APH News: March 2014

Exciting New APH Products Announced!

Read on to learn about these new products – now available!

• APH Winter Wonderland Sale
• NEW! Permanent Fine Point Marker
• APH Braille Book Corner

Learning to Administer the FVLMA in Massachusetts—and More!

APH and The Carroll Center for the Blind are partnering to provide a two day workshop focusing on the Functional Vision and Learning Media Assessment tool (FVLMA) available from the American Printing House for the Blind. The FLVMA is an assessment instrument to help practitioners gather, store, track, and analyze information regarding functional vision and appropriate learning media. Also included will be assistive technology assessments and an APH Products Showcase, highlighting recently released items as well as new and expanded features of the APH website!

The two-day workshop will take place at The Carroll Center for the Blind in Newtown, Massachusetts, April 23 – 24, 2014. Presenters will include Cathy Johnson, APH Contract Field Services Representative, Eileen Curran, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments, and Bob McGillivray, Certified Low Vision Therapist. Day one of the event will provide hands-on training in administering the FVLMA. Highlights on the second day will include an APH Product Showcase and information about a collaborative model for assistive technology assessments.

To register for this workshop, or for more information, contact Karen Ross at The Carroll Center by calling (617)969-6200, ext 237 or email karen.ross@carroll.org. Online registration is also available on The Carroll Center website: http://carroll.org/2014/02/18/workshop-functional-vision-and-learning-media-assessment-for-students-who-are-blind-and-visually-impaired.

Let the Games Begin! Initiation of SPORTS COURTS

On January 9-10, 2014, Dr. Lauren Lieberman, Director of Camp Abilities Brockport and Co-Director of The Institute of Movement Studies for Individuals with Visual Impairments, worked with Karen Poppe, APH Tactile Graphics Project Leader, to get the “ball rolling” on the design of a new product tentatively titled SPORTS COURTS. This product will present tactile/print layouts of various court and field layouts with interactive, magnetic pieces. [The tactile tennis court that Lauren holds in this photo was constructed by Tom Poppe, APH Pattern/Model Maker.] The tactile layouts will be complemented by a guidebook that focuses on adaptations for students with visual impairments and blindness and co-authored by a team of experts. Look for more information to be announced later this year regarding field test opportunities.

Snapshot of the National Prison Braille Network

There are currently over 35 braille production facilities in prisons across the U.S. Inmates learn braille, earn certifications, and transcribe print materials into braille for people with vision loss across the country. Priority is given to textbooks and other educational materials for blind and visually impaired students.

Since 2000, when APH established a prison braille program in a women’s prison in Kentucky, APH has served as coordinator of the National Prison Braille Network (NPBN). Our primary function is to host a Forum for NPBN members each fall in conjunction with APH’s Annual Meeting that gives professionals in both vision and corrections an opportunity to network, discuss the challenges they face, and celebrate their accomplishments.

For a snapshot of the prison braille program in South Dakota, check out this recent news video: http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33757&Itemid=57

And for more information about the national network, visit the NPBN page on APH’s website (sites.aph.org/pbf/about) or contact Nancy Lacewell, APH Director of Government Affairs and Coordinator of the National Prison Braille Network: nlacewell@aph.org or 502-899-2339.

Seeking Field Evaluators for Braille Compass

APH is seeking field evaluators for a new braille compass, an assistive tool that allows students with blindness to draw circles in math classes. Using it together with a rubber mat or the DRAFTSMAN Tactile Drawing Board, students can draw tactile circles on braille paper and plastic films. Tactile markings on the compass showing both inches and centimeters also enable students to easily measure circle radii. This compass is a modernization of the one currently available through APH.

Field evaluators will be asked to use the prototype with multiple students with blindness. Evaluators will then complete and return a product evaluation form at the end of the testing period. Field test sites will be selected based upon geographic location, number of available students, and type of instructional setting. Preference will be given to those who have not recently field tested an APH product. The number of prototypes is limited. Field testing will begin in April 2014.

If you are interested in possibly serving as a field evaluator, please provide the following information:

• your name, title, school/agency, and type of setting (e.g., residential, itinerant)
• number of available students (with ages, grade levels, and primary reading media indicated)
• your preferred medium for reading evaluation materials and completing the evaluation form
• your complete contact information (phone number, mailing address, and e-mail address)

Please send this information to Li Zhou, Core Curriculum Project Leader, at lzhou@aph.org by March 31, 2014. You may also contact Li at 800-223-1839, ext. 424. Thank you!

Professional Review Opportunity: Motor Skill Development Video

The American Printing House for the Blind is working on a motor skill development curriculum based upon the research of Dr. Lauren Lieberman and Dr. Pamela Haibach, both at the College at Brockport SUNY. This video will be supplemental but integral to the curriculum. Before APH applies professional narrative voiceover and captioning to the video, we would appreciate feedback on the educational content of the video from physical education professionals, teachers of students with visual impairments, and coaches. The video is 32:09 minutes. If you would like to participate, go to the APH PE website.

Enter the 2014 APH InSights Art Competition

The Twenty-third Annual Juried Art Competition and Exhibition for Artists Who Are Visually Impaired or Blind.

The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) invites visually impaired and blind artists of all ages to submit artwork to APH InSights 2014! This art competition and exhibition is exclusively for blind and visually impaired artists and draws entries from across the U.S. and around the world. Last year we received 401 entries from across the U.S.

Again this year, there are two deadlines: Student Preschool through High School must submit a completed 2014 entry form along with the original artwork (no digital images) by March 24, 2014; adults must submit their completed entry form along with their entry by April 1, 2014. Each artist may submit only one entry.

The competition is open to any person who meets the following definition of blindness: corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye (as measured on a Snellen Chart), or a visual field limited to 20 degrees or less. This includes those who function at the definition of blindness (FDB) due to brain injury or dysfunction. There is no limit on the subject or the type of materials that can be used, but the artwork must be original in concept and execution and be completed by the artist, with minimal assistance from others.

Entry forms and rules are available on the APH website.

Contact Roberta Williams by email with questions: rwilliams@aph.org.

Final Weeks to Submit Nominations for the Hall of Fame (2014)

The Hall of Fame is still accepting nominations for 2014 induction consideration. IT’S VERY EASY. To learn the simple process for submitting a nominee to join the 52 inductees, please visit: archive.aph.org/hall/nominate/.

The nomination process will close Friday, March 28, 2014.

"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."

You Can Be an Unforgettable APH Star this Spring!

April 16 is the Spring Video Contest Deadline.

Send us your Unforgettable APH Star Videos featuring your favorite APH product by Wednesday, April 16th, and win cash prizes. By sending your video, you are also entered in to the random drawing for Amazon.com gift certificates!

We encourage teachers, parents, students, and all of our customers to participate.

The contest is open to individuals of all ages. The complete guidelines can be found at our contest page: archive.aph.org/contest

Great New Service for Braille-Reading Parents

The APH Partners Print/Braille Book Program, a program related to our partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, has added a great new service. If you are a parent of a child age five years or younger and you are a braille reader, you are eligible to receive six free print/braille children’s books per year!

To be eligible for this program:

• You -or- your child must meet the definition of blindness
• Your child must be age 5 or under
• Both you and your child must reside in the U.S. or its outlying areas (American Samoa, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands)

Applications for the books will be accepted on a first come/first served basis. All others will be placed on the program’s waiting list. Find out more about this exciting program today!

Premier of Hall of Fame Video Theater!

Bob Brasher, curator of the Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field, is proud to announce the grand opening of the Hall of Fame Theater! This new station in the Hall allows visitors to play four different short videos featuring such Legends as Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan Macy, Morris Frank, and Abe Nemeth. APH staff from several departments worked together to make some of our Legends come alive on the silver screen. We hope you can visit the Hall Theater soon to be inspired by the "Oscar®" winners of the blindness field!

Oldies but Goodies: The "Established" APH Product Series: READING STANDS

APH offers several different reading stands. These reading stands differ in material, size, and in function to allow you to choose the one that fits your needs the best.

Are you looking for a reading stand that is light-weight, portable, and inexpensive? The GrandStand: Portable Reading Easel is waterproof, colorful, durable, and weighs only 2 1/3 lbs. This reading stand is easy to lift, carry, and lock into position. It folds up when not in use and the top surface measures only 15 x 14 1/2 inches. The adjustable shelf may be raised and lowered to accommodate the height of the reader. It does include two clips for holding book pages open that can be placed in any position.

The larger Desk Top Reading Stand has a reading surface that measures 23 3/4 x 18 inches. This reading stand is made of durable white plastic. It is portable and holds reading material at a proper position for low vision users. It features a bookshelf that runs the width of the stand, attached adjustable page clamps, a built-in carrying handle, and five tilt angles.

The Shafer Reading Stand is an adjustable, heavy-duty self-supporting stand for large print publications. It has a tripod base with a 42-inch shaft and a 4-joint, adjustable swivel arm/book rack that attaches to it. The book rack measures 16 x 11 1/2 inches. The swivel arm can be locked at any height along the shaft, and the book rack can be rotated or tilted in many different positions. This book stand features all-metal construction, except for nonslip rubber feet and is APH’s most versatile stand that can be used while sitting or standing. Watch a student-made video in which reading and performing music is made easier with the Shafer Reading Stand.

And finally, although it isn’t an Oldie, we feel certain that you’ll agree the new ReadWrite Stand is a Goodie. This bright blue stand can be used by students and adults with visual impairments for both reading and writing tasks. The ReadWrite Stand measures 18 x 14 1/8 inches and has a metal apparatus mounted on the back that accommodates three additional angles apart from the resting angle of five degrees. It weighs approximately 2 1/2 lbs. and has two built-in handles for portability. Its solid, sturdy surface accommodates both reading and writing tasks. It features a low-profile clip that secures reading/writing materials to the stand during use. An LED book light is provided and can be positioned by the user along the upper edge of the reading stand.

If you have any suggestions for other products you would like to see highlighted in this monthly feature, please send your comments to Monica Turner at mmturner@aph.org.

Historic Refreshable Braille Displays

While Museum Director Mike Hudson was in Boston doing research last fall, he met Brian Charlson, the technology director at The Carroll Center for the Blind. Mike mentioned to Brian that APH was looking for early braille embossers from Triformation Systems. Brian told Mike that unfortunately, the Center had put one in the trash just that morning. Technology that costs tens of thousands of dollars and represents pioneering breakthroughs when introduced can become just so much junk filling a storeroom only a few years later.

But the incident put Brian on alert, and in February, he sent two important examples of early refreshable braille displays to the APH Museum, a Clarke & Smith Brailink and a Blazie Engineering PowerBraille 65. The Brailink was an early computerized notetaker and solonoid-based refreshable braille display that stored data on mini-cassette tapes. It was conceived by John Clarke at Clarke and Smith in Wallington, England as early as 1971, but did not appear on the market until 1982. At more than $8,000.00 USD, it was too expensive for most consumers; by the time it was discontinued in 1996, only 60 had been sold worldwide.

According to Deane Blazie, "[We] purchased the blindness division of Telesensory Systems (TSI) in about 1998. [The PowerBraille] had been in the TSI product lineup for a few years and we sold a lot of them including the 65 which was a strange size. Most displays of that era were 40 and 80 cells. The 65 was a compromise between price and ease of use."

If you think you have an important piece of technological history and you’re tired of kicking it every time you open the closet, contact Mike at 502-899-2365 or mhudson@aph.org.

Treasures From the APH Libraries

The APH Barr Library supports research initiatives at APH, while the Migel Library is one of the largest collections of nonmedical information related to blindness in the world. Although the collections do not circulate, arrangements can be made to use the materials on-site. In addition, an ongoing digitization effort means APH will continue to make materials available through the online catalog at http://migel.aph.org.

From the Migel Library: Schrader, A. Von., Paul Fortier Jones, and Henry Pomeroy Davison. The Armies of Mercy: The Vast Relief Work in All the Nations. New York: Harper, 1920.

Of great significance on the centennial of the First World War’s start, The Armies of Mercy begins its history of relief work in WWI with a detailed account of the Red Cross. Not only was the Red Cross the largest of the relief organizations, but it was also where then-Major M. C. Migel first encountered soldiers who had been blinded in the War—an experience that shaped his future life’s work. The book goes on to detail efforts by organizations such as the YMCA, Knights of Columbus, Salvation Army, and US Army Medical Corps. Aspects from triage in the trenches to rehabilitation after the war are discussed. Smaller, spontaneous organizations with names such as the American Women’s War Relief Fund and the National Allied Relief Committee are outlined as well. The Permanent Blind Relief War Fund, among other organizations for soldiers who were blinded, are more thoroughly discussed in a chapter called “Eyes for the Blind.” The Armies of Mercy has been digitized for the Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/armiesofmercyvas07unse.

From the Barr Library: Schmall, Eric. Striving for Excellence in the Social Sector: A Decade of Distinction. Louisville: Old Stone Press, 2010.

Chronicling the triumphs of over 50 recipients of the Pyramid Awards in Excellence, Eric Schmall’s book celebrates the organizations that comprise Louisville’s non-profit sector. Schmall, the Director of Consultation at the Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNPE), underscores the ways in which these organizations have enriched our community’s social capital in the realms of vision, leadership, governance, collaboration and diversity. Some of the past winners of this esteemed award include Home of the Innocents, YouthBuild of Louisville, and the Brain Injury Association of Kentucky. The author contends that once we reimagine social ills such as poverty, disease, and exploitation, “as not so much as inevitable, but simply unacceptable, we take the first critical step toward engendering change.”

APH is working with the Internet Archive to digitize portions of the M.C. Migel Library. Search the phrase “full text” to find these items at http://migel.aph.org. The digitized texts are available in a variety of formats, including DAISY, Kindle, EPUB, PDF, etc.

Contact Library staff: library@aph.org, 800-223-1839, ext. 705

Social Media Spotlight

Do you use Twitter? We tweet and retweet assistive technology news, accessibility information, tips, APH news and products, and much more! Even if you don’t use Twitter, you can still see what we’ve posted by going to our Twitter page: https://www.twitter.com/APHfortheBlind. And if you do use Twitter, please be sure to follow us!

"Like" APH at Our Facebook Page!

We invite you to visit our Facebook page and "Like" us! You can find APH at these social media sites: Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Flickr, and at our blog, Fred’s Head from APH.

APH Welcomes New Ex Officio Trustees

Daniel Wenzel, Blind, Inc. in Minnesota, replacing Shawn Mayo.

Melanie Turek, Oak Hill School in Connecticut, replacing Patrick J. Johnson, Jr.

APH Travel Calendar

March

March 6-7, 2014
Tactile Graphics Workshop;
Albuquerque, NM

March 10-14
Capitol Hill
Washington, DC

March 12-14, 2014
Transition Tote Preconference (KAER);
Lexington, KY

March 12-14, 2014
KAER 2014 State Conference;
Lexington, KY

March 15, 2014
MACRT Board Meeting;
St. Louis, MO

March 17-22, 2014
CSUN 2014;
San Diego, CA

April

April 3-6, 2014
CTEBVI 2014 (California Transcribers & Educators for the Blind & Visually Impaired);
Los Angeles, CA

April 3-5, 2014
AOTA 2014;
Baltimore, MD

April 5, 2014
CIP Event: Indianapolis State University;
Indianapolis, IN

April 9-12, 2014
CEC 2014 Annual Convention & Expo;
Philadelphia, PA

April 14-15, 2014
OFB Transition Conference;
Louisville, KY

April 14 -18
Capitol Hill
Washington, DC

April 15, 2014
CIP Event: University of Arizona, Tucson;
Tucson, AZ

April 23-24, 2014
NIP Event: FVLMA Workshop;
Newton, MA

April 24-26, 2014
2014 National Outreach Conference;
Louisville, KY

May

May 12-16
Capitol Hill
Washington, DC

May 28-30, 2014
VAVF (Visual Aid Volunteers Florida);
Orlando, FL

June

June 19-20, 2014
Visions 2014;
Denver, CO

APH Winter Wonderland Sale

Load up a world of savings on selected APH products with APH’s Winter Wonderland Sale 2014, January 1—March 31. As always, first come, first served.

archive.aph.org/sale

NEW! Permanent Fine Point Marker

5-pack: 1-07913-01 — $7.50

Not available with Quota funds.

Pens for users with low vision. These bold line Fine Point Markers make handwriting easy to read. Bold black felt-tip marker with permanent ink provides high contrast against light-colored backgrounds. Markers are AP nontoxic certified and contain 100% postconsumer recycled materials.

Note: This is a permanent marker and may bleed through a single sheet of paper. We recommend placing several sheets of paper underneath the sheet on which you are writing or writing on top of a blotting pad or clipboard.

Related Products

APH carries a variety of bold line paper and notebooks. Please visit our shopping site for more information.

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.

Amazing Animal Journeys
by Laura Marsh: T-N1938-00 — $10.00
Introduces the topic of animal migration by presenting facts about zebras, red crabs, and walruses, including their yearly travels and the reasons for these journeys. Part of the Great Migrations series. Grades 2-4.
*(AR Quiz No. 153006, BL 4.4 Pts 0.5)

Just Another Hero
by Sharon M. Draper: T-N1937-60 — $64.00
Arielle struggles with her new controlling stepfather while Kofi tries to quit his addiction to pain killers. Other problems occur at school, but when someone pulls the fire alarm, deadly events are set in motion. Grades 9-12.
*(AR Quiz No. 132194, BL 4.3 Pts 9.0)

Through Veterans’ Eyes: The Iraq and Afghanistan Experience
by Larry Minear: T-N1937-00 — $99.00
Commentary from post-9/11 veterans collected from the Library of Congress Veterans History Project and supplemented by author interviews. Covers reasons for enlisting; dealing with combat, local populations, and contractors; and living with post-traumatic stress disorder and brain injury. Some adult content.

The Believers
by Zoe Heller: T-N1919-30 — $96.00
After left-wing attorney Joel Litvinoff’s stroke leaves him comatose, his prickly British wife learns unsettling facts about him. Meanwhile their adopted son has a drug relapse and their two grown daughters grapple with life-changing issues — one contemplates Orthodox Judaism and the other, an affair. Some adult content.

Hollywood Hills
by: Joseph Wambaugh: T-N1918-70 — $102.00
Cop Nate "Hollywood" Weiss watches the mansion of director Rudy Ressler and his fiancée Leona Brueger while the couple vacations. Meanwhile, teenage burglars known as the Bling Ring, a pair of drug addicts, and Leona’s shady art dealer target the home’s museum-quality paintings. Some adult content.

*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/