WINTER 2000

BUCKEYE BULLETIN

Table of Contents

Vivid Memories of the 2000 Convention
by Paul Dressell

2000 Report
Director of Field Services
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
by Eric Duffy

2000 Resolutions
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
by Jason Ewell

Buckeye Briefs

Activities Calendar

I met blind women from around the world and discovered yet again just how fortunate blind women are in this country. I took plastic slates and styluses with me to give to women in the developing world. Delegate after delegate told me that young women in their countries, even when they have learned to read and write Braille, leave school with no means of communicating with other people because they have no slates and styluses with which to write. I also gave away needles and needle threaders. I don't know whether these will be used by blind women. Mostly the women I spoke to did not think that blind people could sew at all, but they seemed to be pleased to have the needles because their friends and women family members do not have access to good needles.

The other U.S. delegates and I were just about the only blind women not always accompanied by personal guides. Because cane travel is not taught or practiced in most places around the world, women particularly, but many men as well, are totally dependent on sighted guides. Our Australian hosts had rounded up 1000 volunteers to assist delegates to the women's conference and the attendees at the WBU general assembly. Since most people were already accompanied by their own guides, we found that every time we independent delegates set out for any place, we were accosted by eager would-be helpers. This was much more assistance than we wanted, particularly since they seemed incapable of answering simple questions or providing information rather than dragging us off wherever they thought we might want to go. Those of you who know me can imagine just how attractive I found such behavior, but you will be pleased to know that I kept in mind the importance of remaining courteous and civil and behaved myself.

The forum organizers asked me to deliver an address on how to develop good program proposals, conduct an effective media campaign, and keep the resulting program going financially. I was to do all this in a half hour, talking to women coming from wildly different situations and with completely different skills. I did the job assigned to me, but I have no idea whether I said anything that would actually be helpful to women around the world. A number of women did come to me afterward to thank me for my advice, and the translators made a point of telling me that I had been easy to follow and translate.

Perhaps the most startling experience for me was my brush with the resolutions process. Women delegates could bring resolutions to the Women's Committee's Resolutions Committee for preparation to be presented on Saturday afternoon for debate and action by the entire group. The resolutions passed would then go on to the WBU Resolutions Committee for consideration by the entire general assembly. I knew nothing about the substance of the resolutions until they were read to the women on Saturday. In the NFB we are spoiled by having properly constructed resolutions on subjects about which the organization might reasonably have an opinion and in support of which it might decide to take action. These resolutions, however, were amazing. Granted, the committee was working in English, which was not the first language of any of the committee's members. But it was also pretty clear that no one had the least idea of what a resolution is supposed to do or how it should be written.

I was so horrified by the thirteen read to us that I decided not to say anything at all. Fixing them seemed impossible, particularly since it would have to be done after they had already been voted on. My good resolve was finally eroded by someone who needed a delegate to speak against one point in a resolution. I ended by speaking several times, and when the committee to repair the resolutions after the fact was named, mine was the first name read. So I got dragged into the process whether I wanted to be or not. It took us all Sunday morning to whip them into shape, but we eventually got something that we did not have to be ashamed of. I have not heard how many of the women's resolutions were accepted by the WBU committee and how they did later in the week on the floor of the general assembly. What I can say is that a few women from around the world now know more about what resolutions should look like and what they can and cannot accomplish.

The forum culminated in a parade to a lovely garden and a dinner under a marquee on Saturday evening. Each delegate was to bring a banner measuring one meter on a side and including her name, her country, and her organization. The whole thing was to be in the country's colors. My secretary Sylvia is an old hand at making banners, so I handed the project over to her. The result was a very classy banner that caught the attention of everyone who saw it.

It is fair to ask what the forum accomplished, and the answer is that I have no idea. True, I now have first-hand knowledge of the deprivation blind women face around the world, but I already knew a good deal about that and certainly did not need to be convinced of the problem's magnitude. Perhaps, as a result of this conference, some women have been inspired to try things they had never dared to do before. If so, we will not be able to measure the impact of the forum for many months or years to come.

I can say that repeatedly people sought me out to say how much they have learned from reading the Braille Monitor. They talked as though the NFB's philosophy of confidence and competence is making a difference in their lives. but that has nothing to do with this meeting. I thoroughly enjoyed Melbourne. The Australian people are wonderfully warm and welcoming, and I would love to see more of the country. I hope the expense and effort that went into this meeting are worth the investment, but I have my doubts. In the end I wonder if there are not better ways to make a difference in the lives of blind people around the world.

When she was trying to begin writing about her father, Joan Benny, adopted daughter of Jack Benny, sought the advice of a famous writer. The unnamed author suggested that she start with her most vivid memory and proceed from that point. That advice is a little difficult for me to apply because the first joint convention of the Ohio and Kentucky affiliates cannot be confined to just one vivid memory. Starting with the Thursday evening NFB-O Board of Directors meeting in the Rome Room of the Holiday Inn, Eastgate in Cincinnati, it was easy to tell that this was truly a special occasion.
Federationists from Michigan, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and the District of Columbia were made welcome and participated in making this joint convention one of the best we have ever had. Surprisingly, it was also one of the very largest with more than 200 people attending.
In order to keep to the hectic schedule, we had to start activities early and end them late. Friday morning, November 3, Ohio conducted a 7:00 a.m. breakfast seminar and walking workshop for would-be cane travelers and those who wanted some orientation to our hotel. Then at 9:00 blind adults gave kids invaluable tips about cane travel and urged the importance of mastering and using mobility skills. The 9:00 a.m. technology seminar was well attended, and participants received valuable information and hands-on experience with access equipment, including getting to use the Internet.
Blind kids and their parents also got a taste of the newest technology during their very own seminar later in the morning.
After a very popular pizza lunch for families, the afternoon included a Sensory Safari, a seminar on NFB philosophy, and convention registration.
Things did not slow down Friday evening. The Parents Division sponsored a talent showcase from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. It's fair to say that we have some pretty talented kids in this affiliate. The resolutions committee met to discuss three resolutions, printed elsewhere in this issue. The Kentucky and Ohio NAPUB divisions (National Association to Promote the Use of Braille) held a joint meeting and exchanged helpful information. The evening concluded with hospitality hosted by the Kentucky affiliate. Federationists from the Ohio and Kentucky affiliates gathered at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday in the Venice-Florence Rooms for the first of two combined convention sessions. Clermont County Commissioner Robert Proud welcomed attendees to his county. Peggy Elliott, our National Representative and NFB Second Vice President, updated us on our eighteen-million-dollar capital campaign. Other topics in her address included the shift of the 2001 National Convention from the Renaissance Center in Detroit to the Marriott in Philadelphia, updates on Social Security linkage, minimum wage for all blind workers, and progress in creating electronic books. She also reported that Ohio's standing in contributions to the organization is as follows: eighth in Pre-Authorized Check contributions, second in SUN (Shares Unlimited in NFB), first in Jernigan Fund, third in funds raised by recruiting associates, and seventh in the number of associates recruited.
Officials from the two states' agencies serving the blind then gave reports: Denise Placido, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for the Blind, and Bill Casto, Director of the Ohio Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired, outlined accomplishments and challenges of their agencies. In his address to the convention, BSVI Director Casto commended the NFB for creating NEWSLINEr and the NFB-O for our assistance in working to protect the budget for the Business Enterprise Program. Resolution 2000-03 (protesting an illegal vote of the Consumer Advisory Council of the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission) was then read and adopted.
Marilyn Donehey, Program Director of the Akron Society of the Blind, moderated a Senior Panel: Earl Senors, Director of the Mt. Auburn Senior Center in Cincinnati, described his agency's functions and was encouraged to contact Paul and Bernie Dressell about the best methods of working with blind consumers. Mark Seifarth, RSC's Governmental Affairs Coordinator, reported on legislation affecting older blind Americans. Julie Bilinski, Rehabilitation Teacher for BSVI's southwest area, discussed services available to blind seniors.
The noon recess was an illusion. The Kentucky and Ohio affiliates convened joint working lunches of the following groups: Parents of Blind Children Division, Students Division, Diabetic Action Network, Guide Dog Committee, and Ohio Members-at-Large.
Library service was the first item on the afternoon program: Maury Weedman, Coordinator of Adaptive Technology at the Louisville Free Public Library, and Judy Bow, Head of the Ohio Talking Book Program, reviewed what new services blind consumers could expect from their organizations. The Ohio State Library moved to a new facility in December, so Judy's operation now has a new address.
Jason Ewell, newly elected President of the NFB-O's Student Division, encouraged Federationists to compile a list of prospects who should be invited to donate funds to the capital campaign for the construction of our proposed National Research and Training Institute for the Blind. Jason described some of his successful efforts in obtaining contributions from organizations in the Norwalk area. Dr. Ralph Bartley, Superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Blind, and Dr. Louis Mazzoli, Superintendent of the Ohio State School for the Blind, described present challenges and future dreams for their institutions. Both administrators said that they support teaching Braille to all students who attend their schools even if the children resist such instruction. Tom Stevens, Chair of the NFB's Associates Committee, gave the history of the Associates Program and provided some helpful hints about how to recruit associates. One of the highlights of the convention was an address by Doug Elliott, husband of our National Representative. He described his metamorphosis from anti-Federationist to committed member. He no longer seeks to be a hero but prefers to be one of the many dedicated workers in the movement.
The annual banquet was ably emceed by Dr. J. Webster Smith, who kept the program moving. In her banquet address Peggy Elliott recounted Dr. Doug's principles of effective Federationism. They included principles like it is hard to be a Federationist, but it is harder not to be one. The Ohio affiliate presented the following awards: the Miami Valley Chapter won the Chapter on the Move Award, Cuyahoga County won the Gavel Award, Cheryl Fischer won the Alfonso Smith Award as blind person of the year, and Paul Dressell won the Knall-Garwood Award for long and distinguished service to the organization. The NFB-O presented Scholarships to Gary Russell and Peggie Johnson. Peggie received the Jennica Ferguson Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $1500, and Gary received the NFB of Ohio scholarship of $1,000. As a very happy climax of the banquet, Barbara Pierce presented a charter to Virginia Mann, President of our newest chapter, the NFB of Lake County.
Immediately following the banquet the assembled crowd raised more than $6,000 to be sent to the national organization for our capital campaign. But the evening was not yet over; the Ohio Affiliate hosted post-banquet hospitality, with the very talented Don Haines providing the entertainment.
Sunday morning 7 a.m. came early to many Kentucky and Ohio Federationists who attended a Leadership Breakfast. The highlight of this event was small groups of chapter leaders sharing accomplishments and brainstorming solutions for our problems.
The Sunday morning activities began for all convention attendees with a memorial service conducted by the Reverend Robert M. Eschbach. The two affiliates then parted company (physically, not collegially) to transact their business meetings. The Ohio Affiliate conducted elections with the following results: President, Barbara Pierce; First Vice President, Dr. J. W. Smith; Second Vice President, Barbara Fohl; Secretary, Paul Dressell; and Treasurer, Sherry Ruth. Crystal McClain and Bruce Peters were elected to two-year terms on the Board of Directors. They join Annette Anderson, Debbie Baker, Billie Graham, Mary Pool, Colleen Roth, and Ken Velkovich.
Ben Green, Assistant Director of the BSVI Business Enterprise Program, talked about the current status of the BE Program and plans for the future. He is optimistic and wants to create better employment opportunities for blind vendors. Throughout the convention many valuable door prizes found their way into eager hands, chapters and divisions sold tickets and drew prize winners, and everyone enjoyed the fun and good fellowship.
The 2001 Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio will be held in Zanesville during the weekend of November 1. We will be back to our usual solo convention, but it will still be a lot of fun and a great learning experience. I hope to see you there.

Resolutions adopted by the Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio become the policies of the organization. These policies instruct the President and Board of Directors how to proceed in specific matters as they carry out the business of the organization between conventions. This year we had three resolutions dealing with very different matters. Here they are:

Resolution 2000-01
WHEREAS, since its enactment in 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act has contained an exemption from the minimum wage for persons who are visually impaired or blind, an exemption which insults every blind American and results in pay to blind workers which can be less than half the minimum wage; and

WHEREAS, section 14 (c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act requires the Secretary of Labor to grant exemptions from the minimum wage to employers who hire workers whose productive capacity is claimed by the employer to be impaired by conditions, including impaired vision or blindness; and

WHEREAS, a legal wage below the minimum is supposed to be based on individual productivity of the impaired person as compared to standard productivity of unimpaired persons for essentially the same work and is justified only where there is a finding that sub-minimum wages are necessary to prevent curtailment of employment opportunities--a finding that has never been made regarding the blind; and

WHEREAS, this unfair and unjustified exemption from the minimum wage in the case of the blind allows employers to make wage determinations with virtually no accountability, leading to the kind of abuse and exploitation that the Fair Labor Standards Act seeks to curb; and

WHEREAS, blind persons have demonstrated that employers and not employees control virtually all of the factors which affect worker productivity, leading to the unfair situation of employers' failing to manage correctly and then paying blind workers less than the minimum wage as a method of balancing the books while the managers receive manager-level salaries for this unseemly but perfectly legal practice; and

WHEREAS, legislation was passed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the last session that would increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.15 per hour, which could lead to even greater disparity in pay between the blind and others; and

WHEREAS, blind people in the United States have demonstrated their ability to produce on equal terms and earn equal pay in the workplace; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Johnny Isakson and Senator Christopher Dodd introduced legislation in the form of H.R. 3540 and S. 2031 respectively, which would prohibit employers from using blindness as a basis for paying a sub-minimum wage: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in Convention assembled this fifth day of November, 2000, in the City of Cincinnati, Ohio, that this organization demand that wage equity for blind individuals be included in any changes to the federal minimum wage law; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon every Ohioan to recognize and commend the firm and forthright stand taken by Congressman Johnny Isakson and Senator Christopher Dodd to insist that work to produce items sold in commerce should be recognized as the criterion for protection of the minimum wage and that the presence or absence of vision should be irrelevant in America's wage law; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon Congress to pass the successor bills to H.R. 3540 and S. 2031 during the next Congress so that impaired vision or blindness may not be used by any employer, including any sheltered workshop, as the basis for paying less than the minimum wage to anyone in America who is blind; and

BE IT FURTHER resolved that this organization call upon every member of the Ohio Congressional delegation to co-sponsor this legislation.

Resolution 2000-02
WHEREAS, in the state of Ohio performance on proficiency and accountability tests is used to determine student placement and advancement; and

WHEREAS, students who are legally blind must by law participate in these examinations; and

WHEREAS, too often the material on these tests, particularly the tests for students in lower grades, is highly visually oriented and extremely difficult or sometimes impossible to adapt to a nonvisual format for students who are legally blind; and

WHEREAS, the education, placement, and advancement of blind and visually impaired students are negatively affected when the test items on proficiency and accountability examinations are not susceptible of being properly adapted; and

WHEREAS, this problem could be avoided and test items perfected which are easily adapted to alternative formats if the tests were developed from the ground up with the idea that they will necessarily be administered in nonvisual formats to students without vision; and

WHEREAS, the lack of standards for production of visual graphs and charts in alternative, nonvisual formats can also negatively affect the performance of blind and visually impaired students on such exams; and

WHEREAS, the Ohio Department of Education bears a significant responsibility for implementing policies to assure that blind and visually impaired students receive a free and appropriate education under the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in convention assembled this fifth day of November, 2000, in the City of Cincinnati, Ohio, that this organization call upon the Ohio Department of Education to consult with professionals in the field of blindness and knowledgeable blind people in the development of new proficiency and accountability tests that can be readily and appropriately adapted in nonvisual formats for blind and visually impaired students and then to adopt these tests for use by the state; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge the Ohio Department of Education to consult with professionals and blind people to establish standards for production of graphic material in alternative formats.

Resolution 2000-3 generated a great deal of discussion among the members of the committee. Mostly the committee was astonished that the situation involved had been allowed to arise. Because of the nature of the issue I am including as part of this article the cover letter that accompanied the resolution as it was sent to the Administrator of the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission (ORSC), the seven ORSC Commissioners, various other ORSC staff members, and the entire Consumer Advisory Council. I am also including Administrator Rabe's response to the letter and resolution. It is clear that his response was intended to protect the chair of the council and the staff. In his letter Rabe says that a sighted person was appointed as the temporary chair of the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired Advisory Committee because the chair was unable to contact the blind person she wanted to appoint. Nothing in the messages our members of the BSVI Committee received, however, suggested that this was a temporary appointment. Be that as it may, the obvious solution would have been to appoint one of the other blind members to serve temporarily. In any case, we still believe that chairs of CAC committees should be elected by the members of those committees. Here are the resolution and the two letters:

Resolution 2000-03
WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio has always maintained that only those elected to represent the blind can speak for the blind; and

WHEREAS, we know that, if blind people are to receive training and services that will lead to employment and a meaningful rehabilitation outcome, these services must be provided by a separate and identifiable entity serving the blind; and

WHEREAS, the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired serves the blind of the state; and

WHEREAS, the Bureau is advised by a standing committee of the State Consumer Advisory Council (CAC); and

WHEREAS, at its annual retreat meeting in the City of Zanesville on September 16, 2000, despite the strenuous objections of its blind members the CAC amended its bylaws giving the chair the authority to appoint the chairs of all standing committees; and

WHEREAS, when the vote took place, only nineteen of the thirty-seven council members were present, and the amendment passed by a margin of eleven to eight--less than a third of the council voting for the amendment; and

WHEREAS, the sighted parent of a blind adult child has just been appointed as chair of the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired Advisory Committee; Now, Therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in convention assembled this fifth day of November, 2000, in the City of Cincinnati, Ohio, that this organization condemn and deplore the state CAC's practice of making significant changes to the organization's bylaws with only a fraction of the body's membership present and a bare majority in support of the proposed change; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we condemn and deplore the appointment of a sighted BSVI Advisory Committee member as Chair when competent blind members participate actively on the committee and would be willing to serve; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization instruct the President to communicate this organization's grave reservations and serious concerrn about this situation in writing to the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission Administrator, the seven members of the commission, and the full membership of the CAC.

Nonetheless the CAC chair then appointed chairs of the standing committees. And therein lies the NFB's real concern. Since long before the expansion of the CAC and the compelled inclusion of all bureau advisory committees in it, the BSVI Advisory Committee has been active and as involved in deliberations with BSVI as it was permitted to be. Blind consumers have stood for election to the CAC principally because of their interest in the work of BSVI. In fact, I understand that a blind member of the standing committee-not a member of the NFB-was approached about chairing the committee during the coming CAC year. He assumed that, since he had not heard anything more from the CAC officers, he was to be appointed.

Instead Ms. Dickens appointed a sighted person to chair the committee. We recognize that sighted family members can and often do have a great interest in BSVI's work, but members of the NFB believe passionately that blind people have been subjected for so long to imposed leadership and control by the sighted that making such an appointment is particularly egregious. Even if the appointment had been of a blind person not of the committee's choice, the decision would have been insulting. But if the entire CAC had adopted such an amendment in accordance with the procedures established in its own bylaws, we would not have raised an objection.

In a democratic organization the members must abide by democratically derived decisions. But that is not what happened in this instance. We respectfully request that the CAC return to its former method of electing standing committee chairs and that, if some members of the Council are still interested in passing an amendment to alter this procedure, the discussion and vote be carried out at a future meeting in accordance with the Council's bylaws.

Very truly yours,

Barbara Pierce

Sincerely,
Robert L. Rabe
Administrator

c: Dave Miller, Commissioner
Rusty Dickens, CAC Chair
Elizabeth Aino, BSVI Asst. Director

We are now beginning to contact Congressional offices in order to schedule appointments for the 2001 Washington Seminar. We are limiting the Ohio delegation to fifteen or fewer people. If you will not be with us on Capitol Hill, it is still important that you contact the office of your Member of Congress and let him or her know that the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio represents you and the blind of the district. Please let Eric Duffy know of any contacts you have made.

J.W. Smith, President of the Southeast Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, writes as follows: In October we had a successful gospel sing. The talent was good as usual, and we raised more money than we have ever raised before. Also member Roger Hawk broke his foot, but he is recovering nicely.

The Cincinnati NEWSLINE service was offline for about a week. All of the problems are corrected now, and readers should have no problems using the service. The Columbus Dispatch was unavailable to Columbus readers for a short time but is back online now. For almost three weeks we had problems getting the Cleveland Plain Dealer because of new software installed by the paper. The new firewall installed to keep the bad guys out prevented them from exporting the electronic text to us. Isn't technology wonderful?

The Members-at-Large Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio held its annual business meeting on Saturday, November 4, 2000, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Election of officers took place for the next two years. The President is Tom Anderson, the Vice President is Elizabeth Haag, and the Secretary-Treasurer is Louise Anderson.

The chapter held a very successful split-the-pot raffle during the convention. The amount of money raised was $436. Sandy Bressler of Toledo bought the winning ticket. She received a check for $218. The chapter sent the national office a check for $100 for the capital campaign and one for $50 for the White Cane Fund. It also sent a check to the state organization for $50 for general purposes. The amount of money kept by the chapter in our treasury from the split-the-pot raffle was 50 cents. How is that for commitment to the movement?

The following information was taken from the November-December issue of NewsNet, a publication of the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission:
Have any questions about Medicare or Medicaid? Want to know about health insurance options? The Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP) can help. Part of the Ohio Department of Insurance, OSHIIP provides Medicare beneficiaries (regardless of age) with free health insurance information and other services. It's staffed with Medicare experts who will offer unbiased information about Medicare and available health insurance plans that fill Medicare's holes. OSHIIP also provides free, easy-to-read health insurance literature and shopper's guides. Call (800) 686-1578 with questions or to request literature. Or visit .

We are deeply sorry to report the death of Barry Feazell. Barry was a long-time member of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio before moving to Florida to accept employment. He once served as President of the Capital Chapter. Barry died of cancer-related complications on Monday, December 11, 2000. He was the President of the Jacksonville Chapter at the time of his death. His daughter Peggie received the Jennica Ferguson Memorial Scholarship during our most recent state convention. Our prayers and sympathy are with the Feazell family.

Many members of this organization will remember Audra Culvert. She accompanied J.W. Smith to many Federation activities while she was working on her dissertation about blindness. We regret to report that her father died on December 1 after an accident. Please keep Audra in your thoughts and prayers.

Congratulation's to Shelbi and Chris Johnson of the Capital Chapter on the birth of their daughter Aliyah Raquel. She was born on Sunday, December 3, 2000. She weighed seven pounds, eight ounces. Everyone is doing well.

At the 184th convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio on November 11, the group's Episcopal Peace Fellowship presented its 2000 Betty Leo Award for peace and justice to Barbara Pierce chiefly for her work with the National Federation of the Blind.

January 13 NFB-O Board of Directors Meeting, Columbus

February 3 Mid-Winter Conference National Association of Blind Students, Washington, D.C.

February 4 Washington Seminar begins

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