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                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 1078

                         Monday, September 12, 1994

Today's Topics:


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                        'Twixt conundrum and quandary
                          how to read music scores
               Audio Baseball "Cards" for Sight-Impaired Fans
            BlindFam - Blindness and family life discussion list
                                 Blind FAQ?
             Re: Progressive hearing loss - how to deal with it?
                     Compu-info for the blind needed....
                     blind children, family and friends


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thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to
Bill McGarry at any of the following addresses:


UUCP:       uunet!bunker!wtm
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Fidonet:    The Handicap News BBS (141/420)   1-203-926-6168
            (300 - 14,400 baud, 24 hours)

                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 926-6187



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Subject: 'Twixt conundrum and quandary
From: scotthooker@delphi.com (Scott Hooker)
Organization: Delphi Internet Services Corporation

That's right, friends, I need some help.  I work for a private company that
is just beginning to hire blind and visually-impaired employees.  I have an
Arkenstone scanning package, Duxbury braille translation, good software
generally.  But I'm looking for an outside vendor to scan and edit the
training manual and other printed resources our employees must use in the
performance of their jobs.  The dilemma I have is that I can't contract with
some big braille producer to put out, say, a couple hundred manuals, as
these are revised quarterly and in some cases even monthly.  I would just
need, at most, three to five copies printed up at one time.  The guide we
put out for our customers comes out once a year at the most, so it wouldn't
be such a boondoggle to print up a hundred or so copies of that.  I know
that some of the finest minds that think about disabilities hang out in
these aethers, so I hope someone can suggest something within the next few
days, before I meet with my manager at our corporate HQ early next week.
 Thanks.

Scott Hooker
Senior Information Planning Analyst
FedEx Corporation





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Subject: how to read music scores
From: A7621GAC@helios.edvz.univie.ac.at
Organization: Vienna University Computer Center (VUCC)

A friend of mine, an 8 year old boy living in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, is very
talented in playing piano, and he wants to READ music so he can learn music
pieces by himself instead of listening to his teacher.

Where can I get more information?

    Werner



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Subject: Audio Baseball "Cards" for Sight-Impaired Fans
From: megacards2@aol.com (Megacards2)
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)

Megacards, Inc. produces "Conlon Collection(TM)" audio baseball cards:

* The non-profit nature of this project, and our limited resources make it
necessary for us to keep production costs as low as possible, but if you
know of an individual with sight-impairment who would enjoy the tape,
please send us the name and address and we will do our best to get a copy
out to them.

 * The audio baseball cards project will provide blind and low-vision
people with an opportunity to enjoy one of America's favorite pastimes,
baseball card collecting. It will be completed around 10/1/94.

* Megacards will produce this cassette tape as our "Beating the Odds"
genre project for 1994. In 1995 we go back to producing a card subset as
our service to people with disabilities. If you have not seen the "Beating
the Odds" subset from 1993, or if you need more information on those
cards, email us at Megacards2@aol.com.

* The audio tape is based on The Sporting News Conlon Collection, with a
special emphasis on our "Beating the Odds" subset.

* Approximate length is 60 minutes, about 30 minutes per side.

* Side one tells the story of photographer, Charles Martin Conlon and
features 8 to 12 baseball cards based on his photos. Most of these cards
are from the "Great Stories" subset.

* Side two consists of an audio description, followed by a reading of the
back of each of the 14 baseball cards that make up the "Beating the Odds"
subset from the 1993 Conlon Collection. Uniforms, faces, batting stances,
etc. are all described.

* Quantity is 1000 cassette tapes

* Distribution to blind and low-vision persons, via Dr. Peter Blanck, a
senior fellow of The Annenberg Washington Program and professor of law at
the University of Iowa. Dr. Blanck is a nationally recognized expert on
the A.D.A. Distribution to other legitimate organizations that deal with
vision-impaired individuals may be arranged via email to
Megacards2@aol.com.

* This product will not be sold. Megacards is producing the tapes as a
public service, and to demonstrate our continued support for the Americans
with Disabilities Act.






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Subject: BlindFam - Blindness and family life discussion list
From: MYERS@AB.WVNET.EDU (Roger Myers \)
Organization: West Virginia Network

BlindFam on LISTSERV@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU Blindness and family life
         or LISTSERV@SJUVM.BITNET

   The BlindFam mailing list for discussions of all aspects of family life
   as they are affected by the blindness of one or more family members
   welcomes discussions of any topic directly related to how blindness
   has, is or will be affecting your family life.  All family members are
   invited to join including spouses, parents, and children of a
   blind individual as well as any blind person.

   Most any situation in your everyday life in which blindness
   plays a significant roll could be a topic for discussion.  Especially
   welcome are discussions of problems or situations within your home
   involving blindness.  Descriptions of yourself and your family are
   always welcome.

   To subscribe to BlindFam, send the following command to
   LISTSERV@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU or LISTSERV@SJUVM.BITNET in the BODY
   of e-mail:
      SUBSCRIBE BlindFam yourfirstname yourlastname

   For example:  SUBSCRIBE BlindFam Joe Shmoe

   Owner:  Roger Myers       <Myers@AB.WVNET.EDU>
           Patt Bromberger   <Patt@SQUID.TRAM.COM>



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Subject: Blind FAQ?
From: senkmj@ptbma.usbm.gov (SENK)

Hi Bill,
It seems this list could benefit from a frequently asked questions file.
I usually don't take the time to answer the simple questions such "what
is a good synthesizer? " or "Does anyone use ... ? "  and then wonder if
the person asking the question got 100 replies or if the readers held
back as I did and no replies were received at all.
Perhaps someone would take on this job.  I would like to help with the
compilationof Internet resources which are of benefit to the blind.
-- Mark




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Subject: Re: Progressive hearing loss - how to deal with it?
From: es@crl.com (Eric Smith)
Organization: Ability OnLine - Toronto Canada

In article <33706@handicap.news>, Adam S. Miller <asmiller@umich.edu> wrote:
>Index Number: 33706
>
>Hi all. I am, rather quickly, losing what little hearing I had left. I
>know what to do to "deal" with it physically - I'm getting better at
>lipreading, start learning sign next week, have cc tv, etc. What I want to
>know is about the emotional problems it brings. Anyone have similar
>experiences and things to do?

Don't count on the deaf community for support.  A lot of them have
aloof attitudes towards newbies.  Learning sign language fluently is
hard, so you have to decide if you really want to do it, and if you do,
you have to be prepared to put in a lot of lonely months learning it
from videotapes before the deaf community will accept you well enough
for you to be able to get more sign language practice by spending time
with them.

Loneliness and loss of earning power are the two biggest problems faced
by deafened adults.  The ADA doesn't seem to help at all, because it
makes potential employers wary, which causes them to spend more time
looking for valid reasons to get rid of you instead of spending the
time considering whether your skills are the solution to their problems.

You might want to start your own business, to avoid discrimination by
employers, but you also have to deal with discrimination by customers.
If you communicate with your customers by fax, etc., they might not
realize you are deaf.  It depends on what kind of work you do and
whether you have to meet your customers in person.

For loneliness, the best solution might be to spend time with other
deafened adults in the same boat as you.  Have you heard of ALDA, the
Association of Late Deafened Adults?  I don't know anything about them,
but they sound worth finding out more about.  I've been trying to get
information, but I keep running into obstacles such as having my
letters returned because they moved, and having my email go unanswered,
etc.  But I will probably eventually find them.  I don't know how big
of an organization it is, nor whether it's likely to have local groups
in a lot of places.  I get the impression it's small and barely
surviving.  But if you can't find an ALDA group, that's no reason not
to get together with other deafened adults.  Find some somehow, and
arrange to meet them for sign language practice.  They will be tolerant
of each other's lack of fluency in sign language because each will
perceive their own fluency as being the main problem.

By the way, would a cochlear implant do you any good?




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Subject: Compu-info for the blind needed....
From: arlette.lefebvre@ablelink.org (Arlette Lefebvre)
Organization: Ability OnLine - Toronto Canada


---------------- Original Message ------------------
   From: John Cain
     To: ALL
 System: Ability OnLine Support Network
   Conf: U-Handicapped
-----------------------------------------------------

JC>hi...i have never posted here before, but i have this cousin who is 13
JC>years old and blind and i was wondering if anyone could send me info on
JC>compu-aids for the blind...my uncle (the kid's step-dad) is a serious
JC>hacker and has already developed a pc-based word processor/voice
JC>synthesezer that the kid uses to write papers for school, but his dad is
JC>not yet into internet surfing and i told him i would ask around and see
JC>if anyone knew of something that would be of interest to them...
JC>thanks a lot in advance...
JC>john cain

Dear John,

Although I am neither blind nor technically-gifted, I think the
e-mail system where I picked up your message (and which I
co-founded) might be of great interest to both your cousin and
his dad.

It's called Ability OnLine, and it was specifically created to
put children and adolescents with disabilities in touch with
the world...from hospital, home or school.

It's a friendly, family-style BBS , with "kids" from age 4 to
84.., and yes, we have several adult blind mentors online,
maongst whom the "hostess" of our sexuality and disability
conference, Mary Kyle, to whom I'll CC this message.

My suggestion to you is that you send an internet message to:

   info@ablelink.org

to get a fuller program description. Registration is
FREE...and, although your cousin would be calling
long-distance, we have an off-line reader we could give him
that would save him lots on long-distance costs...

Anyhow...  get the info file.. or fax us your cousin's address
at the Ability OnLine office, along with a request to sendour
information folder..., (416) 650-5073. We'd love to have your
cousin join us!

A bientot, I hope?

                           dr. froggie

                           Internet: arlette.lefebvre@ablelink.org


 * 1st 2.00b #219 * It takes courage to innovate, not imitate.



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Subject: blind children, family and friends
From: sudean@aol.com (Sudean)
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)

i want to get a group together to meet once a week
subject:  blind children, family & friends
our grandson is 15 months old and was born blind.   i have asked three
times to have a scheduled time on equal access but with no reply!
i am determined to get a group together who can share experiences
and information.

we are also planning on beginning a newletter some of which will be
in print and part of which will be in braille.   if your are
interested please email us at america online "sudean"  with your
name, address and childs name and age.  we hope to have something
out before easter it will be a quarterly newletter.   thanks.



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                 End of Issue # 1078 of the Blind News Digest

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