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1093 South Broadway |
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1093 South Broadway |
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News To Use |
News to UseWebAnywhereHere's some good news for blind and visually impaired computer users! Internet access just got easier (and cheaper) thanks to University of Washington grad student Jeffrey Bigham. Jeffrey has developed a web-based screen reader that can be used on virtually any computer with access to the internet - and it's an open source project, so it's free! To learn more about WebAnywhere, here is the link to the WebAnywhere site: http://webanywhere.cs.washington.edu/
Read This To MeThanks to Carol Porter for tipping us off to this service. Read This To Me is a free reading service for blind and low-vision people, powered by volunteers and Internet collaboration. It allows blind and low-vision people (clients) to have printed documents read to them over the phone. All a person needs is a phone line and a fax machine (no computer is required.) Here's how it works:
The service is available throughout the U.S. and Canada and is absolutely free (though donations are gladly accepted). Because the reading is done by people, this service can handle documents that electronic reading hardware and software cannot, such as handwritten documents, documents with complex graphics, etc. The cost of entry is just a phone line and a cheap fax machine. (A flatbed fax machine is slightly more expensive but can be more versatile, allowing clients to fax pages from books, food containers, and other thicker items.) BGCB has a FAX machine available if any of you would find a need for this service.
The Consumer Involvement FundThe Kentucky Council on Developmental Disabilities has a limited pool of funds we make available as financial assistance for advocates in the developmental disabilities field to participate in conferences and short‑term educational programs. The Council provides this support as a method of capacity building for Kentucky. Through participation in regional and national conferences, Kentucky advocates can share information about local initiatives, and learn from their counterparts in other communities. We believe this exchange helps us grow and work smarter on behalf of persons with developmental disabilities. If you attend a conference or educational program with Council support, we expect two things in return. First, that you'll provide a report to the Council describing what you've learned and shared during the program and how the information applies to meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities in Kentucky. Second, that you'll be a resource person to whom we can refer other citizens who contact the Council seeking information about the topic of the program you attended. You may apply for assistance to attend conferences or educational programs or advocacy by making a written request. Include the conference brochure, dates, and location, along with the amount you are paying and the amount of your request. Enclose a copy of the conference brochure. Council travel policy complies with Kentucky State Travel Regulations. If you need assistance developing a request, or if you would like further information, please call (502) 564-7842 or toll free at 1 877 367-5332. Who Can Apply to the Consumer Involvement Fund? The Consumer Involvement Fund is designed to assist persons with disabilities, their family members, and their guardians. In order to receive money from the Consumer Involvement Fund, an applicant must be,
Independent Tranportation NetworkBluegrassDear Supporters and Friends of ITNBluegrass, Thank you for your continued support of ITNBluegrass. You may be interested to read the article on us below. We are the current featured affiliate in ITNAmerica's quarterly e-newsletter! Many of you are aware that we are working on getting a legislative change so we can begin operations. Our bill passed unanimously through the Senate Transportation Committee and is now on the Consent Calendar. Most likely the bill will be voted on by the whole Senate early next week. If all goes as planned, we will be in touch with the date of our First Rides Day. We're looking forward to starting rides and making the Bluegrass a better place to live for its elder and visually-impaired populations! Gale Reece Meet ITNBluegrass, Our New Affiliate The advent of ITNBluegrass™ can be described with words that start with "g": grassroots, guts, grins, Generations, generosity, and "girls with grit." Or perhaps more precisely on the last one: female Baby Boomers with vision and persistence! In mid-2006, Executive Director Gale Reece came out of a cave – literally. She was newly retired from an underground document and media storage business that she started and ran for 20 years (in a natural limestone cave!). Looking for a challenging project and with a long-standing interest in aging issues, Gale sought advice from Dr. Robynn Pease, who at the time was program administrator for Lexington-Fayette County's Office of Aging Services. Initially focused on elder housing, Gale said, "I soon realized that one of the most pressing issues facing older adults is the need for reliable and affordable transportation." With that, the two did some research and found out about ITNAmerica. Dr. Pease prepared the application, and once it was accepted, Gale was off to raise the funds necessary to start a Bluegrass affiliate. Quickly realizing that raising money is far more enjoyable if you're working with someone else, she hired a small consulting firm in late 2006 to help. This is how she met Laura Dake – now ITNBluegrass' deputy director – who wrote grants and letters, ran meetings, approached businesses for donations, managed events and most importantly, recognized the necessity and value of the sustainable, community-supported ITN approach. One of the more difficult things Gale and Laura dealt with initially was that almost no one in their area had heard much about the Independent Transportation Network. However, their first fundraiser, the "Generations Tea and Style Show" in February 2006, not only raised money but community awareness as well with some great TV, radio and newspaper coverage. The tea was a lively and lovely Valentine-themed event with wonderful food and music and 120 guests. Laura emceed the style show, featuring local male and female celebrities of different generations (ages 8-77) modeling clothing from several area boutiques. This year's tea on February 10 featured models from ages 3-83! By July 2007, "Friends of ITN in the Bluegrass" had raised almost $140,000 and became ITNBluegrass in September 2007. ITNBluegrass is truly a grassroots effort – none of its start-up money came from taxpayer sources. Gale and Laura appreciate the encouragement and generosity of individuals and businesses in the Bluegrass as well as three foundations – the Knight and Great Bay Foundations and The Retirement Research Foundation in Chicago (which awarded the affiliate $50,000). And now a final "g": government. In order to begin service, Gale and Laura are seeking an exemption to a Kentucky statute (KRS 281.605), which regulates vehicles for hire. The current law – which was brought to their attention after they had raised their startup money – requires that drivers for hire use vehicles owned and insured by the organization or "certificate holder." This creates an impossible situation: volunteer drivers could not drive their own vehicles, which would not allow the Bluegrass affiliate to reach economic sustainability. It has been quite a journey over the past eight months, and at the moment, the mood is hopeful! The bill (HB204), sponsored by Rep. Susan Westrom (D-Lexington), passed the Kentucky House 95-0 on February 7 and is currently in the Senate Transportation Committee. With any luck, the bill will be voted on favorably in committee and sent to the Senate floor by the end of March. In anticipation, Gale and Laura are meeting with senators and encouraging interested citizens to write letters supporting the exemption. If the exemption is granted, ITNBluegrass looks forward to offering rides in July 2008. To find out how you can support the nonprofit service by becoming a charter member, volunteering, donating a vehicle or money or being a voice for change, please call Gale or Laura at (859) 252-8665 or send an email to info@ITNBluegrass.org.
The Gift of WordsJames Carmen Weaver is the author of the novel "Before Winter". This "beautifully written family story" and "love epoch" is set in the Appalachian Mountains and is about a blind widow with a ten-year-old daughter. The story relates her trials, tribulations; evil plots against the family, crafty escapes, and features a "knight in shining armor from Florida." This was a lovely holiday/New Year gift to the Blue Grass Council of the Blind. Author Jim Weaver used our website as part of his research for the novel and will donate one dollar for every book sold to an organization for the blind. It is the authoríƒÙs hope that "this book will bring awareness to the hardships of people with sight impairment." Jim Carmen Weaver is the author of A Table from the Past and Murder at the Mill, which is the first novel in the Evelyn Harmon mystery series. Gold in Brick is the second novel in this series, and is due out the first of 2008. Jim's manuscripts reflect his Christian heritage. His stories are acceptable for young adults and religious adult reading. His novels and other works were written for enjoyment only and address no political or social concerns. A brief bio of Mr. Weaver can be found here. Jim can be contacted at (251) 867-4272 or by the internet (jimcw10@yahoo.com)
Ignore the Guide Dog!By Paula Wiese Life with a guide dog in the house is not easy. Paul's guide dog, Axel, is not a pet in our household. He's Paul's companion and his eyes. Axel must make snap decisions and possess the intelligence, strength and capacity to respond to hundreds of different circumstances. We have 7 children and 9 grandchildren who all love Axel but have very defined, rigid rules related to everyone's interaction with him. Axel's devotion must be totally focused on Paul. So you see, I can understand how difficult it is for the general public to restrain from feeding, petting and/or interacting with this beautiful, friendly animal while he is harnessed as a working guide dog. I am always amazed that parents of small children do not perceive a harnessed Axel as a threat and will permit the child to approach and pet the dog without Paul's consent. What's the harm in acknowledging and petting the dog? We do not pet, feed or interact with dogs while in harness and attached to their partner because this means they are genuinely engaged in their work. They must remain focused since their primary job is to keep the person they are with safe, secure and independent. By the same token, a guide dog user has a serious responsibility to this canine companion. Guiding Eyes for the Blind values Axel at $30,000. From the breeding kennel to the puppy raisers, onto the trainers and final placement with the blind individual, many hours of dedicated training are expended on shaping the guide dog. Axel is a guide dog by virtue of all this training and a hound dog by nature. Believe me, instinct will trump training every time! In permitting a person to feed, pet and/or interact with Axel "just this one time" sends the message to Axel it's ok to divert from his job. The next time this same person encounters the pair, Axel will initiate the interaction, maybe to the detriment of Paul's safety. Kim Charleson, Vice President of ACB, shared this funny experience: She was boarding a plane with first class folks when a gentleman approached her and said, " Hi, I love dogs. May I pet yours? I'm Alex Trebek (host of Jeopardy)." What a dilemma! Guide dog users are not offended if you ignore their working companions. For the safety and security of blind individuals, there can be no exceptions by family, friends, and the general public to, what seem like, rigid rules governing the use of guide dogs. Most guide dog users will take the dog out of harness and permit people/kids to pet the animal. Paul does this for Axel anytime the situation/time will permit. I love to watch Axel's metamorphosis into a playful, romping, face licking, yellow lab when the harness comes off then return to his working mode as he steps back into the harness. I hope I have been able to give you a little insight into why we must "ignore the guide dog"!
Commission for Citizens with Disabilities BoardWednesday, September 26th was the second meeting of the newly appointed Commission for Citizens with Disabilities Board formed by Mayor Jim Newberry. One of our first items of business was a presentation by Nancy Marinaro of the LFUCG Building Inspection Office. She gave us a description of the ordinance relating to the downtown sidewalk cafe rules and restrictions in relationship to guidelines established in the ADA laws. There was a period of discussion and chair Morry La Tour asked for individuals to serve on an accessibilities committee to look into some options and recommendations that we could present to the city council members to make the downtown sidewalks accessible for all people with disabilities. Some other items we discussed were to set up committees to research and recommend ways to improve the public and Para-transit service in Fayette County. Our meeting is held the last Wednesday of the month, starting at 9:00 A.M. at the Central Library in downtown Lexington. Anyone is welcome to attend any of the meetings. If you have any questions or comments about the board feel free to talk to me. Morry La Tour
Social Security Administration - Legal Blindness Updated Standards/Qualifications.The Social Security Administration published new rules for visual disorders in the Federal Register (71 FR 67037) on November 20, 2006. These rules became effective on February 20, 2007. As in the past, statutory/legal blindness continues to be defined as best corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye; or a visual field limitation such that the widest diameter of the visual field, in the better eye, subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees, as measured with a Goldmann III4e or equivalent size stimulus. Under the new rules, how visual acuity and visual field can be tested to meet this definition has changed. For visual field testing, the following measurements can be used:
1. Automated static threshold perimetry (Humphrey 30-2 and 24-2)
2. Kinetic perimetry, such as the Humphrey "SSA Test Kinetic"
3. Goldmann perimetry SSA will not use the results of visual field screening tests, such as confrontation tests, tangent screen tests, or automated static screening tests, to determine legal blindness. For visual acuity testing, the criteria changed because most test charts that use Snellen methodology do not have lines that measure visual acuity between 20/100 and 20/200. Newer test charts, such as the Bailey-Lovie or the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS), do have lines that measure visual acuity between 20/100 and 20/200. Under the new criteria, if a person's visual acuity is measured with one of the newer charts, and they cannot read any of the letters on the 20/100 line, they will qualify as legally blind, based on a visual acuity of 20/200 or less. For example, if the person's best-corrected visual acuity for distance in the better eye was determined to be 20/160 using an ETDRS chart, they would now be classified as legally blind. Regardless of the type of test chart used, the person will not be classified as legally blind if they can read at least one letter on the 20/100 line. For example, if a person's best-corrected visual acuity for distance in the better eye was determined to be 20/125+1 using an ETDRS chart, they would not be classified as legally blind because they were able to read one letter on the 20/100 line. To view the new rules please use the following link: http://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/2.00-SpecialSensesandSpeech-Adult.htm#2.04%20Loss%20of%20Visual%20Efficiency
GUIDE Software from EVASGUIDE is for people with low vision or who are blind. It has been specifically designed to be easy-to-use and easy-to-learn. Here are a few highlights of what can be done using some of the GUIDE programs and utilities:
GUIDE requires very little training, so most people can easily teach themselves how to use it. This is because GUIDE uses an easy-to-follow menu structure for each task. The menus are controlled using the keyboard and are spoken and displayed in large print on uncluttered screens, overlaying the Windows desktop. If assistance is needed, a task specific Help Page can be easily accessed, to provide information and support. Guide is the ideal solution for those who:
To experience GUIDE for yourself, there is a link below to a narrated presentation that shows the features of GUIDE. A thirty day trial version is available, and you can receive it by emailing jswerdlick@evas.com with your request and mailing address. Guide Narrated Presentation: http://www.evas.com/present/Guide/GuidePresentation.wmv
EVAS
39 Canal Street, Westerly, RI 02891
Money4All PetitionIn November 2006, a Federal Judge in the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the American Council of the Blind in a lawsuit that would require the Treasury Department to begin printing paper currency which is accessible by individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The Treasury Department has appealed the decision. Of the more than 180 nations that issue paper currency, the United States is the only nation which makes no effort to make its paper currency accessible by blind and visually impaired individuals. The Money for All: Accessible Currency Petition to U.S. Congress was created by and written by Michael Malver (mmalver@visi.com). This is not an ACB or BGCB petition. It's a petition that allows all people who care about this issue, blind or sighted, politically and organizationally aligned or not, to have their say. It allows all blind people and our friends and supporters to have a voice in making our nation's currency accessible. We have before us an opportunity to stand up for the independence of those who are blind or visually impaired. By signing this online petition, you will be urging Congress to act favorably on legislation that will make our currency accessible to blind and visually impaired individuals. Read it and do consider adding your name to thousands of others already on the petition. It's just this kind of grassroots activity that really changes the world. Here is the link: http://www.money4all.info.
NFB NewslineThe National Federation of the Blind offers a toll-free, electronic service that allows blind, visually impaired, or disabled persons to listen to daily newspapers and magazines using a touch-tone telephone. The NFB Newsline Coordinator for Kentucky is:
Pamela Roark-Glisson To sign up for the NFB Newsline service you may contact Pamela at: pglisson@independenceplaceky.org or call the NFB toll-free at 1-866-504-7300. Ms. Glisson has also supplied us here at BGCB with applications for this service, and we would be happy to provide you with one. For more information, you can go to the NFB Newsline web page, or contact the BGCB office.
Get Organized With the Help of ExcelThanks to Harold White for sending us this info. Whether at home or at work, Excel spreadsheets can be a useful tool. The Hadley School for the Blind has a new course that will show you how to create and use spreadsheets. This tuition-free course is available in Braille, large print and online and enables you to practice working with spreadsheets at your own pace in the privacy of your own home. This course shows how simple it can be to use a spreadsheet, said Amy Salmon, Hadley instructor for the course. You may begin to wonder how you ever did without this program! This course introduces the basics of working with Excel spreadsheets in five lessons. Before you begin the first lesson, a short section familiarizes you with keystroke orientation and setting up a course folder for storing files. The first lesson describes Excel and introduces some essential commands. Lesson two shows how to enter and edit information, including a quick method for entering the current date and time. Lesson three explains how to use various functions and formulas in calculating results. Lesson four provides practice in cutting, copying and pasting data; inserting and deleting rows and columns; and formatting cells. Lesson five discusses creating and managing databases. Prerequisites for this course include the following: familiarity with the computer keyboard, ability to type, basic math skills, access to a computer with Windows 95 or a later version, Excel software, 1995 version or later and word-processing software (e.g., Word, Notepad, etc.). This course is open to students in the Adult Continuing Education and High School Programs. Contact Student Services today to enroll in this course. To do so, please call 800.526.9909. Founded in 1920, The Hadley School for the Blind is the largest, worldwide distance educator of persons who are visually impaired. Hadley offers 100 tuition-free courses to eligible students. The school's 10,000 annual enrollments are from all corners of the United States and more than 100 countries. Courses are available to students who are visually impaired, family members, and professionals. Visit them on the Web at www.hadley.edu . The Hadley School for the Blind Contact:
Student Services |