Buffa Hanse of the NFB of Kentucky wrote an article the week following

Tim's death

Buffa Hanse of the NFB of Kentucky wrote an article the week following

Tim's death

The Braille

MonitorJanuary/February

2002

(back)

(contents)

Monitor

Miniatures

One

Million C-1's and Counting:

The

C-1 Talking Book playback machine

Telex

Corporation built its millionth C-1 cassette playback machine in Blue Earth,

Minnesota, on December 12, 2001. Telex began building these tough and reliable

machines for the Talking Book Program of the National Library Service for the

Blind and Physically Handicapped in 1983 and has continued building them ever

since. To celebrate this milestone, Russ Groen, Blue Earth Production Manager

for the C-1, presented that millionth unit to the NLS for display in Washington,

D.C. Brad Kormann, Chief of the Material Development Division, accepted the

gift on behalf of the NLS.

A

luncheon for factory personnel was part of the celebration. Glen Cavanaugh,

President of Telex Multimedia Division, joined Brad at the luncheon to thank

the long-time C-1-line employees, some of whom were at work in 1983 and have

been building C-1's ever since.

Telex

has been a generous supporter of the NFB's capital campaign, and we thank the

company for its generosity and for this machine, which has served Talking Book

borrowers faithfully for almost twenty years.

Convention

Scholarships Available:

Allen

Harris, Chairman of the Jernigan Fund, writes to say that the committee has

established criteria for the Dr. Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarships for

2002. These factors will be considered when awarding Jernigan Convention Scholarships:

*attendance

at previous National Conventions

*activity

at the local, state, or national level

*recommendation

from the state president (formal letter not required; we will contact him or

her.)

*amount

of assistance requested

*other

sources of funding sought

When

applying for a convention scholarship, please write a brief paragraph on why

you wish to attend the convention. Submit your application letter and statement

to Allen Harris, 3000 Grand Avenue, Apartment 619, Des Moines, Iowa 50312. The

application deadline is May 1, 2002.

Correction:

The

article in the December issue which invited nominations for the Blind Educator

of the Year Award incorrectly announced that the amount of the prize will be

$500 in 2002. The prize has in fact been raised to $1,000. We regret the error.

New

Distance Learning Courses Available:

We

have been asked to carry the following announcement:

Beyond

Sight, Inc., a leader in technology for the blind and visually impaired, is

proud to introduce an accessible distance-learning program. Veteran Federationist

Robert Leblond will conduct courses in JAWS, Window-Eyes, Open Book, ZoomText,

Windows, Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and Internet applications. More classes

will be added as necessary.

For

more information go to <www.beyondsight.com> or e‑mail <[email protected]>.

Braille

Magazines Wanted:

We

have been asked to carry the following announcement:

Gordon

Janz, a deaf-blind man, would like to receive no-longer-needed Braille copies

of the following publications: the New York Times, National Geographic, Kiplinger's

Personal Financial, Reader's Digest, the Washington Post Book Review, Science

News, ESPN Magazine, and Popular Mechanics.

Contact

Gordon Janz, 101-2425 Brunswick Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5T 3M1,

Canada.

Animal

Health Care Community Support for Guide, Hearing, and Service Dogs:

We

recently received the following press release of interest to guide dog users:

Corporate

America has established a unique relationship with the International Association

of Assistance Dog Partners, a cross-disability consumer advocacy organization

of disabled people partnered with guide, hearing, and service dogs. Under the

newly initiated Veterinary Care Partnership program, IAADP members unable to

meet the high costs of diagnostic tests, emergency care, chronic-disease treatment,

and surgical intervention can call on VCP for financial aid. Bayer, Fort Dodge

Animal Health, Friskies, the Iams Company, and Nutramax Laboratories are the

corporations supporting this ambitious and far-sighted effort.

To

qualify for support, the IAADP member's veterinarian contacts the VCP coordinator

at Bayer with a request for aid in cases in which the disabled client cannot

afford the suggested intervention for the canine assistant. Recommended medical

procedures must have a high probability of maintaining the working capability

of the assistance dog. Ed Eames, IAADP president, says, "As a result of

VCP, assistance dog teams will have a better chance of staying together. With

VCP removing the stress of prematurely ending the partnership because of financial

constraints, both humans and canines can share a better quality of life."

In

an additional outreach effort Bayer will provide its flea-control product Advantage

to IAADP assistance dog partner members at no cost.

IAADP

welcomes assistance dog partners and those interested in supporting the assistance

dog movement. However, VCP and other benefits are available only to disabled

members working with guide, hearing, and service dogs. Information and application

forms can be found at <www.iaadp.org> or by calling (586) 826-3938.

Piano-Tuning

Training Opportunity:

We

have been asked to carry the following announcement:

The

Emil Fries School of Piano Tuning and Technology is seeking new students for

the 2002-2003 school year. Our training program is a twenty-month course in

piano tuning and repair for both blind and sighted men and women interested

in a career that supports music and the arts.

Our

school is located in Vancouver, Washington. We have been training students for

fifty-two years and have had students from all over the United States plus Guam,

Australia, Belize, Canada, Ethiopia, Finland, Iceland, India, Israel, Korea,

Malaysia, Switzerland, and Trinidad.

All

full-time instructors are blind or visually impaired, and blind students work

alongside sighted students as equals in all ways. Students may live in apartments

in the community or at the Washington State School for the Blind. If students

living at the school wish, they can arrange to volunteer as mentors for the

WSSB students.

Federal

financial aid and other scholarships are available. For more information call

(360) 693-1511. Send e‑mail to <[email protected]>

or see our Web site at <www.pianotuningschool.org>.

Help!

Is Any Capital Out There?

Are

you an entrepreneur in reality or only in your dreams? Does finding a way to

get enough initial capital to get your business off the ground seem impossible?

If you are interested in learning about ways to find some of that elusive funding,

you are invited to attend "Creative Ways to Capitalize Your Business,"

sponsored by the National Association of Blind Entrepreneurs, on February 3,

2002, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Capitol Holiday Inn in Washington, D.C.,

during our annual Washington Seminar.

Space

will be limited. If you are interested in attending, please call Marie Cobb

at (410) 644-6352, and leave your name on the voicemail, or e‑mail your

information to <[email protected]>. First come, first served.

In

Support of Braille Literacy:

January

4 is Louis Braille's birthday. In many areas that week is celebrated as Braille

Literacy Week. The presentation described in the following article is the sort

of project that could be duplicated for any public library across the country.

The story is reprinted from the October 17, 2001, edition of the Arbutus

Times, a weekly newspaper in the Greater Baltimore area. Here it is:

Helping

to Share the Secrets of Braille Code

Lorraine

Rovig of Arbutus, Anne Taylor of Paradise, and Steve Booth of Arbutus, all members

of the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB),

gave a free presentation, "Secrets of the Braille Code," to about

two dozen sighted participants at the Arbutus Library on Saturday, October 6.

Lorraine

explained how Braille works and offered each student his or her own half of

an egg carton to use as an example of a Braille cell.

The

three teachers took turns demonstrating reading and writing, numbers, and punctuation;

talked about the uses of Braille; and gave a short history of the code. At the

end they handed out NFB Braille alphabet cards and wrapped up with the new video,

Jake and the Secret Code.

Participants

in the session, who included youngsters, Cub Scouts, two teachers, parents,

two librarians, and a grandmother, stayed enthusiastic to the very end.

Taylor

noted that, right after the video, one of the Scouts grabbed a slate and stylus

on the display table, wrote two sentences on a three-inch by five-inch card,

and asked her if he had done it right. He had done it perfectly. All three of

the slates got a workout.

Gail

Ross, manager of the Arbutus Library, who was one of the students, said she

plans to promote the program to other libraries in Baltimore County.

"Secrets

of the Braille Code" was jointly sponsored by the NFB and Soroptimist International

of Arbutus (as an SIA literacy project). Lorraine Rovig is a member of both

groups.

Kurzweil

Educational Systems, Inc., Out from Under:

The

blindness field has been concerned in recent months by the news that Lernout

& Hauspie, the company that acquired Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc.,

several years ago, was in serious financial trouble. We recently received the

following press release containing good news for users of Kurzweil products.

Here it is:

November

19, 2001

Management

Team Acquires Kurzweil Educational Systems Group

from

Lernout and Hauspie Speech Products

Management

Buyout Ensures the Continued Availability of Leading‑Edge Software for

People with Reading Difficulties, Blindness, and Low Vision

The

management of the Kurzweil Educational Systems Group of Lernout & Hauspie

Speech Products (L&H) today announced that they have purchased the business

and assets of the group from L&H. Kurzweil Educational Systems is the industry's

leading developer of innovative reading software for people with learning disabilities,

reading difficulties, blindness, and low vision.

Michael

Sokol led the management buyout and will serve in the new company as President

and CEO. Sokol was a founder in 1996 of Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc.,

along with technical visionary Ray Kurzweil, who will be a Director of the new

entity, and Jerome Elkind, who will be Chairman of the Board. Kurzweil Educational

Systems, Inc., was acquired by L&H in 1998. The new company will resume

operations under its original name of Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc., and

will remain headquartered in Massachusetts. It will also continue to maintain

sales offices in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Palo Alto, California, along with

its United States and international reseller channels of distribution.

"From

the outset we assembled a talented and dedicated management team, which remained

intact at L&H and which will now be key to our success as an independent

entity," said Michael Sokol. "Collectively we are excited by this

opportunity to build on the reputation and leadership position we have established

in our industry. This acquisition demonstrates our unwavering commitment to

those with disabilities who rely on our products."

Stephen

Baum, Chief Technology Officer of the new company, commented, "Few things

are as rewarding as applying software innovation to improving the lives of people

with disabilities. As an independent company we will be an organization that

is totally focused on using our technical resources and skills to extend the

capabilities of our products. The ability to continue to provide innovative

reading and writing products that fulfill such a vital need in the lives of

our customers inspires us and will guide our future success."

The

Kurzweil Educational Systems current product line consists of Kurzweil 1000,

an advanced reading tool for people who are blind or severely visually impaired;

Kurzweil 3000, a reading and writing tool for those who have learning disabilities

and other reading difficulties; and MagniReader, for people who have low vision.

Four

Utilization Awards for Rehabilitation Practitioners:

We

have been asked to carry the following announcement:

Win

a $250 award for demonstrating how you have used recent research or training

information from the RRTC on Blindness and Low Vision (e.g., research reports

or training material) to improve your service delivery to clients who are blind

or visually impaired and improved their lives. To apply, complete and return

an evaluation form available on our Web site: <www.blind.msstate.edu>

or call (662) 325-2001 to request further information.

Convention

Scholarships Available:

Allen

Harris, Chairman of the Jernigan Fund, writes to say that the committee has

established criteria for the Dr. Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarships for

2002. These factors will be considered when awarding Jernigan Convention Scholarships:

*attendance

at previous National Conventions

*activity

at the local, state, or national level

*recommendation

from the state president (formal letter not required; we will contact him or

her.)

*amount

of assistance requested

*other

sources of funding sought

When

applying for a convention scholarship, please write a brief paragraph on why

you wish to attend the convention. Submit your application letter and statement

to Allen Harris, 3000 Grand Avenue, Apartment 619, Des Moines, Iowa 50312. The

application deadline is May 1, 2002.

Research

Project on Blind and Visually Impaired Graduate Students:

We

have been asked to carry the following announcement:

I

am a blind doctoral student in psychology doing my dissertation on the experiences

of blind and visually impaired students in graduate training. If you are a student

in a master's or doctoral program in any field or have graduated from one within

the past two years, I would like to talk with you. If you are selected, you

will take part in interviews in person or by phone to discuss your experiences

in your graduate training. Your responses will be confidential.

By

participating in this study, you will provide information that may help guide

efforts to improve educational opportunities for our community. You will be

paid $50 as a thank-you for your time.

If

you wish to be considered for participation in this project, please contact

Scott Feldman at the University of Illinois at Chicago, (312) 355-1120 or <[email protected]>

with your phone number or e-mail and the best times to contact you.

More

Research Assistance Needed:

We

have been asked to carry the following announcement:

I

am currently doing research in preparation for a book on the history of orientation

and mobility. Included in the book will be an examination of a number of issues

and conflicts surrounding the creation of the O&M profession. As part of

my research I am interested in obtaining blind people's experiences with orientation

and mobility training. Examples could include length of training, instructor's

role in teaching, instructor expectations, your level of confidence in traveling

independently following training, perceived benefits from having a certified

mobility instructor (if you did), helpful or unhelpful techniques taught, type

of setting in which training was received, or any other evaluation information.

No names will be used without the consent of the author. Please send your recollections

to Ronald Ferguson, Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness,

101 S. Trenton, Ruston, Louisiana 71270, or send e-mail to <[email protected]>.

Election:

On

November 10, 2001, the NFB of Pennsylvania conducted elections at its annual

convention. The results are as follows: Jim Antonacci, President; Judy Jobes,

First Vice President; Fred Leader, Second Vice President; Connie Johnson, Secretary;

Chuck Morgenstern, Treasurer; and Patricia Grebloski, Gus Jasper, Lisa Mattioli,

Rodney Powell, Mark Senk, and Cary Supalo, Members of the Board of Directors.

Research

Assistantship Available:

We

have been asked to carry the following announcement:

The

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Blindness and Low Vision,

in collaboration with the Department of Educational Psychology at Mississippi

State University, is sponsoring a graduate research fellowship emphasizing rehabilitation

research in the area of blindness and low vision. Students are expected to pursue

and attain a doctoral degree in the Department of Counselor Education and Educational

Psychology.

The

goal of this fellowship is to produce a scientist-practitioner well grounded

in state-of-the-art research methods and practices. The fellowship experience

includes a paid graduate assistantship with the RRTC; payment of tuition; participation

in ongoing applied rehabilitation research; involvement with professional groups,

state agencies for the blind, and consumer advocacy organizations; and involvement

in regional and national training conferences.

The

deadline for applying to the MSU Graduate School is March 1, 2002. For more

detailed information about this fellowship, contact J. Elton Moore, Ed.D., Director,

RRTC on Blindness and Low Vision, P.O. Box 6189, Mississippi State, Mississippi

39762, (662) 325-2001, TDD: (662) 325-8693, Fax: (662) 325-8693.

New

Merchant Division:

The

NFB of Georgia proudly announces the launch of its Merchants Division. If you

are a vendor within the Business Enterprise Program, we welcome you to join.

Membership is only $10. We are also offering assistance to vendors who wish

to attend the NFB-National Association of Blind Merchants BLAST (Business Leadership

and Superior Training) conference in Las Vegas in early March. For more information

on membership or grants to attend the conference, call Stephanie Scott at (404)763-1551,

or toll-free (866) 999-6324. Stay tuned for details on the upcoming 2002 Randolph-Sheppard

Seminar.

Attention

Skiers:

We

have been asked to carry the following press release:

New

Organization Expands Mountain Access for

Blind

and Visually Impaired Skiers and Snowboarders

Visually

impaired skiers and snowboarders have a new opportunity to hit the slopes thanks

to Foresight Ski Guides, a non-profit organization launched in Colorado this

season. Its aim is to provide one-of-a-kind, affordable, and flexible services

for blind or visually impaired skiers and snowboarders.

"Although

a number of resorts and organizations provide ski services for people who are

blind or visually impaired, few do so affordably or flexibly," said Foresight

founder Mark G. Davis. "Our aim is to provide one-stop service for blind

or visually impaired people to fully enjoy a winter mountain experience."

Foresight's

focus will be to arrange for trained volunteer guides to accompany the skier

or snowboarder on the slopes. For a once-a-season donation of $50, participants

will be entitled to four days of guided skiing, with lift tickets, equipment

rental, and assistance for lodging and transportation. Grants, corporate sponsorships,

and charitable donations cover the remainder of the expenses. Initially services

will be available at Vail Resorts, with eventual expansion to resorts elsewhere

in Colorado and nationwide.

"Vail

has historically supported adaptive ski programs as part of our commitment to

our guests," said Bill Jensen, Senior Vice President of Vail Resorts, Inc.,

and Chief Operating Officer of Vail. "We recognize and understand that

snow sports can provide a life-changing experience to visually impaired people,

and with Vail Resorts' expanded opportunity to partner with Mark Davis and Foresight,

this will only broaden the benefits of skiing and snowboarding to those who

are visually impaired."

Foresight

was founded by Mark G. Davis, a part-time Denver/ part-time Vail resident and

lifelong skier who himself became visually impaired as a result of an attack

of multiple sclerosis. He was recently named a Betaseronsm_ Multiple Sclerosis

Champion of Courage grant recipient and is applying that grant toward the establishment

of Foresight. Various corporations, including Vail Resorts and Vail Sports,

have also pledged corporate support.

In

addition to notifying blind or visually impaired skiers, snowboarders, and their

families, Davis is also looking for volunteers to act as guides and hosts on

the mountain. An application is available at the Foresight Website <www.foresightskiguides.org>

or by calling toll-free (866) 860-0972.

If

I Had Only Known Then:

Mary

Brunoli

Mary

Brunoli is a longtime Federationist. The events of September 11 have taught

us all things about ourselves. Here Mary shares a recollection that demonstrates

just how far the NFB has helped us come. This is what she says:

The

story of Mike Hingson's escape from the Trade Center reminded me of an incident

which occurred during the early days at my little canderia. There was a fire

in the baling room, and the fire alarm knelled out its warning. People were

rushing out, choking, and crying: "I can't see a thing!"

"Come

this way," I called, showing people the way out.

One

person shouted, "Oh, Mary, you are a life saver." In fact I led a

number of people to safety with no problem.

The

next day the newspaper report said that I had to be led out of the building.

I was furious, as were some of my customers. One of my very good customers was

the mother of the reporter who had written the story, and to my shame I dared

not even speak to her about the inaccuracy and injustice of his story. Remember,

these things happened before the National Federation of the Blind. If I had

only known then what I know now.

NFB

PLEDGE

I

pledge to participate actively in the effort of the National Federation of the

Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind; to support

the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its constitution.

(back)

(contents)