[Nfb-editors] Kansas Newsletter- "Tap Tracks"

[Robert Leslie Newman]

Here is the most recent newsletter from the Kansas Affiliate: (I downloaded
it from their Website.)

 

 

TAP TRACKS

 

The Newsletter of

The National Federation of the Blind of Kansas

 

Autumn-Winter 2010

 

Editorial Staff:  Susan Tabor, Editor-in-Chief

Susie Stanzel and Tom Page, Associate Editors

 

Materials for the next issue of TAP TRACKS, which will be published in April
of 2011, should be submitted by March 15, 2011. Send or email your
contributions to:

Susan Tabor

1234 Tennessee Street

Lawrence, Kansas 66044-3226

Phone (home):  785-841-3875

Cell:  785-865-9949

E-mail:   <mailto:souljourner at sbcglobal.net> souljourner at sbcglobal.net

 

Thank you!

 

 


 

NOTES FROM THE EDITOR

Susan Tabor

 

First I want to thank all of those who sent material for this issue, or who
made suggestions for items to be featured in this issue.

 

The autumn-Winter issue of TAP TRACKS is always an important issue for the
National Federation of the Blind of Kansas because we feature information
about our state convention which occurs during the autumn of each year. Read
this issue carefully to find out what will be happening. Some special
activities are planned in addition to the items that are usually scheduled.

 

Your editor has decided to combine two regular features which were described
last month. The item featuring the bio of an NFBK member and the Why I Am A
Federationist columns will be combined as it makes sense to combine them
instead of writing two separate articles.

 

Due to space considerations, the Ask the Geek column will begin in the
Winter-Spring 2011 issue. If you have any particular questions you'd like
our Geek to answer, please email them to me, or send by snail-mail or call
me. My contact information is on the first page of this newsletter.

 

For the April issue, we'll also want to print the results of chapter
elections and any other chapter news. So chapter presidents, please take
note of the submission deadline and get your material to me so I can include
it!

 

Enjoy this issue of TAP TRACKS and may the upcoming holiday season be one
full of joy for each and every one of you! See you at our statewide
convention on November 12-14!

 

 

>From The Desk of the President

Donna Wood,

Kansas Affiliate President

 

It is hard to believe that fall will be here soon. The breeze will blow
cooler, the leaves will begin changing colors, football will be on every
weekend and the National Federation of the Blind of Kansas will be holding
our State convention. This year’s convention will be held November 12th,
13th and 14th, 2010 at the Lawrence Holiday Inn Holidome and Convention
Center 200 McDonald Drive, Lawrence, KS 66044 (785) 841-7077. Room rates are
$89 per night. Room reservations need to be made by October 13, 2010 to
guarantee a room in the block and the NFBK rate this year. 

 

The NFB of Kansas is excited to welcome Mr. James Gashel as our National
Representative. His biography is featured later in this newsletter, but
suffice it to say that Jim is a very familiar Federationist to many of us as
he has served our organization well for many years.

The NFB of Kansas is planning an awesome convention this year. The Jayhawk
Chapter will be hosting the convention and they have been working hard to
make it an eventful and fun time for all. Come and join us on Friday,
November 12th for a cooking class where cooking skills will be combined with
blindness skills. This class will be held from 12:30 to 2:30 pm at the
Community Mercantile at Iowa and 9th Sts. There will be a registration fee
of $15. Join the class and learn some new recipes and learn the blindness
techniques that will make cooking safe and easier. 

 

Following the cooking class there will be a White Cane Walk in downtown
Lawrence. This walk will give individuals the opportunity to try out newly
acquired cane skills, learners to ask and learn from experienced cane users
and also to expose the public to white canes and the blind person’s
capability with the white cane. Now we are hardy people in Kansas and can
walk in just about any weather, but the walk will be called off in case of a
blizzard. We will begin the walk by meeting behind the Douglas County
offices between 11th and Massachusetts Sts. and South Park. We will walk to
the corner of 11th and Mass, and walk north on the east side of
Massachusetts Street crossing 11th, 10th, 9th, 8th and 7th Sts. A parking
lot on Massachusetts St. has been designated for the pick-up location. There
will be transportation to and from the White Cane Walk. After the "Walk" we
will return to the hotel where you will find the registration table and
hospitality open and ready. The evening activities will include exhibitors
and resolutions. 

 

The Saturday schedule is full of interesting and informative presentations.
>From the National and State reports to an update on Services for the Blind,
Meeting the new State Librarian, introduction of such equipment as the new
digital NLS players to the Victor Stream, to News line, the K-NFB Reader,
the Blio--the latest in technology and services--presentations from
individuals who attended training programs, employed blind Kansans and so
much more. Saturday also includes the banquet and, following the banquet,
there will be a performance about The Life of Patsy Kline.

  

Sunday will begin with a worship service. Following the service will be the
NFBK’s business meeting. Such topics as The Washington seminar, committees
and upcoming seminars will be discussed. Election of officers and board
members will be held. The National Federation of the Blind of Kansas would
like to invite you to join us for this weekend of camaraderie, fun,
information and learning. 

 

 

MEET JAMES GASHEL,

OUR REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE

 

·       With sincere gratitude to the national office for their prepared
biographical text.

Jim Gashel was born in 1946 and grew up in Iowa. After his early
introduction to the National Federation of the Blind as Kenneth Jernigan’s
student at the Iowa Commission for the Blind during the 1960s, he has been
devoted to serving the blind community in various capacities. A 1969
graduate of the University of Northern Iowa with work toward a master’s
degree in public administration at the University of Iowa, Jim started his
career teaching speech and English for one year in Pipestone, Minnesota. He
then accepted a position as assistant director at the Iowa Commission for
the Blind in Des Moines. With that move he found his calling working with
the blind and finding ways of solving the problems that face them as
individuals and as a minority.

On January 1, 1974, Jim joined the staff of the National Federation of the
Blind as chief of the Washington office, where he became one of the best
known advocates for the blind in the United States, combining his commitment
to blind people with his interest in the political process. As the
Federation's scope and influence evolved, so did his roles and
responsibilities. In his professional career of almost thirty-four years
with the Federation, he held the positions of director of governmental
affairs and executive director for strategic initiatives. Jim's Federation
work has led to significant changes in virtually every law directly
affecting blind Americans: the Social Security Act, the Rehabilitation Act,
the Randolph-Sheppard Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the
Copyright Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Help
America Vote Act. In addition to championing these causes, Jim has won the
love and respect of the thousands of blind men and women across America who
have directly benefited from his informed and effective personal advocacy.
No matter what his position, through his drive and devotion to
Federationism, Jim has earned the informal title of the organization's
"non-lawyer lawyer."

With his first wife Arlene, Jim is the father of three adult children and
the grandfather of six. His daughter Andrea Beasley has four children, and
his son Eric and his daughter Valerie each have one child.

During Jim’s service at the NFB, he received the Commissioner's Award for
Outstanding Leadership in Rehabilitation Services to the Disabled, the
highest honor presented by the commissioner of the United States
Rehabilitation Services Administration. He is also a recipient of the
Secretary of Labor's Outstanding American Award. In 2001 Jim and his second
wife, Betsy Zaborowski, jointly received the NFB’s highest honor, the Jacobs
tenBroek Award, honoring them for their achievements through decades of
leadership in work with the blind.

Jim joined K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc., as vice president for business
development in April 2007. In his final position with the
Federation--executive director for strategic initiatives--he led the public
introduction and launch of the Kurzweil--National Federation of the Blind
Reader, the world’s first truly portable text-to-speech reading device for
the blind. Jim's employment with K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc. brings him
full circle in his career: once again working in the speech area. He first
met Ray Kurzweil in April 1975 and then organized and raised the funds
necessary to test and launch the original Kurzweil Reading Machine, released
in 1977, as the world’s first text-to-speech reading system for the blind.

Jim was elected to the NFB's national board of directors in 2008 to fill an
unexpired term and was reelected in 2009. He brings to the board both
expertise and contacts in the blindness field and an abiding commitment to
the work of the NFB. 

In accepting his 2001 Jacobs tenBroek Award, Jim offered comments that
remain relevant today and reflect his approach to our mission: "All I would
ask is that all of you remember that it's all of our responsibilities to go
out and work for the movement. We can't all go out and climb a mountain like
Erik [Weihenmayer] did, and we can't all do the wonderful things that every
one of you do all the time, or raise five or six million dollars like Betsy
did, but we can all work for this movement. We all have a place in it."
Jim’s place is absolutely unique.

 

 

 

National Federation of the Blind 

Of Kansas 

State Convention 

Agenda 

November 12, 13, and 14, 2010 

Lawrence Holiday Inn Holidome and Convention Center 

200 McDonald Drive 

Lawrence, KS 66044 

(785) 841-7077  

Room rate: $89 

Reservation deadline October 13, 2010 

Registration:  $5 

Luncheon: $10 

Banquet: $20 

National Representative, Mr. James Gashel 

 

NFB Pledge

I pledge to participate actively in the effort of the National Federation of
the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind; to
support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its
constitution.

 

Friday, November 12, 2010 

 

12:30-2:30 pm—Cooking class (registration $15)--The Community Mercantile;
Ninth and Iowa Streets) 

3:30-5:00 pm—White Cane Walk (downtown Lawrence) 

5:30-7:00 pm—Registration 

5:30-7:00 pm—Hospitality 

5:30-10:00 pm—Exhibitors 

7:00-10:00 pm—Resolutions 

Nominating Committee Meeting—Immediately following Resolutions 

 

Saturday, November 13, 2010 

 

9:00-9:15 AM—Welcome and Invocation 

9:15-10:00 AM—Introduction of National Rep. and National report 

10:00-1030 IS—State report, President, Donna Wood 

10:30-10:45 AM—Secretary of SRS, Don Jordan  

10:45-11:00 AM—Introduction of new State Librarian, Jo Budler 

11:00-11:15 AM—Talking Books, Toni Herrell 

11:15-11:30 AM—The Victor Stream, Rob Tabor 

11:30-11:45 AM—News line, Tom Page 

11:45-noon—Nominating Committee Report and Resolutions 

12:00-1:00 PM—Luncheon 

1:00-1:15 PM—The K-NFB reader and the BLIO, James Gashel 

1:15-1:30 PM—Computer Consultants, Steve Fortine 

1:30-2:00 PM—The latest in medical research, Dr. David Chacko 

2:00-2:15 PM—Audio Reader, Susan Tabor  

2:15-2:30 PM—NanoPac, David Wilkerson 

2:30-3:00 PM—Your White Cane and You, Sharon Luka

3:00-3:15 PM—Break 

3:15-3:30 PM—The Braille Challenge and NFBK Junior Science Camp, Luther
Fuller 

3:30-3:45 PM--My Experience at the Colorado Center for the Blind, Selena
Shepherd  

3:45-4:00 PM—Home Readers, Kathy Ebley  

4:00-4:15 PM—Who are the Working Blind in Kansas? Panel discussion 

  4:15-4:30 PM—Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Rob Tabor 

4:30-5:00 PM—Legislators, Reports and Resolutions 

5:00 PM—Adjourn 

 

 

Saturday Evening, November 13, 2010 

 

6:00 PM—Happy Hour 

7:00-9:00 PM—Banquet, Banquet speech by James Gashel, awarding of
scholarships and Remembering Jack Kelly  

9:00-10:00 PM—Patsy Kline and Friends (Performance by: 

Peggy Sampson and Annette Cook as Patsy Kline 

 

Sunday, November 14, 2010 

 

8:00-9:00—AM—Morning Worship service, Susan Tabor and Cindy Ray 

9:00-noon—Business meeting 

Opening and Invocation 

Secretaries’ report 

Treasurers’ report 

Elections 

Resolutions 

Committees, Scholarship, Website, Newsletter, Legislative 

Washington Seminar 

 Adjourn 

 

 

You Gotta beef?

By Jim Canaday M.A.

 

I have been appointed chair of the 2010 National Federation of the Blind of
Kansas Resolutions Committee. At our convention we will consider resolutions
speaking with the collective voice of blind Kansans. Together we can make a
powerful statement, identify some things wanting, praise some things good
and bring improvement for the lives of blind Kansans. Resolutions start in
this committee and then go on to the entire convention for consideration.
Then the entire convention votes on them. 

 

Is something troubling you?  Are you angry about something related to
blindness in Kansas?

  

If you have a proposed resolution, please send it to me. I would prefer
getting it before October 31st. However, sometimes, situations happen and
resolutions have to come in closer to the convention date. 

 

Please send what you have to

 <mailto:N6yr at sunflower.com> N6yr at sunflower.com

My e-mail address. 

 

If you can, please send your proposed resolution in MS-Word format. Your
resolution does not have to be perfect or in correct grammar. Please work on
what you have and send it. I will acknowledge receipt of each submission. If
you feel you need help in starting your ideas for a resolution, contact me
or others for help.

 

 

 

THIS MONTH, MEET:

NFBK FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT TOM PAGE

 

·       Editor's Note:  This month we learn about Tom Page and we get a
glimpse of this very active and involved Federationist. It is clear that
blindness has been merely a blip on his radar screen, albeit a significant
one. Tom just keeps right on going; a great challenge-transcending model for
all of us!

 

       Tom Page lives and works in Wichita where he owns an audio production
studio. He performs roots/Americana music playing the guitar and singing
regionally. Tom holds two degrees a BA in Psychology (1997) and a MA in
Interdisciplinary Research Methods (2008(. When Tom could no longer read
print due to RP he began to learn and use the skills of blindness (cane
travel, Braille, and assistive technology; skills he relies on today. 

          Tom won the NFB of KS new adult Braille reader contest in 2003 and
became both a state and national scholarship winner in 2004. He has served
as a State board member, Chapter treasurer, and Second vice president of the
NFB of KS.  He currently serves as the treasurer of the South Central
Chapter and was elected First vice president of the State affiliate in 2008.
Tom has enjoyed serving on the National Scholarship Committee since 2006.

          In his professional life, Tom was fortunate this spring to have a
guest guitar spot on an album by Moreland and Arbuckle entitled ‘Flood’. The
album made the billboard top 5 blues albums last March. After years of
mobile recording and several more of renting a one room office space on a
time share basis, Tom and his wife, Jill Miller (also self employed),
bought a small commercial building in 2009 where they office together. 

          "It is a dream come true to have a real state of the art recording
space to work in," says Tom. He uses JAWS to access Sonar with Cake talking
scripts to accomplish the job of recording and editing music and voice.
Outside of performing, mixing and volunteering for the Federation, Tom
enjoys walks with his pet dogs by the riverside in Wichita.

          "In my capacity as First vice president, I have sought to
compliment Donna Wood’s leadership and do my best to strengthen the
executive team. I am strongly committed to the goals of the NFB of KS and
will continue to do my best to change what it means to be blind in Kansas".

 

 

          

 

 

BLIND LAWRENCE STUDENT EXCELS

By Susan Tabor, Editor

 

For ten-year-old Luther Fuller, this summer was a busy one! In June, he
participated and placed second in the Braille Reading Challenge, a National
Braille reading competition that took place in the Los Angeles area. The
Braille Challenge is sponsored annually by the Braille Institute of America.
Contestants are tested in reading comprehension, and Braille proofreading
and spelling. In all, 800 students from grade school through high school
competed in this event. Eight other students from northeast Kansas also
attended the competition.

 

  For all his preparation and hard work, Luther attended an awards banquet
and brought home a $1,000 savings bond.

 

    In early August, Luther, currently a Quail Run School fifth-grader,
traveled to Baltimore, Maryland to participate in the annual NFB Youth Slam
science camp for blind students conducted by the National Federation of the
Blind.

 

At science camp, the students participate in a number of science-related
activities and complete science projects both individually and as a group.
For their big group project this year, they built a group of pulleys from
which they suspended the NFB national president, Dr. Marc Maurer. Dr.
Maurer’s brother attended this event (he just had to see it for himself) and
tried to talk the students into leaving Dr. Maurer suspended in mid-air
indefinitely, but the students relented and freed their prize!

 

While Luther was busy in science camp activities, his mother, Brendy Latare,
attended concurrent activities for parents, including several advocacy
workshops and presentations containing useful resource information.

 

Luther, his mom and his dad, Bob Fuller, are all members of the Jayhawk
Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Kansas. Luther will tell
us more about his summer experiences at the Statewide Convention coming up
in Lawrence on November 12-14.

 

 

 

National Federation of the Blind of Kansas Announces

FORMATION OF AN AT-LARGE CHAPTER!

By Donna Wood,

Affiliate President

 

NFB of Kansas would like to announce the development of our "At-Large
Chapter". This chapter will meet by conference call on the third Friday of
each month at 7 pm. This conference call is for those members who are not
near a local chapter or for those interested in learning more about the NFB.
The NFBK invites all those interested in participating in our "At-Large
Chapter" to call toll free: 1-866-476-8702 or if you have unlimited long
distance calling:  916-233-4200 you will be prompted to dial in a pin
number, it is 950655, then press the pound key. We look forward to hearing
from you on the conference call. 

 

 

NFBK SCHOLARSHIPS TO GET A FACE LIFT

By Susan Tabor

 

At the August 29 NFBK Board meeting, the scholarship committee chaired by
Dianne Hemphill recommended that beginning with the 2011 scholarships, that
NFBK have available for awarding two scholarships annually of $2,500 each
and three scholarships annually of $1,500 each. The NFBK Board unanimously
voted in favor of the proposed recommendations. 

 

This year, as in years prior, the organization awarded three scholarships of
$1,000 each. As response to solicitations for scholarship applicants has
fallen sharply recently and keeps falling, the committee was concerned that
due to all of the work involved in submitting the application, the same one
the National organization uses, there was concern that maybe students were
thinking it wasn't worth the trouble given the size of the scholarships
being awarded. Additionally, the scholarship amounts had not changed since
1991 while the economy has changed significantly since then. 

 

In addition to changing the quantity of scholarships and their award
amounts, the committee wants to create a State form which will be scaled
down significantly from the National form and still give us the information
we want. The committee also will be implementing a visitation program in
which chapter members will visit V.I. teachers, school guidance counselors
and vocational rehabilitation staff in their area to hand-deliver
applications and to answer questions and plant seeds for further dialogue
and communication. 

 

 

* EDITOR'S NOTE:  The following article appeared in the Kansas City Star.
For those of you who were unable to attend the National Convention in Dallas
this past July, this is our way of bringing the excitement of some
ground-breaking research to you!

 

Date: Sun,   4 July, 2010

 

That driver must be blind! Someday he may be; group to show high-tech car
the blind can drive

     By KEN THOMAS , Associated Press        

 WASHINGTON - Could a blind person drive a car? Researchers are trying to
make that far-fetched notion a reality. The National Federation of the Blind
and Virginia Tech plan to demonstrate a prototype vehicle next year equipped
with technology that helps a blind person drive a car independently. The
technology, called 

"nonvisual interfaces," uses sensors to let a blind driver maneuver a car
based on information transmitted to him about his surroundings: whether
another car or object is nearby, in front of him or in a neighboring lane. 

 

Advocates for the blind consider it a "moon shot," a goal similar to
President John F. Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon. For many blind
people, driving a car long has been considered impossible. But researchers
hope the project could revolutionize mobility and challenge long-held
assumptions about limitations.

 

"We're exploring areas that have previously been regarded as unexplorable,"
said Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind.
We're moving away from the theory that blindness ends the capacity of human
beings to make contributions to society.

 

The Baltimore-based organization was announcing its plans for the 

vehicle demonstration at a news conference Friday in Daytona Beach, Fla.

 

Maurer first talked about building an automobile that the blind could drive
about a decade ago when he launched the organization's research institute.
"Some people thought I was crazy and they thought, 'Why do you want us to
raise money for something that can't be done? Others thought it was a great
idea," Maurer said. Some people were incredulous. Others thought the idea
was incredible. 

 

The vehicle has its roots in Virginia Tech's 2007 entry into the DARPA Grand
Challenge, a competition for driverless vehicles funded by the Defense
Department's research arm.

 

The university's team won third place for a self-driving vehicle that 

used sensors to perceive traffic, avoid crashing into other cars and 

objects and run like any other vehicle.

 

Following their success, Virginia Tech's team responded to a challenge from
the National Federation of the Blind to help build a car that could be
driven by a blind person. Virginia Tech first created a dune buggy as part
of a feasibility study that used sensor lasers and cameras to act as the
eyes of the vehicle. A vibrating vest was used to direct the driver to speed
up, slow down or make turns. The blind organization was impressed by the
results and urged the researchers to keep pushing. The results will be
demonstrated next January on a modified Ford Escape sport utility vehicle at
the Daytona International Speedway before the Rolex 24 race. 

 

The latest vehicle will use nonvisual interfaces to help a blind driver
operate the car. One interface, called DriveGrip, uses gloves with vibrating
motors on areas that cover the knuckles. The vibrations signal to the driver
when and where to turn.

 

Another interface, called AirPix, is a tablet about half the size of a 

sheet of paper with multiple air holes, almost like those found on an air
hockey game. Compressed air coming out of the device helps inform the driver
of his or her surroundings, essentially creating a map of the objects around
a vehicle. It would show whether there's another vehicle in a nearby lane or
an obstruction in the road. 

 

A blind person, who has not yet been chosen, will drive the vehicle on a
course near the famed Daytona race track and attempt to simulate a typical
driving experience. 

 

 

 

Dr. Dennis Hong, a mechanical engineering professor at 

Virginia Tech who leads the research, said the technology could someday help
a blind driver operate a vehicle but could also be used on conventional
vehicles to make them safer or on other applications. 

 

Advocates for the blind say it will take time before society accepts 

the potential of blind drivers and that the safety of the technology 

will need to be proven through years of testing. But more than 

anything, they say it's part of a broader mission to change the way 

people perceive the blind. Mark Riccobono, executive director of the NFB's
Jernigan Institute, said when he walks down the street with his 3-year-old
son, many people might think he, as a blind person, is being guided by his
son. 

 

"The idea that a 3-year-old takes care of me stems from what they think
about blindness," Riccobono said. "That will change 

when people see that we can do something that they thought was

impossible."    

 Online:   National Federation of the Blind:
<http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Default.asp> http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Default.asp
(c) 2010 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.              .

 

 

·       Maryse Figueroa is from Wichita and is a member of the South-Central
Kansas Chapter of the NFB of Kansas.

 

MY EXPERIENCE of the 2010 NATIONAL FEDERATION of the BLIND CONVENTION

By Maryse Figueroa, RN., Ms Ed., MBA 

 

National Federation of the Blind 2010

Dallas Texas

   Six years ago, should a fortune-teller have told me I would be attending
my first NFB convention in 2010 as a blind person, I would have walked out.
At the time, I was living in Tucson AZ. hospice nursing, a rewarding, new
and fulfilling field for me.  Not only was my career rewarding, I was newly
married. But, as life would have it, I was thrown a curve. I was unsure I’d
ever be able to cope with. Almost overnight, blindness shut the lights off
and I thought death was around the corner. The road uphill has been long and
arduous. However, I had to come to Kansas, to discover my own strengths.

   This is how I found myself amongst 2400 blind people at the National
Federation of the blind, 2010, Dallas TX convention. Amazingly, I felt
normal as I listened to the many inspirational talks. One in particular
resonated with me. It was given by Dr. Marc Maurer on July 8th at the
banquet dinner. What struck me was the topic of finding a new norm in the
midst of a world that had dramatically changed. This is done by finding
one’s new norm. Immediately, my thoughts went to my blindness coping skills,
which related more to maintaining as much vision as possible as I adamantly
refused to think of myself as blind. I was not successful at maintaining
this image. The understanding received from this talk is of finding my new
norm. This translates into building on blindness skills and keeping the
vision skills that I have. Therefore, the combination of both makes me a
competent and confident individual in whatever life has in store for me.

Thank you my Federation Family.

 

 

THE NFB OF KANSAS LOSES A PIONEERING MEMBER

By Susan Tabor, Editor

 

Jack Kelly, one of the founding members of the National Federation of the
Blind of Kansas died on July 20, 2010. His wife Martha still serves as our
treasurer.

 

Jack was employed, married and raised two daughters--and did all of this
while him and others were making the NFB of Kansas happen in the late
1960's. 

 

We wouldn't be where we are were it not for founding members like Jack Kelly
and Richard Edlund. They were successful without the programs, services and
organizations we have in place today. We are so grateful for their hard work
and their commitment to making the National Federation of the Blind happen
in Kansas!

 

Of Jack Kelly, the Kansas City Star said:

 

"Lloyd I. (Jack) Kelly, of Overland Park, died July 20, 2010 at Delmar
Gardens of Lenexa. Lloyd was born January 2, 1925. He was preceded in death
by his parents, Lloyd and Ivola Kelly. He is survived by his wife of 59
years, Martha G. Kelly, of the home; two daughters and their spouses, Nancy
and Roger Neighbors; Jackie and Mark Dwyer; five grandchildren: Aaron, Ryan,
and Ann Neighbors; Brenna and Kelly Dwyer; and four great grandchildren:
Lily, Olive, Rowan, and Patrick. Lloyd was employed at Fairbanks-Morse Pump
Company for 37 years."

 

Thank you, Jack, for all you did to lay the groundwork for our wonderful
organization. And thank you, Martha, for serving our organization so
graciously and competently for so many years! We hope that Jack's family
finds comfort in their memories of Jack and in the support of their family
and friends. We will never, and must never, forget our founders!

 

 

ONE MORE PLUG FOR CONVENTION ACTIVITIES

By Susan Tabor, Editor

 

The agenda for this year's convention carries within it some springtime
freshness in the form of some new activities.

 

There will be pre-convention activities on Friday, November 12. Instead of
being held on Friday, the Board meeting will have taken place by telephone
conference call the prior weekend. 

 

On Friday, between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., a cooking demonstration will
take place at the Lawrence Community Mercantile at Ninth and Iowa Streets.
The Mercantile (affectionately known as The Merc) began as a community co-op
which sold no meat and featured vegetables, fruits, grains, other organic
foods and natural or organically made nutritional supplements. The Merc
still sells all those things, but now also features free-range meats,
organic dairy, eggs and more. The Merc supports our local farms by buying
from them and passing along the goodness to the local consumer.

 

The Merc also has a strong community education and outreach staff. Hillary
Cass, a teacher of many of the Merc's cooking and nutrition classes
throughout the year, will provide our cooking demonstration and, yes, you
can eat after the food is cooked!

 

You will notice that on the convention registration form, we are asking if
you wish to attend the cooking class. This is because we need to guarantee
that we'll have at least 12 people in the class; any fewer and it's a no-go.
Numbers help our presenter know how many people she'll be cooking for as
well.

 

Also, for the cooking techniques part, PLEASE, PLEASE bring your favorite
kitchen utensil! We'll be swapping information about good techniques and
accessible cooking tools as a part of the class. Braille and large-print
handouts will be provided.

Please also note that class tuition is $15. This covers the cost of food,
materials and our presenter. Please bring your $15 with you to the class. If
you want to go but don't have $15, there will be up to three scholarships.
If you would like one, call, email her or write me, Susan Tabor. Contact
information is at the beginning of this newsletter.

 

>From 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., there will be a white cane walk in downtown
Lawrence. This will give you a chance to have a nice walk through downtown
Lawrence, which should be interesting since it will be a Friday afternoon!
It also gives the public a chance to see a whole group of blind people
walking confidently with white canes! 

 

There will be transportation to and from the cooking class and the White
Cane Walk. Those going to the class at the Merc, meet at the hotel lobby at
noon. If you need a ride to the downtown walk site, people will leave from
the hotel lobby at about 2:15 p.m. Those in the cooking class will be picked
up and brought either to the walk site or back to the hotel.

 

This year, we're also featuring exhibitors as a part of our Convention and
we have some great ones set up. Try staff from NanoPac and Steve Fortine
from Computer Consultants in Wichita for starters, and others just as
exciting to boot! So be sure to visit the exhibitors and thank them for
coming. They'll be with us on Friday evening and on Saturday.

 

 

RECIPE SWAP

By Susan Tabor

 

This month, we're featuring a meal's worth of recipes for you! Enjoy!

 

* The first recipe comes from Jim Canaday, president of the Jayhawk Chapter.

 

Multi-National Pepper Meatloaf

By Jim Canaday M.A.

 

Note: this recipe makes a moderately spicy meatloaf with five different
peppers in it. It is quite low-crab. If you wish, you can add a finely diced
Jalapeno with the vegetables and make it spicier. Anaheim peppers or a
banana pepper could go into this too. So, you can make this a seven-pepper
meatloaf if you wish. Enjoy!  

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

 

Ingredients:

2 10 oz cans Cream of Mushroom Soup (save one empty can)

2 Eggs

1 can Whole Milk (measured in one Mushroom Soup can)

1 package Lipton dried onion soup mix (plain or mushroom)

1 rib Celery chopped

1 whole Bell Pepper cored and chopped

1 or 2 Sweet Onions peeled and chopped

½ pound whole mushrooms cut large

1 can diced Green Chilies drained

10 medium to large cloves Garlic, thin sliced

½ teaspoon Black Pepper

½ teaspoon crushed Red Pepper flakes

½ teaspoon Accent

½ teaspoon Basil

½ teaspoon Chili powder

¾ teaspoon Cumin

2 ½ teaspoons Sea salt

1 pound high quality Italian Sausage (in bulk)

1 pound 4 ounces (1 ¼ lbs) extra Lean ground Beef

¼ cup dried rolled unprocessed oats (such as Quaker Rolled Oats)

approximately ½ cup Catsup

Basil (sprinkling)

Paprika (sprinkling)

 

 

Method:

In a very large bowl crack two eggs and break yokes. Pour Mushroom Soups,
Lipton Soup mix, milk, all seasonings except Paprika and extra Basil into
bowl. Stir very thoroughly. Add meats. Mash and dissolve meats; there should
be no meat lumps remaining. Stir thoroughly. 

 

Pour all vegetables into the same very large bowl. Mixing thoroughly. 

 

Add ¼ cup of Oats. Mix very thoroughly. Check consistency. Mixture should be
wet but able to stand. If consistency is not right, add milk to wet the mix,
or a bit of oats to dry it, mixing thoroughly.   

 

Spray thoroughly a metal 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan with Pam. Pour mixture
into baking pan. Smooth loaf evenly. Loaf should go all the way to the edges
of the pan. You do not need to leave room around the loaf in the pan. 

 

Top with approximately ½ Cup Catsup, smoothed across the loaf. Sprinkle
lightly with Basil and Paprika. 

 

Place into middle of oven

 

Bake for 80 minutes. Test with butter knife into middle. If the blade comes
out clean, the loaf is done. The loaf will often set up and pull away from
the edges of the baking pan. In that space may be some drippings which can
be sprinkled onto the top of the meatloaf. These drippings are not greasy at
all. 

 

Serves me three or four meals, but then I eat very little alongside this
meatloaf. 

 

·       The next recipe is one that Susan Tabor grew up enjoying. Her mom,
Maxine Haller, always sautéed the veggies first in butter, which made this
casserole taste absolutely wonderful, bringing out all the flavors of the
casserole.

 

                                       Mom’s Zucchini Casserole 

 

Two medium zucchini, sliced

Two yellow squash, sliced

One medium to large red or green pepper, sliced

One medium or large onion, chopped

One or 2 8-oz cans of tomato sauce, or one 16-ounce can of chopped tomatoes

One to two cups of grated Cheddar cheese

About two cups of water

½ to one stick of butter, if sautéing

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Put the cut up zucchini, squash, onion and pepper in a pan with the water
and bring to a boil; cook vegetables to a fairly crisp stage. Or, you may
sauté the vegetables in butter until crisp but cooked. Remove from pan and
put into a casserole dish with 1-2 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce, or a
16-ounce can of chopped tomatoes. Top with the Cheddar cheese. The dish
should be warm enough that the cheese should melt quickly. If not and/or if
you want the cheese browned, put in oven at 350 degrees for ten to fifteen
minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve. Serves four

 

Note: To add a little zing, try using Rotel tomatoes for half or all of the
tomatoes called for, and/or try making your cheese a cup of Cheddar and a
cup of pepper Jack cheese.

 

·       Susan Tabor says that the next recipe is the best one you'll ever
find for lemon bars! It would make a great holiday treat too!

 

Creamy Lemon Squares
The lemon bars of your dreams take just 15 minutes of prep. Stir together a
mere three ingredients to create a sunny, puckery filling for a buttery
shortbread crust.
Prep: 15 minutes
Total:
45 minutes plus chilling
Ingredients
Makes 16
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
4 large egg yolks
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom
with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter paper.
Make crust: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt until
light and fluffy. Add flour, and mix on low just until combined. 

Press dough into the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan; prick all
over with a fork. 

Bake until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk, and
lemon juice until smooth. Pour over hot crust in pan; return to oven, and
bake until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. 

Cool completely in pan.
Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 2 hours or up to 3 days. Using
paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares, and dust
with confectioner’s sugar.
From: Everyday Food, June 2008




 


Registration for the 

NFBK State Convention 

November 12-14, 2010 

 

Please send registration form and payment to Bob Fuller at 1746 Mississippi
St., Lawrence, KS 66044. Please make checks payable to the National
Federation of the Blind of Kansas. 

 

If you are registering multiple attendees, please include all names of those
you are registering. 

 

 

Name:  

 

Address: 

 

 

Telephone:

E-mail:

  

Pre-registration:  $5.00 

Registration at the door:  $10.00 

Luncheon: $10.00 

Banquet:  $20.00 

 

Do you plan to attend the cooking demonstration at the Community Mercantile
from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the cost of $15 at the door?

If so, please place the name(s) of all in your party who will attend the
cooking demonstration here.

 

 

 

The convention will be held at The Lawrence Holiday Inn Holidome and
Convention Center at 200 McDonald Dr., Lawrence, KS 64044 telephone (785)
841-7077. Room rates are $89 per night. Please come and join us in changing
what it means to be blind in Kansas. 

 

 

 

Would you like to receive future issues of our newsletter in audio CD
format?  If so, or for any other questions/comments, please contact our
editor:

 

Susan Tabor

1234 Tennessee Street

Lawrence, Kansas 66044-3226

Phone (home):  785-841-3875

Cell:  785-865-9949

E-mail:   <mailto:souljourner at sbcglobal.net> souljourner at sbcglobal.net

Or contact

National Federation of the Blind of Kansas

President: Donna Wood

11405 W. Grant

Wichita KS, 67209

 <http://www.nfbks.org/> www.nfbks.org   

 

 

NFB of KS 

FREE MATTER FOR THE BLIND

1451 Fairview

Wichita KS, 67203

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Leslie Newman

President, Omaha Chapter NFB

President, NFB Writers' Division

Division Website

 <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org

Personal Website-

 <http://www.thoughtprovoker.info> http://www.thoughtprovoker.info