[Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, December 2015
Brian Buhrow
buhrow at lothlorien.nfbcal.org
Thu Dec 31 14:42:19 PST 2015
BRAILLE MONITOR
Vol. 58, No. 11 December 2015
Gary Wunder, Editor
Distributed by email, in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive
(see reverse side) by the
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
Mark Riccobono, President
telephone: (410) 659-9314
email address: nfb at nfb.org
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of the Blind and sent to:
National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998
THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND KNOWS THAT BLINDNESS IS NOT THE
CHARACTERISTIC THAT DEFINES YOU OR YOUR FUTURE. EVERY DAY WE RAISE THE
EXPECTATIONS OF BLIND PEOPLE, BECAUSE LOW EXPECTATIONS CREATE OBSTACLES
BETWEEN BLIND PEOPLE AND OUR DREAMS. YOU CAN LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT;
BLINDNESS IS NOT WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK. THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND-IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR
OURSELVES.
ISSN 0006-8829
© 2015 by the National Federation of the Blind
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Vol. 58, No. 11 December 2015
Contents
Illustration: Opening Museums to the Blind
Convention Bulletin 2016
Building from the Outside In
by Barbara Pierce
A Cry for Unity in Creating Textbooks for the Blind
by Carlton Anne Cook Walker
Protecting the Bonds of Love: Progress in Defending Our Right to Parent
by Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum
The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act
by Gabe Cazares
The Rights of Guide Dog Owners in British Columbia under Attack
by Mary Ellen Gabias
Longtime NFB Member Gives Leadership Service in Her Religious Congregation
by Gary Wunder
And the Winner is . . . ?
by Andrea Jenkins
On Structured Discovery
by Jeffrey T. Altman
Bringing Hope to Hope
by Rick Reed
Social Security, SSI, and Medicare Facts for 2016
by Parnell Diggs
The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
by James Gashel
My Adventurous Commute to Work
by Syed Yousufuddin
The 2016 Blind Educator of the Year Award
by Edward Bell
Ladder Desk-A Creation Story
by Joe Schissler
The 2016 Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award
by Carla McQuillan
Recipes
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Monitor Miniatures
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[PHOTO CAPTION: Jamison Hunter balances a small plush panda on tower of
eight notecards as Kristie Hong watches in fear of tower collapse.]
[PHOTO CAPTION: Kaylee Nielson, Kay Mayle, and Adia Berry perform a skit
about leadership.]
[PHOTO CAPTION: Julia Gebert examines a 3-D model of a cell molecule.]
[PHOTO CAPTION: Salvador Villa and Ashley Lowman examine a click-ruler]
Opening Museums to the Blind
The National Federation of the Blind, in partnership with museums and
science centers, continues to facilitate regional science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) programs. NFB STEM2U is an extension of the
NFB's National Center for Blind Youth in Science initiative in local
communities. This program expands on the exciting and innovative work
conducted by the National Federation of the Blind in the area of informal
STEM education through previous National Center for Blind Youth in Science
programs such as the NFB Youth Slam, NFB Project Innovation, and NFB STEM-
X. NFB STEM2U participants will have the opportunity to engage in
accessible STEM learning at some of the country's largest museums and
science centers. Students will also have the opportunity to provide
feedback to staff and educators about how the museum could better meet
their nonvisual learning needs. In this way, participants will act as both
learners and teachers. In the NFB STEM2U learning community, there is an
understanding that no one person has all of the answers, but together we
can overcome any barrier that we may encounter.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Rosen Shingle Creek Resort]
Convention Bulletin 2016
Rosen Shingle Creek Resort
It is time to begin planning for the 2016 convention of the National
Federation of the Blind. We will again meet in Orlando, this year returning
to the beautiful Rosen Shingle Creek Resort where our national convention
was held in 2011. The dates for the 2016 convention are June 30 through
July 5.
Our hotel rates are enviably competitive for a resort hotel such as
Shingle Creek. For the 2016 convention they are singles and doubles, $83;
and for triples and quads, $89. In addition to the room rates there will be
a tax, which at present is 12.5 percent. No charge will be made for
children under seventeen in the room with parents as long as no extra bed
is requested. Please note that the hotel is a no-smoking facility.
For 2016 convention room reservations you can call the hotel at (866)
996-6338 after January 1. You may also write directly to the Rosen Shingle
Creek, 9939 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, Florida 32819-9357. The hotel
will want a deposit of $95 for each room and will want a credit card number
or a personal check. If you use a credit card, the deposit will be charged
against your card immediately, just as would be the case with a $95 check.
If a reservation is cancelled before Friday, May 27, 2016, half of the
deposit will be returned. Otherwise refunds will not be made.
All Rosen Shingle Creek guestrooms feature amenities that include
plush Creek Sleeper beds, 40" flat screen TVs, complimentary high-speed
internet capabilities, in-room safes, coffee makers, mini-fridges, and hair
dryers. Guests can enjoy four outdoor swimming pools, a full-service spa,
and fifteen dining/lounging options from fine-dining and elaborate buffets
to casual dining both indoors and poolside.
The 2016 convention of the National Federation of the Blind will be a
truly exciting and memorable event, with an unparalleled program and
rededication to the goals and work of our movement. Make plans now to be a
part of it. Preconvention seminars for parents of blind children and other
groups and set-up of the exhibit hall will take place on Thursday, June 30,
and adjournment will be Tuesday, July 5, following the banquet. Convention
registration and registration packet pick-up for those who preregistered
will begin on Friday, July 1, and both Friday and Saturday will be filled
with meetings of divisions and committees, including the Saturday morning
annual meeting, open to all, of the board of directors of the National
Federation of the Blind.
General convention sessions will begin on Sunday, July 3, and
continue through the banquet on Tuesday, July 5. To assure yourself a room
in the headquarters hotel at convention rates, you must make reservations
early. The hotel will be ready to take your call or deal with your written
request by January 1.
Remember that as usual we need door prizes from state affiliates,
local chapters, and individuals. Once again prizes should be small in size
but large in value. Cash, of course, is always appropriate and welcome. As
a general rule we ask that prizes of all kinds have a value of at least $25
and not include alcohol. Drawings will occur steadily throughout the
convention sessions, and you can anticipate a grand prize of truly
impressive proportions to be drawn at the banquet. You may bring door
prizes with you or send them ahead of time (identifying the item and donor
and listing the value in print and Braille) to Sherri Brun, 1719 Baldwin
Drive, Orlando, Florida 32806; phone (407) 898-6024.
The best collection of exhibits featuring new technology; meetings of
our special interest groups, committees, and divisions; the most
stimulating and provocative program items of any meeting of the blind in
the world; the chance to renew friendships in our Federation family; and
the unparalleled opportunity to be where the real action is and where
decisions are being made-all of these mean you will not want to miss being
a part of the 2016 national convention. We'll see you in Orlando in July.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Barbara Pierce]
Building from the Outside In
by Barbara Pierce
From the Editor: Barbara Pierce is a person who needs no introduction
to readers of the Braille Monitor. Even so, I owe her so much for teaching
me some of the rules of grammar I understand that I dare not short her an
introduction.
Barbara is the mother of three, who lives with her husband Bob in
Oberlin, Ohio. She is an accomplished woman who worked for Oberlin College
and later as the longest-serving editor of the Braille Monitor, the
flagship publication of the National Federation of the Blind and the
largest circulation magazine in the field of blindness.
Barbara did not begin with good techniques or role models who could
help her learn about blindness, but she took good advice where she found
it, learned to work hard and make the most of what she had, and was
receptive enough to take in outside information that would eventually lead
to the confident, committed, and philosophically sound woman who has guided
many blind people to lives of progress and independence. Here is her story:
I was twenty-nine before I learned anything about the National
Federation of the Blind. But when I began reading Kenneth Jernigan's
speeches, I felt that I had come home. I knew immediately that I was where
I belonged, fighting for the rights of my brothers and sisters and
reconsidering the limitations that I had set for myself.
I had been legally blind all of my life, though I had been gradually
losing sight through my childhood. My parents made the mistake that many
parents of blind children make. When I entered school, I could read the
print in the first-grade primer. I read with one eye and needed bright
light to decode the words one at a time. But because I could make out the
text, they rejected the idea of sending me to the school for the blind
across town. They preferred to work with me at home while sending me to my
neighborhood school.
I struggled with that print. As the years went by, the print got
smaller, the pictures were fewer, and the other students got the hang of
reading better. All these things resulted in my losing ground as a reader.
I thought I was getting dumber. It never occurred to me that I was losing
vision and working at a greater and greater disadvantage. I was fitted with
an expensive lens for my good eye, and that certainly made it possible for
me to read for a year or so longer.
But gradually my teachers and I worked out a series of accommodations
that allowed me to avoid reading. They recognized, though I did not, that I
was bright and that it was unfair to hold me back at my reading level. My
parents gradually assumed the responsibility of reading my history,
geography, and science assignments to me. They wrote down the answers to my
arithmetic work, which I did in my head. In reading class I was paired with
a bright child, who would read the assignment and then write down my
answers after she had finished writing her own. Working with me became a
reward to other smart kids. It was a crazy way to acquire an education, but
it seemed to work.
My parents were adamant that I would do all the work that other
students did, and they made sure that my teachers kept me honest. But there
was never any talk of teaching me Braille or expecting me to do the reading
assignments myself. This was before the days of recorded textbooks or
cassette players to record answers. I deeply regret the decision to avoid
Braille, but I count myself lucky that we were not tempted to cut corners
on homework or group assignments. My friends and I worked out ways in which
I could carry my share of the responsibility. I was not much good at art
work or coloring in figures on murals, but I could do research and come up
with ideas of what to draw.
In elementary school I did not realize that I was smart. I got C's
and, in one grim reporting period, a D. That was in penmanship. The C's
were in art and gym. These teachers had no idea what to do with me, and
they certainly got no help from school or rehabilitation officials, so they
graded me according to what they expected of all their students.
Seventh grade was an awakening for me. Penmanship dropped out of the
curriculum. The art teacher liked me and concentrated on finding projects
that I could actually do. The gym teacher worked to involve me in the
activities, and I think she was pressured into giving me good grades for
trying. In any case, I opened my first report card that fall to discover
that I had straight A's. I was stunned. My parents paid a teacher that year
to teach me to type. The summer after seventh grade I traveled downtown to
learn Braille, and I mastered almost the entire code before school began in
the fall.
This turned out to be another missed opportunity. I was told to read
a lot of Braille, and my father even bought me a subscription to the
Reader's Digest in order to provide me with interesting material to read in
Braille. But I didn't really understand the importance of practicing. I
knew only that my Braille teacher was not a rapid Braille reader. She told
me that her husband was really fast, but I don't think I believed her. I
did not understand that it takes time to sharpen the sensitivity of one's
fingertips and that, if I would just practice, I could read Braille as
rapidly as my friends were reading print. I was given heavy oak tag [oak
tag is the type of paper used to make file folders, also commonly called
manila tag] as Braille paper and told to use a slate and stylus to take
notes in school. This was exhausting to use even after I had formed
calluses. The result was that I used Braille enough to keep the code fresh
in my mind, but not enough to become proficient. My junior year I finished
learning the Braille code.
My senior year I took physics. The school system went to great
expense to have my physics textbook transcribed into Braille for me. No one
considered that the Nemeth Braille code used for writing mathematical
equations was completely foreign to me and therefore unintelligible and
that physics was not designed to inspire me to keep reading Braille. It
would take me ten to fifteen minutes to read a Braille page, and reading
assignments were twenty to thirty pages long. It is not surprising that I
found it easier to have my parents, my brother, or my boyfriend read the
text to me.
That was also the year that I had sixteen lessons in how to use the
long white cane. By this time my vision was poor enough that I really could
not travel independently. I had been depending on friends to help me find
my classrooms for several years. I was excited at the prospect of
independent travel. The problem was that the lessons were postponed because
the cane that was made for me to use was given to a blind professional in
the city who needed it to travel in his job. I understood about this delay,
but I have always wondered how I would have felt about those cane lessons
if they had begun when I was excited about them.
While I was waiting for them to begin, I became aware that my mother
was deeply distressed about the prospect of having me wandering around the
community using a white cane. It was a combination of worry about my safety
and embarrassment at having me identified as blind. I know now that, to be
successful at mastering the white cane, one must use it all day, every day
for months. Ideally the teacher should be a person who has great confidence
in the efficacy of this mode of travel. The state gave me two two-hour
lessons a week for eight weeks. I arrived home after each lesson to find my
mother in bed with a sick headache because of her fear for my safety. I got
very good at hiding my cane and smuggling it out of the house when I had to
take it to school. It never occurred to me to use the cane any time but
during my lesson. It was remarkable that I did as well as I did with the
cane.
I was looking at colleges during this time, and I had fallen in love
with Oberlin College in northeast Ohio. I was accepted early decision, so I
knew halfway through my senior year where I would be going to school. How I
would do the work and get around the campus was not anything that I
remember worrying about.
That summer the state of Pennsylvania arranged for me to talk with a
blind counselor who worked for the rehabilitation agency to ask him any
questions that I had about college. I remember only one question and
answer. I asked him what his advice was about using the long white cane. My
cane was made of aluminum. It had a crook covered with leather at the top,
and it came to my diaphragm. I hated that cane. I felt that people were
staring at me when I used it, and I was not confident with it.
Unfortunately he had a definite opinion, and it was about the worst advice
I could have received. He recommended that I ditch that long cane and
replace it with a folding cane, which did not need to be anywhere near that
long. A folding cane, he assured me, need come only to my waist. That
advice made no sense. If you need length to know what is in front of you
when you are using a long white cane, you need it to provide the same
information when you are using a folding cane. I did not stop to consider
this obviously fallacious reasoning. He was telling me what I wanted to
hear: you can fold up your blindness and put it away the minute you find a
sighted person to hang on to. I was delighted. I don't think I even took my
long cane to college with me. I got a short folding cane, and I considered
that I was good to go.
I went to college in the middle of September. I had been assigned a
single room because, they explained to me, they did not want me to become
dependent on a roommate. I was very disappointed at this news, but I am
sure that they were absolutely right. We arrived on a sunny day, and I
unpacked and became acquainted with the women in my section and my junior
residents. My father described the streets around my dorm, and then it was
time for my parents to leave.
I was alone. I knew no one on campus. I did not know much about the
geography of the college, and I had done my academic work depending on my
parents, who were on their way home. I sat down in a panic. I decided that
the only way I could survive was to pretend that I knew what I was doing. I
would have to be honest about what I needed in the way of information, and
I would have to pretend that I was completely comfortable talking about my
blindness. One of my junior residents worked with me to learn the geography
of the campus. I began recruiting readers for my various courses. I decided
that I could not cope with the heavy Braille paper. Instead I would get the
same spiral notebooks that everyone else used and write Braille notes in
those. This meant that the Braille was easily squashed. I knew that my
Braille was inaccurate enough that I had to come back from lectures and
transcribe my notes onto open-reel tape so that I would have an audible
record of my notes. This had the added benefit of making me review the
notes while they were fresh in my mind and while I could straighten out any
confusion that I had been left with in class. These notes became a hot item
in my dorm after people noticed that I was making A's on my exams. They
would borrow my notes after I went to bed the night before the test.
That first semester was not easy. It was exhausting to pretend all
day every day that I was happy and in control of my life and work. I made
some wonderful friends who went out of their way to assist me and help me
learn my way around campus. One of them even taught me how to knit, which
was a wonderful outlet. I felt like a hypocrite much of the time. But
gradually I discovered that I was crying less, that I was managing to
supervise my reader pool efficiently, and that I was picking up my short
cane and getting myself independently to class and meetings of the
organizations I had joined.
I was not at ease traveling, and I certainly was not a fast Braille
reader or writer, but I made those tools work. I was not a well-adjusted
blind person, but I was successfully pretending to be one. It was not a
great solution, but it worked well enough to get me through.
I completed college and married one of my professors. We settled in
Oberlin, where we have lived for the past forty-seven years. When I was a
young wife and mother, I found that my old trick of building from the
outside in still worked. I could still not read Braille well, but I had
Braille recipes and cookbooks. I was not a comfortable traveler, but I
could use a cane well enough to get my children and me to piano lessons,
the dentist, and the doctor. That was my attitude and outlook at the time
when I found the Federation. The NFB finished the job of making me a
complete person. I met people who could read Braille flawlessly and
rapidly. They traveled where and when they wanted to and didn't think
anything of it. I suddenly understood that confidence was all that I had
been lacking. By the grace of God I had obtained the skills that I needed
to live a full and satisfying life, though my cane needed to grow, and I
needed to learn to trust it and the information it gave me. I have
discovered like thousands before me that you must acquire the skills to
give you competence, and you must learn to claim your freedom even when you
are unsure of yourself if you are to become confident. It is all well and
good to build from the ground up if you have the support and expertise to
do so, but it also works to build from the outside in, as if you were
pouring concrete. When you take the form away, you are left with a strong
and solid creation.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Carlton Anne Cook Walker]
A Cry for Unity in Creating Textbooks for the Blind
by Carlton Anne Cook Walker
From the Editor: Carlton Anne Cook Walker is the manager of Braille
education programs at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan
Institute. In this capacity she writes to express the concern of the
National Federation of the Blind about the lack of standardization in the
states in mathematics textbooks. Here is how she recounts the issue of the
Unified English Braille Code and the Nemeth Code:
As you may know, Unified English Braille (UEB) is set to replace the
current literary Braille code (EBAE-English Braille, American Edition) on
January 4, 2016. The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) resolved to
take this action but to retain Nemeth Code for all Mathematics and Science-
related texts. BANA has not wavered from this position, as evidenced by its
publications on this matter in 2012, 2013, and 2014. This course of action
was most recently approved by the National Federation of the Blind in
Resolution 2015-29. The American Council of the Blind also passed a
resolution in 2012 supporting UEB only if Nemeth Code is retained.
As the January 4, 2016, deadline approaches, the change from EBAE to
UEB Braille in the literary context has proceeded rather smoothly. While
some have expressed regret at one or more of the nine contractions
eliminated in UEB, the transition to UEB for literary documents is a
relatively minor one. Many believed that updating Nemeth Code to include
UEB rather than EBAE for its literary content would present the same
orderly and nationally-cohesive transition. Unfortunately, this was not to
be so.
At some point in the process, a few individuals began advocating for
the complete abandonment of Nemeth Code in favor of "UEB Maths" contrary to
the wishes of both blind consumer groups in this country and counter to the
unwavering guidance from BANA. By way of background, "UEB Maths" is a term
(used in "All UEB" countries, by the way) which refers to the numbers and
mathematical operations included in UEB. Please note that UEB Maths uses
raised (literary) numbers only. This use of numbers in the upper portion of
the Braille cell creates the need for numerous and duplicative number
indicators and letter indicators in many mathematical equations.
Unfortunately, some states have taken the position of the "All UEB"
abandonment of Nemeth Code splinter group under advisement-despite clear
opposition to such a plan by the NFB and the ACB and despite BANA's
position on this matter. In response to the movement to remove Nemeth Code
and use only UEB for all literary, mathematical, and science purposes, the
NFB membership adopted Resolution Number 2015-29 at the 2015 NFB Annual
Convention in Florida. This Resolution (1) urges state departments of
education across the United States to follow the BANA guidelines regarding
the use of Nemeth Code for mathematical documents and (2) urges BANA to
clarify that, "Braille code standards are not set by individual states,"
and, "to indicate unequivocally that the Nemeth Code, with the guidance for
Nemeth in UEB contexts, is the standard for mathematics Braille in the
United States." I urge you to again review Resolution 2015-29, for it sets
forth the issue of concern in a clear, logical, and concise manner.
On August 24, 2015, NFB President Mark Riccobono sent a letter to
each department of education in every state. In his letter, President
Riccobono sets forth the issues involved with this matter and provides
guidance to the educational professionals, "The differences between the
presentation of mathematics in Nemeth Code and math using UEB symbols are
so fundamental that a blind child moving to a state with a different math
standard could find his or her math books and tests inaccessible even
though they are in Braille." President Riccobono urges each state's
department of education, "to eliminate needless confusion and unnecessary
cost by using the Nemeth Code for Mathematics and Science Notation, with
BANA's guidance for Nemeth in UEB contexts, as the standard for math
Braille." A companion article, "Talking Points," sets forth a brief history
leading up to the current situation. "Talking Points" contains links to the
referenced files.
A May 2006 Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness (JVIB) article,
"Studies of Braille Reading Rates and Implications for the Unified English
Braille Code" reports, "the mathematical computational format, algebra, and
calculus were 21 percent to 54 percent longer in UEBC, linear arithmetic
was only 1 percent longer, and computer code samples were 1 percent longer
to 4.5 percent shorter." As noted in the article, this significant increase
in the length of equations in the higher-level math areas of mathematical
computational equations, algebra, and calculus cause grave concern about
the potential negative impact upon Braille readers in the Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. "Nemeth Code's use
of lower cell numbers allows the upper part of the Braille cell to be used
for mathematical functions, critical to the overall successful use of the
code for mathematics," observed Dr. Cary Supalo in a presentation at the
Spring Meeting of BANA on April 28, 2012.
"UEB versus Nemeth States" lists the public positions taken by
various states with regard to plans regarding the implementation of UEB and
how it impacts Nemeth Code. At this point, fourteen states (California,
Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin) have
indicated that they will follow BANA's guidance to retain Nemeth Code. Two
states (North Carolina and Utah) have indicated that the state will go the
"All UEB" route, but students who request Nemeth materials will still be
provided these materials, and only one state (Massachusetts) has declared
that it plans to completely eliminate Nemeth Code from its training,
instruction, and curricular materials. One state, South Dakota, has
indicated that it will fully support both Nemeth Code and the "All UEB"
option, while three states (Kansas, North Dakota, and Wyoming) have
declared that the "Nemeth Code or "All UEB" question will be decided on a
piecemeal, local level by each school district.
To date, the majority of the states have not taken a final position
on this matter. However, many of these states have disseminated proposals
regarding whether they plan to follow BANA's guidance on retaining the
Nemeth Code. We are hearing that NFB affiliates have not been contacted in
many states even though other non-consumer stakeholders have received
information about these proposals.
Please contact your state Department of Education regarding this
matter. Please review the enclosed materials (particularly the "Talking
Points"), and advocate for the retention of Nemeth Code for blind students
now and in the future. If you have any questions or concerns, please
contact Carlton Anne Cook Walker, manager of Braille education programs,
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute at (410) 659-9314,
extension 2225, or at <cwalker at nfb.org>.
Talking Points Regarding UEB Math Versus Nemeth Issues
Current BANA Guidance on the Issue
Implementation of Unified English Braille (UEB), of November 9, 2014, at:
<http://www.brailleauthority.org/ueb/implementation/statement.pdf>
Provisional Guidance for Transcription Using the Nemeth Code within UEB
Contexts, November 2014, at: <http://www.brailleauthority.org/ueb/nemeth-
provisional/guidance.pdf>
BANA Press Release, November, 2013, at:
<http://www.brailleauthority.org/pressreleases/pr-2013-11-26.html>
Motion to Adopt UEB, November 2, 2012, at:
<http://www.brailleauthority.org/ueb/UEBpassed.html>
NFB Position on the matter
NFB Resolution 2015-29, at: <https://nfb.org/2015%20Resolutions#resolution
2015-29>
NFB Resolution 2012-13: at
<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/documents/word/resolutions_2012.doc>
ACB Position on the matter
ACB Resolution 2012-07: at <http://acb.org/resolutions2012#Res07>
States going "rogue" can only hurt students.
The official body governing Braille in this country, the Braille Authority
of North America (BANA) has not wavered from its position that UEB should
replace ONLY the current literary Braille code (EBAE) and that Nemeth be
retained by replacing EBAE with UEB where literary Braille is needed in
math and scientific materials.
Uniformity in Braille code is a necessity, not a luxury. We do not need a
repeat of the "War of the Dots" -especially not in the vital areas of math
and science.
Switching to UEB Math will be duplicative and expensive.
Currently, all math and science materials are in Nemeth Code.
Having two codes will mean that all materials will need to be produced in
each code.
Having two codes will mean that all materials will need to be available in
each code.
This could well lead to shortages in materials.
No students will be well-served if their state decides to discard Nemeth
Code and use an "All UEB" approach, an action which is an unnecessary and
rogue repudiation of BANA guidance and NFB and ACB Resolutions recommending
the retention of Nemeth Code and integration of UEB Literary Code into math
and science materials when literary code is needed.
Adding UEB Math will erect barriers to relocation within the United States.
Families needing to move to or from different states for economic or
security reasons risk putting their children behind in math due to the need
to learn a new Braille math code.
Nemeth Code and UEB math are fundamentally different, so much so that most
children who are fluent in one code would have great difficulty reading
math and science materials in the other code.
Such a child may well fall months behind in math classes due to a lack of
familiarity with the different code.
This will be particularly difficult for children of military families, who
will almost certainly move several times throughout their school careers.
Certainly states should not wish to become "that state" or "one of those
states" that military personnel with blind children know they need to
avoid.
This change could also be particularly difficult for children from families
of lower socioeconomic means due to a need to relocate more often for
financial and/or personal safety reasons.
Many times, these students do not have strong family support in the area of
Braille education-because of lack of parental time, energy, education, etc.
A move away from the national standard of Nemeth Code could render these
children so bereft of STEM educational opportunities that they might never
recover from the lost time taken to learn new codes instead of learning
math and science content.
There is no reason to set up a system that will automatically place Braille
readers at an academic disadvantage upon relocation.
Teachers of Students with Blindness/Visual Impairment will have LESS time
to instruct children
TSBVIs [teachers of the blind and visually impaired] are in short supply as
it is; we should not be creating additional, unnecessary drains upon their
time.
Rogue, "All UEB" state colleges and universities would be forced to choose
between following the national BANA Nemeth model or taking the "all UEB"
detour.
If these institutions do the former, "All UEB" states students will be ill-
equipped to pursue STEM opportunities at any post-secondary institution
following BANA's guidance.
If these institutions do the latter, few, if any, out-of-state students
will choose to attend their post-secondary institutions due to the high
learning curve of switching to a new math and science code.
Additionally, scores of current Nemeth-using students would find that their
in-state schools are now hostile learning environments due to the
abrogation of BANA-recommended Nemeth Code.
This could well serve as a reason for vocational rehabilitation agencies
serving the blind to be required to spend hundreds of thousands of extra
tuition dollars to send these students to out-of-state schools where they
may pursue higher education opportunities without the need for remediation
in math code.
"All UEB" state high school and college graduates will be ill-prepared to
enter the post-secondary workforce in any STEM field due to what will
become their lack of Nemeth Code knowledge.
It is highly doubtful that the employment sector would abandon the
ubiquitous, useful, compact, and BANA-approved Nemeth Code for the rogue
"All UEB" movement.
Abandoning Nemeth Code will create a problem with accessible math
textbooks. All current math textbooks have been produced in Nemeth Code.
It will be time-consuming and expensive to re-create this work in "all
UEB."
Rogue "All UEB" state students will likely go without math textbooks during
this transition period.
NIMAC (National Instructional Materials Access Center) would need to
maintain two sets of each math and science textbook, one in Nemeth Code and
one in "all UEB."
Again, the duplicative nature of this unnecessary change will introduce
confusion, expense, and delay into a system that functions well right now.
There is no certification for "all UEB" transcription in the US.
If states adopt an "all UEB" approach, then UNCERTIFIED transcribers will
be doing the transcription-because there is no certification for "all UEB"
transcription for math and science texts.
This situation puts their students at high risk of receiving poor quality
math transcription.
All students with an IEP are guaranteed a Free Appropriate Public Education
(FAPE).
Poor quality textbooks violate FAPE and place school districts at risk for
litigation based upon the poor quality of textbooks Braille readers
receive.
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[PHOTO CAPTION: Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum]
Protecting the Bonds of Love: Progress in Defending Our Right to Parent
by Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum
From the Editor: Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum is one of the most tenacious,
committed, and articulate attorneys in the country when it comes to issues
of parental rights for people who are blind. We are blessed to have her as
one of the people who work on our cases from Brown, Goldstein & Levy. Here
is what she said on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 8, 2015, at the
seventy-fifth annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind:
Good afternoon, proud and dedicated members of the National
Federation of the Blind. Thank you, President Riccobono and Dr. Maurer, for
giving me the honor of speaking to this incredible audience. I feel
passionate about the issue that I will be talking about and saddened and
angry about what I have seen. I speak to you today from the perspective of
an attorney and a parent.
Let me start by saying that I am tired of hearing judges,
caseworkers, psychologists, and lawyers ask whether my client is capable of
taking care of his child merely because he is blind. This question is
loaded with societal biases and incorrect assumptions regarding the
capabilities of blind people. Those asking this question generally hold a
tremendous amount of power and are wreaking havoc on blind parents and
their children. When this question is asked and discriminatory decisions
are made without any underlying factual basis, we have no choice but to
push back on every possible front, including legal advocacy in the
courtroom, legislative initiatives in our state capitols, in Congress, and
continuous education with state government executives and the judiciary
leadership.
It should not surprise you when I tell you there is a constitutional
right for parents to be able to raise their own children. Although at times
this fundamental liberty interest must be balanced against the health and
safety of a child, a parent with a disability should never be deprived of
her child because of her disability. Sadly, too many times this has been
the outcome. Let me tell you about some of the people I have had the
privilege of representing because of the advocacy efforts of the NFB.
My client was a young single mom with two children. Life was
difficult for my client, but not because she was blind. When she found
herself struggling, she contacted her local department of social services
for assistance. She thought this was a good idea, and many people might
have agreed with her at the time. Although the department initially
provided her with the support she asked for, the worker assigned to her
case could not fathom how this blind mother could take care of her two
young children by herself. The caseworker grilled my client with question
after question about how she could be certain that her children would be
safe. These questions put my client totally on the defensive and ultimately
resulted in her young children living in foster care for two very long and
painful years. Those with the power could not conceive of how my client
could take care of her children.
Thanks to the NFB and the advocacy and education that we provided to
the caseworkers, lawyers, and judge, these two beautiful children are back
with their mom, but only after hundreds of hours of visits where a sighted
supervisor was watching my client's every move and scoring her on her
parenting abilities. Had I as a young parent had someone watching me every
time I bathed my children, prepared their meals, played with them, and put
them to sleep and then scrutinized how I did each of these tasks with a
scorecard and expected me to perform with complete perfection, I could
never have passed this impossible test. But this became the expectation and
requirement of those who held the power. Although this mother is strong and
her children are thriving now, the painful absence of her children for
those two years will always be a cruel memory.
My client Pedro wanted his three-year-old daughter to come and live
with him after her mother could no longer take care of her. The department
of social services had to decide whether the child could move out of state
to live with her dad. As is the case for any child involved in the social
service system, a caseworker was asked to do a home study of Pedro's
apartment. The caseworker's report was glowing. She described Pedro's
excellent skills in housekeeping and his complete independence as a
professional; she highlighted his superb blindness skills in mobility and
use of technology. As I read the detailed report, I thought, how refreshing
that the biases that one generally sees are not here, that is, until I got
to the last paragraph of the home study report. The caseworker concludes
her glowing report with something close to the following: because this
father is blind, his young daughter will not be able to articulate whether
she is being abused-therefore, placement denied.
Pedro was furious and called the NFB; he spoke to Dr. M, who then
called me. It took several months of legal advocacy to convince the
department that its report was discriminatory and must be changed. Finally,
they sent the same caseworker back for another home visit. Her second
report was identical, word for word, with one change-the worker deleted the
last sentence about the three-year-old not being able to report abuse and
instead wrote-placement approved.
Pedro's beautiful little one now lives with her father. Pedro is here
in this hall and looks forward to meeting you this week at his first NFB
convention. Pedro: could you please stand up so that we can salute your
advocacy and determination to make a home for your little girl and stand up
for your rights as a parent; could you stand up?
Let me also tell you about another client and the infuriating and
discriminatory actions that are taking place as I stand here today. In a
private custody battle, a judge for the past fourteen months has allowed my
client (a blind father) to be with his two little children only if there is
a sighted person present. There is no factual basis for this requirement.
It is based only on the judge's fear that somehow it would not be safe for
the children to be alone with their dad without a sighted person present.
This requirement is incredibly insulting and demeaning, is unnecessarily
expensive, and serves to limit his time with his children when he cannot
find someone to be present. We are vigorously fighting this requirement,
but the legal system moves slowly and, in these types of cases, very
unfairly.
And all of you know about the family in Missouri whose baby was taken
from them at birth because people did not think this blind couple could
parent their infant safely. And what led to this: a hospital employee who
thought that the mom was having difficulty breastfeeding her newborn. How
could this be? I personally remember crying all night long in the hospital
the first time I tried to breastfeed my first child. No one called in
protective services for this sighted mom; instead they brought in people to
help me. Our friends in Missouri instead were told that either they needed
to have 24/7 care at home or the child would have to go to foster care.
That's what happened for some fifty-seven days until advocates could
convince the authorities that this injustice had to stop.
It is my goal to help change the culture so that, when I walk into a
meeting with government officials with a blind mom or into a courtroom with
a blind dad, those in charge are not focused on the question of how is this
possible but rather the truth-that blind parents can parent as well or
better than anyone else.
My clients have reminded me that all parents rely on some support
system to provide for their children effectively. If I ever thought that I
had raised my children without the support of an army of others, I would be
fooling myself. Part of the education that judges and caseworkers need is a
reminder of this truth. An occupational therapist from an organization
called Through the Looking Glass often reminds me that it is imperative
that a parent's capabilities be considered in the context of the supports
he or she uses and that there is absolutely nothing wrong if a parent
chooses to have supports in place to do certain parenting tasks. All that
should matter is that the parent is able with or without supports to
provide what the children need. The problem is when others decide what one
needs. It is appalling that someone else can decide when a blind parent
needs sighted assistance.
The NFB has put together some incredibly valuable documents and
videos that I have been providing to courts, caseworkers, and forensic
evaluators. The publication Parents without Sight and President Riccobono's
video about a day at the playground with his two little girls are
impressive and incredibly helpful, but I ask you to create more. I need to
be able to show how blind parents work with their children on homework, how
blind parents measure out medicine when their children are sick, how you
change diapers or travel on a city subway with your kids, and how you and
your children do all the day-to-day fun things that you do every day. I
need to show how you drop your kids off at day care and what you do in your
jobs. I know it may sound lousy or even insulting for me to ask for this,
but it is the best way to help educate those who are asking these
questions. And this time you can control what people think about your
capabilities.
There are a number of reasons why these cases are so difficult and
why we must fight the current situation on several fronts. A large majority
of states expressly permit disability to be considered when determining
whether parental rights should be terminated. Unfortunately, in many cases
the focus of the statute is the disability rather than the behavior or
actions of the parent. It is up to the advocates to ensure that those
proposing termination have the burden of proving that there is actual harm
or a substantial risk of harm to the health and safety of the child because
of the parent's actions before termination can occur. It is also critical
to make sure that any determination must take into account a parent's
abilities, with the adaptive services and support services he or she uses.
In child custody disputes courts must make decisions based on the
best interests of the child. Unfortunately, many state laws permit the
mental and physical health of a parent to be used as a proper factor to
consider when determining custody without also demanding a showing of harm
to the child because custody is denied.
And, when it comes to state agencies that have the responsibility of
ensuring that every effort is made to maintain children with their parents,
we must push hard to make sure that a parent's disability does not diminish
these efforts. The Department of Justice recently issued a findings letter
against the Massachusetts Department of Social Services where it said that
the department violated the ADA because it failed to provide assistance to
a parent with a disability to help her keep her child-something that the
agency readily does for parents without a disability. Contrary to this
recent DOJ letter, however, courts have routinely held that termination
proceedings are not governed by the ADA, and, similarly, nor are private
custody matters. Notwithstanding, I believe that the ADA can be a valuable
lever with which to push state agencies and perhaps even judges to support
rather than hinder the rights of parents with disabilities.
The American Psychological Association seems to understand the biases
that are contributing to the injustices that we see. This national
organization has issued guidelines that call for psychologists to remain
aware of their own and others' biases when completing evaluations. The
guidelines remind evaluators to recognize that people with disabilities
have a right to a family and that many adults with various disabilities can
and do effectively parent children.
The guidelines also recognize that a functional evaluation is
critical because it ensures that the accommodations the person uses in his
or her daily life are understood as part of the evaluation. Just last week
we sent these guidelines to a court-appointed forensic evaluator who
obviously had not done any of her homework before interviewing my blind
client. Her questions showed absolutely no knowledge of blindness or the
skills that blind people use. It appeared that her starting point was that
my client could not possibly take care of his children without a sighted
person present and assisting.
In the current climate the key to successfully defending against
termination or supporting a parent in a custody dispute is to educate the
decision-makers about the parent's functional abilities. One way to do this
is by bringing in an expert who understands the nature of the disability,
the accommodations or supports that the parent uses, and who clearly
explains why the children will remain healthy and safe in their parents'
care.
Everyone here knows that there are thousands and thousands of blind
parents in this country who are successfully taking care of their children.
However, when a judge asks me what that number is, I am unable to give an
answer. I would like to work with the NFB to see if there is any way to
figure this out. Judges and caseworkers are asking this question. For those
researchers out there, although we have a few excellent research findings
that demonstrate that blind mothers are just as capable of meeting their
infants' needs as sighted mothers, that there are no differences in the
emotional state of children raised by sighted versus blind parents, and in
fact that children of blind parents may be more adaptable and have more
positive peer interactions, that a parent's disability is not a predictor
of problems or difficulties for children; and that separating a child from
a parent is traumatic and detrimental, we still need more academic research
to prove that the biased assumptions that many people are making are just
plain wrong. I look to those in the audience who are connected with
researchers to figure out how we can broaden both pieces of this scholarly
work to help change the culture.
On the legislative front, states must put in place protections for
parents with disabilities in both their child welfare and child custody
statutes. Legislation must include a nondiscrimination statement; any court-
or government-ordered evaluations must be done by experienced evaluators
who understand the accommodations and adaptations that a parent with a
disability uses; and evaluators should be required to certify that they are
complying with the 2012 American Psychological Association Guidelines for
Assessment of and Intervention with Persons with Disabilities. All family
court professionals should receive training on how parents with
disabilities parent. And, most important, statutes must require clear proof
of a nexus between a parent's disability and harm to a child before an
adverse action can be taken against a parent with a disability. And judges
should be required to explain their reasoning and demonstrate the absence
of bias through the issuance of a written ruling whenever disability is a
basis for loss of custody or termination of parental rights. Congress
should also take steps to protect parents with disabilities by adding
specific protections for parents with disabilities by requiring that child
welfare agencies provide accommodations to parents with disabilities as
part of their efforts to prevent removal of a child from his family home or
when providing reunification services.
Additionally, courts should give deference to the Department of
Justice's interpretation of Title II and hold that the ADA applies to child
welfare matters, including termination of parental rights. To ensure this
occurs, the DOJ and HHS [Health and Human Services] should promulgate
guidelines or regulations specifying that the ADA applies in the child
welfare context and clarifying the legal obligations of child welfare
agencies and the courts.
As the Supreme Court of California so wisely stated when considering
the rights of a parent with significant physical disabilities, the parent-
child relationship "lies in the ethical, emotional, and intellectual
guidance the parent gives to the child through his formative years, and
often beyond." It is our job to convince the court and others that it is
the capabilities of the parent, not the disability itself, that are
relevant.
I look forward to working with you on these important and profound
issues. Thank you for the wisdom you have taught me and the confidence that
you have in working with me. I am honored to represent you.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Gabe Cazares]
The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act
by Gabe Cazares
From the Editor: Gabe is a government affairs specialist for the
National Federation of the Blind. This article is written in response to
legislation supported by the American Foundation for the Blind which would
make changes to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The
National Federation of the Blind has serious reservations about claims made
that its passage would strengthen the provision of Braille and other
services to blind people. Here is what Gabe has to say:
The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act, (H.R. 3535) for the
114th session of Congress, is a bill that purports to "strengthen the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)," and "improve results
for the more than 100,000 children and youth with vision loss, including
those who also have additional disabilities," according to the American
Foundation for the Blind.
First introduced during the 113th session, the Cogswell-Macy Act,
according to its authors, will "expand the resources" currently available
to blind students, parents of blind children, and educators, a claim that
is difficult to imagine after a careful examination of this legislation.
As a leader in Braille education, the National Federation of the
Blind is committed to supporting efforts to strengthen existing or crafting
new policies that provide for instruction in Braille. Specifically, section
614(d) (3) (B) (iii) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
(IDEA,) commonly referred to as the "Braille presumption" which currently
reads: "in the case of a child who is blind or visually impaired, [the
Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team must] provide for instruction
in Braille and the use of Braille unless the IEP Team determines, after an
evaluation of the child's reading and writing skills, needs, and
appropriate reading and writing media (including an evaluation of the
child's future needs for instruction in Braille or the use of Braille),
that instruction in Braille or the use of Braille is not appropriate for
the child."
As a result, the first item on our agenda was inspecting the proposed
changes AFB and its co-authors had crafted. The results were surprising and
disappointing. Rather than strengthen the already sturdy language provided
by the existing Braille presumption, the proposed text would weaken it by
shifting the focus of administrators and educators, who are the individuals
tasked with the responsibility of implementing these policy changes, from
Braille, to a host of other options. AFB's proposed language reads as
follows:
SEC. 204. CONSIDERATION OF SPECIAL FACTORS.
Section 614(d) (3)(B)(iii) (20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(3)(B)(iii)) is amended by
striking the semicolon and inserting the following: "and provide
instruction meeting the child's unique learning needs, including
instruction which may be needed by students without disabilities or with
other disabilities but which must be specifically designed, modified, or
delivered to meet the unique learning needs of students with visual
disabilities. Such instruction includes assistive technology proficiency
(inclusive of low vision devices); self-sufficiency and interaction
(including orientation and mobility, self-determination, sensory
efficiency, socialization, recreation and fitness, and independent living
skills); and age-appropriate career education;"
According to the 2014 annual report of the American Printing House
for the Blind, there were 60,393 blind students enrolled in elementary and
high schools throughout the United States. However, of those, only 5,147
were identified as using Braille as their primary reading medium; that is
only 8.5% of blind elementary and high school students across the country
in 2014.
Confronted with these alarming numbers, it is difficult to understand
why the American Foundation for the Blind is seeking to divert the focus of
the Braille Presumption to include other alternatives. It is also difficult
to understand the fact that their proposed legislation makes an extra
effort to highlight low-vision devices, as well as diverting attention from
Braille use and instruction with the inclusion of other areas of the
"Expanded Core Curriculum." Instruction in the alternative skills of
blindness is an integral tool in ensuring that every blind student may live
the life she wants. The NFB has consistently led the field in this area
through our many student-oriented programs which help blind youth develop
blindness skills for independence, including the NFB BELL Academy for young
students, our STEM programs for blind youth, and the independent living
summer programs provided by our NFB training centers.
Ensuring that dual-media students receive all the services they need
is also a priority, which is why the National Federation of the Blind has
been a leader in calling for and assisting in the development of an
independent, research-based reading media assessment, the National Reading
Media Assessment (NRMA). The NRMA remains the only research-based,
standardized assessment tool designed to identify the proper reading medium
(or media) of students. The Professional Development and Research Institute
on Blindness at Louisiana Tech University states that the NRMA will,
"reduce the possibility that a student's academic success is hindered by
incorrect reading and writing medium."
In an open letter dated October 21, 2015, Mark Richert from the
American Foundation for the Blind told our state presidents that "As
someone who has been a life-long Braille reader, I can tell you on a
personal note that I would never tolerate any attempt to weaken the
existing Braille requirements." However, the undeniable effects of AFB's
proposed language, as currently written, are hard to ignore. The Braille
presumption will be weakened if this language were to be incorporated, and
as a result, the National Federation of the Blind cannot support this
legislation.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Mary Ellen Gabias]
The Rights of Guide Dog Owners in British Columbia under Attack
by Mary Ellen Gabias
From the Editor: The Model White Cane Law was drafted by Jacobus
tenBroek and set in motion the adoption of state statutes throughout the
nation to enshrine in law the right of blind people to public
accommodations. Every state in the union has some form of this model on the
books, and the Americans with Disabilities Act also seems quite clear on
the subject of the right of blind people to be accompanied by guide dogs.
Even so, recently we have seen an alarming increase in the number of
blind people who are being refused transportation because they are
accompanied by a guide dog. Our friends to the north in Canada find
themselves in a position of having to fight a recent ruling in British
Columbia in which a civil rights tribunal has rejected a claim of
discrimination, even though the facts and the case are undisputed, and the
law seems unequivocal. We reprint here a request from Mary Ellen Gabias,
the president of the Canadian Federation of the Blind, as the organization
seeks to raise money to fight this most disturbing ruling. I will include a
postscript after her remarks to suggest differences and precedents that
might make US law a bit stronger, but these observations should not cause
us to be apathetic about the rights of guide owner teams everywhere or to
ignore the increasing problems that confront us as users of guide dogs.
Here is what Mary Ellen says:
Without your immediate help, three quarters of a century's work
establishing the access rights of guide dog teams may be casually swept
away in British Columbia!
Discrimination by the taxi industry is just fine, a minor
inconvenience, no more, according to Jacqueline Beltgens of the British
Columbia Human Rights Tribunal.
We need your help to raise fifteen thousand dollars to fight for
legal redress of a tribunal decision that gives more credence to hearsay
about a taxi driver's unproven dog allergy than to the rights of a person
with a guide dog.
Please go to <https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/b13jT2> to make your cry
for justice heard. As you read Graeme McCreath's story, consider the
implications for guide dog teams everywhere.
Graeme McCreath just wanted to go out for a casual evening with a few
friends on July 15, 2014. He never intended to walk into a humiliating
bureaucratic nightmare. The story is all too familiar to anybody who cares
about guide dogs and human rights. A friend phoned a taxi. When it arrived,
the driver, Bruce MacGregor, announced, "I can't take the dog. I'll get you
another cab."
The refusal of service was a public humiliation. It was also a direct
violation of British Columbia's Guide Animal Act. British Columbia has two
laws that are supposed to protect people who travel with guide dogs. The
Guide Animal Act says: "A person with a disability accompanied by a guide
animal has the same rights, privileges, and obligations as a person not
accompanied by an animal." The British Columbia Human Rights Act also
prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.
The law seemed extremely clear. Graeme McCreath sought justice from
the Human Rights Tribunal. After a year of filings and discussions, the
matter finally went to hearing on July 14, 2015. Graeme McCreath, Bruce
MacGregor, and Sean Convy (the manager of Victoria Taxi) had nearly a year,
more than ample opportunity to produce evidence. The only documentation the
taxi company produced was a vaguely worded slip from a walk-in clinic that
didn't mention allergies and an internally produced document noting that
MacGregor had been given an "exception." Both were dated months after the
2014 incident.
Graeme McCreath and three witnesses to the event testified at the
hearing. Bruce MacGregor didn't even bother to attend. Sean Convy, the
manager of Victoria Taxi, represented his company, since the human rights
complaint named Victoria Taxi because the company's policies allow
MacGregor and other drivers to refuse service.
The facts are undisputed. Graeme McCreath is blind and was
accompanied by his certified guide dog. Bruce MacGregor gave no reason for
refusing to transport Graeme when the event occurred, but Sean Convy later
claimed that MacGregor has both a dog phobia and a dog allergy. Since
MacGregor wasn't there, he never verified Convy's claim.
This is how the tribunal described Graeme McCreath's assertion that
he had suffered discrimination: "[28] Mr. McCreath has established a prima
facie case of discrimination. He has a physical disability, he suffered an
adverse impact when he was denied a ride by the Taxi Driver, and he was
denied the ride because he was accompanied by his guide dog." Yet the
tribunal dismissed Graeme McCreath's case! The tribunal ruled that denial
of service by one driver was a minor inconvenience since another cab
arrived within a few minutes. One wonders how the tribunal would have
responded to Rosa Parks. After all, it is also only slightly more
inconvenient to walk a few extra steps to the back of the bus.
Since MacGregor didn't bother to appear at the hearing, he never had
to explain his actions or answer a single question about his reason for
refusing to transport Graeme McCreath. Nevertheless, the tribunal ruled
that MacGregor had a "disability" that entitled him to an "accommodation"
from the company. Beltgens referred repeatedly to MacGregor's "disability"
due to an allergy based on hearsay testimony from Sean Convy. Without
documentation, Beltgens voided MacGregor's responsibility to obey the law.
No proof was required; a claim with no substantiation of the severity of
the alleged allergy was enough.
We've all met people who say they have a "vision impairment" when
what they mean is that they wear reading glasses. Their "impairment"
exists, but it doesn't constitute a disability as the term is generally
understood. Anyone who wants to establish blindness medically must be seen
by an ophthalmologist, a physician with the highest available credential
for treating eye conditions. The tests are exacting; all available
corrective measures must be undertaken before certification of blindness
can be made.
The word "allergy" also has variable definitions, ranging from mild
sniffles to anaphylactic shock. Clearly anaphylactic shock is disabling;
sneezes are not. Yet the tribunal did not require that MacGregor's claim of
a disabling allergy be documented by a physician specializing in the
diagnosis and treatment of allergic conditions. She specifically and
categorically ruled out any finding that anyone claiming an allergy
exemption from transporting guide dogs should undergo treatment, calling
the suggestion "untenable."
Ms. Beltgens writes: "The Tribunal has determined that an allergic
reaction to animals can constitute a physical disability under the Code."
She behaves as if it not only can, but that merely asserting the presence
of an allergy is sufficient to claim disability status, even though the
presence and severity of the allergy is unproven.
Graeme McCreath's case uncovered disturbing evidence of systemic
discriminatory practices on the part of Victoria Taxi. Beltgens writes: "He
(Mr. Convy, the manager of Victoria Taxi) says that, in addition to taxi
drivers, the owners of a particular taxi are also entitled to place an
exception to having animals in a car. He says that five of the owners of
taxicabs have also placed exceptions on their cars preventing the transport
of animals." Refusing to take pet dogs is an owner's right. However, the
tribunal never raised any issue concerning the legality of applying a no-
animals policy to guide dogs, even though failing to make that distinction
is clearly a discriminatory practice.
Unless we challenge this decision, the British Columbia Human Rights
Tribunal has written a manual on how to discriminate and get away with it!
You drive a taxi and don't want to vacuum dog hair? No problem. Just file
an exemption so that no dogs can ride in your cab. If you want to be really
sure that you can get away with denying service, go to a walk-in clinic and
ask the doctor on duty to give you a note that says you have "medical
reasons" for not transporting dogs.
With only a little creativity, Ms. Beltgens' reasoning can easily be
extended to include restaurants or other businesses. "I can't serve you
because I'm allergic. It's only slightly inconvenient to go next door."
We do not want to deny the legitimate claims of taxi drivers and
other workers who genuinely suffer with disabling allergies. They should be
accommodated by their employers. We know what genuine disability means, and
we're passionate about protecting all people with disabilities. That is why
we are passionate about not wanting disability to be trivialized by those
who frivolously and fraudulently seek to claim disability protection.
We realize this story seems nearly impossible. Human Rights Tribunals
were set up specifically to put an end to unfair treatment on the basis of
characteristics like disability. With that mandate, how could a tribunal
rule the way this tribunal ruled? If you doubt this decision was based on
hearsay and that the facts were massaged to permit a preordained conclusion
in favor of the business interests of Victoria Taxi, we invite you to read
Ms. Beltgens' ruling, with all its tortured reasoning, on the BC Human
Rights Tribunal website at <http://www.bchrt.bc.ca/decisions/2015/oct.htm>.
We urge you to go to <https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/b13jT2>, and
contribute what you can. Graeme McCreath was victimized twice-once when he
was refused service, and again in an even more profound manner when a
tribunal, set up to protect his rights, actively engaged in denying them.
If people who care about guide dogs and human rights don't stand together,
British Columbia may lead the way in erosion of our rights. If we stand
alone here, we may fall separately all across North America.
From the Editor: This is what the president of the Canadian
Federation of the Blind has to say about laws in British Columbia and the
way they are being enforced. Marion Gwizdala, president of the National
Federation of the Blind's National Association of Guide Dog Users (NAGDU)
makes these comments about enforcement issues in the United States:
Taxicabs are especially problematic, rating among the top five
industries with which guide dog users have issues. NAGDU has written a
grant request to tackle this problem and should have an answer within the
next two weeks. We have also been contacted by the DOJ seeking guide dog
users to do an enforcement program somewhere in the United States.
In the United States most taxicab companies use independent
contractors who lease taxicabs from the company. These companies mistakenly
believe that they are not responsible for the denials because of this
relationship; however, this is not true, and the courts have stated so on
several occasions. The DOJ and most state laws specifically state that
allergies and the fear of dogs are generally not reasons to deny access to
a disabled person accompanied by a service dog, since allergies to dog
dander typically do not rise to the level of a disability, and even the
presence of dander on one's clothing could be sufficient to trigger an
allergic reaction such as watery eyes and a runny nose. Such reactions are
not considered disabling conditions by the DOJ.
According to US law, individuals with disabilities are considered a
protected class and cannot be denied access as a result of a disability.
The only exception might be if there were a dispute between two individuals
protected by the law, i.e., both have a disability. If, for instance, a
taxicab driver were to have the rare condition of an allergy to dog dander
that rises to the level of a disability (fewer than .05 of 1 percent of the
US population have such an allergy), Title I of the ADA would require the
company to make a reasonable accommodation for the disabling condition,
provided doing so would not pose a direct threat or cause and undue burden.
The bottom line is that the claim of an allergy to dog dander by a taxicab
driver does not excuse the driver from carrying an individual accompanied
by a service dog.
With disturbing frequency we are encountering drivers of taxicabs and
other forms of public accommodation who claim that it violates their
religious beliefs to be around dogs. There seems to be little ambiguity in
the law, which clearly differentiates between one's right to maintain a
religious belief and her right to act upon it.
Here are some relevant quotations from the United States Supreme
Court differentiating between one's beliefs and actions:
"We have never held that an individual's religious beliefs excuse him
from compliance with an otherwise valid law prohibiting conduct that the
State is free to regulate. On the contrary, the record of more than a
century of our free exercise jurisprudence contradicts that proposition."
In another case the Supreme Court said: "Conscientious scruples have
not, in the course of the long struggle for religious toleration, relieved
the individual from obedience to a general law not aimed at the promotion
or restriction of religious beliefs. The mere possession of religious
convictions which contradict the relevant concerns of a political society
does not relieve the citizen from the discharge of political
responsibilities."
"Laws, we said, are made for the government of actions, and while
they cannot interfere with mere religious belief and opinions, they may
with practices...Can a man excuse his practices to the contrary because of
his religious belief? To permit this would be to make the professed
doctrines of religious belief superior to the law of the land and in effect
to permit every citizen to become a law unto himself."
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Joyce Green]
Longtime NFB Member Gives Leadership Service in Her Religious Congregation
by Gary Wunder
Joyce Green is well known to the National Federation of the Blind,
having been a leader in the Oregon affiliate since 1971 when she was one of
the charter members of the NFB of Oregon. She is a Sister of Providence
(Catholic Sister), assuming that role in 1960. She was asked to serve as
chairperson for their annual four-day conference in 2015 which she, with
the support and aid of an able committee, successfully did in late July of
this year.
Joyce's commitment to carry out the responsibility of chairperson of
this event involved appointing a planning committee, scheduling necessary
meetings of the committee, preparing a meeting agenda, traveling from
Portland to Seattle to chair the meetings, and maintaining good
communications among the planning committee and sisters at large. It also
involved arranging for speakers, presentations, reflections, and discussion
times. Working out the daily schedule including timely breaks and arranging
for technical support and catering were challenges that Joyce and her
committee needed to meet.
The efforts of Joyce and her committee came to a joyful conclusion
July 27 through 30 at the Hawley Conference Center in Renton, Washington,
near the regional office of the Sisters of Providence in the Northwest. The
religious congregation originated in Montreal, Canada, in 1843 to serve the
critical needs of poor, aged, ill, and uneducated people. They answered an
invitation to send sisters to the Northwest in 1856 to meet similar
critical needs.
Joyce grew up in Missouri, received her BS degree from Southeast
Missouri State, and worked in a clerical capacity in St. Louis. She then
came to the Northwest, entered her religious congregation, subsequently
earned her MSW from St. Louis University, and served as a professional
social worker at Providence Portland Medical Center, a major medical
facility in Portland, Oregon. Her service as a Sister of Providence took
her to Seattle for her initial phase, down to Burbank, California, and then
to Portland where she now lives and serves. The sisters belong to small
local communities, and Joyce serves as coordinator of her local group.
Of her membership in the NFB of Oregon, Joyce says, "I want to be a
part of bringing blind people into the mainstream of society in every
aspect. The collective action of blind people working in concert with
relatives and friends is the only effective way to do this, and the NFB has
a philosophy which has always been my own." Joyce has served in various
capacities on the state board, including six years as its treasurer, and in
her local chapter as president and as treasurer at various times.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Joyce Green with Mary Johnson]
Regarding the conference recently chaired by Joyce, other sisters had
positive comments such as:
"Now you should be proud of your having been the chair of the whole
affair. All is well that ends well. You did a great service for the Sisters
of Providence of Mother Joseph Province, and you should be very proud that
you took the risk to be the chair. I am happy for you that it is over. It
really is a unique experience." Mary H.
"By the way, you did very well being the chair of the chapter! You
made the chapter very much alive because of your sense of humor! You were
very organized, and I think you should chair every year! Thank you for
sharing your talents in chairing and enlivening the Chapter. We enjoyed it
very much." Felma C.
"Just ... read your delightful letter. You really have a great way to
catch the reader's attention and tickle our funny bones as well. Great job
as always. I think the sisters are going to miss your updates after July."
Barb S.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Andrea Jenkins]
And the Winner is . . . ?
by Andrea Jenkins
From the Editor: Andrea is a young person who had a dream, but before
she could fulfill it she had to believe it was possible, get the training
to do it, and then summon up the courage to do it. Here is her story about
her journey through training and her journey to Spain:
As a little girl growing up in the small rural town of Cairo,
Georgia, I was full of dreams. "One day," I would think to myself. "One
day, I will travel the world, experience new cultures, and even speak a
different language." As I grew into adolescence, my hunger for culture and
languages only increased. Throughout my childhood I would frequently check
out language lessons on audio tape from the local library and absorb them
like a sponge.
On graduating from high school in May 2007, I had taken every Spanish
class my school could offer, and I had also learned a smattering of French.
While it was obvious I possessed the brains to attend college, I knew that
without proper blindness skills training I would flunk even the easiest
college exam, and perhaps I would be unable to achieve my dream of
traveling abroad.
From an early age I was taught a double standard of sorts. On the one
hand, my mom was always telling me how proud she was of me, and I think she
always believed I would go places and make something of myself. However,
the messages I received from society at the time were not as optimistic.
Throughout my childhood I was plagued with the fear that, as a blind
person, I was not on the same playing field as my sighted peers. In my
little Southern town it seemed that to many people "blindness" was an
enigma.
From July 2007 to March 2008, I attended the Louisiana Center for the
Blind in Ruston, Louisiana, and obtained the instruction necessary to live
a normal, happy, and productive life as a blind person. After completing my
training, I attended Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia, where
I graduated cum laude, with a BA in Spanish Language and Culture in
December 2012. According to my family and friends, I had done something
amazing by finishing college and learning a language other than English.
But, for my part, I was not completely pacified.
For you see, there was still a fire down inside of me that had never
died. My dream of going abroad and staying a while had not come to pass. So
in February 2013 I applied to the Ministry of Education of Spain to serve
for an academic year as an English language assistant (Auxiliar de
Conversación) in the Spanish primary school system. In June 2013 I was
utterly speechless when I received the response to my application. I had
been chosen to serve as a language assistant in the village of Guadalupe,
Extremadura, Spain!
Upon my arrival in Guadalupe at the end of September 2013, I
underwent some moderate culture shock, as well as three initial weeks of
jetlag. However, after being in Spain for a little over a month, I began to
grow accustomed to the Spanish way of life. Throughout the eight months I
spent abroad, I was able to impart some helpful insight to the people
around me. For example, I demonstrated some cane techniques to the children
at my school and shared some nonvisual cooking ideas with a couple of my
Spanish friends. Above all, I simply lived life as a normal, productive
individual abroad.
Toward the end of my stay I traveled to London for five days and to
France for two. These excursions only served to increase my confidence as a
blind person. I felt that every time I hopped a train, walked to a café, or
shopped the local markets for groceries or souvenirs, I was being a
successful and productive individual. I feel it is absolutely imperative to
face the world, not run from it. I chose to challenge myself, no matter how
uncomfortable or scary that experience might be for me. It is safe to say
that, when I returned from my eight months abroad, I was elated to find I
felt more confident at that point than ever before in my life. It seemed
that the world had truly opened up for me in ways I had never known.
While I most certainly have struggles in life, I consider it a great
blessing to have traveled abroad and fulfilled my dream of living in
Europe, at least for a time. I give credit to the Lord, my friends, and the
instructors at the Louisiana Center for the Blind, who pushed me to be my
very best and achieve excellence. Without this support, I would have never
attempted to chase my dreams.
Currently, I am serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service
to America) with Florida Campus Compact, in Tallahassee, Florida. I work
with my fellow colleagues to build capacity for college access programming.
As someone who has attended college and obtained a Spanish degree, I want
students to understand the value of education and be inspired to fulfill
their dreams, no matter the obstacles they might encounter. I believe
anyone, regardless of circumstances, can achieve success.
So, to anyone out there who feels you can't succeed or you don't have
the confidence to live life as a blind person, trust me! I've been there,
and I can tell you from personal experience, the sky is the limit if you
believe. This being said, I pray you will take my experience as a call to
action. Whether you are blind or sighted, it is never too late to chase
your dreams. I won the battle over fear the moment I boarded the plane to
Europe. The moment you step out and take control of your life, seek the
training, and do your best, you become a winner.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Jeffrey T. Altman]
On Structured Discovery
by Jeffrey T. Altman
From the Editor: Jeff Altman is a proud Federationist living in the
state of Nebraska. He works as a cane travel instructor for Nebraska
Services for the Visually Impaired, and in that capacity he was asked to
address a convention of the American Council of the Blind's Nebraska
affiliate to discuss the topic of Structured Discovery. These remarks
explain the concept with refreshingly simple language and convey the
enthusiasm many of us feel about the concept and the liberating affect it
can have in the lives of those who receive it. Jeff's presentation also
underscores the need to take our message to those who may not have heard it
or may have heard a distorted version of why we use Structured Discovery.
Here is what he said:
First of all I want to thank all of you for inviting me to speak at
your state convention this year. As most of you likely know, I am the cane
travel instructor at the Nebraska Center for the Blind, which is located in
Lincoln. I've been teaching travel in the center for approximately fifteen
years, and I've been working in this profession for nearly twenty-five
years. Cane travel instruction is also known as orientation and mobility,
and I have both a master's degree and national certification in this field.
In other words, I have papers and letters after my name. Now, if you're not
impressed by letters and papers, don't worry about it, most people really
aren't, and that's okay, because that's not what's actually important about
learning independent travel.
While it is important for an instructor to know how to travel, and of
course, to know how to teach these skills, what is more important is
knowing the best way for human beings to learn cane travel. There is a
Native American saying, "Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may not
remember, involve me and I will understand." Almost everyone learns better
by doing, and this is a key aspect of good instruction. I am convinced that
the greatest respect a cane travel instructor can show his students is to
expect them to be able to draw upon their existing knowledge and to
independently gather information from the environment in order to solve the
problems that come up when they are traveling. In the center students often
joke and sometimes complain that the only thing they ever hear from
instructors is, "What do you think?" Well, they're right; we ask that
question a lot, and it is because we respect them enough to expect them to
be able to answer it.
Perhaps I should explain a little about the instructional methods
that we use in the center. You have probably heard of Structured Discovery
and the fact that we use a longer type of cane and sleepshades in our
training center. Not everyone is comfortable with this approach to
teaching, and, without having these things explained, they can seem a bit
strange, maybe even a little scary at first. Structured Discovery isn't
just one way of teaching, but rather it is a continuum between two very
different methods of providing instruction, each of which has important
benefits and some limitations that can actually make learning more
difficult in certain situations.
Let me begin by asking you folks some questions and have you answer
by applauding. How many of you have taken a foreign language in school? How
many of you would consider yourselves to be fluent in that language? For
argument's sake, let's say it was Spanish you were learning. Let me see if
I can guess what your class experience was like. You took Spanish in a
classroom, along with approximately twenty-five to thirty other students.
You probably had a book or maybe a workbook, possibly a few "cultural
experiences," and likely there were some quizzes and tests. You had a
teacher who stood at the front of the room, and that teacher would say
something in Spanish, and you'd repeat it back. Or perhaps the teacher
would say something in Spanish, and you had to give the correct response.
Maybe you had some conversations with your classmates in Spanish. This is
called structured learning, and while it works well for some of the things
you need to learn, for many things it doesn't work well, such as learning a
foreign language.
Now at the opposite end of the continuum, there is discovery
learning. So, let's say you wanted to learn Spanish through discovery
learning. We'd put you on an airplane, give you a parachute, throw you out
over someplace like Lima, Peru, and say "See you in a year." If you live
through the experience, well, you might just learn some Spanish!
On the other hand, if you wanted to learn Spanish through Structured
Discovery, it would go something like this. You would hire an instructor
who is fluent in both English and Spanish and very familiar with one of the
cultures where Spanish is spoken-let's see, maybe somebody like Carlos
Serván, who might be very willing to work for you for a year in Peru with a
nice salary and all expenses paid. Then the two of you would fly to Lima,
and on the way your instructor would review some basic words and phrases in
Spanish, just enough for you to get by the first day or so. Once you land,
your instructor tells you that you are going to go to a restaurant for
dinner that night, and he just happens to have a copy of the menu. He says
that you and he will go through the menu together, he'll help you to
understand what the various items are, and, when you find the items you
want, he will help you learn how to order them in Spanish, because you are
going to order your own dinner that night. He is going to be there with you
and will help you out should you run into any difficulty, but you are going
to order your own dinner in Spanish.
So you go to dinner that evening, and even if you struggle and need a
little extra help, you will make it through the experience. Perhaps the
next morning your instructor says that the two of you need to go to the
marketplace to get a few things. He tells you what the items are, how to
ask for them, and how to get directions to the booths where the items are
sold. He also explains how the local money works and how to bargain with
the merchants to get the best price. He tells you that he will be there
with you should you need some help but that as much as possible you will be
doing the talking. So you go to the market together and make your
purchases.
That night your instructor tells you that the two of you are going to
stay in for dinner, but that you are going to walk to the local pizza
parlor on your own. The establishment is a couple of blocks away, and you
will order and pay for the pizza. You will then bring it back to the hotel.
You go and do this on your own, even though you are a bit nervous doing it.
After dinner your instructor tells you that tomorrow the two of you
will be going to a museum, and the tour will be given by docents who speak
only Spanish. This is pretty complicated, so he will be there to help you
out. But, as much as you can, you will be doing your best to understand the
tour information with as little help from him as possible. You will need to
ask some questions about the displays, so he will help you to come up with
the questions in Spanish, but you will be asking them.
Each time a new experience is introduced, your instructor will be
there to help you, although he will often ask you questions so that you are
figuring it out for yourself, and just at the point that you are able to
handle things for yourself, he will back off and let you work it out on
your own. You will find that more and more he is speaking with you only in
Spanish and expecting you to answer in Spanish as well. What's more, you
are now finding yourself having to go places on your own and use your
Spanish to complete your assignments. You'll be meeting lots of people who
speak only Spanish, and you will be expected to start conversations with
them. How do you think your Spanish would be after a year in this
environment and with this instruction?
Switching from our language example now, that longer white cane tends
to raise some questions for folks who are not used to this type of cane,
but it's really not all that complicated. A longer cane allows you to have
the necessary preview of the environment in front of you so that you have
time to react, and at the same time you are able to keep your arm in a
comfortable position. The longer cane also gives you greater upper body
protection when you are traveling using the pencil grip, especially in a
congested or unfamiliar situation. It is lightweight and somewhat flexible,
so it is relatively easy to handle, it doesn't wear you out as quickly as a
shorter heavier cane, it absorbs impacts and remains straight afterwards,
and it gives you some extra reach when you need it. The metal tip provides
very good tactile and auditory feedback that makes it much easier to
identify surfaces and to use echolocation.
Next, what about these sleepshades? This is one of those things that
can cause folks to have uncomfortable feelings about this type of training,
and in my experience many times it is a matter of not understanding the
reason we use the sleepshades in our program. There are many very good
reasons for using the sleepshades, but for now, I'll just touch on a few of
them.
First of all, no matter how many letters you have after your name or
what papers you have hanging on your wall, you simply cannot get inside
another person's head and know what works best for that individual. It is
the individual who experiences a vision loss that is going to know what
works best for him or her in a given situation. Our agency believes very
strongly in "informed choice." This may seem a bit obvious, but if you are
going to make an informed choice, then you really need to be informed.
Otherwise the only thing you have to base your decision on is an emotional
reaction. If you are going to make an informed choice between using a low-
vision technique and a nonvisual technique, you truly need to know how to
use the nonvisual technique. Most folks are so concerned about losing their
eyesight that if you introduce a low-vision technique first, they'll likely
think it is the best possible solution to their problem and be unwilling to
learn the nonvisual technique. If you approach training by addressing the
possible low-vision solutions first, then the folks being provided these
services are not being given the opportunity to make an informed choice.
When you have limited eyesight, sometimes the best use of your vision
is not to use it at all. What I mean is that, if you are truly struggling
to see to do something and you could accomplish the same task using a
nonvisual technique just as well or even better, using your eyesight simply
isn't the best choice in that situation. You already know what is possible
with eyesight, so using the sleepshades for an extended period of training
gives you the opportunity to discover what is truly possible without it.
Only then can you make a genuinely informed choice.
We tend to use the term blind most of the time in our center and not
visually impaired. This concerns some folks as well. We often hear from new
students in the Center who say, "I'm not blind. I can see pretty good, so I
consider myself to be visually impaired."
I think it may help to understand the reason we most often use the
word blind by considering how the term legally blind came to be and what it
really means. Back when Congress was considering expanding Social Security
benefits to help provide an income to people with disabilities, they
recognized that, aside from people who were totally blind, a lot of folks
out there had very limited eyesight and that they needed this help too;
however, how would the law determine who was eligible, and who wasn't? They
approached the eye care professionals with this question. The professionals
talked about it among themselves and realized that people below 20/200 or
with a visual field of less than twenty degrees found it very difficult to
function in the world if they attempted to do things using their vision, so
this became the standard or what we know today as the federal definition of
blindness. Now this is more important than you may realize; this meant that
blindness really wasn't about how much a person could see, but rather how
that person functioned based on having a certain level of vision. In
reality being blind means that you do not have reliable eyesight, to the
degree that you need to develop effective nonvisual techniques in order to
carry out the majority of your daily activities as effectively,
efficiently, and safely as would a person with normal vision.
If you are going to function on an equal level with your sighted
neighbors, you have to master the nonvisual skills you need. Yes, your
vision may work perfectly fine for certain things or in the right
conditions, but what about those times in which your vision can't get the
job done?
We must always train for those situations that are less than optimal.
As an example, our daughter, who is not blind, has been driving for about a
year now, and before she got her license, we made sure that she got lots of
driving lessons. If she had only taken driving lessons on nice days with
dry streets and very little traffic, what would it have been like for her
the first time it rained or snowed or she encountered heavy traffic? You
have to be able to function in adverse conditions, and for folks with
limited eyesight this means those situations and times when their eyesight
doesn't work well. An instructor teaching the skills of blindness cannot
really know or create those conditions often enough or in enough places to
assure that the person with limited eyesight has enough experience with the
nonvisual skills truly to master them unless the sleepshades are used as a
primary tool in this training.
The fact that being blind means a person does not have reliable
eyesight leads to another important reason for the use of the sleepshades,
and it is directly related to learning nonvisual skills. If I never
expected my cane travel students to do anything other than to sit in my
office and talk with me about being independent travelers, would they learn
very much about cane travel? Or suppose that on the first day of class I
expected my new student to walk to the biggest, busiest intersection in
town and cross it independently. What would that person likely learn? In
the first case I'm obviously teaching nothing, and in the second case, I am
very definitely teaching something: fear and frustration. Of course, these
are silly examples at two extremes, but they demonstrate one important
point: that between the point at which someone is completely comfortable
and the point at which that person would be overwhelmed, there is an area
in which that person will learn. If a person is going to learn, that
individual has to be challenged, but not to the point where it is beyond
his or her skills and ability. So as an instructor, it is my job to keep my
students challenged but not push them too far, and there is some room in
this learning zone to meet the individual's unique needs. The closer the
challenge is to the student's comfort zone, the less involved the
instructor should be, and the closer the challenge is to overwhelming the
student, the more involved the instructor should be.
Going back to a couple of things I mentioned earlier, a blind person
with some eyesight doesn't have reliable vision, and I can't get inside
that person's head, right? So, other than an educated guess, I can't really
know how effectively the person can use his or her eyesight, nor can I know
when and for what purpose the person is using his or her vision. All I can
do is observe the person's performance, and since it is my job to keep the
student challenged, based on these observations I make my decision as to
how much more of a challenge the person needs to continue learning. If the
student is doing well, I increase the challenge, and if the person
continues to do well, I continue to increase the level of challenge. All of
this sounds fine, but without using the sleepshades there is a problem.
Remember that the person's eyesight isn't reliable, which means it doesn't
work well enough to meet the demands of everyday activities in many places
and situations. Also remember that I can't get inside the person's head, so
I don't know when or in what situation the person is using his or her
eyesight. This means I don't have any way of knowing whether or not the
student is actually learning the nonvisual techniques or simply doing what
comes naturally and depending on his or her unreliable eyesight.
As I push this student forward into more challenging situations,
sooner or later the student is going to run into one in which his or her
eyesight cannot provide the information to effectively, safely, and
efficiently deal with the challenge. In a Braille or computer class, that
could prove very frustrating and might lead the student to feel that it is
only possible to read or word process when he or she can see. However, in
my cane travel class, finding yourself in a situation where you can't see
well enough to complete a task and discovering that you haven't learned the
nonvisual techniques that would allow you to stay safe could be a lot more
than frustrating.
When it comes down to it, orientation and mobility is really about
being able to get from point A to point B, and the skills a blind person
develops through this training are especially important when point B is
some place you've never been before. First of all, being highly skilled
with whatever type of mobility device you choose to use is very important.
Be it cane or dog, you have to be effective in gaining information from the
environment and be able to avoid the possible dangers the environment can
present. You also have to be able to use the information that is available
to you effectively. For example, you probably shouldn't be attempting to
travel across town if you haven't figured out how to locate curbs, cross
streets at the correct time, and recognize familiar places. Once these
things are in place, understanding how to use a street pattern and address
system in general, as well as knowing more specific information about the
town in which you are traveling, is critical. You are going to have a
pretty tough time planning how to get somewhere you haven't been before if
you don't have some basic concepts about how the world is put together. Of
course, if public transportation is going to be involved, then you would
probably be well served to have received some training in how to use the
system. If you are going to be going somewhere new, then being able to ask
relevant questions and access a variety of sources of information regarding
the transportation system is vital. The good news is that, if you have
ridden a bus in one town, you'll find they work pretty much the same way
everywhere else, and the same can pretty much be said for subways and other
types of rail transit systems. There may be some small differences, but the
basic mechanics tend to be the same. Some simple things I would tell you
are: when you are first learning the system, make sure you have some extra
time built into your schedule, be prepared to ask questions, and once you
have become comfortable with the system, don't become complacent. Surprises
can happen, and you have to be able to respond and adapt.
When I was asked to talk with you, it was suggested that I address
some of the current trends that may affect the lives of blind people, so I
will attempt to give you my point of view on these issues. Some folks in
recent years have been promoting the idea that orientation and mobility
should be considered therapy. The proposition is that it is similar to
physical therapy (PT) or occupational therapy (OT) and should be viewed in
a medical context. There are even some in the field of physical and
occupational therapy who believe they should be considered qualified to
teach these skills and that those without their qualifications should not.
I would dispute these notions for two important reasons. PT and OT
are primarily focused on human beings from the neck down. Yes, they teach
some skills, but for the most part their role has to do with restoring an
individual's physical capacity. In other words, the job of these therapists
is helping a person regain physical strength, reestablish normal joint
movement, and promote the relief of pain to allow them to return to their
previous state of health or to come as close as they can to total
restoration. If that can't be accomplished, the goal is to develop some
physical techniques or use devices that will allow the person to complete
the tasks that their physical limitations would otherwise prevent. PT and
OT are also providing techniques that allow the individual to return to
interacting with the environment or conducting tasks with which the
individual is already familiar and well oriented.
Orientation and mobility, while it involves the development of some
physical techniques, is primarily focused on developing skills related to
orienting and interacting with the environment through a less familiar set
of sources of sensory information. In other words it focuses on the person
from the neck up. For example, an individual injured in a car wreck may
have to undergo extensive physical therapy to restore enough movement and
strength to be able to reach items stored on an upper shelf. If that
individual cannot develop enough strength and movement to do so, then an
occupational therapist may teach the person to change the way things in a
work area are arranged or provide the person with a device that allows him
or her to reach and grab things off a high shelf. On the other hand, a
person who has recently become blind may not have any physical difficulty
reaching items on that upper shelf; however, this person may find it very
difficult to locate the shelf, the place on the shelf where the desired
item is stored, and then may not know how to determine which item on the
shelf is the desired one. Therefore, in terms of orientation the person
must learn how to use information available in the environment to locate
the shelf, locate the items on the shelf, and determine how to identify the
differences among the items. She or he may even need to create a nonvisual
label to identify the item. Therefore, orientation and mobility is not
therapy per se, but rather an educational experience.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, there is emerging a class of
professionals calling themselves "travel instructors." I am a cane travel
instructor or travel instructor, but that is not what these folks are
talking about. As I understand it, some of the centers for independent
living, (CIL's) and some transit authorities are hiring these folks, or
people with similar training, to provide orientation to blind people and
other disabled people so that they can go to their jobs or use regular
fixed-route public transportation systems rather than relying on
paratransit. I can't speak to what these folks are doing for people with
other types of disabilities, although the whole notion seems a bit
confusing to me personally. However, I can speak as a professional
regarding the needs of blind people when it comes to the need for these
kinds of services. Frankly, a blind person who is only dealing with
mobility issues related to blindness and is relying on paratransit where
regular public transportation is available has simply not received proper
orientation and mobility training. Therefore, the proper person to be
working with such a blind person is an orientation and mobility instructor
and not somebody that has been given a brief training in a set of general
travel-related skills that are apparently designed to address the needs of
the full range of disabled people. I would further say that a blind person
who does not have other relevant disabilities and has received proper
orientation and mobility training does not need a professional at all in
the majority of situations and in fact should probably not have been using
paratransit to begin with. To clarify, I am talking about those situations
in which a regular public transportation system is available and can meet
the individual's transportation needs. You will observe that I said I was
referring to blind people who are not experiencing secondary conditions
such as a physical disability that may restrict his or her mobility or a
significant hearing loss or a cognitive condition that limits the ability
to maintain one's orientation and safety. In these situations, the
limitations these characteristics involve may well necessitate the use of
paratransit. For these people, attempting to have these individuals change
to a fixed-route public transportation system may not be appropriate, and
even if it is appropriate, it is certainly not something an instructor with
limited knowledge of blindness should be attempting to introduce. Blind
people in these circumstances are in need of very specialized skills, and
they are only going to learn them from someone who knows them and how to
teach them.
Of course we are experiencing a serious shortage of O&M instructors
right now, and with many state governments looking to cut spending, proper
orientation and mobility training can be a real challenge to obtain. The
National Blindness Professional Certification Board, of which I am a
member, is making a strong effort to meet this challenge, but we need
people willing to make the commitment to obtain the training and education
necessary to perform this important work. If you know someone with the
interest and character to become an O&M instructor, please send them our
way; we'd love to help them reach this goal.
I hope I have answered some of the questions you have regarding
independent travel and perhaps have given you some additional understanding
of Structured Discovery. Thank you again for inviting me to be a part of
your convention, and I'll be happy to attempt answering any questions you
may have.
----------
Bringing Hope to Hope
by Rick Reed
From the Editor: Rick Reed is the president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Wyoming, and in this story, which was originally
posted on one of our listservs, he relates the transformative nature of our
message and the need to be visible in our communities so we can circulate
it. Here is what Rick says:
I had the amazing opportunity the other day to represent my affiliate
and our national organization at the 2015 Wyoming Transitions Day. This
event is primarily for high school students who are blind, visually
impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing and encourages them to pursue higher
education with goals of finding a career that will let them live the lives
they want. It is sponsored by Wyoming Independent Living, Vision Outreach
Services, and the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.
The National Federation of the Blind of Wyoming is an annual fixture
at this event, where we provide information about our Federation and our
programs. This year I was asked to give a presentation on assistive
technology, where I introduced many students, parents, and teachers to the
KNFB Reader app for the first time. I also presented a session on self-
advocacy. During these presentations I had the pleasure of meeting a high
school junior named Hope.
Hope is a blind student in Sheridan, Wyoming, a little town just
south of the Montana border. She is an absolute gem of a person and just so
eager to learn everything she can that it warms the heart. Hope's dream is
to become a nurse. Until that day the only person in her life who had any
faith in her and in her ability to realize her dreams was her TVI [teacher
of the visually impaired]. She has no support from her family. They tell
her that there is really not much she can do as a blind person. When she
shared her dream with her family, she was told, "I would never let someone
like you be my nurse."
I was and still am enraged by this lack of familial support. I
offered Hope my support in any way I could give it and promised to get her
in touch with blind people who are working in similar fields with whom she
can talk. I am also encouraging her to keep getting good grades and to
apply for our national scholarships next year when she is a senior.
Before she left to head back to Sheridan from the event, I gave her
one of the 75 in 75 Braille wristbands that I carry in my bag. When she
read it and felt the "Live the Life You Want" embossed in Braille on the
little piece of rubber, she broke down in tears, and I am not at all
ashamed to say that I joined her. It was a very emotional moment all
around.
With that story told, what I'm requesting is this: I would like to
get in touch with as many blind people as I can who are working in the
healthcare field. This girl needs mentors and role models who can show her
that she can make her dreams come true and that she can live the life she
wants, not what someone else thinks she should be limited to. If you work
in healthcare and you'd be interested in mentoring her, email me at
<rreed at wyoassist.com>.
Thank you for sticking with me through this tale and for whatever
help and advice you can give me here. I want this young lady to succeed,
and I'd love to see her on stage in a couple years receiving a scholarship
at our national convention.
----------
Seize the Future
The National Federation of the Blind has special giving opportunities
that will benefit the giver as well as the NFB. Of course the largest
benefit to the donor is the satisfaction of knowing that the gift is
leaving a legacy of opportunity. However, gifts may be structured to
provide more:
. Helping the NFB fulfill its mission
. Realizing income tax savings through a charitable deduction
. Making capital gain tax savings on contributions of appreciated assets
. Eliminating or lowering the federal estate tax in certain situations
. Reducing estate settlement costs
NFB programs are dynamic:
. Making the study of science and math a real possibility for blind
children
. Providing hope and training for seniors losing vision
. Promoting state and local programs to help blind people become first-
class citizens
. Educating the public about blind people's true potential
. Advancing technology helpful to the blind
. Creating a state-of-the-art library on blindness
. Training and inspiring professionals working with the blind
. Providing critical information to parents of blind children
. Mentoring blind job seekers
Your gift makes you a partner in the NFB dream. For further
information or assistance, contact the NFB.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Parnell Diggs]
Social Security, SSI, and Medicare Facts for 2016
by Parnell Diggs
From the Editor: Every December we publish the Social Security
figures that have been announced for the coming year. Here is the 2016
information as prepared by Parnell Diggs, the newly appointed director of
government affairs for the National Federation of the Blind:
Typically the New Year brings with it a much anticipated series of
annual adjustments in the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI),
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Medicare programs. But 65 million
beneficiaries will be disappointed to learn that, when this new year
arrives, there will be no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which means
that SSDI and SSI payments will not change in 2016.
The 2016 numbers appear below, and, while benefit amounts will not
change, there are some changes in other aspects of the Social Security and
Medicare programs (which are not linked to the CPI-W (Consumer Price Index
for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers)) that beneficiaries (as well
as future beneficiaries) should understand. There is also a word about the
recently adopted ABLE Act, which will affect SSI resource limits. Let's get
started.
Tax Rates
FICA and Self-Employment Tax Rates: If you have a job, you know that
you do not bring home everything you earn; 7.65 percent of your pay is
deducted to cover your contribution to the Old Age, Survivors, and
Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Fund and the Medicare Hospital Insurance
(HI) Trust Fund. Specifically, 6.20 percent covers OASDI, and 1.45 percent
is contributed to the HI Trust Fund. Additionally, your employer is
required to match this 7.65 percent for a total of 15.30 percent.
For those who are self-employed, there is no one to match the 7.65
percent. Thus, a self-employed individual pays the entire 15.30 percent of
her income. These numbers will not change in 2016 whether an individual is
employed or self-employed. As of January 2013, individuals with earned
income of more than $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly)
pay an additional 0.9 percent in Medicare taxes, not including the above
amounts.
Maximum Taxable Earnings
For the OASDI Trust Fund there is a ceiling on taxable earnings,
which was $118,500 per year in 2015 and will remain unchanged in 2016.
Thus, for earnings above $118,500, there is no 6.20 percent deducted for
OASDI. As for Medicare, there is no limit on taxable earnings for the HI
Trust Fund.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
Quarters of Coverage
Think of it this way: The OASDI Trust Fund works like an insurance
policy. You have to pay a premium to participate. Therefore, to qualify for
Retirement, Survivors, or Disability Insurance benefits, an individual must
pay a minimum amount of FICA taxes into the OASDI Trust Fund by earning a
sufficient number of calendar quarters to become fully insured; in other
words, one must work enough to be eligible for benefits.
In 2015, credit for one quarter of coverage was awarded for any
individual who earned at least $1,220 during the year, which means that an
individual would have needed to earn at least $4,880 to be credited with
four-quarters of coverage. In 2016 the amount increases to $1,260 for one
calendar quarter or $5,040 to earn four-quarters of coverage.
A maximum of four-quarters can be awarded for any calendar year, and
it makes no difference when the income is earned during that year.
Basically the taxes you pay into the OASDI and HI Trust Funds are your
premiums to participate in the Social Security and Medicare programs.
The total number of quarters required to be eligible for benefits
depends on the individual's age. The older the individual, the more
quarters are required. Furthermore, a higher average income during an
individual's lifetime means a higher Social Security or SSDI check when
benefits start. Remember the above quoted numbers for quarters of coverage
to become fully insured are only minimum amounts.
Trial Work Period (TWP)
This concept is often misunderstood. The amount of earnings required
to use a trial work month is based upon the national average wage index. In
2015 the TWP was only $780, and this amount increases to $810 in 2016. If
you are self-employed, you can also use a trial work month if you work more
than eighty hours in your business, and this limitation will not change
unless expressly adjusted.
Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)
The earnings limit for a blind beneficiary in 2015 was $1,820 per
month and will remain the same in 2016. Remember that this is not the TWP
amount. This is to say that the TWP can be exhausted even if your income is
well below $1,820 per month. See the above information about the TWP.
In 2016 a blind SSDI beneficiary who earns $1,821 or more in a month
(before taxes but after subtracting unincurred business expenses for the
self-employed, subsidized income for the employed, and impairment-related
work expenses) will be deemed to have exceeded SGA and will likely no
longer be eligible for benefits.
Social Security Benefit Amounts
In January 2016 the average amount of SSDI benefits for a disabled
worker is estimated to be $1,166. Pursuant to the Social Security Act, a
cost-of-living adjustment occurs automatically when there is an increase in
inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners
and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). If there is no inflation, there is no
automatic COLA for SSDI and SSI beneficiaries. The CPI-W indicated no
inflation between the third quarter of 2014 and the third quarter of 2015.
Thus, there is no COLA in 2016 and no increase in monthly benefit amounts.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
The federal payment amount for individuals receiving SSI in 2015 was
$733 and will remain the same in 2016. The federal payment amount of SSI
received by couples will also remain the same at $1,100.
Student Earned Income Exclusion
In 2015 the monthly amount was $1,780, and the annual amount was
$7,180. These amounts will not change in 2016. The asset limits under the
SSI program will also remain unchanged at $2,000 per individual and $3,000
per couple.
ABLE Act
Signed on December 19, 2014, the ABLE (Achieving a Better Life
Experience) Act will have a significant impact on resource limits
associated with the SSI and Medicaid programs for those who were blind or
disabled by the age of twenty-six. Traditionally SSI beneficiaries have
been required to adhere to strict resource limits: such as a maximum of
$2,000 in the bank for an individual receiving SSI benefits. Under the ABLE
Act, however, the amount on deposit in an ABLE Account can be much higher.
ABLE Account contributions must be designated specifically for
purposes such as education, housing (with a cautionary warning to follow),
employment training and support, assistive technology, health, prevention
and wellness, financial management, legal fees, funeral and burial
expenses, and other purposes which may be set forth in the implementing
regulations.
As to the warning about ABLE Account contributions for housing, it is
important to note that SSI beneficiaries may still face the traditional
$2,000 resource limit for ABLE Account funds designated for housing. Thus,
SSI beneficiaries should consider the many other purposes not subject to
the traditional resource limits when making ABLE Account contributions.
Because there are also tax advantages associated with ABLE accounts, both
SSDI and SSI beneficiaries are strongly advised to consult the financial
institution of their choice about establishing an ABLE Account.
Medicare
On November 10, 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services
released updated information regarding deductibles, coinsurance amounts,
and premiums for 2016. Since there is no COLA for 2016, the law contains a
"hold harmless" provision that will protect more than 70 percent of
beneficiaries from paying a higher premium. This provision is meant to
protect beneficiaries from a reduction in net Social Security benefits that
could occur when an increase in Medicare Part B premiums occurs without any
change in benefits. Those not protected by the "hold harmless" provision
include higher income beneficiaries subject to an income-adjusted Part B
premium and beneficiaries who become entitled to Part B in 2016.
Beneficiaries whose Medicare Part B premiums are paid by state medical
assistance programs will see no change in their net benefits because the
state will be required to pay any premium increases, should they occur.
But for the relatively few beneficiaries who do not fall within the "hold
harmless" provision, the Medicare Part B premium is increasing to $121.80
in 2016, as calculated in accordance with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015
signed by President Obama on November 2.
Medicare Deductibles and Coinsurance: Medicare Part A coverage
provides hospital insurance to most Social Security beneficiaries. The
coinsurance amount is the hospital charge to a Medicare beneficiary for any
hospital stay. Medicare then pays the hospital charges above the
beneficiary's coinsurance amount.
The Part A hospital inpatient deductible was $1,260 in 2015 and is
increasing to $1,288 in 2016. The coinsurance charged for hospital services
within a benefit period of no longer than sixty days was $0 in 2015. From
the sixty-first day through the ninetieth day, the daily coinsurance amount
was $315 per day in 2015 and will rise slightly to $322 in 2016. Each
Medicare beneficiary has sixty lifetime reserve days that may be used after
a ninety-day benefit period has ended. Once used, these reserve days are no
longer available after any benefit period. The coinsurance amount paid
during each reserve day used in 2015 was $630 and in 2016 will be $644.
Part A of Medicare pays all covered charges for services in a skilled
nursing facility for the first twenty days following a three-day in-
hospital stay within a benefit period. From the twenty-first day through
the one hundredth day in a benefit period, the Part A daily coinsurance
amount for services received in a skilled nursing facility was $157.50 for
2015 and is rising just slightly to $161 in 2016.
Most Social Security beneficiaries have no monthly premium charge for
Medicare Part A coverage. Those who become ineligible for SSDI can continue
to receive Medicare Part A coverage premium-free for at least ninety-three
months after the end of a trial work period. After that time the individual
may purchase Part A coverage. The premium rate for this coverage during
2015 was $407 monthly and will increase to $411 in 2016.
The annual deductible amount for Medicare Part B (medical insurance)
in 2015 was $147 and will rise to $166 in 2016. The Medicare Part B monthly
premium rate for 2015 was $104.90 per month and will not change in 2016 for
those protected by the "hold harmless" provision since there was no COLA
increase as discussed above. For those receiving Social Security benefits,
this premium payment is deducted from your monthly benefit check.
Individuals who remain eligible for Medicare but are not receiving Social
Security benefits due to work activity must directly pay the Part B premium
quarterly-one payment every three months. Like the Part A premiums
mentioned above, Part B is also available for at least ninety-three months
following the trial work period, assuming an individual wishes to have it
and, when not receiving SSDI, continues to make quarterly premium payments.
Programs That Help with Medicare Deductibles and Premiums: Low-income
Medicare beneficiaries may qualify for assistance through four Medicare
Savings Programs. We will discuss three of them here and leave the fourth
one alone because (to qualify for it each year) you must already be on it,
and you know who you are. We begin with the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary
program (QMB) and the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary program
(SLMB). To qualify for the QMB program in 2015, an individual's monthly
income could not exceed $981, and a married couple's monthly income could
not exceed $1,328. To qualify for the SLMB program in 2015, an individual's
monthly income could not exceed $1,197 and a married couple's monthly
income could not exceed $1,613.
Under the QMB program, states are required to pay the Medicare Part A
(Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance) premiums, deductibles,
and coinsurance expenses for Medicare beneficiaries who meet the program's
income and resource requirements. Under the SLMB program states pay only
the full Medicare Part B monthly premium. Eligibility for the SLMB program
may be retroactive for up to three calendar months.
Both the QMB and SLMB programs are administered by the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services in conjunction with the states. The rules
vary from state to state, but the following can be said: As of 2015
resources (such as bank accounts or stocks) could not exceed $7,280 for one
person or $10,930 per couple. The third program, known as the Qualified
Disabled and Working Individuals (QDWI) Program, pays Part A premiums only
and has resource limits of $4,000 for one person and $6,000 for a married
couple. As to these programs, resources are generally things you own.
However, not everything is counted. Examples of things that don't count
include the house you live in, one car, a burial plot (or $1,500 put aside
for burial expenses), and furniture.
If you qualify for assistance under the QMB program, you will not
have to pay the following: Medicare's hospital deductible amount, the daily
coinsurance charges for extended hospital and skilled nursing facility
stays; the Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) premium, the annual Part B
deductible; and the coinsurance for services covered by Medicare Part B,
depending on which doctor you go to (these services include doctor
services, outpatient therapy, and durable medical equipment).
If you qualify for assistance under the SLMB program, you will be
responsible for the payment of all of the items listed above except for the
monthly Part B premium, depending on your circumstances.
If you think you qualify but you have not filed for Medicare Part A,
contact Social Security to find out if you need to file an application.
Further information about filing for Medicare is available from your local
Social Security office or Social Security's toll-free number (800) 772-
1213.
Remember that only your state can decide if you are eligible for help
from the QMB or SLMB program and also that the income and resource levels
listed here are general guidelines, with some states choosing greater
amounts. Therefore, if you are elderly or disabled, have low income and
very limited assets, and are a Medicare beneficiary, contact your state or
local Medicaid office (referred to in some states as the Public Aid Office
or the Public Assistance Office) to apply. For more information about
either program, call the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
on its toll-free number (800) 633-4227, or visit <Medicare.gov>.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: James Gashel]
The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
by James Gashel
From the Editor: James Gashel is secretary of the National Federation
of the Blind and chairs the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee. Here is his
announcement about the 2016 Bolotin Awards program:
The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to announce that
applications are now being accepted for the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards. These
prestigious awards, granted each year as funds permit, recognize
individuals, corporations, organizations, or other entities for outstanding
work of excellence on behalf of the blind in the United States. The public
recognition ceremony will be held during the 2016 annual convention of the
National Federation of the Blind in Orlando, Florida. Each recipient will
be given a cash award in an amount determined by the Dr. Jacob Bolotin
Award Committee and will also be honored with an engraved medallion and
plaque.
Dr. Bolotin was a pioneering blind physician who practiced in the
early twentieth century, and the awards which bear his name are made
possible through the generosity of his late nephew and niece. Their
bequest, the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust, allows the National
Federation of the Blind to recognize and support the most outstanding
individuals and projects working to improve opportunities for blind people
in the United States, consistent with Dr. Bolotin's pioneering example.
As chronicled in his biography, The Blind Doctor by Rosalind Perlman,
Dr. Bolotin fought ignorance and prejudice to gain entrance to medical
school and the medical profession. He became one of the most respected
physicians in Chicago during his career, which spanned the period from 1912
until his death in 1924. He was particularly known for his expertise in
diseases of the heart and lungs. During his successful career Dr. Bolotin
used his many public speaking engagements to advocate for employment of the
blind and the full integration of the blind into society. Interested in
young people in general and blind youth in particular, Dr. Bolotin
established the first Boy Scout troop consisting entirely of blind boys and
served as its leader.
Jacob Bolotin's wife Helen had a sister whose husband died suddenly,
leaving her to raise a son, Alfred Perlman. The Perlmans moved in with the
Bolotins when Alfred was eleven, and for four years (until Jacob Bolotin's
untimely death at age thirty-six), "Uncle Jake" became Alfred's surrogate
father. Alfred later married Rosalind, and the couple worked on a book
about Dr. Bolotin's life. After Alfred's death in 2001, Rosalind dedicated
the rest of her life to completing and publishing the book. Then, upon her
death and as part of her will, Rosalind left a bequest to the Santa Barbara
Foundation and the National Federation of the Blind to produce Dr.
Bolotin's biography and establish the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award program. Her
book, The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story, has been published by and
is available from Blue Point Books <www.BluePointBooks.com>.
Award Description
In 2016 the National Federation of the Blind will again recognize
individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves in
accordance with the criteria established to receive the Dr. Jacob Bolotin
Award. The committee will determine both the number of awards and the value
of each cash award presented. The Federation determines the total amount to
be distributed each year based on income received from the trust supporting
the award program. The award categories for each year are blind
individuals, sighted individuals, and organizations, corporations, or other
entities. Individuals may apply on their own behalf or may submit a third
party nomination, or the committee may also consider other individual or
organizational candidates.
Who Should Apply?
Individuals: Only individuals over eighteen years of age may be
considered for a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award. Applicants must demonstrate that
they have shown substantial initiative and leadership in improving the
lives of the blind. Examples of such initiative include but are not limited
to developing products, technologies, or techniques that increase the
independence of the blind; directing quality programs or agencies for the
blind; or mentoring other blind people. All individual applicants or third-
party applicants nominating other individuals must demonstrate that the
work to be recognized has been conducted within the twelve months preceding
the application and/or that the work is continuing. Applications by or on
behalf of individuals must include at least one letter of recommendation
from a person familiar with or directly affected by the work to be
recognized.
Organizations: Organizations may apply for a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award
in order to further programs, services, technology, or techniques of unique
and outstanding merit that have assisted and will continue to assist the
blind. Applications from third parties nominating an organization will also
be considered. The organization category includes corporations, nonprofit
organizations, or other entities, such as a specific division within an
organization. Organizations or third-party applicants must demonstrate that
the programs or services to be recognized include substantial participation
by blind people as developers, mentors, administrators, or executives, and
not merely as clients, consumers, or beneficiaries. For example, an
organization operating a program for blind youth might demonstrate that a
substantial number of the counselors, teachers, or mentors involved in the
program are blind. The organization or third-party applicant must
demonstrate that it has substantially aided blind people within the twelve
months prior to application and that an award would support efforts to
build on previous successes. The application must also include at least one
testimonial from a blind person who has benefited substantially from the
programs or services.
To qualify for an award both individuals and organizations must be
headquartered in the United States of America, and their work must
primarily benefit the blind of the United States.
Procedures
More information, including an online application, can be found on the
National Federation of the Blind website at <https://www.nfb.org/bolotin-
award-main>.
Online submission of nominations, letters of support, and other
relevant materials is strongly encouraged, but applications sent by mail
and postmarked by the deadline will also be accepted. The 2016 deadline for
application submission is April 15. Recipients chosen by the committee will
be individually notified of their selection no later than May 15. Receipt
of all complete applications will be acknowledged; only those applicants
chosen to receive an award will be contacted by May 15. All decisions of
the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee are final.
The awards will be presented in July during the annual convention of
the National Federation of the Blind. Individuals selected to receive an
award must appear in person, not send a representative. Organizations may
send an individual representative, preferably their chief executive
officer. Recipient candidates must confirm in writing that they will appear
in person to accept the award at the National Federation of the Blind
annual convention. Failure to confirm attendance for the award presentation
by June 1 will result in forfeiture of the award.
Ineligible Persons
Those employed full-time by the National Federation of the Blind may
not apply for a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award for work performed within the scope
of their employment. Students may not apply for both a Dr. Jacob Bolotin
Award and a National Federation of the Blind Scholarship in the same year.
----------
My Adventurous Commute to Work
by Syed Yousufuddin
From the Editor: Syed is a member of the National Federation of the
Blind of Illinois who commutes daily to work. In these commutes he meets
more people than many of us who have limited our transportation to personal
vehicles, hired cars, taxicabs, or paratransit. In this article he explores
the attitudes of those he meets and wrestles with how to deal
constructively with them. Here is his article:
One of the great advantages of a big city like Chicago is the public
transportation. People can get virtually anywhere by using the services of
the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority). As a blind person I don't drive, so I
rely entirely on public transportation for getting from one place to
another.
Surprisingly, I didn't use public transportation to get to and from
work during the first ten years of my employment. My first job was within
walking distance of where I lived. When my office moved to the suburb of
Lincolnwood, my boss arranged a ride for me. Apart from business-related
travel out of state, I worked remotely much of the time. All of that
changed recently when I took a job as a customer care representative for
the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Hospital.
Now that I have become a regular on the CTA buses and trains (and
since I am working I gladly pay full fare), I am trying to get the most out
of my travel experiences. I take two buses and two trains, requiring three
transfers, in order to get to and from work. It's a long and adventurous
commute.
By now I am so used to being blind that I often forget all about it.
I take public transportation to and from work like thousands of other
commuters. What is the big deal? I think I possess good travel skills, and
most of the people who know me agree. The people who travel with me and
watch me every day-my fellow bus-mates and train-mates-should recognize
this, too. They see me every day, and they ought to realize that I do not
need any assistance. But unfortunately a lot of people seem to lack common
sense.
Why does one man (I call him Uncle Joe out of respect) consider it
his responsibility to grab my arm and guide me from the bus to the Brown
Line Station on Western Avenue every morning? Uncle Joe and I ride the same
bus every day. He has been watching me get on the bus independently for the
past two months. Nonetheless, he refuses to realize that I do not need his
assistance. I don't know how to tell Uncle Joe that I am fine. I politely
refused his assistance in the beginning, but he religiously insisted on
helping me. If it makes you happy, Uncle Joe, I am not going to protest.
Uncle Joe sends me off at the entrance to the train station, and from
there I begin my solo journey. After seeing me for just two days, the CTA
employee on duty was smart enough to realize that he didn't need to grab me
and drag me from the turnstile to the platform. Now he greets me every
morning with, "Hey Buddy, how are you?" I like him. I like smart people.
After I climb the stairs or take the escalator, I walk a few meters
along the platform to reach the spot where I need to stand in order to get
on the second car. But I don't walk the platform without some shouts of,
"You're too close to the edge!" and "Stay to your right!" Again, these are
people who watch me every day. Every day they see me use my cane to locate
the edge of the platform and make sure I am safe. Come on, people! I
understand your concern, but stop thinking I'm a misguided missile! I
appreciated their concerns-rather, their shouts-with a smile in the
beginning, but I don't pay attention to them anymore.
Like everybody else, I board the train with ease and find an empty
seat. I have to admit here that it is tricky to find a seat once the train
starts to move. It is hard for me to keep my balance with a cane in one
hand while I'm searching with the other hand for a bar to hold onto. The
key here is to move fast and settle down before the train picks up speed;
otherwise you will end up hugging a stranger or sitting on someone's lap.
I would like to share one incident with you all. One day as I was
riding the Brown Line, the train stopped at a station in the Loop. Some
people got off, and some got on, and the train started to move. What
happened next knocked the living daylights out of me. Out of nowhere, a
beautiful young woman (yes, I have a beauty detector!) crash-landed on my
lap. It was a shock and awe moment! Honey, I know I am irresistible, and I
know you love me, but there is an empty seat right next to me! The whole
mishap lasted only a few seconds, but it was an embarrassing situation for
her-she apologized multiple times. Definitely it was not her fault; she
simply lost her balance, and the people who witnessed the mishap realized
that.
Now reverse the situation. Imagine for a minute that she was in my
place, and I landed on her lap. The reaction would have been totally
different. If a blind person loses his balance, it will become a blindness
issue. "Oh, poor blind guy," people whisper. The whole car sympathizes with
me, though losing balance has nothing to do with blindness.
Okay, let's move on. Let's take the Roosevelt bus. Did you know that
there is a pre-recorded announcement on route twelve? "Blind person
coming!" This announcement starts as soon as I board the bus. The bus
operator makes this announcement, and the front end of the bus echoes it,
amen. I am greeted as a superhuman being. People want to give up their
seats for me. They inquire about my destination. They try to hold my arm
even when I am seated, and they perform all sorts of other antics.
The story continues as I get off the bus and walk toward the Red Line
train at the corner of State and Roosevelt. As I write this article, a
construction project is underway on Roosevelt Road. Construction barriers
stand along the street. It becomes a bit challenging for me to navigate the
barricaded, narrow sidewalks and deal with the arm grabbers at the same
time.
One fine evening, as I was cruising along toward the intersection of
Roosevelt and State, I heard someone call, "Sir, you are running into a
barrier! Come on, hold onto my arm."
I respectfully declined by saying, "Thanks, ma'am, I am fine."
I started walking a little faster, but she was determined to grab me.
I could almost hear the words in my head: "Say what you will, baby, I'm
coming for you!" She literally started running in order to get her hands on
me. "Sir, sir!" she yelled. "Hold on!"
I managed to outrun her by using my cane to good effect and walking
really fast, but she didn't give up. She caught up with me as I was waiting
for the light to change so I could cross the street. "Don't put your life
at risk!" she scolded. "That was dangerous. You almost ran into that
fence."
I smiled and responded, "I told you I will be fine."
One day on that same block, I heard a little boy ask his mother,
"Mom, what is that?"
"It's an aid that helps him to see," his mother responded. I figured
by her response that the little boy was pointing at my cane. Apparently
this woman was educated, and she showed that she had common sense. She was
teaching that common sense to her son.
One evening I decided to take a different route on my way home. I
walked an extra two blocks and boarded the Pink Line train. I found an
empty seat and was trying to get situated, when someone remarked, "You look
very confident with your cane."
I turned my head and thanked the woman who was standing next to my
seat. She extended her hand and introduced herself to me. "I am Jackie,"
she said.
Interestingly, it turned out that Jackie also works for the UIC
Hospital. She told me that she knows some other blind people, but they lack
confidence. She was floored to see me so confident in my cane technique. I
explained to her that, with proper training and opportunities, blindness
can be reduced to the level of a nuisance.
As we talked another woman chimed in, "You are brave."
I couldn't agree with her more! Do I sound conceited? "Yes, ma'am," I
replied, "and fortune favors the brave." They both concurred as I
disembarked from the train.
We are indeed changing what it means to be blind, especially when it
comes to training. I am fortunate that I went to BLIND Inc., the NFB
training center in Minneapolis, where I gained my blindness skills. I
stayed there for only six months, but those six months changed my life. We
are changing, but a vast majority of the blind community is not. One
example of a person without skills and confidence becomes the norm for the
public and tarnishes the image of what blind people really can do. I feel
bad whenever a paratransit driver drags a blind person into his car. I want
to go and liberate that helpless blind individual. I am willing to liberate
him, but first he needs to stand up for himself.
I see an urgent need for us to undertake more educational/awareness
projects. We in the NFB have been on the frontline when it comes to
educating sighted people, but I believe it is equally important for us to
educate our fellow blind. We need to help them understand that blindness is
not the characteristic that defines you or your future, and that blindness
should not hold you back. You can live the life you want.
Oh, did I tell you that I got a speeding ticket for walking fast at
my workplace? And I had a cup of coffee in one hand! No way!
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Edward Bell]
The 2016 Blind Educator of the Year Award
by Edward Bell
>From the Editor: Dr. Edward Bell is an experienced educator in his own
right. He was named Blind Educator of the Year in 2008. He chairs the 2016
Blind Educator of the Year Award Selection Committee. This is what he says:
A number of years ago the Blind Educator of the Year Award was
established by the National Organization of Blind Educators (the educators
division of the National Federation of the Blind) to pay tribute to a blind
teacher whose exceptional classroom performance, notable community service,
and uncommon commitment to the NFB merit national recognition. Beginning
with the 1991 presentation, this award became an honor bestowed by our
entire movement. The change reflects our recognition of the importance of
good teaching and the impact an outstanding blind teacher has on students,
faculty, community, and all blind Americans.
This award is presented in the spirit of the outstanding educators
who founded and have continued to nurture the National Federation of the
Blind and who, by example, have imparted knowledge of our strengths to us
and raised our expectations. We have learned from Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, Dr.
Kenneth Jernigan, and Immediate Past President Marc Maurer that a teacher
not only provides a student with information but also provides guidance,
advocacy, and love. The recipient of the Blind Educator of the Year Award
must exhibit all of these traits and must advance the cause of blind people
in the spirit and philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind.
The Blind Educator of the Year Award is presented at the annual
convention of the National Federation of the Blind. Honorees must be
present to receive an appropriately inscribed plaque and a check for
$1,000.
Nominations should be sent to Dr. Edward Bell, director, PDRIB, by
email at <ebell at latech.edu>, or post mail to PDRIB, Louisiana Tech
University, P.O. Box 3158, Ruston, LA 71272. Letters of nomination must be
accompanied by a copy of the nominee's current résumé and supporting
documentation of community and Federation activity. All nomination
materials must be in the hands of the committee chairman by May 1, 2016, to
be considered for this year's award. For further information contact Edward
Bell at (318) 257-4554, or <ebell at latech.edu>.
----------
Ladder Desk-A Creation Story
by Joe Schissler
From the Editor: Joe is a member of the National Federation of the
Blind of Maryland and actively participates in the activities of the
Central Maryland Chapter. He is a former student at Blind Industries and
Services of Maryland and a senior citizen who retired after a productive
life of forty-one years from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory in Howard County, Maryland. There he worked on the Navy's
Tomahawk Weapon System. He became blind after a bicycle accident, but it is
clear that his motivation and creativity were not diminished by it.
In the National Federation of the Blind we are always encouraging
blind people to expand their horizons and to take on tasks that go beyond
the traditional roles usually assigned to us. Woodworking is one of the
things we teach at our NFB training centers, but seldom do we get articles
that discuss the way in which complicated projects are done, the specific
challenges we have as blind people in doing them, and how the end product
fares in competition with things built by people with sight.
In this article Joe provides enough detail to show every challenge he
faced, how he met it, and the results of his work. We have tried to include
many of the pictures Joe has provided, but the appendices are so detailed
that we have decided to provide them only to those who write requesting the
full article. If you wish to try building the desk or want more detail than
we provide here, please write to me at <gwunder at nfb.org>. Here is the
article. Enjoy!
This is the story of the creation of a desk that I built for my
daughter Erika. I am writing this to show others, both blind and sighted,
that it is possible to safely build a fairly complex piece of wood
furniture without seeing what you're doing. I also want to leave a record
of how I did it, in case anyone in my family cares a few years from now. (I
probably will have forgotten by then.)
I have been doing amateur woodworking for most of my adult life, and
when I totally lost my vision in February 2009, I thought that hobby was
over. My basement workshop sat idle for about three years. Then I enrolled
in a rehab program for seniors who have lost or are in the process of
losing their vision. This program is run at Blind Industries and Services
of Maryland (BISM), where they have, among many other things, a full-blown
woodworking workshop equipped with all the professional power tools and
equipment anyone would want, most of which I do not have at home but
learned to use. I quickly realized that I can continue my woodworking
hobby.
My first project at BISM was a small decorative table, which I built
there and in my shop at home. It was also the first project I ever built
using only hardwoods. It won a first-place ribbon at the Howard County Fair
in 2014. This confirmed my belief about continuing my woodworking. Erika
and my wife Eleanor helped me clean up and reorganize my workshop, and I
have been in there almost every day since.
After the fair in 2014 I asked myself what I was going to build next.
Then Erika asked me to build a ladder desk for her. My response was, "Okay,
but what's a ladder desk?" Erika had seen a ladder desk somewhere before
and was able to describe it in general terms, and apparently the internet
has lots of photos of them. Of course I couldn't see them, but she and
Eleanor talked me through the general characteristics. I now describe a
ladder desk, which resembles a step ladder with the steps being replaced by
shelves and the main shelf being the working surface of the desk. The back
legs are vertical rather than slanted as in a stepladder, so the frame of
the desk consists of two triangles, one on each side, and the shelves are
supported by the frame. In our initial discussions Erika asked that it be
made of cherry and maple and finished with tung oil and paste wax.
With this understanding I asked her to do the basic design of what
she wanted, and I suggested that she sketch it out to get a feel for the
proportions that she thought were correct. She responded by drawing the
desk and defining the height, width, the number of shelves, and where they
would be placed. She also explained the sizes of wood to be used. She
emailed me a preliminary set of measurements, which we discussed and
refined. The result of all this was a final design that is very similar to
her first definition but had many minor modifications. I do not mean to
imply that this was a quick process. The whole thing took place over
several months, and the design was not really settled until the project was
complete, as has been the case for all my woodworking projects.
As the building progressed I found I had to figure out how I was
going to accomplish each step in construction and finishing. And, since I
am totally blind, I frequently had to find new ways to do things. This is
not a complaint, because this is the part of woodworking that I enjoy the
most, although I have to admit that the challenges are a little greater now
that I have to do things without seeing what I'm doing.
Foremost amongst the issues I was faced with, the fifteen-degree
angle that permeates the design was the most interesting. This reminded me
of mathematics that I hadn't thought about much since high school. I found
myself using algebra, geometry, and trigonometry to work out some of the
design issues and cuts that had to be made. Many decisions as to the
construction details were made during December. Among other things I had
some concerns about constructing the fifteen-degree angle. In addition I
had made the decision to use edge-to-edge joints at the top where the
vertical and diagonal frame members meet and overlapping joints where the
frame members meet at the bottom. An overlapping joint involves removing
one-half of the thickness of each board to be joined so that the two boards
fit together perfectly. In referring to several woodworking books that I
have in my library, there seemed to be no real consistency as to the names
for these overlapping joints. I've seen both "cross lap" and "end lap"
used, depending on where the joints fall on the boards. So I will just call
them lap joints. At the bottom, the two lap joints between the vertical and
horizontal frame members are ninety-degree angles, but the two lap joints
between the diagonal and horizontal members are seventy-five degrees.
So I made test cuts using some old three-quarter-inch pine boards
that I had in my shop. My wife helped with the first cut, which cut a wedge-
shaped piece at the top of the board that simulated the vertical frame
member. We used a woodworking protractor that I had, and she sighted along
it to get as close to fifteen degrees as she could, and I made the cut. I
verified the angle using the trigonometry described in Appendix A at the
end of this paper. I also realized that I could have used trig to make the
first cut without any help. I remembered some geometry that said that that
wedge could be used to set any later fifteen- or seventy-five-degree cuts.
These test cuts turned out perfectly and are shown in the photos below. For
better understanding, the first two photos show the cuts unassembled, and
the third photo shows the bottom joints assembled. They are shown as viewed
from the left side as seen facing the desk so that the front of the desk is
on the right and the wall is on the left.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Test frame top joint-open]
[PHOTO CAPTION: Test frame bottom joints-open]
[PHOTO CAPTION: Test frame bottom joints-closed]
As I started construction the desk design looked like this: the frame
consists of three boards on each side. Each board is one inch thick by
three inches wide. On each side the vertical board is sixty-four inches
long, the horizontal board is about twenty inches long, and the diagonal
board is about sixty-seven inches long. The horizontal board is joined to
the other two using lap joints, and the vertical and diagonal boards are
joined edge-to-edge at the top and may use a screw from the back. The angle
used for all the angular joints is about fifteen degrees.
All shelves are twenty-four inches long by three-quarter inches thick
and are joined to the frame using three-eighths or one-half-inch deep
dadoes. The top two shelves should extend to the outside edge of the
diagonal frame member and be beveled to the correct angle to be flush. All
shelves will have a two-inch high backstop. The top shelf is about four-and-
a-half inches deep, and the bottom of the top shelf is six inches from the
top of the frame. The second shelf is about seven-and-a-half inches deep,
and the bottom of the second shelf is seventeen inches from the top of the
frame. The desktop (shelf) is about twenty inches deep, and the bottom of
the desk is thirty-five inches from the top of the frame.
The desk dimensions are twenty-four inches wide by twenty inches
deep, but there will be a three-inch border of a wood different from the
center. So the inner square dimensions are eighteen-by-fourteen. At this
point the details of the desktop remained to be determined.
The horizontal frame member will be joined to the other members a
couple of inches above the floor. This will make the bottom of the vertical
and diagonal members the legs of the desk. A brace will join the bottoms of
the two vertical frame members at the back for stability. It will be three
inches by three-quarter inches by twenty-four inches and will be joined
using three-eighth-inch mortice and tenons. In addition, I also saw the
need for a cross brace at the bottom rear of the desk; this will provide
more lateral stability. The details of this were to be determined later.
The above is a good description of the desk at this point in the
process. The major change was in the thickness of the boards that composed
the frame. I recommended increasing them to one inch from the three-quarter-
inch. Cross bracing was added for better stability, and some of the joinery
details changed.
Next came the calculation of the lumber needed and the actual
purchase at Exotic Lumber in Annapolis, Maryland. Both Erika and Eleanor
joined me in making that purchase. The following is a list of the material
we wanted to buy. What we did buy changed based on the reality of what they
had available at the time. For clarity it is noted here that the thickness
of the rough boards purchased are expressed in increments of fourth of an
inch; this is described in detail in Appendix B.
For the frame we needed to buy three six-and-a-half-foot rough cherry
boards. Two are about seven or eight inches wide, and one is about four or
five inches wide, either five-quarter or six-quarter inches thick. For the
shelves and such, and assuming eight-inch widths, we needed four cherry
short boards, which are six or seven feet long and four inches thick. We
also needed to look at what they had available to do the design for the
desk shelf, either soft maple or exotics in one quarter thickness or
something else. For those readers who are not familiar with but are
interested in the details of how to buy wood for woodworking projects, I
have incorporated some of these details in Appendix B at the end of this
paper.
Although we had been there before to see what they had and how it
worked, we finally made the buying trip to Exotic Lumber on January 2,
2015. Using Erika's initial specification and the modifications we agreed
to, the final list of the boards we needed for construction follows.
The frame required five six-and-a-half-foot pieces of cherry, each
three inches wide and one inch thick. Four pieces would be used for the
vertical and diagonal members of the frame, and one would be used for the
two horizontal members. The rough boards should be five-quarter cherry six
feet long. These will be planed to one inch and ripped into five three-inch
wide boards. The shelves, including the desktop, the backstops, and brace
at the bottom are all three-quarter-inch cherry. These can come from
several of the four-quarter rough cherry "shorts," which are six feet long.
We needed a total width of at least forty-two inches of thirty-six-inch
long boards, all three-quarter inches thick. This would determine the
number of cherry shorts we should buy.
At the lumber yard we found that the five-quarter cherry boards were
not to my liking, so I asked to look at the six-quarter boards. These were
very nice, so I paid a little extra for the better boards. My original plan
was to buy these rough boards and take them to BISM to plane and rip them
myself. Then I accidently found that Exotic Lumber would do all the planing
and ripping for me at a cost of $25 for all the boards-both the six-
quarters and the four-quarters. It would have cost me that much just to get
the boards to BISM, and then there is all the time and effort to do the
work, while the lumber yard could do it while we waited. So we came home
with six six-foot boards planed to three-quarter-inch and various widths,
mostly five and six inches wide. And six pieces of three-inch-by-one-inch
by six foot boards, all cherry.
The only fly in this ointment was that Exotic Lumber's planer had a
couple of slight chips in the blade. I didn't notice it at the time, but
when we got the boards home, I found a couple of slight ridges running the
length of each board. They all had to be sanded smooth. This wasn't hard to
do, but it took a fair amount of time.
Erika also requested a decorative inlay of maple on the desk surface
itself. We purchased a half-inch thick piece of hard maple that was about
four feet long and four inches wide for this purpose. It turned out in the
end that I couldn't figure out how to use it in a pleasing way for this
project, so it has been used to good effect in a jewelry box I recently
made for my granddaughter Kailey. So my wife and I later returned to Exotic
Lumber for a rough board of soft maple, which they planed to three-quarter
inch. Its use will be described later.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Hard maple repurposed into a jewelry box.]
The first step in construction, after sanding both the three-quarter-
and one-inch boards, was to cut and build the two frames. Before proceeding
with this description let me give a brief overview of the tools I have in
my basement workshop, which is shown in the photo below.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Joe in his (slightly messy) home workshop.]
The shop includes a ten-inch, two-horsepower Craftsman radial arm saw
that is at least thirty-five years old; a small, portable ten-inch table
saw that is fairly new; a six-inch band saw several years old; a three-
eighth-inch power hand drill that I bought in 1970; several kinds of
sanders; and numerous hand tools including many chisels, rulers, and clamps
of various sizes. I also have a very nice, sturdy and fairly large
workbench with a good wood vise. The only saw I used for this desk was the
radial arm saw. For a discussion of the three power saws I own and their
attributes and pros and cons, see Appendix C at the end of this paper.
One of the key tools for my projects since I lost my sight is a Click-
Rule. It allows me to make measurements accurate to one-sixteenth of an
inch and one-thirty-second if I try hard. I used it for almost all the
measurements for this project. I purchased one from the Independence Market
at the National Federation of the Blind in Baltimore. It is the only tool
that I use that is designed specifically for use by blind woodworkers; all
my other tools are of standard design for general use.
The Click-Rule has tactile markings to enable blind users to tell
where a moveable shaft is set. Moving the shaft in or out makes a clicking
sound-hence the name. One click represents a movement of one-sixteenth
inch. My Click-Rule is shown in the photo below-with the movable shaft
extended two inches of a maximum extension of six inches. The Click-Rule as
shown can measure from one-sixteenth of an inch up to one foot, but it
comes with three twelve-inch extension rods to expand its capability to
four feet. The leading edges of the two flanges are exactly six inches
apart, so the ruler as shown is set to measure either two inches or eight
inches, depending on which flange is used for the measurement. And the
flanges are each exactly one-quarter-inch thick, which can be used to
accurately position cuts. (See the discussion on cutting dadoes later in
this paper.) I found this to be tricky, and I made a few errors at first. I
still have to think carefully to get it right.
[PHOTO CAPTION: The Click-Rule]
For approximate measurements I sometimes used a wooden folding rule.
I know how long it is for any number of open segments, and I could get
within a few inches with that. I also cut several strips of wood to lengths
that I frequently had to measure, in particular the twenty-five inches for
the distance between the two frames.
[PHOTO CAPTION: The cherry wedge]
The very first cut for the desk was at the top of the first vertical
frame member, using the aforementioned pine wedge to set the angle, and the
resultant cherry wedge is shown in the photo below. This was used for the
second vertical member and for all subsequent angular cuts. This was done
for consistency. Using this wedge often required thought, creativity, and
experimentation to get the required angular cut. I had to use the radial
arm saw's fence, which runs perpendicular to the saw blade, and/or a right
angle square to create a fence parallel to the blade. Then I used the wedge
to get the desired angle.
Another problem that had to be solved was how to make a cut on the
end of a six-foot-long board using a radial arm saw with a three-foot wide
table. The end not being cut had to be supported, and I don't have any sky
hooks in my shop. Nor do I have any of the adjustable supports made for
this purpose. These have a height-adjustable roller so the board can be
supported and moved, but they aren't cheap. So I made a substitute using a
stepladder, a support that fits over one of the steps, and some of my
wife's sewing magazines to adjust the final height to the height of the
radial arm saw's table. One end of the board sits on the saw's table, and
the other sits on the jury-rigged stepladder-problem solved. It's crude,
but it works. I used this device many times in building this desk. Again,
this is a part of woodworking that I really enjoy.
As described above, the first two cuts for the desk were to create
the angled surfaces at the top of the two vertical frame members. Later,
these angled surfaces would be glued (and screwed) to the top edges of the
diagonal members. Then one of the uncut six-foot one-inch cherry boards was
cut in half to become the two horizontal frame members. At this point, all
these boards were cut longer than required to allow for mistakes and "final
tuning."
Next came the four lap joints that would join the two horizontal
frame members to the vertical and diagonal members. This required removing
one-half-inch thickness from each board involved in each joint. There are
four joints, so there were eight areas where wood had to be removed to a
depth of one-half inch, and each area was about three inches wide.
In woodworking terms, a dado cuts across the grain of a board, so all
these lap joints require making dadoes, while a groove is a cut that runs
along the board. There are circular saw blades for just this purpose called
dado blades. They consist of multiple blades that can be stacked together
to make a wider cut on each pass. In Appendix D I have included many
details about dado blades and making dadoes, including ensuring their
accurate placement on the board.
There is an old and very true saying in woodworking: measure twice
and cut once. For all my recent work I always expand this saying to include
the setup for the cut and I increase the "twice" to three or four times.
For all woodworkers, and particularly for the blind woodworker who can't
see what he or she is doing, the setup must include the placement and any
needed movement of hands. I am right-handed, and I usually used my left
hand to hold the wood and my right to pull the saw blade, and I always made
very sure that my left hand was not where the blade was going to go. Making
one wrong cut can lead to one or both of two results: one can remove
fingers, and the other will lead to lots of extra work to either fix the
piece or do it again.
Next came the gluing and screwing required to assemble the two
frames. For each frame the first joint that had to be done was the one at
the top-the edge-to-edge gluing of the top of the vertical and diagonal
pieces. Because of the fifteen-degree angle at the top of the vertical
piece, the problem here is that there were no parallel sides to make a good
clamp that would not slip as tension was applied. This was exacerbated by
the fact that liquid glue is actually a lubricant until it sets up, and the
joint has to be held motionless until that happens. I used Elmer's
Carpenter's Wood Glue throughout this project. In many of the joints I also
used either wax paper or plastic wrap to protect surfaces I did not want to
get glue on.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Upper frame joint with screw]
To glue this joint I decided to use a single screw to hold the two
pieces together until the glue was completely dry. I used a large wood
screw about four inches long, and I drilled holes from the back through the
vertical member into the diagonal front member, such that, once the glue
was applied, the screw would pull the joint together as it was tightened.
Once the screw was in place, I was able to apply pressure over the length
of the joint. This same procedure was used on both frames, and in the end I
decided to leave the screws in place. These screws are the only metal
objects in the desk. In trying to countersink the screws, I inadvertently
chiseled a gouge around the head of one screw. I was told that the county
fair judges took points off for this.
Once these joints were done-and I was mildly surprised that the
joints were solid and the angles of the two frames were virtually identical-
the horizontal member had to be attached near the bottom of the vertical
and diagonal pieces. I left one inch of these pieces extended to become the
legs of the desk. Also, the lap joints at the back had to allow for the
brace board to fit into that joint along with the horizontal frame member.
It was in making these lap joints that I made a somewhat serious mistake. I
failed to get one of the angular dadoes in the correct place. I missed by
about a quarter inch. This led to making the dado wider on one side and
filling in the gap with a slice of cherry on the other. I did it the best I
could, and after the sanding, it didn't look (feel) too bad. If you are not
looking for it, you might not notice it. However, the judges at the county
fair did see it, and this, together with the aforementioned gouge around
one of the screws, may have cost me a first-place ribbon.
At the same time I was working on the frame, I was also cutting
several pieces of three-quarter-inch cherry, each about thirty inches long.
These were for the two top shelves, the three backstops, and the braces at
the bottom in the rear. The boards for each shelf were edge-glued to
appropriate widths, sanded smooth, and set aside for later use. The only
noteworthy issue with the shelves was the actual gluing. This required
applying the glue to both edges of each board and clamping them together so
as to minimize the sanding required. I have done this many times before,
but I had never had to glue boards this long when I couldn't see what I was
doing. It had to be done by feel and fairly quickly. This initially led to
much glue on my fingers, but I figured it out without too much mess.
Once the frames were complete and sanded, dadoes had to be made in
the inside edges of the vertical and diagonal members to slide the shelves
into. These dadoes were three-quarter-inch wide and about three-eighths-
inch deep. While different from the original specification, my plan at this
point was to make the width of the desk twenty-seven inches as measured
from the outsides of the frame. This made the width as measured between the
frames twenty-five inches. (This choice would turn out to be fortunate, as
will be seen later.) Of course, the dadoes had to be at the correct height,
as specified in the desk descriptions above, and the dadoes had to be
aligned so that the shelves would be level when the desk is upright. The
last point was easy since the dadoes could be cut in both the front and
back members at the same time, with the vertical frame member against the
fence on the radial arm saw. This is another situation in which I could
have used sky hooks, but I had to use my jury-rigged stepladder to support
the end of the frame. The only problem here was that the dadoes had to be
on the correct side of the frame, and this required putting the stepladder
on different sides of the saw for each frame-not hard to do, but it took a
while to get it set up right.
What has not been discussed yet is the third shelf-the working
surface of the desk. This is the twenty-inch deep shelf that Erika wanted
to be a decorative desktop, one that has a pattern of maple incorporated
into the cherry. We tried many variations using the hard maple that we
bought on our first trip to Exotic Lumber. These included cutting the maple
into rectangles that could be pleasingly inlayed in a solid cherry surface.
To make a long story shorter, none of us could come up with a design that
made anyone happy, and I had reservations about doing inlays since I don't
have a router that I would trust to remove one-half-inch of the cherry so
that the maple pieces would fit tightly. I also did some research on the
hardness of hard maple versus cherry. I was concerned about having to sand
the finished surface and the problem that might result using two woods with
very different hardnesses. (See Appendix B for a discussion of the Janka
hardness scale.)
So we did a reset and looked for other ideas. Erika was busy at the
time with her job and said "surprise me." I had decided that soft maple
would be a much better hardness match with the cherry, and my wife and I
made another trip to the lumberyard. We bought a piece of rough four-
quarter soft maple that they planed to three-quarters inch.
Then Eleanor came up with the idea that is reflected in the final
product. We talked through it and, when we visited her sister Rosalie in
Jupiter, Florida, in late February and early March, I sat down with Rosalie
to make a scale drawing of the pattern so we could see what it would look
like. With my help Rosalie was able to do it using PowerPoint software, and
we all liked it.
Then, the next challenge was to build it, and I wasn't sure if I
could do it. It required a lot of cutting thin strips of both maple and
cherry and lots of gluing and trimming and sanding. And I had to keep the
maple separate from the cherry.
I first calculated the appropriate sizes of each piece and started
from the center and worked out. The rectangle of maple was easy. Then I
built the cherry surrounding it: four strips of cherry glued on one at a
time. I glued the first strip, cut and sanded it to length, then repeated
it three more times until the cherry ring was complete. Repeat for the
maple ring. Then the result had to be surrounded by wider pieces of cherry,
and the width of each piece had to be carefully calculated to ensure that
the final desktop was exactly twenty inches deep by the twenty-five-and-
three-quarter inches wide required to fit in the frame's dadoes. The final
step was to sand the whole thing and make sure it was both smooth and flat.
The result is shown in the photo.
[PHOTO CAPTION: The resulting desk top]
Next came the assembly of the desk. This took a long time and was
rather frustrating, but it was fun because it took a lot of imagination and
figuring things out. I started this process without any glue, a technique
called dry-fitting. I was dealing with the two very large frames, three
shelves, and a lot of smaller pieces. During these many dry runs, I felt
like I needed several extra hands. But, after much trial and error and the
use of several measuring sticks and clamps, I was able to figure it out.
All these pieces had to fit together and in a very specific order. If
the order wasn't right, I could get to a point where I could not fit in a
piece, and that would be a huge problem once I got to the point of actually
using glue. I can't count the number of times I put it together and took it
apart. These dry runs were rehearsals to get the order of assembly correct
and to do a lot of fine-tuning of the individual pieces. I did all this
with the desk lying down-sometimes on its back and sometimes on its front.
On its back, it was easier to fit the shelves, and on its front, it was
easier to work on the braces that fit on the back.
The only part that hasn't yet been discussed is the cross brace that
provides lateral stability. This was done by using two pieces of three-
quarter-inch cherry that fit in an x-shape between the frame members on the
sides and the bottom of the third shelf (the desktop) and the top of the
horizontal brace that fit in the dadoes that also held the horizontal frame
members. It turned out that that rectangle was actually a perfect square-
twenty-five inches by twenty-five inches. This made the construction of the
lap joint easy; the two pieces crossed in the middle of each, and the angle
was exactly ninety degrees. These pieces were added last, and I was
concerned about how tightly they would fit, which was important for the
stability of the desk. But they went in very tightly, to the point that I
did not use any glue in the lap joint itself. The result as installed is
shown below.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Cross brace, bottom rear]
As an afterthought, I used some of the leftover maple and cherry to
make two desk accessories: a small, tall box to store narrow and long
objects, such as pencils and pens, and a small, shallow box for other desk-
related accessories, such as paper clips, erasers, etc. These small boxes
required the use of thin pieces of wood, and this allowed me to explore the
world of resawing. Resawing is a technique of cutting a thick board into
thinner boards; in this case cutting a three-quarter-inch thick board into
two one-quarter-inch thick boards. This is usually done using a band saw,
and I have one in my shop. I had used one at BISM for this purpose with
less than satisfactory results, but I had no trouble using mine at home. I
used the resulting pieces to construct the two boxes shown in the photo
below.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Small desk accessories]
Now the desk construction and assembly was complete, and the last
step was to apply several coats of tung oil and two coats of paste wax.
Erika had specified both, and I had done some of each on my previous
project, the small table. But this was a much larger task. At BISM I had
used the easily available product called Tung Oil Finish before, but I
wanted to do some research to find out if that was the best thing to use.
It turns out that this product is not really tung oil. It may contain
a small amount of tung oil or it may not, but the rest is chemicals that
are added to speed up the drying time. On the other hand, pure tung oil is
a natural product that comes from the seeds of the tung tree, which is
found only in China and in some areas of South America. It is a nontoxic
vegetable oil and can be used on surfaces that are used for food
preparation. It cures rather than dries over time to bring out lots of rich
color and grain patterns that my wife says makes the wood "pop!" It does
take a long time for each coat to cure before applying the next coat. It is
rather expensive and cannot be found in any hardware store, but my favorite
woodworking supplier, Lee Valley, carries pure tung oil, so I bought some.
Before starting to apply the oil, I spent some time raising the
grain. If this is not done, some bad things can happen, as was the case for
the first top I built and finished for the small table. I had perfectly
sanded the glued-up top and followed that with tung oil and wax, just as I
was instructed to do at BISM. A couple of days later, I noticed with much
dismay that I could feel the seams of the top's surface. For several months
nobody could explain what had happened. I ended up making a completely new
top.
When I read the directions for the pure tung oil, they reminded me
that the oil will raise the grain if it is not already done. I knew this
but had forgotten it. It turns out that a wood surface will become slightly
rough if it gets wet. The water causes the grain of the wood to stand up,
and it has to be sanded again to get it smooth. Later applications of water
will not affect it nearly as much, and one time is usually enough. The
technique is simply to use a fairly wet sponge (you really can't get it too
wet) to wipe all the wood surfaces, let them dry, and sand. When I used the
wet sponge on the desk, I was surprised to find that the tiny ridges from
the chip in the lumber store's planing saw reappeared-not as much as
before, but it was pretty noticeable, especially on the desk frame. So I
had to resand all those surfaces. Then I raised the grain again, and sanded
again, just to be sure.
Once all that was done, I used a small pump-style plastic bottle to
help in the application of the tung oil. This was the first large piece of
furniture that I had the pleasure of putting pure tung oil on. The oil
actually smells rather nice; even my wife agreed. And there are no warnings
about ventilation, as exist with many other finishing products. I simply
pumped a small amount onto my fingertips and rubbed it on, spreading it out
as far as I could, which wasn't far for each pump. I then spent a few
seconds rubbing it in. The pump bottle made this task much easier than it
would have been without it, and I soon got the hang of it. It took about
ninety minutes for each coat. I did a reasonable area (about one-fourth of
the project), then went back to wipe off the excess, and continued until
that coat was done. Then I came back about an hour later and wiped again to
get up any resurfaced excess. Note that tung oil is an oil, and rags that
get damp from wiping off any excess oil should be properly handled. They
are susceptible to spontaneous combustion and should be spread out to dry
and disposed of properly.
I found no consistent directions as to how long to wait between
applications and how many coats to apply. I waited at least three days for
each coat to cure and put three coats on the frame and four on the shelves.
The Lee Valley directions recommended up to ten coats on surfaces such as
the top of a desk, but it gave no explanation of what the value of this
many coats is. No one said anything about putting furniture paste wax over
tung oil, but I did it.
The final result is shown in the two photos below. Erika saw her desk
for the first time at the Howard County Fair, and I believe she was
surprised.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Front view of finished desk with accessories and a second
place ribbon.]
[PHOTO CAPTION: Side view of finished desk.]
Now this project and story are finished, but the life of the desk has
just begun, and the benefits in my life and in the expanded vision of what
I can do will extend far beyond the pages of this article.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Carla McQuillan]
The 2016 Distinguished Educator of Blind Students Award
by Carla McQuillan
From the Editor: Carla McQuillan is the president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Oregon, a former board member of the national
organization, and the owner and executive director of Main Street
Montessori Association, operating three Montessori schools. Most recently
she has accepted an appointment as the chairman of the Distinguished
Educator of Blind Students Award Committee. Here is the announcement she
has written, seeking applications for the 2016 award:
The National Federation of the Blind will recognize an outstanding
teacher of blind students at our 2016 annual convention, June 30 through
July 5, in Orlando, Florida. The winner of this award will receive the
following:
* An expense paid trip to attend the convention
* A check for $1,000
* A commemorative plaque
* A place on the agenda of the annual meeting of the National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children to make a presentation
regarding the education of blind children, and
* The opportunity to attend seminars and workshops that address the
current state of education of blind students, as well as a chance to
meet and network with hundreds of blind individuals, teachers,
parents, and other professionals in the field.
The education of blind children is one of the National Federation of
the Blind's highest priorities. We are committed to offering and supporting
programs that enhance educational opportunities for this group. Please help
us recognize dedicated and innovative teachers who provide quality
education and meaningful experiences and opportunities for their blind
students.
Q: Who is eligible for this award?
A: Anyone who is currently a teacher, counselor, or the administrator
of programs for blind students.
Q: Does an applicant have to be a member of the National Federation
of the Blind?
A: No, but attending the national convention in Orlando is required.
Q: Can I nominate someone else for this award?
A: Yes. Applicants can be nominated by colleagues, parents,
supervisors, or friends who have first-hand knowledge of the
individuals work with blind students.
Q: How would I apply?
A: You can fill out the application at the end of this article or
find it on our website at www.nfb.org.
Q: What is the deadline to submit an application or make a
nomination?
A: All applications must be received no later than May 1, 2016.
Please complete the application and attach the required documents
specified in the application. If you have questions, contact Carla
McQuillan at (541) 653-9153.
National Federation of the Blind
Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award
2016 Application
Deadline: May 1, 2016
Name: _______________________________________________________
Home address: _________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________
Phone: (H) ____________________ (W) ____________________________
Email: ______________________________________________________
School: ______________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________
Use a separate sheet of paper to answer the following:
. List your degrees, the institutions from which they were
received, and your major area or areas of study.
. How long and in what programs have you worked with blind
children?
. In what setting do you currently work?
. Briefly describe your current job and teaching responsibilities.
. Describe your current caseload (e.g., number of students, ages,
multiple disabilities, number of Braille-reading students).
Email is strongly encouraged for transmitting nominations; letters of
support and other relevant materials should be included as attachments.
Applications sent by mail and postmarked by the deadline will also be
accepted. Send all material by May 1, 2016, to Carla McQuillan,
Chairperson, Teacher Award Committee, <president at nfb-oregon.org> or by mail
to 5005 Main Street, Springfield, OR 97478; (541) 653-9153.
----------
Recipes
As a special holiday treat, the Monitor put out a call on the Nfbnet-
members-list for holiday recipes. And the members responded with a variety
of the most delicious recipes, from the classic and traditional holiday
favorites, to more unusual choices for holiday fare, from breakfast to
dessert. But whether you're celebrating Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Yule,
Solstice, or just having friends and family together, you're sure to find
something to tickle your taste buds in these amazing recipes.
Breakfast Delight
by Yvonne Garris, Pennsylvania
Yvonne tells us why this is her favorite holiday recipe: "My mom use
to always make this for Christmas morning, and now I make it. Since you
make it the night before you have a stress-free Christmas morning with
breakfast in the oven. It makes me think of my mom and makes Christmas a
little warmer."
Ingredients:
1 loaf of bread, cut into cubes
1/2 pound shredded cheddar cheese
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled (cubed ham or sausage work as well)
12 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 stick butter, melted
Method: in a nine-by-thirteen-inch pan layer half of the bread,
cheese, and meat. Repeat layers. In mixing bowl beat eggs together with
butter and milk, adding salt and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture over
layers in pan. Set pan in refrigerator to sit overnight. In the morning
preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove pan from refrigerator, cover with
aluminum foil. Bake covered for fifty minutes, remove cover, bake
additional ten minutes.
----------
Stuffed French Bread Casserole
by Linda Coccovizzo, Missouri
Linda says: "I've been doing Christmas at my house for the last seven
or eight years, playing Mama Santa. I do everything I can to make sure
there is either a present under the tree or a stocking for anyone there,
especially if you're a kid. Sometimes I have people in early, and there is
a need to put together a large breakfast. This is an overnight, quick, but
awesome dish that will have your family and friends convinced you are the
bomb in the kitchen!"
Ingredients:
20 slices French bread (one-inch thick)
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
12 eggs
2 cups milk
Method: Arrange ten slices of bread in a thirteen-by-nine-inch baking
dish coated with cooking spray. Spread each slice with cream cheese. Top
with remaining bread. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together;
pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator thirty minutes before baking, preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until top is
lightly browned.
You can use flavored cream cheese or flavor it yourself with fresh
strawberries or preserves. You can go the fat free or sugar free route if
you like. Add flavoring to your egg mixture with maple syrup or cinnamon
and sugar and maple extract. Leave the cream cheese plain and top with
preserves, syrup, or whatever fits your fancy. Change it up however you
want. I serve this with ham steaks for a quick, easy breakfast for a crowd.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Una Lau]
Egg Drop Soup
by Una Lau, Texas
Una has this to say about her holiday recipe, "My father was a
professional chef from China. We owned Chinese restaurants, and he gave me
his recipe, which is a favorite among my friends when they come over for
dinner."
Ingredients:
1 can of premium chicken broth
1 can of premium cream corn (has to be creamy)
1 cup cubed pork or ground pork
Green onions, minced (optional)
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Salt to taste
1 egg
Oil to cook meat (Canola, peanut, or non-extra-virgin olive oil all work
well)
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Method: Season cubed pork with salt, sugar, soy sauce and cornstarch.
This is a traditional Chinese seasoning method: get one pork chop and slice
into strips and put in a bowl. Put a pinch of salt and sugar on top. Then
pour in soy sauce. In a separate bowl, put cornstarch and mix with water to
make it into a glue-like consistency. Wear a disposable glove and mix the
cornstarch with the meat. Now use your gloved hand to squeeze and massage
the meat so that the seasoning is well mixed in with the meat.
In a deep soup pot, pour in oil and pan fry the pork until half
cooked. Pour in the cans of chicken broth and cream corn; bring everything
to a boil. Add the white pepper and salt. Very slowly pour in the eggs in a
steady stream. To make shreds, stir the egg rapidly in a clockwise
direction for one minute. To make thin streams or ribbons, gently stir the
eggs in a clockwise direction until they form. Garnish with green onion and
serve.
Egg Drop Soup is frequently thickened with cornstarch in restaurants.
To add a cornstarch thickener, mix two to three tablespoons of cornstarch
with 1/2 cup water. Just before adding the beaten egg, stir in the
cornstarch/water mixture, remove the soup from heat, and then add the
beaten egg.
----------
Sweet Potato or Yam Casserole
by Mary Ellen Gabias, British Columbia
Mary Ellen says, "In our home we celebrate Thanksgiving twice-
Canadian Thanksgiving on the weekend of the second Monday in October and
American Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. My children tell
me that neither Thanksgiving feast is official unless this casserole is on
the menu. It's the only sweet potato or yam casserole I've ever found that
has no added sugar, yet it tastes dessert sweet."
Ingredients:
6 to 8 large yams or sweet potatoes
1 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or you can use 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4
teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice)
Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut a small slit lengthwise in
each yam and bake until soft, about an hour and a half.
When potatoes have cooled enough to handle, slice them in half
lengthwise. Scoop pulp into mixing bowl. If you choose, you can save the
skins and make "twice baked" potatoes; otherwise, discard skins. Add the
rest of the ingredients to the potatoes and mix thoroughly using electric
beaters. For twice baked, spoon mixture into reserved shells; otherwise,
put mixture into casserole. Whichever you choose, return to oven at 350
degrees long enough to heat through, between fifteen and thirty minutes.
----------
Killer Mac 'N Cheese
by Beth Taurasi, Colorado
Beth says, "I'm a graduate from the Colorado Center for the Blind
from the class of 2011. This particular recipe is a huge hit especially
with my friends. This is a really good treat for Christmas."
Ingredients:
1 package pasta, whatever shape you like
1 pound Velveeta or other processed cheese
1 3/4 cups of whole milk or 2 12-ounce cans evaporated milk,
2 cups or 1 8-ounce bag of your choice and the of cheddar cheese, white or
sharp
2 cups or 1 8-ounce bag of any other cheese (Monterey Jack, Fiesta blend,
taco cheese, etc.)
3/4 cup egg whites/egg substitute in cartons
1 whole stick of butter
Method: Cook pasta according to package directions, but for best
results do not completely cook the pasta. Strain the pasta, then place it
in a slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients, usually I do liquid ones
first, to the slow cooker and cook on low until cheeses are melted through.
You may serve this as soon as all of the cheeses melt, stirring
occasionally. The total cooking time is only one to one-and-a-half hours
maximum.
----------
Bruce's Rigatoni
by Claudia J. Combs-Wise, Michigan
Ingredients:
1 pound Rigatoni (brand of your choice)
1 large sweet onion
1 green pepper
Olive oil
6 cloves garlic (plus or minus to taste)
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 pound ground sausage (as mild or spicy as you like)
2 to 3 tablespoons oregano
2 to 3 tablespoons basil
Salt and pepper to taste
A few flakes of red pepper (if you like heat)
Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta in salted water and
drain. In a saucepan add tomato sauce, paste, and spices, heat to simmer.
Taste and adjust seasoning while cooking. In a skillet, brown sausage,
crumbling sausage as it cooks. Chop onion and garlic and sauté in olive oil
until light to medium brown, and then set aside. Chop green pepper and
sauté in olive oil until it starts to brown and set aside. Combine all
ingredients in ovenproof pan, stir, cover, and bake for ten minutes.
----------
Peanut Blossom Cookies
by Linda DeBerardinis, New Jersey
Linda says, "I am an active member of the NFB of New Jersey. I'm on
the board of directors for the state and on the scholarship committee, plus
I am the treasurer for the Garden State chapter. This recipe has been in my
family for as long as I can remember. If you follow these directions, you
will have baked what others have only tried! They are delicious!"
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
30 to 35 Hershey's Kisses
Method: in a bowl mix butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg,
and vanilla with a spoon. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients together.
Slowly stir dry ingredients into wet, mixing evenly. Eventually you may
need your hands to knead the mixture. Shape dough into small balls, using
rounded spoon. Roll balls around in additional granulated sugar on wax
paper.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for
six to eight minutes.
Remove from oven and place one Hershey's Kiss on top of each cookie,
pressing down firmly. Return to oven and bake for three to five minutes
longer. Note: It's wise to unwrap all the chocolate kisses before the
cookies first come out of oven.
----------
Swedish Twists
by Maureen Pranghofer, Minnesota
Maureen says this is her favorite holiday recipe. It is an old family
recipe brought to the United States by her great-grandmother from Sweden.
Ingredients:
1 cake yeast or one packet
1/4 cup lukewarm water
3-1/2 cups sifted flour
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shortening
3 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/2 cups sugar
Method: Soften yeast in lukewarm water. Sift flour and salt, and cut
in butter and shortening. Blend in eggs, sour cream, one teaspoon of
vanilla, and softened yeast to flour mixture and mix well. Cover and chill
for two hours.
After two hours, mix sugar and remaining vanilla. Sprinkle board with
one-half of sugar/vanilla mixture. Roll out one-half of dough into a
rectangle (approximately 16" by 8"). Sprinkle some sugar/vanilla onto
rectangle and roll again the width way of the rectangle. Fold one side of
dough over to the center; repeat with the other side to make three layers.
Put some more sugar/vanilla on top and roll just enough to have the
sugar/vanilla set in dough or about one-quarter inch thick. Cut into one
inch strips. Twist each strip two or three times and place on lightly
greased cookie sheet. If strip is too long, cut in half and continue with
twist. Repeat for rest of dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 to 12 minutes.
----------
Christmas Pretzel Salad
by Barbara Pierce, Ohio
Ingredients:
3 cups pretzel crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup butter
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar (I use 2/3 cup)
1 small tub Cool Whip
1 large box strawberry Jell-O
20 ounces frozen strawberries
1 cup water
Method: Mix first three ingredients and press into 13-by-9-inch dish.
Bake for ten minutes at 425 degrees; set aside to cool. Beat cream cheese
and sugar till smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip. Carefully spoon it to the
edges of the crust. Dissolve Jell-O in water that has come to a boil. Stir
in the frozen berries and their liquid. Pour over the cream cheese layer
and chill till set. In recent times I have spun the berries in the food
processer to make the Jell-O part smoother, I leave a bit of texture.
----------
Crock Pot Candy
by Arlene Hill, Louisiana
Arlene says, "This is a recipe that I have found to be wonderful
tasting, easy, and fun for children to help out with. I unfortunately
didn't have it when my kids were little but have had fun doing it with
grandchildren, almost always at Christmastime. It makes a lot and can be
given to neighbors and friends."
Ingredients:
1 jar unsalted peanuts
1 jar salted peanuts
1 18-ounce package chocolate chips
1 4-ounce plain chocolate bar
2 packages chocolate bark
Method: This must be done in exact layers. First layer unsalted
peanuts on bottom of crock pot. Next salted peanuts, then chocolate chips.
Break the chocolate bar into pieces, sprinkle over layers. Finally, break
chocolate bark into pieces, sprinkle over top. Do not stir, cover and place
crock pot on low, mine cooks a bit high so I put it on keep warm or it
scorches on the bottom. Leave alone for three hours. Remove lid and stir,
drop by table spoon full onto waxed paper and let cool. Package as you wish
for gifts or have your family enjoy.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Melissa Riccobono]
Peanut Butter Balls
by Melissa Riccobono, Maryland
A collection of holiday recipes from the Federation just wouldn't be
complete without one from the Federation's First Family. Federation First
Lady Melissa Riccobono offers this memory of her recipe, "I have fond
memories of making these with my mom and older sister. First of all, the
dough by itself is delicious, so I know we ate our fair share while we
worked. Our job was to roll the balls and put them on wax paper. After all
of the rolling was done, we had to carry the balls, one at a time, to my
mom at the stove. My mom would say "plop" each time she put a ball into the
chocolate. My sister and I thought this was hilarious when we were young
and loved the sound effects. I now love making these with my own kids. It's
a great way to pass the time on a cold winter afternoon. Warning! These
peanut butter balls look to have no nutritional value at first glance.
Remember however, there is protein in peanut butter, and if you use dark
chocolate you will reap the health benefits from it as well!"
Ingredients:
1 pound butter
1 pound crunchy or creamy peanut butter (I prefer crunchy)
2 pounds powdered sugar
1 to 2 pounds baking chocolate (I prefer a darker chocolate, but I am sure
any type would work. Even melted chocolate chips might work in a pinch.)
Method: Melt butter and peanut butter together. Stir until well
blended. Add powdered sugar, stirring frequently to mix into dough. Roll
dough into small balls-a bit smaller than golf balls will probably work
best-and put balls on wax paper. Allow them to cool a bit while you prepare
the chocolate. Melt chocolate on stove or in microwave. Start with one
pound of chocolate; you can always melt more if needed. Carefully dip balls
into chocolate until coated. Put balls on wax paper to cool and harden.
Store in a cool place. You can refrigerate, but it is not absolutely
necessary. Makes many servings!
----------
Bourbon Balls
by Shelia Wright, Missouri
Shelia Wright has been a member and leader in several states. She
currently serves as the first vice president of the National Federation of
the Blind of Missouri, and she has a good sense of chapter history. Here is
how she introduces this recipe: "I remember one of the longtime traditions
at our Kansas City Chapter Christmas parties was the Bourbon Balls made by
Bill Simms, Jana Moynihan's father. Because they were quite potent, he
always made a special batch to go on the front edge of the tables for the
kids, but he would monitor the buckets to be sure that no young hands
reached into the adult bucket."
Ingredients:
Box of vanilla wafers
1 16 oz. pack of chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
2-1/2 cups of chopped pecans
1-1/2 cups of granulated sugar
3 tablespoons of light Karo syrup
1/2 cup of bourbon
Powdered sugar for rolling
Method: Melt chocolate in double boiler. Crush wafers and
nuts. Combine granulated sugar, bourbon, syrup, and melted chocolate. Add
crushed wafers and nuts. Stir all together. Shape into balls and roll in
powdered sugar. Store in tins.
--------
Monitor Miniatures
News from the Federation Family
A Brief Report from the National Organization of Blind Educators:
At our national convention, we were privileged to hear from several
successful blind educators from a variety of fields. Sheila Koenig shared
her experiences as a ninth grade English teacher, Carla McQuillan described
her journey from the classroom to an administrative position, Mrs. Patricia
Maurer gave us insights into her days as a substitute teacher, and Dr.
David Ticchi passed along his expertise in creating an ethical and
respectful classroom and schoolwide community.
In addition to the opportunity to hear this fantastic panel, the
division took time to network in small groups by grade and subject level
and to plan for future outreach and fundraisers on behalf of the division.
In Brief
Notices and information in this section may be of interest to Monitor
readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the information; we
have edited only for space and clarity.
Information Available on NASA Internships:
If you would like to subscribe to an announcement-only list about
NASA internships for people with disabilities, please send an email to
<nasainterns-request at freelists.org> with "subscribe" in the Subject field,
or by visiting the list page at
<http://www.freelists.org/list/nasainterns>.
Coloring Books and More from New Business:
Ambron Products is a newly formed business whose main purpose is to
produce and sell books and other items that can be shared by the blind and
the sighted in the community. The company was started by two members of the
Colorado Center for the Blind Senior Support Group.
Our first product is a Braille and large print coloring book with
tactile pictures for blind and sighted children and adults to share. The
book is: I am a Crayon. What Color am I? by John Batron. John has been an
active member of the NFB for many years. Part of his inspiration for this
book was his desire to share with his five grandchildren.
We are also offering a 2016 calendar, produced by Tactile Vision
Graphics Inc. The theme of the calendar is the history of the automobile.
Each month has the Braille and large print name and date of a different
car, with a tactile representation of the car. The dates on the calendar
are in Braille. After the first of the year, the price of the calendar will
be discounted. We will also offer discounts for quantity purchases.
If you would like more information or are interested in purchasing
one or more of these items, please contact Estelle at Ambron Products:
(303) 789-7538 or by emailing <ambronproducts at gmail.com>. Blessings, and
thanks for your interest and support!
Monitor Mart
The notice in this section has been edited for clarity, but we can
pass along only the information we were given. We are not responsible for
the accuracy of the statements made or the quality of the products for
sale.
For Sale:
I have a PowerBraille 40 with cables in good condition and a Perkins
Braille Writer also in good condition. Both are for sale, either together
or separately. Call Vincent Tagliarino at (716) 681-1645 to make a
reasonable offer on one or both items.
----------
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I pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National
Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for
the blind; to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to
abide by its constitution.
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