THE
                                         Braille Forum
                                Vol. XXXVIII January 2000 No. 7


                                         Published By
                               The American Council of the Blind


THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND STRIVES TO INCREASE THE
INDEPENDENCE, SECURITY, EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY, AND QUALITY OF
LIFE FOR ALL BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE.

                                    Paul Edwards, President

                            Charles H. Crawford, Executive Director

                                     Penny Reeder, Editor
                             Sharon Lovering, Editorial Assistant

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Copyright 2000
                                 American Council of the Blind

                                       TABLE OF CONTENTS

President's Message: Looking Back, by Paul Edwards

Eunice Fiorito: A Voice That Should Never Die, by Billie Jean
Keith

Congress Acts to Increase Work Incentives for People with
Disabilities, by Melanie Brunson

Survey of Signalized Intersection Accessibility, by Julie Carroll
and Billie Louise Bentzen

Retiring Elli, by Sarah J. Blake

ACB Rewards Excellence in Writing, Membership Growth, Sports and
More, by Sharon Lovering

Board of Publications Seeks Nominations for Two Prestigious
Awards, by Winifred Downing

Two Contests for the New Millennium, by Penny Reeder

ACB Mid-Winter Meetings, by John A. Horst

ACB Presents the First Legislative Seminar of the 21st Century!,
by Melanie Brunson

It's "To KY" in Y2K!, by LeRoy F. Saunders

Affiliate News

Future Think: The End of Blindness, by Charles Crawford

News Notes from the National Office

Here and There, by Elizabeth M. Lennon

High Tech Swap Shop

Photo copyright 1999 by Ken Nichols.

*****
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE:
LOOKING BACK 
by Paul Edwards
      As another year begins, it is common to see messages such as
mine, looking back at what we have accomplished over the past
year. I don't plan to do that here. There is another temptation
which is to look at the past century and try to pick out the
highlights. That seems to be happening everywhere in the media
and there are lists of the century's top 100 everything floating
around.  I don't plan to indulge in that sort of nonsense either.
However, you will not escape unscathed from the beginning of the
last year of this millennium because I want to spend a little
time looking at the year 1900. 
      In that year, Miami, the city I live in, was not yet three
years old, and Cuba was being freed from Spain only to find
itself coming increasingly under the influence of the United
States.  We were three years away from the first-ever airplane
flight and electric lighting was in its infancy. For the vast
majority of Americans, oil and wax provided light. There were
virtually no telephones; there were no cars; there was no radio,
no television, no talking books, and virtually no braille. In
fact, if you were lucky enough to be attending a school for the
blind, you were as likely to have been taught moon type or New
York point.
      In states like Kansas and Missouri, however, there were
already organizations of blind people who were actively working
to make things better for people who were blind. I am happy to
say that those organizations still exist and are affiliates of
the American Council of the Blind. Schools for the blind had
already, in some cases, been operating for half a century, and
1900 was the first year that we are aware of special classrooms
being set up within a public school system. 
      In a very real sense, we were living in a world where the
town was the center of people's existence, not the country or the
world. In 1900, we were beginning to see the shift in population
that would make cities the places where most Americans lived but
1900 was a year when towns were still the norm. Women could not
vote. The temperance movement was actively campaigning for the
eradication of the demon rum and was on its way to persuading the
country that prohibition was a good idea.  The United States was
a rarity: a democratic republic. Throughout the world, most
people had very little say about how they were governed or about
the laws that were made that they had to obey. The whole world
was on the gold standard though the US was seriously flirting
with free silver. Good incomes were measured in the hundreds of
dollars a year, and most trade unions, if they existed at all,
had very little power.
      There are those both in Europe and in the United States who
would look back to 1900 as a year of incredible peacefulness.
Many nostalgically perceived the end of the Gilded Age as a time
of immense promise and dignity where most people knew their place
and most people could look forward to better times. It is ironic
to me that we are approaching the 21st century with as much
trepidation and hope as operated for our forebears in 1900. I
find myself heartened and disheartened by looking backwards. 
Clearly blind people can compete far more effectively in society
because of technology, and it is very likely that we could not
have sustained a national organization of blind people such as
ACB as things were in 1900. However proud we may be about our
accomplishments of the last century, we shouldn't forget that,
for some blind people anyway, a good education was to be had only
at schools for the blind in 1900. Many of the approaches to
blindness that we take for granted were devised and implemented
in schools for the blind. One of the very first national
organizations to form in the field of blindness brought teachers
together to share techniques.
      On the other side of the coin, many blind children of color
were not given the opportunity to be educated and, when schools
for the blind did begin to serve them, they were often segregated
from other students. Wilson's book on famous men and women who
are blind demonstrated an ability we know blind people possess,
but, those exceptions aside, most blind people could not expect
to work and were not expected to contribute much to society.
Services existed to get blind people out of the home and into a
segregated work place where they could do something useful for
society with little remuneration and less dignity. Society knew
where we belonged and we, as blind people, for the most part,
concurred. There must have actually been something comforting
about knowing where we fit in the scheme of things, though. Now,
when a proportion of blind people are working and when we have
higher expectations of ourselves, it can tear a good person into
little pieces when no job is to be found.
      No, I'm not suggesting that we all jump on a time machine and
travel back to the good old days of 1900. Life expectancy was
limited. Most people were lucky to eat meat once every two weeks,
and vaccination was a word that was just coming into use, though
there were very few vaccines and less public health. As cities
were evolving, immigrants were living in cramped, dirty tenement
buildings with little sanitation and less privacy. What I do want
us to think about a little is just how far our world has traveled
in a century.
      If there is one thing that has characterized this century it
is the escalation of change. The first long-playing records were
pioneered by the talking book program in the late 1930s and now
records are becoming rare and record players are almost extinct.
What is even more unnerving is that the cassette technology that
replaced records and that has operated for only 25 years or so is
almost certain to have disappeared by the time the new millennium
is very old. If television didn't manage to create a "global
village," the Internet may well manage to do it. I can safely
suggest that no one in 1900 could have imagined the world as it
is today. While Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee felt like a fish
out of water at the court of King Arthur, he survived and
recognized much of what he saw. Had he come forward to our time,
I suspect he would have been incapable of functioning in a
society as dependent on technology as ours is. 
      We have come a long way in the last hundred years but we have
moved backwards almost as often as we have moved forward. Society
is still trying to tell us where we belong and even other groups
of disabled people are trying to tell us who we are. But we know
now as we knew, even in 1900, who we are. We are people who are
blind who have rights and dignity and who demand that society
recognizes both. We are brothers and sisters who are as much in
need of each other as we were in 1900. What is sad but true is
that there are just as many threats out there to the success of
people who are blind as there were in 1900. If disabled people
don't get us, new technology might. Social Security and
specialized services for blind people are under attack and, if
statistics are to be believed, only 30 percent of us have ever
held a job. Most of us had families in 1900. Far too many of us
do not have families in 1999. 
      I suppose that William Shakespeare is right. "Comparison is
odious," but, William, it is interesting. I have no moral to draw
in my first message of the last year of the 20th century. I do
not claim that we live in kinder or gentler times, though perhaps
we do. I suppose that there is one thing I would have you take
away from this message. It is embodied in an old adage that I
first saw in French which, translated, says: "The more things
change, the more they stay the same!" Happy New Year! May the
last year of the second millennium treat you well.

*****
EUNICE FIORITO: A VOICE THAT SHOULD NEVER DIE
by Billie Jean Keith
      If you met Eunice Fiorito at a conference or convention
anywhere in the world, you could not forget her, or her voice.
Within a few minutes, and in that operatic voice commanding
attention, Eunice would find out who you were, where you came
from, what you were doing there and then convince you to take
part in one of the numerous advocacy projects she was heading.
      And advocacy projects there were.  Throughout her private
life and professional career, Eunice was a diligent advocate and
unabashed spokesperson for the rights of all people to be heard
and protected -- wherever they were and whatever their
circumstances.  When she died on Nov. 22, 1999, following months
of illness, she was still serving as chair of the Alexandria
Commission of Persons with Disabilities.
      Born in Chicago, Ill. at the beginning of the Great
Depression, Eunice Kathleen Frelly had only a slight visual
impairment.  However, she became totally blind by age 16 after
being struck on the head by a baseball.  She chose to remain in
her high school to graduate, and was the first blind student to
receive a bachelor of science degree at Loyola University.  She
received her master's degree in social work from Columbia
University in New York, and later took several courses toward a
doctorate in health services administration.
      In the early 1970s, Eunice and a group of disability leaders
established the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities,
and elected Eunice as the organization's first president.  In
1977, Eunice and other ACCD pioneers led a march on Washington,
where they staged a three-day sit-in at the office of Secretary
Joseph Califano in the Department of Health, Education and
Welfare.  They were protesting the delay in signing the
implementing regulation for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973.  Nixon had vetoed the act, and four years after Congress
had overturned that veto, the Ford administration had not issued
the regulation, and it looked like more delay from the Carter
administration.  By then, Eunice had a national reputation for
shaking the confidence of public officials with her ardent verbal
confrontations.  Eyewitnesses report that, toward the end of the
sit-in, Eunice and Joseph Califano faced each other.  In the
voice so many remember, Eunice boomed, "Now Joe, you know what
we're here for and what you need to do."  Secretary Califano
started to respond, but because Eunice was such a statuesque and
imposing figure, he climbed onto his chair to be taller than she
when he answered.  A few weeks later, the 504 regulation was
signed, defining the first federal civil rights statute for
people with disabilities, and the model for the Americans with
Disabilities Act. 
      Eunice, always the civic activist, was a founding member of
Disabled People International, serving on its board for years. 
She was also a founder and board member of the League of Disabled
Voters, and a very active member of the Washington, DC League of
Women Voters.  She chaired committees of the World Blind Union,
and was a longtime member of ACB. 
      And then there was her professional career, jobs she was paid
to do.  Her professional positions included rehabilitation
teacher/caseworker with the Illinois Department of Public
Welfare; social worker at New York's Jewish Guild for the Blind,
where she helped to establish the nation's first outpatient
clinic for children with multiple disabilities; and Director of
Psychiatric Social Work and Rehabilitation Services at New York
City's Bellevue Medical Center.  Eunice's lifelong interest in
politics led her to organize and head the first Mayor's Committee
on the Handicapped during the terms of Mayor John Lindsay and
later, Mayor Abraham Bean in New York City.  She was the first
person with a disability to receive the Outstanding Meritorious
Service Award from the City of New York.  While living in New
York, she met and married James Fiorito.
      Eunice joined the federal government after accepting a
political appointment in the Carter administration, and moved to
Washington, DC to work in the newly created Department of
Education.  For the next 19 years, she held a variety of advisory
positions including Special Assistant to the Commissioner of RSA. 
At the time of her retirement, she was vice chair of the
Department's Task Force on Section 504 -- the focus of the sit-in
she had organized 20 years earlier!
      Finally, there was the wonderful, generous hostess Eunice who
presided at magnificent dinner parties in her beautiful home. 
Eunice held at least three such celebrations a year at
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's, and provided five-course
feasts for 12 to 15 guests at each event.  When Eunice
ceremonially swept the old year out the door, accompanied by loud
whoops and epithets, her neighborhood must have wondered if she
was throwing out a poorly behaved dinner guest.  Since winter was
such a special time for Eunice, it seems fitting to quote a few
lines from the winter solstice poem "The Shortest Day" by Susan
Cooper:
      "...As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
                      They carol, feast, give thanks,
                       And dearly love their friends,
                            And hope for peace.
                        And now so do we, here, now,
                         This year and every year..."

And though we say farewell to Eunice, clever, feisty, loving
Eunice, her voice should never die.
      (Editor's Note: Eunice Fiorito's family requests that
memorial tributes should be sent to ACB for the Eunice K. Fiorito
Advocacy Scholarship Fund.  You may send those funds to the ACB
national office, 1155 15th St. NW, Suite 1004, Washington, DC
20005.  Please make sure to note that the money is for the Eunice
Fiorito Scholarship Fund.)

*****
                          CONGRESS ACTS TO INCREASE WORK INCENTIVES 
                                 FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
by Melanie Brunson
      Congress has finally taken action on the Work Incentives
Improvement Act of 1999, which contained provisions for the
"Ticket to Work and Self-sufficiency" program.  Thanks to last-
minute lobbying by many in the disability community, the
legislation was approved in November by both houses of Congress. 
The president has said he will sign the bill.  The signing
ceremony has been scheduled for the week of December 13.
      The Work Incentives legislation will implement a number of
changes to both SSDI and SSI programs.  These changes will be
phased in over the next year and a half.  Below is a brief
summary of the bill's key provisions.
Expanded Health Insurance Options
      SSDI beneficiaries who return to work after October 1, 2000,
will be able to keep their premium-free Medicare Part A coverage
for an additional four-year period beyond the four years already
provided them under current law.  This means that they will be
able to count on premium-free Medicare Part A coverage for a
total of eight years from the time that they go to work.
      Also, beginning October 1, 2000, states will be able to offer
both SSI and SSDI recipients who would not otherwise be eligible
for Medicaid the opportunity to "buy-in" to their Medicaid
program.
      Although they are not required to do so, states may
liberalize limits on resources and income, and may allow employed
individuals with medically determinable impairments (as
determined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
to buy into Medicaid even though they may no longer be eligible
for SSDI or SSI disability benefits because of medical
improvement.  For purposes of this particular buy-in, states may
require individuals to pay premiums, or other cost-sharing
charges, set according to a sliding scale based on income.
      There will also be a number of other changes in eligibility
rules for SSDI and SSI beneficiaries.  Beginning 13 months after
enactment of the legislation, individuals whose prior entitlement
to disability and health care benefits had been terminated
because of earnings from work activity may request reinstatement
of benefits without filing a new application.  Such individuals
must be unable to continue working on account of their medical
condition and must file a reinstatement request during the
60-month period following the month of employment termination. 
While the Social Security Administration is making a
determination on their reinstatement request, individuals are
eligible for provisional benefits for up to six months. 
      Work activity will no longer automatically result in a
continuing disability review.  Under the new rules, such reviews
will be conducted on a regularly scheduled basis and
determination of an individual's continued eligibility will be
made at these scheduled times, rather than being based on an
individual's work status.
The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency
      This program can provide SSDI and SSI beneficiaries with a
ticket they can use to obtain vocational rehabilitation services,
employment services, and other support services from an
employment network of their choice.  These employment networks
can be comprised of either public or private agencies.  Agencies
may choose to provide services directly, or to enter into
agreements with other (subcontracting) providers, who can furnish
portions of the services.  These selected agencies will be
required to develop and implement an individual work plan (IWP)
in partnership with each beneficiary. Each collaboratively
developed IWP must include a statement of: (1) the beneficiary's
vocational goal; (2) services and supports necessary to
accomplish that goal; (3) terms and conditions related to the
provision of those services and supports; (4) rights and remedies
available to the beneficiary; and (5) the beneficiary's right to
modify his/her work plan if needed.  Each individual work plan is
effective upon written approval by the beneficiary and a
representative of the employment network.
      The Social Security Administration (SSA) is authorized to pay
an employment network under either an outcome payment system or
an outcome-milestone payment system, and each employment network
will notify SSA as to which payment system is preferred.
      State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies will be able to
participate in the program as employment networks.  They will
provide services under plans approved under Title I of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  If a state VR agency wants to accept
a referral of a disabled person from another employment network,
there must be a written agreement between the VR agency and the
employment network outlining the services to be provided by each
entity and their respective rights and responsibilities.
      The Social Security Administration is prohibited by this act
from initiating any continuing disability reviews while a person
is using a Ticket to Work and Self-sufficiency.  Congress has
expressed the hope that this will encourage beneficiaries to
participate in this program.
Demonstration Projects
      The Work Incentives Improvement Act authorizes SSA to conduct
several demonstration projects and studies over the next five
years aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of additional
proposed work incentives.  One of the most significant of these
involves an evaluation of the effects of a $1 for $2 withholding
of SSDI payments for earnings over a level specified by the
Social Security Administration.  This would extend to SSDI
beneficiaries the same gradual benefit reductions which SSI
recipients are currently allowed.  Because both the Social
Security Administration and members of Congress were concerned
about the potential increased cost of such a change in SSDI
rules, provision was made for gathering information about the
actual fiscal impact it would have before implementing it across
the country.
      Stay tuned for further information about who is eligible to
participate in these demonstration projects.  We will try to keep
you informed as SSA publishes its implementing regulations and
makes other information available.  If we don't answer your
question here, you can, of course, call the ACB national office
and I'll try to answer it or put you in touch with someone who
can.

*****
SURVEY OF SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION ACCESSIBILITY
by Julie Carroll and Billie Louise Bentzen
      The American Council of the Blind surveyed 163 pedestrians
who are legally blind regarding their experiences in
independently crossing at intersections with and without audible
pedestrian signals.  Surveys were administered orally to 154
people in groups who were attending conventions in Florida (30),
Virginia (24), and California (100).  Responses were by a show of
hands.  Surveys were administered orally and individually to nine
people in various locations in Pennsylvania.  The number of
respondents for each question varied from 128 to 159.

Respondents indicated that they sometimes had difficulty knowing
when to begin crossing (difficulty hearing surge of traffic on
street beside them), which they attributed to one or more of four
reasons.
      The surge was masked by right-turning traffic: 91% (144 of
158)
      Traffic flow was intermittent: 86% (132 of 154)
      The intersection was too noisy: 81% (125 of 154)
      The surge of traffic was too far away: 65% (98 of 152)

Respondents indicated that they sometimes had difficulty
traveling straight across the street for one or more of the
following four reasons.
      Difficulty figuring out where the destination corner was: 79%
(101 of 128)
      Veered because there was no acoustic guideline (parallel
traffic): 75% (119 of 159)
      Veered because the street was too wide: 70% (112 of 159)
      Confused by unexpected features such as medians or islands:
85% (138 of 155)

Respondents had experienced one or more of the following problems
with push buttons.
      Couldn't tell whether they needed to push a button: 90% (142
of 158)
      Had difficulty locating the push button: 87% (137 of 158)
      Couldn't tell which crosswalk was activated by the
pushbutton: 81% (127 of 157)
      Push button was so far from the corner that they couldn't
push the button and then return to the crosswalk and prepare for
crossing before the WALK interval began: 78% (122 of 157)

Respondents had experienced one or more of the following eight
difficulties with existing accessible pedestrian signals.
      The signal was too quiet: 71% (112 of 158)
      Couldn't tell which crosswalk had the WALK signal: 68% (107
of 158)
      The signal was too loud: 45% (71 of 158)
      Couldn't remember which of two sounds was associated with
crossing in a particular direction: 27% (42 of 158)
      Confused by the sound of an APS for another intersection: 19%
(30 of 158)
      Couldn't localize the sound of an APS and use it for
guidance: 6% (10 of 158)
      Crossed street with an actual bird instead of bird call
signal: 4% (7 of 158)
      Didn't cross because they thought the signal was an actual
bird: 3% (4 of 158)

8% (12 of 158) of respondents had been hit by a car.

29% (45 of 158) of respondents had had their cane run over.

62% (98 of 158) of respondents have gotten partway across an
intersection and realized that the light had changed against
them.

36% (57 of 158) of respondents try to avoid crossing unfamiliar
signalized intersections.

17% (26 of 158) of respondents limit their travel to familiar
areas due to the complexity of intersections.

34% (22 of 128) of respondents have one or more audible
pedestrian signals in the area where they live.

20% (24 of 128) of respondents were aware of the existence of
local guidelines for the installation of audible pedestrian
signals.

      The frequency of experiencing any of the above problems is
influenced by many factors, including the environment in which
respondents live, and their own travel experiences.  Therefore
the percentages reported here cannot be generalized to all
environments or to all blind pedestrians.  In addition,
respondents were asked only whether they had sometimes
experienced particular problems.  Their responses did not reveal
whether the problem was experienced rarely or frequently. 
Therefore the results are only suggestive of the relative
frequencies with which blind pedestrians experience difficulties
at intersections.
      The percentage of respondents who sometimes experienced
various problems is not necessarily the same as the perceived
severity or importance of those problems.  For instance, a blind
pedestrian may have difficulty locating pushbuttons but consider
this a less important problem than being unable to determine
which crosswalk is actuated by a push button, because the
difficulty of locating a push button is not normally life-
threatening, while pushing the wrong button to cross a street may
lead to crossing with the wrong signal.  Therefore, respondents
were also asked to indicate the one problem in each of four
categories which they considered most important.
      The two problems considered most important in knowing when to
cross were: 1) right-turning traffic masked the surge of parallel
traffic -- 71 percent (91 of 128) and 2) traffic was intermittent
-- 13 percent (16 of 128).
      The two problems considered most important in crossing
straight across the street were 1) getting confused by an
unexpected feature such as a median strip or island -- 57 percent
(62 of 108) and 2) not knowing where the destination corner was
located -- 18 percent (19 of 108).
      The two problems related to push buttons which were
considered most important were: 1) knowing whether there was a
push button -- 58 percent (57 of 98) and 2) they had trouble
finding the push button -- 15 percent (15 of 98).
      The two problems considered most important in using APSs
were: 1) the APS was too quiet -- 36 percent (24 of 67) and 2)
they had difficulty remembering which sound was for which
direction -- 21 percent (14 of 67).
      California is the only state which has specifications for
APSs.  Bird-call type signals are recommended, and are widely
used throughout California, although several other types of
signals are used in a few cities.  Elsewhere in the United
States, there is less uniformity in signal type.  The bird-call
type signal, sounding "cuckoo" for north-south crossings, and
"peep-peep" for east-west crossings, is intended to convey to
blind pedestrians unambiguous information about which street has
the WALK signal.  To obtain data on the success of this strategy,
responses of Californians (100) vs. non-Californians (63) were
compared for two questions.
      Seventy-eight percent of Californians (78 of 100) and 50
percent (29 of 58) of non-Californians indicated they sometimes
did not know which crosswalk an APS was for.  Twenty-five percent
of Californians (25 of 100) and 29 percent (17 of 58) of non-
Californians indicated they sometimes couldn't remember which
sound was for which direction.  Therefore, despite the greater
use of and familiarity with bird-call type signals in California,
which are intended to clearly indicate which street at an
intersection has the WALK interval, blind pedestrians in
California report a particularly high incidence of problems in
deciding which street an APS is for.
      This may be partly a result of forgetting which signal is
associated with which direction.  Other possible causes include
being unaware of either the direction in which they are
traveling, or the compass orientation of the intersection.
      Forgetting which signal is associated with which direction
was considered the most important APS problem by 23 percent (10
of 44) of Californians who indicated a most important problem
with APSs, vs. 17 percent (4 of 23) for non-Californians, and
difficulty deciding which crosswalk an APS indicates has the WALK
signal was considered the most important APS problem by 14
percent (6 of 44) of Californians and 30 percent (7 of 23) for
non-Californians.
      Since many Californians, who are primarily familiar with
bird-call type signals, indicated that they had difficulty
determining which street had the walk signal, and a number of
Californians indicated that they considered difficulty
determining which street had the walk signal to be the most
important problem in using APSs, this survey indicates that a
bird-call type signal is of no particular advantage in conveying
information about which crosswalk at an intersection has the walk
signal.

*****
RETIRING ELLI
by Sarah J. Blake
      (Editor's Note: The article below is the first in a series of
four. Last September, when I read Sarah Blake's poignant letter
to her retiring guide dog, Elli, I asked Sarah if she would be
willing to allow "Braille Forum" readers to accompany her on the
journey of acquiring and adjusting to a second guide dog. The
article below is a somewhat shorter version of that therapeutic
letter. In the early spring, Sarah will describe the experience
of returning to The Seeing Eye and getting to know her second
guide dog, Dori. Then, in the early summer, we will check in
again with Sarah to learn about her adjustment to the new dog and
the dog's adjustment to returning home with Sarah. In the fall,
we will visit Sarah and her menagerie (Dori, Elli, and several
cats) one more time to see how it was for all of them to learn to
live and work together. We at "The Braille Forum" hope that you
will enjoy the series.)          
      Big tears ran down my cheeks as I sat at my computer.  I had
thought I was doing well in adjusting to the prospect of retiring
Elli, my first dog guide.  Perhaps I was doing too well.
      That was until I was notified that my class assignment at The
Seeing Eye had been changed from November to September. 
Suddenly, reality began to set in. Right or wrong, I had made a
choice to retire Elli, and now I would be entering a new era of
life.
      I had first begun to suspect that the time for retiring Elli
was near during the summer of 1998.  While attending the annual
convention of the American Council of the Blind, I noticed that
Elli's enthusiasm for working was significantly diminished.  She
had always thrived on work, throwing her head into her harness as
soon as I picked it up.  Not even the stress of conventions had
dampened her spirits until now.
      A few weeks later, my mother and I noticed that Elli was
having difficulty maintaining her energy level at the track. 
Usually Elli was the one who tired me.  Now it was I who tired
her.  In December 1998, I had surgery and did not work with Elli
for several weeks. I questioned the wisdom of putting a
nine-year-old dog back to work after this time, and in March
1999, I took my first vacation without her.
      I survived the vacation, and I thought that this meant I
would survive going to The Seeing Eye with no problem. But going
to The Seeing Eye was different. I hadn't realized how different
it was until this day.
      Searching for some means of closure, I wrote a letter to
Elli. I tried to capture my feelings about the change. "In a
little over three weeks, I will be going somewhere very
important," I wrote, "and I'll be leaving you behind.  It's not
that I haven't left you before. I've been taking trips for
several months without you.  ... But this trip is different. 
This time I'm going to get a new dog.  It feels like I'm
replacing you.  Someone else is going to do your job.  I guess
that's a little different from just not having you around.  It's
having someone around who isn't you. It's letting someone else do
what you should be doing."
      Writing those words made me realize the impact Elli had had
on my life and how often I had taken her presence for granted.  I
spent the rest of my letter writing out my memories of our eight
years together, trying to capture my feelings and Elli's spirit
on paper, trying to make them last.
      "In May, 1991, I took this trip for the first time.  ...  It
was a Saturday, May 18.  I was on the airplane for a long time. 
I remember that as it was landing, I got scared.  'What in the
world am I doing getting a dog?' I thought. 'I don't even like
dogs!'
      "But I had seen those proud guide dogs, and I thought they
were the key to independence.  Now I would be getting one of my
own. ... My instructor had taught me some commands, and we had
taken a practice walk.  He held the dog's end of the harness and
leash, and I held my end.  I gave him commands using the name
'Juno' as if he was a dog.  ... On Sunday morning, I took another
Juno walk, and after lunch we all waited around with mixed
nervousness and anticipation.  I had a roommate, Rachel.  We
compared notes on what we imagined our dogs would be like.  We
heard instructors saying 'phooey' to somebody's dog, but it
wasn't mine or hers. Then the big moment came.
      "'Ms. Blake,' my instructor called from outside my door.  I
went out to the lounge.  He had already gone back out there and
was sitting across the room with you.  He told me to call you.  I
braced myself for the moment of truth and called your name.
      "You came running over to me and started licking my hands. 
My instructor wanted me to stick my hand inside your mouth.  Oh,
how scary!  What if you bit me?  (Of course, you didn't.)  ... 
      "We spent that first afternoon just being together.  I rubbed
your belly.  You gave me your paw in classic Labrador retriever
fashion. You licked my hands but (thankfully) stayed away from my
face. How did you know I hated having my face licked?
      "Training was hard work.  There were times one of us would
rather play than work.  But we worked hard, and the big day to go
home finally came. We went to the airport, and I learned how to
get you to ride under the seat in front of me on the plane.  Dad
picked us up from the airport in Houston, and I remember how
proud Mom was to have you in her car!  It made me feel like she
was proud of me because you were mine.
      "I turned 19 while I was there at the Seeing Eye.  I've often
said that you were my birthday present to myself.  I couldn't
have asked for a better birthday present.  You went to
universities with me and sat for hours in class and in the
library while I did research.  You should have your Ph.D. by now. 
You've gone with me to make presentations to groups of children,
university classes, and church groups.  You've been on stages
with me while I sang in choirs and by myself.  You've gone with
me to huge conventions and been a real trooper when all those
people and other dogs were walking where I wanted you to take me. 
You've gone to banquets and never moved a muscle when I dropped a
crumb from my roll on your nose.  I don't know many dogs who can
achieve that. ... And now your time to have fun and just be a dog
is here.
      "... I know I need to do this.  I know that you wouldn't want
me to be without the kind of help you gave me.  But part of me
doesn't want to do this.  That part of me doesn't want anybody
else doing your job.  That part of me wants you to keep on doing
it and feels guilty for letting you stop.  You're still healthy. 
Maybe you could still work.  Maybe I just haven't kept you in
shape enough.  Maybe if we started out slowly, you'd be able to
work again. ...
      "But I know how tired you are. I know you are in no shape to
go traipsing around the country on all these trips while I look
for jobs. I know you are in no shape to deal with full days at a
university if I decide to go on to graduate school.  You are
about to be 10 years old.  It's time for me to let go.  Somewhere
in my mind I know that I am not betraying you or ignoring you and
that both of us will adjust.  I just wish it was easier."
      Writing the letter was more of a help to me than I ever
thought it could be.  It not only gave me a certain amount of
closure regarding her retirement, but it also inspired me to
write about the experience of transitioning to the new dog and
the experience of having a dog guide in general.  Elli now enjoys
the high life of a spoiled pet, and I enjoy the company of not
one but two wonderful Labrador retrievers.  Elli's retirement was
one of the most emotional times of my life, but her working years
made every moment of my grief worthwhile.

*****
                              ACB REWARDS EXCELLENCE IN WRITING,
                              MEMBERSHIP GROWTH, SPORTS AND MORE
                                      by Sharon Lovering
      One of the main attractions of ACB conventions is the
presentation of awards to outstanding recipients, and this yearžs
convention was no different.
      The Sunday opening session of the convention featured the
presentation of the Ned E. Freeman Excellence in Writing Award by
the board of publications.  Carol McCarl, BOP chair, presented
the award to Larry Johnson for his December 1998 "Braille Forum"
article titled "Blind Faith."  Johnson's article was chosen from
a field of 35 contenders  for excellence in writing, widespread
appeal, and interesting and instructive content.  The article  is
a chapter from his soon-to-be-published book about his
experiences as a blind deejay in Mexico City.  McCarl told the
convention that there were many deserving runners-up, and she
encouraged ACB members to go back and read articles they may have
missed, and to keep writing for "The Braille Forum," where airing
of sometimes competing ideas epitomizes the very essence of the
American Council of the Blind.
      "I feel like I just won an Oscar," Johnson said.  "It's
really important to a writer to know that somebody reads his
stuff."
      Dawn Christensen, chair of ACB's Awards Committee, discussed
the new directions which the committee has attempted to take. 
There are now two categories of membership awards, she noted: one
for membership outreach, and one for membership growth. 
"Unfortunately," she said, "the committee received no nominations
for the outreach award."  She expressed the hope that members
will submit several nominations for next year's award.
      The American Council of Blind Lions won the membership growth
award, with a remarkable 111 percent growth rate during the
preceding year.  Elizabeth Lennon presented the award to Alan
Beatty, president of the ACB Lions.  "Next year," Beatty said,
"we'll double it again!"
      The 1999 winner of the George Card Award is Paul E.
Ponchillia.  Dr. Ponchillia, a member of Western Michigan
University's faculty for many years, and founder of the first
sports and arts camps for blind children, was honored for his
many endeavors to improve the lives of visually impaired children
and adults.
      Ponchillia said, "Short-term programs will never take the
place of year-round programs that are specific.  But I can tell
you that they're very, very much worth doing.  I challenge you --
I challenge us all -- to put our efforts into sports, recreation,
and the arts ... I've been blessed with a lot of luck, a lot of
good fortune.  I've received other awards, but nothing compares
to this!  And the reason is:  It's from you -- the coolest blind
people in the world!"
      At the banquet Thursday night, two more awards were
presented: the Robert S. Bray Award and the Durward K. McDaniel
Ambassador Award.  Awards committee member Mike Duke assisted in
the presentation of the Bray Award.  "Our recipient served as
counselor with our blind vision for the Lutheran mission with
blind and visually impaired persons in St. Louis, Missouri. 
Before accepting this position full-time in 1998, he was the
full-time pastor of a Lutheran congregation in Overland,
Missouri.  He is directly involved with the mission's publication
of periodicals: 17 in braille, seven in large print and five on
audio cassette ... also in the transcription of hymnals, Bible
studies and other special request items as well as a library of
Christian materials in the above-mentioned formats.  In addition
to all of that, he's been a missionary; he works to encourage
other blind people ... to be missionaries and to take part in
their community.  The person who nominated tonight's recipient
describes him as a devoted father, husband and a person who
always seems to be looking for new ways to reach out to his
community. ... The winner of our Robert S. Bray Award is Rev.
David Andrus of St. Louis, Missouri."
      Andrus could not attend the convention, but he did send an
acceptance speech, which Duke played.  "Thank you very much for
this award," Andrus said.  "It is truly humbling and honoring to
receive the Robert S. Bray Award for work done in the area of
library service."  He told the audience that he had lost his
sight when he was 11, and learned braille and mobility skills,
and knew that "I wanted to be able to help people somehow, some
way, and so I headed out on my educational journey, which took me
to finally be a Lutheran parish pastor."  He served in that
capacity for several years, and then came to the Lutheran Library
for the Blind.  "I really believe that those years as a parish
pastor helped, because I got to understand some of the hurts and
pains that people have.  That, along with my own experience in
knowing other blind people and what it's like ... I've worked
very hard in helping the library provide materials that can be
comforting, helping and especially give people strength in their
spiritual walk with God.  But not only that, we provide many
other resources as well.  I must also ... give acknowledgement to
the wonderful staff that we have, the three paid staff but even
more importantly the hundreds of volunteers around the United
States that help produce this braille, large print and audio
cassette so that blind and visually impaired people may feel a
part of society and churches and play an active role with other
people. ... Thank you from the bottom of my heart, as we will
continue to provide these services and, God willing, a few more
as well in the near future."
      The plaque reads: "The Robert S. Bray Award of the American
Council of the Blind is presented to Rev. David Andrus in
recognition of his dedication to providing religious materials in
accessible formats for people who are blind and visually
impaired; Los Angeles, California, July 8, 1999."
      The next award presented was the Durward K. McDaniel
Ambassador Award.  "The American Council of the Blind awards that
we give out are for the most part only given to folks who have
managed to demonstrate a level of excellence that is very
difficult to manage," said ACB President Paul Edwards.  "In fact,
there are some years when we donžt even give awards.  So I'm sort
of anxious to figure out who in fact gets this one."
      Christensen told her listeners, "The person who submitted
this nomination specifically asked me to keep it confidential
until this evening.  So all I can do is really hope that the
individual is here.  I did a little snooping, and they're
supposed to be here."  But the results weren't confidential for
too long.  "... this gentleman was born in Idaho -- couldn't be
too many of them, could there? -- and attended the Idaho School
for the Deaf [and] Blind until sixth grade.  His family then
moved to Oregon, where he attended mainstream junior high and
high school.  In his sophomore year, he was elected class
president, and at that time he knew it was his first real
acceptance with his sighted peers -- a very important time for
him.  He then attended University of Oregon, where he did his
undergraduate work, and then Cornell University, where he worked
on his Ph.D.  He was involved in many, many, many civil rights
activities ... a variety of different organizations such as the
Independent Living Center for the Handicapped, the National
Association for the Physically Handicapped, the Washington, D.C.
Center for Independent Living, the American Coalition of Citizens
with Disabilities, United Cerebral Palsy board of directors ...
He's very much been a part of ACB for as long as I have, and
that's been quite a while."
      The winner, Roger D. Petersen, was indeed in the room. 
"Congratulations, Roger," Christensen said.  "It is industrial
strength braille, isn't it?" Petersen said, reading the plaque
through the plastic wrapper.  "Well, I recognized my biography
there somewhere along the way; the Idaho part ... I want to say
that I really didn't know about this and also that I'm very
flattered and pleased at this particular award because of the
importance that Durward McDaniel played in my life and in my
coming into the American Council and in my coalition activities
... and even in commiserating with me at the time that I was
ejected from the National Federation of the Blind.  As I say,
this is a very meaningful award to me, and I hope to continue to
be worthy of an award named for Durward McDaniel.  Thank you very
much."
      (Editor's Note: If you know someone worthy of one of the
awards ACB gives, check this issue of "The Braille Forum" for
deadlines and qualifications.)

CAPTION
      Roger Petersen bows his head at the podium microphone as he
accepts the Durward K. McDaniel Ambassador Award.

*****
                          BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR
                                    TWO PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS
                                      by Winifred Downing
      Each year at the national convention of the American Council
of the Blind, the board of publications (affectionately known as
the BOP) presents awards.  The first is the Ned E. Freeman Award,
instituted in 1970 and named for the first president of the
American Council of the Blind who, after completing his term of
office, became editor of "The Braille Forum."  His friends have
said that he enjoyed this work more than any other task he had
performed in his long years of service to ACB.
      The board of publications accepts submissions for the Freeman
Award from any writer on a topic of interest to readers of "The
Braille Forum."  Submissions may be published in the magazine if
space allows.  Articles appearing in the "Forum" between April
1999 and March 2000 are automatically eligible.  Materials
published by an ACB affiliate are also welcome.  Send a print,
braille or electronic copy of the published article accompanied
by a letter of nomination.
      While mastery of the craft of writing is a major
consideration by BOP voters, favorable choices in the past seem
to have been made because of interesting subject matter,
originality in recounting an experience, or novelty of approach. 
A Freeman Award winner will receive a plaque and $100. 
      The Vernon Henley Award was established in 1988 to honor the
man who created and first produced ACB Reports, a radio
presentation distributed to radio reading services around the
country.  At the time of his death, he was chair of the board of
publications, having assisted editors by conducting writing
workshops and by recording for them on audiocassette materials
otherwise not available to them.  The award is presented to a
person, either sighted or blind, who has made a positive
difference in the media -- whether in radio, TV, magazines, or
daily newspapers -- which may change public attitudes to
recognize the capabilities of people who are blind, rather than
focusing on outdated stereotypes and misconceptions.  Programs
and/or articles written and produced specifically for a visually
impaired audience, as well as those intended for the general
public, are eligible.  Multiple articles or programs submitted by
one author or organization will be judged as separate entries. 
The Henley Award is intended to be a vehicle for publicizing ACB
throughout the general media, and to encourage excellence and
accuracy in electronic and print coverage of items relating to
blindness.  
      Recipients of these awards for the last five years are
ineligible to enter the contests. Freeman Award winners
1995-1999: Kathy Nimmer, Walt Stromer, Debbie Grubb, George
Covington, and Larry Johnson; Henley Award winners 1995-99:
Department of Justice, Tom Brokaw and NBC Nightly News, The
Seeing Eye, and Kyle McHugh.  Nor are those who are members of
the ACB national office staff or members of the board of
directors or board of publications during the awarding period
eligible for the Ned E. Freeman or the Vernon Henley award.  
      Submissions for both awards must be postmarked no later than
April 15, 2000.  All submissions should be accompanied by a cover
letter providing details about the submission, its origin, and
any other pertinent information.  Include your return address in
the cover letter, and, if you want your manuscript returned, send
a self-addressed, stamped envelope.  Send submissions to ACB
Board of Publications Awards, 1155 15th St. NW, Suite 1004,
Washington, DC 20005.

*****
                              TWO CONTESTS FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM
Dear Readers, 
      The long-anticipated arrival of the new millennium is upon
us.  I hope that your December holidays were cause for
celebration.  As I write this, two days before Thanksgiving, I
have no way of predicting how problematic your Y2K New Year's
events turned out to be, but I hope that the recalibration of all
the computers that keep our lives on track will have been
uneventful for all of us.
      Your "Braille Forum," which has been tracking those events
and eventualities which are important to members of the American
Council of the Blind for nearly four decades now, is entering the
next millennium with a few changes in mind -- and that's why I'm
writing this column.  Of course, the "Forum" will continue to
perform those essential functions which have always been the
hallmark of ACB's monthly publication:  We will continue to bring
you up-to-date information on legislation and advocacy-related
issues; we will continue to make space available for all of our
members to express opinions, share information, agree and
disagree with one another.  We will continue to come to you in
the formats of your choice (print, braille, computer disk, audio
cassette, and e-mail), and, when new technologies and formats
arrive on the scene -- as they inevitably will -- "The Braille
Forum" will keep up with the changing times and evolving
technologies.
      At the same time, we want to make our magazine appear to be a
product of the 21st century!  Can you help us update our image? 
We are looking for a new ACB slogan -- something to capture the
essential nature of ACB, a short, catchy, communicative phrase
which will make readers want to learn more about us, while
reassuring long-time members that we're still who we say we are.
      We also want a new logo!  If you're a graphic artist -- or a
tactile one -- please help us define ACB with an attractive
communicative logo!
      We are accepting entries in both our contests for the coming
six weeks.  Submit your entry anytime after January 15, and no
later than March 1.  A panel of writers and artists, recruited
from ACB's membership lists, will pore over the entries.  Our
tentative plan is to announce the winning slogan and present the
winning logo design at the ACB national convention.
      You needed a creative outlet for your long winter cabin
fever, didn't you?  Well, here it is -- put those creative juices
to good use.  This is your chance in the first month of the new
century to garner some immortality -- or, at the very least,
experience your own personal 15 minutes of fame!  Send your
entries in print or braille to:
      Slogan Contest
      American Council of the Blind
      1155 15th Street NW
      Suite 1004
      Washington, DC 20005
      Or, e-mail your entries to preeder@acb.org.
      We are looking forward to receiving entries from every
segment of the ACB population -- from every age group, from every
affiliate, and from all our varied perspectives.
      Happy 2000 to all!
      Penny Reeder, Editor

*****
ACB MID-WINTER MEETINGS
by John A. Horst, Assistant Convention Coordinator
      The mid-winter meetings of the American Council of the Blind
will take place Friday through Monday, February 18-21, 2000 at
the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Ky.  Rates at the Galt House
are $65 per night plus tax for up to four people per room.  The
reservation cut-off date is January 31, 2000.
      At this writing, the following meetings are scheduled.  More
meetings may be added later.
      1. The Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss will meet on Friday,
February 18 at 3 p.m.
      2. The ACB Lions plans to meet on Friday or Saturday.  The
date and time are not yet certain.
      3. The convention and local host committees will meet jointly
on Friday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
      4. The affiliate presidents' meeting will begin Saturday
morning at 8:30 and continue with appropriate breaks through late
afternoon.  This meeting will again convene Sunday morning and
meet from 8:30 a.m. until noon.
      5. The Kentucky Council of the Blind will be hosting a
hospitality night in the president's suite, room 346 in the east
tower, from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19.
      6. The ACB board of directors will meet Sunday, Feb. 20 at
1:30 p.m. and Monday, Feb. 21 from 8:30 a.m. until noon.
      When arriving at the Louisville airport, transportation to
the Galt House Hotel is available by van or taxi.  The cost of
van transportation operated by Executive Transportation Systems
is $8 per person.  For two people, the cost is $6 each.  For
three or more, fares are further discounted.  Call (502) 727-0268
for further information.  There is a standard taxi fare of $14
for up to four people per cab.  For the February meetings, all
activities and all sleeping rooms will be in the west tower of
the hotel, with the exception of the president's suite, which is
room 346 in the east tower.

*****
                          ACB PRESENTS THE FIRST LEGISLATIVE SEMINAR 
                                     OF THE 21ST CENTURY!
                                      by Melanie Brunson
      Make plans now to attend the first legislative seminar of the
21st century.  The seminar, which will take place during the
weekend of March 18-20, is an opportunity for all of us to take
action on the important issues of our time.  We have a full
legislative agenda this year, and we need your help if we are
going to convince Congress to act on it.
      In addition to our traditional trip to Capitol Hill, we plan
to offer an advocacy seminar where you can learn strategies and
acquire tools to use, not only on the Monday sojourn to the hill,
but also when you return to your own states and interact with
legislators and policy-makers at the local level.  At least one
member of Congress has expressed an interest in attending this
year's legislative seminar.  Look for more details about the
program in next month's issue of "The Braille Forum."
      In the meantime, we encourage you to make your plans to
attend.  The space is limited, but your opportunities to make a
difference are endless!  Make reservations at the Doubletree Park
Terrace Hotel, which is located at 1515 Rhode Island Ave. NW in
Washington, DC.  Call the hotel's registration desk at (202) 232-
7000. Remember, ACB will pick up the tab for two representatives
from each affiliate, for two nights' stay.

*****
IT'S "TO KY" IN Y2K!
by LeRoy F. Saunders
      Everything is coming together for our convention in
Louisville.  Pat and I just spent several days in that beautiful
city, and although we are exhausted -- from all the tours and
hospitality we experienced there -- I am pleased to tell you that
there are abundant resources and Kentuckians who are preparing to
make us feel welcome and entertained in Kentucky.
Tours
      Pat and I spent two wonderful, and exhausting, days going
from one tour site to another, so we could check out what's
available for all of you who are planning to spend the July 4
week with us at the national convention.  We were fortunate to be
escorted by Carla Ruschival, who knows her way around the Blue
Grass State, and two tour companies who were eager to show us the
diverse attractions the state can offer us.  We went to Churchill
Downs; Sluggers Factory and Museum; The Bell of Louisville, a
lovely plantation; a pottery factory; a dinner theater; a
gambling riverboat on the Ohio River; and -- of course -- the
American Printing House for the Blind!  And that's just a sample
of what's available!
      Pat and I had a most pleasant visit with Tuck Tinsley at the
American Printing House for the Blind (APH).  I want to say a
special word of thanks to Tuck, because in addition to keeping us
company and showing us around, he was getting ready for APH's
annual meeting.  We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of APH and the
time we spent in the APH museum.  I think many of you will want
to schedule a block of time for touring this fascinating museum.
      Jerry Annunzio will be setting up all the convention-related
tours.  I have asked Carla to work with Jerry, and I am confident
that their team will be able to provide some exciting and
entertaining experiences for those of you who plan on taking some
tours and seeing some Kentucky sights.  Stay tuned to žThe
Braille Forumž in coming months for more details.
The Hotel
      The Galt House Hotel is close to the airport.  It takes only
about 15 minutes to make the trip from the airport to the hotel. 
We expect the Galt House to provide shuttle service at a rate of
$8 each way.  However, when Pat and I were in Louisville, we took
taxis to and from the airport, for a flat rate of $14 each way,
so we have not thoroughly investigated the hotel shuttle service
yet.
      While we were there, we were able to settle on the exhibit
space, and also to figure out which meetings could be held where. 
All of the exhibits will be located directly across from the
ballroom, where we will be holding our general sessions.  Right
now, it looks as though all of our meetings will be in the East
Tower.
      All of the restaurants are located in the West Tower.  One
coffee-shop-type restaurant, called the River Grill, is open from
6 a.m. until midnight.  But, if you're a real coffee-drinker, be
advised that a cup of coffee in this establishment cost me $1.69. 
(I will be packing a coffee pot -- and Pat will be packing a hair
dryer -- for our convention stay, since the Galt House does not
supply coffee pots in the rooms, and we could not determine just
how many hair dryers housekeeping might be able to make
available.)
      Don't worry, though.  Members of the Kentucky Council of the
Blind are going all out to make sure that our stay in their home
state is comfortable and pleasant.  I would like to thank all the
members of KCB for their help and input.
      Margarine Beaman has also made a visit to Kentucky and has
met with the hotel staff and with KCB. Margarine is the person
who will work with the hotel on accessibility, braille, and
recruiting and training volunteers. It takes a lot of volunteers
to assist us in having a great convention.  Thanks to Margarine
and members of the KCB, everything is already falling into place 
for the 2000 convention.
      The Galt House is a comfortable hotel.  You may remember that
all the accommodations in the East Tower are suites, and that the
cost per night is $65 plus state and local taxes.  Our contract
with the hotel requires that you make a deposit for one night's
stay (including the amounts for state and local taxes) when you
make your hotel reservation.  You may use a credit card, a check,
or a money order to accomplish this.  To receive a refund of your
deposit, you must notify the hotel of changes in plans at least
48 hours prior to your arrival date.  Remember, if it turns out
that you are unable to attend the convention after you have made
room reservations -- if you don't want to lose your deposit and
if you don't want ACB's convention costs to go up --you should
notify ACB and the hotel of your intent to cancel by May 31.
Our Contract with the Hotel
      Initially, we have contracted with the Galt House for a block
of 400 rooms.  Our contractual arrangements stipulate that, if 90
percent of the 400 sleeping rooms which we have blocked are
filled, we will get all the convention amenities -- including our
meeting and exhibit space -- at no cost.  We can increase or
decrease the number of rooms we have blocked up to one month
prior to the convention, but once we have made that firm
commitment (say, for 400, 500, or X-hundred sleeping rooms), we
are obligated to fill the space.
      If we do not fill the space -- for example, if a number of
you have second thoughts about attending the convention and do
not cancel your reservations in a timely manner -- then we will
be billed for meeting and exhibit space according to a
percentage-based formula.  For example, should only 80 percent of
the rooms in our block be filled, we would have to come up with
25 percent of the cost for the meeting and exhibit space (in this
case, 25 percent of $5,000 equals $1250!)  If 30 percent of our
block were to be empty, we would have to come up with $2,500! 
So, you can see how important it is for us (John Horst and me,
that is) to make an accurate estimate of the number of members
who will be attending our convention and staying at the Galt
House Hotel -- and how important it is for each of you who may
have a change in plans to cancel your reservations just as soon
as you realize that you cannot attend the convention.
Think KY in Y2K!
      As you can see, many of us are already busily making contacts
and planning for your visit to the Galt House Hotel and other
attractions in the beautiful Blue Grass State.  We will see you
there!

*****
AFFILIATE NEWS
AAVL MEETING
      The Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss will hold a meeting of
its board of directors, interested members and friends at the ACB
midyear meeting on Friday, February 18.  For more information,
call Teddie Remhild at (301) 588-9570 or e-mail her at
teddie@napas.org.
ALABAMA CONVENTION
      The Alabama Council of the Blind will hold its annual
convention in Mobile at the Adam's Mark Hotel.  The dates are
March 10-12, 2000.  For more information, contact Van Fulghum at
(256) 362-4358 or via e-mail at c.fulghum@worldnet.att.net.
MEMBERSHIP AT LARGE
      The American Council of the Blind Constitution and Bylaws
provide that any person who has reached the age of 18 and who is
not a voting member of an ACB state/regional affiliate is
eligible to become an ACB member-at-large with the right to an
individual vote at the ACB national convention.  Annual
membership at large dues are $5.  Application forms for new
members-at-large are available from the ACB National Office.  The
ACB Constitution and Bylaws further provide that all dues are to
be received no later than March 15.  All membership at large dues
must be clearly identified as such and should be sent so as to be
received no later than March 15, 2000, to American Council of the
Blind, Pat Beattie, Treasurer, 1155 15th St. NW, Suite 1004,
Washington, DC 20005.

*****
                              FUTURE THINK: THE END OF BLINDNESS
                                      by Charles Crawford
      There can be no question that by the end of these next
thousand years and most likely by the end of this century, 
blindness will have been all but eradicated from the face of the
earth.  The mere consideration of this probable reality springs
forth many questions from both the heart and the mind.
      Some might ask if blindness is so bad that it needs to be
eradicated, while others will ask why should it take so long. 
Surely once it happens, all will ask what must it have been like
to live a life without sight?
      Our old familiar talking books might survive the change as a
kind of novelty or even art form.  Similarly, our talking clocks
and timers will most likely become something cute to give as a
Christmas, holiday, or birthday gift.  Even the once liberating
talking computers will make the journey to new machines with
which one will converse.  The same fate will not be true for
braille, white canes, guide dogs and the like that will slowly
disappear into history as little more than academic notations.
      What then will future generations think of us?  Our alphabet
soup of the blindness world will bear no relation to reality.  No
ACB or NFB.  No AFB or BVA.  Will the future ever know of us, or
even have reason to care?  These are the questions that really
matter.
      It will not be our canes, or dogs, or computers, or
detectable warnings or any of these external things that the
future will remember.  It will be the quality of who we are and
why we do what we have done that will serve the deeper human
reality and meaning of the new times.
      ACB will not be remembered for its material successes. 
Indeed, what the future will celebrate when it reviews the past
and organizations such as the American Council of the Blind will
be our spirit, our ideals, our values and what it was that fueled
our persistence in the face of a world that many times just did
not think we even existed.
      The legacy of ACB will not be handed down to the blind of
many next generations.  It will be given to a human race still
plagued with the need to communicate within itself and understand
its real potential. Future generations will know that, because
there were organizations such as ACB -- that founded themselves
on the value of each member, practiced democracy as a real means
of governance, held out the promise of a better tomorrow through
common endeavor, built partnerships with all of good will and
succeeded in changing even the physical world from a collective
vision that could not be denied -- then there will be great
reason to be optimistic about how much more future generations of
humanity can do with all that will be available to them.  As
certainly as these words are written, there will be people in the
future who will read of us and find even more meaning in their
lives.
      We are the present of blindness upon whom the future will
rely to record the past.  Let us give a legacy of celebration of
the human spirit and of a people who helped build a better world
from the lives we led today.  ACB will not be remembered as an
end in itself, but rather a place where hope was more than a word
and home was a place for all to share the heralding of a better
life for everyone.

*****
                              NEWS NOTES FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE
      (Editor's Note: What follows is a compilation of information
from ACB Executive Director Charlie Crawford's weekly submissions
to ACB-L, the organization's Internet mailing listserve.  These
weekly e-mail notices are intended to be informal brief summaries
of weekly activities in the ACB National Office.  We include them
here for the benefit of those who do not currently have access to
ACB's Internet mailing list.  If you would like to view these
notes on a weekly basis, visit the ACB web page,
http://www.acb.org. Scroll down to "News Notes" and select it. 
You will then be at the page where "News Notes" is housed.  You
may choose the current issue or whichever back issue you would
like to read.  Please let us know your opinion of "News Notes.")
* For the week ending November 12, 1999
ACB inquires about rumored changes in blindness definition
      In a direct letter to the Commissioner of the Social Security
Administration, ACB has inquired after a rumor that SSA is
considering changes in the definition of blindness.  This, if
true, would be of serious concern to all blind people.  ACB will
stay with this until we are either satisfied that the rumor is
false or assured that any changes would not happen without our
full knowledge and participation in the process.  Stay tuned.
State Department hears from ACB on passport issue
      Many blind folks who apply for a passport are being required
to have some written document explaining why they don't have a
driver's license even when they have other state-issued
identification.  This sets up criteria which are different from
other folks and ACB has advised the Department of State that they
need to review this requirement in light of their obligations
under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.  We can reasonably
anticipate the eventual acceptance of a non-driver's license
without additional burdens, once the issue is addressed. Thanks
to Melanie Brunson for writing up the letter.
Terry and Julie upholding vending call for action in San Antonio
      The National Council of State Agencies for the Blind is
meeting in San Antonio this week and ACB and RSVA are well
represented on the vending facility issues.  We are confident
that Julie Carroll and Terry Pacheco will keep the call for
action alive and well at the meetings.
ACB continues to follow up on South Dakota
      The major victory for ACB and NFB in South Dakota continues
to protect the separate state agency identity in South Dakota. 
The national office and our South Dakota affiliate conversed for
a time yesterday on strategic options to keep the ball rolling in
our favor.
Michigan access to utility bill issue to be discussed
      As "News Notes" is being written, we have had a conference
call set up for this evening to talk about how things are going
in Michigan.  It may take some effort, but the goal of accessible
bills is one well worth the struggle.
* For the week ending November 19, 1999
FCC takes landmark vote in video description
      With ACB members and staff well represented at the Federal
Communications Commission, a unanimous vote of the commissioners
heralded in a new era for video description and blind people! 
The FCC will be releasing a notice of proposed rule making that
will start the process of getting video description available on
national prime time TV for a good solid chunk of programs.  
      The national office will be sending out information on the
proposed rules as soon as they are out.  ACB members and friends
will need to write letters of support to make sure this
extraordinary opportunity does not pass without result!  We are
in good shape and it fully looks like we will have video
description available in the not too distant future, but we must
stay the course and make sure our voices are heard when the need
arises.  Special thanks to all the ACB folks who came, and a warm
thanks to Sandy Sanderson and Lynne Koral who came all the way
from Alaska!
Super braille computer demonstrated at national office
      Well, it was most interesting to see a laptop computer with a
40-cell braille display that has all the bells and whistles to do
any task in speech or braille in DOS or Windows.  It was like
seeing a computer commercial like the one on TV that says "it's
in there" each time we asked a question.
      Its major problem is the cost and you'll be hearing more
about it as time goes by.  Check out their web site at
http://www.aadbrl.com for more info.
ACB moves to join discussion on national electronic text
repository
      ACB Executive Director Charlie Crawford sent out a letter to
all the participants in a discussion to get a national repository
of text publications.  This idea has been bubbling out there for
some time and under ACB resolution 99-36, we are moving to join
in.
NISH lawsuit stirs ACB interest
      Recently there was a lawsuit filed by the National Industries
for the Severely Handicapped to get mess halls at military bases
freed up from the priority they have for blind vendors.  ACB is
looking at this to see where our best interests can be served and
certainly will not stay on the sidelines when vendors are
threatened.
* For the week ending November 26, 1999
ACB asks software company to deliver access schedule
      In a letter to the developers of Quicken, QuickBooks, and
Turbotax, ACB underscored the concerns of a member for the lack
of progress in making their software accessible.  In short, ACB
pointed out the lack of progress at the company could only lead
us to believe they were not serious in their representations to
work on the issue.  Hence, ACB requested that they provide us
with a material statement on what they will be doing to resolve
the issues.
ACB and partners meet with DC police to move sting
      In a second meeting last week, ACB, PVA, a DC Cab Commission
member, and NOD met with the DC Deputy Chief of Police to move
along the planned sting operation against Washington cab drivers
who refuse to transport blind and other disabled people.  The
discussions were friendly, but ACB was clear that we expect
results and all the reasons for taking time could only be
measured against a real product.  The outcome is that we can
anticipate the start of the operation within 30 to 60 days.  
AT&T proposal to drop 800 number directory assistance to be
challenged
      ACB will be submitting testimony to the Federal
Communications Commission in opposition to the petition from AT&T
to drop their 800 toll free directory assistance service.  ACB is
sensitive to the cost issue and the fact that AT&T may be correct
in its assertion that it only has some 5 percent of the actual
numbers out there in its database.  Nevertheless, ACB believes
that dropping the service is not in the public interest and that
new ways of requiring telephone system wide collection of 800
data should be developed along with the mandatory participation
of all telephone carriers.
      This issue will not be resolved in a short time, but the
dropping of the service is hardly a way to deal with it.
Braille Forum bursting at the seams?
      Looks like our "Braille Forum" is in need of expansion. 
While Penny and Sharon are doing great work on fitting as much as
they can in the "Forum" with a view toward engaging the reader,
we are experiencing more information that ought to be there than
the current cost constraints will allow.  Hence, a part of our
budget talks for the next year will include an exploration of
some expansion, whether through additional dollars or the use of
new brailling production facilities.  All of this will have to be
done in consultation with the board of publications.
Second edition of pedestrian safety handbook nears completion
      As this is being written, the second edition of the
pedestrian safety handbook is now awaiting one last article
before final formatting and publication.  We will be looking for
funds to cover the cost of brailling and distribution, but at
least the electronic edition should be out within a couple of
weeks.
Happy holidays from the national office!
      We trust that all had a great Thanksgiving and wish everyone
a great holiday season!  Whatever you do, remember the spirit is
what counts.  Sharing the season with other ACB members and
friends is important.  Let's make sure that dropping temperatures
are more than compensated by increased warmth toward each other.

*****
HERE AND THERE
by Elizabeth M. Lennon
      The announcement of new products and services in this column
should not be considered an endorsement of those products and
services 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 responsible
for the reliability of products or services mentioned.
SUMMER MUSIC
      The Summer Music Institute for Blind College-Bound Musicians
will be held in July on a college campus in Bridgeport, Ct.  This
is a three-week residential program for students in 10th, 11th and
12th grades who have had some music experience and are serious
about gaining skills necessary for the study of music in college. 
It will teach braille music, computer composing and notation
skills, theory, keyboard and ensemble.  Students will have the
opportunity to live and work in a true-to-life campus situation
while sharing the fun of summer outings, performing and mingling
with others of similar abilities and interests.  Enrollment is
limited to 10 students, who will be accepted based on their
applications and telephone interviews.  The program costs $2,000. 
Partial scholarships are available.  Applications must be completed
and returned by April 15.  Students under age 15 or in need of
significant financial help should apply early.  For an application,
or to reach the National Resource Center for Blind Musicians with
questions regarding braille music, contact the Music and Arts
Center for the Handicapped, 600 University Ave., Bridgeport, CT
06601; e-mail 102730.163@compuserve.com; or phone (203) 366-3300.
DOT'S RIGHT!
      Dot's Right! is an inkprint-to-braille transcription service. 
The company transcribes a variety of materials, including menus,
personal documents, training/technical manuals and much more.   
One to 10 copies of a document cost $6.50 per copy; 11 to 25, $4.50
per copy; 26 or more copies, $3 per copy.  Menu preparation costs
$50 per job, and 10 cents per page.  Scanning text and/or images
costs $50 per hour and includes layout and editing. California
sales tax (8.25 percent) will be added to the cost.  Information is
available in print and braille.  Call or write for a free estimate
and more information.  The address is: Liz Conejo, Dot's Right
Transcription Service, 1864 N. Avenue 51, Los Angeles, CA 90042;
phone (323) 254-9213; or e-mail lconejo@concentric.net.
CARVED ART PUZZLE
      Katchina Internationale Inc. has available several different
types of carved art puzzles -- puzzles with raised pictures.  The
concept behind the puzzle is to memorize the puzzle pieces by
touch, and put it together.  These puzzles are not recommended for
children under age 3.  Puzzle pictures are: a decorated candle; an
eagle; a tulip; a butterfly; a hummingbird; a maple leaf; a hot air
balloon; a lighthouse; and the Statue of Liberty.  The candle and
eagle cost $5 each; the tulip, butterfly and hummingbird, $11.90
each; the maple leaf, hot air balloon and lighthouse, $15.60 each;
and the Statue of Liberty, $25.80.  Prices do not include shipping
or taxes.  For more information, call (819) 775-6181, or write to
Katchina Internationale Inc., C.P. 84062, Gatineau Quebec J8P 7K8,
Canada.
NEWS FROM AFB
      The American Foundation for the Blind recently initiated a
national campaign to define the potential solutions to alleviate
the challenge of access to textbooks for blind students.  The AFB
Textbook and Instructional Materials Solutions Forum, a
collaborative national effort on the part of agencies and
organizations that produce textbooks and other instructional
materials, works to ensure equal access to those materials.  Forum
participants include textbook publishers, educators, access
technology specialists, producers of braille and recorded texts,
parents of blind children, and blind or visually impaired adults. 
Partners include ACB, AFB, APH, AER, BANA, NLS, NAPVI, WGBH,
National Braille Press, the Association of American Publishers,
RFB&D, and many others.
      Also, Scott McCall was appointed to the post of vice president
of national programs.  In this capacity, he will oversee AFBžs
offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco, as well as
the Policy Research and Program Evaluation Department, AFBžs
national program associates, the National Technology Program, and
the Information Center.
      AFB recently launched "AccessWorld: Technology for Consumers
with Visual Impairments."  This 32-page periodical will be
available bimonthly in large print, braille, on tape and via the
World Wide Web.  A preview issue is available at
http://www.afb.org/accessworld.html.  AccessWorld will cover
developments in assistive technology, government policies mandating
accessibility, and industry efforts to provide accessible products
and services.  To subscribe, or for more information, call (888)
522-0220; e-mail pubsvc@tsp.sheridan.com or visit AFB's web site,
http://www.afb.org.
      "A Capital Idea! Successful Strategies for Getting What You
Want from Government" is a guide to successful advocacy, which is
now available on AFB's web site via http://www.afb.org/gov.html. 
This manual takes you step by step through defining an issue,
identifying the players, planning a strategy, forming alliances,
meeting and communicating with legislators or regulators, and
following up on contacts.
      AFB is also seeking student interns for its New York and
Chicago offices.  Students must be in high school.  They will work
in AFB's Product Evaluation Lab in New York City, and one will work
in Chicago with AFB's National Technology Program.  For more
information, call Mark Uslan at (212) 502-7638.
      Need information for National Braille Literacy Month?  AFB has
a packet of braille information available for parents of young
blind children.  It includes information frequently requested by
parents of preschool and early elementary children, such as
learning braille as a sighted parent, sources of children's books
in braille, and suggested activities parents can do with their
child to promote early literacy.  For a packet, contact Frances
Mary D'Andrea at (404) 525-2303.
      And the Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute will be held
Friday, March 3 to Sunday, March 5, at the Marriott Quorum Hotel,
Dallas, Texas.  The program is "Achieving an Accessible World:
Partnerships, Roadblocks, Opportunities."  It will feature speakers
from the private and public sectors, both in and outside of the
blindness field.  Early bird registration (before February 4) is
$235; registration between Feb. 4 and 25 is $285; after Feb. 25,
$325.  To register, or to receive the most recent JLTLI Bulletin,
contact Gabriella Smith-Coventry at (212) 502-7641, or Corinne
Kirchner, (212) 502-7640.
BOOKKEEPING SYSTEM
      Check Mate Plus is a DOS-based, voice-friendly double-entry
bookkeeping system that has a quick and easy amortization table
that computes the answers to mortgage and loan questions.  It has
full documentation and is for IBM-compatible computers only. 
Contact Robert Langford, 11330 Quail Run, Dallas, TX 75238; phone
(214) 340-6328.
RATCHET BELTS
      Chuck Martin of Ko Am International Trade Co., Tacoma, Wash.
has available a new kind of belt called a Ratchet Belt.  Instead of
holes, it has a ratchet type of device which adjusts easily to
different sizes.  It has 5 1/2 inches of ratchets, compared with 4
inches of holes.  The belt is leather, with a metal buckle.  You
may view the belt on the web at http://www.ratchetbelt.com.  For
more information, visit the web site, or write to Ko Am
International Trade Co., 9332 S. Steele St., Suite U-444, Tacoma,
WA 98444; phone (253) 535-9261, or e-mail Ratchetbelt@aol.com.
SPORTS LENS
      Ever been out in the sun and wished your sunglasses could do a
better job?  Or have you been biking and wished for some better
protective gear?  Wish no more.  DIGI has available several types
of SportLens.  You can wear them over glasses and with contact
lenses, and do a variety of activities with them, including
sailing, fishing, biking, and more.  The SportLens comes in visor
and cap bill styles, and in a variety of colors.  The lens is
scratch resistant, adjustable, easy to remove (thanks to Velcro)
and clean, and fully ventilated.  For more information, call toll-
free (800) 750-3444.
MEETING NEEDS
      Resources for Rehabilitation recently published the third
edition of its popular resource guide, "Meeting the Needs of
Employees with Disabilities."  It provides information to help
people with disabilities retain or obtain employment.  Chapters
cover visual impairment and blindness, hearing and speech
impairments, describe organizations, adaptations, assistive devices
and services, as well as suggestions for a safe, friendly
workplace.  It costs $49.95 (including shipping and handling).  For
a complete list of publications and prices, contact Resources for
Rehabilitation, 33 Bedford St., Suite 19A, Lexington, MA 02420;
phone (781) 862-6455; or e-mail info@rfr.org.
MINI NOTEBOOK
      Easier Ways recently came out with a new mini perma notebook
for brailling telephone numbers, addresses, birthdays,
appointments, etc.  It is flat and fits easily into a pocket or
purse.  It comes with 50 sheets (3 by 5 inches, two-hole punched)
of clear Perma plastic filler.  It makes sharp braille.  You can
add or remove a sheet easily, and make quick entries without having
to remove a sheet.  For more information, contact Easier Ways Inc.,
2954 Shady Ln., Highlands Ranch, CO 80126; phone (303) 290-0987 or
e-mail EasierWays@aol.com.
LOUIS BRAILLE INTERNATIONAL
      The Louis Braille International Cultural and Educational Center
of Blind People needs your help.  LBICEC needs books, office
supplies and finances for distribution and sponsoring blind
children in Bangladesh.  If you have any spare math instruments,
braille reading materials, braille writing equipment, braille and
talking watches, canes, eyeglass frames, or anything else that
could be used in teaching blind children and adults, please send it
to Louis Braille International Cultural and Educational Center of
Blind People, P.O. Monno Nagar, Tongi, Gazipur, Bangladesh.
AUDIO DARTS
      Audio Darts of Pittsburgh will hold its third Harold Schlegel
Darts Tournament the weekend of March 31-April 2, 2000.  This
tournament will be held at the Best Western Motel, 3401 Boulevard
of the Allies, Pittsburgh, Pa.  The room rate is $69 per night plus
tax for up to four people per room.  Reserve your room by calling
(412) 683-6100.  The first event will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday;
the tournament will conclude at 5 p.m. Sunday.  The cost of the
tournament is $65.  Make all checks payable to Audio Darts of
Pittsburgh and mail to: Louis Wassermann, 2503 Silver Oak Dr.,
Pittsburgh, PA 15220.  For more information, call Lois Briggs at
(412) 366-2630 or Joe Wassermann at (412) 687-5166.
WEB-BRAILLE
      Braille readers take note!  The National Library Service for
the Blind and Physically Handicapped has developed technology that
will allow you to read a book on the Internet.  It's called Web-
Braille, and it gives you access to more than 2,700 electronic
braille books recently placed on the Internet.  Each year numerous
new titles will be added.  The new service began August 24.  For
more information, contact Robert Fistick, head of NLS' Publications
and Media Section, at (202) 707-9279 or via e-mail, rfis@loc.gov.
FREE BOOKS
      The following braille books are available to anyone who would
like them by calling or writing the address listed below.  "The
American Vest Pocket Dictionary": more than 30,000 words,  seven
thick volumes (will not fit in your pocket).  "The Cooking Class
Cookbook": good recipes for beginning cooks, 20 pages brailled on
thermoform paper.  "Easy Ways to Delicious Meals": a Campbell's
cookbook, one volume.  "Cooking with Betty Crocker Mixes": package
directions and simple recipes, one thermoform volume (copyright
1974).  "Muffin Mania": one thermoform volume (11 pages), copyright
1983.  "Stouffers": package directions, one volume.  "Better Homes
and Gardens Salad Book": plain and fancy salads for every occasion,
four volumes, copyright 1958.  "Better Homes and Gardens Meat
Cookbook": all kinds and cuts, 400 ways to fix them, four volumes,
copyright 1960.  Write to 2655 NW Acey Pl., Corvallis, OR 97330;
phone (541) 752-3325.
ZOOMTEXT XTRA
      Ai Squared recently released version 7.0 of its ZoomText Xtra.
It is able to run in both Windows 95 or 98 and Windows NT.  It is
also compatible with Microsoft Office 2000.  Support for Windows
2000 will be available as soon as Windows 2000 is released.  This
version also includes support for TrueColor display modes, mouse
wheel zooming, a talking setup program, and much more. To order a
trial version, or for more information, visit the web site,
http://www.aisquared.com or call (802) 362-3612.
SCANACAN
      Scanacan is a new device which will allow users to identify
their groceries and any other item with a standard bar code. 
Scanacan, in conjunction with an omnidirectional handheld or
mounted bar code scanner, keeps an inventory of what you have on
hand.  Simple commands will allow you to check what you have in
your pantry, cleaning closet, music or video collection, and much
more.  You can add, change, delete, look up or print your records. 
Adding records allows you to create your own database of favorite
items.  Changing records allows you to edit any existing records to
update price changes or enter new information about the item. 
Deleting the records will not delete the bar code from the
database, so you can re-enter it at any time.   Hardware and
software sold together or separately.  Contact Ferguson
Enterprises, 104 Anderson  Ave., Manchester,  SD 57353-5701; phone
(605) 546-2366. 
ENGLISH DICTIONARY
      Jose Inacio Laurini would like to receive an English dictionary
from the Library of Congress.  He would prefer Webster's or any
other similar dictionary, if at all possible, on four-track
cassette.  If you have one you can give him, send it to Jose Inacio
Laurini, 324 Conejo Motta Street, Cabreuva,  Sao Paulo 13315-00,
Brazil.
IT'S READY & IT'S BIG!
      NASDSE and the Hilton/Perkins Program of the Perkins School for
the Blind recently began distributing their educational service
guidelines for students who are blind or visually impaired.  This
document is intended to provide assistance to state and local
education agencies, service providers and parents.  It describes
essential program elements which must be considered in designing
appropriate services for blind or visually impaired students,
including those with multiple disabilities.  The blind initiative
document is the product of 13 national organizations' collaborative
efforts, modeled after the NASDSE's deaf initiative guidelines
published in 1994.  The document is organized into five chapters,
a glossary, and appendices.  It has been distributed to state
directors of special education, organizations, and parent and
consumer groups.  If you would like a copy, contact the
Hilton/Perkins Foundation, Perkins School for the Blind, 175 N.
Beacon St., Watertown, MA 02472.
PORTSET READER
      Technologies for the Visually Impaired has a new reading
machine available called the Portset Reader.  It is a stand-alone
scanner with speech built in.  All you do is turn it on, wait for
the announcement, lift the lid and place your print on the glass. 
Press the start key and within a short time the document will be
read to you.  You can select either a male or female voice for the
reading function.  The scanner can read a page size up to A4
(slightly larger than U.S. letter) with a type size as small as
eight points.  It weighs less than 13 pounds and measures 18 3/4
inches by 10 3/8 inches by 5 5/8 inches.  For more information,
contact the company at (516) 724-4479; e-mail tvii@concentric.net;
or write to 9 Nolan Ct., Hauppauge, NY 11788.
BASEBALL GAME
      Now that the World Series is over, you can obtain version 14 of
the World Series Baseball Game and Information System.  This game
comes with 269 teams, including the 1999 Yankees and Braves and the
all-star teams.  You can play baseball on your computer using all
the great teams of the past, Negro and Japanese teams, and many
all-star teams.  You can also review the history of baseball, find
out whožs in the Hall of Fame, check out all the baseball records,
and test your knowledge of the game on a 1,000-question quiz.  The
price is $15 for new users, $5 for updates.  Send your check to
Harry Hollingsworth, 692 S. Sheraton  Dr., Akron, OH 44319; phone
(330) 644-2421; or e-mail hhhollingsworth@attglobal.net.
BOOK MARKER
      Have you ever fallen asleep while reading a book on tape, and
wished you'd had a bookmark so you could find your place?  Wish no
more.  The Talking Book Marker is a simple switch that plugs into
your cassette player's REM jack.  While you are listening to the
tape, you hold down the switch.  When you relax your grip, the
switch releases and the talking book stops playing.  If you are
interested in learning more about the Talking Book Marker, or would
like to order, call Jim Daily at (406) 782-2202, or send your name,
address and telephone number along with a check for $27.95 per book
marker ordered to: The Talking Book Marker, 835 Emma, Butte, MT
59701. If you have Internet access, check the web site,
http://www.angelfire.com/mt/jdaily, or e-mail jandmdaily@yahoo.com.
VISION TAPE MINISTRY
      Vision Tape Ministry is a free bimonthly mailing of three
cassettes containing church, Christian conference sermons and
special music.  For more information, call Jack or Gwen Kinly at
(334) 297-6432, or write to Vision Tape Ministry, 34 Ramsy Rd.,
Phenix City, AL 36869.

*****
HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP
      FOR SALE: Optacon model R1D with CRT lens.  Has less than 100
hours use; lens used less than 10 hours.  Both are in excellent
condition.  Comes with carrying case with shoulder strap,
charger/battery pack, and braille and print instructions.  Asking
$250 plus shipping.  Call Randy at (501) 785-3765 or e-mail him
at rcburress@juno.com.
      WANTED: IBM-compatible computer.  Contact Rochelle at (602)
962-8731.

ACB BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sanford Alexander, Wichita, KS
Sue Ammeter, Seattle, WA
Ardis Bazyn, Burbank, CA
Alan Beatty, Fort Collins, CO
John Buckley, Knoxville, TN
Dawn Christensen, Holland, OH
Christopher Gray, San Francisco, CA
Debbie Grubb, Nashville, TN
Sandy Sanderson, Anchorage, AK
M.J. Schmitt, Forest Park, IL

BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS

Kim Charlson, Chairperson, Watertown, MA
Jay Doudna, Rosemont, PA
Winifred Downing, San Francisco, CA
Charles Hodge, Arlington, VA
Jenine Stanley, Columbus, OH
Ex Officio: Laura Oftedahl, Watertown, MA 

ACB OFFICERS

PRESIDENT
PAUL EDWARDS
20330 NE 20TH CT.
MIAMI, FL 33179

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
BRIAN CHARLSON
57 GRANDVIEW AVE.
WATERTOWN, MA 02472

SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
PAMELA SHAW
7601 CRITTENDEN ST. #F-2
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19118

SECRETARY
CYNTHIA TOWERS
556 N. 80TH ST.
SEATTLE, WA 98103

TREASURER
PATRICIA BEATTIE
906 N CHAMBLISS ST
ALEXANDRIA VA 22312

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
LeRoy Saunders
2118 NW 21st St.
Oklahoma City, OK 73107

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
ELIZABETH M. LENNON, Kalamazoo, MI