Monitor Miniatures

Monitor Miniatures

The Braille Monitor

January,

2004

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Monitor Miniatures

News from the Federation

Family

Correction:

In

the December 2003 print edition we accidentally omitted the final reference

listed in the article, "A Few Notes on Buying a Computer," by Curtis

Chong and Steven Booth. Here it is:

Kurzweil

Educational Systems, 14 Crosby Drive, Bedford, Massachusetts 01730, Telephone:

(800) 894-5374; fax: (781) 276-0650; email: <[email protected]>; Web

site: <www.kurzweiledu.com>. Kurzweil 1000 is available at $995.

We

regret the omission.

Ideas for Chapters:

Paul

Price, president of the North San Diego Chapter of the NFB of California, writes

to pass along the following excellent ideas:

When

holding a chapter meeting and playing the presidential release, my chapter uses

an inexpensive set of computer speakers to enhance the volume and quality of

tape playback.

Here

is a fundraising idea: when holding candy sales in front of grocery stores,

we enlist the local Boy or Girl Scout troop to help us sell. We put a sign up

behind our table stating "The National Federation of the Blind is helping

the Boy or Girl Scouts to earn their community service badges." As a bonus,

most of these kids do not know how to take no for an answer. They will follow

people all the way across a parking lot to make a sale.

If you have a good idea

to pass along to other chapters, send it to the editor at <[email protected]>,

and we will publish it in an upcoming issue.

In Memoriam:

Arie

Gamliel

Those who go back many

years in the Federation family will remember Arie and Nurit Gamliel, who were

active members before they moved to Israel, where Arie continued to work for

the welfare of blind people and to espouse the philosophy of the NFB. When Arie

died suddenly, we asked David Stayer to write a brief tribute to Arie. Here

it is:

On

November 30, 2003, Arie Gamliel died in Israel. Arie lived a full life. He was

a true Federationist, having been active in our New York affiliate. He was a

past president of our New York City chapter, a New York state officer, and a

founder of the NFB Human Services Division. Arie had many interests which he

pursued with enthusiasm. The Gamliels attended many NFB conventions, the most

recent being Philadelphia in 2001. Arie was the kind of person you immediately

liked. Arie and Nurit first met our family in 1976. The Gamliels and the Stayers

have been extremely close ever since. Whenever the Gamliels visited the United

States, they always visited our home before returning to Israel. We prayed,

sang, ate, shopped, walked the streets of several cities, and worked to better

the lives of the blind together.

Arie

was intellectually gifted as well as fluent in Hebrew and English. Part of his

legacy to the international blind community is his Brailling and proofreading

of prayer books in Hebrew. He leaves behind his wife Nurit and twin sons to

carry on his legacy. Truly we have all lost a brother.

Elected:

The

National Federation of the Blind of Greater Long Island has elected officers

for the coming two years. They are president, David Stayer; first vice president,

Christine Faltz; second vice president, George Dominguez; treasurer, JoAnn Madsgard;

recording secretary, Loraine Stayer; corresponding secretary, Sara S. Berger;

and board members Brad Greenspan and Melissa Resnick.

Whozit Ties Available

from the NFB of New Jersey:

Look

sharp, be sharp: purchase your silk Whozit tie for the Grand Opening, Washington

Seminar, NFB meetings, and other dress occasions. These are embroidered Whozit

ties in full Whozit colors. Tie colors are black, burgundy, gray, blue, and

beige. Prices are $30 per tie or two ties for $50. Add $3 for shipping.

All

proceeds will go toward the New Jersey state scholarship fund. To order, contact

Joe Ruffalo, (973) 759-3622, email <[email protected]>.

Note:

Many additional items can be embroidered with the Whozit logo. You name it,

and we can embroider it. Just ask.

In Brief

Notices and information

in this section may be of interest to Monitor readers. We are not responsible

for the accuracy of the information; we have edited only for space and clarity.

National Exhibits

by Blind Artists—

Thirtieth

Anniversary Exhibit:

Call

for legally blind artists for a juried exhibition, fall 2004, at the Philadelphia

Museum of Art. Slides are due by February 27, 2004. Send slides to NEBA, 919

Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107. Call for prospectus, (800)

222-1754, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time,

or anytime (215) 925-3213 (voice mail).

Advice about Tactile

Maps Requested:

Sylvie

Kashdan is gathering information to help in a project for getting tactile maps

made for the Seattle metropolitan area. She is especially interested in learning

about the impressions that blind and visually impaired people have of tactile

maps of other metropolitan areas. She would appreciate hearing from blind people

who have used or examined the new tactile New York City transit maps. She would

like to know their impressions of these maps, including how easy they find the

maps to understand, how useful they find them, and whatever else people think

important to note about the maps. She would also appreciate knowing about other

tactile maps that people have found useful. Please write to her in Braille or

print at 810

A

Hiawatha Place South, Seattle, Washington 98144, or email her at <[email protected]>.

Assistant Secretary

Robert Pasternack Departs:

Robert

Pasternack

Those who attended the

2003 NFB convention will remember the appearance made by Assistant Secretary

of Education Robert Pasternack. It could certainly be said that we have often

succeeded in establishing better rapport with other federal officials. In mid-November

we received the following rather cryptic announcement from the Department of

Education. It is perhaps more interesting for what it does not say than for

what it does, and the tone is certainly cool. Here it is:

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Public

Affairs, News Branch

November 18, 2003

STATEMENT BY U.S. SECRETARY

OF EDUCATION ROD PAIGE

On the resignation of

Robert H. Pasternack, effective January 2, 2004, as assistant secretary for

special education and rehabilitative

services a post he has held since August 2001.

"I want to thank Bob

for his service to the department and commend him for his work to improve the

lives of America's 6.5 million children and youth with disabilities. `No child

left behind' means every child and

that certainly includes students with disabilities. Bob has been an effective

advocate on their behalf, and we wish him well."

In a letter to the president

Pasternack said he feels he "can continue to serve children with disabilities

and their families in the private sector while at the same time trying my best

to achieve the educational goals that you have set for our country."

Washington Center

Scholarships for Students with Disabilities:

The

Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (TWC) will provide fifty

competitive scholarship awards to students with disabilities to study and intern

in Washington, D.C., during the 2004 fall academic semester through a partnership

with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

The

initiative builds on the Department of Labor's ten-year track record of providing

summer internships for students with disabilities through the Workforce Recruitment

Program (WRP). The new Washington Center initiative will provide young people

the break they need to launch successful careers in public service. In addition

the programs provide federal agencies access to a pool of highly qualified,

diverse candidates to help with their workforce development needs of the future.

The new TWC/ODEP partnership of offering internship opportunities in the spring

and fall semesters makes student participation in academic internships accessible

year-round.

The

Washington Center brings together students from all backgrounds to learn about

the rich intellectual and cultural diversity of the nation's capital. Applicants

should be highly motivated students and recent graduates who are eager to prove

their abilities in the workforce.

Students

will gain professional work experience in the executive, judicial, and legislative

branches of the federal government in Washington, D.C. The Washington Center

will complement students' work experience with solid academic training for credit

from highly qualified instructors. In addition students will be exposed to community,

national, and international leaders through workshops, seminars, lectures, embassy

visits, and networking events held throughout the semester.

The

Washington Center is currently accepting applications from students with disabilities

interested in participating in the fall 2004 program. Application materials

and additional information about the program and scholarship award are available

by visiting <www.twc.edu>. The online application can be downloaded from

<http://www.aapd.com/Internships/washintern.html>.

For

those interested in applying for the fall semester 2004 program, the dates are

September 1 to December 18, 2004. The highly competitive deadline for applications

is May 3, and the regular deadline is June 14. For more information contact

the Washington Center at (202) 336-7600.

Braille Fortune Cookies

Available:

Lucky

Touch Fortune Cookie Company is a student-operated business specializing in

special-order Braille and large-print fortune cookies. The company can customize

your order to fit your event, whether it's a birthday, anniversary, convention,

holiday, wedding, etc. Place your order by phone. If items are in stock, allow

two weeks from the receipt of payment. Customized orders require a week longer.

To order, contact Lucky Touch advisor Judith Lesner, (510) 794-3800, extension

300; fax: (510) 794-3813; 500 Walnut Avenue, Fremont, California 94536.

Improved NBP Web

Site:

The

National Braille Press (NBP) has opened a brand new online store, where you

can purchase our many Braille products. The site is accessible, and the address

is easy: <www.nbp.org>. A help page is available for those who want navigation

assistance. Each department at NBP has its own section with links appearing

on the home page. To buy Braille books, including children's print/Braille books,

go to Our Bookstore. You can also subscribe to the Children's Braille Book Club,

read about how the press got started in 1927 (Who We Are), donate to the cause

(Ways to Give), take an online tour of the plant (Braille Production Services),

check out our new Braille literacy program (ReadBooks!), or discover how NBP

is contributing on the education front (Textbooks and Tests). Right now we are

featuring a raffle for those who visit the site; the drawing is April 1, 2004.

Visit us today.

Monitor Mart

The notices in this

section have been edited for clarity, but we can pass along only the information

we were given. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the statements made

or the quality of the products for sale.

For Sale:

Braille

'n Speak 2000. Asking $1,000. Includes AC adaptor, Braille and print instructions,

and carrying case. Rarely used, has a date book and phone book program. Contact

Robert Holt at <[email protected]> or (916) 723-0710.

For Sale:

Five year-old Perkins Brailler

with original dust cover is in excellent condition--no broken or loose keys.

Priced at $475 payable by Western Union. Price includes shipping within the

U.S. If interested, please email Linda at <[email protected]>.

NFB PLEDGE

I pledge to participate

actively in the efforts 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.

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