THE BRAILLE FORUM Volume XLIII June 2005 No. 9 Published by the American Council of the Blind THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND STRIVES TO INCREASE THE INDEPENDENCE, SECURITY, EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY, AND TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE. Christopher Gray, President Melanie Brunson, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Acting Editor National Office: 1155 15th St. NW Suite 1004 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 467-5081 Fax: (202) 467-5085 Web site: http://www.acb.org THE BRAILLE FORUM is available in braille, large print, half-speed four- track cassette tape, computer disk and via e-mail. Subscription requests, address changes, and items intended for publication should be sent to Sharon Lovering at the address above, or via e-mail to slovering@acb.org. Submission deadlines are the first of the month. The American Council of the Blind is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, visit the ACB web site and complete an application form, or contact the national office at the number listed above. Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Ardis Bazyn at the above mailing address. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office can make printed cards available for this purpose. To remember the American Council of the Blind in your Last Will and Testament, you may include a special paragraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, contact the ACB national office. To make a contribution to ACB via the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 2802. For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the "Washington Connection" toll-free at (800) 424-8666, 5 p.m. to midnight Eastern time, or visit the Washington Connection online at http://www.acb.org. Copyright 2005 American Council of the Blind TABLE OF CONTENTS President's Message: Taking a World View, by Christopher Gray Editor Search Update, by Melanie Brunson Nevada Council of the Blind Invites You to 'Come On Out And See Us' in the Silver State, by Rick Kuhlmey Take a Vacation and Help ACB Raise Money, by David Trott Last-Minute Travel Tips, by Cynthia Towers Final 2005 Tour Schedule and Enhancements, by Berl Colley ACB Encourages Diversity in Leadership, by Michael Garrett If You Think the ACB Constitution and Bylaws Need Amending, Now Is the Time, by Ray Campbell Keep Cool in Vegas with The Seeing Eye Let's Go Jingling and Jangling Down the Las Vegas Strip with Our Dogs, by Margie Donovan Affiliate & Committee News Extra, Extra! Pair-a-Dice Now Seeking Volunteers Convention Newspaper Fees for 2005 Membership Focus January 2005, compiled by Ardis Bazyn Doctor, Heal Thyself, by Ken Stewart A Momentary Thought, by Allen J. Casey Letters to the Editor Here and There, by Sarah Blake Reflections Upon a Good Neighbor, by Mike Duke High Tech Swap Shop CORRECTIONS There was an error in the amount for the second prize in the raffle benefitting "The Braille Forum" ("Summary of the Mid-Year Meeting of the ACB Board of Directors," April 2005). It was listed as $3,000; the correct amount is $1,000. Due to an editing error, it was reported that volunteers could not go on tours ("Riviera 101," May 2005). Volunteers will be on hand to assist conventioneers as usual; however, they cannot go to your sleeping rooms. DEADLINE REMINDER The deadline for the July-August issue is June 8; for September, the deadline is August 8. Please turn your articles in on time! ***** PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: TAKING A WORLD VIEW by Christopher Gray The American Council of the Blind has a long and rich tradition of participation, not only in the affairs of our nation, but in world affairs as well that affect blind people. Our international work to support all blind people was initiated as far back as the 1950s, most notably by George Card, one of the founding members of our organization. Over the intervening years, the torch has moved from hand to hand and has been honorably carried by great contributors to our organization such as Alma Murphey and our longest serving national representative/executive director, Oral Miller. Many others have made significant contributions over the year as well, too numerous to mention in this small space. It was recently my distinct honor and privilege to represent the American Council of the Blind at the North American/Caribbean regional meeting of the World Blind Union (WBU). The WBU is an organization advocating for the rights of the blind throughout the world. Our region is composed of representatives from the United States, Canada, and numerous small countries in the Caribbean, primarily represented by the Caribbean Council of the Blind. This meeting of the regional participants was held in Toronto, Canada with marvelous hosting by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. With William Rowland as the newly elected president of the WBU, and with a new chairperson of our own region, Penny Hartin, this meeting represented a time for discussion, evaluation of where we are as a region, and for the charting of new directions for the next four years. I am extremely pleased to tell you that the region has decided, by general consensus, to devote itself as never before to the assisting of blind people in the Caribbean segment of our region. I was deeply shocked to hear, in a report delivered by the Caribbean Council of the Blind, that the average income of a blind resident in the Caribbean is less than $950 per year. Such a statistic speaks for itself, and it demonstrates far better than anything I might say the difficulties faced by this region of North America. As your representative, I advocated strongly for the inclusion of the Spanish- speaking countries within the Caribbean region which includes Puerto Rico among others. It is my impression that Canada, through the excellent leadership of Jim Sanders and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, has played a key and vital role in bringing assistance to this region and in promoting individual leadership there as well. It is my sincere hope that through our entire WBU region, and through efforts of the American Council of the Blind, we can provide the inspiration and meaningful assistance to stimulate growth and development for this deserving portion of our region. The fountainhead of such growth and development has traditionally and typically come from within the blind community. Often, it has come from one or more blind individuals, working within organizations for the blind. Names such as Maxine Dorf and Robert Irwin come immediately to mind when thinking of people who have made great contributions within this environment. Unquestionably, the service-provider organizations have played, and continue to play, a key and meaningful role in assisting blind people throughout the world. However, we know through experience that true success comes when blind men and women band together and take a significant hand in their destinies as consumers; participants in the creating of a future of improvement and advancement both for themselves as individuals and for other in situations similar to their own or in circumstances like theirs. It is clear that such people exist in the Caribbean to do what so many of us have done already in our country, and we can only hope that the work of the next four years can stimulate events in meaningful ways for the whole Caribbean. There is great benefit in looking beyond our immediate geographic concerns and local difficulties. Heaven knows we have many problems, and they need and consume a major portion of our attention. Be that as it may, we are an integral part of a world community, and we must, as we can, look at the world as a whole and make what reasonable efforts we can to improve life throughout the world. We all win through such efforts. In that vein of thought, I want to conclude this article by telling you of a recent contact ACB has had with quite an amazing and inspirational organization. It is not in our region, and it is not even near our continent. It is a small organization in the country of Sri Lanka, on the Asian continent. Sri Lanka is primarily composed of two peoples: the Tamils and the Sinhalese. In 2004, I began to receive correspondence from a group of Sinhalese who have formed an organization of the blind, based on consumerism and leadership by blind people. Their goal is to organize as consumers, and to promote literacy among their people as well as increase the amount of accessible reading material within their community. Through worldwide advocacy and hard work, they have created and now distribute a quarterly magazine in the Sinhalese language to approximately 200 braille readers. Their paper is donated from Australia, and much of their labor is also donated. Their leadership, like ours, is volunteer. Much of the expense they bear is for the translation of articles from magazines, including "The Braille Forum," into Sinhalese. The organization, known as the Blind Citizens Front, began contacting ACB in late 2004. Of course, they came immediately to mind during the time of the terrible tsunami that adversely affected so many in that part of the world. It was with great pleasure that I received a letter from the organization in late March, proclaiming their survival and their continuing efforts on behalf of their membership and goals. It is a very moving thing to witness the formation of a fledgling organization under any circumstance. Whether it is a local chapter of an ACB affiliate or a state-wide or special-interest affiliate, I am always moved and energized by the event. Members are the lifeblood of an organization of consumers and absolutely the most important asset of such organizations. Given the unimaginable odds faced by blind people in the third world and in a country that has suffered such grave hardships as has Sri Lanka, one cannot help but feel a particularly keen excitement at the story of success they have created for themselves. The leadership of this organization has written to request ACB's help and support as they create a consumer organization for the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. It is my hope that we might find among ourselves the means of funding a small part of their needs. Recently, the individual members of the California Council of the Blind made contributions at their spring convention. I want to encourage other affiliates, members and organizations to consider similar expressions of good will toward a new, fledgling organization that is working against great odds. ACB has set up a fund for this organization, the proceeds of which will be sent to them after the 2005 convention in Las Vegas. Finally, I am extremely pleased to announce to ACB members and friends that our banquet address for 2005 will be delivered by William Rowland, president of the World Blind Union. He will have traveled from South Africa to meet with us, and it is a great honor to have his participation and input in our convention. I hope many of you can attend the banquet and take the opportunity of hearing and meeting with William Rowland. I look forward to seeing many of you in Las Vegas. ***** EDITOR SEARCH UPDATE by Melanie Brunson ACB has been contacted by a number of excellent candidates who are interested in becoming the next editor of "The Braille Forum." However, we have not filled the position yet. After consulting with both the ACB board of directors and board of publications, we have decided that we will not hire a new editor until October. As a result, we have also decided to extend the deadline for applications. The new deadline will be August 1, 2005. For the convenience of anyone who might still be interested in applying for this position, I will reprint the vacancy announcement at the end of this article. For all Forum readers, I have a request. Please help us spread the word about this continuing vacancy. Feel free to share the announcement that follows with anyone, or act on it yourself if you believe that you have the knowledge, skills, and passion to enable you to help us spread the word about the capabilities of people who are blind, and insure continued production of the top-notch magazine that readers of "The Braille Forum" have come to expect. Position Available: Editor The American Council of the Blind seeks a motivated and qualified individual to become the next editor of "The Braille Forum" publication and to manage the telling of the ACB story within the blindness community and beyond. General duties include: editing, producing and distributing "The Braille Forum" in a variety of alternate formats; assisting with publicity and public relations for ACB events and activities; managing the Communications Center and its production of materials during ACB's national conventions; and supervising a staff assistant. Interested candidates must: possess a degree in journalism or a related field from an accredited four-year college or university; have at least two years experience in a similar position; demonstrate familiarity with blindness-related issues; be able to use computers and the Internet in the performance of job duties; and be able to communicate effectively. The editor will work in the ACB national office in Washington, D.C. and will report to the ACB executive director. Salary will depend on experience and qualifications. For a more detailed job description, contact the ACB national office. You may reach us by calling (800) 424-8666, or sending an e-mail to info@acb.org. To apply, send your resume, cover letter, and three to five writing samples (such as articles, opinion letters, or other such writings of a length not longer than 200 words. Excerpts from writings can be submitted to come within the 200-word parameter.) to the attention of Melanie Brunson, Executive Director, American Council of the Blind, 1155 15th St. NW, Suite 1004, Washington, D.C. 20005. All materials must be postmarked no later than August 1, 2005. Resumes accompanied by a cover letter and the writing samples may also be submitted by e-mail to mbrunson@ACB.org. Your e-mail submissions may not be dated beyond August 1, 2005. If you do use e-mail, please mail an additional hard copy of your writing samples to the address above. ***** NEVADA COUNCIL OF THE BLIND INVITES YOU TO 'COME ON OUT AND SEE US' IN THE SILVER STATE by Rick Kuhlmey, Vice President Hello from Nevada and the Nevada Council of the Blind. Founded in Reno in 1972 and having just celebrated its 32nd anniversary, NCB is stronger and livelier than ever. Nevada has been the fastest growing state in the nation since 1960. Presently, nearly 70 percent of the approximately 3 million people live in one of Nevada's 17 counties -- Clark County (Las Vegas). In this seventh largest state with 110,540 square miles, population centers outside of Clark County are sparse. The next largest population center is Reno and Carson City, some 479 miles from Clark County and Las Vegas. Think you have transportation problems? Imagine walking the 479 miles to Carson City. One member of NCB did just that in 1975, wearing 2 inches off his white cane in the 18 days of walking. Given the distances involved in reaching out to Nevada's rural areas, NCB has begun a program of disseminating information through the library system. There are 92 libraries supporting Nevadans, therefore reaching more of our visually impaired that tend to stay home and just make do in our rural counties. Education is a high priority for NCB because it leads to independence. The scholarship program is offered to visually impaired high school graduates continuing their education, be it at a university or a trade school. An effort is under way to procure grant funding to expand the program. After an unsuccessful attempt to hire a grant writer, members of NCB are now learning to write -- and writing -- grant applications themselves. Another vital service NCB provides is assisting individuals who need eye exams, glasses and operations through NCB's Last Source Fund. Coordinating with other organizations to provide services broadens NCB's ability to assist in providing services. To tie the membership together, NCB has "The Silver Banner," a quarterly publication devoted to local and state news. A visit to the NCB web site at www.acb.org/nevada fills in between editions. "The Braille Forum" brings national news from the American Council of the Blind. Telephone and computer e-mails allow constant day-to-day communication. Through its legislative committee, the NCB is kept aware of matters affecting the blind and visually impaired at the state and federal levels. The membership by law is not allowed a voice in formulation of laws affecting them through lobbying. NCB is a 501(c)(3) organization and it must be careful in its lobbying and political activities. This is where networking with other organizations plays a role; NCB is very active with other groups. Field trips are popular events. NCB members participate in educational and health fairs. NCB also sponsors booths in other towns around Nevada as time and money permit. The last trip to Goldfield for "Goldfield Days" was awesome. Goldfield was celebrating its 100th anniversary. NCB had a booth right on the main highway -- the main street of the town. The highway patrol shut down traffic on the only main road between Las Vegas and Reno for some two hours for the parade through Goldfield -- a distance of about a half mile. Boasting some 20,000 residents in its heyday, now there are maybe 350 hardy souls. Braille alphabet cards were handed out and visitors' names were brailled for them. It was a grand success. One of the NCB members, a Randolph-Sheppard vendor, even bought a gold mine at the tax auction held the day of the parade. The NCB is a hub of information exchange. Many of the members are involved in other organizations. This is a tremendous asset for anyone seeking services and information. With such an active membership, problems are solved far more easily. One board member revitalized the Blinded Veterans Association several years ago, serving as president until last year. She is now president of Nevada GEMS, a retired military ladies group and is active in other organizations. Several members are charter members of the Nevada Council of Blind Lions, which is the third Lions Club in the U.S. to be comprised principally of visually impaired individuals. Another board member has started an organization that does direct referral for needed services and has grown to have an office and volunteer staff. Two more board members are founders of the Purple Sage Chapter of the Red Hat Society. Yet another board member has founded a PAC through which the blind may be politically active and an organization geared to lobbying. These two organizations protect the 501(c)(3) status of the NCB and other organizations. Other members are active in goalball. NCB supports goalball for youngsters with an active program in conjunction with the school district. Another member has put together a team of college-age young adults and coordinated a multi-state regional goalball tournament held in Las Vegas last December. Las Vegas will be celebrating its 100th anniversary during 2005. NCB will be a part of it, as one of our board members obtained a grant to do an awareness day, titled "Come On Out and See Us," celebrating the history of the blind movement in southern Nevada. Everywhere you go, NCB is there. We welcome you to "Come On Out and See Us" at the Riviera Hotel and Convention Center July 2-9, 2005. ***** TAKE A VACATION AND HELP ACB RAISE MONEY by David Trott How would you like to take a vacation, stay in a luxury condominium, and help the American Council of the Blind raise money at the same time? ACB is giving you the opportunity to bid on the time share we have in Mexico. The length of your stay in the condo will be seven days. The minimum bid will be $600. (At last check, the bidding was at $675 and rising.) The company that handles the time share is the Krystal Cancun International Travel Club. The condo has a bedroom, two baths, living and dining area, as well as kitchen facilities. The living area contains a sleeper sofa. You will have access to the hotel facilities including dining areas, pools, and more. There are three different locations to choose from: Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, and Ixtapa. The facility with the most amenities appears to be the Cancun location, which serves continental breakfast daily. In addition, the winner will receive coupons for a discounted stay in the luxury hotel for up to seven additional days. Check-in day must be on a Friday. You may place your bids by mail to Attention: Auction, ACB, 1155 15th Street NW, Suite 1004, Washington, DC 20005. Your bids to the national office must be postmarked no later than June 20, 2005. You may also submit bids by e-mail to dtrott@acb.org. The bids will be taken on a first-received basis and will be posted to the leadership and ACB-L listserv as well as on the ACB phone line. The auction will end at the national convention on Wednesday, July 6 at 11:59 p.m., and the winner will be announced on Thursday, July 7. The winner will be responsible for all transportation, food, and any additional expenses. This vacation is good for any time during the year except Christmas week and New Year's week. The American Council of the Blind reserves the right to award this prize to the next highest bidder if payment is not received by the end of the 30th day after the prize is awarded. This is an exciting new venture for the American Council of the Blind and we hope that it will be equally exciting for you. For additional information, you may contact me by e-mail at dtrott@acb.org or by phone at (256) 480-1222. ***** LAST-MINUTE TRAVEL TIPS by Cynthia Towers By the time this reaches you, most of the room reservations will have been made, you have probably completed your pre-registration form, have viewed the program offerings online and may have even begun to think about what to pack. Well, here are a few reminders before you head out the door to the airport, train or bus station. Reminder Number One: Make your luggage easy to identify. Tie a brightly colored wide ribbon or piece of cloth around the handle; consider taking a neon or other brightly colored pen and having your initials written large on your pieces; take essentials like medication with you on the plane in case your luggage is lost or delayed; and be sure the luggage tag is easy to identify. If the volunteer, airport assistant or anyone else helping you has to check all of the luggage coming off the carousel, it will take quite some time. This is where patience will come into play, because after you get your luggage you may have to wait in a long line for a cab or shuttle. Shuttles cost less -- $5 one way -- but will stop at other hotels before arriving at the Riviera. Cabs cost more -- $15 one way but give door-to- door service. Reminder Two: Carry a lot of one- and five-dollar bills with you. They come in handy for tipping. I will talk more about this later. I usually fold two or three together and put them in a place where they can be reached easily and quickly. Reminder Three: Instruct the cab driver to take you to the Riviera South Entrance. This is the closest entrance to the front desk. Upon check- in you should receive a hotel description and a key with a sticker on the end. This will indicate where to place your thumb. The opposite end goes into your room door to unlock it. Reminder Four: Las Vegas is extremely hot in the summer. Temperatures can climb as high as 120 degrees. However, inside the hotel the temperature is regulated by air conditioning. You may even find it necessary to carry a light jacket for indoors and for going out at night. Reminder Five: If you want or require a refrigerator in your sleeping room, then you need to know that you may be placed in one of the other three towers. The majority of the conventioneers will be in the Monte Carlo or the Monaco, where a limited amount of refrigerators are located. Mediterranean North, Mediterranean South and the San Remo towers have refrigerators in them, that's the good news. The bad news is that they are further from the meeting rooms and it may be more difficult to navigate to and from where you want and need to go. Also, should you be placed in a tower that you do not want, ask to be put on a waiting list for the tower that you desire. Reminder Six: Tipping -- Remember that tipping is discretionary. If you do not think tipping is necessary in a particular circumstance, then don't tip. This is a guide for people who are planning to tip and want to know the appropriate amount. At the airport -- porter or skycap -- $2 per bag or more if the bags are heavy; electric cart -- $2 per person; wheelchair -- if it is from the ticket counter to the gate/plane or from the gate/plane to the luggage carousel, then $5 is appropriate. Transportation: taxi, limo, paid shuttle, or van driver - 15 percent of the total fare; up to 20 percent if the driver helps with the bags or makes extra stops. No less than $1. At the hotel: doorman -- if he hails you a cab, $1-2; bellman -- when he helps you with your bags, tip $1-2 per bag; concierge -- $5-10 for help with hard-to-get dinner reservations or theater tickets. Room service -- if gratuity is included, add nothing or $1. Otherwise add 15-20 percent to the total charge. For maid service -- $1-3 per day. You may want to tip daily because there might be a different maid each day. Leave the tip on your pillow. Err on the side of being generous, and tip on the last day also. Restaurants report a percentage (around 12 percent) of the gross sales for food and beverage to the IRS for their staff. This means that if you have a $200 food bill and $200 wine bill, the restaurant will report 12 percent of $400 or $48 as income to the server. In other words, the server has to pay tax on it whether you tip it or not. If the restaurants do not report it accurately, the IRS audits the restaurant and the wait staff. With a buffet tip nothing unless there is some service. Tip 10 percent if the server delivers all or part of your meal or keeps your drinks refilled. Before we talk about casino tipping, let's discuss a budget. Before you go to a casino, you should determine how much you are willing to lose before you call it quits. Gambling is fine for entertainment, but it is not a good means of wealth accumulation. If the odds weren't in the house's favor, casinos would not make as much money as they do. Casino workers are a part of the service industry and make 2/3 of their income from tips. One general rule for tipping at a table is that you tip when you are winning, not losing. * Craps or blackjack dealer -- $5+ chip per session. * Poker dealers -- $5+ chip per session. You may tip 10 percent of your winnings, but not to exceed $25. * Roulette dealers -- $5+ chip per session. * Keno writers/runners -- $1+ for first ticket. If you play a lot, tip more. 5 percent if you win. * Drinks waiter -- $1+ chip per drink. Remember that you are getting free drinks because alcohol lowers your inhibitions and you will gamble more. * Slot machine changers -- tip $1+ chip per change, plus 5 percent on a jackpot, not to exceed $25. * Slot machine attendants -- $1-2+ chip when they repair your machine. One final reminder -- Be sure to attend one of the First Timers sessions on either Saturday, July 2 or Sunday, July 3 in the afternoon if this is your first time to an ACB convention, or if it's been a while since you attended. I am so excited to see all of you! Once again I would like to thank Carol Ewing and the Nevada Council of the Blind for hosting this year's extravaganza and to the entire convention coordinating committee for the work the members have done over the past year and for the countless hours they will put in during convention week to ensure you that have the greatest experience possible. If you need to contact me, you may do so by e- mailing ctowers@acb.org or by calling (206) 729-9654 or 1-800-474-3029 and hit the 0 twice for extension 00. Las Vegas is the place!! ***** FINAL 2005 TOUR SCHEDULE AND ENHANCEMENTS by Berl Colley As most of you read this, you hopefully have already filled out your pre-registration forms and have submitted them, either on-line or via the mail. When you looked at the tours, you probably noticed that some tours I had talked about in previous articles were not listed and others had changed some. ACB will have 15 tours this year. Some recent changes are: We have dropped both tours to the Elvis-A-Rama museum and Ethel M's; we have moved the second Liberace tour to Wednesday afternoon; we will not have a Monday night tour; we will not have the Bally's slot machine manufacturing tour; and the Star Trek tour is being conducted separately from ACB tours. Elvis may be alive, but he wasn't alive enough to work out contractual paperwork for ACB. This means that, for the first time in a long time, we will not have a Sunday afternoon tour. Also, Ethel M's candy has remodeled its tour area and it is no longer worth taking the time to go there. If you want to purchase Ethel M's candy, you can find an outlet in the Riviera that sells it for less than you'd pay at the factory. We moved the second Liberace tour to Wednesday. This allows us to have a one-hour concert of his music on both tours. We are hopeful that we can work out audio description for this tour. Try as we might, we were unable to put together a roller coaster or events tour that was cost effective for ACB tour-goers. Fortunately, there are a number of wonderful activities scheduled for Monday evening. After touring the Bally slot machine manufacturing plant, we were pretty excited about the tour possibilities for ACB, but we were contacted by the company in April and told that the company had decided to turn down our request to have a tour there. The pre-convention tour to see the London Bridge has been enhanced. After eating lunch at Shugrue's, there will be a well narrated, one-hour boat trip around Lake Havasu on the Dixie Belle. While in Oatman, we will learn some interesting information about Oatman from Jackie Rollen, a long- time member of that community. Bob Keller will be telling us about Havasu and the London Bridge while we are eating lunch. Later that night, July 1, someone from the Laughlin area will speak to us after dinner. Before returning to Las Vegas, there will be time to walk the boardwalk along the Colorado River or ride the $3 casino shuttle across to Bullhead City or down to other properties. There will also be time to go to Laughlin for those who wish to try their luck there. There will be two city tours, one on Saturday morning, July 2 and the other Sunday morning, July 3, with narration by Charlene Cruz from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. Other tours include a Saturday morning, July 2 float trip below Hoover Dam on the Colorado River; a visit to Mormon Fort in downtown Las Vegas; Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum at the Venetian, on Monday afternoon. We will also take a very informative tour to the Blind Center of Las Vegas to learn about what services are available in Nevada, and a tour to a re-created old mining town at Bonney Springs on Tuesday afternoon. In addition to the Liberace tour on Wednesday, we will be going out to Sheri's Ranch to visit the world's largest legal brothel. This is a 21 and older tour. On Wednesday night, 100 of us will be on the Desert Princess for a three-hour dinner and dance cruise on Lake Mead. Finally, on Thursday afternoon we will be going to the Hoover Dam, the largest dam in the United States. The companion tour will be a visit to the Clark County Museum to learn about how this desert area has developed. Please note, there will not be any Saturday night event on July 9. If your tour is sold out and you want to go on it, please check in the registration office or at bus side to see if any tickets have been returned, or to see if there are any no-shows. Please make sure you have your ticket with you when you get on the bus. ***** ACB ENCOURAGES DIVERSITY IN LEADERSHIP by Michael Garrett ACB is essentially a microcosm of our society at large. It is likened to a huge melting pot whereby many people who come from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds come together to form a unified body working toward the same or similar goals. ACB has long been viewed as the organization where I can bring my issues; you can bring your issues; and someone else can bring his or her issues and we can all put them in the melting pot. After all the ingredients have simmered down into a delectable dish, we then have something to work with. The question has been raised, however, which says, when the dish is done, can all of the ingredients be tasted? In other words, are all of the issues that were originally put into the pot given consideration? Is there room at ACB's table for a diverse leadership where representatives from many backgrounds can contribute their input to make the organization more successful? We believe there is. ACB is rich in talent, know-how and experience. But for some reason, these talented people are sitting on the sidelines when their participation and input could make a tremendous difference in the overall effectiveness of the organization. Too often, we tend to let others do our bidding for us. We criticize our leaders when things don't go our way and we scoff at those who dare to take risks and stand up for what they believe in. But nobody can articulate better than you what you believe in; nobody can tell my story like I can. Now don't be mistaken, this is not a call for complaining, but a challenge for contribution. For several years, those in leadership have stated that ACB stands at the crossroads. This statement seems even more apparent with the important issues confronting us as blind and visually impaired individuals in the U.S. and the upcoming changes in ACB management. It begs for people from diverse backgrounds with bold, fresh new ideas and who are eager and willing to pitch in and go to work for the organization. ACB leadership supports this position. To that end, the board of directors, in a joint effort with the multicultural affairs committee, will host a reception at the national convention in Las Vegas. The event, called "Diversity in Leadership," is to be held in the president's suite at 5 p.m. on Monday, July 4. Come! Meet the board members. Find out how they became a part of the ACB leadership team. Explore ways you can contribute your talents and ideas. ACB is a great organization, but only because of the people who comprise it. However, if we are to achieve our ultimate greatness, it's going to take all of us sitting at the table putting our time, talents and efforts into the melting pot. ***** IF YOU THINK THE ACB CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS NEED AMENDING, NOW IS THE TIME by Ray Campbell As we approach the ACB national convention in Las Vegas, there will be many important items of business to handle. One very important thing which we get to do at each convention is revisit the most important of documents which governs how we do business in ACB, the constitution and bylaws. Convention time is your chance to look over the constitution and bylaws and, if you feel so inclined, propose amendments to them. You can obtain a copy of the constitution and bylaws by going to the ACB web site, www.acb.org, then clicking on the "Helpful Resources" link. Select the "Constitution and bylaws, resolutions adopted at ACB national conventions and other organizational documents" link, and finally click on the "ACB Constitution and Bylaws" link. You can either read the constitution and bylaws online or download a zipped copy. If you need a large print or braille copy, call the ACB national office at 1-800-424-8666 Monday through Friday between 2 and 5 p.m. Eastern time to request one. All amendments must be submitted to the constitution and bylaws committee by 5 p.m. on Monday, July 4, 2005. All amendments must be submitted in writing with the current language as well as how the language will read once amended. The committee plans to meet four times during convention, so even if you don't have any amendments, you are invited and encouraged to drop by and see how we do business. Meeting dates and times are: Saturday, July 2, 2 to 4 p.m.; Monday, July 4, 5 to 7 p.m.; Tuesday, July 5, 5 to 8 p.m.; and Wednesday, July 6, 5 to 8 p.m. Check the convention program when you arrive in Las Vegas for the exact meeting location. You can submit amendments anytime until 5 p.m. on Monday, July 4. Either bring your amendments with you to convention, or you can send them to me via e-mail at ray1530@comcast.net. I will have e-mail access at convention, so if you don't get them sent to me before you get there, don't worry. Thank you, and I look forward to seeing many of you in Las Vegas. ***** KEEP COOL IN VEGAS WITH THE SEEING EYE Kick off the 2005 annual convention of the American Council of the Blind with a fun and informative ice cream social hosted by The Seeing Eye, Sunday, July 3, from 3 to 5 p.m. All convention-goers are invited to drop by to sample a variety of ice cream novelties and enjoy a refreshing glass of iced tea. While you're there, you will have an opportunity to take a walk with "Juno" or embark on an exciting "ride" with SIM. A Juno walk provides a real-life, real-time chance to get a feel for how a dog guides. A Seeing Eye instructor will introduce you to the harness, show you the appropriate grip and posture, then take you (with the instructor serving as "Juno," the dog) on a brief tour in the hotel. Getting a real feel for how a dog conveys its body movements into significant, yet subtle, guiding signals can be quite enlightening. (Yes, sighted people are welcome to try this, too.) Taking a ride with SIM can also be quite a thrill. SIM is a dog guide simulator, developed in Holland, designed to provide information similar to the Juno walk. It, too, can give you a practical sense of the dog's movement and energy, which is transmitted through the harness. Unlike the Juno walk, where the instructor pulls from in front of you, SIM places the instructor behind you, pushing the three-wheeled SIM forward, from a position just behind your left shoulder. Come if you're interested. Come if you're curious. Come if you simply want to have some fun and enjoy an ice cream bar with friends. Check your program for information on our location. The Seeing Eye representatives look forward to seeing you all! ***** LET'S GO JINGLING AND JANGLING DOWN THE LAS VEGAS STRIP WITH OUR DOGS by Margie Donovan This year's convention will be a lot of fun for everyone, including your guide dogs. Many informative, fun events will be occurring with you and your dogs in mind. Because the Riviera Hotel will be having other events and conventions at the same time as ACB's, we need to keep the following things in mind: There will be five relief areas around the hotel and convention center complex. Upon arrival at the hotel, you may want to find a volunteer or hotel staff to orient you to the closest area to where you will be staying. We suggest that you stay in the Monaco Tower in order to be nearest the relieving area by your hotel room. Because Las Vegas is a very hot climate, it is important that you take extra care in keeping your dogs hydrated and relieving them on schedule. During meetings it is easy to forget that your dog may be stressed and in need of extra relieving opportunities, play time, and quiet time away from the hustle and bustle of convention week. So let's all be aware of our dogs' needs while we are in meetings and having fun at the casinos. The Riviera Hotel has lots of plush greenery around the pool where sun bathers enjoy relaxing in the sun. We must be mindful that this plush grass is not a relieving area even in the event of an emergency. The hotel spends lots of your hard-lost gambling money to keep its landscaping looking perfect year-round. To help maintain the beautiful grass and landscaping, the hotel will add a $25 surcharge to the rooms of individuals found to use the landscaping as a relief area. This charge will be placed on rooms by hotel security, not ACB. As for the Las Vegas weather forecast, it is always much hotter between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Just as us humans do not want to take long walks in heat of the day (upwards of 115 degrees), neither do your dogs. A quick break to relieve is not at all threatening to your dog's health. Just don't make the relieving activity a social event where you stay outside for an extended period of time. Conventioneers may want to bring dog booties to protect our dogs' paws against the hot sidewalks. Ice buckets are intended for cooling your liquid refreshments in the heat of Las Vegas, not to feed or water your dog. While packing your bags for the convention, don't forget to pack for your guides as well and include a bowl. If you would like, you can purchase the hotel's ice buckets for a mere $10 to feed your dogs. We will know you desire to make this purchase by using it to feed or water your dog. Housekeeping will add a $10 fee to the rooms of those using them for this means. GDUI would much appreciate you giving them your business instead of paying the hotel for this luxury. Accidents are a normal part of our lives, whether you knock over a drink, your guides relieve in unexpected areas, or you put on two different- colored socks. The key is to be responsible for our accidents. If you put on two different-colored socks, you fix this at your first opportunity; you do not wear the same mismatched pair a second time. If our guides have an accident, we need to have bags to clean it up. And we can call for help. While it can be very embarrassing, you will be held in a brighter light by cleaning it up and making sure no residuals are left for others to step in. Therefore, you will want to add extra bags to your packing list as well as a bag or two of moist wipes such as baby wipes. Now for two items of good news! We will have volunteer dog walkers available outside of the general sessions and GDUI sessions this year. Any arrangements conventioneers make to have their dog taken on a leisure walk with a volunteer is strictly between the volunteer and the handler. ACB is trying this as a pilot program this year. No special training will be given to volunteers on handling dog guides, therefore, ACB will not assume any liability. Secondly, I am happy to announce that Naomi Soule is my replacement on the convention committee. Naomi is a long-time dog handler and she will do a terrific job serving in this capacity. She will begin her official duties upon completion of this year's convention. See you all in Vegas, sniff sniff, wag wag. ***** AFFILIATE & COMMITTEE NEWS Consider AAVL If you are looking for a great combination of fun and interesting information, then mark your convention registration forms for all events of AAVL. On Monday afternoon, join us for a great lunch and a speaker that will have you holding your sides with laughter. On Tuesday, you'll have a chance to visit another meeting, or go see the vendors. On Wednesday, however, we will be telling you all about scams and identity theft; someone from the attorney general's office will be speaking. Most of ACB knows about our Wednesday afternoon musical wine and cheese and raffle. There are cash prizes, and who couldn't use cash in Vegas? On Thursday we offer our audience participation roundtable discussion. This year's topic is "The Things I Have Lost and Gained Due to Vision or Hearing Loss." We will also have a short business meeting on Thursday afternoon. We would like you to join us and share your feelings and experiences. Remember: when you think convention, think AAVL. For any questions about our affiliate, please call president Nola McKinney at (870) 356-5344. Join BITS in Innovating for the Future by Robert Rogers Blind Information Technology Specialists (BITS) is preparing to put on a really great program at the 2005 ACB convention in Las Vegas. We hope you will plan to register for, and attend, our program events on Sunday through Wednesday. On Sunday morning, with our program starting at 10:00, we will have Freedom Scientific, GW Micro, Humanware, and Sendero, with their features of accessibility for the blind, vying with each other to attempt to prove to us that their products have better features and accessibility for blind users. That afternoon, we will again have our vendor showcase where vendors leave the boisterous confusion of the exhibit floor and join you in comparative comfort in a quiet meeting room to give abbreviated presentations with Q & A. Monday night, we have our mixer starting at 9. On Tuesday afternoon, at 12:30, we have our luncheon with our speaker from Sendero talking about the latest developments in GPS wayfinding. Immediately after our luncheon (about 2 p.m.) we will hold our annual meeting. Remember, this is an election year! We also have to vote on amendments to our constitution and bylaws. These are important since they can change the definition of our membership from that of being an exclusive bunch of high-tech data processing professionals to an organization of good people who use computers and technology, people who are also eager to help others, all of us together using technology to cope with our needs as visually impaired people. On Wednesday afternoon at 1:30, a representative from Microsoft will discuss the company's products and accessibility thereto. A question-and- answer session will follow. The afternoon ends with another session for computer software users led by several of our own BITS experts. If you plan to come to our luncheon on Tuesday to hear about GPS for the blind, be sure to register in advance. Seating is limited. To learn more about BITS and its activities, including the convention program, visit www.acb.org/bits. If you are interested in joining or re- joining BITS, you may do so online by filling out the convenient online membership application, and even paying dues at that time through Paypal. Dues information and the name and address of our treasurer are posted there. We'll see you in Vegas. BRL Steps Ahead by Winifred Downing Recognizing that changes must be made in braille, BRL steps forward with explanations and a solution. The changes are necessary to resolve the contradictions and ambiguities existing in the codes we use now; offer signs like plus, minus, and equals signs for the literary code; develop ways in which all the variety now offered in textbooks especially for schoolchildren can be incorporated in the braille text; and accommodate the needs of people involved with technology. To accomplish these purposes, BRL offers, at 2:15 on July 5, a workshop in the Nemeth Universal Braille System (NUBS), an alternative to the Unified English Braille Code (UEBC) to which many blind people have objected. NUBS preserves all the contractions and the spacing practices we now use; provides a single code so that users can progress as far as their need requires; is much more concise than the UEBC, thus necessitating far fewer characters for the fingers to identify; and is easy for the blind person to write. Every participant will be given a booklet to examine and keep. In addition to this innovative workshop, the BRL program features a description by the Jenny Beck Chapter of the Braille Revival League, which has its own office and embossing equipment to serve the blind of Pennsylvania in countless ways; an explanation of braille use by a technical writer, given by ACB president Christopher Gray; a forum concerning the Braille Authority of North America led by Kim Charlson, and the Wednesday afternoon joint program with LUA centering on books, library practices, and the ACB narrator of the year. Do join us on July 5 and 6 for a stimulating experience! SASI to Hold Informative Sessions SASI is planning two programs this year. One will be held on Saturday, July 2 from 3 to 5 p.m. It is called "Meet Your SSP." Lori Scharff will introduce the session and introduce each SASI individual to his or her support service provider. The second session, "Ways to Communicate with SASI" featuring Rich McGann from Pittsburgh, will be held Tuesday afternoon, July 5 from 1 to 5. Gail Ploman, Randy and Jamie Pope will give an update on the program. Mississippi State University will also give an update on the research and rehabilitation project. Oh, and there will be a vendor demo of some equipment and devices used by SASI people. Please make time to attend our interesting programs this year. See you in Las Vegas. Diabetes Seminar to Talk about Carbs ACB Diabetics in Action, the newest special-interest affiliate, will host the annual diabetes seminar on Saturday, July 9 at 9:30 a.m. The topic this year is "All You Want to Know About Carbs and Are Afraid to Ask." ACBDA will also be selling raffle tickets at $2 each or three for $5. First prize is $100; second prize, $75; and third prize, $50. Lucky Dogs by Sheila Styron Believe it or not, the ACB convention is once again upon us, featuring five days of Guide Dog Users, Incorporated (GDUI) activities taking place from Sunday, July 3 through Thursday, July 7 at the Riviera Hotel, and that's why we're all lucky dogs. All winning numbers, I mean necessary contact info, will be revealed at the end of this article. GDUI will be featuring less programming Monday through Wednesday but offering you more on Thursday than we have in the past. The winning combination here is designed to alleviate convention stress for both human and canine partners alike, which should prove to be a win-win situation for everyone. GDUI will once again be offering two opportunities to orient yourself to the convention hotel and surrounding area with your favorite guide dog instructors on Sunday afternoon from noon to 2 and 5 to 7 p.m. Maybe we'll auction off the most popular trainers to raise funds for GDUI. Don't forget to ask them to show you how to find the casino and GDUI suite! If you order dog food in advance, the GDUI Suite is where you will pick it up Sunday afternoon from noon to 4 p.m. and where you will want to hang out with other guide dog handlers, purchase GDUI products or just kick back and relax Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you experience any guide dog-related problems while at convention, you may want to contact GDUI's empathizers, who will also be based in the suite. The affiliate roundup meeting will take place Sunday afternoon from 2:15 to 3:45 p.m., at which time GDUI affiliate representatives will be credentialed for voting. So don't miss that meeting if you are a delegate for your GDUI affiliate. The GDUI board meeting is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Monday through Thursday morning at 7 a.m., with a promise to be back in time for general session, GDUI's breakfast club will provide opportunities to walk a short distance before the Las Vegas sun is out in full force. Opening ceremonies will take place Monday afternoon at 1:30, followed by an illuminating presentation at 2:15 by International Guide Dog Federation assessors Michele Pouliot and Terry Barrett, who will recount their adventures visiting guide dog schools in places like New Zealand and South Korea. From 3:30 to 5 p.m., guide dog school presentations will be tailored to your specific needs, as GDUI takes a chance on a revised format where after brief school updates, individuals can interact with school reps one on one. Whether you just want to visit with old friends or are finally getting around to considering training with a guide dog, program reps will answer your questions and tell you everything you ever wanted to know about training with a guide dog. Monday evening from 8 to 10, GDUI will hold its reception celebrating Lucky Dogs, and you could end up being a very lucky dog indeed, with a valuable chunk of GDUI's door prize treasure trove going to Lucky Dog attendees. GDUI is proud to offer free microchipping Tuesday and Wednesday mornings starting at 10 a.m. in the GDUI Suite courtesy of Avid. At 12:30 on Tuesday, there will be an owner/trainer panel discussion which will explore training options from training a guide dog from scratch to how we as handlers can shape our dogs' behaviors after graduating from guide dog school. At 1:30 p.m., Becky Barnes from Guiding Eyes for the Blind will provide strategies for resolving advocacy conflicts especially designed to assist visually impaired individuals in their communities. At the GDUI business meeting which follows at 2:45, four GDUI board members will be elected. Wednesday from 12:30 to 2 p.m., GDUI's keynote luncheon speaker will be Dr. Jane Brackman, who I like to refer to as the world's leading dogologist. Dr. Brackman will discuss some of the mysteries still perplexing scientists about Canis Familiaris such as the oddities that occur as wolves change to dogs, the eccentricities of canine biology, and the curious relationship between form and function in dog breeds. ACB's candidates are invited to address GDUI members from 2:15 to 3:15, after our luncheon at the GDUI caucus, and continuing with its winning strategy, GDUI invites you to Take A Hike to the Fashion Show Mall with canes or canine guides Wednesday evening, from 7 to approximately 9, when the Vegas sun is no longer a contender. Thursday afternoon from 2 to 3, Judy Dixon, Consumer Relations Officer at the National Library Service for the Blind, will discuss taking a chance on training with a guide dog for the first time after age 50. You won't want to miss Judy's presentation if you're one of those individuals who has been considering working with a guide dog but just hasn't been able to work up the courage to do it. Finally, Thursday evening from 8 to 9, we will wrap up GDUI's activities by getting down on the floor with our dogs with Carla Campbell, renowned canine and equine body worker, as she guides us through the best Vegas petting session imaginable with our dogs. Carla will be available for individual dog massage sessions Monday through Thursday morning in the GDUI Suite. Since it wouldn't be fair to show all GDUI's winning convention programming cards before you actually arrive in Las Vegas, I will now don my poker face and leave you with the contact info you'll need to make all those lucky Las Vegas plans. GDUI hopes to see as many of you lucky dogs as possible in Las Vegas this summer. The Riviera Hotel phone number is (702) 734-5110. Room rates for single and double occupancy, $77 per night (plus tax). Guide dog handlers might want to ask for rooms in the Monaco tower to be closer to the better relief area. Emergency vet care: Emergency Vet Center, (702) 457-8050 Non-emergency vet care: Ark Animal Clinic, (702) 648-8583 To order dog food, call James Almon at Bone Appetit, (702) 644-3644. Call with credit card orders by June 23 and absolutely no later than June 28. The store can provide all brands and in smaller bag sizes. It specializes in more natural foods including: Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Nutro Ultra, Canidae, Royal Canine Pinnacle and Eagle Pack. There is a bakery which prepares a wide variety of delicious and natural dog treats, too. IVIE In Las Vegas: A Sure Bet For A Great Program by Carla Hayes When making plans for the events you will attend at the ACB national convention in Las Vegas, be sure to leave plenty of time for IVIE's exciting activities. In case you don't know, IVIE stands for Independent Visually Impaired Enterprisers. We are an ACB affiliate comprised of blind and visually impaired business owners in a variety of fields. As usual, Monday will be IVIE Day during convention week. We will start bright and early with our annual breakfast and business meeting from 7 to 8:30 a.m. After enjoying a sumptuous breakfast and fellowship with friends, participate in a lively business meeting in which you will have the opportunity to elect new officers and plan for IVIE's future. Our program will take place on Monday afternoon. We will begin with a motivating seminar from 1:30 to 3 p.m. titled, "The Best Made Plans Of Mice, Men and Business Owners: How to Plan For Success in Business and in Life." Our presenter will be IVIE's own William Benjamin, proprietor of the Piano Boutique in Tallahassee, Fla. and author of the book "Metamorphosis." This program will be followed by the Entrepreneurs' Round Table which will take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. During this informal gathering, blind and visually impaired business owners will have the opportunity to meet and discuss their challenges, problems and successes and exchange ideas and tips. Would-be business owners are also welcome to come. This year, IVIE will not hold a business expo. Instead, there will be an IVIE booth in the exhibit hall during regular exhibit hours. At this booth, blind and visually impaired business owners will showcase their products and services and answer questions about what they do. If you are a business owner, you can purchase time at the booth. The rates will be $10 an hour for IVIE members and $15 an hour for non-members. Time at the booth will be scheduled in advance and will be first come, first served. To schedule booth time and arrange for payment, please call me at (724) 941- 8184 as soon as possible. When you are in the exhibit hall, be sure to stop by the IVIE booth often because different businesses will be there at different times. I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you that the time to pay your IVIE dues is now. Our calendar year runs from July 1 through June 30. If you would like to renew your membership, or join, annual dues are $15. Your check should be made payable to IVIE. Please send your name, address, phone number, e-mail address and the name of your business (if you have one), along with your check, to our membership chairperson, Sila Miller, 2201 Limerick Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32309. If you have any questions about the convention, the IVIE booth or IVIE in general, please feel free to call me at (724) 941-8184. Hope to see you in Las Vegas! ***** EXTRA, EXTRA! PAIR-A-DICE NOW SEEKING VOLUNTEERS Are you coming to convention? Do you like helping out where needed? The press room is now seeking volunteers to help collate and staple papers, take ads and announcements, and staff the room. Sharon Lovering is the operations manager, aided by Steve and Marcia Dresser. She is seeking volunteers to fill two-hour shifts throughout the day (8- 10 a.m., 10 a.m.-noon, noon-2 p.m., and 2-4 p.m.). The press room will be open Friday through Wednesday, and be taken down Thursday; it will open daily at 8 a.m. and close to the public at 5 p.m. To sign up for a shift, contact Sharon at the ACB national office, (800) 424-8666 extension 22, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. We especially need people with good braille skills to take ads for the paper. This year's convention newspaper will be called "The Las Vegas Pair-a- Dice." It will run from Saturday through Thursday in braille, large print, and on cassette. Ads and other items intended for publication must be in the press room's hands by 2 p.m. each day. By a directive from the board of publications, ads will be allowed to run for only three days, in order to give important convention announcements more space. Ads should be 100 words or less. (See "Convention Newspaper Fees for 2005" elsewhere in this issue.) The board of publications editorial policy manual prohibits us from producing or distributing campaign materials. During the evenings, we will need people to help collate and staple the braille papers. Thanks to Enabling Technologies, we will have three braille printers this year, and we will need one person per printer. Got an hour to spare between 5 and 11 p.m.? Drop by and see if the press room needs help. If you have signed up for home delivery of "The Las Vegas Pair-a- Dice," PLEASE make sure you drop by the press room to give us your hotel tower and room number once you arrive. Be certain to specify braille, large print or tape. This will ensure that you don't miss an issue. And please hold onto your Saturday issue; it will include all the suite numbers, phone numbers, and room changes. Please remember that the press room is a working room. While we understand that convention is a great time to see old and new friends, loud conversations make it difficult to hear the speech synthesizers on the computers which enable us to get the newspaper out to you, the readers. Help us help you get the information you need. Photocopying will again be allowed this year. Copies will cost 10 cents per page. Please pay the registration office. And if your committee or affiliate needs something brailled, we will be able to do that as well. Make certain you label your disk(s) before bringing them down to the press room, and tell us how many of each format (braille and large print) you will need, by what time. Bring your items down in the morning before the general session to help us fit them in. If you need something brailled for a 1 p.m. meeting, don't wait until 12:30 p.m. to bring it to us. Affiliates, if you know who your delegate, alternate, and nominating committee representative will be, please let Donna Seliger and Sharon Lovering know as soon as possible. ***** CONVENTION NEWSPAPER FEES FOR 2005 Once again this year, a three-tier fee structure will be in effect for convention newspaper ads. Organizations and individuals wishing to place ads in "The Las Vegas Pair-a-Dice," this year's convention daily newspaper, will contribute to the cost of production via the following fee structure. All ads must be 100 words or less. For-profit businesses will be charged $100 for a newspaper ad for three days or $35 per day. Non-profit organizations and ACB affiliates will be charged $10 per day for a newspaper ad which will run for three days. Individuals will be charged $5 per day for a newspaper ad which will run for three days. These fees will entitle the advertiser to announce his/her product in the daily paper (available in print, braille and on tape). The 2005 convention will feature newspapers between Saturday and Thursday. Don't forget, you can sign up for daily "home delivery" of the Pair-a- Dice. This service will be provided by members of the National Alliance of Blind Students; it costs $5 if you pre-register, or $10 if you subscribe when you get to Las Vegas. ***** MEMBERSHIP FOCUS JANUARY 2005 Compiled by Ardis Bazyn This quarterly membership focus generated strategies for making conventions more successful. It was exciting to see the level of involvement from the participants on the call. Sue Ammeter asked participants to share convention suggestions. Most people on the call said that planning the events was the most important. Deciding whether to hold specific programs and activities at the same time is crucial. Events need to be well attended so speakers feel their time was not wasted. Exhibitors want participants to visit. Most callers insisted a variety of activities would garner the most attendance. Some of the comments about activities were: topics and functions for all ages; exhibits especially of interest to blind and visually impaired people, including mainstream items; numerous types of events, such as luncheons with speakers, special-interest items, and entertainment; and break-out sessions. A variety of presentation styles may hold the audience's attention -- interactive, question and answer, or motivational. Topics should also be diverse. Important issues should be covered, such as pending legislation, state budgets, state rehab issues, and transportation. Entertaining speakers are also appreciated: blind or visually impaired people who have traveled to unusual spots, people with unique careers, people with unusual hobbies, and those who are motivational. Ten-minute presentations on some topics such as laser canes, labeling methods or devices, handyman ideas, cleaning techniques, audible signals or tracking devices, library access technology, or accessible software, might stimulate interest. Exhibits should also include numerous types of gadgets and issues. For example, accessible voting machines technology -- high-tech and low-tech, bar coding devices, computers and software, braille info and products, fund- raisers, etc. You might offer exhibitor prizes to encourage more exhibitors. Allow time for conventioneers to visit the exhibits. If too many activities are offered while exhibits are open, the attendance may drop. Each day of convention could pertain to a specific topic such as accessibility, transportation, pedestrian travel and safety, or new technology. A special theme may help you to focus on specific areas for your conference. If you have a smaller number of members, you might concentrate on one- or two-day seminars rather than a full convention. A one-day seminar might also be a way to keep members interested in your affiliate during the year. Bop-It contests, cruises, tours, talent shows, dances, and other events are other draws to a convention. And everyone enjoys getting a goodie bag! Affiliates who choose to give these to participants get the items donated from a variety of sources: exhibitors, BEP vendors, other businesses in the community, and other members. Suggest to a store that donating kitchen gadgets or other tidbits is advertising, and the owner might be more willing to donate. An affiliate may also opt to purchase an item to use as a banquet gift. Door prizes are also often donated during the convention and given away during sessions, banquets and/or luncheons. Members also appreciate any extra door prizes. If your affiliate offers scholarships, you might consider a scholarship dinner or reception. This would allow students to meet a variety of members. You could encourage chapters to invite the family members of scholarship recipients. Children's activities should also be encouraged: arts, crafts, and sports activities. They can meet parents and older members at lunches. How about a pizza party before a talent show? If other young people attend, more young people will enjoy participating. Since transportation is an issue for many conventioneers, some affiliates bus members to the convention. Buses may be arranged for no cost or for a small fee to the ones who sign up. Once the buses are filled, other participants must find their own way. Some affiliates also offer stipends to members who cannot afford to come. Members interested in these funds must write letters asking for assistance. Grant letters might be written to foundations or corporations for this purpose. It is beneficial to find a volunteer coordinator to arrange volunteer schedules and assist in locating local groups who may be willing. Volunteers are a plus for many participants. They are especially helpful the first day or two of convention. Affiliates should also consider having a conference with other groups to enlarge the attendance. Washington State School for the Blind has an orientation and mobility conference at the same time as the Washington Council of the Blind convention. In this way, these young people can have meals with WCB members and attend hospitality functions (a separate one with no alcohol). Special-interest affiliates might be encouraged to meet with your state affiliate. In order to get as many members and friends as possible, there needs to be a lot of communication about your convention activities. Spreading the word in your affiliate publication, local newspapers in the area of your convention, interviews on the radio, word of mouth, flyers sent to chapters, and letters to everyone on your affiliate mailing list are all necessary. If you have a radio reading service in your community, ask them to read your convention announcement. Ask your chapters to invite friends and neighbors. Highlight as many activities in advance as possible. People like an excuse to get together. Once your convention is over, collect all the comments made by your committees. Each year, you might survey participants or have a suggestion box for attendees to give comments. Try to find out what went well and what didn't. Perhaps the registration table was not set up well, so you may wish to make changes for the next conference. Maybe your talent show was great and you want to try it again. What publicity worked the best? Remember all the good and bad so you can do better next time. Good luck on your next convention! ***** DOCTOR, HEAL THYSELF by Ken Stewart In New York state, the comptroller is one of only four officials elected statewide; the others are the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. The comptroller has broad constitutional powers not only to watch over fiscal affairs but also to evaluate governmental operations. As an administrator for several state agencies, I witnessed the intensity and thoroughness of the teams of state auditors, and the stinging press releases which were among the products of their work long afterward. Reading the newsletter of one of the multi-disability organizations to which I belong, I noted an item reporting on one of those program audits. It was in an area of governmental services close to my advocacy-heart, transportation. The newsletter of Disabled In Action of Metropolitan New York, "The Activist," reported that audit #S-69, conducted in 2001, looked at the accessibility of New York City subways as required by the ADA.. I immediately telephoned the Office of the State Comptroller and my request for a copy of the document was greeted with gracious willingness, and a copy was mailed out to me. But my inquiry into the possibility of the same document in an alternate format received gracious befuddlement. The telephone exchange ended with a gracious, "We'll look into it." A month later no audit report in an alternate format had arrived but with some help from my CCTV and a great deal of help from a volunteer reader, I had perused the entire report. While it was titled, "The Accessibility of New York City Subways," I found not one reference to any accessibility issues pertaining to any other disability than mobility impairment. No attention to signage visibility or braille, no check for audible aspects of turnstile display information, no consideration of P.A. attributes for people with hearing loss, no evaluation of features to aid the travel of people with cognitive impairments, not even any notation of the presence or absence of appropriate platform edge detectable warning strips. My subsequent letter to the comptroller suggested three possible explanations for audit report #S-69: Either the audit is actually unfinished, accessibility for other disability categories yet to be rated; it was simply mistitled, too ambitiously, instead of Mobility Accessibility in Subways; or the comptroller's staff needs some help (which I offered) understanding that accessibility means more than how well a wheelchair gets around the system. I also reminded him that his office, like other governmental entities, is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, legislation which was the backdrop of my not-yet-satisfied request for that audit report in an accessible format. (Editor's Note: Ken reports that his follow-up letter seven months later got results. It hinted that intervention from outside political officials might be sought. There was an immediate phone response from the state comptroller's office. The caller, the agency's director of intergovernmental affairs, was very gracious and agreeable. He committed his organization to review its policy (or lack thereof) on making documents available in accessible formats, and to educating its audit staff on the difference between wheelchair users and the broad spectrum of people with disabilities, with other kinds of mobility limitations, and others who are covered under the ADA. Stay tuned!) ***** A Momentary Thought by Allen J. Casey In this complex world of ours, there are people who are blind, and there are people who lack vision. May God guide the former and save us all from the latter. ***** LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The contents of this column reflect the letters we had received by the time we went to press, May 13, 2005. Letters are limited to 300 words or less. All submissions must include the author's name and location. Opinions expressed are those of the authors. Survey Results: Independent Blind Travelers In the November "Braille Forum" I asked how many other independent blind readers felt misperceived by members of the public and sometimes felt put at risk by their attempts to help. Survey results included no negative responses, eight positive responses, and a few more suggestions to the public of how to deal with blind pedestrians. The below list of requests is compiled in the belief that most members of the public would like to be of real assistance to blind pedestrians. Does anyone have or know of a web site where these requests can be posted to help educate the public? Etiquette to Observe When Meeting Blind People 1. Refrain from distracting any blind pedestrian at any time by grabbing, pulling, pushing, shouting or honking your horn. 2. However a blind person appears to you, show respect for the person's need to concentrate on helping him/herself. 3. Never make assumptions about a blind person's desired destination, purpose, intentions or wishes. 4. Consider that blind people who walk with guide dogs or white canes usually have a fair idea of where we are going, regardless of appearances. 5. Please never tease, feed or otherwise distract a guide dog. 6. Please never grab a white cane. 7. If you see a blind person out of the crosswalk in a busy intersection, do not honk your horn or yell. Such noises are unclear as to your intent, and could startle a blind pedestrian into making a fatal error. 8. Rather than shout "right" or "left" to a blind person you think may be in trouble, instead call "This way" or "Wait." 9. If you want to offer help, just say hello in a low to moderate tone of voice. We can decide what we need. You may reach me via e-mail, coyote@transbay.net, or by phone, (510) 849- 0721 (Pacific time). -- Arlene Merryman, Berkeley, Calif. In reply to Working Together In the article, "Working Together for Community Betterment" by Jack Varnon and Rodney Bickel (May 2005), Jack has a postscript in which he says: "Lately, there has been widespread use of PDF documents on government agencies' web sites. Most of these documents are virtually unreadable with conventional screen readers like JAWS and Window-Eyes. Therefore, the average blind person is denied reasonable access to such information. It's my understanding that if I invest more dollars and upgrade to the latest JAWS (version 6.0) and Adobe Acrobat 7.0 (free), I will be able to read properly constructed PDF files. Unfortunately, many of us just cannot justify the extra expense." I would like to add a few supporting points. First, even many recently made PDF files are not "properly" constructed. And there is no reason to believe that this will change in the near future, since they are not automatically "properly" constructed, and those making PDF files have to follow specific instructions to make them accessible. Most people making the PDF files aren't bothering, or aren't able to follow the instructions adequately to accomplish the task. Second, in addition to the cost of upgrading screen-reader software, some of us would need to incur additional cost because we have specific speech synthesizer needs or preferences. For example, upgrades of JAWS above 4.5 require upgrades in the DECTalk software. But the upgraded DECTalk software is not as clear as the earlier version that works well with earlier versions of JAWS. For people like me, who have some hearing impairment, the Eloquence speech synthesizer that comes free with JFW is not adequate because some of us cannot clearly hear the consonants. There is a solution -- the newest DECTalk hardware, which is quite clear and works well with versions of JFW above 4.5. But it costs $700, and not all of us can afford that. -- Sylvie Kashdan, Seattle, Wash. ***** HERE AND THERE by Sarah Blake The announcement of products and services in this column is not an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its staff, or elected officials. Products and services are listed free of charge for the benefit of our readers. "The Braille Forum" cannot be held responsible for the reliability of products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to info@acb.org, or call ACB at 1-800-424-8666. Please remember that postal regulations prohibit us from including advertisements, and that we need information two months ahead of actual publication dates. NIB FELLOWSHIP FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Are you an individual who is blind, excels at your job, and sets high goals for yourself? Do you want to gain the skills and experience necessary to take your career to the next level? Would you like both on-the-job and classroom experience dedicated to teaching the fundamentals of business leadership? If you answered yes to all of these questions, the Fellowship for Leadership Development sponsored by National Industries for the Blind (NIB) may be for you. The fellowship is a two-year program that combines on-the- job experience with formal management training. Fellows are blind individuals who demonstrate leadership competencies and a high potential to succeed and prosper in a management position. At the completion of the fellowship, successful fellows will be placed in professional managerial positions within NIB and the network of NIB-associated agencies. NIB is now accepting applications for a new fellowship to begin in January 2006. For more information, please visit www.nib.org or call Kathy Gallagher, NIB's Senior Human Resources Specialist, at (703) 578-8343. RECENT DEATHS Wells B. Kormann, 51, died April 29, 2005 of cancer. He was chief of the materials development division at the National Library Service for the Blind; his responsibilities included the development of a new digital talking book. He also played an important role in the expansion of a national volunteer project in which engineers from Telephone Pioneers of America and General Electric Elfuns repair playback machines and other equipment distributed to blind, visually impaired and physically disabled people. Survivors include his wife of 27 years, Catherine Buckley; their three children, Roger, Andrew and Claire; his parents, John and Elsa Kormann; a brother, Matthew; and a sister, Andrea. William F. Reckert, 77, died April 1, 2005 of congestive heart failure. He spent more than 50 years as a transcriber for Justice Department investigations, including the Watergate special prosecution team. His job title was "closed microphone reporter." Reckert was the individual who discovered the infamous 18 «-minute gap as he typed the June 20, 1972 secret recording of an Oval Office conversation between then-President Richard Nixon and chief of staff H.R. Haldeman. TEE TOURNAMENT FOR BLINDED VETERANS The National TEE Tournament for Blinded Veterans will be held Sept. 13-15, 2005 in Coralville, Iowa. Participation is open to male and female U.S. veterans who are legally blind. For more information, or to register, call (319) 339-7104. EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR Verizon was recently named the Private Sector Employer of the Year by "Careers and the disAbled" magazine. Verizon's Cheryl Mongell was named one of 10 Employees of the Year. SEEKING EMPLOYEES Asheville Industries for the Blind is seeking individuals willing to work in Asheville, N.C. Contact Randy Buckner at (828) 258-2332 between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern. SEEKING INPUT FROM BLIND LAW STUDENTS Disability Rights Advocates is a non-profit law center in Oakland, Calif., dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities. DRA is investigating complaints it has received from blind law students and graduates who have been denied accommodations in the form of electronic formats on the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE). If you have experienced difficulty obtaining accommodations such as electronic versions of the MBE or MPRE , please contact Mazen M. Basrawi, Disability Rights Advocates, 449 15th Street, Suite 303, Oakland, CA 94612; phone (510) 451-8644. INTERVIEWING OPPORTUNITY DURING CONVENTION Representatives from Guide Dogs for the Blind's Human Resource Department will be on hand at the ACB convention on July 8 to interview attendees who may be interested in future employment with Guide Dogs for the Blind, located north of San Francisco. We want to widen our pool of candidates for future open positions with our organization. If interested, e-mail icareer@guidedogs.com or call Theresa Duncan at 1-800-295-4050 x4171 to book a 20- to 30-minute appointment. Bring your resume if possible! CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS "Dialogue" magazine publishes articles, personal essays, interviews, news and resources on all aspects of living with a vision impairment. It is seeking submissions in 2005 for issues that focus on low vision, careers, assistive technology, and parents and children. If you have tips and experiences to share on coping with sight loss, participating in traditional and distance education programs, succeeding in a career, being self- employed, taking full advantage of high and low-tech tools and devices, or raising a child who has a vision impairment, "Dialogue" would like to hear from you. Request the writer's guidelines and a sample copy of the magazine in one of the following formats: large print, braille, cassette, computer diskette, or e-mail. Queries, article submissions, and items for the resource column are all welcome. Contact "Dialogue" at Blindskills, Inc., P.O. Box 5181, Salem, OR 97304-0181; phone 1-800-860- 4224; e-mail magazine@blindskills.com; or visit www.blindskills.com. NATIONAL FAMILY CONFERENCE "Families Connecting with Families!" is the theme for a conference for families of blind and visually impaired children to be held at the Galt House in Louisville, Ky., August 12-14. The conference is co-sponsored by the American Printing House for the Blind, the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments, and the Hadley School for the Blind. Suites are $85 a night; regular rooms are $77 a night, plus tax. The $100 registration fee includes a reception on Friday night, lunch on Saturday, family activities on Saturday night, and a brunch on Sunday. Child care and activities based on the children's ages and needs will be provided. For more information, or a registration packet, contact NAPVI, 1-800- 562-6265. To register online, go to www.spedex.com/napvi/2005%20Conference%20Registration%20form.htm. Make your room reservations at the Galt House by calling 1-800-843- 4258 by July 18, 2005 and mention the APH National Family Conference and date. GW MICRO LAUNCHES LEASE-TO-OWN PLAN GW Micro recently announced the launch of its new Window-Eyes Lease- to-Own program. The program will allow customers to pay for Window-Eyes in monthly installments while they're using it. In the lease-to-own program, a customer can purchase a one-month LTO copy of Window-Eyes for $50. They then purchase additional licenses for $100 per month for 9 or 11 months. At the end of the payment schedule, the customer will receive a full working version of Window-Eyes. GW Micro offers two different plans. LTO Plus includes a copy of Window-Eyes and a single upgrade for $950; LTO Premium includes a copy of Window-Eyes and a full software maintenance agreement (three upgrades) for $1,150. If a customer misses a payment, or decides he no longer wants to participate, Window-Eyes will convert to a 30-minute demo version of the software, which will allow customers to renew it at a later date. More information, including FAQ and policies, is available on the web at www.gwmicro.com/lto or by calling (260) 489-3671. NEW SCREEN READER Jump into the world of computers for just $75! MarvelSoft Corp. recently released version 2.0 of its Talking Toolbox product. Designed exclusively for blind people, Talking Toolbox is a self-voicing program that runs on any Windows machine. The software reads everything shown on the screen aloud using human and synthetic speech, which you can listen to on your computer's speakers or headphones. The Toolbox lets you independently send and receive e-mail, plan your week with its electronic calendar, and enjoy an easy-to-use word processor. An address book, calculator, alarm clock, and CD player are also built into the toolbox, making it a must-have for blind kids, adults and seniors alike. Talking Toolbox costs just $74.95! For more information, please visit www.marvelsoft.com or call 1-800-987-1231. BRAILLE BOOKS AVAILABLE Volunteer Braillists and Tapists, Inc. has over 1,700 titles for adults and children in its braille library, including cookbooks, knitting books, print/braille books, several publications on diabetes and cancer, and leisure reading. We also provide transcription of a wide variety of materials for schools, businesses and individuals upon request. For more information, contact Volunteer Braillists and Tapists at 517 N. Segoe Rd. #200, Madison, WI 53705, or call (608) 233-0222 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Central time, or e-mail vbti@juno.com. To view the catalog online, visit www.vbti.org. BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER AVAILABLE ON CD The Book of Common Prayer is now available on CD in Microsoft Word format. The text is in 18-point type, and the document can be used for preparing worship materials or read on the computer. To order, send a self-addressed, stamped 6x9-inch envelope (using three 37-cent stamps) to Ann Vahlen at 1900 6th Avenue, Apt. 513, Rock Island, IL 61201. NIH SENIORHEALTH HELPS SENIORS The National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) have developed the NIH SeniorHealth web site, www.nihseniorhealth.gov. This interactive site was designed specifically with the needs of older adults in mind, and includes large-print materials, relevant information, and features that are easy to use. It includes user- friendly information, frequently asked questions, and other resources to help seniors with low vision learn more about maintaining an active and independent lifestyle. PSYCHOLOGY BY PHONE Mari Bull, a blind psychologist in southern California, works with adult clients on the phone. They pay for sessions by check or credit card. She offers a free 15-minute introductory session so potential clients can interview her. Call her toll-free at 1-888-627-4285. If you get the voice mail, leave your name, number, and a convenient time to call you, and the time zone you are calling from. FREE DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE Sprint now offers up to 10 free directory assistance calls per month for wireless customers who are blind, visually impaired or physically disabled. As a part of this offer, Sprint will also provide free Voice Command (SM) service. Sprint PCS Voice Command is a voice-activated dialing platform that helps customers with disabilities by reducing keypad use and reliance on handset display information. Voice Command works hand-in-hand with directory assistance: once you've requested a phone number, you have the option to save it in your Voice Command directory, so you don't have to call 411 again for the same number. For more details about this offer, or to obtain an application for this program, contact Sprint Customer Care at (888) 211-4727, or visit www.sprint.com/accessibility. ***** REFLECTIONS UPON A GOOD NEIGHBOR by Mike Duke A wonderful benefit of pre-air-conditioned Mississippi was good neighbors. I remember listening at my open bedroom window in order to determine if my next-door neighbor was home. I would hear the rattle of dishes, or the purr of the washing machine. Then, I would walk out my back door and begin calling her as I approached the gentle slope which separated our yards. She would answer, talking me over the flower-lined path, around the sleeping cat, and up the steps to her kitchen door. I learned many important life lessons from this lady. She fed me my first taste of fresh fish, and showed me how to remove the bones. She taught me how to eat ice cream without getting it on my shirt. From her I learned how to hold a kitten. One spring day she taught me the words to "You Are My Sunshine." Our less than show-stopping duet of that number is now fortunately hidden forever beneath numerous remodelings of her cozy kitchen. She, and the rest of my neighborhood, tolerated my noisy attempts to become the next drummer for Elvis or the Beatles. When that job didn't materialize, I acquired a small AM radio transmitter, which would broadcast my voice and a phonograph over a short distance. This good neighbor and her family became my first radio audience. We now have air-conditioning, nearly soundproof houses, fences, restrictive covenants, and other isolating barriers between our neighbors and us. We do not know the names of most of the other residents on our street. Sadly, the primary lesson our neighborhood children now learn from us is how to grow up to become curmudgeons. ***** HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: 1996 Humanware Clearview CCTV, camera only. In good condition, has true color, and can be connected to a computer running Windows 95, 98, or ME. Asking $575. Large print Webster's Dictionary, asking $25, and a large print Webster's Thesaurus, asking $25. Two print/braille children's books, "A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman" by David A. Adler and "Grandmother's Dreamcatcher" by Becky Ray McCain. Asking $6 for each book. Braille coloring book, asking $12. Franklin Spell Checker, speaks word and definition but does not spell the word. Asking $25. 40" folding cane with two small mushroom tips. Asking $10. Contact Danielle Earl by e-mail at sunshinedanielle@mail.com. FOR SALE: Power Braille 40, in perfect condition with all necessary cables and cords. Asking $1,500 or best offer. Please contact Cody Dolinsek at cnbdolinsek@msn.com. FOR SALE: ReadingEdge in excellent condition, includes DECTalk speech. Comes with 19-key keypad and braille manual. No computer skills are necessary. Asking $700 or best offer. Window-Eyes 4.5 professional, asking $300. Please contact Pat at (512) 837-3041 or by e-mail, toolshopper@sbcglobal.net. FOR SALE: PacMate BX in good condition. Two years old. Comes with all original materials except headphones, which are standard Walkman type. Asking $600, including shipping. Money order required. If interested, call Debra at (703) 322-9690 or e-mail deb26@cox.net. FOR SALE: Reconditioned Perkins brailler with hinged hard cover, $450. Insul-gauges for BD U-100 insulin syringes and Medi-coolers, $125 for the lot or $5 per gauge. Braille dominoes; 28 dominoes and 2 dice. Asking $15. 20 pill minders, 19 of which are brailled. Asking $2 each, or $30 for the lot. Contact Robert Ziegler at (763) 537-8000 or via e-mail, jemob@earthlink.net. FOR SALE: Talking Franklin Language Master, only a year old. Asking $475. Portable disk drive for Type 'n Speak. Asking $425. Both in great shape. Contact Adam Pobursky, adampobursky@yahoo.com. FOR SALE: Buslink external CD burner and MP3 Maker 2005 Deluxe by Magix Entertainers. Works with Windows 98 second edition and higher. Asking $100, including shipping. Contact Dr. Lucy Torres at (812) 323-9230. FOR SALE: Optelec Spectrum SVGA Computer Compatible Video Magnification System in excellent condition. Includes foot pedal and print user's manual. Asking $1,500 or best offer plus shipping. Contact Mark at (781) 391-2943 or e-mail him at mremaly@comcast.net. FOR SALE: Jordy complete video magnifier. Comes with everything: headpiece, adapter, carrying case, docking stand, battery charger, and all manuals. Never been used. Best offer. Contact Rochelle Doyle at (770) 518-6483 or via e-mail, radeach@yahoo.com. FOR SALE: Electric braille writer. Used very little; in excellent condition. Asking $550. Contact Diane Swetman, 7340 Lester Rd., Apt. #211, Union City, GA 30291. FOR SALE: BrailleNote 32-cell with latest upgrade (6.1). Includes new battery, battery charger, leather carrying case and strap, instruction tape and shipping. Recently cleaned and serviced; used very little. Asking $4,500. Contact Marianne at (801) 255-5880. FOR SALE: IBM laptop with Windows 98, floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, and JAWS for Windows already installed. $270. PayPal payments prefered. E-mail LuAnn at cluannhowe@excite.com. ACB OFFICERS PRESIDENT CHRISTOPHER GRAY 94 RAMONA AVE. SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT M.J. SCHMITT 7320 DIXON UNIT 204 FOREST PARK, IL 60130 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT MITCH POMERANTZ 1115 CORDOVA STREET #402 PASADENA, CA 91106 SECRETARY DONNA SELIGER 3912 SE 5TH ST DES MOINES, IA 50315 TREASURER ARDIS BAZYN 500 S. 3RD ST. #H BURBANK, CA 91502 IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT PAUL EDWARDS 20330 NE 20TH CT. MIAMI, FL 33179 ACB BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alan Beatty, Fort Collins, CO Ed Bradley, Houston, TX Brian Charlson, Watertown, MA Billie Jean Keith, Arlington, VA Oral Miller, Washington, DC Carla Ruschival, Louisville, KY Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD Naomi Soule, St. Louis, MO Cynthia Towers, Seattle, WA David Trott, Talladega, AL BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS Charles Hodge, Chairperson, Arlington, VA Cindy Burgett, Bremerton, WA Winifred Downing, San Francisco, CA Mike Duke, Jackson, MS DeAnna Noriega, Colorado Springs, CO Ex Officios: Ralph Sanders, Las Vegas, NV Janelle Edwards, Manhattan, KS