Teachers' Features For Convention 2003!
by Carla Hayes
The National Association of Blind Teachers (NABT) has planned an exciting program for the 2003 ACB convention in Pittsburgh, Pa. Here is our agenda for the week.
We will begin our activities with our annual breakfast and program on Sunday, July 6 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. The program topic will be "Blindness: Not a Tragedy But A Transforming Experience." Our speaker will be Sally Alexander, author of the children's book, "Mom Can't See Me," and several other books. Since this is a topic of such universal interest to members of ACB, we are sure that many people will want to attend. So, make your reservations early! The program will be followed by the NABT board meeting from 9:30 to 11 a.m. The meeting is open to everyone.
On Monday, July 7 at 1:30 p.m., NABT and NABS will join forces to present a program called "Out-of-sight Tips for Dating Blind -- Not Necessarily Blind Dating." The program presenter will be Lynn Cooper, the image awareness consultant and motivational speaker often featured on ACB Reports.
On Tuesday, July 8 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., we will hold our annual business meeting. Come and meet old friends and share your ideas for the future of NABT. Then, at 2:30, we will co-present an important panel discussion with NAPVI entitled, "Educational Options for Blind and Visually Impaired Children." Panelists will include Dr. Janet Simon from the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children in Pittsburgh; two itinerant teachers, Patty Slaby from the River Falls School District (in Wisconsin), and Marcia Dresser, who is a collaborative reading teacher in Massachusetts, as well as a parent representative.
Don't you agree that we have planned an interesting and informative agenda for this year's convention? Come and join us, be inspired, learn something new, and let your voice be heard!
IVIE Is Getting Down to Business for Convention 2003!
by Carla Hayes
Are you an IVIE member or would you like to be one? Do you have your own business or would you like to start one? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then IVIE (the Independent Visually Impaired Enterprisers) has activities just for you during convention week!
We will kick things off on Monday, July 7 from 7 to 8:30 a.m. with our breakfast, business meeting and election. After a sumptuous breakfast of bacon and eggs and lively conversation with old friends and new, you will have an opportunity to take part in the exciting work of IVIE and elect new officers.
Later that same day from 1:30 to 4 p.m., IVIE will conduct an informative seminar titled "The SBA And You." Whether you are already a business owner or just thinking about starting your own business, the Small Business Administration can help you to be successful. Donald Nemchick, Manager of the Business Information Center, Pittsburgh, will speak about SBA's services and web site, access to capital, SCORE and much more! Materials will be provided in accessible formats. From 4 to 5 p.m., there will be a business card exchange, break and time to set up for the Business Expo.
We will cap off the day from 5 to 8 p.m. with the IVIE Business Expo, where you will see business in action as blind and visually impaired business owners showcase their products and services and answer questions about their businesses. The cost for a table at the Business Expo will be $10 for IVIE members and $25 for non-members. If a non-member who participates in the Expo would like to join IVIE, $10 of the $25 fee can be applied to IVIE dues. Whether or not you have a table at the expo, you are welcome to come and browse. If there is enough interest, IVIE will maintain a booth in the exhibit hall throughout convention week. Those who wish to exhibit their products and services can purchase time at the IVIE booth. If you would like more information about participating in the Business Expo or the IVIE booth, please contact Carla Hayes, IVIE president, at (724) 941- 8184.
As you can see, IVIE has an exciting convention week agenda planned for you! Why not join us and get down to business with IVIE?
CCLVI Offering Programs to Enrich ACB Convention
by Joyce Kleiber
Our many presenters this year are experts with a deep commitment to their work with and for people with vision problems. Here are two examples: Michael B. Gorin, M.D., Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said that he feels honored to be a part of our convention; he knows about us, subscribes to "Vision Access" and appreciates our purpose and our work. Kristal Platt, MS, genetic counselor, University of Nebraska Medical Center, has low vision, works as a genetics counselor and is a dedicated wife and mother. Just think what it will be like to meet and be inspired by people like Dr. Gorin and Kristal Platt!
In addition, we will present a panel of sports and recreation enthusiasts who will discuss an array of options for a healthy and fun-filled lifestyle. Expand your horizons with CCLVI when you meet people from around the world and from our own country. Support groups, business meetings, parties, games and dances are all part of our program. Come and let us meet you and welcome you!
We will meet at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Saturday, July 5, through July 12, 2003. We thank Bernice Kandarian, CCLVI's first vice president, for developing our program. Here it is!
Saturday, July 5, 2003
3 to 6 p.m. CCLVI pre-convention board meeting
6 to 7 p.m. CCLVI nominating committee meeting
Sunday, July 6, 2003 "A Well-Balanced Day"
9 to 10:15 a.m. Helping the Patient with Central Vision Loss: Diabetes, Macular Degeneration, etc., by Paul B. Freeman, OD, FAAO, Diplomate Low Vision, Chief, Low Vision Services, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pa.
10:15 to 10:30 a.m. An Overview of the American Academy of Optometry and the American Optometric Association Low Vision Sections; Kathleen F. Freeman, OD, FAAO, Diplomate Low Vision, Immediate Past Chair of both sections.
10:40 to 11 a.m. Committee Reports: Nominations, Ken Stewart, Chair; Credentials, Coletta Davis, Chair; Scholarships (Fred Scheigert and Carl Foley), Janis Stanger, Chair; Resolutions, Mike Godino, Chair.
11 to 11:50 a.m. Panel Discussion: The Value of Sports and Recreation for People with Visual Impairment and How to Get Involved. Moderator: Ken Stewart; Panelists: Oral O. Miller, President, United States Association for Blind Athletes, Past President, American Blind Bowling Association and Past Vice President, Ski For Light; Susan Lichtenfels, Founder, SportsVision; Enrique Perez, President, International Blind Sports Association (invited); Marty Mathews, President, Western Pennsylvania BOLD (Blind Outdoor Leisure Development).
11:50 a.m. to 12 noon: Reading of Proposed Constitutional Amendments, Michael Byington, Chair.
Noon to 1:30 p.m. Break
1:30 to 3 p.m. CCLVI Support Group for People Living with Low Vision; Facilitator, Herb Guggenheim, PhD.
4 to 6 p.m. CCLVI Mixer, President's Suite.
10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Back by Popular Demand! Music the Way You Like It: Gordon Kent takes requests for listening and dancing.
Monday, July 7, 2003
Co-sponsored session with ACB Human Service Professionals, Council of Families with Visual Impairment, and National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairment.
1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Genetic Eye Conditions and Visual Impairment; Michael B. Gorin, MD, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Kristal Platt, MS, Genetic Counselor, University of Nebraska Medical Center. Come hear the latest information about genetics and eye conditions and how they may relate to other health issues, implications for consumers and parents and how counseling can assist.
Tuesday, July 8, 2003
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Panel: Low Vision Services Around the World. Moderator: Jane Kardas; panelists: international guests from Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, and others. Discover how services for people with low vision differ around our planet.
2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Annual business meeting
4:30 to 6 p.m. Post-convention board meeting
Wednesday, July 9, 2003 "Giving and Getting Support"
1:30 to 3 p.m. Project Insight Volunteer Training, Joyce Kleiber, LCSW, Coordinator. Training session for current and prospective mentors in CCLVI's award-winning telephone support network.
3 to 4:30 p.m. CCLVI Support Group for people living with low vision; Facilitator, Charles Gourgey, Ph.D.
7:30 to 10 p.m. CCLVI Game Night: Team Trivia, Name That Tune!, Dating Game, Marriage Game and More!
Friday, July 11, 2003
10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Farewell to Pittsburgh Dance with the music of Gordon Kent, one-man orchestra.
Note: Check registration packet for applicable fees.
And Now for the Lighter Side ...
by Barbara Kron
Who had the first gold record? What was the name of the song? What woman athlete for the first six years of her life answered only to "little girl?" For the answers to these and many more trivia questions come to Game Night on Wednesday, July 9th from 7:30 to 10 p.m. A new, faster-paced Horse Race with audience participation will be described by our hosts for the evening, Charles Glaser and Imogene Johnson. Catherine Skivers, the immediate past president of the California Council of the Blind, will provide piano music for our Name That Tune segment of the program; everyone will be involved and prizes will be given.
The Marriage Game will again let us know some of the secrets of our well-known participants. Will the winners of The Dating Game find a lasting friendship? Hope to see you there. I can hardly wait!
In Pittsburgh, Friends-in-Art Presents ...
by Peter Altschul
As you begin to plan for your trip to the ACB convention in Pittsburgh, don't forget about all the exciting activities that Friends-in-Art (FIA) is planning to present. Below is a summary of mixers, workshops, and performances.
Saturday, July 5
1 to 3 p.m. (repeated Sunday, July 6, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.): Our fiber arts division aims to get you interested in the wonders of quilting through a session entitled "You Too Can be An Old Sew-and-Sew: Festive Fabrics Patchwork For Every Occasion."
3 to 5 p.m.: Beginning Knitting: The Knack of Knit and Purl. Come to learn about the knitty-gritty skills knitters need to start accessing patterns and working on projects on your own; materials will be provided. For accomplished knitters and those who crochet, one-on-one instruction/guidance will be available by appointment; check the newsline and the convention paper for details.
7 to 9 p.m.: FIA Board Meeting. All welcome!
Sunday, July 6
1:30 to 3:30 p.m.: Repeat of quilting workshop.
4 to 6 p.m.: Mixer/Showcase Sign-up. Come meet old friends and make new ones while registering for a showcase audition slot. (Note that you must sign up for a slot if you wish to perform in the FIA showcase; please see next section for additional information.)
6 to 7 p.m.: Chorus Rehearsal. (Please see next section for details if you are interested in singing in the chorus.)
Monday, July 7
1:30 to 3 p.m.: MIDI Workshop. Once again, participants can learn about the latest advancements in accessible music technology.
3:30 to 6 p.m.: Audition/Rehearsal for Showcase (see next section for details).
9 to 10:30 p.m.: Prose/Poetry Reading. Writers are invited to read their original works and non-writers are invited to listen to, and interact with, these writers.
10 to 11 p.m.: Concluding Chorus Rehearsal (see next section for details).
Tuesday, July 8
12:30 to 2:30 p.m.: FIA Lunch and Business Meeting. After sharing pizza with others interested in the arts, attend our annual business meeting, including election of board members.
2:30 to 4 p.m. and 4 to 5:30 p.m.: I Feel Your Pain-ting. Street Thoma, an accomplished painter, will be demonstrating his technique of incorporating various tactile media into a presentation of the main aspects of a painting in order to make it come alive for people with visual impairments. He will describe his approach and provide samples of his work for participants to explore.
8 to 10:30 p.m.: Friends-In-Art Showcase of the Performing Arts. Celebrate good times and great timing! Come and enjoy a variety of works, featuring the world-famous FIA band "Grade Four Braille and the Funky Fonts" and the FIA chorus.
Wednesday, July 9
1:30 to 4 p.m.: Printing Professional Music Scores. Presented by David Pinto, developer of the "Sibelius Speaking" software package. This workshop will highlight how recent advancements in adaptive software facilitate the translation of musical ideas into print music notation.
3 to 5 p.m.: Writers Workshop. Daniel Simpson, a talented writer and educator, will demonstrate how writers can "prime their creative pumps" through the use of journaling. Please bring your preferred writing tools.
5 to 6:30 p.m.: Round and Harmony Sing. Come and sing those beautiful rounds and harmony songs we all know and love and learn some new ones, including one composed especially for this occasion.
Thursday, July 10
7:30 to 8:30 a.m.: FIA Board Meeting: All welcome!
1:30 to 3 p.m.: Copyright Law Made Simple. Barbara Friedman, a copyright lawyer and a jazz singer, will summarize the laws governing the ownership, licensing, and use of your creations and the works of others. Some Words to Prospective Showcase Performers
To increase your chances of performing in front of an adoring audience, here are a few points to consider when selecting your material:
1. We tend to have a shortage of up-tempo acts, as potential performers often bring more meditative material to the microphone. If your preference is the latter, give some thought to preparing an upbeat backup.
2. Variety is key to achieving a successful show. Therefore, we usually judge within genre: that is, voice accompanied by piano performances will be compared to each other, while dramatic readings will be judged against other dramatic readings. Although music is the most popular mode of entertainment, all performing arts media are welcome, and we especially encourage new talent to audition.
3. The FIA showcase is considered family entertainment. While the prose/poetry event encourages freedom of expression, spoken language in showcase presentations should respect the potential for an audience of both children and adults.
4. Come well prepared. Polish and flair will both capture your audience, and go a long way toward ensuring your place in the show.
5. Please note that previous experience has shown that 23 acts, with each act in the spotlight for no more than five minutes, makes for a good well-balanced show.
6. Let us know what you need in advance.
Piano accompaniment: A sighted accompanist will be available to play from a printed musical score. If you plan to use this resource, please be sure to bring the score with you to the FIA mixer on Sunday, July 6. As always, several talented people are available to improvise accompaniments to show tunes, jazz standards, and gospel hymns.
Using a pre-recorded track: To those considering performing with the assistance of a pre-recorded accompaniment, please bring a copy -- not the original, as our best efforts at returning materials have sometimes gone awry -- to the audition on Monday, July 7. Please affix your name to the cassette or CD. Note that since your five minutes in the limelight are best spent displaying your own talent and style, overly lengthy instrumental interludes are strongly discouraged.
Fronting the band: To those considering using our "house band," please alert us to the title of the song you wish to sing (note that while we are not equipped to accompany tunes performed by such bands as Eminem, Evanescence, or Elephants Unlimited, we can play swing, pop, and R&B standards). You'll need to schedule some time to rehearse with the band during the mornings of either Monday, July 7 or Tuesday, July 8.
Join the Chorus: To those interested in singing in our chorus, and who have not previously received a rehearsal tape, please e-mail me your name and street address ASAP, as the tapes will be mailed in early June. Let me know if you wish to be sent the lyrics in braille or large print. Please be prepared to attend both rehearsals mentioned in the previous section.
Audition procedures: Everyone, including those who have alerted us previously of their interest to audition, must sign up for a rehearsal time slot during our mixer on Sunday, July 6. We'll need your name, the title of the selection you are planning to perform, and the name and room number of the hotel where you are staying. Pianists be advised that a full 88-note weighted keyboard will be available. While getting in touch with one another is always difficult at conventions, we plan to inform all performers of audition outcomes that night or early the following morning.
Please e-mail information and/or questions to Peter Altschul at [email protected].
CODA
We believe that this array of activities and opportunities to perform will give you the chance to broaden your horizons in a relaxed friendly atmosphere. We encourage performers to perform and audiences to enjoy!
News from SCLC-VIVA
by Max Hearn
Ah ... spring! The emerging from a damp, dank, wet winter here in South Carolina. Maybe one would say that the wet winter was not so bad since it broke five years of reduced rainfall and drought. But, for us average folks, the sun and the blooming of trees and shrubs signal the excitement of a new season.
This spring also signaled that the South Carolina Department of Transportation has agreed to evaluate a Charleston County intersection for possible audible pedestrian signal installation. We are delighted that the department is honoring our request. If the installation goes through, a blind vet will be able to cross a four-lane highway with median without being confused by omni- directional traffic and the inability to estimate light changes. This was not a rapid action for the transportation department. Our first letter was sent in November 2002. The agreement to evaluate the intersection came in March 2003. Government moves slowly and deliberately. Nevertheless, we are encouraged and grateful that our needs have been heard.
This is the time of year when we begin to plan our activities. We are busy making plans and reservations for local and state activities. Our first day trip was to participate in a Low Vision Fair held by the Charleston chapter of ACB and the Macular Degeneration Group of Myrtle Beach. Our next outing will be attending the Riverdogs semi-pro baseball game on April 19th. It's always lots of fun and generally a beautiful evening to sit outdoors at the park.
We will begin collecting toiletry items for one of our organizational annual goals, which is to supply kits to the homeless veterans in our area. Did you know that 30 percent of homeless men are veterans? Often, we jointly work with the Charleston chapter of ACB; sometimes local school students get involved as well. It is always a labor of love and often makes us happy that we can help someone.
We received word through our connection in the public school vision program that one of our "Christmas Students with Vision Loss" is going upstate to college this fall. This is almost as exciting as the audible pedestrian signal! Certainly, more blind and visually impaired students are climbing higher in education and training these days.
Here's hoping that your spring gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling. And not just from the pollen!
Good News for RSVA
by Charles S.P. Hodge
On Friday, March 28, U.S. District Judge Steven J. McAuliffe handed down his long-awaited decision in the case of State of New Hampshire v. Committee of Blind Vendors et al. The American Council of the Blind (ACB), the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America (RSVA) and the National Education and Legal Defense Service for the Blind and Visually Impaired (NELDS) actively participated in this litigation before the U.S. District Court for New Hampshire through their submission of a friend of the court memorandum of law supporting the legal contentions being argued by the committee of blind vendors.
The case involved the long-festering complaint of New Hampshire's licensed blind vendors that their state had for many years utterly failed to provide them with the priority under the Randolph-Sheppard Act to operate vending machines at rest stops along the interstate highway network. Initially, the vendors had brought their case before the federal district court, but at the urging of the state, Judge McAuliffe had dismissed their action and ordered them to assert their claim in the administrative and arbitration process set forth under the act. The vendors did precisely what the court had ordered them to do by promptly pursuing their evidentiary fair hearing and arbitration rights before the U.S. Department of Education. An arbitration panel convened by the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration on two separate occasions ruled in favor of the vendors' claim. The panel held that the state of New Hampshire had failed through its roadside concessions conduct to give the state licensing agency and its vendors the priority to operate vending machines at rest stops along interstate highways envisioned under the Randolph-Sheppard Act. The panel ordered New Hampshire to pay the business enterprise program an amount in damages equal to the commissions derived by the state from its contracts for the operation of vending machines at rest stops.
Not wishing to pay the business enterprise program for the blind an amount of ordered damages between half a million and a million dollars, the state of New Hampshire commenced the present action in the U.S. District Court challenging the arbitration panel's award. Even though the state had urged the federal trial court initially to send the vendors through the arbitration process in which the state had actively participated, in light of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions such as the Garrett case, the state argued that the arbitration panel had no jurisdiction to hear or decide the vendors' claim nor the authority to grant money damages against the state as a remedy for a found violation of the Randolph-Sheppard Act. In a lengthy, copiously footnoted, 91-page memorandum opinion and order, Judge McAuliffe ruled against the sovereign immunity contentions of the state. He held that the arbitration panel was within its authority to hold as it did that the priority under the Randolph-Sheppard Act is in fact the priority incorporated by reference into the Kennelly Amendment to TEA-21. While the district court does slightly expand the period for damages but also grants the state an offset for state expenditures to construct shelters for vending machines at certain of the covered interstate highway rest stop locations, Judge McAuliffe does affirm the authority of the arbitration panel to award money damages against a state respondent who is found to have violated the Randolph-Sheppard Act priority. Finally, the court refused to make an award of attorneys' fees to the blind vendors on the ground that the arbitration panel had declined to make such a fee award.
The result obtained through Judge McAuliffe's opinion is a solid victory for the vendors and for ACB and its friend of the court partners.
News from CCB
On December 11, 2002, a settlement was reached in which the owner of an eight-unit apartment building in San Bruno, Calif. has agreed to pay $88,000 to resolve a fair housing lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that the apartment owner, Simin Nejat, refused to rent an apartment to Linda and Alfred Gagne because Linda is blind and uses a guide dog. Despite repeated efforts by the Gagnes and by a representative from Guide Dogs for the Blind to explain that the guide dog was a service animal and not a pet, the owner refused to allow the guide dog.
The undisputed evidence established that the landlord violated the federal Fair Housing Act as well as related state laws which make it unlawful to discriminate in the rental of a dwelling because of a disability. The act also makes it unlawful to refuse to rent to someone because he/she uses a service animal. Linda Gagne will receive the first payment in her settlement in March 2003.