Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Future Reflections Winter/Spring 1998, Vol. 17 No. 1
Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Broken Braille Watches
Not long ago I received the following letter from one of our regular readers,
Lydia Schuck of Michigan:
Dear Mrs. Cheadle,
Once again, Future Reflections is loaded with useful information. NFB
materials are the most useful things we receive, and we get lots of mail!! I
wonder if Future Reflections and the Braille Monitor could both
be used to help parents of blind children in the following way: I'd like to
give my 4-year-old a no-longer-in-service Braille watch. Could [the Braille
Monitor and Future Reflections] run a notice for blind adults to
send out-of-service watches to me, and a notice for parents who want a non-functioning
Braille watch for a child to send me an address so I could forward watches on
to families? If you think this is not too crazy an idea, I'd like your help!
Here's Lydia's announcement:
Parents: If you would like a non-functioning Braille watch as a plaything for
your child, please send your child's name and address to Lydia Schuck, 1981
Eden Road, Mason, Michigan 48854.
Accessible Web Page
Here's a notice from one of our parent leaders in the National Organization
of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC). Debbie Day chairs the NOPBC Network on
Homeschooling. My 9-year-old daughter and I put up a most popular Web page called
Brianna's Name THAT Book! It has the most wonderful links to a variety of recommended
reading lists, and a fun game testing your knowledge of juvenile literature.
Brianna has chosen passages from a variety of excellent books in a wide variety
of categories (Newberry Award Winners, Fantasy, Humor, Historical Fiction, Biographies,
etc.) The game is played by trying to guess the title and author from the passage
given. Once the child is ready to guess, he clicks a link that takes him to
a page which gives the title, author, and brief description of the book.
The site has received many awards including the Homeschool Top 5% Website Award,
and it has also been named as one of the 50 Great Sites on the Internet by the
American Library Association. After creating a very graphical site, we worked
diligently to create a text-only site for blind kids. It can be found at [http://www.az.com/~dday/bookstext.html]
Abacus Attack
This announcement comes from Robin Adler of Pennsylvania:
We would be grateful if you could print this announcement of a new product which
would be of interest to your readers in your "Hear Ye!" section of Future Reflections.
Abacus Attack is a new educational game for blind and visually impaired students.
Players roll Braille dice and move their playing pieces around a magnetic Braille
and large-print game board answering math questions divided by grade levels
(1-6). Computations may be done with the optional abacus or any math device
of your choice. Play with two to six players including sighted friends and family.
Compact, easy to store, and carry. To order a game without an abacus, send check
for $70.00 plus $10.00 shipping and handling to: Mostly Mobility, 7100 Route
183, Bethel, PA 19507. Add $15.00 to the total for an abacus. Allow six weeks
for delivery. For more information call (717) 581-0994 or e-mail [[email protected]]
Software/Hardware for Young Blind Kids
This announcement request came to my e-mail address:
I develop software and hardware for kids with special needs. If you have read
Closing The Gap, or gone to any technology conferences, you have heard the name
R. J. Cooper. I have been doing this for 14 years. Here are 3 items that I am
excited about:
1. Spell-A-Word, a large print, talking, spelling program, designed for kids
ages 5 to ten. It also works great for older kids who are functioning at a younger
developmental age. I have put several special features into Spell-A-Word specifically
for blind children. The program really holds their hands, so to speak, during
the spelling process. It is a delight to see children really work at getting
it right.
2. IntelliKeys large membrane keyboard, is a great touch-sensitive device for
entering text into a computer, especially programs like Spell-A-Word. The keys
on IntelliKeys can be 1" tall, with big bold letters on them.
3. Tactile Overlays for IntelliKeys provide a way for blind children to interact
with text-oriented software. Through a unique collaboration with persons at
the VISIONS Lab at Purdue University, I am able to make available IntelliKeys
overlays with highly textured letters and Braille cells, appropriate for young
children.
I also make another program for young blind children named Find The Buttons,
intended to introduce the mouse.
For more information, you may click here [http://www.rjcooper.com/blind]
Tactile Pictures
We've been asked to print the following product information:
There is now an easy and fast way to make tactile graphics. Any image can be
drawn or photocopied onto a special paper called capsule paper and then processed
by Pictures in a Flash (PIAF). High quality tactile graphics can be made in
minutes, and it's easy to make Braille directly on the graphic! Ideal for the
classroom, home use, and in the office—wherever you need to make graphical
information tactile. PIAF is being used by and for people who are blind all
around the world. For more information contact: In USA—Humanware, Inc.,
6254 King Road, Loomis, CA 95650; (800) 722-3393; e-mail [[email protected]];
Fax (916) 625-7269.=20 In Canada—Aroga Technologies, Ltd., 1611 Welch Street,
North Vancouver, British Columbia V7P 3G9; (604) 986-7999 or (800) 561-6222;
Fax: (604) 968-7070; e-mail [[email protected]]
Lending Library for Blind Children
The Kenneth Jernigan Library for Blind Children is possibly the oldest and largest
private lending library for blind children in this country. A service of the
American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, individuals, teachers, and
schools are qualified to use this library. The collection contains Twin Vision�
(print/Braille) books for younger readers, and straight Braille for advanced
readers or upper-grade students. Titles in the "straight" Braille
category include many of the classics. Books are selected by computer using
the grade level and other information supplied on the application. However,
specific titles may also be requested or reserved. Mailings usually consist
of at least four titles, but schools and teachers may request additional books.
Circulation of books is based on a "turn-around" system. A new set
of titles are mailed out after the previous set of books have been returned
and checked back into the library system. A complete record is maintained of
all titles sent to the subscriber, thus assuring no duplication of future mailings.
To request an application for this FREE library service, contact: American Action
Fund for Blind Children and Adults, Library Application, 1800 Johnson Street,
Baltimore, Maryland 21230. Phone: (410) 659-9315. (Note: The completed application
is to be mailed to the California office where the books are stored and from
which they are shipped. The administrative office is in Baltimore.)
Summer Music Institute
We have been asked to distribute the following information:
The Music and Arts Center for the Handicapped is now accepting applications
for its 1998 Summer Institute for Blind Musicians to be held July 12-31. This
residential program is for blind college-bound high school students who expect
to pursue a career in music.
The Summer Institute will be held on the campus of the University of Bridgeport
in Connecticut. Students will live in a dormitory, have meals in the college
dining hall, and use the recreation center and other university facilities.
Field trips to the seashore and area cultural events will add to the experience.
To be eligible, a student should have good academic standing, be proficient
on an instrument, and be reasonably independent. The program cost is $2,500
for room, board, and tuition. For local students not requiring room and board,
the cost in $1,500 for tuition alone. Some scholarship assistance is available.
A complete application including teacher recommendations and an audition tape
must be received by May 15, 1998. Enrollment is limited to 15 students.
For applications or more information contact: Music and Arts Center for the
Handicapped, 600 University Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06601. Phone: (203) 366-3300;
Fax (203) 368-2847; e-mail [[email protected]]
Art
We have been asked to disseminate the following information:
In spring, 1998, OpticalTouch Systems will release Baroque Art in the Seventeenth
Century, the first in a ground breaking multivolume art history series for people
who are blind and visually impaired. Developed by Art Education for the Blind,
Inc. Art History through Touch and Sound: A Multisensory Guide for the Blind
and Visually Impaired is the result of nine years of research, development,
and testing. This innovative audiobook series spans the history of art from
prehistoric through contemporary, including some 600 tactile diagrams illustrating
major monuments in the history of art. Each volume of Art History Through Touch
and Sound comprises a bound book of tactile diagrams and a companion audio narrative.
The diagrams utilize a lexicon of seven standardized patterns, enabling the
reader to acquire a familiarity with the tactile vocabulary. Color and black-and-white
photographs of the works accompany the tactile illustrations. Image captions—which
include attribution, date, media, dimensions, and location or custodian of the
work—are provided in both large print and Braille. Additionally, interpretive
sound-compositions offer alternative ways of understanding a work of visual
art's thematic essence or compositional dynamic. Each volume includes art-appreciation
activities and a short bibliography. All volumes undergo extensive clinical
trials with blind advisors for content, clarity, and accuracy.
Art History Through Touch and Sound A Multisensory Guide for the Blind and
Visually Impaired
Baroque Art in the Seventeenth Century
* Publication: Spring, 1998
* Authors for this volume: Art Education for the Blind & Paula L. Gerson,
Ph.D.
* Illustrator: Teresa Kardoulias
* Type: 18-point Helvetica & transparent Braille
* Illustrations: 29 tactile diagrams; 19 photographs
* Audio running time: about 9 hours
* Price for this volume: $149.95
* ISBN: 1-890116-00-9
* To Order: 212-334-3700
* Publicity: Kyoko Tokunaga, (212) 334-3700
New Name
The following name change was announced in the March, 1998, issue of Wagon
Trails.
...So far the legislative session has been a productive one for SDSVH (South
Dakota School for the Visually Handicapped). The name change bill has passed
both houses of the legislature and awaits the governor's signature ...SDSBVI—South
Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired [emphasis added]. This change
will become effective July 1, 1998.
Braille Blocks
The Blind Children's Fund, source of the following product, makes many useful
products and materials available to parents of young blind children. The following
product was announced in their quarterly publication, the VIP Newsletter, which
is also available to parents for a small subscription fee:
Braille Blocks: These cubes look like classic alphabet blocks with one colorful
difference: One face of each has an impressed letter and corresponding Braille
cell in the lower right-hand corner. It's just right for kids with visual disabilities.
Activity Idea: Play a "find the letter I say" game. Put out three
blocks. Ask your child to pick the one with the letter or sound you name. 27
blocks: $28.00 plus shipping and handling. For more information contact: Blind
Children's Fund, Karla B. Storrer, 311 W. Broadway, Suite 1, Mt. Pleasant, MI
48858; Phone: 989.779.9966; Fax: 989.779.0015; E-mail: [email protected];
Web: www.blindchildrensfund.org
Braille News
The following miscellaneous Braille news appeared in POBC News and Views,
the newsletter of the Colorado Parents of Blind Children, a Division of the
NFB of Colorado:
New Courses from the Hadley School for the Blind
For adults and youth who are just beginning Braille, three new courses are being
offered by the Hadley School. These courses include audiocassette tutorials,
sequenced lessons, self-correcting exercises, and teacher support.
Using Raised Markers: A pre-Braille course that introduces the learner to a
variety of raised dot markers and how to use them to identify items. Exercises
teach students to personalize their environment by labeling appliances, food
items, household cleaners, clothing, cosmetics, etc.
Braille Literacy 1: Tactile Readiness for Braille: This course teaches 12 skills
of tactile perception. Students will learn the
hand and arm movements associated with good Braille reading. This course presents
alternative methods for tracking Braille lines and identifying differences in
Braille symbols.
Braille Literacy 2: Learning the Braille Alphabet: Students practice the skills
mastered in Braille Literacy 1 as they learn the letters of the Braille alphabet.
A 3M Braille labeler is provided. Precise directions for producing labels for
daily living are incorporated into the lessons.
For information about these classes, contact the Hadley School for the Blind,
700 Elm St., Winnetka, IL 60093; (847) 446-8111.
Seedlings Braille Books
The 1998 Seedlings catalog is now available. This catalog contains over 300
low-cost Braille books for children. Thirty-eight new titles have been added
this year, including preschool print, Braille, and picture books, Newberry Award-winning
books, and popular series books. To receive a catalog, write to Seedlings, P.
O. Box 51924, Livonia, MI 48151-5924, or call 800-777-8552.
Braille Book Club
The Children's Braille Book Club features a new print Braille title every
month! All of our books are for preschool through third-grade readers. There
are two ways to join the Club:
Option #1: Enroll in the Club, free of charge, simply by sending us your name
and address. Free membership entitles you to
receive monthly notices (please specify print or Braille) which describe the
book of that month and how much it costs. You are not obligated to buy; you
only order the books you want.
Option #2: Purchase a yearly subscription to the Club for $100 and automatically
receive a print Braille book each month. This saves you the hassle of ordering
and it saves you money! Essentially, you pay for 11 books and receive the 12th
one free. To enroll contact: National Braille Press, Inc., 88 St. Stephen Street,
Boston, MA 02115; (800) 548-7323.
Future Reflections the National Federation of the Blind
Magazine for Parents of Blind Children
Mail to:
Future Reflections
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
New Subscriptions, Renewals, Free Literature, Address Changes, and Membership
Dues
[ ] Please send me a FREE Parents Information Packet. This packet of literature
includes a paperback size Future Reflections Introductory Issue. It also includes
other booklets with resource, educational, and inspirational information about
blindness and blind children.
ADDRESS CHANGE: Please attach mailing label with old address, or write in former
name/address below.
Date__________________________________________________
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Please check the appropriate boxes:
[ ]Parent(s) [ ]Teacher [ ]Other
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