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.
World Youth Championships
The United States Association of Blind Athletes will play host to the 2005 International Blind Sports Association World Youth Championships, to be held Aug. 4-10, 2005, on the campus of Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Athletes must be between the ages of 13 and 19. Contact the USABA office, (719) 630-0422, or send e-mail to [email protected] for an application. Or write to Mark Lucas, U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, 33 N. Institute St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903.
Scourby Winner Announced
Congratulations to the winners of the Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year Awards! They are: in the fiction category, Martha Harmon Pardee, a narrator for Talking Book Publishers, Inc., for her recording of "The Crimson Petal and the White," by Michael Faber; in non-fiction, Mark Ashby of Potomac Talking Books, Inc., for his recording of "Perfect I'm Not: Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches and Baseball," by David Wells; and in multilingual non-fiction, Steven Carpenter, a narrator for Potomac Talking Books, Inc., for his recording of "The Age of Sacred Terror," by Daniel Benjamin and Steve Simon. To learn more about this year's winning narrators and the Scourby Awards, log onto www.afb.org/scourby.asp. The web site also features audio remarks from the honorees and excerpts from their winning selections.
Rowan Goes to the Dogs
Four of the newest arrivals on the Rowan University campus this semester have an appetite for shoes, trouble sitting still for three-hour lectures, and a desire to race across campus. They also have four legs, a tail, and an uncanny ability to attract attention. What are they? Four puppies from The Seeing Eye -- two black Labradors, one yellow Labrador, and a German shepherd -- who are the first to participate in the university's Seeing Eye Puppy Project. The puppies are living with four students, spending nearly every hour of the day with them; they go almost everywhere the students go, except grocery stores and restaurants.
Seeking Used Materials
If you have any kind of used or surplus braille, large print, Moon type and cassette books, magazines, journals, newspapers, religious books and educational materials, please send them free matter to: Mrs. S. M. Shanti, Executive Director, All Book Corporation, 12/E, 7/2, Mirpur, Pallabi, Dhaka-1216, Bangladesh.
Survival Strategies
"Survival Strategies for Going Abroad: A Guide for People with Disabilities" focuses on academic, volunteer, short-term work and other types of cross-cultural exchange for a cross-disability audience. It compiles new tips and stories from 20 people with disabilities who have studied in Australia, consulted in Japan, taught in Jamaica, volunteered in Russia, and more. This book provides information, resources and guidance on pursuing international exchange opportunities. It addresses disability- related aspects of the international exchange process such as choosing a program, applying, preparing for the trip, adjusting to a new country and returning home.
"Survival Strategies" is available in accessible formats. For more information, or to order, contact Mobility International USA at PO Box 10767, Eugene, OR 97440, (541) 343-1284, or send e-mail to [email protected].
Access San Francisco
Access Northern California has issued the third edition of "Access San Francisco." This free publication provides essential information for anyone planning an accessible trip to San Francisco. The guide offers detailed access information on more than 150 San Francisco hotels, restaurants, museums, attractions, shopping centers, recreation, public transportation and service providers. "Access San Francisco" is available free from the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau at (415) 391-2000, (415) 392-0328 TDD. Large-print versions and tapes are also available.
Scholarships Available
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 (LTL) awards are presented annually to six high school seniors with learning disabilities. The top three winners in each category are recognized at an annual RFB&D celebratory event.
The scholarship program is open to active RFB&D members who have been registered for at least one year prior to the March 1, 2005 deadline, either individually or through their schools. They should be prepared to demonstrate outstanding scholarship, leadership, enterprise and service to others. Applications are now available. For more information, or to request an application, call toll-free at 1-866-732-3585, or visit the web site, www.rfbd.org.
Qur'an in Braille at the Grand Mosque
The Presidency of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque has finalized a project that allows for the first time the distribution of copies of the Holy Qur'an printed in braille. The copies will be made available at various locations inside the Grand Mosque. The first copies are posted at King Abdul Aziz and Al-Umrah gates, two of the main gates most used by pilgrims and visitors.
Blind Handyman Records 100th Episode
The "Blind Handyman" Internet radio show celebrated the recording of its 100th episode in Houston the weekend of Nov. 5-8. The show airs on ACB Radio, www.acbradio.org. A highlight of Saturday's activities was the recording of an episode of "Cooking in the Dark" with head chef Dale Campbell. A proclamation from the city of Houston was presented by Bob Bartlett, ACB of Texas First Vice President and chairman of the Houston Commission on Disabilities. Houston's Mayor, Bill White, congratulated the show's creators for the milestone and proclaimed Sunday, Nov. 7, 2004 as "Blind Handyman Day" in Houston.
New Kurzweil Product
Kurzweil 3000 for Mac V3 is available today and offers easy accessibility to users. Through the use of "floating" licenses, students no longer have to go to the tech lab to access this software. They can simply log on to use K3000 in the classroom when and where they need it. This new network edition tracks the number of licenses in use at any given time and limits concurrent use to the number of licenses purchased. Other new features offered in Kurzweil 3000 for Mac V3 include word prediction, vocabulary lists and document preparation tools. Version 3 can be purchased directly from Kurzweil Educational Systems at 1-800-894-5374 (within the U.S. or Canada).
New Audio Zine
"Your Voice" is the first free weekly downloadable audio magazine that brings you stress-free comedy breaks, practical hands-on business solutions, and inspirational stories. We encourage listeners to participate by submitting audio articles on our 800 line, as well as writing audio books! For more information, call 1-866-341-6773 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern.
New Director
Virginia Richards of Braintree, Mass. has been named director of programming at the Talking Information Center headquartered in Marshfield, Mass. The center is a non-profit reading service that broadcasts newspapers, magazines, books, and special consumer information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to visually impaired and print-handicapped listeners throughout Massachusetts.
New USABA President
Kevin Szott was elected president of the USABA board of directors during the annual meeting, October 16. Szott, a four-time Paralympic gold medalist in the sports of judo, wrestling and goalball, has served on the USABA board since 1996. 200 VIDEOS FOR LOAN
The Texas Center for the Physically Impaired has 200 described videos available for your enjoyment. If you would like to sit back and enjoy a good movie, here's how to do it. Send a one-time $25 gift made out to Bob Langford, 11330 Quail Run, Dallas, TX 75238. You will then receive a print and/or recorded list of most of the 200 titles (United States and Canada only). Choose your movies from the list, and let the center know at (214) 340-6328. Soon afterward, you will receive your first movie in the mail. When finished, rewind the video and place it in the container. Put the return label on it and put it in your mailbox. A couple of cautions: you must return the video within a few weeks so that others may enjoy it; failure to return a video will disqualify you from receiving additional titles. For more information, call Bob Langford at (214) 340-6328.
Braille Paper Available
Future Forms, Inc., offers a wide variety of braille paper sizes at affordable prices. The paper can be used in all continuous-feed braille embossers and is sold in cartons of 1,000 continuous-feed sheets, with no minimum to buy. To order online, visit www.futureforms.com, or call 1-800- 748-0235 ext. 223 or 204.
Accessible Motorcycling
The Motorcycle Ride Volunteer Network partners disabled motorcycle enthusiasts with volunteer riders. For more information, visit the MRVN's web site, www.motorcycleridevolunteernetwork.org, or call (603) 447-2722. This network is only available in the United States.