[Home-on-the-range] Bolotin award, trying again

Stanzel, Susan - Kansas City, MO susan.stanzel at kcc.usda.gov
Mon Mar 28 01:48:57 UTC 2011


Hi Listers,

I have helped Kathy Eble twice before with her application for a Bolotin award. I think the problem has been that we didn't have enough folks recommending her Home Readers company. I am including below her application. Please consider nominating her for an award. I hope most of you remember her being at our last convention and making a presentation. Your nomination must be in by March 31st.

Susie Stanzel


   I am Kathy Eble and I would like to nominate Home Readers, a 501c3 organization, as a candidate for the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award.  Home Readers has been furthering the independence of the blind and visually impaired since 1996.  I started Home Readers because of a need for more independence in my own life and a life long desire to do something that would benefit other blind people.  In the area where I live there is no public transportation, leaving me to enlist my husband or friends to take me shopping.  The idea for a shopping service seemed reasonable.  It would also benefit other blind individuals.  When I married, I moved to Edgerton, Kansas.  I was miles from friends and family as well as places to shop.  I felt isolated and wanted to be able to shop for myself as well as have a job, which would connect me with others again.  By establishing Home Readers I regained the ability to shop again, plus a full-time job.  I started Home Readers with no money, just a Radio Shack recorder and a twelve pack of cassette tapes.  With my family reading, and my husband labeling by hand we produced about ten thousand cassettes the first year.  It is because of the customers, their friendship, and support that Home Readers continues.
   Home Readers has been a vehicle which has brought awareness to the retail business world that blind individuals have the same needs as their sighted counter parts and with the right opportunities we can participate and accomplish the same things as those who are sighted.

   Home Readers serves the blind community by providing a way to shop independently through cassette and more recently Braille catalogs.  The catalogs are of popular companies most being mail order, such as: Schwan's, Avon, Chefs, Lands' End, etc.  These are catalogs that sighted people receive regularly.  1996 was the first time blind people had the same opportunity.  Our readers read the print catalogs and also describe in detail the photographed products.  Home Readers started with eleven catalogs and no sponsors.

   Convincing catalog companies, by providing catalogs in an accessible format they would reach the blind community, a segment of the market they were missing, was my first obstacle.  In 2010 companies sponsored all thirty catalogs, which are distributed free of charge to any person who is blind or visually impaired.  These catalogs allow individuals to shop for almost anything needed or wanted.  In 2010 we sent out approximately 30,000 cassettes and have about 4,700 people receiving catalogs. We are told frequently by blind individuals that Home Readers has made a difference in their lives.
   In 1998 we started recording cookbooks due to the requests from customers.  We quickly found cookbooks are another area service is needed.  We have more than three hundred popular cooking titles available. They are not sponsored, but we keep the cost low, mostly below cover price.

   My husband and I secured a business loan for $55,000 to fund the opening of our Braille division, which opened in September of 2008.  Home Readers has already produced more than 30,000 Braille catalogs.  In 2009 we purchased 5 small Braille embossers.  We hope to expand our Braille production capassity.  We know the importance of Braille and the need for Braille products. Our Braille division has also allowed us to provide a part-time job for another blind person besides my self.  She transcribes and proof reads for us.  We are now producing digital recordings and  in December 2010 we launched a new website www.blindaudiocatalogs.com<http://www.blindaudiocatalogs.com> for downloadable catalogs.  Our desire is to provide Braille and digital downloadable recordings, which will serve a broader group of blind individuals, including young people.  In 2010 Home Readers continued to grow inspite of the economy.  We wanted Home Readers to share it's blessings by funding a scholarship for a student through our NFB of Kansas affiliate and we plan to do the same again in 2011.  We feel it is important to prepare our young people for the job market.

   We are proud to be celebrating our fifteenth year serving the blind community.  We would like more blind and visually impaired people to know about and use our services to help them gain further independence.  As we continue to grow, one of our goals is to provide jobs for blind and sight impaired people through editing digital recordings, proof reading and other positions, as they become available.

   If Home Readers were considered for the Dr. Jacob Bolotin award; we would truly be honored. Any money would be used to continue the expantion of Home Readers allowing us to continue serving the blind community and making the public aware of the needs and the triumphs of blind individuals.


Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Kathy Eble


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