

                         THE BLIND CALIFORNIAN



                      Quarterly Magazine of the 

                    CALIFORNIA COUNCIL OF THE BLIND



Winter, 2000, Volume 44, No. 1



      Published in Braille, Cassette, Diskette, and Large Print 




                     Catherine Skivers, President 
                          836 Resota Street 
                           Hayward, CA 94545
                           510-357-1986 Res.


                           Executive Office:
                             578 B Street
                           Hayward, CA 94541
                             800-221-6359
                             510-537-7877
                            e-mail ccotb@earthlink.net
                           Fax: 510-537-7830




                 Los Angeles Area Office, John Lopez 
             3925 East 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90023 
                             323-780-3500


                   Sacramento Area Office, Dan Kysor
                       2657 Truxel Road, No. 41
                         Sacramento, CA 95833
                             916-648-3936
                           Fax 916-929-8370
                       E-mail dankysor@jps.net 


Please send all address changes to the Executive Office in Hayward. 



                       Editor: Winifred Downing
                           1587 38th Avenue
                        San Francisco, CA 94122
                             415-564-5798
                     E-mail wdowning@primenet.com




Call the CALIFORNIA CONNECTION at 800-221-6359 for an update on
legislation and CCB events Monday through Friday after 4 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 Hayward office for other suggested forms. Thank
you.


                           TABLE OF CONTENTS

From the Editor, by Winifred Downing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

President's Corner, by Catherine Skivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

A Letter from the California Academy of 
     Ophthalmology  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Dr. Catherine Campisi Named as Director, 
     by Karyn A. Meyreles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

We Have Lift-Off, submitted by Rhonda King  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Federal Legislation, by Ahmad Rahman  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Convention Report, Fall, 1999, by 
     Catherine Skivers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

New California Legislation Provides Model for 
     Disabled Students, by Ralph Black  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15

Awards Nominations Solicited, by Roger Petersen . . . . . . . . . . .17

Career Connections, by Catherine Schmitt  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Blind Alliance for Rehabilitation Change
     (BARK) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Committee Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Advance in Electronic Book Specifications,
     submitted by Roger Petersen  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Best of 1999  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Braille: a Global View, submitted by
     Daveed Mandell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

A Tribute to Ray Lemos, by Maria Negrete  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Bulletin Board, compiled by Keith Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

How Blindness Has Colored My Life, by 
     Sheila styron  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Out of the Doghouse, by Melita Waters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Hints and Helps for Saving Money and 
     Time, by Etta Burge  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 

Library Users Book List, by Winifred Downing  . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Around the State  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

One Man's Opinion, by Gary LeGates  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Techtalk: Sources of Computer Training for 
     Blind Californians, by Frank Welte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

CCB Officers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

CCB Board of Directors  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

CCB Publications Committee  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52


In accepting material for The Blind Californian, priority will be given
to articles concerning the activities and policies of the California
Council of the Blind and to the experiences and concerns of blind
persons.  Recommended length is under 3 pages; if space constraints
make it necessary to divide an article, every effort will b made to
discuss the matter with the author before publication.   

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

                         FROM THE EDITOR

                       by Winifred Downing

     Do you remember Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and
Influence People?  I'm not sure how to do that, but I am pretty
sure that the way not to do it is to be critical of other people. 
I shall risk that, though, and hope that those of you who
disagree with me will respond and present other opinions on the
subjects I am addressing.
     My first observation concerns chapter and affiliate
delegates and alternate delegates.  What is it reasonable to
require them to do at conventions?  In my view, they are pledged
to attend all general sessions of the convention and to make
arrangements for a substitute if it is necessary for both the
delegate and alternate to miss a session, particularly one where
voting may occur.  
     They also have, I think, an obligation to attend the
official meals at the convention--the presidents' dinner and the
banquet at our last convention.  This obligation involves not
just being present in the room where the meal is being served but
purchasing a ticket for the occasion.  Most CCB members are aware
that the room fees charged by the hotel are largely dependent
upon the number of hotel-prepared meals, receptions, and parties
held.  When the attendance at these functions can be expected to
be high, the hotel charges less for rooms.  If we want, then, to
keep room rates affordable to more members, we need to support
the hotel meals.  
     Some chapters may not be able to afford delegate fees high
enough to pay for transportation, rates for double rooms, the two
convention meals, and whatever other meals the delegates may need
to eat.  That's something the chapters need to work out; often
the individual acting as a chapter delegate or alternate is able
to afford some part of the fees involved.  It's possible that a
special fund-raiser or collection might be instituted to help
with delegate fees if a chapter is in real trouble on this point. 

     I am also concerned about committee members who do not feel
the necessity of attending the meetings of the committee that are
scheduled at the convention.  Most of the committees have no
other time or place when members can get together so that the
convention meeting is important if the work of the committee is
to proceed.  Our 
Constitution and Bylaws Committee and the Publications Committee,
just as examples, reported very inconsistent attention.  The
point is that, if a committee member isn't willing to make the
sacrifices to attend the meetings, in my view he or she has an
obligation to resign and be replaced by someone with a greater
sense of commitment.  
     I was impressed at the recent Getting in Touch with Literacy
Conference by the fact that, when workshops were in session,
there were no people standing outside room doors talking and
passing the time of day; the corridors, bar, and restaurant were
empty because everyone was engaged in what the conference
offered.  Though the workshops were important, I think they were
far less so to blind consumers than are most of the CCB
convention sessions.  I believe we need renewed concentration on
what conventions are all about.  
     I don't mean to undervalue the social aspects of these
occasions, but there are ample opportunities to engage in those
activities and they should not supplant the business of the
convention and committee meetings.
     Just in case you think I excuse myself from guilt, I must
tell you that in the fall issue of The Blind Californian, I
omitted the President's Report.  It was here on a disk, but I
overlooked it.  Now if an editor is going to make a mistake, she
can hardly make a greater one than omitting the President's
Report!  My thanks to Cathie Skivers for being more forgiving
than she should have been.
     To end on a lighter note, here is a post-Christmas bit of
humor with somewhat of a feminist twist: Do you know what would
have happened if it had been three wise women instead of three
wise men in the Bible story?  They would have asked directions,
arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable,
made a casserole and brought practical gifts.
     The next BC deadline is March 1, 2000.  It's going to take a
while to be comfortable writing that new year date.


                       PRESIDENT'S CORNER

                      by Catherine Skivers

     1999 has been a banner year for the California Council of
the Blind.  We are in a sound financial position, for in the last
few months we have received two bequests of $40,000 each.  Our
property in San Fernando has been sold, and the money has been
received.  Our car donation program continues to be one of our
major sources of funding.  Although we are doing very well, we
need to concentrate on finding additional funding sources.  
     For the last several years, CCB has been in litigation with
Bill Ashe and the American Way Thrift store.  By the end of this
year we are to receive a $40,000 payment which is the first step
in resolving this matter.  Details of the settlement agreement
with Mr. Ashe will be included in a cassette tape which I hope to
send to chapters and affiliates very soon.  
     In September we hired Ed Branch, formerly employed by
Sensory AccessFoundation, to work in our executive office.  He
has already proved to be a valuable addition, and he and Larry
Seiber are cross training so that each will be familiar with
every phase of our operation.  They are working to upgrade our
computer system so that we will be Y2K compliant.  We are also
purchasing a Juliet Braille embosser for the office.  We do a
great deal of brailling now, and this new equipment will enable
us to do more and to do it better and faster.  Our current
embosser will be forwarded to Dan Kysor so that he will be able
to make legislative and other information available in braille as
well as in other formats.  
     We have had some problems smoothing out our accounting
system; but we believe that with our new computer equipment and
increased staff, this situation has been improving.  Our CCB
books will be audited beginning December 13, 1999.  After the
close of this year and when we have received our financial
reports for the year, we will have a meeting of the Board of
Directors.  I plan to have the Finance and Budget Committee also
meet with the Board.  At that time we will determine how and
where to invest our income and plan our budget for the year 2000.
     At the meeting of the Board of Directors at our convention
in Fresno, CCB awarded $500 to the Parents & Friends group at the
California School for the Blind, $500 to Sensory Access
Foundation, $1000 to The Earle Baum Center in Santa Rosa, $1000
to the American Council of the Blind Scholarship Fund, and
$15,000 to our own Scholarship Fund.  The Lillie Perry Foundation
has been most generous in giving thousands of dollars to our
Scholarship Fund.  This, plus monies contributed by our chapters
and by CCB, enabled us to award $28,000 in Scholarships in 1999. 
     With most of our legal troubles behind us and our treasury
in better condition, we can look forward to using time and energy
to our most important projects and programs.  During the coming
year, we will concentrate on increasing our membership, having
more seminars, and working on leadership training.  I plan to
reorganize some of our committees so if you are interested in a
particular area of committee service, please contact me as soon
as possible.  
     Recently Jill O'Connell from Eureka became our newest life
member.  Along with her check, she sent a wonderful letter in
which she named three committees on which she would be willing to
work.  Such a letter is extremely encouraging.
     At our convention we discussed domestic violence and hate
crimes against blind and disabled persons.  The people on the
panel were Dr. Martin Jones, Moderator; Pat LaFrance, Linda
Flores, and Abbie Vincent.  As a result of this most informative
discussion, I have appointed them as a committee to study this
problem and bring recommendations to CCB as to how we can assist
people who find themselves in this kind of situation.  In
addition, I have added to the committee Jane Kardas.  Before she 
experienced difficulty with her sight, Jane worked in the Victims
Unit in the district attorney's office in Ukiah.  I believe we
will see a great deal of good come out of the work of this
committee.
     In 1951, CCB was instrumental in obtaining legislation which
resulted in the establishment of the Orientation Center for the
Blind now located in Albany.  Through the years this school has
provided quality service to blind and visually impaired persons. 
A resolution was passed which directs me, as President, to
appoint a committee to review policies and procedures now in
effect at OCB.  We want to help in any way we can to ensure that
students now attending continue to receive quality service. 
Needless to say, since a few years ago we fought to keep OCB, we
will continue to give it our support and encouragement.  
     For several months I have been talking from time to time
with Dr. Ellen Murphy, who is establishing a trust which will be
called the Ellen M. Murphy Trust.  A part of the trust is the
Ellen Murphy Fund of which CCB is to be a significant
beneficiary.  The Ellen Murphy Fund is to be used solely for the
needs of single, senior blind women over 50 years of age.  One
stipulation of the trust is that, while it is left to CCB, Ms.
Murphy has named the trustees who are to administer the fund and
to make disbursements.  I have told Ellen that, while her gift is
unbelievably generous, I would hope that we would not be
receiving it too soon.  She says that she is extremely ill and
believes that we will be able to begin to assist people in the
not too distant future; our prayers are with her.  
     Later on in these pages you will read the report of our
successful convention which was held in Fresno in October.  One
of the highlights of that convention for me came after the
banquet on October 30th.  My wheelchair and I were going down a
ramp which was a little too steep and had a drop off at the end. 
The result was that I was thrown head long out of my chair and
broke my ankle and foot in 5 places.  We finally found out what
can slow this president down.  I am able to conduct CCB business
from my home and want to thank members of the Board and other
members who are taking care of my public appearances for me. 
Most of the time I am unable to say what I would like for
Christmas, but this year I have written Santa Claus telling him
that if I can get out of this cast, the thing I want most for
Christmas would be a three-hour shower.  My cast is to be removed
on the  13th of December and an evaluation will be made to
determine what comes next.  I want to thank those of you who have
sent cards and flowers and who have made phone calls to help me 
keep up my  spirits.  
     Although I have not been able to make  public appearances, I
did meet with Assemblywoman Liz Figueroa on November 23rd.  Jim
Willows and I talked with her about establishing a Commission for
the Blind in California.  Without a doubt, one of the greatest
things that could happen for the blind and visually impaired in
California occurred when the National Federation of the Blind in
California; the California Council of the Blind; the American
Foundation for the Blind, West; the Foundation for the Junior
Blind; the Center for the Partially Sighted in Santa Monica; the
Rose Resnick Lighthouse for the Blind in San Francisco; and the
other major organizations of and for the blind began working
together.  NFBC and CCB have been cooperating on legislation, a
practice that has proved to be highly successful.  All the
organizations involved with the Blind Alliance for Rehabilitation
Change (BARC) are presenting a united front.  I believe that,
beginning in the year 2000, we will see the blind and visually
impaired community making great strides forward in gaining the
programs which are badly needed in California.  I urge each of
you to be prepared to write letters, make phone calls, and
personally contact the legislators in your district to gain
support for a Commission for the Blind in California.  
     I hope that you have a Merry Christmas and that the year
2000 will be one of the best ever for you.  When you are making
your New Years resolutions I hope that you will remember to make
one to become an active part of our CCB family to help us to go
into the next century with unity and purpose. 


       LETTER FROM THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF OPTHALMOLOGY

California Academy of Opthalmology
605 Market Street, Suite 1109
San Francisco, CA 94105-3213
415-777-3937
e-mail starrs2020@aol.com 
November 18, 1999

     By now, you are probably aware that the California
Optometric Association has introduced Senate Bill 929 by Senator
Richard Polanco.  What you may not be aware of is the
unprecedented expansion in scope of practice contained in the
bill.  Without question, it is the most dramatic expansion ever
proposed for allied health professionals in California.  The
immediate question that should be asked is "Does such an
expansion benefit California consumers of eye care?"
     Obviously, the optometrists have their sales pitch for the
bill.  They claim that there are under-served, hard to reach
populations in this state that would benefit from expanding the
scope of optometry beyond that currently allowed.  Even assuming
that there are pockets of Californians who cannot easily access
ophthalmologic care, this "problem" does not justify or explain
the following.
     * SB929 would allow optometrists to treat virtually any
disease which affects the eye, including AIDS, all 70 forms of
glaucoma, the most virulent forms of herpes, as well as those
that affect the entire body but simply manifest in the eye.
     * SB929 would allow optometrists to use every FDA-approved
drug, other than the most controlled narcotics, regardless of its
approved indications, known side effects, and potential adverse
interactions with other drugs.
     * SB929 would allow optometrists to make their first foray
into surgery.  Under the bill they can suture "superficial"
wounds, which would allow optometrists to engage in many
procedures tantamount to surgery, yet the bill requires only a
simple course as a prerequisite to engaging in these practices.
     * Aside from the one-time course for surgery, SB929 does not
require additional training for this expanded scope.  This means
that an optometrist who has done no more than receive
certification to engage in the current scope authorized by the
legislature, far more limited than that proposed in 929, could
engage in the virtually unlimited practice authorized by the
bill.
     The California Academy of Ophthalmology believes that SB929
goes light years beyond any rational expansion for the benefit of
California consumers.  The optometrists will assert that other
states have adopted similar bills.  However, the California
legislature is seldom influenced by other states' actions,
particularly in health care where the legislature has been so
scrupulous in its protection of consumers.  While some would say
it is hyperbole to assert that SB929 will result in significant
harm to patients, it is a reality that only three years ago the
legislature approved a very limited scope of practice for
optometry.  What's changed, other than the desire of California
optometrists to "keep up with the Joneses" in other states?
     We believe that these questions are extremely important to
those in California who depend upon your organization's efforts. 
While SB929 will not be heard until 2000, it is vital that
legislators hear from those most affected by the bill.  We ask
that you communicate with your legislators about the serious
overreaching represented by this bill and recommend that those
legislators oppose the bill as currently configured.

Sincerely,

Alfred C.  Marrone, MD, President, California Academy of
Ophthalmology


            DR. CATHERINE CAMPISI NAMED AS DIRECTOR 

                      BY Karyn Aa. Meyreles
                        November 12, 1999

     On Thursday, November 11, 1999, Governor Gray Davis
announced the appointment of Dr. Catherine Campisi as the new
director of the Department of Rehabilitation (DR).  Many of us
worked with Catherine during her DR tenure as the Assistant
Deputy Director of the Transition Programs Unit and as Deputy
Director of the Independent Living and Technology Division.
     Dr. Campisi has more than twenty years of varied experience
in policy and program development as well as advocacy to increase
equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in our
communities.  Catherine has lived with a physical disability
since birth and has personal experience with blindness and
psychiatric disabilities.
     In addition to extensive work in the area of higher
education and Disability, Catherine has provided leadership in
the areas of independent living, assistive technology, the
Americans with Disabilities Act, and transition services for 
youth with disabilities.  She has also worked on issues related
to persons with psychiatric disabilities, learning disabilities
and deafness.
     Catherine has served as the President of the multinational
Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD); as
Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Access Center, the
Independent Living Center in San Diego formerly CSCD); and as an
active member of Disabled in State Service DISS) and Californians
for Disabilities Rights (CDR).  Catherine also teaches the
graduate course "Counseling Persons with Disabilities," in the
Rehabilitation/Special Education Department at California State
University, Sacramento.
     Currently Dean of Student Services at the Chancellor's
Office of the California Community Colleges, Dr. Campisi has a
Doctorate in Social Psychology, specializing in disability
issues.
     Personally, I am very excited and feel we are extremely
fortunate to have Dr. Campisi as the director for the department. 
Her leadership will bring knowledge and skills that will help us
better serve people with disabilities.


                        WE HAVE LIFT-OFF
                                
                   Student Heads to Space Camp

                         by Kerri Regan

     A Palo Cedro 7th grader will plan a space mission,
experiment with weightlessness and live in a simulated space
station next week during a trip to the U.S. Space Camp for the
Visually Impaired.
     Erik Baldwin, 12, leaves today for the trip he won in a
state-wide essay contest.
     Sponsored by the California Council of the Blind, the
contest asks 7th graders to high school seniors to describe why
they wanted to attend the camp.  Erik's grand prize essay earned
him the expensive space trip to Huntsville, Alabama.
     "I think it would be awesome to see things that go into
space and carry human beings with them," the North Cow Creek
School student wrote in his essay.  
     The son of David and Barbara Baldwin of Palo Cedro, Erik has
been interested in space and aeronautics all his life.  Before
his vision began to fail in fourth grade, Erik dreamed of
becoming a pilot.  He had Stargardt's disease, a progressive
genetic defect that affects about 25 thousand Americans.  He is
blind in one eye and has limited vision in the other.  Now an
aspiring computer scientist, he said he looks forward to learning
how computers control rockets and the space shuttle.
     The space camp, expected to draw 250 children from all over
the world, simulates space missions and teaches youngsters the
basics of shuttle operation.  
     "They get to go through weightlessness, spacesuits--
everything from lift-off to landing," his mother said.  
     The camp uses authentic simulators so students can
experience the sensation of astronaut training.
     Visually impaired professionals from NASA will give
briefings, and students will tour Rocket Park, the world's most
comprehensive collection of rocketry according to organizers.
     "It will be cool to see the rockets," Erik said.
     The space camp for visually impaired children started as a
pilot program in 1990 with 20 students from the West Virginia
School for the Deaf and Blind.  By 1994, all programs were
accessible to children with visual impairments and, in 1996,
included 121 students from 22 states and other countries.
     Erik credited two of his teachers for his victory in the
contest, Dianne Downing, his vision specialist, and Sue Peterson,
his sixth grade teacher who taught him how to write an award-
winning essay.
     (Editor's note): Rhonda King submitted the above article and
also sent the following letter which Erik wrote after returning
from space camp.  In "Around the State" in the last BC issue,
this project of the San Bernardino Chapter was described.  Here
is Erik's letter):

     It is hard to believe that Space Academy has come and gone
so fast.  I am so grateful I got to go.  It was a great
experience for me.  I will never forget the fun I had and all of
the new information that I learned.  It has been fun to share
about space camp with the people at my school and also my family. 
  I made a big scrap book about Space Academy for my independent
school study.  It was easy to do because I learned so much.
     I will put in this letter a copy of an article that was
written about my going to Space Academy in our city newspaper.  I
thought you might be interested in seeing it.  It was special to
be interviewed for it.
     Thank you again for choosing me.  I will remember that week
all my life.

Erik


                     FEDERAL LEGISLATION

                      by Ahmad Rahman 

     Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999: The House of
Representatives passed the Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 on
a vote of 418 to 2.  The President challenged Congress to pass this bill in
his State of the Union address, and fully funded it in his 2000 budget. It
gives people who want to work a chance to do so by removing the
outdated rules that end Medicaid and Medicare coverage when people
with disabilities return to work.  It modernizes the employment services
system and affirms the basic principle set forth in the Americans with
Disabilities Act: that all  Americans should have the same opportunities
to be productive citizens.
     It Improves Health Care Options for people with disabilities by:
     a. Removing limits on the Medicaid buy-in option for workers with
disabilities.  The act creates two new options for states that build on a
Medicaid buy-in, created by President Clinton in the Balanced Budget Act
of 1997.  First, it lets states remove the income limit of 250 percent of
poverty (about $21,000), allowing them to set higher income, unearned
income, and resource limits.  This important change allows people to buy
into Medicaid when their jobs pay more than low wages, yet they may
not have access to private health insurance.  Second, it creates the option
to allow people with disabilities to retain medicaid coverage even though
their medical condition has improved as a result of medical coverage. 
The act also provides $150 million over five years in health care
infrastructure grants to states to support people with disabilities who
return to work.
     b. Creating  new Medicaid buy-in demonstration to help people
who are not yet too disabled to work.  The act provides $250 million to
states for a demonstration to assess the effectiveness of providing
Medicaid coverage to people whose condition has not yet deteriorated
enough to prevent work but who need health care to prevent that level of
deterioration.  For example, a person with muscular dystrophy,
Parkinson's Disease, or diabetes may be able to function and continue to
work with appropriate health care, but such health care may be available
only when their condition has become severe enough to qualify them for
SSI or SSDI and thus for Medicaid or Medicare.  This demonstration
would provide new information on the cost effectiveness of early health
care intervention in keeping people with disabilities from becoming too
disabled to work.
     c. Extending Medicare Coverage for people with disabilities who
return to work.  The act extends Medicare Part A premium coverage for
people on Social Security Disability Insurance who return to work for
another four and a half years.  This means the difference between a
monthly premium of nearly $350 (which is about the cost of purchasing
Part A and B coverage) and $45.50.  Although Medicare does not
currently provide prescription drugs, which are often essential to people
with disabilities, this assistance will be available nationwide, even in
states that do not take the Medicaid options.
     2. Enhances the employment service system by:
     a. Creating a "Ticket to Work Program."  The new system will
enable SSI or SSDI beneficiaries to obtain vocational rehabilitation and
employment services from their choice of participating public or private
providers.  If the beneficiary goes to work and achieves substantial
earnings, providers would be paid a portion of the benefit saved. 


                CONVENTION REPORT, FALL, 1999

                    by Catherine Skivers

     The Fall Convention of the California Council of the Blind (CCB)
was held in Fresno October 28-31, 1999, at the Radisson Hotel and
Conference Center.  For many of us who had attended conventions in this
city in the past, it brought back pleasant memories.  People seemed to be
able to get around the hotel very easily, and the hotel staff was untiringly
helpful to everyone, and  price more affordable than we have seen in
recent times.   
     On Thursday afternoon, October 28th, the pre-convention meetings
began with a presentation by the HIV Consortium.  
How best to educate people with disabilities about the Aids virus was
discussed.   CCB takes part in a state-wide project with the
Developmentally Disabled, the Hemophilia Council and the California
Coalition of Agencies Serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing--all these
groups helping to train people providing services, and those needing
services,  on how to work together.  
     The Technology Committee met in the afternoon and the latest
information on Windows access was discussed.  
     The California Council of Citizens with Low Vision (CCCLV) held
a meeting where they heard from Jan Carmichael, Executive Director,
Center for Independent Living and Dr. Jay Newsome, low vision
optometrist, both of Fresno.  They discussed living and working with low
vision and seeing the world through NOIR sunglasses.
     CCB hosted a Welcome to Fresno party where old friends got
together and where everyone had a chance to make new friends.  
     In the evening the Board of Directors met, and, as usual, the
meeting was open to everyone.  Most of what was discussed there
appears in the "President's Corner" earlier in this BC issue.
     Exhibits were open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Friday and
Saturday.  There were about twenty-five tables showing items from the
latest technology to chapter projects.   Bay View Chapter, for instance,
had a table at which gift items made by their members were displayed
and sold.  We hear that this turned out to be a very successful venture for
the chapter and might be something for other chapters to think about for
the next convention.  
     Special interest affiliates and committees met as usual before and
after general sessions.  Their programs featured many excellent speakers. 
The Committee on Access and Transportation, for example, had a
presentation by Michael Mankin, Principal Access Compliance Program,
Division of the State Architect.  He gave an overview of his division and
talked about determining what can and cannot be done.  For the first time
in my memory, a public hearing was held to determine how best to
amend Title 24 and to improve accessibility.  This meeting was well
attended; participants also heard from Melanie Brunson, Director,
Governmental Affairs, American Council of the Blind, on pedestrian
infrastructure.  
     The theme of this convention was "Utilizing CCB's Strengths." 
Many of the very fine speakers we heard from  members of CCB
exemplifying just how much the Council is doing these days and how
extensively we are involved.  
     It is our custom to have members from all faiths come to our
meetings and conduct our invocations.For the first time in many
years, we were unable to obtain services from the clergy and, therefore,
decided we would call on our own members to give these invocations. 
On Friday, we heard from Gussie Morgan from the Compton Chapter
who is a Minister in the Apostolic Church.   Winifred Downing
represented those of the Catholic faith on Saturday, and she did a very
fine job.  Daveed Mandell spoke for those who are from the Jewish faith
and gave us a lot to think about.Ardis Bazen, a member of the Board
of Directors for the American Council of the Blind, recently moved to
California from Iowa; we put her to work immediately to lead the Pledge
of Allegiance on Friday with Bill Dailey, Jr. doing it the following day
and Elmer Chapson on Sunday.  
     On Saturday evening, Bernice Kandarian made an unusual
presentation as part of her invocation before the banquet.  She  is from
Fresno and talked to us about her family and the Armenian community
there.  Everyone found it most interesting.  
     Roger Petersen was heard from first at the opening session on
Friday when he led the audience in singing the national anthem.  Roger
has been on the CCB Board of Directors for 8 years and so cannot
continue as a director.  At this convention he was Parliamentarian, Chair
of the Constitution and 
Bylaws Committee and Master of Ceremonies at the banquet.  We will be
sure not to let him get away from us just because he is no longer on the
Board.  
     The first speaker on Friday's agenda was Brenda Premo.  You will
remember that, until January of 1999, she was Director of the California
Department of Rehabilitation.   She is now founding director of the
Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions at Western
University of Health Science in Pamona.  She talked to us about
opportunities in health science, saying she could be accused of reverse
discrimination because she hires only blind and disabled people.  She
believes that the health field is one in which there is room for many
disabled people to find employment.  Currently a medical student is
enrolled to become a doctor.  He comes from Colorado and his education
is being financed primarily by the department of rehabilitation in that
state.  He has a B-plus average in his classes.  Brenda thinks that
positions for therapists, nurse practitioners, and many other functions in
the health field could be held by people who are blind and disabled.  She
hopes that the California Department of Rehabilitation will begin to look
at this field for the employment of people in this state and that the
Department will help pay for their training.  A tape of her presentation is
available for $2, and cassettes covering the entire convention can be
purchased for $15.
     Roger Petersen talked to us about the characteristics of eye
diseases.  At one time it was believed that, if people were blind, nothing
could be done and there was no reason to dwell on the medical aspects of
the situation.  Now, though, There is a study of genes as they relate to
eye diseases.  Roger's own eye condition is one that is being studied; he
planned to go to Johns Hopkins University to participate in a research
project immediately following the convention.  It will be interesting to
hear what he learns, and some of you may want to find out if there is any
research going on as to your particular cause of blindness or vision loss.  
     Al Gil attends many hearings on rehabilitation planning, and he
talked to us about "order of selection" and other things that will be going
on in the California Department of Rehabilitation in the year 2000.  Al
always does a great job in representing us, coming as he does from a
background in rehabilitation.  That background is helpful to us when he
speaks on our behalf. 
     Melita Waters, President of the Guide Dog Users of California
(GDUC), attended a task force investigating service animals in hotels and
other areas.  The work of the task force will continue, and it is important
that she give input on issues relating to guide dogs.  
     The afternoon ended with a presentation by Mitch Pomerantz in his
capacity as Chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee.  His topic
was, "Why a Commission for the Blind in California?" A document on
this subject appears elsewhere in these pages.  Mitch  stressed the
importance of a vommission and urged all members to help CCB and the
other organizations of and for the blind to bring this about.  
     Throughout the convention, we had many drawings for prizes
because Joan Underdown, a Fresno member of Guide Dog Users of
California, obtained 80 prizes for us.  They consisted of everything from
cookies and leather goods to Braille Seiko watches, all provided by
merchants in and around Fresno.  She had prepared a list of the prizes,
given each prize a number and furnished us with the names and addresses
of the donors so that we could properly thank them.  We marveled at the
wide range of prizes and the work Joan did in getting them for us.  Her
efforts contributed much to the celebration of the 65th birthday of the
Council and of the organized blind movement.  It was an example of
what can be done when one sets her mind to it and puts time and energy
behind it.
     On Friday evening, there was a Presidents' Dinner chaired by Jane
Kardas, a member of the CCB Board of Directors and president of the
Orientation Center for the Blind Alumni organization.  At the dinner,
presidents or delegates talked about what is happening in their chapters,
sharing ideas about fund raising and programs.
     The Credentials Committee, chaired by Rhonda King, presented its
report to begin the Friday evening session.  All delegates and/or
alternates should have attended the Friday morning session of the
committee to verify their chapters' representation and number of
members.  Done properly, this process should markedly reduce the time
used for the evening roll call.   
     The president then gave her report,  most of which is contained in
the "President's Corner" earlier in this issue.
     Though Charlie Crawford had been scheduled to be the next
speaker, necessary surgery (from which he has recovered very well)
prevented him from attending.  Melanie Brunson, Director of
Governmental Affairs for the American Council of the Blind,   took his
place and did an excellent job.  She lived in California until she took the
job in Washington and said she was happy to be back home, crediting the
CCB with having helped her when she was a member of the Whittier
Chapter where she learned a lot about the organized blind movement
which ultimately led to her current position.  She talked about "shaping
our own futures" and reminded us that "as California goes, so goes the
nation."  She hopes that we are successful in establishing a commission
for the blind; everyone in the country is watching us, and the American
Council will help in every possible way.  Melanie's remarks on
legislation would be an excellent speech to play at your chapter meetings,
for it is not possible here to give full treatment to each speaker.  
     Jerry Arakawa gave the Nominating Committee report, and   the
following persons were then elected: Jeff Thom, Second Vice President;
Kenneth Frasse, Secretary; Dr.  Martin Jones,  Jane Kardas and Eugene
Lozano Jr., Board of Directors.  All these individuals were re-elected,
but Peggy Martinez of Eureka and Al Biegler from Chico, president of
the Braille Revival League of California, were elected as new Directors. 
Congratulations to all who were elected!    
     During the convention four luncheons were held: the Association of
Multicultural Concerns, the Library Users of California, the Guide Dog
Users of California, and the Orientation Center Alumni.  
     Many committees met on Saturday including a combined meeting
of the Committee on Senior Blind and CCCLV.  Topics included a
discussion on health care and a legislative report by Dan Kysor.On
Saurday, The general session opened with a presentation by Stuart
Wittenstein, Superintendent of the California School for the Blind, 
talking about "The Changing Role for the CSB".  The children at the
school have a small company which sells braille fortune cookies which
can be ordered from the school.  They also have a jazz combo that is
making appearances all over the state.  The  Parents and Friends
organization takes students on outings and pays for things that are not
provided for by the state like a dress for a prom, clothing for a child who
may come from an environment where not many clothes are provided, as
well as other necessities.  CCB contributed $500.00 to the Parents and
Friends group, and if you or your chapter would like to donate to this
cause, you can send your contribution to the Parents and Friends in care
of CSB, 500 Walnut Avenue, Fremont, CA 94536.  CSB is now going
out into the field assisting school districts with training of personnel to
help students in their local areas. CSB also loans teachers to help in these
areas.  
     We had a panel "Domestic Violence and Hate Crimes against the
Blind and Disabled".  Dr. Martin Jones was the moderator; panelists
included Linda Flores, Pat La France and Abigail Vincent.  In the intense
discussion following this panel, it was amazing to hear about the crimes
experienced by some of our own members who had been victims of
domestic violence and other forms of cruelty.  Many of us were surprised
to learn that blind women, and particularly those with dogs, are not
accepted at shelters for battered women.  All agreed that something must
be done about this situation.  The panelists, joined by Jane Kardas, are
now a CCB Committee to study this problem and make recommendations
on how CCB can help.  
     Dan Kysor, our capital representative, gave a legislative report. 
He has a cassette tape which is available for those of you who would like
to hear a wrap-up of legislation for 1999.  Dan is going to be working
hard for us to obtain a commission and will still be fostering a bill
concerning access issues, among other matters.  He has worked hard for
us and we are proud of his accomplishments.  
     Among the many meetings that took place after the general session
was a seminar at the gathering of the Governmental Affairs Committee. 
"A Commission for the Blind in California" was the main topic discussed
at this time.
     Roger Petersen was the Master of Ceremonies at the banquet.  He
introduced Al Biegler who in turn presented three CCB scholarship
winners.  They talked about their majors in school.   Joe Simon, a
comedian, entertained us with stories about his personal experiences. 
Obbie Schoeman handled a drawing of prizes for our fund raiser.  Other
prizes won were a talking globe by Darlene Walker, a note teller by
Richard Flores, an afghan by Phyllis Saccani, and a gift certificate by
Vicky Bishop.  The remissions from the fund-raiser should be in the mail
to chapters within a few weeks.  
     The devotional services were held Sunday morning with Dr. 
Martin Jones presiding.
     At the business meeting a little later, the constitution was amended
so that another officer will be able to sign checks if  the treasurer is
absent or unavailable so that the person authorizing payment is not the
one who signs the checks.  
The treasurer was unable to attend this convention, but Peter  Pardini
gave the Treasurer's Report at both the Board meeting and at the Sunday
morning business meeting.  His report covered January 1, 1999, through
September 30, 1999.  It was an excellent report containing all the
financial details necessary for a clear understanding of our monetary
situation.
     The Resolutions Committee, chaired by Charles Nabarrete, 
presented 14 Resolutions which will be summarized elsewhere in this
issue.  
     Everyone attending this convention seems to have enjoyed it very
much.  We have been especially commended for having our Board
members tell us what they are doing and for hearing from so many
members who demonstrated their involvement in CCB.  The spring
convention will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Sacramento,  May 17-21,
2000--a little later than we have been meeting but the hotel will be able to
give us reduced rates in many areas.  Hearing about a Convention is not
nearly as great as attending and learning about everything first hand. 
Start planning now, therefore, to get together in Sacramento.   


            NEW CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION PROVIDES 
                 MODEL FOR DISABLED STUDENTS

     On September 15, 1999, Governor Gray Davis signed into law
Assembly Bill 422 by Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento)
and sponsored by Californians for Disability Rights, Inc. (CDR).  The
following information is a summary of the provisions of the legislation
and was provided by Ralph Black of Sacramento who is a member of
CDR.
     The new legislation requires publishers of textbooks and other
instructional materials to provide the University of California, the
California State Universities and the California Community Colleges with
an electronic version of any printed material requested for use by a
student with a disability.  The legislation is Chapter 379, Statutes of
1999, and becomes effective January 1, 2000.
     This bill resolves a long-standing problem between publishers and
educational institutions that has prevented the colleges and universities
from making full use of computer technology to translate textbooks from
electronic text directly to Braille.  The resolution worked out by CDR in
the bill will also make it possible for visually impaired and other print
impaired students to use electronic versions of textbooks through a
computer voice synthesizer which reads (and can also index and search)
the material on the screen.  This will help both students and educational
institutions by making print materials available to students more quickly
and with less expense than is currently possible.
     Although AB422 applies only to California, it will provide a model
that can be utilized in other states, and groups in several states have
already expressed interest in moving forward with similar legislation. 
     A summary of the key provisions of the bill is as follows:
     1. Electronic Version.  Requires publishers of instructional
materials for students attending one of the California public higher
education systems (i.e. the University of California, the California State
Universities, or California Community Colleges) to provide to the college
or university, for use by students, at no additional cost and in a timely
manner, any printed instructional material in electronic form, upon the
receipt of a written request meeting certain conditions.
     2. Structural Integrity.  Requires that the computer files or
electronic versions of printed instructional material maintain their
structural integrity, including the main text and also such things as
sidebars, table of contents, footnotes, and indexes.  "Structural integrity"
does not include non-textual elements such as pictures, illustrations,
graphs, or charts until technology is available to translate these.  The
computer file or electronic version must also be compatible with
commonly used Braille translation and speech synthesis software. 
     3. Regional Centers.  Authorizes each higher education system to
establish one or more regional centers within their respective system to
process requests for electronic versions of instructional materials.
     4. Non-Printed Materials.  Requires that, when technology becomes
available, computer files or other electronic versions of  non-printed
materials also be provided by publishers. 
     5. Instructional materials defined.  "Instructional materials" is
defined to mean textbooks and other materials written and published
primarily for use by students in post-secondary instruction that are
required or essential to a student's success in a course of study in which a
student with a disability is enrolled.  This does not include non-textual
mathematics and science materials until technology becomes available that
permits the conversion of existing electronic files. 
     6. Implementation Guidelines.  Requires the governing boards of
each of the three systems of higher education in California to adopt
guidelines for implementation and administration of this legislation.
     7. Civil Rights Violation.  Failure to comply with the requirements
of the bill is made a violation of the state civil rights law.
     AB422 was sponsored by Californians for Disability Rights, Inc.
(CDR), and was successful thanks to major effort by members of CDR
and through coordination by CDR of other organizations representing
blind and disabled students and educators of students with disabilities.
     CDR is a statewide, grass roots organization of persons with
disabilities.  Organized into 12 chapters representing various geographical
areas of California, CDR has as its goal the full inclusion of persons with
disabilities into every aspect of community life.  The organization is
committed to having a strong presence with the California Legislature in
Sacramento. 
     If you would like to be kept informed of the implementation of
AB422, or if you would like to become involved in supporting future
legislation to benefit persons with disabilities, please contact the CDR
office at 1722 J Street, Suite 2, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-447-2237,
or visit our Web site on the Internet at:
www.disabilityrights-cdr.org.  The full text of AB422 is available at the
web site by clicking on "Legislation," and then "California's Official Bill
Information Service."  For further information, contact President Susan
Barnhill or Legislative Coordinator Pat McPartland at the above address,
or contact Pat McPartland by e-mail at patnjud@inreach.com.  


                AWARDS NOMINATIONS SOLICITED 

        by Roger Petersen, VCB Awards Committee Chair

     It's that time again!  Time to think about who among us deserves to
be recognized for "service beyond the call of duty."  The CCB awards
program is gathering momentum now and becoming a regular part of
what we do.  The presentation of awards is becoming an institution at the
spring convention banquet, so now is your chance to have some input
into this process.  Please examine the list of awards which follows and
submit any nominations that you feel appropriate.
     Candidates for the CCBb Hall of Fame, the Community Service
Award, the CCB Distinguished Service Award, Legislator of the Year,
Humanitarian Award and Certificate of Merit may be nominated by any
member, chapter or affiliate.  Nominations must be sent in letter form to
the CCB office to the attention of the Awards Committee by February 1,
2000.  The recipient of the Publications Award is selected by the
Publications Committee and is not part of this process.
     CCB Hall of Fame: Up to five inductees per year who have made
significant contributions and sustained effort to the goals of CCB.
     CCB Community Service Award: To be presented annually to a
blind or visually impaired person who, through his/her association and
activities, has demonstrated his/her integration into and interaction with
the life of the community.
     CCB Distinguished Service Award: To be presented periodically to
an outstanding blind or visually impaired person who has contributed
significantly to the betterment of blind people in general.  The recipient
of this award need not be a member of CCB.
     CCB Publications award: To be given to the person who has
prepared the best article of the year appearing in the "Blind Californian"
or newspapers or periodicals.  This award will be based on a
determination made by the Publications Committee.
     CCB Legislator of the Year Award: To be given periodically to a
California State or Federal legislator who has introduced and successfully
brought about enactment of legislation in behalf of persons who are blind
or visually impaired.
     Humanitarian Award: To be presented to an individual or
organization that has assisted blind people in general or CCB and  its
affiliates in particular to an extraordinary degree.
     Certificate of Merit: To be given to any individual who provides
outstanding volunteer service to CCB, its chapters or affiliates.
     For your information, current members of the CCB Hall of Fame
are: Dr. Newel L. Pery, Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, Robert Campbell, Perry
Sundquist, Ernest Crowley, Anthony Mannino, George Fogarty, Dorothy
Glass, Juliet Esterly, Dr. Isabel L. D. Grant, Allen Jenkins, Ysidro
Urena, Ferne Fitzpatrick, Raymond Henderson, Irene McConnell, Ione
Miller, Byrdyna Goodart, Margaret Noah Nickerson. 
     Humanitarian Awards have been presented to: Robin Burris,
East Los Angeles Lions Club, City of Compton, California, Department
of Parks and Recreation, Dollar-Hide Community Center,
the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 2070 of Monrovia, California.
     Certificates of Merit have been awarded to: Harry Parker, Darryl
Skivers, Robert B. Carter, Vickie Solis, Virginia and Phillip Garcia,
Larry Seiber, Dorothy Vallerga, Larry DiPeppe. 
     A Community Service Award has been presented to: Eleanor Lun. 
     Distinguished Service Awards have been presented to: Joyce Streff,
Dr. Martin Jones, Holly Johnson, Eugene Lozano, Jr. 
     The Legislator of the Year Award has not yet been conferred. 
     The members of the CCB Awards Committee are: Roger Petersen,
Chair, Mountain View; Bernice Kandarian, Mountain View; John Lopez,
Los Angeles; Gussie Morgan, Compton; Joe Smith, Sacramento.
 

                     CAREER CONNECTIONS

                    by Catherine Schmitt

     Resume "bloopers" are often humorous and are preventable. 
Individuals who made the following mistakes did NOT proof, or have
someone else proof, their resumes before distributing them to prospective
employers.  These examples, while humorous and true, point to the
importance of having your resume carefully inspected by someone else to
catch those small but embarrassing errors.  You may need to read some
twice to catch all the mistakes.  The bloopers came from a listserv
(JOBPLACE) comprised of career counseling and employment
professionals.  If you do not find a problem with any of these, your
employability may depend upon speaking with a career specialist.
     * Job Objective: "Easy work, pleasant surroundings, large expense
account, high wages and close to home."
     * Comment next to phone number: "not too early."
     * Objective: "I want something to do."
     * Work skills: "Strong on interpersonal relationships, typing, filing
and reproduction."
     * Note: "Please don't misconstrue my 14 jobs as 'job hopping' I
have never quit a job."
     * Objective: "To work extra hard for any company that hires me. 
I am so determined I will even consider working for a woman."
     * Objective: "I am the best qualified candidate for any position that
may be available.  I have no reservation about stating this."
     * Position desired: "Gud job."
     * Objective: "Seek challenges that test my mind and body, since
the two are usually inseparable."
     * Education: "Attended the University of Vermont from 1882 to
1978."
     * Education: "University of Michigan, M.B.A. graduate studies. 
Will receive degree when I pay up the tuition I owe."         (Person
applying for a job as a C.P.A.) 
     * Education: "Curses in liberal arts, curses in computer science,
curses in accounting."
     * Qualifications: "Here are my qualifications for you to overlook."
     * Objective: "I am a man filled with passion and integrity, and I
can act on short notice.  I'm a class act and I do not come cheap."     * Work Experience: "Maintained files and reports, did data
processing, cashed employees' paychecks."
     * Work Experience: "Dealing with customers' conflicts that
arouse."
     * Reason for Leaving: "I was working for my mom until she
decided to move."
     * Reason for Leaving: "The company made me a scapegoat, just
like my three previous employers."
     * Personal: "Married, eight children, Prefer frequent travel."
     * "I intentionally omitted my salary history.  I've made money and
I've lost money.  I've been rich and I've been poor. I prefer being rich.
     * I am extremely loyal to my present firm.  So please don't let
them know of my immediate availability."
     * "Please call me after 5:30 because I am self-employed and my
employer does not know I am looking for another job."
     * "It is best for employers that I do not work with people."
     * "I procrastinate, especially when the task is unpleasant."
     * Reason for Leaving last job: "They insisted that all employees get
to work by 8:46 a.m. every morning.  I couldn't work under those
conditions."
     * References: "None.  I've left a path of destruction behind me."
     * Cover letter: "Thank you for your consideration.  Hope to hear
from you shorty!"
     Happy New Year! 


       BLIND ALLIANCE FOR REHABILITATION CHANGE (BARC)

         WHY A CALIFORNIA COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND?

     The main purpose of California's Department of Rehabilitation is to
prepare and place disabled clients in meaningful jobs.   
     Though the Department has existed for a half century, the fact is
that the unemployment rate among working-age blind people is now a
staggering 70%--the highest of any identifiable racial or geographic group
in California.  And the unemployment of blind Californians yearly costs
government well in excess of $1 billion in cash outlays:  Medi-Cal,
Section 8 housing, and other forms of assistance.           
     To combat this problem, the state's Department of Rehabilitation
spends about $25 million for a collection of blind services lumped within
the all-disability department.  Unfortunately, over the past five years the
Department managed to place only about 300 people each year in
competitive employment.  That's a cost of $85,000 per job.  Just what
are California taxpayers getting for their money?  
     Increasingly the investment has bought an unmanaged group of
state employees who must juggle training, equipment, placement and
needs of clients with dozens of different disabilities.  Because Rehab
offices must become jacks of all disabilities, they have invariably turned
out to be masters of none.  Small wonder that the average Rehab
counselor for the blind placed just four clients in employment last year,
ranking California's Department of Rehabilitation dead last among 48
states studied in percentage of clients served.
     666 YEARS  TO WAIT FOR WORK?  Since the Department finds
so few jobs for blind Californians, at the current snail's pace and even if
no more Californians became blind--it would take an absurd 666 years for
Rehab to place existing working-age blind Californians in jobs. 
     Mediocre Jobs and Mediocre Leadership: The result of California's
decades-long experiment in lumping blind clients with all other
disabilities is disappointing.  The Department's own statistics reveal that: 
     * California Rehab lags far behind the national average in finding
blind clients jobs in competitive employment.  Last year, only 15.3% of
California's blind clients with so-called "successful" closures found such
jobs compared with a national average of 38.2% . 
     * California closed an anomalous 83.8% of blind clients as
"homemakers" last year, a work-unfriendly total almost double the
national homemaker closure average of 44.5% percent..
     * Only one of eight placements of blind clients resulted in
middle-class jobs earning at least $30,000.
     * After spending $85,000 per placed employee, the average weekly
starting pay was only $353.
     * More than one-third of the "successful" clients earned no more
than a poverty wage rate of $7.50 per hour.
     These low wages help explain why, after the state's investment in
training and equipment many Rehab clients eventually return to SSI,
doing no work at all.
     Why a Separate Commission Is Key: Congress long recognized that
the unique training necessary for blind people can best be accomplished
by establishing separate commissions for the blind.  Of 50 states, 26 have
already chosen to switch to the more efficient commission.  Recent
nationwide studies of 35,000 clients have shown compelling evidence that
these commissions outside the Rehab bureaucracy simply produce far
better results: 
     * States with separate commissions for the blind place a much
greater percentage of their clients into competitive employment.  
     * The average wage earned by clients in states with separate
commissions is significantly higher than in states with umbrella
departments covering all disabilities.
     * Commissions might be slightly more costly per client, but the
vastly higher number and quality of placements drastically cut welfare
costs in the commission states.
     Superior Results for Logical Reasons: We believe separate
commissions for the blind have a track record of success for the
following reasons:
     * Separate commissions tend to be staffed with people who have
specific knowledge about blindness and thus are better prepared to guide
the client in productive directions.
     * Separate commissions often have a higher percentage of blind
employees, who may be better able to mentor job-seeking peers.   
     * Separate commissions have more specific acquaintance with the
capabilities and performance of blind employees and may better translate
this information into a professional culture with positive, self-fulfilling
beliefs in the abilities of blind people.
     * Separate commissions present the blind client with far fewer
layers of generalist bureaucracy, often speeding training and equipment
purchase.
     * Separate commissions employ staffs familiar with the specialized
technologies and tools that blind workers need to do their jobs.  They
don't waste time educating generalist counselors with one-time-only
solutions.
     * Separate commissions are easily-understood organizations and are
therefore more likely to engage in employment partnerships with
industries and corporations.
* Separate commissions are often far more accessible to input from blind
consumer groups,  making it possible to be more flexible, creative and 
responsive to the needs of the community.
     California's Entire Blindness Field Supports a Commission:xxx The
Blind Alliance for Rehabilitation Change (BARC) represents nearly every
agency and organization across California's blindness  field.  Together,
we annually spend more private dollars to train California's blind citizens
than does the entire Department of Rehabilitation.  In a historic alliance,
we have come together to seek creation of the only structural solution
significant enough to improve the rate of blind unemployment--a
California Commission for the Blind.
     Here, for the first time in years, we unanimously put our
organizations on record to demand prompt action to establish a separate
commission.
     List of Organizations Supporting a Rehabilitation  Commission:
California Council of the Blind
National Federation of the Blind of California

American Foundation for the Blind West (San Francisco)
Braille Institute (Los Angeles)
Center for Partially Sighted (Los Angeles)
Foundation for the Junior Blind (Los Angeles)
Lions Blind Center (Oakland)
Living Skills Center (San Pablo)
Peninsula Center for the Blind (Palo Alto)
Rose Resnick Lighthouse for the Blind (San Francisco) 
San Diego Center for the Blind (San Diego)
Sensory Access Foundation (Palo Alto)
Society for the Blind (Sacramento)
     For more information contact:
     Cathie Skivers, President, California Council of the Blind 578 B
Street, Hayward, CA 94541; 510-537-7877 
     Jim Willows, President, National Federation of the Blind of
California, 3934 Kern Court, Pleasanton, CA 94588; 925-846-6086 


                     COMMITTEE REPORTS 

                  CCB MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE 
                       
                      by Daveed Mandell

     During its recent hour-long meeting in Fresno last October, the
CCB's Membership Committee accomplished a great deal.  
     "The atmosphere was one of anticipation, urgency and creativity,"
said Committee chair Jerry Fields.  "There was a general feeling of
concern about the membership crisis in the organization, mingled with the
hope that positive action and dedication by CCB members would turn the
situation around.
     "We began by discussing the nature of our changing membership,"
explained Fields.  "We're not the only group whose membership has been
declining.  PTA's, fraternal organizations and groups like Alcoholics
Anonymous are reporting that fewer members show up for meetings. 
Increasingly, people say they have other interests.  Some observers feel
that the civil rights movements of the 60's and 70's are virtually dead
because relatively few people are now joining them."
     With that in mind, the question before the committee was: What
must we in the CCB do to stem the tide of dwindling involvement in our
organization?
     To this end, the committee suggested a number of
recommendations that it felt should be implemented as soon as possible.
     1. The CCB should hire a half-time Field Services Coordinator,
who would be in charge of membership and advocacy.  This person
would coordinate the efforts of the committee, the Board, the chapters
and the president.  
     2. The committee commends the President for requiring Board
members to attend chapter meetings.  In addition, it suggests that stronger
chapters should be asked to assist weaker ones and submit regular
progress reports.
     3. The Council should consider providing benefits to its members,
such as membership in credit unions and discount houses.  The CCB
should seek discounts on products such as See's Candy.  The group
should also consider seeking reduced prices at theme parks, movie
theaters, and other places of entertainment.  The CCB should also offer a
medical plan and a life insurance
policy to its members.
     4. The CCB Web site should emphasize membership services.  It
should try to attract new members, including members at large.  The
proposed Field Services Coordinator would work with the Webmaster on
this project.
     5. The Council's membership handbook should be revised and
updated no later than March of 2000.  It should be distributed in
accessible formats to chapter presidents and delegates well before the
spring convention in May in Sacramento.
     6. The committee recommends that one general convention session
be devoted entirely to panels that would discuss the nature of
membership, the handbook, and future CCB objectives.  Audience
participation would be essential to such presentations. 
     7. The committee recommends that the Board of Directors receive
a report from the Membership Chair at every Board meeting and that
membership issues also be discussed at each meeting.
     8. The CCB should work hard to attract new young members who
require a general orientation to the circumstances involved with their
blindness, including what services are available--or can be made
available--to them.  One of the most important services would be training
new members in self-advocacy skills and dealing with the system to gain
them the greatest possible advantage.
     9. The committee recommends that the First Timers meeting be
formalized and that the Council establish a mentoring system.  Current
members interested in assisting new members would fill out applications
so that they could be matched with the talents and interests of
newcomers.  Such a program would be conducted by the Field Services
Coordinator.
     10. The committee suggests that the president provide a monthly
membership update on the California Connection, which would
summarize the preceding month's activities of the Membership
Committee, the Field Services Coordinator, and the local chapters.
     The committee anticipates that, by the spring convention, there will
be a CCB chapter in Fresno.  It appears that there are enough people to
warrant organizing a chapter in the San Joaquin Valley.
     "As our fast-paced and extremely productive meeting adjourned,"
said Fields, "the committee left with a general feeling of enthusiasm and
goodwill.  We are determined to devote ourselves to furthering the goals
and objectives which were outlined in Fresno 65 years ago, during the
founding meeting of the California Council of the Blind." 
     The CCB Membership Committee welcomes ideas for any and all
activities that would increase our membership and enhance the well-being
of blind and visually impaired Californians.

                    TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

               by Frank Welte, Committee Chair

     During 1999, the Technology Committee continued its efforts to
promote the use of technology to improve the lives of blind and visually
impaired Californians.
     The committee presented two successful technology seminars in
conjunction with the spring and fall CCB conventions.  At the spring
seminar, Kenneth Frasse gave an introduction to Microsoft's Windows 95
and showed that one doesn't have to spend weeks in a training class to
get started with the popular computer operating system.  
     The fall seminar focused on the impact of current technology trends
on blind people and presented demonstrations of a number of popular
products used on a daily basis by blind and visually impaired people. 
Both seminars gave participants opportunities to share news and to find
answers to their technology questions.  The committee is already making
plans for next spring's technology seminar, tentatively scheduled for the
afternoon of May 18, 2000, in Sacramento.  
     In 1999, the CCB returned to the Internet, largely through the
efforts of committee member Dan Kysor.  The CCB's Web page is
located at www.acb.org/ccb.  The page includes back issues of The Blind
Californian available for download, information about current legislation,
and other material of interest to CCB members.
     The CCB now has an Internet mailing list to facilitate
communication among our members.  You can subscribe to the ccb-l list
by sending an e-mail message to ccb-l-subscribe@egroups.com, or you
can go to the CCB Web page, and subscribe to the list by selecting the
appropriate link. 
     During the ACB convention in Los Angeles, committee members
helped bring technology to blind people from throughout the country by
working on a series of computer training workshops presented by the
Visually Impaired Data Processors International.
     The committee has supplied CCB members with information on a
variety of technology topics in the pages of The Blind Calilfornian
through the "TechTalk" columns.  Featured in the column in 1999 were
contributions by Dan Kysor, Jeff Senge, and Frank Welte.
     Finally, as I complete my term as ccommittee chair, I want to
thank my fellow committee members: Kenneth Frasse, Greg Fowler, John
Glass, Dan Kysor, Peggy Martinez, Roger Petersen, Barbara Rhodes,
Jeff Senge, and Perry Wolf for their work throughout the year. 


                   PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

                        by Joan Black

     Although this is a year-end report, we also have to look to the
future because there is always the next issue of The Blind Californian to
think about and plan for.  First, I would like to thank everyone who
contributed articles in the past year.  Without your effort, we would not
have this fine magazine.  
     Our editor, Winifred Downing, spends a great deal of time and
effort in preparing and organizing the material, so thank you, Winifred,
for a job well done. 
     We were able to make some improvements in the quality of the
large print version.  We continued to use a 2-column format to make it
easier for readers to keep their place on the line.  However, this resulted
in short lines causing excessive white space.  The combination of new
software installed by the company formatting the large print issue
(MSMT) and the use of hyphenation have solved the problem quite well.
     The committee lost a valued member when Teddie Remhild left for
her new position in Washington D.C.  She wrote with sincerity and
enthusiasm on advocacy issues, and her contributions will be missed.
     Moving on to the new year, we need your input.  Chapter news is
very important because what one chapter does may encourage and
energize another.  The membership also needs to be kept informed about
what is happening with the various committees, so we hope all the
chairpersons will deluge Winifred with reports and that the authors of
columns which appear regularly will continue with their efforts because,
besides being informative, these pieces are popular with readers.  
     If you have information about publications, services or products
that you wish to have included in the "Bulletin Board" column, send it to
Keith Black by e-mail at kvblack@ix.netcom.com, telephone, or regular
mail.  Keith's phone and address are included in the Publications
Committee list in the back of the BC. 
     Our "Best Article of the Year" award selection is coming up in
January so I will be contacting committee members to learn their
preferences.  The winner for 1998, "Hail to the Cane" by Jeff Thom,
was reprinted in The Braille Forum and "The Howes of Boston" from
1997 was recently reprinted in Dialogue Magazine.  Who knows?  Time
or Life may be next!  


         ADVANCE IN ELECTRONIC BOOK SPECIFICATIONS 

                 submitted by Roger Petersen

     (The following story is taken from the quicken.com web site.)
     Open eBook Authoring Group Releases Final Version of New
Electronic Book Specification, Tuesday, September 21, 1999: Availability
of Single Specification Encourages Publishers to Provide More Electronic
Titles, Gaithersburg, Md. 
     In a move expected to accelerate the availability of reading material
for electronic books and help ensure that consumers will have access to
reading materials from different publishers in a single, universal format,
the Open eBook (OEB) Authoring Group today released the final version
of the Open eBook Publication Structure 1.0.  Open eBook Publication
Structure 1.0 defines the format that content takes when it is converted
from print to electronic form.
     Less than three months after distributing a draft recommendation,
the Open eBook Authoring Group, which includes publishers, eBook
pioneers and other software and hardware firms, invited Open eBook
members to vote on the specification.  The final specification was
approved by an overwhelming majority of voters.
     The Open eBook specification is based on HTML and XML, the
same core languages that define the World Wide Web, and is designed to
allow publishers and authors to deliver their material in a single format. 
The specification is expected to accelerate the availability of electronic
reading material, because the single universal format will work on all
reading systems that are compliant with the specification.  As a result,
publishers will be able to reach a wide audience without separately
reformatting their titles for each reading system.  The specification is also
designed to allow existing eBook devices to accommodate it quickly.
     "The quick adoption of a uniform eBook standard is a milestone
event in publishing," said Jack Romanos, president and chief operating
officer of Simon & Schuster Inc. "By removing uncertainty over
competing formats, it provides all publishers with the impetus and the
tools to move even faster toward publishing's electronic future." 
     "That representatives from such a diverse set of industries created
and delivered a specification in just one year is an amazing
accomplishment, and one that is sure to have a positive impact on the
emerging eBook industry," said Dr. Victor McCrary, technical manager
of Information Storage and Integrated Systems at the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Commerce
Department's Technology Administration.  "Not only has the Open eBook
group made  noteworthy progress, but the specification is groundbreaking
because it fully takes into account issues of accessibility and
internationalization."
     "I think history will show that the age of the eBook began in
earnest with the hard work and vision of the Open eBook group
participants," said Dick Brass, Vice President, Technology Development
at Microsoft Corp., who championed the idea of such a specification at
the first NIST-sponsored eBook conference one year ago.  "The OEB
standard means that publishers can format their content once and still
make it available on all devices and software that support the Open eBook
specification. This is a huge win for consumers, as well as for publishers
and pioneers.  They have worked very hard to complete this standard,
and the entire industry owes them a debt of gratitude."
     (A more detailed treatment of this subject, together with a list of
participating publishers, libraries, etc., is available on the Web site given
at the beginning of this article.) 

                        BEST OF 1999

     (Editor's note: This material is taken from the November, 1999,
issue of Newsreel, the publication of Newsreel, Inc., a magazine of
articles taped by contributors.  For more information, contact The
Newsreel, 5 E. Long Street, Columbus, OH  43215.  In a preliminary
comment on the best headlines of 1999, the contributor, Mary Ann Daly,
says, "Some of these headlines are just funny in themselves, and you
have to wonder what the author was thinking when he or she dreamed
these up.  Some are funny just by how one reads them or emphasizes
each word."

Best Headlines of 1999
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Drunk Gets Nine Months in Violin Case
Iraqi Head Seeks Arms
Prostitutes Appeal to Pope
Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
Include Your Children When Baking Cookies
Plane Too Close to Ground, Crash Probe Learned
Miners Refuse to Work after Death
Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
Stolen Painting Found by Tree
Two Sisters Reunited after Eighteen Years at Check-out Counter
War Dims Hopes for Peace
If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last a While
Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
Kids Make Nutritious Snacks 
Hospitals Are Sued by Seven-Foot Doctors
New Vaccine May Contain Rabies
Man Struck by Lightning Faces Battery Charge

Best T-Shirt Sayings
So many men; so few who can afford me
God made us sisters; Prozac made us friends
If they don't have chocolate in heaven, I ain't goin'
At my age, I've seen it all, done it all, heard it all--I justcan't
remember it all
My mother is a travel agent for guilt trips
Senior citizen, "Give me my discount and give it to me now!"
Princess, having had sufficient experience with princes, seeks
frog
What if the hokey--pokey is what it's all about?
Coffee . . . chocolate . . . men . . . Some things are justbetter rich
Growing old is inevitable; growing up is optional
Don't treat me any differently than you would treat the Queen
If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the kitchen
First National Bank of Mom and Dad: "Sorry, we're closed"
If at first you don't succeed, sky diving isn't for you
The trouble with the gene pool is that there's no lifeguard
Getting a car for your spouse; it's a great trade
It's hard to be nostalgic when you can't remember anything
Dinner is ready when the smoke alarm goes off
Wanted: meaningful overnight relationship
Anything not worth doing is not worth doing well
A day without sunshine is like . . . night
A city is a large community where people are lonesome together
In America, anyone can be President--that's one of the risks youtake

                   Braille: A GLOBAL VIEW

                submitted by Daveed Mandell 

     (Pedro Zurita, Secretary General of the World Blind Union,
presented this paper at the conference on braille for Spanish and 
Portugese speaking countries, held in September, 1999, in Buenos Aires.)
     1. Braille Today: The fact that braille is truly being used the world
over is a highly promising sign.  Concern about furthering its usage is
nearly universal. and the importance of braille as a tool to enhance
accessibility is growing day by day.  In some countries, lifts are signed in
it; in others, medicine comes in packages with an inscription in braille
specifying the name of the drugs (at this conference we have been
informed of an Argentine experience in this regard that takes this idea
much further; or in yet others, one may be surprised to find a bottle of
wine in a liquor shop with a label in relief giving all the fundamental
information about its precious contents.  It wouldn't be hard to go on in
this vein and claim that, to some extent, negative attitudes towards braille
have disappeared.  But unfortunately, all that glitters is not gold.
     We firmly believe--and I wish to make this perfectly clear--that we
are making significant progress whenever differentiated treatment is
afforded visually impaired people with remaining vision.  What we do
feel is unfortunate, though, is that certain mistaken philosophies still
abound about the difficulty of choosing the main reading code for people
with major visual impairment in some cases.  Many people obviously
think that
people with poor vision are better than people with no vision at all and
are reluctant to recommend braille to people even where there are clear
indications that it should be their main reading code.  Braille is perceived
as something negative, and its use as  a failure.  But in such cases, braille
can and should be introduced without misgivings or shame of any sort.
     2. World Braille Council: One of my regrets, as my term in office
with the WBU Secretariat comes to an end next year, will be that we
have no competent world-wide authority for braille-related issues.  Aware
as I am that this is no simple matter, I place the blame for this serious
shortcoming nowhere.  In the fifties, UNESCO created a structure of this
nature, which made some very meritorious progress.  Subsequently, the
Council was subsumed into committees of the World Council for the
Welfare of the Blind, one of the organisations that self-dissolved to create
the WBU.
     The fact of the matter is that we need a structure that could work
towards the standardisation of codes usable in all language areas, a body
to which we could resort to obtain certain basic information.  That entity
would also be responsible for ensuring compliance with certain principles
that should be honoured by all codes.
     The problem is that such a body would need resources and would
have to enlist the support of people with a broad vision (even if they are
blind), a good background in languages and a command of all braille
resources.  I am persuaded that as soon as there is true awareness of the
need for this body, the relevant involvement on the part of the
organisations with an interest in the area will afford a feasible solution.
There is an obvious need for an effective permanent office and there are
people in the various language areas with the skills needed to cooperate in
such a structure.
     We would very likely have to begin by vesting the Council with
advisory functions only, although its performance would very quickly
warrant its conversion into a genuine world authority on braille.
     There have been prior attempts to standardise the many scientific
braille codes, but such efforts have never met with success. In my modest
opinion, such standardisation should not be entrusted to the authors of
specific codes, who are bound to believe that their own is the best.  If
such a strategy were to be followed again this time, it would very likely
not be long before we had yet another code, which would not meet with
acceptance as the truly standardised option.  This endeavour should be
undertaken, rather, by open-minded people who are sincerely persuaded
of the advantages of using basically the same code in all countries. 
Students and professionals would be eternally grateful for such an
achievement.
     The braille version of the International Phonetic Alphabet needs to
be updated and, consequently, revised.  This would be yet another task in
which the Council's involvement would be essential.
     The WBU Literacy Committee met on 28 and 29 August in
Stockholm, Sweden, immediately prior to the WBU Executive meeting,
held on 31 August and 1 September.  Acting on a Literacy Committee
proposal, the Executive adopted a resolution to set up a working group to
study the creation of such a World braille Council.
     At the same meeting, the Executive also decided to create a
commission to draft a resolution to be submitted to the Fifth General
Assembly of WBU for approval, for creating a World braille Day.
     3. Eight-Dot Braille and Music Notation: Anyone who uses a
braille display and/or printer knows how very many tables there are and
logically yearns for a single 6- and 8-dot braille code.  Many will be
surprised to know that the ISO (International Organisation for
Standardisation) is working on the formulation of an 8-dot braille code
and has established a committee on the subject.  This initiative is based
on a project coming out of Germany that was initially supported by the
European Blind Union.  I recently inquired into this matter and spoke to
the person responsible for the initiative, who immediately sent me the
ISO-proposed tables.  All language areas, including the Spanish- and
Portuguese-speaking countries, must obviously be made aware of these
tables.  Work is presently being done to translate, reproduce and
subsequently disseminate them.  Although its existence has received
insufficient coverage, the new braille music code formulated by an
international group is a very important development and a step in the
right direction; the printed edition of the English version of the manual
was launched in Amsterdam, Holland, in July. 1996.  Versions in other
languages have appeared in the interim: the Spanish translation, for
instance, is available in Spain in the printed and braille editions.  Music
notation has been discussed in this conference.  This manual should
obviously be disseminated and we should firmly support the application
of this standardised version everywhere.
     This task has been undertaken by the WBU Literacy Committee's
braille Music motation Subcommittee.
     4. Braille in language areas:  While the only world-wide
undertakings of which we are aware are the progress made in the field of
music notation and the work on the ISO project in connection with the
8-dot code, a number of other endeavours are underway in several
language areas.  In recent years, in addition to initiatives in the Spanish
and Portuguese areas, the English speaking countries have created the
International Council on English Braille, an organisation intended to
further cooperation among its member countries, whose world influence
in some cases is hardly negligible.  The primary project in which they are
engaged at this time is the formulation of the so-called unified code.  The
idea is to do away with the total disparity currently existing among
different specialised codes, such as the  scientific, computer, music
notation codes and so on, and to adopt notations with a core of common
characters.
     Certain organisations in French-speaking European countries and
French-speaking Canada have promoted the establishment of a French
Braille Authority, which has recently adopted changes in the literary
notation.  German-speaking nations also have established mechanisms for
cooperation and just recently approved minor reforms in the code.
     In the case of Chinese, the major problem lies in the fact that it is
impossible to apply braille to the ink print written language, composed of
thousands of ideographs--i.e., characters representing concepts, objects
and so on.  From the outset, Chinese braille was based on phonetic
sounds, similar to the "pinyin" system of transliteration of Chinese words
in the Latin alphabet, itself recently reformed; (hence, for instance, the
leader whose name many of us thought for years was Mao Tse Tung is
now spelled Mao Zedong).  The People's Republic of China, Hong
Kong, Chinese Taipei and lately Singapore have set up mechanisms for
collaboration.  A new code has now been introduced in China to more
accurately represent tonal realities and other features of the language; but
logically, those accustomed to using the old code are reluctant to change.
     UNESCO established criteria for standardisation in the
Arabic-speaking countries in the fifties; but in the interim, events have
not run along parallel paths in all such countries.  An attempt is currently
underway to standardise the different specialised codes (mathematics,
contracted braille, computer, and so on).  When the attempt to
standardise Arabic railway was made, it was decided, for instance, that as
in other languages, tactile readers would read from left to right, instead
of from right to left, as ordinary Arabic script is read.
     5. Braille in Other Languages: I have been informed that braille
was introduced for the Guaran language in Paraguay, as well as in
Rwanda and Bhutan; and the winds of change calling for adaptation to
new IT realities are reaching countries as unlike as Italy and Indonesia. 
Indeed, a new braille code was recently published in Italy and in recent
weeks I have received reports that, at a conference of the major
Indonesian organisations, Pertuni, it was decided to include a revision of
braille among the priorities for the near future.
     6. Conclusion: Contrary to some predictions, modern technology
has become one of braille's most valuable allies.  Personally I, for
example, read more and more on a braille display every day; and in my
office we can produce a braille version of nearly all the documents we
generate, using a braille printer connected to our basic hardware or by
making copies in diskettes that can be read by a computer or electronic
notetakers.  Moreover, small braille production units are now sprouting
up in any number of countries.
     The standing of braille all over the world gives us much cause for
optimism.  However, we must continue to make straightforward efforts to
eliminate any vestige of negative prejudice and the unfortunate habit of
discouraging certain people from learning the code in the belief that they
will not find it useful.  From the vantage of an organisation such as the
WBU, we cannot afford to simply sit back and contemplate the dynamic
realities taking place around us.  Despite the  difficulties that its
constitution and maintenance entail, we must seriously endeavour to
reinstitute the World Braille Council and ensure that it will be a truly
effective organisation able to respond to expectations.
     If this forum voices support of the idea, the effects could only be
beneficial.

William Jolley
Executive Officer, Blind Citizens Australia
Convenor, DDA Standards Project
Vice-President, East Asia Pacific Region, World Blind Union
87 High Street, P.O. box 229, PRAHRAN  VIC  3181  AUSTRALIA
E-mail:  wjolley@bca.org.au


    TRIBUTE TO RAY LEMOS,  (June 20, 1934-OCT. 19, 1999)

                      by Maria Negrete

     On Tuesday, October 19, 1999, Ray Lemos passed away in his
sleep from a heart attack.  Ray was a long time resident of San Francisco
and spent over 40 years advocating on behalf of blind people.  He was
totally blind and severely hard of hearing but never let these limitations
stop him.  
     As a Business Enterprise vendor, Ray traveled every day to his
snack bar where he worked making a living clear up to the day he died. 
For anyone who knew him as a friend, there is an extreme emptiness in
his passing.  
     During the last year of his life, Ray served on the Board of
Directors for TriVisual Services (TVS), an agency in Sacramento serving
the blind population residing in Northern California.  He also served as
chair of Reader Services for the Voicespondence Club of Richmond,
Virginia. 
     On Saturday, January 8, 2000, the TVS Directors and Ray's
friends will be celebrating his life at an event called the Tribute to Ray
Lemos.  The celebration will take place at 1:00 p.m. at the TVS office,
1722 J Street, STE. 2 in downtown Sacramento.  Anyone wishing
additional information can call TVS at 916-447-7323.  Those who are not
able to attend but who would like to remember Ray may send a tax
deductible donation in his name to the TVS office.


                       BULLETIN BOARD

                  compiled by Keith Black 

     Would you like to add to your store of friends by corresponding on
tape?  For only $5 a year, you can become a member of the
Voicespondence Club and receive a directory of all members and their
interests.  The directory is available on tape, in large print and braille,
and on computer disk.  All the other publications concerning the
organization are furnished on cassettes with return mailers.  A friendly
letter from a Voicespondence greeter tells you all you need to know about
the hobby and also about the special services extended to blind members
which permit them to purchase cassettes, mailing envelopes, recorders,
and many other items at reduced rates.  Contact Gayle Selfridge, 2373 S.
York St., Denver, CO 80210.  
     From Dialogue, Fall 1999: The following new publications are
     designed for novice computer users who are visually impaired: 
     "Family Fun With Computing" shows how a person who is visually
     impaired or print disabled can use a computer without the addition
     of a separate screen reading program with speech.  "Competitive
     Computing for the Print Disabled" presents six steps for people
     with print disabilities to take to be competitive in
     employment-related computer skills.  "MAP" helps readers master
     applications programs that are easily compatible with speech
     output.  "Tools for Considerable Independence With Computing"
     shows how to explore and use various applications programs.  The
     books are $12.95 each, or the four-title set is offered for $39.95. 
     They are available in the following formats: regular print, large
     print, Grade 2 braille, ASCII disk, and two-track cassette.  To
     order, or for more information, contact Linwood Gallagher, ADA
     Consulting, Inc., Box 3126, Carson City, NV 89702.  Make
     checks or money orders payable to Linwood Gallagher.  
     The VisAble Scientific Calculator allows users with low vision to
perform scientific, mathematical, and trigonometric calculations.  It
includes all basic scientific and mathematical functions and comes with a
large print manual that is spiral bound for ease of use.  For more
information, contact the Betacom Corporation, 2999 King Street West,
Inglewood, ON L0N 1K0; 800-353-1107.  
     Braille Master 6.0 for DOS and Windows is a really simple,
straightforward, manageable way to produce braille and large print from
the written word.  With Braille Master you can translate text to braille
directly to your embosser or printer, translate text to an interim braille
file, edit a file, print or emboss braille from a braille file, view the
completed braille on screen, or customize formatting and controls for
your embosser or printer.  If you would like a demonstration disk, please
contact John Panarese, Managing Director, Technologies for the Visually
Impaired, Inc., 9 Nolan Court, Hauppauge, NY 11788; 516-724-4479;
E-mail tvii@cris.com.  
     Community Services for the Blind and Partially Sighted of Seattle,
WA, has launched an on-line store at www.sightconnection.com
dedicated to products for living with vision loss.  For more information
contact Community Services for the Blind and Partially Sighted, 9409
Third Avenue NE, #100,  Seattle, WA 98115-2027; 800-458-4888.  
     Millions of people are losing their vision to macular degeneration,
the leading cause of blindness in those over age 60.  Now there is help,
hope, and information on the Web with the launching of the Macular
Degeneration Partnership's new Web site, located at www.macd.net. 
This site is the most comprehensive on-line resource dedicated to
age-related macular degeneration (AMD).  For people with macular
degeneration and family members without access to the Internet, the
Partnership also maintains a toll-free telephone line, 888-430-9898, that
provides recorded information about a range of topics related to AMD. 
Callers also can leave their name and address in order to receive more
detailed information and a free home test for AMD.  The Macular
Degeneration Partnership is a coalition of individuals, their families,
researchers, clinicians, industry partners, and leaders in the fields of
vision and aging.  Its mission is to create an unprecedented collaboration
among all these parties to disseminate information about AMD, provide
support, and marshal resources for a cure.  
     Duxbury Systems purchased the assets of Braille Planet, which was
the successor to Raised Dot Computing.  Together they will be
maintaining and improving the current family of software products, as
well as developing the next generation of technology.  In the merger, no
customer will be left behind in the process.  All current MegaDots and
Duxbury software will be maintained and fully supported.  An even
greater emphasis will be placed on user training, both in terms of written
materials and through the development of a national network of software
trainers.  For additional information contact Duxbury Systems, Inc., 435
King Street, P.O. Box 1504, Littleton, MA 01460; 978-692-3000; fax
978-692-9712.   
     The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) announced the release of
the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.  W3C encourages information
providers to raise their level of accessibility using these guidelines.  The
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines establish stable principles for
accessible design, such as the need to provide equivalent alternatives for
auditory and visual information.  These guidelines are an outcome of a
collaboration of industry, disability organizations, accessibility research
centers, and governments working together to identify consensus solutions
for barriers that people with disabilities encounter on the Web.  To obtain
a copy of the guidelines or for more information, visit the Web site at:
www.W3C.org/wai.  
     From The Matilda Ziegler Magazine, October, 1999: Online
Guide.  Restaurants and bakeries that carry sugar-free desserts in St.
Louis, Las Vegas, Manhattan, and the state of California have been
compiled and placed online at 
www.sugarfreesites.com.  Also, the site seeks E-mail input about other
American places that make and sell sugar-free desserts at
sfsites@yahoo.com, or call 314-726-6893.  
     Chocolate Braille.  The Chocolate Experience makes regular and
sugar-free assorted chocolate-brailled greeting cards and chocolate guide
dogs.  The company also sells supplies to make chocolate cards with six
messages for fund-raising products.  Call 888-568-6665 or visit
www.chocobraille.com (speech-friendly) or www.chocomelt.com
(graphic), or send messages to chocomelt@aol.com. 
     From The Matilda Ziegler Magazine, November, 1999:
Technology Resource.  "Access World:  Technology for Consumers With
Visual Impairments" will be available in January from the American
Foundation for the Blind.  It is a comprehensive resource for obtaining
the latest information on adaptive technology and visual impairment. 
Clearly written text provides a wealth of information on new products
available, current techniques in use, new books and videos, practical tips
on using adaptive technology, reports from the field, and more.  Six
issues a year, in a choice of on-line, print, tape, or braille, will contain
helpful and valuable information on recent technology for the home and
office.  Subscriptions cost $29.95 a year and are available from AFB
Press, 11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300, New York, NY 10001; 212-502-7651,
fax 212-502-7674, E-mail cboston@afb.net or www.afb.org.
     Transcription Service.  Dot's Right! is a Los Angeles-area
transcription service that prepares high-quality braille menus, personal
documents, training manuals, and more at reasonable prices.  Contact Liz
Conejo at 323-255-9213 or lconejo@concentric.net.  
     Computer Audio Resource.  To get the most out of audio on a PC,
visit www.heartoday.com for downloads, advice, and accessible gateways
to audio resources on the Web.  
  

              HOW BLINDNESS HAS COLORED MY LIFE

                      by Sheila Styron

     (The following was originally written for the Earl Baum Center,
which is interested in learning about the positive and negative influences
and programs experienced while growing up as a blind or low vision
child.  Those wishing to contribute to this project should submit materials
as an attachment to the e-mail address, fontina@pacbell.net or on disk to
The Earl Baum Center, 4539 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404) 
     An interesting phase I went through in early childhood is something
my mother remembers and I don't.  According to her, I had a Betsy
Wetsy doll whose eyes I repeatedly poked out no matter how often my
father repaired them.  Obviously at that time in my life, I felt it was okay
to be blind and wanted a blind friend with whom to identify and play. 
     In contrast to that part of my childhood, which I honestly do not
recall, I have expended a lot of effort as an adult trying to minimize the
effects of my blindness on my life and in my relationships with others.  I
have dealt with my blindness extremely well, though, in many areas.  My
blindness skills, as reading braille and safe travel have come to be
known, are strong and, in general, I get along well in the sighted world. 

     However, I do admit that I am not psychologically and socially as
comfortable with my blindness as some others are with theirs.  Since
consistently poking out Betsy Wetsy's eyes, I have been striving to prove
myself to my sighted peers.  Yet, I am still as blind as I ever was. 
Today, I feel a compelling need to reconnect with that part of myself
which once upon a time allowed me to accept my blindness with more
ease.
     At what point in my life did I switch gears from believing it was
okay to be blind to deciding that being blind was not okay?  Why am I
drawn to explore the elements and issues in my childhood which make
me the woman I am today?  Why do I still feel inferior despite my
personal and professional accomplishments?  And why all this
self-analysis?
     Sometimes, there are wonderful parents whose children do not turn
out as well as might have been hoped.  In other situations, there are
young people who far exceed society's expectations of them.  Looking
back at the aspects of my childhood which had to do with my blindness, I
realize that many of the positive and negative elements of how I was
raised and educated are obvious to me as an adult.  Also, as with all
human beings, I believe that part of who I am is simply the personality
which has been mine since birth.  
     In attempting to answer some of my own questions, I feel that it is
important to identify some of the elements of nurture and nature which
have joined forces to create both the good and bad feelings surrounding
my blindness.  It is clear to me now that, while growing up, it was
relatively easy for me to learn the skills which enabled me to cope
externally with being totally blind.  It is equally obvious that at a very
young age, I became aware of society's negative attitudes toward the
blind and was not able to escape from internalizing them.  As a result, I
grew up to be a competent blind woman who is still not comfortable on
the inside with being blind in a sighted world.
     While attending kindergarten in California, I remember leaving my
sighted classmates for a period of time each day to learn braille.  I
enjoyed this activity and recall receiving attention from the press and
other praise for being a good braille reader.  This positive experience of
having had qualified resource teachers as well as my general fondness of
learning have given me a lifelong love of braille and education.  
     I then attended the Illinois State School for the Blind for two and a
half years before returning to California.  In the late 1950s, students were
not mainstreamed in Illinois, where we had to moved because my father
had been transferred there by the Navy.  During that time, I learned to
read braille music and also skipped second grade.  Beyond that, I don't
recall too much about those years except that I could only go home on
weekends.
     Back in California, from fourth grade on I was mainstreamed in
programs with good resource teachers and just a handful of other blind or
vision impaired students.  I continued to do well academically and, as I
grew older, found ways to spend less and less time in the resource room. 
I would go there to collect braille textbooks and to turn in math
homework which needed to be transcribed into print.  I believe I learned
to type in fourth grade and have typed most of my homework ever since. 

     I remember winning what I considered to be a major battle when I
was in high school which resulted in my breaking the law.  Legally, I
was supposed to spend one class period a day in the resource room, but I
did not want or need to be there.  I managed to have a reader during that
time and to do it outside on the senior lawn, weather permitting.   This
felt like a major accomplishment, especially when I was only a
sophomore.
From an academic standpoint, the resource programs which I was
involved in served me well.  I do not remember being a part of any other
ongoing blindness activities or programs, nor do I recall receiving formal
mobility instruction.  My orientation and mobility have always been quite
good, but I was never issued a cane and did not purchase one for myself
until after I was at UCLA for a couple of years.  By then, I had been
working with a guide dog since the summer between high school and
college.  
     Previous to obtaining my first guide dog, I traveled unassisted
around my neighborhoods and schools by walking with someone sighted
when venturing outside familiar environments.  I was extremely fortunate
to attend schools with excellent resource teachers who provided me with
the necessary skills enabling me to enjoy the process of learning.   As an
explanation for my lack of formal o&m training skills, I do not believe
that many students in my generation received much instruction.  I was
fortunate to possess a fearless desire to travel and parents who allowed
me to be independent.  So what was missing from my experiences as a
blind child that has subsequently led to many of the uncomfortable
feelings I suffer as a blind adult?  Society's unenlightened attitudes
toward the blind are certainly one reason.  Two other important issues for
me were the lack of blind peers and also blind adult role models whom I
could truly respect and like.  With no positive blind role models to look
up to and society's often negative attitudes and perceptions of the blind to
overcome, I often felt as a child and still do as an adult that no matter
how hard I try, I can never fit in.  My best never feels good enough.
     I understand that all blind people do not feel as I do.  I have been
striving to overcome these feelings by attempting to find a place for
myself within the blindness community where I have not been an active
member until recently.  Maybe if I had become involved in more social
and sports activities where blind and sighted participants interacted in
positive ways, I would feel better about being blind today.  I do not want
any other blind children or adults to experience the feelings of inferiority
and alienation I have known in my lifetime.  I believe it is essential for
children who are blind and vision-impaired to have the blind friends and
adult role models, which I didn't have, in order to develop higher
self-esteem and a sense of pride in belonging to both the sighted and
blind communities. 


                     OUT OF THE DOGHOUSE

                      by Melita Waters
                         Pres., GDUC

     This article was in the Daily News of Los Angeles at the beginning
of the month.
     Our GDUC luncheon speaker at this last convention spoke to us
about the arsenal of tools available to us, where access issues are
concerned, and he suggested that we should use all of them.  This article
falls right in line with his presentation.  I requested and received
permission to reprint the article here.  Congratulations to the participants
in this long over due denial of access suit.  Perhaps full access for all of
us is actually a realizable goal.  
                              
                  DAILY NEWS OF LOS ANGELES
                  Friday, November 5, 1999

               TAXI COMPANIES SETTLE LAW SUIT

                      By Jesse Hiestand

     Five Los Angeles taxi companies agreed Thursday to settle a
lawsuit filed by blind customers who claimed they were denied service by
drivers who objected to carrying guide dogs in their cabs, attorneys said.
     In settling the discrimination suit, the taxi companies agreed to pay
$34,500 in damages and pledged to improve drivers' training on serving
the disabled and to improve complaint procedures and penalties for those
who discriminate.  "It's a great victory," said Eve L. Hill, executive
director for the Western Law Center for Disability Rights, which filed the
federal civil rights suit. 
     "People with vision impairment really depend on their service
animals to give them freedom, and without the ability to use a taxicab,
that freedom is severely restricted," Hill said.  The suit grew out of
customer complaints that drivers did not want to carry dogs because they
considered them dirty or they feared an allergic reaction or because it
was against their religion.
     The suit on behalf of five individuals alleged violation of the
Americans with Disabilities Act and California laws requiring that guide
dogs be allowed in public places, including taxicabs, Hill said.

     Hill said she hoped the settlement would put other Southern
California taxi companies on notice that discrimination will not be
tolerated.
     William Rouse said his clients, L.A. Taxi Cooperative and Fiesta
Taxi Cooperative, teach new drivers to treat disabled people fairly and
intend to step up those efforts.  "Our position throughout this lawsuit was
that blind individuals are a critical and valued part of our customer base,"
Rouse said. "So, strictly from a customer-care point of view, we wanted
to make sure we were doing right by our customers."  Rouse said his
clients had enough evidence to prove they did not discriminate but
decided it was more prudent to settle the case. The three other defendants
were United Independent Taxi Drivers, L.A. Checker Cab Co, and
Beverly Hills Cab.
     Trial was set to begin in U.S. District Court last week and
settlement negotiations had been under way for six weeks, Hill said.
     As part of the settlement, Access Services Inc., which provides
transportation for the disabled, will establish a subcommittee to study
issues affecting customers who have guide dogs.
     One of the plaintiffs, Ken Metz of Torrance, said that on several
occasions he called for a cab and waited at curbside for more than an
hour.  When he later called to ask why he was not picked up, he was told
the driver went to the appointed spot and found no one there.  Metz
believes the taxi drivers actually saw him and decided not to stop because
his guide dog was with him. "One of the drivers told me he didn't want
the dog. He said the fur would end up in the cab," Metz said. "I think a
lot of it comes from a lack of understanding; some of it could he cultural
differences."


          HINTS AND HELPS FOR SAVING MONEY AND TIME

                        by Etta Burge

     As one of eleven children, a former preschool teacher, mother and
grandmother, I've found--and continue to look for--money and time
saving tips.  Here are a few favorites I'd like to share.
     The moist cleansing tissues found in nurseries are not just for
babies' bottoms.  I keep boxes of them all through the house for spills of
all kinds.  They are great for spot cleaning of carpets and quick counter
cleanup in kitchen and bath.  I always keep a packet in my purse for
sticky fingered grandchildren after an ice cream treat. 
      A famous old jingle warned us not to put bananas in the refrigerator. 
You can, of course, but better yet, when they ripen faster than you can
use them, peel the bananas, cut them in half and freezer bag them.  They
are great for smoothie blender drinks or anything else for which you'd
use a bananas.  Do remember to peel them first; otherwise, well try it
and see what happens, but remember I warned you. 
     A clean dry sponge placed in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator
gives your perishables a longer drawer life by absorbing the moisture.
     To prevent the discoloring of lettuce, give the core of the head four
good whacks rotating it slightly after each blow.  The core should pull
right out.  Rinse, dry, and tear the head apart.  Be sure to cut the lettuce
only with a plastic knife. 
     Another favorite tip that works well is this.  If you ever have an
ant invasion or even just one or two stragglers, (hasn't everyone?),  here
is what to do.  If you can locate the entry point, such as water pipes
under the sink, windows, or exterior doors, draw a line across or around
each entry point with regular blackboard chalk. The ants will not cross
the chalk line but march up to the line and then retreat.
     If you've ever struggled to open a bottle cap without success, try
this: using an ordinary metal nut cracker, grasp the lid between the teeth
of the nut cracker and twist counterclockwise; slick as a whistle. 
     That's it.  If you have any hint's or helps to share on any subject,
please send to Etta Burge ettalb@prodigy.net or write Etta Burge, 4600
Village Road, Long Beach, CA 90808.  Thanks a bunch!



                   LIBRARY USERS BOOK LIST

                     by Winifred Downing

     At the luncheon of the California chapter of Library Users of
America, we ask each person to speak about a book or two that has been
particularly enjoyable.  Below is the list assembled from the luncheon on
October 29.  We thought you would enjoy knowing the preferences of
members devoted to reading.  Thanks to Martin Magid of the San
Francisco subregional library for the tremendous help he was in tracking
down the book numbers.   
     In a few instances, the title I wrote was incorrect, whether because
of my braille or inadequate information given to me so that we could not
find the book.  Also, I was sometimes not able to get the name of the
person who suggested the book, and there may be some spelling errors in
individuals' names.

COMING OF AGE by Studs Terkel, RC41899 (George Fogarty) 
THE BLACK CROSS RC41450 (George Fogarty)
THERE'S A BOY IN HERE RC43816 BR09520 (Linda Fonseca)
THE VALLEY OF DECISION RC12074 (Pat Nash)
CANARY ROW RC09940 (Paul Borelli) 
ANIMAL DREAMS RC32451 (Jill O'Connell) 
THE POISONWOOD BIBLE RC46882 BR11745 (Nancy Unger)
CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE PET LOVER'S SOUL RC46429 (Sam
Doherty)
THE BEAN TREE RC27589
THE WORLD IS MADE OF GLASS RC19234 (Joan Grove) 
Biography of Warren Buffet RC39493 (Connie Shoeman)
THE RAINMAKER RC39879 (Melanie Brunson
LITTLE WOMEN RC18128 (Rhonda King)
ADVISE AND CONSENT RC38799 (Pat Byrnes) 
TRAVELLER (told from the perspective of Robert E. Lee's horse)
     RC28136 (Rhonda King) 
THE FRESNO STORIES BR11333 (Vicki Bishop) 
YOU CAN NEGOTIATE ANYTHING RC15834
PLANET OF THE BLIND RC45500 (Vicki Bishop 
CHRISTY RC07076 (Wendy Eisenberg, Fresno subregional librarian) 
ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL RC06096 (Wendy Eisenberg)
HIS BRIGHT LIFE RC47039 (Leslie Thom) 
CORELLI'S MANDOLIN RC39551 (Winifred Downing) 


                      AROUND THE STATE
                        ANNOUNCEMENT                        

Hello Friends and Colleagues:
     My name is Anthony Ramirez, Secretary of the Berkeley Council
of the Blind and research staff at the Disability Statistics Center.  I would
like to invite all to take part in our study on the meaning of disability so
that together we can effectuate change.  Thank you and Happy Holidays!
     News Release: "Meaning of Disability Study":  UCSF's  Disability
Statistics Center, an internationally recognized source of disability
statistics, is looking for volunteers to participate in its new "Meaning of
Disability Study".  "With this work, we want to talk at length with people
who have a disability of any type in order to gain a broader and more
in-depth understanding of their experiences," said the center's director,
Dr. Mitchell P. LaPlante.  
     Faculty, staff and graduate students at the center have traditionally
produced national-level statistical estimates concerning all aspects of
disability.  This new study, however, looks beyond the numbers we often
hear quoted in the mass media, to the words of those who live with
disability.  
     In the coming months, the center will be organizing a series of
focus groups and one-on-one interviews with people who have a wide
array of disabilities.  "It is only through the systematic study of people's
stories, spoken in their own words, that we can begin to develop better
survey questions, and ultimately better and more useful statistics," said
LaPlante.  "In particular, we are interested in learning more about how
the person with disability interacts with his or her environment--both its
physical aspects, such as accessible transportation and accommodations
inside buildings, as well as its social aspects such as public awareness and
attitudes toward disability."
     Subjects must be between the ages of 18 and 75, self-identified as
disabled, able to communicate in English and able to interact in groups or
in a personal interview.  Focus groups and interviews will last
approximately 2 hours and all participants will be paid $25 for their time. 
For those who need special assistance, reimbursement will also be made
for travel expenses (up to $50) and a personal attendant, if needed (up to
$100).
     If you, or someone you know, is interested in participating, please
call toll-free 1-888-824-0422 or e-mail Dianna Stammerjohn, the center's
coordinator: diannas@itsa.ucsf.edu  
 
*****        *****          *****          *****           *****
              WELLS FARGO PRINT MATERIALS NOW 
              AVAILABLE IN ALTERNATIVE FORMATS
     As part of the "talking ATM" settlement agreement signed last June
by Wells Fargo and the California Council of the Blind and other blind
individuals, Wells Fargo is now required to have a procedure for
ensuring that all print materials are effectively communicated to persons
with vision impairments.  The procedure applies to all Wells Fargo
banking information, such as account statements, disclosure forms, and
loan applications.  If you need this kind of banking information in an
alternative format because you are blind or have a vision impairment,
please ask Wells Fargo for what you need.  You can either call Wells
Fargo's toll free number (800-869-3557) or ask at your local branch.  
     Alternative formats include braille, large print and audio cassette,
and other effective methods of communication.  Please remember that if
more than one method is effective for you, the bank has the option of
providing an effective method of its choice.
     The California Council of the Blind wants to make sure that Wells
Fargo's new procedures are working smoothly.  If you request an
alternative format, please let us know what happened by contacting the
CCB's Accessible Banking Services Legal Team by phone at  888-316-
8870 or by e-mail at grimes@sgdblaw.com    
     Thank you for your help in ensuring that the Wells Fargo
agreement works for the blind community. 
Lainey Feingold, 1524 Scenic Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94708; 510-
848-8125 
     Linda Dardarian
     Linda Kilb 
     (DREDF) Lawyers for the California Council of the Blind
          
*****         *****          *****          *****
     On November 9, 1999, The California Council of the Blind
announced the installation of pilot "talking" automated teller machines
(ATMs) at five Citibank locations in California.  The machines were
installed as a result of a settlement agreement reached last summer
between Citibank and the Council.  We urge everyone who is blind or
has a vision impairment to try the new machines!  The pilot machines
have been installed at the following Citibank financial centers: 
     1. Downtown Berkeley- 2323 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA
     2. Downtown San Francisco- 260 California St., San Francisco,
CA
     3. San Carlos- 780 Laurel St., San Carlos, CA
     4. Los Angeles/Westchester- 8800 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los
Angeles, CA
     5. West Los Angeles/Rancho Park- 2566 Overland Ave., West Los
Angeles, CA
     Here are some tips for successful use of the talking ATMs: 
     1. To activate the audio program, you must tap twice in the top
right-hand corner of the screen.  Currently there is no written or audible
prompt to this effect, but that will, we hope, change soon.
     2.  There is no surcharge on the pilot Citibank talking ATMs. 
Please try them and use them even if you are not a regular Citibank
customer.
     3. Citibank is handing out free earphones.  Just in case, it is a good
idea to bring earphones--standard Walkman earphones work.
     4. The pilot machines will be up until at least the end of March,
After that, we hope they will be a permanent part of the Citibank ATM
fleet across the country. The purpose of the six month pilot is to test the
machines and get user feedback.  There must be user feedback for the
pilot to be successful.  If you use the machine, please ask to give
feedback.
     If there is no one at the bank to take feedback, please feel free to
call the California Council of the Blind legal team at 888-316-8870, or by
e-mail at grimes@sgdblaw.com
     Lainey Feingold, Law Office of Elaine B. Feingold, 1524 Scenic
Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94708; 510-848-8125; e-mail
lfeingold@california.net
  

                      ONE MAN'S OPINION

(Taken from the Fall, 199, issue of The Blind Teacher, news letter of the
National Association of Blind Teachers.  It represents Gary Legates's
opinion on attitudes that affect most people, not just students.)
     Today I saw a story on the Internet which I want to share with you
since I believe it applies well to our profession.  I am sharing it because
it is a story about struggle--a thing which, I fear, is often absent from our
classrooms today.  
     We seem to be doing all we can to eliminate struggle from our
students' lives.  We want things to be easy for them; we want them to
feel that everything is fun.  All knowledge should be interesting and
easily mastered, we are leading them to believe.  Yet, as is illustrated by
the story, what a gift struggle is to our lives!  How many of us struggled
to learn to ride a bike, catch a ball, tie our shoes, learn the intricacies of
braille, or play an instrument!  Struggling to acquire a particular skill
carries with it a tremendous joy and sense of accomplishment when the
skill is mastered.  Will our students be able to feel that joy, or have we
made things so easy for them that no struggle was necessary? . . . 
     One day a small opening appeared on a cocoon.  A man sat and
watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body
through that little opening.  Then it seemed to stop making any progress;
it appeared that it had gotten as far as it could but could go no further.  
     So the man decided to help the butterfly.  He took a pair of
scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.  The butterfly
then emerged easily, but it had a swollen body and small, shriveled
wings.  The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected
that, at any moment, the wings would expand to support the butterfly's
body which would contract in time.  Neither occurrence happened.  In
fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen
body and shriveled wings.  It never was able to fly.
     What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that
the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get
through the opening was God's way of forcing the fluid from the body of
the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it
achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
     Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.  If God
allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple
us.  We would not be as strong as we could have been; we could never
fly.


             TECHTALK: SOURCES OF COMPUTER TRAINING 
                     FOR BLIND CALIFORNIANS

                         By Frank Welte

     Previous installments of this column have suggested some sources
and strategies that vision impaired people could use to acquire computers. 
Of course, once one gets a computer, one must learn to use it.  The
following resources--And other sources of training not listed here--can
help the blind computer novice down the path to computer proficiency.
     Because most new computers use the Microsoft Windows 98 or
Windows 95 operating systems, we will discuss training for this
computing platform.  These recent versions of Windows are similar, so
most of the skills you learn in one version will apply to the other just as
well.
     Since each person's learning style is different, it is a good idea to
consider a variety of strategies for obtaining computer skills.  You may
find one of the following approaches helpful even if some other method
doesn't work for you.
     Ask a Friend: Try to develop friendships with knowledgeable
computer users in your community who can share advice and help you
solve problems.  If your circle of friends and relatives includes a few
computer enthusiasts (most of us know such people), then get to know
those persons better.  If you don't know any such people, find a local
computer users' group.  Such groups are filled with friendly people who
like to share their knowledge.  If you aren't familiar with your local
computer users' group, you may find contact information for local groups
in your telephone directory, in local computer magazines, or from flyers
posted at local computer stores.
     Go to School: Many of the colleges and universities have "high
tech" centers dedicated to making adaptive technology available on
campus to disabled students.  Unfortunately, the quality of the equipment
and training can vary widely from campus to campus.  However, if your
community college has a good adaptive technology program, you should
take advantage of this cost-effective local training resource. 
     Go to an Agency forthe Blind: A number of the agencies serving
the blind in California have added computer training along with their
other services.  You can contact the following agencies for sdecific
details about their programs.  Some agencies require students to be clients
of the Department of Rehabilitation.  This list is not comprehensive, so if
the agency providing blindness services in your community isn't on this
list, it may still offer computer training now or in the near future.
     Braille Institute of America, 741 N. Vermont Street, Los Angeles,
Ca 90029-3594; 323-663-1111; 
Www.brailleinstitute.org; (Offers introductory computer courses and job
search skills training to Braille Institute students, featuring Windows 95,
Microsoft Office, Zoomtext, and JAWS For Windows.)
     Lions Blind Center, 3834 Opal Street, Oakland, Ca 94609; 510-
450-1580; (Offers training classes using a variety of adaptive hardware
and software products.) 
     Lions Blind Center of San Jose, 101 North Bascom Avenue, San
Jose, CA 95128; 408-295-4016 
     Orientation Center For The Blind, 400 Adams Street, Albany, Ca
94706; 510-559-1208; Fax: 510-525-4922 
     Peninsula Center For The Blind And Visually Impaired, 2470 El
Camino Real, Suite 107, Palo Alto, Ca 94306; 650-858-0202; 800-
660-2009; Www.pcbvi.org
     Rose Resnick Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 214
Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, Ca 94102; 415-431-1481; tdd: 415-
431-4572; Fax: 415-863-7568; Cityline: 415-808-5000 X1200;
Www.lighthouse-sf.org; (Offers a variety of computer classes and access
to a number of different computer access products.)Sacramento
Society For The Blind, 2750 24th Street, Sacramento, Ca 95818; 916-
452-8271
     Sensory Access Foundation, 1142 West Evelyn, Sunnyvale, Ca
408-245-7330; Fax: 650-323-1062; Www.sensoryaccess.com;
(Offers a variety of computer training classes; also sells a cassette tutorial
"Learning Windows in About an Hour" for $10.00.)
     Learn at HOme: Whether You are the kind of person who likes to
study at your own pace or you want to supplement your learning by
building up your personal reference library, there is now a considerable
amount of accessible training literature available from a variety of
sources.
     Because most screen reader software packages include at least a
basic introduction to Windows in their manuals, you already have the
beginnings of your reference library if you own such software.
     The following organizations offer a wide variety of training
materials for Windows and for specific software packages in a variety of
accessible formats.  Space doesn't allow for detailed descriptions of all
the products, but the author hopes to present selected product reviews in
future "TechTalk" columns.
     American Printing House For The Blind, 1839 Frankfort Avenue,
Post Office Box 6085, Louisville, KY 40206-0085; 
502-895-2405; 800-223-1839 Or 800-572-0844; Fax: 502-899-2363;
Www.aph.org; "Listening to Windows 95" tutorial, access technology
tutorials, and other Products For The Visually Impaired.
Ann Morris Enterprises, Inc., 890 Fams Court, East Meadow, New York
11554-5101; 516- 292-9232; 800-454-3175; fax: 516-292-2522;
Annmor@webspan.net; Www.annmorris.com; mail order supplier of
products for the blind; includes some training materials in that catalog.
     Braille & Talking Book Library, P.o. Box 942837, Sacramento, Ca
94237-0001; 900 N Street, Sacramento, Ca 95814; 916-654-0640; 800-
952-5666; limited selection of computer books.
     Brl Inc., Peter Duran, Proprietor, 110 Commerce Drive, Suite 210,
Fayetteville, Ga 30214; 770-716-9222; 800-407-5839; 770-716-9599;
Brlinc@mindspring.com; Www.wyfiwyg.com; braille Windows 95
Command Summary, Windows Tutorial, Blind E-mail Disk, Freeware
And Shareware, PC Braille Translator, Microsoft Documentation in
Braille, Resource Directory.
     CrissCross Technologies, Crista Earl, Propriator, 110-64 Queens
Blvd., #406, 
Forest Hills, NY 11375; 718-268-6988; Info@crisscrosstech.com;
Www.crisscrosstech.com; "Listening In" Bi-monthly Cassette Tutorial
Series, Windows Tutorial Tapes.
     Hadley School for the Blind, 700 Elm Street, Winnetka, Il 60093;
800-323-4238; 847-446-8111; Info@hadley-school.org;
Www.hadley-school.org; Correspondence school for the blind has a few
basic computer courses.
     Henter-Joyce, Inc., 11800 31st Court North, St. Petersburg, FL
3716-1805; 800-336-5658; 727-803-8000; fax: 727-803-8001;
Info@hj.com; Www.hj.com; Ftp.hj.com; Screen Reading & Screen
Magnification Software, Windows Tutorials.
     The Iowa Department for the Blind, 800-362-2587; 
515-281-1316; Www.blind.state.ia.us/assist; project Assist, screen
reader-specific Windows software Manuals available on cassette and On
The Web.
     National Braille Press, 88 Saint Stephen Street, Boston, Ma 02115;
617-266-6160; 800-548-7323; Fax: 617)437-0456; Www.nbp.org; Braille
computer books, quick reference pamphlets which are especially handy.
     Recording for the Blind and  Dyslexic, 20 Roszel Road, Princeton,
NJ 08540; 609-520-8080; 800-221-4792; 609-520-8031; Subject
Reference System;  Fax: 609-520-7990; Info@rfbd.org;
Bklind@rfbd.org; Reference@rfbd.org; Www.rfbd.org; Telnet
Wais.jvnc.net 4445; With its library of over 80,000 textbooks on cassette
on nearly all subjects, and with its growing collection of electronic
textbooks, Recording for the Blind and Dislexic is an essential resource
for any vision impaired person who is interested in learning.

     Top Dot Enterprises, Dean Martineau, Proprietor, 8930 11thPl.
SE, Everett, WA 98205; 425-335-4894; Deamar@eskimo.com;
Www.eskimo.com/~deamar; "SOUND COMPUTING" Magazine,
Computer Tutorials.
     Tri Visual Services, P.o. Box 221310, Sacramento, Ca 95822;
1713 J St., Suite 211, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-447-7323; valuable
computer resource directory produced in several accessible formats,
which lists many providers of adaptive technology resources for the
blind.
     The author welcomes your questions, comments, corrections, and
suggestions for additional learning resources.  The author's contact
information is as follows: Frank Welte, 1432 San Carlos Ave., #6, San
Carlos, CA 94070-2205; 650-508-8329; fwelte@crl.com.
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