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First, I take great pleasure in announcing that on Nov. 30, I was informed that the United States Department of Transportation had changed its ruling regarding detectable warnings and subway platforms. The new ruling states that detectable warnings must be installed on subway platforms in key stations by no later than July 26, 1994. This represents a significant change from the department's earlier reluctance to implement rules mandating installation of detectable warnings along rail platforms. The American Council of the Blind can rightfully and proudly take much of the credit for this change. We in consort with other agencies for the blind met with Transportation Secretary Federico F. Pe�a. This meeting would almost certainly not have occurred had it not been for our activities in San Francisco during our convention.

By the time you receive this month's issue, the new year will be under way. I am sure the new year will mean new opportunities and many changes for ACB. We will likely be hard at work providing our input on some form of health care legislation. Such input will require significant effort on the part of the members and leaders of ACB. Education legislation will also be high on our agenda. I am sure there will be other areas of interest in which we'll be involved that we can't presently foresee.

In November ACB held an accreditation summit. Its purpose was to bring people together to discuss outcome-based accreditation. ACB brought together the most knowledgeable people in the field of accreditation in this country to talk about this subject. Those who attended this summit participated in a variety of ways including small-group discussions. I am very concerned about the cutbacks in funding for services to blind people in this country. Every state I visited this year either had to accept cuts in its funding or expected cutbacks for the coming year. Those who provide services to blind and visually impaired people need to take a good look at their operations and become much more efficient in the way they provide service. The economic environment is rapidly changing the workplace and those who provide services to blind people will not be exempt. This will not be a one-way street. Consumers will also have to accept changes in both service delivery and available services. As money becomes even tighter, the providers will be forced to move people through training programs faster in the future than at today's levels. Unless we work to protect it, the quality of training could suffer. If people are to be trained more rapidly, we must ensure that top-notch training methods are implemented and that consumers take their share of responsibility for doing the utmost to efficiently learn the material being presented. ACB is committed to ensuring that adequate services be provided to blind people. Therefore we will work with both providers and consumers to make certain that the inevitable changes in our economy and workplace structures benefit blind and partially sighted people to the extent that they can.

I wish to announce that Robert Acosta has resigned as second vice president of ACB for personal reasons. The board of directors has indicated that it will look at the possibility of an interim replacement for Acosta during the upcoming mid-year meeting in February.

ACB will hold its board meeting on Feb. 5, 1994 in Chicago. Our special-interest affiliates will also be holding mid-year meetings during that weekend. In addition, the board of publications and various committees will hold mid-year meetings. All meetings will be held at the Palmer House Hilton, which is the hotel we will use for our national convention next July.

WASHINGTON -- Last month, a year-long struggle ended with a victory for the safety and independence of blind people, according to LeRoy F. Saunders, president of the American Council of the Blind.

On Nov. 30, the United States Department of Transportation published a notice in "The Federal Register" requiring rail transit systems to install detectable, tactile warnings along the edges of transit platforms in key stations by July 26, 1994. The ruling represents a major victory for ACB, whose members have fought on a myriad of fronts for the implementation of the rule, Saunders said. "These warnings can easily be detected by canes or felt underfoot; they provide an extra and necessary margin of safety by letting blind travelers know they are approaching the edges of transit platforms. The warning surface, which can be easily seen because of its sharp color contrast, consists of flat raised domes that are as high as two quarters stacked." "This struggle began late last year when the Department of Transportation proposed to give rail systems an extra 18 months to install the warnings," said Paul W. Schroeder, director of governmental affairs for the American Council of the Blind. "The original deadline was July 26, 1993 as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act. During the 60 days before the original deadline date, two blind people were killed after falling from subway platforms onto the tracks."

Following the second fatality, which occurred while the American Council of the Blind was in convention in San Francisco, hundreds of ACB members demonstrated before DOT offices there, demanding a meeting with Transportation Secretary Federico F. Pe�a to discuss the department's intended action in connection with the request for additional time. Schroeder said ACB leaders met with Pe�a here just days after the convention. They forcefully pointed out that there was no objective reason to conduct further research regarding tactile warnings and demanded a timely decision.

While the department did not meet the July 26 deadline, and although it did allow some extra time, it made clear in its notice that transit authorities must install the warnings by July of next year unless they receive a time extension for a particular station for which extraordinarily expensive structural changes are necessary.

In the notice the department said, " . . . All it takes is a brief moment of fatigue, or distraction, or disorientation, in the complex and sometimes confusing environment of a rail station, and even a very experienced blind rail system user can make what, in context, is a fatal misstep. Detectable warnings can prevent that last mistaken step. . . . " "Our task must now be to ensure that rail systems work aggressively to meet the July deadline," said Patricia M. Beattie, chairperson of ACB's Environmental Access Committee.

Recently, a colleague asked me why it would not be sufficient for me to say each month in this report that the previous month was another frantically busy one. While that suggestion is tempting, it would fail to convey to the members and friends of American Council of the Blind an understanding of the variety of activities in which the national office staff takes part. At this point it is appropriate to remind the readers also that the activities discussed in this report are only those in which national office staff members take part; the officers and directors of the American Council of the Blind participate each month in countless advocacy, program consultation, and liaison activities which are not necessarily mentioned in "The Braille Forum." In recent weeks, national staff members were privileged to take part (sometimes with very short notice), in annual conventions conducted by ACB affiliates in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois and Kansas. Several of those conventions also involved participation by nearby ACB board members. John Horst participated in conventions in Illinois and Pennsylvania, Patricia Beattie and Pam Shaw participated in the convention of the D.C. Association of Workers for the Blind here in Washington, ACB President LeRoy Saunders, First Vice President Charles Hodge, and Patricia Beattie were in Virginia, and Michael Byington in Kansas. The D.C. convention celebrated the 80th anniversary of the affiliate as an organization.

Some of the issue-oriented meetings in which staff members have taken part recently related to important matters such as non-profit organizational accountability, Supplemental Security Income, (testimony by Paul Schroeder, director of governmental affairs, before the House Ways and Means Committee), the U.S. role in international disability issues, personal assistance service, the production of educational materials and provision of educational services by the American Printing House for the Blind, sports and recreation opportunities, the information infrastructure or "electronic superhighway," welfare reform, transition from school to work, national health care (a national video conference attended by Paul Schroeder and a White House briefing which I attended), and meetings on audio equipment provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

One very important meeting in which additional information will be provided in the future, brought together more than 70 advocates for the deaf and blind to frame a response to a recent statement by Assistant Secretary of Education Judith Heumann concerning the reported "immorality" of special schools for disabled students.

Lest it be thought that all business meetings are necessarily heavy and without good humor, I should mention that some of the less formal, yet important functions which have received staff attention lately included a meeting of the Consumers Advisory Council of Recording for the Blind, the annual meeting of Washington Volunteer Readers for the Blind, (a group which records a considerable amount of material for ACB staff members), and an excellent evening reception given by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped celebrating the renovation and remodeling of its headquarters in Washington.

We are looking forward to seeing our affiliate presidents who will come together for their semi-annual meeting scheduled to take place at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago on Feb. 6 and 7, 1994.

Isn't everyone in favor of some drastic reforms in our medical delivery strategies? Reservations revolve around who and what will be covered; how in the dickens we can afford the additional coverage, and how to moderate the impact on those who currently find the status quo meets their personal needs so that they will not oppose the reforms. When former surgeon general C. E. Koop told fellow doctors they cannot afford to be seen as the nay- sayers he might as well have been talking to all of us. But we must be wise in our evaluations and insightful in our strategies to bring our issues into the process. We need so much more than is now available, and too many of our contemporaries are unaware of our potential.

No one can successfully swim against the raging river of frustration. The rising flood levels of medical costs are wiping us out. And right now Senator Ed Kennedy (D-Mass.), who has been working for universal health care for 30 years, assures us there has never been more support for such reform. It's coming, and let's be sure it doesn't include standards that reinforce the negative value placed on the lives of many of us who live with disabilities, or deny us the opportunity to move from mere survival toward self-determination and productivity through readily available rehabilitation services. We'd better get involved with the negotiation process.

A brief telephone reading of several sections of the leaked draft document from Hillary Clinton's task force on medical reform had revealed several elements which were bothersome. It appeared that the judgment of who might be considered eligible for rehabilitation services under the draft language would be based upon their ability to be restored to their original state of function. Now, lots of us will never be as "perfect" as we were before an injury or sickness, but it sounded even more problematic for those who were born with disabilities! Additionally, the draft seemed to indicate that if improvement wasn't evident within a short period of time, the rehabilitation eligibility would be terminated. Such insistence upon a rapid turnaround in the rehabilitation process seemed troublesome for several populations. Many of our peers struggle for weeks to make the first moves toward new levels of function. I thought of some stroke patients and those recovering from head injuries. These questions went unasked and unanswered during the White House briefing to which I was about to be invited.

I got the call two days before the Sept. 16 event. The disability briefing was taking place in the Indian Treaty Room of the old executive office building. I gave my birth date and social security number to the staffer and made plans to take an associate. It seemed in the two weeks before Clinton's formal presentation of his plan that every constituency in Washington received an invitation for a briefing on his American Health Security Act. Numbers of ordinary people had met with the president in the Rose Garden that morning, and he would meet with business leaders at a well-known hardware store that afternoon and the next day with doctors at Children's Hospital. It was nice to know the disability community was included in this rush toward garnering support. I'd learned some 14 years ago that the building where our briefing was taking place isn't a decaying edifice of little importance. Upon my first invitation to the old executive office building I'd made a naive mistake. There were two simultaneous meetings which I was to cover as the special assistant in a federal agency. I sent one secretary to take notes at a briefing on an independent living initiative at the old building at 17th and Pennsylvania Avenue and took my other staffer to a planning session with President Carter's Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services Administration. Mr. Bob Humphreys called this meeting to order, and after a few polite remarks excused himself because he'd "been called to the White House." It took but a moment to realize he was heading to the session I'd decided couldn't be as important as his meeting. I rushed to take my place of honor and was there when the commissioner made his appearance. Invitations to 17th and Pennsylvania Avenue were never dismissed again. I wouldn't miss this occasion.

We arrived early to find several colleagues in wheelchairs had already moved into a break in the rows of small elegant chairs set in formal rows. Obviously, movement through the gathering crowd for those of us in wheelchairs would be limited. Slowly people arrived to greet colleagues and settle into clusters of shared interest. The smell of fried chicken wafted through the air and I realized I'd missed lunch, and marveled at the audacity of whoever had brought their KFC lunch to much here in these grand surroundings. I'd heard the Clinton administration was more casual than others I'd observed. Well, live and learn.

The crowded room hushed as a representative from Clinton's public liaison office moved to the front to greet the group, then turned the proceedings over to Judy Feder, who has been dealing with disability issues for the new White House. The mother of a disabled son, she comes from Arkansas. I'd heard nothing but good reports of her commitment.

All of us were encouraged to submit any substitute language for the current text of the draft by fax to (202) 456-6218. It was at this point that I understood many in the room had copies of the leaked draft. This was reinforced as Ms. Feder referred to the "fact" that all of us had undoubtedly reviewed the "actual language." I joined the unsophisticated at the briefing in dealing with principles and generalities rather than those inkprint words already committed to paper. The acoustics are atrocious in the Indian Treaty Room at best. There was a bit of confusion as Ms. Feder attempted to use the microphone at the podium. It wasn't working. She gave up as a hard-of-hearing man asked to place his hearing enhancement unit close to her. My handheld unit remained pointed in her direction as I strained to hear. A woman had appeared at the door shortly before the briefing began asking that all the "news people" follow her. Since at that point there was absolutely no way I could have gotten through the narrow passageway between the chairs, I asked my associate to follow her and pick up any press releases or packets of information. Some minutes later she returned to tell me there was nothing being distributed nor did there seem to be any interest in offering information to those of us who write for the disability press that wouldn't be made available to those in the crowded room. We were told this was a momentous moment in history and that the plan will cover every American, regardless of age or condition. It was suggested that all of us in favor of this Clinton health reform plan would surely be invited to celebrate on the South Lawn of the White House in the future. Over the next 60 minutes there were repeated affirmations that the document was still in flux at the same time that we were being requested to review this leaked and unstable document and submit our word for word substitutions. The assumption seemed clear: Anyone who would be knowledgeable enough to have a credible suggestion must already have an unofficial copy of the draft. I ruminated on the marked differences between the well-paid lobbyists with considerable resources and the advocates who simply lived the issues. Later I talked with an attorney who represents three organizations in this debate. He was very polished and smooth -- probably worth every dollar he is paid. How nice, I thought. I got in a combination question. The first half had to do with the availability of the current and future versions: "Will copies of the anticipated permutations of the draft be available in alternative forms for those of us who are blind or visually impaired?" Not pausing for an answer to this practical question, I went on to my primary concern about the principles which guided the document drafters. "Early in this administration approval was granted for a Medicare waiver to the state of Oregon to make decisions about eligibility for medical treatment on a scale based upon `quality of life' determinations. Many of us fear such judgments are liable to discriminate against people with disabilities and may well deprive those judged as having less potential of medical treatment considered appropriate for others deemed more `eligible.' Is such a rationing plan a part of the Clinton draft?" The first answer was brief: "In principle everyone will be covered." When I asked again about alternative formats, Ms. Feder said she'd been requested to do this briefing but had no idea about how anything would be released. However, she had a "feeling" that most of the negotiations would take place in "this sort of format" --the give and take of people who had already studied the various (printed) versions. A deaf woman seated beside me had been striving for some time to get attention so that her question could be articulated by the interpreter. Her concern was that the deaf community be given the opportunity to be involved in the process and be assured that their concerns would be addressed. She reminded Ms. Feder that adequate services for the deaf are "iffy" and wondered if access to medical care included concern that interpreters be made available. The answer was vague. It seemed it would be considered.

As questions were fielded, the differences in sophistication in the questioners became more evident. There were specific inquiries about the exact definitions of appropriate devices and prostheses. Apparently the draft uses the language of the old rickety Social Security eligibility standards instead of those more relevant criteria developed within the Rehabilitation Act. There questions about assorted figures currently in the document and then some based on facts garnered from the "Post." Unfortunately, I remembered our newspapers rarely, if ever, report from a "disability" perspective on the news stories they print, and I wondered silently if there was any chance this might change in the near future. At pauses in the discussion we were informed anew that the eventual plan, in principle, would be marvelous for us all and that those problems which were brought up would be addressed in future drafts. At other times we were reminded there would be many compromises made as this landmark legislative initiative moves through the many Congressional committees primed to take it apart. One of the last questions addressed the number of days those with mental illness might expect to be eligible for services. Figures had apparently shifted in earlier discussion. The questioner used a phrase which was probably on many minds: "Is this another case of smoke and mirrors?" A scolding resulted. Such a negative phrase was viewed as inappropriate. However, I couldn't help but think the image apt. At this point in the negotiations weren't we looking toward an end product which was unclear because of the fog and clouds of smoke which the year ahead would hopefully clear away? And mirrors confuse the real with the reflected just as "trial balloons" are sometimes confused with sincerely offered options. Little doubt was implied about the essential sincerity of Hillary and Bill Clinton in the beginnings of this reform process. But hadn't the clarity of those origins already been clouded by the political necessities of Potomac game-playing? The lingering scent of fried chicken seemed mingled with a hint of soot. As the meeting broke up I approached Ms. Feder and asked if there had been a print agenda or other written information. I hoped to get names and titles right. She didn't think so. I asked again about alternative formats. Concern about such access issues apparently isn't a part of her job responsibilities. I didn't learn whose job it was. Why do I think we, as people concerned about disability rights, need to be wise as serpents about this medical reform package? During his campaign I was disappointed when Bill Clinton expressed support for the Oregon waiver. I sent background information on the issues of rationing of medical care as it applies to those of us with disabilities. I was assured by campaign staffers that he was "reconsidering" his response. But shortly after his appointment of Donna E. Shalala as Secretary of Health and Human Services, the waiver was granted. Criteria related to "quality of life" judgments remained a part of that package. Surgeon General Joycelynn Elders' statement to the Senate labor committee some time ago in support of more liberal abortion laws "to lower the number of children afflicted with severe defects . . ." causes me a few moments of concern. She seemed quite pleased that ". . . the number of Down's syndrome infants in Washington state . . . was 64 percent lower than it would have been . . . " if those babies had been allowed to be born. Such acceptance of an all too prevalent and negative perception of the value and potential of those of our colleagues who comprehend a bit slower causes me a moment of concern. Can we fully trust such officials to view others within our community in truly positive terms? What of those people with head injuries who also face slowed function? Or those with mental illness or quadriplegia or blindness or deafness? We all may be limited in Elders' view. And I fear she's not alone in her judgments. What's not to love about a reform package for the nation? It's something all of us can support. But . . . Let's look closely at the implications and monitor the process. This administration has offered repeated support of the principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act. But there is some evidence that the negative stereotypes still play a part in their views of the new age they are crafting. Hope to see ya -- On The Scene.

As you read this, it is January. You, no doubt, have had enough of winter's cold and snow. So to change your mood, think about summer in Chicago with the warm breezes from Lake Michigan. Think of how your heart will be warmed as you again greet old friends and make new ones at the 1994 ACB Annual National Convention. Start planning your trip now.

International Tours of Muskogee, Okla., (800) 259-9299, ACB's designated travel agency, has flight information for you. For airport facts and how to get transportation from O'Hare or Midway airports to downtown, see "Chicago -- That Wonderful Town," in the December 1993 issue. The Palmer House Hilton Hotel, (312) 726-7500, is waiting to take your reservations, so why delay?

The convention will occur July 2 through 9, 1994. Mid- year meetings will be held Feb. 4 to 7, 1994. Both the convention and the mid-year meetings will be held at the Palmer House. These mid-year meetings will include meetings of various special-interest affiliate boards, the ACB board of directors, and at least four ACB committees. Affiliate presidents will also meet Sunday afternoon and evening, Feb. 6, and Monday morning, Feb. 7.

Hotel room rates for both the mid-year meetings and the convention are $47 per night for single and double, $57 for triple and quad. Reservations for the mid-year meetings must be made by Jan. 14. Convention hotel reservations must be completed by June 10, 1994.

We are pleased to report that a new contract for 1994 has again been established with International Tours, Inc. Through this travel agency, agreements have also been established with Delta, United, and USAir airlines. As a result, International Tours is able to offer the lowest fares, share some of its profits with ACB, and reduce travel costs for ACB personnel. When you plan your travel with International Tours, Inc. and the above-mentioned three airlines, you will receive excellent service and you'll be assisting ACB with operating costs. The toll-free number can be used to call this travel agency from anywhere in the United States. Chicago has great attractions, and Cynthia Towers as the new assistant convention coordinator, with the help of Illinois Council of the Blind members from Chicago, is planning great tours. Under consideration at press time is an overnight trip to southern Wisconsin, which offers much in the way of Scandinavian, Swiss, and German history. Other tours include the very popular architecture boat ride on the Chicago River, a dinner cruise on the lake, a visit to the museum of broadcast communications, a city tour with a stop at Capone's Chicago, a casino cruise on the Mississippi River, a Chicago Cubs baseball game, a visit to the Dieke Low Vision Center, the Illinois Visually Handicapped Institute, and the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, a dinner theater or concert on July 9, and several other attractions. Watch each upcoming issue of "The Braille Forum" for details.

If you are the program chairperson of a special-interest affiliate or wish to present a seminar at the 1994 convention, the time is now to complete your program planning and forward the information to Jennifer Sutton, coordinator of membership development, at the ACB National Office in Washington. Complete information submitted early will result in accurate information in the ACB convention program's report. The 33rd national convention in our nation's third-largest city offers you many opportunities for education, growth, and fellowship.

(Editor's note: Sue Ammeter is a member of the board of directors of the American Council of the Blind.)

On Monday, Nov. 15, I was sitting in my office when the phone rang. The caller said, "I am calling on behalf of the APEC Host Committee to invite you to attend President Clinton's address on Friday at the Olympic Four Seasons Hotel." I gave them my fax number, and shortly thereafter received an official invitation to the event.

I had no idea what had triggered this call, but I began scouting around. I found that six community disability leaders had also been invited. As the week progressed, there was a flurry of other activities. The White House Office of Public Affairs phoned to invite me to the Grand Reception on Thursday evening at the Westin Hotel, and to the administration's special briefing on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, previous work commitments did not permit me to attend these events.

On Friday morning we arrived at the Four Seasons and were cleared through security. As we waited outside the Spanish Ballroom, we drank coffee and munched on refreshments provided by the host committee. It appeared that there would be about 200 people in attendance, primarily representing business and political leaders from throughout the Northwest. As we entered the ballroom, we were seated in the front row, directly in front of the podium. I could have reached out and touched the presidential seal. One person in our group needed an interpreter, so this seating arrangement was made as an accommodation to his needs. We all waited with excited anticipation for the President's arrival. As we waited, it was interesting to observe the activities of the Secret Service and to watch the throng of press milling about. Finally the announcement came: "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States." We all stood and applauded. Mr. Clinton discussed the importance of developing our trade contracts with Pacific rim nations, and his speech was sprinkled with humor and accolades to our business and political communities, and his love for our beautiful city of Seattle. As a novice in these things, the next events were a surprise to me. Following his speech, he came down through the front row, shaking hands. As he approached, all I could think was, "What should I say?" When he came to me he said, "Hello Sue, it's nice to see you." His handshake was warm and firm, and I am sure that his smile was just as warm and friendly. I simply said, "Hello, Mr. President."

Although this was an exciting and exhilarating event for me, it means more than that. It means that disabled people are being recognized as a political force in this country. But with this recognition comes responsibility. It is important for each of us to be involved in providing input to the legislature and Congress on issues that impact our lives. It is critical that we be involved in and seen as a part of the political process. I believe that we can make a difference and that each of us should make every attempt to be involved in the political process.

On the lighter side, I recently spoke with ACB board member Chris Gray. He and his mother, WCB member Shirley Gray, had been traveling through Europe during this time. As they sat in a bar in Paris watching the APEC events on CNN International News, Shirley suddenly said, "There's Sue sitting in the first row in front of the President." The electronic age is truly remarkable. Although this will always be a day that I remember, it also signifies another day in the growth of the political recognition of people with disabilities in our country.

The concept of a "National Agenda" is popular now, perhaps because we are nearing the end of the 20th century, and we would like to think that the year 2000 will bring with it significant changes in education as we now know it. We who are involved in the education of students who are visually impaired might be particularly drawn to a "National Agenda," because we are aware of a number of issues that are in desperate need of change. At a recent meeting at the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Ky., Anne Corn presented a list of issues in our profession that are in need of immediate attention. Several of us began to discuss how we could take Anne's concept and develop it into a "National Agenda for Education of Students with Visual Impairments: Goals for the Year 2000." Our idea was to take the most critical issues in education of students with visual impairments and develop a list of goals that we commit ourselves to accomplish by the year 2000. What follows is a list compiled by Anne Corn, Butch Hill and Phil Hatlen. We are aware of many of the issues in education for students with visual impairments. However, we need some help in order to expand the National Agenda so that it includes issues in rehabilitation. We hope that this concept inspires readers who have some strong opinions on issues regarding rehabilitation of persons with visual impairments. Our hope is that we will have a National Agenda for Education and Rehabilitation of Persons with Visual Impairments.

By the year 2000 all students with visual impairments will: * receive educational services from a certified teacher of students with visual impairments whose case load does not exceed 12 students. * be referred by an eye specialist for educational or rehabilitation services within 30 days of diagnosis. * receive an assessment by a certified orientation and mobility instructor by age two. * acquire reading and mathematics scores within one year of their sighted age peers (for students without additional disabilities).

By the year 2000 all students with low vision will: * receive a clinical low vision evaluation by age three. * receive a learning media assessment by age five.

By the year 2000: * the employment rate of blind and visually impaired graduating students from high schools and colleges will be 50 percent. * there will be a core disability-specific curriculum which will be adopted by 90 percent of residential schools and 80 percent of LEAs.

We believe that these are challenging, but attainable, goals. We ask that all readers carefully consider our proposed National Agenda and respond to us regarding changes, additions, deletions, etc. This is just the beginning of what can become a vital document for our profession. Please help us in refining and improving it, then help us in "selling" this as a serious national agenda. We are hoping that a discussion of this concept can be held at the Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Training Institute, scheduled for March 3-5, 1994. We hope you will help us in improving the national agenda before this meeting, and we suggest that the national agenda be finalized at the institute.

(Editor's note: Dr. Sandra Lewis presented this address during the legislative seminar at the 32nd annual national convention of the American Council of the Blind. She is currently an assistant professor and the coordinator of the program in visual impairment in the department of special education at Florida State University in Tallahassee. When Lewis spoke at the convention, she had just left a position as coordinator of education assessments and outreach at the California State School for the Blind in Fremont.)

As you are aware, our educational system reflects the values of society. When blind people were viewed by society as "defective burdens of no significance," these people were kept in asylums. As society became more charitable, the people running the asylums began teaching their blind wards what was important to society --mostly religious studies. With the founding of the residential schools in the United States in the 1830s, educators gradually broadened the course of study offered to blind children to include much of what was being taught to other children in this country. To some extent, residential schools were modeled on the boarding school system that was popular within our society at the time. I mention the relationship between society's values and educational practice because there exists today a value which is held so dear by some thinkers within special education that it threatens the actual future of specialized services to children with disabilities -- specialized services that are critical to the ultimate functioning of most blind children. The value to which I am referring is "full inclusion" --and what a positive value! Throughout this century, individuals in this country have fought diligently for the right to be included --women, people of color, and most recently with the passage of the ADA, individuals with disabilities. Full inclusion within adult society is what I, as a teacher, want for each of the students I serve. Why would this wonderful concept be a threat to consider at this legislative seminar today? First, I have to admit that I do not know what full inclusion is as it applies to schools, even though I've read everything I can on the subject. Every author defines it differently. Philosophically, the idea is to have all students of the same age living in the same area educated together -- regardless of intellectual level, behavior, or special needs. Some writers allow that some children may have to be removed from the regular class for some of the time, but just as many authors will say "no" -- all instruction should occur in the regular class -- that for full inclusion to work, the special services required by a student need to be brought to the pupil. For many advocates of full inclusion, inclusion in society is viewed as a means to an end. If you educate disabled children in an included environment, then they will be included as adults. There is little proof that this theory is true for all disabled children, and there is anecdotal evidence that it may not be true for many blind children. Many blind adults tell teachers that the time spent in "isolated," "segregated," or "restricted" environments -- at camp, in resource rooms, at a residential school -- was extremely valuable for learning the skills associated with being a successful, "fully included" blind adult. What I have observed as a teacher is that, for some blind and visually impaired youngsters, being fully included as a student does not assure that the student will be fully included as an adult. Inclusion as an adult is dependent on having skills -- being competent and having confidence in one's abilities. What is important is that the child be taught those skills -- reading, writing, arithmetic, activities of daily living, orientation and mobility, use of computers, etc. -- that will be needed as an adult.

So, the problem is that full inclusion may not be an effective way to teach blind children how to be included in society as an adult. It may foster ignorance and dependence since while it provides for the proximity of blind and sighted students, it may not address the learning needs and styles of blind children. But lawmakers today are not hearing about the potential problems associated with full inclusion. They are being asked to focus on the ideal -- "wouldn't it be wonderful to educate all children together?" Or "it is morally and ethically wrong to `segregate' some children from their peers." Lawmakers are hearing much about full inclusion because highly vocal advocacy groups are concentrating on making significant changes to two special education laws that will be considered for reauthorization. The first law is called P.L. 89-313, or Chapter 1 (handicapped program). P.L. 89-313 provides much of the funding for residential schools. People who do not think there should be specialized placements -- especially "isolated" schools -- are lobbying to have this special education funding program added to legislation that assures that children are placed in fully included environments. Now, it seems likely that Chapter 1 funds will be "folded" into P.L. 94-142, or IDEA, the main law that authorizes and funds special education programs. What we would like to assure is that residential school programs remain an option that is supported by special education law and funding. The second law that will be reauthorized during this next legislative session is P.L. 94-142, or as it is known now, IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. IDEA is the law that assures that children with disabilities (1) are entitled to receive education services; (2) that a range of service delivery options will be made available to each student; (3) that placement of a student in a special education program is based on the student's assessed needs; (4) that goals and objectives for each student are detailed in an IEP; and (5) assures due process for parents. Some people who are advocating for full inclusion would prefer that IDEA not be reauthorized. They believe that ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act provide all the protection that a student with a disability needs to receive an inclusive education. While it is unlikely that IDEA will not be reauthorized, it is possible that some "minor" changes in wording could occur that will threaten the ability of students to receive specialized services in specialized environments. Current law states that children with disabilities will be educated with children who are not disabled "to the maximum extent appropriate." What we have seen in California is an attempt to change this language to "the maximum extent possible." Only one word is altered, but the intent and the meaning are changed drastically. Similarly, current law states that removal from a regular classroom will occur when "education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily." We have seen drafts that change this language to the past tense, "when education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services has not been achieved satisfactorily." With this change, the child would have to fail in a regular class before alternative placements would be considered -- even if it is known that, as a blind child, the supplementary aids and services could not adequately meet the child's needs. These kinds of modifications could result in taking the "special" out of special education. If you believe that many visually impaired children require specialized instruction (such as orientation and mobility) in specialized environments (such as on the street), then these proposals should alarm you.

What to do? Write to your representatives in the Senate and in the Congress. Tell them that full inclusion is an admirable, acceptable goal, but that for some blind people, may not be the means to achieve that goal at all times. Recommend positive changes to improve IDEA, such as lengthening the list of suggested services to include orientation and mobility or braille instruction. But no matter what else you do, insist that the range of options in which students can be educated remain. Emphasize that what is important is that students be taught what they need to know to function as adults in society, not where those students are taught. Tell them that you consider yourself a fully included adult, and especially if you had experiences in so-called "segregated" environments, explain how those experiences prepared you for your future. We do not want to fight the principle of full inclusion for adults with disabilities. We do, however, want to protect the range of environments and specialized services needed to assure that blind and visually impaired adults have the abilities to be fully included adults.

The American Council of the Blind will award 14 scholarships to outstanding blind students in 1994. All legally blind people admitted to academic and vocational training programs at the post-secondary level for the 1994-1995 school year are encouraged to apply for one of these scholarships: The Floyd Qualls Memorial Scholarship is a $2,500 scholarship which will be awarded to each of the top two applicants in the following categories: entering freshmen in academic programs, undergraduates (sophomores, juniors and seniors) in academic programas, graduate students in academic programs, and vocational school students. Applicants will be compared with other applicants in their category, which means that entering freshmen will be competing for funds with other entering freshmen. The $2,500 Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship, provided by the Tarver Memorial Fund, will be granted to an outstanding student in the entering freshmen category. The $1,000 Mae Davidow Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding student in the undergraduate category. The National Industries for the Blind Scholarship is a $2,000 scholarship which will be awarded to two outstanding students majoring in business or management. These scholarships are provided by National Industries for the Blind, located in Wayne, N.J. The $1,000 TeleSensory Scholarship, provided by TeleSensory Corp. of Mountain View, Calif., will be awarded to an outstanding student in the graduate category. The $1,500 William Corey Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding Pennsylvania resident. All qualified Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to apply. The $1,000 Kellie Cannon Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding student studying in the field of computer information systems, data processing, etc. This scholarship is provided by Visually Impaired Data Processors, International, an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind. Applications are available from the American Council of the Blind, Attention: Jessica L. Beach, Scholarship Coordinator, 1155 15th St. NW, Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005; phone (202) 467-5081. All completed applications and supporting documents must be postmarked no later than March 1, 1994. Leading scholarship candidates will be interviewed by telephone in April. The ACB scholarship winners will be notified no later than May 15, 1994. The scholarships will be announced at the 33rd annual National Convention of the American Council of the Blind, to be held July 2-9, 1994, in Chicago, Ill. Scholarship winners are expected to be present at the convention; ACB will cover all reasonable costs connected with convention attendance. Among the criteria to be considered in the selection process of scholarship winners will be demonstrated academic record, involvement in extracurricular/civic activities and academic objectives. The severity of the applicant's visual impairment and his/her study methods will also be taken into account in the selection process. And for the first time, the American Council of the Blind is pleased to offer the John Hebner Memorial Scholarship to a blind or visually impaired applicant who is gainfully employed full-time. This scholarship will be a need-based scholarship to enable an individual to enroll in school while remaining employed full-time. The scholarship will be in the amount of $500. The winning student will receive the scholarship during the 1994-1995 school year. Successful applicants should submit the documentation specified below to the Hebner Memorial Scholarship, c/o American Council of the Blind, 1155 15th St. NW, Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005, no later than March 1, 1994. Faxed application materials will not be accepted. All materials in the application packet must be neatly typed. Applicants must submit the following in order to be considered:

1. A personal statement explaining how the scholarship will be beneficial. Describe the class(es) to be taken and the benefits to be gained by being enrolled in the program. Applicants should describe their financial need and provide the scholarship committee with any personal background information that may be relevant.

2. A resume including information about current and previous work experience, educational achievements, community service, etc.

3. A letter from the applicant's current employer confirming his/her employment status.

4. A statement from a medical doctor, rehabilitation specialist, or other qualified individual certifying that the applicant is legally blind. The definition of legal blindness is as follows: visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better corrected eye or a visual field of 20 degrees or less in the better corrected eye. To be eligible you must be legally blind in both eyes.

Charles L. Rhein -- Charlie -- made that "last great journey" on Oct. 29, 1993. The world is a better place for having had Charlie here for 71 years. Charlie worked at many careers throughout his lifetime. He served as a police officer, a data processor, an educator, and an administrator in the field of education. About 16 years ago Charlie became legally blind due to diabetic retinopathy. He retired from the field of education in Long Island, N.Y., and moved to Sarasota, Fla. This was a loss for New York, but a gain for the blind and visually impaired of Florida and throughout the country. Charlie lost his sight, but never his vision. Charlie promptly picked up his life and created yet another career for himself as a member of and advocate for the blind community. He became an active member of the Florida Council of the Blind, an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, as well as the Visually Impaired Veterans of America, which he served as both treasurer and president; the Society for the Prevention of Blindness; and the Friends of the Library, in addition to taking an active part in local civic activities to further the cause of blindness in the community. Charlie helped start the Florida chapter of the Council of Citizens with Low Vision International and served as membership secretary on both the state and national levels. Charlie set up a membership database and served as membership secretary to the Florida Council of the Blind until his death. Charlie assumed a leadership role in every organization he became associated with.

In 1984 this amazing man helped form the ManaSota Lighthouse for the Blind, a private, non-profit rehabilitation center serving the blind and visually impaired of a two-county area in southwestern Florida. In addition to a multitude of friends, Charlie leaves behind two daughters, a son-in-law, a brother and a sister. Charlie was not only my co-worker and a member of my executive committee, he was my friend and my conscience when it came to working with the blind. When I asked Charlie to help me, he was there with creative ideas, encouragement, and good, constructive criticism.

Whenever I read an article in "The Braille Forum" or in any other braille newsletter describing how yet another blind person has been refused for jury duty, I think about my experience in 1980 when I received a notice for jury duty. I went to the courthouse that day prepared to write just such an article. I must say I nearly muffed my chances, so nervous was I, and eager to make a good impression. My first mistake was upon encountering my mother, who had also been called for jury duty for the first time in her life, and talking so loudly to her that she shushed me, the way she did when I was a kid. Neither of us had known it in advance. She had not wanted to be called for jury duty and told me she could not afford to miss work, so I said little to her, but privately thought I could not afford not to miss work, if there was to be anything accomplished. She eventually was excused.

The second thing that happened was when roll was called. I heard the name Bernice and quickly answered, "Here," so anxious was I to appear ready and willing. Then I realized the name called had been Bernice Dumler, not Bernice Keller. The roll was being called alphabetically by last name. There were, in fact, four Bernices on that particular jury panel that day, another coincidence. For a wonder, my name was called for the "voir dire" section of jury selection. When my mother attempted to lead me up the aisle to the jury box, however, I quickly and deftly escaped her grasp, walking straight as I could to the bailiff who stood waiting for me, who then escorted me to the first chair, lower left-hand corner of the jury box. Thoughts whirred in my head, thoughts of how, when I had called other blind people in the area to ask whether they had ever served on a jury, they had quickly informed me, "Oh, they'll never let you serve on a jury in Kansas, so just get that out of your head, if you think you're going to prove anything," and similar remarks putting me firmly in my place. Yet here I was sitting in the jury box and listening to questions being put to other prospective jurors by both attorneys. "Do you have a relative in police enforcement work? Is any member of your family currently incarcerated?" I thought of how my brother-in-law was the retired superintendent of the Nebraska State Reformatory, and of his son who is the head parole officer of Nebraska, and was sure that would be used to eliminate me. But when I told them about these relatives, they made no comment. Never was I asked a direct question about travel, or anything they would not have asked anyone else. They did ask these very questions of two other women I felt really wanted to be eliminated, and after close questioning were excused.

When I had received the questionnaire from the court system, and my husband had helped me fill it out, one of the questions was, "Is there any reason you think you cannot serve on a jury? Do you have a handicap which would preclude your serving on a jury?" To both questions, I answered "no." "Do any of you know anything about this case?" was the next question. To this all of us also answered, "no." Every minute I expected to be excused, as two or three others had been before me. I was sure they were simply putting me on, so that I would not have the option of writing an article to a magazine, or even to some print media screaming that I, too, had been denied the right to serve on a jury. But suddenly, I heard the bailiff's voice saying, "We have our jury. The case may proceed." Actually, it was a simple case. A fellow was accused of stealing a horse and trailer. When the farmer gave chase and caught him, the fellow gave him a bogus check for a down payment, after telling him he would have given him the check, but he thought they weren't home. The first day, when the prosecution presented its evidence, it seemed very boring. I thought, "Why do blind people want to serve on juries, anyway?" The second day, though, was a cliffhanger. The man whose horse and trailer had been stolen gave graphic testimony of how the trailer was hooked up to the thief's truck and simply rolled out of his farmyard without a backward glance. When he gave chase, the thief speeded up (contrary to the thief's claims), endangering lives of people in other cars on the highway. When the farmer eventually caught up, the man handed him an envelope with the bogus check for a down payment and said, "Oh, I thought you weren't home, and I just now noticed you following me." It seemed they had talked on the phone the day before about the purchase of the horse and trailer, which the farmer had advertised locally. The trial only lasted a day and a half. There was only one incident that happened during this time. I had brought a card slate and cards on which to take notes. The bailiff walked over to me and told me, "You can't do that. You have to remember everything. May I have your material?" I handed it over. When it came time for the jury to leave the room, Judge Brown said solemnly, "We have two trials going on in Reno County. There are two jury rooms, one of which is up steep stairs. The other is on the ground floor. We had hoped our jury would go out first but this has not been the case, so our jury is going to be forced to use the upstairs jury room. Please proceed carefully." I stepped down from the jury box. The bailiff took my arm, as if to lead me. I simply made the Hines break, took his arm and said, "The way you walk with a blind person is just like this. Pretend you and I are a couple, and you are escorting me to a dance. How would you walk with me then?" He presented his arm, I took it, and we went out into the hallway with the other jurors. The stairway was another thing, however. It was very narrow, with room for only one person at a time. He walked behind me and quietly lifted my wrist to show me the railing. I know I could have asked for verbal instructions, but didn't want to seem too pushy to someone trying to be helpful. A bend in the stairs got the same helpful gesture. When we got to the room, he warned us, "These chairs are old and rickety, so everyone be especially careful." I noticed one of the fellows exchanging my rickety chair for his good one. "Ladies first," he said. Well, what would any gentleman do for a lady? I didn't take it as being patronized. I sat at the head of the table, to the jury foreman's right. He asked, "How are we going to do the voting?" I had thought of that too. I said, "I will wait till everyone is writing, and then will tell you my vote out loud. Everyone else can vote by ballot, and we'll see what happens." There was some mild protest about secrecy until I said, "We have to talk about it out loud, so what's the difference?" On the first ballot, I voted "not guilty" and explained the reason for my vote. "I think he is guilty," I said, "but I don't know the reason why." It seemed two others concurred with my feelings. There were two other "not guilty" votes. We began discussing the case. One of the women asked, "If he thought the deal was done, and if he really believed he had a right to the trailer, why didn't he simply leave the check in the mailbox, and why did he have to be chased? I know he said he didn't know the farmer was following, but why did he speed up?" To me that question was like a bright light being turned on in a dark room. I knew then that the man was guilty. It only took us an hour and a half to complete all the legal requirements and call the bailiff.

During the trial there had been a question about lip tattoos. During the questioning before the trial, the defense attorney had asked us if we knew about lip tattoos. None of us had. When the defendant had claimed that it was an entirely different horse, and that we were all mixed up, the lip tattoo had been brought up. At this time, pictures were handed around. Instead of passing me over with the pictures, he handed them to me. Since I'd already been reprimanded about note-taking, I wondered what to do, then quickly turned to the juror on my right and asked her to describe the two horses, and she did. The only thing we were asked by the court was that we raise our voices so the entire room could hear us. We complied, and when we finished, she passed them on to the next in line. Upon reaching our verdict, we returned to the courtroom to finish the trial. The foreman was asked, as in every trial, "Have you reached a verdict?", to which he replied, "We have, your honor." "How do you find the defendant?" "We find the defendant guilty as charged, your honor." We were polled to verify the verdict and finally dismissed.

There was only one thing I would have changed if I had to do it over again. Instead of being the first in line, I would be the last. That way, there wouldn't be any holding up of lines. I waited for reporters to ask me questions. There were none. Soon Paul came to pick me up. Nothing was ever mentioned in the paper, and when I asked someone why, the terse reply was, "We protect our jurors." It was treated as a non-event. A few days later, in a conversation with a local vision teacher, Bernice Brown, her just-as-terse comment was, "Well, normal people serve on juries. You want to be treated as a normal person, don't you? Why should you think you need to be recognized for merely serving on a jury like all normal people? Do you think you're something special?" By this, I was given the impression that it is an everyday occurrence for any blind person to serve on a jury at any time. My next question was, "Why, if it is only a normal occurrence, does your magazine and others write only about those who are denied? What difference does it make? After all, many others are denied for other reasons."

A few days later, in a conversation with my husband, who is sighted, and had just finished dreading me an article extolling the virtues of an 88-year-old woman who had just sat on a jury, I commented, "Why did I not get any credit?" His answer was, "I wouldn't worry about your not getting credit, if I were you. They have not only denied you credit, they have denied these three fine futuristic, forward-looking men , any single one of whom could have stopped you being `merely normal.' They have, in effect, said to Judge Porter K. Brown, prosecutor Joe McCarville and defense attorney Kerry Granger, `You deserve nothing special for your actions.' They not only stripped you of any credit for doing something special by covering it with a cloak of normality, they denied them of the recognition they deserve. And that should also include your bailiff, Bill Wilson. After all, he chose to be your guide, when he could simply have assigned you to one of the other jurors."

One final note: So normal was I considered that when I received my jury pay, which we had been told was $10 a day, for the four total days served, excluding the two half days, the court system had deducted Social Security self-employment taxes and all other state and local taxes before remitting my pay. My total check amounted to some $10.

The Board of Publications of the American Council of the Blind is pleased to announce the criteria for the 1994 Ned E. Freeman Excellence in Writing Award and the Vernon Henley Media Award. Each year, the Freeman Award is administered and granted by the board of publications to an outstanding writer who has made a specific contribution of particular merit in the area of writing by and for blind people. The award is given in memory of Ned E. Freeman, ACB's first president, who at the time of his death was serving as editor of "The Braille Forum." The Board of Publications will accept submissions for the Freeman Award from any writer on a topic that would be of interest to readers of "The Braille Forum." Submissions may be published in the magazine if space allows. Articles published in the magazine between April 1993 and March 1994 are automatically eligible. Materials which have been published by an ACB affiliate will also be considered if submitted. When submitting previously published material, send a print or braille copy of the original manuscript along with the published article. The Vernon Henley Media Award will be presented to a person, either sighted or blind, who has created a radio, television or print media product conveying positive and useful information concerning blind people in general or the American Council of the Blind in particular. Programs and/or articles written and produced specifically for a visually impaired audience, as well as those intended for the general public, are eligible. Multiple articles or programs submitted by one author or organization will be judged as a single entry. The Henley Award is intended to be a vehicle for publicizing ACB throughout the general media, and to encourage excellence and accuracy in electronic and print coverage of items relating to blindness. Submissions for the Ned E. Freeman Award must be postmarked no later than April 30, 1994; submissions for the Henley Award must be postmarked no later than April 1, 1994. All submissions should be accompanied by a cover letter providing details about the submission, its origin, and any other pertinent information. Please include your return address in the cover letter. If you want your manuscript returned, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Send submissions to ACB Board of Publications Awards, 1155 15th St. N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005. The annual presentation of awards recognizing outstanding dedication, distinguished service, and achievement by and/or for blind and visually impaired people has become a widely anticipated event at recent American Council of the Blind national conventions. The Awards Committee seeks nominations for the 1994 awards and asks that all nominations be sent directly to the ACB National Office, 1155 15th St. N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005. For your information, criteria for the several ACB awards for which nominations are sought are:

The Robert S. Bray Award, established in 1975 in memory of the late chief of what is now the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, is presented periodically in recognition of outstanding work in extending library services or access to published materials, or improving communications devices or techniques.

The Durward K. McDaniel Ambassador Award recipient is selected each year from among blind candidates who, through their lives, associations, and activities, have demonstrated their integration into and their interaction with the life of the community. It is not necessary that the candidate be a member of or active in any organizations of the blind, or be engaged in work for the blind.

The George Card Award is presented periodically to an outstanding blind person who has contributed significantly to the betterment of blind people in general. This award is not limited by locality or by nature of the contribution. Nominations should be postmarked no later than June 1, 1994.

The North Carolina Council of the Blind's annual state convention was held Oct. 1-3 at the Comfort Inn in Burlington. Its theme was "Opportunities and Challenges for Visually Impaired Persons Now and into the Twenty-first Century."

Thirteen people, nine of whom were accompanied by their guide dogs, met in Kansas Oct. 9 to determine whether or not guide dog users in Kansas should form an organization. Participants at the meeting agreed that a guide dog users organization should be formed, and that the group would seek affiliation with KABVI. A committee will work on drafting a constitution that will be submitted to Guide Dog Users Inc., preferably at its February board meeting. If you're interested in joining this organization, contact Michael Byington, KABVI corresponding secretary, 909 SW College, Topeka, KS 66606; phone (913) 233-3839.

The American Council of the Blind Constitution and Bylaws provide that any person who has reached the age of 18 and who is not a voting member of an ACB state/regional affiliate is eligible to become an ACB member at large with the right to an individual vote at the ACB national convention. Annual membership-at-large dues are $5. Application forms for new members at large are available from the ACB National Office. The ACB Constitution and Bylaws further provide that all dues are to be received no later than March 15. All membership at large dues must be clearly identified as such and should be sent so as to be received no later than March 15, 1993, to American Council of the Blind, Brian Charlson, Treasurer, 1155 15th St., N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005.

The announcement of new products and services in this column should not be considered an endorsement of those products and services by the American Council of the Blind, its staff or elected officials. Products and services are listed free of charge for the benefit of our readers. "The Braille Forum" cannot be responsible for the reliability of products or services mentioned.

NEW DIRECTORY

A new directory of organizations and publications offering resources in the field of post-secondary education for people with disabilities was recently issued by the American Council on Education. This 40-page directory is to help people learn where to turn and who to ask about issues such as disability awareness, community integration, funding and legal assistance. To obtain a copy, contact the HEATH Resource Center, American Council on Education, One Dupont Circle, Washington, DC 20036-1193; phone (800) 544-3284 or (202) 939-9320.

MUSIC VIDEO

You can join Palmetto Music Video Club by purchasing a super discount coupon booklet for $6.95 including shipping and handling. This booklet will allow you to buy your favorite music, two for the price of one. By redeeming your coupons, you can save up to $300 on your favorite music. There is no obligation to redeem coupons, no minimum purchase, no expiration date, and no monthly trials; there is a full money-back guarantee. Members will also receive PMVC's Hot Hits Catalog. Cassettes start as low as three for $21.98 plus shipping and handling. PMVC guarantees lowest prices, or it will refund double the difference within 10 days of purchase. To receive a booklet, send check or money order for $6.95 to: Palmetto Music & Video, P.O. 7016, Box 255, Greenville, SC 29606; phone (803) 675-3960.

FOLEY ELECTED

Carl Foley, an ACB member from Kettering, Ohio, was elected national president of the Blinded Veterans Association during its 48th national convention Aug. 10-14.

130 NEW ITEMS

More than 130 new items are contained in the 1993-94 edition of the Ann Morris Enterprises Inc. catalog. Large print and cassette copies are free, braille costs $10 and a disk copy will be placed on a formatted disk you send us. New products include a $15.50 talking watch, light probe, a mobility aid that vibrates or beeps when approaching an object, audible locators, and walkie-talkies. For more information, contact Ann Morris Enterprises, Inc., 890 Fams Court, East Meadow, NY 11554; (516) 292-9232.

CALL FOR ATHLETES

To identify and develop cyclists for competitions, and to provide athletic opportunities for the disabled, the U. S. Disabled Sports Team will hold its second annual bicycling development camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs from April 26 through May 1, 1994. The staff consists of USCF-accredited head coaches from each of the disabled sports organizations, along with an exercise physiologist, nutritionist, and a mechanic. Eligible athletes must belong to or join their respective DSO. Food and housing will be provided at no cost to the athlete by the U.S. Olympic Committee. An allowance will be provided for travel costs to all selected candidates. To cover the cost of materials, athletes must pay $35. Applications are available from Peter Paulding, USABA Cycling Coach, 49 River St., Plymouth, MA 02360; phone (508) 747-2923. The application deadline is March 5, 1994.

FYI: NCOD MOVED

The National Council on Disability has moved to a new location. The new address and phone numbers are: 1331 F St. NW, Suite 1050, Washington, DC 20004-1107; (202) 272-2004 (voice), (202) 272-2074 (TDD), and (202) 272-2022 fax.

DANCEABILITY

Joint Forces Dance Company and the University of Oregon's Department of Dance will present the seventh annual Danceability Project March 4-6, 1994, at the University of Oregon. The project includes an introductory meeting, two all-day experiential workshops and a Saturday evening performance. All events will be held on the third floor of Gerlinger Annex, located between the Knight Library and University Avenue. The cost of the workshop varies from $25 to $100, not including tickets for the Saturday performance (students and seniors, $2; general public, $4). Scholarships are available. For more information about the Danceability project, call Alito Alessi of Joint Forces, (503) 342-3273, or the University of Oregon Department of Dance, (503) 346-3386.

NEW VIDEOS

Audio Optics is now taking orders for its audio-described videos "Child in the Night," starring Tom Skerritt, and "The Third Man," starring Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten. Videos are shipped free matter to the blind and visually impaired, but there is a 75-cent charge for insurance. To order, call (201) 736- 1704, and leave your name, address and phone number. Or write to Audio Optics, 24 Hutton Ave. #26, West Orange, NJ 07052.

KOORS HONORED

Donald J. Koors of Indianapolis, Ind., was honored by the Indiana Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired recently for his contribution to the field of rehabilitation for the blind and visually impaired.

GIBSON AWARDED

Jimmy Gibson, braille librarian with Alabama's regional library for the blind and physically handicapped, received the Marguerite McKinnon Service Award during the 1993 Alabama Council of the Blind convention. This award is given for service beyond the call of duty to blind citizens of Alabama, according to the regional library's newsletter.

GOLF, ANYONE?

The Blind and Visually Impaired Golfers Program, now in its sixth year, is offering a video titled "Golf Without Handicap." It includes comments from Dick Smith, president of the Professional Golfers' Association of America, and an instruction manual. To order a copy, call the Cleveland Sight Center at (216) 791-8118, extension 226. Cost of the VHS video and manual is $24.95, including shipping and handling. Make checks payable to the Cleveland Sight Center, and send to the center, Attn: Pam Bokshon-Nemec, 1909 E. 101st St., Cleveland, OH 44106.

MICHAELS=TRUSTEE

Glenna R. Michaels, founder and president of Michaels Associates, Inc., a consulting group that provides expert support in the design, development and financing of health delivery systems, has been elected to the board of trustees of the American Foundation for the Blind.

TAE KWON DO WINNERS

In November, five of the Chicago Guild for the Blind's tae kwon do students competed in the 1993 Fall Regional Songham Tae Kwon Do Tournament in Lisle, Ill. Denise Avant won second place in forms and third place in sparring. David Clark placed first in sparring. Duane Coleman took third place in forms and second place in sparring. Carlos Marino won second place in forms and third place in sparring. Henry Matej placed second in forms and third in sparring.

GE DOES BRAILLE

General Electric Answer Center provides free braille overlays and special knobs for visually impaired customers who have GE, Hotpoint or post-1988 RCA major appliances such as microwaves, washers and dryers, and electric ranges. This adaptive equipment is free, and can be obtained by calling the center at (800) 626-2000. Be sure to give the model and serial numbers of your appliance when you call.

1994 CATALOG

The AFB 1994 catalog is now available, including more than 300 household, business and employment, recreational and health care products. This includes more than 25 new products. Ordering hours have been expanded to 24 hours, seven days a week. To request a free copy of AFB's catalog in print, braille, cassette or diskette, call 1-800-829-0500.

NEW NEWSLETTER

There's a new newsletter in town called "The Magnifier." If you are interested in receiving it, send your name and address to the Macular Degeneration Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 686, Palm Beach, FL 33480; phone (407) 820-9215, fax (407) 835-0440.

SPIRAL BRAILLE

Have you ever needed a piece of braille paper to jot a message on, and been unable to find any? The Spiral Pocket Notebook, consisting of 50 pages of 80-pound brown kraft braille paper, can solve that problem. It measures 3 1/2 inches by 5 inches, small enough for a pocket or purse. The notebooks are sold in sets of six for $9. For more information, contact the American Printing House for the Blind, P.O. Box 6085, Louisville, KY 40206-0085; phone 800-223-1839. Ask for catalog number 1- 04300-00 when ordering.

MASOODI'S ON

Bashir A. Masoodi has been appointed to a three-year term as a member of the Indiana Rehabilitation Services Commission. A resident of Crown Point, Ind., Masoodi is the special education coordinator for Gary, Ind., public schools.

RRTC IN DAYTON

Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio, has received a $1.2 million Rehabilitation Research and Training Center grant to study substance abuse among people with disabilities. This first national effort to look at how drug abuse affects people with disabilities is funded by the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education for three years. Dennis Moore, Ed.D., assistant professor of community health and rehabilitation medicine in the School of Medicine's substance abuse intervention program, will direct the study through the newly created Center on Drugs and Disability.

JOB OPEN

The Badger Association of the Blind, ACB's Wisconsin affiliate, is looking for an executive director. Programs include: management of the Badger Home for the Blind; supervision of volunteer services; sales of adaptive appliances; activity center and special events; advocacy, information and referrals. People applying for this position should be able to work effectively with people; business administration; financial management; community outreach; supervision of personnel; fund development and have good organizational skills. Salary is based upon qualifications and experience. Applications and complete job descriptions may be obtained from the Badger Association office, 912 N. Hawley Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53214; phone (414) 258- 9200, fax (414) 256-8744.

NIB JOB OPEN

National Industries for the Blind's York County Blind Center has a job opening for the position of business manager. The business manager will prepare monthly financial statements for the corporation, process payroll, prepare budgets, maintain inventory, purchase raw materials, compile statistics and perform other special projects as required. The business manager will also manage fund-raising and clerical functions of the center. To qualify, you must: have a degree in accounting, at least five years of accounting experience with progressive responsibilities, have audit experience, be computer literate, have payroll experience and tax preparation experience for non-profit corporations. For more information, contact Mr. William H. Rhinesmith, President, York County Blind Center, 1380 Spahn Ave., York, PA 17403; phone (717) 848-1690.

INTERNSHIP OPEN

NIB has openings for interns who are legally blind college graduates with business-related degrees, cumulative grade point averages of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, and unemployed or underemployed. The positions involve entry-level professional work in marketing, public relations, accounting/finance, engineering, production/manufacturing management, or business administration. Assignments are six months long at a National Industries for the Blind location or associated industry. To apply, send college transcripts, ophthalmological report and resume to: Ms. Kathleen Gallagher, National Industries for the Blind, 524 Hamburg Turnpike, CN969, Wayne, NJ 07474-0969; phone (201) 595-9200.

(Editor's note: Last month's article covered Articles VI, VII and VIII of the ACB Constitution. This month's article begins with Bylaws 1, 2 and 3.)

Bylaw 1, entitled Members at Large, provides that any person who has reached the age of 18 is eligible to become a life member or an annual member-at-large of ACB. The bylaw also provides that an individual who is simultaneously a certified voting member of an affiliate is not eligible to become an annual member-at-large. The bylaw specifies that each application for membership at large must be accompanied by one year's dues for the membership category, and, further, that a majority of members-at-large in any one state must be blind. As juxtaposed to membership obtained in ACB through the usual process of being certified as a voting member of an affiliate, Bylaw 1 makes it clear that membership at large is individual in nature and cannot be held simultaneously by any individual who is presently a certified voting member of an affiliate (state or special interest). In recent years, as new membership categories such as life membership have been authorized by the convention, an effort has been made to adapt our current bylaws to encompass such additions, thus the brief reference in this bylaw to life members. If a thorough rewrite were ever to be contemplated, it might be wiser to write separate bylaws for membership at large and life memberships rather than attempting to combine provisions applicable to either or both in one bylaw. Bylaw 2, which is entitled Voting, is divided into two sections. Section A states that each affiliate represented at the convention is entitled to cast one vote for each 25 (or major fraction thereof) of its voting members, provided that no affiliate shall cast more than 25 votes. This provision allowing for the casting of affiliate votes but capping such votes, along with its sister provision of capping affiliate dues (to be discussed later in this article), have been major bones of contention and controversy within ACB for many years. Presently the bylaws make no distinction between state and special-interest affiliates; in other words, the bylaws recognize only one class of affiliates. While this even-handed treatment of all affiliates is a quality greatly prized by many, others have questioned whether the voting rights of special interest affiliates should be curbed or governed by rules different from state affiliate votes. Some point to the haphazard or even bizarre methods employed by special interest affiliates for choosing their delegates, instructing them, casting their votes on the floor and monitoring or disciplining delegates who may not reflect the will of their organization, which have led some to favor limiting special- interest affiliates to 10 votes maximum on the floor. Some argue that such a limitation on the voting strength of special interest affiliates would at least help address the chronic problem that one individual can join as a member of one state affiliate and any number of special interest affiliates, and through the voting strength of each one of those special-interest affiliates, have the impact of his or her individual membership disproportionately and unduly be reflected in the affiliate votes. The counterargument is, of course, that if that individual pays his or her dues to each organization in good faith, then he or she should have the right to influence the vote of that affiliate, and have his or her membership reflected in the voting strength of all the ACB organizations to which he or she belongs. I would urge anyone with fresh and serious new ideas on this thorny subject to submit them in writing to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee for consideration at our next convention, in Chicago in July of 1994. Of course, any proposal for changing our current affiliate voting system must garner a majority on the convention floor in order to become part of the bylaws; that is, a majority including the present affiliate votes of those such as special interest affiliates who might be adversely affected by such a proposal. Such a majority vote has been hard, if not impossible, to achieve. Section B sets forth the requirement for affiliates to update their membership information on an annual basis. This bylaw, which has been worked on by the convention numerous times in the past 10 years, now provides that a computer printout of the affiliate's last certified membership list will be sent to each affiliate, that additions to, deletions from, and corrections to names and addresses should be made by the affiliate, and that the revised certified membership printout along with the affiliate's proper dues as determined by the revised certified list should be sent by the affiliate in the U.S. mail, addressed to the national office, postage prepaid, on or before March 15 of each year. If there have been absolutely no changes to or corrections in the membership list sent to the affiliate, the affiliate should note that fact on the printout and return it to the national office in a timely manner. If, however, an affiliate certifies the same membership list for three years, the bylaw provides that the board of directors shall require a complete new certified list of voting members. The bylaw resolves any discrepancy that may happen between the number of members certified by an affiliate and its accompanying dues check by specifying that in the case of any disagreement the lower number shall be used for the purpose of determining affiliate votes. The bylaw then provides that the first year of non-compliance with any of the requirements of this section shall result in the loss of voting privileges at the convention. The bylaw is silent as to whether this loss of voting privileges is to be total or partial, and the convention has been reluctant in reviewing Credentials Committee reports to totally strip an affiliate that has sent representatives of its votes. Yet in recent years, the convention has voted to sustain committee recommendations that partially strip affiliates which have allegedly not complied with requirements of this section. The bylaw does provide that the second consecutive year of failure to comply with the requirements of bylaw 2, section B, may result in the revocation of an affiliate's charter, at the discretion of the board of directors. While complex and controversial, this section has been amended so often in recent years that is has probably been perfected to a point beyond which further amendments would almost assuredly worsen the current provision. One of the real problems with Bylaw 2, Section B is determining whether or not its requirements have been complied with, and the bylaw only gives us guidance that compliance has occurred if supported by evidence satisfactory to the Credentials Committee. It does expressly state that affiliates may add to, delete from, or correct names and addresses on their certified list at any time during the year, but that affiliate votes will be determined based upon the affiliate's updated certified membership list, as of March 15 of each year.

Bylaw 3 is entitled Dues. Section A specifies that dues for annual members-at-large shall be $5 per year. Section B specifies that affiliate dues should be paid on a per capita basis of $3 a year for each of its voting members. This section does provide, however, that no affiliate must pay more than $1,875 in dues only for its first 625 members. The section also provides that individuals holding life memberships in ACB can be certified and will be counted toward the affiliate's vote without remitting per capita annual dues for such a member. As indicated above, the affiliate dues cap provision is inexorably tied to the provision in Bylaw 2, Section A capping affiliate votes. During hard financial times, some have argued that ACB should remove the affiliate dues cap and make every affiliate pay dues for every one of its voting members. Others have argued that to remove the dues cap would only net ACB $10,000 or $15,000 a year in dues at the price of perceived unfairness on the part of its largest and most influential affiliates. Others have simply argued that if you remove the dues cap, then in all fairness you must remove the affiliate vote cap and allow affiliates to cast as many votes for which they have paid per capita dues. On the other hand, some have argued that if an affiliate pays dues for each of its voting members, those members gain benefits from ACB membership whether or not their memberships are reflected in the number of affiliate votes to which their organization is entitled on the floor of the ACB convention. To date there has been no clear-cut resolution of this debate.

Bylaw 3, Section C establishes dues for the non-voting categories of membership. It specifies that individual sustaining members shall pay $25 per year, that organizational sustaining members should pay $50 per year, and that junior members of ACB (those under 18) should pay $1 per year. Section D sets the dues for life members of ACB at $1,000, which may be paid in no more than five consecutive annual installments. This section also specifies that a life member can simultaneously be a voting member of an ACB affiliate. One small but important matter of controversy has arisen with respect to life members who are paying their dues in installments. Some have contended that a life membership is only perfected when the entire amount of the specified dues have been paid to ACB, and that therefore, life membership certificates should only be awarded to those individuals who have paid for their life memberships in full. Others have contended that a life membership becomes effective when the commitment is made and the first installment payment is received by ACB. This has been the practice that has been followed until now. A middle ground position worth considering might be that a life membership certificate will not be awarded until at least 50 percent of the specified dues have been received by ACB. Some clarifying amending language on this point might be useful for the Constitution and Bylaws Committee to consider.

Bylaw 3, Section E specifies that dues are on a calendar year basis and that they must be mailed to the national office on or before March 15 of each year. Section F specifies that on or before February 1 of each year, the treasurer shall mail written notice of the March 15 deadline for the submission of dues payments and required membership list updates to each affiliate and member-at-large. These last two provisions are not controversial and have not caused any particular problems. Next month we'll look at Bylaws 4 and 5.

FOR SALE: Perkins electric brailler in excellent condition. Asking $650 or best offer. Call Gina Harper evenings and weekends (California time) at (510) 654-3492.

FOR SALE: Voyager 19-inch XLCCD video magnifier by TeleSensory. Bought Jan. 1992 for $3,200; asking $2,000. Call Gail Maloney at (502) 897-2385.

FOR SALE: Perkins brailler, $350. AM/FM stereo cassette player, $40. Contact Kyle McHugh, 490 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215; phone (617) 437-9238.

FOR SALE: VersaBraille II with external dual disk drive, soft pack, and print and braille manuals. Can include Duxbury translation program. $1,000 or best offer. Contact Hans Nave at P.O. Box 427, College Park, MD 20741 (braille or print), or call (301) 474-4502 and leave a message.

ARE YOU MOVING? If you are, or soon will be, please send in your address change as soon as possible to Nolan Crabb, 1155 15th St. NW, Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005. Stick on an old label, or write your old address here: name__________________________________________________ address_______________________________________________ city_____________________ state_____ zip_____________ Write your new address here: name___________________________________________________ address________________________________________________ city____________________state_ ____ zip______________

PRESIDENT
LEROY SAUNDERS
2118 N.W. 21st ST.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73107

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
CHARLES S. P. HODGE
1131 S. FOREST DR.
ARLINGTON, VA 22204

SECRETARY
PATRICIA PRICE
5707 BROCKTON DRIVE #302
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46220

TREASURER
BRIAN CHARLSON
57 GRANDVIEW AVENUE
WATERTOWN, MA 02172

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
ELIZABETH M. LENNON

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