[Nfb-editors] {Spam?} Senior Division's 2012 Summer-Fall Newsletter
Robert Leslie Newman
newmanrl at cox.net
Mon Oct 8 16:14:10 UTC 2012
National Federation of the Blind Senior Division
Summer-Fall 2012
Volume 13 Number 2
President Ruth Sager
7634 Carla Road
Baltimore, MD 21208
Telephone: 410-602-9030
e-mail: RSager at BISM.org
Submit inquiries to Ms. Sager at the above address.
Editor Pat Munson
10501 Lagrima de Oro NE apt 139
Albuquerque, NM 87111
Telephone: 505-291-3139
e-mail: <mailto:pat.munson at comcast.net>pat.munson at comcast.net
Articles for the National Federation of the Blind Senior Division newsletter
should be sent to: Ms.
Munson.
Table of Contents
President?s Message
by Ruth Sager
Minutes, 2012 NFBSD Meeting
by Ramona Walhof, Secretary
Blind Flier Stuck With Fee
by Pat Pheifer
NFB Philosophy, a White Cane and a Determined old ?Street Dog?
by Pat Munson
Coffee on the Med?
by Nancy Burns
Schreiber Escapes Coming in Last
by Art Schreiber
Traveling with Road Scholars
by Alice George
>From Pat and Jack Munson.
That?s Braille!
by Maxine Schrader
Seniors in Charge Provides Training to People with Vision Loss Thanksgiving
by Cindy Bennett
This and That
President?s Message
by Ruth Sager
PRESIDENT?S MESSAGE
Hello Senior federationists:
As you read this issue of _Blind _Senior _Perspective, you will see what a
fabulous job our editor, Pat
Munson has done in putting together a diverse selection of articles. She was
very prompt and on top of
everything. And, I am indebted to her for everything she does to keep this
publication on track and
ready to go on time.
Judy Sanders has been a wonderful president to this division and has guided
me in many areas. I look
forward to these ladies and to everyone else, to assist me and make this
devision grow. Diane
McGeorge joins the Board as our new treasurer and she has been a friend and
mentor for many years. I
am fortunate to work with so many talented Federation seniors.
I also know that many of you in your communities and states give of your
time and talent to reach out to
the newly blind senior and encourage and share your life experience with
them and their families.
Together, we all are making a difference for this growing population of
seniors who truly need our help.
At this year?s annual meeting of the senior Division two of our speakers
presented topics that are of
special interest to me?they shared their work in facilitating conference
call meetings with seniors to
discussed specific topics on a consistent basis. Seniors join the call and
can listen or participate as much
as they feel comfortable in doing. I believe this is a great way to reach
many people who might not
otherwise be able or willing to attend local chapter meetings or even meet
with blind colleagues.
My goal for this year is to promote such senior conference calls in as many
areas as possible. Some
conference calls are more of a learning activity while others may have more
social emphasis. In order to
be successful, not only are the seniors needed for these calls as
participants, but a facilitator with strong
NFB philosophy and practical knowledge of non-visual skills are invaluable
to facilitate discussions and
share practical tips and information.
If you are interested in developing such a network of seniors by creating a
senior conference call in your
locality or state, please email me at:
<mailto:rsager at bism.org>rsager at bism.org or call me at home and leave a
message if necessary at:
410-602-9030.
Joe Ruffalo from New Jersey has been in the forefront of developing such a
senior network. This fall his
seniors are sponsoring the state NFBNJ convention and hosting a senior
Possibilities fair on Friday
morning before the formal convention begins. If New Jersey can do this?so
can we in our state, create a
senior division, develop conference call networking for seniors and, perhaps
grow to be able to put on a
statewide Possibilities Fair in whatever state we happen to live. This is an
attainable goal.
I look forward to working with all of
you. Please share your thoughts and ideas with me at the above contact
information.
Have a wonderful fall season and, if your state is hosting its annual
convention, participate and enjoy the
friendship and talents of your senior colleagues.
Ruth Sager
President
National Federation of the Blind
Senior Division
Minutes, 2012 NFBSD Meeting
by Ramona Walhof, Secretary
The general business meeting was called to order on July 2, 2012, at 1:55 by
the President, Judy Sanders,
following rather active bidding on auction items donated by seniors. The
meeting started with the sale
of two high-bid auction items. Minutes were approved as printed. The
treasurer's report was read by
the president in the absence of the treasurer. Balances: savings $2413.32;
checking $493.45. The
report was approved.
Judy announced that she will not be running for President, and Paul Dressel
is not running for Treasurer.
The new Treasurer will receive a Ray McGeorge wallet for use.
There has been a contest for naming our newsletter. The new name will be
"Blind Senior Perspective."
This idea came from Pat Gormley of Maryland.
Speakers from American Foundation for the Blind in Dallas were Judy Scott
and Priscilla Rogers.
They again reminded us of their special services unique to Dallas, and
invited us to visit their special
house for seniors losing vision.
NFB President Marc Maurer came and auctioned off two bottles of wine donated
by Art Schreiber and a
pair of his own cufflinks that he donated and used to wear. He raised $195
for us. Dr. Maurer
welcomed us to the Convention and was very entertaining.
Milton Taylor from Utah spoke about dealing with spouses of blind seniors.
If the spouse losing vision
discontinues to carry on part of the chores, the other partner can become
very unhappy.
Mindy Jacobsen spoke about University without Walls. She also told about
activities of the Imagination
Fund during this convention. She announced that 85944 is a number to text
$10 donations to during
this convention.
Ellen Ringlein spoke about items that may be particularly interesting to
seniors handled by the NFB
Independence Market. The recorder by Wilson and the Pen Friend are two items
which are rather
simple to use and allow the user to keep data in recorded format.
Adelmo Vigil spoke about independent travel for seniors. Some blind seniors
need a support cane
besides the white cane and they might need to follow walls and so on because
of hearing loss.
There was a panel discussion on
transportation. Its members were Dave Hyde, Ruth Sager, and Mary Alexson,
BISM student, who spoke
on her training.
Eileen Ley asked people to participate in a survey for a fee of $10; contact
her in room 508.
She is working on a project which would provide prescription data verbally
recorded on each bottle
which is very helpful for blind seniors.
Duncan Larsen from Colorado spoke on senior programs there, and her student
Geraldine Jones spoke
on her experiences.
RESULTS of the NFBSD election: President Ruth Sager, MD; First VP Art
Schreiber, NM; 2nd VP Judy
Sanders, MN; Secretary Ramona Walhof, ID; Treasurer Diane McGeorge, CO.
Ramona Walhoff moved;
Art and Diane seconded that we give $200 each to the tenBroek Fund, the Sun
Fund, the Jernigan Fund,
the White Cane Fund, and the Imagination Fund. The motion passed.
Some of the auction items were: hand-knitted bags full of products from
Idaho, home-grown dried
herbs, a wind-up music box, candle with lid, coffee, soap, bags full of
candy and nuts, homemade cherry
brownies, home-made peanut brittle and many others. We thanked the generous
donors. The division
collected around one-thousand dollars in auction and dues money.
The meeting adjourned about ten minutes til five.
Respectfully submitted,
Ramona Walhof, Secretary
Blind Flier Stuck With Fee
by Pat Pheifer, Star Tribune
Editor's Note: This article appeared in the regular Whistleblower feature of
the Minneapolis Star Tribune
on September 4, 2011.
Since Delta is the dominant airline here with its purchase of Northwest,
this is relevant to all of us. If you
use Delta's telephone reservations, remember Chris Danielsen's statement.)
Susan Barton is legally blind and uses a wheelchair, a result of her 40-year
battle with multiple sclerosis.
But she doesn't let her disability hamper her love of traveling with her
husband.
So her dander rose when she tried to book two tickets on Delta Air Lines for
a long weekend in Chicago
this past June and the airline told her she'd have to pay an extra $50 $25
per person to buy the tickets
over the phone instead of online.
After Barton explained that she was blind and couldn't use the website, the
call center representative
insisted that the fee couldn't be
waived. That person's supervisor said the same
thing. So did the two people she called at the airline's Atlanta
headquarters.
"For years I've been arranging our travel and doing it by phone," said
Barton, 64, of Minneapolis, who
retired as director of human resources for the Prudential Insurance Co.
"Northwest charged me $5 extra for arranging
those tickets by phone. [Delta was] going to
charge me $25 extra for each ticket. That just seemed, quite frankly,
outrageous to me."
"I asked, isn't there an exception for someone who's handicapped? Their
response was, isn't there a
family member or friend who could do it for you?"
Barton said her husband, Vincent, a retired Prudential executive, will be 80
later this month and isn't
adept at navigating the airline's website.
When Whistleblower called Delta's corporate communications office in
Atlanta, spokeswoman Ashley
Black said the four people Susan Barton spoke with were wrong.
"Our policy is that any customer with
disabilities that cannot use delta.com, that fee will be waived," Black
said.
Black later sent an e-mail saying, "While it's unfortunate this incident
occurred, we are using this
opportunity to improve our
processes. We're working with our agents to
ensure that they are aware of and in compliance with this policy."
Chris Danielsen, director of public relations for the National Federation of
the Blind, said Delta's refusal
to waive the fee violated federal law. Under the Air Carrier Access Act, an
airline must waive call-center
fees for a blind person if they cannot use the airline's website. An airline
also must charge a blind person
the same fare that is available on the Internet, he said.
Delta is hardly alone among airlines for refusing to waive fees for a blind
passenger. Jonathan Lazar, a
professor of computer science at Towson University in Maryland, led a study
of airlines'
compliance with the Air Carrier Access Act. The study, which did not include
Delta, found four U.S.
airlines whose websites could not be read with screen readers, and thus were
not accessible to the
blind.
When researchers posed as blind customers, three of the four airlines
refused to waive the call-center
fee in anywhere from two to six of the calls.
Last week, a quick survey by Whistleblower found that American Airlines,
United Airlines and U.S.
Airways all charge a $25 per ticket fee to make reservations by phone, but
all said that fee is waived for
customers with disabilities. Southwest Airlines said it does not charge a
fee to make phone reservations.
Barton's case is just one in the string of incidents in which Delta was
faulted in its treatment of
passengers with disabilities.
Earlier this year, Whistleblower described how Carrie Salberg, who has
muscular dystrophy and uses a
ventilator to breathe, was kicked off a Delta flight from New Orleans to the
Twin Cities after the airline
told her she couldn't bring her medical equipment on board. A month earlier,
Delta had told her that her
equipment met the company's requirements.
In February, Delta was fined $2 million by the U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT) after the agency
reviewed 5,000 complaints filed by and on behalf of disabled passengers. The
fine was the largest the
DOT has ever assessed against an airline in a case not involving safety
violations.
Susan Barton said she and her husband travel four or five times a year,
spending a few weeks in Palm
Desert, Calif., Sanibel, Fla., or Hilton Head, S.C. Most of their flights
are on Delta, and, once they get to
the airport, the airline has been "really very accommodating," she said.
NFB Philosophy, a White Cane and a Determined old ?Street Dog?
By Pat Munson
Editor?s note: I wrote the following for a White Cane Day writing contest.
Although the following took
place decades ago, I thought our readers might find it interesting.
I yanked myself out of my chair and marched to the door. I grabbed my long
white cane and opened
that stupid door. At that moment I hated all my friends because they had one
by one told me that they
were not going to drag me around one more time. They had seen other blind
students on our college
campus getting around just fine with a cane, and they said I could do the
same.
But, the same friends had not met all my pals from the school for the blind.
They constantly made fun of
blind persons who used a cane. They shuffled around as best they could but
thought they were really
cool without that dumb long white cane, which just told all the world that
the user was blind. They had
gained their spectacularly sad attitudes from their teachers and others at
the school, and I did too.
Everything was against me on that fateful day; no one was there to help me
cross four streets and board
the first of three buses which would get me to the school where I was to
student teach. Even the
weather was at its worst. I did not even have the door open all the way
before the wind grabbed that
cane and almost whipped it out of my hand. The door slammed behind me and
so did part of my
negative attitudes about blindness.
At the door I had made up my mind that I was going to make this trip by
myself or die trying.
My career as a teacher would not exist if I did not have the guts to get to
that school and act like a
competent blind adult!
By the time that first bus arrived, my dress, shoes, long hair and makeup
were ruined from the wind and
rain, but what did it matter, my body was still intact and that wonderful,
long white cane was doing
what my friends used to do for me; it provided me with my tool for
independence.
I remember finally climbing up those school steps and thinking that I had
made it. I looked as if I had just
climbed out of the shower, but my goal was to meet the faculty and my master
teachers.
I took off my dripping coat in the office and hung it up. I rang out my long
soggy hair and entered the
faculty meeting. Later the teachers told me that they had never seen anyone
with such a determined
look on her face. They did not know about the NFB.
I did complete that student teaching and got a job, but only because of the
work of many in the National
Federation of the Blind.
Until a few years earlier, those in charge of teacher credentials said
normal vision was required to teach
in the public schools in the United States. NFB members knew this was simply
wrong.
Many, many members of NFB introduced legislation in every state eliminating
the vision requirement;
this took years.
I was one of the first to take up that white cane and march by myself into a
job in competitive
employment in the public schools in the USA.
As a member of the National Federation of the Blind I gained a job,
blindness skills and the philosophy to
lead a normal life in the mainstream of society. Sometimes it is not easy
to be a Federationist when
sighted folks endlessly try to think they know what is best for us, but I
love being a part of the
mainstream so I do what I must to change people?s attitudes about what it
really means to be blind!
I?m like a very determined old ?street dog?, but I have an NFB smile on my
face! As Dr. Jernigan said
many times, ?We know who we are and we will never go back.? Now I wish I
could thank all those NFB
?street dogs? who helped me be what I have been and am!
Coffee on the Med?
By Nancy Burns
Editor?s note: The following came from the NFBNM newsletter.
My heart was doing the happy dance as we packed and prepared to fly to
Barcelona, Spain which would
be the first stop in our dream vacation. We stayed three days in Barcelona;
tasted tapas, sea food, and
sampled Ca va, a Spanish champagne. We also strolled down Las Ramblas
purchasing souvenirs and
stopping for a cold drink and more tapas. On the third day in Barcelona,
after taking several tours, we
sailed into the Mediterranean. Many exciting ports and adventures were soon
to be experienced.
The huge cruise ship sailed past a lighthouse on the port side and glided
into one of the most beautiful
ports of our extensive cruise. Kotor, Montenegro was a mix of modern and
ancient buildings. The
backdrop of Kotor was steep and tree-laden mountains. Don and I left the
ship and walked toward the
city. The main business section was in an ancient castle, complete with
drawbridge and moat. After
making some purchases, we stopped in a caf? for lunch. The menu seemed to
be mostly pizza and
sandwiches so we chose a pizza, not real sure as to what exactly we would
have. I opted for lemonade
which was warm and quite tart. After asking for ice, a chilled glass was as
good as it got. The pizza
turned out to be pepperoni and quite tasty. In typical Medieval style,
Kotor?s narrow streets and
squares were planned with dual purpose; aesthetic beauty and an attempt to
thwart possible invaders.
Each day we docked in a new location which provided us with another chapter
in our fairytale cruise.
Initially, we were concerned that 21 days at sea might be a bit longer than
we wanted. It proved to be
just right. It was quite long but not too long. Residing on a cruise ship
for three weeks is exciting
enough, but to throw in 16 cities in 7 different countries was just the
frosting on the vacation cake.
The weather was warm and quite humid. The Mediterranean was calm throughout
the trip. While at
sea we enjoyed ship-board activities and mixing and mingling with other
passengers. During one of the
first evening meals, we had the good fortune to sit across the table from a
delightful couple who we
soon considered as friends. We hung out with Ben and Marilou and went on
some of the same group
tours. A nightly ritual for Don and me is to stand at the fantail and
listen to the powerful movement of
the ocean beneath. Ben and Marilou would often find us at our favorite spot
where we would stop and
discuss the day?s events or make plans for the following day.
One of the organized tours was the unforgettable trip to Pompeii. This was
the most awesome and the
most challenging tour of them all. We were advised that we would be walking
on cobblestones which
we felt was of no consequence. The streets of Pompeii are definitely not
cobblestones. We stepped
from boulder to boulder, stepping up sizable steps and dropping down from
ledges. The
term (cobbleboulders) was coined. Our cane skills were tested to the max.
We were surrounded by historical tragedies. Mt.
Vesuvius threw molten lava on the city for two days and two nights in 79AD.
Much of this hardened lava
has been chipped away revealing homes, stores, and other buildings.
Our tour guide for this trip was knowledgeable and he shared a wealth of
information. At the end of the
tour he provided us with some of his philosophy saying that he enjoyed
drinking his morning coffee
while looking out into the ocean. He told us ?It is important to enjoy life
to the fullest.? Don and I couldn't agree more.
Civitavecchia was the port in which we docked in order to get to Rome, which
was amazing. During the
hour and a half drive to Rome we passed many olive groves, vineyards, fruit
trees and vegetable
gardens, reminiscent of the Southern California vineyards. Our first stop
after reaching Rome was the
iconic Trevi Fountain where we did the traditional coin toss. I was so
looking forward to entering the
Sistine Chapel and was honored to do so. My disappointment was because of
the crush of people who
shared my desire to visit the Chapel. We were also in awe of the
magnificence of the Pantheon and the
breath-taking view of the Coliseum.
Ancient ruins, a blend of colorful cultures and languages greeted us at
every port. Valetta, Malta
provided us with a page of history in the making. We had observed a number
of military planes flying
overhead and learned that they were NATO bombers refueling in Malta on the
way to the Liberian
conflict. The ports in Greece presented another blend of beauty along with a
look into incredible
historical significance. Katakolon was the port stop for Olympia, the
location of the Doric-style Temple
of Zeus built in 472 BC. Near the temple of Zeus is the stadium which
seated 40,000 spectators. The
first Olympic games were held in 776 BC.
Several more ports in Italy were explored; each with an abundance of beauty
and history. Our final port
was Marseille, France. As anticipated, the food was wonderful and the
people were friendly and helpful
in spite of the language barrier. As the ship steamed toward Barcelona, and
the end of our fantastic
cruise, we reminisced about ancient churches, castles, statues, and that
well-known Leaning Tower, we
knew we had only touched the surface but realized that we had a glimpse of
that part of the world we
would never forget. We repacked but this time with dirty clothes,
souvenirs, olive oil and limoncello.
We then met Ben and Marilou on the Lido Deck for that final cup of coffee
before the long flight to
Albuquerque. We also brought home with us a treasure trove of happy memories
and the contact
information for some new friends. This was our 8th cruise and one of the
most unforgettable.
Schreiber Escapes Coming in Last
by Art Schreiber
Another Duke City Marathon and its many events is in the record book.
I, for the second year, entered and finished the
20 K walk. Last year the walk was a half marathon, which is somewhat
farther than a 20 K.
Last year I finished 209 out of 209 entrants, but was first in my age group
because no one else was in my
age group. My time last year was 5 hours and 57 seconds. This year my time
was 4 hours five minutes
and 14 seconds. Race officials this year eliminated walkers being forced to
walk on the dirt path
adjacent to the bike path North of Central Avenue. This year walkers were
routed South on the bike
path through the bosque and for us 20 K'ers we turned around at Rio Bravo.
This year, in addition to my
friend Rick Walsh guiding me I had another friend, Janet Trujillo, join me.
Janet is a physical therapist at
La Vida Llena, where I live. I told her she would make a great prison guard
who yielded a large whip!
Janet kept calling out, "Art, you're slowing down. Pick it up." During the
final mile, my nearly 84 year
old knees were screaming and telling me to quit. Janet and Rick kept urging
me on to the finish line.
Next year I hope a few NFB'rs will join me and my goal is to get under 4
hours.
Final stats: 150 individuals finished the walk and I was 141. This year a
30 year old woman came in last.
One individual was 40 plus me at 83. Come on, get your parents and
grandparents to join me next year.
Traveling with Road Scholars
by Alice George
One advantage of being a senior is having the opportunity to participate in
Road Scholar Programs ?
formerly Elderhostel. Traveling the world with others with similar interests
promotes lifelong learning,
personal growth, and new friendships. Each year, thousands of seniors
stretch their minds and bodies by
engaging in stimulating, educational, and challenging adventures throughout
North America, abroad,
and afloat. Shouldn't blind seniors do the same? Yes, of course, they
should, and I did.
After months of researching travel agencies and programs, I decided to
explore Seattle, WA for a week
with Road Scholars. A distant long time friend from San Diego joined me
there. However, prior to my
arriving in Seattle, the tour guide strongly voiced her apprehension about a
blind person joining the
group. She felt she may have to take care of me and lead me around the city
for a week, which she could
not do. I learned from the Road Scholar staff they had never knowingly had a
blind or low vision
participant, nor had they ever considered offering accessible programs for
blind seniors. It was obvious I
had to educate the tour guide about the abilities of blind people so I could
participate in the program for
which I had already enrolled and paid. Months prior to the program starting,
I called the tour guide
three times and emailed her numerous reassurances about my abilities to
participate in the program.
The tour guide also called my friend to be sure she would provide whatever
assistance I might need.
Finally, the tour guide accepted me into the Seattle program, but with
reservations.
When departure day arrived, I was ready to go with a detailed plan in hand.
Pre-arranged airline
assistance directed me through security, plane changes, and to departure
gates or baggage at three
different airports on my way to and from Seattle. The first night in
Seattle, the group of
23 Road Scholars gathered for dinner and introductions. I introduced myself
as a blind woman,
described my life and where I live, and stated some courtesy rules of
blindness.
Throughout the following week, most participants were considerate, followed
my courtesy rules of
blindness, and kindly offered their help. Only one person (an older lady)
tried to speak for me, tell me
what to do, and take care of me. She refrained from doing so after I thanked
her for wanting to help and
explained that I could do things just fine on my own. Several participants
avoided me and my friend;
however, these people were observed as being quite unfriendly to everyone
else.
Each morning began with an early buffet breakfast in our downtown Seattle
Red Lion Hotel.
Activities from early morning to late evening focused on learning about
Seattle?s history, heritage, art,
and culture. We toured many museums, Pioneer Square, Pike Market, Freemont,
West Seattle, the
Space Needle, the Boeing Plant, and much more. By week?s end, we had fully
explored Seattle by foot,
bus, rail, and water taxi.
As the week ended, several participants thanked me for joining the group and
shared their expanded
awareness of blindness and the abilities of blind people. It was obvious I
had changed some people?s
view of blindness and also gained some friendships along the way. The tour
guide was now friendly and
even treated me like an equal in the group. Upon departure, she thanked me
for joining the group, said
she had learned a lot about blindness, and encouraged me to enroll in
another one of her programs.
The Road Scholar experience was very exciting, stimulating, and enriching.
Most participants treated me
as an equal in the group and were comfortable practicing my courtesy rules
of blindness. I did not
expect nor receive any special treatment from anyone. I was totally
dependent on my skills of blindness,
and they were tested throughout the week. As a result, I improved my travel
skills, mastered unfamiliar
environments, and gained more confidence. As is often true, the experience
is what we make it!
We look forward to traveling, learning new things, and meeting new friends
just as much as sighted
seniors do. If you are interested in travel programs for seniors, please
call Road Scholar at 1 800 454-
5768. Current Road Scholar Programs can be found at
<http://www.roadscholar.org/>www.roadscholar.org.
Come on ? let?s travel and have fun, too!
>From Pat and Jack Munson.
This past year has been unique! After all the years in CA, we moved to NM
where we plan to stay.
Moving is for someone else! We had to change banks, find doctors, a dentist,
a lawyer and on and on.
The following paragraphs were written as they occurred; I should have dated
them, but was too lazy.
This past week has been very interesting. Besides our usual shopping and
classes, we went on the bus to
the New Mexico State Fair. It had been many years since I had been to a fair
of any kind. Oh, the
weather has cooled to about 15 degrees C in the morning and about 20 in the
afternoon. We have had
some rain, but not enough.
We were worried we might be rained out the day we were to go to the fair,
but the skies cooperated
nicely. The first place I wanted to go was the petting zoo. After asking a
number of people we finally
found it. We petted a number of sheep, goats and a small horse. The
highlight was Goldylocks, a
beautiful cow. She was as sweet as a cow can be! Then we hit the food
stands. We bought four pieces of
different pies, they had about twenty-five, Indian tacos which are made with
their special fried bread,
we ate those there, and more sweets we brought home and froze.
By the time the rides started up we had to get back on the bus so Jack will
have to hit them next year.
There were many other animals, but they were not available for petting and
many buildings housing fine
arts, flowers and you name it!
Also, next month we hope to attend an opera here.
The symphony ran out of money, so they are now trying to find funding so
they can continue. Boy, these
are hard times for so many.
Next week will be the hot air balloon fiesta. You most likely can find film
of it on the internet.
This morning the balloons could not ascend; it had rained most of the night.
Speaking of rain, we
witnessed the first storm which made us think we were back in CA. The
temperature dropped to CA
levels and it continued to rain for hours. This is so new to us, that is to
have such dramatic weather
changes. Jack thought he would like to go to the balloon fiesta until he saw
all the folks at the balloon
park on TV. He is not one who likes being in big groups of people so he is
watching them out our window
as they drift by.
There have been some balloons that have drifted close to where we live. They
are many different colors
and shapes. We think one had to land near us but it was behind some trees so
we are not sure.
Our first trip out of the city limits was to a very small town called
Madrid, on what is known as the
Turquoise Trail. This road was made by the Spanish centuries ago. This small
town was, like many, a
mining town. All the coal has been extracted so now it is an art center. One
can purchase most anything
painted or made by hand.
One outdoor business we really liked sold fountains of all sizes. Most were
made of stone.
They were all turned on so the sound was very interesting. We are thinking
of buying one for our patio.
One interesting feature is many establishments have their sleeping old dog
out front. Of course, I had to
pet each one.
We had lunch in a very old wooden building. It is what you would expect; all
the tables and chairs were
old wood which made them quite homey. The southwestern menu had lots of
tasty items. It was hard to
make one selection.
Besides walking along the two-lane road, Jack and I journeyed up a number of
side roads that seemed to
lead to private homes. We found a B-and-B so thought we might make a return
trip before winter. The
only problem would be not eating too much of that wonderful food.
That?s Braille!
by Maxine Schrader
Editor?s note: The following is from the Winter
2012 newsletter of the NFB of Minnesota.
My six-year-old great granddaughter A?mya is the inspiration for this
article. Whenever she sees Braille
? in elevators, on doors, signs, ATM machines, and so forth ? she loudly and
proudly announces to the
public ?that?s Braille; my great grandma can read it!? What a little
advocate she is.
Eighty-one years ago at the age of five I touched my first Braille dots, and
the magic began and will
never end. Just like A?mya, I said, ?that?s Braille!? At her age, I could
read and the whole
neighborhood knew it. The kids gathered on my porch and I read the book Old
Mother Westwind and
the Seven Little Breezes. After all these years, I can recall that book and
wonder if it still exists. I made
sure that everyone on my block knew about Braille and its importance to my
education.
Back in those days, the textbooks were all Braille ? no tapes, computers,
CDs or any of this modern stuff,
so there was no question or fuss about teaching Braille in the schools.
Everyone learned to read and
write Braille and were all the better for it.
As a teenager, I read Gone with the Wind, the big book of that time.
Because of Braille, I could stay
current on the latest books and magazines and never miss a beat.
Now at 86, I continue to be independent and people kid me about all the
Braille-marked things in my
home: appliances, files, clothing, canned goods, albums, even lipsticks for
their various shades. You
name it; Braille is there.
Now when A?mya says ?that?s Braille; my great grandma can read it,? I say
?YOU BETCHA!?
Seniors in Charge Provides Training to People with Vision Loss
A trip to the grocery store? An email
communication? Not a big deal, right? Not the
case for seniors with vision loss. Keeping up
with changes in technology is a challenge. Add
blindness, vision loss, or a variety of other
sight-related diseases to the equation, and the
outcome is typically frustration and discouragement.
But not for the seniors who participated in
Seniors in Charge, a three-day program offered by
the Colorado Center for the Blind at no cost.
Seniors with varying degrees of vision loss took
part in mobility, home management, and technology
training. "The goal of the program is to keep
visually impaired seniors living independently
for as long as possible. If blindness is the only
factor impacting the person, there is no reason
he or she can?t live independently," says Duncan
Larsen, senior services coordinator for the
Center. Participants received an introduction to
Braille, adaptive technologies such as electronic
readers and screen readers, then traveled with
the assistance of a white cane, a tool used by
the blind to navigate their surroundings safely.
Often seniors feel disconnected to friends and
family. With technology taking over routine,
daily communication, they often feel left out.
Colorado Center for the Blind steps in and
provides basic training in these skills. "I
didn't think I could even use a computer, and now
I can use one without a screen," said one participant.
"This is often the case with the participants.
They come with all sorts of misconceptions of
what they can and can't do. They leave the
program with a new understanding of what
possibilities exist," explains Larsen. In
addition to technology class, several outings
were planned throughout the three days. A trip on
the Light Rail from the Littleton station to
Downtown Denver. For some, the trip was filled
with firsts--the Light Rail, the 16th Street Mall
Shuttle, an escalator, and the first time in a
crowded buffet line navigating a tray of food--all without sight.
Inclusion of family members is a key component of
the program. On the final day the participants
prepared a meal for their family and friends.
Seeing what their loved ones accomplished in such
a short time provided hope and a glimpse at what
can be achieved with practice, the proper tools, and training.
The program's success was summarized best by
Brent Batron, youth services coordinator: "Our
seniors in this week's program have raised the
bar for all of us here at the Center." Telling a
group of twenty and thirty-somethings they had
been outdone by a group old enough to be their
parents or grandparents provided ample motivation
for them to work harder. More Seniors in Charge
training sessions are planned. For information
call (303) 778-1130 or visit
<<http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm12/bm1202/www.cocenter.org
>www.cocenter.
org>.
Thanksgiving
By Cindy Bennett
Editor's note: Cindy Bennett is from North
Carolina and has recently graduated from
Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions (BLIND),
Inc. In this article, she writes about the annual
Thanksgiving feast the BLIND, Inc. students
prepare for their instructors and how that activity builds self-confidence.
Thanksgiving with my family has always been just
that, very family oriented. We used to travel but
have taken to hosting the dinner and housing up
to 16 guests in our 1900 square foot home. So
this meant that Thanksgiving was filled with
wonderful chaos, chaos that often left me at a
loss for how I should help out. I took to the
tasks I knew like the coveted potato peeling or
before-dinner-even-begins dishwashing. I had
always been curious about turkey preparation, but
in my teen years, and OK maybe still, I had never
been ambitious enough to wake up at 5:00 A.M. or
courageous enough to interrupt the chaos to ask
questions. So everyone left the turkey roasting
to mom, and the turkey frying to the boys outside.
At Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions (BLIND),
Inc. however, the students prepare a giant
Thanksgiving meal for the staff, and the staff
repays us with a holiday dinner. So we began with
a plan to map out a menu, decide who was going to
do what, and what to prepare beforehand. We
wanted to fry and roast turkeys, and I was
excited to assist with both processes.
I first carved a turkey and realized that the
artistic connotation that carving gives is not
accurate. It was actually quite easy to feel
where the various parts of the turkey such as the
legs and wings bent and joined with the
mid-section. I cut the legs, thighs, and wings off before slicing the
breast.
The morning of the dinner, I prepared the fryer
for turkey. I examined its pieces before hooking
up the propane tank. It was quite simple to feel
each end and connect the tank to the fryer. I
have worked with matches, but I was a bit wary of
lighting one so close to the propane tank. I used
the match to find where I needed to light before
doing so, and I listened for the fryer to light
before removing the match. The oil has to heat to
325 degrees, and for the amount we used it took
about 45 minutes. Typically, before you fry a
turkey, you displace it in water to figure out
how much oil you need. You can do this by filling
the fryer with water the day before, and placing
the thawed turkey, still wrapped, inside the
water. After all of the excess has spilled, you
can measure how much water remains to determine the amount of oil to use.
A turkey must fry three minutes per pound, so
this meant that our 12-pounder needed to cook for
36 minutes, but before that could even start, we
had to lower the bird into the incredibly hot
oil. Brice, another student, held the basket,
which is metal with holes, that comes with the
fryer. Food is placed into the basket, and a
device that looks like an upside-down hanger is
utilized to lower the basket. I lifted the raw
turkey and placed it into the basket. I do not
mind working with raw meat, but I was a little
grossed out since I had to stick my hand into the
inside of the carcass to lift it, but it was
definitely worth it. Brice then connected the
hanger device to the basket handle. This would be
comparable to hooking the part of a hanger that
hangs on the closet clothes bar to something. He
found the side of the fryer with the basket,
lifted, and lowered slowly to avoid scorching
splatters. He removed the hanger device from the
basket handle, and we put the lid on and waited.
Removing the finished turkey is tedious, because
you first have to use the hanger device to find
the handle, hook it onto the handle, and lift.
Then, you must move the side of the basket, which
has a lip, slowly up the side of the fryer and
hook it onto the top edge of the fryer. This
allows oil to drip. After the dripping has
stopped, the turkey can be lifted completely out
of the fryer and placed to cool.
Although the turkey was the main course, there
were many other tasks necessary for a successful
meal that we engaged in the entire week prior. I
learned how fussy homemade pie crusts can be, and
worked on patience while cutting them. I placed a
toothpick in the center of each pie to center
myself and placed toothpicks along the side to
indicate the slices I had already cut. From the
appetizers to the dessert, we all worked hard to
serve the staff, and finally, ourselves, and the meal was incredible.
I am appreciative of BLIND, Inc. for creating
opportunities out of holidays to learn the
important nonvisual techniques essential to
hosting large dinners with food that is typically
only cooked at those occasions. I look forward to
hosting several holidays for my family, and even
though I did not perfect any of these skills, I
built a foundation of skills and confidence to start from in the future.
This and That
Low Vision Group Meets at LVL
by Pat Munson
Editor?s note: The following was printed in the
newsletter at the facility for seniors where Art and I live.
Note: Most blind folks I know use the word blind
to describe any person using what we call ?blind
techniques? to accomplish the daily activities of
life. So blind means someone with low to no
vision. But, some use low vision. It?s a free country!
Some time back, Mary Spittle saw a need for those
losing vision to meet at LVL. Now we usually
gather once a month in the Cardroom to learn how to deal with vision loss.
Art Schreiber and I are members of the National
Federation of the Blind (NFB) and are members of
the NFB Senior Division. Annually the division
meets at the national convention of NFB and we
deal with issues pertaining to vision loss.
Besides demonstrating items that speak, such as
clocks, color identifiers and recorders, we
discuss how a person losing vision handles the
business of daily life and dealing with family and well-meaning friends.
Recently, at LVL we showed a device called the
Pen Friend which is a recorder; this device has
labels which can be recorded upon. The labels can
then be placed on an item; then the Pen Friend is
pointed to the label and reads what has been recorded.
For more information call Art or me. We invite
anyone interested in this subject to join our
meetings. Art and I enjoy normal lives. We just
do some things a little differently. I was a
public school teacher for 35 years, and Art
worked in broadcasting after his blindness for 30
years so as you can see we are changing what it means to be blind!
Come join us and a big thanks to Mary for starting the group!
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
-- Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
--Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this
country and talked with the best people, and I
can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year."
--The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
"But what is it good for?"
-- Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems
Division of IBM,1968, commenting on the microchip.
"640K ought to be enough for anybody."
-- Bill Gates, 1981
This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be
seriously considered as a means of communication.
The device is inherently of no value to us,"
-- Western Union internal memo, 1876.
"The wireless music box has no imaginable
commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?"
-- David Sarnoff's associates in response to his
urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.
"The super computer is technologically
impossible. It would take all of the water that
flows over Niagara Falls to cool the heat
generated by the number of vacuum tubes required."
-- Professor of Electrical Engineering, New York University
"I don't know what use any one could find for a
machine that would make copies of documents. It
certainly couldn't be a feasible business by itself."
-- the head of IBM, refusing to back the idea,
forcing the inventor to found Xerox.
And last but not least...
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
-- Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp.,
1977
Laughing Matters What's a WC.
An English lady who visited Switzerland was so
delighted when visiting one small village that
she decided to stay there a year. So, the village
schoolmaster, the only English-speaker there,
selected a house for her that was just right. But
she had to return to England for packing. While
in England, she realized that she hadn't seen a
"W.C." (water closet or toilet) near the house.
So, she wrote a letter to the postmaster who had
no idea what "W.C." meant. After consulting the
village priest, they both decided that in England
the letters must mean "Wesleyan Chapel." The
schoolmaster then wrote the lady this letter:
"Dear Madam, I am glad to inform you that the
W.C. is only nine miles from the house and
located in a lovely grove of trees. The W.C. can
hold 229 people and is open on Sundays and
Thursdays. That distance may be a problem if you
are in the habit of going regularly. I would
advise your ladyship to go on Thursdays when
there is an organ concert. The acoustics are
excellent, and even the most delicate sounds can
be heard everywhere. Actually, though the W.C. is
small, even my daughter was married there. Added
recently is the bell donated by a wealthy
resident. The bell rings whenever someone enters
the doors. In the future, plush seats will be
installed, because for some time now the people
have realized a long-felt need. Although I go
regularly, my wife with her delicate health goes
only irregularly. In fact, she has not gone for
the past year, which pains her greatly. I shall
be delighted to reserve the best seat for you at
the W.C. where you can be seen by all."
Sincerely yours, Herr Scheiskepf
Robert Leslie Newman
Personal Website-
Adjustment To Blindness And Visual impairment
http//www.thoughtprovoker.info
NFB Writers' Division, president
http://www.nfb-writers-division.net
Chair of the NFB Communications Committee
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