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                       FUTURE REFLECTIONS





              THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLInd
             MAGAZINE FOR PARENTS OF BLIND CHILDREN




Barbara Cheadle, Editor



                        Published by the
                national Federation of the Blind
                       1800 Johnson Street
                      Baltimore, MD  21230
                         [phone]




ISSN 0883-3419
Vol. 13, No. 4
Barbara Cheadle, Editor Convention, 1994

     Contents

     The Many Faces and Facets of the 1994 NFB National Convention

     Reflections on the 1994 Convention
          by Barbara Pierce

     The 1994 Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award

     Parents: Blind Children's First Mobility Teachers
          by Joe Cutter

     National Convention: One Parent's Perspective
          by Debbie Day

     What It's Like to be Ten Years Old and Go to an NFB National
     Convention
          by Tim Day

     National Organization of Parents of Blind Children Annual
     Business Meeting July 3, 1994, Detroit, Michigan
            by Marty Greiser, Secretary

     Of Readers, Drivers, and Responsibility
          by Peggy Pinder Elliott and Barbara Cheadle

     The Scholarship Class of 1994

     Of Braille and Honeybees
          by Kenneth Jernigan

     Summary of Resolutions Adopted by the Annual Convention of the
       National Federation of the Blind, July, 1994
          by Ramona Walhof

     1995 Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award
          by Sharon Maneki

     1995 Application page

     **SPECIAL ORDER FORM INSERT**

     That the Blind May Read

      An NFB video documentary about blind children and the Braille
     crisis.

              REFLECTIONS ON THE 1994 CONVENTION
                        by Barbara Pierce
     Editor's Note: Every year Mrs. Barbara Pierce does an in-depth
convention report for the Braille Monitor, the monthly publication
of the National Federation of the Blind. Reprinted below are the
opening paragraphs of Mrs. Pierce's 1994 NFB Convention narrative
report from the August-September, 1994, Braille Monitor issue.
     Sometimes annual conventions of the National Federation of the
Blind are filled with a sense of history in the making, like the
one in 1986 in which we elected Marc Maurer as President for the
first time. Sometimes they are stirring and full of challenge, like
our fiftieth anniversary convention in 1990. Sometimes they ring
with exuberance and high spirits, like the 1991 convention in New
Orleans. And sometimes they manage to embody both the pain and the
joy of family life, the height and depth of human experience■which,
when freely embraced, create true community in an organization or
a people.
     The 1994 Convention of the National Federation of the Blind
was such an event. At one extreme was the joyful wedding of
long-time Federationist Harold Snider and Linda Fossett, following
the noon recess of the Tuesday morning general convention session.
The Rev. Robert Eschbach performed the ceremony, and the entire
convention was invited to attend.
     At the other extreme was the death early Tuesday morning of
little Justin Buterbaugh of Phoenix, Arizona, who was two years
old. He had a history of seizures and died quietly and instantly in
his sleep. His mother, Maria, had recently learned about the
Federation and was attending her first convention. She had already
formed several friendships and had been overjoyed to discover the
hope and optimism of the NFB's approach to working with blind
children.
     The entire convention was shocked and grieved when President
Maurer explained the tragedy at the opening of the Tuesday morning
session, and Federationists rallied 'round with the love and
concern that we have come to expect and depend upon at such times
of sorrow in our Federation family. NFB friends surrounded and
supported Maria throughout that difficult day and accompanied her
home to Phoenix. When Federationists learned on Wednesday of the
Buterbaugh family's need for substantial financial help to deal
with the heartbreaking expenses associated with the tragedy,
members immediately contributed nearly $4,000 to help.
     Late in the week Jim Omvig, one of the leaders of the Arizona
affiliate and Chairman of the PAC (Pre-Authorized Check) Plan
Committee, reported to the convention a conversation he had had
with Maria after her return home. She talked of the funeral
arrangements. Then she asked how efforts to sign up more people on
the PAC Plan were going. In response to his statement that he
hadn't yet had much time to work on PAC but that he was sure people
would respond positively, she said:
     "I learned while I was there that the most important thing in
this world for any parent of any blind child is to have literature
produced by the National Federation of the Blind and to come to the
National Convention. Please ask people for me to help fund the
organization."
     That spirit of determination and dedication to the Federation
and its mission, come what may, permeated the entire convention and
made it unforgettable.
     THE 1994 DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR OF BLIND CHILDREN AWARD
     National Federation of the Blind awards are not bestowed
lightly. If an appropriate recipient does not emerge from the pool
of candidates for a particular award, it is simply not presented.
At the 1994 convention four awards were given: The Golden Keys
Award, presented by the National Association to Promote the Use of
Braille to Mr. Joseph E. Sullivan for his international work with
computer translations from print to Braille and other efforts in
bringing about a unified Braille code. The Distinguished Service
Award (which is rarely given) was presented to Baltimore
Federationist Doris Johnson for her dedicated volunteer service
over the years. The Jacobus tenBroek Award recipient was Dr. Homer
Page, president of the NFB of Colorado and an outstanding political
and community leader in his state.
     The fourth award was the Distinguished Educator of Blind
Children Award. At the Sunday morning Board of Directors meeting
Sharon Maneki, President of the National Federation of the Blind of
Maryland and Chairwoman of the Distinguished Educator of Blind
Children Selection Committee, presented that award. She said:
     Good morning, fellow Federationists. We are truly changing
what it means to be blind in the field of education. Gone are the
days when students had to wait until high school, as many of us
did, to get a white cane. The days when young blind children are
taught to trail walls, slide their feet, shuffle, are still here,
but they're going. And they are going because of the National
Federation of the Blind, and they're going because of the recipient
of this year's award.
     Many of us already know this recipient because of his work as
an orientation and mobility instructor. He works for the New Jersey
Commission for the Blind. He is in his twenty-fourth year of
teaching. While he works for the Commission, he really works for
the interests of children. He has been working at this convention.
Many of us have met him in the Parents Division and in the various
workshops that he has conducted.
     Ladies and gentlemen, the selection committee of Allen Harris,
Fred Schroeder, Jacquilyn Billey, Joyce Scanlan, and me is truly
pleased and honored to present Joe Cutter as the Distinguished
Educator of Blind Children.[applause] I'd like to present Mr.
Cutter with a plaque, which I would like to read.

                   DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR OF
                         BLIND CHILDREN

              The National Federation of the Blind
                             honors
                           Joe Cutter
                   for your pioneering effort
                         in introducing
             young children to the long white cane,
                 for promoting independence and
                        self-confidence,
                  by encouraging your students
                 to explore their environment.
                 We highly commend you for your
                       positive attitude
                toward blindness and for working
                         in partnership
                with the organized blind movement

                           July, 1994

     Congratulations, Mr. Cutter. [applause] And, of course, we
have one more important thing to present you. This is a check for
$500.[applause]
     After Mr. Cutter accepted his plaque, he said:

     This is a beautiful plaque, and it's a generous award. It's an
honor to receive this award from the National Federation of the
Blind. I have come to respect this organization for its clear
information, its positive thinking, its can-do approach. Blind
persons have provided me as a sighted person a quality education
about blindness.
     In New Jersey I've had the opportunity over the years to learn
from blind children and their parents. For example, parents like
Carol Castellano and Bill Cucco truly exemplify the philosophy of
the NFB in their day-to-day lives■equality, opportunity, and
security. And with them and their children Serena and John and the
other parents and other blind children in New Jersey, I have
learned; and somehow there is a correlation between becoming a
learner and being a better teacher. Sometimes, as an itinerant
going from homes to school, traveling in my car, it can be a bit
lonely and precarious when you are traveling "the road less
traveled." I accept this award, its support and encouragement for
me to continue to travel this road; and I look forward in
partnership with blind children, their parents, and the National
Federation of the Blind to continuing to give the best I can offer.
Thank you.

                            PARENTS:
            BLIND CHILDREN'S FIRST MOBILITY TEACHERS
                          by Joe Cutter
     Editor's Note: The preceding article is, in a way, an
introduction to this article. Mr. Cutter, the 1994 recipient of the
Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award, made the following
presentation to the 1994 NFB Parents Seminar. He also made a
presentation later in the Convention week to the annual meeting of
the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children. When Joe
wasn't busy making presentations and attending meetings at the
Convention, he was■in true Federation spirit■giving volunteer
private and group mobility lessons to parents and their young
children (see photographs accompanying this article). In keeping
with his philosophy, Joe did not give lessons to the children,
rather he gave instructions to the parents, then guided and
assisted them as they worked in the hotel and mall halls with their
children. Here is the edited text of Mr. Cutter's remarks to the
Friday, July 1, 1994, Parents of Blind Children National Seminar:

     When Barbara asked me if I would be interested in speaking
about parents as the blind child's first mobility teachers I
responded with an enthusiastic Yes! I was delighted because I
believe this statement to be true, and I welcomed the opportunity
to relate to you my ideas on this subject.
     I have come to respect and value the information and positive
thinking about blindness which I have gained from the National
Federation of the Blind. Blind persons■including blind children and
their parents■have taught me the most about blindness. In a small
way, then, your sharing with me through the years comes full circle
as I now share my thoughts with you.
     My thoughts and words today are from a book I am writing about
blind children and independent mobility. Interwoven in this book is
the common theme that parents truly are the blind child's first
mobility teacher. It begins when the expectant mother introduces
her baby to movement inutero. Whenever the mother sits, stands,
turns, or walks, the child inside her experiences movement. Once
the baby is born, the mother and father become attached to their
child through touch■through holding, carrying, and playing with
their baby. The joyous world of movement has begun, and it is the
parents who are the first, the primary, educators of their child.
It is only natural, therefore, for parents of blind children to be
their child's first mobility instructor. After all, they are the
ones who set the stage for the play of movement.
     If parents are the natural educators of their child, then the
professionals are secondary educators of the child. In the early
life of a blind baby parents may be introduced to professionals,
programs, and services established to assist in caring for their
baby's needs. Parents may have a blindness professional visit their
home, or they may take their baby to an early intervention program
outside the home. Some of these services are given directly to the
baby. In others the professionals provide guidance to parents with
suggested activities, materials, and strategies that will
facilitate the child's learning. The intent of these programs is to
inform parents and at times give hands-on intervention with the
child.
     Now, I have visited many of these early intervention programs
over the years and have learned much from observing the creative
teaching of many talented, dedicated, and hard-working
professionals. I have also visited in the homes of many families of
blind babies. I have learned equally as much through observing the
creative teaching of talented, dedicated, and hard-working parents.
The significant difference is that parents are not paid, and they
do what they do for twenty-four hours a day. I note this difference
to punctuate my observations that parents have a much longer,
sustained, and intimate relationship with their child than do the
professionals.
     Yet, when blind babies and children enter early intervention
programs, parents are often presented with an attitude which
implies "We know what is best for your child." This attitude
challenges the natural teaching role of parents. When educators,
whether intended or not, separate parents from the program of
service, in whole or in part, then a message is sent to the parents
that someone else■the blindness professional■did for their babies
what they■the parents■could not or did not do. This may affect the
kind of relationship that parents have with their children. Parents
may develop feelings of inadequacy. They may take less initiative
or be hesitant about movement activities with their babies and
children if they have come to believe that the professional's role
is more important.
     Speaking of professionals, I can't help saying something that
has disturbed me for a long time. Why do we call teachers who work
with blind children "vision" teachers? It sounds like a
contradiction in terms to me. Can you imagine getting a knock on
your door and when you open the door the person says, "Hello, I'm
the vision teacher. I'm here to work with your blind child." So, I
use the term blindness professional because it seems more relevant
to me.
     Programs of services to blind children do what they do best
when they promote attuning between children and parents. The
parent/child relationship is indivisible, and that is how it should
be treated and respected by the professionals. Blindness
professionals and other educators who appreciate this parent/child
relationship will rely upon the parents as a vital natural
resource.  They will support parents in their efforts to establish
mutually pleasing and nurturing relationships with their babies,
and they will help them with accurate information about blindness.
     For example, when I was studying about babies I was fascinated
by something that, in some of the research, is called a voice/space
event. When even very young babies hear the sound of their mommy's
voice they turn toward it in expectation of seeing mommy's face. I
discovered the first time I worked with a blind baby that this
baby's head and eyes, although he could not see, moved in the
direction of the sound of his mother's voice. This baby, too, was
looking for the voice/space event. The obvious alternative
technique at this point would be to assist the baby's arm and hand
to the mother's face, linking sound with touch. This common human
trait of the voice/space event, which in the sighted baby links
sound to vision, has been adapted for the blind baby by linking
sound to touch. The usefulness of this adaptation depends largely
upon how I, the professional, present it to the mother. First of
all, I cannot be a substitute for the mother (or the primary
caretaker) in this situation. The voice/space event must take place
with the mother, not me. Second, if I present this to the mother
correctly, she will come to understand that she, too, could have
made this discovery. She will then go on and use this knowledge and
the confidence she has gained from it to make her own observations,
adaptations, and compensations with her baby without my assistance.
And this is how it should be. Professionals should not supplant the
parents as the child's primary educator, they should encourage it
and nurture it. This includes the role the parent should play as
their child's first mobility teacher. And mobility for children
begins with play between parent and child.
     ...Mobility for children begins with play between parent and
child.
     In the early years parents engage in a variety of play
activities with their children. The importance of play cannot be
overemphasized. Play is "fun"-damental to being human. Fun and play
is the child's form of work, of getting the job done, of acting on
the world, and reaping the rewards from it. The head of the
Department of Infant Studies at Rutgers University, Dr. Lorraine
McCune, writes, "When play is defined to include all of the baby's
freely chosen encounters with objects, a large portion of the
child's waking time is playtime."
     The implications of this statement for blind children are
many. When blind children are restricted in the kind and amount of
play they may perform, and when adults limit their free intentional
movement, the context of their understanding of people, places, and
things will also be limited. This will necessarily cut short their
ability to reason, experiment, and create. Blind children are
vulnerable to having play done to them, initiated for them, and
taught to them in formal activities. Adults would be serving the
blind child's best interest if they would instead place their
energy into setting up the environment so that the blind child
could initiate his or her own play more often. Such spontaneity is
fundamental to being human, but blind children are often in
jeopardy of having spontaneous experiences restricted by
well-meaning adults. These principles are crucial for parents and
professionals to understand as they consider their role in
promoting movement and mobility in the blind child.
     When children are young they are learning to identify and
label the world. Blind children are no different. They need to
become familiar with the world, too. Familiarization develops
orientation.  For the sighted child, vision put them in the action.
For the blind child touch, sound, and movement puts them in the
action, too. You cannot label the world for a blind child by
touching it for him. To be meaningful the experience must come from
the child's own action. For example, use of the cane facilitates
self-initiated action and thus contributes to the creation of an
active learner.
     ...Use of the cane facilitates self-initiated action and thus
contributes to the creation of an active learner.
     The skilled use of tools is a fundamentally human activity.
For children, toys are tools! (Remember, we said that "play" is a
child's work. Toys, therefore, are a child's tools.)  They are
skill-enhancing instruments. The hand-held tool (or toy) is an
extension of the body in space for all children. During play the
child is introduced to objects in the world. To the child all of
these objects are potential toys. Some of these objects will serve
an everyday function, such as the hand-held spoon, for example. A
spoon is more than something you use when you eat. It is a tool of
action. When we think about the spoon in this way, we can begin to
understand its connection to the blind child's white cane. The
cane, too, is a hand-held tool of action to get a job done. The
better the skill in using these tools■spoon or cane■the better the
job will be done. Since we know that hand manipulation of tools
develops over time from "on body" to "off body" for all children,
we can then infer that the spoon is a precursor to the cane. Both
tools manage space near and far respectively, the spoon being
closer to the body and the cane being further off the body. Whether
"banging" on a plate with a spoon, or "banging" on the ground with
a cane, these tools demonstrate the blind child's use of movement
in space.
     As the child's first mobility teachers you will want to know
what the cane can do. The cane is a tool that performs many
functions. It can inform, inspect, explore, detect, and protect.
Most of all it facilitates getting to know and moving within the
world. To illustrate, the cane is more than a "windshield wiper" on
the world. It is the "steering wheel" that can be manipulated to
take you in the direction you want to go. It's the "headlight"
which gives preview of what's ahead; it's the "bumper" which
protects from unexpected encounters; and it is the "antenna" which
is constantly receiving sounds and resonance information from the
surroundings. The cane is also the "tires" which adjust to the
terrain and provide a smoother, more stable ride. Finally the cane
is the "sideview mirror" which gives peripheral protection whenever
the traveler needs to circumvent an object. Like the car, the cane
is as effective as the driver using it. Both driver and cane user
require training and must obey the laws of the road. Mostly the
cane■like the car■gets you where you want to go.
     This light-hearted analogy is a fun way to punctuate the
varied uses of the cane. Thinking of fun, what child is not
fascinated by a stick? It connects the child to the ground in a way
that is fun. When walking, it seems natural to hold a stick and
"touch the world;" therefore, it is the most natural act for the
blind child to be using a cane. Fun, play, toys, tools,
self-initiated movement, canes■are you beginning to see the
connections?
     As your child's first mobility teachers the decision to use a
cane must be made by you, the parents.
     As your child's first mobility teachers the decision to use a
cane must be made by you, the parents. You may come to such a
decision in conjunction with the orientation and mobility
specialist, or without such a professional. The point is, it should
be your decision. Generally a cane will help facilitate a blind
child's movement shortly after he or she begins walking. I have
known blind children, however, who took their first steps across a
large space with a cane. In these cases the child was ready to walk
but would not self-initiate many steps across large spaces.
Therefore, observe the blind child's movement around the event of
walking. If the cane seems to promote movement, go with it. Do
posture, gait, and self-assurance seem true with the cane? If yes,
then it's facilitating movement.
     If the child is evaluated by an O&M professional and it is
decided that he or she is not ready for a cane, then ask yourself
these questions: What is my child ready for■someone's arm? A
pre-cane device that may be more complex to handle than the simple
design of a cane? The less safe and efficient movement promoted by
the so-called pre-cane techniques? I believe the answers to these
questions will lead most parents to the decision to take charge,
purchase a cane, and get started. It may be a bit scary, and you
may be a bit doubtful in the beginning, but have faith in your own
intuition and in your child■you're a team. If the orientation and
mobility specialist is on the same radio station as both of you,
all the better. If not, you and your child can dance to the music.
When others see what's going on they may decide to join the dance.
It is not only o.k. to take the lead in starting your child with
cane mobility, but it may be necessary if the alternative of
inaction will negatively affect your child's self-esteem and skill
development. You cannot count on the professionals always to have
the right answers. Please believe me. I'm a professional, and when
I think of some of the decisions I've made as a professional■based
upon erroneous assumptions■I want to bury my head in the sand.
     I remember my personal journey in working with children. When
I began teaching children I used the same post-World War II
techniques all mobility teachers are taught, including sighted
guide, pre-cane safety techniques, and certain readiness skills. It
wasn't until I happened to take some courses in infant studies at
Rutgers University and I was introduced to NFB literature by
parents such as Carol Castellano (Carol is the President of the New
Jersey Parents Division and the Second Vice President of the
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children) that my
assumptions and beliefs about children and cane travel were
challenged. And that was really scary and threatening to me. But it
was also liberating. I will always remember Fred Schroeder's
article, "A Step Toward Equality: Cane Travel Training for the
Young Blind Child." I shall never forget his analogy about crayons
and canes. He said that keeping a cane away from a young blind
child because the child wasn't ready to use it as an adult was like
taking crayons away from a sighted child because the child couldn't
write like an adult yet.
     Like the sighted child using crayons, the blind child
initially will use the cane with more exaggerated movements. This
is for many reasons: postural security, balance, the newness of the
tool, and the human urge to experiment. Through familiarity and
maturation the cane will gradually be used with more purposeful
movements and, therefore, more efficiently. Please know that the
act of playing with the cane is a natural way for young children to
experiment. It is how they learn about the cane and how it will
work for them. This playing is not a reason to discontinue the cane
for fear of a lack of "readiness." Remember, we said that play is
the child's work. Therefore, do not be discouraged if the child's
initial use of the cane appears to be just playing around. Some of
the best travelers started out having fun with their canes.
     Accordingly, do not insist upon the blind child's
demonstrating mature cane skills very early. Such skills as proper
adult grip, position, extension, arc, touch technique, and so forth
will come in time with maturation. You will risk frustrating the
child, and a negative attitude may develop towards the cane if you
expect too much in the way of adult cane techniques. Expect the
child to use the cane from the source of control best available to
him or her■hand, wrist, arm, shoulder■given the strength and
control he or she has from those sources. With growth and
maturation these components of movement will expand and so will the
cane techniques that work off of these components.
     The blind child will want to check out what is being contacted
by the cane. You might notice the hand sliding down the shaft to
touch the connected object, or the foot moving to check it out.
This behavior is also displayed by adults who use the cane for the
first time. A basic principle operating with young children is
"connection before coordination." This should be accepted as a
normal stage in their learning. Do not scold the child or try to
prevent the behavior. This behavior will decrease as they learn
more about the world around them, and as they become more
goal-oriented in their travel.
     Activities that are fun and enjoyable to the child also tend
to facilitate sensory integration and skill development. The cane
is a natural tool for these activities. For example, children enjoy
banging the cane. They like hearing the echoes they can make with
it. They will hold the cane in different ways, even upside down.
What they are doing is exhausting all the possibilities of what
they can do with a cane. This is a fundamentally human
characteristic, and we should not limit such exploration as long as
it does not hurt the child or another person.
     Experiences in school set the stage for what will be expected
of children in their adult lives. This is true for blind children,
too. But, as stated earlier, blind children are more vulnerable to
having their independent movement restricted by others. Most
classroom teachers and aides do not know what to expect or
encourage regarding the movement of young blind children. Some
educators learn quickly and are very good at facilitating movement,
and others are not so helpful. This should be of no surprise to us.
But what is more upsetting is that some professionals in the
blindness field have limiting views about blind children and
independent movement. In situations such as this the parent will
need to inform not only the teacher working with a blind child for
the first time, but the blindness professional, too, about their
expectations for their child in the use of the cane and independent
movement.
     A parent cannot assume that just because an orientation and
mobility specialist is consulting with the school and working with
their child that the child's movement needs will be promoted to the
fullest extent. Even if you and the orientation and mobility
specialist are reading from the same page of the same chapter of
the same book, this doesn't mean that what is happening in school
is what should be happening. I have often given a mobility lesson
to a child in school and then have come back for the next lesson a
week later to discover the cane in the same location. I knew from
the condition of the cane and the tip that it had not been used
since our last lesson. So, it is in your child's best interest for
you to know what's going on.
     If your child is not moving about under his or her own
volition, then he or she is moving about under someone else's.
     If your child is not moving about under his or her own
volition, then he or she is moving about under someone else's.
Parents will need to decide what they want for the child and make
it clear to the school personnel. It is that important an issue.
The blind child is being prepared to believe one way or another
about his or her own movement in school and the larger world. They
will either learn that they can take responsibility for their
movement or not. It is that simple.
     Of course, I am primarily thinking about the sighted guide.
Now, sighted guide is certainly a sufficient, and sometimes
appropriate, method of travel. I'm just concerned about young
children's using it as their standard operating procedure for
moving around. Also, I think the term implies that the guide must
be sighted. One thing I have learned from this convention and other
NFB conventions is that the blind certainly do lead the blind, and
most efficiently, too. Some professionals now prefer the term
"human guide," but I am even uncomfortable with this. It still
implies that one person is leading and the other following. There
are times when we all prefer to walk with someone, and it is not a
matter of guiding or leading. Carol Castellano came up with a term
that I like best. She calls it "paired walking." And isn't that
what it really is?
     To the questions of when to use the cane, how much, and where
(school, home, playground, etc.), first ask yourself if the cane
promotes and facilitates movement, confidence, curiosity, safety,
and getting to know the world. If it does, then use it. I believe,
by the way, that the cane should be used both at home and school.
(By home I do not mean inside the house in which you live. I mean
all the places your family may normally go with the child■the mall,
restaurants, church or synagog, homes of friends, etc.) Using the
cane in one setting and not the other is a limitation and sends a
mixed message to the child.
     At this time I would like to share a few words with you about
vision impairment, visual efficiency, and visual inefficiency. Many
visually impaired children ambulate with general safety and
independence in their homes, schools, and familiar areas outdoors.
The need for the use of the cane may not be so obvious for these
children. Therefore, here are some questions you might want to
think about if your child has vision:

     1. Is your child relaxed while moving independently?
     2. Is your child's stress level elevated in unfamiliar or
congested areas?
     3. Is your child's performance in street crossings and night
travel age-appropriate?
     4. Are your child's gait and posture negatively affected as a
result of pushing vision to the point of inefficiency?
     5. Are you holding your child's hand not because you want to,
but rather to avoid uncomfortable or difficult-to-manage travel
situations?
     6. Do you think the cane may facilitate safe, effective,
efficient, or confident travel?

     If the answers to any of these questions are yes, you might
want to give the cane a go. If you've answered yes to any of these
questions and are still doubtful about trying the cane you may have
hidden negative attitudes about blindness which are getting in your
way of making a logical decision about the cane. As your child's
first mobility teacher, you owe it to your child to keep an open
mind about the cane.
     One opportunity that you have here at this convention is to
observe visually impaired travelers using canes. You might think of
this as your NFB Convention school, and this is your 101 course in
mobility. After all, you will remember that you are your child's
primary mobility teacher. Observe the confidence, poise, relaxed
posture, and grace with which they move. Observe their safety and
efficiency. One of the things, by the way, that I would like to do
at this year's NFB Convention school is to receive a mobility
lesson under blindfold by a blind mobility instructor. So that's an
open invitation to anyone here who is blind and teaches mobility.
     One insight I'd like to pass on to you is something I was told
by a parent who learned this by observing blind people with canes
at her first NFB convention. I think it sums up many of the
thoughts I'm sharing with you about vision and visual inefficiency.
This parent told me she had concluded from her experience that you
have your vision for what you can see, and you have the cane for
what you can't. I can think of no other more truthful or basic
statement than this on the issue of using a cane.
     I think it's important to share a word or two with you about
blind children who have developmental delays. All children observe
the world through their sensorimotor systems. Vision is not
essential to observe the world. The brain is an equal opportunity
employer and does not negatively discriminate against the various
modes of gathering information and observing the world. The five
senses, like fingers of the hand, retrieve information and give
meaning to the world and the child's movement. Blindness is a
physical characteristic, the absence (partial or total) of sight.
I do not think it fundamentally alters how humans think or adapt
and compensate. We do not think with our eyes. We think with our
brains. So, whether we read Braille or print, or communicate with
sound or manual sign language, it is the brain which takes in the
sensory information, decodes it, and processes it.
     The developmental route for blind children who have added
factors impacting upon their development■cognitive, physical,
emotional delays■is more precarious. These children are especially
vulnerable to having others do for them what they can learn to do
for themselves. But, like all children, they thrive on a can-do
approach. If anything, these children need more of the "learning by
doing" method. Remember, the process of independence begins with
self-initiated action. It is through their own action that the
child has the chance to observe the consequences of that action,
then refine it and practice it as a new skill. Children who are
given the opportunity to initiate their own movements are motivated
to do more, learn more. When others do the movement for, or to,
them, children lose interest in their own activity and become
passive.
     For example, a blind child who uses a wheelchair would have
greater possibilities for independent  (self-initiated) movement
with a one-wheel drive or motorized wheel chair. With one hand the
child could operate the chair, and with the other use a white cane
for preview of obstacles ahead. This set-up, which promotes
independence, would be superior to the alternative of the child's
being constantly dependent upon someone else to both push and guide
him. In fact, I saw someone in a wheelchair this morning who was
using a cane for preview.
     If you suspect that your child is delayed in development by
factors other than blindness, you will need to secure reliable
information and services to provide a sound menu of experiences and
activities. To such a menu you can add the alternative techniques
of blindness. As your child's first mobility teacher you can
creatively adapt and compensate along with your child. You can
promote your child's self-initiated movement, and you can expect
others to respect the goals that you set for independent movement.
     In Budapest, Hungary, there is an interesting program called
conductive education. It's a program for the physically impaired
child with cerebral palsy and other physical impairments that
affect the child's development of independent movement. Some of
these children are also blind. The program's philosophy is
ortho-functional. The child learns by doing. Self-help skills are
essential and valued along with academics. It is more important,
for example, for a child to get to class independently and late
than to get there on time because of dependency upon someone else.
The conductive education approach believes that if a child is
perceived as dysfunctional, then the goals set for that child will
reflect those perceptions. How we perceive a child can make all the
difference in the goals we set for them. It is the difference
between using a promotion model versus a deficit model. The deficit
model stresses limitations. The promotion model emphasizes
possibilities. The independence these children are likely to
achieve depends a good deal upon our expectations of them. Do we
see children with limitations, or children with possibilities?
     Let me give you an example of what I mean. The following
sentences are from the book First Steps, published in 1993 by the
Blind Children's Center. These sentences demonstrate the disturbing
sighted bias and erroneous assumptions about blindness yet to be
found in the professional literature.
     This is the first sentence of the introduction:

     "The world of children with visual impairments is a very
different one from ours."

     My response is,"How so?" Are the authors implying that blind
children are fundamentally different from sighted children? I don't
believe it, and the evidence doesn't support it. We all live in the
same world.

     Here is the second sentence of the introduction:

     "Although these children are faced with a puzzling array of
sensation and information, our loving guidance can create a safe
and nurturing path for them to follow."

     My response is that the current research about how children
learn, specifically infants, suggest that the world is not
perceived as a puzzle. Rather infants organize their sensory
information to make sense out of the world. They improve upon their
perceptions, adapting and compensating as they get more
information. It would appear that the authors altered these data to
fit their pre-conceived notion about blind children. The sentence
implies that what is needed for learning is for blind children to
follow the adults' lead instead of the adults following the child's
lead. Again, this is inconsistent with my experiences and with the
research.
     The third sentence of the introduction reads:

     "Parents, family members, educators, and health care
professionals find themselves drawn together by the formidable
challenges of these children's infant and preschool years."

     In my response I ask you to consider these definitions from
Webster's of the word formidable:

     1. causing dread, fear, or awe. 2. hard to handle or overcome;
as a formidable job.

     Roget's College Thesaurus lists the following synonyms for
formidable: appalling, tremendous, arduous, or Herculean.
     I would not choose any of these words to describe my role or
the parents' role with the blind child. I would suggest that this
is not the message I would choose to communicate with parents and
other educators about what it will be like to raise or educate
blind children. All parents are presented with challenges in
raising children. The differences in raising blind children will
necessitate at times different challenges. From my experience,
probably the most "formidable" aspect of raising a blind child that
parents will face is trying to get the professionals to provide the
appropriate education and training which their child needs. And
this is a problem with attitudes and bureaucracies■not the child
and not the physical fact of blindness.
     Finally, here is a sentence from the book regarding the
sighted guide technique:

     "The intent of using a human guide is not to relieve the child
who is visually impaired of his travel responsibility, but to
provide the child with the skill of taking an active role when
traveling with a sighted person within both familiar and unfamiliar
areas."

     My first response is, how can you observe your own movement
off the arm of another person? This is a logical impossibility.
Whose responsibility is it for the active movement of negotiating
the environment? Why is it assumed that when a blind child is
walking with a sighted person that he or she will be naturally
guided? What is active about following another's lead? And why does
the guide need to be sighted? There are times when sighted guide is
appropriate, but to suggest that there's some skill in it which a
child needs to learn for independence is ludicrous and false.
     The subtleties of the written word hit home hard when you are
the subject matter. Blind persons and parents of blind persons hear
the bias in these words clearly. First Steps is written by a
professional, credentialed group of authors. The Blind Children's
Center provides a real service for blind children, and in many
respects this book is rich in useful information. But at its core
are assumptions that communicate to those thirsty for knowledge
erroneous beliefs about blindness. I believe these assumptions
damage blind children. History has given us enough of these
harmful, false images. We do not need them dressed up in the
respectability of professional jargon, then pawned off to us as
modern, scientific concepts. It is time we stress a promotion
model, not a deficit model, of blindness.
     It is time we stress a promotion model, not a deficit model,
of blindness.
     It has been said that "We should study right research and
research the study right." Research would better serve the needs of
blind children, and our energies would be put to better use, if we
spent more time raising questions and debunking erroneous
assumptions about blindness. Here are some questions I have:

     1. What do we truly believe about the capabilities of blind
travelers when professional organizations will not certify blind
orientation and mobility specialists?
     2. What are the vulnerable areas in the blind child's
opportunities to express their innate "need to know" and "drive to
move"?
     3. What is really essential to functioning with the cane?
     4. How can the sighted guide, pre-cane techniques, or pre-cane
devices be considered precursors or predictors of independent
travel? Where is the research to substantiate these common
assertions?
     5. What do orientation and mobility specialists believe about
the parent-child relationship?
     6. How can the use of resonance and the broader perception of
sound and space be facilitated in blind babies and older children?
How do we enhance or distort its use in the type of canes we
recommend and choose for them?
     7. Has our sighted bias ignored the contribution to movement
that the utilization of auditory object perception (echo location)
facilitates?
     8. What subtle, or not so subtle, messages do we send to blind
children which discourage them from moving actively in the world?
     9. How do we interrupt or inhibit the self-initiating and
sustaining movement of blind babies and children?
     10. How do our touch and physical handling of blind babies and
children affect the development of the use of their own touch? How
do the touch and verbal cues which we impose upon children in a
travel situation affect the abilities of children to figure out and
solve their own travel problems?
     11. What do we do to a blind child's interest in and ability
with the cane when we try to teach adult skills for which they are
developmentally not ready? When we delay giving them a cane in
favor of a pre-cane device?
     12. How are the blind child's self-image and desire for
independence affected when we teach them that someone else will
take responsibility for their own movement? When that "someone
else" is always sighted?
     13. I believe that the consequences of the orientation and
mobility profession's not addressing these questions and many
others will result in the increased vulnerability of a profession
already in jeopardy.

     Meanwhile, the blindness movement has been developing its own
growing body of literature based upon a different perspective■a
perspective which has evolved from over fifty years of the
collective experience of thousands of blind people. Here are some
of my observations of the philosophy which fuels the passion and
reason found in the NFB literature:

     1. It's positive, 2. it assumes that blindness need not be
fixed, 3. it promotes the concept that "differences are not
deficits," 4. the alternative techniques of blindness promote a
"can do" approach to life, and 5. it deals with issues and concerns
that are fundamentally human.

     What I have described to you today is what I call a pediatric
perspective on independent mobility. I hope it fuels your beliefs
and actions■as your child's first mobility teachers■in promoting
your child's independent movement in the early years.
     In summary, the "need to know" and the "drive to move" are
fundamental to being human. Therefore, orientation and independent
mobility is more than a way of moving from one place to another, it
is a way of life. It is a way of knowing, a process of reciprocal
interaction, of being with the world instead of separate from it.
This process during the early years of life enables the blind child
to engage in the world in an increasingly independent manner.
During these early years a common thread will sew together the
variety of experiences. This thread is the fundamental fact that,
as all children, blind children have an innate sense of order, an
inherent ability to organize their experiences, to learn from, and
improve upon, those experiences. From the earliest sensorimotor
schemes to the formation of intentional thought and complex problem
solving, the drive to "want more" and to "make more" out of what
reality at any given moment appears to offer, is as much the
foundation of purposeful thought and movement for blind babies and
children as it is for those who are sighted.
     It is of particular importance that parents be provided with
accurate information both about blindness and this natural process
so that they can better teach and assist their children to interact
independently with and within the world. Together as a
team■parents, child, and professionals■we engage in common goals
that will facilitate the child's natural "need to know" and the
"drive to move."
     The history of formalized orientation and mobility has
entrenched an adult-to-adult approach, with sighted guide and
pre-cane techniques being taught prior to cane instruction. This
tradition can be thought of as a top-down model. In this model
adults first learn the concepts then learn the motor schemes to
match these concepts. With a pediatric perspective, however, the
approach will be bottom-up. (I want to acknowledge the influence of
Dr. Lorraine McCune on my thinking. Her knowledge and clear
thinking about what babies do and how they learn contributed much
to the development of this model.) First, the child learns
purposeful movement, then  with a solid foundation of motor-schemes
upon which they have learned to trust and rely, the child "learns"
the concepts. Out of the experience come the concepts, the ways of
thinking about the world. With this bottom-up model, parents and
other educators will explore strategies, activities, and tools■such
as the cane■that will facilitate purposeful thought and purposeful
movement.
     This approach rejects the notion that children must have a
certain maturity level before they can use a cane for movement.
Maturity unfolds as movement and motor-schemes become more
sophisticated. Canes can assist in this process from the moment a
child begins to walk.
     In this bottom-up model, cane travel will not be considered an
isolated set of skills. Instead, the spoon becomes the precursor to
the cane. Tools to manage space that are hand-held and get a task
done (spoons, scoops, shovels, etc.) will be respected in this
bottom-up approach. Motor skills for cane usage, from this
perspective, are not a mysterious set of unique skills requiring
extraordinary knowledge and specialized training. They are
extensions of ordinary motor-schemes and tool-usage that all
children may learn, and parents may teach. There is also no need
for so-called pre-cane techniques and pre-cane devices in this
approach. In truth, pre-cane techniques are actually alternative
travel techniques (which are, incidently, inferior to cane travel
techniques), and not at all necessary in any way for cane usage.
The same is true for pre-cane devices. They are actually
alternatives to the cane, and in no way add to a child's
preparedness for the cane.
     Also with this approach, parents and other educators will be
cautious not to insist prematurely upon cane techniques that may be
appropriate for the adult but not be at the appropriate
developmental level of the blind child. The blind child needs to
explore, figure it out, and develop self-taught solutions which are
respected by the adults in their lives. Pediatric orientation and
mobility from the bottom-up perspective respects the developmental
needs of all children: security, movement, interpreting sensory
information, communication, and autonomy. These needs are met in
the day-to-day living of the child; in feeding, bathing, playing,
socializing, and exploring the world. From this perspective, the
blind child's  use of the cane is simply a natural part of growing
up, as normal as learning to use a spoon.
     ...The blind child's  use of the cane is simply a natural part
of growing up; as normal as learning to use a spoon.
     Above all I want to stress that our beliefs as parents and
educators will affect what we give and how we give it, what we
teach and how we teach it, and what our expectations will be for
our blind children's development towards independence. These
beliefs will not only affect our relationships with each other, but
what our children will ultimately come to believe and expect of
themselves as blind persons.
     I hope that these thoughts assist you in your roles as your
children's first mobility teachers.


                      NATIONAL CONVENTION:
                    ONE PARENT'S PERSPECTIVE
                          by Debbie Day
     Though we had, as a family, previously attended two NFB
National Conventions, with a family size of nine, the expenses for
us to attend are significant. Attending the 1994 convention far
away in Detroit (we live in Washington state) seemed out of the
question. Out of the question, that is, until our ten-year-old
blind son, Tim, announced one day that he really wanted to go to
the convention. He had two reasons; he wanted to meet Deane Blazie,
the president of Blazie Engineering, and he wanted to "meet blind
people and ask about their jobs." The fact that the request came
directly from Tim himself, and that it was sincere, made me
determined to find a way to take him.
     The learning experiences connected to attending the NFB
National Convention began for Tim months before we left. Because I
teach Tim at home (we homeschool), I've learned to use every
available opportunity for learning■and this was a great
opportunity! First, Tim needed to project our expenses for this
trip. Referring to the Braille Monitor, he figured our hotel
expenses for the week, and after much discussion he was able to
compute the cost for our meals. The airline fare was a bit
different, I explained. He could check on the current rates but
fares fluctuate and "specials" are frequently offered. So, I gave
Tim the job of calling the travel agent each Monday morning. The
first call was a little bumbled, but he quickly began to look
forward to calling, and his phone skills improved dramatically.
     When the time came to purchase the tickets, Tim was in charge
of taking care of the arrangements and dealing with the travel
agent in person. All he needed me for (as he put it) was the ride
and the money! Tim was very thorough and businesslike, and I was
pleased the agent treated him seriously and maturely.
     We had saved and scrimped and budgeted for months to purchase
the airline tickets. The remainder of the expenses, I figured,
would just have to be charged. I knew that this trip would be worth
every cent for the experiences Tim would encounter. Tim was still
receiving Braille instruction through the school district and his
Braille teacher, Ms. Sara Bye, was aware of Tim's strong desire to
go to the Convention. With the okay from us, she approached two
local sources for financial help to make this trip possible. I
remember the day she called to say a local business, Chritenson
Engineering, had generously agreed to pay all our expenses! We were
ecstatic!
     The trip itself was as great as we had hoped. From the airport
to the hotel to the convention, everything was a learning
experience. Tim was overwhelmed with excitement about being among
so many blind people. He listened intently to the questions blind
adults asked when needing verbal assistance as they traveled
independently. By the end of the week Tim was able to make three
different, and quite complicated, solo mobility trips at my
request. Keeping my distance, I watched as my son used a variety of
appropriate skills to confidently reach each destination. All this
from a child who at home quickly becomes confused and agitated when
met with even the smallest mobility challenge. Here at the
convention■surrounded by hundreds of blind role models■those skills
and the desire to use them came naturally. For that alone the trip
was a success!
     For Tim, meeting Deane Blazie, founder and president of Blazie
Engineering, was extremely important. As an owner and user of
Blazie's Braille 'n Speak, Tim wanted to meet the people who made
this piece of technology possible. Tim has become extremely fast
and proficient in the use of the Braille 'n Speak, with all of its
various commands and functions. Once Tim realized that we would be
attending the convention, he approached me with the idea of writing
Blazie asking if he might work for them at the convention
demonstrating the Braille 'n Speak. Though he did not get the job,
he was happy to meet them and know that they would indeed consider
his request in the future when they are in our state. But, to me,
getting that job was not as important as seeing Tim develop a
greater self-awareness of his capabilities.
     Tim was still too young to sit through the sessions, but that
didn't stop him from meeting and speaking to tons of other blind
people. His concept of himself as a blind person soared as he met
adults from a variety of professions. Right now he wants to do it
all■be a baker, a teacher, a scientist, a computer programmer, the
owner of a general store, a priest■he knows no limits. Just the way
it should be!
     As for me, what I received by going to the National Convention
is a greater awareness of my job as a parent. In the midst of so
many competent and independent blind teens, students, and adults,
I am able to see more clearly the skills on which Tim still needs
to work, and most of all, I see why it is important for him to
learn those skills. Even though I have been a member of NFBs
Parents Division since Tim joined our family seven years ago, and
I believe in the NFB philosophy, I sometimes need to be immersed in
that philosophy as intensively as one is during that one week of
convention. At the NFB Convention my vision of Tim's becoming
independent and capable is strengthened and my focus is, once
again, definite and exact.


               WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE TEN YEARS OLD
              AND GO TO AN NFB NATIONAL CONVENTION
                           by Tim Day
     The 1994 NFB National Convention in Detroit, Michigan, was my
third National Convention. But this time instead of our whole
family driving as before, just my mom and I went.
     Even though I'd been on an airplane as a baby and even visited
an airport with my class, I had lots of questions about the airport
and flying. I was very curious about how we would get from the
terminal onto the plane. Even though my mom explained it to me, it
was much better to see the jetway myself. I was able to talk to one
of the pilots of the plane and learned that the plane had to go
about 150 miles per hour down the runway before we could take off.
I also learned that when we change altitude our ears start to plug
up.
     We arrived at the Detroit airport at approximately 4:19 p.m.
and took a commuter van to the Westin Hotel. Our room was on the
37th floor out of 72 floors. Instead of a key, they gave us a card.
We stuck it in a slot on our door to unlock it. It was strange! I
liked the way they Brailled the room number so that blind people
could see their room number.
     Being at the convention was fantastic! I got to go on a field
trip to the Henry Ford Museum where I rode on a train. Another day
we went on the Diamond Jack's River Tour. Boy, was it ever hot! It
was 90 degrees. On the 4th of July NFB had an outdoor picnic. But
it was the weirdest thing, the park was on the 3rd floor of the
hotel!!
     I met a new friend named Hailee. We went to Greektown with our
moms on the People Mover. The People Mover was kinda' like a subway
or a train except it was high above the streets. I didn't like the
way it jerked me forward. In Greektown we had dinner and celebrated
Hailee's eleventh birthday at the bakery. It was fun.
     I met lots of other people; most of them were blind just like
me. Most had canes, but some had guide dogs. I met one girl with a
Braille Lite. This is Blazie Engineering's newest Braille computer.
     One of the best things I did was to hang out at the exhibit
hall. It was huge and filled with all sorts of things to buy. My
favorite vendor is the Blazie Engineering Company. I got to meet
Deane and Bryan Blazie and a lady named Delores who speaks Spanish.
Deane let me borrow a new Braille Lite for a whole day! It was so
cool.
     The Sensory Safari Exhibit was really cool too. I looked at
wild animals from all over the world. I liked the deer.
     We did so much every day that sometimes I stayed up until
twelve a.m.! I felt like a teen-ager. I had so much fun at the
convention in Detroit that I wasn't ready to go home at the end of
the week. I really hope I can go to next year's convention in
Chicago. You know the world's tallest building is in Chicago, and
everybody oughta see that!


               NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF PARENTS
                       OF BLIND CHILDREN
                    Annual Business Meeting
                          July 3, 1994
                       Detroit, Michigan
                    Marty Greiser, Secretary

     Our annual meetings of the National Organization of Parents of
Blind Children (NOPBC) are always informative, interesting, and
serious■yet warm and humourous, too, which is inevitable when the
subject and focus of our activities are our children. Even before
the meeting was called to order, nearly one hundred people■mostly
parents but many teachers and blind adults, too■were
enthusiastically engaging in exchanges of information and
experiences with one another.
     Following the secretary's and treasurer's reports, Mrs.
Cheadle explained her responsibilities as president of the NOBPC
and as editor of Future Reflections. One of these responsibilities
is the growth and development of our organization. With this in
mind, President Cheadle opened and led the discussion regarding the
Board's proposal to change our name from the Parents of Blind
Children Division of the National Federation of the Blind (POBC) to
the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, a Division
of the National Federation of the Blind (NOPBC). The Board
anticipates that the new name will increase our visibility and
recognition as a national organization of parents of blind
children. A motion to ratify this change was approved by a
unanimous vote.
     President Cheadle then went on to report on the highly
successful parents' seminar we held in D.C. in January in
conjunction with the larger Federation Washington Seminar. Parents
from all over the country■Idaho, Alabama, New York, Wisconsin,
etc.■attended this "standing-room-only" seminar. The purpose of the
larger Federation D.C. Seminar is to educate our Congressmen and
-women about the priority legislative needs of the blind for the
coming legislative session. Most parents who came to the parents'
seminar remained a day or two to visit legislators along with other
Federation delegates from their states. This was the first time we
had held a parents' seminar in conjunction with this event. The
response was so tremendous we plan to do it again in 1995.
     Mrs. Cheadle reviewed other NOPBC projects of the year: the
Braille Readers are Leaders Contest; our magazine, Future
Reflections (which is receiving increasing international
recognition); the newly organized and revitalized chapters of
NOPBC; and our nationwide Braille literacy campaign.
     With business matters concluded, the meeting then moved to
program items. One of the regular agenda items we all eagerly await
is the announcement of the recipient of our annual Distinguished
Educator of Blind Children Award. This year, Mr. Joe Cutter, an
orientation and mobility instructor from New Jersey was our award
winner. 1994 marks the first time an orientation and mobility
instructor has won this award. Mr. Cutter has attended several
National Conventions where he has conducted workshops, given
voluntary impromptu cane travel lessons to children, and met with
parents to discuss their children's mobility programs. Mr. Cutter
proceeded to give an inspiring description of his expectations,
philosophy, and approach to orientation and mobility training for
our very young children.
     Next on the agenda was Mr. Scott LaBarre, an attorney and
former President of the NFB Student Division, who informed us of
some of the problems older blind students encounter when taking
tests, such as the SAT's, administered by the Education Testing
Service (ETS). For example, although sighted students may take the
SAT test as many times as the SAT is scheduled in a year, a Braille
user can take the test using the Braille version only once; ETS
will not provide more than one version of the test in Braille.
Another serious problem is ETS's practice of flagging test results
as taken under "non-standard" conditions if the test taker required
any adaptations, such as the use of Braille, large print, or
readers. These and other problems with ETS are concerns the NOPBC
must address in cooperation with the Student Division in the year
to come.
     Following Mr. LaBarre's presentation voluntary reports were
solicited from NOPBC chapters and individuals in the audience
regarding parent and children activities in states and communities
around the country. Many exciting projects are being carried out by
our innovative and energetic affiliates. Look for more reports
about these activities in Future Reflections.
     The next presentation was from our keynote speaker, Dr. Kay
Alicyn Ferrell, Associate Professor, Division of Special Education,
University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado. Dr. Ferrell is
responsible for coordinating the training program for teachers
specializing in the education of the visually impaired. She has
taken a firm pro-Braille stand and has worked cooperatively with
the Federation in Colorado on the Braille literacy issue. Even
though she has been at Northern Colorado only a short time, she has
already increased the number of Braille courses offered to student
teachers in the program.
     Her presentation was titled, "Training Teachers of the
Visually Impaired." Dr. Ferrell gave an overview of the state of
teacher training programs at colleges and universities throughout
the country. Currently, the requirements of college and university
programs around the country vary significantly and thus produce
teachers who may or may not be adequately prepared in the skills
they are expected to teach. Dr. Ferrell shared with us her views
and opinions on expansion and improvement of such programs.
     The program for the day concluded with a panel presentation of
parent leaders from different state NOPBC divisions. From New
Jersey Carol Castellano reported on organizing and conducting a
teacher training seminar on appropriate approaches in including
blind children in the regular classroom. Loretta White of Maryland
talked about putting together a Braille Storyhour summer program
for blind children. Julie Hunter from Colorado spoke about
successful efforts to pass Braille literacy legislation in that
state. From the host state of Michigan, Dawn Neddo gave a report
about their monthly tutoring program in which blind Federationists
teach Braille, cane travel, and other skills to blind youngsters.
Then Kathy Arthurs of our Ohio parents' division described some of
Ohio's fund-raising projects. Last, Shirley Baillif of California
enthusiastically described the talent show which was organized by
the parents division and presented by blind children at the NFB of
California state convention.
     The final item of business was the election of officers and
board members. After Mrs. Cheadle described the structure of the
NOPBC board and the function of the nominating committee, Ruby
Ryles, Chairman of the nominating committee, presented the
committee's slate of nominations. The report was accepted, and the
slate of officers was elected with no dissenting votes. The
1994-1995 officers and board members are: President, Barbara
Cheadle (Maryland); First Vice President, Ruby Ryles (Washington);
Second Vice President, Carol Castellano (New Jersey); Secretary,
Marty Greiser (Montana); Treasurer, Julie Hunter (Colorado); Board
Members: Myra Adler Lesser (Pennsylvania); Shirley Baillif
(California); Kathy Arthurs (Ohio); and Michael Wolk
(Pennsylvania).


             OF READERS, DRIVERS, AND RESPONSIBILITY
           by Peggy Pinder Elliott and Barbara Cheadle
     From the Editor: One of the presentations given at the daylong
seminar for parents of blind children at the 1994 NFB National
Convention was entitled "Readers and Drivers: The Other Alternative
Techniques of Blindness." For this presentation Peggy Elliott and
I teamed up for a lively discussion from two viewpoints: the blind
person who uses readers and drivers and the sighted person who
provides the service. (Peggy is a blind attorney, the Second Vice
President of the National Federation of the Blind, and the
President of the NFB of Iowa. I am the editor of Future
Reflections, President of the National Organization of Parents of
Blind Children, and the sighted parent of a sixteen-year-old blind
son.) However, everyone quickly discovered these differences were
only superficial. Since both speakers operate from the same
philosophy about blindness, we arrived quite naturally at
complementary conclusions about what parents and blind kids needed
most to know about these "other" alternative techniques of
blindness.
     The following article is an expansion and a refinement of this
discussion held between Peggy and me at the parents' seminar. After
looking at the transcript, both of us wanted to flesh out some
ideas we had time to mention only in passing at the seminar. We
also agreed upon a slightly different title. Here, then, is what
Peggy Elliott and I have to say about "Of Readers, Drivers, and
Responsibility."

PEGGY PINDER ELLIOTT:
     I get to talk today specifically about readers and drivers.
But these are really only subparts of a much more general
topic■alternative techniques. I've heard some of today's session
already, and lots of people have used the term "alternative
techniques." Let me give you an example which I think will give
more body to this concept and will help you better understand my
comments today about how readers and drivers function (or should
function) for blind persons.
     When I talk to school children about blindness■as I often do■I
tell them I'm going to talk about alternative techniques such as
Braille. Of course, they think this is interesting. I tell them
that Braille's the same as print; they are alternatives to each
other. Now, when you're talking with second-, third-, or even
fourth-graders this concept is a bit of a reach for them, so I use
an example. Here's what I say. I ask the children if their moms
have a place in the kitchen where they keep cookies. The kids
usually giggle and say, "Yeah." "Do they know where that is?" I
ask. Yes, they know where mom keeps the cookies. Then I ask them if
mom can reach the cookies easily just by standing on the floor.
They say, "Oh, yeah, of course. She can reach them just standing on
the floor." I say, "Can you reach the cookies standing on the
floor?" "No!, uh uh. We're not supposed to get in the cookies." "Do
you know a way, when mom's not in the kitchen, that you can get to
those cookies?" They always giggle and tell me several various
methods (usually involving counters and stools) that they have
figured out for getting to those cookies. So I say, "Now, see, your
mom's taller than you so she can reach the cookies by standing on
the floor. But you can still reach the cookies by using an
`alternative technique.' The point is, you get the cookies, right?"
Anyway, kids always like this subject, so I have found it to be a
good way of explaining about alternative techniques. What I stress
to the kids is that it isn't really so important how you do it (get
the cookies); the important thing is to get it done.
     As parents of blind children you need to be concerned with
making sure that your children learn techniques and approaches
which they can use throughout their lifetime so they can get
it■whatever "it" is■done. Today, I'm going to help you with this
job. I'm going to give you some pointers on what to teach your
child about using readers and drivers. First I'm going to talk
about what we■blind adults■do with readers and drivers.
     We all know about the ADA■Americans with Disabilities Act. We
all know about the Braille literacy laws we have passed. We know
there are lots of sources of reading material in the alternative
media (such as Braille and tapes) used by the blind. But, despite
all this, I will tell you flat out that it is not possible for all
printed or written material to ever be simultaneously available in
an alternative medium accessible to the blind. It is just not going
to happen. For example, in my own practice (I'm a lawyer) I get a
lot of stuff in handwriting. This type of material will never be
readily accessible in my lifetime or even the lifetime of your
children in any way other than through the use of a reader.
     A reader, by the way, is a sighted person who conveys to
you■the blind individual■the visual information that's on a piece
of paper. Every blind person needs to be able to use readers as one
way of getting information. This is true for students in college,
and it's true for blind people in most any job. Therefore, it's
important to keep in mind that readers are going to be a part of
any blind person's life. I remind college students of this all the
time. I was talking just the other day to someone who was
complaining about not getting a book in time for the beginning of
a class. (It happened to be a college student, but it could have
been a high school student.) I told the student that when they get
a job the employer will not be responsible for details such as
this. The blind person is. They will not be able to walk into the
employer's office and say, "You have to provide me with this or
that." The blind employee has to be able to walk into that office
and say to the employer, "Tell me what I can do for you and by when
you need it done." The use of readers makes it possible for blind
persons to have the flexibility needed to take on this
responsibility. So understanding readers and how to use them is an
important technique that you■the parents■need to be planning to
help your children learn to use.
     Readers, in my view, are (as I once said to the consternation
of some of my readers) information acquisition tools. Some readers
find this description a bit cold. I do not intend to be cold, but
information acquisition is my goal when I use a reader■not
friendship, or companionship, or anything else. The fact that the
information is acquired through the use of another human being
instead of through Braille, a tape recorder, or some other tool or
device in no way changes the fact that I am using an alternative to
get information others would get with their eyes. I think it's
important for all concerned to understand that the sighted reader
is first and foremost an information acquisition tool for a blind
person.
     Most blind adults pay for readers. You simply cannot get
readers on a regular basis in college, in an employment situation,
or even for your personal affairs if you don't pay them. This makes
reading an employer/employee relationship. The reading is then a
service, not a favor, to the blind person. The blind person needs
to understand this and teach it to the reader. Reading is a service
that's being provided. It's something I need. It's something for
which I'm willing to pay. It is not a favor.
     The most important and fundamental responsibility of the blind
person in a reader relationship is to be in charge and to make all
the decisions as to what is read. This is easy to say but sometimes
hard to implement. Sighted persons who are new to reading often
want to tell the blind person what they think needs to be read■not
what the blind person really wants to know■but what the sighted
person finds of interest. Therefore, when using an information
acquisition tool that happens to be human■a reader■the blind person
has to be very clear that he or she is the one making the decisions
and furthermore needs to convey this politely and firmly to the
reader.
     I was a prosecutor when I first came out of law school. Most
of the material that came across my desk was generated that day.
There was no way that I could get at that material without having
a sighted reader under my direction to read to me what I needed to
know. On the other hand, I would never get anything else done if I
did not know when to tell the reader to stop reading. There's a lot
of material that people will hand you these days that you don't
need. A blind person needs to know how to acquire and analyze
material quickly regardless of whether the information is accessed
through their own hands (Braille) or through another person (a
reader).
     The first thing■and this is very important■that a blind child
needs to learn is that using readers is okay. It is one of the many
appropriate alternative techniques they will be using throughout
life. Using Braille is okay. Using tapes is okay. Using readers is
okay. A high school principal came to me once in consternation. She
said that because she couldn't get a certain book in Braille for a
blind student on time, the student was excused from doing a book
report. I landed on that principal with both feet! I said "Why did
the student get out of doing the book report? Don't you provide
readers to the student as an alterative when the book isn't
available? Have you ever given the student experience in using a
reader?" The principal was surprised. She had never thought about
that student's need to learn how to use readers. She didn't think
of readers as being an appropriate alternative technique. Well,
they are. Obviously, the child first needs to know how to read and
write■to be literate. But once that stage is achieved and the child
has solid Braille skills, the next stage includes using tapes and
using readers.
     How can you teach your child to use readers? For one thing,
you can build it into the IEP when the child gets older (junior
high or middle school). Determine in advance that certain material
in certain classes will be read with readers. Research papers
utilizing reference material and other books from the library are
good projects for reader use. Get the student involved in this
procedure. They need to play an active part in all the decisions
regarding reader usage. Parents, the student's Braille teacher, or
blind adult role models can then conduct some reader training
sessions with the student. Use a book the student has used and with
which he or she is familiar. Ask the student to decide what it is
they want read, then teach them how to give oral instruction to
move a reader through the printed material. You may even want to do
a role reversal. Have the student be the reader with his or her
Braille text, and you do the directing.
     The important thing to remember is not to help the student too
much. In fact, you may want to make a distinction between your
"teacher/reader" role and your "reader only" role. As a
"teacher/reader" you will interrupt and make suggestions as your
child practices directing you in reading. You may also discuss the
layout and contents of the book, illustrations, and so forth. But
in your role as a reader, you will only read what you are directed
to read and you will not make comments or judgments about what you
are asked to read or not read. Nor will you give information from
the material which you have not been asked to provide (descriptions
of pictures or illustrations; information about appendices,
bibliographies, etc.)
     It can be extremely difficult to do, but if the student does
not ask you to read something, keep your mouth shut. Do not read
anything except what you have been directed to read. Conversely, if
the student asks you to read material you think is unnecessary,
don't make any comments or judgments; just read. The student must
learn to be in charge and to accept the consequences of decisions,
including mistakes. Besides, you will find even in the early stages
that your child will often be right and you will be wrong. Even if
you are very familiar with the subject matter, they know more about
the class, the teacher, and the teacher's expectations than do you.
Remember, in this situation you are a reader■not a tutor, not a
parent, not a teacher, not a mentor, not a friend■but a reader
only. Be sure that others who read for your child understand this.
You may, as the parent, have to be aggressive in insisting that
those who read for your child follow these rules.
     This is especially true since it is more common for blind
children and youth to have volunteer readers as opposed to paid
readers. Also, readers are more likely, at this stage, to be
selected by someone■parents, teachers, etc.■other than the student.
These circumstances combined with the youth and inexperience of the
student tend to blur the issue of who is in control, who is making
the decisions. The primary motivation of those who are paid for a
service is clear■money. The connection between keeping their job
and following the rules laid down by the student is also clear. The
motivation for a volunteer is somewhat different. They want to help
a blind person; maybe they are even friends with the student. Such
volunteers tend to think of themselves more as partners than
employees receiving instructions. This situation requires more
delicacy and tact if the blind student is to remain in control but
still keep a reader happy and motivated to continue reading.
     If, however, a reader is a paid employee of the school, such
as a teacher's aide, the student may still have a problem. Because
the child is young and is a student, both reader and student may
assume that the reader is automatically in charge by virtue of age
and status as a school employee. If a reader under these
circumstances refuses to follow the directions of the student, the
parent or the Braille teacher, or both, must insist that the reader
be replaced with someone who will cooperate.
     Usually members of one's own family are a student's first
readers. This can work well as long as the principle is established
and followed that the student is in charge of the reading. However,
if siblings are required to read, then there needs to be a
trade-off. Siblings need to feel that they get something out of
this arrangement, too. Maybe they will be paid (if so, then the
blind student needs an equal opportunity for work for which they
may be paid), or maybe an exchange of services can be made between
the blind student and sighted sibling. For example, one student
allowed his older sibling to read his taped books from the Library
for the Blind in exchange for reading services.
     Whatever the circumstances, the objective is always the same:
for the blind students to get the printed information they want■not
what someone else thinks they should have.
     With regard to drivers the framework of analysis is
essentially the same. I can repeat exactly what I said with this
slight change: the objective is not to get information, of course,
but to get somewhere. Because blind children will not become
drivers when they grow up, they have a need to integrate into their
life pattern a plan for other people to drive them. They will not
have the option of picking up the keys and jumping into the car
whenever they need to go somewhere. This will be irritating and a
nuisance, but let me tell you something; it's okay. There are
appropriate alternatives and they do work. It helps, though, if you
understand the options, if you train your kids to know how to
handle the alternatives, and if you let them know that these
alternatives are okay.
     Again, you must remember that if you are using paid drivers
these drivers are not doing you a favor. The drivers are supposed
to do what you tell them to do, and be where you say you want them
when you want them. You have to learn to plan ahead when you're
dealing with drivers. If you have to get to the airport you do not
want to call someone at the last minute and hope they will do you
a favor and get you there on time. You've got to be sure that your
drivers will show up when you need them. Therefore, you must
approach using a driver as a service which you plan and direct and
for which you are willing to pay.
     The two major issues involved in planning the use of drivers
is scheduling and routing. Since scheduling is something you work
on with all kids, the scheduling of driver service need not be
approached any differently; the same principles apply. But what
about routing? A blind student has planned ahead and arranged for
driver service to an event. The driver arrives, the student gets
into the car, then what? Who sets the itinerary? Who decides the
route to and from the destination? Well, when I'm in the car and
have hired the driver, I set the itinerary and I decide the route.
How do I know the route? If I have never been to the place before,
I get directions in advance just as anyone else would do. This
surprises many people because the tendency is for the sighted
person to just take over and do this. They don't expect the blind
person to be aware of their surroundings and capable of giving
directions. And, sadly, many blind people can't because they never
learned to do so or ever realized that it is possible to do so.
     Parents can play very active roles in preparing blind youth to
learn driving routes and to learn how to give directions to
drivers. One method I would recommend very strongly is emulating a
driver. Try, for example, a trip to the supermarket. Get in the car
with your youngster, get behind the wheel, than say "Okay, where do
we go?" Now, your kid might try to be smart and say "To the
supermarket," but don't buy it. Demand specific instructions for
every turn. When you back out of the driveway, do you turn right or
left? (Which raises another interesting travel problem for your
child: what does right or left mean when you're going in reverse as
opposed to going forward in a vehicle?). How many blocks do you
travel before you turn? Which direction do you turn? Is there a
light or a stop sign at the turn? Are there any
landmarks■buildings, signs, etc.■to which the driver should be
alert? It may take you a couple of hours the first time you try
this, but there's no better way for your kid to learn. So you might
as well not plan to buy milk that first time. You may not even get
there the first time you try this, but that's okay. The best thing
you can do for your child is give him or her your time so they will
have opportunities such as this to learn by doing. They need time
and encouragement to do things on their own, to make mistakes and
learn from them. And they need to know, from you, that this is an
okay way to learn. In the driving situation, just as in the reader
situation, sighted people will unconsciously just take over. Your
child needs to have the training and confidence to resist this and
know how to take charge of the situation.
     After you've done this, go back and talk to your child about
concepts he or she may have missed. Do they know what a block is?
Do they know how streets intersect, and about parallel and
perpendicular traffic? Do they know the cardinal directions■east,
west, north, and south? Are they familiar with traffic patterns:
one way streets, multiple lanes, right turns on red, left-turn-only
lanes, 4-way stop signs, speed limits, and so forth? This doesn't
have to be hard to learn, nor does it have to be learned only in
mobility class. Have your kid sit up front with you when you drive
and talk with them about these traffic patterns as you encounter
them. Talk out loud about what you see when you drive.
     How about maps? Does your child know how to use maps? Kids
need to have maps and learn how to use maps. They don't always have
to be great maps. You can use table utensils and napkins to make
simple maps which show how streets intersect to make blocks.
     After your kid has some success in directing you as a driver,
branch out to other family members, relatives, friends, and
volunteers. Give your kids the chance to learn how to direct a lot
of different people as drivers. When they become adults and are
finally out on their own, they'll be able to get where they want to
go because you gave them many opportunities to learn and practice
these skills when they were young.

BARBARA CHEADLE:
     My experiences in driving and reading have been as a volunteer
within the National Federation of the Blind. Reading and driving
have been a part of what I have contributed to the organization. In
fact, I have never been a paid driver or reader for anyone. I first
joined the NFB as a member of the local chapter in Omaha, Nebraska.
I was sighted, my husband was sighted, and we owned a twelve
passenger van. At the time it made sense that driving could be one
of our contributions to the chapter. (Please note that I said
"could" not "should" be driving. Just because people are sighted
and drive does not mean that this is automatically the contribution
they should make as members of the NFB. Although I still drive
occasionally for local chapter functions, it is no longer one of my
primary contributions to the affiliate.)
     One of my earliest experiences in driving under the direction
of a blind colleague was with a fellow named Jerry Eckery. I recall
that the first time I drove Jerry someplace, I did not know where
we were going, and he gave directions. He was excellent. He did
everything Peggy was trying to tell you that you should teach your
child to do when in charge of a driver. He was in control. He knew
where he was going and was able to give instructions and describe
landmarks that a sighted driver could follow. We would make a turn
and he would say "You should be passing an Exxon station to your
left." Sure enough, there it was. Now, this was a route he had
never walked. He had no reason to know about that Exxon station
except that he knew it would be helpful to the people■sighted
drivers■he would be directing. I truly appreciated and learned a
lot from Jerry. As a driver, volunteer or paid, it certainly made
my job a lot easier to be able to sit back and follow directions.
That's what I did when I was Jerry's driver.
     Another member of our chapter which we (my husband and I)
frequently drove to meetings was an elderly woman who had grown up
as a blind child in a very protected and sheltered environment. She
didn't have much money, and she didn't get out much. She didn't
have Jerry's extensive knowledge about the city, but she did,
however, know her own street and could give others information
about her area. There was something else that she did which I truly
came to appreciate. She knew that I was a member of the NFB chapter
and that I considered driving my contribution. Nevertheless, she
did not take my driving for granted. She always thanked me for the
ride. From time to time she offered me money (which I always
refused) or a trinket or toy for my children (which I would
accept). She did not have Jerry's knowledge, independence, and
resources, but she had dignity, she was courteous, and she did not
expect others to do for her what she could do■however small that
was■for herself. And that attitude was evident in how she treated
me as a driver.
     Having said that, let me shift gears, so to speak, and talk to
you about some of my pet peeves as a driver. When I'm done, Peggy
will get a shot at the same topic. I think that one of my top pet
peeves is driving for someone who consistently is unable to give me
directions or tell me about landmarks; who, in short, is never able
to tell me anything more than the address of our destination. I am
not annoyed at the individual, for I know that this is merely a
matter of ignorance and lack of skills. These people, as blind
children or as newly blinded adults, never had the opportunity to
learn how to take responsibility for giving directions to others
and furthermore never knew that this was possible. Rather, I am
annoyed and angry at the real culprits: parents who overprotected
their children, rehabilitation systems which custodialize instead
of promoting independence, and the general cultural environment
which continues to promote an image of the blind as helpless and
dependent. You can avoid this problem with your children by
teaching them these skills, and especially conveying to them that
it is their responsibility to know how to get to where they want to
go and how to direct those who are driving them.
     How do you do that? Here is one idea. We used to play an
orientation game when we were traveling in our vehicle with our
three children (one of whom is blind). My husband would say "If I
were to get in the car, pull out of the driveway, turn left, go two
blocks, cross the street at the light, proceed to the next light
and make a left, then stop about halfway down the block, where am
I?" The children would guess the answer, then one of them would
have a turn to describe a route■putting in all turns, landmarks,
etc. as appropriate■and the rest of us in the car would guess the
answer. This was a great game not just for our blind son, but for
everyone in the family. You can think of other mobility or
orientation games to play, too.
     Also when I'm in a vehicle, either as a driver or as a
passenger, I naturally tend to talk a lot about landmarks. I will
call everyone's attention to a new billboard, a new 4-way-stop
sign, the architectural style of buildings we pass, and so forth.
This natural tendency on my part was helpful especially to our
blind son. He began to learn about the things in the surrounding
environment that sighted drivers use as important landmarks in
getting about.
     The ability to personally operate a car is, unquestionably, a
great convenience in our society. However, people pay a great deal
for this convenience. It is expensive to own and operate a
vehicle■even a clunker or an economy high-gas mileage model. My
other pet peeve is with people who assume that not only is driving
your own car more convenient than alternative modes of
transportation, but that it is also much cheaper. This just isn't
so. Years ago my husband (who was single at the time) compared his
yearly transportation expenses■personal and job-related■with a
blind colleague of his. Both of them worked for a state agency in
supervisory positions doing pretty much the same type of job. They
were both bachelors, lived in the same city, and were in the same
social circle, so their personal social activities were equivalent.
Out of curiosity they sat down (they spent hours doing this) with
all their tax information and compared personal transportation
expenses and business transportation expenses. My husband owned and
operated a travel-all van; his friend used all the available
alternative transportation modes available to him; public
transportation, taxis, walking, and privately paid drivers for both
business and personal use (he was reimbursed for on-the-job travel
expenses at the same rate my husband and other sighted employees
were reimbursed for their travel expenses). The difference in
expenses was no more than $2.00. (Don't ask me which way it came
down, Peggy. I don't remember.)
     As parents, you are in a position to teach your child about
the real costs of owning and operating a vehicle. We teach our
sighted children these things. Many sighted sixteen-year-olds are
required to work or save money to help pay for the cost of their
automobile insurance, the gas they use in the family car, or the
cost of their own vehicle. How many parents think to teach this
information to their blind teen-agers? Does your blind teen-ager
know how much automobile insurance would cost to cover them if they
were a driver? How about the up-front purchase cost of a car. Does
your blind teen know that most people go into debt and spend years
making monthly payments on the cost of a vehicle? What about
maintenance and repair costs? Has your blind teen-ager gone with
you to the auto shop to buy tires, or to pay a $200 repair bill and
pick up a car which has been in the shop for a week?
     This information helps your teens in many ways. It gives them
a better perspective and understanding of their own transportation
costs now and when they become independent adults. They will feel
differently about the monthly cost of bus fare, taxi fare, and
private driver's fees if they know what it costs the average
sighted guy to drive a car. This knowledge will also help them as
adults to successfully and fairly negotiate fees for private
drivers. Many blind teens will grow up and eventually own cars
which will be operated by sighted spouses, other family members
(such as sighted teen-agers), or even hired drivers. But, for some
reason■perhaps our stereotyped notions about blindness■we parents
seldom think about the necessity of teaching our blind children
about the costs and problems of owning and operating a vehicle.
     This knowledge will also help your children grow up to be
effective and courteous users of volunteer drivers. Even when your
children become financially independent adults, there will always
be occasions when the most convenient, or only available,
transportation is with a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor, or other
persons willing to volunteer a ride. Should the driver be offered
money for gas? How much out of their way is it reasonable to ask of
the driver? Should you arrange to do a favor in exchange for the
ride, or just remember to do something special for them sometime?
Or, under the circumstances, is there a need to do anything at all
other than say "Thanks?" Every situation is different, so there is
no one right answer to these questions. However, the more knowledge
the blind individual has about the transportation time and costs to
the sighted driver, the better able they will be to make decisions
which keep everyone■rider and driver■happy and feeling good about
the situation. As a volunteer driver I have been in all the
situations described. When my children were small I sometimes
exchanged favors with a blind friend of mine who also had small
children. She would baby-sit for my children, and I would drive or
read for her. It was a legitimate exchange of favors, and we
considered it an equal relationship. On other occasions, when
driving to a Federation meeting, for example, it might or might not
be appropriate for riders to share the expense. If the meeting was
hours away clear across the state, sharing the costs made sense. If
it was a local meeting for which I incurred no significant extra
expense either in time or mileage, it never seemed right to accept
more than a "Thank you" from riders.
     To sum up, you can give your children a head start in avoiding
these pet peeves if you give them a good education now in how to be
responsible for, and skilled in, meeting their own transportation
needs.

PEGGY ELLIOTT:
     When I started thinking about pet peeves I only came up with
two, but they're pretty all-encompassing. One involves the sighted,
and one involves the blind. Interestingly enough they are obverse
sides of the same coin. My pet peeve involving blind people is■and
possibly I feel more strongly about this because I am so aware that
it doesn't need to be this way■blind people who don't take
responsibility. Responsibility for what? Well, for anything! It
starts when you're a kid. For example, in my family we had a whole
passel of kids; there were six of us. And at the dinner table, if
you didn't push your chair in when you got up from the table then
three or four of your brothers and sisters were likely to wind up
with bruised shins and they would come and pound on you because
they tripped over the chair you forgot to push in. It wasn't just
a matter of courtesy■it was a matter of survival■to push in your
chair in my family.
     Now, I ask you, how many blind kids do you suppose get up from
the table and push in their chairs? How many don't push in their
chairs? How many parents will consistently say, "Son, come back
here and push in your chair," and how many do you suppose never say
a word, but just push it in themselves? How many blind kids get up
from the table and leave while everybody else in the family carries
their dirty plates or dishes into the kitchen? How many of you
require your sighted kids to help clear the table, but never ask
your blind kid to do his or her part?
     Blind adults who do not take responsibility were once blind
children who were not asked to carry the same weight as others.
Furthermore, usually no one even described to the child what it was
that others were doing. The blind child may not know that other
people push in the chair. Eventually, at a certain age the kid is
going to deduce that either all chairs are on automatic rollers, or
that someone is pushing them in. But why not make it a point of
instruction and responsibility for the blind kid at the same age
you would do it for the sighted kid? It is simply a matter of
courtesy for all of us to push in our chairs. Why not make it a
point of instruction that all family members■including the blind
child■will help with this or that task■making beds, vacuuming,
collecting laundry, folding laundry, etc.?
     Blind children who do not get this instruction are the ones
who grow up and become those blind adults who do not know how to
tell others where they live, who do not know how to give
instructions to a driver, who do not take the responsibility to
schedule transportation ahead of time, and who do not have the
courtesy to offer payment to a driver when appropriate. I guess to
me responsibility and courtesy go hand in hand. I am afraid that
all too many blind children■and some blind adults, too■have not
been taught or have forgotten the lessons of responsibility and
courtesy.
     These lessons must be taught by you, the parents of blind
children. It may sometimes take a little longer to teach your blind
child. The first time you tell your kid to push in a chair, you may
need to walk around behind him and put his hands on the chair and
show him how to push. So what? Even if you have to do this a number
of times, eventually he or she will learn to push the chair in by
himself. He will have learned a lesson in courtesy and taken on a
little bit more responsibility. This, in the end, lets him hold his
head higher because he is then a part of what's going on around
him, not a helpless bystander. And each such experience makes the
next task easier to learn.
     The obverse of this pet peeve is, of course, the sighted
person who assumes that he or she knows what is good for a blind
person and that it is their job to take care of everything for the
blind individual. You'd be surprised how many things are simply
done for us, to us, and around us that we may not ever know about
unless we are alert and know to anticipate this problem. Even then,
we may only learn about what was done after it is too late to do
anything about it. Let me give you two examples of this pet peeve.
     I was standing on a street corner one day. The light was red
for travel in my direction. A woman came up behind me, grabbed my
arm■practically cutting off the circulation,■and said that she
would take me across the street. Well, I pointed out to her that
the light was red and that I was waiting for traffic to stop and
the light to change so that I could cross safely. She dropped my
arm in anger and said "Well, you think you know so much" and walked
away. I was quite capable of judging whether it was safe to cross
that street or not, and I wasn't going just because she said it was
okay. She was welcome to go if she wanted to, but I wasn't. She was
in effect trying to take responsibility for me, and then became
irritable when I pointed out the basic facts about red and green
lights and furthermore insisted on taking responsibility for
myself. That really torched her. The attitude which prompts this
kind of behavior among sighted people toward the blind not only
diminishes the dignity of blind persons but it diminishes the
sighted as well.
     Here's another very recent example. This happened when my
husband (who is quite tall and also blind), my secretaries, and I
were in line to board the airplane to come to this convention. My
sighted colleagues and I had walked through the airplane door when,
as my husband was about to walk through, the airflight attendant
cried out, "Watch his head!" Well, we all spun around and
looked■for whatever good that did! She had good intentions, she was
trying to give him information, but she didn't know how to do it.
She thought someone else had to be responsible for him; someone
else had to "watch his head"■he couldn't do it himself. My
husband's been tall a long time and he's gotten on a few planes in
his life. He knows when and how to protect his rather tall head.
     These incidents are a continuing irritation to blind persons.
It is abrasive to our dignity to have sighted people around us
assume that they are responsible for us and then proceed to do
things and take actions which we could■and should■be doing for
ourselves. But as blind adults this is simply something we have to
deal with. How do we do it? Well, at the personal day-to-day level
we hopefully bring to these situations the right balance of
courtesy, tact, and firmness. We do not wish to be rude, but
neither must we let ourselves be pushovers and let others take
responsibility for us. On a broader level, this is the very reason
for the existence of the National Federation of the Blind: public
education. The same person who thinks they have to help me across
the street is the same person who will deny me a job. But I know
that what we do in the National Federation of the Blind has changed
public attitudes and will continue to change them. I know I am
treated with greater respect on the street and in the workplace
than our founders, such as Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, were treated fifty
years ago. Furthermore, I intend to do my part so that your
children will be able to say the same thing about my generation.
     And what role do you, the parents, play? Again, on the
day-to-day personal level you need to teach your children to take
responsibility for themselves. You need to instill in them the
confidence and skill to be tactful, yet firm, with those■kindly as
they may be■who will try to take it away from them. You are their
first sighted model. Yes, in the NFB we talk a lot about blind
models, and your child does need us. But they need good sighted
models, too. And you are their first, and can be their best,
sighted model. What do you model for your child? Do you insist, in
small ways and large, that they take responsibility for themselves?
Do you graciously back down when your lesson takes, and they tell
you firmly "Leave me alone. I will do this myself."? And at the
broader level, are you doing your part as a member of the National
Federation of the Blind to educate the sighted public about the
capabilities of the blind?
     As I said, my pet peeves are pretty all-encompassing. But if
you want your blind child to grow up to be independent in all areas
of life as an adult■including the effective use of readers and
drivers■then, I think, you must honestly address the issues we have
raised here today.


                     THE SCHOLARSHIP CLASS
                             OF 1994

     Reprinted from the August-September, 1994, Braille Monitor.

     The task of the National Federation of the Blind Scholarship
Committee is never easy. During the spring, members must pore over
many hundreds of scholarship applications to choose the group of
finalists, who will attend the convention to compete for the
various awards. Then during convention week, when there are always
at least five things one wants to do with every free moment, they
must find the time to get to know each of the twenty-six winners in
order to make the final judgments in the competition. This year the
job was particularly difficult. The Class of '94 is talented and
energetic. A number of its members are already active in the
Federation, and during the convention many others began to
demonstrate deep interest in and personal response to our
philosophy and commitment to changing what it means to be blind.
This is what Peggy Elliott, Chairman of the Scholarship Committee,
had to say to and about the members of the Class of '94 at the
Wednesday, July 6, banquet as she presented scholarship
certificates to each person:
     The word change is much used these days. To me change is a
slippery word. Change can be good or bad. It can be change backward
or change forward. We in the National Federation of the Blind, for
example, say, "We are changing what it means to be blind." We know
the direction of that change; it can't get any worse; it can only
get better. But this afternoon Dr. Jernigan described another kind
of change, the change in literacy among blind people■that change
brought about inadvertently by mainstreaming, sending literacy down
for blind people. That is not positive change.
     A better word than change is progress. Progress implies going
in a deliberately chosen direction toward a specified goal. Since
1940 the National Federation of the Blind has brought about steady
progress in the condition of the blind by knowing what we want; by
ourselves devising the means for getting it; and by gaining
strength by doing the job ourselves, doing it well, and taking
pride in the doing.
     Likewise, this year's twenty-six scholarship winners are all
on steady courses of progress. Each one has chosen education as a
necessary tool that he or she needs in order to achieve his or her
goals. Each of these scholarship winners aspires to certain goals.
Some of them will achieve the goals they now seek. Some, along
their paths, will choose to change their goals. But as you will see
from the twenty-six scholarship winners this evening, each of them
is making progress. Each of them is changing his or her life for
the better, and by doing so each of them helps to further the
progress of all blind people toward freedom. I'm about to introduce
to you the twenty-six scholarship winners. Let me begin by saying
that each of them has a distinguished academic record. Most of them
have a grade point average that could be described as "3.9
something." So I'm not going to say they are academically
distinguished over and over again■you can take that statement as
applying to all of them. I'll tell you a little about each as he or
she comes forward to receive his or her certificate. I do want to
mention though that most of the donors of most of the scholarships
are here in this room tonight. A few of our scholarships were
endowed by wills or by people who are not here. But all of the
scholarships named National Federation of the Blind are given by
you and me■the people in this room and those thousands of
Federationists who weren't able to join us tonight but who are
long-standing members of the National Federation of the Blind. I
will now begin, ladies and gentlemen, to introduce to you the
twenty-six scholarship winners and to tell you what each has won.
     The first category is National Federation of the Blind
Scholarships. Each of these particular scholarships is in the
amount of $2,000, and there are eight such scholarships.

     Shane E. Buresh, Nebraska, Nebraska: Shane aspires to be a
teacher. Next year he'll be a junior at Peru State College in
Nebraska, where he's studying in the curricula of both education
and mathematics. His goal is to be a secondary math or possibly a
teacher of special education in the public schools. Shane also
serves as a newspaper columnist for his college newspaper and
competed in a statewide competition of newspaper columnists in
which he won second place. He's also a senator in his college
senate, and he has participated in several state and national
conventions of the National Federation of the Blind.
     Joseph Bradley Drenth, Michigan, Michigan: Joseph has just
graduated from Petoskey High School, which he describes as six
hours north of here, still in the State of Michigan. He'll be a
freshman in the fall at Michigan Technological University, where he
intends to earn a degree in electrical engineering and computer
science. His goal is to go on through to graduate studies, where he
wants to study bio-engineering with an emphasis on brain and
neuro-intercommunications involving electro-chemical voltage
variances! I'm not kidding. Joseph began to lose his sight only a
couple of years ago. He's a National Merit Scholar, and he's also
an avid gardener■even six hours north of here.
     Randall S. Horwitz, New York, New York: Randy has just
completed his first year at Rochester Institute of Technology,
where he is earning a B.S. in computer science. Randy intends to
work in the field of computer programming. He was also recently
elected to serve as President of his local Hillel chapter, the
international Jewish organization for students.
     Patricia Lawson, Texas, Texas: Patricia will be a sophomore in
the fall at Houston Community College, where she is earning an A.A.
degree in mental health and social work. Patricia intends
ultimately to earn an M.S.W. and become a licensed professional
counselor. Patricia has been a member of the Houston Chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind for eight years. She works now
full-time at the Houston Lighthouse for the Blind in the social
services department and is attending school full-time at night.
     Latonya Phipps, Maryland, Georgia: Latonya will be a sophomore
in the fall at Spelman College, where she already has one year
under her belt. She is working towards a B.S. in psychology. She
would ultimately like to earn a Ph.D. in psychology and have her
own practice. She would also like to have a Ph.D. in
African-American literature. She'd like to work part-time as an
English professor and full-time as a psychologist. Latonya has been
a freshman member of the class council. She is a member of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and she
also served as a judiciary representative for her class. Latonya
knows what discrimination is firsthand since her French professor
told her that he didn't know what she was doing there, because she
obviously couldn't perform. She proved him wrong.
     Chester Paul S'groi, California, California: Chester will be
a senior in the fall at Humboldt State University in northern
California. He's simultaneously earning a B.S. in psychology and a
B.A. in religious studies. Chester's goal is to be ordained as a
Roman Catholic priest.
     Jeffrey J. Treptow, Arizona, Arizona: Jeff is now working at
Phoenix Community College toward an A.A. in office automation. He
intends to get employment in word processing and ultimately become
a supervisor. I want to read to you a few sentences from Jeff's
application letter. I think it's one of the, well you will see what
I mean: "During the past nine years, I have worked in a sheltered
workshop for the blind, Arizona Industries for the Blind, doing
basic production work for substandard wages. In May of 1992 I was
laid off and tried to find other work. However, I was not able to
find other work because of my lack of education and computer
skills. I have been a member of the Phoenix Chapter of the National
Federation of the Blind for approximately two years. I honestly
believe that the only way out of sheltered workshops is through
better education. They only want the blind to work in sheltered
workshops and do menial labor. This scholarship certainly would be
a great help to me and insure the fact that I will not have to
return to sheltered workshop employment. The state rehabilitation
agency does not want to help the blind get a better education. They
only want the blind to work in sheltered workshops and do menial
labor."

     The next scholarship winner, unfortunately, though she has
been with us throughout the convention, is not here this evening.
She has been felled by a combination of infections, and I'll read
her scholarship to you and will convey it to her at another time.

     Elizabeth Anne Winterstein, Illinois, Illinois: Elizabeth will
be a sophomore at the College of St. Francis in the fall. She is
earning a B.S. in psychology, hopes ultimately to earn a Ph.D., and
wants to counsel children and adults with vision loss. She says to
us that her true passion is public speaking, which many of us can
appreciate, and that she has been active in Illinois state
Republican politics.

     The next scholarship is the Hermione Grant Calhoun Scholarship
in the amount of $2,000. As many of you remember, this scholarship
was endowed by Dr. Isabel Grant in memory of her daughter. Dr.
Grant traveled internationally sometimes, I think, more than she
stayed in the U.S. of A. This scholarship goes to:

     Christine L. Gravinsky, Alaska, Colorado: Christine has
completed two years of her baccalaureate studies at the University
of Alaska at Fairbanks, where she outgrew them. She has now moved
to the University of Northern Colorado in Ft. Collins, where she'll
start her junior year. She intends to get degrees in German and
Spanish. She wants to interpret and translate with fluency in a
minimum of seven European languages. You can see how she outgrew
the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

     The next scholarship is the Ellen Setterfield Memorial
Scholarship in the amount of $2,000. This scholarship is restricted
to people studying in the social sciences, and the donor prefers a
graduate student. We didn't happen to have one this year, so the
scholarship goes to:

     Jennifer Ranee Koch, Wisconsin, Minnesota: Jennifer will be
entering her senior year in the fall at the University of
Minnesota, where she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in English as
a second language. She wants to be a teacher of English as a second
language, and her discipline is Chicano studies. She's a woman of
broad interests, working in Habitat for Humanity, volunteering in
nursing homes, and working with retarded adults. She is a member of
the Twin Cities Chapter and a member of the National Federation of
the Blind of Minnesota Board of Directors and has helped with fund
raising for that organization. She also helped to organize a new
chapter in Austin, Minnesota.

     The next scholarship is the Kuchler-Killian Memorial
Scholarship in the amount of $2,000, endowed in loving memory of
Junerose Killian's parents. Junerose, of course, and all the
Killians are always here. This scholarship will be given to:

     Joel Steven Zimba, West Virginia, West Virginia: Joel will be
a junior at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia,
in the fall, where he is earning a bachelor of science degree in
computer science. To tell you a little more about Joel, he plans to
make his career in the area of making software applications useful
to and friendly to people with no computer knowledge. He also plays
electric guitar, chess, and the game  Dungeons and Dragons.

     The next scholarship is a new one this year, endowed by a
person who has shown much interest in the blind community over the
years, endowed by Mr. Ray Kurzweil in the amount of $2,000. The
Kurzweil Scholarship will go to:

     Lisa Genevieve Connor, Hawaii, California: She is a high
school senior right now and has just completed her work in Hawaii
Preparatory Academy. In the fall she will be a freshman at Stanford
University, and hers is my favorite discipline. She is going to
earn a B.S. in symbolic systems. Lisa is then going to earn an
M.B.A. and work in the business field with computers. For six years
Lisa has been a member of the National Federation of the Blind.
Remember, this is a graduating high school senior. She currently
serves as Second Vice President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Hawaii. I want to tell you that her mother is also a
long-time member and is also attending this convention.

     The next four scholarships are National Federation of the
Blind scholarships, each in the amount of $2,500.

     Robert David Berry, Nevada, Nevada: Dave is currently in his
senior year, working toward a bachelor's of social work degree at
the University of Nevada at Reno. He intends to complete his B.S.W.
and work towards an M.S.W. He also intends to do private counseling
with young adults, adolescents, and children doing grief therapy.
David is President of our Carson Valley Chapter. He was recently
elected to a seat on the Board of the National Federation of the
Blind of Nevada, attended his first D.C. Seminar this year, and is
a single parent of two children, one of whom is blind.
     Nancy Lorraine Feldman, Oregon, Oregon: Nancy will be a junior
in the fall at the University of Oregon. She has just completed
work at Chemeketa Community College and is going on to the
University of Oregon, where she is going to earn a B.S. in
psychology. Her goal is to earn a master's in psychology or
whatever she needs in order to become a clinical psychologist.
Nancy is also a single parent of two daughters. She is a member of
the Lane County Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind.
She is an equestrian and before her current career has marketed
books, computers, and software.
     Kurt Friedrich Kuss, Illinois, Illinois: Kurt has just
completed work at National-Louis University on his bachelor of
social work degree and will also be certified this fall in
substance and alcohol abuse counseling. He'll begin his first year
of a master's degree program in social work at Loyola University of
Chicago in the fall. Kurt intends to become an employee assistance
program counselor. He has chosen a field, as he says, in which you
can get a job. He wants to counsel people with multiple
substance-abuse problems. You can see that Kurt is a man of focus.
He has chosen a field in which he knows he cannot be one of those
seventy percent unemployed.
     Lori Michelle Miller, Indiana, Indiana: Lori is entering her
sophomore year at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, where
she is taking full advantage of the smorgasbord of opportunities at
the post-secondary level. She is undecided as to her discipline at
the moment but considers possibilities in law or being a college
professor. She is leaving from here to go play on the World Cup
Goal Ball team in Colorado Springs. She also enjoys swimming and
roller dance skating.

     NFB Educator of Tomorrow Award, $2,500:

     Corinne Vieville, California, California: Corinne will be
beginning her second year in her master's degree at San Francisco
State University, where she is in the Education Department. Her
goal is to receive a certificate in adult rehab and also a
credential in orientation and mobility, to which we all say, "Good
luck." Corinne also wants to have a job in job development and
career planning for blind students transitioning between home and
work, with the opportunity to teach them skills as well as
transitioning. She herself serves as President of the Mt. Diablo
Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of California and
lives on a family farm with her husband and four children, where
they raise dairy and Angora goats, dairy and beef cattle, wool
sheep, pigs, horses, donkeys, ponies, and a variety of poultry. I
want you to know that, carrying all those responsibilities, she
commutes one-and-a-half hours a day, one way, to college.

     National Federation of the Blind Humanities Scholarship in the
amount of $2,500:

     Cecilia Ojoawo, Massachusetts, Massachusetts: Cecilia is about
to begin her fourth year in her Ph.D. studies at Boston University,
where she is earning a Ph.D. in psychology. She would like to be a
college psychology professor. Cecilia herself lost her own parents
in Nigeria when she was young and someday would like to build an
orphanage for children in Nigeria. She also enjoys canoeing. She is
a member of and serves currently as Secretary of the NFB of
Massachusetts Boston chapter, and she teaches Sunday school to
first-grade kids.

     Frank Walton Horn Memorial Scholarship in the amount of
$2,500. This scholarship, of course, is endowed in loving memory of
Catherine Horn Randall's father by Cathy and her family, all of
whom are staunch and active members of the NFB of Illinois:

     Cary Alan Supalo, Illinois, Indiana: Cary has just completed
his freshman year at Northern Illinois University, where he is
seeking a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He has
decided to change schools in the fall, and he'll be a sophomore at
Purdue University in Indiana. He intends to earn an E.E. and to
work as an engineer in a large corporation. He is an active member
of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, where he
attends chapter meetings. He has been to state and national
conventions. While at NIU he served as a student senator from his
class to the student government, also as a volunteer receptionist
at the Roman Catholic Youth Center, and he is currently President
of the Illinois Association of Blind Students. So, Illinois, you'll
have to find a new president.

     The Howard Brown Rickard Scholarship in the amount of $2,500,
our most long-standing scholarship, and restricted to students in
the fields roughly of natural sciences, architecture, or law. It
has been given since 1968 and goes this year to:

     Luis Anaya, California, California: Luis is currently a high
school senior, having just finished at California Academy of
Mathematics and Sciences. He will be a freshman in the fall at the
University of Southern California, where he also intends to earn a
B.S. in electrical engineering. His goal is to add a J.D. to that
E.E. He wants to be a lawyer and ultimately a patent attorney,
combining his knowledge of math and science with the law. He has
served as student body president during his time at the California
Academy of Math and Sciences. He likes to race bikes, and he has
taken college-level courses already in things like differential
calculus and physics.

     Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $3,000:

     James Anthony Lyons, California, California: James will be a
senior in the fall at San Diego State University, where he is
studying in the discipline of liberal studies with an emphasis in
music. His goal is to be an elementary school teacher. I heard
someone say this week, "I wish he was teaching my girl right now
rather than some of the teachers she has." James also serves as
Treasurer of the San Diego Chapter of the National Federation of
the Blind of California, and he attended and won a scholarship at
last fall's NFB of California convention. James is a single parent
of a teenage daughter.

     The next scholarship is a brand new scholarship. This
scholarship is the Mozelle and Willard Gold Memorial Scholarship in
the amount of $3,000. This will be an annual scholarship endowed by
Sharon Gold in memory of her parents. Her mother passed away in
1988, and her father passed away in March of this year. Sharon's
mother learned Braille when Sharon was a youngster, and when she
was eight, her mother learned that there were over three hundred
blind adults in the Bakersfield area who did not know Braille. Her
mother started the Braille classes that continue today. She
believed in literacy in the 1940's, '50's, and '60's, before we
took up the issue in the National Federation of the Blind. Her
father was one of those people of whom it was said, "He asked
nothing of others and gave everything to others." This scholarship
will be given this year to:

     Shannon Raen Bartch, Missouri, Missouri: Shannon has just
graduated from high school and will begin her freshman year of
college at St. Louis University, where she will begin her studies
toward a bachelor of science degree in psychology. Shannon also
intends to earn a J.D. and to become a lawyer. Right before
convention Shannon started learning Braille. I think that is one of
the nice reasons why this is such a good scholarship for Shannon.
She was also a cheerleader for four years in high school. She is a
member of the Missouri Triangle Chapter and went to the D.C.
Seminar this year. Shannon Bartch, the first winner of the Mozelle
and Willard Gold Memorial Scholarship.

     The next two scholarships are called National Federation of
the Blind Scholarships. They are each in the amount of $4,000:

     Shawn Marie Mayo, Illinois, Illinois: Shawn will be a senior
at Bradley University in the fall, where she is also studying
towards a B.S. in psychology. Her goal is to achieve a degree and
then to counsel children with chronic and terminal illnesses and to
do research on that same subject. In addition to her vocational
interests, Shawn is now trying to write a book on this subject. She
is also an equestrian. I wonder, Illinois, if you have found your
next President for the Illinois Association of Blind Students?
     Tracy Edmond Rogers, Colorado, Colorado: Tracy will be a
junior in the fall at Colorado State University, where he is going
to be earning two degrees, a bachelor's of social work and also a
B.A. in history. Tracy ultimately hopes to earn a J.D. degree, and
listen to these aspirations. He wants to be a federal prosecutor or
litigation expert when he comes out of school. Within twenty years
he wants to be either a U.S. Congressman or Senator or a federal
judge. Tracy is also a single parent of a three-year-old daughter
and likes to write songs, go to plays, and go with his daughter for
walks in the park.

     The next scholarship is the Anne Pekar Memorial Scholarship in
the amount of $4,000. This scholarship, endowed by the parents of
Anne Pekar in loving memory of her, is restricted to a woman
between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five:

     Leann M. Keefe, Kansas, Kansas: Leann will be starting her
second year of her graduate studies in a master's program at the
University of Kansas in Slavic languages and linguistics. Her goal
is to be a professor of Russian and Slavic languages. Leann spent
nine months recently in Russia, some of that teaching and some of
that attending Moscow State University herself. Leann is a member
of the Lawrence Chapter and active in programs for blind students
in Kansas.

     The final scholarship is the American Action Fund Scholarship
in the amount of $10,000. I will first tell you who the scholarship
winner is and then, as that winner comes forward, tell you a little
about her:

     Christine Leah Boone: Many of us know Chris, and she has lived
in the states of Nebraska, New Mexico, Colorado, and Oregon. She
has served in chapter presidencies and as a state president in many
of those states. Some of you probably don't know that she has now
just completed her first year of law school at Creighton University
in Omaha. She is going to earn a J.D. degree and become a lawyer.
She is also the mother of two children, Edward and Katie, who are
here along with her husband at this convention. As a blind person
Chris has successfully and lovingly taught cane travel
professionally, and she has also taught teachers of the blind as
well. She is now changing careers, and in whatever career Chris
Boone decides to engage, you know and I know that she will not only
make progress but she will make a success. Here, for a few remarks,
is our $10,000 winner, Chris Boone:

     Out of all of these incredibly intelligent, articulate,
brilliant men and women, I can't believe you chose me. It's very
difficult to find the words to express how honored I am. I think
this is probably the greatest honor of my life, to be here before
you, my brothers and sisters and friends, and to know that you have
bestowed this incredible honor upon me. The Federation has given to
me so richly by the wise teachings of Dr. Jernigan, and the kind
and strong encouragement of President Maurer, and the eloquent and
enduring writings of Jacobus tenBroek■many of which I still read
this year, my first year of law school, even though they were
written forty years ago. I want to say that I have been a
Federationist for many years. I will always be a Federationist.
It's forever for me. I love you guys, and now let's embrace our
future together and make a lot more tornadoes.


                    OF BRAILLE AND HONEYBEES
                       By Kenneth Jernigan
     Reprinted from the August-September, 1994, Braille Monitor.

     From the Editor: Most of the afternoon session on July 6 was
devoted to a discussion of the problems and challenges surrounding
Braille literacy for blind Americans today. The first speaker on
the panel was Dr. Kenneth Jernigan. Here is what he had to say:

     For the blind of the United States the road to Braille
literacy has been long and difficult, but the dream may at last be
in process of becoming a reality. There are undoubtedly still
battles ahead, but the changing climate is symbolized by a meeting
that was held at the National Center for the Blind on April 4,
1994. That meeting brought together major elements in the blindness
field and gives promise of unprecedented accomplishments. It also
has the potential for tremendous strife and disunity if lessons are
not learned and commitments not kept.
     In recent years Braille has become extremely controversial,
but it was not always so. Until after the Second World War, almost
all blind children who were to be educated, as well as a great many
of the partially sighted, went to residential schools for the
blind. Braille was a given. Everybody learned it, and the students
with partial sight made a practice of reading it with their eyes,
blindfolds and lectures from teachers notwithstanding.
     With the coming of retrolental fibroplasia and the sudden
increase in the number of blind children, public school education
became a necessity. There wasn't anywhere else to put the increased
population, and the parents were not about to permit their children
to grow up illiterate. But there was a side effect, one that
received relatively little comment at the time. The centrality of
Braille was destroyed.
     The public school teachers didn't know Braille, and the new
crop of teacher trainees in the mushrooming university programs
were not much better off. It is true that they received a course or
two in Braille, but that is not the same as concentrated use and
everyday practice.
     It was only a step from not knowing Braille to the
rationalization that it was unimportant, outdated, and in many
instances harmful. As technology advanced, it offered the vehicle.
Parents, of course, were not only willing but anxious to swallow
the fallacy. If the child could see even the tiniest bit, the
teachers (not knowing Braille and feeling comfortable with print)
could say: "Reading print is normal. You want your child to be
normal. Therefore, you want your child to read print if this is at
all possible. Never mind that the magnifiers may be awkward and
clumsy and that large print may be scarce. Never mind that reading
print may be slow and painful. Braille is that way, too."
     Almost without exception the parents nodded in agreement and
settled down to a life of limited expectations for their children.
Mostly they didn't know any blind adults, people who could read
Braille at hundreds of words a minute and use it as flexibly and
efficiently as print is used by the sighted. They relied on the
"professionals," the people who were trained to know and give
competent advice.
     I don't mean to paint a picture that condemns the
professionals of the forties, the fifties, and the sixties. In the
main they were sincere and dedicated, and in many instances they
coped extremely well. The problems they faced were unprecedented,
and there was probably no way that a proper emphasis on Braille
could have been maintained or a true perspective achieved.
     I attended a residential school for the blind in the thirties
and forties and had a thorough grounding in Braille, so I suffered
no damage and feel no resentment. The same cannot be said of many
of the children of the post-World War II era. For the most part
those with any sight at all swallowed the flimflam and limped along
with print. When they reached high school and college, their
reading needs increased; their sight often worsened; they met blind
people who were literate and competent in Braille; and their anger
and frustration congealed into a cold fury. They felt that they had
been cheated and lied to, and they were determined that the blind
of future generations should not be similarly victimized.
     This brings us to the eighties and early nineties, but before
continuing the story, I think it is only fair to say a word about
the changing climate among professionals. Many (but by no means
all) of today's teachers of the blind have reassessed the value and
necessity of Braille. Working with the organized blind, these new
pioneers insist that blind children must have the opportunity for
true literacy and a full life. This means Braille. It also means an
understanding of the part which social attitudes play in creating
or inhibiting opportunity. It means the daily reinforcement of the
concept that it is respectable to be blind and that, given adequate
training and reasonable opportunity, the blind can compete on terms
of equality with others.
     Many elements have gone into the movement for Braille literacy
which has built to a crescendo and is now sweeping the nation, but
few would deny that the fight has been orchestrated and led by the
National Federation of the Blind. The Federation organized NAPUB
(the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille). The
Federation has introduced and continues to press for the passage of
Braille Bills in state legislatures■laws which guarantee the right
of blind children to be taught Braille and to have teachers who are
competent in its use. The Federation has promoted reading contests
and similar activities to stress the importance of Braille to blind
children. The Federation maintains a constant drumfire of publicity
to reinforce the value of Braille, and it now spearheads a campaign
to enact national legislation to assure that blind children will be
taught Braille and that their teachers will know how to read and
write it.
     This brings me back to the April 4 meeting at the National
Center for the Blind and the events that preceded it. At the first
meeting of the Committee on Joint Organizational Effort, held in
1989 at the National Center for the Blind, the Federation pressed
for a policy statement affirming the value of Braille and the right
of blind children to have it. After considerable discussion and
negotiation, such a statement was drafted and agreed to by those
present, including the representatives of AER (the Association for
Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired).
However, AER subsequently said that its board had decided not to
support the statement. This led to considerable controversy and no
small amount of bad feeling.
     The question of Braille literacy was discussed at subsequent
meetings of the Committee on Joint Organizational Effort and also
at regional meetings of the World Blind Union, but without
agreement. The Federation constantly pressed, and AER just as
constantly found problems with the language and some of the
concepts. Although less vocal about it than the Federation, the
American Council of the Blind supported the emphasis on Braille
literacy. The American Foundation for the Blind (though frequently
having problems with specific language and particular requirements)
tended to do likewise.
     At a meeting of the Committee on Joint Organizational Effort
in January of 1992, I pressed hard for the adoption of a simple
statement recognizing the right of blind children to have Braille
instruction, and such a resolution was adopted. I don't want to
make it appear that the AER representatives who were there were
grudging in their acceptance of the resolution or that they opposed
the concept of the value of Braille literacy. Such was not the
case. However, they were reluctant to have unambiguous,
straightforward language.
     They said that the federal requirement for an IEP
(Individualized Education Program) for each disabled student
prohibited the blanket requirement that blind children should have
Braille available to them. Such an argument concerning the teaching
of print to sighted children would be laughed to scorn, but the
world of disability and blindness has peculiar norms. In any case
I want to give you the entire text of the January, 1992,
resolution. It was unanimously adopted by the Committee on Joint
Organizational Effort, with representatives of AER present and
voting affirmatively. I intend to give you the full text of other
documents as I proceed, and although some of them will be
repetitious and characterized by the arcane jargon of
professionalism, federalese, and bureaucracy, I urge you not only
to give attention to them but to concentrate on their every word.
We as blind people should become intimately familiar with the
details of the resolutions, policy statements, and proposed
Congressional enactments which vitally affect our lives and the
lives of the blind of coming generations. Here is the text of the
January, 1992, resolution:


                      RESOLUTION ON BRAILLE
     Recognizing that ongoing assessment and due process are
requirements of the law, the members of the Committee on Joint
Organizational Effort endorse the principle that in planning the
educational program for a blind or visually impaired child, these
guidelines be followed:
     If reading and writing are to be taught and if the parent or
parents and the decision makers for the school want the child to be
taught Braille, this should be done.
     If reading and writing are to be taught and if the parent or
parents and the decision makers for the school want print to be
taught, this should be done.
     If the parent or parents and the decision makers for the
school cannot agree, then both Braille and print should be taught.

     Unanimously adopted by the Committee on Joint Organizational
Effort, January 16, 1992
     Although the AER representatives participated in drafting the
final language of this resolution and voted for it, they made it
clear that they could not commit AER to its support until and
unless they received approval from their board. Subsequently the
AER board rejected the resolution.
     Meanwhile, Federation Braille bills continued to be introduced
and passed in state legislatures throughout the country. More often
than not these bills were opposed (witness Wisconsin) by AER
representatives. Certainly this was not universally the case, and
in some instances there was and is collaboration.
     Another element was the Braille competency test developed by
NLS (the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped of the Library of Congress). The members of the
Committee on Joint Organizational Effort requested NLS to develop
the test, and it was painstakingly and competently done. It was
released for use in January of this year, but a number of the
teachers of the blind throughout the country said that the test
should not be used since it had not been, to use their terminology,
"validated." Never mind that the Library of Congress has been
giving competency tests by the thousands to certify Braille
transcribers since the 1940's, and never mind that the NLS test was
developed by the most knowledgeable professionals in the blindness
field, including leaders of AER. There were those who said that the
opposition to the test was from people who did not know Braille,
even though they were supposed to be in a position to teach it, and
that in the name of professionalism they were simply trying to
protect their jobs and cover their nakedness. Regardless of how
vehemently such statements were made, they were just as vehemently
rejected.
     At its Washington Seminar in January of this year, the
Federation made a federal Braille literacy law one of the prime
objectives of its legislative program. The vehicle was meant to be
the IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), which
must be reauthorized before Congress adjourns this fall. To this
end hundreds of Federation members went to Capitol Hill and
contacted every Senatorial and Congressional office.
     One of those contacted was Congressman James Traficant of
Ohio, one of the Federation's longtime friends. In February of this
year Congressman Traficant called the Federation's National Office
and said that he intended to introduce a Braille Literacy Bill and
that he would like proposed language. Although Federation
representatives had talked to Congressman Traficant at the time of
the Washington Seminar, his call was unexpected. In the
circumstances (even though the time frame was short and the
drafting necessarily hasty) the language was provided. Any other
course would have been ill-advised, risking bad will and being
counterproductive. The introduction of a Traficant Bill could do no
harm since there would be plenty of time to refine the language and
get consensus.
     In a letter to members of the House of Representatives dated
February 24, 1994, Congressman Traficant said in part:

     The numbers of the blind who can read at all are declining. In
1968, out of 19,902 blind students enrolled in elementary and
secondary education, 40 percent read Braille, 45 percent read large
type or regular print, and 4 percent read both. In January, 1993,
out of 50,204 blind students, fewer than 9 percent could read
Braille, 27 percent could read print, and 40 percent could not read
at all. In other words, while there are 40,000 more blind children
in school today, only 30 percent can read■a far cry from 95 percent
in 1968.

     This is what Congressman Traficant said, and it graphically
emphasizes the problem. There are those who claim that these
statistics are misleading since many of the blind children who were
counted in the 1993 census were multiply-handicapped while most of
those listed in the 1968 computation were not, but such an argument
fails to take into account two important factors. With the shifting
of most of the educable blind children to public schools, the
residential schools have correspondingly become the collecting
place for children with multiple handicaps. This has inevitably
meant a declining emphasis on Braille even for the educable blind
children remaining in the residential schools. At the same time, as
already noted, the public schools (with their thinly scattered
population of blind students and their inexperienced teachers, who
have no necessity to use and practice Braille on a daily basis)
have been unable to fill the gap. Therefore, there is no place left
where a blind child can be assured of receiving competent Braille
instruction in a friendly environment.
     Without any consultation or delay both AER and the American
Foundation for the Blind sent letters and telegrams to Congress
opposing the Traficant Bill. Upon reflection, leaders of both
organizations say that they think they were mistaken in such
impulsive action■action which created the very impression that the
blindness field has been trying to avoid: namely, that the field is
characterized by dissension and total disarray. Likewise, (and for
those of you who are hasty to condemn I ask you to consider) we of
the Federation should have found the time to alert AER and AFB to
the step we were taking.
     However, the negatives of the situation may have been more
than balanced by the positives. The Federation called a meeting to
be held in Baltimore at the National Center for the Blind on April
4 of this year. Present were Carl Augusto, Susan Spungin, and Scott
Marshall of the American Foundation for the Blind; Paul Schroeder
of the American Council of the Blind; Michael Bina, Tuck Tinsley,
and Kathy McGivern of AER; and Marc Maurer, Jim Gashel, and I
representing the National Federation of the Blind. We spent the day
negotiating about Braille literacy and reached consensus on two
documents■a statement of principles and proposed amendments to the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
     But before giving you the language of these documents, I must
go back to two other events. At the American Foundation for the
Blind's Josephine Taylor Conference held in Washington on March 3
of this year, Carl Augusto, Susan Spungin, and I discussed in
graphic and straightforward language the Traficant embroilment. We
kept our tempers, but we made our feelings clear. It was obvious
that all concerned wanted to find a solution and that we were in
basic agreement on most of the issues. It was at that time that we
agreed that the Federation would call the April 4 meeting.
     At the regional meeting of the World Blind Union held at the
American Foundation for the Blind building in New York on March 18
I presented a proposed statement of principles concerning Braille
literacy. The statement was discussed and unanimously adopted.
Again, by saying that I presented it, I do not mean to imply that
the others at the meeting opposed it or were grudging in their
acceptance of it. Everybody there was cooperative and engaged in
give and take. At the end of the session it was not my statement
but the statement of the entire group. Here is what it said:

     If a child is totally blind or has such visual impairment as
to be unable to read print, and if literacy skills are to be
taught, the child should be taught to read and write Braille by a
certified teacher competent to teach Braille literacy skills to the
blind.
     If a child has a visual impairment and if literacy skills are
to be taught, the child should, if the parent or parents want this
to be done, be taught to read and write Braille by a certified
teacher competent to teach Braille literacy skills to the blind.
     No teacher should be considered competent to teach Braille
literacy skills to the blind unless such teacher has passed the
Braille competency test developed by the National Library Service
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of
Congress. The passing of the Braille competency test should not be
considered a substitute for or an alternative to regular training
and certification of a teacher but should be in addition to such
training and certification.
     This is the statement we adopted on March 18 of this year at
the regional meeting of the World Blind Union, and although the AER
representatives who were there made it clear that they would have
to go to their board for final approval, surely it was reasonable
to expect that the approval would be forthcoming. After all, the
concepts (and even the details of the language) were not new. They
had been kicking around for several years. Nevertheless, when we
came to the April 4 meeting at the National Center for the Blind,
AER had a counter-proposal. Before commenting on it, let me give
you the exact text. Here it is:
     It is absolutely imperative that blind and visually impaired
students receive appropriate special education services to meet
their current and future needs. The ability to read and write
Braille is one skill which is critically important for independence
and success. Failure to provide Braille instruction in the
frequency and intensity as required in a student's Individualized
Education Plan will inexcusably result in a student who has
unrealized potential and who is unprepared to achieve and compete
in school, work, and society at large. Without literacy skills and
accessibility and availability of Braille, blind students are more
seriously handicapped to achieve, succeed, and function by this
illiteracy, inaccessibility, and unavailability than by their
visual disability.
     A student must be provided Braille instruction by qualified,
competent staff as required by an Individualized Education Plan
based on various considerations not limited to the student's visual
capability, literacy potential, and input from parents and service
providers.
     A student must be provided Braille instruction who is capable
of learning literacy skills, and who is either totally blind or
who, in spite of appropriate low vision interventions, has a
serious visual impairment to the degree as to be unable to read
print efficiently as determined by a comprehensive assessment. In
addition, parent rights, safeguards, and input must be respected
and considered as provided in the federal Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act and respective state laws and rules.
     Teachers of blind and visually impaired students must be
graduates of comprehensive teacher training programs and must
possess specialized certification to work with blind students. As
an integral required part of the coursework to graduate from a
teacher training program and to qualify for certification, teachers
must pass the Braille Competency Test developed by the National
Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the
Library of Congress. Individual state certification requirements
should be strengthened to require additional coursework in the
teaching methodology of Braille reading and writing over and above
the current coursework which predominantly emphasizes the Braille
code. Refresher opportunities should be made available to ensure
that previously trained and currently certified teachers remain
current and competent in teaching Braille.
     The federal U.S. Office of Education Special Education
Programs (OSEP) in its monitoring of individual states, and in turn
the respective state monitoring of school programs should include
specific criteria to ensure compliance with regard to provisions of
1) quality Braille instruction in local education agencies and
state schools and 2) appropriate teacher certification.
     In addition, consumer, advocacy, and professional
organizations of and for the blind in the United States must work
cooperatively with federal, state, and local officials and agencies
to alleviate the critical personnel shortage and meet the
significant demand for qualified and competent teachers of blind
students in the United States.

     This is the document which the AER representatives brought to
the April 4 meeting at the National Center for the Blind, and it is
clear that we were moving toward consensus. However, the document
also exemplifies certain problems which have characterized our
negotiations with AER not only about Braille literacy but about
most other things as well. Among the involved phrases and the
commendable sentiments, the crispness begins to fade, and there
lurks considerable leeway for wiggling. What we have been trying to
get from the very beginning is an unequivocal commitment that every
blind and visually impaired child shall have the right to be taught
Braille and that the Braille should be taught by somebody who is
competent in its use. It is that simple and that uninvolved.
     Again, I want to be sure that I am understood. Many of the
leaders of AER say that they are firmly committed to the necessity
of making Braille available to blind and visually impaired children
and to having competent teachers, but the organization is so
loosely structured that the leaders cannot with any certainty speak
for the members who elected them. This must be frustrating to the
leaders and doubtless also to many of the members. Perhaps the
Braille literacy negotiations and other recent events will cause
AER to rethink its procedures and give more authority to its
officers. Otherwise, the organization will have difficulty coming
to the table as an equal in the negotiations and partnerships of
consensus which are beginning to emerge in the blindness field. AER
has many strong leaders and a vital role to play in the new
reality. If it cannot achieve discipline and purpose, it will
lose■and all of us will lose.
     The April 4th meeting at the National Center for the Blind was
characterized by good will and detailed exactness. The documents
that emerged were unanimously approved by those present, and later
by the AER board and the other organizations involved. Here is the
final wording of the Statement of Principles:

     If a child is unable to read print by reason of total
blindness or visual impairment, and if literacy skills are to be
taught, the child should be taught to read and write Braille by a
certified teacher competent to teach Braille literacy skills to the
blind, unless by reason of multiple disabilities it is impossible
for the child to read Braille.
     If a child has a visual impairment and if literacy skills are
to be taught, the child should, if the parent or parents want this
to be done, be taught to read and write Braille by a certified
teacher competent to teach Braille literacy skills to the blind. If
a dispute arises between the parent(s) and the local educational
agency regarding appropriate reading media, both print and Braille
shall be taught.
     No teacher should be considered competent to teach Braille
literacy skills to the blind unless such teacher has passed the
Braille competency test developed by the National Library Service
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of
Congress. The passing of the Braille competency test should not be
considered a substitute for or an alternative to regular training
and certification of a teacher but should be in addition to such
training and certification.

     After we had adopted this Statement of Principles, we
proceeded in the spirit of the document to draft proposed
amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. We
said that the Individualized Education Program for a child who is
blind or visually impaired must include a Braille Literacy Plan,
and we then adopted the language to make it happen. Here in
pertinent part is the wording of the proposed amendments:

     The term "Braille Literacy Plan" means the components of an
Individualized Education Program (IEP) for a child who is blind or
visually impaired which are designed to enable the child to
communicate effectively using Braille either exclusively or in
combination with other skills.
     The plan shall:
     (a) be individually developed after the child's present
literacy performance and future literacy needs have been evaluated,
or independently assessed if the parents or the child, as
appropriate, disagree with the results of the evaluation;
     (b) be based on the presumption that for the child who is
blind or visually impaired effective communications skills
commensurate with ability and grade level will often require
Braille instruction and use; and
     (c) in the event that Braille has not been found necessary for
the child's present educational progress or future needs, assure
that all members of the team responsible for the IEP have
concurred, provided that if any member or members have not
concurred, Braille instruction and use will be included in the
child's IEP along with other appropriate literacy skills.
     STATE PLAN REQUIREMENTS
     ■set forth assurances that in the expenditure of federal funds
for the purchase of textbooks or other educational materials, the
state, a local education agency, or an intermediate educational
unit, as appropriate, will obtain such materials in electronic text
versions appropriate for producing Braille.
     APPLICATION REQUIREMENT
     . . . provide satisfactory assurances that the local
educational agency or intermediate educational unit will:
     (a) establish or revise, whichever is appropriate, a Braille
Literacy Plan which shall be incorporated into the Individualized
Education Program of each child who is blind or visually impaired
as defined in Section 602;
     (b) assure that Braille instruction under each such plan is
provided by appropriately trained and certified personnel who have
demonstrated Braille competency at a level consistent with the
National Literary Braille Competency Test adopted by the Library of
Congress;
     GRANTS FOR PERSONNEL TRAINING
     There shall be. . . pre-service and in-service training of
special education personnel and other personnel in Braille to a
level of competency consistent with the National Literary Braille
Competency Test developed by the Library of Congress.

     This is the substance of the agreements reached at the April
4 meeting and later approved by the Association for Education and
Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, the American
Council of the Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind, and
the National Federation of the Blind. At long last the principal
organizations in the blindness field of the United States have
reached consensus on a major issue. That achievement is momentous.
The credit does not belong to any single organization or
individual. It belongs to all who participated, and all can share
in the pride of accomplishment.
     If the commitments that have been made are kept and if the
unity of purpose can be expanded to other issues, an unprecedented
era of harmony and progress may be opening before us■but before we
settle down to celebrate, let us keep in mind that the new
partnerships will be difficult to maintain. The building of trust
takes time. It requires care, forbearance, and enough sense to
understand long-range benefits and self-interest.
     And there is something else. We have not won the battle for
Braille literacy yet. We have only agreed to join together to fight
it. We must negotiate with the Administration and Congress, and we
must keep our ranks together and present a common front.
     On one thing, however, there can be no doubt. The National
Federation of the Blind is absolutely and irrevocably committed to
the achievement of Braille literacy for the blind of this country.
On this issue we will not equivocate; we will not compromise; and
we will not quit. It must■it will be done.
     We are demonstrating our commitment by raising tens of
thousands of dollars to restore the birthplace of Louis Braille in
France■and we are doing it not only as an organization but also as
individuals: blind men and women throughout the country with our
dollars and dimes, our love and belief. We are continuing to
introduce Braille bills in the state legislatures, and we will keep
at it until every blind child in the United States has opportunity
and hope for the future.
     We want no strife or confrontation■but we will do what we have
to do. Those who negotiate and engage in diplomacy without the
willingness to fight are simply rationalizing their weakness and
lack of purpose and will. But those who fight and are not willing
to negotiate or engage in diplomacy are rationalizing barbarism and
their lack of commitment to constructive objectives. As Harold
Stassen said, "The man who kindles the flames of hate and violence
lights a fire under his own house."
     We know these things, and we are also aware of Dag
Hammarsjkold's often quoted statement. He said, "Like the bee, we
distill poison from honey for our self-defense. What happens to the
bee if it uses its sting is well known. It dies."
     Yes, we know that. But we also know something else■something
which Hammarsjkold failed to mention. The individual bee may die if
it stings, but the whole hive dies if in proper circumstances it
refuses to sting. Through long experience and no small number of
exercises in survival, we have learned our lessons well. We will
sting if we must, regardless of the cost to each of us
personally■but we will survive as an organization and a movement.
And we hope to enjoy the honey and live in peace with others and
ourselves.


 SUMMARY OF RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE
                NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
                           JULY, 1994
                        by Ramona Walhof
     Reprinted from the August-September, 1994, Braille Monitor.

     From the Editor: Ramona Walhof is the Secretary of the
National Federation of the Blind and President of the NFB of Idaho.
She also serves as the Chairman of the Resolutions Committee. Each
year she presides over the receipt and handling of all resolutions
until they are acted upon by the convention. This is what she has
to say about the resolutions considered at the 1994 Convention of
the National Federation of the Blind:

     The National Federation of the Blind takes seriously
resolutions proposed and resolutions passed by the convention. Any
resolution passed by the convention constitutes a policy statement
of the organization, and goals expressed in the resolutions become
a part of our march toward independence and first-class citizenship
for the blind.
     Resolutions may be brought directly to the floor of the
convention by the Board of Directors. But any member of the NFB may
also present a resolution to the Resolutions Committee for its
consideration. That person must then be present both when the
resolution is debated by the Committee and when it is brought to
the floor. Certainly the more common procedure is through the
Resolutions Committee, which may not bottle up any resolution.
     The Committee reads and considers all resolutions brought to
it and takes them to the floor of the convention with the
recommendation "do pass" or "do not pass." The Resolutions
Committee does not rewrite resolutions; it merely discusses them,
votes them up or down, and carries them to the floor of the
convention. Generally speaking, the convention follows the
recommendations of the Committee, but there have been exceptions to
this pattern.
     In 1993 we established a new policy that resolutions should be
in the hands of the President or the committee chairman at least
two weeks before the Committee meeting at the convention. This has
made it possible (in the event that two resolutions on the same
topic are presented) to work out differences and problems. It has
also made it possible to check on questions of fact when they
arise. In short, this change has improved the work of the Committee
and the quality of the resolutions.
     At this year's convention nineteen resolutions were presented,
and eighteen were passed. One was withdrawn. As usual the full
texts of all the resolutions passed in Detroit by the 1994 NFB
Convention have been published in the Braille Monitor (the
August/September, 1994, issue). Printed below is a brief
description of each of the nineteen resolutions.
     Editor's Note: The 1994 resolutions are available upon request. Contact
the Materials Center, National Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street,
Baltimore, Maryland 21230; [phone] (call between 12:30 p.m. and 5:00
p.m. EST).

     Resolution 94-01 seeks appropriate certification of blind cane
travel teachers by AER and calls upon RSA to review training
programs for mobility teachers to see that they do not discriminate
against the blind.
     Resolution 94-02 seeks class-wide recognition of blind persons
as socially disadvantaged when applying for loans and contracts
through the Small Business Administration and commends Congressman
John Lafalce and the other members of the House Small Business
Committee and Congressman Jim Ramstad and the other ninety-three
co-sponsors of the Americans with Disabilities Business Development
Act for the work they have done to improve business opportunities
for the blind.
     Resolution 94-03 seeks to maintain a continuum of choices in
the educational placement of blind children.
     Resolution 94-04 calls upon RSA to adopt regulations which
prohibit use of funds for support groups that are controlled by
agencies serving the blind rather than organizations of the blind
themselves.
     Resolution 94-05 calls upon the Department of Veterans Affairs
to support the Randolph-Sheppard Act and to issue permits for
vending facilities according to its provisions.
     Resolution 94-06 calls upon the American Council on Education
and the GED Testing Service to change their policies so that blind
persons may use readers when taking GED examinations.
     Resolution 94-07 expresses the interest of the blind in the
modernization of U.S. currency and expresses our determination to
educate the public to the fact that blind persons can and do handle
their own money, no matter how it looks or feels.
     Resolution 94-08 was withdrawn.
     Resolution 94-09 calls upon Congress to increase the
appropriation to NLS to maintain and improve library services to
the blind, including the replacement of old and worn-out cassette
and disc players.
     Resolution 94-10 seeks national legislation providing for
independent living services for the blind separate from independent
living councils for groups with other disabilities.
     Resolution 94-11 calls upon guide dog schools to stress to
students the importance of learning and always using effective
methods of picking up after guide dogs.
     Resolution 94-12 condemns the Department of Transportation's
insistence that detectable warnings must be installed on subway
platforms and commends the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area
Transit Authority for resisting this requirement.
     Resolution 94-13 calls upon the Department of Education to
disapprove grant applications from schools and agencies that
discriminate against the blind when hiring cane travel instructors.
     Resolution 94-14 calls upon Congress and the Department of
Education to include Braille literacy requirements in the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act amendments.
     Resolution 94-15 calls on Congress to pass H.R. 3264 and S.
2161 to improve work incentives for SSI recipients.
     Resolution 94-16 calls upon the Social Security Administration
and Congress to move forward with the approval and implementation
of re-engineering and streamlining a plan for the disability
determination process.
     Resolution 94-17 condemns sub-minimum wages in sheltered
workshops and asks that NFB representatives be included when a new
minimum wage proposal is developed.
     Resolution 94-18 calls upon RSA and state rehabilitation
agencies to adopt regulations that promote, not discourage, client
choice in rehabilitation.
     Resolution 94-19 opposes means testing for Social Security
benefits paid to retirees and disabled persons.
     1995 DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR OF
     BLIND CHILDREN AWARD
     by Sharon Maneki
     Editor's Note: Sharon Maneki is President of the National
Federation of the Blind of Maryland. She also chairs the committee
to select the Distinguished Educator of Blind Children for 1995.

     The National Federation of the Blind will recognize an
outstanding teacher of blind children at our 1995 convention, July
1 to July 8, in Chicago, Illinois. The winner of this award will
receive an expense-paid trip to the convention, a check for $500,
an appropriate plaque to be awarded at the Convention, and an
opportunity to make a presentation about the education of blind
children to the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children,
a Division of the National Federation of the Blind, early in the
convention.
     Anyone who is currently teaching or counseling blind children
or administering a program for blind children is eligible to
receive this award. It is not necessary to be a member of the
National Federation of the Blind to apply. However, the winner must
attend the National Convention. Teachers may be nominated by
colleagues, supervisors, or friends. The letter of nomination
should explain why the teacher is being recommended for this award.
     The education of blind children is one of our most important
concerns. Attendance at a National Federation of the Blind
convention will enrich a teacher's experience by affording the
opportunity to meet other teachers who work with blind children, to
meet parents, and to meet blind adults who have had experiences in
a variety of educational programs. Help us recognize a
distinguished teacher by distributing this form and encouraging
teachers to submit their credentials. We are pleased to offer this
award and look forward to applications from many well-qualified
educators.



                     DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR
                    OF BLIND CHILDREN AWARD
                        1995 APPLICATION

     Name:
     Home address:
     City:                          State:            Zip:
     Day phone:                    Evening phone:
     School:
     Address:
     City:                          State:            Zip:
     List your degrees, the institutions from which they were received, and
your major area or areas of study.____________________________________

     How long and in what programs have you taught blind
children?__________________________________

     In what setting do you teach?Itinerant program[ ] Residential school
classroom[  ] Special education classroom [  ]
     Other [   ] Please explain____________________________
     How many students do you teach regularly this
year?___________________________________________
     What subjects do you teach?_____________________
     How many of your students read and write primarily using: Braille [  ]
large print [   ]
     closed circuit television [   ] recorded materials [   ]
     small (regular size) print [   ].
     Please complete this application and attach your letter of nomination;
one additional recommendation, written by someone who knows your work and
philosophy of teaching; and a personal letter discussing your beliefs and
approach to teaching blind students. You may wish to include such topics as
the following:

     What are your views on the importance to your students of Braille, large
print, and magnification devices, and what issues do you consider when making
recommendations about learning media for your students?
     When do you recommend that your students begin the following: reading
Braille, writing with a slate and stylus, using a Braille writer, and learning
to travel independently with a white cane?
     How should one determine which children should learn cane travel and
which should not?
     When should typing be introduced, and when should a child be expected
to hand in typed assignments?


     Send all material by May 15, 1995, to Sharon Maneki, Chairman,
Teacher Award Committee, 9736 Basket Ring Road, Columbia, Maryland
21045; telephone [phone].

POP = POP QUIZ ■ TRUE OR FALSE?
QUEST =            Most blind Americans read and write Braille.
QUEST =            All blind children in America are taught Braille
reading
QUEST =            and writing in school.
QUEST =           Most teachers of blind children are experts at
teaching Braille
QUEST =                   and love to teach it.
[Correct Answers: F, F, F]

     Surprised? This unusual documentary features blind children
and adults presenting facts about the urgent need for Braille.
Produced by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) to inform
public officials, it shows blind persons talking about their
day-to-day lives. Meet a blind administrator, a blind teen-ager,
blind parents, a blind editor, a parent of a blind child, and blind
teachers, among others. They argue that teachers of the blind,
sighted for the most part, are predisposed to avoid teaching a
skill blind adults require for literacy, and they offer solutions.
You'll find this documentary written by, and from the viewpoint of,
blind Americans a refreshing change from the current crop of
generic disability films.  Some speakers are dispassionate while
others are unabashedly emotional.  Your students will observe
children and adults who are not symbols but are individuals
participating in our American society, working together in the
American way to effect social change.
WHAT DO YOU TEACH? This is an excellent vehicle for provoking
discussions in units for American history...civics...minorities in
American society... health class sections on persons with
disabilities...diversity in action... special education...teacher
education...and more.