June 2007 Issue

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From John Boyer, Madison, WI:

The letter from Hugh Pharis in April's Readers Forum is full of misinformation both about Bookshare.org and the National Library Service (NLS).

Braille books from the NLS are already available online through their Web-braille service. I expect digital talking books will be added soon.

Bookshare.org charges a yearly subscription fee of $50. After that, downloads of books are free.

Most books on Bookshare.org will never be provided by the NLS. The collection is simply too big. Most of Bookshare's books are scanned by volunteers. The NLS just doesn't have the funds to convert them to its formats.

From a reader in Brooklyn, NY:

Tim Hendel's description of a supposedly Christian fundamentalist repressive regime in April's Readers' Forum sounded very familiar-- people losing their jobs because of their beliefs, inability to choose where you wish to live, etc. Those were the signs of the real--not imaginary--repressive regime that ruled the former Soviet Union, where I grew up. But was that regime formed by Christian fundamentalists? Quite to the contrary, it was based on militant atheism. In general, I don't know any modern-day Christian dictatorship. And in the United States in 2007, it is the militant and aggressive atheists, not the Christians, who threaten to ruin a person's career for a public prayer, for professing religious beliefs, or simply for saying "Merry Christmas." How many words in the English language were recently blacklisted by the so-called "politically correct" for "conveying a religious message"? For the record: I am not a Christian. But I refuse to join the militant crowd who will go to any extreme to remove any mention of God from the Pledge of Allegiance. I refuse to mock people's beliefs simply because I don't share them, and I refuse to dub each and every Christian as a fundamentalist.

From Lucia Marett, New York, NY:

Charles Biebl wrote in April's Readers Forum how blind people never notified the Treasury about the problem we have with identifying currency. I did write the Treasury. I always make my views known to elected officials. Sadly, though, Mr. Biebl is right. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. It is time for blind people to stop with one- upmanship, malice, spite and polarization and unite.

From Sylvia Connor, Winsted, CT:

I am responding to Joyce Fortune's comments in the April Readers Forum about the low prices paid for crafts and high price of technology. I am one of the knitters who sells hand-made items. I try to keep my prices as low as possible, not because I undervalue my work, but because I realize that most Ziegler readers are not in a position to pay a lot for baby blankets, sweaters and the like. Craft items cannot be sold based on how long they take to make. They are sold mostly on a formula based on how much the materials cost. If I were to charge minimum wage for making a braille afghan, for instance, not only would no one be able to afford it, but it really would not be worth the price.

So, speaking for myself, I enjoy knitting. It is a labor of love. If I can make an item that someone else will enjoy and be able to use, as long as the cost of my materials is covered and I make a small profit, I am quite happy! I also donate many hats, scarves and mittens to charitable organizations. It's my way of trying to give a little back.

From Olivia Ferrante, Revere, MA:

I agree with Joyce Fortune that hand-crafted items value the craftsperson's work at $1 per hour. As a knitter and potholder-maker, however, I must say that it is not craftspeople who undervalue their work, but the public. I had to cut my prices in half because people wouldn't pay more. Hand-crafts are not fully appreciated.

From Ali Aljanabi, Baghdad, Iraq:

As a Ziegler reader for more than 12 years now, I'm more than grateful to the publishers of this informative publication. It has added a lot to my life and has changed my vision of being blind, as it has motivated me to face more challenges. After graduating, I worked as a telephone operator, but then I began to work as an interpreter-translator for Iraqi television news. Thank goodness, everyone is grateful for my work. I'm surprised to read that blind people cannot get broadcasting jobs in the United States. It's worth trying. Please send me e-mail to ali_aljanabi@yahoo.com or call +0096-479-0186-5914.

From Alan Bartlett, Boronia, Australia:

I am fascinated and also saddened to read about the Ziegler's falling braille circulation. Braille is still the only true form of literacy for those who can no longer see enough to use print. A colleague said to me the other day that since losing his sight, he had forgotten how words looked. He was just starting braille and had been using a screen-reader for his work. Braille gave him the opportunity to see words again. He also pointed out that when you read with braille, you can hear the reading voice in your head, as when reading print.

I know braille is not for everyone, but it has its benefits. It is similar to reading lips as opposed to sign language for hearing-impaired people. I've heard debate about that issue as well. Braille definitely gives a person independence in interpretation of any material. It is not faster than, or as efficient as, electronic screen-readers. In favor of braille is the satisfaction it gives the reader. I would not be able to read music, label items or give speeches if I did not have braille as one of my literacy tools. I would be interested to hear about how popular electronic braille is becoming. Has the high cost of refreshable braille displays put people off using the format electronically?

I think braille is a wonderful, modern language invented by a genius. If blind people don't use braille, it may become a dead language--that would be very sad. I am enthusiastic about braille, and it has been a life-saver to me over the years since I lost my sight. That includes being able to read the Ziegler Magazine.

From Eric Calhoun, Inglewood, CA:

I wish the Matilda Ziegler Magazine a very happy 100th birthday. I came aboard the Ziegler in 1994 and have read it ever since. I have found several pen pals, and have contributed some controversial Readers Forum letters. Thank you, and keep entertaining!

From Marilyn Kirchner, Elephant Butte, NM:

Congratulations to the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for such a historic, informative and inspirational 100th anniversary issue. I read it a few nights ago and was in tears with admiration and joy over the devotion and efforts of all its creators.

When I finished the magazine, I found myself thinking of what else could be done to enrich the lives of the visually impaired. Another magazine that I find very helpful and encouraging and look forward to receiving is Newsreel. This three-hour audio magazine on cassette is compiled by and for blind people. I was surprised to find out recently that next year Newsreel will be celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Newsreel does not have an endowment, so it charges a nominal annual fee to help defray its expenses. I want to help Newsreel expand its readership and reach the lives of more visually impaired folks. My brainstorm, inspired by the wonderful history of the Ziegler, is to donate 10 free subscriptions to Ziegler readers who would like to try the magazine for one year. Throughout 13 years of good listening, Newsreel has given me new friends, recipes, jokes, music, countless stories, interviews, travel tips, household tips, accessibility information and technology news.

I encourage everyone who would like to sample this marvelous magazine to call 614-469-0700 and leave their name and mailing address to enter the drawing for my subscriptions. More than 10 subscriptions may become available. We will collect entries for one month after the publication of this notice. All persons interested, but who do not win the one-year subscription, will be sent a complimentary one-month issue as a smaller sampling of this noteworthy publication.

From Eileen Long, Executive Director, Newsreel, Columbus, OH:

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to tell the readers of the Ziegler about Newsreel, which is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Newsreel was founded by Stanley Doran in 1957 in the basement of his home in Columbus, OH, as a way for Pilot Dog graduates to communicate with one another. He used three-inch open-reel tapes. By 1971, Newsreel was recorded on cassettes and had nearly 1,000 blind and visually impaired members. In 1986 Doran moved Newsreel from his home to downtown Columbus and established it as a not-for-profit corporation.

Newsreel is an exciting monthly audio magazine on cassette, produced by and for visually impaired people. It contains news, supportive articles, information and entertainment. Our subscribers submit the various articles that are heard on the three-hour cassette. A subscription introduces members to a wonderful new extended family on tape as well as a caring support group. Newly blind subscribers learn how to cope in a sighted world from those who have learned to live with loss of sight.

Our goals are to strengthen daily life skills, to be a source of information, to provide a forum to discuss blindness issues, to link people with similar experiences, and to provide encouragement and entertainment. A read-and-return annual subscription costs $30, a $50 annual subscription allows you to keep any or all issues. Currently, we offer a $20 subscription on a read-and-return basis for one year for first-time subscribers.

We'll be glad to send a sample of Newsreel to any Ziegler reader if you send your name, address, daytime phone number and disability to Newsreel Inc., 8 E. Long St. #420, Columbus, OH 43215.

From Roger O'Shields, Fort Payne, AL:

I am writing with some information about new U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) assistance for disabled veterans and their spouses or widows. This is the first time the VA has offered any safety net for the widows of veterans. I understand the rules differ in each state, so readers should check the situation locally.

To be eligible, the veteran must have 90 days of service, including at least one day of Congressional war-time service; must be over 65 or rated as permanently and totally disabled; must not have more than $80,000 in net worth (not including home and primary vehicle); and income (minus medical expenses) must not exceed a specified amount.

A widow must not have divorced the veteran or remarried after the vet's death. My wife and I, for example, are about to move into an assisted-living facility that will cost us almost $4,000 per month; our initial estimate is that the VA will reimburse us around $1,800.

There are a lot of old World War II widows barely surviving on a small Social Security check, and that isn't necessary.

From Katrina Wright, Atlanta, GA

A recent experience with a blindness organization has compelled me to speak out about a very important problem--the way people with disabilities treat each other. I was basically refused help in arranging a musical contribution for a fund-raising CD due to the fact that I don't have much money, though I do have talent. It seems to me that, when possible, we should be just as charitable toward one another as we expect sighted people to be toward us. I feel that it would be hypocritical to do otherwise.

One other issue I want to get some feedback on is the tendency of some blind people to group themselves according to visual acuity. I have witnessed this in various settings, from summer camps for blind children that I have attended to Lions World Services for the Blind, where I received training just last year.

What does that say about us? Do people of like visual acuity really have more in common? I don't think so. I think that in settings like Lions World Services, those with more sight can be valued above those with less, at least on a social level. Furthermore, I think that many people with more sight enjoy not being the "blind" ones in the group, something many often are in situations where most of the people present have 20/20 vision.

All blind people should learn to value and respect one another based upon such traits as character rather than visual acuity. In the end, we're all visually challenged to one degree or another, and we could all use true friendship and support.