                        THE CANADIAN BLIND MONITOR
                                                                          
  VOICE OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND: ADVOCATES FOR EQUALITY
                                                                          
                                     
                                                                          
                            VOL. 2 SUMMER 1996


The Canadian Blind Monitor is published three times a year. Members of the 
NFB:AE are invited, non-members are requested to cover our subscription 
cost with an annual fee of $10.00.

Published by NFB:AE.  All rights reserved.  No part of this magazine may 
be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or 
mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information 
storage and retrieval system without permission from the publisher.
NFB:AE, P.O. Box 5058, Kelowna, B.C. V1Y 8T9 Fax (604) 491-4080
E-mail: nfbcanwinc.com

                                     
                               PART I OF II
                                     

  Editor:  Mary Ellen Gabias
  Editorial Assistants:  Faye Harrison and Helaine Jackson
  Advertising Co-ordinator: 8278 Manitoba Street, Vancouver, B.C. V5X 3A2 
  (604) 482-3102  Fax (604) 482-3130


The National Federation of the Blind:  Advocates for Equality is not an 
organization speaking for the blind.  It is the blind speaking for 
themselves.
Please specify preferred format:  Print, Braille, Cassette, or Computer 
disk.
This Braille edition contains the entire text of the Inkprint edition, 
except for advertising. Questions regarding advertisements should be 
directed to NFB:AE headquarters.

Produced in Grade Two Braille for the NFB:AE  by AJS Braille Service, 707 
East Garland Avenue, Spokane, Washington U.S.A., 99207-3027. TEL: (509) 
487-8959.
                                     
                                                                          
                         FRONT COVER ILLUSTRATION
     
     The front cover of the Summer 1996 issue of THE CANADIAN BLIND 
MONITOR shows a representation of the Information Superhighway along which 
are insets of technologies available shown as roadsigns.  The images 
include: the CD Rom, computers, headphones, cassettes and Braille.  The 
NFB:AE logo occupies the upper right hand corner.  The logo is a set of 
scales with a sword in the centre and a maple leaf superimposed on the 
blade of the sword.

                                     
              The Twenty Second Annual Dog Guide Conference 
                                                                          
                New Westminster October 17, 18, & 19, 1996
                                                                          
                                     
                                                                          
                                     

REGISTRATION FORM


NAME: 
ADDRESS:
CITY: PROVINCE: POSTAL/ZIP CODE:                             
PHONE:                                     
     
     There will be a dinner banquet and entertainment on Thursday, October 
17th, from 6pm to 10pm at the cost of $35.00 (Cdn) per plate.
Will you be attending?      Yes       No

My payment of $35.00 (Cdn) is enclosed: Yes  No   
Plus additional guest(s) at $35.00 each.  
My payment of $80.00 (Cdn) for the combination banquet/conference Special 
is included

A special rate of $89.00 (Cdn) per night for single/double occupancy has 
been arranged at the Inn at the Westminster Quay, 
New Westminster. Individuals will be responsible for reserving their own 
accommodations.  Toll free reservation number: 1-800-263-2001
     Reservations must be confirmed with the hotel no later than September 
15, 1996
     All possible efforts will be made to ensure that your individual 
needs are met.  Please list, in detail, any areas that we can assist you 
with:
     Please indicate below whether you are:

Dog Guide User;  Dog Guide School Representative;  Future Dog Guide 
  User;  Health Care Professional;  Family Member of Dog Guide User; 
  Teacher;  Mobility Instructor;  Member of the Media;  Government 
  Official;  Student;  Other (please specify)


For more information, please call Lori Sheppard at 1-604-522-9222 or Nat 
Armeni at 1-604-522-7102.
     
     Please mail completed form including payment to: P. A. W. S. Public 
Awareness Without Sight 106 - 1250 Quayside Drive, New Westminster, B.C.  
V3M 6E2 
Space is limited so please register early!

                                     
                                Editorial:
                                                                          
  Access to Information: Our most basic right and most complex challenge

     There has been so much written about the age of information  and the 
information superhighway that most of us "tune out" the trite subject. 
However, the acquisition of information which is provided to most people 
visually is profoundly important to blind people. In fact, more than any 
other single factor, our ability to get needed information determines 
whether blindness will be an annoyance  or a tragedy for us. The physical 
disability of blindness -- the  inability to see or see adequately -- 
becomes a devastating handicap  when information is not available in 
nonvisual forms.
     Fortunately, much information is provided, in whole or in part, in 
ways which we can access. In practice, and with a little instruction,  
most of us can figure out the general layout of a room, a home, a  
neighbourhood, or a city. Simple alternative techniques work well  and 
require no modifications. For example, if one wishes to know the  name of 

the store one is passing, it's generally quite easy to walk  in the door 
and ask the proprietor. Most of us have learned, to the  detriment of our 
pocketbooks, how quickly a simple question can lead  to an unplanned 
purchase because we have been intrigued by what the  proprietor had to say 
about his or her merchandise.
     This issue of "The Canadian Blind Monitor" is devoted largely to 
discussion of those situations in which informal means of gathering 
information are not adequate.
     Literacy through Braille is a cherished part of our heritage. Without  
the ability to read and write, blind people could not have emerged  from 
dependence and isolation to march together toward equality of  
opportunity. Sadly, at a time when new technology is making the production  
of Braille faster, easier, and less expensive than ever before, Braille  
literacy among blind Canadians appears to be falling. In this issue,  we 
will explore some of the complex reasons for this trend and look  at what 
we can do as a people to safeguard our heritage.
     What about consumer electronics? How has the advent of touch screens  
and other digitized programmable devices affected our ability to function  
on a daily basis? Have you programmed your V.C.R. recently?
     How does the government of Canada fit into the picture? Strides have  
been made in the provision of documents in accessible format. At the  same 
time, copyright laws are structured in a way which tends to decrease  our 
access to the printed word.
     Whether we are in school, on the job, or just trying to get a little  
cash from the bank machine, the way in which our information needs  are 
met can make the difference between success and failure. Because  the 
quality of our lives is at stake, it will be up to us to teach,  encourage 
(and where necessary) push to have our needs and aspirations  considered 
as an integral part of information delivery. We are no  longer willing to 
be a charitable afterthought.

                                     
                            Mary Ellen Gabias

P.S. We welcome the newest member of the Gabias family! Philip Kenneth was 
born on September 5th, at 3:25am, weighing 8 lbs. 4 oz., and 19 inches 
long. He is a brother to Joanne, 6 and Jeffrey, 3. 

                                     
                 It's My Life And I'm Responsible for It!

     One of the most pernicious misconceptions about blindness is the 
notion that we are unaware of our surroundings and therefore incapable of 
protecting ourselves from danger. Most of our sighted friends, when 
pressed, will admit that we seem to manage, but that they are not at all 
sure how. Most people are so accustomed to gathering  information visually 
that they have never developed alternative non-visual  techniques. They 
may notice that their living room echoes differently  after the furniture 
has been moved into it, but they rarely think  of this difference as a 
useful tool for getting around.
     When a blind person moves from the confines of home to the public 
streets, those around us often replace curiosity and incredulity with  
fear. For some people, the thought of a blind person maneuvering safely  
through traffic is nothing short of terrifying.
     One of the most uplifting aspects of being human is our capacity and  
willingness to reach out in loving concern to those around us. Helping  
those who cannot help themselves is a hallmark of a civilized society.
     Unfortunately, when the thoroughly positive desire to be of service 
is combined with the generally negative lack of information about blind 
people and the way we function, the results can be extremely uncomfortable 
for everyone concerned. The experience of one blind student at Okanagan 

University College in Kelowna demonstrates the problem.
     Janet Erikson has always enjoyed outdoor recreation. She does 
downhill  and cross-country skiing, hiking, swimming, and a variety of 
other  very physical things. She also uses a guide dog as an aid to 
mobility.  Not surprisingly, when she gets the chance, Janet loves to run 
with  her dog. She has learned how to judge traffic and avoid other 
potential  hazards without breaking stride.
     One morning, Janet was on her way to class at Okanagan University. It 
was a fine morning, she was feeling energetic, and she realized she hadn't 
allotted enough time for a sedate stroll to class. She took off running. 
Her residence was at the top of a long hill and her classroom building was 
at the bottom. The main campus roadway--a  roadway marked clearly to give 
pedestrians the right of way--was  between the two buildings. There was no 
curb to distinguish the roadway  from the rest of the sidwalk, but there 
were enough other cues to  make it easy to find.
     On the morning when Janet took her noteworthy run, she listened for 
traffic, determined it was clear, and simply kept going. A driver came 
down the road much too quickly and passed within a few feet of Janet. No 
one was hurt. No accident occurred. It was one of those little incidents 
that is noted at the time and almost instantly forgotten.
     At least, that's how it should have been. But attitudes about 
blindness  run deep and none of us can count on anonymity.
     Another student observed what was happening and became frightened. 
Rather than talk to Janet directly, she took her fear to a student 
committee assigned to making the campus accessible for the handicapped.  
Clearly, this must be an accessibility problem. Major modifications  must 
be made, and professional advice must be sought.
     The head of the barrier-free committee at the college--a woman who 
uses a wheelchair for independent travel, but has no background in 
blindness--went to the "experts". She called the local offices of the 
Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), and  related her 
secondhand account of the problem, although she did not  give Janet's name 
to the staff member.
     Faced with such an inquiry from the public, an employee from an 
agency  for the blind must maintain a difficult balance. On one hand, the  
caller's concern is genuine and must be treated with respect. On the  
other hand, the caller's observations and perceptions may be filtered  
through an unreasonable level of fear, and the caller's conclusions  must, 
therefore, be treated with healthy skepticism. Above all, the  agency 
representative must remember that the first duty is to the  blind person 
involved, and that nothing should be said which would  in any way 
undermine that person's ability to be in charge.
     One very useful response in such circumstances, is: "We'd be glad to 
act as a resource for this blind person. Feel free to give him or her our 
number." Another possible question is: "What was  the blind person's 
assessment of the situation when the two of you discussed it?" Those 
answers make it clear that it is the blind person whose knowledge and 
perspective should be sought before professional  intervention. Only after 
these things have been said, it may be appropriate  for the agency staff 
member to talk in general terms about possible  solutions for a particular 
problem.
     Janet first heard about the conversation between the barrier-free 
committee and the CNIB when the committee head called her after the fact. 
Because Janet's understanding of the conversation is only second-hand,  we 
will never know whether or not the staff member took the basic  
precautions outlined above. We do know, however, the part of the 
conversation  that was relayed to Janet.
     On the basis of her understanding of their conversation with the 
CNIB,  the barrier-free committee offered to advocate that the College 
administration  install a roughened surface at the edge of the driveway to 
make it  possible for Janet to know where it was. They also let her know 

that  a mobility instructor could be made available to help her solve her  
problems. They even went so far as to suggest that she might want  to 
consider calling the guide dog school which she had attended to  request 
refresher training for her dog. If the CNIB staff member had  suggested 
that things might really be fine and someone was just overreacting,  the 
person from the barrier-free committee had been unwilling or unable  to 
entertain that possibility.
     Janet's reaction was predictably angry. In very plain but courteous 
language, she informed her would-be saviour that she did not appreciate  
unrequested intrusions into her life. To paraphrase her comments:  "If you 
have something to say about me, please begin by saying  it to me."
     There may be some debate about whether Janet was acting prudently in 
the way she crossed the campus that morning. She believed she was;  some 
others did not share her belief. It's really beside the point.  No matter 
how much we all wish that everyone would follow the safety  standards we 
feel are appropriate, we all must recognize and respect  the right of 
other adults to make their own decisions. If Janet had  been sighted, 
chances are no one would have thought her behaviour  the least bit 
unusual. Because she is blind, and because of the prevailing  myth that 
blind people are unaware of their surroundings, others felt  it was 
completely appropriate to take charge of her life for her.  No doubt they 
felt she was being unreasonably defensive when she stood  up for herself.
     Janet could have simply felt annoyed and hurt, spoken her mind to the 
head of the barrier-free committee, and let it go at that. Instead,  she 
took the time to put her concerns in writing. She wrote to the  head of 
the barrier-free committee, the disabled students services  office, the 
college president, the residence and campus newspapers,  and the NFB:AE.
     She received an overwhelmingly positive response. The letter from 
Okanagan University president, Dr. Bill Bowering, said it best:

Ms. Janet Erikson 
OUC North Kelowna Residence 
North Kelowna Campus

(December 6, 1995)

Dear Ms. Erikson:
     I have discussed the concerns raised in your letter of 95-11-30 with  
Ms. Valerie Best, Disability Services.
     While the efforts of the people that you mentioned in your letter are 
probably motivated by good intentions, I agree that you have a right to 
conduct your life as you see fit. Ms. Best will be discussing  your 
concerns with the Barrier Free group.
     I hope that there will be no further recurrences of this kind.

Yours truly,
W.D. Bowering, President
     
     That's the kind of simple but profound respect we are all trying to 
achieve.

                                     
                                 Grab Bag

     From the Editor: This article by Zena Pearcy of Austin, Texas, is 
reprinted from The News, a publication of the National Federation  of the 
Blind of Texas (Summer 1996).
     We are including a new feature in this issue of  "The Canadian Blind  
Monitor". As you can see, it is called Grab Bag, and the idea of  this 
feature is to provide our readers with helpful tips on how to  accomplish 
all sorts of tasks using alternative techniques. Some of  the tips we 

present will come from professionals who teach such techniques.  Others, 
we hope, will come from our readers.
     So, if you use alternative techniques that you would like to share 
with others, please, send us detailed information about them. We will  
present as many of these tips and hints as we can in each edition.  With 
this kind of help we can all become more independent.
     To submit items for Grab Bag, write to: NFB:AE, P.O. Box 5058, 
Station A, Kelowna, B.C. V1Y 8T9
     Our first Grab Bag tip will assist you in labeling canned food and in 
maintaining a grocery list. We hope you find it helpful.
     
     For many years, blind people who use Braille have labelled cans using  
dymo tape and various other methods, but I have found that thin, flat  
magnets work very well for this purpose. Many companies use these  magnets 
as advertising giveaways. So, you may be able to obtain some  that way, 
and they are available for purchase from Easier Ways, 1101  N. Calvert 
Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. Their phone number is (410)  659-0232.
     These magnets are small enough to put on the top of a can, and it is 
easy to emboss them with Braille by simply using a slate and stylus.  You 
can also make up magnetic labels for other items, such as produce,  meats, 
juices, and anything else you buy on a regular basis. Obviously,  they 
won't stick to lettuce or ground beef, but you can put them in  a drawer 
near your refrigerator, and when you use up the item in question,  you can 
grab the appropriate magnetic label and stick it on the fridge.  You can 
also take the magnets off your cans as you use them and do  the same. 
Using this technique you can maintain an accurate grocery  list, which you 
can transcribe onto paper before going to the market.  Then, you can 
simply clear off your refrigerator list, and start all  over.
     The great thing about this labelling and list-making method is that 
you can reuse the magnets, which is a real time saver.

                                     
                   Art Lesson Plans for Blind Children
                                                                          
                              by Paul Gabias

     From the Editor: Canadian Blind Monitor readers know President Paul 
Gabias for his work within the organized blind movement. He is less well 
known for his psychological research on tactile pictures. The following 
lesson plans were developed for two conferences of special  education 
teachers.
     
     Pictures have always been considered part of the visual arts and 
therefore, inaccessible to blind people. As a result,  blind children have 
generally not been encouraged to experiment with  tactile pictures in any 
systematic way. These lessons cover some basic  drawing concepts such as 
point of view and perspective. We are reprinting  them here with the hope 
that teachers will find them useful and the  belief that Federationists 
will be interested in learning more about  the subject.
     A number of museums and galleries have developed programs to increase  
the accessibility of art to blind persons. Art Education for the Blind  is 
one of the leaders in this area. They have developed some very  exciting 
materials based in part on this research.

LESSON I

     A given drawing can stand for the same object considered from 
different points of view. A child can be shown a raised line drawing of a 
table. The table can be drawn as a square with a line coming out from each 
corner at a diagonal. This table could be called a "star table". The child 
can be asked to point out each leg on the drawing of the table. He could 

also be asked  to point out the sides of the table. Then questions about 
point of  view can be introduced.
     The teacher can ask, "Do you think this drawing shows the table drawn 
from any particular point of view? Do you think it was drawn from above, 
from underneath, or from no point of view?" Research suggests the children 
will give two kinds of answers depending on their age level.
     Younger children are likely to say that the drawing has no particular  
point of view. It is simply a table with legs. Older observant children  
may say that the table was drawn from underneath. They may comment  that 
if you draw the table from above you can't really show the shape  of the 
top and all four legs, too.
     From here on, the lesson can continue in two directions.
     The Younger Child: For those children who said that the table is 
drawn  from no particular point of view, a suggested course of action is  
as follows: You might agree with the child and say that certainly  one way 
of thinking about this drawing is that, indeed, it was not  drawn from a 
particular point of view. But there is another way of  looking at the 
drawing. This second way requires that you be quite  literal about the 
table and how the legs are connected. You can ask  the child to imagine 
herself sitting on top of the table. Have the  child try it out, if 
necessary. The child should agree that from the  top of a table, the legs 
are not visible nor reachable.
     Then you might ask the child to imagine herself underneath a table. 
You can ask the child if the legs, from underneath, are visible or 
reachable. Again, you can have the child actually sit underneath a table. 
The child should agree that from underneath the table the legs  are 
visible and reachable.
     Now you can ask the child to draw a table from above, as seen from a 
plane, and a table from underneath, as seen from the floor. The child 
should offer a square corresponding to the shape of the top of a table 
viewed from above. Legs should be added for a table viewed  from 
underneath.
     The Older Child: Recall that the question at hand was: Is the "star 
table" drawn from any particular point of view? We saw that younger 
children are likely to answer that the "star table" was not  drawn from 
any particular point of view. A particular lesson plan  was suggested for 
these children.
     But what about the older children? What about those clever children 
who say that the star table is the drawing of a table from underneath? 
They can be asked to demonstrate how the table might be drawn from above. 
If they draw a square corresponding to the shape of the top, and tell you 
that the legs are not visible nor reachable  from above, you can go on to 
the next step. You can ask them to draw  a table from the side. On the 
other hand, if they draw a table with  legs attached to it, then you can 
go back and continue with the lesson  that was suggested for younger 
children. Recall that these are children  who said that the "star table" 
showed a table drawn from no  particular vantage point.

LESSON II

     A given object can be drawn from different points of view.
     Recall that the purpose of the previous lesson was to show that a 
given drawing can stand for an object considered from different points  of 
view. The purpose of this lesson is to show that a given object  can be 
drawn from different points of view.
     You can start by showing the child the "star table" again.  Remind 
the child that the star table can be considered in two ways. It can be 
considered as having been drawn from no particular  point of view. It can 
also be considered as having been drawn from  underneath.
     Then tell the child, "Now we want to consider a table drawn from the 
side." Recall that here, only part of the table is drawn.  The side view 

of the table allows us to show the ta's length or  its width, but not 
both. It also allows us to show the height of the table and its thickness.
     The child should be encouraged to draw a table from the side. One way 
of proceeding, for the more adventurous child, is simply to let the child 
draw what she considers to be a table as well as the lines  corresponding 
to the edges of the table. The edges are the top edge  and bottom edge of 
the side, and the two connecting edges at each  end. The child may only 
have drawn one line to stand for both edges,  the top and bottom edges of 
the side. If that is the case, you can  ask the child to produce another 
drawing. The drawing can show how  thick the table is. Then ask the child 
to point out which lines correspond  to which edges.
     For the more cautious child, you can start by showing the child a 
drawing of the side view of a table. Ask him to point out which lines  
stand for which edges. It may be helpful here to have an actual table  at 
hand, to which the child can refer and compare with his drawing.

LESSON III

     Through convergent perspective, a drawing can show what is near and 
what is far.
     Suppose you wanted to draw a top front view of a table. It would be 
important to distinguish the near front edge of the top from the far  back 
edge of the top. Two oblique lines, corresponding to the side  edges of 
the table could connect the front and back edges of the table.  The two 
front legs of the table could be shown by dropping two vertical  lines 
from each corner, perpendicular to the front edge. You would  have a 
trapezoidal shape for the top, and two lines coming down for  the legs. 
The back legs need not be drawn, because they would not  be seen from a 
top front view of the table.
     A child who has mastered the first two lessons can be shown a drawing  
of this sort. The child can be asked why the back edge of the table  is 
shorter than the front edge. If the child replies, "Because  the back edge 
is further", you can go on to probe more deeply.  You can ask why it makes 
sense to show the back edge of the table  shorter than the front edge, 
just because it's further away. Most  people, blind or sighted, would find 
it difficult to give a straight  answer to this question.
     Here are some exercises which may help blind children understand this  
principle. Ask the child to place each palm on the near left and near  
right hand corners of a table. Then ask the child to reach forward  to the 
back of the table. You will find that it will be necessary  to narrow the 
angle between the two arms. Ask the child if the space  between his left 
and right hands in smaller, when touching the back  of the table, versus 
the front corners of the table. The child should  agree that it is 
necessary to narrow the space between his two hands  in order to touch the 
back edge.
     Another example rests on the same principle. Ask the child to point 
to two imaginary trees. From left to right the trees are ten feet apart. 
The child is between the two trees. In effect the trees are on each side 
of the child, in line with each shoulder. The child is asked to point to 
both trees. The child should extend his arms on each side at shoulder 
height. Then the child is asked to imagine that  the trees have moved 
forward, not sideways but only forward in the  direction the child is 
facing. (If the child understands compass directions  you may position him 
so that he is facing North, and then explain  that the trees are moving 
North.) The child should narrow the angle  of pointing the further away 
the trees are imagined to be.
     Another exercise along the vertical plane may be helpful as well. You 
can ask the child to imagine herself standing in front of a building.  Any 
inside wall will do for these purposes. Ask the child to point  to an 
imaginary bird on top of the building, perched at the edge just  above the 
child. The child should extend her arm above her head. Now  ask the child 

to imagine that the building is further and further  away. Pick some 
arbitrary distances and ask the child to point to  the bird sitting on top 
of the building. As the building is imagined  to be further and further 
away, the child will progressively lower  her arm toward the horizon.
     The same principle can be demonstrated with respect to space between  
the ground and the horizon. You can ask the child to imagine she is,  once 
again, standing right in front of a building. You can ask her  to point to 
an imaginary ball on the ground. The ball is at the edge  of the building. 
The child should point straight down toward the ground.  As the child is 
asked to imagine herself further and further away  from the building, her 
arm will progressively raise toward the horizon,  with increasing 
distance.
     These examples show that principles of perspective are dependent on a 
geometry of direction. Vision is not the sole means by which these  
principles can be understood.
     So far we have shown that a given drawing can stand for the same 
object,  considered from different points of view. We've also shown that a  
given object can be drawn from different points of view. We've also  seen 
that, through convergent perspective, a drawing can show what  is near and 
what is far.
     The types of drawings we have considered so far are based on 
principles  of projective geometry. That is to say, they are based on the 
same  principles as those which govern the way outlines of forms are 
projected  on a screen. But these principles will not do when the artist 
wants  to draw events such as objects moving and states such as pain.

LESSON IV

     Metaphor may be used as a way to show movement in drawings.
     A metaphoric device is a technique which alters the structure of a 
drawing deliberately in order to suggest an idea which is difficult to 
portray in a static picture. The drawing is metaphoric because certain 
aspects of it are not to be taken literally.
     As was shown earlier, there are several drawing devices that blind 
people have invented to show movement. Research has shown that these  
devices are meaningful to the sighted. As we saw before, these can  be 
classified into context devices, postural devices, and additional  
graphics, as well as shape distortions. The reason why these devices  work 
is because they rely on principles of communication in addition  to 
principles of projection. An apt device may work because it takes  
something of what we know of language and the world and applies this  
knowledge to the drawing in an imaginative and systematic way. These  
devices are individual inventions created on the spot for very specific  
communicative purposes. They are not so much based on drawing skills  but 
rather based on clever uses of communicative skills. They are  based on 
the ingenuity of the artists, his own knowledge of the world,  and his 
ability to predict what others are likely to understand from his 
communication.
     Blind people are taught principles of communication from the time 
they learn to speak. There is no reason why blind people should not be 
encouraged to apply these skills in drawing.
     It is not easy to teach children how to use metaphoric devices in 
drawing. This is because metaphoric devices rely so heavily on individual  
inventiveness. The same problem arises when trying to teach children  uses 
of metaphor in language. There are a few common ones which most  children 
have heard or read by high school. Examples are, "she  has a heart of 
stone" and "He's a real snake." But, for the most part, good metaphors 
must be invented and the more clever they are the more apt they are likely 
to be.
     The best that can be done here is to suggest a few which have been 
tested and seemed to work fairly well, with both blind and sighted adults 

alike.
     Blind and sighted adults were shown drawings of five wheels. In each  
wheel the spokes were either curved, bent, wavy, dashed, or sticking  out 
beyond the rim of the wheel. They were also given the following  motion 
options for the wheels: spinning, jerky rotations, wobbling,  too fast to 
make out, and brakes on. The task was to match each option  with each 
drawing.
     Fifteen blind and fifteen sighted subjects responded as follows:

The subjects agreed that the curved spokes were best at suggesting spin.
The bent spokes were best at suggesting jerky rotations.
The wavy lines were best at suggesting wobbling.
The extended lines were best at suggesting "brakes on".

     You can try this exercise with blind and sighted children. With 
younger  children it may be necessary to restrict the number of options.
     Alternatively, you might want to ask children to invent their own 
metaphoric devices. For example, you may ask children to invent drawing  
devices for depicting a hand in pain. Or, you may ask them to try  their 
hand at drawing bad-smelling garbage or imaginative solutions  for these 
problems. These explorations in graphic communications will  prove to be 
excellent catalysts for creativity and endless sources  of excitement and 
wonder, both for you and your students.

Concluding Remarks

     The purpose of Lesson I was to show that a given drawing can stand 
for the same object, considered from different points of view. We saw that 
the drawing of the star table could be considered as having been drawn 
from no particular point of view, or as having been drawn from underneath.
     The purpose of Lesson II was to show that a given object could be 
drawn from different points of view. A table could be drawn from the  top, 
from the side, or from underneath. A different drawing would  result in 
each case.
     The purpose of Lesson III was to show that, through convergent 
perspective,  a drawing can show what is near and what is far. We saw that 
principles  of perspective could be easily understood by blind children, 
based  on their own experience.
     Lesson IV showed that when blind people are asked to draw events in a 
static picture, several types of devices are invented depending on the 
particular event. We saw that the devices are metaphoric because  they are 
not to be taken literally. We saw that, although the devices  are not 
literal, they are nonetheless effective. They are effective  because they 
are based on principles of perception and communication.  These principles 
use to advantage our common knowledge about the world.  They are 
understood by the blind and the sighted alike.
     Not much, so far, has been said about what to expect from children at 
different ages. It is difficult to specify exact ages at this point.  All 
that can be said is that research suggests that the order of the  lessons 
presented follows a developmental progression. Seven to eleven  year olds 
would likely be more interested in Lessons I and II. Eleven  to fifteen 
year olds would be interested in Lessons III and IV as  well.
     One final comment is in order here. The lessons that have been 
suggested  here are simply guides. Use them as fruitfully as you can but 
do not  be bound by them. Let your imagination interact with that of the 
child.  The children are likely to teach you much more than you could even  
imagine. They will be proud of their accomplishments. They will also  be 
particularly happy to realize that drawing can be, for them, just  as much 
fun as it is for sighted children. For the younger children  this will be 
enough. The older children will also be motivated by  the problem solving 
aspects of drawing.

     Drawings can be considered as problems to be solved. Just as many 
children enjoy working on models of toy cars, children can be encouraged  
to draw objects. The objects can be drawn from different vantage points  
or in different states over time. Objects can undergo different kinds  of 
motion and these can also be challenging to depict.

                                     
                            Tactile Pictures:
                                                                          
                            Ideas For Lessons
                                                                          
                             by M. A. Heller

Basic Questions:

1. Can touch inform us about the vertical?
2. Children can draw objects, but do blind children understand the 
  concept of a straight line? How will they draw simple  geometric shapes 
  if asked to copy them?
3. Blind children are likely to be able to draw such things as people, 
  animals, flowers, etc. How are they likely to draw  them if asked to 
  make drawings on the side of a mountain?

Introduction: Background Information for the Educator

     According to Piaget, the sighted child can feel geometric shapes and  
then draw them (with ink on paper) at about ages seven or eight. Sighted  
children can copy simple shapes like a square or circle via the sense  of 
sight by the age of five. The earliest spatial relationships that  can be 
understood involve topology, namely whether one is "near something", 
"inside", or "outside", "etc". Geometric shapes are usually  understood by 
the age five, and children can coordinate topology and  geometry by the 
age of seven or eight (e.g. the rhombus). The understanding  of the 
vertical appears at about the same time, as does the child's ability to 
understand the concept of a straight line. There may be a slight 
developmental lag in the blind child, either because of the  sensory 
modality, or perhaps because of a lack of much experience  with drawing. 
The proposed drawing exercises are appropriate for older  children after 
exposure to earliest drawing skills.
     The blind child can be taught to draw common geometric shapes, and 
understand complex spatial arrangements. It might be fruitful to start  by 
showing children drawings of simple shapes and name them. One could  then 
provide multiple-choice recognition games using raised-line drawings.
     Specific information for these lessons: Sighted children's 
demonstration  and understanding of a straight line by using a method of 
"sighting".  They look between two points. For the blind child, a length 
of string  can be substituted. The child can be taught that a straight 
line is  the shortest distance between two points by showing the child 
what  happens when string is pulled tight.
     We all learn the difference between standing upright and having one's  
body tilted. Children learn that walls are upright and so are trees.  They 
are asked to draw people, trees, and animals on a slanted surface  
represented by a raised line.
     Motivation and Content: Just as sighted children enjoy using 
templates  to draw letters and shapes, the blind child is likely to learn 
a great  deal from producing raised line drawings by copying, by using 
plastic  templates, and by using drawing aids. "Art" is frequently used as 
a reward for sighted children in classrooms. We should stress  that 
drawing is fun. Blind adults enjoy drawing and it should be a  pleasure 
for both younger and older blind children.
     Drawing Geometric Shapes: Children can learn to draw geometric shapes  

freehand by using raised-line drawings or cardboard cutouts as models.  
They might then play at drawing with templates, plastic triangles,  and 
rulers. Blind adults have requested these aids in the past.
     Drawing Maps: The child might be encouraged to draw a simple map of a 
well-known pedestrian route. It can be fun to draw one's room or another 
very familiar spatial layout.
     Drawing a Mountain: The child is given a raised-line drawing of a 
mountain (side view, inverted "V") and asked to draw a house, people, 
animals, trees, and flowers on the mountainside. It might help if the 
child were given small models of these objects. The child  is asked to 
draw these things so they are upright and not tilted.

Summary:

     1. Blind children can draw straight lines and geometric forms.
     2.   It is important to keep track of starting and endpoints  when 
making outline drawings.
     3.   Drawings can be used to make maps of routes and places.
     4.   Objects can be vertical, tilted, or horizontal.
     It is important to note the orientation of things and keep the 
drawing  material horizontal.
     Special pointers on issues likely to arise: The suggested drawing 
lessons should follow the earlier drawing experiences and would be most 
useful to older children. We don't have normative data on these  tasks for 
the blind, but we do know that drawing simple geometric  shapes can be 
accomplished much earlier (seven or eight) than more  complex arrays. 
Drawing maps and objects on the mountain can be attempted  earlier, but 
distortion is likely for the younger child (e.g. seven  through eight).
     Older children (eight through ten) are more likely to succeed in 
producing  accurate drawings of spatial layouts. It is important to avoid 
criticism  and to maintain an encouraging tone. One should not expect 
absolute  accuracy. Remember, sighted adults may produce grossly distorted 
line  drawings when making maps of familiar layouts from memory.
     Follow-on: Further discussion with children can focus on other uses 
for raised-line drawing kits. For example, the children may wish to learn 
letter or number shapes, if they are unfamiliar with them. Their  writing 
can be both seen and touched, and this will help them communicate  with 
the sighted. They might wish to play tic-tac-toe with raised  lines. The 
children should be encouraged to generate other uses and subjects for 
drawings. They could draw pictures of beep-ball fields, bowling alleys, 
homes, and other large-scale objects.

                                     
                             Touch Pictures:
                                                                          
                            Ideas For Lessons
                                                                          
                             by J. M. Kennedy

Basic Questions

1. A picture can be made of raised materials,   with raised lines. Can a 
  picture of an object make sense if we only know about the picture from 
  touch?
2. A picture could be very detailed, too complicated to explore quickly 
  via touch. Are some of the simplest pictures possible,  that would make 
  sense to the blind child?
3.   Drawing materials usable by young blind children are now available. 
  How would a blind child be likely to draw simple objects on first 
  attempt?


Introduction: Background Information for the Educator.

     There is now good evidence that raised-line pictures of common 
objects  and arrangements of a few objects in a scene make sense to the 
blind  child and adult with no previous exposure to pictures. The research  
is from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, not from  one 
locale or school, so it is likely to be of general application.
     Blind children with no previous experience with pictures via sight or 
touch can recognize simple pictures or objects, in raised-line form. Some 
of these simple pictures can be objects with distinctive silhouettes, 
familiar to touch. Such objects include wire forms, like  a coat hanger, 
rounded solid forms like balls, eggs and cups, and  rectangular solid 
forms such as knives, forks, tables and chairs.  Some forms include 
internal detail, like a cup which has a hole in  its handle. Some forms 
are merely boundaries of parts of an object  such as a hand or profile of 
a nose.
     Drawing simple objects is a task congenitally blind children can 
accomplish.  The blind child can often be considered to be like a young 
sighted  child in understanding some shapes better than others, and often 
produces  drawings that are like those of young sighted children. Just as 
young  sighted children are imaginative, tolerant of approximations and 
informal  in their criteria for drawing objects, so too are young blind 
children  in many respects. The young sighted child draws objects 
following  very broad guidelines and principles, so that their drawing is 
often difficult for the adult to decipher and recognize. Nevertheless, the  
child progresses from one principle to another, developing in technique  
and sophistication. The young blind can also be expected to draw sketchily  
at first, and to progress in the sophistication of their principles.
     Specific information for lessons: Blind children can use lines to 
stand for wires, corners and edges of rectangular objects and boundaries  
("profiles") of rounded objects. There are objects made of  wires, flat 
surfaces and rounded surfaces that have distinctive shapes,  e.g., coat 
hangers, knives, and faces. In this lesson, simple objects  with these 
features are given as raised-line drawings, and also children  are asked 
to draw them.
     Motivation and content: How is the material to be introduced to the 
children? How can the child's motivation be engaged? There are several  
possible ways to engage interest. Each one may suit a particular child.  A 
different method may need to be invented for a specific child.
     Some children are immediately taken by pictures and drawing. They 
enjoy the task. They need little or no inducement to engage in drawing.  
They may invent new variations without exterior hints or suggestions.  In 
the long run, this is the autonomous state many children can reach.  At 
this point, the child learns and progresses on his or her own initiative.  
The materials should be shown, a suggestion can be given, and the  child 
will discover on its own how successful he or she can be immediately  with 
the materials.
     The educator with the autonomous child can simply offer the issue:  
"Here are some drawing materials. Children can draw objects with these. 
You can draw a coat hanger, or an egg, or a nose (profile) of a person."
     Reaction from the educator to the drawing is likely best kept warm, 
and to the point, rather than dramatic. Effort should be made to keep  the 
child's motivation centered on his or her own activity. The warmth  will 
help keep the child feeling confident that there is approval  and 
interest, without the child feeling that a particular requirement  is to 
be met. The child, it is thought, can discover some of the fundamental  
principles of drawing.
     Clever and unexpected tricks: Pictures as information. Some children  
may require some useful or "game" quality to the materials.  This can be 
done in various ways: The picture can be a label on the  lid of a 
canister. The child can be deciphering the message of the  picture, which 

can show "what is kept here", in a canister  or cupboard. The pictures can 
be practical, as labels. (Sighted children  quite readily notice the 
purpose of pictures, because they have pictorial  labels by the hundreds.) 
Labels for bananas, grapes, pears and apples  can be put on boxes with 
lids. The reward is in deciphering the label  and opening the box. The 
labels can also act as instructions about  what goes where, like toy 
animals or trucks or sailboats.
     Sailboats can make interesting games. A profile as a single line can  
readily do something a solid plateau-like form can only do with 
difficulty.  It can face two ways. A blind child can be asked to feel a 
line with  a small curve to the left and a large curve to the right. The 
child  can be asked to take the small curve as the nose, and the large 
curve  as the open mouth. On the next excursion, the small curve can be 
the  brow and the large curve a huge nose. The difference in the faces,  
and the change in their expression, can be of great interest to children.
     Recognition games: Drawing one's own likeness can be extremely 
appealing.  At an early age, there is a line to distinguish faces, but 
hair can  be very changeable from day to day--wet and slicked down by 
rain,  or fluffy and dry. One child can have short hair, another long 
hair,  another has bows and another has braids. Adults have beards, 
mustaches,  set hair. A familiar person concentrating on a remarkable 
distinctive  feature can be rewarding for children.
     Drawing interesting foods: Foods have distinctive shapes--the 
triangles  of pizza, the rectangles of French fries, the round hamburger 
bun.  Children can order their food by drawing what they want. They can  
tell what they had for lunch to a friend with a picture.
     Summary: The content and the format of a lesson can be inherently 
interesting. But the point should be made clear occasionally, and it may 
be helpful to make the point explicit.
     The points to be made explicit for young blind children using 
pictures include:

1.   Blind children can use pictures.
2.   The raised-lines in pictures stand for boundaries of objects.
3.   There are different kinds of boundaries (wires, corners and rounded borders in this instance) that lines can 
  show.
4.   Pictures understood by blind children are understood by the 
  sighted.

     Special pointers on issues likely to arise: When sighted children 
draw at first, they do not draw realistically, in perspective, as though 
tracing a photograph. One should not expect the blind child to draw 
realistically at first.
     Likely, the first drawings of the young child age 3, 4 or 5 may 
include,  mostly, a mark with no relevant shape. The mark stands for any 
desired  feature, e.g. the noise of a truck, the truck itself, the number 
of  trucks, or the driver in the truck. A mark may be added each time  a 
new feature is added. Or the child may simply switch the meaning  of the 
mark from time to time: The rule is one of "fiat": At will, the mark is 
given a reference.
     The blind child of perhaps age 5, 6 or 7 may use some fiat marks, but 
the child may also add relevant shapes. A curve may indicate a single leg. 
The parts of the object are not merely indicated by marks,  by fiat, but 
rather share some similarity of shape with the object.
     A slightly older blind child, likely one of age 8 and older, not only  
makes line drawings where parts of the object are outlined, rather  
vaguely, but also draws the parts connected. This is a kind of drawings  
often made by blind and sighted adults. The parts each have a definite  
shape similar to the real object, and also the end of each part joins  to 
another part. The connections are shown accurately, in that legs  are 
attached to bodies, not to heads, for example, and generally,  they are 

not left disconnected, without an explanation. The angles  made in the 
real object where parts connect to bodies are often irrelevant  to the 
drawing. A table leg is at right angles to the table-top, in  the real 
object, but it may be at any angle in the freehand drawing.
     As a cautionary note, we emphasize that the child's drawing does 
contain  principles, even if the principle of realism is not apparent. The  
child typically can describe what parts of the drawing stand for.  
Typically, the child can touch the relevant part of the drawing and  a 
related part of the real object. The child can be asked to explain  the 
drawing to adults or peers and will likely give the same explanation  to 
both.
     A child often will draw at one level, meaning following one set of 
principles such as fiat, but can use some other principles that may be 
developmentally more advanced. A child who draws by fiat can recognize  a 
realistic silhouette form of a simple object. A child can also show  an 
advanced format when drawing with "dictation". For example,  the child can 
be asked to draw the head, then the body, then the legs,  then the feet, 
and only then the arms and hands. A child who draws  by fiat, at his own 
discretion, often puts marks at random on the  page, in the order they 
happen to occur. But the marks may be distributed  using a body schema, 
and appropriate positioning on the page, if drawing  to dictation.
     Follow-on: The topics raised as children initially prepare outline 
drawings or try using them may lead to questions about more involved  
uses. Notably, the blind child may want to be aware of when and how  
sighted people use pictures. In schools, sighted children typically  have 
drawings on the walls for everyone's inspection. This is an immediate  
instance where the blind child's work can be displayed in a format  some 
schools previously reserved for pictures by sighted children.  A drawing 
on the child's own cupboard may be helpful in being available  for 
incidental inspection, not connected to a particular game, or  an object 
being sought. The child could send pictures to friends and  relations by 
mail. Pictures can be taken home to show family what  subjects the child 
is studying, so the picture acts as a message about  a subject such as 
history, not just an attractive item in its own right. A newspaper can be 
read and its front picture (of say, an airplane)  translated. The 
classroom loudspeaker for the radio in school could  have a picture of the 
principal put on it, drawn by the child, after  inspecting the principal's 
profile. Favorite characters in books--"Winnie-the-Pooh" or favorite toys 
in catalogues (of lambs  or Lamborghinis) can be drawn.

                                     
                        Information for Perception
                                                                          
 Does it Exist in the Environment or is it Just a Product of the Nervous 
                                  System
                                                                          
                           by Paul Gabias, PhD

     From the Editor:  The following article is somewhat technical, but it 
lays out the scientific foundation for a different way to think about 
perception in general and the way the blind perceive the world in 
particular.  We reprint it here because we believe it is important to 
spread our message to the entire community.
     
     In this article, I want to make two general points about perception. 
The first point is that information pickup involves the isolation of 
invariants in dynamic stimulation. This means that information  pickup is 
much more than the output of particular sensory nerves at  any given 
moment in time. The second point is that because the pickup  of 
information involves the isolation of invariants in dynamic stimulation,  
there is equivalent information for different perceptual systems.  I 

believe that an understanding of these two points will increase  our 
understanding of perception and our understanding of blindness  and its 
impact on perception.
     One of the most persistent fallacies about blindness in popular 
culture and science is the notion that blind and sighted people perceive 
different worlds. The idea here is that what we perceive  is a product of 
the sensory channels involved in perception. If the  visual channels are 
not active, the assumption is that the perception  of many physical 
attributes such as layout, size, distance, detail  and salience is 
necessarily always incomplete because the products  from the visual 
channels are absent. The assumption is that there  is nothing a blind 
person can do to mitigate against this situation.  The assumption is that 
the incompleteness in perception is a necessary  consequence of the 
physiological deficiency and it affects almost  every aspect of 
perception.
     Much research in perception stems from this erroneous assumption. 
However, through the pioneering ideas and research of Dr. James J. Gibson 
and the more recent research of Drs. John M. Kennedy, Morty Heller and 
Paul Gabias, to name a few, an alternative view of perception  is gaining 
acceptance in psychology. This view is called the ecological  approach to 
perception. According to this approach, perception is  not a product of 
the output of sensory channels to the brain. The  brain does not construct 
the world out of sensations from the sensory  channels. Instead, the 
brain, sensory and motor systems operating  as an entire unit isolate 
invariants in dynamic stimulation which  correspond to the physical 
properties of the world, as we know them.  According to the ecological 
position, information is not the output  of sensory nerves to the brain. 
Information is not to be considered  the neural building blocks of the 
world for the brain. Instead, information  is what the world has to offer. 
It is directly related to the physical  properties of the world and not 
the physiological properties of nerves.  This is because information 
pickup  involves the isolation of invariants  in dynamic stimulation, it 
is not restricted to the output of particular  sensory nerves.
     Because the pickup of information involves the isolation of 
invariants  in dynamic stimulation, there can be equivalent information 
for different  perceptual systems. This is an extremely important point. 
It is in  fact a tenet of the ecological approach to perception. Support 
for  the tenet is abundant. All you have to do is to observe blind people  
who have had training and opportunity going about their lives and  
competing with sighted people on absolute terms of equality. I will  
return to this point later, after I describe the properties of the  
different types of information available in the environment, appropriate  
for each perceptual system. Information about the world exists at  the 
surfaces of rigid and nonrigid substances, and within nonrigid substances. 
Information about the world is inherent in the layout, and change in 
layout of rigid surfaces. Information is also inherent  in the texture and 
pigment of surfaces.
     Visual information about the world is embodied in structured light. 
This structured light is called the ambient optic array. It consists  of 
nested sets of solid angles, each projecting to a point of observation.  
Of course, the environment is made up of an infinite set of points  of 
observation and at least theoretically, an observer can be stationed  at 
any point of observation and can move through multiple points of  
observation. The invariants in the structured light are directly related  
to the layout of surfaces in the environment including the surfaces  of 
the observer's body. The changes in structured light correspond  to 
changes in surface layout caused by displacements or changes in  surface 
composition. Displacements of the observer's body are specified  to the 
observer at points of observation within the field of view.  Displacements 
in the environment which do not involve the observer's  body are also 
specified as changes in the structured light. Yet, within these changes, 

there is still persistence of structure which specifies  the permanent 
shape of objects moving through the environment.
     Auditory information is embodied in wave fronts with frequency trains  
specifying particular auditory events, and different arrival times  and 
intensities of wave fronts at the two ears specifying location  in space. 
With auditory events far away, head movements cause little  change in 
intensity and arrival times of the wave fronts at the two  ears. 
Practically speaking, this means that it is harder to localize  a sound 
event in the distance. However, when auditory events are close  by, they 
are much easier to localize. This is because head movements  cause much 
larger changes in intensities and arrival times of the  wave fronts at the 
two ears. The fact that differences between inputs  to the two ears are 
much more detectable the closer the sound event  is to the observer, and 
the fact that they are harder to detect the  further away the sound event 
is from the observer, gives rise to what  can be called auditory 
perspective. This auditory perspective is governed  by the same 
geometrical principles as visual perspective. So, perspective  is not just 
a visual principle, as is commonly thought. This is surprising  to many 
people. It makes the point that there are often multiple sources  of 
equivalent information.
     Olfactory and gustatory information is embodied in the molecular 
structure  of substances. Olfaction is carried through air. Our sense of 
smell  is not at all bothered by the dynamic flow of air caused by wind,  
or of the flow of air caused by inhaling and exhaling. If anything,  wind 
helps olfaction and so does sniffing. This reinforces the point  that 
perception is best under dynamic conditions. Here again, with  smell, the 
perception of odors involves extracting nonchange from  change.
     Haptic information, that is, information perceived through active 
touch, is embodied in the substances of solids and liquids and the layout 
of surfaces and the changing layout of surfaces. This haptic information 
is best picked up through active exploration of the substances  and 
surfaces of the world. Active exploration can be accomplished  through 
direct contact with substances and surfaces, by means of the  hands. Other 
body parts can also be used but they are somewhat less  efficient at 
information pickup, unless the person has no hands and  the feet are used 
as substitutes. Active exploration can also be accomplished  at a distance 
by means of instruments such as a white cane. Using  a cane, a blind 
person can explore a large array of cluttered objects  in complete safety. 
This can be a room, a home, a yard, an acreage,  or an entire city. The 
important point here is that the perception  of large layouts can occur 
despite and because of large changes in  stimulation. The invariants in 
structure are perceived despite and  because of dynamic stimulation to the 
perceiver. This fact is the  riddle of perception. This is what makes 
perception so fascinating  to study. I will take up this point again, 
later.
     Now, I want to return to the idea that there can be equivalent 
information  across several different perceptual systems. Perceiving a 
fire involves  isolating nonchange from a myriad of chemical and 
ecological changes  and this occurs across the different perceptual 
systems.
     As Dr. James J. Gibson writes in Chapter 6 of his book, "The 
Ecological  Approach to Visual Perception", "A fire with flames, 
considered  as an ecological event, instead of an abstract chemical event, 
consists  of complex motions and deformations, fluctuating luminous 
surfaces,  reddening and blackening of the opaque surfaces, billowing 
smoke and  finally, a disappearance of the solid surfaces." This nonchange  
can be picked up by animal and human visual systems. A fire is also  
specified to the skin, the ears and the nose in addition to the eyes.  
Regardless of which perceptual system is used to pick up the presence  of 
fire, it means warmth, comfort, a means of cooking food, or danger, 
depending on the situation. A fire is specified to the ears by 

characteristic  rumble and puff sounds along with snap, crackle and pop 
sounds. In  English it is called fire, in French, feu, in German, feuer, 
in Spanish,  fuego, in Portuguese, fogo, and in Russian, pozhar, but it 
means the  same thing to everybody no matter what the language. In French, 
the  term for a large fire is incendie. There are similar sounding words  
in English such as incinerate and incendiary. Notice the fricative  "f" 
sound, the plosive "p" sound and the sibilant "s" sound in the words for 
fire in different languages designed  to mimic the puffs, pops and hisses 
in the sounds of fire. It is likely  that somebody at the Kellogg Company 
decided to apply the "snap,  crackle and pop" expression to describe the 
sound of Rice Crispies  in a bowl of milk because of pleasant associations 
with listening  to the sounds of wood burning in a fireplace.
     To the skin, fire is specified by a gradient of heat which is 
inversely  proportional to the distance between the fire and the skin. 
Notice  the similarity between hot and hiss. The smaller the distance, the  
greater the perception of heat. There is also a gradient of pain which  is 
inversely proportional to the distance between the skin and the  fire. The 
closer the skin is to the fire, the greater the perception  of pain. 
Beyond a limit of comfort, fire will burn the skin. Notice  the plosive 
sound in "burn". A person can perceive the existence  of flames by touch 
because flames cause the perception of intense  heat at great distances 
from the source of the flames. Notice the  fricative sound in "flame".
     It is not hard to understand how fire is specified to the nose 
through  the smell of smoke and the smell of burning substances such as 
wood,  fabric or rubber. Even the smell of smoke and burning involves 
isolating  nonchange from change. As we breathe the air in and out there 
is a  flow of air molecules in and out of the nose and yet despite and 
perhaps  because of this changing flow of air molecules, we are able to 
detect  the constancy in the molecules which specifies burning.
     The fact that we can perceive fire through the eyes, ears, skin and 
nose makes the point that there is equivalent information across different  
perceptual systems. Some might argue that this point is rather obvious  
and somewhat trite. However, the point applies in more complicated  
situations, as well.
     Some have argued quite strenuously that blind people are at a great 
disadvantage because they do not see people's faces. They have suggested  
that blind people are less able to perceive people's emotions and  motives 
because they are not aware of people's facial expressions.  This line of 
argument has been used to keep blind people from entering  several 
professions. It has been argued that because a blind person  cannot 
perceive facial expressions directly, he or she will be less  effective in 
teaching, counseling, the practice of law, as a juror  or witness, as a 
parent and in almost every other human endeavor which  involves social 
interaction. While this line of argument may seem  appealing on the 
surface, it is pure nonsense when you consider how absolutely devastated 
our society would be if it were suddenly required  to function without 
telephones, radios and written information. Although  some important 
business is conducted in person, much important business  is conducted on 
the telephone or by written correspondence. The rise  in the popularity of 
talk radio in the last twenty years is a striking  example of the fact 
that faceless communication has become extremely  important in our 
society. For better or for worse, we have adapted  to the telephone and we 
use it to full advantage.
     Think of the many advice call-in programs on the radio today. The 
most recent spiritual and psychological advisor to have become extremely  
popular in the United States and Canada is Dr. Laura Schlessinger.  
Because of her expertise and training, Dr. Laura can usually figure  out 
the dynamics of the social situations described to her by her  callers 
within a matter of minutes, sometimes even seconds. She never  sees her 
callers, yet she can pick up their emotional states by what  she hears 
over the telephone. She is using information about people's  emotional 

states available in the auditory signal and she can do it  to the great 
envy of some of her professional competitors who work  in social obscurity 
face to face with their comparatively small clientele.  Thus, there is 
equivalent information across the perceptual systems.  This is just one of 
the many marvels of the world and the animals  who live in it.
     Speaking of marvels of the world, some people have agonized over the  
fact that I will never see the faces of my children. They assume that  
because I cannot see their faces, I am not able to experience the  full 
extent of their beauty and preciousness. How can they presume  to know 
what I feel? How can they stand in judgment just because they  can see? I 
try to explain that I am not fixated on the children's  faces. As I touch 
my children through the normal course of parent-child  interactions, I 
find beauty in many parts of their body, not just  the face. The texture 
of their skin and hair is pleasant and beautiful  to the touch. The shape 
of their head, arms and legs distinguishes  them from any other children. 
The shape of their hands and feet and  the intricacies in the actions of 
the joints in the fingers and toes  are a tribute to our creator. They are 
so perfectly put together and  I am overwhelmed with gratitude at the 
lives my wife and I have been able to produce. At this time, our marriage 
has been blessed with two children; Joanne, 6 and Jeffrey, 3. We are 
expecting a third child  any day now.
     I now want to return to a point I made earlier, which is that 
invariants  in structure are perceived despite and because of dynamic 
stimulation  to the perceiver. This fact has bedeviled conventional 
sensory and  perceptual psychologists for years. This is because most of 
them only  study vision, and only vertebrate vision. They ignore the 
complexities  of the vision of insects and mollusks which relies on 
compound eyes.  In compound eyes, no chambers are present, there is no 
lens and there  is no retina, so no image can be formed on the retina to 
be sent to  the brain. These psychologists regard the eye as a camera 
which sends pictures to the brain, and they compare the retina to a film 
in a camera. Their theories of vision ignore the fact that, in many 
animals,  vision occurs without a retina. Comprehensive theories of vision 
must  take this biological fact into account.
     Pursuing the camera analogy, the retina receives images from the 
lens.  Nerve fibers from the retina conduct the image to the brain. The 
nerve  fibers may sharpen the image through neural coding, but these 
fibers,  nonetheless, are generally considered to be communication cables 
between  the retina and the brain. The brain is supposed to make sense of 
these  pictures so that the mind can see a coherent congruent world in a  
sea of changing stimulation. But how is this to be accomplished?
     To answer this basic question, the traditional psychologists have 
taken refuge from the complexity of a world swarming with dynamism by 
studying static displays. By experimental design, they often deliberately  
prevent their subjects from moving their eyes. Subjects are forced  to 
keep their head immobile. How can we learn anything about normal  
perception in abnormal situations like these?
     If perception is considered to be a passive process, the static 
approach  makes sense. You project an image to the static eye, the eye 
sends  it to the brain, and the brain spontaneously displays a perception  
to the mind through the miracle of physiology and neural networks.  After 
130 years of psychology, many perceptual psychologists haven't  left Alice 
in Wonderland, despite the fancy laboratories and the big  grants.
     How are the principles associated with this static approach to 
perception  going to tell us anything about normal vision or other 
perceptual  systems such as touch and hearing which rely heavily on 
dynamic stimulation?  Perception through the skin, joints and muscle 
tendons relies almost  exclusively on dynamic stimulation. There is no way 
that principles  derived from the study of static vision can ever apply to 
haptic perception  of layout. Since most psychologists still study static 
vision and  generalize their findings to other perceptual systems, which 

they  consider minor in importance, how can the principles derived from  
conventional perceptual studies have any application to the way blind  
people perceive and function in the world? The answer is that they  can't 
and yet the way we function in the world is laden with fruitful avenues of 
research, if only the research psychologists would bother  to look.
     I believe that research in haptic pictures for blind people affords 
ground-breaking theoretical possibilities as well as practical 
applications  for psychology. This type of research allows us to study the 
pickup  of invariants over a wide range of textures and representational 
systems.  Just think of the many techniques available for producing 
tactile  displays and all the resulting textures. The textures must become  
background and the invariants of structure across textures must be  
isolated as foreground. In addition, this research allows us to study  the 
pickup of invariants which are constant in arrays of information  
differing in energy characteristics. For example, for a picture to  be 
seen, an array of structured reflected light is necessary. For  a picture 
to be available to touch, a tangible structure affording significant 
deformations to the skin and joints must be available. For picture 
perception to occur, invariants of structure must be isolated  from the 
change in energy flow, regardless of the energy characteristics.
     Also, this research allows us to study the pickup of invariants which  
are not affected by differences in receptor characteristics, differences  
in structures along different afferent and efferent nerves, and 
differences  in cortical afferent and efferent areas associated with 
specific afferent  and efferent nerves. For example, seeing a picture and 
touching a  picture involve different receptor characteristics, different 
structures  along different afferent and efferent nerves, and different 
cortical  afferent and efferent areas associated with specific afferent 
and  efferent nerves. For picture perception to occur, it is the process  
of isolating invariants of structure in the changes necessary to obtain  
stimulation which is key, not the particular pathways or brain centers  
involved.
     Finally, this research allows us to study the pickup of invariants 
within a constantly changing flow of stimulation. In order to perceive  an 
extended array by touch, the observer must continuously change  the points 
of observation under the fingers. Thus, the pressure changes  under the 
skin are constant. The changes in the joint angles in the  fingers, 
wrists, elbows, and shoulders are also constant. Yet, from  all of this 
changing stimulation, perception occurs. Isn't this remarkable?  We, as 
blind people, have an enormous amount to teach science and  the public. As 
members of the National Federation of the Blind, we  are in a good 
position to present the scientific and lay public with an understanding of 
the world, as we know it, which is often beyond their ken. Let's go ahead 
and do it!

                                     
                             THE QUESTION BOX

     From the Editor:  This article is reprinted from the Buckeye Bulletin 
(Summer 1996), a publication of the National Federation of the Blind of 
Ohio.
     
     Q.  I am fairly new to the world of computers, and right now  I have 
a DOS-based system. All of my sighted colleagues are using Windows. Is it 
possible for a blind person to use Windows?
     A.  Several of the major producers of screen-reading programs  have 
had Windows-access programs on the market for some time now.  I am using 
Artic Winvision to operate within a Windows environment. JAWS and GW Micro 
also have Windows screen-reading programs available.  Blazie Engineering 
also has a product called Windows Master.
     Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic has tutorials for Windows 

available  in an ASCII format. There is no charge for the disks, but you 
must  pay the cost of shipping. I have obtained tutorials for Windows 3.1,  
and MS Word. The choice of which screen-reading program is yours to  make, 
but one thing is certain--blind people do Windows.

                                     
                   Commercial Technology for the Blind

     From the Editor: The following article is reprinted from the June, 
1996 edition of "The Braille Monitor", the publication of the National 
Federation of the Blind in the United States. Access  to information means 
access to far more than books in a library. These  common sense guidelines 
for making commercial technology usable by  blind people point out one of 
the subtle, but extremely serious, information  access problems we face.
     
     From the Editor Emeritus: As Monitor readers know, Curtis Chong is 
the President of the National Federation of the Blind in Computer Science. 
He is employed as a designer consultant by American  Express Financial 
Advisors of Minneapolis. As a member of the World  Blind Union's Committee 
on Technology, he recently prepared a paper  concerning guidelines for 
designing modern technology that can be  used by the blind. Very few 
subjects have more importance to the blind  than this one, and Mr. Chong's 
straightforward approach is refreshingly  understandable.

Introduction

     Although there will always be a need for some specialized technology 
designed especially for the blind (for example, the Braille  writer), it 
is preferable for people who are blind to be able to operate  the same 
technology that is commercially available to the general  population. The 
problem we face is that, more often than not, commercially  developed 
technology is designed in such a way as to preclude efficient  and 
convenient use without sight. It is not that manufacturers deliberately  
set out to prevent blind people from using the technology they develop.  
It is simply that they haven't considered the possibility that a blind  
person might want to use their product. Moreover, even if some developers  
wish to ensure that blind people can use a specific device, they face the 
problem that there are no easily obtainable guidelines which they  can 
follow to meet this goal.
     In other words, their design efforts are likely to be conducted on a 
hit-or-miss basis. The ideal goal is to have electronic appliances  usable 
by everyone, including people with physical, sensory, or cognitive  
disabilities. However, in attempting to achieve this goal, it is important  
to recognize that features that make the appliance usable for one  
disability group may cause the device to be unusable for another.
     For example, replacing printed labels with raised pictographic 
symbols  may be beneficial to people with learning disabilities, but they 
are  useless to blind people who may read Braille or raised print. 
Accordingly,  it should be clearly understood that this paper focuses 
specifically  upon the access requirements of persons who are blind. This 
paper  will attempt to establish broad principles and suggest some 
specific  practices that may be followed by developers of commercial 
technology  so as to ensure that the products they develop can be operated 
by  a blind person without sighted assistance. It should be viewed as  a 
guide that can be used to stimulate thinking on the subject--not  as the 
definitive solution to the problem. This paper will not address the 
problem of access to computers and the graphical user interface.  Many 
organizations have devoted substantial time and energy to this  problem. 
However, relatively little thought and effort have been devoted  to the 
question of how modern consumer electronics can be designed  so as to be 
operated by those of us who happen to be blind.

     As a growing number of these devices use digital controls and 
computer  technology to carry out basic functions, our ability to use them 
steadily  diminishes.

Guiding Principles

     Before making specific design recommendations, I would like  to 
suggest a few principles that should be used to shape the design effort. 
These include operability, integration, usability built-in, and accessible 
documentation.
     Operability in this context means that a specific appliance is 
designed  in such a way that a blind person can exercise all of its 
essential  functions without sighted assistance. A good example of this 
concept  is the television. We may not be able to see the picture while 
enjoying  our favorite movie, but we are able to turn the television on 
and  off, adjust the volume, and select the desired channel without asking  
a sighted friend to help us. (At least, this is the case with most  
televisions available today.)
     The principle of integration is aimed at ensuring that features 
necessary  to operate an appliance without sight are an integral part of 
the  design and benefit everyone who uses the appliance--not only the  
blind.
     A telephone with buttons that can be operated by touch is an 
excellent  example of this concept. The fact that the buttons can be felt 
is  beneficial not only to the blind user but also to everyone else. Other  
examples include the talking clocks and calculators formerly manufactured  
by Sharp and the talking answering machines currently available from  such 
companies as AT&T and Panasonic. With regard to these latter  devices, the 
speech generated is sufficient to enable full control  and operation 
without sighted assistance.
     Usability built-in means that ideally a peripheral (and often 
expensive)  piece of assistive technology is not necessary for a blind 
person  to operate an appliance. Although in some cases necessity may 
force  us to use assistive technology (e.g., a Braille 'n Speak equipped  
with an infrared transmitter) to operate some equipment with infrared  or 
other connection schemes installed, this is not the preferred method  of 
controlling an electronic appliance. It makes no sense for us to  have to 
use a piece of equipment costing a thousand dollars simply  to operate an 
appliance that may at most cost a few hundred. One method  for 
accomplishing this goal would be to provide speech output, either built 
into the appliance or available as a low-cost accessory. Given  the 
increasing sophistication of digital technology, this may well  become a 
necessity for the appliances of tomorrow.
     Accessible documentation refers to the concept of making instruction  
manuals available in a medium other than print. For manuals prepared  
using a word processor, it should be possible to make ASCII-text versions  
available (for a nominal fee) so that the manual could be transcribed  
into Braille or read on the blind person's own computer.

Guidelines for Physical Controls and Labels

     Physical controls usually take the form of knobs, dials, switches, 
slide controls, and buttons. In digitally controlled devices,  they have 
sometimes taken the form of switches activated by light,  pressure, heat, 
or capacitance. Usually these switches are located  on smooth control 
panels that are totally unusable by the blind. Moreover,  these switches 
often provide only visual cues to indicate that they  have been activated. 
In some cases remote controls with tactile buttons  are available, but the 
user is presented with only visual cues to  indicate what the appliance is 
doing.
     Physical controls should not depend upon sight alone for operation. 

Consideration needs to be given to the use of other senses (e.g., touch 
and hearing) to manipulate controls. This would be of benefit to all 
users, blind and sighted alike. Sighted users will appreciate  not having 
to divide their visual attention between two activities  and will also 
enjoy the ability to operate the appliance--even  when lighting is poor. 
Blind users will appreciate the ability to  operate what would otherwise 
be an unusable appliance. Here are some  suggested guidelines. Bear in 
mind that other approaches are possible  if sufficient creativity and 
motivation are brought to the design  effort.

1.   Push buttons should be discernible by touch. The button  can be 
  indented, raised, or contained within a raised boundary that can clearly 
  be detected by touch.
2.   Push buttons should never be touch-activated. Some minimal pressure 
  should be required to activate the control, and the  appliance should 
  provide tactual or audio feedback to indicate when  the button has been 
  pressed.
3.   The shape of a push button can provide important clues  to its 
  function. Consider using texture or other tactually detectable changes 
  (such as a raised symbol) to identify buttons for unusual or important 
  functions.
4.   Small, closely clustered controls are often difficult  to negotiate 
  by touch. Consider spacing controls so that each one can be detected 
  easily by touch. Ideally, spacing between controls should be no less 
  than one-half the control's width or height. Crowding  controls together 
  to provide what appears to be a seamless surface  makes them difficult 
  to operate by touch.
5.   Buttons that turn modes on or off should provide tactile  or other 
  nonvisual means to indicate the on or off state. These might include: 
  Leaving the button in when a mode is on and causing it to pop out when 
  the mode is off, or generating a high tone when the mode  is turned on 
  and a low tone when the mode is turned off.
6.   Slide controls can be made more useful if they have notches, 
  clicks, or tactile markings indicating normal settings.
7.   The use of a continuous rotary selector (as in a radio  tuning 
  knob) will be enhanced for everyone if a notch, dot, or raised pointer 
  is placed on the knob. Also it is very helpful if the selector  has a 
  detent for every possible setting so that individual settings  can be 
  selected by touch.
8.   Tactile labels should be built in to supplement visual  labels 
  which the blind cannot use. These may consist of raised sans  serif 
  upper-case characters made of thin lines. Tactile labels should not use 
  pictograms or other non-textual symbols. This assumes that the controls 
  being labeled are not dynamic in nature--that is, that the controls 
  always perform the same function.
9.   Braille labels and overlays should be made available upon request.

Guidelines for More Sophisticated Digital Devices

     Appliances which use digital technology pose a more complex problem 
for blind people. Individual buttons do not perform the same  function 
consistently. Modes change automatically, without notice.  Often, the 
operator is required to select an item from a menu displayed  visually. 
Although for some devices a remote control with tactile  controls may be 
available, the blind person may be unable to perform  any control or 
selection functions because the choices to be made  are displayed visually 
with no verbal prompts.
     In other words, many appliances have today become dedicated 
computers,  with all that the term implies. Although many digital devices 
with  relatively simple control systems can be operated without sight, it  
is often necessary for the blind person to spend considerable time  and 

effort memorizing numerous sequential procedures. The control  of these 
devices is made more difficult when they memorize settings--even  when 
turned off. Sometimes these devices will shift from one menu  to another 
after a predetermined amount of inactivity time has passed,  making it 
difficult for the blind operator to determine what function  is being 
selected.
     The guidelines presented here are at best a preliminary attempt to 
deal with the digital appliances of today. It should be understood that, 
as digital appliances become even more sophisticated, these guidelines 
will need to be adapted. Here are some suggestions that can enable blind 
people to operate digital appliances independently with the maximum 
possible efficiency.

1.   There should be a way for the user to return the appliance  to a 
  state where all mode settings are known. This is different from the 
  "Reset" function that many appliances have to restore factory settings. 
  The intent here is to enable the operator to predict what will happen 
  when specific procedures are executed. If the operator makes a mistake 
  in executing the procedure, he or she should be able  to return to a 
  known starting point to try again. In addition, the  operator should be 
  able to perform any desired function from this  known state with a 
  minimum number of keystrokes.
2.   If the design calls for displayed menus to change automatically  
  after a certain amount of inactive time, there should be a way to  lock 
  the display so that it doesn't change, or, failing that, an audible  cue 
  should be provided to alert the operator to the fact that the  display 
  has changed. In this latter instance the design should be  such that the 
  user can predict what the display will change to, without  having to see 
  it; and it should be possible to turn off the audible  cue when it is 
  not needed.
3.   The design of the digital appliance must be such that  a blind 
  operator can memorize a sequence of events that can be executed 
  consistently to perform a specific function or set a desired state. If 
  for any reason the sequence of events needs to be aborted due to an 
  error in execution, the appliance should provide some means of letting 
  the blind operator know that the error has occurred and return  the 
  device to a known state. A simple beep will suffice for most situations.  
  Other audible cues should be provided to indicate, for example, when  
  data are to be entered (as in the security code for an automatic teller  
  machine); when an automatic sequence is beginning and ending; and  when 
  the appliance will no longer accept input. Audible cues may not  always 
  be desired; therefore, there must be a method for turning them  off.
4.   If speech output is built in to the appliance or provided  as a 
  low-cost accessory:
A. There should be a way to turn the speech on and off. This mechanism  
  should not require sight for use. People who do not need the speech  may 
  find it a novelty at first but will quickly find it an annoyance  if 
  they cannot disable it.
B. Speech should be responsive and interruptable. This means that  it 
  can be stopped and started almost instantly, simply by pressing  a key 
  which causes new speech to be generated.
C. A button should be provided which causes the speech to speak the  
  entire display, if it is one line, or the entire list of menu choices,  
  if the display consists of multiple lines. If a choice is to be selected  
  from a list, a method should be provided to speak each choice 
  individually  so that the operator will know what is being selected.
D. Speech output does not need to carry more information than the  
  visual display unless it is essential to the operation of the appliance.
E.  A headphone jack should be provided for private listening. This  
  will enable the blind person to hear confidential information as in  the 
  case of an automatic teller machine.


Conclusion

     The principles and guidelines set forth in this paper should  not be 
viewed as the total answer to the question of how technology can be made 
usable by people who are blind. For one thing we cannot possibly know all 
of the forms that future technology will take and the problems that such 
technology will pose for the blind. Moreover,  technology is changing at 
an accelerating rate. Solutions that may  work for today's technology will 
certainly not solve the problems  that will arise with the technology of 
the future. We can hope, however,  that designers, engineers, and 
marketers will make a conscious effort  to ensure that the products 
emerging from their work can be used by  those of us who are blind. If 
they will consider that technology will  be used by everyone--blind and 
sighted alike--and plan their  work accordingly, we stand a better chance 
of maintaining parity with  our sighted peers in our ability to use 
electronic appliances.
     

                                     
                        THE CANADIAN BLIND MONITOR
                                                                          
  VOICE OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND: ADVOCATES FOR EQUALITY
                                                                          
                                     
                                                                          
                            VOL. 2 SUMMER 1996


The Canadian Blind Monitor is published three times a year. Members of the 
NFB:AE are invited, non-members are requested to cover our subscription 
cost with an annual fee of $10.00.

Published by NFB:AE.  All rights reserved.  No part of this magazine may 
be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or 
mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information 
storage and retrieval system without permission from the publisher.
NFB:AE, P.O. Box 5058, Kelowna, B.C. V1Y 8T9 Fax (604) 491-4080
E-mail: nfbcanwinc.com

                                     
                              PART II OF II
                                     

Editor:  Mary Ellen Gabias
Editorial Assistants:  Faye Harrison and Helaine Jackson
Advertising Co-ordinator: 8278 Manitoba Street, Vancouver, B.C. V5X 3A2 
  (604) 482-3102  Fax (604) 482-3130


The National Federation of the Blind:  Advocates for Equality is not an 
organization speaking for the blind.  It is the blind speaking for 
themselves.
Please specify preferred format:  Print, Braille, Cassette, or Computer 
disk.
This Braille edition contains the entire text of the Inkprint edition, 
except for advertising. Questions regarding advertisements should be 
directed to NFB:AE headquarters.
 
Produced in Grade Two Braille for the NFB:AE  by AJS Braille Service, 707 
East Garland Avenue, Spokane, Washington U.S.A., 99207-3027. TEL: (509) 

487-8959.
                                     
                                                                          
                         FRONT COVER ILLUSTRATION
     
     The front cover of the Summer 1996 issue of THE CANADIAN BLIND 
MONITOR shows a representation of the Information Superhighway along which 
are insets of technologies available shown as roadsigns.  The images 
include: the CD Rom, computers, headphones, cassettes and Braille.  The 
NFB:AE logo occupies the upper right hand corner.  The logo is a set of 
scales with a sword in the centre and a maple leaf superimposed on the 
blade of the sword.

                                     
                    Changes In Canada's Copyright Laws

     In late April, Heritage Minister Sheila Copps announced a new tariff 
on blank casette tapes. The tariff was proposed to help  reimburse artists 
for the revenue lost by illegal copying of their  recorded work. It is 
estimated that illegal copies of musical recordings  cost artists millions 
each year.
     This proposal is part of an overall review of Canada's copyright 
legislation.  It is one of two provisions in the proposed law which could 
have a  serious impact on blind people.
     The other is a proposal which would require copyright fees to be paid  
to authors whenever more than one copy of their work is produced in  
alternative format. Since libraries would need more than one copy  for 
circulation, and since the cost of production for alternative  formats is 
considerably higher than the cost of print production,  these copyright 
proposals would pose an extreme hardship on producers  of books for the 
blind.
     At this writing, the copyright bill has passed second reading and 
been assigned to committee. The NFB:AE has prepared the following position 
statement and submitted it to the Standing Committee on Canadian  Heritage 
Chairman. Chapters and individual members have been asked  to send their 
comments to the NFB:AE national office. The statement,  along with the 
comments we receive, will be the basis for NFB:AE testimony  at 
parliamentary hearings later this Fall.
     The chairperson of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (the 
committee to which the Canadian Bill has been assigned) is Clifford 
Lincoln of Montreal. Other committee members are:

Vice-Chairmen:  Gaston Leroux and Pat O'Brien Jim Abbott, Guy H. 
  Arsenault, Hugh Hanrahan, Janko Perie, Jack Iyerak Anawak, Mauril 
  Belanger, Jean-Paul Marchand, Beth Phinney.

Associate Members:

Robert Bertrand, Simon de Jong, John English, Georgette Sheridan, Jan 
  Brown, Pierre de Savoye, Rey D. Pagtakhan, Monte Solberg,  John Bryden, 
  Stan Dromisky, Louis Plamondon.

     You can help by contacting members of this committee and your own 
member of parliament and letting them know that the information needs  of 
blind persons must be taken into account in any amendments to the  
copyright law.

                                     
                  Brief on Proposed Copyright Amendments

     Introduction: This is a brief concerning the proposed copyright 

legislation from Heritage Canada and Industry Canada. I am writing as 
President of the National Federation of the Blind:  Advocates for  
Equality (NFB:AE). The NFB:AE received its Articles of Incorporation  from 
Ottawa in June of 1992. It became a nonprofit charitable society  on 
January 1, 1995. The National Federation of the Blind is not an  agency 
for the blind. We are the blind speaking for ourselves. Our  membership is 
comprised of blind persons and sighted friends and supporters.  The 
majority of the membership is blind. The Objects of the NFB:AE  are as 
follows: June 13, 1996

1.   To serve as a vehicle for self-improvement by the blind  and for 
  public education about blindness throughout the Dominion of Canada.
2.   To function as a mechanism through which the blind and interested 
  sighted persons can come together in local, provincial  and national 
  meetings to plan and carry out programs to improve the  quality of life 
  for the blind.
3.   To provide a means by which blind adults can share their experience 
  and act as mentors for blind children and support parents in their 
  efforts to improve educational opportunities for blind children.
4.   To create a climate through public education to increase 
  opportunities for blind people in employment and social integration.
5.   To take any other action which will improve the overall condition 
  and standard of living of the blind. 

     At this time, there are NFB Chapters in Vancouver, Kelowna, Winnipeg 
and Toronto. The leadership on the national and local levels is elected by 
the membership.  At the national level, all the Board Members must be 
blind. At the  local level all Chapter Presidents and Vice Presidents must 
be blind.  We publish The Canadian Blind Monitor, a magazine which 
stresses  positive attitudes about blindness for blind Canadians and the 
public  at large. For your information, the most recent copy is enclosed.  
The  purpose of this brief is to provide suggested changes to Section 32  
of the amendments to the Copyright Act, which were tabled in parliament on 
April 26, 1996.
     In order to ensure equitable access to literary, scientific, 
artistic,  musical and dramatic works for blind persons or other persons 
with  disabilities who cannot read print and must use materials in 
appropriate  alternate formats, the amendments for the first time 
specifically  permit the making of copies in alternate formats without 
copyright  infringement. However, subsection 32.(5) only allows one such 
copy.  Given that most blind persons or persons with disabilities are not  
in a position to make their own copies and must work with agencies  and 
libraries which produce materials in alternate format for a majority  of 
their reading material, Subsection 32.(5) will in fact prevent  equitable 
access to alternate format works.
     In effect, what the Act provides for in law, will deny access to 
copyrighted  printed material to those whose main access to print is 
through Braille  and materials in audio or digital text which is 
exclusively for use  by blind persons or other persons with disabilities.

Background:

     On April 25, 1996, the Honourable Sheila Copps, Deputy Prime Minister 
and Minister of Canadian Heritage tabled longawaited  amendments to the 
Copyright Act in the House of Commons. According  to press releases 
distributed at the time, the amendments include:  ". . . exceptions from 
copyright laws for . . . people with perceptual  disabilities." We 
understand that the term "perceptual disability"  is defined in the 
proposed amendments to the Copyright Act as follows:  "perceptual 
disability" means a disability that prevents or inhibits a person from 
reading a literary, musical or dramatic work in its original format, and 

includes such a disability resulting from

a) severe or total impairment of sight or the inability to focus or move 
  one's eyes
b) the inability to hold or manipulate a book, or
c) an impairment relating to comprehension.

     Parenthetically, the National Federation of the Blind: Advocates for 
Equality deplores the avoidance of the term "blind" in government 
correspondence, publications and legislation. We suggest that the proposed 
term "people with perceptual disabilities"  be changed to "blind persons 
and persons with disabilities".  Our position supports Resolution 93-01 
which was passed by the National Federation of the Blind in the United 
States. This Resolution is enclosed  for your information. The Resolution 
states that "We believe that  it is respectable to be blind, and although 
we have no particular  pride in the fact of our blindness, neither do we 
have any shame in  it. To the extent that euphemisms are used to convey 
any other concept  or image, we deplore such use. We can make our own way 
in the world  on equal terms with others, and we intend to do it." Because 
blindness  is a print handicap and alternate formats to print are 
preponderantly  used by the blind, we feel that it is important that the 
legislation  recognize this fact in its usage of the term "blind" to 
represent  the class of people which is most likely to be affected by 
Section  32 of the legislation.
     The tabling of this legislation is the culmination of a consultation  
process that has lasted over 15 years. The Canadian National Institute  
for the Blind (CNIB), through the CNIB Library for the Blind and 
Government  Relations Department, has participated in this process in 
order to  ensure that the legislation meet the needs of blind persons and 
all  other Canadians who cannot read print, and who must therefore read 
material in alternate formats. Alternate format means Braille, audio  or 
digital text which is exclusively for use by blind persons or persons  
with disabilities. We understand that the intent of the CNIB has been,  as 
it has been the stated intent of the government, to ensure that  the 
legislation provide equitable access to literary, scientific,  musical or 
dramatic materials for those who depend on alternate formats  (such as 
Braille and materials in audio or digital text) for culture,  education, 
and life-long learning. On May 5, 1996, we were told by  Dr. Euclid Herie, 
the Chief Executive Officer of the CNIB, that as  recently as one month 
before the legislative tabling of the amendments,  the CNIB received 
assurances from both government officials and political  staff that the 
specific exemptions requested were in the proposed  legislation, and that 
there was no reason to believe that this situation  would change.
     Under Section 32 the proposed amendments for the first time do indeed  
specifically permit the making of reproductions in alternate formats  
without copyright infringement in order to meet the needs of persons  with 
perceptual disabilities. Yet, even there, there is no reference  to 
digital text, which is an important method of transmitting newspapers  in 
synthesized speech by telephone. Our assumption is that blind Canadians  
would be prepared to buy books in digital texts that have been formatted 
appropriately for speech synthesizers, refreshable Braille displays and 
Braille printers. However, at the moment, Canadian publishers do not sell 
and have no intention of selling books in digital text which is formatted 
appropriately. Appropriate formatting of digital text means tagging major 
headings, subheadings and sub-sub headings in such a way that the blind 
person can find the structural breaks in the text, using programs that 
drive speech synthesizers, refreshable  Braille displays and Braille 
printers. Programs that convert print  to Braille using digital text must 
take into account the fact that  Braille is contracted.
     Thus, there is not a one-to-one correspondence between print letters  
and Braille letters. The average publisher is not in a position to  deal 

with the specialized programming involved in dealing with the  exigencies 
of the contracted grade two Braille code. Appropriately  formatted books 
in electronic text are now available for sale from  Recording for the 
Blind and Dyslexics, an agency which is headquartered  in Princeton, New 
Jersey. Recording for the Blind and Dyslexics and  any other agency for 
the blind which formats digital text especially  for the blind, should not 
have to pay copyright fees because the authors  and publishers do not make 
any financial contribution for the alternate  formatting of this digital 
text.
     The same standard applies for the provision of newspapers for the 
blind with digital text through speech synthesis. A service called 
"Newsline for the Blind" which is available from the National Federation 
of the Blind in the United States is a unique service of this type. We 
would like Canadian newspapers to be available to blind  people in Canada 
through digital text without the imposition of copyright  royalties to the 
service provider in Canada. The National Federation  of the Blind:  
Advocates for Equality intends to provide this service  in Canada. A 
description of the Newsline program provided by the NFB in the U.S. is 
enclosed.
     Some of the changes to the legislation mark significant progress in 
providing equitable access to information for those who cannot read print. 
However, Subsection 32.(5) of the Act only allows a person to produce a 
single copy of a literary, scientific, musical or dramatic  work without 
copyright infringement.
     Subsection 32.(5) will prevent a charitable organization such as the  
NFB:AE or the CNIB, which are persons under the terms of the Act,  from 
producing, distributing, and circulating alternate format copies  for 
individual blind persons or persons with disabilities who, though  they 
technically benefit from the legal exception provided by the  amendments, 
do not in most cases have the means, the time nor the  technology to make 
a copy themselves. In effect, what the Act provides  for in law, will deny 
access to copyrighted printed material to those  whose main access to 
print is through Braille and materials in audio  or digital text.
     We see no purpose in restricting the exception provided by Section 32 
to the making of a single copy of a work, given that: Agencies and 
libraries which produce materials in alternate formats for blind  persons 
and persons with disabilities do not propose to compete with  publishers 
and other copyright owners, but to serve a market which  is not 
commercially served and which cannot easily read works in any  other way. 
In any case, the amendments restrict the production of  alternate format 
copies when a commercial product is available in  a format that would 
accommodate the needs of blind persons or persons  with disabilities. 
People who are not blind or disabled have no incentive  to obtain books in 
alternate formats, and would prefer to read print  versions.
     In operating as lending libraries, agencies and libraries which 
produce  materials in alternate formats for blind persons and persons with  
disabilities operate substantially like any other public library.  In 
fact, at the present time, they collectively purchase and, thereby,  pay 
copyright on more print copies of works than the average Canadian  public 
library. In a sophisticated recording lending library for the  blind, two 
texts must be purchased for the original recording of one.  One text is 
used for the reader making the recording and the other  text is used for 
the monitoring of the reader making the recording,  to minimize the 
possibilities of text errors on tape.
     Therefore, to have a text recorded, a blind person or an agency will  
have paid a copyright fee on two texts. It is unfair to ask the agency  or 
the blind person to pay an additional copyright fee for each recorded  
text, given that the publishers and the authors are not involved in  the 
production of the audio text for the blind. Agencies for the blind  can 
ensure that the audio text is used solely for the blind and other  persons 
with disabilities by recording the material on four-track  cassettes at a 

slower than normal speed (15/16 inches per second).  Using these recording 
modifications, the recorded material can only  be played on special 
machines adapted for the purpose, not generally  sold to the public.
     The availability of these recordings to blind persons and other 
persons  with disabilities does not constitute a significant decrease in 
profit  for Canadian publishers and Canadian authors. However, the 
availability  of these recordings does constitute a significant advantage 
to blind  persons and other persons with disabilities in terms of their 
access  to print materials, at no cost to the publishers and no cost to 
the  authors.
     Payment of a per copy royalty over and above the first copy made 
forces  the establishment of administrative and auditing mechanisms which  
will not be cost effective. It also opens the door to ongoing 
representation  before the Copyright Board; and is inconsistent with 
sections of the  Act which specifically permit individuals to make and 
authorize the  making of copies of works under the fair dealing exception 
for purposes  of research and private study.
     A consentual approach to resolving these issues has been adopted in 
the United States.  Specific language has been proposed to Congress by the 
American Association of Publishers and the National Federation  of the 
Blind which represents over 50,000 members of the organized  blind in the 
United States. This language has been published in the  April 1996 Braille 
Monitor (copy enclosed), an official publication  of the National 
Federation of the Blind. The National Federation of  the Blind:  Advocates 
for Equality which represents the organized  blind in Canada and whose 
leadership is elected by the blind at the  local and national levels, also 
supports this approach and the ideas  in the proposed language to 
Congress. The CNIB, the largest agency  serving the blind in Canada also 
endorses this consentual approach.  In its discussions with groups 
representing both the creators and  producers of the works under 
consideration, we are told that the CNIB  has been led to believe that 
they would not oppose the elimination  of the single copy restriction in 
Section 32.
     In order to ensure that the Act provides equitable access without 
copyright infringement to copies of literary, scientific, artistic, 
musical or dramatic works for blind persons or persons with disabilities  
who cannot read print; and to ensure that the Act meets the intent  of the 
government, we propose the following modified version of Section  32. 

                                     
              Proposed Levy on Recordable, Blank Audio Media

     According to a News Release from the Government of Canada dated April  
25, 1996, a levy on recordable, blank audio media such as cassettes  and 
tapes, is proposed. The purpose of this levy is to remunerate  creators 
for private copying of their musical works. While the NFB:AE  supports the 
idea of remunerating creators for private copying of  their musical works, 
it does not support the proposed levy on all  manner of cassettes because 
blind people use cassettes for the purposes  of reading and writing, to a 
very large extent. While the proportions  of people who copy artistic 
works are probably comparable in the blind  and sighted populations, it is 
certainly true that the proportion  of blind people who use cassettes for 
storing and disseminating information  is much larger in the blind 
population than in the sighted population.  Typically, blind people do not 
purchase cassettes at agencies for  the blind. They buy cassettes where 
cassettes are normally purchased  by the sighted.
     Using cassettes to take and disseminate notes already costs blind 
people much more than pen and paper does for the equivalent purpose for 
the sighted. Adding an extra tax on cassettes may benefit the composers of 
Canada, but over the long run, it adds a financial burden  to the blind. 
At a 90 percent unemployment rate of the blind in this  country, blind 

people cannot afford an extra tax involving simple  activities of daily 
living such as reading and writing.
     This tax would particularly affect the members of our population who  
have the least amount of money, seniors and students. Seniors depend  on 
cassettes because, by and large, they are not taught Braille. Even  the 
simple act of taking down telephone messages involves the medium  of 
cassettes, for a large majority of blind seniors. Students depend  heavily 
on cassettes for recording books which are not already available  in 
Braille, on cassette or in digital text formats. For the blind,  cassettes 
are as essential for daily living as the paper and pencil,  the book, the 
magazine and the newspaper are for the sighted. For  the blind, an 
additional tax on cassettes is like an additional tax  on tapwater. 
Cassettes are that vital for the blind. Requiring the  blind to purchase 
cassettes at agencies for the blind in order to  avoid the levy, will 
necessitate that blind people frequent agencies  for the blind on a 
regular basis. For most blind people, once training  and rehabilitation is 
accomplished, the visit to an agency for the blind is a rare occurrence. 
Further, agencies for the blind have enough  to do and enough to pay for 
as it is. Imposing an extra bureaucracy  to deal with the levy on 
cassettes adds to the costs for the agency.  There is no doubt that this 
cost will be passed on to the blind consumer.
     We, in the National Federation of the Blind, do hope that the 
Government  of Canada will take into account the way most blind people run 
their  daily lives. We are against an imposition of an extra levy on 
cassettes.  We propose that the levy be restricted to higher grade 
cassettes which  are used for the purposes of recording music.

Recommended Changes

     Blind Persons and Other Persons With Disabilities Reproduction  in 
alternate format.

1.   It is not an infringement of copyright to copy material  in 
  Braille, audio or digital text which is exclusively for use by blind 
  persons or persons with disabilities including literary, scientific,  
  artistic, musical or dramatic works, other than cinematographic work. 

Limitation.

2.   Subsection (1) does not authorize the making of a large print book. 

Limitation.

3.   Subsection (1) does not apply where a copy or sound recording of 
  the work is commercially available in a format that would  accommodate 
  the needs of blind persons or persons with disabilities. 

Destruction of intermediate copies.

4.   If a person must make an intermediate copy in order to make a copy 
  or sound recording under subsection (1), the person must destroy the 
  intermediate copy as soon as it is no longer needed.  

Royalties, etc.

5.   (Deleted:  It is not an infringement of copyright for  a person to 
  make more than one copy or sound recording under Subsection  (1) if the 
  person has paid the royalties and complied with any terms  and 
  conditions fixed under this Act.) 

Use of copies.


6.   No person who makes a copy in Braille, audio or digital  text under 
  Subsection (1) may, without the express consent of the  owner of the 
  copyright, use copies of the Braille, audio or digital  text for any 
  purpose other than for which the making of the copies  was authorized by 
  this section.

                                     
                   The Problem with Simulated Blindness
                                                                          
                           by Mary Ellen Gabias

     As we struggle to convince the average member of the public of the 
real capabilities of people who are blind, we are often told "I can't 
imagine what your world is like." 
     The world is simply the world. Blind people do not inhabit another 
planet.  Obviously, we get our information about the world without the use  
of sight or with the use of very limited sight. Still, our world is  not a 
different world. 
     Curiosity about what blindness must really  be like is almost 
universal. One sighted toddler I know was found  walking down the hallway 
of her home with her eyes closed, swinging  a mop from side to side to 
simulate the movement of a long white cane.  When someone asked her what 
she was doing, she said she was playing  at being her blind aunt. My own 
children are reaching the age where  the blindness of their parents is no 
longer taken for granted. It  has become a matter for questioning. "Mommy, 
how do you know I'm  in the refrigerator when I'm not supposed to be?"
     One would think that the musings of immature children would be 
different  from the thoughtful curiosity of mature adults. Surprisingly, 
it often  is not. Many seemingly intelligent people have told me that they 
have  gained new understanding of my life after a late evening power 
outage.  They seem to feel that their disorientation while searching for a  
candle and matches in a darkened house is similar to my daily life.  Of 
course, nothing could be further from the truth. I also find power  
outages disorienting and annoying. No one likes to have their regular 
routine disrupted by circumstances beyond their control. But my daily  
life as a blind person is not disorienting and frustrating. My lack  of 
eyesight sometimes imposes problems. It often encourages the development 
of creative problem solving skills.  It does not keep me from leading a 
full and active life.
     All of this leaves us with the problem of devising a way to satisfy 
the legitimate curiosity of our sighted neighbours. Everyone committed  to 
good public education about blindness wants to take the mystery  away and 
replace it with constructive thought and genuine understanding.
     So why not use blindfolds to teach people "what it's really like?" 
After all, we function without sight. Isn't blindfolding the sighted  
nothing more than creating a level playing field?
     The answer depends on the context in which blindfolding is used. 
Progressive  rehabilitation programs for the blind use blindfolds for 
students  with some remaining vision in order to teach them the skills of 
blindness.  Often these students are afraid of the consequences of losing 
more  vision. They wonder if their life will become more limited every 
time  their visual acuity drops or their field of vision narrows. By 
simulating  total blindness in a controlled training environment, these 
students  can face and conquer their worst fears. Instead of clinging 
desperately  to every shred of remaining vision, they learn to develop 
alternative, nonvisual methods for leading their lives. When the blindfold 
comes off after approximately nine months of training, the remaining 
vision  is actually of much more use to them. Instead of using it in 
desperation  as a primary, but insufficient, means of functioning, they 
use it  as a backup to supplement the effective alternative techniques 

they  have learned.
     What about blindfolding sighted rehabilitation workers? Again, the 
use of blindfolding as part of a long term training program for sighted  
staff members can be extremely beneficial. As blindfolded sighted  people 
learn the skills of blindness and gain confidence in those  skills, they 
become genuine advocates for the capabilities of blind  people. They can 
tell their future clients with certainty "I know  these techniques work 
because I've used them myself." For both  blind rehabilitation students 
and sighted staff members, the key to  the successful use of blindfolding 
is its use in combination with  solid training and candid discussions 
about the attitudes surrounding  blindness. Both of these things take 
time--at least three months  in the case of staff members and longer for 
blind students.
     This brings us to the question of simulation exercises. Many 
organizations,  believing they are acting in the interests of raising 
awareness, run  programs in which participants simulate blindness and 
other disabilities  for an hour or a day. Participants are not given 
rigorous instruction  in the alternative techniques of blindness. They may 
be guided by  a sighted person with some knowledge of blindness skills. 
But the purpose is not to "rehabilitate". It is to "raise awareness" about 
the problems faced by blind people. 
     Negative attitudes and misconceptions about blindness are deeply 
ingrained in our society.  Good will is present in abundance, but it is 
usually coupled with misinformation. It takes a long time to provide 
accurate information  about blindness. "The fear of the dark" is so much a 
part of  most people's lives that it requires emotional courage to face 
and  overcome. It takes longer than an hour or a day to work through the  
process. Unfortunately, the use of a blindfold in the guise of "creating  
awareness" often has the effect of reinforcing the deepest emotional  
fears and worst negative stereotypes about blindness.
     Do I exaggerate? The Kelowna District office of the Canadian National  
Institute for the Blind (CNIB) conducted an "awareness" program  in which 
they blindfolded sighted community leaders for part of an  afternoon. The 
program received extensive publicity on CHBC, the local  television 
station and in the Kelowna Capital News. Read the transcript  of the 
television news report and the newspaper article and judge  for yourself.
     
     CHBC News Wednesday, February 7, 1996.
     Anchorman: But most of the time, they don't have much more than a 
white cane to guide them. Well today, several people  in Kelowna walked a 
few steps in the shoes of the visually impaired.  Our reporter, Mohini 
Singh, was one of them. She filed this report.
     Mohini Singh: It's a world that only a visually impaired person 
knows. It's a struggle only a person who can't see faces each day. Imagine 
if you went from being able to see all this,  to this!
     CNIB Employee working with a Blindfolded Man: Put your hand down the 
front . . . to the . . . in front of . . .
     Blindfolded Man: Oh! This is a fire hydrant!
     CNIB Employee: Good, good!
     (Audible traffic signal begins to beep)
     Mohini Singh: But the visually impaired want those who can see to 
know what they go through on the street. So today, eleven Kelowna 
residents, including politicians and the media, attempted  to find out.
     (End of audible traffic signal)
     CNIB Employee Guiding a Blindfolded Person: OK, that's great! You're 
doing well!
     Reporter Mohini Singh: The blindfolded people were taken through the 
streets, shopping centres and back alleys of Kelowna.
     (Blindfolded Man Groping a Mail Box)
     Blindfolded man: Mail box
     CNIB Employee: OK

     Mohini Singh: And those who did the walking say it was an eye opener.
     Woman who had been Blindfolded Discussing Her Experience: People who 
have mobility problems, people who have visual problems have a hard time 
in the city.
     Acting Mayor of Kelowna: Well, I learned one thing, and that's to 
thank God that I'm not blind.
     Mohini Singh: The acting Mayor of Kelowna vows to make some changes.
     Acting Mayor of Kelowna: A little cut into the asphalt across the 
street, so that they can line themselves up and go on a 90 degree angle. 
Because, it's pretty hard! You know, we don't  realize that! We don't 
realize You know you look, and you go across the street. But they don't 
have nowhere to . . . to . . . other than their cane.
     Mohini Singh: Those who are visually impaired say this little walk 
may have been tough for those who aren't used to it, but it is a small 
example of what they go through on a daily basis.
     CNIB Blind Employee: This is a learning experience. There's no way 
that we can ever simulate what it's like to be blind.
     Mohini Singh: In Kelowna, Mohini Singh, CHBC News.
     Anchorman: By the way, this is White Cane Week, right across Canada. 
The CNIB in Kelowna is attempting to raise $8,000  this week. Volunteers 
from that organization are going door to door  selling magnifiers in the 
price range of $5 - $15.
     

                                     
                           Kelowna Capital News
                                                                          
                       Wednesday, February 7, 1996

     As part of the annual White Cane Week, the Canadian National 
Institute for the Blind conducted an exercise where several local people 
were blindfolded and led around downtown by guides to help them experience 
what it is like to navigate through this city without  the aid of sight.

                                     
                           Blinded by the Light
                                                                          
       (Reprinted with the permission of the Kelowna Capital News)
                                                                          
                            By Alistair Waters

     Losing your sight, even for a short length of time, is an eye-opening 
experience. Up to three days ago there was no sense I took more for 
granted than my eyesight. Seeing the world through slightly  less than 
perfect eyes I wear glasses, but my prescription is  not strong was 
something I never really thought about. Seeing, for me, is part of my 
being.
     But as soon as I put the blindfold on and was plunged into total 
darkness,  a sense of helplessness engulfed me.
     I gripped the arm of my guide, vision rehabilitation specialist 
Yvette  McDonald, with one hand and squeezed tightly on a short white cane  
in the other.
     Having been instructed to use the cane to feel what was in front and  
to the side of me, we set off from the CNIB office on St. Paul Street,  
the click-clicking of the cane in front of my feet.
     The melting snow underfoot made traction slippery and I wondered how  
a visually-impaired person manages when the ground is covered in slippery  
ice and snow.
     "For blind people, snow is our version of your fog." Bill Mah told a 
gathering of the participants after the downtown stroll. "It masks 
features that we use as land marks."

     Walking the Kelowna streets, I was suddenly much more aware of the 
sounds, smells and obstacles that presented themselves, things that 
moments earlier I had not given a second thought.
     When we came to a thin alleyway I suddenly had a claustrophobic 
feeling,  sensing the walls were no more than a metre on either side of 
me.
     Using my cane to feel, I found my other senses were correct.
     Sidewalk signs, fire hydrants, benches and garbage cans are of little  
concern to sighted people, but when you depend on a cane to feel your  
way, they can appear as big as a house in the middle of your path.
     Moving indoors also creates a different atmosphere and I found myself  
immediately sensing the change as we moved into the Town Centre Mall.
     "Someone is using varnish," said Betty Waterman, a 65-year old local 
woman who accompanied us on the walk.
     Waterman, who only has peripheral vision, uses only her cane to 
regularly  navigate around town.
     My guide, McDonald, who works with hundreds of clients with varying 
degrees of visual impairment, said Kelowna is quite a blind friendly  
place, but feels more sighted people should start thinking like 
visually-impaired  to make sure they do not inadvertently create 
obstacles.
     That point was brought home graphically, moments earlier, as we 
hurried  to catch up with the rest of the group and narrowly missed a car 
coming  out of a blind alleyway.
     For a blind person there would be no visual warning of oncoming 
traffic,  only the sound of a car's tires on the wet pavement.
     After leaving the mall, we navigated steps--a nervewracking 
experience  for me as I kept envisioning one misstep causing me to tumble 
to the  ground twisting my ankle in the process. I was quickly discovering  
that fear is as big a limitation in mobility as the actual loss of  sight.
     "Some people just don't get over it and that doesn't help them."
     According to the CNIB, the loss of sight has the emotional impact 
equal to the death of a close family member and a grieving period normally 
follows.
     But once a person is ready to learn how to deal with the loss, the 
CNIB offers a host of services including rehabilitation.
     As part of the White Cane exercise, I tried some of the tests after 
arriving back at the CNIB office.
     Continuing to wear the blindfold, I attempted to cut up vegetables, 
make peanut butter sandwiches, sort socks and play tic-tac-toe.
     The sock-sorting was one of the most difficult because with visual 
help signs gone, I had to rely entirely on texture and other feel related 
signs such as sock length.
     Of the 14 pairs in the basket, I matched just one.
     "Eighty percent of our learning is done through visuals," 
rehabilitation teacher Pamela Kaufman told me." (Sighted) people walk into 
a room and don't think anything about it but a visually-impaired  person 
has to concentrate so much harder."
     "That is why they get so tired, they have to compensate by using 
their other senses."
     The CNIB hopes its annual White Cane campaign will raise awareness 
about issues facing the blind.
     Having walked just a few blocks in a blind person's shoes, I know I 
will look at my surroundings with a very different eye in the future.
     
     Those are the transcripts. Their tone and substance was predictable 
for any blind person who has observed such exercises in the past.
     Members of the Kelowna Chapter were made aware of the impending 
blindness  simulation when a CNIB staff member was interviewed on a local 
radio  station. Several Chapter members called the district manager of 
CNIB  to try to dissuade him from this course of action. He was 

unconvinced  by our arguments. He believed the blind community would be 
helped  by the publicity from this event.
     At its February 17 meeting, the Central Okanagan Chapter of the 
NFB:AE  discussed the issue in great depth. The following resolution was 
adopted  unanimously:
     
     Resolution Adopted February 17, 1996 Chantal Oakes, President, 
Central Okanagan Chapter, NFB:AE.
     
     Whereas: Effective public education about blindness which stresses 
the capabilities and innate normality of blind people  is essential if we 
are ever to take our rightful place as first-class  citizens in Canadian 
society; and
     Whereas: Although good public education can certainly include 
discussions of the challenges faced by blind people,  it should always 
emphasize means of overcoming difficulties and reducing  the negative 
perception of blindness too commonly held by the public;  and
     Whereas: Long painful experience has demonstrated that the practice 
of temporarily blindfolding sighted people to "show them what blind people 
have to go through" emphasizes and exaggerates  the potential problems 
which can sometimes be associated with blindness  when training is 
lacking, and reinforces the worst negative stereotypes  of the helpless, 
hopeless blind; and
     Whereas: On Wednesday, February 7, 1996, the Kelowna District Office 
of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) conducted a 
session in which prominent members of local and provincial government, as 
well as civic leaders and representatives  of the local media were 
blindfolded and paraded through the streets,  shops, and back alleys of 
Kelowna; and
     Whereas: Several blind citizens of Kelowna, having heard in advance 
of this ill-conceived publicity stunt, attempted  to dissuade the CNIB 
District Manager from this destructive course of action because of the 
potential for harmful publicity about blindness;  and
     Whereas: The television coverage on CHBC TV and the newspaper article 
in the Kelowna Capital News, which resulted from blindfolding the sighted 
had the predictably negative tone in  substance; and
     Whereas: Although one of the objectives of the CNIB is to ameliorate 
the condition of the blind, the actions of the Kelowna District staff in 
this instance had the effect of exacerbating the negative conditions the 
blind face by creating a climate in which  discrimination against the 
blind, based on misconceptions about the  nature of our problems, is more 
likely to occur;
     Now, therefore: Be it resolved by the Central Okanagan Chapter of the 
National Federation of the Blind: Advocates for Equality in meeting 
assembled this 17th day of February,  1996, in the City of Kelowna that we 
call upon CNIB executives to direct all staff within the Agency to cease 
using temporary blindfolding of sighted individuals and to replace this 
public miseducation campaign  with positive demonstrations of the 
abilities and accomplishments  of real blind people; and
     Be it further resolved that we request that the National President of 
the NFB:AE communicate our feelings on this subject in the strongest 
possible terms to Dr. Euclid Herie; and
     Be it further resolved that copies of this resolution and the 
transcript of the CHBC television coverage and the Kelowna Capital  News 
article be sent to all organizations and individuals deemed appropriate  
by the Chapter executive.
     
     At the Chapter's request, NFB:AE president, Paul Gabias, contacted 
CNIB president, Dr. Euclid Herie, by telephone to raise our concerns  to 
determine CNIB's policy toward blindness simulation. The following  
exchange of letters is self-explanatory.


Dr. Euclid Herie Executive Director
Canadian National Institute for the Blind
1929 Bayview Avenue
Toronto, ON M4G 3E8

February 22, 1996

Dear Euclid:
     In response to our telephone conversation on February 21, I am faxing  
you responses from the media associated with the fund raising efforts  of 
the CNIB in the Kelowna District office during White Cane Week.  The 
Kelowna office portrayed blindness as a severe disability. Its  purpose 
was to evoke pity for the blind in the public and politicians  of the 
Central Okanagan Region in order to increase fund raising capacity  for 
the CNIB.
     I have nothing against fund raising per se, provided that the image 
of blindness is not damaged in the process. As you know, in the National  
Federation of the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind:  
Advocates for Equality, we believe that, with training and opportunity,  
blindness can be reduced to the level of a nuisance. We also believe  that 
it is respectable to be blind and that with training and opportunity  
blind people can compete on terms of equality with the sighted. We  
believe that the practices of blindfolding sighted people or having  
sighted people wear glasses which significantly distorts their vision  
increases their fear of blindness and gives them a very negative idea  of 
what it's like to be blind. It makes them feel helpless and it  does 
nothing to give them the feeling of competence and pride which  blind 
people can achieve with training and opportunity.
     In our conversation, you expressed to me your strong disagreement 
with the practice of blindfolding sighted people for educational or 
pecuniary purposes. Therefore, I am enclosing a resolution from the 
Central Okanagan Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind: 
Advocates for Equality, which condemns the practice of blindfolding the 
sighted for demonstration purposes. This resolution echoes the spirit of 
resolutions supported by the National Federation of the Blind in the 
United States.
     On several occasions, you have addressed national conventions of the  
NFB in the United States and you have often begun your presentation  with 
"Greetings, fellow Federationists". In the United States,  you are 
well-thought of in the Federation. You are considered a friend.  We want 
to achieve a similar rapport with you in the Federation in  Canada. I am 
sure that you will do your utmost to stop the practice  of blindfolding 
sighted people by certain Divisions and District offices  of the CNIB. The 
blind of the nation are depending on you. We are  looking forward to a 
strong supportive response to our resolution.  At your suggestion we will 
be publishing the resolution and your response  to it in the Canadian 
Monitor, the publication of the National Federation of the Blind: 
Advocates for Equality.
     I am looking forward to our meeting on May 5, 1996, in Kelowna. As in 
Chicago, I also look forward to spending some time with you in Anaheim.
     
Cordially,
Paul Gabias, Ph.D.

cc: Kenneth Jernigan

Paul Gabias, Ph.D.
NFB:AE
P.O. Box 5058, Station A
Kelowna, B.C. V1Y 7P5


March 13, 1996

Dear Paul:
     Further to our telephone conversation and your February 22, 1996, 
letter and enclosures, I have had an opportunity to read and consider  
several of the points raised with reference to the practice of 
blindfolding  sighted persons.
     Your letter, detailed resolution, and the media extracts, pose a 
rather  wide range of issues with reference to the onset of blindness, 
rehabilitation,  public attitudes and awareness programs, fundraising and 
professional  training. If I read the material even more thoroughly, there 
are likely  additional points which would give rise to, further thought, 
discussion,  and possible debate.
     From our several meetings and conversations in the past, I know for 
certain that the two of us, as well as our friends and colleagues 
throughout Canada and the United States, accept fully the principle that 
it is respectable to be blind, that with adequate resources and  training 
combined with positive public attitudes and acceptance, blindness  or 
severe visual impairment in itself ought not be a barrier to equality  and 
full participation. However, getting from here to there, is not  a 
simplistic notion, nor is the path free of barriers and obstacles.
     I am enclosing the text of three talks which I have given on 
rehabilitation,  including Attitude Change toward Blindness/Visual 
Impairment -- Quebec  City; Children of Minor Wives presented on my first 
NFB convention  in Chicago; most recently my talk on Blindness and 
Immortality presented  to the National Conference of our rehabilitation 
personnel this past  summer. This written information is forwarded as 
reference, and is  background on my own thoughts and approach to a number 
of issues raised  in your letter and accompanying resolution.
     On February 27, 1996, I distributed the information which you 
forwarded  to our Executive Management Group, and as it arrived just at 
the close  of our meeting, discussion and consideration of the resolution 
was  necessarily brief. Within our organization, there no doubt exists  a 
wide range of views on the specific issue on the use of blindfold  with 
reference to creating public awareness, and also as a methodology  in the 
professional training of sighted individuals in the specialty  fields of 
orientation and mobility, rehabilitation teaching and related  daily 
living skills. Perhaps this response and the material you have  forwarded, 
will broaden the discussion and serve to heighten awareness  among all of 
us.
     I have taken the liberty of sharing the information more widely with  
a number of my colleagues within the CNIB with the encouragement that  
they will read, consider and comment upon the NFB:AE position.
     In the interim, I have given direction to all our personnel, that 
under no circumstances are we ever to invoke pity, ridicule or any other 
approach in our portrayal of blindness or awareness programs for whatever 
purpose, including education, training, fundraising, etc. I personally, 
have always felt uncomfortable, and reject the notion that a temporary 
blindfold can equate awareness to blindness.  As I said to you, I have the 
same view for so called "able bodied  persons" who spend an hour in a 
wheelchair and any other similar  experiments or portrayals. The matter of 
professional training, however,  may pose a different set of questions, 
and I would need to give that  much further thought and research than I 
have done to date.
     Paul, the fact that you have called me and directed this information  
to me and the CNIB in a open and candid manner, is most reassuring  in 
furthering the friendship and rapport which you mentioned in your  letter 
to me.
     On May 5, 1996, when we meet in Kelowna, we can pursue this and other  
priorities more fully.


Yours truly,
Euclid J. Herie
President and Chief Executive Officer


cc: F. Gary Homer, National Chairman, The Canadian National Institute 
  for the Blind; CNIB Executive Management Group; M. Davey, Chair, 
  National Client Services Committee; G. Bate, Chair,  National 
  Communications Committee; E. Drover, Chair, National Fund  Development 
  Committee; Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, President Emeritus, National  
  Federation of the Blind; Marc Maurer; President, National Federation  of 
  the Blind

     
     The issue of the use of blindfolds goes to the very heart of how we 
perceive blindness. If the problems of blindness are truly  caused by the 
physical lack of eyesight, simulating blindness is a  dramatic way of 
bringing those problems to public attention. If, on  the other hand, as 
Dr. Herie states,  ". . . with adequate resources  and training combined 
with positive public attitudes and acceptance,  blindness or severe visual 
impairment in itself ought not be a barrier  to equality and full 
participation", the validity of temporarily  blindfolding of the sighted 
to create "awareness" is called into  serious question.
     Public education about blindness is so important to the NFB:AE that 
we listed it first among the five purposes of our organization in our 
founding documents. We will continue to do all that we can to help the 
public reach a new understanding of blindness. We hope that  the spirit 
exemplified in Dr. Herie's letter is a sign that the CNIB  at all levels 
wishes to work in partnership with us to make sure that  the public 
receives constructive information about the capabilities  of blind people. 
     The job is so big and the need is so great that it  will engage the 
energies of all of us for a long time to come.

                                     
Education in Vancouver: Restaurant Manager Learns About Equal Access for 
                             Guide Dog Users

     Canadians are becoming used to seeing blind people accompanied by 
well trained guide dogs. Most citizens assume that the right of the blind 
to take their dogs into public places is universally  accepted. 
Unfortunately, there are still occasions when that right  must be asserted 
firmly.
     On Sunday, October 29, 1995, a group of blind people in Vancouver 
were reminded just how important assertiveness can be. They stopped into a 
local restaurant for a bite to eat after the Lower Mainland Chapter 
meeting. The manager, who was apparently new on the job, was  unfamiliar 
with equal access laws. He insisted that health regulations  prohibited 
dogs from entering his establishment. Fortunately, the  blind people 
involved knew their rights and insisted upon them. Other  staff members of 
the restaurant also helped to educate the manager  and the group was able 
to eat its meal in peace and dignity.
     Maureen Martin is a member of the Lower Mainland Chapter. She was 
concerned that discrimination not be permitted to reoccur. Maureen 
contacted the Corporate Offices of the restaurant in question. The 
following correspondence shows what can happen when blind people politely  
but firmly take charge of their lives.
     
Mr. Paul Gabias President, 
National Federation of the Blind
475 Fleming Road

Kelowna, B.C.  V1X 3Z4

November 3, 1995

Dear Mr. Gabias:
     Please accept my sincere apologies for the unfortunate incident that  
took place on Sunday, October 29, 1995, at our Georgia and Seymour  
location.
     I spent some time reviewing the incident over the phone with Ms. 
Maureen  Martin. Please find enclosed a copy of the letter which I have 
written  to her. I want to assure you that we at White Spot are committed 
to  meeting the special needs of our guests, and I will take appropriate  
steps to ensure such an incident does not occur again.
     Please find enclosed a guest certificate for your enjoyment at any 
one of our locations in B.C.
     Once again, please accept our apologies for this unfortunate 
incident.

Yours truly,
White Spot Restaurants
(A Division of White Spot Limited)
Amir Mulji
Vice President, Operations

Ms. Maureen Martin
5932 Nancy Greene Way
North Vancouver, B.C. V7R 4W1

November 3, 1995

Dear Ms. Martin:
     Please accept my sincere apologies for the unfortunate incident that  
took place on Sunday, October 29, 1995, at our Georgia and Seymour  
location. We at White Spot Restaurants have built our reputation on  
taking care of the needs of our guests. Unfortunately, we certainly  
failed to do so on this occasion.
     I have spent some time with Mr. Henry Wong and he is extremely 
apologetic  about the way he reacted to the situation.
     On the 18th of November, we have a Corporate General Managers' 
meeting  and I assure you that I personally will take the opportunity to 
ensure  that our managers are aware of the appropriate ways to accommodate  
our guests' diverse needs.
     I look forward to receiving the literature you will be sending us. 
The information will be incorporated into our existing programs and used 
to upgrade training materials for our staff and managers.
     Please find enclosed a guest certificate for your enjoyment at any 
one of our locations in B.C.
     Once again, please accept my apologies and I thank you for your call  
and your interest in assisting us to better equip our managers and  staff 
to deal with the special needs of our guests.

Yours truly,
White Spot Restaurants
(A Division of White Spot Limited)
Amir Mulji
Vice President, Operations

cc: Warren Erhart, President

Mr. Amir Mulji
Vice President, Operations

White Spot Restaurants
1126 S.E. Marine Drive
Vancouver, B.C.   V5X 2V7

November 5, 1995

Dear Mr. Mulji:
     I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your prompt 
attention to my complaint re an incident that took place on October 29, 
1995, at your Georgia and Seymour restaurant.
     I was very pleased to hear your sentiments regarding guide dogs and 
of the sensitivity which you and your staff wish to display to disabled  
clientele. I am enclosing a message from the National Federation of  the 
Blind:  Advocates for Equality in the hope that it will be of  some use to 
you in understanding the aims of our members.
     We have very limited written material to distribute at this time as 
we are a young but growing group. I will be happy to provide you with  
information on an ongoing basis as it becomes available in order to  help 
you understand our goals.
     Thank you for the gift certificate. It is much appreciated. I am very  
pleased that we have been able to resolve this incident so favourably.

Yours truly,
Maureen L. Martin
     
     The management of White Spot did more than the bare necessities. They 
made a point of educating all their managers about the rights of blind 
restaurant guests. They were not hostile or defensive. They  were open and 
thankful that the matter had been brought to their attention  so that they 
could take action.
     Of course, it would have been better if there had been no 
discrimination  at all. Still, it is heartening to know how many people in 
our society  are willing to change their behaviour when they come to 
understand  the rightness of our cause. Good laws encourage equal 
treatment. Good  business recommends it. And good sense demands it.

                                     
             Quickie Course On the Canadian Braille Authority
                                                                          
                              by Mel Graham

     From the Editor:  Mel Graham works in Winnipeg with the Council of 
Canadians with Disabilities as its communications officer.  He is also an 
active member of our Winnipeg chapter.
     
     I pay $20 a year in dues to an entity known as the Canadian Braille 
Authority. Furthermore, in spite of its slightly intimidating name, I 
chair its Committee on Promotion of and Access to Braille. Am I a teacher 
or rehabilitation specialist by trade? A producer of Braille materials, 
perhaps? Do I sell high tech Braille  production equipment? Or am I just a 
garden variety masochist? None  of the above, as it happens.
     I am instead a totally committed, life-long consumer, which makes me 
much more dyed-in-the-wool on the subject. You'll know just what I mean if 
you are so fortunate as to use Braille every day. If you don't, it can 
never be adequately explained to you. Being a Braille user is a bit like 
being rich.
     The Canadian Braille Authority (CBA) represents a gathering point for 
a diversity of Braille interests--including educators, librarians,  
braille producers, technology buffs, parents of sight-impaired children,  
rehabilitation personnel and consumers--to name just some obvious  ones. 
Though not completely trustful of one another in every area  of day-to-day 

contact, these disparate elements work fairly compatibly  nonetheless on 
the single common denominator of protecting, promoting  and carefully 
managing changes to Braille. It goes without saying  that an organization 
composed of such diverse elements is easily criticized.  There are those 
who have questioned the relative influence of the  various groups within 
the CBA, and those who have wondered about the possibility of 
behind-the-scenes manipulation.
     I think much of that kind of concern is over-rated. We tend to forget  
that consumers are just as obliged as everyone else to keep on the  watch 
for opportunity, and to be fast off the mark when it knocks.  While I'm 
busy spouting old saws anyway: We consumers get no more  and no less from 
any democratic organization than what we're willing  to put into it. 
Whatever you might happen to believe about the motives  behind its 
establishment, I chose to get involved with CBA because  I believe its 
timely appearance on the scene may well be looked on  by future 
chroniclers as one of those proverbial stitches in time.  CBA not only 
provides the means of building the community consensus  Braille will need 
to respond to the changes demanded of it, but it  also will tend to focus 
needed resources on Braille in the long haul.  This latter, in itself, 
will have represented a considerable achievement,  given how dollars spent 
on the public good have become stretched over  the past decade.
     One more word on this topic. All this might seem as though I am 
bestowing  needless advance credit to what is, admittedly, still a fairly 
fledgling  organization. But I'm sticking my neck out because I've been 
closely  associated with CBA since its founding in 1990. Though I know 
there's  plenty of room for improvement, I'm just as certain there's 
absolutely  none at all for cynicism or avoidance.
     CBA has no headquarters. What it does have is a chronically 
overworked  executive, and committees whose activities usually are 
concentrated  in the geographic area where their chairs reside. An 
exception to  that rule is Promotions and Access. I live in Winnipeg, 
while our  secretariat consists of the International Affairs office of the 
CNIB  in Ottawa.
     But otherwise it holds true; the teaching and learning committee's 
work centres around Edmonton, technology out of Halifax, membership is 
handled from Winnipeg, our newsletter is compiled in Vancouver, and the 
work of representing Canadian interests, in terms of the numerous  
committees working on the Unified Braille Code (UBC), is co-ordinated  by 
Darleen Bogart in Toronto.
     The potential development of the UBC is the major event in the 
Braille  system's dramatic career since its invention over 170 years ago 
in  France (as far as we Anglais are concerned anyway). Its purpose is  to 
amalgamate the current English Braille codes which include Grade  II 
Braille and the Nemeth code for math and science. This is extremely  
complex, technical work, virtually unimaginable in the days before  the 
Internet without dozens of costly face-to-face conferences. Almost  all 
major English-speaking countries in the world are involved in  every 
decision made, from preliminary draft reports, to the fruits  of the 
exhaustive evaluation process.
     UBC encompasses several groups working on various aspects of the 
ultimate  formulation of the new English Braille code. At any one moment 
(I'll  arbitrarily pick one from last January), aspects of the code might  
be under study, ranging from contractions, interface with foreign  
languages, phonetics and phonemics, chemistry, alignment in mathematics,  
format guidelines, and transcriber rules. Things are slowly taking  shape, 
but there is still time for genuine input, especially if you're  an 
active, paid-up CBA member.
     Co-ordinating UBC here in Canada is a massive job. Darleen Bogart 
handles it well. In my opinion, she is probably CBA's greatest asset.  In 
my view, she is certainly the Canadian who has given most in the  service 
of making Braille available and keeping it viable in this  country. Since 

it is impossible to list all of her achievements here,  I'll just say that 
she began as a volunteer Braillist some years back,  and wound up being 
secretary of the International Council on English  Braille (ICEB). She's 
currently taking a turn as president of CBA  as well.
     Mind you, if I were really interested in making you feel exhausted, I 
would go over the numerous surveys and similar activities of our other 
committees over the past couple of years, such as English Braille  
Standards (they are just about finished with a tactile research project),  
French Braille Standards, Braille Teaching and Learning, and the rest.  
Hopefully, in the limited space provided by a single magazine article,  I 
will have whetted your appetite to want to become a member of CBA  for at 
least next year, and find out what it's all about in somewhat  greater 
detail. Of our 100 non-corporate members, 30 serve either  on the board or 
on one or more of its committees. We desperately need  a much larger 
membership base from which to draw expertise and direction.  Why shouldn't 
consumers move out of the veritable token category we're in now, and adopt 
a leadership role in regard to future CBA boards and committees? It's 
there for us to do. All we have to do is sign up.
     For a membership application, write to or call Judy Rannard, 
Chairperson,  CBA Membership Committee, Room 206, 1181 Portage Avenue, 
Winnipeg  MB, R3G 0T3 (Telephone:  204 945-7840).
     Finally, by way of conclusion, just a quick word about my own 
committee's  work. The CBA's Promotion of and Access to Braille committee 
is looking  for testimonials from people all over Canada who have found 
Braille  invaluable in their lives. Our project concerns students in 
Kindergarten  through Grade 12 who, now that they no longer attend 
residential schools,  might not be getting the base literacy benefits of 
Braille that they  need. This is a real problem in the U.S., as those of 
you who have  been following the record of the NFB will know.
     We are taking our case to the political and administrative decision 
makers, of course. We also want to be sure that when we move on to plan B 
-- assailing the media with instances of Braille's efficacy -- we're doing 
so from a wide range of backgrounds and experience.  We need anecdotes to 
prove that Braille really does represent the  pen-and-pencil base literacy 
equivalent that we say it does. It's  the sort of ammunition you have to 
have on hand to counter the facile  argument, "But why can't they just use 
computers?" Imagine  the ruckus if sighted kindergartners were expected to 
go from the  sand-box to the keyboard!
     If you are the kind of person we're looking for, or if you are 
familiar  with such, please contact me at: 170--14 Shelmerdine Drive, 
Winnipeg MB, R3R 2Y2 Telephone: (204) 832-8414.

                                     
         Building Braille Reading Speed: Some Helpful Suggestions
                                                                          
                             by Jerry Whittle

     From the Editor: Jerry Whittle teaches Braille at the Louisiana 
Center for the Blind. The following article first appeared in The 
Pathfinder, the newsletter of the NFB of Louisiana. It was reprinted  in 
the May, 1993 edition of The Braille Monitor. At first, some of  his 
suggestions may seem a bit daunting for new Braille readers. But  they 
work.
     Over the past seven years I have had the opportunity to teach over 
two hundred blind persons to read Braille. During that  period I have 
timed twelve students at rates of greater than three  hundred words per 
minute. Of course, all of these rapid readers had  been reading Braille 
since early childhood, and none of them needed  to improve speed; however, 
there were some interesting similarities  among many of them that are 
worthy of noting.
     First of all, eleven of the twelve read with two hands, starting the 

line with the left  hand and finishing it with the right. Meanwhile, the 
left dropped  down to the next line to find the beginning and start 
reading as soon  as the right hand had finished. Only one of the twelve 
read more than  three hundred words per minute using only the right hand. 
In fact,  he read over five hundred words per minute. One of these twelve 
read  one hundred sixty-nine words a minute when he entered the center.
     At the beginning of his training he read with his left hand only, but 
he moved both hands across the entire line and brought both all the way 
back to the beginning of the next line, losing approximately  one second 
per line because of the inefficiency of this method. We  encouraged him to 
read the first half of each line with his left hand,  then track down to 
the beginning of the next line while finishing  the line with his right. 
Once he started practising this more efficient  method, he no longer lost 
that second on each line since he could  pick up the next one with his 
left hand as soon as his right had finished  the last. As a consequence he 
increased his reading speed from one  hundred sixty-nine to three hundred 
two words a minute before graduating.
     After years of teaching, it is absolutely clear to me that the 
twohanded  technique is by far the superior method. I remember another 
student  who read only sixty words per minute when she entered the center.  
She read with only her right hand. She also took the advice to begin  
using both hands, and she increased her reading speed from sixty to  one 
hundred twenty words per minute in six months; however, I should  point 
out that she also read over three thousand Braille pages while  she was a 
student at the Louisiana Center for the Blind.
     The number of pages read is an extremely important factor in building  
speed. A large proportion of Braille readers read at a rate of fifty  to 
seventy words per minute. In order to increase speed, once someone  is 
reading at sixty words a minute or more, he or she should read  a minimum 
of ten thousand Braille pages a year, two hundred fifty  pages a week, 
thirty-five pages a day --give or take a few pages.
     Setting goals is another important factor in attaining good or 
excellent  reading speeds. I would suggest that one set page goals per 
day.
     For example, I currently have a student who has just finished Grade 
II  Braille, and she is working diligently to build speed. When she first  
completed the code, she began to read a short novel, setting a goal  of 
ten pages per day. She set aside a certain time in the evening  to 
accomplish this rather ambitious task. During her first timed test  she 
read twenty-four words per minute. During the next month she faithfully  
maintained her page goal and even increased it to about fifteen pages  per 
day. In her last timing she read forty-five words per minute.  Of course, 
some of this speed resulted from her being able to pick  up words more 
rapidly from context, and this ability accelerated her  reading rate. Some 
of the improvement also resulted from her growing  ability to pick up the 
signs more easily through constant practice  and in general from her 
consistent hard work.
     I have noticed that most of the students who really work hard attain  
a level of about sixty words per minute rather quickly after completing  
the code, usually in two to three months. Then the rate of speed levels  
off. This observation is not based on a controlled study but merely  on my 
observation. What usually happens is that students are able  to increase 
speed rapidly because the faster they read, the more it  makes sense to 
them, and the more they pick up by context. For example,  "Jack and Jill 
went up the . . .by : it does not take a mental  giant to guess that the 
final word of this sentence will be "hill". However, once the student has 
reached a speed that takes account of  contextual prediction, the rate 
levels off, and it then takes reading  a tremendous number of pages to 
continue to increase steadily at least ten thousand pages per year.
     The best readers at the Louisiana Center for the Blind who knew no 
Braille before entering the Center  have learned to read at a rate of 

fifty to seventy-five words per  minute in six to nine months. The student 
in this category who attained  the greatest speed before graduation read 
at a rate of seventy-five  words per minute. That person read over eight 
thousand pages during  that six-month period. She actually stayed in her 
apartment on many  weekends and read Braille diligently. In other words 
she approached  her Braille reading as if it were a job. I would also 
suggest that  those working to increase their reading speed work on their 
Braille before becoming too fatigued. If you are an early morning person, 
read early in the day. I know a former student who arises at five o'clock 
in the morning to read Braille before he begins to prepare for school at 
seven. Others are able to read late at night and set aside the time to do 
so. I also think it is important to read aloud during part of this reading 
time so that one does not develop sloppy  reading habits. For example, 
when one reads aloud, it is hard to mumble  through words; one must be 
exact. Also, by reading aloud periodically,  one can begin to develop good 
reading techniques for delivering speeches  or for reading in public 
places, such as church or before civic organizations. Additionally, 
reading aloud enables one to hear how fast he or she is picking up a line 
or to identify where any problems lie.
     I once had a student who was timed at three hundred fifteen words per 
minute.  When she read aloud in public, she tried to read at that speed. 
She  sounded like she was on fast forward. While she attended the center,  
she worked on improving her speech-making techniques. She tried to  slow 
down to a reading rate of about one hundred twenty words per  minute, and 
her speaking style improved tremendously.
     Incidentally, President Clinton's Inaugural Address was read at a 
rate of one hundred  twenty words per minute, about the proper rate for 
communication of  ideas without losing one's audience.
     Another suggestion is to set a timer for five minutes and read aloud 
during this interval. If you  can finish a Braille page in five minutes, 
you are reading at a rate  of forty words per minute. If you read two 
pages, your rate is eighty  words per minute. If you complete three, you 
are reading at a rate  of one hundred twenty words per minute. By setting 
a timer periodically,  one can see how much progress is being made, and 
the timer acts as  a very good motivator to read faster.
     In conclusion I would say that building reading speed requires hard 
work and consistency. It does  little good to read thirty pages in one day 
and wait a week to read  another thirty pages. The reading must be done on 
a consistent, day-by-day  basis until a certain level of efficiency has 
been established. One  must approach the challenge of increasing reading 
speed in the same  way one approaches a job. Many students carry Dr. 
Jernigan's and President Maurer's banquet speeches around with them on 
trips in order to get in some reading in airplanes or in doctor's offices. 
These Braille speeches are lightweight and quite portable. It is amazing 
how much time one spends waiting, and this time can be used to increase 
reading  speed. Most important, it is essential that one set high page 
goals,  not necessarily time goals. Ten pages per day is a better goal 
than  one hour. The two-handed technique is by far the best for optimum  
reading speed. Find something that holds your interest. If you are  just 
beginning to read for speed, choose a book or magazine article  that is 
not too complicated and work your way into more sophisticated  reading 
material.
     Finally, read! read! read! Always read with both hands, and set 
ambitious page goals for yourself. If I can be of any further assistance 
in your quest to build reading speed, please call  me at (318) 251-2891.

                                     
                       Braille Readers are Leaders
                                                                          
                 1997 14th Annual Contest for Blind Youth
                                                                          
                                     

Funded by Tree of Life, Inc.

     From the Editor:  The Braille Readers are Leaders Contest has been 
encouraging blind students to read for 14 years now. Canadian  blind 
students have taken part for many years.  In fact, the third-place  winner 
for the 1996 print-to-Braille category is a blind high school  student 
from Alberta. The Canadian Blind Monitor is happy to re-print  the 1997 
Contest information in the hope that many more Canadian students  will 
take part in this worthwhile project.

Purpose of Contest

     The purpose of the annual Braille Readers are Leaders contest  is to 
encourage blind school children to read more Braille. It is just as 
important for blind children to be literate as it is for other  children. 
Good readers can have confidence in themselves and their  ability to learn 
and to adapt to new situations throughout their lives.  Braille is a 
viable alternative to print, yet many blind children  are graduating from 
our schools with poor Braille skills and low  expectations for themselves 
as readers. They do not know that Braille  readers can be competitive with 
print readers. This contest helps blind  children realize that reading 
Braille is fun and rewarding.

Who can enter the Contest?

     Blind school-age children from kindergarten through the twelfth grade 
are eligible to enter. The student competes in one of five categories.  
The first category is the print-to-Braille beginning reader. This  
category is for former or current print readers who began to learn  and 
use Braille within the past two years. This includes:

(1)  formerly sighted children who became blind after they mastered 
  print and
(2)  partially sighted print readers who are learning Braille 
  (Kindergartners and first-graders are NOT eligible for the 
  print-to-Braille category.)

     The other categories are:  grades K-1, 2-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Students 
in ungraded programs should select the category which most closely matches 
the grade level of their peers.

Prizes for the Contest

     First, second, and third-place winners are selected from each of the 
five categories. All winners receive a cash prize, a special  certificate, 
and a distinctive Braille Readers are Leaders T-shirt.  In each category, 
first-place winners receive $75.00, second-place  winners $50.00, and 
third-place winners $25.00. All contestants receive  a Braille certificate 
and a special token for participating in the  contest.
     Awards are also given to the top five contestants, regardless of 
category, who demonstrate the most improvement over their performances  in 
the previous year's contest. To be considered for the Most Improved  
Braille Reader award, the contestant must enter the contest for two  
consecutive years and cannot be a winner in the current, or any previous  
Braille Readers are Leaders contest. Winners of the Most Improved Braille  
Reader award receive $15.00 and a T-shirt.
     Schools are encouraged to schedule public presentations  of the 
certificates. Alternatively, presentations may be made in the classroom, 
at the local National Federation of the Blind Chapter meeting,  or in some 
other appropriate setting. Members of the National Federation  of the 
Blind will award the certificates and other prizes whenever  possible.


Schools for the Blind

     In addition to the individual prizes, a $100.00 cash prize  will be 
awarded to two schools for the blind for outstanding participation in the 
contest. All of the schools for the blind with students participating  in 
the contest will receive recognition in Future Reflections, the  National 
Federation of the Blind magazine for parents and educators  of blind 
children.

Rules for the Contest

     Winners will be chosen based on the number of Braille pages  read. 
The one who reads the largest number of Braille pages will be first-place 
winner, the second largest the second-place winner, and the third largest 
the third-place winner. The completed contest entry  form must be received 
by the judges no later than February 15, 1997.  Contestants must submit 
with the entry forms a print list of the materials  read (see the last 
page of the entry form). Entry forms without this  list will be returned 
to the sender.

Certifying Authority

     The certifying authority is responsible for:

(1)  verifying that the student read the Braille material listed and 
  that the material was read between November 1, 1996 and February 1, 
  1997;
(2)  filling out and sending in the contest entry form in an accurate, 
  complete, and timely fashion; and
(3)  assisting the student in finding Braille materials to read for the 
  contest.

     Teachers, librarians, and parents may serve as certifying 
authorities. The certifying authority must also be prepared to cooperate  
if the contest judges have any questions or need additional information  
about an entry. All decisions of the judges are final.
     For more information, contact Mrs. Barbara Cheadle, National 
Organization of Parents of Blind Children, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, 
Maryland 21230, (410) 659-9314 or (410) 747-3472.

COMMON QUESTIONS

What if I didn't know about the contest until after it began?  Can I 
  still enter?
Yes
If I enter late, can I still count the Braille pages I have read since 
  November 1?
Yes, if your certifying authority will verify that you read  those 
  pages.
Can I count my Braille textbooks?
No
Can I count textbooks if they are not the textbooks I am now  using for 
  my regular class work?
Yes
What if I don't finish reading a book?  Can I count the pages  that I 
  did read?
Yes
Can supplemental reading books to beginning reading series be counted 
  for the contest?
Yes

What constitutes a Braille page?
Each side of an embossed piece of paper is considered one page. If you 
  read both sides, then you have read two pages. This is true even if 
  there are only two braille lines on one side.
Can I count title pages, tables of contents, Brailled descriptions of 
  illustrations, etc.?
Yes
I have to transcribe books for my beginning reader. Most of these books 
  have only a few words on one page. If the print book has more pages than 
  my Braille transcription, how do I count pages for the contest?
For the purposes of this contest, the number of braille pages counted 
  per book should never be less than the number of print pages  in that 
  book. This is so even if the teacher has transcribed the entire  book 
  onto one braille page. To avoid confusion, we suggest that the  books be 
  transcribed page-for-page, one braille page for each print  page, 
  whenever possible.
I have trouble finding enough Braille material for my 6th grade and-up  
  students. Do you have any suggestions?
Yes. The National Federation of the Blind has free Braille 
  materials--stories,  articles, etc.--suitable for blind youth. To 
  request the NFB Selected  Literature for Blind Youth order form, call or 
  write:  National Federation  of the Blind, Materials Center, 1800 
  Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230;  (410) 659-9314.

                                     
                             Canadian Winner

     Although the Braille Readers are Leaders contest originated in the 
United States, Canadians have always participated and have often excelled. 
During the 1995-96 contest year, 8 Canadian  students increased their 
Braille-reading skills and engaged in a little  friendly competition. We 
are pleased to report that the third prize  winner for all of North 
America in the print to Braille category is  Kelly Hartle of Red Deer, 
Alberta. Kelly is an 11th grade student,  who has made the transition to 
Braille within the last two years.  She read nearly 1000 pages during the 
4-month contest period. This  reading was in addition to her regular 
school assignments.
     Kelly was awarded a certificate of achievement, a Braille Readers are 
Leaders t-shirt, and a cheque for $25.00.  Her personal rewards are far 
less tangible and more long-lasting.  Our congratulations to Kelly Hartle 
on her achievement.

                                     
                              NFB Bookshelf

     From the Editor: This article is reprinted from The News, a 
publication of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas (Summer 1996)

                                     
                  Care & Feeding of the Long White Cane
                                                                          
                            by Thomas Bickford

     This small book leads the blind traveller through the process  of 
deciding to use a cane, deciding which cane to use, and provides 
instructions about how to use a cane. Source: National Federation of the 
Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230, Attn: Materials  Center. 
Or call: (410) 659-9314. Cost: Print $1.00 per copy  or $20.00 per case of 
48. Braille $10.00 per copy. Cassette $4.00 per  copy. (All prices are in 
U.S. funds.)


                                     
       The World Under My Fingers: Personal Reflections on Braille
                                                                          
                         edited by Barbara Pierce

     This book contains personal stories from blind adults who have 
depended on Braille for much of their lives, as well as from blind adults 
who were denied the opportunity to learn Braille as children.
     If you are the parent of a blind child and are considering whether to 
ask that your child receive Braille training, we hope that you will read 
and consider the words of these competent, blind adults. Source:  National 
Federation of the Blind 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD  21230, Attn: 
Materials Center. Or call: (410) 659-9314. Cost:  $1.00 per copy or $50.00 
a case. (All prices are in U.S. funds.)

                                     
                           Talking Book Topics
                                                                          
                             by Alan Neville

     In the last edition of the Canadian Blind Monitor, I promised readers 
that future Monitors would include a regular feature under the working 
title of Talking Book Topics. Although no longer the editor,  I am pleased 
to note that our new editor Mary Ellen is of a like mind.
     Many of you will have heard the story about a sales manager who sends 
a memo to his staff exhorting them to submit creative  ideas for a new 
sales campaign. He really wasn't all that good at  generating these ideas 
himself, preferring the person to person contact  he had enjoyed before 
becoming a manager. Thinking about this he almost  immediately decided to 
give up his managerial position and return  to the sales force. His 
request was granted with unseemly promptness.  Delighted with his 
decision, he arrived early to begin his old job  determined to show the 
world his great prowess as a salesman. "Before  I get down to the real 
business of sales" he said to himself,  "I'll  wade through the 
correspondence the last salesman left me. OK, here's  a memo from the 
sales manager. . . that's strange, he's got the  same name as I do!"
     In my new position as a reader of the Canadian Monitor, I feel a 
little  like the sales manager turned salesman. I thought perhaps I ought  
to check on what I had said about this subject in the third edition:  This 
new section of "The Canadian Blind Monitor" will, therefore, be dedicated 
primarily to talking book topics. That is our working title but if you 
have a better suggestion write and let us know. Well, just to get things 
started, let me ask you some of the questions that have stimulated much 
interest and discussion at the Kelowna Bookies Club:
     What book has had the most dramatic effect on your life?
     Who is your favourite narrator and, conversely, who drives  you nuts 
and why?
     Do you have a favourite author? If so, who? What's the funniest book 
you've ever read?
     Which fictional character has moved you most deeply? How and why?
     What are the advantages and disadvantages of authorized as opposed to 
unauthorized biographies?
     These are just a few examples of the virtually unlimited topics that  
stimulate lively discussion among talking book users. As this will  be an 
ongoing feature in "The Canadian Blind Monitor," we would like to hear 
from any talking book user on any subject that  might be of interest to 
others. Please send your letters to the National  Office.
     Not having developed the outline for my article much beyond this 
point,  I decided to record a few random thoughts on my cassette recorder  
to see if I could later organize these notes into some logical sequence  
responsive to the suggestions made in the third edition.

     Much later--I would rather not tell you how much later--I had more 
material than I could use. I normally have difficulty remembering  five 
items on a shopping list. In this instance, my memory had become  a 
cornucopia of remembered authors, titles and even narrators, although  I 
was not always able to link them together. So what was I to do?
     Discipline was clearly necessary. Restricting my response to two or 
three of the suggestions in the third edition seemed unavoidable. 
Fortunately, one of the suggestions lent itself to a simple and 
unambiguous  response. The book that has had the most dramatic effect on 
my life  is "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. It's a very long book, too long  
in my opinion. I'm not absolutely sure it would affect me in the same  way 
if I were to read it for the first time today. I have been surprised,  
however, to find that this has been a seminal book for many other  people, 
although it certainly has its detractors. From time to time  I've thought 
that perhaps I should read "Atlas Shrugged" again.  One day I probably 
will. Why the hesitation? Well, I don't want to  risk losing the dramatic 
impact of that first reading, and as I said,  it's a very long book.
     Choosing the second question to comment upon was not really too 
difficult.  The narrators, or readers, as we often call them, are the 
almost indispensable  bridge linking the blind and visually impaired to 
the printed word.  I say printed word rather than written word 
deliberately because those blind persons who use braille do not need a 
bridge to link them with written language. However, since many blind 
people cannot use braille and relatively little is available in that 
medium,  a bridge to the printed word is vital. I say readers are almost 
indispensable  because there are reading machines such as the Kurzweil and 
Arkenstone  units. Both machines utilize very sophisticated technology and 
produce  fairly accurate voice output from scanned documents or books. 
Although  the synthesized speech is much better than it was just a few 
years  ago, it remains nowhere near as satisfying as the human voice.
     As noted in the McIntyre/Neville article entitled "The Bookies of 
Kelowna" in the third edition of "The Canadian Blind Monitor": "In 
addition to the formal and informal differences mentioned earlier, the 
bookies are very concerned with the technical quality of the recordings 
and, above all, the expertise of the narrators. The need for good quality 
recordings is self-evident and is generally  present in recent recordings 
using the latest technology. Evaluating  the quality of the narrator 
however, is rather more subjective, and  one person's "favourite" might be 
another's "pet-hate". All the  bookies agree however, that a good narrator 
can save a poor book while  a poor narrator can ruin a good one. 
Fortunately there are not too  many of the latter."
     As I said earlier, choosing this subject to comment upon was not too  
difficult. Evaluating narrators is much more difficult. Not only is  the 
process subjective but there are literally hundreds to choose  from. 
Furthermore, a reader who is magnificent with Mitchener might  be mediocre 
reading McClellan. To be fair, however, most readers appear  to be well 
matched to the material they are reading.
     Recognizing the inadequacies of memory and the unavoidable 
subjectivity  of the process, the following are my personal choices of the 
best  talking book narrators I have had the pleasure of listening to:
Male/Female: 
1. Alexander Scourby/Sandra Scott 
2.   Merwin Smith/Mitzi Friedlander 
3.  Dan Lasarre/Pat Barlow 
4.   Roger Norman/Jill Ferris 
5.   Keith Melville/Suzanne Toren 
6.   Lester Rawlins/Elizabeth Hamilton 
7.   Guy Sorell/Stephanie Taylor 
8.   Patrick Horgan/Aileen Seaton 
9.   Roy Avers/Catherine Byers 
10. Gordon Gould/Elise Goldsmith

11.  Bob Askey/Yvonne Fair-Tessler
12.  Frank Herbert/Pam Ward
     The essential elements in a talking book are the author, the story, 
the narrator and the recording/playback processes. These elements are 
interdependent and the overall product is, like a chain, no stronger  than 
its weakest link. When all pieces are of high quality and in  perfect 
harmony, the result is magic. I call what emerges a four star  talking 
book master work. Because tastes in authors, stories and narrators  vary 
from person to person, my master works may differ from yours,  but we 
might both benefit from the exchange. Almost by definition,  master works 
are rare but memorable. Here, then, are four of mine:

1.   "Brideshead Revisited" by Evelyn Waugh narrated by Alan Haines.
2.   "Trinity" by Leo Uris narrated by Dan Lasarre. (Note: I am not sure 
  if this version is still available from the CNIB Library because later 
  catalogue entries list another narrator.)
3.   "Return to Thebes" by Alan Drury narrated by Lester Rawlins.
4.   "My Name is Asher Lev" by Chaim Potok narrated by Frank Herbert.

     Do you have your own personal "Master Works"? If so please  send them 
to the editor at the National Office or to me, Alan Neville at Unit 114 - 
650 Lexington Drive, Kelowna, B.C. V1W 3B6.

                                     
                  Signals for Use With Deaf-blind People

     From the Editor: Communication takes on particular importance  for 
people who are both deaf and blind. Some people who are born deaf, and 
become blind later in life, have sign language as their "mother tongue". 
Others can hear long enough to understand and learn to read English. Their 
preferred method of communication is often based  on spelling English 
words -- either through the manual alphabet in  which hand positions 
signify different letters -- or through Braille.  Still others retain 
enough vision and/or hearing to use a primarily  oral form of 
communication.
     Whatever methods are used, the basic human need remains the same. 
Like all of us, deaf-blind people need to gather enough information to 
make sound judgments and to be able to express themselves in a way which 
is both understood and respected.
     The following guidelines appeared in the Spring, 1996 edition of the  
"Blind Washingtonian", the official publication of the National  
Federation of the Blind of Washington State. Like most guidelines,  
they're meant to provoke thought and increase awareness. Every deaf-blind  
individual is a unique human being. A technique which works well for  one 
person may be absolutely unworkable for another. However, if these  
guidelines encourage Canadian Monitor readers to approach deaf-blind  
people in their communities, the experience is almost certain to be  
rewarding for everyone concerned.

1.   When you approach a deaf-blind person, let the person know by a 
  simple touch that you are near. A warm, friendly  handshake will show 
  your friendly interest.
2.   Make positive but gentle use of any means of communication that you 
  adopt. Abrupt or exaggerated gestures might  be misunderstood.
3.   Work out a simple but special signal for identifying yourself, or 
  tell your name if the deaf-blind person prefers.
4.   Learn and use whatever kind of communication the deaf-blind person 
  knows. If you know another means  of communication that might be 
  valuable to the person, offer to help  him/her learn it.
5.   Be sure the deaf-blind person understands you, and be sure you 
  understand him/her.

6.   Encourage the deaf-blind person to use any speech that is possible, 
  even if it is limited to only a few words.
7.   If there are others present, let the deaf-blind person know when it 
  is appropriate to talk.
8.   Inform him/her of the whereabouts of others present.
9.   Tell the deaf-blind person when you leave, even if it is only for a 
  brief period. See that he/she is comfortable and safely situated. If the 
  deaf-blind person is not sitting, provide something substantial for 
  him/her to touch before you leave. Never abandon a deaf-blind person in 
  unfamiliar surroundings.
10.  In walking, let him/her take your arm. Never push a deaf-blind 
  person ahead of you.
11.  Make use of a simple set of signals to let him/her know when you 
  are about to (a) ascend a flight of stairs, (b) descend  a flight of 
  stairs, (c) walk through a doorway, or (d) board a vehicle.  A 
  deaf-blind person holding your arm can usually sense any change  in pace 
  or direction.
12.  Encourage deaf-blind persons to use their own initiative and 
  abilities. Encourage them to express their own ideas. Encourage their 
  interest in new experiences.
13.  Rely on your natural courtesy, consideration, and common sense. 
  Avoid getting flustered or irritated  if misunderstandings arise. 
  Occasional difficulties in communication  are only to be expected with 
  all people, not just the deaf-blind.

                                     
                                The NFB:AE
                                                                          
                             The Missing Link
                                                                          
                            by Joyce Mainland

     From the Editor: Joyce Mainland is a tough-minded, clear-thinking, 
and compassionate advocate. As the parent of a fourteen year-old daughter  
who is blind, she has experienced the joys, sorrows, and frustrations  of 
seeking educational services. Here is her story:
     
     This summer I discovered, along with my 14 year-old daughter, Sarah 
(who has been blind since birth), what, for lack of a better name, I will 
call the "missing link". That "missing link" is: the NFB (National 
Federation of the Blind) or in Canada,  the NFB:AE (National Federation of 
the Blind:  Advocates for Equality).
     As a parent I have struggled over the years to learn what I could do 
for my child. My journey first led me to the CNIB (Canadian National  
Institute for the Blind). Where else does one go? After all, the CNIB  is 
the only agency in Canada that serves the blind. I naively thought  that 
they would have the answers for me. Given their position of prominence,  
who should know more? I was frustrated by what I felt was often inadequate  
service and information. 
     I read everything I could get my hands on.  I learned to read and 
write Braille (tedious, but not difficult). I  have advocated before 
government agencies and legislatures along with other parents. We 
expressed our concerns regarding educational services  for blind children. 
I have gone as far as moving 3,000 miles in order  for my daughter to 
access the only remaining school in Canada which  specializes in the 
education of the blind and deaf/blind. (Some professionals  would call 
this segregation, but I know better and would call it congregation!)
     I have seen so many families over the years both in B.C. and Ontario  
with children in circumstances similar to mine. They were all falling  
between the cracks. I have seen parents like myself, frustrated and  
struggling to find resources, guidance and support. I have seen both  the 

mainstream and the congregated settings. I have experienced the  vast 
discrepancies of services and programs for the blind across Canada.  But 
the most frustrating thing of all is the experience of not being  heard or 
listened to--until now.
     My daughter and I were fortunate to have attended the NFB Convention  
in Anaheim, California, along with 60 other Canadians. There were  over 
3,500 in attendance from across the U.S.A. Never had I seen so  many white 
canes and dog guides in one place at one time! There were  people from all 
walks of life, all ages and abilities. There was an  overwhelming sense of 
family and belonging. It was the blind community.  We talked about common 
issues and concerns. We shared strategies and  solutions. We laughed and 
cried, sharing both joys and sorrows, and  we relaxed in the company of 
each other. I had the feeling that I  had finally found what I had been 
searching for all these years --"the missing link". I now believe that in 
the collective experience  and knowledge of these people who have walked 
the walk and talked  the talk, there is strength. While I am concerned 
about the whole,  my focus as a parent is for the children and the future 
employable youth and adults.
     As a parent, I want to empower my child with a positive attitude 
about  herself and her blindness. I want to provide her with a knowledge  
that she CAN become all that she wishes. The students at the W. Ross  
Macdonald School for the Visually Impaired in Brantford, Ontario,  had a 
saying written on the wall that said something like this: "We  see 
ourselves as differently abled . . . but without education and  the skills 
. . . we will become disabled!" The blind have spoken.
     If the current and unacceptable situation is allowed to continue in 
Canada, what is to become of the 8,000 children affected by vision loss?
     Presently, the education specific to the blind/visually impaired is 
deemed by the Federal Government to be a provincial concern. I believe  
and respectfully argue that the education of the blind (which should  
start from the time of diagnosis) is a national concern and should  
receive national attention and funding. For if these children DO NOT  
receive an adequate and appropriate education and the needed skills,  it 
will be the Federal Government who will support them on a disability 
pension! This should not be viewed as an acceptable solution. We should be 
doing everything we can to create opportunities that will lead them into 
self-sufficient lives as tax-paying Canadian citizens.
     But how does one go about changing and enlightening the attitudes and 
minds of those who hold the power that affects the outcome of the lives of 
our children?
     How does one go about educating the general public and correcting a 
gross misperception that the CNIB is able to do everything for the  blind, 
without offending this agency or causing them to become defensive?
     I truly believe that the time has come for the blind community in 
Canada to unite, with the blind helping and mentoring the blind in Canada. 
Through the philosophy and hard work of parents and blind adults in the 
NFB:AE, we can empower blind people and re-educate the  general public and 
governments. Together, we can ensure positive change.
     I would encourage anyone whose life has been affected by vision loss  
to seek out an NFB:AE chapter in your area and get involved. The blind  
and consumers of services for the blind must have a voice that is  not 
only heard but listened to. Together we can find effective solutions.

                                     
                DOOR TO DOOR FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

     If someone knocks on your door and asks for donations for the NFB:AE, 
greet them warmly. We have recently inaugurated a door to door fundraising 
campaign in cities throughout Canada. Our canvassers  will be carrying 
identification and literature about our work. If  you have questions about 
the campaign in your area, or if you would  like us to canvass your 

community, call the National Office toll free  at 1-800-561-4774.

                                     
                                  RECIPE
                                                                          
                            by Maureen Martin

Tipsy Laird Trifle

     Ingredients: 
2   sponge layers 1 cup (250 ml) jam, jelly or preserves 
1/4 cup (50 ml) medium-sweet sherry 
2 cups (500 ml) vanilla custard (approximately)* 
1 to 1  1/2 cups (250/375 ml) whipping cream, whipped and sweetened as 
desired.
     Directions: 
     Line bottom and sides of large glass bowl with pieces of sponge cake. 
Cover with half of the jam, jelly or preserves. Add remaining sponge 
pieces and repeat with balance of jam, jelly or preserves. Sprinkle sherry 
over surface of the trifle.  Spoon on the custard. Top with prepared 
whipping cream and garnish  with fruits in season and flaked almonds.
     *Custard can be prepared from your favourite recipe or use an instant 
vanilla pudding prepared according to package directions.
     Recommended BC Wine: 
     Late Harvest Optima.

                                     
                                   NBRS
                                                                          
               The National Broadcast Reading Service Inc.

Making visual media accessible to vision-restricted Canadians...

     Voiceprint TM Canada's 24 Hour Audio Newsstand Delivers published 
news and information in audio format primarily for Canadians whose access 
to print is limited or nonexistent.  Every day volunteers read full-length 
articles, columns and feature  reports related to news and sports, health, 
entertainment . . . from  more than 100 newspapers and magazines. The 
service is available free  via cable TV and/or cable FM. 
     
     Audiovision Television for People Who Cannot See Produces narrated 
descriptions of the visual elements of film and video products, offering 
blind, low-vision and other Canadians  the opportunity to fully appreciate 
these products and services at  will. 
     
     Alternate Media Cutting Edge Technology, Researches and develops 
cutting-edge technical systems and devices of benefit to blind and 
low-vision Canadians and the computer  technology that allows Voiceprint 
TM and audiovision to operate  and service their clients.

                                     
                           NFB:AE Awards Grant
                                                                          
           Funding Research in Tactile and Auditory Perception

     At the December 1995 meeting of its Board of Directors, the Board of 
the National Federation of the Blind unanimously passed  the following 
motion:
     That a research grant of $5,000 be made available to Okanagan 
University College for specific research in the areas of auditory and 
tactile perception by the blind. The Board directed that the research  be 

either basic or applied. The Board further directed that the principal  
investigator and grant recipient must be a faculty member at Okanagan  
University College with a doctoral degree. The Board required that  there 
be an open competition for the grant at Okanagan University  College. The 
Board suggested that applications could be reviewed by  the Grants-In-Aid 
Committee. The Board requested that the decision as to the recipient of 
the grant should be left to the Grants-In-Aid Committee. The Board 
requested that the entire grant be awarded to  one recipient. The 
suggested deadline for the competition was March  31, 1996. The Board also 
requested that the recipient of the grant  not be precluded from other 
competitions and other money available  from the Grants-In-Aid Committee 
at Okanagan University College. 
     Last  May, the Grants-In-Aid Committee at Okanagan University College 
awarded  the NFB:AE Research Grant of $5,000 to our President, Dr. Paul 
Gabias. Dr. Gabias was awarded an additional $2,000 from Okanagan 
University  College.
     Dr. Gabias is currently studying Gestalt Laws of Perceptual 
Organization in Visual and Haptic Perception. He is comparing data for 
evidence of the applicability of these laws in vision and touch.  The 
Gestalt laws of perceptual organization are classic in psychology,  
particularly in vision. Every introductory psychology textbook discusses  
them in the perception chapter. Yet, their possible applicability  to the 
sense of touch is rarely discussed. The purpose of Dr. Gabias's  research 
is to rectify this situation. 
     Preliminary analyses of data  from forty subjects who were presented 
with raised dot displays visually,  suggest that the classic Gestalt 
predictions about perceptual organization  are not ubiquitous, in other 
words, they are not as stable as had  been presumed. They may be affected 
by grid orientation. Data collection from blind subjects is underway for 
purposes of comparison.

                                     
                 SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANADIAN BLIND  MONITOR

     The Canadian Blind Monitor is printed three times a year. Members of 
NFB:AE are invited, non-members are requested to cover subscription costs 
with an annual fee of $10.00.
     The Canadian Blind Monitor is a publication where the blind speak for 
themselves.
     Yes, I am interested in receiving the Canadian Blind Monitor
     I am interested in receiving NFB:AE membership information. (Please 
specify preferred format) Print Braille Cassette Computer Disk
     I wish to become a member of the NFB:AE! Please check all that apply: 
Blind; Sighted Supporter; Active   Parent of Blind Child;

Name
Address
City, Prov., Postal Code
Telephone ( )

Mail to:  NFB:AE P.O. Box 5058, Kelowna B.C. V1Y 8T9 1-800-561-4774 

Fax: (604) 491-4080


E-Mail:  nfbcanawinccom



