THE BRAILLE FORUM Volume XLV September 2006 No. 2 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, 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 (TM) is available in braille, large print, half-speed four-track cassette tape, 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 Mike Godino 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. Join the MMS program and help improve tomorrow today in ACB. Contact Ron Milliman by e-mail, rmilliman@ziggycom.net, or by phone at (270) 782-9325 and get started making tomorrow look brighter today! 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 2006 American Council of the Blind TABLE OF CONTENTS In Memoriam: Reese Robrahn, ACB's Second President, 1921-2006, by Chris Gray and Michael Byington Path and Covenant, by Reese Robrahn ACB Partners with Perkins to Promote Braille, by Melanie Brunson From Jacksonville to Minneapolis, by Carla Ruschival Summaries of the Pre- and Post-Convention Board Meetings, by DeAnna Quietwater Noriega Summary of Research Results from a Survey of the ADA Accommodation Request Experience, by Dr. John Frank Here and There, by Susan Lichtenfels Letters to the Editor High Tech Swap Shop FORUM SUBSCRIPTION NOTES You can now get "The Braille Forum" by podcast! To subscribe, go to "The Braille Forum" page on www.acb.org. If you do not yet have a podcast client, you can download one from the Forum page. To subscribe to "The Braille Forum" via e-mail, send a blank e-mail message to brailleforum-L-subscribe@acb.org. ARE YOU MOVING? DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION? Contact Sharon Lovering in the ACB national office, 1-800-424-8666, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. Give her the information, and she'll take care of the changes for you. ***** IN MEMORIAM: REESE ROBRAHN, ACB'S SECOND PRESIDENT 1921-2006 by Chris Gray and Michael Byington (Authors' Note: We thank Charlie Hodge, Melanie Brunson, Kathy Megivern, Sharon Lovering, Ann Byington, and Oral Miller for their contributions which were helpful in putting this article together. If we have left anyone out who provided information to the folks we have listed, we thank them as well.) Reese Robrahn, second president of ACB, 1966-1972, and ACB's first director of governmental relations through several years in the 1970s, passed away on July 4, 2006. His wife, Nelda, is quoted as saying, "He went to heaven amid the fireworks." In recent issues, "The Braille Forum" has contained quite a few tributes and memorials to our fallen leaders of the past. It is sad that we experience these losses, but it also celebrates the growth and maturing of ACB. Each former leader's contributions have made ACB what it is today. The work of Reese Robrahn was paramount in not only building the foundation of ACB as a respected, democratic organization representing the blind and visually impaired of America, but also in crafting the very foundation of civil rights afforded to disabled Americans. Before moving to Washington, D.C. in 1972, Reese lived in Topeka, Kan., where he served as a district court judge, president of the Kansas ACB affiliate, and a mentor to a teenaged Michael Byington. We want to celebrate Reese's impact both on the national disability rights scene, and also his role in Kansas, which led to his entering the national scene. Reese was a charter member of ACB. He served on the original provisional board of directors, and then as treasurer after the death of ACB's first treasurer, Ufemon Segura. Reese was elected president in 1966. Being president of ACB in the late 1960s and early 1970s was no great honor. ACB paid almost none of the president's expenses because it could not afford to do so. Many blind Americans, and others in the disability rights forefront of that time, doubted that ACB would survive as a national organization. It was still a bunch of upstarts who refused to fall into step with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), and although many disability rights advocates certainly hoped for ACB's survival and growth, the prospect seemed somewhat unlikely. Under Reese's presidency, ACB moved from a scattered regional and members-at-large confederation to a true national status organization. There was not only incredible growth, but also incredible stabilization. Many state organizations that had left NFB but not joined ACB decided during Reese's presidency that he and ACB represented the stable democratic home they wished to support. Michael Byington recalls attending ACB's national press conference, held at its 1967 national convention in Wichita, when Reese announced the opening of ACB's first Washington-based national office. Reese's presidency was also marked by ACB's entry into the international blindness field. He attended the quinquennial conference of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, held in the Soviet Union, and he continued to reach out to blind and visually impaired people and organizations throughout the world. Reese's presidency moved ACB to a new level of solvency and organizational security. The chapter in Reese's life that took place after his presidency, however, is perhaps the one which allowed for his greatest national contributions to the civil rights of the blind and of all disabled Americans. When Reese's tenure as ACB's first director of governmental relations began, disabled Americans had no nationally assured civil rights. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which granted the first federally conferred civil rights protections to disabled Americans, was adopted in 1973, but this adoption changed nothing. Only when implementing regulations were promulgated by then-Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Joseph Califano in late April 1977 were formally codified civil rights protections for disabled Americans actually begun. Chris Gray served as one of two ACB national office interns in 1976. He had an opportunity to watch firsthand Reese's role in advocating for and developing the Section 504 regulations. Chris recalls, "Reese was one of my early role models in ACB. His calm, polite and youthful-sounding voice as he presided over the 1972 ACB convention impressed me greatly, and for many years he personified ACB leadership in my mind. As an ACB intern in 1976, I got to work with Reese firsthand in the national office, located at that time on Connecticut Avenue. Even during those early years, NFB was expressing absolutely no interest in working with other disability groups. Reese saw the need for ACB to be a voice representing the blind and visually impaired in the emerging national disability rights movement. Reese led many meetings at ACB to negotiate among various disability groups what should be in the 504 regulations and to make sure that the points that we all could agree upon appeared in the comments of all organizations represented. Reese would often write key sentences or paragraphs and circulate them throughout the community of disabled advocates to ensure not only consistency, but focus and accuracy as to what comments were being filed throughout our entire community. The goal was to build consensus and create a united voice throughout the disabled community on issues where we all agreed. Reese was a low-key leader, but was quite clearly in charge of the meetings on Connecticut Avenue. He was a listener and a person who could bring organizations together." Although Reese served as negotiator, consensus builder, and mediator in arriving at a version of proposed 504 regulations acceptable to a coalition of disability leaders, the lead agency charged with promulgating the 504 regulations was the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW). 504 was an issue that HEW Secretary Califano approached with a great deal of trepidation and downright avoidance. By early 1977, it was clear that disabled Americans were being stonewalled by HEW, and that heretofore unparalleled action was necessary to get HEW to promulgate any 504 regulations whatsoever, let alone an acceptable version to the disability community. Thus, on April 5 and 6, 1977, a large group of disability rights leaders, representing a vast array of disability organizations, occupied and took hostage the headquarters building of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and held that building in an act of history-making civil disobedience until the occupiers were carried out of the building by law enforcement officials. This event received national press coverage of rather mixed review. Reese Robrahn represented ACB staff as a member of the occupying forces. Chris and Michael were not able to attend this sit-in, but have discussed the contrast which must have been present among the protesters. People with orthopedic disabilities were represented by leaders such as Ed Roberts, who had conducted occupations of many of the buildings on the University of California at Los Angeles campus in the 1960s and 1970s. Roberts and his band of crusaders represented the disabled branch of the hippy movement of the 1960s. Most of them looked as though they had just rolled out of five days at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, and perhaps had never found time to change clothes or cut their hair subsequent to that event. Reese, on the other hand, was an extremely distinguished appearing ex-judge and lobbyist. He subscribed to theories of appearance which had long been espoused by such blindness leaders as Durward McDaniel and Jacobus tenBroek. He believed that people who are blind and visually impaired have an obligation to command respect and equal treatment by appearing with the same professional demeanor as their sighted peers. Neither Chris nor Michael remember Reese ever wearing less than an expertly tailored suit, dress shirt, neck tie, and the other trappings of professional success. Reese's awareness of the trappings of professional competitiveness must have stood out among the other occupiers in April of 1977. This understanding on Reese's part, as well as his calm, well- modulated style of working toward productive communication and consensus, may explain why Reese, the second in command of the newest and most fledgling organization of the disability coalition, found himself elevated to a facilitator, consensus-builder role. A second, similar occupation of the HEW headquarters was planned for a couple of weeks later, but the day prior to its scheduled beginning, Califano released the 504 regulations. The proposed set of regulations was the one Reese had led the charge in developing. Hindsight suggests that Reese should have been highly commended by the ACB membership for his work on the 504 regulations and for his boldness in participating in the HEW building occupation. After all, organizations and people who participated in this action have earned quite a respected place in civil rights history. Heroic deeds, however, are often not recognized as such until time puts them in perspective. In July of 1977, the ACB national convention adopted resolution 77-09. The main resolved clause of that resolution was, "that the paid personnel of this organization be instructed that money of this organization may not be spent for, nor may the personnel participate in, public demonstrations in any manner that may reflect upon this organization, without the prior approval of the board of directors of this organization." This resolution was quite clearly directed at Reese's actions in participating in the HEW building occupation. At that time, NFB was being extremely visible, laying in front of airplanes on airport tarmacs and engaging in countless other acts of civil disobedience. They were doing these things not as a part of a coalition, but as single-handed acts of defiance and anger. Most of their very public actions did not reflect well upon them, or on blind people in general. The ACB membership was so avid about not being associated with such ineffective activities that it overreacted, and completely missed the historical significance of the actions Reese had taken. Reese was very troubled by the adoption of resolution 77-09. Its adoption may have contributed to his eventual decision to leave ACB's employment and accept the executive directorship of the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities (ACCD), a position which he held until that organization was dissolved into some others, at which time he retired. In 1993, the ACB national convention effectively nullified resolution 77-09 when it voted to demonstrate in San Francisco before a regional office of the United States Department of Transportation concerning the need for detectable warnings at subway platforms and at lines of demarcation between pedestrian ways and hazardous vehicular ways. This decision was made after the death of Peggy McCarthy, an ACB member who was killed at a Boston subway station where detectable warnings were not present, even though she was a seasoned and skilled subway rider. At this point, ACB at last acknowledged that some issues are indeed sufficiently important to warrant decisive actions of civil protest and civil disobedience. When Reese entered the Washington scene, he was in his early 50s, a time when many begin to wind a career down instead of starting a new one. He had been a respected attorney in general, private practice in Topeka, Kan. for many years, and had been appointed, and then elected, to a district judgeship in the 1960s. Reese was a respected jurist, and this also accorded him extreme respect within the blindness community of Kansas. Ann Kruse Byington, a lifelong blind Kansan, recalls that her first exposure to witnessing the justice system in action occurred when she was a client of the Kansas Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired; one of the required elements of the program was for clients to travel downtown, visit the courthouse, and watch Judge Robrahn preside over his court. She recalls the experience as both positive in terms of the impression made of the justice system, but also in exposing blind students to a successful role model. In 1972, however, a controversial realignment of district court divisions caused Reese to have to run for re-election against another sitting judge, Kay McFarland. It was a close and controversial election, but Judge McFarland beat Reese. A few years later, Judge McFarland was appointed Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court. Now in her 80s, she continues to serve Kansas in that role. Reese did not really want to resume the practice of law once he had been removed from the bench. This prompted him to reinvent himself in Washington, D.C., but it was not an easy transition. Reese traveled to Washington with no solid prospects. He essentially lived first on Oral Miller's couch for several months, and then with Durward and Aileen McDaniel while he was seeking opportunities in Washington. During that time, the fledgling ACB organization was continuing to grow, and Reese was becoming increasingly indispensable to ACB's national efforts as a volunteer. This prompted Durward McDaniel ultimately, as funds became available, to hire Reese as ACB's first director of governmental affairs. Reese was then able to move his family out to the D.C. area. There is no question that Reese could have reopened his law practice, taken on junior partners if he had wanted them, and done very well as a respected attorney with a lot of insider knowledge of the local court system. This would have been the safe road, however, and to the benefit of the disability civil rights movement, Reese chose not to take this safe road. Many blind Kansans still consider Reese's move to be a major tragedy. He had been very effective as a lobbyist for the state ACB affiliate, and as its president. In the 1960s, Kansas had one of the most respected and effective blind services agencies in the country, and Reese had crafted much of the enabling state legislation. Since Reese left Kansas, many losses and downturns have occurred with state blind services. Michael Byington, current president of the Kansas affiliate, notes that, when faced with legislative challenges, many blind Kansans of Reese's generation have commented, "If we only had Reese back, we could get all of this straightened out." Michael, however, puts a positive face on Reese's departure from Kansas. "If Reese could have beaten Kay McFarland, he would have doubtlessly retired here in the state as a very effective longtime judge. He might have even been the one to become Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court. Our loss of Reese here in Kansas, however, helped lead to the gain of civil rights protections for disabled people throughout our nation." As an attorney, jurist and creator of public policy, Reese Robrahn contributed much to our movement. As our second president, Reese helped establish ACB to become the leading organization of the blind of America today. Though saddened by his loss, we rejoice in his victories and in his making them our collective victories. Without a strong Section 504, there might not have been an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Through Reese's leadership, that strength in Section 504 was created and brought into being. Reese often spoke and dreamed about the idea of expanding the Civil Rights Act to include the disabled. He saw clearly that Section 504 was a huge step down that road. ADA was, in fact, that next step. Let us think as time continues how we can carry on this legacy to the step beyond ADA. Reese Robrahn would expect nothing less of us. ***** PATH AND COVENANT by Reese Robrahn (Excerpted from "The Braille Forum," vol. III no. 6, March 1965.) (Presented at the 1964 convention of the Kansas Association for the Blind.) A survey of the history of societies and nations of the world relative to the status of their blind members and citizens quickly makes apparent the fact that mankind has come a long way in the integration of people who are blind into the life and activities of the community. But as is the case with so many of the facets of our civilization today, much of the progress has evolved during the last 100 years. The underlying factors that brought about this progress are many, some of which are as follows: diversification and specialization of business, manufacturing, and industry; the invention and refinement of braille; development of the talking book and tape recorder; development of fast and efficient systems of communication, making the dissemination of information inexpensive, easy, and widespread; some recognition by society of the abilities and special needs of people who are blind and some assumption by society of its responsibility for this small segment of society. But by far the most important factor is education and the word "education" is used in this context in its narrow sense, that of academic education, for once the people who were blind became sufficiently educated and in sufficient numbers to assert themselves and to raise their own voices in the interpretation of their special needs and to press on all fronts for opportunity to use their capabilities in gainful employment, set ajar at last was the door to some real progress. But nonetheless, we still have a long, long way to go. We have just about reached the point now where, speaking as a lawyer, the burden of proof has shifted; the burden of proving our case, the case of people who are blind, is upon us. We must go forward with the evidence and by a preponderance maintain our right to and the fact of our full participation in the life of the community its duties and obligations as well as its benefits and privileges. We ourselves are the exhibits, the evidence, the proof. What kind of witness for the case of people who are blind are you? Our adversaries, which are ignorance, misconception, fear, apathy, resistance to change, and the status quo, are well known and they are powerful. Their advocates are shrewd, persuasive and influential; and some of them have vested interests. They have already won over some of our own witnesses, to say nothing of the judge and the jury. It is their contention that people who are blind are necessarily and severely and forever limited in their activities, their education, their trade, profession and employment, in their social intercourse and in their aspirations. They say that by the very nature of blindness "the Blind" must travel the straight, narrow, smooth, hand-railed and protected little path that is prepared by society for them. And, you know, some of us are convinced, some of us willingly and happily go along that little narrow path of security, some of us suffer from what has been termed by psychologists and sociologists as "the spread of effect." This simply means that we hear it so often and in so many different ways and from so many different sources that we come to believe it about ourselves. ... But enough of the "path." What about the covenant? What about our covenant with God and our fellow man and the people who are blind that will come after we are gone? Do we not have a duty to function as independently and as responsibly as we possibly can at home with our families, with our neighbors, our employers, our fellow employees, and with the members of the general public with whom we come into contact day by day? Do we not have an obligation, a duty of performance, a moral contract with one another and with society? Absence of vision does not make us non-entities. We can still perceive! We are not deprived of all faculties or any faculty except sight just because we are blind. Again, I ask, do we not have a covenant? If then say you that we do, let us, each and every one individually and all of us collectively, be up and doing! Let us kick over those handrails of the narrow path that is the status quo. Let us not ask society to make a place, but let us make a place for ourselves in society and fit ourselves into the life and activities of the community. Let us test our skills, use our talents and prove our capabilities. Let us take the initiative. Let us learn to expect the unexpected from hour to hour and from day to day with the joy of the anticipation of the new, the unknown, the different. That is the challenge! Let us think for ourselves and control our own destinies, and travel the broad highway and the main stream of life. If we are doing all of these things, and without a backward glance of nostalgia or yearning for what once was, then we are truly winning our case. And we will no longer be "the Blind." We as individuals will simply be a person who is a housewife, a lawyer, a teacher, a factory worker, a social worker, simply a person who is blind. ***** ACB PARTNERS WITH PERKINS TO PROMOTE BRAILLE by Melanie Brunson Many of you, particularly those of you who are braille users, are very familiar with Perkins Braillers. They have been relied on for writing braille since the 1950s. These handy machines have been the subject of some exciting conversations around ACB recently. If you were in the general session at the ACB convention on Thursday, July 13, you got a sneak preview of what's new with the Perkins Brailler from David Morgan, Perkins Howe Press' General Manager. For the benefit of all ACB members who may be interested, here are the details. First, several models of the Perkins Brailler are now available in different colors. You can purchase them in either blue, gray or green! Second, Perkins is now selling a Light Touch model standard brailler, which is specifically constructed and tuned to reduce the force required to operate the braille keys by up to 40 percent. Light Touch electric braillers are also available; these are meant to allow braille to be embossed with minimal effort and for longer periods of time. Other models are available which allow for one-handed operation, or production of large cell or jumbo braille, which have cells with more space between the dots to make the dots easier to detect for people with reduced tactile sensitivity. Howe Press, which markets Perkins Braillers, has generously offered a 10 percent discount to any ACB member who purchases any of their line of braillers. If you are interested, all you have to do is contact Howe Press and identify yourself as an ACB member. You can contact Howe Press by phone at 1-877-473-7546, or visit them online at www.perkinsstore.org. Orders can be placed by phone or by sending an e-mail to MyStuff@perkins.org. If you send an e-mail containing your order and the fact that you are an ACB member, you also need to include your phone number so they can contact you to obtain billing and shipping information. For further information about the various models and pricing, visit www.perkinsstore.org, or call Howe Press at the phone number listed above. We are pleased to be able to share this information with you and hope that it will make it possible for some of our members to access Perkins Braillers who might not be able to do so otherwise. Finally, speaking of access, be sure to read the "Here and There" column in this issue for details about how you can qualify for a chance to win an electric blue Light Touch Perkins Brailler. This opportunity is open to everyone, but only for a short time, so don't miss your chance! Many thanks to Howe Press at Perkins for making all of these opportunities available to the blind community, and ACB members in particular. We appreciate all you have done to promote braille literacy and to assist those who use braille. ***** FROM JACKSONVILLE TO MINNEAPOLIS by Carla Ruschival As summer gives way to fall, ACB members begin looking forward to next year's convention. Everyone wants to know: "What are the dates?" and "how do I make reservations?" and "what are the room rates?" But before we move on to 2007, we need to take a quick look back at Jacksonville and recognize the Florida Council of the Blind, FCB president Debbie Grubb, and the local host committee for a job well done. I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank Linda Jacobson, Dan O'Connor, Barbara Brown, Mike Taylor, Gloria Simmons, Debbie Drylie, and Paul Kaminsky for their hard work and assistance in making Jacksonville a great success. There were approximately 350 different events during convention week in Jacksonville. Planning all of these activities and fitting them into the huge jigsaw puzzle called an ACB national convention is a year-round job. A huge thanks to the members of the convention committee: Margarine Beaman, volunteers; Berl Colley, tours; Patti Cox, Youth Activity Center; Brenda Dillon, sponsorships; Sharon Lovering, communication center; Pam Shaw, information desk; and Mike Smitherman, exhibits. Thanks also to Chrissie Cochrane, Marlaina Lieberg and Steve Matzura for coordinating ACB Radio; to Mike Duke and Jay Doudna for helping with pilot services designed to save dollars for both ACB and its special-interest groups; and to Jerry Annunzio, June Horst, Rhonda Trott and countless others who pitched in to get the job done throughout convention week. Finally, in my capacity as events coordinator, I want to let all of the special-interest groups, ACB committees, and others who sponsored events and held meetings during the 2006 convention know how much I appreciate their hard work, advance planning, and attention to detail. Looking Ahead ... And now we turn our attention to Minneapolis. Convention dates are June 30 to July 7. Convention hotels are the Hyatt Regency ($81 single/double, $91 triple/quad) and the Millennium ($84 single/double, $94 triple/quad), plus tax. The hotels are located literally across the street from each other, and events will be held at both facilities. You may now make individual reservations for the 2007 convention. However, we ask that you only reserve a room IF you truly have plans to attend. The practice of reserving rooms just in case you decide to spend a week with ACB causes problems such as those experienced by many of you in obtaining rooms in Jacksonville, and can result in unnecessary costs to ACB. To make individual reservations at the Hyatt, call 1-800-233-1234. For reservations at the Millennium, call (612) 332-6000 or 1-800-522-8856. To begin planning for convention events, reserve meeting rooms, or let us know that you would like to reserve a suite, please contact Carla Ruschival by phone at (502) 897-1472 or by e-mail at adamcarla@bellsouth.net. ***** SUMMARIES OF THE PRE- AND POST-CONVENTION BOARD MEETINGS by DeAnna Quietwater Noriega This will be my last appearance as your ears at ACB board of directors meetings. My one-year term covering these events ends with the notes from the post-convention meeting. Look for Charlie Hodge's byline starting with the September board meeting. Pre-Convention Meeting The pre-convention board meeting convened on Saturday, July 8. President Chris Gray moved rapidly through the housekeeping tasks of approving the agenda, minutes of previous meetings and the roll call. He then outlined the points he intended to present to the convention in his president's report. ACB will be sending a letter of support in a 508 complaint lodged by member Margie Donovan regarding access to software used by the Veterans Administration. The executive committee has drawn up guidelines for how advocacy issues should be handled. When individuals, whether ACB members or members of the public, request assistance from ACB with legal/advocacy matters, it is important that such requests be handled as expeditiously as possible. With that in mind, the following procedure is recommended to the advocacy services committee and the ACB board of directors: 1.When a staff member or an officer of ACB becomes aware of a request for legal/advocacy assistance which merits attention by ACB, that individual will report the matter to the ACB president or the ACB executive director; 2. The ACB president or the executive director shall review the situation and if he/she deems it appropriate, shall refer the matter to the entire advocacy services committee; 3. The president as chair of the committee will either convene a meeting of the entire committee within five days, or if such a meeting cannot be arranged, convene a meeting with a subcommittee consisting of the committee chair, either the executive director or the director of advocacy and governmental affairs, and one other member of the advocacy services committee. This group will discuss the best way to respond to the request and decide who will be responsible for implementing the response on behalf of ACB; 4. The committee chair will then advise the other members of the advocacy services committee, as well as the officers and members of ACB's board of directors and presidents of appropriate state and special-interest affiliates, of the decisions made by the subcommittee described above, so that individuals with an interest in the situation will know who to go to for information or to offer assistance; 5. Within 14 days, the committee will convene in order to ratify the subcommittee's decision, receive an update from the person(s) designated to implement ACB's response, and make any further decisions necessary to ensure the appropriate response to the situation. A new server is now online and will shortly be handling more of the workload of ACB's Internet presence. Mike Godino gave his treasurer's report, which the board accepted. The audit was not yet complete. Paul Edwards commended Gray for his handling of the vehicle donation problems that arose when an Internet appeal meant that cars donated in states with their own vehicle donation programs were donated to the national organization instead of the local affiliate. The Internet has increased the likelihood of donations going to the national organization. Edwards opined that the Internet exposure was beneficial to ACB, and its removal hurt the national organization without aiding the state affiliates. Godino pointed out that the expenses for the web advertising were borne by ACB. Mitch Pomerantz stated that CCB suffered the lowest revenue stream to date after the ad appeared. He moved that a committee be formed to develop procedures for revenue-sharing, should such a conflict in fund-raising occur in the future. Oral Miller seconded the motion, which passed. After a short break, Gray announced that due to financial constraints, all ACB business needed to be completed by the close of Friday's general session. Melanie Brunson gave the office report. She announced that donations were coming in that would cover the expense for bringing this year's talking book narrator to the convention. The lease for the Washington office has been extended for two years to bring it into synchronization with the Minneapolis office lease, at a savings of $6,000. Two affiliates had submitted requests for charters, the Montana Blind and Visually Impaired Council and ACB Human Service Professionals. The office received a Prodigy Talking Glucose Monitor, which was available for examination. Jason Perry, a law student from Ohio, was this year's summer intern. Day Al-Mohamed reported on the progress of all of the resolutions passed at last year's convention. She had been able to take action on all of them, although some would require more than one year to accomplish. She fielded questions on video description, the braille coin bill, Randolph- Sheppard and JWOD. Sharon Lovering stated that the first edition of "The Jacksonville Sun," the convention newspaper, would be ready by noon. She reported that "The Braille Forum" readership was up to 25,000 subscribers, and that everything is in place to begin distributing the CD-ROM version in September. Edwards requested that the membership be kept informed through articles in "The Braille Forum" of any updates concerning the Randolph- Sheppard program. He made a motion, which Ed Bradley seconded, to commend the work of Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian in improving public access to point-of-sale machines. The motion carried. In her convention committee report, Carla Ruschival noted that the convention would be in Orlando, Fla. in 2009. She informed the board that convention attendees were staying longer and, although this posed some glitches in receiving the convention hotel rates, it was a good thing overall. She was able to negotiate an increase of our block size so that it was not necessary to go to an overflow hotel. $13,000 was raised in sponsorships for convention events. The sign-ups for the Youth Activities Center exceeded the capacity of the room and it was decided to break the group up by age group next year. David Trott informed the board that the ACB raffle netted $1,000. There was some discussion about the Mexico timeshare documents. Pomerantz made a motion, which Ruschival seconded, to adopt a policy restricting ACB staff members from running for positions on the board of directors for one year after they leave the employment of the organization. There was some discussion as to whether this gave the staffer an unfair advantage because of their high visibility as staff. Edwards felt that such a restriction was not democratic. The motion was defeated 9 to 6, with Bradley, Godino, Pomerantz, Ruschival, Schmitt, and Seliger casting the votes in favor of such a policy. The meeting adjourned to go into executive session. Post-Convention Board Meeting Saturday, July 15, 2006 After the roll call, Gray announced the outcome of the executive session. Personnel matters were discussed, and no action was taken. Michael Garrett gave the ACBES report. The store managers were in attendance for the second time at convention. They were planning to hold meetings with the employees of the thrift stores to pass on some of the things they had learned. Although revenues are down this quarter due to the competition posed by summer yard sales, contributions are up and the fall quarter should be high. Gray questioned whether ACBES would meet its projected income for 2006. Garrett made no guarantees, but promised to do everything possible to cut costs and increase sales. He requested that he be permitted to answer the question of whether ACBES will meet its projected revenue stream for ACB in September. The Indianapolis store lease runs out in August and that location will be closed, as it has been losing money for years. Trott questioned whether closing that shop would increase costs. Some usable equipment will be reassigned to other stores. The truck from Indianapolis will be moved to Louisville. Potential capital outlays cannot be predicted as equipment failures occur without warning. Garrett gave Don Gardner credit for negotiating a month-to-month lease in one store that may need to be moved to a better location. After some questions about manager and employee incentives, the report was accepted. Joel Snyder has asked ACB to assist in the publication of a book about the history of video description. After some discussion about the necessity for the board of publications to have oversight so that WGBH's role be included, the proposal was accepted. Jeff Thom gave a report on resolutions prioritization. He explained that the priority one resolutions would be handled within the next two weeks. Ralph Sanders presented the direct mail report. He felt that ACB needed a celebrity endorser to make the mailings more effective. There was some discussion of an unfavorable rating on a charity rating web site. The problem was tracked down to a confusion between ACBES and ACB. Melanie Brunson is going to survey such web sites to be sure ACB's ratings are correct. Gray stated that we have almost reached the point at which our donor base for mailings will be large enough to begin bringing in revenue. Some thought is going into how ACB's 990 tax forms are filled out to maximize designations of where activities are recorded. Gray posed the idea of having some fund-raising expertise available to give the board some training at the September board meeting. The direct mail report was accepted. A committee was formed including Gray, Brunson, Seliger, Brenda Dillon, and DeAnna Noriega, to undertake the writing of a handbook for board members to be presented at the September board meeting. Ruschival presented her final convention committee report. Pomerantz questioned whether dog accidents were still high. He felt that ACB should send a letter of complaint to the school of an aggressive guide dog. Poor attendance at general sessions, people blocking doors, and poor acoustics from the front of the hall were all areas of concern to individual board members. Charlie Hodge brought up the fact that the board of publications did not receive the same upgrades as the board of directors. It was felt that the banquet seating arrangements worked better this year. It was suggested that locator tones could be put on the bars. The purchase of some mixers and mikes helped cut the high cost of hotel-supplied audio-visual equipment. The board thanked Mike Duke and Jay Doudna for their tireless work to be sure the affiliates had access to the purchased equipment. Duke and Doudna recommended that four teams of people be trained in its use, to divide up the tasks of getting equipment where it was needed. The convention report was accepted. Rhonda Trott gave the ACB Store report. She emphasized the need to get the web site functioning so that sales would not be limited to conventions. She felt that a digital camera to add photographs, setting up PayPal and getting more logo items would be progress in the right direction. Ruschival felt that making it possible for affiliates to add links to the store to aid in the sale of items would be a good idea. After lunch, an executive session to delve into personnel matters was again called. A motion was passed to accept with appreciation the information provided by the president, executive director and the chair of the ACBES board. A motion was made to congratulate Melanie Brunson on her acceptance into an NIB-sponsored MBA program and to recognize that she may be called upon to provide testimonials for that program. Pomerantz, Edwards, Bradley and Thom were elected to the executive committee. A motion passed to create a fiscal policies and procedures manual to establish internal controls. The board then thanked Brian Charlson for his years of service to ACB. An ad hoc committee was proposed to deal with seeking partnership opportunities to further the advancement of visually impaired students in math and science. Two dates were chosen for the fall board meeting, but the location was left open so that Ruschival could investigate possibilities for lower costs. Paul Edwards asked that the board receive any documents two weeks in advance of the meeting. The meeting adjourned. ***** SUMMARY OF RESEARCH RESULTS FROM A SURVEY ON THE ADA ACCOMMODATION REQUEST EXPERIENCE by Dr. John Frank Some time ago, "The Braille Forum" published a notice requesting volunteers to participate in a survey to study the impact of the ADA on the employment of people with severe visual impairments funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The study focused on whether and how well the ADA functions as a tool to aid in accomplishing goals. The essential questions were, "Did you request accommodation?," "Did you receive anything?," and "Was what you received effective?" Request situations in the following five areas were examined: a) job applications and interviews, b) on the job, c) school or training programs, d) government services, and e) private services. Here is a summary of the research results. Out of 151 volunteers, 113 (75 percent) described an average of less than three requests each, for a grand total of 311 requests made in all five areas between Jan. 1, 2000 and Dec. 31, 2004. Thirty-eight people (25 percent) made no requests in any of the five years. The survey respondents were asked why they made few or no requests. Eighty-three responders (53 percent) indicated there was no need for any or any more employment-related accommodation. Some were not seeking employment and others requested and received effective accommodation prior to 2000 and did not need to make more requests during that time period. Sixty-five people (40 percent) indicated the ADA request process was an ineffectual way to obtain access to fulfill one's goals. Some (23) were concerned about retaliation. Some were denied the right to apply for jobs, transfers, or promotions, thereby being denied the right to request accommodation. The reason most often given for not requesting accommodation was that the request process was too much trouble. Those who did make requests experienced the following rates of failure to accommodate effectively: a) 38 percent during job applications and interviews, b) 35 percent on the job, c) 33 percent by schools or training programs, d) 60 percent by government services, and e) 52 percent by private services. The combined, weighted average rate for all five areas for the failure to accommodate effectively was 43 percent; conversely, the combined, weighted rate of effective accommodation for all 5 areas was 57 percent. The ADA tool was effective less than 60 percent of the time overall with a range of 33 to 60 percent failure rate. An individual's tolerance for the failure of other tools may vary, but reliance on the ADA is likely diminished due to this low level of reliability. The accommodations requested fell into three categories. One was equipment, such as a CCTV, a scanner, or a braille display, or computer access software such as a screen reader. The second category was alternate formats or processes, such as a reader or scribe, braille, large print, or digital material, or more time, or a change in location. The third category was help with transportation or orientation and mobility. No requests for equipment were made to government or private services. In each category, requests were fulfilled or not at nearly the same rate. The type of accommodation requested did not seem to affect the success of requests. All the requests appeared to be reasonable and the requesters and the entities were covered by the law. Several questions asked for the requesters' perceptions of the quality of the ADA request process. Having to repeat the same request for an obvious accommodation from the same entity makes the process tedious and may discourage requests. Of the 82 respondents who had ongoing needs, 49 (60 percent) only had to ask once or a few times, while 33 (40 percent) had to ask repeatedly or every time they needed accommodation such as alternate formats for print material from the same entity. Of 91 respondents who rated the speed of the process, 45 (50 percent) found the process fast or very fast, 43 (47 percent) said it was slow or very slow and 3 (3 percent) did not know. Of 90 respondents who rated their satisfaction with the process, 61 (68 percent) were satisfied or very satisfied, and 29 (32 percent) were unsatisfied or very dissatisfied with the request process. Two other measures of the ADA request process were the requesters' sense of the entity's willingness to comply with requests and the difficulty of the process. These perceptions did not simply mirror whether an accommodation was received and was effective. In 11 (9 percent) of 122 unfulfilled situations, the process was viewed as easy or very easy. In 39 (22 percent) out of 178 fulfilled situations, the process was considered difficult or very difficult. In 43 (35 percent) out of 124 unfulfilled request situations, the entity was perceived to be willing or very willing to accommodate. In 10 (6 percent) of 178 fulfilled situations, the entity was perceived to be unwilling or very unwilling to accommodate. At times, the ADA tool will be difficult to use, but lead to effective accommodation; at other times it may be easy to use, but lead nowhere. Also, at times the entity required to accommodate may seem unwilling to comply, but will do so anyway, or the entity may seem willing, but that will lead nowhere. These findings suggest that perceptions, opinions, or attitudes have less value for describing or predicting ADA request success than do current behaviors. Another measure of ADA requests was the requester's knowledge of the entity's accommodation history. In 31 (24 percent) of 128 unfulfilled request situations, requesters thought the entity did not usually accommodate. In 50 (39 percent) of the unfulfilled situations, requesters thought the entity usually did. In 47 (37 percent) unfulfilled situations, the requesters did not know the entity's history. In 10 (5 percent) of 183 fulfilled situations, requesters thought the entity did not usually accommodate. In 140 (77 percent) fulfilled situations, the requesters thought the entity usually did accommodate and in 33 (18 percent) fulfilled situations, requesters did not know the entity's history. Requests to entities that are known to accommodate are more often fruitful, but knowing the entity's accommodation history will not always reveal or predict its current behaviors. The survey also examined the ADA appeals process. People with severe impairments rarely benefit from any redress process. Only 5 percent win an EEOC complaint and most do not get anything even if they win. They win the right to sue, but do not have access to a lawyer. They lose in court by a huge margin. A rate of 314 losses to 14 wins (rate in 2001) is typical. It is not a surprise, then, that for this sample, appeals were only attempted in 25 percent of 128 situations where effective accommodation was not provided. Out of 33 appeals, three were made to a federal agency and were ineffectual. One was a law suit that has not yet been settled. Three appeals were made to a state, county, or city human rights agency. Of those, one was in progress, and two were unsuccessful. The most frequently used avenue of appeal (22) was to contact someone else in the same organization. Of those appeals, seven were successful,10 were not, and five were pending. Of the 17 completed appeals, 41 percent were successful. The tools for redress of ADA violations were rarely used and were not often effective. This was not a random sample. Therefore, the results do not generalize to all people with severe visual impairments. The 151 survey respondents were from 41 states; 66 percent lived in a city, and the rest were about evenly divided between rural and suburban areas. About 50 percent were totally blind or only had light perception, 44 percent were legally blind, 6 percent had low vision, and 54 percent have had a visual impairment since birth. Also, 58 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher, 54 percent were female, 87 percent were white, and 50 percent were employed. The average age was 49, ranging from 20 to 64. Many thanks to ACB, "The Braille Forum" and the volunteers who made this research possible. For a digital copy of the report, titled "Survey of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accommodation Request Experience of People Who Are Blind Or Have A Severe Visual Impairment," send $20 to the RRTC on Blindness and Low Vision, P.O. Box 6189, Mississippi State, MS 39762, phone 1-800-675-7782, or e-mail lisa1@ra.msstate.edu or schaefer@colled.msstate.edu. ***** HERE AND THERE by Susan Lichtenfels 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 and leave a message in mailbox 26. Please remember that postal regulations prohibit us from including advertisements, and that we need information two months ahead of actual publication dates. 2007 AFB AWARD NOMINATIONS The American Foundation for the Blind is now accepting nominations for its 2007 Migel Medals and Access Awards. The Migel Medals honor one professional and one volunteer who have significantly improved the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. The Access Awards honor individuals, corporations, and organizations that are eliminating or substantially reducing inequities faced by people who are blind or visually impaired. Nominations for all honors are due by Sept. 29, 2006. Nominations for Migel Medals should be e-mailed to Gil Johnson at gil@afb.net. Nominations for Access Awards should be e-mailed to Jacki Packer at jpacker@afb.net. WANT TO WIN A LIGHT TOUCH BRAILLER? To register for a chance to win the Light Touch electric blue Perkins brailler, please send an e-mail message to MyStuff@perkins.org and put "Perkins raffle" in the subject line, or call Howe Press directly at (617) 972-7308 to register. Include your name, address, telephone number and e- mail address in the message. The contest closes on Oct. 6! PARK DESIGNED FOR THE DISABLED On June 27, International Paper John Dillon Park, a 200-acre wilderness park designed for people with disabilities, opened in the Adirondacks. The adaptive features include miles of specially graded trails, accessible Adirondack lean-tos, boat and kayak docks, and even solar-powered battery carts to recharge wheelchairs. The park is a collaboration between the state of New York, International Paper (who donated the land and constructed the park), Paul Smith's College, and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation's Task Force on Accessibility. CLOVERNOOK'S BRAILLE PUBLICATIONS In June, Clovernook Center for the Blind helped "Rolling Stone" magazine celebrate its 1,000th issue by producing it in braille for more than 400 readers. Clovernook produces more than 45 million braille pages of print publications each year including "Book World," "Braille Book Review," "Cooking Light," "Harper's Bazaar," "Kiplinger," "Musical Mainstream" and "National Geographic." To learn more, call (513) 522-3860 or visit www.clovernook.org. NEW OMNI BAR CODE SCANNER The newest version of i.d. mate, the Omni is now available as a hand- held talking bar code scanner. It is less than seven inches long and weighs under 1 1/2 pounds. The i.d. mate Omni was shown in the exhibit hall at the Jacksonville convention. For more information, or to set up a demonstration for your organization, call 1-877-579-4380. AND SPEAKING OF FLORIDA ... Florida Gov. Jeb Bush recently signed into law House Bill 281, which creates a new specialty license plate that will raise money to aid Florida residents who are blind or have low vision. The new tag will feature a picture of a lighthouse and the words "A State of Vision." Funds raised by the extra $25 cost of this specialty tag will go to the Florida Association of Agencies Serving the Blind. LIVE TAPING IN HOUSTON Fans and friends of "The Blind Handyman" and "Blind Like Me" shows are gathering in Houston Nov. 3-6. We promise good weather and lots of live music and fun. We will record three shows, including "Cooking in the Dark," during the weekend. For more information, e-mail Phil Parr at philparr@consolidated.net, or phone (936) 634-9500. SIGHT LOSS WEB SITE SightLossSolutions.org is designed to help people who have lost or are losing their sight. It includes information on access resources, high tech items, reference lists, national organizations, and a "just for fun" category. BRAILLE & COLOR INK PRINTER Emprint is a printer that embosses braille and prints in color simultaneously. It allows braille documents to be shared among sighted colleagues and teachers by printing the corresponding ink characters above or beside the braille. Anything that is seen on a computer screen is printed quickly in braille and color ink, together or separately. The tactile and ink features make maps and diagrams engaging for low-vision and learning- disabled students. The Emprint (TM) package retails for $5,995 and includes the printer, ink, and braille translation software. For more information, contact ViewPlus at (541) 754-4002 or visit www.viewplus.com. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS DOCUMENT The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently issued a new fact sheet addressing the reasonable accommodation obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is available on the web site, www.eeoc.gov. SMITH WINS BRESSLER PRIZE Pediatric ophthalmologist Lois E.H. Smith has won the Alfred W. Bressler Prize in Vision Science, awarded by the Jewish Guild for the Blind. Dr. Smith works in the Department of Ophthalmology at Boston's Children's Hospital. She will receive the $35,000 prize at a symposium in New York City sometime this fall. GUILD SCHOLARS The Jewish Guild for the Blind recently awarded scholarships to 14 outstanding students. They are: Heather Bandy, Reseda, Calif.; Christopher Check, San Antonio, Tex.; James Dietz, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Haben Girma, Oakland, Calif.; Martha Harris, Altoona, Pa.; Ariella Herman, Paramus, N.J.; Justin Hodge, Bunker Hill, Ind.; Kyle Knop, Cottage Grove, Minn.; Caitlin Lynch, Smithtown, N.Y.; Rebecca Marcus, San Diego, Calif.; Sarah Massengale, Greenville, S.C.; Emily Michael, Jacksonville, Fla.; Steven Polaski, Oak Bluffs, Mass.; and Starsha Sessions, Sherwood, Ore. For information on the GuildScholar Program's 2007 scholarships, contact Gordon Rovins at (212) 769-7801 or e-mail guildscholar@jgb.org. EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR Katie Mincey, a Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind contract employee and member of the D.C. Council of the Blind, was named the 2005 Peter J. Salmon Employee of the Year Award recipient. ***** LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The contents of this column reflect the letters we had received by the time we went to press, Aug. 15, 2006. Letters are limited to 300 words or fewer. All submissions must include the author's name and location. Opinions expressed are those of the authors. Thanks for Article on Volunteers! What a great article on recruitment and retention of volunteers by Ed and Toni Eames in the July-August issue of "The Braille Forum." They really hit the mark, and I totally agree with their approaches and strategies. It was a wonderful "how-to" piece and ought to be taught to all blind folks who use (and often abuse) volunteers. In fact, I think it ought to be part of the adjustment training given to all newly blind persons by state rehab agencies. I also think that ACB ought to consider holding a special workshop on this very important subject at its convention next year. Perhaps Toni and Ed would be willing to lead it. I often read comments and questions on this subject from readers in other braille magazines, clearly indicating that many blind people don't know how to effectively deal with the business of recruiting, selecting, training and retaining volunteers. When things don't work out the way they thought, they blame the volunteers instead of re-examining what they did or didn't do. Being blind all of my life, I have consistently relied on sighted volunteers (and admit to having made many mistakes along the way). And just because one may have sighted members in their family, as I do, does not mean that we have got it knocked. Even family members need and deserve consideration, recognition and a break from us from time to time. Again, congrats to Toni and Ed for a fine article. -- Larry Johnson, San Antonio, Texas Regarding Talking VCRs I am writing about a letter that has appeared in other blindness magazines about the talking VCR. Zenith tried selling them to the general public but there wasn't enough demand for them. I also heard it advertised on the radio several months after I got mine. The reality is that the VCR is becoming the dinosaur of entertainment equipment. I think it would be best for us to demand that DVRs, TiVo and on-demand programming be made blind- user friendly. -- Tammy Maynard, Nashville, Tenn. ***** HIGH TECH SWAP SHOP FOR SALE: i.d. mate version 2, with version 1.5 database. Comes with carrying case, AC adaptor, miscellaneous tags for labeling, manual on disk. In perfect condition. Asking $700 or best offer. Contact lisagbrooks@msn.com or call (602) 955-2955 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific. FOR SALE: Braille Lite 18, $1,150. Mobile phone organizer (notetaker with speech and braille output plus cell phone), $2,995. ALVA Satellite braille display with 44 cells, $3,995. ALVA 40-cell braille display, $2,795. DECTalk Express, $650. Accent SA speech synthesizer, $250. GPS Talks with Magellan receiver (for use with PC or laptop), $350. IBM Home Page Reader, $75. Zip drive with 1GB storage on disks, $150. Large APH cassette recorder/player, $50. Most items are new or rarely used demo units. All prices negotiable. May accept payments through PayPal. For information, contact Kathy at kathy@adaptiveware.biz or call (615) 884-8904. FOR SALE: BrailleNote Classic with Perkins-style braille keyboard and a 32-cell braille display, which runs Keysoft 4.01 and comes with carrying case, AC adapter, cables to connect it to your computer, large print and CD- ROM user's guide, and external disk drive. All in very good condition. Asking $2,500 plus shipping, or best offer. If you're interested (or know of someone who is), please contact Stacy Cervenka at stacy_cervenka@brownback.senate.gov or during the day at (202) 224-6521. FOR SALE: Braille Lite, recently updated. Comes with accessories in original packaging and the owner's manual in braille. Contact Bill Meinecke at (757) 474-9476 or e-mail at nanpuppy@cox.net. FOR SALE: Three braille writers for sale. All are in good working condition. Two braillers, $300 each. One jumbo brailler, $350. If an agency wishes to purchase the braille writers as a group, I will sell them all for $1,000. One screenless Pentium 3 computer with 512 MB of RAM, a 60-gigabyte hard drive, three serial ports, a monitor port, and a parallel port. This computer does not include a screen reading program. Asking $500. Contact Rodney Neely at (703) 319-0881, or e-mail him, blindlion@verizon.net. FOR SALE: Four slate and stylus sets; two are metal, two plastic. One contains a case with slate, stylus, and eraser. The other 3 sets consist of slate and stylus. One stylus is shaped like a pen and is metal; fits easily in a shirt pocket. Asking $125 for the whole lot. If interested, contact Nancy Pershing by phone or e-mail, (506) 237-5370 or cell phone (514) 754- 4167, e-mail owenryder@sympatico.ca. FOR SALE: Alva Satellite 44-cell braille display. Has both serial and USB ports. Used very little. Comes with cables, drivers, manual, and a padded backpack. Asking $2,500. Send an e-mail message to laurao@tsoft.com. FOR SALE: Money identifier. Reads $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 currency. This device also identifies colors and is an easy-to-use digital voice recorder. Automatic shut off. Includes earphones. This unit is brand- new. Asking $135. Call George at (661) 203-2651 or e-mail him at geoleckner@sbcglobal.net. FOR SALE: VoiceNote BT. Purchased in July of 2002, and was only used for about 3 months. The unit has not been upgraded since it was purchased. Asking $400. Contact Tonia Trapp at tonialeigh513@earthlink.net or (505) 856-5346 before 9 p.m. Mountain time. ACB OFFICERS PRESIDENT CHRISTOPHER GRAY 94 RAMONA AVE. SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT M.J. SCHMITT 119 SHELL EDGE DR ROCHESTER, NY 14623 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT MITCH POMERANTZ 1115 CORDOVA STREET #402 PASADENA, CA 91106 SECRETARY DONNA SELIGER 3912 SE 5TH ST DES MOINES, IA 50315 TREASURER MIKE GODINO 104 TILROSE AVE MALVERNE, NY 11565-2024 IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT PAUL EDWARDS 20330 NE 20TH CT. MIAMI, FL 33179 ACB BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ed Bradley, Houston, TX Ray Campbell, Glen Ellyn, IL Brenda Dillon, Hermitage, TN Billie Jean Keith, Arlington, VA Oral Miller, Washington, DC Carla Ruschival, Louisville, KY Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD Naomi Soule, St. Louis, MO Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA David Trott, Talladega, AL Ex Officio: Charles Hodge, Arlington, VA BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS Mike Duke, Chairman, Jackson, MS Charles Hodge, Arlington, VA DeAnna Noriega, Colorado Springs, CO Ken Stewart, Warwick, NY Cindy Van Winkle, Bremerton, WA Ex Officios: Ralph Sanders, Las Vegas, NV Janelle Edwards, Springfield, MO