Vision WeblettersVision Webletter a potpourri of items of interest to everyone, so feel free to share it with your colleagues or forward it to a friend who can subscribe easily. See the Distribution Note below for details. A full HTML version is also available at: <www.visionww.org/visionenews.htm> In This Issue
1. Free 2003 Tournament of Roses Parade Tribute Book A braille/large-print version of the 2003 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade program is now available free of charge from Braille Institute. The book contains descriptions of all the floats in the order of the Parade so that people who are blind or visually impaired can follow along with the Parade announcers. You may obtain a free copy of this braille book by calling Braille Institute's toll-free information line at 800.BRAILLE (272.4553) or <info@brailleinstitute.org> to order a copy of the program online. Hurry! Orders will only be taken until December 26. Orders submitted after this date are not guaranteed in time for the New Year's Day. NOTE: The Tournament of Roses Parade Book is available only while supplies last. 2. Prunella Learns About Blindness Plan now to watch PBS's premiering on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 28, 2002, of Prunella Sees the Light, a new episode in which Prunella learns that her worries about protecting Marina, her friend who is blind, are more about her own perceptions than about Marina's actual capabilities. Check local listings for time. Building off of this and other themes presented in "Prunella Sees the Light" is a new ARTHUR communications awareness outreach initiative. This initiative seeks to create awareness about the many ways people communicate, explore how to make communication accessible and inclusive of all, and promote positive attitudes about accessibility and universal design. The centerpiece of the outreach initiative is Arthur's Communication Adventure: Exploring Inclusion and Accessibility, a free 16-page teacher guide that targets second grade students in mainstream classrooms. To obtain a copy of the guide, write to: WGBH, Educational Programming and Outreach, 125 Western Avenue, Boston MA 02134; Fax: 617.300.1040. E-Mail <WGBH_Materials_Request@wgbh.org> or download a copy from the "Grown-Ups" section of the ARTHUR Web site at <www.pbskids.org/arthur/grownups/teacherguides> Finally, public television stations nationwide are being encouraged to host their own ARTHUR's Communication Adventure events. These customizable events will be scheduled throughout the year, and can range from a simple booth at a membership event, to a large-scale fair that they co-host with a local community organization. 3. Travel Opportunities for People with Disabilities Companian Travel has places available for its January 2003 trip to St. Augustine and its river boat cruise in February 2003. If interested, contact: Robert M. Wilhelm, Executive Director, The Campanian Society, Inc. P.O. Box 167 Oxford, Oh 45056 Tel: 513.524.4846. Fax: 513.523.0276. E-Mail: <campania@one.net> Web: <www.campanian.org>
4. Avoid Phone Scams AT&T, Verizon, and the National Fraud Center are warning U.S. citizens of a vicious, rapidly spreading phone scam that involves dialing international area codes 809, 011, 268, or 664. If you receive an e-mail, phone call, or web page which tells you to call any of these four area code phone numbers, DON'T. Unsuspecting victims are being charged exorbitant amounts of money. This scam is difficult to avoid unless you are aware of it. There are lots of different permutations of this scam. Here's How It Works: You will receive a message on your answering machine or your pager, which asks you to call a number beginning with area code 809, 011, 268, or 664. The reason you're asked to call varies. It can be to receive information about a family member who has been ill, to tell you someone has been arrested, died, to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc. In each case, you are told to call any of these numbers right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls. If you call from the U.S., you will apparently be charged $2,425 per-minute. Or, you'll get a long recorded message. The point is, they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges. So, when you receive your phone bill you will usually find much more than $2,425 has been charged. Why It Works The 809 area code, for example, is located in the Dominican Republic and can be used as a "pay-per-call" number, similar to 900 numbers in the U.S.. Since 809 is not in the U.S., it is not covered by U.S. regulations of 900 numbers, which require that you be notified and warned of charges and rates involved when you call a "pay-per-call" number. There is also no requirement that the company provide a time period during which you may terminate the call without being charged. Further, whereas many U.S. homes that have 900 number blocking to avoid these kinds of charges, do not work in preventing calls to the 809, 011, 268, 664 area codes. We recommend that no matter how you get the message, if you are asked to call a number with an 809, 011, 268, or 664 area code that you don't recognize just disregard the message. Be wary of email or calls asking you to call an 809 area code number. It's important to prevent becoming a victim of this scam, since trying to fight the charges afterwards can become a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong. Here are some tips from the Ohio Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section on how to protect yourself from offshore phone fraud:
For additional information about this and other phone scams, go to the AT&T Website at <www.att.com/fraud/home.html#thre/s/> 5. Audio Catalogs, Cookbooks & Magazines Home Readers has a wide variety of audio catalogs for Christmas shopping, and is now offering more than 100 cookbook titles and some magazines on cassette. The following is a list of the free catalogs available from Home Readers: Avon, Blair for Men and Women, Lands' End, Chadwick of Boston, The Popcorn Factory, Schwans Foods, Figis food and gifts, Spices Etc., Home Market Place, Collectors Music, Audio Editions books on cassette, Radio Spirits, Lodes Tones Theatre, Drs. Foster and Smith pet products, Puritan Pride vitamins, Vermont Country Store, Walter Drake, Miles Kimball, San Francisco Music Box, and Kathy's Korner. To receive a complete listing of its publications, contact: Home Readers, 604 W. Hulett, Edgerton, KS 66021. Tel: 877.814.7323 between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central time, Weekdays.
6. Unique Gift Ideas Guide Dogs for the Blind has some interesting holiday gift ideas for those dog lovers on your holiday list. These include:
For information on letter openers, general all-occasion greeting cards, coffee mugs, etc., contact: Giude Dogs for the Blind, Gift Shop Catalog, 750 - 139th Ave., San Leandro, CA 94578. 7. CareerConnect: Resources for Job Seekers The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) recently launched its new free service to enable the blind and visually impaired to learn about the range and diversity of the jobs that are performed throughout the United States and Canada by adults who are blind or visually impaired. Anyone may read the articles or search the databases for careers or mentors, but to contact a mentor or to use the My CareerConnect features, you must be a registered user. Registration is free and confidential. To begin the process, a person analyzes what he/she has to offer an employer and explores careers that are available in today's labor market. This overview explains what's available in each section of the CareerConnect site: Careers, Mentors, My CareerConnect, Technology, Resources, and Home. In the Careers section, tips for career exploration article introduce techniques for analyzing yourself to determine what you have to offer an employer, and then helps you explore what careers are available in today's labor market. Through AFB CareerConnect™, you can search for career information by entering specific job titles, by browsing categories based on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), or by browsing based on your interest areas. With AFB CareerConnect's Mentor Match, you can find successfully employed blind or visually impaired workers who are willing to discuss their jobs with you. These mentors can provide details about necessary education or training, job duties, and technology that can be used in fields of interest to you. You can search for a mentor by job title, field of employment, city, state, ID number, or job tasks. Once you have found mentors in the database with whom you'd like to connect, you can e-mail them directly from the site. Check out the tips for contacting mentors to find a list of questions you might want to consider asking a prospective mentor. The Tips section includes information in three major categories: finding a job, getting hired, and keeping a job. You can find advice on a variety of topics, from organizing your workspace to finding job leads, interviewing successfully, and deciding when to disclose your disability. You'll also gain important insight into employer expectations and how they change over time. The Tips section is an evolving area where content is added and/or modified on a fairly frequent basis. My CareerConnect includes a number of tools that you can use for career exploration and your job search. The tools in this section are:
The Technology section describes the importance of technology in the lives of workers with visual impairments. In this section you can read about:
In the Resources section, you can learn a little about the materials and tools available to assist you in career exploration and your job search. You can find information on Internet sites under useful links, a listing of organizations that provide career counseling and job placement for people with visual impairments under job training, and a list of books for job seekers under recommended reading. CareerConnect can be found at <www.afb.org/careerconnect/> 8. Publication for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities The U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights has issued a new pamphlet "Students with Disabilities: Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities." This publication provides a comprehensive, plain-English explanation of what students with disabilities can expect in the postsecondary environment. AHEAD members should consider making it available to their students because it is a nice affirmation from an outside source that the requirements and expectations are different than in K-12. To order copies of this publication, write: ED Pubs You may fax your order to: 301.470.1244 or send an e-mail request to: <edpubs@inet.ed.gov> You may also call toll-free: 877.433.7827 (877.4.ED.PUBS). If 877 service is not yet available in your area, call 800.872.5327 (800.USA.LEARN). Those who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a teletypewriter (TTY), should call 800.437.0833. To order online, point your Internet browser to: <www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html> This publication is also available on the Department's Website at <www.ed.gov/ocr> Any updates to this publication will be available at this Web site. On request, this publication is also available in alternate formats, such as Braille, large print, audiotape or computer diskette. For more information, please contact the Department's Alternate Format Center 202.260.9895 or 202.205.8113.
9. Accessible Windows XP Tutorial Verbal View of Windows XP is a comprehensive tutorial designed for beginner and intermediate users. The audio edition, 10 tone-indexed 2-track tapes with album, is recorded by the Cutting Corporation, a leader in audio production for the blind. This tutorial (500+ print pages with 37 chapters) is screen reader independent. Every chapter has a chapter summary for quick reference and has a keyboard summary when applicable. Price: Audio Edition $95; e-mail edition $55. Call toll free 877.993.4994 with questions or to order; you can also order online at <www.wyfiwyg.com> or from any of the dealers listed there. All major credit cards accepted. (No shipping charge is computed for the e-mail version!) 10. Closing the Gap Forums Closing the Gap is making available a number of online discussion forums that explore the many ways technology is being used to enhance the lives of people with special needs. There is no fee to participate. To view the many topics, go to: <www.closingthegap.com/forums>
11. Music Services Provided by NLS In 1962 a special music collection for blind persons was authorized by Congress as part of its free national library program of braille and recorded books and magazines. In 1966 this program was expanded by law to include physically handicapped individuals. The Library of Congress, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), administers the music program through the NLS Music Section. Materials from the special music collection are provided directly to readers from NLS, in contrast to other braille and recorded materials and playback machines that are distributed by the national network of cooperating libraries. The program of music services includes a circulating collection of braille, large print, and recorded instructional materials and a subscription program of magazines produced in braille, on cassette, and in large print. Musical recordings intended solely for entertainment are not part of the music collection, as these materials are readily available from stores and local libraries. The special music collection consists of more than 30,000 braille and large-print music scores, texts, and instructional recordings about music and musicians on cassette and audio disc. Some items are purchased from national and international commercial sources. Other materials are selected and produced in braille and audio formats by NLS, with the permission of composers, authors, and publishers. Also, some titles are originally developed for the NLS program. The collection includes materials from elementary to advanced levels. Most of the holdings are listed online at <www.loc.gov/nls/web-blnd/search.html>. Persons registered for NLS music services may borrow items on three-month loan with a three-month renewal. Additional books about music and musicians are found in the general NLS collection circulated by the network of cooperating libraries. Large Print Large-print music with a minimum 14-point type size and a staff size of one inch is available for piano, voice, and other instruments. The large-print collection also includes books about music, librettos, biographies of popular and classical musicians, general music histories, and some music reference works. Braille Braille titles make up the largest portion of the collection. These include braille music transcriptions of the standard eighteenth- and nineteenth-century repertoire for most instruments, with emphasis on piano, vocal, and choral music. The braille collection also contains earlier and later classical music, popular music, textbooks, librettos, and instructional method books. Web-Braille A growing number of braille music scores are available in an electronic format via the Internet. To access these music files eligible program users must first contact their cooperating network library. When user name and password are received, available braille music files can be browsed online or downloaded for later reading or embossing. There is a link to each music file from the NLS online catalog records for titles available in braille. Recordings The NLS music collection contains a variety of instructional recordings on cassette and audio disc. These include music theory, appreciation, interviews and master classes, opera lectures, history, and biographical sketches of pop, jazz, and classical musicians with examples of their art. A number of recorded titles are devoted to instruction in playing various instruments (e.g., guitar, piano, organ, accordion, recorder, and voice). Magazines Music magazines are available by direct-mail subscription to registered users of the program. They should contact the library where they are registered.
For additional information, contact: Music Section 12. New Text Messaging Technology for the Blind On November 5, 2002 the British Telecom's (BT) research arm announced it had developed a technology that enables visually impaired people to send and receive text messages via a handheld computer. The incoming messages are read aloud in a natural-sounding voice using software that can recognize text messaging shortcuts. If a word is unknown, it is read out phonetically. The idea for the project came up when a group of partially-sighted teenagers visited a BT technology lab last year and told researchers that not being able to participate in text messaging left them feeling socially excluded. "Text messaging has become a necessary feature of most people's social, as well as business life," says Steve Tyler, manager for digital technology at the Royal National Institute for the Blind, which worked closely with BT on the project. BT is currently looking for partners to develop the idea into a commercial product.
13. Disability Awareness & Terminology: Part 2 (See October 2002 Webletter for Part 1) Language is a Powerful Tool! Without being aware of appropriate language, a person may convey a message not intended or one that inadvertently offends a group or individual. People with disabilities are often portrayed in two extremes: 1) As brave, courageous, inspirational, or superhuman beings that have defeated a terrible fate against all odds.- or - These portrayals promote inaccurate and unnecessary stereotypes and should not be used. Remember, people with disabilities are individuals who just happen to have a disability. Avoid trendy terminology like "challenged," "handicapable," or "differently-abled." These terms are created to label people who have disabilities. Some people with disabilities choose these terms, but the majority believe they are condescending and do not prefer to use them. The following examples identify terminology that should and should not be used. The terms demonstrate a positive view towards people who have disabilities and reduce negative stereotypes. The examples are not comprehensive but include a representation of appropriate terminology. Use... Person with (or who has) a disability. Instead of... Cripple; handicap; invalid; victim of; stricken with; or afflicted with. Reason: Terms like cripple, handicap, invalid, victim of, stricken with, or afflicted with are not appropriate to use because these convey pain and suffering, evoke sympathy, and sensationalize the disability. Use... Person who uses a wheelchair. Instead of... Confined or restricted to a wheelchair. Reason: Assistive devices such as canes, walkers, crutches, wheelchairs, or scooters provide the opportunity for people with mobility impairments to ambulate. People are not permanently tied or roped into a wheelchair and can transfer from the wheelchair either independently or with assistance. Some users of wheelchairs can walk but only for short distances because of endurance. Use... People without disabilities. Instead of... Normal or Able-bodied. Reason: Using the term normal to refer to people who do not have a disability indicates that people with disabilities are abnormal and are not included as part of the general public. Normal also implies that people are similar in all aspects of life and eliminates individuality and diversity. Able-bodied is a trendy term that indicates people with disabilities have bodies that lack any or all abilities. More examples... Person who has a visual impairment. All examples focus on "person-first' terminology, which places the emphasis on the person and not on the disability or illness. General Considerations Many people often feel awkward, do not know what to say, or know how to act around a person with a disability. The following considerations are provided to increase your comfort level when speaking or interacting with people who have disabilities. It is important to remember that if you do not know what to say or do: ASK. Allow the person with a disability to provide you with the information. Remember, a person with a disability is a person like anyone else, and their disability is not contagious. Treat people who have disabilities with the same respect and approach that you would like to be treated.
14. NASA Faculty Fellowship Program for Summer 2003 The NASA Faculty Fellowship Program (NFFP) offers science and engineering faculty hands-on exposure to NASA's research challenges through 10-week summer research residencies and extended research opportunities at participating NASA research centers, working closely with NASA colleagues on challenges important to NASA's strategic enterprises. Short courses, workshops, and seminars are common features of the research programs. The time devoted to these activities varies among programs reflecting the predilections of both the co-directors and participants. Tours of the NASA centers are arranged to inform participants of the nature and scope of the NASA effort. Social activities are also arranged for the participants and their families during the summer. Stipends are set at $1,200 per week. A travel allowance will be paid. In addition, a relocation allowance will be provided for those fellows who must relocate their residence. Approximately 150 first year fellowships will be awarded. The NASA Faculty Fellowship Program is jointly managed by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and combines aspects of two successful and long running NASA programs, the NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program and the NASA/USRA JOVE program. For additional information or to secure an online application, visit the program website at: <www.asee.org/nffp> Application Deadline: February 1, 2003. 15. Large Print & Braille Calendars for 2003 Many of you have requested resources for 2003 Braille and large print calendars. Our list is being compiled and will be available on our website in a few days.
16. Shop Online & Help Support Our Work We really appreciate the support many of you are giving by listing Vision World Wide as the charity of your choice when you place orders online with Amazon.com and the many stores available at WellSpent.org, and in the Greater Good Village. Many well known merchants have been added just in time for holiday shopping. While you do not incur any additional charge for your purchases, VWW receives a small commission for each dollar you spend. This money helps with our many programs and services. To ensure purchases count for VWW, here are some guidelines:
What you do does help make a difference in the world. Designating Vision World Wide as you shop provides a great opportunity for you to become a partner in our work. Thanks much! 17. Distribution Note You are encouraged to share this Webletter with anyone on your mailing list that you think would find it useful. It is free. Readers wishing to receive future Webletter in their mailboxes should just send an e-mail message to: <visionworldwide@yahoo.com>, or subscribe directly at <www.visionww.org/journal.htm>. As this is just a mini sampling of the information contained in our comprehensive 72-78 page quarterly journal, Vision Enhancement, you are invited to become a subscriber. More information and prior issues are available for viewing at <www.visionww.org/journal.htm>
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