The Chronicle

I apologize in advance if this issue is late. This time I can't totally blame it on the producers. Well, I could, but this time it's my fault. Extra duties at work and my job as MCB Secretary caused me to get the Chronicle into the office about eight days later than usual, which will probably also delay the production schedules. I'll try to do better next time. I hope you find the articles and information interesting. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Here once again are the editorial guidelines for the Chronicle, approved by the Board, which I hope you will keep in mind when you submit material for the Magazine. Thanks and enjoy.

Guidelines for the Missouri Chronicle

The Chronicle shall be published quarterly, in March, June, September, and December. As stated in Article XIII of the Bylaws, the magazine shall be distributed, free of charge, to members and any other persons requesting it.

The Chronicle shall be available in Braille, large print, cassette tape, by e-mail and on computer disk. It will also be available on the MCB web site.

Material for the Chronicle should be submitted to the Editor by the first day of the month preceding each issue. Under the current publishing schedule, submission deadlines are February first, May first, August first, and November first. Material received after those deadlines may still be included in the next issue if space permits or may be held for publication in a later issue.

Each issue will typically consist of reports from the MCB President and other officers, reports from committee chairpersons, news from affiliates, a resource column and other articles selected by the editor.

Each issue will also contain a section listing the names, addresses and phone numbers for all MCB officers, board members, committee chairs and Affiliate Presidents. Affiliates should let the Editor know as soon as possible when they elect new presidents so that the Chronicle list will be up to date.

Readers are encouraged to submit articles for publication, including letters to the editor, on any subject. Articles and letters may be shortened to meet space limitations or edited for clarity, but the writer's writing style and content will be retained. In order to be considered for publication in the Chronicle, submissions must include the name of the writer; unsigned articles and letters will not be considered.

Material may be submitted in any form, but hand written material should be avoided if possible.

The June and September issues will contain a candidate's column where members seeking office may submit information about their qualifications. Candidates should stress their reasons for running for an office and shall refrain from making personal attacks against any other member running for or holding that office.

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President's Report

by Kathey Wheeler

Hello MCB Members and Friends:

Spring has come upon us again with all of its promise for new beginnings. Spring brought for MCB, after a several year search, a new executive director. At the spring board meeting, in Kansas City, Beverly Armstrong was hired to be our new executive director. She takes up her duties on May the second. Join me in welcoming Bev into the office; we are fortunate to have her as our executive director.

According to our Bylaws, the executive director cannot be a member of the MCB board. Consequently, Bev resigned her office of first vice president. I appointed, and the board approved, Phyllis Lovett to fill that vacancy. Since Phyllis was the second vice president, her vacated office had to be filled. I appointed, and the board approved, Dr. Jarrell Holt, the MCB Membership Committee chair and the SEMO representative, as second vice president. Both Phyllis and Dr. Jarrell will hold their offices until the convention in October. At the convention the membership will elect a first and a second vice president to complete the remaining one year of the unexpired terms. Also, at the board meeting, with the approval of the board, I appointed Phyllis Lovett chair of the Resource and Development Committee.

I made three affiliate visits during the first quarter of the year. My husband and I joined West Plains on Valentine's day. West Plains gave Danny and me flowers, good food, and planned lovely weather for our traveling. On February the twenty-seventh, I celebrated the coming of age of the St. Louis Council. St. Louis Council is eighteen this year. This Council works on creative projects for the betterment of the blind. Happy birthday, and keep up the good work, St. Louis Council.

On April the ninth, my husband and I were the guests of the Springfield Service Club. Again, the food was good, particularly the lemon pie, and the weather was fine. We discussed opportunities for fund raising such as convincing a travel agent to give MCB a percentage of each ticket sold for a particular excursion.

With Chip and Linda Hailey, and my husband, I attended Power Up Missouri. Leroy sent us the MCB banner, some pens, combs, signature guides etc which we displayed on a table in the exhibit hall. We had many visitors and were afraid that we might run out of materials. Manning a Public Relations booth makes you realize how much energy it takes to talk.

I took part in interviewing our new executive director and attended a Budget and Finance Committee meeting. I attended two meetings with the Henderson Management company, the corporation which owns and operates the six MCB thrift stores. The discussions were informative. The management discussed the thrift store industry, in general, and voiced concerns about the relationship between MCB and the thrift stores.

I worked on and achieved a satisfactory resolution to the problem of the staff payroll.

It appears that most of the members of MCB have hearts, but some of them seem to be broken. Fortunately, however, Don Shockley and Franklin Johnson have doctors who can mend their hearts. Both of these gentlemen had coronary bypass surgery during the month of April, but as I hear, they are doing very well. We wish them hale and hardy very soon.

Camp will be coming up soon, and then, the ACB convention in Las Vegas. It will be a busy summer. I hope all of you have a good time during the hot weather. I'll write you again in September.

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FROM THE MCB OFFICE

May 2, 2005

I was pleasantly surprised to walk into my office to find a lovely arrangement of flowers and a note in Braille, congratulating me on my new position. The flowers and note were from our wonderful secretary, Mary. Her expression and thoughtfulness were very much appreciated. That is just the kind of person Mary is.

The day continued to be eventful. Our treasurer, William, and Tracey, came in to install a new module in our check writing program for writing checks on our MCB account at US Bank.

As usual for a Monday, the phones were busy--people calling to donate items to the thrift store; others calling with questions about the Blind Pension and others calling to congratulate me in my new adventure and wishing me well.

On a not-so-happy note, a blind person called seeking help with getting their electric and telephone turned back on. I was able to give them some references in addition to telling them we would send them a Special Services packet.

Another caller had received one issue of our "Chronicle" and, for whatever reason, had not received December or March issues. So, of course, we are making certain that person is on our "Chronicle" mailing list.

There was also something a bit of a different nature. A couple came to our door and said they had been referred by a friend. The man said he has macular degeneration and was looking for a magnifier that would help him to finish a painting he has begun. He is an artist. We, of course, told them that we do not have aids for visually impaired people, but we did give them some referrals and phone numbers of catalogs where he might be able to find the magnifier for which he was looking. We told them if we could help them in the future to be sure and come back. Jokingly, the man said "Can you help us win the lottery?" I told them I was afraid I didn't have any "pull" there. He replied "Well, if I should win the lottery, I will surely remember this organization." They were very gracious!

Mary worked on preparing the Rickhoff report for brailling. She has gotten very good at brailling.

In addition May 2 was the deadline for the office to receive ACB grant applications. We received 48 applications; however, there will be more than that attending the ACB convention. It appears we will have a great turnout in Las Vegas.

May 1 was the deadline for Scholarship and Summer Camp applications. This means the office will be busy soon writing Scholarship checks and ACB grant checks.

As you know we hired a new secretary on February 1. Mary has caught on very quickly and is very organized and thorough. Hopefully, many of you have met her by now, either at the spring Board meeting or by phone. We are so lucky to have her.

My flowers will continue to brighten my office for another couple of days.

Thanks to those of you who expressed confidence in my ability to do the work of the Executive Director. Needless to say, I will do my very best.

Bev Armstrong
Executive Director

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MCB Convention 2005

The 2005 State Convention will be held at the Clarion Sports Complex located at 9103 East 39th street, Kansas City, Missouri. The dates for the convention are Thursday October 13th through Sunday October 16th. Room rates are $59 per night plus tax. Pre-registration is $5 and will be accepted no later than September 15th. On site registration is $10. Hours of registration are as follows: Thursday October 13th, 12:00 noon to 2:00 P.M., Friday, October 14th, 8:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. and 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. The banquet menu is a plated chicken with sauce, baked potato, chef's salad, vegetables, coffee and tea and strawberry shortcake for dessert at a cost of $20. The hospitality menu is a barbecue brisket sandwich, chips, veggies, coffee and tea. Those who have door prizes should contact Terrie Arnold at (816) 363-6658. Come share your vocal talent along with other MCB members during the karaoke session following the banquet. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you this October.

Convention Coordinator Eldon Cox

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Public Relations Report

Since we last visited by the printed page, we have ordered a lot of products to be given out at health fairs, white cane walks and the power up technology meeting. We have pens, pads and combs available to be given away to legislators at legislative days.

Braille alphabet cards will be available from the office as well as updated brochures. I can't order any more material since the money for the alphabet cards and pamphlets were taken out of the PR budget instead of the office budget. Leroy Welch, PR chairman

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Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council

By Barbara Dewberry

The Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) is one of many boards and commissions in the state of Missouri. The council members are appointed by the governor. Many states have SILCS, whose purpose is to develop, sign and submit the State Plan for Independent Living, (SPIL), along with the Division for Vocational Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation Services for the Blind. The SILC evaluates and oversees the implementation of the SPIL, as well as advocate for disability rights and the independent Living philosophy. Missouri has 22 independent living centers across the state. The Whole Person is located here in Kansas City, and Paraquad is located in St. Louis, Missouri. There are currently 12 members on the SILC at this time, but we are always looking for new council members. The goal is to have 22 members, one to represent every center in the state. If you or someone you know wishes to become a council member of the Missouri SILC, all you have to do is send your resume along with the application forms for appointment and authorization and release forms to Office of the Governor, Room 216, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, Mo 65101, or you may fax the forms to (573) 751-1495.

These forms may be downloaded from the MOSILC website at www.mosilc.org. On this website you will find more information about the Silc and its members and committees. The council is comprised of members with cross disabilities such as spinal cord injuries, mental disabilities, hearing and vision impairment. We need more representation from minorities such as Spanish, American Indian and African American on the SILC. The SILC meets quarterly in February, May, August and November in Jefferson City, Missouri.

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Blind Task Force

Submitted by MCB Representative Patti Schonlau

Due to inclement weather, the meeting scheduled for February 9th was canceled. The meeting was conducted on March 10th in Columbia at the Missouri State Teachers Association Building.

The main point of discussion focused on the upcoming Children's Summit, held on April 12 and 13 in Jefferson City. This conference was directed to parents and teachers of blind and visually impaired children.

Dr. John Heskett, former Assistant Commissioner of Education, is conducting a Braille Literacy study under contracted services. This study is being done in an attempt to identify needs of blind and visually impaired students attending their local school districts and those attending Missouri School for the Blind.

I have been appointed to serve on the Outreach Ad Hoc Committee. We are assigned to review the submitted report and provide direction to insure appropriate action in service delivery to empower students with proficient skills so they can live competent and productive lives.

The next scheduled meeting will be conducted on May 11, 2005.

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Candidate Letter

From The Editor, In the June and September issues, we publish letters from members seeking office in MCB. At this year's convention in October, we will have elections for Treasurer, Public Relations Director and the three Directors on the Board. We will also have elections to complete unexpired terms for first and second vice president. This was brought about because Bev Armstrong resigned as First Vice President when she became Executive Director, Phyllis Lovett moved up from Second Vice President to First Vice President and Dr. Jarrell Holt became Second vice President. So get your letters to me by august first for inclusion in the September issue if you are planning to run for one of these offices. This is the only letter received so far. Members of the Missouri Council, I am running for the position of PR for the next two years. Some of you may think that I have already had my four years in 2003. I was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Gregg Hollins because he resigned. According to the Constitution, I am eligible to run for two more years. As PR for the State of Missouri, everywhere we go, we promote the Missouri Council of the Blind. I am looking forward to seeing you at the convention in Kansas City. I want to thank you for your confidence in me during the past term and I am looking forward to your support in October. Leroy Welch PR Chairman

Carthage Press, MO Friday, February 11, 2005

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Spirit has some big paws to fill.

By Dennis W. Sowers Of the Carthage Press
New dog is helping Carthage woman regain her independence

The 19-month-old golden retriever is the new guide dog for Lynda Purdy and must meet some high standards set by her former longtime companion, Douce.

Spirit trained for 16 weeks at Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester Hills, Mich. with visually impaired people. And last week the young dog trained for seven days in Carthage with Purdy and trainer Art Fleming from Leader Dogs.

"They're really working together well," Fleming said of Purdy and Spirit.

"They say it will take a year," Purdy said. "She will give me my independence back."

Nearly fully recovered from a stroke in August of 2003, that paralyzed much of her right side and took her speech away initially, Purdy puts independence high on her list. Signs are good that Spirit will add that missed dimension to her life.

"I see she does a lot of things on her own that we thought we'd have to teach," said Lynda's husband, Forest "Frosty" Purdy. "She's very intelligent; she picks it up quick."

The Purdys were concerned that Spirit learn to follow behind Frosty, but the quick learner has already absorbed that message.

"It's amazing to watch them work," Frosty said of the pair.

"The only thing they won't let her do is drive," Lynda said.

The fact that Lynda can joke speaks volumes about her own work ethic and courage.

On Dec. 28, 2002, Lynda lost Douce--a trusted friend and companion of 12 years. The following January of 2003, she had a heart attack. In August of the same year she had a stroke, which paralyzed her, took her speech and a portion of her memory.

"They didn't think I would ever be able to do anything," Lynda said. "I'm still learning every day. I'm a lot better than when I came home from the hospital. My prayers are answered."

Lynda didn't replace Douce initially because of the heart attack and stroke, which limited her walking and mobility.

"She doesn't remember the other dog because of the stroke," Frosty said. "Everything she knows she relearned."

Neither Frosty nor the friends that knew the couple forgot the Douce. Frosty and five others donated a remembrance at Leader Dogs at $100 a brick to honor the canine companion. It speaks well of the dog's impact on others lives.

"The other dog gave her a lot of freedom," Frosty said. "They traveled on a bus. They can fly. He gave everything a sighted person could have."

Spirit is giving her back that freedom that she lost for those couple of years. Lynda can walk to the doctor's office with Spirit's help, take the city taxi to Wal-Mart and do a host of things that was previously out of her reach.

But freedom comes with a price.

Spirit is groomed three to four times a day, must have regular shots and be parasite free. She has to be taken to the bathroom at regular intervals--about every four hours--and her weight must be maintained with a strict diet.

Fortunately, though, the Purdy's did not have to cover the expense of training the dog. The Lions Club contributes to the Leader Dog program with its finances and support.

Spirit's presence in the Purdy home is a reminder that the legacy of Leader Dogs lives on.

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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Monday, March 21, 2005

With feeling
By Sarah Bryan Miller

It's not an opera, exactly. It's more like a secular oratorio. But it's heartfelt and a remarkable achievement for its young authors.

The scene is the auditorium of the Missouri School for the Blind, a structure whose core is a century old. The words above the proscenium say, "It is the soul that sees," in gold-toned art-deco lettering, and this morning's performance illustrates that principle admirably.

The performance is "Memories of the Journey," a project that took about as long, from conception to final performance, as the Lewis and Clark expedition that it commemorates: more than two years, all told. The School for the Blind is just one of the 70 area schools taking part in Opera Theatre of St. Louis' "Words! Music! Opera!" program, but its contribution required more of its participants than most.

Says Allison Felter, director of education and outreach programs for Opera Theatre, "The kids went through a composing and libretto-writing process, despite their challenges; they're at all different levels of learning. The richness really lies under the surface of what we're seeing and hearing." Some of the students are completely blind; others are partially sighted and can distinguish between light and darkness.

It's a small school, with fewer than 100 day and boarding students, ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade, and coming from around the state. Fully one-quarter of the student body took part in writing and performing "Memories of the Journey." They'd already begun the process when they went to a performance of Opera Theatre's "Dream of the Pacific" last year. That further fired them up to complete their own 45-minute effort.

The "Journey" was led by teacher Gilbert Fisher, who guided the project, wrote down the notes and chords chosen by the students, and wears many hats in the production itself: He plays the piano and recorder, sings the role of Thomas Jefferson and understudies missing soloists.

"It was a really good process, I thought," he says. "Sometimes (the students) won't admit it, but they really enjoyed it." Together, they worked through such knotty questions as "What would Clark say here?" Fisher would offer up chords or tunes, and the students decided which worked best in a particular context. "We used a lot of leitmotifs," says Fisher. "That speeded up the process."

The musical borrowings include the popular Revolutionary War tune "Chester," American Indian-sounding chords and "Hail to the Chief." There are also traces of what might be described as homage to Stephen Mager, the St. Louis composer who wrote the score to "Dream of the Pacific," as the students chose chords that reminded them of that production.

Both the libretto and music are declamatory, with far more recitative than melody, and more narration than poetry. In a prelude and eight scenes, "Journey" sets forth to tell the story of the trip and its participants. Some of the students played particular characters, wearing signs to tell the audience who they were: Lewis, his slave York, their Indian guide Sacagawea and even Seaman, the dog. Others stuck with the chorus.

There's a touching duet for Sacagawea and York, who sang, "We were both slaves," with no choice in whether or not to make the trip. "We were equals; we carried our own weight." There's realism ("The weather was wet, and nasty, too") and the happiness of the sighting of the Pacific: "Ocean in view! O the joy!"

"The process is absolutely the point of the whole thing," says Felter. "They get into the skin of being a composer." The performance itself was a feat both of memorizing and of standing; most of the cast stood on risers or on the stage floor for the best part of an hour. A few relied on wheelchairs.

Most of the students seemed to enjoy the experience, to judge by an onstage chat with the cast afterward in which they asked as many questions as they answered. Did they stay friends through the whole process? "Most of us," comes a voice from the back, to general laughter.

What was the hardest part? "Putting the notes together," says Kurt Elliott, 15, who played York. "That was easy," objects Devon Cogdill, 12, who played Seaman, "but it was hard to figure out what went where." "Learning the rests was hard," adds Skily Smith, 13, Sacagawea. But Adam Becvar, 17, who was Lewis, reveals his own secret for memorizing the score: "I learned it from the tape. I sang it from my room, to the shower, to the stage."

This project resonated with many of the students. Skily, says her teacher, is starting work on a new libretto already. But there's general approbation when Devon asks, plaintively, "Next time we do an opera, can we do it sitting down?"

Devon is, however, used to doing his singing standing up. Every Friday, he takes the school's bus to Springfield, Mo., near his home in Rogersville; on Sundays, before returning to the school, he sings at South Haven Baptist Church in Springfield. He has a sweet, strong treble, and, he says, "I love singing. I've sung since I was 6. The first time I sang in front of people, it was in my grandma's church, and I was scared." His solo was "Amazing Grace," he recalls, "and I didn't know the words. But I got more into singing after that."

Felter is interested in recruiting him for Opera Theatre's next for-children-starring-children production, Cary John Franklin's "Enchantment of Dreams." Meanwhile, Devon has an impressive gig coming up: On May 4, he'll sing the national anthem for the opening assembly of the Legislature in Jefferson City.

While several of the students claim they don't want to do another opera, the smiles on their faces belie their words. "We really worked to get this opera done," says Kurt. "I'm really proud of everyone who worked so hard and we got to perform in front of Opera Theatre and the Post-Dispatch. I'd like to do another opera soon."

Editor's Comment: Skily Smith, who played the part of Sacagawea, is the daughter of Bob and Peggy Smith, who are members of UWB. Peggy is also a teacher at MSB. I recently heard Skily sing and she has a very pretty voice.

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Wilson Quit in Protest: Disabled Program Changes Decried Former RSA Chief Faults Consolidation

By Brian Faler (washingtonpost.com)
Monday, April 25, 2005;

The woman who, until recently, led the federal government effort to get the nation's disabled into the workforce is lashing out at the Bush administration, saying it is quietly attempting to "dismantle" programs critical to helping the blind, deaf and otherwise disabled find jobs.

Joanne Wilson, who left her job as commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration on March 1, now says she quit in protest of what she said were the administration's largely unnoticed efforts to gut the office's funding and staffing. "Programs for people with disabilities are being dismantled, and nobody is crying out and saying, Look what's happening," said Wilson, who, as RSA commissioner, was one of the government's highest-ranking disabled officials.

Wilson said the Department of Education, which has jurisdiction over the office, is pushing to allow governors to combine RSA programs with a number of other job placement programs that serve both the disabled and the able-bodied. The net result of such a move, she said, would be less money and fewer services dedicated to helping those with disabilities. Wilson said the agency is also cutting RSA staffing by about half while pushing to downgrade the authority of the commissioner who runs it.

The agency defended the proposal, saying the consolidation would make the program more efficient and flexible and would not affect the government's vocational services for the disabled.

"Even though you combine it with other programs, it's going to be the responsibility of the states to use it responsibly and to generate the results that they are going to be required to have in order to qualify for the money," said John Hager, assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services. Hager said the staffing cuts--expected to slice the RSA'S personnel to about 70, from 138--are coming at the expense of its regional offices, which the agency has deemed unnecessary thanks, in part, to advances in technology. "This is something most parts of the Department of Education did years ago," he said. The reorganization, which the administration proposed in its 2006 budget plan, would have to be approved by Congress.

The RSA provides money, technical assistance and oversight to state agencies that, in turn, provide rehabilitative and vocational services for those who are blind, deaf, paralyzed or intellectually disabled. Such services may include training on how to live independently, navigate communities and develop marketable skills. The program serves about 1.2 million people at an annual cost of about $2.9 billion. Those who enroll in the programs participate for a few months to several years. Hager said that the RSA places about 215,000 each year and that two-thirds of those who enter the program come out with jobs.

Fredric K. Schroeder, who ran the office for much of the Clinton administration and is teaming up with Wilson to draw attention to her criticisms, said the proposed consolidated job program would not be able to provide the same range of the often expensive and extensive services RSA offers. "The way you rehabilitate a person with a severe disability is very different than the way you help a dislocated worker return to the workforce," he said. Moreover, they said, the disabled would probably get lost in the mix of a combined program because many state agencies are pressured to place as many people in jobs as possible. That would often lead them, Wilson said, to focus on those easiest to place.

Hager, the education official, called those warnings "speculative" and said the administration has proposed increasing the RSA'S funding. It has proposed expanding the office's state grant programs by slightly more than 3 percent. The overall RSA budget would remain essentially unchanged, however.

The president of one of the major advocacy groups for the disabled, the American Association of People with Disabilities, said the organization has not taken a position on the proposal. Andrew Imparato said the group is waiting for more details to emerge. "There's an ongoing dilemma within disability policy," he said. "Do we want separate programs that we can then try to hold accountable? Or do we want to hold the generic programs accountable? Or do we want a little bit of both?"

Wilson, who was named to the post in 2001, is herself the beneficiary of a job placement program designed for the disabled. She became blind as a child and was illiterate for much of her childhood, she said. Wilson entered a program in Iowa at age 19. She went on to become a public school teacher before running the Louisiana Center for the Blind and, later, the RSA. She is now a director at the advocacy group National Federation of the Blind. "The system invested money in me, and they invested a lot of time in me," Wilson said. "But as a result I've been employed for how many years now? That was when I was 19. I'm now 58. I was employed for 40 years and paid a lot of taxes back into the system with that. I couldn't have gotten that if I had walked into a generic job placement program."

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Friday, April 22, 2005
As gadgets proliferate, the visually impaired struggle
By Vicki Smith, The Associated Press

Jay Leventhal, who is blind, still fumbles with the tiny controls on his iPod but has given up on the kiosk in his New York office building that lists all the tenants.

For Leventhal, even laundry has become a task requiring the help of a sighted person. The washers he uses now take smart cards instead of quarters, issuing instructions on a digital screen that he can't read.

As technology has evolved, it's become lighter, smaller and more portable. For most people, that makes it more convenient. For millions of blind and vision-impaired people, it's anything but.

"The biggest barrier for blind people is access to information, and more and more information is being made available through different machines that aren't designed for people who can't see," says Leventhal, editor in chief of AccessWorld: Technology and People with Visual Impairments.

Blind people need a way to communicate with the machines that surround them, he says, from automated tellers to ticketing machines at train stations and airports.

Leventhal and other experts on assistive technology say there's no reason that can't happen. The technology exists in voice chips, image processors, cell phones, cameras and personal digital assistants.

Someone just needs to put it all together.

That's the principle behind the Levar Burton Vision Enhancement Technology Center, a fledgling venture in Morgantown, W.Va., that will pair the resources of West Virginia University and Georgia Tech with private-sector partners like Motorola Corp.

Levar Burton, who played blind Lt. Geordi La Forge in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," is lending his name and star power to fund-raising efforts for the center.

Though he's not blind, he wore a visor on the set that impaired his vision by 75 percent for nearly 12 hours a day.

The center and its partners will use off-the-shelf technologies like lasers, magnifiers and global positioning systems to develop, test and market products to help people see better. The American Foundation for the Blind, which runs a technology evaluation center in Huntington, W.Va., will advise the scientists.

Of the 18 million Americans with diabetes, for example, about 5 million are visually impaired.

But when Mark Uslan, director of the Huntington facility and his lab volunteers tested 30 brands of blood glucose monitors, they found only one that was usable--but it was 10 times larger and 10 times more expensive than the other models tested.

Mainstream companies need to consider the vision-impaired when designing products, Leventhal says.

"There's no reason for someone to have to make an MP3 player that's accessible to blind people when several companies are already making MP3 players," he says.

Though many assistive devices are commercially available for the blind and vision-impaired, each has limitations and nearly all are expensive, produced in small batches by specialized companies. Even a software program that makes a computer talk is nearly $1,000--as much as the computer itself.

And with few health insurers willing to pay, sales are too small to justify significant corporate investment.

"That's why we've had to take this avenue," says Dr. Richard "Scott" Hearing, director of the Low Vision Clinic at Jupiter Eye Center in Florida and an adjunct faculty member at WVU. "If there were a lot of money to be made in this, someone would have already done it. It's not the cost of the technology that's expensive; it's the cost of adapting it for vision impairment."

A few companies are working on assistive technology, but one of the largest and oldest, Telesensory Corp. of Sunnyvale, Calif., went bankrupt and closed last month.

Jody Ianuzzi, program coordinator at a blindness training center in Florida, says cost is critical. Some people will find state programs to pay for devices, and others have employers who will buy them as a reasonable workplace accommodation. But for retirees and the under- or unemployed, she says, "one device could break the bank."

Hal Reisiger, president of Enhanced Vision Systems of Huntington Beach, Calif., says that's why his firm will partner with the Levar Burton Center; new products must be practical for the manufacturer, too.

"We could make flying saucers," he says, "but if people can't afford it, it's not an effective mode of transportation."

Hearing and others aim to keep costs low by designing not only assistive devices but also mainstream products with military and recreational applications.

Burton's Star Trek character is the inspiration for one of the most advanced devices on the market today, a set of goggles called JORDY, or Joint Optical Reflective Display.

It functions like two high-definition television sets, with controls over color, contrast and magnification.

But the JORDY is heavy, offers a limited field of view and lacks image stabilization, so it can cause motion sickness. And it costs about $3,000.

Paul Mogan, a legally blind electronic engineer at NASA'S Kennedy Space Center in Florida, says JORDY is best suited to stationary tasks like reading. He wants to help create the next incarnation, special sunglasses linked to a wireless computer that can fit on a belt or in a pocket.

With a voice chip, GPS and image processors, the visor could serve as a sort of on-board navigation system for the blind, calling out hazards, announcing nearby shops, even reading signs that say what's on sale.

NASA has a compatible goal: The space agency wants a wearable wireless computer that would help technicians work independently outside a spacecraft.

"NASA has this initiative to go to the moon and Mars, and you're not going to be able to take a ton of crew, so you're going to have to be very efficient in what you're going to do," Mogan says. "All people have to be able to have access to a lot of information."

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St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Sunday, January 23, 2005

With book, siblings of the disabled find their voice

By Aisha Sultan Of the Post-Dispatch

This article deals with a subject that doesn't seem to get a lot of attention in writing about blindness issues: the effect of a blind or severely disabled child on his or her brothers and sisters. It is an issue that is being addressed by Delta Gamma, as you will read here.

When 13-year-old girls start sharing their troubles at a slumber party, there's bound to be talk about annoying little brothers and sisters.

But when Lauren Jacob chimed in at a recent party about her pet peeve--her brother's tendency to smack people--she got a less sympathetic reaction from her friends.

"Oh, but he's so cute."

Or, "He can't help it."

Frustrating. People are always rushing to defend 9-year-old Benjamin. It can seem that way sometimes when you have a brother who was born without eyes and is also autistic. Siblings of children with disabilities grow up on fast-forward. They quickly learn lessons in childhood about tolerance, patience, self-sacrifice and responsibility. But because the focus is so often centered on the child with special needs, their experiences may stay in the background.

A group of siblings in St. Louis, including Lauren and her older sister Kathryn, decided they needed to share their personal stories to connect with others in similar situations. They've published a book on what it's like to grow up in a family when a sibling has a physical or mental disability. It was published last spring by the Delta Gamma Center, a resource center for children who are blind or visually impaired and their families. The center runs two sibling support groups, and the older group approached the director about the book idea.

Executive director Debbie Naucke remembers their plea: "We have a lot to say about being brothers and sisters. We feel we don't have a voice."

In the academic research and professional view, siblings of the disabled were pretty much ignored until the mid- to late 1970s, according to Sandra L. Harris, a professor of applied and professional psychology at Rutgers University. She is the director of the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at the university and author of "Siblings of Children with Autism: A Guide for Families." Increased openness about disabilities and better communication among families has improved siblings' chances of having a real relationship with their disabled brother or sister, Harris said. Still, there are potential pitfalls--a childhood overburdened with worry, sadness, guilt or responsibility.

A mini-mom

Kathryn Jacob, 15, casually sticks out her leg to block Ben from getting too close to a visitor at their home in south St. Louis County. He easily climbs into her lap despite the fact that, at 9, he barely fits. She pats his stomach and jokes around with him while he hangs upside down from her legs.

"What are those?" she asks, wiggling her toes. "What are they?" she coaxes him.

It's the kind of games a mom plays with her toddler, and Kathryn is completely comfortable in the role. She was 6 when Ben was born and knew life had changed.

"When you come home and see your dad cry, you know something is wrong," she said.

Her parents, Lisa and Greg Jacob, both 42, readily admit that family life revolves around Ben's routines, moods and needs. His sisters can be a big help.

Unlike a baby sitter, Kathryn knows that when Ben says "OK," it might mean "no." She's changed her share of his diapers until he learned to use the toilet at age 5. Even now, she will help dress him, bathe him and make him his favorite sandwich (peanut butter and jelly).

And she can get protective if people stare at her younger brother in public.

She usually says: "If you have a question, go ahead and ask. It's OK." But once she got really irritated and said, "Hasn't your mom ever taught you not to stare?"

She can explain the problem with his eyes to anyone: "He's got anophthalmia. That means he was born without any eyes. He wears prosthetics, like a prosthetic leg."

And she can sum up his autism in a sentence: "He doesn't interact socially."

Growing up, she quickly realized that the world didn't revolve around her. Still, there were moments when that was hard to take. Like in fourth grade when she had a big part in a special Mass at her Catholic school. Her parents promised to be there but couldn't make it because of a school meeting about Ben.

"You're just kind of like, What about me?" she said.

Her parents realize those emotions are just as normal and healthy as the loving moments. Unlike teens who can be easily embarrassed by their families, the Jacob sisters have a much higher threshold. They can laugh at Ben's quirks, such as his tendency to take out a fake eye at inopportune moments.

Lauren describes it as "that dreaded clink on the ground."

"It might be a little baby's toy dropping, but we're always worried it might be Ben's eye."

Once, they heard the clink at church. Ben had popped out an eye during the sermon, and it rolled under a pew. Luckily, one of them grabbed it.

Kathryn remembers an incident years ago that the school nurse wrote about in Ben's journal. He wasn't feeling well and took out an eye and threw it in the hallway. It hit another student in the head.

The student looked down and said, "Did that kid just throw his eye at me?" Kathryn tells the story with a chuckle. There are times she wishes Ben could see her face. Lauren sometimes wishes he could have friends and express his emotions. She thinks it would be really nice to "positively know" that he loved her.

But they both say they wouldn't change him if they could.

How parents respond

The way siblings adjust to a brother or sister with special needs has a lot to do with how their parents respond to their range of feelings, Naucke said.

The siblings' book covers moments of pride and joy, along with guilt and resentment.

"Society has changed in terms of our reaction to people with disabilities," she explained. More families care for their special needs child at home, and many more community resources are available.

Earlier studies on sibling adjustment found that the oldest female sibling was most at risk for assuming a caretaking role at the expense of her own childhood.

Don Meyer, who began spreading the sibling support group concept out of Seattle in the mid- to late '90s, says there are nearly 200 of the support groups he advocates--called Sibshops--in about eight countries, and most major cities offer some type of program.

While most sibling relationships tend to include some ambivalence, that feeling is intensified when one of the siblings has a disability, he said.

"The highs are higher, and the lows are lower," he said. The sibling may be "marvelously tolerant, powerful advocates and incredibly mature for their age," he explained. But they may also experience moments of resentment, isolation, embarrassment and pressure to be the perfect child.

Meyer encourages professionals in the field to take siblings into account because they are likely to be in the disabled child's life longer than any other person.

The Jacob sisters, for instance, remember talking about who would take care of Ben if something happened to their parents--when they were 6 and 8 years old. They still agree that they would drop their jobs, move across the country and do whatever was needed.

"Me and my sister would take care of him," Lauren said. "I feel like he is our responsibility."

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Beyond Success

By Janet Eckles

From The Editor, In the last issue I told you about a book by former St. Louis resident, Janet Eckles, dealing with her adjustment to blindness and other family tragedies. Here is an article she wrote for the Chronicle that summarizes some of the events she describes in her book. Janet spent much of her childhood in Bolivia before her parents came to St. Louis, so she was a fluent Spanish speaker. Here she tells how she used that skill to find employment after she became blind.

"I called to tell you that you passed the test with a high score and we would like to send you to your first assignment tomorrow," explained the company's representative. "It's in the Immigration and Naturalization Court," she continued.

"Really?" I asked with a mixture of excitement and fear. Did she say, "court?" I thought with amazement.

Although I knew I lacked sufficient knowledge, skill or experience, I accepted. I made up my mind. I decided not to look inward at my limitations--my blindness, my lack of education in this field or the transportation challenges--but instead moved forward with confidence.

The journey to confidence was not smooth. My sudden blindness had ushered in feelings of fear, frustration and anger. At 32, without any warning, I lost my sight to an incurable retinal disease. In desperation, I turned to God for comfort and direction. In my darkness, I had to learn to "feel" my way around my world. Unable to envision any way for me to be productive, I felt my life had ended. My only desire was to continue to care for my three small sons. Learning new ways to do things around the house was a painful adjustment; and I struggled.

When my four-, six-, and eight-year-old sons were in school, God began to open doors for me. With the ability He Himself had given me, I was presented with the possibility of working as a Spanish interpreter.

"I understand you are in need of Spanish interpreters," I boldly asked when I called a worldwide interpreting company.

"Yes ma'am, can you come in to take a proficiency test?" asked the receptionist.

"A test?" I thought. I hadn't taken a test since my days in college. I had not learned Braille; therefore, a written test was out of the question.

"It's a rigorous oral test," she informed me. "We only employ those who have a high score," she warned.

"When could I come to take it?" I asked trying to hide my apprehension.

Each utterance to be interpreted increased in length and in difficulty. Because of my blindness, I had no visual distractions and my concentration was focused. I interpreted, to the best of my ability, what I heard in one language to the corresponding words and phrases of the other. What a delight when given the news that I not only passed but was being trusted with my first assignment.

If I was going to work, I needed to be independent. I called the Office of Blind Services for help. They suggested I take mobility training.

"Here, this is for you." said the mobility trainer who was sent to be my teacher.

"Thanks." I replied before I realized what my hand was touching. It was a cane--a white cane! When I had my sight, thoughts of pity would pass through my mind when my path crossed someone walking with this aid.

I considered dependence upon a cane a humiliating experience! Walking with a white cane? Me? Just imagining myself walking with a white cane was degrading. I wasn't ready to accept this into my life. This was an emotional hurdle for me. It was an obstacle that I, myself, had created.

When I worried about how people would react to me with a white cane, I remembered: "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18) If I had chosen to give in to vanity and pride, I would have brought about my own defeat.

"Put your fingers around it, like this," he indicated as he placed my hand with the correct holding position. "Now swing it in front of you, slightly tapping it on the ground," he explained with patience. With the aid of this white cane, I learned to find steps, doors, elevators, etc. I also learned to avoid obstacles and to reach my destination safely.

The day for my first assignment had arrived.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" asked my husband with concern. He kissed me and left me in the waiting area of the courthouse.

"Sure." I replied faking confidence.

I sat nervously holding onto my white cane, wondering what I had gotten myself into! As fear and anxiety tried to suffocate me, I thought of ways to escape this predicament.

The court clerk approached the waiting area. "Are you the Spanish interpreter?" she asked. Every nerve within me wanted to answer with a resounding, "no," but found myself nodding shyly in the affirmative. Using my cane as a guide, I followed her voice. I was helped to my seat.

"Please rise. The Honorable Judge'''" announced the bailiff. The session began. I knew nothing about court interpreting. My undergraduate degree was in Business Administration--nothing to do with interpreting. I felt my heart beat a little faster as I ventured into the unknown.

Somehow I was able to regain my composure and focus on the task at hand. I prayed for wisdom and then concentrated intensely on rendering an interpretation as accurately as I could. The session lasted for what seemed an eternity.

"We'll take a 10 minute recess," announced the judge. "Miss interpreter, please approach the bench," he requested with authority.

Guided by the bailiff, I complied. I felt even more nervous than before.

"Ms. Eckles, I want you to know that I am very impressed with the accuracy level of your interpretation" he said with a soft and kind voice. "I speak Spanish myself and you are doing a great job" he continued.

"Thank you," is all I could mutter. I was shocked at his incredible feedback.

With renewed confidence, I worked diligently at developing my skills. The work was intense as I sought to increase my vocabulary of legal terminology. While my small sons were in school, I practiced simultaneous interpretation. It took effort and work--lots of hard work.

"Ms. Eckles, we have a trial scheduled for next week. We will need your services." Those requests were a source of encouragement for me. I also felt rewarded, and quite humbled, by letters of admiration and praise from judges and attorneys.

This was the turning point when my journey took off in a different direction. My desire was not to reach high levels of professional achievement; but rather, my goal was to touch those with whom I encountered. It was important for me to demonstrate that blindness does not create a disability; instead, it creates a unique ability to utilize creativity, determination and tenacity.

In the years that followed, this renewed outlook of my vision led to other career opportunities. I was hired by a large interpretation company; and in addition to interpreting, a sophisticated computer allows me to perform various other tasks.

"We have you scheduled to train a group of interpreters in Panama." informs my manager. I accept with confidence. The technology available to me allows me to perform these duties with no obstacles. As I train, teach and coach, I am often pleased to learn that I have reached or exceeded the level of performance achieved by my sighted colleagues.

Without hesitation, I would emphatically state that the most enjoyable aspect of my job lies in the opportunities I have been given to inspire others. The interaction with my colleagues is one of mutual encouragement. I believe that genuine care, expressed with optimism and a positive attitude reaps benefits that cannot be measured by performance.

I recently attended an annual conference hosted by my employer, the world's largest interpretation company. "And now for the highest award," began the announcement by the VP of Operations. She continued by reading a list of impressive achievements used to justify this prestigious award. I listened with curiosity and admiration for this individual. Everyone waited with anticipation. No one knew who the recipient would be.

"And the Professional Excellence Award goes to Janet Eckles," she announced with enthusiasm. I was shocked. I was touched. I was humbled. And for a moment, I thought I had reached the top of the ladder. But when my colleagues honored me with a standing ovation, I knew that it wasn't the typical ladder of success I had climbed. My goal was not to reach a certain level of professional achievement; but instead, to reach out to those around me. My desire was to use my abilities to encourage and motivate others to reach their best. Although this is not part of my job description, the value and meaning in this reward is unsurpassed.

Everyone has a ladder to climb. Some climb a ladder to success; others climb out of conflict or pain. The problem with using a ladder is that there is room for only one person. It's a lonely journey. But when our focus is on those around us whom we can touch, inspire and motivate, then the journey leads us to genuine satisfaction. The result: lasting fulfillment reaching levels which go beyond professional success.

Janet Eckles is the author of the new release, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life.

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Ziff Davis Internet
Monday, May 09, 2005

Wal-Mart Tests Robots for Blind Shoppers

By Evan Schuman

From The Editor: Is this going to be the wave of the future for blind shoppers or will it be just another well-intentioned experiment that never quite materializes. Read this article and see what you think.

Wal-Mart on Thursday started quietly testing a university-created robot designed to help visually impaired consumers navigate store aisles and find their desired products.

The robot--named RG, for Robotic Guide--is the creation of Vladimir Kulyukin, an assistant professor of computer science at Utah State University and the director of the university's Computer Science Assistive Technology Laboratory.

The initial version of RG--WHICH weighs about 22 pounds and is roughly the height of an upright vacuum cleaner--is limited to three basic functions.

First, it guides the consumer through the aisles and around people, displays and merchandise using RFID readers and 16 ultrasonic sonars. The navigation system is sophisticated enough to handle environments--including elevators and limited open spaces--that usually literally trip up robots, Kulyukin said.

Its second function is to communicate with the consumer. It takes instructions via a small Braille directory of products that is attached to the robot's handle, and it replies to the shopper's questions with spoken answers.

The third function is to use its RFID reader to locate the desired products. The store's RFID tags help the robot navigate the lanes as well as locate products.

"There are RFID sensors placed on the shelves in the store. The robot has the RFID antennae and detects the presence of those tags," Kulyukin said. "That's how it knows it's reached the Colgate section of the toothpaste shelf and it then announces, You have reached the Colgate toothpaste section, on your right."

The robot has its limitations, though. Until item-level tagging becomes the norm, the system can indicate only the part of the shelf where the product is supposed to be. If it's been moved--either by an employee moving stock who forgot to move the update for the RFID tag or by another consumer who put a tube of Aim toothpaste amidst the Colgate--the visually impaired consumer might grab the wrong product.

"It certainly can be jumbled, and there is the potential to pick up the wrong product," Kulyukin said, adding that his team is trying to add a robotic bar code into the system so that the robot would announce the product being placed in the cart. That functionality would likely address most of the mistaken product purchases, he said.

The robot's development is still at a very early stage and has thus far mostly been paid for with a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Kulyukin said. He is negotiating with a large national retail chain to buy the units and invest in its further development.

Kulyukin refused to identify the chain, but an employee in the university's public relations department, Whitney Wilkinson, said the chain was indeed Wal-Mart. Kulyukin also said Wal-Mart was testing it locally.

The store manager of the Wal-Mart store in North Logan, Utah, right near the university's labs, confirmed that RG had arrived on Thursday.

"It's a great thing for the customers who don't have their eyesight," said Wal-Mart store manager Ron Tuttle. "We have a lot of customers who come in and ask for someone to help them. I talked with one lady and she was very excited about it because it makes her feel more independent."

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AFFILIATE Affairs

Where we find out what's happening in your part of MCB
Blind of Central Missouri
Thursday April 28, 2005

Hello to everyone from Sedalia,

The year is really going fast,

We hope everyone is having a blast.

Brenda Gardner, Mabel Meier, and Trudy Blood, went to the rally on Tuesday, March 29. We went with some people from Warrensburg that are in our club. It was well represented. They had some very good speakers there.

We had our bowling party on Saturday, April 9. We had pizza, bread sticks, and cinnamon sticks from Mazzios, and assorted soda. Bethany Wicker, who has to do community service hours, bowled, and helped some of us up to where we bowled and positioned the ramp for us. We are very glad to have her help. We had one mishap. Emma Lou fell and broke her arm and wrist in several places. We are happy to report that she is doing remarkably well. Everyone that attended had a great time of bowling, food, fun, and fellowship.

In January our club sold tickets for a 50-50 raffle. We took in $160.00. Bethany Wicker drew the name and LeAnn Weakley won the 50-50 raffle that we had at our April meeting. She won $80.00 which was half of the money.

We will look forward to seeing a lot of you at camp. We hope you all have many good months ahead.

Until next time, keep your smile, and a song in your heart, and if you can't be good, be good at it.

Trudy Blood
Recording Secretary
Blind of Central Mo.

Delta Area Blind Report

Hello again from the Delta Area Blind and Sighted Members, This report will be short. Not much going on in our affiliate.

We have had a lot of illness in our group. We are saddened by the death of Glenda Wasson, one of the founders of Delta Area Blind. She passed away February 25. We will miss her very much. Our sympathy goes out to her friends and family. I also lost a dear friend, Roberta Hancock. We used to get together and play cards when Lawrence and I lived in Kansas City. Some of you may remember Roberta and Randle Hancock, who died a few years ago. We hope to have better news next time.

Marie Thompson

Joplin SERVICE CLUB OF The BLIND

Spring is here, the birds are singing their songs to us and are busy building nests. Flowers are blooming and the sound of Lawn Mowers are humming, and those who can are planting veggie gardens.

We have some bad news and some good news, in this past three months. Bertie Messer of our Club and LaVon Mitchell a board member of the Joplin Association for the Blind, passed away. Although both had health problems, their passing was a shock.

The good news is that we had four new members join our Club. They are Maxine Letton, Fern Jensen, Ron Foster, and Jim Smith, each with different eye problems. We are very happy to have them.

In February the First Baptist church fixed and served our 4th Thursday evening dinner. In March the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority was our host and April Dinner was fixed and served by the Delta Gamma Sorority. We appreciate so much the groups who do this for us!

Kathy Parmley fixed Valentine and Easter goodies. We really appreciate her willingness to do these special things for us.

On March 31st, 12 of our group attended the show "Riverboat Revival" and we really enjoyed it.

The Joplin Association held their annual "Spaghetti Red Feed" fundraiser, and reports were they had a great turn out.

Shirley Ritter has been having a give away each Tuesday and raising some funds to help out our club funds.

On April 23rd there were 14 of our group who attended the show "Fiddler on the Roof" at Ozark Christian College, and it was a very good show.

There will be some of our people going to Springfield for the White Cane Walk and some have filled out applications to attend camp.

The Joplin Association for the Blind will have their ribbon cutting and dedication of the newly expanded Low Vision Resource Center, on Monday May 16th at 10:30 AM. There will be tours of the facility from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. This will be a great addition for Joplin, as it is being equipped with very High Tech equipment.

Wish everyone a Great summer!

Sincerely,
Valva York, PR

LAKE STOCKTON AREA COUNCIL OF The BLIND
Hello from Lake Stockton

We are enjoying the Spring weather and hope that you are too.

One of our members, Dewy Amlin, told the organization that the OATS bus needed to raise money for a new bus. This is an important service for several of our members and the community as well. A motion was made and passed to give $200 for this need.

Ellen Bell was congratulated at our March meeting for her upcoming honor from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from SBU during their Founders Day chapel on March 16. Her many accomplishments were cited in the local paper including a long tenure at SBU as secretary to the university's president and her loyal dedication to the university and the Bearcats.

A Spring Fling is being planned for May. After our meeting, members will enjoy old-time piano music and munch on some popcorn while visiting and getting re-acquainted with each other.

And until next time, we leave you with a verse from an Irish blessing.

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Linda Dawes, Secretary

Progressive Council of the Blind

Spring is here and our members are gearing up for a great convention at the Clarion in October. The room rates are $59. There will be two restaurants in the hotel. One is called the Pantry and they will be serving breakfast only. They are opening up O' Quiglys soon and it will be open for lunch and dinner. It will be more like a sports bar with the plasma TVS and serve a wide variety of sandwiches, salads, etc. The chef was last employed for Bill Clinton on Air Force One. The hotel manager assured me the chef comes highly rated--Bill did not settle for packaged food and peanuts on Air Force One. The shuttle will be available to take people up to ten miles. That area has a Denny's, and many other fast food eateries. Dixon's Chili, which was a Harry Truman favorite, is in this range. Also, this mileage would include Independence Center mall and some of the restaurants out that way, such as Bob Evans. For those who wish, you can order pizza and food from other places to be delivered to the hotel as long as you meet them in the lobby. We are pleased to have two new members in Progressive, William Stephens and his new wife Sheila Styron. Many of you have probably met Sheila while at the American Council Conventions. She is a past President of California Guide Dog Users Incorporated and is the current national GDUI President. We had another raffle to sell honey baked ham tickets and it was a success. Take care and have a blessed summer.

Mary Lee Pendleton

Queen City Report
Greetings from Queen City Council of the Blind,

We hope everybody is having a happy and healthy year so far. Our Christmas dinner was catered in with turkey, dressing and all the trimmings. We had a very enjoyable meeting.

Due to illness, Leo and Jean Dahlman are now living in the Lawrence County Manor Nursing Home in Mount Vernon, Missouri. We certainly do miss them. At each of our meetings, we have been having silent auctions on jewelry and other things. We also celebrate members' birthdays each month.

We ask your prayers for our President, Rosario, who has not been feeling well. We held our annual garage sale during the first weekend of May. Several members will be attending the White Cane Walk on May 14th.

By this time, baseball is in full swing. We have a minor league team of the St. Louis Cardinals here in Springfield now. We hope Don Shockley has a full recovery from his recent surgery.

Until next time, may God bless you and keep you safe and well.

Marilyn Tuso

The Rite Report

What a beautiful world we live in. In spite of all the violence we hear about daily in the news, we can see God's hand in the creation of the kind of world He meant for us to live in.

Some of us attended the Board meeting on April 23 in Kansas City. We wish to congratulate Bev Armstrong on becoming MCB'S Executive Director.

There will be wedding bells for two of our members in June. Larry Ledford and Rose Hunsicker will be married on the 18th in Oklahoma. We wish them much happiness.

At present we are trying to recruit members. We are willing to beg, borrow or steal good hard working people in the greater St. Louis area who may be lost and without an MCB affiliate home. Come to us, we'll see that you're not bored or lonely any more.

Richard, Larry, Rose and I will be attending the ACB convention this summer in Las Vegas. We are looking forward to that because it is the first time for all of us.

Would you like to win a Magnavox Dvd-Vcr player and recorder? We might be able to make that dream come true. Such a machine will be raffled off at our 50th anniversary party on the 29th of October. You will not need to be present to win. If you are interested in buying tickets, you may call me at (314) 352-9224 or Rose at (314) 752-7135. We will mail the tickets to you. The cost is a dollar apiece or six for five dollars. More about that in September.

Maryan Harrison will be having surgery for a second knee replacement on May 2nd. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Our President, Angelo Trapasso, will be retiring in August. Congratulations, Angelo. We plan to keep you real busy.

And that wraps it up for this report. We wish all of you a safe and happy summer. A couple of our members will see some of you at camp. We'll see others at the ACB convention or the State Convention in October. But until we see you, may God bless and keep you.

Bunny Maginnis

river City Workers of the Blind

Greetings this beautiful, sunny morning from Cape Girardeau,

We count our blessings and realize just how fortunate we were this past winter. We did not have to cancel any meetings due to bad weather. We have gained three new members and celebrated all the Holidays with a party for our members. We hosted a spring fling for Parkview State School for the Severely Handicapped. We had almost as much fun as the children did. In May we will be bringing personal items to a meeting for the safe house. Along with all the sunshine and blessings, we have had our share of rainy, dark days. Mary Howard is a resident of the Lutheran Nursing Home and Mary Ellen Emmons is a resident of Ratcliffe Care Center at this time. We do not know how long they will be staying. Gladys Dickerson lost her brother in March. Ruth Millitti graduated to her place in Heaven also in March. We extend our prayers and sympathy to the remaining family members. Pat Fleurdelys, who had knee surgery, is up and about. Moving a little slower, maybe. We appreciate her very much here at Rcwb. We are all trying to diet just a little as May 6th is the date of our candy sale. That's right, we are our best customers. We will be sending out invitations to our summer picnic, which will be on June 18, 2005 at Cape County Park, Shelter number 21. We will start gathering at 11:00, serving lunch at 12:00 noon. We are hoping to see several of our affiliates represented at our picnic. Until then, God bless and have a great summer.

River City Workers of the Blind, Communications committee.

THE SPRINGFIELD SCENE
by Phyllis Lovett

White Cane Walk Coming Up:

Our tenth annual White Cane Walk was held on May 14. White Cane Week is May 15-21. This week was declared by the Missouri governor in 1949. I have a copy of the proclamation if anyone would like a copy. We always have a great time, good food and fellowship. Last year we raised $1,162 for the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation. I hope we top that amount this year.

Mildred Taylor Broke Her Leg:
Mildred Taylor, whom many of you know, fell last winter and fractured her leg. She is restricted to a wheelchair most of the time but, if you know Mildred, you know this won't keep her down for long.

New Experience for Service Club:
This was a first for us even though our club is 75 years old. We had a baby shower for Linda Coccovizzo at our April meeting. The baby received several nice presents. I wonder if it will be a boy or girl. By the time you read this, we'll know. Congratulations, John and Linda.

Presidential Visit:
We were honored to have the M.C.B. President, Kathey Wheeler and the First Gentleman, Danny Wheeler as our guests at a special meeting. We did not have too many there but we certainly had a lot of good conversation.

SOUTHWEST Friendship Council of the Blind

My name is Katheryn Deaton. I am the Public Relations Person for our affiliate. At our February Meeting, we talked about nominations for the Ellis M. Forshee and Nathaniel Johnson Awards. We discussed plans for our social dinner and we decided to have a Valentine's Party at the American Legion. We had sandwiches and desserts and it was really nice. Leroy Potter gave each woman a pink rose.

We had some birthdays in February: Franklin Johnson, Lois Griffith, Harold Poiry, and Elaine Loyd.

In March we discussed our fund raising. We decided to go with a 50-50 drawing and to have the drawing in May. We will sell tickets for a dollar and the winner will get half of the pot. We went to a steak house for dinner which was really nice. The March birthdays were Joyce Shirks, Sara Southard, Margaret Forcum and Harold Griffin.

In April we had a chili feast. We also had a guest speaker, Mike Pound, who writes a column for the Joplin Globe. He wrote an article about the dinner which was published in the newspaper. April birthdays were Katheryn Deaton, David Snyder, and Linda Hailey.

Katheryn Deaton, Public Relations

UWB Update

Greetings from the United Workers for the Blind of Missouri,

This is a rather quiet time for UWB, but this has not exactly been the best of times for our friend Don Shockley, who, as we all know, is seldom quiet. A routine heart exam revealed some blockages and so, on the advice of his doctor, he decided to have heart bypass surgery in April. All went well and he was making good recovery at home when he developed severe pains and went into the hospital again, this time for gall bladder removal on May 5, two major surgeries just a couple of weeks apart. It could only happen to Don Shockley. But he is home again and recovering rapidly. Now this time, Don, stay home!

Our hearts go out to Linda Kinkelar, whose husband, Charles, passed away on May 11 from cancer. Linda and Charles had been married for less than two years. Linda has had many troubles over the past few years, but she has many friends who will be there to see her through this latest trial. Please keep Linda in your thoughts and prayers.

May was a special month for a couple of our members. On May 7th, Donna and I renewed our wedding vows on the occasion of our twentieth anniversary, with a ceremony at Southwest Baptist Church, the church we joined a couple of years ago. About sixty people were in attendance. V. Balaji, who we wrote about last time, and his wife Nalini celebrated their 25th anniversary in May. There were refreshments at the May UWB meeting to honor that occasion.

We will have election of officers in June, so I hope that everyone will come to the meeting prepared to run for, as opposed to running from, an office.

John Weidlich

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From The Lower Left-Hand Drawer

One technology company shuts down while others release new products; Steevie Wonder releases an accessible music video, and a group of blind people in Massachusetts say "Its our money too;" these are just a few of the items you will find in this edition of the Lower Left-Hand Drawer. These items have been collected from a variety of sources and are presented purely for your information; they are not endorsed by the Editor or by MCB. If you have items that you think would be of interest to your fellow readers, please submit them to me and I will put them in the drawer for later use. Ok, let's get started.

When I arrived home from the April Board meeting, I found a phone message informing me that Theresa Lauer, wife of the late Darrell Lauer, had passed away on that day, April 23rd. Theresa graduated from the Missouri School for the Blind in 1958, where she made history in December, 1952 by being crowned the first MSB School Queen. After graduation, she attended Missouri Valley College, obtaining her Master's Degree from Missouri State in Warrensburg. A lifelong history teacher, she taught at the South Carolina School for the Blind, Ursuline Academy in St. Louis and at the Missouri School for the Blind. After retiring from MSB, she taught Braille at the St. Louis Society for the Blind. Theresa is survived by three children and several grandchildren. She will be missed by her many friends.

Last time, I told you about a major merger in the technology field between Pulse Data International of New Zealand and the Canadian company VisuAide. The news this time involves a company going out of business. On March 14, it was announced that the Telesensory Corporation was closing its doors and laying off all of its employees. Telesensory was founded in 1970 by John Linville and Jim Bliss. Its first product was the Optacon reading device, a very popular item at that time because it was one of the first devices that allowed blind people to read print. In case you don't remember it, the Optacon consisted of a camera and a compartment with something like 144 vibrating pins. As you moved the camera across a line of print, the pins formed the shapes of the print letters which you would read with one finger. So you had to know the shapes of print letters and you had to be able to move the camera in a straight line. It was slow, but a lot of blind people developed fairly good speed with it and some may still use it today. Lately, the main focus for Telesensory was on CCTVS and other products for people with low vision. Telesensory's CEO, Ken Stokes, explained that the company's closing was caused by a "deteriorating relationship" with the company's principal supplier, resulting in the unavailability of products to ship.

We're all familiar with movies and television shows that have descriptive video, but there has never been audio description on a music video, at least not until now. In May, Steevie Wonder released a version of his music video for his new single "So What The Fuss" with audio description for blind viewers. This is the first single from his new album "A Time to Love, which is to be released in June, his first new album in ten years. The description is provided by a popular rap artist named Busta Rhymes.

Volunteers of Vacaville are prison inmates who produce braille and recorded books and repair Perkins braillers. Their address is Box 670, Vacaville, CA 95696 and the phone number is (707) 448-6841, extension 2004.

Going Places is a new course from the Hadley School for the Blind that will help you be a more independent traveler. The course covers public transportation, paratransit, and hiring drivers. Also new from Hadley: Living Well with Macular Degeneration. For information, call the Hadley School at (800) 526-9909 or visit their web site www.hadley-school.org. All Hadley School courses are free.

Here are a couple of new offerings from National Braille Press, both of which I have ordered but have not yet found time to read. The first is A Dictionary of Disagreeable English: A Curmudgeon's Compendium of Excruciatingly Correct Grammar by Robert Hartwell Fiske, the Grumbling Grammarian. (I love that title.) It lists commonly abused or misused words and gives examples of their proper use and typical misuse. It covers the grammatical and spelling mistakes we all make or hear made every day. It is in five Braille volumes for $12.99, also available as a Portabook, which can be downloaded onto a Braille reading device. The other one is braille.com and Beyond: How To get Around a Website by Anna Dresner. This book explains how to open websites and search for information, and how to download material or order merchandise from the Internet, using the National Braille Press Website as a model. It is one Braille volume for $10. Other new books from NBP include: Where the Sidewalk Ends, 128 Poems by Shel Silverstein, The Guide to Amazing Sex by Sari Locker, and Who's Afraid of Braille Music by William Mccain and Richard Taesch. To order any of these, contact National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115, (800) 548-7323 or e-mail orders@nbp.org.

The Huge Print Press can provide any book, including bibles, dictionaries, textbooks, cookbooks, or novels, in any font size from 16-50 point type upon request. I have no idea what this service costs. For more information, call (866) 484-3774 or send e-mail to info@hugeprint.com.

Voice of the Diabetic is a free quarterly magazine published by the Diabetes Action Network, which is part of the National Federation of the Blind, containing articles and resources for people with diabetes. It is available in large print, on tape or by e-mail. The Editor is Ed Bryant. His address is 1414 Interstate 70 Drive, Columbia, MO 65201, phone (573) 875-8911.

I think that one of the most vexing problems we blind people face these days is the inaccessibility of home appliances and consumer electronic devices, like stoves, ovens, washing machines, microwave ovens, stereos, televisions and VCRS. Manufacturers are replacing the familiar buttons and dials with flat panels and many of these devices can't be operated without using menus that blind people are unable to read. The National Federation of the Blind is setting up an Inclusive Home Resources Website, which will give information about the accessibility of various models of home appliances and consumer electronics. It will also list the stores that carry the most accessible appliances. The Federation also hopes to use the web site to raise awareness about accessibility issues among manufacturers.

Some research conducted in Europe has suggested the possibility that blind women, especially totally blind women, may be at a much lower risk for developing breast cancer than sighted women. No one is sure why that might be, but it could be related to increased levels of melatonin caused by less exposure to light. Researchers theorize that melatonin, which the body produces in the dark, may help prevent breast cancer. In order to investigate this further, The Harvard Medical School and the BRIGHAM and Women's Hospital in Boston are conducting a survey of health and sleep patterns in blind women. Any blind adult, regardless of health, may participate in this study. Women will be asked to fill out a questionnaire and then to record daily sleep patterns and take urine samples for hormone testing. All of the forms are in accessible formats or can be filled out online. To volunteer for this study, call (888) 828-4294 or send e-mail to bvihealthsurvey@rics.wbh.harvard.edu. You can also write to Erin Evans, Sleep Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.

The Missouri Assistive Technology Project is seeking proposals for setting up a statewide program to collect, repair and recycle adaptive technology to Missouri residents with disabilities. They hope to find an organization that would take on this project. If it happens, we'll let you know.

Walgreens offers large print prescription labels at all stores. To take advantage of this free service, just request large print when you call in or drop off your prescriptions.

Connections is a monthly publication in which blind people may advertise products or services that they offer or place ads for things they want to buy or sell. The publication is free but it costs $3.00 to place an advertisement. The first ad is free. Connections is available by e-mail, computer disk or on cassette. Contact Meagan Green at Connections, 410 Westfall Place, Stayton, OR 97383, e-mail mnoel71@juno.com. To place an ad by phone, call (503) 767-3786.

Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday is a weekly summary of adaptive technology news of particular interest to blind people. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to tttt-join@topdotenterprises.com.

Gw Micro offers a lease to own program for the latest version of WindowEyes. Gw Micro is now the US distributor for the Braille Sense, formerly known as the Braille Hansone, manufactured in South Korea. The Braille Sense is a PDA (personal digital assistant) with a 32-cell Braille display and Braille keyboard. For information, call Gw Micro at (260) 489-3671 or visit www.gwmicro.com.

Shadows in the Dark, which sells Braille greeting cards, has a new address and phone number. It is 3001 Branch Avenue, Number 132, Temple HILLS, MD 20748. Phone: (318) 349-9539. Premiere Assistive Technology offers a new talking checkbook software [program for $59.95. For information call (818) 722-5961 or visit www.readingmadeeasy.com.

Date World is a free service for blind, deaf-blind and visually impaired singles. Send name, address, phone number and general information about yourself, such as interests and hobbies, to Jerry Allen, Date World USA, Box 17332, Salem, OR 97305.

Abledata is your source for objective information about assistive technology from both domestic and international companies. Abledata does not sell products but can help you find companies that do. The Website is www.abledata.com.

The Deskmate is a new CCTV from Clarity Solutions. It has a 15-inch flat panel monitor, automatic focus and a rotating camera and it has from 2-50X magnification. The price is $2,595. Call (800) 575-1456 or visit www.clarityusa.com.

Sara, which stands for Scanning and Reading Appliance, is a new reading machine from Freedom Scientific. It can read using speech or it can be attached to a Tv to produce text in large print. It costs $2,595. For information about Sara, call (800) 444-4443 or send e-mail to info@freedomscientific.com.

A group of blind people in Massachusetts has established a group called Our Money Too to advocate for tactile identification of US currency. They are not necessarily pushing to have Braille put on money, but they are suggesting that we use different sizes for bills or use other kinds of tactile markings to distinguish between different bills. They say that one hundred other countries have tactile currency, including Canada and England. If you think this is a good idea, visit the group's website, www.ourmoneytoo.com.

Well, now that we've spent all of our unmarked money on all of these new gadgets, we may as well close the drawer for now. But, never fear, we'll reopen it in September. Keep in touch.

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From Slate.com
Tuesday, April 12, 2005

When Did the Blind Get a Tax Break? World War II, of course.

By Daniel Engber

As the Friday deadline for filing federal income tax returns approaches, many Americans are poring over their IRS Form 1040s. On line 38a, they must check a box for a special deduction if they're blind. (They can take another deduction on the same line if they're over 65.) A Slate reader asks: When did the blind get a special tax break?

During World War II. Until the 1940s, personal exemptions from the income tax were so big that the tax burden was negligible for many Americans. But as the need for tax revenues increased during the war, the size of exemptions decreased; in 1942, a single filer could deduct just $500 from his or her income, as opposed to $1,000 in 1939 and $3,000 in 1916. The Revenue Act of 1943 relieved this growing burden in a number of ways; one was the creation of a $500 deduction for the blind--in gratitude, it was said, for work they'd done in the defense industries. The bill also provided so many tax breaks for industry that Franklin Roosevelt vetoed it, declaring it "not a tax bill, but a tax relief bill providing relief not for the needy but for the greedy." The president was overruled by Congress, and the deduction for the blind became law.

Support for the blind had been growing. The Social Security Act of 1935 made a special provision for "Aid to the Blind," the National Federation of the Blind was formed in 1940, and an influx of blind war veterans had heightened the concern. The tax breaks were intended to alleviate the higher costs of living that the blind face. Blind people were more likely to hire guides, readers, and taxis. And they often needed to live closer to their workplaces, which meant they frequently paid higher rents.

When Congress created a standard deduction to simplify filing in 1944, advocates worried that the blind would be at a disadvantage, since they could take their benefit only if they itemized their returns. Four years later, lawmakers made the benefit (which had been raised to $600) a tax exemption, available no matter how a blind person decided to file.

Why were the blind singled out for a special benefit? For one thing, blindness can be measured with relative ease. Federal guidelines are quite explicit: If you can't see better than 20/200, or if your field of vision is less than 20 degrees, you can take the credit. Other conditions (like bad knees, for example) are more difficult to assess, although filers with such ailments can deduct "significant medical expenses"--currently defined as anything over 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income--from their income.

The special exemption for the blind has led to some resentment from people with other disabilities. In the 1970s, Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye made several unsuccessful attempts to introduce a special exemption for the deaf.

in the mid-80s, the Reagan tax reforms eliminated the special exemption for the blind and replaced it with a smaller deduction. This year, a single filer can add an extra $1,200 to their standard deduction for being blind or elderly, while a married filer can add $950. According to estimates from the Tax Policy Center, this provision will result in about $13.6 billion worth of excluded earnings.

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I like being old

This was posted on the MCB Listserv. I do not know who wrote it, but I think you will like it.

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know.

Old age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body--but I don't agonize over it for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read until 4 AM, and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50's and 60's, and if I at the same time wish to weep over a lost love, I will. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten--and I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say "no", and mean it. I can say "yes", and mean it. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer the question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. For the first time in my life, I don't have to have a reason to do the things I want to do. If I want to play games on the computer all day, lay on the couch and watch old movies for hours or don't want to go to the beach or a movie, I have earned that right. I have put in my time doing everything for others, so now I can be a bit selfish without feeling guilty.

I sometimes feel sorry for the young. They face a far different world than I knew growing up, where we feared the law, respected the old, the flag, our country. I never felt the need to use filthy language in order to express myself. And they too will grow old someday.

I am grateful to have been born when I was, into a kinder, gentler world.

Yes, I like being old!

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When Did the Blind Get a Tax Break? World War II, of course.

I like being old

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