Future Reflections Winter/Spring 2006
PROGRAMS OR EVENTS
First Call for Braille Books:
Donate your gently used but no longer needed print/Braille children�s books
to the 2006 Braille Book Flea Market, sponsored by the National Organization
of Parents of Blind Children and the National Association to Promote the Use
of Braille. Books should be in good condition. Cookbooks and Twin Vision� books
suitable for children are badly needed. We still have many books left from last
year on other subjects. In other words, this year all we need are Twin Vision�
books and cookbooks.
In a few months we will have a local address in Texas where you can send the Braille books you wish to donate. Begin your search through the boxes in your basement and spare room, and get them ready for shipping. If you have any questions, contact Peggy Chong at (515) 277-1288 or email at <[email protected]>.
Summer Braille Music Institute
The National Resource Center for Blind Musicians is accepting applications for
its seminar for blind college-bound musicians, to be held July 16-22 at the
Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Designed for serious Braille-reading music students preparing for or already in college (ages average 17-21), the program tailors instruction to each person's need to develop Braille music and theory skills, and to learn to use technology to submit written assignments. Applicants must have already studied some music theory and have the ability to present a polished and pleasing performance. They must be willing to put effort into Braille music study, and demonstrate a commitment to use the Braille music and computer skills they will learn at the Institute when they return to school. Applicants must also show that they have the independence skills, social readiness, and maturity to be a contributing part of a close-knit group. Contact the Resource Center regarding tuition, scholarship criteria, and the application and audition procedure. Deadline for requesting applications is April 15; all application materials must be in the Resource Center office by May 10.
Options for teachers: School teachers interested in learning should contact the Resource Center to explore opportunities to study and help out during the Institute. Appointments can be made to bring younger students for evaluation and guidance.
Contact: David Goldstein, National Resource Center for Blind Musicians, Music and Arts Center for Humanity, 510 Barnum Avenue, Third Floor, Bridgeport, CT 06608. Phone (203) 366-3300, extension 229. Fax (203) 368-2847. Email: <[email protected]> and Web site: <www.blindmusicstudent.org>.
News from Seedlings
Seedlings Braille Books for Children is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization
dedicated to increasing the opportunity for literacy by providing high quality,
low cost Braille books for children. For more information contact: Seedlings
Braille Books for Children, P.O. Box 51924, Livonia, MI 48151-5924. Phone: (734)
427-8552 or (800) 777-8552. Email: <[email protected]> and Web site:
<http://www.seedlings.org/>.
News: In January 2006, Debra Bonde, Seedlings� founder and director was selected for an award by Harlequin�s More Than Words Program��Ordinary Women who have made extraordinary contributions to their community.� For more information, go to <http://www.eharlequin.com/> and click on the link at the bottom of the page.
Special Projects ... and free Braille!
At Seedlings we strive to provide opportunities for literacy. Listed below are
some of our ongoing special projects.
The Rose Project
World Book Encyclopedia Articles in Braille. A free service for blind students
in grades 1-12.
Anna�s Book Angel Project
In loving memory of Anna Kirstina Bonde, hundreds of Braille books have been
made in her name, which we are giving away free. Online registration is available
for this program! You can use our online form to enter your child�s name in
the drawing to win one of these free books!
Lions Beacon Lodge Camp 2006
Pennsylvania Lions Beacon Lodge Camp is planning its 2006 camping season; the
fifty-eighth consecutive year of camping. Beacon Lodge, supported by the Lions
of Pennsylvania, is a summer camp providing a program of recreation and rehabilitation
for the blind and visually impaired, physically challenged, and mentally challenged.
Programs are carried out for children and adults simultaneously, but each group
enjoys its own activities. Children are accommodated in cabins, while adults
are housed in dormitories.
The 2006 camping season opens June 10 and closes August 16. Camp sessions are six or eleven days long, based on eligibility criteria. Activities include swimming, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, bowling, hiking, archery, air riflery, nature studies, arts and crafts, backpacking, ropes course, talent and music programs, fishing in a private pond, and off-camp trips to a water park for children and an amusement park for adults.
Beacon Lodge is located in the mountains of central Pennsylvania, along the Juniata River. For more information, write to Pennsylvania Lions Beacon Lodge Camp, 114 SR 103, South, Mount Union, Pennsylvania 17066-9601, or in Pennsylvania contact your local Lions Club. You can also visit the Web site, <www.beaconlodge.com> or email <[email protected]>.
PRODUCTS
name: Beeper Sound Tracker©
description: A sound locator for use in recreational games, Easter Egg hunts,
etc. $29.99.
company: www.BrailleGifts.com, A Division of Dynamic Online Enterprises, 216
Gitchegumee Drive, Buckley, MI 49620
contact: www.BrailleGifts.com, (231) 269-3049
name: CycleMorph Tandem Adapter
description: Bicycle accessory that turns a regular bike into a tandem bike.
Approximately $500.
company: Tandem Adapter LLC, 1801 Sylvan Drive, Austin, TX 78741
contact: www.cyclemorph.com, (512) 443-9459
name: KayJoe Portable Versa-Table
description: Adjustable stand for reading, computing, writing, music, eating,
etc.; $118.99.
company: KayJae, Inc., Box 95, Cobbs Creek, VA 23035
contact: www.kayjae.com, (888) 4ka-yjae
name: Math Window
description: Magnetic board with Braille/print Nemeth code numbers and math
symbols, instructions, carrying case, $74.90.
company: Wolf Products, 106 Purvis Road, Butler PA
contact: www.mathwindow.com, (724) 285-5428
BOOKS, PUBLICATIONS, MATERIALS
name: Guess How Much I Love You and The Dot
description: Print/Braille, color-illustrated children�s books printed by a
new process on extra-heavy board stock. A Braille glossary (in print only) is
included at the back of the book, $19.95 per book.
company: BrailleInk, 2401 E. McKinney St., Ste. 1526, Denton, TX 76209
contact: www.brailleink.org, (940) 483-9343 or (800) 324-2919
name: Lots of Dots: Learning My ABC�s
description: Raised line coloring book with enrichment exercises, 48p., $24.
company: American Printing House for the Blind (APH), Louisville KY
contact: www.aph.org, (800) 223-1838
name: �Parents� Guide to the Development of Preschool Children
with Disabilities:
Resources and Services� An NLS Reference Circular
description: A selected listing of national organizations, Internet resources,
sources of special-format materials, federal agencies, and a selected bibliography,
free.
company: National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped,
the Library of Congress (NLS), Washington DC 20542
contact: www.loc.gov/nls, No. 04-04, Date: Dec. 2004, or contact your Regional
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
name: �Record-Keeping Folder�
description: Organizational tool for parents to keep track of school papers:
regular education or special education, $10.
company: PACER (a federally-funded parent training center), 8161 Normandale
Blvd., Minneapolis, MN 55437-1044
contact: www.pacer.org, (952) 838-9000 or (888) 248-0822
name: Touch and Learn
description: A tactile activity workbook for the pre-reader, accompanied by
a User�s Guide, $59.
company: Creative Adaptations for Learning, Inc. (CAL), 38 Beverly Road, Great
Neck, NY 11021
contact: www.cal-s.org, (516) 466-9143
TOYS
name: Guidecraft Magneatos
description: Magnetized toy building sets; regular size shapes or jumbo size
for �small hands and huge imaginations,� $15, $25, $50.
company: Guidecraft USA, 66 Grand Avenue, Suite 207, Englewood NJ 07631 (corporate
address)
contact: www.guidecraft.com, (800) 544-6526, extension 119
name: Mega Play®
description: Giant building blocks that lock together to create child-size play
environments, $70--$100.
company: Mega® Bloks, Inc., 4505 Hickmore Street, Montreal, Quebec, H4T
1K4, Canada
contact: www.megabloks.com, (514) 333-5555 or 1-800-465-MEGA