Welcome to the Missouri Council of the Blind Chronicle

		June, 2009 Table of Contents The President's Report Treasurer's Report Committee Reports Adaptive Technology Grants Education and Welfare Committee Resolutions and Amendments Special Services Wolfner Advisory Council Show Me Loans Rehabilitation Services for the Blind With a little help Member of the Month Award Affiliate Affairs Blind Of Central Missouri Guide Dog User's of Missouri Joplin Service Club The RITE Report Springfield Service Club Southwest Missouri Friendship Council The MCB Rhymoceros The Lower Lefthand Drawer Back to the Chronicle Archives The President's Report By Denny Huff It’s hard to believe that another three months has passed, but here it is the first of May and time to give another report. I guess the biggest news is that we do not have an Executive Director at this time. As you probably know, Bev Armstrong had been our Executive Director for the past six months on a contract basis. That contract expired on March 26, and, although the board voted to extend her contract for another year, she, for whatever reason, rejected it. The personnel committee did present a qualified person to the board during our April board meeting, but it was decided not to hire that person. Had Mrs. Armstrong agreed to the contract that was presented to her then, we would be searching for a Field Marketing Representative to help with raising funds for MCB which we so desperately need at this time. Since we do not have an Executive Director, and our bylaws state that we have one, our efforts will be on finding a qualified person to fill that position. Hopefully we can find a person that can do all of the duties that are required of an Executive Director which include office management and fund raising, and one that the board will approve of. If not, then we will need to settle for someone to bear the title of an Executive Director and hire an additional staff person to do the fund raising for us. As a result of not having an Executive Director that can help us with fund raising, or a person in the office expressly for that purpose, the budget and finance committee will have to take a serious look at our budget for 2010. There will undoubtedly be some severe budget cuts and all areas will be affected. Yes, we do have cash in reserve that will cover the budget for the next few years, but it would be very irresponsible of me and the board to continue operating with a deficit and spend those reserves funds without having new income. Speaking of new income, I have asked Mike Keller to take a serious look at MCB starting its own thrift store. He is doing a feasibility study at this time and should have his report ready to give to the board within a month or so. There is some question as to whether we can actually open our own thrift store because of the current contract we have with Henderson Management Company. We do have some really good news concerning the blind pension lawsuit that MCB has against the state of Missouri. Our chair person for this committee, Chip Hailey, will have more information further in this Chronicle. I believe that people who work hard and often go above and beyond the call of duty should be recognized for their contributions. I asked the board to approve a member of the month award and they unanimously did so. Each month the member of the month committee, chaired by Yvonne Schnitzler, will accept nominations from the membership for someone they feel deserves this award. There will be more information about this award in this edition of the Chronicle. MCB had its first conference call with RSB during the month of March. The conference was attended by Mark Laird, Chief Deputy Director and Mike Merrick Assistant Deputy Director of RSB. There were approximately 20 participants from the membership of MCB and the conference call lasted one hour. There were several items discussed on the conference call including how MCB and RSB could work together more closely. We are planning a quarterly conference call with RSB and the future calls will also include representatives from NFB. We will also plan an annual in person meeting with the three organizations. If you haven’t called the presidents line to receive monthly updates on the highlights of MCB then I encourage you to do so. The number to call is: 1-816-298-8969. I try and update the information twice a month and the recording normally lasts around 10 minutes. MCB was once again a sponsor for Power Up. This year it was held in Columbia MO and I believe that the attendance surpassed any of the previous years. Our booth was well attended and we registered over 150 people for the portable MP3 player we gave away. Congratulations to our own Linda Burris for winning this prize. I want to thank Leroy and Loretta Welch and Susan Sanderson for manning the booth and giving out brochures and promotional items from MCB. I also want to say thanks to the office, Betsy and Eleanor, for working so hard on the brochures and registrations cards. Immediately after the Power Up event I traveled to Jefferson City and met our first vice, James Hollins so that we could attend a meeting with RSB. This meeting was part of a three year monitoring conducted by RSA. The meeting included representatives from RSA, NFB and James and I. The intent of the meeting was to get input from our organizations on the services provided by RSB. We met for almost two hours and a report of this meeting will be released sometime in September along with all of the other reports resulting from meetings held by RSA over a three day period. Several people have asked me how it is going in the office, and I’ll have to admit that it seems as though the office is running very smoothly. Betsy and Eleanor are doing a great job in keeping the day to day operation running proficiently. I normally visit the office a couple of times a week and take care of matters that the staff are not able to do, but again, all in all things are going good in the office. During our last state convention it was approved by the membership to purchase a new sound system. The one that we were using just wasn’t efficient to do the job for us. I authorized Beau Barnhart to get bids on a sound system that would meet the needs of our convention. Beau received a good bid from the Guitar Center in Kansas City and we now have an excellent sound system we can use for not only our annual convention, but for the upcoming youth conference in August and our board meetings. I have a very busy few months coming up including my attending a support group meeting in Palmyra MO. I will be looking into the possibility of getting an affiliate started in that area, and will report on that in the next edition of the Chronicle. I do covet your prayers as I try and lead this great organization in the direction of fulfilling our mission. There is a lot of work ahead of us and I couldn’t do it without the help of my chair persons and the executive board. I have had a conference call with the elected members of the board to get their input on some issues and will definitely be calling on them again in the near future. As I said, I can’t do all of this by myself and need the support and cooperation of each one of you. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or comments. Sometimes we hear something that has been passed through the proverbial grapevine and what we have heard isn’t the way it is at all. The most reliable source of information is straight from the horse’s mouth. So before you believe something you have heard, and pass on that information, be sure what you have heard is factual and accurate in its content. You are certainly welcome to call me with any of your questions. I am just one of you and want to be approachable by the membership. My toll free number is: 888-362-1383 and my postal address is: P.O. Box 515 St. Clair, MO 63077 My email address is: dhuff@moblind.org. My sincere thanks to all of you for your support and your willingness to achieve our goal. Treasurer's Report By Daniel Wheeler I missed the deadline for the last issue but this time I seem to have just made it. On the other hand, you have not missed all that much. The big item, of which most people are probably aware, is that the thrift store company has submitted some partial payments to MCB. While the documentation is not clear, it appears that the payments may be for parts of three months for the two stores which the company admits it owes MCB money. The payments exceed fifty thousand dollars in a category for which no income was budgeted. In addition, both dividend income and contributions are ahead of their projected pace thus far this year. Overall, for the seven months ended March 31, which is fifty eight percent of the fiscal year, MCB has received about ninety two percent of its projected income. On the other hand, expenditures have run at about sixty one percent of the budgeted expenditures. That is to say, we are spending a little faster that we want to but we have received even more, although no where near the total budgeted expenditures. Since we are withdrawing from savings to cover expenses, I am pleased to report that this income has allowed us to delay our next withdrawal from December, when we cashed in a certificate of deposit, until the last week of April, when we transferred funds from the money marked account to the checking account. We do have expenditures budgeted for the ACB convention and summer camp in the next several months and will continue to monitor the MCB accounts carefully to ensure that all expenses can be covered. On the investment side, the stock market has been up as well as down and MCB's portfolio has lost about two hundred thousand dollars. That is not good, but it is not nearly as bad as last summer and fall. Good day, and I hope to see as many of you as possible at the ACB convention. Danny Wheeler Committee Reports Adaptive Technology Grants by Franklin Johnson The Adaptive Technology Matching Grant funds have been expended for the year. No additional funds will be available until if, or when, the board appropriates new funds for 2010. Those applications that the Adaptive Technology Grant committee was unable to approve will be held over until next year. At that time each individual will be contacted to see if they have found an alternate source to assist them in purchasing the device, or if they are still interested in MCB assisting them in purchasing that piece of equipment. Franklin Johnson Adaptive Technology Grant Chairperson Education and Welfare Committee by Chip Hailey On Saturday, February 21, 2009, 8 of us from MCB caught our flights to Washington D.C. for the American Council of the Blind Legislative Seminar. I would like to thank Bev Kaskadden, Teresa Moore, Tom and Brandi Jones, Erika Wolf>and Josh Sisson, along with my wife for serving as our MCB delegates to the legislative seminar. Our MCB president, Denny Huff, had arrived earlier on Thursday for the ACB Board of Directors meeting that was to be held on Friday followed by the affiliate presidents’ meeting to be held on Saturday. I would like to extend a very special thank you to him for staying over for the seminar, and then later for our visit over to Capitol Hill. I thought this year's group worked extremely well together and believe MCB would be very proud of our legislative efforts. We again this year took up two legislative imperatives that we had taken to our Congressional leaders last year. The first was the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act. Eric Bridges, ACB Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, reported that ACB had again strongly urged the House of Representatives to reintroduce and pass the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act which was originally introduced by Rep. Ed Markey as H.R. 6320 in the 110th Congress. This bill would restore the modest requirements for production of video description, and would have such requirements extend to digital television. It would also require non-visual access to on-screen emergency warnings and similar televised information such as boil water and amber alerts. It would further require TV user interfaces to be disability accessible, including devices used to receive and display Internet-based video programming. We also heard later from Mark Seifert, Council on Telecommunications and the Internet, House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Mark spoke on the Hill Perspective on this bill. The second imperative was the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (HR734) as introduced by Representatives Edolphus Towns and Cliff Stearns. Melanie Brunson, ACB Executive Director, said this bill would direct the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study beginning within 90 days of passage of this legislation and to complete it within two years of its commencement, at which time, the Department of Transportation would report the study's findings to Congress. She said secondly Within 90 days after the conclusion of the study, the secretary then would establish a standard that would take into account the results of the study, and will set forth the minimum information that must be provided by motor vehicles required for blind and other pedestrians to travel safely and independently in urban, rural and residential environments. She said the bill would also provide that the standard would apply to all "new motor vehicles." At the time of this writing, we have more than 100 cosponsors to the bill. Cosponsors from Missouri include Representatives Russ Carnahan, Jo Ann Emerson and Roy Blunt. Other highlights of the legislative seminar: We heard from Eve Hill, Senior Vice President, from the Burton Blatt Institute, on the proposed ADA amendments. I thought her time was well received and very informative. She updated us on the upcoming changes in the ADA and how those changes will affect those of us with disabilities. We also heard from Donna Smith, Training Manager, Easter Seals Project Action, on challenges with municipalities and the Paratransit Industry. Donna did an outstanding job in describing some of the problems regarding Para transit across the country and what we can do to assist in resolving some of those problems. We heard from Mark Richert, American foundation for the blind Director of Public Policy, on healthcare issues. Mark talked about the rise of healthcare and the high cost of durable medical equipment, and what we can expect in the future. We also heard from Christie Dawson, Director of Governmental Relations, National Industries for the Blind, as well as Catriona McDonald, of Blind Entrepreneurs' Alliance, on updates on the Randolph-Sheppard and Ability One Programs. In addition, we heard from Sharon Lewis, Disability Policy Advisor, House committee on Education and Labor, on other issues pending on the Hill. All in all, it was a wonderfully productive seminar. I also felt as though the face-to-face contact with our Congressional leaders made a huge difference in promoting our agenda. Moreover, I truly believe that our presence at the Capitol educates in a way that a phone call or email cannot possibly do. So we can now sit back and watch the fruits of our labor flourish. Regarding the class action law suit, we have been informed by attorney Deborah Greider that Judge Patricia Joyce of the Circuit Court of Cole County entered an Order on April 16, 2009, and has found as a matter of that no statute of limitations applies to the claims of the class members and that she ordered an accounting to determine damages going back to 1992. Judge Joyce has ordered the attorneys for the State of Missouri and the attorneys for the class to convene a status conference on May 4 at 3:00 to discuss the appointment of a special master for the purpose of the accounting. Other matters, such as the mechanics of obtaining records, lists of recipients going back to 1992, and other issues pertinent to an accounting will likely be discussed as well. The Court may have other issues to discuss at that time, and the Court may have matters it wishes the attorneys to brief. We believe this is a significant step forward for the blind of Missouri, and we will keep you advised. Thank you again for allowing me to be your Education and Welfare Chairman. It’s been an honor and wonderful experience. Respectfully submitted, Chip Hailey Resolutions and Amendments by John Weidlich What would an MCB Convention be without a whole bunch of controversial Amendments to the Bylaws to debate and vote on? Quiet, you say? I say it would be dull, indeed. I will be chairing the Bylaws and Resolutions Committee this year, so here is a reminder that I need any amendments or resolutions that you would like to be considered at the convention by July 15. As the bylaws state, they must be sent to me in Braille and large print and signed by two members no later than July 15 so that they can be prepared and sent to the office for circulation to the members. People sometimes wonder why amendments need to have two signatures. Our Parliamentarian once explained that amendments are like motions except that they are in writing. Motions have to be made and then seconded in order to be considered and so amendments and resolutions need two signatures to be considered. Think of it as making a motion and then having someone second the motion. So get your amendments and resolutions ready and get them to me as soon as you can. My address is: John Weidlich 5736 Bancroft Avenue St Louis, MO 63109 If you have any questions or need help in writing an amendment, you can call me at 314 752-3031 or email me at weidlich@swbell.net. Just don't get too controversial. There is a limit as to how much excitement we can handle and you know, conventions only last three days. John Weidlich ASAP! ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER! Special Services by Bill Reynolds I'm so sorry to say that at this time Special Services has NO MONEY remaining in its budget. In fact Special Services is in the RED to the tune of ($1,031.09.) We will not have any money until the Board approved the new budget for 2009-2010 year at the Convention in October. This is a terrible way for our committee to start off but we had no choice. The applications that we currently have now will be the first ones we will work on after the new budget is approved. Thank you for your understanding. God Bless You All Special Services Committee Linda Ann burris, Linda Hailey, Donna Weidlich and Bill Reynolds, chairman Wolfner Advisory Council by Alicia Starner The Wolfner Advisory council meeting was held on Friday, March 13, 2009, in the conference room at the James C. Kirkpatrick Information Center in Jefferson City. The state librarian, Margaret Conroy, reported there will be a budget cut of 5% affecting travel, outreach, and advertising. These cuts are expected to affect the library for the next three fiscal years. The special services librarian’s and the public services manager’s position was recently vacated leaving the staff of Wolfner Library to compensate with limited staff. The interview process will begin soon for the special services librarian; however, there are no plans to fill the vacant public services manager position at this time. The Director of Wolfner Library, Richard Smith, reported the new talking book machines should begin arriving at Wolfner Library in late April or early May. According to the National Library Service (NLS), these machines will be distributed to active patrons in good standing who are considered by Wolfner Library staff to be heavy readers. These patrons will be responsible for rigorously testing the new machines by borrowing one of 54 approved titles. Once the testing process is complete, new machines will begin arriving in the homes of Wolfner Library patrons. The first patrons to receive these machines will be veterans and the elderly. Once these patrons are served the book machines will be distributed to the remainder of patrons being served by the library. Please keep in mind that Wolfner Library serves over 20,000 Missourians with visual or print disabilities; therefore, your patience during this transition is greatly appreciated. If you are comfortable with using a personal computer to download files off the Internet, open and unzip files, transfer data from a computer to a removable device, and love to read, contact your reader advisor today to see if you are eligible to receive a Victor Reader Stream from Wolfner Library. These Streams are being loaned to eligible patrons of Wolfner Library who are willing to download a minimum of two books per month and have the need for a more portable solution than the new talking book machines. Coming soon for those of you interested in descriptive video is a listing of titles on DVD. The library will have approximately 50 titles to choose from and will be adding to this collection periodically. Show Me Loans Show-Me Loans is a program providing low-interest loans that can be used for the purchase of assistive technology. The program is provided through Missouri Assistive Technology. Some of the loans made through the program have been for devices such as a BrailleNote, Trekker GPS, and electronic print enlarging devices. Several borrowers have utilized the MCB matching grant program to fund half of the device cost and used a Show-Me Loan to finance the remainder. Interest rates for the program are from two percent to four percent. The minimum amount that may be borrowed is $500. "Show-Me Loans for Telework" is another low-interest loan program through Missouri Assistive Technology. This program may be used for any equipment – not just assistive technology – that is needed for an individual with a disability to work from home. For more information about either program, contact Eileen Belton at 800-647-8557 or by email at eileen.belton@att.net. Rehabilitation Services for the Blind by Mark Laird Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (Established in 1915) is a joint Missouri State-Federal Vocational Rehabilitation program, serving blind and visually impaired Missourians. We believe that with appropriate services visually impaired or blind individuals can be empowered to lead independent and productive lives in their communities and their own homes. Our mission is to create opportunities for eligible blind and visually impaired individuals in order that they may achieve and maintain personal independence and attain vocational success. Are you having problems with your vision? Is your employment in jeopardy because of decreased eyesight? Is finding suitable employment made more difficult because of diminished vision? Are you or your child having difficulty in school due to visual issues? Do you have difficulty completing daily tasks around your home? Is reading regular-sized print hard for you? Do you lack the resources to maintain proper eye care? If the answer is "yes" to any of the above questions, a referral to Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (RSB) might be right for you. You can make a referral to RSB or get information about our programs and services by using one of our quick and simple contact methods: Call our toll-free number 1-800-592-6004 Email: askrsb@dss.mo.gov Visit RSB's Web Site: www.dss.mo.gov/fsd/rsb Programs and Services from RSB: Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program provides vocational rehabilitation services to eligible individuals with a goal of employment. These services may include vocational or academic training, assistive technology, career counseling, job development and much more. Randolph-Sheppard Vending Program (referred to as the Business Enterprise Program, BEP) is administered by Rehabilitation Services for the Blind. The program operates managed food service facilities throughout Missouri. The program offers training and job placement to legally blind, eligible individuals to become productive, taxpaying, self-employed business persons in the food services industry. Older Blind Service (OBS) Program offers services to eligible individuals aged 55 and over with a goal of living independently. These services may include the purchase of magnifiers, writing aids, household management training, and many different types of adaptive equipment to assist you. Independent Living Rehabilitation (ILR) Program offers services to eligible individuals under the age of 55 with a goal of independent living in one's home and/or community. Children's Program helps parents of children with visual impairments, as well as the child, with issues related to education, advocacy and growth. Prevention of Blindness Program (POB) provides visual health care to eligible individuals who are unable to pay for those services through another source. Mark Laird, Deputy Director Rehabilitation services for the Blind With a little help by Whitney Wilkins (This article appeared in the May, 2009 issue of the 417 magazine. Lisa Filroy is the current President of the Springfield Service Club of the Blind. Gary was a member until he became unable to attend the meetings. Submitted by Phyllis Lovett.) Blindness and bone cancer can't stop one Springfield resident, who's making his way with help from the American Cancer Society. THE PERFECT PAIR: Lisa and Gary Filroy, each blind, receive assistance from the American Cancer Society. When Gary Filroy was 5 years old, he was singing on stage at the Louisiana Hayride, a weekly music show. People couldn't believe he wasn't scared to sing in front of the huge crowd. "What's there to be afraid of" he asks. "Everyone is always afraid, and I don't understand why." Maybe Filroy's fearlessness comes from all his life experiences. Blind since birth, he was walking along a hospital hallway in 2000 when a crippling pain shot through his arm. "I jumped like a deer in the headlights," he says. Filroy visited a doctor after the arm pain refused to subside, where he learned that he had multiple myeloma, a type of bone cancer. '"They said I would only live two to five years," he says. "I guess they were wrong." Filroy and his wife, Lisa, who is also blind, moved to Springfield from Rolla in 2002, so Gary could receive treatment at Cox Health's Hulston Cancer Center. A social worker at the center put them in touch with the American Cancer Society, which has helped them with many aspects of their daily lives, including drivers to take them to appointments and to run other daily errands. Filroy was born in DeQueen, Arkansas, and has lived all over the country. He and Lisa began their relationship as pen pals, recording "letters" on cassette tapes and mailing them to each other. The couple finally met and just clicked, Gary says. "She runs things, and I take orders," he says with a laugh. Filroy has led a varied life that has always included music. He was part of a gospel group that had some success with an album in Italy. He also owns a collection of more than 20,000 old records, and he runs a discussion group on the Internet for old-time radio enthusiasts. Although the cancer won't allow him to play music himself anymore, he used to dabble with many instruments. "I was a guitarist, played a little sax, a little drums," he says. "I could muddle through on the piano." His love of radio led him to buy a transatlantic radio in the 1960s. He says he would get his news off the radio in French and translate it to English, just for fun. That "just for fun" translating led to Filroy becoming fluent in French. Cancer hasn't slowed Filroy's life down any more than his blindness did. "I'll forget more in my lifetime than most people have ever learned," he says. "If the Lord cured me of this disease, I'd still be going and learning all that I can." Member of the Month Award by Yvonne Schnitzler Missouri Council of the Blind is initiating a Member of the Month program to recognize those who have given of themselves and have made a difference in their community or assisting the blind. Each month the Member of the Month Committee will select an individual from those nominated by any member of MCB. Now is the time to show appreciation for someone who has been an inspiration or has done something special. Qualifications for the award: 1. Must be a member of MCB in good standing to nominate or be nominated. 2. Nominee may be visually impaired or sighted. 3. A blind member may be nominated for service to the blind or for service to their community even if it does not affect the visually impaired. 4. A sighted member must make a positive contribution in assisting the blind. 5. Monthly nominations will be held over for later consideration. 6. The MCB Member of the Month Committee will select the winners. All nominations must include: 1. Name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and affiliate name of the nominee. 2. A short paragraph telling what they have done and why you believe they are deserving of the award. 3. Name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and affiliate name of the person making the nomination. 4. Nominations may be in the format of your choice. 5. Nominations must be postmarked by the last day of each month. The recipient of the award will receive a certificate and a nice gift box with several MCB items. Monthly award winners will be recognized at the MCB Convention banquet in October and of those recipients, we will honor a "member of the year" with a cash award. Send nominations to: Yvonne Schnitzler, Chair 2107 Hwy. 61 Festus, MO 63028 Phone: (636) 937-3390 e-mail: meshowjys@sbcglobal.net Committee members are: Susan Sanderson, Sedalia Nancy Hodson, Springfield David Rosenkoetter, Kansas City Affiliate Affairs Over, around and across Missouri. Let's find out what's happening where. Blind Of Central Missouri By Trudy Blood, Recording Secretary Hello to everyone from Sedalia. People are having their spring flings, We will see what the future brings. We have 2 new members in our club. They are Dick and Arlene Prisendorf. Arlene is losing her sight, and Dick is sighted.W e had our bowling party on Saturday, March 7. We had pizza, bread sticks, and cinnamon sticks from Mazzios. It was a great time of food, fun, and fellowship. Our club is having a 50 50 raffle again this year. The tickets are $1.00 a piece or 6 for $5.00. We are also selling candy bars for another fundraiser. We are selling 4 or 5 different kinds. They are $1.00 a piece. On a sad note, one of our members, Woody Spillars, passed away on April 17. He will really be missed. Our mayor, Bob Wagon, passed away on April 24. He, too, will surely be missed. Our picnic will be July 2 which is the first Thursday of the month. Alicia and Robert Starner's son Josh, who is legally blind, went turkey hunting last weekend with a program sponsored by Wils. He was able to shoot a 24 pound turkey. He was the second biggest out of all the kids that took part. Some of our club members will be going to camp in June, July and September. Until next time, keep your smile, and a song in your heart; and, if you can't be good, be good at it. Guide Dog User's of Missouri by Steve Schnelle Hello to all, I hope this letter finds everyone in good health and spirits and ready to take on another hot, steamy Missouri summer. I just wanted to put in a quick reminder that it is time to start planning for our Guide Dog Users’ meeting at the 2009 convention. We are having our traditional breakfast on Friday morning, and I would like to get a rough estimate of how many of you will be attending so we can get a count of how many steak and egg breakfasts to order. Just kidding, it looks like it will be our average breakfast; but I'm sure it will be excellent. Please let me know your plans to attend our meeting no later than September 15th. You can email me at papaschnelle@hotmail.com or call me at: (314) 877-1542, which is my office number. If you don't get me please leave a message. Hope everyone has a great, relaxing and prosperous summer and I look forward to seeing you all at the Guide Dog User's breakfast. Joplin Service Club by Bill Boyd Greetings to Everyone, These past few months have just flown by, and here it is time to get in touch with what has been happening here. We have been blessed with several new members since last report. In February we welcomed Lee & Isabel Mendoza, & Barbara Fischer, and in March Jeanne Jones & Alma Bell. In January we welcomed Tony Moore, Mary Phillips, & Cletus Fischer, (these did not get in last Chronicle). George Markham has resigned as the board representative (due to his health) and Cindy Smart has been elected to serve in his place. Cindy also represented our Club at Legislative Days. Our February dinner was hosted by the Christ's Community United Methodist Church. entertainment was also provided. In March, around St. Patrick's Day, the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority hosted our dinner and served the traditional Corned Beef, Cabbage & potatoes, and entertainment was again provided. At one of our luncheons in March we had Franklin Johnson as our guest for lunch, and then he made a presentation on Technology and also the changes that are taking place at Wolfner Library. Everyone really enjoyed having him visit. Thanks Again, Franklin! Brian Dorman, an evening news anchor from our local TV station, Channel 12, (ABC) came and ate lunch with us, and visited numerous members just so he could get acquainted with everyone. The April dinner was hosted by the Delta Gamma Sorority, and entertainment was provided. On April 21st. we received word that Valva York had passed away. We are saddened by the loss & will truly miss her. Lynn Moody, who had been in a nursing facility for some time, has once again been able to attend our luncheons and just celebrated her 96th birthday with us! The club members are now making plans to attend the June session of camp, & also to attend the White Cane Walk, in Springfield in May. Cindy Smart recently spoke to a group of Girl Scout's at a Badge Workshop on Communicating. Cindy read to them from a Braille book, demonstrated several items, and answered many questions. Thank You, Cindy! Have a blessed Spring and Summer The RITE Report by Bunny Maginnis Hello from Rite, Thank goodness spring is finally here. It is good to be able to go out to play without having to bundle up. It's wonderful to smell the flowers; feel the green grass under our feet; breathe the warm air and feel the warm sunshine on our faces. Four of our members attended the MCB board meeting in Independence. It was a long trip but it was worth knowing what is going on in the organization. The mcb president, Denny Huff, is doing an excellent job of keeping everyone informed. His effort is certainly appreciated. Seven of our members will be attending the acb convention in Florida this summer. Four of us will be taking the train. We'll have a 6 hour lay over in Washington, Dc. Hopefully there will be time for some sight seeing. In January we had a representative from the Red Cross give a presentation on emergency disasters and how to be prepared. She did an excellent job and it was very informative. Every other month our group meets at a local restaurant. Our next meeting will be held at Bruno's on Hampton. The meet goes well and everyone seems to enjoy it. In closing, may we take a moment to wish you a safe, happy and prosperous summer. We'll see some of you at camp; some of you at the acb convention, and the rest of you in Independence for the mcb convention in October. Warm blessings, Bunny Maginnis Springfield Service Club by Janelle Edwards, Secretary In recent months, the following three new members have joined our club: Jackie and Earl Cutler, and Stella Johnson. We are very glad to have them as members. This year the weather cooperated and we were able to make our usual yearly visit to the West Plains club in February. Their hospitality was wonderful. This is always a great chance to visit with old friends and make new ones. We invite the members of the West Plains club to our yearly Thanksgiving dinner. Southwest Missouri Friendship Council by Chip Hailey June 27th will mark the observance of Helen Keller’s 129th Birthday, so I thought I’d like to open our report with a quote of hers: “Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”--Helen Keller 1880-1968 The Friendship Council of the Blind hopes that everyone in MCB made it through the winter in fine fashion and has had a great spring and is now looking forward to the summer months. Since our last visit, we have had the good fortune of recruiting a new member, Logan Beckett. We believe that Logan and his wife will be a great asset to our affiliate and to MCB and we will be looking forward to introducing them to everyone as opportunity permits. We also distributed most of our MCB large print calendars and received many thanks and appreciations. Those to whom we gave calendars expressed great appreciation and said how much they look forward to receiving a new one each year. Chip Hailey and Franklin Johnson visited several elementary schools in the Joplin area and talked to kids about blindness and what it means to be a guide dog handler. You might want to ask Franklin about the funny experience he had while he was talking to the kids about being a guide dog user. MCB Braille alphabet cards and MCB writing instruments were given out to the teachers and students and many thanks were expressed. A number of teachers and students expressed their delight over the alphabet cards and writing instruments and said how informative they found their presentations to be. At our April business meeting, Tom Smith was elected our new Friendship Council treasurer. We know that Tom will do an excellent job since everything he sets his hands to do seems to prosper. Also, we are continuing to pray for Elvena Smith, Tom's wife, who was recently readmitted into the hospital over a long term illness. We are still giving out talking watches or clocks and canes to blind or visually impaired individuals in our area who need them, but are unable to purchase one. This is one of the things we do with the MCB affiliate grant we receive each year and it's also a way we are able to get our name out to the public. Over the years we have given out a goodly number of canes and watches and everyone who has received a cane or watch has always expressed great appreciation. Besides our regular monthly business meetings on the first Tuesday of every month, we also have a dinner get together on the third Tuesday of the month. Sometimes we have a potluck at the Webb City Senior Citizens Center where we hold our business meetings and sometimes we go out to eat at one of the local restaurants. In April we went to Tom and Elvena Smith's for a chili dinner. It was a great evening and the food and fellowship were absolutely exceptional. In May, we again will be looking forward to helping sponsor the Springfield Service Club's White Cane Walk and the Lion's Eye Research Program. We wish to commend the Springfield Service Club for putting together this important event each year. You guys do such an outstanding job that we wish it could be made a statewide event. Chip and Linda Hailey attended the Friends of Wolfner annual meeting in Jefferson City as well as the 15th annual Power Up Conference and Expo in Columbia. They will also be attending the ACB National Convention in Orlando, Fla., in July, and we know they will have a lot of great things on which to report back. Finally, all of us in the Friendship Council hope that you all will have a safe and fun-filled summer. Remember to always keep the sunny side up and the cloudy side down. The MCB Rhymoceros I passed a closed car dealer’s lot On which I spied this sign: A lot of money’s ‘tainted. ‘Taint yours, and, Lord! ‘taint mine. The Lower Lefthand Drawer So summer has arrived, and so have we with a stack of stuff we hope you may find interesting. Please remember that any mention of a product or service is not intended as a solicitation or an endorsement. We only hope you will find some points of interest. Having made that obligatory announcement, lets see whats in the drawer this time. Free Help: Many people enjoy listening to baseball games during these months. If youre a computer user, you can tune in to any major league game of your choice. Ray Campbell will gladly help you get it all set up. Call him at (888) 825-0080 between the hours of 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM Monday through Friday. Any question regarding using adaptive technology is welcome whether it be for your computer, a note taker or any other device used by the blind or visually impaired. He will try and answer questions concerning Jaws,Windoweyes, Zoomtext, Magic, Openbook, Kurzweil and all other access technology. If you are not able to call between those hours then you can email Ray with your question at: Ray.Campbell@ChicagoLighthouse.Org. Summer Safety Tip: Lee Stone tells us, a few years ago when we were camping at a state park the man in the next campsite over was drinking a soda and tipped the can back only to find he got a good sized bee in his mouth. so if you are drinking outside then listen first to activity in that can or bottle before you tip back. Also, its getting on to that time of year when you very likely could be nailed by hornets, wasps and bees. You just may want to keep a few pennies in your pocket at all times. we all have heard about holding a penny on a bee sting. well two of my friends have said it works for them. I am thinking it must be the copper in the penny. so what would it cost you to be wrong? maybe 2 cents? Church Conference: The National Church Conference For The Blind will hold its 2009 annual Bible Conference September 12 through the 17th at the Wyndham Richmond Airport Hotel, 4700 South Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, 23231, Hotel Phone: (804) 226-4300. Hotel room rate is $99 per night with up to 4 people to a room. For more information, contact Rheba Dunn, the membership secretary at (970) 895-2352 or go to the NCCB website at www.thenccb.com. Hope to see you there! New Batteries. Member, Nancy Lynn, sends this along: Yes, folks, it's really true. Finally, they've developed the Digicell battery, a digital battery that lasts up to 50 percent longer in any digital device such as a radio, small television, laptop, cell phone or PDA device. These devices eat battery life faster than little Mikey ate his Life cereal. Now, with these brand new, longer lasting, digital batteries, no longer will you need to change batteries as often. Not only that, but, when the battery quits, it quits gradually, not like the analog batteries of today that die suddenly right in the middle of your favorite song. You will be warned before this new Digicell dies. For more information, call 206-309-8433. 2009 Self-Employment Webcast Series: The Series Brochure is available on http://www.worksupport.com/documents/startupwebcastseries2009.pdf. Register for the entire 6-webcast series listed below, or select individual webcasts from our entire listing of topics, including these titles below, on the Upcoming Webcasts page. Webcast Series Schedule: 5/20/2009: Inclusive Entrepreneurship; 6/17/2009: Three Models of Self-employment; 7/22/2009: The Customized Self-Employment Model; 8/19/2009: Current Research in Self-Employment; and 9/16/2009: The Financial Side of Self-Employment. New Word About The Braille Essay Contest: We have it on good authority that the Braille Essay Contest, which was previously announced as being open to all visually impaired Missourians under 21 years of age, has now been opened up to visually impaired Missourians of any age. New Social Group in St. Louis! Its official. The Sight and Sound Impaired Social Group in St. Louis (SASISTL) held their first meeting on January 17, 2009. As a result of the hard work of coordinator, Mary Hale, there were 24 people in attendance that day. Nine were people with vision and hearing loss and the rest were family members, interpreters and SSPs. After introductions and talking about the purpose of the group, an overwhelming majority stated that they want to meet monthly. Meetings will be held on the 3rd Saturday from 1 4 pm at the RTR/ Deaf Community Center, 8764 Manchester Road, Room 201 in St Louis. There are many other organizations that are available for people who are blind, have low vision, deaf or hard of hearing. While these organizations are wonderful, it is difficult for a person with vision AND hearing loss to be able to feel comfortable, because communication can be very difficult. In SASISTL there is an emphasis on trying to ease any communication issues. Many individuals feel alone, are home bound, or have low self esteem. Mary says, By meeting with one another, we can help each other improve the quality of our lives. If we allow ourselves the chance to help one another, we are actually helping ourselves. For more information about SASISTL, contact Mary by calling (314) 544-3252 or e-mail sasistl@sbcglobal.net Linking SSA Jobs to People With Disabilities: The Social Security Administration has recently received funding to hire a significant number of employees throughout the country. This hiring initiative offers a unique opportunity for individuals with disabilities who may want to get a job with SSA. These jobs will be at various skill levels including a number of entry-level positions. What kinds of jobs is SSA offering? SSA is recruiting employees to work in field offices and teleservice centers where they will assist the public by phone and in person with a wide variety of program related activities such as filing claims, applying for a new or replacement Social Security cards and other types of inquiries. SSA also is recruiting employees to work in claims processing centers and to work in hearings offices in legal and paralegal positions. Where are these jobs located? All across the United States; for example, some are in the local SSA field offices or SSA hearings offices, some in the 37 teleservice centers nationwide, some in SSA's program service centers and some at SSA headquarters in the Baltimore area. How will SSA recruit? SSA will use a variety of avenues to recruit and hire people with disabilities. In particular, the Agency is reaching out to Ticket to Work ticket holders who are trying to return to work, veterans with disabilities through programs such as the Wounded Warrior transitional program, and students with disabilities. Many individuals with disabilities will qualify for consideration under a special placement authority called "Schedule A." If you have specific questions about this initiative or want to submit an application or resume for consideration, please send those to our special e-mail address: Selective.Placement.Applications@ssa.gov. Please include QUESTION in the subject line for all questions and use RESUME for all submissions of resumes. A New E-mail List: There are already probably a zillion out there, and I doubt seriously that youre looking for another one, but in case you are here is yet one more. The ACB Walk Committee is pleased to announce the establishment of our ACB Walk Talk List. Sign up and get to know other walkers. Exchange ideas and information on valuable topics. To sign up, send a blank message to: walktalk-subscribe@acb.org or contact PamShaw Phone: (215) 242-5695. Congratulations: A few months ago our MCB President established the Member of the Month award. One recipient will be named each month, and all will be honored annually at the state convention. The very first recipient was chosen in March, and that was Irene Stoll from the Ozark Association in Ste. Genevieve. The April winner was Donna White from the Progressive Council in Kansas City. More Kudos: Russell Ewell, from St. Louis, was the first blind person to graduate from Eden Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity Degree in its 156-years. Many people from our community, including those from academia and from social service organizations, expressed a feeling that a blind person especially one that does not read brail has never, nor could complete this program because of its academic requirements. Russell proved otherwise, and, in so doing, made a statement for all visually impaired people. A salute to MCB member, Judy Redlich, who was recently named "Gateway Woman of the Year" in Media Relations by The National Association of Professional and Executive Women. Only one woman from each industry is named "Woman of the Year" and each honoree is selected from thousands of women in their field. They are chosen based on outstanding accomplishments, leadership, and service and will nationally represent their industry in the "Women of Excellence" Registry. Judy has 32 years of experience in the media industry. For twenty years, she produced and hosted "The Christian Connection," a weekly 30-minute television interview show featuring local affairs and inspirational topics. For twelve years, she produced and hosted the "Cry Justice," weekly 30 minute radio talk show. Presently, as Manager of Joni and Friends Gateway, she is responsible for administration, fund-raising, and public relations. Joni and Friends Gateway is a regional branch of the international disability organization, Joni and Friends. Judy also travels internationally with Joni and Friends' Wheels for the World program. Judy's academic accomplishments include completing her Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Psychology from Missouri Valley College. She attributes her success to her faith in Jesus Christ. Judy is also Vice-President of the Friends of Wolfner Library board and serves on Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Advisory Council. In her spare time, Judy enjoys traveling, spending time with family, musical performance, and public speaking. She has received the 2006 Bronze Telly Award for the Christian Connection TV Show. She is presently working on a television documentary slated to be finished in June. She is creating a new live call in internet radio show with hopes THAT IT WILL BE coming out later this year. It is called "Nuggets of Gold with Judy Redlich", which she hopes to soon offer to other radio stations. Tom Armstrong, class of 55, was named Alumnus of the Year by the Missouri School for the Blind Alumni Association, and was presented with an attractive plaque at their annual dinner on May 16th. Tip From Social Security: If you - or someone you know or support - are age 18 through 64 and receive Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income benefits and are interested in meaningful work and better earnings potential, SSA can help. Please consider attending a FREE Work Incentive Seminar (WISE) Event in your area to: Explore opportunities to increase your income. Learn about the Ticket to Work Program and other Work Incentives. Find disability service providers and other resources in your community available to help you navigate career development. And learn how to explore your options, and try work without losing your Social Security benefits. In May, June and July there are WISE Events being hosted by Work Incentive Planning and Assistance (WIPA) And more events across the country are being added all the time. These are real chances for beneficiaries to begin to make WISE connections while they explore a return to work! For more information or to sign up for a FREE WISE Event in your area, please visit us online at www.cessi.net/wise or call (1-877) 743-8237 (V/TTY). Job Opportunity: www.VisuallyImpairedAndTheBlind.com has links to either employment agencies that specialize in the handicapped, or other employment opportunities for VI folks. One that people may be interested in is a work from home reservations person for Marriott Corp. You just need a phone, computer, and flexible schedule and you take reservations for Marriotts all over the country. Medicaid Non-Emergency Transportation for Free: President, Denny Huff, passes along the following information. Call (1-866) 269-5927 if there is no other way to get a free ride to a scheduled medical Appointment. You MUST call three days in advance to make arrangements. You will also need your Medicaid number, destination address, drop off time, pick up time and name of doctor. The man I talked to said there was no limit for requests. Call the LogistiCare Medicaid Coordinator 24 hours per day, 7 days per week at (1-866) 269-5927 http://www.logisticare.com New In Nashville: I dont know how many of you may have occasion to fly into Nashville, but if you do, you will be interested to know that the Nashville International Airport has recently opened a pet relief area for customers service animals. This area is located on the north side of the third level, which is the ticketing level, of the terminal. Change of plans: The Creative Writing group that meets every third Tuesday of the month on AccessibleWorld is about to get many times better and more interesting. It is about to become a general interest group called Learn Something! It will meet in the same place and the same time, but after this month, we will start providing a monthly introduction to any number of skills or topics. What topics? How about: How to listen to the radio on the Internet; how to write a mystery; how to make freeform crochet or knitted items; how to cook delicious vegetarian meals; how to be a successful seller on eBay; and how to prepare yourself for an emergency. Those are just a few ideas. Come with your ideas! Nan Hawthorne is the Group Facilitator; Email: hawthorne40@nanhawthorne.com. We meet every third Tuesday of the month at 8:00 p.m. CDT, and elsewhere in the world Wednesday 1:00 GMT. Approximately 15 minutes prior to the event start time, go to the Accessible World Classroom: http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs0f1c528bd81b http://conference32-1.com/masteradmi-n/room.asp?-id=rs0f1c528bd81-b or you can Select the Accessible World Classroom: http://www.accessibleworld.org. enter your first and last names. All online interactive programs require no password, are free of charge, and open to anyone worldwide having an Internet connection, a computer, speakers, and a sound card. Those with microphones can interact audibly with the presenters and others in the virtual audience or text chat with the attendees. To speak to us, hold down the control key to talk and let up to listen. If you are a first-time user of the Talking Communities online conferencing software, there is a small, safe software program that you need to download and then run. A link to the software is available on every entry screen to the Accessible World online rooms. Sign up information for all Accessible World News Wires and discussion lists are also available at our website: Accessible World Contacts: Robert Acosta, Chair (818) 998-0044 Email: boacosta@pacbell.net Web: http://www.helpinghands4theblind.org Joann Becker, is the Events Coordinator (617) 969-1213 Email: joannbecker@comcast.net That wraps it up for this issue. Enjoy your summer; keep cool if you can; and well plan on another visit in September. Back to the Chronicle Archives

Adaptive Technology Grants
Education and Welfare Committee
Resolutions and Amendments
Special Services
Wolfner Advisory Council

Show Me Loans
Rehabilitation Services for the Blind
With a little help
Member of the Month Award
Affiliate Affairs

Blind Of Central Missouri
Guide Dog User's of Missouri
Joplin Service Club
The RITE Report
Springfield Service Club
Southwest Missouri Friendship Council

The MCB Rhymoceros
The Lower Lefthand Drawer

Back to the Chronicle Archives

The President's Report

By Denny Huff

It’s hard to believe that another three months has passed, but here it is the first of May and time to give another report.

I guess the biggest news is that we do not have an Executive Director at this time. As you probably know, Bev Armstrong had been our Executive Director for the past six months on a contract basis. That contract expired on March 26, and, although the board voted to extend her contract for another year, she, for whatever reason, rejected it. The personnel committee did present a qualified person to the board during our April board meeting, but it was decided not to hire that person. Had Mrs. Armstrong agreed to the contract that was presented to her then, we would be searching for a Field Marketing Representative to help with raising funds for MCB which we so desperately need at this time. Since we do not have an Executive Director, and our bylaws state that we have one, our efforts will be on finding a qualified person to fill that position. Hopefully we can find a person that can do all of the duties that are required of an Executive Director which include office management and fund raising, and one that the board will approve of. If not, then we will need to settle for someone to bear the title of an Executive Director and hire an additional staff person to do the fund raising for us. As a result of not having an Executive Director that can help us with fund raising, or a person in the office expressly for that purpose, the budget and finance committee will have to take a serious look at our budget for 2010. There will undoubtedly be some severe budget cuts and all areas will be affected. Yes, we do have cash in reserve that will cover the budget for the next few years, but it would be very irresponsible of me and the board to continue operating with a deficit and spend those reserves funds without having new income.

Speaking of new income, I have asked Mike Keller to take a serious look at MCB starting its own thrift store. He is doing a feasibility study at this time and should have his report ready to give to the board within a month or so. There is some question as to whether we can actually open our own thrift store because of the current contract we have with Henderson Management Company.

We do have some really good news concerning the blind pension lawsuit that MCB has against the state of Missouri. Our chair person for this committee, Chip Hailey, will have more information further in this Chronicle.

I believe that people who work hard and often go above and beyond the call of duty should be recognized for their contributions. I asked the board to approve a member of the month award and they unanimously did so. Each month the member of the month committee, chaired by Yvonne Schnitzler, will accept nominations from the membership for someone they feel deserves this award. There will be more information about this award in this edition of the Chronicle.

MCB had its first conference call with RSB during the month of March. The conference was attended by Mark Laird, Chief Deputy Director and Mike Merrick Assistant Deputy Director of RSB. There were approximately 20 participants from the membership of MCB and the conference call lasted one hour. There were several items discussed on the conference call including how MCB and RSB could work together more closely. We are planning a quarterly conference call with RSB and the future calls will also include representatives from NFB. We will also plan an annual in person meeting with the three organizations.

If you haven’t called the presidents line to receive monthly updates on the highlights of MCB then I encourage you to do so. The number to call is: 1-816-298-8969. I try and update the information twice a month and the recording normally lasts around 10 minutes.

MCB was once again a sponsor for Power Up. This year it was held in Columbia MO and I believe that the attendance surpassed any of the previous years. Our booth was well attended and we registered over 150 people for the portable MP3 player we gave away. Congratulations to our own Linda Burris for winning this prize. I want to thank Leroy and Loretta Welch and Susan Sanderson for manning the booth and giving out brochures and promotional items from MCB. I also want to say thanks to the office, Betsy and Eleanor, for working so hard on the brochures and registrations cards.

Immediately after the Power Up event I traveled to Jefferson City and met our first vice, James Hollins so that we could attend a meeting with RSB. This meeting was part of a three year monitoring conducted by RSA. The meeting included representatives from RSA, NFB and James and I. The intent of the meeting was to get input from our organizations on the services provided by RSB. We met for almost two hours and a report of this meeting will be released sometime in September along with all of the other reports resulting from meetings held by RSA over a three day period.

Several people have asked me how it is going in the office, and I’ll have to admit that it seems as though the office is running very smoothly. Betsy and Eleanor are doing a great job in keeping the day to day operation running proficiently. I normally visit the office a couple of times a week and take care of matters that the staff are not able to do, but again, all in all things are going good in the office.

During our last state convention it was approved by the membership to purchase a new sound system. The one that we were using just wasn’t efficient to do the job for us. I authorized Beau Barnhart to get bids on a sound system that would meet the needs of our convention. Beau received a good bid from the Guitar Center in Kansas City and we now have an excellent sound system we can use for not only our annual convention, but for the upcoming youth conference in August and our board meetings.

I have a very busy few months coming up including my attending a support group meeting in Palmyra MO. I will be looking into the possibility of getting an affiliate started in that area, and will report on that in the next edition of the Chronicle.

I do covet your prayers as I try and lead this great organization in the direction of fulfilling our mission. There is a lot of work ahead of us and I couldn’t do it without the help of my chair persons and the executive board. I have had a conference call with the elected members of the board to get their input on some issues and will definitely be calling on them again in the near future. As I said, I can’t do all of this by myself and need the support and cooperation of each one of you. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or comments. Sometimes we hear something that has been passed through the proverbial grapevine and what we have heard isn’t the way it is at all. The most reliable source of information is straight from the horse’s mouth. So before you believe something you have heard, and pass on that information, be sure what you have heard is factual and accurate in its content. You are certainly welcome to call me with any of your questions. I am just one of you and want to be approachable by the membership. My toll free number is: 888-362-1383 and my postal address is:

P.O. Box 515
St. Clair, MO 63077

My email address is: dhuff@moblind.org.

My sincere thanks to all of you for your support and your willingness to achieve our goal.

Treasurer's Report

By Daniel Wheeler

I missed the deadline for the last issue but this time I seem to have just made it. On the other hand, you have not missed all that much.

The big item, of which most people are probably aware, is that the thrift store company has submitted some partial payments to MCB. While the documentation is not clear, it appears that the payments may be for parts of three months for the two stores which the company admits it owes MCB money. The payments exceed fifty thousand dollars in a category for which no income was budgeted.

In addition, both dividend income and contributions are ahead of their projected pace thus far this year. Overall, for the seven months ended March 31, which is fifty eight percent of the fiscal year, MCB has received about ninety two percent of its projected income. On the other hand, expenditures have run at about sixty one percent of the budgeted expenditures. That is to say, we are spending a little faster that we want to but we have received even more, although no where near the total budgeted expenditures.

Since we are withdrawing from savings to cover expenses, I am pleased to report that this income has allowed us to delay our next withdrawal from December, when we cashed in a certificate of deposit, until the last week of April, when we transferred funds from the money marked account to the checking account. We do have expenditures budgeted for the ACB convention and summer camp in the next several months and will continue to monitor the MCB accounts carefully to ensure that all expenses can be covered.

On the investment side, the stock market has been up as well as down and MCB's portfolio has lost about two hundred thousand dollars. That is not good, but it is not nearly as bad as last summer and fall.

Good day, and I hope to see as many of you as possible at the ACB convention.

Danny Wheeler

Committee Reports

Adaptive Technology Grants

by Franklin Johnson

The Adaptive Technology Matching Grant funds have been expended for the year. No additional funds will be available until if, or when, the board appropriates new funds for 2010.

Those applications that the Adaptive Technology Grant committee was unable to approve will be held over until next year. At that time each individual will be contacted to see if they have found an alternate source to assist them in purchasing the device, or if they are still interested in MCB assisting them in purchasing that piece of equipment.

Franklin Johnson
Adaptive Technology Grant Chairperson

Education and Welfare Committee

by Chip Hailey

On Saturday, February 21, 2009, 8 of us from MCB caught our flights to Washington D.C. for the American Council of the Blind Legislative Seminar. I would like to thank Bev Kaskadden, Teresa Moore, Tom and Brandi Jones, Erika Wolf>and Josh Sisson, along with my wife for serving as our MCB delegates to the legislative seminar. Our MCB president, Denny Huff, had arrived earlier on Thursday for the ACB Board of Directors meeting that was to be held on Friday followed by the affiliate presidents’ meeting to be held on Saturday. I would like to extend a very special thank you to him for staying over for the seminar, and then later for our visit over to Capitol Hill.

I thought this year's group worked extremely well together and believe MCB would be very proud of our legislative efforts. We again this year took up two legislative imperatives that we had taken to our Congressional leaders last year. The first was the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act. Eric Bridges, ACB Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, reported that ACB had again strongly urged the House of Representatives to reintroduce and pass the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act which was originally introduced by Rep. Ed Markey as H.R. 6320 in the 110th Congress. This bill would restore the modest requirements for production of video description, and would have such requirements extend to digital television. It would also require non-visual access to on-screen emergency warnings and similar televised information such as boil water and amber alerts. It would further require TV user interfaces to be disability accessible, including devices used to receive and display Internet-based video programming. We also heard later from Mark Seifert, Council on Telecommunications and the Internet, House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Mark spoke on the Hill Perspective on this bill.

The second imperative was the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (HR734) as introduced by Representatives Edolphus Towns and Cliff Stearns. Melanie Brunson, ACB Executive Director, said this bill would direct the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study beginning within 90 days of passage of this legislation and to complete it within two years of its commencement, at which time, the Department of Transportation would report the study's findings to Congress. She said secondly Within 90 days after the conclusion of the study, the secretary then would establish a standard that would take into account the results of the study, and will set forth the minimum information that must be provided by motor vehicles required for blind and other pedestrians to travel safely and independently in urban, rural and residential environments. She said the bill would also provide that the standard would apply to all "new motor vehicles." At the time of this writing, we have more than 100 cosponsors to the bill. Cosponsors from Missouri include Representatives Russ Carnahan, Jo Ann Emerson and Roy Blunt.

Other highlights of the legislative seminar: We heard from Eve Hill, Senior Vice President, from the Burton Blatt Institute, on the proposed ADA amendments. I thought her time was well received and very informative. She updated us on the upcoming changes in the ADA and how those changes will affect those of us with disabilities.

We also heard from Donna Smith, Training Manager, Easter Seals Project Action, on challenges with municipalities and the Paratransit Industry. Donna did an outstanding job in describing some of the problems regarding Para transit across the country and what we can do to assist in resolving some of those problems.

We heard from Mark Richert, American foundation for the blind Director of Public Policy, on healthcare issues. Mark talked about the rise of healthcare and the high cost of durable medical equipment, and what we can expect in the future.

We also heard from Christie Dawson, Director of Governmental Relations, National Industries for the Blind, as well as Catriona McDonald, of Blind Entrepreneurs' Alliance, on updates on the Randolph-Sheppard and Ability One Programs.

In addition, we heard from Sharon Lewis, Disability Policy Advisor, House committee on Education and Labor, on other issues pending on the Hill.

All in all, it was a wonderfully productive seminar. I also felt as though the face-to-face contact with our Congressional leaders made a huge difference in promoting our agenda. Moreover, I truly believe that our presence at the Capitol educates in a way that a phone call or email cannot possibly do. So we can now sit back and watch the fruits of our labor flourish.

Regarding the class action law suit, we have been informed by attorney Deborah Greider that Judge Patricia Joyce of the Circuit Court of Cole County entered an Order on April 16, 2009, and has found as a matter of that no statute of limitations applies to the claims of the class members and that she ordered an accounting to determine damages going back to 1992. Judge Joyce has ordered the attorneys for the State of Missouri and the attorneys for the class to convene a status conference on May 4 at 3:00 to discuss the appointment of a special master for the purpose of the accounting. Other matters, such as the mechanics of obtaining records, lists of recipients going back to 1992, and other issues pertinent to an accounting will likely be discussed as well. The Court may have other issues to discuss at that time, and the Court may have matters it wishes the attorneys to brief. We believe this is a significant step forward for the blind of Missouri, and we will keep you advised.

Thank you again for allowing me to be your Education and Welfare Chairman. It’s been an honor and wonderful experience.

Respectfully submitted,
Chip Hailey

Resolutions and Amendments

by John Weidlich

What would an MCB Convention be without a whole bunch of controversial Amendments to the Bylaws to debate and vote on? Quiet, you say? I say it would be dull, indeed. I will be chairing the Bylaws and Resolutions Committee this year, so here is a reminder that I need any amendments or resolutions that you would like to be considered at the convention by July 15. As the bylaws state, they must be sent to me in Braille and large print and signed by two members no later than July 15 so that they can be prepared and sent to the office for circulation to the members.

People sometimes wonder why amendments need to have two signatures. Our Parliamentarian once explained that amendments are like motions except that they are in writing. Motions have to be made and then seconded in order to be considered and so amendments and resolutions need two signatures to be considered. Think of it as making a motion and then having someone second the motion.

So get your amendments and resolutions ready and get them to me as soon as you can. My address is:

John Weidlich

5736 Bancroft Avenue

St Louis, MO 63109

If you have any questions or need help in writing an amendment, you can call me at 314 752-3031 or email me at weidlich@swbell.net. Just don't get too controversial. There is a limit as to how much excitement we can handle and you know, conventions only last three days.

John Weidlich

ASAP!

ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER!

Special Services

by Bill Reynolds

I'm so sorry to say that at this time Special Services has NO MONEY remaining in its budget. In fact Special Services is in the RED to the tune of ($1,031.09.) We will not have any money until the Board approved the new budget for 2009-2010 year at the Convention in October.

This is a terrible way for our committee to start off but we had no choice. The applications that we currently have now will be the first ones we will work on after the new budget is approved.

Thank you for your understanding.

God Bless You All

Special Services Committee

Linda Ann burris, Linda Hailey, Donna Weidlich and Bill Reynolds, chairman

Wolfner Advisory Council

by Alicia Starner

The Wolfner Advisory council meeting was held on Friday, March 13, 2009, in the conference room at the James C. Kirkpatrick Information Center in Jefferson City. The state librarian, Margaret Conroy, reported there will be a budget cut of 5% affecting travel, outreach, and advertising. These cuts are expected to affect the library for the next three fiscal years. The special services librarian’s and the public services manager’s position was recently vacated leaving the staff of Wolfner Library to compensate with limited staff. The interview process will begin soon for the special services librarian; however, there are no plans to fill the vacant public services manager position at this time.

The Director of Wolfner Library, Richard Smith, reported the new talking book machines should begin arriving at Wolfner Library in late April or early May. According to the National Library Service (NLS), these machines will be distributed to active patrons in good standing who are considered by Wolfner Library staff to be heavy readers. These patrons will be responsible for rigorously testing the new machines by borrowing one of 54 approved titles. Once the testing process is complete, new machines will begin arriving in the homes of Wolfner Library patrons. The first patrons to receive these machines will be veterans and the elderly. Once these patrons are served the book machines will be distributed to the remainder of patrons being served by the library. Please keep in mind that Wolfner Library serves over 20,000 Missourians with visual or print disabilities; therefore, your patience during this transition is greatly appreciated. If you are comfortable with using a personal computer to download files off the Internet, open and unzip files, transfer data from a computer to a removable device, and love to read, contact your reader advisor today to see if you are eligible to receive a Victor Reader Stream from Wolfner Library. These Streams are being loaned to eligible patrons of Wolfner Library who are willing to download a minimum of two books per month and have the need for a more portable solution than the new talking book machines. Coming soon for those of you interested in descriptive video is a listing of titles on DVD. The library will have approximately 50 titles to choose from and will be adding to this collection periodically.

Show Me Loans

Show-Me Loans is a program providing low-interest loans that can be used for the purchase of assistive technology. The program is provided through Missouri Assistive Technology. Some of the loans made through the program have been for devices such as a BrailleNote, Trekker GPS, and electronic print enlarging devices. Several borrowers have utilized the MCB matching grant program to fund half of the device cost and used a Show-Me Loan to finance the remainder. Interest rates for the program are from two percent to four percent. The minimum amount that may be borrowed is $500.

"Show-Me Loans for Telework" is another low-interest loan program through Missouri Assistive Technology. This program may be used for any equipment – not just assistive technology – that is needed for an individual with a disability to work from home. For more information about either program, contact Eileen Belton at 800-647-8557 or by email at eileen.belton@att.net.

Rehabilitation Services for the Blind

by Mark Laird

Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (Established in 1915) is a joint Missouri State-Federal Vocational Rehabilitation program, serving blind and visually impaired Missourians.

We believe that with appropriate services visually impaired or blind individuals can be empowered to lead independent and productive lives in their communities and their own homes. Our mission is to create opportunities for eligible blind and visually impaired individuals in order that they may achieve and maintain personal independence and attain vocational success.

Are you having problems with your vision?

Is your employment in jeopardy because of decreased eyesight?
Is finding suitable employment made more difficult because of diminished vision?
Are you or your child having difficulty in school due to visual issues?
Do you have difficulty completing daily tasks around your home?
Is reading regular-sized print hard for you?
Do you lack the resources to maintain proper eye care?

If the answer is "yes" to any of the above questions, a referral to Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (RSB) might be right for you.

You can make a referral to RSB or get information about our programs and services by using one of our quick and simple contact methods:

Call our toll-free number 1-800-592-6004
Email: askrsb@dss.mo.gov
Visit RSB's Web Site: www.dss.mo.gov/fsd/rsb

Programs and Services from RSB:

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program provides vocational rehabilitation services to eligible individuals with a goal of employment. These services may include vocational or academic training, assistive technology, career counseling, job development and much more.
Randolph-Sheppard Vending Program (referred to as the Business Enterprise Program, BEP) is administered by Rehabilitation Services for the Blind. The program operates managed food service facilities throughout Missouri. The program offers training and job placement to legally blind, eligible individuals to become productive, taxpaying, self-employed business persons in the food services industry.
Older Blind Service (OBS) Program offers services to eligible individuals aged 55 and over with a goal of living independently. These services may include the purchase of magnifiers, writing aids, household management training, and many different types of adaptive equipment to assist you.
Independent Living Rehabilitation (ILR) Program offers services to eligible individuals under the age of 55 with a goal of independent living in one's home and/or community.
Children's Program helps parents of children with visual impairments, as well as the child, with issues related to education, advocacy and growth.
Prevention of Blindness Program (POB) provides visual health care to eligible individuals who are unable to pay for those services through another source.

Mark Laird, Deputy Director

Rehabilitation services for the Blind

With a little help

by Whitney Wilkins

(This article appeared in the May, 2009 issue of the 417 magazine. Lisa Filroy is the current President of the Springfield Service Club of the Blind. Gary was a member until he became unable to attend the meetings. Submitted by Phyllis Lovett.)

Blindness and bone cancer can't stop one Springfield resident, who's making his way with help from the American Cancer Society.

THE PERFECT PAIR: Lisa and Gary Filroy, each blind, receive assistance from the American Cancer Society. When Gary Filroy was 5 years old, he was singing on stage at the Louisiana Hayride, a weekly music show. People couldn't believe he wasn't scared to sing in front of the huge crowd. "What's there to be afraid of" he asks. "Everyone is always afraid, and I don't understand why."

Maybe Filroy's fearlessness comes from all his life experiences. Blind since birth, he was walking along a hospital hallway in 2000 when a crippling pain shot through his arm. "I jumped like a deer in the headlights," he says. Filroy visited a doctor after the arm pain refused to subside, where he learned that he had multiple myeloma, a type of bone cancer. '"They said I would only live two to five years," he says. "I guess they were wrong."

Filroy and his wife, Lisa, who is also blind, moved to Springfield from Rolla in 2002, so Gary could receive treatment at Cox Health's Hulston Cancer Center. A social worker at the center put them in touch with the American Cancer Society, which has helped them with many aspects of their daily lives, including drivers to take them to appointments and to run other daily errands.

Filroy was born in DeQueen, Arkansas, and has lived all over the country. He and Lisa began their relationship as pen pals, recording "letters" on cassette tapes and mailing them to each other. The couple finally met and just clicked, Gary says. "She runs things, and I take orders," he says with a laugh.

Filroy has led a varied life that has always included music. He was part of a gospel group that had some success with an album in Italy.

He also owns a collection of more than 20,000 old records, and he runs a discussion group on the Internet for old-time radio enthusiasts.

Although the cancer won't allow him to play music himself anymore, he used to dabble with many instruments. "I was a guitarist, played a little sax, a little drums," he says. "I could muddle through on the piano."

His love of radio led him to buy a transatlantic radio in the 1960s. He says he would get his news off the radio in French and translate it to English, just for fun. That "just for fun" translating led to Filroy becoming fluent in French.

Cancer hasn't slowed Filroy's life down any more than his blindness did. "I'll forget more in my lifetime than most people have ever learned," he says. "If the Lord cured me of this disease, I'd still be going and learning all that I can."

Member of the Month Award

by Yvonne Schnitzler

Missouri Council of the Blind is initiating a Member of the Month program to recognize those who have given of themselves and have made a difference in their community or assisting the blind. Each month the Member of the Month Committee will select an individual from those nominated by any member of MCB. Now is the time to show appreciation for someone who has been an inspiration or has done something special.

Qualifications for the award:

1. Must be a member of MCB in good standing to nominate or be nominated.

2. Nominee may be visually impaired or sighted.

3. A blind member may be nominated for service to the blind or for service to their community even if it does not affect the visually impaired.

4. A sighted member must make a positive contribution in assisting the blind.

5. Monthly nominations will be held over for later consideration.

6. The MCB Member of the Month Committee will select the winners.

All nominations must include:

1. Name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and affiliate name of the nominee.

2. A short paragraph telling what they have done and why you believe they are deserving of the award.

3. Name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and affiliate name of the person making the nomination.

4. Nominations may be in the format of your choice.

5. Nominations must be postmarked by the last day of each month.

The recipient of the award will receive a certificate and a nice gift box with several MCB items. Monthly award winners will be recognized at the MCB Convention banquet in October and of those recipients, we will honor a "member of the year" with a cash award.

Send nominations to:

Yvonne Schnitzler, Chair

2107 Hwy. 61

Festus, MO 63028

Phone: (636) 937-3390

e-mail: meshowjys@sbcglobal.net

Committee members are:

Susan Sanderson, Sedalia

Nancy Hodson, Springfield

David Rosenkoetter, Kansas City

Affiliate Affairs

Over, around and across Missouri. Let's find out what's happening where.

Blind Of Central Missouri

By Trudy Blood, Recording Secretary

Hello to everyone from Sedalia.

People are having their spring flings, We will see what the future brings.

We have 2 new members in our club. They are Dick and Arlene Prisendorf. Arlene is losing her sight, and Dick is sighted.W

e had our bowling party on Saturday, March 7. We had pizza, bread sticks, and cinnamon sticks from Mazzios. It was a great time of food, fun, and fellowship.

Our club is having a 50 50 raffle again this year. The tickets are $1.00 a piece or 6 for $5.00. We are also selling candy bars for another fundraiser. We are selling 4 or 5 different kinds. They are $1.00 a piece.

On a sad note, one of our members, Woody Spillars, passed away on April 17. He will really be missed.

Our mayor, Bob Wagon, passed away on April 24. He, too, will surely be missed.

Our picnic will be July 2 which is the first Thursday of the month.

Alicia and Robert Starner's son Josh, who is legally blind, went turkey hunting last weekend with a program sponsored by Wils. He was able to shoot a 24 pound turkey. He was the second biggest out of all the kids that took part.

Some of our club members will be going to camp in June, July and September.

Until next time, keep your smile, and a song in your heart; and, if you can't be good, be good at it.

Guide Dog User's of Missouri

by Steve Schnelle

Hello to all,

I hope this letter finds everyone in good health and spirits and ready to take on another hot, steamy Missouri summer.

I just wanted to put in a quick reminder that it is time to start planning for our Guide Dog Users’ meeting at the 2009 convention. We are having our traditional breakfast on Friday morning, and I would like to get a rough estimate of how many of you will be attending so we can get a count of how many steak and egg breakfasts to order. Just kidding, it looks like it will be our average breakfast; but I'm sure it will be excellent.

Please let me know your plans to attend our meeting no later than September 15th. You can email me at papaschnelle@hotmail.com or call me at: (314) 877-1542, which is my office number. If you don't get me please leave a message.

Hope everyone has a great, relaxing and prosperous summer and I look forward to seeing you all at the Guide Dog User's breakfast.

Joplin Service Club

by Bill Boyd

Greetings to Everyone,

These past few months have just flown by, and here it is time to get in touch with what has been happening here.
We have been blessed with several new members since last report. In February we welcomed Lee & Isabel Mendoza, & Barbara Fischer, and in March Jeanne Jones & Alma Bell. In January we welcomed Tony Moore, Mary Phillips, & Cletus Fischer, (these did not get in last Chronicle).

George Markham has resigned as the board representative (due to his health) and Cindy Smart has been elected to serve in his place. Cindy also represented our Club at Legislative Days.

Our February dinner was hosted by the Christ's Community United Methodist Church. entertainment was also provided.

In March, around St. Patrick's Day, the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority hosted our dinner and served the traditional Corned Beef, Cabbage & potatoes, and entertainment was again provided.

At one of our luncheons in March we had Franklin Johnson as our guest for lunch, and then he made a presentation on Technology and also the changes that are taking place at Wolfner Library. Everyone really enjoyed having him visit. Thanks Again, Franklin!

Brian Dorman, an evening news anchor from our local TV station, Channel 12, (ABC) came and ate lunch with us, and visited numerous members just so he could get acquainted with everyone.

The April dinner was hosted by the Delta Gamma Sorority, and entertainment was provided.

On April 21st. we received word that Valva York had passed away. We are saddened by the loss & will truly miss her.

Lynn Moody, who had been in a nursing facility for some time, has once again been able to attend our luncheons and just celebrated her 96th birthday with us!

The club members are now making plans to attend the June session of camp, & also to attend the White Cane Walk, in Springfield in May.

Cindy Smart recently spoke to a group of Girl Scout's at a Badge Workshop on Communicating. Cindy read to them from a Braille book, demonstrated several items, and answered many questions. Thank You, Cindy!

Have a blessed Spring and Summer

The RITE Report

by Bunny Maginnis

Hello from Rite,

Thank goodness spring is finally here. It is good to be able to go out to play without having to bundle up. It's wonderful to smell the flowers; feel the green grass under our feet; breathe the warm air and feel the warm sunshine on our faces.

Four of our members attended the MCB board meeting in Independence. It was a long trip but it was worth knowing what is going on in the organization. The mcb president, Denny Huff, is doing an excellent job of keeping everyone informed. His effort is certainly appreciated.

Seven of our members will be attending the acb convention in Florida this summer. Four of us will be taking the train. We'll have a 6 hour lay over in Washington, Dc. Hopefully there will be time for some sight seeing.

In January we had a representative from the Red Cross give a presentation on emergency disasters and how to be prepared. She did an excellent job and it was very informative.

Every other month our group meets at a local restaurant. Our next meeting will be held at Bruno's on Hampton. The meet goes well and everyone seems to enjoy it.

In closing, may we take a moment to wish you a safe, happy and prosperous summer. We'll see some of you at camp; some of you at the acb convention, and the rest of you in Independence for the mcb convention in October.

Warm blessings,
Bunny Maginnis

Springfield Service Club

by Janelle Edwards, Secretary

In recent months, the following three new members have joined our club: Jackie and Earl Cutler, and Stella Johnson. We are very glad to have them as members.

This year the weather cooperated and we were able to make our usual yearly visit to the West Plains club in February. Their hospitality was wonderful. This is always a great chance to visit with old friends and make new ones. We invite the members of the West Plains club to our yearly Thanksgiving dinner.

Southwest Missouri Friendship Council

by Chip Hailey

June 27th will mark the observance of Helen Keller’s 129th Birthday, so I thought I’d like to open our report with a quote of hers:

“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained
through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”--Helen Keller 1880-1968

The Friendship Council of the Blind hopes that everyone in MCB made it through the winter in fine fashion and has had a great spring and is now looking forward to the summer months.

Since our last visit, we have had the good fortune of recruiting a new member, Logan Beckett. We believe that Logan and his wife will be a great asset to our affiliate and to MCB and we will be looking forward to introducing them to everyone as opportunity permits.

We also distributed most of our MCB large print calendars and received many thanks and appreciations. Those to whom we gave calendars expressed great appreciation and said how much they look forward to receiving a new one each year.

Chip Hailey and Franklin Johnson visited several elementary schools in the Joplin area and talked to kids about blindness and what it means to be a guide dog handler. You might want to ask Franklin about the funny experience he had while he was talking to the kids about being a guide dog user. MCB Braille alphabet cards and MCB writing instruments were given out to the teachers and students and many thanks were expressed. A number of teachers and students expressed their delight over the alphabet cards and writing instruments and said how informative they found their presentations to be.
At our April business meeting, Tom Smith was elected our new Friendship Council treasurer. We know that Tom will do an excellent job since everything he sets his hands to do seems to prosper.

Also, we are continuing to pray for Elvena Smith, Tom's wife, who was recently readmitted into the hospital over a long term illness.

We are still giving out talking watches or clocks and canes to blind or visually impaired individuals in our area who need them, but are unable to purchase one. This is one of the things we do with the MCB affiliate grant we receive each year and it's also a way we are able to get our name out to the public. Over the years we have given out a goodly number of canes and watches and everyone who has received a cane or watch has always expressed great appreciation.

Besides our regular monthly business meetings on the first Tuesday of every month, we also have a dinner get together on the third Tuesday of the month. Sometimes we have a potluck at the Webb City Senior Citizens Center where we hold our business meetings and sometimes we go out to eat at one of the local restaurants. In April we went to Tom and Elvena Smith's for a chili dinner. It was a great evening and the food and fellowship were absolutely exceptional.

In May, we again will be looking forward to helping sponsor the Springfield Service Club's White Cane Walk and the Lion's Eye Research Program. We wish to commend the Springfield Service Club for putting together this important event each year. You guys do such an outstanding job that we wish it could be made a statewide event.

Chip and Linda Hailey attended the Friends of Wolfner annual meeting in Jefferson City as well as the 15th annual Power Up Conference and Expo in Columbia.

They will also be attending the ACB National Convention in Orlando, Fla., in July, and we know they will have a lot of great things on which to report back.

Finally, all of us in the Friendship Council hope that you all will have a safe and fun-filled summer. Remember to always keep the sunny side up and the cloudy side down.

The MCB Rhymoceros

I passed a closed car dealer’s lot
On which I spied this sign:
A lot of money’s ‘tainted.
‘Taint yours, and, Lord! ‘taint mine.

The Lower Lefthand Drawer

So summer has arrived, and so have we with a stack of stuff we hope you may find interesting. Please remember that any mention of a product or service is not intended as a solicitation or an endorsement. We only hope you will find some points of interest. Having made that obligatory announcement, lets see whats in the drawer this time.

Free Help: Many people enjoy listening to baseball games during these months. If youre a computer user, you can tune in to any major league game of your choice. Ray Campbell will gladly help you get it all set up. Call him at (888) 825-0080 between the hours of 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM Monday through Friday. Any question regarding using adaptive technology is welcome whether it be for your computer, a note taker or any other device used by the blind or visually impaired. He will try and answer questions concerning Jaws,Windoweyes, Zoomtext, Magic, Openbook, Kurzweil and all other access technology. If you are not able to call between those hours then you can email Ray with your question at: Ray.Campbell@ChicagoLighthouse.Org.

Summer Safety Tip: Lee Stone tells us, a few years ago when we were camping at a state park the man in the next campsite over was drinking a soda and tipped the can back only to find he got a good sized bee in his mouth. so if you are drinking outside then listen first to activity in that can or bottle before you tip back. Also, its getting on to that time of year when you very likely could be nailed by hornets, wasps and bees. You just may want to keep a few pennies in your pocket at all times. we all have heard about holding a penny on a bee sting. well two of my friends have said it works for them. I am thinking it must be the copper in the penny. so what would it cost you to be wrong? maybe 2 cents?

Church Conference: The National Church Conference For The Blind will hold its 2009 annual Bible Conference September 12 through the 17th at the Wyndham Richmond Airport Hotel, 4700 South Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, 23231, Hotel Phone: (804) 226-4300. Hotel room rate is $99 per night with up to 4 people to a room. For more information, contact Rheba Dunn, the membership secretary at (970) 895-2352 or go to the NCCB website at www.thenccb.com. Hope to see you there!

New Batteries. Member, Nancy Lynn, sends this along: Yes, folks, it's really true. Finally, they've developed the Digicell battery, a digital battery that lasts up to 50 percent longer in any digital device such as a radio, small television, laptop, cell phone or PDA device. These devices eat battery life faster than little Mikey ate his Life cereal. Now, with these brand new, longer lasting, digital batteries, no longer will you need to change batteries as often. Not only that, but, when the battery quits, it quits gradually, not like the analog batteries of today that die suddenly right in the middle of your favorite song. You will be warned before this new Digicell dies. For more information, call 206-309-8433.

2009 Self-Employment Webcast Series: The Series Brochure is available on http://www.worksupport.com/documents/startupwebcastseries2009.pdf. Register for the entire 6-webcast series listed below, or select individual webcasts from our entire listing of topics, including these titles below, on the Upcoming Webcasts page.

Webcast Series Schedule:

5/20/2009: Inclusive Entrepreneurship;

6/17/2009: Three Models of Self-employment;

7/22/2009: The Customized Self-Employment Model;

8/19/2009: Current Research in Self-Employment; and

9/16/2009: The Financial Side of Self-Employment.

New Word About The Braille Essay Contest:

We have it on good authority that the Braille Essay Contest, which was previously announced as being open to all visually impaired Missourians under 21 years of age, has now been opened up to visually impaired Missourians of any age.

New Social Group in St. Louis! Its official. The Sight and Sound Impaired Social Group in St. Louis (SASISTL) held their first meeting on January 17, 2009. As a result of the hard work of coordinator, Mary Hale, there were 24 people in attendance that day. Nine were people with vision and hearing loss and the rest were family members, interpreters and SSPs. After introductions and talking about the purpose of the group, an overwhelming majority stated that they want to meet monthly. Meetings will be held on the 3rd Saturday from 1 4 pm at the RTR/ Deaf Community Center, 8764 Manchester Road, Room 201 in St Louis. There are many other organizations that are available for people who are blind, have low vision, deaf or hard of hearing. While these organizations are wonderful, it is difficult for a person with vision AND hearing loss to be able to feel comfortable, because communication can be very difficult. In SASISTL there is an emphasis on trying to ease any communication issues. Many individuals feel alone, are home bound, or have low self esteem. Mary says, By meeting with one another, we can help each other improve the quality of our lives. If we allow ourselves the chance to help one another, we are actually helping ourselves. For more information about SASISTL, contact Mary by calling (314) 544-3252 or e-mail sasistl@sbcglobal.net

Linking SSA Jobs to People With Disabilities: The Social Security Administration has recently received funding to hire a significant number of employees throughout the country. This hiring initiative offers a unique opportunity for individuals with disabilities who may want to get a job with SSA. These jobs will be at various skill levels including a number of entry-level positions. What kinds of jobs is SSA offering? SSA is recruiting employees to work in field offices and teleservice centers where they will assist the public by phone and in person with a wide variety of program related activities such as filing claims, applying for a new or replacement Social Security cards and other types of inquiries. SSA also is recruiting employees to work in claims processing centers and to work in hearings offices in legal and paralegal positions. Where are these jobs located? All across the United States; for example, some are in the local SSA field offices or SSA hearings offices, some in the 37 teleservice centers nationwide, some in SSA's program service centers and some at SSA headquarters in the Baltimore area. How will SSA recruit? SSA will use a variety of avenues to recruit and hire people with disabilities. In particular, the Agency is reaching out to Ticket to Work ticket holders who are trying to return to work, veterans with disabilities through programs such as the Wounded Warrior transitional program, and students with disabilities. Many individuals with disabilities will qualify for consideration under a special placement authority called "Schedule A." If you have specific questions about this initiative or want to submit an application or resume for consideration, please send those to our special e-mail address: Selective.Placement.Applications@ssa.gov. Please include QUESTION in the subject line for all questions and use RESUME for all submissions of resumes.

A New E-mail List: There are already probably a zillion out there, and I doubt seriously that youre looking for another one, but in case you are here is yet one more. The ACB Walk Committee is pleased to announce the establishment of our ACB Walk Talk List. Sign up and get to know other walkers. Exchange ideas and information on valuable topics. To sign up, send a blank message to: walktalk-subscribe@acb.org or contact PamShaw Phone: (215) 242-5695.

Congratulations: A few months ago our MCB President established the Member of the Month award. One recipient will be named each month, and all will be honored annually at the state convention. The very first recipient was chosen in March, and that was Irene Stoll from the Ozark Association in Ste. Genevieve. The April winner was Donna White from the Progressive Council in Kansas City.

More Kudos: Russell Ewell, from St. Louis, was the first blind person to graduate from Eden Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity Degree in its 156-years. Many people from our community, including those from academia and from social service organizations, expressed a feeling that a blind person especially one that does not read brail has never, nor could complete this program because of its academic requirements. Russell proved otherwise, and, in so doing, made a statement for all visually impaired people.

A salute to MCB member, Judy Redlich, who was recently named "Gateway Woman of the Year" in Media Relations by The National Association of Professional and Executive Women. Only one woman from each industry is named "Woman of the Year" and each honoree is selected from thousands of women in their field. They are chosen based on outstanding accomplishments, leadership, and service and will nationally represent their industry in the "Women of Excellence" Registry. Judy has 32 years of experience in the media industry. For twenty years, she produced and hosted "The Christian Connection," a weekly 30-minute television interview show featuring local affairs and inspirational topics. For twelve years, she produced and hosted the "Cry Justice," weekly 30 minute radio talk show. Presently, as Manager of Joni and Friends Gateway, she is responsible for administration, fund-raising, and public relations. Joni and Friends Gateway is a regional branch of the international disability organization, Joni and Friends. Judy also travels internationally with Joni and Friends' Wheels for the World program. Judy's academic accomplishments include completing her Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Psychology from Missouri Valley College. She attributes her success to her faith in Jesus Christ. Judy is also Vice-President of the Friends of Wolfner Library board and serves on Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Advisory Council. In her spare time, Judy enjoys traveling, spending time with family, musical performance, and public speaking. She has received the 2006 Bronze Telly Award for the Christian Connection TV Show. She is presently working on a television documentary slated to be finished in June. She is creating a new live call in internet radio show with hopes THAT IT WILL BE coming out later this year. It is called "Nuggets of Gold with Judy Redlich", which she hopes to soon offer to other radio stations.

Tom Armstrong, class of 55, was named Alumnus of the Year by the Missouri School for the Blind Alumni Association, and was presented with an attractive plaque at their annual dinner on May 16th.

Tip From Social Security: If you - or someone you know or support - are age 18 through 64 and receive Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income benefits and are interested in meaningful work and better earnings potential, SSA can help. Please consider attending a FREE Work Incentive Seminar (WISE) Event in your area to: Explore opportunities to increase your income. Learn about the Ticket to Work Program and other Work Incentives. Find disability service providers and other resources in your community available to help you navigate career development. And learn how to explore your options, and try work without losing your Social Security benefits. In May, June and July there are WISE Events being hosted by Work Incentive Planning and Assistance (WIPA) And more events across the country are being added all the time. These are real chances for beneficiaries to begin to make WISE connections while they explore a return to work! For more information or to sign up for a FREE WISE Event in your area, please visit us online at www.cessi.net/wise or call (1-877) 743-8237 (V/TTY).

Job Opportunity: www.VisuallyImpairedAndTheBlind.com has links to either employment agencies that specialize in the handicapped, or other employment opportunities for VI folks. One that people may be interested in is a work from home reservations person for Marriott Corp. You just need a phone, computer, and flexible schedule and you take reservations for Marriotts all over the country.

Medicaid Non-Emergency Transportation for Free: President, Denny Huff, passes along the following information. Call (1-866) 269-5927 if there is no other way to get a free ride to a scheduled medical Appointment. You MUST call three days in advance to make arrangements. You will also need your Medicaid number, destination address, drop off time, pick up time and name of doctor. The man I talked to said there was no limit for requests. Call the LogistiCare Medicaid Coordinator 24 hours per day, 7 days per week at (1-866) 269-5927 http://www.logisticare.com

New In Nashville: I dont know how many of you may have occasion to fly into Nashville, but if you do, you will be interested to know that the Nashville International Airport has recently opened a pet relief area for customers service animals. This area is located on the north side of the third level, which is the ticketing level, of the terminal.

Change of plans: The Creative Writing group that meets every third Tuesday of the month on AccessibleWorld is about to get many times better and more interesting. It is about to become a general interest group called Learn Something! It will meet in the same place and the same time, but after this month, we will start providing a monthly introduction to any number of skills or topics. What topics? How about: How to listen to the radio on the Internet; how to write a mystery; how to make freeform crochet or knitted items; how to cook delicious vegetarian meals; how to be a successful seller on eBay; and how to prepare yourself for an emergency. Those are just a few ideas. Come with your ideas! Nan Hawthorne is the Group Facilitator; Email: hawthorne40@nanhawthorne.com. We meet every third Tuesday of the month at 8:00 p.m. CDT, and elsewhere in the world Wednesday 1:00 GMT. Approximately 15 minutes prior to the event start time, go to the Accessible World Classroom: http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs0f1c528bd81b http://conference32-1.com/masteradmi-n/room.asp?-id=rs0f1c528bd81-b or you can Select the Accessible World Classroom: http://www.accessibleworld.org. enter your first and last names. All online interactive programs require no password, are free of charge, and open to anyone worldwide having an Internet connection, a computer, speakers, and a sound card. Those with microphones can interact audibly with the presenters and others in the virtual audience or text chat with the attendees. To speak to us, hold down the control key to talk and let up to listen. If you are a first-time user of the Talking Communities online conferencing software, there is a small, safe software program that you need to download and then run. A link to the software is available on every entry screen to the Accessible World online rooms. Sign up information for all Accessible World News Wires and discussion lists are also available at our website:

Accessible World Contacts:

Robert Acosta, Chair

(818) 998-0044

Email: boacosta@pacbell.net

Web: http://www.helpinghands4theblind.org

Joann Becker, is the Events Coordinator

(617) 969-1213

Email: joannbecker@comcast.net

That wraps it up for this issue. Enjoy your summer; keep cool if you can; and well plan on another visit in September.

Back to the Chronicle Archives

June, 2009

Table of Contents