
                         THE BLIND CALIFORNIAN



                       Quarterly Magazine of the

                    CALIFORNIA COUNCIL OF THE BLIND


Spring, 1997                                           Volume 41 No. 2


       Published in Braille, Cassette, Diskette, and Large Print



                     Catherine Skivers, President
                           510-357-1986 Res.


                           EXECUTIVE OFFICE:
                       3919 West Magnolia Blvd.
                       Burbank, California 91505

                             800-221-6359
                             818-557-6372
                          Fax:  818-557-6539
               Internet GBX Telnet gbx.org www.gbx.org 
     Modems 916-568-6359 ccb listserv subscribe to: ccb-l@gbx.org
                          subject: subscribe


           SACRAMENTO AREA OFFICE:  Cid Urena, 916-371-1514
             1399 Sacramento Avenue SP 25, Bryte, CA 95605

             BAY AREA OFFICE:  Cathie Skivers 510-357-1986
                 836 Resota Street, Hayward, CA 94545

  Please send all address changes to the Executive Office in Burbank.
                       Editor: Winifred Downing 
                           1587 38th Avenue
                       San Francisco, CA 94122 




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


Call the "CALIFORNIA CONNECTION"  at 800-221-6359 for an update on
legislation and CCB events Monday through Friday after 5 p.m. and all
day on weekends.  At these times it is available also in Spanish. 

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


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 Burbank office for other suggested forms. Thank you.

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

                           TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR, by Winifred Downingng. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

PRESIDENT'S CORNER, by Catherine Skivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING COPRIGHT LAW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

SUMMARY OF CCB RESOLUTIONS, FALL, 196, 
     by Jeff Thom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

TECHTALK: BRINGING THINGS TO LIGHT: AN EXPLORATION   
     OF LIGHTING STRATEGIES AND CHARACTERISTICS, Part 1,
     by Kenneth Frasse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

FEDERAL WELFARE REFORM LAW (HR3734): SUPPLEMENTARY 
     PAYMENT (SSP/SSI). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

ACCESS FOR EVERYONE: THAT'S THE LAW, by Daveed Mandell. . . . . . . .8

LOCAL HERO: ASSUME THAT SHE'S AN INSPIRATION, 
     by Libby Slate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

EYEING FETAL CELLS TO REVERSE BLINDNESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

PROFILE: CHARLES NABARRETE, by Brian L. Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . 13

BULLETIN BOARD, by Ruth Aletta Dean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

CAREER CONNECTIONS, by Catherine Schmitt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

THE HOWES OF BOSTON, by Joan Black. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

REPORT ON STATE LEGISLATION, MARCH, 1997, by Cid Urena. . . . . . . 19

ODD BUT INTERESTING FACTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

FEDERAL LEGISLATION, by Ahmad Rahman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

COMMITTEES AND THEIR CHAIRS, by Catherine Skivers . . . . . . . . . 22

RESPONSE TO REHAB'S ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING PAYMENT 
     BY CLIENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

                             ------------
                           FROM THE EDITOR 

                         by WINIFRED DOWNING 

     Like just about everyone in CCB, I've been involved in a number of 
     Like just about everyone in CCB, I've been involved in a number of
volunteer activities through the years; but I've never been a part of
one which I enjoyed as much as I do working on the BC.  One of the most
pleasant aspects of the experience is receiving letters, phone calls,
and--most of all--articles expressing individual interests, opinions,
and personal experiences.  If you remember the article in our last issue
concerning awards, you know that the Publications Committee will be
watching this issue and the next two for the very best article submitted
by one of our members so that we can present that nomination for an
award in the spring of 1998.  Many of you write very well, so let's get
a spirited competition going.
     My favorite way of receiving articles is on computer disk; but even
in that seemingly foolproof transmission of material, frustrations do
arise.  To be on the safe side, therefore, I suggest that, when you send
an article on disk, you accompany it with a printed copy.  I can always
scan that if some glitch prevents reading the disk.  
     Please also always include with what you send, no matter what the
medium or subject, your name, address, and telephone number.  Too
frequently something without identification is sent to the Burbank
office with a note directing that it be placed in the BC.  Barbara or
Marni forwards the article to me, but there are times when I can't use
what I receive.  In the submissions for this issue, for instance, I
received two pages dealing with a dental insurance policy.  I couldn't
find anything that associated it with blind persons or our organization;
and what I really think happened is that someone sent me the wrong pages
and is still searching for the material concerning a dental insurance
policy in which he or she was interested.  We all know well the misery
of searching for that one important piece of paper.  In fact, I am fond
of saying that, should I merit eternal punishment after my death, no one
will need to stoke any furnaces for my torment--just make me keep track
of isolated pieces of paper for all eternity! 
     Some of us were comparing notes recently on how hard it is to part
with braille books even when they have outlived their usefulness. 
Things like computer manuals for programs no longer used or of such
early vintage that they are not relevant, medical transcribing books
defining terms and procedures now obsolete while ignoring necessary
additions, textbooks for courses no longer taught or now much altered
are totally useless.  Those of us who have been enjoying braille for 50
or 60 years remember how scarce it used to be and how grateful we were
to have a need met by  one of those blessed transcribers, and it just
seems irreverent to part with the books.  It took me years, in fact, to
come to the conclusion that I could skip an article in a braille
magazine if it didn't interest me.  For a very long time, I just felt
that if it was in braille, I should be appreciative enough to read it. 
And do you remember the thrill it was to own your first book of general
interest--something you could keep for rereading whenever you desired? 
Louis Braille's anniversary month is over for another year, but I am
often struck anew with amazement that one little boy born in rural
France could change the lives of thousands of blind persons all over the
world. 
     Back to business: the deadline for the summer issue of the BC is
June 1.  



                          PRESIDENT'S CORNER
                    
                         by Catherine Skivers 

     My first two months in office have been challenging, educational,
and not without some adventures.  I am pleased that so much has been
accomplished in such a short time.
     With the help of our very competent staff, I have reviewed all
legal documents, fundraising contracts, and many other important papers
related to Council business.  
     I have not yet sent a President's Release to all chapters and
affiliates which I plan to do shortly.  At the convention, between the
Board of Director's meeting, which will be held April 3, and my
President's Report, to be given the evening of April 4, you will be
brought up to date on current happenings within the CCB.  The
President's Report will appear in the next issue of the Blind
Californian. 
     It is my pleasure to let you know that there is much good news for
CCB on the horizon.  We have been left a substantial bequest (exact
amount yet not certain); and on December 31, we were given a donation
of a building in the San Fernando Valley.  We have been able to
diversify our fundraising activities, and all of them are going
forward quite well.  
     One of the most exhilarating things that has happened for me is the
wonderful cooperation I have received from so many of you.  Al and
Connie Gil, Jerry Fields and Ahmad Rahman have volunteered to
represent us at the Josephine Taylor, AFB and ACB meetings in
Washington, D.C.  Winifred Downing financed her attendance at JAC and
LIDAC meetings in southern California.  Tom Treher volunteered to assist
the Friends in Art Project, which also brought some money to CCB.  Dan
and Ann Kysor have done the same thing in Sacramento, the net proceeds
from which will go to GBX.  Pat LaFrance, Mitch Pomerantz, Ken Metz and
others have made outstanding presentations at various meetings and
conferences.  Connie Schoeman, Winifred Downing and Cid Urena appeared
at the Joint Action Committee meeting on our behalf.  My profound thank
you to all of you!  If I've missed any member's unusual contribution of
time, money, or energy, please let me know.  We encourage each other by
our actions and enthusiasm.  
     The response from individuals, chapters and affiliates to our call
for assistance to enable us to give stipends to our California
blind students to attend the Spring convention in Sacramento has been
most gratifying.  Another evidence of your willingness to cooperate came
when I asked any of you interested in participating on committee to let
me know.  The response was tremendous.
     For those of you who have expressed concern regarding my ability
to travel, let me say that I have made my way to chapter meetings, the
Burbank office and the ACB mid-year meeting in Houston, Texas, 
with no misadventures.  You'll hear more about these events in my
President's Report.  
     Most appointments to Committees have been made.  If you have
expressed a wish to serve on a specific committee and have not
received a letter either from me or the committee chair, please let me
know.  With your help, I am confident that CCB is on its way to a
productive and successful future!


                ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING COPYRIGHT LAW 

     (This announcement appeared in CTEVH Journal, Winter, 1997 and was
submitted by Mitch Pomerantz.)
     To disability rights advocates who worked with the publishing
industry, Congress, and the Clinton administration to speed alternative
format access to copyrighted books now.
     "I have today signed into law HR3754, the Legislative Branch
Appropriation Act of 1997," said President Clinton.
     The Act provides fiscal year 1997 appropriations for the Congress,
the Congressional Budget Office, the Architect of the Capitol, the
General Accounting Office, the Government Printing Office, the Library
of Congress. 
     "I am especially pleased to sign into law the provision that will
allow blind and visually impaired persons to get earlier access to books
and other reading material.  As a result of an agreement between the
publishing industry and advocates for people with disabilities, books
can now be converted into alternative formats such as braille as soon
as they appear in print.  Prior to this change, the Library of Congress
and other organizations that sought to provide these materials had to
obtain permission from copyright holders on a case-by-case basis leading
to lengthy delays in access to all types of reading materials.  This law
will help us reach our goal of full inclusion of people with
disabilities.  
     "I am also pleased with the provision that encourages the Senate
to transfer excess or surplus computers and other educationally useful
equipment to public schools at the lowest possible cost.  This
complements our initiative to encourage federal agencies to do the same
to help integrate technology into school curriculums and ensure that all
students have the skills they will need to succeed in the information
intensive 21st century.
. . ." 
William J. Clinton 
THE WHITE HOUSE
September 16, 1996


                SUMMARY OF CCB RESOLUTIONS, Fall, 1996

                             by Jeff Thom

     Note: all resolutions were adopted by the Convention, except for
Resolution 96B-1.  
     96B-1. Related to proposals by the city of Berkeley
concerning the use of talking signs and audible signals.  The
resolution was withdrawn, but the committee recommended its
referral to the Committee on Access and Transportation.
     96B-2. Urged the enactment of a state tax credit to
defray a portion of an employer's cost for the salary of a blind or
visually impaired employee during the first two years of employment.
     96B-3. Urged the adoption of a state tax credit to defray the cost
to an employer of adaptive equipment purchased for a blind or visually
impaired employee.
     96B-4. required the Department of Rehabilitation to fund
a faciliity in Southern California similar to the Orientation
Center for the Blind in Albany.
     96B-5. Opposed the Department of Rehabilitation's proposal to apply
a means test for certain rehabilitation services to clients who receive
Social Security Disability benefits. 
     96B-6. Recommended the enactment of federal legislation
to increase earnings limitations and create other work incentives
for blind and visually impaired Social Security Disability
Insurance recipients. 
     96B-7. Expressed appreciation for the efforts of the volunteers at
the Fall, 1996 CCB Convention.
     96B-8.  Supported the use of vertical/squared-faced curbs, and
opposed the use of rolled/rounded curbs or curbless
surfaces except under specified circumstances.
     96B-9. Expressed our appreciation for the services of
the Mission Valley Hilton during the Fall, 1996 Convention.
     96B-10. Sought repeal of Social Security Administration
regulations on Plans for Self-support. 
     96B-11. Urged the California Building Standards
Commission to retain state regulatory requirements for geometric
signs on restroom doors.
     96B-12. Urged the California Building Standards Commission to
retain state regulatory requirements for the use of
detectable warning surfaces io pedestrian areas adjacent to areas
of vehicular activity.
     96B-13. Deplored the insensitivity of the National Association of
Booksellers for employing the slogan "Censorship causes
blindness" and urged the organization to stop using the slogan.  
     96B-14. Urged organizations advocating on behalf of
seniors to provide their literature in accessible formats for the
blind and visually impaired. 
     96B-15. required the Department of Rehabilitation to classify the
Support Services Assistant position as a full-time job.
     96B-16. Expressed the appreciation of the CCB for
the assistance provided to the Resolutions Committee by Bob and Sue
Sweetman. 

            TECHTALK: BRINGING THINGS TO LIGHT:           
    An Exploration of Lighting Characteristics and Strategies

                        by Kenneth Frasse

     (Note:  The following is the first in a two-part series on
lighting and how lighting plays a vital role in the visually-
impaired individual's work environment.  This article is re-
printed, with permission of the publisher, from ACCESS REVIEW, a
quarterly publication of Sensory Access Foundation.  To obtain the
complete text, or for inquiries about the publication, please contact
the Editor, Kenneth Frasse, at 1-415-329-0430, or by
writing to: Sensory Access Foundation, 385 Sherman Avenue, Suite 2, Palo
Alto, CA 94306.)
     Abstract: Lighting can be the arch-nemesis of the visually
impaired.  So many factors play a crucial role in the proper dispersion
of light that it is often extremely difficult to determine how to best
accommodate a visually-impaired individual.  The following article
attempts to impart some knowledge to individuals in the hope that they
can then recognize key factors in what can be done to assist them in
their lighting needs.
     (Author's note:  Special thanks go to Marty Chetaitis and the San
Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Company's lighting lab
from whom, and from which, much of the information and expertise in the
following article comes.)
     Lighting plays a vital role in the comfort, productivity, and
stamina of individuals who must work in the same environment
every day, especially if the individual is visually impaired.  There are
no specific guidelines for accommodating the optimal
lighting for a visually-impaired individual since each individual has
a different visual pathology that affects them differently
from the next person.  There are, however, certain 
characteristics and strategies in lighting which can be pursued
that can greatly improve the comfort, productivity, and stamina
of an employee who is visually impaired.
      This article attempts to define certain key parameters for
lighting and what can be done to optimize the environment in
which an individual works.  While this is not meant as a highly
technical article, it is important to understand some of the
terms and characteristics of lighting so that the reader can
follow the various strategies proposed later.  We will first
review some basic terminology and characteristics of lighting,
and then we will review some guidelines and strategies to follow when
choosing and implementing lighting.

               Terminology and Characteristics 
     Lighting Sources:  There are numerous strategies by which to
generate light, but there are three principal types of lighting that are
found in most work environments: incandescent, halogen, and 
fluorescent.  Some industry settings may use metal halide or high-
pressure sodium lighting, but these are less likely to be present in the
more common office setting.  We will restrict our discussion to the
first three types.
     Most of us are familiar with the standard incandescent bulbs that
we find in most residential settings.  These are generally
round with a tungsten filament that glows brightly when a current is
passed across the two electrodes that hold the filament.
     Halogen sources are generally used in "spot lights", automobile
headlights, and areas where a strong beam or source is required. 
Halogen sources are more efficient than incandescent sources and produce
more light per watt than do incandescent sources.  The
term most commonly used to refer to the amount of light generated by a
light source is "Lumens".  Also, halogen sources are
generally point sources similar to incandescent sources.
     Fluorescent lighting is the most commonly found lighting in work
environments.  It is efficient and costs significantly less to
operate than do incandescent sources because it requires a lower
wattage.  Fluorescent sources in work environments are usually tubular
but can be manufactured in numerous shapes.
     Lighting Aspects:  There are several quantifiable factors in
lighting that can be used to emphasize certain visual aspects, or
characteristics, for a specific environment.  These factors include
wattage (watts), color rendering indices (CRI), and temperature 
(degrees Kelvin (K)).  In addition to the quantifiable characteristics
in lighting, there are qualifiable characteristics as well; these
qualifiable characteristics will be discussed later in the guidelines
portion of this article.
     Wattage:  A watt is a unit of power.  For the average
individual's purpose, the relative wattage between different
sources of energy or light is the only factor to consider.  For
the physical scientists among our readers, a watt is equivalent
to 1 joule/second or 1/746 horsepower.
     Color Rendering Indices (CRI):  CRI refers to a light source's
ability to reflect colors.  A light source with a low CRI will
reflect very few frequencies of light and will appear
monochromatic in nature.  Low-pressure sodium fluorescent lights have
a CRI value of zero; this means that an observer will not be able to
distinguish between colors.  Some cities use this type of lighting in
certain areas, and the police are often unable to determine whether
there is blood or oil at the scene of an accident as a result of this
lighting's low CRI value.
     Conversely, a light source with a high CRI value will reflect
many more frequencies of light off objects.  Incandescent and
halogen light sources have a CRI value of 100, meaning that they
generate sufficient frequencies of visible light to reflect the
full spectrum of colors off objects.  Standard fluorescent light sources
have CRI values ranging between 65 and 85; fluorescent
light sources with CRI values in the 90 range are available but
are somewhat more costly than those with a CRI value of 75 or 85.
     Temperature (K):  Temperature, in degrees Kelvin, is directly
related to the general "color" that a light source appears to
discharge.  As defined, this is the temperature to which a black-body
radiator must be raised to generate a specified color.  In
short, this means that colors can be associated with temperature.  To
generate a blue light, which is at one extreme end of the
color spectrum, a temperature of approximately 7,800 degrees
Kelvin is required.  A temperature of approximately 2,800 degrees Kelvin
is required to generate a red light, which is at the
extreme opposite end of the color spectrum.  (i.e., degrees Kelvin are
offset from degrees Celsius by 273 degrees and offset from degrees
Fahrenheit by 241 degrees.  To convert degrees Kelvin to degrees
Fahrenheit, simply subtract 241 degrees from the Kelvin value; to
convert degrees Kelvin to degrees Celsius, subtract 273 degrees from the
Kelvin value.)
     What we glean from this knowledge is that we can choose the
general color and ambiance of a light depending upon its temperature. 
If we prefer to work in a light that is "warm" or "soft", we would
choose a light with a low temperature in the red/orange/yellow range of
the spectrum.  If we work better with a "cooler" or "crisper" light, we
would choose a light source with a higher temperature in the blue/green
range of the spectrum.
     Lastly, fluorescent tubes have a code printed on them that refers
to their diameter; this is measured in eighths of an inch.  A
fluorescent tube that has a size of 8 would therefore have a
diameter of 1 inch [(8 x (1/8")) = 1].
     Typically, there are six abbreviated parameters printed on a
fluorescent light with which an individual can determine the type of
effect desired.  These parameters include:

1) "F":  the first parameter indicates that the light is indeed
   a fluorescent light;
2) wattage:  the second parameter indicates wattage, and has a
   numeric value that ranges;
3) configuration:  the third parameter indicates the actual
   shape of the light source, and this is typically a tube, so
   one would find the letter "T" printed on the tube;
4) diameter:  since all fluorescent sources must be tubular,
   even if their overall shape is not, this parameter indicates
   the diameter of the tube in eighths of an inch;
5) CRI:  this parameter indicates the color rendering index of a   
     fluorescent light source, and can range;
6) temperature:  the sixth and last parameter indicates
   temperature, and is usually abbreviated to the first two
   numbers; a fluorescent light source with an index of 35 would      
   actually have a temperature of 3,500, and the individual
   would know that this tube generates relatively warm light
   with orange/pink hues.

     Knowing the above information, we could now go to a lighting
store, pick up a fluorescent tube, and know something about it.  Imagine
that we choose a tube with the following parameters:
 (F 40 T 12 85 42)  We would be able to determine that this light: 1)
is a fluorescent light source;
     2) is a 40-watt source;
     3) is a tube shape;
     4) has a 1 1/4 inch diameter [12 x (1/8") = 1.25"]; 
     5) has a CRI value of 85 which means that it has good color
          rendering ability;
     6) has a temperature value of 42, indicating 4,200 degrees
          Kelvin, which should generate a relatively warm light.
     (Part 2 of this article will appear in the summer issue of the BC.)


                  FEDERAL WELFARE REFORM LAW (HR3734)
                  Supplemental Security Income/State 
                    Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP)

     This is a facts sheet from the California Department of  Social
Services submitted by Mitch Pomerantz.
     The State Supplementary Payment (SSP) program provides state-funded
cash assistance to recipients of federal Supplemental Security Income
benefits in order to assure a minimum income level for aged, blind, and
disabled individuals, including children.  The welfare reform law
impacts legal immigrants and changes eligibility for children.

     CURRENT PROGRAMS:  The federal government sets the eligibility
requirements for SSI/SSP and the SSI grant amount.
     The state sets the SSP grant amounts.  Individuals who qualify for
SSI/SSP may also qualify for additional services:
     In-home Supportive Services (HSS); Community Care Licensed (CCL)
homes; Medi-Cal; foster care and services available through the
Department of Developmental Services (DDS).
      California SSI/SSP caseload (July 1996):
Total SSI/SSP caseload: 1,034,914
Estimated total legal immigrant SSI/SSP caseload: 330,519
Maximum SSI/SSP payments each month effective January 1996 
legal or disabled living independently: $626.40
Blind living independently: $681.40
     IMPACT ON CHILDREN RECEIVING SSI: Eligibility based on an
Individual Functional Assessment is eliminated.  Eligibility criteria
will be restricted to children with a medically proven disability that
causes severe functional limitations.  Behavioral problems shall no
longer qualify a child for SSI.
     Eligibility will be redetermined, using adult criteria, within one
year of a child turning 18 years old. 
     In California, of the 91,000 disabled children (recipients under
16 years old), the California Department of Social Services estimates
that approximately 15,000 children would be subject to re-evaluation.
     Recipients, eligible as of August 22, 1996, must be re-evaluated
for eligibility by August 22, 1997.  However, those who do not meet the
new criteria will continue to receive benefits until July, 1997, or the
date of the evaluation, whichever is later.
 

                      ACCESS FOR EVERYONE:
                         THAT'S THE LAW!

                           by Daveed Mandell

     When will we blind people ever stop being grateful to the
world for the token access that pity and charity have granted us?  When
will we finally realize that access to information and the
environment is now included among our civil rights?
     No longer may we be treated like victims of insincere and
misplaced kindness.  We finally have the right to equal access
with sighted people to the nation's goods and services.  No longer must
we grovel and beg, cajole and plead, for what should have
been ours all along.  It's time for us to expect and demand equal,
timely, and complete access to the world in which we live.  The
law is now on our side, and we should take the maximum advantage of it.
     When a business or government entity fails to provide us
with equal and timely access to its goods, services, equipment,
transportation, environment, written material, or jobs, we need
to express our strong dissatisfaction.  Anything less than
complete access is unconscionable and illegal.  This applies to
all entities, including organizations of and for the blind.
     If you want to know how the ADA can best serve blind people,
obtaining the ADA Solutions Guides from the American Foundation
for the Blind in New York City is a must.  While not exhaustive, these
thoroughly researched and comprehensive documents--available in braille
and large print and on cassette tape and computer disk--take blind
consumers, business people, and government employees step by step
through the process of determining the need for accessible material, and
how to provide it for blind customers and clients.  This is the first,
and
perhaps only, concrete resource that gives a detailed discussion on how
the ADA can benefit blind people.
     Unfortunately, by and large, these ADA Solutions Guides have been
a well-kept secret.  They are expensive, costing $14 apiece.  They
should be made available free of charge to any blind person who wants
or needs them.  However, the AFB claims that, because of politics in
both the disability rights movement and the
federal government regulations, disability-specific ADA-related
materials cannot be distributed free of charge under grants from federal
agencies such as the National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).
     AFB's ADA Solutions Guides cover a wide variety of issues
affecting blind people who interact with public and private
accommodations, state and local government entities, and
employers.  The following Guides are now available: The ADA and
Visual Impairment; Basic Information: Blindness and Visual
Impairment; Employment; Environmental Design; Health Care,
Inpatient; Health Care, Outpatient; Hotel and Motel; and Retail
Services.  Additional Guides are currently being prepared.
     If we blind people don't take our right to access to
information and the environment seriously, how can we expect
others to maintain this attitude?  While the public understands the need
to make buildings accessible for wheelchair users, the same cannot be
said regarding access to information for blind people.  Even the most
ardent social justice activists haven't a clue or a care about our needs
and concerns.  They don't seem to understand that not providing
accessible information to us amounts to nothing more than discrimination
equivalent to racism or sexism.
     Microsoft Corporation released Windows 95 in August of 1995; yet
the program, and associated applications, are still not
completely accessible to blind computer users.  Several adaptive
technology vendors are claiming that Microsoft and other
companies are "working on this problem."  Sorry, that just isn't good
enough!  The software should have been made accessible to
blind people when it was released to sighted users.  There is
absolutely no excuse for this blatant discrimination by Microsoft.  We
need to ask ourselves why we have for so long acquiesced to this shabby
treatment.
     While the vagueness of the ADA allows people to comply
flexibly with the law, it also creates barriers for those of us
whom the law was meant to protect.  Many blind people view the
Americans with Disabilities Act as nothing but a joke and even a
hindrance.  The disability rights movement has published reams of
jargon-filled, legalistic explanations of the ADA, but it has
failed to provide concrete methods and down-to-earth procedures
for complying with the law.
     In their defense, many companies and businesses have never
heard about the needs and concerns of blind people.  They don't
know the first thing about transcribing braille documents,
producing audio recordings, or providing intelligible braille
signs, directories, and maps, let alone making material
available on computer diskettes.  It's one thing to ignore the law and
our needs; it's another, though, to be uninformed about how
to comply.  We must educate and negotiate with government and
business.  Wherever possible, litigation should be avoided.
     We must remember that there are many different ways to make the
world of complex information accessible to blind people.  we should try,
therefore, to be flexible when talking to businesses andgovernment
entities about our access requirements.  Some companies may be able to
provide braille material; others may opt for tape or computer disk. 
Still others may offer to have someone read and fill out forms for us. 

 Compliance with the law doesn't necessarily mean providing us
information in the format of our choice.  Wherever possible, though, a
business should try to comply with both the law and our wishes. 
However, for various reasons, it may not always be feasible to provide
braille material, for instance, in a timely manner.
     The lack of awareness regarding access issues for those who don't
use print is astonishing, as well as a cause for alarm.  The fact that
much of this ignorance is shared by the very
constituents who are supposed to benefit from accessible
information makes this issue even more pressing.  We must never
stop fighting for, and insisting upon, access to information and the
environment.  It must become ingrained in people's minds.  May the day
soon arrive when blind people everywhere will take equal, timely, and
complete access to our world for granted!  
     For more information on AFB'S ADA Solutions Guides, write or call
the American Foundation for the Blind at: 11 Penn Plaza,
Ste. 300; New York, NY 10011; Phone: 212-502-7600; Attention: ADA
Solutions Guides.


                              LOCAL HERO
                   ASSUME THAT SHE'S AN INSPIRATION

                            by Libby Slate 

     This occasional column tells the stories of the unsung heroes of
Southern California, people of all ages and vocations and occupations
whose dedication as volunteers or on the job makes it better for the
people they encounter.  Reader suggestions are welcome and may be sent
to Local Hero Editor, the Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los
Angeles, CA 90053.
 "People make assumptions about me," says- Anita Arakawa, coordinator
of the Independent Living Skills program for the Center for the
Partially Sighted in Santa Monica.  This is what people assume about a
blind woman.  "If I'm married, my husband must be sighted.  I have no
job; I can't make a decision."  
 At a restaurant, a server might say to Arakawa's companiOn, "What does
she want to drink?" 
 Those people are wrong on all counts.  Arakawa has-been wed for three
years to Jerry Arakawa, her second husband, who asked her to marry him
the day after they met.  He is director of adult programs for the
Foundation for the Junior Blind and is also blind. And, be        And,
be it in her 40-hour-a-week position at the center, her role as
president of the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the California Council
of the-Blind or as an active member of various related  organizations,
Arakawa decides upon matters far more critical than beverage orders.  
 
 In the skills program, Arakawa, 37, supervises orientation and mobility
instructors, teaches classes about vision loss and coping with diabetes,
and deals with 20 to 25 clients, most of them elderly, each week
fielding problems and dispensing advice.  Her clients' needs differ from
those of people blind since birth, she says.  "Any time you lose
something, it hurts," says Arakawa who was born sighted but began losing
her vision to glaucoma, (diagnosed when she was 21) and now sees only
colors and shadows.  "You're angry; you're mad; you bargain with God. 
Then you get used to it, and you go on.  You learn new things, get new
hobbies.  Sometimes you don't feel like you measure up.  You're not
blind; you"re not sighted."    
     Arakawa's vision loss derailed her plan to become a nurse and
eventually forced her to abandon the convertible, golf, watercolor
painting, needlework and basket weaving that she had enjoyed.  Instead
she earned a master's degree in rehabilitation, taught at Boston
college, and came to Los Angeles from Vermont three years ago to marry
Jerry Arakawa who she met at a convention in Arizona.  
     "people who are beginning to lose their vision don't want others
to know," she says.  "I got hit by a car on campus because I didn't want
to use my cane."
     "You take with you the image you had of blind people," she adds. 
"When I was in college, I remember seeing a blind woman at a bus stop
and thinking, 'Oh, that poor woman.'  All of a sudden three years later
that was me.  It takes a while; it's a kick in the stomach."
     Arakawa has made a conscious effort to dispel negative images for
others.  In a recent afternoon in her office she's wearing a sleek black
dress topped by a stylish, colorful print jacket.  Much of her blond
hair is contained by a black bow and snood.  While her black Labrador
guide dog Spencer snoozes and occasionally "woofs" as he dreams, she
sits erect, making eye contact with a visitor she cannot see.  "I didn't
want to go poking through life," she says.  "When I had the cane, I
thought 'People will be looking at me so  I'll give them something to
look at.  I don't have a choice so I might as well fight that image of
that dowdy woman on the bus bench."       Arakawa's attitude has proved
beneficial to client Yvonne James, 57, of Los Angeles, who began losing
her vision to diabetes in 1987.  "Anita was an inspiration to me," James
says.  "I began to think the world was closing in on me.  I like
clothes; I admired her dress, how she carries herself, how she works
like nothing is the matter.  She's reassuring, and she makes you have
confidence within yourself."            When-Anita came out here, she
hit the ground running," says Mitch Pomerantz, president of the
California Council of the Blind.  "She's one of the newest members of
our Greater Los Angeles chapter and yet, because of her commitment, she
was asked to be president in less than two years.  She's-very
insightful, very adept at sorting through what has to be done to address
a problem or an issue.  She can deal with different interests and
perspectives."  
     Though Arakawa repeats that her vision loss is "a kick in the
stomach," she acknowledges that it opened up possibilities and inner
resources she didn't know existed as an unhappy homemaker in her 20s. 
 "Many people stay stuck because they think they have no other options,"
she says.  "But you learn to take advantage of the opportunities
presented to you."   
    
                EYEING FETAL CELLS TO REVERSE BLINDNESS

 Reprinted with permission from Science News, the weekly news magazine
of Science, copyright 1997 by Science Service, Inc.  Submitted by Maria
Lopez.
 Testing an experimental treatment that they liken to replacing old,
deteriorated film in a camera with a fresh roll, scientists have begun
injecting cells harvested from the eyes of aborted fetuses into the eyes
of people with retinitis pigmentosa, the most common inherited cause of
blindness.
 This week, researchers involved in the effort claimed that five of the
first eight patients who received the fetal cells have experienced
discernible, though extremely limited, improvement in vision.
 Such cell transplants are unlikely ever to restore completely the
eyesight of people with retinitis pigmentosa, but even a small
improvement in vision would be welcome and useful, says Manuel del Cerro
of the University of Rochester (N.Y.) School of Medicine and Dentistry,
who reported the initial results of the cell transplants at a Society
for Neuroscience meeting in Washington, D.C.
 Retinitis pigmentosa, which afflicts several million people worldwide,
slowly robs a person of sight by destroying the
photoreceptor cells that line the eye's retina.  The light-sensitive
cells, commonly known as rods and cones, convert incoming images into
patterns of electric impulses that travel through other retinal cell
layers and finally to the brain.
 For more than a decade, del Cerro and other researchers have
investigated whether rods and cones ravaged by retinitis pigmentosa
could be replaced with new photoreceptors.  In 1991, del Cerro's group
found that fetal eye cells implanted into the eyes of blinded rats
partially restored the animals' ability to perceive light.
 Those results encouraged del Cerro to collaborate with eye surgeons at
the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India, on a human trial. 
The surgeons selected eight retinitis pigmentosa patients whose vision
had deteriorated to the point where they could only perceive the
difference between light and dark. Working on one eye of each patient,
the surgeons made a small incision in the retina and injected about 1
million fetal eye cells into the space beneath the incision.
 Their hope was that the fetal eye cells, which had yet to
differentiate into any one cell type, would develop predominantly into
new photoreceptors and establish the retinal connections needed to
convey visual information.
 It took 4 to 6 months before any of the patients reported an
improvement in vision, says del Cerro.  Two of the patients now detect
hand motion, he says.  Two others can reportedly count fingers held up
at a short distance.
 The fifth patient can now recognize faces and walk around unaided,
thanks to the development of a tiny field of view in which he has 20/200
vision.  It's "a little keyhole view of the world," says del Cerro.
 Several retinal transplant researchers contacted by Science News argue
that the trial in India should have included an independent evaluation
of each patient's vision before and after the surgery.
 "I simply don't believe these results," says Peter Gouras of Columbia
University, who has experimented with cell transplants for a retinal
disease called age-related macular degeneration.
 Other vision researchers privately echo Gouras' skepticism, and some
raise the issue of whether there has been sufficient evidence that cell
transplants work in animals to justify the decision to start trials in
humans.  
 Undeterred by the criticism and buoyed by the apparent success of the
first trial, del Cerro and his colleagues have already started
additional human trials in India and at Johns Hopkins Medical
Institutions in Baltimore.  A research group led by Henry Kaplan of
Washington University in St. Louis is ready to start its own human trial
of the cell transplant strategy, using photoreceptors harvested from
adult eyes.  J. Travis 


                      PROFILE: CHARLES NABARRETE
                                
                        By Brian L. Hall

     (Editor's note: Brian Hall, a reporter for the Orange County
Register and our only professional journalist, deserves the Persistence
Award for this article.  When his disk could, for some reason, not be
read by my machine, we determined to communicate the file
electronically.  Anyone familiar with working with two different modems,
two different communications programs, and two people who hadn't had all
that much experience with this sort of thing can guess our problems. 
Brian was amazingly patient and persistent and did succeed.) 
     When Charles Nabarrete discovers an injustice, he wants to
rectify it.  He has used the courtroom as a battle ground to
artfully fight for the rights of women, immigrants, the blind and
disabled.
     Nabarrete, a board member of the California Council of the Blind
since 1994, is an attorney with experience on both sides of the bench--
as judge and as litigator.  Today, he finds himself screening disability
claims.
     A Pomona native, Nabarrete is responsible for some landmark civil
rights victories but tows no predictable party line.  He began his law
career in legal services for people with low income, passing through
three programs from 1971-79 including the Mexican American Legal Defense
and Education Fund and the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice.  He
argued on behalf of victims of police brutality and racial
discrimination in schools and helped make break-throughs at the
appellate court level for disclosure of police records.
     Probably Nabarrete's best known case, however, started in
1974 with MALDEF when he represented 10 chicana women illegally
sterilized at County USC Medical Center in LA.  "This was the tip of the
iceberg," Nabarrete said.  "The mothers would, in some cases, be
presented the option of sterilization while in the delivery room and
while still in labor.  There was no evidence that they'd been
counselled, no evidence sterilization had been discussed previously."
     After it was determined that the woman would have a Cesarian
section, the physician allegedly would say to the patient, "We're going
to open you up.  And while we're in there, why don't we
just tie off your tubes?"  Nabarrete said. The women weren't told that
the procedure was irreversible, and none of the informed consent
requirements were met, according to Nabarrete.  
     Nabarrete, 51 and now a resident of West Covena, considers the
civil rights work "very important and satisfying."  But the legal
services that made so many court decisions possible in the areas of
Welfare and social services have been hard hit by budget cuts.
     "There's a real need for legal aid because the average
person now can't afford an attorney for anything other than
accident cases," Nabarrete explains.  "If people need a lawyer for a
criminal case, they have to sell part of their assets."
     Fellow CCB board member Pat LaFrance says Nabarrete takes his
activism to the streets.  "He's very sure about what he wants to do and
how he wants it done," said LaFrance, who belongs to the CCB's
San Gabriel Chapter where Nabarrete is president.  "Charles is
very knowledgeable about governmental affairs, and he knows who
to contact in different situations."
     One older chapter member, LaFrance said, couldn't safely
cross the busy street in his neighborhood.  Nabarrete made a few
contacts and convinced the city to install an audible traffic
signal.
     Despite his personal and courtroom crusades, Nabarrete's
philosophy frequently differs from the traditional liberal
outlook touted by the American Civil Liberties Union, which he
said, often takes a "holier than thou" attitude.
     "I don't think I conform with the ACLU mentality," Nabarrete says. 
"It doesn't have a practical side, and I do."  He disagrees with ACLU's
lawsuits opposing the death penalty.  As a parent, he also believes that
girls under 18 should get parental consent before having an abortion.
     LaFrance said Nabarrete is very "family oriented."  He gets his
whole family to pitch in at chapter functions.  His wife
Gudelia brought a group of volunteers to assist at a recent
San Gabriel pizza party.  The Nabarretes have three children:
Rita, Joaquin and Rebecca.
     Nabarrete began losing a major part of his sight later in life. 
He had already graduated with a BA in political science from UC
Riverside in 1968, earned a law degree from UCLA in 1971 and entered the
legal profession.  With a family to support, he had no time to attend
independent living centers of the kind that he would later review as a
member of the Blind Advisory Committee to the California Department of
Rehabilitation.
     He long has been a consumer advocate and in recent months
has focussed on responding to Rehab proposals to have DR clients share
the financial costs of their rehabilitation.  "It's going to have a
really chilling effect on people who will have to contribute," Nabarrete
said.
     Fred Marin, a friend who met Nabarrete while vending at a
courthouse, helped him through the initial phases of his sight loss,
encouraging him to use a white cane.
    "He has great leadership qualities," said 43-year-old Marin, a
resident of Pomona.  "When he starts doing something, he goes full force
and takes over.  Sometimes it's hard to slow him down."
    In 1979, Nabarrete moved into private practice in his
hometown of Pomona as a Workmen's Compensation attorney.  "Cappers," who
chase down accident victims to steer them toward lawyers, would approach
Nabarrete to engage in fraud, but he refused.  Over-inflated bills and
scams plague the industry, from clinics and doctors to chiropractic
schools, he said.  "But most tort reform proposals protect only
insurance companies by making it harder to sue," he said.
     In August of 1990, Nabarrete became an administrative law
judge for the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.  The job
demands consideration of workers and bosses.  Nabarrete has to decide
whether claimants are entitled to benefits and who is to blame
for the "separation."  Did the claimant quit, and was it for a
good cause?  Was he unjustly fired?  The remaining 20 percent of
his case load involves disability benefits.
     "It's very satisfying because I have a direct impact on
people's lives," Nabarrete says.  "It's an important aspect of
government programs.  When you have large layoffs, cutbacks and
down-sizing, it's important to get Unemployment Insurance to
those who need it.  If the worker was a bum--someone who stole or
wouldn't come to work--it's important to protect the employer's
account.  This is really a barometer of the economy."
     In 1991-92, he was swamped, an indicator of the peaking 
Recession.  The number of cases has since leveled off.  Nabarrete types
notes into his computer during hearings, reviews
decisions with a scanner and works with a reader because most
records are handwritten.  He has been learning to read braille better
to add another medium to his store of tools.  
     In his spare time, Nabarrete reads John Grisham and science
fiction.  He enjoys gardening and deep-sea fishing.     
     

                         BULLETIN BOARD

                       by Ruth Aletta Dean

     From Our Special, Nov.-Dec., 1996:  Scholarships for
Students.  The U.S. Commission for Scholastic Assistance--College Bound
is an organization that supplies the public with
information about over 600 scholarship sources.  The lists
include the scholarship names, addresses, application deadlines,
summaries about the scholarships, and the amount the scholarships will
pay.  Scholarships are available for the handicapped,
members of a particular church, minorities, C students, the
children of veterans, and much more.  Many scholarships pay the
entire tuition.  Most include junior colleges, career and
vocational schools, four year colleges, graduate schools, and
medical and law schools.  For information on obtaining these
scholarship lists, send a self-addressed stamped Number 10
envelope to:  U.S. Commission for Scholastic Assistance, P.O. Box 668,
O'Fallon, IL  62269.
 Give away your unwanted braille magazines.  Do you have braille
magazines that you are finished with, but you do not want to throw them
away?  Send them to the Library and Braille Book Project, 35 Semipucca
Boyra, G.P.O. Khulna 9000, Bangladesh.  You may send the parcels as free
reading matter.     
 From Dialogue, Fall, 1996:  The Used Equipment
Clearinghouse.  The Used Equipment Clearinghouse matches someone who
wants to buy equipment with a person who wishes to sell it.  For further
information contact:  Barbara Mattson, 519 E. Main
St., No. 8, Spartanburg, SC  29302; 864-585-7323.  You may
correspond in braille, print, or on 3.5-inch IBM disk in ASCII.
 Newsreel.  Newsreel is a monthly cassette magazine for the blind and
visually impaired.  Members share information about new products and
services, express their thoughts on a variety of issues, share
interesting experiences, and contribute items for their entertainment
value, such as songs and humor.  Standard membership, which is on a
read-and-return basis, is $25 a year.  The full annual support option,
in which the subscriber keeps each cassette, is $50.  Lifetime
membership is available for $300, with no further annual dues.  For
further information, contact:  Newsreel, Inc., 5 E. Long St., Room 907,
Columbus, OH  43215; 614-469-0700.
 National Resource Center for Blind Musicians.  The National Resource
Center for Blind Musicians provides information to students and teachers
about music braille and accessible music technology.  It puts people in
touch with others in its national networks of blind musicians with
experience in a particular aspect of the field.  For further
information, contact:  Music and Art Center for the Handicapped, 600
University Ave., Bridgeport, CT  06601; 203-366-3300.
     From The Matilda Ziegler Magazine, Nov., 1996:  Braille Books for
Children.  The Seedlings 1997 catalog is available at
no charge in braille and print.  It contains over 270 low-cost
braille books for children ages 1-14, including 38 new books. 
The new address for Seedlings is:  P.O. Box 51924, Livonia, MI 
48151-5924; or call:  800-777-8552 or 313-427-8552.
     Catalogs on Cassette.  Home Readers narrates print catalogs onto
cassette with extra descriptions of items.  Catalogs are available for
$4 in the categories of holiday gift items, food and holiday gift items,
and pet products.  Catalogs on collectibles are $2.  A
free Avon catalog is also available.  For a free list of all Home
Readers catalogs, contact:  Home Readers, 604 W. Hulett,
Edgerton, KS  66021; 913-893-6939.
     From The Matilda Ziegler Magazine, Feb., 1997:  Newsletter 
about transition-age students with disabilities.  Point of Departure is
a free newsletter for parents, advocates, educators, and professionals
working with transition-age students with
disabilities.  Preparation for employment, and the transition to
independent life after high school, are stressed.  Resources,
strategies, and model training plans are included.  The newsletter is
published twice a year by the TATRA Project, a national technical
assistance project which serves parent training projects funded by the
Rehabilitation Services Administration.  For further information
contact:  The TATRA Project, PACER Center, 4826 Chicago Ave. S.,
Minneapolis, MN 55417; 612-827-2966.
     

                          CAREER CONNECTIONS

                         by Catherine Schmitt

 Employers hire based upon education and experience, right?  And
employees succeed because of their education and experience, right?  Not
exactly.  Clifford E. Montgomery, Vice President of Human
Resources at Quaker Chemical Corporation, tells readers of
HRMagazine that "personal credentials may be the best predictor of job
success."  He further encourages interviewers to pay more
attention to "the subtleties of the candidate's style" rather than
focusing exclusively on stated qualifications.  Additionally,
interviewers should "observe such things as body language and ask
questions eliciting responses that allow you (interviewer) to
evaluate the softer elements," thus, answering the critical
question that is on the mind of all interviewers, "how will this person
fit into our company?  
 You may be thinking that this is unfair.  It may be unfair;
however, it is better to understand what is happening in interviews and
to be prepared.  As blind and low vision job applicants, we may be at
a disadvantage.  The recruiter may feel awkward about the
blindness issue; an accommodation may need to be discussed; there may
be an alternative way of completing a task that is not the
"norm."  Given these factors, we may find it necessary to do some extra
preparation.  
 Building stronger personal credentials can lead to your job success. 
What is job success?  Success is the  progressive realization of
predetermined worthwhile personal goals.  What are YOUR personal goals? 
A variation of this question is often asked in interviews.  Employers
look to hire candidates who have goals toward which they are striving. 

 In the November issue of the Matilda Ziegler Magazine,  a reader by the
name of James Baswell from York, PA reviewed biographies of
successful blind individuals and identified five common
characteristics:
     1) They love their work.  This love translates into emotions     
involving love and enthusiasm. 
     2) They ignore their critics.  "You cannot do this because you   
are blind."
     3) They go for their dreams and concentrate on the person they 
want to become. 
     4) They put foundations under their dreams by planning for    their
accomplishments and networking with those who can help      them. 
     5) They have positive expectations that their dreams and goals   
will be fulfilled.
 These characteristics are definitely aspects of one's personal
credentials.  What do you do that you feel passionate about?  This
commitment to a type of work, a cause, or a value system should be
expressed in an interview.  Determination and the belief in yourself and
your abilities needs to be expressed to employers.  Strengthening your
communication skills so that you are able to express yourself
appropriately is as essential as your educational preparation.  
 Communication skills may be strengthened through writing and public
speaking courses offered by a community center or educational program;
community organizations such as Toastmasters International; and
networking groups offered through professional organizations and the
Employment Development Department.  In addition to receiving
constructive feedback, you will, through these activities, be expanding
the network of people you know.  Think about the groups/organizations
you belong to locally.  How many of the groups' members are working? 
If the answer is few, find another group to join where the majority of
members are employed.  By
networking within a group of working members, you have a greater
opportunity to learn about potential and actual job openings. 
 Secondarily, you will develop a better understanding of what
personal credentials seem to be important within various companies by
comments made by group members.  Optimism and a positive
attitude are personal credentials that are always sought by
interviewers.  If you are the type of person who is always
complaining about something or is a self proclaimed pessimist, an
employer usually can detect the signs and will not consider you for the
"fit."
 You have a choice.  You can strengthen your personal
credentials and thus increase your opportunities, or you can
do nothing, and not experience personal growth.  Which strategy will you
choose?   


                         THE HOWES OF BOSTON 

                          by Joan Black

 This is a piece about a famous town and two of its illustrious 
citizens.  The town is Boston--important as the cradle of
democracy and a great mercantile center--but well known also by the
1830's as a sponsor of literature, art, education, medicine, and
philanthropy.  The financial resources that helped fuel this cultural
and humanitarian mecca came largely from the immense profits
reaped by Boston ship owners and merchants who traded with the West
Indies and China.  Ironically this trade was anything but
humanitarian since rum, slaves, and opium were among the principal
merchandise. 
 The illustrious citizens were Samuel Gridley Howe and Julia Ward
Howe, who, as a couple and as individuals, left their mark on
life in America.
 Samuel Gridley Howe was born in Boston on November 10, 1810.  He was
educated at Brown University and graduated from Harvard Medical
School in 1824.  He then set off on an adventure to Greece, which was
at war with Turkey to gain its independence.  Howe joined the struggle
on the side of the Greeks and served both as a surgeon and as a troop
commander.  
 Upon returning to Boston in 1830, he became interested in the education
of the blind, and in 1831 again went to Europe--this time to study the
educational techniques being used there.  He found that the most
advanced work was being done in Paris where, toward the end of the 18th
century, Valentin Hauy had proved that blind people could learn to
recognize by touch large embossed print letters of the standard
alphabet.  
 In 1784, consequently, the Institute for the Blind was established in
Paris, the first school dedicated to teaching the young blind.  Soon
there were schools in Berlin and Vienna, and in 1819, ten-year-old Louis
Braille became a student at the institute. 
 Louis was not only a fine student but an extraordinarily
talented musician.  He became one of the most celebrated organists in
Paris and also excelled as a violin-cellist.  Motivated initially by the
need to read and write music, he began work on modifying and codifying
an alphabet based on raised points or dots which had been originated by
Charles Barbier.  This was the beginning of Braille, though broad
acceptance and information about it did not occur for many years.  
 Upon his return to Boston in 1832, Howe founded the school first known
as the New England Asylum for the Blind.  Then in 1833 Charles Perkins,
who had amassed a great fortune in the West Indies and
China trade, gave his home and lands to the school, resulting in 1839
in changing the name  to the Perkins Institute and Massachusetts School
For the Blind.
 Howe employed a system of raised standard letters which became known
as Boston Line Type, an example of which can still be seen on the cover
of Our Special, a braille magazine for women published by the National
Braille Press.  He pioneered in the printing of books for the blind and
in 1841 produced a Bible in eight volumes.  His most renowned success
came in the education of a blind and deaf-mute
student named Laura Dewey Bridgman.  He remained the school's director
until his death in 1876.  Howe also became involved in the education and
training of the "feeble-minded" and took part in a school to assist
them.  
 And what of the other famous citizen of Boston?  Julia Ward was born
in New York in 1819, The daughter of a banker.  She was educated at home
and in private schools, marrying Samuel Howe in 1843.  Their home in
Boston, which they called "Green Peace," ,became a center for the
intellectual life of the city.  As the debate over slavery intensified,
the Howes became prominent  in the abolition movement.  In 1846, Samuel
ran unsuccessfully for Congress on the Conscience Whig ticket.  Five
years later the couple founded The Commonwealth, an antislavery paper. 
Howe may also have had some connection with John Brown's activities in
Kansas.  
 Even though Julia now had six children to care for, she was an active
partner in The Commonwealth.  In 1862 she wrote "The Battle Hymn of the
Republic", which was set to the tune of "John Brown's  Body" and was
published in the Atlantic Monthly.  The song was immensely popular and
soon was the anthem of the antislavery movement and became forever
associated with the terrible tragedy of the Civil War. In later years,
Julia  became interested in the struggle for women's right to vote and
was a founder of the American Woman's Suffrage Association in 1869.   
 
 Thus  Boston, because of its civic importance and the humanitarian
activities of two of its citizens, achieved a prominent place in
American history.  
     
    
                 STATE LEGISLATIVE REPORT, MARCH, 1997

                 by Cid Urena, Capitol Representative

 Greetings from the capitol city, Sacramento.  I hope everyone had a
pleasant holiday season.  
 This year we are working on three bills.  SB246, by Senator Teresa
Hughes, is the answer to Resolution 96B-2 urging a tax credit for
employers who hire blind persons.  
 The following two bills have not yet been numbered.  The guide dog
board sunset bill is being authored by the Committee on Consumer
Protection, Governmental Efficiency and Economic Development, the
Assembly committee responsible for bills of this type.  Assemblywoman
Susan Davis from San Diego is Chairperson.  The bill is identical to
last year's AB2860.  
 The other piece of legislation is the Orientation Trust
Fund bill which will be authored by Senator John Vasconcellos. 
For further updates on these bills be sure to listen to the
California Connection, 1-800-221-6359.
 Other bills for which we have been unable to secure authors are:  (1)
Division or Commission for the Blind; (2) a bill in response to
resolution 96B-3 calling for a tax credit to cover equipment purchased
by the employer in accommodating the needs of blind workers; and (3) a
special education bill.  We hope to be able to obtain authors for these
pieces of legislation in time for the second half of this legislative
session.  
 The Chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, Charles
Nabarrete, is reviewing other non-CCB bills which may or may not affect
us.  Stay tuned to the Connection for further
information.
     

                      ODD BUT INTERESTING FACTS 

 (Taken from The Rooftop, a publication of the Fromm Institute for Life-
Long Learning,, February 3, 1997) 
111,111,111 times 111,111,111 equals 12,345,678,987,654,321.
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, orpurple.
The word "samba" means "to rub navels together."
"I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English
 language.
The term "the whole 9 yards" came from World War II fighter pilots in the South
 Pacific.  When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber
 machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded
 into the fuselage.  If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it
 got "the whole 9 yards."
The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
If a statue in a park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air,
 the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air,
 the person died as a result of wounds received in battle;-if the horse
 has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672.
The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.
Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.
Until 1965, driving was done on the left-hand side on roads in Sweden.  The
 conversion to right-hand was done on a weekday at 5 p.m.  All traffic
 stopped as people switched sides.  This time and day were chosen to
 prevent accidents where drivers would have gotten up in the morning and
 been too sleepy to realize that this was the day of the changeover.
Dr. Seuss pronounced "Seuss" such that it rhymed with "rejoice."
More people are killed annually by donkeys than die in air crashes.
A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like
 it's kissing the conveyor belt.
Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of cotton.
Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.
The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds.
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John
 Hancock and Charles Thomson.  Most of the rest signed on August 2, but
 the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without
 killing them used to burn their houses down--hence the expression "to
 get fired." 

                         FEDERAL LEGISLATION 
 
                           by Ahmad Rahman 


 Linkage:  The Senior Citizens Equity Act, HR1215, contained a provision
that caused the disruption of the linkage between earnings which
determine substantial gainful activity (sga) for people who are blind
and under age 65 and the earnings limitation, before any offset, for
retirees age 65-69.  The Social Security Act, section 223(d)(4), which
had, since 1977, tied the SGA earnings exemption for the blind and
visually impaired to the earnings of retirees before their benefits
would be reduced, was severed in March, 1996.  This means that the
ceiling on earnings exempt from the determination of benefit levels for
retirees will continue to rise while the sga level for blind
beneficiaries under age 65 will remain frozen.
 Under the Senior Citizens Equity Act, retirees are allowed to earn
$30,000 a year.  The limitation placed on blind and visually impaired
SSDI recipients was, until recently, restricted to $11,520-now $12,000
Annually.  Existing law allows SSA to withhold all benefits for months
in which $1 is earned over the exempt amount.  Also, continued receipt
of medical benefits is jeopardized.  Restoration of the linkage would
provide incentive and encouragement to blind and visually impaired
citizens to seek and maintain employment.  
 HR612, a bill to restore the linkage between the Social Security
earnings test for blind and visually impaired SSDI recipients and
earnings for senior citizens 65-69 years old was introduced in the House
by Barbara Kennelly.  Senator McCain has introduced a companion bill in
the Senate.  All CCB members should contact their
senators to ask that they co-author this bill and should also inform
their congressional representatives of the importance of supporting
Congresswomen Kennelly's measure.
 Reauthorization of IDEA: The Senate and House are currently attempting
to arrive at a consensus concerning the provisions of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  The House version, HR5,
contains provisions which guarantee that students' need for training in
braille, O&M, and assistive technology will be addressed in the
Individualized Education Program (IEP) process.  The Senate version,
S216, does not contain these provisions.  We must inform our senators
and representatives that the bill must contain the House provisions.  
 94-142, the original legislation providing for all disabled children
a free and appropriate public education , was passed in 1975.  For more
than 20 years succeeding versions of this legislation have helped the
states fulfill this obligation.  Let's all work hard to ensure that the
measure finally adopted will preserve the provisions of HR5.  Stay tuned
to the Washington Connection 
(800-424-8666) for further information and directions about where to
send our letters.  

                      COMMITTEES AND THEIR CHAIRS

                         by Catherine Skivers

 Committee on Access and Transportation: Eugene Lozano, Chair;  Tom
Karnes, Vice Chair;  Members: Sandra Bishop, Joan Black, Vincent
Calderon, Ed Crespin, Laurie Evans, Brian Hall, Barbara Rhodes, Jeff
Thom, David Wilder
 Constitution and Bylaws Committee: Roger Petersen, Chair; Ken Metz,
Vice Chair; Members: Al Biegler, George Fogarty, Al Gil, Jerry Glass,
Allen Jenkins, William McKnight, Allen Ramos, Tom Treher
 Credentials Committee: Tom O'Sullivan Chair; Members: Jerry Arakawa,
Ann Kysor
 Crisis Committee: June Sutton, Chair; Leslie Thom, Vice Chair; Members:
Carol Blake, Elmer Chapson, Christy Crespin, David Keith, David McElroy,
Tom O'Sullivan, David Parker, Bonnie Rennie
 Deaf/Blind Committee: Mary Gillespie, Chair; Tom O'Sullivan, Vice
Chair; Members: John di Francesco, Donna Hawkins, Sharon Hutton, Frances
Mannino, Charlene Regier, Rustie Rothstein 
 Education Committee: Donna Hawkins, Chair; Al Gil, Vice Chair; Members:
Connie Bateman, Peter-Marc Damien, Ruth Dean, Winifred Downing, Beverly
Hammer, Audrey Hebner, Keith Johnson, Gerard Rossi, Norma Schecter, Bob
Slauson, Joanne Wolfe
 Finance and Budget Committee: Jewel McGinnis, Chair; Peter Pardini,
Vice Chair; Members: Melvin Kahn, Charles Nabarrete, David Parker, Mitch
Pomerantz, Lillian Scaife
 Fund Raising Committee: Chris Gray, Chair; Obbie Schoeman, Vice Chair;
Members: Terry Almy, Steve Fort, Phillip Hughes, Vicky Murdock, Sharlene
Ornelas, Dennis Holter
 Governmental Affairs Committee: Charles Nabarrete, Chair; Al Gil, Vice
Chair; Members: Allen Brenner, Christy Crespin, Kenneth Frasse, Beverly
Hammer, Dan Kysor, Rhonda Marshall, Mitch Pomerantz, Ahmad Rahman,
Arthur Singer, Ysidro Urena 
 Committee on Grant Writing: Don Brone, Chair; Members: Kenneth Frasse,
Jewel McGinnis, Dan Kysor
 History Committee: Catherine Skivers, Chair; Roger Petersen, Vice
Chair; Members: Juliet Esterly, George Fogarty, Chris Gray, Maria Lopez
 Membership Committee: John Lopez, Chair; Sharlene Ornelas, Vice Chair;
Members: Don Browne, Cao-dam Chu, Ramona Craig, Jerry Fields, Melvin
Kahn, Jane Kardas, Dominic Martinelli, David McElroy, Josie McKinney,
Pamela Moss, Lillian Scaife, Toscanalli Thomas
 Publications Committee: Joan Black, Chair; Bernice Kandarian, Vice
Chair; Members: Ruth Dean, Winifred Downing, Brian Hall, Maria Lopez,
Daveed Mandell, Teddie Remhild, Cathy Schmitt, Connie Skeen
 Public Relations Committee: Dr. Martin Jones, Chair; Coletta Davis,
Vice Chair; Members: Jerry Fields, Sheela Gunn, Brian Hall, Daveed
Mandell, Ken Metz, Lee Morton, June Sutton
 Rehabilitation Services Committee: Pat LaFrance, Chair; Ed Crespin,
Vice Chair; Members: Anita Arakawa, Elmer Chapson, Christy Crespin,
Nelly Glaze, Alice Hackney, Percy Jones, Shelby Smith, Connie Schoeman,
Jay Yi 
 Resolutions Committee: Jeff Thom, Chair; Winifred Downing, Vice Chair;
Beverly Hammer, Colleen Hartman, Daveed Mandell, David McElroy, Ken
Metz, Ahmad Rahman, Rob Turner
 Scholarship Committee: Al Biegler, Chair; Coletta Davis, Vice Chair;
Members: Vincent Calderon, Phil Halford, Dr. Martin Jones, Pat LaFrance,
Josie McKinney, Toscanalli Thomas, Abby Vincent
 Committee on the Senior Blind: Jane Kardas, Chair; Larry Swenson, Vice
Chair; Members: Howard Caler, Jerry Glass, Nelly Glaze, Gerald Konsler,
Gussie Morgan, Bonnie Rennie, Barbara Rhodes, Connie Schoeman
 Technology Committee: Frank Welte, Chair; Kenneth Frasse, Vice Chair;
Members: Scott Duncan, Greg Fowler, John Glass, Gerald Konsler, Dan
Kysor, Roger Petersen, Barbara Rhodes, Jeff Senge, Rob Turner, Perry
Wolf, Jay Yi, 
 Womens Concerns Committee: Anita Arakawa, Chair; Joanne Wolfe, Vice
Chair; Members: Terry Almy, Gloria Broderick, Cindy Caler, Christy
Crespin, Margie Donovan, Beverly Graves, Cherrie Handy, Barbara Kron,
Vicki Murdoch, Marvelena Quesada, Teddie Remhild, Cathy Schmitt
 Awards Committee: Cathie Skivers, Chair; Members: Bernice Kandarian,
John Lopez, Gussie Morgan, Joe Smith 


          RESPONSE TO REHAB'S ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING 
                   PAYMENT BY CLIENTS 

     (Editor's note: This article regarding the Department of
Rehabilitation's proposal for client financial participation was sent
in by Charles Nabarrete.  It is the response of the Blind
Advisory Committee to the Department, submitted on February 28,
1997, and was written principally by Al Gil with assistance from Charles
Nabarrete and Ruth Ann Acosta.  The article arrived after this issue of
The Bllind Californian was completely assembled and ready for mailing. 
Because the matter is of such importance,
however, our CCB President and I feel we should include it.  
 Clienet Financial Participation: In 1996, the Department of
Rehabilitation proposed dramatic new rules mandating financial
participation by its clients in the costs of their rehabilitation plans. 
At that time, the Department requested input from various sources. 
After this input was received, the Department published another proposal
dated February 7, 1997.  But, although the new proposal has additional
tables and references, it is the exact proposal that was submitted in
1996.  It appears that all input (including that of this committee) was
completely disregarded.
     The Department's reason given for the need for financial
participation is that there is not enough money in the budget to serve
all disabled clients in the state.  For this reason, the
Department established an "Order of Selection" beginning in
September, 1995.  The month before the Order of Selection was
initiated (August, 1995), over 10,000 applications for
rehabilitation services were accepted by the Department.  The
monthly average for Department of Rehabilitation applications is about
3,000.  The announcement that Order of Selection would
shortly be implemented brought about this deluge of applications in
August, 1995.  
 Furthermore, during the first six months of the establishment of the
Order of Selection, it worked to the detriment of the severely and most
severely disabled because those persons applying for rehabilitation
services during that period were put on a waiting list, while all those
applications taken in August, 1995, were accepted by the Department. 
Since many of these 10,000 applicants were not severely or most severely
disabled, in essence they were prioritized above those applicants who
were severely and most severely disabled who applied during the first
six months of the Order of Selection.
     The Department proposal states that one of the goals of the
Department is to "provide services to the greatest number of eligible
applicants."  If that is really true, then the severely and most
severely disabled will suffer because those who are classified as just
disabled on average will require less money spent per individual, and
the greatest number served will equal those who are less severely
disabled because it takes less money to rehabilitate these individuals.
     The proposal states, "Client financial participation may be viewed
as a natural part of the partnership established between
the client and the vocational rehabilitation agency providing
services."  If that is truly the case, then why has there not been a
restrictive financial participation policy on the part of the
agency administering rehabilitation services in the state for many
decades?
     The proposal states, "client financial participation may be one
means for the Department to increase the total number of
clients served."  As a matter of fact, client financial
participation may act as a disincentive for disabled persons to
apply for rehabilitation services, thereby creating a situation in which
fewer disabled clients are actually served.
 Client Financial Participation Services Exempted:  The federal
regulations do not require states to invoke client financial
participation.  The Department categorizes client financial
participation with similar benefits.  We have no argument with the
premise that recipients of rehabilitation services should make
application for similar benefits, but this should not cloud the issue
regarding client financial participation.
     The proposal states that the Department will examine and
review the "client financial participation regulations adopted by other
states."  What is to be learned about client financial
participation regulations in other states?  Just how much money has been
derived by these financial participation regulations in other states? 
How much money has been received by these states as a
result of these regulations, and how much cost was involved in
securing this money?
     When a disabled person first comes to the Department of
Rehabilitation to apply for services, he/she should receive positive
encouragement that he/she can become remuneratively employed.  If a
goodly amount of time during this application interview is spent
discussing his/her "ability to contribute", he/she might leave the
rehabilitation office with even less confidence than when he/she came
in.  The disabled person coming into the office without the necessity
of discussing a financial participation level does not have to be
burdened with filling out forms and giving explanations necessary for
financial participation.  We are, therefore, talking about a program
which is more advantageous for the poor than for those with some
monetary resources.  The proposed financial participation program seems
to require that clients pay to the Department all expenses above the
threshold amount of income or liquid assets.  Such a requirement would
certainly result in all clients being equally poor.
     If indeed the Department wishes to turn what has been a
rehabilitation program into a social welfare program, then one wonders
why the Department does not recommend that those applicants with the
potential for financial participation be transferred to the
Department of Social Services, where there exists the personnel to
handle this kind of income examination.
     The proposal states that, based on historical data, up to 15% of
the client base would be required to contribute financially.  What
historical data is the Department talking about, and what are the actual
numbers which cause the Department to come to this conclusion?
     The proposal states that financial participation "may act to
increase the client's ownership of, and stake in, the success of the
vocational rehabilitation plan and employment goal."  If the Department
truly believes this, then why has not the Department made, as part of
the application process, the possibility of making a voluntary
contribution to the Department?
     The proposal states: "Care has been taken to develop
recommendations which would minimize increases to staff workload."   Can
we truly believe that investigations and completing forms are not going
to increase the counselors' workload substantially?  Rehabilitation
counselors already report that paper work (or maybe it should be called
computer work now) is one of the main frustrations  of the job.  The
extra work involved in order to implement these new regulations can only
increase the frustration of rehabilitation counselors.
     "Threshold levels" notwithstanding, let us accept the argument that
up to 15% of clients will need to be investigated for
possible financial participation.  This means that if a rehabilitation
counselor for the blind has 80 cases, substantial extra paper work will
be involved for approximately 12 clients.  How can the Department make
the statement that paper work will be minimized?
     The proposal recommends that recipients of SSDI no longer be exempt
from financial participation.  The argument used by the
Department is: "Many SSDI recipients have income well above California's
median income level."  How can the Department make this
statement when only $158 per month would be allowed per dependent? 
According to the proposal, any amount of money above $158
per month is considered "surplus income."  Further effort must be made
to prove this case.  Also, the proposed regulations might result in the
incongruous situation of a client who does not have sufficient income
to be required to financially participate, but
who has sufficient "liquid assets" having his/her nest egg wiped out by
the Department financial participation regulations, even
though the client has very low income.
     Let us examine some of the extra duties which counselors must
perform in order to establish eligibility for client financial
participation; remember now, the Department states that the increase in
paper work will be minimal: examination of tax returns; verifying
financial aid applications; examining bank statements, wage receipts,
and benefits records;  and documentation of income status from other
agencies.  That does not sound like a minimal increase in paper work to
us.  Moreover, from the client perspective, such checking and
inspection of records is oppressively intrusive.
     It is interesting to examine the Department's priorities concerning
which services are exempted from financial
participation and which services are not: Evaluation of rehabilitation
potential, counseling, guidance and referral services and placement
services.
     Some of the services which are not exempted are: vehicle repairs
and insurance.  It's okay to exempt placement services, but
how is the client going to get to job interviews if his/her car is in
disrepair or if it is not insured?  Other items not exempted are 
maintenance, services to family members , and physical restoration
services.  Can it truly be said that these are less important to the
goals of a Department of Rehabilitation client than "cooperative
program services?"
     In order for a disabled client to get to interviews and to the job,
he/she must have reliable transportation.  Automobiles used for this
purpose must be safe and reliable.  Financial participation will be
invoked on automobile purchases above $5,000.  The Department should
survey the used car market in order to determine what kind of car can
be purchased for $5,000 or less.  If, for whatever reason, the client
does not get a job, the Department retains ownership of the car; and the
contribution of the client is returned--(oops, more paper work).
     Similarly the Department requires financial participation for all
purchases of equipment which costs more than $1,000.  Since
most adaptive equipment for a blind client costs more than that amount,
blind clients will be required to financially participate for "tools"
when other disabled clients will not be required to participate.  And,
if a blind client does not get a job, as about 75% of blind clients do
not, after completing his/her plan, the Department will repossess the
adaptive equipment and return
the amount contributed to the blind client.
     There will be additional paper work concerning whether the client
should pay the vendor or the Department.  What happens if a
client is not able to make the financial contribution payments as
established by the Department?  Well, one possibility is that he/she
may apply for a "financial participation variance"--(oops, more paper
work).
     The proposal states that "funds from grants and scholarships will
be required to be used for costs related to the IWRP."  This
requirement may top the list of the "disincentives" proposed by the
regulations.  A client of the Department of Rehabilitation
would, in effect, be applying for a scholarship, not for him/herself,
but for the Department of Rehabilitation.  A scholarship is meant to be
an incentive for hard work and determination, not a disincentive which
results in the forfeiture of money from scholarships and awards.
 Further, clients often use scholarships to attend a school of their
choice, with  tuition exceeding the threshold level set by
the Department. 
     In addition, if the Department were to consider scholarships in
determining financial participation, such a regulation would be 
contrary to state law: 
Welfare and Institutions Code Section 19009.5 Reduction of services;
grants, scholarships or awards for post-secondary education; prohibition
                                                                      
 No person shall have his or her rehabilitation services reduced due to
 the receipt of any private grants, scholarships, or awards, provided
 for the purpose of post-secondary education, except insofar as federal
 law may require service reductions due to these scholarships, grants,
 or awards when provided by postsecondary institutions.

     The proposal goes on to say that if financial participation
payments are not made, there will not be delays in rehabilitation
services under certain circumstances:
     1) If the delay would place the individual at extreme medical risk. 
The inability to make financial participation payments could indeed have
severe psychological repercussions for many individuals.       2) Result
in the loss of an immediate job placement.  If a client is in a training
program which will result in a job in several
months, is this less important than the immediate job placement?
     In addition, at other parts of the Department proposal, the
provision of services, such as psychological counseling or
the purchase of glasses, would be stopped if a client does not meet the
monthly financial obligation.
     It appears that client financial participation will be invoked for
those clients with plans for achieving self support 
under SSI.  What about the exemption for clients receiving SSI
 benefits?  Further, is it to be believed that a client receiving SSI
and getting a scholarship is okay, however, a
client not receiving SSI
 is subject to financial participation?
     The proposal discusses the use of a "services entry detail" (oops,
more paper
work).  This services entry detail would be put on yet another "pop up
screen on the computer.  How many "pop up" screens does a
counselor already have to deal with?
     What will it take to make the changes necessary for the
implementation of financial participation?  The Department cites two:
     1. "Regulation changes to the California Code of Regulations will
be required".  Does the Department have a figure
concerning the cost of these code changes?
  2. "Directives with instructions to field staff in combination with
training."  How much is this going to cost?  How many
hours of training will be required?  And, don't forget, as important as
training is, every hour spent in training means that the
counselor has that many hours less to perform the duties assigned to
him/her.
     In all its activities, programs and projections, proposals/reports,
etc., the Department of Rehabilitation always contains a factoring in
of the all-important factor, costeffectiveness.  Yet, in the entire
document (original and reissue as well) the Department is absolutely
silent on the issue of cost-effectiveness.  It is also vague on
enforcement; and this is the heart of the matter, where rehabilitation
counselors will be overloaded with the clearly burdensome details of
any such proposition.
     For the reasons discussed here, the
Blind Advisory Committee is opposed to the proposed financial
participation guidelines.  We believe that the proposed regulations will
be a major disincentive for otherwise qualified disabled
persons to seek services from the Department because they would be
subject to unduly intrusive inquiries into their personal lives and
endanger the financial well-being of themselves and their
families.  The Department will be adding more 
burdens to counselors without any analysis of the benefit, if any, which
will be realized from such a plan.
     To conclude, we would like to quote from the proposal itself:
     "There is no federal requirement that the financial need of any
individual with handicaps be considered in the provision of any
vocational rehabilitation services."
