January 2008

Subscribe to the Readers' Forum feed

From Harvey Lauer, Aurora, IL:

Many thanks for the articles in the October issue that
refer to the afterlife and the paranormal.

I hold the Bible to be God's word. I am active in
church locally and in my Christian church at large. I
encourage worship, prayer, meditation, Bible study and
mission. I am also a student of science, and applaud
objective study of nature, including the paranormal.

My personal experience, family experience, and 40
years of study have brought me to the following
conclusions. Survival of physical death is a fact, not
just a belief or a hope. There are dimensions of
conscious life other than the earthly one. Most of us
(perhaps all of us) do not proceed from here either to
highest heaven or lowest hell. Neither do we sleep till
Gabriel's horn. There are apparently different levels of
life in the next world, and progress there is possible.

I believe that the reason scripture doesn't teach
about the afterlife more clearly is that the level of
spiritual literacy was higher when it was written. The
writers felt no need to write about subjects of common
knowledge, such as the afterlife and gravity.

I conclude that churches and institutional
scientists keep lying to us. But why? I suspect that
they began by thinking that their lies make us easier to
manipulate. Or perhaps the translators didn't take into
account what was common knowledge at the time of writing.
Now, as spiritual literacy rises, that strategy is
backfiring. Now the institutions are too proud and
frightened to admit their mistakes.

The results are no less than catastrophic. They include loss of
confidence in churches and government supported academic
institutions, fear of death, confusion as to the purpose
of earth life, temporary confusion after death, and
increased vulnerability to fraud. As I see it, to
maintain their untenable position does two more things.
It undermines the credibility of theologians and
academia, and it generates the false conclusion that
religion and science are necessarily contradictory.

There are several good books in our special formats.
A good talking book is One Last Time, by John Edward.

My hope and prayer is that we Ziegler readers will
study these matters and work through the shock,
resentment and forgiveness over having been partly
misguided by trusted religious and secular teachers. If
we do that, I'm confident that we can look forward to the
rewards of a clearer grasp of science, a deeper
understanding of scripture and a closer walk with God.
If we don't, we may just keep drifting around.

On the lighter side, that discussion of facing
people when speaking with them called to mind an
experience worth telling. A teacher in high school
coached us blind students to face people when speaking to
them. I asked my family why they had not mentioned that
to me. They said it was because I usually face people
when addressing them. Well, I hadn't noticed, but then I
did observe that I could hear how they directed their
voices, so perhaps I just followed suit.


I therefore decided to appear as normal as I could
to my sighted daughters. One day as three year old Kathy
was pouring milk, I heard it spilling on the table and
said, "Kathy, stop! You're spilling it. Why do you keep
on pouring?" Kathy said, "I was looking at you." I
asked, "Why were you looking at me?" She said, "You
always look at me when you talk to me." So, instead of
"crying over spilled milk," we laughed as we cleaned it
up.

From Jason Entz, Cayley, Canada:

I just completed reading Stephen King's essay, "Hail to
the Spoken Word," in the October Ziegler. I don't think
the written word is better than the spoken word, or vice
versa. I think it's a matter of personal preference. I
certainly prefer reading a braille book over the audio
version because I can remember more of what I've read and
enjoy it more. Deep reading really does demand the inner
ear. Another advantage that braille has over cassettes
is that it's easier to look for a passage or article,
and, of course, braille, unless it's an electronic
display, never has dead batteries. For this reason I
cancelled my cassette subscription to the Reader's Digest
for a braille one.


Mr. King also mentioned that the critic Harold
Bloom, who is apparently a staunch supporter of the
written word, has clearly never listened to a campfire
story. Well, I'm here to tell you that listening to a
campfire story being told in person is very different
than listening to a recording. I know many people prefer
the audio version. I too have enjoyed quite a few
talking books, especially if the narrators could really
bring a story to life. Believe me, I have heard some
poor narrations, including instances where the narrator
turned somersaults over hard words, laughed during a
humorous passage, and even broke down and cried during a
sad passage. Overall, however, most narrators do an
excellent job. But I still prefer braille.


I agree with Mr. King about abridgments. I don't
like them. They may be good for young children who don't
understand the language used in older novels. But I like
to read a book exactly as the author penned it. The old
fashioned language and conversation gives you a sense of
being there at the time the story takes place. An
abridged version is like artificial flavor or diluted
whiskey. It's not the real thing.

From Olivia Ferrante, Revere, MA:

I would like to respond to Martin Chismar, who said in
November that all churches discriminate. True, people of
all faiths and no faith do. However, that should not
lead to isolation from the comfort that church life can
bring. I was asked by my pastor to read in church. I
use a braille book by Xavier Society for the Blind. I
find this also makes sighted people more aware of a blind
person's capabilities.

From Edward Zolotarevsky, Bedminister, NJ:

In response to the Readers Forum letter written by Chris
Kuell, I have the following to say: The blind should hold
state commissions for the blind accountable for the high
unemployment rate of the blind. In my opinion, these
agencies should help the blind get employment not just
collect paychecks. If they can't help the blind get
jobs, then the government should dismantle the
commissions and give their funding to the blind community
instead. With 80 percent of the blind unemployed, state
agencies could do a much better job.

From a reader in Oklahoma:

I totally agree that agencies for the blind should try to
help with job placement, or at least find us a way to get
to the job interview. Of course, cabs and city buses are
available, but you might live in a small town that does
not provide them. For those who are unemployed, hoping
that visual services will help is a kind of cruel joke.
They want to train you and then tell you to get lost.
Then you have plenty of computer training, but still
cannot find a job. We should not have to be stuck in a
vending program or a sheltered workshop for the blind.
At least rehab counselors could try to help with job
placement they are there to help, and then they close
your case. Computer jobs are only needed in so many
offices and then we have to get into something else, such
as vending stand operator. You need a lot of sighted
help to keep the snack bars going, making supply runs,
etc.

From John Harris, Toronto, Canada:

On Oct. 22, the Canadian Federal Cabinet denied petitions
to turn aside affirmation of a license to broadcast The
Accessible Channel. This is a huge win for blind people
everywhere, not just in Canada. It shows the need and
potential for described programming in all TV broadcasts.
It's also a win for the "little guy" against some very
able and determined corporate lobbyists. As you may
know, programming on The Accessible Channel will include
Descriptive Video Service (DVS) in open format. It will
no longer be necessary to use SAP to access the
description on the programs carried by the channel. This
is a huge improvement for TV viewers whose vision
restrictions do not permit them to access and navigate
the screen menus necessary to operate the SAP.

By the way, I wish to remind readers of the Ziegler
Magazine about AudioVision and our DVS movie catalogue
available to Americans who are blind or vision
restricted. Call 866-297-7623 for a free catalogue or
641-985-5999 to hear the catalogue by phone.

From P.C. Thahir, Kerala, India:

More often than not I read in the Ziegler about assistive
technology, which is unaffordable for those who are not
rich. It is in this context that I would like to speak
to Ziegler readers about the screen reader named Orca.
This free software is found in the Ubuntu distribution of
the Linux operating system. Since it is in its initial
stage of development, Orca has certain limitations, such
as poor voice quality. But I'm sure its developers can
and will improve the quality of the screen reader in the
near future, especially if people like us are ready to
offer them our suggestions. Further, since Orca's source
code is freely available, anyone proficient in computer
programming can contribute to its development. I would
like to know what other readers think about this new
technology. Contact me at thahirpc@yahoo.co.in.

From a reader in California:

The San Francisco Lighthouse and the California Services
for the Blind and Elderly, East Bay Center, in Berkeley
offer great classes and services and provide a wonderful
atmosphere for socialization. But I do not recommend the
Lions Club in Oakland because they only offer rehab
services. They don't allow socialization and have
sighted administrators.

From Hazel Staley, Charlotte, NC:

Someone asked why Guideposts magazine was not available
in braille. It is available in braille from Clovernook
Printing House for the Blind, 7000 Hamilton Ave.,
Cincinnati, OH 45231; 513-522-3860. The subscription
fee is $36 per year.

From Marcia Harrison, Richmond, VA:

If you are selling greeting cards or other items with
braille, please proofread your work. I have seen so many
mistakes in catalogues and products that I recently
purchased. It sends the wrong message.

From Antoine McCracken, Baltimore, MD:

I was born in Baltimore, and at the age of six months, I
developed congenital glaucoma. I have lived in Baltimore
the majority of my life. After a period of time, I
decided to move to Virginia. This was a daunting and
challenging task for me because of my blindness, but I
loved the challenge of moving away from my family to live
independently. I moved to Virginia, where I didn't know
anyone except my friend Shena. Before I moved to
Virginia, I would travel on the Amtrak train and the
Greyhound bus. Even though I am blind, I was the CEO of
several home based businesses, one of which was Charm
City Specialties, a wholesale business. In 1998, I
received the Consumer of the Year Award from the Maryland
Department of the Blind and Rehab Services. In the year
2000, I was the spokesperson for the United Way of
Central Maryland campaign. In 2003, I received a
certificate for mentoring from a nonprofit organization
in Virginia. I was an on air personality for WTJZ. In
2007, I traveled to Richmond to complete my voice over
demo. Also, last year I auditioned for a role in a movie
and received one of the roles.

These are several accomplishments that I have
achieved with my disability. Therefore, remember you can
achieve your dreams.

To the parents of disabled children: I beseech you
not to hinder your children from achieving their goals.
Allow them to live independently. Encourage them and
stand behind them in whatever they want to do. To the
disabled children: do not allow your parents to hinder or
shelter you from accomplishing your goals. If you wish
to correspond with me, send e mail to
lamontantoine410@hotmail.com.

From Rob Rehfeld, Sheridan, WY:

People who claim to be blind but see well really upset
me. They watch television, drive vehicles, get around
cities, and walk across streets without help. These
people should be ashamed of themselves for their lie.
They do not help any of the truly blind in this world.