Special Note From The Editor
The Jury Comes Down Hard on Maxi-Aids:
A Special Note from the Editor
Occasionally in the blindness field a circumstance so
extraordinary arises that it demands unusual treatment in these pages. The recent U.S.
District Court decision in the Eastern District of New York in the case of Independent
Living Aids versus Maxi-Aids is such an instance. The entire March issue is, therefore,
devoted to telling the story of this case as it unfolded. We have tried to do so chiefly
Braille Monitor 2/98
The Braille Monitor
Vol. 41, No. 2 February 1998
Barbara Pierce, Editor
Published in inkprint,
in Braille, on cassette, and
the World Wide Web and FTP on the Internet
THE NATIONAL FEDERATION
OF THE BLIND
Marc Maurer, President
National Office
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
NFB Net BBS: (612) 696-1975
Web HomePage Address: http//www.nfb.org
Letters to the President,
Monitor Miniatures
Monitor Miniatures
Braille Books Needed:
Monitor readers may remember that in
the March, 1997, issue we carried a notice from Judith Kramer offering free
Braille books while her supply lasted. The response to the notice was overwhelming.
Long after the books were gone, she received the following letter from Ethiopia:
November 12, 1997
Dear Mrs. Judith Kramer,
I am a blind teacher of history in Ethiopia.
I also study law in evening classes. When I read in the Braille Monitor that
Emerson Foulkes Dies
Emerson Foulke, 1929 to
1997
Emerson Foulke Dies
by Marc Maurer
On Monday, December 29, 1997, Dr. Emerson
Foulke, a long-time member and leader in the National Federation of the Blind,
died of cancer at his home in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Foulke was well known
in the field of research regarding blindness and Braille. He established the
Research Laboratory at the University of Louisville, where he served as a professor
Science Museum's Hands-on Exhibits
The Fort Worth Museum
of Science and History
Science Museum's Hands-on
Exhibits Let Visitors See Dinos,
Reach for the Stars
by Kelly Melhart
From the Editor: The following article
appeared in the June 22, 1997, edition of the Fort Worth Star Telegram. It
gives families one more idea about things to do in the Dallas/Fort Worth area
before or after the convention this summer. The article is reprinted by courtesy
To and From the Convention Hotel
Norma Crosby
To and From the Convention
Hotel
by Norma Crosby
From the Editor: Now that 1998 is
actually here, it is time to begin making serious plans for attending the National
Convention, July 4 to 11. The first step is making your hotel reservation.
For your convenience, here is the information you will need: room rates are
singles, $41; doubles and twins, $43; triples, $45; and quads, $47, plus a
Questions and Answers
Betty Woodward and an
April Fool's Day snowman made by husband Bruce
Questions and NFB Answers
by Betty Woodward
From the Editor: Betty Woodward is
a member of the NFB of Connecticut Board of Directors and President of the
Greater Hartford Chapter. She takes every opportunity she can to educate the
public about blindness and the work of the National Federation of the Blind.
This is what she says
One cold winter morning a fifth grader
Despite Blindness, Couple Sees Joy in Life
Despite Blindness, Couple
Sees Joys of Life
by Darci Smith
From the Editor: The following story
first appeared in the October 17, 1997, issue of The Michigan Catholic. For
those inclined to believe that only in recent years have blind people taken
their place in the communities as fully contributing citizens, this is a salutary
reminder that in every generation some blind people have managed to make a
considerable contribution. Here is the story:
Letter to Missouri's Governor
Kevan Worley
Letter to Missouri's Governor
by Kevan C. Worley
From the Editor: The preceding article
was an effective personal description of what the Colorado Center for the Blind
did to rescue one Missouri citizen from a life of disappointment and failure.
One might have thought that any state agency serving blind people or, in fact,
any state official would have been pleased to know that such an option was
My Undiscovered Future
My Undiscovered Future
by Kevin D. Ledford
From the Editor: Before the state
rehabilitation agency serving the blind of Missouri decided it would no longer
send Missouri residents to the Colorado Center for the Blind for rehabilitation
training in the skills of blindness, Kevin Ledford requested to be sent to
Denver for job and skills training. (See the July, 1997, issue of the Braille
Monitor.) By his own account he had been completely unsuccessful in keeping