THE WHITE CANE BULLETIN Florida Council of The Blind, Inc. September – October 2019 Articles for the White Cane Bulletin must be submitted to Greg Lindberg no later than the 15th of the month before it is published. Greg’s email is: glindberg@gmail.com If you do not have access to a computer and email, please find someone in your chapter to help you. We want to hear from anyone who wants to contribute to our newsletter, so if you cannot find a way to submit your article, call Greg and he will be glad to assist you. Articles published in The White Cane Bulletin are in compliance with Public Law No. 104197, Copyright Law Amendment of 1996. This law allows authorized entities to distribute copies of previously published non-dramatic literary works in specialized formats, including Braille, audio or digital text that are exclusively for use by Blind people or those with disabilities. Any further distributing of such articles in another than a specialized format is an infringement of copyright. Those much-needed contributions, which are Tax-deductible, can be sent to the Florida Council of the Blind Treasurer, Mark Lear, at 708 Kristina Court, Port Orange, FL 32127. To remember the Florida Council of the Blind in your Last Will and Testament, you may include a special paragraph for that purpose in your Will or Trust. If your wishes are complex, please contact the FCB at 800-267-4448. The FCB is a 501(c)(3) organization. For other ways to support the Florida Council of the Blind, visit our Fundraising page found at www.fcb.org. ARE YOU MOVING? – Sally Benjamin If you are moving, please notify me of your new address so you will continue to receive your White Cane Bulletin. Also, if you know of anyone interested in joining FCB and who would like to receive the White Cane Bulletin and the Braille Forum, please contact me at: (850) 980-0205 or E-mail: salbenjamin@comcast.net TABLE OF CONTENTS President’s Message by Sheila Young … 3 2019 FCB Board Meeting by Kati Lear … 4 2019 Low Vision Expo by Greg Lindberg … 5 Presenting New ACB President Dan Spoone by Greg Lindberg … 5 FCCLV Update by Paul Lewis … 8 GOCB Update by Martha James … 9 Mumbles from Miami by Paul Edwards … 10 The ACBs of Rochester by Amanda Lannan … 11 Braille Bandits Make World Series Debut by Greg Lindberg … 12 My Experience at the Rehab Center by Roanna Bacchus … 13 Tech Corner by John Richards … 15 Poetry Corner by Shelley Sawyer … 15 FCB Officers, 2018 – 2020 … 16 2018-2020 FCB Chapter and Special Affiliate Officer Liaisons … 17 Handy Telephone Number References … 19 *** President’s Message September-October 2019 By Sheila Young Dear members and friends, As I start to write this message, I have just come off a mini vacation and feel very refreshed, relaxed, and ready to get back to work for you. I certainly hope everyone is rested up after a very warm summer, but after all, this is Florida! I wish to take this opportunity to thank all of you who donated canes to the You Cane Give nonprofit. We were able to ship a very large box to them for redistribution, and it is because of all of you that we took part in this great activity. I am sure many benefited from our donations. The national ACB conference and convention in Rochester, New York was a great success. Many individuals attended, and it was extremely informative. I want to thank the 20-plus members who attended from Florida, and we are so fortunate to have elected our new ACB president, Dan Spoone from Florida. Kim Charlson did an amazing job during her tenure as president, and I am sure Dan has been learning from her to continue the great work of ACB. I also would like to congratulate Amanda Lannan, one of our FCB members, on being honored with one of the ACB scholarships. I know she will continue her education and is becoming an important asset to FCB. Most of our committees are set, and not many changes have been made. I want to say thank you to Kati Lear for becoming our chair on the Convention committee with guidance from Sally Benjamin, and to Paul Lewis for volunteering to chair the Project Insight committee. I know they will do a great job. If you are interested in being part of a committee, just contact the committee chair and let them know. All committee meetings are open. I am happy to say that Spectrum cable TV customers should be seeing their loyalty credit on their bills, and if you are eligible and haven’t received it as of yet, please let me know. I have been asked to participate in a disability rights committee known as Access to Vote Florida (ATVFL) whose goal is ensuring that we are all treated the same when casting our votes. I am very honored to be participating on this committee as I feel this is an important topic to all of us. Once again, I will be attending the Pinellas Council of the Blind’s annual Low Vision Expo to recognize White Cane and Guide Dog Safety Day on Saturday, October 12. It is an awesome event, and I am thrilled to be able to take part in the celebration. Our midyear FCB Board Meeting will be held a bit later this year from Friday, November 22 to Sunday, November 24 at the Sheraton Orlando Hotel located in Maitland. These meetings are when our committees get together in person so members can learn how each committee works. More information will be put on the FCB listserv, so if you aren’t on that, please consider signing up to be on this e-mail list. It is a great way to keep up with our FCB news, updates, and activities. As always, if you have ideas of what we can do to make things better, please bring them to us. We would love to have workshops at our convention that our members are interested in attending, and we are always open to pursuing new ideas. If you need to contact me, please feel free to do so. I have retired from my full-time job, so it is easier to get in contact with me during the day now. Hope to see most of you at our midyear board meeting. Sincerely, Sheila Young, FCB president Sheilayoung125@att.net 407-425-9200 (home) 321-663-8893 (cell) *** FCB Fall Board Meeting By Kati Lear The 2019 FCB Board Meeting begins on Friday, November 22, 2019 and ends on Sunday, November 24 at noon. This year, our hotel is the Sheraton Orlando North. The address is 600 North Lake Destiny Drive, Maitland, FL 32751. To make your reservations, call (407) 660-9000. Room rates are $94 plus tax per night. Included in the room price is a complimentary breakfast for two and complimentary self-parking. Looking forward to seeing you in November. *** 2019 Low Vision Expo By Greg Lindberg The 2019 Low Vision Expo will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2019. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Evans Hall, Chapel on the Hill, 12601 Park Blvd, Seminole, FL. Over 40 exhibitors and agencies that provide devices, services, and technology for people with vision loss will gather for this free, once-a-year event. There will be products and demonstrations for all ages. Exhibitors will feature the OrCam MyEye2, eSight, IrisVision, magnification and screen reader software for computers, portable and desktop CCTVs, demos of smartphone apps, guide dogs, and so much more. There will also be a White cane Safety Day Walk starting and ending at Evans Hall in the morning. This event is being sponsored by the Pinellas Council of the Blind, AccessReady, Inc., the Lighthouse of Pinellas for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Pinellas Talking Book Library, and Care Ride, LLC. For more information, visit www.lhpfl.org/low-vision-expo or by calling Eugene Batke, president of the Pinellas Council of the Blind, at 727-420-9128. *** Presenting New ACB President Dan Spoone By Greg Lindberg The American Council of the Blind is driven by grassroots efforts from hardworking members across the United States. But it’s hard to resist feeling a little more connected to the president of the organization when he or she resides in your home state. Longtime Orlando resident Thomas Daniel Spoone was elected to become the new president of ACB at this year’s national convention in Rochester, N.Y. Known to members as “Dan,” he is the first ACB president from Florida since Paul Edwards served in this role from 1995 through 2001. The native of Athens, Tenn. moved to Orlando at age two and has called “O-Town” his home ever since. “My dad got a job as a high school football coach and teacher in Florida, so our family moved here,” Spoone recalls. His father worked for several schools in Florida, including Edgewater High School and DeLand High School and later worked as a principal. Since he had enough vision as a youngster, he was mainstreamed in school. He attended the University of Florida. He completed a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1979 and earned an MBA with a concentration in accounting from UF in 1981. “I used handheld magnifiers in school and even had some readers who read textbooks to me,” he says. “I then started using CCTVs when those first came out.” Like many visually impaired individuals go through, Spoone was not exempt from the challenges of finding gainful employment upon finishing his higher education, even with a graduate degree on his resume. “When I was in college, I started out working at Disney World where I got to play some characters like Goofy and Tigger,” he explains. “It was a nice little job I could do in the summer and during holiday breaks.” As a finance-oriented student, he knew there were eight major accounting firms in the U.S. at the time. “I honestly thought I’d get a job with one of those firms right away. I wound up getting turned down by basically all of them and only got one second interview. One of the guys I interviewed with told me that there was no way they could hire a blind or visually impaired person and that they had just brought on a woman recently.” The fact that the CPA exam was not available in large print and couldn’t be taken with any accommodations like extra time made this road a tough one to hoe. So, he ended up going back to Disney where he got a job as an accounts payable clerk and worked for just a few dollars per hour. A little while after that, he and a friend, Gerry Linglebach, decided to start up a pizza shop in the area. Taking the ‘D’ from Dan and ‘G’ from Gerry, they called it DiGi’s Pizza and Subs. They first opened a location in Ocoee and then a second one in downtown Orlando. “We did that for seven years and had some fun with it, but I kind of got tired of dealing with teenage employees after a while,” he says. The Division of Blind Services contacted him about a program called High Tech Training for the Disabled. Facilitated by Valencia Community College, no blind individuals had ever been enrolled in the program. “I took their skills test and was accepted into the program,” he says. “It was a nine-month training program Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. I even had to wear a suit every day because they wanted us to learn everything we could about working in a professional environment.” It was this computer programming training course that ultimately led to a three-month, unpaid internship. For Spoone, he landed a spot at Westinghouse Electric and was hired on as a full-time programmer. “I remember I had to guarantee to my supervisor that I would not be a liability as a blind person in the workplace.” Little did he know this opportunity would eventually carve out a 25-year career in this field. The company was later bought out by Siemens. “I was lucky enough to move up the ladder and became a project manager with about 25 employees and quite a few contractors working for me.” He retired from the company in 2014 During his working years, Spoone and his future bride, Leslie, met at a Foundation Fighting Blindness conference in the nation’s capital in 1996. “We took a river cruise down the Potomac River,” he recalls. The two lovebirds, who both have retinitis pigmentosa, did the long-distance dating thing until he convinced her to move to Florida from a few thousand miles away. Now, they have been married for over 21 years. Spoone first joined the Mid-Florida Council of the Blind (now the Greater Orlando Council of the Blind) in the late 1980s. “There was a woman from Bradenton named Teresa Blessing who I served on the state rehab council with,” he recalls. “She was the president of FCB at the time. She asked if I’d get involved in helping FCB with growing membership. I thought about it and then one day got a call from her basically to tell me that I was the new membership secretary of FCB. I hadn’t even gone to a state convention at that point, so she must have thought quite highly of me. That was around 1994.” He adds that Blessing was very instrumental in starting the Florida Council of Citizens with Low Vision (FCCLV) affiliate. She has also had a scholarship given out for several years in her name. He has held nearly every officer position within GOCB. He remains an active member and tries to attend monthly meetings when he and Leslie can. He also served as first vice president of FCB. At the national level, he initially got involved in finance-related and resource development committees. He and Leslie helped launch the Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk at the national convention and started helping in fundraising efforts. Plus, he served on the board of directors. He then found himself working on an audio description project that would later take off to be a highly successful initiative. “When Kim Charlson became president of ACB, I told her I was interested in doing something unrelated to finance. So, she appointed me to be the chair of the audio description project. We now have a steering committee and over 40 objectives that we’re working on. This has become a big passion of mine, and I’m very proud of all the goals we have accomplished in getting more video content with audio description available to everyone.” In 2017, he was elected to be first vice president of ACB. “Having that role allowed me to get exposed to lots of the behind-the-scenes aspects of ACB. I’ve also gotten to work with and know Eric Bridges quite well, which has been wonderful.” Becoming president of ACB wasn’t necessarily a specific goal of his but was the result of his hard work and dedication to the organization, along with support from those who have recognized his leadership skills and motivation. “I honestly never had any expectations of becoming ACB president, he says. “I was on the board of directors and was very happy to serve in that role. If you had asked me three years ago that I’d be president, I would have said there is absolutely no way. I am very flattered and honored to have been elected and to know that so many think I am worthy enough to do this job. We have people who’ve been involved at the national level for 30 or 40 years.” Spoone says he has several goals he hopes to achieve by working with others. “I want to be able to build on what Kim Charlson, Mitch Pomerantz, Chris Gray, Paul Edwards and all of the other leadership of this organization have done in the past,” he explains. “There is a lot of work we can do to advance our organization and gain more visibility. I’d really like to see us grow our membership and become the leading organization and influencer within the blind community. I know there are so many people out there who are underserved and would enjoy becoming a member of ACB if they knew about us. I think we need to find better ways to market ourselves.” He points to the staff the organization has been able to assemble in recent years. “Eric Bridges has been fantastic for us. We have also hired Claire Stanley, Clark Rachfal and Cindy Van Winkle. To move any grassroots community forward, you need a great staff and great volunteers. I think we have that in place and will continue to grow on both of those fronts.” In his first several weeks as president, he says he’s received a large volume of phone calls, texts, e-mails and other forms of outreach. “I’ve realized how important communication is and the different types of methods our members use. I am just trying to figure out how to communicate with everyone based on how they want to be contacted.” He believes he can bring more national leaders to FCB as well. “At this year’s FCB convention, we were lucky enough to have a Zoom conference with Eric Bridges, Chris Gray and Joel Snyder to talk about audio description. On the flipside, FCB has had a huge influence on fundraising at the national level through the Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk.” He offers up some advice for any ACB members who want to be able to move up the ladder and become a leader within the organization. “Get involved. There are so many opportunities at all levels. From writing to advocacy to technology to fundraising to the arts, there is really something for everyone. Once you make those connections, others will notice your talents and will give you more opportunities. I would say that it’s important to be involved at all levels of ACB – local chapters, state and other affiliates and at the national level.” *** FCCLV Update By Paul Lewis Greetings to all! I wanted to take an opportunity to bring everybody up-to-date on what’s been happening in the FCCLV. Just on the chance that some of you are not familiar with who we are, FCCLV is an acronym for the Florida Council of Citizens with Low Vision. We are a special interest affiliate of the Florida Council of the Blind (FCB), an organization composed of and for persons with low vision. We are dedicated and focused to the issues, concerns, and challenges that people with low vision face. We welcome all people who would like to join us or learn more about us. Having any vision is not a prerequisite to become a member of our group. To begin, I need to return to the FCB convention from this past May and the annual meeting of FCCLV that was held during the convention. During that meeting, a very significant and important motion was passed. That motion was to terminate our relationship with the Council of Citizens with Low Vision International (CCLVI), our national affiliate. A letter was sent to CCLVI explaining our reasons for this decision, and we have been communicating with them since. This decision to end our relationship with CCLVI Will become final in March unless CCLVI addresses our Concerns and gives us a reason to amend that motion. In preparation for preparing to leave our national affiliate, FCCLV has begun putting together a plan of action. After March, FCCLV will no longer rely on CCLVI for information on the issues and concerns that affect people with low vision.  Key among this will be enhancing the communication between the members of FCCLV and the communication between the FCCLV board and the general membership. With this in mind, here are some ideas that have been brought forward: 1. Create additional opportunities for members to meet in person in addition to our annual meeting. 2. Provide articles to be published in the White Cane Bulletin with news, updates, and information on low vision and FCCLV. 3. Create an FCCLV newsletter to be published quarterly. 4. Look into the feasibility of creating a website and Facebook page for FCCLV. 5. Provide information and updates on advocacy, legislation, technology, and medical advancements. This can be done either through committees or provided by our individual members. These are just some ideas that we would like to bring to the table that will lead to stronger interaction among our membership and improve networking within the organization. For comments or questions, please contact myself or Leslie Spoone, our membership secretary. Sincerely, Paul Lewis President, FCCLV 239-634-6515 lewpil1952@gmail.com *** GOCB Update By Martha James There were some new faces at the annual cookout and pool party on August 3, at the home of Gary Sinclair. Thanks once again, Gary, for opening your lovely home to us. WE will be getting back to work in September, with our meeting planned for September 7. The chapter is planning a White Cane and Guide Dog Safety Day walk for October. In addition, for those with computer access, GOCB is on Facebook. You can find us on Facebook by typing in "GOCB" *** Mumbles from Miami Inclusion or Integration? By Paul Edwards It is a paradigm of the Civil Rights movement that the objective over time is for those for whom discrimination is the rule will eventually be integrated into the society. It is probably presumptuous of me to suggest that this objective does not make sense, but I do so anyway! The truth is that integration makes some assumptions both about the larger society and about those whose rights are being abridged. The larger society has a set of values about what the society is and what is needed for a population to be integrated into the society. To be integrated into a society, a member of a minority must be fully accepted and should also be valued as equal and just as important as other societal members are. I would suggest that it will be a very long time before folks who are black, or Hispanic are accorded this much acceptance. I don't think that women or people with disabilities are any more likely to be perceived as fully equal. Prejudice is endemic and passing laws doesn't make it go away! By the year 2050, there will be more Hispanics in our society in the United States than there will be Caucasian people. So, whether the rest of society likes it or not, there will come a time when, assuming a cohesive population, Hispanic folks will be able to shape the society by electing only people who will represent their interests. Obviously, this assumes that we retain the same kind of government we have now. It also assumes that there will be a difference in what the objectives of government are for the "new" majority. It may be that, instead of working to lessen discrimination, folks will write laws that seriously promote integration. On the other hand, it is just as likely that, once parity happens, folks will begin to create a class structure that is the same as the old one but with different people at the top! I frankly have never felt impelled to work for integration. I don't much care whether I am fully accepted or loved by other members of mainstream society. Time and time again during my life, I have found people who are not blind demonstrating their prejudice. When I went to PTA meetings at my kids' schools or tried to shop in places where people were uncomfortable with blind people or accompanying people with guide dogs who restaurant owners tried to keep out, these are all examples of times when it was clear I wasn't fully accepted. Will this change over time as people become more accustomed to people who are blind being out and about in our country? I don't think so and, as I said earlier, that's fine with me. I know who I am, and I respect people who are blind. I can't control what other people do where acceptance is concerned. But that doesn't mean there is nothing I can do. There is a huge difference between integration and inclusion. Integration is all about being fully accepted. Inclusion is all about demanding that society recognize my rights. That is something I have an obligation to work on. I have the right to vote privately and independently and I will fight for that right. I have the right to take my dog into a restaurant if I have a guide dog and I will fight for that right. I have a right to a job if I am qualified for it and I will battle for that as well! The point of this article and the point of FCB and ACB as well is to suggest that we cannot control how people feel about us. But we can control whether we are as included in our society as the law says we should be. We still have lots to do! Whether we like it or not, people draw lines in the sand and dare us to cross it. The only way we ensure that our rights are respected is to constantly challenge those who would exclude us. When we are working and others can use a gym offered by the employer and we can't, we have to challenge our failure to be included. When a county publishes information, we need in a format we can't use, we must demand they obey the law that requires them to communicate with all their citizens, not just with those whom are easy to accommodate. When buses don't announce stops, we need to demand they do. I could go on and on about the specific ways we need to be included but I think you get the idea. The main point of this article, though, is to suggest that we should worry less about whether others like us and worry more about whether we are getting what the law says we should. I suppose it would be nice if I were fully accepted and could be fully integrated into the society, but I don't think it's likely. People are uncomfortable with anybody who is different from them and laws can't alter the way people feel. Laws can say what rights we have, but it is up to us to protect and extend those. I would argue that people with disabilities have made a mistake by allowing our society to acknowledge our rights incrementally. What this means is that we get one little change at a time. Either the Americans with Disabilities Act protects our civil rights, or it doesn't. We should, in my opinion, be saying to our society, "Look, you have passed a law that says we have rights across the board! You have said that discrimination has happened in the past and that this law changes that! Doesn't that mean that all our civil rights are guaranteed? If it does mean that, why are you fixing one tiny thing at a time? Why don't you start from the other end of the spectrum and accept that we have rights and ask those who deny them what they propose to do about it!" This article raises a lot of fundamental questions and may be controversial. Whether you agree with inclusion or integration is not nearly as important as whether you recognize that the only way, we continue to be sure our rights are protected is to insist that they be recognized. FCB works for this as do each of our chapters. Each of us as people who are blind must also work at it! Society may not want us to marry their daughters but the church where the wedding is to be held had better be accessible! *** The ACBs of Rochester By Amanda Lannan As the plane taxied for takeoff, I found myself stressing over the week ahead. Having never attended an ACB national event, I had no idea what to expect. Just a few weeks before, I was selected as a scholarship recipient, and with every ACB update, e-mail, and phone call, my anticipation – and agenda – grew. What I discovered, though, was so much more than meetings and tours. I found acceptance, connection, and Braille. From the lobby to the meeting rooms, the feeling of acceptance was everywhere. The warm welcome extended by ACB members made the convention feel more like a family reunion. On Tuesday, I attended the teacher breakfast where we had a blast playing Jeopardy! before the meeting. During the speed networking, students shared their successes and struggles, talents and troubles, developing lifelong connections. But the Braille, the beautiful Braille! The amount of Braille that was produced, delivered, and read during the convention was incredible. If you have never heard a trio of Braille embossers running continuously for several hours, then you should absolutely visit the communications room during newspaper production. The business sessions were equally as memorable. The opportunity to witness ACB leaders in action truly highlighted the strength and commitment within the organization. It was also exciting to see our new president, Dan Spoon, share his vision for the future. I am sincerely honored to have been selected as a Frank Qualls Memorial Scholarship recipient and am looking forward to working with other members to increase the independence, security, equality of opportunity, and quality of life for all blind and visually impaired people. Until we meet in 2020, memories of Rochester will remind me to offer acceptance, make strong connections, and to incorporate more Braille into my life. Author bio: Amanda Lannan is a third-year Ph.D. student and LEAD scholar at the University of Central Florida. Throughout her 13 years of teaching general and special education, and in her advocacy work, Lannan has been committed to promoting an accessible, inclusive education for all students. Landan’s research focus is to increase access and accessibility to STEM education for students with disabilities through innovative technologies such as mixed realities and gaming platforms. She hopes to directly influence new teachers, showing how high expectations, creative teaching, and sincere confidence in children can all lead to success. *** Braille Bandits Make World Series Debut By Greg Lindberg What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “Braille Bandits?” Do you think of blind people stealing Braille books? Does the thought of someone reading Braille to decode a message in order to carry out a theft come to mind? Of course, I’m being a bit sarcastic here. While it’s kind of a funny, attention-grabbing name, it is absolutely a serious title for a new beep baseball team. I was proud to be a member of the Braille Bandits this year at the 2019 Beep Baseball World Series, an annual event put on by the National Beep Baseball Association. This summer, the tournament was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Eighteen teams from around the country and even one from the Dominican Republic (the Caribbean Hurricanes) competed over five days of intense beep baseball action. Our team, which had never been on this bright stage before, started out by playing three Texas ballclubs – the San Antonio Jets, Tyler Tigers, and BCS Outlaws. We then took on the Hurricanes team, the Athens Timberwolves from Georgia, and the Wichita Falcons from Kansas. I must admit that it was tough sledding for our team, mainly because it was our first year as a group and we were going up against many players who’ve been playing beep baseball for years. I hit the ball four times in the six games, which was the most I’ve ever done, but unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough to reach base and score a run before a fielder retrieved the ball. Tekisha Saffold was quick enough to score the one run we were able to muster up, and she and Kathleen Trutschel also made several outs in the field. Plus, I thought our two pitchers, Regis Dobson and Henry Woodson, did a respectable job for never having pitched in such an event. In general, I thought our team saw some improvement as the tournament went on. Our ability to make contact with the ball at the plate and our fielding skills both showed progress in each game. In fact, we only lost the last game by a score of 1-0 and really held down Wichita’s hitters quite well. Like anything, practice is critical, especially building the pitcher-batter relationship since a pitcher must throw the beep baseball right toward where his or her teammate is swinging. Keep in mind that unlike regular baseball, the pitcher throws to his or her own teammates rather than the opponent. I have to give a special shout-out to the sighted volunteers who pitched in to help with our team. These included Linda Caruso, Anthony McDowell, and my parents, Marsha and David Lindberg. There is no way we could have traveled and been as organized as we were without their assistance. I think it’s safe to say that with time and effort, the Braille Bandits should be able to put on a better showing next year. I’m also excited to learn of a new beep baseball team that was recently started in Fort Lauderdale. It’s great to see Florida getting in on the action of this exciting sport since our state hasn’t had much of a representation in the past. I always enjoy promoting sports and recreation for the blind. So, if you’d like to learn more about beep baseball, feel free to visit the NBBA website at www.nbba.org. You can always reach out to myself as well. Once again, I can’t wait until next year’s World Series event up in Ames, Iowa! *** My Experience at the Rehab Center By Roanna Bacchus I was born on February 28th, 1990 in Boston, Massachusetts at Boston City Hospital. As a toddler, I attended the Early Intervention program at the well-known Perkins School for The Blind. In 2018, while I was job searching, I decided that I wanted to give back to the Perkins community what was given to me so many years ago. This is where my educational journey began nearly 29 years ago. I applied for a teacher's assistant position at Perkins, but I did not get the job. On February 8th, 2018, I had a phone interview with one of the Recruitment Specialists at Perkins. He asked me questions about teaching skills such as Braille, money management, cane travel, and access technology. After careful consideration, they selected another candidate to fill the position. They also promised to keep my resume in their database and reach out to me if a position that matched my qualifications became available. During my job hunt, I began to realize that I did not possess the necessary independent living skills to succeed as a blind adult on and off the job. Last May, I began searching for a residential program that would allow me to refine my daily living skills. My quest to pursue independent living began on the website of the Perkins School for The Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. Upon reading through the information on the web, I discovered that Perkins only works with blind children from birth through twenty-one years of age. The Carroll Center for The Blind located in Newton, Massachusetts works with blind adults to increase their independence. My family held high expectations for me. During my college career, I was expected to pass my classes, complete assignments in a timely manner, and finish school. In December of 2016, I graduated from the University of Central Florida with my bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies. The next day, I researched the three NFB training centers. These include the Louisiana Center for The Blind, Blind Inc., and the Colorado Center for The Blind. Founded in 1940, the National Federation of the Blind is one of the largest blindness consumer organizations in the United States. In 1985, the Louisiana Center of The Blind (LCB) opened in Ruston, Louisiana. This is the NFB training center that is closest to Florida where I live. I discovered that LCB offered an adult program that would teach me the skills that I needed to learn in order to compete successfully in a sighted world. Upon contacting Pam Allen, LCB's director, I discovered that their programs are costly, so I chose not to go that route. Eventually, I decided that I wanted to stay close to home, so I settled on the Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Daytona Beach, Florida. On May 4, 2018, my dad and I attended a meeting with my counselor from the Florida Division of Blind Services. We discussed my desire to become more independent in my home and she suggested that I attend the rehab center. She e-mailed me the information for the center's director, and I scheduled a tour for my parents and me. On May 31, my parents and I took the 45-minute drive to Daytona for our tour of the rehab center. When we arrived, we went to the administration building where I signed us in, and we waited for our tour guide to arrive. Mr. Edward Hudson, the Bureau Chief who is blind himself, showed us around the property. During our tour, we met some of the instructors and staff who I would interact with during my training. When we returned home later that day, I sent an e-mail to my DBS counselor notifying her that we had taken the tour and liked what we saw. She sent me the appropriate forms that I would need to fill out for admission into their Independent Living Skills Program. Before leaving for this program, I made sure that the Center had all of the necessary medical and personal information that they needed for my paperwork. On June 28, the phone call that I had been waiting for finally came. The center's intake specialist informed me that I needed to arrive on Saturday, July 21 at the residence hall. He e-mailed me my invitation letter, a copy of the center's student handbook, dormitory policies, and directions to the dormitory. I spent several days reviewing this information to ensure that I understood the rules that I had to adhere to while living at the center. Upon receiving this information, I made a list of all the things that I needed to take with me. The student provides everything except for bedsheets, pillows, a blanket, bath towels, and a bedspread. The center provides these items to new clients upon their arrival at the Dormitory. Any clients who plan to live on campus must arrive at the residence hall on Saturday or Sunday of the week when they start classes. Each student at the center has his or her own room on the second or third floor of the residence hall. The rooms are like hotel suites, complete with a living room, bathroom, bedroom, and a kitchenette. On Saturday, July 21 at 10- a.m., my mom, dad, myself, and a family friend piled my luggage into the car and headed off to the rehab center. We stopped to pick up my grandmother who wanted to go with us to drop me off at the center. At last, we arrived at the place where I would be spending the next six months of my life. After checking in with the receptionist at the front desk, she issued me my room key, which also functioned as a security badge. Each student was also issued an identification card, granting them access to classrooms and other secure areas on campus. While my family was unpacking my luggage and setting up my room, I went to the cafeteria for lunch. When I returned from lunch, my Mom showed me where my items were stored so I could find them for classes beginning the following Monday morning. After this, I said goodbye to my family and continued my orientation to the rehab center. After dinner, the evening dormitory attendant read the rules to me, and I signed the form stating that I would abide by the regulations in the student handbook. For the first two weeks, new students are assessed in the skill areas of Braille, access technology, money management, cooking, sweeping, cleaning, cane travel, and making the bed in their room. On my first day, the nurse met with me to discuss my medical needs and provide me with information on various health topics. After the assessments are completed, a staffing is held to determine the amount of time that a client will spend at the center. Students are encouraged to participate in each of their staffings. The client's home counselor and a parent are on the phone during these staffings, which generally take about 15 minutes to complete. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at the rehab center. *** Tech corner By John Richards, for the technology committee Voice Dream Scanner for iOS Voice Dream Scanner is an OCR app developed for use on the iOS platform (meaning for Apple products). The app performs well in low-level lighting. The camera of your device takes a picture of the text document. It is then quickly and accurately processed and available to be read back to you using text to speech. The document can then be saved or exported. Images can also be processed as well. This app is available to iOS users in the App Store for $5.99. To learn more about the Voice Dream Scanner app and listen to a podcast of someone demonstrating the app; go to: https://www.applevis.com/podcast/fast-and-accurate-scanning-voice-dream-scanner-ios *** Poetry Corner By Shelley Sawyer Greetings, dear reader: I guess you could say that this is a combination Poetry Corner and book review. I found this in a novel that I just finished reading. It is a very old English folk song. It is so old that no one knows who composed it. It really doesn’t matter, though, because it is old enough to be public domain, so copyright laws don’t apply. By the way, the novel is Devilwater by Anya Seton. It follows the fortunes of British nobleman Charles Radcliffe who joined the 1715 Jacobite uprising, and of Jenny, his beloved daughter from an affair with a working-class girl. Charles flees to France while Jenny sails for the New World where she settles in Virginia. Includes 2007 foreword by Philippa Gregory. 1962. DB66355. It is a great story if you are into stories about England before the 1800s. North Country Lass; AKA North Country Maid AKA The Oak and the Ash Author Unknown. A North Country lass Up to London did pass, Although with her nature it did not agree, Which made her repent And so often lament, Still wishing again in the North for to be. I like not the court Nor to city resort, Since there is no fancy for maids such as me, Their pomp and their pride I never can abide, Because with my humour it does not agree. How oft have I been On the Cumberland green, Where the young men and maidens resort for to play, Where we with delight From morning till night, Did feast it and frolic on each holiday. When I had the heart From my friends to depart, I thought I should be a lady at last, But now I do find That it troubles my mind, Because that my joys and my pleasures are past. The ewes and the lambs With the kids and their dams, To see in the country how finely they play, The bells they do ring And the small birds do sing, And the fields and the gardens so pleasant and gay. No doubt if I please I could marry with ease, For where bonnie lasses are lovers will come, But the lad that I wed Must be North Country bred, And must carry me back to my North Country home. Chorus (after each verse): Where the oak and the ash and the bonny ivy tree, Do flourish at home in my own country. *** FCB OFFICERS, 2018 – 2020 President, Sheila Young 2304 Amherst Ave., Orlando, FL 32804 sheilayoung125@att.net (407) 425-9200 1st Vice-President, Mikey Wiseman 591 E. 15th St., Hialeah, FL 33010 wisemanmikey@gmail.com (305) 331-4870 2nd Vice President, Cassandra Jessie 408 White St., Daytona Beach, FL 32114 cassandrajessie@gmail.com (850) 980-0177 Treasurer, Mark Lear 708 Kristina Court, Port Orange, FL 32127 learm52@icloud.com (386) 788-0463 Membership Secretary, Sally Benjamin 1009 Concord Road, Apt. 106, Tallahassee, FL 32308 salbenjamin@comcast.net (850) 980-0205 Recording Secretary, Mary Tyson 291 Eddie Ave., Holly Hill, FL 32117 mtyson541@bellsouth.net (386) 212-9496 Immediate Past President, James Kracht 9901 SW 138th Street, Miami, FL 33176 jkk48@bellsouth.net (305) 251-6983 or (407) 378-3477 Editor of White Cane Bulletin, Greg Lindberg 3145 Meadow View Ln., Palm Harbor, FL  34683 glindberg@gmail.com (727) 543-9807 FCB Administrative Assistant, Kati Lear (800) 267-4448 (386) 763-3836     floridacouncil@comcast.net *** 2018-2020 FCB CHAPTER & SPECIAL AFFILIATE OFFICER LIAISONS Please contact your officer liaison if we can be of assistance or if you need anything from the Executive Committee. Broward Council of the Blind: James Kracht jkk48@bellsouth.net (305) 251-6983 Clay Council of the Blind: Mark Lear learm52@icloud.com (386) 788-0463 Greater Miami Council of the Blind: Sheila Young sheilayoung125@att.net (407) 425-9200 Greater Orlando Council of the Blind: Mark Lear learm52@icloud.com (386) 788-0463 Halifax Council of the Blind: Sheila Young sheilayoung125@att.net (407) 425-9200 Jacksonville Council of the Blind: Cassandra Jessie cassandrajessie@gmail.com (850) 980-0177 Manatee County Council of the Blind: Sally Benjamin salbenjamin@comcast.net (850) 980-0205 Miami Beach Council of the Blind: Sheila Young sheilayoung125@att.net (407) 425-9200 Miami Metro Council of the Blind: James Kracht jkk48@bellsouth.net (305) 251-6983 Northwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Council of the Blind: Mikey Wiseman wisemanmikey@gmail.com (305) 331-4870 Palm Beach Council of the Blind: Sally Benjamin salbenjamin@comcast.net (850) 980-0205 Pinellas Council of the Blind: Sheila Young sheilayoung125@att.net (407) 425-9200 Sarasota Council of the Blind: Mary Tyson mtyson541@bellsouth.net (386) 212-9496 South Sarasota County Council of the Blind: Mikey Wiseman wisemanmikey@gmail.com (305) 331-4870 Southwest Florida Council of the Blind: Mary Tyson mtyson541@bellsouth.net (386) 212-9496 Tallahassee Council of the Blind: Cassandra Jessie cassandrajessie@gmail.com (850) 980-0177 Tampa Council of the Blind: Sally Benjamin salbenjamin@comcast.net (850) 980-0205 Braille Revival League of Florida: Mikey Wiseman wisemanmikey@gmail.com (305) 331-4870 Coalition for the Concerns of the Totally Blind: Mark Lear learm52@icloud.com (386) 788-0463 Florida Council of Citizens with Low Vision: Cassandra Jessie cassandrajessie@gmail.com (850) 980-0177 Guide Dog Users of Florida: Mary Tyson mtyson541@bellsouth.net (386) 212-9496 Randolph Shepherd Vendors of Florida: James Kracht jkk48@bellsouth.net (305) 251-6983 *** Handy Telephone Number References Project Insight: (800) 267-4448 Bureau of Braille & Talking Book Library: (800) 226-6075 Division of Blind Services, State Office: (800) 342-1828 American Council of The Blind: (800) 424-8666 (Available 3:00 to 5:30 P.M. EST Monday-Friday only) ACB Legislative Hotline: (800) 424-8666 (Available evenings 8:00 P.M. to 12:00 Midnight EST and weekends 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. only) AT&T Disability Services: (800)872-3883 Press 00 and speak with your long distance carrier, or Florida only: (800)982-2891 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 1009 Concord Road, Apt. 106 Tallahassee, FL 32308 21 1