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

When Selena Sang and Ellen Elizabeth Tarr step into a kitchen, the aroma that follows is almost certain to captivate the attention of anyone in the vicinity. The two, who have been friends for eight years, operate a business called “Heart Bakers,” with a menu that includes different types of breads, cakes, pies, fudge, candy, and cookies. The business, which has been in operation since late last year, runs from their apartments, which happen to be in different states. Do not let the separation fool you though, their collaborative efforts still create a fledgling team.

Despite the fact that they share the same passion for the kitchen, the roads they traveled were quite the antithesis of each other. Mrs. Tarr, a blind Queens, NY resident who grew up in Baltimore, took a rather conventional expressway to her destination. As a child, she spent lots of time in the kitchen with her mom from whom she got the baking bug. “I always liked the smell of homemade baked goods,” she said. “Plus, I have a sweet tooth and love to eat.” During junior high, Mrs. Tarr began branching off from her mother’s tutelage, and tried some recipes on her own. As expected, things did not always come out exactly the way they were supposed to, “but nothing was ever catastrophic,” she said.

Unlike her business partner, Ms. Sang, who grew up in California and now lives in Boston, found herself in the kitchen for all the wrong reasons. She said her family never served her a sufficient amount of food to eat, so cooking became a necessity. “My blindness made them feel like I was not as worthy as their other kids,” said Sang. “When I was about sixteen, I would try to cook in the middle of the night because no one was around.”

Even in her attempt to be self sufficient, Ms. Sang still encountered hurdles. “Sometimes the only thing that was left was molded bread,” she said. “Everyone had already eaten all the good stuff.”

Now, Ms. Sang’s days of moldy bread are long gone, and whenever she samples a piece of Mrs. Tarr’s bread it is quite the opposite. “It is really hard to say what my best dish is, but I would have to say some kind of bread, like strawberry or banana,” said Tarr.” Ms. Sang says that her cinnamon twists are a big hit with people, so she figured she would go with that as her best.

Although they form a successful tandem today, Mrs. Tarr was initially apprehensive about going into business when Ms. Sang approached her with the idea. “I was not sure if we had the right finances, tools, space, and time,” said Tarr. “But it has been what I expected so far.” Both want the business to continue to prosper of course, despite the fact that neither one would ever want it to be their primary source of income. “I kind of like it more as a hobby,” said Tarr.  As for Ms. Sang, she said nothing will ever replace her first love, which is music.

In case you were wondering, the Heart Bakers do not restrict their business only to the cities they reside in. They will ship their baked goods all across the United States, and Ms. Sang and Mrs. Tarr added that they would make deliveries to anyone in their areas. Ms. Sang plans to have a working website by the end of the summer, but for now you can place your orders via telephone. So the next time you are in the mood for some great dessert, dial 857-288-8711.

Although the homeless population is a group often ostracized, a unique partnership has formed in New Haven, Connecticut to assist in closing the gap between them and the rest of the community. Some students at Yale University will collaborate with the homeless to publish their stories about life in shelters, soup kitchens, and the overall peaks and valleys of their journey in order to create a newspaper for the homeless community, as well as the regular citizens of the city. The students volunteer as an amanuensis, and those who share their stories about life on the streets receive some compensation upon publishing and sales. They hope the articles touch the homeless and beyond, even serving as a coping mechanism for dealing with their daily trials and tribulations.

Linda, one of the homeless contributors, explained it this way. “It gives me an outlet to write what happened to me on paper–kind of therapeutic,” she said. The papers cost one dollar, and contributors like Linda receive 75 cents per sale.

For others like Linda, if the paper, called the Elm City Echo, begins to gain popularity, it would be an enormous step in the right direction. If it is successful, the paper could set a precedent for other communities to follow. 

One writer, Damian, said, “We’re just as human as everybody else. That’s what I need people to understand.” Considering the fact that homelessness and crime often go hand in hand, publications like this could help both sides understand each other much better.    Furthermore, unsanitary conditions are also blamed on the homeless, and a meeting of the minds could possibly ease some tension in that area as well. As the saying goes, “communication is key,” and many times that is exactly what is needed to create peace.

Source: http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/connecticut/newspaper-written-by-homeless-out-now

In the sport of wrestling, earning national championship honors at both the high school and college levels is quite the accomplishment.  As arduous as that may be, imagine achieving all of that with just one leg. Fortunately, for Arizona State senior Anthony Robles, he does not have to dream about that anymore.

Last weekend, the 22-year-old Robles, who was born without a right leg, transformed that dream into reality in Philadelphia.

By his own admission, Roble’s initial dabble into wrestling began rather inauspiciously. But with time there came improvement, and eventually he became determined to wind up exactly where he did. When it all started back in high school, he weighed less than 100-pounds. Now, at 125-pounds–and able to bench-press more than 300 pounds–he leaves the sport at the top of his weight class.

As many great champions do, Robles saved his best season for last. He did not lose a single match this year, and the coup de grace was a master piece. His opponent, Matt McDonough, last year’s national champion, was just what the doctor ordered for Mr. Robles final act. He assumed his regular starting position, and by the time the contest concluded, Mr. Robles emerged victorious in a landslide. Afterwards, the usually calm Robles did confess to being awfully nervous prior to the match. “I almost started crying,” he said, “I was scared.”

For all that he has accomplished it would appear that Mr. Robles has chosen to embark on the ideal career path. He aspires to be a motivational speaker, and hopes that many people can find strength in his journey. Despite his professional goals, Robles said he did not do any of this for the attention or recognition. Instead, it was all for the love of the sport that helped to build his own intestinal fortitude and shape his character.

Source:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704433904576212721437205698.html

In the aftermath of the horrific natural disaster in Japan, images and stories of death and destruction consume the majority of media coverage. The recent earthquake and tsunami that ravaged parts of Japan have naturally resulted in many awful stories, but there are some inspirational tales of survival, too.

Last week, a 4-month-old baby in Ishinomaki was swept right out of her parents’ arms by a strong wave.  With the amount of debris and the volume of water present in the powerful tsunami waves, the likelihood of the child ever being found was nearly non-existent.  But miraculously, she was found alive three days later under a pile of rubble and was reunited with her parents, who could not believe their amazing luck.

Another tale involves a 70-year-old woman also defied the odds. Although the tidal wave was powerful enough to sweep the majority of an entire region away, apparently it still was no match for her.  She went along for the ride when her house and the rest of her neighborhood was swept away, but she was eventually rescued and taken to the hospital with no life threatening injuries.  With more than 18,000 people still currently missing, it’s a miracle that she was found in good condition.

Another man, 10-years her junior, did not want to part with his house, either. Found holding onto his roof top, a 60-year-old man was rescued after floating at sea for a couple of days. Not surprisingly, when he was rescued he said he thought that day would be his last on the planet.

Japanese rescue teams said stories such as these serve as a breath of fresh air, and provide further inspiration for them to continue searching. Hopefully the will to live continues to spread, reaching all of the survivors, especially during these tumultuous times.

Source: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/03/15/miracles-in-japan-four-month-old-baby-70-year-old-woman-found-alive/?hpt=C2

The topic of dating often leads to discussions regarding several aspects of choosing a partner. Race, social class, and physical appearance are just some of the areas that come up. In the blind community, a hot topic in the dating game is whether the blind date exclusively inside the community, outside of it, or if they are comfortable with both. Dennis Grant, a totally blind man from Ocean City, Maryland, can speak from personal experience regarding the difference in dating a blind or sighted woman.

Grant, 55, is on his second marriage–this time to a sighted woman–after spending fifteen years with his first wife who is blind. “There’s definitely a difference,” said Grant. “I find myself doing things alone more often now, because I don’t like people assuming that my wife is taking care of me.” Mr. Grant added that he needs to find a happy medium because he does not want society controlling the amount of quality time he spends with his wife.

Society has not always been kind to Brooklyn, New York native Turiya Hall, either. Hall, a mother of two, is losing faith with the idea of dating a sighted man. “I have casually dated a couple of sighted men, but it never got much further than that,” she said. Hall, 36, did specify that no man ever confirmed that they were uncomfortable with her blindness, but she strongly believes that they just could not handle the issues society presents to a blind and sighted couple. So, for the time being, Ms. Hall, who is single, prefers to date in the blind community. “Although we are all different in the way we deal with our blindness, I feel like a blind partner can better relate to me.”

Ms. Hall is not alone in the way she feels about dating blind men. Selena Shepherd, 26, has only been blind for two years, but already feels comfortable dating in the community. “I am not opposed to being with a sighted guy,” said Shepherd. “I just feel like I can learn more from a blind partner at this point.” Ms. Shepherd, a single woman who resides in Denver, Colorado, stated that not only does she want a blind mate, but she would prefer someone who has been blind for a long time. “I still have trouble accepting my blindness sometimes, so I feel like I could progress quicker if I had a blind boyfriend who is already comfortable in his skin.”

If he were single, Antonio Guimaraes may just be made to order for Ms. Shepherd. Guimaraes, a keyboard player from Providence, Rhode Island, has been blind for all of his 30 years. Although his current girlfriend is blind, like Mr. Grant, Mr. Guimaraes is equally comfortable with blind or sighted women. “I’ve been with both,” said Guimaraes. “Maybe you can do things like skating and driving with a sighted partner, but there are many ways to make up for it with the things you can share with a blind partner.”

Despite the fact that there are people like Mr. Guimaraes, Mr. Grant, Ms. Hall, and Ms. Shepherd, who are willing to try both, others are very one sided. A woman who would rather remain anonymous, was very adamant in specifying that she would never even consider dating a blind man. She feels like a blind couple just cannot work, solidifying her position by saying she wanted to be driven around, and even wondered if a blind man could ever do anything for her.

Such revelations are slightly unusual to Ms. Shepherd, whose personal experiences have shown quite the opposite. “All of my female friends who are dating have blind boyfriends,” said Shepherd. “But interestingly, not all, but several of my male friends are dating sighted women.” This contrast came as no surprise to Ms. Hall, however, who thinks she knows exactly why that is. “Don’t get me wrong,” she said. “In no way am I insinuating that sighted women pity blind men, but women are just more nurturing by nature.”

When Joy White was just 16, she took her 19 day old daughter to a New York Hospital with a high fever. After some time, a woman posing as a nurse took the infant away, and Ms. White had to wait more than two decades until she would see her daughter again. Her baby, Carlina White, was abducted, given a new identity, and raised in Connecticut and Georgia.

Throughout the years, Carlina became more suspicious of who she really was, due to the fact that she did not resemble anyone in her alleged family. Furthermore, when Carlina never could obtain her birth certificate, her curiosity only heightened. She began searching the website of The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and located pictures that she suspected were of herself. On January 4, 2011, exactly 23 years and 5 months after the day Carlina was kidnapped, her biological mother was informed of the miracle that her daughter was alive and well.

Carlina, still living in Georgia, reunited with her biological family in the Bronx on January 14. Four days later, the DNA test results confirmed that Carlina really did find her way back home.  For all the jubilation, however, Ann Pettway probably will not be smiling any time soon. She is the alleged kidnapper who raised Carlina, and went on the run last week. Following an intense manhunt, Ms. Pettway surrendered to the FBI in Connecticut yesterday.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/CleanPrint/cleanprintproxy.aspx?1295882633025

In a community where the unemployment rate is astronomically high, NFB-NEWSLINE®, the telephone service that offers a TV guide and over three-hundred periodicals (including the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind), has a new feature that addresses this problem.

As of last month, NFB-NEWSLINE® subscribers now can access job listings from anywhere in the country. The system allows users to search for employment based on their qualifications, interests, and even zip code. Listings are provided up to the minute, and different key combinations enable you to email yourself an application, save listings, and even recover postings that were accidently deleted.

This new addition certainly will not provide any relief in the area of stereotypes and discrimination, but it greatly facilitates the search process, which we all know is a job in itself. Current subscribers can access this feature by pressing 9 off the main menu, and anyone interested in signing up can call (866) 504-7300.

We come back to this story right after Johnson was taken away from his captors.

Once Johnston started school, he did begin learning Braille, but his next difficult battle was right around the corner. He contracted tuberculosis, which hospitalized him for three months, but it was there where he would be introduced to another guardian angel. “They brought this lady into my room, who worked with families in the United States that wanted to adopt kids,” Johnston said. “When they told her what happened to me she started crying, and then she told me she would find a place for me.”

After leaving the hospital, Johnston lived in two orphanages, and approximately one year later it was time to board a plane headed for the U.S. His flight brought mixed emotions though, because the experience was like no other. “When it took off and started going up and down I started crying because I thought I was going to die,” said Johnston. “I did calm down after the turbulence, and when I got a slice of cake and soda I thought America was going to be great.”

He would settle in St. Louis, Missouri, with his new family that went from having ten kids when he first arrived to eventually twenty-one. Although there was no abuse, life was still difficult with factors such as the language barrier, school, and missing his biological family. But things really began changing for him when he attended the Colorado Center for the Blind, a rehab center run by the blind that offers independent living skills training to blind people of all ages.

Johnston became a full time student of the nine month program four years ago, and was flabbergasted with the way students and staff cooked, cleaned, and traveled.

Johnston remained in Colorado after completing the program, but for all of his newfound happiness there was still a missing piece. He often cried when he thought about his family in Ethiopia, always promising himself that he would make it back to see them someday. That opportunity eventually did come to fruition, unfortunately not without more heartbreak though.

A friend, who had a nonprofit organization in Ethiopia that helped kids without families, once surprised him with a picture of his biological mom. By then it was fifteen years since he had last seen her, so the initial astonishment was overwhelming. After collecting himself, he asked about his younger sister, only to hear that she lost her life years earlier to tuberculosis.  “Any time I talk about her I cry.” said Johnston. “Her dad was mean to me and my mom, so that made me be mean to her, and I always wanted to explain myself and say I’m sorry.”

Eight months after receiving the photograph of his mother, he was on a plane to Ethiopia, finally making it back in June of 2009. When the car he was riding in arrived to the village, it was flagged down by a woman walking in the road. “She asked why we were there,” said Johnston. “Then when the translator told her who I was she dropped her bags, ripped open the back door, and started screaming and kissing me.” He did not remember her, but it was his cousin who knew all about him being taken sixteen years earlier. Her jubilance commanded enough attention that people began inquiring about what was going on, and word spread through the village like wild fire. The vehicle never quite made it to his mom’s house because a spontaneous parade broke out with most of the village dancing and singing while marching down the hill. The avalanche of people seemed endless, but one tiny lady finally made it through, and he still recognized his mom’s voice all these years later. “She almost knocked me down,” said Johnston. “She said my world is here and she was just bawling.”

They spent the next week catching up, because she knew nothing about his story, not even that he was blind. In fact she actually thought he was dead, telling him that she cried uncontrollably at every funeral. He needed her to know that it was not her fault and life is great in America today. Actually, Johnston said, despite what he went through, he would do it all over again. The one issue that he has with his path is the fact that he will never see his sister again, saying, “I would have done anything to trade places with her.” Since trading places is not an option, he is determined to make a difference in his homeland, and has already made tremendous progress.

Today he is a part of a nonprofit organization that works with blind kids in Ethiopia, assuring them an opportunity for an education. He wants them to know that their condition does not mean life is over, helping them to understand that it actually can be a new beginning. He wants to use the strength he acquired from the Colorado Center as a guide for accomplishing his mission. In accordance with that mission, he vows to keep a promise that he made to his mom just before he left to go back home to Denver–”I will be back in four years,” Johnston said. In the meantime, he is working on his under graduate degree, with thoughts every day of how his life changed so drastically eighteen months ago when he was reunited with his mother.

Disclaimer: The events in this story are all true and some contain details of human suffering that make be difficult for some readers.  While graphic, tales like these need to be told.  Awareness breeds change.

Esubalew Ethan Johnston still has vivid memories of his bloodcurdling screams, as 4 men teamed up to pin down his arms, legs, head, and of course the one who sat right in the middle of his chest. The coup de grace in this hellacious sequence of events, came when a poisonous
chemical was forced into his eyes, leaving him totally blind by the next morning. Later on that day, Mr. Johnston was introduced to his two teenage guides, who were responsible for dragging him around as he begged on the streets of Ethiopia.

Seventeen years later, Mr. Johnston, now 24, speaks with ease about the scam played on his mother that lead to his ordeal. “I was outside playing with my sister and these two guys show up on donkeys,” he recalled. “They told my mother they could take me to the capital city where I would have an opportunity to go to school. In our village no one really went to school, you began working as a toddler, you got married as a young teen, and started a family living life as a
farmer.”

Johnston said his mother wanted more for him so she let him go that day, with the promise that he would be brought back once a month. He said his sister, who was 2 years younger, cried out “No big brother, don’t go”, but he climbed on the back of a donkey, and he was off.
When he arrived in Addis Ababa a couple of days later, he would learn the hard way about the real reason he was taken. After being blinded, he was told that disabled children usually get more money, so he was sent off to beg with his teenage guides every day. The next two and a half years were an absolute nightmare, and a true test of survival. “They never fed me,” said Johnston. “The only time I ate was when people on the street couldn’t give me money so they gave me food instead.” The abuse was not specific to starvation, though. Mr. Johnston described how he was forced to hold on to vehicles when they came to a stop, sometimes still keeping his grip even after the vehicle pulled away. He was often dragged until drivers felt compelled to hand over money, which was the only thing that permitted him to let go. He also described how he would be whipped on his bare skin when he did not bring back enough money to satisfy his captors. He recalls being too weak to even speak most of the time, but the right people would speak for him during a fortunate 24 hour period.

One day, while begging in a coffee shop, a blind man entered with his sighted wife. They approached Johnston’s guides and said they could take him to a school where he could learn braille. The couple told Johnston’s teenage handlers to bring him back the next day for lunch.
Later that evening, when Johnston and the teens returned to their captors, they were forbidden to attend the next day’s lunch date.
Coincidently, while riding the bus the next day, on walked the couple who had been stood up earlier for their lunch date. They inquired about why Johnston did not show, and the teens said they forgot. The couple then suggested that Johnston and his guides get off the bus
with them, and so they did.

“I remember an argument began about who would take me,” said Johnston. “Eventually it became a tug of war, and some guards joined the couple and they chased the kids away. The bus stop was right in front of the school the couple wanted to take me to, so the guards who
helped were from the school.”

Writer’s note: Please read part 2 of this article next week to find out how a brief intervention changed Mr. Johnston’s life forever.

If you had to sum up the first 10 weeks of the 2010 National Football League (NFL) season in one word, “unpredictable” would be the perfect fit. With that said, the beauty of sports is the element of surprise, and this year has provided exactly that. Teams who were forecasted to be the head of their divisions have found themselves in the cellar or close to it, and vice versa.

Let’s start with the AFC mid-season failures. At the top of the list are the Cincinnati Bangles, who bring high profiled names on offense, but only have 2 wins in 9 tries. Although the Houston Texans and San Diego Chargers have done a little better, they belong in the same category, too. All 3 have talent, yet still manage to sport losing records. It certainly would not come as a surprise if all 3 teams announce coaching vacancies at the end of the season.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders have also baffled people, except the mystery is about their winning records. Both are historic franchises, and it’s great for the league when they are competitive. In fact, their riveting battle last week was an overtime thriller, and the NFL can only hope that both teams will still be in the playoff picture when they meet again later this season.

Over in the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys are easily the biggest disappointments in the league, and only can look forward to next year. Things got so awful in Dallas that the coach lost his job last week, and the speculation is that the Vikings coach may join him on the golf course soon. Both teams have a combined total of 5 victories, and to put that in prospective the Patriots and Jets each have 7.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have 6 wins, turned out to be another league shocker. Excluding fans of the team, most legitimate fans of the game probably could not name 3 Buccaneer players, even if you gave them two to start.  After a horrendous 2009 season, not much was expected of them, but they just seemed to come from absolutely nowhere. At this point in the season, I think their coach is the NFL head coach of the year.

One person who should be considered for the most addresses of the year is Randy Moss. Moss, who is playing on his third team this season, has already had 2 teams give up on him due to his negative attitude. Let’s see if the future hall of famer will still be in Tennessee by Christmas. Until then, enjoy the second half of the schedule, and hopefully your favorite teams can provide you with some holiday cheer.