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Teaches you to play the guitar -- with your ears, not your eyes!

With an electric or an acoustic guitar and Guitar Instruction - Audio you're on your way to learning the guitar at your own pace, and without the use of brailled or printed music. Simply listen to professionally designed lessons, practice, and you'll be playing your favorite songs in no time!

Guitar Instruction -- Audio was designed by the TalkingTabs™ company and a team of world-class musicians and educators to be simple, effective, and entertaining for individuals with visual learning difficulties. With over 20 hours of step-by-step instruction on standard audio CDs, this disc set teaches you the appropriate actions for both hands and provides progressively difficult play-along examples at slower and faster speeds. Tracks are kept as short as possible to provide ease of repetition and referencing.

Although this disc set was designed to operate as a self-teaching program, guitar instructors find it to be a useful adjunct to face-to-face instruction. Instructors may wish to use some or all of the curriculum and can easily test students on the degree to which they have learned materials in each lesson.

Includes

• 6 1/2 x 11 x 1 inch three-ring CD album containing:
  • Complete Beginners Series composed of 16 lessons recorded on 26 audio CDs; after lessons 8, 12, and 16, you will experience a play-it-now tunes song lesson:
    • Feelin' Alright, originally performed by Traffic
    • Shattered, originally performed by The Rolling Stones
    • Keep Your Hands to Yourself, originally performed by Georgia Satellites
  • Audio Table of Contents
  • Assessment Guide on CD
• Signature Guitar Riffs on one audio CD
• Five play-it-now tunes, each recorded on a single audio CD, tunes include:
  • He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, performed by TalkingTabs
  • When the Saints Go Marching In, performed by TalkingTabs
  • Not Ready to Make Nice, originally performed by Dixie Chicks
  • All the Small Things, originally performed by Blink 182
  • Polly, originally performed by Nirvana
• A 4-pack of play-it-now tunes guitar picks

Note: All songs are performed by TalkingTabs

Guitar Instruction -- Audio Disc Set
Catalog Number: 1-09110-00
Guitar Instruction - Audio Disc Set.

American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6085
Louisville, Kentucky 40206-0085
Toll Free: 800-223-1839
Phone: 502-895-2405
Fax: 502-899-2274
E-mail: info@aph.org
Web site: http://www.aph.org
APH Shopping Home: http://shop.aph.org

Helps children develop real images related to descriptive terminology and words.

The exercises in the What is IT? Kit emphasize the need for the child to form real mental images in relation to labels at a very early age. In effect, a label is more than a word because it evokes an internalized mental association of various properties and functions.

Many bright young children who are blind copy the descriptive terminology of others, but have difficulty describing the "why" of the label independently. Teaching the young mind to listen to the word, and anticipate "motor knowledge" (organized physical input) that will help form associations, can make a difference. With an active introduction to details contributing to the whole, the child will gain the foundation for comparative thinking, leading to the ability to generalize and communicate independently.

Preschool Activities

• Use the cards with real objects to introduce the properties of things in conjunction with their definers.
• For future braille readers, early exposure to braille is as aluable as the indirect introduction to letters and words that future print readers get incidentally. Having the child hold the What is IT? card, and trace the braille, within the context of the word focus can become a natural experience. Note: exposure of the child to the abstract form of written words allows him to think about it, not necessarily to read it.

School Age Activities

• Provide a "word for the day" and have the child write as many descriptors as possible. With practice, limit the time, to promote the ability to think quickly.
• Itemize descriptors and see how many it takes for the child to come up with the word.
• Have the child present a list of descriptors for others to guess the word; have teams.
• Categorize labels, such as foods, clothes, forms of transportation, things in various stores, occupations, etc.
• Orientation and Mobility:
  • Ask the child to verbally express observations along a route, beyond those provided by the teacher (smells, sounds, thermal changes).
  • Ask the child to describe changes such as stairs, inclines, obstacles, beyond just the label.
  • Go into a room and then have the child itemize things with at least one definer, and the location within the space, in relation to the door, and other objects.

Includes

• 102 What is IT? Print/Braille Cards
• Index card storage box
• Instruction Book in Print and Braille

Recommended ages: 3 years and up.

What is IT? Kit
Catalog Number: 1-03535-00
Click this link to purchase the What Is It Kit from APH.

American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6085
Louisville, Kentucky 40206-0085
Toll Free: 800-223-1839
Phone: 502-895-2405
Fax: 502-899-2274
E-mail: info@aph.org
Web site: http://www.aph.org
APH Shopping Home: http://shop.aph.org

“ ‘Why is that?’ I asked. ‘Why is it like this?’ ‘It’s because we’re queer, my dear’ ”

All of the Braille Institute's multisensory books, which are part of their free Special Collection Program, were developed in consultation with their Child Development professionals and evaluated in the field by parents, teachers and librarians who work with blind preschoolers. These popular stories are especially adapted to help blind children build concepts and provide a fun-filled way to introduce them to the wonderful world of reading.

Dots for Tots

These multisensory storybook kits, designed specifically for visually impaired preschoolers, help parents introduce their children to basic braille construction. Each popular picture book features uncontracted braille overlays, along with a descriptive audiotape and plastic toys that represent characters or objects in the story.

Tac-Tales

As a child grows, they will enjoy this next step in our series of multisensory storybook kits designed for visually impaired early school-aged children and their parents. These custom-designed print and braille books also include descriptive audio and one, single manipulative character or object from the story. Line drawings representing the object are created shape-by-shape to help the blind child learn how drawings represent three-dimensional objects.

For additional information, contact APH Ex Officio Trustee Nancy Niebrugge at nnniebrugge@brailleinstitute.org

Jimmy Van Patten, Nicollette Sheridan, Dick Van Patten
For the month of September, Natural Balance Pet Foods and Petco are helping to raise $1 million dollars to support guide dog organizations including Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Petco is joining Natural Balance Pet Foods (founded by Dick Van Patten) and Actress Nicollette Sheridan in this goal and together they are raising donations in the following ways:

• Petco customers can purchase specially marked bags of Natural Balance Dog Food where a $1.00 from each purchase is donated towards the goal.
• Petco customers can participate by "rounding up' their total purchase amount.
• Customers can make a direct donation of $1, $5, $10 or $20 at checkout.

GDB is very grateful to participate in this opportunity. When you visit a store, please thank Petco employees for their support.
We hope you will share this exciting news with everyone you know, including everyone who shares their life with a special pet and encourage them to shop Petco during the month of September! Learn more at Petco.com.

By puppy raiser Jillian Frost
Hot Dogs! Peanuts! Puppies... Puppies at Angel Stadium?? Do the Los Angeles Angels have a new mascot? What happened to the rally monkey? Well, the Angels don’t have a new mascot, but they do have some new four-legged fans.
On August 23, puppy raisers, graduates, and friends of GDB came out to support the Angels and raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind at the same time, bringing their puppies in training and working guides to experience the thrill of a major league baseball game.
Youth puppy raisers, Jillian Frost and Katie Irving, with puppies Ruffle and Dakota (pictured above), found a fun way to support GDB, the Angels and socialize with fellow GDB fans. The Angels generously offered to donate a portion of each ticket sold to GDB and they even threw in a free hot dog and drink. The event raised more than $1,000 for Guide Dogs for the Blind!
What began with some flyers and phone calls quickly became so much more. As emails and phone calls came in and the support for the event grew, we found ourselves amazed at the support for GDB from not only the puppy clubs and graduates, but from so many people in the community as well. At the game it was exciting to put names with faces, meet the people in this wonderful extended family of GDB, and hear their stories. “My youngest daughter is legally blind," said attendee David Stephens, "and may require the services of a guide dog in the future so this is an awesome charity you did this for.”
We learned about sales, marketing, success, and banking, but most of all, we learned how wonderful it is to be a part of this family and are so thankful for the new friends we’ve made and the difference that puppy raising has made in our lives.

GDB alumna Maia Scott with her Golden guide Tessa recently returned home to San Francisco from a jaunt to Europe earlier this summer. We caught up with her at the California campus Fun Day, where she said she was "still floating around in a blissful state of afterglow from such an incredible excursion." She sent us the following highlights of her trip:

• Getting held back by Eurostar going from France to England which resulted in an unexpected stay in Paris and Tessa ending up with a French passport.
• Receiving an extra fifteen minute touch tour of Stonehenge after our group's hour within the circle of the stones (I don't know if very many people - or dogs - get to stand on the alter stone!).
• Visiting the stones at Avebury; the whole little town is inside a stone circle.
• Spending time at Chalice Well with Tessa. She drank the iron-rich water as if it were going out of style. People pilgrimage there to walk on the Tor and drink the water for its healing properties. Whenever we walked by the garden entrance, Tessa wanted us to go back in for another drink.
• Both in England and Ireland, it was really funny to hear people commenting near us, "Do you think that dog is really from the States?"

by Deborah Kendrick

So much to read. So many ways to read it.

For those among us who grew up as braille readers in the '50s, '60s, and '70s, the notion that we might one day have more to read than we could possibly ever consume was, well, unfathomable! Fast forward to the era of the Internet, Web-Braille, and Bookshare, and it is not surprising that it is sometimes difficult to keep all the possibilities and technologies sorted out. With the advent in recent years of downloadable audio books from sources both commercial and specifically for blind and low-vision users, many are now asking not only about content and sources, but also about the devices on which to play that content.

Talking books from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) are the audio books most familiar to the blind. They have been around the longest, for one thing (for 77 years compared with just 10 or 15 years for commercial audio books), and they're free. When NLS books became available for download and the NLS machines for playing them were not yet available for distribution, a product called the VictorReader Stream from HumanWare enjoyed an almost unprecedented popularity when it was introduced three years ago. The product was shown at the summer 2007 conferences, and blind people everywhere were clamoring to buy them. The initial attraction was the ability to play NLS books on them, but it wasn't long before many other sources and formats were rendered compatible as well.

Since the release of the VictorReader Stream, the accessible audio book player market has changed considerably. The NLS machine became available in 2009, so all eligible NLS patrons have received or will soon receive one free of charge. Other new devices have come on the market, and a few that preceded the VictorReader Stream have scrambled to play books from additional sources to be competitive. For many blind and low-vision lovers of books, however, so much so quickly on the audio book front is confusing. Some mistakenly believe, for instance, that only the VictorReader Stream can play talking books. Others understand that NLS books can be played on the NLS machines, but are unaware that other materials can be played on those machines as well. Some have encountered only one of the many devices available and are unaware that there are competitors. This article aims to present the current line-up of possibilities, highlighting strengths and weaknesses where relevant, and alerting consumers to the good news that, for once, we have loads of choices!

Content Sources

For efficiency's sake, let's talk first about the most popular sources of audio reading material currently available to blind and visually impaired people. This is by no means a complete listing of available content, but any one of these sources could supply a book lover with more material than could likely be exhausted in one lifetime. They provide, in other words, a bountiful beginning

NLS Web-Braille

The common denominator for reading material for blind people is the NLS. The first downloadable books from NLS were books and magazines transcribed into braille. In 1999, the Web-Braille site was launched, making digital files of brailled books and magazines available for download. These files are in Grade 2 braille, formatted for production. A person downloading a book or magazine from Web-Braille could produce it in hard copy with a braille embosser or read it on a braille notetaker. With software on a computer capable of "back translating" the Grade 2 to uncontracted braille, a person could also have the file read aloud via text-to-speech software. Some of the players in this article also offer this capability (i.e., the ability to translate Grade 2 braille files for listening via synthesized speech).

NLS Digital Talking Books

The launch of Web-Braille was followed by the NLS's download site for digital talking books (DTB). Today, it's called NLS BARD, and it offers eligible patrons downloadable digital recordings from the NLS talking book collection.

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), the principal source for human-voice recordings of textbooks at all educational levels, was a leader in using DAISY mark-up for both audio and text navigation. Simply summarized, DAISY mark-up gave one the ability to navigate a book or other document by chapter, section, or other subheading, thereby providing an equivalent function to that enjoyed by a sighted reader using print. From the RFB&D website, books can be downloaded by eligible patrons and played on some handheld devices.

Audible.com

Audible.com is a commercial online source of books recorded by professional readers. Audible offers thousands of titles recorded by major publishers. These are the same recordings available in bookstores and public libraries on cassette or CD. Various purchase plans are available, but books are generally considerably less expensive than if purchased from retail stores. Audible has approved a number of the handheld devices used by blind people to play Audible content.

Bookshare

Bookshare.org is a tremendous source of digital books for blind or visually impaired people. These files are text only, not human voice recordings. Files can be downloaded in either DAISY or translated braille formats. A membership is required to confirm eligibility, but membership fees range from free to $50 annually.

Material from all of the above sources is encrypted. That means that files from these sources can only be played by eligible members or patrons and only on players rendered compatible by the content source. On all of the players currently available, various other types of content can also be played, ranging from music and described movies to your own text documents. Your own needs and the type of files you will most likely want to access will be factors in your choice of player.

Who Are the Players?

At this writing, there are seven known machines that play books from NLS and other sources. One of those seven is the NLS digital talking book player itself, which was reviewed in the August 2010 issue of AccessWorld . All of the remaining six are available for purchase from a variety of sources, range in price from approximately $300 to $1,400, and have an equally wide range of capabilities.

The NLS DTB machine, provided free of charge to all eligible NLS patrons, has a USB port on the right side to accommodate a USB flash drive. The NLS talking books downloaded to this drive can be played on the NLS machine. This machine can also play digital books from RFB&D, podcasts, and MP3 files.

VictorReader Stream

As the first commercially available handheld book player capable of playing the NLS DTB, the Stream is mistakenly understood by many newcomers to be the only handheld player capable of playing such books. It isn't. The Stream can also play books from Audible.com, RFB&D, and Bookshare. It can play and organize music and other MP3 files, and it can play text documents. It has a built-in speaker and microphone, and is an excellent recorder for personal notes, lectures, or other materials. It sells for $349, and its controls are intuitive and easy to learn.

Book Sense

Perhaps the smallest of the handheld players designed for blind consumers, Book Sense is a sleek product from GW Micro that plays NLS DTB, RFB&D books, books from Audible.com, and a variety of music and podcast formats. It uses the NeoSpeech voices of Paul and Kate for listening to books from Bookshare, National Federation of the Blind Newsline, and a variety of computer-generated text files, including Microsoft Word's .doc and .docx files. The Book Sense has a built-in speaker, microphone, and excellent recording capability. There are two Book Sense models. The basic Book Sense offers the above features, whereas the Book Sense XT has the addition of an FM radio tuner and 4GB of internal memory.

Icon and Braille Plus Mobile Manager

These two devices come from the same root product, the Icon created by LevelStar, but have some distinct differences. Unlike the other players in this article, these two players are far more complex in the features they provide. They are basic personal digital assistants with wireless capability, and thus the ability to search the Web, read and write email, download podcasts, and stream audio content from the Internet. Each also includes a word processor, address manager, planner, calculator, and Web browser. For data input on the Icon, the telephone keypad is used, similar to the method used to text message on cell phones. The Braille Plus Mobile Manager adds a Perkins-style braille keyboard for data input. The Icon is available from its original developer, LevelStar, and the Braille Plus Mobile Manager is available from the American Printing House for the Blind.

These two devices are included here because they are also excellent tools for playing books from NLS, RFB&D, Bookshare, Audible.com, as well as a variety of music and podcast files. They are the only players on this list employing the Eloquence speech synthesizer, familiar to many blind computer users. Each contains a 30GB hard drive, an internal speaker, and a microphone for recording capability. Each sells for approximately $1,400.

PlexTalk Pocket

The PlexTalk PTR1 was one of the very first portable digital book players appearing on the market nearly a decade ago. It weighed just over two pounds and was noted for its superb engineering quality. Available from the same Japanese manufacturer, Shinano Kenshi Corp., the PlexTalk Pocket is the size of an average cell phone and incorporates many of its predecessor's features along with new upgrades to make it competitive with today's handheld book players.

The PlexTalk pocket plays digital books from NLS, RFB&D, Audible.com, and Bookshare. It can play your music and other MP3 files as well as text files. It has a built-in speaker, microphone, and excellent recording capability.

Book Port Plus

The newest player on the scene is the Book Port Plus, designed by the American Printing House for the Blind and intended to replace its earlier Book Port, one of the first handheld book players designed specifically for blind users. The Book Port Plus uses the same hardware as the PlexTalk Pocket, so it is quite similar in appearance. It can play digital books from NLS, RFB&D, Audible.com, and Bookshare. It plays text files, music, and other MP3 files. It has a built-in speaker and microphone for personal recordings.

Conclusion

The above are meant to be mere overviews of the products available to blind and visually impaired users for playing audio and text versions of digital books. Many other nuances set these machines apart from one another. Variables include the increments and ease with which one can navigate material, the degree to which music files can be cataloged and tagged, the kinds of generic sound files that can be played (WAV, OGG, WMA, etc.), and the sophistication of recording capabilities. All are in the $350 price range, with the exception of the Book Sense XT at $499 and the Icon and Braille Plus Mobile Manager, which, as outlined above, offer far more functionality than simply playing digital books.

For more detailed descriptions of any of these products, please read previously published AccessWorld product evaluations or the following manufacturer websites: VictorReader Stream, Book Sense, Braille Plus Mobile Manager and Book Port Plus, PlexTalk Pocket, and Icon.

Article Source:
AccessWorld® - September 2010

Corrections and vision professionals meet each year at the National Prison Braille Forum to share their expertise and learn from others.

APH launched a braille production facility in a women's prison in Kentucky in 2000 in cooperation with the prison and Kentucky Correctional Industries. Partners in this venture, called KCI Braille Services, began learning first- hand about the complexities of operating a business behind prison walls and experienced many unanticipated challenges. Managed today by Jan Carroll, APH braille transcription services coordinator, and Holly Faris Woolums, production coordinator for Kentucky Correctional Industries at the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women, KCI Braille Services employs up to 15 women and produces thousands of pages of braille each year.

Shortly after launching KCI Braille Services, APH learned that this was not the only braille production facility operating in the U.S. We hosted the first National Prison Braille Forum in conjunction with Annual Meeting in 2001, primarily to learn about existing programs, and to learn from their experience. Approximately 20 people attended that first meeting, and on average, 40 people interested in prison braille programs have attended this annual gathering each year since.

There are currently over 35 prison braille programs across the country, and most focus their efforts on producing textbooks for braille readers in grades K-12. Many of these programs will be represented at the upcoming Forum by either vision professionals, corrections professionals, or both. Typically, several "alumni" of these programs—former inmates who have been released from prison and now produce braille on the outside—will attend and share their experience with the network.

Anyone interested in learning about prison braille programs or starting a program is invited and encouraged to attend the 10th Annual National Prison Braille Forum, but advance reservations are required by September 17. For information or to register, contact Becky Snider at rsnider@aph.org, (800)223-1839 ext. 356, or (502)899-2356.

Transforming Lives One Cell at a Time:
One Disadvantaged Population Helps Another Nancy Lacewell

In recent years, an increasing number of braille production facilities have been established in prisons as a direct response to the growing need for educational materials in braille, especially textbooks. This subject is thoroughly explored by APH's Nancy Lacewell and Hollie Farris, of Kentucky Correctional Industries, in their commentary that is appearing in Corrections Today, a national publication. Nancy says, "I hope the article will help get more support for prison braille programs and offenders reentering society. These programs truly are life-changing."

Here is the link to the full article: http://aca.org/fileupload/177/ahaidar/Lacewell_Faris.pdf

by Donna J. Jodhan

At the best of times, the path for any mainstream entrepreneur is extremely challenging and bumpy but for the blind entrepreneur, it could be even more so.

This does not mean that a blind person should not become an entrepreneur if this is their desire. I started off as an entrepreneur and I am blind and after over 15 years in the field, I would like to pass on a few tips if I may.

First, a blind person needs to recognize that there are additional challenges to becoming an entrepreneur.

Second, they need to identify the right combination of technology and skills that they would need in order to succeed.

Third, they need to realize that they would always have to depend on some degree of sighted assistance in order to have things run smoothly. Fourth, they should be extremely careful when choosing which associates they surround themselves with.

We live in a big bad world and believe it or not, there are very unsavoury persons out there who would not hesitate to take advantage of someone with a vision impairment. Trust is extremely important when it comes to building good relationships and it does not matter whether you are a mainstream person or a person with a disability. As a matter of fact, disabled persons are probably the most targeted victims by hackers, schemers, and cyber pirates.

So, what are my words of wisdom for today? In the case of a blind person aspiring to become an entrepreneur? Take the extra minutes to do your research. Listen to your intuition. Pay attention to the cues being emitted by those around you. Whenever you are ready to start negotiations with an unknown person, take along a pair of very trusted eyes to help you paint a more complete picture. Never sign something without first having trusted sighted assistance look it over. Never conduct negotiations in your home. Never conduct financial business with someone that you are uncertain about. Most of these tips can also be applied to the mainstream person.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell the world that yes indeed! Blind persons can certainly enjoy things by using their sense of touch. If you'd like to learn more about me, then you can visit some of my blog spots at:
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all: http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly Saturday postings on issues of accessibility: http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog/blog.html
blogs on various issues and answers to consumers concerns: http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm

by Donna J. Jodhan

This is probably not a term that many of you would be used to seeing so I am going to tell you a bit about it. So as to be as concise as I can be, the disability divide refers to the difference between what a mainstream person can access through the Internet versus what a blind person is able to and it all refers to information, websites, and technology.

Believe it or not, there are huge and ever widening gaps between what mainstream persons can access and what blind persons can. When it comes to information, I as a blind person am unable to read documents in PDF format and much too often both governments and companies are guilty of failing to make their documents available in formats that I and others like me can read. If these documents are not made available to me in any one of the following formats known as alternate formats, then information becomes inaccessible. Formats such as: Braille, large print, and electronic.

When it comes to websites, a similar situation prevails. Many experts readily admit that about 97% of websites are inaccessible to blind persons due to various barriers such as: Graphics and icons that do not contain textual descriptions, forms and fields that are not designed to enable blind persons to use them, files in inaccessible formats such as PDF, pop-up screens and pull-down menus, plus much more.

In the case of technology, blind persons have to depend on manufacturers to develop special software that would enable them to take advantage of such things as: MP3 players, PDAs, cell phones, plus much too much more. These gaps unfortunately continue to grow and the only way for me to put it into perspective is like this: Technology takes two steps forward, but for blind persons it's actually only one.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell the world that yes indeed! Blind persons can certainly enjoy things by using their sense of touch. If you'd like to learn more about me, then you can visit some of my blog spots at:
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all: http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly Saturday postings on issues of accessibility: http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog/blog.html
blogs on various issues and answers to consumers concerns: http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm

APH News

Your monthly link to the latest information on the products, services, and training opportunities from the American Printing House for the Blind.

September 2010

Exciting New APH Products Announced!

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

• APH Sizzlin' Summer Savings Sale
• What is IT? Kit
• Guitar Instruction -- Audio Disc Set
• APH Braille Book Corner

Registration Now Open for Annual Meeting!

Products Across America: Working Together to Build Tools for Learning and Living

Run, don't walk. Drive quickly, but don't text while driving. It's time for Annual Meeting registration! The 142nd Annual Meeting of Ex Officio Trustees and Special Guests of the American Printing House for the Blind takes place October 14–16, at the fully renovated Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville. Come join us as we wander across this great land of ours to look at "Products Across America".

You'll be wowed by keynote speaker Jim Gibbons, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries, Inc. You will "oooh" and "aaah" over fabulous new products. You'll laugh and you'll cry as we honor our APH award winners, our marvelous InSights artists and our newest inductees into the Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field. You will be amazed by the products in the Product Showcase, and feel your power as you provide input into the development of new products. And your friends at home will be dazzled by your brilliance when you return to tell them all you've learned in the product training sessions.

And if that's not enough, you can dance the night away on the historic Belle of Louisville, meet new colleagues, renew old friendships, learn from your peers and stagger home refreshed at the end of the week.

Now, how can you miss it? You can't! So log on now to register for the meeting, check out the agenda, and find out where to stay. Check it out at: www.aph.org/anmtg/2010/

Hurry, the deadline for registration is Sept. 17, and reservations at the Galt House must be made by September 19! (Of course we'll welcome you with open arms if you cannot take advantage of registration in advance–but your name will not appear in the program book.)

Your Input WILL Make a Difference!

Please complete the very BRIEF APH 2010 Satisfaction Survey!

As many of you know, each year the U.S. Department of Education seeks input from YOU on the effectiveness of products and services provided through the Federal Quota Program, which is administered by the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). The 2010 survey is now available on the APH website, and you are encouraged to respond based on your experience with products provided through Federal Quota funds.

This brief, 10-question, online survey is available at www.aph.org/products/gpra.html through Friday, September 10, 2010.

Your honest input does make a difference!

National Prison Braille Network: Building Bridges with Braille Corrections and vision professionals meet each year at the National Prison Braille Forum to share their expertise and learn from others.

On October 13, APH will host the 10th annual meeting of the National Prison Braille Network (NPBN). This day-long gathering will be held in conjunction with our 2010 Annual Meeting in Louisville.

APH launched a braille production facility in a women's prison in Kentucky in 2000 in cooperation with the prison and Kentucky Correctional Industries. Partners in this venture, called KCI Braille Services, began learning first- hand about the complexities of operating a business behind prison walls and experienced many unanticipated challenges. Managed today by Jan Carroll, APH braille transcription services coordinator, and Holly Faris Woolums, production coordinator for Kentucky Correctional Industries at the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women, KCI Braille Services employs up to 15 women and produces thousands of pages of braille each year.

Shortly after launching KCI Braille Services, APH learned that this was not the only braille production facility operating in the U.S. We hosted the first National Prison Braille Forum in conjunction with Annual Meeting in 2001, primarily to learn about existing programs, and to learn from their experience. Approximately 20 people attended that first meeting, and on average, 40 people interested in prison braille programs have attended this annual gathering each year since.

There are currently over 35 prison braille programs across the country, and most focus their efforts on producing textbooks for braille readers in grades K-12. Many of these programs will be represented at the upcoming Forum by either vision professionals, corrections professionals, or both. Typically, several "alumni" of these programs—former inmates who have been released from prison and now produce braille on the outside—will attend and share their experience with the network.

Anyone interested in learning about prison braille programs or starting a program is invited and encouraged to attend the 10th Annual National Prison Braille Forum, but advance reservations are required by September 17. For information or to register, contact Becky Snider at rsnider@aph.org, (800)223-1839 ext. 356, or (502)899-2356.

Transforming Lives One Cell at a Time:
One Disadvantaged Population Helps Another Nancy Lacewell

In recent years, an increasing number of braille production facilities have been established in prisons as a direct response to the growing need for educational materials in braille, especially textbooks. This subject is thoroughly explored by APH's Nancy Lacewell and Hollie Farris, of Kentucky Correctional Industries, in their commentary that is appearing in Corrections Today, a national publication. Nancy says, "I hope the article will help get more support for prison braille programs and offenders reentering society. These programs truly are life-changing."

Here is the link to the full article: http://aca.org/fileupload/177/ahaidar/Lacewell_Faris.pdf

National Panel Ranks APH Products!

For the 4th consecutive year, the U.S. Department of Education, led by Annette Reichman, established an Expert Review Panel for the purpose of evaluating the quality, relevance, and utility of APH products. The August 16 and 17 panel review, facilitated for us by Dr. Cay Holbrook, is one of several factors included in the evaluation of APH's role in administering the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind.

Left to right: Terry Ray, Administrative Specialist-Exceptional Child Education, Jefferson County Public Schools, KY; Annette Reichman, U. S. Department of Education; Cay Holbrook, Chair of Panel, University of British Columbia; Lis Geoghegan, Mathematics Teacher-Arkansas School for the Blind; Jim Durkel, Coordinator-Instructional Materials, TX; Joseph Petrosko, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY; Jennie Mascheck, Coordinator-Outreach Services, Missouri; Linda Lyle, Superintendent-New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Field Evaluators Needed!

APH is seeking field evaluators for Accessible Multiple-Choice Answer Documents, our newly redesigned braille and large print answer sheets. Feedback from 120 vision professionals who participated in the "Answer Document Survey" in 2007 has guided our product design. Four different styles of braille/tactile answer sheets and three styles of large print sheets will be tested with students in grades 2 through high school. The goal is to determine which style(s) students find easier to use independently and which are more engaging.

These answer documents will be evaluated for student use on regular classroom/curricular tests, statewide standards-based tests, and on standardized tests such as the Stanford Achievement Tests. Sample multiple-choice questions will be provided for the field test. After administering the questions, which will take about an hour, teachers will fill out a questionnaire.

The target date to ship field test materials is November 1, 2010. Each site will have the remainder of the semester to complete the testing and evaluation. If you would like to assist us as a field evaluator for the answer documents, please contact Barbara Henderson, Test & Assessment Project Leader, at (800) 223-1839 or bhenderson@aph.org

BOP2 Writers Meet in August

Ten consultants for Building on Patterns Grade 2 (BOP2) met at APH on August 2 through 5. The group included teacher writers from Arkansas, California, Tennessee, British Columbia, and Oregon who have each undertaken the writing/consulting for various units for BOP2.

While the consultants were in Louisville, they worked on final formatting issues for the first three units and made plans for the remaining units of BOP2.

Left to right: Cay Holbrook, Mila Truan, Kate Dilworth, Deanna Scoggins, Luanne Blaylock, Izetta Read, Eleanor Pester (Project Leader), Robin Wingell, Jo Ellen Croft, Kristen Buhler, and LeAnn Nannen. (Sue Schimmelpfennig was unable to attend.)
What a workshop! What an adventure!

On July 29-30, twenty-eight eager workshop participants came together at APH to learn about making test items accessible for students who are blind and visually impaired. After a day of background information and presentation of issues by Dr. Carol Allman, several APH experts presented on topics such as large print, use of color, tactile graphics, audio and verbal formats, and computer-based testing. Some test preparation materials from the Test Ready series that are available in regular print, large print, braille with tactile graphics, and audio formats, along with some new technological devices that include Refreshabraille 18, Book Port Plus and the Braille+ Mobile Manager were presented and demonstrated. Valuable resources such as Louis, the Tactile Graphics Library, and Accessible Media Producers databases were also discussed and demonstrated. Participant feedback included: "To get an understanding of the perspective of visually impaired children/students is invaluable to me in test publishing." "This was one of the most beneficial workshops I have attended. The info was new to me and really makes me confident to work this area in a testing company." "I loved the hands-on experience with the tactile material."

Special Guests in the House

APH had a couple of very special guests one day last month when Georgia Ex Officio Trustee Jim Downs and his wife Kathy dropped in for a visit. We hope all of you will keep Louisville in mind as a vacation destination...or stop-over at least!

Researching Braille in the Rockies Ralph Bartley [photographer] captures Loana Mason (left), Mark Riccobono (center), and Kay Ferrell (right) discussing the interesting things they had been learning.

Ralph Bartley, APH Research Department Director, and Loana Mason, APH Braille Literacy Project Leader, attended the first Research Summit on Braille Reading and Writing in Denver, Colorado, hosted by the National Center on Severe and Sensory Disabilities (NCSSD) and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). Ralph was part of the planning committee and also served as a session moderator. Loana presented data on a pilot study she conducted exploring hand and finger usage patterns that produced the greatest reading fluency for braille readers. The conference was very informative as there were many different disciplines represented from all over the world.

Let's Read, Let's Move Includes Disability Kareem Dale, special assistant to the President, and Education Secretary Arnie Duncan

Focus on Braille Literacy at Summer Reading Program on Capitol Hill

APH Ex Officio Trustee and Staff Member Also Participate

In response to President Barack Obama's national volunteer campaign, "United We Serve," Arne Duncan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, recently hosted a special enrichment series designed to combat summer learning loss and encourage healthy lifestyles. The July 30th session of "Let's Read. Let's Move." highlighted braille literacy and focused on disabilities. Glinda Hill, education program specialist with the Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, honored APH with an invitation to participate.

Elementary students from schools near Capitol Hill, including several with vision loss, visited the Department's Lyndon Baines Johnson Building to hear special guest readers Kareem Dale, special assistant to the President for disability policy and graduate of the Tennessee School for the Blind, and U.S. Congressman Jim Langevin of Rhode Island. After reading aloud the braille version of If I Ran for President, Mr. Dale talked with the students about his work with President Obama. Congressman Langevin, who is paraplegic, read House Mouse Senate Mouse, which introduced these youngsters to the lawmaking process. Additionally, members of the audience, including teachers and parents, were encouraged to reach for their dreams by actor Quinton Aaron who played the starring role of a football player in the recent movie, The Blind Side.

A student explores braille for the first time with an APH Special Edition Weekly Reader

During the Q&A session before the readings, the students who correctly answered Brain Quest questions received an APH Feel 'n Peel reward sticker. The children broke into small groups and took part in reading, writing and fitness activities. Becky Snider, APH Public Affairs Coordinator, helped students experience writing and reading braille firsthand with a braillewriter. She also distributed the Special Edition Weekly Reader so students could begin to understand the special learning needs of people with vision loss.

Andrea Noel, APH Ex Officio Trustee and manager of children and family programs for the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind in Washington, D.C., brought an APH Sound Ball for "Let's Move" activities. All of the children took away a free book. Those who were blind or visually impaired each received a print/braille book from the APH Chrissy's Collection. The photograph of Kareem Dale and Secretary Arnie Duncan that accompanies this article was taken by APH's Becky Snider, who was also a part of the reading program.

Kareem Dale, the President's Advisor of Disabilities writes:

"The White House and Department of Education recently continued to build on President Obama's commitment to full inclusion for people with disabilities. I had the opportunity to join Secretary Duncan in one of the Department of Education's Let's Read, Let's Move events. The event included children without disabilities as well as children with disabilities including several blind children. I read my book in Braille and we discussed my work with the President on disability policy. This built on this administration's ongoing commitment to improving Braille literacy for blind children. Congressman Langevin also joined the event and read to the students."
Tactile Book Nomination

APH is pleased to announce that a committee of the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) has nominated Goin' On a Bear Hunt—an age-old favorite story retold by APH's Suzette Wright, Emergent Literacy Project Leader—to move into the next round of competition in their parent organization's project to identify Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities.

The IBBY, which is a Reading Promotion Partner of the Center for the Book, a part of the Library of Congress, aims to raise awareness worldwide about the special needs of young people with disabilities by selecting books specifically made for them, as well as books that promote their inclusion, for an exhibit that will go around the globe.

If selected by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), this APH book from the Moving Ahead Series will become one of 50 books from around the globe to receive this honor given every two years. Regardless of whether it is chosen to be in the traveling exhibit which includes a project catalog list of winners, a copy of Goin' On a Bear Hunt will be kept in the permanent collection of the IBBY Documentation Centre of Books for Disabled Young People in Norway.

New EOTs Flock to APH

Eight recently appointed EOTs arrived in Louisville in August for an opportunity to learn more about APH and about their responsibilities as Ex Officio Trustees. The group spent two days meeting with APH staff, touring the APH production area, and learning from each other. Departmental presentations provided a history of APH, information on ordering and statements, tips for registering students in the Federal Quota program, forecasting purchases to leverage federal quota funds, and information on the Public Affairs "Leaders to Leaders" program. Attendees also spent some time with Project Leaders from the Educational Research Department to review new and upcoming products. Other discussions focused on the role of the Ex Officio Trustee, Annual Meeting, the APH shopping site and website, and more! These newest members of APH's extended family brought to the event good ideas, good information, and an eagerness to learn more, and APH staff learned a lot from them, as well. The only thing we needed was more time together!

If you are a new Ex Officio Trustee, be on the lookout for additional training opportunities coming up in 2011. We'd love to see you!

From left to right: Robin King, LA; Marie Piquion-Leach, NC; Gary Cusick, KY;
Cheryl Manuel, KS; Cynthia "Pepper" Watson, OK; Kristin Oien, MN;
Bob Goodhart, CT; Bobby Simpson, LA
Classroom Collaboration Survey

Shaun Kane, a doctoral student at the University of Washington in Seattle, is working with the AIM Research Group to conduct a study on classroom collaboration. Shaun is currently surveying college students and people who attended college courses in the last 5 years, who are blind or visually impaired. If you meet these criteria, 15 minutes of your time is needed to convey classroom experiences. The survey results will provide valuable information on accessibility problems in classrooms for students who are blind and visually impaired, and will lead to the development of tools and devices that improve access to classroom activities. The survey is available over the web at http://bitly/classroomsurvey. Email skane@uw.edu for additional information.

Workshop for Licensed/Certified Psychologists on Specialized Materials for Assessing Students who are Blind

Dr. Joan Chase has worked for years to develop a measure of performance for students who use only tactile and auditory means for learning. She will facilitate a March 11-12, 2011 workshop in St. Petersburg, Florida that is designed to provide training for licensed or certified psychologists who anticipate a need to assess totally blind students. The primary focus of training is a series of subtests to be administered to those who use tactile and auditory means of gaining information. Each participant will receive a complete Tactile Assessment of Performance (TAP) kit and other materials designed to complement the usual verbal means of evaluating students who are blind. Please contact Dr. Joan B. Chase at jbchase@gte.net to register for this workshop or to request additional information.

Field Testing Artificial Intelligent Math Tutors

As part of the initial phases of a two-year federal research project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Quantum Simulations has built accessibility into two of our Quantum Artificial Intelligent (AI) Mathematics Tutors (Ratio and Proportions and Metric Units Tutors), and we need to field test the Tutors with blind and visually impaired students. This field testing is a critical part of the grant process.

We are hoping to find TVIs who have two of their students that will be covering these topics some time in the fall. We would like to do a pre/post test study with one of the students as a control while the other would use the Tutor. Each TVI is eligible for a stipend of $150 per topic for a possible total of $300. If you only have one student who will be covering these topics and are interested in participating, please contact us anyway, because we may need your input as well.

Please let us know if you can help with this field testing, and we will provide you with all the details and usernames/passwords for you to gain access to the Tutors. For additional information, please contact Jeff Dittel, Software Engineer, at dittel@quantumsimulations.com or call (414) 248-2292

In Memoriam: John Aicken
American Printing House for the Blind , Assistant Director of Research

AICKEN, JOHN CHARLES JR., 62, of Louisville, departed this world just as he lived, surrounded by love, on Saturday, August 21, 2010, at his home.

John was a cherished employee of the American Printing House for the Blind. His impact on the Research Department over the past decade will be long felt. John organized, managed, and maintained federally funded projects as the Assistant Director of Research. When around John, you were truly in a "no drama" zone. John was our rock. There was no one more solid and no one with more integrity. His word was true and his actions always honest and direct. There could not be a better man and we sorely miss him.

He lives on in the hearts of his loving wife of 40 years, Karen Ford Aicken; his deeply grateful children, Jeffrey Malachi Aicken (Erin) and Bethany Joy Aicken; his adoring grandchildren, Kaya Alexis and John Jackson Aicken; brother, Mark Aicken; and sister, Debra Braun. "We will miss you always, hubby, pop, and papaws." Expressions may be made to the American Printing House for the Blind.

Multisensory Books for Blind Children and Parents Available from the Braille Institute

All of the Braille Institute's multisensory books, which are part of their free Special Collection Program, were developed in consultation with their Child Development professionals and evaluated in the field by parents, teachers and librarians who work with blind preschoolers. These popular stories are especially adapted to help blind children build concepts and provide a fun-filled way to introduce them to the wonderful world of reading.

Dots for Tots

These multisensory storybook kits, designed specifically for visually impaired preschoolers, help parents introduce their children to basic braille construction. Each popular picture book features uncontracted braille overlays, along with a descriptive audiotape and plastic toys that represent characters or objects in the story.

Tac-Tales

As a child grows, they will enjoy this next step in our series of multisensory storybook kits designed for visually impaired early school-aged children and their parents. These custom-designed print and braille books also include descriptive audio and one, single manipulative character or object from the story. Line drawings representing the object are created shape-by-shape to help the blind child learn how drawings represent three-dimensional objects.

For additional information, contact APH Ex Officio Trustee Nancy Niebrugge at nnniebrugge@brailleinstitute.org

New "Handy List": Recommended Products

To aid in ordering, especially for our Federal Quota customers, we've published a new list of recommended products for programs serving students with visual impairment. We hope this list will be especially helpful to our Ex Officio Trustees as they make purchasing decisions prior to the fiscal year 2010 Federal Quota spending deadline of September 30.

We now have four lists in our Handy List series, which you can find on our shopping site beneath the yellow left-hand navigation box.

APH Welcomes New Ex Officio Trustees

Zvia McCormick, the Glenwood Resource Center in Iowa, replacing R. Scot Booth.

Norma Villanueva, the District of Columbia Public Schools, replacing Marie Celeste.

Hollie R Murdock, the Utah State Office of Education, replacing Denise Warren.

APH Travel Calendar September

September 20, 2010
Firebrand Technologies Community Conference;
Newburyport, MA

September 22-25, 2010
Envision 2010;
San Antonio, TX

September 23, 2010
2010 Envision Days;
Ashland, KY

September 25, 2010
Indiana Vision Expo 2010;
Indianapolis, IN

September 28, 2010
Veteran's Administration Product Training;
Location TBA

September 30-October 1, 2010
New Hampshire TVI Product Training (FVLMA and other products);
Concord, NH

October

October 7-9-2010
Professional Development Conference;
Raleigh, NC

October 7-9, 2010
FAHPERDS - Florida Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance;
Orlando, FL

October 8-9, 2010
APH Braille Plus and BookPort Training;
Portland State University in Portland, OR

October 9, 2010
Gazing At Options-What Does the Future Hold for Your Child;
KSB in Louisville, KY

October 14-16, 2010
APH 2010 Annual Meeting;
Galt House in Louisville, KY

October 22-24, 2010
12 State Vision Midwest Conference;
Alliant Energy Center, Madison, WI

October 27-29, 2010
Texas Division for Blind Services Conference;
San Marcos, TX

October 28-30, 2010
ATIA 2010 Chicago;
Schaumburg, IL

November

November 7-9, 2010
MAHPERD (Maine AHPERD);
Samoset Resort, Rockport, ME

November 10-12, 2010
MACRT ASERT Professional Development Conference;
Daytona Beach, FL

November 11-12, 2010
VTAHPERD (Vermont AHPERD);
Killington Grand Hotel, Killington, VT

November 14-16, 2010
KAHPERD (Kentucky AHPERD);
Embassy Suites, Lexington, KY

November 18-19, 2010
North Carolina Assistive Technology Expo 2010 (NC AT Expo 2010);
Raleigh, NC

December

December 1-4, 2010
TAHPERD'S 87th Annual Convention (Texas AHPERD);
Galveston, Texas

December 25-27, 2010
Government NIMAS
NIMAS Meetings; Orlando, FL

Sizzlin' Summer Savings Sale

Load up a world of savings on selected APH products with APH's Sizzlin' Summer Savings Sale 2010, July 1—September 30. As always, first come, first served.

www.aph.org/products/sizzle.html

NEW! What is IT? Kit
1-03535-00 -- $38.00

Helps children develop real images related to descriptive terminology and words.

The exercises in the What is IT? Kit emphasize the need for the child to form real mental images in relation to labels at a very early age. In effect, a label is more than a word because it evokes an internalized mental association of various properties and functions.

Many bright young children who are blind copy the descriptive terminology of others, but have difficulty describing the "why" of the label independently. Teaching the young mind to listen to the word, and anticipate "motor knowledge" (organized physical input) that will help form associations, can make a difference. With an active introduction to details contributing to the whole, the child will gain the foundation for comparative thinking, leading to the ability to generalize and communicate independently.

Preschool Activities

• Use the cards with real objects to introduce the properties of things in conjunction with their definers.
• For future braille readers, early exposure to braille is as valuable as the indirect introduction to letters and words that future print readers get incidentally. Having the child hold the What is IT? card, and trace the braille, within the context of the word focus can become a natural experience. Note: exposure of the child to the abstract form of written words allows him to think about it, not necessarily to read it.

School Age Activities

• Provide a "word for the day" and have the child write as many descriptors as possible. With practice, limit the time, to promote the ability to think quickly.
• Itemize descriptors and see how many it takes for the child to come up with the word.
• Have the child present a list of descriptors for others to guess the word; have teams.
• Categorize labels, such as foods, clothes, forms of transportation, things in various stores, occupations, etc.
• Orientation and Mobility:
  • Ask the child to verbally express observations along a route, beyond those provided by the teacher (smells, sounds, thermal changes).
  • Ask the child to describe changes such as stairs, inclines, obstacles, beyond just the label.
  • Go into a room and then have the child itemize things with at least one definer, and the location within the space, in relation to the door, and other objects.

Includes

• 102 What is IT? Print/Braille Cards
• Index card storage box
• Instruction Book in Print and Braille

Recommended ages: 3 years and up.

NEW! Guitar Instruction -- Audio Disc Set 1-09110-00 -- $120.00

Teaches you to play the guitar -- with your ears, not your eyes!

With an electric or an acoustic guitar and Guitar Instruction - Audio you're on your way to learning the guitar at your own pace, and without the use of brailled or printed music. Simply listen to professionally designed lessons, practice, and you'll be playing your favorite songs in no time!

Guitar Instruction -- Audio was designed by the TalkingTabs™ company and a team of world-class musicians and educators to be simple, effective, and entertaining for individuals with visual learning difficulties. With over 20 hours of step-by-step instruction on standard audio CDs, this disc set teaches you the appropriate actions for both hands and provides progressively difficult play-along examples at slower and faster speeds. Tracks are kept as short as possible to provide ease of repetition and referencing.

Although this disc set was designed to operate as a self-teaching program, guitar instructors find it to be a useful adjunct to face-to-face instruction. Instructors may wish to use some or all of the curriculum and can easily test students on the degree to which they have learned materials in each lesson.

Includes

• 6 1/2 x 11 x 1 inch three-ring CD album containing:
  • Complete Beginners Series composed of 16 lessons recorded on 26 audio CDs; after lessons 8, 12, and 16, you will experience a play-it-now tunes song lesson:
    • Feelin' Alright, originally performed by Traffic
    • Shattered, originally performed by The Rolling Stones
    • Keep Your Hands to Yourself, originally performed by Georgia Satellites
  • Audio Table of Contents
  • Assessment Guide on CD
• Signature Guitar Riffs on one audio CD
• Five play-it-now tunes, each recorded on a single audio CD, tunes include:
  • He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, performed by TalkingTabs
  • When the Saints Go Marching In, performed by TalkingTabs
  • Not Ready to Make Nice, originally performed by Dixie Chicks
  • All the Small Things, originally performed by Blink 182
  • Polly, originally performed by Nirvana
• A 4-pack of play-it-now tunes guitar picks

Note: All songs are performed by TalkingTabs

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.

Race: A History Beyond Black and White
by Marc Aronson: T-N1756-00 -- $60.00
Focuses on the history of race and racism in the West from Greek civilization to modern times. Discusses prejudice, slavery, religion, and the complex social problems that arise from judging people by their skin color or beliefs. Nonfiction, Upper Grades. *(AR Quiz #119444, BL 8.8, Pts. 11.00)

My Maggie
by Richard King: T-N1772-30 -- $62.00
Chicago sportscaster's tribute to Maggie, his wife of thirty-two years. He recalls her fears, courage, and ultimate zest for living while battling childhood hearing loss, progressive blindness, melanoma, breast cancer, and the ovarian cancer that killed her at age fifty-three. Biography.

On Kingdom Mountain
by Frank Howard Mosher: T-N1775-30 -- $60.50
Vermont, 1930. Bookwoman and bird carver, Miss Jane Hubbell Kinneson disputes the township's proposed highway through her property on Kingdom Mountain. Momentous changes occur during her fiftieth year after she offers refuge to aviator Henry Satterfield when his biplane crashes. Fiction.

Land of the Blind
by Jess Walter: T-N1774-40 -- $81.00
Burned-out Spokane police detective Caroline Mabry is puzzled by the man in her interview room. Attorney and failed politician Clark Mason insists he's responsible for a murder, but his statement is taking him hours to write, and it starts with his childhood. Strong language and some mature subject matter. Fiction, Adult Reader.

A Daring Passion
by Rosemary Rogers: T-N1774-80 -- $92.00
Raine Wimbourne masquerades as the Knave of Knightsbridge, champion of the poor, to dupe authorities and protect her father--the real knave. Philippe Gautier kidnaps Raine, intending to make her his mistress and use her to thwart enemies, but love complicates his plans. Adult Reader.

*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/

APH News Credits

President:
Dr. Tuck Tinsley
ttinsley@aph.org

Designer:
Malcolm Turner, APH Website Coordinator
webmaster@aph.org

Thanks to the following APH staff:

• Cindy Amback, Support Specialist, Field Services
• Janie Blome, Director, Field Services
• Scott Blome, Director, Communications
• Nancy Lacewell, Director, Government and Community Affairs
• Stephanie Lancaster, Graphic Designer, Communications
• Mary Nelle McLennan, Executive Advisor to the President
• Becky Snider, Coordinator, Public Affairs
• Gwynn Stewart, Administrative Assistant, Communications
• Debbie Willis, Director, Accessible Tests

Editor:
Bob Brasher, Vice President, Advisory Services and Research
bbrasher@aph.org

For additional recent APH News, click the following:
August Issue - www.aph.org/advisory/2010adv08.html
July Issue - www.aph.org/advisory/2010adv07.html
June Issue - www.aph.org/advisory/2010adv06.html

Archive of all previous issues - www.aph.org/advisory/advarch.html

The APH News is a monthly publication from the American Printing House for the Blind:
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
800/223-1839

Please share this web link or any items that appear in this publication with anyone who might benefit.

Thank you.

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The AIM Navigator is an interactive online tool that facilitates the process of decision-making about accessible instructional materials for an individual student. The AIM Navigator guides teams through a step-by-step process and provides just-in-time support with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), resources, and links to other helpful tools at each of four major decision-points:

Determining the need for accessible instructional materials; Selecting format(s) that address student needs; Acquiring needed formats; and, Selecting supports for use (technology, training, instructional strategies, support services, and other accommodations and modifications)

Explore the AIM Navigator and try out the following features at http://aim.cast.org/experience/training/navigator

Guiding Questions: A series of questions that guide teams through a four-step decision-making process about accessible instructional materials for an individual student
Help Me Decide: A brief set of questions and answers specifically linked to each screen that provide basic information needed for that screen
Tell Me More: A comprehensive set of questions, answers, and resources for all decision points within AIM Navigator.
Student Summary: A complete compilation of all decisions and supporting information teams enter into the Navigator that can be edited, printed and/or saved to a local computer.
To Do List: An optional place for the teams to keep track of actions that need and assign responsibilities that can be edited, printed and/or saved to a local computer.

In this post, Mark Taylor publishes an episode of the 1970s CBS Mystery Theater radio drama, See Naples And Die, as an approximately 50 minute Candle Shore podcast.

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

This is a short discussion of Aurifi, a game for the IPhone produced by punk-pie.com. For an audio demonstration, check out the Liam’s Land podcast. A daily podcast of tips, tricks and tidbits concerning accessible technology. Visit techaccessweekly.com, call (260) 2-Ask-TAW (260-227-5829), and follow us on Twitter as ta_weekly.

Through sept. 30, 2010, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is inviting the public to weigh in on the current experience in finding and using mobile phones that are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. To promote a broad response from our community in building a clear public record of the challenges in mobile phone access that persist, Serotek, the Accessibility Anywhere people, hosted an interactive webinar and podcast, on September 2.
SeroTalk hosts Michael Lauf and Joe Steinkamp  welcomed AFB’s Paul Schroeder, Vice President, Programs and Policy, and Darren Burton, National Technology Associate, to discuss current access challenges, to help you best respond to the FCC’s invitation to tell your story.

For further information, contact:
Mark Richert, Esq. Director, Public Policy, AFB 202-822-0833.

View Tech Chat 67 – Submitting Comments to the FCC on Cell Phone Accessibility Via Accessible Event

MP3 of Tech chat 67 – Submitting comments to the FCC on Cell Phone Accessibility

 

By puppy raiser and leader Alice Garcia
Four years ago when I interviewed for a District School Nurse job with the Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD), in Calabasas, Calif., my fourth Guide Dog in training, Garfield, attended the interview with me. Garfield was on his best behavior and actually slept through the interview process. At the end of the interview, I was asked if there was anything I'd would like to share about myself with the interview team. "If you hire me," I said, "you will have the privilege of having a Guide Dog in training in the district for years to come.” I did get hired, and I'm now raising my seventh Guide Dog puppy, Tally.
As you can imagine, a puppy-in-training is quite popular on campus with the students. I cover preschool through high school and am at a different school each day. The puppy visits the health office and can quickly cure a stomach ache, soothe a child that is having a bad day, or just put a smile on anyone’s face by snuggling for a hug or rolling over for a belly rub.The staff and faculty are also positively affected by having a Guide Dog pup on campus.
Now the LVUSD has two additional puppy raisers. Kim Ellis is a biology teacher at Agoura High School, and is raising her first puppy, black Lab Cole. Cole is quite comfortable with the high school students changing classes. He knows the routine of snoozing in class and is a crowd favorite at staff meetings. Carol Martino is the principal at Sumac Elementary School; she and her husband, Gary, are also raising their first Guide Dog puppy, yellow Lab Narita. Narita was delivered to the Martinos over the summer. She will start school in September along with the 500 students that attend Sumac.
What an outstanding educational opportunity the LVUSD has presented to us as puppy raisers and the students of their district. The students, staff and faculty have learned a lot about Guide Dog etiquette and increased their awareness of the visually impaired in our society. LVUSD has provided this golden opportunity and the three of us feel privileged to bring our puppies to school each day.

By GDB Alumna Cindy Rogers
This past May, I received an email from C Different Foundation’s founder, Matt Miller, asking for my possible participation in an event as a blind or visually impaired athlete. Well, I do run a few 5K races each year, but does this qualify me as being an athlete?! But the phrase that caught my attention - “All you have to do is get to New York City” - piqued my interest. What would I need to do once I reached New York City?
The email from Matt continued [paraphrased]: “Recently, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) announced that they are requiring all visually impaired athletes, no matter what your level of visual impairment may be, to wear blackout goggles during the run portion of a triathlon. The ITU is changing the rule because they state there are not enough blind/visually impaired athletes competing in sports, therefore, [the blackout goggles are being required] in order to level the playing field. My proposal stated that the C Different Foundation will provide the following to all blind athletes who wish to compete at the NYC Triathlon, which is the paratriathlon US National Championships:

• Cover the cost of the entry fee for each athlete
• Coordinate and cover the cost of transporting your tandem through Tri Bike Transport to the city (it's extremely safe and secure)
• Find you a local guide from NYC who could guide you and provide you with a homestay
• Provide you and your guide with an official CDF racing top."

Triathlon?!? I know that ‘tri’ is three and the ‘athlon’ sounds like more running than I would ever do, but.... how could I NOT join C Different Foundation in support of those of us who are blind and visually impaired? All I had to do was pay round trip airfare to NYC and, oh yes, participate in a triathlon! I mentioned this email to my manager at Starbucks. Her response was that I absolutely had to participate and that our store would sponsor a fundraiser for my airfare!
In June, I made the commitment and registered. I probably should have committed myself for this commitment! Thus began my training and the countdown to July 18th. I was humbled by the outpouring of support from my friends and my Starbucks family to assist in my accelerated training program. It was arduous and daunting, especially battling Phoenix summer temperatures, but when July 16th arrived I boarded my flight with bike helmet and wetsuit in hand and my unconditionally loyal and fearless Guide Dog, Zamira, by my side!
There were 62 of us (31 athletes and 31 human sighted guides) representing C Different in the Nautica NYC Triathlon. We were “protesting by participation” the USAT ruling requiring blackout goggles. We were indeed visible as we proudly wore our bright orange C Different t-shirts with “No blackout goggles NYC 2010” printed on the back. Pre-race day was packed with preparation as we met our guides and practiced on tandems and tethered running. We finalized tether lengths for our 1500m swim in the Hudson River and arranged our gear in the transition area.
On Sunday, July 18, 61 very proud athletes approached the swim start as a determined and courageous team of men and women gathered together to make a statement and to make history. The crowd cheered with exuberance and my heart was filled with a pride that brought tears to my eyes. What a monumental moment this was!
The race did not progress as I had hoped and I did not finish the Triathlon. I continue to struggle with this disappointment, but each day I grow in more acceptance that I was willing to try. John Bingham once said: “The miracle is not that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start.” I will be able to say this one day. For now, I will add one of my own words to this quote: “The miracle is not that I (didn’t) finish, the miracle is that I had the courage to start.”

This program aired on Sunday, August 29, 2010, on MushroomFM.com, the home of the FuN GuYs! Tune in live on Sundays from 7pm to 10pm eastern, or 23:00-02:00 UTC. You may also visit the show page at MushroomFM.com/MeltingPot and follow the show Twitter.com/MeltingPotShow.