

                            WISCONSIN CHRONICLE

                         VOLUME IX, FALL - WINTER






                                 CONTENTS

1991 State Convention ............... 2
Generous Donation ................... 2
Learning Braille .................... 3
Death Announcement .................. 3
Death Announcement .................. 4
Braille Reading Contest ............. 4
Exercising Self-Respect ............. 5
Scholarship Report .................. 7
Confessions of a 
  Scholarship Winner ................ 7
What Do Sighted People Think 
  Will Happen? ...................... 8
Welcome to Wausau ................... 9
Northcentral Chapter Information .... 9
NFBW Board Members ..................10
NFBW 1991 Convention 
  Registration Form .................11

_________________________________________________________________

Jodi Cowle, Editor                     Braille Production Caryn Navy
2938 Coho Street                       401 Elmside Blvd.
Madison, WI 53713                      Madison, WI  53704
(608) 274-1954                         (608) 241-2498



                           1991 STATE CONVENTION
                            by Bonnie Peterson

The 1991 Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Wisconsin will
be held in the engaging surroundings of the Best Western Midway Motor Lodge,
2901 Martin Avenue, in Wausau Wisconsin.  The Convention will begin at 6:30
p.m. Friday, October 25, and conclude Sunday, October 27th at 12:00 p.m.
  
This year's convention will feature many fascinating speakers who will share
their techniques for success relating to  employment, job skills, and
education.  The program will be of great interest to all blind persons,
parents of blind children, and those working with the blind.  The highlight of
the convention will be a banquet address given by our National representative,
Steve Benson.  Steve Benson has worked in education, rehabilitation, and
administration.  He is a National Federation of the Blind Board Member and the
President of the Illinois Affiliate.
  
We are proud to have arranged quite reasonable room rates for this year's
convention.  The rates are single, $45.00 (one person)  double, $55.00 (two
persons) triple, $65.00 (three persons) or quad, $75.00 (four persons).  
There will be no charge for children occupying rooms with their parents. 
Reservations are to be made at the Best Western Midway Motor Lodge, 2901
Martin Avenue, Wausau, WI, 54401, (715) 842-1616 by September 24, 1991.  A
guaranteed reservation requires a major credit card number or one night
advance payment on, or before, September 25, 1991.  In order to receive our
convention rates you must inform the hotel that you are reserving rooms for
the National Federation of the Blind of Wisconsin Convention.


                         GENEROUS DONATION TO NFBW
                              by Cheryl Orgas

I would like to thank St. Vincent de Paul of Milwaukee for your generous
monetary donation.

After Charles Fontanazza and Mary Sheahan of St. Vincent de Paul read the
literature of the National Federation of the Blind and met with me at the
Counseling Center of Milwaukee, this organization made a donation of $1000
toward our scholarship fund.

Your support and faith in our movement is much appreciated.  Thank you.




                             LEARNING BRAILLE
                             by Maggie Meeker

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?  Not I!  Although I had heard
the worst, learning braille was not any more difficult than learning how to
type with a few extra rules.  

As a 36-year-old sighted woman, I learned to read and write braille over a six
month period attending class one night a week.  Yes, there was homework
involved.  Yes, I had to fit it in between a full-time job as an interior
designer for my own company and numerous social activities.  Yes, I had a lot
of memorizing to do for this class.  No, I do not have any training or
experience in the field of education.  But I did have the motivation.

Initially my thoughts were to learn braille so as to better communicate with
my brother and sister-in-law, neither of whom are sighted.  Little things like
birthday and Christmas cards were impossible to find in braille and depending
on others to braille them did not fit into my typically procrastinating
profile!  Later I realized what a good opportunity being a braille volunteer
could provide.

I was quite surprised to learn that specially trained educators of the blind
are not required to learn braille!  I can't imagine what the thinking was
behind that decision.  Certainly it has nothing to do with difficulty.  A
simple three credit course over one semester is plenty of time to develop a
working understanding of braille.  The basic concepts are simple; and, like
any other skill, braille proficiency increases with practice.  How can a
teacher effectively teach a subject or group of people when her or his
knowledge is compromised?


                            DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT
                            by Bonnie Peterson

Judy Congdon died on Monday, July 15, 1991 after a long battle with cancer. 
She was the secretary of the Milwaukee Chapter of the National Federation of
the Blind, a strong and dauntless Federationist, a loving mother, and trusted
employee for the Social Security Administration.  Judy stood on the picket
line against NAC in Wisconsin, coordinated the hospitality for our State
conventions, taught braille to anyone who wanted to learn,  and walked the
halls of the Capitol educating Wisconsin legislators about the importance of
braille.




                            DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT
                               by Jodi Cowle

Rick Skoczek died on July 3, 1991.  Rick was a former member of the Dane
County chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Wisconsin.  He was a
kind and determined person who quietly but firmly spoke out for what he
believed in.  He did not allow blindness, poor health, or the system to
prevent him from striving to attain his goals.


                        NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE
                                  BLIND 
                            1991 - 1992 ANNUAL 
                          BRAILLE READING CONTEST

The Parents of Blind Children Division of the National Federation of the Blind
and the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB) are pleased
to announce the Eighth Annual Contest for braille readers, kindergarten
through twelfth grade.  

The purpose of this braille reading 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 abilities to learn and adapt to new situations throughout
their lifetime.  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 braille readers.  They do not know that braille
readers can be competitive with print readers.  

First, second and third place winners will be selected from each of five
categories.  All winners will receive a special certificate and a distinctive
NFB braille Readers are Leaders T-shirt.  Cash prizes are also awarded in all
five categories.  First Place $50.00; Second Place $25.00; Third Place $10.00. 


Winners will be determined by amount of braille pages read.  The deadline for
contest entries will be February 19, 1992.  For contest entry forms or more
information contact Ms. Linda Mentink, 1737 Tamarack Lane, Janesville, WI 
53545, (608) 752-8749 or Mrs. Sandy Halverson, 403 West 62nd Terrace, Kansas
City, Missouri 64113, evenings (816) 361-7813.


                          EXERCISING SELF-RESPECT
                           by William D. Meeker

The staff at the gym where I exercise attempt to lessen the boredom inherent
in using the exercycle and rowing machine with a color tv in the work-out
area.  One and a half years of rowing has given me not only additional muscle
tissue but also much tolerance for what spews out of the television between
four and five p.m. week days.  Sometimes I even become interested.  One
Wednesday last May was such a day.

I was proceeding under full steam on the rowing machine on an imaginary
crossing on Lake Michigan (a contest sponsored by the health club) with what
remained of my consciousness fixed on "Family Feud."  This was a particularly
good episode--a grudge match between Operation Desert Storm veterans, the Army
versus the Air Force.  About fifteen minutes into the show my attention was
riveted and interest peaking, when some jerk changed the channel to that
paragon of media circuses, "The Donahue Show."  This had happened before. 
What rudeness, to change the tv channel without asking others in the room if
they cared!  There were times when I had remained silent at this behavior and
burned my anger.  But today I spoke up.  "I was watching that show.  Would you
mind turning it back?"  "Ha," barked the person astride the life cycle to my
right.  Phil Donahue remained on the screen.

What was funny?  Maybe he thinks that since blind people can't see we don't
watch tv--and I remembered that single barked laugh from once before when I
spoke up.

I stopped rowing, stood up, and, cane in hand, approached Phil (the tv).  My
fellow exercisers became silent.  It was the stunned silence of those watching
an infidel approaching an altar with clearly desecratory intent.  I found the
channel select button and flipped back to "Family Feud."  Okay, back to the
trip across Lake Michigan with the Air Force ahead of the Army.  No comment
from the exercise room.  

Time passed.

I thought about what had just happened.  Well, they now know that a blind
person can not only watch tv but also change the channel and get angry at
impoliteness.  I felt at peace because I had done all that one person could
do.  The incident was resolved and it could go into the past.  Had I not
acted, I would have stewed over the incident and replayed it in a hundred "I
should have, I could have, I would have" variations.  

A little while later a newly arrived person asked another woman, "Who's
watching the TV?"  "The asshole," she said, looking my way.  The new arrival
asked me if I was watching the program.  I answered that I was, and the matter
ended.  My rowing time ended, too, as the five o'clock news burst upon the
screen like a ripe, colorful pustule swollen with the day's accumulation of
criminal horrors and political double-dealings.

The whirlpool and the shower afforded me time to think.  Okay, I had done what
I felt was necessary.  I had, in a direct, adult fashion, stated--demanded--
not that I get my own way by being able to watch the program that I wanted,
but that I be accorded the same courtesy as others.  That is, instead of
assuming that because I'm blind I don't matter when it comes to tv viewing
preferences, ask me if I am watching the program or if I would mind if you
change the channel.

All that may be true, I thought, but won't they just see me as a cranky blind
guy with a chip on my shoulder?

There are those who will understand and those who will jump at the chance to
discount me.  And so be it.  I'd rather be an asshole with self-respect than a
nice guy who is treated as a non-person, and hates himself (and others) for
it!

Since that minor but significant interaction at the tv, things have happened. 
More people are saying hello to me and remembering my name when they do. 
People seem more inclined to just chat in the locker room or at an exercise
machine.  And people do ask--not always, but more often than before--whether
I'm watching a tv program.  Not exactly the reaction I would expect toward an
irascible blind guy with a chip on his shoulder.  Hmmm.  Hardly the way I
would expect people to react to an asshole either, for that matter.  Maybe
their reactions are born of understanding; maybe they are born of respect.


                            SCHOLARSHIP REPORT
                              by Cheryl Orgas

Jennifer Lehman, a sophomore at St. Norbert's College in Green Bay, Wisconsin,
was chosen as the 1991 NFBW scholarship winner.  This bright, interesting
honor student has already received part of her scholarship in the form of an
expense paid trip to the most important Federation event of the year, the
National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind, held this year in
New Orleans.  Her expenses at the state convention in Wausau, October, 1991,
will be paid in full and she will receive a check for $1000.  

Jenny is very deserving of this scholarship award.  Jenny is a communications
major with a minor in history and hopes to become an attorney.  She is very
involved in working on the school newspaper and also is a lector at her campus
church.  Thus far in college she has carried a grade point of 4.0.  We are
very proud of you, Jenny.

Scholarship Committee 
Cheryl Orgas, Chair
Committee Members:  Deb Jacobson, Kathleen Sebranek, John Fritz.


                   CONFESSIONS OF A SCHOLARSHIP  WINNER
                            by Jennifer Lehman

As I stepped from the oppressively humid jetway into the startling coolness of
the New Orleans airport, I felt the apprehension I had been fighting to
control begin to overwhelm me.  Flying alone for the first time, I had just
arrived in an unfamiliar city to spend a week attending a convention of a
group about which I knew almost nothing.  Lurking beneath my apprehension,
however, was a spark of excitement.  I realized that this trip could be a kind
of challenging and fun adventure.  I could not have known then how much I
would learn and what an exciting and unforgettable experience the national
convention of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) would be.

Prior to this convention, my contact with other blind people had been limited. 
I was the first blind student to enter the Watertown public school system, and
am presently the only one at St. Norbert College.  Besides my younger sister,
many of the blind people I had met seemed to exemplify the stereotypic image
of blindness.  They seemed totally dependent upon others to meet all of their
needs.  I was not anxious to spend a week surrounded by such people. I felt
that there were no blind people like my sister and myself, people who thought
of their blindness not as a handicap or an insurmountable hurdle, but as
something which, though sometimes a nuisance, did not have to keep us from
doing what we wanted to do with our lives.  Soon after arriving at the
convention I discovered, to my relief, that I had been wrong.  The ideas about
blindness which I had thought were unique to me and my sister were actually
part of the philosophy of the NFB.  I was among people whose attitudes and
accomplishments I admired and who reached out and made me feel that I was a
part of their huge family.  The sense of community I felt was one of the most
positive aspects of the convention for me.

Another positive aspect was the chance to learn more about the NFB.  Before
this trip, I knew almost nothing about the group.  I had heard some mixed
reports.  For instance, I had heard that it was somewhat radical, especially
in its fight for exit row seating on airplanes.  I had also heard that it
worked hard to promote the teaching of braille, something which I very much
support.  Through conversations with members and many excellent speeches, I
learned a great deal about the philosophy and actions of the National
Federation of the Blind.  I found that I agree with much of this philosophy. 
I plan to become an active member and may even work to start a student
division in Wisconsin.

The convention taught me as much about myself as it did about the NFB.  I have
always considered myself fairly independent, but this convention taught me to
be even more so as a better cane traveler.  Walking with so many other people
who were also using canes, I gained new skills as well as more of the
confidence I needed to help me travel better.  As I relaxed and opened up to
people, I also gained much-needed self-confidence.  I hope that the positive
effects this convention had on my self-image will last a lifetime.

Attending the national convention of the National Federation of the Blind is
an event I will never forget.  I am extremely grateful to the members of the
scholarship committee and all those who worked to make this experience
possible for me.  By winning the Wisconsin NFB scholarship, I received more
than just the money to help pay for my tuition.  I gained confidence,
knowledge, and friends and memories which I will cherish forever.


                 WHAT DO SIGHTED PEOPLE THINK WILL HAPPEN
                              by Randy Black

I believe most sighted people still have serious reservations about our
ability as blind individuals to survive in the everyday world.  If I took a
poll of sighted people, I suspect most would have no idea how to respond to
questions like these:

What do sighted people think will happen when we refuse their help crossing
streets?  When we drop something and they're not there to pick it up for us? 
When there's no one at the bus stop to tell us which bus is approaching?  When
we start our first day of work with all job related materials available only
in print?  When we refuse their help going through a buffet line?

Despite all of the educational programs designed to demonstrate the competency
of blind people, there remains much work to be done.  Perhaps our most
effective educational tool is ourselves.  For example, a student recently came
to my work place, the Registrar's Office of the University of Wisconsin-
Madison, and told me he really admired my skill level.  This student said he
had observed me on my job for as long as I had worked there, and was impressed
that I handled it so well.  I accepted the intended compliment from this
stranger, yet felt the underlying message as well:  He was really impressed
that a blind person could handle the job.  But at least he now knows a blind
person is out in the work force handling a full-time job.  Perhaps he won't be
quite so amazed when he encounters another successfully employed blind
individual.


                            WELCOME FROM WAUSAU
                              by David Schuh

Welcome to Wausau from the Northcentral Wisconsin Chapter!  On October 25 - 27
the NFB of Wisconsin will be holding its 1991 State Convention in Wausau.  It
will be held at the Best Western Midway Motor Lodge.  The Northcentral
Wisconsin Chapter will be hosting a hospitality room on Friday night.  We will
serve cheese and crackers, vegetables and dip, potato chips, pretzels, fruit
punch, and coffee.  On Saturday morning before the meeting we will also have
muffins and coffee for the people attending the convention.  We will have
people registering guests and also have people in the hospitality room getting
to know the other members of the NFB.

On Saturday night there will be an auction.  The Northcentral Wisconsin
Chapter has decided to purchase $500.00 worth of aids and appliances from the
NFB's Material Center in Baltimore.  These will be on display Friday night and
Saturday, and then auctioned off on Saturday night.  Hopefully there will be
some bargains for our NFB members in attendance and at the same time increase
the NFB of Wisconsin's treasury.

There will be literature from the national office available at the convention. 
This will include such things as the:  1991 Presidential Report, 1991 Banquet
Address, Braille Monitors, Future Reflections, Voice of the Diabetic, and
various other reports.  We will have these in print, cassette, and braille.

Our chapter will also make information about the Wausau area available in
large print and braille.  We will also get the menus at the hotel in large
print and braille.

The hotel is a very nice place to stay, probably the nicest in the Wausau
area.  Some of the major attractions are:  indoor swimming pool, whirl pool,
sauna, playground area for children, Friday and Saturday night videos for
kids, room service, and coffee pots in each room.  Donna and I have eaten at
the restaurant several times.  The food is excellent and the desserts are out
of this world.  The Jericho Lounge is a nice bar with a D.J. working on the
weekend.


                           NORTHCENTRAL CHAPTER
                                INFORMATION
                              by David Schuh

Our chapter's board seems to be a happy one.  We have a birth and a marriage. 
Denny and Margie Schuh are the proud parents of a baby girl named Theresa
Marie.  Denny is the Treasurer and Margie is a Board Member.  As President
Maurer said, "This is a great way to increase our NFB membership!"

Rhonda Amundson and John Baranowski were married on June 29.  Rhonda is the
Secretary and John is a Board Member.  We wish them many happy years together.

September 15 will be the first anniversary of our chapter.  We have been busy
during this first year recruiting new members, fund raising for equipment and
special projects, doing jobs for the state and national level of the NFB, and
planning for the state convention in Wausau.  We currently have twelve members
with two prospective members coming to our next meeting in September.

Following is a list of the Northcentral Wisconsin Chapter's Board Members:

David Schuh, President 
Connie Miller, Vice-President 
Dennis Schuh, Treasurer 
Rhonda Baranowski, Secretary 
Margie Schuh, Board Member 
John Baranowski, Board Member


                            NFBW Board Members

Bonnie Peterson, President
5331 South 8th Street
Milwaukee, WI  53221
(414) 483-3336

Jodi Cowle, First Vice-President
2938 Coho Street
Madison, WI  53713
(608) 274-1954

Kathleen Sebranek, Second 
Vice-President
1612 Winnebago Street
LaCrosse, WI  54601
(608) 784-2343

Linda Mentink, Secretary
1737 Tamarack Lane
Janesville, WI  53545
(608) 752-8749

Larry Sebranek, Treasurer
1612 Winnebago Street
LaCrosse, WI  54601
(608) 784-2343NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF WISCONSIN
                     1991 CONVENTION REGISTRATION FORM
                                     
The Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Wisconsin will be
held October 25 - 27, 1991 at the Best Western Midway Motor Lodge, Wausau,
Wisconsin.  Registration will cost $5 for each person preregistering and $7
for those registering after October 15.  Registration will be available at the
Convention but preregistering will help us provide you with better service.

This form may not be used to register with the hotel.  Hotel registration
should be made by calling the Best Western Midway Motor Lodge, (715) 842-1616,
or by writing them at 2901 Martin Avenue, Wausau, WI, 54401 by September 24,
1991.  In order to get convention rates be sure to say you are registering for
the National Federation of the Blind of Wisconsin Convention.

Costs for the Convention are as follows:
Room Rates:  $45 for singles; $55 doubles; $65 Triples.  A deposit of one
night's lodging is required if you will arrive after 6 p.m.
Convention Registration:  $ 5.00 in advance or $7.00 after October 15
Banquet Ticket            $12.00


Names of Persons Registering:____________________________________

                               ___________________________________

Mailing Address: ________________________________________________

                    _____________________________________________


Telephone Number (including area code): _________________________

Number of Persons Registering on this Form:  ____________________

Amount enclosed for Registration:  _____________________________

I require ___ banquet tickets and am enclosing $_____ to cover this cost.

Total Amount Enclosed:  ________________________________________

Please make all checks payable to the National Federation of the Blind of
Wisconsin and send them, along with this form, to 
                 Linda Mentink 
                 1737 Tamarack Lane 
                 Janesville, WI  53545
Subscriptions to the WISCONSIN CHRONICLE  cost the National Federation of the
Blind of Wisconsin about $5.00 per year.  Members are invited and non-members
are requested to cover the subscription costs.  Donations should be made
payable to the National Federation of the Blind of Wisconsin, 5331 So. 8th
Street, Milwaukee, WI, 53221.
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