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

Last September 13 through September 15, The Colorado Center for the Blind offered a new three day program for seniors called “Seniors In Charge.” The program was sponsored by the center at no cost to the seniors who participated. The program was comprised of three components: Mobility, Home Training, and technology–with the goal being to keep seniors as independent as possible for as long as possible. “Another goal of the program was to keep visually impaired seniors living independently for as long as possible. If blindness is the only factor impacting the person, there is no reason he or she can’t live independently,” says Duncan Larsen, Senior Services Coordinator for the center. Visually impaired seniors took courses in Braille, how to use a screen reader, and mobility training with a white cane.

Seniors often feel left behind as far as technology is concerned, and that’s when Seniors In Charge steps in and attempts to level the playing field for the blind and visually impaired seniors. “I didn’t think I could even use a computer, and now I can use one without a screen,” said one participant.

“This is often the case with the participants. They come with all sorts of misconceptions of what they can and can’t do. They leave the program with a new understanding of what possibilities exist,” explains Larsen. Besides learning these various courses, the students also had fun. They took a trip on the light rail and used an escalator. For some, this was the first time the courageous seniors used an escalator being blind. In addition, they also navigated a food line using a tray and went on a mall shuttle.

Getting family members involved with the program is also vital to the seniors participating in the program. On the final day of the program, seniors prepared a meal for their family and friends.

Seeing what the seniors have accomplished can take them a long way of reaching the goal of independence. They are all encouraged to continue to practice their skills and improve their mobility and independence to lead rich and fulfilling lives. In that regard, this program has been an incredible success.

Since this program has been so successful, more Senior In Charge sessions are planned. For more information, call (303) 778-1130 or you can go to www.cocenter.org.

Seniors In Charge at the Colorado Center for the Blind is a great program that gives visually impaired seniors skills to live on their own. In addition, it exposes seniors to different situations out in the community that they might have to deal with on a day to day basis. This gives them a greater degree of confidence and motivation to tackle the world on their own.

Hopefully this program will serve as a positive model that other agencies can use to serve future baby boomers.

Source: http://nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm12/bm1202/bm120216.htm

The days when a blind student could go in to a classroom with a slate and stylus and a Braille book and a Brailler are long gone. Now, they need e-textbooks, iPads, and notetakers. But with all this new and high tech equipment, are they getting an equal education compared to their sighted peers? As of this writing, I would say a resounding “no” unless things suddenly change.

First and foremost, The E-Wave is rolling into your district and will be there before you know it. In addition, the iPad is also being used in school with students from K through 12. Will the blind student know what the iPad has to offer? Will the teachers of the visually impaired know the iPad themselves? How many know how to connect Braille notetakers to iPads?

The E-Texts that the blind students are getting are not an educational equivalent experience compared to the standard books that their sighted peers are using. The E-Textbooks that the blind person uses omit diagrams, pictures, and charts. Links to web pages are also omitted. Charts and other visuals make up a quarter to a half of the content that is on a textbook page. The lack of visuals on a textbook page may not be mentioned in the E-Text for the blind. The blind person may not realize that they are missing vital information that the sighted student has available to them.

Another disadvantage that the blind student has to face is that the sighted student has the whole textbook available to them either at home or at school. However, the blind person doesn’t have the whole textbook available because the book is in many volumes. This is a real problem because some teachers teach chapters out of sequence. This is also a disadvantage for blind students because when studying for exams, students may need access to other chapters and textbook glossaries and indexes may be in separate volumes. These volumes may not be available to the student.

These are just some of the problems that students and professionals who teach the visually impaired have to face. These are also the problems that publishers of E-Textbooks have to solve–and they have to solve them soon so that blind students won’t lose out in the educational process.

These matters need to be addressed quickly so that when these students become adults, they might be able to reverse the high unemployment rate for the blind and become a contributing, competitive, and integrated piece of the workforce.

Source: NFB (original article link is broken)

Debbie Gleeson had a dream of helping other people in poor and underdeveloped countries–and it remained a dream until she saw a documentary about a woman from Quebec named Nicole Pageau. Pageau ran a center in Rwanda for orphans and widows. The women started emailing each other and that’s when Gleeson decided to go to Rwanda to assist disadvantaged people and give of herself.

Gleeson, who is very giving of herself, makes two trips to Rwanda every year. On her trips, she brings three suitcases of things to help the people. She brings sewing machines and teaches women how to make school uniforms and also helps street orphans by passing out shoes. She has also taught multiple people how to use a computer.

One of her first projects was to bring the Seika Braille Display to a blind couple who went to college and were married. By bringing this Braille display to Pierre and Vanantie, a friendship soon developed. She quickly learned that it was unusual for blind people to be living on their own, with Pierre employed as a massage therapist. Through this relationship, she learned that blind people are generally illiterate, abandoned, and unskilled. There are also no government programs to provide training for children or adults. Vanantie, who graduated from college in December, went to college as part of an experimental program from the government and the college provided a computer and sighted classmates to help her.

Gleeson says that the blind couple is quickly becoming advocates for the disabled. They try to help people with disabilities as best they can in spite of their limited resources.

The couple has two children and lives in a house given to them by the government. They have also taken in a blind woman named Emily. This woman lived in a hut with palm leaves and tin. With no training, she desperately needed people to bring her food. Now, she has gained confidence and is learning Braille. Pierre has also distributed 150 canes to blind people in various villages by obtaining a cargo van.

Gleeson lamented that she was only permitted to carry three suitcases when she travels. But now, with new government regulations, she will be only able to take two suitcases because luggage limitations.

Debbie’s husband hopes to join her on her next trip. However, with illness in her family, she may only be able to make one trip in 2012. In the near future, the couple hopes to build a house or a school. For more information on her work in Rwanda, you can go to the following resources: http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw130207. You can also go to her blog at: http://www.dgrwanda.blogspot.in/.

Hopefully, with help from Gleeson the blind couple that she is helping will be a great example of what other blind people can accomplish. Maybe, through this experience, the government will appropriate money towards services for the blind and disabled.

From as far back as Curtis Willoughby can remember, he was always interested in mechanical things. Ever since he was a little boy, when his father owned a repair machine shop for farm equipment, Willoughby would ask questions about the equipment and learn the tools that his Father had by touch.

When he was seven, his Father bought him an electric train for Christmas. The Griswold, Iowa native was thrilled with the train. Willoughby and his father made train stations and built extra tracks. Through playing with this train, Curtis learned about electricity and mechanics. In his teenage years, he learned how to operate power tools. In addition, he also became interested in ham radio and assisted his father in putting up the antennas. Always marveling at electronics, he was constantly drawn to radio and TV shops around his community. Due to all of these experiences, he learned a great deal about electronics.

In his junior year of high school, one of the staff recognized his love of all things electronic and suggested that he go to Stanford for engineering. While it took him some time to contemplate that decision, he inevitably decided to go for it.

A week after he graduated from high school, he enrolled at the Orientation and Adjustment Center in Des Moines. One of the people that influenced him the most at the center was Dr. Jernigan, his grammar teacher. He also met Don Nading, Chief of Maintenance at the center. It was with Mr. Nading that Willoughby worked on putting an intercom system in the building.

After his time at the center, Willoughby was accepted at Iowa State University. With encouragement from his former teacher Mr. Jernigan, he would pursue his studies in electrical engineering.

He made it through college just fine and landed a job with Collins Radio. He held the job for four years and was then unfortunately laid off. He then did various jobs with the Iowa Commission for the Blind before obtaining a job with a phone company.

In 1993, Curtis got a job in Denver as a Unix computer specialist, where he stayed for the next eight years. In this capacity, he would provide assistance with computers in 14 states. He retired from this position in 2001.

Curtis Willoughby had a dream to become an electrical engineer and he made it happen with a lot of hard work and determination. He still practices his trade today, even though he is retired. It’s wonderful when you find a job that you’d still want to do for free. That’s the kind of life and dream anybody would want.

Source: http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm12/bm1202/bm120204.htm

The Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, California has built a program around 20 inmates transcribing books into Braille for blind and disabled students across the nation. The inmates transcribe regular books into Braille as well as math and science books. The program has been in existence at Ironwood since 2008 and has been run by the San Bernardino Community College District. Previously, the center was at Ventura College.

The inmates are paid through a grant that the production center received. Depending on their expertise, the inmates are paid between 55 cents to $1.35 an hour. The prisoners are happy to participate in the five year program because it gives them a skill in which to leave prison with.

“It seems like everybody is struggling out there and it’s really hard, so for me to be able to leave here and actually take away something from all of this–it’s huge,” said Tuley, serving time for assault with a deadly weapon. “This is the only program I’ve ever heard of where you can actually get something out of it and use out there.”

The Alternate Text Production Center where Braille production is done is located in a row of bungalows at Ironwood near the main prison yard.

During the five year program, inmates can eventually become certified by the Library of Congress to transcribe material into Braille. Seven inmates have been certified in literary Braille so far. In addition, 13 Braille books have been produced along with 148 electronic books. These materials go to Community Colleges across the state and to institutions across the country. If the inmates in the program are paroled or their prison terms are finished, they will receive hardware and software and be able to work as independent contractors.

Inmates who have a good prison record must take a test to gain admittance into the program. Many prisoners have said that this program has transformed their lives and has given them a skill to use when they are placed back in the community. This is important because the average person looks down at ex-cons.

Earl Pride, Ironwood’s Braille Coordinator said that the program can help in the rehabilitation process and can mean a job when their sentence is complete. Pride also said that the program is a beacon of light in a storm. It has given the prisoners hope. It also gives the prisoners confidence and shows that they can make it out there in the working world in spite of the rough economy.

The Braille Transcriber Program is a great program because it puts educational materials in to the hands of the blind and visually impaired. The program is also an excellent program because prisoners can give back to society and gain a skill that will continue to help the visually impaired community for years to come.

Source: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/dec/21/prison-inmates-create-braille-materials-for/#ixzz1jjqqKBF5

The Oregon Commission for the Blind has been facing audits since 1995. These audits revolve around long standing issues not always associated with the misuse of money.

One of these issues involves the Business Enterprise Program, a program that gives blind people preference in regards to vending machines. They also get preference in regards to food service in other buildings as well. Activists who have been involved with the Business Enterprise Program and have been at odds with the Commission for years are calling for change.

Many people involved with this issue feel that the Commission Administrator Linda Mock should step down. Among these people that feel she should go is Art Stevenson–President of The National Federation of the Blind and a Manager in the Business Enterprise Program. “I do not feel that she should be the administrator of the Oregon Commission for the Blind,” Stevenson said.

The audit which was done this past October involved poor record keeping and poor accounting practices. This audit was similar to the ones done in 1995, 2000, 2001, and 2009. In addition, the Commission for the Blind didn’t have copies of contracts, didn’t have any records of blind vending machine businesses, and didn’t keep records of where the money was spent.

One main issue that the Commission for the Blind has is that the Vending Stand Program is used as a dumping ground. In other words, if blind people can’t get jobs anywhere else, they are placed in the Vending Stand Program. In addition, there was no tracking system for employees who leave.

Yet another issue which had to be dealt with involved automobiles belonging to the state ending up at employee’s homes–a violation of state policy and a practice has been discontinued. Now, only home-based employees who need state vehicles for transporting clients have motor vehicles. Auditors also found was state vehicles were used very little each month. Mock said that these vehicles are used for mobility purposes and are used for short distance trips. She also said that clients can’t ride in employee’s cars because of liability and insurance.

They also found that there were cell phones with monthly plans not getting any use while others were used in excess of their plans, creating steep cell phone bills. Mock said that in the past, cell phone bills were just paid because the bills were hard to read. Now, Mock said that cell phone bills are paid by each department and that some phones have been eliminated. She also said that other phone plans have been adjusted to avoid charges and overuse.

There’s always one person who gets blamed and everybody feels they should be let go–such is the case with Linda Mock. However, there were other people at The Oregon Commission for the Blind who had something to do with the audit. Maybe they should be penalized as well.

Let’s hear your thoughts in the Readers Forum.

Source: http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm12/bm1201/bm120102.htm

Bill McCann was a successful programmer at Sun Microsystems and was being promoted on a regular basis. But the former Philadelphia native had a dream. He wanted to develop Music Translation Software that would allow people to create their own music compositions and arrangements and create hard copy music scores that blind and sighted people could read. This software idea kept on coming up in McCann’s mind.

In 1991, with two children on the way, he decided to leave his programming job and accept a severance package that Sun Microsystems offered.

For the next year, McCann made plans to start up his own music company along with generating some income. In other words, he was a part-time musician playing the trumpet–which he started playing when he was 9 years old–a part-time assistive technology trainer and also went to school to learn the C Programming language. He also was an entrepreneur working on setting up his music business for both the blind and sighted alike. He came up with a business plan with the help of a school in Pennsylvania. This new company would become Dancing Dots.

He then started working on the Braille Translation Program which would later become the GOODFEEL music-translation software, which came out in 1997. The program was a dos-based program. Many Windows versions have come out since, and it does work on Windows 7 64 bit operating systems. He acquired start up money from a program that funded new businesses involving technology. His former school, St. Lucy’s, provided office space for his business. Another event happened at a family gathering which would change McCann’s life forever. He met the boyfriend of his wife’s sister. His name was Albert Milani. They both started talking about what each of them did for work. When McCann found out that he was an electrical engineer and Wiz Programmer, he knew that he was the missing link to his business plan.

“What I had before I met Albert,” McCann recalled, “was a prototype. Albert turned it into a product.” Milani became a full time employee of Dancing Dots in 1994 and he is now their Chief Technical Officer. He was hired with the help of a grant through the federal government. Dancing Dots has 5 programmers working on the GOODFEEL program.

He also had something to do with making CakeTalking, another music software program accessible to screen readers. Dancing Dots is also making a musical program for partially sighted people called Limelighter.

Dancing Dots has received calls from celebrities such as Ronnie Millsap, Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles.

McCann’s dream of starting his own music company has finally been realized and is incredibly successful. His drive to make digital music accessible is a testament to the type of person he is and blind musicians everywhere can now compose music easier than ever. He truly is a role model in the blind community.

Sources: http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw090203
http://www.freedomscientific.com/FSCast/default.asp
http://dancingdots.com/main/index.htm

On January 4, 1809, Louis Braille was born. After becoming blind at a young age, he invented a 6 dot system known as Braille. This 6 dot system, which is read by touch by the blind, has been a primary means of reading and writing for the blind ever since and puts the blind on the same reading level as their sighted peers. Braille is similar to print for a sighted person according to a consultant from the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB). But for the blind Braille is even better than print because shorthand is used, making it easy to take notes. Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) Braille Awareness Consultant, Lisette Wesseling also feels that Braille is vital because blind people can get a job, acquire an education, and be independent. Eighty percent of blind people around the world who use braille are employed.

David Allen, an adaptive communications instructor and uses braille on a daily basis. “I use a special piece of equipment called a Braille Sense Plus – a small computer which can display braille. It allows me to read Microsoft Word, text and braille documents, surf the web, do my emails and check Facebook – all using braille.” However, using notetakers such as The Braille Sense Plus or the Pac Mate involves a learning curve. In other words, you have to learn all about these pieces of equipment, such as learning the keyboard and the various menus within the notetaker. In addition, you also have to learn how to use the Braille Display.

To honor Louis Braille, the American Foundation for the Blind set up a website to celebrate the bicentennial of his birth. The museum also focusses on his life in France and his invention of Braille. The link to the museum is http://www.afb.org/LouisBrailleMuseum/

Helen Keller put it best when she emphasized how thankful we should be for Louis Braille and what life would be like without him. She said, “We the blind are as indebted to Louis Braille as mankind is to Gutenberg [...] Without a dot system what a chaotic, inadequate affair our education would be!”

Braille is an important language to the blind. Without it, the doors to education and employment would be closed. Reading would be exceedingly difficult, and in essence, we would be illiterate. Thank God for Louis Braille and his invention.

Source: http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/happy-birthday-louis-braille/5/111731

The National Federation of the Blind Recently started a new free program for blind children ages infancy to seven years old called The Early Explorers Program. The objective of the program is to introduce blind children to the white cane so that they will be confident travelers. In addition, the blind child will gain confidence playing with their peers and feel at ease.

Participants of the program will receive a quarterly newsletter called Travel Tales. This newsletter, which is geared towards parents of blind children, will discuss issues such as fostering movement for age appropriate blind children using the white cane. Parents will also receive a DVD as well as a child-size white cane. Parents will also receive another newsletter called Future Reflections. This quarterly newsletter will have articles in it discussing education issues. Parents will also be able to tap in to resources geared towards parents of blind children.

The Early Explorers Program has a variety of goals for both parents and children. For one, the program’s mission is to introduce children and parents to the long white cane. This will help both children and parents feel comfortable with the cane when they are out in public. Another goal of the program is to teach parents a variety of ways to teach their children cane travel. This will help both parents and children because these methods will be reinforced by the mobility teacher. Another goal of the program is to make parents aware of resources so their blind child will be successful in the future. A final goal of the program is to reinforce the idea of a love of travel with the long white cane.

In order to be eligible for the program, you must first register online at http://testnfb.org/Early-Explorers-Registration. Once you have registered, you will soon receive a child’s size long white cane, a packet of materials and a DVD. This DVD has information about the program. You can read the quarterly newsletter which is geared towards parents. The newsletter discusses travel tips that you can use with your child. In addition, you can also encourage your child to take the white cane wherever he or she goes and explore their environment.

For more information about the NFB Early Explorers Program, email Meleah Jensen at Earlyexplorers@nfb.org or write to her at 200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230. You can also call her at (410) 659-9314, Extension 2418.

The Early Explorers Program is a great program because it makes both the parent and the blind child aware of the white cane. It is also beneficial because it reinforces skills taught by both the parent and the teacher. The program also makes the parent aware of the educational resources in the community. This all helps the child reach their goals and head toward adulthood being able to freely deal with the white cane without any worries.

Many New Year’s Resolutions are made with good intent in January but forgotten in February. One of the reasons why these resolutions are forgotten so quickly is because they are not acted upon with a series of steps or an action plan. For instance, if your goal is to lose weight or quit smoking after the holidays, you can stay on track for meeting these goals by following a series of steps or an action plan.

First, choose the right resolution for the right reasons. For instance, why do you want to lose weight or quit smoking? Is the reason to quit smoking or loose weight to improve your health, to live longer, or to improve your appearance or to improve self-esteem? You have to know why you want to either lose weight or quit smoking etc.

Next, decide how difficult your resolution should be. In addition, make your goal reasonable and aim high. Aiming high will make you try harder. For instance, I want to lose 15 pounds or reduce the number of cigarettes smoked by February 15. The loss of 15 pounds by February 15 or the reduced amount of cigarettes smoked by this date assists you in making the resolution official. Once the goal is official, get support from family and friends to help you complete this goal. You can also investigate telephone hotlines in your area to assist in reaching your goal. You can also write your goal on paper or state it when you are looking into a mirror out loud.

Next, develop a plan. With a plan, you will make progress towards accomplishing your goal. Without a plan, you are very unlikely to succeed. The best way to develop a plan is to come up with a list of steps and the due dates of when you will accomplish these steps. If you’re having problems coming up with steps for your plan, either consult a Personal Trainer or go to a website that specializes in this topic.

Make sure you stay on track with your plan. A Daily Planner can be a great help for some people who like to check off items on their to-do lists. However, if you have trouble staying on top of details and staying motivated, you may want to obtain the help of a personal trainer or go on to a website that specializes in goal setting.

The next step is to keep on going and be flexible. This is true especially if the goals change in the middle of the plan. You also have to be flexible if circumstances beyond your control alter the plan.

By following these steps, you will have a better chance of keeping your New Year’s resolutions. Good luck to those of you who set goals for yourself in the coming year.

Let’s find out how you reached your New Year’s Resolutions in The Readers Forum.

Source: http://www.mygoals.com/content/goal-setting-article-002.html