July 2005

President's Message

By the time you will be reading this, summer will be in full swing and our exceptionally long spring will have come to an end. Summer is a great time to get out to do all the outdoor activities that we haven't been able to do so easily for a while now. For many, it's a time to actually get away for a much needed vacation. For others, summer is a time to stay close to home and enjoy the many outdoor activities that the Twin Cities has to offer. And for me, the spring provided me a good time to reflect on the many different directions ACBM has traveled throughout the past two years, and decide whether or not to run for another term as your President.

As you are surely aware by now, I did get re-elected for another term as your President and I am both humbled and honored to you all for the vote of confidence you bestowed upon me at the April Quarterly elections. I am extremely excited and energized to be able to help bring ACBM even more to the forefront within our community. ACBM is a wonderful organization. We all know this, but that is often where it stops. One of my goals for the next two years is to help bring ACBM more into the public eye, letting our greater community know about who we are and what we are all about, We've kept ACBM a small secret for much too long now, and with your help, we can forge ahead and let our greater community know that we are here.

We've got a number of ACBM activities coming up soon that can be a great start in letting our community knows that we are here. In August, ACBM will be sponsoring a "community-wide" outing to a Twins Game at the Metrodome! The exact date and time has not been determined yet, but when the details are finalized, the information will be on ACBM Info Express 651-642-5003. Then in October, ACBM will once again be hosting a State Convention! The dates are October 14-16, and will be held at the Minneapolis Doubletree Park Place Hotel. This event will be one that people will be talking about for a very long time as it will most certainly *NOT* be like any other state convention you may have been to in the past. For starters, we have extended an invitation to ACB members from the entire Mid-West Region. To which there has been some early interest shown already from Iowa, Wisconsin and from the Dakotas! This early interest has been one of the many positive results of sending ACBM representation to the DC Legislative Seminars, The Mid-year President's meetings and from our attendance at annual conventions in the past -- showing one of the many direct positive results, and also showing a wise choice in the way we use ACBM's funds!

Another big change the ACBM membership can expect to happen will be in the way they receive "printed" correspondence from ACBM. For those of you that have elected to receive correspondence in Braille, you will be reading this issue of the Minnesota Memo in your preferred method! Although the embosser was purchased a couple of months ago, it took a little time to learn how to use it most effectively. We now have the ability to emboss just about any MS Word formatted document in either 8 1/2 by 11 size, 11 1/2 by 11 size, or on thermoform plastic! The Board of Directors will be developing a use policy to determine the most fair, efficient and economical parameters around just exactly what, who, when, where and how requests for materials to be embossed and what types of materials are appropriate to request to be embossed from members versus the general public for personal use. Expect to see the official policy in the next issue of the Minnesota Memo next quarter.

One last item I am sorry to have to tell you is that with this issue, our "Editor Extraordinaire," Mr. Bert Morlock, will retire as Editor of our "Minnesota Memo". Rumor has it that Bert would like some time to help develop a written history of ACBM and just relax and enjoy life a little more; and I honestly can say that he takes with him my deepest admiration and gratitude from me personally, for a job extremely well done, consistently, each issue after issue. I hope you will all make an effort to tell Bert yourself how much you have appreciated his work for the past, well, way too many years to count and keep track of! On behalf of the entire ACBM Family, I wish you our most heartfelt, thank you Bert!" For such a wonderful and rich legacy that shall always remain with us in print!

Another Funding Source

Members of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) can join the Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) to take advantage of access loans, which are now available for any product, device, or building modification designed to assist someone with a disability. Borrow from $1,500 to $25,000 or more for up to 72 months with no down payment required. The borrower need not be the beneficiary of the purchase. Qualified purchases include, but are not limited to: assistive technology, durable medical equipment, housing modifications, and rehabilitative equipment. DCU offers convenient repayment methods, including electronically, at a DCU ATM, at any DCU branch, or by mail with a loan payment coupon. If you direct deposit your net pay, Social Security, or pension into your DCU checking account and make electronic payments for the full term of your loan, your interest rate will be one-half percent below that for other payment methods. Rates are also based on your personal credit history.

There is no fee to join the credit union; all you have to do is open a savings or checking account for as little as $5. If you are already an AAPD member, or if you would like to join AAPD and DCU at the same time, you can call DCU directly for further information and an application at (800) 328-8797 (800-395-5146 TTY). Or visit DCU's web site at www.dcu.org

Paratransit and other Help: Tools for Independence?

By Rebecca Kragnes

I have been attending a Bible study at a woman's home in Columbia Heights. In the late winter, I didn't hesitate to book my ride with Metro Mobility. The neighborhood was unfamiliar, it was dark, and the sidewalks were icy and snowy. I have always taken a Metro Mobility ride home, because it's nine at night by the time I leave. I don't want to be on the bus for over an hour at that time of night. But now that spring is here, I have felt compelled to try to find a way to the event by bus. After exiting the bus, I must go around in what feels like a never-ending circle to get to the sidewalk. Ah, but I have to be careful! If I get off course, I could end up in a grassy park. The neighborhood is not what I am used to. Three streets come together at an intersection, and according to those who live in the area, the safest option is to j-walk mid-block -- something I don't relish teaching my dog is ok. Areas of the neighborhood are without sidewalks, under construction and nothing but mud. To say that I have struggled to find a safe route to this woman's house from the bus stop is an understatement! When taking the bus, I have to call someone to meet me at the stop.

A friend of mine uses Metro Mobility much more than I do, and for a long time, it was an issue for me in our relationship. I wondered why we had to center our visits around the availability of paratransit rides. Why couldn't we spontaneously plan a visit the same day or extend a visit in progress. It seemed to me that Metro Mobility was spoiling all of our fun.

The Federation and other individuals have come out with arguments that say that we shouldn't be using paratransit and wasting the taxpayers' money. Instead, we should pay full cab fair, or if we can't afford that (which most of us can't on a long-term basis), we should be taking the bus. No matter that doing so likely could increase the time it takes to get to a particular destination and return home. No matter that it may not be as safe. No matter that the weather might be bad. No matter that there are some places in the Twin Cities Metro Area that the buses do not travel. No matter that once we get off of that bus, we may be in a neighborhood with no one to ask for directions when we get lost. By Golly, we're supposed to get on that bus and hoof it!

I've written in the past that I am about as opposed to the Federation's one-size-fits-all mentality as it gets. But as I talked to a friend about this issue, I concluded that -- as a result of my negative rehabilitation experience based largely on the Federation's "philosophy of blindness" -- somewhere inside of me, there must be a part of me that has adopted the stance that it's wrong to use paratransit services. Obviously, I'll have to do battle with my inner self to get this resolved. It's something I want to fight, because in the last year, I've discovered that avoiding paratransit has the potential to be even more limiting and to make me more dependent on people.

I was talking to my Metro Mobility using friend yesterday, and I brought up the taxpayers. Am I laying a heavy burden on them every time I take a ride? We were riding the bus at the time, and she said that even if one chooses to pay the regular bus fair (as opposed to the disability fare), there is still a burden to tax payers. She pointed out that I'd better not use any streets or sidewalks if I was concerned about putting a burden on the taxpayers. The argument goes that everybody uses that stuff, but not everyone uses Metro Mobility. Because blind people can use the bus, we should not have a need for Metro Mobility. So we are putting a burden on the taxpayers for something we shouldn't need. Factors like destination, travel time, neighborhood layout, weather, and safety play a part in whether or not we need it. There are times when I am unwilling to do something the hard way because of some philosophical principle. For some blind people with no other visible disabilities, there may be invisible disabilities -- which are no one's business -- that make the need greater.

Another corollary to the opposing view is that it's ok to use it if absolutely necessary for educational things, but don't waste the taxpayers' money on getting a ride to do something fun. Lately, my husband and I have been talking about how there are so many more important things to spend tax money on than building a new stadium for the Minnesota Twins. This is one example that illustrates how people have different priorities and different needs. Surely, if people feel ok spending money on a stadium (considered fun by some), they wouldn't begrudge spending money on transportation right? Well, it's not that simple. But the point is that we all tap into things on which tax payers' money is spent. My husband and I may not use the stadium, but we'll pay taxes on it. Those without disabilities may not use Metro Mobility, but they pay taxes for its use.

So now that we have the taxpayers argument out of the way -- well as much as we can anyway -- are there times at which using paratransit might be advantageous and less limiting than not? In the last year, I've learned that the answer to that is a resounding yes. I saw a glimpse of this last fall when I met a friend for lunch in the suburbs at a restaurant. We'd both craved their food for months, but since buses there were infrequent at best and the ride would be hours long, I didn't go. My friend suggested hopping on a metro mobility van, and away we went. In 20 minutes we were there and had a great time! Then there was the bus strike, and for all I know, by the time you read this, we may be in the middle of another one. It was interesting to hear about those normally against blind people using paratransit scrambling to get their applications in to Metro Mobility after the strike continued for quite a while. Meanwhile, those of us who already used the service were able to go on with our lives despite the heavy demand for its use. Our lives didn't come to a screeching halt, as they seemed to do for people without this alternative at their disposal.

And I had another little glimpse of the advantage of having the service today. There was a clearance item at a store in the Galleria in Edina. Last weekend a friend who drives and I had planned to have lunch, and then she was going to help me run a few errands. This was one of them. However, she was ill and had to cancel. I could have waited, but perhaps the clearance item would be gone as it was in another location I called. There was always online shopping too, but I had a gift certificate I wanted to use, and my reader didn't come for a few days. Buying online would have probably been the most independent way of doing it, but it meant more waiting. I wanted to get this done! I suppose in the ideal world of those taking the opposing argument, I should have called the bus company for directions hoping they were accurate, hopped on the bus for at least an hour each way, double checked with the driver and hoped he/she could give accurate directions. Then assuming I got to the mall without getting lost in an area where no one traveled, my previous phone work was to kick in. Before even making this trip, I was supposed to have phoned the store and mall security for directions to each of my planned destinations. If the directions weren't accurate, I was supposed to ask others for directions and hope they were accurate. Perhaps I would stumble into what I was looking for. And then there would be the requisite bus ride home afterward.

I spent my time and my phone calling differently. I arranged my Metro Mobility rides and then got on the phone with the management offices at the mall. They got in touch with security. I was a little nervous this morning, because security hadn't called me back. I was prepared to do the "exploring" and solicitation of directions if needed, but I didn't have to. A security officer met me outside the van, and my golden guide Wynell and I followed him to our destination. While waiting for the store to open (since I made a point of being there when stores were first opened and not as busy), we discussed restaurant options. I wasn't wild about eating at the health food place by the entrance where I came in. I learned, however, that there was a Sidney's in the Galleria. While shopping I was able to get a graduation present, found several other items of interest, and benefited from a great sales promotion. After completing my shopping, the store manager called a security officer who escorted me to Sidney's. After my meal, Sidney's called them to escort me back to the appropriate entrance for my 20-minute door-to-door ride home.

Yes, in order to do this errand, I had to depend on people. However, I was responsible for orchestrating the set-up so that it worked. At the end of my trip, I asked myself whether I felt I accomplished less because I took Metro Mobility instead of the bus. I asked myself whether I felt any less independent to have been escorted rather than finding the place on my own. The answers to both were a definite no. Independence can be thought of as gracefully and efficiently doing something. In this and other instances, paratransit and other help has been instrumental in helping me get something accomplished. The taxpayers paid for me to be safe, independent, efficient, and have a little fun besides. When I stop to think about it, this is how many people use products and services paid for by tax dollars.

Toll-Free Hotline for Disability-Related Air Travel Problems

As you may know, in August 2002, my office, the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings (Enforcement Office), established a toll free number that consumers who experience disability related air travel problems may use to obtain information and assistance which is staffed from 7 am to 11 pm local time in Washington, D.C., seven days a week, provides general information to consumers about the rights of air travelers with disabilities and assists air travelers in resolving time-sensitive disability-related issues that need to be addressed in real time.

Unfortunately, many members of the public are still not aware of the existence of the hotline and as a result the hotline is not being sufficiently used. At this time, the Enforcement Office asks that you advise members of your respective organizations about the existence of an aviation consumer disability toll-free hotline and encourage them to call the hotline if they should experience disability-related air service problems. The toll-free number for the hotline is 1-800-778-4838 (voice) or 1-800-455-9880 (TTY). The Enforcement Office is committed to improving the quality of air transportation for people with disabilities and believes that with your help the toll-free hotline can be a major step towards accomplishing this goal.

Horseshoe Pitching for the Blind and Visually Impaired: The Midnite Ringers

Whether you are a preteen or a senior, you can benefit from the competition, exercise, and social contact that the sport of pitching horseshoes provides. Dr. Dennis R. Want, President, U.S. Blind Horseshoe Pitchers Association, tells everyone who will listen what a great sport horseshoe pitching is for the blind and visually impaired. It is inexpensive, easy to learn and you can pitch in your own backyard. Unlike other sports with moving targets or changing locations, horseshoes provides consistency because you pitch the shoe the same distance from the same position each time.

The USBHPA is a non-profit association that plans to build horseshoe courts at VA Blind Rehabilitation centers, as well as at schools and summer camps for children with visual disabilities. Eventually, all Midnite Ringers will have the chance to compete in local tournaments and at a national championship for all ages, genders, and skill levels.

Become a Midnite Ringer. There are no membership fees. For more information, visit www.midniteringers.org or contact Dr. Dennis R. Wyant,
395 Baytree Dr.
Melbourne FL 32940
Phone: 321-757-6824
Dennis R. Wyant, National President
U.S. Blind Horseshoe Pitchers Assoc.

A Tale of Two Newspaper Services

By Rebecca Kragnes

Over the years, I've known that two telephone newspaper services -- Dial-In News and NFB-NEWSLINE (r) -- were available to me as a blind person. I hadn't bothered to get either one for very different reasons. Dial-In News was subscription based, and my husband was of the belief that we could get what news we needed from the Star Tribune from the Internet for free plus TV for other news. I liked the portability of our chordless speakerphone and disliked being tied to the computer. But to keep the peace, I let him get the e-mailed Star Tribune newsletters while we watched TV News every week morning and sometimes at night. Then there was NFB-NEWSLINE (r). On principle, I wasn't sure it was such a good idea to get this service. Would they have access to my personal information and possibly count me as a member? Would they contact me somewhere down the line and tell me that I should join rather than just being a "patsy" (a term I have heard Kenneth Jernigan used to identify people who enjoy NFB's services but aren't members)? Then earlier this year, the bill funding NEWSLINE went through the legislature. I applauded ACB-M for advocating that Dial-In News should be included in the funding. After the bill was passed, I decided to subscribe to both services. As a blind citizen and as ACB-M's representative on the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind, I wanted to have a good feel for both services, what they offered etc. In terms of being a "patsy" perhaps if I am one, that term might be equally applied to anyone who enjoys audio described movies without being a member of ACB. Alternatively, both organizations advocate for different things and have beneficial services open to any blind person as a result. So no one is a "patsy".

Subscribing to both services was relatively easy. I called State Services for the Blind and was connected to the appropriate people for each service. They put the appropriate paperwork through. I had Dial-In News within a couple of hours after my call complete with an E-mail with basic instructions and my identification and security numbers attached. I had to call a friend familiar with the service to figure out how to move from article to article. Ironically enough, I later learned how to speed up speech after a lucky guess that the key was similar to NFB-NEWSLINE (r)'s command.

NFB-NEWSLINE (r) took a little longer, because the paperwork had to be processed in Baltimore. Although I requested the basic instructions be sent in e-mail, the person in charge couldn't figure out how to do that. Everyone seemed to get large print and/or a tape. What? No Braille from the organization that touts it? My tape arrived (sans Braille label by the way) the next week, and I was surprised at how clear and concise the directions were. After listening to the thorough and logical demonstration, I let the tape run and then flipped the tape over. "Oh here it comes!" I thought. Frankly, I thought NFB might use the rest of side A or the B side of the tape to slip in some membership recruitment literature about their 50,000 member strong organization. "After all," I grumbled in my mind, "they probably have every right to do so since they're providing this service". Imagine my surprise when I found that the rest of the tape was blank! Wow! Now all I needed were my numbers. The person coordinating the service for SSB was ill, so I asked David Andrews if he could look up my numbers. Within 20 minutes I had my numbers and was ready to roll!

I suppose the big question the reader might be asking is, "Which one do you recommend?" Based upon my very limited experience of both services, I would have to say that I'm glad they both got funded. Each has its place. NFB-NEWSLINE (r) offers many more newspapers, but Dial-In News offers City Pages, store adds, and obituaries consistently. For years I heard that Dial-In News was the only one offering Obituaries, but I have seen that category listed on NFB-NEWSLINE (r) inconsistently.

I'd like to be a bit more specific in looking at the services by comparing and contrasting their renditions of the Minneapolis Star Tribune -- the paper I read most since I live in Minneapolis. I was startled when I pressed 12 and 13 for national and world news respectively on Dial-In News, and a voice said those categories were not being used at this time. In contrast, on NFB-NEWSLINE (r), national and world news is available in abundance not only in the Star Tribune but in other newspapers across the country. I'm not a sports fan, but as an experiment, I pressed 14 on Dial-In News for sports, and in the June 27th paper, there were thirty articles listed. Dial-IN News has horoscopes too, butt NFB-NEWSLINE (r) doesn't. I would feel funny about recommending only Dial-In News, which offers lots of sports and horoscopes but no world and national news categories. To be fair, I have seen references to stories, which could be in those categories ensconced in other categories. The flip side is that in some categories, one doesn't have to go to an earlier issue in order to read related articles. Often, they seem to be archived for a while. At the same time, I have been impressed with the organization of papers into issues by date and the specificity of categories on NFB-NEWSLINE (r). If someone only wants to read about horse racing, they don't have to go through all of the other sports articles on Dial-In News in order to do it. But I've noticed a couple booboos on NFB-NEWSLINE (r)'s part too. There were two health and science categories listed one day, and in the first one, my husband and I couldn't see any relationship between the one article within it and that particular category. I see pros and cons to making category numbers consistent as Dial-In News does verses changing category numbers to fit the day's articles as NFB-NEWSLINE (r) does. So it's good that we have both systems.

If I had one wish for both services, it would be to put related articles closer together and preferably in order. Often on both services, I come upon articles which are obviously sidebars related to main articles which I read later. Then I have to go back and find the sidebars. I realize that both services are just trying to get the paper out as soon as they can, so I can cut them some slack. Dial-In News seems to update the papers sooner. That makes sense, because it's a local service. After six this morning when I imagine most people read the papers with their "strong cup of coffee" (according to the NFB-NEWSLINE (r) tape), the Star Tribune wasn't available on NFB-NEWSLINE (r), but it was on Dial-In News. I checked back at eight AM, and NFB-NEWSLINE (r) had the 27th up and running.

Both services seem to be responsive when it comes to switching articles, speeding up speech etc. Both services tell how many articles are listed in a particular section, but NFB-NEWSLINE (r) takes it one step further and tells the reader what article number within the section one is on. There are also tutorials and context sensitive help available for NFB-NEWSLINE (r), and I haven't seen these features available in Dial-In News. Dial-In News let's you make selections right away after entering your numbers, but NFB-NEWSLINE (r) is not responsive until one has heard who provides and sponsors the service and who to contact for more information. Although NFB-NEWSLINE (r) identification numbers are longer (ironically my "security numbers" for both are the same), it does detect one's home phone number. I don't have to put in my numbers every time. I just have to press one to log in as "Miss Kraggneez". It might be nice if they had either my correct marital status (MRS.) or had MS. in front of my last name. It would also be ok if the synthesizer pronounced my last name like Agnes with a Krin front of it. But hey! They're far from the first who have made either mistake, and chances are very good that they won't be the last.

Dial-In News doesn't carry blindness-related organization papers, but NFB-NEWSLINE (r) does. It looks like they could stand to be updated a little more often, but at least they carry both organization's' newsletters In summry, I'm glad I signed up for both services. I believe each has something to offer blind people. Recently, I was in the Low Vision and blind Store nearest State Services for the blind. A woman losing her vision and her husband were buying a CCTV, because she loves to read the paper. In a silent moment, I piped up about receiving telephone newspaper services free of charge and told them to stop next door at SSB. The people at the store apparently didn't know about the services either. I decided not to endorse either service, because -- as I have tried to indicate in this article - I believe both of them have merit.

ACB-M Board of Directors

Ken Rodgers, President
3941 12th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55407 Ph: (612) 825-0248 E-mail: kgr@isd.net

Stephanie Hall, Vice-President
433 7TH ST S #2227
Minneapolis, MN 55415 Ph: (612) 332-7837 E-mail: stephanieh@vlrw.org

Janet Dickelman, Secretary
2086 Highland Parkway,
St. Paul, MN. 55116 Ph: (651) 698-5059, E-mail: janet.dickelman@comcast.net

Treasurer
(Currently Vacant)

Juliette Silvers, Director
3244 Colfax Ave. South,
Minneapolis, MN. 55408 Ph: (612) 824-2131, E-mail: jsilvers@mn.rr.com

Jane Lund, Director
8848 Nicollet Avenue South #206
Bloomington, MN 55420 Ph: (952) 888-4397 E-mail: jane.v.lund@healthpartners.com

Marilynn Highland, Director
3532 Bryant Avenue South #316
Minneapolis, MN 55408 Ph: (612) 824-9492 E-mail: mari@mninter.net

Linda Oliva, Director
4001 Blasedell Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55409 Ph: (612) 827-1033 E-mail:Linda.Oliva@allina.com

Michael Malver, Director
1225 LaSalle Ave. #302
Minneapolis, MN 55403 Ph: (612) 673-0664 E-mail: mmalver@visi.com

Bob Lockwood, Treasurer
3625 Cardinal Rd
Minnetonka, MN 55345 Ph: (952) 932-7269 E-mail: peggy_bob@msn.com