Vol. 32, No. 1
JANUARY 2007
THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE
A publication of Mid-Florida Council of the Blind
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CORRECTION
MESSAGE FROM MFCB PRESIDENT SHELLEY JUSTICE
NEXT MFCB GENERAL MEETING
MFCB ANNUAL HOLIDAY LUNCHEON REVIEW
ACCESSIBLE CURRENCY: THE GOOD AND BAD
TESTING THE VISUAL ACUITY OF POLICYMAKERS
FCB TECH TALK
FCB E-MAIL DISCUSSION LIST AND VOICE CHAT ROOMS
MFCB ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
SPECIAL PROGRAMS AT OCLS
MEMBERSHIP - from Jay Bader
BIRTHDAY PEOPLE
CORRECTION
In the December 2006 issue of THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE, when the E-mail and Cassette issues were produced, there was a
misunderstanding in the "WHITE CANE LAW ENFORCEMENT OR LACK OF IT" article that was later corrected in what was archived
online. Robert Miller was involved in the accident in Tallahassee, not his wife, Sila. We apologize for the error.
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MESSAGE FROM MFCB PRESIDENT SHELLEY JUSTICE
Hello, fellow MFCB Members and Friends, and Happy Holidays to you all.
I am looking forward to working with all of you as your President. We have some real challenges facing us in the coming days and
months, but they are challenges which should have a very positive outcome. I am confident that if we all work together as the great team
I know we are, we can face all of the challenges, deal with them and then celebrate our victory when we reach our goals.
I wish each of you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and we will meet in January, ready to work together toward
our common goal, which is to make a better and stronger blind community.
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NEXT MFCB GENERAL MEETING
The next General Meeting of MFCB will be at William Booth Tower, 633 Lake Dot Circle, Orlando, FL, 32801, on Saturday, January 6th,
2007, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. The phone number at William Booth Tower is (407) 843-5533. It is highly recommended that if anyone
uses paratransit, please plan your rides accordingly.
As this issue goes to press, there is no Guest Speaker scheduled for the January General Meeting. However, there will be some
discussion on the various committees with MFCB and selection of those interested in joining each of them.
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MFCB ANNUAL HOLIDAY LUNCHEON REVIEW
27 Members and Guests attended the MFCB Annual Holiday Luncheon held on Saturday, December 2nd, at Olive Garden near Orlando
Fashion Square. After Members and Guests had the opportunity to order their food and enjoy their drinks and any appetizers, President
Rachel Bader welcomed Members in attendance and wished everyone the happiest of holidays.
She turned the floor to 1st Vice President Patti Land, who announced that a Love Offering would be collected, with this year's recipient
being a single mother of a 5-year-old, who happens to be blind (the mother who is being referred to is the one who is blind) and is
currently going to college here in Central Florida. After the collections, Membership Secretary Jay Bader announced the Love Offering
totaled $112.00, which drew much applause.
Before Members and Guests enjoyed their main courses, Immediate Past President Leslie Spoone asked for a moment of time before
Rachel sat down back at her table. She wanted to make a presentation to Rachel, which was a specially-made plaque for her in
appreciation of Rachel's 4 years of dedicated service as President of MFCB. Rachel was very thankful for the plaque, and especially got
a kick out of the removable gavel with it. She then jokingly said to newly-elected President Shelley Justice, who officially takes office in
January 2007, that now she will become one of the troublemakers in the back of the room.
Rachel again thanked all those who attended the MFCB Annual Holiday Luncheon, and wished everyone all the best for 2007.
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ACCESSIBLE CURRENCY: THE GOOD AND BAD
November 28th, 2006, was a historic day for the blind and visually-impaired in the United States. Four years after its original filing in
2002, U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson, in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, issued a declaratory
judgment in favor of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), finding the U.S. Department of Treasury in violation of Section 504 of the
Vocational Rehabilitation Act for failing to provide accessible print currency in a format usable by blind and visually-impaired Americans.
The decision by Judge Robertson also directed them to enter into discussions with ACB to work out a currency design that will enable
individuals who are blind or who have severe sight loss to be able to identify bills by touch and other accessible means.
With 10 working days to file an appeal to this decision, the Bush Administration decided to file its appeal with U.S. Court of Appeals for
the District of Columbia Circuit, on the last possible day to do so, on December 12th, 2006. In their petition to the appeals court,
government lawyers argued that varying the size of denominations could cause significant burdens on the vending machine industry and
cost the Bureau of Engraving and Printing an initial investment of $178 million and $37 million to $50 million in new printing plates. The
government lawyers also argued that blind people were not being denied "meaningful access" to currency transactions because there
were portable readers that could identify denominations and they also could use credit cards for transactions rather than cash.
Jeffrey Lovitky, an attorney for the American Council of the Blind, said he would ask the appeals court to reject the government's
arguments and allow the case to go forward with a January hearing where the government is scheduled to provide testimony to aid
Judge Robertson in deciding what remedies should be adopted.
Christopher Gray, President of ACB, said that while the organization has been lobbying for changes to help the blind with U.S. currency
since 1995, the government has yet to conduct any feasibility studies of what those changes might cost and has instead moved ahead
with a number of design changes to thwart counterfeiters.
"We would be happy to wait until the next change in the bills and build accessibility in at that time," Gray said. "Surely, if you did it that way,
the costs can't be anything like what is being claimed by Treasury."
He added, “(The) Treasury complains about the costs of making currency accessible but they are not at all concerned about the cost of
litigation. We are committed to this fight even to the Supreme Court, if necessary, because it is the right thing to do, and because it is the
law of the United States.”
While many disability organizations have announced their support for ACB in this process, one in particular has not: the National
Federation of the Blind (NFB). NFB's argument after the November 28th decision was that it was "dangerously misguided." Dr. Marc
Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said, “The blind need jobs and real opportunities to earn money, not feel-good
gimmicks that misinform the public about our capabilities. Blind people transact business with paper money every day. This ruling puts
a roadblock in the way of solving the real problem, which is the seventy percent unemployment rate among working-age blind Americans
that severely limits our access to cash. The ruling will do nothing to alleviate that situation; in fact, it seriously endangers the ability of the
blind to get jobs and participate fully in society."
After the Bush Administration filed its appeal on December 12th, NFB announced its support of the Treasury in the appeal process. Dr.
Maurer further said, "If it is allowed to stand unchallenged, this ruling will do real harm to the blind by making our goal of full and equal
participation in society virtually impossible to achieve. That is why the National Federation of the Blind will do everything in its power to
support the Treasury in seeing that this ruling is overturned.”
How important is it for someone with a visual impairment in the United States to be able to identify currency? With many of the 180
developed countries in the world offering currency in different colors, sizes and markings, it is something that has been mainly overcome
by training in folding the bills in varying ways and especially trusting others who are sighted in daily transactions to assist in identifying
those bills so they could be dealt with appropriately. Sherri Brun, 1st Vice President of the NFB-Greater Orlando Chapter, has been blind
since birth, and her opinion on this may shed a different light on this matter.
Here is Sherri in her own words:
Jay has asked me to give my opinion on the ACB's quest for identifiable currency. First, let me qualify my opinion by saying that it is mine
alone and not the current policy or stand of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). When I first heard of the ACB suing the Treasury to
make our paper money more accessible, I thought, "What a waste of time, money and effort! There are so many other battles to fight.
There are other ways to do this? Why sue?" I figured surely this could be handled in some other way.
From then on, I really did not pay much attention to the issue, because frankly, I didn't think ACB had a chance of winning. As time went
on, my opinion about accessible currency changed gradually. One thing that changed it was that my daughter came home from a trip to
Europe and showed me some Euros. I was amazed that I could tell them apart by size. I thought that would be a nice thing for us to
have. I knew there were money identifiers, but I didn't want to spend the money for one.
Then, a few weeks ago, the ACB won the suit. I was surprised to say the least. I then read the reaction and statement by the NFB
President. I thought, "Well, let's let them have their battle and we can continue to work on our issues." But when the NFB came out in
favor of the government's opposition, I was perplexed. I hope that our organization does not spend time and energy on this issue. After
all, we have other issues to deal with.
Ultimately, my opinion, and it is mine and not that of the NFB, is that we might as well have what all the other major economies of the
world have, money that is identifiable to their blind citizens. To me, although identifiable currency is not of earthshaking importance, it
will be just one more thing to make me a more independent and capable blind person and one less thing I will have to ask a sighted
person to help me do.
MFCB is hopeful that our national organization continues to pursue all that gives the blind and visually-impaired more independence.
Granted that there are many problems the disabled have to overcome, independence is at the heart of dealing with money. That is
something the U.S. Department of Treasury may realize sooner than later, which many other countries did a long time ago.
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TESTING THE VISUAL ACUITY OF POLICYMAKERS
When it comes to dealing with elected officials, many within MFCB do not have much of a relationship with them. However, given that
there are issues that affect the blind and visually-impaired in our area, the time is right to begin to know who our local elected officials
are and let them know our concerns. The process is beginning when it comes to Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) but can and
should go much further than that.
This directly relates to the fact that now with accessible voting in place, everyone should know who they vote for and their platforms on
various issues. With that in mind, Melanie Brunson, Executive Director of our national organization, the American Council of the Blind
(ACB), wrote the following, and MFCB Members should take note as to the ideas presented in this article. It is reprinted with permission
from the Winter 2007 issue of the ACB Newsletter, The Braille Forum:
TESTING THE VISUAL ACUITY OF POLICYMAKERS
by Melanie Brunson
Most of us are familiar with the processes by which eye doctors determine a patient's visual acuity and visual field. We keep track of our
own test results and often compare results when we encounter other people with eye conditions similar to ours. But do we think much
about the visual acuity of our legislators or other public officials? I suggest that we may want to give this some serious thought. Why?
Because policymakers with limited vision can make very shortsighted decisions, and those decisions can have consequences for
people who are blind that are sometimes unintended and can be downright harmful.
When the new Congress takes over in January 2007, there will be a number of new members. That will provide us with a good
opportunity to examine their vision of what is necessary and appropriate for them to do, especially as it relates to programs and services
for people who are blind or visually impaired. For instance, do they see the world through the proverbial rose-colored glasses? Is their
vision blocked by dollar signs so they can't see anything beyond how much something costs? Do they use a magnifier, which is
constantly focused on one particular idea, trend, or group? Or are they people with sufficient vision to see the world in a manner that
enables them to pick out both similarities and differences in the landscape, appreciate the diversity of their constituency and see creative
solutions to significant public policy issues? If your legislator or public official is in this last group, you are fortunate. Our goal in ACB is
to expand the ranks of this latter group, because we have a tremendous need for more visionary leaders at all levels of government
across this country.
As we look ahead to the New Year, many of the public policy issues we have been concerned about in the past remain on the table.
Many others will surface in the months ahead. One of our most important challenges, as we deal with each issue that arises, will be to
determine which legislators and/or public officials have enough vision to enable them to see their way to appropriate solutions and
which have vision that is impaired by their own biases, lack of experience or limited understanding of the issue at hand. Any of these can
impact how an official views both his or her role, and how he or she responds to public policy alternatives.
Therefore, it's not enough to know our own views, or even how our affiliate or ACB sees an issue. In order to be effective influencers of
society's responses to issues we are concerned about, we need to try to get a handle on what that society is seeing, or, in some cases,
not seeing, so that we can either improve their vision or help them to find alternative techniques for dealing with the issue.
Here is a case in point. Since 1936, many blind and visually impaired people across the country have found meaningful career
opportunities through the Randolph-Sheppard program. The Randolph-Sheppard Act, which established the program, provides a
mandatory priority for "blind persons licensed under [the Act] ... to operate vending facilities on any federal property." Under this act, the
term "vending facilities" includes: "automatic vending machines, cafeterias, snack bars, cart services, shelters, counters, and such other
appropriate auxiliary equipment as the secretary may by regulation prescribe as being necessary for the sale of the articles or services
described in Section 107a(a)(5)." Increasingly, this priority has been ignored by federal agencies. Readers of "The Braille Forum" may
recall a number of articles on examples of this trend over the past years. As recently as last month, we became aware of a proposal by
the Committee for Purchase from Persons who are Blind or Severely Disabled to ignore this priority and place the food service facilities
at the FBI's training facility at Quantico, Va., on the procurement list.
Although the Randolph-Sheppard Act has been in effect now for 70 years, this development shows that there are people throughout the
federal government who refuse to see that the priority it grants to blind vendors applies on their federal properties. Why? In many cases,
they see these facilities only in terms of the opportunities they could provide to private business. In other cases, well-intentioned
individuals who have a vision for providing employment opportunities for people with disabilities sometimes discount the value of this
program because it limits eligibility to people who are blind. Never mind that blind operators of vending facilities can and do provide
employment opportunities to other people with disabilities. It has become trendy to look at the political landscape through lenses
imprinted with an image that says, "One size must fit all or nobody should wear it." Those who see the world in this manner will
passionately proclaim that this program cannot be worth protecting unless it is opened up to all people with all disabilities. Any
program that is disability-specific lies outside their field of vision.
There are a number of other variations on these themes, and space does not permit me to discuss them all here. My point is that it is
not enough for us to know what we think and why we think it. We need to figure out what's driving those we want to influence. As noted
above, we are facing a period in our relations with governments at all levels where programs and policies that are meant to meet the
needs of people who are blind or visually impaired, as a particular group, are viewed with increasing suspicion. In short, what we
advocates call "categorical services" are under attack. The Randolph-Sheppard program is only one example of this trend. If we want to
save these programs for future generations of people with visual impairments, we will need to work on two levels simultaneously. First,
we will need to provide a clear message about these programs, indicating both their value to our community and our community's
expectations that they will actually provide the benefit or service to people who are blind they were intended to provide. It's not enough to
say we support it because it's ours. We must support it because there is measurable evidence that we, and the society we live in, will be
harmed without it. Second, we must identify factors that impair the vision of policymakers who can't, or won't, see the value of these
programs, so that we can offer them rehabilitation and enable them to see the situation more clearly.
For those of us who have the good fortune to be acquainted with policymakers with a clear view of what people who are blind can do for,
as well as need from, our society, our job will be to develop relationships with those folks and encourage them to stay engaged. These
people can become our partners and we could use a lot more of them beginning in 2007.
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FCB TECH TALK
Florida Council of the Blind (FCB) invites all Members throughout the state of Florida to participate in Tech Talk, a monthly get-together
for anyone who needs help with their computer and respective applications. John Richards, FCB 2nd Vice President and Chair of the
FCB Technology Committee, who organized this voice chat, says, "Please take advantage of this free tech support session. Have you
paid for tech support lately? If so, then you're aware of the cost."
Tech Talk takes place on the first Monday night of every month at 8 PM. To be a part of Tech Talk, grab a headset and microphone and
head to the FCB General Chat Room at the following link:
http://www.fcb.org/FCBGenRSigIn.htm. From there, just sign in and hit the Enter key
on your keyboard.
There are some Members of MFCB that are part of the FCB Technology Committee and they may even be able to help you. So if you
need help with your computer, join in on Tech Talk. And keep the change in your pocket.
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FCB E-MAIL DISCUSSION LIST AND VOICE CHAT ROOMS
Florida Council of the Blind (FCB) is proud to have its members throughout the state participate in a couple of ways on the Internet. The
FCB E-mail Discussion List is a way for members, locally and statewide, to express themselves freely on a variety of issues. These can
range from those on a local level to issues on a state or even national platform.
MFCB encourages all Members with E-mail and Internet access to sign up and participate in the various discussions as well as maybe
even starting a few. To sign up for the FCB E-mail Discussion List, and for more information about the List, go to the FCB website at
http://www.fcb.org and go to the link for "FCB E-mail Discussion List Information and Instructions."
And FCB has 2 voice chat rooms for members of the organization. One of these is for General chat, the other is for the FCB Board and its
respective committees to meet. Everyone is invited to sit in on these chats, especially to participate with those in the General chat
room.
For more information about these FCB chat rooms, especially if you want to know how you can join in on the chats, click on the link
"Voice Chat for FCB" at http://www.fcb.org.
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MFCB ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Mid-Florida Council of the Blind has a presence on the World Wide Web. Through the Florida Council of the Blind website,
http://www.fcb.org, there is information available on the Internet about MFCB, especially the MFCB
By-Laws, as well as current and past issues of the MFCB Newsletter, both in the previous name of MUMBLES and the newer name of
THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE. MFCB is proud to have people find out what is going on with our organization in this global
manner.
To specifically get to the MFCB section of the FCB website, go to http://www.fcb.org/mfcb.htm.
Feedback is strongly encouraged as to the accessibility and content of the website, so if you have any questions or suggestions, E-mail
webmaster@fcb.org. With your suggestions, changes can be made that better what we have
on the Web.
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SPECIAL PROGRAMS AT OCLS
The Orange County Library System (OCLS) will have many worthwhile events during the month of January.
January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, with Free Vision Screenings at the following libraries:
Tuesday, January 9th, 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Alafaya Branch Library
12000 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, FL 32826
Wednesday, January 10th, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Edgewater Branch Library
5049 Edgewater Dr., Orlando, FL 32810
Thursday, January 11th, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Washington Park Branch Library
5151 Raleigh St., Suite A, Orlando, FL 32811
Thursday, January 11th, 4:00 to 7:00 PM
South Creek Branch Library
1702 Deerfield Blvd., Orlando, FL 32837
Friday, January 19th, 10:00 AM to 12:00 NOON
Orlando Public Library
101 E. Central Blvd., Orlando, FL 32801
Monday, January 22nd, 4:00 to 7:00 PM
West Oaks Branch Library
1821 E. Silver Star Rd., Ocoee, FL 34761
Prevent Blindness Florida is providing free glaucoma screenings in recognition of “Glaucoma Awareness Month.” Advance registration is
required; please call (407) 835-7481 to reserve your spot today!
"Paws to Read" returns to the following OCLS libraries in January:
Saturday, January 13th, 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
North Orange Branch Library, 1211 E. Semoran Blvd., Apopka, FL 32703
Saturday, January 27th, 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Orlando Public Library, Children’s Library, 1st Floor
101 E. Central Blvd., Orlando, FL 32801
West Oaks Branch Library
1821 E. Silver Star Rd., Ocoee, FL 34761
Sign up to practice your reading skills by reading aloud to a lovable, furry listener. Be An Angel Therapy Dogs Ministry presents this
reading program for children with certified therapy dogs. Seating is limited; call today to reserve your spot at (407) 835-7323.
On Wednesday, January 10th, at 3:00 PM, "Wanna Write?" will take place at the Windermere Branch Library, 530 Main Street,
Windermere, FL 34786. Celebrate National Creativity Month by joining published author and Central Florida Romance Writers member
Louise Gouge and learn the process of writing a book. Reservations are required, so please call (407) 835-7481 to reserve your
spot!
For more information about these events, contact OCLS at (407) 835-7323.
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MEMBERSHIP - from Jay Bader
Notes from Jay: Thanks again to all those who have joined Mid-Florida Council of the Blind and all who decided to renew their
membership in our organization. With that in mind, the membership of MFCB goes into 2007 remains consistent, as the Member count
reported to the Florida Council of the Blind (FCB) is 61. The MFCB Telephone Roster will be updated shortly, with the hope that the 2007
version will be available no later than the March General Meeting in Large Print and Braille, with E-mail and Cassette versions being
distributed to those on the respective MID-FLORIDA VOICE mailing lists accordingly.
Please welcome the following NEW MEMBERS of MFCB:
ROSE HANNA
1015 San Domingo Rd.
Orlando, FL 32808
(407) 293-6201
DALE HONHOINE
c/o Anita Stone
1440 Stone Pine Ter., Apt. 130
Fremont, CA 94536
(510) 792-8358
And I always accept submissions to THE MID-FLORIDA VOICE. All submissions for the February 2007 issue must arrive by regular mail
or e-mail to me by the 15th of January as it will be prepared shortly after that. You will be properly credited with the submission.
If you have any further questions, please call me at (407) 658-2479 or e-mail at
mfcbinfo@bellsouth.net. Looking forward to seeing many of you at the MFCB General
Meeting in January, and Happy Holidays!
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BIRTHDAY PEOPLE
JANUARY
5 - Lisa Lawson
14 - Bob Huntsman
16 - Machel Cooper
25 - Sheila Young
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