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<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">I get the braille
monitor.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=4 face="Courier New">Becky</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=nebraska-senior-blind@nfbnet.org
href="mailto:nebraska-senior-blind@nfbnet.org">Robert Leslie Newman via
Nebraska-senior-blind</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=nebraska-senior-blind@nfbnet.org
href="mailto:nebraska-senior-blind@nfbnet.org">0senior division listserv</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, November 24, 2014 8:34
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Nebraska-senior-blind] The
Braille Monitor - November 2014</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=WordSection1>
<P class=MsoNormal>Hi you all!<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>RE: Are you getting the Braille Monitor? I need to know
this. Pleas!!! (Write me back and tell me)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Below this section is a copy of this month’s Braille
Monitor. For those of you who are newish to our division, and to the NFB, this
is our monthly news magazine. It is one of the best ways to learn of news
about blind people, or products that are blindness related, and/or what issues
the NFB is involved in. If you are not signed up for it, please do so!!! If
you need help getting signed up, write or call me and I’ll help you.
Note: signing up means that you start getting it, automatically each month;
choices are either by email, hard-copy large print or by audio that comes on a
USB thumb drive. There are other NFB publications that you can also sign up
for. To learn more, or to sign up, go to the following link:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>https://nfb.org/publications<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><A name=OLE_LINK2></A><A
name=OLE_LINK3><o:p> </o:p></A></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>**Here is this month’s Braille Monitor:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText> BRAILLE
MONITOR<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Vol. 57, No. 10 November 2014<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Gary Wunder, Editor<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Distributed by email, in
inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>(see reverse side) by the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> NATIONAL FEDERATION OF
THE BLIND<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Mark Riccobono,
President<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> telephone: (410)
659-9314<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> email address: <A
href="mailto:nfb@nfb.org">nfb@nfb.org</A><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> website address: <A
href="http://www.nfb.org">http://www.nfb.org</A><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> NFBnet.org: <A
href="http://www.nfbnet.org">http://www.nfbnet.org</A><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> NFB-NEWSLINE.
information: (866) 504-7300<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Like us on
Facebook: Facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Follow us on Twitter: @NFB_Voice<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Watch and share our videos: YouTube.com/NationsBlind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Letters to the President, address changes, subscription
requests, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>orders for NFB literature should be sent to the national
office. Articles<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for the Monitor and letters to the editor may also be
sent to the national<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>office or may be emailed to <A
href="mailto:gwunder@nfb.org">gwunder@nfb.org</A>.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Monitor subscriptions cost the Federation
about forty dollars per year.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Members are invited, and
nonmembers are requested, to
cover the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>subscription cost. Donations should be made payable
to National Federation<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the Blind and sent to:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> National Federation of
the Blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> 200 East Wells Street at
Jernigan Place<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Baltimore, Maryland
21230-4998<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
KNOWS THAT BLINDNESS IS NOT THE<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> CHARACTERISTIC THAT DEFINES YOU OR YOUR
FUTURE. EVERY DAY WE RAISE THE<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> EXPECTATIONS OF BLIND PEOPLE, BECAUSE LOW
EXPECTATIONS CREATE OBSTACLES<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> BETWEEN BLIND PEOPLE AND OUR DREAMS.
YOU CAN LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT;<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>BLINDNESS IS NOT WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK. THE NATIONAL
FEDERATION OF THE BLIND<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND-IT IS THE
BLIND SPEAKING FOR<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
OURSELVES.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ISSN 0006-8829<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>) 2014 by the National Federation of the
Blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Each issue is recorded on
a thumb drive (also called a memory stick<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>or USB flash drive). You can read this audio edition
using a computer or a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>National Library Service digital player. The NLS machine
has two slots-the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>familiar book-cartridge slot just above the retractable
carrying handle and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>a second slot located on the right side near the
headphone jack. This<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>smaller slot is used to play thumb drives. Remove the
protective rubber pad<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>covering this slot and insert the thumb drive. It will
insert only in one<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>position. If you encounter resistance, flip the drive
over and try again.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>(Note: If the cartridge slot is not empty when you
insert the thumb drive,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the digital player will ignore the thumb drive.) Once
the thumb drive is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>inserted, the player buttons will function as usual for
reading digital<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>materials. If you remove the thumb drive to use the
player for cartridges,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>when you insert it again, reading should resume at the
point you stopped.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> You can transfer the
recording of each issue from the thumb drive to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>your computer or preserve it on the thumb drive.
However, because thumb<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>drives can be used hundreds of times, we would
appreciate their return in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>order to stretch our funding. Please use the return
label enclosed with the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>drive when you return the device.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Vol. 57, No.
10
November 2014<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Contents<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Illustration: Pre-K at Play<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Heritage for the Blind Ads for Car Donations Raise BBB
Concerns<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>The Blind Gun Designer: The Genius of Mikhail
Margolin<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by Greg Trapp<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Fred Gissoni Dies<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by Gary Wunder<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Fred Gissoni: A Man of Change<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by Larry Skutchan<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>What is the Cost of a Free Product?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by Tim Connell<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Improving Disability Employment: A Pathway to Success
for Employers and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Workers<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by Patricia Shiu<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Reflections of a White Cane Guy<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by David Cohen<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Bringing Our Animals to the Zoo<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by Marion Gwizdala<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>NFB's iOS Resolution: Some Perspective and
Context<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by Jonathan Mosen<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Advice to the Rookies from a Rookie<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by Jamie Allison<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Normal<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by Daniel B. Frye<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Coming to See the Unfairness of Paying Less than the
Minimum Wage<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by Cindy Bennett<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Blindness Cured? And Thank You for It<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by Eric Woods<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Recipes<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Monitor Miniatures<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Pre-K at Play<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Each year schools in Baltimore take one day from their
busy school year and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>send their youngest children out on the town to observe
organizations doing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>good work in the community. Oriana Riccobono's
teacher asked if the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>National Federation of the Blind would be willing to
host her class. Of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>course the answer was yes and the children spent more
than two hours<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>learning about how blind people do things that the
children are accustomed<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to doing with vision.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: There are hula hoops on the ground in
patterns that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>represent the shapes of Braille cells, and the Pre-K
children are standing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in the hoops to match the print letters shown on the
papers inside them.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Children have their hands and arms stuck
through two holes<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>cut in the middle of a presentation board, attempting to
fill a cup with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>beans nonvisually.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: A group of children "fishing" for paper
fish in a kiddie<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>pool.]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Heritage for the
Blind Ads for Car Donations Raise BBB Concerns<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> BBB advises donors to consider alternatives to
Heritage for the Blind for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
car donations<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>From the Editor: For several years now members of the
National Federation<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the Blind have been hearing advertisements about
Heritage for the Blind.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Being familiar with most service providers and charities
in work with the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>blind, many of us have called this organization, only to
find those<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>answering our calls to be quite vague about program
offerings. Generally we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are asked to leave a number and promised a callback. If
we get one, we find<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that we are offered no specific services but instead are
referred to other<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>organizations, foremost among them the National
Federation of the Blind.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Our research suggests that Heritage for the Blind
provides little if<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>anything in the way of direct services, and it appears
others share our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>concern about a charity that has so much money that it
can afford to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>purchase commercial rates on the major radio networks,
offer free vacations<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to its donors, and still purport to have money left over
to provide<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>services to blind people. Here is what the Better
Business Bureau had to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>say about them on September 11, 2014, in a press release
that ran on their<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>website and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
<STLtoday.com>:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Better Business Bureau
(BBB) is advising motorists who are planning<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to donate vehicles to charity to consider alternatives
to Heritage for the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Blind, a national charity that has been soliciting car
donations in the St.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Louis area.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The charity recently sent
mailers to area residents asking for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>vehicle donations. The mailers urge recipients to
"provide help for the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>visually impaired" by calling a toll-free number and
arranging to donate<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>their vehicles to the organization. The ads show a
Heritage for the Blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>truck towing a car and suggest that potential donors ask
about a free three-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>day vacation voucher. BBB believes the ads have the
capacity to mislead<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>consumers. In addition, BBB also warns that the charity
omits important<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>information on its website and fails to adequately
explain how it is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>spending its money.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Charity officials have
declined to respond to BBB requests for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>information. "BBB has tried to get Heritage for the
Blind to open up about<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>where its money is going without success," said Michelle
Corey, BBB<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>president and CEO. "This organization has said,
basically, that it is too<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>much trouble to respond. When a tax-exempt charity that
solicits the public<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>takes that position, it is a cause for
concern."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The nineteen-year-old,
Brooklyn, New York-based charity raised $14<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>million in the five years prior to January 2013,
according to Form 990<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>reports to the Internal Revenue Service. From January 1
to December 31,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2012, the most recent information available, the charity
reported nearly<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>$4.2 million in contributions. Almost all of the money
came from its<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>vehicle donation program. The IRS records show brothers
Shrage and Steven<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Toiv, the charity's top-paid employees, received
salaries of $135,000 each<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that year.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Heritage for the Blind
has not responded to requests for information<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>from BBB's Wise Giving Alliance. As a result BBB has
been unable to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>determine whether the charity meets BBB's Standards for
Charity<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Accountability. Charity participation in a review is
voluntary, but BBB<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>encourages participation to demonstrate transparency and
strengthen public<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>trust. The charity also declined to discuss its
operations in an email to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>St. Louis BBB, saying, in part: "Heritage for the Blind
is in full<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>compliance with all statutes and regulations of every
state in the nation,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>as well as those of the Internal Revenue Service, and is
current with all<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>required filings. However, as much as we may like to,
Heritage for the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Blind simply does not have the resources to respond to
every detailed<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>request we may receive from non-governmental groups and
organizations."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In its 990 IRS report and
information on its website, Heritage for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Blind says it produces and distributes large-print
and Braille<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>religious and non-religious publications, operates a
phone referral and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>support program, offers educational information to
consumers, and provides<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>a medical alert service called "Freedom Carephone."
However, it has<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>declined to release any details on how much money is
going to each program<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and who it is serving. Specific BBB concerns
include:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
. Potentially misleading advertising. The charity's mailers and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> other promotional
literature asking for car donations refer to a "free<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> three-day vacation
voucher," "free vacation vouchers," and a "free<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> vacation" for those
donating vehicles. However, the company that is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> partnering with Heritage
for the Blind to provide the vouchers says,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "there are fees
associated with this offer, so obviously this is not a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> 'free' trip. Our offers
generally are 70 to 90 percent off the going<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> retail
rate."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
. Omission of important information on the charity's website.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Based on reports to the
IRS, one of the charity's programs involves<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> the production of
large-print publications. It appears that most of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> those publications are
religious materials distributed to the Jewish<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> nonprofit group, Jewish
Heritage for the Blind. That information is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> not included on the
charity's website.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
. Donations to a family member's nonprofit organization. In its<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> most recent 990 report,
Heritage for the Blind reports that it donated<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> $110,000 in large-type
religious publications to Jewish Heritage for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> the Blind. The disclosure
notes a family relationship between the two<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> groups, but does not
detail the relationship. Rabbi David Toiv is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> listed as director of
Jewish Heritage for the Blind. Neither Jewish<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Heritage for the Blind
nor Heritage for the Blind has responded to BBB<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> requests for
information.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
. Heritage for the Blind's business relationship with the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> medical alert company
Freedom Phone, a business owned by Shrage Toiv.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> While the exact nature of
the relationship is unclear, Heritage for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> the Blind notes that it
provides "Freedom Carephone services for those<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> in need." Freedom Phone
is owned by Shrage Toiv, and it is unclear<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> whether Freedom Phone
donates the medical devices or sells them to the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> charity.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Heritage for the Blind's
IRS 990 report for 2012 says that the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>charity spent nearly $3.9 million that year, with $1.8
million allocated to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fundraising, and $1.7 million allocated to program
services. But BBB says<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Heritage for the Blind has repeatedly declined to detail
its program<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>service expenditures. Carole Bellman, St. Louis BBB's
director of charity<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>review, said the charity's refusal to break down where
its money is going<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>means that donors are left to wonder how the money is
being spent. "For<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people to be able to trust a charity, they have to know
how their money is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>being used," she said. "Any charity that keeps that
information secret is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>doing a disservice to itself and donors."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> A BBB employee phoned the
charity requesting assistance for a sight-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>impaired relative. A charity representative told her
that it could help her<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>access a variety of services, including books for the
sight-impaired, help<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with technology, monetary grants, and a folding white
cane. The charity<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>then sent a packet of information that included two
"talking alarm" key<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>chains (wholesale cost $2 to $6), a plastic "vision
simulator card"<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>(distributed by the Ohio Optometric Association), a
Braille alphabet card<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>(produced by American Foundation for the Blind), and a
listing of St. Louis<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>area organizations that assist the blind and visually
impaired.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In June 2010 New York
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Heritage for the Blind was among sixteen charities,
fundraisers, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>individuals subpoenaed as part of what he called a
wide-ranging<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>investigation of the charitable car donation industry.
An official with the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>attorney general's office said last week that he is "not
aware of anything<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>current in regards to Heritage for the
Blind."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> National Federation of
the Blind is a seventy-three-year-old national<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>nonprofit that works as an advocate for the blind. Its
past president, Marc<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Maurer, said he had worked with several staff members of
his organization<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>trying to research Heritage for the Blind. "We have been
trying to track<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>down what they do, with no success," he said. He said
researchers who<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>called the organization for help often were referred to
the National<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Federation of the Blind.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In October 2012 the
National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>asked that Heritage for the Blind stop fundraising in
that state until it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>registers with the Minnesota attorney general's office
and "demonstrates .<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>. . that it actually provides useful services to blind
Minnesotans." It<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>also called on media outlets to cease carrying the
charity's advertisements<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>until it met those conditions.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> BBB has these tips to
consumers considering donating a vehicle
to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>charity:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Research the charity,
making sure it is tax-exempt and asking what<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>programs will be supported by your donation. The charity
should be able to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>provide detailed information about the
charity's operations. Tax-exempt<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>charities have an ethical obligation to be transparent
with the public.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Find out how the
charity benefits financially from the resale of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>car.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . For tax records take a
photo of the car and keep copies of current<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>classified ads or guide value estimates for similar
vehicles. (For more<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>deductibility information, get a copy of IRS Publication
561, "Determining<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Value of Donated Property.")<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Understand
deductibility details. Most cars donated to charity are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sold at auction, and the donor's tax deduction is
limited to the gross<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>proceeds from the sale. The charity must provide that
amount to the donor<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in writing. Donors can claim the car's full fair market
value only in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>certain conditions, such as when a charity uses a car in
its program or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>gives it to needy individuals.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Check IRS guidelines in
A Donor's Guide to Car Donations<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>(Publication 4303), at <<A
href="http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4303.pdf">www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4303.pdf</A>>.
If you are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>claiming a car donation of over $500, you will need to
complete and attach<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>IRS Form 8283 to your tax return. If the car is worth
more than $5,000, you<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>will need a written professional
appraisal.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Transfer the car's
title to the charity's name and keep a copy of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this record. The title change will help you avoid
potential problems if the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>car is somehow parked illegally by the organization or
is involved in an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accident or other mishap before the charity sells
it.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Check out a charity by
going to <<A href="http://www.bbb.org">www.bbb.org</A>> or call (314)
645-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>3300.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The BBB is a nonprofit,
business-supported organization that sets and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>upholds high standards for fair and honest business
behavior. All BBB<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>services to consumers are free of charge. BBB provides
objective advice,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>free BBB business reviews on more than four million
businesses, 11,000<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>charity reviews, dispute resolution services, alerts and
educational<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>information on topics affecting marketplace trust.
Please visit<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><<A href="http://www.bbb.org">www.bbb.org</A>> for
more information.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Greg Trapp fires a C96 Mauser
Broomhandle.]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
The Blind Gun Designer: The Genius of Mikhail Margolin<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Greg Trapp<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>>From the Editor: Greg Trapp is the executive
director of the New Mexico<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Commission for the Blind, a position he has held since
1999. Prior to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>becoming commission director, he was a senior staff
attorney with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Disability Rights New Mexico. He has taught disability
law as an adjunct<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>professor, and he is a past president of the National
Council of State<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Agencies for the Blind. He is also a longtime member of
the National<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Federation of the Blind. Here is what he has to say
about a blind person<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>who succeeded in a field many would consider unlikely-he
found success as a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>gun designer.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The question of blind
people and guns continues to be hotly debated.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>On August 4, 2014, a video commentary was posted on NRA
News in which the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>commentator said, "Every law-abiding, blind individual
should be able to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have whatever guns they want." The commentator was Dom
Raso, a defense<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>instructor and former Navy Seal. The video was ridiculed
by Shannon Watts,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense.
Apparently unfamiliar with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the NFB's Blind Driver Challenge, not to mention bioptic
driving, she<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sarcastically asked, "Should we let blind people drive,
too?"<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The attitude of the
general public toward the blind was further<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>demonstrated when the Huffington Post responded to the
commentary by<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>conducting a survey asking if it "should be legal for
the blind to own<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>guns." Only 23 percent of respondents said it should be
legal for the blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to own a gun, while 51 percent said it should be
illegal, while the rest<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>were not sure. The results of the survey may have been
different if the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people surveyed had been told about and shown the
alternative techniques<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>used by blind shooters or about blind people who
successfully engage in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>activities related to firearms. They could have been
told about Carey<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>McWilliams, a blind hunter and author of Guide Dogs and
Guns. They could<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>also have been told about Jim Miekka, a blind stock
trader and inventor,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>who can accurately fire a rifle with a photodiode scope
he invented. Had<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>they Googled "world's best target shooter," the first
result they would<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have found was for Miekka, and they would have learned
that he can hit a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>4mm target at 100 yards. They could also have been told
about Mikhail<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Margolin, the remarkable blind Russian gun designer who
successfully worked<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>during a career that started in the reign of Joseph
Stalin and continued<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>into the rule of Leonid Brezhnev. This article examines
the life and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>contributions of this brilliant Soviet gun
designer.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: The Margolin MCM target
pistol]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/DESCRIPTION: The semi-automatic handgun has a
long and thin barrel,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with a high front sight at the end of the barrel. The
equally high rear<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sight is mounted on a stationary bridge through which
the slide passes as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>it ejects the fired cartridge case. Though strange in
appearance, the high<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sights were largely responsible for the accuracy of the
pistol.] <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Mikhail
Vladimirovich Margolin designed several successful firearms,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>but he is today best remembered for the revolutionary
MCM .22 caliber<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>target pistol. The pistol was first made in 1948, and
variations of it are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>still being made today. It was called the Margolina
tselevoy, or the target<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>pistol by Margolin. The pistol was designed for use in
the highly<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>competitive field of twenty-five meter target shooting.
A modified version<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the pistol was also used as a prop in one of the most
memorable scenes<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in the original Star Wars movie. In Star Wars Episode
IV: A New Hope, the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rebel star ship carrying Princess Leia had just been
captured and boarded<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by Darth Vader. The beautiful Princess Leia is shown
hiding the plans of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Death Star in R2-D2. Afterwards she is in action,
and in her hand is a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>blaster that she uses to down one of the storm troopers.
The blaster was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>actually a modified version of the unusually-shaped
Margolin MCM target<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>pistol. The Margolin thus joined the famous C96 Mauser
Broomhandle, which<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was the basis of Han Solo's blaster, as a prop in one of
the most famous<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>movies of all time.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Margolin was born in the
early 1900s, a time of rapid progress in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>science and technology. Many revolutionary new firearms
were being<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>designed, primarily in the United States and Germany.
These revolutionary<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>designs were made possible by advances in metallurgy and
the perfection of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>smokeless powder. Smokeless powder burned cleaner and
was more powerful<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>than black powder, making it possible to design reliable
semi-automatic and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fully automatic firearms. The preeminent gun designer of
the age was the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>American John M. Browning, who designed firearms that
were so advanced that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>some of his designs are still used by the United States
military. Unlike<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the United States, Imperial Russia had long struggled to
expand the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>capacity of its domestic small arms industry, and its
arms designs had<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>lagged behind those of its foes. After the start of the
First World War,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Russia found itself short of its 1891 Mosin-Nagant
rifles, forcing Tsar<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Nicholas II to order 2.3 million rifles from the United
States. The<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>shortage was so critical that many Russian soldiers were
sent to the front<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with orders to get their rifles from fallen soldiers.
Desperate for arms,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Russia pulled its obsolete single-shot 1870 Berdan
rifles from storage and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>issued them to soldiers headed to the front. In addition
to the ancient<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Berdan rifle, Russian soldiers were issued a bewildering
variety of modern<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and obsolete firearms. These firearms continued to be
used in the Russian<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Civil War, which took place from 1917 to 1922. The C96
Mauser Broomhandle<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was one of the firearms used during the Russian Civil
War. Called the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Broomhandle because of its unusual grip, it was the
favorite gun of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Bolshevik Commissars. Margolin was a soldier during the
Civil War, and it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was as a result of this military service that he gained
a familiarity with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this vast variety of weapons. It was also during the
Russian Civil War that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Margolin sustained a head wound and lost his
vision.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Margolin's response to
becoming blind was described by Victor<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Maryanovsky in a 1958 issue of GUNS Magazine: "First
came the study of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Braille. Friends helped him to study mathematics,
mechanics, and strength<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of materials, all essential subjects for the arms
designer. His wife read<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>aloud to him from textbooks and books on the history of
firearms. He<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>collected guns and enlarged his knowledge of various
weapons systems. Most<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>important was his splendid memory: within a few years he
was a match for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>any engineer. As for firearms, there was no disputing
his superior<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>knowledge. He got acquainted with the latest models of
weapons and took<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>them apart dozens of times in order to let his sense of
touch give rise in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>his mind to a mental picture."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Despite his great
knowledge and enthusiasm, Margolin did not meet<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with initial success as a gun designer. He had
difficulty communicating his<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>designs, which he tried to do by hand motions.
Ironically, it was this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>failure that led to his success. According to
Maryanovsky, "Unable to draw<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the gun parts on paper, he had to explain his ideas by
gestures. A solution<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to Margolin's deep personal problem of communicating by
his hands was found<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>unexpectedly, at a sanatorium where the striving
inventor had gone,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>depressed, to rest. He was bored by idleness. 'Suppose
you try clay<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>modeling, that may be interesting,' suggested his
roommate." That simple<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>suggestion transformed Margolin from a depressed patient
into a successful<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>gun designer.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Margolin went on to use
more durable and harder forms of clay as well<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>as aluminum and wood to create models of the guns that
he had envisioned in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>his head. This led to his first successful designs in
the 1930s, a semi-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>automatic sporting rifle and a fully automatic .22
machine gun for use in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>military training. Maryanovsky describes it as follows:
"As a result a day<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>came to Margolin of great honor, one which the most
highly skilled gunsmith<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>could be proud of. The blind man was invited to work at
designing offices<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in the big government small arms factory at
Tula."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> At Tula Margolin studied
with some of Russia's greatest gun<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>designers. One of those was Fedor Tokarev, the designer
of the Tokarev TT-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>33 pistol. The TT-33 was intended to replace the aging
1895 Nagant<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>revolver. Margolin designed a modified version of
Tokarev's TT-33 pistol<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that enabled it to fire lower power cartridges and be
used as a training<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>pistol. Margolin also worked on a .22 sport pistol that
was based on the TT-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>33 frame. The pistol was approved for production on June
21, 1941. However,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the pistol was never produced. On June 22, 1941, Germany
invaded Russia,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>bringing the Soviet Union into the Second World
War.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> During the war Margolin
worked as an ordinance engineer and served as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>an air raid warden. Describing a German bombing raid on
Moscow, Maryanovsky<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>wrote that, while on duty on the roof of one of Moscow's
big buildings,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Margolin picked up a fallen German incendiary bomb and
threw it from the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>roof to the street, where it burned harmlessly. Writing
of another incident<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>during the war, Maryanovsky wrote Margolin went "in the
ruins of a lodging<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>house demolished by bombs" and "lead 120 old people,
women, and children to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>safety."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> When the war was over,
Margolin abandoned the pistol design he had<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>worked on before the war and instead designed what would
become the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Margolin MCM. The gun was designed between 1946 and
1948, and the first<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>pistols were built in 1948.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The new Margolin MCM
gained international attention in 1954, when it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was used at the 36th World Championship shooting
competition in Caracas,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Venezuela. Describing the Russian team as they were
about to compete,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Maryanovsky wrote, "They could not boast of great
achievements in pistol<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>competition; they had nothing to match the German
Walther or the American<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Colt for rapid-fire shooting. Then Nikolai Kalinichenko
took his place at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the firing line. The first shot scored, and the next . .
. In two days of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>shooting, sixty shots, Kalinichenko scored 584 points,
beating the world<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>record set by Benner, the American. The team record was
carried off by<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Soviet marksmen, who scored 2,317 using the new pistol
of Mikhail<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Margolin."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The world record success
of Margolin's pistol was due to the use of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>several revolutionary design features. The gun was
designed so that balance<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>weights could be attached to steady the pistol during
firing. The pistol<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>could also be equipped with a muzzle brake to reduce the
tendency of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>gun barrel to rise during shooting, a movement called
muzzle climb. The<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>muzzle brake is at the end of the barrel, and it directs
some of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>expanding gas upward and to the rear, which helps
counteract the muzzle<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>climb. Margolin also designed a version of his MCM with
an aluminum slide.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>The slide is the part of a semi-automatic pistol that
moves backward and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>forward with each shot, ejecting the empty bullet case
as it goes backward,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and chambering the new bullet as it travels forward. The
lighter slide<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>helped the shooter hold the gun steady during
firing.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Margolin also designed
the sights to improve accuracy. He placed the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rear sight on the frame, creating a bridge through which
the slide passed.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Margolin's design was very different from traditional
pistols in which the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sights were mounted on the slide. Mounting the sights on
the slide reduces<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accuracy, since the slide is a moving part that could be
slightly out of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>alignment with the barrel. By placing the rear sight on
a stationary bridge<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>above the slide, Margolin greatly improved the accuracy
of his pistol.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: The 1895 Nagant revolver]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/DESCRIPTION: This unusual handgun was used
extensively by the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Russian military during World Wars I and II. The
revolver's most<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>distinctive feature is the seven-shot cylinder. The
flutes between each<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>chamber do not extend to the end of the cylinder, but
are instead hollowed<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>out depressions in the middle of the cylinder. The
cylinder also moves<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>forward when the gun is cocked, sealing the gap between
the cylinder and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the barrel. This keeps high-pressure gases from
escaping, and increases the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>velocity of the fired bullet. The unique design of the
cylinder contributes<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to the strange overall appearance of the
revolver.]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The innovative design
features of the Margolin created a very<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>unusually-shaped pistol, including the abnormally high
sights. This unusual<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>shape is likely responsible for some of the comments
that attribute the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>appearance to the designer being blind. However,
Margolin's design should<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>be judged in the light of its Russian contemporaries,
and most Russian guns<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the time tended to be unattractive and even strange
looking by American<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>standards. For instance, the Margolin would look right
at home if it was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>placed next to the 1895 Nagant revolver or the PPS-43
submachine gun or the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1891 Mosin-Nagant rifle. One of the comments that
attributes a design<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>feature to Margolin's blindness can be found on the
Wikipedia page that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>describes the Margolin MCM, which states:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "The designer himself was
blind. The most critisized [sic]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>characteristic-the elevation of the plane of sight-so
also [sic] be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>explained: the designer could not aim his
pistol."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Besides being a poor
speller and not including a citation, the person<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>who made this entry is not recognizing that the
criticized "plane of sight"<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>is actually a deliberate design feature that contributed
to the success of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the pistol. In addition to the bridge that made the rear
sight stationary,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the unusually high sights enabled the shooter to hold
the pistol a little<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>lower and bring the barrel more in line with the
shoulder. This gave the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>shooter a slightly improved ability to control the
pistol in rapid fire<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>competition. The high line of sight is a design feature
that the Margolin<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>had in common with the AK-47, the famous assault rifle
designed by Mikhail<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Kalashnikov. The AK-47 was designed between 1946 and
1948, the same time as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Margolin MCM. Just like the Margolin, the high
sights of the AK-47<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>lowered the barrel and put it more in line with the
shoulder, helping to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>reduce muzzle climb.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Margolin's willingness to
alter the barrel height to compensate for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the problems of muzzle climb was further demonstrated in
the design of his<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>next pistol, the even more revolutionary "upside-down"
pistol. According to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Maryanovsky, "The pistol which emerged was radically
different from any<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>firearm ever before designed in the world. Called the
MTsZ-1, the five-shot<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>competition 3.1 is built with the slide and barrel below
the hand, the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>magazine feeding inverted from above. This caused the
'kick' of the gun to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>strike downward, aiding rapid fire control." The pistol
was used by Soviet<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>shooters at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.
After the Olympics,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rules were issued that banned the MTsZ-1 pistol. There
were only about 125<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>upside-down pistols made, and it remains one of the most
fascinating and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>unusual guns ever designed.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Mikhail Margolin was a
brilliant gun designer who just happened to be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>blind. It is ironic that Margolin was able to achieve
such great success as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>a blind gun designer in the Soviet Union, and yet today
many voices are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>being raised in the United States that question the
ability and right of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>blind persons to handle and even own guns. The
remarkable career of Mikhail<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Margolin illustrates the point that blind people can
successfully work in a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>wide range of professions that many might not think
possible, including as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>scientists, medical doctors, nurses, chiropractors,
mechanics, and yes,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>even as gun designers.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>References<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Cherry, P. (2011, February 3). MC-3: The first upside
down gun, American<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Rifleman,
<http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/mc-3-first-upside-down-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>gun><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Maryanovsky, V. (1958, September). The man to beat in
Moscow, Guns<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Magazine, <<A
href="http://toyfj40.freeshell.org/GunPix/Margolin.html">http://toyfj40.freeshell.org/GunPix/Margolin.html</A>><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>MCM pistol. (2014, January 21). In Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Retrieved 03:57, September 2, 2014, from<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><<A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MCM_pistol&oldid=591688449">http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MCM_pistol&oldid=591688449</A>><o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Fred Gissoni]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Fred Gissoni Dies<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Gary Wunder<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Before the time of
Braille and speech notetakers, blind people who<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>used Braille wrote their first draft on a Perkins
Brailler, their second<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>draft on the same machine, and then, when they had the
document as perfect<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>as they could envision it, they set themselves to typing
that Brailled<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>document in print so their sighted instructor could read
it. If the phone<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rang while you were typing and you stopped to answer it,
you had to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>remember where you stopped typing: was it before or
after the comma, did<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you space after it, and how could you know for sure
without asking Mom,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Dad, Sister, or Brother for help-help you would
sometimes have to pay for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>from siblings intent on supplementing their spending
money.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> When people of that day
thought of science fiction and how there<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>could be a useful invention for the blind, we envisioned
a machine that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>would let us type a document in Braille and have it
magically turned into<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>print. Never in our wildest imaginings did we think this
might somehow<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>involve a computer, and the concept of a word processor
had no meaning for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>us.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Sometime during the early
1980s we began hearing about devices that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>had Perkins-style keyboards and could produce
refreshable Braille (a new<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>concept at the time), and the buzz was that these
machines could be plugged<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>into computer printers to generate printed documents
from works created in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>grade two Braille. Prototypes were being built by the
Kentucky Department<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for the Blind, and the word on the street was that two
blind men were at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the center of these inventions-Tim Cranmer and Fred
Gissoni.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Deane Blazie, the
inventor of the spectacularly popular Braille 'n<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Speak, recalls visiting with Fred and Tim to examine a
machine they had<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>constructed using a VHS cartridge for its case. He
recalls that the machine<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was called a PortaBraille and that it could keep a
document in memory only<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>as long as it remained turned on. Their meeting was to
discuss how to use<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this Perkins-style Braille keyboard to do document
navigation, and the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>design that evolved out of their two-hour meeting is so
much a part of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>every Braille notetaker that we take it for granted in
the same way we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>expect the arrow keys on the keyboard to react in moving
a cursor on a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>computer screen.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In writing this tribute,
it occurred to me that what was missing was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>personal knowledge of Fred. A recurrent theme in
interviews I did spoke to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Fred's sense of humor and his friendship with Tim
Cranmer. I was told that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>one evening Fred and Tim were at a banquet together and
that Fred<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>unexpectedly rose, struck his cup with a spoon until the
room was silent,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and then said that he would like to introduce an
unscheduled presentation.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>The story is that he announced the topic, specified its
length in the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>evening's agenda, and then, without warning, introduced
Tim Cranmer as the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>presenter. I was led to believe that Tim took the podium
and delivered his<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>speech. The audience was never aware of the joke Fred
had played on them<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and on his friend Tim.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> My interview with Deane
Blazie was immensely helpful, but he<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>suggested I talk with others who also had a warm
friendship with Fred.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Knowing and admiring Larry Skutchan, I called to
interview him, but he gave<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>me much more than an interview. He said that, if I could
give him a couple<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of weeks, he'd be delighted to write a tribute. I argued
that I needed<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>something in four days. He gave me a draft in two, sent
a revised draft in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>two more with a request that I give him another day or
so, and sent his<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>final revision one week to the day after we talked. I
hope you will agree<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>it was worth the wait, and I want to thank Larry
publicly for an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>outstanding piece. It is a wonderful tribute to Fred, an
interesting<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>insight into the work that goes on at the American
Printing House for the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Blind, a tremendous review of some of the history
surrounding problem-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>solving strategies for the blind, and a moving glimpse
into the heart and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>mind of a really good man who took the time to put down
the words that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>appear in the following article.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Larry Skutchan]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Fred Gissoni: A Man of Change<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Larry Skutchan<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>>From the Editor: Larry Skutchan graduated from the
University of Arkansas<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>at Little Rock and holds the position of product manager
for the Technology<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Product Research Department at the American Printing
House for the Blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>(APH). There he manages a team of engineers devoted to
accessible<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>technology. He is well-known in technology circles for
creating the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Automatic Screen Access Program (ASAP) screen reader and
for initiating one<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the first podcasts devoted to issues of interest to
the blind--the Blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Cool Tech podcast. Here is what he has to say about his
mentor, his friend,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and one of the most inspiring people to have touched his
life:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> There are very few times
in a person's life when another person can<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>change it profoundly in a positive way. Fred Gissoni
affected the lives of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>countless people, but his pioneering work is appreciated
most by people who<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are blind. As a young, inquisitive man who had been
blind for only a few<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>years, I benefited immensely from his innovations, just
as the thousands of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>other individuals with vision impairment did; but Fred
affected my life in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>a much more personal way.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>After graduating from college in the early 80s, I began
exploring the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>capabilities of the personal computer (PC)-called a
microcomputer back in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>those days. I had a degree in English and planned to
attend law school, so<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you can imagine the pure excitement I experienced at
using a tool that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>allowed me to read and edit papers on my own. Believe it
or not, a blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>student either paid someone to type or got very good at
it. There was no<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>room for mistakes. On the typewriter there was a
backspace, but it did not<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>erase what you had wrongly typed, and the concept of
inserting a paragraph<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in the middle of a document was a dream, not a function.
The efficiency of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>a PC seems so simple and expected today, but in the
early 80s it was a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>liberating, exciting, and enlightening sensation to be
able to organize and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>manipulate thoughts and ideas so simply.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> As I explored the
landscape of accessible computers, I realized I had<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accidentally made some pretty cool tools that others
could use and began<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>looking for ways to spread the word. Back in Kentucky,
Fred, Wayne<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Thompson, and Tim Cranmer (and Tim's assistant, Deane
Blazie) were already<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>applying simple, practical solutions to obstacles for
people who were<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>blind. These guys comprised the technical unit at the
Kentucky Office for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Blind (OFB). Tim had adapted the ancient and
effective abacus for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>efficient use by those without sight, and Fred spread
the word. It was a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>simple solution to a real problem, and one wonders why
someone did not<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>think of it before. That could be said about nearly
everything Fred and his<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>team invented, innovated, or adapted. Fred's wife Betty
was teaching living<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>skills and wanted a way to pour a liquid into a cup with
precision. So the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>technical unit invented the Say When. The device beeped
when the liquid<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>level reached the sensor. Even the name evokes a smile
and fond memory of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>his humor and wit.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Later, Fred, Wayne, and
Tim put together commercial parts to make<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>something called the Kentucky Light Sensor, a device
that blind people have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>used for everything from determining a burning light in
their house to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>identifying an incoming call on a switchboard. I have
and use one to this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>day, and it is still sold in the NFB Independence
Market. None of these<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>innovations seem very dramatic, but they all exemplify
the ability to match<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ideas with components to create logical, sometimes
technological solutions<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to real problems.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I really don't remember
in which magazine I first advertised the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Words program, but, regardless of which it was, Fred
ordered the very first<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>one. The technical unit at OFB also used technology to
find jobs for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Kentucky citizens who were blind or visually impaired.
Their purchase of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Words was a solution to a problem, and, along with an
Apple computer and a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>speech synthesizer, it made an excellent tool for
medical transcribers<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>throughout the state. Fred and Wayne conveyed the
transcriber needs to me,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and I would bang them into the software with ease. Most
memorable were the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>phone conversations about interfaces and ideas on
effectively applying this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>new microcomputer technology. It was very exciting
stuff. We were crazy<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with ideas. Before we knew it, the word processing
software navigated and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>spoke by sentences rather than the arbitrary and useless
restriction of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>screen lines. I still look forward to the day when all
screen readers<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>support that feature.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> These are the kinds of
conversations Fred and I had. We calculated<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and laughed at the number of minutes in a day, or hours
in a month, or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>years in a life that got wasted by redundant and
inefficient user<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>interfaces, especially on things like email, where you
might have to listen<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to the word "subject" before every subject line. Our
conversations led to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>features in the ASAP that analyzed the context of the
active screen area<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and spoke only the differences. It was an amazing
experience that made<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>interaction with the PC dynamic and productive.
Discussions in later years<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>focused on how to cut through the web clutter and get
the right information<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>delivered in the right order and at the right time. We
have no illusion<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that we have accomplished that one yet.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Meanwhile, the APH also
saw the possibilities of this revolution in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>technology and began looking for someone to guide it in
software design.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Naturally, as the best source for information, they
consulted Fred, and he<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>recommended me. I was still interested in law, but
programming seemed much<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>more fun and practical. I fell in love with the idea of
what APH was about,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and they seemed interested in what I could do. Thanks to
Fred, I accepted a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>job offer as a systems programmer in 1985 at APH and
began working on<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>educational software for the Apple.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Perhaps one of the more
complex of Fred and Wayne's projects was the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>design of a talking tablet (called a personal data
assistant back in the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>day). The Kentucky PocketBraille had a Perkins-style
Braille keyboard and a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>speech synthesizer. It also had the audio, electronics,
and software to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>allow one to type in Braille and use synthesized speech
for navigation<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>through the document and user interface. They paired the
concept with a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>refreshable Braille display-the Tiflatel from Italy-to
make what was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>possibly the very first Braille notetaker. Since these
designs were all<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>conceived as part of their work at OFB, they made the
designs public<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>property, making this one of the earlier examples of
open-source software.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Every note-taking device available today borrows
elements from the Kentucky<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>PocketBraille.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I accepted the position
at APH and moved my family to the Silicon<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Valley of universal design, right in the middle of a
beautiful city on its<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rise to a metropolis. As an acquaintance from Houston
described it,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Louisville is the smallest big city. At the same time it
is the biggest<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>small town. I believe its diversity may have played a
hand in how APH came<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to be established, serving the regional needs of blind
students even before<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the federal government recognized it as a national
institution in 1879.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>That is probably how Tim Cranmer and Fred Gissoni began
directing technical<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>developments at the Department for the
Blind.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Fred and Betty welcomed
us as family. We spent more than a few nights<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in front of the computer, playing Eamon on the Apple II.
It was quite<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>interesting. Fred and Betty were the kind of people who
helped everyone.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Betty's guide dog Ozzie had a built-in tiled water bowl
in the kitchen:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>just another example of their kindness and tendency to
adopt unique<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>solutions to solve problems.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Pamela Rader, an APH
customer support representative, told me she<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>first met Fred on the sidewalk outside APH when she
began attending the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Kentucky School for the Blind. He coaxed out her
interest in broadcasting<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and audio engineering.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I never appreciated the
depth of Fred's personality and talent until<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>he came to work at APH as a customer service
representative after retiring<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>from OFB. He loved talking people through the technical
problems they<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>encountered in trying to unleash the magic of their
technology. He was not<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>afraid to talk you down when you got too emotional, and
he told us<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>programmers what he thought, too; it was usually right
on target. If he<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>didn't know something, he knew how to find the answer.
Fred's genius<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>extended beyond the innovation phase of an idea; he knew
how to explain new<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>concepts that made it easy to understand, and his
generosity extended to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>spending his time to help.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> If you perform a search
of his name online, you will see countless<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>examples of innovations and solutions he provided.
Thousands of teachers<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and students still appreciate his every word, through
clearly written or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>recorded instructions on dozens of processes and
products. I do not think<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>anyone can know the extent of Fred's influence in the
advancement of both<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>simple and technical solutions to meet the needs of
blind people. I loved<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to solve problems with him. The solutions were always so
simple. For<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>example, we both delighted in the technique of knowing
when to empty the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>dishwasher; always put a new tablet in the dishwasher
after you've put the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>clean dishes away. If the tablet is gone, the dishes are
clean; it's that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>simple. It was the simple, elemental ideas-the "that is
so obvious" ideas-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that pay tribute to innovators like Fred; and he had
thousands of them.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Perhaps the most
endearing characteristic of his personality was the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>enthusiasm and enjoyment Fred brought to every aspect of
his life. I am<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sure it is online somewhere, but Fred and Wayne wrote a
whimsical article<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that described an innovation that let the user shake
Braille dots onto a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>page from a salt shaker. Of course it was fanciful, but
it displays the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>kind of spirit, fun, and extraordinary thinking that led
to many<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>innovations. More important, it exemplifies the
character and attitude of a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>man who recognized that blindness was nothing more than
an inconvenience: a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>man with a knack for finding ways to eliminate those
inconveniences one<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>step at a time.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> As I reviewed background
for this piece, I ran across an article<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>written by Deborah Kendrick. In it Fred said that he
considered introducing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>me to APH to be one of his most important
accomplishments. What an honor<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that is coming from a man with so many! Fred, I commit
to carry on your<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fortitude, devotion to service, and practical
innovation, as long as it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>meets the criteria you outline in Deborah's
article.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Today at APH a dedicated
group of engineers share his vision and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>continue to apply technology to evermore interesting
problems. "Pass it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>along" was Fred's motto. We can all honor his memory
with similar gestures<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of generosity and compassion. Thank you, Fred. Your life
has influenced and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>changed our lives forever.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Tim Connell]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
What is the Cost of a Free Product?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Tim Connell<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>>From the Editor: A longstanding debate has
flourished among blind people<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>about the technology we use. One objection is its cost
and, closely related<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to that, its difference from what people who are not
blind are purchasing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and using. All of us are looking for bargains, and it is
never easy to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ignore a sentence in which the word "free" figures
prominently. Also<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>attractive is using the same technology that sighted
people use, because it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>is usually less expensive, readily available, and easier
to replace if it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fails.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> About a year ago we ran
an article reflecting the opinion that screen<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>readers cost too much and that there were alternatives.
In that piece we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>mistakenly said that the price of one of the more
popular screen readers<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was several hundred dollars more than it actually was.
In making apologies<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to the screen reader developers, we asked if their
company might like to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>make a case for the for-profit companies that have
traditionally brought<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>screen-reading solutions to the blind. They said they
would think about it,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>but no article ever came.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Just last month we
published an article featuring the presentation<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>made by NV Access at the 2014 NFB Convention. Again a
good case was made<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for blind people having a low-cost or free
screen-reading solution, and the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>National Federation of the Blind was recognized and
thanked for our support<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the project. But a lack of thought-provoking material
supporting the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>concept of a for-profit company engaging to meet the
special needs of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>blind has meant that the Braille Monitor has been
uncomfortably silent<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>about the tradeoffs there might be if we embrace these
free or low-cost<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>solutions at the expense of those we have traditionally
relied on. The one<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>exception is Resolution 2014-03, "Regarding Principles
That Should Govern<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Purchase of Screen-Access Technology for Vocational
Rehabilitation<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Clients," reprinted in the August-September 2014 issue.
What appears below<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>is a piece that attempts to look at all of the funding
models for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>developing and purchasing screen readers around the
world. It forces the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>reader to examine more closely the proposition that the
lowest price is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>always better and that free unquestionably wins the day.
It also suggests<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that we closely examine the concept that, because
specialized technology is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>more expensive and necessarily different from what the
sighted use, it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>should be avoided, especially if the cost of that
decision is reflected in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>lower productivity.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Tim Connell is the
founder and managing director of Quantum Technology<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and has been an active contributor to the field of
assistive technology for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>thirty years. Quantum developed the first talking
typewriter, called<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>SpeakWriter, the Braille-n-Print, the Mountbatten
Brailler, Jot-a-Dot, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Pictures in a Flash (PIAF). He is also a director of the
Centre for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Disability Studies at the University of Sydney and lives
with his wife and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>two adult children. Here is what he has to say about
special devices used<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by the blind, the various ways their development and
distribution can be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>funded, and the benefits and perhaps unforeseen pitfalls
that might be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>inherent in those now gaining in
popularity:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Recently I moved back
into the suburb in which I grew up. It has been<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>astounding to witness the changes that have occurred in
the last fifty<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>years. I remember a shopping center that consisted of a
large number of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>small family-run businesses, but, as has happened in
most Western<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>countries, there is now just a single large supermarket,
and the small<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>shops have disappeared. Supermarkets have brought many
improvements to the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>retail arena: lower costs, longer opening hours, and
online shopping, to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>name a few. The downside is a loss of customer service
and the personal<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>relationships you had with your vendors. I mention this
because what really<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>interests me is the process of change-how change can
involve many small<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>incremental steps, none of which by themselves seem all
that important.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I think there is a direct
analogy with the world of assistive<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>technology (AT). Until recently all AT has been
developed and provided by<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>small specialty companies. With greater frequency we are
starting to see<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>large corporations becoming involved and an increasing
number of so-called<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>free AT options. Perhaps it is timely that we examine
what that means for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>our field. What are the implications for individuals
with a print<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disability (low vision, blindness, dyslexia) of being
able to access free<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>AT?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I was drawn to this topic
by the recent announcement from GW Micro<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that its screen reader, Window-Eyes, would now be
available to download at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>no cost if you owned a copy of MS Office. While this is
technically not a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>free product, it has created a great deal of discussion
and debate, with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>many calling it a game-changer and a new era for
assistive technology. I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>don't happen to think that is the case, and I will
discuss why later. There<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are also other ways that free options are also starting
to appear.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . The App Model: The meteoric rise of
the iPad has been discussed at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> some length, and the
number of free or very low-cost apps is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> increasing daily. New
Android and Windows platforms are adding<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> hundreds of thousands
more.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . The Philanthropic Model: The screen
reader NVDA is an excellent<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> example of this, in which
philanthropic spending from large<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> corporations such as
Mozilla and Microsoft has supported the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> development of a
competitor to commercial screen readers.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . The Health Insurance Model: In some
European countries access to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> vision aids is largely
provided through health insurance companies,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> using a levy paid by all
taxpayers.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . The Universal Design Model: This is
where products are designed from<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> the beginning with the
intention of being accessible to all. The<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> screen reader VoiceOver
on Apple products is an example of this.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Various Models of Direct Government
Funding of AT: Pretty much<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> everyone has welcomed the
advent of these free options and believes<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> they are giving rise to
more options and greater choice for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> individuals with a print
disability. What hasn't been discussed is the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> possibility that these
free options may ultimately have unintended<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> consequences and that
there may actually be a high cost for a free<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> product. That cost may
involve the loss of specialty providers and an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> increased dependence on
large corporations-what I would call a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> supermarket model for AT
delivery.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Over the thirty years I
have been involved in AT, we have travelled<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>an enormous distance from a time when access to
information was limited or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>non-existent, to a world where limitless amounts of
information are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>available. Thirty years ago a person who used Braille
needed a large garage<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>or warehouse to store a modest library. Today all of us
can access huge<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>libraries just using the phone in our pockets and a
refreshable Braille<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>display. It is easy to forget just how far we have come
in such a short<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>period and to overlook the incredible changes in
opportunities and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>expectations that people with a print disability now
have, all thanks to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the small specialty providers that make up the AT
industry.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I am confident that
history will record this period of technological<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>development and the rise of AT as one of the key factors
in the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>emancipation of people with disabilities worldwide. So,
if we are going to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>move to the supermarket model for AT, we need to be
really sure what it is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>we are leaving behind. Let's start by looking at access
to the personal<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>computer (PC), a foundational part of almost every blind
person's technical<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>life. The PC market has been dominated by Microsoft,
both in the operating<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>systems used and by the suite of programs that turn our
PCs into<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>productivity tools. Approximately 90 percent of desktop
computers around<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the world use a Windows operating system (compared to
Apple's iOS operating<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>system with around 7.5 percent. Microsoft has a range of
productivity tools<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>known as MS Office, which has a market dominance of
approximately 85<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>percent. MS Office accounts for 29 percent of
Microsoft's overall revenue<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and approximately 60 percent of its profit. These are
staggering numbers<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and explain why so many corporations are keen to knock
Microsoft off its<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>perch.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> There have been many
attempts to do just that by developing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>alternative products to MS Office. For a little over
twenty years we have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>had access to a free alternative, now known as
OpenOffice Apache.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>OpenOffice has direct product alternatives, such as
Writer for Word, Calc<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for Excel, and Impress for PowerPoint. However, in
twenty years a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>completely free alternative to MS Office has been able
to attract only a 3<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>percent market share. Other free alternatives such as
LibreOffice,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>NeoOffice, and KOffice have been even less successful
than OpenOffice,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>garnering a combined market share of 5
percent.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> More recently GoogleDocs
has started to pose more of a challenge, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the whole move to cloud-based computing is throwing up
lots of competition<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for Microsoft. However, it is also throwing up many
challenges for screen<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>readers and is a far more complex environment than
desktop computing. We<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are not assured at this stage that we will be able to
maintain the same<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>level of accessibility in the cloud as we have at the
desktop.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The bottom line is that
until now Microsoft has been able to achieve<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>such market dominance while there has been a fully
featured free<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>alternative. We (the 85 percent of us) have chosen an
expensive tool like<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>MS Office over a free tool that is nearly as good. If
you Google OpenOffice<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and read the multitude of reviews and comparisons, you
will find this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>phrase repeated often: "nearly as good." However, you
won't find a review<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that claims OpenOffice is the "best."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> To me this highlights a
key problem in our understanding of the role<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of AT. Up to this point I believe we have always been
guided by what is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>best. We have seen the development of solutions that may
not be affordable<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to individuals, like the early refreshable Braille
displays. However, they<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>opened the door to innovation pathways that have
resulted in lower prices<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and vastly improved products. The very first video
magnifiers were<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>commercialized by Bernd Reinecker in Germany in the late
1960s. His first<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>system cost twenty thousand marks (approximately ten
thousand euro), which<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was the equivalent of an above average annual salary.
That is not a tenable<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>proposition for a large multi-national company
today.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Our current specialist
solutions have all been created by small teams<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of highly innovative technologists who have applied
themselves to solving<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>access issues for a very small population. Low volumes
have meant high<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>costs, and those costs have become the focus of our
attention.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Very few people argue
that the free products are better than the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>commercial products; the argument is nearly always about
the cost. So, if<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>we accept that we always want to maintain the best
options as one of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>choices people have, shouldn't our focus now be on the
core issue of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>funding? When we make that our focus, it is pretty clear
that we have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>failed to make funding the paramount issue of
accessibility. Far too many<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>organizations and agencies have embraced the attitude of
scarcity, and,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rather than take a rights-based approach and demand more
funding, they now<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>promote a free and low-cost approach as the best way to
represent the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rights of their members. However, those rights are
enshrined in law, and we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>need to base our claims for increased funding on the
clear economic<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>benefits of having a more able and productive community.
Lack of funding of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the best technology solutions is the true barrier to
equality of access.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> At the beginning of this
article I described various models of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>delivering free products. I'd like to take a look at
each of them in more<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>detail. While the benefits may be obvious, the potential
pitfalls may not.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>The App Model<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Technology and apps have
and will continue to have an enormous impact<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>on the way we access information. They are rightfully
being called<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>transformational technology. Many apps are free or cost
just under a dollar<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and are therefore available to all. However, apps, by
their very nature,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have limited functionality, and a suite of apps is
needed to replicate the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>functionality of many existing AT products (it is
estimated you would need<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fourteen apps to get close to the functionality of WYNN,
for example).<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[WYNN is software developed by Freedom Scientific to
assist people who have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>learning disabilities that affect reading.] Individual
apps may be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>brilliant, but collectively they don't offer anywhere
near the same level<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of functionality, due to factors such as a lack of
uniform design standards<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>(in menus, gestures, orientation, etc.) and a lack of
support and training.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> One area that apps have
made an enormous impact on is in augmentative<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and alternative communication (AAC), particularly
communication tools. An<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>iPad with various apps is providing an alternative for a
fraction of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>price of traditional communication tablets. As a result
we have seen the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>decimation of the traditional AAC business model, with
estimates that there<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are now fewer than a third of the AAC companies that
existed ten years ago.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> For the wider print
disability field small touchscreen computers and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>apps may one day provide an equivalent level of access,
but they are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>currently not a solution that will provide true equality
of access in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>education or employment. Anyone claiming otherwise is
doing a great<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disservice to the people he or she is professing to
serve. These may serve<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>well as a great personal device, but they are not
computers.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> A recent report on the
effectiveness of federal government funding,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>as featured in the Department of Education's evaluation
of the MSSAID<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Program, November 2013, described the increased use of
iPads in classrooms<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>as follows:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Mainstream technologies
with applications that match specific needs<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> are replacing the former specialized, clunky
equipment that was provided<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> for the individual student according to their
disability. The subtle but<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> critical shift to the technologies enabling
learning as opposed to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> addressing the "deficit" of a disability is no
longer highlighting the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> student as being different.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Are we to interpret this
report and others like it to say that it is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>more important for students with disabilities to look
normal than to have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the best tools to address their specific disability? Is
this progress?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>There are many other examples that could be provided in
which devices like<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>iPads are being promoted as a generic fix for
inclusivity and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accessibility.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>The Philanthropic Model<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The work that the
developers of NVDA have done is exceptional. On a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>small budget they have developed a really good product
and have provided a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>free screen reader to many thousands of people around
the world who<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>couldn't previously afford one, especially in developing
countries. Their<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>technical skills and dedication are to be applauded;
however, I have a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>problem with the funding model they have chosen.
Philanthropic funding is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>at best a fragile beast, and it often doesn't extend to
covering services<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>like training and support, which can be the most
important components of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accessibility (especially in education). The bigger
issue of equity and why<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>we accept such a fundamental right as access to a
computer to be at the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>whim of philanthropic generosity should be of tremendous
concern. Do we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>welcome it simply because the recipients are people with
a disability? Why<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>is this particular group of people not worthy of a
business model that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>guarantees standards of support, service, and viability?
The developers of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>NVDA need investors, not handouts.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>The Health Insurance Model<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> For people in markets
that are largely unfunded (such as Australia,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>USA, UK, and Canada), the idea that you can get the
equipment you need<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>through your health insurer seems very attractive. In
these countries the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>health insurance companies call for tenders for commonly
used items such as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>video magnifiers and Braille displays and are able to
negotiate incredibly<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>low prices through bulk national purchasing. On the face
of it this seems<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>like a win-win situation-universal access to AT at the
lowest possible<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>prices. However, what has happened under the insurance
model is that the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>choice of options for individuals is greatly restricted;
in fact, it is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>only the products that the insurers support that are
viable. There are very<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>limited opportunities for innovative products to enter
the market, since<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>they are often more expensive and not supported by the
insurers. And one of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the most damaging features is that the role of
assessment has been pretty<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>well bypassed. The role of specialists is marginal when
they can recommend<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>only those options that are supported by the
insurers.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In most unfunded markets
the European insurance model seems<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>attractive. Yet it is achieving much poorer outcomes for
individuals and is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>putting a brake on innovation, affecting long-term
prospects. The European<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>insurance model is very much a case of "be careful what
you wish for, lest<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>it come true."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In Australia we are
starting to see health insurance companies<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>provide rebates on classes of products rather than
individual items, though<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>at this stage they are only small. This is a far better
design, since it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>leaves the choice of device up to the user, supports
normal commercial<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>competitiveness, and ensures that assessments are based
on individual needs<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and a wide choice of products.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>The Universal Design Model<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Universal design began as
a concept in architecture-that buildings<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>should be inherently accessible by all-but has evolved
now to mean access<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to all products, to learning, and to information. In
1963 Selwyn Goldsmith<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>wrote a book called Designing for the Disabled, one of
the earliest<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>treatises on universal design. Goldsmith is remembered
for the creation of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the curb ramp-now a standard feature of the built
environment. Curb ramps,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ramps to buildings, ramps on buses that kneel for
wheelchairs-all are good<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>examples of universal design that are part of our
standard expectations for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>how the world should work.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Typically any discussion
of universal design considers both the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>specialist tool and the wider environment in which it
has to work. So with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the wheelchair we looked at how to change the
environment so that a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>wheelchair can more easily access it. For the hearing
aid we looked at how<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>we could change the environment by putting hearing loops
in schools,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>buildings, and cinemas. Universal design has been all
about designing the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>world so that it includes the specialist
device.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> However, the argument
that is emerging within the print-disability<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>field is that we should get rid of the specialist tool
altogether so that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the environment is accessible to all. At the heart of
this argument is the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>proposition that the differences of being blind, for
example, are small<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>enough that they can be catered to in a
one-size-fits-all product. This<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>idea seems reckless. The discussion of universal design
has moved away from<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the myriad of other access issues that still
exist-things like accessible<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>white goods [home appliances], accessible
transportation, accessible<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>signage and public information, or even accessible
education and the design<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of curricula. Instead we have various prophets going
around deliberately<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>promoting the end of specialist AT products and
providers and talking about<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>liberating people from the high cost of specialist
tools.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The cost of screen
readers has become a bigger issue than all the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>other accessibility challenges facing every person with
a print disability.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>What happens if universal design ends up giving us less
functionality or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>features than the specialist products? To what extent
can we sacrifice<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>efficiency in order to minimize our appearance of
difference by using<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>technology different from that used by sighted
peers?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> It all comes down to
whether we can trust the likes of Apple,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Microsoft, Google, and the new players that will arrive
in the next decade.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Over the long term how important is the 1 percent of the
population who are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>visually impaired, or a subset of that being people who
depend on Braille,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>or a subset of that again, people who are deaf-blind or
have multiple<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities? Should we start trying to assess what
level of specialist<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>support to those groups will be lost? There is a
clear-cut economic<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>argument called majority rules that will eventually win
the day, and a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>large multinational corporation is never going to
provide the same level of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>nuanced accommodations that a specialist provider
will.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Proponents of the
universal design model argue that they are not<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>promoting the end of specialist tools; they want a world
where people can<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have both. Whether that is possible remains to be seen,
but I suspect we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>will continue to see the incremental loss of small
specialist providers,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>just as we have seen in the AAC sphere. The recent fate
of GW Micro offers<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>clear evidence of this. People too often conclude that
the high price of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>specialist AT products springs from extortionist pricing
policies, instead<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the real costs of providing the best specialist
solutions to a very<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>small population. Shrinking what is already a very small
commercial market<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>will simply make it unviable for many more
companies.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In the absence of
funding, however, a free product like Apple's<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>VoiceOver is attractive, and there are many people
extolling its virtues<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>without asking how free it is given how much you pay for
the Mac versus an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>equivalent PC. It is a very good accessibility solution
straight out of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>box, but it is not without problems. VoiceOver is not a
separate program<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>but an integral part of the operating system, which
means that bugs and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fixes occur only when the operating system is upgraded.
There was a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>significant bug in the way VoiceOver handled Braille
translation that took<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>nearly three years to fix. It took over a year for a bug
that moved you<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>backwards on a webpage when you chose to go forward.
Plenty of other<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>examples provide a sharp point of differentiation
between VoiceOver and the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>products produced by the developers of JAWS and NVDA,
for example, who<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>provide regular updates and fixes. Even the most ardent
supporters of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>VoiceOver admit that sometimes the little things seem to
get overlooked, or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>features that seem obvious never arrive. (For example,
see the article<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>written on the AppleVis website by the editorial team in
April 2014.) While<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Apple is riding the crest of an economic wave, these
little things may be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>just annoyances. It is yet to be seen how many of these
little things would<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>exist if they were struggling financially and if they
would again abandon<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accessibility as they did in the 1990s.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> VoiceOver may be a good
product for the person who wants to use email<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and browse the web. But it is not a solution for anyone
who works with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>complex Excel files, writes in various programming
languages, manages<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>networks, or plays any number of other real-life
employment roles. It would<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>be devastating if it was the only screen reader
around.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Microsoft has chosen to
go down a different path altogether, with the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>arrangement mentioned previously to provide Window-Eyes
to anyone who has<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>purchased MS Office. Many commentators are calling this
a universal design<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>solution, but that is the case only if Microsoft is
going to incorporate<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Window-Eyes code into its own operating system, and at
this stage there is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>no evidence of that happening. A more cynical suggestion
has been that the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>deal came about as a means of complying with legislative
and consumer<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>pressure on Microsoft to do more about accessibility. A
possible outcome of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this deal is that philanthropic funding will be harder
to secure because an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>equivalent free product exists, putting a great deal of
pressure on NVDA.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>So the first consequence of Microsoft's move could be
the demise of a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>product that many argue is better than Window-Eyes. Once
again we have a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>short-term gain, with some people able to access a free
screen reader, but<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>at a longer-term cost of having less diversity and
product choices and less<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>competition driving innovation.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>The Government Funding Model<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Many models for
government funding exist, some good and some bad. The<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>best ones are based on outcomes and not on upfront
costs. The best ones<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>value the long-term social and economic benefits of
enabling all people to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>participate in employment and education.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In March of 2014 a
program of support for people who are blind was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>announced by the government of Colombia. The local
blindness consumer group<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>made a convincing argument that many blind people in
Colombia could not<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>afford accessibility tools needed for education and
employment. They argued<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that, by empowering them with the right tools, together
with training and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>support, the government could save money by helping
people move off social<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>welfare. The Colombian government agreed and provided
US$3 million for a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>package of support that includes a copy of either JAWS
or MAGic, training<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>centers in fifteen cities around Colombia, and hotline
phone support for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>all users. In the first few weeks of being implemented,
over thirty<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>thousand people in Colombia had downloaded a copy of
JAWS or MAGic. The<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>bulk of the cost for this effort was in training and
support and not in the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>purchase of the software. The government could have
chosen a free solution<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>but realized that the success of the program depended on
having a business<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>model that focused on outcomes and which guaranteed
training and support.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>This initiative by the Colombian government shows us
another way for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>consumers to have a free product.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Summary<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> A growing number of
people in the print-disability field are not happy<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with the status quo and with the fact that specialist
products are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>expensive and not available to all. The prospect of
cheap or free products<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>has become the goal that many individuals as well as
some agencies are now<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>supporting. When I started to think about this subject,
my first question<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was, "Who is going to support an argument against free
products?" "Not many<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people" is the answer. So perhaps the days of specialist
developers and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>vendors really are numbered. In a world where many
problems still exist,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>particularly in employment, some people need to assign
blame and prefer to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>view the specialist providers as the problem. The cost
of a commercial<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>screen reader is viewed as the problem, and getting
something free would<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>help solve that problem. However, I keep returning to
the supermarket<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>analogy and have come to the conclusion that those small
steps of change<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that occur incrementally mean we may not know what has
been lost till it is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>too late. We may not really be aware of the change that
is currently<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>underway in the AT market. The point that is being
missed is that it is not<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the cost of the product that should be our focus, but
the ability of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>product to fully meet the needs of each individual. Does
a keen fisherman<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>get all of his fishing gear at Kmart, or does he go to a
fishing gear<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>specialist? Do elite athletes buy all their sporting
gear from Target, or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>do they go to specialist suppliers? Is price going to be
the driver to make<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people successful, or is it getting the best possible
solutions that will<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>determine whether people can achieve their
potential?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I would like to see a
robust and informed debate on this issue,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>focusing on achieving the best possible outcomes for
people with a print<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disability. At the heart of that debate are funding and
finding business<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>models that support choice, training, and ongoing
support, as well as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>nurturing innovation. Agencies in particular should be
at the vanguard of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this debate, ensuring the best long-term outcomes for
their members.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Championing something
that is "almost as good" is actually a major<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>step backwards; if it wasn't, we would all be using
OpenOffice. Product<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>cost is not the issue that should define this debate; it
is real life<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>outcomes.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Generally our attitudes
about technology are that we feel comfortable<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with what we know. However, what we don't know is just
around the corner,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and in ten years we may find we have completely new ways
to interface with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>technology, like holographic displays or other systems
that rely more on<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>vision or cognitive ability. If it comes to a choice
between large multi-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>national corporations or small teams of dedicated and
innovative<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>technologists to ensure true accessibility, I know whom
I would rather have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in my corner.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Patricia Shiu]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Improving Disability Employment: A Pathway
to Success for Employers and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Workers<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Patricia Shiu<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>>From the Editor: One of the most moving
presentations at the 2014 National<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Convention to come from a governmental official was
presented by the head<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance, part of
the United States<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Department of Labor. The crowd was quite moved by what
she said, but she<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>wanted more than emotion-she clearly came to urge that
we stimulate<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>America's economy by going out and getting jobs, that we
take advantage of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the new hiring goals promoted by the administration, and
that we use her<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>office to see that blind people are given a fair chance
at good jobs. Here<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are her remarks as they were heard on July 4,
2014:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Thank you very much,
Marc, and happy Independence Day, everyone. Today<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>we don't just remember a revolution. Today we issue our
own call to action.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>My name is Pat Shiu, and I am here to recruit
you!<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Yesterday the Department
of Labor announced that 288,000 jobs were<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>added to the US economy in June. That's the fifth
straight month in which<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>we have added more than 200,000 net jobs. Ladies and
gentlemen, that's the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>best stretch of job creation since the Clinton
administration.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> So I am here to recruit
you because our economy is growing. Jobs are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>coming back, and I want all qualified workers to compete
for those jobs-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>including people who are blind, people who are deaf,
people who run on<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>prosthetics or roll in wheelchairs, and especially
people who have been<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>discouraged from applying for far too long. To them and
to you I say, "The<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>water is warm. Come on in."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> For the past four years
my colleagues and I have been making the case<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to lawmakers and employers that we have a serious
problem in America: that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the laws designed to ensure equal opportunity for
workers with disabilities<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>aren't working; that a nation in which four out of five
workers with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities are so discouraged by their employment
prospects that they've<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>given up on even looking is a nation in crisis. We made
our case<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>effectively and, thanks to the leadership of President
Obama-who campaigned<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>on a promise to address this crisis-we did something
about it. On March 24<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>a new rule went into effect that calls on companies with
federal contracts<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to achieve a 7 percent employment goal for qualified
workers with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities in every job category and across their
workforces. Now we can<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>start counting and measuring and really checking to see
which employers are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>taking their affirmative action obligations seriously
and which ones are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>not.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> So I've come here to
Orlando to recruit you-and the communities you<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>represent-to the American labor force. We need you. We
need the skills, the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>talents, the ingenuity, and the hard work of millions of
qualified<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>individuals with disabilities who want a chance to
succeed, an opportunity<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to contribute, and a means to sustain themselves and
their families.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Today we celebrate our
Economic Independence Day. I am honored to have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this opportunity to speak with all of you. On behalf of
President Obama and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Secretary Perez, I congratulate you on this convention,
and I thank you for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>your advocacy on behalf of the blind. I especially want
to thank National<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Federation of the Blind President Marc Maurer and your
executive director<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and advocate-in-chief John Pari for inviting me and for
their leadership of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this organization. Marc and John and the entire NFB team
are champions for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the more than fifty thousand members of this
organization. I am grateful<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for their support-and your support-of our work at the
Labor Department.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> We are the department of
good jobs for everyone. We are the department<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of opportunity for all. For more than a century we have
held firm to our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>mission of preparing the workforce of tomorrow while
ensuring that today's<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>workplaces are safe, healthy, fair, and accessible. And
key to that mission<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>is economic independence. Economic independence doesn't
mean that we don't<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rely on each other. It doesn't mean we don't help each
other or that we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>don't build structures, both public and private, to
support our mutual<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>aspirations. Government is not irrelevant to the
process. But nor are we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the only player. The very best solutions to our common
challenges require<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>partnership among government agencies, private
employers, community<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>advocates, academic institutions, and working
families.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I believe economic
independence is ultimately about freedom: freedom<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>from artificial barriers that impede our ability to live
and work; freedom<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>from prejudice and discrimination that diminish us as
people; and freedom<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to pursue happiness, and to do so on our own
terms.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> These are freedoms I have
worked to advance for my entire career.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Before I joined the Obama administration, I spent
twenty-six years as a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>civil rights lawyer, advocating on behalf of students
and workers who<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>simply wanted a way in the door and a chance to succeed.
My clients with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities wanted the ability to go to school, to get
a job, to know the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>dignity and self-worth that come from doing meaningful
work. Understanding<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>those aspirations was a perfect precursor to my current
job.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In 1965, a year after the
Civil Rights Act became law, President<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Lyndon Johnson signed an executive order requiring
companies with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>government contracts to build workforces that reflect
the diversity of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>taxpayers funding those contracts. Almost a decade later
Congress and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>President Nixon expanded that mandate to include people
with disabilities<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and specific groups of veterans. Enforcing those laws is
our job at the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Yes, it
is a long and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>cumbersome name, but it's also a pretty apt descriptor
of what we do.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The Office of Federal
Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is a civil<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rights agency in the Labor Department tasked with
protecting workers,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>promoting diversity, and enforcing the laws which
require companies that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>profit from taxpayer dollars to prohibit discrimination
and to take<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>affirmative action so that all workers get a fair shot
and a fair shake in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the workplace. We enforce those laws for the benefit of
the nearly one<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>quarter of American workers who are employed by or seek
jobs with companies<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that receive about $500 billion in federal contracts and
subcontracts.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> My position is pretty
simple: being a federal contractor is a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>privilege, not a right. The price of that contract is
compliance with our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>civil rights laws. In other words, diversity and
inclusion programs are not<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>optional. They are required. And OFCCP exists to enforce
those<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>requirements.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Strong, effective
enforcement begins with good policy. And when I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>arrived at OFCCP, I found that many of our regulations
were sorely outdated<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and in need of updates. That was especially true when it
came to the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>regulations implementing Section 503 of the
Rehabilitation Act and the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act, known
as VEVRAA.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> As I mentioned earlier,
our updates to the Section 503 and VEVRAA<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>regulations became effective on March 24, after an
extensive and highly<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>inclusive rulemaking process that took almost four
years. We developed two<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rules with a specific set of interests in mind: first
and foremost, to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>improve employment opportunities for qualified workers
with disabilities<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and protected groups of veterans, including veterans
with service-related<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities; second, to update antiquated provisions in
the existing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>regulations, including aligning them with the ADA
Amendments Act of 2008<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and its revised, much broader definition of disability;
third, to provide<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>businesses with real metrics by which to measure their
affirmative action<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>efforts; fourth, to give my investigators a tangible way
to evaluate<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>compliance with the law when they review contractor
establishments; and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fifth, to facilitate the success of both workers and
businesses by<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>increasing the access employers have to a large, diverse
pool of qualified<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>workers whose talents may have been overlooked or left
untapped for too<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>long.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I want to spend a few
minutes talking about two key aspects of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rules.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Real Metrics<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> First, you should know
that these rules are historic because they set-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for the first time ever-targeted goals for the
employment of veterans and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>individuals with disabilities in the contracting
workforce. These goals are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>similar to the metrics that have long been used to
measure progress in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>hiring women and minorities.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I believe that what gets
measured gets done. To that end, the Section<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>503 rule establishes an aspirational, 7 percent
utilization goal for the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>employment of qualified individuals with disabilities in
each job category<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of a contractor's workforce.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The VEVRAA rule
establishes a national hiring benchmark-currently 7.2<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>percent-or a more flexible option employers can develop
using parameters we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have laid out. If every contractor subject to these
rules were to achieve<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the metrics we established, nearly 600,000 people with
disabilities and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>200,000 veterans-including 84,000 veterans with
disabilities-would be added<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to or identified in the American workforce. And that's
just in the first<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>year. Consider what a remarkable achievement that would
be. And just so we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are clear-and because words matter-both the disability
goal and the veteran<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>benchmark are aspirational. Contrary to what some
observers have said, they<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are absolutely not mandatory quotas. Rather they are
management tools for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>employers and a way for the rest of us to hold business
leaders accountable<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to doing what they commit to do when they agree to do
business with our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>government.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> A goal is a means to an
end. It is not an end in and of itself. If<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the metrics are not achieved, contractors will be
expected to examine their<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>employment policies and practices to figure out why.
Then they have to come<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>up with specific plans to address any barriers to equal
opportunity.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Failure of a company to achieve a goal is not a
violation in and of itself.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>But failure to try is.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Voluntary Self-Identification<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Another major provision
of the new Section 503 rule is the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>requirement that contractors invite job applicants
voluntarily to self-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>identify as individuals with a disability when they
apply for a job. This<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>is in addition to the long-standing requirement that
contractors invite new<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>hires voluntarily to self-identify after they receive a
job offer. Under<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the new rule contractors must on a regular basis invite
their employees to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>self-identify voluntarily. After all, disabilities are
not static, and a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>person's status may change over time. I believe that
providing workers with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>multiple opportunities to self-identify voluntarily is a
good thing.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> When we first proposed
these self-identification provisions, I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>overheard a business consultant speaking to a group of
contractors about<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this issue: "Is OFCCP obsessed?" he asked. "They want us
to ask our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>employees if they have a disability when they apply for
the job, after they<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>get the job, and again and again while they are on the
job. Workers are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>going to think we care!"<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I felt like yelling out,
"Bingo!"<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> This is how things
change. This is how workplaces become more<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>welcoming. You and I know that workers are safer in the
workplace when they<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>understand their rights under the law and feel confident
that those rights<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>will be protected. In time these invitations to disclose
demographic<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>information or to self-identify voluntarily will be seen
as inclusive, not<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>intrusive-as a means to promote, not to
pry.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> And, since it's come up
again and again, let me make two points here:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>The invitation to self-identify is 100 percent
voluntary. We have made that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>explicit on the self-ID form and encouraged employers to
make it clear in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the context they provide when disseminating the form;
and the self-ID form<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>does not ask any worker to disclose what disability he
or she may have.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>There are three options for the worker to check: Yes, I
have a disability;<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>No, I don't have a disability; and I don't wish to
answer.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> This is going to be tough
for some employers and for some workers. I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>get that. And I have always said that operationalizing
the Section 503 rule<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>will be a process, not a switch. Some employers will be
uncomfortable<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>asking the question. Some workers may be uncomfortable
answering it. With<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>time that will change, just as it is changing for
lesbian, gay, bisexual,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and transgender individuals. But it won't change on its
own. It requires a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>cultural change that has to be led by the community,
embraced by employers,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and mandated by the government.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> That is why we need to
start a revolution. In order for our new rules<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to have the desired impact, employers have to make a
serious effort to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>achieve the goal. But workers also need to meet them
halfway. That's why I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>need your help to spread the word among your colleagues
and across your<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>communities that the voluntary self-ID form is a lever
of power. It's a way<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to gather critically important data and to ensure that
every worker is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>counted. It is a way to show employers that, if they
build it, you will<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>come.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Two days ago we marked
the fiftieth anniversary of the Civil Rights<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Act. The activists and visionaries who fought for that
law were willing to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sacrifice their very lives in the pursuit of justice.
Their sacrifices made<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>us a stronger, more just nation and paved the way for
the Rehab Act, the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ADA, and many advances in the rights of women,
immigrants, the elderly,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>LGBT Americans, and so many others.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The anthropologist
Margaret Mead famously said that we should "never<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed
citizens can change<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Of course she was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>right, except that it doesn't have to be a small group.
It could be a big<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>group. It could be this group. It could be the three
thousand people at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this convention. It could be the fifty thousand members
of the NFB. It<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>could be the fifty-seven million Americans with
disabilities.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Progress doesn't happen
in a moment. It happens in a movement. Our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>country needs you to build that movement, to lead that
revolution. We need<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you to be the heroes and she-roes who will get us to the
other side. All it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>takes is for you to bring your whole selves to work, to
demand access, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to be counted. I am asking you to show by your example
that people with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities-obvious or hidden-can ignite this
revolution and help us<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>change the culture of our workplaces.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I will promise you this:
at OFCCP we will have your backs and stand<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with you every step of the way. When you check that box
and allow<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>yourselves to be counted, you will serve notice that you
are a part of our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>economic growth, that you will share in our collective
prosperity, and that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you are committed to our common destiny.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Thank you for your time.
Thank you for your leadership. Have a safe<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and happy Economic Independence Day!<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: David Cohen]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Reflections of a White Cane Guy<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by David Cohen<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>>From the Editor: This article is reprinted from the
Fall 2014 issue of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Buckeye Bulletin, the newsletter of the National
Federation of the Blind of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Ohio. I enjoy and can relate to the humorous dialogue
that plays in David's<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>head, while admiring and always trying to follow his
prescription for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>reacting kindly to those whose only motive is to act
kindly to me. The only<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>growl in my own internal dialogue while reading what
follows is the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>allusion to Braille on ATMs-something that seems every
bit as logical to me<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>as print on those same keys, and the only question in my
mind is why we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have had to fight so hard to make them speak what is so
clearly placed on<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the screen. Here is how this humorous piece was
introduced by the Buckeye's<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>editor, Barbara Pierce:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Editor's note: David
Cohen is a longtime Federationist. When he was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>young, we helped him get to BLIND Incorporated in
Minneapolis for blindness<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>training, and he has been putting that training to good
use ever since. He<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>now lives in the greater Dayton area again. He recently
sent a very funny<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>post to the Ohio listserv. We asked him to expand a bit
on that reflection<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for the newsletter. His thoughts are amusing, but they
also provide an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>insight into the reflections and reactions of a
competent blind person with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>an irreverent sense of humor. This is what he
wrote:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Yesterday afternoon I
walked to a shopping center/mall near my home<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in Kettering to buy some bed sheets. After making my
purchase, I decided to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>check for a DVD title at another store inside the mall
called Second &<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Charles, a used book, music, and movie place. I turned
into the store and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>heard a woman's voice saying hello to me.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "Hi, Second &
Charles?" I asked, raising my eyebrows to her for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>confirmation.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "Yes," she said; "You've
got it."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "Do you work here?" I
asked.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> She said, "No," so I
continued in the direction of the main customer<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>service counter, not breaking stride. From behind me the
woman who'd<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>greeted me was giving me the standard audible
play-by-play, less the crowd<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>noise, "Right, now left," etc.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I turned to face her and
smiled, mouthing the words "I'm okay,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>thanks." You got to handle the public sometimes with kid
gloves, as y'all<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>probably know.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I continued on my way.
From behind me this woman called to me, "I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>gotcha. My ex-husband is a white cane
guy."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I laughed aloud, and
without turning held my left arm up with a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>thumb's up sign for her to see. I can do without all the
euphemisms spoken<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to avoid saying "blind." Still, if the word "blind" was
good enough for the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Bible, the Quran, the Hindu Vedas, etcetera, shouldn't
it be good enough<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for speakers today? But this white cane guy label-I can
really get used to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this. I like it. I can see it working for
me.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "What's your sign? You
act like a Virgo."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "Nope, nope. I'm a WCG
[white cane guy]."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "Single WCG seeking SWF
(single white female). Must like dogs, fish<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fries, college football, and Braille
literacy."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "Oh there's a white cane
guy at our office. I know exactly what<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you're talking about."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Text message: LOL!
[laughing out loud] BTW [by the way] the WCG<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[white cane guy] called, LVM [leave a voicemail]. RE:
Friday BYOB [bring<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>your own bottle].<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> So White Cane Guy leaves
the mall with a sack containing bed sheets<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and a DVD purchase of Sean Penn's All the King's Men in
hand. This mini-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>mall has a sidewalk extending the entire width of the
front of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>building, but the sidewalk is not even close to being a
straight shot. The<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>pathway is also cluttered with anything the designers
salvaged after the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>project's completion. This sidewalk also has more curves
than a full<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Braille cell, so I walk in the frontage road along the
curb, shorelining<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the outer edge of the sidewalk.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I am several shop door
entrances along my shorelining route and have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>just passed another because I hear the squeaking hinges
of one of these<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>glass doors opening behind me, and a man's voice calls
to me, "You're in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the street, you know that, right?" he says, stating the
obvious. I know<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that as a blind person I am a living message board for
postings of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>obvious and have learned to handle this maturely 90
percent of the time.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>"The sun is out; that's my foot you're standing on; the
bus is here; I'm<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>standing in front of you now; it's raining; you're
breathing and standing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>upright. . . . that's Braille; you have a
pulse."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Again I raise my left
arm, plastic sack in hand. I turn my head<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>slightly and, again smiling, tell the fella, who is
watching me as if I'm<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the end of a parade route, "There are fewer obstacles
out here."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "No kidding," the fella
cries out with surprise, and the sound of his<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>voice is delighted with this insight on my behalf. "Oh
yeah? You're right<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ha ha ha ha," and again White Cane Guy has brought a bit
of pleasure into<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the life of Joe Citizen, and maybe, just maybe I'll meet
him again someday.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Personally I think it is
very difficult to communicate with the many<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>unknowns who enter my sphere of being. I alluded to this
earlier when I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>said sometimes I've got to handle people with kid
gloves. It is such a fine<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>line to walk when so many situations like this one imply
and assume minute<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>examination, so routinely you know you're being watched
with intrigue. I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>don't think folk realize that I know by their sound and
movement that they<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are watching me and that such focused attention on me
walking through a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>tile-floored mall or looking for a urinal in the men's
room is like the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>pressure of shooting free throws in March during the
NCAA college<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>basketball tournament with twenty thousand voices
screaming at you when<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>your team is down two points and only seconds remain on
the game clock.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Seriously, I think blind people and disabled people in
general should be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>highlighted on ESPN for all that we do so silently as
such pertains to what<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the professional sporting experts call "being in the
zone," not to mention<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>handling your emotions in hostile environments as the
sporting vernacular<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>often states is necessary.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The depth of the mall
parking lot extends northwards to my right side<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and beyond its sparse occupancy I can hear the street I
will eventually<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>need to cross. This is my landmark, and, no matter how
out of the zone I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>get, I can always reorient myself by listening for the
ever-present sound<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of this heavily-traveled road in
Kettering.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> But again allow me to
digress for a personal reason and say that I do<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>not-do not-like it when someone tells me or asks me if I
am disoriented or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>lost. I'm not, although I may acquiesce and say "Yes
ma'am," or "Yes, sir,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>I am," in order to keep the world moving, but what I am
telling myself is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that I am only temporarily misplaced like car keys or a
smartphone.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Blindness is, like our organization has said for many
decades, a nuisance,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and well you know this. Here's the deal: I'm shorelining
the curb of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sidewalk at the front of the shopping mall. The incoming
traffic from the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>main road and the exiting shoppers with their groceries
from Trader Joe's<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and tennis shoes from New Balance are driving in both
directions slowly to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>my immediate right side, and I need to get across this
access frontage road<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and through the parking lot to the sidewalk along the
main road.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Unfortunately there is no pedestrian sidewalk extending
through the parking<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>lot, and my hot air balloon is at home in the garage-the
cloth ripped by<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the clawed feet of a crow who perched atop me when I
floated over the local<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>amphitheater to listen to Jackson Browne perform several
years ago. But<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this is no problem because at the end of this sidewalk
curb there is a stop<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sign for the access frontage road. In fact there is a
four-way stop here,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>so I can put it on cruise control and listen ahead for
engines rolling to a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>stop and then moderately accelerating after the pause to
know where I need<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to be. Voila! White Cane Guy is planning his work and
working his plan.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "Oh I am so fortunate to
have received good training and to have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>experienced the know-how of others before me who were
doing then what I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>wanted to do and am doing now," I think to myself. I'm
not kidding. On my<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>worst days I can, if I am able to muster the attitudinal
strength,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and
latch onto the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>affirmative as Johnny Mercer sang. I cannot always find
and do this, but at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>least I know it's possible, and I have my memories to
serve in this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>capacity if I feed them properly.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> So I'm marveling in my
aptitude for cane travel, and my cane tip is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>metronomically playing the soundtrack to my travels.
I've found the four-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>way stop thanks to one automobile's exit route, and I've
followed this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>vehicle's trajectory of departing sound all the way to
the sidewalk along<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the busy road. I'm asking myself if I should wash these
new sheets first or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>do the man thing and simply spread 'em and do laundry
when absolutely<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>necessary. The answer comes to me in 1.5
seconds.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I arrive at my corner
mentally ready to listen for and align myself<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to the passing traffic at this intersection of four
lanes north and south<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and four lanes east and west each direction also
engineered with a filter<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>lane, so the width is actually five lanes. I stand and
listen... listen...<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>I am listening, yes listening, and a crow flies overhead
and announces<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>itself as Jimmy Cagney.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "Huh," I thinks to
myself, "This light sure is taking a long time<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>today." I listen to one, two, three, six cars roll up,
stop California<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>style, and accelerate around the corner in front of me.
"The traffic light<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>must be out of order," I tell myself because White Cane
Guy is not only<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>omnipotent, he's a traffic engineer on his day off. A
seventh car rolls up<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>next to me and stops, then accelerates, and the cross
traffic in front of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>me continues passing at forty miles per
hour.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "The sun! Where is my
sun?" My internal problem-solving voice asks,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and I turn around only to realize it's clouded over
since I last knew where<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the heck I was and began daydreaming about my
White-Cane-Guy aptitude.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Another car rolls up next
to me, and now White Cane Guy is going to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>interact with citizenry. I turn to my left to face the
paused vehicle and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>make the universal hand-and-arm motion for someone to
roll his or her<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>window down, but I remember that I have been here
forty-four winters and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that this one-time universally recognized signal may be
lost on someone of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the everything-electronic world, or worse, the hand
gesture may suggest<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>something offensive to someone visiting the Kettering
Towne & Country Mall<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>from one of the other six continents. For all I know, I
might be signaling<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>like a prostitute does in Paraguay and end up with two
halves of a broken<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>cane and a blackened eye and still waiting to cross this
street.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Instead I lean into the
space between myself and the idling car and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>mouth words silently in just the same way I did inside
Second & Charles<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>when the unknown woman declared me White Cane Guy. "Is
the traffic light<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>out of order?" I mouth, pointing my outstretched arm up
into the air where<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>my mind has told me most certainly the traffic light
should be hanging. The<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>car's tires squeal twice front to back and spit gravel,
and I'm wondering<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>how ridiculous I look to the passersby still moving at
forty miles per hour<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>on the other side of the street.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "Something's wrong here,"
I finally admit. "Anything's possible.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>White Cane Guy has walked into the women's restroom
before, and he's also<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>walked past his own driveway," I remind
myself.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I gather my secret
strength-my brain-and I really tune in to my<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>surroundings. Wait a bloody second here. I've awakened.
There's no<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>persistent ringing of the superfluous street-crossing
signal that White<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Cane Guy knows to be an invention of the same conspiracy
that put Braille<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>on drive-thru ATM machines, limited Braille on
McDonald's drink lids, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>probably funded the training of the rehab counselor who
asked me, "What is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that thing?," when I pulled my slate and stylus from my
pocket to write<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>down his office information twenty-five years
ago.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> "I'm south of where I
need to be," my brain and true Orient Express<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>tells me. Oh joy, joy, joy, joy, and joy. I win
again!-temporarily<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>misplaced just like any sighted person who exits the
mall and cannot<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>remember where the car is parked. I must have been
curving westward. "That<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>crow was telling me this, and I did not listen. That
crow has been watching<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>me silently from above for years, observing me and
learning how a blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>person does what a blind person does and therefore has
never needed to ask<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>me questions for which answering the obvious makes no
sense other than to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>communicate the simple truth that what White Cane Guy
does is the only<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>answer to all mysteries herein."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I'm two blocks south of
where I need to be, and I get on with it. I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>reach the corner where I believed I was, and on my
approach I'm hearing the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>familiar traffic signal noise and send out apologies and
gratitude to the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>conspirators who inadvertently gave a practical use for
my ears after all.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Consider a Charitable Gift<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Making a charitable gift
can be one of the most satisfying<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>experiences in life. Each year millions of people
contribute their time,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>talent, and treasure to charitable organizations. When
you plan for a gift<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to the National Federation of the Blind, you are not
just making a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>donation; you are leaving a legacy that ensures a future
for blind people<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>throughout the country. Special giving programs are
available through the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>National Federation of the Blind (NFB).<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Points to Consider When Making a Gift to the National
Federation of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Will my gift serve to advance the
mission of the NFB?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Am I giving the most appropriate
asset?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Have I selected the best way to
make my gift?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Have I considered the tax
consequences of my gift?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Have I sought counsel from a
competent advisor?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Have I talked to the NFB planned
giving officer about my gift?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Benefits of Making a Gift to the NFB<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Helping the NFB fulfill its
mission<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Receiving income tax savings
through a charitable deduction<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Making capital gain tax savings on
contribution of some appreciated<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> gifts<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Providing retained payments for the
life of a donor or other<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>
beneficiaries<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Eliminating federal estate tax in
certain situations<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Reducing estate settlement
cost<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Your Gift Will Help Us<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Make the study of science and math
a real possibility for blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> children<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Provide hope and training for
seniors losing vision<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Promote state and chapter programs
and provide information that will<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> educate blind
people<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Advance technology helpful to the
blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Create a state-of-the-art library
on blindness<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Train and inspire professionals
working with the blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Provide critical information to
parents of blind children<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Mentor blind people trying to find
jobs<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Your gift makes you a part of the NFB
dream!<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Marion Gwizdala]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Bringing Our Animals to the Zoo<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Marion Gwizdala<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>>From the Editor: Marion Gwizdala is the president of
the National<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Association of Guide Dog Users and has played a
significant role in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>increasing the membership of the division and
strengthening the ties<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>between it and other work that occurs in the Federation.
Here is what he<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>has to say about recent negotiations on behalf of guide
dog users who wish<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to visit zoos accompanied by their guide
dogs:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> On Wednesday, August 6,
2014, Merry Schoch, vice president of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Florida Association of Guide Dog Users, and I met with
the executive<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>management team of the Lowry Park Zoological Garden,
also known as Lowry<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Park Zoo. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss how
Lowry Park Zoo and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) can work
with the National<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Association of Guide Dog Users to provide people with
disabilities who use<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>service animals an optimal experience when visiting US
zoos. We have been<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>interested in this project for quite some time, so I am
pleased that all<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the necessary elements are in place to make this a
reality.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Due to the unique
challenges of displaying live wild animals, the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>issue of access for those accompanied by service animals
has been an area<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of concern for quite some time. Before the enactment of
the Americans with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Disabilities Act, there were no nationally recognized
policies or practices<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>concerning service animals in zoos, leaving each exhibit
to develop its own<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>policies for such access. Some states that have places
that keep and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>display live animals for public enjoyment or education
had provisions to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>deny service animals admission. The state of Florida had
such a provision<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that we worked to have repealed following the enactment
of the ADA, since<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Florida act violated the ADA's implementing
regulations. Since then<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>there has been some litigation to clarify the rights of
access to zoos by<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>service animal users. Despite these cases many zoos
continue to have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>policies, practices, and procedures that are not
congruent with the ADA,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ranging from restricted access to specific areas to a
requirement for a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>chaperone while on the property.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The impetus for this
specific project and our collaboration with AZA<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>came when Dr. Don Woodman, a veterinarian and zookeeper
from St.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Petersburg, Florida, visited the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in
Syracuse, New<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>York, and was denied access. He was raising a guide dog
puppy at the time,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and New York statutes allowed service dog trainers the
same access as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabled individuals accompanied by their trained
service dogs. Dr. Woodman<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was told that even a fully trained service dog had
limited access to the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>exhibits. He suggested we contact AZA, and the rest of
the story unfolds<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>from there.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I want to acknowledge the
support and encouragement of Steve Olson,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>vice president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums,
and Mark<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Trieglaff, president of ACTServices, an ADA consulting
firm specializing in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>work with zoos. It is through Mr. Olson's suggestion
after attending the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2013 annual meeting of the National Association of Guide
Dog Users in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Orlando that we are embarking upon this project. Mr.
Trieglaff also<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>attended this meeting, solidifying his commitment to
ensuring the least<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>restrictive access to zoo exhibits. I appreciate Mark's
introduction to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Craig Pugh, with whom he had worked while at the
Brookfield Zoo in Chicago,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Illinois. I commend Mr. Pugh's energetic and
enthusiastic support of our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>efforts, as demonstrated by his willingness to dedicate
more than two hours<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of his time to meet with us. In addition, he encouraged
the attendance of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>three of his executive management staff and affirmed his
commitment to the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>long-term goals of this project in their presence. I was
also very<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>encouraged by Mr. Pugh's willingness to lead by example,
allowing us the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>opportunity to take a critical look at Lowry Park Zoo's
policies,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>practices, and procedures and then to follow through by
making immediate<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>changes based upon our input.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> It was very refreshing
that the management team valued and respected<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>our experience and suggestions. We were encouraged by
the willingness of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Dr. Larry Killmar, Lowry Park Zoo's vice president of
Animal Science and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Conservation, to think outside the box and even more to
recognize the value<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of our expertise. We were especially impressed with Dr.
Killmar's<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>understanding that no simulation experience, such as
blindfolding sighted<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people or putting ambulatory individuals in wheelchairs,
can replicate the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>experience of the disabled person, underscoring the
importance of our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>involvement in the creation and implementation of the
project.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> We also want to give
credit to Tony Moore who presented some issues<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>from an operational perspective. As Lowry Park's chief
operating officer he<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>is acutely aware of the practical issues faced by the
staff with direct<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>visitor contact. We realize that, in order to shift the
paradigm of what<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>constitutes reasonable access to people accompanied by
service animals, we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>need to address the real concerns that are unique to
live wild animal<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>exhibits by creating sound solutions to these issues and
concerns. As we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>progress on this project, anticipating the objections
will help us advance<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>solutions.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> When we first conceived
of this project, our vision was to create and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>market a video program for dissemination among AZA
members. When we shared<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this vision with the team, Ruth Myers, the grants
manager for Lowry Park<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Zoo, helped us expand our perspective by raising our
sights from a stand-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>alone video program about the rights and
responsibilities of service dog<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>users to a more comprehensive curriculum of instruction
for live animal<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>exhibits on the importance of effective policies,
practices, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>procedures, of which the video would be one element. She
suggested we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>increase the scope of the project as well as the budget.
Since the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Institute of Museum and Library Sciences is one of the
most obvious funding<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sources for this project, and Ms. Myers is a former
grant reviewer for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>IMLS, her expertise will help us create the best
possible proposal for this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>project.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> As the team began to
consider the expertise of each member at the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>table, the need for a comprehensive training program
involving all<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>stakeholders began to unfold. Many specimens in a wild
animal exhibit may<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>never have seen a dog or may view the dog as predator or
prey. This could<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>result in dire consequences. Therefore, one element of a
comprehensive<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>curriculum will involve systematically desensitizing
exhibit animals until<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>they no longer have negative reactions to the dog's
presence. Such a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>desensitization program could also be a valuable
training tool for those<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>preparing puppies for guide dog work.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Another element of the
curriculum will obviously involve training of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the staff responsible for direct guest relations. These
employees will need<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to understand the rights and responsibilities of those
who use service<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>dogs, what is considered appropriate service dog
behavior, and how to deal<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with those circumstances in which the right to be
accompanied by the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>service dog is denied, either because of the service
dog's behavior or the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>special circumstances of the exhibit.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Those of us who use
service dogs also need to understand the unique<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>challenges of exhibiting live wild animals. Our goal is
to afford service<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>dog users an optimal experience while visiting a zoo;
however, there is a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>need to responsibly balance our rights of access with
the rights of others.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>The Americans with Disabilities Act requires places of
public accommodation<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to modify their policies, practices, and procedures,
unless doing so would<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>create a direct threat to the health or safety of others
that cannot be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>eliminated. Our goal is to help zoos learn how to
eliminate the threats by<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>desensitizing their animals to the presence of a dog. At
the same time we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>need to remember that we are dealing with wild animals,
and this may not<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>always be possible. In such cases we are offering
alternatives in an effort<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to help all service dog users have the optimal
experience they are seeking.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Dr. Killmar said that the
San Diego Zoo has a web-based instructional<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>platform where this curriculum could be made easily
accessible to all<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>personnel whose agencies subscribe to this service. As a
member of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>board of directors for the Florida Association of
Museums, Mr. Pugh also<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>said that this project could be a springboard for
training other museums in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the way to make their collections more accessible to the
blind and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>otherwise disabled.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> By the time you read this
article, we will have already begun our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>pilot training program with Lowry Park Zoo. We are
beginning the process of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>preparing the grant proposal and identifying the
necessary resources to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>carry out this project. These resources include
videography and editing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>technicians, other types of service animal users,
volunteers to assist in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>desensitization programs, other marketing channels,
curriculum development,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>grant research and writing, and additional funding
streams. As we move<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>forward on this initiative, we intend to keep everyone
abreast of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>developments. The success of this project will depend
upon a team effort.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>This team will likely expand as more zoos embrace the
concepts for which we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are advocating. The team will include more people
becoming involved in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>staff training, those willing to invest time in the
process of systematic<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>desensitization, input on how our efforts are making a
difference and where<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>they need improvement, and other needs we will identify
as they arise.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> If you have suggestions
for this initiative or have a talent or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>expertise you would like to offer to the project, please
feel free to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>contact us. Our email address is <info@nagdu.org>.
You can also call us<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>through the NAGDU Information and Advocacy Hotline at
(888) NAGDU411 or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>(888) 624-3841.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Jonathan Mosen]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
NFB's iOS App Resolution: Some Perspective and Context<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Jonathan Mosen<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>>From the Editor: The name Jonathan Mosen is probably
familiar to any of you<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>who have owned a HumanWare product or a product from
Freedom Scientific or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have read advertisements from National Braille Press
that feature books<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Jonathan has written about using the iPhone without
vision. He lives in New<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Zealand and is a keen follower of everything happening
in matters regarding<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the blind around the world. In this article, taken from
a blog entry he<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>made some time ago, he discusses the art of advocacy,
negotiation, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>determining what blind people need and how we should go
about asking for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>it. What prompted his reflections was NFB resolution
2014-12, which said,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>"that this organization call upon Apple Inc. to work
with the National<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Federation of the Blind to create and enforce policies,
standards, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>procedures to ensure the accessibility of all apps,
including core apps<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>distributed by Apple in the base iOS distribution, and
to ensure that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accessibility is not lost when an app is updated." Its
passage seemed right<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and proper to some, and downright ungrateful to those
who tend to see Apple<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>as the leader in accessibility and consider anything we
say about them as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>singling them out for criticism. The resolution also
sparked discussion<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>about the role of the National Federation of the Blind
in bringing lawsuits<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to promote accessibility, with some coming down on the
side of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Federation's being too eager to sue and others
concluding just as strongly<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that the organization is not aggressive enough. Jonathan
does not attempt<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to deal with this latter controversy, but he does a
splendid job in talking<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>about advocacy, responsibility, and respecting oneself
enough to know that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>at times there is no substitute for confrontation,
albeit polite and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>respectful. Here is what he says:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Being a member of a
minority is exhausting at times. Ignorance,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>discrimination (both inadvertent and deliberate), and
barriers preventing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>us from realizing our full potential are problems we
encounter regularly.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>These issues aren't unique to blind people or even to
disabled people. I'm<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>mindful as I write this of the recent fiftieth
anniversary of the Civil<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Rights Act in the United States. It's a significant
piece of legislation.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>It required bravery on the part of the legislators who
passed it. Its<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>principles met with considerable resistance, some of it
violent. This post<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>is a long one, because I believe the issues of
self-advocacy, collective<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>advocacy, what is worth fighting for, and what is not
are all important to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>our sense of self-perception and our expectations of
what constitutes our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rightful place in society.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I'd like to illustrate
both the challenges and potential of advocacy<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by recalling a few issues on which I've worked over the
years, remind you<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the advocacy of other minorities, then take a look at
the National<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Federation of the Blind's resolution on the
accessibility of iOS apps in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that context.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Maybe before you took
time out to read this post, you spent some time<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>today reading a book. Perhaps it came from Bookshare or
a special format<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>library. We now have access to eBooks, and it's worth
noting that access to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Kindle app was achieved after considerable
collective advocacy efforts.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Nevertheless, special-format libraries and repositories
continue to play an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>important part in blind people's exercising our right to
read. It wasn't<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>always this easy for special-format organizations to get
their material to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In 1994 as the manager of
government relations for the organization<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>then known as the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the
Blind, I oversaw a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>campaign of advocacy that took advantage of New
Zealand's Copyright Act<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>being rewritten. We believed that if an author published
a book, it was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>being published for all the people to access. The status
quo at that time<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was that, if the special-format library in New Zealand,
and for that matter<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>most other countries, wanted to make a book available in
Braille or on<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>talking book, they had to write a letter to the
copyright holder asking for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>his or her permission. Sometimes those letters would sit
on someone's desk<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for months and months. Eventually the library would get
a reply. Most of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the time the reply said "yes;" sometimes the request was
declined, meaning<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>blind people were deprived of access to that
book.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> It seemed wrong to me
that the process of making the book available<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in a special format, which is time-consuming in itself,
was delayed by the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>need to seek permission. It was absolutely abhorrent to
me that publishers<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>felt they had the right to say "no."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> We began an advocacy
campaign asking for a clause to be added to the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Copyright Act giving blanket permission for recognized
organizations for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people with print disabilities to make books available
in special formats,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>without having to seek the permission of the copyright
holder first. The<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>response of the publishers was ferocious. They blasted
me and the campaign<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for a culture of entitlement. Worse, they called me a
thief. One day I got<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>a call from the representative of publishers who said,
"So tell me, do you<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>steal from everyone, or just from
publishers?"<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> There's no doubt we had
gotten the publishers angry. But we calmly<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>made our case to the people who mattered-legislators. We
pointed out that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the publishers weren't being required to pay for their
material to be made<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>available in special formats, that access to the printed
word was just as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>important as access to the built environment. The
legislators agreed, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the law was passed. It was groundbreaking, and in
subsequent years I was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>approached by a number of organizations in multiple
countries, including<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the United States, about how we concluded that advocacy
effort successfully<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and how they might go about doing something
similar.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Ultimately that concept
has now been enshrined in an international<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>treaty. Something considered by some to be radical,
over-reaching, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>exhibiting entitlement just twenty years ago is now
considered sound public<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>policy, even by the publishers.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Not long after that
campaign was concluded successfully, I was being<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>asked to front up on a range of current affairs shows
over my campaign to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>repeal the law that arguably prohibited any blind person
from serving on<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>any jury. I debated the issue on radio with our minister
of justice, who<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was staunchly opposed to any change in the law. In the
most exciting of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>these appearances, I was debating one of New Zealand's
top criminal<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>lawyers, who was both patronizing and adamant on the
subject. Sight, he<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>said, was essential to serve on any jury. I put my case
politely but<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>forcefully.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Afterwards the talk shows
were full of it. There were a good number<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of people who talked about political correctness gone
mad, asking why the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Foundation was paying big money for this clown to
alienate people, saying<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>they'd never donate to the Foundation again. No matter
how psychologically<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>prepared you are for the onslaught, it's not easy being
in the center of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that kind of firestorm.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> However, legislators were
watching. Enough had been persuaded by the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>logic of my argument that the law was changed. Now it's
totally a non-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>issue. I could fill screens and screens with examples
like this--examples<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of taking advocacy stances that were right but
unpopular.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> All the vitriol I went
through is totally insignificant compared with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>what racial minorities, such as blacks in the US, went
through to secure<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>their right to equality. There was no shortage of people
who said, "If we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>don't want to serve blacks, that's our right. If we
don't want blacks at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>our school, that's our right." If brave, great civil
rights leaders had<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>listened to those who were worried about how many white
people civil rights<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>campaigns were offending, what a much less equal world
we'd have. Sometimes<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you have to take a stand, knowing it will offend. That's
not to say you<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>deliberately seek to offend. One is better respected,
and furthers one's<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>cause, when one is resolute but
courteous.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In the context of the
resolution passed by NFB over the weekend<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>asking that Apple require all iOS apps to be accessible,
it really saddens<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>me to see the number of young people on social networks,
enjoying<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>entitlements very hard fought for, slamming what they
perceive to be the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>culture of entitlement pervasive in the resolution.
Ironic, and sad. People<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>seem to forget that in 2008 we had access to iTunes, at
least in Windows,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>only thanks to the diligence of one man, Brian Hartgen.
I seem to recall a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>lot of people complaining extremely vociferously about
the cost he was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>charging to get some recompense for the hours and hours
it took to make<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that dog's breakfast of an app usable.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> When Apple embarked on
iTunes U and educational institutions began<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>adopting it, iTunes became subject to federal law. The
NFB of Massachusetts<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sued Apple, and also put pressure on universities not to
use iTunes U until<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>iTunes was fully accessible. NFB won that suit. Now
blind people with a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>range of screen readers benefit daily from that
advocacy, which some people<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>criticized at the time.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Can we express gratitude
and request change at the same time? Yes, of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>course we can. NFB gave Apple an award in 2010 for the
remarkable, life-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>changing introduction of VoiceOver to iOS. But we are
customers. The money<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>we pay for an iPhone or iPad is no less of value than
the money a sighted<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>person pays. We're perfectly entitled to strive for
access to as many apps<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>as we can get. Since the resolution was published ahead
of the debate, a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>move for which I thank NFB since the debate was
interesting, people have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>asked why Apple is being singled out. I think the
reasons for that are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>twofold.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> First, more blind
smartphone users are using iOS than any other<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>platform, by virtue of how well Apple has done. Apple
can and should be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>proud of that. Second and most significantly, no other
app repository<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>imposes as many criteria on app developers. Apps are
rejected from the App<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Store for a bunch of reasons. Apple can decide the app
adds no particular<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>value. It can reject it for security reasons. It can
decide the app is in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>bad taste or not family-friendly enough. Those of us
who've been around a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>while may remember all the hassles Google had getting
the Google Voice app<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>into the App Store.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> So then the question is,
why shouldn't accessibility be of greater<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>concern? Some have said that the resolution's scope is
totally unrealistic.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>They say that calling for all apps to be accessible is
just nonsense. It<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>can't be done, and it would be hard to police even if it
could.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Let me take the first
part first. It can't be done? Yes, I agree with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that. It can't. There are some apps so visual in nature
and purpose that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you're never going to make them accessible. If that's
the case, why do I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>support the resolution? I support it because it's
important to understand<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>how advocacy works. You go into a negotiation with your
very best case<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>scenario on display. In an ideal world we'd like all
apps to be accessible.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>I have no inside information, but I have concluded many
successful advocacy<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>campaigns, and I have no doubt that NFB will already be
clear about where<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>they'd be prepared to give ground. If Apple comes to the
table, its<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>starting position is likely to be that whether a
third-party app is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accessible or not is a matter for the developer in
question, not Apple.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Apple may well also have a compromise position of some
kind in mind. It's<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>an absolutely standard negotiating
position.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Second, how practical is
the resolution, given that there are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>approximately 1.5 million apps in the store? There are
plenty of automated<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>testing tools in use in IT companies. They can certainly
test for textual<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>labels on buttons, although I agree it would have to be
a clever testing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>tool to try and ascertain whether the text was helpful.
Tricky, but Apple<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>has some of the best software engineers in the
world.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I can remember some years
ago when web accessibility campaigns were<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in their infancy. Many people were complaining then
about how unnecessary<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and politically correct web accessibility was because
they just knew blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people would never go to their website anyway. Then
Dreamweaver, a popular<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>web authoring tool, added warnings when developers tried
to save a page<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that contained links or graphics without ALT text. A
warning would pop-up<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>telling developers that it looked like they were about
to create an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>inaccessible page, and did they really want to do that.
Adding a similar<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>warning to Apple's developer tools could make a huge
difference.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> It's true that automated
testing tools and warnings when developers<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>create an app are not a panacea. Perhaps some additional
blind people might<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>be employed to further Apple's efforts here. And, if a
few more of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>capable, tech-savvy blind people I know who are
struggling to find work<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>could get those jobs, I'm all for that.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Some people have said how
sad it is that NFB is showing such<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ingratitude, that they're alienating developers, the
very people we need to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have on our side. As you may know, I set up a company
earlier this year,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Appcessible, where a bunch of blind people help app
developers with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accessibility. It's rewarding work, and I find it
satisfying because, if I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>see a problem, I always try to find a constructive way
of being part of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>solution. But no matter how hard we at Appcessible try,
how hard you try as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>an individual who contacts a developer, it's a humongous
task. You'll have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>successes, and you'll have setbacks, but there's a wider
principle to be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>defended here.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The status quo is that
app developers can say, "If we don't wish to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accommodate blind people, that's our right." Sound
familiar? It should.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>It's a similar argument to that which was used against
blacks in 1964. Deaf<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people have been criticized for their efforts to have
every single movie<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>captioned on Netflix. Wheelchair users were criticized
for getting<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>legislation passed requiring all public buildings to be
physically<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accessible. Building owners objected, saying no disabled
people come here<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>anyway, so why should I bother? The irony is, disabled
people didn't go<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>there because they couldn't.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Many app developers
either don't know blind people are using<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>VoiceOver, think we only use special apps, or think that
we don't want to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>use their particular app. We're a low-incidence
population, so<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>misconceptions are common. And that's yet another reason
why this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>resolution has been a great move. I've read a number of
tech publications<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>this morning where a story about the resolution is
running. I figured it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>would get out there eventually, which is why those who
thought the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>resolution made no difference were naive and didn't
understand the media<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>clout of an organization like NFB.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Of course there are those
reacting badly. As I've sought to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>illustrate, nothing worth winning in this world was ever
won without<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>objection, so I'm relaxed about that. But you know
what's good? People are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>talking about app accessibility in the mainstream. Some
of the commenters<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are educating the ignorant about how powerful VoiceOver
is, what blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people are doing with iPhones, and how relatively easy
it is to make an app<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accessible. Sure, there'll be people who will never be
persuaded, but today<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>more people are a little more informed about
accessibility than yesterday.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Some have objected
strongly to a quotation in the Reuters piece on<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>NFB's resolution in which an affiliate board member
mentioned the potential<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of a lawsuit on this issue. I listened to the debate
carefully on Saturday,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and the question of a lawsuit didn't come up. I also
know from experience<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that, once a story gets into the wild, news agencies
will contact people<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>they have on file, who may not necessarily be an
authorized spokesperson<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for the organization. That's just the nature of the
media. Once the story<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>gets out there, you can't control who they talk
to.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I realize I've written a
bit of a novel here, but I really want to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>try the best I can to illustrate to younger people in
particular why many<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the accommodations they enjoy today, such as the
course they're<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>studying, the job they're doing, the vocational choices
they have, were<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>achieved over the opposition of some often powerful
forces. We need to be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>far less worried about what others think and more
concerned with a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>considered position on what we believe the place of
blind people in society<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to be. Do we have sufficient self-worth that we're
willing to do what it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>takes to achieve equality, even when it necessitates
ruffling a few<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>feathers, or are we content to languish in our
mediocrity and accept being<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rebuffed?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In this case I think NFB
made the right call. Maybe Apple will come<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to the table, maybe it won't. But already more people
are aware of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>accessibility than they were before this resolution. If
Apple does engage,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the outcome won't be that every single app will be
accessible, but with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>good will on both sides, progress will be made. Then, in
twenty years,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people will be trying to remember why it was ever
contentious.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Jamie Allison]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Advice to the Rookies from a Rookie<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>
by
Jamie Allison<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>>From the Editor: Jamie Allison is a member of the
National Federation of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Blind of South Carolina, the president of the
Cherokee County chapter,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the coordinator of their recently concluded BELL
program, and, from what I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>can tell, a delightfully well-organized human being who
believes that good<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>organization can maximize one's enjoyment of our
convention and has taken<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the time to share some of her tips. Here is what she
says:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I was proud to represent
my local chapter and my state at the 2014<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>National Convention, celebrating the 74th anniversary of
the Federation's<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>founding, this year in Orlando, Florida. I was
encouraged to submit a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>request for the Jernigan Scholarship and was honored to
receive it. I also<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>had the mentorship of several experienced Federationists
who have attended<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>national conventions in the past. I learned an immense
amount of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>information during convention on a variety of subjects,
but more<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>importantly, I learned more about my own potential as a
blind person. I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>often thought about and even dreamed of attending a
national convention in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the years prior to my attendance in 2014. Now that this
dream has been<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>realized, I want to share some of what I learned with
the next class of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rookies.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> First, accept from the
beginning that you can't possibly do it all. I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>found that, even with meticulous preplanning and
prioritizing, there is no<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>way to do everything that is available. Begin studying
the agenda once it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>has been released. It will take several readings in
order to get a feel for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the choices you will be making. I would also advise
making an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>individualized itinerary. I did this with a simple
Microsoft Word document<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>containing the times and locations for the events that I
felt were most<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>important. Later I Brailled an abbreviated hard copy of
this information to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>carry with me. This made things a bit simpler for me
because I didn't have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to consult the entire agenda to refresh my memory on
when and where my<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>priority events would be.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Think of your itinerary
as a fluid plan. Give yourself the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>flexibility to adjust it as needed. Items that don't
seem interesting at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>first may become more inviting after hearing about
someone else's<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>experience with them once you're at the convention. You
may also find that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>some of the ones you thought were good choices may not
be as good after<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>all. Look for the ones with repeat sessions and schedule
them around the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ones that don't repeat.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Have a place to keep all
of your materials for the convention within<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>easy reach. I created a Dropbox folder for electronic
files of agendas,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>itineraries, and other information. I also kept my
Braille agenda and a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>folder with hard copies of such documents in one place
in my hotel room. I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>did not have to take every document to every event, but
having one place to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>store them made it much easier to put my hands on them
when needed.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> You will definitely want
some sort of bag to carry things from one<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>event to another. Thankfully, tote bags were a frequent
free item. Some of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the state affiliates sold small drawstring backpacks in
the exhibit hall. I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>bought one to use during the week and noticed a lot of
other people doing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the same thing.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Plan ahead for what you
need to pack. Casual clothing will get you<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>through the better part of the week, but you do need to
dress appropriately<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for the banquet. Don't forget to bring a swimsuit if you
plan to go to the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>pool. Towels and linens are usually provided, so
concentrate on the other<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>things you will need. Remember to leave some room in
your suitcase in case<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you do any shopping, either at the exhibit hall or away
from the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>convention. UPS boxes were also sold in the exhibit
hall. I found that to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>be very helpful because I sent some of the bulkier items
home that way,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rather than putting them into my luggage. However, I did
have to remember<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to drop it off at a designated time and place before I
left.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> You also need to consider
the fatigue factor. The convention is more<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>like a marathon than a sprint, especially if you plan to
be there from<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>seminar day through the banquet. Try to get extra rest
in the week or two<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>prior to the convention, and allow yourself a couple of
recovery days<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>afterward if you can. If you are not directly
responsible for overseeing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the travel, try to get some sleep while en route and as
you go home. Don't<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>forget to plan some blocks of time when you can relax
during convention<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>week. If you are the type of person who needs a break
from the crowded<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>meeting rooms, elevators, and restaurants, plan some
times when you can be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>by yourself for a few minutes. Bring lunch up to your
hotel room or better<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>yet, make a trip to a nearby store and grab items you
can use for impromptu<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>meals once you're there. This is a much less expensive
option than buying<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>all your meals at the hotel, as well as providing an
opportunity for a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>break for yourself. Make use of the pool area and
exercise facilities in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>between or after meetings. This is very important to
help balance the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>amount of time you spend sitting in one place. As
contrary as this idea may<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>seem, this will actually help keep you from feeling the
fatigue as badly.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I would also advise you
to be mindful of your sleep schedule. It is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>hard to turn down the request for a late-night visit
with a friend you just<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>met or to cut the conversation short if you're doing
some networking. If<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you are one of those fortunate souls with a high energy
level and can<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>function on a handful of hours sleep for a few
consecutive nights, you'll<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>most likely be fine-maybe a little frazzled by the last
day or two. For<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>those of us who have medical conditions that affect rate
of fatigue, it is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>vitally important that we pay attention to what our body
is telling us. You<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>may have to pare down some of the items on your
itinerary or leave the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>evening's activities before you're really ready, but it
would be no fun to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>spend the last couple of days stuck in your room from
being sick as a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>result of overdoing it. If you take medicine, be sure to
bring enough with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you for the entire trip and perhaps some extra in case
there are unforeseen<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>delays.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Don't forget to stay
hydrated. There is a lot of sitting, but you<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>must sometimes walk a considerable distance between
events. It might be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>helpful to bring bottled water with you for seminar day
or evening<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>activities. There were plenty of water stations just
outside the convention<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>hall during general sessions, so it isn't necessary to
buy bottled water<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>during those unless you really don't like moving from
your seat during<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>meetings. It's also perfectly fine to get up during
meetings to stretch or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>use the restroom. Just be as discreet as you are able. I
found it easier to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>do this if I chose a seat near the back of the room, at
the end of a row,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and preferably near a corner. This may not work if you
wish to sit with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>your state's delegation. If you have a guide dog, I
would also caution you<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>not to position your dog directly next to a doorway,
since there will be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people needing to get in and out of the room. And, of
course, be mindful of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>noise-emitting devices during sessions and meetings. It
is wise to bring a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>set of headphones for your phone or notetaker. If you
must take a call,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>please leave the room.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> A good piece of advice I
give to families with more than one adult<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>attending is that you have the advantage of doing some
turn taking. If two<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>items are happening simultaneously that are both
important, families have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the ability to "divide and conquer." It's also possible
for one parent to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>stay in the room with a child that may be over-tired or
fussy while the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>other attends meetings. Those roles can be swapped so
that both spouses get<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>a break and the chance to do things.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I would also encourage
first-time attendees to go to the Rookie<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Roundup. You will receive a warm welcome, lots of useful
information, and a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ribbon for your name tag that lets others know you are a
first-timer. I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>also would encourage you not to overlook the other
seminars held just<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>before and during the general sessions. I attended many
of the NOPBC<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>(National Organization of Parents of Blind Children) and
PIBE<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>(Professionals in Blindness Education) sessions and
found them very useful.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>The cane walk and the Braille book fair should
definitely be on almost<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>everyone's itinerary.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Also know ahead of time
that many state affiliates and divisions use<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the convention to fundraise. You will be asked many
times if you would like<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to purchase an item, make a donation, or buy a raffle
ticket. I was told to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>budget ahead for this, and that was extremely helpful.
It's very hard to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>refuse, especially when it's a cute child making the
request, and it often<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>is. I kept a ziplock bag with my budgeted amount of
money for this in one-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and five-dollar bills. It went with me almost
everywhere. Then, when I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>purchased tickets for a raffle, the tickets also went
into this bag so that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>they didn't get lost in the shuffle. This was helpful in
several ways, not<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>only as an organizational tool, but as a way to gauge
how much money I had<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>spent for this type of thing. When I started to run low,
I was more<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>conservative in my purchasing. When I ran out, I didn't
feel bad about<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>declining a purchase, knowing that I had already used
what had been<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>budgeted for this. Once or twice I reached into my
"miscellaneous" budgeted<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>monies when motivated to help a certain division that I
felt strongly<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>about.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> This leads me to my next
piece of advice. As soon as you know you are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>going, make a budget. Put it in writing in whatever
format you're used to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>using and include everything-transportation, lodging,
food, registration<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and banquet fees, donations and sales, miscellaneous
spending, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>admission costs for activities or meetings that require
it. Ask veteran<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>attendees how much one should budget for certain items.
Increase that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>amount by a few dollars as a cushion. Have an emergency
fund (or if you<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have the ability and don't mind doing so, assign a
credit card to use) to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>cover anything that you may not have planned for. Once
you decide how much<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you think you need to budget for each item, try not to
exceed this amount<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>significantly. Think about sharing the cost of the hotel
room. This<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>decreases the amount you pay for lodging significantly.
Our state also<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rents a charter bus for its members who help fundraise
to offset the cost<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>during the year. Members can ride it to and from the
convention at a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>reduced price.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Be mindful of freebies.
There will be many of these opportunities<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>around, but you have to be observant to find them. I was
able to RSVP for a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>free breakfast and information session put on by the
American Foundation<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for the Blind. The food was delicious, and the
information was interesting.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>There were also tote bags and other items at events or
in the exhibit hall.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Bookshare.org had freebies for its clients, which turned
out to be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>extremely useful.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I also encourage you to
go to the banquet. If you plan to apply for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Jernigan Scholarship, this is a requirement. It is
also one of the key<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>portions of the convention, and you'll feel a stronger
connection with the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>organization if you are able to attend. However, this is
probably the most<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>expensive item for the week other than lodging,
transportation to and from<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the hotel, and food. It is worth the cost to attend,
whether this is your<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>first or your fiftieth convention.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I hope the information
that I have shared will make your first<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>convention easier. I definitely encourage everyone to
attend, especially if<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you have read about past conventions and thought it
would be interesting or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fun to go. Even if you already consider yourself an old
pro at being blind,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you will learn things that will challenge you to be more
independent. There<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>is something there for everyone, and I guarantee that by
the end of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>week you'll learn something new about yourself and your
own abilities that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>will surprise you.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Daniel B. Frye]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Normal<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Daniel B. Frye<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>>From the Editor: Dan Frye is the executive director
of the New Jersey<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI),
the state agency<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>responsible for providing vocational rehabilitation,
independent living,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>education, and eye-health services to blind and
vision-impaired residents<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of New Jersey. Prior to his role with CBVI, Dan served
for three years as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the national manager of the Randolph-Sheppard Program
and grants officer<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind
Youth and Adults at the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Rehabilitation Services Administration. An active
Federationist at the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>local, state, and national levels since his childhood in
South Carolina in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1982, Dan worked on the NFB's national staff from 2005
to 2010 in our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Affiliate Action Department and as associate editor and
editor of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Braille Monitor. Finally, from 2002 to 2005 Dan served
as national advocate<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand
(ABC NZ), where he<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>used his skill as a Federation-trained advocate and
graduate of law school<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to promote the legislative and political agenda of the
ABC NZ membership.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Throughout his adulthood Dan has been involved with
Democratic politics,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Unitarian-Universalist community, and Lionism. He
and his wife Renee<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>reside in Newark, New Jersey. Here is what he says about
his college<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>experience and learning to fit in:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Soccer was the dominant
sport played and appreciated at Erskine<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>College, the small, four-year liberal arts institution
where I earned my<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>undergraduate degree. During freshman orientation it was
made clear to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>everybody, sports enthusiast or not, that support of, if
not involvement<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in, Erskine's extracurricular point of pride was
important. Much of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>community life and campus spirit were influenced by the
success or failure<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of our Single A, championship-caliber women's soccer
team. As a matter of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>course then, we were all made familiar with the location
of the soccer<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>field in the sleepy little town of Due West, South
Carolina, and it was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>there that we, as newly admitted students to Erskine
College, pledged our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>allegiance to the Flying Fleet.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Founded in 1840, Erskine
enjoys the distinction of being the oldest<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>private college in South Carolina. It was and remains a
small school,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>enrolling approximately eight hundred students while I
was there.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Generations of families sent their offspring to Erskine
to study but also,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>it seemed to me, to honor their heritage and
institutional tradition. In<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>such an intimate environment, situated in a small
southern town<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>characterized by charm and a unique regional culture,
the arrival on the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>scene of a blind freshman with no identifiable ties to
the community must<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have been jarring for campus residents so steeped in an
ethos of custom and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>conformity.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Motivated in part by an
adolescent desire to fit in, but also by an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>interest in demonstrating that there was nothing
inherently abnormal about<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>being blind, I immediately immersed myself in the
college life. I sought<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and secured election to the Student Senate as a freshman
and then served<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>during my last three years of college on the Student
Judicial Council, the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>entity charged with hearing and resolving student
infractions. Loving to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sing, I auditioned and was accepted as a member of the
Erskine College<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Choraleers, a show choir that annually toured and served
as a musical<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ambassador for the school. Wanting to develop my skill
as a writer further,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>I volunteered as a reporter for the Erskine College
Mirror and was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ultimately given the opportunity to write my own weekly
column,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>"Spotlight," featuring accomplished members of the
student body.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In order to help pay my
way through college, I worked as a tutor in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the Office of Academic Counseling Services. Among all
these obligations I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>worked in time to study so that I could actually earn
the degree for which<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>I came to college.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Gradually I managed to
integrate into the social microcosm of Erskine<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>life with a measure of success. Along the way, though, I
had to engage in a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>great deal of public education about blindness. I
explained and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>demonstrated, for instance, that I could independently
carry my own tray in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the college cafeteria without problem or incident.
Additionally, professors<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>prompted by a misdirected sense of benevolence, would
occasionally offer to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>exempt me from performing assignments which they
believed to be beyond the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ability of a blind student. I would explain that it was
important for me to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>complete comparable tasks in order to receive credit for
my coursework.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>These and other lessons helped to increase the respect
for and expectations<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of blind people in the Erskine community.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> On a crisp fall Friday
evening in my senior year of college, I was<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>walking up Main Street in pursuit of a sub sandwich for
supper at the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Station, a refurbished gas station turned take-out deli.
As I walked this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>familiar route, I could hear music wafting from the
seminary as I passed<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and loud cheering from the soccer field about a half
mile away. Otherwise<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the evening was quiet, and I was intent on grabbing a
bite to eat and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>relaxing after an intense week of school. The streets
and sidewalks were<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>vacant except for an occasional passing car. My mind was
far away in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>thought as I soaked up the familiar sounds and smells of
my fourth autumn<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in Due West.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Suddenly my attention was
captured by a persistent honking horn and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>shouted inquiries from several rather intoxicated
students visiting from a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>neighboring college. Out of the opened window of their
noisy automobile,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>they asked, "Hey, where's the soccer field?" I stopped,
gave them the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>driving directions, and they were off as abruptly as
they had appeared.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> As I finished my walk and
returned to my dorm room, I reflected on<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the simple but significant interaction that had occurred
earlier. Sighted<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people, driving along, observed me comfortably engaging
in my community and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>asked if I could be of assistance to them. I responded
appropriately with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the desired information, and we went our separate
ways.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Frequently as a blind
person I have been subtly discouraged from<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>contributing to the social intercourse of my world by
those who harbor low<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>expectations of blind people or who simply are unaware
of our community's<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>diverse aptitude. Often the reservation stems from a
desire to make things<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>as easy as possible for the blind person or from a
general sense of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>discomfort caused by limited exposure to blind people.
In short,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>misinformation, low expectations, and a genuine kindness
are regularly the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>culprits for our restricted opportunity to contribute in
an unobtrusive way<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to the normal course of affairs. The final factor in
this diminishment, as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>I pondered this topic on that memorable Friday evening,
has to be our own<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>complacency resulting from teaching that encourages
blind people to accept<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>assistance more often than we are urged to give it. So I
resolved that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>evening to carry my luggage, answer questions in a
crowd, help others as it<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was needed, and generally not take for granted the
importance to a blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>person of acting normally. I recognized then and there
the value of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>engaging in such simple but significant social
interactions as a way to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>advance our integration as blind people into the larger
world. The<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>direction I offered to the soccer-seeking students,
while not profound, may<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have helped them understand the innate normalcy of blind
people. I was glad<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to have been there to answer their
question.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Cindy Bennett]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Coming to See the
Unfairness of Paying Less than the Minimum Wage<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Cindy Bennett<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>>From the Editor: Cindy Bennett is the recently
elected treasurer of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>National Federation of the Blind of Washington, a winner
of a 2014 National<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Federation of the Blind Scholarship, and a woman whose
intention is to work<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in the field of adaptive technology for the blind. Every
challenge she has<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in getting equal access to her coursework serves as one
more affirmation<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that she has chosen the correct field and that the
efforts of her labor and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the intelligence she brings to the world are being
properly focused.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Because she is socially conscious enough to be concerned
with more than her<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>own narrow self-interest, Cindy shares her budding
awareness about the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>unfairness of paying less than the minimum wage in an
email post to the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>National Association of Blind Students (NABS) listserv.
Here is what she<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>says:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The first I heard about
the fair wages initiative was at the 2011<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>National Convention. It was my first convention, and I
was astonished that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>we cared about solving a problem experienced by those
with disabilities who<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>did not have hope of gaining anything better based on
their lack of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>potential. I heard about the initiative again from our
national<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>representative at the NFB of Minnesota state convention
and at the North<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Carolina state convention; I was attending BLIND Inc.
and had the good<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fortune to attend both. Anil Lewis happened to be in
Minneapolis for some<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>reason and ran a seminar for the students at BLIND Inc.
Surprise! It too<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was on the subminimum wage issue. I was annoyed at this
point. I felt like<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people were yelling at me to just believe that it was
wrong, and I didn't<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>listen because my only experiences with people tagged as
having multiple<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities were at events where they were tokens for
fundraising purposes<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>or visiting a class or something.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I was a National
Association of Blind Students representative at the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>NFB of Michigan convention later that fall, and Anil
Lewis was the national<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>representative. I had finally had enough, so I cornered
him and asked him<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>why the NFB expected its members to take action based
only on moral<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>arguments, when no one had ever presented me with any
facts on which to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>act.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Since then I have seen
numerous emails and stories filled with facts<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and figures that expose the fallacy that special wage
certificates are in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>place for the good of those with disabilities. Not only
did my<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>confrontation help to change my mind about the rightness
of pressing for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the minimum wage for everyone, but it also convinced me
that this is an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>organization in which what I say means something. I
expressed a concern to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>a national leader, he listened and understood the value
of what I and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>others were suggesting, and then he acted to address our
concerns.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> If it isn't abundantly
clear from what I've already said, I too, at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>first was very skeptical about the relevance of this
issue in the National<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Federation of the-let's hear it-Blind-not Blind with
other disabilities-and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>about whether it was actually unfair, discriminatory,
and immoral.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Many entities justify
their special wage certificate because they<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>claim they are a training center for people with
disabilities. If that is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>so, then you would expect trained people to depart such
a center or at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>least move up in the ranks. At our NFB training centers,
our students don't<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>stay forever. Although we don't train students for one
specific job, we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have success rates of over 90 percent of our graduates
finding jobs or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>going to school within a year of graduating from a
center. I will echo<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>others in noting that several students at our training
centers have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities in addition to blindness. In contrast, only
5 percent of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>workers at these so-called sheltered workshops/training
centers with their<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>special wage certificates ever seek other
employment.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Another argument is that
passing legislation will mean that all<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people with disabilities working under the Section 14(c)
provision of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Fair Labor Standards Act will lose their jobs. I agree
with Arielle<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Silverman, the former president of the National
Association of Blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Students, when she observes that, if employers do this,
it is because they<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are prejudiced against workers with disabilities. It is
obvious that these<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>companies operate just fine, given they are able to pay
exorbitant<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>executive salaries.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> A great example of this
phenomenon occurred at the state convention<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the NFB of Washington in 2012. BISM in Maryland, the
Chicago Lighthouse<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for the Blind, and the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind
voluntarily<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>forfeited their special wage certificates and committed
to pay all workers<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>at least the minimum wage. We thanked the CEO of the
Seattle Lighthouse at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>our convention. He gave a report, as he does each year,
and mentioned that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the company was operating on a $54 million budget. He
later mentioned that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the transition would be difficult because it was costing
the Lighthouse $60<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>thousand a year to raise everyone's wage to at least the
minimum. A little<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>math easily shows that this is just over one-tenth of 1
percent of their<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>$54 million operating budget.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> If a company is having
difficulty making less than a one-tenth of 1<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>percent increase in its cost, then they have bigger
problems. I would<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>contend that the real transition is in attitudes rather
than finances.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Paying people ethically does not cost these companies;
these are not mom-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and-pop shops employing people with disabilities at
subminimum wage; these<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are often conglomerate workshops that take advantage of
the provision to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>get nice perks like preferential contracts, which means
they have to do<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>less work to receive more business, and people with
disabilities are an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>easy ticket to such a provision.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> For those that think this
plight affects only those with multiple<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities, you should be informed that our own NABS
president, Sean<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Whalen, worked for subminimum wages at a sheltered
workshop. He is now<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>pursuing a master's in public policy from Harvard, but
at the time his<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>community believed that such a job was his only hope. He
talked about this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in his 2012 presidential report at the annual business
meeting of NABS at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the national convention. Similarly, there was a news
special done months<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ago about a couple in Montana working for subminimum
wages. If they have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>additional disabilities, they did not choose to disclose
anything other<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>than blindness in the news story.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> However, I think this is
irrelevant. We just had a discussion on the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>listserv of the National Association of Blind Students
about working harder<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to include people who have disabilities in addition to
blindness in the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>NFB. This fight is a direct way we are doing this. We
believe that people<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with all types of disabilities can achieve adequate
productivity in society<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with the proper training and opportunity. We highlight
this in many of our<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>major speeches. In an article about Walgreens hiring
people with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities, mention is made of using simple
organization strategies like<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>colors, food items, or animals to help people whose
understanding is not<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>adequately communicated through lettered signage. The
Walgreens article<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>also mentioned several times that hiring people with
disabilities was an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>experiment, and, if the workers did not meet their
standards, they would<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>let them go. My favorite part of the article, the one
that really resonates<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with me as an accessibility researcher, is that the
methods used to assist<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>those with disabilities actually helped
everyone.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Another thing I have
wondered is whether some of these people with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities even understood what minimum wage is at the
time they agreed<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to work for it. There is an inherent problem with this.
We have legislation<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>protecting those who cannot manage their own lives
against abuse, and, if<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>caregivers can be convicted for squandering their
clients' money, how can a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>business be given the opportunity to take direct
advantage of someone who<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>doesn't know the system? What is more is that this idea
is unrealistic.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Many earners of subminimum wage know it and are
brainwashed to believe they<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are not worth more. I heard these exact words said by a
woman who attended<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the NFB of Oregon state convention. She interrupted
Parnell Diggs's update<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>about the fair wages initiative to say that she had
other disabilities and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>mental health instability that prevent her from being
productive enough to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>be worth paying the minimum wage. It sure seems like her
employer does not<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fit the propaganda about the happy places that just love
giving people with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities opportunity and increasing self-esteem.
They have clearly<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>exaggerated what society already tells her: as someone
with a disability,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>she really isn't worth much, and she should be thankful
for the charitable<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>saviors who give her some way to spend her sad life. I
don't see anyone<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>going through tests to gauge whether they are worth
anything.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> All workers except people
with disabilities are entitled to the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>minimum wage if they get a job. So this is about
equality. And, if there is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>someone who-after being put through appropriate training
and after being<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>given appropriate opportunity-does not perform to
company standards or who<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>chooses not to work, then, disability or not, I do not
believe he or she<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>should be working at that job. I think that this will
constitute a small<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>minority of people with disabilities.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The essential question is
whether it is okay to give someone<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>something to do just to keep him or her occupied, when
others doing that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>same something are given a proper wage. I have to wonder
how unproductive<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>these employees actually are. I wonder if the issue lies
more with the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>inside-the-box training that is too often provided, in
lieu of training<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that really meets the needs of the disabled people
seeking work.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> It is true that some
employers pay their workers without disabilities<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>based on productivity; it's called commission.
Right-to-work states also<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>require service industry workers like restaurant servers
to count tips as<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>part of their wage. But this has nothing to do with
Section 14(c), which<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>discriminates against a select group of individuals
simply because they<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have a disability-not because they are less productive,
but because they<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>are disabled; productivity tests are implemented as a
mechanism to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>determine wages; the certificates are not made for "less
productive<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>people."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> It wasn't long ago that
we treated other groups like this. I have<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>watched several World War II videos about how to train a
woman to work.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>They became popular when many women went to work to
replace the men who had<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>gone to fight. The videos were littered with
misconceptions such as the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>need to be softer on a woman, the importance of not
expecting as much out<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of her, and remembering not to expect her to understand
higher level<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>thinking. This sounds inane now, but we are still behind
as a society when<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>it comes to the perceptions of what people with
disabilities can contribute<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to the workplace and society.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Some think it is utopian
to think that legislation will solve the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>problem, and in some ways it is. And that is why the NFB
also does other<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>things, such as creating quality training for blind
people and working with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>other companies and organizations who exemplify similar
ideals to prove<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that the legislation should create rather than stifle
opportunities. Some<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>companies will choose to continue their prejudiced
behavior against people<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with disabilities, but I would like to learn more about
how realistic this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>is. It sounds to me like preferential contracts are
pretty desirable, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>any reputable companies that laid off a ton of workers
with disabilities<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>would get deplorable publicity.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> If you think the NFB is
crazy for believing in the capabilities of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the disabled, then consider that President Obama
included workers with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disabilities in his recent executive order raising the
minimum wage for all<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>workers under federal contracts. Similarly, over fifty
organizations made<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>up of and for people with disabilities have joined the
NFB in the effort to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>phase out Section 14(c).<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> So I challenge anyone who
justifies the subminimum wage to take a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>good hard look at the sheltered workshops which employ
it-their tax-exempt<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>status, their preference in getting government
contracts, their charitable<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>solicitations, and their inflated salaries, and then
tell me with a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>straight face that you believe it would be a hardship to
pay at least the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>minimum wage to the blind and the otherwise-disabled who
live in our world,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>share our expenses, and have the same hopes, dreams, and
aspirations as do<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the rest of us. We can do better; we will do
better!<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Eric Woods]<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Blindness Cured?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
And Thank You for It<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Eric Woods<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>>From the Editor: This article is taken from the 2013
Holiday Issue of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Blind Coloradan. Included is the editor's note written
by Kevan Worley.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Here is Kevan's introduction:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Eric Woods is a longtime
Federationist and a member of the NFB of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Colorado board of
directors. As a blind adult he has been an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> industrial arts
instructor. He has worked as a counselor and role<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> model for hundreds of
blind youth. Many of our readers know Eric as a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> guitar player, singer,
and songwriter. Eric regularly performs in the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Americana group Stray
Dog. We are thankful for Eric's reflections<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> during this time of
celebration and Thanksgiving. Here is what he<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> says:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> It being the holiday
season, and especially Thanksgiving, I find<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>myself, as many of us do around this time of year,
putting the giving of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>thanks that is in my heart into words. I've had what
most people around the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>world would consider to be a blessed existence, at least
comparatively so-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>decent up-bringing, opportunities, plenty of good food
and friends, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sometimes more than enough beer. For all these things I
am quite thankful.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>But as I get older, not only in my overall years of life
but also in the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>increasing number of years which I have been blind, I
find that my hopes<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for the future and my thankfulness for all I've been
lucky enough to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>receive have simplified some. I imagine that this is not
altogether<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>uncommon.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> When I was a little boy,
I had such dreams: dreams that very few could<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ever obtain, but the stuff that makes youngsters bounce
around and would<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>likely lead to discouragement if I dreamt them at a
later age. I wanted to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>win Wimbledon. I wanted to play second base for a World
Series winning ball<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>club. I wanted to be a rock star and have countless
busty chicks trying to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>tackle me on the street. Nobody will be surprised to
realize that not even<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>a whiff of these or similar dreams came true, though I
once was knocked<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>over by two women coming out of a
Walmart.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Gradually we all realize
the differences between dreams and reality. I<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>had given up the pie-in-the-sky sort of dreams for a
regular existence, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>I was fine with that. I was about where I wanted to be
at that stage in my<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>life when I went blind. After going blind, I wanted to
be cured, and, God<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>knows I would have been thankful. Of course I was cured
shortly thereafter-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>at least I began the curing process, though I didn't
quite understand how<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>all that was happening at the time.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Initially I wanted my
eyes back in good working order, but really that<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>was just the physical cause of my problems, not the
underlying<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>manifestation of my situation. I wanted to feel normal
again. It wasn't<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that I couldn't see a book or a newspaper; it's that I
suddenly had no<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>means of reading any longer. It wasn't that I couldn't
see the grocery<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>store; rather, it was that I had no way of getting
there. I wanted to feel<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>good about myself, and I didn't. I wanted to feel
optimistic about the rest<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of my life, and I couldn't. I wanted to be a normal guy
again, and I didn't<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>know how.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> God never chose to give
me my sight back. Doctors couldn't medicate or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>operate my eyes back into usefulness. Scientists and
engineers had no<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>solutions. After some time of feeling despair and
desperation, I did find a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>cure of sorts. My eyes are not healed, but the hole I
felt in my soul over<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the loss of sight I experienced as a young man has been
filled with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>countless caring men and women. I have known them for
many years now. I am<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>thankful for them. I feel good about myself. I read
books and newspapers<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>again and feel optimistic about my remaining time. I am
a normal guy. Thank<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you, National Federation of the Blind, with all your
individual, local,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>state, and national components. You have done this for
me. I will never be<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>able to thank you enough.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Recipes<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>This month's recipes are offered by members of the NFB
of Pennsylvania.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Sugar Melts<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Antoinette (Toni) Whaley<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Antoinette (Toni) Whaley is the current treasurer of the
NFB of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Pennsylvania. She is also the treasurer of NAGDU and the
president of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Pennsylvania Association of Guide Dog Users. This recipe
comes from her<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Aunt Babs.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 cup butter<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 cup sugar<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 cup confectioner's sugar<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 cup oil<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2 eggs<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>4 1/2 cups flour<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 teaspoon baking soda<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 teaspoon cream of tartar<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1/2 cup almonds or walnuts, finely ground<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Method: Cream the butter,
sugars, and oil. Beat until well blended.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Add one egg at a time, blending well after each
addition. In another bowl<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>combine flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add to
butter mixture, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>mix until blended. Add extract and nuts, and mix well.
Cover and place into<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>refrigerator for two hours or overnight. Form dough into
one-inch balls.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Roll in granulated sugar and place on lightly greased
baking sheet. Using a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>glass with a decorative bottom dipped in water and
sugar, press into<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>cookies. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for twelve to
fifteen minutes or<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>until brown around the edges. Makes about 100
cookies.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Sour Cream Pound Cake<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Antoinette (Toni) Whaley<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 cup butter<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 1/4 cups sugar<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2 eggs<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 teaspoon vanilla extract<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1/2 teaspoons baking soda<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 cup sour cream<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2 cups sifted flour<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Filling Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1/2 cup nuts, finely chopped<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 teaspoon cinnamon<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2 tablespoons sugar<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Method: Cream butter,
sugar, and eggs together. Add sour cream and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>beat on medium speed. Sift all dry ingredients together
and add to egg<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>mixture along with vanilla. Mix well. Pour half the
batter into a greased<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and floured tube pan. Combine nuts, cinnamon, and sugar.
Sprinkle the nut<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>mixture on the batter. Pour remaining batter on top.
Place in a cold oven<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and then set the oven to 350 degrees. Bake fifty-five
minutes or until<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan
immediately onto<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>cooling rack.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------- <o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText> Firecracker
Casserole<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Michelle McManus<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Michelle McManus is the
president of the Happy Valley Chapter of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>NFB of Pennsylvania and is an affiliate board member.
She has also been one<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the co-chairs of our BELL program in Pennsylvania for
the past two<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>years.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2 pounds ground beef<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 large onion, chopped<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2 tablespoons chili powder<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2 to 3 teaspoons ground cumin<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 teaspoon salt<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 15-ounce can ranch-style beans<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>6 corn tortillas<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 10-ounce can RoTel tomatoes<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 can condensed mushroom soup<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Method: Brown ground beef
and onion in a large skillet. Add chili<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>powder, cumin, and salt; stir well. Spoon the meat
mixture into a 9-by-13-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>inch baking dish. Layer beans, tortillas, and cheeses
over the meat. Pour<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>RoTel liquid over cheese. Chop RoTel tomatoes and spread
over cheese.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Spread soup over all. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Bake uncovered at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>350 degrees for one hour.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Note: I use refried
beans. I'm not sure if these are "ranch-style<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>beans" or not, but they taste great. This recipe takes
awhile, but it's<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>worth it.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Broccoli Salad<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Eileen Hunger<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Eileen Hunger is the
treasurer of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chapter<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the NFB of Pennsylvania. Her husband Kirk is the
president of this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>chapter and serves as a board member for the
affiliate.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>3 to 4 pounds of fresh broccoli broken into small
florets-use only florets<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>or use some stems too after peeling and dicing
them<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 large onion, diced (a red onion adds color) or 8-10
scallions/green<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>onions, diced<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 cup raisins (or more to taste)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 pound bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Method: Rinse broccoli
and drain thoroughly so that the dressing will<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>adhere. In a large bowl, mix all of the above
ingredients together.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Dressing Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 to 2 cups of mayonnaise (to taste, how creamy do you
want it?)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (how sweet do you want
it?)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2 tablespoons vinegar<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Method: Mix ingredients
together in small bowl. Pour over and stir<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>into the large bowl of prepared salad ingredients. Can
be made one day<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>ahead of time, but must be kept
refrigerated.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Mama Eileen Rosa's Marinara Spaghetti Sauce<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Eileen Hunger<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Eileen says about this
recipe: "Growing up in Brooklyn and living<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>next to an Italian restaurant was a very fragrant
experience. This is one<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>of the jewels I gleaned from the real
thing."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>4 sliced or pressed garlic cloves<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2/3 cup olive oil<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2 tablespoons dry parsley<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 teaspoon basil<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 tablespoon salt<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1/2 teaspoon pepper<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 small can tomato paste<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1/2 teaspoon oregano<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Method: In a large
skillet (or Dutch oven if doubling recipe),<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>lightly brown garlic in olive oil. Remove from heat to
avoid splatter and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>add diced tomatoes. Return to low heat, add and stir in
the remaining<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>seasonings, except the tomato paste and oregano. Allow
to simmer uncovered<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for twenty minutes. Then add the tomato paste and blend
it into the sauce.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Now add the oregano and simmer for the final ten
minutes. If the oregano is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>added too early, it makes the sauce bitter. Recipe can
easily be halved<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>when feeding only two or three, or doubled for a
gang.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Candied Sweet Potatoes<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Eileen Hunger<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>6 sweet potatoes or yams<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 cup dark brown sugar<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1/2 cup water<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>4 tablespoons butter or margarine<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 tablespoon lemon juice<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1/2 teaspoon salt<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Method: Cook yams in
their skins in boiling salted water until nearly<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>tender. Prepare a shallow, well-greased baking dish
while yams boil. When<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>yams are nearly tender, drain, peel, and cut into
one-inch slices and place<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>degrees.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In a separate small
saucepan, cook together brown sugar, water, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>butter for several minutes until it slightly thickens
and starts to coat a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>spoon. Stir in lemon juice. Pour over cut yams. Bake at
375 degrees for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>forty-five minutes to an hour, basting
occasionally.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Note: If you are making
this recipe a day or two in advance, bake for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>only thirty minutes. Remove from oven and turn each
slice over in the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sauce, cover, and store in refrigerator. On serving day
bake sweets at 375<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>degrees for thirty minutes, basting
occasionally.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Easy Chili Cheese Nacho Dip<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Emily Angelcyk<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Emily Angelcyk is the
president of the Pennsylvania Parents of Blind<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Children and also serves as a board member of the
affiliate.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Ingredients: <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 8-ounce package Philadelphia cream
cheese<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 can of Hormel Chili No Beans (original or
spicy)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 bag of shredded Mexican or taco cheese<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Method: Preheat oven to
350 degrees. Spread cream cheese in the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish. Spread chili on top
of the cream<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>cheese, cover chili with shredded cheese-however much
you desire. Heat<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>thoroughly in oven approximately twenty to thirty
minutes.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Cheesy Chocolate Chip Dip<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Connie Schwartzfeld<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Connie Schwartzfeld is
the second vice president of the NFB of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Pennsylvania and the president of the Erie County
Chapter.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>8 ounces cream cheese<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1 stick butter, softened and blended<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>3/4 cup powdered sugar<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2 tablespoons brown sugar<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>3/4 cup mini chocolate chips<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Method: Mix all
ingredients together and refrigerate for two hours.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Then shape into a ball and roll in nuts if you wish.
Chill at least one<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>hour.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
by Joe Drenth<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Joe Drenth is the past
treasurer of the NFB of Pennsylvania and,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>aside from being a former national scholarship winner,
he serves as the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>webmaster for the NFB of Pennsylvania. Here's what he
said about this<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>recipe: "This recipe produces delicious roasted chicken
thighs through a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>simple process of searing and baking. It works very well
with the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>inexpensive thighs, often available for around a dollar
per pound. The skin<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>gets crusty while the meat is moist and
flavorful."<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>4 to 7 chicken thighs (with bone and
skin)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Seasoned salt (like Lawry's)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Large skillet, preferably oven-safe<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Broiler pan and aluminum foil if skillet is not
oven-safe<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Heavy-duty oven mitts<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Method: Preheat the oven
to 425 degrees. Arrange the shelves to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>provide ample height for the middle shelf. If the
skillet is not oven-safe,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>line the drip-collecting tray of a broiler pan with
aluminum foil, crimping<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>it securely around the edges before setting the slotted
rack on top of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>tray. A brownie pan with edges also works, but do not
use baking sheets<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>because the juices from the chicken will run off the
sheets into the oven.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>If the pan is heavy, preheat it in the oven so it will
be hot when needed.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Heat a lightly oiled
skillet on medium-high until a drop of water<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>sizzles and snaps on contact with the skillet (about ten
minutes). Wash<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>chicken thighs (with bone and skin) based on how many
can easily fit in the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>skillet, then dry thoroughly with paper towels. Any
water that contacts the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>hot skillet will pop and splatter hot liquids. Carefully
place the thighs<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>in the skillet with the prettier side down (for
presentation purposes,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>since it will attain the best color). Wear long oven
mitts and possibly eye<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>protection, since there will be oil and water splatter.
Let the thighs sear<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for five minutes without moving them, then carefully
flip them over with<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>tongs or a spatula and sear the other side for five
minutes. Sprinkle<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>seasoned salt over the thighs to taste.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> If the skillet is
oven-safe, place it directly on the middle shelf of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the oven; otherwise carefully transfer the thighs from
the skillet onto the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>broiler pan and place on the middle shelf of the oven.
Bake for thirty to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>thirty-five minutes. Wearing thick oven mitts, carefully
remove from the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>oven and let the meat rest for five
minutes.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Note: To use this recipe
with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sear<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for only three minutes per side and bake for twenty to
twenty-five minutes.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>
Monitor
Miniatures<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> News from the Federation
Family<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>National Association of Guide Dog Users Launches
Innovative Mobile App:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The National Association
of Guide Dog Users Inc., a strong and proud<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>division of the National Federation of the Blind and the
nation's leading<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>service animal advocacy organization, is excited to
announce the release of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the NAGDU Guide and Service Dog Advocacy and Information
mobile app. This<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>new iOS app provides comprehensive information about the
rights and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>responsibilities of service animal users under state and
federal law. This<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>app contains the entire text of the implementing
regulations of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) concerning service
animals, along<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>with the complete texts of every state law about the
rights of access for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the disabled. Also included in this app is specific
guidance concerning<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>service animals in settings in which those of us who use
guide and service<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>dogs experience the most challenges, such as airlines,
restaurants, hotels,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>taxicabs, and health-care facilities. In addition, those
who face<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>discrimination because of their service dog can use the
app to call a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>special advocate trained to resolve such issues. The app
is provided for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users free of charge as a
public service by<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the National Association of Guide Dog Users. You can
find the app by going<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to <https://appsto.re/us/F8jO2.i> or by simply
searching for "NAGDU" in the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Apple app store.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> This mobile app grew out
of the NAGDU Information and Advocacy<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Hotline, which currently fields nearly 1,100 calls per
year. We believe<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>that having the information in text format in our
pockets will help resolve<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>access issues before they escalate to the level of
needing intervention. If<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>you do need help, the National Association of Guide Dog
Users and the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>National Federation of the Blind are here to
help.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Future plans for the app
include creating an Android version, adding<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>more industry-specific guidance, including more
information about the Air<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Carrier Access Act (ACAA) and the Fair Housing Act
(FHA), and adding a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>feature that will sort state laws based upon one's
current location. We are<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>also seeking input from users about other features that
will enhance the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>app's function and effectiveness. You can offer your
input by sending a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>message to <Info@NAGDU.org>.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Newel Perry Inducted into APH Hall of
Fame:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> In May of 2014, Dr. Newel
Perry (1873-1961) was inducted into the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>American Printing House for the Blind's (APH) Hall of
Fame. This high<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>distinction is awarded to leaders and legends in the
blindness field, and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Dr. Perry's admittance to this elite group has been long
overdue. Fans of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the history of the National Federation of the Blind may
know him as the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>mentor of our founder, Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, but his
impact on the American<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>disability rights movement extends far beyond
that.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Among his many
accomplishments, Perry was the first blind graduate of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the University of California at Berkeley (1896), earned
a doctorate in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>mathematics at the University of Munich (1902), and
successfully lobbied<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the New York state legislature to sign into law the
first bill<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>appropriating reader funds for blind college students
(1906). In his<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>capacity as a teacher at the California School for the
Blind (1912-1947),<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>he tutored the best and brightest students and is
credited with preparing<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>seventy-eight graduates to find work in a variety of
fields during a time<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>period when most blind people were considered
unemployable.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Perhaps most importantly,
however, Dr. Perry founded the California<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Council of the Blind in 1934 and encouraged the young
tenBroek to found the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>first national organization of the blind in 1940, giving
blind people<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>everywhere the power of collective action to advocate
for their rights.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Established to honor his memory in 1955, the NFB bestows
the Newel Perry<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Award on individuals, sighted or blind, who have
demonstrated courageous<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>leadership and outstanding service in the blindness
field by working in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>partnership with the National Federation of the
Blind.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> For more information on
the life and work of Newel Perry, the APH has<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>published an extensive biography at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><http://www.aph.org/hall/bios/perry.html>. Also in
1961, tenBroek eulogized<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>his mentor and life-long friend in a speech called
"Newel Perry: Teacher of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Youth and Leader of Men," which is available
at<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText><https://nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/speeches/NewellPerryTeacherOfYouthL<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>eaderOfMen.html>.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Elected:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The National Association
of Blind Office Professionals (NABOP) is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>pleased to announce the following officers for 2014-2016
term: president,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Lisa Hall (OH); vice president, Nancy Coffman (NE);
secretary: Joanne<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Jordan (VA); and treasurer, Debbie Brown
(MD).<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Anyone wishing to learn
more about our division can contact Lisa Hall<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>at 7001 Hamilton Avenue, Unit 2, Cincinnati, Ohio
45231-5262; or call (513)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>931-7070 or cell (513) 550-5155; or email at
<lhall007@cinci.rr.com>. To<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>become a member send $5 to Debbie Brown, 11923 Parklawn
Drive, Apartment<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>104, Rockville, MD 20852; or contact her by phone at
(301) 881-1892; or by<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>email at <dabro@loc.gov>.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The last meeting we had
at our 2014 convention was great. All<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>participants at our meeting learned what was new in
technology and training<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>opportunities. We hope to see everyone next year in
Orlando, Florida, in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>July 2015.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
In Brief<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Notices and information
in this section may be of interest to Monitor<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the
information; we<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>have edited only for space and clarity.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>National Braille Press Invites You to Apply for the
Opportunity to Win up<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>to $20,000:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Louis Braille was an
innovator-and this award seeks to identify and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>inspire future innovation. Potentially the award process
will inspire new<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>strategic directions for National Braille Press. The
project must<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>demonstrate some aspect of tactile literacy for blind
people and promote<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Braille literacy or access to information. The Louis
Braille Touch of<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Genius Prize for Innovation was developed to inspire
innovators to continue<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the promotion of Braille literacy for blind and
deaf-blind people<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>worldwide.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The award is open to
individuals, groups of individuals, or companies<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>who have developed an innovative and accessible product
in one of the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>following categories: professional software and apps,
educational software<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and apps, gaming software or apps that promote tactile
and Braille<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>learning, and Braille or tactile-related
hardware.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Applications must be
received by January 7, 2015. For more<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>information and to download the application, please
visit<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><www.touchofgeniusprize.org> or contact Ximena
Ojopi at (617) 266-6160,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>extension 412.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The Touch of Genius Prize
for Innovation is provided through support<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>from National Braille Press and The Gibney Family
Foundation.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Computers for the Blind Announces Twenty-Fifth
Anniversary:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Computers for the Blind
(CFTB), which was formerly The Texas Center<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for the Visually Challenged, is a volunteer organization
devoted to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>providing computers to persons who are blind or visually
impaired. It is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>our hope that each person who is visually impaired may
experience the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>information age in a positive and productive manner. We
believe technology<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>opens new worlds and creates opportunity for greater
personal freedom.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Computers for the Blind
has partnered with Goodshop.com to help do<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>more for our cause. Along with helping save you money
with online deals to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>stores like Dell, HP, and Tech Armor, Goodshop will also
make a donation<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for every purchase you make. It doesn't get much easier
than that!<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> A licensed copy of MAGic,
which retails for $395, is now included in<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Computers for the Blind desktops and laptops. The
desktops are available<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for $110 and the laptops are $160. The computers also
include the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>following:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Accessibility software:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . JAWS for Windows demo
version (screen reader)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . NVDA (screen
reader)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Licensed version of
MAGic without speech (screen magnification)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Just Write
Checks<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . TypeAbility typing
tutorial (demo version)<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Additional software:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Windows
7<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Windows Microsoft
Security Essentials<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Internet
Explorer<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Windows Live Mail
2012<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . 388 electronic
books<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Word processor and
spreadsheet<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Instruction tutorials
and FAQ articles<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>The minimum configuration for our Pentium 4 Dual Core
2GHz refurbished<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>computers is:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . 2GB of RAM and 80 GB
Hard Drive<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . CD-R/RW and
DVD-ROM<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Sound card, speakers,
broadband network card<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . Keyboard and
mouse<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> . 17- to 21-inch LCD
monitors<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> If consumers want to
upgrade, they can obtain the following from<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Freedom Scientific after obtaining a computer: MAGic
with Speech, MAGic<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>keyboard and two SMA upgrades for $199 (which is about a
50 percent<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>discount); or a licensed version of JAWS Home version
for $716 (a 20<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>percent discount). Please note that these discounts are
only available to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>consumers and not to state agencies. We do, however,
accept purchase orders<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for our computers.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> Finally, thank you for
sharing the news about the computers for $20<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>for SSI recipients. We received hundreds of calls, and
these are no longer<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>available. However, we intend to write a much larger
grant next year and<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>will let you know if it is approved.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>New Fiction by Blind Author:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The Soul and the Seed is
the first book in an intense new urban<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fantasy/contemporary dystopian series. The story centers
around Aranka, a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>girl who describes herself as "relatively normal" until
those who hold true<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>power in today's society decide she is a threat. The
United States and the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>rest of the modern world is dominated by a clandestine
power that usurps<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the wills and emotions of individuals, but very few
people know the truth.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>>From the outside Aranka's world appears to be
today's world. And yet she is<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>imprisoned and forced to watch as her friends are killed
one by one, all<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>because they are different in a small physical way and
because they can't<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>be easily controlled. It is only a matter of time before
it is her turn to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>die.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The Soul and the Seed,
called "terrifyingly taut tension" by<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>reviewers, can be found at:
<http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Seed-Kyrennei-Book-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>One-ebook/dp/B00MQ99F0Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408634384&sr=1-<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>2&keywords=The+Soul+and+the+Seed>.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> The Soul and the Seed is
a gripping tale for adventure, science<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>fiction, and fantasy readers. It is also a story with
high emotional impact<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and deep themes about physical differences and social
exclusion. The<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>author, Arie Farnam is a legally blind writer who grew
up in eastern Oregon<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>and moved to Europe "primarily for the public
transportation." In 2000, she<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>became the first successful international conflict
correspondent with a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>significant physical disability. While reporting from
Bosnia, Kosovo,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Macedonia, and the Ukraine among other international
crisis areas for The<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Christian Science Monitor and Business Week, Farnam also
directed two<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>documentary films The Eye of the Storm (in Kazakhstan)
and Walls (in the<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Czech Republic). Along with writing and publishing The
Soul and the Seed<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>independently, she also photographed and designed the
cover. She is a<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>former NFB scholarship winner and her documentary films
were assisted by an<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>equipment grant from the Oregon Commission for the
Blind.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
----------<o:p></o:p></P>
<P
class=MsoPlainText>
NFB Pledge<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText> I pledge to participate
actively in the efforts of the National<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>Federation of the Blind to achieve equality,
opportunity, and security for<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>the blind; to support the policies and programs of the
Federation; and to<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText>abide by its constitution.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV>
<P>
<HR>
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