by Billie Jean Keith
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. Services and products 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 an item for "Here and There," send an e-mail message to [email protected]. You may call the ACB toll-free number, (800) 424-8666, and leave a message in mailbox 26. Please bear in mind that we need information two months ahead of actual publication dates.
Patriotic and Pragmatic: ACB's new luggage tags are a great way to support the organization you love!
Our luggage tags featuring the new ACB logo in the lower right-hand corner look like a waving American flag, in honor of their Independence Day debut at this year's national convention in Houston. Buy one for $5 or three for $12. You may order in advance by calling the ACB national office after June 1, or purchase them at the convention. If you order in advance, we cannot guarantee the tags' arrival in time for you to use them on your trip to Houston, but we can guarantee you'll enjoy using them when you claim your bags at the carousel in your hometown airport.
Grants for Assistive Technology
The Association of Blind Citizens (ABC) has established an Assistive Technology Fund to provide grants to cover 50 percent of the retail price for adaptive devices or software. It is hoped that access to more assistive technologies will have a significant impact on opportunities for employment. Products provided under this program must have a retail price ranging between $200 and $6,000. Applicants for grants must have a family income of less than $50,000 and cash assets of less than $20,000. All applications will be reviewed by an ABC committee, and successful applicants will be asked to provide documents such as tax returns, bank statements, etc.
Applicants must be legally blind and residents of the United States. Completed applications must be submitted by any of the following three dates: June 30, September 30, or December 31, 2002. Only one application will be considered for an applicant per calendar year. All applications must be submitted via e-mail in accordance with the procedures outlined on the Association's web site, http://www.assocofblindcitizens.org. Find the assistive technology information link for all details.
Accessible Slot Machines
Valley Braille Service Inc. of Las Vegas has partnered with Ray Charles Enterprises, Game Makers Inc., and Bally Gaming Corp. to produce the first slot machines that blind and visually impaired people can play independently. These machines are called "Ray Charles Tours America," and were recently unveiled at the World Gaming Exposition in Las Vegas. Anyone can play these machines; players actually interact with a virtual Ray Charles during the play. The American Foundation for the Blind awarded one of their prestigious 2002 Access Awards to this project. For more information, contact Richard Dortch at (702) 733-6941, or via e-mail at [email protected].
Free Computer Training
The Communicating Computers for the Blind Foundation Inc. is a non-profit foundation established to provide free computers, software, and training to blind individuals living in the United States. Trainees are introduced to the powerful world of the Internet, trained in e-mail, word processing, electronic books, online shopping, online newspapers, digital radio, and information searches. All training and living expenses are free and cover a two-week period at the Foundation's facilities in South Dakota. When training is completed, the free personal computer used by the student is shipped at no charge to the student's home. Students will be responsible for their own transportation to South Dakota and for their screen-reading software, Connect OutLoud, which costs $249. Also, students must be able to type. For more information, call (605) 644-0445.
Win $10,000 Cash
You could win $10,000 in the ACB drawing, or you could win $500, or $300, and benefit the ACB national scholarship program. Buy a ticket for yourself, or partner with three or four friends to buy a ticket. Only 300 tickets will be sold at a price of $100 each. Winning tickets will be drawn during the banquet at the national convention in Houston. You do not have to be present to win. Many affiliates and local chapters have purchased tickets. All proceeds (other than prize money) go directly to the ACB scholarship program.
For tickets by mail, contact Billie Jean Keith using the ACB toll-free number, (800) 424-8666, and leave a message with your phone number in mailbox 26. You may contact her by e-mail at [email protected].
From the Castle
A business owner who is blind maintains a castle full of treasures for blind people. If you would like to find the best deals around on adaptive products and don't feel like spending all your time looking, we can help. Join our mailing list and uncover treasures beyond belief. Adaptive treasures will appear right in your mailbox, and shipping is free. To make things even more exciting, we give away a free gift every month.
To join the treasure scroll mailing list, send an e-mail to [email protected]. In the body of the message, type "subscribe treasurescroll (real name)." Please do not include parentheses. For more information, contact Tony Meade, 10809 King William Rd., Apt. D6, Aylett, VA 23009, phone (804) 769- 0226, e-mail [email protected], or visit the web site, www.blindtreasures.com.
eBay and Disability-Related Sales
eBay has a section for bidding on disability-related items such as books, assistive technologies, independent living aids, and mobility products. The large print book section lists more than 400 books for sale. But items for sale change every day. The link is http://pages.ebay.com/theme/disability.html.
Braille Ale for Sale
Britain's first blind-friendly beer went on sale recently -- with the bottles labeled in braille. The new labeling for Winter Warmer has been marked with raised lettering to help people who are blind to identify it on store shelves.
Support Group for Mental Health Issues
An Iowa member is organizing a cassette tape support group for people who are blind and/or disabled, and dealing with mental health issues. Topics to be covered include depression, anxiety, panic disorders, shyness/social anxiety, and sexual harassment or abuse. If you feel alone dealing with these problems and would like to take part in the support group, we are here to share experiences and to learn and grow together. Group members can submit their information on cassette tape which will be compiled into an interactive group cassette sent out each month. Self-help materials will be provided on each tape to help us learn to overcome our concerns with mental health. To join our group, you must sign a confidentiality form, stating you will not divulge names or other information shared within the group. Dues are $12 per year, which equals $1 per month. Members who join during the calendar year will be charged according to the month they join.
For more information or to become a member, please contact us by cassette tape, braille, floppy disk or e-mail (no handwritten letters please). Send to Mental Health Issues Support Group, 610 B Ave., Vinton, IA 52349, e-mail [email protected].
Budget Relief
More than 3,000 non-profit organizations across the United States supplement their budgets with new, donated supplies. They receive everything from office products to janitorial goods to items for clients, choosing what they need from catalogs, monthly fliers, and an online shopping site. The National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources collects new, overstock products from American companies, then makes this merchandise available to non-profits and schools. Recipient groups pay dues ranging from $475 to $575, plus shipping and handling, but the products are free. Members receive an average of $12,000 worth of new merchandise a year. For more information, call toll-free (800) 562-0955 or visit www.naeir.org.
Brailler and Typewriter Repair
The Selective Doctor, Inc. is a repair service for Perkins Braillers and IBM typewriters. The brailler can be sent free matter and should be insured when mailed. Labor costs for repairs are $50, plus the cost of parts. Send item to The Selective Doctor, Inc., P.O. Box 28432, Baltimore, MD 21234. For more information, phone (410) 668-1143, e-mail [email protected].
Two Books on Membership Development
Two books by ACB treasurer Ardis Bazyn are available for sale. One is "Building Blocks to Success: Does the Image of Your Church Attract Members?" and the other is "Building Blocks to Success: Does the Image of Your Organization Attract Members?" Copies are available in print, CD-ROM, and on audiocassette. Prices are $18.95, plus 8.25 percent sales tax and $3 shipping and handling. Orders for five or more include free shipping and handling.
Send check or money order to Bazyn Communications, 500 South 3rd St., Apt. H, Burbank, CA 91502-1476. For more information, call toll-free (866) 476-8538, e-mail [email protected], or visit the web site, www.bazyncommunications.com.
Christian Books
Denise Ferrin sells children's books with a Christian worldview. She takes print books and adds braille to them. So she can charge the smallest amount possible, some are purchased on sale; others are used, and some have been donated. To view her list of books, go to www.millcreekmedia.com/books.
Wordsmith
Need a quick word lookup? E-mail [email protected]. To find the definition of a word, type "define myword" in the subject line, with "myword" referring to the word whose definition you want to find. To find synonyms of a word, type synonym myword in the subject line. To unscramble an acronym, make the subject line: acronym myword. And anagrams? To find those, make the subject line read anagram myword. If you have access to the Web, you can access the Internet Anagram server at http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html.