Check out esp. the first two items.

Peter



                NEWS NOTES FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE

For the week ending August 1, 2003.

      *  Blind couch potatoes Unite!  Your time has come.

      Tired of all those remotes hanging around the house and you
have no idea where the kids, the dog, or you put them all?  Worse
yet, you have to keep straight all the different combinations to
turn on the cable, the TV, the VCR, SAP and who knows what else
and then remember how to get them all to cooperate just to watch
a program.  What's a blind couch potato to do?

      Well charlie Crawford got a demo talking remote control this
week and just can't wait to set it up.  Imagine just walking in
the room and with your voice saying "channel 4 please" and all of
a sudden all the stuff turns on and there it is.  You can even
say "sap" and it will turn on the secondary audio channel if you
have a setting for it on your equipment.  Not bad eh?  News notes
will let you know more if charlie ever stops watching TV.  the
remote is called the Accenda and looks like it just might be a
winner.

      *  Talking cell phone is here, but not all quite there.

      Imagine the anticipation when Charlie Crawford got an email
from President Gray pointing to a web site where we could hear
accessible cell phone software.  Yes, it works and even with a
couple of domestic cell phone carriers, but wouldn't ya know it,
there are problems.

      First, the software is licensed in europe and they want a
fee for their product.  This means another round of potential
problems with the cell phone service providers who might forget
their obligations under Section 255 of the Telecomm Act to not
charge for accessibility.  So we will need to make sure companies
don't charge blind folks for just having access to the info
others use.  Next there are only a couple of phones with which
the software currently  works for the moment and these are poorly
designed for the use of blind users.  New phones will be
accessible soon enough though.  That's the bad news, the good
news is that we can demonstrate a real application for access to
cell phones which overcomes industry representations that the fix
is not readily achievable.  We have a strategy to move this ball
along rather quickly and you'll know about it real soon.

      *  ACB meets with Segway reps: hope springs eternal?

      None of us have been too impressed with the political
activities of the Segway makers who have been busy trying to get
state legislatures to allow segways on sidewalks.    ACB even has
a resolution against such a dangerous situation from evolving.
                So with the above in mind, we met with some political people
who work with the company and we are looking to find ways of
protecting our safety.  we believe we have made a bit of
progress.  The exact nature of what is to come is still
uncertain, but we can stay faithful to the reasons for our
resolution while exploring ways to enhance the positive
pedestrian environment that resolution seeks to promote and
protect.

      *  National office bids a fond farewell to our interns.

      Just when we get all comfortable with our summer interns, it
always seems we have to let them go on with their lives.  ACB has
been very fortunate to have had Rebecca and Carlos with us this
summer and we will miss them around the office.  A big thanks
from all of ACB for your work, your participation in our lives
and we look forward to seeing you often at ACB activities in the
future.  Be well, be happy and we are pleased to have been
helpful in whatever little way we have been able to contribute to
your success.

      *  ACB sends letter of support for GDUI complaint at DOJ.

      In compliance with a resolution on the matter at convention,
ACB has sent a letter to the Department of Justice in direct
support of the need to move their process along to make sure
proper attention is paid to the complaint of Guide Dog Users
Incorporated on behalf of Ms. Stephanie Dohmen to uphold the
rights of guide dog users seeking to participate in
rehabilitation programs.

      *  ACB fiscal year 2004 budget process about to launch.

      Are you ready?  Get Set, Go!  ACB Executive Director Charlie
Crawford will soon be analyzing all the data from our budget
tracking systems and talking with the President and Chief
Financial Officer and Budget Committee to see if we can get a
budget up and ready for Board consideration soon.  This process
is very time consuming but vital in protecting the interests of
our members and operations of our organization.  To paraphrase an
old country song: So pour me another cup of coffee, cause I got
the budget in my hand.  Put another nickel in the jute box, cause
I'm a numbers driving man.

                                ***

      News notes is a compilation of the highlights of the events
of the preceding week and is not intended to provide a
comprehensive listing of all activities, or treatment of the
topics mentioned.  For information and more detailed treatment of
especially legislative concerns, call the Washington Connection
at 800-424-8666 nights and weekends eastern time.  Be sure to
read the Braille Forum each month and check in with the ACB web
site and radio at WWW.ACB.ORG a
nd WWW.ACBRADIO.ORG respectively.


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