BayLines
Fall/Winter, 2009
Bay State Council of the Blind
57 Grandview Avenue
Watertown, MA 02472
Phone: 617-923-4519
President, Bob Hachey
22 Grant Street
Waltham, MA 02453
Phone: 781-893-6251
E-mail: bhachey@comcast.net
Editor, Marcia Dresser
167 Green Street
Reading, MA 01867
Phone: 781-944-3586
E-mail: mn.dresser@verizon.net
Assistant Editors: Jerry Berrier, Sharon Strzalkowski, Steve Dresser, Judy Savageau
"BayLines" is published four times per year in large print, audio cassette, via e-mail, and on the Web. Please contact the editor if you wish to request a change of format. Deadlines for receiving material are February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15.
BSCB E-mail Lists:
BSCB-L is an open and unmoderated e-mail list for discussion of topics of interest to BSCB members and friends. To subscribe, send e-mail to bscb-l-subscribe@acb.org
BSCB-ANNOUNCE is a moderated one-way e-mail list used to disseminate pertinent announcements to members and friends of the Bay State Council of the Blind. To subscribe, send an E-mail request to: jerry@birdblind.org
Table of Contents
Contents
President's
Message By Bob Hachey
These
Skiers Need to Have a Vision By T.D. Thornton, Globe Correspondent December 25,
2008
Massachusetts
Commemorates Birth of Louis Braille by Timothy Vernon
Target
Improves Point-of-Sale Equipment to Benefit Shoppers with Visual Impairments
With disabilities no obstacle, school
salutes its inspiration
CVS/pharmacy
Enhancing Accessibility for the Visually Impaired
The
Carroll Center for the Blind names Michael Festa as new President
National
Blind Sailing Championship Held By Dennis Brady
Sony
Pictures Home Entertainment Partners with WGBH Media Access Group
News
from the Museum of Science
Challenges
Didn't Tarnish Beautiful Spirit
Paula
Bress, recipient of the First CarrollKids Award
OPTACON
USERS UNITE TO PRESERVE VALUABLE READING DEVICE
Editor's Page
I hope you're as happy to receive this issue of BayLines as I am to finally bring it to you. Yes, I know; it's been a very long time in coming.
I was planning to put out an issue back in March; to be honest, however, I didn't have enough material. I decided to wait a while, and then, on May 1, I fell at work and broke my right arm above the elbow in three places. Miraculously, the bones stayed aligned, so I didn't need surgery or a cast, but I did have to wear a sling for four months, and I'm still receiving physical therapy. As you can imagine, I couldn't type while wearing a sling, and afterward, for a month or so, I couldn't type for more than about fifteen minutes without having shooting pain from my arm down to my hand. (It was not fun!) Now that I'm back to almost normal, I've had to juggle BayLines with my other responsibilities that I had to drop during the spring and summer. Why didn't I ask for help? Well, in hindsight, I should have. As I always say, though, we're all volunteers around here, and I guess I was reluctant to ask other people to take on something that I had committed to completing.
I'm not saying all this to complain; I just wanted you to know that I didn't fall off the planet. I'm anxious to get BayLines back on schedule, and I really appreciate your patience and understanding.
This double issue of BayLines is packed with interesting
articles by and about our members, spanning just about a year. I know you'll enjoy it. Cheryl Cumings and Dennis Brady are
first-time contributors. We’re always
looking for new talent, so why not try your hand at writing an article? Simply email your articles to me or, if you
don’t have access to a computer, no problem; just send them to me in braille or
on tape. If you have an idea for an
article but would rather not write it yourself, please get in touch with me,
and we'll discuss it. My email address
is mn.dresser@verizon.net, and you
can reach me by snail mail at
In closing, I wish you Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. I hope your holidays bring you peace, joy, and fun! May 2010 bring everything you hope for, and more.
President's Message
By Bob Hachey
Hello everyone,
Welcome to the fall/winter 2009 edition of BayLines. Let me begin by apologizing for the lack of newsletters since last fall. Our editor sustained a major injury early in the spring and, looking back, I believe I could have done more to produce more issues of BayLines. And, I was informed that the newsletter was ready to go a few weeks ago and then came down with what I believe to be a case of the flu which has kept me in bed for the majority of the month of October which further delayed this issue. I encourage all of you to be especially vigilant regarding flu bugs during what looks to be a particularly bad flu season.
As usual, BSCB has been hard at work on a number of advocacy fronts. Back in February, Rick Morin, Jerry Berrier, Brian Charlson and I attended the American Council of the Blind Legislative Seminar. Once again, the two priority issues were the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act and the Twenty-first Century Video and Communications Accessibility Act. Both of these bills were refiled this year at the beginning of the new legislative session. (A new federal legislative session commences at the beginning of each odd numbered year.)
The news is quite good regarding the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act. This bill would require the Department of Transportation to produce standards such that hybrid vehicles produce a sound to warn pedestrians and bicyclists of their presence when operating in electric mode which is much quieter than gasoline engines. This bill, H.R. 734, has well over 100 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. Ed Markey, Michael Capuano, Jim McGovern, William Delahunt, Richard Neal and John Tierney from Massachusetts have signed onto this bill. If you live in the districts of one of these representatives, please contact their offices and thank them for supporting this legislation. If your representative has not yet signed on, please ask him or her to do so. The Capitol switchboard can be reached at 202-225-3121. This number is the easiest way to contact your federal representatives and senators.
In a related matter, a study of sounds produced by hybrid cars was recently conducted at the Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library to determine how well blind persons can hear hybrid cars in comparison to cars with gasoline-powered engines. This was a preliminary study and there will be more studies to come on this issue. Automobile manufacturers are already looking into adding sounds to their vehicles so that they will be more noticeable for pedestrians. I believe that with a bit more work, this bill will become law by the end of 2010.
The news on the Twenty-First Century Video and
Communications Accessibility Act, sponsored by Ed Markey, H.R. 3101, is not nearly as good. At this time there are
only 19 co-sponsors. This bill was refiled at the end of June. Michael Capuano,
Barney Frank, Jim McGovern and John Tierney were all co-sponsors during the previous
legislative session. Unfortunately, there are no co-sponsors from Massachusetts
for this bill at this time. And, there are no Republican co-sponsors at all.
Please contact your representatives and urge that they co-sponsor this most
important piece of legislation. Also, if you have any family members or good
friends who live in Republican districts located in other states, please ask
them to help us out on this one. If passed, this bill would require all video
devices including
There is one more piece of federal legislation that we are working on for this session. In 2004, in an effort to cut down on tax fraud, Congress passed a law limiting tax deductions for donated durable goods such as automobiles whose value is greater than $500.00 to the amount for which the vehicle was sold. This caused confusion, delays and a marked decrease in vehicle donations to nonprofits, including ACB and BSCB. In August of 2009, H.R. 571 was introduced by William Delahunt. This bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow donors to deduct the "fair market value" of vehicles donated to charities up to $2,500. Those who donate vehicles appraised prior to donation at more than $2,500 would be allowed a deduction at the time of donation equal to the appraised value of the vehicle. Please urge your representatives to sign onto H.R. 571.
Here in Massachusetts, BSCB continues to work hard on your behalf. This recession has caused major problems for those who must manage our state's budget. BSCB continues to ask that services to blind and visually impaired persons not be cut. It is my belief that during economic hard times, cutting services to persons with disabilities causes particular hardships. Is it the government's responsibility to protect the citizenry from the increased poverty caused by recessions such as the one we're in right now? I think that the answer is yes. When I'm asking that services not be cut, I sometimes feel like that Dutch boy with his finger in the dyke. Revenues are down again, and the governor is expected to lay off 2000 state employees and consolidate agencies. We will be asking all of you to help us to maintain quality services for our population.
Once again, we're trying to pass what has come to be known as the Prescription Bottle Label bill. S445 is sponsored by Senator Steven Baddour. If passed, this bill would require health insurance providers to cover the cost of making labels of prescription bottles accessible via voice recorder. This is a bill we've been working on for far too long, and the reason that we have failed thus far is that the extremely powerful health insurance lobby opposes new mandates for coverage. I believe that unless we can make a concerted effort on this one, we will fail once again. To me, this means a major event at the State House.
Earlier this year, BSCB collaborated with the Carroll
Center for the Blind, Perkins School for the Blind, the Rehabilitation council
of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind and the National Federation of
the Blind of Massachusetts on a very successful advocacy event. It was dubbed
BLIND (Blindness Legislation Information and Networking Day). This event was
well attended by the staffs of many state representatives and senators. Former
Anyone who is interested in working on any of the issues mentioned above should feel free to contact me.
BSCB continues to work on video description as it relates to television, movies and live performances. The list of movie theaters equipped with description continues to grow. If you've never attended a movie or live theater performance with description, I urge you to give it a try.
BSCB continues to work on structured negotiations with
attorney Lainey Feingold. We're working on point of sale accessibility with
companies such as Staples,
BSCB continues to manage two email lists--a discussion list and an announcement list. Recent website issues caused a temporary interruption of these lists but they are now back up and running. Anyone interested in subscribing to either of these lists should contact me.
On the first Saturday of October, the BSCB Board of Directors spent the day discussing the future of BSCB and strategies to improve our organization. More details on this session will appear in the next issue of BayLines. The Board of Directors is always interested in ideas from our membership on what types of activities you think that BSCB should work on. I encourage anyone with ideas to agree to work with us on possible implementation of your ideas.
Enjoy the rest of BayLines.
Congratulations to New BSCB Board Members!
At our spring convention back in March, we held election for the BSCB Board of Directors. Kim Charlson was re-elected, and Kathy (Roach) Devin, Roz Rowley, and Sharon Strzalkowski joined the board.
We extend sincere and heartfelt thanks to Cheryl Cumings, Diane Fann, and Alison Roberts for their dedication and hard work on the BSCB Board. We know that they will continue to contribute their great ideas and energy to our organization.
Several presentations from the spring convention, including those by ACB president Mitch Pomerantz, were broadcast on "Council Connection" during the past several months. To listen, go to www.acb.org/baystate and follow the links to "Council Connection."
Going to the Inauguration
by Cheryl Cumings
When Nelson Mandela came to visit Washington, D.C., I lived there and, for whatever reason, decided that I would not go to hear him speak. I am not sure what made me think I would ever have another chance to hear him speak in person but the day Nelson Mandela came to Washington, D.C., I chose to go to work.
This time, I decided that I would not make such a choice. This time, I decided that I would go and be part of the inauguration of Barack Obama.
America had done the unexpected. People across the country had elected the most unlikely candidate to be President of the United States. People had elected someone who did not come from a dynastic family and who appears to understand what America means to its citizens and to people around the world.
I know that the election of Barack Obama does not mean that all racism is over in America. Nonetheless, I know that Barack Obama’s election does mean that there has been a fundamental shift in the way those of us who, because of our race and/or our disability are generally locked out of certain achievements, view our prospects. This time, I wanted to be part of a celebration of our future, our hope and our potential.
I was fortunate that a friend from college lived in D.C. and had agreed that I could bunk out at his place during the inauguration. As it turned out, my Mom and six other people bunked out at his place. Although we did not have tickets for many of the formal events, we went to the Sunday concert on the mall. Two people who lived in the building where we stayed agreed that we could join them on their walk over to the mall.
The night before the inauguration, we attended one formal event. The Association for People with Disabilities and other disability groups held a ball at the National Press Club. We went with a group of friends and had a wonderful time! The keepsake from this event was a computer-generated photo of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
The day of the inauguration, my Mom and I walked over to the
mall. We had two goals: (one) to find a place where Mom could see the
Jumbotron, and (two) to find a spot where I could hear what was happening. We were fortunate and found seats on the wall
surrounding the Washington Monument. We
met two wonderful ladies who were from
The official start of the ceremony was announced in our area with a lot of cheering. People around us joined in the recitation of the Lord's Prayer. As Barack Obama took the oath of office, I felt amazed to be witnessing this event. This is the country in which just 200 years ago, African-Americans were slaves. This was the country in which people were killed registering people to vote and where people had water hoses and dogs turned on them because they wanted to be recognized as full human beings with all the rights of an American citizen.
January 20, 2009 was a momentous day. It gives me courage to keep moving ahead irrespective of any negatives in my life. I am glad that this time I decided to skip work and to go to this event.
These Skiers
Need to Have a Vision
By T.D. Thornton, Globe Correspondent
December 25, 2008
If you ask Marie Hennessy of
"All of a sudden, the sighted guides couldn't see," said Hennessy, who has been blind since birth. "Our roles were reversed, and the visually impaired people were assisting the guides, because we know how to move around in a dark world. It was ironic, but at the same time, we had fun. In fact, nothing stops us from having fun."
Hennessy's positive outlook is echoed by other Ski For Light participants, who stress that the organization's main goal is not just to get adults with disabilities involved with physically demanding sports, but to provide those opportunities in an atmosphere of camaraderie that benefits both the sighted and the blind.
"One thing that Ski For Light has done for me is it makes me feel like a more complete person," said David Fisk, a volunteer guide from Thetford, Vt. "I think any type of volunteering helps a person be more complete."
Introducing visually impaired people to cross-country skiing
dates back to the 1950s in Europe with a blind Norwegian musician named Erling
Stordahl. His efforts led to the creation of an annual, week-long event called
Ridderrenn in 1964, which has grown to attract thousands of disabled
participants and guides from around the world to the mountains of
The Ridderrenn concept was brought to
Today, NERSFL doesn't rely solely on cross-country skiing to get its participants outdoors. In the winter, the group now also snowshoes. In warmer months, trips are planned for hiking, canoeing, and tandem bicycling. The organization has an itinerary of upcoming trips on its website (nersfl.org), where it actively recruits volunteer guides and visually impaired participants.
When it comes to first-timers, NERSFL members said it is usually the sighted guides, not the blind skiers, who feel a bit of anxiety the initial time they get paired up.
"Fear isn't one of my responses," said Cindy Wentz, who lives outside of Boston and has been legally blind since birth, although she does have some limited vision. "The first time on skis, I would say I probably had more of a feeling of 'Let's just go and jump into this with both feet.'"
Hennessy agreed. "I didn't have any trepidation. I felt totally comfortable," she said. "The guide who was with me had incredible patience. I knew I was going to trust this person, and he knew I wanted to make this work."
Fisk, who became a guide in 1994 and now trains the sighted volunteers who enter the NERSFL program, said he was initially "nervous about working with blind people." But he said he received valuable feedback from the more experienced visually impaired skiers, and that two-way communication made him a better guide.
"I just realized I had to give [blind people] a lot more credit than I was giving," Fisk said. "A lot of skiers with Ski For Light are good skiers. There are some who can ski any of the terrains they encounter."
Fisk said that when introducing a blind person to the sport, he will begin by explaining what each piece of equipment does with a hands-on demonstration. Guides and blind skiers are paired up on a one-to-one basis, and a lot of thought goes into matching the personalities and ability levels of the sighted and blind skiers.
On the trails, communication is the key to guiding a blind skier. "Tips left" and "tips right" are common commands, but rather than direct a skier's every movement, Fisk said a guide's primary function is to describe the lay of the land and to forewarn of any terrain changes. Whether the blind skier goes ahead of, behind, or next to the guide is a matter of individual preference.
The only emergency command that participants must obey is the "Sit down!" warning, Fisk said. Falling backward is the safest position for someone who can't see if they have to avoid an imminent obstacle.
"I spent a lot of time on my rear at first," Wentz joked.
Fisk said that when he trains guides, he often will have them ski blindfolded to simulate how someone without sight would negotiate a trail.
"It's incredibly difficult to judge your speed," Fisk said. "We rely so much on our visual cues for balance."
Teaching the basics of cross-country skiing is one thing. But helping blind athletes appreciate the aesthetics and raw beauty of nature while on the trails can be trickier.
"Almost all of it has to be verbal," Fisk said, although he will use the sense of touch to help visually impaired skiers distinguish various types of bark on trees or the difference between snow conditions. Hennessy recalled that a guide once took her outstretched arm and used it to "trace" a mountain range far off in the distance.
"I love stopping and just listening," said Wentz. She has enough sight, she explained, to tell that "the sky is blue," or what the trees look like in a "Monet kind of way." For her, "there's some visual, but you also rely on your other senses."
Hennessy said that well-meaning sighted people are sometimes hesitant to offer "too much information" out of fear that the blind person will become annoyed. But she appreciates it when the guides stop on the trail to enlighten her about things in nature that she can't see.
"Having someone take the time to think about what you might enjoy is a wonderful experience," Hennessy said.
"It's not about the destination, it's about the process," Wentz said. "It's a freedom of movement, which is hard to get in other areas of my life. When I walk [around the city] I need to concentrate on the next step and on my own safety. When I ski, all my mental energy is focused. I just remember being blown away the first time I did it."
Ski For Light is just as rewarding for the volunteer guides, too.
"It's a personal development thing for me," said Fisk. "And it's downright fun."
Massachusetts
by Timothy Vernon
On Wednesday, January 14, 2009, about 100 people gathered at the Massachusetts State House to promote braille literacy and honor the 200th anniversary of the birth of its inventor, Louis Braille. The day was filled with exhibits by vendors, visits from legislative leaders, and a presentation to showcase the extreme value of braille.
One of the most popular exhibits, which was on display at the State House for nearly two weeks, was a collage of ten panels depicting the life of Louis Braille. These panels, developed by National Braille Press, chronicled Braille’s life from his birth on January 4, 1809, through his invention of braille, to his death on January 6, 1852. This exhibit will travel the country throughout 2009 to increase public awareness of Louis Braille’s life, and showcase the vitality of braille today. To view the entire exhibit, please visit
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/louis/louis_tour.html.
Another popular exhibitor was Perkins School for the Blind, whose staff brought the new Next Generation™ Perkins Brailler®. Attendees were provided a brief description of the brailler’s layout, and had the opportunity to try the machine for themselves. Its lighter weight and quieter sound have made this machine quite popular.
At 2:00, attendees assembled near the grand staircase for the ceremony. Several state representatives and senators attended the gathering, including Senator Therese Murray, President of the Massachusetts Senate, who brought greetings from the legislature. “Giving anyone the tools to read is giving them the opportunity to have advantages and experiences they may never have dreamed of before,” Murray said. Governor Deval Patrick was unable to attend the event, but his proclamation declaring January as Braille Literacy Month was read in braille by Avana Morris, a 10th-grade honors student at Lynn English High School.
Other speakers at the ceremony included Paul Parravano, Director of Government Relations at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and chairman of the National Braille Press Board of Directors; Janet LaBreck, Commissioner, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind; Paula Bress, teacher of the visually impaired and representative for the Association of Massachusetts Educators of Students with Visual Impairments; Dr. Karen Ross, Vice President of Education Services, Carroll Center for the Blind; and Kim Charlson, Director, Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library. Paul Parravano spoke on the importance of and continued need for braille literacy. “I think of Louis Braille as the king of independence for blind people,” Parravano stated. “Without the foundation of braille knowledge, full independence and thorough educational opportunity does not exist.”
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, the Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library sponsored an essay contest focused on the topic “how braille has made an impact on my way of life.” During the ceremony, Kim Charlson recognized the three essay winners: Kayla Bentas, Samantha Lylis, and Timothy Vernon. “Our three recipients today truly exemplify what braille literacy can provide to people who are blind: knowledge, self-esteem, independence, and empowerment,” Mrs. Charlson stated. All of the winners were present at the ceremony to receive a certificate, and a $100 cash prize presented jointly by the library and Perkins.
Kayla Bentas, 17, is a senior at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School in Peabody, Massachusetts. At the age of nine, Kayla became blind as a result of a brain tumor, but this life-changing experience did not dampen her positive spirit. She immediately embraced learning braille, and enjoyed sharing her new knowledge with family members and friends. An entrepreneur, she has formed “Kayla’s Vision,” a non-profit foundation dedicated to helping visually impaired people acquire assistive technology. She plans to major in business management at college next fall. [Kayla now attends Suffolk University in Boston.]
Samantha Lylis, 19, is a secondary school student at Perkins School for the Blind. A resident of Merrimack, New Hampshire, she has not only mastered English braille, but is fluent in the French and Spanish codes as well.
Timothy Vernon, 25, resides in Mansfield, Massachusetts. As a result of his knowledge of braille, Vernon was named to the Dean’s List each semester at Fitchburg State College, and uses braille daily in his job as a customer service representative at NSTAR Electric and Gas. “Tim is a great asset to NSTAR and exemplifies what a customer service representative should be,” said Tony Simas, Director of NSTAR’s Customer Interaction Center, in a media release. “He is extremely customer-focused and is sensitive to the needs of our diverse customer population."
The Braille Literacy Celebration stressed the major importance of braille communication today. Teachers, parents, students and professionals all urged continued support for braille literacy as a high priority.
Kramer's Kilometers
We Really Went to Needham
by Kramer The K9
(Note to readers: I am an eight-and-a-half-year-young black Lab Seeing Eye graduate. My job is keeping my partner, John Usinas, safe while he explores the byways in and around our state and reporting on his travels to my readers. John is a client advocate who is employed by the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind.)
As you may remember in my last Kilometers, I mentioned that the boss was a bit confused as to what town we were supposed to be in. He thought it was Needham when in fact it was Walpole, but then he is, as we canines say, "after all only human!"
I am pleased to report that even though that "rodent" saw his shadow last month and cursed us with more snow, things are improving! The days are staying brighter much longer and the sun is warming things a little more and I have been able to find some grass in our back yard.
Our recent trip was to the
We arrived at the school in time to meet our speaker contact, Stacy, and chat before class started. Suzanne reminded John of the first time we were here and the office lady asked if he was there to sign up for kindergarten. Now I know John likes to think he looks young, but remember, the poor guy can't see his reflection; however, the memory was still good for a few laughs.
We soon started in our first class of first graders and Stacy introduced John and me. I, of course, having heard his story many times, laid down to take a nap, but was soon made to stand up so he could explain how he uses my harness to follow me. He then pointed out the dangers of distracting me while I am supposed to be watching out for his safety.
I laid down again and John went on to tell the class about the different types of blindness and how he and others use guide dogs, canes and sighted guides to get around.
He next demonstrated all his devices and as usual started to crack up when the Parrot Voice Mate would not give him the number for the school. It took a few minutes for everyone, teachers included, to stop laughing so he could regain his composure and try again. The Voice Mate finally gave him the correct information and he went on to demonstrate his Coloreano and other talking and information identifying devices, including his new KNFB Reader. Part of those demonstrations included a message using the talking computer voice he tape recorded to let the kids hear what it sounds like. The embarrassing thing is that I am snoring in the background and the kids got hysterical when they heard it!
After each presentation, John takes questions from the kids and teachers and does his best to answer in a way the kids can understand. As usual, a few kids told stories about their dogs, but there were also many good questions, which showed that the kids had been discussing blindness before we arrived.
Just before we left, John asked the kids for a favor. He asked them to tell their parents that a "man who was blind" was at their school, not "a blind man." He then explained that he preferred to put the person first and not the disability because the person always is most important and not the disability! We then left to a round of applause and a request to come back again next year.
Well, it's time for another nap, so until next time, Woof Woof!
Target Improves Point-of-Sale Equipment to Benefit
Shoppers with Visual Impairments
MINNEAPOLIS, May 14, 2009: The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB),
American Council of the Blind (ACB), California Council of the Blind (CCB)
and Target (NYSE:
collaborated to improve the Target checkout experience of guests with visual
impairments and ensure their privacy. The AFB, ACB and CCB applaud Target's
efforts and urge other retailers to follow its example.
Point-of-Sale Improvements
Target will add tactile keypads to point-of-sale devices at all Target
stores. This improvement allows shoppers who have visual impairments or
difficulty reading information on a touch screen to privately and
independently enter their personal identification number (
their financial privacy.
The devices feature keys arranged like a standard telephone keypad and work
in conjunction with Target's current point-of-sale terminals. All Target
stores in
will be installed in all Target stores nationwide by the end of 2010.
Mitch Pomerantz, president of the American Council of the Blind, praised
Target's commitment. "I applaud Target, one of the largest national
retailers, for making these equipment changes that recognize that blind and
visually impaired customers must have the same level of privacy and security
when making purchases as our sighted peers. In this era of rampant identity
theft, the ability to use tactile point-of-sale devices is crucial."
Ann Marie Janke, vice president, Target Technology Services, Guest
Development, said, "Target is committed to providing an exceptional
experience and fostering an inclusive shopping environment for all our
guests. We are eager to make changes to our point-of-sale keypads that will
enhance the guest experience and ensure the privacy protection of our
visually impaired guests."
Felecia Fields climbed the steps to the Patrick O’Hearn
Elementary School reluctantly, a million questions swirling in her mind. If she
chose the O’Hearn for her son, would the children tease him because he has
cerebral palsy? Would the teachers ignore him?
Inside, the hallways bustled with students changing classes.
She spotted one child pushing another in a wheelchair, and then there was a
student using a walker. In the center of the hallway stood the school’s
principal, William Henderson, with a white walking stick, exclaiming: “Welcome
to the O’Hearn School."
With that, Fields’s anxiety vanished.
For 20 years, Henderson, 59, who is blind, has put the
fears of countless parents to rest, as he transformed the Dorchester school
into a national model for teaching students with disabilities within mainstream
classrooms. The practice - revolutionary two decades ago - attracted the
attention of the US Department of Education and a host of news crews, including
television anchor Katie Couric, who did a story in the mid-1990s.
This afternoon, staff, students, parents, and Mayor
Thomas M. Menino will gather to present the highest of honors to the principal
upon his retirement: The school, just a few blocks from his home, will be
renamed the William Henderson Elementary School. It is a fitting tribute, they
say, for a pioneer who has improved the lives of thousands of children.
“He’s a rock star," said Bridget Curd, a parent who
cochairs the school site council. “Many schools across the country and across
the world have come to the Patrick O’Hearn School to see how students with
severe special needs learn side-by-side with other children."
The ceremony has been in the making for months. A group
of parents and teachers hatched the idea in January of the renaming, which
required a public hearing and a School Committee vote. …
Students say the school will not be the same without him.
“I feel really sad," said 7-year-old Leila Stella, a
first-grader, as she made a Snow White puppet
out of felt and construction paper. “We really love our principal."
At the O’Hearn, a third of the 230 students have been
identified for special education services. The school teaches some of the
city’s most severely disabled students, including those with autism, cerebral
palsy, and Down syndrome, in classrooms with other students.
Before Henderson began the transformation of the O’Hearn
in 1989 at the request of school district leaders, students with disabilities
would have been taught in segregated classrooms. Only a handful of other city
schools have followed the O’Hearn’s lead, much to the dismay of special
education advocates.
“Boston has far too many kids in segregated classrooms
and not enough schools like the O’Hearn," said Thomas Hehir, a professor
at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education and a former director of
the US Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs. “The
O’Hearn is one of the few schools in urban America that demonstrates all
students can succeed."
Achieving success took more than just plopping these
children in the classroom. Teachers had to overhaul lesson plans. Classmates
had to learn tolerance and empathy, and gain a sense of when to jump in and
help a disabled student with a class project or merely open a door for a child
using a walker or wheelchair.
A great unifying theme of the school has been the arts,
in which self-expression often puts children of all abilities on a level
playing field. One of the first projects students created at the reinvented
school 20 years ago was a colorful mosaic featuring a child in a wheelchair in
between a standing girl and a boy. Last month, in “The Sound of Music," a
girl with Down syndrome played a major role.
In leading the transformation of the O’Hearn, Henderson
also has broken stereotypes about what people with disabilities can achieve in
the workplace. Henderson - who has retinitis pigmentosa, a gradual
deterioration of the retina - started losing his peripheral vision when he was
12. He is now blind, although sometimes able to see shapes and bright colors.
In his early years in the Boston system, Henderson, a
Yale graduate, worked as a bilingual teacher at the Hernández School, later
advancing to assistant principal. During that time, his sight grew so bad that
his doctor told him to give up working and take early retirement. It was a
crushing turn of events for Henderson, who thought he would keep his eyesight
until 60.
But Henderson stuck with his career, earning a doctorate
at the University of Massachusetts.
“I feel blessed and privileged to have worked in the
Boston public schools for 36 years," Henderson said, when interviewed
about his impending retirement.
For first-time visitors to the O’Hearn, it is not always
apparent that Henderson is blind. His blue eyes make eye contact. If he is
sitting behind his desk, he sometimes grabs a small pad of white paper and uses
visual memory to draw an object to stress a point or to write down a phone
number. He says it is no different from writing with one’s eyes shut.
In the autumn, he can be spotted raking leaves in the
school’s courtyard, and in the winter, shoveling the sidewalks.
When walking, though, he leads with his red-tipped stick,
often moving at a quick clip. Henderson is a runner, hiker, kayaker, and
bicyclist. As he navigates the hallways, he greets students by name,
recognizing their voices. For students who don’t speak up when they see him,
Henderson asks who’s there.
After his retirement, Henderson plans on consulting with
VSA Arts of Massachusetts, a nonprofit that works with schools on teaching
students of all abilities through the arts. The organization has partnered with
the O’Hearn for 20 years.
In his new role, Henderson will even find himself back at
the O’Hearn from time to time.
“There’s no winding down or coasting when you work
with children," Henderson said. “Schools are like relationships. You have
to keep working at it and improving it. You can’t get stale or you will fail. …
You learn in life to build on successes."
CVS /pharmacy
Enhancing Accessibility
for the Visually Impaired
Wonsocket, R.I., July 30, 2009:
Today’s announcement is the result of a collaboration
between
“We are pleased to collaborate with organizations committed
to advocacy for the blind and introduce service enhancements in our stores and
online that will increase access for our visually impaired customers,” said
Helena Foulkes, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of
Point-of-Sale Improvements
“Without tactile keys, blind and visually impaired people have
no choice but to share their PINs with strangers,” explained Melanie Brunson,
executive director of the American Council of the Blind. “Today’s
announcement, and the collaboration that led to it, demonstrates
Web Site Access
The initiative includes
“An accessible web site is crucial if people with vision
loss are to obtain goods, services and information on an equal footing,” said
Paul Schroeder, vice president, programs and policy group of the American
Foundation for the Blind. “We appreciate
About
The Carroll Center
Michael E. Festa of Melrose has been selected as the next President of the Carroll Center for the Blind, a national provider of rehabilitation and educational services. Festa succeeds Rachel Rosenbaum, who has been the Carroll Center’s chief executive officer since 1976, and a national influence on services for blind persons.
Festa will be charged with leading a capital campaign to raise $5 million, half of which will go towards expanding CarrollTech, an online series of courses and programs for blind and visually impaired persons, while the other half will be set aside for an endowment to better provide rehabilitation training for newly blinded adults and educational services for blind children.
CarrollTech was developed in 2003 to meet the continued barriers blind persons face with regard to cost of training, difficulty in travel and the wide availability of qualified instructors. CarrollTech aims to meet those challenges and to expand the reach and availability of services for students of all ages across the globe.
To honor the achievements and developments in adaptive technology training by the retiring Rosenbaum, the facility’s technology center is being named the “Rachel E. Rosenbaum Technology Center” at the Carroll Center for the Blind. As one of the foremost leaders for the blind, she earned the AFB Migel Medal, the highest honor in the profession. In September, she received the Braille Institute of America’s 2009 Reflections Award, which recognizes leadership and uncommon achievement by an individual, corporation, foundation or group that furthers the understanding of sight loss and the capabilities of people who are blind or visually impaired.
"The Carroll Center for the Blind’s face to face computer training at our Newton facility serves approximately 100 individuals a year,” said Festa. “However, more than double that number of students is served annually through CarrollTech’s online training. With additional online courses, we can provide training to more individuals at a lower cost per individual, but funding is needed to design the courseware adapted for blind and visually impaired persons.”
Festa is a practicing attorney and served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1999-2007, where he spearheaded the passage of the “Equal Choice for Senior and Disabled Persons” law. The law, which Festa collaborated on with advocates from the senior and disability communities along with interests in the long term care provider community to get passed, resulted in a fundamental shift in the use of long-term care dollars from an institutional bias to one that promotes independence in the home and community. More recently he has served as the Secretary of the Executive Office Elder Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where he continued to promote innovative opportunities for seniors to live more independently in the community. …
Blind Community Leaders Applaud Trader Joe's
Commitment to Improve
Point-of-Sale Equipment to Benefit Shoppers with Visual Impairments
Sacramento, Calif., August 19, 2009 - The American Council of the Blind (ACB),
the California Council of the Blind (CCB) and the American Foundation for the
Blind (AFB) announced today that they have collaborated with Trader Joe's to
improve the checkout experience of guests with visual impairments and help
ensure their privacy. The AFB, ACB, and CCB applaud Trader Joe's efforts.
Trader Joe's has added tactile keypads to point-of-sale devices at all their
locations. The new improvements allow shoppers who have visual
impairments
or difficulty reading information on a touch screen to privately and
independently enter their personal identification number (
"Trader Joe's is a very popular store for the thousands of ACB and CCB members across the country," said Jeff Thom, president of the CCB. "Today's announcement is just one more example of the company's dedication to customer service."
Trader Joe's operates more than 325 stores in 25 states [including Massachusetts] and the District of Columbia.
National Blind Sailing Championship Held
By Dennis Brady
The 2009 National Blind Sailing Championship was held on Tuesday, August 25th through Thursday August 27th at the facilities of Sail Newport located at Fort Adams State Park in Newport Rhode Island. For the second year, this event was held in conjunction with the C. Thomas Claget Jr. Memorial Regatta, which has become a showcase event for sailors with other disabilities, and featured sailors who have competed in previous Paralympics competitions. Also, this is the first year that the championship was run as a 3-day competition, which allowed the blind competitors to have another day of competition and receive their awards along with the winners of the other disability classes.
There were seven teams, or crews, that competed in this year’s event. There were five teams organized by the Sail Blind program at the Carroll Center for the Blind, along with one team each from California and Florida. The blind competitors used J/22 series boats and competed in 11 races over the three-day period. A twelfth race, (the last one on the 3rd day), was abandoned because the wind had totally died at that point, rendering any chance to finish the race virtually impossible.
Each crew consists of two blind sailors and two sighted sailors. One sighted sailor is at the stern of the boat to guide the helmsman, and the other is at the bow to work with the jib man. The helmsman is also responsible for operating the main sheet. All of the major sailing functions are supposed to be performed by the blind sailors, acting on instructions or commands of the sighted guides.
The competitors had to deal with varied wind conditions off the coast of Newport. On the first day of competition, the winds were so light at one point that there was a 2 hour wait before races could resume. On the second day, the winds were in the 15 to 20 knot range all day, which created different challenges. On the third day, we had Newport in reverse; that is, there was a 12 knot breeze to start things off, but as each race was finished, the breezes were failing until there was basically no breeze left, forcing the race committee to end all competition at that point.
The top three teams were recognized at the closing ceremonies. Under the rules of sailing, the point scoring is almost like golf. In other words, the higher you finish, the lower your point score, and the lowest team score wins.
Third place went to the team of Ryck Lent and Mark Bos, with sighted guides Arthur O’Neil and David Gilman. David is a member of the Sharon High School sailing team and is 17 years old.
Second place went to the team from Florida, JP Creignou and Jan Bartleson, with sighted guides Diane Fowler and David Bannister. This team was sponsored by Team Paradise.
For the second year in a row, the winner and national blind sailing champion is the team of Sengil Inkiala and Nancy Jodoin, with sighted guides Ken Legler and Naomi Swhom. Ken Legler has been a long-time guide with the Sail Blind program and is the coach of the Tufts University sailing team. He is considered to be one of the top-notch sailing coaches in the nation. Fifteen-year-old Naomi Swhom is another member of the Sharon High School sailing team. Also assisting as a guide on an occasional pinch-hit basis was Mike Dinning, a member of the Natick High School sailing team.
Other competitions included 3-man crews operating Sonar-23 boats, 2-man teams operating Skud-18 boats, and a 2.4 meter class of boats operated by a single person. All sailors in each of these classes must have a disability.
The sanctioning body for this event was U.S. Sailing, which is the governing body for sailing in the U.S.
As yet, there has been no date set for the Clagett
2010event. The only thing for certain is
that the
Silent signals, hazardous crossings
Advocates urge city to add, fix devices that aid the blind
By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff | August 17, 2009
Yakir Arbib is blind. He is also a promising young pianist who daily negotiates the Green Line and busy urban streets on his way to study at the Berklee College of Music. None of it daunts him, except the congested crossroads at Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street.
The chirping of an audible crossing signal is supposed to alert him and other visually impaired pedestrians when it is safe to cross the traffic-choked street, but for several weeks the signal hasn’t worked.
“I wait for some nice person, or I take a chance," the Israeli native said. “I don’t know how I’m going to get around having to cross that street. I think I’ll have to find a different way."
Just blocks away, at Fairfield Street and Commonwealth Avenue, another audible signal for the blind was not functioning properly. Advocates for the blind say that at any given time, a significant number of Boston’s 40 audible intersections work poorly or not at all, and they accuse the city of making maintenance a low priority.
Further, they say, Boston has lagged [behind] other major cities in making its streets more navigable for the visually impaired, noting that it has failed to heed federal recommendations that urge cities to install audible crosswalk signals at new or upgraded intersections. Most glaring, they say, is that more than 100 intersections created as part of the Big Dig lack the devices.
“In terms of accessibility, Boston is behind the eight ball," said Bob Hachey, president of Bay State Council of the Blind. “It has not done itself proud. It’s been like getting blood from a stone."
City officials say they install new signals almost exclusively based on requests from individuals and the state Commission for the Blind, which also fields complaints and requests. They said they are doing their best to keep signals working properly but would be able to address problems quicker if pedestrians notify officials.
“I can see why it would be incredibly frustrating to pedestrians who rely on them," said Jim Gillooly, deputy commissioner of the Boston Transportation Department, which is responsible for installation and maintenance. “We really rely on people who use these signals to let us know if they aren’t working. If we know about them, we’ll get them fixed."
Gillooly said his office has not received many complaints about faulty signals, adding that people should report problems for quicker results.
But advocates say the audible signals are often on the blink for weeks, in Boston as well as neighboring communities, making some of the area’s busiest intersections feel like a roll of the dice.
“We all have crossings that we call `pray and go`," said Pauline
Downing, a
Hachey, of the Bay State Council of the Blind, with a German shepherd as his guide, visited the Massachusetts Avenue/Boylston Street intersection one day last week to document problems. When working properly, the chirping signal is supposed to sound for pedestrians walking in either direction in all four crosswalks - a total of eight audible signals - but as Hachey tested them, five failed to activate. A separate audible cue at the intersection, designed to help blind people locate the walk buttons, was drowned out by heavy morning traffic.
“That’s useless," he said. “It’s far too low given the ambient noise."
He spoke into a recorder to remind himself to notify the state Commission for the Blind about the problem.
“Absolutely no audible signal," he said.
To many who are visually impaired, signals that don’t work are an added irritation to their complaint that the city has been slow to install more audible signals. Some have asserted the city is bound by the Americans with Disabilities Act to put in signals at new and upgraded intersections, such as those created by the Big Dig. But Boston transportation officials say they are not legally obligated by the act and note that the systems can cost more than $10,000.
Jessie Lorenz, director of public policy for San Francisco’s LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, which two years aho successfully lobbied the city to install accessible signals at some 80 intersections, said that while the question has not come before a court, federal transportation officials are recommending that new road projects include accessible signals, and local leaders are beginning to take note.
Not all advocates for the blind press for more signals, and some even suggest it’s unreasonable to expect audible signals at every intersection, saying vision-impaired pedestrians should not become reliant on them.
“We have not tended to endorse audible traffic signals," said Chris Danielsen, spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind. “We believe a blind person should learn cane travel techniques, and part of that is learning to hear the traffic patterns."
The relative scarcity of the devices, Danielsen said, and the risk of malfunction demonstrate their limits.
But complicating that view is the growing prevalence of quiet cars, especially hybrids, which can have virtually no engine noise at slow speeds. Some say they pose safety risks for those relying on senses other than sight. The federation is lobbying for federal legislation mandating cars meet certain decibel requirements.
“Vehicles should emit a minimum level of sound so that all pedestrians are safe," Danielsen said. “Blind people need to hear the sound to determine speed and direction of the traffic."
But other visually impaired people say audible signals are the key, and that
cities like
“You get excited initially when there’s a new one. They give you peace of mind," said Tim Cumings, a Brighton resident who is blind. “But then they don’t work from one day to the next."
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Partners with WGBH Media Access Group
Culver City, Calif. (Sept 3, 2009)
– Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will partner with WGBH Media Access Group to
release select film titles on
The
ability to enjoy movies with descriptive narration on
Sony
Pictures has been a leader over the last decade in providing descriptive audio
for theatrical releases in movie theaters equipped with WGBH’s Motion Picture
Access, or MoPix® systems. Beginning in the fall of 2009, all Sony Pictures
theatrical releases with descriptive audio will also include the feature when
they arrive on
MAVIS Co-Sponsors Legislation
by Kevin Heaton
Three years ago, the Boston Center for Independent Living and Easter Seals of Massachusetts co-organized an advocacy group for young people with disabilities, known now as Act Today Influence Tomorrow. Each year members choose an issue to work on, and this year the group decided to advocate for the inclusion of disability history in the education of all Massachusetts' students. With Senator Steve Tolman and Representative Barbara L'Italien as our lead sponsors, we filed our Disability History and Awareness Month bill with the legislature in January of this year. Eight months and a whirlwind later, Governor Patrick signed our bill into law.
Below is the timeline of our
campaign.
01/15/09: Bill was filed.
04/09: Bill was assigned a bill number.
05/09: Bill was assigned to the Joint Committee on State Administration and
Regulatory Oversight Committee.
06/08/09: Youth Leadership Forum participants spoke to their legislators in support of S. 1469 and held a rally in support of a Disability History Month.
07/16/09: The Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight held a public hearing at which, after hearing amazing testimony, they voted in session to move the bill to the Senate.
07/28/09: Senate Committee on Ethics and Rules Passed to be engrossed (35/0), [sic] so it was moved on to its third reading.
7/30/09: House moved S. Bill 1469 through to a third hearing.
8/4/09: Passed both Senate and House and was in line for an enactment
vote.
09/09: Governor Patrick signed S. Bill 1469 into law.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this initiative!
News from the Museum of Science
This
fall, the Museum of Science, Boston presents an exciting range of new exhibits,
programs, and events to inspire curious minds of all ages--and for every
budget. The Free Film Fridays program invites guests to travel to Antarctica
or dive into the Deep Sea at no cost. Free lectures encourage visitors
to explore the effects of music on human health and complement the new exhibit Wild
Music: Sounds & Songs of Life, which is included with Exhibit Halls
admission.
Don't miss the East Coast premiere of Harry Potter™: The Exhibition.
Challenges Didn't Tarnish Beautiful Spirit
Dianne
Williamson
dwilliamson@telegram.com
|
Worcester Telegram |
Walter
Crockett was playing for the popular band Zonkaraz at Clark University's spree
day when, as he recalled, “I looked around to see whose eye was worth
catching.”
Not surprisingly, he settled on
the gorgeous green eyes of Valerie Orchinik, a stunning student with a striking
smile and breezy way of dancing. That same night, Walter took Valerie to a
friend's house and played all of his songs for her. She liked them, a lot.
Within two months they were
living together in a three-decker on Maywood Street, but not everyone was thrilled
with their relationship. Valerie's dad, in particular, tried to talk her out of
marrying Walter — she was a 20-year-old junior with promising prospects; he was
a 30-year-old musician with long hair.
“Her father told her she could
meet someone much better looking than me,” Walter said.
Luckily for Walter and music
fans throughout New England, Valerie ignored her dad's advice and married him
in June 1979, a year after she graduated from Clark and shortly after Walter
overheard her singing in the kitchen and was delighted to learn that the woman
he loved was blessed with an evocative alto voice.
Walter and Valerie — you rarely
said one name without the other — would make beautiful music together for 30
years, until she was silenced Sunday night after a three-year battle with
cancer. It was a tragic loss and, on one level, the Crocketts have been cursed
with more than their share of pain, from their daughter's brain tumor to
Walter's prostate cancer and, now, Valerie's death at 53.
But that's only part of their
story. Nine years ago, when I wrote about Emily's tumor, Valerie dismissed any
notion that the family deserved sympathy.
“We have a wonderful life,” she
said. “We tend to focus on our blessings rather than challenges.”
They've had both in spades. In
fall 1978, the couple formed the band Crockett, and later the Oxymorons. They
played their original music — an appealing mix of bluegrass, folk and rock — at
clubs and coffeehouses throughout New England. Valerie's voice was strong and
lovely, whether singing lead vocals or harmony.
“We all wanted what they had,”
said Paul Della Valle, a friend who will eulogize Valerie at her memorial
Saturday. “It wasn't just the harmony when they were singing — their lives were
in perfect harmony. It's a cliché, but they had what no money could buy.
Everyone was in love with Valerie, and Valerie was in love with Walter.”
The couple had two children,
Jackson and Emily, who wasn't expected to see her 10th birthday when she was
diagnosed in childhood with a fast-growing brain tumor. While the tumor sapped
Emily's vision and the strength in her left side, it turned her mother into a
fierce advocate. A magna cum laude graduate with a sharp mind, Valerie
researched special education laws and ensured that Emily received the proper
accommodations from the Worcester public schools.
“She's been my best friend
pretty much my whole life,” said Emily, now 24 and a student at Harvard. “She
was the most incredible mom you could possibly imagine.”
Three years ago, the mother who
so tirelessly cared for her ill child received her own devastating diagnosis —
leiomyosarcoma, a rare, resistant cancer. She had a radical hysterectomy in
fall 2006 and the couple resumed performing. The cancer returned a year later,
and then came Walter's diagnosis with prostate cancer. Last fall, Emily's liver
surgery was scheduled around her mom's chemotherapy.
“I've had days when I could
hardly put one foot in front of the other,” Walter acknowledged this week. “But
it's self-indulgent and I can't afford to go there.” He paused. “Val was good
at pulling me out of it.”
Walter survived his cancer, but
knew that Valerie would not survive hers. Over the last year, the couple that
was always first on the dance floor turned their attention to “collecting
sunsets,” driving at dusk to hills in Leicester, Barre and Paxton. As usual,
they meshed perfectly — Walter liked to drive, and Valerie preferred riding.
The night before she died, she
was transferred to hospice and her son, Jackson, spent the night in her room.
“She told me she wanted me to
finish my master's degree and be happy,” said Jackson, a graduate student at
George Washington University. “She said she wanted to die peacefully, with no
pain or fear. Then she told me to go to sleep because I was tired.”
The next day, Valerie was
unconscious. Friends such as Chuck and Mud came and sang to her, the same
musicians who would gather in the Crockett kitchen on Saturday nights for
raucous jam sessions. Shortly before midnight on Sunday, with family by her
side, Valerie died peacefully.
Now, Walter and his children
are planning her memorial. It will feature lots of live music by the many men
and women who loved Valerie Crockett and will long remember her effortless
grace, charm and talent.
“Wherever we went, I always
thought Val was the prettiest girl in the room,” Walter said. “She looked kind
of different at the end. But she was still herself, still the beauty on the
inside. We were very, very lucky.”
[Editor's note: Valerie and Emily have
been BSCB members since Emily was in high school. When the Crocketts attended conventions,
Valerie and Walter seemed to be everywhere at once, assisting conventioneers
and making sure things were running smoothly.
We have lost a dear friend and tireless advocate. Walter, Emily, and Jackson are in our
thoughts and prayers.]
Paula Bress, recipient of the First CarrollKids Award
It is with great pleasure that the Educational Services
Department of the
This year's recipient is Paula Miller Bress, TVI/
Paula has been a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments in the Boston
Public Schools for many years. During the past decade she has been an adjunct
lecturer at
Methods for Increasing Accessibility to Elementary and Middle School Science
Curricula for Students with Visual Impairments".
Since 2006 she has been a member of the Technical Advisory Committee for the
TARA Project (Technical Assisted Reading Assessment), a joint initiative of
Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ, and the National Center on
Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota.
In 2006, Paula was the recipient of a Fellowship grant from the Fund for
Teachers and the Boston Plan of Excellence which allowed her to travel to
France
and the United Kingdom to study the development of the Braille Code. Paula is a
long-time member of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation for the
Blind and Visually Impaired and has served two terms as Regional Representative
on the Board of the Association of Massachusetts Educators for Students with
Visual Impairments.
She is recognized as a model teacher, one who leads by example and who mentors
others just by being herself and by using her talents masterfully. Paula's
numerous letters of nomination from colleagues, students, parents and
administrators all described in great detail how her work as a teacher has
influenced them in both personal and professional ways.
The
contributions to the field of education for children with visual impairments!
OPTACON USERS UNITE TO PRESERVE VALUABLE READING
By Catherine Thomas
The Optacon user list would like to share the following information with all current and former Optacon users.
1. The Optacons can still be repaired. There are repairers located in the U.S., Canada, England and Australia.
2. We are seeking all non-working or unused Optacons. These will be repaired and put back into circulation.
3. We invite all current Optacon users to fill out a brief survey describing their experiences both negative and positive.
4. If we can collect enough survey data, there is a possibility of re-developing the Optacon with modern circuitry to read some of the types of modern displays which other devices cannot read at this time.
5. There is a very active Optacon e-list where users share experiences and make plans for the future of the Optacon.
If you would like information or have any questions, please email braille@panix.com. Thank you.
WHAT IS AN OPTACON?
Invented in the early 1970s, the Optacon uses a hand-held camera to explore a print document and convert the picture of what it finds onto a small tactile array composed of vibrating pins. The tactile picture is very tiny--about the size of a standard print letter or number. With practice, the user can move the camera over the printed material and read the images on the tactile array. The Optacon was manufactured until the early 1990s.
ACB Scholarship Announcement
The American Council of the
Blind (ACB) annually awards approximately twenty scholarships ranging in
amounts from $1,000 to $2,500 to vocational, entering freshmen, undergraduate
and graduate college students who are legally blind, maintain a 3.3 GPA and are
involved in their school/local communities.
Applications may be submitted
beginning January 1, and all materials must be received by 11:59 PM Eastern
Standard Time on
To read the scholarship
guidelines and complete an on-line application, please visit:
For more information, please
contact the ACB National Office at: (202) 467-5081 or (800) 424-8666. We look forward to receiving your application
materials!
BSCB Board Of Directors
Bob Hachey, President
Phone: 781-893-6251
e-mail: bhachey@comcast.net
Marcia Dresser, First Vice President
Phone: 781-944-3586
e-mail: mn.dresser@verizon.net
Chris Devin, Second Vice President
Phone: 617-472-0308
Jerry Berrier, Secretary
Phone: 508-845-9944
e-mail: jerry@birdblind.org
Rick Morin, Treasurer
Phone: 781-373-1044
E-mail: rick.morin@comcast.net
Kim Charlson, Director
Phone: 617-926-9198
e-mail: kimcharlson@comcast.net
Kathy Devin, Director
Phone: 617-472-0308
E-mail: kcdevin@verizon.net
Roz Rowley, Director
Phone: 617-923-1906
E-mail: skip1500@aol.com
Sharon Strzalkowski, Director
Phone: 508-363-3866
E-mail: strzal@charter.net
Committee Contacts
BayLines Editor
Marcia Dresser
167 Green Street
Reading, MA 01867
Phone: 781-944-3586
Email: mn.dresser@verizon.net
Council Connection Host
Marcia Dresser
Phone: 781-944-3586
Email: mn.dresser@verizon.net
Legislative Committee Chair
Bob Hachey
Phone: 781-893-6251
e-mail: bhachey@comcast.net
Media Access Committee
Kim Charlson
Phone: 617-926-9198
e-mail: kimcharlson@comcast.net
Membership Committee Chair
Marcia Dresser
Phone: 781-944-3586
e-mail: mn.dresser@verizon.net
Chapter Contacts
Charles River Chapter
Brian Charlson
Phone: 617-926-9198
e-mail: briancharlson@comcast.net
Central Massachusetts Chapter
George McDermott
Phone: (508) 795-1118
e-mail: profrev@aol.com
Guide Dog Users of Massachusetts
Carl Richardson
Phone: 617-254-0425
e-mail: carl@carl-richardson.com
Massachusetts Alliance of Visually Impaired Students
Alison Roberts
Phone: 617-461-6077
e-mail: alison2911@comcast.net
South Shore Chapter
Kathy Devin
Phone: 617-472-0308
e-mail: kcdevin@verizon.net