(See archived issues at http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/lsn/resourcetoolbox.htm)

etter from the Editor

Dear Colleagues, Students and Parents,

It's so good to be back at the RC following my recent surgery! I thank each of you for your patience regarding professional issues during my absence, and I am tremendously grateful for the many e-mail messages, cards, flowers, and phone calls I received to encourage my speedy recovery and return.

RC staff members have been especially busy with APH registrations, book and materials orders, and we are looking forward to Spring with eager anticipation! In January, the RC Depository sent out 81 braille and 87 large print volumes and 20 braille Regents exams. The RC Library sent out 66 braille and large print volumes in January. During the month of February, the RC Library circulated 114 braille and large print volumes. The RC Depository distributed 123 braille volumes, 100 large print volumes, and 15 braille Regents exams. The Depository also received 492 braille and 80 large print volumes. Thanks for returning these materials so that others can use them!

If you have not yet begun to order student textbooks for next year, especially braille math and science textbooks, please do so IMMEDIATELY! We remind you that the school district is responsible for the purchase of all textbooks, and that the Resource Center can only provide those available on Federal Quota or from Helen Keller Services for the Blind. Shirley Lapp would also like to know as soon as possible from any teachers whose students will need to keep a textbook used this year for use again next year. We truly appreciate your return of all textbooks, Braille Regents and library materials as soon as the student is finished using them.

- Judi Piscitello

Cheers for Our Volunteers!

For the past 12 years, hundreds of New York State students with visual impairments have unknowingly benefited from the dedicated and conscientious efforts of Resource Center (RC) Volunteers, Barbara Carson (left) and Rita Housaman (right), pictured here with RC Textbook Depository Clerk, Shirley Lapp.

Barbara Carson is a retired teacher who is also a Certified Braille Transcriber affiliated with the Spencerport Lions Braille Service. In addition to faithfully volunteering at the RC Depository each Tuesday morning, Barb also trains future Braille Transcribers on Thursdays (through April) in Spencerport, NY where the Braille group meets to proofread one another's work.

Rita Housaman, a Certified Braille Transcriber and a member of the Spencerport group, has also volunteered Tuesday mornings at the RC for the past ten years in addition to other volunteer service to organizations such as Meals on Wheels. Rita was one of the first in the Spencerport group to brave the world of computerized transcription.

For a number of years, another member of the Spencerport group, Shirley Davis, also faithfully volunteered at the Resource Center until she could no longer do so due to family commitments. However, Shirley has been a member of the Spencerport group for over 20 years!

Many thanks to our wonderful volunteers!

Share the Vision! March 2003 - Page 2

On January 29, 2003, Representative Thomas E. Petri introduced H.R. 490, the Instructional Materials Accessibility Act (IMAA), designed to improve access to printed instructional materials used by students with print disabilities in grades K-12. The bill was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce. For more information, contact Paul Schroeder by phone (202) 408-8172 or e-mail him at pws@afb.net.

Three additional sources of information about the IMAA and related efforts by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Textbooks and Instructional Materials Solutions Forum can be found at the AFB site link at http://www.afb.org/info_document_view.asp?documentid=1331, at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) site link at www.tsbvi.edu/textbooks/index.htm, and at the Association of American Publishers site link at www.publishers.org.

On January 7, 2003, Representative Rick Boucher introduced H.R. 107, the Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act of 2002. The bill assures that readers who are blind will be able to access copyright protected digital content such as a book using a text-to-speech reader and protects the right to manufacture and distribute hardware or software that would allow a "non-infringing" use of content such as listening in audio form to a book which had been purchased in electronic form. It would enable researchers to address technological means to access digital content without illegal circumvention of copyright law. The legislation also calls for proper labeling of copy-protected digital media.

APH would very much appreciate your input on their handwriting project: a method to teach blind children to print by using dots in the braille cell as spatial indicators of where to draw lines. APH is also developing an information and support book for parents who are visually impaired. To assist with one or both of these projects, contact Mary T. (Terrie) Terlau, Ph.D. (800) 223-1839 ext. 381.

A Counting Method, is a new book from APH written by Susan Milloway that uses the counting method for the abacus. The catalog number for Braille is 5-00219-00 and the catalog number for large print is 7-00219-00.

Information about Dr. Cranmer and the development of the Cranmer abacus:

http://www.nfb.org/bm/bm02/bm0201/bm020117.htm

http://www.nfbk.org/tribute.html

http://www.louisville.com/voice/cran512.shtml

http://home.europa.com/~paulg/abacus.history.html for a history of the abacus

http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/mathline/concepts/asia/activity1.shtm for an abacus lesson

http://www.tsbvi.edu/math/abacusinfo.htm for information on the abacus from Texas School for the Blind (TSBVI)

http://www.tsbvi.edu/math/abacus-packet.htm for TSBVI’s abacus packet

http://www.ee.ryerson.ca/~elf/abacus to build a Lego abacus

http://www.ggtechservices.com/files/Abacuses.txt and http://sun1.aph.org/products/abacus_instr.html for a description of abacuses and related products from APH

http://www.hellgate.k12.mt.us/bldg1/abacus/page1.htm abacus for sighted students.

Check out the "Virtual Pencil!" Henter Math is developing software to teach mathematics to people who are print-impaired. This is not a tutorial, although a tutorial-mode will be part of the package. The virtual pencil is a tool that a person can use to solve a math problem. The software does the job of the pencil. It moves to the right spot on the "paper," guided by the user, and inputs the answers that the user selects. It also reads the problem aloud. The current prototype handles addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Call or check out the website for current progress (727) 424-7867 or http://www.hentermath.com.

The Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults is pleased to announce its first O&M seminar for 2003. The National Training Team's Mobility Seminar, April 7-11, 2003, is designed to prepare O&M specialists to work with adult consumers who are deaf-blind. The seminar includes strategies for curriculum modification, effectively working with interpreters, techniques and tools for Deaf-blind travelers to cross streets, and communication with the non-signing public, etc. An overview of the Deaf-Blind population and insight into the Deaf-Blind communities and culture will also be explored. Participants will acquire, through hands-on activities, the skills, strategies, resources and tools necessary to teach a comprehensive O&M program to individuals who have a dual-sensory loss. The seminar fee is $300.00 and includes room, meals, professional conference and complete resource manual. Inquiries can be made to: Sr. Bernie Wynne by e-mail to ntthknc@aol.com or to Gene Bourquin at oandmhk@msn.com, Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (516) 944-8900 extension 257 www.helenkeller.org/national/index.htm.

Accessible Assessments

continue to be an issue in New York State and nationwide. APH Test Central staff members coordinate test and assessment formats and materials and most promising practices related to test adaptation and development, test administration, and test-taking procedures. See what APH is doing and offer your assistance at APH Test Central: http://www.aph.org/tc/index.html.

Pocket sized braille contraction and short form word booklets are available for purchase. The contractions and short form words are arranged in alphabetical order for quick look-ups. These booklets are spiral-bound, about 5 by 5 inches. They sell for $5.00 each. Contact Terri Lynne Pomeroy: tlproy@juno.com.

http://www.aph.org/advisory/2003adv02.html

The Joy of Visual Perception: A Web Book can be found at http://www.yorku.ca/eye. This interactive learning site was selected as a valuable Internet resource for Discovery Channel School's Body Science theme for fall 1997.

TSBVI has Free Downloads for Educational Materials in Braille at http://www.tsbvi.edu/braille/index.htm. There is also a braille-ready file of the Periodic Table Elements that you can simply emboss with no further processing (like the files from Web-Braille) at www.chpi.org/periodic.brf.

The International Electronic Braille Book Library, a project of the International Braille Research Center, is located at http://www.braille.org/braille_books/#index.

The Rose Project at Seedlings Offers World Book Encyclopedia Articles in Braille! This service is offered free of charge for blind students in grades 1-12. To order an article, complete and submit the online form at http://www.seedlings.org/rose.html or contact Seedlings toll-free at (800) 777-8552.

For information on creating accessible multimedia materials, you may wish to reference the Rich Media Accessibility Resource Center at: http://ncam.wgbh.org/richmedia

With the NYS Chapter 377 of the Laws of 2001 legislation and state budget cuts in the purchase of Braille and large print materials, school districts are finding themselves responsible for purchasing materials for visually impaired students. At Pioneer Central Schools in the Yorkshire-Arcade area, we have three Braille readers, one student who uses large print and Braille, and an additional student who needs just large print. Thus, we found it necessary to hire a full-time transcriptionist to work on the textbooks and auxiliary readings that were not available through the NYS Resource Center.

Our transcriptionist, Mrs. Edna Sherwood, has embossed over 8,000 pages of Braille on our Index Basic embosser in the first half of this school year. This is in addition to the hundreds of pages of enlarged print that she has prepared. She uses Duxbury software for Braille translation and Microsoft Word for preparing large print. Some items are typed, a few are scanned, and some items (such as chemistry and math) are typed in using the six Braille keys. Edna also produces tactile graphics either by hand or through the use of our Swell Form raised-line graphics machine.

As Edna’s job becomes more and more demanding, we are exploring newer scanning systems, raised-line graphics software, and using Duxbury in conjunction with Scientific Notebook software to produce Nemeth documents. We hope to begin using some of this technology for the next school year.

While Edna works on book transcription and tactile diagrams, personal aides work on handouts and supplemental materials. We have three personal aides. Each provides instant translation from Braille to print in the classroom for regular education teachers as well as last minute adaptations. Between our transcriptionist and our personal aides, we are able to provide all of our students with appropriate materials in their selected reading media. - by Jennifer Izzo, TVI

On the Road to Independence: Transition Tips for Students

Attention All Braille 'n Speak, Scholar, BrailleLite, BrailleNote and other Personal Data Assistant Users! There is a new listserv concerning any and all PDA Devices used by the blind. If you are interested you may send a blank e-mail to Dan, the listowner, at BlindPdaDevices-subscribe@topica.com

eSight's NetWork News

You can receive Job Alert, eSight's weekly e-mail newsletter about descriptions and links to the new jobs posted on eSight™, by selecting the appropriate link under "Subscribe to our Newsletter" on the eSight™ Careers Network Main Menu at http://www.eSightCareers.net. There you can also register for free eSight™ membership.

The following link provides an online form to request college-level textbooks from Houghton Mifflin in electronic format: http://college.hmco.com/how/how_reqperm_electronic_text_req.html.

National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) is your source for information about employment and youth with disabilities. Experts in disability, education, employment, and workforce development strive to ensure you will be provided with the highest quality, most relevant information available. For more information, visit the web site at http://www.ncwd-youth.info or call (877) 871-0744 (Toll Free).

Check out the Peirce College Online eCollege-certified and Section 508-compliant program at www.peirceonline.net.

The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind web page link for college students at http://www.state.ma.us/mcb/college.html lists every college in their state, then gives details for each college regarding:

• resources for the blind
• formal services for the blind
• other services for the blind
• physical accessibility

 Blind Line is a featured program of the American Council of the Blind’s online radio broadcast at ACB Radio http://www.acbradio.org/blindline.html. Blind Line is an international talk show on blindness issues. It can be heard live at 1:00 GMT on Mondays. Blind Line gives blind people from around the world the chance to discuss important issues of the day, and also to hang out and chat. For more information, e-mail blindline@acbradio.org or call (212) 812-2800 and enter the PIN 04805512.

Assistive Technology Instructor Program at Lions World – This program prepares people who are blind or visually impaired for a career in teaching others how to use the assistive technology of today’s digital world. Visit www.lwsb.org!

Scholarships! The Association of Blind Citizens (ABC) offers $10,000 in college scholarships to blind or visually impaired individuals seeking a college degree. The Reggie Johnson Memorial Scholarship is valued at $3,000 along with seven additional $1,000 scholarships to be awarded for the 2003/2004 academic year. Scholarships may be used for tuition, living expenses and other expenses resulting from vision impairment. Applications can be obtained only via ABC's web site, www.blindcitizens.org. Go to the scholarship link. The deadline for applications and supporting documents is April 15, 2003.

Additional scholarships can be found in The Braille Forum at http://www.acb.org/magazine/2003/bfdecjan.html

EASI Online Courses!

EASI is the premiere international Internet provider of online courses on accessible information technology for people with disabilities. EASI has been teaching online for more than a decade. EASI's Barrier-free Information Technology Courses include Web Design, E-learning and Accessible Internet Multimedia, among others.

Each individual completing an EASI course can earn a certificate of completion as well as receiving (on request) 3 continuing education units for that course. Successful completion of five courses earns the Certificate in Accessible Information Technology.

Course syllabi and online registration are available at http://easi.cc/workshop.htm. Sample lessons are linked to each syllabus. For more information, e-mail Dr. Norman Coombs, nrcgsh@rit.edu, or phone (949) 916-2837.

A Technology Guide to Assist Students with Visual Impairments in Meeting

Curriculum Goals can be found at http://www.setbc.org/special/virg. Designed for students with visual impairments in British Columbia, this guide provides a sequential framework addressing a range of technology options to meet general learning expectations from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Braille, print enhancement and speech output technologies are included. Strategies and modifications focus primarily on the learning outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics. Updates to the web site will soon include the use of such devices as the Mountbatten Brailler and the BrailleNote. In the meantime, additional information and curriculum guides can be found in the VI section under the following link: http://www.setbc.org/res/guides/default.html.

Free Computers for People with Disabilities! The Beaumont Foundation is giving out $350 million over the next five years in computer equipment to underserved populations, including people with disabilities. They have three types of grant programs, but people with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply for the individual grants (roughly $2000 per individual). Contact http://www.bmtfoundation.com/grants or call (866) 505-2667.

For the latest information on Freedom Scientific products such as JAWS, OpenBook, the SAL speech assisted learning system of Braille instruction and the new PAC Mate accessible Pocket PC devices (with information about the Global Positioning System (GPS), check out their newsletter at http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_news/current_newsletter.asp.

AccessWorld: Technology and People with Visual Impairments is a bi-monthly periodical for anyone who uses or wants to use assistive technology, provides technology training, has students or clients who use technology, needs to make purchasing decisions, or wants to keep abreast of technological trends and events. Link to the latest issue at: www.afb.org/accessworld.asp.

Practical Technology for Practically Everybody

On Saturday, March 29, 2003, NYSCATE (New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education) is sponsoring a technology conference for educators. The event will be held at the Roy C. Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls, NY (8:00AM - 4:00 PM) and will offer a wide variety of sessions on many topics. The cost of the conference is $35 for NYSCATE members and $50 for non-members. More information may be found on the NYSCATE website, www.nyscate.org.

Resources for Tactile Models & Diagrams:

Hubbard Scientific: http://www.hubbardscientific.com

Fisher Scientific:http://www.fisheredu.com

TAEVIS (Tactile Access to Education for Visually Impaired Students) site at Purdue: http://www.purdue.edu/odos/TAEVIS Note: There are three free sample diagrams available from the TAEVIS site. If you want more, you must subscribe.

Delta http://www.delta-ed.com

ETA/Cuisenaire http://www.etacuisenaire.com

Another valuable source is to go to the Texas School for the Blind and visually Impaired site www.tsbvi.edu and do a search for tactile graphics. Join the Adapted Graphics listserv: http://www.topica.com/lists/adaptedgraphics.

Back Talk Box

The dialing accessory that speaks for itself. By simply pressing a key on any telephone in your home or business, you'll hear the digits repeated.

• Compatible with all telephones
• On/Off volume control
• One Back Talk Box on your phone line turns all your phones into talking phones
• No tools necessary for installation

Call (800) 233-9230 or visit the web site at www.weitbrechtcom.com.

Camps for Children who are Visually Impaired

On the website www.Kidscamps.com, you can search by region for camps geared to children who are visually impaired. The Federation of Children with Special Needs site at http://www.fcsn.org lists camps and also has an article entitled "Selecting a Camp: What to Look for in Camp Programs" that is written to assist parents of a child with a disability. A third resource for camps is the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) site at http://www.tsbvi.edu/Education/camps.htm. A fourth summer camp opportunity is at APH learning to use assistive technology to access their on-line resources independently! Contact Maria Delgado a (800) 223-1839 ext. 340 or mdelgado@aph.org.

Parents, professionals and others have long advocated for children with visual impairments with regard to their unique educational needs. According to an article in the December AER Report, a publication of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, (AER), "Choices for Children (CfC) is a grassroots membership network of individuals and organizations representing parents, students with visual impairments, and the professionals who teach and assist them."…"The mission of Choices for Children is to educate policymakers, legislators, and the public about the unique educational needs of children who are blind or visually impaired." For more information about how you can become involved in advocating for quality, specialized education for students with visual impairments, contact Mark Richert, the Executive Director of AER, at (877) 492-2708 or e-mail him at markr@aerbvi.org.

Strategies for Developing Mathematics Skills in Students Who Use Braille ($20) includes

• Teaching Mathematical Concepts
• Basic Number Facts and Operations
• Advanced Mathematics
• Teaching Nemeth Code
• Calculation Tools and Aids
• Tactile Displays and Graphics
• Collaborative and Inclusive Strategies
• Spoken Mathematics
• An extensive appendix of references

The Computerized Nemeth Code Tutor ($11) is software with an instruction booklet designed to provide an effective vehicle through which sighted persons who work with blind students can hone their skills in the Nemeth Code.

To order either or both (only $25 for both) of these references, e-mail jackief@aerbvi.org or call Jackie Fairbarns at (703) 823-9690.

Calendar of Upcoming Events

March 17-22, 2003 > California State University at Northridge (CSUN) Center on Disabilities' 18^th Annual International Conference, Los Angeles, CA. Contact CSUN at (818) 677-2578 or on the Web at www.csun.edu/cod

March 21-25 > AER-Lift (Assn. for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired) Training for State Chapter and Division Leaders, Washington, D.C. Contact Barbara Sherr (703) 823-9690 or e-mail bsherr@aerbvi.org

Mar. 31- April 5, 2003 > 11^th International Mobility Conference (IMC11), Stellenbosch, South Africa. Deidre Cloete deidre@africa.com or on the Web www.guidedog.org.za/imconference/mobility.html

April 3-5, 2003 > AFB Tactile Graphics Workshop, Dominican College. Contact AFB (404) 525-2303 or e-mail bgallman@afb.net

April 3-5, 2003 > Still Where it's AT: Assistive Technology for Children and Youth Conference, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. (306) 651-3118 or eofd@sk.sympatico.ca

April 11, 2003 > 12^th Annual TVI Meeting, OCM BOCES, Syracuse, NY. (800) 555-4140 or cjlong77@aol.com or fweyter@dreamscape.com

April 14-16, 2003 > Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision's National Conference, Mesa, Arizona. Stacy Butler (662) 325-3304 or sle2@ra.msstate.edu or on the Web www.blind.msstate.edu/conference1.html

May 1, 2003 > National Braille Association's 27^th National Conference and Workshops, Middleburg Heights, OH. (585) 427-8260 nbaoffice@compuserve.com or on the Web www.nationalbraille.org/NBA-Events.htm

Share the Vision! is published quarterly (September, December, March, and June) by the New York State Resource Center for Visually Impaired. Subscription is free and articles and suggestions are always welcome. Archived issues of the newsletter are found at www.vesid.nysed.gov/lsn/resourcetoolbox.htm.

Editor: Judi Piscitello (585) 343-8100 ext. 427
E-mail jpiscite@mail.nysed.gov
FAX: (585) 343-3711

NYS Resource Center for Visually Impaired
2A Richmond Avenue
Batavia, New York 14020

In providing Share the Vision! to its readers, the Resource Center does not endorse any products or services to which the newsletter refers. The State Education Department does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, national origin, race, gender, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or sexual orientation in its educational programs, services, and activities.

Portions of this publication can be made available in a variety of formats, including braille, large print, or audiotape, upon request. Inquiries concerning this policy of nondiscrimination should be referred to the Department’s Office for Diversity, Ethics, and Access, Room 530, Education Building, Albany, NY 12234.