




               MINNESOTA

                         BULLETIN








Quarterly Publication of the
National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota, Inc.
100 East 22nd Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
(612) 872-9363
Tom Scanlan, Editor


Volume LXII, Number 1, Summer 1997


WE ARE CHANGING
WHAT IT MEANS
TO BE BLIND



Table of Contents


Les Affaires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1

Climbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4

Sixteenth Annual Move-A-Thon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7

We Will Miss Them, But They Are Still Part of Us . . . . . . .  8

A Good Year in the Legislature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   10

Tim Aune Honored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   14

Action at the 1997 Semiannual State Convention . . . . . . .   15

Convention Alert!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   20



                          Les Affaires
The Canes in My Life
                   By Joyce Scanlan, President

I finally bought a carbon fiber cane.  Yes, after long mental anguish over
whether it, the carbon fiber cane, was the right weight or price or a significant
enough improvement to bother with, I have brought home from the 1997
National Convention in New Orleans a new white cane.  That made me do
post mortems on all my past white canes.

When I was a teenager, about 14 or 15 years old, I was invited, along with
every other blind person in the Fargo, North Dakota area, to a Christmas party
sponsored by the local Lions Club.  We were all served a big dinner and
presented with a gift.  That gift was a white cane, the very first I had ever had. 
It was wooden and quite short, probably about 36-40 inches.  It also had a
crook on the top; the lower part of the cane was red.  I do not remember the
type of tip.  Everyone in the crowd seemed very pleased.  There was great
ooing and aahing and many expressions of gratitude.  The Lion who had
handed out the canes had said something like this:  "We thought it would be
nice if all the blind people in the Fargo area had the same type of cane."

I sat in silence.  By far the youngest person in the room, I was not at all
thrilled with my new possession.  This was the first time I had had a white cane
in my hand.  It felt just awful.

Family and friends had always told me I was sighted.  I didn't need to read
Braille or use a white cane.  Of course, even the totally blind kids at school
didn't use white canes.  No one else did either, blind teachers or the blind
superintendent.  White canes must have been just for adult blind people who
lived in the big city.  Surely these Lions knew I was sighted.  They can't think
I'm blind.  I felt very insulted.  What did the Lions think I was going to do
with that white cane anyway?

Well, I took care of that white cane with dispatch.  When the party was over
and I, together with my fine Christmas gift, was dropped off at home, I ran
through the front door and right upstairs to my bedroom.  I stashed that cane
in the very rear corner of the closet.  I have not seen that cane since that
moment.  As far as I know, the cane may still be there.  Maybe it has
disintegrated with time.  One might imagine all sorts of fates for that particular
cane.

That was my first cane experience.  The professionals might say, "She just
wasn't ready."  That was an understatement.  The cane was a symbol of
blindness, and I wasn't blind.  I didn't "need" that cane.  All through high
school and college and five years of teaching, I never touched a white cane. 
I served as a sighted guide to others, who were really blind.

My next cane was a branch cut from a tree.  It was quite long but served the
purpose well.  I had just returned from the hospital where I had lost all my
vision from glaucoma, and I didn't want to be dependent upon a sighted
person to guide me.  I needed a cane.

Then I regained a small amount of vision and someone gave me a 42-inch
collapsible cane.  The orientation and mobility instructor had said that I wasn't
blind; he said I might want to use the collapsible cane for "identification."  I
grew to appreciate that cane and when it met its demise, I was quite sad.  I was
crossing a very busy street near the University of Minnesota when another
pedestrian stepped on the lowest link of my cane, which immediately fell into
four loose parts.  My route home included getting to the bus stop, taking two
buses, and walking about six more blocks to my apartment.  I was very worried. 
Somehow it all worked out and I arrived home in one piece.  Now I was ready
for the next step.

About the same time as the mishap with my collapsible cane occurred, the
students from the Iowa Orientation Center came to tour the Minneapolis
Society for the Blind, where I was working part-time.  One day as the workers
were returning from lunch, there was a great clatter in the hallway.  A bunch
of people with long straight canes, each person walking alone, was headed for
our work area.  It sounded like a steady sprinkle of small stones hitting the
floor.  We all wondered what was going on.  These people came into our work
room.  They were using white canes.  They asked questions of the workers. 
The sighted people with them seemed friendly also.  Feeling good about using
a white cane and walking independently and being happy were all new
phenomena to me.  I saw none of that around the Minneapolis Society for the
Blind.

Within the next few days I contacted my rehab counselor to ask for more travel
training.  Of course, I expected the training to be with a straight cane, not a
collapsible one.  I had had enough of that.  The counselor gladly sent me right
back to the Minneapolis Society for the Blind for training.  I began in January
1970.  At first my lessons were one hour and eventually they were extended to
two hours.  The new cane was about 46 inches long.  It had no crook.  There
was a golf grip at the top, and the tip was of nylon, which wore down at an
angle as it hit the ground.  I was thrilled with my cane and what it could do. 
I did not train with sleepshades, although I had requested that.  I was all
psyched up for shades when the instructor opined that because I had glaucoma,
using the shades might cause a problem.  I should have argued the point, but
I was alone and knew very little about my rights or how training could best be
done.  The instructor had also suggested that I might want to have a collapsible
cane for going to the theater and out to dinner.  I purchased such a cane but
never used it.  It was eventually given away to someone who needed a cane in
an emergency.

Later that same year, 1970, I attended my first National Federation of the
Blind convention; it was in Minneapolis.  There I met many blind people who
were using longer canes.  It became respectable and totally acceptable to use
a white cane.  As time went on, we were all introduced to the solid fiberglass
canes.  I liked those canes even better than my metallic cane with the nylon
tip.  Eventually, we had hollow fiberglass canes, which became longer and
longer.  I finally settled on a 59-inch cane and thought it would be my longest. 
However, a few years ago, I went to a 61-inch cane.  It is a fine, fine cane. 
The new carbon fiber cane I just bought is also 61 inches long.  I have only two
canes, the hollow fiberglass cane I use regularly, and my new carbon fiber cane. 
I love my two canes.

Over the years, we have all fought vigorously for the right to use our white
canes.  When I was 14 or 15 as I was when the Lions gave me that first cane,
I could not have dreamed that one day I would stand firm in the face of an
airline official who wanted me to give up my cane before I would be allowed
to fly.  Yet in 1978 that is what happened.  Many other times a flight attendant
demanded that I give up my cane.  I flatly refused.  My refusals have gradually
become more tactful and diplomatic than they once were.  Now I am more
sure of my position and my rights.  I know I can keep the cane with me.

This is a story of gaining independence and learning to handle it efficiently and
well.  My school has been the National Federation of the Blind.  Before that
I was a lonely, struggling hypocrite, pretending to be sighted when I wasn't. 
Those days are gone now.  I have moved on to a much more comfortable
method of dealing with independence.  Independence is no longer just talk. 
It is real life to live with work to do, people to care about and goals to be
achieved.  My cane is a fine tool in making independence possible, but that is
all.  Far more important is the organization with all its fine members who gave
me everything I have with respect to blindness, my philosophy, my belief in
myself and others who are blind, and even my appreciation of my white cane
and its true place in my life.


                            Climbing
                       By Jennifer Dunnam

One of the many perks of being an instructor at BLIND, Inc. is that the
students and staff have the chance to participate in rock climbing several times
a year.  Not all of us look forward to ascending walls of rock with equal
eagerness, but I, for one, am energized every time I do a climb or work with
someone else who is climbing.  Sometimes I am reminded of my early
childhood, when I was willing to try climbing on just about anything taller than
I. 

My parents did not learn that I was blind until I was seven months old, by
which time I knew how to crawl and could pull myself into a standing position. 
The doctor told my parents that since I was blind, they would need to keep me
in a playpen and do everything humanly possible to protect me from harm. 
Despite their disappointment upon learning of my blindness, they saw no
reason to follow the doctor's advice, since they had so far treated me as they
would any other child. I also believe that, by that time, my parents already had
a pretty good idea that trying to keep me in a playpen would probably not
have accomplished the protection that the kind but misguided doctor had
intended.

One of my earliest memories is of climbing a chest of drawers.  I am sure I
remember hearing the half-open drawers call out to be climbed like a ladder;
being a most agreeable child, I obliged--my fingers gripping the top of the
upper drawers as my feet stepped on the lower ones.  I almost made it to the
top before the chest and all its contents fell on top of me.  My fingers still
smart whenever I think about it.  My pain and humiliation were sufficient to
ensure that I did not try climbing on drawers again; my parents could see that
I had been well-taught and did not need them to put any additional restrictions
on my movement.

During most of my childhood, my family lived in a house located on property
owned by the natural gas transmission company that employed my father.  My
two younger sisters and I had 27 acres of land at our disposal for play--
including such useful structures as trees, a pond, an empty house similar to our
own, and the compressor station where my father worked.  We children were
disappointed that we had no stairs inside the house, but we were delighted
when we discovered them on the sides of the compressor station.  We (or at
least, I) could spend hours just running up and down those metal stairs--a
pastime to which my mother never expressed any objection.  It seemed very
natural to my sisters and me, therefore, to entertain ourselves in a similar
manner the day we discovered stairs during a visit to the home of a friend of
our parents.  My mother did not see the connection at all, but she couldn't
stop us quite in time to prevent my sister Becky from somehow breaking an
expensive statue that stood near the stairs.  Not long ago, when Becky and I
were reminiscing about our childhood over the phone, she began to tease me
about clumsy or embarrassing things she remembers that I did.  Naturally I felt
compelled to remind her about the statue incident.  Of course, she had
forgotten all about that and was horrified; before changing the subject, she
mumbled something about being dragged from store to store as Mom shopped
for an expensive statue.

At a very early age I graduated from stairs to the monkey bars in our backyard. 
I got to be rather good at climbing on them and was thrilled on my first day
of school when I found out there were higher monkey bars on the playground. 
What a shock I got during that first recess when I tried to join the other kids
who were climbing on the bars!  As I approached, the children jumped off as
fast as they could, screaming, "Don't touch her! You'll go blind!"  It felt as
though the floor had been pulled out from under me.  Was it so bad to be
blind?  Fortunately, when I went home that evening (and every evening after),
I found my world was still normal, my family didn't think I had suddenly gotten
a terrible disease, and, best of all, my sisters were still willing to join me on the
monkey bars.  My family did their best to help me keep my expectations of
myself high despite the misconceptions of many others around me.  That basic
support was invaluable to me as I went back to school each day and gradually
made friends and acquaintances who, even if they did not always treat me as
an equal, were not afraid of me and would share the monkey bars with me.

At home, we had a swing set, which, together with several trees perfect for
climbing, consumed much of my free time.  My sisters and I, like most kids,
were pretty good at thinking up alternative ways to use the swing set--like
walking up the slide or standing in the seats of the swings while swinging. The
caps had long since fallen off the ends of the crossbar at the top of the swing
set, so we liked to climb up the side poles and use the long pipe as a
communication device.  Other creatures apparently made use of the open-
ended crossbar as well; on at least two occasions, bees came out to express
their anger at me for disturbing their home.  The bee stings were nothing,
however, compared to the time I put my mouth up to the pipe and a little frog
took the opportunity to jump in.  All I can say is that a frog--at least in living
form--most assuredly does not "taste like chicken."

As the years passed, I played outdoors less and less often--not only because of
the increasing homework, but also because I found I could obtain and read my
own books.  Another factor was that I did not use a cane regularly until I was
a senior in high school; my lack of effective travel techniques, along with the
increasing need for independent travel in my life, slowly took away my
confidence in my ability to move around safely and gracefully.  This is not to
say that I never went outside or that I stopped testing limits.  

When I was about twelve, my sisters and I began incorporating the huge pipes
behind the compressor station into our games.  They were several feet in
diameter and some of them slanted upward from the ground at angles that
were deliciously dangerous if you were trying to walk up them.  (Oh, and did
I mention that we were expressly forbidden to go near them by my parents?) 
For months and months my sisters and I enjoyed the pipes; they could not be
seen from the house, so we could play without any annoying interference.  Or
so I believed, until the day my father suddenly hauled us all into the living
room and yelled for what seemed like hours about how we should never, never
play around those pipes.  How he could have found out was beyond me,
especially since we had not been near the pipes since the week before, when
we took all those pictures of each other. . . .   Sudden dread shot through me
as I racked my brain to recall what we'd done with those newly developed
pictures.  It wasn't long before that question vanished into irrelevance; my dad
held up an envelope, from which he removed a series of indisputable photos
of his three daughters in various poses on the pipes behind the compressor
station.  He stopped yelling, and, fortunately for us, his amusement at our
humiliation tempered his anger somewhat.

That experience with the pipes taught me well about the wisdom of hiding
evidence; therefore, I will not write about some activities in which I engaged
as a teenager.  Certainly I became far too cool and mature even to think about
such childish exploits as climbing.

I joined the National Federation of the Blind when I was fourteen--one of the
best decisions I have made in my life.  Not only did I make lots of new friends
through the NFB, but I also collected plenty of useful information and ideas
about dealing with blindness.  I found language and cohesion for my
philosophy of blindness, and I learned that I did not have to be alone in
fighting to be treated as an equal in society.  Through attending NFB national
conventions in various states, I also developed a taste for traveling to new
places--long white cane in hand.

At the 1989 convention in Denver, I had my first experience with rock climbing
and immediately abandoned my notion that climbing was for kids.  Here was
something much more real and challenging than monkey bars or natural gas
conduits.

At BLIND, Inc. I am pleased to have the chance to help students believe in
themselves and their abilities as blind people.  Rock climbing is one of the
ways in which our program challenges students to go beyond what they believe
is possible.  I treasure the time spent in such productive fun!


                  Sixteenth Annual Move-A-Thon
                         By Peggy Chong

The brochures for the sixteenth annual Move-A-Thon are now available from
your Chapter President.  Pick up several for yourself as well as some for your
family and friends to help support the NFB of Minnesota.

Our only state fundraiser will be held in New Ulm, Minnesota, Saturday,
September 20, 1997, at Harmon Park.  Participants will start walking the
peaceful 10-kilometer walk about 9:00 a.m.   A bus from the Metro Area will
leave for the Move-A-Thon about 7:00 a.m.  Contact Metro Chapter president,
RoseAnn Faber, at 221-9107 for more details.

Charlene Childrey, Chair of this year's event, promises many surprises.  The
Riverbend chapter has put much effort into this year's event to make sure
everyone has a terrific time.

To be a part of this event, get a pledge form from your Chapter President. 
Collect contributions from your family, friends and business acquaintances. 
Awards will be presented to participants of the Move-A-Thon at our state
convention banquet.  One of the awards will be for bringing in the most
money.  Hope it will be you.


        We Will Miss Them, But They Are Still Part of Us
                        By Joyce Scanlan

Curtis Chong, Vice President of the NFB of Minnesota, has accepted a
position as Director of Technology with the National Federation of the Blind
in Baltimore.  While we all understand his choice for a career change and the
opportunity this is for him, we are all saddened at the thought of losing Curtis
and Peggy.  They are two of the most hardworking and dedicated members of
our organization.

Curtis came to Minnesota from Hawaii in December of 1974.  He will be
remembered for wearing short-sleeved shirts year-round and for his love of
cold Minnesota winters.  He will be even more remembered for his warm
friendships.

He served as President of our student division for several years.  He then
served as Secretary of the NFB of Minnesota for many years before being
elected Vice President.  Among his many outstanding contributions to our
movement and to our state were:

     writing policy statements on burning topics such as audible traffic signals,
          services for blind college students, the need for basic technology
          such as slates and styluses;
     serving on the Minneapolis Society for the Blind board of directors as
          one of the "NFB Eight" (see "75 Years: Dealing with the
          Minneapolis Society for the Blind" in the Summer 1996 issue of
          the Minnesota Bulletin);
     representing the Federation and serving as chairman of the
          Rehabilitation Advisory Council for Services for the Blind for
          many years;
     providing information and answers to problems related to technology;
          and
     probably most prominent of all, serving as a role model for every blind
          person in the state.

Curtis's employment as a computer specialist with American Express was both
a source of expertise on technology and a matter of pride for us.  He was a
living example of our beliefs in the ability of blind people to be as successful
as any sighted person, to provide for a family, and to lead a full life.

He worked on public relations and did speaking engagements on blindness; he
gave testimony at legislative hearings.  How can his shoes be filled as he leaves
Minnesota?

Peggy, too, has held leadership positions in the NFB of Minnesota.  She served
as President of our Federation center, BLIND, Inc. for its first ten years.  She
represented the Federation on the Minnesota Council on Disabilities, the
Minnesota State Academy for the Blind Site Council, and on the Cooperating
Fund Drive.  She ably chaired the Move-A-Thon for many years.  She directed
our mailings of the Minnesota Bulletin, fundraising letters, and letters to
members.  She will long be remembered for her historical research into the
minutes, newsletters, resolutions, and every other documentation available on
the 75th anniversary of the NFB of Minnesota.

Peggy wrote extensively for the Minnesota Bulletin.  Her "75 Years" series
during our 75th anniversary was outstanding.  Producing the Minnesota Bulletin
will be difficult without her.  The editor will miss both her willingness to write
and her assistance in putting together the print and tape editions.

Peggy's most visible role in recent years has been as President of our Metro
Chapter.  In that position, she carried on an extensive correspondence and
telephone communication with our local transit company, and kept us all up-
to-date on current newspaper articles on blindness.  Peggy will also be
remembered for her love-hate dealings with computers, her love of Long Island
Ice Tea as served by Lyon's Pub, and the fun she always had at lively social
gatherings.

Peggy was quick to put together a party.  She could bring together a group of
people to eat heartily and pump out hundreds of Associates letters.  When the
State Supreme Court decision in the Minneapolis Society for the Blind case
came down in our favor, Peggy packed up a picnic basket with food, put one-
year-old Tina on her back, and headed off by bus to the Scanlan home to
organize a celebration.  Who will continue all of the fine traditions Peggy has
begun?

We can be sure that Curt and Peggy are only moving to Baltimore.  They will
not be leaving the Federation.  Curtis will be working for the National
Federation of the Blind.  We will be seeing them at Federation functions,
Washington seminars, National Conventions, and activities at the National
Center.  No final "goodbyes" need be said.

We are all truly sad to see Curt and Peggy leave us.  The gaps they leave will
be large and difficult to fill.  We wish both of you, Curt and Peggy, good
health, good luck, and much happiness.  We will all miss you.

Change is always difficult.  We must go on with every project now underway
in Minnesota.  We will all need to do just a bit, a big bit, more to keep up with
the momentum already built.  We know we will pull together to further our
cause on behalf of blind people.  As we said long ago, "We know who we are,
and we will never go back."

Again, good luck to both of you.  You have been good friends and outstanding
workers in the movement.  We look forward to seeing you at every Federation
activity in the years to come.  When you decide to return to Minnesota, we will
all welcome you.


                 A Good Year in the Legislature
                         By Judy Sanders

It actually began in 1996 at the annual convention of the National Federation
of the Blind of Minnesota with the passage of a resolution supporting the
creation of a Board for Blind Minnesotans.

Then in January, we held our Day At the Capitol where we began in earnest
to seek support for our proposed bill.  The idea of a Board for the Blind was
met with mixed reaction ranging from enthusiastic support, to qualified support
but doubt about our ability to get the bills passed, to honest disagreement with
it.  Our most enthusiastic support came from Representative Tom Rukavina
who agreed to be our chief author in the House.  We could not have asked for
a better author.  When the going got tough, he stayed with us all the way.

The honest disagreement, which was not a surprise to us, came from the
Department of Economic Security.  This bill, HR960, removes State Services
for the Blind (SSB) from Economic Security and the Department's
management was opposed to losing that staff and money.

The bill was referred to the House Economic Development Budget Committee
for hearing.  Chair Steve Trimble was a coauthor of the bill.  However, it must
be admitted that he was uncertain of his support and reserved the right to
withdraw his sponsorship.

The hearing room was packed with many of the usual players; NFB members
predominated, Department officials were present and there were the usual
blind folks who come out to challenge the Federation.  None of this was a
surprise to experienced Legislative watchers; but there were some new faces. 
Two in particular are worth mentioning, and both of them are graduates of
Vision Loss Resources (formally the Minneapolis Society for the Blind).

The first is Wally Hinz.  By his own admission, he has not been active in
blindness issues, and he could not explain his sudden opposition to a separate
agency for the blind.  His reason for opposing the bill was that he did not
understand the issue and we should ensure that taxpayers are getting their
money's worth from SSB.  If Mr. Hinz had taken the time to become informed
before expressing his opposition he would know that the Federation also wants
the taxpayers to get their money's worth from SSB and this can best be done
by establishing a Board for Blind Minnesotans.

The second newcomer is Representative Torrey Westrom, a newly-elected
legislator from Elbow Lake who happens to be blind (see the Winter 1997
issue of the Minnesota Bulletin).  His performance at the hearing would suggest
that he knows more about politics than blindness.  He waited for the end of
the hearing to make a statement.  By that time, it appeared that this would be
a partisan vote with Democrats voting for the bill and Republicans voting
against it.  Although not on the committee, Mr. Westrom expressed his
opposition and cast his lot with his Republican colleagues.

The atmosphere was tense; but when the vote was finally taken, we prevailed
eleven to ten on strictly party lines.  The bill moved on to the Governmental
Operations Committee.

Those in the Department of Economic Security were surprised that we had as
much support as we did.  In turn, we realized that much education was needed
about how to deliver the best services to blind Minnesotans.  Legislators were
losing sight of the issue and becoming more concerned with partisan politics. 
Consequently, we were ready to listen when Department officials approached
us with a proposal.  They wanted to replace our bill and ask for a study of
services for the blind by the Legislative Audit Commission.  We agreed to the
study but said they would need a separate bill; we would not drop our bill. 
Eventually, the bill creating the study passed the House and the Senate as part
of the Department of Economic Security Omnibus Budget bill and was signed
by the Governor.

However, many studies are legislated every year.  Since the Legislative Auditor
cannot conduct all those studies, the Legislature must rank the importance of
each study after the session ends.  The study of SSB was not ranked high
enough to be conducted.

Our bill remains alive and we will continue with it when the Legislature
reconvenes.

Representative Tom Rukavina deserves special credit for his stalwart support. 
Mr. Rukavina continues the backing of blind people he started when he
successfully sponsored our Braille Literacy bill in 1987.  We value his respect
and his tenacity.

We also credit Representative Steve Trimble who, while initially expressing
honest doubts about the wisdom of our bill, ended up being a staunch
supporter.

On another front, we supported budget requests for SSB.  This is something
we always do and it is usually very uneventful.  However, such was not so this
year.  Many of you will be familiar with SSB's staff training program in
adjustment to blindness (see the Winter 1997 issue of the Minnesota Bulletin). 
The training gives the staff a taste of how their blind customers learn that it
is respectable to be blind.  Neither they as staff, nor we the blind,
automatically understand that concept.  There were lengthy planning sessions
for this training with the SSB Rehabilitation Advisory Council, discussions at
public meetings and trials with staff.  This project was funded with federal
money that could only be used for staff training or strategic planning.

When the program was launched, it inevitably became controversial because,
among other reasons, some staff were afraid of training that would require
using blindfolds.  In addition, some of our opponents resented the fact that
BLIND, Inc. would be one of the trainers.  Never mind that Vision Loss
Resources and the Lighthouse in Duluth were also in the program.

This controversy was reported to two senators who chose to take exception to
the training program for all staff.  Although this did not involve any state
monies, Senators Cal Larson and Steve Murphy decided to challenge SSB's
wisdom in proceeding with such an extensive plan.  We received word that
there might be some objection raised at a budget hearing in the Senate.  

We were told that the hearing would take about fifteen minutes.  Instead, we
were subjected to a three-hour grueling public hearing where the National
Federation of the Blind was attacked and where the Assistant Commissioner
of SSB was accused of having a conflict of interest in supporting this training
program.  There was no substance to any of it.  In the end, Senator Murphy
proposed that $100,000 be cut from SSB's budget because that was the
estimated yearly cost of the training.  Assistant Commissioner Richard Davis
pointed out that the Legislature could not cut the training money since it
comes from Congress.  If they chose to make such a cut, he would have to
reduce some other services such as those from the Communication Center.

Later, Senator Murphy saw the wisdom of what Mr. Davis said and did not
carry through with this threat to cut the budget.  He and Senator Larson were
able to obtain a provision that prohibits requiring support staff to take the
training with blindfolds in the next two years.  This means that it is still
required for counselors and managers and that others can volunteer to take it. 
There are a few support staff members who work directly with customers who
still can be required to take the training.

It is apparent after this stormy session that legislators are like the public.  They
live with the same misconceptions and fears about blindness as most people. 
We must embark on a massive public education effort to teach them about our
potential and what it will take for us to meet it.

Furthermore, we should not forget the success we had.

Our bill to create a Board for the Blind is still very much alive.  Not many
legislators are willing to buy into the small-minded attacks of our opponents.

Despite the all-out efforts of Senators Larson and Murphy (with help in the
House from Representative Westrom) to stop the adjustment-to-blindness
training for the SSB staff, they failed.  The training will go forward and will
concentrate on counselors, managers, and others with direct contact with blind
people.  That is a definite victory in our efforts to improve the quality of
service from SSB.

The Department of Economic Security increased its respect for the NFB of
Minnesota's political ability and influence in the Legislature.  We must begin
to lay the groundwork for hard work next year.  We have always been willing
to do what it takes to expand opportunities for the blind of Minnesota and the
nation. Through the National Federation of the Blind, we will continue that
work and we will hold our heads high with our success.


                        Tim Aune Honored
                         By Peggy Chong

During Volunteer Recognition Week this past April, the Communication
Center of State Services for the Blind held an awards banquet to honor and
thank the many people who volunteer their time for its many projects.

Tim Aune was one of the volunteers honored for ten years of service.  Tim
produces the NFB of Minnesota's monthly Radio Talking Book program called
"Speaking For Ourselves."

Congratulations Tim!



         Action at the 1997 Semiannual State Convention
                    By Jan Bailey, Secretary

The 1997 semiannual convention of the National Federation of the Blind of
Minnesota was held at the Hennepin County Government Center in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday, May 10.

The convention was called to order by President Joyce Scanlan.  Convention
activities began with some rousing Federation songs, led by Jennifer Dunnam,
and some welcoming remarks from Peggy Chong, Metro Chapter President.

National and State Report

The first official program item for the convention was entitled "The Federation
Moves Forward in Minnesota and Around the World in 1997."  This report of
national and state issues affecting the blind was presented by President Joyce
Scanlan.

President Scanlan began by discussing the publicly-expressed position of the
National Council for Independent Living (NCIL) opposing categorical
programs for the blind.  On the heels of that public statement, there has been
opposition expressed by the National Council on Disabilities (NCD) of
categorical programs for the blind.  Regarding NCD, President Scanlan said
that the NCIL people have taken control of this organization.  NCD originally
recommended to the Congress that categorical programs for the blind be
eliminated.  Due to pressure from the Federation, NCD was forced to back
away from this position, instead recommending that a study be conducted by
the General Accounting Office (GAO).  We are concerned that the study
would place undue emphasis on the supposedly high cost of rehabilitating blind
people as compared to the dollars spent in the general rehabilitation program.

President Scanlan told the convention that the Reauthorization of the
Rehabilitation Act is up before the Congress again this year.  The main
question will probably be the length of the reauthorization.  Most people seem
to think that no substantial changes will be made to the Act other than the
amount of time for which it will be authorized.

President Scanlan reported that our Braille Literacy Bill is included in the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the House.  A version
of that bill is also included in the Senate version of IDEA, but the House
version is stronger, she said.

President Scanlan said that we continue to work on restoring the linkage
between the blind and age-65 retirees in the Social Security Disability
Insurance program.  Bills to restore the linkage have been introduced in the
House and Senate.  Senator Paul Wellstone has cosponsored the bill, but
Senator Rod Gramms has not.

President Scanlan talked to the convention about the attempt by the
Department of Defense to exempt mess halls from the Randolph-Sheppard
Act.  Needless to say, the Federation is at the forefront of the effort to prevent
this from happening.

President Scanlan then discussed the Federation's upcoming national
convention in New Orleans.  We have already used all of our rooms at the
Hyatt, she said, but we are arranging to secure additional rooms to
accommodate everyone.  She asked the membership to see if anyone would be
interested in chartering a bus to New Orleans, to reduce the cost of having
Minnesotans attend the convention.

Turning to state matters, President Scanlan informed the convention about the
dismissal, by Commissioner R. Jane Brown, of Norena Hale, who formerly
headed the Rehabilitation Services Branch in the Minnesota Department of
Economic Security (MDES).  President Scanlan speculated that the firing of
Ms. Hale might be due to her apparent lack of support for the Workforce
Centers, a pet project of Commissioner Brown.

President Scanlan reported that our bill to establish a Board for the Blind
passed out of a House committee, despite objections from MDES.  After the
bill was passed out of committee, MDES began talking compromise.  We
agreed to support a study by the Legislative Audit Commission.  We did not
agree to withdraw our Board for the Blind bill.

President Scanlan then informed the convention about matters surrounding the
training of State Services for the Blind (SSB) staff in the alternative techniques
of blindness.  Senators Murphy and Larson tried hard to eliminate the training
of SSB staff altogether but were only successful in reducing the total number
of staff that could be required to take such training.  It is our position that all
SSB staff should be required to take, at a minimum, six weeks of intensive
training in the alternative techniques of blindness, for it is only in this way that
all agency staff can come to understand and support the agency's mission of
fostering independence for all blind Minnesotans.

President Scanlan emphasized the vital importance of our Board for the Blind
bill.  Without it, she said, services for the blind will be swallowed up in the
Workforce Center efforts of the Department.

Finally, President Scanlan informed the convention that Peggy Chong had
chosen not to seek another term as President of the Board of BLIND, Inc. 
RoseAnn Faber is the new President.  It has been ten years since BLIND, Inc.
was founded, said President Scanlan.  Although it was established as a separate
corporation, with an independent financial structure, it has always been and
will continue to be part and parcel of the National Federation of the Blind. 
In other words, like JOB, Newsline for the Blind, and every other Federation-
sponsored activity, BLIND, Inc. is a project of the National Federation of the
Blind.

Services for the Blind Update

This item was presented by Richard Davis, Assistant Commissioner of State
Services for the Blind.  He began by providing the convention with information
about national legislation affecting vocational rehabilitation.  Then, he turned
his attention to matters at the state level.

State Services for the Blind (SSB) has just come out with a document outlining
ten principles of consumer choice.  These principles are "final," and they will
be incorporated into everything that the agency does to serve blind people. 
SSB has also published a document describing the "job ready" blind person.

Mr. Davis informed the convention about some upcoming statewide public
meetings to be sponsored by SSB.  These meetings are an effort by the agency
to get public input to improve service delivery.  The first such meeting will be
held on Tuesday, May 20.  Mr. Davis said that the agency takes seriously the
comments it receives from the public and incorporates many of them into
future state plans.

Mr. Davis reported that in fiscal year 1996, the agency had found jobs for 138
people, many of them at the professional level.  This is a vast improvement
since he first came to head the agency in the early '90's.

The Department of Economic Security has released the Radio Talking Book
privatization report.  Its conclusion: the program does not need to be
privatized.

Finally, Mr. Davis talked about the SSB staff blindness training effort.  A year
ago, the agency adopted a policy requiring all of its employees to receive
blindness training over the next five years.  The policy was discussed thoroughly
with the Rehabilitation Advisory Council for the Blind, all employee unions,
and others.  Those who oppose the policy (including some SSB staff) have
made it controversial and an issue of concern to the State Legislature.  A rider
was attached to SSB's budget limiting the training to counselors and managers. 
Ultimately, a compromise was struck.  Seventy SSB employees will be required
to receive blindness training.  This does not preclude other employees from
voluntarily taking the training.

Speaking of staff training, Mr. Davis next introduced two SSB staff members
who had participated in blindness training: Dona Champlain and Jean Hanzal. 
Both individuals reported that the training was a very positive experience.

President Scanlan urged the convention to keep in mind that despite the
problems we have in Minnesota, we are far ahead of many other states in
terms of the quality of service available to the blind and the willingness of
agency top leadership to work with the people whom they serve.

Election of National Convention Delegates

The afternoon session began with the election of a delegate and an alternate
delegate to the National Federation of the Blind convention.  Joyce Scanlan
was elected as the delegate, and Curtis Chong was elected alternate delegate.

Communication Center Plan for the 21st Century

David Andrews, Director of the Services for the Blind Communication Center,
presented this program item.  The plan is designed to take the Communication
Center into the 21st century, taking advantage of digital technology along the
way.  Essentially, the plan (which will cost about $2.1 million) is divided into
two phases, each of which could be done separately.  Phase 1 is aimed at
developing and distributing a new and more functional Radio Talking Book
receiver.  Phase 2 converts the existing analog technology used to record books
into a digital infrastructure, enabling books to be stored in a more compact
and reliable way while, at the same time, enabling books to be distributed
through a wide variety of media.

Fending Off Fear in the Minnesota Legislature

Judy Sanders reported on happenings in the Minnesota State Legislature.  She
talked about the Board for the Blind bill, the proposed study of its feasibility,
and SSB staff training.  She stressed the importance of individual members of
the Federation becoming known to individual members of the Legislature. 
Only in this way will individual legislators learn not to fear blindness while
understanding what blind consumers themselves really want.  Legislators fear
blindness themselves because, in part, some blind people fear it, too.

The Polish/American Exchange Program

This program item was a panel consisting of some staff members from BLIND,
Inc. and four Polish students, who are spending six months at BLIND to learn
about our training program.  The four students from Poland are Ania Skrobisz,
Grzegorz Rzeszutek, Marek Baginski, and Damian Przybyla.  Staff members
who presented on the panel included Ron Burzese, Russell Anderson, and
Betty Bishman.

In the spring of 1996, and again in 1997, staff from the three Federation
training centers spent time in Poland, acquainting people there with Federation
philosophy and the positive methods used by our centers to train blind people. 
In February of this year, four people from Poland came to this country to
spend six months at BLIND, Inc. so that they could experience for themselves
the training we provide.  All in all, everyone agreed that the exchange has been
a tremendously worthwhile and positive experience.

Blind People Are Working

This item consisted of a panel of blind people who are engaged in competitive
employment.  Participants included Luis Thorin, a Spanish language
interpreter; Pat Barrett, an implementation project leader for Diversified
Pharmaceutical Services; and Janet Lee, a contract educator in Diabetes.  All
three of these individuals are living testimony to the Federation's long held
belief that with proper training and opportunity, blind people can compete in
the labor market on a basis of equality with the sighted.

Pledges to the tenBroek Fund

Each year, during semiannual conventions of the NFB of Minnesota, members
make pledges and contributions to the tenBroek Fund.  These are in turn
matched by the NFB of Minnesota.  Curtis Chong talked to the convention
about the tenBroek Fund and raised approximately $1,550 in pledges.

Newsline: Access to National Newspapers

Tom Scanlan talked about Newsline for the Blind in Minnesota.  This service,
which provides access to no less than three national newspapers, celebrated its
first birthday in Minnesota.  He said that some people have told him that they
don't have time to read the paper and have therefore not signed up for
Newsline.  He encouraged everyone to rethink this notion, saying that lack of
time to read the paper is just as much a factor in the lives of people who are
blind as it is for those who are sighted.  Yet, lots of sighted people read the
paper.  So should the blind.

He asked the members present to suggest ideas about what we might place on
our local access channel.  Suggestions included: information from the local bus
company, voter registration material, and NFB chapter meeting times and
locations.


                        Convention Alert!

Exciting times are coming in NFB conventions.  Keep these in mind as you
plan your activities throughout the coming year.  

The Annual NFB of Minnesota Convention will be held October 31 to
November 2 at the Thunderbird Hotel in Bloomington.  Marc Maurer,
President of the National Federation of the Blind, will be the national
representative.  Members will receive a letter with details about a month
before the convention.

The Semiannual NFB of Minnesota Convention will be held in Greater
Minnesota in April or May 1998.  Members will receive a letter with details
about a month before the convention.

The National NFB Convention will be held in Dallas, Texas during the first
week of July 1998.  This is a whole week of friends, fun, and serious business. 
It is a chance to be part of the largest gathering of blind people in the world. 
Full details will be in the December 1997 issue of the Braille Monitor.