Dixieland Guide Dog Users cordially invites you to attend the opening ceremony for our Southern Regional Top Dog Workshops on Friday, January 27, 2006 at the Howard Johnson Riverfront (250 Spring Street, Charleston, S.C.). The celebration begins at 5 p.m. with a reception and the opportunity to meet our invited guests. Plan to attend our moving ceremony, "The Blessing of the Guides," presented by Tim Barrett. Tim, a youth minister from Lafayette, Ga., lost both eyes and his left leg to cancer and he uses a specially trained guide, Penn, for his many travels. He definitely "talks the talk and walks the walk."
At 7:30 p.m. Dixieland Guide Dog Users and Charleston Retinal Consultants will present "An Evening with Laurel Jean." Blind since birth, Laurel Jean is a recording artist, creative song writer, experienced lyricist, composer and talented musician and vocalist, as well as a devoted Christian. She honors the Lord by spreading his word through music. Please make your plans to attend. We'd love to see you there!
Registration costs $50 per person, and includes all meals on Saturday and a continental breakfast on Sunday. Hotel reservations must be made through the Howard Johnson Riverfront, (843) 722-4000; the rate for this conference is $45 per night plus tax. If you have other questions, call Audrey Gunter at (843) 571-0737.
From identity theft, diabetes education, senior citizens' rights and community activism to library resources for the blind, transportation, radio reading services and effective lobbying, members of the North Carolina Council of the Blind sampled a broad spectrum of informative presentations from a variety of speakers at NCCB's annual state convention in Burlington, Sept. 23-25. ACB immediate past president Paul Edwards was the convention's special guest and keynote speaker.
Elected as state officers for the 2005-2007 term were: president, Ron Eller; first vice president, Terry Lewis; second vice president, Lucy Isley; secretary, Allena Eller; and treasurer, Allen Casey. Chosen as at-large board members were Bill Hooper and Rosie Bethea.
Blind Information Technology Specialists (BITS) invites you to become a member. Our membership includes those using computer technology to enhance their lives, from highly qualified hardware and software developers and specialists to those using a PC simply as a tool to enhance their competency in both work and leisure. As a member of BITS, you are also a member of the national organization, the American Council of the Blind.
So what does this mean? It means that whether you are a programmer or a person who just checks e-mail and browses the Internet, you can be a member of BITS! BITS should be and is for everyone. Did you know we have a few members who don't even have a computer but just like to keep up with what is going on in computer-related technology?
A while back an article was posted in "The Braille Forum" which said that BITS should not just be for rocket scientists. Well, as our newly elected president, I can tell you it is not! We want any person who has an interest in computing or has an interest in accessibility that involves all types of computer technology to join our organization! We are trying to make sure we represent the whole computing community.
Over the years, with the advent of talking cell phones, note takers and the like, it isn't just desktop computers or laptop computers we must have access to. Most of this hardware is designed around computers or a computer chip. So that is why we need professionals to help us figure out all of this complicated gadgetry! After all, who do you call when you have a problem? A pro. So, if you don't really care how it works, you just need your device or software to produce the results you need, or you are a programmer or technically oriented, then you are reading the right article at the right time! This is why I believe the way I do. BITS is for everyone! We will always have the pros around and we will always have the people who don't care about all of the technical stuff.
Our goal is equal accessibility for visually impaired people to all facets of computer technology. BITS has an e-mail list, a weekly chat room on Saturdays, a quarterly newsletter called Bytes From BITS, an outstanding technical program at the ACB national convention, and awards the Kellie Cannon scholarship to a worthy student each year. To learn more, see www.acb.org/bits.
Dues are $20 for full voting members and $10 for students on a fiscal year of July 1 to June 30. If you are interested in joining our fine organization, you can go to our web page and sign up online and even pay through Paypal. Otherwise, send us your check made out to BITS, along with your full name, address, phone numbers, membership level, and e-mail address. For more membership information, contact our treasurer, Robert Rogers, 1121 Morado Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45238, (513) 921-3186, e-mail [email protected].
Please contact me at any time with your questions or comments. Phone: (903) 566-0955; e-mail [email protected].
On behalf of all guide dog handlers who have been the victims of vicious dog attacks and repeated incidents of dog interference, GDUI is proud to present "Safe Travel for Working Teams -- Enforce The Law!" This long-awaited resource presents real-life situations, relevant information about working teams, appropriate response protocol for responding officers and suggested improvements to local regulations that can be implemented to assist responding officers when handling calls involving a working assistance dog team. This informative educational tool for law enforcement agencies and individuals is available in VHS and CD formats by contacting GDUI at 1-888-858-1008 or visiting www.gdui.org. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed the time, talent and financial resources to make this much-needed production possible.
The YAP (Youth Awareness Program) began last year at the GCB state convention in Bainbridge, Ga., as an experience to educate both sighted and blind youth about blindness and the opportunities they can enjoy through ACB. And the second year has been as huge a success as the first! Students from all over Georgia participated in many activities of the convention and a speech contest at our state convention in Marietta, Ga. This year's topic was education. The visually impaired students were asked to discuss their education and in their speech answer the question, "What, if anything, has your visual impairment not allowed you to accomplish?" The sighted students were asked to observe the way visually impaired students were taught in their schools and compare their education to the education of visually impaired students. Three students returned from last year (senior Yappers) to help "coach" the new students. The attending members were pleased and proud as we listened to all of the speeches. It was obvious to all that the students had worked hard and they felt a sense of accomplishment. There was a wonderful building of relationships between the members and the Yappers, and encouragement to us that these Yappers are getting involved early in GCB to be our leaders of tomorrow.
For more information about this exciting new program, please contact Marsha Farrow at [email protected], or YAP Committee Chair Linda Cox at [email protected].
The 2005 convention of the Georgia Council of the Blind featured a panel discussion on use of the white cane versus a guide dog. While many of us have decided which travel method works best for us, there may be times when we want to rethink that decision. Others of us are new to being blind or visually impaired and haven't fully explored the options. Whatever your situation, you'll find this an informative and provocative discussion that brings up the advantages and drawbacks of guide dogs and white canes in a friendly yet sometimes competitive fashion. The presenters were: Lukas Franck, field instructor for the Seeing Eye, Morristown, N.J.; Al Kaufman, mobility instructor for the Center for the Visually Impaired, Atlanta; Anil Lewis from the Client Assistance Project, Atlanta; and Melanie Brunson, executive director of the American Council of the Blind, Washington, D.C.
Two-track, regular speed cassette copies are available for $3 from Georgia Guide Dog Users. Make checks payable to GGDU and send your orders in any format to GGDU at 212 Oxford Drive, Savannah, GA 31405-5427. For further information, send e-mail to [email protected].
Reagan Lynch, a senior political science major at Sul Ross State University and active ACBT member, has been appointed to serve on the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) of the National Council on Disability (NCD). Reagan is one of seven people selected from a field of over 120 applicants. The appointment is for two years.
The YAC provides advice to NCD on various issues. NCD seeks input directly from young people through the YAC to assure that agency activities and policy recommendations respond to the needs of youth with disabilities.
First, before I start anything else, please let me correct the BIG error I made in the previous "Sweet Nothings" article! I guess I belong to too many Yahoo groups and put in the incorrect address for subscribing to the ACB Diabetics In Action list. The correct address is: [email protected]. I apologize for any frustration you had for failing to be able to subscribe. We look forward to many new subscribers!
The holidays are probably the most difficult time of the year for diabetics. Many of us just forget the diabetes during this time of food and drink; this makes us feel guilty and our doctors upset! Here are a few recipes that may ease the carbohydrate torture.
Cranberry Salad
1 package diet cherry gelatin
1 cup hot water
1 cup pineapple juice drained from crushed pineapple (use pineapple that is
packed in natural juices)
1 cup sugar substitute
1 cup ground raw cranberries
1 cup drained crushed pineapple
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup nut meats
Mix hot water with gelatin; stir thoroughly. Add pineapple juice. While gelatin cools, pour sugar substitute over ground cranberries. When gelatin begins to thicken, add cranberry-sugar mixture, crushed pineapple, celery, and nut meats. Place in mold and chill until firm.
Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce
1 cup Splenda
1 cup water
1 package (12 oz.) cranberries
Mix Splenda and water together. Stir until Splenda dissolves. Bring to a boil. Add cranberries, return to boil. Turn down heat and boil berries gently for 10 minutes. Cool completely at room temperature. Then refrigerate. Makes 2 1/4 cups.
Low-Carb Cookies
1 stick of butter or margarine
2 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs
¬ cup milk
« teaspoon vanilla or any other extract
1 package sugar-free pudding mix (any flavor)
1 cup soy protein powder (any flavor)
Let butter and cream cheese soften. Stir in beaten eggs. Add pudding mix, soy protein powder and mix all other ingredients with additional milk. Roll into half-inch balls and gently flatten. Put on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with a little Splenda while still warm.
Note: I used vanilla pudding mix, vanilla soy protein powder and peppermint extract. Protein powder is available in such markets as Whole Foods Markets.
Pumpkin Angel Food Roll
1 package (16 oz.) angel food mix (the kind you only add water to)
1 cup whole pumpkin
1/4 cup Splenda
1 egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
¬ teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
¬ teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat Cool Whip
Ground pecans, if desired
Make angel food cake as directed on package. Mix together in bowl pumpkin, egg, Splenda and spice mix. Fold in 2 cups of angel food cake mix into pumpkin mixture using whisk. Pour onto a bar pan or jelly roll pan on which an 18-inch length of parchment paper has been placed. Smooth out with a spatula. Then spoon the rest of the cake batter on top, smoothing out with spatula. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until top springs back when touched.
Place another pastry paper on a cookie rack. Sprinkle cake with ¬ cup powdered sugar, place rack with parchment paper on cake and carefully flip over. Remove the original parchment paper from cooked cake and carefully roll cake from narrow end, removing parchment paper as you roll. Let cool for half an hour, then cover with whipped topping and pecans if desired. Roll up again. Cut with serrated knife. Serves 12.
All of these recipes are reduced in carbohydrates and calories from the original, but are not calorie-free. Have a wonderful holiday!