by Sarah Blake
The announcement of products and services in this column is not an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its staff, or elected officials. Products and services are listed free of charge for the benefit of our readers. “The Braille Forum” cannot be held responsible for the reliability of products and services mentioned.
To submit items for this column, you may e-mail Sarah Blake at [email protected], or call ACB at 1-800-424-8666 and leave a message in mailbox 26. Please remember that postal regulations prohibit us from including advertisements, and that we need information two months ahead of actual publication dates.
Accessible ACB History Now Available!
The ACB Store is ready to take your orders for fully accessible versions of “People of Vision: A History of the American Council of the Blind” by James and Marjorie Megivern. The book is available in two versions: braille and cassette. Supplies of the braille version are extremely limited; so if you think you would like a braille copy, order immediately. The cassette edition is a nicely repackaged set of tapes with the same narration as the NLS edition.
The braille edition (9 volumes) sells for the price of the hardcover print book, $43.95. The cassette edition (5 tapes) sells for the price of the paperback book, $30.95. Orders can be shipped by the store within 7-14 days. To contact the ACB Store, call toll-free 1-877-367-2224.
Convention Tapes
This one’s for all of you who ordered convention tapes. Due to a duplicator breakdown, the tapes are still a work in progress. Tapes will be mailed out as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we deal with this technical difficulty.
It’s not too late to order the tapes. A full set costs $35; individual tapes, $6. Send your payment to: Attn: Convention Tapes, ACB, 1155 15th St. NW, Suite 1004, Washington, DC 20005.
New Publication
“The Ragged Edge: The Disability Experience from the Pages of the First Fifteen Years of The Disability Rag,” edited by Barrett Shaw, is an anthology of articles from the magazine. To order the anthology online, visit http://www.advocadopress.org/backlist.htm. Or you may mail your order to: The Advocado Press, Box 145, Louisville, KY 40201. Fax credit card orders to: (502) 899-9562.
Paid Writing Opportunity
Chrissy Laws is editing a book on nature and visual impairment. She is seeking stories from blind or visually impaired writers about enjoying nature through gardening, camping, or any other nature-oriented activity. Articles should be from 1,000 to 3,000 words. Contributors will earn $25 for the first 1,000 words and $0.01 for each additional word. For more information, please send queries to Chrissy by January 15 at [email protected].
Scholarships
The Association of Blind Citizens will offer $20,000 in college scholarships to blind or visually impaired individuals seeking a college degree. The Reggie Johnson Memorial Scholarship will be valued at $3,000; three $2,000 scholarships and an additional 11 $1,000 scholarships will be available for the 2004-2005 school year. The scholarship may be applied to tuition, living expenses or related expenses resulting from vision impairment. To download the application online, visit http://www.blindcitizens.org.
Scholastic Achievement Awards
RFB&D’s Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards (SAA) are given annually to nine blind or visually impaired seniors at four-year U.S. colleges or universities. The Marion Huber Learning Through Listening Awards (LTL) are presented annually to six high school seniors with learning disabilities. Awards monies total more than $50,000. The top three winners in each category are honored at an annual gala.
The NAA program is open to active RFB&D members who have been registered for at least one year prior to the deadline — either individually or through their schools — and who have demonstrated outstanding scholarship, leadership, enterprise and service to others. Applications are now available; the application deadline is February 20, 2004.
For additional information about RFB&D’s membership programs, National Achievement Award eligibility criteria or to request an award application, call RFB&D’s Member Services Department toll-free at 1-800-732-3585. Or visit the web site at www.rfbd.org.
Request for Information
Sylvie Kashdan would appreciate hearing from blind people who have used or examined the new tactile New York City transit maps. Please share your impressions of these maps, including how easy they are to understand and how useful they are. Write to her in braille or print at 810-A Hiawatha Place South, Seattle, WA 98144, or e-mail at [email protected].
Seeking Art Exhibitors
National Exhibits by Blind Artists is seeking blind artists for its juried exhibition in fall 2004 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Slides are due no later than February 27, 2004. For more information, write to NEBA, 919 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107, or call for a prospectus, 1-800-222-1754 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, or call (215) 925-3213 and leave a message.
New Book for Siblings
“Beyond the Stares” is a book for children and adolescents written by siblings of children with disabilities. It is a chronicle of their stories and a place for their collective messages to be shared with others. Adults looking for guidance and children looking for shared experiences will read powerful and touching stories. As they read, siblings can express their experiences by starting their own personal journal entries on pages that are designated just for that purpose. It costs $12.95. Order online from www.dgckids.org/resources-books.htm.
Braille Edition of Guideposts Available Again
Guideposts Magazine was founded in 1945 by the renowned Dr. Norman Vincent Peale and his wife, Ruth Stafford Peale. Although it has been available in regular and large print, the braille edition was discontinued several years ago. Responding to the overwhelming cry from readers, Clovernook has made the braille edition available for $7 per year. For more information, contact Clovernook, 7000 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45231-5297; phone 1-888-234-7156 or (513) 522-3860 (voice and TDD), or e-mail [email protected].
E-Mail Discussion Groups
In an effort to provide blind folks from any organization with a place to discuss democracy and democratic principles and how to build a more perfect democracy within your group, Charles Crawford has formed the blind-democracy e-mail list. For more information about the list, visit http://www.octothorp.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-democracy.
Blindadoptiveparents is a forum for parents who have been through or are currently going through the adoption process. Being able to find each other and share information and support is vital, as the adoption process can bring some unique challenges and changes to our lives. To subscribe to this group, please send mail to blindadoptiveparents- [email protected]. If you are not an adoptive parent but wish to provide support, please do join us.
Anyone who is a member of ACB Radio Amateurs is welcome to join the ACBRA e-mail list. You may do so via the ACB web page, or by sending a message to [email protected].
Speak-easy is a list for discussion of current events and controversial issues. Some of the content discussed on this list will be adult in nature and intelligent discussions of sex and sexuality are welcome on the list. To subscribe, send a blank message to [email protected].
The Mosen Explosion Radio Show
ACB Radio founder Jonathan Mosen has returned to the Internet airwaves, this time on Big Planet Radio. The new look Mosen Explosion radio show includes elements of Jonathan’s past popular shows, such as interviews, technology reviews, music, and plenty of interaction from listeners. For more information, visit http://www.mosenexplosion.com.
Brailler Repair
Quality, affordable braille writer repair! Only $45 for complete service plus parts when needed. Contact Daniel Simpson, 11400 Ward Road, Guthrie, OK 73044; phone (405) 282-3542 or (405) 640-9706, e-mail [email protected].
Braille Bracelets
Antiqued silver-finish braille alphabet bracelets are available from National Braille Press for $28.50. These bracelets (from At First Sight) are made of small individual tiles. Each tile represents a letter — braille on the front, and engraved type on the back. The tiles are separated by simple, straight spacers on a stretch bracelet. You can leave your bracelet as is, or take it apart and restring it as a bracelet or necklace of your own creation, using different letters for initials, names or words. To order online, visit http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/BRACE.html or e-mail your order to [email protected]. To order offline, send payment to: NBP, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115-4302, or call toll-free 1-800-548-7323 or (617) 266-6160 extension 20.
Braille Fortune Cookies
Lucky Touch Fortune Cookie Company is a student-operated business specializing in braille fortune cookies. The cookies are also available with large print fortunes. You may customize the cookies to fit your event. Place your order by calling Judith Lesner at (510) 794-3800, extension 300. All orders will go out by priority mail. If items are in stock, allow two weeks from the day your payment is received. Customized orders require a week longer.
Shipping and handling charges vary. For more information, write to: Lucky Touch Fortune Cookie Company, 500 Walnut Ave., Fremont, CA 94536.
Accessible Cruises
Sue Slater has accepted a position with a home-based travel agency, where she will continue her work making cruises accessible for people who are blind. For information on upcoming cruises throughout 2004, call Sue at (314) 726-6893, or e-mail her at [email protected].
New Catalog
The new catalog from Horizons for the Blind includes a collection of shaped pans for cakes and molds, including a stand- up snowman, Santa Claus 3-D cake pan, and seven more. The catalog also includes two new cookbooks from Weight Watchers, one containing 123 recipes for slow cookers, and three new books that delve into the Great Depression. To order this free catalog, call (815) 444-8800 (voice/TDD); fax (815) 444-8830; or e-mail [email protected]. Please specify whether you prefer braille, large print, or audio cassette format.
Career Opportunity
The Georgian Bay Success Academy seeks qualified success counselors for its personal growth/life skills program. The academy empowers students to achieve their personal and financial goals through active learning and participation in its curriculum. Individuals who choose to enroll as students of the Academy are eligible to become success coaches. Individualized and group training are provided on an ongoing basis. For further information, contact Barbara Blejewski, Success Coach, at (860) 721-8601, or via e-mail, [email protected].