APH News

Exciting APH Product Announcements!

• Winter Wonderland Sale
• Now Available with Quota funds! Four products developed by Dr. Jan van Dijk
• Digital Talking Book Cartridge, 2GB (Blank)
• Again Available for Sale! Let’s See: Perceptual Activities Kit
• APH Braille Book Corner

SUMMER CAMP News on the APH PE Website!

Information on the 2010 Sports Camps is now available. Seasonal camp dates start as early as April and continue into October. Find one near you and register early. sites.aph.org/pe/camps.html

Interested in the martial arts? Read Ron Peck’s new book, Parents Guide to Judo from the Blind Judo Foundation at archive.aph.org/pe/ParentsGuidetoJudo.pdf

APH Technology Workshop: Braille+ and Book Port Plus

The American Printing House for the Blind is pleased to present a National Instructional Partnerships event featuring Technology Project Leader Larry Skutchan, developer of the APH Braille+ suite of products and the all new Book Port Plus, and APH programmers Ken Perry and Mike Borsuk. Held in partnership with the Braille Institute of America, Ex Officio Trustee Nancy Niebrugge and Jay Comstock, Director of the Institute’s San Diego Regional Sight Center, the event will take place March 22 – 23 at the Braille Institute Regional Sight Center in San Diego.

This hands-on event will feature two half day workshops, one focused on the Braille+ suite of products, and one on the new Book Port Plus. Each workshop will be offered on Monday and repeated again on Tuesday. Participants may sign up for the whole day, or attend only the morning or afternoon session. Please bring your Braille+ and/or Book Port Plus with you if you have one.

We encourage teachers, students, adult consumers and others interested in this new technology to attend. If you are attending CSUN, this is a great opportunity to get some training with these products prior to the conference, or you can just plan to attend this event.

On-line registration is available at archive.aph.org/advisory/workshops/tech32010.html. If you have questions or would like further information, please contact Janie Blome, 800-223-19-839, ext. 367, or jblome@aph.org. or Larry Skutchan, 800-223-1839, ext. 314 or email lskutchan@aph.org.

The Doubletree Hotel San Diego/Del Mar has offered a group rate of $119 per night. The hotel is located at 11915 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA and the number there is 858-764-0273. You can make reservations by calling 800-222-8733, or online at the hotel website. Be sure to use the group code "APH" to get the special rate. The hotel will offer shuttle service to the Braille Institute for the workshop.

YOUR Help Needed with QUICK Electronic Materials Survey

Do your students use eReaders, eFiles or eBooks? Then your input is requested! We are collecting information from Instructional Materials Centers, school districts and anyone who acquires electronic materials for their students in an effort to improve and expand products and services from the Accessible Textbook Department.

Please click on the following link to complete our quick survey. We would like to have the surveys submitted by March 15, 2010.

archive.aph.org/atic/ircbvi.html

If you have any problems or questions with the survey, please feel free to contact Jane Thompson at 800/223-1839, ext 370 or email at jthompson@aph.org.

Survey on Woodcock-Johnson III: Tests of Achievement–Braille Adaptation
Your opinion matters!

We are happy to now have the Woodcock-Johnson III: Tests of Achievement – Braille Adaptation (WJ III ACH Braille) available for use in assessing the academic achievement and language development of students and clients who read braille. Initial reviews have been very positive.

We need your help in making this product even better. If you have already administered the braille test or know someone who has, please get them involved by filling out a short survey on braille features of the WJ ACH Braille.

Contact Barbara Henderson, Test & Assessment Project Leader at bhenderson@aph.org and she will send you an electronic copy.

Did you know…?

…that all APH textbooks include all embossed braille pages and all tactile graphic pages?

If you want the entire book in our full-color fold-back binding you can order it at http://shop.aph.org

…that all completed transcriptions of APH textbooks from the past 10 years are available for download from the APH File Repository?

You can download .brf files (braille ready files) and emboss locally so you can have all the text you want or just emboss as you need it. If you don’t find the catalog number you are looking for, just drop us a note at atic@aph.org and we will be sure you get it ASAP!

…that you can also order "graphics only" for APH textbooks that you download from the APH File Repository?

You can identify the graphics by the catalog number and they can be purchased at http://shop.aph.org. Sample catalog number: A-B00525-GR, the GR identifies the graphics only! We will produce the graphics only, shrink wrap them and ship right away. This option allows you to emboss your own braille, insert the graphics we have sent to you, and bind it however you wish.

The best advice we can give you is to order early!

We have capacity now for large print and braille textbook orders. Contact us at 800/223-1839 or at atic@aph.org

Invasion of the Braille Pirates!

APH was on hand in Tampa, FL, when braille pirates invaded the Lions Eye Foundation for the Central Florida Regional Braille Challenge. Students were greeted by pirates passing out beads and pirate hats and led in cheers for braille before beginning the competition. Students scoring in the top twelve spots in each age group will have the opportunity to move on to the finals in Los Angeles in June. Good luck to all of the central Florida students who competed!

Parents and teachers accompanying their children were treated to workshops and exhibits during the day, including one from APH. Parents were excited to see products like the APH Sound Ball, the 30-Love Tennis game, and Scattered Crowns. Teachers were pleased to have the opportunity to try out the new Perkins APH Brailler and the Geometro forms. Students were also happy to try out the new APH Perkins Brailler, which garnered a seal of approval from all who stopped by!

Congratulations to Sue Glaser and Ex Officio Trustee Suzanne Dalton for coordinating a great group of volunteers who made it a true celebration for all!

BIG Entertainment Scheduled for APH Museum

The Museum at the American Printing House for the Blind announced its 2010 Bards & Storytellers series schedule in February. "Bards," in its fifth season, is a program that celebrates the historic traditions of entertainers with vision loss. The highlight is country/gospel superstar Terri Gibbs, but also includes performances by up-and-coming hip hop dancer Darrin Hatch of Louisville, and pianist Steven Yee of Cincinnati. Gibbs became famous in the early 1980s with her hit song "Somebody’s Knockin’."

"We’re thrilled to be featuring Terri this summer," said Museum Director Mike Hudson, "but I think the entire series has had a certain magic. The combination of our intimate setting, the incredible talents we invite, and our focus on their life stories makes for good theater."

2010 Bards & Storytellers Schedule

Saturday, April 24, 1 p.m., Hip-hop dancer Darrin Hatch
Saturday, June 5, 11 a.m., Country/Gospel singer Terri Gibbs
Saturday, August 28, 1 p.m., Pianist Steven Yee

Reservations for the individual programs are required, and can be made by calling 502-899-2365.

Residential Schools for the Blind Taken Over by Troops

APH Museum Director Micheal Hudson shares some interesting information.

Last week I was researching a curious event in our local history. When Confederate soldiers invaded Kentucky in 1862, Federal authorities seized the Kentucky School for the Blind, kicked out the kids and teachers, and converted it into a military hospital for a few months. I used the Museum’s collection of annual reports from the nation’s residential schools to determine that this was not an isolated event. Schools in Tennessee, Virginia, and Mississippi suffered a similar fate. In Tennessee, in fact, soldiers decided the school building threatened the Union trenches and had the building torn down! APH is the repository of probably the largest collection of school reports in the U.S., with examples from every state school for the blind, including a number that have closed or been consolidated, and many from overseas.

If you are researching the early history of schools for the blind, these beautiful and detailed reports contain an amazing wealth of detail. For more details on our exact holdings, contact Museum Collections Manager Anne Rich at arich@aph.org or 502-899-2364.

Photo: 1938 Report from a mission school in Bombay, India. The recently acquired AFB Migel Library Collection contained many reports from overseas.

Nomination Process for the Hall of Fame for the Blindness Field Ends March 26!

The Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field is accepting nominations for 2010 induction consideration through Friday, March 26.

If you are interested in learning more about the qualifications for nominees or the process for submitting a nominee to join the 44 inductees, please visit: archive.aph.org/hall_fame/nominate.html. The nomination process closes Friday, March 26.

"The Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field is dedicated to preserving, honoring, and promoting the tradition of excellence manifested by the specific individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame and through the history of outstanding services provided to people who are blind or visually impaired."

Photo: Arnall Patz Plaque – Plaque sponsored by the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins

Seeking Students for Research Study

Students between the ages of 16 and 22 who are braille readers and users of assistive technology are needed for a study. This study will explore how students use both braille and electronic information for classroom work and how they learn these literacy practices. The purpose of this research is to add to our understanding of the current role of hard-copy (paper) braille and the use of electronic access to information, as well as the students’ attitudes and perceptions about both braille and technology. This information will inform how we prepare pre-service teachers to instruct young braille readers. If you are interested in participating in this study or getting more information, please contact Frances Mary D’Andrea at fmd22@pitt.edu or 412/521-5797.

Ever Think About Earning a Doctorate?

The National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities (NLCSD), funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, is accepting applications to doctoral programs in the areas of blind/visually impaired, deaf/hard of hearing, and deafblindness. Full tuition and a minimum of $20,000 annual living stipend will be provided to NLCSD Fellows for up to four years of full-time on campus study while they earn their doctorates at one of the 25 Consortium Universities. Fellowships are available to US citizens/permanent residents who must first be accepted into a doctoral program. The cohort will begin Fall 2010.

The consortium members, and the doctoral programs they offer, are listed at http://www.salus.edu/nlcsd/index.html

Applications must be postmarked by March 26, 2010. Applications postmarked after that date will not be considered. Notifications will be made to applicants by May 3, 2010.

Please share this information with potential candidates, or consider applying yourself!

Earn Money for APH Simply by Searching or Shopping the Internet

GoodSearch is a search engine which donates 1¢ per search to a nonprofit of your choice. GoodSearch is powered by Yahoo!, so you will get the same great results while supporting APH and it won’t cost you any extra time or money.

Using GoodSearch is simple:

1. Go to www.goodsearch.com
2. Enter "American Printing House for the Blind" as the charity you want to support.
3. Search away!

To save it as your homepage:

1. Go to Tools
2. Click on Internet Options
3. Click on General tab
4. Add or change the Home page link to http://www.goodsearch.com
5. Click OK

Another great way to raise money for APH is to visit www.goodshop.com when shopping online and a percentage of each purchase will be donated to APH. GoodShop includes hundred of great stores such as Amazon.com, Target, Gap, Best Buy, eBay, Macy’s, and Barnes & Noble.

Please pass the word along to friends, family, and colleagues. The more we GoodSearch and/or GoodShop, the more money we will raise for APH.

Run To Independence

APH runners, walkers and scream team members are taking their positions for the Kentucky Derby Marathon/miniMarathon on April 24.

The Run to Independence team has been making great strides as they continue to train, fundraise and build awareness for APH. Over 25 runners, walkers and scream-team members are feverishly working toward these goals as the April 24 Marathon/miniMarathon event approaches.

Donations have been pouring in from all over the country. A special thank you to Scot Mailing and Shipping Systems, Inc. for becoming a Bronze Sponsor of this event.

If you would like to learn more about how you can help APH reach our goal of $5,000, please contact Kristin Binkowski at 502-899-2351. You can also send a check made payable to: American Printing House for the Blind or donate online at www.active.com/donate/aphfortheblind.

Help Wanted: Associate Vice President of Education Services

For more information, contact Michael Hoevel at mjhoevel@aol.com or call 800/207-3427 (www.juniorblind.org)

APH Welcomes New Ex Officio Trustees

Carol Conyers, the Reach Center for the Blind in Tupelo, MS. (Our newest account!)

Mike Haener, the Idaho Commission for the Blind, replacing Nancy Wise.

APH Travel Calendar

March

March 2-6, 2010
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Conference;
Chicago, IL

March 3-5, 2010
Virginia AER (VAER) 2010;
Waynesboro, VA

March 4-6, 2010
Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2010 Annual Research Conference, "Research into Practice";
Washington, DC

March 8-9, 2010
NIP Event: Using the Woodcock Johnson II Braille Adaptation;
Alamogordo, NM

March 8-12, 2010
Legislative Visits on Capitol Hill;
Washington, DC

March 10, 2010
"Focus" on Vision Impairment & Blindness;
Norwood, MA

March 11-13, 2010 Conference/March 7-13, 2010 Board Meetings
National Braille Association Spring Meeting;
Chicago, IL

March 12, 2010
FVLMA Product Training for the West Kentucky Educational Cooperative (WKEC) TVI Cadre;
Princeton, KY

March 16-20, 2010
AAHPERD 2010;
Indianapolis, IN

March 19, 2010
Syracuse Tech Conference;
Syracuse, NY

March 19, 2010
South Carolina Vision Education Partnership/2010 Vision Summit;
Columbia, SC

March 22-27, 2010
CSUN 2010;
San Diego, CA – Manchester Grand Hyatt

March 22-23, 2010
NIP Event – San Diego Braille Institute Workshop: Braille Plus and BookPort Plus Product Training;
San Diego, CA

March 23-24, 2010
Fundamentals of Book Repair;
Terre Haute, IN

March 24-26, 2010
KAER 2010;
Barren River Lake Park Resort, KY

March 26-27, 2010
North Carolina (NC) AER;
Raleigh, NC

April

April 5-9, 2010
EPAC 2010;
APH in Louisville, KY

April 7-9, 2010
Dakotas AER;
Aberdeen, SD

April 13, 2010
APH Product Training for The University of Arizona students preparing to become TVIs;
Tucson, AZ

April 21-24, 2010
CEC 2010;
Nashville, TN

April 23-25, 2010
CTEBVI (California Transcribers & Educators for the Blind & Visually Impaired)(was CTEVH);
LAX Marriott, Los Angeles, CA

April 26-27, 2010
Power Up 2010;
Columbia, MO

April 29-30, 2010
Michigan AER 2010 Conference;
Lavonia, MI

April 29-May 1, 2010
AOTA 2010;
Orlando, FL

May

May 3-5, 2010
Visual Aid Volunteers of Florida (VAVF);
Orlando, FL

May 23-26, 2010
ESAC 2010;
APH in Louisville, KY

June

June 10-11, 2010
Texas Focus;
Plano, TX

June 10-12, 2010
Research in the Rockies: Research Summit on Reading and Writing Braille;
Denver, CO

June 16, 2010
Washington Product Presentation – Public Affairs Event;
Washington, DC

June 20-23, 2010
2010 Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Conference; 40th National Conference on Student Assessment;
Detroit, MI

June 25-26, 2010
Texas Parent to Parent 2010;
San Marcos, TX

June 25-26, 2010
National Braille Challenge 2010;
CA

Only One Month Left to Make Your Dreams Come True!
APH InSights Art 2010 Deadlines in April

Visually impaired or blind artists of all ages are invited to submit artwork for our 19th annual international art competition, APH InSights 2010.

Last year, over 400 entries were received. From those, jurors selected 81 pieces for the exhibition, which was shown in Louisville at the APH Annual Meeting last October.

Artists may enter original artwork created in any medium, including (but not limited to), painting, drawing, printmaking, fiber, metal or wood. The deadline for entries from students in kindergarten through high school is April 1. Adult artists have until April 15 to send in their entries. Complete rules and entry forms are posted on the APH website.

Contact Roberta Williams at 800/223-1839, ext. 357 or rwilliams@aph.org to receive a copy of the rules and application forms by email, or a hard copy in print or braille.

Winter Wonderland Sale

Load up a world of savings on selected APH products with APH’s Winter Wonderland Sale 2010, January 1 – March 31. As always, first come, first served. archive.aph.org/products/wonderland.html

Now Available with Quota funds!
Four products developed by Dr. Jan van Dijk

From Russia with Love and Care: 1-31002-00 — $50.00

An interactive CD-ROM that is aimed toward children with sensory impairment and challenging behaviors.

Child-guided Strategies for Assessing Children who are Deafblind or have Multiple Disabilities:

Windows PC, English: 1-31001-00 — $60.00
Windows PC, Spanish: 1-31001-SP — $60.00
Mac, English: 1-31001-MAC — $60.00

This unique CD-ROM is user-friendly and highly interactive as it demonstrates Dr. van Dijk’s strategies and techniques for accessing and teaching children with multiple disabilities through the use of video clips, questions pertaining to the video clips, discussion, and relevant literature.

Charge Syndrome Revisited (2007): 1-31003-01 — $40.00

This CD-ROM presents a 5 year follow up of 6 children with CHARGE Syndrome.

Child-Guided Strategies: The van Dijk Approach to Assessment: 7-31001-00 — $45.00

This product offers an easy-to-use guidebook with an accompanying DVD that follows the assessment of a baby, a young child, and a teenager.

Digital Talking Book Cartridge, 2GB (Blank)

1-02610-00 — $12.00

Related Products:

Digital Cartridge Mailer 1-02611-00 — $2.50

USB Cable, NLS Cartridge to PC Connection (3 feet) $TBA

Not available with Quota funds.

This blank cartridge is for use with National Library Service (NLS) Digital Talking Book Players. A digital cartridge is a new medium for playing digital talking books and magazines.

Features

• Connect this cartridge to your PC via a USB cable (purchased separately) to download NLS books (you must be an authorized NLS user). The cartridge can then be disconnected from your PC and plugged in to an NLS digital player to play back the downloaded material.
• Large capacity: this 2GB blank cartridge will hold approximately 20 NLS Talking Books. Cartridge is green in color.

Also available are Digital Cartridge Mailers. Each mailer holds one cartridge for safe transport, storage, or mailing. Has a slot for a mailing label. Embossed "Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped." Made of durable gray plastic.

For more information about National Library Service digital talking books, please visit http://www.loc.gov/nls/digital.html

Again Available for Sale!
Let’s See: Perceptual Activities Kit (with large print manual)

1-08151-00 — $459.00

Related Product:

Let’s See: Sensory Activities Kit (with large print manual)
1-08141-00 — $346.00

The Let’s See: Perceptual Activities Kit builds on the Sensory Activities Kit to help students develop visual-perceptual and visual-discrimination proficiency. Brightly-colored, glowing, and flashing materials are used in these activities.

Let’s See Perceptual Includes:

• Large print/cassette manual containing activities that can be used to develop visual-perceptual skills and visual discrimination proficiency
• Snaplock® beads
• Paper packet – fluorescent
• GrandStand: Portable Reading Easel
• Crayon set
• Pegboard and pegs
• Flexible shaft penlight
• Blocks
• Form boards and inserts — heart, square, circle, triangle
• Streamers
• Binder and shape cards
• Pail
• Slinky®
• UltraLenses
• Materials Carry-All

APH offers a number of recreational books in braille (Quota funds can be used). Each of these titles was originally transcribed and produced by APH for the National Library Service which has graciously granted permission for this offering. As usual, these titles have been added to the APH Louis Database where you can find thousands of titles produced in accessible formats.

Note: all books are produced upon receipt of orders, therefore, please allow several weeks for delivery.

The Three Bears
by Paul Galdone: T-N1375-30 — $8.50
A little girl named Goldilocks visits the house of the three bears while they are away and causes mischief. She even falls asleep in the Little Wee Bear’s bed. And then the bears come home. Fiction, Grades K-3. *(AR Quiz #32037, BL 3.6, Pts. 0.5)

Superfudge
by Judy Blume: T-N1148-80 — $39.00
Not only does Peter’s brother Fudge grow more troublesome with age, but Peter’s parents make things worse by producing a baby girl. After Fudge tries unsuccessfully to sell the baby or give her away, he plasters her with trading stamps in hopes of exchanging her for something good. Fiction, Grades 3-6. *(AR Quiz# 443, BL 3.4, Pts. 4.0)

Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Two Spies
by Donald J. Sobol: T-N1039-10 — $19.50
The young sneaker-clad super sleuth saves the day again in a collection of ten short mysteries that invite readers to puzzle out the solutions before consulting the answers in the back of the book. Fiction, Middle Grades. *(AR Quiz# 36379, BL 4.4, Pts. 1.0)

Family Tree
by Barbara Delinsky: T-N1690-70 — $92.00
After interior designer Dana Clarke and her husband, Hugh, a lawyer from a prominent New England dynasty, have a baby girl with African American features, Dana searches for the father she never knew. The white couple uncovers long-held family secrets and prejudice. Some strong language. Fiction, Adult.

Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression
by Mildred Armstrong Kalish: T-N1755-40 — $79.00
Retired English professor’s memoir of her childhood in 1930s rural Iowa, a time Kalish describes as "quite a romp." Recalls years of deprivation and hard work mitigated by simple rewards. Discusses daily life and the influence of religion and literature, and describes family members whose lessons shaped her upbringing. Biography.

*Accelerated Reader quiz number, book level, and point value. For more information on the Accelerated Reader program, see the January 2006 APH News or www.renlearn.com/ar/