[Nfb-editors] Arizona, April News and Views
Robert Leslie Newman
newmanrl at cox.net
Fri Apr 11 12:39:56 UTC 2014
National Federation of the Blind of Arizona
News and Views
Issue #3
April 1, 2014
In This Issue
Navigation
Greetings from Our President
Word on the Street
Guess Who Just Took another Trip around the Sun
National Certification in Literary Braille Exam
Literacy Surveys for Parents and Teachers
Onkyo Braille Essay Contest
Learn Braille in 3 Days
Separate is Not Equal
CVS Pharmacy Provides ScriptTalk Prescription Labels
Looking for a Fun Way to Fill Your Summer?
BISM Offers Summer Staff Positions
Need Some Cash to go to National Convention?
Survey on Fashion
Why Do We Fear the Blind?
Join Our Legislative Committee
Would You Like to Win an iPad Mini?
The NFB Brand
Raising Awareness Across the Americas, Two Blind to Ride
Flick, Swipe, and Tap, Who is SIRI?
Dog Gone It, This is not a Vacation
Did You Know? What to do in an Earthquake
Top 25 Accessible Computer Games
Learning to Bird by Ear
Healthy Choice, Healthy Living, Eating Healthy
What is New in BEP
Dear Betty Blunt
East Valley Energy
Phoenix Chapter News
The Recipe Box, Mexican 7 Layer Dip
Think Tank
A Round of Applause
Debbie's List
Stay Connected
Grins and Groans, The Usual Endings
Navigation
To navigate quickly to the different articles in this newsletter using JAWS,
System Access, or Window Eyes, press the letter H to move through the
headings. For MAC users, press Control Option Command plus the letter H.
Greetings from Our President
Hello, fellow Federationists,
I hope you are enjoying our beautiful spring weather as much as I. Spring
is a good time for each chapter and division to do housekeeping of their
membership list, and report new, or changed contact information to me in
order to keep our NFBA roster and mailing lists up to date. East Valley
chapter just sent their revised list of paid members, and I look forward to
hearing from the other chapters and divisions.
I have attached our April 2014 roster. Please check to see if your
information, or that of friends is up to date.
NFBA affiliate board meeting May 10. We have, for the past several years,
conducted a philosophy session in conjunction with this meeting. This year,
we will concentrate on inviting new members, (those who joined NFB within
the past two years or so) to be involved in the philosophy session. I will
be sending further details as we work them out.
I will be administering the National Certification in Literary Braille exam
May 17.
If you teach Braille, or simply want to be recognized as being very
competent in literary Braille, please consider taking the certification test
this year. Please read the flyer included in this newsletter.
We have many new members, some of whom have not yet participated in a
national convention. If you are mentoring a new member, let her or him know
there are still funds available for first timers to participate in Orlando
in July. I need to have first timers contact me now, so we can craft
together an effective letter of application to the Jernigan fund. Please
call, or email me soon as you can!
We always need to bring funds into our treasury for the many things we do.
Our annual affiliate fundraiser, is again this year a raffle that should be
popular with friends, family, and acquaintances.
Here is the wording on each $10.00 raffle ticket.
National Federation of the Blind of Arizona Luxury Dude Ranch Package
Win a stay for four people for 5 days / 4 nights at the Tanque Guest Ranch
in Tucson, Arizona.
includes three meals per day, horseback riding and lessons, hiking, biking,
tennis, fishing and nature program.
www.tanqueverderanch.com
Package value of $6,000, or choose $1,000 cash alternative prize
Ticket Price $10. All proceeds go to NFB of Arizona www.az.nfb.org
Drawing to be held September 13, 2014 at NFBA state convention
Winner need not be present to win
1- 888-899-6322
These raffle tickets are orange colored, jumbo size with the ticket stub
large enough that one can use a slate and stylus to fill in the name and
phone number of purchasers. Raffle tickets are stapled into packs of ten,
and each chapter and division will be receiving tickets to distribute to
members. We are looking to sell chances to win this luxury dude ranch
package to friends and business acquaintances, not simply to purchase a
ticket ourselves and figure we contributed to our fundraiser. Remind
friends who live in the cold and frozen north and east that we have fine
weather to spend at Arizona's best dude ranch. This luxury vacation
package is ideal for a family of four! We will have the Spring and Summer
to sell before we draw the winning ticket at our convention in September.
I hope you enjoy this issue of the Arizona newsletter, News and Views.
Please send in information you wish to share to:
news at az.nfb.org <mailto:news at az.nfb.org>
Bob Kresmer,
1-888-899-6322
Krezguy at cox.net <mailto:Krezguy at cox.net>
Word on the Street
1. Lynn Kresmer is recovering nicely from her recent gall bladder surgery.
Get well soon, Lynn!
2. Ashleigh, daughter of Debbie and Mark Feliz, and her husband
Lorenzo, are proud parents to Scarlett Marie Jimenez. Scarlett was born on
March 25, weighing in at 8.3 pounds, and 22 inches long. All are doing well!
Congratulations, Grandma and Grandpa!
3. Wedding bells are ringing! Tina Birenbaum and Tony Sohl will tie the
knot on Saturday, April 26, at 2:00 PM in Tempe! Congratulations to the
bride and groom!
4. The daughter of Joe O'Connor, Karen, is a teacher and girls basketball
coach at Seton Catholic high School in Chandler, and she and her team just
won the State Girls Basketball Championship at Jobbing .Com arena. She has
just won her 7th state title in twenty two years, and ranks second in state
titles. The number one spot has 8 titles, and is retired and there is one
active coach with 8 titles, who is nearing retirement. Karen is only 45
years old, and is expected to hold all of the girls basketball coaching
titles by the time she retires. She played college basketball at ASU and was
there starring point guard for all four years. Way to go Karen!
Got any news for us? We would love to hear what is going on in your world,
so please keep us up to date and write to:
news at az.nfb.org <mailto:news at az.nfb.org>
We look forward to sharing your news with our extended family here within
the NFB of Arizona.
Guess Who Just Took another Trip around the Sun?
Help us celebrate our April birthdays.
April 2, Donald Porterfield, from Tucson.
April 10, Lori Kirsop, from Youngtown.
April 12, Annie Schlesinger, from Tucson.
April 13, Matt Mazak, from Mesa.
April 16, Sami McGinnis, from Mesa.
April 28, Rocky Smith, from Tempe.
April 30, Brad Kuhn, from Phoenix.
Please help us build our birthday list, by sending your first and last name,
date of birth, (year optional), and the city you live in to:
news at az.nfb.org <mailto:news at az.nfb.org>
National Certification in Literary Braille Exam
By Bob Kresmer
Distinguish yourself among teachers of the blind and visually impaired!
Do not miss this unique opportunity to take this nationally recognized exam!
The National Certification in Literary Braille (NCLB) Test will be
administered by the National Blindness Professional Certification Board
(NBPCB), Saturday, May 17, 2014, at 9:00 AM to 4:30PM, at Southern Arizona
Association for the Visually Impaired, 3767 East Grant Street, Tucson,
Arizona. Deadline for Registration is May 2. Please go to our website:
www.nbpcb.org/nclb <http://www.nbpcb.org/nclb> ,
for more information and to register for this important test!
You can call Bob Kresmer for details toll free at, 888-899-6322.
Literacy Surveys for Parents and Teachers
Submitted by Bob Kresmer
Literacy is the most important skill a child can obtain. At the Professional
Development and Research Institute on Blindness at Louisiana Tech
University, we believe in every blind or visually impaired child having
access to literacy. That is one of the principal purposes of the Institute
on Blindness at Louisiana Tech University, to conduct research that deepens
and broadens our understanding of blindness and the best educational
practices to help those who are blind to better function in society.
That is why we are embarking on two separate, but related studies. The first
is aimed at collecting information from Teachers of the Blind or visually
Impaired about their training and experiences with vision loss. Secondly, we
are launching a separate survey that is aimed at parents who have children
in K through 12 education. What follows is more information on how teachers
and parents can help. Your assistance in helping us spread the word about
these studies is very much appreciated. Parents and teachers can help us
evaluate the services and educational experiences of blind or visually
impaired youth in grades K through 12. By filling out a quick survey, we can
examine and better understand the educational experiences of the blind or
visually impaired youth. Your feedback will improve future policies and
practices that prepare teachers in the future. Participation in this study
allows us to gain a much richer and robust understanding of factors that
impact service options and academic performance of blind or visually
impaired youth.
If you are a teacher you must meet the following criteria: (a.) Currently be
a certified Teacher of Visual Impairment TVI/TBS; (b) Have a case load of
one or more students with low vision or blindness as his or her primary
diagnosed disability on his/her Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
Teachers may access the survey at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/pdribt
<https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/pdribt> .
For a parent or guardian to participate in this study, your child must meet
the following criteria: (a.) Be between the ages of 5 and 22 and be enrolled
in a school in the United States in grades K through 12; (b) Visual
impairment must be listed as his or her primary diagnosed disability on his
or her Individualized Education Plan (IEP); (c) English is his or her
primary spoken language. Parents may access the survey at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/pdribp
<https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/pdribp> .
Your participation is greatly appreciated. If you have specific questions
about either study, or other ways in which you can help, you can contact the
principal researchers for this study. Edward Bell, Ph.D., is the Principal
Investigator and can be reached at 318-257-4554 or ebell at latech.edu
<mailto:ebell at latech.edu> . Casey Robertson, Research Associate, is the lead
person for questions about teachers or parents, and she can be contacted at:
caseywest94 at hotmail.com <mailto:caseywest94 at hotmail.com> .
We at the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness thank
you for your attention and assistance in this important research.
Onkyo Braille Essay Contest
The Onkyo Corporation is again sponsoring a braille essay contest for people
of all ages. Contest winners receive cash prizes valued from $500 to $2,000.
The link for full information and application for the contest is below, but
here are the basics.
The Onkyo Braille essay contest is being administered by the National
Federation of the Blind (NFB) on behalf of the North America-Caribbean
Region of the World Blind Union.
Essays must be written by contest participants, in English or their native
language, in Braille on paper, and must be completely original in nature.
Participants are also asked to submit their essays in electronic format.
Entries should be no fewer than 800 words and no more than 1,000 words in
length. There will be two groups of competitors, one Junior group, aged 25
and under, and one Senior group, aged 26 and up, and prizes range from
$500-$2,000.
All essays must be received by April 30, 2014. In the US, they should be
sent to the NFB and in Canada, they should be sent to Braille Literacy
Canada; the contacts are listed on the application.
Essay topics:
1. How do you acquire knowledge and information through Braille or audio
devices? (Illustrate with some interesting personal stories/episodes.)
2. How can blind persons become independent by learning Braille or music?
3. Individual concept about world peace from the viewpoint of persons with
disabilities.
Visit http://www.nfb.org/onkyo-braille-essay-contest
<http://www.nfb.org/onkyo-braille-essay-contest>
for more information and an application.
Please use the following contacts if you have questions:
in the US: Trisha Tatam at:
ttatam at nfb.org <mailto:ttatam at nfb.org>
In Canada: Jen Goulden at:
info at blc-lbc <mailto:info at blc-lbc.ca>
Learn Braille in 3 Days
It seems impossible but it's true. Learn to read braille by sight in just 3
days. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who is involved in the blind
and visually impaired community in any way:
1. Educators, family and friends will gain the knowledge and tools
necessary to support the braille readers in their lives.
2. Literary Braille Instructors will learn a different approach to teaching
braille and will have a wealth of reference material to use with their own
students.
3. Transcribers will have the opportunity to brush up on their proofreading
skills.
For anyone interested in becoming a braille transcriber or just wanting to
learn more about braille, attend all three days, or take advantage of the
special one day registration.
Whether you've never seen a braille dot in your life or you have been
reading or transcribing braille for years, you will benefit from this
amazing opportunity. Gaeir Dietrich will be presenting her, Braille Boot
Camp, at NBA's Conference, May 1 to 3 in Cleveland, Ohio. For more
information and conference registration please go to the National Braille
Association's website at:
https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=1377528
<https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=1377528>
Spread the word! Let's fill the room! Hope to see you there!
Separate is Not Equal
Submitted by Debi Chatfield
On February 26, 2014, Safeway took an important step in meeting its goal of
a fully usable digital experience for all customers. In a banner posted on
its site, the company announced it was eliminating the Safeway separate text
only website it had maintained for many years. Eliminating the text only
site is part of Safeways commitment to making its main site accessible to
all users. Safeway announced its accessibility initiative this past
December, after working with its blind customers in the alternative dispute
resolution process known as Structured Negotiations.
Safeways so called Access Site was no doubt established out of a concern
that blind customers and others with disabilities could not use the main
site. But as in most things, separate in this situation was not equal. The
Access Site did not provide customers with the same information or
functionality as the main site. Blind customers shunted off to the separate
site often missed out on deals only available to main site users.
But the separate site is soon to be a thing of the past. The following
notice is now posted on the Safeway text only Access Site
Attention: As of April 30, 2014, this Access Site will no longer be
available. Please visit and bookmark our main website at:
http://shop.safeway.com
which has been updated to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0
Level AA. For more information, the Safeway Accessibility Policy is
available in the footer of our Grocery Delivery site at:
https://shop.safeway.com/ecom/content/accessibility%20policy
<https://shop.safeway.com/ecom/content/accessibility%20policy> .
Questions? Call 1 877 505 4040 or email
homeshopping at customerservice.safeway.com. Notice on Safeway text only site
Congratulations Safeway on your commitment to an accessible, usable digital
experience for all customers.
CVS Pharmacy Provides ScriptTalk Prescription Labels
CVS pharmacy has announced that it now provides ScripTalk talking
prescription labels for prescriptions ordered for home delivery through its
online pharmacy, CVS.com. The ScripTalk labels provide a convenient way to
access information on prescription labels privately and independently for
individuals who cannot read print. The ScripTalk labels are free to CVS.com
pharmacy customers who are blind or have low vision. Customers can obtain
from Envision America a free ScripTalk reader, which is needed to hear the
information on the ScripTalk label. To request that the labels be attached
to your prescriptions ordered through CVS.com, call CVS.com at 888.227.3403.
To obtain your free ScripTalk reader, call Envision America at 800.890.1180.
It is recommended that you call CVS.com first.
Looking for a Fun Way to Fill Your Summer?
Still searching for a fun way to fill your summer? Blind Industries and
Services of Maryland (BISM) may have just the thing for you! This summer,
BISM Youth Services is heating up with two comprehensive, residential
programs: Work to Independence 2014 for high school students and
Independence 101 2014 for middle school students.
These fun and Educational programs offer students a chance to:
1. Learn non-visual techniques in Braille, cane travel, independent living,
and the use of technology.
2. Build confidence through rock climbing, team building activities, out of
town trips, and recreational water activities.
3. Earn valuable paid employment experience (Work to Independence) Live in
college apartments with blind peers and responsible blind
instructors/mentors.
4. Discuss current events in the blind community and build a
positive
attitude about blindness.
5. Learn to pursue personal, professional, and scholastic goals
while
using non visual techniques.
6. Explore Baltimore's exciting tourist attractions.
7. Travel to Washington D.C. (Independence 101) and New York City
and
Orlando, FL (Work to Independence).
Join us for an enriching, fun filled summer!! At BISM we have
high
expectations for students who are blind or have low vision! This summer you
can build a foundation of skills and experience that will help you to
achieve your future goals!
Please spread the word to students, parents, and supporters! To
find out more information on these programs or to submit an application,
visit: <http://www.bism.org/youth>www.bism.org/youth
<http://www.bism.org/youth%3Ewww.bism.org/youth> .
BISM Offers Summer Staff Positions
Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM) is accepting applications
for our Work to Independence and Independence 101 summer staff positions!
We are looking for confident and independent blind individuals who exhibit
leadership qualities and enthusiasm. If you fit this description, please
consider becoming a staff at one of our summer programs!
Work to Independence
Staff dates: June 14 to August 10, 2014
The purpose of this program is for blind and low vision high school students
to develop the life skills and confidence necessary to smoothly transition
from high school to college, vocational training, or employment.
Independence 101
Staff dates: July 14 to August 8, 2014
This three-week comprehensive life skills program is designed for blind and
low vision middle school students to focus on building confidence.
For more information on these summer programs, please visit our website at:
http://www.bism.org/youth <http://www.bism.org/youth> .
All interested applicants must have great blindness skills, especially in
the fields of cane travel, braille, technology, and independent living.
Staff should also be comfortable with instructing or working with students
in two or more of these areas. Lastly, staff must be able to reside with
students on a college campus for the entire duration of the program
(excluding days/nights off).
If you are interested in applying, please send your resume to Melissa Lomax
at:
mlomax at bism.org <mailto:mlomax at bism.org>
or, Sarah Baebler at:
sbaebler at bism.org <mailto:sbaebler at bism.org> .
Please contact us with any questions you may have!
Need Some Cash to go to National Convention?
By Allen Harris
Do you need a little extra cash to be able to attend the national convention
in Orlando this summer? The Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship Fund invites
members of the National Federation of the Blind who have not been to a
national convention before to make an application. The three largest
expenses are round trip travel costs, usually by plane; the room cost from
arrival on July 1 to departure on July 7, and food costs when mostly eating
in a hotel. The fund will usually cover one of the three. To understand
what the committee needs to know about you, read the article by me, Allen
Harris, chairperson of the Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund,
which is published in the March Braille Monitor. Here is a direct link to
the article:
https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm14/bm1403/bm140316.htm
<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm14/bm1403/bm140316.htm> .
Please hurry if you are interested. The deadline for your letter and a
letter from your affiliate president is April 15.
Survey on Fashion
Reprinted from NFBNet
Are you interested in fashion and style? How do you get current info about
what others are wearing? We are seeking information from blind and visually
impaired people about their access to information regarding fashion and
style. We would be very appreciative if you would take our quick,
confidential, ten question survey about how you receive information, what
fashion topics you are interested in, and ways that you think style can be
made more accessible. With this data, we hope to work on projects which will
be usable and important to the blind in terms of accessing current fashion
information. We know that there are disparities in the knowledge of style,
and we would like to fill these gaps. Please take our survey and let us know
how we can make this topic more user friendly. Here is the survey link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NYJ9R3M
If you have questions, comments, or concerns about the survey, please
contact Laura at:
l.legendary at elegantinsightsjewelry.com
Remember, that everyone has the right to look, and feel, fabulous!
Why Do We Fear the Blind?
By ROSEMARY MAHONEY
A FEW years ago, when I mentioned to a woman I met at a party that I was
teaching in a school for the blind, she seemed confused. Quote, Can I just
ask you one question? End quote, she said. Quote, How do you talk to your
students? End quote. I explained that the students were blind, not deaf.
Raising the palms of her hands at me, as if to stem further
misunderstanding, she said, quote, Yes, I know they are not deaf, but what I
really mean is, how do you actually talk to them? End quote.
I knew, because I had been asked this question before by reasonably
intelligent people, that the woman did not know exactly what she meant. All
she knew, was that in her mind, there existed a substantial intellectual
barrier between the blind and the sighted. The blind could hear, yes. But
could they properly understand?
Throughout history and across cultures the blind have been traduced by a
host of mythologies such as this. They have variously been perceived as
pitiable idiots incapable of learning, as artful masters of deception or as
mystics possessed of supernatural powers. One of the most persistent
misconceptions about blindness is that it is a curse from God, for misdeeds
perpetrated in a past life, which cloaks the blind person in spiritual
darkness, and makes him not just dangerous but evil.
A majority of my blind students at the International Institute for Social
Entrepreneurs in Trivandrum, India, a branch of Braille Without Borders,
came from the developing world: Madagascar, Colombia, Tibet, Liberia, Ghana,
Kenya, Nepal and India. One of my students, the 27 year old Sahr, lost most
of his eyesight to measles when he was a child. (Like many children in
rural West Africa, Sahr had not been vaccinated.) The residents of Sahr's
village were certain that his blindness, surely the result of witchcraft or
immoral actions on his familys part, would adversely affect the entire
village. They surrounded his house and shouted threats and abuse. They
confiscated a considerable portion of his parents land. Eventually, the
elders decreed that Sahrs father must take the child out to the bush, quote,
where the demons live, quote, and abandon him there. The parents refused
and fled the village with their son.
Many of my students had similar experiences. Marcos parents, devout
Colombian Catholics, begged a priest to say a Mass so that their blind
infant son would die before his existence brought shame and hardship on
their household. The villagers in Kyiles remote Tibetan village insisted
that she, her two blind brothers, and their blind father should all just
commit suicide because they were nothing but a burden to the sighted members
of the family. When, as a child in Sierra Leone, James began to see objects
upside down because of an ocular disease, the villagers were certain that he
was possessed by demons.
In these places, schools for blind children were deemed a preposterous waste
of resources and effort. Teachers in regular schools refused to educate
them. Sighted children ridiculed them, tricked them, spat at them and threw
stones at them. And when they reached working age, no one would hire them.
During a visit to the Braille Without Borders training center in Tibet, I
met blind children who had been beaten, told they were idiots, locked in
rooms for years on end, and abandoned by their parents. These stories, which
would have been commonplace in the Dark Ages, took place in the 1980s, 1990s
and 2000s. They are taking place now. Nine out of 10 blind children in the
developing world still have no access to education, many for no other reason
than that they are blind.
The United States has one of the lowest rates of visual impairment in the
world, and yet blindness is still among the most feared physical
afflictions. Even in this country, the blind are perceived as a people
apart.
Aversion toward the blind exists for the same reason that most prejudices
exist: lack of knowledge. Ignorance is a powerful generator of fear. And
fear slides easily into aggression and contempt. Anyone who has not spent
more than five minutes with a blind person might be forgiven for believing,
like the woman I met at the party, that there is an unbridgeable gap between
us and them.
For most of us, sight is the primary way we interpret the world. How can we
even begin to conceive of a meaningful connection with a person who cannot
see? Before I began living and working among blind people, I, too, wondered
this. Whenever I saw a blind person on the street I would stare,
transfixed, hoping, out of a vague and visceral discomfort, that I would not
have to engage with him. In his 1930 book The World of the Blind, Pierre
Villey, a blind French professor of literature, summarized the lurid
carnival of prejudices and superstitions about the blind that were passed
down the centuries. Quote, The sighted person judges the blind not for what
they are but by the fear blindness inspires. ... The revolt of his
sensibility in the face of 'the most atrocious of maladies' fills a sighted
person with prejudice and gives rise to a thousand legends. End Quote. The
blind author Georgina Kleege, a lecturer at the University of California at
Berkeley, more tersely wrote, quote, The blind are either supernatural or
subhuman, alien or animal. End quote.
WE take our eyesight so much for granted, cling to it so slavishly and are
so overwhelmed by its superficial data, that even the most brilliant sighted
person can take a stupidly long time to recognize the obvious: There is
usually a perfectly healthy, active and normal human mind behind that pair
of unseeing eyes.
Christopher Hitchens called blindness quote, one of the oldest and most
tragic disorders known to man. End quote. How horribly excluded and bereft
we would feel to lose the world and the way of life that sight brings us.
Blindness can happen to any one of us. Myself, I used to be certain I would
rather die than be blind. I could not imagine how I would have the strength
to go on in the face of such a loss.
And yet people do. In 1749, the French philosopher Denis Diderot published
an essay, quote, Letter on the Blind for the Benefit of Those Who See, end
quote, in which he described a visit he and a friend made to the house of a
blind man, the son of a professor of philosophy at the University of Paris.
The blind man was married, had a son, had many acquaintances, was versed in
chemistry and botany, could read and write with an alphabet of raised type
and made his living distilling liqueurs. Diderot wrote with wonder of the
mans good solid sense, of his tidiness, of his surprising memory for sounds
and voices, of his ability to tell the weight of any object and the capacity
of any vessel just by holding them in his hands, of his ability to dismantle
and reassemble small machines, of his musical acuity and of his extreme
sensitivity to atmospheric change.
The blind man, perhaps weary of being interrogated by Diderot and his friend
as if he were a circus animal, eventually asked them a question of his own.
Quote, I perceive, gentlemen, that you are not blind. You are astonished at
what I do, and why not as much at my speaking? End quote. More than any of
his sensory skills, it was the blind mans self esteem that surprised Diderot
most. Quote, This blind man, he wrote, values himself as much as, and
perhaps more than, we who see. End quote.
I have learned from my blind friends and colleagues that blindness does not
have to remain tragic. For those who can adapt to it, blindness becomes a
path to an alternative and equally rich way of living.
One of the many misconceptions about the blind is that they have greater
hearing, sense of smell and sense of touch than sighted people. This is not
strictly true. Their blindness simply forces them to recognize gifts they
always had but had heretofore largely ignored.
A few years ago, I allowed myself to be blindfolded and led through the
streets of Lhasa by two blind Tibetan teenage girls, students at Braille
Without Borders. The girls had not grown up in the city, and yet they
traversed it with ease, without stumbling or getting lost. They had a
specific destination in mind, and each time they announced, Now we turn
left, or Now we turn right, I was compelled to ask them how they knew this.
Their answers startled me, chiefly because the clues they were following,
the sound of many televisions in an electronics shop, the smell of leather
in a shoe shop, the feel of cobblestones, suddenly underfoot - though out in
the open for anyone to perceive, were virtually hidden from me.
For the first time in my life, I realized how little notice I paid to
sounds, to smells, indeed to the entire world that lay beyond my ability to
see.
The French writer Jacques Lusseyran, who lost his sight at the age of 8,
understood that those of us who have sight are, in some ways, deprived by
it. Quote, In return for all the benefits that sight brings we are forced to
give up others whose existence we don't even suspect. End quote.
I do not intend to suggest there is something wonderful about blindness.
There is only something wonderful about human resilience, adaptability and
daring. The blind are no more or less worldly, stupid, evil, gloomy,
pitiable or deceitful than the rest of us. It is only our ignorance that
has cloaked them in these ridiculous garments. When Helen Keller wrote,
quote, It is more difficult to teach ignorance to think than to teach an
intelligent blind man to see the grandeur of Niagara, end quote, she was
speaking, obviously, of the uplifting and equalizing value of knowledge.
Rosemary Mahoney is the author of the forthcoming book, quote, For the
Benefit of Those Who See: Dispatches From the World of the Blind. End quote.
Join Our Legislative Committee
By Donald Porterfield
Fellow Federationists:
As most of you are aware, there are many legislative and policy issues
facing the NFB. There issues are at the local, state and federal levels and
must be met by the collective action of our federation. The legislative
committee of the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona is tasked with
leading our policy and advocacy efforts and is looking to increase its
membership and participation in order to more effectively deal with these
challenges.
In our latest legislative committee meeting the committee agreed on the need
to increase its membership and to implement new strategies to better
organize our efforts. The committee currently consists of members from the
Tucson, East Valley and West Valley Chapters and is seeking a representative
from the Phoenix and Northern Chapters as well as any division that wants to
be active in legislation and policy advocacy. I am asking the presidents of
the chapters and divisions currently without representation to contact me
with the name, or names of persons they would like to recommend for the
committee. If you are interested, please contact your chapter or division
president.
The responsibilities of the members are:
. To actively participate in legislative and resolutions committee
meetings
. To provide communication to the chapter and division they belong to
about all legislative activities
. To organize the response to legislative calls to action for chapter
and division members
I look forward to more engaged participation as we quote, change what it
means to be blind. End quote.
Contact me at:
donaldpfield at gmail.com <mailto:donaldpfield at gmail.com>
520 850 2180
Would You Like to Win an iPad Mini?
>From www.blindhow.com <http://www.blindhow.com/>
Interested in winning an iPad mini? Well BlindHow.com is giving a brand new
one away this May and all you have to do is tell us about your job and how
you do it.
Blind people across the country and around the world work in every field
imaginable, including but not limited to medicine, office and clerical work,
education, engineering, meteorology, and law. At www.blindhow.com
<http://www.blindhow.com/> we want to know how you are doing your job and
what techniques you use to get the job done right. It is our mission to
educate everyone (both blind and sighted) about the capabilities of the
blind by demonstrating how we as blind people are able to succeed in the
workforce.
We believe that it is not blindness that creates a barrier to independence
and employment. Rather, it is the lack of accurate information as well as
the misconceptions and stereotypes that create the greatest obstacles to
meaningful employment for the blind. In order to change these
misconceptions, we are running a campaign to hear from as many blind people
as possible about their work.
As promised, someone will be the lucky winner of a free iPad mini. All you
have to do to be eligible is submit a post on our website telling about your
work and how it's done. You can earn points for completing different
submissions. For every 5 points you earn, you will receive one entry in the
iPad Mini drawing. So if you have 30 points, your name goes into the drawing
6 times, 40 points gets your name in 8 times, and so on. A written
description about your job and the alternative techniques you use will earn
you 10 points. A written post along with an audio demonstration of the
alternative techniques you use will earn you 20 points. A written
description along with a recorded video demonstration will earn you 30
points. If you refer someone to blindhow.com and they submit a post about
their job, you will gain an additional 5 points. To earn referral points,
both you and the person you refer must send us an email using the email link
on blindhow.com to tell us who you referred, or who referred you. Our
employment contest has been running from October 1, 2013 and will continue
until April 30, 2014. We will draw our iPad Mini winner in May at our NFB of
Utah state convention. So please submit your posts, and refer more people to
increase your chances of winning. Good luck to all who participate. The
ultimate goal of this project is to use this information to help educate the
public about what we do as blind people, and hopefully we can open more
doors to make it easier for qualified blind people to find employment.
The NFB Brand
By Chris Danielsen
Dear Fellow Federationists:
Some of you may know that the National Federation of the Blind, acting
through President Maurer and the board of directors, has adopted a new
strategy to refresh our brand so that we can more easily communicate our
purpose and message to potential members, potential donors, and the general
public. In the coming weeks, we will be sending you more information about
our new brand and its components, but I wanted to give you a head start on
the process of activating the brand. The easiest part of our new brand to
implement, and one of its most useful and powerful components, is known as
the one minute message.
Often our members and supporters wonder, quote, How can I possibly explain
what the National Federation of the Blind is and does in a concise way? End
quote. The one minute message is designed to solve this problem. It can
actually be repeated in less than a minute, and can also be thought of as
the quote, elevator speech, end quote, (a short statement that could be used
to describe the NFB to a stranger during a short elevator ride). In addition
to using the one minute message in speeches, presentations to civic groups,
media interviews, and the like, you can use the written form of the message
on your affiliate Web site or your chapter's Facebook page, as a quote for
your e-mail signature, and more. The one minute message is already featured
on the home page of our national Web site, www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/>
. You can also see an example of how it can be used as an e-mail signature
in my own signature below. In short, the one minute message should be
memorized and used as often as possible, wherever and whenever you can think
of to use it.
The one minute message is:
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.
Happy branding!
Raising Awareness Across the Americas
Two Blind to Ride
By Tauru Chaw and Christi Bruchok
East Valley Chapter
Ride a tandem bike? We had never done that before. As a test run,
we headed to the coast of Southern California and pedaled eastward. Telling
only family and friends, we covered 3200 miles until we reached the coast of
North Carolina ten weeks later. Some discouraged us from tackling such a
feat, saying, quote, You are too blind to ride. End quote.
That became our moniker: Two Blind to Ride. From to, to two.
Both of us are legally blind. Christi lost sight in her right eye
entirely after some thirteen operations for retinal detachments. She was
born legally blind, and while the nystagmus caused by severe myopia makes it
difficult to focus, she does have some usable vision remaining in her left
eye. Even as we started from California's coast in the summer of 2009, she
did not know how to ride a bike. For this reason, she took the stoker
position on the tandem.
Tauru has retinitis pigmentosa and had given up driving as his tunnel vision
worsened. Though he loved to ride bikes as a child, he was not sure how his
vision would hold up to the challenge. We purchased our tandem on eBay,
where we planned to sell it again if things did not work out.
Vision was not our only challenge. Temperatures in the Mojave Desert soared
to over 120 degrees Fahrenheit as we rolled through in mid-July. Sighted
cyclists would have passed through in the night, but this was not an option
for us. The Rocky Mountains in Colorado presented jagged peaks to scale,
reaching as high as 11,000 feet. After passing the Midwest's endless
plains, our legs were strong. We churned the pedals with confidence. The
Appalachian Mountains paled in comparison to the Rockies and symbolized the
completion of our trial.
As we rode the last few miles to the coast of North Carolina's Outer Banks,
our thoughts drifted beyond the Atlantic Ocean. We had done it! More
important, we could do it. We launched plans for a bigger challenge: the
ultimate cycle touring journey from the tip of South America to the top of
Alaska, roughly 16,000 miles. That equated to about five times across the
United States. With the confidence that we could do it, we decided to use
the ride to raise awareness about the capabilities of those with visual
impairments.
For us, the effort was not as straight forward as it would be for sighted
cyclists. Patches of vision were missing from Tauru's 10 degree field of
view. RP related cataracts caused excessive glare and harsh transitions
between light and dark. This problem was exasperated by simple conditions,
such as riding down a road lined with trees or navigating under a bright,
but cloudy sky, let alone traffic. Christi provided visual cues when she
could from behind. Off the bike and at night, she took over as quote,
captain, end quote, since she had slightly better night vision.
In January of 2012, we started pedaling from Ushuaia, the southern most city
at the tip of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego. We were a team of two, no
guides or any kind of sighted support. We had to haul everything we would
need for the year and a half journey, including extra gear for rain and cold
weather. We pulled a trailer, which added another five feet to the already
long tandem. In total, everything weighed approximately 150 pounds.
As we traversed Patagonia, with ferocious headwinds and remote dirt
roads riddled with pot holes, we made contacts with schools and
organizations for the blind in Santiago, Chile. By the time we completed
this first leg of the journey in Santiago, covering roughly 1800 miles, we
demonstrated to Chile's national news that people with visual impairments
can still achieve great things. We met with students and organizations for
the blind to convey two things: (1) only you know what you can or can't do,
and (2) develop your own strategies to accomplish what you want to do.
As we rode north, we continued to visit schools and spread our message
through local newspapers, television, radio and the internet. We shared our
story with every person we met. Our goal was to change the general public's
perception that people like us are incapable of doing such things.
We crossed Bolivia's altiplano and descended to Peru's coast. At times, we
took buses to avoid dangers. Recognizing actual limitations is as important
as pushing perceived ones. Lima, the capital of Peru, is a huge city of
about eight million people. The roads in and out are infamously dangerous,
as are the roads surrounding Mexico City. Throwing the bike onto a bus
here, or there brought us plenty of adventures and the benefit of living to
tell about them.
After 18 months, we finally crossed into Alaska and nearly ran over a bear.
Christi had spotted it a fraction of a second before and thought the black
blob was someone's dog. But upon remembering that we were in the middle of
nowhere, she called out, quote, BEAR!! End quote. Tauru only caught sight
of it as the cub crossed five feet in front of his line of view.
We did not hit the cub, and we never saw its mom. This was not our only
close call. We fell with the bike seven or eight times, three of which were
somewhat serious. We usually rode slowly, partly because of the sheer
weight of the bike, but mostly because we couldn't see well enough to risk
going faster. Our nemesis is catching speed on a downhill on a sunny day.
This sounds fun, but more than once, camouflaged objects or pot-holes on the
road were hidden by shadows and sent us flying. Dazed and confused on the
side of the road, we did not always find the offending object. But we
continued, incorporating more caution into our strategy to get to Alaska.
Throughout the ride, Tauru's vision had been deteriorating at an
increasingly fast rate, causing us to wonder about our ability to complete
the project. In Canada, Christi started to learn how to ride a bike in case
she had to take over and captain the tandem. Learning to ride on a loaded
down tandem is no small feat, and though she managed, she was grateful that
Tauru succeeded in steering us to Prudhoe Bay.
We completed our journey near the end of July 2013 and then returned to
Fairbanks. Since Christi had learned how to ride a bike, we donated our
tandem to an organization for the blind before flying down to Southern
California. We picked up individual bikes and headed to the same beach
where four years earlier we launched our ride across America. This time, we
pedaled through the desert in mid August to Phoenix, each on our own bike.
Tauru trailed behind Christi's wheel as she captained our ride back home.
Flick, Swipe, and Tap, Who is SIRI?
Submitted by Debi Chatfield
Have you ever wondered where the voice of SIRI comes from? Click on the
link below, and have a listen!
http://content.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,2718265214001_2153906,00.h
tml?iid=tabvidrecirc&utm_source=hootsuite&utm_campaign=hootsuite
<http://content.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,2718265214001_2153906,00.
html?iid=tabvidrecirc&utm_source=hootsuite&utm_campaign=hootsuite>
Dog Gone It, This is not a Vacation
By Charles Rivard
A lot of people think that training with a dog guide is a fun vacation, but
it is not. Sure, you are going to go through some fun experiences during
your training, but there is no doubt about the fact that this is work!
Lets see: We left off last month after you have just taken your first
exhilarating walk with your dog! You go back to where all the other
students are waiting as everyone goes on that first walk you have just
experienced! You go back to the school on a bus and relieve your dog, then
give the puppy some water. Then, it is your lunch time in the dining room.
A staff member might join you and 3 dorm mates, and your dogs who are lying
at your side. Then you get washed up and go for another workout in the
afternoon. After that, you go back to the dorm, relieve and water your dog,
and then feed the dog. After a short rest, it is dinner time. Speaking of
which, the food is excellent, and you can usually get second helpings if you
want them and if there is time. Then, in the evening, everyone gathers in a
large room in the dorm for a lecture along with questions and answers about
what you are going to do tomorrow and the techniques of doing them.
Usually, this is from 7:00 to 8:00 PM or so. After that, you have time to
groom your dog, then take them out for another relieve. By the way, a
relieve, if you do not know, is taking the dog out to go to the bathroom,
which you also dispose of using a little plastic bag. Bedtime is at 10:00
PM, or at least, you have to be quiet after 10:00, so that others can get
sleep if they choose. Maybe not after the first day, due to excitement, but
you will appreciate this later during training.
At 6:00 AM the next morning, it is time to get up, relieve your dog, water
your dog, and then get ready for breakfast at 7:00 AM. At 8:00 AM, you
start, as a class, learning to give your guide obedience training. It is
the same that I mentioned in a previous article, but now you are training
your own guide. At 9:00 AM, you head for town for the morning workout,
after again relieving the dog. You get back to the dorm some time between
11:30 AM and noon, at which time you again relieve and water your guide,
then head for lunch. The rest of the day is the same as before. This is
the daily schedule for the next 2 weeks of training, 6 days a week. On
Sunday, you have no workouts, and this is the time to catch up on laundry or
whatever else you have to do.
At least twice during the 2 week training, you will have a third workout;
this one is after dinner in place of the lecture. Things look different to
a dog at night, and that is the purpose of these workouts. They usually
consist of a route that becomes familiar to you during the day. Routes are
planned for you for at least the first full week, and you walk along with an
instructor who will critique you and your dog, although they will not
correct your dog. That is up to you, while under their watchful eyes.
During part of the last week, you choose your own route, and how to get from
the downtown lounge to a shop you want to buy from, or somewhere you want to
visit. Instructors watch from a distance as you traverse these, and are
there if you need their help, but for the most part, you are on your own,
using your dog to get from place to place. The instructor meets you at
either your destination or back at the downtown lounge after your workout
and you discuss your experience. At least twice during your training, you
will go into the town of San Francisco for your workouts. You might go to
tourist attractions, ride a city bus or an electric computer operated train,
sort of like a subway train. You work your dog on an escalator and through
a revolving door, on flights of stairs and you use an elevator. You
experience going through security at a major airport. You also get the
experience of walking through a major redwood forest with your dog. Also,
during your training, you will be tested as to what to do if a car comes at
you as you cross streets, as you cross driveways, and other situations. The
car is being driven by an instructor, and there is another instructor
walking with you as you work this route with, shall we say, unexpected
surprises for both you and your dog. On this workout, you are shown that
you really can trust your dog to get you through these situations.
The last workout, or test, is that you are dropped off somewhere, you do not
know where, and you all meet back at the downtown lounge, if you can get
there. You have to find out where you are and then work your way to the
destination. It might be a familiar street corner, or it might not be.
Using your mobility skills and your now trusted dog, you get to where you
need to be. Asking someone on the street for information is perfectly OK.
Ah. It might be one of your instructors disguising their voice! All
through training, distractions are presented to the dog and you, and you
learn to deal with them. Some are planned, others are not.
On the last Saturday you are at the school, it is a big day! Graduation!!
The person or family that raised your guide from when they were a puppy
usually, if possible, comes to the school. Your dog will remember them, and
it is an emotional time for all. You spend time with them and ask questions
that you might have about what the dog likes at home in the way of play
toys, how they like to play, and their family life as a puppy, their quirks,
likes and dislikes, all kinds of questions. They tell you about your nutty
guides experiences as a puppy. Then, you all go to the dining room for
lunch. After that, at 1:00 PM, everyone goes out to the outdoor area where
graduation is held. Sponsors, friends and families, staff, and just about
anyone attends. Speeches are given by instructors and school staff. Oh, I
forgot to mention that you do not have your dog at this time. Your puppy
raiser has the dog. When your name is called, you step up to the mike and
say a few words of your choice, and are officially handed the dog on a leash
from the puppy raiser. After everyone has graduated, as a class, you head
back inside for some light refreshments if time allows. Then, or some time
the next day, you get on a bus and head for the San Francisco airport,
headed home with your new partner in pedestrianism!
So, as I say, it may seem like a vacation, and, although there is a lot of
fun during your training, there is also a lot of work, too!
Did You Know? What to do in an Earthquake
Written by: Doug Copp, Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager
My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the
American Rescue Team International ARTI, the world\'s most experienced
rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an
earthquake. I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with
rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries,
and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries. I was the United
Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at every
major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.
The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City
during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child was
crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying
down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I
wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I did not at the time know
that the children were told to hide under something.
Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling
upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space
or void next to them. This space is what I call the triangle of life. The
larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the
object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the
person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time
you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the triangles you see
formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a
collapsed building.
TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
1. Most everyone who simply ducks and covers WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE
are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are
crushed.
2. Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal
position.
You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety survival instinct.
You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa,
next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void
next to it.
3. Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in
during
an earthquake. Wood is flexible, and moves with the force of the earthquake.
If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created.
Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick
buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many
injuries, but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
4. If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs,
simply
roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve
a much greater survival rate in earthquakes simply by posting a sign on the
back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor
next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
5. If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting
out
the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to
a sofa or large chair.
6. Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is
killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or
backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls
sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be
killed.
7. Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different moment of
frequency. They swing separately from the main part of the building. The
stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until
structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs
before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads horribly mutilated. Even
if the building does not collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are
a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not
collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by
fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety even when the rest
of the building is not damaged.
8. Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If
Possible. It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather
than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of
the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be
blocked.
9. I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper
offices
and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large
voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
Spread the word and save someones life... The Entire world is experiencing
natural calamities so be prepared. We are but angels with one wing, it takes
two to fly.
In 1996, we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct.
The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul , University of Istanbul
Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific
test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten
mannequins did duck and cover, and ten mannequins I used in my triangle of
life survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled
through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the
results. The film, in which I practiced my survival techniques under
directly observable, scientific conditions , relevant to building collapse,
showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and
cover. There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people
using my method of the triangle of life. This film has been seen by millions
of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe, and it was seen
in the USA , Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV.
Top 25 Accessible Computer Games
Check out the links below for the list of some cool, Top Accessible websites
for the blind, deaf, and motion impaired.
Top 25 Sites for Gamers who are Blind
http://www.7128.com/top25/topsitesblind.html
Top 22 Web Sites for Gamers who are Motion Impaired
http://www.7128.com/top25/topsitesmotionimpaired.html
Top Eleven Web Sites for Gamers who are Deaf
http://www.7128.com/top25/topsitesdeaf.html
Top Web Sites for Accessible Gaming Industry and Community Leaders
http://www.7128.com/top25/topsitesindustryleaders.html
Learning to Bird by Ear
Submitted by Bob Kresmer
Verde Valley Bird and Nature Festival is offering a bird walk for the Blind.
Participants will be assisted with sighted guides. The focus will be
learning to bird by ear. Please see description below:
This field trip is designed especially for the visually impaired and for
those who would like to be blindfolded and experience birding while fine
tuning your other senses. We will use hearing and tactile cues to help
teach about the variety of bird life found along the Verde River. We will
provide a safe, one on one guide/participant experience as we walk a short
distance along the Verde River. Springtime along the Verde means the
gurgling of the river, the biophony of insect and bird song and the rich
smells of fresh spring growth. You will come away learning at least 10 new
bird songs. Limit 10 participants.
Registration is online at birdyverde.org <http://birdyverde.org/>
April 27,8:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Cost: $35. Note: Audio books about birding
by ear are also available through the Library of Congress.
Healthy Choice, Healthy Living, Eating Healthy
By Lawrence MacLellan
This month, I would like to talk about nutrition. They say, we are what we
eat, and there is a lot of truth to that. There is also information that
indicates that we can turn on and off genes based on our diet, and so I
would like to go through some ideas to promote a common sense approach to
making healthy choices.
1. What you hate to give up the most usually causes the most problems. So,
if you are having any health problems, look at the items in your diet that
you hate to give up the most. Most likely, these will be sugar,
carbohydrates, coffee, junk food, etc.
Try to eat smaller meals more often. This will help digest your food much
better.
2. Eat food that nature has provided. Try to incorporate more nuts, berries,
seeds, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
3. Remember to wash your fruit and vegetables. Many are covered with
chemicals and pesticides.
4. If possible, purchase your fruits, vegetables, and other organic foods
from a local farmer.
5. Stop eating when you are satisfied, not full. Most of us eat more than we
need, in order to feel satisfied.
6. Chew your food well. Most of us eat too quickly at times.
7. It is not a bad idea to take a multivitamin each day. Add in a little
Calcium Magnesium, Fish Oil, and Vitamin D3 as well.
8. Good elimination: one or two bowel movements a day.
In conclusion, you are the best judge of what is going on with your health.
When you make healthy choices, how do you feel? Do you have more energy?
Are you sleeping better? Thinking more clearly? Your health is your
responsibility, so start making a difference, one healthy choice at a time.
What is New in BEP
By Debra Smith
What is New in BEP?
Good news and some struggles.
The good news is that Gus Ortiz is temporarily managing the Phoenix City
Hall and Calvin Good Cafeterias. It is good to have Gus back with us.
The elected committee of vendors, APOC has finished working with Terry
Smith, a consultant with the National Federation of the Blind, writing a
strategic plan. We are now working through the steps, writing new policies,
marketing our program, participating in the budget process and dealing with
procurement.
We still do not have a training program. It is challenging working through
the layers of bureaucracy... We hope that we will get something moving this
fall.
Swift Trucking is coming back on board with BEP. The announcement closes
March 31st. We are planning to have this location up and operating June 1st.
We continue to have challenges obtaining the permit for Luke Air Force
Dining and we are now in a challenge with the City of Phoenix. They have
issued an RFP for a vendor to operate over three hundred of vending machines
that BEP currently does not have and did not know they existed. The RFP also
includes food service operations except for the airport and hospitals. It
goes even farther asking for 50 percent healthy choices and Poring Rights.
This would limit managers to purchasing supplies and drinks from the
companies that the City of Phoenix contracts with.
We continue to grow and build our business. When money is involved there
will always be challenges to the Business Enterprise Program. We currently
have a very committed and talented Arizona participating operator committee,
Apoc. We meet with the Bep program manager in person monthly and weekly we
hold a conference call. We also have subcommittee meetings in addition. We
truly are working in partnership with the BEP administration. We also are
guided with advice and information from our state President, Bob Kresmer and
leaders from the National Association of the Blind Merchants. As the
challenges unfold we will keep the membership updated.
Dear Betty Blunt
Please note:
This submission is not to be taken seriously. It is just for fun! If you
would like to submit a question for Miss Betty Blunt to answer, please write
to:
news at az.nfb.org <mailto:news at az.nfb.org>
She may or may not answer your question seriously, and she may or may not
give you the answer you were hoping for, but one thing is for sure, you will
get a good laugh out of her witty, bold, and blunt advice. She will often
make comments that we all wish we could say, but are just too afraid to
make. So, send in your questions, and let us see if she can help you with
your relationship issues. If you wish, your initials and city will be
altered to conceal your identity.
Dear Betty Blunt,
My husband is consumed with golf. Now that we have nice weather, he will
always be on the golf course and traveling with his friends to out of town
golf games. I tried to play the game, but it absolutely drives me mad. I
hate it. So, I cannot bear having my husband away, and us not doing things
together, and at the same time, I cannot see myself sucking it up and
playing golf with him. During golf season, he is so busy that we do not
have much time to spend with one another. So, please help me out and offer
me a, hole in one solution to my problem.
Sincerely,
JN
chandler
Dear Third Wheel,
We all have a particular hobby that no one cares about or understands but
us! Mine is watching those reality housewife shows and following their
every move on twitter. Your husbands is the most predictable hobby that men
claim to quote enjoy end quote, Golf! I would rather watch paint dry! You
have two options. If you are attached at the hip, feel free to ride along
in the golf cart, pack snacks, and read your favorite book. Or, you can do
what I do, and head to the nail salon every time he goes golfing, and make
him pay for your mani and pedi! Now, that is a hole in one!
Insincerely,
Betty Blunt
East Valley Energy
By Allison Hilliker
This past month has been a busy one for the NFBA East Valley chapter. We
welcomed 7 new members at our last meeting alone!
We are happy to announce our new chapter secretary, Jennifer (Jenny) Kasl!
Our former secretary, Somaya Tarin, was not able to continue the job at this
time. Somaya is still an active member and I appreciate all the work she has
done for us. Thanks Somaya! Jenny Kasl volunteered to fill the East Valley
secretary spot until the next election. Jenny teaches Braille at SAAVI and
is an enthusiastic chapter member. I'm very happy to welcome her to our East
Valley board.
I am also excited to tell everyone that the chapter voted to host this
fall's NFBA state convention. Keep reading this newsletter and East Valley
Energy for further convention updates. Feel free to contact us at
eastvalley at az.nfb.org if you have suggestions for the upcoming convention.
Our March 15 meeting had a public transportation advocacy focus. Our
speaker, Ron Brooks from Valley Metro, talked all about local transit
options including buses, light rail, Dial a Ride, and Ride Choice. Thanks
Ron for attending, and thanks to chapter members for asking such terrific
questions!
A few weeks ago, we held a labeling party at chapter member Kaila Allen's
house. 8 of us worked on creating Braille and print labels for our chapter
cookbook CDs. We ordered pizza, had some great conversation, and laughed a
lot as we worked. Thanks to Megan Homrighausen for organizing this
productive day. Thanks to Kaila Allen for hosting the group, and to her son,
Jonah, for being so cooperative when strangers filled his house. Thank you
as well to Debra Ambeau, Dhanya Emerson, and Justin Hughes for helping me
create Braille labels, and thank you to Judy Hartmann and Matt Mazak for
their help with print labeling. I think we all had a lot of fun that day,
and I know we got a lot accomplished because we finished the labels in much
less time than expected!
Our chapter cookbook has been delayed somewhat, but stay tuned for its
upcoming release. It will be available on CD and will be selling for $10.
Thank you to Jenny Kasl for some extensive editing work that has been done
on the cookbook over the past month.
Just a reminder to everyone, we are still running our chapter's new member
contest. Anyone who brings a new member to an East Valley chapter meeting
will qualify for a free Bookshare membership or subscription renewal.
Congratulations to Debi Chatfield and Jenny Kasl for being the first to
bring in new members and qualify for Bookshare subscriptions.
I hope you'll attend our next meeting. We meet on the 3rd Saturday of the
month so please join us on April 19, from 1:00PM to 3:30PM at Fiesta Mall -
1445 W Southern Ave in Mesa. We also meet for an informal dinner at a nearby
Old Chicago restaurant afterwards, and everyone is invited to that event as
well.
If you would like to learn more about the NFBA East Valley chapter, please
call 623 221 1026 or e-mail eastvalley at az.nfb.org
<mailto:eastvalley at az.nfb.org> .
Phoenix Chapter News
By Sharonda Greenlaw
James Woods for Congress!
One of our members, James Woods, reports that he is doing awesome after
receiving a kidney in early February. On Monday, March 10, his Congressional
fundraising campaign fund crossed the Federal threshold in order for him to
be an official Federal candidate for Congress. His web page is:
www.JamesWoodsforCongress.com <http://www.jameswoodsforcongress.com/>
We congratulate James on all of his endeavors!
Phoenix Chapter Picnic
Our Phoenix NFB picnic will take place on Saturday, April 5 at 9:30 AM.
Where: Los Olivos Park
Address: 2802 East Devonshire Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85016
Come one and all! Bring a dish and lets have a good time. Please let Norma
Robertson know what you are bringing. Call her at 602 602 710 6777.
Regular Chapter Meeting
The Phoenix Chapter meets on the first Saturday of every month at SAAVI.
4222 East Thomas Road, Suite 130. Phoenix AZ 85018.
Our meeting is from 9:30 to noon. Come and be a part!!
If you have any further questions, contact Sharonda Greenlaw, Chapter
President, at 602 281 5955, or email at dailyovercomer at gmail.com
<mailto:dailyovercomer at gmail.com>
The Recipe Box, Mexican 7 Layer Dip
By Suzy Barnes
Great for a spring Cookout, before the food is ready!
Ingredients:
1 can, 16 ounce, Refried Beans
1 tablespoon, Taco Seasoning Mix
1 cup, Sour Cream
1 cup, Thick & Chunky Salsa
1 cup, shredded lettuce
1 cup, Mexican Style, Finely Shredded Four Cheese
4 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons, sliced black olives
Tortilla Chips or Scoops
Directions:
MIX beans and seasoning mix. Spread onto bottom of pie plate. TOP with
layers of all remaining ingredients except chips. Cover and seal well.
Refrigerate several hours, or until chilled.
Think Tank
By Debi Chatfield
Thank you to everyone who submitted answers to last month's brain teasers.
Many of you were very close, but close only counts in horseshoes!
Unfortunately, no one sent in a correct answer to either of these
brainteasers.
In case you missed them, here are the March brain teasers and their answers:
1. You are running in a street marathon, and you overtake the person in
second place. What place are you now?
Answer: Second place.
2. Forward I am heavy, but backwards I'm not. What am I?
Answer: Ton
Now, for our super duper April brain teasers! Can you solve these? Let's
see who has their thinking cap on!
1. A boy was rushed to the hospital emergency room. The emergency room
doctor saw the boy and said, quote, I cannot operate on this boy. He is my
son, end quote. But the doctor is not the boy's father. How could that be?
2. What gets wetter as it dries?
Please submit the answers to these brain teasers to:
news at az.nfb.org <mailto:news at az.nfb.org>
We will let you know if you are correct, and if so, we will publish your
name in the May newsletter. Have fun trying to solve these puzzles!
A Round of Applause
Thanks goes out to you, our extended family here in the National Federation
of the Blind! You participate and spend time attending monthly meetings,
raise necessary funds to support our valuable programs, reach out to others
needing the information and resources we offer, and get to know and give
support to one another, so that we may continue to learn and grow. Our goal
is to be independent, productive members of society, and through your
efforts and working together, we are truly changing what it means to be
blind! So, a big thank you to you all, and keep up the good work!
Debi's List
No, this is not Craig's List, but it is the next best thing! If you have
something to sell, or announce, send us your ad, and we will post it, as
long as there is space available in the newsletter. Send your ads to:
news at az.nfb.org <mailto:news at az.nfb.org>
1. Are you having trouble with your computer? Did you just purchase that
must
have app, but have a question? Perhaps, you have some tips to share? If
so, please join the BlindTech e-mail list.
to join, send a message with subscribe in the subject line to:
blindtech-request at freelists.org <mailto:blindtech-request at freelists.org>
alternatively, you may visit:
http://www.freelists.org/list/blindtech
<http://www.freelists.org/list/blindtech>
2. Hey girls,
I have just opened a free online jewelry boutique and am extending an
invitation to you to come inside and look around. We have lots of great hard
to find items with discounts of up to 60 percent. And be sure to check your
email for my sale items every Wednesday. And be sure to come in often and
check out any new arrivals that may come in as well.
You can also open your own free store as well. So I hope you will do so and
join my team. And please help me spread the word and tell all your friends
about it.
Thanks for visiting and have a great day. Click below or copy and paste this
address into your web browser:
CBOEnterprise.kitsylane.com
Also, stay tuned for invitations to an online jewelry party. Thanks for
visiting and helping spread the word.
Your friend Cynthia Owusu
3. Join a Free Voice Chat Site Community on the Web!
Would you like to meet other blind or visually impaired individuals from
across the country and around the world? Do you like challenging interactive
games, old time radio,learning about adapted cooking techniques, a monthly
book club, product presentations, chess instruction, computer tech help, a
blindness support group, a weekly talent show, iPhone discussions, and much
more? Join our free chat community at:
www.Out-Of-Sight.net <http://www.out-of-sight.net/> .
Stay Connected
If you have any changes in your contact info for the state roster, chapters,
or divisions, please write to:
news at az.nfb.org <mailto:news at az.nfb.org>
We will send your info to the appropriate people and make the necessary
corrections.
Contact our President, Bob Kresmer at:
888.899.6322
krezguy at cox.net <mailto:krezguy at cox.net>
If you would like to submit an announcement or article for publication in
this monthly newsletter, please send your submission to:
news at az.nfb.org <mailto:news at az.nfb.org>
Grins and Groans - The Usual Endings
Submitted by Bob Kresmer
1. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, UCLA.
2. The dead batteries were given out free of charge.
3. A dentist and a manicurist fought tooth and nail.
Debi Chatfield
Editor
Vehicle Donations Take the Blind Further, and may qualify you for a tax
deduction. Donate your unwanted car to the National Federation of the Blind
today!
For more information, please visit:
www.carshelpingtheblind.org<http://www.carshelpingtheblind.org> or call
1-855-659-9314
Robert Leslie Newman
Personal Website-
<http://www.thoughtprovoker.info/> http://www.thoughtprovoker.info
President, NFB Writers' Division
Division Website-
http://writers.nfb.org
Chair, NFB Communications Committee
Vice President, Nebraska Senior Division
First Vice President, Omaha Chapter
Commissioner, Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired
More information about the NFB-Editors
mailing list