Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Future Reflections Spring/ Summer1987, Vol. 6 No. 2
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Hear Ye!
Hear Ye!
CONSTITUTION IN BRAILLE
The National Braille Press sent us
this announcment.
The Constitution is more than just
words on a piece of parchment paper.
It's the oldest written instrument of
national government in the world, and to
read it is to share in the experience of
what happened in Philadelphia 200 years
ago.
Celebrate this year's bicentennial by
sending for your own Braille copy of the
Constitution. Thanks to a grant from
the National Endowment for the Human ities,
anyone who requests a Braille
copy of the Constitution gets one for
free. Simply write to: National
Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street,
Boston, MA 02115. Or call: (617) 2666160.
LEARNING PILLOWS
We were asked to print this announcement:
For
two years I have been marketing
tactile/ visual/ auditory toys called
Learning Pillows. I am pleased to announce
the creation of several new proucts:
1. Big Bug Little Bug! $25.00. These two finger puppets have fun discovering
big and little items and shapes on the
urface of the Learning Pillow.
2. Sticky-nose puppets learn to share. $25.00. Did you ever have something
extra that you wanted to share with a
friend? These two puppets have lots of
fun exploring all of their pockets on
the Learning Pillow. Some pockets are
filled with toys while other pockets are
empty. Your child will have fun interacting
with the puppets and learning how
to share simple things.
3. Mr. Bug finger puppets. 2 for
$5.00. These simple puppets slip comfortably
over your index finger. They
are fun to play with and your child will
enjoy telling stories along with his/her
new friend the Mr. Bug finger puppet.
Tapes now available: Mr. Bug Goes For
A Walk: story and parent-teacher
activity guide. $7.00. Includes simple
sound effects and suggestions for use
with the Learning Pillow. Easy to use,
easy to follow.
Mr. Bug Tries to Hide: story and parent-teacher Activity guide. $7.00.
Simple sound effects and suggestions for
use with the Learning Pillow.
The King and His Closet: story and
parent-teacher activity guide. $7.00.
Sound affects, suggestions, loads of
fun!
If you have already purchased the
pillows that correspond with these
tapes, you will be interested in including
the tape in your Learning
Pillows collection. For additional
information on the Learning Pillows
products, contact: Jane K. Kronheim, 22
Cypress Street, Watertown, MA 02172;
phone (617) 926-6974.
KIDSVIEW SOFTWARE, INC.
This information conies from a company
in New Hampshire.
KIDSVIEW SOFTWARE, Inc. introduces a
large character environment for the
visully impaired, the special needs
student, and children. In fact, anyone
who finds regular computer characters
too small, can use Kidsview Software,
Inc. products. Kidsword is a large
character work processor expecially
designed to be easy enough for children;
yet it contains features which make it
suitable for more advanced applications
such as business or college.
Kidsview and Kidsword are available on
disc for the Commordor 64, 64C, and 128
(in 64 mode). Kidsview and Kidsword
will be available for Apple and IBM
computers in the coming months. For
more information write or call: Kidsview
Software, Inc., P.O. Box 98, Warner, NH
03278; (603) 927-4428;
TIPS FROM A TEACHER
Olivia Ferrante is a teacher of blind
and visully impaired children in Massachusetts.
She is also one of our
readers. Here are a few tips she has
for the child's regular classroom teachers.
Independence:
Let the child carry his
own milk or lunch tray. The child
should be responsible for his own work
and materials. He should pass in his
homework on time. Older children should
be responsible for finding out what is
being written on the board if no one
tells them.
Lighting: Albinos need dim light,
children with retinal diseases like
bright light. Children who have had
cataract surgery also need dim light. A
doctor's report should be the guide.
Ask the school nurse or vision teacher
for advice when unsure.
Electronics: For some children, large
type and magnifiers are not sufficient;
they need expensive closed circuit television
magnifying systems. I consider
this as a last resort; these divices are
tremendously expensive and nonportable.
Braillemight be better.
PAYING FOR EQUALITY
(Reprinted from the June-July, 1987 Braille Monitor.)
Ruth Swenson, President of the National
Federation of the Blind of
Arizona, recently wrote a letter to Bob
Hockin, General Manager of the Phoenix
Transit System. The policy of the bus
company had been that the blind ride for free. Ruth Swenson pointed out that
this is no way to treat blind bus riders
and that blind people insist upon the
rights to participate equally with the
sighted on the bus or off. Response to
this letter is instructive. Because of
the work of the National Federation of
the Blind of Arizona, a new bus company
policy was adopted. The blind have the
right to ride and not be treated as
charity cases. Here is the policy:
Bulletin #87-2-23-46
SUBJECT: Blind Passengers Requesting to
Pay Their Fare
Effective immediately any blind patron
who boards a Phoenix Transit bus wishing
to pay their fare should be allowed to
do so. Please do not block the farebox
prohibiting them to pay or creating an
issue with the blind patron bringing
attention to his/her handicap. The
blind community has requested that we
alert our operators of the uncomfortable
situations they have been put in. Thank
you in advance for your cooperation. -Safety Department
DEAF-BLIND DIRECTORY
(Reprinted from the March, 1987 Braille Monitor.)
We have been asked to carry the
following announcement:
"The Helen Keller National Center for
Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults announces
the publication of its revised DIRECTORY
OF AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS
SERVING DEAF-BLIND INDIVIDUALS,
1987, which is designed as a resource
and an aid to parents and professionals
who are seeking services for deaf-blind
individuals nationwide. The Directory
includes Federally Funded Programs, and
the listings appear alphabetically according
to state, city and name of
agency. The data include director's
name, geographical service area, eligibility
requirements, age range of the
population served, major services, communications
modes, funding sources, and
contact person. The Directory's three
ring binder permits the addition of
updated material which will be forwarded
periodically to users. To order, send
$10, payable to HKNC, to: Community
Education Department, HKNC, 111 Middle
Neck Road, Sands Point, NY 11050, (516)
944-8900."
MILESTONES
(Reprinted from the January, 1987 Braille Monitor.)
On Tuesday, November 25, 1986, the Job
Opportunities for the Blind program
(JOB) sent out its 100th JOB Bulletin.
During the time that the JOB program has
been in operation more than half a million
job listings have been analyzed.
More than 3,500 people have been JOB
applicants. Fifty-seven JOB seminars
have been conducted. More than 150,000
tapes have been distributed. And
finally-- the most important fact of
all--there are 664 blind JOB applicants
we know about who now have jobs.
LABELS
(Reprinted from the March, 1987 Braille Monitor.)
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
"Free Matter Mail Labels: Bold-print,
self-adhesive, and touch-keyed for
orientation. 1" x 3-1/2", 100 for
$2.00. Unique 3" x 4" package size, has
bold outlines and embossed boxes for
address location, 50 for $2.00; custom
printed with return address, only 50
cents more. Send to: J.P. Enterprises,
Department M, Box 44217, Denver, Colorado
80201. Free information and samples.
(Braille, cassette welcome: send
tape for information.)"
NO HASSLE IN AIRLINE EXIT ROW
(Reprinted from the February, 1987 Braille Monitor.)
Theresa Herron, President of the National
Federation of the Blind of New
Hampshire, writes:
"On November 30, 1986, I was booked
with US Air to fly from Baltimore, Maryland,
to Manchester, New Hampshire, by
way of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At
5:55 p.m. I boarded flight 1930 for
Philadelphia. Since it was a commuter
flight, the seating was 'open,' and I
seated myself across from the rear door
by which we had entered. It did not
occur to me it was considered an exit
row until the usual pre-flight blurb, to
which I paid scant attention until the
row and door were mentioned and registered
on my consciousness. In the unpredictable
manner of the airlines,
nothing had been said to me about my
sitting in an exit row, only an offer to
take my cane, which I politely but firmly
declined. The flight was full, and
some people were asked to exchange seats
in order for children to sit with their
parents, but not a word to me about the
exit row across from the rear door. One
never knows what the policy will be from
one flight to another or one airline
from another--simply inconsistent."
BRAILLE TRANSCRIPTION SERVICE
This announcment comes from 4-Sights
Network.
Braille Transcription Service, BTS,
produces superior quality Braille for:
instruction manuals, promotional brochures,
newsletters, text books, educational
materials, and more. 85% to
95% faster than traditional transcription
methods. Interpoint or single
sided Braille. Interpoint Braille
600 lines per minute; single-sided
Braille -- 300 lines per minute. For
more information, call (313) 272-3900;
or write: BTS 4-Sights Network, Greater
Detroit Society for the Blind, 16625
Grand River Ave., Detroit, MI 48227.
JARGON JITTERS
(Reprinted from the March, 1987 Braille Monitor.)
Please give me no directives.
I'm tired of the term.
Nor do I want your guidelines ;
Just the mention makes me squirm.
I will not contribute input,
Though I'll gladly have my say.
If you ask me to communicate,
My answer's: "Not today."
I'm dead set against relating,
But I'll be a loyal friend;
And if you ask for this in depth,
Forget it! It's the end!
TAPES AVAILABLE
The June 27, 1987 NFB seminar for
parents of blind children was absolutely
one of the best seminars we have ever
conducted. Readers will recall that it
was held in conjunction with our NFB
National Convention and that a good
portion of our WINTER 1987 issue of
Future Reflections was devoted to information
about the seminar and convention.
Anyway, even before the seminar adjourned
we had people asking how and
when they could get tapes of it.
The seminar tapes are ready now, and
the set (four tapes) can be purchased
for $8.00. To order, send your $8.00
with a request for the 1987 Parent
Seminar tapes to: National Federation of the Blind
Aids and Appliances
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore,MD 21230
Checks should be made payable to the
National Federation of the Blind.
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