October 2007 Issue

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From David Gordon, Pleasant Grove, UT:

I have several questions about the Ziegler. I think readers would be interested in the total number of subscribers for each format. To how many countries is the Ziegler sent? Is the Ziegler translated into other languages? When is the cut-off date for information going into the next publication? Has the Ziegler ever published an extra that may have come out before the next publication is due?
[Editor’s Note: As of July 2007, the Ziegler subscribers were: 6,068 cassette, 4,057 braille, 794 e-mail and 66 diskette. The magazine goes to 92 countries, but is published in English only. To give us enough time to publish your Readers Forum letter, Pen Pal announcement or Special Notice, please send it at least two months in advance. We have never published an “extra.”]

From Sarah Presley, Washington, DC:

I'm a bit shocked at the discouragement that Clayton Jacobs has received in response to his letter in the May Readers Forum expressing the desire to go on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am not a member of the church and don't know Mr. Jacobs's particular qualifications, but the idea that a blind person would necessarily be too much of a burden on his mission companion seems extreme. One might argue that any of us blind people would be burdens on our sighted co-workers when there are occasionally jobs we must do that require some accommodation.
I understand that a mission is a more extreme sort of job, but from what I have heard from my sighted Mormon friends about their missions, it doesn't seem impossible to me that a blind person could be useful and productive in some missions.
And even though--from what I have gathered--the determination of where a Mormon missionary will serve is kind of random, according to need in particular places, there is no reason why exceptions couldn't be made if the blind person or the selecting authorities thought that some mission sites would be too difficult. There are mission sites in the jungles and mission sites in New York City.
All of that said, I don't think just any blind person would necessarily be successful in a mission setting. I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco for two years. I managed to succeed despite my visual limitations, but that does not mean that I think every blind person I know could or should do it. A blind person who wishes to serve in the Peace Corps or do some sort of mission should have very good mobility and independent living skills, and if serving in a country where another language is spoken, should have a decent ability to learn foreign languages--since we can't just point at what we want. In addition, this person should be very flexible, and maybe most important of all, should have a diplomatic attitude. Those diplomatic skills will be crucial in convincing selecting authorities to let him or her serve, putting fellow missionaries at ease, and dealing with locals who may be shocked to see a blind person serving in such a capacity.

From Erica Mayhew, Bury St. Edmunds, England:

Some readers may be interested in the celebrations we had here in May on the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown colony in Virginia. One of the founding fathers, Bartholomew Gosnauld, came from these parts. He is not so well known as some of the other founding fathers because he died soon after reaching Jamestown, but I believe he was the captain of the ship.
We had a service in our cathedral, and an air show, and U.S. air force servicemen attended from nearby Mildenhall. They were very honored and pleased to be invited. They had not realized the ties between Jamestown and Suffolk. Some people dressed up in World War II uniforms, as many Americans were based here during the war. One of them, John Appleby, wrote a book, Suffolk Summer, and donated a rose garden in our abbey gardens from the proceeds.
In Ottley Church we had a flower festival on a maritime theme. There is a memorial to the Gosnauld family in the church. There are still quite a few Gosnaulds around here today. I am sure there are lots of celebrations in the United States, so I thought I would tell you what we have been doing here to remember our local people who went over. Some folks from here have visited Jamestown but did not realize the local connection.
It was a lovely day. The weather was kind, and everyone had a wonderful time.

From Ed and Toni Eames, Fresno, CA:

Thank you for including information about emergency preparedness and disaster relief in the June issue. There are, however, limitations with the material prepared by the National Organization on Disability (NOD) for dealing with pets and service animals.
For example, after providing the Department of Justice definition of service animals as those individually trained, NOD states that service animals do not have to be certified, licensed or trained! This is an obvious contradiction. In order for a disabled person to have the right to be accompanied by a service animal into places of public accommodation, the animal must be trained to mitigate the effects of the disability. Animals who simply provide a sense of comfort and security, but are not trained to mitigate the disability, do not qualify as service animals under Title Three of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In addition to two guide dogs, our family members include four cats. The pamphlet suggests placing unbreakable collars on all pets. Within cat circles, emphasis is placed on having breakaway collars since cats are much more likely to be injured if their collars are caught on something and they cannot escape.
The pamphlet suggests considering having pets microchipped. We think this recommendation should be stated in stronger terms. Not only are our guide dogs microchipped for identification purposes, but so are the cats. One never knows when a medical emergency or disaster may occur, separating people from their pets or service animals.
Safety precautions are certainly necessary, but some of the advice contained in the pamphlet is impracticable. For instance, corralling the cats to put them in one room each time we leave the house seems like an unnecessary burden. Storing all of the recommended items in case of an emergency would require buying a house with an extra storage room.
As we see it, the recommendation to keep copies of important documents in an emergency backpack would be a perfect invitation for a burglar to steal one's identity.
It is difficult to recognize when being prepared for disasters goes beyond reasonableness!

From Lexie Raducz-Long, Akron, OH:

Thank you for the July article, “Ten Great Places to Relish Fine Stadium Fare,” about the American regional foods available at concessions at 10 major-league ballparks. I didn’t know you could buy so much more than peanuts and Crackerjacks!

From Linda Gray, Mountain View, MO:

To comment on the July editorial, I had a real good experience with Special Notices. A reader from Illinois was selling a Perkins brailler. When I called him, he was very open and honest with me. I offered $300 for it. I was very pleased with the way he dealt with me. The brailler was in good condition, as he said, and I was very, very happy.

From Theresa Chan, Singapore:

First, my best wishes on the Matilda Ziegler Magazine’s centennial. Especially I thank Mrs. Matilda Ziegler for her generosity in establishing this free magazine for blind people worldwide. May God abundantly bless her soul and may she rest in peace.
In the 1960's, when I was a student at the Perkins School, my teacher there, Leo Queenan, introduced me to the magazine. He said, "Theresa Mary, I have a Christmas gift for you, and you will love it." Yes, I did love it and still love our magazine with so much interesting information.
Now, however, I must speak my mind: In my opinion, a free magazine should not be used to advertise sales of old items--and some readers ask such high prices for their used technology that most of us will not be able to afford. Those who can afford it surely would prefer to buy new items, especially since it can be difficult to get repairs.
These used items are not worthy of space in our magazine. If you cannot donate them to friends, throw them out. At most, sell at a low price, such as 25 percent of the original cost. I think Special Notices should be used to tell readers where to buy new technology, where to apply for summer camps, get a scholarship or attend a conference, and so forth.
Charles Biebl wrote very well in April's Readers Forum about the currency disagreement between the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind. This is not good. We who work for blind people should be models, not warriors.
I agree with Mr. Biebl that when we want our government to do something for us, we must speak out loud and make our wants known, otherwise they will do nothing.
For Americans who are seeking to have the dollar bills changed, I have some news from my country, Singapore. Instead of paper currencies, we now have plastic notes. That is very good if the weather is wet; just rub the bill on your pants to dry it. I tested one by putting it in water, and it was OK. There are disadvantages: The bills are hard to fold; they stick together; and silly folks scratch them, making lines.

From Lucia Marett, New York, NY:

In July’s Readers Forum, Chris Kuell wrote that “it is a fallacy that no one will hire blind people” in Phoenix, AZ. All a blind person needs, Chris suggested, is to “master the skills of braille, independent travel and computers, then help himself.” Unfortunately, Chris then wrote that blind people will not find work if they wait for an agency to help them and, very unfortunately, he concluded that “It is not society’s duty to help us.”
This is not true. It is society’s duty to offer gainful employment to blind people, so that they can make good. Everyone should be given a chance. Other minorities are given this chance. The onus should not be placed on blind people, but on society’s unwillingness. The unemployment picture is still abysmal. Discrimination does exist.