THE STYLUS
OREGON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND PUBLICATION
Affiliated with the American Council of the Blind
Available in large print and cassette
Edited by Darian Hartman
Contributions by Members of the Oregon Council of the
Blind
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OREGON
COUNCIL OF THE BLIND
WHO
ARE WE?
The
Oregon Council of the Blind is a nonprofit consumer organization
dedicated
to advancing the economic and social interests of the blind in
Oregon.
We are also an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, the
fastest-growing
and most democratic consumer organization of blind apeople in
the
United States.
We
have grown from a small organization with a meager budget in 1954 to a
greatly
enlarged membership which enables us to sponsor programs such as the
following:
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Scholarships and grants-in-aid programs have enabled scores of blind
students
and children of the blind to go onto higher education.
Loan
Fund makes it possible for individuals on low or fixed incomes to
obtain
low interest loans permitting the recipients to develop greater
independence
in areas of home life, employment or mobility.
Legislation
remains a major interest of the Oregon Council of the Blind.
We
have
worked in various areas such as: Guide Dog laws, White Cane laws,
improvements
in "Aide to The Blind" laws, Little Randolph Sheppard Act to
expand
employment opportunities for blind Vendors, and Composition of the
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Oregon Commission for the Blind to better represent the needs and view of the
blind
consumers.
Education
of blind and visually impaired children is a continuing goal of our
Organization.
The
Stylus is a quarterly newsletter published by the Oregon Council of the
Blind
to keep its membership informed concerning the activities of the
Organization
and items of interest to the blind community.
We
welcome new members. Those wishing
further information may contact Mary Chambers
(503)
284-1590.
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President’s
Message
By John Fleming
We held our first quarter board meeting in beautiful
Grants Pass. We met in the
Hawthorne motel on Saturday April 15, 2000.
The Rogue Valley Chapter hosted this meeting. Thank you to all the Rogue
Valley Chapter members that worked so hard to make this meeting very nice.
Bob Rushing reported that we are doing very well
financially. The car donation
program is going strong, and we have gotten a few bequests that we will hear
about at the convention in October.
As of the end of March, 2000, we have 247 members.
Membership lists will soon be
available in print and a limited number in Braille upon request.
Robert Clark, from
Portland, has agreed to help with a Web Page for OCB.
It is only in the
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planning stages right now but we hope to have it up
and running soon.
The board has approved several grants.
Oregon Guide Dog Users was
granted $1,000 for their Spring Romp to help those people who can not afford the
cost of attending this years event. We
agreed to grant “Program Advantage” $1,000.
Program Advantage is a camp for handicapped children that is run by
Oregon firefighters. We will donate
$3,000 to ACB at this years national convention in Louisville, Kentucky.
One of the most exciting grants was for the Oregon School For The Blind.
The school wants to establish a AM and FM low power radio broadcasting
station with Web radio capabilities. We hope to be partners with the American
Council Of The Blind, The Oregon Commission for the Blind, The Oregon department
of Education, The Lions and Elks clubs and Golden Hours Radio to name a few.
This will be a great program for the school and any visually impaired or blind
student that wants to pursue a career in the radio field.
We will provide them with $8,000 as soon as they get this program put
together.
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Welcome To Our
Newest Chapter!
By
Darian Hartman, Brady Rensen and
Dan Sullivan
The name of our chapter is Spilyey Chapter. What follows is our creed which explains our chapter name and our reasons for choosing it.
OUR CREED
The coyote's spirit is one of overcoming adversity and adapting to
Whatever challenges it faces. He is not limited by what he sees, yet
relies as well on the sounds, scents, and feel of all that is around
him. The coyote is able to do this because his spirit is also one of
great courage and wisdom.
The Native American word "Spilyay" means coyote. Our ACB chapter is
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honored to have adopted this special name which in many ways symbolizes
the challenges and adversity we often face. In the spirit of "Spilyay",
we work together as a chapter to form the same courage and wisdom as
this name portrays.
Our officers are:
Brady
Remsen, president;
vice president, Helen Duhn; secretary, Dan Sullivan and treasurer, Sue Browning.
We
are working on our bylaws and constitution and look forward to receiving our
chapter charter in October, at the state convention.
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Multnomah
Chapter News
Recently, our chapter held a very successful no-bake sale. This was a fund-raiser.
In
March, Jerry and Holly DeLaunay gave a wonderful presentation about Golden Hours
Radio. They graciously arranged to
transport our receivers back to OPB. We
are all looking forward to enjoying second audio programming and narrated
television. On behalf of all of
OCB, we would like to thank Golden Hours Radio for their gracious help in
producing the taped version of “The Stylus”.
We would also
like to thank the Portland Department of Transportation, numerous blind citizens
and mobility instructors for their energetic cooperation in placing audible
signals at major intersections in our city.
We are approaching the end of this funding cycle; however, stay tuned to
future issues of this newsletter for updates on this subject.
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Rogue
Valley Chapter News
By Bob Matti
We have had some interesting, well attended meetings. In February, Mr. Sam Kurz entertained us. He is a local artist who creates his own original melodies and plays them on special flutes that he creates or makes. In March, Vickie Jack, Graduate Agency Representative of Guide Dogs for the Blind, gave a very interesting presentation covering many aspects of obtaining, training and using a Guide Dog.
At
our April meeting , We were entertained and enlightened by husband and wife,
Michael and Sonny Valle. Michael is
a song writer singer/entertainer while Sonny is a sculptor/artist.
Michael played the guitar and sang a wide variety of well-known songs.
Sonny gave a presentation on sculpturing and brought a selection of her
creations for members to observe with hands on examination.
Our Chapter hosted the OCB State Board meeting in April. Then, on April 16th About thirty-five members and guests attended a contemporary play "The Man Who Came To Dinner" at the Ashland
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Shakespeare
Festival. Descriptive video was
available
for the blind/vision impaired.
This
was a very well attended enjoyable outing so
more are tentatively planned for later in the year.
We
have an Ophthalmologist and an Optometrist scheduled to speak to us in May.
These Doctors spent the last half of February in El Salvador doing
volunteer eye care in conjunction with the Mercy ship program
Their
presentation relating to their eye care experiences in El Salvador should be
extremely interesting.
We
will hold our annual picnic at Riverside Park on June 10th beginning at 11:00
A.M. Some local musicians group will entertain us, probably the "Friends of
the Old Time Fiddlers". We are
also planning a yard sale in June.
We
hold a workshop the third Tuesday of every other month.
Workshops are generally used to sand and assemble wood toys for the
Christmas Basket Program. Mr. Ed Bergerson and the local Wood Carvers Association
generously supply the parts for these wood toys.
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Bowling
continues to be a popular activity for some of our members.
We bowl at least once a month in the Caveman bowling alley in Grants
Pass.
Our
meetings are held the first Saturday of the month, excluding June; July and
August. Any OCB members or
potential members are invited to attend our meetings and our annual picnic.
As Chairman of this years First Timers Award Committee I want to remind all participants that entry letters are due no later than July first so if you intend to enter and haven't yet sent your letter, you better get on the ball because by the time you read this the deadline for entries will be rapidly approaching.
Southwestern
Chapter News
By
Helen Serfass and Peggy Fry
The
results of our election of new officers in January 2000 follow: Jan Clauson,
President; Audrey
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Schulze, Vice President; Joan Shockley, Treasurer and Peggy Fry, Secretary.
Regretfully
we report the loss of member, John Collins.
Charlotte
Noddin and Peggy Fry had surgeries and Marianne Burns spent time in
the
hospital.
Charlotte
Noddin will be housebound for most of the summer from her surgery
with
hip replacement, but she continues to work very hard on plans for the
state
convention, Charlotte would be pleased to hear from members during her
confinement.
New
regular members are: Genevive
Ledoux and Wilene Roth. New
associate
members
are Linda Hicks, Evelyn Osep, Lee Osep, Anna Price and Ed Roth.
The
Oregon Old Time Fiddlers played for the entertainment at the March
meeting
with our own Helen Serfass and Marianne Burns playing along with
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them.
Each month we hold a fundraiser, a raffle which includes meals for two at
a local
restaurant.
The
state convention is to be held in Coos
Bay
in October. The theme will be
"Sail Away to Coos Bay in 2000".
There
will be two raffles, one for seafood and one for
an
afghan made and donated by Helen Serfass. Money made is for expense of the
state
convention.
by
Carol M. McCarl
The
members of the Willamette Chapter of the Oregon Council of the Blind are always
involved citizens in the community and the activities in April are an
example.
Many
members of the Willamette Chapter attended the regular April meeting that was
held at a special location. The
attendees enjoyed touring the exhibits
of
the annual Low Vision Awareness Day, sponsored by Blindskills, Inc., and held on
the campus of the Oregon School for the Blind this year.
Besides
hearing presentations by exhibitors and other speakers, the members were treated
to a sandwich bar lunch, followed by their business meeting in
the
auditorium.
On
April 11, 2000, two members of the Willamette Chapter, Jack Braziel and Ed
Riplinger, performed
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with
Daryl Beers at the second annual concert sponsored
by
Advocates of the Visually Impaired. Many
of the chapter members were in the audience to enjoy their soothing voices and
guitar-picking skills. Others
heard
at the concert were students from the Oregon School for the Blind and some from
the Willamette Regional Program. Washington
State was represented
by
a trio, led by Don Mitchelll, a former student of OSB and is an instructor at
the Emil Fries Piano Technology School in Vancouver, WA.
The
talents of John Dashney, our resident author, were truly appreciated at the
Chapter's March meeting. We all
enjoyed hearing how he researched the
facts
he entwined in his recently published novel, "Summer Of The Hunters",
published by Storm Peak Press, Seattle, Washington.
It is also available,
in
Braille, at Future Alternatives, 1639 Ashwood Lane, Birmingham, AL 35209.
For more information you might give John a call at (503) 364-5825.
Now
we would like to invite each and every one of you to our annual picnic and penny
auction at Noon
15
on
July 29, 2000, at Salem Green, 4730
Auburn Road
NE,
Salem, OR 97301. If you plan to
attend, please contact Flo Dugan, President of the Willamette Chapter, by July
15, 2000, with your reservation. Her
phone
number is 503/585-4340.
We
want to plan on having enough food for our members and guests, so let us know as
soon as you can. We hope to see you
there.
At the April Board Meeting, OCB members voted to discontinue the position of "Sunshine Chairperson". They agreed that each chapter has done a very good job of taking care of
its
own members. However, in the event of members’ deaths, The
Membership
Chairman and the Board should be notified in order to include them in a memorial
service and to notify the American Council of the
Blind.
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1313
North Bay Shore Drive,
Coos
Bay, Oregon 97420.
The
telephone number is (541) 267-4141.
Room
rates are $50 plus 7 percent bed tax per night.
Be
sure and mention that you are with the OCB convention.
Bob Johnson, Second Vice-President,
will be arranging for a bus that will be going from Portland to Salem
then stopping in Eugene and then going on to Coos Bay. If
there is enough interest we will provide transportation for the Rogue Valley and
Bend groups too.
Oregon Council
Of The Blind, Convention 2000:
CAROL STEWART , NLS narrator and American Printing
House for the Blind Studio Director will be our guest speaker for this year’s
state convention to be held in Coos Bay, Oregon. The convention will be held over the weekend of October 20
through 22, 2000.
CAROL Jordon STEWART has been a NLS narrator for ten
years. Currently she is the Studio Director at the American Printing House for
the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky.
As
Studio Director she works with all the narrators there.
They include Roy Avers, Mitzi Friedlander, Terry Sales, Ray Foushee, Jack
Fox, Jan Gray, Lou Harpenau, Bruce Huntey, to name a few; and of course, she
have plenty of fun stories about what that's like.
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Carol
Stewart has narrated about three hundred
books
for NLS. She usually records "unusual" fiction, new authors, short
story collections and books with
odd stylistic or subject material. She
also does a lot of mainstream fiction which include Rose Madder for Stephen King
fans, the Kat Colorado series for people who like mysteries, Vegetarian Cooking
for Everyone for the
cooks,
lots of romance novels by Amanda Quick, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Linda Howard
and science fiction by
Sherri Tepper, Poul Anderson and Orsen
Scott Card. Then there's self-help like
Women Who Run with the Wolves and
the action/adventure/crime books by Robert Tannenbaum, Douglas Prescott, and
Robin Cook.
If you have not heard her read a book maybe you can get one of these books before the convention. I am sure we will enjoy her talk very much.
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Editor’s Note:
In order to produce an interesting, informative and
creative newsletter, Articles of interest; chapter reports; etc. need to be
submitted in a timely manner. The
Stylus will come to you quarterly in March, June, September and December; so
please submit materials by the 1st of February, May, August and November.
Materials may be submitted in Braille, on cassette, in print, on computer
disk or via e-mail to Darian Hartman:
4335 NE 112th
Portland, Or
97220,
phone (503) 253-9543
e-mail
Please submit any address changes or requests to
receive “The Stylus” in a different format to Bob Rushing: 4705 Auburn Rd.
NE, Space 52, Salem, OR 97301; E-mail: brushing@juno.com,
or to Darian Hartman, Editor. If
you receive this newsletter on cassette, please have someone readdress the
envelope
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and return it to Darian Hartman. Thanks for your
cooperation and consideration.
106 NW "F", PMB #258
Grants Pass, OR 97526
(541) 846-6981
Past
President:
Bev Rushing
4730 Auburn Rd. N.E.
Space #52
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 362-4151
1st
Vice
President
Leonard Kokel
1845 W. Anderson Ave.
Coos Bay, OR 97420
(541) 269-7255
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2nd
Vice
President
Bob Johnson
3294 Randle Ct. NE
Salem, OR 97302
(503) 36108693
Secretary
Gery Hallisy
746 Browning Ave. SE
Salem, OR
97302
(503) 399-0495
Treasurer
Bob Rushing
4730 Auburn Rd. NE, Space #52
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 362-4151
District
Rep.
#1 David Becker
3812 SW Kelly
Portland, OR 97201
(503) 525-0437
District
Rep.
#2 Charlotte
Noddin
63204 Crown Point Road
Coos Bay, OR 97420
(541) 888-9651
Copyright © 2000 by The ACB of Oregon/Oregon Council Of The Blind