This is technology related.


The Braille Forum
July-August 2002

HOW I SPENT PRESIDENT'S DAY WEEKEND,
OR WHAT I DID ON MY MID-WINTER TRIP TO BALTIMORE

by Mike Godino

The Report

 While many ACB leaders were spending an energizing weekend at
the Council's mid-year presidents' meeting in Houston, Tex., and others
were checking out all the President's Day sales at the Wal- marts and
K-Marts and shopping malls in their towns and cities, I was spending
four
days, along with 30 or so teenagers, cloistered at the NFB's Braille and
Technology Center in Baltimore, Md., where the New York State Commission
for the Blind had sent us to learn all we might need to know about the
latest and greatest in assistive technology for people who are blind.
Yes,
here I was, after a lengthy drive down Highway 95 awaiting a
long-anticipated rendezvous with my philosophical and technological
destiny, Federation style.

How, you are probably asking, did this trip come to be, and why in the
world had I asked -- chosen even -- to give up four days of my life to
accompany a bunch of teenagers down the rather long pike to the fabled
"Center for the Blind" on Johnson Street in Baltimore City? Let me
explain.

Background Over the Martin Luther King long weekend of 2001, the New
York
Commission had sponsored a similar trip for high school students.

The purpose of that trip, according to a parent who had called the
American
Council of the Blind of New York (ACBNY) to actually complain about what
had happened in Baltimore, was to inform blind and visually impaired
kids
about various technologies that could assist them. The parent had called
to
ask ACBNY why her child had to join the National Federation of the Blind
to
receive services from the New York State Commission for the Blind.
Surprised by such a peculiar question, we wondered too. We decided to
ask
the Commission. I called the Director, Tom Robertson, and asked why our
state agency was sending children from New York to the NFB center, and
he
responded that the NFB had assembled the world's largest and most
encompassing technology lab available to people who are blind or
visually
impaired.

Having no way to investigate what might or might not have happened on
that
trip in January 2001, because the parent was afraid of retribution if
she
lodged a formal complaint, and having no way to actually investigate the
claim about the Federation's access to more technology than anyone else
in
the world, I asked Robertson if ACBNY might send a representative on the
next such trip to the Center on Johnson Street.

Robertson agreed. When January rolled around, I contacted the Commission
and reminded them of their promise, and a few days later I got a letter,
addressed to trip participants. The letter said, among other things,
such
as what kind of clothing to bring, and who the chaperones would be, "You
will have the opportunity to see the latest computer equipment at NFB
and
actually use it firsthand.

We will also be going to Washington, D.C. during this trip. You will
definitely have an exciting time."

Day One On the morning of the 19th, I made my way into Brooklyn to meet
the
bus. There were more students than I had anticipated. The bus arrived,
we
loaded and were off shortly after 9 a.m. The bus ride was long, and by
the
time we got to the center around 2:00, we were all starving. We dropped
off
our bags in a conference room and were directed to the cafeteria.

NFB President Marc Maurer welcomed us to the center while we ate our
lunch.
He addressed us as though we were in boot camp. He told us about the
rules,
the locked and alarmed doors, the curfew.

He emphasized that the doorbell is turned off at night, and he told us
about the $10 fine for any spills on the carpet. After outlining all of
the
rules, Maurer turned and walked out of the room.

After lunch, we convened in a conference room for our first afternoon
session. Maurer sat at the head of a long conference table and began the
meeting by calling roll. One staff member seemed to be missing. "We'll
wait," Maurer said.

And we did. Carl Jacobson jumped up and began to page the missing
Marianne,
and the rest of us waited in silence until she arrived 10 minutes later.

The topic for the afternoon session seemed to be blindness.

Maurer asked which of us seated in the room was blind. When no one
volunteered an answer, he asked us each individually. Then he wanted to
know what it meant to be blind. A couple of students replied rather
tentatively, but Maurer explained that we really didn't know what it
meant
to be blind. Then he elaborated, at length, about definitions of legal
blindness and usable vision and the fact that blindness is just a mere
inconvenience, more of a problem for the rest of society than for blind
people themselves.

Finally, having been educated about the true nature of our disability,
we
were separated into two groups for a tour of the fabled Center for the
Blind. I did not know then that this would constitute just about my only
opportunity to actually explore the center. Had I guessed, I might have
paid more attention.

The tour guide for our group was Mrs. Chong. She told us about all the
NFB
scholarships and how NFB was making a difference for all blind people.
Then
we assembled in the Harbor Room for a talk by Mr. Cobb, who, we were
given
to understand, was the Director of Employment for the Federation. Cobb
described the NFB scholarship program, and explained how the Commission
could help us with our technology needs and the Federation could help
with
college expenses.

Then he said that if we preferred to go to work rather than to go to
college, the NFB could also help via a collaborative program with the
Marriott Corporation. "You're looking at about $7.50 to $8 an hour," he
said, "and that's a good job."

When one of the students asked about the Statler Employment Program,
Cobb
said that it was not a good option, because the Statler hid blind people
away down in the hotel laundry rooms. I was chuckling quietly to myself
while Cobb described the "demeaning" jobs at the Statler. I happen to
know
a blind person who works in such a laundry facility. Even with his
limited
English proficiency, my acquaintance is making twice what Cobb indicated
the Marriott trainees are making at their "good jobs."

Turned loose for the night, I began looking for ways to occupy my time.
No
outside media was available, either that first night or any other that
we
spent on Johnson Street. I was very glad that I had brought along the
January "Braille Forum."

That issue is one I probably read more thoroughly than any other in the
history of my reading the Forum -- I read it from cover-to-cover, three
times!

Day Two Wednesday morning began with a start. I bolted upright out of my
deep sleep to the sound of bagpipes blaring at top volume -- from where?
I
searched frantically for a knob to turn off the sound, but I discovered
that the "music" was emerging from a speaker in my room. An alarm clock
or
a simple wake-up call would have worked fine for me, I mused. Hurriedly,
I
dressed and headed down to the cafeteria for breakfast.

After breakfast, we boarded buses and were off on our trip to
Washington,
D.C. The rest of the day was wonderful. As a matter of fact, it almost
made
the whole experience worthwhile. We toured the Capitol, where I thought
the
Rotunda and the "Whispering Room" were particularly fascinating.

We headed for the Smithsonian, but there we found that we had arrived
too
late for the hands-on tour of Air and Space.

Disappointed, we went to a different museum where the kids were given a
hands-on tour of an exhibit. Even though the exhibit was really geared
for
children who were younger than our teenagers, our kids were enthusiastic
and excited. They had never participated in a hands-on experience at a
museum before.

Back on the bus, we drove by the Washington Monument. None of the adults
on
the bus pointed this out to our kids, but the ones who could see thought
it
was great! Then the bus came to a stop.

We sat, with the motor idling, for about 45 minutes.

"Where are we?" and "When are we going to get something to eat?" The
teenagers were restless, but no one told them where we were and the
question about when we might eat was answered curtly, "We'll get
something
when we get there," they were told. I, on the other hand, realized that
we
were at the Holiday Inn on Sixth Street, and that the adults were inside
buying fudge.

Their cravings presumably satisfied, the adults returned to the bus and
we
headed toward Baltimore's Harbor for dinner. We could order anything we
wanted off the menu, and the food and the dinner were wonderful. We had
been promised an opportunity for shopping, but time ran out, and we had
to
forgo the shopping excursion.

Once we left the Harbor, we found ourselves stopped for another
45-minute
wait -- this time it was one of those six-mile-long freight trains that
caused our delay By the time we got back to the center, everyone on the
bus
was more than ready for a little personal space.

Thursday The wake-up song on Thursday was not as abrasive as the one the
morning before. In fact, I thought that the series of chuckle tunes were
quite funny, and I got a good laugh. At breakfast, Mr. Maurer remarked
that
he had just almost spilled his cereal all over me. "Good thing you
didn't,"
I replied, "That would have cost you $10."

Maurer was apparently not amused. He sat at my table and didn't say
another
word for the rest of the meal.

Another roll call began while staffers carried in armsful of white
canes.
Again someone was missing; again we waited.

The morning's topic was "Power:" how powerful the NFB is; how students
could tap into this power if they decided to join. Then came the
description of the scheduled events for the day. Maurer told us that he
was
disappointed about not being able to demonstrate his operation of the
chain
saw. Sadly, construction projects outside the building prevented him
from
doing so. But, he said, we would all be able to operate the radial arm
saw
in the basement. All, except for those who chose not to wear blindfolds.

Of course, the choice about whether to wear the blindfolds was ours to
make, he explained. But a person who had chosen not to wear the device
would not be allowed to actually participate in any of the hands-on
activities.

And there were lots of hands-on activities. The shop, with its
assortment
of tools, including the radial arm saw, the kitchen where we prepared
our
own pizzas -- I took part in all of it with my blindfold on, and I was
pleasantly surprised that I did pretty well.

I did rather regret that most of the students (who were after all
partially
sighted) did not really have an opportunity to get a sense of the radial
arm saw. Yes, they used it, but there was no opportunity to examine its
size or its potential for causing harm, so many may not have actually
realized the enormity of the task they performed. I thought the learning
experience would have been more meaningful if the kids had had the
chance
to examine the saw, either visually or tactually, before they were
handed
the piece of lumber or shown how to turn on the switch.

Preparing the pizzas under blindfold was no "piece of cake."

Most blind people experience their lessening and ultimate lack of vision
over time, and many have been without sight for as long as two years
before
they are thrown into a situation like the one that confronted us in the
NFB
kitchen. This was the first instance of being totally blind some of us
had
ever really experienced, and it was surprising how well we managed.
However, the situation wasn't representative of the way that most people
who are totally blind first experience preparing food or working in a
kitchen.

The Gashell Encounter After lunch, we assembled in a conference room,
where
Maurer once again talked about how meaningful it was to be a part of the
NFB. There was another man sitting at the table next to him, but Maurer
didn't introduce him for several minutes. Finally, Jim Gashell
introduced
himself and began telling us how Kenneth Jernigan had brought him into
the
NFB. Back in the 1960s, he told the kids, people had told him he
couldn't
do much because he was blind. Even the superintendent of the high school
where he had graduated told him he should think about an "alternate"
career, he continued. It was Jernigan who had convinced him that
blindness
was not really a handicap and had taught him how to put his best foot
forward and achieve anything in life he wanted to achieve.

Gashell did not tell the kids that things have changed in the world
since
the 1960s, that there are laws like Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act,
the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act -- all of which are there to guarantee people with
disabilities opportunities, to level the playing field, and to outlaw
discrimination. He didn't tell the kids about how discrimination against
people who are blind is illegal or about how all the service providers
and
the superintendents of high schools nowadays, know about these laws.

He told them how the NFB had helped him, and he told them that the NFB
could help them as well.

Gashell said that we could help the NFB with their legislative advocacy
efforts. It would be great, Gashell said, if the students who read
braille
could come on down to Washington and testify at a Congressional hearing.
Braille readers, he said, make an especially good impression on
legislators, since they can look in the direction of their audience
while
continuing to read.

Gashell continued that he did not want any of us who were partials and
couldn't read braille up there in front of the senators. We were to
stand
there, canes in hand, and be quiet.

The final speaker for the day was a pretty effective fund-raiser for the
Federation -- at least if she is to be believed, she raises lots of
money
with lots of very high-profile celebrities. She talked about how she had
succeeded in persuading some pretty famous and powerful people to lend
their names and their identities to the Federation. Among others, she
mentioned Andre Boccelli, whom she was trying to persuade to participate
in
the next NFB NewsLine Day.

The kids were mesmerized. I was thinking that this name- dropping was
pretty darned manipulative and might even be considered kind of coercive
by
a child psychologist or two I have encountered. And the fund-raiser? Oh,
by
the way, she also has a Ph.D. in psychology.

Dinner that night was another extravaganza. We were the guests of Mr.
and
Mrs. Curtis Chong; they took us out to another nice restaurant and we
were
allowed, once again, to order anything we wanted from the menu. A good
thing about this trip was that we ate very well indeed, on our
excursions
away from the center.

Back at the center, I began looking for a TV in the hope of catching
some
of the Winter Olympics which I was missing. No TVs were to be found.
Finally, I located a staff person who explained that the TVs were all
put
away so that we would be forced to talk with one another and prevented
from
engaging in outside distractions. Back to the January "Braille Forum" --
wasn't that a great issue!

Friday: The Journey Ends Another goofy song came over the speaker in my
room. Another breakfast, then we were assembled in the conference room.
Another roll call. Finally, with everyone who was supposed to be there
present, Maurer began to dial the speaker phone, to acquaint us with the
NFB's JobLine. While he dialed the phone, he told us about the service
which job-seekers can use to find jobs in their own cities or towns. He
set
up a profile and began to search for a job.

He became annoyed when the students began to laugh after his fourth
failure
at matching his profile parameters with any available job.

So, he dialed up the NewsLine instead. He couldn't get through there,
and
finally he called the administrators in Salt Lake, who happened to be
still
sleeping. When he finally got through, he began to play with the server
and
to explain how it worked and how much better it was going to be the next
week when it was expected to go national. We could sign up, we were
told,
once we had proved our legal blindness.

And the Technology? What about the technology? What about the best
selection of assistive technology anywhere in the world? Well, here's
what
we saw.

We saw some A. I. Technologies and Sequoia accessible voting machines.
They
were cool. We have some accessible voting machines in New York too. We
saw
some computers with text-to-speech screen readers; we saw some braille
embossers.

Out of the whole three days, 90 minutes were devoted to technology, and
half of that time was taken up by the lecture which Curtis Chong gave on
the subject of technologies that can assist people who are blind. Only
four
of our kids were totally blind.

They found the braille embossers and the computers with screen-readers
interesting, although not particularly novel.

The low-vision kids were shown some large print, but the type size was
only
14-point, so most of us non-braille readers couldn't read the "large"
print
either. Most of the kids who were not totally blind gathered around the
talking globe and the electronic (piano) keyboard that were on a table
in
the middle of the room.

When one of our kids asked Curtis Chong about what kinds of technologies
could assist them with reading, he said that there weren't really many
very
efficient technologies."Your best choice, he explained, "is still a
biological interface."

What's that?, you're wondering. It's a reader. Hire yourself a reader,
that's the best reading solution according to the guru at the world's
best
collection of assistive technologies for people who are blind.

So there you have it. After we cleaned our rooms for which the New York
Commission was kind enough to give us a $50 shopping certificate as a
reward, we boarded the bus for our long trip up 95 and back to the
Empire
State. Good-bye NFB Braille and Technology Center for the Blind. While
there were some interesting and enjoyable parts of the trip and I was
especially grateful to the New York Commission for funding my trip to
Washington, D.C., I don't think I'll be going back to the NFB facility
in
Baltimore again.

Conclusions Remember the original question about whether one has to be a
member of NFB to get services from the New York Commission? Clearly
there
was no expressly stated requirement to that effect; however it is
understandable from the above description how some might conclude that
to
be the case.

The representation that NFB has such an advanced and comprehensive
technology center, the likes of which is completely unavailable in New
York, and the exposure to which served as the basis for the expenditure
of
New York and federal tax money, cannot be supported by either evidence
of
comparable equipment which is not available in New York, or by a total
of
90 minutes devoted to direct and indirect exposure to assistive
technology
-- out of a total of three days of opportunity.

It can be more than reasonably concluded from my firsthand observations
that the trip served the primary purpose of a heavy introduction to the
National Federation of the Blind, its philosophy, its programs, and its
own
private agenda; based upon the false pretext of exposure to technology
which was, reportedly, unavailable anywhere else -- and all at the
expense
of the taxpayers.

The American Council of the Blind of New York therefore expects that our
state agency for the blind will no longer financially or otherwise
support
evangelical trips to Federation headquarters and that the agency will
seek
to recover public funds expended under false pretenses and for private
purposes outside the legitimate use of taxpayer money. Failure of the
state
agency to remedy what may well have been its unwitting participation in
this mis-represented activity will result in ACBNY's seeking the
necessary
state and federal audits to rectify the situation.


VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html