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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText>Hi you all<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Below is the June Braille Monitor. If you are not receiving this publication… you should. It is the heart and soul of our organization, in terms of our beliefs, actions & accomplishments. (If you need assistance to start getting it, let me know.)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Thanks, see you all Monday!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Respectfully yours,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Robert Leslie Newman<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>President, NFBN Senior Division<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. 59, No. 6 June 2016<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<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>drive, with the audio version being available in both Spanish and English<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>(see reverse side) by the<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> 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>ISSN 0006-8829<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>) 2016 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 envelope enclosed with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the drive when you return the device.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO CAPTION: Palm-lined drive leading to front entrance to Rosen Shingle<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Creek Resort]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Orlando Site of 2016 NFB Convention<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The 2016 convention of the National Federation of the Blind will take<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>place in Orlando, Florida, June 30 to July 5, at the Rosen Shingle Creek<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Resort, 9939 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, Florida 32819-9357. Make your<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>room reservation as soon as possible with the Shingle Creek staff only.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Call (866) 996-6338.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The 2016 room rates are singles and doubles, $83; and for triples and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>quads $89. In addition to the room rates there will be a tax, which at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>present is 13.5 percent. No charge will be made for children under<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>seventeen in the room with parents as long as no extra bed is requested.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The hotel is accepting reservations now. A $95-per-room deposit is required<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to make a reservation. Fifty percent of the deposit will be refunded if<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>notice is given to the hotel of a reservation cancellation before May 27,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>2016. The other 50 percent is not refundable.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Reservations may be made before May 27, 2016, assuming that rooms are still<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>available. After that time the hotel will not hold our room block for the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>convention. In other words, you should get your reservation in soon.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> All Rosen Shingle Creek guestrooms feature amenities that include<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>plush Creek Sleeper beds, 40" flat screen TVs, complimentary high-speed<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>internet capabilities, in-room safes, coffee makers, mini-fridges, and hair<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dryers. Guests can also enjoy a swimming pool, fitness center, and on-site<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>spa. The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort has a number of dining options,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>including two award-winning restaurants, and twenty-four-hour-a-day room<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>service.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The schedule for the 2016 convention is:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Thursday, June 30 Seminar Day<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Friday, July 1 Registration Day<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Saturday, July 2 Board Meeting and Division Day<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Sunday, July 3 Opening Session<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Monday, July 4 Business Session<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Tuesday, July 5 Banquet Day and Adjournment<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><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. 59, No. 6 June<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>2016<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: Exploratorium Puts Science at Your Fingertips<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Victory in the Yasmin Reyazuddin Case<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by Chris Danielsen<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Another Insulin Pump User<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Balancing Service Animal Users' and Business' Rights and Responsibilities<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>Corky Canvas<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by Barbara Loos<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Facing the Tweetbook: Getting Linked into Social Media<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by Danielle Trevino<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Loan Discharge Program<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by Gabe Cazares<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Living in Three Dimensions<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by Deborah Kent<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>A Question for Our Readers<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>Reflections of a Lifetime Reader and Library Maven<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by Marc Maurer<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>[PHOTO CAPTION: Julia Gebert listens to wind tubes at the Exploratorium.]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO CAPTION: Nick Oliver learns about sound and vibration hands-on at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the Exploratorium.]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO CAPTION: Caleb Hyndman learns about how air pressure can levitate a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ball.]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO CAPTION: Andrea Cataquiz and her mother Cecile explore the tide<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>exhibit.]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO CAPTION: A group of students navigate on a trip to Chinatown.]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Exploratorium Puts Science at Your Fingertips<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Touch is a magic sense but one that is all too often forbidden,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>precluded both by instruction and construction. How often do we hear blind<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>children talk about going to the museum with friends or family and finding<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that there is nothing there for them except what someone will read or<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>verbally try to describe? This very hands-off mentality is one of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>barriers that has come between blind people and the sciences, and one of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the objectives of our STEM2U program is to tear down this artificial<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>barrier by figuring out creative ways for blind people to enjoy the majesty<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of science, technology, engineering, and math with all of their remaining<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>senses.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The latest program was held in San Francisco at the Exploratorium, a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>museum unique for the displays and exhibits that can be touched. Mya Jones,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>one of the staff members coordinating the project said, "It was amazing to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>see Caleb as he observed how air can be used to move and set the direction<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for objects. What makes this museum so unique is that it values hands-on<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>experiences, and our students loved it."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The director of our STEM2U program, Natalie Shaheen, is excited about<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a museum exhibit that is almost totally accessible for blind people. The<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>exhibit represents a data set showing the tide levels for a year. Each day<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>is represented by a tile with a lid that can be opened. The tide for a day<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>is represented by a stick; the higher the tide, the higher the stick. It is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>therefore easy to observe the tide from day to day and by opening the lids<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for multiple days to track the patterns.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO CAPTION: Chris Danielsen]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO CAPTION: Yazmin Reyazuddin]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Victory in the Yasmin Reyazuddin Case<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> by Chris Danielsen<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> From the Editor: Chris Danielsen is the director of public relations<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for the National Federation of the Blind. Previously he worked in private<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>practice as an attorney, so we have just the right person to understand the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>complexity of the law and to communicate it to those of us who know only<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that we do not wish to break it. As with so many cases involving the rights<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of blind people, the issue here focuses on provisions in the Rehabilitation<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1990. At issue was the tug of war between the concept of reasonable<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>accommodation and undue hardship, both articulated in law and regulation,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>but each requiring better definition as provided in ever-evolving case law.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Here is what Chris says:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> On February 26, 2016, after some four days of deliberation following<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a nearly three-week trial, a jury in a federal district courtroom in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Greenbelt, Maryland, reached a momentous verdict. The verdict was, of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>course, important to Yasmin Reyazuddin, the blind woman whose case against<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>her employer was being considered by the jury. But the case made a broader<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>statement about the importance of accessibility and technology. The jury<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ruled expressly and unequivocally that Ms. Reyazuddin's employer,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Maryland's Montgomery County, had failed to provide her with a reasonable<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>accommodation, as required by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>discriminated against her by not transferring her to a new telephone call<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>center because it failed to make workplace technology accessible.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The road to this great day was a long one; the case was originally<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>filed in the spring of 2011 and was the culmination of years of frustration<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for Ms. Reyazuddin, a longtime member of the National Federation of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Blind of Maryland. It took five more years for the case to work its way to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>trial, in part because Montgomery County at one point got it thrown out of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>court, and that decision had to be appealed. Fortunately, the appeal was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>successful, and a jury finally heard the case. What follows is a summary of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the case gleaned from the complaint that was filed, with the assistance of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the National Federation of the Blind, on Yasmin Reyazuddin's behalf; this<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>writer's own observation of appellate arguments in the case; Yasmin's trial<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>testimony; information from her attorneys; NFB of Maryland press releases<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and articles about the case; and press reports. The NFB hired the law firm<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of Brown, Goldstein & Levy, which has handled many cases on our behalf, to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>represent Yasmin. Her trial team was led by Joe Espo, with assistance from<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Tim Elder, a blind NFB member now practicing in California; and Dan<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Goldstein, who is very familiar to Monitor readers and national convention<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>attendees.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> From 2000 to 2008, Yasmin, a native of India with multiple<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>undergraduate degrees who speaks Urdu and Hindi as well as English, worked<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>successfully for Montgomery County, first as a contract employee and then,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>beginning in late 2002, as a full-time merit employee. At the time that the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>events giving rise to her lawsuit began, she was working as an information<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and referral specialist in the call center of the county's Department of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Health and Human Services. In around May of 2008, Yasmin learned that the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>county would be consolidating that call center with others into a new<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Montgomery County 3-1-1 call center, referred to throughout the case as the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>MC-3-1-1 center. 3-1-1 is the number that many counties and municipalities<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>use to provide non-emergency information and services to their residents,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>just as 9-1-1 is used to provide emergency services. As an employee of one<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of the call centers to be consolidated, Yasmin expected to be transferred<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to the MC-3-1-1 call center. She was concerned, however, about whether she<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>would be able to use the technology in the new call center. She had been<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>using JAWS (Job Access With Speech) to access the computer programs with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>which she needed to interact in order to provide accurate information to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>callers, keep records of calls, and perform other tasks necessary for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>resolving the concerns of callers. She immediately inquired of her<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>supervisor whether the software for the new call center would be accessible<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and was told that her concerns would be addressed. She also began to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>research accessible solutions herself, forwarding the information she found<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to her supervisor. As the months wore on with no specific information about<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>what was coming, she escalated her inquiries to the county's Americans with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Disabilities Act compliance officer, the staff liaison for the Montgomery<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>County Commission on People with Disabilities, and other county officials.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>She also met with Leslie Hamm, the manager of the new call center. She<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>received no specific information other than some vague assurances that her<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>concerns would be addressed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Montgomery County ultimately procured a sophisticated software system<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>from the Oracle Corporation called Seibel Customer Relationship Management<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>(CRM). Yasmin was still unable to get any information about accessibility,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>but she was also still scheduled to be transferred to the new call center<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>until as late as October of 2009; in fact, she was told that she would be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>among the earliest group of call center employees to be transferred and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>required to attend an orientation meeting at the new facility.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> On November 9 of 2009, Yasmin left work for a three-week vacation to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>India. She returned around Thanksgiving and, on the Friday following the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>holiday, called Leslie Hamm to find out whether she should report to the MC-<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>3-1-1 call center or to her old office at Health and Human Services. She<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was told to report to HHS because the county could not yet accommodate her<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in the new call center. When she returned to her old office on Monday<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>morning, the heat wasn't turned on, and there was no one else in the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>office. She spoke to Leslie Hamm and others about the heating problem<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>immediately, but she remained alone, answering the phone, in an unheated<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>office for ten days. At that time, she was moved to a new office space,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>with heat and where she was no longer isolated. In discussions with county<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>officials about the situation, she was told that they were "working on<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>accessibility." She also continued to receive calls from county residents<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>as normal until February 4, when the calls suddenly stopped due to the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>"soft launch" of the new call center, and she was left with no work to do.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Although she was still being paid, Yasmin was understandably upset by this<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>development; as she testified in court, "I wanted to work. I wanted to earn<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>my pay, and I wanted to be useful."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> A couple of days after the MC-3-1-1 call center became operational,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Yasmin asked to be allowed to manage referrals to the county food bank, and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that request was granted. But those calls, at best, filled only three or<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>four hours of her workday, according to her testimony. She was later<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>assigned to take calls for the intake of adults needing protective<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>services, but that did not increase her workload substantially.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> At the 2010 convention of the National Federation of the Blind,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Yasmin observed a representative of Oracle, who was also blind, using JAWS<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to access a version of the software being used in the MC-3-1-1 Call Center,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and she conveyed what she learned to county officials. Despite this, she<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was told on October 1 of 2010 by Ricky Wright, a human resources official,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in front of other coworkers, that she would never be transferred to MC-3-1-<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1, that she would need to look for other county jobs, and that she should<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>forward her resumi to Mr. Wright so that she could be considered for other<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>positions. Mr. Wright told Yasmin that it would be an undue hardship for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the county to reconfigure the MC-3-1-1 call center software so that it<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>would be accessible to her, and this was the primary defense that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Montgomery County put forward in response to her lawsuit.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "I was devastated, frustrated," Yasmin told the court about her<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>reaction to the news she received from Ricky Wright. "I felt like I had<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>been left behind. In other words, the county had abandoned me." Yasmin<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>never received another position with the county, and for about three years<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>her official job title was changed from "information referral specialist"<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to "support staff," a designation which indicated a lower skill level and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>pay grade, although her pay was not cut. She testified that the change in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>her job title made her feel "humiliated."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Since early 2010 Yasmin's primary job has been to handle referrals to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the county food bank, known as Manna. Initially customer service<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>representatives in the MC-3-1-1 call center would transfer Manna calls to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>her, but eventually the referrals were simply emailed copies of an intake<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>form filled out by MC-3-1-1 employees. Yasmin testified that the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>information taken by call center employees could have simply been emailed<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>directly to Manna instead of through her. In other words, her duties were<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>"make-work," and as a result she felt that she was "not useful."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> All of these events, taking place over about two and a half years,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>led to the filing of Yasmin's lawsuit in April of 2011. The lawsuit alleged<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that Montgomery County violated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1973 by "procuring and configuring computer database software that is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>inaccessible to Plaintiff and other blind individuals; failing to modify<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>computer database software so that it is accessible to Plaintiff and other<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>blind individuals; denying Plaintiff access to the programs and activities<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of the County that are made available to similarly situated non-disabled<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>individuals; and failing to provide Plaintiff full-time work opportunities<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>appropriate to her skill and experiences." The complaint asked the court to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>order Montgomery County to modify the software and to reinstate Yasmin as<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>an information specialist in the MC-3-1-1 call center, as well as paying<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>her compensatory damages and attorney's fees.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Importantly, Yasmin's case rested not just on the county's refusal to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>install accessible workplace software, but also its failure to give her<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>meaningful work to do. The county apparently believed that, as long as it<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>did not fire Yasmin or cut her pay, it was not discriminating against her.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Yasmin and her attorneys took a different position. As Joe Espo, Yasmin's<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>lead attorney, told the Maryland Daily Record just after the jury verdict:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>"Giving someone a paycheck is not a reasonable accommodation. It's not just<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a paycheck-it's the opportunity to do meaningful work and have the same<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>advancement and promotional opportunities as others in similar positions<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>do. It's very hard to demonstrate competence and achievement and to present<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>yourself for advancement if what you're doing is a bunch of make-work and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>supervisors don't want you around. It's hard to excel at doing nothing."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> As mentioned earlier, Montgomery County's primary defense was that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>accommodating Yasmin in the MC-3-1-1 Call Center represented an undue<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hardship. (The county's lawyers also tried, without success, to cast doubt<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>on Yasmin's skills and competence.) According to trial evidence, the cost<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to modify the software would have been between $125,000 and $190,000. To<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>put that figure in perspective, the county spent $11 million to set up the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>call center. Nonetheless, the trial judge ruled earlier in the case that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the county had proven its defense as a matter of law. That decision was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>appealed, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>reversed the ruling, saying that the question of undue hardship must be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>presented to a jury. On appeal, the county at one point attempted to argue<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that the relevant number to use in judging the undue hardship question was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>not the budget for the call center or the county's total budget, but its<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>budget for reasonable accommodations. That argument was rejected; the court<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>pointed out that, if this were the case, the county could simply avoid its<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>obligation to workers with disabilities by setting its reasonable<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>accommodation budget at zero.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> When the case did go to trial, the jury was unpersuaded by the undue<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hardship defense. The jury further ruled that the county had failed to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>reasonably accommodate Yasmin, either in the MC-3-1-1 Call Center or<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>outside of it, and that its failure to transfer her to the call center was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>an adverse employment action against her. The only disappointing aspect of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the jury's verdict was that it failed to award noneconomic damages for the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>emotional distress that Yasmin experienced. Economic damages were not at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>issue, since Yasmin's pay was not affected.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> As this article goes to press, the trial judge has ordered the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>parties in the case to engage in additional discovery, which is the legal<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>term for the process of acquiring evidence. More changes in technology have<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>occurred since the case was filed, and so additional evidence is needed on<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>what the county will need to do in order to accommodate Yasmin. Once that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>evidence is obtained, Yasmin's attorneys will ask the court to order the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>county to make the necessary modifications to the MC-3-1-1 call center so<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that Yasmin can finally work there. This is logically the correct remedy,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>but it remains to be seen whether the court will grant such a request.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Hopefully Yasmin will finally get the job that she should have had seven<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>years ago.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Often it seems that the public does not understand the concept of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>accessibility or how the failure to incorporate it into the workplace<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>affects not only the employment prospects of the blind or others with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>disabilities, but our basic dignity and status as first-class citizens as<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>well. But Yasmin and her attorneys successfully conveyed that understanding<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to a Montgomery County jury, and that verdict must now be honored in some<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>way by the court. Yasmin's case is another example of the importance of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>fighting discrimination when we encounter it, both as individuals and as<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>members of the National Federation of the Blind.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> ----------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Another Insulin Pump User<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> by Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> From the Editor: In the April 2016 issue we ran an article about the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>use of insulin pumps, trying to explain what they do, why a blind diabetic<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>might wish to use one, and some of the pitfalls that spring from less-than-<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ideal accessibility when one cannot see a visual display. In that article<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was the concern that newer pumps are not more accessible than their<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>predecessors and that those which can be used by the blind are extremely<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>limited.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter is a Federationist from Nebraska. She<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>serves as president of the Omaha Chapter in addition to serving on the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>board of directors of the NFB of Nebraska. She is currently an MFA student,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>studying creative writing at the University of Nebraska Omaha. She lives in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Omaha with her husband Ross and their son Declan. Bridgit was diagnosed<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>with diabetes at age four. She says diabetic treatment has changed so much<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>since she was diagnosed. She's been using an insulin pump for twelve years<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and loves it despite the fact that no talking pump yet exists. Here is what<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>she says:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I have been a type 1 diabetic for thirty years. Going through the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>gamut of diabetic methods and tools, I have seen a lot. Diabetes is an<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>individual experience, meaning what works for some doesn't work for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>everyone. Certain protocols and treatments are essential for any diabetic:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>performing frequent glucose tests, being mindful of carbs and nutrition,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>taking insulin and/or other medicines if prescribed, doing exercise, and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>engaging in general healthy living. However, the amount and level of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>exercise I do may not be appropriate for you. Or you may be able to eat<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>pizza with little change in your glucose readings, while I may require a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>lot more insulin to counterbalance the carbs. I may have fewer insulin<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>needs in a day, while you may need more. It can take time to figure out<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>what works best for each person. This includes deciding if using an insulin<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>pump is right for you.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I have been using a pump for twelve years now, and I love it. A quick<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>shout-out to my endocrinologist, who suggested I switch to a pump years<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ago. He never blinked twice at the thought of a blind person using a pump,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and, in fact, was the one to initiate the conversation. I have had the best<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>control over my diabetes since switching.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The reasons I love the pump: It allows me more flexibility with when<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and what I eat. I'm busy and active, and my schedule is not the same every<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>day. I'm not shackled to a rigid meal schedule. It allows me to set various<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>basal patterns throughout the day, simulating a pancreas better than most<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>insulin regimens. If I consistently run lower at certain times of the day,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I can lower basal rates for that time of day. If my weekend schedule is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>vastly different from my weekday, I have an entirely different pattern I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>can switch to for the weekend. With my pump I can actually set several<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>different basal patterns if I want. I also do not have to keep vials of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>insulin and syringes on hand or insulin pens and syringe caps all the time.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The pump is on me at all times, and when I need to bolus, I press a button<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>on a pump. A bolus is the insulin you take after eating carbs.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> In April's issue of the Braille Monitor, Veronica Elsea shared her<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>experience with several pumps. Being an Animas Ping user, I wanted to share<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>my experience, especially since I use the pump daily. Like Elsea, I used a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>DelTec Cozmo for years. I loved it, and if Smiths Medical were still in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>production, I would use the Cozmo. However, when the time came to switch<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>insulin pumps, I found the Animas Ping to be the most similar to the Cozmo.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I have now been using the Animas Ping for almost three years, and I have<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>not found it overly difficult to use and am generally happy with it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Elsea states, "Most actions require more confirmation steps than they<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>do on many other pumps." I find this statement a bit misleading only<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>because it comes across as if many functions are difficult to access or<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>navigate, but in my experience, it's simply that the pump asks the user to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>press okay after most steps as a security measure. For example, when<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>changing a cartridge, it will ask you to press okay for each function,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>those being unwind, load, prime, and fill cannula. The same confirmation is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>required when using the touch bolus button on the side of the pump. You<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>press the touch bolus, it beeps twice, you dial how much insulin you want<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>(each touch beeping), then it counts back what you delivered (making a beep<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for each count), then it beeps twice again letting you know you can hit the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>button to deliver the insulin. All this is done to ensure safety with the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>pump. It may take a few seconds longer than some pumps, but I find it helps<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>me, making sure I'm doing the correct function before moving on. In a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>nutshell, with most features it's a matter of pressing the okay button<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>after each function.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The Animas Ping only has five buttons. On the face of the pump, three<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>buttons are in a column to the right. The large round button on the bottom<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>is the okay button. Above okay are the up and down arrow, up being above<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the down. On the side of the pump to the right is the touch bolus, between<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the cartridge reservoir and battery. On the top right is an indented<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>button, which is the contrast button. For sighted or low-vision users, you<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>can change the contrast of the screen, making it easier to see visually. So<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the button layout is simple and easy enough to use. The primary buttons you<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>use are okay and up and down arrow.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Elsea also states, "Would be able to enter BG manually if one could<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>verify by keypad beeps. As it is, pressing button a bit too hard can cause<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>scrolling, which would lead to errors." In three years I have never had<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>this happen. While it's unfortunate the pump does not beep each time you<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>press a main button on the face of the screen, I have never had a problem<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>with scrolling. The buttons are tactile and make a slight click which gives<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>audio confirmation. Each time I press a button, it does the function.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Scrolling has not been a concern, nor have I had errors due to this. If you<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>press and hold, then yes, it will scroll-similar to pressing a key on the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>computer. If you hit it once, it does the command you want; if you hold it<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>down, it scrolls or does another command. Again, in three years I have<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>never had a problem with scrolling-and keep in mind that I use the pump<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>daily with no assistance.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> If you want to enter glucose readings manually, it is possible, and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>scrolling is not a major concern. I do not use this feature, but I do use<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the temporary basal adjustment, which allows one to increase or decrease<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>basal rates for a certain period of time. I arrow through the percentages<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and times, choose what I want, and set it. This is handy when exercising or<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>increasing activity, in which case you would decrease levels. Or if running<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>higher and bolus corrections are not helping, but you don't necessarily<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>need a permanent change, you can temporarily increase levels. I have never<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>had a problem with scrolling when using this feature.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Even with my Cozmo, I have always used the touch bolus when bolusing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Because my carb/insulin ratio can change meal-to-meal, I do old-fashioned<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>carb counting in my head, then deliver it up with the touch bolus. You can<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>adjust this button so that each time you hit it, it dials a certain amount<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of insulin. For me the touch bolus button is set to deliver a half unit of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>insulin each time it's pressed. So if I need two units of insulin, I press<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>it four times. I often don't need much insulin, so this is why my unit is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>set on half a unit. You can set it to deliver one unit or more with each<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>press, depending on your bolus needs.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Entering basal patterns can be done without sight. When entering the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>basal pattern, it's always at the same place. As long as you can keep track<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of your place, it's possible. I prefer to have sighted help, but it is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>possible, and my husband (who is also blind) and I have done it before in a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>pinch. This is another function in which I have never had a problem with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>scrolling.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> It is true that custom alarms cannot be set for low battery or low<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>cartridge, but generally you know when a cartridge is low or the battery<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>needs to be changed. The Animas Ping suggests using lithium batteries,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>which last up to three months, while regular batteries last about a month.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>So one would have a good idea when the battery needs to be changed. For me,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>200 units of insulin lasts about a week, so when I hear an alarm at the end<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of the week, I'm 99 percent positive my cartridge needs changing. Now in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>three years I've had one alarm alert me that was not a battery or low<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>cartridge warning. I knew instantly it was not one of these alarms because<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>it was not time for either to be changed. I had to ask for sighted<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>assistance to read the screen to find out what the alarm was. It was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>nothing major, but I was unable to determine the problem alone.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Here's a handy tool I've used for my pump along with other things:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>using the FaceTime feature on my iPhone works well if I need sighted help.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Someone can read the screen of my pump right over the phone. I have only<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>had to do this a handful of times, but it works well.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I have either memorized menus or have written directions I follow for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>menus for the functions I can access. Yes, some functions are a bit<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>complicated to follow even with written directions, but enough of the pump<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>is available to access in this manner to allow me to use it successfully.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>My A1-C, which determines glucose levels over a three-month period, is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>great, and my overall health is good, so this would demonstrate that if you<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>choose, using an insulin pump can be beneficial to diabetic management. And<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the Animas Ping is a choice that works well for nonvisual users. In my<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>personal experience, considering it has no talking function (which is what<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>we truly need), it has been beneficial and works well enough, allowing me<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to manage my insulin needs and diabetic care.<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> Balancing Service Animal Users' and Businesses' Rights and Responsibilities<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: In the May 2015 issue of the Braille Monitor, the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>president of the National Association of Guide Dog Users discusses the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>problem caused when members of the public pretend to have service animals<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in order to take advantage of civil rights legislation implemented to allow<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>people with disabilities to be accompanied by specially trained animals. In<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the article Marion Gwizdala questions whether the problem is of sufficient<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>urgency to warrant legislation and opines that the promoters of standards<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for service dogs are motivated more by the desire to become the be-all and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>end-all of service dogs than by the desire to protect the public from those<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>who would fraudulently call their pets service animals. In this article he<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>discusses the definition of a service dog in the Americans with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Disabilities Act and its accompanying regulations, argues that existing<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>regulations are sufficient, and argues that many state laws and proposals<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>are in violation of federal law. He also spells out the rights of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>businesses to question those accompanied by an animal to determine whether<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>it is indeed a service animal as defined by the ADA. Here is what he says:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Immanuel Kant wrote, "In law a man is guilty when he violates the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>rights of others; in ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so." In<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>my previous article I shared my contention that Assistance Dogs<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>International (ADI) seems to be positioning itself as the sole authority<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for all things service animal related and is manipulating the public to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>believe that prohibiting the sale of service animal gear over the internet<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and more restrictive regulations are beneficial and necessary to protect<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the rights of service dog users. In support of its assertions, ADI enlisted<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>consumers of Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) to be the subjects of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a number of articles about the problem of fake service dogs. My contention<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>is that ADI has created the perception of a problem where none exists in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>order to shore up their position as the certifying body of all things<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>service animal; however, the created perception is false propaganda.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> A number of cases have come to our attention in which the remedies<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>available to a guide dog user in a particular state were not pursued<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>because of the conflicts between state and federal laws. In Michigan when a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>guide dog user who was denied access to a nationally-recognized sandwich<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>shop filed a criminal complaint against the company, the state attorney<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>refused to pursue the case because Michigan law requires the presentation<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of documentation as a condition of access, and the guide dog user refused<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to comply with the manager's request for identification. In North Carolina<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a guide dog user who was denied medical treatment by his physician because<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of the presence of his guide dog was unable to pursue charges because his<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>guide dog was not listed on a state registry. Many other states have<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>provisions incongruent with the ADA, and the National Association of Guide<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Dog Users, through our affiliates, is working diligently to bring all state<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>statutes into congruency with the ADA.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I believe the best approach is to educate ourselves about the mutual<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>rights and responsibilities of service dog users and to empower businesses<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by having this dialogue with them. So, let's examine the implementing<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act found in the Code of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Federal Regulations (CFR) to find out for ourselves if the regulations are<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>inadequate to prevent owners of untrained pets from manipulating the law.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>We will also examine how these regulations protect the rights of places of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>public accommodation when an animal behaves in a manner that compromises<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the rights of the business. Those interested in reading the entire text of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>these regulations can do so by visiting <<a href="http://www.nagdu.org">http://www.nagdu.org</a>>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The implementing regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>define a service animal as, "any dog that is individually trained to do<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>disability" (28 CFR Section 35.104 & 28 CFR Section 36.104). Though this<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>definition only mentions dogs as service animals, miniature horses are also<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>included through other regulations (28 CFR Section 35.136(i) & 28 CFR<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Section 36.302(c)(9)). The DOJ states that the work or tasks must be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>directly related to an individual's disability but do not include "the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>crime deterrent effects of an animal's presence and the provision of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The most important element in defining a service animal is found in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the tasks the dog has been trained to perform. It is not sufficient that a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dog is trained in basic obedience; rather, the regulations clearly state<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the tasks the dog performs must be directly related to the mitigation of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the disability. Furthermore, it is not sufficient that the mere presence of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the dog has a calming effect, plainly stating that the innate ability of a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dog to calm someone or react in a manner in which it has not been trained<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>does not qualify a dog as a service dog under the ADA. This leads us to the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>question of how a public entity or place of public accommodation can<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>determine if a dog is a service dog and the businesses' rights under the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ADA.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Because the implementing regulations of the Americans with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Disabilities Act provide for access to disabled individuals accompanied by<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a service animal and the definition is clear about what constitutes a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>service animal, a business has the right to ask questions to determine if a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dog meets the definition of "service animal." And the person has the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>obligation to answer the questions, known as "credible assurance." Because<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the Act applies to individuals who are disabled, a business may ask if the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dog is a service animal required because of a disability. The type and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>extent of the disability is irrelevant and, for this reason, no inquiries<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>about the nature or extent of the disability may be made. A business may<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>also ask what work or task the animal has been trained to perform (28 CFR<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Section 35. & 28 CFR Section 36.302(c)(6)). These regulations also provide<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that even "these inquiries may not be made when it is readily apparent that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>an animal is trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>disability, e.g., the dog is observed guiding an individual who is blind or<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>has low vision, pulling a person's wheelchair, or providing assistance with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>stability or balance to an individual with an observable mobility<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>disability" (28 CFR Section 35.136(f) & 28 CFR 36.302(c)(6)). The<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>regulations do not allow businesses to require documentation to prove that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal as<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a condition of access. A service dog is not required to wear any special<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>harnesses, coats, or other gear identifying it as a service animal.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Businesses may observe the animal working but may not interfere with the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>animal or its use.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I regularly hear from businesses who call the NAGDU Information &<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Advocacy Hotline telling me about someone who refused to answer these<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>questions, claiming it was a violation of their privacy and that they were<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>not required to answer them. My best guidance is that, should a person<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>choose to use a service dog, they accept the responsibilities outlined by<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the law and its regulations. If a person refuses to answer these questions,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a business is fully justified in refusing access to the dog.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> We want businesses to know that the rights of disabled individuals<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>accompanied by service animals are not absolute. With every right there are<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>responsibilities, including<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> . The animal must be kept on a leash, harness, or tether unless doing so<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> interferes with the work or tasks the animal is trained to perform. If<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> the harness, leash, or tether interferes with the work of the animal,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> it must be kept under control by voice, signals, or other methods (28<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> CFR Section 35.136(d) & 28 CFR Section 302(c)(4));<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> . The animal must not pose a "direct threat," defined as "a significant<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> risk to the health or safety of others that cannot be eliminated by a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> reasonable modification of policies, practices, or procedures" (42 USC<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> 12182(b)(3));<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> . The animal must be housebroken. (28 CFR Section 35.136(b)(2) & 28 CFR<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Section 36.302(c)(2)(ii))<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> If a business appropriately excludes an animal, it must still allow<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the individual the right to access the business without the animal being<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>present. I also suggest that a business document the reasons for the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>exclusion. Should a lawsuit be filed, it will be up to the business to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>demonstrate that it properly denied the access, and it will be up to the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>individual to demonstrate that he or she is a person with a disability and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that his or her dog meets the definition of a service animal.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> A business may not restrict the access of an individual with a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>disability accompanied by a service dog. Individuals accompanied by service<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>animals are allowed to access all areas of the business where members of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the public, program participants, clients, customers, patrons, or invitees,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>as relevant, are allowed to go (28 CFR Section 35.136(g) & 28 CFR Section<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>36.302(c)(7)).<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Businesses are not required to provide care or supervision for the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>animal. This is not to say that a business may not choose to do so, only<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that they are not required to do so. Some businesses, such as amusement<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>parks and zoos, provide portable crates for service dogs so that their<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>customers who use service dogs can fully enjoy themselves when it is not<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>feasible to allow the service dog. Such would be the case on certain<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>amusement rides or in the close contact areas of zoos.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> A business may not impose any fees or charges due to the presence of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the service dog even if they charge such fees to those who bring pets;<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>however, the service dog user is responsible for any damage caused by the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dog if it is the policy of the business to charge for such damage. So a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hotel, taxicab, or other business that allows pets may not impose a pet<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>deposit, cleaning fee, or other surcharge to a person who uses a service<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dog. If the service dog causes damage over and above normal wear and tear,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and it is the customary policy of that business to charge for damage caused<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by pets or patrons, the business may charge the individual for the damage<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>caused.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Businesses often ask what they should do if they have reason to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>suspect a dog is not a service dog. I generally suggest they start by<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>asking the above questions. Most of us who use service dogs do not mind<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>answering them. Those who may be imposters may wrongly assert they do not<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>need to answer these inquiries. If they cannot or will not give credible<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>assurance that the dog is a service dog, a business has the right to refuse<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>admittance. If a business follows the rules and is threatened with a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>lawsuit, the threat is likely an attempt to intimidate. If a business knows<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>its rights and follows these guidelines, it is protecting itself from such<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>lawsuits. If the business doubts the credibility of the person seeking<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>access after asking these questions and getting the right answers, I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>suggest businesses err on the side of permissiveness. It is far better to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>allow a well-behaved pet access than to deny a legitimate service dog team<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and face legal action. After all, if the dog is not well-behaved-service<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dog or not-a business has the right to ask that the dog be removed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> As the leading membership and advocacy organization for guide and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>other service dog users, it is up to us to educate businesses about our<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>rights and responsibilities. The National Association of Guide Dog Users<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>has many tools to help initiate this dialogue. Our newly edited "Meeting a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Working Guide Dog Team" brochure is an impressive piece, complete with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>pictures of guide dog teams in action. Our latest addition to the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Independence Market is our 4-inch x 6-inch "Service Animals Welcome" decal.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>These decals require prior authorization for receipt due to the expense<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>involved in creating them, so please send an email message to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><<a href="mailto:info@nagdu.org">info@nagdu.org</a>> to get your authorization. We are also producing video<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>programs about guide dogs and will pass the word around when they are<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>available. Our first video program, "Service Animals in Zoos," will be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>screened during our annual meeting in Orlando on July 2 at 7:00 p.m.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> If you would like to be a part of the most dynamic organization of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>guide dog users in the country and shape public policy concerning guide<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dogs and other service dogs, becoming a member of the National Association<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of Guide Dog Users is easy. If there is an affiliate NAGDU division in your<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>state, joining that division makes you a member of NAGDU. If there is no<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>division in your affiliate and you would like to create one, please get in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>touch with us. You can check out our affiliate division contact list by<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>visiting our website. You can also join NAGDU by going to our website.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>While you are there, check out the new design and features of the site. We<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>know you will like what we have done! The command we give our dogs is the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>movement we share: Forward!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> ----------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Barbara Loos]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Corky Canvas<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> by Barbara Loos<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> From the Editor: Sometimes we are asked to go way beyond our limits,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>risking that what we are asked to do may be impossible. In this article<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Barbara Loos is urged to take on a recreation activity and accepts the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>challenge. Here is her story:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I think it is safe to say that all of us have scars from childhood<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>wounds that can continue to affect our lives, sometimes festering into<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>adulthood. When one of these wounds is reopened, we have a fresh<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>opportunity to clean it out and offset its negative impact. We can, of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>course, choose either to accept or to reject that opportunity. In the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>National Federation of the Blind we encourage one another to take advantage<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of such chances.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> On December 12, 2012, (I remember the date partly because I like<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dates with patterns like 12/12/12) I was sitting on the couch at my friend<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Barb's home at a meeting of Symphony Circle, a church women's group to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>which I belong. Angie, a new member, suggested in response to an inquiry<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>about possible fun ideas for us to consider, "How about Corky Canvas?"<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> After her brief explanation that we would go and all paint the same<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>picture by watching the instructor and following directions, I blurted,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>"That probably counts me out, since that sounds like a pretty visual<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>experience to me."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> It felt like the Christmas spirit that had, up to that point, filled<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the room with laughter and holiday banter, got up and left. Angie's<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>deflated, rapid fire, "Oh. I'm sorry. I hadn't thought of that. I didn't<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>mean to be inconsiderate. Maybe that's not such a good idea for Circle, but<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I'd like to try it sometime, and they want groups ..."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> As her sentence was trailing off, other voices were examining,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>smoothing out, and ultimately folding up the plan for further consideration<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in the new year. I apologized for my hasty comments, Angie offered to call<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to see what accommodations might be available, and the conversation soon<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>regained its festive flavor. But I continued to feel a nagging regret.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The friend with whom I rode home said she was sure we would work<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>something out that we could all enjoy. I appreciated her optimism, but<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>didn't feel good about what I had done. It wasn't right to smear Angie with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the residue of the scar tissue I had accumulated over the years from<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>uncomfortable attempts at inclusion in society.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> This thing reminded me of the milk-carton aluminum-pie-tin birdfeeder<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>incident that happened over half a century ago in Girl Scouts. I was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>admonished by the troop leader for reaching for the materials, and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Elizabeth Miller was asked to make two of them. Afterward, the leader said<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in front of everyone what a good job I had done. Feeling both embarrassed<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and incensed, I said the good work was Elizabeth's, and she should get the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>credit. I wanted to defend my ability to have done it myself if someone had<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>shown me how, but I wasn't altogether sure I could, and the authority with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>which the leader had dismissed my initial attempt dashed what little<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>confidence I had brought to the table. Would this Corky Canvas thing help<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>me to offset that kind of experience, or would it just lead to yet another<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>scar?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Once in a while during the holidays and beyond, I considered<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>contacting Angie. But, knowing that we weren't meeting in January, I kept<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>putting it off. I wasn't really sure what to say, and part of me just<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>wanted the whole thing to go away.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> On February 4, 2013, I received an email message from her that added<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a jolt of shame to the regret I had felt that December night. How had I let<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>my own scars and insecurities keep me from at least reaching out to her?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> In part, she said, "... I just wanted to apologize if I hurt your<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>feelings over Corky Canvas. It was never my intention, and I clearly wasn't<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>thinking when I suggested it as an idea. Afterwards I felt really bad about<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>it. I did however contact them to see if they could accommodate you. They<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>said they would be happy to if we could help you paint. I am not sure how<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>you feel about that. I would be happy to help in any way I can if you think<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>you want to give it a try. If not, I understand. Anyways, I don't want you<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to have any bad feelings towards me, so I hope you will accept my sincere<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>apology."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> On February 6, I responded, "Angie, I'm sorry you spent as much as a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>second worrying about having hurt my feelings. Actually, I like the fact<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that you took initiative in suggesting an idea for something fun for Circle<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to do. I came away from that discussion hoping that I hadn't done anything<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to cause you to feel shot down for bringing it up.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "The reason I spoke up so quickly is that, since assertiveness often<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>feels unnatural to me, if I don't speak up right away, I'll talk myself out<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of doing so and often regret it later. The trade-off is that now sometimes<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I think I say something when waiting would be better. I hope I live long<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>enough to strike a balance someday.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "The Corky Canvas definitely takes me out of my comfort zone, but<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that's not altogether a bad thing. It's good for me to go there sometimes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I don't, however, want either to have accommodating me become the focus of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>attention or to have my sitting on the sidelines while others participate<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>become the solution, since the activity really is pretty much a visual<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>thing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "For me, a movie, however well described, has not yet trumped a book<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for experiencing something solo. Camaraderie is worth a lot, though, so<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I'll go to movies sometimes for that. My husband, who is also blind, does<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>enjoy movies, either by himself or with others, which just goes to show<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that not all blind folks are any more alike than all sighted folks are.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "I appreciate your writing and your offer of assistance, and I very<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>much like spending time with Symphony Circle, so I haven't made up my mind<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>about this yet. I know I'll learn something if I go, because, if I decide<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to do it, I'll be intentional about that. Whether or not I can let myself<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>lighten up and really enjoy it is still up for grabs.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "Again, I want to emphasize that I'm glad you brought up this idea. I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>prefer that people be who they are around me and allow me to be me, which<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>includes deciding what to do when things like this arise.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "Thank you for writing. I look forward to seeing you next week at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Circle."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> On April 26, Trish, a long-time friend from Circle, emailed, "Angie<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>said you were signed up for painting at Corky Canvas next Wednesday, so I'm<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>writing to see if you want me to pick you up. I love it that you are going<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to try painting. It should be fun. It starts at 6:30, so I'll be by to get<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>you about 6:10 or so. Have a great weekend. See you Wednesday."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I responded, "Thank you, Trish. I really appreciate the ride. I have<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>no idea how this is going to turn out, but I seem to be into trying quite a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>few things-once, anyway.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday. I hope you have a good<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>weekend. It looks like the weather is finally going to be like spring."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> As it turned out, May 1, the evening in question, was anything but<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>spring-like. Not only was it cold, but also there was what is often<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>referred to here as a "wintery mix" falling from the sky. My twinges of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hope that the event might be called off faded into nothingness when Trish,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>cheerful as always, arrived at my home.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Others, both from Symphony Circle and elsewhere, were hurrying from<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>their cars and gathering just inside the door when we got there. The woman<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in charge welcomed us and invited us to pick up a palate (in the form of a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>paper plate) and arrange dollops of paint of specified colors around the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>edges. I had a sinking feeling as Trish handed me hers and filled mine. Not<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>only would I not know which color was which, but also there were no<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>separate compartments for the dollops.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> After Trish introduced me to a friend of hers she was surprised to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>see there, we sat down beside each other at our group's assigned table.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>There I found a canvas balanced on an easel in an almost vertical position.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I figured out immediately that moving it forward even a little caused it to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>come into contact with that of Penny, the person across the narrow table<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>from me. Trish's abutted Angie's, and Michelle's was on its own beside<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hers. No one else from Circle was available to paint that evening. Beside<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>each of us on the table were three brushes, a small cup of water, and a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>couple paper towels.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Soon our instructor's voice cut into the blare of the overhead music<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to give us a preview of the evening's activities. After reminding us that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>we could, if we chose, paint whatever we pleased, she said she would be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>providing instructions for the group picture, a vase of flowers. We were<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>invited to accompany our painting with wines, which she listed. Then she<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>said she was going to give us formal definitions for the kinds of brushes<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>each of us had at our places. "There's the large one, called the big brush;<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the middle-sized one, called the medium brush; and the small one, called<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the little brush."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> After the laughter subsided, she asked us to gauge the center of our<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>canvases and use black paint to draw the outline of a squatty vase, leaving<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>an inch or so at the bottom, and allowing for plenty of room at the top for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a border and some flowers.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Although I had considered calling ahead to see if there might be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>something I could bring to make this project more doable, I decided not to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>do that. I thought I might either be talked out of coming or talk myself<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>out of it. Deciding to wing it was very out of character for me, but here I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was. I accepted Trish's offer of assistance, thinking that perhaps a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Braille ruler and a bendable material with which to make a template to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>paint within could have put me more in control of this part of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>painting.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Once the vase outline was completed, we were told to put a small<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>amount of black paint into our red, mix them together, and cover the entire<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>rest of the canvas, including all four edges, with that color. That would<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>create a brick red background.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> After Trish helped me mix the colors, I did as directed, asking to be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>informed about any spots I missed, if I was coming too close to the outline<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of the vase, and when I needed to refill my brush. At that point the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>bartender, Kylie, who is an art instructor and said she wasn't all that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>busy at the bar, offered to guide my hand around the vase. At first I felt<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>somewhat self-conscious about that; but, having no ready alternatives to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>suggest, I willed myself to relax and embrace the moment.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The next step was to fill in the vase with black paint. Again, Kylie<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>guided my hand for the edges, and I did some freehand in the center with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>prompting for spots I missed, and intermittent brush refills.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Next we used white with a little pink and yellow mixed in to paint<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>flowers using the medium brush. I again allowed Kylie to guide my hand,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>making six-petaled flowers at various levels above the vase.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> When the instructions were given for stems, the woman said something<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>like, "Just do a little here, then a little there, and be sure to pick up<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>your brush as you go." Imagining little pieces of stem strewn about the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>canvas, I wondered how that could possibly make a painting that would be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>appealing to anyone. I figured that some kind of optical illusion was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>afoot.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> When Kylie took my hand, which was already holding the little brush<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>as instructed, and dabbed the green paint, I let the question hang in my<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>mind as she began. "Oh," I inwardly said as she gently stroked down, raised<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the brush, moved down a bit, continued the trajectory, and performed the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>same kinds of strokes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "Are you raising the brush so that it will look like the stem goes<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>behind the flower that is lower than the one on top?" I asked.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "Yes," she answered. "And we'll do the same thing to complete the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>other stems."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> There it was again-that pesky perspective thing, in which things that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>are behind one another are accounted for visually by disappearing part of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the one in back. I was relieved that the concept wasn't any more abstract<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>than that.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> By the time we got to the point of putting white polka dots on the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>vase, I had become comfortable enough with Kylie to talk about possible<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ways of creating boundaries for what was being painted. I mentioned<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>stencils that could be painted within or a shape to be painted around. She<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>created a stencil made of construction paper with a circle to be painted<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>within. Although construction paper creates a very shallow border and is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>both porous and prone to disintegrating when dampened, I was pleased that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>she understood what I was suggesting and was willing to act upon it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Because she only made one "dot," it needed to be moved to various locations<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to create the desired effect. After doing several whole circles, she guided<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>my brush to put partial ones at the edge of the vase to suggest roundness.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> After putting the finishing touches on our paintings by using a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>tapping motion with the little brush to put five black dots in the center<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of each flower, adding small white polka dots just below the rim and just<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>above the bottom of the vase, and scattering a few loose petals beside the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>vase, we were instructed to let our canvases dry for a bit before gathering<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for group photos.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> As Angie and I stood at the sink washing the remains of paint from<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>our hands during this interim, she leaned in and quietly confided, "I'm so<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>glad you came. I was hoping you would, and," lowering her voice almost to a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>whisper, "I even prayed about it."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "I did, too," I confessed. "And I'm glad I came, too. Thank you for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>making it happen for us."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Photos completed, coats donned, and paintings loosely wrapped, we<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>stepped out into the fizz of crystalline snow blanketing the world in tiny,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>sleet-like beads. The crunch of its accumulation underfoot and its<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>relentless pelting from above caused scurrying to vehicles, remaining<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>mindful of the need to protect our masterpieces against the moisture,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>while, at the same time, guarding against smudging spots not yet altogether<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dry. By then, though, I felt like, whatever happened to my canvas, the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>memory of this night would find itself on the plus side of changing what it<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>meant to be blind in a positive way, not only for me, but also for those<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>with whom I had shared it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "What fun!" Trish exclaimed, once our paintings were safely stowed<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and she was pulling onto the slushy street. "All the paintings looked<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>great, too! I'm so glad you gave it a try."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "It really was fun," I acknowledged. "And I'm glad I got out of my<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>comfort zone long enough to find that out."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "Would you do it again?" she asked.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "I don't know," I said, reflecting on how much assistance I had<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>accepted and how I depended entirely on feedback from others for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>confirmation of its appeal. "If so, I would want to work on some ways to be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>more in control of what I was doing. And I would still prefer to work with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>three-dimensional objects or materials with properties like varying texture<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that I could experience myself. Would you do it again?" I inquired.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "I would," she said, "but I'd also like to try some of the other<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>painting options in town." There we were, true to form-she already up for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the next adventure; I willing to consider, but somewhat hesitant. Over the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>years we have shared many cherished moments.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> As she dropped me off that night, I thanked God for this experience.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Among other things, it gave me a chance to reopen the bird feeder wound and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>allow for some healing. There is, of course, still a scar. But it is no<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>longer festering underneath, and that's worth a lot to me.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> ----------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Danielle Trevino smiles broadly as she sits beside her<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>guide dog, Katie.]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Facing the Tweetbook: Getting Linked into Social Media<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> by Danielle Trevino<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> From the Editor: Danielle is the coordinator for social media and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>member engagement for the National Federation of the Blind. She is taking<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>us into the new frontier of social media by demonstrating its value and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>teaching us how to use it with assistive technology. Here she offers a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>primer to help those who are just trying to get started in this sometimes-<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>confusing world of the internet and social media.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Social media was once considered a fad. A mere twelve years ago,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>"liking" something didn't mean double-tapping on a button and "tweeting"<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was a verb reserved for birds and anyone singing Rockin' Robin. Once smart<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>phones became more affordable, available, and accessible, the world saw a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>rapid increase in the use of social media.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Nowadays, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone over the age of six<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>who doesn't know what social media is, and just as the general public has<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>embraced these networks, so have businesses and nonprofits.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> So of the hundreds of thousands of nonprofits on social media, what<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>sets the National Federation of the Blind apart? Why should people join us<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and/or fund us? The answer is simple: we change lives. Whether it's putting<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a free cane in the hands of a person who hasn't been able to get around<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>independently, advocating for changes to laws on Capitol Hill, establishing<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>BELL programs across the country so that blind children can practice their<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Braille skills, or giving away thousands of dollars in scholarships, the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>NFB really does work every day so that blind people can live the lives we<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>want. Ours is a story worth sharing, and today the most powerful way to do<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that is through social media. I know that for many, the idea of using<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Facebook or Twitter is daunting, but I can assure you, it's as easy as one,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>two, share.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Let's start with a bit of history. In 2004 Mark Zuckerberg, a student<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>at Harvard, created thefacebook, a website designed for his fellow students<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to connect with one another. It was very simple back then and one of its<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>draws was the exclusivity of it. The site quickly expanded to grant access<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to all students with a .edu email address. By 2006, Facebook was available<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to anyone age thirteen and up. More features were added, and today it is a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>robust platform on which we can share every bit of our lives if we want to.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Once you're signed up the amount of content you create is up to you. You<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>can do anything from occasionally posting a picture or status update to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>giving your network a play-by-play account of your day complete with photo,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>video, and web links. Organizations, such as the NFB, can leverage the page<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>feature which allows users to create profiles specifically about the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>company or nonprofit they want to showcase. Most of our affiliates and some<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of our chapters and divisions have very active Facebook pages.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> In 2006, just as Facebook was being opened up to the world, Twitter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>came along. A couple of friends wanted a way to send messages to the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>internet using text message, and they called their invention Twitter.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Though much simpler to use, it is much more limiting in its features. For<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>example, a Tweet has a limit of one hundred and forty characters. However,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that is more than enough to share Federation news. You can also upload<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>pictures and video to Twitter, but these options can end up taking up all<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of your character count. The best way to post is to say a few words and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>then send your followers to a web link.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Though there are other platforms such as Linked-in, Pinterest, and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>SnapChat, Twitter and Facebook are the most popular and accessible.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> So now that you know the background and basic functions of the two<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>platforms, let's take a minute for a short vocabulary lesson, starting with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Facebook. The two words you need to keep in mind are: like and share.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> To like something in the normal sense of the word is to approve of,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>appreciate, agree with, or believe in something. That's exactly what it<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>means on Facebook, only the secondary definition is to hit the "like"<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>button. It looks like a hand giving a thumbs-up, and this is something you<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>want for your posts; you want people to "like" them. The more likes, the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>more popular your post is.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Sharing posts is also something you want, even more than having<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>people like your post. When someone shares your post, all of the people in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>their network of friends see it, including people that you don't know and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>aren't friends with. In this way, your post can spread and be viewed by<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>thousands more, and might reach someone who needs the NFB in their life.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> On Twitter the case is very similar. You want people to "favorite"<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>(like) and "retweet" (share) your posts.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> So now that you know the basics, how do you use your newfound<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>knowledge to spread the Federation word? It's quite easy! You can always<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>start by liking and sharing the NFB's posts. You can find the national<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>organization on Facebook by searching for "National Federation of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Blind," and liking our page. You can find us on Twitter by following<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>@NFB_Voice. Most affiliates have established social media pages that you<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>can follow and share content from. You can also simply write your own posts<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>about how the NFB helps you live the life you want. Your networks will like<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and share your words, and they just might reach someone who needs to hear<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>our message of love, hope, and determination.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> ----------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO/CAPTION: Gabe Cazares]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Loan Discharge Program<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> by Gabe Cazares<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> From the Editor: Gabe is a governmental affairs specialist for the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>National Federation of the Blind and brings to his job the ability to write<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and speak passionately about issues confronting the blind and the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>legislative proposals to address them. This article will be of particular<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>interest to you if you or your parent received a government loan for your<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>college education which you or your parent now cannot repay due to your<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>disability. Here's what he has to say:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Recently the Obama Administration announced changes to its Total and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Permanent Disability Discharge (TPD) Program. The TPD Program relieves<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>individuals from their responsibility of repaying, on the basis of a total<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and permanent disability, the following types of loans: William D. Ford<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Federal Direct Loan, Federal Family Education Loan, and/or Federal Perkins<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Loan, or completing a TEACH Grant service obligation.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> In 2012 the Obama administration took steps to make it easier for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>qualifying individuals with disabilities to use their Social Security<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>designation to apply for the program. Despite this effort, the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>administration saw a very small increase in the number of applicants. On<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>April 12, 2016, the Obama Administration announced that the United States<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Department of Education, in conjunction with the Social Security<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Administration (SSA), began a match program in which those recipients of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Social Security benefits with the specific designation of medical<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>improvement not expected, who also qualify for the loan discharge program,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>are being identified between the two agencies. Upon its first review, the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Departments of Education and Social Security identified 387,000<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>individuals. Of those identified 179,000 are currently in default of their<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>loans.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>How does the TDP program work?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> In order to qualify, an individual must have a total and permanent<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>disability as defined by the Veterans Administration determination of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>employability due to a service-connected disability, or the Social Security<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Administration's designation of medical improvement not expected, or by<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>certification by a qualified medical professional. Starting April 18, 2016,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>qualifying individuals began to receive letters from the Department of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Education explaining step-by-step how they can have their loans discharged.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>These explanations also include the tax implications of a discharge; the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>government can-in most cases-tax the loan amount forgiven.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Individuals with disabilities will no longer have to submit proof of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>disability and can simply fill out and sign a customized application.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Letters will be going out over a sixteen-week period, with a second letter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>following up in 120 days. If a qualified individual does not receive<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>notification, he or she can follow the necessary steps found on the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Department of Education's website <https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>loans/forgiveness-cancellation/disability-discharge>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Once approved<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Once approved, your loan or TEACH Grant service obligation is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>discharged on the basis of a total and permanent disability. However, those<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>who discharge their loans under a Social Security designation or a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>physician's authorization will be subject to a three-year monitoring period<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that begins on the day the discharge is approved. During this three-year<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>monitoring period, "loans can be reinstated for repayment if:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> 1. You have annual employment earnings that exceed the poverty guideline<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> amount for a family of two in your state, regardless of your actual<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> family size;<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> 2. You receive a new William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program loan<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> (Direct Loan), Federal Perkins Loan Program loan (Perkins Loan), or<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> TEACH Grant;<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> 3. A disbursement of a Direct Loan, Perkins Loan, or TEACH Grant that you<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> received before the discharge date is made, and you do not ensure the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> return of the full amount of the disbursement within 120 days of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> disbursement date; or<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> 4. You receive a notice from the SSA stating that you are no longer<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> totally and permanently disabled, or that your disability review will<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> no longer be the five-year or seven-year review period indicated in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> your most recent SSA notice of award for Social Security Disability<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> A word of caution to readers considering this program: in 2016, 100<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>percent of the federal poverty level for a family of two is $16,020. If<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>your annual compensation exceeds this amount, or if you expect to soon be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>making more than this allotted amount annually, you do not qualify for a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>TDP discharge. The federal poverty level is adjusted from year to year. It<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>is also important to note that these monitoring requirements do not apply<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to individuals qualifying under the Veterans Administration determination<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of employability due to a service-connected disability. When determining if<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>this program is best for you, it is important to consider all current and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>future plans for employment.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> ----------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO CAPTION: Deborah Kent]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Living in Three Dimensions<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> by Deborah Kent<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> From the Editor: Deborah Kent is a well-known writer of children's<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>books, the editor of Future Reflections, the vice president of the National<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Federation of the Blind of Illinois, and a reflective and articulate<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>observer of life as a blind person. "Living in Three Dimensions" was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>originally published as "Vivre en Trois Dimensions" in Revue des Lettres et<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>de Traduction, No. 15: La Main, published by Universite Saint-Esprit de<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Kaslik, Junieh, Lebanon, 2013. The anthology was published around the theme<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of the hand, and when a friend of hers mentioned it, Deborah offered to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>contribute something from her unique perspective. She found a translator to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>put her work into French, but here is the original English version:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The poison bottle stands on a shelf above my desk. Sometimes I pause<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in my work, lift it down, and turn it in my hands. It is about three inches<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>tall and made of clear glass-before I wrote that statement I checked with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>my sighted daughter just to be sure. Unlike an ordinary bottle, it is flat<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>on one side, as though it were meant to stand flush against a wall. The<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>flat side is perfectly smooth, but the rounded side is scored with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>distinct, vertical ridges from top to bottom.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I found the poison bottle in a little antique shop in California. The<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>place was crammed floor to ceiling with odd bits from bygone years, and to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>my delight, nothing was hidden behind glass. The shopkeeper was talking to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>another customer, and I hoped he was too busy to notice me as I feasted<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>upon the tactile cacophony. I made fresh discoveries everywhere I reached-a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>wind-up doll, a carpet sweeper, a pile of carved picture frames, a clothes<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>wringer, an assortment of buggy wheels and harness parts.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "Are you looking for something?"<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The shopkeeper had seen me after all. My hands dropped to my sides,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and I braced myself for the inevitable admonition. Gentle or stern, it<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>would mean the same thing: "Please don't touch."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> "You have such interesting things here," I said, trying to distract<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>him. "It must be fun to collect them all."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> He hesitated. I didn't breathe. "Come with me," he said. "I want to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>show you something."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I followed his footsteps down a narrow aisle, brushing past shelves<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to right and left, and heard him move some cartons aside. "They made these<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in the 1850s, before electric lights came in," the shopkeeper said, placing<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the poison bottle in my hand. "If you got up in the night to take your<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>medicine, you probably didn't bother to light a lantern. You did everything<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by touch. Chances are you didn't have much shelf space, so your rat poison<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>might be right next to your concoction for headaches. Poison bottles were<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>designed so you could distinguish them in the dark, with your hands."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> After I brought the poison bottle home, I tried to think of objects<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in general use today that are specifically made with touch in mind. My list<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was pitifully brief. Computer keyboards have a raised dot on the F and J<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>keys to help the user position his/her hands without looking, and the 5 on<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a telephone keypad is also marked with a dot. It seems a paltry concession<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to the hand, compared to the myriad appliances and devices that cater to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>vision. Colorful packaging; sleek, buttonless phone screens; and the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dazzling graphics of webpages all testify to the primacy of sight. The hand-<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>despite its capacity to gauge size and weight, texture, shape, and detail-<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>has been rendered nearly superfluous as a means of perception.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> As a blind child I was blessed with parents who understood that touch<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was my portal to knowledge. When I was three or four, my mother showed me<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>split-rail fences, mailboxes, fire hydrants, lawn chairs, birdbaths, and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>telephone poles. My father took me for walks in the woods and showed me<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>acorns, mushrooms, and the footprints of rabbits and raccoons. Together we<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>explored the construction sites in our suburban development. In half-<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>finished houses I learned that doors and windows fit into frames and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>discovered that bathroom pipes descend through holes in the flooring. My<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hands gave me a vast repertoire of information that has endured and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>expanded throughout my life.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The desire to touch was not unique to me as a blind child. All<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>children have a hunger to touch the objects in their environment. In fact,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the eagerness to touch motivates most early movement. When Baby Sarah spots<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a bright pink rattle across the room, she is not content to lie on the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>carpet and admire it from afar. She wriggles forward, focused and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>determined, until the rattle is in her grasp. Now she is free to learn<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>about all its properties. She rubs it and pats it, feeling its hardness and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>its smooth, rounded shape. She shakes it and listens to its mysterious<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>clattering sound. She puts the handle into her mouth and explores it with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>her tongue and gums. Her hands bring the rattle close and give her an<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>intimate knowledge that she would miss if she only viewed the object from a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>distance.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Nevertheless, touch is highly subject to regulation, and the rules go<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>into effect by the time a child is old enough to walk. "Don't touch the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Christmas ornaments-you'll break them!" "Don't touch Mommy's scissors-<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>you'll get hurt!" "Keep your hands to yourself-that doesn't belong to you!"<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>"Just look at it. Don't touch! Don't touch!" The richness of tactile<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>experience is forfeited, and touch becomes suspect. It is the terrain of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>infants, deviants, and thieves. Vision-so safe and clean-reigns<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>unchallenged.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> As early as Old Testament mythology, touch was cast as a dangerous<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and forbidden sense. In the story of the Garden of Eden, Eve reports to the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>serpent: "But of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Eve<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ignored God's "look, don't touch" mandate, and as a result, humankind has<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>suffered to this day.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Despite Biblical sanctions, or perhaps in reaction against them,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>touch came into its own during the European Renaissance. Touch was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>considered the master sense, able to verify and expand upon characteristics<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>only superficially perceived through sight. Benedetto Varchi, a sixteenth-<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>century Florentine historian, claimed that the sculptor's art could best be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>appreciated by touch. In the eighteenth century the German philosopher<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Johann Gottfried Herder praised the value of touch over sight, which he<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dismissed as "a superficial sense which can only render the surfaces and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>colors of objects."1 Perhaps the most remarkable manifestation of this<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>enlightened attitude toward touch is the eighteenth-century museum.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> For me, a visit to a museum is a series of encounters with velvet<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ropes, wooden barricades, ever-vigilant security guards, automatic alarm<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>systems, and implacable sheets of glass. Whether African wood carvings,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>specimens of shells and minerals, Native American artifacts, or figures<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>cast in bronze are on display, no enjoyment or understanding through touch<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>is permitted. In contrast, visitors to the museums of eighteenth-century<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Europe were not only allowed, but encouraged to touch the items on exhibit.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>In 1694 a visitor to the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford University described<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>handling a variety of exotic objects, including a lodestone and a cane<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>"which looks like a solid heavy thing but if you take it in your hands [is]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>as light as a feather."2 According to Constance Classen, a researcher on<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>historical attitudes toward the senses, "Museum visitors, as polite guests,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>were expected to show their interest and goodwill by asking questions and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by touching the proffered objects. To be invited to peruse a collection of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>exotic artifacts or objets d'art and not touch anything would be like being<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>invited to someone's home for dinner and not touching the food."3<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> By the middle of the nineteenth century, however, the museum had<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>become an altogether different place. No longer were visitors the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>personally invited guests of the owner or management. Museums had opened<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>their doors to the general public, and there was mounting concern for the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>safety of the objects they housed. Visitors were required to stand back and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>view the exhibits from a distance. To touch a precious object was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>considered disrespectful and potentially damaging.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> This change in the museum reflects the social transformation that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Classen calls "the rise of visualism." Unauthorized touch caused anxiety to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>an emerging middle class that had goods to protect from theft and breakage.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>An obsessive fear of dirt sprang from the new understanding that invisible<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>germs caused sickness. The hands carried treacherous bacteria from one<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>person to another; to touch an object that others had handled was to invite<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>some dire disease. Moreover, Victorian prudery and Freud's preoccupation<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>with all things sexual welded the connection between touch and something<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that "nice people" shouldn't do.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> By the beginning of the twentieth century, touch was closely<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>identified with the poor and unwashed, whose overcrowded slum dwellings<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>swarmed with vermin and vice. A book on etiquette contained a whole chapter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>on avoiding the touch of "undesirables." Readers were advised to stay away<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>from "slums, local trains and streetcars, third-class pubs, cheap seats at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>movie theatres, and crowds or celebrations in the streets."4<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Technology helped the middle and upper classes escape the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>contamination of touch that they had come to dread. Improvements in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>lighting made visual observation more effective at home and in the wider<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>community. The greater availability of glass, and later the development of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>clear plastic, shielded merchandise from touch while it remained fully<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>accessible to the eyes. In the United States, window shopping replaced the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>trip to the market, with its open bins of vegetables, hardware, and dry<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>goods.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The trend that began with our Victorian forebears is amplified in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>today's technological frenzy. Any facet of the world can leap into focus on<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the computer screen. From the safety of one's own living room, one can now<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>explore a Maori village, examine the world of a coral reef, or study the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>fine points of a Classical Greek fagade. The only need for the hand is to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>click the buttons on a mouse. In the virtual world it is possible to build<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a house without lifting a hammer or to dissect a cadaver without ever<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>wielding a scalpel. Touch is precluded by the onslaught of visual<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>information.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> For blind computer users, a number of clever programs convert the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>text on the screen into human-like speech. Yet no digital genius has found<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>an effective way to bring a third dimension to the screen. To my hands it<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>remains lifeless. My fingers find no aesthetic delights, no maps or<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>diagrams, no images of objects ordinary or extraordinary. Much of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>virtual world is a resolutely visual world.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Beside the poison bottle on the shelf above my desk lies a polished<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>stone. A friend brought it to me from Bryce Canyon in Utah. Like the poison<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>bottle, it is flat on one side and rounded on the other. The rounded side,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>an irregular oblong, is burnished to gleaming smoothness, a miracle to my<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>touch.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I turn the stone over, flat side uppermost. Chiseled into the surface<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>are a palm and five slender fingers. Perhaps the carving was made by a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>talented machine with a blade that knew its way from pinkie to thumb. But I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>like to imagine that it is the work of an artist who used real tools upon<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>this real stone and with the power of touch, created a tribute to the hand.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> 1. Classen, Constance. (2005). "Touch in the Museum," in Constance<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Classen, ed, The Book of Touch. New York: Berg, p. 279.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> 2. Ibid., p. 275.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> 3. Ibid., p. 275.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> 4. Stallybrass, Peter and Allon White. (2005) "Bourgeois Perception: The<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Gaze and the Contaminating Touch," in Constance Classen, ed, The Book<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> of Touch, p. 290.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> ----------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Leave a Legacy<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> For more than seventy-five years the National Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>has worked to transform the dreams of hundreds of thousands of blind people<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>into reality, and with your support we will continue to do so for decades<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to come. We sincerely hope you will plan to be a part of our enduring<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>movement by adding the National Federation of the Blind as a partial<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>beneficiary in your will. A gift to the National Federation of the Blind in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>your will is more than just a charitable, tax-deductible donation. It is a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>way to join in the work to help blind people live the lives they want, a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>donation that leaves a lasting imprint on the lives of thousands of blind<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>children and adults.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>With your help, the NFB will continue to:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> . Give blind children the gift of literacy through Braille;<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> . Promote the independent travel of the blind by providing free, long<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> white canes to blind people in need;<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> . Develop dynamic educational projects and programs that show blind<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> youth that science and math are within their reach;<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> . Deliver hundreds of accessible newspapers and magazines to provide<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> blind people the essential information necessary to be actively<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> involved in their communities;<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> . Offer aids and appliances that help seniors losing vision maintain<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> their independence; and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> . Fund scholarship programs so that blind people can achieve their<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> dreams.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Plan to Leave a Legacy<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Creating a will gives you the final say in what happens to your<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>possessions and is the only way to be sure that your remaining assets are<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>distributed according to your passions and beliefs. Many people fear<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>creating a will or believe it's not necessary until they are much older.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Others think that it's expensive and confusing. However, it is one of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>most important things you will do, and with new online legal programs it is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>easier and cheaper than ever before. If you do decide to create or revise<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>your will, consider the National Federation of the Blind as a partial<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>beneficiary. Visit <www.nfb.org/planned-giving> or call (410) 659-9314,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>extension 2371 for more information. Together with love, hope,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>determination, and your support, we will continue to transform dreams into<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>reality.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> ----------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> A Question for Our Readers<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> Any casual reader of this magazine knows that the National Federation<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of the Blind believes in Braille and believes that some of the most<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>significant problems we face come from not having an efficient way to read<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and write. Denying blind students Braille is indefensible, and the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>consequences are at best long-lasting and at worst devastating to those of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>us who want a career in which reading and writing normally play a vital<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>part.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Even for those of us who have been blessed with early, quality<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>instruction, the shortage of Braille has meant that most of our information<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>has come from listening to the spoken word. When I went to high school and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>college, I was advised that Recordings for the Blind (now renamed Learning<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Ally) would be my primary source for books, and material they did not have<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>could be read to me by someone I would hire at the state agency's expense.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Certainly the computer means that more material is available today, and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>most of us are less reliant on human narration, but much of what is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>digitized is read with speech.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> All of this preamble finally brings me to my question and concern.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>How does one learn to spell if he or she is predominantly an audio reader?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Recently I was addressing a group of parents about why they should ensure<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that their children learn Braille. Spelling was one of the reasons I gave.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I told the group about not knowing how to spell certain words whose sounds<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>gave me no clue as to how I could find them in my thirty-six volume Braille<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dictionary. I thought the word that means "of undisputed origin," and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>"genuine" was spelled "offentic" rather than authentic. I thought that the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>word frustrated was pronounced flustrated, a logical consequence of being<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>flustered. When I got down to business and decided I wanted to write<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>something other than business owner, I tried to find "ontraprenure," and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>never did I guess it was a French word and started with an e and is spelled<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>entrepreneur. I believed there were different words to describe when one<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was interested and when something was inter resting. When people looked at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>my check register, they got a laugh out of J. C. Penny, Wallmart, and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Hardy's (JCPenny, Walmart, and Hardee's). Business signs simply aren't<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>obvious regardless of one's proficiency in Braille.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> So if one gets most of his or her material from a Talking Book from<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>NLS or through a speech synthesizer, how is learning to spell accomplished,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and how does one continue to enlarge his or her vocabulary? Certainly there<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>are spell checkers and easy-to-use dictionaries, but are they learning<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>tools or a tool we always need in writing? Does practice with these tools<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>mean we are better able to take a writing device that is not electronic and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>still generate material of which we can be proud and which shows us to be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the competent people we wish to be?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I'd like to hear from readers who have addressed this problem, the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>results you have had, and how you suggest we become better spellers who can<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>write without the aid of a $1,000 piece of technology? I don't need an<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>article but something I can use as a contribution to one. Just as we have<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>come to question and refute the notion that blind people should not study<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>or hope to contribute to the hard sciences, let's address head-on the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>commonly held belief that blind people are poor spellers because we have so<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>little direct physical contact with the written word. With your help, we<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>will give those who wish to become better spellers some practical and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>effective tips.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> It seems only right that we follow this article by demonstrating that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>blind people can become good spellers, so enjoy the presentation that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>follows from former President Maurer, one of the best spellers I know.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Thanks, and remember to give me your suggestions.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> ----------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO CAPTION: Marc Mauer]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Reflections of a Lifetime Reader and Library Maven<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> by Marc Maurer<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> From the Editor: Since the written word is a significant key that can<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>be used to unlock knowledge and to experience places and situations never<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>encountered, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Handicapped remains an essential tool for the blind. In recognition of its<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ongoing role, we reprint here an address delivered by former President<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Maurer in 2008. Here is how it was introduced in the July issue of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Braille Monitor from that year:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> President Maurer delivered the following address at the national<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>conference of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Handicapped of the Library of Congress in San Antonio, Texas, May 5, 2008:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Insofar as I remember, I have never previously been called a maven.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>In my position as president of the National Federation of the Blind (and in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>certain other roles), I have been called many things-but "maven" is not one<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of them. I thank you for the compliment, and I hope that I can live up to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the billing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Books have been important to me for as long as I can remember. When I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was a small child, my mother read them aloud to me. When I attended the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>school for the blind at the age of six, I discovered that books had been<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>recorded on great big records. The teacher would play them for us in the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>afternoon. One of the first I ever heard was Sharp Ears-The Baby Whale by<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>John Y. Beatty. As I listened, I was worried about the whale.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> In 1960 a library for the blind was established by Dr. Kenneth<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Jernigan in the state of Iowa, where I lived. I could get books simply by<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>asking for them. They came in big packages from the post office. The first<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>recorded book I ever received was White Falcon by Elliott Arnold: a story<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>about a pioneer child captured by Indians and raised to become a leader of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the tribe.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I did not have a record player, but our family owned a stereo that we<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>kept in the living room. If my homework had been completed, and if nobody<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>else was watching television, I could listen to recorded books on our<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>stereo. My father had connected a speaker to the stereo so that he could<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>listen to music while he worked in his carpenter shop in the basement. The<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>volume control of the stereo adjusted both the volume of the speakers in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the living room and the volume of the speaker in the basement. I discovered<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that, when other family members were watching television, I could turn the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>volume of the stereo down. I could not hear the recorded book in the living<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>room. However, if I stretched out on the workbench in the basement with my<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ear next to the speaker, I could listen to the book even with conversation<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>or television watching in the living room. The workbench was covered with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>sawdust, but I didn't care. To avoid missing pieces of the recorded book, I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>had to get from the living room to the basement in a hurry. In order to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hear what I wanted to know, I would start the stereo and race to the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>basement so that I would miss the fewest words. Sometimes the basement was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a little cold, but I got to read anyway. It was worth it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The post office also brought me big packages of Braille. The books<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>were wrapped in brown paper with string tied around it. I would untie the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>string very carefully and save it. I would also unwrap the paper from the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>books and fold it carefully to be reused in returning them to the library.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>In a pocket under the front cover of the first volume of each book I would<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>find a mailing label. This was to be used to return the books to the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>library. When I had finished reading them, I rewrapped the bundle, tied the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>string, and licked the label so that it would stick to the package. I had<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to be careful to cover my address with the new label so that the package<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>would go where it belonged. When I first began receiving the Braille books,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I did not know that the postman who brought them would also carry packages<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>away. I got permission from my mother to carry the packages to the post<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>office to be shipped back to the library. I had learned that they needed no<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>postage-that they would go as Free Matter to the library. I came to know<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the people who worked at the post office, and I was delighted when I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>discovered that they would indeed take charge of my Braille.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The Braille was more versatile than the recorded books. I could read<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>it wherever I went. I could keep a Braille volume under my bed and sneak it<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>out at night after I was supposed to be asleep. This system also worked at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the school for the blind. Special reading rooms (little cubicles containing<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a chair, a desk, and a Talking Book machine) had been built for listening<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to talking books. However, I could read the Braille anywhere. One time I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>did sneak off at night to read a Talking Book. I thought it would be better<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>not to turn on the light in the reading room. The houseparent did discover<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>me there after a while, but he thought I had fallen asleep while I was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>reading and missed the bedtime bell. It did not seem prudent to me to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>correct his error in thought. However, if I was in bed, he didn't check to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>see if a book was under the covers.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> When I reached high school, the library offered to lend me a Talking<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Book machine. I could listen to books in my own room at any time. This was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>liberating. Some of the books I wanted to read were for recreation, and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>some of them were assigned literature. At one point I invited some of my<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>classmates to listen along with me to William Golding's Lord of the Flies.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>My Talking Book machine went with me to college, and I have had one or<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>another model of it wherever I have been since I first obtained one in high<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>school.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> When I was fourteen years old, I lived in Boone, Iowa, a small town<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>about forty miles north of Des Moines, where the library for the blind was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>located. I had been borrowing books from the library for about five years.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>A listing of books would arrive in the mail. Because it was a printed<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>document, my father would read the list to me. I would tell him what books<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I wanted to read. Eventually he got sick and tired of helping me make my<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>selections because he thought some of the books I picked were too racy for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>me to read. Mostly I don't think he edited my lists of requests, but I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>think he skipped some of the books listed in the catalog.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> He would mail my requests to the library, and the packages of books<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>would arrive from the post office. I usually got two (and on rare occasions<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>three) books at a time. When I mailed them back, more would come. I loved<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>getting the big fragrant volumes to read whenever and wherever I liked.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I told my mother one summer's day when I was fourteen that I would<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>very much like to visit the library. To my amazement she said that I could<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>go. My younger brothers, Max and Matt, who were eleven and nine, planned to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>go with me. I was responsible for watching over them and seeing that they<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and I did not get into trouble. I saved my allowance until I had enough<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>money for a bus ticket. The Greyhound bus stopped at a little bookstore in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>our town. We went to the station and bought bus tickets to travel to Des<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Moines. We knew that we would be visiting an important government facility,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>so we dressed in our Sunday clothes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The bus depot in Des Moines was only a couple of blocks from the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>library for the blind in those days. We arrived there in a little more than<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>an hour, and we found our way to the building housing the books. The<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>receptionist directed us to the fourth floor, where we met library<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>personnel. They seemed bemused that a blind kid would visit the library<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>without being accompanied by an adult. They showed me the stacks, and I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>began to look joyously through the rows upon rows of Braille books. After a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>time one of the staff members at the library brought me a chair. I selected<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a volume and sat down to read it. My brothers, who were through enjoying<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the library in a very short time and who were tired of watching me read<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>books, said that they would go outside to look around. I said this would be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>all right but that the bus for our return trip was leaving shortly after<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>four o'clock. I urged them to be back in time for us to catch it, and they<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>said that they would be there. They left me, and I spent the remainder of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the day reading Braille.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> When my brothers returned shortly before four o'clock, they told me<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that they had explored the state capitol building and climbed all of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>stairs to the top of the dome. We had spent all of our money to buy the bus<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>tickets to come to Des Moines. We were penniless, and we had not had the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>forethought to bring any lunch. However, I was permitted to borrow two<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>books from the library. On the bus ride home, we were hungry but satisfied<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>with our adventure, and I had two new books to read.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> At the school for the blind those of us in the first grade who had<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>very little remaining vision were taught Braille. We started by studying<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>flash cards, but fairly soon we graduated to the "Dick and Jane" book.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Sixteen of us were in the class arranged in two rows of eight. My desk was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the sixth one from the front in the first row. We were told to open our<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>books to page one. The teacher asked the first student in the first row to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>read the Braille page. When the student had trouble reading the Braille,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the teacher corrected the errors made by the student. Then the teacher<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>called upon the second student in the row and again corrected the errors<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that student made. Before the teacher came to me, we had been through this<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>exercise five times. When my turn came, the teacher asked me to read page<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>one. I put my fingers on the page and spoke the words that were there. I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was called to the front of the room, praised, and given a gold star to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>paste onto page one of my book.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> We lived more than a hundred miles from the school. On weekends my<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>father came to pick me up for the drive to our home. When he appeared in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>our first-grade class on Friday afternoon, my teacher advised me to take my<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>book home with me to show to my mother. My mother had learned Braille<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>because she thought she might need to know it to communicate with me or to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>help me with my homework. I carried my book with me on our trip home; I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>explained what had happened in class; and I showed my mother my gold star.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>However, my mother is a suspicious woman. She asked if she could borrow my<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>book, and I gave it to her. Later during the weekend she brought me a piece<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of Braille paper with words on it, and she asked me to read it. When I told<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>her that I could not, she explained to me that it was an exact copy of page<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>one of my book.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> When I had completed the first grade, during the summer months, my<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>mother took me in hand. She decided that I was to learn Braille. For an<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>hour each day she taught me to read. I objected. My brothers didn't have<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>homework during the summer; I was the only one. But my mother insisted, and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I had no alternative. By the end of that summer I had learned to read. I<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>returned to the school for the blind in the fall, and I discovered the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>school library. By the time I had finished the fifth grade, I had read<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>every book in the school library that the librarian would let me have. Some<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of the books in the library were too advanced for me, she said. I have<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>wondered ever since what they were.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> I have read Braille to myself for study and pleasure; I have read<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Braille to my children; I have read Braille to judges in courts of appeals;<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and I have read Braille to tens of thousands of blind people. My mother<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>taught me to read it, but the librarians gave me the chance to become<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>efficient with it and to learn the thoughts of great minds by reading it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Perhaps it is possible to do the work that I have undertaken without<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Braille, but I don't know how it could be done. I have sometimes heard<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>people argue that libraries are a luxury, but I cannot imagine how anybody<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>with perspective could believe this.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> During my time at the university, I sat with Thucydides'<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Peloponnesian War under my hands, and I heard in my mind the stentorian<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>tones of Pericles's Funeral Oration. Later I studied the clauses of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>United States Constitution in the same way, and I wondered what they had<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>meant to Abraham Lincoln. History is the record of what people have done.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Literature is the record of what people have thought. Poetry is the record<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of the song of the spirit. In 1776 Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>declaring that this wealth is based upon labor and the efficient methods of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>using it. At about the same time Benjamin Franklin said that, if you want<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to be remembered, you should do something of sufficient importance that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>somebody else will want to write about it or write something worth reading.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Much of the wealth of nations is contained between the covers of books. The<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>librarians are charged with maintaining this wealth.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Within the last two years a substantial argument has raged regarding<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the importance of the Books for the Blind program, now known as the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Should<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the technology employed in this service be upgraded to provide access to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>recorded material in digital form? Is the library of sufficient value to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>justify expenditures for continuing present services and for upgrading<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>those that have not kept pace with the developing needs of the blind<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>community and with modern technology? The answers to such questions depend<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>on the estimated value of the population to be served. If the intended<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>population will not read the books, or if (even if they read the books) the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>people who get them will accomplish nothing or almost nothing with the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>information, little is lost if the library fails to provide the service<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that might be expected from it. On the other hand, if those who read the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>books gain potential thereby and undertake development of intellectual<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>property and socially useful programs, depriving this population of reading<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>material is not only a dramatic mistake but an act equivalent to gross and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>intentional negligence. It is equivalent to discarding a valuable<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>commodity, and it diminishes the society in which we live. This is no small<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>matter; it affects the lives, the futures, and the destinies of an entire<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>class of human beings.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Will the lives of this group of human beings be stultified,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>diminished, belittled, or circumscribed? Or, on the other hand, will they<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>be expanded, encouraged, and enlivened? One of the most common experiences<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>encountered by any blind person is to be told to wait. The lives of blind<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>people are important, yes, but not as important as something else. Wait. We<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>will get to you. We will get to you as soon as the current emergency has<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>come to an end. We will get to you as soon as the other priorities have<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>been met. We will get to you when the important things have been managed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Wait. Is it any wonder that sometimes blind people feel that something<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>needs to be done now? Is it any wonder that blind people have trouble<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>understanding why everything else seems to be important, but our lives can<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>be conveniently moved to the back burner? Is it any wonder that after a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>time restiveness becomes a primary characteristic of this so frequently<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>underserved population? Is it any wonder that, when the National Library<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Service determines that a modest sum is needed to give us literacy, we feel<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>betrayed by public officials who tell us that, one more time, our right to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>read must be postponed?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>serves in excess of 700,000 blind people in the United States. Estimates<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>are that 1.3 million blind people live in the United States. Well over 50<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>percent of the target population uses the services of this program. This<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>rate of use of the Library for the Blind is substantially higher than the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>rate of use of libraries for the sighted. These numbers may reflect the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>reality that the only substantial source of readily available reading<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>matter for the blind is the National Library Service.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Experience indicates that blind people read in the neighborhood of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>thirty books per year on average. This is many, many times the number of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>books read by the average sighted person. Blindness is a tremendous social<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>disadvantage and a moderate physical one. However, literacy is a way to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>compensate for the disadvantage. In the 1950s Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, then<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>president of the National Federation of the Blind, estimated that between 1<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and 3 percent of blind people were employed. At the time of the founding of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the National Federation of the Blind in 1940, the employment rate for the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>blind was under 1 percent. Today it is estimated that as many as 30 percent<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of blind people are employed. This is at least ten times as many as were<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>estimated to have employment in the 1950s. The difference may be measured<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in rehabilitation programs for the blind and in library service, with the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>greatest emphasis on library service.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>was established more than seventy-five years ago. The standard of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>excellence that it has enforced in the production of Braille materials and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in the creation of recorded documents is the envy of programs serving the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>blind throughout the world. This standard is so thoroughly met by the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>National Library Service that it has become an article of faith. If<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>material is produced by the Library, it is right. If it is produced by the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>National Library Service, it is good. A book from the Library will be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>without error. Can this standard be universally met? Of course exceptions<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>occur, but this high standard is so frequently a part of the Library<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>program that the occasional error is an aberration.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>is committed to producing materials in Braille that are second to none in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>quality. This program also produces recorded matter of exceptional quality.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Historically the Library has been committed to ensuring that the best<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>available long-term technology is incorporated in the production of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>materials. Today the transformation to the Digital Talking Book is a high<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>priority. The National Library Service believes that it has a fundamental<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>contribution to make to the growth of opportunity for the blind of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>nation, and its commitment to quality has never been compromised. The<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>network of libraries throughout the nation that provide most of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>distribution of materials to patrons has demonstrated the same commitment<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to quality and excellence. The people who have produced the materials,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>distributed the books, repaired the machines, answered the questions, and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>offered an encouraging word have enhanced literacy and changed lives.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Literacy has meant that blind people have capacity, but it has even<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>greater significance. The literacy of blind people has provided a mechanism<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for the blind to gain inspiration and hope. We read of what others have<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>done, and we imagine how we can do likewise. A book in the hand today<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>frequently means an act of courage in the future. This is what library<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>service has meant to us-more reading, more recreation, more participation<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in community activities, more education, more employment, more<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>contemplation of a brighter tomorrow, more building, more joy! All of this<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>comes from the Library, and we thank you for the enormous, the incalculable<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>contributions you have made.<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 come from the National Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of Arizona.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Braised Cabbage with Apples and Bacon<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> by Bob Kresmer<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Bob Kresmer has been president of our Arizona Affiliate for the past<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ten years. He is a retired rehabilitation teacher.<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 medium green cabbage, cored, quartered, and cut into 1/8-inch slices<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>4 slices bacon, diced<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 red onion cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 teaspoon salt<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>2 Cortland or other tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/8-inch<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>slices<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>2 teaspoons cider vinegar<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>3 tablespoons light brown sugar<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>2 tablespoons apple cider<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Method: Cook bacon until crisp. Add onion and cook until soft. Add<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>cabbage, salt, and cider; cover and cook about two minutes. Stir in apple,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>sugar and vinegar; cook until cabbage is soft but apples retain shape,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>about ten minutes. Serves four.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> ----------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Double Date Loaf<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> by Lynn Kresmer<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Lynn Kresmer is a member of our Tucson chapter, and is working as a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>rehabilitation teacher at the Southwestern Veterans Blind Rehabilitation<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Center in Tucson.<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 Medjool dates, chopped<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 cup boiling water<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>2 teaspoons baking soda<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 cup sugar<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 egg, beaten well<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 teaspoon salt<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>2 cups flour<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 cup pecan pieces (optional)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 teaspoon vanilla<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Method: Cut up dates and pour water mixed with baking soda over the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>dates. Refrigerate while mixing the rest. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Miracle Whip, sugar, egg, and scant teaspoon of salt. Add dates and water,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>mix. Mix in flour, pecans, and vanilla. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. Spread<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>batter evenly into baking pan, bake for about an hour. Top of loaf will<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>break open as it bakes, and it can be tested with a toothpick.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> ----------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Dirt Dessert<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> by Debi Chatfield<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Debi Chatfield is a long time member of our East Valley chapter, a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>member of the National Association of Blind Veterans, and is the editor of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>the monthly newsletter, Arizona News and Views.<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 stick butter, softened<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 teaspoon vanilla<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>3 1/2 cups milk<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>2 small packages instant vanilla, white, or milk chocolate pudding<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 12-ounce Cool Whip<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 package of original Oreos<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Method: Crush Oreos by placing them in a plastic Ziploc bag, about<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>twenty at a time, and roll a can over the bag. Set aside crushed cookies in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>a separate bowl. Mix softened butter and cream cheese with a wire whisk.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Add confectioner's sugar and vanilla and set mixture aside. In larger,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>separate bowl, mix milk and pudding. Stir until thickened. Fold in Cool<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Whip, then fold in butter mixture. In glass dessert dish or gardening pot<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>(see below) layer by starting with mixture, then add the cookies and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>continuing until everything is gone, ending with crushed cookies on top.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Refrigerate overnight.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> To make this extra special, place dessert in an actual gardening pot.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>You can purchase either a plastic or pretty ceramic pot just to use for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>this recipe. Gummy worms can be added before the last layer of cookie<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>crumbs, and extend out onto the top layer, but not necessary! You can also<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>put an artificial flower in the middle of the pot for added effect. It<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>really looks like dirt, especially when it is in a gardening container. It<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>is a big hit when brought to the picnics and potlucks. But, most<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>importantly, it is really yummy. Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> ----------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Frank's Redhot Buffalo Chicken Dip<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> by Nikki Jeffords<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Nikki is a member of the West Valley chapter of the NFB of Arizona.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>This is an easy and delicious recipe that she has made for family<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>functions, potlucks, and work parties. Every time she takes it somewhere<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>new, it is the most popular dish, with many requests to bring it again.<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 cups shredded cooked chicken<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1/2 cup FRANK'S RedHot. Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or FRANK'S RedHot.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Buffalo Wings Sauce<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or your favorite shredded cheese<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>spoon into shallow one-quart baking dish. Bake twenty minutes, or until<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish with chopped green onions if<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>desired. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, and/or vegetables. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> ----------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>[PHOTO CAPTION: Janna Peyton]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Nine Can Taco Soup<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> by Janna Peyton<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Janna Peyton is a longtime member of our Tucson chapter. She has<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>taken responsibilities for senior recreation, crafts, and organized tours<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>and outings.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><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 can drained black beans<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 can drained pinto beans (Mexican style)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 can drained Mexican style corn<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 can cream of chicken soup, as is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 can red or green enchilada sauce<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>1 can chicken broth<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>2 cans of prepared chicken (tuna-sized cans)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>One package of taco seasoning<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Method: Combine all in crock pot and cook on low for two hours, until<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>it is hot enough for your taste. Garnish with tortilla chips, black olives,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>green onions, Mexican cheese, or whatever you fancy.<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>Blind Parents Needed:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Are you a blind parent, grandparent, foster parent, or caregiver for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>children? Would you be interested in passing along your knowledge and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>giving your support to a parent, grandparent, or other caregiver who also<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>happens to be blind? If so, the National Federation of the Blind needs you!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>If you are willing to serve as a mentor to an expecting parent, a current<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>parent who is seeking support, a grandparent, or someone else who plans to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>provide extended care for children, please send an email to Melissa<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Riccobono at <parenting@nfb.org>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> As you know, the National Federation of the Blind is the leading<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>advocate for the rights of blind parents and the largest resource network<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for blind people who are considering being parents. We are continuing to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>build our resources in this area, and the next step is to formalize a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>program of mentoring. Mentors will follow-up with individuals they are<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>assigned to mentor and will be asked for ideas about other resources needed<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to strengthen the network of education, support, and advocacy the National<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Federation of the Blind provides to blind parents, grandparents, and other<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>caregivers.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> If you are an individual who would be interested in being matched<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>with a mentor, please send an email to <parenting@nfb.org>. This program is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>in its beginning stages, but we will do all we can to match you with a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>mentor as soon as possible.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Finally, please watch for future announcements regarding our Blind<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Parents Initiative. The National Federation of the Blind wants to gather<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>data and develop truly useful resources for parents who happen to be blind,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>but in order to do this we will need your help and feedback. We will have<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>at least one survey we will need people to complete, and there may also be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>opportunities to participate in focus groups, share techniques in short<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>videos, write reviews for particularly helpful or accessible children's<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>products and toys, and much more. We look forward to hearing from you and<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>having you help us build a variety of tools to empower blind parents as<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>they live the lives they want with their children.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Volunteers Needed for Braille Book Fair:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The Braille Book Fair (BBF) has become one of the highlights of the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>convention for many teachers, parents, blind kids, blind parents, and adult<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>beginning-Braille readers. But the event could not take place without the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>help of many dedicated, talented volunteers. And that's where you come in.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>As a past worker or simply an interested supporter of the Braille Book<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Fair, I hope you can either volunteer or give me the contact information<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>for someone that you recommend.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> You do not need to work the entire afternoon or evening, but I do ask<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that you try to work an entire shift. We especially need people who will be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>helping customers to come before we open the doors at 5:00 p.m. and to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>commit to staying until at least 6:30 p.m. Book lovers are great for this<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>shift since you will assist visitors in book decisions/selections.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Shift times are as follows: set-up is 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 12:00<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to 2:00 p.m., and 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.; the event is 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.; clean-<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>up is 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The room we will use has not yet been assigned, so<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>please see the NFB convention agenda.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> If you can help, please contact Sandra Oliver, NOPBC Board Member, at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>(713) 825-4573 or by email at <Sandra.Oliver@ey.com>. If you contact me<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>using email, please provide the following information: Yes, I can work the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>following shift(s) ...; my cell phone number that I will have at convention<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>is . . .; I live in (state); or maybe, I'll check my schedule, but if<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>possible my preference is to work these hours . . .; Braille skills<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>(including if you read by touch or by sight as a sighted person). Note: if<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>you are a parent of a blind child under the age of eighteen (or still in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>high school or below), we know that you will want to attend the NOPBC<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>annual meeting which takes place just before the BBF, but we would welcome<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>you to work either during the event or on the clean-up shift after the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>event.<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>Disney Offers Special Ticket Pricing to the World Blind Union/ICEVI General<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Assembly:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Disney World is offering attendees of the World Blind Union/ICEVI<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>General Assembly special ticket pricing, including pre- or post-conference<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>stays. These special offers include after 3 p.m. tickets, which allow you<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>to visit a single park after 3 p.m., or you can add the Park Hopper Option<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>so you can visit multiple parks in one evening; specially priced multi-day<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>tickets that offer pre-arrival savings of 10 percent and are not available<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>at Walt Disney World ticket windows. Buy a two-day or longer full-day<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>ticket, and receive one free admission to an additional Disney experience<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>including a visit to either of Disney's water parks, Blizzard Beach or<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Typhoon Lagoon, or a round of miniature golf at Disney's Winter Summerland<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>miniature golf, Disney's Fantasia Gardens miniature golf, Disney's Oak<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Trail golf course (Disney's nine-hole walking course), or ESPN Wide World<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>of Sports Complex.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> The deadline to purchase tickets through this special offer is August<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>21, 2016. To purchase tickets, either visit<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><https://www.mydisneymeetings.com/nfbice16>, or call (407) 566-5600.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Perkins Brailler Repair:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText> Bring your Perkins Brailler back to life. The Selective Doctor Inc.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>specializes in the repair of Perkins Braillers and also sells reconditioned<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Perkins Braillers. The totally reconditioned Braillers sell for $450 for a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>manual Brailler and $550 for an electric Brailler. All Braillers are<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>guaranteed. Repairs for the Perkins Braillers are $65 for labor on a manual<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Brailler, plus the cost of parts. You can send your Brailler to: The<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Selective Doctor Inc., P.O. Box 571, Manchester, MD 21102 using the US<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Postal Service. Free Matter for the Blind is accepted. It is recommended<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>that you insure it, but it is not necessary. After the repair is completed<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>we will send it back to you with the invoice and will insure it for $400.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The premium presently is $5.50, and this will be added to your invoice. For<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>more information, please call (410) 668-1143 or email<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><braillerrepair@yahoo.com>. You can also check out our website at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><http://www.selectivedoctor.com./>.<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=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>