THE BRAILLE FORUM is available in braille, large type, half-speedfour-track cassette tape and MS-DOS computer disk. Subscriptionrequests, address changes, and items intended for publicationshould be sent to: Nolan Crabb, THE BRAILLE FORUM, 1155 15thSt., N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005.

Those much-needed and appreciated cash contributions, which aretax deductible, may be sent to Brian Charlson, Treasurer, 115515th St., N.W., Suite 720, Washington, DC 20005.

You may wish to remember a relative or friend by sharing in thecontinuing work of the American Council of the Blind. The ACBNational Office has available printed cards to acknowledge toloved ones contributions made in memory of deceased persons.

Anyone wishing to remember the American Council of the Blind inhis/her Last Will and Testament may do so by including a specialparagraph for that purpose. If your wishes are complex, you maycontact the ACB National Office.

For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the"Washington Connection" toll-free at (800) 424-8666, 6 p.m. tomidnight eastern time Monday through Friday. Washington, D.C.,residents only call 331-2876.

I am pleased to announce that Glenn Plunkett is now employed by ACB and is working in our national office. Glenn is very knowledgeable in many areas that are important to us.

Many of you will remember Glenn since he participated in our program at the convention in San Francisco. He is one of the most informed individuals I know on Social Security.

Glenn's footsteps have echoed through the halls of Capitol Hill, and he has dealt with Congress for quite some time and will be a great asset in many ways in our legislative efforts. You can get a firsthand glimpse of Glenn's extensive knowledge by reading "White House Conference on Aging to be Held in May 1995" in this issue. I am sure that Glenn will be a real credit to ACB.

By now I know everyone is looking forward to spring. This winter has been one of the worst many of us have experienced in a long time. I went to Washington, D.C., during two weekends in January and nearly froze. While I missed the actual snowfall, it was on the ground, and the abundance of the snow made walking and transportation in general difficult.

As I write this, we in Oklahoma have snow as well. Some six to eight inches fell in early March. When these totals are added to this winter's accumulation, the numbers translate to a hard winter with a lot of snow for Oklahoma City. The good news is that the snow is melting and will be gone very soon.

I hope you are making your arrangements for our upcoming convention in Chicago. We will be staying at the Palmer House Hotel which has more than 1,600 sleeping rooms and enough space to accommodate our meeting room and exhibit area needs. I think this convention could be our largest ever. So buy your tickets while the airlines are giving discounts and make your room reservations now.

As you read this, we will have completed our Northeastern Leadership Training Seminar. ACB will also be having a leadership seminar for our members in the western part of the country, most likely in the state of Washington, late in the fall. Look for details on this seminar later.

I am pleased that ACB is now able to provide much more for its members than in the past. It's my hope that this trend will continue, and that more of our members can be better served.

Those of you who read the cassette edition of "The Braille Forum" are aware by now that "ACB Reports," ACB's program designed for radio information services, is now available on the same cassette on which "The Braille Forum" is recorded. ACB's board of directors and board of publications felt that including "ACB Reports" would enhance the value of the taped edition of "The Braille Forum," and I enthusiastically concur.

The inclusion of "ACB Reports" means that those of you who don't live close enough to a radio reading service to hear the program can now access the broadcast each month more easily.

On an unrelated matter, we at "The Braille Forum" need your help in archiving the large print edition of the magazine. This year's budget allows for the binding of some 10 years in back issues into volumes which will ensure that the publication is kept together chronologically. Unfortunately, our library does not include the June 1984 large print edition. If you or someone you know maintains a large print "Forum" collection, and if you could provide the ACB National Office with a June 1984 issue, we would indeed be grateful. Please contact me or Sharon Lovering. We can send you a pre-addressed postpaid envelope in which you can return the magazine. Nolan Crabb

The American Council of the Blind is indeed fortunate to be able to hold its 33rd annual convention at the Palmer House Hotel in 1994. This huge hotel, with more than 1,600 rooms and ample meeting space, will accommodate all convention activities. There are only a few hotels in the United States that are large enough to host a growing ACB convention. Where such hotels do exist, room rates are much higher than the bargain rates of $45 to $50 per night convention attendees have been paying for the last several years.

ACB's 33rd convention will take place at the Palmer House Hotel, 17 E. Monroe St., Chicago, IL 60603, telephone (312) 726-7500, July 2 through 9, 1994. Room costs are $47 per night for single and double occupancy, and $57 for triple and quad. This does not include tax, which amounts to about $10 per night. Rooms must be reserved by June 10, 1994, by calling the Palmer House. Remember to use International Tours, Inc., of Muskogee, Okla., ACB's designated travel agency, (800) 259-9299, for all your travel plans.

Watch for the "Convention Scope" and pre-registration packet, which all ACB members will receive in early May. You should sign up early for your choice of tours and other activities. Space on buses is limited. Call the ACB National Office if you want a cassette copy of the pre- registration packet. Remember, the cassette pre-registration form does not take the place of the print one. You must complete and return the print form. Convention activities begin with the overnight tour July 1 and 2. Various special-interest affiliate seminars, board and committee meetings are slated for Saturday and Sunday, July 2 and 3. The opening ceremonial session of the convention begins at 8 p.m. Sunday July 3.

The overnight tour this year will be a historical/cultural experience in southern Wisconsin. The area around Mount Horeb and New Glarus was settled in the early part of the 1800s by Norwegian and Swiss immigrants, and much of their history and culture has been preserved. New Glarus is known as America's little Switzerland. Immigrants from Glarus, Switzerland established this village, and it remains a prosperous agricultural and tourism community. Old World customs, charm, warmth and hospitality have been preserved and are on display for you to share.

This overnight tour will depart from the Palmer House at 8 a.m. Friday, July 1. After a quick lunch at Mount Horeb, you will tour the large underground Cave of the Mounds. A guide will direct you through this large cavern and explain in detail the history of the cave and the stone formations and rock gardens. After a short visit to the Visitors' Center and fudge shop, you will tour the Valley of the Elves. Mount Horeb is known as the troll capitol, and the Valley of the Elves as little Norway. Guides in native costumes will tell you about the trolls and elves as well as the history of the region. There will be gift, art and craft shops for you to explore and you will learn about traditional agricultural customs.

Moving on to New Glarus for dinner and overnight hotel, your evening will be on your own. You will be informed of entertainment available.

On Saturday, July 2, you will visit a mustard museum, the village of Little Switzerland, a traditional blacksmith shop, and other sites. You will arrive back at the Palmer House around 5:30 p.m. Watch the May issue of "The Braille Forum" and the Convention Scope for more detail on this tour.

The cost for this overnight tour will be $160. The price includes transportation, admission to all sites, overnight lodging, and lunch on Friday and breakfast and lunch on Saturday. All rooms are double occupancy with two beds. If you require a single room, there will be an extra charge. You must make reservations in advance for this tour. You may do so by contacting ACB Assistant Treasurer James R. Olsen, 120 S. 6th St., Suite 1005, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1839; call (612) 332-3242. Reservations will be accepted after April 1 and will only be confirmed when full payment is provided by Visa or MasterCard number, check or money order made payable to ACB Convention 1994. He will also need to indicate whether you desire a single or double room for Friday night at the hotel in the New Glarus area. Please be aware that considerable walking is involved in this tour. Several volunteers will accompany this tour, but individual guide service will not be available.

Convention time is rapidly approaching. Special interest affiliates and all committees should have all meeting arrangements completed. There is ample exhibit space for ACB affiliates to have a boutique. Also, you may inform ACB members of your activities and/or services by placing an ad in the convention program. Contact Jennifer Sutton in the ACB national office for information and costs. Chicago will be a great convention, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Assume for a moment that you're the parent of a blind child or that you're serving as a mentor for a blind or partially sighted student enrolled in a nearby public school. Let's further assume that one night after school, the child comes to you and says "I'm having trouble with this concept in my geometry class. Can you help me?" Let's further assume that your knowledge of geometry is right up there with your knowledge of jet fuel production and storage. Where do you turn for help?

Smiling, you suggest that help is as close as the television set. All the while, you're thinking, "This is my perfect chance to try out that new two-way educational service." Using the set-top box on your TV, you change the channel to "Your Choice TV," the latest entry in interactive educational TV from Discovery Communications, Inc.

To your surprise, there's nothing but silence. It's only then that you realize with frustration that you can't even get help for your child from a system designed to offer the very help the student needs. The menu is all on screen; nothing is verbalized. The remote control that works with "Your Choice TV" isn't a remote control in the sense that you might understand today. It's a device that lets you point at a menu item on the screen and select that item by pushing a button. Your student could enjoy learning that geometry by using the remote to literally rewind and replay the information he doesn't understand. He might be able to select a different example, making the concept easier to learn. But it's not destined to be, because "Your Choice TV" offers graphical menus and point-and-shoot devices that allow you to select the item you want to learn about.

This isn't a scenario based on pie-in-the-sky conjectures. In fact, the only imaginary parts of this story are the blind student and the parent or mentor. "Your Choice TV" is indeed up and running in a prototype form at Discovery Communications. It offers two-way interactive tutoring that both blind and sighted kids could use to their advantage, but its graphical nature will make it extremely difficult for a blind parent or teacher to access. "Your Choice TV" was demonstrated in February at an oversight hearing on interactive video systems sponsored by the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance. The hearing's witnesses included leaders from the cable and computer industries who came together to discuss what the set-top box of the not-too-distant future will look like and what it will do.

Most people who think of the information superhighway probably don't think that something called a set-top box would require a Congressional hearing, let alone much time and thought. The set-top box is exactly that -- a box that sits atop a television set or combination computer and television set. It receives information of varying types from different sources and distributes that information to your TV or your computer or even your telephone. Unlike today's set-top boxes which generally carry only signals from a cable TV company, the boxes of the future will process millions of bits of information.

Andrew B. Lippman, associate director of the Media Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, warned against thinking of tomorrow's set-top boxes the way we think of today's cable box. He said the converter box of tomorrow must be able to handle information from at least five sources -- satellite, regular over-the-air broadcasts, cable, telephone, and packaged media such as videocassette or interactive laser disks. "In aggregate," Lippman says, "these five channels will deliver more than four billion bits per second to the home, plus all of the digital telephone numbers you can dial and all the video CDs you can carry. The sheer scale and ubiquitousness of this combined network implies that (the set-top box) will likely become the consumer connection to a National Information Infrastructure." Lippman says currently no set-top box exists that will handle all five of these information distribution methods. "Such a 'single- winner model' for a communications future will collapse under its own weight. It is like having one toll booth for Fords and another for Chryslers," he explains.

John Hendricks, chairman and chief executive officer of Discovery Communications, Inc., urged Congress to adopt an open architecture structure for the information superhighway. An open architecture would mean that many companies could supply set-top boxes which were built to a set of widely available standards. The good news for blind and visually impaired viewers is that those standards could include provisions for voice transmission of on-screen data. No such mention of converting graphical data to voice was made at the hearing, however. Under the open architecture structure, you might rent your set-top box from the information provider or simply buy one at Radio Shack.

But Hal M. Krisbergh, president of G.I. Communications, a division of General Instruments, a leading manufacturer of today's cable TV boxes, says changing the way Americans connect to the cable networks isn't necessary. In fact, he asserts such an open standard could actually hamper the development of new technology. "Over the past 10 years significant expansion has occurred in the number of channels and other services cable operators can deliver to consumers. Because TV sets last on average 14 years they are not capable of adjusting to the technological advances that cable operators have been able to provide. In order to address this inflexibility, cable operators have relied on the ability to replace existing set-tops with more advanced technology, which in turn enables these expanded services to be provided without making already purchased TV sets obsolete. Standardization of set-top operating systems will limit the deployment of technological advances as it will freeze the current state of technology, thereby significantly diminishing the availability of new services to consumers. This is exactly the opposite effect that it was hoped such standards would create. The current system of letting the competitive market forces justify the need for deploying new technology in set-top operating systems has worked well in the past and is already allowing a whole new landscape of services such as digital compression, interactive multimedia and broadband telephone to be provided competitively and economically to the consumer."

Nathan P. Myhrvold, senior vice president for advanced technology at Microsoft, gave his vision of what Microsoft's software inside your set-top box will do. "Software is the brains that makes interactive television systems work," he explains. "It does this in two ways. First, software helps the user navigate oceans of information to locate or create that which is useful or desired. Rather than consulting a written TV guide, a user will simply be able to touch his TV screen and work through a series of interactive commands. Eventually, the software could even learn the user's preferences and help select programs. Second, once a decision is made to send or receive information, it is the software that will actually 'guide' the information through the computer's switches and wires that are the physical network."

Whether blind and visually impaired Americans will ultimately be able to use the superhighway in full remains to be seen. The language mandating manufacturers to build equipment which is accessible to disabled users is still incorporated in the various pieces of legislation, but our own apathy could still lead to scenarios in which pointing at an on-screen menu and clicking a button will be a primary mode of access. Perhaps in addition to legislated mandates, the sheer magnitude of the superhighway as envisioned by MIT's Andrew Lippman will work in our favor. "The sheer volume of available information mandates new models for television viewing and information access," he asserts. "With 1,000 channels at hand, it takes over two hours just to peer into each for five seconds. With 21 hours of prime time per week and ten words per program, a TV guide uses more ink than a Stephen King novel. The content processing and personal interface to this cornucopia is the target of both creative trials and computer science research. It is under way.

"Broadcast and two-way systems constructed for entertainment will become the de facto National Information Infrastructure with a built-in constituency of every living room in America," Lippman says. "Commercial, education, and political interconnections are inevitable and important. Cable TV installed in the local firehouse will not just provide MTV between emergencies, it will become the electronic backbone of the city. We need pass only one hurdle to realize this future: the immediate threat of the 'set-top box' as a predatory and exclusionary Trojan horse used to fuel a war of dominance of cable over telephone, satellite over broadcast, and entertainment over information. The current crop presages a 'single winner' approach to digital media, where each box works if none of the others exist and where cooperation among them is precluded by design. This model will not persist although some version of it may be inevitable in the short term."

If the nature of tomorrow's set-top box is as diverse as Lippman thinks it can be, chances are you'll be able to use "Your Choice TV" to help that student with the geometry concepts. We can only continue to remind Congress that diversity in the set- top box arena is essential, and we can remind industry that such diversity is in everyone's best interest.

(Editor's note: The complete text of the various testimonies mentioned in this story is available via ACB On-Line, the electronic bulletin board service of the American Council of the Blind. You need a computer with a modem. Set your communications parameters to no parity, 8 data bits and one stop bit, and call (202) 331-1058.)

President Clinton has announced that he is formally calling for a White House Conference on Aging to be convened in May of 1995.

"I am pleased to resume the proud traditions of White House Conferences on Aging begun by President John F. Kennedy in 1961," Clinton said, noting that there has not been one since 1981. "The fact that this will be the last White House Conference on Aging of the twentieth century makes this one even more significant."

Under the terms of the Older Americans Act, which authorizes that such a conference be held, a 25-member policy committee chosen jointly by the President and Congress will be selected to work out the specifics of the conference, including its agenda and the number of participants. President Clinton announced his selection of Robert B. Blancato, formerly of the National Italian American Foundation and the former House Select Committee on Aging, to be the executive director of the conference.

"An older America must soon face a new century," concluded the president. "A 1995 White House Conference on Aging allows us to plan for this challenge by working together to develop policy recommendations for the 21st century. We owe this to future generations."

A number of representatives from various organizations concerned with aging and vision loss met with Robert Blancato on March 2 to discuss participation in the White House Conference, and the way in which the organizations might have the greatest input on policy outcome from the conference that will affect the aging and visually impaired population. Among the attendees were Oral O. Miller, ACB's national representative, and I, now working for ACB; ACB Board Member Patricia Beattie representing National Industries for the Blind; Nancy Weber, executive director of Visions/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired (New York); Dr. William Wiener, chairman, Department of Blind Rehabilitation, Western Michigan University; Dennis Huber, executive director of Pittsburgh Association for the Blind; Jules Cote, executive director, Vermont Association for the Blind, and Dr. Cynthia Stuen, vice president for education and training, The Lighthouse, Inc. Alberta Orr, national program associate on aging and vision loss for the American Foundation for the Blind in New York, led the meeting.

Blancato stated five objectives for the conference. It must produce policy-oriented recommendations; it must be a participatory conference; it should be productive, pro-active, and pertinent. He emphasized that the conference forums and other meetings leading up to the conference must involve members of the aging and other populations that will be affected by the recommendations. He further stated that one of the most important goals for this White House Conference on Aging was that a mechanism will be established to follow up on the recommendations to see that they are implemented.

We and others are hoping that in addition to all of the local, state and regional meetings by concerned citizens, that a mini-conference on aging and vision loss can be carried out for the purpose of presenting a comprehensive set of recommendations to the White House Conference on Aging, and possibly having a delegate at that conference. Members of ACB should be greatly interested in having a role in developing recommendations for, and having input into, the White House Conference on Aging. Oral and I would like your input on the conference as to how you and your organization can be helpful in this area. In the meantime, some of the members who met on March 2 met again on April 7 at the International Conference on Aging and Visual Impairment at the Atlanta Renaissance Hotel in Atlanta, Ga., to broaden the scope of the March 2 meeting and make firmer plans for having a voice in the White House Conference on Aging.

(Reprinted with permission from "Horizons," April 1994.)

Winter and ice storms.

Instant ADA experts.

People who think of ADA as only a wheelchair rights law.

School systems mainstreaming every child with a disability, regardless of the individual child's needs.

Special education which is neither special nor an education. New social programs, like the national service corps, being underfunded.

Out of date government programs, agencies and committees.

"Unique" government agencies.

Offices allegedly for civil rights.

Democrats appointing Republicans.

Democrats acting like Republicans.

Democrats without the political courage to be Democrats.

Junk mail.

Solicitations for ADA materials.

Small print.

Rap music.

Conferences where people don't confer.

People who miss meetings they convened.

The growing gap between political rhetoric and political reality.

Policymakers who haven't looked an unemployed disabled person in the eye.

Policymakers who haven't been without a reader/interpreter or personal attendant for a week.

Public policy by public opinion poll.

Politicians who forget people except in election years.

Politicians constantly running for re-election or something.

Bureaucratic intransigence/indifference/arrogance.

Bureaucrats who leave exactly at quitting time.

Bureaucrats who stay in the same job too long.

Bureaucrats who do not deliver a product or service but who do complain about their paychecks.

Bureaucrats who say, "We can't do that. We've never done that before."

Bureaucrats who don't have a clue of the work or world beyond their organizations.

Bureaucrats who believe their job is to serve other bureaucrats, not people.

Former bureaucrats who feel their first act must be to criticize their former employer for work the bureaucrat didn't do.

Former bureaucrats who feel their first act must be to praise their former employer for work the former bureaucrat did.

Bureaucrats.

People who assume bureaucrat only means government employee.

(White)Watergate and all other "gates."

People who write checks in cash only lines.

People who look down on beer drinkers.

Old solutions to old problems.

Old solutions to new problems.

Problems without solutions.

Managers looking for perfect employees.

Employees looking for perfect managers.

Inaccessible churches and synagogues.

Getting lost in large buildings.

Buildings without braille or other tactile identification.

Buildings without visitor parking.

Parking tickets when I'm five minutes late to feed the meter.

Job advertisements that do not give the employer's name.

Government contracts which are wired.

Wrong numbers from telephone operators or current phone books.

Restaurant menus that are longer than six pages.

Voice mail that never connects with a human being.

Telephone systems that disconnect electronically.

Redskin mania.

Hysterical parents and screaming coaches at youth sports.

Overpriced concessions at stadia.

Telephone solicitations.

Hospitals without interpreters.

The cost of quality health care.

Quality health care that isn't.

Health insurance policies which only ensure that the company makes money and the policyholder gets zapped at crunch time.

Hay fever pollen.

Entities which don't accept guide or hearing dogs.

Communications by acronym, not words.

Commercial television.

All sports radio.

Talk radio which does not allow callers to talk, too.

Airlines' alleged food.

Traffic jams.

Cab drivers without a sense of direction or knowledge of the city.

Streets without curb cuts.

Faxes which arrive at 11:30 p.m.

Deadlines which are not real.

Legal briefs which are not brief.

Witnesses who can't recall and don't know anything that will make them recall.

Documents which don't document.

Arguments which don't make sense.

Waiting around in courthouses.

People without common sense.

People who don't call back.

People who can't cry.

People without a sense of humor.

Nolan Crabb, in his summary of the accreditation summit in the February issue of "The Braille Forum," finally got beyond the rhetoric which has both confused and bored us consumers for years. Although we would hope that the facilities we utilize for rehabilitation meet accreditation standards, many consumers feel powerless when it comes to seeing that those standards are adhered to in their own personal rehabilitation cases. I have always asked who actually benefits from accreditation. I am not against the process. On the contrary, I believe it is crucial to providing uniform, quality services. My concern is its functional purpose. With functional purpose in mind, let's take a look at one institution which has debated the merits of accreditation for many years. Truthfully, the establishments within this institution have never really debated the issue. Their consumers have been arguing over whether to stand for accreditation though. The establishments are the providers of guide dogs. They are a unique case in the accreditation world. If we think of accreditation as being set up to govern or measure either rehabilitation or education facilities, how would we define a guide dog school?

The organization's primary purpose is to train dogs which will subsequently be further trained with their blind handlers. The majority of the work of staff is involved in training dogs. Although orientation and mobility specialists may be involved in screening applicants or providing support to the training staff, no formal instruction in cane skills or other mobility techniques is given. Some schools are studying the concept of "total mobility" which includes some work on basic travel skills before working with a dog, but this is not the norm. Blind people must, theoretically, have good orientation and mobility skills to be accepted for training. The guide dog schools do not provide any other types of rehabilitative skill training such as daily living activities, recreation or vocational support. Although consumers often expect the schools to know about current trends in blindness-related issues and function as rehabilitation facilities, they are, in fact, educational institutions much like colleges or trade schools. Guide dog training providers teach a specific set of skills to facilitate a specific task -- working with the trained dog.

Why, then, should guide dog schools be accredited? There are currently 14 recognized programs set up as non-profit corporations to train guide dogs and blind people in the United States. The basic method of training the dogs varies only according to the environment in which the school does its training. The services offered to students, graduates and others involved with the programs vary widely, usually based on funding. A frequently discussed topic of guide dog handlers is the quality of dogs available from the schools and the competence of the people being graduated with such dogs. We often find ourselves asking if schools have lowered their standards simply to place more people with guide dogs to assist in funding. After all, it is perceived that graduating 300 teams per year is better, and more worthy of funding, than graduating 80 teams per year.

I was strangely heartened to read in "The Braille Forum" review of the accreditation summit, that such qualities as competence and consumer satisfaction are neither easily measured nor important to the general public. We've known this for years and never wanted to admit it. The article also brought up the issue of the "end user" of accredited services. If we are not meeting the needs of the "end user," then no amount of accreditation will ever be effective. I found it interesting that the representative from Goodwill Industries defined the end user as the employer of persons with disabilities. Who, then, is the end user of services provided by a guide dog school? We could automatically assume that the end user is the blind handler of the dog. This is primarily true, but just as the employment community "uses" the product provided by Goodwill in the form of trained persons, the general public "uses" the individuals whose mobility has been enhanced with a guide dog. Are we meeting the needs of the "end user" if that user is the general public then? In efforts to make their dogs more competent, and therefore more desirable, in a number of situations, the schools have included many new aspects to their programs in the past 20 years to keep up with our ever-changing society. Because there are more and more people working with guide dogs and becoming more active in their communities, the public is noticing the guide dog team. Many people do not understand how the dog is meant to work. What the general public knows about guide dogs, it has usually learned from utopian type books. When our dogs are not perfect, or do not fit neatly into a particular accommodation designed by the public, we technically do not meet its needs as an end user. This argument may sound a bit bizarre but consider this: When you are being told by the media and the people who train these dogs that blind persons must meet high standards to be accepted and trained, then you see people who have a great deal of difficulty getting around with the dog, what would you think?

What does all this have to do with accreditation? Currently only one guide dog school is accredited under NAC. Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Inc. of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., has been accredited for many years. What does this mean to either consumers or the general public though? When graduates experienced difficulty obtaining after-care services from the school, Guide Dog Users of New York drafted a "Bill of Rights" for consumers to assist people in understanding their rights. There was apparently little recourse through the agency which accredited Guiding Eyes. In all fairness we do not know if this recourse was considered in negotiations with the school. Guide dog training providers have traditionally refused accreditation on a national level. One of the main reasons stated is that it would take away the individuality of each program.

In the state of California, schools are accredited by a governmental agency which regulates staff qualifications, length of training, domiciliary (home-based) training and other aspects of the organization. This Guide Dog Board was established to regulate more than 20 guide dog schools which existed at one time in California alone. Those of us within the guide dog community have heard of several disreputable programs which have been started throughout the years. Whether they lacked experienced trainers or were simply out to scam people through their non- profit status, these schools hurt the guide dog movement. Such establishments made it doubly difficult for legitimate organizations such as Kansas Specialty Dog Service to gain professional and consumer respect. It is the issue of quality that causes some of us to argue for accreditation in the guide dog field.

Such accreditation has no real effect on funding for these institutions though. No guide dog school receives direct state or federal funding which could be cut due to breech of accreditation standards. Since the public pays little real attention to the results of accreditation, what exactly would be gained?

Consumers would have the assurance that the school they choose to attend meets certain specifications. Graduates would be aware of a formal complaint process to which they could appeal when direct communication with the school did not solve the dispute. All these things sound good on paper, but in practice in California, they haven't really worked as well as we'd like. Although you cannot start a guide dog school and have it recognized under California law without dealing with the Guide Dog Board, this entity has not been satisfactory in helping consumers with direct difficulties between them and their schools.

The final issue to tackle in considering whether accreditation would be practical for guide dog schools involves access. Most states have legal definitions for guide, service and hearing dogs and provide such dogs with protection under the law should the team's rights be violated or should a criminal act occur. These definitions are generally vague or do not recognize portions of the guide and service dog movement such as privately trained dogs. Herein lies the problem. Businesses and the general public are not often familiar with the exact definition of the law and either have denied rights to legitimate teams or given rights to those who simply wish to be accompanied by their untrained dog masquerading as a service dog. When one of these untrained, or, more often, partially trained pseudo-service dogs misbehaves or otherwise disrupts activities, it harms the chances for equal access to all other teams entering that business. The same is true for those people raising guide or service dog puppies. These people need to have access to the general public so that their dogs will have the appropriate exposure to become competent in a variety of situations. People who say they have a "puppy in training" without proper identification endanger this tenuous right for all.

What to do then? Some people are exploring the feasibility of a national identification card for guide, service and hearing dog handlers and puppy raisers which would correspond with national access legislation. Those training guide, service and hearing dogs would need to be accredited and certified nationally to issue the card. This could include those providing private training or other types of services, as long as they were willing to become accredited. In my opinion, this situation is far preferable to the turf wars, scams and just plain poor quality that exists in some programs. If you have nothing to fear and have a quality program, accreditation should be simple, correct? I haven't even brought up the subject of exactly who would oversee this accreditation and issuing of national identification cards.

Accreditation is an interesting can of worms to open. Before we take a stand on whether we want accreditation for guide dog schools, maybe we should study exactly what such accreditation has done for, and to, those programs who have worked within its specifications.

As a part of our attendance at the Japan/USA Conference of Persons with Disabilities, my wife, Ann, and I visited the Yamanashi School for the Blind, Yamanashi, Japan. Our tour did not include the residential facilities, but provided a fairly extensive coverage of the school's academic facilities.

Yamanashi is one of the more rural prefectures in Japan, and the school is located at the edge of Kofu, which is Yamanashi's largest city. The facility is thus not exactly in the center of things, but it is not isolated from the community either

The school was established in 1919. Most of the current buildings appeared to be somewhat newer than that, and based on American architectural standards, I would say they were built between 1930 and 1950. All buildings were long, narrow rectangles constructed mainly of blond brick. They were all connected by breezeways and arranged in a rectangular doughnut pattern with a courtyard in the middle. They were modern in plumbing and wiring and were adequately maintained from a functional standpoint. Limited attention, though, appeared to be given to aesthetic maintenance.

There are 48 prefectures in Japan, and among them, there are 53 schools for the blind. I would gather that the one we saw was not a showcase program. I would suspect it was fairly typical.

This facility houses and serves 43 students. It offers academic education from primary through high school grades. It also offers post-secondary work in a number of vocations, the most significant being that of massage and acupuncture.

Enrollment at this school, as well as the other schools for the blind in Japan, is declining. This is in part due to a movement toward mainstreaming in Japan and in part to a decrease in the numbers of congenitally blind Japanese children.

Massage and acupuncture are by far the most popular professions for the working blind of Japan. About 40 percent of all working blind are employed in these fields. These individuals are generally able to make a middle- to upper-middle-class living. This is a licensed medical profession in Japan and training successfully completed at a school for the blind is sufficient to qualify a graduate for the granting of the license. He/she is then fully qualified to open a clinic or work in all aspects of practice in an existing one. Nearly all of the Japanese schools for the blind feature massage and acupuncture post-secondary programs.

According to Masahiro Muratani, president of the Japanese Federation of the Blind, about 22 percent of all working-age Japanese are employed. This is slightly less than the best estimates we have for the United States. It seems that of those working, there is less underemployment in Japan due to the comfortable incomes garnered by most of the blind acupuncturists.

Ann and I visited the acupuncture training area at the Yamanashi school. There were a number of blind young adults working on patients under the watchful supervision of an instructor. The patients were individuals from the community receiving treatments at reduced rates for their willingness to have supervised students work on them instead of fully licensed professionals. The acupuncture needles are nearly hair-thin. The only adaptive equipment used by blind acupuncturists are needle guides, which are placed over the intended area of the body prior to inserting the needle. These guides resemble thin plastic cylinders, and were originally made of bamboo or other naturally available materials.

Academic programming appeared to be on a par with that of U.S. schools inasmuch as skills were taught based on braille training. Braille writers did not seem very prevalent; slate and stylus methods appeared to dominate. Japanese braille is based on the six-dot cell, similar to the English code. But differences in language require some differing contractions. Japanese blind students may in fact acquire literacy skills faster than their sighted peers. The konji written form of Japanese is a very complex system using several thousand very intricate characters. Therefore, most Japanese students do not have the literacy skills necessary to read a newspaper until some time during their high school years. As Japanese braille would actually be easier to learn than konji, blind Japanese students would have the potential to read more materials sooner in life, assuming that the braille materials were available in the first place. Japan, unfortunately, is considerably behind the United States in terms of numbers of braille volumes nationally available.

We were shown one Japanese talking computer at the school and we saw students working on it. In addition to speech output, this system had refreshable paperless braille readout, print enlargement capabilities, and was cabled to a braille printer. The equipment was consistent with state-of-the-art technology in the United States, but we were told that it is not as readily available to consumers. Systems are manufactured in very small quantities and are even more expensive than is the case in the United States. Government sources able to assist blind citizens in purchasing this type of equipment are extremely limited. Thus a fairly small percent of the employed blind in Japan work in fields requiring the use of computers.

In the United States the medical profession has been a tough nut to crack in terms of its openness to blind practitioners in many of its fields. The Japanese are much more advanced in this area. At the same time, as technically progressive as Japan is, it is surprising that the technology allowing blind people to access computers is not further advanced and more widely distributed. Undoubtedly, the computer field for the blind will grow in Japan, but as it does, I would hope that the emphasis on the acupuncture field is not weakened. With the levels of unemployment among working-age blind in both countries, both can certainly make use of all of the employment options they can acquire. While Japanese educators of the blind could undoubtedly learn from the United States in terms of technology training and distribution, U.S. educators of the blind would do well to look more closely at the medical training programs available in Japan. The Far Eastern medical practices are gaining interest and credibility in the United States. This may be the time for more blind students and educators to look eastward.

(Editor's note: While this isn't the first time "The Braille Forum" has included letters to the editor, it is the first time in a long time that such letters have appeared. Many who contact us frequently ask why there is no "letters" column. As a result of those questions, we've decided to give it a try. This column may appear irregularly as space and your input allows, and we reserve the right to edit letters for length and clarity.)

Dear Nolan:

I have been wanting to write to you every time a "Braille Forum" issue arrives. Your editing, articles, balance in the magazine are excellent. You surely maintain -- in your own style -- the excellence Mary Ballard set for so many years.

The August issue dedicated to Grant Mack is quite special. I had not heard news of his passing.

Not being able to attend ACB conventions, I miss a lot of news regretfully. Your accounts of the week's activities I really appreciate.

The account in this issue also about a special wedding was wonderful. What a great idea that the ceremony was audio- described -- augmenting the event for everyone present, to be sure.

Again, your style of writing -- succinct, clear, interesting and lively -- make it all fun to read. In another issue Dan Simpson had an article about Friends-in-Art, as well as one from Janiece Petersen before convention. Wonderful FIA continues to be active.

It must have been in the previous issue that Charlie Hodge had such a rewarding hands-on experience in a museum. It warms my heart to see people so involved in political and legal aspects of our organization find a reward in taking in an informative hands-on experience.

I hope to be able to send a short spontaneous note on tape sometime soon after an issue arrives. Reactions are clearer then. Jim had a cache of very short tapes for just this purpose.

My best to all of ACB.

Barbara Chandler, College Park, Md.

Dear Editor:

I noted with interest your article in the August 1993 issue of the Forum (page 42) titled "Radio for Blind Listeners." As the operator of a radio reading service, aware of the difficulties involved in keeping one on the air, I congratulate WRBH for its service and Point Of Light designation.

The article, unfortunately, might lead some readers to think that WRBH originated the idea of daily main-channel service for the visually impaired. While that station is now in full-time operation, offering much to its area, it is also important to know that the concept of daily main-channel service began here at WRKC, the King's College radio station, with our first broadcast on September 2, 1974.

We are still a small operation, like WRBH in its early days of providing only two hours of newspaper readings, but day after day for over 19 years, The Radio Home Visitor has provided a service to this area of higher-than-average elderly and homebound population.

Allow me to be one of many to congratulate Dr. McLean on his fine work. Eighteen years is a long time; I know!

Rev. Thomas Carten, manager, The Radio Home Visitor, King's College, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

To the Editor:

I receive the Forum and I belong to NABT and BRL. I previously discussed some problems with braille in a letter I sent earlier.

This time, I'd like to discuss book and magazine format. Last month's format of the Forum, printed either at Clovernook or APH was squarish, whereas the present issue from National Braille Press is taller. Now I believe, not to be critical, as NBP does a great job, that the square format is best. Why?

Reach of arms while reading. Apparently, as I found out, in a tall book or magazine, it's harder to read until one gets down a few lines. For this reason, the square format seems better. In a square book or magazine or pamphlet, there are 25 lines of braille. Note, too, that this is the format for transcribers to use. Well, OK, but why not a wider book or magazine, which, though not a bad idea if the book or magazine isn't too wide, may not be practical due to the way a braille press may be set up. Also, a square format is less bulky; I carry a magazine like the Matilda Ziegler in my book bag very handily. I understand, too, that "The Braille Forum" must be put into braille by the agency that provides the most reasonable price for ACB. So if NBP provides a good deal, by all means ACB should have put out the braille edition through NBP.

Nonetheless, I've found the square format the easiest to carry, read, and in the case of pamphlets, shelve.

P.S. -- It is very sad that a good, inexpensive, lightweight, portable brailler that can take 11 by 11 1/2-inch format braille paper isn't being made available. The 40-cell, four-line slate, board and stylus, though still affordable, just isn't a braille writer. APH can't fix any more Lavender braillers; the Perkins is now $700 plus, and the imported European braillers are almost as expensive. ACB should see what we can do about this. Possibly a center that collects dysfunctional braillers of all sorts for parts might make it possible to rebuild some and sell them for affordable prices to students, transcribers and others in that order. ... I speak of course of a good, simple, manual brailler you carry around like a small portable typewriter for personal use. As things stand, many are disadvantaged seriously by lack of this sort of brailler.

Elmer L. Eveland, Binghamton, N.Y.

TWO NEW CHAPTERS IN OHIO

Two new ACB of Ohio chapters have been created in Medina and Springfield. The Medina chapter meets the first Monday of each month at the Medina Library. Nola Webb, after many years with the Cleveland group, represents the Medina chapter. To join, call her at (216) 273-4804. To join the Springfield group, call Fred McDaniel at (513) 399-3134.

NEW GROWTH IN OLD DOMINION

The Old Dominion Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired has a new chapter, the Chesapeake Bay Chapter. To join, contact Gail Henrich, secretary, at 800 Bowling Green Trail, Chesapeake, VA 23320.

Monday, January 17, 1994, 4:31 a.m.; a date and time which will be forever etched in the memories of everyone residing in and around Los Angeles. Usually, my wife Cherri and I would be waking up around that time to get ready for work but being the King birthday holiday, we had stayed up well past midnight. Hence, we were both quite soundly asleep at the magic hour. It is still very difficult for me, a native Angeleno and veteran of the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, to describe what it was like to be literally shaken awake by everything moving violently, myself included. You not only feel, but also hear the building shaking around you. The reaction, however, is immediate! My first words were: "Cherri, get into the doorway, now!" There are two reasons for this: first, from one's earliest days in school you learn that the safest place to be is standing in a doorway. The second reason is the large, rather heavy mirror on my side of the bedroom which had come down in a previous shaker. So, we both "hit the doorway" to the hall with our backs to the mirror. Holding on for dear life, we took a very wild ride which seemed to go on forever, but probably lasted 30 seconds or so. When the initial quake ended -- there were a score or more noticeable aftershocks that day and literally hundreds since -- it was time to take inventory of damage and call around to check on family, friends and CCB members. Luckily for us -- residing 10 to 12 miles southeast of the epicenter -- our condominium sustained no structural damage and we personally lost almost nothing of significance. Others were not so fortunate. My mother's apartment complex in the San Fernando Valley (within six or seven miles of the epicenter) was "yellow-tagged," meaning that, while habitable, extreme caution was recommended. Several CCB members in the Valley experienced major loss of personal property as did a number of our people in and around West Los Angeles and Santa Monica. While this is several miles further from the epicenter, this phenomenon was attributed to the sandier soil composition under that part of the city. To my knowledge, no one in CCB was injured nor lost their home as a result of the trembler.

The headquarters of the California Council of the Blind did not fare so well. The office, then located in Northridge, sustained severe damage. Our two administrative staff people after viewing the damage, stated unequivocally that they would certainly have been seriously hurt had the quake occurred during normal work hours. The building in which the office was housed received a yellow tag and the structure immediately behind it was "red-tagged" (condemned) by city building inspectors. There was concern that a significant aftershock would cause that building to come crashing down upon the one in which the CCB office was housed. This resulted in some difficulty finding someone to help move equipment and files, almost all of which were salvaged. CCB President John Lopez indicated that one or two companies refused the job because of the condition of the office. He also told the membership in a recent taped release that much of the furniture and some equipment was destroyed. We ultimately did manage to hire help to get everything moved into our new, undamaged headquarters in Burbank. Under the circumstances, we came out of the disaster in pretty decent shape. As an aside, I worked for a day and a half at a volunteer center emergency hotline which the City of Los Angeles Personnel Department (my employer) operated and staffed with department employees. The number of calls from people who just wanted to help in some way was amazing. I probably handled about 150 such calls personally in a nine-hour shift. It is nice to see the good side of humanity; it's too bad that it takes a catastrophe of the magnitude of a 6.6 earthquake to bring that side out! On behalf of all of us in the Los Angeles area, I want to thank everyone who managed to get through during the succeeding week to inquire about our welfare. Most of us were pretty lucky and the CCB is up and running in its typically efficient manner.

(Editor's note: This article is a reflection of the author's personal experiences. In her letter, Kathy stated: "I was encouraged to write this article by a friend who was asking me about my early years of dealing with sight loss. I began losing my sight when I was seven due to a rare retinal disease. I became a research patient at a well-known hospital in Chicago and remained so for 10 years. 'A Research Child' records my memories of this confusing and, at times, frightening time. It is purposely written in a child's voice as the thoughts, impressions, and emotions are those I experienced as a child. . .." )

I am tired, so tired. I hate this part of Christmas break. Melinda talked about the presents she would get, and Denise talked about playing in the snow. But that is not my Christmas break -- at least not my December 26 of each and every year.

It is cold out so I am glad to get in the hospital building this morning. This is the first time I have ever been glad to get in this building, for I know what is coming next, and it's nothing to be glad about.

I am 10 now, and this is my fourth year as a research patient, whatever that means. I just know that when I couldn't read "squirrel" on the chalkboard, I started seeing more doctors than friends. And that first bunch of doctors said I was making it up about not seeing so well, but this hospital said "no," so I'm back for another year of being their "research."

These halls -- so very long. I wonder who works in each of the rooms behind each doorway. I won't ever know all of the workers, but I know I'll meet many. I wonder if there are dead people behind those doors, or maybe that is in another part of the hospital. I don't know. After all, things die in the eye section too.

Drops, drops, drops! I can't stand it! They sting so much. I don't like it when the nurses miss either. Then the stuff runs down my cheek, and I know those nurses will try again. "Don't blink or rub your eyes." Sure, why don't you try it sometime! And then everything goes blurry.

I wonder how blurry it really is compared to what regular people see. I don't remember seeing "regular," but I know I did once. And maybe today the tests will tell us how I can see regular again.

We always wait so long in these halls. The chairs are lined up along the wall, and I think the carpet is green. I think it is the color of the ugly print enlarging machine which I have to wheel around from class to class. Man, I feel so embarrassed having to do that. I just want to hide forever.

No hiding now, for they have just called my name. "Kathryn," they say. They don't even know I call myself Kathy. They don't even ask.

I know pretty much what the different kinds of tests will be. I just never know in which order I'll have them. It is Dr. Fritz first, so he will just do some looking. He uses a magnifying glass in front of his light so the light is bigger and brighter. Isn't a regular light good enough? I can't stand looking into that thing.

I know the light plays tricks on my eyes, double vision and all, but why are there so many people in this examining room? The doctor says things like, "Observe her waxed retina. Take note of these paradoxical pupils." Waxed retinas? I wonder if they can remove that wax from my eye just how I can do from my ear. Then maybe I could see better.

What is he really talking about? He does not explain to me. No, all he does is hold the light there for longer so all of these other people can look in my eyes. Do they see me too? Probably not, just my funny retina and my goofy pupils.

Enough of that. Goodbye Dr. Fritz. I know I'll see you again later. It is on to Katie. She is nice, even calls me Kathy. But she does not do many tests. She just takes some quick looks and tells us to go on to the next room. I wish she would be with us all day. She makes this better.

It is a dark room now. I am lying down, but I can't rest. They have done yucky things to me. They put some gunk on my eyes to make me not blink. Then they put these huge contact lens things in so I could not blink if I tried. Then they hooked electrodes up to the place all around my eyes. Will they shock me? I am scared.

There are no shocks of that kind. I just lie here quietly in the dark. Mom is in the room with me so I will not be afraid. She brought a Holly Hobby book to read to me, but she can't because it is too dark for even her to see in here. Then, all of a sudden, big lights start flashing above my head. I cannot move my eyes! I cannot blink! I can do nothing, and I just want to scream! Help me! Stop those lights!

I guess I have fought so hard to close my eyes that I popped one of the lenses out. I can't tell because everything is sightless to me after those lights stop. A man comes in and sighs and mutters over the popped-out lens -- or over me, I'm not sure. I guess it scratched my eye some. And it was probably my fault for trying to close my eyes so hard. I'm sorry.

On to the next room. There is this globe, or a half globe really. I have to put my chin into a rest and stare into the half globe. There is a light, bright as can be, inside the globe. I am not supposed to close my eyes here either, but there are no contact lenses holding them open now. They tell me I should hold them open myself with my own hands. Funny, my eyes don't want it, but my hands do what they are told. I must obey, right?

After about seven minutes, the light goes off. Apparently there is a little light in the center, and I have to tell them when I can see it again. All my eyes are doing is watering from the glaring light, not seeing anything. Seven minutes is a long time. I don't believe them that there is a tiny light there. I see nothing. But finally I do see it. What is the point?

One more test with electrodes. I have to watch this train- like light go back and forth while they record my eyes' reaction with the electrodes. At least this test does not hurt.

And there are other doctors, other tests. Katie does a color test with little chips with light colors on them. I have to put them in order like a rainbow. But they all look about the same to me. I want to cry when I can't do what Katie asks.

Somewhere in between the tests we eat lunch. Mom has just brought things to eat in a bag, so we eat in the hall. All of these people sitting in the halls -- do they get those bad tests too?

Dr. Fritz comes to talk to us. Actually, it is not to "us" but only to Mom. I don't know what he says in all, but I do hear some things that make sense.

I won't be able to drive!

Not drive? Don and I used to make up games in the car on trips and pretend we were driving our own cars. I can't even pretend now?

"But that's it." That is what? It won't get worse than that? Good, because I have never met a blind person. I would not know what to say to a blind person. I would be afraid of a blind person.

We are not quite done. It is Mr. Photographer time. I hate him, or at least I hate what he does. I have to put my chin in another rest and there is a camera right in front of my face. There is a tiny light which I have to stare at, but I never can. My eyes are too jumpy and I am too tired. Then he takes a picture and I see big blue circles for a few minutes after. It is funny because those glaring blue spots of camera light stay with me, but they are not really real, are they?

But he complains and sometimes yells when I move my eye or blink. I haven't been able to blink all day! But this photo session is worse because Katie is not around, and this man gets really mad.

There are so many pictures he takes. I wonder what they do with them all. They are not of me, though, but of my eyes. I bet they would not recognize me without these lights and machines. They don't even know who I am.

Oh no, this photo time is different! They have to inject dye into my arm so it will go into my eyes and show up in the pictures. The needle hurts so much! The dye is cold as it goes up my vein! Oh God, make this stop!

"Quick, quick!" the pictures have to be taken quickly so the dye won't be gone! If I do not do it right, I will have to do it again -- more dye! I have to look straight into the light, knowing it will flash and blind me. Is that what they are trying to do, blind me? There is a timer, and it sounds like a bomb! What will happen if I can't look into those lights anymore? Oh, he is crabby and rushed! Oh, let this end!

Finally it is over. I thought I was tired before, but this is a new kind of tired that I never felt before. Mom takes my hand and we walk through the long halls again and past the closed doors toward the car. It is cold outside, and it is almost night. What happened to the light of day? I sure do not know, for I can only still see the big blue lights of the camera and hear the angry yells of the photo man. He'll be there again next year, I know -- and so will I. But Katie won't. She is going to another hospital. Dr. Fritz will be there, and so will all of those tests.

I am tired, so tired. God, I want to close my eyes. But I can't do that, for then I would not see. And this is all going to make it so I will see, right? Isn't that what "research" is for?

I never cried once, not even when the lens scratched my eye. "Good girl." I was good so they would make me see right again. Isn't that what this is for, to make it so I can always see? Yes, it must be. It has to be.

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.

BILLS IN BRAILLE

The Florida state legislature is making bills available in braille, and has verbally committed to making legislation available in large print and cassette also. To get a braille copy of a bill, call (800) 342-1827 (Florida only). That number can also give you information about any bill in the legislature, details on recent action, and what committee it has been assigned to.

OKLAHOMA REUNION

The Oklahoma (Parkview) School for the Blind Alumni Association will hold its biennial meeting on the school campus in Muskogee, Okla., May 27-29. For more information, contact Norman Dalke, P.O. Box 850093, Yukon, OK 73085; phone (405) 354- 3492.

AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP

IVIE -- short for "Independent Visually Impaired Enterprisers," an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, would like to contact people interested in going into business and those already in business. The organization is composed of people involved in their own businesses. It offers a network of individuals who exchange ideas, discuss business problems they have encountered, and who can and do offer suggestions based on their own experiences. Annual dues are $10; membership years are from March to March. Join now, and your membership will be valid until March 1995. To join, send a brief summary of your business or business interests, along with your check, to Arnold Austin, Route 4, Box 241, Butler, MO 64730.

CALL FOR CORNHUSKERS

The Nebraska Association of the Blind is seeking information about the alumni of the Nebraska School for the Visually Handicapped from its 1875 beginning to the present to compile a memorial book for the school. Any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Information can be given in braille, print, cassette or 3.5-inch IBM-compatible computer disk. Materials will be returned to you at your request. Send information to Dick Zlab at 6792 Wirt St., Omaha, NE 68104; phone (402) 558-8496.

CHURCH CONFERENCE

The 1994 National Church Conference of the Blind will be held July 24-29 at the Holiday Inn Airport in Birmingham, Ala. There will be Bible studies, talent time, singing, seminar, tours, exhibits, a banquet, and Christian fellowship. For more information, contact Frank Finkenbinder, P.O. Box 163, Denver, CO 80201; phone (303) 455-3430.

NEWS FROM THE AFB

The AFB is accepting nominations for its 1994 Migel Awards and Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year Awards. Two Scourby Awards will be presented, representing outstanding narration in fiction (including mysteries, westerns, science fiction, romance and adventure) and non-fiction. All Talking Book readers are eligible to nominate a narrator in each category. A "special recognition" Scourby Award will also be given at the awards ceremony, tentatively scheduled for early June. To cast your vote, send a letter or postcard with your choices to the American Foundation for the Blind, Communications Department, 15 W. 16th St., New York, NY 10011, or call (800) 232-5463 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eastern time. New York residents call (212) 620-2147.

Migel Professional Award nominees should be people whose professional work directly or indirectly benefits blind people, such as those working in organizations or public institutions serving blind people, professors teaching in personnel preparation programs, and related professionals, such as optometrists and ophthalmologists specializing in low vision patients, and heads of regional libraries for the blind. Nominees for the Migel Layperson Award should be volunteers within the blindness and visual impairment field or professionals who are employed in other areas, such as university professors who develop adaptive technology. Nominators should provide specific examples to show how nominees meet the guidelines for the award. In addition, those who have submitted names in previous years should resubmit them using the guidelines. Send these nominations to Carl R. Augusto, President & Executive Director, American Foundation for the Blind, at the address above. The envelope should state that a Migel nomination is enclosed. Submissions must be postmarked no later than May 1, 1994. The fax number is (212) 727-1279.

And the winners of the 1994 Access Awards are: Tupperware, for the addition of braille capacity designations to the CrystalWare container line; Ralph Weule, for his efforts as a national resource and advocate for detectable warnings at transit platforms; George Kerscher, for developing the potential of computer technology as a method for communicating the published word; Recording for the Blind, for taking that innovation and creating an electronic text library; Toy Manufacturers of America, for the development of the "Guide to Toys for Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired;" Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc., for effective use of mass communication to improve access to the environment for guide dog users, and Patsi Albright and Karen Wall Toy, nursing students at York College (Pa.) who conducted a study regarding the needs of visually impaired women for the early detection of breast cancer and for their development and presentation of training techniques for breast self-examination to the medical field. The Access Awards were presented during the Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute Conference in Washington, D.C., in March. TRI-STATE FRONTIER

Tri-State Frontier Computing opened recently in midtown Manhattan. The store supplies blind and visually impaired people with a full range of computer services, such as Artic Winvision for Windows, the Arkenstone reading system family, and the IBM Screen Reader for OS-2. As an introduction, the store is offering a 486/66 mHz computer with an Intel processor loaded with DOS and Windows and speech access. For more information, call (212) 867-8533.

FINANCIAL AID

For up-to-date information on sources of funding for disabled people and their families, check out the 1994-1996 edition of "Financial Aid for the Disabled and Their Families." It costs $38.50 plus $4 shipping. More than 100 new programs have been added. To order, send your name and address, along with your money and request, to Reference Service Press, 1100 Industrial Rd., Suite 9, San Carlos, CA 94070; phone (415) 594-0743. Other books available include "How to Find Out About Financial Aid," which costs $35; "Financial Aid for Veterans, Military Personnel, and Their Dependents, 1994-1996," for $38.50; "Directory of Financial Aids for Women, 1993-1995," for $45; "Directory of Financial Aids for Minorities, 1993-1995" for $47.50; "Financial Aid for Research and Creative Activities Abroad, 1994-1996" for $45; and "Financial Aid for Study and Training Abroad, 1994-1996" for $37.50. Shipping charges are $4 for one book, $7 for two books, $9 for three to five books, $12 for six to 10 books, and $15 for more than 10 books. California residents must add 7.25 percent sales tax. Send orders to the address above.

RICHMOND PRODUCTS

Richmond Products has several new manuals available. "Preschooler Oculomotor and Visual Therapy" is meant to help develop visual motor control, perception and visual memory. It is listed as catalog number 6011R, and costs $108.50. "Visual Motor Development" deals with children's eye development. Listed as catalog number 6001R, it costs $96.50. "Parent's Guide to Impaired Vision Therapy for Visually Handicapped Children" contains development skills for preschool and home use; it's catalog number 6031R, and costs $127.50. "Impaired Vision Therapy for Visually Handicapped Children" contains development skills for elementary school students; it's listed as catalog number 6021R, and costs $127.50. A pad of 50 charts costs $2. To order any of these, send your name and address along with your order and payment to Richmond Products, 1021 S. Rogers Circle, Suite 6, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2894; phone (407) 994-2112.

COMPUTER SIGNATURE

Gregory A. Fowler has invented software that allows people to sign their names with the computer. All you need is WordPerfect, FAX software or other software that will merge a graphics file to write letters or send faxes, as well as a dot matrix, inkjet or laser printer. To receive the software, send your name, complete address and phone number, and the information described below, along with your check for $12 (signature only) or $20 (signature and letterhead) to Gregory A. Fowler, P.O. Box 987, Mountain View, CA 94042-0987. On a sheet of paper, state: I would like to order: (quantity) signature (sign below with black, fine point, metal roller pen or equivalent to create solid lines) (quantity) letterhead (include sample). Diskette format: MS-DOS 3.5"; MS-DOS 5.25" or Macintosh. Image format: WordPerfect 5.X; WordPerfect 6.0, or other.

CUSTOM CRUISES

Custom Cruises Unlimited, owned and operated by Susan Brewer, arranges special tours for blind people. Her phone number is (513) 931-2234.

ESCAPE TO SUMMER CAMP

The Oral Hull Foundation for the Blind offers two summer camp sessions, July 16-23 and August 20-27, 1994. These sessions are packed with activities such as swimming, hiking, fishing, crafts, entertainment and a beach trip. Oral Hull Park is east of Portland, Ore., near Mt. Hood, and has comfortable accommodations, superb meals, and lots to please campers. The cost is $175 a week for Oregon residents and $190 for non- residents. For more information write to Oral Hull Foundation for the Blind, P.O. Box 157, Sandy, OR 97055; phone (503) 668-6195.

2ND EDITION

The second edition of Dr. JoAnn LeMaistre's book "Beyond Rage: Mastering Unavoidable Health Changes," is now available in print, audio tape and video tape. The book costs $24.95 per copy. Audio tapes cost $12.95 each, and video tapes cost $39.95 each. Send your payment, along with your name, address, and format request to: Alpine Guild, P.O. Box 183, Oak Park, IL 60303.

INKA AVAILABLE

INKA, the new all-in-one integrated keyboard access device for blind computer users, is now available from BAUM USA. It features an MF 2, standard AT keyboard, equipped with numerous integrated access technologies, including a 40 + 4 character braille display, optical sensor pointer, and optional synthetic speech. The INKA is designed to plug into the computer's standard keyboard port. Serial interface is also available. The unit weighs about eight pounds and comes with its own AC power adapter. For more information, lease details, or qualification requirements, contact BAUM USA, 17525 Ventura Blvd., Suite 303, Encino, CA 91316-3843; phone (818) 981-2253 or (800) 225-3150.

SPARE COPIES WANTED

Faha Enterprise, the library service for the blind and physically handicapped in Bangladesh, is looking for unwanted, extra and used copies of English books, magazines and other reading material. Donate your material to Faha Enterprise, 40/41 Zindabahar 1st Lane, Dhaka-1100, Bangladesh.

KEY-TOP LEGENDS

Hooleon Corp. has released key-top legends, a combination of raised braille characters and large print on high-contrast, durable adhesive labels that stick on the keyboard's keys. The legends are available in a choice of black letters on a yellow background, white letters on a black background, or black letters on an ivory background. The kits cost $21.95 each. For more information, call Hooleon at (800) 937-1337; 260 Justin Dr., Cottonwood, AZ 86326.

PATH MARK I

Path Mark I, developed by Easier Ways, Inc., is a system that assists transit companies in complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. With the push of a button, Path Mark I announces the next stop to passengers on a bus. For more information contact Easier Ways, Inc., 1101 N. Calvert St., Suite 405, Baltimore, MD 21202; phone (410) 659-0232.

DISABILITY BENEFITS

"Disability Benefits in Brief," an eight-page bimonthly newsletter, is in its second year of publication. It explains SSI, SSDI, PASS, IRWE, concurrent eligibility and other Social Security disability benefits programs to help those who work with disabled people. For a free sample copy of the newsletter, or to learn more about the Disability Benefits Association, write to Connie Tomski, DBA, 495 E. Ellefson St., Iola, WI 54945; phone (715) 445-4755.

CPC CATALOG ON TAPE

In addition to large print and braille, the Chicago Guild for the Blind's Consumer Product Center catalog is now available on cassette. If you would like to receive a catalog in any of these formats, contact Pamela Provost, manager of the Consumer Product Center at 180 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1700, Chicago, IL 60601-7463; phone (312) 236-8569.

FREE BOOKS

The Guild for the Blind is offering free books: "King Solomon's Mines" and "Children's Story Hour" on cassette, and "Tasty, Tempting, Tantalizing Recipes from the Kitchens of Equal" in braille. If you would like one of these books, call Pamela Provost at the Guild at (312) 236-8569.

NEW VP FOR RFB

Karl F. Wolf has been named vice president for financial development and public affairs at Recording for the Blind. Prior to joining RFB, he was vice president of external affairs at Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif.

GOSPEL GROUP

The Gospel Association for the Blind, Inc., offers many services to blind people. All services are free of charge. Services include: a summer camp for the blind in New Hampshire, a free braille circulating library with more than 1,600 titles and nearly 6,000 volumes, a free cassette circulating library with nearly 1,500 titles and 8,000 cassettes, an annual Christmas gift distribution program for blind children or children of blind parents, and a monthly cassette magazine. Sometime soon the group will begin holding monthly dinners for the blind. For more information, contact the Gospel Association for the Blind, P.O. Box 62, Delray Beach, FL 33447; phone (407) 274-9700.

MEDICAL ID

AD Medical supplies credit-card and wearable-size emergency medical data cards. One card contains space for more than 100 items of medical and personal information. To purchase one, send your name, address and phone number, along with $18.95 to AD Medical, M/C 224A, P.O. Box 2096, Middletown, OH 45044.

There is an increasing number of blind and visually impaired people on the move. Many have full-time employment and commute to work each day. Others are active in their communities, holding memberships in service clubs, attending school or church functions, or participating in meetings of professional or consumer organizations. Nowadays, blind people travel everywhere using all forms of transportation. Fortunately, the public is becoming more accustomed to the idea that blind people can get where they want to go on their own. Seeing these people on the sidewalk on their way to a community function using a white cane, a guide dog, or clasping the arm of a sighted friend is no longer unusual. The more they are seen out and about, getting where they need to go, the better they will be accepted by their communities. As a result, overprotection by families and negative attitudes and fears concerning blindness are waning. Cities, towns and other jurisdictions have the responsibility to provide safe pedestrian travel for all citizens, including blind and visually impaired people. One way to do this is to install audible pedestrian signals at busy intersections. Many older people and others with some degree of vision loss have difficulty seeing traffic and walk/don't walk signs when the sun is bright. For these people and others, installing audible pedestrian signals can significantly add to street crossing safety.

Every time an audible signal is heard, the public is reminded that people who are visually impaired are an active part of community life. The signals are there to assist them in their independent travel. They provide strong evidence that people with decreased or no vision are moving around the area on their way to work, shop, or perform other normal daily activities.

The placement of these signals should be limited, at least for the present, to street crossings where there is heavy pedestrian traffic. Intersections near schools and agencies for the blind, or those close to other facilities frequented by people who are visually impaired may also be considered. These signals increase safety. They do not make blind people dependent or less skilled travelers, any more than regular traffic lights make automobile drivers dependent. For drivers, there are no traffic lights at intersections where traffic is light; at busier crossings there are stop signs, at still busier intersections there are traffic lights, and where traffic is heaviest, more complex signals and signs are used. Do these additional aids to drivers make them dependent, or are they less qualified because they need these aids to drive safely?

We all know how hazardous an intersection can be when traffic signals are not working. If automobile drivers are allowed additional aids and sighted pedestrians use "walk" and "don't walk" signs for increased safety, then certainly visually impaired people should be afforded audible pedestrian signals for their added protection.

Some individuals have expressed concern that the use of audible pedestrian signals will reduce mobility skills. We believe such thinking is erroneous, since the opportunity to practice the full range of travel skills will always exist at those intersections that are not and perhaps never will be equipped with audible signals. Remember, many people who are visually impaired also have other problems related to age or disabilities which further limit their ability to travel. For some of these people, an audible traffic signal may provide just enough added assistance to make it possible for them to reach a shopping center, a doctor's office, or their place of work.

All of us support and admire those blind people who are independent travelers as a result of professional training with a cane or guide dog. Consequently, ACB members should be advocating for more mobility instruction, and more of us should be requesting training to improve our travel techniques. Mobility instructors not only teach white cane travel, they also provide safety information to people who are partially sighted. They teach clues for good orientation and can help family members understand how a visually impaired person functions. In addition, if one has residual vision, they have expertise in helping that person make the best use of it.

Some Pennsylvania Council of the Blind chapters have been working successfully with their communities to have audible pedestrian signals installed. We challenge other affiliates to do the same. The Wilcox Sales Co., 1738 Finecroft Dr., Claremont, CA 91711, is one agency that has the necessary equipment and can provide a manual for installation. Successful affiliates should share their experiences with others.

Decide which intersections in your community need audible pedestrian signals, then work with your municipal authorities until it is accomplished. Once installed and working, these signals will assist blind pedestrians, and they will bear strong testimony to your community that visually impaired people are being helped to live more independently.

Dr. Kenneth Ring, a professor of psychology at the University of Connecticut and a leading researcher of the near- death experience, and his research assistant Sharon Cooper, are undertaking a research project that will focus on blind people who have had either an out-of-body experience (OBE) or a near- death experience (NDE).

Ring has written three books on various aspects of the near-death experience, including "Life at Death" and "Heading Toward Omega." During the course of his research, Ring has come across anecdotal reports of blind persons who have experienced visual perceptions during their OBE or NDE. However, he is not aware of any study that has authenticated such reports.

Ring and Cooper are looking for blind people who have had either OBEs or NDEs and would be willing to be interviewed by phone or in person. If you know of any blind person who has had a life-threatening illness or accident and has fully recovered, and if you feel comfortable asking such persons if they would be willing to participate in this study, please encourage the prospective volunteer to contact Sharon Cooper by calling her at (203) 487-4170 or by writing or sending an audiocassette to her at 145 Courtyard Lane, Storrs, CT 06268.

For those of you who are not familiar with the near-death experience, the following excerpt comes from an article entitled "Near-Death Experiences," written for the Encyclopedia Britannica by Bruce Greyson, M.D., a psychiatrist at the University of Connecticut Health Center:

What is a near-death experience? While different investigators have

emphasized different aspects of the experience, the NDE is generally accepted

to be a profound subjective event with transcendental or mystical elements that many people experience on the threshold of death. Once thought to be rare, the

NDE is now reported by about one-third of people who come close to death.

A Gallup Poll estimated that about 5 percent of the American population, or

about 13 million Americans in 1991, have had NDEs.

Given the widespread occurrence of these experiences, a single definition of the

NDE must be somewhat arbitrary. Dr. Raymond Moody, the psychiatrist who

coined the term "near-death experience" in 1975, used it to refer to an ineffable experience on the threshold of death that may include hearing oneself

pronounced dead, feelings of peace, unusual noises, a sense of movement

through a dark tunnel, a sense of being out of the physical body, meeting other

spiritual beings, meeting a being of light, a life review, a border or point of no return, a return to the physical body, frustrated attempts to tell others about the

experience, profound changes in attitudes and values, elimination of one's fear

of death, and independent corroboration of knowledge gained while out of the body. Moody emphasized that no two individuals' NDEs are exactly the same, and that few near-death experiences contain all these features.

Anyone wishing more information regarding this research project can contact Sharon Cooper at the above number and address.

FOR SALE: Nomad 2 adapted computer. Voice activated. Originally cost $1,300; selling for $1,000. Contact Bogdan Gierzynski at (718) 966-0194 after 3:30 p.m. Eastern time weekdays and on weekends.

FOR SALE: One-year-old braillewriter. Excellent condition -- never used. Includes a dust cover, braille eraser and hard carrying case. Best offer. Call Janine at (708) 617- 5569.

FOR SALE: Classic VersaBraille cassette-based system, includes cable and some overlay tapes, as well as a braille manual. $150 or best offer. Also available: Diablo microline 83A printer. This is a nine-pin dot matrix printer which may not be supported by newer word processors. Does not include manual or parallel printer cable. $50 or best offer, includes shipping. Call the ACB national office at (800) 424-8666 between 3 and 5:30 p.m. Eastern time.

FOR SALE: Swan 500C with matching power supply, speaker, RF filter, Turner hand-held microphone, about 50 feet of RG8U coaxial cable and owner's manual. Asking $300 or best offer. Also, LPs and pre-recorded tapes from the '50s through the '80s; $3 each, including shipping and insurance. Price negotiable if the rest of my collection is being considered for purchase. For more information, write in print, braille or tape, or call Barry Wood at 6904 Bergenwood Ave., North Bergen, NJ 07047; phone (201) 868-3336 evenings and weekends.

FOR SALE: Model R1 Optacon that has passed quality control standards and has a current service warranty from TSI Inc. Asking $750. Contact Robert Weber Jr., 28 W. Main St., Lonaconing, MD 21539; phone (301) 463-2707.

FOR SALE: HP Jet scanner with sheet feeder and latest version of Arkscan. Asking $1,800. Contact Anthony Giordano at (416) 748-8592 after 6 p.m. Eastern time.

FOR SALE: The following items for Apple II computer. Echo IIb speech synthesizer, $40. ProWORDS 1.5C, $50. ProTERM, $50. Filetalk, $50. Traxpax, $25. Textalker GS, $5. Talking Utilities for ProDOS, $5. Textalker, $5. Public domain software, approximately 20 disks, $10. All software above as a package, $170. Software and synthesizer above as package, $210. I also have other Apple software which may or may not work with speech. Contact Rick Boggess at 3533 Roundtable Loop, Owensboro, KY 42303; phone (502) 684-4418 after 5 p.m. Central time weekdays.

FOR SALE: Softvert 5.0 B speech software, $200. Master Touch speech software, synthesizer and touch tablet, $1,900. Contact Denise Avant between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. at (312) 878-9518.

WANTED: Quarter-track reel-to-reel tape recorder, preferably a self-contained Sony. Call Robert McMullen at (614) 389-6337.

ACB wishes to thank its many members and friends who gave so generously in response to our fall 1993 letter requesting support for ACB's ongoing programs and services. This partial list of donors reflects only those people who gave us their approval to publicly acknowledge their gifts.

Hertha Chavious, Anchorage, AK; Thelma R. Nichols, Madison, AL; Imogene Johnson, Little Rock, AR; Stanley D. Morrill, Bella Vista, AR; Eddie Massery, Little Rock, AR; Lorene Denney, Clinton, AR; Edna Baker, Little Rock, AR; Dorothy Gabo, Phoenix, AZ; Martha L. Newsom, Phoenix, AZ; Richard & Adele Brown, Sun City, AZ; T. Fabian Foote, Safford, AZ; Mary C. Parr, Gadsden, AZ; Lynne Robles, Mesa, AZ; Michael McGeeney, Long Beach, CA; Gena Harper, Oakland, CA; Flora L. Reed, Santa Clara, CA; Donald H. Wilkinson, Eureka, CA; Kevin Kelly, San Diego, CA; Virginia Katsanes, Union City, CA; Jean K. Doyle, Santa Cruz, CA; J. Henry Kruse, Jr., Albany, CA; J. L. Rucker, Torrance, CA; Peter Schustack, San Luis Obispo, CA; Ralph Black, Sacramento, CA; Harlan Smith, Guinda, CA; Jean D. Wellington, McKinleyville, CA; Ann De Lint, Cerritos, CA; Laura Horwitz, North Hollywood, CA; Mitch & Cheryl Pomerantz, Los Angeles, CA; Winifred Downing, San Francisco, CA; Audrey B. Moore, Alhambra, CA; Jean K. Bain, Denver, CO; David Bartlett, Littleton, CO; Victoria Vaughan, Banning, CO; Mary R. MacDonald, Denver, CO; Marjorie Gallien, Colorado Springs, CO; Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Martin, Aurora, CO; Lucille DiBattista, Newington, CT; Rosalie Gay, East Hartford, CT; Christine Ethier, Manchester, CT; Peter S. Motyl, Milford, CT; Harriet Axelson, Hartford, CT; Bernard W. Kassett, Tolland, CT; Howard Goldstein, New Haven, CT; David Goldstein, Bridgeport, CT; Marcia Nigro, Hamden, CT; Al Sylvestre, Hartford, CT; Louise Manginello, Hartford, CT; David L. Robinson, New Haven, CT; Denise Decker, Washington, DC; Oral Miller, Washington, DC; Edmund L. Browning, Jr., Washington, DC; Alice Capodanno, Wilmington, DE; Beatrice Pyke, W. Palm Beach, FL; Daisy M. Hunt, Ft. McCoy, FL; Judy & Frank Mazza, Naples, FL; Harriet E. Harvey, Orlando, FL; Doris E. Kline, Titusville, FL; Kathleen Warth, Clearwater, FL; Patricia Diliberto, Lakeland, FL; David Lang, Ormond Beach, FL; Mary B. Smiech, Clearwater, FL; Shirley V. Huss, Yulee, FL; June Kinard, Jacksonville, FL; Mildred Frank, Daytona Beach, FL; Denyse Eddy, Winter Park, FL; Mrs. George Burck, West Palm Beach, FL; Leonard Warren, Key West, FL; Luis Oliva, Opa Locka, FL; Ronald F. Adams, Brunswick, GA; Juanita Matthews, Savannah, GA; Cynthia Hirakawa, Honolulu, HI; Lois & Homer Fiscel, Ft. Dodge, IA; Aldo & Beulah Maddalozzo, Dubuque, IA; Roger Eggerss, Shelby, IA; Walter F. Stromer, Mt. Vernon, IA; Bob Clayton, Cedar Falls, IA; Bruce Merritt, Carroll, IA; David & Ardis Bazyn, Cedar Rapids, IA; Dorothy Klotz, Post Falls, ID; Dorothy Robertson, Salmon, ID; Gerald & Nancy Spinner, Springfield, IL; Herbert Porter, Alton, IL; Isabel Zimmerman, Carbondale, IL; Florence Horton, Chicago, IL; Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. Rosenbom, Harwood Heights, IL; Thomas D. Bledsoe, Bartonville, IL; Natalie F. Miller, Evanston, IL; Patricia P. Clapp, Danville, IL; Dan Neuwelt, Chicago, IL; Timothy J. Paul, Hinsdale, IL; Walter Hauser, Aurora, IL; Terry Ann Saurmann, Arlington Heights, IL; Richard P. Williams, Goshen, IN; Raymond Bennington, Whitestown, IN; A. T. Peltz, South Bend, IN; Patricia Price, Indianapolis, IN; Marvin E. Price, Indianapolis, IN; Ray & Jackie Warren, Indianapolis, IN; Rev. Maurice E. Brockman, Bloomington, IN; Ruth McLain, North Vernon, IN; Charles R. Thorp, Indianapolis, IN; Donald D. Enos, Wichita, KS; Kathryn Hynes Smith, Manhattan, KS; Marilyn G. Lytle, Wichita, KS; Enid O'Leary, Topeka, KS; Betty Christian, Wichita, KS; Patty Ware, Nicholasville, KY; Anna R. Cain, Louisville, KY; Guy E. Lund, New Orleans, LA; Jamal Mazrui, Somerville, MA; Laura Oftedahl, Watertown, MA; Marion Cole, Braintree, MA; Pauline Downing, Somerville, MA; Grace Mondor, Lynn, MA; Mr. & Mrs. Richard White, Randolph, MA; Rose M. Mathews, East Harwich, MA; Margaret R. Pfanstiehl, Silver Spring, MD; Robert A. Kerr, Mechanicsville, MD; Mr. & Mrs. Jean Dorf, Silver Spring, MD; Jane & Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD; Audrey Koch, Rockville, MD; Jo Ann Kucic, Baltimore, MD; Francis McKeown & daughter Sheila McKeown, Baltimore, MD; Paul & Lori Schroeder, Kensington, MD; James T. Martin, Ellsworth, ME; Raymond Hepper, Readfield, ME; Faith Meadows, Kalamazoo, MI; Ruth Hebert, Hubell, MI; Elizabeth M. Lennon, Kalamazoo, MI; Arthur W. Miller, Zilwaukee, MI; James Doherty, Flint, MI; Gerard Clark, Benton Harbor, MI; Joanne Oosterhouse, Grand Rapids, MI; Linda J. Byers, Battle Creek, MI; Shirley Lukens, Kalamazoo, MI; Tom Carpenter, Eaton Rapids, MI; Jack & Sharon Hicken, Duluth, MN; C. Milo Gilliland, St. Louis Park, MN; Ottila Gilliland, St. Louis Park, MN; Max Swanson, Minneapolis, MN; Ruth Lundquist, Minneapolis, MN; Alden & Virginia Moran, Minneapolis, MN; Millie Justice, Parkville, MO; Barbara Borgmeyer, St. Charles, MO; Thelma Grisham, Springfield, MO; Ralph Sole, Lees Summit, MO; Irvin Sallee, Kansas City, MO; Karen Newmann, Ballwin, MO; Ruth M. Cramer, Lawson, MO; W. R. Sallis, Jackson, MS; Sharon Near, Hazlehurst, MS; Karen Hulett, Jackson, MS; Helen Lockwood, Bozeman, MT; Stella S. Marshall, Winston-Salem, NC; R. William Joyce, Madison, NC; Judith K. Redfield, Clemmons, NC; June Ann Moss, Bolivia, NC; Norma F. Krajczar, Morehead City, NC; Kenneth R. Pond, Charlotte, NC; Donna Jean Harstad, Fortuna, ND; Dennis A. Baumgartner, Mandan, ND; Janelle Olson, Williston, ND; Herbert L. Stein, Chevy Chase, ND; Cornelius M. O'Donovan, Omaha, NE; William & Mary Susan Orester, Lincoln, NE; James Faimon, Lincoln, NE; Sheila O'Leary Zakre, Concord, NH; Jeffrey V. Boivin, Lebanon, NH; Frank Pietrucha, Newark, NJ; Lisa Valvano, Edison, NJ; Dennis L. Hartenstine, Red Bank, NJ; Grace Joyce, Vineland, NJ; Joan Leonard, Edison, NJ; Robert W. Potter, Clifton, NJ; Audio Optics Inc., West Orange, NJ; Paul & Lois Tapia, Alamogordo, NM; John E. Lane, Carson City, NV; Charles A. Sessions Jr., Pahrump, NV; Michael Di Stefano, Las Vegas, NV; Jacob Goldfein, New York, NY; Elizabeth E. Juvet, Bethpage, NY; Mary Ellen Cronin, Lawrence, NY; Inez D'Agostino, New York, NY; Bridget Vanderhoof, Worchester, NY; Joseph W. Collier, Brooklyn, NY; Margaret Ricciardi, Oyster Bay, NY; Celeste Lopes, Plainview, NY; Merritt M. Clark, Albany, NY; George Downey, Long Island City, NY; Joan O. Brown, Pittsford, NY; Richard Hutcheson, Potsdam, NY; James Ricciardi, Oyster Bay, NY; Joseph Massaro, North Babylon, NY; Shirley J. Hoyt, Camillus, NY; Margery Henriott, Toledo, OH; George R. Pyle, Canton, OH; Deborah Kendrick, Cincinnati, OH; David A. Grimes, Brooklyn, OH; Thomas L. Tobin, Cleveland, OH; Mary Jo Strittmatter, Mayfield Heights, OH; Dr. Douglas V. Austin, Toledo, OH; Lois Henning, Toledo, OH; Bobbie Simon, Portsmouth, OH; W. Jessee Lyons, Ardmore, OK; Larry McCray, Tulsa, OK; Marianna Christensen, Bartlesville, OK; John A. Simpson, Oklahoma City, OK; J. Norman Mashburn, Lawton, OK; Tommy Robertson, Muskogee, OK; Pearl C. Thompson, Portland, OR; Kitt A. Jordan, Portland, OR; Gerald & Carolyn Patrick, King City, OR; Margaret B. Alvarez, Tigard, OR; Dolores Tyburski, Johnstown, PA; Anna M. Masimore, Harrisburg, PA; Blanche Moore, Darby, PA; Anna B. Porter, Lancaster, PA; Ben Sack, Rosemont, PA; Stacy Keller, Wexford, PA; Mr. & Mrs. William McDonald, Norristown, PA; Hannah Meyer, Philadelphia, PA; Evelyn Kaufman, Philadelphia, PA; Sally B. Rosenthal, Philadelphia, PA; John B. Coleman, Philadelphia, PA; Carol Duda, Pawtucket, RI; Frank Strong, Jr., Pierre, SD; Leo A. Marttila, Frederick, SD; Dr. Michael Guilbert, Deadwood, SD; Dr. R. K. Armstrong, Memphis, TN; Ernest Campbell, Knoxville, TN; David O. Floyd, Memphis, TN; Douglas & Mary Dettor, Memphis, TN; Kathy Lamb, Nashville, TN; Penny Pennington, Memphis, TN; Friendly Productions, Ft. Worth, TX; Maurine G. Barbour, Corpus Christi, TX; Fred Stockton, Ft. Worth, TX; Margarine G. Beaman, Austin, TX; Barry Francis, Waco, TX; Joyce M. Gathings, Graham, TX; Jo R. Cassidy, Cypress, TX; Ruby J. Vernon, San Antonio, TX; McLeod Stinnett III, Dallas, TX; Carolyn C. Gill, Dallas, TX; Lynda Jones, Austin, TX; Mr. & Mrs. Herbert S. Kadish, Austin, TX; Mr. & Mrs. John T. Jones, Sr., Houston, TX; Peter Tighe, Austin, TX; Eugene M. & Eileen B. Wood; Salt Lake City, UT; Roy Forsberg, Logan, UT; Wendy Dodge, Sandy, UT; Marcella Muirbrook, Ogden, UT; Noel Rasband, Salt Lake City, UT; Nadeen Hackwell, Ogden, UT; Alice Larsen, Provo, UT; Dorothy Gilbert, Salt Lake City, UT; J. D. Hansen, Ogden, UT; C. K. Sibley, Portsmouth, VA; Anita McMahon, Amherst, VA; Ross I. Silvers, Arlington, VA; Nolan N. Wilson, Charlottesville, VA; Everett H. Roberts & Cynthia A. Roberts, Woodbridge, VA; Nancy P. Jenkins, Richmond, VA; Fred W. Scheigert, Arlington, VA; Joann H. Nichols, Brattleboro, VT; Raymond Koier, Swanton, VT; Norman Case, Bethel, VT; A. Everett Cook, Vancouver, WA; Mrs. & Mrs. Emil Fries, Vancouver, WA; Bill Van Winkle & Barbara I. Harville, Richland, WA; Laura Gorton, Vancouver, WA; Rhonda Nelson, Auburn, WA; Sue Ammeter, Seattle, WA; Nadyne Lessard, Vancouver, WA; Lloyd Anderson, Lynnwood, WA; Helen A. Broeren, Madison, WI; Thomas Kohl, Ripon, WI; Carolyn Neerhof, Oostburg, WI; Vikki Kaleta, Racine, WI; Donald Lehmann, Kenosha, WI; Dale Kraucyk, Wausau, WI; Susan Robertson, Milwaukee, WI; Rachel Wilson, Milwaukee, WI; Sharon Fridley, Nitro, WV; Donna Brown, Romney, WV; Ninetta L. Garner, Romney, WV; Annabel M. Irons, MD, Yoder, WY.

BOARD OF PUBLICATIONS

Billie Jean Hill,
Chairperson,
737 N. Buchanan St.,
Arlington, VA 22203-1428
Kim Charlson,
57 Grandview Ave.,
Watertown, MA 02172
Mitch Pomerantz,
1344 N. Martel Ave. #102,
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Edward Potter,
1308 Evergreen Ave.,
Goldsboro, NC 27530
Dana Walker,
2137 Woodmere Loop,
Montgomery, AL 36117
Ex Officio: Laura Oftedahl,
104 Coolidge Hill Rd. #7,
Watertown, MA 02172

ACB OFFICERS

PRESIDENT
LEROY SAUNDERS
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
CHARLES S. P. HODGE
SECRETARY
PATRICIA PRICE
TREASURER
BRIAN CHARLSON

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
ELIZABETH M. LENNON

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