THE BRAILLE EXAMINER Spring 2010 Editor: Connie Davis Co-editor: Debbie Stein President: Patti Gregory-Chang CONTACT INFORMATION President: Patti Gregory-Chang, (773) 307-6440, pattichang@att.net Editor: Connie Davis, (773) 338-6922, condav8950@att.net Co-Editor: Deborah Kent Stein, (773) 631-1093, dkent5817@.att.net. Braille duplication: Pittman Enterprises & Associates, pittman.e.a@cometlink.com, (773) 779-1856, fax (773) 779-2763, Debbie Pittman Proofreaders: Patti Chang, Debbie Stein & Connie Davis Website: www.nfbofillinois.org; SPRING 2010 PRESIDENT'S REPORT By Patti S. Gregory-Chang The NFBI continues to change what it means to be blind for people in Illinois. I'm excited to tell you about several new initiatives in progress. Our new at-large chapter has been meeting and growing since November of 2009. We meet via teleconference on the first Sunday of each month. The chapter is especially drawing those who are not close to a geographic chapter or those who are not able to travel to chapter meetings. Feel free to join this fast-growing group by calling (712) 580-7700 and using code 6324 on any first Sunday of the month at 7 p.m. If you do not have free long distance, contact one of our state board members. We can bring you into the meeting via three-way calling. In September we launched the second year of FreedomLink, a mentoring program for blind teens. Coordinated by Kelly Doty, the group meets once a month at the Harold Washington Library in downtown Chicago. The six teens and their blind mentors plan a variety of activities that encourage the kids to try new things and stretch their notions of what blind people can do. So far the group has gone shopping, learned some judo throws, had a class in printmaking, and taken buses and trains all over the city. Our next Spring Seminar will take place on April 10 in Chicago. Parents of blind and visually impaired children as well as teachers of the visually impaired will gather at the Holiday Inn O'Hare in Chicago for a day of presentations and discussions about "The ABCs of IEPs and More." We still need volunteers to help with our Kids' Camp and Teen Scene rooms. Please contact Kurt Boyer at (618) 580-7001 or klboyer@charter.net if you would like to give an hour or two to Kids' Camp. Contact Kelly Doty at (847) 390-1738 or kelly@dls.net about the Teen Scene. The NFBI Board of Directors and the members of our Advocacy Committee will participate in formal advocacy training in May. We are doing more advocacy than ever. This training will help us gain tools to advocate and to assist people to advocate for themselves more effectively in IEP meetings as well as with ORS and a host of other agencies. NFB First Vice President Fred Schroeder will be the keynote speaker at our advocacy seminar. The co-chairs of our Special Events Committee have been hard at work on plans for the 2010 and 2011 NFBI conventions. Our 2010 convention will be held in Springfield on October 8th , 9th , and 10th.. The board will select the location of the 2011 convention soon. For more information on either convention contact Patti Gregory-Chang at (773) 307-6440. Illinois is making remarkable strides in the legislative arena. All but two of our members of Congress have signed onto the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, our legislation on quiet cars. If you can visit Congressman Tim Johnson, please contact Annette Grove at (618) 235-3330 or Bob Gardner at (309) 755-8085. We also need to compile a list of legislative districts. Let us know which congressional district you reside in. Bob Gardner is compiling this information. If possible he would like to receive it via e-mail at: rngard1061@mchsi.com. Applications for the 2010 NFBI scholarships and internships are due by March 31. Please get your applications in! For more information contact Debbie Stein, (773) 631-1093 or dkent5817@att.net. Some of our committees are looking for a few good men and women. Our Public Relations Committee is responsible for spreading the word about our initiatives. It needs more people who can make some phone calls or send some e-mails. The Sales Committee develops a plan for what we will sell at the NFB National Convention in July. Debbie Pittman informs me that she needs some help on that committee as well. Our sales efforts play a crucial role in enabling us to put on programs and give scholarships. If you would like to join either of these committees, contact Patti Gregory-Chang at (773) 307-6440 or pattichang@att.net. If you need to check the date, time, and other information on any of our upcoming events, visit our webpage at and click on the NFBI calendar. In closing I want again to express our deepest sympathies to the family of Carmen Dennis. Her passing is a large loss for this affiliate. Carmen is greatly missed on a professional and personal level. May she rest in peace. CHICAGO CHAPTER NEWS ByDavid Meyer The Chicago chapter continues to provide a forum where those who participate help to enhance the quality of life for blind people in the Greater Chicago area. With this objective in mind, the Chicago Chapter continues to spread the message of Federationism both within the chapter and throughout Chicagoland. We do it through fundraising efforts such as our Christmas auction, where we raised almost $700 this year. We do it through our community outreach efforts. Over the past several months we have participated in a health fair at Wright Community College in Chicago, and we presented NFB-NEWSLINEŽ at facilities serving senior citizens in Chicago and Des Plaines. We made a presentation on the National Federation of the blind of Illinois to the students and staff of ICRE Wood in November, and we did so again in March. We will take part in Visually Impaired Awareness Day at the College of DuPage later this year. Our Constitution Committee is hard at work, evaluating the current constitution and formulating possible changes. The chapter will vote on proposed changes in future months. We continue working to insure public transportation options that are plentiful and affordable. Finally, we do our part to enhance the quality of life for blind people through our participation at the NFB's Washington Seminar. This year six of our members met with representatives from the Illinois Congressional District offices. In late January, we suffered heavy hearts with the passing of our second vice president, Carmen Dennis. Her legacy of love, commitment, and action manifests itself in virtually every project and program undertaken by the Chicago Chapter over nearly four decades. During that time Carmen was always there to do what needed to be done. Though it will not be easy, we in the Chicago Chapter must all give a little more to fill the void left by Carmens passing. We generally meet on the second Saturday of the month at Exchequer Pub and Restaurant, 226 South Wabash, in Chicago. However, we will be meeting on the third Saturday in both March and April. To learn more about the Chicago Chapter, please call President David Meyer at (312) 675-2541. MY AMAZING SUMMER! by Jana Hergert Presented at the NFBI Convention, October 10, 2009 "I'm so happy to be here today with other members of the National Federation of the Blind. I consider it a great honor to have been asked to speak. I am so grateful for the opportunity presented to me last summer, allowing me to fulfill my lifelong dream. As a child, I dreamed of one day becoming a teacher. However, my teachers told me that this dream would not be possible. In fact, during some of my education they would not even let me study academic subjects. When I graduated from high school I could only read and do math at a third-grade level, but my drive to receive an education was still very strong. Shortly after I graduated I had the chance to meet some members of the Blackhawk Chapter of the NFB of Illinois. This event changed my life forever. I met a lady named Lois Montgomery who informed and inspired me. She told me that life was full of possibilities, and that I should continue to pursue my dreams. She invited me to join the local chapter of the NFB. After being discouraged in life and being told by both my family and friends that I would never be able to achieve things or be independent, it took me some time to gather the courage to attend an NFB meeting. Let me tell you, my life has not been the same since! Lois taught me everything I know about being independent. Learning Braille from her has enhanced my life in many ways. They say Braille is beautiful, and I know it truly is! I am giving this speech by reading it in Braille this afternoon. [Applause.] On my own I found an organization that would provide me with some much-needed academic material and assistance so I could reach my appropriate educational level. In only six months I raised my academic level to twelfth grade. [Applause.] After that, I felt like there was nothing stopping me! Once I learned some skills to help me be independent I was off to college! One of my favorite moments in college was when the teacher told us we had to write a ten-page research paper. I was so excited! [Laughter.] I didn't have to write that paper, I got to write that paper! I graduated after two years, receiving an Associate in Arts degree with honors. I am still attending college, striving to reach my dream of becoming a teacher and helping others. This past summer I had the opportunity to enjoy an experience that was absolutely incredible. I was graciously awarded an internship from the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois. When I found out that I was could do volunteer work and receive a stipend I began to seek out a possible venue. I was offered a volunteer opportunity from a business called Project Excel that provides tutoring services. This alone was very exciting. Then I was asked by the principal at Roosevelt Elementary, a school where I had recently completed some volunteer hours, to come and help at summer school. I had one internship and two offers. I had to decide. I was excited about them both and I realized I could in fact do both of them. After all, these were great opportunities! Why would I want to turn one of them down? On June 1, 2009, I began my internship and the start of an amazing summer. Although I only had to intern up to forty hours a week, I had the option to stay longer, so I did. Each week I interned around fifty-one hours at Project Excel and volunteered a total of twenty-five hours at Roosevelt. I volunteered at Roosevelt from seven a.m. to twelve p.m. and then I would intern from one p.m. until nine or ten p.m. with Project Excel. I even had the opportunity to help some students on Saturdays. Many of my students had dyslexia or other learning disabilities. I also taught several blind students. I taught reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. On Sundays I prepared teaching materials for my students. My preparations included making copies, Brailling worksheets, and making notes to enable me to teach with greater confidence. I also created learning games to play with my students. I formatted the games in Braille and print so that I could interact with the students more easily. In the beginning the only equipment I had for Braille transcribing was a slate and stylus. I Brailled everything by hand. Things became much easier when the NFB of Illinois gave me a Perkins Brailler. The Brailler helps me more than anyone could ever know. I love Brailling things. Making materials that are accessible to the students is very important to me. My first two weeks of internship were really busy, but I learned so much about being a teacher! I remember feeling how incredible the experience was, and how I was so excited for the week to come. My third and fourth weeks were exhilarating. The internship allowed me to see that being in the field of teaching was exactly what I was meant to do. I felt as though I was gaining as much as the students were themselves. At the end of the fifth and sixth week of my internship I was sad that I had only two weeks left. It was a great feeling to have earned a paycheck for myself. I finally felt that I was a contributing individual in society. At the end of eight weeks I was sad because my internship had come to an end. I continue to help some individuals who cannot afford to pay for tutoring. I have lived through the experience of not being able to afford help. I continue to teach and help students learn the skills that they need to function in life. I also still volunteer during the day at Roosevelt, and I go to college in the evenings. Life is a blessing, and I believe in living every minute to its fullest. I want everyone in the NFBI to know how thankful I am to have been granted this life-changing experience. I also want all blind and disabled individuals to know that in life anything is possible. Follow your dreams of a brighter future. My motto in life is, If I try I can do anything. I thank you with all of my heart." WASHINGTON SEMINAR: A ROOKIE'S PERSPECTIVE By Sarah Chung Washington, DC, resembled Chicago when we arrived at one-thirty PM on Saturday, January 30th. The landscape was bleak and white, and nothing was distinguishable through the rapidly falling snow. Even so, Federationists continued to arrive from all over the nation. On my first night I learned that commitment indeed contributes to success. The next day was devoted to workshops and presentations for blind students. Each one was informative and offered lots of opportunities for questions. I could have talked endlessly to the presenters, but I maintained my composure and asked only the few questions that seemed to matter most. I found it empowering to meet other students like me. I was almost overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the crowd. A newbie often has a difficult time squeezing into such a large, busy group of people. I wasn't sure I would be able to make friends or fit in. I discovered that I had to be bold and confident enough to walk up to someone I had never met before and introduce myself. "Hello, my name is Sarah Chung. I'm here with my dog guide Jim. We represent Illinois." Though this greeting sounded robotic at times, the more I said it, the more pride I felt. Each time I shook someone's hand, I felt as if a door were opening. I soon realized that I enjoyed meeting new people. The night progressed. Some good food was eaten and more salutations were exchanged. Exhausted, I returned to my room. Monday would be a trying day. Monday was the day when training took place. Breakfast with the Illinois delegation began at eight-thirty AM. Groggily I listened and contributed to the best of my ability, while I managed to eat my omelet instead of wearing it. College students don't understand the concept of sleep! The training session that afternoon was grueling, and there was a great deal to learn. The highlight of Monday was the Great Gathering In. I'll have to admit, it was long. Though I was still a bit groggy, I again felt an intense sense of unity and inner strength. Monday left me wondering whether I had taken on too great a challenge when I agreed to go on this trip. Our appointments with representatives in Congress began on Tuesday morning. I reminded myself that I had made it this far and I wasn't about to chicken out. I thought going through security in the Congressional office buildings was the hurdle that was going to irritate me the most. Surprisingly, there was no problem. I had met with my rep, Don Manzullo, at his home office last fall, and that meeting turned out to be good preparation for the day's work. My appointments on Capitol Hill followed a similar pattern. By Wednesday I felt much more at home and in command. For me, the high point of the day was when Rep. Jan Schakowsky shook my hand. That one moment, a moment that so many would quite possibly do anything to experience, will remain etched in my memory. Later that evening, Rep. Schakowsky spoke before the entire audience of seminar attendees in the meeting room at our hotel. Before I knew it, Thursday was upon us. I spent my last day in the nation's capital taking pictures of the White House and exploring the surrounding areas before heading to the airport. As a first timer, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I am very thankful to have had such an opportunity. WHAT'S NEW WITH NEWSLINEŽ by David Meyer Several issues of the Braille Examiner have been released since I last spoke of NFB-NewsLineŽ in these pages. NewsLineŽ has undergone a number of changes that make it more portable, affordable, and usable than ever. It's time for me to point out the new features that have become a part of the service since I wrote my last Newsline article. Phone Features Following a survey of NewsLineŽ subscribers and much rigorous testing, two new voices have been added to the service. The new voices sound more human and may be more understandable than the standard Eloquence voice. Anyone who has used NewsLineŽ recently has heard Kate and Paul from NeoSspeech, who share the task of greeting subscribers. If you wish to try either of these voices, do the following. Once you get into an article, press the 8 key to cycle through the available voices. Continue to do this until you hear the female voice, "Kate," or the male voice, "Paul." Another appealing new phone feature is the ability to email an article to yourself using the phone. If you are in an article you would like to keep for a while, all you need to do is press the pound key followed by 9 from any point in the article. Assuming you have signed up to use the e-mail feature, NewsLineŽ will email the article to the address you have registered. If you wish to sign up for emailing, call the national office at (866) 504-7300. NewsLineŽ Online If you would rather use your computer than your telephone to read newspapers, NewsLineŽ has greatly simplified this process. To try this feature, go to . Your existing codes serve as your keys to get into the service. Once you are in, you can read anything on NewsLineŽ that you now read by phone. One advantage to going online is that each article is accompanied by a descriptive sentence or two. These descriptions make it easier to pass by articles of minor interest and zero in on the things you really want to read. Finally, there is NewsLineŽ in Your Pocket. NewsLineŽ in Your Pocket is a computer program that allows one to download all available content from a favorites list to a Victor Stream, Icon, Braille Plus or Book Sense. You may install a copy of this program by going to . With so many ways available to read your favorite newspaper, NFB-NewsLineŽ is at least as important to you these days as your American Express card. If you try it, you will like it. And, I can assure you, you won't want to leave home without it. SEEING BEYOND THE IMPOSSIBLE By David Wright Reprinted from Future Reflections, Vol. 26 No. 2, Special Issue on Sports, Fitness, and Blindness "As far back as I can remember I've always had an interest in physical activities. Like any active kid, I enjoyed climbing trees, swinging from ropes (pretending that I was Tarzan), and jumping off the garage roof (hoping that I could fly). I also read a lot of books, and as a result I had a tremendously active imagination. The one aspect of childhood that set me apart from other children was that, at the age of six, I was adopted from an orphanage in Vietnam, and only three weeks after relocating to America, I found out that I would eventually go blind. Despite the pains and frustrations that came as a result of my degenerating vision, I was a very resilient child and adapted easily. My parents did the best they could to make sure I received the best education at home and in school. For the most part, my parents were open-minded when it came to encouraging me to participate in mainstream activities that had to do with academics and music. However, when it came to physical activities such as sports, I was often left on the sidelines. When I asked why, the answer always had something to do with people not wanting me to get hurt. I suppose I was taught early, like many blind children, that I was different and that I had no future. I remember my kindergarten teacher asking me one day what I wanted to be when I grew up. Innocently, I told the class that I wanted to be a detective, an inventor, a martial artist like Bruce Lee, or maybe an astronaut. A lot of the kids laughed at me and asked how I was going to do those things when I couldn't even see clearly. Needless to say I went home crying that day. I went through elementary school with very few friends, but the ones I did make were open-minded and dared to dream with me. At recess my friends taught me a variety of ways to get into trouble: walking on top of the monkey bars, jumping off the swings to see who could go the farthest, and climbing fences. Those days of physical mischief helped me realize that I really could compete physically with my sighted peers. Despite the uneducated assumptions of so many people (including my parents) about what I could not do, I had a deep-seated determination to succeed and prove to myself that I was equal to my sighted peers. In order for you to understand the rest of my story, I must digress a bit. My determination was severely tested in my early teen years, a time of unrelenting depression and despair over my vision loss. At the age of thirteen I lost the rest of my sight. It took a few years for me to realize that when one door closes, another opens. During the years that followed, I went through a number of pretty big life changes. I was placed in a group home by my parents, I relocated to a new and immensely larger school system, and I competed on a regular high-school gymnastics team. Although I am usually a pretty optimistic person now, my parents decision to place me in a group home when they were unable to handle my depression caused me to sink even deeper. I remember spending many nights lying awake and wondering what I had done to deserve this retribution from my parents and from God. In the end, I was able to rise above my depression by diving into my academics and getting involved in as many extracurricular activities as I could. Many of these activities played an important role in developing my independence skills and my confidence. Although I spent much of my high school career attempting to find ways to avoid being at the group home, as I look back on it, I believe being there forced me to hone my level of independence. Now, back to my story. My love for sports began with my fascination with martial arts. It seemed to me that in every mystery novel I read, all of the detectives were proficient in karate or some form of fighting art. I figured that in order for me to be a good detective, I too must learn how to throw my weight around. I remember also wanting to learn how to play traditional sports such as basketball, football, and soccer. However, I was always excluded from these activities in school and at home because of my lack of sight. Throughout my school years, I fought the school system to remain in mainstream physical education classes. Although I managed to convince my counselors most of the time to let me in the regular classes, I was often forced to sit on the sidelines and not allowed to participate in the day's activities. Exclusion from team-building activities made me feel that I was unwanted and incapable of participating in normal sports. I lost my struggle with the school system to remain in mainstream physical education when I relocated to the group home in the western suburbs of Chicago. But again, when one door closes, another opens. At the beginning of my sophomore year, I discovered that my high school had a wrestling team. Although my parents discouraged me from joining the team, I managed to gain their grudging approval with the help of my therapist. When I walked into the wrestling room for the first time, I wish I could have seen the look on my head coach's face. Some of the other team members told me later that he looked confused and slightly annoyed, as if I were wasting his time. My coach soon learned that I was just as hardworking and capable as any other member of the team. I ended up wrestling through my sophomore and junior years, winning more matches than I lost. In the winter of my sophomore year I was talking to one of my new friends during lunch about blindness. He was curious and amazed at my level of independence; he wanted to know why all blind people were not like me. At one point in our conversation, I remember telling him confidently, "Other than driving, name me something that you think I can't do, and I'll show you otherwise." He said that he would think about it and that he would get back to me after practice. I asked him what he was practicing for, and he said that he was a member of the school's gymnastics team. I asked him if he'd ever heard of a blind person doing gymnastics. He said that, come to think of it, he hadn't. He paused and said, "I dare you to join gymnastics." That day I attended my first gymnastics practice with my friend, Brandon. When Brandon introduced me to the coach, I asked the coach if he thought I could join and compete as part of the team. To my great joy, he said, "I don't see why not." He had one of the team members show me the gymnastics equipment corresponding to each event. Then he asked me to choose an event in which I thought I could succeed. After trying out all of the events and making more or less a fool of myself, I didn't know if I could live up to my friend's challenge. The sport turned out to be quite a bit harder than I had first believed. But after the first month or so, I noticed that my workouts were easier and that I was making progress in my performance. My coach discussed my strengths with me and suggested that I either compete on pommel horse or still rings. He also said that I looked like a good candidate for parallel bars as well. Each practice began with my coach explaining the routine and describing the body positions to me. Each gymnastics routine has a number of basic requirements that have to be met. Routines are scored based on a number of criteria ranging from body position to smoothness, completion of transitions, and smooth mounts and dismounts. After my coach had finished explaining a routine to me, he would often ask me to perform it in front of the team. After I tried (and usually failed) at the routine, my coach would lift and maneuver my body through the proper positions, all the while telling me the name for each and how long to hold each. Although I may not have been the best gymnast, my blindness brought a brand-new perspective to the way that the team learned. It wasn't long before the coach told my team members that they should think about learning gymnastics the way I did in order to truly understand it. Instead of using their eyes, he challenged them to use their other senses. My team members soon began to teach me my routines using the coach's methods. This helped me learn, and it helped them gain new techniques for their performances. After our first gymnastics meet (which we won!) we were interviewed by a local newspaper. My team captain told the reporter that he wouldn't have done as well if it weren't for the hours he spent teaching me my routines. He said that by teaching me he had to think of alternative ways of expressing the concepts to me, which in turn gave him a better understanding of what he had to do. By the end of my senior year everyone on my team agreed that they performed better because they had learned to think about the sport using alternative methods. Although my friend dared me to join gymnastics, he really didn't think I could do it. But my coach dared to believe. As silly as it may sound, "seeing beyond the impossible" really is possible. Impossibilities are no more than self-limitations. With the right techniques, sufficient encouragement, and self-motivation, I was able to compete in mainstream sports. At the end of my senior year, I was no longer a novelty to the gymnastics community. When I started scoring higher than some of the "good" gymnasts, I was shown the respect that I deserved as a person competing on an equal playing field. Enrolling blind children in sports, or challenging them to be physically active, is beneficial in so many ways. Children who are active are overall healthier and are able to focus better in school. Blind children who are active have better spatial and kinesthetic awareness--that is, an understanding of their physical position within different environments. This is invaluable later in life when it comes to independent travel. Good spatial awareness also enhances comprehension of mathematical concepts, such as height and distance. All this is to say that physical activity (or sports) plays a very crucial role in the development of all children, blind or sighted." REMEMBERING CARMEN by Debbie Kent Stein As most of our readers know by now, the NFB of Illinois has suffered a grave loss with the passing of Carmen Dennis. Carmen passed away on January 24, 2010, following a massive stroke. Carmen attended her first NFB convention in 1973 and immediately became a dedicated Federationist. For nearly forty years she was a core member of the NFB affiliate and the Chicago Chapter. She held numerous offices at both chapter and state levels over the years, and worked in countless ways behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly. Above all, Carmen will be remembered for her kindness and generosity toward anyone who needed her help. She always found time to listen. She was always ready to set another place at the table, and her home never lacked room for one more. She will be greatly missed by all of us. MEET A FELLOW FEDERATIONIST - CARMEN DENNIS By Debbie Kent Stein [This article originally appeared in the Braille Examiner in the late 1990s.] "When you're a partial, you're caught somewhere in the middle," says Carmen Dennis. "You can spend your whole life deciding whether you're sighted or blind." Carmen has faced this dilemma over and over throughout her life. Some said she didn't have enough vision to study or to work; others have ridiculed her for using a cane because she "sees too well." Claiming her identity as a blind person has been a major theme in her life. Carmen Sepeda grew up on the east side of Joliet, Illinois, the sixth in a family of eight children. Her parents were Mexican, and she learned Spanish as her first language. From early childhood she had low vision due to a condition that was eventually diagnosed as Rieger's syndrome. When Carmen's mother tried to enroll her in the local kindergarten, the school refused to accept her. The teacher claimed she didn't see well enough to read or write. No one told Carmen's parents about Braille or special education for blind children. So Carmen stayed home while her brothers and sisters went off to school. She listened as they did their homework, and learned as much as she could. One day when she was eight Carmen made up her mind to write just like everyone else. She took a crayon and copied the printing from a colorful box, practicing one word over and over on the bathroom wall. The word, it turned out, was KOTEX! Carmen was in trouble, but for the first time her mother realized that she might be able to learn reading and writing after all. Shortly after this incident Carmen's parents divorced. Her mother could not support all of the children on her own. Carmen and her younger siblings were sent to the Guardian Angel Home, an orphanage in Joliet. The upheaval was traumatic, but in the long run the orphanage proved a godsend. The staff recognized Carmen's abilities and let her attend the small school on the orphanage grounds. Using a magnifier she could read the large print in the first- and second-grade primers. But as she advanced in school the print grew smaller. At last the teachers felt she could go no farther without special help, and sent her to the Illinois School for the Blind (now the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired) in Jacksonville. Carmen entered the school for the blind in September, 1956, at the age of ten. She was placed in a "sight-saving class," because the staff said she had too much vision to need Braille. However, she struggled to read her large-print books and begged to be taught Braille as an alternative. At last her teacher agreed to let her try Braille for three months. If she failed to master it in that time, they said, she would have to go back to using print. Carmen took up the challenge. She found Braille much less tiring, and was able to use it for most of her subjects. However, the school still insisted that she use print in her math classes. As time passed Carmen became fluent in both print and Braille. At school Carmen discovered a great divide between students with low vision and those who were totally blind. Most of her friends were "partials." Partials had special privileges and responsibilities, and looked down on the "totals." A few of the totally blind students were independent and adventurous, and Carmen enjoyed getting to know them. But these were the exceptions. Most of the totals lacked basic social skills. They needed help to cut up their meat and butter their bread in the dining-room. Partials were allowed to go shopping in town on Saturdays, but they were assigned to take some of the totals along. No one used a cane, so the partials had to lead the totals by the arm. Blindness meant helplessness and dependence, and Carmen didn't want anyone to think of her that way. She didn't want to be labeled as blind. While she was at the state school, Carmen began cutting hair and giving permanents to the other girls. She decided she would like to become a beautician, and even took a cosmetology class at the nearby school for the deaf. Only one other student from the school for the blind had ever taken this course. Though she was never able to pursue this career goal, Carmen still cuts and sets hair for family and friends. After graduation Carmen talked to a counselor from the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) about her future. The counselor told her to go to Chicago for further training at the Illinois Visually Handicapped Institute (IVHI), now ICRE-Wood. Carmen had no idea how to use a cane, and had never been to the big city before. A counselor from IVHI promised to meet her at the bus station. But when Carmen arrived, no one was there to meet her. She waited and waited, growing more anxious by the minute. Finally she left the station and found a Wallgreen's with a pay phone. At last she spoke to the missing counselor. He said he had been at the station, but he failed to recognize her because she didn't "look blind." She was standing straight and alert, and he expected blind people to have their heads down. Carmen spent eight months at IVHI, where she learned dictaphone typing and a bit of cane travel. She obtained a folding cane, which she unfolded whenever she had to cross a busy street. As soon as she reached the far curb she would fold her cane again and hide it in the sleeve of her coat. From IVHI Carmen went to the Chicago Lighthouse for a course on medical transcription. She did well in the class, and the Lighthouse placed her in a job at the Illinois State Psychiatric Institute. After a trial period, however, she was terminated for problems with spelling. Her supervisor told her to go back to the Lighthouse for more training. "When I went to the Lighthouse again, the counselor got really angry," Carmen recalls. "I asked for more training, but she said I didn't ask nicely. It seemed like she wanted me to get down on my knees and beg." Carmen left the Lighthouse and never went back. She determined to find work on her own. Job-hunting proved harder than Carmen expected. She survived on Social Security and shared a furnished room with a girlfriend. During this turbulent time she became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, Penny. Penny's father, who was blind, ran a cafeteria through the vending program sponsored by DORS. During their six years together Carmen handled his bookkeeping and learned the business. In the summer of 1973 a blind friend, Pat Woltof, invited Carmen to the National Federation of the Blind convention in New York City. Hotel rooms were only $8.50 a night, so she could afford to go. At convention Carmen was astounded to see so many blind people moving about independently. One day she stood by the glass doors of the hotel and watched people streaming in and out, all of them using long white canes. Many of these cane-users were partials. Carmen realized she wanted to move with that degree of ease and confidence herself. She started using a cane that day, and has never hidden it again. For Carmen that convention was a transforming experience. She met dozens of blind people who led interesting lives and were fun to be with. For the first time in her life she felt it was respectable to be blind. The following year Carmen completed official training for the DORS vending program. Because of her travel skills she was able to work as a substitute manager at stands, snackbars, and cafeterias all over the city. She was told that she was the best substitute in the program. She was assigned her own cafeteria, at Belltone Electronics, in 1975. She is now assistant manager of a candy stand at the Richard M. Daley Center in Chicago. In 1980 Carmen married Charlie Dennis, whom she met through the vending program. Their daughter Kristy was born in 1981. Carmen Dennis is a stalwart member of the Chicago Chapter of the NFBI. She is one of those dedicated members who keep things running smoothly by working behind the scenes. At state conventions she labels rooms in Braille, and for twenty years she Brailled the menus in the convention hotel restaurants. Since 1977 she has stored the affiliate's supply of Braille literature in her home. She handles the literature table at chapter meetings and at state conventions. It means she does lots of organizing, and a lot of heavy hauling. "I feel I've had to make a choice," Carmen says. "I've had to choose whether to be accepted as a blind person or to get people to accept me as a sighted person. I made that choice when I started to use my cane. The first time one of my sighted friends saw me she said, 'What have you got that thing for? You don't need that!' And I told her, 'Yes, I do need it, and I'm going to use it, because I'm blind!"' FOR THAT, THEY''LL NEVER BE GONE by Charlie Dennis This song is dedicated to four of the people who have been most influential in my NFB life: Mike Cramer, Peter Grunwald, Norm Bolton, and now Carm; each one is physically gone, but never to be forgotten. I'm sure there are many more people for whom we could add verses. The song can be sung to the tune of "Abraham, Martin and John" by Dion. Has anybody here seen our best friend Michael? He made us stronger, then moved on. Whenever we took action, His words and deeds inspired us. For that, he'll never be gone. Has anybody here seen our best friend Peter? He fought our battles, then moved on. With every legal fight we won, His were the words that made us free! For that, he'll never be gone. Has anybody here seen our best friend Norman? He made us listen, then moved on. So many times, when we were down, He spoke the words that lifted us. For that he'll never be gone. Didn't we need the way they led us? Didn't they try to raise the bar for you and me, So we could be set free-- Because we have every right to be! Has anybody here seen our best friend Carmen? It still doesn't seem like she's moved on. When we were new, alone and scared, She welcomed and believed in us. For that she'll never be gone. They're all sitting here beside us, Just the way they've always been! For that they'll never be gone-- Because of them, we keep on keeping on. NFBI Calendar of Events: March--July March 22--7:00-8:00 PM, NFBI Parent Group, via conference call, 712.580.7700, code PARENT (727368) 23--7:30-9:00 PM, NFBI Chicago Chapter Constitution Committee via teleconference 712.580.7700, code NFBI (6324) 28--7:30-9:00 PM, NFBI Senior Fair Committee via teleconference 712.580.7700, code NFBI (6324) 29--7:00-9:00 PM, IABS Constitution Committee via teleconference 712.580.7700, code IABS (7227) 31--8:00 AM-6:00 PM, Scholarship Applications due, contact Debbie Stein, 773.631.1093 April 3--9:30 AM-12:00 PM, NFBI Ferris Wheel Chapter Meeting, Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Avenue, Jacksonville 10:00 AM--1:00 PM, Heartland Chapter Meeting, Bourbonnais Public Library, 250 W. John Casey Road 7--8:00-11:00 PM, IABS meeting, via teleconference 712.580.7700, code IABS (4224) 10--11:00 AM-2:00 PM, Four Rivers Chapter Meeting, Belleville West Main Branch Public Library 10--All day, NFBI Spring Seminar for Parents of Blind Children, Chicago, IL 11--7:00 PM, NFBI At Large Chapter, 712.580.7700, code NFBI (6324) 12--8:00-9:00 PM, Advocacy Committee, 712.580.7700, code NFBI (6324) 15-16--All day, TenBroek Symposium, Baltimore, MD 17--1:00-3:30 PM, Chicago Chapter Meeting, Exchequer Pub, Chicago 19--8:00-9:00 PM, IABS Board Meeting via teleconference 712.580.7700, code IABS (4227) 30--9:00-10:00 AM, National Scholarship Committee May 1--9:30 AM-12:30 PM, Ferris Wheel Chapter Meeting 10 AM-1:00 PM, Heartland Chapter Meeting, Bourbonnais Public Library, 250 W. John Casey Road 4--8:00-11:00 PM, IABS Meeting, 712.580.7700, code IABS (4227) 2--7:00-9:00 PM, At Large chapter meeting via teleconference 712.580.7700, code NFBI (6324) 8--11:00 AM-2:00 PM, Four Rivers Chapter Meeting, Belleville West Main Branch Public Library 12:30--3:330 PM, Chicago Chapter Membership Reception & Chapter Meeting, Exchequer Pub 15--All day, Advocacy Seminar, NFBI Board and Advocacy Committee, Holiday Inn O'Hare June 1--8:00-11:00 PM, IABS Meeting via teleconference 712.580.7700, code NFBI (4227) 5--9:300 AM-12:30 PM, Ferris Wheel Chapter Meeting 10:00 AM-1:00 PM, Heartland Chapter Meeting, Bourbonnais Public Library, 250 W. John Casey Road 12--11:00 AM-2:00 PM, Four Rivers Chapter Meeting, Belleville West Main Branch Public Library 11:30 AM-3:30 PM-Chicago Chapter Board Meeting & Chapter Meeting, Exchequer Pub July 3-8, NFB National Convention, Dallas, TX, Hilton Anatole Hotel