Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind the source for blindness news and information since 1907

Submitted by Marilyn Brandt Smith
Makes approximately four cups

Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup drained and chopped canned artichoke hearts
1 half cup diced onions or 3 tablespoons dried minced onions
1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste
1 and a half cups chopped cooked crab meat
1 four-ounce jar pimientos, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions or chives
1/2 teaspoon dill weed or seed.

Directions:
Blend the buttermilk, cheese, artichokes, onions, and sauces in a blender until smooth.
Add the crab meat to blender, and process at low speed to keep crab meat bits intact.
Dice the pimiento and add to the dip.
Sprinkle dill to taste.
Cover and refrigerate at least thirty minutes before serving.
Serve with your favorite crackers or chips, or on bread as a canapé.

Calories per tablespoon: 12

For your convenience, all Reader’s Forum submissions are separated by the ## symbol.

In response to Feature Writer Bob Branco – Paper Money Identifier Works Wonders, Richard wrote:
Mr. Branco asked if people are using Money Identifiers, if so, which one.
I use the iPhone app Money Reader by Looktel. It cost all of $1.99. If you already own an iPhone, this is a brilliant solution.
##
In response to Beth’s comments in last week’s Reader’s Forum, Lucia wrote:
Braille menus are necessary! Fully sighted people have print menus. This is not at all about “taking responsibility for ourselves.” That’s my decision.

And as for “working harder in school” well, we do! Maybe many fully sighted kids don’t, but we do. I’m tired of hearing that “you’ll have to work harder than your sighted peers.”

And in response to David’s post, I think he is “spot-on.” He knows precisely what he is talking about, He is correct when he says that blind people are judged, and that other blind people are critical of them. He is right when he says that they should not be compared to other blind people, and he is so correct when he says they should be “judged on their own merits”, not how some blind person did before.” Sighted people are not judged like visually impaired people. What is “echo vision or facial location”? I’m just nosy. He is right: We are all different with different skills, and I say quit judging other people but unite with them and advocate for them. David is correct: the “major consumer blind organizations” judge too much and “devalue us.” David is right on target. Who cares about their version of what the “educated tenth” should be?
##
In response to Feature Writer Lynne Tatum – Processing Words: My Brief History, Tim wrote:
I want to take up Lynne Tatum’s invitation to stroll down memory lane with my first speech program and word processor. I sometimes think that your first screen reading program may be like your first love, you never quite forget it. This may not be true for those younger people who were introduced to access technology in elementary school, but for those, like me, who came to it as full grown adults, those memories linger.

The first screen reader program I ever used was Vert in its two versions, SoftVert and Vert Plus, by TSI. The only difference in these two programs was the synthesizer they worked with, the commands were all the same. The first word processing program I ever used was Professional Write, by PFS software. PW had a lot of drawbacks, which later programs, such as WordPerfect did not have, but, its command structure was very simple and, once your screen reader was configured properly, it worked well.

I remember my horror at first being introduced to that ubiquitous WordPerfect, which so many of us blind folks used in the early 1990’s. My first reaction to WP was that this program must have been created either by an insane person or a political committee. Its commands seemed totally illogical and random. It was the only program I knew of where “help” was located on F3, not F1, as with most DOS programs, and, why on earth was save F10 or F7, depending on whether or not you wanted to clear your screen! Despite that, I came to love WordPerfect after a while.

For personal reasons, I was pretty much cut off during the big switch from DOS to Windows, and I have never again become as comfortable with any program as I was with SoftVert and WordPerfect. I won’t say I miss those programs, rather, I wish I could attain the proficiency I used to have.

Tim Hendel
Huntsville, Alabama
##
In response to Feature Writer Lynne Tatum – Processing Words: My Brief History, Ann wrote:
I’d like to chime in on what it was like to learn how to use a computer. I was trained on a Windows 95 Operating system at the Lighthouse. I used Zoomtext, finding I liked to use what remained of my vision. I loved Word Perfect and the PC opened up doors I didn’t know existed. I am now a JAWS user, having no usable sight, and I’m better than I ever thought I’d be as an end user. Now I’m the proud new owner of a smart phone, proof of how far technology has provided me with comparable access since my hand first tapped away on the new PC in 1998
##
In response to Feature Writer Alena Roberts – Using RFID Technology to Make Indoor and Outdoor Navigation Accessible, John wrote:
I live on and own a cattle ranch in rural Wyoming. Having a navigational system with talking tags could help me become even more independent. In checking water stock tanks, finding the different barns, and many other locations that are sometimes hit or miss could really improve my efficiency around the property. I have been looking for something like this and hope it comes to market soon. John Borelli, LaGrange Wyoming.
##
In response to In response to Feature Writer Alena Roberts – Using RFID Technology to Make Indoor and Outdoor Navigation Accessible, Ann wrote:
I’d love to see this implemented in museums, big box stores, and the like. It would level the playing field significantly. A smart phone app would also be great.

My son grew to be quite the fisherman. One day at my parent’s camp he caught over 100 inches of fish. I kept him company, chatting and going to get him a sandwich so he could keep casting, but I had no desire to throw in my own line. Like many of the things I’d done when I was sighted, fishing had lost its allure. I satisfied myself by listening to his excitement and feeling the size of some of the whoppers he caught.

In the spring of 2009, my friend Allan, who is also blind, told me about a fishing tournament he’d heard about. Hosted by the Lions Club, it was exclusively for people who were visually impaired. According to Al, the Lions supplied the poles, the bait, fed you lunch–all you had to do was show up. Unfortunately, I took a bad fall, fractured several bones in my foot, and was stuck in a cast for nearly seven months.

The following year I got another call from Allan. “C’mon, Homer–we going fishing?”

The 2010 Lions VIP Fishing Derby was on a beautiful, sunny day at Sage Park Pond in Berlin, Connecticut. I caught three trout and a bluegill, more fish than I’d caught in over a decade, but it was only enough to land me fourth place. The first three places got a free trip to the Outer Banks for the National Derby, which is the story of my life. In August, Bob Christensen, the Lion who ran the CT Derby, called to say the first place winner couldn’t go to North Carolina, and asked if I would like. I jumped on the opportunity, but my mother-in-law was in the last weeks of her battle with pancreatic cancer and I couldn’t go.

Fast forward to April 17, 2011. We’d had two inches of rain the previous night, and people said the pond was muddy and dark. A little before 9:00 we grabbed our poles and bait, spread out around the edge of the pond and waited. And waited. About ten minutes went by and I was expecting a whistle or a horn or something when one of the sighted folks asked, “Why aren’t you fishing?”

Fifteen minutes later I caught the first fish of the day, a feisty, eleven inch rainbow trout. An hour later I caught another, this one 11.5 inches. Allan, who was on my left, hadn’t had a bite. Alex, on my right, caught one, but it flopped off the hook just as he pulled it from the water. Across the pond I heard one or two happy shouts, but the mosquitoes seemed to be biting more than the fish.

Around 11:00, I snagged something and slowly reeled my line in, only to find I’d hooked a long-submerged bucket. Bill Gaughan of Plainville had moved over to Allan’s left, and in quick succession reeled in two good sized trout. Allan got a 15 incher, which turned out to be the biggest fish of the day. Twenty minutes later I caught another trout, almost twelve inches.

After poles had been turned in and we’d feasted on burgers, hot dogs and fresh trout, it was time for awards. Turns out my three fish were enough to land me a huge, first place trophy–and a trip to North Carolina this Fall. As people shook my hand and congratulated me, I remembered that seventeen-inch plaque hanging on the camp wall for nearly thirty years. I smiled, thinking of the picture of me with this big trophy I’m going to give my brother David for Christmas this year.

Welcome to the Matilda Ziegler Magazine audio player. To begin listening to the magazine, simply click the “Read more” link below. Once you select the month, an embedded media player will start playing the magazine immediately. While using this player, you can press the control key plus the space bar to pause the current article. To proceed to the next article hold down the control key and the shift key and then press the N key. To go back to the previous article hold down the control key and the shift key and press the P key.
Read more

Have you ever wondered why our legislators have a reputation of not helping their constituents as much as they should? I think part of the problem is that they spend too much time passing ridiculous laws while they should be devoting their time to the more important issues in life. Many of these smaller, insignificant pieces of legislation exist to pad much larger bills that are set to be passed. In some cases, it seems that there is some sort of minimum word threshold that, if not met, means the bill won’t even be considered.

Here in Massachusetts, a group of blind consumers have been trying to get legislation passed that will mandate the availability of talking pill bottles. I believe that this is something worthwhile which will help the blind have better access to their prescriptions, and to the routine by which these prescriptions are taken. The group isn’t even calling for it to be a requirement across the board, simply an availability. It’s much more than having another device that talks to us–it’s a public health concern. When people do not take their medicine correctly, it can have serious, and sometimes fatal, effects.

While it’s taking years for this legislation to go through, I hear about the most ridiculous laws being passed throughout this country in different states, and I wonder why. Instead of worrying about important issues to help us live better, I’m hearing that it’s illegal to put pretzels in a bag, that it’s illegal to eat three or more sandwiches at a wake, and that it’s illegal to take tomatoes out of clam chowder. Do you care? Does anyone care about any of that?

With all the problems that the United States has to deal with, can our leaders please concentrate on what’s best for our people, and not pass these pointless laws? Let’s get our priorities straight.

On August 7, 2011, 45,000 Verizon employees in six states and the District of Columbia went on strike. The issues on which management and workers could not agree were healthcare and pensions.

Representatives from the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers also maintained that their workers were being asked to make concessions which have taken 40 to 50 years of collective bargaining to achieve. Management asserted that they must negotiate a contract that must reflect current economic realities and added that the strike, which affects landline service, Fios TV, and Internet, is unfortunate for both the employees and the public.

Although Mark Reed, Vice President of Human Resources for Verizon, said that there would be little, if any service disruption, facts don’t bear that out.

www.pittsburghlive.com, the McKeesport Daily News, and WTAE News, Pittsburgh’s ABC affiliate, reported that John Simczek, a 68-year-old retired police officer in the small community of Munhall got nothing but static when he picked up his phone. How he finally reached management who were fielding calls to Verizon wasn’t clear; but, when he did and asked how long it would be before his service was restored, the reply was, “We don’t know.” When this retiree who lives alone then said, “I don’t have a cell phone. Do you know of any program that would enable me to get a cell phone temporarily?” managers responded that they knew of no such program.

Both this gentleman and an 81-year-old Pittsburgh woman who also lives alone were concerned about having no way to call 911 in an emergency.

When retired Officer Simczek was finally told that the first appointment Verizon could give him was September 9, he contacted channel Four Action News, to whom local Verizon spokesperson Lee Greczynski released a statement in which he said that he was being conservative about when problems might be fixed.

Though I agree with workers’ right to strike, I have a problem with any work stoppage that jeopardizes public safety or has the potential to do so. For instance, could workers or management imagine being newly blind; feeling as if they were going into sugar shock and being unable to call 911? Another equally frightening scenario would be to have vision impairment and hearing sounds indicating someone was breaking into your home and being unable to summon help.

Although anyone can be negatively impacted in an emergency with no phone service, I feel that persons with disabilities and the frail elderly are more vulnerable because of their special needs. That said, I was delighted to hear on August 21st that the work stoppage was over, with the employees scheduled to return to work by Monday evening the 22nd. Though key issues have yet to be resolved, the agreement to return to work was contingent on resuming collective bargaining. So that the safety of the most vulnerable will not be jeopardized again, I hope that resumed negotiations will be successful.

While the right to strike is an important part of fair labor practices, the cost must never be a life, since even one life lost is too high a price to pay.

To read more about the Verizon strike, visit: www.foxnews.com, www.kdka.com (Pittsburgh’s CBS affiliate), www.msnbc.com, www.pittsburghlive.com, or WTAE news.

Have any of you been affected by the Verizon strike? With the strike over–at least, for now–will you keep receiving their landline service or switch to another company? I look forward to hearing your story in Readers Forum.
###

Zellie, our beloved cat, passed away on December 16, 2010 and we miss her and think about her all the time. Our cat rescuer, acting faster than a cat chasing a mouse, thought it wise for us to shelter a new kitty just two days later. She moaned that the kitten was headed to the dreaded Animal Control. We were only asked to board her until the end of January, but once she was set down on our living-room floor and began wandering around, we knew we couldn’t give her up. She really is an adorable little thing and she’s provided an apartment full of laughs ever since. She is definitely a cat with character.

During the first few days, she nearly gave me a heart-attack. Very small, she could (and did) hide anywhere and everywhere. In true catly fashion, she made her way into a closet and was missing for several hours. I tried getting my niece to come over and find her, but she assured me that Caley was in the apartment hiding and I would simply just have to wait for her to come out. She was right. In those early days, we would leave the light in the bathroom on so that we could monitor her comings and goings as best as two visually impaired people could. In passing, I just happened to look down and there she stood, innocent as anything. I scooped her up and thanked her for presenting herself to me.

Traditionally, cats do not like water. Well, Caley might not like what comes out of the faucet, but she certainly likes to run and take a flying leap into the dry bathtub. She’s also been known to march around the sink as we try to accomplish our ablutions.

I confess–I’m forever ranting and raving about something. So it seems only natural that at least one of our cats be as talkative as we are (I mean, as I am). Caley greets us in the wee hours of the morning to let us know she’d like fresh food, generally lets us know she’s near (especially if I’m about to sit on her), and loudly announces the fact that she has a toy she would like us to throw so that she can go grab it and (sometimes) bring it back to us. She is a cat, after all.

Recently, we gingerly put her into a little harness in order that she might roam around our patio without going too far. She promptly wriggled out of it and wandered over to the other patio, but, mercifully, came back when we called her. Caley has become too precious for us to try that unsuccessful trick again.

In 1964, a new hero was born. Matt Murdock is an attorney by day and a crime fighter by night, but Daredevil has a special handicap that that other super heroes don’t–he’s blind. The character was blinded in an accident, which heightened his other senses. Since its creation, Daredevil has been turned into a TV series and a movie, but the comic has never been put into an audio format. After receiving many letters from blind fans, the team that creates Daredevil comics decided to make an audio version of the newest comic.

The audio version includes some of the artists, writers, and producers of the comic doing both narration and character voices. One of the highlights is that the audio version includes the panel notes that the writer made, which gives us an insight into not only what the panel illustration includes, but the purpose behind it. During the reading we learn about some of Daredevil’s powers, including radar vision and acute hearing of people’s heart beats. The reading really brings the story to life for those of us who can’t see the art.

I remember as a kid enjoying reading the comics in my newspaper, but I never got into comic books. I also never realized that there was a blind super hero. I hope that this reading is enjoyable to people as much as it was for me. I also hope that this reading is a real treat for those former Daredevil readers who might not have enough vision to enjoy the comics anymore. The audio version is a free service that the creators are providing for the first issue, and maybe if they get enough positive feedback, they’ll decide to record more audio versions of upcoming editions.

Here is a link to the article describing the creator’s reasons for making the audio edition. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/marvel-launches-daredevil-audiobook-with-visually-impaired-fans-in-mind/2011/08/16/gIQAAihqJJ_blog.html

Here’s the link to the audio edition of Daredevil Vol. 1: http://marvel.com/files/podcasts/DAREDEVIL_1_edited.mp3

National Braille Press has produced a new book with timely information called “Twenty-Six Useful Apps for Blind iPhone Users,” by Peter Cantisani. The Apps that Cantisani chose must provide a useful function and be reasonably accessible.

In the first chapter, called “Life With Apps,” Cantisani starts his day with a variety of Apps. They include a wake-up alarm and weather report App, an App to see if his bus is running on time, an App to read a book, and an App to take notes and much more. The reader is hooked on Apps as a wealth of possibilities. The book assumes that the reader is familiar with the functions of the iPhone and its gestures. An introduction to the App Store is also provided, instructing the reader in how to find, download, and update Apps.

Each App is covered in a separate chapter along with the name of the developer, the price, amount of memory required, and category such as utility, music, news, and so forth. Half of the Apps are free and very few are priced at $5 and most require very little of your iPhone’s memory. The exception to this is the Navigon MobileNavigator GPS app, which is 1.69GB in size for the North American version.

Each App has an introduction to it followed by how accessible it is. There is also an overview of how to deal with its functions. The author lets us know about the buttons and whether they are accessible with Voice-Over or not.

In the book, the author covers Apps for music, downloading books, an App for collecting Podcasts, and Apps that let you stay current with news and events. In addition, there are cooking Apps for obtaining recipes, learning cooking techniques, and finding useful conversions such as finding the right measurements and one that will generate a shopping list for a dish you might want to make.

There are also mobility Apps. The “Next Bus” App lets users check bus schedules and find out when the next bus will come. The Sendero GPS LookAround app does exactly what it says. It looks around your location to determine points of interests and determines nearby streets and gets your current address.

There are four Apps with blind audiences in mind in the book. One is for identifying money, labeling and identifying documents, as well as other items, obtaining information about other surroundings, and downloading books recorded for people with print disabilities.

The book is available in hard copy, Jiffy-Braille, on CD in ebraille, and in downloadable DAISY and Microsoft Word formats. The book costs $9 and is available from National Braille Press at www.nbp.org or by calling (800) 548-7323.

Cantisani wrote a really great book. It’s perfect for people who use the iPhone and are looking for Apps to help them in their everyday lives. In addition, half of these Apps are free and most of the other Apps cost very little.

She knew where we were as soon as we pulled into the parking lot. She seemed to say, “Are we at the free place? I love this place. I get to swim, hang out off-leash, and poop in the woods. Cool.”

We unloaded the truck, weaved through the other guests on the strip of patio on the way to our room and settled in for a fun relaxing afternoon.

Verona and my daughter, April, played in the lake for an hour–all the while Verona chased sticks and paddled around. The funniest thing was the way she would blow water from her mouth after dropping the stick. April said it made her lips puff out and it made a loud, spitting sound that I could hear from the patio.

When the geese and ducks realized she was visiting, they hot-footed it off the grass and stayed in the lake or in the weeds near the dock. It was a thrill to see her body stiffen, her head and tail go up when she saw them. It made me feel proud to share this time together, giving her back to her instincts for just a little while. She’s going to be five years old, I thought, the time goes by so fast. Each and every year we have together is a blessing, a time for me to feel unfettered. As we stand and watch the ducks quack and waddle down the hill toward the edge of the lake, I try to think back on the way life was before training with Verona, but my mind veers from those dark moments and I let them go.

We are here, listening and watching, being warmed by the late afternoon sun, taking in the fresh water aromas. We are dog and woman, partners for however long time and fate permit. I place a hand on her glossy head and stroke it; she gives me a quick poke with her nose before returning to duck watching as the sun dips below the hills.