How NAC Has Learned to Help
Like Pinocchio, the National
Accreditation Council began life as a puppet. Unlike NAC, however, Pinocchio eventually
became an independent, living being. You will remember that Pinocchio's nose grew longer
each time he told a lie. Here Peggy Elliott points out a related phenomenon which occurs
whenever NAC makes its claims of excellence and usefulness.
(Photo adapted from an illustration by Richard Floethe)
How NAC Has Learned to Help the
Blind
by Peggy Elliott
On the Nature of Mental Discipline
On the Nature of Mental
Discipline and Sonnets
by Kenneth Jernigan
President Maurer (left) and Dr. Jernigan (right) shake
hands at the NCSAB reception.
Recently in North Carolina, when I was undergoing
cancer treatment and having a restless night, I put together a piece for the Monitor that
I have been intending to do for more than thirty years. I doubt that I will ever write
such an article again, but at least for once here goes.
From time to time I am asked what technique I use
National Task Force on Employment
National Task Force on Employment
of Adults with Disabilities
From the Editor: We recently received the
following notice which could conceivably affect employment opportunities for blind people
in coming years. Here is the text:
THE WHITE HOUSE, Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release, March 13, 1998
EXECUTIVE ORDER
Increasing Employment of Adults with Disabilities
By the authority vested in me as President by the
EEOC Charges Filed
Debbie and Stuart Prost
EEOC Charges Filed Against
Virginia's So-called
Disability Rights Agency
by Charles Brown
From the Editor: Charlie Brown is the
President of the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia and a Member of the NFB
Board of Directors. The following report is reprinted from the Winter, 1998, issue of the
NFB Vigilant, a publication of the NFB of Virginia. Stuart Prost is a long-time member of
Music Education Network
Introducing Music Education
Network for the Visually Impaired
by Richard Taesch
From the Editor: In general education circles
in recent years, people have become increasingly aware of the importance of music
education to the entire child, particularly with respect to developing skills in
mathematics and logic. This discovery or rediscovery has obvious implications for blind
youngsters as well. (See the article "Music Education: Not Just a Frill" in the
The Hollow Nature of Political Correctness
Noel Nightingale
The Hollow Nature of Political
Correctness
by Noel Nightingale
From the Editor: Noel Nightingale is a Member
of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Blind Lawyers and First Vice
President of the NFB of Washington. She is an attorney in the Environmental Practice Group
in the law firm of Heller, Ehrman, White, & McAuliffe in Seattle. This is what she
says:
There are several problems with the late
Dots Plus
Dr. John Gardner
DotsPlus
by John A. Gardner
From the Editor: John Gardner is professor
and director of the Science Access Project, Department of Physics, Oregon State
University. In mid-November of 1997 something of a media flap occurred when Senator Ron
Wyden objected loudly and publicly that the Department of Education had rejected a grant
application from a blind physicist in his state merely because the proposal was not
submitted in a double-spaced, large-print format. The rejection apparently had nothing to
Equality Safari-Style
PHOTO/CAPTION: Michael Baillif
Equality Safari-Style
by Michael Baillif
From the Editor: In the years since Michael
Baillif first won an NFB scholarship in 1984, he has frequently contributed to the Braille
Monitor. Often his articles are reflections on experiences he has had during trips to
other countries. The following article is no exception. Here it is:
Our van had been bumping, thumping, and skidding
over the nearly impassable road for what seemed like an eternity. Finally we had reached
Convention Extras
Elizabeth Campbell
Convention Extras
by Elizabeth Campbell
From the Editor: The following article is the
last pre-convention offering from the Texas affiliate. In just a few weeks we will be
gathering for the 1998 convention of the National Federation of the Blind, and you don't
want to miss it. President Maurer is hard at work on the convention agenda, and you
already know from recent Monitor articles just how much activity is planned around
Raising the Bar
Raising the Bar: First Tme at National Convention
by Dan Burke
From the Editor: People who have attended
National Conventions know what an astonishing impact that first experience can have on a
life, but it's hard to convey to those who have never taken their courage in both their
hands and decided to go what a difference that week of inspiration, information, and
friendship can make in their lives. They can easily conceive of all sorts of problems,