                      THE BLIND CALIFORNIAN



                   A Quarterly Magazine of the

                 CALIFORNIA COUNCIL OF THE BLIND


Fall 1993            Volume XXXVII        Number 4

         Published in Braille, Cassette, and Large Print




                       EXECUTIVE OFFICES:

                    John V. Lopez, President
                       213-268-4526, Res.
                8700 Reseda Boulevard, Suite 208
                      Northridge, CA 91324
                        FAX 818-349-1573
                          818-349-2636
                          800-221-6359

               SACRAMENTO AREA OFFICE:  Cid Urena 
          1399 Sacramento Avenue Sp 25, Bryte, CA 95605
 
                 BAY AREA OFFICE:  Donald Queen
            648 Kearney Street, El Cerrito, CA 94530

                     EDITOR:  Maria E. Lopez
                     3925 East Sixth Street 
                      Los Angeles, CA 90023
                          213-268-4526
  
               Editor Assistant:  Norma Schecter 

Please send all address changes to the Executive Offices in Northridge. 


                   CCB PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE


     Ruth Dean Zulli, Chairperson, 8516 Alcott Street 2, Los Angeles, CA 90032
; 310-659-1891

     Winifred Downing, 1587 38th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94122

     Cherrie Handy Pomerantz, 1344 North Martel Avenue, 102, Los Angeles, CA
90046

     Cathy Schmitt, 167 Rockwood Street, Irvine, CA 92714

     Connie Skeen, 3250 Maple Avenue, Oakland, CA 94602

     David Keith, 8150 Broadway #233, Lemon Grove, CA 91945-2671



                        ----------------



Nonmembers are requested and members are invited to pay a yearly subscription
fee of $10 toward the printing of The Blind Californian.  

If you or a friend would like to remember the California Council of the Blind in
your will, you can do so by employing the following language:

"I give, devise, and bequeath unto the California Council of the Blind, a nonprofit
charitable organization in California, the sum of $---- (or
----) to be used for its worthy purposes on behalf of blind persons."

If your wishes are more complex, you may have your attorney  communicate with
the Northridge office for other suggested forms.  Thank you.  
                        TABLE OF CONTENTS


FROM THE EDITOR'S DISK, by Maria E. Lopez  . . . . . . . . . . .1

HEADQUARTERS UPDATE, by John V. Lopez  . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

THE UNIFIED BRAILLE CODE:  Some Myths 
and Realities, byJohn Jackson, Darleen 
     Bogart, and Hilda Caton   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE --FALL 1993
     by Cid Urena  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

THE BRAILLE BILL, by Winifred Downing  . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ACB 32ND ANNUAL
     NATIONAL CONVENTION, by Linda F. Carney . . . . . . . . . 17

MANY THANKS FROM CATHIE SKIVERS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

PARLIAMENTARY GLEANINGS 
     by Juliet B. Esterly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

FOR OUR DEAF-BLIND MEMBERS 
     by Donna Hawkins  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

PROPOSITION 174:  READ IT CAREFULLY BEFORE
     VOTING, by Norma Schecter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

E-TEXT FRENCH STYLE 
     by Kenneth Frasse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 1993/94 CCB SCHOLARSHIP
     WINNERS, by Coletta Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO BRAILLE?
     by John di Francesco  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

WANT A SCHOLARSHIP?  TRY TAL!
     by Kenneth Frasse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

THE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE, by Jeffrey C. Senge . . . . . . . . . 32

THE FORGOTTEN LAND
     by Donna Cook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

COMMUNICATION METHODS FOR THE DEAF-BLIND 
     (Part 1), by Mary Gillespie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

A GLIMPSE AT BLINDNESS IN JAPAN
     by Roger D. Petersen  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

OUT OF THE DOGHOUSE 
     by Cherrie Handy Pomerantz  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

HEALING HANDS, by Claudia Miller, Staff Writer,
     Daily Review, Hayward, CA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

BLIND EMBITION by Toni Page Birdsong,
     Los Angeles Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

MY DAY IN COURT, by Donald Queen   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

BULLETIN BOARD, by Winifred Downing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

AROUND THE STATE AND NATION  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
                     FROM THE EDITOR'S DISK 

                        by Maria E. Lopez


Precisely two years ago, I consented to be your editor for The Blind Californian
and I have truly enjoyed being in charge of the last eight issues of this fine
publication.  But because of my increasing job responsibilities, I cannot continue
as your editor so it is time for someone else to take over this inspiring and
challenging assignment.  

As most of you know, I work for a printing shop owned by my brothers; as time
goes by I have less free hours in the day for my editing work.  For this reason,
Doris Fisher was asked if she would be the next editor of the BC and she
graciously accepted.  So this is my last issue as your editor.  I hope you have
enjoyed reading the BC as much as I enjoyed editing it.  
Those who know Doris will agree with me that she is highly qualified for the
editing job.  She has been an active member of the CCB for many years and is
well-versed in the philosophy of this great organization.  Let's give her the same
support and cooperation that you have given me throughout these two years.  

Thank you very much for all your wonderful support and input that made my
editing work enjoyable and fascinating.  After two years of your sincere
collaboration, I will always remember your friendship and eagerness to assist me
in so many ways.  

My genuine appreciation goes to Denise Weddle for being always willing to
prepare the address labeling for each issue.  And of course, my deepest
gratitude goes to Norma Schecter for her unconditional editing assistance.   
Undoubtedly, teamwork can only bring good results.  

At the end of my two years as editor, I notice an increase of chapter
participation in the BC.  This issue, for example, includes a great variety of
interesting topics anywhere from legislation to chapter activities, from CCB
members traveling abroad to accomplishments of individual members.  

There is also information on the Braille Bill, myths and realities of the Unified
Braille Code, etc.

Again, thanks to all of you for your wonderful help.  It has been a pleasure
serving you as editor of this great publication.  

                        ----------------


                       HEADQUARTERS UPDATE

                        by John V. Lopez


By the time you read this issue of the BC, our Fall Convention of the California
Council of the Blind will be upon us, because this year it will take place earlier
than usual.  It will be held November 4-7, 1993 at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza,
5995 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045, phone 310-642-7500; room rates will
be $53 across.  For further details, refer to your Fall Convention announcement. 


I hope that all of you have planned to attend this most  interesting and
informative convention and participate in committee meetings, seminars,
workshops, breakfasts, luncheons, general sessions, banquet, and most important
our elections, which will include the officer positions of Second Vice President,
Secretary, and four Board positions.  There will also be a special election for the
office of treasurer, because our former CCB treasurer Denise Weddle resigned as
of September 11, 1993.  On behalf of the CCB, I am expressing our sincere
gratitude to DEnise for her many years of dedication as treasurer of our fine
organization.  

For the time being, I have appointed as interim treasurer David Parker, who is
an active member of the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of California and, in my
opinion, highly qualified for this assignment.  

The American Council of the Blind National Convention was truly a record-making
success.  The agenda was so full of exciting events that no one wanted to miss
any of them.  Something very noticeable that deserves our congratulations was
the painstaking efforts in the collective work of the Host Committee for their
successful and highly commendable planning of this special annual event.  It
gave me great pleasure to be able to offer the CCB presidential suite daily to the
convention volunteers and the Host Committee members so that they could have
a private place to rest and enjoy refreshments. Overall, this ACB Convention
proved to be another captivating annual event. 

I am happy to announce that two CCB Board members were elected to the ACB
Board of Directors:  Robert Acosta for Second Vice President and Christopher
Gray for a Board position.  Congratulations to both of them.  
During this convention, CCB members also participated in a rally to alert federal
transit officials of the necessity of immediate installation of detactable warning
strips on the edges of rail transit platforms.  ACB organized this demonstration
after learning of the fatal accident of a blind woman who fell from a Boston
subway.  

On a sad note, we will greatly miss a distinguished national leader, Grant M.
Mack, who passed away on July 7, 1993, during the ACB convention.  Grant was
Past President of the American Council of the Blind; he also served on important
positions of many national organizations.  To honor this great leader of the blind
and sincere friend, a resolution was presented to the ACB membership.  In the
ACB Convention report written by Linda Carney, you will find this resolution. 
Grant was a long-time personal friend of Maria and me--we will truly miss him. 
 

Also, Mr. Bill Tainter, Director of the State Department of Rehabilitation, who was
a strong advocate for the rights of the disabled, passed away in August, 1993. 
In 1991, he was appointed Director of the Department by Governor Wilson.  At
first, as Director of the Department, his opinion toward blind and visually
impaired people was not favorable; but later, his attitude changed positively,
resulting in his support to keep the Orientation Center for the Blind open. He
also initiated the concept of a Blind Advisory Committee comprised of blind
people.  He focused his efforts on "independent living," the concept that people
with disabilities must have the freedom to live as other people.  Among his other
great achievements, we are very thankful to Mr. Tainter for his strong advocacy
and help in obtaining a federal proposal for the development of formula grants
for programs and services for the senior blind.  We also appreciate his support
and assistance in the passage of AB550.  

On behalf of the CCB, I sent condolences to Mr. Tainter's family, the Department
of Rehabilitation, and Governor Pete Wilson. I have included Governor Wilson's
letter of response:  

                              * * *

                      GOVERNOR PETE WILSON
                       September 21, 1993

"Dear Mr. Lopez:

"Many thanks for your recent letter regarding Bill Tainter.  

"I share your sadness, because Bill was not only a talented and devoted public
servant, he was a good friend.  His passing was a tremendous personal and
professional blow for me.  

"Bill was steadfast in his belief that the most important thing he could do for
people with disabilities was to help them be self-sufficient and productive, not
dependent.  That was his cause, and he pursued it with nothing less than
inspirational determination and success.  His legacy in his life's work won't be
forgotten.  

"I thank you for sharing your words of appreciation and respect for Bill.  I'll
be sure to pass them along to his family and colleagues.  

"Sincerely, 
PETE WILSON 
State Capitol, Sacramento California 95814"

                              * * *

During the summer, I sent all of you a letter asking you to support a braille bill
introduced by the CCB which will be coming up in the next legislative session. 
This bill is to promote braille literacy for blind children in California.  Following
is a copy of this letter for the benefit of those who did not receive it: 

             HELP PROMOTE CALIFORNIA'S BRAILLE BILL

                 BRAILLE LITERACY IS IMPORTANT!


You can help provide better braille teaching in our schools by writing to:  
Assemblyman Mickey Conroy, 71st District State Capitol, P.O. Box 952849,
Sacramento, CA 94249.  

The bill would provide braille reading and writing instruction for all California
students for whom it would be an appropriate reading medium.  This means that
braille would be taught not only to totally blind youngsters, but also to those
partially-sighted kids with a poor vision prognosis, as well as those who can
read large-print, but only very slowly or with great effort.  Where the individual
child's needs might be met with both large-print and braille, the child would be
taught both, becoming "by-medial".  

When writing, be sure to stress how braille is important to you, in your daily
life, as well as in your own education.  You might wish to comment on such
points as:  

(1)  The usefulness of braille in your daily life, in your business or professional
life.  

(2)  The advantages of braille over tape-recordings in such things as keeping
an appointment calendar, having easy-access address and phone listings, labeling
medications.  

(3)  The advantages of braille over tape-recordings in studying things like math
or science, as well as other subjects which might involve charts or tables, or
other things you have to really look at in detail.  

(4)  The availability of a large amount of material in braille, as compared to
large-print.  

(5)  Blind students should have the right to be taught braille, so they can be
as literate as their sighted peers.  

If you know of students who are not receiving proper braille instruction, let
Assemblyman Conroy know about it, so he can be made aware that we really need
his help.  Urge your friends and colleagues to contact him too.  If you prefer
to phone, his numbers in Sacramento and in Orange County are:  
Sacramento (916) 445-2778. 
Orange County (714) 998-0980; or 1-800-660-6095.  

DO SOMETHING NOW; IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR KIDS!  

                              * * *
Since we are on the subject of braille, I wish to inform you that on behalf of the
CCB, I submitted my evaluation and comments to the Braille Research Center
regarding possible changes to literary braille. Enclosed is the reply that I
received from Hilda Caton, Director of the Braille Research Center.  Immediately
following my update, you will also find an interesting article submitted by The
Braille Research Center talking about myths and realities of the Unified Braille
Code.  

"August 31, 1993

"Dear Mr. Lopez: 

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in the
Unified Braille Code research project and for your letter regarding the work
which has been done so far.  It is extremely important that we have as much
input as possible from all braille readers who are willing to help us answer the
question of whether it will be possible to unify the braille codes we have now
without major change to Grade 2 braille.  I am sorry that I did not have time to
answer each of your questions or respond to each of your comments individually
right now.  We have only three staff members (including me) and one consultant
and we are working on a number of projects in addition to the Unified Braille
Code research project.  So, at times, we are not able to answer letters
immediately.  We hope to get some additional staff soon and this will certainly
help us get information out faster than we have in the past.  I can assure you,
however, that my staff and I have read your letters and that your comments and
suggestions will be used as work on the project continues.  
"In order to keep you informed about the work on the project, I am enclosing
a short article written by several people attending the Convention of the
American Council of the Blind in San Francisco in early July.  I hope that this
article will answer some of your questions and clear up some of the confusion
about the Unified Braille Code research project.  This article will be sent to all
of the major publications read by braille readers also and we hope that it will
be published in them.  

"Again, I would like to thank you for communicating with us about the project. 
I can certainly appreciate your concern about changes to Grade 2 literary braille. 
I can also assure you that this is still a research project which is in the very
beginning stage.  No changes have been made to literary braille and no major
changes will be made as a result of this project.  All books now being read by
both children and adults will still be available and any unified code which might
be developed will not affect this.  If a unified code is developed, braille written
in it will not be significantly different from braille written in the present literary
code, and current braille readers will have no problems reading it.  

"Sincerely,
Hilda Caton, Director, The Braille Research Center"

                              * * *

In closing, it is my pleasure to have appointed Doris Fisher as our next editor
for The Blind Californian.  She has been in the organization for many years and
is a member of the Cerritos Valley Chapter, has excellent writing skills, and is
quite an expert with computers, which clearly indicates to me that she is highly
qualified to be our next editor.  Thank you, Doris, for accepting this important
and vital assignment.  

Of course, my sincere thanks to my loving wife for her dedicated interest and
commendable style in editing our fine magazine, The Blind Californian.  In her
two years as editor, I have admired her positive manner of handling this task
even when the information and articles contained controversial issues and other
conflict-of-interest items which were sent for publication.  On behalf of the CCB,
I take the privilege as President of this fine organization to thank my wife again
for all of us for her hard work and dedication.  

                        ----------------


                    THE UNIFIED BRAILLE CODE:
                    Some Myths and Realities

        by John Jackson, Darleen Bogart, and Hilda Caton


(Note:  The opinions expressed by the authors are their own, and should not be
construed as official positions taken by The National Library Service, the
Canadian National Institute for the Blind, or the American Printing House for the
Blind.)  

Since the report of an attempt to formulate a Unified Braille Code (UBC) was first
issued in early 1992, it has been widely discussed and debated throughout the
braille-oriented community in the United States and Canada.  In this short time,
much confusion and much misunderstanding have arisen regarding its status,
design, purpose, and potential impact upon braille readers, educators, and
transcribers.  In this article, ten common myths about this thing called the UBC
are debunked in an effort to shed some sober light on a serious subject.  

MYTH 1.  The Unified Braille Code has already been adopted and is now the
official braille code of the United States and Canada.  

REALITY.  No Unified Braille Code has been adopted.  In fact, a UBC has not
even been fully formulated.  To date, the Braille Authority of North America
(BANA), the rule-making body for English braille codes in North America, has only
authorized a group of committees to investigate the feasibility of a single braille
code capable of conveying the information that now requires the use of as many
as four codes:  literary, Nemeth, textbook, and computer.  The UBC project will
take at least five years to complete.  

MYTH 2.  The proposed UBC will change literary braille (the most commonly read
code) so radically that for most readers, braille will be slower and more difficult
to read.  

REALITY.  Most current braille readers will notice relatively few changes, because
BANA has directed the committees of the UBC project to construct the new code
so that no major changes will be made to the literary code.  Any substantial
changes will occur in material that is heavily math, science or computer oriented. 
Those who primarily read novels, cookbooks, religious materials, etc., will have
relatively few new signs and rules to learn and are likely to need only a short
adjustment time.  

MYTH 3.  The UBC is not an exclusively American project.  Therefore, if it is
adopted, braille in America will bee radically different from braille in other
English-speaking countries.  

REALITY.  Although the UBC project began in 1989 solely as a North American
undertaking, in June 1993 the project was adopted by the International Council
on English Braille (ICEB), the council that promotes braille conformity throughout
all English-speaking countries.  Therefore, if the UBC is adopted, a single braille
code will be used for literature throughout the English-speaking world.  (The
code for braille music is already international.)  

MYTH 4.  The proposed UBC is being designed by a small group of intellectuals,
and readers, educators, and transcribers will have no real consequential input
in determining its final form.  

REALITY.  The initial designers of the proposed code have extensive backgrounds
in code design and related areas that are necessary for logical code construction. 
However, the code eventually proposed will have design input from all sectors of
the braille community--particularly from readers, educators, and transcribers. 
By requirement of BANA, any eventual code must be thoroughly readable by
current braille users.  Therefore, the new Braille Research Center at the
American Printing House for the Blind has been designated to conduct ongoing
reader evaluations as the proposed code is being developed.  Readers interested
in participating in the evaluations should contact:  Hilda Caton, Braille Research
Center, American Printing House for the Blind, P.O. Box 6085,
Louisville, KY 40206.  Also, open forums are being conducted regularly at major
conventions of blind consumers and at meetings of braille transcribers and
educators throughout the country.  Additionally, these groups will have serious
input through representatives on the committees of the projects.  

MYTH 5.  The UBC is being developed primarily to meet the needs of readers who
are "technical types," heavily math or computer oriented.  
REALITY.  The impetus for developing a Unified Braille Code has not come from
those who are math and computer oriented.  Codes already exist for these areas. 
As a matter of fact, the braille experienced by those who read technical literature
will be changed much more by the UBC than the braille experienced by those who
read nontechnical literature.  The momentum for a UBC grows out of the
increasing need for one simple, readable, computable, and flexible code that can
represent the growing complexity of print information that must regularly be put
into braille to meet the needs of the general reader.  Currently, as many as four
braille codes must learned to access much of this information.  In today's world,
where braille users regularly work in print-oriented environments (the school,
the workplace, the social scene), the purposes for which braille is used are more
numerous and various than they were many years ago, when blind and sighted
persons lived in relatively separate worlds.  As a consequence, the reading
matter that is put into braille today is quite different from the reading matter
that was put into braille in 1932, when Grade II braille was adopted.  In this
modern, high-tech society, most of us must perform some activities that were
once reserved for "technical types."  Blind persons deserve timely access to the
written information they need to participate equally in this society.  Thus, the
proposed UBC is being designed to meet the needs of today's general reader, and
to represent the ever-expanding language in which information is expressed
today.  

MYTH 6.  The UBC is being developed primarily to accommodate computer braille
translation to the detriment of readability.  

REALITY.  The charge from BANA to the UBC project specifically states that the
code should:  "Be computable to the greatest degree possible, without detriment
to readability ...,"  but that readability must not be sacrificed in the interest of
computability.  Therefore, the code eventually proposed will be carefully
scrutinized--particularly by readers in the ongoing evaluations--to assure that
it meets this criterion.  

MYTH 7.  If the UBC is adopted, materials in the current code will no longer be
available and no future materials will be transcribed in the current codes.  

REALITY.  It is anticipated that if the change to a UBC ever occurs, it will be
a gradual one, over a period of several years.  It is only reasonable to assume
that materials transcribed in current codes will continue to be circulated in the
interim.  Even if the UBC is adopted, it may be possible to produce computer
braille translations of the same book in both the UBC code and in another
code(s).  

MYTH 8.  Use of the UBC will substantially increase the size of braille volumes. 


REALITY.  Because the proposed UBC has not been fully formulated, a truly
accurate measurement of this issue cannot be made.  However, current statistics
from the Braille Research Center suggest that the size of braille volumes may be
increased by as little as three percent.  

MYTH 9.  UBC committee members are monetarily reimbursed for their work on the
project.  

REALITY.  Most UBC committee members serve without monetary reward.  Some
meeting-related expenses are reimbursed.  Consultants are occasionally employed
and some agencies permit paid staff to use work time for the project, where
appropriate.  

MYTH 10.  Because "the powers that be" want it, the Unified Braille Code is an
inevitable, eventual reality.  

REALITY.  There is no certainty that a Unified Braille Code will ever be adopted. 
In the final analysis, the adoption or rejection of the UBC will depend upon its
ability to win the approval of braille readers.  Those who will vote on the code--
the representatives of the member countries of the ICB--will base their decisions
for or against the UBC on their sense of the braille community.  

                        ----------------


                 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - FALL 1993 

(also information on AB 1863 and AB 2020 which may be of interest)

                          by Cid Urena


Most of the CCB bills this year are on their final lap.  This means that the last
stage may not have taken place for some of them--specifically, the governor's
signature.

We have had some misfortune on the way.  AB 1267 (Assemblywoman Diane
Martinez), the Orientation Center bill sponsored by the CCB, was derailed in the
final committee of the Senate (Appropriations) which is chaired by Senator
Presley.  This bill would have protected the Center from being threatened with
closure by a new director.  It would have also prevented some of the
unnecessary studies which have been requested over the past two decades.  I
might add that this bill did not require any money whatsoever.  Some information
should be coming to you as to what to do concerning this bill.

AB 1419 (Assemblyman Joe Baca), a CCB sponsored bill dealing with the Guide Dog
Board, would require as a condition of receiving home training that the guide
dog user has completed a formal in-residence training program from a school
licensed by the State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind or from a school
recognized by another state to provide guide dog training.  This bill would make
further related provisions as defined.  This bill is on the governor's desk
waiting to be signed into law.

AB 1660 (Assemblywoman Grace Napolitano), a CCB sponsored bill, permits blind
and disabled individuals to use transit passes from their home districts in all
other areas of the state where disabled discounts are permitted.  This bill was
signed by the governor and has become Chapter 94 of 1993.

AB 1863 (Assemblyman John Burton), a CCB sponsored bill concerning guide dogs,
provides for arbitration in a situation where a guide dog user is in danger of
having his guide dog removed from his custody.  This arbitration will be
conducted by the State Guide Dog Board.  The bill is currently awaiting the
governor's signature.

AB 2020 (Assemblyman Phil Eisenberg) sponsored by the California Optometric
Association, would allow optometrists to prescribe medications and perform
treatments for specified diseases of the eye.  The California Council of the Blind
is in opposition to this bill.  The bill is currently in the Senate Committee on
Business and Professions.

AB 1624 (Assemblywoman Debra Bowen) would require the legislative counsel, with
the advice of the Senate and Assembly Joint Rules Committees, to make accessible
to the public by way of computer modem, specified information concerning bills
and proceedings of the houses and committees of the legislature.  This bill is
currently in Assembly Unfinished Business and the CCB supports it.  

AB 1602 (Assemblyman Paul Woodruff) would permit the Department of
Rehabilitation to conform to federal regulations.  This bill is currently in
Assembly Special Consent.  The CCB takes a neutral position.

SB 477 (Senator William Craven) sponsored by the SPCA, improves SPCA
regulations and promotes better education for personnel, promotes better
understanding of cruelty to animals by the general public, but because of the
opposition by many members of the SPCA the bill has been changed to a two-year
bill.  Currently in Senate Committee on Judiciary.  Supported by the CCB.

SB 742 (Senator Milton Marks) has been totally revised and no longer deals with
guide dogs or the ADA.

SB 1102 (Senator Tim Leslie) attempts to restore lien laws for some individuals. 
The bill is in the Assembly Committee on Health.  The CCB opposes this bill.

SCR 16 (Senator Teresa Hughes), a CCB sponsored resolution, would mandate
adaptive computer equipment for the disabled in the open computer labs serving
the general student population in the CSU and UC systems.  We may not be able
to have this bill heard before the session comes to an end.  Currently in Senate
Committee on Education.

Again, as always, I would like to thank those who have diligently participated in
our legislative activities here in Sacramento.  Have a wonderful holiday season
and prepare yourselves for the second half of this session in January 1994.

                              * * *

NOTE:  Following is some bill information that you might find of interest.

AB 1863 -- Legislative Digest:  This bill establishes a five-year pilot program to
provide an arbitration procedure for the resolution of disputes between guide
dog users and guide dog schools regarding the physical custody or continual use
of a guide dog.

Senate Floor Amendments of 8/19/93:  (1) authorize the State Board of Guide Dogs
for the Blind to study the effectiveness of the dispute resolution panel and
authorize the board to share its findings with the legislature upon request; and
(2) make minor changes relating to the description and references regarding the
proposed arbitration panel.

Analysis:  Existing law provides for the licensing and regulation of guide dog
training schools for the blind by the Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind of the
Department of Consumer Affairs.

This bill would require the board to establish a 5-year arbitration panel pilot
project (until January 1, 1999).  This would provide an arbitration procedure for
the resolution, between guide dog users and the guide dog schools that retain
ownership of a guide dog, of disputes involving the continued use or custody of
a guide dog.  

This bill would provide that a guide dog school which fails to comply with the
arbitration procedure or the decision of the arbitration panel shall be subject to
a penalty of $250 per day for each day of an arbitration violation.

It would create an arbitration panel composed of 1 person designated by the
guide dog user, 1 person designated by the guide dog school, and 1
representative of the board.

The bill would authorize the board to study the effectiveness of the arbitration
panel pilot project, and to share its findings with the Legislature upon request.

According to the Senate Business and Professions Committee:

According to the CCB, most people believe the blind own their guide dogs.  For
a variety of reasons, some blind people do not wish to own their dogs, and the
majority of guide dog schools do not give their clients ownership of the dogs.

The CCB states that experience has shown that even though the blind person and
the guide dog school often work together, a school's opinion sometimes differs
from the blind person's needs. For instance, the CCB claims that during 1991 and
1992, a blind man was deprived of his guide dog for 5 months when a school was
pressured by animal rights advocates to act against the best interest of their
client.

The CCB and the board are seeking the arbitration pilot project as proposed by
this bill in order to provide a process which the guide dog industry and the
blind guide dog user may use for the quick settlement of disagreements over the
custody of a dog.

                        ----------------



                        THE BRAILLE BILL

                       by Winifred Downing


It has become increasingly apparent that some mechanism needs to be established
to assure that braille is offered to those students for whom it is appropriate. 
In the late 70's and early 80's, a child who could read print was urged to use
that medium without consideration of the strain which would be involved as his
reading needs increased, the prognosis of his visual impairment, the difficulties
presented by a very slow reading rate, the considerations posed by the need for
just the right lighting and magnification, etc.   Faced with these problems, the
fifth or sixth grade student began having material read to him, relying
increasingly on taped books, notes which other students took for him, and the
like.  Because the student ceased to read for himself, his ability to spell
suffered; and he lost touch with the use of punctuation marks and with sentence
and paragraph structure.  He continued to employ the strategies which helped
him to progress from one grade to another but ended up being functionally
illiterate.

Responding to these problems, organized groups of blind persons in various
states have succeeded in having the legislatures pass laws which mandate that
braille will be offered to those students for whom it is an appropriate medium. 
 In framing a braille bill, however, a number of factors must be considered. 
Parents and teachers preparing the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) may be
too eager to choose print, since for the parent it is encouraging to think that
the student has enough sight to benefit from the more common reading and
writing medium, and for the school system using print means that a separate
instructor will not be necessary.  Yet braille should not be mandated for a
student using some strict definition to determine when it is appropriate.  Rather,
the student's abilities, needs and vision problem must be fully considered.  Also,
care must be taken not to define the assessment process in such a way that
tests are required to determine a medium for reading and writing when the
student is so severely handicapped that reading in any medium is not a realistic
expectation.  Often, too, it is appropriate for the student to develop two media
for reading and writing, each useful in a particular situation.  In these instances
it is helpful in the IEP process to establish a primary and secondary medium. 
A good braille bill must be so designed that it provides for all these aspects of
the student's situation.

Early braille bills tried to assure that needed textbooks would be available and
therefore required publishers to furnish the material in the computerized form
they used for printing.  While at first glance this looks like an excellent plan,
states often found that what was furnished to them was useless because of
formatting codes and other problems so that some more recent bills do not refer
to this subject at all, leaving it for further consideration as publishers achieve
greater uniformity in the practice they follow.

The California Council of the Blind, the Joint Action Committee of agencies and
organizations of and for the blind, and the National Federation of the Blind of
California have agreed upon a bill introduced by Assemblyman Mickey Conroy. 
Please write to him to thank him and to your legislators to urge its passage. 
The language of the bill as it was presented to Assemblyman Conroy in August
follows:

"Given the cognitive ability to read, functionally blind students and some
students with other severe visual impairments require instruction in braille
reading and writing if they are to maximize their economic potential and have the
greatest chances for success throughout their lives.  There are students in this
state who are functionally blind or have other severe visual impairments for
whom braille is an appropriate reading and writing mode but who are not
receiving instruction in braille.  In the development of Individualized Education
Programs for students who are functionally blind, there is a presumption that
proficiency in braille reading and writing is essential for these students'
satisfactory educational progress and independent functioning.

"The most appropriate reading medium/media for an individual student is that
which is most efficient in terms of comprehension, speed and stamina
commensurate with the student's ability and grade level.  It should not be
implied that braille should be used exclusively if other educational media are
appropriate to the student's educational needs.   The provision of other
appropriate media does not preclude braille use or instruction.

"1.  A functionally blind student because of his/her visual impairment, relies
basically on senses other than vision as major channels for learning.  A student
with a severe visual impairment is able to use vision as a channel for learning,
but may also benefit from instruction in braille.

"Braille means the system of reading and writing through touch commonly
known as Standard English Braille, American Edition. 

"2.  A functional Vision Assessment shall be conducted pursuant to Section
56320(f) of Chapter 4, Part 30 and shall include, where appropriate, a
recommendation of appropriate reading medium/media for the student.

"For students who are functionally blind and have the cognitive ability to read,
an assessment in braille skills shall be provided in accordance with Guidelines
established pursuant to Section 56136.

"The determination of the most appropriate medium/media, including braille, for
functionally blind and other students with severe visual impairments shall be in
accordance with Guidelines established pursuant to Section 56136.

"3.  Braille instruction shall be provided by a teacher credentialed to teach
students who are functionally blind or severely visually impaired.

"4.  Students who, due to a prognosis of visual deterioration, may be expected
to have a need for braille shall be provided with assessments and opportunities
for braille instruction when appropriate."

                        ----------------


     HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ACB 32ND ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION.

                       by Linda F. Carney


The convention was hosted by the California Council of the Blind.  The joint
efforts of John Lopez, CCB's President, and John Horst, the National Convention
Coordinator, along with the dedicated work of many others, made this 32nd
Annual Convention the most productive and exciting in the history of the
American Council of the Blind.  With an attendance of over 1,500 people, four
hotels were utilized, the main hotel being the Airport Marriott in beautiful San
Francisco.  Vans traveled the circuit of all four hotels about every ten minutes. 


If you have never attended a national convention you have missed the experience
of fulfillment in your life from the friendships and acquaintances made, which are
renewed annually at each and every convention of the ACB.
     
The election results were as following:  President, LeRoy F. Saunders; First Vice
President, Charles S. P. Hodge; Second Vice President, Robert Acosta; Secretary,
Patricia Price; Treasurer, Brian Charlson; Board of Directors, Christopher Gray;
Pamela Shaw to fill Grant Mack's remaining term as Director. 

The leadership will administer policy for the upcoming year, but without your
support it can't achieve its full effect for the blind community.  Involvement of
the general membership is the only way to accomplish our goals.  Support your
leadership by becoming more active and involved on your local level.  Feedback
is necessary for any organization to be productive.  

A prime example of this is joining forces by protesting for an ultimate end to a
devastating situation.  How many of us have to give our lives before tactile
warnings are installed in high-risk areas?  This question was brought before the
main assembly when more lives were taken by the underground transit system. 
In response, hundreds signed up to actively demonstrate to the world that we
no longer will accept this loss of life as an everyday occurrence.  Our aim is the
preservation of life.  We acted in a professional and civil manner in hopes that
our efforts would enable others with visual impairments to travel without fear. 
As a result, our leadership was invited to the Department of Transportation,
Washington, DC. on July 12, 1993 to discuss and implement tactile warning signs
to prevent the loss of life.  Look in your September issue of the BRAILLE FORUM
for more details and follow-up on this very important issue.

There were 17 scholarships presented during the convention, of which one
recipient resides in California.  We are extremely proud of Alma Harris.  Alma
lives and attends school in San Diego.  She became visually impaired in 1988, due
to optic atrophy.  After several years of continually adjusting to her rapidly
failing eyesight, she enrolled at San Diego City College, majoring in Computer
Science.  Last time I talked to Alma, she expressed a desire to become a member
of the San Diego Silvergate chapter of the CCB.  I am treasurer of the Silvergate
chapter and am looking forward to welcoming her involvement on the local level. 


This convention has out-done any previous convention, in my opinion.  I would
like to recognize all the volunteers who made this convention a reality.   Without
the love and support of the volunteers we could not perform as independently
as we wish.  With their instructional guidance we were able to familiarize
ourselves with our surroundings and move freely.  As human beings they realize
that with proper orientation we can actively participate in any environment.  

On July 7, 1993, Grant M. Mack, former president of ACB, passed away.  We must
continue to pursue his ideals and thoughts pertaining to the blind community. 
His persistence and dedication laid the ground work for a better future for all
of us--we must carry it out.  In memory of this great man, a resolution was
brought before the general assembly.  The Resolutions Committee, chaired by
Mitch Pomerantz, presented resolution 93-01, which honored Grant for his tireless
efforts toward promoting independence for all blind and visually impaired people. 
It passed unanimously.  The resolution follows in its entirety: 

"WHEREAS, Grant Mack of Salt Lake City, Utah, served the American Council of
the Blind with dedication and distinction for over 18 years--first as president
of the Utah Council of the Blind from 1975 to 1977, then as a member of the ACB
Board of Directors from 1978 through 1981, as ACB's fifth president from 1981
through 1987, as immediate past president from 1987 through 1989, and again as
a director from 1989 to the present; and,

WHEREAS, Mr. Mack also served in important positions on the boards of directors
of the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually
Handicapped, the National Industries for the Blind, the Affiliated Leadership
League of and for the Blind of America, and the American Foundation for the
Blind; and,

WHEREAS, he became widely known, not only for his demonstrated leadership
ability, but also as an advocate for civil rights for the blind of this nation:  now,
therefore, be it 

RESOLVED by the American Council of the Blind in convention assembled at San
Francisco, California this eighth day of July 1993, that we express our profound
sorrow to Grant Mack's wife Olive Beth (Bobby) and their children on his
untimely death, and further express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for
his many years of dedicated service to ACB and to the blind of this nation and
the world; and be it further 

RESOLVED that this organization direct its president to convey the substance and
spirit of this resolution to his wife in an appropriate manner."

The Grant M. Mack Foundation for the Blind has been established.  Those wishing
to remember Grant may send contributions in his name to the Foundation, c/o
Utah Industries for the Blind, 1595 W. 500 S., Salt Lake City, UT 84104.

A more detailed article on Grant's accomplishments appeared in The Braille Forum,
August 1993.  Grant was loved by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.  

All who attended the convention came away with fond memories they will cherish
forever.  I, like many others, can hardly wait till next year's convention.  Hope
to see you all in Chicago, July 2nd through the 9th, 1994.  

                        ----------------


                 MANY THANKS FROM CATHIE SKIVERS


From 1964-1975 I served as a member of the Board of Directors of the American
Council of the Blind.  Therefore, when I heard that ACB was coming to San
Francisco for the 32nd annual convention, I was delighted.  I was asked to serve
as state Chair of the information desk.  This was a wonderful opportunity to see
old friends and acquaintances and to meet many interesting and new people.  

Anybody who was on hand for this convention knows what a success it was and
how hard people worked to make this so.  Laurinda Steele, Dorothy Vallerga and
I rotated three-hour shifts so that one of us was always handling the desk.  But
without the tremendous support given to us by so many Californians, our
operation would not have gone as well as it did.  Of course, some people from out
of state helped, too, but I want to thank the Californians for their tireless effort
to help us provide information to the more than a thousand convention delegates
plus their families and friends.  I'm still trying to get a personal note to each
of you.  I would like to list your names here but might leave somebody out and
that won't do.  The information desk was a busy place to be and not without
some interesting happenings.  We were in charge of "lost and found," the
information telephone and the constant changes that seemed to take place.  

People from up and down the state offered to help us and dropped by the desk
daily to see if we needed additional assistance.  You are appreciated very much
and we thank you so much.  One of the highlights of the convention to me was
sharing time with so many willing and dedicated co-workers.  If we had it to do
all over again tomorrow, I'd ask that same crew--oh yes, we have your names
and I will do my best to thank you personally.  

                        ----------------


                     PARLIAMENTARY GLEANINGS

                      by Juliet B. Esterly


President John Lopez asked me to serve as his Parliamentarian for the remainder
of his term.  

Perhaps you belong to one or more non-blind organizations--if we don't 
associate with sighted people, how can we expect them to understand us?  I want
visually impaired persons to show their intelligence and knowledge of
parliamentary law to make a good impression.  So, here is a column to refresh
your memory and maybe give you new information.  
First, CCB, in Article XVIII of the Constitution and Bylaws, states:  "Any situation
not covered by this Constitution or the Council Bylaws adopted under it shall be
governed by the latest edition of Roberts' Rules of Order."  This needs to be
amended because the author was Gen. Henry Martin Robert.  Hence, the
apostrophe belongs after the T, not after the S.  Not all organizations use
"Robert's" for their parliamentary authority as we do; so, if you get into a
parliamentary argument, be sure you know which authority is being followed.  

Although "Robert's" favors one way of doing things, an organization can
deliberately choose a different method; but these variances must be specifically
stated in the constitution or bylaws; otherwise, "Robert's" governs.  

An example of such differences occurs when "Robert's" keeps stressing that the
Parliamentarian is just there to advise the President, who makes the final ruling. 
In CCB's constitution, Article XI Section 8, it says about the Parliamentarian:  "...
whose decisions respecting parliamentary processes shall be final except that at
no time shall a ruling of the Parliamentarian take precedence over the supreme
authority of the convention.  Members of the Board of Directors shall not be
barred from serving as Parliamentarian."  

The latest edition of "Robert's" is the 9th Edition (1990) which I would like to
quote to explain my duties and to explain "Robert's" opinions about the
Parliamentarian--most of which are in Section 46.  I'll just quote the main points. 


"The Parliamentarian's role during a meeting is purely an advisory and
consultative one, since parliamentary law gives to the Chair alone the power to
rule on questions of order or to answer parliamentary inquiries."  
"If a Parliamentarian is needed by an organization, the President should be free
to appoint one in whom he has confidence.  The board or society must approve
any fee that will be required, however."  

To summarize the lengthy duties, the Parliamentarian should be at pre-convention
board meetings and confer with the President, officers and committee chairmen
about up-coming business.  

The Parliamentarian should sit beside the President so as to be able to consult
with him in a low voice, which should be done as infrequently and
inconspicuously as possible.  Members can request advice from a Parliamentarian
during a meeting about the best way to achieve some action.  The Parliamentarian
should call the Chair's attention to any error in the proceedings that may affect
substantive rights of any member or may otherwise do harm.  Head off a problem
that may be developing by offering advice.  "Only on the most involved matters
should the Parliamentarian actually be called upon to speak to the assembly; and
the practice should be avoided if at all possible.  After the Parliamentarian has
expressed an opinion on a point, the Chair has the duty to make the final ruling,
and in doing so, has the right to follow the advice of the Parliamentarian or to
disregard it."  

"A member of the assembly who acts as its Parliamentarian has the same duty as
the presiding officer to maintain a position of impartiality, and therefore does not
vote on any question except in the case of a ballot vote."  "If a member feels
that he cannot properly forego his right to vote in order to serve as
Parliamentarian, he should not accept that position."  
Question 1.  It is hoped you will vote to correct the use of the apostrophe after
"Robert" when the constitution is next amended, including whenever it may
appear in the constitution or bylaws.  Article XVII of the constitution provides
two ways of amending it:  one method provides that amendments need to be
presented at the previous regular convention and have a two-thirds affirmative
vote; the second method requires that the amendment be written, signed by 20
voting members, presented a day before it will be voted upon, and should receive
a three-fourths affirmative vote.  I prefer the latter so that we don't forget.  

Question 2.  Do you wish to continue following Article XI Section 8 and have the
Parliamentarian make final parliamentary decisions (as it makes us different and
takes leadership away from the President) or have the President make them, even
though "Robert's" says the President alone should have this responsibility?  I
hope the Constitution and Bylaws Committee will recommend following "Robert's"--
the way I  believe it should always be.  I'd like the Constitution to be amended
in this manner in the coming convention, as explained above, but some people
may want more time for consideration.  

Question 3.  Again, in Article XI Section 8, we are differing from "Robert's" by
allowing a CCB Board member to be the Parliamentarian and still retain his Board
vote on issues, which may keep him from being impartial.  

In the summer BC, President Lopez noted that we would be voting this fall on
two amendments.  A bylaw amendment provides for a standing vote in elections
instead of our present secret ballot.  I do not have the exact wording but
consideration might be given to what the constitution says in Article XVI:  "All
specific enactments of the Council passed by majority vote at any convention of
the Council shall constitute Bylaws of the Council when so designated by the
convention.  Amendments to the Bylaws shall be adopted by a majority vote."  

A Constitutional amendment was presented last spring to create the position of
Immediate Past President on the CCB Board of Directors.  This requires a two-
thirds affirmative vote of those members present and voting.  

Also in the summer BC, President Lopez reminded us of the spring Nominating
Committee slate to be voted upon in the fall convention.  Nominations may be
made from the floor and do not require seconds.  CCB's policy has been to have
a specific time allotted for such nominations in which only the candidate can
speak, or he may have one or two persons speak for him.  There is no proxy
voting.  As of now, these elections are by secret ballot.  

"Robert's" explains that members should not call out, "Move the nominations be
closed."  Technically this is meant as a motion that requires a two-thirds vote,
which is time-consuming, so Presidents often do not accept it as a formal motion. 
The motion is to protect the rights of members to be able to nominate from the
floor.  "Robert's" suggests that the presiding officer allow ample time for every
member to have the right to nominate from the floor by repeating, "Are there
any further nominations for the position of ----" until he feels sure that there
are no more nominations.  Only then does he say, "Nominations are closed for the
position of ---- and Bill Smith, Mary Brown, and Betty Jones have been
nominated."  I believe it is better to be more definite and not close nominations
until the presiding officer has called at least three times for further nominations. 


Incidentally, the same situation is true when members call out, "Question" which
is supposed to mean a motion to cut off debate.  Again, that requires a two-
thirds vote to protect the rights of others to speak, so the presiding officer
often just decides enough time has been allowed.  It is really more democratic
for the President to say, "The vote is being called for; those in favor of
stopping debate say, "Aye" and those opposed, "No"."  This requires a two-thirds
vote.  It should be very clear that the vote is to stop debate and not to vote
on the subject matter of the debate.  

Perhaps I should add one more thing.  If any parliamentary ruling is made by
the Chair, a member need not be recognized by the Chair, in order to rise and
say, "I move to appeal the decision of the Chair."  If another member seconds
this motion, the Chair must place the motion on the floor for debate; both
members and the Chair may give reasons.  If the Chair wishes to speak, it would
be well for him to give the gavel to his Vice President until the vote is taken. 
If the motion passes by a majority vote, then someone should move as to what
the decision should have been.  Technically, I feel the appeal could be made
"from the decision of the Parliamentarian," but I have never heard of this.  

So, I say again, unless there is a real reason for not following "Robert's", our
chosen parliamentary authority, I would hope that we would have the same rules
as others using "Robert's" so that we conduct ourselves like other democratic
organizations.  

                        ----------------


                   FOR OUR DEAF-BLIND MEMBERS

                        by Donna Hawkins


I have learned that many of our CCB members are, like myself, hearing impaired
as well as blind.  

The Deaf-Blind Committee of our own CCB has been a great help to me.  I believe
that all our members who suffer from both problems should be aware of this
committee and attend the meetings.  

The meetings are held at the conventions.  I urge you to attend the meetings
and become part of the group of people who have so much in common with you. 
Learn how to cope, learn how to communicate, and learn about the newest
equipment that might be helpful to you.  

These meetings are chaired by Mary Gillespie.  She is a very special lady, and
one that I admire and respect very much.  She knows all about the problem of
deaf-blindness, and has overcome most of the obstacles and pitfalls that
accompany it.  She is helpful and supportive; if she doesn't have the answer you
need, she knows where to find the answer for you.  

I am grateful to the good people of San Bernardino Chapter for making it
possible for me to attend the American Association of Deaf-Blind Convention in
June.  It was held at the California State University in Northridge, California. 
There were 750 people there.  There were people from all over the United States,
Canada, Australia, and three ladies from Japan.  It was thrilling to watch all of
these people communicate with one another, laugh, and have a wonderful time. 
I attended the meetings for four of the workshops.  I came home with new skills,
new techniques, and a great deal of information and resources.  I am now
sharing all of these with other deaf-blind people here in this community.  

You are not alone, there are many people that share the same problems.  We hope
to have you join us at the Deaf-Blind Committee meeting at the spring or fall
convention.  

                        ----------------


        PROPOSITION 174:  READ IT CAREFULLY BEFORE VOTING

                        by Norma Schecter


The so-called "Vouchers Proposition" on the November 2nd ballot deserves
exceptionally careful thought by anybody concerned about the education of blind
youngsters.  California today has about 5,000 blind and visually impaired children
who need to be educated.  

The voucher schools will have the option to accept or reject students as they
wish, and we all know it is much more expensive to educate a blind child,
because of the cost of providing materials in special media.  One braille copy of
a volunteer-produced high-school textbook can cost up to several hundred
dollars on a non-profit basis.  

And if a child is accepted as the only blind youngster in that school, if there
is not a trained VH teacher on staff, how is that child going to learn braille
reading and writing, mobility, daily living skills, etc.?  Think about it, before you
vote!  

                        ----------------

                      E-TEXT FRENCH STYLE 

                        by Kenneth Frasse


Among the green rolling hills of southern France, about an hour's drive north
of the Pyrenees mountains and three hours southeast of the famous Bordeaux
wine region, lies the medium-sized city of Toulouse.  Once a major city of the
Romans and later the conquering Visigoths, it eventually became the capital of
Gaul, and, ultimately, the contemporary center for the University of Toulouse.

Roman aqueducts from 200 BC and tenth century stone buildings peacefully
coexist with the modern steel and concrete buildings of the city.  Near the center
of the city lies the immense University where courses are taught on the writings
of Aristotle and the poetry of Virgil as well as fast-breeder plutonium nuclear
reactor and aerospace technology.  Within the mathematics department lies a small
laboratory filled with computers of all types and strewn with schematics of
integrated circuits.  As Toulouse is a city that combines antiquity with modern
day and the old with the new, so this laboratory attempts to synthesize an old
and basic need with current technology.

Entering the laboratory, we find a blind engineer, Bernard, who sits talking to
his computer.  He is asking it to find a job listing for food service in a previous
issue of the local newspaper.  The computer responds with questions to narrow
the search some more and then reads the listing to him.  Bernard is not looking
for a new job; he is executing the beginning research for a new European
project for reading E-text for the blind and visually impaired.

The project is called Telsor, but the name will probably be changed in the near
future, according to the project engineers.  Telsor is a multi-national effort to
create a system by which the blind may read and reference materials as does the
sighted world.  Engineers at the university acknowledge that, although braille
literacy is infinitely important, the reality is that most reading materials are
composed as E-text and then published in print.  The E-text is, therefore, much
more available and much more cost-efficient.

They say that since there is a specific reason for publishers to print materials
in a certain manner, then the blind and visually impaired should be able to
retrieve the same information in a similar, or even faster,  manner.  The blind
and visually impaired should be able to access job listings or topics in a
newspaper with as much ease as a sighted person, they should be able to relax
and listen to a novel, and they should be able to read periodicals and academic
materials with the same or better means that sighted persons have.  There are
several factors that these engineers assume for the implementation of Telsor.

Telsor would be accessible through a personal computer or a stand-alone system
within the user's living quarters.  In either case, the E-text would not be sent
on disk, but, rather, it would be on-line and accessible by pressing a few keys
which would access one of several already existing data bases.  The system itself
would use voice input so that the user would not have to continually enter
keystrokes for application, cursoring, or voice output commands.  It would,
however, be accessible through a keyboard if the user wished.  Depending on the
text, dictionaries and voice prompts would be loaded for the user to access the
materials.  Although this project is only beginning, the following example serves
to show how the system would work.

Bernard asked the computer to access some materials on bio-mechanics; as the
data in E-text in the lab is limited, the computer retrieved this immediately.  He
then specified which topics he was interested in by orally giving the computer
some key words.  When he found the material that suited him, he asked the
computer to start reading, whereupon the computer asked him if he wished it to
continue reading from where Bernard had left off last time he was reading this
material or to start at the beginning; Bernard decided to continue where he left
off.

As the computer started speaking, Bernard asked it to slow down and raise the
volume, as well as lower the pitch a little.  The computer accommodated him
without skipping a word or halting.  When the computer said something that
Bernard did not follow, he asked it to repeat, and the computer complied. 
Eventually, Bernard found some material that interested him so he told the
computer to block the paragraph and print it to the braille embosser.  He also
told the computer to save the same text to a computer floppy, and, in both cases,
the computer not only copied and brailled the material but added the appropriate
bibliography.

As a finale, Bernard asked the computer to leave this textbook and access the
national "Minitel" system.  He then told the computer to access flights from
Toulouse to Geneva where his family lives.  When the computer had accessed the
flight schedules, Bernard asked it for a round-trip flight leaving in the morning
of the following Saturday and returning the evening of the following Monday. 
He told the computer which bank account to charge the ticket against, and he
was done.

This is only the beginning of the Telsor project, but we can clearly see that with
the current availability of, and associated transportability of, electronic text, the
basic need for access for the blind and visually impaired in a growing high-tech
society can be effectively addressed, and although the United States is not
currently one of the several nations joining in this project, we hope we can
promote a similar project in the not too distant future. 

                        ----------------


     CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 1993-94 CCB SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

             by Coletta Davis, Committee Chairperson


The Scholarship Committee of the California Council of the Blind met August 7,
1993 at the CCB office to review 45 applications that had been received from
students wanting scholarships.  

Receiving the Mannino Memorial Scholarships:  Paul Henrichsen and Keith
Christian.  

Lilly Perry Memorial Scholarships: Sharlene Wills, Gean Winger, Peter-Marc Damien,
Arthur Singer, Linda Carney, Sahar Husseini, Megan Alyse Jones, Marguerite Mills,
Robin Smithro.  

Sylvia Mittleman Scholarships:  Jennifer Benson and Marvelena Desha.  

CCB Scholarships:  Warren Cushman, Colleen Hartman, Sylvia Munoz, Marta Van
Leuven, Guillermo Ayala, Gina Lindley, Girmay Micael and Chester S'Groi.  

Many of our scholarship receipients are CCB members.  It was most interesting
to see that many individuals are going back to college later in life.  Our
youngest applicant was 18 and our oldest was 62.  

Attending the meeting were Committee Chair Coletta Davis and members Vincent
Calderon, Alfred Gil, Lee Morton, Bonnie Rennie, Toscanalli Thomas, and Donald
Queen.  President John Lopez was also present, as were staff members  Barbara
Parker and Marni Alvino.  

A total of $19,000 in scholarships was awarded to very deserving individuals. 
Congratulations to all of these noteworthy students. 

                        ----------------


                 WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO BRAILLE?

                      by John di Francesco


Attention, all believers in braille!  BANA is seriously considering the making  of
very significant changes in our standard English braille.  What for?  Because
there's a handful of individuals who have been persuaded that there are too
many braille codes, such as literary braille, textbook, mathematics, science,
computer, music, and another one or two.  The objective, then, is to come up
with a single code which would cover all these other systems (except music
braille) which will be known as the Unified Braille Code (UBC).  

While they're about it, they want to make this UBC more parallel to ink-print. 
For example, since in print a closing parenthesis is different from the opening
parenthesis, the parentheses in the braille code should also be different.  In
print, the dot that is used as a period is also used as a decimal point, part of
an ellipsis, etc.  The braille period should also be used as a decimal point or
part of an ellipsis.  This new code would be stripped of many of its contractions
(which already means that there will be less text per page), and it would be
encumbered with extra signs which will be necessitated by the need to classify
the actual meaning of other signs as well as to indicate different type sets in
print.  

I will not attempt at this time to go into detail about this projected unified code. 
But I do very strongly urge all of you to make yourselves familiar with it and
then to express your opinions of it.  In order to do this, contact Dr. Hilda Caton
at the American Printing House either by letter or by phone, requesting all
pertinent material.  Look at it thoroughly, fill out the questionnaire, and submit
your personal reaction to it.  

We must not allow BANA to make changes of this magnitude without the general
consent of braille users, braille producers, and braille teachers.   
                        ----------------


                  WANT A SCHOLARSHIP?  TRY TAL!

                        by Kenneth Frasse


During the Fall of every year, most students are preoccupied with their new
class schedules, numerous strange professors and the rising cost associated with
getting the entire academic situation organized.  Dealing with new teachers and
environments is always challenging, but searching for and acquiring adequate
finances to support one's academic goals can be even more disconcerting.  The
available resources are rarely adequate to cover all the expenses, and many
students begin the semester sitting in classes worrying about the costs for the
following year.

Of course most students are familiar with one or more of the several
organizations that claim the ability to research all the possible sources of
financial assistance for students.  These students, however, are also familiar with
the cost that these organizations charge as well as the feeling that once the
application is submitted, it sits on someone's desk for an indefinite amount of
time until the organization sends you a list of mostly inappropriate sources of
funding.  Now, the Blind Students of California (BSC) has finally found an
inexpensive manner in which you can take control of your own future!

As the 1993 Fall term starts, visually limited students in California need not
worry as much about finding future funding in the areas of scholarships, grants,
awards, loans and other general financial assistance.  A new BSC project called
the Total Aid Listing, or TAL, will make finding financial aid opportunities much
easier and more affordable.

TAL is a project involving the compilation of all the sources that provide
financial assistance to students with visual limitations.  Each listing in TAL will
include the organization's name and address, purpose, eligibility requirements and
any subsequent information the organization's application may require.  An initial
compilation will be available by the time of the Fall CCB convention, and a
complete TAL will be available in early Spring of 1994 so that students may apply
before the application deadlines.  The BSC is also considering making available
a general section for disabilities other than visual limitations, but this would be
a separate section of the TAL.

TAL will be the only list of comprehensive financial aid opportunities compiled
specifically for California's visually limited students and it will be updated every
year by the BSC.  TAL may be purchased by any interested parties, with all
proceeds going directly to the BSC.  Available formats for TAL will be computer
disc, large print, braille, and cassette; the prices for each format are listed
below.

Empower your peers and tell all your friends and resource folks about this rare
opportunity!

To order copies of the TAL, contact the BSC Office at:

TAL, c/o Blind Students of California, 8200 Lake Forest Drive, Sacramento,
California 95826-2958, or call:  916-381-8787.  TAL prices:   Computer disc: $9.95;
cassette: $9.95; braille: $13.95; large print: $13.95. (BSC members receive a $2.00
discount on any format.)

                        ----------------


                    THE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE 
            "Professor and Publisher To Be Commended"

                       By Jeffrey C. Senge


As a graduate student working toward my masters degree in special education
at California State University, Fullerton, I was required to take a course entitled
Non-educational and Career-Vocational Education, taught by Dr. Jan S. Weiner. 
The focus of the class was to prepare individuals with disabilities for the
transition from school to the "real world."  The class was attended by educators
who were currently working in various elementary and secondary special
education programs.  Dr. Weiner's philosophy consistently supported the need to
recognize the abilities of all individuals regardless of personal differences.  I
believe Dr. Weiner did an excellent job of projecting her level of awareness and,
as a consequence, redefined the attitudes of many who were enrolled in the
course.

The required text for this course was Career Development and Transition
Education for Adolescents with Disabilities by Gary M. Clark and Oliver P. Kolstoe. 
Published by Allyn and Bacon in 1990, this book reflected a contemporary
awareness of individual diversity and seemed to support the philosophy of full
inclusion.  However, during my reading I came across the following quote on page
294:  "But ... anyone involved in schools surely would have to be blind to be
unaware that tens of thousands of young people are being affected in a negative
way by their school experience" (Arbuckle, 1972, p. 789).  Upon my first reading,
I was appalled that such a statement would be published in this book.  My
surprise forced me to re-read the sentence several times more slowly to assure
myself of the text.  Satisfied that this belittling remark did exist, I decided I
would devote whatever time was required to investigate and correct this matter. 
I was prepared to request the involvement of the organized blind at the national
level if it were necessary.

I am happy to report that when I called this matter to Dr. Weiner's attention, she
immediately recognized and understood the magnitude of the problem, and,
realizing the implications of such a statement, she was on the phone to Allyn and
Bacon within minutes of our conversation.  According to Dr. Weiner, the editors
expressed concern and were quite apologetic.  Apparently they were unaware of
this statement in the book.  They promised to remove any such statements from
the next edition of the text, which was currently being edited.  To further
demonstrate their concern, they said they would recall all the current editions
of the book containing the derogatory statement.  Needless to say, both Dr.
Weiner and I were pleasantly surprised by the publisher's appreciation of the
problem and aggressive response to this matter.

I still have a few questions such as:  How did that statement get printed in the
first place?  Didn't either of the authors recognize the implications of such a
statement, particularly in a book about special education?  And, why didn't any
of my colleagues recognize the problem with this statement?  While these three
questions continue to concern me, the purpose of this story is to recognize those
who took immediate steps to right the wrong that had been done.  My hat is off
to Dr. Weiner and the publishers for the manner in which they handled this
situation.  I have been favorably impressed by all involved in the correction of
this problem.  I hope this story serves to illustrate that there are people in high
places who do care and will take immediate action when such matters are brought
to their attention.

                        ----------------


                       THE FORGOTTEN LAND

                    by Donna Cook, President 
                    High Desert Chapter, CCB 


Allow me to introduce you to the High Desert Chapter of CCB.  We have 31
dedicated members who work their hardest to help the blind in our community. 
Our chapter was established in 1991, and since that time we have averaged one
main fund raiser per year.  These have been very successful, and together with
donations and smaller fund raisers, such as the sale of gift checkbooks, we
maintain our chapter and build our treasury.  

This year our goal was to raise enough money to provide our local library with
a closed circuit television (CCTV).  With the help of our state CCB President,
John Lopez, a CCTV was donated by his brothers-in-law, Robert and George
Lopez.  As a result of their donation, we were able to use this year's fund raiser
proceeds to pay for supplies and equipment for our chapter.  These items will
be used by our membership as well as other blind citizens in our area.  

By now you might be asking yourself why I named this article "The Forgotten
Land."  The reason is simple.  There are many people who do not know this area
of the world exists.  We are located 40 miles north of San Bernardino and 60
miles east of Lancaster. 

Rehabilitation services are scarce and public transportation is not much better. 
Our chapter is the only organization for the blind in this area.  We have many
needs to be met in our community.  To begin with, we have to educate.  We must
reach all of the public, both sighted and visually impaired, to inform them of our
existence.  In addition to education, we try to provide the services that are
lacking in this area.  Due to cutbacks in the Department of Rehabilitation, braille
and mobility instruction, as well as other services, have been severely limited. 


In September, our chapter plans to provide a braille class to help compensate for
the lack of service.  "Thanks" goes to President Lopez and his wife Maria for the
donation of a Perkins braillewriter which will be used in this class.  

Last but not least, we have to work closely with community leaders.  This lets
them know what is needed to improve or establish services for the blind in their
community.  

I must also mention our efforts in reaching and helping the blind and visually
impaired children, who are a very important part of our community.  All of the
schools have been contacted to let them know of the help we can offer any blind
or visually impaired child.  Our chapter is not wealthy but with the support of
the CCB, we can more easily offer help to anyone in need.  

Truly, the CCB is working hard to assist its chapters.  Thank you, California
Council of the Blind, and all who are helping to see our chapter succeed.  

                        ----------------


        COMMUNICATION METHODS FOR THE DEAF-BLIND (Part 1)

                        by Mary Gillespie


My sincere thanks to Mark Benson, instructor for the deaf-blind program at
Braille Institute, for providing the information presented in this article.  
One of the purposes of the California Council of the Blind Committee for Deaf-
Blind is to be of service to those with both hearing and visual impairments.  

Do you know someone who is blind or visually impaired and is losing his/her
hearing?  Is someone you know with a hearing problem, now losing vision?  If
so, it is our sincere hope that this two-part article will be of real help to that
person.  Listed here are methods, techniques, and devices for communicating with
those persons facing varying degrees of vision and hearing loss.  

                Hearing:  Techniques and Methods

     1.  Aural/oral method:  The deaf-blind person relies on residual hearing
and proper amplification to understand speech and may use speech to
communicate.  

                        Hearing:  Devices

     1.  Electroacoustic Hearing Aid:  An electronic amplifier that fits in or
behind the ear or on the body.  Sounds enters through a microphone and is
substantially amplified.  
     2.  Group Amplification Unit:  Amplifier that can amplify sounds for a group
of hearing-impaired people.  A microphone is attached to an amplification unit
that sends signals to receivers attached to a person's hearing aid.  
     3.  Individual Amplification Unit:  Works on the principle of the group unit
but is designed for individual use.  
     4.  Speaking Tube:  A flexible tube in which one end is inserted in the
outer ear and the other is spoken into.  
     5.  Kurzweil Reading Machine:  A device that translates print material into
braille.  
     6.  Kurzweil Talking Terminal:  Similar to the reading machine except it has
output in synthetic voice.  
     7.  Portable Braille Recorder:  Enables the user to record both braille and
audio information on tape.  
     8.  VersaBraille:  Similar to Portable Braille Recorder except it can store
more information and has a braille display/readout.  

                 Vision:  Techniques and Methods

     1.  American One-Handed Alphabet:  26 handshapes representing all the
letters of the English alphabet.  
     2.  American Two-Handed Alphabet:  Both hands are used to represent the
26 letters of the English alphabet.  
     3.  British Two-Handed Manual Alphabet:  Similar to the American Two-
Handed except different hand shapes are used.  
     4.  Interpreter:  A person who translates from one language to another. 
In this case, from spoken language to a signed language and vice-versa.  
     5.  American Sign Language (ASL):  A natural language with its own
grammar and syntax that uses hand shapes, location, movement and orientation
in conjunction with facial expressions and body movements to convey an emotion,
thought, or idea from one person to another.  
     6.  Manually Coded English (MCE):  An umbrella term referring to any
manual and manufactured codes that represent exactly all forms, syntax and
tenses of spoken English.  
     7.  Pidgin Sign English:  American Sign Language signs that are used in
English order.  This usually occurs when English and ASL are in close proximity. 

     8.  Speechreading:  Used by people who have total or residual vision.  The
person looks at the lip, tongue and jaw movement of the speaker to ascertain
what is being said.  
     9.  Writing:  Deaf-blind with residual vision may be able to read hand
written material.  It is best to use large black marker.  

                        Vision:  Devices

     1.  Communication Board:  Sixteen display areas each have a light at the
far left.  The light indicates which area you want the client to focus on.  
     2.  Large Type Material:  Any material printed in large type, 14 point or
larger.  
     3.  Large Type TTY Attachment:  Produces letters almost twice as high as
the standard TTY.  
     4.  Magnifier (Fixed Focus):  A glass or plastic lens held in place that
makes print appear larger.  (This is preferable for people with hand problems
such as weakness and tremor.)  
     5.  Magnifier (Flashlight):  A magnifier with illumination.  
     6.  Magnifier (Handheld):  Magnifier that are not fixed focus.  
     7.  Magnifier (Loupe):  A circular lens placed in a cylindrical mounting
worn in front of one eye.  
     8.  Magnifier (Pocket):  A protective case that houses one or more lens
systems.  
     9.  Microscope Lens System:  System that provides a high degree of
magnification of objects at close working distance.  
     10.  Closed Circuit Television (CCTV):  A television with a camera
attachment that gets close-up views of printed material, and provides variable
degrees up to extreme magnification.  
     11.  Porta Reader:  A smaller example of the CCTV.  
     12.  Visual Speech Indicator:  Meter that attaches to a telephone to enable
the Deaf-Blind person with high vision and good speech to interact with other
callers.  

This completes the list of communication methods, devices and techniques for
residual vision or hearing.  In part 2 of this article, we will give you a list of
touch techniques and methods.

                        ----------------


                 A GLIMPSE AT BLINDNESS IN JAPAN

                      by Roger D. Petersen


Please don't get the impression that I think I am an expert on Japan after
spending a week there.  In fact, all the impressions I mention here are most
certainly tentative and are intended as material for discussion.

I was invited to give a paper in Tokyo on computerized information for blind
people in the USA.  After a ten-hour flight from San Francisco which began on
the 21st, I arrived there on July 22.  

The first impression I got, and the most prevalent one, was the comfort and
convenience of public transportation.  I was escorted from the baggage area at
the airport to the train platform, which we reached without going outside.  I was
met at the end of my journey at the Shinjuku Station, about a five-minute taxi
ride from my hotel.  I was told that the Shinjuku Station is the biggest in Japan,
with multiple metropolitan and commuter rail lines converging there, used by
three to five million passengers per day.  I never rode in a private car while I
was there; only taxis, buses and trains.  Incidentally, for the first time I rode
in the left front seat of a taxi.  They drive on the left side of the street and the
driver is on the right side of the car.

Other impressions of an environmental access nature included the frequency of
stepping on tactile tiles.  They marked paths along the sides of small streets and
in train stations, and warned of approaching stairs as well as platform edges. 
On the train platforms were two rows of tiles, one at the edge and another a
step back from the edge.  There were also lots of audible pedestrian signals at
street crossings.  They were not the ones we are used to, but the ones that play
a tune when you are supposed to cross; "Coming Through the Rye" was the one
I heard most.

On the down side of the subject of access, it must be bad for people who use
walking aids, for there were stairs everywhere!  And no one doubted my ability
to use them.  With the hot, humid weather, I began at times to wish for
elevators.

The strangest thing to me about getting around in Tokyo is that I am used to
some kind of street grid, where an address tells you something about the location
of a place, like what street it's on.  In Tokyo, most streets don't even have
names.  Addresses tell you what district or ward a building is in and which
block it is on.  They are kind of like plot numbers used by property tax
assessors.  I was told that this system is superior to the pre-war scheme which
numbered buildings as they were built.

At the conference where I presented and through visits to various agencies, I
made a number of observations about work with the blind and related issues. 
Instead of saying "it seems that" or "apparently" over and over, I will simply
ask you to remember the disclaimer I made at the beginning of this article.

Other than schools for the blind I did not hear much reference to government
agencies providing direct services.  The government does seem to fund private
non-profit agencies and associations to provide services.  Corporations seem to
play a large part too.  The division of the Canon Company which imports
TeleSensory equipment into Japan is called the "Corporate Welfare Operations
Division".

Children are educated almost entirely in schools for the blind.  I understand
there are some seventy such schools.  Education is primarily in braille, even for
low vision students, and they graduate with little knowledge of the writing
system used by sighted people.  Japanese writing is quite complex, consisting
partly of a syllable based system called Kana and partly of a system based on
Chinese characters called Kanji.  Translation between print and braille is
consequently much more complex than in English.  (I don't begin to understand
all this, but I intend to learn more about it.)

There is a large organization of the blind, Japan Federation of the Blind, which
I visited.  JFB has its own braille press and taping studio within blocks of the
National Braille Library, but I was assured that there is no duplication of effort. 
JFB does mostly vocational materials needed by blind acupuncturists and
masseurs. 

Japan is not at all the "welfare state" that one sees in many European countries,
and the organized blind don't run the agencies either as they do in Europe.  In
fact, there seems to be some tension between JFB and the agencies, not unlike
here.

I suggested to Mr. Muratani, President of the JFB, the possibility of having an
on-going reciprocal national convention attendance between the American Council
of the Blind and the Japan Federation of the Blind.  We would all gain from such
a "Sister Organization" relationship, and I welcome support for this idea.  

                        ----------------


                       OUT OF THE DOGHOUSE

                   by Cherrie Handy Pomerantz


This is the last time I will be writing this column as President of GDUC. 
However, this probably is not the last time you will see my name attached to
something in The Blind Californian.  I have decided not to run for my last term
as GDUC president for several reasons.  First, I believe that leadership should
flow in an orderly manner, and that new leadership is essential to ensure the
continued growth and positive momentum of Guide Dog Users of California. 
Second, my responsibilities and commitments as President of Guide Dog Users,
Inc. are taking up more of my time, as we embark on a number of new projects. 
Last comes a personal reason.  I have just accepted a new job, and I feel that
I must devote a great deal of my time and energy to my new employment.

My sincere thanks to each of you for your support of GDUC and of the board
you've elected to serve you.  I'd also like to thank you for supporting me.  It
has been my privilege and pleasure to serve all of you to the best of my ability.

As I move on now, I thought it might be interesting to take a look back over the
years of my presidency.  We, as GDUC members, have a lot to be proud of over
the last three years.  

First, your board met and talked with all three guide dog schools in California,
to establish open communication so that we would have better understanding of
the various policies and procedures that affect us as guide dog users.  Out of
that came GDUC's successful efforts to ensure immediate ownership of our dogs
at Guide Dogs of America.  Another fruit of this effort has been Guide Dogs of
the Desert's policy change to allow the option of immediate ownership upon a
graduate's request. 

Second, and very important and very dear to me, has been the establishment of
HAVE GUIDE DOG WILL TRAVEL, our magazine, published twice yearly.  Let me
take a moment here to thank those of you who have contributed articles to our
magazine and to urge you to continue to do so.  This is our publication.  We talk
in it about things that are important to us as guide dog users.  I'd also like to
thank our editor, Ruth Dean Zulli, for all her time and efforts to ensure the
continued high quality and timeliness of the material in HAVE GUIDE DOG WILL
TRAVEL.  If you are not receiving our magazine, please contact our Treasurer,
Doris Fisher, at 9146 E. Compton BLVD, 21, Bellflower, CA  91704.

Third, we have become much more active in our lobbying efforts in Sacramento. 
The result is that AB1419, which both provides the option of home training for
guide dog users who have used dogs in the past (on a case-by-case basis to be
determined by the school), and protects us from interference by members of the
public when we are working with our dogs on the street, is on the Governor's
desk for signature!  In addition, AB1863, which establishes a pilot program for
arbitration of graduates' differences with our schools, is also awaiting the
Governor's signature!  We have a lot to thank Cid Urena for this year, as well
as those of us who took time away from other activities to go up to Sacramento
and to speak on our behalf.  

We've had some excellent convention programs too.  This fall, my final
contribution will be a workshop on communication and effective self-advocacy. 
I hope to see many of you there.

I feel very proud of the work we've done together and am honored to have been
a part of the enormous progress GDUC has made.  I look forward confidently to
effective leaders who will guide GDUC through the coming years of much-needed
advocacy and education.  I have confidence that you will look beyond your own
experience or need, and see the needs of your fellow guide dog users.  I know
if we work together we can achieve every goal we aim for!  This spirit of unity
and the energy to achieve our goals makes me proud to be a member of Guide
Dog Users of California.  I hope it makes you proud too.

                        ----------------


                          HEALING HANDS
    Blind therapist, 71, remains dedicated to helping others

                 by Claudia Miller, Staff Writer

(Reprinted by permission from The Daily Review, Hayward, California, August 9,
1993)


Donald Swartz has never believed in coincidences.  Everything happens for a
reason and presents us with an opportunity to learn or an experience to share. 


And early on, he knew that he wanted to dedicate his life to helping people.  So
not even a car accident that left him blind at age 17 could slow him down.  

On August 1, the Hayward therapist celebrated 50 years of practice as a
registered physical therapist.  In addition, he is a chiropractor, a massage
therapist and an accredited hypno-therapist.  

Swartz, 71, is also well-versed in judo and Shiatsu techniques, acupressure and
acupuncture.  

"I've never stopped learning and studying," he said.  "Everything I've studied
has helped me and benefited my patients."  

He has certificates in osteopathy and bloodless surgery, and spent two years
working on the polio ward of St. Louis County Hospital, where he also delivered
several babies.  Over the years, he has studied parapsychology, ESP and Zen
Buddhism.  

He was the personal physical therapist for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team
in the 1940's, and more recently has worked with athletes from the Los Angeles
Raiders and the Miami Dolphins football teams.  

"I was angry at the world right after the car accident," he said.  "At that time,
people told me that the only thing a blind man could do to survive was to play
a horn on the street corner."  

But he was never one to give up easily.  

Swartz, who was born in northern Missouri, pressured a chiropractic college in
St. Louis to admit him, the school's first blind student.  Because the college
refused to pay his insurance, he paid his own way by managing a Turkish bath
house and learning massage therapy.  

"It was tough back then because they didn't even have tape recorders for the
lectures.  I had to memorize everything or read it in braille," he said.  
Looking back, Swartz says attitudes toward the blind have changed dramatically. 


Many of his patients don't pay any attention to his blindness because of his
reputation for easing pain, he said.  

"Their doctors have referred them to me, and because they're so confident that
I can help them, it seems like they're half-cured by the time they get to me." 

Swartz estimates he has seen over 500,000 patients in the last 50 years,  the
first five years in St. Louis and the last 45 at A and Main streets in Hayward. 


Five days a week, Swartz gets to his office at 22268 Main St. around 6:30 a.m.
to work with patients who have suffered personal injuries and accidents.  At
noon he takes a break, and the afternoons are reserved for teaching hypnosis
to interested students.  

"I try to incorporate all phases of a patient," he said.  "It makes it easier in
terms of rehabilitation if I deal with the person's physical, emotional, mental and
even spiritual levels."  

His blindness may actually help him as a therapist, Swartz said, because his
patients feel comfortable discussing their aches and pains with him.  
"They can talk freely with me because I don't express any approval or
disapproval," he said.  "I just listen and give them my full attention."  

John Manzella, owner of Manzella's Seafood  Loft, is a fan of Swartz's bedside
manner and has been a friend for 35 years.  

"I've had back pain so bad I couldn't even stand up.  Even though Don can't
see, he has some extra sense," Manzella said.  "It's like his eyes are in his
hands, and he's definitely got 20/20 vision there." 

                        ----------------


                         BLIND AMBITION
          A Road Runner with a Real Feel for the Track

                      by Toni Page Birdsong
[Reprinted by Permission from the Los Angeles Times, August 16, 1993]


L.A. road runner member Sharlene Wills is a good example of the two elements
crucial in marathon running:  training and mental attitude.  

Wills, a 45-year-old runner with six marathons under her belt, fits the profile of
thousands of women her age who run distance events each year, except for one
fact:  She is blind.  

Running, she says, gives her a sense of being able to do something and not
having to rely on sight.  "I have to feel the breeze in my face and know that
I can move with speed across the ground.  As a blind person, running gives me
freedom."  

A participant in the 1993 marathon, Wills knows the course of the race much
better than many of the runners who slow down around her, unsure of which
way to go.  Having transcribed the map into braille and committed the course to
memory, Wills was able to tell many of the runners which way to go and warn
them of upcoming hills along the way.  
And while some blind runners wear T-shirts indicating to people they are blind,
Wills simply attaches a piece of rope between herself and her partner who is
usually a volunteer guide who runs a comparable pace.  Many times, other
runners do not even notice she is blind.  However, if they catch a slice of
conversation going on between Wills and her guide they might hear common
phrases such as "left turn, left arch, straighten out, rough surface, hard right
...."  

According to Wills, who works downtown at the Hall of Records, proper training
as a member of the program has been the determining factor between her first
race time in 1988 of more than 7 hours to her latest San Francisco Marathon time
of 4 hours and 45 minutes.  This past year was the first time she started taking
proper training seriously, she said.  
And although she feels great after running a marathon, Wills, who was born
blind, contends that the scenery is one of the best aspects of the race.  

She can tell someone what downtown Los Angeles looks like just from the
"feeling" she gets from one block to the next.  She feels the hard concrete
surroundings that are relieved by potted plants and green parks.  She senses
the energy and cultural melange of each community.  

Wills said that the spectators along the route made all the difference to the
fatigued runners.  "The race day is so emotional.  In every neighborhood along
the way, people were just really supportive and encouraging.  I hear all the
different things going on and smell all the different ethnic foods from one part
of town to the other."  

In fact, Wills was so caught up in the sounds and cheers during last year's
marathon, the last direction she got from her guide was, "You can stop now, the
race is over, you did it."  
                        ----------------


                         MY DAY IN COURT

                         by Donald Queen


As the selection of the jury proceeded, I was sitting in the Bay area Municipal
Court, becoming increasingly nervous and apprehensive as to the outcome of what
was the culmination of a series of events which had begun over twenty years ago
in San Diego.  

Non-drinkers had already been excused from the jury panel.  Now, each
prospective juror was asked to answer some questions written on a blackboard. 
The judge would then either excuse or seat the juror.  After each juror was
selected, the defense counsel would often exercise her peremptory challenge to
unseat a different juror who had already been seated.  I tensed as the jury
selection process finally came to an end, and experienced a sense of elation as
the outcome became clear.  At long last I was to serve on a jury, a right so
arbitrarily denied to me until then because of blindness.

This had all begun in the late 60's when I was working as a social worker in San
Diego and had received a summons to serve on a jury.  In the enclosed
questionnaire there was a question asking if I had a visual impairment.  It was
obvious that my affirmative answer would disqualify me for duty.  I went to the
county clerk in charge of the jury lists, whom I knew, and told him there were
many lawyers and at least two judges in California who were blind.  Since judges
often judged fact situations as jurors did, there was no reason why there could
not be blind jurors.  He was sympathetic, but could do nothing.

Therefore, in the following California Council of the Blind convention, I
introduced a resolution, and it was readily adopted.  Two or three years later
Sen. Alex Garcia authored a bill making it illegal to exclude blind persons from
jury duty unless vision was essential.  The bill passed that same session with
considerable notice in the press.  

However, the wheels of justice are very slow and I was not called up for jury
duty again until 1993.  It was a case of driving while under the influence (DUI)
and refusing to take a chemical sobriety test.  My luck held and my name was
randomly selected from the pool.  By the time I was called, I had already figured
out what the questions on the blackboard were from the responses of those
jurors called before me.  I told the court that while I did occasionally work with
alcoholics at my present job as a rehab counselor, this would not affect my
decision.  Although the judge was concerned about the alcohol issue, neither
attorney objected.  The judge then asked the prosecuting and defense attorneys
if there was going to be considerable written material submitted.  Their response
was negative and I was seated.  

In fact, there were some "visual aids" used in the trial:  some blown-up Thomas
Brothers maps and diagrams presented by the defense attorney illustrating the
different and conflicting routes alleged by the arresting officer and defendant
on the night of the chase in question.  I was able to follow the description and
it was the verbal testimony which was really crucial.  There was also a picture
of the defendant presented at the end of the trial, somewhat to my surprise,
which the judge casually said the jurors would describe for me, but it was never
really discussed much.  

The experience of this two-day trial, however limited, reinforces my belief that
blind persons can indeed serve on juries.  It also demonstrates that while
progress towards equality is often slow, the efforts of the CCB have made a
profound difference to the blind in California.  If that resolution had not been
submitted, if the CCB had not found that legislator to sponsor the bill, blind
persons still would be denied the right to serve on juries in many California
jurisdictions.  I am very proud to have been a part of this effort.

                        ----------------


                         BULLETIN BOARD

                       by Winifred Downing


For those newly blind persons who, because of touch impairment, cannot read
standard braille, a Grade One instruction manual with facing print and braille
pages is now available in jumbo braille.  Anyone ordering it also receives a 5-
page document explaining where the Grade Two instructional material can be
secured besides reading material in jumbo braille once the learning process has
been completed.  Write to Beach Cities Braille Guild, P.O. Box 712, Huntington
Beach, CA 92648.

Prophecy Christmas cards are original designs created in print and braille by
Christina Nutting.  A pack of 8 contains 2 of each design: cross, heart, wreath,
and star; price:  $8.50.  Single cards are $1.50.  A pack of 8 can be ordered also
in any one of the designs.  Up to 16 cards are covered by the mailing charge
of $1.45.  Phone orders can be made using main credit cards.  Order from
Prophecy Designs, P.O. Box 84, Round Pond, ME 04564; 207-529-5318.

Christmas cards in braille only with images that are easy to recognize can be
purchased from Ruth Dimarzio; 3 for $1 or 35 cents each.  They are shipped Free
Matter unless otherwise requested, and then an appropriate shipping charge is
added.  Write to Ruth Dimarzio, 246 Dale Avenue, Mansfield, OH 44903; 419-522-
5708.

From News Reel, September, 1993: Old-time radio programs are available on 4-
track, Library-of-Congress format cassettes.  For a free catalog write to Duane
Griffin, Radio Library, 2265 Wahlquist Drive, Idaho Falls, ID 83401.

From NLS News, January-March, 1993: Visually impaired AARP members can receive
prescription labels in braille for prescriptions ordered by mail from an AARP
pharmacy.  Braille labels should be requested on the prescription order form. 
For more information on braille labeling or on the AARP pharmacy serving your
area, call 1-800-456-2277.

From Dialogue, Summer, 1993: I Can Cook is a large-print cookbook with easy-to-
follow recipes which have been arranged in a 3-ring binder.  To order, send
$19.95, plus $2.50 for shipping and handling, to: RP Foundation, Chicago Affiliate,
1011 S. Waiola, La Grange, IL  60625.

Radiance is a magazine for large women covering fashion, health, politics, and
dynamic women.  It is now available on 4-track cassette.  A 1-year subscription
is $15.  For a sample  copy, send $4 to: Radiance, P.O. Box 30246, Oakland, CA
94604; 510-482-0680. 

The company started by Tom Benham 37 years ago continues to offer a large
assortment of products, tools, instruments, and materials for the vision impaired. 
To request a 1993 catalog, write to Science Products, Box 888, Southeastern, PA
19399; 800-888-7400.

"Sign It Yourself" is a service for generating computer-based handwritten
signatures on printed documents, using Word-Perfect software.  The price is $65. 
For computer system specifications and further details, contact: Disability
Accommodation Services, 447 Flanders Drive, St. Louis, MO 63122; 314-966-6500.

Arrabito Enterprises sells a palm-size, battery operated printer that prints 27 or
40 characters per line and is ideal for use with a Braille 'n Speak or notebook
computer.  The price is $350 for the parallel interface and $400 for the serial
interface.  Send correspondence in any medium to Robert Arrabito, 18 Aladdin
Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6L 1S5, Canada; 
416-244-8195. 

Mac User is a major magazine with articles on topics of interest to users of
OutSpoken for Macintosh.  It is now available on NLS 4-track format tape for $25
per year.  Contact Associated Services for the Blind, Recorded Periodicals, 919
Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107; 
215-627-4230. 

From The Matilda Ziegler Magazine, September, 1993: A list of professional braille
transcription services in the United States is available free of charge from the
National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115; 617-266-6160. 

Robert Simon has a repair service for standard or electric Perkins braillers.  He
also makes modifications and installs accessories.  He has reasonable rates and
guarantees his work.  Contact Robert Simon at 5 Cumberland Circle, El Paso, TX
79903; 915-565-0179.

Gintautas Burba has a tape duplication service--$2.50 for a C60 or C90, $6 for 3
tapes of either length.  There is also an assortment of recorded tapes on various
subjects for which a list is available.  Write to Gintautas Burba at 30 Snell
Street, Brockton, MA 02401.

                        ----------------


                   AROUND THE STATE AND NATION


COME ONE, COME ALL TO A MINI SHOWCASE!  The Greater Los Angeles Chapter
of the CCB is hosting a unique fund raiser at the state fall  convention.  Several
of our own talented musicians will perform including Ruth Ann Acosta, Ruth Zulli,
John Lopez, and more.  Tickets are $5 through the CCB office or $6 at the
convention.  The Showcase will be held Saturday evening, November 6,
immediately following the CCB banquet.  For information, call Ruth Zulli at 310-
659-1891; or Joanne Pomerantz at 310-550-8720.  

                              * * *

THE CALIFORNIA COUNCIL OF CITIZENS WITH LOW VISION will hold its business
meeting on Friday November 5, 1993, at 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon.  

Saturday November 6, two topics will be discussed:  "Overcoming Obstacles in
Professional and Personal Life," dealing with stress and goal setting.  Michael
Slabit will be the moderator; he is also low vision.  Second topic will be: "The
New You, Careers, College and Low Vision."  This topic deals with low vision
people, right out of college; individuals going back to college in the prime of
their life; what future is there for low vision people.  

Our special guest speaker will be Maria Lopez, Editor of The Blind Californian. 
Ms. Lopez will speak on low vision and no vision.  A representative of America
West Airlines will speak on airline safety.  

                              * * *

MEMBERSHIP PINS:  Take pride in your organization and proudly wear your
membership pin.  If you do not have one, they can be obtained at the Fall
convention.  There are two styles to choose from:  men's tie-tack or lapel pin
and ladies' safety pin.  If you wish more information, contact Rudy Castro of the
CCB Membership Committee at 909-627-9770; or Obbie Schoeman at 818-790-3993. 
Let's keep the spirit and enthusiasm soaring upward.  See you at the Fall
convention in Los Angeles.  Thank you -- Rudy Castro, Membership Committee 

                              * * *

CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE IN A CAN -- the fund raising hit of the ACB convention
-- is still available from California Council of Citizens with Low Vision, 4529 18th
St., San Francisco, CA 94114, for $10 each plus $3 per order for shipping. A
single AA battery (not included) makes the can shake like a quake when an
unsuspecting snoop picks up what looks like a food can with a label "California
Earthquake".  Make checks payable to CCCLV and include the address where you
want the order shipped.  A great gift idea for your friends and relatives who
have never experienced the West Coast Wiggles.

                             * * * 

BRAILLE FACTS:  More than 21 million recorded and braille books and magazines
were circulated to the National Library Service readership of 765,000 in 1992.

The international Union Catalog currently contains 153,570 titles (23 million
copies).  The average reader borrows 30 recorded books and magazines a year. 
Braille readers average 26 books and magazines a year.  (Quoted from NLS
newsletter, January 1993.)  

In 1965 50% of the visually impaired population in the U.S. was braille literate. 
By 1992 that percentage had dropped to a SHOCKING 12%!  (Quoted from Human
Ware brochure.)  

                              * * *

BLIND, DEAF AND DISABLED WOMEN, AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN CALIFORNIA:  A
Conference to Explore the Intersection of Gender, Disability and Legal Issues.
Monday-Tuesday, November 8-9, 1993, Los Angeles Airport Marriott.  

Day 1:  Women and Service Providers to Women -- addressing women's rights
issues as they impact disabled women, especially as they impact disabled women. 
Violence against blind, deaf and disabled women; reproductive rights and
reproductive health; family law and family issues; employment and training; ADA;
equity and human rights for disabled women; making services accessible to blind,
deaf and disabled women; identifying strategies and making comments.  

Day 2:  Blind, Deaf and Disabled Women Only -- organizing a state-wide women's
network across disability.  Sponsored by The California Women's Law Center.  For
information and registration on tape, call The Women's Law Center at 213-935-
4101.  (Registration fees:  $35 day one only; $50 day one and day two.)  

                              * * *

A POSTSCRIPT ON THE BRITISH TWO-HANDED ALPHABET FOR THE DEAF-BLIND: 
In England, they have what they call the Deaf-Blind Manual," in which the
speaker's hand communicates with the listener's hand by various touches or
strokes.  This is quite a rapid means of communication, and enables friends to
carry on a hand-to-hand conversations when walking arm-in-arm or sitting side-
by-side.  

If any CCB members are interested in learning the "British Deaf-Blind Manual,"
contact Norma Schecter at the CCB convention; she will be happy to show it to
you.  It might be useful if you are going to attend a deaf-blind convention and
happen to be people from different parts of the world.  It takes only about ten
minutes to learn.  

                        ----------------