[Nfb-editors] New Mexico - QUE PASA March 2014

[Robert Leslie Newman]

QUE PASA

March 2014

 

Quarterly newsletter of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico

(Published in March, June, September, and December)

 

Adelmo Vigil, President

E-mail:  <mailto:Avigil74 at gmail.com> Avigil74 at gmail.com

(575) 921-5422

 

James Babb, Editor

E-mail:  <mailto:jim.babb at samobile.net> jim.babb at samobile.net

(505) 291-3112

 

Tonia Trapp, Assistant Editor

E-mail: Tonialeigh513 at earthlink.net

(505) 856-5346

 

Table of Contents

PREAMBLE. 2

EDITOR’S NOTE. 2

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE. 3

STATE CONVENTION PRE-REGISTRATION INFORMATION AND FORM.. 4

CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS. 6

MEET A LONG-TIME NFBNM LEADER, CHRISTINE HALL. 8

THE INSIDER.. 13

AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY.. 14

ELIZABETH GARRETT.. 18

FREE WINDOW-EYES. 20

GOOD EATING.. 22

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS AND WEBSITES. 23

MEETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. 24

 

 

 


PREAMBLE


 

The National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico (NFBNM) is a 501 (c) 3
consumer organization comprised of blind and sighted people committed to
changing what it means to be blind. Though blindness is still all too often
a tragedy to those who face it, we know from our own personal experience
that with training and opportunity, it can be reduced to the level of a
physical nuisance. We work to see that blind people receive services and
training to which they are entitled and that parents of blind children
receive the advice and support they need to help their youngsters grow up to
be happy, productive adults. We believe that first-class citizenship means
that people have both rights and responsibilities, and we are determined to
see that blind people become first-class citizens of these United States,
enjoying their rights and fulfilling their responsibilities. The most
serious problems we face have less to do with our lack of vision than with
discrimination based on the public’s ignorance and misinformation about
blindness. Join us in educating New Mexicans about the abilities and
aspirations of New Mexico’s blind citizens.

(Adapted from NFB of Ohio newsletter.) 

 

 


EDITOR’S NOTE


 

By Jim Babb, Editor

 

Hello everyone, 

Well here we go into a new year, 2014. It's taken me a while to get used to
writing 2014--old habits die hard! Thanks to all of you who sent articles,
poems, recipes and more; without you, there would be no newsletter. This is
still one of only a few among the 51 affiliates that produces a newsletter
on a regular basis. Let's all look forward to the great events that we will
experience this year such as our State Convention, the National Convention
in Orlando, the swim parties, State Fair Parade, Meet the Blind Month, and
much more. This is what we mean when we say we are changing what it means to
be blind. See you here or there. Also I wish to thank Tonia for her part as
a partner in producing and getting Que Pasa out on a regular basis.

 


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE


 

By Adelmo Vigil, President, NFB of New Mexico

 

Greetings Federation Family:

 

We are preparing for our National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico
State Convention coming up on April 4-6, 2014. We are looking forward to a
great convention. Mr. Anil Lewis will be our National Representative. We are
excited about the convention and look forward to seeing everyone. The
convention is a place to be with friends and meet new ones. We have a full
and exciting agenda!

 

I would like to thank Kathy Byrd for her hard work as our state treasurer, a
position she held for many years. She worked endlessly to maintain the
business of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico in a
professional and excellent manner. Kathy resigned at the end of 2013 due to
personal reasons. I would also like to thank Mr. Curtis Chong for stepping
in as acting treasurer until the election at the state convention.

 

I am excited to report that we have a new chapter! On February third, a
group of individuals met to create a new chapter in Northern New Mexico.
Congratulations to Mr. Toby Chacon who was elected President of the Northern
New Mexico Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico and
to all board members who were elected during this meeting. They are planning
to attend the State Convention in Albuquerque in April.

 

We call on members of each local chapter and division to help us move
forward and grow as an affiliate. We are changing what it means to be blind
for children, youth and adults of all ages in New Mexico.

 


STATE CONVENTION PRE-REGISTRATION INFORMATION AND FORM


 

PRE-REGISTRATION INFORMATION

 

Enclosed you will find the pre-registration form for the 2014 Convention of
the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico. It is important that you
pre-register. You will not only receive the $10 rebate for two or more
convention hotel room registration nights per room, but you will get
substantially lower prices on the banquet and other meal event tickets. See
the pre-registration form to verify these savings. If you purchase meal
tickets, you will pick those up at the registration table when you arrive at
the convention; the tickets will not be mailed in advance.

 

Your pre-registration will help us better plan convention arrangements. In
addition, you will be assured of getting your tickets. We will have only
limited registration times and very few meal event tickets at the
convention. Don’t be left out!!

 

Please note that Tonia Trapp, Registration Chair, must receive your
pre-registration form and payment by Tuesday, March 18, 2014. There will be
NO REFUNDS AFTER THIS DATE.

 

CONVENTION DATES: 

 

Friday, April 4, 2014 through Sunday, April 6, 2014.

 

CONVENTION HOTEL: Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown Hotel,

2600 Louisiana Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110, Phone 881-0000 or
1-800-325-3535.

 

CONVENTION RATES: $81 per night plus tax for single, double, triple and
quad. The reserved block of rooms will be honored until Tuesday, March 18,
2014. Call direct to the hotel at 505-881-0000 or 1-800-325-3535 for your
room reservation; please inform the hotel you want the "National Federation
of the Blind of NM” room block. There is also an online link at: 

 <https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/FEDBLIND>
https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/FEDBLIND

 

PRE-REGISTRATION FORM

 

Deadline for pre-registration: This form along with your payment must be
received by Tonia Trapp no later than Tuesday, March 18, 2014 in order to
qualify for your $10.00 rebate for two or more room nights and to receive
your convention registration and meal discounts. There will be very few meal
event tickets available after pre-registration. Those that are available
will be priced higher than the pre-registration prices below.

 

Name (last, first)_______________________________________________

 

Address _________________City ______________State ____Zip_______

Home

Phone______________Cell____________Email_____________________

 

 

Please circle YES or NO for the following responses:

I would like to join the NFB of New Mexico, please contact me. YES NO

I would like the agenda in Braille ___ large print __. 

 

__ Combination (registration, banquet, breakfast, two luncheons) - $90.

__ Pre-registration Adults - $15 ($18 at convention), Children 12 and under
- $8 ($10 at convention)

__ NFB Welcome Luncheon, Friday, April 4 - $18.00 ($21.00 at convention)
Vegetarian _­­___

__ Student Division Luncheon, Saturday, April 5 - $18.00 ($21.00 at
convention) Vegetarian ____

__ Banquet, Saturday, April 5 - $31 ($35 at convention) Vegetarian ____

__ NMSBVI Alumni Breakfast, Sunday, April 6 - $15.00 ($18.00 at 

 convention) 

 

Total Pre-registration fee enclosed: $ ________

 

Make checks or money orders payable to NFB of New Mexico and return them
with this form to Tonia Trapp, 7544 Keystone Drive NE, Albuquerque, New
Mexico 87109. 

 


CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS


 

We will welcome as our NFB National Representative, Anil Lewis, Director of
Advocacy and Policy for the NFB. During the general session, Anil will talk
about national activities and current issues related to the blind across the
nation. 

 

On Friday morning, all are welcome to attend the NFBNM Board meeting from
8:30 to 10:30 am. Immediately following the Board meeting, the Resolutions
Committee will meet in the same room. The Exhibit Hall will be open from
9:00 am to 6:00 pm. We will have vendors demonstrating technology, aids and
appliances, and information from the Talking Books Library. Peggy Chong,
First Vice President of the NFBNM Albuquerque Chapter, will be the keynote
speaker at the Welcome Luncheon. Following the luncheon, there will be three
concurrent seminars: Student Division, Sage (Senior Division), and Parents
of Blind Children Division. Immediately following the Sage Division Seminar,
the Alumni of the Orientation Center will meet in the same room. Y'all come
to the Ivory Room for Hospitality from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm sponsored by the
POBC and the NFBNM. Also Friday evening beginning at 8:30 pm, there will be
a Monte Carlo Night sponsored by the New Mexico Association of Blind
Students. Be sure to come, support, and join in the fun with our blind
students. 

 

On Saturday morning, the general session will commence at 9:00 am and will
continue throughout the day. Be there at 9:00 am sharp for the first two big
door prizes of $50.00 each! Daphne Mitchell will do a presentation on the
BELL Program: Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning. The Commission
will give a status report and hold its public hearing prior to the luncheon.
Scholarship applicants will be introduced at the Student Division Luncheon.
Following the luncheon, there will be three panels to discuss such topics as
the iPhone, Blindness Skills and Success, and Orientation and Mobility
Training and Techniques. There will also be an update on the current status
of the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and a
presentation by Amy Boggess, Librarian, at the State Talking Book Library,
plus more exciting and informative topics! 

 

Before the banquet, the no-host social hour will be from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
The banquet will begin at 7:00 pm; Mr. Anil Lewis, our national
representative, will be the keynote speaker. The scholarship winners will be
announced during the banquet, which will be followed immediately by the
auction with many items you will want to bid on. Proceeds from the auction
will go toward the scholarship program to send a parent and blind child to
National Convention to be held in Orlando, Florida. 

 

The NMSBVI Alumni Association and the NMCB Orientation Center Alumni will
host the breakfast on Sunday morning at 7:30 AM. After the breakfast, the
general session beginning at 9:00 AM will feature Curtis Chong talking about
technology and the NM Commission for the Blind's Independent Living Program,
Peggy Chong speaking about Newsline for the Blind, and several people
telling us about their experiences attending the Washington Seminar.
Following these presentations will be the very important business meeting
and election. 

 

Child care will be available by prior reservation ONLY. Reservations MUST be
made in advance by contacting Christine Hall at 505-268-3895 or
<mailto:c.tessa4 at comcast.net> c.tessa4 at comcast.net PRIOR TO MARCH 18, 2014
or IT WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE.

 

PLEASE JOIN US FOR FUN WITH OLD AND NEW FRIENDS!

 

CONVENTION DATES: 

 

Friday, April 4, 2014 through Sunday, April 6, 2014.

 

CONVENTION HOTEL: Sheraton Uptown Albuquerque Hotel, 2600 Louisiana Blvd.
NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110, phone 505-881-0000 or 1-800-325-3535.

 

Tonia Trapp, Registration Chair – 7544 Keystone Drive NE, Albuquerque, NM
87109 – 505-856-5346.

 

Convention Coordinator: Christine Hall, 505-268-3895.

 


MEET A LONG-TIME NFBNM LEADER, CHRISTINE HALL


 

By Pat Munson

 

Note: I met Christine (Gail by birth) in 1977 at a National Federation of
the Blind (NFB) of California state convention. How lucky I was to have met
her on her life’s path. Here is what she had to say to me about her journey
so far:

 

Christine was born Gail Marie Hall in Los Angeles, California. When she was
11, her family moved to Torrance, one of the beach cities in southern
California. Her parents were then able to buy an affordable two-bedroom
house in a new area surrounded by farmland and new homes being built, which
provided endless fantastic places to play. She and her friends had great fun
playing in the houses being built. They also had fun eating strawberries
which grew nearby, and they would run like lightning when the farmers caught
them with the fruit. The only problem was that the builders and field
workers did not want them around where they could get hurt. One day
Christine was brought home in a police car, so her mother told her not to
play there again.

 

Shortly after the family moved, Christine's teacher notified her parents
that their daughter needed to see an eye doctor as she was having problems
reading the eye chart. The doctor said she had an inflammation of the eyes
known as Iritus usually caused by an injury or an infection.

 

After running a variety of tests and removing her tonsils, they began
treating her with new wonder drugs. When she was fifteen, she was
hospitalized for a month because of the high dose of medication and had to
be on a special diet, no sugar or salt. Her mother came to visit her every
day in the hospital, and the minute she walked in to the room, Christine
said, "I am hungry." When she returned home, she ate a bowl of spaghetti big
enough to feed a family of four. Since the doctors really did not understand
her eye condition, they trooped in and out of her hospital room trying to
determine the problem. The medicine did not decrease the inflammation in her
eyes, but it did give her a lovely case of acne. One day, a bouquet of roses
arrived from Bing Crosby, a famous actor-singer of the day. Christine
received them because she had been in the Pediatrics section the longest.

 

Christine's high school years were normal, but she did state that her
reading was limited because of not being able to see very well. When she was
sixteen, her best friend Margaret introduced her to her brother who had been
in the Air Force and was six years older than Christine. They dated for a
couple of years, and after graduating from high school in June, they were
married in September. Christine's family was not happy about the marriage,
but they knew it would do no good to protest: At 18, she knew best.

 

Being young, they loved to party, but what she soon learned was that her
husband had a serious drinking problem. So after 14 months, she walked out
and knocked on her parents' door; they graciously took her in, as they knew
there had been a problem with this marriage. At that moment, Christine did
not know she was pregnant with her beautiful daughter, Candy. 

 

Christine's mother had noticed that her vision was decreasing during this
time, probably due to stress. By the time her daughter was born, Christine
was legally blind. Since childhood she had always had little jobs, but now
she was worried about what she could do to support herself and her daughter.

 

Then good luck struck: Christine's mother just happened to attend a luncheon
at which a recently-blind woman was present. The woman told her mother about
the Department of Rehabilitation and counselor-teachers who worked with the
blind helping them to learn blindness skills and job readiness. Christine
eagerly called Rehab to get someone to come to her home. A counselor-teacher
came and told her about her employment options and began teaching her
Braille. She was then transferred to a rehabilitation counselor who could
advise her on her educational choices, for education was the ticket to a
good job, particularly for a blind person.

 

After taking many tests, Christine was told that at that point she was not
ready for college study. She had not planned to attend school after high
school, which was common in those days, but to be a successful blind person,
higher education was the ticket out of poverty. 

 

Christine quickly learned Braille but needed cane skills, so she went off to
the San Francisco area to a training center for two weeks. She could not
stay longer because she had a two-year-old at home. Her parents took care of
her daughter while she learned to travel with a white cane. While she was at
the Orientation Center, she met Nancy Burns and was introduced to the NFB,
which dramatically changed her life.

 

The next academic year, she enrolled at a community college. She had to
prove to rehab that she could successfully complete higher level work. She
did well, transferred to a four-year college, and earned an academic degree
in what was then called Social Welfare. It took six years to complete her
degree. Because she had not planned to attend college, she had not taken
college prep classes during high school, which meant she had a lot of
catching up to do academically. Her friends teased her because she studied
so much, but that was necessary to pass her classes with high grades. Also,
while she was attending college, her mother took care of her daughter. When
Christine was at home, the child-rearing duties were a big part of her life.

 

Besides all her studying and taking care of her daughter, she had become
involved in NFB. She became president of the blind college students. She
also attended the local chapter meeting in Los Angeles. One of the great
leaders in NFB at that time met her at a bus transfer and rode the rest of
the way with her. This was another example of NFB members assisting one
another.

 

Unfortunately, after all her work to acquire a degree, Christine hit a brick
wall when applying for a social work job. But just when she was beginning to
really get depressed, the president of the NFB of California, Tony Manino,
took her to a luncheon. Tony had been contacted by a member of the Jr.
League of Los Angeles who needed a qualified person to run their office.
Tony told this woman that she needed Christine to run the Information Center
for the Blind. With Tony’s very strong recommendation, Christine was hired,
and she did a great job for the Jr. League.

 

With a job in her pocket, she moved into her first apartment away from her
parents. Since this was a part-time job, her parents kept her daughter
during the week. Christine then came home on weekends. She was heartsick to
leave Candy all week, but the job was just too far to commute.

 

Finally, with work experience under her belt, she secured employment with
Los Angeles County. It was at that point she was able to rent a two-bedroom
apartment where her daughter could join her fulltime. While Christine
worked, Candy was at school.

 

One of the agreements that Christine made, in order to be employed, was that
she would hire and pay for a reader-driver. Luckily, her mother was up for
the job. Part of Christine's job description was visiting clients in their
homes from one end of Los Angeles County to the other, which is a very large
area.

 

Being a social worker for newly blind persons, clients were lucky to have
had Christine, because she could answer many of their questions. It is
likely that she was one of the first blind social workers hired. This only
happened because the National Federation of the Blind changed laws which
mandated that the county could not deny a job to a blind applicant. 

 

After some time, Christine’s grandparents on her mother’s side died, leaving
their house to her mother. Christine and Candy moved into the house and paid
rent to her parents. That was a great arrangement for everyone. 

 

When Reagan became governor of California, he significantly reduced the
number of social welfare workers. Consequently, Christine was transferred to
the job of an eligibility intake worker at a hospital. She moved to another
welfare office and then decided to apply for a state job as a
counselor-teacher. She got the job, but it meant Candy and she had to move
to Sacramento in northern California, hundreds of miles from all they knew.
Wrenching Candy from her high school friends, cheer leading, and her
grandparents was difficult. Some NFB friends took them in while Christine
looked for housing in Sacramento. Here is yet another time when NFB members
assisted one another in hard times. 

 

Another of Christine’s friends who had moved from Southern California told
her of an apartment complex and said she had a friend who could help
Christine with the move. This friend even moved Christine's heart by calling
and asking her out shortly after her arrival.

 

The NFB had pushed the state to provide a driver for Christine for her job.
Again, she most likely was one of the first blind persons hired into this
job, so she had to explain how she would do the job the same as any other
employee. The position required completing a lot of paperwork, so she showed
how she would accomplish this task with a reader. Obviously, she did a great
job.

 

After a couple of years, she was offered a job as a rehabilitation counselor
at higher pay and with no traveling, so she took it. While she was working,
her boyfriend Tim was still around. Some years earlier, he had taken her on
a private yacht trip in the Caribbean, and they had a wonderful time. 

 

As time passed and she became established in Sacramento, she bought a condo
and her daughter got married. During this time, Tim had retired from the
military and kept urging Christine to quit her job, sell the condo, and buy
a boat for extended travel. He assured her that they were only young once
and that this was the time to see more of the world.

 

At that time, Tim’s plan sounded fantastic, a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity! So along with Tim’s station wagon, they added a travel trailer
and then took off. They journeyed up the west coast, up into Canada, across
the Rockies and then down into the USA. They took a break in Chicago where
they camped out at a friend's home, visited Tim’s family, and sought out the
perfect boat. As soon as the purchase had been completed, the 24-foot cabin
power boat was launched into the Illinois and then the Mississippi Rivers.
However, there were many repair stops. These boats are complicated and
temperamental, but with Christine as first mate, all would magically come
back to life. After being on the road and water, they decided midway through
1981 that it was time to get back to reality, so they sold the boat and
journeyed back to Sacramento, California by car.

 

After ten years of being together and apart, they decided to marry. Part of
the deal was that they would not stay in California. They honeymooned in
Hawaii. They liked it so much that they decided to make their home there.
They sold most everything back in Sacramento and had the rest shipped to the
Islands.

 

After some time, Christine became the NFB of Hawaii state president, so she
was very busy with her Island life. During this time she had a variety of
jobs to pay the rent and buy food. But, Tim decided he did not much care for
the place, so he returned to California. Eventually Christine got a job with
an independent living center working with the senior blind. She kept that
job until 1991 when the cost of living drove her off the Islands.

 

For a variety of reasons, Christine decided to settle here in Albuquerque.
Since she had experience working with older blind folks, she was offered a
job as the coordinator of the Older Blind Program at the Commission for the
Blind. She bought a condo on Indian School Road and settled into the
Southwest way of life. 

 

After a goodly amount of time, she decided to sell her condo and buy a home.
She also retired from the Commission so she would have more time to travel,
do more for the NFB of New Mexico, and enjoy her lovely house and backyard.
Although she is retired from being NFBNM state president, she appears to be
doing just as much work to ensure that this is an outstanding affiliate.

 

The blind community in NFB is exceedingly lucky to have had such a dedicated
worker for all these decades, and I have been just as lucky to have had such
a loyal, wonderful friend. If we had not had the NFB, most likely Christine
and I never would have met, and we would not have had the opportunity to
change what it means to be blind.

 


THE INSIDER


 

By Art Tannenbaum

I called up my aunt today
on the telephone,
It had been a while

 since we had spoken with each other.

A quiet Sunday,
relaxed and slow
cooking chorizo
simmered for more than an hour
with the distinctive aroma of chile
wafting,


right where I belong
again;
in the middle.

 

 


AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY


 

By Nancy Burns

 

The smell of the salt air and the blast of the ship’s massive horn signaled
the beginning of our most recent and most exciting cruise. The smell of sea
air is so refreshing, and I love the sound of ocean waves as they splash
into the beach or against a dock or the side of a ship. My fascination with
the ocean is a result of my years living in Southern California. As a New
Mexico resident I do miss the Pacific Ocean. While packing for the 30-day
trip, I wondered how I could possibly pack enough sporty, dressy, and formal
clothes for 30 days—along with shoes and other accessories. Since this was
our tenth cruise, I have improved my packing skills somewhat, and the
airlines charging for suitcases was an additional incentive. Once we were
happily settled in our cabin, the process of unpacking became just as
daunting a task as packing, since our closets were about the size of my
favorite purse. 

 

We boarded the ship on Sunday, September 27, 2013 with anticipation of 30
days at sea while cruising toward the South Pacific. A severe Northwest
storm kept the ship docked for 24 hours. Once we set sail, the sea was still
rough. We sailed down the coast and docked in the Los Angeles Harbor a day
late. We left the ship and met my son Kevin who took us to lunch. What a
fascinating way to travel to Los Angeles from Albuquerque. We then sailed
toward Hawaii and spent two days on those picturesque islands. After
departing Hawaii, we sailed South and West into new territory for us.

 

A vast amount of ocean lies between Seattle and Sydney. A variety of
shipboard activities kept us occupied when there were no islands to explore.
There are literally thousands of tiny islands in the South Pacific. In one
of the lectures we attended, the guest speaker told us of the early
way-finders. Fascinating methods of navigation were used, including the
stars, the strength of the waves, and even the temperature and salinity of
the ocean. Hollowed out trees were used to navigate, and some creative
island-hoppers built sails from palm fronds. 

 

Continuing on our southerly course, we crossed the equator and the
international date line and received certificates acknowledging these
crossings. We continued southward until reaching Apia Samoa. Originally held
by England, the U.S. and Germany, Samoa is now independent. This was our
first currency change. One of my favorite tours was through the home of
Robert Lewis Stevenson. He was highly respected by the Samoans as a story
teller. Stevenson built his home in 1890 and died in 1894. Only bare feet
were allowed through the door, so we left our shoes outside. The house was
built of wood, and the floor coverings were mats made of palm fronds. In the
library there were rows of first-edition books carefully enclosed behind
glass. The house was open, and breezes flowed through the entire house. We
were fortunate to have an articulate and knowledgeable tour guide. He wore,
as did most of the Samoan men, Hawaiian shirts and a lava lava, which is a
short skirt. On one side of his body he was tattooed from his knee to his
arm. In earlier times, tattoos were symbolic of status. 

 

After docking in Dravuni, we opted to stay on board, as the island was more
suitable for divers. The next port, and a totally fascinating one, was Suva
Fiji. This is a beautiful island with great scenic views of tropical flowers
and trees. Intermingled with this beauty were areas of poverty. Some homes,
mostly shacks made of metal, were perched on stilts because of flooding
problems. The long drive took us into a picturesque village where we
witnessed fire walkers as they accomplished their ceremonial feat. Fire
walking is now performed primarily for tourists and is no longer a common
ritual of the area. 

 

This island was previously cannibalistic. This practice lasted until 1920,
which was rather surprising to me. Warring chiefs of one island often fought
with chiefs of nearby islands, and the victor was allowed to dine on his
captive. This proved to be disgusting to me, but the Fijians related this
history with such humor that I could finally accept the facts. Our tour
guide quipped that when the first Europeans came to the island, they said,
“Yumm, white meat."

 

Villa Vanattu was another fascinating island providing shopping
opportunities, but most of the vendors did not accept American dollars. As
we stepped into a café, hoping for lunch, we asked if American money was
accepted. An American-sounding woman said “yes we do” and directed us to a
table. Her name was Jill, and oddly enough, the name of the café was JILL’s
CAFÉ. Our waitress was Australian, and I commented on her delightful accent.
In return she said that I, too, had a delightful accent, a rather different
perspective. 

 

A unique service provided on this island is an under-water post office,
complete with waterproof postcards. Apparently this is another diversion for
scuba divers but not for us, so we just had to take their word for it.

 

Three New Caldonia islands now stretched between us and Sydney. Easo Nufoe
was the first of these islands. Noumea was the second and the largest. After
leaving the ship, we met a couple, also from the ship, and they were in
search of a totem pole and asked if we would like to join them. We were
happy to do so and finally located the 30-foot-tall intricately carved totem
pole. After some picture taking, the four of us walked back toward the dock.
We were told that French pastries could be found here, and we did manage to
find delicious pastries (chocolate for me), and strong coffee. Isle De Pins
is the third and final of these islands and presents a unique scene: Tall
pine trees, totally foreign to this area, are combined with the colorful
island vegetation.

 

We stood on the deck as the ship entered the harbor at Sydney. In most of
the harbors, a pilot is picked up by the ship, and he directs the large ship
through buoys and other obstacles. This is always an exciting time,
especially since we had reached the coast of Australia. Once docked, we
could see the landmark Opera House along with other tall buildings of
Sydney. Two fun-filled days were spent exploring the city and surroundings.
We left our hotel in search of whatever, and found an incredible souvenir
store. Most of the items were made locally, and our purchases included a
boomerang, items made from kangaroo hide, key chains, and a variety of
totally Aussie keepsakes to bring back to friends and family. 

 

The next day our tour took us into the Blue Mountains. This chain borders
three fourths of the city. The name results from the fact that the sun
reflects through the leaves of the hundreds of eucalyptus trees causing a
blue haze. We drove miles through the bush and saw an operating coal mine.
It was surprising to learn that the Island of Australia is as large as the
United States. 

 

After leaving the mountains and returning to Sydney, we stopped at
Featherdale Wild Life Preserve. This was, without a doubt, our favorite
experience. We got to touch and pet kangaroos and to reach up and touch a
Kuala bear perched on a tree limb. We spent a lot of time wandering through
this park listening to all the sounds of native birds and other animals.
That was an experience neither of us will ever forget. 

 

The long 14-hour flight back to Los Angeles found us exhausted but happy to
have had such a cruise. We planned this trip around our 20th anniversary and
actually celebrated this date while cruising the Pacific. With Don’s tiny
bit of vision, his use of the long white cane and my years of experience
with the white cane, we have successfully traveled thousands of miles. This
particular cruise was 8,800 nautical miles. As always, we meet all kinds of
people and receive all kinds of responses. Some think we are wonderful, some
think us to be courageous, and some actually get it. We feel certain that we
have educated quite a few people along the way. We are still in contact with
some of the great people we met while cruising the incredible South Pacific.

 


ELIZABETH GARRETT


 

By Peggy Chong

 

I have been getting to know my New Mexico home, and that includes learning
some of the history of the blind here as well. I have found one blind woman
that many of you may know about, but I did not. I would like to share her
story with you.

 

Elizabeth Garrett was born in November of 1885 in Eagle Creek in the White
Mountains of New Mexico. She was the third of eight children to Patrick
Floyd Jarvis Garrett and Apolinaria Gutierrez. When Elizabeth was six months
old, the family moved to a ranch about five miles east of Roswell. Elizabeth
was blind from infancy.

 

The Garrett family is well-known in New Mexico. Elizabeth's father, Pat
Garrett, was a sheriff and gained much fame as the man who killed Billy the
Kid. Elizabeth's mother came from a family that boasted of many talented
Spanish musicians. Elizabeth gave her mother's side of the family the credit
for her musical talent.

 

Elizabeth's childhood was no different from that of her brothers and
sisters. She played hard with her siblings, rode horses, and climbed trees
with the best of them. One day, at about the age of six, while swinging on
the limb of an apple tree in the yard by herself, she composed her first
song. She sang about apple trees and buzzing bees. Mr. and Mrs. Garrett
encouraged their daughter to take risks and to be outgoing. They did not
want her blindness to stand in the way of Elizabeth becoming all she wanted
to be. 

 

When she was six, her parents took her to the School for the Blind in
Austin, Texas. Learning Braille gave her the freedom to write down the
verses that would eventually become parts of the many songs that she wrote
and sold. After graduating, Elizabeth was accredited to teach music. Her
apartment in El Paso served as her studio. She remained in Austin, Texas
after graduation, earning her living by teaching music and piano. Her
performances earned her money as well. In 1914, she made an extensive
multi-state tour of the Southwest, singing and playing piano; many of the
songs were her own compositions. She sang at the YMCA at least once a week
at noon in the early 1910's. Later in life, she sang across the Southwest in
places such as Carlsbad Caverns and to prisoners in Sing Sing. During her
40's, she traveled across the country singing, taking and teaching music
classes. Her concerts were in New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, and other
states. Her voice was so pleasing to the ear that a newspaper labeled her
the "Songbird of the Southwest."

 

In 1915, she wrote "Oh, Fair New Mexico" and performed it for the first time
at a pavilion in Cloudcroft. After singing the song to the New Mexico State
Legislature in 1917, it was enthusiastically voted New Mexico's official
song. In 1937, the New Mexico State Legislature introduced and passed a bill
that provided Elizabeth a monthly stipend for the rest of her life in honor
of the song that promoted New Mexico. 

 

In 1917, Elizabeth got an opportunity to go to New York and teach music to
blinded veterans of the first World War. She borrowed money for the trip
from some of the local businessmen in Austin. Before she left, many groups
that she sang for also presented her with gifts, some being money. The
Railroad Workers gave her a leather purse with five $10 gold pieces to take
on her trip. 

 

Elizabeth heard about the new dog school that opened in Morristown, New
Jersey that trained dogs to act as a guide for the blind. It took a few
years for her to be able to attend the school and get a dog, but she did so
around 1937. Her dog Tinka was with her until the night she died. Tinka was
not her only animal friend: She also had a bird named Jerry and a cat named
Smutty for many years. According to Elizabeth, Smutty the cat was the ruler
of the home. 

 

One of Elizabeth's most famous desires was to build her own home. She did so
with the help of two friends, Frank Stanhardt, and architect Col. "Scotty"
Andrew, when moving back to Roswell in the 1920's. It was a five-room home
at 12 S. Lea Ave. and was filled with prize gifts from family and friends
such as Navajo rugs, coffee tables, stools, chairs, and a good deal of
artwork, which would later inspire some of her songs. She called her home
"La Casa." It was said that Elizabeth kept her house spotless, better than
many of the sighted women in town. Her wood floors were highly-polished and
the figurines were always dusted. Elizabeth did her own laundry and ironing,
never thinking that blindness would be a hindrance to owning, caring for and
living in her own house by herself. 

 

Many articles speak of her outgoing and warm personality, winning her many
friends no matter where she went. Elizabeth took interest in her fellow
blind. She visited the School for the Blind in Alamogordo many times. In
1928, she represented the Governor in giving a silver cup to the student who
excelled the most during that past school year. She worked for the Society
for the Prevention of Blindness in Chicago as the Extension Secretary,
giving presentations and singing at club meetings, representing the Society.


 

One of Elizabeth's friends was Helen Keller, and they were in the public
spotlight at the same time. Helen invited Elizabeth to her home, and this
began a lifelong friendship. Before the first meeting with Helen Keller,
Elizabeth took lessons in Signed Language so she could talk directly with
Helen--another example of Elizabeth's initiative and warmth toward others.

 

Two books that chronicle Elizabeth's life are A Place of Her Own by Ruth K.
Hall, and I Have Never Seen: Blind From Infancy by William F. Cavitt. She
was written about in many books about the Southwest and New Mexico. Hundreds
of newspaper articles chronicling her activities could fill many scrapbooks.
An interview with Elizabeth is preserved in the WPA Writers Collection at
the Library of Congress. 

 


FREE WINDOW-EYES


 

By Curtis Chong

 

[Note: Below is the text of an email that Mr. Chong sent to the NFB In
Computer Science.}

 

Greetings:

On January 14, 2014, GW Micro, the maker of the well-known Window-Eyes
screen access program, issued a press release announcing that GW Micro and
Microsoft had "partnered to make Window-Eyes available to users of Microsoft
Office at no cost." According to the press release, this "global
initiative," available in over 15 languages, will "enable anyone using
Microsoft Office 2010 or later to also use Window-Eyes for free." The entire
press release can be found at
<http://www.gwmicro.com/News_&_Events/Latest_News/?newsNo=299>
http://www.gwmicro.com/News_&_Events/Latest_News/?newsNo=299. Anyone who
wants to take advantage of this significant opportunity should point their
browser to  <file:///\\www.windoweyesforoffice.com>
www.windoweyesforoffice.com. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section
can be found at  <http://www.windoweyesforoffice.com/FAQ/>
http://www.windoweyesforoffice.com/FAQ/.

 

My purpose in sending this to you is to try to put all of the significant
information about this announcement in one place.

 

1. The free version of Window-Eyes will not come with the well-known
Eloquence or DECtalk speech synthesizers. What you get with this version is
the multi-language eSpeak synthesizer and whatever synthesizer Microsoft
provides with the operating system. However, for a modest fee, you can
purchase DECtalk, Eloquence, or the Nuance Vocalizer voices directly from GW
Micro.

 

2. If Office 2010 or later is not installed on the computer where the free
version of Window-Eyes is installed, the program will operate in a 30-minute
demonstration mode.

 

3. Users of the "retail" version of Window-Eyes will receive free technical
support with an unlimited number of incidents, Braille and large print
hotkey guides (in English), an installation CD with a comprehensive audio
tutorial, Eloquence and Vocalizer speech synthesizers, and an ad-free
experience using GW Micro's accessible Skype client, GWConnect.

 

4. Users of the free version of Window-Eyes can receive technical support
from GW Micro, paying either $25 per support incident or $99 for the 12-12
plan (twelve months or twelve incidents, whichever comes first).

 

5. The free version of Window-Eyes has the same functional capabilities as
the retail version with the exception of the speech synthesizers available.

 

6. Window-Eyes service maintenance agreements now in force will be honored.
However, no new agreements are being sold at the present time.

 

Window-Eyes is a powerful screen access program, and GW Micro is a
well-established company with a positive reputation in the blind community.
Therefore, this announcement represents an unprecedented opportunity for
blind people to obtain great and free nonvisual access to their
Windows-based computers where Microsoft Office 2010 or later is installed.
On the less positive side, this also represents an incentive for less
progressive agencies for the blind and employers funding technology
acquisitions for their clients or employees to make purchasing decisions
based solely on cost instead of considering important factors such as
personal knowledge and experience, locally-available support, and/or
functionality.

 

No one really knows what the true impact of this announcement will be on the
nonvisual access technology market. However, I feel sure that there are
those who will be quick to make all kinds of pessimistic predictions. I for
one hope that we, as blind consumers, can adopt a more patient attitude and
monitor developments as they occur.

 

Yours sincerely,

Curtis Chong, President

National Federation of the Blind in Computer Science

 


GOOD EATING


 

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON AND RED ONION

 

Submitted by Veronica Smith

 

I found this recipe, and it is marvelous. In my wildest dreams, I never
thought I would like these little tiny cabbage-type foods.

 

Ingredients

About one pound Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed, halved or quartered 

Half a red onion, diced

2-3 slices of leftover cooked bacon

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

 

Instructions

Turn the heat on under a skillet (use one with a lid) to medium-high heat. 

Add olive oil and butter to your pan, and let that fat get good and hot.

 

Chop a red onion and add it to the hot pan, then toss in the Brussels
sprouts. Give them a toss, and then turn the heat down to medium-low. Add
sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

 

Give the Brussels sprouts and diced onion another toss and then snip your
strips of leftover bacon with your kitchen shears into the pan.

 

Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let it steam for about five
minutes. 

 


USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS AND WEBSITES


 

1-800-936-5900 

This is Microsoft's disability support line that began operation in January
2013. When you call this free phone number, you will be connected to a
technician whose job is to help persons who are blind, visually impaired, or
have other disabilities with computer problems. The help line is available
from 8:00 a.m. to midnight Eastern Standard Time Monday through Friday and
limited hours on weekends.

 

www.snopes.com

This site debunks urban legends: for example, do blind people have superior
hearing? 

 

https//www.nfb.org/vehicledonations or call 1-855-659-9314 

Go here to support the National Federation of the Blind by donating your no
longer needed used vehicle. We recently received an e-mail that over 100
vehicles have been donated, none from New Mexico. Please consider making a
future donation. 

 

www.nfb.org/scholarships 

Go here to find details and the application for NFB scholarships ranging in
amounts from $3,000 to $12,000.

 

SCAM ALERT: if your home or cell-phone rings just 1 time, do not call that
number back. That number may look innocent, but it may be out of country and
will cost you up to $8.00 per minute! 

 


MEETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS


 

March 9: Daylight Savings Time begins. Please turn your clocks forward one
hour. 

 

March 18: Deadline for Tonia Trapp to receive your pre-registration form and
check for the NFBNM State Convention to be held April 4-6.

 

March 31: Deadline for completing and sending in your application for the 30
scholarships offered by the NFB, ranging from $3,000 to $12,000 to be given
at the NFB National Convention in July in Orlando, Florida. See details by
going to the website: www.nfb.org/scholarships 

 

April 4-6: NFB of New Mexico State Convention to be held at the Sheraton
Uptown Hotel in Albuquerque.

 

July 1-6: NFB National Convention in Orlando, Florida.

 

September 13: New Mexico State Fair Parade in Albuquerque.