
                         THE BLIND CALIFORNIAN



                       Quarterly Magazine of the

                    CALIFORNIA COUNCIL OF THE BLIND


Fall, 1997                                             Volume 41 No. 4


       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 Downing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

PRESIDENT'S REPORT" AS THE CALIFORNIA COUNCIL 
     CONTINUES, by Catherine Skivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

WOMEN'S CONCERNS COMMITTEE REPORT, by Anita Arakawa . . . . . . . . .3

MINER, by Richard Kinney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

LEARNING TO BE BLIND, by Stuart Kellogg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

SOLAR CELLS MAY SUB FOR RETINAL RECEPTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

COUNCIL OF BLIND HONORS LOCAL LADY, by Stuart Kellogg . . . . . . . .7

OUT OF THE DOGHOUSE, by Lee Morton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

ACB 1997 NATIONAL CONVENTION, by Roger Petersen . . . . . . . . . . .8

THE HAVES AND THE HAVENOTS: TECHNOLOGY 
     FOR THE BLIND, by Daveed Mandell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

A NEW ADVENTURE, by Charles Nabarrete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

AND THE AWARD GOES TO . . ., by Rhonda Marshall . . . . . . . . . . 12

LIFE MEMBERSHIPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

EXCITING OFFER FROM THE CALIFORNIA LIBRARY USERS, 
     by Peter Pardini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

FEDERAL LEGISLATION, by Ahmad Rahman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

A GUIDING STARR LEADS CALIFORNIA'S BLIND TO IMPROVED
     INFORMATION ACCESS, by Dan Kysor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

STATE LEGISLATION, SEPTEMBER 1997, by Cid Urena . . . . . . . . . . 17

SOME THOUGHTS ON LOW VISION, by Joan Black. . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

PROFILE: MARTIN JONES, by Brian Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

THE CLIENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, by Teddie Remhild. . . . . . . . . . 23

INTERNET ACCESS, by Robert Langford, Ph.D.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

AROUND THE STATE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

CCB OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

CCB PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28


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

                         by Winifred Downing 

     Back to school, meetings, convention concerns, and all the other
things that make up the major considerations of each year!  The summer
was great--fun with the grandchildren, visits from relatives, attendance
at the ACB convention, and going once again to the Shakespeare festival
in Ashland, Oregon.  
     As was the case last year, the audio-description enhanced my
enjoyment; but I have done some wondering.  A comedy (not Shakespearean)
which was described had the rest of the audience rolling in the aisle
while I wasn't even smiling.  Hearing that the waiter jerked crazily
with the roll of the ship he was supposed to be on just wasn't funny at
all, but seeing it had people holding their sides.  I've had this sort
of experience before and am wondering if it is possible to enjoy most
comedy without seeing it since so much of the humor comes from visual
observation rather than verbal content.  Any thoughts from you readers?
     And speaking of feedback from readers, the Publications Committee,
whose names, addresses, and telephone numbers are given at the end of
the BC, welcome, before our November convention, your opinions on which
article published in 1997 should receive the award that has been
designed for the best article submitted.  This tribute resembles the Ned
E. Freeman Award given by The Braille Forum, so we want to be sure it
reflects CCB's public sentiment.  Speaking for myself, I've assembled a
considerable list, starting way back at the winter '97 issue.  And won't
we committee members have a tough time keeping quiet about our decision
so that you can all be surprised at the spring, '98, convention!
     All of us who work on The Blind Californian are proud because two
of our articles have been requested for reprint by other magazines in
our field.  Catherine Schmitt's column CAREER CONNECTION from the summer
issue is reprinted in The Braille Forum, and Joan Black's THE HOWES OF
BOSTON from the spring issue has been requested by ACB's Massachusetts
affiliate for their publication.
     One apology must be made to Diana Colburn.  I understand that in
the large print issue, her letter to the editor lacked a signature. 
Since she took the time to write and expressed herself clearly, she
deserves to be identified.  Let's have reactions from some of the rest
of you.   
     The next deadline is December 1.  Gosh, that will be almost
Christmas!


        PRESIDENT'S REPORT: AS THE CALIFORNIA COUNCIL CONTINUES

                         by Catherine Skivers 

     The President's office has been a very busy place since January
1st.  I have been able to meet with many of our chapters and enjoyed
talking with their members.  
     In July, I was the CCB delegate to the National Convention of the
American Council of the Blind (ACB) in Houston, Texas.  Roger Petersen
was our alternate delegate and we attended every general session in its
entirety.  As usual, there were too many things to do and not enough
time to do all of them.  The Braille Forum will contain the resolutions
adopted and a report of the main events that took place, and Roger has
written an account which appears elsewhere in this issue.  I will touch
here on just a few of the things I want to share with you.
     As is true at all conventions, the election was the highlight of
the proceedings. ACB handles elections just a little differently from
our practice in California.  In the odd numbered years, all officers are
chosen.  In the even numbered years, all of the directors are selected. 
The following officers were re-elected for 1997-98: Paul Edwards,
President;  Brian Charlson, First Vice President;  Stephen Speicher,
Second Vice President;  Cynthia Towers, Secretary;  and Patricia
Beattie, Treasurer.  The only contested office was that of Secretary. 
I nominated Charles Hodge, well known ACBer, for that position, though
Californians did not all agree on that choice.  Cynthia Towers was
elected.  
     Paul Edwards is a great speaker and gave a report on his
activities, many of which have been detailed in his articles in The
Braille Forum.  
     I especially enjoyed a presentation at the general session on
Tuesday, "Do Blind People Really Need Separate Rehabilitation Services?"
by Charles Crawford, Commissioner, Massachusetts Commission for the
Blind and President, National Council of State Agencies for the Blind. 
He built a splendid case for the need for such services.  I managed to
have breakfast with him for the opportunity to discuss this subject
further.  He provided me with suggestions for how we can obtain
information regarding the process by which other states have been able
to form commissions for the blind.  
     I also had the opportunity to speak with Philip Hatlen whom many
of you will remember from San Francisco State University and the
California School for the Blind.  He is now Superintendent of the Texas
School for the Blind.  His subject was "Should Blind Children Be
Educated and What Are the Trade-offs Involved?"  He presided over a
panel of well qualified educators and administrators.  I talked with him
about the Texas Braille Bill of which he has promised to send me a copy. 
We also discussed the advantages of being served by the Texas Commission
for the Blind.   
     My son Darryl accompanied me to Texas to assist me in getting to
all of the meetings that I wanted to attend.  We went to many of the
mixers and other social events along with some of the meetings of
special interest affiliates.  
     Prior to each general session, there is a half hour of
entertainment, and I participated in that activity one morning by 
playing the piano.  I was also able to play for a sing-along on
Wednesday evening.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it; I know I did.   
     One of the highlights of the convention was the vote to have the
ACB convention in Los Angeles in 1999.  I know many of you will be glad
about this decision even though it will mean lots of work for CCB
members.  it will, though,  be worth all the effort because many
Californians will have the opportunity to attend an ACB Convention,
which is really a wonderful experience.
     Other areas of CCB's work have also been going forward, and I am
pleased to tell you that our organization is doing well.  We have
diversified our fund raising and received a substantial bequest, meaning
that CCB is no longer in financial danger.  We cannot, of course,
deemphasize our need to continue finding new ways to increase funding. 
In this connection, I sincerely hope that you are all going to
participate fully in helping to distribute our donation books and in
taking part in the auction which will be held at our fall convention. 
You will hear more about our progress in my communications sent to your
chapter presidents and in my report to you at the November convention
in Los Angeles.
     For many years, chapters have been accustomed to receiving monthly
reports on cassette from the CCB Presidents.  Because I produce the
California Connection and because I know that those tapes were not
always read by all the chapters, I have not sent monthly cassettes,
believing that my first quarter report presented to you in the BC plus
the Connections keep you up to date regarding our activities.  However,
I will shortly send a tape to chapters and affiliates to update you
before our November meeting.  
     Our convention chairperson this time is Ahmad Rahman, President of
the Pyramid Chapter of CCB.  He is being ably assisted by committee
members, one drawn from each of four chapters.  In addition, I am
pleased to tell you that many others are coming forward to make this a
convention that will be worth your while to attend.  
     As our featured speaker on Friday evening, we will hear from
Patricia Beattie, Public Relations Director for National Industries for
the Blind and ACB Treasurer.  Pat is a good speaker and I know you will
enjoy hearing what she has to say.  At the ACB Convention in Houston,
she was one of the presenters at the Legislative Seminar
which was, in my view, one of the most informative program items of the
entire convention.  In that presentation, she was joined by Julie
Carroll, Governmental Affairs Director for ACB and by Kathy Megivern,
Executive Director, Association for the Education and  Rehabilitation
of the Blind and Visually Impaired.  
     I hope to see many of you at the convention.  Not only will CCB be
host for the 1999 ACB Convention, but we are also participating in the
Literacy Conference for the Education of Children to be held in San
Francisco in 1999. Needless to say, there is going to be plenty for all
of us to do. Come and bring your ideas, suggestions and support to CCB
from November 13-16 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near the LAX Airport.  


                   WOMEN'S CONCERNS COMMITTEE REPORT

                           by Anita Arakawa

     President's note: Congratulations to the Women's Concerns
Committee.  This is the kind of excellent work on an informative project
I hope all committees are implementing.

Mission Statement

     The purpose of this committee is to assist in meeting the needs of
blind women.  Because access to information can be limited and because
we are women who are blind, we are seeking programs that will be of
interest to the CCB Membership.  By removing barriers and creating
access to information regarding women, we hope to educate, motivate,
inspire, unite and empower women who are blind and vision impaired.

Comments of Anita Arakawa, Program Chair

     June 4, 1997: "A lively discussion involving Women's Concerns
Committee members and CCB members took place.  Attending committee
members included Teddie Remhild, Barbara Kron, Gloria Broderick, Cindy
Caler, Margie Donovan, Beverly Graves, and Anita Arakawa.  The purpose
of this forum was to discuss the future of the Women's Concerns
Committee and develop a mission statement and a two-year plan.  A number
of ideas were exchanged and it was decided that Anita would write a
mission statement that would reflect ideas presented."
     "A number of workshop ideas were shared.  These ideas include:  1. 
Mental health and depression.  2.  Blind and/or disabled women artists: 
a time to share talent.  3.  Defining abuse: Sexual harassment.  4. 
Safety awareness: preventing crime.  5.  Women's health: menopause,
fitness and nutrition".
     "The majority present at the meeting decided that the CCB Fall
Convention program would feature women's health.  Specific details would
be decided by the committee members.  Project ideas were discussed.  Two
ideas were presented:
    1.  "Designing a Pen Pal project to create and develop women's
relationships among the CCB membership.  It was decided that this
project would begin at the Fall, 1997, CCB Convention.  Volunteers will
be encouraged to participate at that time."
    2.  "Developing a resource list of blind women in business.  This
would serve to promote the membership, provide advertisement, and
encourage CCB Members to utilize resources.  This project will be
initiated once it is approved by CCB President Catherine Skivers."
     "It is my intention to contact all committee members by phone or
mail during the month of August in order to generate ideas for the Fall,
1997, CCB Convention.  Because of the topic decided upon, advanced
planning will be critical to insure quality speakers."
     "I look forward to getting to know all of the committee members and
working closely with them."


                                 MINER

                           by Richard Kinney

(Richard Kinney was a deaf-blind poet of distinction.)

He picks the teeth of granite, basalt, shale,
For gold, zinc, copper, asbestos, lead, and coal:
He probes the iron forehead of the earth
With curious forceps,--and he knows her soul.

He is the diplomat of Ararat,
And Andes are to him as brothers are:
He reads his name in rumors of the rock,
And carves his motif in a cooling star. . . 

His lot is pitied by small men who creep
In the outer blackness of that world which is
Itself a pit within a galaxy. . . 
He swings his pick.  A cozier darkness his.

                         LEARNING TO BE BLIND

                           by Stuart Kellogg

    Published by The Press Watch, June 1, 1997 and submitted by Domenic
Martinelli.
    COURAGE: A mugging robs Domenic Martinelli of his eyesight in 1975. 
Today, with the aid of high-tech tools, he continues his courageous
adjustment.
    Domenic Martinelli is quite the storyteller.  But then his is quite
the story.
    A certified nurse and anesthesiologist, Domenic was living in North
Hollywood and working at Kaiser when he got mugged near Beverly
Hills.
    "That was in January, 1975," he says. "The mugger stole my rings,
gold chains and wallet.  I ended up at L.A. County Hospital--a John
Doe."  
    "The blow to the left side of my head had fractured my skull.  Three
times they declared me clinically dead."  
    Though not in a coma, he was far from alert.  All bandaged up, he
was impossible to recognize, but he could still answer questions.  Two
nurses at Kaiser had gone to school with Domenic, but the first did not
believe him when he told her his name.  Luckily, the second nurse
recognized Domenic's phone number.  
    Later, recovering at home in North Hollywood, Domenic lay in bed "in
a blank state of mind, yet agitated," and still unaware that he was
blind.
    Domenic continues: "One night I awoke in the dark.  It was so dark
I thought it must be storming.  Then I heard Mamma's TV--'As the World
Turns,' her favorite daytime show.  I went to the window and I could
feel the heat.  I opened the front door and I could feel the sun.  Then
I knew I was blind.  But I didn't want to tell Mamma.  I didn't want to
scare her."
    Meningitis, a consequence of brain trauma, had caused him to run
fevers of 108 F.; the fever cost Domenic his eyesight.  The trauma had
also infantisized him:
    "I was no longer Domenic aged 40; I was an infant awakened from the
womb.  In time I became a little boy--I even swore at Mamma.  By the
autumn of '76 I was an adolescent."
    The police recovered Domenic's car and ultimately caught his mugger. 
The man was sentenced to one year in jail and five years on probation. 

    "My sister was upset that he got off so lightly," Domenic says, "but
I said, 'What do you want, an eye for an eye?  Then the state would have
two blind people to take care of.'"
    At home in Hesperia, Domenic discusses the range of blindness. 
'Legally blind' is defined as 20/200 vision.  Some of the partially
sighted can see fairly well.  Others see just faces; others just
shadows.
    "Then there are totals like me.  I see nothing at all.  I know it's
daytime because I feel sun on my face."  
    Now some advice for the sighted: "When walking with a blind person,
let that person take your arm.  Give a warning when coming to a step up
or step down, but don't pull.  Let the blind person feel which way you
are turning."
    At the Anaheim branch of the Braille Institute, Domenic learned not
to count steps when navigating a room: "You seldom walk at the same
pace, so counting does no good.
    "It wasn't hard to learn this house, to know where the chairs are. 
How many sighted people, waking at night, turn on the light to go to the
bathroom?"  
    Domenic learned to tell direction by the time of day and position
of the sun.  He also learned to walk with a cane, prerequisite to having
a guide dog.  Domenic has had two guide dogs--Simeon and Banker--but has
no dog now.
    At the Orientation Center in Albany, he took a class in "Kitchen
Activity," learning, for example, to put food in the refrigerator so
he'll know what's what.  He also learned to cook.  
    "Being macho," Domenic says, "I told my teacher I'd make a fruit
bowl.  I did but she said it wasn't colorful enough.  She gave me a
pineapple and a huge knife and left the room.  Later she gave me a small
knife and told me to cut designs in the fruit." 
    The same man who faced down a pineapple has skied blind ("at Big
Bear, traversing, without poles") and has even played golf:  
    "At a country club in Illinois, I sank a 20-foot putt.  They rattled
the flag against the cup.  At once they announced that a sighted lady
had made a 12-foot putt on the same hole."
    Domenic has not worked since the mugging, but he has learned braille
and continues his life-long reading habits: "I didn't start watching TV
until I went blind.  Before I was blind, there weren't enough hours in
the day.  I studied and earned extra degrees.  I socialized and was
there for people.  I miss being able to help people." 
    When he's feeling blue, Domenic knits afghans.  He uses an abacus
to count rows and stitches.  Other tools are much more high-tech: for
example, the braille embosser attached to his computer and the
wristwatch he bought at a convention of the California Council of the
Blind.  When he taps the wristwatch, a woman's voice announces the time
and the temperature.  The alarm sounds like a rooster. 
    He doesn't have one yet, but Domenic knows about voice calculators
and the even more amazing Wild Fire, a voice-operated telephone: "You
tell it whom to call.  It holds up to 300 names and phone numbers.  Even
the mechanical voice is benevolent-sounding."  


              SOLAR CELLS MAY SUB FOR RETINAL RECEPTORS 

     (Reprinted with permission from Science News, the weekly news
magazine of SCIENCE, copyright 1997 by Science Service, Inc, April 12,
1997.  This article was submitted by Maria Lopez.)   
     Researchers in Germany are developing an eye implant, based on a
solar cell, for people who have lost their sight because of a disease
of the retina.
     The implant, just 1.5 micrometers thick and about 3 millimeters in
diameter, "is not giant in size or market value, but giant in its
goals," says Markus Schubert of the University of Stuttgart.  He
described the device last week in San Francisco at a meeting of the
Materials Research Society.
     Schubert and his colleagues are testing how animals tolerate the
implant.  A host of technical issues must be resolved before the device
can be used in people.
    Several groups of researchers are investigating retinal implants as
a way of restoring partial sight to people with retinitis pigmentosa. 
  This disease causes the light-sensitive rod and cone cells in the
retina to waste away, producing tunnel vision or total
blindness.  About 20,000 people in the United States are blind because
of retinitis pigmentosa.
     The German team's implant consists of a thin layer of amorphous
silicon deposited on a flexible titanium film and etched with an array
of light-sensitive elements that turn light into electric impulses. 
    Instead of converting light into electric power, however, the
implant creates signals that are picked up by nerve cells in the retina. 
Those impulses then travel via the optic nerve to the brain.
     Unlike other groups, the German researchers are designing their
device to be implanted within the retina, where the rods and cones
normally reside, rather than on its front surface.  "It's a more direct
approach," Schubert says.  Their implant delivers signals to the first
links in the chain of nerve connections leading from the eye to the
brain and makes use of retinal nerve cells' ability to process those
signals.
     Implants on the surface of the retina, in contrast, convey
information to nerve cells that are nearby but further along in the
chain.  This approach requires complicated preprocessing of the data,
he says.
     Mark S. Humayun of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore argues
that implants on the retinal surface do not necessarily call for more
data processing and would be easier to implant and remove.  Recent
experiments by his group suggest that the form of the electric impulses,
rather than physical proximity, determines which nerve cells are
stimulated.  Retinal surface signals could therefore trigger the
earliest steps of visual processing.
     "It's like tuning in a radio station," he explains.  "It depends
on the frequency, not how close the radio is to where the
station is broadcast."  C. Wu


                  COUNCIL OF BLIND HONORS LOCAL LADY

                           by Stuart Kellogg

    Published by The Press Dispatch, June 1, 1997 and submitted by
Domenic Martinelli.
    At last month's meeting of the High Desert Chapter of the California
Council of the Blind, Catherine Skivers, president of the CCB, presented
Victorville's Elinor Lund with the Council's Community Service Award--a
very great honor.
    In her speech, Skivers praised Lund for building a large chapter in
an area where public transportation is sporadic, making it hard for the
blind and visually impaired to attend the meetings.  
    Thanking Skivers, Lund acknowledged "the help of Doris Barnhouse and
my son Brian, my eyes."
    Lund is president of the High Desert Chapter; Barnhouse, vice
president; Nancy Neff, secretary; Dorothy Cook, treasurer.
    According to Domenic Martinelli, "The non-blind are welcome to join
our chapter, but the president, vice president, and secretary all must
be blind or visually impaired.  The treasurer must have eyesight."
    At the meeting May 6, Martinelli, the chapter's delegate to the CCB
convention in Sacramento April 3-6, rated the Beverly Garland Hotel
accessibility to the disabled ("I needed assistance every day, but
thankfully, the staff was very helpful") and reported on the workshops. 
    At one point when Martinelli lost his place in his braille notes,
someone yelled, "Give him a flashlight!"
    Now you know just how ungloomy the monthly meetings are. 


                          OUT OF THE DOGHOUSE

                             by Lee Morton

    For the last two years Guide Dog Users of California has had the
pleasure of manning a booth at the California Restaurant Association's
convention.  We worked with representatives from the Guide Dog Board,
Guide Dogs of America, and Guide Dogs for the Blind to provide a
rewarding experience for all concerned.
    First of all the organizations involved in the restaurant show
cooperated with each other in providing an opportunity for each to
display literature concerning access.  The guide dog schools, however,
found that the literature concerning their particular programs was
hidden away; the emphasis was on access for guide dogs in restaurants. 

    At the most recent show held in Los Angeles, we made contact with
people who train restaurant managers and learned that a gentleman in
Arizona is considering having a booth similar to ours at a restaurant
convention in November manned by Guide Dog Users.  Next year, we
understand, the California Restaurant Association's show will be held
in San Francisco, and I hope that all of you who live in the Bay Area
will help out.
    Not all is pleasant on the access front, however.  To our convention
in Los Angeles in November we are inviting representatives from transit
companies, for there have been problems with people boarding buses with
self-trained pit bulls, therapy snakes, and every other creature known
to man.  Upon investigation, transit companies are finding that their
hands are tied in resisting this kind of thing; they pretty much have
to accept everybody until or unless the service animal is unruly.  As
more animals are permitted, more unpleasant, or even dangerous,
incidents are going to occur.  ADA or no ADA, the public will have
enough, and restrictions will be imposed against all of us, no matter
what our reason for having the assistance of an animal.  The access
rights for which we have worked so hard will be lost. 
    Maybe I'm being a prophet of doom and gloom, but I remember a remark
by Manuel Urena at a hearing sponsored by the Guide Dog Board, "When you
open things up for everybody, you've really opened them up for nobody." 
We'll be discussing this whole matter at our convention in November. 
Until then, have a great fall! 


                     ACB 1997 NATIONAL CONVENTION 

                 by Roger Petersen, Alternate Delegate

    The national convention of the American Council of the Blind is
approximately nine days of activities which could not be adequately
described in an article the size of this whole issue of The Blind
Californian.  There is no way to get the feeling of what it's like
except by attending one.  The best substitute, if you can't go to a
national convention, is a California Council of the Blind state
convention.  I wholeheartedly recommend both, by the way.  The best I
can do here is to pick out some highlights which will be informative and
give you an idea of the range of activities that go on at a national
convention.
    The convention proper consists of the general sessions of ACB, which
took place on Sunday evening and Monday through Saturday mornings. 
These sessions combine program speakers and the business of the
organization.  The mix of program and business is changing and is a
matter of some controversy.  In fact, there was a proposed bylaws
amendment to limit the time spent in the general session on program, but
this amendment was defeated, though it still may have some effect on
future conventions, especially in view of the trend which has been in
that direction, with speakers now restricted primarily to Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday.
    Monday morning featured a panel on voting by blind and visually
impaired people.  Several affiliates of ACB are involved in a dialogue
with their states' election officials regarding methods by which blind
people may cast unassisted secret ballots.  It turns out that several
methods are being tested, ranging in cost from practically nothing to
many thousands of dollars per location.  In Maryland, our affiliate has
come into direct confrontation with the representatives of the National
Federation of the Blind, not on grounds of philosophical differences,
but because NFB has a product it wishes to sell to the states.  I don't
have details on their proposed system for voting, But these are the
folks who gave us the ill-fated (fortunately) edge detection system
which never worked in the Washington, DC area Metro transit system.
    Also on Monday morning, we heard from Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden of the
Trace Research and Development Center at the University of Wisconsin. 
He is a major player in the field of technology and its effects on
people with disabilities and his speech was an attempt to raise our
awareness of technology trends which may be detrimental to us if we
don't pay attention.  My personal favorite is the identification system
proposed for automated teller machines and such that depends on looking
at your iris with a camera.  I know a lot of people who are fresh out
of irises (or ires).  Always the optimist, Dr. Vanderheiden also pointed
out that people who demand to have access to their computers over the
phone will use technology based on assistive technology for blind
people.  They will use speech (presumably not braille).
    The primary topic of the Tuesday morning general session was the
"separate agency for the blind" issue.  The main antagonists were
Charles Crawford, who runs the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind
and is current president of the Council of State Agencies for the Blind
and Bonnie O'Day, a visually impaired member of the National Council on
Disability.  Commissioner Crawford, who is also visually impaired by the
way, made the point that we are not so much fighting for the concept
that blindness is so different from other disabilities that it should
be handled uniquely, as we are opposing the "independent living"
movement, which he described as guided by a "flawed, ideology-based
philosophy.  Ms.O'Day, who comes out of the "independent living"
movement, pointed out that it makes programmatic sense to have an
overall agency serving disabled people with specialists on the staff for
individual needs that pertain to individual disabilities.  This is an
on-going debate that you will hear much about, and how it turns out will
be of great importance to blind and visually impaired people in the
future.
    This theme was continued on Wednesday, with a panel on education of
blind children, moderated by Phil Hatlen, Superintendent of the Texas
School for the Blind.  Here again, the controversy turns out not to be
segregated vs integrated education of blind and visually impaired
children, but an absolute "inclusionist" position, which advocates
mainstream education at all costs vs a system that allows for a
continuum of settings from segregated to integrated, so that each
child's IEP (Individualized Education Program) can specify the best
setting for that child.
    So, you might ask, what was going on when the general sessions
weren't.  Speaking from my own point of view, I am a member of three
special interest affiliates--the Braille Revival League (BRL), Visually
Impaired Data Processors International (VIDPI) and Friends-in-Art of ACB
(FIA)--and one ACB committee--Membership.  When one or more of these
groups was not meeting, there was the exhibit hall, along with various
special meetings and events to keep me going at full tilt.  There are
also the parties, but I have reached an age at which I must sleep some
of the time!
    Among the special events that interested me particularly, were the
annual DVS (Descriptive Video Service) movie--Apollo XIII--which I
missed, the Showcase for the Performing Arts--in which I sang in the
chorus--and the ACB Banquet, which featured a performance by a group
called "Theater by the Blind", a pretty good comedy troupe.  All in all,
the week was busy, varied, exhilarating, and exhausting.  I am grateful
to have been your alternate delegate. 


                       HAVES AND THE HAVE-NOTS:
                     Technology for Blind People 

                           by Daveed Mandell

    Is technology really important to blind people?  We talk about it
all the time.  At conventions, we wander around the exhibit hall,
comparing screen readers, optical character recognition software,
braille translators, speech synthesizers, embossers, . . . Many folks
exchange e-mail addresses. 
    A number of us are fortunate enough to have acquired computers and
their requisite hardware and software accessories.  Some of us could
afford this equipment, while others got it from state rehabilitation
agencies; but how many hundreds of thousands of blind people have been
left without any technology at all?
    That's the problem.  If technology is so important to our lives,
then society is unbelievably callous and cruel not to provide it for all
who wish it.  Technology allows us to function--quickly, efficiently,
normally--without sight in a world that considers blindness a terrible
affliction.
    What are the CCB and the ACB going to do about putting technology
in the hands of the majority of blind people who cannot afford to buy
it, or who are not served by Rehab?  Loans may not be helpful to most
of these people, since many of them have very little money and little
prospect of getting more.
    In light of the selfishness and avarice that seem to pervade modern
American society, perhaps we should give up!  On the contrary we must
convince the private sector to help us create a national technology fund
involving foundations and corporations with an understanding of how
serious our technology plight really is.  Blind people should be
afforded the right, based on computer access, to read their personal
mail, write letters, pay their bills, fill out forms, and complete the
myriad of tasks that sighted people take for granted.
    So far, no organization for or of the blind has truly shown much
concern for those among us who can't afford any access technology. 
After all, isn't it their problem?  No, it is, in fact, our problem.
Must we organize technology bake sales, theater benefits, walk-a-thons
to raise funds?  Perhaps, but let's do something about it--now!  Let's
make sure all blind people have the technology we deserve.  It's a
necessity for all of us.  Acquiring assistive technology should be a
right, not a privilege.

  
                            A NEW ADVENTURE

                         by Charles Nabarrete

     One of my nephews recently asked me if I could perform marriages
since he was planning to get married this summer.  I told him that,
because I am not a "regular judge, I would have to get special authority
to perform the ceremony, but that I would be happy to do so.  Other
Administrative Law Judges (ALT's) in my office had informed me that, as
an ALT, I could be appointed as a Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriages
by the County Registrar's office.  
     After I was sworn in as a Deputy Commissioner and given a written
script of how to perform a civil marriage, I proceeded on a new
adventure.
     The day before the wedding rehearsal, I started to worry about what
I was going to say in addition to the words of the marriage ceremony
itself.  I had asked my nephew's fiancee if she had a particular poem
or passage that she wanted to read, but she said I could choose
something appropriate to say.  Being rather laconic by nature and
training, I thought it would be best to outline ahead of time some
felicitous remarks.  I began by looking into what the Bible had to say
about marriages; but I realized that, since my nephew's fiancee had
asked me not to include any promise that she would be subservient to her
husband, those verses would not be a wise choice.   Since family from
both sides were going to be present, I decided that it would be best to
speak in grand and laudatory terms about the two young people who were
getting married: when in doubt, try to make everyone feel warm and
fuzzy!
     When I arrived at the chapel for the rehearsal, the owner of the
chapel addressed me as "minister;" I thought to myself, not in this
lifetime.  When the wedding party arrived (late), they asked me how the
ceremony should proceed.  After I explained to them that I would say a
few words and then call for the marriage vows, they replied that what
they really wanted to know was the order they would use in marching into
the chapel and where everyone should stand.  Well, since my wedding
ceremony in 1973 had been very simple and since I usually slept through
marriage ceremonies, I thought this was a classic example of the blind
leading the ignorant.  However, with the assistance of the chapel owner,
we were able to work out a respectable wedding procession with my son
Joaquin providing the organ music.  We were also able to work out a few
signals for me to know what was transpiring. When the bride arrived at
the front pew of the church, my nephew would cough, and when the couple
was ready to place the wedding rings on each other's left ring finger,
the bride would clear her throat.
     The ceremony was scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on July 5, and I had to
catch a flight out of Ontario airport, which was about 15 miles from 
the chapel, at 3:55 p.m. to Houston to attend the ACB convention.  When
the wedding party was late again, I began to get very nervous; but after
we finally started at about 2:40, everything went very well.  The bride
was radiant as she walked into the chapel behind the bridesmaids with
the chapel bell ringing and my son playing a rousing rendition of the
wedding organ.  I remembered all my lines and didn't miss any cues.  The
bride and groom were bursting with happiness, and the families and
friends who were present were proud and sentimental. As I dashed off to
catch my plane, the guests were joyfully throwing birdseed on the bride
and groom, since using rice is now considered politically incorrect. 
All in all, it had been a great day.  


                    "AND THE AWARD GOES TO" . . . 

                          by Rhonda Marshall

     Joyce Streth, recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the
California Council of the Blind and presented in Sacramento, California,
April 5, 1997.  The award is given to a blind or visually handicapped
person who has contributed significantly to the betterment of blind
people in general.                                                
    Joyce Streth was blinded in a car accident at the age of 24.  After
numerous surgeries, she began attending a training center in Little
Rock, Arkansas, where she learned the necessary skills to become
independent once again. 
     "When I first became blind, I thought my life was over and that I
would never be able to do anything again.  I even threw away all my high
heels!"  
     After six months at the center, she returned to her home in
Memphis, Tennessee.  "When I completed my training, I realized that my
life was not over.  I had regained a large portion of the freedom that
I thought I had lost forever."
     Joyce earned her GED and was soon operating a joint vending
business with her husband, Joy Lee, who was legally blind, and whom she
had met at the center.  She and her husband were both attracted to the
music field, and she was soon playing drums and singing in a country
band.
     In 1970, the couple moved to California and immediately Joyce began
taking a medical transcribing course.  It included general transcribing
and insurance training leading ultimately to the Long Beach Naval
Shipyard where she was the first blind person to be hired to work in
that facility.  Joyce worked in the capacity of a girl Friday for the
first three years and was then transferred to the Dispensary for the
next four.  During her employment there, she was selected as Federal
Employee of the Year.  
     "While I was employed at the shipyard, a few of us got together and
founded a group of volunteers who spoke to executive personnel
encouraging the hiring of disabled persons.  Some of the places people
worked were unbearably noisy for most applicants.  We suggested the
hiring of deaf persons for those jobs; and we came up with novel ideas
for other problem areas, too."
     Even though Joyce was working days and attending college in the
evenings, she found time to volunteer for the Red Cross.  There she
worked with a 16-year-old girl who was blind and who had had little
contact with the ordinary world. "I used to take her for walks in the
park and show her trees and flowers, explain colors to her and tell her
about many other everyday things.  The times we spent together were
rewarding for both of us."
     Although she had experienced the difficulties of more than one
broken marriage, at age 36, Joyce decided to marry the man with whom she
would spend the next 16 years of her life until his death and who would
father her only child.  She is now helping to put that son through
college. 
     "I met Carroll at a singles club in Long Beach.  At first he was
a little apprehensive about asking me to dance.  After a while, though, 
he became more comfortable around me because I told him, 'People like
me aren't handicapped; we're handi-capable'."
     After marriage they moved to Palmdale, California, and Joyce was
encouraged by the Department of Rehabilitation to acquire her braille
transcribing certificate in order to teach her newly blind clients. 
Still trying to further her education, she attended the Antelope Valley
College while also becoming a Tupperware dealer to help pay expenses. 
She earned awards for the most sales in one month more than once.  
     "Even though I was busy with school and work, I still enjoyed
raising my son Christopher, and my husband was a big help all around.
He did the Tupperware parties and he did the paperwork.  We spent as
much time together as possible."
     In 1983, Joyce and her family moved to San Bernardino and she began
working as an aide in the braille room at the San Bernardino Valley
Lighthouse for the Blind.  In 1987, the braille teacher found a job
elsewhere and Joyce became the main instructor.  She teaches cane
orientation to newly blind students, conducts tours of the building, and
instructs in typing and "Learning to Live with Visual Loss."  She has
been the inspiration for many!  She is the one most people turn to, even
the staff, when needing answers to questions concerning blindness.
     Joyce has organized a number of fund raising projects in and around
the Lighthouse.  Many of these functions have assisted the San
Bernardino Chapter of the California Council of the Blind of which she
is a member and for which she served as President for four years. 
During her term in office, she was instrumental in raising funds which
helped to purchase furniture for the new Lighthouse building that was
erected in 1988.  Other fund raisers were held to support the William
S. Cornell Scholarship Fund.  
     "What satisfies me the most is when I see blind persons making an
attempt to better themselves and accomplish their goals, no matter what
age they may be.  I tell all my students, 'What your mind can conceive,
you can achieve'."
     Joyce has made the statement many times, "Educating our communities
about blindness begins with the children."  For this reason, she has
been the guest speaker at many of the elementary schools in the area,
urging the children to have respect for, and an awareness of, blind and
disabled persons.  She has also appeared on the local cable channel
twice, speaking on issues of concern to the blind.  
     Joyce's strength, courage, and love have had a significant impact
on all who have come to know her.


                           LIFE MEMBERSHIPS

 Life memberships cost $200 and may be paid for over five years in $40
installments.  During those years, ordinary dues continue to be
required.  CCB is grateful for this help since it works toward providing
a permanent base of support for the organization.  


          EXCITING OFFER FROM THE LIBRARY USERS OF CALIFORNIA

                           by Peter Pardini

    The California Chapter of the Library Users of America has an
exciting program to offer to all members of the California Council of
the Blind.  CALUA has appropriated funds from our treasury to purchase
videos with audio description to be loaned to individuals interested in
this medium.  Formerly, we operated the program for CALUA members only
but wish now to extend the service to everyone in CCB. 
    Interested persons may borrow any of the videos listed below for a
three-week period.  When requesting videos, list three items; depending
on availability, the first two will be sent to you.  
    To place an order, contact me, Peter Pardini, at 267 Cardinal Road,
Mill Valley, CA 94941; telephone: 415-381-9211; E-mail
peterpar@pacbell.net.  Be sure to give me your name, address, home and
work telephone numbers, and the name of the CCB chapter to which you
belong.  To assist you in returning the videos, an addressed label will
be enclosed.  Having the service function efficiently, of course,
depends on the prompt return of material and the cooperation of all
concerned.  Here is the list of offerings:

Schindler's List, Beaches, Ghost, Pretty Woman, Top Gun, Fatal
Attraction, True Grit, The Hunt for Red October, Dead Poet Society,
Raiders of the Lost Ark, Sister Act, It's a Wonderful Life, The Man with
a Golden Arm, the two-part series on the Kennedys, Indiana Jones and the
Last Crusade, The Godfather, Addams Family, Terms of Endearment, Walt
Disney's Aladdin, Anne of Green Gables, Nova: The Miracle of Life, the
entire Civil War series of nine videos, and the following Sherlock
Holmes mysteries: Hound of the Baskervilles, Silver Blaze, Wisteria
Lodge, Boscombs Valley Mystery, and the Illustrious Client. 
    We welcome audio-described videos from anyone who may wish to
contribute to our library.  
    Anyone interested in this service or in any of the concerns of
libraries is invited to join the California Chapter of the Library Users
of America.  At our fall convention in Los Angeles, we will again be
meeting jointly with the California Chapter of the Braille Revival
League.  BRL's speakers will be Jane Vogel, who will bring us up to date
on how the passage of the 1994 Braille Bill has affected California's
blind children, and Carol Morrisson of the Braille Institute talking
about the situation regarding braille transcribers.  LUA's program will
center around the services of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic with
a member of the L.A. Chapter as our guest.  The joint program begins at
9:00 a.m. and terminates with lunch at 12:00.  At lunch, as a result of
a vote taken at our last meeting, those present will tell us about
readers they particularly like and books which they have recently read
and enjoyed.   
    The membership fee for those who wish to join CALUA is $12 per year. 
Checks should be made payable to CALUA and sent to me.  This fee pays
for our national convention each year and a semi-annual newsletter which
contains articles you can't find anywhere else.  


                          FEDERAL LEGISLATION

                            by Ahmad Rahman

    Restoration of SSI Benefits for Blind and Disabled Immigrants:  The
Balanced Budget Act of 1997 was signed into law on August 5th to correct
provisions included in welfare reform legislation.  This legislation
allowed blind or disabled legal immigrants who were
receiving SSI Benefits as of August 22, 1996, to continue to receive the
benefit.  Additionally, the Act restores eligibility for legal immigrants
who were in the country as of August 22, 1996, and subsequently became
blind or disabled.
    Restoration of Social Security Linkage:  The severance of the linkage
between blind or visually impaired SSDI recipients and those aged 65-69
regarding the statutory earnings test, The Substantial Gainful Activity
Test (SGA), remains an important issue.  This test allows blind or
visually impaired people and seniors to earn money in addition to
receiving SSDI or retirement checks.  The current SGA allowed amount for
the blind or visually impaired recipients is $1000 per month.  The
earnings limits for seniors will, however, rise significantly over the
next five years.  The linkage must be restored so that the blind gain the
same increase.  We must continue to call our senators and congressional
representatives to urge them to support Senator John McCain's Bill and
Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly's companion legislation to restore the
linkage.  
    IDEA:  H.R. 5 ReAuthorized the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act.  contained the emphasis on braille instruction,
orientation and mobility, and assistive technology urged by the blind and
visually impaired.  The President signed the Bill on June 4, 1997.
    Reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act:  The Rehabilitation Act of
1973, as Amended, H.R. 13Q5, is still under discussion.  
    National Library Service Budget:  Help is needed now to secure nearly
$3 million in additional funding for the National Library Service for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress program budget.
    The original amount appropriated for NLS for FY1998 was $44,963,000. 
The House approved $45,936,000, and the Senate approved $47,870,000. 
Clearly, the Senate amount is much higher and most beneficial for the
program. 
    A large percentage of the increase would be slated for the purchase
of additional cassette players for the NLS program. Nearly one-half of
the machines currently available for patron use are over ten years old
and present a major problem in reliability for patrons and Library-based
repair and maintenance.
    The next step is obtaining agreement on the Senate amount by the
conference committee comprised of both House and Senate members. Your
help is needed!
    Please write letters, make phone calls, and send faxes as soon as
possible to the members of the Conference Committee expressing your
support for the Senate dollar amount for the NLS budget.  Time is
critical during budget negotiations.
    The members of the Conference Committee are: Legislative Branch
Appropriations Conference Sub-Committee: 
    Republican Members: James T. Walsh, (NY) Chairman: 202-225-3701; C.
W. (Bill) Young (FL): 202-225-5961; Randy (Duke) Cunningham (CA):
202-225-5452; Zach Wamp (TN): 202-225-3271; Tom Latham (IA):
202-225-5476.
    Democratic Members: Jose E. Serrano (NY), Ranking Minority Member:
202-225-4361; Vic Fazio (CA): 202-225-5716; Marcy Kaptur (OH):
202-225-4146; 
    Ex-Officio Committee Members: xxx

Bob Livingston (LA), full committee, Chairman
     Voice: 202-225-3015
     Fax: 202-225-0739

David Obey (WI), full committee, Ranking Minority Member
     Voice: 202-225-3365
     Fax: 202-225-9476

For additional information contact either:

Julie Carroll, Director of Governmental Affairs
American Council of the Blind
Voice: 202-467-5081 or 1-800-424-8666
Fax: 202-467-5085
E-Mail: juliec@access.digex.net

Kim Charlson, Assistant Director
Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library, Watertown, MA
Voice: 617-972-7249
Fax: 617-972-7363
E-Mail: klcharlson@delphi.com


                  A GUIDING STARR LEADS CALIFORNIA'S 
                 BLIND TO IMPROVED INFORMATION ACCESS 

                 by Dan Kysor, Board of Directors, CCB

    As the computer information age hurtles society to new heights of
access, blind and visually impaired people are still facing the old
story of inadequate access to information.
    In 1994, a very popular telephone news service in Sacramento went
under, leaving for blind people a giant gap for news and information
retrieval.  Many of us couldn't stand sitting around without such a
service and thus the Access News Project
was conceived.
    By a mere fluke, our committee chairman, Tim Ford--a well respected
blind state attorney--happened to be chatting with our state librarian,
Dr. Kevin Starr, formerly a prominent newspaper publisher, who remarked
that his father had been blind and that he hoped to find a way to help
other blind people overcome the information inequity they suffer.  You
can imagine Tim's glee as his mental wheels turned and the dream/plan
began to take shape.  The "Friends of Access News" think tank developed,
a monthly brainstorming session in Dr. Starr's office where we saw the
groups come together that had previously never worked in a spirit of
cooperation.  CCB; NFB; the Sacramento Society for the Blind; the
Lighthouse; the Braille Institute; Brenda Primo of the Department of
Rehabilitation; Donine Hedrick, our regional librarian  in the north;
and local library representatives--all became involved.  
    Dr. Starr's probing questions and enthusiasm spurred the committee
on.  Ignoring, though recognizing, years of political differences in the
participants' definitions and styles, he urged us on to create and
implement a new accessible information source available through his
large state-wide network of libraries.  He encouraged us to produce the
best informational models and to include the greatest number of people
to be served.      His wit, poetic style, and realistic cynicism kept
the committee striving toward creativity with the conviction that we
would achieve  our goals if we would just continue to work together.
    A plan began to take shape.  The idea was simple but required
cooperation from not only the state libraries but many agencies and
organizations that would fund the project as well as ensure flexibility,
so that communities could reflect their own needs.
    The first pilot program, Sacramento Access News Project,
was initiated, offering a unique blend of components--"Newsline for the
Blind", the NFB's synthesized voice national newspaper reader system,
and "Tella Reader", using a combination of actual readers and
synthesized reading.  The committee felt that this mix would provide the
broadest coverage.  A blend of radio reading service and synthesized
national newspapers via touch-tone phone emerged

    Sacramento was fortunate, for it already had a radio reading
service, Audio Vision.      This "Tella Reader" would pick up the slack
where Newsline left off.  The problem is that shopping ads and TV
listings are often graphical, but we can use Tella Reader for smaller
local neighborhood papers.  Simply by using a touch-tone phone, everyone
who subscribed to the system could access both these services using the
same access codes and commands.  Every weekday, volunteers record the
publications on the computer, and users then play back these newspapers
and listen at their convenience.
    The voice recordings are stored in a computer, and played back on
the telephone.  Using the buttons on the phone, the user can speed up
or slow down the reading, move forward or backward, skip or repeat
sections, adjust the volume, and go directly to whichever part of the
newspaper he or she likes.  At any time, day or night, users can call
the service.
     You do not have to have touch-tone service from the phone company
to use a touch-tone phone on Telephone Reader.  Most  phones allow the
user to switch back and forth between tone and pulse dialing.  A speaker
phone is recommended for comfortable listening; available at discount
and electronic stores, these devices cost anywhere from about $15 to
$75.  A headset telephone provides reasonably comfortable listening and
privacy and costs between $45 and $75.  Specialty telephones can make
extended listening more convenient but are not really necessary; any
touch-tone telephone can be used to listen to Telephone Reader.  
    The Newsline portion of the service went on-line May 7th and at this
writing, Tella Reader is scheduled to begin operations the first part
of September in the Sacramento Valley.  Our long hard work has paid off,
and we are excited about this new venture.
    What lies ahead for the service?  Systems such as Net Phonics offer
even greater flexibility than does the system we are using,
incorporating both the tella reader and newsline features into internet
access via your touch-tone phone and--watch out for even more exciting
things to come as we experience the technology revolution. 
    You may be wondering how you can get a similar system in your area. 
Any group wishing to establish such a service should contact their
public library and request that the director seek an LSCA state grant
for a reading system for those who cannot read newspapers, a service
utilizing Tella Reader, the Newsline system, or even a system like Net
Phonics.
    The CCB Technology Committee will be holding its 4th Technology
Seminar at our convention November 13 at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza
in Los Angeles from 1 pm to 5 pm.  At that time, we will be
demonstrating the Net Phonics system and discussing Tella Reader and
Newsline technologies as well.  For further information on this 
upcoming meeting, contact the CCB office staff monday through
friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m: 800-221-6359.


                  LEGISLATIVE REPORT, September 1997

                 by Cid Urena, Capitol Representative

      Again, greetings from the capitol city of California.  The
following report will, unfortunately, be short, because many bills have
dropped by the wayside, and no final action has been taken on a number of
others, so that we do not know their outcome.
      4SB1332 by Senator John Vasconcellos continues to make
disappointing progress.  We have had a great deal of difficulty adding an
amendment which more appropriately meets the requirements of the OCB
donors.  The proposed amendments may or may not become incorporated in
the final form of the bill. 
      AB1546 by Consumer Protection, Governmental Efficiency, and
Economic Development Committee, chaired by Assemblywoman Susan Davis, is
sponsored by Consumer Affairs and the CCB.  It will extend the sunset of
the Guide Dog Board to the year 2002, and has been amended and passed to
enrollment.  There it will be prepared for the Governor's signature or
vetoed or passed into law without signature.
      The following bills have been sent to suspense without a hearing
date, which probably means death row.  (If you wish to read the
descriptions of these bills, refer to the Summer issue of The Blind
Californian): AB58, AB67, AB72.
      AB781 has been amended and will be heard on September 3.  AB1099 by
Assemblywoman Carole Migden will also be heard on that date.  This bill
provides specific health benefits to low-income persons who receive
treatment for HIV and certain other disabled low-income persons.
      AB611 by Assemblyman Antonio Villaraigosa has become Chapter 390. 
This bill dealt with the minimum dollar requirement for fulfilling
accessibility requirements by construction companies performing
alteration or repair of public buildings.  The disabled community put
pressure on the author and the sponsor to amend the bill, increasing
accessibility protection for the handicapped.
      Though we've come to the end of the first half of the '97-'98
session, we continue to work on SB246 and a commission bill, as well as
a possible bill relating to education.  These are our priorities at this
time.
      As usual, I recommend that you continue listening to the California
Connection at (800) 221-6359 for further developments.  Hope you have
enjoyed your summer.  As for me, I've had rather limited relaxation
because of some health problems and a surfeit of work.  See you at the
convention.


                        THOUGHTS ON LOW VISION 

                            by Joan Black 

      When I was a little girl back in eastern Colorado, my sister Rose
and her husband Kenneth lived on a large cattle ranch.  Kenneth had a
very fine pair of binoculars, or field glasses as he called them.  When
he went out on horseback or in his pickup to check on the cattle, he
used the field glasses to look for problems with the barbed-wire fences
or for cows or calves that had strayed off by themselves.  I loved to
look through the field glasses, for everything seemed so much brighter
and clearer.  I could see the line of trees that grew along Big Sandy
Creek and sometimes at night we would look at the stars.
      So at around age ten I knew that even though I could not use the
field glasses for most things, they really did make it possible for me
to see distant things better.  And in less than ten years, with some
luck and a veritable explosion in the development of low-vision aids,
a smaller and very practical relative of the field glasses did become
a reality.  
      Luck played a part in a couple of ways.  This was the 1950s--in
retrospect an untroubled and optimistic time--when many things were
possible.  I was ready to go to college, and found that Colorado had a
Department of Rehabilitation for the Blind which would help me in that
effort.  The rehabilitation counsellor said that there was a new
optometrist in town whom they would like me to see.  He had studied with
the famous Dr. Feinbloom, but I was not enthusiastic since visits to eye
doctors had always been pretty discouraging.  I did go, however, and 
this time it was different.  Over the next several months, I was fitted
with contact lenses as well as telescopic and  microscopic spectacles. 
This combination of aids has served me well for many years, although
hand held monoculars for reading signs and especially powerful hand
magnifiers for very small print have been added to the collection of
helpful devices.    
      Over the years, I've had some philosophical questions.  
the first that comes up is whether low vision aids are worth the
trouble.  They are often heavy, usually somewhat odd looking, rather
easily misplaced, and frequently quite expensive.  It's really a matter
that each individual has to decide by weighing the advantages and
disadvantages in his or her particular situation. 
      Also, low vision is a subject that is much more complex than the
physical condition of not seeing well.  Probably the most difficult
aspect is finding a fairly comfortable niche between the world of the
fully sighted and that of the totally blind.  Each situation is
different and depends greatly on the circumstances.   For example, a
partially sighted person seated in a favorite chair with his best
reading glasses and a good lamp can enjoy reading a book pretty much
like a sighted person, even though he may need to hold it close.  
However, standing at the counter at McDonald's, this same person is in
pretty much the same predicament as a totally blind person because, even
with visual aids, he cannot read the menu on the wall.  The customer
with low vision may have even more problems because it is not
immediately obvious that she needs help so that her behavior is not
understood.  

      Since there is so much variation in what partially sighted people
actually see, there aren't any accepted solutions to the problems they
face.  Maybe the closest approach to an agreement is that larger size
letters in printed material and signs are better than small ones and
that sharper contrast is preferable to having things blend together. 
Ornamental print and aesthetics are nice for sighted people but not good
for persons with low vision.   
      A review of considerations relating to low vision is interesting. 
The philosophical attitude toward the education of children has
undergone considerable change over the years.  For a long time education
of partially sighted children presented a dilemma since they didn't fit
well either in regular classes for sighted children or in schools for
the blind.  
      There were always some students who remained in public schools,
but it became much more common for the partially sighted to attend
residential schools which were developed primarily for the totally
blind.  Generally, braille was taught to both groups mainly because
there were not yet any large print books.  Also, there was a widely held
belief that children having partial vision should not try to read with
their eyes because strain or overwork would cause further loss of sight. 

      This idea sometimes led to some harsh measures as when partially
sighted children were required to wear aprons covering their hands and
arms or high collars to prevent them from attempting to read the braille
visually.  How illogical this approach was, since it would seem obvious
that pupils who could see well enough to read braille visually would
have been able to read print.  Children were also reprimanded for having
print books in their rooms so that they had to hide their desire to
read.  Not until 1930 did ophthalmologists report that using residual
vision did not lead to further deterioration.
      Whether partially sighted people benefit from learning Braille is
still being debated.  Two important factors are: the level of residual
vision and the future prognosis.  Each case must be decided
individually.  
      Specialized services for children with partial sight did not
develop as early as for the totally blind.  A survey conducted in
England around 1900 revealed that many children could read printed
material if it was held close to the eyes, and gradually the idea spread
that different educational methods were needed.  In 1908, the Myope
school was started in London where the children were placed in classes
with normally sighted students.  They recited orally but were not
allowed to read visually because of the fear of overuse.  In 1909,
Edward Allen of the Perkins Institute visited the Myope School and
subsequently started the first American school for partially sighted
students in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1913.
      At about the same time in Cleveland, Ohio, Robert Irwin founded
the Waverly School where partially sighted children were educated with
sighted students.  Irwin was a pioneer in the use of large type.  His
first effort was a 36 point font, but he later decided that a 24 point
boldface type was better and large print books were prepared in this
font.  
      The first classes for training teachers for work with the visually
impaired were begun in 1925 at the University of Cincinnati.  By the
1940's specially equipped classrooms for partially sighted students
began to appear in residential schools; today most visually impaired
children attend school in their hometown assisted by resource teachers. 

      Another historical development for the visually impaired has been
the growth in the use of visual aids.  The first experience with such
devices was reported by Marco Polo when he arrived in China in 1270 and
found that the older folks there were using magnifying glasses for
reading.  Later The Englishman Roger Bacon had the idea that contact
lenses could be used to improve vision.  Unfortunately this idea was
several hundred years ahead of its time; however, practical, old Ben
Franklin did invent bifocals in 1784.
      The experimentation with true low-vision aids, though, did not
occur until around 1920.  In 1924 Jules Stein, an ophthalmologist,
reported on the benefits of telescopic and microscopic devices at a
meeting of the American Medical Association.   
      During the 1940's, Dr. William Feinbloom, trained in ophthalmology
and psychology, began work on low-vision aids and became probably the
best known person in the field.  The telescopic spectacle with its
several variations was one of Dr. Feinbloom's contributions.  The basic
telescopic lens can be adapted for reading and other near vision
activities by the addition of caps which increase magnification. 
Another version is the bioptic telescope which has a special inset lens
that is used to spot distant objects.
      A major event was the introduction of the CCTV which became a
widely accepted reading aid for the partially sighted.  The first
workable version was developed in 1969 at the RAND Corporation in Santa
Monica where Dr. Samuel Genensky, who had suffered with severely
impaired vision since childhood, was employed as a mathematician.  He
was, understandably, much interested in the idea that closed circuit
television might be a means of improving reading performance.  The CCTV
was an immediate success making it possible for people to read who had
not been able to benefit from other low vision aids.  
      Medical advances have also had a positive effect on the lives of
persons with low vision.  One of the improvements in medical eye care
was corneal transplant which began in the 1940s.  This was probably the
first attempt at organ transplantation and later led to the
establishment of organ banks.
      Cataract surgery improved dramatically, too.  For many years it
had been believed that a cataract had to be left to "ripen" until the
person could no longer see, but this notion was eventually discarded. 
The capability of replacing the lens in the patient's eye with a plastic
implant has been of great benefit to many people, especially the older
patients who were not accustomed to dealing with poor vision.   
      Still more recently, laser surgery has been successful in treating
some cataracts, and certain retinal conditions.  This technique has the
advantage of being non-invasive and usually leads to few complications.
      One of the best things that has happened in the treatment and
correction of low vision has been the formation of specialized centers
where patients can benefit from the expertise of both ophthalmologists
and optometrists.  Adjustment counselling and mobility training are also
available, thus providing an interdisciplinary approach to the solution
of problems for people with low vision.
      Probably the greatest certainty about the future is that there is
going to be a greater proportion of visually impaired people in the
population.  This trend is caused by the fact that people are living
longer and that the likelihood of developing serious vision problems
increases with age.  As members of a major organization of the blind,
we need to do our best to understand the needs of older people who are
faced with vision loss and make special efforts to offer support and
assistance to them.   

                        PROFILE: MARTIN JONES 

                             by Brian Hall

     If you commit the crime, you'll do the time, even if you're
blind.  Until recently, most disabled law-breakers escaped
incarceration.  They were sent to hospitals because jails and prisons
weren't equipped to meet their special needs.
     "Now, when you scream "Americans with Disabilities Act", you'll
get ADA with a cell," says Dr. Martin Jones, a member of the Board of
Directors of the California Council of the Blind.  "More of us are
paying for the rap we perpetrate."
     Jones is program coordinator for the Post Release Education
Program run through the San Francisco Sheriff's Department.  He
counsels 17-26 year olds of both sexes who are on community parole. 
Over the past two or three years, an alarming number of clients have
disabilities as drive-by shootings and HIV take their toll.
     Sitting in on a counselling session with Jones or touring the
jail system of any large urban area will reveal blind and visually-
impaired inmates, wheelchair users and dialysis patients.  The
disabled are mixed with the general prison population, placed on
medical wings or locked in isolated cells.  Others serve full
sentences at home, confined to their apartments and monitored by
electronic bracelet.
     "There's no blueprint for how the blind are housed," Jones says. 
"Most seem to adjust, but after someone's done his time, I feel that
vocational programs should be generated to send him back onto the
street with usable job skills, such as computer repair."
     Jones leads groups focussing on the issues and treatment of
substance abuse, chronic criminal behavior and domestic violence, all
in an attempt to keep the clients from returning.
     Some mistake Jones' motivational style for a preachy approach,
according to a colleague.
     "He studies the lingo of young people in the street and learns
the lifestyle, so he can connect with them," says Floyd Johnson, a
fellow PREP coordinator.  "It's real powerful.  I go to watch him and
learn.  He cares."
     Jones is a good and understanding listener, Johnson says, who
looks at offenders as individuals.  He doesn't lump them together.
     "Maybe a guy's done jail time or is a drug abuser, but Dr. Jones
views him as one who needs help," Johnson says.
     As more gangsters and criminals joins the disabled community,
they bring personal baggage, turning friends onto the latest drugs. 
At the same time, more people with long-standing disabilities are
owning up to problems of drug and alcohol abuse by reaching out to
Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous for help, Jones says.
     Jones followed in the footsteps of his totally-blind father.  He
attended Martin Senior's alma mater, Southern University in Louisiana
and Cal State, San Francisco, where he earned a B.A. in social
welfare, and masters and Ph.D. degrees in counselling.  A former
assistant professor in psychology and education at Cal State San Jose
and San Francisco, he holds the same county job as his dad did.
     Born June 6, 1943, in the city of jazz, New Orleans, Jones first
appeared on the musical stage at age 10 accompanying his father, an
upright bass player.
     "It was a town where everyone played an instrument," Jones says.
     Martin senior advised his son against a life as a professional
musician, which would mean constant travelling, bad food, no health
insurance and no retirement or Social Security.  Despite these words
of wisdom, Jones entered college as a vocal music major and
instrumental minor.  In California, a teacher doused him with a
second cold water bucket of advice.
     "He said that at that time there were very few openings for
African-Americans as band and choir directors, especially blind
ones," Jones says.
     Jones still plays his alto and tenor saxophones but doesn't rely
on music for a steady income.  He rammed up against the same cultural
biases, he says, when applying to UC Berkeley and San Francisco
State.  He sought out his own internships and worked at one of the
area's roughest schools.  Since 1964, he has been involved in
criminal justice.
     In New Orleans, he had been expected to enter the funeral trade
as a mortician as had other blind folks.  But in counselling young
offenders, he found a way to help people who still have a second or
third chance.
     Jones is president of the Golden Gate Chapter of the California
Council of the Blind.  An avid cyclist, he has arranged for the
chapter to join an ophthalmology school to present a bike ride Oct. 5
through Golden Gate Park.  An anticipated 500 riders will collect 
sponsors for the event, proceeds to benefit research into glaucoma, a
disease which Jones' father had and which Martin junior has battled
for 40 years.  Jones has assembled other fund-raising rides for CCB,
pairing the blind on tandem bikes with sighted partners.  
     "These events raise public awareness," Jones says.  "They show
that we're doing something to help ourselves."
     Jones is the father of eight children, four sons and four
daughters, and is married to Victoria, a registered nurse.  The
couple met while Jones was vacationing in Jamaica.
     He belongs to the board of directors of Episcopal Community
Services of San Francisco and soon will be on the board of Goodwill
Industries.  The bay area Goodwill is focussed on more diverse job
opportunities than the sheltered workshops favored in many locations. 
Jones lists jobs for the blind as a No. 1 priority within CCB and all
of his work.  Employment, he says, offers pride and avoids the
doldrums.  
     
     
                    THE CLIENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 

                           by Teddie Remhild

    (Teddie Remhild is the CAP advocate, at the Dayle McIntosh Center
for the Disabled, Anaheim, California.)
    The Client Assistance Program (CAP) is available to all clients and
applicants to the State Department of Rehabilitation, though the program
is not widely publicized among the members of the organized blind
community.  CAP advocates assist clients and applicants to the Department
in resolving problems they may be encountering in
accessing services and programs as well as in meeting equipment needs.
The CAP advocate is also helpful in opening up the lines of communication
between the consumer and the counselor.  Quite often conflicts can be
settled with a few telephone calls; but if the situation requires it, the
CAP advocate can also call for a meeting with the rehabilitation
counselor and/or supervisor along with the consumer and the advocate. 
Most problems are resolved at these levels; However, if circumstances
make it seem necessary, the CAP advocate can assist the consumer in an
appeal for a Fair Hearing with a review by a member, or members, of the
Appeals Board.  If the consumer wishes to appeal further, the next step
is to file a suit in the Superior Court, an action for which the
assistance of an attorney would be required.  It is even possible that
the attorney's fees could be paid by the CAP program, subject to
agreement by a CAP review panel.  The CAP advocate is employed by an
independent living center or by Protection and Advocacy Agencies.  It is
a service
available to all individuals with disabilities who seek assistance from
the Department of Rehabilitation.  The phone number to call for more
information is 800-952-5544.

                             INTERNET ACCESS

                       by Robert Langford, Ph.D.

August 7, 1997
Subject: New Important Free Service
     The following two e-mails will explain how visually impaired
persons with only e-mail service on their computer can, with no
additional equipment or cost, search the net.
     The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Blindness
and Low Vision at Mississippi State University (MSU) has joined with
NASA to make Internet resources more accessible for persons who are
blind or severely visually impaired.  RRTC project staff have begun
optimizing Iliad, a meta-search engine accessed through electronic mail
(e-mail), for use by blind persons who are not equipped to, or prefer
not to, use Web search engines.
     Iliad is an electronic information assistant that retrieves and
processes information from the Internet.  It was originally developed
by NASA scientist Dr. Robert Shelton to allow Texas teachers with
limited computing power to easily access Internet resources.  Project
staff are now furthering Iliad's potential for enhancing Internet
accessibility for persons who are blind, and they want your help to
identify changes that need to be made for optimal accessibility and use
by blind computer users.  For instructions on using Iliad, send e-mail
to iliad@algol.jsc.nasa.gov
with "start iliad" (no quotes) typed in the subject line.  To receive
additional information about initiating an Iliad search and/or to
provide suggestions for optimizing Iliad, contact Brenda Cavenaugh, Tara
Laney, or Martin Giesen at (601) 325-2001 or send e-mail to
bsc2@ra.msstate.edu.
     Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low
Vision, P.O. Drawer 6189, Mississippi State, MS 39762
(601) 325-2001
FAX: (601) 325-8989
     Note: Here is what you get when you e-mail Nasa
Subject: Re:  Start Iliad 

GREETINGS FROM ASK ILIAD! 
     The ASK ILIAD knowbot searches the World Wide Web for answers to
your E-mail questions.  ASK ILIAD searches without requiring your
presence or special hardware/software.  If you have E-mail, you can
search the Web! ASK ILIAD emails back documents that answer your
question.  
     ASK ILIAD by sending it E-Mail. Here's How: 
     1. Type an E-Mail message in the format listed below.  You can save
this format in your E-mail address book so each E-mail only requires
that you enter the key words. 
     2. Questions should be keywords relevant to your request.  Avoid
common and cross-disciplinary words.  Select narrow, unique search terms
that are focused on your topic.  Submit 1 query per E-Mail. 
     3. E-mail your request to: iliad@algol.jsc.nasa.gov 
     4. The format required is: 
Subject: iliad query 
[blank line] 
?Q: your query keywords 
[blank line] 
     For Example: 
Subject: iliad query 
-More-?Q: telerobotics telepresence dante 
 
     A special option exists for those who have Web browsers and would
prefer their answers as a list of hyperlinks in an html document.  If
you request this option, save the file you receive as a .html file and
bring it up in the Web browser as a local file. 
     Example: 
 Subject: iliad query 
 
*OutputType : urls 
?Q: telerobotics telepresence dante 
     A tip about query terms: Recently an instructor wanted information
concerning Division 1 NCAA  swimming.  The best terms to use for this
query are NCAA and swimming.  The 
terms Division and 1 are too broadly interpreted to be useful in this 
particular question.  Apply this example to your selection of keywords. 
     Stopwords: Stopwords are words that should not be used as keywords. 
ILIAD stopwords are: about above almost am and anything are around do
everything how if is less more not nothing something that the was were
what when where why 

Respectfully yours,

Robert Langford Ph D.
11330 Quail Run
Dallas, Texas 75238
(214) 340 6328
(214) 340 0870 Fax
Robert.Langford@NTPCUG.org E Mail


                           AROUND THE STATE 

From Dan Kysor captured from GBX, July, 1997.

     The Global Sounds of GBX users now may be caught on compact disk 
The first annual release of "Global Sounds", will feature a collection
of music, poetry, humor and stories from users of the Global Blind
Exchange Internet Project.  
     This CD well be released in the Fall.  If you would like your
sounds heard on this annual collection, send your entry for this
opportunity to be on a compact disk today.  This collection will be sold
to raise needed funds for the Global Blind Exchange to improve its
internet connection and to link its users to the World Wide Web.
     Send your entries to the project manager, Dan Kysor, on either
cassette, mini-disk,  or reel-to-reel tape.  A panel of judges will
decide who will get on the CD.  We regret that we cannot return any of
the materials sent to us. 
     Although this is a competition, so to speak, the only prizes
awarded will be the selection of our winning entries on the "Global
Sounds" CD.  Send all entries no later than November 1, 1997, to: Dan
Kysor, 1601 West El Camino Ave., apt. 111, Sacramento, Ca 95833;
916-648-2147; e-mail dan@gbx.org.
     All winners will be notified and asked to sign a release.  Help to
expand and keep GBX on the internet and support this worthwhile project.

*****          *****            *****            *****

From Anita Arakawa: BUSINESS WOMEN'S RESOURCE GUIDE 

     Attention all CCB women!  The Women's Concerns Committee is 
planning to create a resource guide of blind women in business.  There
are a number of wonderful reasons for developing this resource guide. 

     1.  We want to acknowledge the talent, creativity, intelligence,
and ambition of self-employed women.  By producing this list, we hope
to encourage and inspire more women to develop their own businesses.  

     2.  We want to support and promote your business.  With the results
of this notice, we hope to inform others of your expertise and invite
new business to your operation.  
     3.  We want to encourage the CCB membership to consider your
business when looking for services.  This listing should be used as a
resource guide to promote women entrepreneurs within the organization. 

     4.  We want to establish a networking opportunity for working
women, hoping to invite dialogue between women and stimulate new
business ideas.  
     Examples for inclusion in this resource guide might be:  voice or
instrument lessons, counseling or therapy, retail sales, or highly
specialized products or services.  Please complete the following form
and mail to Anita Arakawa, 11180 Orville Street, Colver City, Ca 90230;
310-398-7004.  
     We hope to gather as much material as possible and relase the
information by January, 1998.  

Job description:  
Name of business:  
Brief job description (include job or product description, hours of 
service, etc.):  
Contact person:  
Telephone number:  
Street address:  
City:                 State               Zip Code                    

*****          *****           *****          *****          *****

From Eugene Lozano: SIERRA REGIONAL SKI FOR LIGHT 
     1998 SKI EVENT, February 28-March 2, (Sat.-Mon.).
     Lodging: Best Western Tahoe Truckee Inn, Truckee CA.
     Skiing: Tahoe Donner Cross Country, Truckee,  CA. 
     Cost: $125 if you bring your own skis, $150 if you need skis.  Cost
includes: 2 nights lodging (double occupancy) in Truckee, 2 breakfasts
(Sun. and Mon.); 2 dinners (Sat. and Sun.) Trail passes for three days. 
Round-trip ground transportation between Sacramento and Truckee will be
provided.  
     Rooms will be reserved at the La Quinta Inn for Friday night in
Sacramento.  If you need a room here, add an additional $35 (double
occupancy) to your cost.  
     Submit your application with a $25 deposit before the deadline,
November 15, 1997.  This year we hope to be able to accept 25
blind/visually impaired skiers.  Applications received after the
deadline will be considered as space permits.  Please do not make your
travel arrangements until you receive confirmation of your acceptance. 
Final payment is due by February 5, 1998.  Scholarships are available. 
For an application and more information (specify braille or print),
contact: Julie Lisenby, VIP Application Coordinator, 3510 Gold Creek
Ln., Sacramento, CA 95827.
      

                             CCB OFFICERS

President:  Catherine Skivers, 836 Resota Street, Hayward, CA 94545

First Vice President: John Lopez, 3925 E. 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA
90023 

Second Vice President: Jeff Thom, 7414 Mooncrest Drive, Sacramento, CA
95831 

Secretary:  Kenneth Frasse, 141 Del Medio Ave., Apt. 223, Mountain View,
CA 94040

Treasurer:  David Parker, 1600 Florida Street, Vallejo, CA 94590 

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


                      CCB PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

Joan Black, Chair: 4925 Coke Ave., Lakewood, CA 90712; 652-630-2304
Bernice Kandarian, Vice Chair:  2211 Latham Tt. #120, Mountain       
View, CA 94040; 415-969-1688
Ruth Dean: 1535 Westgate Ave., #4, Los Angeles, CA 90025; 
    310-826-8106
Winifred Downing: 1587 38th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94122; 
     415-564-5798
Brian Hall: 5722 Abraham Ave., Westminster, CA 92683;           
     714-894-3497
Maria Lopez: 3925 E. 6th St., Los Angeles, CA 90023; 213-268-4526
Daveed Mandell: 2720 Del Monte ave., El Cerrito, CA 94530;  
     510-532-7687
Teddie Remhild: 200 N. Bilbert, #3, Anaheim, CA 92801; 
    714-533-6051 
Cathy Schmitt: 348 S. Prosectors Road, #9, Diamond Bar, CA 91765 
     909-861-1653
Connie Skeem: 3250 Maple Ave., Oakland, CA 94602; 510-235-8715

