THE WHITE CANE BULLETIN

Format Change Coming - Tapes and Floppy Disks - Gone with the Wind
by Sila Miller

I know we just finished one convention and most of us are not thinking about another one right now. However, it will be here before we know it and next year there will be information format change in the wind which will affect some of you. We wanted to communicate this change early.

One of those changes is the formats in which the convention program will be offered. Beginning with our 2010 FCB convention, cassette tapes and computer disk versions of the convention program will be a thing of the past. In an attempt to keep up with the times but still do our best to give you access to information in an accessible format, we will offer large print, braille, electronic and CD versions of the program materials.

Tapes and players are fast becoming a part of yesterday and thus, harder to find. Most new computers no longer even have a floppy disk drive. Discontinuing to offer these format options was a difficult decision for the Convention Committee but in an attempt to cut down on waste of materials, money and time, we believe it is the right one. Very few people request these format options any more and tapes and floppy disks are becoming more difficult to purchase and produce.

Speaking of conserving resources, take a look at Sally's article, "Going Green" for more ideas towards reducing the amount of paper in your life and consider receiving the Braille Forum and White Cane Bulletin electronically.

We are hopeful that by communicating early about the format change, it will eliminate any inconvenience or confusion. Thank you for working with us to make this a smooth transition.

Go Electronic and Go Green!
Submitted by Sally Benjamin

FCB is trying to save paper (and trees) and reduce printing costs so that our resources can go further on your behalf. If you currently receive a hard copy of either the White Cane Bulletin or The Braille Forum, FCB and ACB's magazines, and would prefer to receive them electronically, please send an email to floridacouncil@comcast.net. Please include the words "request for electronic version of WCB and/or Braille Forum."

2010 FCB and FCCLV Scholarship Applications Available
by Barbara Grill

The Florida Council of the Blind (FCB) is offering four scholarships again this year. The awards are for $2,500, $2,000, $1,500 and $750. Also, the Florida Council of Citizens with Low Vision (FCCLV) will award one $500 scholarship.

Scholarships will be awarded to students demonstrating academic and leadership accomplishments. Eligible blind students must be residents of the State and enrolled in high school or a postsecondary or vocational training program. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 is required. The Gayle M. Krause-Edwards $2,500 Scholarship requires a 3.2 grade point average with one semester completed. Part-time students who are working full-time may also apply for the $750 award. Applicants must be legally blind. Applications may be completed online or printed from the FCB website (www.fcb.org). All supporting documents including a sealed official transcript from the most recent year of school attended must be submitted. A Certification of Vision Status form must be signed and mailed directly by an ophthalmologist, rehabilitation counselor or other qualified entity. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited college or university or be accepted for enrollment.

The Florida Council of Citizens with Low Vision scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding student who is enrolled in academic, professional or technical training beyond the high school level. The $500 award will be given for either academic excellence or to an eligible applicant who is enrolled in a course of study, which will increase advancement potential in his/her chosen field. This scholarship may be awarded to a full or part-time student.

Applicant must be legally blind. That is, the applicant must have vision in the better eye of no more than 20/200 with corrective lenses or vision greater than 20/200 in the better eye but with a restricted field of vision of no more than 30 degrees.

All applications and/or supporting documents must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2010 and mailed to Barbara H. Grill, 2030 Preymore Street, Osprey, FL 34229. If you have any questions, please call (941) 966-7056 or email grillbh@comcast.net. For more information go to www.fcb.org and click on the Scholarship link.

Vision Caucus
by Bill Hebrock

The Florida Legislature's Vision Caucus Chairman, State Rep. Kurt Kelly, invites you to the 2010 Vision Summit. This statewide event is being held in the State Capitol in Tallahassee on Tues, Feb. 9th.

The 4th Annual Florida Vision Summit will begin at 7:30 am with a Legislative Breakfast on the top floor of the State Capitol. Then, starting at 9:00 am, a 3 1/2 hour General Session will be held in the Florida House of Representatives Chambers on the fourth floor.

The Vision Summit will be a fast-paced, substantive discussion of key vision-related topics. The speakers will include Floridians who are visually impaired and blind, Florida legislators, senior State officials, vision care professionals such as ophthalmologists and optometrists, and the leaders of vision-related nonprofit organizations. The State Capitol press corps will be present to provide statewide coverage.

The nonprofit Florida Association of Agencies Serving the Blind (FAASB) created the annual Florida Vision Summit. FAASB and the Florida Legislature's Vision Caucus are the annual Co-Hosts of the Florida Vision Summit. The Vision Caucus is a bi-partisan Caucus of 71 Senators and Representatives, which is by far the largest single issue Caucus in the Florida Legislature.

Throughout the morning, vision-related exhibits will be on display in the State Capitol 4th floor rotunda. If you are interested in having a display ($500) or otherwise sponsoring the Summit, please contact Bill Hebrock at BillHebrock@HebrockSteiner.com or (850) 222-1988. Thanks to our sponsors, the Legislative Breakfast, General Session, and all other Florida Vision Summit meetings and activities are free and open to the public. We look forward to seeing you at the Capital on Tuesday, February 9, from 7:30 am-12:30 pm.

Employment Needs Survey
Submitted by: Debbie Grubb

If You Are

· Visually impaired

· A resident of the state of Florida

· Seeking employment

We need your input!

Your participation in an Employment Needs Survey is needed to help Lighthouse Central Florida develop employment opportunities for individuals who are visually impaired.

Please complete the Employment Needs Survey on line at our web site www.lighthousecentralflorida.org or contact Mandy Corda at (888) 898-2483 extension 52 if you need assistance with completion of the survey. To complete the survey on our web site please enter the following User Name and Password when prompted:

User Name = lighthouse

Password = works

Lighthouse Central Florida will hold five drawings for five $100 Wal-mart gift cards as an incentive for survey completion.

Individuals who complete the Employment Needs Survey will be eligible for the drawings for the $100 Wal-mart gift cards. Individuals may only submit one survey and all survey questions must be completed to be eligible for the gift card drawings. Winners of a gift card will not be included in drawings for additional gift cards. Surveys must be completed by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday February 26, 2010 to be eligible for the gift card drawings.

Quiet John Richards - Unveiled in the Spotlight!
by Sila Miller

On August 5, 1954, John Sebron Richards Jr. made his rather unorthodox entrance into this world. The youngest child of Sarah Vivian Griner Richards and John Richards Sr. was born two months early, not in the hospital but rather in the ambulance on the way there. “Yep, the ambulance run hot on the way to town and they stopped to put water in the radiator and that’s when I was born,” John says.

John Sr., J.S. to all worked with Florida Department of Transportation for thirty years and Miss Vivian raised the boys and was a storekeeper. John grew up with two older brothers on a farm outside Ocala. When he was twelve, the family moved into town so that J.S. could be closer to his job.

John’s eye condition is Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a potentially blinding eye disorder that primarily affects premature infants weighing 2¾ pounds or less who are born before 31 weeks of gestation. The smaller a baby is at birth, the more likely that baby is to develop ROP. This disorder that usually develops in both eyes is one of the most common causes of visual loss in childhood and can lead to lifelong vision impairment and blindness. ROP occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow and spread throughout the retina, the tissue that lines the back of the eye. These abnormal blood vessels are fragile and can leak, scarring the retina and pulling it out of position. This causes a retinal detachment. Retinal detachment is the main cause of visual impairment and blindness in ROP.

When John was younger, his vision was such that he could drive farm equipment and get around without a white cane. He developed a cataract as an adult. When surgery to remove it was performed, a portion of the cornea lens was removed as well, drastically diminishing his vision. “Now it’s kind of like looking through a piece of wax paper,” John explains.

John began attending Florida School for the Deaf and Blind (FSDB) in St. Augustine in 1960, at the young age of six. During his junior year, he transferred to public school and graduated from Vanguard High in Marion County in 1973. John was President of his senior class as well as a member of the National Honors Society (NHS,) a nationwide organization for grades nine through twelve in the United States. Selection for membership in NHS is based on four criteria: service, leadership, scholarship and character.

Following high school graduation, John attended Florida State University in Tallahassee for a short while but learned that the university lifestyle wasn’t for him at that point in his life. He then enrolled in Central Florida Community College in Ocala where he earned his Associate’s of Arts degree.

In the late 70s, John worked for Division of Blind Services as a houseparent at a summer program at FSDB. Then, the following year, John moved to Tennessee where he began attending Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. He graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Recording Industry Management and a Minor in both Business and Mass Communications.

After graduation, John went to work in a small recording studio owned by ATV Music. “They were right on Music Row, 16th Avenue, in Nashville. They were an Australian owned publishing company and I worked in their recording studio for a short while, mixing writers demo recordings to pitch to the record producers. Basically what we did was, when the songwriters were ready to put their song onto tape, we recorded it and did the mix down for the final product, which then went to the record producer, who then pitched the song to their artist. I mixed a writers demo that later became a nationwide hit, “Way Down Deep,” which was recorded by Vern Gosden and made it all the way to #2 on the country music charts,” John proudly says.

John worked with ATV Music for approximately six months, until a slump in the music business prompted the publishing house to cut his position. Eventually, ATV Music was sold and Michael Jackson purchased the catalogs and relocated them to a publishing company in California. “Since Jackson owned the copyrights to the Beatles and Buddy Holly’s material, that’s when you started to hear their music on commercials,” John says.

Following the closure of ATV Music, John obtained his real-estate agent's license. He remained in Tennessee through the late 80s, continuing to try to find work in the music industry and playing in The Wolf Brothers Band. “They were two brothers and several friends. I was the only one that wasn't Catholic. They teased me and called me the heathen. We played Rock, Bluegrass, Country and we did an acoustic set where we played all types of music. Me and both of the Wolf brothers could play more than one instrument. Gregg Wolf and me were friends in college and remain so to this day,” John states.

John returned to his Florida roots and in 1993, began attending class at the Florida Center for the Blind in Ocala. “I initially went to learn how to use computers and then began volunteering as a teacher in their computer lab,” John says. “I helped out there for about four years and also served on the Board of Directors in 2003.”

It was during this time that John accepted an invitation to a party at his friend, Sandy’s house whom he’d attended school with. While there, he was introduced to her younger sister, Sherri Stanford from Wauchula. The two hit it off and enjoyed a sweet union for a time.

In 1998, John left the Florida Center to volunteer with the Outreach to Vision program, a support group sponsored by the Lions Club in the Belleview area. He began a computer program for the blind as a part of this outreach project and taught computer skills to people with visual impairments for the next six years in this program.

In 2004, John was urged to apply for the directorship of the Florida Center. “I guess by this time, my name was known through my volunteer work and services on the Board,” John said. “I applied for the position, was hired and served there until September, 2006.”

“I’m proud to have had a hand in helping others be able to do things that they thought they couldn’t do,” John proudly says. “When I was Program Director and Director of the Center, people would come in, it would be mostly people who had recently lost their vision and they were scared and they didn’t know where to turn or what to do. I would tell them, ‘It’s not gonna be a picnic but you’re not dead. You’ll find out that you can do a lot of the things you did before you lost your vision.’ There was a lady from New York City who used to be in the fashion industry, who had lost her vision due to Macular Degeneration. She basically thought she was helpless and couldn’t do anything. I had just introduced a segment in the independent living curriculum about cutting meat. I posed a question to the class, when you go out to eat at a restaurant, what do you order? Most responded that they ordered sandwiches. I asked is that what you really want. They said, “No, not particularly.” I said well then why do you eat a sandwich? Most responded “cause that’s what I can manage without being embarrassed.” That lady came back a week later and told me, “I went out to a restaurant, ordered a pork chop, cut it up myself and I ate it.” That really sticks out in my mind.”

John first heard about FCB from a long-time Gainesville member, Mary Hildebrand in 1998, while at a Veteran’s Vision Awareness Day Expo. He was manning a table for the Florida Center and distributing information about their services. Mary was also there volunteering and encouraged him to get involved with FCB, as there wasn’t a chapter in the Ocala area at that time. In May 1999, John attended his first FCB convention in Jacksonville. After further encouragement from the then project insight coordinator and Membership Secretary, Nancy Folsom, John began the process of forming the Inter County Chapter. In late 1999, Carl McCoy, Mary Hildebrand, Nancy Folsom and others came to Ocala and the Inter County Chapter held its first meeting.

John has served for almost ten years as the chair of the Technology committee. He laughed and said, “Yeah, Miller told me if I didn’t do it he wouldn’t cook me no more collard greens! Seriously, I like to think that we’re making technology more understandable and less complicated for blind individuals in the state of Florida by trying to stay abreast of everything that’s happening with technology. I have a great Technology committee and they make me look good.”

In 2006, John was elected as FCB’s 2nd Vice President and is serving his second two-year term in that capacity. He also serves on the Membership and Publicity and Publications committees and has served on the Awards committee. Additionally, he served as President, Vice President and Treasurer of his local chapter and even pitched in as Secretary on several occasions. He represented the Inter County Chapter for many years on the FCB Board of Directors as well. In 2006, John was honored and recognized with the R. Henry P. Johnson award for his service and dedication to people who are blind.

John recently purchased a home and moved to Cordele Georgia. His dad had a stroke in January 2009 and John decided to move closer to family and help in caring for his father. After some checking, John learned that the closest chapter of the Georgia Council of the Blind is approximately 90 miles away. I suspect that won’t be the case for long! But, GCB better back off, that Johnny Boy belongs to FCB!

John is a talented instructor, as well as a gifted musician and plays the guitar, banjo and mandolin. He’s even written a song or two, though he is very reserved about his talents. He is a collector of clocks, antiques and braille pocket watches. He loves talking to friends, helping others and eating good grub.

I asked John about influential people who’d made an impression upon him. He said, “Fred Penney was a volunteer at the Florida Center back when I was learning computers. We became good friends and still are. He taught me more about computers than I could have ever learned in any classroom setting. He started out working for Bell Labs and is now retired from IBM. The man never went to college and is a real modest type of individual, a real down-to-earth sort of guy. I would say he’s pretty close to a genius. Fred would dispute that, I’m sure but he’s forgotten more than I’ll ever know about a lot of stuff. He told me a story about getting a hold of some schematics for a television back in the 40s. He and a friend built a prototype. They didn’t even have a station to bring in any programs but they had a ball watching the snow. He told me about his mother getting mad at him one time because he almost blew the house up while working in his little lab down in the basement. He was trying to make liquid hydrogen by separating the oxygen molecules from the hydrogen molecules,” John laughed.

John was very close to his mother who passed away during the summer of 2001. “My Momma had a real influence on all us boys. Nobody is perfect as human beings but she instilled in us the fact that you shoot straight from the hip. And if you believe in something, stand up for it regardless of what other people think or do or say. She couldn’t stand a liar. She said a liar and a thief went hand in hand,” John fondly recalls.

I asked John to offer some advice to others. He said, “don’t work or revolve within sighted people’s parameters, make your own. If you think you can do it or if you want to do it, do it. Don’t set up your own barriers or your own limitations.”

I’d say that Miss Vivian indeed influenced John who is one of the straightest shooters I know. Honest, good-hearted and always willing to help someone less fortunate than himself, FCB has a precious gem in this quiet, solid man. John, it is my true honor to call you my friend and I couldn’t think of anyone better to have at my back in a jam. Thank you for sharing your story with FCB and me, even if I did have to pull teeth to get you to talk about yourself!

The Braille Challenge
by Kay Razcliff

The Braille Challenge is a national event sponsored by the National Braille Institute and is a competition for students who are braille readers or students learning to read braille. Three regional events for Florida’s students will be hosted by the Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired (FIMC-VI). The Third Annual Florida Braille Challenges will be held regionally in Tallahassee, Fort Lauderdale, and Tampa. The students compete in braille reading fluency and comprehension, spelling, proofreading, and braille writing skills. At the completion of the Florida regional competitions, the scores will be submitted to National Braille Institute from which the top 60 braille readers in the US and Canada are invited to the international event. FIMC-VI is proud to join with the National Braille Institute to encourage the development of competent braille readers through fun and educationally relevant events such as the Braille Challenge.

While the students are involved in their testing events, the parents, teachers, and others will have the opportunity to participate in a workshop to learn more about braille literacy. The Braille Literacy Workshop topics are: • Introductions & discussion of techniques & materials in use • Pre-Braille – Literacy concept development activities • Braille Reading – Efficient Hand Movement and Placement • Scanning and Tracking • Interpreting Tactile Graphics

Dates and Locations:

January 29, 2010, in Ft. Lauderdale (South Florida)

February 12, 2010, in Tallahassee (North Florida)

February 19, 2010, in Tampa (Central Florida)

To download student permission forms visit the Braille Challenge section of the FIMC-VI website at: http://www.fimcvi.org/index_braille.htm. To sign-up as a volunteer or to register for the workshop, please visit the FIMC-VI website (link above) and click on the link under Registration for Adults. For questions, please call 1-800-BRAILLE (272-4553).

Poetry Corner
The Curse
by Evelyn Dinsmore

"Twas the week before Christmas and all through the store,
People were buying more, more, and more.
Credit Cards were flying through the right slot,
As the registers registered all that they bought.

The children were happy and jumping with joy,
Except for the one screaming, “I want that toy!”
Out in the aisle a choir was singing,
Way off in the distance a church bell was ringing.
My little girl said, “Mom, do you suppose,
I could have that dolly with the cute pug nose?”

Well, many years have gone by since way back then,
And I am back in the same old store again.
But I am quite certain and I do not suppose,
That she will want that dolly with the cute pug nose
“Oh no, mother, For Christmas, I don’t need a thing
Except a new car, some new clothes and a big diamond ring.”

I reached for my credit cards deep down in my purse,
And I said to myself, “These things are a curse.”
Cause only last month, I was in good cheer
As I paid all the bills that I owed from last year.
So I dropped those credit cards back down in my purse,
And when I got home, I cut up that curse.
Well, now six months later, here is the good news,
I saved enough money to go on a cruise.

FCB Property Stickers
by Sharon Youngs

As we get ready to take stock of what we have this year, please check to see if you have any records or equipment that belongs to FCB. I am currently the chairperson of the Archives Committee and the committee was charged with the task of identifying and marking FCB property. As such, stickers were created. These stickers are to be affixed to anything that belongs to FCB.

In the past, we have had some very unfortunate incidents occur when there was a death and the deceased had records that were of interest to FCB. The survivors, not knowing the significance of these records, destroyed them. These records of our history were lost

Do you have some records or equipment? All you need to do is to contact me and I will be glad to furnish you with these stickers. My information is listed with the other officers. Thanks for your help with this project.

Tech Tips - by John Richards
For The FCB Technology Committee

How to Sign-Up to Download NLS Digital Audio Books and Magazines from the Internet

Over the past year, I have received several calls on how one should go about subscribing to the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Downloadable Books and Magazines web site. According to the press release, "Improved Access to Digital Download Books for Blind and Low Vision U.S. Citizens, Longueuil, May 25, 2009" "On April 30, the National Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), a division of the Library of Congress in the United States, entered the first phase of its transition to a digital playback system, as well as releasing an upgraded version of its pilot download website." This pilot web site called (BARD) Braille and Audio Reading Download provides NLS patrons access to download digital audio books and magazines over the internet. https://nlsbard.loc.gov//cgi-bin/nlsbardprod/index.cgi Before signing up, you must have a device to play the digital content. Here is a list of players the NLS supports: APH Braille Plus Mobile Manager, HIMS BookSense, Humanware Victor Reader Stream, LevelStar Icon, Library loaner and the PLEXTALK Pocket PTP1.

According to the instructions on the BARD login page, Potential users must be eligible readers to gain access to the BARD web site. You will need a login ID and password to access it. BARD application instructions are available to you at: https://nlsbard.loc.gov/FL1A/ApplicationInstructions.html If you qualify, request an account. You will discover that downloading and accessing books and magazines at your leisure is convenient and affords you the luxury of relaxing in the comfort of your own home, hotel room or anywhere you wish to read.

Find Free WiFi Hotspots (city, state, or zip) Follow the link below and type your zip code in to the edit field. Make sure the edit field is empty before you type. http://v4.jiwire.com/search-hotspot-locations.htm The Technology Committee urges everyone to use the FCB chat rooms that are linked to: http://www.fcb.org.

Click on the "Voice Chat for FCB" link. When the page loads, you can either click on the "Florida Council of the Blind General Chat Room" link or the "Florida Council of the Blind Board & Committee Chat Room" link. When the page loads, First time users should click the "download here button" to install the plugin called tcConference. tcConference is a little piece of software that lets you talk with others, anywhere in the world. When you click the "Download Here" button you will be prompted to download or run the tcConference software. Select "Run" and tcConference will be installed to your system. When tcConference has been installed, click on the "Finish" button to complete the installation process. At that point, you should return to the web page you were at before you performed the software installation. Now, click on the link that says "Click here to enter in the room." A page will load with two edit fields, prompting you for a username and password. Type your name in the first edit field and leave the second edit field blank. Press "Enter" and you should be launched in to the room. You should hear a sound when you enter the room. If others are present, you may hear them talking. Press your Control key to talk and release it to listen. If you are unable to perform any of the above tasks, feel free to contact a member of the Technology committee for assistance.

If you know when you have a meeting scheduled in either of the rooms, ask for assistance a day or two in advance so someone can assist you in a timely manner. Please feel free to contact me if you are having difficulty with either of the chat rooms. My contact information is located in the "FCB OFFICERS, 2008 - 2010" section of this publication.

Healthy Living
New Orleans Times-Picayune
Sweet potatoes: Good and great for you
By Judy Walker
November 06, 2009, 2:30PM
Submitted by Pat Lipovsky

Thanksgiving turns the spotlight on sweet potatoes, but they're good for you all year long, according to a new press release from LSU AgCenter nutritionist Beth Reames.

The Louisiana yam is an exceptional type of sweet potato sweet and flavorful, with a soft, moist flesh, Reames says. "Not only are yams delicious, they are a perfect choice for the health-conscious. They add valuable nutrients and color to any meal and can be enjoyed all year."

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agriculture Research Service, sweet potatoes are often called a "nutritional powerhouse" because they are very high in beta-carotene. The deep orange color of the sweet potato indicates it is rich in carotene, which becomes vitamin A inside the body. Vitamin A is needed for normal growth, development, reproduction, a healthy immune system and vision. One medium-size baked sweet potato provides about twice the recommended daily amount of vitamin A.

Sweet potatoes are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B-6, potassium and vitamin C when they're baked in the skin, Reames says. They are low in sodium, fat and saturated fat. One medium-size baked sweet potato has only 103 calories.

When buying yams, choose well-shaped, firm potatoes with smooth, bright, uniformly colored skins. Avoid those with skin penetrated by holes or cuts, which cause decay.

In case you purchase sweet potatoes at a farmers market, Reams warns that freshly dug potatoes are uncured. They are good boiled, mashed, candied, fried and in many cooked dishes, but uncured potatoes do not bake successfully. They must be cured several weeks before they are ready for baking, stored in a cool, dry place where the temperature is about 55 or 60 degrees. Do not store them in the refrigerator. Chilling the vegetable will give it a hard core and an undesirable taste when it's cooked.

Ideally, fresh sweet potatoes should be cooked within a week or two of being purchased, but may be stored for up to one month.

"Well-matured, carefully handled and properly cured potatoes will keep for several months if the temperature and storage conditions are ideal," Reames says. "This usually is not possible, however, and potatoes spoil easily. You might wish to cook and freeze them to maintain their high quality."

To bake sweet potatoes, scrub and dry them well. Rub them lightly with oil, but don't wrap them in foil. Place them on a baking sheet and bake in oven preheated to 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees, and bake until the potatoes are soft.

You can save energy by baking a large pan of sweet potatoes, Reames advises. Wrap them individually in foil after baking, and store them together in freezer bag or freezer paper in the freezer. You can reheat them in the oven.

Sweet potatoes may be cooked but not baked in a microwave oven. When cooked in a microwave, they won't have the sweet, syrupy flavor of oven-baked potatoes.

For microwaving, wash the sweet potatoes, dry them and puncture them a few times with a fork. Place them on a paper towel on a microwave-safe dish. Cook them on high for 4-5 minutes for the first potato, plus 2-3 minutes for each additional potato. Turn the potatoes over halfway through cooking.

You can boil sweet potatoes with skins on until they're tender and drain them immediately, Reames says. Then you can peel and eat them or use them in your favorite recipe. Most sweet potato dishes freeze well. Save time and energy by making two sweet potato dishes one to serve and one to store in the freezer.

To freeze yams, cut or mash cooked sweet potatoes. To prevent darkening, dip cut potatoes in a solution of ascorbic acid dissolved in a little water or in lemon or orange juice. Mix the juice or ascorbic acid with mashed potatoes. Pack them tightly in containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Cover the surface snugly with a layer of freezer paper or film, then seal and freeze at 0 degrees.

The nutritionist gives these tips for adding more sweet potatoes to your meals and snacks:

* Pack your lunch with a baked sweet potato topped with vanilla yogurt or cinnamon-flavored applesauce.

* Add peeled chunks to your favorite stew.

* Switch from potato chips to sweet potato chips.

* Peel and cut strips to eat with your favorite dip.

* Blend into a breakfast smoothie.

* Substitute sweet potatoes in recipes calling for white potatoes or apples.

Handy Telephone References

Project Insight: 800-267-4448

Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library: 800-226-6075

Division of Blind Services: (Tallahassee) 800-342-1828

American Council of The Blind: 800-424-8666 (available only 3:00 to 5:30 PM EST Monday-Friday)

ACB Legislative Hotline: 800-424-8666 (Evenings 8:00 PM - 12:00 Midnight EST Weekends 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM only)

AT&T Disability Services: 800-872-3883 Press 00 and speak with your long distance carrier

BellSouth Disability Services: 800-982-2891 from anywhere

Social Security: 800-772-1213 24-hour voice and touch tone accessible

- THE END –

FLORIDA COUNCIL OF THE BLIND
1531 Dempsey Mayo Road
Tallahassee, FL 32308