Washington Instructional Resource Center for the visually impaired;
(e) Washington State School for the Blind; and
(f) Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

(4) A person who has met the requirement of subsection (1) of this 
  section shall maintain their facility with the grade two standard 
  literary braille code by:
(a) Completing ten hours every five years of continuing education; or
(b) Successful completion every five years of one of the tests under 
  subsection (1) of this section.

(5) This section shall take effect September 1, 1997.

                                     
                 NEWSLINE BEGINS SERVICE IN SEATTLE AREA

     Through a cooperative effort the National Federation of the Blind of 
Washington (NFB of WA), the Department of Services for the Blind (DSB), 

and the Seattle Public Library has made NEWSLINE available in Seattle.
     NEWSLINE is a nationwide newspaper service developed by the National 
Federation of the Blind. It was developed for people who are blind or 
visually impaired and is accessed through special telephone lines. There 
are no human voices--the reading is done through DecTalk, which is uniform 
and dependable. Newsline reads USA Today, the Chicago Tribune and the New 
York Times. When the technical difficulties are worked out, the Seattle 
numbers will also access the Seattle Post  Intelligencer.
     Through your phone, you can scan the entire paper, read or re-read 
articles, and skip around the paper as much as you like.
     A registration form can be obtained by calling (425) 823-6380. Please 
leave a message containing your name, address and a request for the form. 
If you have always wanted to read the paper at any time during the day, 
here is your chance!

                                     
                    1997 NFB of Washington Scholarship
                                                                          
                             by Rita Szantay

     The National Federation of the Blind of Washington is pleased to 
announce that once again at our annual state convention in October, we 
will be awarding two scholarships to recognize outstanding blind scholars 
in our state. All applicants must be (1) legally blind, (2) reside in the 
state of Washington, and (3) be pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time 
college or graduate course of study. The winners must be in attendance at 
our convention in order to receive these scholarships. Winner's convention 
expenses will be paid for by our state office.
     This year, the scholarships we will be awarding are;

1. The Hazel tenBroek Merit Scholarship in the amount of $1,500. Mrs. 
  tenBroek is the widow of the founder of the National Federation of the 
  Blind, Jacobus tenBroek. She resided in the state of Washington from 
  1980 until 1987. Mrs. tenBroek served on the National Federation of the 
  Blind of Washington Board of Directors from 1981 until 1987. She has 
  always been a strong believer in blind persons receiving a solid 
  education, and we are proud to honor her contributions to our state with 
  this scholarship.
2. The Sixth Annual Beverly Prows Memorial Scholarship in the amount of 
  $2,000. Beverly Prows believed in the capacities of blind persons, and 
  worked diligently to promote equality and first class citizenship for 
  the blind. In memory of her good work her family has designated this 
  scholarship to continue her efforts to improve the lives of blind 
  Washingtonians.

     To apply for our scholarships, applicants must do the following:

1. Complete the attached application.
2. Submit a letter describing him or herself. The letter should discuss 
  his/her hobbies, interests, school activities, and future goals.
3. Submit high school transcripts and all up-to-date college 
  transcripts.
4. Submit three letters of reference.
5. Establish contact with an officer of the National Federation of the 
  Blind of Washington. Attached is a list of our officers' names, 
  addresses, and phone numbers. (See back page for list.)
6. Attach all aforementioned documents to the application form.
7. Send the completed application, postmarked no later than September 
  15th, 1997, to:  The National Federation of the Blind of Washington 
  Scholarship Committee, P.O. Box 2516, Seattle, WA 98111


     If you have additional questions, please contact Rita Szantay at 
(206) 224-7242 days or (206) 622-8843 evenings and weekends.

                                     
              NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF WASHINGTON
                                                                          
                       SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORM
                                     
Your Name: (please include maiden name or other names by which you have 
  been known)

Date of Birth:
Home Address:
City:
Zipcode:
Home Phone:

Institution being attended, for the Fall Semester, 1997:

Name of Institution or School:
School Address:
City:
Zipcode:
Phone:
Your Grade Point Average:

Your Class Standing: (Freshman, Senior, etc.)
Please attach a list of all of the colleges and graduate institutions 
  attended with your highest class standing attained and your cumulative 
  grade point average:

High School Attended:
Address:
City:     
Zipcode:
Your Vocational Goal:
State your Major:
State your Minor:
Awards and Honors: (attach list if necessary)
Community Service: (attach list if necessary)

                                     
                           DSB IS 20 YEARS OLD
                                                                          
                             by Shirley Smith

     From the editor: I recently received the following article from 
Shirley Smith, Director of the Washington State Department of Services for 
the Blind. 
     In the accompanying letter she said in part: "I thought you'd like to 
know the Department turned 20 years old this year. In view of what has 
been happening to state government, that is no small feat. I'm thrilled we 
still have a separate agency that can provide the services needed for 
people who are blind and visually impaired to be self-sufficient and 
independent. And I'm smart enough to know that without the support of the 
consumer groups, there could be a different story today. Thanks for the 
help of the National Federation of the Blind of Washington! ..."
     Here is her article: 
     
     Twenty years ago, the Commission Bill was signed--a bill that 
established separate services for people who are blind or visually 

impaired in the state of Washington. The Commission for the Blind 
originally had the Child and Family Program, the Vocational Rehabilitation 
Program and the Prevention of Blindness Program. It was administered by a 
5-member Commission that set policy and hired the Director. How did we 
become and remain a separate agency? With caring people like you who 
advocated with the Legislature and Governor to establish the Commission.
     The Department is one of 25 separate blind agencies nationwide that 
is dedicated to providing advocacy and services for people who are blind 
or visually impaired. Because the population we serve is less than 2% of 
the general population, it is not surprising that people don't know about 
us. Even though we are a cabinet level agency in state government, people 
don't know about us. Even though I have community meetings twice a year in 
8-10 cities around the state, people still don't know about us. Even 
though we have our own website, people still don't know about us. Even 
though we visit opthalmologists, optometrists, social security, other 
local and state agencies who provide social services and join business 
clubs, people don't know about us! We are always looking for ways to do 
outreach so that people who have vision problems can find out about us and 
come to us for services.
     Things have gotten more complex over the years. The Department still 
operates the Vocational Rehabilitation Program, and the rules change every 
few years. We are more participant centered, involve participants up-front 
and throughout the process, and have much more sophisticated programs to 
help train participants find a job. We do whatever it takes to help an 
eligible person get and keep a job. Our staff have incredible expertise, 
and those who work in computer access, have to learn and change almost 
weekly to keep up with graphical interfaces and other changes in the 
computer/information age.
     We now operate an Independent Living Program. This program provides 
hope and help to older blind individuals who lose their sight. We provide 
daily living skills training so they can stay in their homes, be active 
and involved in the community, and able to take care of themselves. For a 
very small amount of money, people go about their lives with independence 
and optimism.
     We still have the Child and Family Program, but it has changed a lot. 
We don't have funds to serve children 7-13 (the schools step in here), but 
we have a birth-6 program and pick up students at age 14 to help them 
transition into adult services or jobs.
     We operate summer work programs (like Youth Employment Solutions in 
Seattle this year) and educate parents, advocates, and teachers about the 
needs of children with limited vision or blindness.
     We have a Business Enterprise Program that provides training for 
people who are blind and want to operate food service facilities. We 
developed a state-of-the-art training program at the Department of Ecology 
in Olympia to offer food service handling training and management training 
to allow people to operate a facility. The income for successful vendors 
is very good, and we provide technical assistance to help them run a very 
competitive business.
     July 1, 1983, the Department of Services for the Blind replaced the 
Commission for the Blind. We still have separate services but we lost the 
Prevention of Blindness Program and the Director is appointed by the 
Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The Department has 70 staff--about 
the same number as 20 years ago. Except now we place about 80 people a 
year in competitive jobs--four times what we did 20 years ago. We serve 
1300 people a year in independent living--a program that didn't exist 
until late 1983. Because of us, the lives of at least 3000 people who are 
blind and visually impaired are enriched each year. Do you still think 
people don't know about us?? Well, not as much as we'd like.
     You can make a difference! I need your help in marketing our services 
to the general public. Anytime you can, mention the Department, give them 
our toll free number (1-800-552-7103) to call for information. If you are 

a computer user, visit our website at http://www.wa.gov./dsb and let other 
computer users know about our services. Because of you, many people around 
the state who don't know about us can learn. And connecting with us can 
make a huge difference in their lives! You make things happen all the time 
... here is an opportunity for you to help people with limited vision 
again.
     Thanks. Happy Birthday DSB ... have a great summer!

                                     
        THE PASSING OF A LEGEND:  EMIL FRIES A LIFETIME OF SERVICE

     From the editor: I first met Mr. Fries sometime during 1981--at some 
kind of meeting. One of the first questions he asked me was "Tell me, what 
kind of work do you do?" My response was something to the effect that I 
wasn't currently employed, but, ... He then suggested that I "should come 
take a tour of the Piano Hospital." He also asked me if I had read his 
book? I admitted that I hadn't even heard of his book. Several years later 
I took that tour. I also  read his book. As a result, I started 1984 off 
as a new student at PHTC.
     One of the first things that I learned upon entering the Piano 
Hospital was that Mr.  Fries believed in both the career of piano tuning 
and my ability to believe in myself. Thanks, Mr. Fries, I will try to live 
up to the belief that you had in me.
     
     During the first week of June, 1997, the blind community in 
Washington State mourned the death of Emil B. Fries at the age of 96. Like 
the organized person he was all of his life, he died very peacefully in 
his sleep on June 7th. Emil was: a member of the first graduating class of 
the Washington State School for the Blind in 1924; He was also an active 
Lions Club member. 
     Emil graduated from the University of Washington in 1930--with the 
money he earned tuning pianos! Emil led a full life of independence and 
adventure, and was active in both the National Association of Piano Tuners 
(this was later changed to the Piano Technicians Guild) and in the 
community of Vancouver, where he lived.
     In 1949, he established the Emil Fries Piano Hospital and Training 
Center when the School for the Blind dropped the piano tuning course from 
its curriculum. The "Piano Hospital" as it is now known, is still in the 
business of training blind persons to be piano technicians and 
rehabilitating pianos.
     In 1980, he wrote a book about his life titled: "But You Can Feel It" 
which portrays the positive direction he lived by his entire life.
     When the NFB of Washington was working to get legislation passed to 
separate the School for the Blind out from under the Department of Social 
and Health Services (DSHS), Emil, although not a member of this 
organization, wanted to know what (if anything) he could do to help. His 
support of our efforts certainly was appreciated, and helped accomplish 
the task successfully.
     Don Mitchell, Director of Training at the Piano Hospital summed up 
Emils' passing this way: "It is the end of an era." 
     Anyone interested in making contributions in his memory should 
contact: Piano Hospital & Training Center, 2510 E. Evergreen BLVD., 
Vancouver, WA 98661 (360) 693-1511.
     
Blind Washingtonian
707 East Garland
Spokane, Washington 99207-3027

PRESIDENT: MICHAEL FREEMAN 301 N.E. 107th STREET VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON 
  98685 360-574-8221
FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT: NOEL NIGHTINGALE 2226 ELLIOTT AVE., #106 SEATTLE, 
  

  Washington 98121 206-441-0984
SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT: KAYE KIPP 5101 N.E. 121 AVENUE, SPACE 7 
  VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON 98682 360-256-8572
SECRETARY: RITA SZANTAY 1000 8th AVENUE, A-610 SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98104 
  206-622-8843
TREASURER: GARY MACKENSTADT 12303 N.E. 165th STREET BOTHELL, Washington 
  98011 206-488-0628


ADDRESS CORRECTION  REQUESTED 
