[Nebraska-senior-blind] NFB Braille Monitor - our monthly newsletter - have you read May's issue?

[Robert Leslie Newman]

If you are not receiving this on your own (email or print or Braille or
recorded), you need to! We can assist you getting your copy. Great
information, news on what we know is important for the blind, and more.

 

 

BRAILLE MONITOR

Vol. 59, No. 5 May 2016

Gary Wunder, Editor

 

 

Distributed by email, in ink print, in Braille, and on USB flash

drive, with the audio version being available in both Spanish and English

(see reverse side) by the

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

 

Mark Riccobono, President

 

telephone: (410) 659-9314

email address: nfb at nfb.org

Website address: http://www.nfb.org

NFBnet.org: http://www.nfbnet.org

NFB-NEWSLINE. Information: (866) 504-7300

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind

Follow us on Twitter: @NFB_Voice

Watch and share our videos: YouTube.com/Nations Blind

 

 

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 gwunder at nfb.org.

 

 

Monitor subscriptions cost the Federation about forty 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

200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place

Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998

 

THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND KNOWS THAT BLINDNESS IS NOT THE

CHARACTERISTIC THAT DEFINES YOU OR YOUR FUTURE. EVERY DAY WE RAISE THE

EXPECTATIONS OF BLIND PEOPLE, BECAUSE LOW EXPECTATIONS CREATE OBSTACLES

BETWEEN BLIND PEOPLE AND OUR DREAMS. YOU CAN LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT;

BLINDNESS IS NOT WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK. THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND-IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR

OURSELVES.

ISSN 0006-8829

) 2016 by the National Federation of the Blind

Each issue is recorded on a thumb drive (also called a memory stick

or USB flash drive). You can read this audio edition using a computer or a

National Library Service digital player. The NLS machine has two slots-the

familiar book-cartridge slot just above the retractable carrying handle and

a second slot located on the right side near the headphone jack. This

smaller slot is used to play thumb drives. Remove the protective rubber pad

covering this slot and insert the thumb drive. It will insert only in one

position. If you encounter resistance, flip the drive over and try again.

(Note: If the cartridge slot is not empty when you insert the thumb drive,

the digital player will ignore the thumb drive.) Once the thumb drive is

inserted, the player buttons will function as usual for reading digital

materials. If you remove the thumb drive to use the player for cartridges,

when you insert it again, reading should resume at the point you stopped.

You can transfer the recording of each issue from the thumb drive to

your computer or preserve it on the thumb drive. However, because thumb

drives can be used hundreds of times, we would appreciate their return in

order to stretch our funding. Please use the return envelope enclosed with

the drive when you return the device.

 

[PHOTO CAPTION: Palm-lined drive leading to front entrance to Rosen Shingle

Creek Resort]

 

Orlando Site of 2016 NFB Convention

 

The 2016 convention of the National Federation of the Blind will take

place in Orlando, Florida, June 30 to July 5, at the Rosen Shingle Creek

Resort, 9939 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, Florida 32819-9357. Make your

room reservation as soon as possible with the Shingle Creek staff only.

Call (866) 996-6338.

The 2016 room rates are singles and doubles, $83; and for triples and

quads, $89. In addition to the room rates there will be a tax, which at

present is 13.5 percent. No charge will be made for children under

seventeen in the room with parents as long as no extra bed is requested.

The hotel is accepting reservations now. A $95-per-room deposit is required

to make a reservation. Fifty percent of the deposit will be refunded if

notice is given to the hotel of a reservation cancellation before May 27,

2016. The other 50 percent is not refundable.

Rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Reservations may be made before May 27, 2016, assuming that rooms are still

available. After that time the hotel will not hold our room block for the

convention. In other words, you should get your reservation in soon.

All Rosen Shingle Creek guestrooms feature amenities that include

plush Creek Sleeper beds, 40" flat screen TVs, complimentary high-speed

internet capabilities, in-room safes, coffee makers, mini-fridges, and hair

dryers. Guests can also enjoy a swimming pool, fitness center, and on-site

spa. The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort has a number of dining options,

including two award-winning restaurants, and twenty-four-hour-a-day room

service.

The schedule for the 2016 convention is:

Thursday, June 30 Seminar Day

Friday, July 1 Registration Day

Saturday, July 2 Board Meeting and Division Day

Sunday, July 3 Opening Session

Monday, July 4 Business Session

Tuesday, July 5 Banquet Day and Adjournment

 

 

Vol. 59, No. 5 May

2016

 

Contents

 

Diversity in the Disability Rights Movement: Working Together to Achieve

the Right to Live in the World

 

A Hands-On Guy Doing Hands-On Work in the Information Age

by Fred Wurtzel and Gary Wunder

 

Blinded Driver versus Blind Pedestrians

by Mike May

 

I Encouraged My Daughter to Be a Cowboy

by Peggy Chong

 

Transitions: A Conference for Parents and Teachers of Blind Children

by Kim Cunningham

 

Sharing a Room at Convention and How to Survive It with a Smile

by Grace Warn

 

If Braille Were Print

by Erin Jepsen

 

Fake Service Dogs: Problem or Propaganda?

by Marion Gwizdala

 

How to Pay for Your Hotel Stay in Orlando

by Tony Cobb

 

Recipes

 

Monitor Miniatures

 

 

[PHOTO CAPTION: President Riccobono welcomes participants to the 2016

Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium.]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Dr. Maurer moderates panel one of the Building Diversity in

the Disability Rights Movement plenary session with speakers Michelle

Garcia, Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, and Rabia Belt, Stanford Law

School.]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Jernigan Institute Executive Director Anil Lewis speaks

about his experience as an African-American with a disability during the

Building Diversity in the Disability Rights Movement plenary session.]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Two hundred people from throughout the United States and

Canada attend the 2016 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium.]

[PHOTO CAPTION: United States District Judge Myron H. Thompson keynotes the

2016 Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium.]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Dr. Maurer talks about the right to real work with Ohio

sheltered workshop plaintiffs Joe Magers and Mark Felton on the left, and

Regina Kline, US Department of Justice, and Matthew Dietz, Disability

Independence Group, on the right.]

Diversity in the Disability Rights Movement: Working Together to Achieve

the Right to Live in the World

For the ninth year the National Federation of the Blind demonstrated

its leadership role in the disability rights movement by hosting the

Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium March 31 to April 1, 2016, at the

National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute.

Two hundred disability rights lawyers, advocates, and law students

from throughout the United States and Canada attended. A broad range of

disability rights organizations, government agencies, and law schools were

represented, including: Disability Rights Texas, National Association of

the Deaf, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, US Department of Justice,

Paralyzed Veterans of America, The Arc of the United States, Stanford Law

School, National Black Disability Coalition, Asian and Pacific Islanders

with Disabilities of California, the University of Alabama School of Law,

and Syracuse University School of Law.

With a theme of "Diversity in the Disability Rights Movement: Working

Together to Achieve the Right to Live in the World," the focus of the 2016

tenBroek symposium was to examine the status of diversity in the disability

rights movement and explore ways to increase diversity so that all may

achieve Dr. tenBroek's vision of equality of opportunity. Plenary sessions

were moderated by Dr. Maurer and examined building diversity in the

disability rights movement, arrests and Title II of the ADA, international

progress on improving accessibility, ethical issues in the representation

of persons with disabilities, and the right to real work under Olmstead.

Workshop topics included disability and discrimination in the LGBT

community, how schools are using truancy laws to avoid their

responsibilities under the IDEA, voting rights, and application of the

Americans with Disabilities Act in a school-to-prison pipeline class

action. As the symposium keynote speaker, United States District Judge

Myron H. Thompson provided his thoughts on how the diversity of the

disability rights movement could be increased.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: George Wurtzel]

A Hands-On Guy Doing Hands-On Work in the Information Age

by Fred Wurtzel and Gary Wunder

 

>From the Editor: Recently several people suggested that I interview

George Wurtzel whenever I talked about the need to address employment

opportunities for blind folks whose passion is not found in books, letters,

and working at a desk. One of the people who was most enthusiastic about

publicizing the off-the-beaten-path work that George Wurtzel has done is

none other than his brother Fred, known for being a longtime leader in the

National Federation of the Blind. Fred and I have decided to work jointly

to create this article, and it is in his voice that most of it will be

presented. Here is what Fred has to say, with an occasional sentence thrown

in by yours truly:

 

When I received Gary's notes on my brother, Gary wrote in his email

to me, "I might not want to hire George to work for me, but I would

certainly enjoy watching someone else do it, enjoying both his creativity

and their failed attempts to manage him." I am totally impressed with our

editor's ability to accurately portray the essence of a person in a

sentence. This is why he is the editor, and this is a great way to begin

this story.

What do you say about a broad-shouldered, six-foot-six person with a

huge bushy white beard, a full head of curly dark hair, who wears bib

overalls, has an engaging smile, and an easy infectious laugh? What if that

person was on the first American expedition to cross-country ski across

Lapland? What do you say about a person who has been an auto mechanic, a

bicycle mechanic, a commercial woodworker in three states, was a

partner/baker in a bakery, owned and rode Arabian horses in endurance

rides, makes props for the film industry, has had exhibits in modern art

museums, and teaches blind people to do woodworking? What do you say about

this person when you learn he was born with little eyesight and has been

totally blind since age nineteen? What do you say if the editor of the

Braille Monitor asks you to write about this person, and this person

happens to be your brother?

Dr. Joshua Miele of Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute says, "He

is a bad-ass blind guy."

I feel a need to begin by explaining why I want to tell my brother's

story to the Braille Monitor. Among things I love are my brother and the

National Federation of the Blind. They share a fierce need to be

independent and, some people say, a reluctance to compromise, arguably to

their occasional disadvantage. I do not share the misgivings, but I

certainly observe the fierceness in our common need for independence.

George Wurtzel <http://www.gmwurtzel.com/> has always been an

adventurer, and it hasn't always been easy for him or those around him. The

presence of young George was always accompanied by some kind of sound. It

wasn't a radio or a record player; it was tapping, banging, chiseling,

sawing, scraping, or running feet. Motion is a signature word for George.

When he started riding a bicycle on the street, he could certainly

hear moving vehicles and could detect most of them that were stopped, but

he did have a problem with the postal worker. When we were children the

postman would deliver mail using a push cart with a bag strapped to it. He

and the cart didn't make much noise, and more than once my brother ran into

that cart, spilling its sorted contents on the street and leaving the

postman not only to reload and re-sort, but also to chase his newly freed

letters as they were taken by the wind.

The postman was a fine guy, but George's behavior did not go

unchallenged. The postman confronted my mother, openly questioning the

propriety of a blind kid riding a bike and suggesting that she bolt down

the cycle so George would no longer be a public menace. Mom's reply was

that locking up the bike would do no good since her son would only cut the

bolts. "This is just one of the problems when you have children raised by a

father who loves tools and has a child who is eager to learn to use them,"

George remembers her saying.

Now comes the age-old debate about nature and nurture. Growing up

with George, I know about his innate and irrepressible curiosity. Our

parents were hands-on folks, having grown up in farm families as most

people of their age did. They were skilled at things like cooking,

mechanics, baking, and foraging for wild berries, mushrooms, and asparagus.

One of their favorite pastimes was playing cards with family and friends.

We had an active and social environment in our early years.

We were expected to be outside as long as the sun was up and only

return indoors for food (bathroom breaks were optional, us being boys and

all and living in the countryside most of our childhood). In our earliest

years we lived on three acres in Thomas Township, Michigan. Our father's

excavating business occupied a lot of the three acres with dump trucks,

bulldozers, backhoes, dragline cranes, and innumerable other machines and

fun stuff to play on. Late afternoons were always interesting with the

crews returning, doing machine maintenance like greasing the crawler tracks

on the bulldozers and cranes, loading equipment onto the lowboy trailer to

prepare for the next day's work-and the banter, always the banter among the

crew. I learned lots of words that my teachers were not real impressed

with. During the day we had the run of the area with discarded underground

gasoline storage tanks that were maybe ten feet in diameter. What a

challenge to climb up on them and to hear and feel the really cool, deep

bass sound they make when struck with just the right object. In addition we

played on piles of used tires, catch basins, old abandoned trucks, and so

on. Have you ever seen a fire hydrant out of the ground? It was a paradise

for two curious boys.

Later on, after we moved to northern Michigan, and our father was

selling the kinds of equipment that he had owned as a contractor, we lived

on eighty acres with woods and fields. George and I bought a 1950 Dodge and

a 1953 Chrysler New Yorker for twenty or thirty dollars each. We proceeded

to take the body off the Chrysler and make a dune buggy out of it, and we

amused our friends by driving the Dodge through the fields at high rates of

speed. I had some vision then.

So, was it our genes that made George the adventurous entrepreneur,

or was it our parent's hands-off style of parenting, or was it the teachers

and adults we encountered? If you are a parent and reading this, I hope you

consider these questions. Forget what CNN or Crunchy Moms say; let your

kids run free to go on adventures. Everyone will be better off for it.

Although George appreciates academia, office jobs, and the so-called

information age in which we live, they have never been his cup of tea. He

is what most of us call a hands-on kind of guy, but with George the term is

not figurative but exceedingly literal. "I learn by doing, by touching, by

trying it myself. And, you know, I'm not alone in this. Lots of blind

people are just like me-they aren't suited to a desk job, but they are

ready for some good, honest, physical work."

As I said, our father was a small business owner during our very

young days. He owned an excavating business. Our kitchen was the office

where the workers met in the morning for the day's assignments. Talk of

machines, excavating, leveling, ditches, sewer lines to be installed-all

were part of our morning conversation at the breakfast table.

One time my father found out that one of his employees was taking the

long way home so he could add extra time to his paycheck. This was an

ongoing problem. When this employee came in one morning, George, only about

four years old, said, "My daddy is going to fire you." I guess this

prepared George for his future of managing employees in his various

businesses.

George's story is more than a blue collar versus white collar career

discussion. If one considers George's thought process, it transcends these

artificial definitions. Some people would say that George is eclectic;

others would say he has simple common sense born of his view of life. He is

a synthesizer. He creates new space and concepts out of thought and

creativity through tools, wood, flour, spices, and agriculture, all

contained in his mind and born out of a rich experiential base. What

bothers some people is that George refuses to make overly-simple blanket

assumptions about doctrinal issues. Chair caning, piano tuning, and door-to-

door sales have been stereotypic professions for blind people. Now the

pendulum has swung and many if not most counselors are guiding blind people

away from jobs that have traditionally been good paying. Even the Randolph-

Sheppard program, arguably one of the best employment programs for the

blind, has trouble getting counselors to refer potential businessmen to it

because it is one of those stereotypical blind guy jobs, even though some

blind people are making six-figure incomes. Dogmatism just isn't in

George's personality, unless it concerns the proper care and use of tools.

George does not frown on what some dismissively call the traditional

blind jobs. "If they create real American money, I like them. We should

argue when people say that the traditional blind jobs are the only ones

blind people can do, but we should never argue that, because we have done

them in the past, we shouldn't now see them as good, honorable, and

lucrative jobs."

One of the highest values of the National Federation of the Blind is

developing positive blind role models to demonstrate first-hand that

blindness is not what holds us back. As George says, "In years past schools

for the blind, at least the Michigan School for the Blind, had many blind

teachers. One of these served as a positive blind role model for me. Frank

Rosnoski taught many manual skills, including shoe repair and chair caning.

Another role model was Jesse Manly, who taught piano tuning. Many of us

made good money as students during evenings and weekends pursuing these

occupations. Frank Rosnoski could carve a chain from a single piece of wood

or a ball in a cage. He was an inspiration for me, showing me that a blind

person could not only be skilled at woodworking, but could earn a living

doing so. I had no skill or interest in piano tuning, though it paid very

well."

He continued, "Almost everyone would like to work for what they get.

They may take public money, may believe they deserve it because some

disability has befallen them, may tell themselves they are just getting

back what they or someone else has paid in, but no one feels as good about

taking money as they do about earning it.

"I have argued and fought against sheltered workshops for their

exploitation of the blind. They have long been a thorn in my side. But I am

not opposed to creating environments that pay blind people a real and

meaningful wage," George stated with passion evident in his voice.

When around George there is usually some kind of smell. It is the

fragrance of wood shavings or sawdust, the nose-twitching smell of some

kind of wood finish, the industrial odors of motor oil, WD-40 or gasoline.

If you are lucky enough to get in his kitchen, there will be wonderful

aromas of lovingly made brothy or creamy soups, the homey and delectable

smells of fresh bread baking, or the aromatic vapors of a pot of chili

simmering that promises a welcoming mealtime.

When George operated his countertop business, he provided lunch for

his employees. This was an economic move to keep his employees close by so

they returned on time to work, but it also was a way to share his

hospitality, his creative cooking skills, and his concern for others.

At age nineteen George started his own woodworking shop in Traverse

City, Michigan. "For the first two years I worked a full-time job from

eight to four at a bicycle and ski repair shop, which gave me money to

support my habit-woodworking. In doing that I became a bicycle technician,

fixing and repairing bicycles. This was a great job for me as a blind

person-put the bicycle up on a rack, figure out what was wrong, repair it,

and, sometimes at the peril of other people, I'd go riding to test my

work."

In this job George also learned to repair and mount ski bindings and

was good enough that he was invited to Las Vegas by Salomon, the seller of

running shoes, skis, and snowboarding equipment to work the national ski

show in its booth. "All of the emphasis on the safety of ski binding

equipment was driven by insurance companies who would get sued if an

accident could be traced to mechanical problems with the skis and their

bindings. In order for me to qualify, I had to take a test for

certification. The test involved looking at forty ski bindings and

determining which one of those forty was constructed correctly. In my group

of test takers, I was the only one to find the ski bindings that had no

problem. Lots of us found the thirty-nine that had problems, but I was the

only one to find the pair that was put together correctly. I think the

difference may be that most folks come in looking for problems, but I am an

optimist and tend to assume that things are okay until I find that they

aren't."

But back in Traverse City, having no money to pay rent for his part-

time business, George made a deal with the owner of a commercial office

building to use the unrentable space in the basement for his woodworking

shop. "For the right to use that space, I cleaned his bathrooms, cleaned

his hallways, and shoveled his snow. Because of my job and the building's

business hours, I had to do these office building jobs after five in the

evening. So, after working from eight to four in the bicycle shop and five

until nine or ten at the office building, I could work at making products

in the shop."

In about two years George bought his own building. The business was

open for a little over nine years, but after buying some new machinery and

adding to his original building, he was forced to close in 1982 when the

economy crashed and interest rates were sky-high at 20 percent. This meant

that the building industry came to a screeching halt. Losing the business

took almost everything George had. "You know you are poor when you can move

all of your belongings halfway across the country on a Greyhound bus."

What he left behind in Traverse City was a lot of classic woodwork in

a renovated historic county courthouse, beautifully made store fixtures in

many of Traverse City's gift shops and retail stores, Traverse City's

longest bar in a bowling alley, and beautiful furniture in people's homes

that they will pass on to their children. The city is richer than it was

when he came there and shared some of his passion and creativity to earn

his daily bread.

George moved to Hickory, North Carolina, to get a degree in furniture

production management from Catawba Valley Community College. "The reason

for going back to school was that my failure in Traverse City led to the

recognition that I needed more skills to be a successful business person,"

he said.

While at Catawba College he was hired for a temporary job assembling

upholstered couches for a furniture sample maker. North Carolina hosts the

headquarters of a number of major furniture companies. Companies have

samples made of their new designs to develop manufacturing systems and to

show to their customer buyers. It was a rush job and the owner needed

people who could use tools and knew about upholstered furniture.

"It surprised me that I actually got a job in North Carolina. The

owner hired six people and let five of them go at the end of the job; he

kept me. I was working with guys who were the best of the best. There were

no slackers. I am very good at setting up machines and am not satisfied

until they are perfect. Good enough is not good enough."

After learning his trade George went to work with people who were

creating a kitchen cabinet manufacturing plant. "The reason I was hired to

start a European-style cabinet factory is that there is no room for error

in European cabinet manufacturing. Precision is absolutely mandatory if the

cabinets are to come out right. There is no tolerance for slop. They owned

the building, and I was responsible for purchasing the machinery,

equipment, and tools. I set up the plant, trained the employees, and

started seeing production go out the door." But George does not always play

well with others, so he and his partners separated after a couple of years.

"One of the partners I got along with quite well, but the other partner and

I had a personality conflict, and, in addition, I wanted and thought I

deserved more money."

Soon George started another company of his own: SellAmerica. His

first engagement was with a company selling woodworking routers used for a

variety of woodworking applications, including putting finished edges on

tables, picture frames, and a multitude of other functions (nothing to do

with computers). "The business I contracted with wanted me to do marketing,

but my goal was to become an independent representative and work with

several companies selling other products to different businesses."

George's business morphed into something different when his mother

suggested he make a pretty box for his veteran father's interment flag. The

triangular box was attractive and could be displayed either open or closed.

She showed it to a neighbor who knew someone in the funeral home business.

He in turn showed it to the director of the funeral home, who said, "No one

is doing anything like this. This is a great idea." So George built some

prototypes, did some horse trading with a photographer, created a brochure,

and had about a hundred of them printed up and distributed them by hand and

by mail. His company began selling to local funeral homes. Within two years

he had 2,200 accounts coast to coast and was making about 17 percent on

every box he sold. After seeking and being awarded a contract from both the

army and the air force that he could not fulfill without the capital,

George began looking for an investor. In that search he found someone more

interested in purchasing the company than investing in it. "I won't say how

much I sold it for, but it allowed me to be a bum for a while. I believe it

was Mark Twain who said that 'money doesn't bring you happiness; it just

allows you to purchase the type of misery you most prefer.'" [Our sources

suggests it was actually English comic Spike Millligan.]

In North Carolina George had a lady friend who owned a bakery, so he

spent a couple of days each week working there-baking, making soup, and

building up the dessert business in local resorts. He spent a couple of

days working in his shop, and spent the rest of his time buying, raising,

training, and selling Arabian horses. Horses were a passion he had from

early childhood. In summers during high school he worked shoveling manure

for a local horse raiser in Traverse City, Michigan, in order to earn a

little money and mostly to be around horses. All of these part-time jobs he

did for three or four years before he decided he needed to go back to work.

George moved back to Lansing, Michigan, and started a business in an

abandoned storefront which he and some partners renovated. Its purpose was

designing, building, and selling kitchen cabinets. The business also

included a unit dedicated to countertop fabrication. "In true George

Wurtzel style, as my business grew, I decided I liked working by myself

more than I did with others, so we split the cabinet sales business off

from the countertop business, it being the one I took."

When anyone spends even a short amount of time with George, they will

come to associate him with flavors. It might be some warm whole wheat or

sourdough bread from the oven. He might offer a newly discovered craft

beer, a particular love of his. He has a signature Key lime pie. Simple

things like oatmeal and pancakes are always something special. Quality

fresh ingredients skillfully and creatively prepared with George's

attention to detail are hallmarks of his culinary presentations.

In the early 2000's when the economy, including the building and

remodeling sector, started to fall apart, George closed this business and

went to work as the executive director for Opportunities Unlimited for the

Blind, where he had been serving as a board member. His job was to run a

camp for blind children, and this he did for about five years, something of

a record for George.

During this time George brought the camp program to a new level of

excellence and learned that he liked teaching, and especially teaching

young blind people. In 2009 the camp won the prestigious Dr. Jacob Bolotin

Award for outstanding programs serving blind people. George acted on his

idea to combine art and cooking by designing and having the campers build

an outdoor clay oven for baking pizzas and bread. He hired Steve Handschu,

a nationally known blind artist, to oversee the design and construction of

a dragon-shaped oven later named Smorge. The campers were the primary

designers and builders under Steve's and George's oversight.

After working there George moved to Minneapolis, where he worked for

BLIND Incorporated. "I told my brother in an email that if I made it a

year, I'd be surprised, and I actually worked there for about two-and-a-

half years. I was really proud of myself, and besides, I really needed the

money. ... I'm a really creative person, and I really don't like being

pinned in. I can be a difficult employee because I'm really strong in my

opinions, and eventually those opinions have caused me or my employers to

say that it is time for me to move on. ... I've always wanted to have

complete control over my life and what I did, and I believe that everybody

should have that.

"My rub with much of rehab is that too often you have this thirty-

year-old person telling a forty-year-old that we're going to make you a

desk jockey, when that forty-year-old's skills, talents, and abilities are

in his hands and not in his academic ability. Luckily for me, when I was a

young person in rehab, we had two or three people known as job developers

whose jobs were industry-based. They didn't have fancy degrees, but they

knew how to go out to a factory, look at those jobs, show the factory how a

blind person could do them, and then teach the blind person what they

needed to know to get and hold a position there. Now you have

rehabilitation agencies in the country that are so focused on getting

people degrees that they know nothing about blue collar work. I meet too

many rehab workers who are just dumbfounded at what I do, and they say,

'How do you do what you do?' And I find myself asking, 'How can you do what

you do without knowing this?'

"When I started at the Michigan School for the Blind, they had just

quit raising chickens and teaching people how to take care of them and to

do some animal husbandry. I don't know when the last time was that you

priced free-range eggs, but they are $5 a dozen where I live, and it costs

about three cents per egg to feed a chicken. There's really good money in

that, but when I talk with people about this, they say, 'Do you really want

blind people to go back to raising chickens?' And I say, 'Yes! If the blind

person wants a career in agriculture and there is a likelihood there is

money to be made. Nearly everyone eats eggs in some form or other every

day.'

"Except for those times when I didn't want to work, I've had a job

since I was thirteen years old, either working for myself or working for

someone else. This is because I've developed a skillset that suits me well,

and I've learned how to sell my skillset to people. When you run your own

business, it's like having a job interview every week because you have to

go out and sell yourself, whether it's to a company or a potential

customer. You get a guy who wants to build five or six confectionary

stores, and you want to build all of his cabinetry for him. You have to go

out and convince him that you can build the product the way he wants it,

give him the quality that he wants, and do it in the timeframe that he

wants. You know, he looks at you as a blind person and says, 'I don't know

how the guy gets across the street, so can he do all this stuff for me?'"

This is something George has faced over and over again, but if you do

the job long enough in a city like Traverse City, Michigan, people start to

know you, your business starts to have a reputation, and then the company

becomes the symbol of what you do rather than the blind man who leaves

people with the question of whether or not he can do it. "It is hardest

when starting out and actually gets easier as you get bigger."

When we Americans wonder what the newest trend is, we look to

California. George is currently working for the San Francisco Lighthouse.

In an interview for this article Executive Director Bryan Bashin

<http://lighthouse-sf.org/blog/lighthouse-names-bryan-bashin-as-new-

executive-directorceo/> had a lot to say about the approach that

organization has with respect to rehabilitation of blind people. "There is

a need for outside-the-classroom informal learning, informal mentoring . .

. one of the great opportunities is what comes in nature. When I took the

job at the lighthouse, one of the reasons I did it was because the

lighthouse has owned for sixty-five years this amazing camp on 311 acres in

Napa with every fun thing and bit of infrastructure you can think of. So it

was my dream to bring a critical group of blindness-positive people

together and build that camp. That's what George is really at the center of-

-literally building that camp."

As George sees it, "My current job is the best retirement work one

could have expected. Bryan Bashin engaged in some rather unfair recruiting

practices. He called me on a day when it was minus eighteen in Minnesota

and seventy-two degrees in San Francisco. The line that clinched the offer

was, 'You could be living here.' Before my interview, I had met Bryan a

couple of times at NFB conventions, but he says that when he considered

what he wanted done, I was the only person on his radar. He has a grape-

crushing building that was built in the 1920s. It is a two-story building

with about 3,600 square feet, and he wants to convert it into a place where

we can teach blind people fine arts. The entire top floor has become a

woodworking shop, which contains all my tools, and the main floor of the

building is going to become a pottery studio, a general sculpture area, a

leather-working shop, and then we'll have a small gallery space for people

to display and sell their stuff if they so desire."

Once the building is done, the San Francisco Society for the Blind

will start teaching classes. "I can do some cursory instruction in pottery

and in leather working, but we will find people whose professions are to do

these things, and we will hire them as instructors. We have a stream of

people going through here; some of them want to be good craftsmen for their

own enjoyment, and others want to be good enough at the work to do it at a

professional level and make a living as an artist or an artisan."

One of the things George hopes to have is big gardens and to raise

the produce to feed the people who come during the summer. "We will teach

people to be gardeners because, here again, look at the price of organic

food in the stores. I've never met a vegetable yet that I couldn't

recognize by touch, so why aren't we doing more of this? It's crazy not to

be teaching these skills. Community-based farms make big money for the

people running them. People subscribe to your garden service, and you give

them the vegetables they want either by having them delivered or by having

them come to pick up their order. You don't even have to leave the farm,

and people will just bring you money."

Bashin commented about the Lighthouse, "I think as an organization

that is concerned about employment of the blind, we have to look at the

complete spectrum. We can't just be an organization that helps blind law

students. We can't be an organization to cream-off-the-top people from the

top universities. We have to provide different paths for people who want

different things. So, yes, we do help blind attorneys, but we also have

something we call employment emersion. There we work with individuals in a

very intense multi-month process to learn all the techniques that blind

people use to find jobs, secure jobs. Each job in employment emersion is

one-on-one, so a person who has a desire to work, let's say in radio

station advertising sales--we work with him or her to determine: how do you

find these jobs? What are they called? How do you approach this? What if

you have no experience? How do you disclose your disability? How do you

build a network of people? This is far more than just the regular processes

involved in pursuing job postings . . . There's a lot of work that goes

into getting people to feel that they deserve a place at the table: the

sense of teaching folks about our history and our collective mission and

the legitimacy and the normality of being blind."

George observes that, "Other fields cry out for blind people to

explore them. While at the bicycle store, I also learned to string tennis

rackets. What benefit is that? Well a man who works for one of the

William's sisters makes $300,000 stringing her rackets. Now you may not

make that much, but you can string a racket in twenty minutes."

We asked George an uncomfortable question. "So how did you avoid

falling into the trap of doing nothing and getting paid for it?"

"Well, for one thing I suffer from what the Germans and the Americans

call ants in your pants. I can't sit still-I just can't. The second part is

that I needed to have the money to do what my adventuresome side wanted to

do-bicycling, backpacking, canoeing. All of these are things that require

money. In 1974 I had a custom-made tandem bicycle built just for me. At the

time it cost me $1,000. That's at least a $7,000 purchase today and maybe

as much as $10,000 depending on what you want. Social Security does not

supply enough jingle in one's pockets for those kinds of things."

[PHOTO CAPTION: George teaches a student how to use a lathe.]

George did not set out to become a teacher. He said, "It wasn't until

I was the director at Camp Tuhsmeheta that I realized that I had a talent

and most important, a love of teaching woodworking. I work with every

student as an individual. I begin with teaching measuring using a click

rule and begin to form a picture of the student's skill set. My goal is to

help every student get to the level they want, whether it is a simple hobby

with simple tools or a full-blown shop making commercially marketable

goods. This is their choice, not mine. My role is to help them to fulfill

their dreams and needs."

I interviewed Dr. Joshua Miele (pronounced meelee)

<http://www.ski.org/users/joshua-miele> for this article. Miele is a blind

researcher at the Smith-Kettlewell Institute. The Smith-Kettlewell Eye

Research Institute is a non-profit, independent research institute

affiliated with and located adjacent to the California Pacific Medical

Center in San Francisco. Dr. Miele does work with systems for blind people

to gain access to complex data such as digital maps, tables, and other

digital images, and uses touch and speech to simplify access to complex

information so that blind people can do research, work, and learn in fields

dependent on mathematical and graphical information.

Dr. Miele recently participated in a workshop conducted at the newly

completed woodshop at the Enchanted Hills Camp facility. George has

personally done a lot of the work to renovate the old building, and he also

supervised the work of volunteers and tradespeople on the project. Miele's

view on careers for the blind is, "If you're not going to do it, it should

be because you don't want to do it, not because you can't. I can't stand

the idea of a brilliant physicist being forced to make brooms because

that's his only option, but I also can't stand the idea of somebody who

wants to work with her hands being forced into the knowledge market because

some rehab counselor says that's her only choice."

But Miele didn't just learn about woodworking at that event. He

learned much more from George, and, from the moment they met, as Miele puts

it, "Just as much as learning about the tools and the wood, I feel like I

learned about teaching from George. When I met him and we started talking,

I had this immediate sense that I was dealing with somebody who was at the

top of his game."

Jason "JJ" Meddaugh <http://www.atguys.com/store/> is a blind

entrepreneur who runs a company known as atguys.com. He attended the same

woodworking class as Dr. Miele. He has known George for many years, since

Jason was very young and a camper at Camp Tuhsmeheta. Jason is not likely

to have any inflated opinions of George, having seen him in action in many

settings and circumstances. "George's expectation for me was that, with

enough practice and attention to detail, I could certainly become as good

as him if I put my mind to it. And he has that expectation of all the

students. He doesn't dumb anything down. He'll certainly break down complex

concepts in a way that beginners understand if he needs to. The way he

taught things, he would help you figure out a way to do it.

"Whether it's when he's teaching a woodworking class or sitting

around a campfire telling stories about his travels or his life

experiences, you get the feeling that nothing can get in his way.

"As an entrepreneur who has started my own business, George was one

of the people I looked to, realizing I don't have to do things the way

other people tell me to do them. I can make up my own rules if I want, and

I will live and die by my own rules. George was one of the main people who

encouraged me and gave me the mindset that I could create my own business,

as opposed to just going to college and taking a job offered by someone

else."

George is kinesthetic. George is all about textures and shapes. The

way things feel in the hand or under the foot is an important factor in

George's work. Many of his artistic objects have unusual shapes, and most

include some highly finished surfaces. He often chooses woods that have

unusual grains and grain patterns which can be felt. Other times he chooses

very fine-grained woods with a satin finish. Curves are sensual and

evocative in his decorative objects. Whether it is a utilitarian piece of

furniture or a whimsical wine stopper, the tactile experience will always

exquisitely fit the application.

I remember going with my father to the hospital in June of 1954 to

pick up our mom and my new brother. I remember little trinkets mom brought

from the hospital. Since then, I have known my brother's propensities, his

quirks, and the unique person he is. He has an artistic streak. I am sure

there are books about what compels someone to do art. Art is not as

concrete as most of George's other endeavors. Not all his art pieces are

functional, though all his functional pieces are certainly artistic.

One student of George's was an artist named Emilie Gossiaux

<http://www.emiliegossiaux.com/>. Emilie has a hearing loss and was struck

by a truck while cycling. She lost all her eyesight in the accident. She

chose to attend BLIND Inc. to learn to live as a blind person while George

was teaching there.

Emilee's artistic skills were well-developed before her accident. Now

she needed to learn how to express herself in new ways or express herself

in her former ways using alternative skills of blindness. It was up to

George, along with the BLIND Inc. staff, to help Emilee figure out that she

could do art as a blind person and then help her develop new techniques.

Here is what Emilee said in a speech about George's teaching, "This

man has given me a priceless gift and showed me a valuable lesson: That

sight has nothing to do with making art. It's the vision within that

matters."

In an interview for this article, Emilie said, "When I went blind in

2010, I was very uncertain whether or not I could still be an artist or

continue going to the art college, Cooper Union. Even though everyone I

knew--my family, friends, and my doctors--were all very supportive and

believed that I could still be an artist, I didn't believe in myself. So, I

started to consider doing other things and dropping out of art school

because I was very overwhelmed by everything and too scared to go back to

school.

"When I met George in Minneapolis at BLIND Inc., I was so amazed and

inspired by him and the work he does. We instantly became friends because I

felt like we had a lot in common, and I appreciated everything I learned

from him. He really believed in me, and knowing a person like George exists

in the world gave me the courage to keep going to art school and making

art. He showed me the skills to make objects and sculptures with my hands

again, using chisels and a mallet for woodcarving. He also challenged me to

think creatively and helped me make my visions for art in my head become

physical and real. For that I am eternally grateful for George and his

continued support. Thanks to George, I went back to Cooper Union and

graduated with a bachelor of fine arts, and now I have a studio in New York

City where I make sculptures and have shows. I hope one day I can do the

same for another person, what George did for me."

Professionals, laypersons, and a lot of us blind folks often talk

about careers that are good for blind people. From chair caning and piano

tuning to psychology and social work, all perfectly wonderful professions

in and of themselves, blind people have been herded into them because they

are a simple fix, lots of blind people do them, and this makes work easy

for teachers, guidance counselors, and for blind people who are unsure of

themselves.

Many people associate the roots of the NFB with Iowa. This is for

good reason: Dr. Jernigan put into practice Federation philosophy there and

proved that our ideas could produce superior results. Our deep roots go to

California and even the Bay Area where Smith-Kettlewell and the San

Francisco Lighthouse are. Dr. tenBroek and before him, a STEM person, math

Professor Newel Perry, studied and developed the positive philosophy of

blindness that is now one of the core principles of the National Federation

of the Blind. The Bay Area seems to be a place for upstarts and sages to

mix, mingle, and create change. Given the seventy-five years of our

organization and the forty years preceding it, the Bay Area has certainly

led a revolution in the field of rehabilitation for blind people. It hasn't

stopped. With Bryan Bashin, Dr. Joshua Miele, George, and a lot of other

rule breakers and entrepreneurs, the future is very bright indeed. George

is living the life he wants and showing us all a path of our own. Whether

high tech or primitive crafts, we can all see that it is not blindness that

holds us back.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Mike May]

Blinded Driver versus Blind Pedestrians

by Mike May

 

>From the Editor: One of the most significant freedoms blind people

have gained since the development of techniques to use the long white cane

and legislation allowing the use of guide dogs in public places is the

ability to travel where we want, when we want, with some assurance of

safety. Good training is always essential, but environmental issues are

also important, and so too is a recognition on the part of the driving

public that they command machines that weigh much more than the pedestrians

who share the streets.

 

Mike May and his wife Gena are no strangers to travel. Mike is the founder

and chief executive officer of Sendero Group, a company that develops and

markets global positioning systems used by the blind. He also works with

the National Federation of the Blind on our project to coordinate indoor

navigational activities. Here is what he has to say about a recent accident

involving him and his wife:

 

On February 23, at 7:45 a.m., my wife Gena Harper and I, both blind,

were clipped by a vehicle while we were walking in the crosswalk north on E

Street. The Toyota Highlander was heading south on E Street. It stopped at

the stop sign and then made a left turn heading east on Fourth Street. The

driver turned behind us, running over my back heel and knocking Gena's

Seeing Eye dog, Yulie, forward. My dog, Tank, was guiding well in front and

suffered no physical injury, nor did Gen. I doubt it would have made a

difference even if we could see unless we might have been able to dive out

of the way at the last second.

The driver pulled over as did a passer-by who saw the incident. The

driver explained that the sun was in her eyes, and she never saw us as

evidenced by the fact she did not put on her brakes. Gena and I were

halfway across the intersection when we were struck. The first part of that

intersection was shaded by a building. We were in that shaded area when she

started her turn and then hit us.

It would take about three seconds from the driver's stopped position

to complete the ninety-degree turn. It is astounding that in that three

seconds she never saw two people and two dogs in clear view. The obvious

question arises, if you are totally blinded by the sun, why would you take

the gamble to hurdle a 5,600 pound vehicle at ten to fifteen miles per hour

through the intersection?

I suffered a bruised and scraped heel. Yulie was not physically hurt

but was quite scared. Everyone was shaken including the driver. Hopefully

she learned a frightening lesson not to drive when blinded by the sun.

Another lesson came out of this incident; don't expect 911 to know

your exact location when you call from a cell phone. 911 calls from a cell

phone may be routed to one of three entities when you are calling from

Davis, and they cannot identify your address the way they would if you

called from a landline. Thinking the operator would know I was in Davis, I

said I was at Fourth and E. The CHP [California Highway Patrol] operator

who got the call transferred me to the Sacramento Police Department. I gave

my location again and included Davis in the address at which point I was

transferred to the Davis PD and gave my address and story for a third time.

It took four minutes before this round-about emergency call was finished.

Good thing the situation wasn't life threatening.

The 911 system was set up in the '70s based on landline communication

with one carrier. Seventy percent of 911 calls today are from cell phones

from multiple carriers. 911 operators do not get your GPS position, nor can

they receive texts. The FCC reports that 10,000 people lose their lives

each year related to poor 911 cell phone positioning.

In retrospect I should have used the BlueLight emergency app instead

of calling 911 directly on my phone. This would have alerted my emergency

contacts by text of my location while also calling 911. 

 In some communities like Oakland your BlueLight call is routed to

local emergency services based on your exact position. Perhaps enhanced

BlueLight service will come to Davis sooner than later as a lifesaving

emergency app. For now I have programmed the Davis PD direct emergency

number into my iPhone.

Gena and I and our guide dogs missed being seriously injured by

inches. There are so many pedestrians and cyclists in Davis that this

incident should serve as a reminder for everyone to exercise more cautious

judgement when driving, especially when the sun is in your eyes. Remember

too if you are driving a hybrid or electric vehicle that they are very

quiet at slow speeds, like starting up at an intersection or in a parking

lot. Blind and sighted people alike have been struck by these quiet cars.

The driver who hit us was not driving a quiet car, but she was at a full

stop when we stepped off the curb. Our Seeing Eye dogs were doing their

jobs, and we clearly had the right of way. I don't believe that being

blinded by the sun or any other excuse justifies hitting pedestrians in a

crosswalk.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Peggy Chong with her daughter Tina (left)]

I Encouraged My Daughter to Be a Cowboy

by Peggy Chong

 

>From the Editor: The following article is reprinted with gratitude

from the Winter 2016 edition of Future Reflections. Here is how it was

introduced by Editor Deborah Kent Stein:

Peggy Chong is a longtime Federationist who has developed a deep

interest in the lives of everyday blind people from the past. She says she

draws renewed energy for her Federation activities by looking back at the

struggles and triumphs of blind people who came before us:

 

When my daughter was six, she told me that when she grew up she

wanted to be a cowboy, a nun, and a mommy. As most moms would, I told her

that was great!

My daughter is sighted. The adults around her assumed that, when she

reached the age to think seriously about her career options, she would

realize on her own that being a cowboy, a nun, and a mommy all at once

might present some problems. As it turned out, I did not have to explain

why her career could not be all of the above. She is now a successful

computer guru, like her dad.

Something different tends to happen when a blind child announces her

future occupation. If a blind girl says to her parents, "I want to be a bus

driver when I grow up," Mom or Dad is likely to say, "That sounds nice,

dear. But you know, you can't get a driver's license. You're blind."

How is a parent to talk with a blind child about careers? What jobs

have blind people chosen throughout history? In what careers can a blind

person succeed today?

Over the past several years, I have researched the lives of blind men

and women in the United States from the 1700s through the early years of

the twentieth century. I have gathered some surprising information.

 

Newspaper Reporters and Editors

 

"But newspaper work is all print oriented!" you might say.

Francis O. Edgecomb was born in 1864 to a well-to-do family, and he

obtained a college education. He and his family had great hopes for his

future. In 1890 Edgecomb became a banker in Rulo, Nebraska. He rose

quickly, not only in his local bank, but in the financial community in

general. Then, in 1892, Francis Edgecomb was injured while he was out

hunting prairie chickens. A friend shot him accidentally, and as a result

he lost his sight.

Not knowing any other blind people, Edgecomb assumed that he could no

longer run the bank. Because he had a wife and small children to support,

he determined to find another line of work. The bank owned and operated the

local newspaper. Edgecomb decided that he would become a newspaper editor.

At first Edgecomb performed all the tasks necessary to run the paper.

Through the bank he had easy access to the news of the town. He also had a

network of connections with businesses that would take out ads. He was so

successful that he and his friends began to buy up other newspapers in the

area. Soon Edgecomb was operating his own paper, the Geneva Signal.

Francis Edgecomb did not have training in the skills of blindness.

However, he had a supportive family and the drive to succeed. If one

strategy did not work, he tried another. He had a thirst to learn. Though

he could not read print himself, he found people who could read to him.

When he could not travel to the news, he found creative ways to make the

news come to him. Today his great-grandson runs the Geneva Signal and all

the other papers that Edgecomb purchased.

Was Francis Edgecomb an exception? Well, then there was William

Cramer, who was deaf as well as blind. For seventy years he owned and

operated a newspaper that is now the Wisconsin Journal. Robert Gust and his

wife, who was also blind, ran one of the local newspapers in the new and

growing town of Cyrus, Minnesota, for about ten years in the 1920s. Max

Frost edited and ran the Santa Fe New Mexican for more than ten years,

until his retirement in 1908. B. F. Ervine edited The Oregon Journal for

many years and was a powerful political figure. Franklyn Bruce Smith worked

for more than fifty years in the Saginaw, Michigan, area as a salesman,

reporter, editor, and finally as the owner of a newspaper.

Thomas Muir of Plainfield, New Jersey, became blind as a young man

while working as a reporter for a New York paper. He did not think that

blindness would interfere with his career. In fact, he went on to become

the editor of the Plainfield Record in New Jersey. He was elected to the

state house of representatives and served for twenty-six years.

We do not have space to look at the lives and accomplishments of the

many other blind newspapermen and women I have found. Here is a brief list:

Siver Serumgard, North Dakota; Raymond Blackmer, Minnesota; Edwin Frost,

Wisconsin; and Henry Belk, North Carolina. The list goes on.

 

Electrician

Not so shocking!

Thomas Nicholson was the first blind electrician I ran across. Born

in 1877, he lived in San Francisco. By the time he was fourteen, he and his

sister were on their own. Nicholson became a messenger for the local phone

company, where his sister also worked. He asked a lot of questions, wanting

to learn all he could about the new invention, the telephone. At the age of

seventeen he was blinded when a piece of copper wire broke off and struck

him in the eye.

After he healed from his injury, Nicholson received blindness

training, probably at the Home for the Adult Blind in Oakland. He learned

to be a piano tuner, but he went back to the phone company and asked to

become an electrician. It took a bit of convincing, but the company finally

hired Nicholson to build telephones. The job required considerable

knowledge of wiring and other electrical work.

Years later, also in California, a man named Jack Polston received

wide publicity. Polston was established as an electrician when he was

blinded in an explosion. He attended the blindness orientation center in

Oakland, where he studied under Kenneth Jernigan and regained his

confidence. After completing the program, he returned to his work as an

electrician. Polston later testified before the US Congress, demonstrating

that blind people can work successfully in the skilled trades.

Due to the labor shortage during World War II, many blind people

obtained good jobs. They proved their ability and did well. Nevertheless,

most of these blind workers were laid off when the sighted veterans came

home. Irwin Herschkowitz was one of the fortunate exceptions. He got his

first job as a radio mechanic during the war, and he kept his job with the

air force for many years. He also worked as a telephone repairman.

Other blind electricians include Pat Knowles of New Jersey, Mike

Mineweaser of Pennsylvania, and Joseph Remington of Michigan. I am sure

there are even more that I haven't found yet.

 

Barbers

Edward Max is the best documented blind barber I have discovered.

Born in New York, he moved to Michigan and established a successful

barbershop. When he was thirty-seven years old, he began to lose his sight

very rapidly. At first he tried to ignore his vision loss, but soon he

began to explore new ways to cut his clients' hair. His skills as a barber

had long been sought after by clients in Detroit. Now he modified those

skills so he could keep on shaving clients and cutting hair. He trained

himself to listen to the many different sounds in his shop. As the boss, he

managed the till. He could accurately charge a client for the services

rendered by the barbers who worked under him. I have found references to at

least four other blind barbers.

 

Medical Doctors

Yes, they made house calls.

We have all heard of Dr. Jacob Bolotin, who practiced medicine in

Chicago from 1912 until his death in 1924. Well, there was yet another

blind doctor in the Chicago area, Dr. Robert H. Babcock. Babcock became a

renowned heart specialist. Born in 1851 and blinded at age thirteen, he set

out to get a good education, beginning at a school for the blind in

Philadelphia. He found out that several blind people had become lawyers, so

for a time he studied law. However, his true love was medicine. He took the

necessary courses and then, with his strong personality, he got to know the

right people. He volunteered to serve in many capacities in medical

associations, doing all that needed to be done. He wrote many papers and

articles, and he addressed medical conferences around the United States.

Babcock kept in touch with blind people around the country, including

other blind doctors. He promoted opportunities for blind people and served

on the board of Outlook for the Blind, a publication of the American

Foundation for the Blind. His intimate knowledge of the workings of the

heart made him a sought-after consultant for other doctors.

Several blind people have worked in the field of chiropractic

medicine. Henry Schluntz, a blind chiropractor from Iowa, hired a driver

and visited all of the farms in the area. He provided home treatments to

anyone who was interested, sometimes offering his services free of charge.

In this way he built a loyal clientele, and eventually he became a

millionaire.

 

Traditional Fields

In the past, traditional fields for blind people included piano

tuning, chair caning, and weaving. Like Henry Schluntz, blind piano tuners

found creative ways to recruit and keep clients. Several blind piano tuners

in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, rode bicycles around town to

transport their equipment, moving as fast as their sighted counterparts.

Following the wagon ruts, they rode straight down the streets.

This is only a short summary of the inventive, enterprising blind

workers whose stories I have uncovered in my research. I hope these

accounts show that the choice of a career for a blind person is wide open.

What matters is the person's drive and determination to do whatever the job

requires and to do it well. The individuals I have described built

successful and meaningful lives for themselves and their families. Some had

blindness training, and others did not. None of them had the gadgets that

make our lives so much easier today.

Back to the blind child who wants to be a bus driver, or an Uber

driver, or an airplane pilot: why not? The self-driving Google car is now

on the streets. Technology is advancing so fast that things we think are

impossible today may be taken for granted next month. Still, technology

doesn't have all the answers. Ingenuity is where it all begins.

----------

Leave a Legacy

For more than seventy-five years the National Federation of the Blind

has worked to transform the dreams of hundreds of thousands of blind people

into reality, and with your support we will continue to do so for decades

to come. We sincerely hope you will plan to be a part of our enduring

movement by adding the National Federation of the Blind as a partial

beneficiary in your will. A gift to the National Federation of the Blind in

your will is more than just a charitable, tax-deductible donation. It is a

way to join in the work to help blind people live the lives they want that

leaves a lasting imprint on the lives of thousands of blind children and

adults.

 

With your help, the NFB will continue to:

. Give blind children the gift of literacy through Braille;

. Promote the independent travel of the blind by providing free, long

white canes to blind people in need;

. Develop dynamic educational projects and programs that show blind

youth that science and math are within their reach;

. Deliver hundreds of accessible newspapers and magazines to provide

blind people the essential information necessary to be actively

involved in their communities;

. Offer aids and appliances that help seniors losing vision maintain

their independence; and

. Fund scholarship programs so that blind people can achieve their

dreams.

 

Plan to Leave a Legacy

Creating a will gives you the final say in what happens to your

possessions and is the only way to be sure that your remaining assets are

distributed according to your passions and beliefs. Many people fear

creating a will or believe it's not necessary until they are much older.

Others think that it's expensive and confusing. However, it is one of the

most important things you will do, and with new online legal programs it is

easier and cheaper than ever before. If you do decide to create or revise

your will, consider the National Federation of the Blind as a partial

beneficiary. Visit <www.nfb.org/planned-giving> or call (410) 659-9314,

extension 2371, for more information. Together with love, hope,

determination, and your support, we will continue to transform dreams into

reality.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Kim Cunningham]

 

Transitions: A Conference for Parents and Teachers of Blind Children

 

 

by Kim Cunningham

 

 

 

 

 

>From the Editor: At the annual convention of the National Federation

of the Blind, one division has so many programs and activities that one

could confidently say there is a convention within a convention for parents

of blind children. The agenda produced by the National Organization of

Parents of Blind Children sometimes runs to twenty pages in print, and the

breadth and depth of the activities is impressive. Here is what Kim

Cunningham, the president of the National Organization of Parents of Blind

Children, has to say:

 

 

 

 

 

I would like to invite all families, friends, and teachers of blind

and low-vision children to join us at the NFB National Convention from

Thursday, June 30, 2016, through Tuesday, July 5, 2016, in beautiful, sunny

Orlando, Florida. Every year the NOPBC holds our annual national conference

during the NFB National Convention. Our board has been working hard to

bring relevant, informative sessions and activities for families and

teachers of blind and low-vision children. We welcome all families of

children who are blind, low vision, with or without additional disabilities

to come together for a week full of fun and educational workshops. We

believe that all children can learn with the right support and training.

Please help us to share the news that blindness is not what holds our

children back! Together we can work to change what it means to be blind!

 

 

Ten years ago my daughter and I attended our first NFB National

Convention. Because my daughter was considered low vision by our school

district, I didn't think the NFB was for us. After all, no one ever called

her blind. But we were at a loss about my daughter's future and how she

would grow into an independent person. We were concerned about how she

would take her science classes in school. We were concerned about the

length of time it took to complete her work. We were concerned about her

identity and feeling like a broken person. We were concerned about her

struggle to read. We had no one to answer our questions and give us

direction.

 

 

This all changed when we attended the NFB National Convention along

with 2,000 other blind and low-vision people. Everyone was tapping their

canes and living their lives just like all the sighted people I knew. It

was an energizing atmosphere that I have never felt before. The Federation

embraced us and welcomed us into their family! I learned that low-vision

kids would benefit from all the tools "blind" kids used. The magic wand

ending up being a cane, and the secret word was Braille. I attended

workshops while my daughter learned about accessible science from a blind

scientist. She also learned about the benefits of the long white cane. The

exhibit hall was filled with technology, books, and independent living

items to choose from. If I had a question, someone was there to answer it.

 

 

This year our theme for the NOPBC Conference is "Transitions." As

parents we are constantly transitioning from one area to another. When our

children were born, we transitioned to becoming parents of blind and low-

vision babies. Our children transition from toddlers to elementary school,

to junior high, and then high school. Some kids transition from reading

print to reading Braille. And with each new transition, we find we are at a

crossroad of which way to turn. We hope that our workshops will give you

the tools to make educated decisions about the road you want to take.

 

 

This is what I want for all families to experience. I want you to

feel hopeful for a bright future for your child. I want you to learn the

skills that blind and low-vision children need to live their lives to the

fullest. I want you to know that we all have the same goal - a bright

future for our children.

 

 

Schedule at a Glance:

 

 

Thursday, June 30: Seminar Day, Opening Day of NOPBC National

Conference 

 

Our day begins early-registration starts at 7:30 a.m., and our

opening general session is from 9:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Please make sure

you arrive early enough to take advantage of this entire day of learning.

The highlights of our morning general session include a talk for kids

and parents by NFB President Mark Riccobono, a report from NOPBC President

Kim Cunningham, an address given by a mother who has raised two successful

blind daughters, and much more!

Throughout the rest of the morning and afternoon, parents will get to

choose to attend three workshops from a list of fifteen offered. Workshop

highlights include a look inside a model classroom for students from

elementary school through high school, a workshop especially for first-time

convention attendees, a session for parents of children with low vision,

and much more!

In the evening, relax with other parents of blind children at our

annual hospitality event. Great food, great friends, great fun.

 

Friday, July 1: NFB Registration Day, Meetings of Divisions and Committees

 

Morning NOPBC Cane Walks (two sessions)

Wondering if your child should use a cane? Curious about how a cane

works? Learn and experience the Structured Discovery

Method of travel at these special workshops. Parents,

teachers, blind/VI children, and siblings are

welcome.

 

Afternoon NOPBC Style Show

Watch our young blind and low-vision models strut their stuff on the

runway. Come enjoy the fashions and music and support

NOPBC. Tickets are $5 at the door.

 

Evening "Laps for Literacy" NOPBC Fundraiser

Swim and walk laps for literacy! Everyone is invited to attend and

help raise money and expectations at the same time!

Tickets are $5 individual, $10 for family, or raise

money at home for free entry!

 

Saturday, July 2: NFB Board Meeting, Meetings of Divisions and

Committees

 

Afternoon NOPBC Annual Meeting

Be sure to attend this important meeting featuring the 2016

Distinguished Educator of Blind Children; NFB

Writer's Division Youth Contest Winners, Parent

Power, Kid Power; NOPBC business, elections. Special

bonus: meeting attendees receive a priority entrance

ticket to the Braille Book Fair!

 

Early Evening NOPBC Braille Book Fair

A book lover's dream! Browse tables of Braille and print/Braille

books. Volunteers will box your books and deliver

them to the post office for Free Matter shipment to

your home. Books are free; donations

are encouraged to support our Braille programs.

 

 

Sunday, July 3: NFB Opening Day Session

 

Evening NOPBC Workshops and Children's Activities

Join the NOPBC for our popular IEP workshop. Learn how to adapt

mainstream board games for family fun. Children from

five to eighteen will be kept busy with various game

and craft activities.

 

Monday, July 4: NFB Business Session

 

NOPBC Brainstorming Session

Please come to share your knowledge and ideas with us. What did you

like at this convention? What resources would help

you stay connected throughout the year? What

workshops might you like to see us offer next year?

Be a part of this valuable conversation.

 

Tuesday, July 5: NFB Banquet Day and Adjournment

 

 

 

 

What about the Kids?

 

While parents are busy learning, so are children. NFB Camp offers

childcare for children six weeks through twelve years of age. Children will

engage in a variety of activities while in NFB Camp, many of which are run

by blind adults. Children must be preregistered for childcare. For more

information and to register, visit <https://nfb.org/nfb-camp-registration-

form>.

Children ages eleven to eighteen are invited to participate in Youth

Track activities throughout convention. These activities will include

advice on looking great and feeling great, hands-on science activities (led

by blind scientists), and more. Sighted siblings are welcome to attend

Youth Track.

 

 

Conference Registration Fees:

 

 

Preregister by June 21, 2016:

$30 for an individual adult

$50 for two or more related adults

Children and youth

 

After June 21, 2016:

$40 per individual adult

$70 for two or more adults

Children and youth

 

To register, and for a more detailed schedule of events, please visit:

<http://nopbc.org/2016convention>.

In addition to registering for the NOPBC annual conference, you will

also need to register for the National Federation of the Blind National

Convention in order to take advantage of our excellent room rates.

Registration information, as well as a variety of other convention

information, can be found at <https://nfb.org/convention>.

We hope to see many families of blind children in Orlando this year!

----------

Sharing a Room at Convention and How to Survive It with a Smile

by Grace Warn

 

>From the Editor: Grace Warn lives in Missouri, and one of her

passions is visiting Disney World. She believes if there is a good business

model in the country, Disney is it, and that if a good proposal for

providing customer service arrives on the scene, Disney will probably be

the company bringing it.

This kind of loyalty translates into annual visits, and to cut down

on the expenses, she rooms with folks. She thought her advice about

roommates might translate well for those of us going to the 2016 national

convention. Here is what she says:

 

Going to convention, whether national or state, is an amazing

experience. But it often comes with another experience that isn't always so

amazing: sharing a hotel room. Whether to save money or because you're

traveling with children too young to be on their own, you're sharing a room

with more than just your significant other. And, no matter how much you

love your Federation friends or how well-behaved your children are in close

quarters for a few days, little frustrations can build up and drain some of

the joy from your time at convention. With a minimum of pre-trip planning

and almost no effort while there, you can keep the positive energy and

enthusiasm flowing during your time at convention.

The first step in this process is figuring out who's rooming with

whom. Identify a few simple characteristics of each roommate: who snores?

Who prefers to shower in the morning versus in the evening? Who are the

early birds, and who are the night owls? Who wakes up if a mouse sneezes,

and who can sleep through brass bands? Now take a look at the roommate list

again. Do you have a light sleeper in with three who snore like chainsaw

jugglers riding Harleys? Is there a lone night owl in a flock of early

birds? You may want to see if there's a way to juggle people to keep those

of similar tendencies together. But, if you can't, there are ways to keep

friction from these differences to a minimum:

 

. If you're a light sleeper, consider packing foam ear plugs or sleep

wearing in-ear headphones. Either of these will block a lot of the

sounds that might keep you awake. If you are more sensitive to light

than sound, think about a sleep mask so that others can turn on

bathroom lights without waking you.

. If you snore, think about ways to lower the volume of it. If allergies

make you snore more, make sure you are taking antihistamines and/or

decongestants. From personal experience I say try BreatheRight strips;

they can make a difference. Be aware of what sleep positions you may

want to avoid if you can.

. Early birds, lay out your clothes for the day the night before. That

way, you avoid making a lot of noise rummaging around in

drawers/suitcases, without feeling trapped by the need for quiet. If

you're the lone early riser, consider starting the coffee maker to

sweeten the inevitable wake-up for the rest of the room.

. Night owls, if you plan to stay out late socializing, be considerate

coming in. Keep your voice lower, and make sure to kick off your shoes

where no one will trip over them. Leave your pajamas in an easy-to-

find spot in the suitcase or drawer. Basically, try not to wake

everyone up, because everyone needs their sleep to make the most of

the short time you'll have at convention.

. Discuss amongst yourselves who prefers to shower when and for how

long. If everyone takes quick showers, it's no problem if each of you

in the room prefers to shower in the morning. Try to work out the

rotation for showering, and keep in mind the number of sinks, outlets,

and their accessibility while someone else showers so that everyone

has a chance to shave, style, and prep for the day without feeling

unduly rushed.

 

When you first get into the room, take a quick minute for one simple

discussion and define territory. You will be coexisting in a smaller amount

of space than you're used to, possibly with people you don't usually live

with. Setting up whose stuff goes where and then abiding by what is decided

can go a long way toward maintaining harmony. Decide as a group that Joe

will get the bottom drawer in the dresser, Sally and Eric each get half of

the next drawer up, etc. Try to base the division of territory on practical

considerations such as mobility--don't make the person with a bad back bend

to use the bottom drawer. Once each of you has staked out your claim,

respect the boundaries. Throwing something where you please is fine at

home, but it's not fine when it ends up being in a place allotted to one of

your roommates.

Each of you will have a place for your things, and it's a good idea

to have at least one area designated for communal use, such as one place

for all technology to sit safely as it recharges, etc. Remember that

bathroom counter space can be a scarce commodity and a great cause of

irritation before everyone has had their morning coffee. Taking along a

hanging shoe organizer designed to either hang in a closet or over the back

of a door can give you more places to sort your toiletries and leave a

clearer path to the sinks. If you have a guide dog, make sure roommates

know where the water bowl will be and decide whether it will be deployed

only at feeding time or at any time the dog might wish a drink.

Tuck the suitcases in the bottom of the closet or in a corner as out

of the way as possible, and make sure the main walkways remain clear.

Because a tiny little frustration like tripping over someone's suitcase

every time you try to go to the bathroom can become a major annoyance

faster than you would expect, it can poison the rest of the experience.

Depending on who you're rooming with and how long you're staying, a pop-up

mesh laundry basket can be pretty handy for that. It doesn't take up much

space in a suitcase, can be found in many dollar stores, and it can be

endlessly useful. It can be a place to corral dirty clothes, an easy-to-

carry transport for flyers or other merchandise for chapters/divisions, or

can be used as the designated location for the day's haul of souvenirs.

Speaking of things to bring along from home, in this day and age one

of the best items to pack on your trip is at least one power strip. These

days everyone has at least a cell phone. But there's also iPads, handheld

gaming consoles, notetakers, and many other electronics that require

regular recharging. Hotel rooms never have very many outlets, and sometimes

the outlet is in a less-than-accessible place, such as a corner behind a

small table and chair. The longer cord will bring the power strip up so

that everyone can reach to plug in items easily and give you that many more

outlets for everyone to share.

Sit down and consider exactly what your daily routine will involve,

and make sure everyone understands it. You may never have considered that

you have to decide which bed you're sleeping on based on the distance from

an outlet and availability of a flat surface for a CPAP machine, but what's

routine for you may not be for your roommate. That doesn't mean you can't

share a room, but it does mean that you need to make sure they're aware of

the requirements that are important and perhaps even critical for you.

Maybe you're a guide dog user; your roommate doesn't mind dogs--no problem,

right? Except when you were considering who snores in the room, you only

considered the humans, and your dog snores louder than you do. You and your

spouse are used to it; it's white noise that actually helps you sleep

better in unfamiliar places. To your roommate, that could be a week spent

wishing they'd packed earplugs and praying for a decent night's sleep. Or

maybe one roommate has a mild allergy to dog dander. For a couple of hours

during a chapter meeting or dinner with a friend, no problem; but sharing a

room for a week or so might mean they will need an antihistamine.

When you take just a few minutes to prevent the small disagreements

and frustrations, you prevent the larger arguments that can happen when the

little things add up with exhaustion and excitement to fuel them. While it

only takes a few quick minutes of discussion before you leave home, all of

these things become a lot harder to do once you're away at convention. What

you can tolerate for a day or two is a lot less tolerable on day five of a

convention, when you're tired and almost ready to head home.

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Abi Jepsen uses a BrailleNote Apex.]

If Braille Were Print

by Erin Jepsen

 

>From the Editor: This article first appeared in Future Reflections,

Winter 2016. Following is the way it was introduced by Editor Deborah Kent

Stein:

 

Erin Jepsen is a low-vision homeschooling mother of four elementary-

age children, one blind, one low vision, and two sighted. She is passionate

about education for all kids and about teaching Braille. She and her family

live in Idaho.

 

Chatting with a friend today about a refreshable Braille display got

me thinking again about the absurdities that I've seen firsthand in my

daughter's classes. I've seen a silly attitude about Braille in both a

local public school and in a state virtual academy. I've also heard about

it from friends around the country who support one another online.

This problem comes, I think, from society's general perception that

Braille is complicated, difficult, and specialized. My daughter's TVIs work

endlessly to provide peer enrichment, to normalize Braille, to minimize

errors, and to add Braille in spaces within the school. I have tried to do

the same at home. Still, in spite of our best efforts, misperceptions

remain in attitudes about Braille and print.

To address some of these misperceptions for the non-Braille-reading

public, I want to try an experiment. I want to reframe some of the things

that students commonly hear when they are being taught Braille by imagining

that they are being said to a sighted print reader. I'd like to say these

things about the reading method that nearly everyone in my area uses:

English print.

 

The Challenges of Print

 

Imagine a typical first or second grader of average intelligence who

is learning to read. Keep in mind the material this learner will need to

read in eighth grade, in twelfth grade, in college, on the job, running a

household.

 

1. It makes sense that you're having a hard time with this. It is hard to

learn print.

 

As your hypothetical classroom teacher, I don't actually read this

print stuff. Your aide took a two-week training course, and we have a

reference chart here, but I really don't know how print works. It just

looks like a bunch of squiggles on the paper. It uses a round symbol for

both a zero and the letter o, and I'm not sure how to tell you which one is

which. There is also special shorthand stuff, like spelling with as w/, and

I don't know how to teach you all that.

Reading a book with writing on both sides of the page is hard for me.

It doesn't matter that it's normal for you; I say it's hard, because for

me, it is.

You have a special print teacher, and you'll see her for an hour or

two per week. Surely that's all the extra help you'll need.

 

2. I'm not aware of any techniques for reading print at a usable speed.

 

As far as I know, print readers only read one letter at a time. I

don't know any adults who read printed books. I saw someone do it once on

TV, and it looked like magic. I've heard that people who read print well

are either geniuses or flukes.

 

3. I'm sorry, but your book is loaded with typos.

 

The books we're giving you were transcribed by unqualified

volunteers, so there are at least two typos or misprints or misspelled

words for every thirty words. Just remember you're lucky to have print

books at all.

Every other kid in your class gets information from illustrations,

but we're going to skip those for you. They're cute, but probably they're

not important.

 

4. Technology, schmechnology!

 

First of all, nobody like you uses computers or knows how to type at

your age. You have plenty of time to learn that stuff later. Your job

someday probably won't require a computer. If it does, someone can give you

a quick training course. For now, we're going to print your books using a

dot-matrix printer. The school bought it in 1989 for our last print reader,

and they don't want to buy anything new.

We're going to get you a special display screen, though. It hooks up

to an iPad. It displays three words per screen. To get to the next screen,

you just press this little button over here. Cool, right?

 

5. Reading is overrated.

 

Nobody these days needs to read print or write with a pencil anyway.

You can just listen to audiobooks. It's a lot less work than reading, and

you can dictate anything you want to write. Technology is amazing these

days for people like you.

 

6. Nobody else reads the way you read.

 

In your school, no one besides you reads print. The teachers don't

read it. Your friends don't read it. There is no print displayed around the

halls, on the classroom walls, or in the lunchroom. Everybody reads, but

nobody reads English print. Nobody here can read what you write, and nobody

can write to you. Well, one of your friends learned to write to you. He

thinks print is a cool secret code.

There's a sign in print by the bathroom. You say it actually says

"Aathroox?"

We keep reminding you to be grateful for your printed books. The

other students have thousands of books in whatever they read, and no one

tells them to be grateful. But you should be grateful for the twelve books

that you have. Don't forget, people went to a lot of trouble to get them

for you.

You didn't do very well on the reading test last week. Your special

print teacher says it was written like this: %Bgoat %Bpig %Bhorse %Bduck. I

don't read print, so I don't know how it looks to you. I just grade your

test the best I can.

 

7. You will get your books late-always.

 

The school ordered the wrong reading book from the supplier, so your

book is the first-grade version, not the second-grade version. It's double-

spaced and uses easy vocabulary, but that's okay for you. Your life is

challenging enough already just learning to read print. You have to learn

all those curves and squiggles. The capital letters are different shapes,

and there are different fonts, too. You have to learn five different shapes

just for the letter A. That's hard! You don't need challenging vocabulary,

too.

You're falling behind your class? Don't worry. You have a lot on your

plate.

Your math book is still at the translator's shop. They say it will be

here in seven months. Everyone else is going to use a math book during the

next seven months, but I'll just read your math out loud to you.

Don't worry about learning to read numbers! When you get your math

book, you can read the numbers all you want! Be grateful you're getting a

math book in print.

 

8. Of course you're behind.

 

Kids like you, print readers of average intelligence, are always

behind-always.

In fact, you'll likely graduate from high school with about a fourth-

grade reading level. It can't be helped. It's okay, though, because kids

like you don't usually want to have a career. People who read print usually

get jobs sorting stuff at places like Goodwill. They pay you about $2 an

hour, but you won't notice that because of the math thing.

 

9. Print is just so cool!

 

Print looks cool! I see it here and there, like on elevators, and

it's just so neat. It's all swoopy and round, and I like to look at it.

People like you must be really special to read it. I can't believe you can

just walk up to a sign with words printed on it and-boom-read what it says.

Kids who read print are so beautiful and special. They open their

printed books and just go for it. Unbelievable!

 

10. I love the way you write print, too.

 

I've watched you write print. You make these marks on paper, and you

actually know what they say. That special tool you use, what's it called? A

pencil? It's so neat! It writes print, just like that!

I've seen you type on a special keyboard. It makes print, too, but it

disturbs the class with the clicking noise, so I wish you wouldn't use it.

You can use it someday when you're grown up, but not in class, okay? Just

tell one of the adults what you want to write, and we'll do it for you.

We'll even spell it right for you. You can practice spelling words on your

special spelling tests in your special writing room on Fridays.

 

The Print Reader's Experience

 

Dear Reader, what do you think? Do you think a kid is going to learn

to read in that atmosphere with those expectations and that sort of

encouragement? With that amount of support and practice?

Any TVI or homeschool mom who has tried to even things out for a

Braille reader knows exactly what I'm talking about.

What do print-reading kids typically experience in school? Let's take

a look.

 

1. Your teacher knows English.

 

If you are an English speaker, your teacher knows the language in

which you're reading and writing. She or he may even know Spanish or

Chinese or Dutch. She can use all the tools you are expected to use. If she

can't, she is not deemed qualified to teach.

 

2. Your teacher has books.

 

Books in print arrive in the classroom on time before the school year

begins. In nearly every school in the country, there are books for every

kid in the class. The books don't come late. The teacher reads them and

shows you how to read them. You have your own copy of each book you need.

The teacher sends books home with you for practice. If your parents know

English, they can read with you.

If there is a quote you want to read at the school assembly, you

don't have to write it out for yourself first because nobody else knows

how.

Your mom can read the story you wrote.

There might be one typo in your whole book-maybe-and everyone

complains about that one.

 

3. Everyone around you reads.

 

Your parents read. Your teacher reads. Your lunch lady reads. Your

big sister reads. They read the same way you read.

You are expected to learn to read.

You're told that it's normal to learn to read.

 

4. You get help when you need it.

 

If you're having trouble reading, adults act as if this is a problem.

You are expected to take extra classes, to practice, and to get help until

you can read well.

If you can't read, you are called illiterate. You are not given

audiobooks. You are taught to read (one hopes). If you don't know how to

write, you are expected to practice and learn to write correctly.

To get a good job that pays a decent wage, you have to be able to

read well, write well, and use computers. None of that is considered weird.

 

5. You learn current technology.

 

Your school has computers, and you learn to use them. You are taught

to type, and you are taught to read on a screen that displays thousands of

words at a time. You learn to scan for information, because your class

moves quickly.

 

6. You don't get a pass.

 

You are expected to keep up with the class. You don't get a free pass

not to keep up. You don't get to be lazy just because you're a print

reader. After all, reading print is normal. Everyone knows it's completely

doable, so why should you get to slough off?

You have all the materials you need and all the tools you need. You

can't make excuses, because you have the book you need for the assignment

and the pencil or the keyboard you need for your work. The teacher loaded

and set up the software your class uses, and he knows how to use it.

 

7. You know you'll use print all your life.

 

You fully expect that you will grow up, get a job, pay bills, and

become a contributing member of society. You know you will read and write

print as you do all of these things.

 

8. You read math.

 

If your teachers did not teach you to read and write the language of

printed math in school, your parents would throw a holy, hell-raising, fire-

breathing, sue-the-school-for-a-zillion-dollars tantrum. And the community

would support them. The school would be put up for review by the state.

If the teachers did not write math code, they would be fired. Period,

the end.

And no one would be surprised.

 

9. Nobody gushes over your reading ability.

 

Nobody tells you they saw some print on a box of BAND-AIDs and how

cool that is. Nobody tells you that you literally deserve a medal for

learning how to read-because everybody reads!

You don't give yourself pats on the back for using a computer at the

age of seventeen-everyone uses a computer at age seventeen!

Technology is normal for you.

 

10. You get all the information in class if you bother to pay attention.

 

A print reader of typical ability and average intelligence can get

all the information presented in the classroom. All the stuff on the

overhead; all the stuff in every book; all the stuff on the wall; all the

lunch menus; all the recess schedules; all the toy names.

And for all that, nobody thinks to be grateful.

 

A Few Last Comments about Braille

 

1. Reading Braille is normal for blind kids.

 

For blind and low-vision kids, Braille is the normal way to read. The

tools they use are normal. Reading is normal.

Having Braille on the elevator is normal.

 

2. Reading Braille is not hard.

 

Reading Braille by touch is not hard.

Many Braille readers are slow because of all the things listed above

that happened when they were learning it.

BRAILLE IS NOT HARD.

 

3. You can read Braille fast.

 

Good Braille readers can match print readers for speed. (Not many do

... see above.)

A good Braille reader can read ten thousand pages in a couple of

weeks. (Not many do ... see above.)

 

4. Braille is not becoming obsolete.

 

There are Braille displays for computers. There are Braille

embossers. There are Braille transcribers looking for work. There are more

Braille books than ever before. There are computers that transcribe books

more accurately than ever before.

There are blind people who need to be able to read.

There are people who need to read pill bottles and bills and recipes

and blog posts and books and textbooks and math books and elevator signs

and hallway signs and foreign languages and CD covers, and they need to see

how names are spelled.

There are deaf-blind people who use Braille to communicate

everything!

Since the early 1800s when Louis Braille brought the idea of a quick,

dot-based tactile method of reading and writing to his school in France,

there have been naysayers. In the beginning people said that Braille

wouldn't work. A separate code that sighted people couldn't read would

never be widely used.

Blind people used Braille anyway, because for the first time they

could write for themselves. Braille gave them voices. They could read what

they wrote.

When Braille came to America, it had naysayers. People said it was

too expensive to produce. They said there would never be enough books.

Blind people used Braille anyway. They made their own books. They

hired people to learn Braille and transcribe it. They raised funds.

As Braille enters the modern century, it has its naysayers. They say

it's becoming obsolete because of technology. They say it's clunky and

outdated.

Blind people keep using it anyway. We use Braille with technology. We

use it to learn to spell, and we use it to jot notes. We delight in the

thrill of opening a real, paper book and feeling the magical constellations

under our fingers as words and stories come to life.

 

5. Then what is the problem?

 

See if you can figure it out.

I can hear what you're thinking: "But Braille is different from

print."

Obviously Braille and print aren't the same, but they're not as

different as they seem to non-Braille readers. I read both. I read Braille

by touch. I read print (sometimes, under the right conditions).

"But I'm a blind person, and I don't read Braille well. I hardly read

it at all."

Why not? Is it lack of desire, lack of support, lack of

encouragement? (I'm not talking about people with multiple disabilities,

cognitive impairments, or nerve damage in their fingers.) If it's lack of

desire, I accept that. You may prefer to use audio, magnification, or other

reading methods. But if you dig deep into your reasons, and it's due only

to shame or lack of good instruction, I feel that those reasons should not

exist. We shouldn't be ashamed to read! We should not be left unsupported

when the rest of our peers have a way to read that fits their needs and

frees them for a life full of options.

"But I teach Braille, and what you describe is impossible."

Is it? See if you can do something about it. Please.

Because if blind and low-vision kids got the support their average

sighted counterparts get in learning to read, they would not face a 70

percent unemployment rate. There might still be workplace discrimination,

but I'd be willing to bet there would be more employed blind folks than

there are today!

I wanted to write "That would be amazing," but I realized that isn't

quite accurate. Amazing implies something above and beyond the norm. It

implies something unexpected. It implies something to be marveled at.

Reading isn't something to be marveled at; it's something that should be

expected, that should be normal. It's basic, like adequate clothing or

nutrition. It's the foundation of every other form of education.

So, instead of "amazing," I write: "It would finally be what kids

deserve. It would be just. It wouldn't level the playing field, but it

would be a start."

----------

[PHOTO CAPTION: Marion Gwizdala]

Fake Service Dogs: Problem or Propaganda?

by Marion Gwizdala

 

>From the Editor: Marion Gwizdala is the president of the National

Association of Guide Dog Users (NAGDU). In this article he begins to

address the question of what constitutes a legitimate service dog and asks

whether greater regulation and standardization is warranted. Here is what

he says:

 

When I was younger and sighted, I enjoyed an activity called "connect

the dots." This involved a nondescript picture along with a set of numbered

dots. In this activity, one began with a dot numbered one, drew a line to

dot number two, and continued drawing lines between the consecutive

numbered dots as a picture evolved. I want to invite our readers to play a

little connect the dots with me as we examine what some refer to as "the

problem of fake service dogs."

Before we begin connecting the dots, I would like to say that the

labeling of this issue as one of fake service dogs is a misnomer. The dogs

are not the fakers, the people are. They are feigning a disability in order

to attempt to take advantage of the laws that permit disabled individuals

to be accompanied by a service dog. Secondly, I believe that calling this

issue a problem elevates it to the level of needing a solution. It is my

opinion that the real problem is not being created by those who

misrepresent themselves as disabled accompanied by a service dog; rather,

the issue is being presented as a problem by those who would benefit from

the solution. Now, let us connect the dots.

In the field of psychology there is a disorder once known as

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, now called, Fabricated or Induced Illness by

Carers (FIIC). This disorder refers to the deliberate production or

fabrication of physical or psychological symptoms in a child by a parent or

caregiver. The theory is that the caregiver gains attention from others

because of their child's illness or is acclaimed for their actions to

rescue the child from harm. In the business arena there is another term for

this known as "evil marketing." This latter term refers to a scheme in

which a company fabricates a problem that does not actually exist or

exaggerates a minor issue for which the company has a product or service to

solve the problem.

Over the past few years there have been numerous articles in the

media about the issue of fake service dogs. Though I know there are those

who mistakenly believe they can call their pet a service animal because

they feel better when their pet is with them, their intention is not

malicious. They may be misguided or misinformed, but they are not

malicious. Then there are those whose intent is less than honorable,

willfully misrepresenting their pet as a service animal in order to take

advantage of the civil rights provisions that allow disabled individuals to

be accompanied by a service dog. I believe these are the exceptions rather

than the rule. As we connect the dots, though, I am confident you will see

a very interesting picture beginning to evolve.

Upon a review of these articles, the one common denominator we find

is that nearly every piece has as its subject a service-animal user who has

experienced an out-of-control dog whose owner has asserted their dog was a

service dog in a place where pets are generally not allowed. Most of these

subjects have another common denominator-they are usually consumers of a

training program called Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). Now let's

connect the next dot.

CCI has created an online petition calling upon the United States

Department of Justice to ban the sale of service-animal gear such as vests,

harnesses, and signs from the internet. Some contend this is not an

unreasonable proposal since service animal training programs issue the

necessary gear, and those willing to take unfair advantage of the

protections afforded us should not be given easy access to it. The

challenge is that many of us have a need or desire for additional gear for

specific reasons, not to mention that gear is not what makes a dog a

service dog. For instance, my wife and I have guide dog harnesses made of

nylon and PVC, which are much lighter than the leather and metal versions

issued by our training programs, will not set off metal detectors in

airports and courthouses, and are more appropriate for beach visits. These

items were purchased online from a NAGDU member who makes these harnesses.

A number of other reputable companies make harnesses and other gear for

service dogs available on the internet, and these companies should not be

prohibited from selling their products in the marketplace of the World Wide

Web. It would be rather naove to believe that prohibiting the sale of

service-animal gear on the internet will solve the issue of those who

misrepresent their pets as service dogs.

Canine Companions for Independence is also engaging in fearmongering.

Their contention is that those who misrepresent their pets as service dogs

threaten the legal rights of those of us who have legitimate service dogs

by causing businesses to question everyone who enters their business with a

dog. I believe this is actually a good thing. As more businesses learn what

questions they can ask and how to identify a legitimate service dog from a

pet, those who are misguided or malevolent will be deterred from this

behavior. It is also important to share that when someone signs the CCI

petition, they are asked to give their email address and they are advised

they will receive additional information. When I visited CCI's petition

site, they claimed they had more than 17,000 signers, so they have amassed

a very sizeable contact list from this propaganda. I believe we need to

connect a few more dots to really get a clearer picture of the true

motives. Let's take a look at another player in the service dog industry.

Assistance Dogs International (ADI) is the only accrediting body of

service-animal programs in the world. ADI has created an ethical standard

to which all their members, candidates, and program consumers must adhere

as a condition of accreditation. Here is a brief sample of these so-called

ethical standards as they apply to service dog training programs and those

they train:

 

. The assistance dog program must document monthly follow ups with

clients for the first six months following placement. Personal contact

will be done by qualified staff or program volunteers within twelve

months of graduation and annually thereafter.

. The program will provide a laminated ID card with a photo of the

client and dog and names of both. In public the guide dog will wear

the program's appropriate guide harness.

 

As it pertains to other service dogs ADI has the following standard:

 

. Identification of the service dog will be accomplished with the

laminated ID card with a photo(s) and names of the dog and partner. In

public the dog must wear a cape, harness, backpack, or other similar

piece of equipment or clothing with a logo that is clear and easy to

read and identifiable as assistance dogs. [sic]

. The client must abide by the ADI Minimum Standards of Assistance Dog

Partners.

 

The term "client" used in these standards refers to the service dog

user. The logical follow-up question is, "What would be the consequences if

we, as consumers, refused to comply with these standards?" As it pertains

to the issuance of identification cards and the mandate that the service

dog wear any specific gear, such requirements as a condition of access are

incongruent with the implementing regulations of the Americans with

Disabilities Act and should not be imposed upon a consumer and purported as

ethical.

Throughout its standards and another document published by ADI

entitled "Public Access Test," ADI uses the term "certified by ADI," as if

this certification carries some particular benefit. It appears to me as if

ADI is attempting to position itself as the certifying body for all things

service-animal related. To the best of my knowledge, no guide dog training

program is accredited by ADI, and such accreditation is not required as a

condition of legal access. So, if Assistance Dogs International is so

irrelevant in the guide dog training industry, why even bring them up?

Well, let's connect a few more dots.

On its website, CCI proudly proclaims that it was the very first

service dog training program to be accredited by ADI. Remember that most of

the articles concerning the issue of the misrepresentation of service dogs

featured consumers of Canine Companions for Independence and CCI has a

petition to ban the sale of service dog gear on the internet. Add to this

that a number of states have attempted to introduce legislation that would

require a service dog user to present documentation that a dog is a service

dog, wear specific gear, issue identification tags, and create service dog

registries-all of which are incongruent with the implementing regulations

of the Americans with Disabilities Act-in an effort to combat the false

perception promulgated by the media that there is a problem needing a

solution. Over the past two years Bob Kresmer and our Arizona affiliate

have spent too many hours opposing this sort of legislation, and several

states have such provisions in their law that have been problematic for

guide dog users attempting to protect their civil rights. So far the

National Association of Guide Dog Users and the National Federation of the

Blind have been successful in getting such legislation withdrawn or

amended, but it has created unnecessary work for us. We see a real problem

unfolding, and it is not being created by those misrepresenting their pets

as service dogs. Let's continue connecting the dots and watch this picture

evolve.

Until 2014 the executive director of CCI was a man named Corey

Hudson. Corey Hudson is also a past president of ADI North America. Equally

interesting is that the current president of ADI North America is Paul

Mundell, who also serves as the national director of canine programs at

Canine Companions for Independence. So, if there is a problem with those

misrepresenting their pets as service dogs, if the federal government bans

or regulates the sale of service dog gear on the internet, if those of us

who use service dogs are required to undergo regular recertification, or if

we are required to obtain identification cards for our service dogs, what

organization do you think would benefit from these regulations but the self-

elevated organization that certifies all things service dog?

Long before the fabrication of the nonproblem of fake service dogs by

manipulating the media to shore up the need for a solution, there was an

attempt to convince the United States Department of Justice that a problem

could exist if the regulations did not require the wearing of special gear

and other identification provisions. As early as 1991 Mr. Hudson expressed

his concerns over what he believed would be the abuse of the ADA by those

wishing to pass their pets off as service dogs. Under date of October 23,

1991, Mr. Hudson wrote to the United States Department of Justice, "While

Canine Companions for Independence and other members of Assistance Dogs

International are pleased that the ADA recognizes service animals, we are

also concerned that the law not be abused by others." Mr. Hudson went on to

write, "In April 1991, Robin Dickson, President of Assistance Dogs

International, Canine Companions for Independence, and I believe several

other Assistance Dog Schools/Centers submitted suggestions that ADA regs.

provide for some ID for properly trained assistance dogs. I am again making

this request." [sic]

<https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2010/12/15/tal207.tx

t>

Fortunately the DOJ did not heed the requests of CCI, ADI, and the

"several other Assistance Dog Schools/Centers" to which Mr. Hudson alluded,

refusing to impose requirements for specific gear or other identification

as a condition of our civil right to be accompanied by a service dog.

Though NAGDU and the NFB have not created an official policy statement on

this question, we have a long history of opposing requirements for special

gear or documentation and supporting the rights of owner-trainers-

individuals who have trained their own guide dogs. During our 2015 annual

meeting, we had about one hundred guide dog teams in the room and about

fifteen of them were owner-trainers. The provisions of special gear and

identification cards advocated by those who would benefit from such

requirements and the prohibition of the sale of service-animal gear on the

internet would have an adverse effect on owner-trainers and anyone else

wishing to purchase service-animal gear for legitimate purposes.

Since the current DOJ regulations do not require a service animal be

trained by a training program to be recognized as a service dog, it is

possible to train one's own dog to perform tasks or do work that meets the

definition of a service animal under the implementing regulations. Training

a dog to pick up dropped items, open doors, or alert to sounds are not

tasks only a professional trainer can teach. In fact, all of the owner-

trained guide dog teams I have encountered have been more highly trained

and consistently better behaved than some of the program-trained dogs I

have come across. Even if such regulations were to be adopted-and I highly

doubt they will-what is to prevent someone who really wants to beat the

system from doing so? Should we ban the sale of lamination equipment from

office supply stores so fake identification cards cannot be produced?

Should we regulate those who make leather products so they cannot produce

harnesses and seamstresses so they cannot sew service-animal vests? There

is a far better solution to this issue, and each of us can be a part of

that solution.

One of my favorite adages when conducting service animal training

seminars is, "It is better to educate than to litigate." Most of us have

faced violations of our civil rights, but few of us have needed to seek

legal remedies. Usually a bit of education is all that is needed.

We want businesses to know the rights of an individual accompanied by

a service dog are not absolute, and businesses have the right to deny

access to dogs that pose a direct threat, are out-of-control and the

handler does not take action to correct the behavior, or if the dog is not

housebroken. I will submit an article in the future discussing the

responsibilities of service dog users and the rights of businesses as they

pertain to access to individuals accompanied by service animals. In the

meantime, if you would like more information about the rights and the

responsibilities of service-animal users, we have the tools and information

to offer guidance. This will go much further than restricting our rights

the way CCI and ADI wish.

In order to be good advocates, we need a few tools and sound skills.

The National Federation of the Blind's National Association of Guide Dog

Users sponsors The NAGDU Information & Advocacy Hotline. This nationwide

toll-free telephone service offers general information about service

animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as

specific guidance concerning restaurants, taxicabs, and healthcare

facilities. Callers needing immediate assistance can connect directly to a

live, trained advocate.

Now there's an app for that. The National Association of Guide Dog

Users is proud to sponsor the NAGDU Service Animal Information & Advocacy

mobile app. This innovative app provides general information about the

state and federal laws that protect the civil rights of disabled

individuals who use service dogs. The app contains the full texts of the

implementing regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as

they pertain to service animals and each of the state statutes that affirm

the rights of those who use service dogs, as well as general guidance

concerning access to specific types of establishments, such as hotels,

restaurants, taxicabs, healthcare facilities, and more. In addition, this

app provides the ability to directly connect with a live advocate who has

been specially trained to resolve access issues as they occur or send an

email for more specific guidance. This app is provided by the National

Association of Guide Dog Users at no charge as a public service. To

download the app, simply type the term "NAGDU" into the app store's search

field.

In an effort to better train our members about the rights and

responsibilities of guide and other service dog users and learn how to

initiate a dialogue with businesses, we are offering a special advocacy-

training seminar, so plan to join us on Tuesday, May 17, at 8:00 p.m.

eastern time for a dynamic training program conducted by the staff of our

hotline. During this training, we will offer you some new tools to help

start the conversation and share the skills of advocacy. To join the

teleseminar, please call the NAGDU boardroom at (641) 715-3300 and enter

participant code 560908#. We look forward to mobilizing our membership to

remove the obstacles we face as we live the lives we want in our

communities and make a meaningful impact on the rights of guide and other

service dog users in the United States.

----------

How to Pay for Your Hotel Stay in Orlando

by Tony Cobb

 

>From the Editor: For a long time Tony Cobb was a fixture in our

national convention hotel lobby, and his kindness, wisdom, and experience

helped to make the convention better for all of us. Here is a reminder we

try to run each year to prevent the heartache that comes from an overdrawn

checking account when one is not familiar with the practices of major hotel

chains. The words below come from the wisdom of those years of service, and

it is with gratitude that we reprint them:

 

Here is some advice about paying for your hotel stay: every year at

our national convention we have serious trouble with use of debit cards or

cash payments at hotel check-in, and, having worked to solve these problems

for years, I can tell you they can nearly ruin the convention week for

those experiencing them. Planning to attend our national convention should

therefore include thinking seriously about how to pay the hotel, and I

cannot urge you strongly enough to avoid using cash or a debit card as your

payment method. Doing so may seem convenient, but you should not do so. If

you do not have a credit card of your own to use, prevail upon a close

friend or family member to let you use one just for convention. Here's why:

If you are paying in actual currency, most hotels will want enough

cash up front at check-in to cover your room and tax charges for the entire

stay, plus a one-time advance incidentals deposit to cover meals, telephone

calls, internet service, and other things you may charge to your room. The

unused portion of the incidentals deposit may be returned at check-out or

by mail after departure. Understand, however, that, if your incidentals

charges exceed the incidentals deposit credited, you are responsible for

payment of the full balance at checkout. The total can end up being a very

large sum indeed.

If you use a debit card, however, you are really at a potentially

painful disadvantage. The hotel will put a hold on money in your bank

account linked to the debit card to cover the estimated balance of your

stay-that is, for the entire week's room and tax charges plus a one-time

incidentals deposit to cover meals, movies, and so on charged to your room.

You should be aware that the hold can therefore be a considerable amount of

money and that you will not have access to that amount for any other

purchases or payments with your card. (Hotels sometimes also put

authorizations on credit cards, by the way, but those are not often a

problem unless they exceed your card's credit limit.)

Holds can remain in effect for three to five days or even a week

after you check out. If you have pre-authorized payments from your bank

account, for example your monthly mortgage payment, or if you try to make a

purchase with your debit card and it's refused, the hold from the hotel can

cause you trouble or result in very large overdraft fees for payments you

thought you had money in your account to cover. I have seen this hit some

of our members in the form of hundreds of dollars in overdraft fees.

This means that, if you use a debit card, you would have to be

certain you have a high enough balance in your checking account when you

come to convention to cover any debit card holds. This is a perilous

practice since charges may exceed your estimate by a considerable amount.

(Some frequent travelers even open a separate checking account used only

for debits like these.) Remember, a hold is going to be placed on your

debit card regardless of how you end up paying the bill, and the hold is

not necessarily released right away, even if you pay with a credit card or

cash when you check out of the hotel.

Planning ahead in this area can ensure an untroubled week at

convention, leaving you free to enjoy fully the world's largest and most

exciting meeting of the blind-using a credit card, I hope.

----------

Recipes

 

This month's recipes are from the National Federation of the Blind of

Alaska.

 

Tortellini Tomato Soup with Italian Sausage and Spinach

by Juanita Webb

 

Juanita is a member of the Alaska affiliate, who believes strongly in

the power of an individual to make a difference.

 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound Italian sausage

1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 medium onion)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 32-ounce box of vegetable broth (chicken works as well)

2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 package tortellini

1 cup packed fresh spinach

Fresh grated parmesan cheese to taste

 

Method: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Heat

vegetable oil and add diced onion. Sauti until onions are soft. Crumble

Italian sausage and garlic with the onion. Cook until sausage is no longer

pink. Stir in crushed tomatoes, broth, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to a

boil, reduce heat to low, and cover. Let soup simmer for twenty to thirty

minutes. Add tortellini and spinach and simmer for about ten minutes, until

pasta is tender. Serve with shredded parmesan.

----------

Ranch Chicken Salad

by Shanley Kerls-Brown

 

Patrick and Shanley Brown, both members of the NFB of Alaska, have

recently made some major healthy lifestyle changes. Shanley went in for a

simple eye exam to renew her driver's license in December of 2015. The eye

doctor informed her that she had signs of diabetic damage to her eyes. She

had bloodwork done which confirmed that she had type 2 diabetes, and her

numbers were off the scale. She and her husband Patrick, who is the first

vice president of the National Federation of the Blind of Alaska, began

making healthy lifestyle changes. Along with exercising they began eating a

healthy low-carb diabetic diet. In three months they had both lost thirty

pounds and both had excellent bloodwork results, with Shanley's within .50

from being under the diabetic window. These are a few healthy recipes they

enjoy.

 

Ingredients:

3 to 3 1/2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken breast

1 cup celery, chopped

1 sweet bell pepper (any color), chopped

1/4 sweet yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon dry ranch seasoning

 

Method: Mix the chicken, mayonnaise, and seasoning together in a

medium bowl until well blended. Stir in the celery, peppers, and onion

until mixed evenly. Chill one hour to let flavors meld.

----------

Cabbage Creole

by Shanley Kerls-Brown

 

Ingredients:

1 to 2 pounds ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 medium head of cabbage, chopped

1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel tomatoes

1/2 pound Velveeta, cubed

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

 

Method: In a large skillet, brown beef with chopped onion. Drain if

necessary. Return meat mixture to pan. Add chopped cabbage (this may have

to be done in batches depending on how big of a pan you use). Cook until

cabbage is somewhat wilted. Add Ro-Tel and continue to cook until cabbage

is tender. Add cubed Velveeta and seasonings to taste. Cook until cheese is

melted. Serve hot.

----------

Hearty Hungarian Goulash

by Bonnie Lucas

 

Bonnie is the president of the Anchorage chapter and loves to cook.

She does her best to share the NFB philosophy of the Federation with the

blind of Alaska as an employee of the Alaska Center for the Blind and

Visually Impaired.

 

Ingredients:

2 pounds chuck roast, cubed

4 whole carrots, cut into large chunks

18-ounce canned plum tomatoes, crushed by hand

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups bone broth or organic beef broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Coconut oil to brown meat

 

Method: Coat large pan with enough coconut oil to line the bottom.

Brown cubes of chuck steak over high heat in batches, about two minutes per

side. Chop carrots and onion. Hand crush tomatoes. Add carrots, onion, and

tomato to slow cooker. Add meat, seasonings, garlic, mustard, and bone

broth to slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook on high for four to six hours

or low for eight to ten hours. Can serve over brown rice or quinoa. Makes

four servings.

----------

Grandma Jo's Pizza Burgers

by Bill Packee

 

Bill says of himself: I am a former Alaska state president of the

NFB, assistant manager at Walmart, and a student at the University of

Maryland working towards a bachelor's degree in forensic psychology. In my

"off time" I enjoy my children, grandchildren, our dogs, and maybe some

sleep. This recipe was one of our kids' favorite meals while growing up.

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of hamburger

1 10-ounce can of pizza sauce 

1 small onion, chopped 

1 can mushrooms

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

8 hamburger buns

 

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown hamburger and onion

together. Add remaining ingredients except cheese. After adding ingredients

cool mixture, then add cheese and bake at 350 degrees for ten to fifteen

minutes, then spoon unto buns. Yields eight servings.

----------

Flourless Chocolate Cake

by Bonnie Lucas

 

Ingredients:

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate, roughly

chopped

1 cup (2 sticks) plus 3 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks

1 1/4 cups sugar

6 eggs

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

 

Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a nine-inch springform pan

with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with a circle of

parchment paper. Spray the paper with cooking spray, too, then set the pan

aside.

Place two-thirds (eight ounces) of the chocolate and one cup (two

sticks) of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stirring

often, melt chocolate with butter until completely blended. Remove from

heat, and transfer to a large bowl. (Alternatively, you may use your

microwave to melt the butter with the chocolate, if desired). Add sugar and

mix well. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Sift

cocoa into bowl and stir until just blended.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for thirty-five to forty

minutes, or until cake has risen and top has formed a thin crust. The cake

should be just firm in the center when done. Cool for ten minutes, then

invert onto a plate, removing sides of springform pan. Remove and discard

parchment paper and set cake aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze. Melt remaining four ounces

chocolate and three tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium low

heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, then stir in milk, honey,

and vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly.

When cake has cooled, pour glaze onto the center. Using a spatula or

the back of a spoon, very gently smooth glaze along the top and sides of

the cake. Chill cake, uncovered, for thirty to sixty minutes before serving

to set the glaze and make the cake easier to slice.

----------

Mini Cheesecakes

by Tracey Packee

 

Tracey says about herself: I am a mother of six kids, four boys and

two girls. I also have two grandsons and two more grandsons due in August.

My husband Bill and I consider ourselves to be newlyweds even though we

have been married for seventeen years, four months and three days. I live

in Alaska, where I have been residing for the last nineteen years. 

 In 2009 I spent nine months at the Helen Keller National Center

learning the skills necessary to adjust to this condition. In 2010-2012 I

attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks and graduated magna cum laude

with a degree in paralegal studies. I am currently the Alaska state

president for the National Federation of the Blind. 

 

Ingredients:

12 vanilla wafer cookies

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened 

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 eggs

1 can cherry pie filling (or any fruit pie filling of your choice) 

Cupcake liners

Regular-size cupcake pan 

 

Method: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners.

Add 1 vanilla wafer to each liner. In a large bowl mix cheese, vanilla,

lemon juice, and sugar on medium speed until blended. Add eggs; mix well.

Pour mixture into each cupcake liner until about 3/4 full. Bake twenty-five

minutes at 325 degrees. Cool cakes, then add cherry pie filling or any

fruit pie filling of your choice. Chill before serving. Yields two dozen. 

 ----------

Monitor Miniatures

 

News from the Federation Family

 

National Federation of the Blind Praises Secretary Clinton's Remarks on

Employment of People with Disabilities:

The National Federation of the Blind commented on recent remarks by

Hillary Clinton in which she called for ending "the tiered minimum wages

for ... people with disabilities."

Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind,

said: "The National Federation of the Blind applauds Secretary Clinton for

stating boldly and unequivocally that she rejects the discriminatory

practice of paying workers with disabilities subminimum wages. We call upon

the other presidential candidates to join with us and over seventy-five

other organizations of people with disabilities in supporting the repeal of

Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act and to reject the

misconceptions and low expectations that have for too long kept people with

disabilities from achieving our dreams."

A provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act dating from the law's

enactment in 1938, known as Section 14(c), allows facilities to apply for

special wage certificates that permit them to pay workers with disabilities

subminimum wages. About three thousand entities pay more than 250,000

workers with disabilities wages as low as pennies per hour, according to

2016 statistics from the US Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division.

 

Health and Wellness Experts Wanted:

The NFB Sports and Recreation Division and WE Fit Wellness are

seeking health and wellness experts for the 2016 NF-BE Healthy Fair.

On June 30, 2016, the NFB Sports and Recreation Division will help

kick off the seventy-sixth National Convention of the National Federation

of the Blind with the first ever NF-BE Healthy Fair. The NF-BE Healthy Fair

is a health fair designed with the blind in mind. Instead of walking from

table to table gathering print information, attendees will have the

opportunity to receive a health assessment, nutrition information, put

their hands on talking health- and wellness-related gadgets, try out

accessible mechanisms for reading nutrition information, check out

accessible activity trackers, and more. In order to make the NF-BE Healthy

Fair a huge success, we are seeking health and wellness professionals who

are willing to show off their skills, sell their products, and help

convention attendees find solutions, tools, and motivation to NF-BE

Healthy!

We are looking for personal trainers, fitness instructors, people who

sell health- and wellness-related products, life coaches, massage

therapists, chiropractors, representatives from sports- and recreation-

related community-based organizations, recreational therapists, nutrition

experts, exercise enthusiasts, and others who may add an exciting dimension

to our 2016 NF-BE Healthy Fair. For more information on how you can become

a sponsor or exhibitor, please contact Jessica Beecham at (866) 543-6808,

extension 105, or email <jessica at wefitwellness.com>.

 

Convention Announcements from the Assistive Listening Project:

At the 2016 national convention, we will again offer special

arrangements for severely hearing-impaired people attending convention

sessions and the banquet. This will consist of transmission of the public

address system signal over a special short-range radio transmitter for the

severely hearing-impaired. Spanish-language translation of convention

proceedings in general sessions and the banquet will also be provided using

a similar arrangement. The special receivers required for these services

will also be provided.

In cooperation with several state affiliates (notably Colorado, Utah,

and Virginia), the NFB will provide special receivers for these

transmissions to those needing them. The receiver-lending will be managed

by the Amateur Radio Division and will be operated from a table just

outside the meeting room. A deposit of $40, cash only, will be required of

anyone wishing to check out one of the Federation's receivers. The deposit

will be returned if the receiver is checked in at the checkout table in

good condition by the end of the banquet or within thirty minutes of

adjournment of the last convention session that the borrower plans to

attend. Batteries for the receiver will be provided. Anyone checking out a

Federation receiver will be given upon request a miniature earbud-type

earphone to use with the receiver.

Along with explaining what will be available, it is important that we

explain what will not be available. The miniature earbud loudspeaker-type

earphone will be the only kind of earphone offered. If you would like to

use your own earphone(s), silhouette, neckloop, or other device or adapter

cable to get the signal from the receiver we provide to your ear, you must

ensure that the cable connection between your device and our receiver is

one that will fit the audio jack found on electronic devices such as

talking book and MP3 players, laptops, or mobile devices like iPhones and

notetakers. In technical terms, this is referred to as a 3.5 mm (formerly

called 1/8-inch) earphone plug. You are advised to arrange for such things

well ahead of arriving at the convention. Other than the earphone jack on

the receiver, no means of connection to a hearing aid will be available

from the checkout table. The receiver does not have a built-in loudspeaker.

While earphones, and even neckloops, are sometimes available in the exhibit

hall, you cannot be certain of getting one there.

Many severely hearing-impaired people already use radio systems that

employ FM radio signals to carry the voice from a transmitter held by the

person speaking to a receiver in the hearing aid. Some of these hearing aid

systems can be tuned to receive the Federation's special transmitters. In

this case the hearing-impaired person may simply tune his or her own

receiver to receive the Federation's transmitter and will not need to check

out a Federation receiver.

Some audiologists and rehabilitation agencies are now buying digital

and other FM hearing aids that cannot be tuned to the Federation's

frequency. If you have one of these or if you have any other type of

hearing aid, you should obtain from your audiologist an adapter cable to

connect from your hearing aid to a monaural 3.5 mm earphone jack. This will

allow you to plug the cable from your hearing aid directly into a receiver

you check out from our table. This will allow you to hear as well as anyone

else using one of our receivers.

The transmitter for the hearing impaired will be connected to the

public address system so that the signals from the head table and the aisle

microphones will be transmitted on channel thirty-six (74.775 MHz narrow

band FM). People must not operate their personal transmitters on channel

thirty-six or on channel thirty-eight because that would interfere with the

reception for others. This means that folks wishing to use their own

receivers (rather than checking out one of the Federation's receivers) need

to have their personal receivers arranged so that they can switch between

their personal channels and channel thirty-six. Some people may need to

purchase replacement or additional receivers. Caution your audiologist that

there is more than one channel thirty-six, and he or she must also verify

that your frequency matches our frequency.

This announcement is published now to allow as much time as possible

for those interested to make the necessary arrangements before convention.

It contains this amount of detail so that any audiologist who works with

this type of equipment should be able to know by reading this article

exactly what capabilities a person's hearing system must have to work with

the Federation's system at convention.

Even if your hearing aid is not of the FM type, you may be able to

purchase a silhouette, a neckloop, or an adapter cable to couple the signal

from a Federation receiver directly to your hearing aid. Your audiologist

should also be able to help you with this. The NFB Deaf-Blind Division has

offered to provide feedback on their members' experiences with these types

of devices to interested convention attendees. Contact Joe Naulty, 3924

South Wind Drive, West Melbourne, Florida 32904, (321) 768-9500 or

<jnaulty at cfl.rr.com> for inquiries. Please always remember to consult your

audiologist when considering any additions to your hearing aid setup.

The service for Spanish speakers will be similar, except that a live

Spanish translator will speak over a separate transmitter on channel thirty-

eight (75.275 MHz narrow band FM). We do not expect that people will bring

their own receivers for the Spanish-translation service, unless they are

also hearing impaired and use an FM hearing aid system. Spanish speakers

may, however, wish to bring their own earphones. See above for a

description of the type of plug needed.

Conchita Hernandez from Washington, DC, will be coordinating the

Spanish language interpreters, and she would appreciate hearing from anyone

willing to volunteer to interpret. Please call her before convention at

(530) 908-3547, or send her email at <hernandezlegorreta at gmail.com>.

If other state affiliates or chapters are interested in purchasing

this type of equipment for use in state and local meetings, they are

encouraged to purchase equipment that is compatible with that which we are

using and to allow it to be used in the pool of equipment that the Amateur

Radio Division administers at national convention. I (Rachel Olivero) would

like to help you choose equipment that is compatible with that which the

NFB is using. You may contact me at (765) 977-1683 or at

<rachel at olivero.us>. The Federation is pleased to offer these services to

our severely hearing-impaired and Spanish-speaking colleagues, and we hope

and believe that it will again significantly improve their convention

experience.

 

 

New Opportunities for Careers in Rehabilitation of the Blind, Scholarships

are Now Available:

Structured Discovery Cane Travel (SDCT) and Structured Discovery

Rehabilitation have been demonstrated to be among the most innovative and

effective forms of rehabilitation training for individuals who are blind or

visually impaired. Louisiana Tech University has operated its Orientation

and Mobility program on this model successfully for eighteen years, with

upwards of 90 percent successful employment and employer satisfaction

rates.

Louisiana Tech is excited to announce that, along with its O&M

program, it has expanded its training and is launching a brand new

concentration in rehabilitation teaching for the blind.

Scholarships are now available for qualified individuals seeking one

of the following degree paths: master of arts in industrial/organizational

psychology with concentration in orientation and mobility, master of arts

in counseling and guidance with concentration in rehabilitation teaching

for the blind, or orientation and mobility graduate certification.

Why me?

. The field of educating and rehabilitating children and adults who

are blind is deeply rewarding and life-changing.

. The job market is wide open; currently we receive four times the

number of employer requests than we have graduates to provide.

. Training occurs on campus in Ruston, Louisiana, and can be

completed in as little as one year.

. No prior background or experience in blindness is necessary-we'll

teach you everything you need to know.

. Scholarships are provided on a competitive basis to qualified

applicants and can cover costs for attending the university.

. Scholarships also support travel to conferences, trainings, and

field-based experiences at Structured Discovery training programs.

Who can Apply?

Individuals must already possess a bachelor's degree from an

accredited university, have a grade point average of 2.5, and obtain a

minimum of 287 (verbal and quantitative) on the Graduate Records

Examination. Individuals must also be willing to attend courses on campus

in Ruston, Louisiana, on a full-time basis.

What's the Catch?

. Payback through service is required. Agreement to receive

scholarship funding requires commitment for you to work in the

field of rehabilitation for two years for each year of scholarship

support you obtain.

. Scholarships cover at least tuition and fees but may cover living

and travel costs as well.

. You have to move to Ruston, work hard, study harder, and have the

heart to be an O&M or rehabilitation teacher of blind people.

Where do I get started?

For program details, visit: <www.pdrib.com>, send an email for more

information to: <dreed at latech.edu>, or call Edward Bell to discuss your

application at (318) 257-4554.

 

 

Registration Open for Rehabilitation and Orientation and Mobility

Conference:

Contemporary Issues in Rehabilitation and Education for the Blind

Fifteenth Annual Rehabilitation and Orientation and Mobility Conference

will be held at Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Thursday, June 30, 2016, 8:30

a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Come and join us! Once again, this year's conference

will be action-packed with a variety of new speakers, topics, and hands-on

events.

 

Schedule:

7:30 - 8:30 AM Registration

8:30 AM Conference Begins

2:00 - 5:00 PM Interactive Breakout Sessions

5:00 - 7:00 PM NBPCB Awards Reception

 

Registration fee includes the NBPCB awards reception. The cost before

June 15 is $85 for professionals, $75 for students. After June 15, the cost

is $100 for both students and professionals. To register, go to

<https://nbpcb.org/members/login.php?r=/members/er.php?eid=284>. Those

certified through the NBPCB may register using their username and password.

All other participants should register as a guest.

For questions or special arrangements, contact Dianne Reed at (318)

257-4554, or <dreed at latech.edu>.

Conference sponsored by: National Blindness Professional

Certification Board (NBPCB), Professional Development & Research Institute

on Blindness (PDRIB), Louisiana Tech University, and the National

Association of Professionals in Blindness Education.

 

Assistance Needed at Convention:

Pauline Murphy is looking for assistance in getting from her room to

convention sessions, restaurants, the exhibit hall, and other convention

activities. She is willing to pay some for this service. If interested in

helping her, call (317) 403-7000, or write her at <paulinemm at att.net>.

 

A History of Blind People Available:

The Blind History Lady Presents is a growing series of articles and

historical biographies of blind people who lived in the 1800s through the

early 1900s. These blind men and women created their own opportunities,

becoming electricians, boat builders, insurance salesmen, chemists,

chiropractors, and so much more. Peggy Chong is the Blind History Lady. Her

articles have appeared in the Braille Monitor and many other publications.

Now she takes her almost three decades of research on blind people,

compiling them into in-depth short stories and is sharing it with everyone,

blind and sighted. Check out The Blind History Lady Presents at your

favorite ebook store or at <www.smashwords.com>.

 

Conference Calls for Those with Cerebral Palsy:

Come one and all, blind and visually impaired Federationists who have

cerebral palsy, to create an active and vibrant group of blind and visually

impaired Americans with cerebral palsy. The purpose of this group will be

to provide the following: positive role modeling techniques, leadership,

networking, mentoring, information, referral to agencies, education,

socialization, rehabilitation training methodology ideas, advice about self-

representation, and systemic legal advocacy assistance. This group will

discuss the management of social issues faced by blind and visually

impaired people with cerebral palsy and the management of the

rehabilitation training issues faced by this group. Our goal is to provide

mutual support from those who understand.

Meetings will be held by conference call on the first Sunday of the

month from 8:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. eastern time starting on Sunday, June

5, 2016. The conference phone number is (218) 339-3814; enter pin 999999#.

To assist in developing this group contact Alexander Scott Kaiser by

Braille snailmail, by phone, and by email. His postal address is Alexander

Scott Kaiser, 52 Meadowbrook Road, Brick Township, New Jersey 08723-7850;

his email address is <AKaiser999 at gmx.us>, and he can be reached by phone at

(848) 205-0208.

 

 

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.

 

Delta Air Lines Offers a Discount to National Federation of the Blind

National Convention:

Members of the National Federation of the Blind and all individuals

planning their travel to attend our annual national convention are being

offered discounted airfare from Delta Air Lines through their Delta Meeting

Network. Those interested should go to <www.delta.com/booking> to book

their flight and enter the meeting event code: NMNBW. The discount will be

calculated based on your specific travel arrangements and could range from

2 percent to 10 percent. If you have any questions, call the Delta Meeting

Network at (800) 328-1111 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. central time, Monday

through Friday.

 

SENSEsational Alphabet Books Back at Seedlings:

The ever-popular SENSEsational Alphabet books are back at Seedlings!

And, we are still offering them at our deeply discounted price of $20 each!

The interactive ABC picture books allow blind and sighted family members to

learn the alphabet and beginning words in sign language and uncontracted

Braille together! The book incorporates visual stimuli, movement, touch,

smell, and sound. Feel the different textures of the horse and lizard,

smell the distinctive aromas of apples and roses, move the hands of the

watch, pull the zipper, and much more! To order, go to

<http://www.seedlings.org/browse.php?search=SENSEsational+Alphabet&field=Ite

m_name>. You can also check out our webpage at <www.seedlings.org>, or

follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@SeedlingsBrlBks).

 

DOJ Reaches Settlement with Greyhound and Disabled Passengers May Be Due

Compensation:

The US Department of Justice ("DOJ") recently entered into a

settlement with the Greyhound bus lines company on behalf of disabled

travelers. The settlement consent decree creates a fund of $300,000 for

"select individuals identified by the United States" and a separate

uncapped claims filing process to compensate "individuals who assert ADA

claims meeting established criteria." The following information is meant

to help clarify some confusion about the significance and scope of this

settlement among members of the National Federation of the Blind. The

information is compiled from the publicly available settlement documents,

court filings, and consultations with the DOJ attorneys responsible for

enforcing the settlement.

 

Who is generally eligible?

As for the $300,000, that fund is likely set aside for the specific

individuals that the DOJ was already working with during its investigation.

If you weren't already talking with DOJ attorneys or staff about access

problems prior to February 8, 2016, then it is unlikely that this fund

applies to you. If you were talking with the DOJ about your access

problems prior to February 8, 2016, then you should contact them to verify

your status.

 

As for the claims filing process, you must meet each of the following

four requirements to even be considered for compensation:

 

. have a disability;

 

. have traveled or attempted to travel on Greyhound between Feb. 8, 2013,

and Feb. 8, 2016;

 

. have experienced a disability-related incident during your travel or

attempt to travel (for example, lack of accessible transportation or

transportation-related services, Greyhound's failure to make disability-

related accommodations, etc.); and

 

. submit a claim form by mail, email, or online to the claims administrator

by no later than Nov. 10, 2016.

 

The above qualifications are vague and could arguably include quite a

few access problems that members of the National Federation of the Blind

have experienced. Based on conversations with the Department of Justice

attorneys responsible for enforcing the settlement, it appears that the

"criteria" that might be used to award compensable claims is not as broad

as the above language might suggest. Further, the policy fixes outlined in

the settlement also seem to target a broader set of ADA violations than the

monetary claims. Because this settlement is not a class action, the DOJ

and Greyhound retain discretion on the claims that will eventually receive

monetary compensation.

 

 

What claims are likely covered?

According to the DOJ attorneys responsible for enforcing the

settlement, blind individuals whose experiences are similar to the types of

access problems illustrated in the complaint should consider filing a

claim. Eligible blind individuals who experienced the following types of

problems should consider filing a claim:

 

. personnel failing to provide assistance to you in navigating to a bus

from the bus station or boarding and de-boarding buses;

 

. personnel failing to allow you to leave and return to the bus at rest

stops;

 

. personnel failing to provide you sufficient time to board or disembark

buses;

 

. personnel failing to permit your service animal to accompany you in

vehicles and facilities;

 

. personnel failing to facilitate the availability of seating designated

for use by individuals with disabilities when such priority seating is

occupied by luggage or passengers without disabilities;

 

. personnel failing to let you sit in seats other than the designated

seating area for people with disabilities;

 

. other similar issues relating to physical access to the bus and

facilities.

 

Much of the settlement focuses on access for people who use

wheelchairs or have mobility impairments. Blind travelers who use

wheelchairs or have mobility impairments should consider submitting claims

if they experienced inoperable lifts, inadequate wheelchair securement

straps, or problems related to the operation of the "kneeling" function of

a bus, which lowers the height of the access point to the bus for those who

would otherwise have difficulty navigating the distance between the ground

and the bus's first step. In addition, blind individuals with wheelchairs

who were unable to book wheelchair-accessible travel online or were charged

extra to book wheelchair-accessible travel over the telephone should also

consider submitting a claim.

 

 

How do I submit a claim?

The claim administrator website has relevant case documents, contact

information, and instructions for filing a claim at

<www.dojvgreyhoundsettlement.com/>. You may also call the settlement

administrator at (844) 502-5953.

 

 

What about other issues not mentioned above?

 

The National Federation of the Blind is aware of other access issues

that are not clearly addressed by this settlement. The Federation continues

to raise and monitor these issues with Greyhound and the DOJ to ensure that

all of the concerns of the blind community are addressed in the context of

this settlement or other independent action. Individuals with questions or

concerns may contact attorney Timothy Elder at <telder at trelegal.com> or

(410) 415-3493, or contact Valerie Yingling with the NFB's legal team in

Baltimore at <vyingling at nfb.org> or (410) 659-9314.

 

 

----------

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

 

 

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