NEWS
FROM
BLIND
NEBRASKANS
Fall 2002
"NEWS FROM BLIND NEBRASKANS" is published on tape and in print by the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska. The NFB of Nebraska is an affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind. Since 1940, the NFB has been leading the way toward security, equality, and opportunity for all blind people. We are the organized blind changing what it means to be blind in Nebraska.
NFBN PRESIDENT
Carlos Servan
1033 O Street, Ste. 24B
Lincoln NE 68508
(402) 477-7711
Email Carlos Servan
EDITORS
Cheryl Livingston
1026 S. 35 St.
Lincoln NE 68510
(402) 488-2509
Email Cheryl Livingston
Evelyn Haines
5649 S. 31 Apt. 9
Lincoln NE 68516
(402) 421-9035
Email Evelyn Haines
To be added to our mailing list, contact Evelyn for the print version or Cheryl for the email or tape version. A donation of $5.00 annually is requested to defray the cost of the NFBN Newsletter. Make checks payable to NFBN and send to Cheryl Livingston, NFBN Treasurer, 1026 South 35th, Lincoln, NE 68510.
The board of the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska consists of:
President - Carlos Servan
1st Vice President - Michael Floyd
2nd Vice President - Shane Buresh
Secretary - Ryan Osentowski
Treasurer - Cheryl Livingston
Board Member - Jane Lansaw
Board Member - Nancy Oltman
Board Member - Della Johnston
Board Member- Amy Buresh
Board Member- Bob Burns
Chapters and Divisions within the Nebraska Affiliate are:
Grand Island Chapter-Contact Nancy Oltman at (402) 463-2018
Kearney Chapter-Contact Jerry Schram at (308) 236-8268
Lincoln Chapter-Contact Amy Buresh at (402) 465-5468
Northeast Chapter-Contact Clarence Widhelm at (402) 379-0185
Omaha Chapter-Contact Bob Burns at (402) 498-8806
Panhandle Chapter-Contact Howard Backous at (308) 632-2506
Parents of Blind Children Division-Contact Kim Becker at (402) 477-7711
Student Division-Contact Ryan Strunk at (402) 721-5914
Table of Contents
State Update by Ryan Osentowski
Technology Beyond the Century MarkBy Nancy Coffman
National Convention by Evelyn
A Morsel to Chew On by Barbara Walker
“Hello, How are You?” by Bob Deaton
Equal Access to a Black and White World By Ryan Osentowski
Changing a Tire and Maybe a MindBy Jeffrey T. Altman
All in a Summer’s Work by Ryan Strunk
News From Around the State
Return to: State Page | Blind Nebraskan
STATE UPDATE
by Ryan Osentowski
Greetings my fine, fellow Federationists. Here I am to brief you on the events currently taking place on the state level of the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska.
It was a banner year for Nebraska at the national convention in Louisville Kentucky. The attendance by Nebraskans was around 60, the highest ever registered. President Carlos Servan was elected to the national board. Jeff Altman won $1000 for his submission of a Kernel Book story entitled, "Changing a Tire and Maybe a Mind." Ryan Strunk, our esteemed NABS president, won a $7000 scholarship. I had the honor of appearing in the annual mock trial of the National Association of Blind Lawyers and I also submitted a resolution regarding Internet access to the Social Security Administration's web site. I am happy to say that the resolution passed by acclamation. President Servan also submitted a resolution regarding deadlines in the decision-making process for Social Security. His resolution passed as well. Jane Elder was again one of the top Associates sellers in the country. Many Nebraskans won door prizes in general session. We had decided to charter a bus to carry the majority of Nebraskans to Louisville and the ridership was around 45. Our national convention will again be held in Louisville next year. We will be meeting in Atlanta in 2004 and again in Louisville in 2005. Transportation options will be discussed at our next state board meeting at state convention in October.
Speaking of state convention, the 2002 state convention of the NFBN will take place in Kearney on October 11, 12 and 13. It will be held at the Ramada Inn, located at 301 Second Ave. Reservations will soon be available and you can make them by calling (308) 237-3141. The agenda promises to be full and interesting as always and our national rep will be Fred Schroeder. If you have any items you would like to be placed on the agenda, please contact President Servan. Barbara Walker will be heading up the transportation committee, so contact her with any questions. Next year's state convention will be held in Omaha at the Marriott Regency Hotel.
Our annual state Walk for Independence, which is usually held on Mother's Day weekend, was cancelled this year due to bad weather. The walk has been rescheduled in Omaha on September 28. It will be held in conjunction with the River City Round Up. Everyone is encouraged to get out there and raise more pledges. Proceeds go directly to our state treasury. The Walk for Independence will be held in Lincoln next year and the date has yet to be set.
Speaking of fund-raising, we still have a lot of split-the-pot raffle tickets available for members to buy and sell. The winner will be drawn at state convention in October. Proceeds from the ticket sales go toward our national Capital Campaign.
NFBNewsline has been growing by leaps in bounds. The program went national in March of this year and we now have access to 60 newspapers from around the country. We have 610 subscribers in our state and I receive approximately 10 to 20 new applications each month. The bad news is that the Lincoln Journal Star has still not come on board. They joined us briefly in May, but we discovered that they were giving us outdated material, so we dropped them from our feed. President Servan is making one final attempt to meet with the editors of the paper and if they choose not to come on board, we will consider taking stronger action. Such action will be discussed at our next state board meeting in Kearney.
Speaking of bad news, I regret to report that Computer Options may be nearing the end of its short but vital existence. Unfortunately, the grant that we were awarded has almost run out and will expire by the end of September. Barbara Walker has done a remarkable job in her daily instruction of computer classes in our state offices. We will need to brainstorm to come up with more funding options to keep this important program alive and flourishing.
This brings me to the end of the state update. If you have any further questions about the material here, feel free to contact President Carlos Servan or myself for clarification.
TECHNOLOGY BEYOND THE CENTURY MARK
By Nancy Coffman
Last year's National Federation of the Blind convention offered a lull in the action for those of us who spend most of the time that we are not in meetings hovering over tables full of new gadgets and updated "tools of the trade". Little did we know that the technology vendors were just catching their breath between the bustle of 2000 and the hubbub of 2002. This year brought dynamic changes in many product lines within the adaptive technology field.
PERSONAL DATA ASSISTANTS
The devices formerly known as "note-taking devices" or "note-takers" saw a
face-lift, a tune up and an overhaul. The Braille Note line of PDA's from
PulseData/HumanWare saw the most changes. Before summer's end, a browser is scheduled to be available. I saw a demonstration of the web browser and it was impressive. It seemed responsive and easy to use. A new motherboard with a faster modem and more memory are also slated to be available and will be shipping in new units soon. If you are the traveling type who always wants to know where you are, consider adding the GPS to your Braille Note.
Freedom Scientific’s Braille Lite Millennium series saw updates including the ability to send and receive e-mail in grade 2 Braille. A new hardware feature that allows "turbo mode" to speed up intense processing functions can also be added. Although a browser is not scheduled to be added to Millennium series note-takers, there is a new kid on the block. A pre-production model of the Pack Mate was available for a sneak preview. This unit sports a user-changeable battery and a full suite of Microsoft Office products for pocket PC's. The Windows CE platform is a twin to Windows on a desktop or laptop computer making learning how to use the system almost instantaneous.
Free updates are available on Freedom Scientifics' web site. A new version of Windisk and a program that will let you print to any Windows printer from your note taker can be downloaded without charge also. Games and goodies are up there for the taking as well. Legacy products such as Type 'n Speaks, Braille 'n Speaks and the old Braille Lite series received an update this year. It was predicted that this would probably be the final update for those products. The updates are free and on the web site.
The Braille 'n Speak Scholar and other note-taking devices are still available. Simple tasks can readily be done with these note-takers, and they perform such functions as calculation and calendar maintenance. If you are purchasing something for your child or a student, consider how soon e-mail, web browsing and other computer functions will be needed before purchasing a legacy note-taker.
VIDEO MAGNIFICATION
Closed circuit televisions saw a new member come to the family this year.
The Merlin is a closed circuit television system that allows voice
control. If you tell it "bigger", the print expands. Tell it "smaller",
and the print shrinks. This would be advantageous for a person who needed
both hands on the object being viewed.
Portable CCTV's are becoming available from several vendors. Some of them such as MouseCam and MagniCam hook up to a standard television set. Others have screens in "glasses" which are worn over the eyes. It is especially important with portable CCTV's to try before you buy and assure that you are able to manipulate the image and see the print. Make sure the system works in your lighting situation during the trial period and don't be shy about returning the unit if it will not meet your needs.
Some features to look for as you research video magnification systems include: screen resolution; whether the system uses its own lighting or the light of the environment; minimum and maximum magnification; your comfort with the controls on the unit and ability to make any connections. If you are using a portable device, is the screen big enough to meet your needs? Is color worth the price?
SCREEN READING SOFTWARE
JAWS for Windows and Window Eyes continued their competition for "king of
the hill". Both have added features and functionality, especially for
Internet Explorer. New Braille features have been added, and as always,
some bugs have been exterminated while others have hatched out of the
blue. The easiest way to see what is new with these programs is to get
onto the vendor's web sites and check out the articles about what's new in
their products. Dolphin's Hal and SuperNova, sold by Pulse
Data/HumanWare, is another speech option that should be considered in
situations where other options are not working.
SCREEN MAGNIFICATION
ZoomText from AISquared also enjoyed some updates. MaGic from Freedom
Scientific and Dolphin's Lunar or SuperNova provide alternatives worth
consideration. Before you purchase new software, downloading a 30-day
trial version of the software from the vendor's web site or asking them
for a demonstration disk is always a good idea.
PRESCRIPTION LABELS
Prescription labels have been a project of several divisions within the
Federation for a long time. Last year, there were two prescription bottle
reading systems at the convention. This year, a new one had come upon the
scene. Some of these are new to the market, and some are still in
development. The Diabetes Action Network mailing list and the Voice of
the Diabetic are good places to find up-to-date information on these
systems.
If you have questions about new technology, contact the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 877-809-2419, or the Answer Line at the National Center for the Blind at (410) 659-9314. We will be happy to help you sort out the ever-changing world of adaptive technology for the blind.
NATIONAL CONVENTION
By Evelyn Haines
Convention in Louisville was an interesting event for me this year. I took my granddaughter Danelle with me and it gave me a whole new perspective. Seeing things through her eyes gave me a new appreciation for what we have accomplished in the last sixty plus years. I was proud of her willingness to participate in everything.
Our trip to Six Flags was very hot, but very interesting. I would not recommend riding the roller coaster if you are not prepared. Sometimes, the moral support of the other people on a tour egging you on helps with gutsiness to go where you have never been before and do what you have never done before. The boat ride was aboard a floating nightclub complete with a bar, a snack bar and two bands. The one thing we learned about the river was that mayflies swarm it after dark, dive-bombing into hair, bare legs and any other body part they can aim for. It was not as much fun as I thought it would be. It was too crowded and noisy.
One of the culinary delights in Louisville was the meal at Joe’s Crab Shack before the boat ride. It was delightful and worth the evening. Danelle and I spent an afternoon working in aids and appliances. Danelle was really getting into the demonstrating of the equipment, which was great because we were in cooking aids. The whole experience was fun. Demonstrating aids and appliances is a good way to meet people, see what kinds of products can help us live our lives more easily, and get a sense of what the Federation is all about.
There were some things that we need to be more aware of when we take new convention-goers with us. The mentoring program we had last year should be continued in future years. It can be a very daunting experience when you have no idea what is going on. And having someone to give you a little help is appreciated. Over all I think it was a great convention and I know it will be a better one next year.
Meeting Whozit was one of the highlights of the convention. He has introduced himself to you on the cover of this newsletter. Whozit promises to help the NFB and the blind of the nation to improve our image. Whozit is a figure with a cane, walking confidently and facing forward into a promising future. The presidential report was another highlight in the convention, and the banquet never fails to please. The banquet is a huge crowd-pleaser for Nebraskans when one of our own gets a scholarship. This year, Ryan Strunk received $7,000.
Starting today we will be turning our attention to our state convention which will be held in Kearney from October 11-13. I know that everyone will be gathering door prizes and selling raffle tickets for the Capital Campaign. I am looking forward to seeing you all at our state convention.
A MORSEL TO CHEW ON
By Barbara Walker
Feeling overwhelmed about how to deal with the topic of the importance of quality Braille, I suddenly remembered the answer to the question, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer is, of course, “One bite at a time.” So here’s a morsel to chew on:
Imagine that you’re sitting in class at school. A packet is set before you. The teacher asks you to quickly scan the headings and sing out whenever you find one. All around you, others are doing just that. Frantically, you begin to read, hoping to determine from the context what might be a heading. You wonder how they’re doing it. By now, the room is quieting down. “Wow! That was a cinch,” someone says. “What’s next?”
“Tell me now,” you hear the teacher say, “Which section on page 2 has the most expensive item in it.” Even more unsure now, you check the top right-hand corner of the second page. There is no number there. You wonder if you should continue looking for headings so you can distinguish one item from another, or if you should keep trying to find page 2. While you are contemplating, the teacher comes by and says, “You look upset. Am I going too fast for you? They said you could work at grade level if you had the material in Braille, but if you can’t follow even these simple directions, I don’t know.”
What is the problem here? Both you and the teacher are understandably assuming that your Braille text is identical to the print version from which the others are working. The reality is most likely that this is not so. While the textual information may be the same, chances are that the formatting isn’t. If the material was merely run through a scanner and Braille translation software, there may not be any indicators—nothing centered, no blank lines, no hanging or indented paragraphs. Everything could be flush left—just one big mass of text. This might be so even if the printed text were in columns, since lines may commingle, making the information incomprehensible.
Concerning page numbers, perhaps they weren't Brailled. Maybe page 1 in print took several pages in Braille, so checking the second page of Braille would reveal no number. And had you started looking in earnest for items and costs, it’s possible that the dollars and cents may have come out in literary, Nemeth, or a combination of the two codes. When we conclude either that a blind student is unable to grasp simple concepts or that Braille is necessarily slower and more cumbersome to use, we are missing the point. Braille, like print, is most useful when producers, proofreaders, and readers are properly trained. Let's try giving the same attention to quality for Braille that we show for print, and let's expect the same level of performance from blind and sighted students alike and watch how quickly the elephant of misconception gets gobbled up.
"Hello, How Are You?"
By Bob Deaton
You have macular degeneration and recognizing faces is difficult. When someone greets you in a public place, you don't know who is talking to you and you are not sure how to respond. Very often, the person addressing you also feels ill at ease sensing your discomfort. Awkward situations like this are common for many people who are struggling with problems created by recent vision loss. For some who also have a hearing loss, like myself, difficulty recognizing voices only compounds the problem. How we handle interactions in public is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves. All too often, we limit our activities because we don't want others to know about our blindness. The image we have of ourselves as independent individuals has already been challenged. The idea that our relationships with others will change if our blindness becomes common knowledge threatens and disturbs us. Those of us who use the alternative skills of blindness to do the things we once did with vision communicate to others that we are in control of our lives and secure in the sense of who we are. We have learned that the problems created by blindness in everyday life can be managed. It does not matter if others know if we are blind or visually impaired. We are doing just fine. A blind or visually impaired person who is greeted in public has no difficulty saying, "I'm fine, thank you. But I didn't recognize your face. I am blind (or visually impaired). What's your name?" This is a very natural exchange and the person addressing you is likely to feel at ease. The encounter is a pleasant one and not at all uncomfortable. In fact, public appearances are again to be enjoyed rather than avoided.
EQUAL ACCESS TO A BLACK AND WHITE WORLD
By Ryan Osentowski
"Dad, what does arson mean?" I asked as I sat next to him on the couch, interrupting him midway through an article he was reading aloud to me from the Kearney Daily Hub.
"Its when people set fires on purpose," he answered.
"Like, in a fireplace," I asked.
"No, like in a building," he answered patiently. "Sometimes, people burn buildings because…" but I had already lost focus on what my dad was saying. My mentioning of the fireplace had caused me to reach up and feel the newspaper he was holding in front of his face. Up to that point, I had always assumed newspaper was just something you stuffed into a fireplace to help the fire burn brighter. But here was my father, reading to me from one.
"Dad, why are you reading that?" I asked.
"I like to know what's going on around town," he answered, putting down the paper. Evidently he had decided that he would never make it to the sports page with a curious four-year-old pestering him with questions. I immediately grabbed up another page, putting it to my nose and smelling the ink. I ran my hands over the smooth surface of the paper, listening to the whispering rustle of it as it gave way between my fingers. Then, after a few seconds of this curious exploration, I crushed it into a ball, fired the papery projectile across the room and laughed. My dad sighed and said he really hadn't wanted to read the sports page anyway.
Ten years later, I began to realize how much more important a newspaper was than mere fire fuel. Sitting in my eighth grade social studies class, our teacher, Mr. Henderson, began a weekly ritual of Friday morning current events trivia contests. He told our class that if we read the Thursday evening paper, he would test us on Friday morning to see how much we had absorbed. The person who answered the most correct questions would win a free pop and candy bar from the teacher's lounge. Pop and a candy bar were practically contraband at the time, since there were no vending machines available to students at our school. This prize was enough to jar the students out of their world of comic books and television for one night, in order that they might become more acquainted with the real world reflected in the pages of the Kearney Daily Hub. I realized that I would have to enlist the aid of my parents to help me win, so I began urging them to read the paper to me on Thursday nights. Unfortunately, raising three boys and working full time didn't always afford them as much time as would have been necessary to thoroughly read the Kearney paper. I then discovered that I could bribe my friends to read the paper for me. This worked for about two weeks, until my mother somehow found out what I was doing and informed me, in no uncertain terms, that lunch money was to be used for lunch and nothing else. I couldn't seem to convince my mother that a pop and candy bar were just as acceptable for lunch as the daily mystery meat and potatoes that lay before us on our trays. I cursed motherly intuition and began searching for another option. I then learned about our state radio reading service, but was disappointed to learn that they did not read the Kearney paper on a regular basis. When they did read excerpts from the Hub, they did not read the full text of the paper. Eventually, I resigned myself to the fact that I would never win a free pop and candy bar.
Six years later, Dr. Kenneth Jernigan and the National Federation of the Blind brought one of my biggest dreams to the light of reality, with the creation of Newsline for the Blind. During my time in high school and early college, I began paying more attention to current events in our world. I watched the evening news, listening to AM talk radio and political commentary. Many times, I would hear a journalist on TV or radio quote from an article in USA Today, The Wall street Journal or the L.A Times. I would find myself frustrated that they would never read the entire article. My curiosity would be aroused, but I could never find out more about the subject being discussed. Mixed in with my frustration, however, was a growing fascination that the big media voices from radio and television would always quote from the newspaper. This told me that despite the thriving world of electronic media, the printed word in a newspaper still had its place. I always felt frustrated, feeling that I was shut out from a part of the world of current events in which my sighted classmates could freely indulge. I had a computer, but hadn't yet logged on to the internet. When I heard that the NFB had invented a service by which blind people could read the entire text of a newspaper by telephone, I became excited. But my excitement was short-lived when I learned that it wasn't available in Nebraska where I was attending college. I experienced that same old feeling of disappointment…no pop and candy bar for me. But this time, it was worse. Instead of being denied sugary treats, I was being denied equal access to a big part of the ever-changing face of our world. Newspaper articles were often discussed in Political Science, Journalism and Philosophy classes that I had taken. I had better luck convincing a classmate to occasionally read an article to me if it grabbed my interest, but I still could not browse an entire newspaper at will.
Three years later, I had the opportunity to see Newsline in action. I was attending the Federation's annual Washington Seminar and Dr. Maurer gave a demonstration of Newsline by speaker phone during the Great Gathering In. I was impressed and excited when Dr. Maurer informed us that we could all use Newsline while we visited Washington, thanks to a test number set up by the national office in Baltimore. I stayed up much too late for those few nights, browsing the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun, soaking up the latest headlines. I couldn't get enough, much to the annoyance of my roommates who were more interested in sleep than the news. We all left Washington full of determination. I was determined to help fight to get Newsline in Nebraska, while my two roommates were determined to find a different roommate the following year.
In June of 1999, my hopes were finally realized as the NFB of Nebraska officially launched Newsline in Lincoln with a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony. I was like a kid in a candy store, getting my Coke and Snickers Bar 10 years too late. I was always on the phone checking out national headlines as well as the Omaha World Herald. By that time, I enjoyed internet access, but the idea of walking around my apartment with my cordless phone in hand, browsing the Washington Post, was very liberating. It was a big step up from the days of readers and radio reading services, but I still felt limited. I only had four papers to choose from. Yet, I loved the service and felt I had come full circle when I became the Nebraska Newsline Outreach Coordinator in the fall of 2000. The work itself is easy and rewarding, demonstrating Newsline for blind persons who are interested and helping them to sign up for the service. I take a great deal of pride in sharing the joy of equal access with others who could benefit from Newsline.
Since I have been a part of Newsline, I have seen it grow and touch the lives of more people. With the new national service that came to us courtesy of Congress in March of 2002, the bounds have become even more limitless. Whereas I could only read four newspapers, I am now limited to no less than 55 state and national papers. The benefits of this became all too clear last semester when my Criminal Justice professor took up an issue of USA Today one morning and began reading an article about the Enron scandal. I realized that I had read that same article just a few hours before. I could finally relate to an article that my professor was quoting! I made it a point to approach him after class and discuss the article in depth. Later that semester, I had the opportunity to debate my Philosophy professor in his office, regarding an article from the New York Times on cloning. He was impressed that I was so well read and asked, "Who reads your newspapers for you? Do you have to pay someone?"
"Not at all," I said and pointed to the telephone on his desk. "I get everything from this." Needless to say, my professor was impressed.
While the events I have described have all been beneficial to my educational experiences, I never fully realized how vital Newsline could be as a part of my life until just last week. Nebraska is right in the middle of tornado season and my hometown of Kearney was pummeled by a band of intense thunderstorms on June 12, 2002. No actual tornados were sighted in the city, but much of the area was pelted by hail the size of softballs. Lincoln is located about two hours east of Kearney and that meant that my hometown was outside the news coverage of local television and radio stations. Beyond a quick mentioning of, "bad hail and thunderstorms out West by Kearney," the people on the ten o'clock news said relatively little about the impact the storms had on the city. I had received a quick phone call from my parents, telling me of the damage that had been done to our home, but I knew nothing about the destruction that the rest of the city had endured. It was disconcerting to be unaware of the damage that many of my friends who still live there suffered in the wake of the storm. It was heartbreaking, and yet comforting, to call into Newsline the following day and read more extensive coverage of the storm in the Omaha World Herald. It also made me realize just how far we still have to go in our efforts to make more newspapers accessible to the blind. The Kearney Daily Hub is not yet a part of Newsline and we have many other newspapers in the western portion of the state that haven't signed on with our service. This incident with the storm has only strengthened my resolve to continue working to promote the benefits of Newsline not only to the blind, but to potential newspaper participants as well.
Newsline for the Blind has made a strong impact on my life and the results are only positive. Along with my daily news headlines, I can read movie and book reviews, editorials and human interest. I can keep up with the Nebraska Cornhuskers on the sports page or find out if it’s raining in Baltimore. The world of black and white that was denied to me for so long is now at my fingertips and it serves me well. In reflecting upon the benefits that Newsline has offered to me, I find it difficult to understand how anyone could oppose Newsline. We, the blind of this country, have taken a large leap forward in gaining access to a world that was largely denied to us for many years. Newsline truly embodies Dr. Jernigan's vision of independence and any blind person can be a part of it. I hope those who have not yet signed up for this revolutionary service will do so and enjoy this world of black and white that I have come to love.
CHANGING A TIRE AND MAYBE A MIND
By Jeffrey T. Altman
The Thanksgiving holiday was my first opportunity to return home to my family in Lincoln since I had begun my graduate work in Orientation and Mobility at Louisiana Tech University. The trip home was a much-needed rest, and as is the case with all such visits, it was far too short. Before leaving Ruston for the holiday, I had arranged through a friend for a ride back from the airport. The ride would be provided by an acquaintance of hers, who as it turned out would be returning on the same flight. The young woman, who I would meet for the first time that evening, was named Ellen, and she had moved to the United States from southeast Asia a couple of years before. The flight from Memphis would be aboard a small turbo-prop commuter plane, and so I had some hope of linking up with Ellen when we were boarding, but this was not to be the case.
This last leg of my flight was exhausting, having left home that morning, and it was now after dark. I felt a degree of worry concerning whether Ellen, a person I was yet to meet, had in fact made the flight, while still sorting through the emotions of leaving home once again, returning to a program that was challenging me in ways I had not imagined possible, and now to round out my day, another hour of flying with the roar of the propellers draining what energy I had in reserve. Another can of Coke and a bag of airline snack stuff, a mixture of pretzels, bagel chips, peanuts, and a few items I was unable to identify, was my supper that night. A woman, perhaps ten or fifteen years older than myself, sat beside me on the flight, and we shared a pleasant conversation. She had been to visit her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild for Thanksgiving and was now looking forward to getting home. I told her about my adventure with returning to school after nearly twenty years, having left my wife and young daughter behind in Nebraska until my graduate work was completed. Since she lived in Ruston and asked whether I had a ride arranged, I explained that if everything had gone according to plan, somewhere on the airplane was a young woman I didn’t know who was to provide my means of transportation that night.
We touched down in Monroe and a few minutes later I walked from the gate to the luggage claim area, hoping that somewhere in the crowd of passengers was Ellen. I had just pulled my suitcase from the carousel when the familiar voice of the woman that had been seated beside me on the flight came from out of the crowd, “There he is!” She stepped to my side and touched me on the shoulder, “I found her, the young woman you told me about.” Ellen was beside her and nervously greeted me.
Ellen located her bag on the carousel and before we headed out to the parking lot, I told her I wanted to stop in the restroom. Ellen immediately began directing me to the restrooms, even though I explained to her that I was familiar with their location. I asked her to please watch my suitcase until I came out and she stood waiting just outside the door.
Apparently I was taking longer than she expected because she opened the men’s room door and asked if I was all right. I had just dried my hands and was rather shocked by her opening the door. I said, “Ellen, I’m fine, you aren’t supposed to be in here, this is the men’s room!” She said, “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” I was too tired to argue the point and we headed out of the airport.
As we walked toward the front door of the airport building, Ellen was bombarding me with a string of directional information and cautioning me to the objects my cane was about to contact. Amid her bursts of nervous, well intended instructions, I was attempting to politely explain that locating the exit of such a small airport facility did not represent a serious challenge to me and that my cane would alert me of any obstacles along the way. This effort only led to Ellen changing her strategy. She was soon keeping a few yards ahead of me and calling back to me her current position or most recent maneuver as we walked toward the automatic doors. With dull ache in my head beginning to overtake me, I resigned myself to the circumstance and followed quietly as we crossed the parking lot.
She opened the trunk on her little Toyota and I lifted my suitcase in. Things were looking much better now, and I would be back at my apartment in half an hour or so.
As I entered the car I offered Ellen some money toward her gas, but she politely refused, saying that she was going to Ruston anyway. Ellen had left her car parked at the airport all week, but it started without argument and we were on our way, or so we believed. The car rolled forward uneasily and Ellen stopped the car saying, “It doesn’t feel right, I think something is wrong.” I said, “I think you may have a flat, let’s get out and take a look.”
The driver side front tire was indeed flat and Ellen began trying to figure out whom she could call to have it repaired. I immediately volunteered to change the tire. “After all,” I explained, “my father was a mechanic. I have changed many tires before and I grew up around cars.” Besides, this was the least I could do.
Ellen seemed perplexed and asked, “Change it? With what?” I was somewhat taken aback by this response and I said, “With the spare tire.” She was silent, but I could tell that this had not held any particular meaning for her so I went on, pointing toward the rear of the car, “You know, the spare tire in the trunk?” She seemed surprised by my question and said, “Oh no, I’ve had this car for nearly a month now, and there is no tire in the trunk.”
This shocked me a little, but I reassured her that there should be both a spare and a jack in the trunk somewhere and asked her to open it. I lifted my suitcase out of the trunk and raised the floor cover. There, much to my relief and Ellen’s surprise, was the small spare tire and jack. The wrench and jack handle were also there.
I began taking the items out of the trunk when I discovered that apparently the jack had been placed in its mounting clamp while the paint was still wet. I couldn’t get it to pop loose and the screw that worked the scissors jack wouldn’t budge either. Ellen said, “Oh, I better try to call someone.” At this point I was just tired enough and frustrated enough that I made up my mind that I would get the jack out of there even if I had to tear the quarter panel off the side of the car to do it. Just then, much to my amazement, the jack came free.
I carried the tools and the spare around to the front corner of the car and began figuring out how the handle fitted into the jack. I felt around underneath the car looking for the hard point to place the jack, but I couldn’t find one. I knew that if I placed it wrong it could be dangerous or at least could do serious damage to the car. Ellen took off toward the airport building without saying anything and a few minutes later, an airport security guard was standing over me asking if I needed some help. I explained that I wasn’t having any luck finding the place to locate the jack and he found a drawing on the jack and placed it under the car in the place it showed. He offered to change the tire for me, but this had become a personal issue between the car and me. I thanked him for his help and began cranking up the jack.
The car began to rise smoothly, but then the jack slipped and it settled back to the ground. I replaced the jack and tried again. This time it held.
I used the end of the wrench handle to pop off the wheel cover and then started loosening the lug nuts. I handed the nuts to Ellen to make sure that they would not be lost and then finished raising the car so I could pull the wheel.
I pulled out on the wheel and as I did I felt the car start to drop. I pushed hard against the wheel and quickly moved myself back from the car. I got very lucky, the wheel stayed on the lugs and wedged against the axle, keeping the car from falling all the way down.
I was really scared at this point, but I had no choice, I had to get the situation under control. I had Ellen hand me one of the lug nuts and told her to get back from the car. I placed the nut on the one lug that was sticking out through the wheel and tightened it with my fingers carefully. The next part was what really scared me, I had to get the jack out from under the car and that could mean reaching underneath it. The jack handle was sticking out, and when I touched it I realized that the jack was loose, it had fallen completely over. I pulled out on the handle slowly and the jack came out with it.
I moved back from the car and cranked the jack back down again. All of the warnings my father had given me about being cautious when jacking up a car and how poorly designed the jacks tended to be was coming back to me now. I was still feeling scared, rather stupid for not having been more careful, and a bit angry regarding the jack, but I had to focus on what I was doing. I knew that I had to get the jack back under the car, and this time I decided to place it further back under the rocker panel than where the security guard had originally placed it.
I placed my hand against the side of the car and pushed a little. It seemed relatively stable, so I knelt down and slowly slid the jack under the car and gently felt underneath to make sure it was on a solid part of the underside before I started to crank it back up. I didn’t want to think about the car falling again and I didn’t allow myself to do so. I turned the jackscrew with my fingers until I felt it tighten against the underside of the car and then began using the crank handle. The car raised slowly and the jack held up right this time.
I carefully removed the lug nut again and gently pulled the wheel. The wheel came off the lugs and I put on the spare. I tightened down the nuts and lowered the car as quickly as I could.
I gathered up the tools and the flat tire and loaded them back into the trunk, followed by my suitcase. Ellen was very quiet during this process and I told her that I needed to wash my hands. Then with little being said, we walked to the airport terminal building together and I went into the men’s room. I washed my hands and took the time to settle myself down again. After a few minutes, I took hold of my cane and headed for the door.
This time Ellen remained waiting in the hallway and I suggested that we should go to a service garage, since I wasn’t sure we could drive all the way to Ruston on the emergency spare tire. We found a garage a few blocks from the airport and a mechanic refilled the flat tire and checked it for leaks. He couldn’t find any, but he said it would be better if Ellen took the car back to the dealership since it was new to make sure it wasn’t a problem that needed to be covered under the warranty. He also told us that driving back to Ruston on the spare would not be a problem. With this, we headed out toward the interstate.
A few minutes later we pulled out onto the highway, at which point Ellen said that she felt very lucky. When I asked her why, she said, “Well, since I bought this car, I have pulled onto the highway going the wrong way four times now and I haven’t gotten into an accident.” I felt the blood drain from my face and I asked, “Have you had any driving lessons since you bought the car?” She said she had and once I was certain that her previous errors had not been repeated this time, I settled back in my seat and Ellen told me about herself. In spite of being very tired and the evening's events, I found myself smiling and laughing comfortably as we talked.
Aside from a quick stop at Walmart to pick up some groceries, I am pleased to say the rest of the ride back to Ruston was uneventful.
ALL IN A SUMMER’S WORK
by Ryan Strunk
In February at Washington Seminar, Dr. Maurer introduced the idea of an outreach program to the general assembly at the Great Gathering-in. The purpose of this program was to spread the word of the Federation and as a result, build new chapters and strengthen existing ones. President Maurer wanted individuals who could commit from one month to one year to the project.
At the time, I thought the work would prove interesting, but as I was busy with school, I did not pursue the matter. However, in late April, I was contacted by Jason Ewell, coordinator of the outreach program and asked if I would be interested in working with the group for the summer. I accepted and flew to Baltimore to begin the work in May.
The group was structured much like President Clinton’s Americorp, save that our version was strictly based upon work for the Federation. Members would receive a per diem each day for food, have their rooms and transportation paid for, and in addition, earn a stipend each month.
After a four- day stay in Baltimore where I learned various aspects of chapter organizing, I flew with a team of three others to the state of Washington where we commenced work on five different chapters, not all at the same time, of course. Our daily work consisted of contacting blind people in the area and asking them if they had heard of the Federation. If they had not, we would, of course, tell them about it. In many cases, members of the team would travel to various places to visit these prospective members. While the other half of the original seven members built and fortified in Oregon, we in Washington successfully built two chapters and strengthened two others.
Because of our busy schedule and my generally high level of fatigue after a full week of work, I didn’t see much of Washington outside of transit. What I did see, however, was impressive. Their interstates are lined with tall Douglas firs and majestic pines and the air is redolent with their scents. Once, while traveling along a highway, we passed in between two canyon walls. I am told that the view was spectacular. Of course, there was the rain—lots and lots of it. In Washington, when it is 70 degrees outside, people run inside, turn on their air conditioners, and complain loudly that it is too hot outside. They’d never make it as Nebraskans.
Following my work in Washington, we traveled to the national convention. Following the convention, I traveled with two others to Knoxville, Tennessee. Work in Tennessee was slightly different from work in Washington. There was a substantial difference in the number of blind people in Tennessee and this being the case, we devoted more of our time to meeting with these people and talking to them about the NFB. People in Tennessee were much more friendly than they were in Washington, and as a result, our percentage of success was significantly higher.
The only chapter we worked on during my time in Tennessee was the Knoxville chapter. Other chapters were scheduled to be worked on following the Knoxville chapter, but because I had to come home in early August to begin getting ready for college, I did not see my work in Knoxville come to fruition. I am told, however, that things went swimmingly and Knoxville has a new chapter now.
Tennessee was an interesting state as well, mainly because it is one of the few states where mosquitoes are more abundant than they are in Nebraska. The weather was always hot, the people always drawled, and the food was always either fried or barbecued.
The work proved to be quite enjoyable and I feel that I have grown as a Federationist because of it. It is written somewhere that people remember 95% of what they teach, and as members of NFBCorp have to teach philosophy to prospective members, they learn and retain a substantial amount of it themselves. Depending on what next summer holds, I would like to work once more with NFBCorp, and I sincerely hope I see new members there with me—perhaps even one or two from Nebraska?
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
OMAHA’S AUTUMN PLANS
By Jane Lansaw
Greetings fellow Federationists,
White Cane Banquet:
Many of you know about Omaha’s premier fund raiser, the White Cane
Banquet. This year, it will be held on November 9 at the Marriott Hotel,
10220 Regency Circle in west Omaha. Festivities will begin at 5:30. The
keynote speaker will be our own Carlos Servan telling his unique story of
immigration, challenge and Federation fellowship. Carlos is sure to thrill
one and all. Tickets are $35 per person and $21 for NFB members. They
are expected to be ready in
September and will be available at state convention. See members of the
Omaha chapter for details.
River City Round Up:
The National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska, Omaha will be marching
in this annual parade on September 28, 2002. We invite Federationists
from any and all other chapters to come and join us as we make our
presence known in Omaha. See President Bob Burns or other Omaha chapter
members for details.
Walk for Independence:
As many of you know, the Walk for Independence was rained out in June. We
will try again on September 28th after the River City Round Up. In
keeping with the Federation tradition in Nebraska, we have consulted with
the American Meteorological Association to ascertain the coldest day in
September for our celebration. We will meet at Zorinsky Park in picnic
area number 5 around 1:00. Since we are unable to have a picnic this
time, we encourage everyone to dine out between the parade and the walk or
bring your fast food to the picnic area and have more time to mingle with
Federation friends. We would like to apologize to the Lincoln chapter for
choosing this date but the city officials simply couldn’t be induced to
have the Round Up on another day. We invite you to have your chapter
meeting in Omaha at Zorinsky Park. We hope to see Federationists there
from all across the state. Even if the weather is brisk, we intend to
make it a joyous occasion.
GRAND ISLAND CHAPTER
By Nancy Oltman
The GI Chapter had elections and officers are as follows:
Ardyce Earl, President
Nancy Oltman, Vice President
Judy Beck, Secretary- Treasurer
Connie Stroman, Board member
We want to let everyone know that we have three new members so far. They are Mary Gadsby and Judy and Lyle Beck. The GI Chapter wants to thank all those who came out to Grand Island to help us reorganize. From me, Nancy, I have been meaning to send the recipe of my Truly Red Chocolate Cake to several people who have asked for it. This seems to be the easiest way to do it through the newsletter. Well here it is.
TRULY RED CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 C. butter, soften (no substitutions)
2 C. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 C. Buttermilk
2-1/2 C. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 C. Hershey's cocoa
1 C. boiling water
Grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans, set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, mix in thoroughly. Add buttermilk, mixing well. Sift together, flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa. Add gradually to creamed mixture, beating in well. While mixer is on low speed, gradually add boiling water. (Mix on low speed only until water is mixed in as thick batter can make boiling water splash out of bowl.) Divide dough in the three pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Note: You can bake cake in 9 by 13 inch pan about 30-35 minutes or bake in 10 by 15 inch jelly roll pan about 25-30 minutes.
GERMAN CHOCOLATE FROSTING
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. butter
12 oz. can evaporated milk
1-1/2 C. flaked coconut
1 C. chopped pecans, plus whole pecans for garnish
In a medium sized kettle, combine egg yolks, sugar, butter and evaporated milk. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Reduce heat if necessary to allow mixture to simmer or boil gently. The next part is tricky. Simmer about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. If you overcook the texture will change, but the taste is still good. Stir in coconut and chopped pecans. Allow to cool about 10 minutes. Use to frost between layers and on top of cake. Garnish with whole pecans. Frosting is enough to frost the 10 by 15 inch pan also.
A little information about our new members:
Mary Gadsby is attending tech school and is a proud mother and grandmother
Judy Beck is a vendor and her husband Lyle is a truck driver. Recently Lyle was doing his job in Illinois with Judy along this time and they were in an accident, totaling the semi. Both had injuries but are doing well and were able to attend our meeting last Saturday, August 3.
LINCOLN CHAPTER UPDATE
By Cheryl Livingston
The Lincoln chapter has had a busy year with fundraisers, community action, NFBN activities, and wholesome good fun thrown in for good measure. The chapter held a successful fundraiser selling tickets to a Younkers sale to benefit nonprofit organizations in March. In May, several Lincoln chapter members went to Omaha to participate in the Walk for Independence, which was cancelled due to bad weather. June brought our most successful annual Bowl of Fun, which raised money for the chapter and provided everyone with a fun-filled afternoon. In July, of course, many chapter members attended the NFB national convention in Louisville, KY. Several folks attended the convention for the first time this year. At the end of July, the chapter held our annual picnic at Antelope Park. A good time was had by all.
Throughout the year the chapter has been very active in providing input into the city’s planning for the future growth of Lincoln. Of major concern is the need to keep and improve the city bus system. Members have attended various meetings on this issue and have voiced our opinions about plans to reduce bus service. Our efforts have begun to pay off as the city planners look more closely at public transit and one bus route was saved from extermination.
The fall will bring more activities at the state level as we plan to attend our NFBN convention in Kearney in October. We encourage everyone to attend state convention. It will be one of the best yet!
STUDENT REPORT
by Ryan Strunk, President, Nebraska Association of Blind Students
Business in the Nebraska Association of Blind Students progresses as usual, and the norm for NABS, of course, is ceaseless forward momentum. The hard work and dedication of the members of the student division serve to carry us all forward, and there can be no doubt
that we are changing what it means to be blind.A few weeks past, NABS held a social event following the first evening of the Commission- sponsored college prep workshop, earning us new members and an excess of barbecue supplies. As a grand prize and an incentive to stay, the two students who participated most fervently and gained the most from the event were given the opportunity to … shall we say … experiment with projectile pastries with myself and secretary Jamie Forbis as targets. Lemon cream in one’s ears is truly an interesting feeling.
The Student Division is still working to raise money through walk-a-thon pledges and raffle tickets. We have received an excellent response thus far and anticipate more support in the very near future. There can be no doubt that the student division is making progress. Through our scholarship, our outreach, and our strong sense of community, we are paving the way for future blind students and adding new students to our ranks. If your are interested in the student division, or if you have questions, please contact me at 402-436-0707, or send email to Ryan Strunk.
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE FAST APPROACHING!
We try to keep the News from Blind Nebraskans going, but we need more material to publish in the newsletter. We are appealing to all NFBN members to contribute to the next edition. We will be publishing a newsletter in November and we would like an article from all if possible. Our goal is to have so much material that we will be unable to print it all in one edition.
At next year’s Walk for Independence a special prize will be given to one of our contributing members. The way it will work is that each time you write an article for the newsletter your name will go into the pot and at the next Walk for Independence a name will be drawn for the special prize. Prizes aren't the only rewards for writing an article to be published in the newsletter either. Some articles have been published in the Braille Monitor for Federationists and professionals across the country to read. Sometimes, it is just fun to share an experience with the people you have grown to love here in Nebraska.
Newsletter publication is scheduled for November, February, and May. The due dates for contributions are: November 15, 2002, February 15, 2003, and May 15, 2003. This depends on all of us doing our part. Please join us in this rewarding endeavor. Please submit articles to (email) clivingston@ neb.rr.com or send to Cheryl Livingston, 1026 South 35 St., Lincoln, NE 68510.
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