The ACB E-Forum Volume LVII August 2018 No. 2 Published by the American Council of the Blind ***** ** Be A Part of ACB The American Council of the Blind (TM) is a membership organization made up of more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates. To join, contact the national office at 1-800-424-8666. ** Contribute to Our Work Those much-needed contributions, which are tax-deductible, can be sent to Attn: Treasurer, ACB, 6300 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Suite 195, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430. If you wish to remember a relative or friend, the national office has printed cards available for this purpose. Consider including a gift to ACB in your Last Will and Testament. If your wishes are complex, call the national office. To make a contribution to ACB by the Combined Federal Campaign, use this number: 11155. ** Check in with ACB For the latest in legislative and governmental news, call the “Washington Connection” 24/7 at 1-800-424-8666, or read it online. Listen to ACB Reports by downloading the MP3 file from www.acb.org, or call (605) 475-8154 and choose option 3. Tune in to ACB Radio at www.acbradio.org or by calling (712) 775-4808. Learn more about us at www.acb.org. Follow us on Twitter at @acbnational, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanCounciloftheBlindOfficial. © 2018 American Council of the Blind Eric Bridges, Executive Director Sharon Lovering, Editor 1703 N. Beauregard St., Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22311 ***** Table of Contents New Directions for the ACB Braille and E-Forum Magazines, by Ron Brooks Taking the Forum Back to School, by Ron Brooks The Special Education Task Force: Powerful and Little Known, by Paul Edwards The Key to a Powerful Start: Preschool Programs for Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, by Ron Brooks Fear of Teaching, by Susan Glass Special Accommodations for Standardized Tests, by John Buckley President’s Message: College Success! A New Program for an Old Problem, by Kim Charlson Education Outside the Classroom, by John Buckley August, by Ron Brooks A Tribute to Barbara McDonald, by Gail Wilt Passings ACB Receives Century of Change Award Here and There, edited by Sharon Strzalkowski High Tech Swap Shop ACB Officers ACB Board of Directors ACB Board of Publications Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums ** Are You Moving? Do You Want to Change Your Subscription? Contact Sharon Lovering in the ACB national office, 1-800-424-8666, or via e-mail, slovering@acb.org. Give her the information, and she’ll make the changes for you. * Keep up with the most important ACB news and announcements without any other chatter. Subscribe to the ACB Announce listserv. Send a blank e-mail to announce-subscribe@acblists.org, or visit www.acblists.org/mailman/listinfo/announce and type your e-mail address and name where indicated. * Got a request? Tune in to ACB Radio Interactive and ask the DJ on duty to play it for you at www.acbradio.org. * All blind musicians, all the time at the ACB Radio Café, www.acbradio.org/cafe. ***** New Directions for the ACB Braille and E-Forum Magazines by Ron Brooks For the past several years, the ACB has been publishing two slightly different magazines. Each January, March, May, July, September and November, we publish “The ACB Braille Forum.” In each of the other months, we publish “The ACB E-Forum.” As the name suggests, “The ACB Braille Forum” is produced in braille as well as in large print and a number of recorded and electronic formats. And the E-Forum is produced as a digital magazine and made available in all the same recorded and electronic formats — just not on paper. In all other respects, the magazines have been virtually the same. They have been about the same length, have followed the same format, have included similar content, and have covered all the same ground. In fact, these magazines have been so similar, the Board of Publications has had a running debate on whether they are, in fact, the same magazine — just with two slightly different names. Earlier this year, the Board of Publications engaged in a soul-searching discussion on how we can use the different advantages of paper and digital formats to create some separation between the two magazines while improving the quality of each. First, we concluded that as our flagship publication, and as the one that will be archived in paper formats, “The ACB Braille Forum” should be used for a larger share of historically significant material. Articles that tell ACB’s story, that convey ACB’s philosophy, and that will stand the test of time should be preserved in the print and braille pages of “The ACB Braille Forum” — just as they have been for the past 57 years. Next, we concluded that the digital format of the E-Forum offers some tremendous and untapped opportunities of its own. The digital format will allow us to try some things that the space constraints of a paper magazine simply cannot support. Examples might include longer articles, articles that can link to related content — something which cannot be done in a magazine produced on paper. And then there is the idea of themes. With more space, those of us on the BOP concluded that we can dig deeper into topics that we have never been able to thoroughly cover within the space constraints of “The ACB Braille Forum.” After working our way through this discussion, we decided to embark on an experiment. During the upcoming year, and beginning with this edition of “The ACB E-Forum,” we are going to provide some expanded content which is organized around a pre-determined theme. It is our hope that a deeper discussion of a specific topic will engage you, our reader, and that this deeper engagement will help to generate more thoughts and more conversations about the things that impact all our lives. In addition to the introduction of theme-based editions of “The ACB E-Forum,” we will be running some new regular features within the E-Forum. You will be meeting some of our leaders, and you will be learning about some of the committees and task forces that are doing the work of ACB each and every day. You will also get to know some of our state and special-interest affiliates and the contributions they are making to our movement. Each edition of “The ACB E-Forum” will be a door that you can enter to connect with more of your colleagues around the country on a wide array of issues that are important to you. As with any experiment, there is a chance of success and a chance of failure. Those of us on the Board of Publications recognize that some of our ideas will resonate, and others might not. Therefore, you will probably see the format of both “The ACB Braille Forum” and “The ACB E-Forum” evolve over time. As always, we invite your comments and suggestions, and we welcome your submittals. You can send any article, essay, poem, story or any other written item to the editor, Sharon Lovering, at slovering@acb.org. ***** Taking the Forum Back to School August marks that point in the annual cycle when warm sunny days are beginning to lose their allure. It is a time of no-tax shopping days, crowds in the Walmart aisles where the pencils and graphic organizers are kept. It is a time of packing the car for the three-hour drive to college, tearful good-byes in the dorm parking lot, and two-a-day workouts for the football team. It is when parents shift their focus from barbecues and vacations to endless paperwork, sports physicals, and ransacking the den for those darned immunization records. It is a time when the kids begin to think fondly about the waning days of sleeping in late and ending vacations even as they anticipate new backpacks, new lunchboxes and water bottles, new teachers and the chance to reconnect with old friends. In three words, it’s “back to school.” Recognizing the importance that education plays in all our lives, we are dedicating this edition of “The ACB E-Forum” to the topic of education. In this edition, you will find perspectives from teachers, students and parents. You will be introduced to an amazing Kentucky-based preschool program for blind and visually impaired children just beginning their educational journeys. You will have the chance to meet several ACB special-interest affiliates whose members are involved in the world of education — both students and teachers, and you will get an update on what ACB is doing to promote positive educational outcomes for students who are blind or visually impaired. All that plus a number of other regular ACB E-Forum features. In keeping with our educational theme, we are going to end this edition of the E-Forum with a quiz. Send us a note and let us know what you think. Did we pass? Did we fail? What can we do to make the next theme-based edition of the E-Forum even better? The next themed issue will be in October, which is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The ACB E-Forum will feature the related themes of employment and rehabilitation. So, if you have an article, update, short story, poem or any other piece you would like to share, please submit it to the editor before the Aug. 25 deadline. — Ron Brooks ***** The Special Education Task Force: Powerful and Little Known by Paul Edwards Over a decade ago, the American Council of the Blind created a task force that was originally set up because schools for the blind throughout the country seemed in danger of going away. Its first chairman, Ray Campbell, convened meetings to look at what ACB could do. As the threat to schools receded, or appeared to, the task force broadened its perspective and became the Special Education Task Force under the leadership of Debbie Grubb from Florida. I have had the honor of working with Debbie on many projects in the past, and I believe that her accomplishments in ACB deserve to be seen as nothing less than monumental. She started her work in Maryland, where she was one of the driving forces that got that state’s braille bill passed, and where she also worked on cross-disability legislation. She and her husband Frela moved to Florida in 1998, and she has become a leader in our state affiliate. She served as president of our state affiliate and, during her administration, we made huge strides forward in our confrontation with the state over its failure to assure that its web pages are accessible. She also led the way on voting rights, where she championed the right of Floridians to vote privately and independently despite everything the legislature could do to make that difficult. Debbie has, for the last decade, chaired our public education committee, and every year she makes sure that we have appointments with every single one of our 30 or more representatives in Washington when we take to Capitol Hill during ACB’s legislative seminar. Important as these ongoing activities are, her work has left enduring footprints at the national level as well. I worked with her to develop and edit the voting rights handbook, which contained information on all the then-available voting machines. It was a resource that states used to evaluate and choose what we wanted our machines to do and how we wanted to organize to make private and independent voting happen. She spent some time working to make things better for guide dog users through her work with GDUI, and she was only just beginning her contribution. She became chair of the environmental access committee and persuaded most of the leading experts in the field of pedestrian safety to work with her to produce the definitive work that still constitutes the best single resource on pedestrian safety ever created. It should be no surprise then that, when she took over the Special Education Task Force, she wanted it to produce work that would help all children with disabilities and their parents understand how to get the most out of a legal and regulatory system that is intimidating and complex. At first, the task force worked to prepare convention programs that would offer help but, as she told me in an interview, “There are so many things going on at convention that it’s difficult to get people to come. We would have these great speakers and the room would be almost empty.” I could tell that Debbie was frustrated. As she said: “Special education is so important. We have to find ways to give parents and teachers information they can use to be sure that kids who are blind get all that we can help them to get out of a system where they don’t often know what their rights are! We have to talk to parents in language they can understand, and have to speak about not just children who are blind but also to parents of children who have other disabilities along with visual impairment.” After the 2017 convention, then, the Special Education Task Force decided to produce a podcast presentation that could be used by affiliates to train their members on special education, but which could also be used by parents or teachers who were trying to navigate the school environment. Many of the presentations were made by members of the task force who are professors or teachers or social workers who are blind and who work on these issues every day. In addition, the American Foundation for the Blind provided two presenters. By January of 2018, the 3-hour-long presentation was ready to fly. Each part of the presentation was an MP3 file and it just needed to be put together. Then it could be advertised and perhaps broadcast on ACB Radio. The work was done, but it took real support and actual commitment to work above and beyond what might have been expected to get the technical work done by Tony Stephens, ACB’s director of advocacy and governmental affairs, to make the presentation ready for prime time. With his help, the podcast is now on ACB’s web site. It is available for download at www.acb.org/education. You will find some additional notes there, too. Up ‘til now, as far as I know, there has not yet been a presentation of this material on ACB Radio, but I hope there will be. Perhaps as we start a new school year, it could be advertised and presented on one of our special channels. So many of our committees and task forces meet at convention but don’t produce resources that everyone who needs them can use. “There are so many families who don’t get training,” Debbie says. “What we have put together is a start, but there’s so much more that needs to be done!” I am convinced that, under Debbie’s leadership, we will hear much more from this eight-member task force. You can find out who the current members of the task force are by looking on ACB’s web site under Committees. If you have questions or suggestions, I know the task force would love to hear from you. In the meantime, check out the podcast and let others know that ACB and the Special Education Task Force have created a resource that can help change the lives of children who are blind! ***** The Key to a Powerful Start: Preschool Programs for Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired by Ron Brooks About the Author: In addition to chairing ACB’s Board of Publications, Ron is a long-time board member of ACB Families, one of ACB’s special-interest affiliates. He and his wife Lisa (also a blind parent) live in Phoenix, Ariz., with their three sighted teenage children and a house full of dogs — both guide dogs and pets. ** Introduction: Why Starting Off Right is Critical Professionals who work with blind and visually impaired children have demonstrated a direct correlation between early intervention and academic success. This is why preschool programs are so important. ** What Defines a Good Preschool Program According to the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), preschool programs for children who are blind or visually impaired are typically organized to offer home- and/or center-based services: • Home-based services: Teachers, counselors, or consultants come to your home on a regular basis. All activities take place in your home. These teaching/training visits usually last about an hour; they can occur as often as four times a week or as infrequently as once a month, depending on how well staffed your local program is, how many families it serves, and how far staff members have to travel to reach all families. • Center-based services: You and your child travel to a central location. All teachers, consultants, and counselors are located at the center and work with children individually and in small groups. Depending on how old your child is, you may be able to drop your child off for a class and return when class is over. Or you may be asked to help out in the classroom, or to join a parent discussion group. According to AFB, a good preschool program should incorporate the following: • A certified teacher of the visually impaired and an orientation and mobility specialist, if not directly on staff as teachers, are at least involved in assessment, planning, and consultation. No other teacher is trained to understand how visual impairments affect development, or how a child can learn to compensate for the visual impairment. • An occupational or physical therapist should be available to answer questions about your child’s motor development and to work directly with your child if your doctor prescribes it. If a therapist is not available, the program can refer you to one. • You are involved in the choice of which program your child receives and what goals your child works on. • The program asks your permission to assess your child, to obtain copies of medical records, and to take pictures of your child, and you are given a copy of any permission forms you sign. • Any record on your child contains a sheet of paper that tells you who has looked at your child’s file and who has received copies of any papers in the file. Your child’s file is confidential; no one should be able to see it without a good reason. • You are given copies of your child’s assessment report and individualized educational plan (IEP). • You are kept up to date on how your child is doing, including receiving ideas for activities you can work on with your child at home. • You have a chance to meet with other parents, either in a formal meeting or informally, over coffee or soft drinks. • The curriculum (what your child is taught) covers motor development; visual development; self-help skills; language and communication; social and emotional development; mental or intellectual or cognitive development; orientation and mobility and sensory development (touch, smell, hearing, and taste). • A variety of support services (extra but necessary services that add to the quality and completeness of the program) are available. Some examples are social workers, speech therapists, low-vision examinations, toy libraries, pediatricians, transportation, ophthalmologists, and psychologists. For more information about what to look for in a preschool education program for a blind or visually impaired child, including links to other resources, check out AFB’s preschool education page at www.afb.org/info/education/early-education/preschool-education/235. ** Where Preschool Programs Live Preschool programs for blind and visually impaired children are available across the country and take many forms. Some are based within a state’s school for the blind, as is the case in Texas and New Mexico. Others, including programs in Boise, Idaho and Franklin County, Pa., are offered by the local public-school district. Still other preschool services are provided through private non-profit blindness rehabilitation agencies, such as the Cleveland Sight Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Foundation for Blind Children in Phoenix, Ariz. In November of 2017, participants in a teleconference hosted by ACB Families had the opportunity to hear from Sharon Benzinger and Pauletta Feldman of Visually Impaired Preschool Services (VIPS) about their innovative programs and services for preschool-age children with visual impairments and their families across Kentucky and Indiana. Founded in Louisville in 1985 and later expanded to central Kentucky in 1990 and to Indiana in 2011, VIPS provides educational excellence to young children with visual impairments with the goal of building a strong foundation for each child to reach his or her highest potential. VIPS offers a range of programs and services, including the following: • Early intervention, including evaluations, in-home visits, and access to resources that help parents and caregivers better understand and support their children with visual impairments; • Orientation and mobility services; • Advocacy training for parents; • Summer learning and other enrichment programs; and • The Kids Town Preschool where children with visual impairments and other children can learn and play in a safe, accessible and integrated environment. Kids Town includes an actual town setting where kids can drive on the streets, mail a letter at the post office and shop at the corner store. For more information about VIPS, visit them online at www.vips.org, or call toll-free 1-888-636-8477. ** Need More Information? For more information about a range of products, services and other resources for blind and visually impaired children, including preschool-age children, visit AFB’s Family Connect website, www.familyconnect.org/parentsitehome.aspx. ***** Fear of Teaching I am singing my fear of my students, the cascade failure of mislaid emails, of earnest young writers who drop words through the roof of a three-story cabin and then wait, ears pinned to the air. It will take an entire semester for language falling the distance, piling high enough on throw rugs, on hardwood, to reach listeners this keen. My students need a teacher guide whose astrological sign isn’t Gemini. They need a Boeing 787 aircraft with battery-operated beacon lights that work. They need terrorist-proof sneakers. They need Sunni and Shiite neighborhoods where no one explodes car bombs during rush hour. They need cell phone genes at conception, umbilical Bluetooth, Facebook icon tattoos, Google cars that drive themselves. I back from the lectern shimmering like a heat wave, glad for heat waves, for spinning dust motes, and dervish thoughts. During office hours, I’m a conch shell, resonating their unencumbered words. It’s what I can be for them: delineation, a sign marking the trail head. — Susan Glass ***** Special Accommodations for Standardized Tests by John Buckley Standardized tests, whether Advanced Placement, SAT, ACT, GRE, or whatever, are daunting under the best of circumstances. Having to hack your way through the lush undergrowth of requirements to take the test in an accessible form only complicates the process. The following article is a CliffsNotes version of how to do this with the SAT’s suite of exams. Although the ACT’s guidelines are significantly more detailed, the primary things to attend to are essentially similar. There is no set list of accommodations that might be approved for taking standardized tests. Blind test-takers are routinely approved to use braille, large print, audio formats, human readers, or screen-readers or other types of accessible technologies. In addition, it may be possible to record answers with computers or an amanuensis. Braille, UEB for prose material and Nemeth code for math, is available for all College Board exams. It is not uncommon for new forms of accessible technology to be approved as well. It’s important that anyone planning to take a standardized test request approval for all accommodations prior to the exam. Common requests include the use of a braille device, word processor, extended time, extra breaks, accessible calculator, and assistive technology. It’s generally difficult to receive approval for multiple accommodations that serve the same purpose. A high-school student, for example, may use large print, a magnifier, and a human reader, but it is unlikely they will be allowed to use all of these on the same test. While testing organizations are not promiscuous with such approvals, they are granted when appropriate. Students are advised to only request those accommodations they will really need. The type and amount of documentation needed to support requests will vary with the test to be taken and the accommodations requested. Extensive amounts of extended time or the use of assistive technology, for example, usually requires supporting documentation to prove the accommodation is appropriate, both for the individual and the test to be taken. Students who are totally blind should provide a statement from either their school or doctor documenting their blindness. If an applicant is legally blind, a report from a recent visual exam by the appropriate medical professional is sufficient. An explanation as to why the accommodation is necessary, especially if the student is asking for more than one accommodation that appears to serve the same purpose, should also be included. If the use of accessible technology is being requested, a detailed description of the technology to be used, including its name and model number, or the version of software requested should be provided. The College Board will then send the student an eligibility letter describing all accommodations that have been approved. The precise nature of some accommodations may vary with the test to be taken, so it is important to carefully review the letter. The accessible technology compatible test form (ATC) is an accessible version of College Board tests provided on a flash drive in Microsoft Word. It’s important to request permission to use both assistive technology and the ATC. Again, students should specify the assistive technology they plan to use and the reasons why this choice would be most appropriate. The ATC format has been tested with ZoomText (with and without a reader), JAWS, and NVDA. The College Board advises, “If students plan to use the ATC with a different type of technology, they should practice using the technology prior to test day to ensure compatibility.” It is also possible to request the ATC in the MP3 audio format. It is available on a flash drive and must be taken without a screen reader. Students using this option are given 100% extended time. Typically, a human reader is also used when taking an AP exam, although alternative accommodations may be approved. Human readers are available for all College Board tests for approved students. Readers work with each test-taker in a one-on-one private environment. Students who test with the ATC, MP3 audio, or human reader will typically test in their own school. The College Board reports, “Students who use MP3 audio or screen readers should use headphones or test in a one-to-one setting if headphones are not available. Before test day, it is recommended that students practice using the ATC or MP3 audio test forms.” Practice tests may be found at https://www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities/after-approval. If all of these requirements seem daunting, take note: the College Board approved the vast majority of the more than 200,000 requests for accommodation it received last year. As the Board says, “When a student has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), 504 Plan, or Qualified Formal School Plan, most requests for accommodations will be approved if the requested accommodation is included in the plan and the student is using the requested accommodation for classroom tests. In most cases, the accommodations will be approved without the need to submit documentation for College Board's review.” “The most efficient way for a student to request accommodations for College Board tests is to speak to a school counselor or services for students with disabilities (SSD) coordinator,” the College Board advises. “The school’s SSD coordinator can request accommodations online. Home-schooled students or students who wish to request accommodation without the assistance of the school can request accommodations by contacting SSD Customer Service and requesting a paper request form (also called a Student Eligibility Form).” It is important that students make requests as early as possible. This ensures enough time to resolve any issues before the test date. Should a student or counselor need additional information regarding accommodations for the SAT or Advanced Placement series of tests, they should visit www.collegeboard.org/ssd or phone their office for students with disabilities at (212) 713-8333. For the ACT, the appropriate web site may be found at https://www.studypoint.com/ed/act-accommodations/, and the telephone number is (319) 337-1332. It should be noted that, while the ACT site is accessible, it is far less user-friendly and is written with a preciseness and attention to detail that would gladden the heart of a Wall Street lawyer. ***** President’s Message: College Success! A New Program for an Old Problem by Kim Charlson For decades, the expectation was that a high-school graduate who is blind would be going to college. However, what most of us don’t realize is that only 40% of college students who are blind graduate from college. Why is that, and what factors are contributing to this unfortunate situation? The Perkins School for the Blind (where I work as the director of the Braille & Talking Book Library) decided to conduct some research and see what the obstacles to completing college for blind students might be. Perkins College Success Research, conducted in 2016, was an interview-based project, including interviews with 11 current college students, with a range of experiences in college, 4 parents, and 11 college professionals, including admission directors and disability services personnel from around the country. The research findings indicated 13 takeaways. The top issues included the following: • Accommodations and access issues compromise learning; • Self-advocacy and resilience skills are not well developed and the transition to college was not well planned out; • Timelines for producing accessible materials sometimes led to not having appropriate materials on time to be successful in class and many students just couldn’t catch up; • Disability support services vary widely from one institution to another; • Assistive technology challenges often put students behind from the start; • Orientation and mobility is a huge concern, and there is a gap in who provides it beyond just getting to a classroom, and general safety in busy campus settings; • Social engagement is quite challenging, leading to isolation and loneliness, as well as missed opportunities for connection and growth Generally, students who are blind graduate from high school believing that they are better prepared than they actually are. Combined with extreme variability of the quality of support from assistive technology to O&M training, and you have students for whom many little issues build up into insurmountable obstacles, resulting in up to 60% of blind and visually impaired students dropping out of college. In response to the findings on graduation rates for students who are blind, Perkins decided to launch a program to address the numerous contributing factors and has called it College Success! This is an innovative, nine-month program for blind and visually impaired high-school graduates who are college-bound, as well as students who have attended college and are looking to hone their skills and return to college prepared for success. It is a residential program at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Mass., which will prepare students for success in college, career and life. The program centers on the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) as well as the specific set of skills that all students need to be successful in college. To this end, College Success at Perkins provides all five of the Pre-Employment Transition Services — job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on experiences for enrollment in comprehensive transition or post-secondary educational programs and institutions of higher education, workplace readiness training, and instruction in self-advocacy. All students in College Success at Perkins will reside on campus at Perkins in a newly renovated dormitory, Tompkins Hall, that was designed to mirror a typical college dorm. Their learning will take place through individual and small-group activities on campus at Perkins as well as at local colleges in the greater Boston area. Students will have the opportunity to take undergraduate college classes for credit at Harvard Extension. As a result, students will develop their skills through real-world experiences rather than simulations of what college might be like. They will gain independence through guided and supported instruction from trained staff and learn to manage the demands of independent living and problem-solving through the typical expectations of college courses. The program will be individualized to meet the needs of each participant. Students will have the opportunity to take up to 3 college classes, for credit, mainstreamed with other students. All students will participate in a series of seminars offered by certified instructors at Perkins. Seminars will include The College Experience, Health and Wellness, The Pre-Employment Program, and Know Your Rights. These lessons will be delivered classroom-style with opportunities for experiential learning integrated throughout the courses. Additionally, all students will be matched with job shadow opportunities during the second semester, based on interests, job aspirations, and general inventories of individual skills. Mentors who are blind will also be a part of the program. For more information on the program for the next academic year, contact Perkins College Success at (617) 972-7728 or email collegesuccess@perkins.org. ***** Education Outside the Classroom by John Buckley Although all my professional life was spent teaching college students, one of my favorite quotations is from Mark Twain: “Never let school get in the way of your education.” After all, most, if not all, of the most important lessons we learn in life take place outside the conventional classroom. This is as much true for the blind child as his or her sighted peer. As you might have guessed, I’m using the Twain quotation as a bridge to talk about the lessons parents and guardians need to teach their blind child. As anyone who has ever raised a child knows, it is one, and frequently the most, difficult thing you’ll ever do. You are a part of that great parental fire department – on call 24 hours a day, never receiving a vacation, and, not infrequently, little appreciation. With all of this, you’re going to have to make tens of thousands of decisions with the certain knowledge some of them are going to be wrong. This is not intended as an argument for life-long celibacy, but it is a pretty good one anyway. It’s impossible to do more than just outline what is involved in parenting a blind child. Some issues are confronted by all parents while others loom large for some families but are less important for others. While the following list is certainly not comprehensive, I’d suggest it’s a pretty good starting point for parenting a blind child. It’s based on a great many conversation with successful blind adults, and you may define that however you will, and asking how they were raised. I think everything on this list would be good parenting practice for any child, but these are things that are especially important if this child is visually impaired. They are in no particular order; they’re all important. 1. Children should be accountable for their actions. A child should be raised in such a way that, should their vision be magically restored at some point in the future, they would have the tools and personality to be a happy, productive, independent adult. 2. Develop a good work ethic. Obtaining employment and being professionally successful are certain to be challenging. Sadly, discrimination is a fact of life and not likely to magically disappear any time soon. This makes it even more important to have a work ethic that is an asset. Everyone, regardless of how well they can see, needs to be accountable for how they work. As a child grows, there will be a great many things they can do nothing about; however, there will be two things that they can always control: their attitude and their work ethic. 3. They should have regular chores that they’re expected to perform to the best of their ability. To the extent possible, these should be similar to their peers. 4. Develop good social skills. Sight has nothing to do with courtesy, thoughtfulness, friendliness, etc. There is no excuse for not being as good, if not better, than your peers at all of these things. Too often the important people in a child’s life – parents, teachers, family – allow a child to get away with behavior that is not tolerated in the larger world. 5. Get exposed to as many different experiences as possible. Blindness can be allowed to shrink a child’s horizons. Extra attention should be paid to developing hobbies, taking trips, and trying new things. It is tempting for the child to develop in a narrow, circumscribed universe that rarely prepares them for a meaningful adult life. 6. Master the “blind skills” that are most appropriate for the child as early as possible: braille, the use of a cane, accessible technologies, etc. This may mean that the parents need to ensure that the school provides formal training in these things and that the lessons are reinforced at home. 7. Don’t tell them that they can’t do something. You could be wrong and, even if you’re right, they’ll still learn from the effort. After all, we are certain that, when a sighted child says that he or she wants to be president (and I can’t imagine why any child would want to do this), there is virtually no chance they will succeed, but we smile and wish them luck anyway. 8. Don’t helicopter. The natural temptation to hover over our children is greatly magnified if that child has a disability. While we don’t want to think about it, we are all mortal and the time will come when you won’t be there. It’s understood that, when a child is little, a parent’s primary responsibility is to insure their safety. An equally important obligation as they grow is to prepare the child to live on his/her own as an adult. When trying to decide whether I should protect or push, it seems to me that the question to ask is “How is what I’m about to do going to affect my child in twenty years?” That won’t give the perfect answer every time, but it will come pretty close. 9. The child should be allowed to fail. You can bet if they’re not failing, they’re not trying. And, if they’re not trying, they’re not progressing. 10. Teach them to advocate for themselves. Learning to do this appropriately is not hard, but it is a skill that is essential to learn and can be taught early. It seems to me that advocacy boils down to advocating for your rights while simultaneously respecting the rights of the other party. In doing this, it’s important to underscore that advocating is not a license to be rude. 11. Teach the child to be a problem solver. Successful adults, sighted or blind, cultivate the habit, when encountering a problem, of thinking, “Now, how can I solve this?” instead of “Oh, I can’t do this.” I can pretty much guarantee that, if a child doesn’t learn to do this, they’re not going to be successful. 12. Whenever possible, model the behavior you expect. After all, you are the most influential teacher in your child’s life. One footnote: Whether the child is totally blind or has limited vision, parents and family need to have a strong self-concept because, if their parenting decisions are going to be in the long-term best interests of the child, friends and neighbors may not always agree with what they’re doing. Finally, grant yourself forgiveness. Even the very best parents make mistakes. If they didn’t, there wouldn’t be a need for psychotherapists. So, instead of thinking that someone blind is “so amazing,” I’d encourage you to think, “You must have had great parenting,” because they almost certainly did. ***** August The heat and the boredom are old news, And they are contagious. Motion and thought have slowed, And the torpor is a living thing. It holds us all. Then, a cool breeze blows in from the west. It brings gray skies and a shower, And a promise of relief. But the reprieve is short, and the hot sun returns. But the spell is broken. We don flip-flops, And we carry a list. We brave melting sidewalks And crowded stores filled with overflowing shopping carts Pushed by parents with lists of their own. Cranky babies cry, and toddlers beg for candy, Older children want the backpack that is not on sale. Harried cashiers apologize for the slow computer and scan barcodes. Debit cards wear out in dirty readers, And parents count pennies ‘til payday. Kids waffle between excitement and melancholy. Old friends, new teachers and hard work. No more sleeping in or unsupervised computer games, Just lectures and homework. But at least there’s recess. And as I relive this time through their eyes, I reminisce about my own time in school, And about what I wouldn’t give To have the potential of a new beginning For just one more August. — Ron Brooks ***** A Tribute to Barbara McDonald by Gail Wilt (Author’s Note: Thanks to Bob Williams for details of Barbara’s early life, gleaned from his 2014 article entitled “AzCB Presidents, A Legacy of Leadership,” which appeared in ForeSight, the newsletter of the Arizona Council of the Blind.) On May 26, the meeting of the Central Arizona Council of the Blind opened at 10 a.m. as usual with a moment of silence. We were all sending positive energy to Barbara, who had been in St. Joseph’s Hospital for a couple of weeks with pneumonia. She had been in critical condition for a few days; but the last word we had heard was that she was improving and was back in a regular room. When we came to the point of the agenda for reports, we were missing her input for several items. About 15 minutes before the end of the meeting, we received news that Barbara had passed away that morning at 9:30. We were stunned. She had helped to organize the AzCB annual meeting, and attended it four weeks earlier. A leader and an advocate, she was knowledgeable, hard-working, conscientious, and cheerful. She was a recipient of the Spirit of ABIL Award (from the Arizona Bridge to Independent Living, now Ability360). She kept us informed of what was going on nationally and locally. She showed up for everything. Barbara Smith was born in Canada on April 20, 1945. Her family moved to Phoenix when she was 8. She graduated from St. Mary’s High. In 1967 she met Richard McDonald, a coworker at Bob’s Big Boy restaurant on Central Avenue. They married and moved to Chicago, where they lived for 23 years while raising their sons, Richard and Sean. Meanwhile, Barbara attended Northeastern Illinois University and graduated in 1981 with a degree in elementary education and a minor in math. She taught in the Catholic diocese 9 years. During that time, she developed kidney disease, and went on dialysis. The family moved back to Phoenix in 1990. In 1991 she started teaching third and fourth grade at Southwest, in the Roosevelt School District. In 1995 Barbara received a kidney transplant. A viral infection attacked her immune system, resulting in her becoming legally blind that same year. With assistance from vocational rehabilitation, she was able to continue teaching. She retired in 2006, having taught a total of 22 years. Barbara learned of the Arizona Council of the Blind in 1996, and joined immediately after attending its state convention that May. She was elected AzCB board secretary in 1997, and served in that position until 2007, when she became first vice president. She served as president from 2008 to 2010. In 2008 she and her husband started attending the ACB national conventions. In 2010 the ACB 49th annual conference and convention was held in Phoenix; Barbara chaired the host planning committee. She continued serving on the board as a director until her passing. She also served for years with AzCB’s Phoenix chapter in various positions, including president – always as a key member. She held the chapter together the past several years, as membership and donations declined. She fostered the merging of the Maricopa Club and the Phoenix chapter, creating the Central Arizona Council of the Blind – which has revived the AzCB scene in the Phoenix area. In addition, she participated in several cross-disability organizations. She was good at keeping meetings on track, and remembering details that might have been overlooked. She was a teacher to the end! Eventually Barbara lost all her physical vision, and much of her hearing. She also developed a balance problem, among other physical challenges. As her son Sean emphasized at her memorial service, she was resilient. A scholarship has been set up in her honor. It will be available to assist with advancing the education of a high-school student who is living with an organ transplant, or experiencing visual impairment or hearing impairment, and is demonstrating resilience – “… the capacity to recover from adversities ...” It is called the Barbara A. McDonald Resilience Award. It is being set up on the Dollars for Scholars website. Checks are preferred, since a fee is deducted from contributions made online. Checks may be made out to “Tempe Dollars for Scholars,” with “Barbara A. McDonald” in the memo section. Send donations to Sean McDonald, 6460 S. Black Hills Way, Chandler, AZ 85249. At her service, Sean shared the following story that Barbara told him: A teenage boy was in the kitchen complaining about his lot in life. His mother got out 3 pots and filled them with water. She put carrots in one, eggs in the second, and coffee beans in the third. She boiled them for 20 minutes. Next, she cooled the carrots and eggs in cold water, and put them in bowls. She poured the liquid from the pot of boiled coffee beans into another bowl, letting it cool for a while. Then she asked her son what she had. He sullenly replied, “Carrots, eggs and coffee beans.” Then she asked him to feel the carrots, and he observed that they were soft. She asked him to crack an egg, which had hardened. Then she had him sip from the third bowl, which contained aromatic coffee. Finally, she asked him to think about how he would prefer to deal with difficulties – being weakened by them, being hardened by them, or transforming them into a worthwhile outcome. Barbara was one of a kind! ***** Passings We honor here members, friends and supporters of the American Council of the Blind who have impacted our lives in many wonderful ways. If you would like to submit a notice for this column, please include as much of the following information as possible. Name (first, last, maiden if appropriate) City of residence (upon passing) State/province of residence (upon passing) Other cities/states/countries of residence (places where other blind people may have known this person) Occupation Date of death (day if known, month, year) Age ACB affiliation (local/state/special-interest affiliates or national committees) Deaths that occurred more than six months ago cannot be reported in this column. ** Joan Black On May 23, 2018, Joan Black passed away after a long illness. I had met Joan while living in Los Angeles in the late 1970s and found out she was visually impaired and worked at the Rand Corp. with Dr. Sam Genensky, the inventor of the CCTV. After leaving the state and returning in 1986, I encountered her again at the first CCB convention I attended, in November 1986. At that convention, Joan, along with Etta Burge and Coletta Davis, was holding a luncheon, under Durward McDaniel’s mentorship, to form the California Council of Citizens with Low Vision. Joan served as part of the leadership of CCCLV throughout its early years, including as president for a time and drafting the constitution. She also served CCB in other roles, notably as chair of the publications committee and writing a good bit for “The Blind Californian.” Under her leadership, the famous pictorial CCB brochure was produced. Joan is part of a well-known and well-loved family. Her husband, Keith, is a retired rehabilitation counselor for the state of California. Their son, Ralph, is an attorney who has been involved in the creation and administration of legislation and regulations concerning services for and rights of the disabled community. Ralph’s wife is Catherine Campisi, former director of the Department of Rehabilitation. Keith’s parents, Dan and Leone, operated the vending stand in the Statehouse in Boise, Idaho in the early 1950s. Joan Black is another example of the talented and committed people who made the California Council of the Blind the critically important organization it is today in the blind community. — Bernice Kandarian ** James Vernon Daigle Feb. 2, 1930-May 25, 2018 James Vernon Daigle of Gonzales, La. died on May 25, 2018. He was 88. He was a retired music technician, and an active member of Knights of Columbus and St. Mark Catholic Church. He is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Hazel Daigle; parents, Sidney and Mary Frances Mire Daigle; and six siblings. Survivors include a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. A Mass of Christian Burial for Mr. James “Vernon” Daigle was held June 4 at St. Mark Catholic Church. Interment followed at Hope Haven Garden of Memory Cemetery Gonzales. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to the Louisiana School of the Visually Impaired, 2888 Brightside Ln., Baton Rouge, LA 70820, www.lsdvi.org. ** Frederick W. Noesner Frederick W. Noesner died May 30, 2018 of cancer. He was 71. Totally blind since a toddler, he did more than most people with sight. He inspired all who took the time to get to know him. His parents, Doris and Fred Noesner, encouraged and facilitated his voracious need to do whatever a sighted person could do with a few adaptions and aids. Whatever he desired to do he accomplished, from renovating homes, building furniture, making and firing black powder guns, graduating from college with a degree in history, and reading everything he could get his hands on via the Library of Congress and more by scanning printed material via PCs and more recently by using his iPhone. He climbed Mount Rainier with the Pelion Project in 1981, and other sites, skydived, met President Reagan with the other climbers and carried the Olympic torch. His work with the blindness community took him all over the country to train people on the Optacon, created a specialty store and took it to the yearly conventions, became a speaker and writer of articles on history and making things while blind and overcoming his disability. He also learned how to use a potter’s wheel to make pottery and sculpture out of clay, wire and bronze. While being a colonial interpreter for historic Philadelphia for 5 seasons he wrote his first novel, “The Fortunate Ones, 18th Century Philadelphia” as seen without sight. He was also interviewed for public radio about his novel and other adventures. While living in Philadelphia, he became a 32nd degree Mason. In 2013 he moved to Delaware and was inspired by the mills in the area. He began his second novel, soon to be published, “Spin You a Yarn.” To write this book he learned all about sheep, wool and spinning. He also visited several mills in the area, as well as Mount Vernon’s mill. His very last accomplishments were learning to knit and how to use a drop spindle for spinning, along with how to operate an antique great walking wheel. He is survived by his wife, Margarete A. Noesner, of 14 years; his daughters, Lynn Noesner Geer, Tiffany Noesner, and Elizabeth Noesner; and his granddaughter, Judith Jade Geer; his stepdaughter Maxie Kroen, and step-granddaughters, Julia, Vivian and Emily Kroen. His daughter, Gwynn, and stepdaughter, Bambie Plante Brown, preceded him in death, as did his brother, Robert F. Noesner and nephews, Robert M. Thomas, Donald Noesner, and Mathew Noesner, and his beloved Seeing Eye dog, Juniper, and trusted feline friend, Casper. ***** ACB Receives Century of Change Award This year, CNIB celebrates its 100th year of service in Canada – a century of remarkable change for people who are blind or partially sighted. As part of their anniversary celebrations, they have created the CNIB Century of Change awards program to honor the many clients, volunteers, supporters, community partners and innovators who have made that progress possible. The American Council of the Blind was chosen to receive a CNIB Century of Change award in recognition of its outstanding voluntary contributions to the blindness community around the world. This award was presented during the Library and Archives Canada event on May 29, 2018. Mitch Pomerantz, immediate past president, accepted this award on behalf of ACB. ***** Here and There edited by Sharon Strzalkowski The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. “The ACB E-Forum” cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to slovering@acb.org, or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering’s mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date. ** Uber Health Uber recently launched Uber Health, a program that will partner with healthcare organizations to provide reliable, comfortable transportation for patients. The program allows healthcare professionals to order rides for patients going to and from the care they need. Over 100 healthcare organizations in the U.S, including hospitals, clinics, rehab centers, senior care facilities, home care centers, and physical therapy centers are already using Uber Health as a part of the beta program, including Adams Clinical, Blood Centers of the Pacific, Georgetown Home Care, LifeBridge Health, MedStar Health, Manhattan Women’s Health, NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, Pro Staff Physical Therapy, ProActive Work Health Services, Project Open Hand, Renown Health, Thundermist Health Center and Yale New Haven Health. ** New from National Braille Press “The Prince and the Porker” by Peter Bently and David Roberts is one of NBP’s newest offerings. It is available in contracted braille (UEB) for ages 3 to 8, and tells the story of Pignatius in a funny reimagining of Mark Twain’s “The Prince and the Pauper.” Pignatius lets his greed get the best of him one day when he sees fresh-baked pastries cooling on a tray. Check this book out to learn what happens next! Every class has at least one kid who causes lots of trouble. “Weekend with Wendell” is a story about just such a person. When Wendell comes to stay with Sophie and her parents for the weekend, he wrecks her toys, messes up the house, and even gives her a new hairdo. Read to find out what happens when Sophie turns the tables on Wendell! “Getting Ready for College Begins in Third Grade” by Carol Castellano guides parents and teachers on how to work toward an independent future for their blind/visually impaired child. It’s available in print and as a BRF. This book includes chapters on high expectations, academics, independent living skills, independent movement and travel, social interaction and social skills, daily living, and self-advocacy. It also gives parents the information they need to prepare their child for an independent life. Craving a real-life adventure? Check out “Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship,” by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes. This book, too, is in contracted UEB, for ages 5 to 12. It’s based on a real-life partnership. Rescue wants to be a Seeing Eye dog, but he’s better suited to being a service dog. Then he meets Jessica, a girl whose life is turning out differently than she’d imagined, too. Rescue helps Jessica see her way forward. An endnote from the authors tells more about the training and extraordinary abilities of service dogs, particularly their real-life best friend and black lab, Rescue. In the health section, newly available is “Blueprint for Men’s Health: A Guide to a Healthy Lifestyle.” It is available in braille (two volumes), and includes three tactile graphics. There is a BRF version, but it does not include the graphics. Are you aware that, on average, men have a shorter life expectancy than women? More than half of the premature deaths among men are preventable – but you can’t prevent a problem if you don’t know it exists. This book talks about the health issues men face, from diabetes and cancer to prostate health, addiction and substance abuse issues, and the factors that increase your risk. It also tells you how to recognize symptoms, and gives you some practical prevention and treatment strategies. For more information on any of these books, contact National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen St., Boston, MA 02115-4302; phone 1-800-548-7323, or visit www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html. ** Computer Training Book “Making Computers Fun” by Dan Thompson is an introduction to computer basics using NVDA and magnification. The package includes a guide in print (or braille upon request) and a DVD containing all materials. The guide has five sections, with 30 lessons. Section one orients you to the computer, keyboard, and helps you learn to adjust the font size and type on your screen. Section two covers Microsoft Word 2010, while section three covers Outlook 2010. Section four discusses use of the Internet, and section five discusses archiving personal communication, recipes, music, etc. Dan is currently working on presenting the same information using “Dictation Bridge,” a dictation software produced by NV Access. For more information, contact Dan Thompson via email, dmt031073@gmail.com, or by phone, (217) 473-4434. ** New Treatment in the Works for Dry Eye Ocugen, Inc., recently announced positive results from its Phase 2 clinical trial of OCU310, a novel combination of brimondine tartrate and a corticosteroid, loteprednol etabonate, being developed as a treatment for dry eye disease. The randomized, multi-center, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study met its primary endpoint of tolerability over a 12-week period. The study results also showed meaningful improvements across a number of endpoints related to the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease when compared to a placebo. Ocugen aims to advance OCU310 into Phase 3 clinical studies in the third quarter of 2018. ** Prague Museum Uses VR in a New Way How many times have you heard the phrase, “No touching!” in a museum or elsewhere? The National Gallery of Prague launched “Touching Masterpieces,” a campaign that lets blind and visually impaired people touch iconic sculptures in virtual space. Created with help from Geometry Prague and NeuroDigital, in collaboration with the Leontinka Foundation for the blind and visually impaired, the virtual reality experience features haptic Avatar VR gloves, specially adapted for this campaign, that let the blind “touch” work like Michelangelo’s David, Venus de Milo and the bust of Nefertiti. ** Club Platinum Train Express Want to chat with others, but don’t have a computer? Check out the Club Platinum Train Express, (712) 432-5198. There are a number of chat rooms available, as well as games such as trivia, etc. You can also make prayer requests and participate in many different activities, including karaoke. Club Platinum Train Express also has a Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/545065135559051/. ***** High Tech Swap Shop ** For Sale: Freedom Scientific Focus 14 Bluetooth braille display. Very lightly used. Does not have a card slot. Asking $500 or best offer. For more information, contact Rob Stemple via e-mail, robstemple@comcast.net, or call him at (814) 233-8826. ***** ACB Officers ** President Kim Charlson (3rd term, 2019) 57 Grandview Ave. Watertown, MA 02472 ** First Vice President Dan Spoone (1st term, 2019) 3924 Lake Mirage Blvd. Orlando, FL 32817-1554 ** Second Vice President John McCann (2nd term, 2019) 8761 E. Placita Bolivar Tucson, AZ 85715-5650 ** Secretary Ray Campbell (3rd term, 2019) 460 Raintree Ct. #3K Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 ** Treasurer David Trott (1st term, 2019) 1018 East St. S. Talladega, AL 35160 ** Immediate Past President Mitch Pomerantz 1115 Cordova St. #402 Pasadena, CA 91106 ** ACB Board of Directors Jeff Bishop, Kirkland, WA (1st term, 2020) Denise Colley, Lacey, WA (1st term, 2020) Sara Conrad, Madison, WI (final term, 2020) Dan Dillon, Hermitage, TN (1st term, 2020) Katie Frederick, Worthington, OH (1st term, 2018) George Holliday, Philadelphia, PA (final term, 2018) Allan Peterson, Horace, ND (final term, 2018) Doug Powell, Falls Church, VA (partial term, 2020) Patrick Sheehan, Silver Spring, MD (1st term, 2018) Jeff Thom, Sacramento, CA (partial term, 2018) Ex Officio: Debbie Lewis, Seattle, WA ** ACB Board of Publications Ron Brooks, Chairman, Phoenix, AZ (2nd term, 2019) Donna Brown, Romney, WV (1st term, 2019) Paul Edwards, Miami, FL (1st term, 2018) Susan Glass, Saratoga, CA (2nd term, 2019) Debbie Lewis, Seattle, WA (1st term, 2018) Ex Officios: Katie Frederick, Worthington, OH Bob Hachey, Waltham, MA Berl Colley, Lacey, WA Carla Ruschival, Louisville, KY ***** Accessing Your ACB Braille and E-Forums The ACB E-Forum may be accessed by email, on the ACB web site, via download from the web page (in Word, plain text, or braille-ready file), or by phone at (605) 475-8154. To subscribe to the email version, visit the ACB e-mail lists page at www.acb.org. The ACB Braille Forum is available by mail in braille, large print, digital cartridge, and via email. It is also available to read or download from ACB’s web page, and by phone, (605) 475-8154. Subscribe to the podcast versions from your 2nd generation Victor Reader Stream or from http://www.acb.org/bf/.