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                       THE BRAILLE MONITOR

November, 1996


          _Barbara _Pierce, _Editor


      Published in inkprint, in Braille, and on cassette by


              THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND


                     MARC MAURER, PRESIDENT


                         National Office

                       1800 Johnson Street

                    Baltimore, Maryland 21230

                   NFB Net BBS: [phone]

              Web Page address: http://www.nfb.org


           Letters to the President, address changes,

        subscription requests, orders for NFB literature,

      articles for the _Monitor, and letters to the Editor

             should be sent to the National Office.

_Monitor subscriptions cost the Federation about twenty-five
dollars per year. Members are invited, and non-members are
requested, to cover the subscription cost. Donations should be
made payable to __National Federation of the _Blind and sent to:


                National Federation of the Blind

                       1800 Johnson Street

                    Baltimore, Maryland 21230


 __THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN _ORGANIZATION

     __SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND--IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR
                           _THEMSELVES
THE BRAILLE MONITOR
PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND


                            CONTENTS
                                                   NOVEMBER, 1996


Who Are the Blind Who Lead the Blind

                       Why I am Building Reading Machines Again

  by Ray Kurzweil

                       Braille Readers Contest Makes a Difference

  by Miki Causey

                            Literacy, Learning, and Louis Braille


                       Is It Too Late to Rescue Braille Literacy?

  by Emerson Foulke

                                            Window of Opportunity

  by Susie Stanzel

        1997 National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program


Frank Kurt Cylke Receives 1996 Dr. Dayton M. Forman Memorial Awar
d

                                              Sighted Electronics

  by David Pillischer

                                               Optacon User Alert

  by Steve Britt

                                   NPR Hears From Montana's Blind


                                                          Recipes

                                               Monitor Miniatures



      Copyright(&+c) 1996 National Federation of the Blind


_ISSN _0006-8829[LEAD PHOTO: The lead photograph is of David
Ticchi wearing a shirt and shorts that read "1996 Olympic Relay."
He is smiling broadly and carrying the Olympic torch upright in
his left hand and his white cane extended in his right. CAPTION:
David Ticchi, President of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, chapter
of the NFB, was one of the thousands of runners invited to carry
the 1996 Olympic torch from Greece to Atlanta. He was chosen for
this honor because of his community involvement with the National
Federation of the Blind and the YMCA.]

             __WHO ARE THE BLIND WHO LEAD THE _BLIND

                          _INTRODUCTION

  The National Federation of the Blind has become by far the most
significant force in the affairs of the blind today, and its
actions have had an impact on many other groups and programs. The
Federation's President, Marc Maurer, radiates confidence and
persuasiveness. He says, "If I can find twenty people who care
about a thing, then we can get it done. And if there are two
hundred, two thousand, or twenty thousand, that's even better."
The National Federation of the Blind is a civil rights movement
with all that the term implies.
  President Maurer says, "You can't expect to obtain freedom by
having somebody else hand it to you. You have to do the job
yourself. The French could not have won the American Revolution
for us. That would merely have shifted the governing authority
from one colonial power to another. So, too, we the blind are the
only ones who can win freedom for the blind, which is both
frightening and reassuring. If we don't get out and do what we
must, we have no one to blame but ourselves. We have control of
the essential elements."
  Although there are many organizations and agencies _for the
blind in the United States today, there is only one National
Federation _of the Blind. This organization was established in
1940 when the blind of seven states--Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and California--sent
delegates to its first convention at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Since that time progress has been rapid and steady. The
Federation is recognized by blind men and women throughout the
entire country as their primary means of joint expression; and
today--with active affiliates in every state, the District of
Columbia, and Puerto Rico--it is the primary voice of the
nation's blind.
  To explain this spectacular growth, three questions must be
asked and answered: (1) What are the conditions in the general
environment of the blind which have impelled them to organize?
(2) What are the purpose, the belief, and the philosophy of the
National Federation of the Blind? (3) Who are its leaders, and
what are their qualifications to understand and solve the
problems of blindness? Even a brief answer to these questions is
instructive.
  When the Federation came into being in 1940, the outlook for
the blind was anything but bright. The nation's welfare system
was so discouraging to individual initiative that those forced to
accept public assistance had little hope of ever achieving self-
support again, and those who sought competitive employment in
regular industry or the professions found most of the doors
barred against them. The universal good will expressed toward the
blind was not the wholesome good will of respect felt toward
equals; it was the misguided good will of pity felt toward
inferiors. In effect the system said to the blind, "Sit on the
sidelines of life. This game is not for you. If you have creative
talents, we are sorry, but we cannot use them." The Federation
came into being to combat these expressions of discrimination and
to promote new ways of thought concerning blindness. Although
great progress has been made toward the achievement of these
goals, much still remains to be done.
  The Federation believes that blind people are essentially
normal and that blindness in itself is not a mental or
psychological handicap. It can be reduced to the level of a mere
physical nuisance. Legal, economic, and social discrimination
based upon the false assumption that the blind are somehow
different from the sighted must be abolished, and equal
opportunity must be made available to blind people. Because of
their personal experience with blindness, the blind themselves
are best qualified to lead the way in solving their own problems,
but the general public should be invited to participate in
finding solutions. Upon these fundamentals the National
Federation of the Blind predicates its philosophy.
  As for the leadership of the organization, all of the officers
and members of the Board of Directors are blind, and all give
generously of their time and resources in promoting the work of
the Federation. The Board consists of seventeen elected members,
five of whom are the constitutional officers of the organization.
These members of the Board of Directors represent a wide cross
section of the blind population of the United States. Their
backgrounds are different, and their experiences vary widely; but
they are drawn together by the common bond of having met
blindness individually and successfully in their own lives and by
their united desire to see other blind people have the
opportunity to do likewise. A profile of the leadership of the
organization shows why it is so effective and demonstrates the
progress made by blind people during the past half century and
more--for in the story of the lives of these leaders can be found
the greatest testimonial to the soundness of the Federation's
philosophy. The cumulative record of their individual
achievements is an overwhelming proof, leading to an inescapable
conclusion.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Jacobus tenBroek]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Hazel tenBroek]

                     _DR. _JACOBUS _TENBROEK

                  _Author, _Jurist, _Professor,

       __Founder of the National Federation of the _Blind

  The moving force in the founding of the National Federation of
the Blind and its spiritual and intellectual father was Jacobus
tenBroek. Born in 1911, young tenBroek (the son of a prairie
homesteader in Canada) lost the sight of one eye as the result of
a bow-and-arrow accident at the age of seven. His remaining
eyesight deteriorated until at the age of fourteen he was totally
blind. Shortly afterward he and his family traveled to Berkeley
so that he could attend the California School for the Blind.
Within three years he was an active part of the local
organization of the blind.
  By 1934 he had joined with Dr. Newel Perry and others to form
the California Council of the Blind, which later became the
National Federation of the Blind of California. This organization
was a prototype for the nationwide federation that tenBroek would
form six years later.
  Even a cursory glance at his professional career shows the
absurdity of the idea that blindness means incapacity. The same
year the Federation was founded (1940) Jacobus tenBroek received
his doctorate in jurisprudence from the University of California,
completed a year as Brandeis Research Fellow at Harvard Law
School, and was appointed to the faculty of the University of
Chicago Law School.
  Two years later he began his teaching career at the University
of California at Berkeley, moving steadily up through the ranks
to become full professor in 1953 and chairman of the department
of speech in 1955. In 1963 he accepted an appointment as
professor of political science.
  During this period Professor tenBroek published several books
and more than fifty articles and monographs in the fields of
welfare, government, and law--establishing a reputation as one of
the nation's foremost scholars on matters of constitutional law.
One of his books, __Prejudice, War, and the _Constitution, won
the Woodrow Wilson Award of the American Political Science
Association in 1955 as the best book of the year on government
and democracy. Other books are __California's Dual System of
Family _Law (1964), __Hope Deferred: Public Welfare and the
_Blind (1959), __The Antislavery Origins of the Fourteenth
_Amendment (1951)--revised and republished in 1965 as _Equal
_Under _Law, and __The Law of the _Poor (edited in 1966).
  In the course of his academic career Professor tenBroek was a
fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral
Sciences at Palo Alto and was twice the recipient of fellowships
from the Guggenheim Foundation. In 1947 he earned the degree of
S.J.D. from Harvard Law School. In addition, he was awarded
honorary degrees by two institutions of higher learning.
  Dr. tenBroek's lifelong companion was his devoted wife Hazel.
Together they raised three children and worked inseparably on
research, writing, and academic and Federation concerns. Mrs.
tenBroek still continues as an active member of the organized
blind movement.
  In 1950 Dr. tenBroek was made a member of the California State
Board of Social Welfare by Governor Earl Warren. Later
reappointed to the board three times, he was elected its chairman
in 1960 and served in that capacity until 1963.
  The brilliance of Jacobus tenBroek's career led some skeptics
to suggest that his achievements were beyond the reach of what
they called the "ordinary blind person." What tenBroek recognized
in himself was not that he was exceptional, but that he was
normal--that his blindness had nothing to do with whether he
could be a successful husband and father, do scholarly research,
write a book, make a speech, guide students engaged in social
action movements and causes, or otherwise lead a productive life.
  In any case, the skeptics' theory has been refuted by the
success of the thousands of blind men and women who have put this
philosophy of normality to work in their own lives during the
past fifty years.
  Jacobus tenBroek died of cancer at the age of fifty-six in
1968. His successor, Kenneth Jernigan, in a memorial address,
said truly of him: "The relationship of this man to the organized
blind movement, which he brought into being in the United States
and around the world, was such that it would be equally accurate
to say that the man was the embodiment of the movement or that
the movement was the expression of the man.
  "For tens of thousands of blind Americans over more than a
quarter of a century, he was leader, mentor, spokesman, and
philosopher. He gave to the organized blind movement the force of
his intellect and the shape of his dreams. He made it the symbol
of a cause barely imagined before his coming: the cause of self-
expression, self-direction, and self-sufficiency on the part of
blind people. Step by step, year by year, action by action, he
made that cause succeed."

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Kenneth and Mary Ellen Jernigan]

                       _KENNETH _JERNIGAN

                _Teacher, _Writer, _Administrator

  Kenneth Jernigan has been a leader in the National Federation
of the Blind for more than forty-five years. He was President
(with one brief interruption) from 1968 until July of 1986.
Although Jernigan is no longer President of the Federation, he
continues to be one of its principal leaders. He works closely
with the President, and he continues to be loved and respected by
tens of thousands--members and non-members of the Federation,
both blind and sighted.
  Born in 1926, Kenneth Jernigan grew up on a farm in central
Tennessee. He received his elementary and secondary education at
the school for the blind in Nashville. After high school Jernigan
managed a furniture shop in Beech Grove, Tennessee, making all
the furniture and operating the business.
  In the fall of 1945 Jernigan matriculated at Tennessee
Technological University in Cookeville. Active in campus affairs
from the outset, he was soon elected to office in his class and
to important positions in other student organizations. Jernigan
graduated with honors in 1948 with a B.S. degree in social
science. In 1949 he received a master's degree in English from
Peabody College in Nashville, where he subsequently completed
additional graduate study. While at Peabody he was a staff writer
for the school newspaper, co-founder of an independent literary
magazine, and a member of the Writers Club. In 1949 he received
the Captain Charles W. Browne Award, at that time presented
annually by the American Foundation for the Blind to the nation's
outstanding blind student.
  Jernigan then spent four years as a teacher of English at the
Tennessee School for the Blind. During this period he became
active in the Tennessee Association of the Blind (now the
National Federation of the Blind of Tennessee). He was elected to
the vice presidency of the organization in 1950 and to the
presidency in 1951. In that position he planned the 1952 annual
convention of the National Federation of the Blind, which was
held in Nashville, and he has been planning National Conventions
for the Federation ever since. It was in 1952 that Jernigan was
first elected to the NFB Board of Directors.
  In 1953 he was appointed to the faculty of the California
Orientation Center for the Blind in Oakland, where he played a
major role in developing the best program of its kind then in
existence.
  From 1958 until 1978, he served as Director of the Iowa State
Commission for the Blind. In this capacity he was responsible for
administering state programs of rehabilitation, home teaching,
home industries, an orientation and adjustment center, and
library services for the blind and physically handicapped. The
improvements made in services to the blind of Iowa under the
Jernigan administration have never before or since been equaled
anywhere in the country.
  In 1960 the Federation presented Jernigan with its Newel Perry
Award for outstanding accomplishment in services for the blind.
In 1968 Jernigan was given a Special Citation by the President of
the United States. Harold Russell, the chairman of the
President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, came to
Des Moines to present the award. He said: "If a person must be
blind, it is better to be blind in Iowa than anywhere else in the
nation or in the world. This statement," the citation went on to
say, "sums up the story of the Iowa Commission for the Blind
during the Jernigan years and more pertinently of its Director,
Kenneth Jernigan. That narrative is much more than a success
story. It is the story of high aspiration magnificently
accomplished--of an impossible dream become reality."
  Jernigan has received too many honors and awards to enumerate
individually, including honorary doctorates from three
institutions of higher education. He has also been asked to serve
as a special consultant to or member of numerous boards and
advisory bodies. The most notable among these are: member of the
National Advisory Committee on Services for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped (appointed in 1972 by the Secretary of
Health, Education, and Welfare); special consultant on Services
for the Blind (appointed in 1975 by the Federal Commissioner of
Rehabilitation); advisor on museum programs for blind visitors to
the Smithsonian Institution (appointed in 1975); special advisor
to the White House Conference on Library and Information Services
(appointed in 1977 by President Gerald Ford). In July of 1990
Jernigan received an award for distinguished service from the
President of the United States.
  Kenneth Jernigan's writings and speeches on blindness are
better known and have touched more lives than those of any other
individual writing today. On July 23, 1975, he spoke before the
National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and his address was
broadcast live throughout the nation on National Public Radio.
Through the years he has appeared repeatedly on network radio and
television interview programs--including the "Today Show," the
"Tomorrow Show," and the "Larry King Show."
  In 1978 Jernigan moved to Baltimore to become Executive
Director of the American Brotherhood for the Blind and Director
of the National Center for the Blind. As President of the
National Federation of the Blind at that time, he led the
organization through the most impressive period of growth in its
history. The creation and development of the National Center for
the Blind and the NFB's expansion into its position today as the
most influential voice and force in the affairs of the blind
stand as the culmination of Kenneth Jernigan's lifework and a
tribute to his brilliance and commitment to the blind of this
nation.
  Jernigan's dynamic wife Mary Ellen is an active member of the
Federation. Although sighted, she works with dedication in the
movement and is known and loved by thousands of Federationists
throughout the country.
  Speaking at a convention of the National Federation of the
Blind, Jernigan said of the organization and its philosophy (and
also of his own philosophy):

  __As we look ahead, the world holds more hope than gloom for us
--and, best of all, the future is in our own hands. For the first
time in history we can be our own masters and do with our lives
what we will; and the sighted (as they learn who we are and what
we are) can and will work with us as equals and partners. In
other words we are capable of full membership in society, and the
sighted are capable of accepting us as such--and, for the most
part, they want _to.
  __We want no Uncle Toms--no sellouts, no apologists, no
rationalizers; but we also want no militant hell-raisers or
unbudging radicals. One will hurt our cause as much as the other.
We must win true equality in society, but we must not dehumanize
ourselves in the process; and we must not forget the graces and
amenities, the compassions and courtesies which comprise
civilization itself and distinguish people from animals and life
from _existence.
  __Let people call us what they will and say what they please
about our motives and our movement. There is only one way for the
blind to achieve first-class citizenship and true equality. It
must be done through collective action and concerted effort; and
that means the National Federation of the Blind. There is no
other way, and those who say otherwise are either uninformed or
unwilling to face the facts. We are the strongest force in the
affairs of the blind today, and we must also recognize the
responsibilities of power and the fact that we must build a world
that is worth living in when the war is over--and, for that
matter, while we are fighting it. In short, we must use both love
and a club, and we must have sense enough to know when to do
which--long on compassion, short on hatred; and, above all, not
using our philosophy as a cop-out for cowardice or inaction or
rationalization. We know who we are and what we must do--and we
will never go back. The public is not against us. Our
determination proclaims it; our gains confirm it; our humanity
demands _it.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Patricia and Marc Maurer]


                          _MARC _MAURER

                    _Attorney _and _Executive

  Born in 1951, Marc Maurer was the second in a family of six
children. His blindness was caused by overexposure to oxygen
after his premature birth, but he and his parents were determined
that this should not prevent him from living a full and normal
life.
  He began his education at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving
School, where he became an avid Braille reader. In the fifth
grade he returned home to Boone, Iowa, where he attended
parochial schools. During high school (having taken all the
courses in the curriculum) he simultaneously took classes at the
junior college.
  Maurer ran three different businesses before finishing high
school: a paper route, a lawn care business, and an enterprise
producing and marketing maternity garter belts designed by his
mother. This last venture was so successful that his younger
brother took over the business when Maurer left home.
  In the summer of 1969, after graduating from high school,
Maurer enrolled as a student at the Orientation and Adjustment
Center of the Iowa Commission for the Blind and attended his
first convention of the NFB. He was delighted to discover in both
places that blind people and what they thought mattered. This was
a new phenomenon in his experience, and it changed his life.
Kenneth Jernigan was Director of the Iowa Commission for the
Blind at the time, and Maurer soon grew to admire and respect
him. When Maurer expressed an interest in overhauling a car
engine, the Commission for the Blind purchased the necessary
equipment. Maurer completed that project and actually worked for
a time as an automobile mechanic. He believes today that
mastering engine repair played an important part in changing his
attitudes about blindness.
  Maurer graduated cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in
1974. As an undergraduate he took an active part in campus life,
including election to the Honor Society. Then he enrolled at the
University of Indiana School of Law, where he received his Doctor
of Jurisprudence in 1977.
  Marc Maurer was elected President of the Student Division of
the National Federation of the Blind in 1971 and re-elected in
1973 and 1975. Also in 1971 (at the age of twenty) he was elected
Vice President of the National Federation of the Blind of
Indiana. He was elected President in 1973 and re-elected in 1975.
  During law school Maurer worked summers for the office of the
Secretary of State of Indiana. After graduation he moved to
Toledo, Ohio, to accept a position as the Director of the Senior
Legal Assistance Project operated by ABLE (Advocates for Basic
Legal Equality).
  In 1978 Maurer moved to Washington, D.C., to become an attorney
with the Rates and Routes Division in the office of the General
Counsel of the Civil Aeronautics Board. Initially he worked on
rates cases but soon advanced to dealing with international
matters and then to doing research and writing opinions on
constitutional issues and Board action. He wrote opinions for the
Chairman and made appearances before the full Board to discuss
those opinions.
  In 1981 he went into private practice in Baltimore, Maryland,
where he specialized in civil litigation and property matters.
But increasingly he concentrated on representing blind
individuals and groups in the courts. He has now become one of
the most experienced and knowledgeable attorneys in the country
regarding the laws, precedents, and administrative rulings
concerning civil rights and discrimination against the blind. He
is a member of the Bar in Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, and Maryland; and
he is a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United
States.
  Maurer has always been active in civic and political affairs,
having run for public office in Baltimore and having been elected
to the Board of Directors of the Tenants Association in his
apartment complex shortly after his arrival. Later he was elected
to the Board of his community association when he became a home
owner. From 1984 until 1986 he served with distinction as
President of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland.
  An important companion in Maurer's activities (and a leader in
her own right) is his wife Patricia. The Maurers were married in
1973, and they have two children--David Patrick, born March 10,
1984, and Dianna Marie, born July 12, 1987.
  At the 1985 convention in Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Kenneth
Jernigan announced that he would not stand for re-election as
President of the National Federation of the Blind the following
year, and he recommended Marc Maurer as his successor. In Kansas
City in 1986, the convention elected Maurer by resounding
acclamation, and he has served as President ever since.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Joyce and Tom Scanlan]

                         _JOYCE _SCANLAN

                 __Teacher and Agency _Director

  Joyce Scanlan was born in Fargo, North Dakota, in 1939. She
received her elementary and secondary education at the North
Dakota School for the Blind. Having a strong love of reading and
theater, she went on to earn a B.A. in English and history and a
master's degree in English at the University of North Dakota.
  For the next five years she taught these subjects, along with
social studies and Latin, in high schools in North Dakota and
Montana. Then glaucoma took the rest of her vision, and Scanlan
lost her self-confidence. She says, "I quickly fled from the job
because I had never known a blind teacher in a public school, and
I had had such a struggle those last few weeks in the classroom
that I was positive no blind person could ever teach sighted
children."
  She had trouble finding another job, but as she points out, her
own attitudes were as bad as those of her prospective employers.
She told a counselor who visited her in the hospital: "I've never
seen a blind person amount to anything yet, so there's no reason
to think I can."
  In 1970 the National Federation of the Blind convention was in
Minneapolis, and Scanlan attended the meeting of the NFB Teachers
Division. She says: "I met many teachers there who were blind. In
fact, I met blind people from all over the country who were
engaged in a great variety of occupations. I learned what the NFB
was all about and realized what blind people working together
could do." At that convention she also met Tom Scanlan, whom she
married four years later.
  Joyce Scanlan became active in the NFB in Minnesota. In 1971
she organized a statewide student division. In 1972 she was
elected Vice President of the NFB of Minnesota and President in
1973. That same year she was appointed to a newly created
Minnesota Council on Disabilities--the only representative of a
consumer organization on the Commission. Until 1988 she served on
the advisory council to State Services for the Blind, a body
established in large measure because of the work of the NFB of
Minnesota.
  The most exciting undertaking of the NFB of Minnesota, however,
has been the establishment of its own rehabilitation center for
the adult blind, with Joyce Scanlan serving as its executive
director. BLIND, Inc. (Blindness: Learning In New Dimensions)
admitted its first class, consisting of two students, in January
of 1988. This center is establishing a new standard for
rehabilitation services in the Midwest. It is easy to understand
why the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota enjoys both
respect and prestige. It is also easy to understand why Joyce
Scanlan is regarded as able, tough, and determined.
  Scanlan was elected to the NFB Board of Directors in 1974 and
has continued to serve in that capacity ever since. In 1988 she
was elected Secretary of the organization, and in 1992 she was
elected First Vice President. She says: "The Federation has made
a great difference in my life. I still try to spend time
attending the theater and reading, but I want to give as much
time as possible to working in the NFB. I wish I had known about
it before 1970. I want to be sure every blind person I ever meet
hears all about the Federation. If I have any skill as a teacher,
I'll use it to benefit the Federation."

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Doug and Peggy Elliott]


                     _PEGGY _PINDER _ELLIOTT

      __Attorney, Political Activist, and Community _Leader

  Born in 1953 and raised in Grinnell, Iowa, Peggy Elliott
attended regular schools until the middle of the ninth grade.
When her eye condition was diagnosed as irreversible decline into
total blindness, her father cried for the first and only time in
her life--at least, as far as she knows.
  Elliott then spent what she characterizes as two and a half
unhappy years at the Iowa school for the blind. Academically she
learned nothing that she had not already been taught in public
schools. The students were discouraged from learning to use the
white cane and were never allowed off campus unless they were
accompanied by a sighted person. But most soul-destroying of all,
the students were discouraged from aspiring to success or from
setting themselves challenging goals. Elliott resisted the
stifling atmosphere and drew down upon herself the wrath of the
school administration, which refused to permit her to complete
high school there, forcing her to go back to public school.
  Knowing that she was not prepared to make this transition, she
and her parents sought help from Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, then
Director of the Iowa Commission for the Blind. Elliott enrolled
at the Orientation and Adjustment Center, where she mastered the
skills of blindness and explored for the first time the healthy
and positive philosophy of blindness that has subsequently
directed her life.
  Elliott went on to Iowa's Cornell College, where she achieved
an excellent academic record and edited the _Cornellian, the
school newspaper. She then completed law school at Yale
University, receiving her J.D. degree in 1979.
  After graduation from law school, Elliott passed the Iowa Bar
in January, 1980. She then began a difficult job search. Although
her academic standing at Yale was better than that of most of her
classmates, she did not receive a single job offer as a result of
the intensive interviewing she had done during her final year of
law school. Virtually all Yale-trained attorneys leave the
university with offers in hand. The inference was inescapable:
employers were discriminating against Elliott because of her
blindness. She was eventually hired as Assistant County Attorney
for Woodbury County in Sioux City, Iowa, where she prosecuted
defendants on behalf of the people.
  Elliott's lifetime interest in helping to improve the world
around her has been expressed in politics as well as in
Federation activity. In 1976 she was a delegate to the Republican
National Convention in Kansas City, during which she appeared on
national television and in a national news magazine, acquainting
the public with the philosophy of the National Federation of the
Blind and the real needs of blind people. At the end of the
convention she seconded the nomination of Senator Robert Dole to
be the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United
States.
  In 1986 she ran for the Iowa State Senate as a Republican in
District 27. She campaigned hard in a district eighty by thirty
miles in size and containing about 60,000 residents, a distinct
minority of whom are Republican. Like many candidates, Elliott
was not elected in her first bid for public office, but she made
a strong showing and is often asked when she will run again. Her
interest in participating in her community has continued through
her service on the Grinnell City Council and in other community
organizations.
  Elliott's work in the National Federation of the Blind has been
as impressive as her professional career. She held office in the
NFB Student Divisions in Iowa and Connecticut, and then served as
President of the national Student Division from 1977 to 1979. In
1981 she was elected President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Iowa, an office which she continues to hold. Elliott was
first elected to the NFB Board of Directors in 1977, and in 1984
she was elected Second Vice President.
  Since 1984 Elliott, a 1976 winner herself, has chaired the
National Federation of the Blind's Scholarship Committee. Every
year approximately twenty-five scholarships, ranging in value
from $3,000 to $10,000, are presented to the best blind college
students in the nation.
  On December 28, 1993, Peggy Pinder and Doug Elliott were
married in Grinnell, Iowa, where the couple continue to live
happily in their hundred-year-old home. Before their marriage
Doug was President of the NFB of Nevada. He is a medical social
worker and serves as President of the Human Services Division of
the National Federation of the Blind.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Ramona Walhof]

                         _RAMONA _WALHOF

        __Business Woman and Public Relations _Executive

  Born in 1944, Ramona Willoughby Walhof was the second in a
family of three blind children, but the word "blind" was never
used when they were small, especially by the ophthalmologists.
Nevertheless, even the large-print books ordered for the children
by the schools did not make reading possible. In the competitive
world of the classroom the truth could not be avoided--they were
blind. So they were packed up and taken more than two hundred
miles away from home to enroll in the Iowa Braille and Sight
Saving School. Walhof remembers that her parents found facing
this alternative easier than struggling with a public school
system that could not find a way to teach three bright youngsters
who could not see print. A school for the blind was better than a
school that didn't educate.
  Walhof remembers learning to lie about what she could see. She
didn't think of it as telling falsehoods, but she says, "It made
adults happy when they thought I could see things, and at school
(even though it was supposedly a school for the blind) one had
privileges and responsibilities to the same degree one had usable
eyesight."
  During the summer following second grade Walhof commandeered
her brother's Braille slate and stylus and taught herself to
write Braille because the school considered her too young to
learn it. She was taught to read using Braille, but she
understood from the beginning that reading print (if only she
could have managed to decipher it) would have been better.
  In 1962 Ramona Willoughby graduated from high school,
valedictorian of her class, but she says "with an extremely
limited education and very little experience." Between high
school and college, she took a short course of training at the
Iowa Commission for the Blind Orientation and Adjustment Center.
It was then that she met Kenneth Jernigan, the Commission's
Director. She refused to learn much about the NFB although she
now says, "The Federation had already begun to have a profound
influence on my life." She found college difficult, she says,
because her academic background was so weak. Nevertheless, Walhof
graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1967
with a degree in Russian language.
  In 1968 Ramona Willoughby married Chuck Walhof of Boise, Idaho.
During the next several years she was busy. She and her husband
had two children, and she taught two sessions of Headstart and
one course in college Russian. She also managed two vending
facilities. After the death of her husband in 1972 she returned
to Des Moines, Iowa, first as a teacher and then as an assistant
director at the Orientation and Adjustment Center of the Iowa
Commission for the Blind.
  In 1979 Walhof moved to Baltimore, Maryland, to take a position
at the National Center for the Blind as the Assistant Director of
the Job Opportunities for the Blind Program, operated jointly by
the NFB and the U.S. Department of Labor.
  In 1982 she returned to Idaho to assume the position of
Director of the state Commission for the Blind. Her reputation
for innovative approaches and dynamic forthrightness soon reached
far beyond the borders of Idaho. In 1984 the blind of the state
recognized her achievements by giving her an award in public
ceremonies.
  Later that year she left government employment to go into
private business. Today she operates extensive multi-state public
relations and community outreach programs for the blind and other
groups.
  Ramona Walhof has written widely on topics relating to
blindness, including the following books: __Beginning Braille for
_Adults (a teaching manual); __Questions Kids Ask about
Blindness; A Handbook for Senior Citizens: Rights, Resources, and
_Responsibilities; and __Technical Assistance Guide for
_Employers.
  In 1988 Walhof became president of the National Federation of
the Blind of Idaho and was also elected to membership on the
Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind. In
1992 she was elected Secretary of the National Federation of the
Blind.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Joy and Allen Harris]

                         _ALLEN _HARRIS

                 __Teacher and Wrestling _Coach

  Allen Harris of Dearborn, Michigan, was elected to the Board of
Directors of the National Federation of the Blind in 1981. In
1985 he became Secretary, and in 1988 he was elected Treasurer.
He says, "I take some satisfaction in many of the things I have
accomplished in my life, but nothing has given me more pleasure
and reward than my work in the Federation."
  Harris may well take satisfaction in his accomplishments. Blind
since birth in 1945, he completed high school at the Michigan
School for the Blind in Lansing. He says of this period, "The two
most valuable things I learned in high school were wrestling and
typing. Although I could certainly have used some other things,
these two skills have served me well ever since." Allen Harris
was a championship wrestler throughout high school and college.
He was also a champion debater at Wayne State University and
graduated magna cum laude in 1967.
  Harris then began looking for a teaching position and enrolled
in graduate school. At that time high school teachers were much
in demand. He sent out 167 applications and went to 96 interviews
without receiving a single job offer. After a year of futile
search Harris was depressed, and his friends were outraged. One
friend went to a meeting of the Dearborn school board. She spoke
openly about the blind applicant for a teaching position who was
qualified yet was being ignored by scores of school districts.
  The tactic worked. School officials said that they were unaware
of Harris's candidacy although he had submitted an application.
He was called for an interview and hired to teach social studies.
In addition to a full-time teaching schedule, he coached high
school wrestling, as well as swimming and wrestling for boys from
age five to fourteen. He has coached at least six high school
wrestling teams that have won league championships and one high
school state championship team. His age group swimming teams have
won five state conference championships, and his age group
wrestling teams have won six. Harris also worked for several
years administering the age group program, and the Dearborn teams
continued to excel.
  In 1982 Allen Harris was transferred to Edsel Ford High School
in Dearborn as a social studies teacher. He became head of the
social studies department in 1984. Because of limited time, he
decided to give up the head coaching job and now works only with
the ninth graders, who have not lost since he has been their
coach. In 1985 Harris was selected by the National Council of
Social Studies as one of two outstanding social studies teachers
in the state of Michigan.
  Harris says that he was aware of some Federation materials when
he was looking for his first teaching position and that he found
them helpful, but his real knowledge of and involvement in the
Federation began in 1969 when an organizing team came to his door
to pay a visit. They told him there was to be a state convention
of the Federation that weekend in Lansing and that he should go.
He did, and he was elected Secretary of the NFB of Michigan. He
served as President of the Detroit chapter of the NFB from 1970
to 1975 and has been the President of the NFB of Michigan since
1976. Harris was the recipient of the prestigious Blind Educator
of the Year Award in 1992 and also received recognition that year
from the NFB of Michigan for his lifetime of achievement in the
work of the Federation.
  In recent years the NFB of Michigan, under the leadership of
Allen Harris, has established a Saturday School for blind and
visually impaired children, which provides instruction in
Braille, cane travel, and other skills of blindness and includes
recreational opportunities. When asked about the Saturday School,
Harris fervently responds, "This is among the accomplishments I
hold most dear. Mastering the skills of blindness is absolutely
central to living a full and productive life as a blind person.
For too many blind kids this is impossible. Because of Saturday
school in Michigan it isn't."
  During the years of Allen Harris's presidency, services to the
blind in Michigan have been consolidated into a single and
separate commission for the blind, a major victory indeed. In
1983 Harris was appointed by the governor to the board of the
Michigan Commission for the Blind and served as Vice-Chair of the
Commission until 1991.
  Allen Harris was married to Joy Osmar in 1994, the second
marriage for both. They have five children ranging in age from 15
to 25. They are Eric, Scott, Katie, Jennifer, and Bryan.

[PICTURE: Steve and Peg Benson are pictured in the classic
dancing pose. CAPTION: Steve and Peg Benson enjoying the dance at
the 1995 NFB Convention.]

                      _STEPHEN _O. _BENSON

             _Teacher, _Rehabilitation _Specialist,

              __Administrator, and Press _Assistant

  President of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois,
Stephen O. Benson was born in Kewanee, Illinois, in 1941. Blind
from birth, he attended the Chicago Public Schools using large-
print books through the first four grades. He was not excited
about attending Braille classes the next year, but he did so and
for the first time in his life learned to read well. He also
began to learn the other skills of blindness, which he found more
efficient than using sight. In high school Benson was barred from
taking physical education although he would have liked to do so.
He found this prohibition disturbing and nonsensical since he was
permitted to take the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)
course, swimming in the same pool that the physical education
classes used. In fact, in Boy Scouts he was able to earn his
swimming merit badge and took lifesaving. Benson found ROTC a
positive experience and enjoyed scouting, but he never could
understand why regular physical education classes were off
limits.
  In 1965 Benson graduated from De Paul University with a major
in English and a minor in education. Before he decided to
specialize in English, he had intended to major in psychology.
The state rehabilitation agency for the blind threatened to cut
off financial assistance to him because of his change in plans.
According to the experts, blind people could not teach in public
schools, and as a result, the rehabilitation officials refused to
finance such an absurd major. Benson remembers that his attitude
at the time was "I dare you to try to stop me!"--and the
government agency backed down.
  After graduation he prepared himself for the usually difficult
task of job-hunting. Surprisingly, he found employment rather
quickly as a tenth-grade teacher of honors English at Gordon
Technical High School in Chicago. While classroom interaction
provided challenge and reward, the drudgery of paperwork caused
Benson to explore other teaching opportunities. In 1968 he sold
insurance while looking for another job; he found one in 1969
with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Hines, Illinois, as
a teacher of Braille and techniques of daily living. His title
was Rehabilitation Specialist. He continued to work at Hines
Blind Rehabilitation Center, Veterans Administration Hospital,
until 1983. In 1984 he became assistant director of the Guild for
the Blind in Chicago.
  Since 1991, Benson has worked as a Press Assistant in the
Communications Office of the Chicago Public Library. Benson
married his wife Peg in 1984. They have one child, Patrick Owen,
born in 1985.
  Benson first joined the National Federation of the Blind in
1968 when a new affiliate was being formed in Illinois. He was
immediately elected to the state Board of Directors. From 1974 to
1978 he served as President of the Chicago chapter, after which
he became President of the NFB of Illinois, a post which he has
held ever since. He was first elected to the Board of Directors
of the National Federation of the Blind in 1982.
  Benson has received many honors and appointments. In 1963 and
'64 he was president of Lambda Tau Lambda fraternity. From 1976
to 1981 he served on the governing board of the State Division of
Vocational Rehabilitation in Illinois. He has served on the
Advisory Board of the Illinois State Library for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped and on the Advisory Board to the Attorney
General's Advocacy for the Handicapped Division.
  "Although I have had good blindness skills for many years,"
Benson says, "my involvement in the NFB has imbued me with
confidence and perspective on life and blindness that have
focused my activities and energized my efforts on my own behalf
as well as for other blind people."

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Charles Brown]

                       _CHARLES _S. _BROWN

                __Attorney and Federal _Official

  With a bachelor's degree from Harvard and a law degree from
Northwestern, Charles Brown should have found the job market both
exciting and receptive in 1970, a year of expanded economy and
bright prospects, but this was not the case. Even though he had
impressive credentials and good grades, his job search was
difficult. He was blind. It was not the first time he had
observed adverse and extraordinary treatment of the blind, but it
was the first time he had personally faced such serious
discrimination. It took him an entire year and more than a
hundred interviews before he found a job.
  In 1971 Brown became a staff attorney in the Solicitor's Office
at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), and earned regular
promotions. He eventually became the DOL's Counsel for Special
Legal Services. After twenty years, Brown left the DOL in 1991 to
join the legal staff at the National Science Foundation (NSF) as
Assistant General Counsel. Brown is the NSF's Designated Agency
Ethics Official, responsible for managing the Foundation's ethics
counselling, conflict-of-interest prevention, and financial
disclosure programs.
  Brown has received numerous awards. DOL presented Brown with
achievement awards five times--in 1979, 1985, twice in 1986, and
1987. In 1982 he received the Distinguished Career Service Award,
one of the Department of Labor's highest honors--often presented
at the time of retirement. But Attorney Brown was chosen for this
honor after only eleven years of service. He capped off his DOL
career by receiving the Secretary of Labor's Recognition Award in
1991. NSF has, so far, presented Brown with two Merit Awards, in
1994 and 1995.
  Born blind in 1944 with congenital cataracts, Charlie Brown
entered a family that expected success from its members, and he
met the expectation. He attended Perkins School for the Blind
until the eighth grade. Brown then attended Wellesley Senior High
School in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and graduated in 1963, going
immediately to Harvard. When he applied to Northwestern Law
School, questions were raised about blindness. He answered them
satisfactorily and believes he was one of the first blind law
students ever to study there.
  During summer jobs in 1966, 1967, and 1968 at agencies serving
the blind in Chicago, Brown learned firsthand of the abuses of
the sheltered workshop system for the blind in this country. It
was also at that time that he met Dr. Kenneth Jernigan and made
his initial contact with the National Federation of the Blind.
Jernigan was speaking at a national conference which, among other
things, was considering ways of improving methods of instruction
and increasing the availability of Braille. After the meeting
Brown talked with Jernigan and began to subscribe to the _Braille
_Monitor, the Federation's magazine. It was not until 1973,
however, when Brown received a personal invitation from a chapter
member in Northern Virginia, that he went to a Federation
meeting.
  Through a chapter in Northern Virginia Brown officially joined
the Federation in 1974 and later that year was elected to office.
In 1978 he became President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Virginia and has been re-elected to that position for
successive two-year terms ever since. He was first elected to the
Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind in
1984.
  Brown has always taken an active part in the life of the United
Church of Christ. He has been a deacon, taught Sunday school, and
serves energetically on committees at the Rock Spring
Congregational Church. Brown has served generously at the
Church's national level. In 1979 he was elected a corporate
member of the United Church Board of Homeland Ministries (the
body that oversees the missions work of the United Church of
Christ). Within two years he was named Chairman of the
prestigious Policy and Planning Committee and a member of the
Executive Committee, both positions that he filled with
distinction for four years. He continues to be active in the
Board's alumni group.
  Brown met his wife Jacqueline during law school, and the couple
now has two sons, Richard (born in 1974) and Stephen (born in
1978).
  Brown says: "I used to believe that one had to overcome
blindness in order to be successful, but I have come to realize
that it is respectable to be blind. Our challenge as
Federationists is to persuade society of this truth."

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Don and Betty Capps]

                       _DONALD _C. _CAPPS

             __Insurance Executive and Civic _Leader

  Few more compelling examples of personal independence and
social contribution can be found among either sighted or blind
Americans than Donald C. Capps of Columbia, South Carolina. Since
the inception of the National Federation of the Blind of South
Carolina in 1956, he has served thirteen two-year terms as
President and was elected to serve a fourteenth term in August of
1996. Capps was elected to the second vice presidency of the
National Federation of the Blind in 1959 and served in that
capacity until 1968 when he was elected First Vice President and
served with distinction in that position until 1984 when, for
health reasons, he asked that his name not be placed in
nomination. In 1985 Capps (restored in health) was again
enthusiastically and unanimously elected to membership on the
Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind, a
position which he still holds.
  Born in 1928, Capps was educated at the South Carolina School
for the Blind and later in public schools. Following his
graduation from high school, he enrolled in Draughon's Business
College in Columbia and after graduation joined the Colonial Life
and Accident Insurance Company of Columbia as a claims examiner
trainee. By the time of his retirement, he had risen to the
position of Staff Manager of the Claims Department.
  Capps first became interested in the organized blind movement
in 1953 and the following year was elected to a two-year term as
President of the Columbia Chapter of the Aurora Club of the Blind
(now the NFB of South Carolina), before assuming the presidency
of the state organization. Under Capps's energetic leadership the
NFB of South Carolina has successfully backed twenty-eight pieces
of legislation affecting the blind citizens of the state,
including establishment of a separate agency serving the blind.
Capps edits the _Palmetto _Blind, the quarterly publication of
the NFB of South Carolina. In 1960 Capps directed a campaign
which led to construction of the National Federation of the Blind
of South Carolina's $250,000 education and recreation center,
which was expanded in 1970, and again in 1978. He now serves as a
member of its Board of Trustees. He has been instrumental in
establishing full-time daily operation of the Federation Center
and has served for more than thirty years as the fund-raising
chairman of the Columbia Chapter.
  In December, 1972, the Colonial Life and Accident Insurance
Company presented Capps with an award for "twenty-five years of
efficient, faithful, and loyal service." In 1985 Don Capps
retired from the Colonial Life and Accident Insurance Company
after thirty-eight years of service.
  In 1965 Donald Capps was honored as Handicapped Man of the
Year, by both the City of Columbia and the State of South
Carolina. Capps has held numerous appointments on community and
state boards and bodies. He has been a leader in Rotary, church,
and civic organizations. In 1977 he was elected Vice Chairman of
the South Carolina Commission for the Blind Consumer Advisory
Committee. Also in 1977, at the annual convention of the National
Federation of the Blind, Don Capps received the highest honor
bestowed by the organized blind movement, the Jacobus tenBroek
Award. In 1981 he was appointed by the Governor of South Carolina
to membership on the Board of Commissioners of the South Carolina
School for the Blind, where he serves as Vice Chairman.
  Betty Capps has been an active Federationist as long as her
husband has. The Cappses have two grown children, Craig and Beth,
and three grandchildren.. Although Donald Capps has retired from
business, he continues to be as active and effective as ever in
the Federation, exemplifying leadership and confidence. His
ongoing dedication to the National Federation of the Blind
provides inspiration and encouragement to his many colleagues and
friends within and outside the Federation.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Wayne and Carmen Davis]

                          _WAYNE _DAVIS

               __Businessman and community _leader

  In September of 1952 a ten-year-old boy enrolled in the fifth
grade at the Tennessee School for the Blind. Though no one knew
it at the time, it was to be the final year in which Kenneth
Jernigan taught at the school--in the spring he would lose his
job for defending students being abused by members of the
teaching and administrative staff. The name of the child entering
the fifth grade was Wayne Davis, and although he did not have Dr.
Jernigan as a teacher that year, he remembers that he was well
aware of the respect and love in which the students held this
young and courageous teacher. He never imagined at the time what
a profound impact Kenneth Jernigan would have on his life in
later years.
  Davis was born in Abingdon, Virginia in 1942, and his family
soon moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where his father worked at
the Atomic Energy Commission. From his earliest years it was
clear that Wayne's vision was poor and becoming poorer. Luckily
for him his special education teacher in the public school
recognized his need to learn Braille, so they tackled memorizing
the code together.
  Attending the School for the Blind for several years enabled
Davis to master Braille and other useful techniques, but by the
time he finished the eighth grade, he was ready to return to
public school, where he graduated with honors. Since Davis was
interested in pursuing a career in music (he played both guitar
and bass), he decided not to attend college.
  For a number of years he made his living playing in country and
rock bands and supplemented his pay by doing anything he could
turn his hand to, including training horses and doing telephone
sales.
  In 1972 he met and shortly afterward married a blind woman
originally from Cuba, Carmen Florida. Their only child, a son
David, was born a year later. Davis entered the Randolph-Sheppard
Vending Program and worked in a number of locations first in
Georgia and then in Florida before leaving to work for radio
station WIOD in Miami. Among other duties, he reported on
traffic. He then left to open his own business scanning emergency
frequencies and reporting the information he gathered to
insurance companies.
  In 1988 Wayne and Carmen Davis discovered the National
Federation of the Blind. They threw themselves enthusiastically
into the Federation's work. Wayne became President of the Greater
Miami Chapter that year, a post he held for six years. Also that
year he began serving on the state affiliate's board of
directors. A year later he was elected First Vice President, and
when the President of the National Federation of the Blind of
Florida resigned for personal reasons in 1990, he completed her
term as President. He has been reelected every two years since.
In 1995 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the National
Federation of the Blind.
  The Florida affiliate has flourished during the years of Wayne
Davis's presidency. Five of the sixteen chapters have been
organized under his administration, and there are plans to create
several more. Wayne Davis says: "The NFB of Florida works hard to
improve the lives of the state's blind citizens. But it is more
than a committed group of volunteers; it is a loving community of
those who share a vision of what life can be for blind people.
Both Carmen and I were only children. We never knew the joys and
sorrows of a large family of brothers and sisters, but in the
years since we joined the Federation, we have found our true
home. We have discovered that we actually have fifty thousand
brothers and sisters, all of them members of the National
Federation of the Blind."

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Dick Edlund]


                        _RICHARD _EDLUND

                  _Businessman _and _politician

  Richard Edlund preaches Federationism every chance he gets--as
the newspapers of Kansas attest. In one article he is quoted as
saying: "Any loss of one of the body's senses is naturally going
to create a problem. But it is little more than that if a person
has some training and the right attitude." In another interview
he said: "We maintain that blind people can be just as
competitive as anyone else if they have the proper training. All
we're saying is give the blind the same chance as the sighted
person." Or at another point in that interview: "We've got to
change public attitudes. Today, if a blind person is very
successful, he's labeled an exception in the blind community. If
the public would only give us a chance to prove ourselves, we
could make cases like this the accepted rule."
  Dick Edlund knows whereof he speaks. Born in 1924, he was
blinded at the age of sixteen as the result of a blasting cap
accident, and he soon learned to hold his own and do his share.
As he later told a reporter: "My parents let me know that, just
because I was blind, I wouldn't get any special treatment. I had
to get back to work and take my place in the family." After high
school Dick Edlund wanted to become a lawyer, but a counselor
told him it would be impossible because he was blind. He has held
a variety of jobs, including owning and managing an airport. He
successfully took courses in engine repair and has taught those
skills to other blind people. For more than thirty years he owned
and operated a hardware store outside Kansas City.
  Dick Edlund is an energetic leader of the organized blind in
Kansas and across the nation. From 1974 to 1990 he served as
President of the NFB of Kansas. He also served as Treasurer of
the National Federation of the Blind from 1974 to 1988. For many
years Dick worked intensively to protect the rights of blind
sheltered workshop employees across the nation. He was in the
forefront as these workers fought successfully for the right to
collective bargaining before the National Labor Relations Board
and in federal court.
  In 1990 Dick Edlund was elected to the Kansas Legislature,
where he served for six years. Among his legislative
accomplishments was the passage of a strong state Braille
literacy law in 1991. Even in retirement Dick Edlund continues to
work for passage of laws that will protect the rights of blind
citizens. Eileen Edlund, Dick's loyal wife of many years, died in
September of 1995 following a long illness.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Priscilla and Jack Ferris]

                       _PRISCILLA _FERRIS

             __Homemaker, Girl Scout _Administrator,

                    _and _Community _Activist

  In 1938 Priscilla Pacheco Ferris was born in Dighton,
Massachusetts. From the time she was a small child she knew she
had weak eyesight, but she and her family did not know that the
condition, retinitis pigmentosa, would deteriorate into total
blindness. During her early school years Ferris used print, but
three years later, when her brother (who had the same eye
condition) entered school, the staff refused to teach two blind
children. So the Pacheco youngsters enrolled in the Perkins
School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts.
  When Ferris entered Perkins, she was beginning the fourth
grade, and she was expected to learn Braille immediately even
though she could still read large print. She remembers that it
took her about a month. She didn't feel put upon; it was simply a
challenge. Today she recalls this when she must deal with debates
about whether a blind child should read Braille or print. "Teach
both," Ferris says unequivocally. "Low-vision children were able
to learn both when I was a kid, and things haven't changed that
much since."
  After high school graduation in 1956 Priscilla Pacheco worked
first in a curtain factory and then in a cookie factory, doing
whatever needed to be done, including assembly line work,
packaging, and packing. She married Jack Ferris in 1961, and in
1963 she resigned from her job to begin a family. The Ferrises
now have two grown daughters and two grandchildren.
  In 1977 Priscilla Ferris attended business school, where she
earned a degree and graduated with distinction. Then she found a
job as secretary for the Fall River Public Schools, where she
worked until funding cuts eliminated her job.
  From her cookie factory days until her own daughters were
involved in scouting, Ferris led Girl Scout troops from time to
time. In 1974 she began fourteen years as town administrator for
the Girl Scouts in Somerset, Massachusetts, a job in which she
was responsible for the entire scouting program for the city. She
quips that, not only can she light a fire in the rain, raise a
tent in a storm, and dig a latrine almost anywhere, but she can
teach anyone else to do the same. In 1986 she was elected to the
Board of Directors of the Girl Scout Council of Plymouth Bay and
served two consecutive three-year terms. She continues to
volunteer her time and experience to help the Scouts.
  Ferris first heard of the National Federation of the Blind when
a new chapter was formed in her area in 1961, but she did not
join the Federation until 1973, shortly before losing the
remainder of her eyesight. In 1976 Ferris was elected President
of the Greater Fall River Chapter of the NFB of Massachusetts and
served in this capacity until 1991.
  In 1977 Ferris was elected Second Vice President of the NFB of
Massachusetts and in 1981 First Vice President. In 1985 she
became President of the National Federation of the Blind of
Massachusetts, and she has been re-elected for succeeding two-
year terms ever since. She was elected to the Board of Directors
of the National Federation of the Blind in July of 1987.
  Today she serves on numerous advisory councils and boards in
the blindness field. She also works as a community outreach
educator at an independent living center near her home.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Vanessa and Sam Gleese]

                          _SAM _GLEESE

              __Businessman and Ordained _Minister

  In 1947 Vicksburg, Mississippi, was not an ideal place for a
black child to be born with congenital cataracts. For years no
one even noticed that little Sam Gleese had difficulty seeing,
least of all Sam himself. He simply assumed that everyone else
saw things with the hazy imprecision that he did.
  One day, when he was in the second grade, the teacher in the
segregated school he attended sent a note home, asking his mother
to come to school for a conference. To the Gleese family's
astonishment she told them that Sam had significant difficulty
seeing to read and do board work. By the fourth grade the bouts
of surgery had begun. Glasses (which Sam hated and forgot to wear
most of the time) were prescribed. But none of this effort
enabled young Sam to glimpse much of what his friends could see.
Then, in 1962 when he was fifteen, Sam underwent surgery that
gave him enough vision to show him by comparison just how little
he had seen until that time.
  He graduated from high school in 1966 and enrolled that fall at
Jackson State College, where he majored in business
administration. Looking back, Sam is sure that he was legally
blind throughout these years, but he never considered that he
might have anything in common with the blind students he saw on
campus. His struggle was always to see, and that made him
sighted. Occasionally he was forced to deal with his difficulty
in reading, particularly when a fellow student or teacher pointed
out what he seemed to be missing, but for the most part he denied
his situation and resented those who tried to make him face his
problem.
  After graduation in 1970, Sam joined a management training
program conducted by K-Mart. Everyone agreed that he was
excellent on the floor and dealing with employees, but, though he
did not realize it, he was extremely unreliable in doing
paperwork. He consistently put information on the wrong line. His
supervisor confronted him with the problem and told him he had
vision trouble. Sam hotly denied it, but within the year he was
out of the program.
  During the following years Gleese applied repeatedly for jobs
that would use his business training. When he supplied
information about his medical history and his vision, would-be
employers lost interest. Finally in late 1972 he got a job as
assistant night stock clerk with a grocery chain. He had a wife
to support--he and Vanessa Smith had married in August of 1970--
and he needed whatever job he could find. Gradually he worked his
way up to assistant frozen food manager in the chain, though it
wasn't easy.
  Then in 1979 his retinas detached, and within a few weeks late
in the year he had become almost totally blind. For a month or
two he was profoundly depressed. His wife, however, refused to
give up on him or his situation. Gradually Gleese began to
realize that she was right. He could still provide for his family
and find meaningful work to do. He just had to master the
alternative methods used by blind people. Early in 1980 he
enrolled in an adult training center in Jackson, where he learned
Braille, cane travel, and daily living skills. He is still
remembered in the program for the speed with which he completed
his training. By the following summer he was working as a
volunteer counselor at the center, and in the fall, with the help
of the state vocational rehabilitation agency, he and his wife
Vanessa were working in their own tax preparation business.
  It was difficult, however, to maintain a sufficient income year
round, and the Gleeses had a daughter Nicole, born in 1976, to
think about. In 1983 Sam decided to try taking a job making mops
in the area sheltered workshop for the blind. He worked there for
two years until a staff member pointed out that he could do
better for himself in the state's Randolph-Sheppard Vending
Program, which had finally been opened to African Americans in
1980-81.
  In January of 1985 Sam Gleese was assigned the worst vending
stand in the state of Mississippi. Because of his degree in
business administration, his phenomenal record in personal
rehabilitation, and his work history in the grocery business,
officials decided that he needed no training but could learn the
program in his own location. He spent two years in that facility,
mastering the business and improving his techniques. Then he
moved to a better location for a further two years. He now
operates a small lunch and snack facility in the federal building
in Jackson, Mississippi, while he waits for a better location to
come along. In 1992 he bid on an excellent facility and appealed
the decision which awarded it to another vendor. Though the
appeal decision which eventually came down did not help him
directly, it did correct unfair practices that had plagued many
vendors in Mississippi for years.
  Gleese has always been active in the Missionary Baptist Church.
>From 1973 to 1990 he taught the adult Sunday school class in his
own church, and in 1980 he became a Deacon. In the fall of 1991
Gleese began attending night classes at Mississippi Baptist
Seminary part-time. He had to drop out for a year, but he expects
to graduate in 1997. He was ordained to the ministry in November
of 1992 and now teaches the church's new members and heads its
scouting program.
  Sam Gleese first heard about the National Federation of the
Blind in the early 1980's and attended his first National
Convention in 1983. He reports that from that moment on he has
been a committed Federationist. Vanessa has worked steadily
beside him through the years as he has struggled to improve the
lives of Mississippi's blind citizens. He became President of one
of the state's local chapters in 1985, and the following year he
was elected state President. He has continued to serve in that
office ever since. Under his leadership the number of chapters in
the Mississippi affiliate has nearly tripled.
  In 1992 Gleese was elected to the Board of Directors of the
National Federation of the Blind. He has dedicated his life to
educating the public, blind and sighted alike, about the
abilities of blind people. According to him, too many people in
Mississippi believe, as he did for so many years, that blind
people can do nothing and belong in rocking chairs and back
rooms. Sam Gleese is making a difference everywhere he puts his
hand.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Ed and Karen McDonald]

                        _C. _ED _MCDONALD

             __Broadcaster and Small Business _Owner

  Ed McDonald was born in Keyser, West Virginia, in 1949. Totally
blind from birth, he received his entire elementary and secondary
education at the West Virginia School for the Blind in Romney.
  As far back as he can remember, McDonald was fascinated by
radio. He spent hours listening to radio--not just for the
entertainment and information but also to learn all he could
about the medium itself and the way the business worked. He
visited radio stations whenever he could and believed without
question that he would grow up to be an announcer. At the School
for the Blind he and several fellow students launched a low-power
radio station on campus. Although it was probably illegal
according to federal regulations, school officials permitted and
sometimes assisted and encouraged the endeavor. A few years later
the school even secured a license for a bona fide FM station.
  Near the end of his junior year in high school, McDonald sought
summer employment at his local station. The manager said that
first he would need to obtain a commercial radio license from the
Federal Communications Commission. He then gave McDonald a study
booklet to help him prepare for the test. Ed studied hard and
scheduled an appointment with the FCC to take the test. However,
when he and his parents arrived at the FCC office in Washington,
they were told that the commission was not prepared to administer
the test to a blind person. Understanding little about patterns
of discrimination against blind people but knowing instinctively
that what had happened was not right, they sought help from their
local Congressman, who happened to serve on a committee which
oversaw the FCC. It was not long before McDonald received an
invitation to come to Washington again to take the exam. When the
license was finally issued--sometime midsummer--the station
manager congratulated Ed on his success but conjured up another
reason to delay giving him a job. The lessons he learned through
this entire experience were painful but useful in the long run,
and they did nothing to dampen his interest in radio.
  McDonald attended Bethany College, a small liberal arts
institution in West Virginia, where his hard-earned commercial
radio license enabled him to work at the college radio station.
He graduated from Bethany in 1972 with a degree in
communications, which encompassed journalism, advertising, public
relations, and speech, as well as broadcasting.
  After college McDonald's first full-time jobs were entry-level
positions at small commercial radio stations in southern West
Virginia. They didn't pay much, but they offered a wide range of
experience--gathering and writing news, writing and recording
commercials, doing on-air DJ work, and even keeping the station
clean.
  In 1976 McDonald enrolled in a master's program at the Ohio
University School of Radio-Television in Athens. This experience
redirected his interests toward non-commercial or public
broadcasting, and upon completion of his degree he was hired by
the University's public radio station, WOUB. Much of his work
there involved producing and occasionally hosting various
programs distributed for broadcast on other stations.
  Four years later he returned to Bethany College to teach
courses in broadcasting and to supervise the student-operated
radio station where he had worked throughout his undergraduate
years. He soon discovered that his heart was really in the
studio, creating radio programs, and not in the classroom.
  Mcdonald's undergraduate experience had introduced him to
bluegrass and related styles of folk and traditional music. As
this interest grew, he found opportunities to present it on the
air, in addition to his other work in radio. When he learned that
a new public radio station was about to go on the air in Kentucky
and that it planned to offer a program schedule consisting mostly
of folk music, he wasted no time in applying for a job as a
producer/announcer. He got the job and became a member of the
initial staff at WNKU Radio at Northern Kentucky University in
suburban Cincinnati.
  While in Kentucky he also became increasingly interested in the
history and cultural roots of folk and traditional music. As a
result, he eventually returned to West Virginia, where he
enrolled at West Virginia University in Morgantown. His studies
there included Appalachian regional history, culture, literature,
and music.
  In August of 1996 Ed McDonald married Karen Chandler, whom he
describes as a childhood sweetheart from the School for the
Blind. Their wedding took place during the annual convention of
the National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia. Ed and
Karen currently live in Keyser, West Virginia, where they own and
operate an audio production company. Together they produce and
record programs for sale to both commercial and public radio
stations. Using their fully equipped recording studio, they also
do recording projects for local musicians.
  Ed McDonald joined the National Federation of the Blind during
his freshman year of college and attended his first state
convention in 1969. He was soon elected Second Vice President and
later First Vice President of the affiliate. At various times he
has also served as President of three local chapters in the
state. In Kentucky he became Secretary and then Third Vice
President of that affiliate. In 1991 the West Virginia affiliate
elected him President, and he was first elected to the Board of
Directors of the National Federation of the Blind in 1994.
  "I am fortunate to have learned Braille, cane travel, and other
basic blindness skills at the school for the blind," McDonald
said. "My involvement with the National Federation of the Blind
for more than twenty-five years has given me confidence,
perspective, and the understanding of blindness to take full
advantage of those skills." In remarks made to the convention
when he was elected to the national board, McDonald described his
life in the Federation as a sort of spiritual pilgrimage. "The
work and words of Dr. tenBroek, Dr. Jernigan, and President
Maurer have been the inspiration; and my fellow Federationists--
fellow pilgrims, as it were--have been my support and strength in
that pilgrimage, except that it hasn't had just one destination.
There have been many milestones along the way, and this election
is one of them. It brings with it a lot of opportunities for me,
opportunities for growth and learning and more work and more
contributions. I can say to you that I will do my best to
recognize and seize those opportunities and make the most of
them."

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Ray and Diane McGeorge]

                        _DIANE _McGEORGE

            __Medical Secretary and Agency _Director

  Diane McGeorge was born in 1932 and grew up in Nebraska. She
was blinded by meningitis at age two. She says that she was
"slightly educated" at the Nebraska School for the Blind. Upon
graduating she learned that no blind person--regardless of how
well-qualified--has an easy time in the job market. She enrolled
in a Denver business college to learn typing and transcribing
before going on to the University of Colorado to train as a
medical secretary, her profession for a number of years, with
time away to raise her family.
  McGeorge spent eight years as a full-time homemaker and mother,
including stints as den mother, Sunday school teacher, and PTA
officer. Throughout these years she was a passive member of the
Federation. She served on committees and prepared refreshments,
but she did not consider that she had any part in the struggle of
the blind against discrimination. Her husband Ray was much more
active in the Federation. She ignored or overlooked the instances
when she had been turned down by landlords or barred from
restaurants because of her dog guide, describing her actions as
"looking on the bright side."
  However, McGeorge attended the 1973 NFB convention in New York
City and discovered for herself the power and commitment that
derive from shared experience and determination to alter the
status quo. From that moment her life began to change. This is
the way she tells it:
  "One bitterly cold day in December, Ray and I stopped at a run-
down coffee shop. It was the only warm place available, or we
wouldn't have set foot in it. We did so, however, and when we
did, the proprietor told us we couldn't bring my guide dog in. I
was so furious I almost burst into tears. I walked out, but I
thought and thought about that experience--and I said, deep in my
heart, that nobody was ever going to make me feel that way again.
I had been a coward to let it happen.
  "About six months later we attempted to go to a movie, and the
manager said we couldn't bring the dog into the theater. I was
well acquainted with Colorado's White Cane Law, so we had what
turned out to be a two-hour battle over the issue. I came away
from there not feeling cowardly or guilty or as if I were not
quite as good as the manager because he could see and I
couldn't."
  In 1976 Diane McGeorge assumed the state presidency of the NFB
of Colorado, and she served in that office for fifteen years
before deciding to step down in September of 1991. She was again
elected to the presidency in 1995. Under her leadership the NFB
of Colorado has become one of the strongest state affiliates in
the Federation. In January of 1988 the NFB of Colorado took a
giant step forward in serving the blind of the state. The
Colorado Center for the Blind, an adult rehabilitation center
with Diane McGeorge as executive director, opened its doors for
business. Four students enrolled initially, and the numbers have
been growing ever since. These students learn the skills of
blindness from teachers who believe in the fundamental competence
of the blind. But even more important, they learn positive
attitudes about blindness. Diane retired as agency director in
late 1995.
  In 1977 McGeorge was elected to the Board of Directors of the
National Federation of the Blind, an honor and responsibility
which she continues to hold. From 1984 to 1992 she served as the
organization's First Vice President. In 1982 Diane and Ray
McGeorge were presented the Jacobus tenBroek Award for their work
in improving the lives of the nation's blind.
  McGeorge says of her life since 1973, "These years have been
more stimulating and rewarding than any previous period in my
life. I don't wish to imply that I was unhappy prior to becoming
active in the Federation--quite the contrary. I was busy, and the
things I was doing were important. But they were not as important
as the Federation's agenda. Each thing the NFB does affects tens
of thousands of people. Part of what I have learned is that what
I do matters.
  "I suppose," she says, "it is a commentary on the way I used to
feel about myself; but until the last few years, it never
occurred to me that anyone could do what I have done and am doing
--let alone that I could. I would have been astonished to learn
that thousands of blind people could and would work together to
make real changes that affect all of us profoundly."

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Betty Niceley]

                         _BETTY _NICELEY

       __Rehabilitation Instructor and Outreach _Educator

  Born in 1934, Betty Niceley was largely raised by her
grandparents, who managed a series of country stores in
Southeastern Kentucky. She remembers three of these, each one
larger than the previous. The family lived beside the stores,
doing whatever needed to be done. It was all part of the family
lifestyle--stocking shelves, filling orders, cashiering; and it
was good experience for a blind child, who might have had trouble
finding work elsewhere.
  At the age of eight, Betty Niceley left home to attend the
Kentucky School for the Blind in Louisville. There she believes
she got a good educational foundation. However, she transferred
back home to Bell County High School, where she graduated. Her
senior class chose her as queen and the person most likely to
succeed.
  Niceley attended Georgetown College in central Kentucky, where
she received a bachelor's degree in English and a secondary
teaching certificate. She met her husband Charles at about this
time. The Niceleys now have a daughter and two grandsons.
  Niceley's first real job after college was with the American
Printing House for the Blind in Louisville. She did public
relations and development work as well as filling in wherever
Braille expertise, poise, or common sense was needed. After
thirteen years at the Printing House, she changed jobs and began
teaching Braille at the Rehabilitation Center operated by the
Kentucky Department for the Blind. When the state's Independent
Living Center opened in the fall of 1980, she joined the staff
and again found herself doing whatever needed to be done. She
taught Braille, techniques of daily living, and rudimentary
travel skills to people of all ages. She also did virtually all
the outreach education for groups who needed instruction about
blindness and dealing with blind people. Since January of 1993
she has held her present position of information specialist in
charge of public relations and community outreach for the
Kentucky Department for the Blind.
  Betty Niceley first joined the Federation in 1967 although she
had known about it for a long time without, as she puts it,
"finding the time to get involved." Then she joined, and it was
not long before her commitment and performance were such that she
was elected Secretary of the National Federation of the Blind of
Kentucky. At about this time she also became President of the
Greater Louisville Chapter, a position she held until 1975.
Niceley has served as President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Kentucky since 1979.
  In 1976 the State of Kentucky created a separate Department for
the Blind, responsible directly to the Governor. Niceley points
to this as one of the NFB of Kentucky's many accomplishments of
which she is especially proud. "When my poor vision worsened and
I became totally blind in my senior year of college, I had little
trouble adjusting. I had learned to read and write Braille as a
child and had kept up both skills. That is one of the reasons I
have been so excited about the National Association to Promote
the Use of Braille" (NAPUB), a division of the National
Federation of the Blind. Betty Niceley was elected its first and
so far only President. She was elected to the Board of Directors
of the National Federation of the Blind in 1985 and has been re-
elected for successive two-year terms ever since.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Joanne and Harold Wilson]

                         _JOANNE _WILSON

                 __Teacher and Agency _Director

  Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1946, Joanne Ziehan Wilson moved
with her parents to Webster City, Iowa, when she was seven. When
she was 3, doctors discovered that she had retinitis pigmentosa.
She remembers everyone's attitude toward her poor eyesight. No
one regarded her as blind, but everyone knew her eye condition
could lead to blindness, a fact which friends and family did not
want to confront. The whispers taught Wilson that this being
"blind" was a dreadful thing. She learned to pretend she could
see to avoid the pity that would follow if she could not. And she
learned to avoid thinking about blindness. It was too awful.
Never once can Wilson remember discussing blindness with a
teacher or friend at school. She never met a single blind person.
All she knew was that she did not want to be blind or think about
the possibility. Being blind wasn't respectable.
  After Wilson graduated from high school, she enrolled in a
junior college. At that time the Iowa Commission for the Blind
conducted a career day for blind students, which she attended.
For the first time she met blind people. They were confident and
capable. She decided that at the end of her second year of junior
college she would take time out to attend the Orientation and
Adjustment Center. Those nine months she describes as "the most
exciting time of my life. I found freedom, and it wasn't always
easy."
  In 1969 Joanne Wilson graduated with honor from Iowa State
University, where she received a B.S. in Elementary Education.
During one quarter she was selected as a Merrill Palmer Scholar
to do advanced work in education in Detroit, Michigan.
  For the next four years Wilson taught elementary school (second
and fourth grades) in the Ames, Iowa, public school system. In
1971 she received a master's degree in Guidance and Counseling
and Administration. During this time Wilson helped to organize
the North Central Iowa Chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind, and she served for several years as its president. From
1977 to 1979 she was First Vice President of the National
Federation of the Blind of Iowa.
  In 1973 Wilson had stopped teaching to begin a family. She is
now the mother of 5 children ages twelve to twenty-two. In 1979
she and her family moved to Louisiana, and here she continued her
Federation work. In 1981 Wilson led the formation of a new NFB
chapter in her hometown of Ruston, Louisiana, and forty people
attended the first meeting. It was the eighth chapter in the
state. Today in Louisiana there are twenty-two chapters.
  Joanne Wilson was elected President of the NFB of Louisiana in
1983 and has been elected for successive two-year terms ever
since. In 1985 Governor Edwin Edwards recommended to the State
Legislature that money be appropriated directly to the NFB of
Louisiana for a training center for blind adults, and the
prestige and reputation of the organization were such that the
legislature responded affirmatively.
  The Louisiana Center for the Blind opened in October of 1985
with Joanne Wilson, who has received certification to teach
visually-impaired students, as its director; and the program
which she has built is rapidly coming to be recognized throughout
the nation as a model of excellence. Well over three hundred
fifty students have now enrolled in the program, and they
graduate ready for competition in the mainstream of society and
convinced that it is respectable to be blind. In the spring of
1991 Joanne, who had been divorced from her first husband for a
number of years, married Harold Wilson, a quiet man who shares
his wife's dedication to improving the lives of blind people
everywhere.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Gary Wunder]

                          _GARY _WUNDER

    __Senior Programmer Analyst and Electronics _Technologist

  Gary Wunder was born three months prematurely in 1955, the
oldest of four children. His family lived in Kansas City,
Missouri, and Wunder remembers that since he was blind from
birth, he managed to persuade everyone in his family except his
father to do precisely what he wanted. It would be many years
before Wunder could appreciate his father's instinctive
understanding that Gary had to learn to do things for himself.
  Wunder tells with amusement the story of his dawning awareness
of his blindness. When he was quite young, his home had sliding
glass doors separating the living room from the patio. When those
doors were closed, he could not hear and therefore did not know
what was happening on the other side and assumed that no one else
could either. One day he found several soft drink bottles on the
patio and broke them. His father then opened the doors and asked
if he had broken the bottles. Gary said he had not and that he
did not know how they had been broken. His father then astonished
him by saying that both his parents had watched him break the
bottles and that his mother was now crying because she had
thought surely her baby couldn't tell a lie. Gary's response was
to say, "Well, she knows better now."
  Wunder attended grades one through five at a Kansas City public
school. When he was ten, a boy who attended the Missouri School
for the Blind persuaded him that he was missing real life by
staying at home. At the school, his friend told him, kids rode
trains and buses. They could bowl and swim and didn't have to
listen to parents. As a result Wunder did some persuading at home
and was on hand for sixth grade and some necessary but painful
lessons about that real world.
  At the close of seventh grade Wunder returned to public
schools, having learned several vitally important lessons: he
knew the basics of using a white cane; he recognized that his
father's demands on him had sprung from strong love and eagerness
for his son to succeed; and he understood that people beyond his
own family had worth and deserved his respect. But he had also
learned that the school for the blind was not the promised land,
and he was delighted to be once more in public schools for eighth
grade and high school. He was elected to the National Honor
Society his senior year but struggled with the mechanics of
getting his work done. Braille was not readily available, and
readers were hard to recruit without money to pay them.
  Wunder planned to attend the University of Missouri at Kansas
City in order to live with his grandmother, but after a taste of
freedom at the orientation center in Columbia, Missouri, the
summer before college he decided to enroll at the University's
Columbia campus, where everyone walked everywhere and where he
could contrive as many as three or four dates an evening if he
hurried from place to place.
  Wunder enjoys recounting the adventure which persuaded him that
a blind person should always carry a white cane: "I was having
dinner with a young woman who lived near me, so I had not brought
my cane, figuring that I wouldn't need it. To my consternation
and her distress, my plate of liver and onions slid into my lap.
She asked if I wanted her to walk me home so that I could change.
I was already so embarrassed that I assured her I would be right
back and that I did not need her assistance. The busiest
intersection in Columbia lay between me and clean slacks, and
after I successfully survived that street crossing, I swore that
I would never again be caught without my cane."
  Wunder decided to major in political science and philosophy
because he felt compelled to avoid the science and math that he
loved but feared to take. During his sophomore year he met a
professor from Central Missouri State University who suggested
that he was ducking the challenge. Together they explored the
question of whether or not a blind person could follow schematics
and read voltmeters. The answers seemed to be yes, so Wunder
transferred to Central Missouri State, where he graduated in 1977
with a degree in electronics technology. He had done well with
the courses, but he did not see how he could run a repair shop
with its responsibility for mastering hundreds of schematics for
appliances. He could teach electronics, but the professors from
whom he had learned the most were those who had firsthand
experience. He didn't want to be the theory-only kind of teacher.
  Wunder looked for interim jobs after graduation while he tried
to decide what to do, and he discovered the hard way that blind
job-seekers have to be better than the competition in order to be
considered at all. He vowed to become so well trained at doing
something that would-be employers could not ignore him. Wunder
enrolled in a ten-month course in computer programming offered by
the Extension Division of the University of Missouri. No blind
person had ever entered the program before, but Wunder completed
it successfully and was hired immediately (in the fall of 1978)
by the Pathology Department of the University of Missouri
Hospital and Clinics in Columbia. Years and promotions later,
Wunder is successfully working at the hospital and is now a
senior programmer analyst in the Information Services Department.
  Wunder first learned about the National Federation of the Blind
the summer before his senior year of high school. He says, "In
the beginning I thought this talk about discrimination was a
pretty good racket. No one did those things to me, and I assumed
that all this Federation talk about jobs' being denied and
parents' having children taken away from them was an effective
way of raising funds. I didn't realize that my father's name and
reputation in my hometown were protecting me from the worst of
real life. So far I had gotten what I wanted, including a
motorcycle to ride on our farm and my own horse. It was some time
before I recognized that these talented and committed blind
people whom I was getting to know in the Federation were trying
to teach me about the world that I was going to inherit. They
frightened me a little, but more and more I wanted to be like
them."
  In late 1973, several months after Wunder started college in
Columbia, Missouri, a Federation organizing team arrived to
establish a new chapter, and he took an active part in the
preparations. Wunder was elected president, and when he
transferred to Central Missouri State two years later, he
organized a chapter in Warrensburg. In 1977 Wunder was elected
First Vice President of the NFB of Missouri, and in 1979 he
became President. Except for one two-year term, he has continued
in that post ever since. Wunder was elected to the Board of
Directors of the National Federation of the Blind in 1985.
  Looking back over the years of his involvement with and
commitment to the Federation, Wunder says: "Despite all I learned
from my parents about honor, responsibility, and the necessity to
be competent, what I could never get from them was a sense of
where blind people fit in a world composed mostly of sighted
people. Friends and loved ones had always told me how wonderful I
was (wonderful for a blind person, that is), but until I came to
know members of the National Federation of the Blind, no one had
the experience or knowledge to say how I could expect to measure
up alongside the sighted. The NFB was the first place where I
didn't get a round of applause for performing the routine
activities of life. If I wanted my Federation colleagues'
recognition and admiration, I had to merit them. It sounds
contradictory, but while I was learning that I wouldn't be
applauded for insignificant accomplishments, I was also learning
that I didn't have to possess special compensatory senses or
talents to make my way in the world. When you believe that your
only opportunity for success lies in being a musician but you
know that your only musical talent is in listening and then you
suddenly find that you are capable of doing the average job in
the average place of business, your sense of freedom, hope, and
possibility know no bounds."

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Ray Kurzweil]

           __WHY I AM BUILDING READING MACHINES _AGAIN

                       _by _Ray _Kurzweil

  __From the Editor: The word "Kurzweil" has become part of the
vocabulary of virtually every blind adult in the country today,
whether or not he or she actually uses reading machines. Ray
Kurzweil is truly a friend to us all. For more than twenty years
his creativity and brilliance have improved our lives. Here he is
to report on what's new in the technology he first pioneered with
the support of the National Federation of the _Blind:
__The Early History of the Kurzweil Reading Machine _("KRM")
  In 1974 I started a company, Kurzweil Computer Products, Inc.
("KCPI") to pursue my interest in pattern recognition, part of
the broader field of artificial intelligence. In the field of
pattern recognition, we teach computers to recognize patterns,
such as printed shapes, human faces, speech sounds, land terrain
maps (for cruise missiles), and other examples of real-world
phenomena. The other fields of artificial intelligence are
devoted to capturing human reasoning faculties (e.g., chess-
playing computers, programs that make financial investment
decisions, etc.). It turns out that 90% of the human brain is
devoted to interpreting and understanding patterns, and solving
these problems is critical to capturing intelligence in a
machine.
  We attacked what at that time was regarded as a classic (and
unsolved) problem in pattern recognition, which was teaching a
computer to identify printed characters regardless of the type
font they were printed in, the size of print, quality of print,
and other characteristics. Computer systems existed that could
recognize printed letters if they were printed in a special type
font (e.g., Courier or OCR A), but there were no systems that
could recognize printed letters regardless of their type face.
Solving this problem required us to teach the computer how to
abstract the essential qualities of the concepts behind each
letter. There are hundreds of different shapes we all call "A,"
but it is not immediately clear what essential invariant
properties distinguish all A's from all other letters.
  We came up with an effective approach to this problem. The
question then became: what is this technology good for? It was a
solution in search of a problem.
  We did some market research and quickly came upon the problem
of accessing ordinary print by blind and visually impaired
persons. Braille was (and continues to be) a vitally important
medium, which provides full literacy to blind persons as a system
for both reading and writing. Recorded materials (e.g., "talking
books") also provide access to the world of literature. But both
methods suffered from a limitation: the range of available
material was restricted. Of the 50,000 new books published each
year, only 3 percent were transcribed into Braille, and only
about 5 percent were available as Talking Books. The availability
of topical literature such as inter-office memos was even more
limited.
  It quickly became clear that a print-to-speech reading machine
could overcome this handicap associated with the disability of
visual impairment. It would provide another important tool along
with Braille to enable blind persons to compete fully with their
sighted peers.
  There were several other key technology hurdles that we needed
to face in order to create the world's first print-to-speech
reading machine. Back in 1974 there were no CCD (Charge Coupled
Device) flat-bed scanners. There were no text-to-speech speech
synthesizers. So we needed to create these technologies as well.
The three technologies we created--(i) omni-font (i.e., "any"
font) OCR (optical character recognition), (ii) CCD flat-bed
scanners, and (iii) text-to-speech speech synthesizers--
ultimately evolved into what are today large industries.
  A vital issue in creating the world's first print-to-speech
reading machine was to gain an understanding of how to organize
these resources in a machine and how to connect the user to these
capabilities in an intuitive fashion. Another important issue of
course was funding. As it turned out, the National Federation of
the Blind played a critical role in helping our small
organization in both of these areas.

__Collaboration with the _NFB
  We presented our ideas and plans to many people and
organizations back in 1975. Most people told us that our ideas
were interesting and ambitious and to keep in touch. But two
people were particularly responsive and promised to help us to
achieve our goals. One was Jim Gashel, who was then (and still
is) the Director of Governmental Affairs of the National
Federation of the Blind. Jim is one of the most energetic people
I've ever met, and he wanted to work closely with us as part of
the project. The other was Jim's boss, Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, then
President of the NFB.
  As an aside, when I was growing up in Queens, New York, in the
late 1950's and early 1960's, I belonged to a religious youth
organization called LRY for Liberal Religious Youth, organized by
the Unitarian Church. We were early participants in the civil
rights movement and took part in some of the early civil rights
marches and demonstrations. I considered myself fortunate to
participate in this important phase of American history and was
always inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King's great oratory and
leadership.
  In my work with the National Federation of the Blind in the
1970's I came to feel the same way about Dr. Jernigan. At many of
the NFB conventions I attended, Dr. Jernigan reminded me of Dr.
King, particularly during Dr. Jernigan's inspiring keynote
addresses. With his leadership the NFB has been in the forefront
of another great effort to provide equal opportunity for all
Americans.
  But I digress. I had the opportunity in 1975 to review my plans
for the world's first print-to-speech reading machine with Dr.
Jernigan and Jim Gashel. They agreed to work with me to help find
funding for this effort if I agreed to involve the NFB and, in
particular, its blind engineers and scientists in the design of
the reading machine and its user interface and controls and to
help to evaluate and refine all aspects of its operation and
functions. I wasn't really expecting that request, but I was in
no position to argue, so I said "Sure, why not."
  As it turned out, this collaboration between Kurzweil Computer
Products, Inc. and the National Federation of the Blind worked
extremely well and in effect killed two birds with one stone. We
were successful in raising about $350,000 in funding from a
number of foundations. I got to know Jim Gashel quite well in
this process as the two of us worked jointly on these proposals
in his Washington office, often late into the night.
  The joint KCP-NFB Program also played the key role in creating
an effective reading machine from its constituent technologies.
It is clear to me that the Kurzweil Reading Machine would not
have been an effective tool if not for the key insights into its
design contributed by the NFB scientists and engineers. In fact
the design came out quite different from what we had originally
expected and, as it turned out, was very well accepted by blind
consumers. With the intended users' having been intimately
involved in every stage of the design process, it anticipated the
user's needs in ways that we as well-intentioned sighted
engineers could never have foreseen.
  Many of the key ideas created in this KCP-NFB collaboration
still form the basis of the user interface of all print-to-speech
reading machines for the blind today. I'll provide one
instructive example. We were going to put little Braille labels
on all of the user controls so that a new user would know which
control was which. One of the NFB engineers said that it would be
very annoying to feel these Braille labels hundreds of times a
day, every day. So I asked him, could a new user identify the
controls without Braille labels? He suggested putting another
prominent button on the panel, which he called the "nominator"
key, and if a user wanted to identify a control, he would simply
push the nominator key, then hit another key, and that second key
would announce its name and describe its function. Then, after
using the nominator key to explore the keyboard for a few days, a
user would know where all the keys were and would not need to
feel these annoying Braille labels hundreds of times every day.
  That made sense when we heard it, but since we were not the
intended users of the invention, it is an insight that we would
never have realized on our own.
  This is a lesson I have carried to other projects I have been
involved in subsequently. With my music company we required all
of the engineers to be musicians because there was no other way
to be sensitive to the nuances of sound and the subtle
interactions of feel and response in a musical instrument. In
creating voice-activated medical reporting systems, I worked very
closely with physicians.
  This collaboration was sufficiently successful to attract
millions of dollars of funding from what is now the Department of
Education and other government agencies.

__The Announcement of the _KRM
  We announced the Kurzweil Reading Machine at a press conference
on January 13, 1976. It seemed to strike a chord and was featured
on the national evening news of all three networks. Walter
Cronkite used the machine for his signature sign-off by having it
read, "And that's the way it was, January 13, 1976."
Incidentally, sitting at the controls that day was Jim Gashel.
  At a subsequent live television demonstration of the reading
machine, we were a little nervous because we had only one working
prototype at the time. And as one might expect, the machine
stopped working just a couple of hours before we were supposed to
go on the air. Finally, in frustration, our chief engineer just
lifted the scanner and banged it on the table. This time-honored
approach to fixing delicate electronic equipment seemed to work,
and the reading machine started reading again. The presentation
then went quite smoothly.

__The Relationship with _Xerox
  In 1978 we introduced a version of the reading system for
commercial applications such as word processing and entering data
into data bases called the Kurzweil Data Entry Machine ("KDEM").
The KDEM was very successful, and this attracted the interest of
Xerox Corporation, which saw the technology as a bridge back from
the world of paper to the world of electronics. Most of Xerox's
products could create paper documents from either electronic
documents or other paper documents. Our KDEM technology allowed
the user to go in the other direction, from a paper document back
to an electronic document. Xerox invested in the company in 1978.
In 1980 I sold them the company.
  I remained Chief Executive Officer of KCPI as a Xerox
subsidiary until 1982. At that time I started two new companies.
One was Kurzweil Music Systems, Inc., which created the first
computer-based musical instrument that could recreate the sounds
of the grand piano and other orchestral instruments. I sold that
Company to Young Chang, a large Korean musical instrument
manufacturer, in 1990. The other was Kurzweil Applied
Intelligence, Inc. ("KAI"), which created the first commercially
marketed large vocabulary speech recognition technology. A
primary application of that technology is to enable hands-
impaired individuals to use computers, communicate, and control
their environment. A future goal is to create the opposite of a
reading machine--a device which will convert speech into print--
so that a deaf person can understand what people are saying. KAI
continues as a public company, and I have continued to be its
chief technology officer.
  I also continued as a consultant to Kurzweil Computer Products,
Inc. (which changed its name to Xerox Imaging Systems around
1990), from 1982 until 1995. This gave me the opportunity to
continue to learn and gain insight into reading-machine design
and the many technical and user-interface issues that arise. It
also afforded me the opportunity to continue my relationship with
many people in this field and, in particular, with Dr. Jernigan
and the NFB.

__My New Company: Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc. ("KESI") and
_OMNI
  Now in 1996 I have started another company, Kurzweil
Educational Systems, Inc. to create a new generation of reading
technology. I am Chairman of KESI. Mike Sokol, who headed up
sales for XIS' Adaptive Products Division for ten years is
President. Two individuals familiar to many of you from their
years of service in this industry are involved: Dave Bradburn
heads up marketing, and Forrest Dobbs heads up sales.
  I had several reasons for starting this new company. One was
that my twenty-three-year involvement in this field has been
perhaps the most gratifying in my career.
  Another is that in these years I have gathered insight into the
many subtle issues of how to design an effective reading machine
that I wanted an opportunity to use and express.
  Third, I felt that the enabling technologies of personal
computers and scanners had evolved to the point where great
advances were again possible in this field.
  Finally, and perhaps most important, many people asked me to
come back to this field to use my experience to make a direct
contribution again.
  So that is what I hope to achieve with KESI. I have had the
opportunity to gather together some of the best minds in this
field in both technology and marketing, and we have introduced
our first product, called OMNI 1000, which represents a new
generation of print-to-speech reading machines for the blind. The
design of this product was guided by several key principles:

  * Provide the highest possible level of OCR (optical
  character recognition) accuracy. The quality of a reading
  machine can never be better than its OCR. Having
  developed the first omni-font OCR twenty years ago, the
  KESI technology team and I were able to use these
  insights to provide a highly accurate OCR technology that
  combines image-enhancement software, basic OCR, and
  lexical post-processing. In addition to character
  accuracy, the ability of the software to understand
  complex page formats is also very important.

  * Provide high-quality speech synthesis that is natural-
  sounding and easy to understand. Omni 1000 uses a new
  speech synthesizer called FlexTalk from AT&T developed at
  Bell Labs (now called Lucent). In addition to natural-
  sounding synthetic speech, the system analyzes and parses
  the structure of each sentence to provide a natural-
  sounding phrasing, cadence, and prosodic contour.

  * Provide an intuitive user interface that is easy to
  learn and use. Here again we have worked and are
  continuing to work with our users, as well as benefiting
  from our own experience over the last twenty years.
  Heading up our user interface design for OMNI 1000 is
  Steve Baum, who was Chief Scientist at KCPI/Xerox Imaging
  Systems for ten years.

  * Provide a rich array of features such as immediately
  available dictionary definitions, voice commands, voice
  prompts, document management, multiple reading
  "personalities," a voice calculator, and many others.

  * Take advantage of the outstanding price performance of
  commodity computing components. Today's personal
  computers and scanners provide tremendous capability at
  very low prices. As soon as you start designing
  specialized hardware for a disabled population, you lose
  the price-performance benefits of commodity components.
  Take for example the issue of a book edge scanner.
  Commodity scanners do not generally provide a book edge.
  Building a special scanner with a book edge is very
  expensive and locks the designer into an older generation
  of components. We solved this problem by using a large
  platen scanner (8.5 inches by 14 inches) and special
  software. The user can now simply place both exposed
  pages of a book on the scanner, and the software will (i)
  automatically recognize the orientation of the book, (ii)
  compensate for the curvature near the book spine, (iii)
  eliminate the dark ragged image the scanner picks up
  between the two open pages and (iv) accurately read the
  two pages. This turns out to be even easier for the user
  to use than a special book edge scanner because now the
  user can scan two pages at once.
  We are also introducing two other versions of OMNI. OMNI 2000
is intended for low-vision individuals who would otherwise use
CCTV (Closed Circuit TeleVision) enlargement systems. OMNI 2000
enlarges print just like a CCTV system, but it does some things
that a CCTV is unable to do, including reading the print out
loud, highlighting on the image the words that are currently
being read, automatically moving the image so that the user does
not need to move the book on an X-Y mover, providing on-line
dictionary definitions, voice commands, and many other features.
This shows you the power of computers because the OMNI 2000 and
contemporary CCTV systems are in the same general price range.
  OMNI 3000 is intended for individuals with dyslexia and/or
learning disabilities, i.e., people who have difficulty reading
for reasons other than visual impairment. The OMNI 3000 enlarges
print on a screen like OMNI 2000. It preserves the look and feel
of the image of the page as it appears with all of the
formatting, graphics, and color images displayed. It reads from
the enlarged image of the actual page and highlights what it is
reading. Based on this foundation, OMNI 3000 provides
instructional software to help dyslexic students learn to read
and to overcome their reading disabilities.

_Moore's _Law
  Let me return to the issue of taking advantage of the price-
performance of commodity computing components since I believe
this issue deserves additional discussion. Today we are
witnessing a true revolution that is having a profound impact on
all facets of society. The information age is an extraordinary
and in my view permanent shift to knowledge, to intellectual
property, to software as the foundation of wealth and power in
what I like to call the second industrial revolution.
  The phenomenon that is fueling the information age is something
called "Moore's Law," which states that computing speeds and
densities double every eighteen months. In other words, every
eighteen months we can buy a computer that is twice as fast and
has twice as much memory for the same cost.
  Moore's Law is actually a corollary of a broader law I like to
call Kurzweil's law on the exponentially quickening pace of
technology that goes back to the dawn of human history. Not much
happened in, say, the tenth century, technologically speaking. In
the eighteenth century quite a bit happened. Now we have major
paradigm shifts in a few years time. But that's another article.
  But with regard to Moore's law, remarkably, this law has held
true since the beginning of this century, from the mechanical
card-based computing technology of the 1890 census, to the relay-
based computers of the 1940's, to the vacuum-tube-based computers
of the 1950's, to the transistor-based machines of the 1960's, to
all of the generations of integrated circuits that we've seen
over the past three decades.
  If you put every calculator and computer for the past 100 years
on a logarithmic chart, it makes an essentially straight line.
Computer memory, for example, is about 16,000 times more powerful
today for the same unit cost than it was about twenty years ago.
Computer memory is 150 million times more powerful for the same
unit cost than it was in 1948, the year I was born. If the
automobile industry had made as much progress in the past forty-
eight years, a car today would cost about a hundredth of a cent
and would go faster than the speed of light.
  Moore's law will continue unabated for many decades to come. We
have not even begun to explore the third dimension in chip
design. Chips today are flat, whereas our brains are organized in
three dimensions. We live in a three-dimensional world: Why not
use the third dimension?
  Improvements in semiconductor materials, including the
development of superconducting circuits that do not generate
heat, will enable the development of chips, or I should say
cubes, with thousands of layers of circuitry, which when combined
with far smaller component geometries, will improve computing
power by a factor of many millions. There are more than enough
new computing technologies being developed to assure a
continuation of Moore's law for a very long time.

__The Price-Performance Improvement in Reading _Machines
  Reading machines for the blind have certainly benefited from
Moore's law. I examined this issue recently with regard to
reading machines.
  Let's compare the first reading machine, the Kurzweil Reading
Machine, which I introduced in 1976, to the OMNI 1000, which is
the new reading machine that Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc.
has just introduced.
  The 1976 Kurzweil Reading Machine had 64,000 bytes of memory.
The 1996 OMNI 1000 has 16 million bytes of memory. So that's a
ratio of 256 to 1.
  The 1976 KRM used a cassette tape for mass storage. The 1996
OMNI 1000 has a billion byte hard drive and a half billion byte
CDROM drive.
  The 1976 KRM had a processor speed of a quarter of a million
instructions per second, or a quarter MIP. The 1996 OMNI 1000
uses a Pentium 100, which provides 100 MIPs. So that's a ratio of
400 to 1.
  If we compare overall performance of the computer and scanner,
of the optical character recognition, voice quality, and other
features and characteristics, I think it is fair overall to say
that the 1996 product provides about 256 times the performance of
the 1976 product.
  Okay, now the price of the first Kurzweil Reading Machine was
around $67,000. The price of the OMNI 1000 is around $4,000. So
that's a ratio of 16.75 to 1. When we take inflation into
consideration, that's actually a ratio of about 42 to 1 in
constant dollars.
  So we have a product that has 256 times the memory, 400 times
the computing speed, and 256 times the overall performance for a
price that is 42 times less. So that's an overall improvement in
price-performance of 10,752 to 1.
  But before we congratulate ourselves, let's see what Moore's
Law would have predicted. There have been 13 turns of Moore's
screw since 1976. That is, Moore's Law predicts that we should
have doubled the price-performance of computer-based devices
thirteen times since 1976. Well 2 to the 13th power is 8,192. So
we should have improved price-performance by a factor of 8,192.
In actuality, the analysis I just went through shows that we have
improved it by a factor of 10,752. So we've done a little better
than Moore's Law. What is remarkable to me is that when you do
comparisons of this kind, Moore's Law is remarkably accurate in
making these kinds of predictions.

__What the Future _Holds
  And, of course, Moore's law will continue to improve all
aspects of reading machine price and performance in the years
ahead. Just recently two-dimensional scanning chips have emerged,
which can scan a full page of text with 300-spot-per-inch
resolution without any moving parts. These two-dimensional
scanning arrays, which have over 5 million pixels, are prototypes
and are, therefore, expensive. But within a few years these chips
will permit the development of pocket-sized scanners, the size of
a small camera, that can snap a full page instantly. Thus around
the end of this decade a full print-to-speech reading machine
will fit in your pocket. You'll hold it over the page to be
scanned and snap a picture of the page. All of the electronics
and computation will be inside this small camera-sized device.
You'll then listen to the text being read from a small speaker or
earphone.
  You will also be able to snap a picture and read a poster on a
wall or a street sign or a soup can or someone's ID badge or an
appliance LCD display as well as many other examples of real-
world text. This reading machine will cost less than a thousand
dollars and will ultimately come down to hundreds of dollars.
Algorithmic improvements will also provide capabilities to
describe non-textual material such as graphs and diagrams and
page layouts. These devices will also provide on-line access to
knowledge bases and libraries through the information
superhighway. By the end of the first decade of the next century,
the intelligence of these devices will be sufficient to provide
reasonable descriptions of pictures and real-world scenes. These
devices will also be capable of translating from one language to
another.
  It is my sincere hope and personal goal that KESI will provide
the technological leadership to create these future generations
of reading machines. But for now we are proud of the OMNI 1000
that we have just introduced, proud of the excellent team that
we've put together, and thrilled to be working again with the
National Federation of the Blind and its many devoted and
talented members.

  __If you or a friend would like to remember the National
Federation of the Blind in your will, you can do so by employing
the following _language:

  __"I give, devise, and bequeath unto the National Federation of
the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230, a
District of Columbia nonprofit corporation, the sum of
$__________(or "______ percent of my net estate" or "the
following stocks and bonds: ________") to be used for its worthy
purposes on behalf of blind _persons."

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Elizabeth Causey]

          __BRAILLE READERS CONTEST MAKES A DIFFERENCE

                         by Miki _Causey

  __From the Editor: Each fall word goes out around the country
that the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest is again beginning.
This event is jointly sponsored by the National Organization of
Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) and the National Association to
Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB), both divisions of the
National Federation of the Blind. The contest provides a chance
for Braille readers from kindergarten through twelfth grade to
see how many Braille pages they can read between November 1 and
February 1. The 1997 contest has just begun, and there is still
time for Braille students to enter it because the supervising
adult can certify after the fact any pages read after November 1
but before the student decided to compete. At the center of the
print editions of this month's issue of the Braille Monitor we
have stapled in an entry form for the convenience of those
interested in putting it to use. Additional forms are available
from the Materials Center, National Federation of the Blind, 1800
Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230.
  One way or another we make this announcement at about this time
every year, and we sometimes forget just how important this
contest can be in the lives of the youngsters who take part. But
here is a letter Barbara Cheadle, President of NOPBC, received
last February that provides a startling reminder to all of us of
what a difference this contest can make in one child's life and
outlook on the world. Good luck to every participant in the 1997
contest. Here is the letter Miki Causey wrote about her daughter
_Elizabeth.

                                                   Macon, Georgia

                                                February 7, 1996


Braille Readers Are Leaders
Barbara Cheadle
Baltimore, Maryland

Dear Mrs. Cheadle,
  I enjoyed talking with you this morning about my daughter
Elizabeth. I hope a further liaison with people like you can help
me guide her further as we continue this journey.
  Last spring we were absolutely thrilled and so very proud when
Elizabeth won first place in the Braille Readers Are Leaders
contest. She had begun preschool in 1990 at the Georgia Academy
for the Blind (GAB) as an ROP [retinopathy of prematurity] child
in diapers, with severe eating problems and an uncertain academic
future at best. Through much determination and perseverance on
the part of the teachers and staff at GAB and on the home front,
four years later Elizabeth won a reading contest!
  As a result of this contest, Elizabeth was interviewed on
closed circuit television at the Georgia Academy for the Blind;
her picture was in the local paper along with that of her
teacher; and she was on the local television news. In addition,
winning this national contest boosted Elizabeth's reputation at
school.
  All this recognition, plus just winning the contest, has
increased Elizabeth's confidence. Prior to the fall of 1994,
Elizabeth had not read anything outside of her classroom. She was
frustrated and uninspired and, quite frankly, did not like
reading at all. Two things changed in her life to make a
difference:
  1. Elizabeth met a sighted friend a few years older than her.
    Nikki read stories to Elizabeth. Before this encounter, she
    apparently did not realize that children could read too. The
    revelation made her want to be like Nikki.
  2. The Braille Readers Are Leaders contest put a competitive
    spark in Elizabeth that no one had previously seen. She
    constantly told us, "I want to win the contest," and she did!
  As a direct result of Elizabeth's endeavor, six children at her
school participated in the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest
this year. We hope that next year will be even better. What a
wonderful way to encourage blind school children to read more
Braille. Elizabeth is now looking forward each year to entering
this reading contest. With the contest as her motivation, I hope
she will continue to increase her reading skills. I believe it is
a wonderful goal for her to strive towards.
  Thank you again for having this contest. I truly believe
Elizabeth Causey is a winner.
                                                  Most sincerely,

                                                     Miki Causey


The NFB Logo appears at the far left, top of the first page.



              __Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest

            1997 14th Annual Contest for Blind Youth

                  Funded by Tree of Life, _Inc.

[at the bottom of the page--Sponsored by the National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children and the National
Association to Promote the Use of Braille]


                       Purpose of Contest
  The purpose of the annual __Braille Readers Are _Leaders
contest is to encourage blind school children to read more
Braille. It is just as important for blind children to be
literate as it is for other children. Good readers can have
confidence in themselves and in their abilities to learn and to
adapt to new situations throughout their lifetimes. Braille is a
viable alternative to print, yet many blind children are
graduating from our schools with poor Braille skills and low
expectations for themselves as readers. They do not know that
Braille readers can be competitive with print readers. This
contest helps blind children realize that reading Braille is fun
and rewarding.

                    Who Can Enter the Contest
  Blind school-age children from kindergarten through the twelfth
grade are eligible to enter. The student competes in one of five
categories. The first category is the print-to-Braille beginning
reader. This category is for former or current print readers who
began to learn and use Braille within the past two years. This
includes:
  (1) formerly sighted children who became blind after they
mastered print and
  (2) partially sighted print readers who are learning Braille.
(Kindergartners and first-graders are not eligible for the print-
to-Braille category.)
  The other categories are grades K-1; 2-4; 5-8; and 9-12.
Students in ungraded programs should select the category which
most closely matches the grade level of their peers.

                     Prizes for the Contest
  First-, second-, and third-place winners are selected from each
of the five categories. All winners receive a cash prize, a
special certificate, and a distinctive NFB Braille Readers Are
Leaders T-shirt. In each category first-place winners receive
$75.00, second-place winners $50.00, and third-place winners
$25.00. All contestants receive a Braille certificate and a
special token for participating in the contest.
  Awards are also given to the top five contestants, regardless
of category, who demonstrate the most improvement over their
performance in the previous year's contest. To be considered for
the __Most Improved Braille _Reader award, the contestant must
enter the contest for two consecutive years and cannot be a
winner in the current, or any previous, __Braille Readers Are
_Leaders contest. Winners of the Most Improved Braille Reader
award receive $15 and a T-shirt.
  Schools are encouraged to schedule public presentations of the
certificates. Alternatively, presentations may be made in the
classroom, at the local National Federation of the Blind Chapter
meeting, or in some other appropriate setting. Members of the
National Federation of the Blind will award the certificates and
other prizes whenever possible.

                      Schools for the Blind
  In addition to the individual prizes a $100.00 cash prize will
be awarded to up to two schools for the blind for outstanding
participation in the contest. All of the schools for the blind
with students participating in the contest will receive
recognition in _Future _Reflections, the National Federation of
the Blind magazine for parents and educators of blind children.

                      Rules for the Contest
  Winners will be chosen based on the number of Braille pages
read. The one who reads the largest number of Braille pages will
be the first-place winner; the second largest the second-place
winner; and the third largest the third-place winner. The
completed contest entry form must be received by the judges no
later than February 15, 1997. Contestants must submit with the
entry forms a print list of the materials read (see the last page
of the entry form). Entry forms without this list will be
returned to the sender.

                      Certifying Authority
  The certifying authority is responsible for (1) verifying that
the student read the Braille material listed and that the
material was read between November 1, 1996, and February 1, 1997;
(2) filling out and sending in the contest entry form in an
accurate, complete, and timely fashion; and (3) assisting the
student in finding Braille materials to read for the contest.
  Teachers, librarians, and parents may serve as certifying
authorities. The certifying authority must also be prepared to
cooperate if the contest judges have any questions or need
additional information about an entry. All decisions of the
judges are final.

For more information contact Mrs. Barbara Cheadle, National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children, 1800 Johnson Street,
Baltimore, Maryland 21230; [phone] or [phone].


                        Common Questions
  1. What if I didn't know about the contest until after it
began. Can I still enter? Yes.
  2. If I enter late, can I still count the Braille pages I have
read since November 1? Yes, if your certifying authority will
verify that you read those pages.
  3. Can I count my Braille textbooks? No.
  4. Can I count textbooks if they are not the textbooks I am now
using for my regular class work? Yes.
  5. What if I don't finish reading a book? Can I count the pages
that I did read? Yes.
  6. Can supplemental reading books to beginning reading series
be counted for the contest? Yes.
  7. What constitutes a Braille page? Each side of an embossed
piece of paper is considered one page. If you read both sides,
then you have read two pages. This is true even if there are only
two Braille lines on one side.
  8. Can I count title pages, tables of contents, Brailled
descriptions of illustrations, etc.? Yes.
  9. I have to transcribe books for my beginning reader. Most of
these books have only a few words on a page. If the print book
has more pages than my Braille transcription, how do I count
pages for the contest? For the purposes of this contest, the
number of Braille pages counted per book should never be less
than the number of print pages in that book. This is so even if
the teacher has transcribed the entire book onto one Braille
page. To avoid confusion we suggest that the books be transcribed
page-for-page, one Braille page for each print page, whenever
possible.
  10. I have trouble finding enough Braille material for my 6th
grade and up students. Do you have any suggestions? Yes. The
National Federation of the Blind has free Braille materials--
stories, articles, etc.--suitable for blind youth. To request the
NFB Selected Literature for Blind Youth order form, call or write
National Federation of the Blind, Materials Center, 1800 Johnson
Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230; [phone].


                       Contest Entry Form

               Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest

              November 1, 1996, to February 1, 1997

Mail entry form to Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest, 1800
Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230

Student's Name_________________________________________________
Birthdate ________________ Age________ Grade___________________
Address________________________________________________________
City_______________________ State________ Zip__________________
Parent's Name__________________________________________________
Phone (Home)_____________________ (Work)____________________
Certifying Authority: Name_____________________________________
Position: Parent ____ Teacher ___ Librarian____
Address________________________________________________________
City_______________________ State________ Zip__________________
Phone (home) ___________________ (Work)________________________
School Name ___________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________
City ______________________ State_________ Zip_________________
Phone ________________________
YES NO Did you enter last year's contest (1995-96)?
YES NO Have you been a winner in a previous Braille Readers are
Leaders Contest?


    Entries must be received no later than February 15, 1997
Category: (Check one)
Beginning Print-to-Braille (This category is for former or
current print readers who began to learn and use Braille within
the past two years. Children who began Braille instruction in
Kindergarten or First Grade are not eligible for this category.)
Kindergarten and First Grade
Second through Fourth Grades
Fifth through Eighth Grades
Ninth through Twelfth Grades

  One of the prizes for the contest is a special T-shirt. If you
should be a winner, what size would you require? (Check one)
Children's: S (6-8); M (10-12); L (14-16)
Adult: S (34-36); M (38-40); L (42-44); XL

On the last page is a grid made of three columns across and
twenty spaces down. At the top of the page is a line for name and
total of Braille pages. The first column is titled _Pages; the
second column is _Book/Magazine, then _(mag. _pub. _date) just
before the third column begins. The third column is _Author/Title
_of _Article. At the bottom of the page is a line for the
certifying authority's signature, and above it is the statement:
__To the best of my knowledge, this student did read these
Braille pages between the dates of November 1, 1996, and February
1, _1997.


            __LITERACY, LEARNING, AND LOUIS _BRAILLE

  __From President Maurer: Braille literacy is a vital part of
the education of blind students. In the past several years we
have concentrated on increasing the use of Braille among blind
children and adults. We have produced the Braille _video, That
the Blind May Read; __we have created the National Association to
Promote the Use of Braille; we have conducted Braille Readers Are
Leaders contests; we have founded the International Braille and
Technology Center for the Blind; we have supported the
International Braille Research Center for the Blind; we have
produced large quantities of Braille books and magazines; we have
taught workshops to encourage Braille teaching through mentors in
the states; and we have promoted the use of Braille in local
chapters and state affiliates.
  The National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey conducted a
seminar on the importance of Braille at its 1996 convention. One
of the real problems with Braille is that it is regarded by many
people as unusual. Almost nobody feels that way about print. I am
reminded of a conversation I once had with Ray McGeorge, a long-
time Federation leader and the husband of Diane McGeorge, who is
a member of the NFB Board of Directors and President of the
Colorado affiliate. Ray served as Denver Chapter Treasurer for
many years.
  Ray McGeorge has been blind most of his life. Sometimes he has
had a little remaining vision. Sometimes he has been totally
blind. He learned to read print early, and he found the
availability of printed material fascinating. At one point he
regained a major portion of his vision, and one of the things he
wanted to read was the advertising on the cans, boxes, bags, and
packages in the grocery store.
  Sighted people take print for granted. Print appears on
virtually everything and almost everywhere. For the blind it
isn't like that. There is more Braille today than there once was.
However, it is still often hard to get.
  To address the Braille literacy problem the National Federation
of the Blind of New Jersey has established a volunteer Braille-
teaching program in the state. Anybody who wants to learn Braille
can contact the President. The closest volunteer in the program
will be assigned to teach Braille. The result is that there is
now a group in New Jersey whose members share Braille
experiences. Those in the group range from very young children to
senior citizens. The convention presentations by members of this
group demonstrate how concerted local action increases
opportunity. Robert Kanish chaired the Braille panel. Here is
what he said in introducing _it :

  Every year the National Association to Promote the Use of
Braille, commonly known as NAPUB, sponsors a Braille literacy
contest for blind and visually impaired children from across the
United States. This year the National Federation of the Blind of
New Jersey decided to hold one also.
  We asked our children from kindergarten through high school to
submit Braille compositions about one of these topics: ways I use
Braille; Braille readers can be leaders; or any other Braille-
related topic. In our contest participants seem to have come
mainly from the third and fourth grades. Katie Maunder's entry
was judged the best and received first prize. I think you will
agree that the winning composition deserves top rating. Listen
now as Katie reads her very own composition about the ways she is
using Braille.

  __That is what Mr. Kanish said. Katie Maunder is eleven years
old, and this is her composition, which she delivered from the
_podium:

  I started learning Braille when I was two. My mother made a
special board for me. It was called the velcro board. My mother
Brailled the cards on it from A to Z. Another way I learned
Braille was that, when I was about three, Mom started labeling
everything. Almost everything I walked into had Braille on it. If
I walked into a table, it would have "table" written on it in
Braille. If I walked into a chair, it would have "chair" written
on it.
  I used to have a keyboard which had all the knobs, switches,
and buttons Brailled so I knew which button was which. I also
used Braille-display card games like Uno, Happy Families, and a
funny game called Hello Jack. I used Braille to play a game
called Scrabble, and I have Braille on my computers as well. Two
of the computers with lots of Braille were Speak and Spell and
Speak Music. The Braille is there so I can read what to do.
  I Braille all of my tapes with a special label-making machine.
You move the labeling machine to the letter you want and press
hard to make it come out.
  I often think my Braille Writer is a hero because it always
behaves itself when I write on it. I even made up a song about my
Braille Writer.
  I use Braille at school too. I have a Braille Writer in my
classroom, and I use it for all my work.
  Most of all, I use Braille to read. I have read lots of books
in my lifetime. Roald Dahl's _Matilda is my favorite book. Those
are all the ways I use Braille. I am having fun reading, writing,
and enjoying Braille.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Donna Panaro]
  __Two presentations which followed Katie's were made by Kristen
Diaz, an eleven-year-old fifth grader, and Donna Panaro, the
mother of a four-year-old blind child. Kristen _said:

  Hello, I am Kristen Diaz. I am eleven years old and in the
fifth grade. About a year ago I started learning Braille with
Mrs. Agnes Allen, and now we are almost done reviewing the code.
I am also homeschooled; that means my mom and dad teach me at
home. They also teach my younger brother Matthew.
  I am legally blind, but I can enjoy a good book outside under a
tree, under the covers at night, in the car, or even at a
friend's house. How do I do it? I use Braille.
  I have Leber's Congenital Amaurosis, which is a macular
degenerative eye disease. This means that I may lose my sight
slowly and gradually over a period of time. I might become
totally blind later on down the road. Should my sight become so
poor that I am not able to read print, I will not need to take
time out to learn Braille, because I have learned it now. I will
be able to function well in the world of information because I
already know the code.
  When I read print, I need the right lighting and print size
conditions, or I need to use my reading glasses or CCTV [Closed
Circuit Television]. When I read Braille, I don't need any of
these things because I don't need sight to read Braille. It takes
a good memory and a well-developed sense of feel, but other than
that, learning Braille is rather easy.
  My mother and I are looking for ways to use Braille in my daily
life so that I do not lose what I have gained. We have come up
with a telephone and address book, recipes, and reading, which I
do now recreationally. I learned Braille so that I may have a
choice when I read. Right now I use Braille and print for
different things, and I enjoy them both equally.

  __The comments of the next presenter, Donna Panaro, demonstrate
the importance of encouraging the use of Braille in the home.
This is what Donna reported to the _convention:

  I am the mother of a four-year-old blind child. Her name is
Kristin. I decided quite early that I would learn Braille. I
wanted to have the opportunity to assist my daughter in learning.
(I knew Kristin would receive Braille instruction only two to
four times per week at school, and I felt it would be more
beneficial for her to receive instruction on a daily basis to
become proficient in Braille. Sighted children learning to read
and write practice every day.) I also wanted to learn Braille so
that I could communicate with Kristin in writing. Numerous times
I have heard successful Braille readers say it helped
tremendously that their parents knew Braille.
  One day I was reading _The _Sounding _Board (the newsletter of
the National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey), and I saw an
article about a Braille tutoring service that sparked my
interest. A person wishing to learn Braille could call the
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey and be matched up
with a tutor in the local community. Bob Kanish put me in contact
with a wonderful teacher named Lois Wencil, and it took me
approximately one year to learn to read and write in Braille. I
met with Lois about two times per month for a few hours, and she
not only taught me Braille but she also taught me important
techniques for teaching Kristin, techniques that I might not have
been able to learn elsewhere. For example, I would Braille
Kristin's favorite books. I would also make labels in Braille for
many things in our home.
  I can't thank Bob and Lois enough for giving me this
opportunity to learn Braille, and in the future I would like to
pass my knowledge on to other parents who have the same interest.
  My purpose here today is to encourage parents to learn Braille.
Braille means literacy for our children--it gives our children
the ability to read and write. I can't think of a more important
job that we as parents have than to help facilitate teaching
Braille to our young Braille readers and writers of tomorrow so
that they can learn to read and write at the same rate as their
sighted peers. We need to make sure this happens if there is to
be a better life for our children.
  Again, our children should be on the same reading level as
their sighted peers. We should expose our children to Braille
early and make sure they keep up with the class. Our children can
be age-appropriate--we must keep this in our minds and hearts at
all times!

  __The final participant on the afternoon program was Agnes
Allen, one of the volunteer teachers of the Braille classes being
conducted by the _chapter.

  As a student at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind
in Pittsburgh back in the 1930's and early 1940's B.C. (before
computers), I learned to read and write Braille. Braille was a
given in those days; it was basic to everything else I learned in
school. All my textbooks were in Braille. Listening to a history
or geography lesson on tape was unheard of. Oh, yes, talking
books were available for listening enjoyment if I chose to go
that route for entertainment and leisure-time activity. But for
honest-to-goodness, hard-core study purposes there was no
substitute for Braille for me as a blind child. And even my
partially-sighted classmates had to learn Braille. Some of them
were compelled to read with aprons tied around their necks, which
covered their fingers as they moved across the page to prevent
peeking at the dots. Looking back now, I wonder just how often
those kids succumbed to the temptation to lift the apron for a
peek at the dots when teacher was looking the other way. But
seriously, for me the mastery of Braille was the key to becoming
literate, just as print was for my fully sighted friends.
  Because I was Braille-literate, I could go on to college to
become an English major, reading Chaucer and Shakespeare along
with my sighted peers. As a history student I could take copious
notes, writing rapidly with my wonderfully convenient and
portable pocket slate and stylus. It was possible to take six
pages of notes during a single class, which I could study
independently at my own pace as I was preparing for a major test.
After Brailling the examination questions, I was free to work on
my own, typing the answers for the benefit of my sighted
instructors. In a word, because I was Braille literate, I was
able to read and write my way to college honors at graduation
time.
  Because I was fortunate enough to have learned Braille music at
the School for the Blind, I was able to memorize works of
outstanding classical and romantic composers to play in recital
during my junior year in college for audiences of several
hundred. I was later to have the opportunity to teach piano to
sighted children.
  As a teacher of blind children and adults, I could give my
knowledge of Braille to others, helping in my turn to foster
Braille literacy for them. As a social worker and case worker in
New Jersey, I kept Braille records for every one of my clients.
>From these Braille files I could type continuing records for
children in foster care, for teenage runaway cases, and for the
youngsters known as truants and incorrigibles. In this way I
could prepare for court reviews and court hearings at which my
recommendations for positive programs were sought as a means of
fostering a better quality of life for these troubled young
people.
  As a mother of three children in a single-parent household,
Braille labeling helped me deal with the monthly bills and keep
the accounting records of the funds coming in and going out.
  When my children were still minors, a growing hearing loss for
me caused a termination of regular employment and necessitated
seeking work in areas which did not require a keen sense of
hearing. A kind friend presented the idea of Braille
proofreading. I latched onto this possibility and studied for
certification. For many years I served as a proofreader for a
private agency producing Braille books and magazines. Currently I
work as a part-time proofreader of Braille textbooks for blind
children in our schools.
  To sum up, Braille literacy skills have helped me to achieve
fulfillment in every major aspect of my life--as a student; as a
teacher; as a case worker; as an employee for a Braille
production house; and, above all, as a mother, dedicated to
giving a real future to my children. I could not have done it
without the ability to read and write Braille.
  Modern technology is fast, functional, advantageous, and handy.
Using tapes and speech synthesizers can be an adequate way of
obtaining vital information, but listening is not the same as
reading, and talking is not the same as writing. The most
marvelous and magnificent of all computers, the human brain, is
available through the medium of Braille. I thank you, Louis
Braille, for providing these six tiny dots--the nucleus from
which the whole Braille system has evolved. With these six dots
it is possible to retrieve a whole world of education and
experience, to understand a lifetime of personal growth and
happiness, and to achieve the highest level of independence. With
your help and the help of my blind friends I have found
opportunities which could not have been attained without you--I
have discovered the promise and enjoyed the reality of
independence.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Emerson Foulke]

          __IS IT TOO LATE TO RESCUE BRAILLE LITERACY?

                       by Emerson _Foulke

  __From the Editor Emeritus: Dr. Emerson Foulke is a long-time
Federationist and one of the leaders of the National Federation
of the Blind of Kentucky. He is also a brilliant scholar and an
authority in the field of Braille reading and writing.
  Dr. Foulke received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from
Washington University in St. Louis and shortly thereafter (1959)
accepted a position as a psychologist at the Veterans Hospital in
Knoxville, Iowa. In 1961 he went to Louisville to accept
employment at the American Printing House for the Blind and the
University of Louisville. In 1961 he joined the faculty of the
University of Louisville full-time as a professor of psychology.
He became director of the Perceptual Alternatives Laboratory at
the University of Louisville in 1969 and continued in that
position until his retirement in 1992.
  For Dr. Foulke retirement has not meant reduced activity. He
now serves as director of the International Braille Research
Center and does extensive writing and research. The following
paper is illustrative. It was given in March of this year at the
World Forum on Literacy in Montevideo, Uruguay. Here it _is:

  Next to print, Braille is, to my knowledge, the best reading
and writing system ever devised. It is often read more slowly
than print because the finger tip's field of view is smaller than
the eye's field of view and because reading fingers cannot move
as fast as eyes. However, like print, Braille is displayed
spatially on the page. Consequently, the advantage realized by
print readers because they can use spatial cues to search,
retrieve, and read selectively is also realized by Braille
readers. The alternative approaches to reading that blind
children are too often encouraged or required to learn do not
share these advantages.
  For blind persons Braille is the path to literacy and all of
the advantages conferred by literacy. Blind persons who are good
Braille readers have opportunities not available to blind persons
who read Braille poorly or not at all. They have generally become
educated and are engaged in productive employment. Although the
advantage conferred by Braille has always been obvious to anyone
who took the trouble to notice it, it is only recently that
studies have been undertaken to gauge the value of Braille to
those who are competent in its use.
  The results of recent research (Schroeder, 1994; Ryles, 1996)
are beginning to confirm what competent Braille readers have
always known. The findings of these investigators indicate that
blind persons who are competent Braille readers are also much
more likely to have had a good education, to spend more time
reading, to be productively employed, to be financially self-
sufficient, and to have higher self-esteem than blind persons who
read Braille poorly or not at all. A survey conducted by Kirchner
(1988) revealed that 70 percent of the legally blind persons in
the nation are unemployed. Findings reported by Ryles (1996)
suggest that the 30 percent who are employed are much more likely
to be Braille readers than the 70 percent who are not. Spungin
(1989) reported a study undertaken by the American Foundation for
the Blind in which the database it maintains, called the Careers
and Technology Information Bank (CTIB), was examined and revealed
that 85 percent of the blind persons in this database who are
primarily Braille readers are also employed.
  In 1995 the Library Division of the Canadian National Institute
for the Blind (CNIB) conducted a survey of its blind patrons in
order to assess the impact of Braille literacy on the library
services offered by CNIB to blind Canadians. Survey results
indicated that only 6 percent of its Braille-reading patrons were
unemployed: 52 percent had incomes higher than $25,000 per year,
and 14 percent had incomes higher than $50,000 per year. Eleven
percent held one university degree, and of that group 14 percent
held more than one degree (CNIB, 1995).
  The significance of these results can be gauged by comparing
them with the results of a survey conducted by Statistics Canada,
which found that 10 percent of all Canadians of employable age
(sighted, blind, or otherwise) were unemployed, and that only 10
percent of all Canadians reported incomes higher than $25,000 per
year. The study further indicated that only 8.8 percent of all
Canadians held university degrees (Statistics Canada, 1990). As
another indication of the advantage gained by using Braille for
reading, the unemployment figure of 6 percent for Braille-reading
patrons of the CNIB Library should also be compared with the
unemployment figure of 75 percent for all blind Canadians of
employable age that was found in another survey reported by
Statistics Canada (1993).
  The reason for the findings reported by Schroeder, Ryles,
Spungin, and CNIB are obvious. Education and the work people are
able to do because they are educated are predicated on the
ability to read. Reading is the basic tool on which all education
depends, because those who learn to read can then read to learn,
and it is the reading of Braille that allows blind persons to
become literate.
  When I began my education sixty years ago, most blind and
visually impaired children received their education in
residential schools. Because these schools were relatively few in
number, they could easily reach an agreement concerning the
school books their students would use, and they could therefore
place book orders with a Braille printing house that were large
enough to make their production economical. Because all of the
students would be depending on Braille for their reading and
writing, they received intensive instruction in its use; and all
of their teachers, not just their Braille teachers, were expected
to know how to read and write Braille as well. Furthermore, the
teachers expected their students to become good Braille readers
and insisted on a high standard of reading performance, and with
few exceptions the students learned to read well and enjoy
reading.
  In view of the role of Braille in making the option of literacy
available to blind persons, one would naturally suppose that the
public schools, where most blind children now receive their
education, place as much emphasis on the provision of adequate
instruction in learning to read Braille as on learning to read
print. Sadly, this is not the case. From the time the enrollment
of blind children in public schools became the general practice
to the present, there has been a continuous decline in Braille
reading ability (Rex, 1989; Mullen, 1990).
  The Federal Quota Registry, maintained and published annually
by the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), is an
enumeration of the legally blind children in the nation,
classified by reading ability and the type of reading in which
they engage. Examination of this registry reveals that the number
of legally blind children increased from 17,330 in 1963 to 52,791
in 1993. During this period the fraction of registered students
who were taught to read Braille declined from 57 percent to less
than 10 percent, and the fraction of legally blind students
classified as nonreaders rose from a little over 0.10 percent to
more than 45 percent (American Printing House for the Blind,
1963-1993). Some of this increase is due to the increased
enrollment in public schools of blind students who have other
handicaps, but it is clear that there has been a steep increase
in the fraction of legally blind children who are taught to read
by listening to recorded or live speech, or by reading large
print or magnified print, or who do not read at all.
  It is noteworthy that, although the APH Registry classifies as
readers not only those who use Braille for reading but also those
who read by listening or by visual perception of large print or
magnified print, it is only those who use Braille for reading
that realize the advantages generally associated with literacy.
The findings just cited urge the conclusion that the public
school system de-emphasized the reading medium that gives blind
persons the opportunity to become literate and emphasized the
reading media that have been shown to be ineffective in achieving
literacy (R. Ryles, personal communication, 1996).
  As the increase in the number of blind children who read
Braille slowly and inaccurately or not at all continued, the
demand for books in Braille decreased. The declining demand for
Braille books caused by inadequate instruction of blind children
led to decreased production of Braille books, and because persons
who do not read Braille well or do not read it at all do not ask
libraries for books in Braille, libraries included fewer and
fewer Braille books in their collections.
  The reasons for the changes just indicated are not hard to
find. When blind children started going to public schools in
large numbers, there were dramatic changes in the way they were
educated. These changes had far-reaching effects, some of which
were not anticipated and were far from desirable. The wish to
have blind children educated in public schools was doubtless
motivated by the best of intentions. It was held that blind
children would reap the benefits of living with their families
during their formative years and that their socialization would
be facilitated by contact with their sighted classmates. They
would become integrated into the society of the sighted, and the
negative stereotypes concerning the blind would vanish.
  With little in the way of analytical thinking, it was tacitly
assumed that blind children would receive adequate instruction in
tool skills such as reading and writing Braille. Unfortunately,
in far too many cases this did not happen. There were not enough
competent teachers of Braille to meet the instructional demands
imposed by the influx of blind children (Stephens, 1989;
Schroeder, 1989; Caton, 1991; Willson, 1993), and even if such
competent teachers had been available, there was not enough money
in school budgets, short of a radical change in priorities, to
hire the number of properly prepared teachers required.
  The result was that in many schools throughout the nation blind
children received poor and infrequent instruction in Braille
reading and writing. It was taken for granted that sighted
children would require intensive daily instruction in print
reading and writing, but in view of the shortage of teachers who
knew Braille well or who knew it at all, and doubtless in view of
the modest expectations held by school personnel concerning the
possible achievements of a blind child, it was too often decided
that the needs of blind children would be met well enough by as
few as two instructional periods a week in the use of Braille.
  This regrettable situation was made worse by the lure of
specious alternatives. Anyone who could read aloud could record a
book on tape for use by a blind student. Ordinary print could be
enlarged by a copier or magnified by a lens, or a computer with
the requisite software could be used to increase the size of the
print displayed on the screen of the computer monitor (Paul,
1993). Perhaps the most important consideration was the belief
that, if legally blind children could be taught to read print at
all, their teachers could read what they were reading and could
work with them more effectively.
  Apparently people failed to notice that many of the legally
blind children who were required to read print were reading
slowly and inaccurately and that they found reading fatiguing.
Why were these problems not noticed? Could it be the belief that
the performance standard expected of sighted students should not
be expected of students with an affliction as severe as blindness
--regardless of the reading medium they used (Koenig, 1992)?
Could it be that the poor reading of legally blind children
required to read print went unnoticed because to notice this fact
would have required schools to take remedial steps they were
neither prepared nor willing to take?
  What were the consequences of this failure to provide adequate
instruction in reading Braille? It is now not at all difficult to
find legally blind students who have been graduated from high
school, often with good grades, who read print with difficulty
and Braille not at all, who cannot pass any of the tests of
achievement administered to high school students, who are
unemployed, who cannot find a place in competitive employment,
and who are functionally illiterate. It would not be at all
difficult to find teachers who finally woke up to the fact that
there were blind students in the sixth grade or higher who were
not able to do the work expected of them because they could not
read.
  In many such cases school administrators abandoned the pretense
of educating these children and solved the problem by arranging
for their transfer to the residential school for the blind. When
this happened, teachers at the residential school had the
unenviable task of working with students who were twelve years or
older and who did not know how to read in any meaningful sense--
students who, if given a grade placement commensurate with their
current level of performance, would have to be placed in the
second grade.
  How could this happen? Could it be that there were teachers in
public schools with very low expectations of the performance of
which a blind child would be capable? Could it be that these
teachers were prepared to praise blind students for performance
that would have been unacceptable for a sighted student--teachers
who, as an act of charity, gave them passing grades?
  Some of the integration that was supposed to be the result of
having blind children educated in public schools probably did
take place, but it would not be surprising to find a school for
the blind within the walls of a public school, where blind
students spend most of each day in the resource room and have
little social contact with sighted students.
  An even more common case is the legally blind student who is
the only blind person in the public school he attends. He has
been taught to read large print or print enlarged by
magnification. Because he reads slowly and inaccurately and
cannot read very long without experiencing fatigue and headaches,
he has been falling farther and farther behind, month by month
and year by year. His teacher, motivated by pity, has been giving
him passing grades, but his self-esteem is low because he knows
that his performance is poor and his grades unearned. His sighted
classmates know that his performance is poor, too, and they are
not surprised. They have brought to school with them the negative
stereotypes concerning blindness taught to them by their culture.
They see him as different, handicapped, and simply unable to keep
up with the rest of the class. Because they perceive him this
way, integration has not occurred, and he is socially isolated.
  The consequences of inadequate instruction in reading Braille
would have been obvious to public school administrators and
teachers if they had been inclined to make the relevant
observations, but these consequences failed to attract their
attention.
  For schools that were not prepared to offer adequate
instruction in Braille, it was easy to conclude that, because
there were less expensive; more convenient; and, as they saw it,
more effective alternatives, Braille had limited utility
(Thurlough, 1988). It became common practice to recommend
instruction in Braille only as a last resort. Children with
little vision were urged to read large print or magnified print,
in spite of the fact that they read slowly and found reading
fatiguing, and even though in many cases visual acuity would
eventually decrease, culminating in total blindness.
  True, when blind children first began going to public schools,
it was difficult to get books in Braille. Because the number of
public schools attended by blind children is much larger than the
number of residential schools such students formerly attended, it
is not feasible to seek an agreement concerning the textbooks to
be used in the courses offered. Because the number of students
needing any particular book was small, the book could not be
transcribed into Braille economically by a Braille printing
house.
  If Braille books were used, the solution would have to be to
rely on volunteer transcribers, teacher's aides, and resource
teachers for the production of Braille textbooks; but at the
beginning of the migration to public schools, the equipment
available to transcribers was relatively primitive. By the time a
book could be provided in Braille, the need for it was often
past.
  This excuse for not providing books in Braille is no longer
available. Scanner/OCR systems can now capture the text on the
printed page and save it in disk files. Translation programs can
generate a Grade II translation of the text. The translated text
can be sent to a Braille embosser connected to the computer. It
is now relatively easy and inexpensive to produce even a single
copy of a Braille textbook needed by a blind student.
  In spite of the equipment now available for producing Braille
efficiently, its declining use continues in many school districts
throughout the nation (American Printing House for the Blind,
1994). It is difficult to escape the conclusion that public
school systems are guilty of perpetuating a self-fulfilling
prophecy. They appear to reason that Braille is no longer as
useful as it was when there were no alternatives because, as they
see it, the alternatives to Braille now available have proved to
be more effective. The declining demand for and use of Braille is
the inevitable consequence.
  As these schools see it, Braille had a role to play in bygone
years, but it is well on its way to becoming an obsolescent
reading medium that is little used and no longer needed (Mack,
1984). They do not consider the possibility that the use of
Braille is declining because it is regarded by too many teachers
and administrators as the reading medium of last resort. They do
not consider that Braille would be a more effective reading
medium if it were taught more frequently by more competent
teachers. It has apparently not occurred to them that students
who have received poor and infrequent instruction in the use of
Braille for reading are not likely to express much demand for
reading matter in Braille.
  As a result of this vicious downward spiral, we ultimately
reached a point at which there was reason to fear that Braille
would lapse into disuse and would no longer be available.
Fortunately, steps have been taken to reverse this dismal trend.
Braille readers themselves have, by political action, caused
bills to be passed in twenty-seven of the states in the United
States (Schroeder, 1992). These bills require public schools to
offer instruction in Braille that is adequate in both quality and
frequency of instruction to the blind children who should be
learning Braille. There are even signs that the educational
establishment is at last becoming aware of the importance of
Braille and the wrong done to blind children by neglecting it. We
are beginning to reverse the downward spiral and to restore
Braille to the position it deserves and never should have lost.
  The list of problems to be solved is formidable. Nevertheless,
we must begin to seek their solutions immediately if we are to
make literacy a generally available option for blind children.
  To begin with, not enough teachers know how to teach Braille.
The reason is not hard to find. As already mentioned, the number
of blind children registered by APH increased from 17,330 in 1963
to 52,791 in 1993. During the same period the Office of Education
was gradually withdrawing the support it had been providing for
the university programs that prepare students to teach blind
children. As a result several teacher preparation programs were
terminated, and others experienced a reduction of staff. Some of
the surviving programs have a staff of one (Head, 1992).
  One reason for this pernicious inverse correlation between the
need for teachers who can teach children to use Braille for
reading and the availability of such teachers is the belief
promulgated by the Office of Education and various organizations
representing the interests of high-incidence disability groups
that the educational needs of blind children can be met
adequately by teachers who have been trained as generalists in
special education. This belief is simply wrong. If blind children
are truly to compete in public schools, they must have mastered
the necessary tools.
  The schools they attend must give them the opportunity to
become skillful Braille readers, skillful practitioners of
independent mobility, and knowledgeable users of assistive
technology. Generalists in special education are unprepared to
teach these skills, and blind children who receive all of their
instruction from generalists are almost certainly doomed to
failure. This belief must be eradicated and replaced by the
awareness and conviction that blind children must be prepared for
success in the public school environment by specialists who can
help them acquire the skills on which their success in school
will depend. Placing blind children in public schools that cannot
meet their instructional needs makes a mockery of "most
appropriate placement." They are, in fact, the victims of "most
inappropriate placement."
  In order to restore Braille to its rightful place, the teachers
and administrators in public schools must change their attitudes
and expectations. When the staff in a public school attended by
blind students believe that blind children cannot be expected to
perform at the level of their sighted peers and believe that
allowances must be made for blind children because the severity
of their disability will inevitably subject them to lives of
dependency, the resulting climate is devastating to their morale
and self-esteem. The teacher who expects little in the way of
performance from a blind student is willing to accept minimal
performance. She asks for little, and of course she gets what she
asks for. The fact is that children learn to expect of themselves
what others expect of them and to accept the beliefs of others
concerning their abilities and their worth.
  Changing attitudes is difficult, but there are steps that can
be taken. As a start the resource teacher, if there is one, or
the itinerant teacher can express positive beliefs about the
blind children in the school. He or she can talk with other
teachers in the school, give them constructive articles to read,
and try to persuade them to raise their expectations and demand
better performance. Some teachers may come to understand that
providing a positive educational experience for a blind child is
an interesting challenge rather than an unwelcome burden. Of
course, the resource or itinerant teacher must genuinely believe
that blind children have abilities and that they will respond
positively to more demanding expectations. And the resource
teacher must not only know Braille in theory but must also be
efficient in its use, both in reading and writing. Unfortunately,
this is not always the case.
  Here is a possible interim solution to the shortage of
competent Braille teachers. I know a Braille teacher who is
extraordinarily competent, highly motivated, and possessed of the
ability to engender in her students her own enthusiasm for
Braille. She found herself in the familiar situation of facing a
critical shortage of teachers who could actually teach children
to read Braille. She solved the problem by training teacher's
aides to teach Braille.
  She had impressive success, and she believes that other
dedicated Braille teachers could do what she did--but only if the
necessary conditions are present. Many teacher's aides either
cannot or do not want to learn to teach Braille, and the Braille
teacher must participate in the selection of the teacher's aide
who is given that assignment, instead of merely accepting a
person assigned at random by an uninformed administrator.
  In addition, the Braille teacher must provide close supervision
of the teacher's aides she has trained. This approach will not,
by any means, eliminate the shortage of Braille teachers, but it
may be worth a try. And we may do well to remember that the
university is not the only place a person can learn Braille and
learn how to teach it.
  The university programs where students receive the education
that prepares them for work as resource or itinerant teachers
often graduate students who have low expectations concerning the
abilities of the blind children with whom they will be working,
and these university programs must share some of the
responsibility. The student teachers in these programs often
learn from their professors and from the courses they are
required to take that Braille is a last resort to be considered
only if reading print by any means is impossible. The faculty
members in these programs may communicate their own low
expectations to the students they teach, and the courses they
offer rarely provide for experiences that could convince their
student teachers of the abilities of competent blind persons.
They do not often provide opportunities for their student
teachers to associate with competent blind adults and discover
their capabilities. These are program defects that can be
corrected by program directors if they can be made to believe in
the necessity of making the corrections.
  The students who enroll in teacher preparation programs usually
receive inadequate preparation for teaching children to use
Braille for reading. A student who has had a one- or two-
semester course in Braille is not a Braille teacher, and
certainly such a person is not likely to be a competent Braille
user. A Braille teacher must know Braille thoroughly. A Braille
teacher must have learned what is known about reading in general.
A Braille teacher must be thoroughly familiar with all of the
methods of teaching Braille that we currently know about and must
be able to employ them selectively and appropriately. A Braille
teacher must be able to motivate the children he or she teaches
and must be able to convince them that learning to use Braille
for reading is one of the most important skills they will ever
learn. Above all, the Braille teacher must believe in the
importance of Braille and must know how to communicate this
belief, not only to the students he or she teaches but also to
the teachers and administrators in the school or schools where he
or she works.
  The teacher who can meet these requirements is the teacher who
not only will teach children to use Braille for reading but also
will teach them to be self-motivated because they enjoy reading.
In short, a Braille teacher is a specialist, and to become a
specialist a student teacher must complete a program that
includes more course work and training than is provided by the
typical teacher preparation program.
  One way to accomplish this might be to organize courses of
study leading to the master's degree. Such courses would be taken
by those students in special education who intend to become
specialists. These students would take the courses not provided
by the ordinary teacher preparation curriculum, would receive the
training that gives them a thorough mastery of Braille, and would
serve an internship under the supervision of a master teacher of
Braille.
  Implementing solutions to the problems just discussed will have
a high cost. Finding and training enough Braille teachers will be
expensive. Providing the assistive technology that makes it
easier for blind students to be competitive in the public school
environment will be expensive, and teaching them how to use such
technology will be expensive. Organized efforts to change the
attitudes and expectations of public school teachers and
administrators will also be expensive. The implementation of
these measures will require money--a lot of money. We will not
undertake the changing of our priorities that would be required
in order for us to find the money we need to prepare Braille
teachers, or teachers of any kind for that matter, until we
become convinced that an educated citizenry is a nation's most
valuable resource, and there is reason for skepticism on that
score.

_References

American Printing House for the Blind. (1963-1993).
__Distribution of federal quota based on registration of eligible
_students. Louisville, KY: Author.

American Printing House for the Blind. (1994). __Distribution of
federal quota January 4, 1993 registration of eligible _students.
Louisville, KY: Author.

American Printing House for the Blind. (1995). __Distribution of
federal quota January 4, 1994 registration of eligible _students.
Louisville, KY: Author.

Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Library for the Blind.
(1995). __Understanding Braille literacy and its impact on
library literacy _services. Toronto: Author.

Caton, H. (1991). Braille literacy issues. __Print and Braille
_literacy. p. 42. Louisville, Kentucky: American Printing House
for the Blind.

Head, D.N., & Bishop, V.E. (1992). Current practices in the
preparation of teachers for children with visual impairments and
blindness. __Journal of Visual Impairment and _Blindness, _86,
241-245.

Kirchner, C., & Peterson, R. (1988). Employment: Selected
characteristics. __Data on blindness and visual impairment in the
U.S., A resource manual on social demographic characteristics,
education, employment and income, and service _delivery. pp.
169-177. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.

Koenig, A.J. (1992). A framework for understanding the literacy
of individuals with visual impairments. __Journal of Visual
Impairment and _Blindness, _86, 277-284

Mack, C. (1984). How useful is Braille? Reports of blind adults.
__Journal of Visual Impairment and _Blindness. _78, 311-313.

Mullen, E. (1990). Decreased Braille literacy: A symptom of a
system in need of reassessment. _ReView, _23, 164-169.

Paul, B.J. (1993, Spring). `Low tech' Braille vital to high-level
literacy. National Association of State Directors of Special
Education, _Counterpoint, p. 3.

Ryles, R. (1996). The impact of Braille reading skills on
employment rates, reading habits, education levels and financial
self sufficiency of visually impaired adults. __Journal of Visual
Impairment and _Blindness, _90, 219-226.

Schroeder, F. (1989). Literacy: the key to opportunity. __Journal
of Visual Impairment and _Blindness, _83, 290-294.

Schroeder, F. (1992 June). Braille bills: What are they and what
do they mean? _The _Braille _Monitor, 308-311.

Schroeder, F. (1994). __Braille usage: Perspectives of legally
blind adults and policy implications for school _administrators.
Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of New Mexico,
Albuquerque.

Spungin, S. (1990). __Braille literacy: Issues for blind persons,
families, professionals, and producers of _Braille (p. 3). New
York: American Foundation for the Blind.

Statistics Canada. (1990). __Blindness and visual impairment in
Canada: Special topic series from the health activity limitation
_survey. Ottawa: Author.

Statistics Canada. (1993). Statistics Canada. Ottawa: Author.

Stephens, O. (1989). Braille - Implications for living. __Journal
of Visual Impairment and _Blindness, _83, 88-89.

Thurlow, W.R. (1988). An alternative to Braille. __Journal of
Visual Impairment and _Blindness, _82, 387.

Willson, N. (1993). Braille: Bridging the gap between literacy
and illiteracy. _The _Braille _Forum, _31, 14-16.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Susie Stanzel]

                    _WINDOW _OF _OPPORTUNITY

                       _by _Susie _Stanzel

  __From the Editor: Susie Stanzel is the President of the
National Federation of the Blind of Kansas. In the July-August,
1996, issue of _the Free State News, __the publication of the NFB
of Kansas, Susie wrote about her career as a computer programmer
and the crucial role networking with members of the National
Federation of the Blind has played in her success. This is what
she _says:

  When I was seventeen, my stepmother worked for the R.C.A.
Company, where she had access to current technology magazines.
She read several articles that discussed the then new
developments allowing blind people to enter the computer field as
programmers. While attending the Kansas Rehabilitation Center
college preparatory program, I researched this possibility. Four
years later, I graduated from Kansas State Teachers' College at
Emporia, Kansas, holding a bachelor of science degree in business
with a specialization in data processing.
  For the past twenty-five years I have been employed as a
computer programmer analyst, the first three years for the City
of Kansas City, Missouri, and twenty-two years for the United
States Department of Agriculture. Has my employment success been
simply luck? Absolutely not! The first step, my stepmother's
influence, might have been luck, but that is where the luck
ended. Informal networking, as it is called today, and lots of
hard work account for my success.
  During my junior year of college I began corresponding with
Bill Adler, a blind computer programmer working for the Bendix
Corporation. I told him I had attended summer school for the past
two summers but just didn't want to do that again. I said that
what I really wanted to do was find a job. It never crossed my
mind that it might really happen. I had never earned any money
before, but through his connections with other blind people, Bill
contacted Roy Zuvers, another blind computer programmer, working
for the United States Department of Agriculture and a longtime
leader in the National Federation of the Blind. Roy approached
the management at U.S.D.A. about having a blind employee for the
summer. Because Roy was well thought of, I was interviewed and
hired for the months of July and August. It was hard to believe I
was actually receiving a pay check for doing something that was
so much fun. Although I was pleased when I was asked to return
full time following graduation, I was anxious to try to find a
job outside the federal government.
  I knew I really wanted my work to make a difference, and it
seemed clear to me that we needed more employment of blind people
in private industry. So here comes that old word "networking"
again. In 1970 Bill Adler's wife was also a computer programmer.
She worked for AT&T. Thanks to her help, I interviewed at AT&T
during the Christmas break and, as a result, expected to attend a
training class to be held in June. Like today, times were hard in
1971. Companies were laying people off, and promotions were few
and far between. Due to tough times, AT&T canceled their June
training class and left me out in the cold.
  Until that point I had had two job interviews and had been
offered two jobs. This extraordinary batting average came to an
abrupt halt right then. After about seventy-five more interviews
I was again invited to come back to the U.S.D.A. for permanent
employment. I didn't really want to work for the government, but
that seemed to be the best thing to do. I accepted the position,
canceled a trip to California, and learned the Friday before I
was to start work that the position had been eliminated. I was
devastated, but by Monday I was ready to start job hunting again.
  Networking once again became important. I didn't live in
Missouri, but I did talk to Ed Reiman, the Placement Specialist
for the Bureau for the Blind in Missouri. My grandmother read the
want ads to me each Sunday, and we spotted an opening for an
entry-level computer programmer for the city of Kansas City,
Missouri. Mr. Reiman had been talking to personnel at the City
about hiring the blind. When I went to the interview, I was just
another white-cane user in the crowded waiting area. Mr. Reiman
said that he hoped one of us would get the job. I was the
applicant chosen.
  During the next two years and nine months the employment market
in Kansas City remained poor. There were only thirteen
programmers at the City. Since no one left during this period,
there were no promotions. I started the parade of employees
leaving the City. I had continued to talk with Roy during my
almost three years of city employment, and he eventually called
to tell me that the Department of Agriculture was doing some
hiring. Once again I became a federal employee. During my first
day, I discovered I was not the only blind person starting
federal service on May 13, 1974. Dale Farasy from St. Louis,
Missouri, was also a new employee. He had just completed his
training to become a computer programmer. Roy's great success at
the U.S.D.A. had already affected the lives of two blind people.
Success breeds success.
  This year, after spending twenty-two years in the same branch
and division, I felt it was time for a change. The Personnel
Department established a mentoring program. I took full advantage
of this self-improvement opportunity. Instead of becoming a
mentor, I became a mentee and coupled myself with Joyce Scott,
the assistant to the Deputy Director of Management responsible
for the programming staff. During my two-month summer job in
1970, my desk had been directly in front of Joyce's. Now Joyce
and I had several discussions about the evolution (perhaps
revolution would be a better word) taking place in the data-
processing industry. At her recommendation I attended a class
called "Leadership for Reinvention."
  During the six-day class we discussed the need for retraining
in today's employment market. I had been talking to Joyce about
my continuing problems with access to the new Microsoft Windows
operating system and my frustration at being under-utilized. She
shared my concerns with her boss, and I was given an opportunity
to join the Equal Employment Opportunity staff, which is
responsible for technical expertise as well as statistical
reports.
  It appears that I am a welcome addition because of my computer
background coupled with my experience in the National Federation
of the Blind. My intent is to find solutions to current problems
for our disabled employees and to increase entry-level employment
and promotional opportunities within the United States Department
of Agriculture. Ironically, adverse circumstances often lead to
great changes. I'm happy to say that Microsoft's Windows barriers
turned into a window of opportunity for me. With a little bit of
luck and a whole lot of networking and, of course, the National
Federation of the Blind, I, like others, will continue to help
blind people everywhere.


__THE 1997 NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND SCHOLARSHIP _PROGRAM

  This year's scholarship program will be the fourteenth since
the organization determined to expand the number, variety, and
value of the scholarships we would present each year at our
annual convention in July. Assisting the nation's most talented
post-secondary students to fulfill their academic and
professional dreams is one of the most effective ways for us to
demonstrate our conviction that blind people deserve the chance
to enter whatever field they demonstrate themselves equipped to
succeed in.
  Scholarships will be presented this year to twenty-six college,
vocational-school, and graduate students. The awards will range
in value from $3,000 to $10,000, and we will bring the winners as
our guests to the 1997 convention of the National Federation of
the Blind to experience firsthand the excitement and stimulation
of a gathering of the largest and most dynamic organization of
blind people in the country today.
  Again this year we plan to present three of the scholarships to
students who won scholarship awards in a previous competition.
The purpose of these special awards is to nurture in today's
students an ongoing commitment to the philosophy and objectives
of the Federation. The students so designated will be recognized
and honored as the 1997 tenBroek Fellows. All current students
who were scholarship winners in previous years should take
particular note of this new program and consider applying for the
1997 National Federation of the Blind scholarships.
  Every state affiliate and local chapter can help in spreading
the word of this extraordinary opportunity for America's blind
students. Scholarship applications have been or soon will be
mailed to financial aid offices in educational institutions
around the country, but many of these will be filed away and
forgotten when students come to ask about financial assistance.
It is very helpful to have local representatives deliver or mail
forms to the actual college administrator who works with blind
students. Being identified with such a valuable national
scholarship program gives the local chapter and state affiliate
prestige and respect, and the local touch insures that more blind
students will actually have an opportunity to apply for these
scholarships.
  Anyone can order scholarship forms from the Materials Center,
National Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore,
Maryland 21230. State Presidents and members of the 1997
Scholarship Committee will also be sent scholarship forms. These
may be copied as long as both sides of the form are reproduced.
  Here is the text of the 1997 National Federation of the Blind
scholarship application form:


  __NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND 1997 SCHOLARSHIP _PROGRAM

  Each year at its National Convention in July, the National
Federation of the Blind gives a broad array of scholarships to
recognize achievement by blind scholars. All applicants for these
scholarships must be (1) legally blind and (2) pursuing or
planning to pursue a full-time post-secondary course of study in
the fall semester of 1997. In addition to these restrictions,
some scholarships have been further restricted by the donor.
Scholarships to be given at the National Convention in 1997 are
listed here with any special restrictions noted:

                  __1 SCHOLARSHIP FOR _$10,000
__American Action Fund _Scholarship -- Given by the American
Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, a nonprofit
organization which works to assist blind persons. No additional
restrictions.

               __3 SCHOLARSHIPS, EACH FOR _$4,000
__Melva T. Owen Memorial _Scholarship -- Given in memory of Melva
T. Owen, who was widely known and loved among the blind. She and
her husband Charles Owen became acquainted with increasing
numbers of blind people through their work in the "Voicepondence"
Club. Charles Owen says: "There shall be no limitation as to
field of study, except that it shall be directed towards
attaining financial independence and shall exclude religion and
those seeking only to further general or cultural education."
__Two National Federation of the Blind _Scholarships; no
additional restrictions.

               __22 SCHOLARSHIPS, EACH FOR _$3,000
__Hermione Grant Calhoun _Scholarship -- Dr. Isabelle Grant
endowed this scholarship in memory of her daughter. Winner must
be a woman.
__Mozelle and Willard Gold Memorial _Scholarship -- Endowed by
the energetic and effective former President of the National
Federation of the Blind of California, Sharon Gold, in loving
memory of her mother and father, both of whom were dedicated to
creating opportunity for their daughter and for all blind persons
through Braille literacy and dedication to service. No additional
restrictions.
__Frank Walton Horn Memorial _Scholarship -- Given by Mr. and
Mrs. Charles E. Barnum, the mother and stepfather of Catherine
Horn Randall. No additional restrictions, but preference will be
given to those studying architecture or engineering.
_Kuchler-Killian _Memorial _Scholarship -- Given in loving memory
of her parents, Charles Albert Kuchler and Alice Helen Kuchler,
by Junerose Killian, dedicated member of the National Federation
of the Blind of Connecticut. No additional restrictions.
__E. U. Parker _Scholarship -- Endowed by his wife, who joined
him in a lifetime of Federationism, this scholarship honors a
long-time leader of the National Federation of the Blind whose
participation in the organization stood for strong principles and
strong support of the Federation's work.
__Howard Brown Rickard _Scholarship -- Winner must be studying or
planning to study in the fields of law, medicine, engineering,
architecture, or the natural sciences.
__National Federation of the Blind Computer Science _Scholarship
-- Winner must be studying in the computer science field.
__National Federation of the Blind Educator of Tomorrow _Award --
Winner must be planning a career in elementary, secondary, or
post-secondary teaching.
__National Federation of the Blind Humanities _Scholarship --
Winner must be studying in the traditional humanities such as
art, English, foreign languages, history, philosophy, or
religion.
__Thirteen National Federation of the Blind _Scholarships; no
additional restrictions.
  _CRITERIA: All scholarships are awarded on the basis of
academic excellence, service to the community, and financial
need.
  _MEMBERSHIP: The National Federation of the Blind is an
organization dedicated to creating opportunity for all blind
persons. Recipients of Federation scholarships need not be
members of the National Federation of the Blind.
  _MAKING _APPLICATION: To apply for National Federation of the
Blind scholarships, complete and return the application on the
reverse side of this sheet, attaching to the application all the
additional documents there requested. Multiple applications are
unnecessary. Each applicant will be considered for all
scholarships for which he or she qualifies. Send completed
applications to Mrs. Peggy Elliott, Chairman, National Federation
of the Blind Scholarship Committee, 805 Fifth Avenue, Grinnell,
Iowa 50112; [phone]. Form must be received by March 31,
1997.
  _REAPPLICATION: Those who have previously applied are
encouraged to apply again. It is the intention of the National
Federation of the Blind to award not fewer than three
scholarships to men and women who have already received one
Federation scholarship in the past if enough strong and worthy
candidates apply.
  _WINNERS: The Scholarship Committee reviews all applications
and selects the scholarship winners. These winners, the same
number as there are scholarships to award, will be notified of
their selection by telephone by June 1 and will be brought to the
National Federation of the Blind convention in July at Federation
expense. Winners will participate in the entire convention and in
the scheduled scholarship program activities, beginning with
functions on Sunday, June 29, 1997. This is in addition to the
scholarship grant. All decisions by the Scholarship Committee are
final.
  The National Federation of the Blind convention is the largest
gathering of blind persons (more than 2,500) to occur anywhere in
the nation each year. You will be able to meet other blind
students and exchange information and ideas. You will also be
able to meet and talk with blind people who are successfully
functioning in your chosen profession or occupation. Federal
officials, members of Congress, and the makers and distributors
of new technology attend Federation conventions. Above all, a
broad cross section of the most active segment of the blind
population of the United States will be present to discuss common
problems and plan for concerted action. It is an interesting and
exciting week.
  _AWARDS: The day before the convention banquet the Scholarship
Committee will meet to determine which winners will receive which
scholarships. The scholarship awards will be made during the
banquet.

               __NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE _BLIND

                 _SCHOLARSHIP _APPLICATION _FORM
  Read reverse side of form for instructions and explanation.
Form may be photocopied but only if reverse side is also
included.
  To apply for a scholarship, complete this application form and
mail completed application and attachments to Mrs. Peggy Elliott,
Chairman, National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Committee,
805 Fifth Avenue, Grinnell, Iowa 50112; [phone]. Form must
be received by March 31, 1997.
Name (please include any maiden or other names by which you have
been known):

Date of birth:

School address:

School phone number:

Home address:

Home phone number:

Institution being attended in spring semester, 1997, with class
standing (freshman, senior, etc.):

Cumulative grade point at this institution:
Institution to be attended in fall of 1997, with class standing:
Send by separate letter if admitted to school after submitting
completed application:

List all post-secondary institutions attended with highest class
standing attained and cumulative grade point average:

High school attended and cumulative grade point:

Vocational goal:

State your major:
Awards and honors (attach list if necessary):

Community service (attach list if necessary):
Attach the following documents to completed application:
1. Personal Letter from Applicant. NFB scholarships are awarded
on the basis of scholastic excellence, financial need, and
service to the community. Send us a letter which tells us, in
light of these criteria, why you rather than someone else should
get an NFB scholarship. In writing your personal letter and in
gathering your other attachments, design your application to put
your best foot forward for us.
2. Send two letters of recommendation.
3. Provide current transcript from institution you are now
attending and transcripts from all other post-secondary
institutions attended. If you have not yet attended such an
institution or have not completed one year of study, send high
school transcript.
4. Send a letter from a state officer of the National Federation
of the Blind evidencing the fact that you have discussed your
scholarship application with that officer. We prefer that you
discuss your application with the Federation state president, but
a letter from any Federation state officer will suffice.
President's address provided upon request.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Frank Kurt Cylke]

                __FRANK KURT CYLKE RECEIVES _1996

             __DR. DAYTON M. FORMAN MEMORIAL _AWARD

  __From the Editor Emeritus: It is no secret that I think Frank
Kurt Cylke is doing a good job as head of the National Library
Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library
of Congress. Obviously others share that opinion. I _think
Monitor __readers will find the following release of interest.
Here it _is:

  The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) Library
for the Blind Board announced that Frank Kurt Cylke, Director of
the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped, Library of Congress, was the inaugural recipient of
the Dr. Dayton M. Forman Memorial Award. This annual award,
introduced in 1996, is offered in memory of Dr. Dayton M. Forman,
who was an exceptional humanitarian and longstanding CNIB
volunteer leader. It recognizes outstanding leadership in the
advancement of library and information services for blind and
visually impaired Canadians.
  The award is a silver medal bearing the likeness of Dr. Forman
and a suitable inscription in print and Braille. Mr. Cylke was
honored at a special award presentation event, hosted by the
Chair of the CNIB Library Board, at the annual Canadian Library
Association Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on June 8.
  In announcing the award, Nancy Campbell, Chair of the CNIB
Library Board, said, "Kurt Cylke has distinguished himself in
Canada and throughout the world as a library leader who has made
a difference for hundreds of thousands of people who are unable
to read print." She highlighted Cylke's leadership in negotiating
and obtaining distribution rights for an estimated 70% of the
unabridged books in Braille and audio formats available for blind
and print-disabled people to borrow from libraries across Canada.
Among many other significant accomplishments, Cylke conceived and
has overseen the development of a database of library materials
available in alternate format from libraries around the world,
enabling ready access to these materials through interlibrary
loan.
  Dr. Euclid Herie, President and Chief Executive Officer, CNIB,
said, "There can only be one first! Kurt, we are all agreed that
no one person has earned the respect and merit commensurate with
this award more than your contribution to library services for
the blind in your country, Canada, and throughout the English-
speaking and developing world. In a conversation with Joan Forman
on Sunday afternoon, she expressed her delight at your selection
with the comment that `It would have been Dayton's choice.' There
can be no greater tribute than that personal endorsement, and so
I am sharing that with you along with my own enduring respect for
your contribution and the excitement that there will be a very
public and permanent recognition on the part of the CNIB and your
many friends and colleagues."
  In 1994 Mr. Cylke was the choice to receive the Joseph W.
Lippincott Award, bestowed by the American Library Association
(ALA) for a lifetime of distinguished librarianship. The award
was presented during the ALA Annual Meeting in Miami Beach.
  Under Mr. Cylke's direction the number of users of Library of
Congress services has increased to more than 750,000 persons,
ranging in age from preschool to over 100. The budget of NLS has
grown from $9.9 million in fiscal 1973, when Mr. Cylke was named
director, to almost $45 million in fiscal 1996. He joined the
Library in 1970 as executive director of the Federal Library
Committee (now called Federal Library and Information Center
Committee).


                      _SIGHTED _ELECTRONICS

                     _by _David _Pillischer

  __From the Editor Emeritus: From time to _time __different
vendors and producers of technology submit articles for
consideration by _the Braille Monitor__. The present offering is
a case in point. David Pillischer has been in the blindness field
for a great many years in a number of situations and positions.
His present company, Sighted Electronics, both sells and repairs
a great variety of technology.
  I know from personal experience that Mr. Pillischer has
expertise in repairing and reconditioning Perkins Braillers
because he has performed such service for us here at the National
Center for the Blind. Also his prices are reasonable, and his
work thorough and prompt. Anybody who needs to have a Brailler
repaired or reconditioned (I assume the same would be true of the
other technology he mentions in this article) would do well to
contact him.
  Other vendors and producers of technology are invited to submit
articles to us for possible use in _the Monitor. __Meanwhile here
is what David Pillischer has to _say:

  Sighted Electronics was established as a repair facility
performing CCTV and Braille-product repairs for V-Tek in 1983.
Since then, as the industry and technology have increased in
scope and size, we have adapted to the changes. Our policy is to
stay current with an ever-changing industry. Sighted Electronics
employs people with extensive hardware and software backgrounds,
investing a great deal in their training. All of our technical
personnel have had factory training from various hardware and
software providers.
  We offer over twenty-five years of combined service excellence.
Sighted Electronics has provided technical support and service
for products from Perkins, Humanware, Pulse Data, TeleSensory,
Thiel Braille Printers, Index Braille Printer Company, Robotron
(Ariea and Rainbow), TFI Engineering (Myna Corporation),
Papenmeier Braille Displays, and other companies in the adaptive
aids industry.
  Sighted Electronics is the exclusive North American distributor
and service center for Thiel Braille Printers and the Index
Braille Printer Company. The Porta Thiel Braille Embosser is a
low-cost, portable Braille solution. It weighs under ten pounds,
has a carry handle fabricated into its design, and is available
in single-side or interpoint-print versions. The big production
Braille embossers we now carry are, of course, made by Thiel.
Thiel high-end production embossers have often been called the
world's most reliable Braille embossers. The new interpoint Thiel
production embossers are capable of 800 pages of Braille per
hour. We have new and rebuilt Thiel production units for sale.
  The Index Braille embossers encompass revolutionary designs
that are state-of-the-art, reliable, and available at very
competitive prices. The Index Braille embosser has a speech-
guided user interface available in many languages. It is a
higher-speed, medium-production, single-side, or interpoint
Braille machine. Index embossers are available with a tractor
feed or multiple-page sheet-feed paper system. We provide
localized support for these Braille embossers through our
extensive dealer network, which enhances our ability to respond
to your needs quickly. We can perform support and training on-
site or in-house.
  Sighted Electronics is an authorized distributor for Henter
Joyce, Arkenstone, Digital Double-Talk, GW Micro, Duxbury,
Zoomtext, and many other reputable companies in and out of the
adaptive field. We are able to provide completely integrated
computer solutions for work stations or students' classroom
needs.
  For further information about prices, availability of products,
performance features, or technology we can repair, please contact
Sighted Electronics, 464 Tappan Road, Northvale, New Jersey
07647, telephone [phone] or fax [phone] (An Equal
Opportunity Employer). Visit us on the Internet
http://village.ios.com/~sighted/

                      _OPTACON _USER _ALERT

                        _by _Steve _Britt

  __From the Editor: Steve Britt recently sent us the following
short article. Mr. Britt is clearly a confirmed Optacon user, and
his concerns seem to be shared by many who have found that piece
of technology useful through the years. Here is what he has to
_say:

  In a letter sent to state agencies by TeleSensory Corporation
in January of 1996, the writer explains that TeleSensory is
discontinuing production of the Optacon in December, 1996, and
the company will continue to service existing units only until
the end of the century. The letter further contends that there is
enough new technology today, such as its scanner OSCAR, to make
the Optacon unnecessary and outdated as an adaptive tool.
  I work as a programmer/analyst for the State of Illinois. I
have been an Optacon user since 1979. I have also used OSCAR
since 1993,and I would like to share my experience with
interested readers.
  1. Unlike the Optacon, OSCAR does not allow editing access to
flow charts.
  2. OSCAR works best as an adjunct to the Optacon, not as a
stand-alone system. Its scanning direction is horizontal, not
vertical, or diagonal, or backwards. It assumes that you know the
format of a document before scanning it. This means that, if you
have no Optacon available, you will have no way to look at a
document before you scan it. OSCAR will tell you whether the page
is blank or if it's upside down. It does not tell you whether the
copy is good or poor. It will not tell you if the page has
borders; in fact, it assumes no borders. I got an incorrect scan
recently when I forgot that a report form I was scanning had
borders. You need to know whether the document is portrait (long
dimension vertical) or landscape (long dimension horizontal).
OSCAR has an automatic columns detection default, but on a
complex document such as an insurance form or some magazine
articles, this default does not always work properly. For
instance, I had to revert to the Optacon to read an article that
had four columns spaced too closely together. OSCAR will not tell
you if the text is underlined; it will not handle italics or
inverse video fonts or mathematical expressions. I have not yet
tried to read printed music with OSCAR. In short, with no prior
knowledge of an incoming document's format, you might have to do
several scans before your results are correct.
  3. There are instances in which OSCAR will not give an accurate
text translation. For example, suppose the document being read
has an organizational logo, a script signature, or a diacritical
mark to denote pronunciation of a word. OSCAR would probably show
these items as stars, AT-signs, or tildes, depending on what the
unrecognized character default is.
  4. In some situations there are no one-for-one Braille
equivalents for the printed characters. If you're a language
student wanting to study an old or unusual language, such as Old
English, or if you're a student of different cultures and want to
study Sequoyah's Cherokee syllabary, using an Optacon would be
the only way you could look at the characters.
  5. OSCAR is not portable, as is the Optacon. You can't take it
to a restaurant, hotel, or library; and you won't be able to take
it to the next national election when it comes time to vote.
  6. You will not be able to read instructions on a product's box
or a TV dinner box with OSCAR.
  I urge Optacon users to do two things:
  1. Contact TeleSensory and make your concerns known about the
Optacon's discontinuation. Tell them how important your unit is
to you, and leave no doubt in their minds that the Optacon is a
necessary adaptive tool in today's world. The more input
TeleSensory gets from Optacon users, the greater the likelihood
is that they'll rethink their decision. Remember, this is our
right as consumers.
  2. Have your units checked regularly, and keep them working for
you as long as you can, while you still can.


                __NPR HEARS FROM MONTANA'S _BLIND

  __From the Editor: The following article was taken from the
Winter, 1996, issue _of The Observer, __a publication of the
Montana affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind.
Missoula Chapter member Dan Burke heard a piece on National
Public Radio's "Morning Edition" recently which prompted him to
write a letter. A few weeks later a portion of his letter was
read on the air. It is a good example for us all of the
initiative we should take when we hear such nonsense. Here it
_is:

To: National Public Radio, Bob Edwards, "Morning Edition":
Re: Imprisoning the blind

Dear Bob Edwards,
  Imprisoned by his blindness? Ah, the prisons of our minds; the
shackles and chains we place on the souls of our fellows! As I
sat this morning at my keyboard, working on an article about the
ways language and attitudes still discriminate against and limit
people with disabilities, "Morning Edition" sent an almost
textbook illustration into the sanctuary of my living room. It
came in the form of your interview with the author (insert name,
I thankfully forget it) of a new James Thurber biography.
[Harrison Kinney] In the interview you, Bob Edwards, referred to
Thurber's "infirmities" which we later learned meant his
blindness and Thurber's anxiety not to be seen as blind. "Yes,"
said the biographer, "He was imprisoned by his blindness."
  Bob, blindness is not a prison. Yes, loss of sight is a loss.
But what in life cannot be lost--innocence, possessions, love, or
breath itself? Neither is blindness black or white, as the author
would suggest. Also the vast majority of blind people have some
vision. I am one of those. Having vision and being blind,
therefore, are not mutually exclusive. Certainly one might be
tempted to wonder what Thurber might have accomplished with his
cartoons had he not lost his sight, but the suggestion that he
might have been diminished as a writer by his blindness is
laughable and lamentable.
  Imagine us saying, "Gosh, _Paradise _Lost is a pretty swell
book. It makes you wonder what old John Milton could have come up
with if he hadn't been blind." One can easily understand, then,
why Thurber would struggle with acknowledgement of his blindness,
and insist (as he apparently did) that he wasn't bothered by what
other writers might be able to do.
  Thurber's only mistake, it would seem, was to reject the
blindness, which he experienced as the cause of his shame. As
Thurber's biographer amply demonstrates via his own language,
prejudice and limiting attitudes toward blindness are the
greatest barriers that Thurber confronted. The true prisons are
the confines of our minds.
  I spent much of my life asking the jailor for the key--as
Thurber seems to have done--and trying to trick my captors into
letting me out on the premise of mistaken identity. It was not
their mistake, but my own prison of attitudes about my blindness.
The answer, I finally realized, was to get out yourself, to pick
the lock or, even better, batter down the door.

                                                       Sincerely,
                                   Dan Burke, Access Coordinator

                                            University of Montana



                            _RECIPES

  This month's recipes come from members of the National
Federation of the Blind of Vermont.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Frank Shiner]

                          _BAKED _BEANS

                      _by _Dorothy _Shiner

  Dot Shiner, Frank Shiner's mother, has been active in blind
issues in Vermont for over fifty years.

_Ingredients:
3 cups dry beans, (yellow-eyed, navy, or soldier)
4 tablespoons granulated or brown sugar
5 tablespoons molasses
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 pound salt pork
1 medium onion, if desired

  _Method: Pick beans over and let soak overnight in cold water.
Parboil in this water, adding a pinch of baking soda. Skim off
froth as beans boil. Let boil about fifteen minutes or until
beans begin to soften slightly. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Place beans in bean pot or crock pot to bake. Mix sugar,
molasses, dry mustard, and ginger. Add hot water and stir until
sugar is dissolved. Slice salt pork and place around edge of
beans in pot. Pour molasses mixture over beans. Cover and let
bake until well cooked. If beans become dry on top, you may wish
to add a little more water, and you may add more sugar or
molasses. If beans are too moist, cook uncovered for some time
before serving.


                         _BUTTERY _BUNS

                        _by _Kate _Quinn

  Kate Quinn is from Montpelier, Vermont. She is a new member
with an interest in diabetic issues.

_Ingredients:
1 package yeast
1/4 cup warm (not hot) water
1 ounce maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon Tamari soy sauce
1 1/2 cup (or more) unbleached flour
1 egg
2 ounces (or more) butter
1 cup milk (or more soy sauce) to make dough moist but firm
enough to knead

  _Method: Combine and stir or beat all ingredients into a stiff
batter; add enough flour to make it a kneadable dough that is no
longer sticky. Form it into a ball after kneading. Place dough
into a bowl that has been greased with butter or oil. Cover with
plastic or foil and place in a warm (80 degrees) place (like the
oven with only the gas pilot light for heat). Let rise for one
hour. Remove dough and knead. Return to same bowl and cover again
with plastic or foil. Let rise for ten minutes. Divide dough into
as many balls as you want rolls. (I usually make eight pretzel-
shaped rolls.) Form rolls and place them in a well-buttered
baking dish with 1/4 inch between them. Cover the baking dish
with foil or plastic and let the dough rise for another ten
minutes. While you are waiting, preheat the oven to 400 degrees
and pop the uncovered baking dish into the oven after the rolls
have doubled. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees after five
minutes of the cooking time, which will vary but ought to be
about twelve minutes or a bit longer. When the rolls smell
wonderful and are well browned on top, they are probably done.
Serve warm and soon.


             __CHICKEN WITH APOLOGIES TO THE _ORIENT

                        _by _Kate _Quinn

_Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (preferably a free-range bird that isn't too
scrawny) or one pound of skinned, boned chicken torn into
serving-size bites.
1 15-ounce can of Goya coconut milk (or a brand without sugar)
3 ounces peanut oil (more or less as needed)
3 ounces Tamari soy sauce (more or less as needed)
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 ounce garlic powder
1/2 ounce onion powder
1 average carrot sliced into coins
1 small zucchini if in season or 1/2 package of frozen small peas
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger or a pinch of dried
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 to 5 dots of butter, margarine, or oil

  _Method: Clean the chicken. If it is whole, skin and bone it
and save the innards for soup. When chicken is in small, bite-
sized pieces, dredge them in flour and brown in a pan of hot
peanut oil. Sprinkle on garlic powder and onion powder and
drizzle some Tamari sauce over the pieces as they cook. Blend the
raw onion bits into the drippings and sprinkle the ginger over
the chicken. Spoon the drippings over the chicken. Add the can of
Goya coconut milk and blend together with the juices. Add the
carrot slices to the gravy thus formed and put the whole thing in
the oven at 400 degrees for about ten minutes. Serve with rice or
noodles. Will serve two very hungry people or four dainty ones.


                       _EGGPLANT _PATTIES

                        _by _Kate _Quinn

_Ingredients:
1 medium sized eggplant chopped into tiny pieces (skin on)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 garlic clove, finely minced
1 egg, or use tofu as a substitute
1/2 cup of bread crumbs (may need to adjust this amount)
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1 teaspoon nutritional (not baking) yeast
1 ounce peanut or other oil, approximately
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
1 pinch basil (or any herb you happen to like)

  _Method: Combine all ingredients in a bowl, except oil, adding
more bread crumbs if too moist to form patties. Form and pack the
patties with more bread crumbs or flour. Heat oil in the fry pan
until very hot; cook the patties on both sides adding a little
more Parmesan cheese to the top and bottom while cooking. Cook
until golden. Remove and drain on paper towels or a clean brown
paper bag to make less greasy. Spatula patties onto a cookie
sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven for ten minutes. Keep warm
until ready to serve. Serve with rice or pasta, two vegetables,
and a tomato sauce if desired.


                    __SQUASH OR PUMPKIN _PIE

                        _by _Jean _Shiner

  Jean Shiner and her husband Frank are members of the Vermont
affiliate. Frank serves on the Board of Directors and is
interested in technology.

_Ingredients:
2 cups sieved squash or pumpkin (both canned and frozen work
well)
3/4 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
11/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt

  _Method: Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Pour into an unbaked
pie shell. Bake in 350-degree oven. Pie is done when a knife
inserted in center comes out clean.


                        _SALAD _DRESSING

                        _by _Jan _Dunlap

  Jan Dunlap is from Bennington, Vermont.

_Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
5 turns cracked black pepper from a pepper mill
6 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

  _Method: Mix all ingredients in a large mason jar. Add to a
mixture of two parts olive oil, one part balsamic vinegar, and
1/2 teaspoon honey or sugar. This recipe should make a good bit
of salad dressing, which can be stored in the refrigerator and
used as needed. Begin with 1/2 cup vinegar and one cup olive oil.
You may dilute further if the dressing is still too zippy for
your taste. You can also try adding a little fruit juice to cut
the sharpness of the vinegar. I use raspberry. Keep tasting till
you get the flavor right.

                  __* * MONITOR MINIATURES * _*

__More Good News about _NFBNET:
  David Andrews, the System operator for NFBNET, writes with the
following information for Internet surfers:
  If you have Internet access, you can now reach NFBNET, the
National Federation of the Blind's official bulletin board
service (BBS) from anywhere in the world at no cost. In response
to many requests, we have finally put NFBNET on the Internet. You
reach NFBNET using a function called Telnet. This service allows
you to log in to a remote computer, namely NFBNET. We can support
up to five simultaneous sessions at once, using a new digital
phone service called ISDN. In addition, you can also send and
receive Internet e-mail using NFBNET.
  If you have a shell account, type "telnet nfbnet.org" (do not
include the quotes) from your Internet service provider's system
prompt. After a few seconds you will be connected directly to
NFBNET. While most providers now automatically give you an eight-
bit Telnet path, some do not. This means that you may have
difficulty uploading and downloading files. If you have problems,
send e-mail to [e-mail] We will try to work your
problems through. If you have a SLIP or PPP account, you will
have to get a Telnet client for your computer.
  Because of Internet limitations the smoothness of your
connection can vary. Also upload and download speeds may
fluctuate and are likely to be slower than with a modem. Also
some people have reported problems downloading and particularly
uploading. As we all gather more experience with these services,
we will make additional information available.
  As if this news weren't exciting enough, it is also now
possible to subscribe to NFB Talk and Blind Talk, the two
Fidonet-originated discussion conferences hosted on NFBNET. Yes,
as a part of the Internet upgrade we were able to install an
Internet mail gateway and Listserv software. To subscribe to NFB
Talk, send a message to [e-mail] Leave the subject
line blank and write "subscribe nfb-talk" (without the quotes) in
the body of the message. To subscribe to Blind Talk, put
"subscribe blindtlk" (without the quotes) into the body of the
same or a different message. Note that one message can contain
both subscribe commands.
  If you wish to contact NFBNET in the old-fashioned way, we
still have a modem number. It is [phone]. We look forward
to serving you using this new and exciting medium. We have
already had callers from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Germany,
Egypt, and South Africa, as well as from all over the United
States. Happy Internetting.

_* _Recovering:
  We recently received the following good news from the National
Federation of the Blind of California:
  On August 18 Jim Willows, President of the NFB of California,
suffered a sudden ruptured aneurism in an abdominal vein and was
rushed to the hospital. He underwent surgery and, after a forty-
two-day hospital stay, is now home. He wishes to thank the many
well-wishers who kept the cards and e-mails coming during the
long siege. He is back at work and is beginning to reply to the
mountain of e-mail still waiting. To add to the mountain, simply
write to [e-mail]. Your support of Jim and his family
in the past months has demonstrated the close and loving
community, which many, including Jim, have helped to build.

__* Quick Start Home Business _Seminar:
  We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  Have you ever wished you could start a business in your home,
doing something other than multi-level marketing, but just didn't
know how? Now Talk-Me-Through Tutorials makes it possible.
  TMT Direct is happy to announce the release of the Quick Start
Home Based Seminar by Phil Scovell. This six-tape seminar covers
everything you need to get started, including more than 100 ways
you can make money without ever leaving the comfort of your home.
It will even assist the person who already has a home-based
business by offering helpful tips, advice, and resources. Though
using the talking computer for making money at home is the
seminar's main focus, other avenues of home business which do not
require a talking computer are also explored. What you need, on
the other hand, is to get started, and now you have an affordable
source of information.
  Next year a special motivational talking magazine will be
produced by Talk-Me-Through Tutorials. It will be directed toward
helping you keep your business growing with helpful tips,
resources, and personal interviews with successful people in
business from all over the country. All those who purchase the
Quick Start Home Business Seminar will receive a fifty percent
discount toward this unique audio magazine subscription.
  If you would like a detailed description of everything covered
in the Quick Start Home Business Seminar, simply request it.
Specify a response in e-mail, print, cassette, Braille, or
diskette. For more information, contact Ray Lemos, 780 Post
Street #26, San Francisco, California 94109, [phone],
e-mail, [e-mail]

__* Important New Video _Available:
  __It's OK to Be _Blind, 1996, produced by the National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), filmed and
edited by Myra Lesser, 1996, narration by James Omvig and Myra
Lesser, is now available.
  * What is so special about the National Federation of the Blind
National Convention?
  * What can parents and blind children gain from this
experience?
  * Why should civic organizations, foundations, and other groups
sponsor a family to attend this convention?
  The National Federation of the Blind Convention is not just
another excuse for a vacation. For parents of blind children it
is a transforming, uplifting experience. Parents and their blind
children frequently feel isolated and do not know where to turn
for information and support. This event dispels feelings of fear
and despair and replaces them with feelings of hope and
confidence in the future for their children. Ignorance gives way
to understanding through informative workshops and convention
sessions. In the upbeat atmosphere created by some 2,500 blind
people from all over the country, parents soon learn that it's OK
to be blind.
  This video, produced on home video equipment by Myra Lesser, a
volunteer member of the NOPBC, depicts scenes from the 1995 NFB
Convention. Parents and blind students at the convention talk
about how the NFB, especially the NFB convention, has changed
their lives. It provides compelling evidence of the need for
parents of blind children to attend this event. The video is
excellent for showing to civic groups, local parents' groups,
educators, and any group possibly interested in sponsoring
families to the National Federation of the Blind Convention.
  The NOPBC has given a free copy of the video to every NFB state
affiliate. Additional videos are available for $10 each. Make
checks payable to NOPBC. Send to Myra Lesser, 137 Lesser Lane,
Chicora, Pennsylvania 16025. For more information about NOPBC and
the NFB Convention, contact Barbara Cheadle, President, NOPBC,
1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230, [phone].

_* _Elected:
  The Merchants Division of the National Federation of the Blind
met at the National Convention to elect the following to serve
two-year terms: Charles Allen, President; Joe VanLent, First Vice
President; Wayne Shevlin, Second Vice President; Kevan Worley,
Secretary; and Don Morris, Treasurer. Elected to two-year terms
on the Merchants Division Board were Norman Bolton, Carl
Jacobsen, Don Hudson, and Larry Posont. Carry-over positions for
two-year terms beginning July, 1995 are: Barbara Swygert, Pam
Schnurr, Fred Wurtzel, and Jeff Pearcy.

__* Religious Materials _Available:
  We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  I transcribe devotional leaflets and books by hand into Braille
and send them free to blind and deaf-blind people. I transcribed
_The _Miracle _Book by Reverend Morris Cerullo into Braille and
plan to transcribe other books into Braille. I am able to Braille
scripture post cards, placing them in boxes which are known as
"promise boxes" and available for a donation of $20 per box. (The
metal boxes cost $12 each.) There are four different types of
promise boxes.
  Since my recent injury (broken ankle and back of foot) two
surgeries, hospitalization, and nursing home stay, I'd like to
correspond with people who are hospitalized and with those who
are in nursing homes, because I know what it's like. I truly
understand. I have tape-recorded a book, __From the Valley of
Death and Hell, to a New Lease on _Life. It is available for a
donation of $10 per copy. Would you like to hear from people who
are in their own businesses? Contact Rev. Adelaide E. Wink, 59 S.
Lee Street, Beverly Hills, Florida 34465-3640.

__* Natural Products _Available:
  We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  Would you be interested in a line of all-natural products for
yourself and family? I have information about such products. It
costs nothing to sign up as a wholesale distributor. For
information please contact (type or tape) Janet Triplett, 1818 S.
142 East Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74108-5526, or call (918)
438-3231.

__* Attention Optacon _Users:
  We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  TeleSensory recently launched the Optacon-Interchange Program
to assist individuals interested in selling or purchasing
previously-owned Optacons. The program makes available
TeleSensory's resources for use by the Optacon community.
  Sites have been created on TeleSensory's Web page and
electronic bulletin board (BBS), where Optacon owners can post
their units for sale. These sites will be administered by
TeleSensory at no charge to participants. Owners wishing to be
contacted directly by potential buyers should include contact
information, selling price, and any other pertinent information
in their listings. For those that prefer, the contact will be
given as TeleSensory. TeleSensory will then forward information
on interested parties as it is received. To be included in this
service, contact Renee Clark at [phone], ext. 3362.
  The Interchange Program also offers a ninety-day warranty
option. Under this option, for a standard $95 service charge
owners may send their units to TeleSensory for inspection and
cleaning. Upon receipt, TeleSensory will examine the unit for
defects and deficiencies and provide an estimate of costs for any
needed repairs. The initial $95 charge will be applied to repairs
performed.
  Upon completion of any required repairs, TeleSensory will
provide a ninety-day warranty covering parts and service. The
unit will then be posted for sale on TeleSensory's Website and
BBS with the notation that it has passed TeleSensory's Quality
Assurance inspection and carries a ninety-day warranty. Any
purchase inquiries will be forwarded to the current owner. It
will be up to the current owner to negotiate any price changes
and provide TeleSensory with written authorization to ship the
product to the specified address. If the owner declines to repair
his unit, it may still be posted for sale on the Website and BBS
"as is," but it will be returned to the owner's possession.
  TeleSensory will hold repaired Optacons for a period of ninety
days at no liability. If no instructions for sale have been
received, the unit will be returned to the original owner.
  Owners interested in the ninety-day warranty option should
contact Emily Aguilar at [phone], ext. 3211. The Optacon
Interchange Program has been operating on a trial basis during
the months of June, July, and August and may be discontinued at
any time at TeleSensory's discretion. Any product still in
TeleSensory's possession at the termination of the program will
be immediately returned to the current registered owner. The
program is available to U.S. residents only.

_* _In _Memoriam:
  Jim Omvig, one of the leaders of the National Federation of the
Blind of Arizona, recently notified us that Brad Craven, Husband
of Carolyn Craven, the President of the Prescott chapter of the
NFB of Arizona, died September 22 following a long battle with
throat cancer. He had attended the Arizona affiliate's convention
the week before his death. He was a loyal Federationist who will
be deeply missed.

_* _For _Sale:
  We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  National Technology for the Blind has for sale CCTV's from
portable, handheld, lightweight See-More Auto Vision 5-inch and
9-inch ($850 to $1,350) and See-More Simplicity units, 14-inch to
20-inch desktop models, color or black and white. Prices range
from $1,700 to $2,800. Call Clayton Wall at [phone] for
more information.
  Also for sale, a used Braille 'n Speak 640 with Braille manual,
cassettes, two disks, and PC-to-Braille 'n Speak cable, $950,
will pay shipping. Call [phone].

__* New Seedlings Catalog _Available:
  Seedlings Braille Books for Children announces that its new
_1997 _Catalog is now available. It contains over 270 low-cost
Braille books for children ages one to fourteen. Thirty-eight new
books have been added this year, including for pre-schoolers
print-Braille-and-picture books like __The Very Busy _Spider and
__Pet the Baby Farm _Animals; for beginning readers print-and-
Braille easy-readers like __Henry and Mudge and the Happy _Cat;
for older children Newbery Award winners in Braille such as
__Shiloh; Walk Two Moons; Secret of the _Andes; and selections
from popular series such as __The Baby-Sitters Club, Nancy Drew,
The Boxcar _Children, and _Goosebumps.
  Seedlings is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing
high-quality, low-cost Braille books for children. To receive a
free catalog or for more information, call 800-777-8552, or write
to Seedlings, P.O. Box 51924, Livonia, Michigan 48151-5924 (and
please note the new post office box number and zip).

_* _New _Chapter:
  Don Capps, President of the National Federation of the Blind of
South Carolina, writes to say that another new chapter raises the
affiliate's chapter count to fifty-four. The York/Clover Chapter
was organized on September 10. Elected to serve as new officers
are the following: Franciena Hardy, President; Ted Mitchell, Vice
President; Lenora Robertson, Second Vice President; and Demetris
Hardy, Secretary/Treasurer.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Lola Pace]
__* Elected and _Recovering:
  We have recently learned that Lola Pace, one of the leaders of
the NFB of Texas, is recovering after back surgery and hopes to
join Federationists at the Washington Seminar and the 1997
National Convention. She reports that she is resuming the
Presidency of the Wichita Falls Chapter now that 1996 scholarship
winner Brenda Walburn has moved to Louisiana. Mary Barker will be
replacing 1996 scholarship winner Jay Wolf as chapter Vice
President.

_* _Chocolates _Unlimited:
  We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  Choco-Braille Braille greeting cards in chocolate: "Happy
Birthday," "Thank You," "Season's Greetings," and more. The cost
is $2.50 each, $3.25 with nuts. To place orders, contact Terry
Dambinskas at 169-02 Crocheron Avenue, Flushing, New York 11358,
[phone].

_* _In _Memoriam:
  We are saddened to report that on Friday, September 6, 1996,
Jacqueline Doucette's twenty-five-year-old son James died
suddenly. Jackie is President of the New Britain Chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut, and James was
engaged to be married. Our deepest sympathy goes to Jackie,
James' fiance, Pam, and the rest of the Doucette family.

__* Bookstore with a _Difference:
  Tom Lally, a member of the Hartford Chapter of the National
Federation of the Blind of Connecticut, reports that he has
recently opened a book and gift store, The Complete Circle. Tom
has a wide selection of self-help and recovery materials for
individuals who are recovering from substance abuse, their
families and friends, their counselors and care givers.
  Tom is a relapse prevention specialist who invites you to call
or e-mail him to discuss your individual needs. Some excellent
books on tape are listed here. Each 60-minute book is $10 plus $2
shipping and handling. Send your orders to The Complete Circle,
62 Main Street, Stafford Springs, Connecticut 06076, (860)
684-2876. E-mail to [e-mail]
  Books on tape: _Choosing _Happiness, __the Art of Living
_Unconditionally by Veronica Ray; __Intuition for Practical
_People, based on Helene Lerner-Robbin's _Embrace _Change and
__My Timing is Always _Right; _Men's _Work, __How to Stop the
Violence That Tears Our Lives _Apart, author Paul Kivel; __To
Thine Own Self Be _True, __the Relationship Between Spiritual
Values and Emotional _Health by Lewis M. Andrews, Ph.D.;
_Becoming _Naturally _Therapeutic, __a Return to the True Essence
of _Helping, narrated by Jacquelyn Small; _Co-dependent _No _More
by Melody Beattie; _Sunrise, _Sunset, __a Gentle Guide to Begin
and End the _Day by Christina Baldwin; _Beyond _Survival, __a
Guided Journey for Healing Childhood Sexual _Abuse by Maureen
Brady; __From Anger to _Forgiveness, Earnie Larsen with Carol L.
Hegarty; __The Language of Letting _Go by Melody Beattie; and
_Beyond _Co-_dependency by Melody Beattie.

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Don Morris]
_* _Elected:
  The Maryland Retailers Association, the retail industry's major
statewide trade association, recently elected officers and
directors for the coming year. Don Morris, Treasurer of the NFB
Merchants Division and owner of O'Leary's Emporium in Emmitsburg,
Maryland, was chosen as one of the directors. Congratulations to
Don.

__* Non-Traditional Casting Project Seeking Disabled _Actors:
  We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  The Non-Traditional Casting Project is updating its Artist
Files, a national talent bank of artists of color, artists who
are deaf or hard of hearing, or those who are blind or low vision
or ambulatorily disabled.
  NTCP was established in 1986 to address and seek solutions to
the problems of racism and exclusion in theater, film, and
television. The only organization of its kind in the country,
NTCP's principal concerns are that ethnic and disabled artists
are denied equitable professional opportunities, that this lack
of participation is not only patently discriminatory but a
serious loss to the cultural life of the nation, and that this
has resulted in a theater that does not reflect the diversity of
our society.
  The Artist Files were established in 1987 to provide the
profession increased access to actors of color and actors with
disabilities. The Files have since been expanded to include all
members of the production team (e.g. writers, directors,
designers, stage managers, technicians, administrators). Resumes
are accepted year-round. To date, the Files have been consulted
for over 1,425 projects ranging from readings to regional theater
to Broadway productions; independent films to features; daytime,
prime-time, and television movies; as well as commercials, print
ads, and industrials.
  In 1992 NTCP began to develop Artist Files Online, a
computerized version of the Artist Files. The Online system will
allow users to access the Files from anywhere in the country.
Both resumes and high resolution photographs will be transmitted
over telephone lines for viewing on a computer screen. Artist
Files Online is in the testing stage and should be fully
operational by fall, 1996.
  There is no charge for inclusion in the Artist Files/Artist
Files Online. Actors should send one black and white photograph
and resume to Angela Montague, Artist Files Online, NTCP, 1560
Broadway, Suite 1600, New York, New York 10036.
  In addition, please indicate your cultural identification and,
for disabled artists, any accommodation you may use. Directors or
casting professionals who are interested in scheduling an
interview will call you or your agent directly.

__* Arkenstone Maps _Available:
  We recently came across the following information:
  The talking United States maps from Arkenstone are half price
through December 31, 1996. Also Arkenstone now has a rent-to-
purchase plan; you pay 8 percent per month for fifteen months. If
interested in either program, please call [phone] for
details.

_* _Pen-pal _Wanted:
  We have received a letter from a fourteen-year-old blind boy in
Malawi, who would like to correspond in Braille with somebody in
the United States. He is interested in English, mathematics, and
history. He is: Latim Matenje, Palingunde F.P.. School, P.O. Box
A-36, Schiyala, Lilongwe, MALAWI.

__* New Edition of Classic Reference Work _Available:
  We recently received the following important notice:
  James Wilson's classic editions of __Biography of the _Blind
have been reissued with notes by research librarian Kenneth
Stuckey of the Perkins School for the Blind in a commemorative
edition sponsored by the Friends of Libraries for Blind and
Physically Handicapped Individuals in North America (Friends) and
the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped, Library of Congress (NLS). James Wilson (1779-1845)
was born in Richmond, Virginia, and raised in Belfast, Ireland.
While on a voyage to England when Wilson was four years old, both
of his parents died at sea, and he became blind due to smallpox.
He was a self-educated man whose major literary interest was
documenting the achievements of the blind.
  Originally published in four separate editions from 1821 to
1838, this book, containing biographical sketches of blind
individuals, is more than a look at past lives. It is a glimpse
of the road that society has traveled in disabilities awareness
up to the twentieth century in Europe and in America. The people
portrayed by Wilson are blind men and women who vary in age,
abilities, and status in life--from the legendary Homer and the
mathematical genius Nicholas Sanderson to an obscure miser, Adam
Mond. This reissue edition combines under one cover all the
biographies found in each of the four Wilson editions.
  To make this modern edition of __Biography of the _Blind more
accessible, Mr. Stuckey arranges the biographies by field of
interest and introduces each group with an essay giving up-to-
date information as well as providing historical perspective.
  As Kenneth Jernigan, president of Friends, states in his
introduction, "Our [blind peoples'] dreams are also part of the
historical fabric, reaching forward to the next generation as a
heritage and a challenge and back through time to keep faith with
James Wilson and others like him. History is not against us. The
past proclaims it, the present confirms it, and the future
demands it."
  This reissue makes available to the public a book that,
according to Mr. Stuckey, "gives an insight into the achievements
and failures of the blind, a group within our society that too
often has gone unnoticed and misunderstood."
  The Friends will donate print copies of __Biography of the
_Blind to all state libraries and selected international
institutions. NLS will add the book to its collections in both
Braille and audio formats, with availability to patrons
anticipated in late 1996.
  Individuals and institutions may purchase copies by contacting
Friends of Libraries for the Blind, 1555 Connecticut Avenue,
N.W., Suite 200, Washington, D.C., 20036, telephone (202)
462-9600, fax [phone]. Cost is $16.95 for the paperback
edition, $22.95 for hardcover. Prices include shipping and
handling. A free annual membership in Friends is included with
the purchase of either edition.
  For further information contact Robert E. Fistick, Head,
Publications and Media Section, National Library Service for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C., 20542, [phone], [phone].

__* Cookbook Tapes _Available:
  Yvonne Peacock, Secretary of the Odessa Chapter of the NFB of
Texas, writes to remind readers of the availability of the
chapter's cookbook. __Variation Cookbook on _Tape is for sale at
$5 each. Note that the Tex Mex Hashbrown recipe featured in the
July _Monitor is on the tape. To place your order, write to
Connie Eckard, 133 Peach Tree Road, Odessa, Texas 79763.

_* _Hot _News:
  The NFB Materials Center has a new talking watch just in time
for the holidays. It is a unisex watch and features hourly time
report and alarm. Four styles to choose from: aquatic, geometric,
paint splatter, and camouflage. Children and adults love them.
Going fast at $10 each! (Include $3 handling).
  Just arrived in time for 1997, a large-type 1997 appointment
calendar. Large bold blocks for each day on a non-slick surface.
Easy to see and to write on. These calendars are spiral-bound
with a plastic cover. Cost is $10 plus $3 handling.
  We also now carry a selection of low-vision items: large-type
steno pad and bold-line writing pads, 20/20 pen, large-print
check register, and large-print address book. For more
information call the Materials Center, Monday through Friday
12:30 to 5:00 p.m. EST, [phone], or write Materials
Center, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230.

__* Looking for Wildlife _Videos:
  We recently received the following inquiry from Ireland:
  Although I cannot see, I follow most environmental/wildlife
programs, and I would like to obtain videos of these. I would be
delighted to get addresses where I might write to order them.
Also, if readers might send me any that they no longer need, I
would be ever so grateful for this. I would love to have a video
wildlife collection. Contact Helen Lyne, 1 St. Brendan's Terrace,
Station Road, Ardfert, Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland.

__* Instructional Music Tapes _Available:
  We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
  Traditional and popular Christmas music--for piano, keyboard,
chord guitar, and organ (melody, chords, and words provided)--is
available, clearly dictated on audio cassettes. Also available:
classical, pops, show tunes, hymns, old favorites (beginners to
advanced); piano method teaching and theory; and accompaniment
tapes for instrumental and voice. I can also provide
individualized instruction by correspondence. For more
information call or write (no Braille, typed is preferred)
Jeanine Linster, 409 301/4 Road, Grand Junction, Colorado 81504,
[phone]. The name of the road really is 301/4.

__* New Yom Kippur Machzor _Available:
  The Jewish Heritage for the Blind is pleased to announce that a
new large-print Hebrew/English edition of the Yom Kippur Machzor
will be made available to those who have difficulty reading
regular print. In order to obtain your free copy of the new
Machzor, send your name and address; enclose a note from your eye
care specialist confirming your condition; and mail or fax to the
Jewish Heritage for the Blind, 1655 East 24th Street, Brooklyn,
New York 11229, [phone] (fax/phone). Please note that the
Rosh Hashana Machzor is not available this year.

__* Hoping to _Buy:
  Michael Floyd has asked us to carry the following announcement:
  I am searching for a used DEC Express for a friend. Please
contact me if you know of or discover such an item. I will be
most grateful. Contact Mike Floyd at [e-mail].