
      BRAILLE MONITOR
Vol. 50, No. 10  November 2007
      Barbara Pierce, editor


      Published in inkprint, in Braille, and on cassette by

      THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

      Marc Maurer, president


      National Office
      1800 Johnson Street
      Baltimore, Maryland  21230
      telephone: (410) 659-9314
      email address: nfb@nfb.org
      Website address: http://www.nfb.org
      NFBnet.org: http://www.nfbnet.org
      NFB-NEWSLINE information: (866) 504-7300


      Letters to the president, address changes,
      subscription requests, and orders for NFB literature
      should be sent to the National Office.
      Articles for the Monitor and letters to the editor may also
      be sent to the National Office or may be emailed to bpierce@nfb.org.




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


      National Federation of the Blind
      1800 Johnson Street
      Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998


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


ISSN 0006-8829


Vol. 50, No. 10                                          November 2007

      Contents

We Want Cars that Sound like Cars
by Daniel B. Frye

First Step in Adding Accessibility to Google Books-Was It Enough?
by George Kerscher

Reflections on Becoming Blind
by Rebecca Atkinson

Work, Instruction, and Community Activity
at the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind
by Kirk Adams

Blind and a Peer of the Realm
by Colin Low

A Day in the Life of My Homeschoolers
by Konnie Ellis

Taking up the Braille Challenge
by Leslie Stocker

$150,000 for Blind Students
The 2008 National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program

Braille Readers Are Leaders 2007-2008
by Barbara Cheadle

Martinez Aims at Para-Olympics

An Open Letter from Kevan Worley

Recipes

Monitor Miniatures

Copyright 2007 National Federation of the Blind
[PHOTO/CAPTION: October 3, 2007 Federationists from across Maryland and
surrounding states gathered outside the Maryland Department of the
Environment in downtown Baltimore to conduct a protest against the silent
menace of hybrid cars, which, as now equipped, make almost no noise when
traveling under electric power.]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Nearly two hundred marchers carried signs and chanted
slogans to make our point.]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: In a bit of street theater the driver of a Toyota Prius,
rented for the occasion, pretended to strike and kill Rosy Carranza of the
NFB's Affiliate Action staff. Here she lies in the street following the
accident.]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Marco Carranza places his wife Rosy's body in a coffin with
pall bearers standing around, waiting to put the casket in a hearse.]
                      We Want Cars that Sound like Cars
                              by Daniel B. Frye
                                ************
A hundred and fifty members of the National Federation of the Blind of
Maryland and neighboring East Coast affiliates assembled in front of the
Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) on Wednesday, October 3, 2007,
to protest the agency's failure to incorporate blindness-specific
modifications in the manufacture of hybrid cars and other low-emissions
vehicles in regulations pursuant to the Maryland Clean Cars Act of 2007.
Highlighting the real dangers of unmodified quiet vehicles to blind
pedestrians, Federationists marched, chanted, and carried signs on the
public sidewalk in front of the MDE, in plain view of passing traffic.
Shouting slogans like "We want cars that sound like cars," "Quiet cars give
me a run-down feeling," and "Environmental not detrimental," protesters
made it clear that the NFB, while valuing the environmental benefits of
hybrid vehicles, also wants these ecologically friendly products to make a
sound sufficient to alert blind-and indeed all--pedestrians of their
presence.
Our protest garnered significant press coverage, including an exclusive
Associated Press national print article; coverage on WYPR, the Baltimore-
based National Public Radio affiliate; and local television coverage from
all of the major networks. Jay Leno of NBC's Tonight Show even made mention
of our concerns about quiet vehicles in his monologue of Thursday, October
4, 2007.
By way of background, the NFB of Maryland was the first Federation
affiliate in the United States to have language adopted in state
legislation requiring an appropriate administrative agency with
responsibility for regulating hybrid vehicles to take into consideration
the needs of blind pedestrians. Section 6-C of the Maryland Clean Cars Act
of 2007 directed the MDE to "consider the needs" of the blind in relation
to quiet hybrid vehicles. When the proposed regulations implementing this
law were released for public comment, however, they contained not a single
word addressing this critical issue. In view of the MDE's flagrant
disregard of their legislative mandate to consider the potential impact of
quiet hybrid vehicles on blind pedestrians, the NFB of Maryland determined
to make its concerns known to both policymakers and the general public.
Having been exasperated by this total disregard of the importance of the
quiet car issue, Maryland affiliate leaders decided both to provide public
comment on the absence of blindness-specific considerations in the
regulations and to escalate the visibility of the organization's concerns
to the general public through a protest.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: A hearse prepares to drive  away  carrying  Rosy  Carranza's
body in a casket.]
After demonstrating for almost an hour, designated speakers for the public
hearing addressing the pending regulations filed into the auditorium to
sign in and take their seats. The balance of the protesters gathered for a
little street theater designed to dramatize the potentially deadly threat
that hybrid vehicles pose to blind pedestrians. The driver of the silent
Toyota Prius, rented especially for this occasion to illustrate the car's
stealthy characteristics, pretended to hit and kill Rosy Carranza,
coordinator of program services in the National Federation of the Blind's
Department of Affiliate Action. While onlookers mourned her untimely death,
her body was recovered from the street, gingerly placed in a coffin, and
loaded into a hearse. Protesters lined up behind the hearse to
circumnavigate the MDE parking lot before entering the hearing. MDE
security personnel initially declined to admit the hearse to their property
(the MDE offices are on privately leased property), but they eventually
yielded in response to chants of "Let us in, let us in." Once they had paid
appropriate respects, all demonstration participants entered the building
to attend the hearing.
The text of the Associated Press article about the protest dated October 2,
2007, which was reprinted with minor variations in at least fifty
newspapers across the country, follows:
                                ************
                     Blind People Say Hybrids Are Hazard
                               by Ben Nuckols
                                ************
      Gas-electric hybrid vehicles, the status symbol for the
environmentally conscientious, are coming under attack from a constituency
that doesn't drive: the blind. Because hybrids make virtually no noise at
slower speeds when they run solely on electric power, blind people say they
pose a hazard to those who rely on their ears to determine whether it's
safe to cross the street or walk through a parking lot. "I'm used to being
able to get sound cues from my environment and negotiate accordingly. I
hadn't imagined there was anything I really wouldn't be able to hear," said
Deborah Kent Stein, chairwoman of the National Federation of the Blind's
Committee on Automotive and Pedestrian Safety. "We did a test, and I
discovered, to my great dismay, that I couldn't hear it."
      The tests--admittedly unscientific--involved people standing in
parking lots or on sidewalks who were asked to signal when they heard
several different hybrid models drive by. "People were making comments
like, 'When are they going to start the test?' And it would turn out that
the vehicle had already done two or three laps around the parking lot,"
Stein said.
      As gas prices continue to rise--along with concern about harmful
emissions--hybrid cars are increasing in popularity. New hybrid vehicle
registrations grew more than 49 percent nationwide in the first seven
months of 2007 compared with the same period in 2006, according to R.L.
Polk & Co., an automotive research firm. Toyota Motor Corp. has sold nearly
four hundred and sixty thousand of the most popular hybrid model, the
Prius, since it hit the market in 2000, according to the company, which
pegs total hybrid sales at just over nine hundred thousand.
      Officials with the Baltimore-based National Federation of the Blind
are quick to point out that they're not advocating a return to gas
guzzlers. They'd just like the fuel-efficient hybrids to make some noise.
NFB President Marc Maurer said he received an email from an
environmentalist who suggested that the members of his group should be the
first to drown when sea levels rise from global warming. "I don't want to
pick that way of going, but I don't want to get run over by a quiet car
either," Maurer said.
      The NFB--the leading advocacy group for 1.3 million legally blind
people in the United States--made pleas to the auto industry and to federal
and state agencies, with little concrete success so far. On Wednesday the
president of the NFB's Maryland chapter planned to present written
testimony asking for a minimum sound standard for hybrids to be included in
the state's emissions regulations. But those regulations are crafted by the
Maryland Department of the Environment, which has no oversight of auto
safety, said Robert Ballinger, a spokesman for the department. He said the
department would work with the NFB to press the issue with auto
manufacturers and federal transportation officials.
      Manufacturers are aware of the problem but have made no pledges yet.
Toyota is studying the issue internally, said Bill Kwong, a spokesman for
Toyota Motor Sales USA. "One of the many benefits of the Prius, besides
excellent fuel economy and low emissions, is quiet performance. Not only
does it not pollute the air, it doesn't create noise pollution," Kwong
said. "We are studying the issue and trying to find that delicate balance."
      The Association of International Auto Manufacturers, Inc., a trade
group, is also studying the problem, along with a committee established by
the Society of Automotive Engineers. The groups are considering "the
possibility of setting a minimum noise level standard for hybrid vehicles,"
said Mike Camissa, the safety director for the manufacturers' association.
Officials with two separate arms of the U.S. Department of Transportation--
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Highway
Administration--said they are aware of the problem but have not studied it.
      While Stein said she would prefer that hybrids sound similar to
conventional engines, other blind people said they'd be fine with any sound
that was inoffensive but easy to detect. Both sides agree that it wouldn't
be prohibitively expensive to outfit cars with an adequate noisemaking
device. "It's cheaper than an air bag or other safety devices," Kwong said.
"Any kind of audio device is going to be relatively inexpensive."
      The blind, however, will have to win over some hybrid owners as well
as advocates for reduced noise pollution. Some think that making hybrids
louder won't solve anything. "To further expose millions of people to
excessive noise pollution by making vehicles artificially loud is neither
logical nor practical nor in the public interest," said Richard Tur,
founder of NoiseOFF, a group that raises awareness of noise pollution.
Others believe that distracted pedestrians are at greater risk than blind
people from quiet cars.
      "The only way to function driving any car, forgetting the fact that
it's a Prius, is to just be very careful and see who's around you," said
George Margolin of Newport Beach, California, who runs a club for Prius
owners with his wife. "We have to be as careful as anyone else and perhaps
even more so."
      Blind people are not the only ones who've had close calls. Linda
Murphy, fifty-seven, a personal administrative assistant from San Marcos,
California, has 20/20 vision when she wears her glasses, but she's almost
been hit twice by hybrids. "I'm walking right in back of it and it's moving
and I didn't realize it until it nearly touched me," Murphy said,
describing the first of her scares. "I never realized how dependent I was
on my ears until I almost got hit."
                                ************
      At the beginning of the hearing Shari T. Wilson, Maryland's secretary
of the environment, offered a sympathetic and conciliatory statement in
general support of the NFB's identified concerns about hybrid vehicles.
Secretary Wilson offered to work with the Maryland affiliate to convey our
concerns to hybrid car manufacturers. While experienced Federationists
remained skeptical about promises of continued dialogue with traditionally
nonresponsive hybrid vehicle manufacturers, it was good to know that our
message was hitting home with somebody in a position of authority. The
public and political pressure applied in this instance clearly attracted
Secretary Wilson's attention, and to her credit she remained throughout the
hearing to listen to the concerns of all twenty-six Federationists who
offered testimony condemning the absence of blindness-specific
considerations in relation to the manufacture of quiet hybrid vehicles.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Sharon Maneki reads Michael Gosse's testimony.]
      Sharon Maneki, legislative chairperson for the Maryland affiliate,
was the first person to address the hearing panel. In addition to
delivering the written remarks prepared by the affiliate and submitted
under the name of Michael Gosse, NFB of Maryland president, she
supplemented these comments with technical information on the ability of
blind people to interact with quiet hybrid vehicles provided by Dr.
Lawrence Rosenblum, professor of perceptual psychology at the University of
California, Riverside. Dr. Rosenblum has conducted substantial research on
quiet cars and the blind, and his observations offer a compelling reason to
take heed of our adopted policy positions on this issue. Following is the
prepared text of the testimony submitted to the MDE from the NFB of
Maryland:
                                ************
Ms. Rabin:
      My name is Dr. Michael Gosse, and I am the president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Maryland. My address is 603 South Milton Avenue,
Baltimore, Maryland 21224, and my telephone number is (410) 558-0616.
      The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, one of the fifty-
two nationwide affiliates of the National Federation of the Blind and the
largest organization of blind Marylanders, is pleased to have the
opportunity to comment on the proposed regulations to implement the Low
Emissions Vehicle Program mandated by the Maryland Clean Cars Act of 2007.
The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland does not oppose the Low
Emissions Vehicle Program or its objectives. But we did call to the
attention of the General Assembly an unintended consequence of new low-
emissions vehicles: they are silent. At present the most popular low-
emissions vehicles are gas-electric hybrid cars. When hybrids run on
battery power, they make no sound detectable to the human ear. Hybrids are
dangerous enough, but it can be assumed that in the coming years even
stealthier low emissions vehicles, which may not use gasoline engines at
all, will come on the market. Unless steps are taken now to reverse the
trend toward vehicles that are silent when operating on the roadways of our
state and nation, the blind will lose the only source of information we
have about the flow of traffic, resulting in injury and death to some of us
and difficulty in traveling safely to work, to school, and to church for
many more. Cyclists, runners, walkers, and small children are also rendered
vulnerable by the inability to hear the approach of these vehicles.
      The National Federation of the Blind has been concerned about the
proliferation of silent vehicles since 2003. To address our concerns, we
created a Committee on Automobile and Pedestrian Safety. This committee
conducted numerous tests with blind volunteers to ascertain if there was
any way a blind person can reliably detect these vehicles. The tests,
however, repeatedly showed that blind people cannot hear these vehicles
until they are far too close. Had any of the test subjects actually
attempted to cross the streets or parking lots we employed in the test when
they thought it would be safe to do so, they would have been crushed and
killed by a Toyota Prius or Honda Civic.
      The Committee on Automobile and Pedestrian Safety of the National
Federation of the Blind held a conference to determine the best solution to
this problem and carefully considered whether there were viable solutions
that did not require a continuous sound generated by the vehicle itself.
Ultimately, however, the committee concluded that alternate solutions were
either too technologically complex (and expensive), difficult to implement,
or unreliable to ensure pedestrian safety. Members of the Committee on
Automobile and Pedestrian Safety and other officials of the National
Federation of the Blind attempted to speak with the manufacturers of these
vehicles in hopes of reaching a solution, but the blind of America were
rebuffed at every turn. Most of the car companies have simply ignored us;
Honda initially agreed to meet with us but canceled the meeting in response
to pressure from the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers.
      When the Maryland Clean Cars Act was proposed, the National
Federation of the Blind of Maryland saw an opportunity for our concerns to
be enshrined in the laws and regulations propagated by a state and at least
to protect blind Marylanders while the National Federation of the Blind
continued to work on the issue at the national level. As I said, it had
become clear from our conversations with manufacturers that no action was
likely to be taken in the absence of government regulation, so the National
Federation of the Blind of Maryland petitioned the General Assembly for a
remedy. Pursuant to our request, the Maryland Clean Cars Act specifically
required this department to "consider the needs of individuals with visual
impairments" when propagating regulations pursuant to the act. This was a
step in the right direction, and we eagerly awaited this department's draft
regulations. The draft regulation being considered today, however, contains
no mention of our concerns. In fact, the draft states that the only impact
of these regulations on persons with disabilities is positive. But while
this may be true of persons with respiratory problems, it is certainly not
true of the blind, as long as these vehicles continue to operate
soundlessly. The Maryland Department of the Environment must comply with
the specific direction of the Maryland General Assembly and address the
problem of silent vehicles immediately.
      We who are blind use the sounds of passing vehicles in a number of
ways to help us travel safely, efficiently, and independently in our
communities. By listening to cars as they move or idle, we determine
whether lights have turned red or green and set our direction as we cross
streets with rounded curbs. Sound from traffic tells us how many vehicles
are near us and how fast they are moving; whether they are accelerating or
decelerating; and whether they are traveling toward, away from, or parallel
to us. With all of this information we can accurately determine when it is
safe for us to proceed and when we should stop and wait. The sound of
vehicles is helpful even when we are walking in relatively quiet
residential areas where the streets are not busy, since the sound of a
car's engine alerts us when a driver is leaving the driveway of a home or
turning into or out of a side street or parking lot.
      Based on the experiences of individual blind people and tests we have
conducted at our national conventions, the National Federation of the Blind
has proven that hybrid cars (particularly the Toyota Prius, which is
currently the most popular of this new family of vehicles) are not audibly
detectable when their combustion engines are turned off. This makes these
vehicles, as currently designed, dangerous not only to the blind, but to
cyclists, runners, walkers, and children. If these vehicles proliferate (as
Maryland law now requires) and no action is taken to address the risks to
life and limb created by their soundlessness, blind people will not only
find our lives routinely threatened but also our ability to travel
independently severely curtailed. The problem will only grow more acute
when automobile manufacturers produce vehicles that eliminate the use of
combustion engines entirely.
      The best way to guarantee the safety of the blind and others is for
these vehicles to produce sound at all times when they are running. We are
not demanding increased noise pollution; we simply demand that vehicles
produce enough sound to warn of their approach in time for us to make
intelligent judgments as to whether we should proceed, or, if necessary, to
take evasive action. Toward that end the National Federation of the Blind
of Maryland requests that this department immediately adopt the following
regulatory language:
                                ************
      Motor vehicles must be designed to maintain customary internal
combustion engine acoustical characteristics. Accordingly, vehicles shall
emit an omni-directional sound with similar spectral characteristics to
those of a modern internal combustion engine.
      In the event that this sound is artificially generated, the sound and
pitch should exhibit distinct variations to indicate whether the vehicle is
idling, traveling at a constant speed, or accelerating, to wit:
      Idling vehicles shall produce a continuous sound not less than 45 dBa
as measured from 10 feet.
      Moving vehicles shall produce a continuous sound not less than 53 dBa
as measured from 20 feet when traveling less than 10 miles per hour, not
less than 60 dBa measured at 60 feet when traveling between 10 and 30 miles
per hour, and not less than 65 dBa measured at 60 feet when traveling over
30 miles per hour.
      Accelerating vehicles must conform to the requirements above at the
relevant speeds, plus 3 dBa. For these purposes dBa shall mean A-weighted
sound level in decibels, as measured by a general purpose sound level meter
complying with the provisions of the American National Standard Institute,
"Specifications for Sound Level Meter (ANSI SIR 19711)," properly
calibrated, and operated on the "A" weighting network.
                                ************
      The specifications outlined in this regulatory language have no
effect on the environmental benefits of gas-electric hybrids or any other
low emissions vehicle. The language does not require that cars use internal
combustion engines, only that they be made to sound as if they are using
them. It does not require that cars become louder, but only that they emit
the sounds to which the blind, and all other members of the public, are
accustomed. In other words, the language we have proposed simply requires
cars to sound like cars.
      Opponents of this proposed regulation will no doubt assert that no
deaths or injuries are directly attributable to silent automobiles. I
submit to the department that it is simply too early to know whether any
vehicle-on-pedestrian accidents have been caused by silent vehicles, since
the technology is relatively new and accident reports do not usually denote
whether the vehicle involved was operating with or without a combustion
engine. Anecdotally we know of blind people who have experienced very close
calls because of these vehicles, and those of us who have attempted to
listen for them in tests conducted by the National Federation of the Blind
have, to our own shock, been completely unsuccessful. It is likely that
injuries or deaths have already occurred. Even if the pedestrian population
has been lucky so far, I hope and pray that this department, as well as
other regulatory agencies that will consider this issue in the coming
months and years will decide that a proactive response is preferable to
waiting for the inevitable tragedy involving a blind person, a cyclist, or
a child to shock this state and the nation.
      In conclusion, the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland urges
the Maryland Department of the Environment to follow the directive of the
Maryland General Assembly and to adopt the regulatory language we have
proposed in this statement. I thank you again for the opportunity to come
before you and speak to this critically important issue.
                                ************
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Renee West]
      Renee West, editor of the Braille Spectator, the publication of the
NFB of Maryland and a member of the board of the Greater Baltimore Chapter
of the NFB of Maryland, also offered comments for agency consideration. Her
remarks were representative of the vast majority of the statements
delivered on this occasion, and they thoughtfully reflect and elaborate on
many aspects of the hybrid-vehicles-policy discussion. The complete text of
her testimony follows:
                                ************
      My name is Renee West, and I am a member of the National Federation
of the Blind. My address is 3924 Yolando Road, and my phone number is (410)
243-1818. I very much appreciate the opportunity to speak today on behalf
of my organization, and I thank you for your time.
      As a blind person I hold my independence in great esteem. Having been
taught to use a long white cane and listen to the sounds of traffic as my
guide, I have been able to traverse the globe, confident in my ability to
travel safely. My confidence is waning, however, as an increased number of
low-emission vehicles fill the streets. Many other blind people are
likewise afraid of the dangers these quiet cars pose to our safety, so we
as a group have taken to the streets to alert governmental bodies and the
public at large of our alarm at these risks. I ask that in determining
regulations to implement the Low-Emissions Program mandated by the Maryland
Clean Cars Act of 2007 you give consideration to our deeply felt concern
about this issue and act in a manner in accordance not only with our
request but also with the directive of the Maryland General Assembly.
      Blind people seek freedom unencumbered by fear. The freedom to travel
to and from work and play, to visit friends and attend our houses of
worship is enjoyed and valued by most ordinary blind citizens as a natural
part of our lives. Because we have learned the alternative skills of
blindness, we are unafraid of our environment; we rely upon these tools to
allow us independence in our travels and expect them to serve us well. We
are not afraid to go down stairs because we use our canes to feel the
ground as we walk, and we expect that our canes will alert us to the
presence of stairs. We are not afraid to cross the street because we have
become attuned to the sounds cars make in their traffic patterns and expect
that we will be alerted to the presence of a car in or near our path by the
sounds it makes. If an approaching car is operating on battery power,
however, we are utterly unable to hear its advance and are most likely to
begin to walk across the street or intersection believing it is clear. This
lack of audible cues to the presence of traffic leaves us without any means
by which we can use our skills and safely cross the street, and this
inability to expect safe crossing effectively shackles our freedom. We are
not free when we fear for our lives and the lives of those for whom we are
responsible in our travels. We are not free to become the first-class
citizens we know we can be, when factors in our environment put us in
jeopardy, so we decide it's best just to stay at home.
      As we become more aware as a citizenry of the benefits of
environmentally responsible forms of energy for automobiles, an increased
number of cars without the benefit of audible signals will be in use. This
increase in quiet cars will serve to further compromise our safety and
increase our fear. For a blind person, traveling to work in the morning
would be dangerous and terrifying. Walking your small child to visit a
friend would be unthinkable. The Maryland Department of the Environment has
the authority and the obligation to demand vehicles in our state possess
the characteristics we need to ensure that we maintain our independence and
our current level of safety.
      The Committee on Automobile and Pedestrian Safety of the National
Federation of the Blind has determined that low-emission vehicles, which
create sounds like cars with a traditional combustion engine, are the best
means by which blind people can maintain our current level of freedom. It
is important that regulatory language stipulate that the sound emitted by
the automobile be akin to the sounds cars currently make when in motion and
idling, uniform across make and model, and, critically, that it be
intrinsic to the car and not turned on or off by the operator. Drivers
distracted by cell phones and other vehicles often don't signal their
intent to turn; often drivers ignore traffic lights and stop signs as well.
It would be unwise to ask drivers of quiet cars to bear responsibility for
making a sound at a crossing, given such a pattern of unreliability.
Neither can we assume the creation of consistent sound is unnecessary, that
drivers will simply stop at the sight of a pedestrian, given that drivers
of cars with a traditional fuel source hit pedestrians with unfortunate
regularity. Some may think that blind people can rely upon audible traffic
signals for safe crossing, so the sound of traffic is superfluous in light
of these devices. Such audible crossing signals are relatively rare and
costly to implement, and the usefulness of such signals is debatable. For
blind people the most effective means by which we can safely cross streets
or parking lots is listening to the sound of the cars around us.
      It is worth noting that the Maryland General Assembly stated in the
law that regulations addressing our concerns about the potential risk of
quiet cars are of benefit to all Maryland citizens. Most means by which the
environment has been altered to assist the disabled have in fact been of
use to the general populace. Noises signaling the approach of an elevator
or the end of a moving sidewalk alert distracted people to these important
factors. Singular taps in sinks originally designed for people with
impaired motor skills assist mothers holding babies in one arm. Moms also
benefit from wheelchair curb cuts when pushing strollers. In like manner
the sound a car makes helps alert everyone to a possible danger. While we
of course should be fully engaged when crossing streets, people are often
distracted, so the sound of an oncoming vehicle serves as a necessary
additional cue when they don't see the car. Quiet cars not only jeopardize
blind individuals, who rely on car sounds as our sole cue for safe
crossing, but are highly detrimental to all who use sound as one cue among
many.
      As people we appreciate the goals expressed in the Maryland Clean
Cars Act. As blind people we urge the Maryland Department of the
Environment to help make certain that creating laws that benefit Maryland
doesn't harm our ability to enjoy all that our state has to offer. The
language we propose for inclusion in the Low-Emissions Vehicle Program
regulations would serve to ensure that blind people could rely upon our
skills to travel and thus to restore our freedom of movement. It would
indeed be a shame to curtail the progress of blind people who have only
just begun to advance.
                                ************
      Finally, the brief but powerful comments of Maya Redfearn, a recently
blinded woman and new member of the NFB of Maryland, served to capture
succinctly the overall spirit of the day's message. She said in part:
                                ************
      "We've all heard of the old phrase, stop, look, and listen. Look has
been taken from me. Listen may be taken from me. If this happens, all I'll
have left to do is stop. And I don't want to stop. I want to keep on going,
keep on traveling, keep on living."
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Maya Redfearn]
                                ************
      The protest and hearing were finished by just after noon, and
Federationists left the MDE offices contented in the knowledge that they
had done everything possible to raise awareness about the dangers of quiet
hybrid vehicles. The complementary remarks, ranging from polished to plain,
delivered by the twenty-six speakers, identified the kernel of our concern
and reflected the diversity of the Federation's membership. The humanity of
the Federation and the earnestness with which those present were prepared
to advocate on this topic reflected creditably on our movement.
      Now NFB of Maryland leaders and members must wait to see what impact
their efforts will have on the MDE. To be sure, this state initiative, with
implications for the entire nation, must be resolved to our ultimate
satisfaction, either as a direct result of this campaign or through
continued advocacy on this topic. The collective voice of the blind of
Maryland and America on the issue of quiet vehicles ultimately prevail. Our
cause is just. Our message is simple. We want cars that sound like cars.
                                ------------
[PHOTO/CAPTION: George Kerscher]
      First Step in Adding Accessibility to Google Books-Was It Enough?
                             by George Kerscher
                                ************
      From the Editor: On July 5, both George Kerscher, senior officer
accessible information, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, and Dr. T.V.
Ramen, a research scientist with Google, Inc., addressed the 2007
convention of the National Federation of the Blind. The topic was online
access to books for blind readers. Following the convention Mr. Kerscher
wrote an article describing the brave new world of Google Books and
explaining where the problems still lie. This is what he says:
                                ************
      On July 3, 2007, Google quietly made what may seem to be a subtle
change to Google Books. However, individuals who are blind or have a print
disability are going to be both very excited and disappointed. For them it
is not a subtle change. A very special hidden link was added to Google
Books in the "full view," which is exposed to assistive technology (AT)
such as screen readers used by people who are blind or have a visual
impairment.
      Google Books has been of huge interest to those in the print-disabled
community ever since it was announced. It is estimated that fewer than 5
percent of books published in print are ever produced in an accessible
format. This scanning project has the potential of being an unparalleled
source of books and will be a huge improvement over what is available in
the mainstream for people who are blind or print disabled. The DAISY
(www.daisy.org) standard, which provides structured and multimedia access
to a book, still provides the ultimate in accessibility. Other disability
groups as well as the educational community are just now learning about the
benefits of DAISY and the multiple projects funded by the DAISY Consortium.
Google technology so far does not compete well with the accessible features
of DAISY books, but the scanning of millions upon millions of books from
libraries around the world marks the serious start of the digitization of
the world's print heritage. Now, with Google Books, not only is the Web
indexed by the Internet giant, but the wealth of knowledge stored in our
libraries can be found and accessed. The search function in Google Books
returns titles that have a match in the text of the book. Words found are
highlighted on the image of the printed page from the original book. If the
title is in copyright, a snippet is visible, but, if it is out of
copyright, the full view of the page is displayed.
      The very special hidden link available from the full view now allows
people who use access technology with their computers to read the text.
Before this change it was not possible; the views were images, not text. On
July 5 at the National Federation of the Blind's annual convention, Dr.
T.V. Raman, who is himself blind and who works for Google, said, "Consider
this to be step zero of many steps that will benefit blind and print-
disabled persons throughout the world." Indeed this is a significant step;
having hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of books available to a
population that thirsts for information but is blocked from using
traditional mechanisms for reading is without precedent and of extreme
importance.
      How does the accessible version work? Google inserts a hidden link to
the OCR view of the text. With assistive technology in place, it is
prominently presented as the first item in the full view. This link takes
the reader to a completely accessible interface to the book. Normal
keyboard commands that screen readers typically use are all present in this
interface. A person with a disability using assistive technology can read
the OCR text, move to the next or previous page, go to pages, and use the
table of contents.
      If sighted users have the loading of images turned off, the link is
exposed, but it is very difficult to find. Sighted users have the better
option, to "view plain text," which substitutes the scanned text for the
image view. The presentation from the new hidden link provides the same
functionality but in a much more screen-reader-friendly approach.
      However, one inequality must be addressed immediately. Reading off-
line is supported by Google Books. There is an option to download a PDF
version of full-view books, but because these are only images of the pages,
assistive technology can not present the information to the blind reader.
This functionality is therefore available only to the sighted community. At
present readers who are blind or have some other print disability have no
option to download an entire book as a Zip file for off-line reading. Most
people who use alternatives to print books use some kind of portable
reading device. Very few people do their reading online, and without a
download feature we face a glaring inequality between the reading options
for sighted users and users who are blind or print disabled. I trust this
is one of the many improvements that Dr. Raman referred to.
      In addition, those unable to see the screen cannot access the limited
(snippet) view, and there are no links to sites where someone who is blind
or has a print disability can go to get an accessible commercial version or
a high-quality version with figure descriptions and other important
features from a library serving people with disabilities like Recording for
the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) in the USA or one of the many other
libraries that make up the DAISY Consortium and serve the blind and print-
disabled population around the world.
      Raman believes that the Google Book search is tremendous for research
purposes but that it is not intended to replace traditional libraries or
bookstores. Nonetheless, sighted people can download the whole book free of
charge. Raman said, "As a blind person I want the same access as anybody
else. I hope eventually we can link to a place where blind people can get
the accessible version in the format they want with figure descriptions and
all, like from Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic." Indeed once
commercial digital publications become accessible through assistive
technology, the Google Book search should lead the reader using assistive
technology to a site where the book can be purchased or to a library site
that provides the book in the high-quality DAISY format, Braille, or large
print, just as it does for sighted readers.
      Nevertheless it is a fact that the Google collection contains more
titles than are in all the libraries serving the blind throughout the
world. One must recognize that the Google content may be the only source
for accessing many of these titles. It is not perfect. The OCR errors are
quite obvious. These are not normally apparent to sighted readers because
they are looking at the image of the page rather than the plain text view.
The Google Book search, optimized for scanned materials, still yields
outstanding results with the searches. Raman said, "The OCR errors are
there, but this will get better over time." By this Raman may mean that the
OCR-recognition approaches will be improved by Google and the errors will
be corrected through an automated process. I agree that we will have an
ongoing need for the alternative versions that have figure descriptions,
tactile graphics, and the other important enhancements that the libraries
serving the blind provide.
      Google is seeking input from blind and disabled users. Raman suggests
that people with disabilities sign up for an account on Google (blind
people will be able to use the accessible audible Captcha they have
developed). They should then sign up for the "accessibility" forum. In this
forum you can post messages to accessible@google.com and share your
thoughts about the many accessibility features that Google is introducing,
including Google Books.
      I applaud the first step that Google has taken. I trust that it is
indeed Google's first step toward full access to the information in Google
Books. I understand that Google believes in the iterative software-
development process. As such this is the first iteration of their
accessibility developments in Google Books. I personally believe that in
the information age access to information is a fundamental human right. Any
newly developed information technology must take into consideration the
needs of blind and print-disabled readers from the beginning; doing
anything less is simply wrong and a violation of our human rights. Nobody
benefits more from Google's first step than readers who are blind or have a
print disability. Now let's take more steps towards equality, starting with
the download of the full book, just as a sighted reader can do.
                                ------------
                        Reflections on Becoming Blind
                             by Rebecca Atkinson
                                ************
      From the Editor: On July 17, 2007, the Guardian, one of the most
prestigious newspapers in the United Kingdom, published an essay by a woman
who is losing her sight from retinitis pigmentosa. In some ways her
assumptions and experience of blindness depart startlingly from the
American, or at least NFB, presumption that a trained blind person can
travel as rapidly and cross streets as efficiently as sighted pedestrians.
Yet by and large her experience and attitudes are healthy and articularly
expressed. This is what she says:
                                ************
      Rebecca Atkinson is going blind. An experimental therapy could offer
her the chance to see again, but would she take it?
                                ************
      Earlier this year doctors at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, began
the world's first gene therapy trials to treat twelve patients who have
Leber's congenital amaurosis, a condition that causes progressive sight
loss. Following successful animal trials (said to have restored the vision
of blind dogs so they could navigate a maze without difficulty), it is
hoped that the technique, which involves injecting working copies of faulty
genes directly into the retina, will prove equally effective when carried
out on humans. The results will not be made public for a year, but, if the
technique works, scientists hope it could eventually be used to treat a
wide range of inherited sight disorders affecting up to 30,000 visually
impaired people in the UK and potentially millions more worldwide.
      The first viable treatment for blindness is twinkling on the horizon,
and, as one reader said on a national newspaper message board discussing
the trials, "The possibility of being able to give improved sight to people
with visual impairments is a great development for the human race."
      But what of the people we seek to repair? Those who have been born
blind and those, like me, who are losing or have lost their vision. Is this
what we have been waiting for? Is it "a great development for the human
race," or a step forward in the eugenic quest for an ber race, free of
imperfection and rid of the unease about disability that nestles quietly in
society's pocket?
      For the past thirteen years I have been losing my sight, due to a
genetic and incurable condition called retinitis pigmentosa (RP). RP causes
the photoreceptive cells on the retina to die off, causing, in my case,
tunnel vision. I liken it to looking at the world down the middle of two
toilet rolls. My central vision remains intact, but where once was
peripheral vision, now float only my thoughts. In time these loo rolls will
shrink to knotholes and then pinholes and then possibly nothing.
      In the early years after my diagnosis, blindness remained a repulsive
and terrifying concept. Every year I would visit the doctor, and he would
say the same thing--that I must live and plan my life with the certainty
that blindness was inevitable. And so, slowly over time, that is what I
learned to do.
      But now the advent of gene therapy has pushed open a chink in the
door. Disabled people have long asked themselves the hypothetical "would
you be cured if you could?" question. Now for the first time there is a
chance, albeit very small, that maybe one day I might actually get my sight
back. Hurrah, you cry. I must be thrilled.
      Actually I am a bit confused. It is easy to assume that all visually
impaired people will be hammering down the doors should gene therapy prove
successful. But to say this is to assume that a blind life is lesser and
that all blind people really want to be sighted. They don't.
      The first blind man I ever met, who also happened to be my boss at
the time, is one of them. I recently asked him if he would have gene
therapy if he could. No, came his reply. Because, he tells me, regaining
sight is more than just seeing again. There are issues of identity and
culture at stake too. "As the blind-from-birth son of blind parents, I am,
in part of my soul, defined by my blindness," he explains. "It directly
equates to ethnic or racial origin. If you give a black person the choice
to be white, there may well be significant advantages in such a deal: more
access to better jobs; freedom from the shackles of ignorant prejudice; in
short, a step closer to equality. But I'd bet most would turn the offer
down flat."
      But what if, unlike my old boss, you haven't always been blind? What
if, like me, you grew up with full vision and have seen all the clich-
ridden things that those born totally blind are pitied for never having
seen--the sunset, your own reflection, the look in your lover's eyes. What
if your soul is sighted, and then you go blind? You will cry and wonder
why. You will hope and pray. You will wish it would all go away. But the
longer your sight has been on the slide, the more it seeps into every crack
of your psyche until one day you are no longer the "sighted person" who
can't see anymore. Somehow, strangely, in the dead of night your identity
has rolled over in bed, and you wake up and get out the other side a
"visually impaired person," and it feels like part of you.
      It doesn't happen overnight, and perhaps it doesn't happen to all who
sail the strange seas of sight loss with me. But for me there came a point
when impending blindness was no longer my alien, but my friend. I had had
my time as a sighted person. I had seen the world through my eyes. Now it
was time to touch it and smell it and hear it. When you lose your vision,
you have to relearn the sorts of things that will allow you to survive on
the planet, such as crossing the road without being flattened. Next you
must tackle the real problem and learn to deal with the attitudes of others
as they morph around you. Misconceptions start to spout from even your
oldest friends' mouths because negative attitudes about blindness permeate
us all. You are about to cross over into the dark side and see what
wriggles and writhes on the underbelly of society. Folk will see you as the
sufferer, the pitiful, the afflicted, the subhuman--that's you, yes, you.
If you use a cane or a dog, people will stare as you walk down the street.
People will assume you are more lacking in intelligence than your sighted
counterpart. People you have never met before will ask if you want
children, and if you do, they will ask if the kids will have the same
condition that you have, and whether that is right or wrong. Welcome. Your
reproductive autonomy is in the docks of the moral courts of the nation's
minds.
      So if this underbelly is so wretched, surely if the time comes when
the doctors are looming forth with a needle containing the working version
of my faulty gene and heralding the promise of a new day, one with a bright
sunset and me at the wheel of a fast car, I'll take it, right? Anything to
escape? No.
      Saying yes to seeing again, even for someone who wasn't born blind,
isn't easy. The repercussions would ripple beyond my eyes into my
friendships, my work, my relationship. Would I retain the unity I have with
my disabled brethren if I could see? Or would I have different friends, the
type who fall by the wayside now because they are not aware or empathetic,
or are too aesthetically obsessed? Would I lose the friends with whom I
have nothing in common but who remain in my phone book because they get the
blindness thing? And would it be right to dump them just because I can see
and don't need their empathy anymore? If I stepped into the pool of "normal
people" again, where would my identity go? The kernel of who I am has been
sucked into a new body; now it would have to be sucked back into the old
one. And what of my relationship? Would we stay together, or would I run
off to do all the things I never got to do before? There is a high rate of
separation among couples where one person gets a guide dog for the first
time. Why? Because suddenly they can do things on their own again. This new-
found independence shifts the balance and cracks appear. If this can happen
with a dog, think what could happen with a pair of fully working eyes and a
car.
      Going blind isn't a smooth ride, though. It comes down and squishes
you under an insurmountable weight of grief and disbelief. It is limiting
and frustrating and changes the way you do many of the things you used to
enjoy--now you must dance with the light on and drive from the back seat.
But like the affirmation of near death, it affects more than just your
physicality. It gives you a unique perspective. It is a grand experiment
that most don't get to try: to observe as your brain rewires and watch as
the human body adapts in infinite ways. When my vision began to get worse,
I bumped into everything in my path because I was still careering down the
pavement at the speed of someone who could see. As my mind caught up with
my eyes, I changed the way I walked, with more caution and less speed, and
the perpetual bumping and tripping stopped. Losing your sight is not like
just shutting your eyes.
      The loss is so gradual that, as one sense dies, others grow. Suddenly
you can smell the world and sense when someone is standing out of your line
of vision. Your brain grows on the inside, and things on the outside start
to matter less. I get to live my life twice over, in two different bodies
(the sighted one I used to have and the partially sighted one I now have),
and with that comes the privilege of spying on the world and its
intricacies from multiple vantage points. It's a clich to say that
disabled people are nicer. It is incorrect, in fact. But for me vision loss
has made me more empathetic and more openminded. I have to take so often
that I give more freely. When you rely on friends to take you down Oxford
Street or a stranger to get you across the road, you think more consciously
about what you give back and battle with the feeling that you need them
more than they need you.
      But, strangely, I am happier like this than if I had carried on down
the middle lane to mediocre city, never having seen or felt real loss and
known how to appreciate the good things around me. I have met people I
would never have met had I been sighted, and we have been joined together
by the common bond of disability (and there is no glue that sets as hard as
that squeezed from the pores of a minority). When part of your body starts
to die, you feel what it is to be human. You wake up from the slumber of
being just another idiot with an iPod because you are forced to work out
the bigger questions. Or at least ask them. Why am I here? Why is this
happening? You are alert to the immediacy and fragility of your life. You
know that the choices of the modern age do not and can not extend into
every realm of your life. You can't choose to see (at least not yet). This
is it. The upshot? You live in the moment. You settle for your lot and love
it.
      The concept of sight loss as a positive thing is an elusive one. It
is hard to grasp when you have experienced it, and even harder to grasp
when you haven't. It is not something I would have chosen, but it is not
something I wish hadn't happened.
      Would I like to stop it getting worse? Yes, because I'm only human
and, sometimes I lie awake worrying how I'll cope when it's all gone. But
would I like to have gene therapy and see perfectly again? Five years ago
I'd have said yes. Now I'm not sure, because if this experiment of going
blind has taught me anything, it is that what you lose in one place, you
gain elsewhere, and while a blind life is different from a sighted life, it
is not lesser. And ultimately it is better than having no life at all.
                                ------------
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Kirk Adams]
                  Work, Instruction, and Community Activity
                   at the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind
                                by Kirk Adams
                                  ********
      From the Editor: We have always maintained that things would be
different for blind industrial workers in specialized facilities if those
who ran the organizations were themselves blind and committed to
demonstrating that blind people can compete. Kirk Adams, incoming president
of the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind, confirmed this conviction when he
addressed the NFB convention on Wednesday, July 4, 2007. This is what he
said:
                                ************
      Good morning. Thank you, Dr. Maurer, for inviting me to speak to the
Federation this morning. I would like to talk a little bit about myself;
would like to describe the Seattle Lighthouse that currently exists; would
like to talk a little bit about the future of my organization and, in
particular, technology and Braille; and would like then to speak about the
Javits-Wagner-O'Day program, which is undergoing a name change, by the way,
to the Ability One program. So if you hear that, that's the JWOD program.
      Myself, my retinas both detached when I was five years old. I became
blind very, very quickly over a couple of weeks. My family moved to the
state of Oregon, where I attended the Oregon State School for the Blind for
first, second, and third grades. If anyone here from Oregon remembers Mrs.
Summers, she was my teacher, and she taught me how to read Braille and
write Braille, and type, and I learned how to travel independently using a
white cane. I began attending the public school in my hometown in fourth
grade, where I continued. I was usually the only blind student in my school
settings for the rest of my educational career.
      I am married. My wife Roz is here. We have a son who is twenty. We
have a daughter who is seventeen. When I graduated from college with a
degree in economics, I was a Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude. I had a
little trouble finding a job. I had lots of interviews. I took the first
job I could get, which was working as a stock broker on commission selling
stocks and bonds. I did that for ten years. I decided I wanted to do
something else with my life. I checked out the Braille copy of What Color
Is Your Parachute? from the Talking Book library. I noticed in the Braille
Book Review that there is a revised edition. I found it very helpful, and
after doing all of the exercises and following the instructions in the
book, it told me that I should follow the path to be the CEO of a nonprofit
serving people who are blind located in Seattle, Washington. So fourteen
years later here I am, and I am doing that.
      In 1998, as Dr. Maurer mentioned, I earned a master's degree in not-
for-profit leadership from Seattle University. I received a very generous
scholarship from the NFB of Washington, which I greatly appreciate. I have
been at the Lighthouse seven years. I was hired originally as the
development director to do fundraising and have received four promotions
over that seven-year period.
      I'd like to talk a little bit about the organization. If anyone in
the room flew to the convention on an aircraft made by Boeing, would you
give me a little applause? [Applause] Since 1953 every Boeing commercial
aircraft has had hundreds of parts made by blind machinists at the Seattle
Lighthouse for the Blind. We currently employ eighty-five blind and deaf-
blind machinists in a thoroughly modern computerized machine shop. We make
60,000 parts for the Boeing Company every month. They are incorporated in
every Boeing aircraft.
      Of our 185 blind employees, thirty-five are deaf-blind, mostly with
Usher's syndrome, born deaf and with retinitis pigmentosa, and we are a
leader in employing, training, and supporting people who are deaf-blind. We
are a manufacturing company. We have a precision machining operation. We do
plastic injection molding. We do assembly. We make eighty-five different
products. As Dr. Maurer mentioned, we have about $35 million in sales, so
there are lots of different kinds of jobs available in an organization of
that size. There's marketing. There's IT. There's quality. There's
production planning. And we strive to have blind people employed at every
level of our organization. Talking about wages, we are proud in our state
to have the highest minimum wage in the country, $7.93 an hour. Our
starting salary for entry-level production is $8.50 an hour. Our average
production wage is about $11 an hour. We have twenty-eight blind people
currently employed in jobs that are called indirect. They are computer
trainers, IT, HR manager, president elect; and the average wage for a blind
person in an indirect position right now is at $20.02 an hour, so we are
headed in the right direction.
      We have a number of supports in place. We have three O&M instructors
on staff. We have a Braille production department, which I will talk about
later. We have sign language interpreters. Benefits: medical, dental, 50
percent tuition reimbursement, a defined benefits pension plan fully funded
by the company, and a 403B (like the 401K).
      My job, as I see it, is to create jobs by being the most efficient,
effective manufacturing organization we can be, to make sure that every job
is accessible for a blind person to perform successfully, and to make sure
that we have qualified blind applicants for all of our jobs. In the future
I can see us continuing to build on our core capabilities. In the realm of
technology we currently have a hundred or so adapted work stations in the
building. That includes the machine shop. Manufacturing is becoming
computerized. All the machines are controlled by PCs, but we've been able
to adapt all of the off-the-shelf computerized manufacturing equipment with
JAWS so that blind and deaf-blind machinists can be fully independent in
doing their work. We see technology becoming increasingly important, and
one of our strategic objectives is to raise the general level of technology
competence throughout the organization. So we've developed a partnership
with Carroll Tech out of Massachusetts, that has distance learning programs
developed specifically for blind computer users. We offer our employees the
opportunity to spend three hours per week of paid work time in our computer
lab to increase their technology skills.
      Equally important to increasing our competency in technology is
increasing our level of Braille literacy throughout the organization. I saw
on the agenda Dr. Ruby Ryles had a program for parents of blind children, I
believe last evening, entitled "Beating the Odds." It was about the
importance of Braille in employment, and we all know that to be true--that
Braille skills are essential to successful employment. Braille is
beautiful, and, as an aside, we are a large purchaser of the NFB Braille Is
Beautiful kit. For the last three years we have purchased twenty Braille Is
Beautiful curricula. We've given them to fifth-grade classes in the Seattle
public schools, where they work with Braille for a month; then they come in
and take a tour and meet some successfully employed blind adults who use
Braille in their everyday work. It's been a great program. There was an
article in Future Reflections about that last summer, if anyone wants to
reference that.
      Among our 185 blind employees, I'd say about fifty are strong Braille
readers. Mary Helen Scheiber, who is a longtime Federationist, was recently
promoted to become our Braille production specialist. She produces Braille
for all our Braille-reading employees. Our blind employees receive their
Braille paychecks at the same time that sighted employees receive their
print paychecks. So everyone gets to see how much is taken out at the same
time. Benefits information, agendas, work orders, anything that a sighted
employee would see in print, our blind employees can receive in Braille.
Now that I'm in charge, there's a new rule, and it goes like this: no
Braille, no meeting! [Applause]
      So we are working to put together a pilot program which will begin
October 1 with our new fiscal year. It's designed to increase Braille
literacy skill for all of our employees who are blind. We've consulted with
a number of people around the country. I've talked with Jerry Whittle at
the center in Louisiana, and we'll begin that pilot in October. We'll be
keeping in touch with Mark Riccobono and others at NFB as you move towards
your Louis Braille coin program of funding Braille literacy programs. We
hope to partner with you at some point. Congratulations, by the way, on the
Louis Braille coin. That's tremendous.
      Before I turn to talking a little bit about the JWOD program, Ability
One, I just want to make sure people can get ahold of me if you want to.
Our Website is <www.seattlelighthouse.org>. My email address is
<kadams@seattlelh.org>. My telephone number is (206) 436-2110. I'd like to
talk a little about the Javits-Wagner-O'Day program. In a resolution passed
last year, July 2006, the NFB called for modernization of the JWOD Act, and
you mention in your resolution the original promise of good work, good
paying work, respectable work for blind and disabled Americans. I
personally, and the Seattle Lighthouse as an organization, fully concur
with the need to modernize the JWOD Act. It was passed in 1938, two years
before the Federation was born, and 1938 is long ago and far away, and it's
long overdue that the act be modernized. We are working very closely with
Jim Gibbons, another blind guy, who is the CEO of National Industries for
the Blind (NIB). I believe he is here with us today. So the Seattle
Lighthouse is working closely with Jim so that we're prepared when the
opportunity to modernize the program arises. The opportunity is going to
take the form of some sort of congressional action. There's lots of common
ground between the Seattle Lighthouse, NIB, and the NFB, where the JWOD Act
and modernization is concerned, and I am looking forward to us all working
together to advance the opportunities for blind people in our country.
      Our focus as we move forward in modernization is four things: to
encourage and reward upward mobility, to advocate more effectively on
behalf of the blind employees, greater accountability throughout the entire
system, and to focus on results, which is namely good jobs for blind
people.
      Again, I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you. My wife and I
will be here through the end of the convention. I hope to talk with many of
you in person. Enjoy the rest of your convention. Thank you. [Applause]
                                ------------
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Lord Colin Low is pictured here wearing the official robe
of members of the House of Lords.]
                        Blind and a Peer of the Realm
                                by Colin Low
                                ************
      From the Editor: One of the high points of last summer's convention
was the address delivered late on Tuesday afternoon, July 3, by Lord Low of
Dalston. The audience was exhausted after the early-morning March for
Independence and a full day of convention presentations, but these remarks
at the close of the afternoon session were delightfully warm and witty and
full of information unknown by most of us. The result was a very attentive
and responsive audience. This is what Lord Low said:
                                ************
      I've only ever been to one NFB convention, and that was over twenty-
five years ago, in 1979. It was a truly memorable experience. The
electricity generated by the largest gathering of blind people anywhere in
the world was, and is, palpable--though registration can prove something of
a challenge! Anyhow, it's great to be back.
      I may not have been back in twenty-five years, but in truth I've felt
that the Federation has never been far away. I've made periodic visits to
the National Center--to attend Dr. Jernigan's memorial and for the opening
of the Jernigan Institute for example. I have maintained regular contact
with friends amongst the Federation's leaders, and its work and example
have been a constant source of inspiration. I may not always have agreed
with it, but five things have ensured that the Federation stood out for me
amongst organizations of the blind worldwide.
      First there is its philosophy. Everything the Federation does is
thought through and solidly grounded in principle. Did not Dr. Jernigan
say, "Philosophy bakes no bread, but without philosophy no bread is baked?"
and Dr. Jernigan's speeches surely are a wonderful corpus of writing and
thought about blindness.
      Second, there are the Federation's powers of communication. The
Federation has always been extremely good at getting its message across. I
am always recommending the Kernel Books, not just for their message, but
for the beautifully honed quality of the writing they contain.
      Third, there is the caliber of the Federation's leaders-Dr. Jernigan
of course, but before him there was Dr. tenBroek, and Dr. Maurer is a
worthy successor in this tradition.
      Fourth, there is the premium which the Federation places on
independence and blind people learning to stand on their own two feet.
      And fifth, flowing from this, the Federation has not made the mistake
made by disabled radicals in England of assuming that society is the source
of all the problems. The Federation is clear that the demand for equal
treatment from society places an obligation on the disabled individual to
contribute to the maximum of his or her ability. It is because blind people
are capable of making a full contribution that a mean-spirited response
from society is so discriminatory.
      In the meantime blind organization in the United Kingdom has
undergone a lot of change. We haven't followed quite the same course as
you. Because of the size and diversity of the USA, services for the blind
are that much more fragmented. The dispersion of government amongst the
states means that there isn't the possibility of any one service
organization coming to the fore and assuming a dominant position in the way
that RNIB has done in the United Kingdom. Because that's what RNIB has
done, it has been very difficult for blind people to organize with the same
effectiveness as in the USA. So we followed a different strategy. We took
over the RNIB. This had already started by the time I came to Miami Beach
in 1979, but it took some time to come to full fruition. From the mid-1980s
all of RNIB's top trustee leadership was blind, but the revolution could
not be said to have been completed until the year 2002 when we adopted a
new constitution changing the name of the organization to the Royal
National Institute of the Blind and requiring that a majority of RNIB's
board, assembly, and membership must be blind or partially sighted. We are
now embarked on recruiting a mass membership of blind people, but this is
proving to be far from easy. This is where a few lessons from the NFB would
probably come in very handy.
      But to the title of my talk. I will start with the peerage and begin
by introducing you to a few of the mysteries of the British peerage. On
learning of my appointment, your president wrote to me saying: "We in the
United States have a prohibition in our constitution against titles of
nobility. This is one of the reasons that we value them so much." For both
reasons I figured I had better give you a quick crash course on the British
peerage.
      First then, the pecking order: Under the sovereign and any princes of
the blood royal you have, in descending order, dukes, marquesses, earls,
viscounts, and barons. The wife of a marquess is a marchioness and of an
earl a countess, and they may also be peers in their own right.
      Next we come to modes of address: A duke, and an archbishop for that
matter, is addressed as "Your Grace," as in "yes, your Grace," "no, your
Grace," "three bags full, Your Grace." If you are speaking to him, he
remains "Your Grace," no matter what part he is playing in the sentence. So
we have "Will Your Grace be taking tea today?" "Sometimes I would dearly
love to murder Your Grace," "Shall I fetch Your Grace's slippers?" "Too
much whisky will give Your Grace a hang-over," etc. If you are speaking
about His Grace it would be "His Grace" rather than "Your Grace" in all the
above sentences. Thus, when we are talking about RNIB's president, the Duke
of Westminster, we might say, "Do you think His Grace would be willing to
do so-and-so?" unless of course we simply refer to him as "The Duke."
      All other peers are addressed as "My Lord," so if you're in any doubt
how to address me, "a glass of Whisky, My Lord?" might be a good way to
start. However, if you're feeling less generous, plain "Colin" will do. The
equivalent of "Your Grace" and "His Grace" in the previous examples would
be "Your Lordship" and "His Lordship"--"Your Lordships" and "Their
Lordships" in the plural. We need to remember these forms of address when
speaking in the House of Lords--you begin with "My Lords" and continue with
phrases like "your Lordships will be aware," "I would remind your
Lordships," etc.
      Because peers were originally landowners of some sort, you are
usually Lord so-and-so of somewhere, and you have to choose a place for
your title. I chose Dalston because it's the part of London where I live.
If you want to write me a letter, put me on a program, introduce me, or
refer to me for some reason, "Lord Low of Dalston" will do, and that's what
to put on the envelope. You can give me the CBE there too after all the
rest if you want. I'll explain that presently. Some people say "The Lord,"
but that's entirely optional. I don't.
      Knights, known as Sir somebody something, are not members of the
British peerage, but because they are sometimes confused with the peerage,
I'll just mention them. They were also originally landowners, small ones,
who would contribute some horsemen to the king's army. They are now one of
the most senior ranks in a number of orders, many based on ancient orders
of chivalry, which are used to confer an honor on someone and acknowledge
his or her achievement, distinction, or service in some walk of life. The
commonest, the Order of the British Empire, which came into being in
Victorian times, is not however an ancient order of chivalry. This order,
the Order of the British Empire, or should I say the "Most Excellent Order
of the British Empire," contains various gradations: so you get Members,
MBE; Officers, OBE; Commanders, CBE--I got one of those at the turn of the
millennium; and Knight Commanders, KBE. Other orders are the Order of the
Bath (that's an older one, usually given to civil servants); the Royal
Victorian Order, for courtiers; and the Order of St Michael and St George,
which is used for diplomats, generals, and the like. They all have similar
gradations--Commander, Knight Commander, and even Grand Commander. Thus, in
the case of the Order of St Michael and St George, you have Commanders,
denoted by the initials CMG, popularly referred to as "call me God"; Knight
Commanders, KCMG or "kindly call me God," and Grand Commanders, GCMG or
"God calls me God." But none of these, as I say, are part of the British
peerage and should not be confused with it. I hope you're remembering all
of this as there's going to be a short test at the end.
      All this is of course highly arcane and archaic. It's a load of mumbo-
jumbo really, and I would strongly counsel you not to get too hung up on
it. The hereditary peerage is a quaint relic of the days of feudalism, of
which only a vestige survives. You can see why the Americans wanted to have
done with it. It may be of local interest to some people in some rather
rarefied circles, but it has largely ceased to signify as a working part of
the constitution. In 1958 life peerages were introduced, and now virtually
all peers are appointed as barons, the lowest degree of the peerage if you
remember, for their life only. In 1999 all but a compromise 10 percent of
hereditary peers lost the right to sit as legislators in the House of
Lords. Now reform is in the air again, and I do not think the remaining 10
percent can survive much longer.
      How do you become a peer? Traditionally you were appointed by the
sovereign on the recommendation of the prime minister. He appoints senior
politicians--people who have retired from mainline politics or been
defeated in an election but still have a contribution to make--
recommendations may also come from the leader of the opposition; persons of
distinction in their chosen career; or, more murkily, people who have been
of service or even given money to the party. In 2000, as an innovation, an
appointments commission was introduced with a view to getting greater
diversity into those appointed to the peerage. That's how I became a peer.
Applications are invited. Some three thousand were submitted when I
applied. The great majority were not pursued, including some very good
ones. A small number were interviewed, and only about forty people have
been appointed via this route to date. It's a very long, drawn-out process.
It took me six years and the announcement of at least three lists before
the list on which my name appeared. They just rang up one day in November,
but I wasn't appointed until the following May because of the desire to
avoid the announcement's being contaminated by allegations of money
changing hands in return for peerages, which were being investigated at the
time.
      What are the criteria of appointment? In actual fact they are rather
vague. You have to be able to demonstrate you have a contribution to make.
You need to have the time--you can say that again. I'm sure that my
position as a leader of the blind who is himself blind had a lot to do with
it.
      What is the process following your appointment? First of all, you go
to see an ancient official called Garter King of Arms to fix your title.
After about a month Letters Patent are issued. That's a summons from the
Sovereign to attend Parliament as a peer. From that point on you can use
your title. During this time you go to the House to be welcomed by the
speaker and briefed by more people with fancy titles like the Gentleman
Usher of the Black Rod, known for short simply as Black Rod, who looks
after the Parliamentary Estate, and the Clerk of the Parliaments, who is
effectively the chief executive of the place. As this official showed me
out after one such meeting on 15 May, he asked if I had any further
questions. I said, "Well there is one question to which I'll obviously need
to know the answer sooner or later: where's the loo [men's room]?" He
replied, "I'll be able to show you that when you come for your briefing on
14 June." I'm afraid I had to say I wasn't sure if I could wait that long.
      After about another month, as soon as they can fix a date, you are
formally introduced into the House of Lords. You process into the Chamber
escorted by a couple of sponsors and take an oath of allegiance to the
sovereign. Some time after that you need to make a maiden speech, and then
you are off.
      A word about the composition of the Lords. Before the 1999 changes,
the House of Lords had a membership of over a thousand. It currently has a
membership of around 740, 92 of whom are hereditaries--you remember the
compromise 10 percent. This is larger than the House of Commons, which has
646 MPs and is one of the largest parliamentary chambers in the world. It
is highly unusual for a second chamber to be larger than the first.
However, not all members of the Lords attend on a regular basis. For
instance, taking the 2005-06 session, the average attendance was around
408, which better reflects the working size of the House. The 740 peers are
split roughly equally between government, opposition, and those who sit on
the crossbenches, or independents, as I do, having been appointed by the
Appointments Commission.
      How do things work in the House of Lords? What's it like being a
blind peer? The first thing to say is that there are precedents. It was
suggested that I was the first, but this is not the case. Lord Kenswood, an
early president of the National Federation of the Blind of the United
Kingdom, and Lord Fraser of Lonsdale, the chairman of St Dunstan's for many
years and founder of Talking Books, both sat in the House of Lords within
living memory, and I have been able to trace four more blind peers going
back to medieval times, including Lord Lyndhurst, the nineteenth-century
Lord Chancellor who faked his own death so that he could read what the
obituaries had to say. On the other hand, most of these people seem to have
gone blind in later life, so I may be the first peer who was blind from
birth.
      There have been and are quite a few wheelchair-disabled people in the
House of Lords, so I am proud to be able to raise the profile of blind
people. I spoke about the need to raise blindness higher up the political
and social agenda in my maiden speech, and I make it my business to do that
on a regular basis. On the other hand I hardly stick out like a sore thumb.
There are so many walking wounded there as the result of strokes and other
infirmities of old age that I just feel one of the crowd. On the other hand
again, I make it my business to get involved in things other than blindness
issues. Disabled politicians sometimes get criticized for not identifying
sufficiently with their disability, but I think that's wrong. I suppose
it's a matter of degree, but I don't think you want to get typecast as a
blind peer. I don't think that does much for your overall credibility.
      What of the practical working arrangements? I'm afraid they leave a
lot to be desired. I visited the Texas State Legislature the other day, and
their working conditions are vastly superior. They sit at an ample desk in
an opulently upholstered armchair with all mod cons--phone, mike, voting
buttons, buttons to summon messengers, and a place to put your computer--
and that's before you get to their offices. We have none of that--just a
bench to sit on, which gets very overcrowded when the Chamber is full. I
have four other peers in my office plus my Parliamentary assistant,
provided by RNIB.
      I have a place reserved for me in the Chamber, which is easy to get
to. I can write there easily with my BrailleNote on my knee, but standing
up to speak from it is more of a problem, so they've constructed a little
wooden flap on the back of the bench in front, which I can let down to rest
my BrailleNote on whenever I want to speak. I said I hoped that this was
something which could be considered as a practical and harmless adaptation
and not an act of wanton vandalism in a hallowed place.
      How do you know when to speak? Unlike the House of Commons, people
are not called by the speaker when they manage to catch his eye. The whips
produce a speakers list, which you need to get hold of so that you can get
up when it's your turn without being called. Access to the paperwork hasn't
proved to be much of a problem either. It's mostly ephemeral, and you can
get most of it from the Internet.
      I thought identifying who was speaking was going to constitute more
of a challenge. They all sounded the same at first. But you soon begin to
recognize quite a lot of them, many of whom are well-known figures in
British life anyway. As often as not, when I ask someone who is speaking,
they don't know either, and I've been able to pick up brownie points for
referring to people by name to general amazement.
      It may seem rather self-regarding and vainglorious to apply to be
honored in this way, but if you think of it as a job rather than an honor,
it puts a slightly different complexion on it. And even if you think of it
as an honor, a number of people have said to me that it's the only one
worth having. I tend to agree with that, as it's an honor you can do
something with. It's not really the speaking. I often wonder what
difference that makes. But the access and what you can do behind the scenes
is phenomenal. Government departments are supposed to reply to peers'
letters within two weeks. I will get a side and a half of explanation,
where others receive a bare acknowledgement. I was able to get in to see
Gordon Brown with David Blunkett, which I think would have been very
difficult otherwise. You can personally put a letter into a minister's
hand. I did that the other day only to find that he'd been moved a couple
of days later. But I was able to do this when the Customs and Excise people
threatened to send RNIB a bill for 100,000. I put the evidence into an
envelope, sat the relevant minister down, talked him through it, put the
letter in his hand, and invited him to go away and sort it out. I hope
that's the last we will be hearing of that.
      I expect you're beginning to hope that's the last you'll be hearing
of me, so I'll stop. I haven't got on to reform, but someone said you
should always leave them wanting to hear more. All I'll say is that it is a
fantastic honor and a recognition not just of me but of blind people
generally--someone said "of every blind person in the world." That may be
going a bit far, but I hope you feel able to share in a bit of it with me.
I certainly feel I'm working for you. It's also incredibly interesting and
a fantastic opportunity, which I'm determined to make the most of for all
my brothers and sisters in the worldwide movement of blind people.
      Thank you very much.
                                ------------
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Pictured here (left to right) are Luke Randolph, Roan
Randolph, Auston Randolph, Karissa Ellis, Nathan Randolph, Konnie Ellis
(teacher), and Justin Ellis.]
                    A Day in the Life of My Homeschoolers
                               by Konnie Ellis
                                 ************
      From the Editor: Konnie Ellis is a busy wife and mother living in
South Dakota. She and her husband Bob are the parents of two active
children, Karissa and Justin. Konnie is a trained elementary school
teacher. Not only is she homeschooling her own two youngsters, she is
teaching four others. In the following article Konnie describes a typical
day in her happy and very busy home. This is what she says:
                                ************
      This will be my third year of homeschooling six kids full-time. I
thought that Braille Monitor readers might like to know what a typical day
is like at my house.
      "Miss Konnie, I think I need help with this problem," Auston called
from where he sat at the kitchen island.
      "Okay, just one second," I replied as I gathered up the papers from
the table in the front room where I do most of my teaching. "Roan, you can
keep reading on your own for a few minutes while I help Auston," I
instructed the seven-year-old girl who was reading on the couch.
      "I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong, but my answer doesn't make
sense," Auston told me in frustration as I entered the kitchen, abacus in
hand. We'd begun a unit on fractions just a couple of days before, so a few
snags were to be expected.
      "Okay, just tell me what you have written so far, and we'll see what
the trouble is," I said, placing the abacus in front of me so that I could
do the problem along with him as he described his work to me.
      "The problem is 2/3 plus 9/16," he answered. "So first I need to
figure out the least common denominator."
      "That's right. And how do you do that?" I questioned.
      "Well I have to ask myself what the lowest number is that 3 and 16
both go into."
      "Good. And did you figure out what that is?"
      "I think it's 48," he said hesitantly.
      "Yes, it is. So what do you do next?" I asked.
      "I say how many 3s are in 48, and then how many 16s."
      "And how many 3s are there?"
      "Let me see.... Are there 16?"
      "That's right. And how many 16s?"
      Auston and I continued to work through the problem together until he
suddenly stopped himself and said, "Oh, wait a minute! I think I just
figured out what I was doing wrong. I didn't multiply by the numerator! All
I was converting to 48ths was 1/3 and 1/16 for some reason. Now I get it,
though--You have to take the 2 times 16, which is 32, and the 9 from the
9/16 times 3, which is 27. So it's 32/48 plus 27/48, equals 59/48, which is
one and 11/48!" he exclaimed triumphantly.
      "Good job!" I praised him. "And I didn't really have to help you at
all. Now see if you can get the rest of them done before lunch time. Then
afterward you can read me your answers, and if they're all correct, I'll be
able to send this paper home with you tonight so that your mom will be able
to see the great work you're doing with your fractions."
      As Auston continued with his work, I couldn't help reflecting on the
fact that my students very often catch their own mistakes, just by thinking
out loud. They are much more articulate than many of their peers, who are
often unable to express themselves without pointing or using other visual
cues to demonstrate a point. Even my most visual learners need to be able
to describe what they're doing verbally, which ultimately benefits them as
much as it does me.
      Before returning to Roan, I decided to grab an extra minute to be
sure my preschoolers were still engrossed in the Noggin channel on TV. One
of the older kids was usually free to help keep an eye on them, but
everyone was occupied at the moment, so I wanted to be sure the little boys
weren't getting up to any mischief. Fortunately all was peaceful in the
living room. Nathan had even fallen asleep on the couch, and Justin has
been given strict instructions not to wake him up when this happens. Seeing
that all was well, I quickly stepped into my daughter's room to find out
how things were coming along with Luke's handwriting. Karissa is nine, and
she loves helping me with the younger kids. Today she was working with Luke
on how to form some of his letters correctly, and I asked how it was going.
      "He's doing a really good job with his H's," Karissa informed me.
      I pressed the button on my talking watch and realized that the
morning had flown by as usual. "You might as well stop there for now,
then," I told Luke, "And you can finish the paper later if there's time."
      "I just finished reading the story," Roan told me as I got back to
the front room.
      "Great. Tomorrow I'll ask you some questions to see how well you
remember the story. Right now, though, it's time for lunch."
      "I just have one problem left," Auston said. "Can I try to finish it
real quick before we eat?"
      "Sure. I'll just have Karissa pour the juice this time, and Roan can
set the table."
      Anticipating that this morning would be an extra busy one, I had put
a casserole into the oven earlier, so no additional preparation was needed
on my part now. I pulled the fish sticks from the bottom rack and
instructed the kids not to touch them until they'd had time to cool a
little. Then I took out the stew and began dishing it into six bowls.
      "Whose turn is it to pray?" Nathan asked in a sleepy voice.
      "Can Nathan say the prayer today?" Auston asked. "I'm starving, and
his prayers are usually the shortest."
      I smiled and told Nathan to go ahead. When the amen was said, I
reminded everyone that this was chore day and that my husband Bob would be
conducting a visual inspection of the house and yard when he got home as he
usually did every Friday.
      As soon as Auston had put his empty dishes into the sink, he took
down the hand-vac from the wall and began cleaning the dining room floor.
Karissa got a cloth and started wiping the table. It was Roan's and Luke's
job to pick up toys, and they enlisted the help of the little boys in this
endeavor as well. (Since toys were scattered throughout our yard and in the
playroom downstairs, as well as in the living room, putting toys away was a
big job indeed.)
      While the chores were being done, I grabbed a few minutes to catch up
on some tasks of my own. I ordered a couple of textbooks from Recording for
the Blind & Dyslexic, a lending library in New Jersey, so that I could have
the cassette version for myself to go along with the printed books that my
students used. I also spent a few moments at my computer going over my to-
do list so I could be sure I wasn't forgetting anything. A reminder for the
upcoming field trip to the Children's Science Center popped up, so I wrote
myself a note to email a couple of the homeschooling moms in my area to see
if they were going and whether they'd mind taking some of my kids with
them. I feel blessed to live in an area that has an active homeschool group
with folks willing to help each other in ways like this so that the kids in
my care can have a well-rounded education in every area of life.
      Figuring it was time to round up the troops again, I laid my laptop
aside and headed in search of them. The preschoolers were having a great
time out in the yard, so I wouldn't disturb them just yet. There was still
an hour before nap-time, so I might as well let them enjoy the warm weather
while they could. I found the older kids downstairs, where my daughter was
teaching the others what she had learned at her jujitsu lesson a couple of
days before. The kids had converted the playroom into a gym of sorts,
complete with weight lifting, a place to do chin-ups; an obstacle course; a
fort made of blankets, boxes, and chairs; and, last, but certainly not
least, an adjustable high-jump bar made with a jump rope which they tied to
various other items in the room, depending on where they wanted to set the
height.
      "Okay you guys, time to get back to work," I told them. Auston, your
English worksheet is on the island, Roan, you can work on your typing CD on
Karissa's computer, and I'll work with Luke in the front room on his
Reading Blaster. Karissa, you can use the computer in Justin's room to work
on your Spanish CD."
      The next hour went by in a flash. Afterward we all gathered in the
living room for our Bible story time. After everyone had gotten an apple
and was seated comfortably on the couch and love seat, as well as on my
lap, I turned on the tape player, and the story began. Today I had selected
a story as told by Dan Betser and his puppet Louie. I had enjoyed those
tapes as a little girl and was now passing them on to the next generation.
This time our story was about Gideon. Everyone listened attentively, and I
paused the tape periodically to ask questions in order to be sure that
everyone was paying attention. Even the little ones were engrossed in the
adventure. I saved the concrete quizzing for them, while reserving the more
abstract questions for the older kids. I wanted Auston and Karissa to be
able to apply what they were hearing to everyday life, so I asked them
things like "Do you think we should ever put out a fleece as Gideon did?"
or "Why do you think God used such a small number of Israelites to win the
battle?"
      After the story ended, I put the younger crew down to rest and worked
with Karissa on her AWANA Bible memory and on her piano lesson, while
Auston did some keyboarding with the Mavis Beacon typing program.
      Before I knew it, Mr. Randolph was knocking at our door, and I
quickly woke the little ones with the news that their dad was here to take
them home. Hardly were they out the door when my four-year-old, Justin,
asked whether they'd be back again tomorrow. He was disappointed when I
told him the next day was Saturday, but I assured him they'd be back again
the following week. Another wonderful day of school had drawn to a close.
                                ------------
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Leslie Stocker]
                       Taking up the Braille Challenge
                              by Leslie Stocker
                                ************
      It is a distinct honor to be invited to address you today, because of
a very special partnership the Braille Institute enjoys with NFB. And I do
not speak at this moment of the direct relationship we have with the NFB of
California [cheers from one corner of the ballroom]--I don't know what you
guys did that you have to sit off in a corner (the California delegation is
in the far upper left corner as you face the stage) especially in recent
years with the leadership of Nancy Burns and her husband Don, and now with
Mr. Robert Stigile. But the partnership I am talking about occurred to me
about a week and a half ago at the Sheraton Universal in Los Angeles,
Universal City. We were at a banquet honoring and giving out the awards for
the 2007 National Braille Challenge. As the winners were being introduced,
they were working their way up to the stage to receive the prize. The MC
was reading a biographical sketch about each young champion, and I kept
hearing one term come back: that this person was a participant in the
Braille Readers Are Leaders program of the National Federation of the
Blind. Later I asked our vice president of programs and services about that
because it hadn't occurred to me to hear it so often. She said, "Oh yeah,
when we get all of these applications, you would be surprised at how many
of these contestants have their roots in the Braille Readers Are Leaders
program."
      That leads me to conclude an unusual partnership, and I would like to
tell you more about it in a moment but, in so doing, tell you about the
Braille Challenge. First, very briefly, for those who are not aware,
Braille Institute of America was founded in Los Angeles eighty-eight years
ago by a totally blind man who developed a Braille publishing house and
then later a Braille educational system along with rehabilitation. His name
was Robert Atkinson. He was also one of the influential people in bringing
about the founding of the National Library Service back in the 1930s. You
can find that Robert Atkinson is enshrined today among other great leaders
of our field at the Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends at the American
Printing House for the Blind in Louisville.
      Suffice it to say that Braille literacy has been a part of the warp
and weave of the fiber of Braille Institute since its beginning. That's
what we were about. In recent years in our strategic planning we have
rededicated ourselves to Braille literacy. Now in this instance I have to
explain the Braille Institute has grown over the years, and we are one of
the largest direct service organizations in the nation. We serve about
55,000 people annually, primarily in Southern California from our five
campuses there in Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Rancho Mirage, and
Anaheim. But when it comes to Braille literacy, we decided, wait, with our
resources and the fact that so much can be done by distance, we want to
have an impact on a national and even international basis. So we created
two new programs, and I will share them very briefly with you and then draw
to a conclusion what we are talking about today.
      Back in 1999 we created a program called Our Braille Special
Collection. And the premise behind this is that blind kids who are learning
their Braille need to have more than just textbooks to read. They've got to
have great children's literature. Now I know there are sources for great
literature, and NFB has been instrumental in making that happen as well.
But we felt we've got to put more out there. We've got to flood these kids
with stuff to read that they want to read. So we started, and,
incidentally, our publishing house is entirely digitized, so all the titles
that are in Braille in this children's literature collection are filed on a
major file server, and we have a bank of embossers. When a family calls in
from anywhere in the nation or emails in, or however they get to us, and
their student is qualified (they have to be registered as a reader with
us), we simply, if they want Harry Potter, Volume 2, somebody pushes a
button here, and it goes over to the embosser, and it is spun out, and it
goes out in the mail that day. It is published on demand.
      All of these books, incidentally, are free of charge to the
recipients because again our theory here is (and there are pros and cons as
to whether you charge or give it away free) our notion at this moment is
we've got to flood these kids with stuff to read, and our experience shows,
when we charged the fee, the use went way down. While sighted kids can go
to the library to get a book, the blind kids don't. So our notion is, give
them books. Put books in their hands.
      Since 1999 the number of books in that collection on that big file
server available to readers anywhere in the U.S. now numbers 994. Those are
books from the very modern Harry Potter style to Alice in Wonderland and
Charlotte's Web, and all those great things that we all read one way or
another as we grew up. Today we have 3,274 registered readers throughout
the United States. These are kids. That's a big number. I'm especially
grateful for that number, given the fact that APH's registration of Braille
readers age eighteen and below numbers only about 4,000. But therein is one
of the biggest challenges we have, and that is there should be a whole lot
more than 4,000 kids reading Braille.
      This past year we sent out about 8,500 titles, and some were multiple
volumes, of course, of Braille books to kids throughout the United States.
That includes Dots for Tots. I don't know if you have little kids, but Dots
for Tots is a program where we have a Braille book with audio, but also
with manipulatives, toys that go along with the storybook. So that's a
Braille Special Collection, and that brings me to the second program. Then
we can tie this together. Braille Challenge is really a Braille literacy
contest. It's made up of five grade categories, and I'll name them for you.
The apprentice are little guys that are in the first and second grades. The
freshman category are in grades three and four. Those two youngest
categories have three contests they compete in. Number 1 is spelling--I bet
you enjoyed that when you were in the first grade--reading comprehension,
and proofreading. When you get to the third group, we call it sophomores.
That's grades five and six. Junior varsity is grades seven, eight, and
nine; and varsity is grades ten, eleven, and twelve. Those three older
categories have four contests: reading comprehension, proofreading,
spelling, and speed and accuracy. Oh, that's one they really love--speed
and accuracy. They have to get ready for that.
      The way the contest works--and this has been evolving--but we began
it in the year 2000. Early in the year we send out a preliminary test to
any child in the United States who is a Braille reader for their teacher to
administer to them. The results of those tests are sent back to us. We
grade them, and we end up inviting the top twelve contestants in each of
those five categories. This past year--we've just completed the 2007
contest--those top twelve in each category, a total of sixty children, are
invited to come to Los Angeles to compete for some really neat prizes in a
bigger contest. I'll tell you about those prizes in a moment, but let me
give you some numbers. This year in the preliminary contest we sent tests
out to a little over nine hundred children throughout the United States in
thirty-five states and three Canadian provinces. That number is getting
larger each year. Only about half of those students send the completed
tests back. At first I was disappointed, but then I realized when we called
and queried, we discovered, "Well, Johnny can't read that well." At least
we have set the bar for them. We've shown the parents and the teachers what
he or she should be doing. So there is incentive.
      When the sixty finalists come to Los Angeles, we have a very festive
occasion, and we have the contest itself. The winners receive some really
cool prizes. The first-, second-, and third-place winners in each of the
categories win U.S. savings bonds ranging in size from the third prize in
the apprentice category of $500. The top prize in the varsity is $5,000.
But that is not the most significant thing. To me the most significant
prize is the awarding to the first-place winner in each of those five
categories of a PAC Mate by Freedom Scientific. Now I have to tell you that
I cannot be more elated with the partnership we've enjoyed with Freedom
Scientific, because there's a very special reason behind it. And it's not
only to have the preeminent access technology companies in the world as a
part of this program, but we're trying to make a statement that there is a
direct connection between Braille literacy and technology. To a large
extent the future is defined by our ability to interact with technology;
there is a direct connection.
      Freedom Scientific has been generous in providing these gifts. In
fact, after they did this a couple of years, they called us and said,
"Well, here's the deal. We're going to send you six PAC Mates next year,
and we want you to award one to the teacher of the year." My immediate
reaction was, "Great, now how am I going to figure out who the teacher of
the year is?" Here's the secret. We've got a national advisory committee
made up of some prominent educators throughout the United States and
Canada. I flung it to them. I said, "You figure it out." And they did. They
came up with a very creative way of determining who is the teacher of the
year. This year the winner of the PAC Mate and a trip to California to
receive her award and recognition was a lady named Sandy Serventi, a
longtime teacher at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. When I met
Sandy and talked to her, she said, "Oh you don't know this, but this is the
fourth time I've been here to the Braille Challenge. I've come four years
in a row accompanying my students." She said, "I've had eleven students
make it to the finals now."
      We actually have, I believe, at least two winners of this year's
Braille Challenge in their categories with us here today. Ms. Kyra Sweeney
is here and also, Megan Bening from Minnesota. I don't know, maybe we have
more winners in the audience that I don't know about, certainly with the
kind of support NFB has given to Braille literacy over the years.
      This brings me to the partnership. When I think about it and I look
at what you have been doing with your Braille Readers Are Leaders program
for some twenty years, when I see the inter-relationship with the kids we
are now connecting with, I cannot miss the partnership. Number one, Braille
Readers Are Leaders is a focus on volume reading, and that creates
incentive and self-esteem. I am a sighted person, but I think back when I
was a boy growing up, I learned how to read by reading, not just by
studying about it, but by doing a lot of reading.
      The second part of this partnership is the Braille Special Collection
and other sources throughout the U.S. for children's books. We've got to
flood these kids with books and keep them reading. Number three in this tri-
part partnership is our Braille Challenge itself. It has grown and taken on
a life of its own. I could not be more elated with it. It has far excelled
our expectations, and probably, because many different organizations are
now participating, it's not just Braille Institute. This last year we had
seventeen regional contests in the spring leading up to the main contest.
They were staged by different organizations, state schools, and even a
program up in Calgary, Alberta. They are smaller versions for which we
provide testing materials. We provide everything, the rules, all that goes
to help prepare these kids to become real finalists. In fact, two winners
from Iowa this year, who had never competed before, had a preliminary event
in their state that really did a great job.
      I kind of feel like, I know Dr. Maurer will share this feeling, like
my fellow Californian, General George Patton, in World War II, standing on
the shores of Tripoli on the Mediterranean, looking northward to Europe,
which at that time was under the complete control of fascism. He was a
reader of classical literature, and he mused, "The Elysian Fields lie
before us."--meaning the task has no end. It's out there. Folks, there are
so many kids in this country who need to be learning their Braille, who
need to be learning the intellectual skills that are developed through the
process of becoming literate. We don't function without that. It is so
important.
      I would like to suggest and propose that we do something proactively
here. Number one, we need to spread the word more. After I was invited to
this occasion and I started going back over the history of how we've
developed the Braille Challenge, I realized that we have some common
resources here. I told my staff from now on we need to tell the growing
network of people using our books and participating in our Challenge about
the Braille Readers Are Leaders program from NFB. I would hope that NFB
will also be advertising books available through the Braille Institute and
the Braille Challenge. We need to spread the word as far as we can.
      Also I mentioned that we have these regional challenges throughout
the U.S. and one in Canada this last year. I offer this to any of you state
chapters of NFB. If you would like to participate in something like that in
your own state or region, we would be elated to partner with you, and we
provide the materials. You can help further the skills of your children
there. And of course, we always welcome sponsors to the published book
program itself. Again, Dr. Maurer, it has been a distinct honor to address
you this morning and to thank you in person for this unusual partnership
that we enjoy.
                                 ************
      Following this presentation, three members of the audience posed
questions to Mr. Stocker, who said that he would provide full answers
following the convention. Accompanying a letter dated July 17, 2007, the
answers to these questions were forwarded to President Maurer. Here is what
Mr. Stocker wrote:
                                ************
1. Question: Is your Braille Special Collection (Brailled children's
literature) available everywhere in North America?
      Answer: Yes. The 3,274 current participants reside all across the
U.S. and Canada.
2. Question: Can Braille Institute provide more Braille education for its
adult students?
      Answer: We do provide classes in Braille literacy for our adult
students on all of our five campuses. While there may occasionally be a
problem due to staff turnover, we seldom have a waiting list. The vast
majority of our students are senior citizens suffering from age-related
macular degeneration. These are literate people, most of whom are using
some kind of low-vision device. Hence, the need for Braille literacy is not
as critical for them as we believe it is for blind children. That said, we
offer Braille classes for students of all ages.
3. Question: Are you open to hiring orientation and mobility specialists
certified by the National Blindness Professionals Certification Board?
      Answer: Yes. In fact, we invited Lisa Maria Martinez to speak at an
in-service training program for our orientation and mobility staff on April
12, 2007. She is a Louisiana Tech graduate with NOMC certification. We
arranged for Lisa through the NFB of California office and specifically
asked her to speak about and demonstrate the long cane, which as a result
of her presentation, we will now be carrying in the stores on all of our
campuses. Lisa's talk also provided an opportunity to explore various
approaches to orientation and mobility training.
                                ------------
                         $150,000 for Blind Students
        The 2008 National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program
                                ************
The National Federation of the Blind will award thirty scholarships and
other gifts totaling $150,000 or more to the nation's top blind college
students during its 2008 annual convention. Most notable is the Dr. Kenneth
Jernigan Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $12,000. In addition to a
scholarship, each winner will be brought to the 2008 National Federation of
the Blind convention in July at Federation expense, providing an excellent
opportunity for high-level networking with active blind people in many
professions and occupations.
In order to apply, applicants:
1. Must be legally blind.
2. Must be pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time, postsecondary course
of study in a degree program at a United States institution in the fall of
the 2008-2009 academic year, except that one scholarship may be given to a
person employed full-time while attending school part-time.
3. Must be willing and able to participate in the entire NFB national
convention and in all scheduled scholarship program activities.
The NFB may award up to three scholarships to men and women who have
already received one Federation scholarship in the past if enough strong
and worthy candidates apply. Individuals receiving a second NFB national
scholarship are recognized as tenBroek Fellows.
Legally blind students, from high school seniors to grad school attendees,
are encouraged to go to <www.nfb.org/scholarships> to apply for the 2008
NFB Scholarship awards. Complete the official 2008 scholarship application
form online; then print out and mail the completed print copy with the
required attachments to NFB Scholarship Committee, National Federation of
the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230.
If using a computer is not an option, contact the committee chairman for
print documents. Please note that all scholarship documentation must be
received by March 31, 2008. Students are invited to ask their state NFB
affiliates to determine if they are eligible for a scholarship offered to
blind students in that state.
NFB scholarship applicants should submit only one application. When the
thirty top applicants chosen as winners attend the weeklong 2008 NFB
national convention, members of the Scholarship Committee and other NFB
leaders will interact with them throughout the week in order to award the
specific scholarships based on merit.
What kind of student wins an NFB scholarship? What fields of knowledge have
they studied? Read about past NFB national scholarship recipients in August-
September issues of the Braille Monitor. Many blind leaders throughout the
country have been recipients of scholarships from the National Federation
of the Blind. Perhaps you have what it takes to earn this prestigious
honor.
                                ************
Awards include the $12,000 Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship, one scholarship of
$10,000; two scholarships of $7,000 each; four scholarships of $5,000 each;
and twenty-two scholarships of $3,000 each.) Following is a list of the
scholarships:
                                ************

Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship of $12,000--In memory of the man who changed
perceptions about the capabilities of the blind in this country and
throughout the world, this scholarship is given yearly by the American
Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, a nonprofit organization that
works to assist blind people. Kenneth Jernigan is viewed by our field as
the most important figure in the twentieth century in the lives of blind
people. The Action Fund wishes to keep fresh and current in the twenty-
first century the understandings he brought to the field and thus has
endowed this scholarship dedicated to his memory and to the continuation of
the work he began. No additional restrictions.

                                ************
Charles and Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship of $10,000--First
established by Charles Owen in loving memory of his blind wife and now,
along with a second scholarship in a different amount, endowed by his last
will and testament to honor the memory of both. In founding the
scholarship, Charles Owen wrote: "There shall be no limitation as to field
of study, except that it shall be directed towards attaining financial
independence and shall exclude religion and those seeking only to further
general or cultural education."
                                 ***********
Two National Federation of the Blind Scholarships of $7,000--No additional
restrictions.
                                ************
Hank LeBonne Scholarship of $5,000--Hank LeBonne was a man who loved life
and loved the National Federation of the Blind. His last wish was that his
remaining assets be used to help young blind men and women have the same
opportunities in life he had enjoyed. No additional restrictions.
                                ************
Jennica Ferguson Memorial Scholarship of $5,000--Given to keep alive the
memory of a young woman who dealt with her blindness and terminal illness
with a grace and strength she frequently assured others she drew from the
Federation and from her faith in God. No additional restrictions.
                                ************
Michael Marucci Memorial Scholarship of $5,000--Given by Marie in memory of
her husband Michael (like Marie, a longtime dedicated and valued member of
the NFB of Maryland), the winner of this scholarship must be studying a
foreign language or comparative literature; pursuing a degree in history,
geography, or political science with a concentration in international
studies; or majoring in any other discipline requiring study abroad. The
winner's file must also show evidence of competence in a foreign language.
                                ************
National Federation of the Blind Scholarship of $5,000--No additional
restrictions.
                                ************
Hermione Grant Calhoun Scholarship of $3,000--Dr. Isabelle Grant endowed
this scholarship in memory of her daughter. The winner must be a woman.
                                ************
Kuchler-Killian Memorial Scholarship of $3,000--This scholarship is given
in loving memory of her parents, Charles Albert Kuchler and Alice Helen
Kuchler, by Junerose Killian, dedicated member of the NFB of Connecticut.
No additional restrictions.
                                ************
Charles and Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship of $3,000--First established
by Charles Owen in loving memory of his blind wife and now, along with a
second scholarship in a different amount, endowed by his last will and
testament to honor the memory of both. In founding the scholarship, Charles
Owen wrote: "There shall be no limitation as to field of study, except that
it shall be directed towards attaining financial independence and shall
exclude religion and those seeking only to further general or cultural
education."
                                ************
E. U. Parker Scholarship of $3,000--Endowed by his wife, who joined him in
a lifetime of Federationism, this scholarship honors a longtime leader of
the National Federation of the Blind whose participation stood for strong
principles and strong support of the Federation's work. No additional
restrictions.
                                ************
Guide Dogs for the Blind Dorthea and Roland Bohde Leadership Scholarship of
$3,000--Established in 2006 to promote the independence of blind students,
this scholarship is awarded to scholars in any field that requires
postgraduate education, with, should other factors be equal, a preference
for those who have chosen to use a guide dog as their primary travel aid.
                                ************
Howard Brown Rickard Scholarship of $3,000--Winner must be studying or
planning to study in the field of law, medicine, engineering, architecture,
or the natural sciences.
                                ************
National Federation of the Blind Computer Science Scholarship of $3,000--
Winner must be studying in the computer science field.
                                ************
National Federation of the Blind Educator of Tomorrow Award of $3,000--
Winner must be planning a career in elementary, secondary, or postsecondary
teaching.
                                ************
Fourteen National Federation of the Blind Scholarships of $3,000--No
additional restrictions.
                                ************
All scholarships awarded to blind women which are not otherwise endowed are
made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Dorothy R. Olson.
                                ************
Those requiring additional information about the NFB's scholarship program
may contact the committee chairperson, Anil Lewis, by calling his office in
Georgia at (404) 371-1000, or sending an email to <scholarships@nfb.org>.
                                ------------
                    Braille Readers Are Leaders 2007-2008
                             by Barbara Cheadle
                                ************
      From the Editor: Barbara Cheadle is president of the National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC). In the following article
she describes the exciting changes that have been made in the Braille
Readers Are Leaders competition this year. Every Monitor reader should take
the opportunity to encourage blind elementary and secondary Braille readers
to enter this contest as soon as possible. If they register online before
December 1, they will receive a free T-shirt. Read on for the details:
                                ************
If you saw the announcement in last month's Braille Monitor, you will know
that we have made some major changes in our annual NFB Braille Readers are
Leaders contest. It all started with conversations among NOPBC and National
Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB) leaders, Dr. Maurer, and
the NFB Jernigan Institute education department. We wanted to streamline
the contest, update it, make it more efficient, get the prizes out in a
more timely fashion, and do so without diminishing the program in any way.
Furthermore, we wanted to find a way to get the top winners and their
parents and teachers more actively involved in the NFB. We think we have
accomplished all this, and we hope that all our members will be as excited
about the changes as we are. The full details of the contest are on our NFB
Website at <www.nfb.org/nfb/NOPBC_Braille_Readers_Are_Leaders.asp>, but
here is an overview.
Let's begin with what has not changed. The purpose is, as it always has
been, to promote the joy of reading for pleasure, to promote a pride in
Braille as a viable literacy medium equal to print, and to demonstrate the
importance of independent reading in the development of Braille literacy
skills. Eligibility for the contest has not changed. All blind or visually
impaired Braille-reading students enrolled in an educational program for
students from grades kindergarten through twelfth grade in the USA or
Canada are eligible to compete in the contest. And competition is still
based on reading the largest number of Braille pages of leisure reading
material during the contest period as certified by the child's teacher,
parent, or librarian.
So the heart and soul of the contest remains intact. Some of the other
details also remain the same. The Braille Community Service Award is still
in place, and so are the regular grade categories for competition. And we
still give special recognition to residential or day schools for the blind
that enroll a significant percentage of their students in the contest and
in other ways promote Braille literacy and the Braille Readers Are Leaders
program. All participants will get certificates, and different-colored
print-Braille ribbons will be awarded to contestants who read 500, 1,000,
2,000, 4,000, 8,000, and 12,000 pages.
So what has changed? Let's begin with a basic: the time period. The contest
is now two months, not three. It begins, as it always has, on November 1,
but now it ends on Louis Braille's birthday-January 4. We believe that the
shorter time will eventually encourage more parents and teachers to enter
students in the contest. It is a tremendous amount of work to keep track of
books and materials read, but of course the more kids read, the better they
get. Our goal is to strike the best balance between making the contest long
enough to make a difference, but short enough that teachers and parents do
not feel overwhelmed by the amount of time it takes to document activity
for the contest.
      Another change is that this year every participant who registers in
advance for the contest will get a special Braille Readers Are Leaders T-
shirt. That's right, we have added a registration process. Teachers and
parents have often asked if we could get the certificates and prizes to the
students sooner. It currently takes twelve weeks to process the entry forms
and get certificates, ribbons, and prizes to the contestants. To get a
faster turnaround time, we have instituted an option for early
registration. And, to provide extra incentive, we guarantee a contest T-
shirt for every contestant who registers for the contest between October 1
and December 1. Students who do not register in advance, but who get the
registration and entry form in by the January 21 deadline, will still be
eligible for all awards and cash prizes, but they are not guaranteed a T-
shirt.
Now let's talk about prizes. The biggest and most exciting change of all is
that this year twelve of the top contestants will win an eight-day, seven-
night trip for themselves and a parent (or an adult chaperone) to the 2008
NFB convention in Dallas, Texas. The trip will include transportation,
hotel room, and other expenses for eight days, beginning with the parents
seminar, continuing through the banquet, and ending on the final day of the
convention session. The winners will also have the opportunity to speak
briefly at the NAPUB and NOPBC meetings. We couldn't think of a better way
to reward these bright, competitive young Braille readers from all over the
country than to offer them the opportunity to join in the excitement, the
fun, and the camaraderie of the National Federation of the Blind in
convention assembled.
Not everyone may elect to compete for the trip, and, while there is no
substitute for the trip, one thing that has always worked as an incentive
in the contest is cash prizes, and we still offer those. The top three
contestants in each of five categories will win a $50 cash prize. The five
categories are grades K-1; 2-3, 4-5, 6-8 (middle school); and 9-12 (high
school). Every contestant will be automatically considered for an award in
his or her age-appropriate grade category. This includes delayed readers
and ungraded students.
We have found that even students with delays can be competitive in their
grade category because we do not (and never have) put restrictions on the
grade level of the materials the contestant reads. For example, we expect
that a high school student who reads at a third-grade level will read third-
grade-level material, or even below, for the competition and therefore,
with motivation and diligence, could beat out an average or even better
than average student who reads at grade level. Students with reading delays
may also submit information to be considered for the Jennifer Baker Award,
one of three special awards that qualified students may choose to compete
for.
Two of these three awards replace categories we no longer have. The
Jennifer Baker Award replaces the Most Improved Award, and the Twin Vision
Award replaces the Print-to-Braille category. The third award, the Braille
Community Service Award, was instituted about three years ago, and is just
beginning to fulfill what we hope to accomplish through it. Although it is
not new, we are including a brief description of it along with the other
two new awards.
Braille Community Service Award. This award most closely reflects the
ultimate mission of the contest. Braille literacy enhances the ability of
blind children of all ages to demonstrate leadership through service to
others. For example, a blind teen may use Braille to read to lonely
residents in a nursing home or use his or her Braille skills to organize
and conduct a food drive for a school project. The opportunities for
service, if you are literate, are endless. The goal of this award is to
encourage contestants who have developed good Braille skills to reach out
into the community and use those skills for the good of others.
This award is restricted to students in grades six through twelve. To be
considered for this award, the student must read a minimum number of pages
for the contest and submit a letter of nomination. Up to five students will
be selected for this award, and all winners of this award will
automatically win a trip to the convention.
Twin Vision Awards for dual print-and-Braille readers or print-to-Braille
readers. Funded by the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults,
the award is for elementary students who have learned and used both print
and Braille from an early age, and also for students who were print readers
and have switched to, or are in the process of switching to, Braille. No
fewer than one student and no more than five will be selected for this
award. To nominate a student for this award, a teacher or other individual
intimately familiar with that student's literacy development must write a
letter. The student must also participate in the regular competition.
2008 Jennifer Baker Awards. Named after Jennifer Baker, a young woman from
Maryland who overcame many severe additional disabilities to become Braille
literate and was a frequent national winner in the Braille Readers Are
Leaders program. Jennifer was an avid reader who traveled the world in her
mind with the help of Amelia Bedelia and other characters from her beloved
Braille storybooks. She died of kidney failure shortly before her twenty-
first birthday. This award is given in her memory to no fewer than one
student and no more than five based on a letter of nomination with
information documenting the obstacles the student has overcome to become
Braille literate. Examples of those eligible for this award might be
students with cognitive or physical disabilities, English-as-second-
language learners, students with brain injuries, or students who have been
otherwise educationally disadvantaged. To nominate a student for this
award, a teacher or other individual who is intimately familiar with that
student's literacy development must submit a letter of nomination. The
student must also participate in the regular competition.
If you have been counting the number of possible winners, you know that we
offer a minimum of eighteen and a maximum of thirty cash awards, which
means that not every contestant will win a trip. If more than twelve of the
winners have elected to compete for the trip, then a run-off essay
competition will be supervised by Jennifer Dunnam, a longtime leader in the
Minnesota affiliate and the manager of Braille Programs in the education
department of the NFB Jernigan Institute. Jennifer will also be managing
the day-to-day operations of registration, processing entry forms, sending
out certificates and prizes, and collaborating with NOPBC and NAPUB to
judge the contest and to evaluate the changes we put in place this year.
This brings us back to one very important component that has not changed.
The contest, you notice, is still cosponsored by the National Association
to Promote the Use of Braille and the National Organization of Parents of
Blind Children. Those divisions will continue to work with our national
office and state affiliates, as they have for the past twenty-five years,
to promote and build this program with pride, energy, and all of the
creative and financial resources available to us.
                                ------------
                         Consider a Charitable Gift

      Making a charitable gift can be one of the most satisfying
experiences in life. Each year millions of people contribute their time,
talent, and treasure to charitable organizations. When you plan for a gift
to the National Federation of the Blind, you are not just making a
donation; you are leaving a legacy that insures a future for blind people
throughout the country. Special giving programs are available through the
National Federation of the Blind (NFB).


Points to Consider When Making a Gift to the National Federation of the
Blind

Will my gift serve to advance the mission of the NFB?
Am I giving the most appropriate asset?
Have I selected the best way to make my gift?
Have I considered the tax consequences of my gift?
Have I sought counsel from a competent advisor?
Have I talked to the planned giving officer about my gift?

Benefits of Making a Gift to the NFB
   1. Helping the NFB fulfill its mission
   2. Receiving income tax savings through a charitable deduction
   3. Making capital gain tax savings on contribution of some appreciated
      gifts
   4. Providing retained payments for the life of a donor or other
      beneficiaries
   5. Eliminating federal estate tax in certain situations
   6. Reducing estate settlement cost

Your Gift Will Help Us
Make the study of science and math a real possibility for blind children
Provide hope for seniors losing vision
Promote state and chapter programs and provide information that will
educate blind people
Advance technology helpful to the blind
Create a state-of-the-art library on blindness
Train and inspire professionals working with the blind
Provide critical information to parents of blind children
Mentor blind people trying to find jobs
Your gift makes you a part of the NFB dream!

                                ------------
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Lisamaria Martinez]
                       Martinez Aims at Para-Olympics
                                ************
      From the Editor: We first reported on the activities of Lisamaria
Martinez when she was organizing elementary-school-age friends to fight
litter. It was clear that this young woman was going places, but who would
have thought then that one of her destinations was likely to be Beijing? On
August 23, 2007, the Union City, California, Argus, Lisamaria's hometown
newspaper, carried a story about her efforts. When she isn't preparing for
the Para-Olympics, Lisamaria is the president of the NFB's Sports and
Recreation Division. She also teaches cane travel as an independent
contractor in California. Here is the article:
                                ************
               Blind East Bay Athlete Aiming for Para-Olympics
           Judo Champion Hopes to Represent U.S. in Beijing Games
                               by Matthew Artz
                                ************
      Lisamaria Martinez has chiseled calves, rock-solid quads, and
practically no eyesight. She can make out the colors on her certificate for
finishing second at the Para-Pan-American games in Rio de Janeiro this
month, but can't read the words.
      No bother, though. Martinez knows what they mean. Although she hasn't
officially qualified, it seems certain she will represent the United States
at the Para-Olympics next year in Beijing. "That would be a dream come
true," said the twenty-six-year-old Union City resident.
      Martinez went blind at age five, the result of a severe allergic
reaction known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. The illness could have killed
her, but Martinez doesn't remember being particularly traumatized.
"Honestly, I thought it was all part of growing up," she said.
      Her parents refused to treat her any differently than her younger
brother and sister-she still had to make her bed every morning-and Martinez
was resolved to do as she pleased. She learned how to ski and rock climb as
a girl, ran track in high school, and rowed at the University of
California, Berkeley. At fifteen she had her first boyfriend, and at
seventeen she placed third at the blind judo world championships.
      Judo was her dad's idea. He wanted Martinez and her sister to be able
to defend themselves. Fifteen years and countless strained muscles and
bruises later, Martinez still is dishing out as much punishment as she
takes. "I like it." As far as martial arts go, judo is tailor-made for
blind people because the combatants always maintain physical contact.
There's lots of throwing, choking, pinning and armbars, but no punching,
kicking or striking.
      When Martinez battles blind competitors-who make up only about 5
percent of her opponents-they immediately lock up: gripping each other's
lapel with one hand and sleeve with the other. "It's crazy if you're at a
tournament," she said. "You can just feel the intensity coming from their
arms."
      When she's fighting, Martinez can visualize her moves. With her eyes
she can get an idea of whether her opponent is taller or shorter, but not
much else, she said. "I can't see her face, if she's giving me a dirty
look." At five feet four inches tall and 151 pounds, Martinez is among the
shorter women in the up-to-154-pound weight class. She works out nearly
every day to maintain her weight.
      When she isn't training, she's teaching. Not judo, though. Martinez
earned a master's degree in educational psychology, specializing in
teaching blind people to get around with a walking stick. She has a few
students from the Lions Center for the Blind in Oakland, and she expects as
much of them as her parents expected of her. "I want them to be as
independent as they can be," Martinez said. "Being blind doesn't mean they
should stay at home and wait for someone to take them by the arm and tell
them when to go."
      Next year Martinez plans to retire from judo, marry her fianc, and
teach full-time. But first things first. In addition to her silver medal at
the Para-Pan-American games, Martinez placed fifth this month in the Blind
Sport Federation Judo World Championships.
      A fourth-place finish would have automatically qualified her for the
Para-Olympics. She still is comfortably ahead of her nearest competitor for
the lone American spot in the tournament but can't rule out the possibility
that someone might come out of the woodwork at a major competition next
April. "I've been training hard for my spot, and I intend to keep it," she
said.
                                ------------
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Kevan Worley]
                      An Open Letter from Kevan Worley
                                ************
      From the Editor: Kevan Worley, president of the National Association
of Blind Merchants and first vice president of the NFB of Colorado, also
serves as chairman of the Imagination Fund. Here is his open letter to all
Federationists as we begin the serious work of raising money for the 2008
Imagination Fund:
                                ************
Greetings, Friends and Colleagues:
      I am very fortunate to have been asked by President Maurer to chair
our Imagination Fund campaign again this year. With Dr. Maurer's leadership
we have assembled a magnificent planning committee to plan our upcoming
March for Independence-The Walk for Opportunity. Working together, we
intend to develop a million-dollar Imagination Fund drive.
      A few years ago, when this campaign started, Dr. Maurer, Dr.
Zaborowski, some others, and I dreamed of a time when the Imagination Fund
might raise one million dollars. We thought maybe five or six years. We
were wrong; the time has come. This year we are going to do it. Building on
last year's incredibly successful Imagination Fund campaign culminating in
another invigorating March for Independence, we set our sights this year on
the million-dollar goal and commit to being on the team that reaches this
ambitious amount for the Federation and the great work that it does.
      This year's Imagination Fund campaign will culminate in a March for
Independence in Dallas on July 2. It will again be one of the high points
of our annual convention. In addition to the banquet and the presidential
report, our March for Independence will become an event Federationists look
forward to each year. Come to Dallas to be a part of the national
convention and join us for the March for Independence-The Walk for
Opportunity, and raise your money.
      When you help raise money by working for the Imagination Fund, you
help change lives, yours and mine and the lives of blind kids and of
seniors who are losing vision in greater numbers than ever before. You can
help fund dreams and possibilities. Everyone can and should get behind this
effort. Show the country what you can do. The Imagination Fund is a
deserving project. Whether you gather change at your chapter meeting or ask
some of your friends to contribute on your behalf to sponsor your entrance
in the March, your effort is essential and appreciated.
      Remember that this past year every affiliate received its share of
$580,000 and a number received even more in grants for special projects. I
ask you personally to pledge to raise at least $250 to join our March for
Independence-Walk for Opportunity this July 2 in Dallas. A $250 individual
goal is not out of reach for any of us who truly care about the vital work
we do. Once you get started, you will find that it will be fun and
exhilarating.
      Did you know that anyone who raises $1,000 or more will be awarded a
special collector's gold medallion? We thank the nearly one hundred
Federationists who made it to the medallion level during this past
campaign. These medallion NFB support seekers were honored during the
ceremony at the 2007 March for Independence. In 2008 we will again have an
impressive ceremony, and I hope we triple the number of names we call out
in appreciation of great work for the movement. I hope that many of us will
set personal goals at the $1,000 medallion level. You can truly do it if
you challenge yourself.
      Even if you cannot come to Dallas, you can form a team and
participate as a virtual marcher. We would be happy to teach you more about
team-building, virtual-marching, and fundraising. Build your own personal
Webpage at <marchforindependence.org>. Post pictures and tell your personal
story for your friends and family to enjoy when they log on. Tell them
about the unemployment rate we face, and describe our efforts to expand
opportunities for blind students and get more Braille into the hands of
blind kids. Assure them that we are the voice of the nation's blind
changing the world. Their donation will make a difference.
      NFB members are trendsetters. We are developing extraordinary
technology such as the K-NFB Reader. You, your friends, and your family
will make the difference. You can proclaim to the world through the World
Wide Web why the NFB is important to you and those you know and care about.
Then invite friends, family members, colleagues, and others you meet
throughout your day to visit your personal page at
<www.marchforindependence.org> and to support your goal by contributing
right there online. If you are not tech savvy, get in touch with Kristi
Bowman or me by phone or email, and we will be glad to help you build your
Webpage. Why not make this year's Million Dollar Imagination Fund quest one
of your local chapter's principal projects? Ask one or two chapter members
to take leadership by promoting the campaign at every meeting. They can
bring the mini march cards and facilitate the sharing of ideas and success
stories. Those in your chapters who can't come to the convention can
certainly become star contributors anyway. Your Imagination Fund team is
also asking that at least a few affiliates make this project one of your
very highest priorities. Nurture it, promote it, proclaim it! If we do
these things, we can be a part of Federation history.
      Be a part of something extraordinary. See how many people you can get
to invest in our Imagination Fund by investing in you. You could be the
star fundraiser of the year. People will invest in you and our cause when
they hear from you, but you must ask them to support you and this
exceptional organization. So tell them about our work and ask for their
support. Be the Imaginator of the Year.
      Make your commitment today. Let's work together to make it happen.
You can be a part of our first ever million-dollar Imagination Fund drive.
You can make the difference. I look forward to speaking with each of you.
We can do it together. The National Center can provide literature about the
movement to help you. The Center staff can help you create your Webpage and
set your personal goal. They can send you Imagination Fund mini march cards
to hand out as you seek donations of support. Working together, we can make
it happen. God bless you and thank you.
                                 ************
At your service,
Kevan Worley, Chairman
Imagination Fund/March for Independence
 
                                ------------
                                   Recipes
                                ************
      This month's recipes have been collected by members of the National
Federation of the Blind of Nebraska.
                                ************
                            Crunchy Salad Delight
                              by Robert Deaton
                                ************
      Robert Deaton is deputy director of Independent Living Services at
the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
                                ************
Dressing Ingredients:
2 packages Hidden Valley Ranch Style Dressing mix (buttermilk recipe)
1 pint mayonnaise
1 pint buttermilk
                                ************
Salad Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
1 head broccoli
3 tomatoes, seeded and skinned
2 white onions
1 bell pepper
1 cucumber
1 bunch celery
1 carton mushrooms
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 can black olives
                                ************
      Method: Mix salad dressing mix, mayonnaise, and buttermilk well and
chill. Finely chop and mix the vegetables. Add salad dressing and mix well.
Serves twelve to sixteen.
                                ------------
                                  Taco Soup
                                by Amy Buresh
                                ************
      Amy Buresh is president of the NFB of Nebraska and a member of the
NFB board of directors.
                                ************
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
3 to 5 15-ounce cans chili beans
1 15-ounce can tomato soup
2 cups water
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 medium onion, chopped
1 16-ounce can of corn
1 jar Pace Picante Sauce
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1 8-ounce box mild Mexican Velveeta cheese
Sour cream
Tortilla chips
                                ************
      Method: Saut ground meat and drain any fat. Add other ingredients.
Cook slowly until heated through. Serve and top with sour cream and
tortilla chips.
                                ------------
                              Beer Cheese Soup
                               by Shane Buresh
                                ************
      Shane is the husband of Amy Buresh and father of Noah.
                                ************
Ingredients:
8 cups milk
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons chicken base
1 16-ounce jar Cheez Whiz
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 can beer
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
                                ************
      Method: Combine milk, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and
chicken base. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Add Cheez Whiz, after
warming in hot water or in microwave. Mix in well. Stir cornstarch
completely into water and stir into soup, which should thicken immediately.
Stir constantly while cornstarch is cooking. Reduce heat a bit and stir in
beer. To serve, ladle into bowls and dust with cayenne pepper or top with
croutons.
                                ------------
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Amy and Shane Buresh]
                    Smooth and Creamy Homemade Ice Cream
                           by Amy and Shane Buresh
                                ************
      This is a homemade version of Dairy Queen's soft-serve ice cream
                                ************
Ingredients:
2 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
4 cups whole milk
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups cream
                                ************
      Method: Soften Knox gelatin in cold water. Heat milk, but do not let
it come to a boil. Remove from heat and add gelatin, sugar, vanilla
extract, and salt. Cool and add cream. Chill five to six hours. Pour into a
4- to 6-quart ice cream freezer can. Process following manufacturer's
instructions.
                                ------------
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Barbara Loos (standing) and Hannah Lindner (sitting)]
                              Oreo Cookie Balls
                     by Barbara Loos and Hannah Lindner
                                ************
      Barbara Loos is a longtime Federation leader and president of the
American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. She has been serving as
a mentor for Hannah Lindner in Nebraska's mentoring program. Here is the
note that Barbara sent along with this recipe:
      Hannah and I would like to submit this recipe as a mentor/mentee
partnership. We made them last year but left out one key step. Instead of
using toothpicks for dipping, we rolled the balls in the almond bark with
our fingers. It was very messy, and one outspoken teenage member of my
family referred to them as "Bird Bombs" based on how they allegedly looked.
No one else accepted that description of their appearance, and some
suggested it may have been an attempt to scare off other would-be
consumers. Whatever be the case, while "Oreo Cookie Balls" might work for
everyone else, to us they will most likely forever remain "Bird Bombs."
                                ************
Ingredients:
1 pound Oreo cookies
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 pound white almond bark
                                ************
      Method: Using a food processor or blender, grind cookies (filling and
all) to a ground coffee texture. Knead cream cheese and crumbs together
until thoroughly mixed. Shape into a large ball and refrigerate for forty-
five minutes. Roll into walnut-size balls and place on wax paper. Place in
freezer for forty-five minutes. In double-boiler or microwave melt white
almond bark. Using a toothpick to skewer each ball, dip them in white
almond bark and coat thoroughly. Place on wax paper and allow to cool.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This recipe makes
approximately twenty-five walnut-size candies.
                                ------------
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Jeff Altman]
                                 Tuna Salad
                               by Jeff Altman
                                ************
      Jeff Altman is first vice president of the NFB of Nebraska. He says
that you should use a teaspoon from your tableware rather than a measuring
spoon for this recipe.
                                ************
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon white sugar
3 heaping teaspoons sweet relish
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
7 spritzes of soy sauce
7 heaping teaspoons of mayonnaise
1 can of tuna, packed in water, having drained all but a small amount of
water
10 soda or Ritz crackers, finely crushed into crumbs
Small amount of milk, just enough to help moisten the mixture
                                ************
      Method: Mix first four ingredients well, then add remaining
ingredients. Mix thoroughly and serve over lettuce and tomato salad, on
crackers, or in sandwiches. Serves two to three people.
                                ------------
                              Spaghetti Lasagna
                               by Jeff Altman
                                ************
Ingredients:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 16-ounce container sour cream
1 pound spaghetti, cooked
1-1/2 pounds ground meat
1-1/2 28-ounce jars spaghetti sauce
1 can mushrooms (optional)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
                                ************
      Method: When spaghetti is cooked and drained, add cream cheese and
sour cream. Place mixture in a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Brown
ground meat and drain. Add sauce and mushrooms. Allow to cool. Spread meat
mixture across spaghetti and either chill overnight or finish cooking it on
the same day. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for one
hour.
                                ************
                             Chicken Enchiladas
                               by Jeff Altman
                                ************
Ingredients:
1 3-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onion or regular onion
1/4 cup mild or medium Pace Picante Sauce
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano leaves or 1/8 teaspoon ground oregano
2 cups monterey jack and colby cheese blend
2 whole chicken breasts, cooked and diced
6 or so flour tortillas
Additional cheese and Pace Picante Sauce
Sour cream
                                ************
      Method: In a large frying pan over low heat, combine all enchilada
ingredients except chicken and cook until cheeses melt. Then add diced
chicken breast and continue cooking until heated through. Fill flour
tortillas with the chicken mixture and top with more Pace Picante and
cheese as desired. Bake fifteen minutes at 375 or microwave for one to two
minutes to heat through. Serve with sour cream. To double the recipe, use
five large chicken breast halves and double other ingredients, except that
you should use eight ounces of cream cheese. Doubled, this recipe makes
about thirteen enchiladas.
                                ------------
                               Spaghetti Sauce
                               by Jeff Altman
                                ************
Ingredients:
1 can diced (or crushed) tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes (or 1 can tomato puree)
1 pint ketchup
2-1/2 cups water
3/4 cup brown sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons garlic powder (You may want to reduce that amount a
little.)
1 envelope spaghetti sauce mix
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2-1/4 teaspoons Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/4 cup oil
1 cup chopped onion
                                ************
      Method: Saut onion in oil until tender. Add all other ingredients.
Bring to boil, then simmer covered over medium low heat for approximately
one hour. Stir occasionally to keep sauce from sticking. The length of time
you simmer the sauce and the amount of liquid you add from the tomatoes
will determine the consistency of the finished product.
                                ------------
                         Honey Orange Oatmeal Bread
                               by Nancy Oltman
                                ************
      Nancy Oltman is NFB of Nebraska second vice president. She is a very
experienced cook. She reports that this recipe was one of her most popular
products at the farmers market this summer.
                                ************
Ingredients:
3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats (quick cook variety)
1 envelope Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast (I have also used regular yeast.)
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup chopped dates or pitted dates, snipped (I prefer golden raisins.)
1 egg, lightly beaten
                                 ************
      Method: In large bowl combine one cup flour, oats, undissolved yeast,
and orange peel. Heat water and butter until very warm (120 to 130F). Add
to dry ingredients. Mix two minutes at medium speed in an electric mixer,
scraping bowl occasionally. Add salt. Mix two minutes at high speed. Using
a spoon, stir in dates or raisins and enough of the remaining flour to make
a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic,
about four minutes. Cover and let rest for ten minutes. Roll dough into a
13-by-9-inch rectangle. Roll up from short end as for jellyroll; pinch ends
and seam to seal. Place loaf, seam side down, on greased baking sheet;
flatten slightly to form oval. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place
until doubled in size, about thirty to forty minutes. Brush with beaten
egg. With a sharp knife make three diagonal slashes on top of loaf. Bake in
a preheated 375-degree oven for thirty minutes or until done. Remove from
baking sheet and cool on wire rack. Makes one loaf.
      Note: I usually make the slashes before allowing bread to rise. I
also have made this bread in a 9-by-5-inch bread pan or two smaller pans.
When baking in pans, I do not roll out dough but shape loaves and put them
in the well-greased pan. I much prefer the smaller pans. I would bake it
just as long in smaller pans and probably a little longer in the 9-by-5-
inch pan. This bread is great toasted.
                                ------------
                          Pecan Praline Cheesecake
                               by Nancy Oltman
                                ************
Ingredients:
3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup Heath Bar chips, divided
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 14-ounce can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
                                ************
Ingredients for Pecan Praline Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
                                ************
      Method: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In bowl combine cracker crumbs,
pecans, brown sugar, and butter; mix well. Press mixture firmly on bottom
of 9-inch springform pan. (I prefer to use a 10-inch springform pan
instead.) Bake for eight to ten minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Heath Bar
chips.
      In large mixer bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add
sweetened condensed milk; mix until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and mix
well. (Note: Beat lots of air into cream cheese, but after adding the eggs,
limit beating to just enough to combine.) Pour mixture into prepared pan.
      Bake fifty-five to sixty minutes or until center is set. (If using a
10-inch spring form pan, check toward the fifty-five-minute time.) Cool ten
minutes; carefully loosen cheesecake from side of pan with a thin knife.
Sprinkle top of cake with a quarter cup of Heath Bar chips. Cool
completely. Top with Praline Topping and chill. Refrigerate leftovers.
                                ************
      Method for Pecan Praline Topping: In heavy saucepan over medium-high
heat, combine 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar and 1/3 cup whipping cream
(unwhipped). Cook stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Simmer five
minutes or until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat; stir in a half cup
chopped, toasted pecans. Spoon evenly over cheesecake.
      Note: I use this basic recipe for all cheesecakes, topping with
fruit, fudge topping, etc. It is the best I have ever made.
                                ------------

                            Breaded Ranch Chicken

                               by Audra Kramer
                                ************
      Audra Kramer is one of the most successful fundraisers in the NFB of
Nebraska. She was active in the affiliate's student division.
                                ************
Ingredients:
3/4 cup crushed corn flakes
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Nonstick cooking spray
                                ************
      Method: In shallow bowl thoroughly combine flakes, cheese, and
dressing mix. Spray chicken breast with oil, then roll in corn flakes
mixture to coat. Place in a single layer in a greased 13-by-9-inch baking
dish and bake uncovered for forty-five minutes at 350 degrees.
                                ------------
      Monitor Miniatures
                                ************
      News from the Federation Family
                                ************
Correction:
      We regret to report that in the convention issue we omitted the name
of Christine Brown from the list of March for Independence Medallion
winners. Everyone who worked to raise $1,000 or more should most certainly
have been given credit, and we regret the oversight.
                                ************
First Call for Washington Seminar:
      Circle the dates of the 2008 Washington Seminar, Monday, January 28,
to Thursday, January 31. Once again this year we will be headquartered at
the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C Street SW. The great gathering in will take
place at 5:00 p.m. Monday, and we will conduct briefings Tuesday and
Wednesday evenings to share information and ask questions. As usual,
several divisions will undoubtedly conduct meetings and seminars in
conjunction with the Washington Seminar, but we do not yet have the details
of these.
      We do have the information for making room reservations. The room
rate for one to four in a room is $144 a night plus 14.5 percent tax.
Reservations should be made before December 27 with Diane McGeorge, who is
again in charge of seminar arrangements. You can reach her by calling (303)
778-1130, ext. 219. You can also make reservations by emailing her at
<rmcgeorge@comcast.net> or Lisa Bonderson at <lbonderson@cocenter.org>. If
you wish to make arrangements for any group activity at the hotel during
the Washington Seminar, email Lisa for a copy of the form you must complete
and submit by December 27. Consult the NFB Website and later issues of the
Braille Monitor for further seminar details as the fall unfolds.
                                ************
Hymns Plus Volume 2 Now Available:
      Dr. J. Webster Smith is first vice president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Ohio. His new CD, entitled "Hymns Plus, Volume
2," is now available featuring thirteen songs, including "Precious Lord,"
"Lord I Want to Be a Christian," "Yes, God Is Real," and "Peace in the
Valley." These are just a few of the thirteen vocal selections and one
instrumental arrangement of "Go Tell It on the Mountain." The CD also
includes four oratorical pieces highlighted by "The Art of Storytelling"
and "The Ultimate Love Letter." Fans of J.W.'s previous work will be
interested to know that he considers these eighty minutes of inspiration
and contemplation to be the best work he has yet done.
      This CD sells for $10, including shipping and handling, and can be
ordered by sending Dr. Smith a money order to Lasher Hall, 43 West Union,
Athens, Ohio 45701. No personal checks please.
                                ************
Elected:
      The New Lakes Region Chapter of the NFB of New Hampshire conducted
elections on September 23, 2007. The new officers are Ed Meskys, president;
John Parker, vice president; and Jane Flanders, secretary. Sandy Meskys
remains treasurer.
                                ************
      In Brief
                                ************
      Notices and information in this section may be of interest to Monitor
readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the information; we
have edited only for space and clarity.
                                ************
Ski for Light 2008:
      Do you cross country ski? Do you want to learn? If you are a visually
impaired adult who would like to spend a week skiing or learning to ski,
join us in Bend, Oregon, for the thirty-third annual Ski for Light
International Week, February 10 to 17, 2008.
      Each year nearly three hundred skiers and guides gather together for
a week of recreational skiing, fun, friendship, and fellowship. Skiers and
guides come from all over the U.S. and various other countries and from a
wide variety of occupations and interests. Visually and mobility-impaired
skiers are matched with sighted guides and ski together for the week,
working to develop skills and techniques.
      In 2008 we will stay at the Riverhouse Hotel in Bend, Oregon, a small
but vibrant city near Redmond, Oregon, and we will ski on nearby Mount
Bachelor. The center there has fifty-six kilometers of Nordic trails and an
alpine ski area. Last season there were 398 inches of snow, so we expect to
have fantastic ski conditions.
      Visit the Ski for Light Webpage at <www.sfl.org> for more
information. The cost for the week is $775 double occupancy and includes
meals, ski passes, and transportation to the ski area. For more information
contact Dave Thomas at (303) 298-0672 or <davet@sfl.org>, or Lynda Boose,
VIP applications coordinator at (906) 370-7541 or <Lyndab@sfl.org>.
                                ************
Telephone Voice Service Available:
      Jim Black is the owner of the Ultimate System, which he explains is
set up to allow blind people to communicate by voice in a community forum.
Several other systems on the market do the same thing; however, the
monitoring and control of the system set this one apart. Mr. Black closely
monitors the content of the Ultimate System and maintains some simple
ground rules for control and order so that everyone can enjoy the services.
Other features include voicemail; community bulletin boards; news, weather,
and information; live radio stations; conference chatrooms; and much more.
The partner carrier also provides local access numbers throughout the U.S.
and Canada which are included in the service fee. This system also allows
members to take advantage of contests that earn prizes. The cost of the
service is $5 a month for all the features mentioned. The owner is not
making money with this service. To sign up or to ask questions or tour the
system, call (603) 580-9403.
                                ************
Brailler Repair:
      The Selective Doctor, Inc. is a repair service for all IBM
typewriters and Perkins Braillewriters. Located in Baltimore, the service
has done work for the Maryland School for the Blind and a number of other
organizations in Maryland. They accept Perkins Braillers sent to them from
around the country.
      The cost to repair a manual Perkins Brailler is $55 for labor (flat
rate), plus parts. Because of technical complexity the cost to repair an
electric Perkins Brailler is $60 for labor (flat rate), plus parts. The
Brailler will be shipped back to you by U.S. mail, Free Matter for the
Blind and insured for $400. The cost of this insurance ($5.50) will be
added to your invoice. This listed insurance charge may fluctuate due to
rate changes by the postal service.
      To mail Braillers using the U.S. Postal Service, send your
Brailler(s) to the Selective Doctor, P.O. Box 28432, Baltimore, Maryland
21234-8432. If you care to use UPS or Federal Express, please send
Braillers to the Selective Doctor, 3014 Linwood Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland
21234-5821. With your Brailler(s) please include your name and organization
(if applicable), shipping and billing addresses, telephone number, and a
brief description of your Brailler's needs. Should you require additional
information, please call (410) 668-1143, or email
<braillerrepair@yahoo.com>.
                                ************
Hadley School for the Blind Launches New Program for Blindness
Professionals:
      In January 2008 The Hadley School for the Blind will launch the
Hadley School for Professional Studies (HSPS). The program consists of
twenty-four distance education courses, twenty of which offer continuing
education units. A modest tuition ranging from $99 to $139 will be charged
for most courses. The tuition, a new policy for Hadley, will cover a
portion of the cost of each course and allow the school to continue to meet
the needs of its professional students. Courses for visually impaired
students and their families will continue to be offered free of charge.
      Since 1997 the number of Hadley professional students has grown from
three hundred to three thousand served annually. This growth is due in part
to the dwindling number of continuing education courses for professionals
in the field and recertification requirements.
      Enrollment in HSPS begins January 7 and will be conducted online only
at <www.hadley.edu/hsps>. Students currently enrolled in Hadley's
professional education program may complete their current courses tuition-
free but will need to complete a new application for courses they enroll in
after December 20, 2007. Tuition may be paid by VISA, MasterCard, or money
order in U.S. funds. For information on HSPS policies and procedures, visit
<www.hadley.edu/hsps>, email <hsps@hadley.edu>, or call (800) 323-4238
(U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada) or (847) 446-8111.
                                ************
Invitation to Participate in a Research Study:
      Blind people are invited to participate in a survey on built
environments' influences on people's activities.
      Funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research, U.S. Department of Education, a research team from the
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Universal Design and the
Built Environment at the State University of New York at Buffalo is
conducting online surveys examining how designed environments affect
individuals' activities. The environments being studied are public
buildings, streets, and residences. Although the study is interested in
everyone's experiences, it is especially interested in the experiences of
individuals with various sight conditions. Their participation is very
important to the goal of this study to identify environmental design
features that are usable by everyone.
      If you think you might be interested in participating or would just
like additional information, go to the research study's Website at
<http://www.udeworld.com/research/index.php>. The surveys will be available
online through January 2008.
                                ************
Change What It Means to Be Blind:
      The Institute on Blindness at Louisiana Tech University is looking
for people seeking a meaningful and rewarding career in the field of
blindness. We offer competitive scholarships to qualified applicants for
the MA in educational psychology with concentration in orientation and
mobility (O&M), the MA in teaching blind students (TBS), and the MS in
curriculum and instruction with cognate in teaching blind students.
      Are you looking for an exciting opportunity? We invite anyone who
would like to teach cane travel or Braille to blind children or adults to
apply for our programs. Contact us today to find out more: Professional
Development and Research Institute on Blindness, (318) 257-4554,
<instituteonblindness@latech.edu>, a partnership with the Louisiana Center
for the Blind.
                                ************
Assistance for Macedonian Students Needed:
      I am a teacher of English working in a school for the blind in
Macedonia. Because teaching and learning resources here are not easy to
come by, I would welcome any books, magazines, games, or other items
designed to help teachers and students of English. I would also welcome any
blindness items in good condition, such as white canes or anything else
that is no longer needed but that others could use. To send these items,
you can use Free Matter for the Blind, but please consult with the post
office first about the requirements for sending such items abroad. My
address is Adrijana Prokopenko, bul. Jane Sandanski, 43 5 / 6, 1000-Skopje,
Macedonia. Thank you.
                                ************
                                ************
                                Monitor Mart
                                ************
      The notice in this section has been edited for clarity, but we can
pass along only the information we were given. We are not responsible for
the accuracy of the statements made or the quality of the product for sale.
                                ************
For Sale:
      Braille Note mPower BT-32, Version 7.2, with SMA upgrades. Unit has
Braille keyboard with 32-cell display. Comes with all accessories and
manuals in original packing plus wireless network card, wired Ethernet
card, RJ-45, and storage cards. Service contract expires January 31, 2008.
Asking $4,000 or best offer. Contact Harold Snider at
<hlsnider@earthlink.net> or at (301) 460-4142.
                                ------------
                                 NFB Pledge
      I pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National
Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for
the blind; to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to
abide by its constitution.
                                ------------
                             The Quiet Car Song
                         Written by Sandy Halverson
                       To the tune of "Found a Peanut"
I was walking down the sidewalk
Thinking of what I would eat
When I got up to the restaurant
And the friends I was to meet.

I was so close I could smell it.
Didn't have to go that far
When my life was quickly altered
By that sneaky quiet car.

I approached my destination
When my cane broke at my feet.
Never heard the car approaching--
I was lying in the street.

Heard the siren of the ambulance
As it carried me away.
Lost my hunger in the ER.
Guess we'll meet another day.


