AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND OF MARYLAND

Newsletter of the American Council of the Blind of Maryland Fall 2006

President’s Report as submitted by ACBM President Patrick Sheehan

Hello to everyone getting this newsletter and tape copy of the American Council of the Blind Newsletter. This is the first edition of the newsletter for 2006 so you haven’t missed any mailings. It has been a very busy year thus far but I must accept  responsibility for not communicating to everyone before now and with a great team in place I plan to do better. The most important message I have to give in this short report is to say thank you for being members of the American Council of the Blind of Maryland (ACBM) and for the support you have shown to our officers and Board members as they move ACBM forward to implement our programs throughout the state. As you will see throughout this report ACBM is moving forward legislatively, in the public relations arena and in the area of access, especially pedestrian access because of the strong talent that serves on the Board. Without their commitment, knowledge, and hard work ACBM would not be able to accomplish as much diverse progress in such a short time. We in ACBM owe this Board (officers, Board members and friends) a great deal for the work they have done.

In mid December of 2005 Al Pietrolungo and Gary Norman indicated to me that we might have a potential Guide Dog issue with the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore. It was reported that an individual in West Virginia who wished to use their services for their critically sick child was being refused admittance to RMH because the parent had a guide dog. After Gary Norman intervened on behalf of Maryland Area Guide Dog Users Inc (MAGDUI) and I as President of ACBM we talked to RMH and exchanged emails with them concerning this issue. Both Gary and I made several calls to the Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald House Marianne Rowan-Braun. We learned from her that RMH has a policy that states that all service animals are welcome and that RMH locally and nationally does not discriminate against guide dogs.  After further inquiry it was determined that this individual from West Virginia had not followed all the procedures for admittance to RMH in Baltimore. We were under the impression that this incident was closed when surprisingly we read in the Braille Forum that President Chris Gray and ACB’s Advocacy Services Committee had gotten involved and intervened at a national level on behalf of the guide dog user in West Virginia against the corporate Ronald McDonald House located in Chicago.

After much confusion and the sorting out of facts it was determined that the guide dog user from West Virginia had failed to get the required referral from the Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore as required by RMH in Baltimore. In February at the Presidents meeting, I indicated to President Gray and other affiliate presidents that I did not appreciate the President coming into my state without my knowledge and making statements and filing accusations that proved to be   inaccurate, incorrect and embarrassing. Because of this incident a policy was established that mandates that the Advocacy Services Committee consult with relevant stakeholders on an issue (including the state president) before they engage in advocacy within a state.

In August I accompanied Gary Norman to RMH in Baltimore to chat with Marianne about what RMH does and formed an education partnership with her group. We agreed to come to RMH in Baltimore in October to educate the families, their sick children, and RMH staff about guide dogs and the guide dog movement. Marianne said she would make sure the media is available for this event so that RMH, MAGDUI and ACBM all receive good publicity concerning this new partnership.

  In the spring of 2006 our crack legislative committee was able to get passed an animal cruelty bill, which will take proactive steps in assuring more favorable treatment of animals and in our case guide dogs throughout the state. We hope to use this first piece of legislation passed in 2006 to increase the penalties for abuse of service animals throughout the state. The legislative committee has already drafted preliminary legislation that they hope to submit in bill form in January of 2007, which increases the penalties for injuring a service animal due to negligence or deliberate cruelty. In addition the legislative committee, chaired very ably by Robert Kerr, along with MAGDUI orchestrated the demise of HB1457 that sought to enforce the mandatory registration of service animals throughout the state by the Maryland Department on Disabilities (MDOD).

Last but not least, because of the fine work done by Charlie Crawford as Executive Director of ACB and the tenacity of Al Pietrolungo as President ACB of Maryland has become recognized as a leader in the Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) arena. As has been reported throughout Maryland by Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT Secretary Robert Flanagan and in the Braille Forum Maryland is leading the country in the installation of APS in intersections throughout the state. This is in large part due to a decision by the Federal Highway Administration in July of 2005 that interpreted intersections as facilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As facilities these intersections must insure that all information presented (in this case “walk” or “don’t walk” information) is available to both non-disabled and disabled pedestrians alike. We expect up to 125 intersections to be outfitted with pedestrian signals over the next 15 years and are now in the process of working with the State Highway Administration (SHA) to make sure that the configuration of these signals is appropriate and consistent so that a blind pedestrian will know what to look for when they depress the button that activates the accessible pedestrian signal. In Maryland, after talking to a lot of knowledgeable people, I feel that we need to have the choice of speech and tones to tell us when the walk sign is on and identification of the streets that we will cross. In addition we need to have uniformity of this information at all intersections in Maryland so we have consistency and reliability of APS throughout Maryland.

Although I could go on to other topics I will end here and say that it is an honor and privilege to serve as your President in Maryland. Along with our talented Board members and friends I will do my utmost to lead Maryland forward in a way to increase our effectiveness throughout the country and improve the lives of blind Americans in our state.

With utmost respect,

Patrick Sheehan

ACBM President

This is the report of the Central Maryland Council of the Blind as submitted by Al Pietrolungo:

Let’s begin by talking about lunch. The Bulleyes Restaurant has been delivering lunch rather late, so we are now looking at other restaurants for our meetings.

At the September meeting, we met at the Poplar Inn in Dundalk. I would like to see us try at least one more restaurant before we settle on a new permanent

location for our meetings. Stay tuned as the social committee, under the leadership of Robin Rehder,  works on this problem. If you have not been to a

chapter meeting in a while, come and help us decide on a new restaurant.

 Our fund raising committee is working hard. Ruth Hairsine will have a few of us at the Parkville Shopping Center on September 23 selling our cookbook and

raffle tickets. Under Ruth’s leadership, the committee is trying to help us raise enough money to purchase a Braille printer. So, at the state convention,

we will be trying to sell you a cookbook. Even if you are not attending the convention, please feel free to  call me at 410 529-9475, and I will tell you

how you can  get your hands on our cookbook for just $20. We have “Out of Sight Cookbook with 101 recipes from mostly CMCB members, and we have Braille,

large print and regular print available.

The membership committee is working on a letter which we intend to distribute to area colleges and universities to let college students know we are interested

in them and the problems they face in school. If you know someone who might be interested in checking out our meetings, please contact membership chairperson,

Hope Pietrolungo. We may be able to offer that potential new member the opportunity to have the chapter pick up the check for that introductory lunch.

Marianne Daley and Vanessa Lowery are heading our advocacy committee, and the hot topic right now is taxi access. Earlier in the year, the committee was pushing Verizon to address some problems encountered by our memberships particularly when using Verizon”s Disability Services Office. Please let us know if you have experienced service problems with Verizon. Also, see Vanessa’s article about her work with Wachovia Bank.

I have mentioned our active committees, but I want to mention we have had some turn over in our group of chapter officers. Vanessa Lowery is vice-president, and Gary Messman took over as treasurer. Shirley Messman recently became our secretary, and I am chapter president. At our meeting in November, we will hold an election for the members of our board.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you at our ACB of Maryland convention in November. See you at the Tremont.

Take care.

Al Pietrolungo

This is the report of the Southern Maryland Council of the Blind as submitted by Bob Kerr:

Since my last report, the SMCB has continued its work to improve rehabilitation outcomes for blind and visually impaired people in our region.  As a result of our efforts, the Division of Rehabilitation Services established an Office of Blindness and Vision Services.  By providing specialized rehabilitation services to blind and visually impaired people we believe rehabilitation outcomes can be vastly improved.  We at SMCB will continue to monitor the Office’s progress.

In November 2005, it was my pleasure to serve as the SMCB delegate to the annual American Council of the Blind of Maryland Convention.  In addition, I was asked to chair the resolutions committee, which drafted two important resolutions.  After some discussion, convention delegates approved a resolution authorizing ACBM to join with other organizations in promoting pedestrian safety.  The convention also approved financial aid for ACB affiliates in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi to assist them in recovering from Hurricane Katrina.  Before the convention was adjourned, I was again asked to chair the ACBM Legislative Committee and promote our agenda in Annapolis.  If you have yet to attend an ACBM Convention, I strongly recommend that you attend the 2006 convention in Baltimore on November 3, 4 and 5.

Together with the ACB of Maryland, the SMCB sought passage by the Maryland General Assembly of two important pieces of legislation.  The first of these bills would have imposed criminal penalties for those who deliberately injure animals in our state including services animals, while the second bill would have required that an accessible voter verifiable paper audit trail be adopted for use by the State Board of Elections.

Although it is difficult to believe that people would deliberately injure guide dogs, service animals are often injured by other dogs, that are not leached and whose owners have caused them to be vicious through abuse.  With animal cruelty wide spread in Maryland, Delegate Murray Levy introduced HB 11, which imposed criminal penalties for abusing animals.  During hearings on this legislation, MAGDUI President, Gary Norman testified, while many ACBM members contacted their representatives to urge their support.  Through our efforts HB 11 passed both houses and was signed into law by Governor Ehrlich.  Now, anyone who deliberately harms a service animal can be punished with a fine of up to $1,000 and/or a term of 90 days in jail.

It has been the position of both the SMCB and our state affiliate that blind and visually impaired voters be afforded the right to vote independently by secret ballot.  For this reason, ACBM championed Maryland’s acquisition of an accessible direct recording election system.  But now a large segment of Maryland’s electorate question the integrity of the election system, as it is not independently verifiable.  Those of us who have voted by paper ballot with the assistance of a sighted person have learned to accept some doubt as to the accuracy of our vote.  Ironically, the very machines that afford us an independent secret ballot now cause sighted voters to doubt the accuracy of their votes. 

SaveOurVotes-MD and other groups representing Maryland voters called for the adoption of a voter verifiable paper audit trail to be used in conjunction with the direct recording election system.  As a voter verifiable paper audit trail would enhance voter confidence in the integrity of the system, we supported its adoption provided it was made accessible to voters who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise disabled.

Legislation addressing election system verification was introduced in the General Assembly and our organization was among those offering testimony.  Along with Gary Norman, I testified before committees in both the House and Senate and advised them of our concerns.  After passing the House, the bill was stalled in committee in the Senate.  Legislation will surely be reintroduced during the 2007 session and our organization will continue to demand our right to an election process that is fully accessible.

During the 2006 General Assembly a bill was introduced which would have overhauled that portion of the Annotated Code dealing with service animals.  HB 1457 would have required the certification and annual recertification of guide dog teams presumably at the owner’s expense.  For this reason, ACBM, MAGDUI, and several other organizations opposed this bill.  The bill was to be heard on March 15 before the House Committee on Health and Government Operations.  However, when confronted by a coalition of disability groups, the hearing was canceled and the bill was withdrawn by its sponsors.

When the General Assembly convenes in 2007, ACBM will introduce its own bill dealing with service animal reform.  Our bill will provide for increased penalties for guide dog interference and will require special training for first responders in regard to the rights of guide dog users.   I trust that our members will contact their representatives in Annapolis and ask them to support this bill when it is before the Assembly next year.

It has certainly been a busy year for the Southern Maryland Council of the Blind.  What the past year has taught us is the importance of educating ourselves on the issues and working together.

This is the report of the Maryland Area Guide Dog Users, Inc as submitted by Gary
Norman:

The Maryland Area Guide Dog Users, Inc. constitutes a dynamic and active
organization who has recently received its status as an approved Section
501c3 public charity.  This report will stress the importance of your
talents, skills and contributions to the organization and also furnish a
brief update on the accomplishments of our great volunteer board.

I have been pleased to serve as CEO and president of this not-for-profit
organization and look forward to serving in this capacity four another term.

I am confident that MAGDUI will continue to flourish into a successful and
sustainable organization through the current efforts of the board and by the
future leadership of officers and directors.  While the board, which is
composed of officers for the not-for-profit, is called to be active leaders
in the guide dog movement, all members, whether guide dog users, or persons
interested in and dedicated to the important work of these special animals
are called to be leaders and servants to the cause of civil rights for the
visually impaired.  MAGDUI has accomplished many important works through its
active volunteer board, relationship and collaboration with ACBM and myriad
new friendships in the community.  The success of this great not-for-profit
in accomplishing its mission to educate about and advocate on behalf of
guide dogs will continue to depend on your many talents and contributions. 
There is room for the talents, skills and contributions of everyone in the
guide dog family of Maryland and this organization.

This is to furnish a brief of some of our efforts in the state.  This is to
thusly request that you continue to be active members of this organization
and never hesitate to volunteer either to be part of a project or to propose
important work and projects to the board.

This is to thank some outgoing members of the board who have decided to
allow new leaders to develop.  We know, however, that these former board
members will continue to be the best of guide dog handlers and MAGDUI
members.  We thank the valuable talents, skills and contributions of Ms.
Jane Sheehan and Ms. Vanessa Lowery who have respectively served in the
capacities of secretary and vice president.  These two ladies have dedicated
an enormous amount of time and commitment to the important education and
advocacy work of MAGDUI.  We are pleased, however, to continue to work with
Ms. Lowery in hosting an expanded regional seminar about guide dogs.

Ms. Sheehan and Ms. Lowery and others, such as the CFO and treasurer of this
organization, Ms. Nancy Dosh, CPA and my wonderful wife Laura have enabled
us to accomplish myriad activities and projects during the past fiscal year.
  The expansive legislative coalition that we developed to defeat House Bill
@#1457 in the 2006 Maryland General Assembly exists as an indication of the
good will that this public charity is fostering in the assistance dog
movement.  We thank ACBM who constituted our chief partner in the coalition
to defeat this bill, which if it would have been passed would have violated
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,  through requiring, among other
illegal  actions by handlers, mandatory state certification of service
animals.  On August 12, 2006, we hosted our first annual education seminar
about service animals and assistance dogs.  We benefited from the
presentations and comments of myriad wonderful participants and speakers,
including, but not limited to Fidos for Freedom, Inc., Mr. Jay Ringgold of
the Baltimore County Emergency Operations Center, Segway of Annapolis, and
blessing by Father Burgess.  Food was served, we gained some media exposure
through the seminar and it appears that the program was enjoyed by all. 
Laura and I were pleased to have hosted representatives from Seeing Eye,
Guiding Eyes and Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation at dinner as part of MAGDUI's
official thanks for their dedication to guide dogs and for traveling far
distances to attend and present at the seminar.  We also engaged in
emergency preparedness drills and spoke to community groups and attended
community festivals to educate about guide dogs.

ACBM and I met with the Ronald McDonald House of Baltimore City to educate
about and discuss the issue of guide dog access.  Mr. Pat Sheehan, the
capable leader of ACBM and we believe that we have adequately addressed any
access concerns at the facility and look forward to cultivating a fruitful
relationship with them.  On October 24, 2006, at 7 P.M., we will present to
families at the Ronald McDonald House to educate about guide dogs and bring
exposure to our new relationship with the facility.  The executive director
of the Ronald McDonald House, ACBM and MAGDUI have discussed and agreed to
quarterly bring guide dogs to the facility as part of our on-going efforts
to educate the public about these special animals.

On November 3, 2006, from 6 P.M. to 9 P.M., in the Mt. Vernon Cultural
District, MAGDUI will host its first annual gala and silent auction to bring
exposure to our organization's important work on behalf of the visually
impaired and to educate the public how these specially bred and trained dogs
enhance our quality of life.  The cost per ticket is $75.00, or $130.00 per
couple.  We seek assistance in procuring silent auction items.  Serving on
the committee to host this gala are; Ms. Nancy Dosh, CPA, as a co-chair, Ms.
Cecilia Warren and my wife Ms. Laura Norman, a licensed social worker.  The
up-coming state convention of ACBM, (to be hosted from November 3-5, 2006);
will also constitute another opportunity on which you can vote on future
officers for this great organization.  The slate is to consists of Mr. Gary
C. Norman, Esq., as CEO and president, Ms. Cecilia Warren as vice president,
Mr. Charles Crawford as secretary and Ms. Nancy Dosh, CPA as CFO and
treasurer.  The annual business meeting of MAGDUI will occur on November 4,
2006, at 3 P.M.  We are planning another exciting year of important
education and advocacy work and look forward to the dedication of who ever
should be elected to serve as officers.  The foregoing report is but a small
indication of the toil of myriad fine persons and the exciting future plans
of this public charitable organization.  We are as successful as your
dedication and contributions.

 

Wachovia's new ATM Machines Have Gone High-Tech

An article by Vanessa Lowery

Sometime in late July or early August, I discovered that one of the Wachovia
ATM machines at a bank near my home had been replaced with a newer
model.  The prior model had push buttons, and I knew which buttons to push in
order to conduct ATM transactions.  However, this new model operated on the
"touch screen" principle. Fortunately, I have enough vision to see and operate
the touch screen, but people with less vision would not have been able
to use them at all, or so I thought.  The newer models are manufactured by
Diebold, the same company that manufactures the voting machines used in
Maryland and other states.

I discussed the matter with Al Pietrolungo, and he put me in touch with Lainey Feingold, an attorney in California. because she was familiar with this kind of situation and had assisted other blind citizens who were facing the same problem with Bank of America ATM machines.  Because of legal decisions that were made, Bank of America and a number of other large banks, Wachovia included, vowed to make the more advanced machines accessible to blind customers.  This attorney gave me some things to think about, and through my efforts, I located the appropriate people within Wachovia's bureaucracy who could tell me what had been done or what would be done to make their new ATM machines accessible.

I was able to learn that the Wachovia machines with touch screen technology also had a means by which to operate them using the key pad and some other keys to the right of the key pad.  I was also told that the machines had spoken instructions which could be heard if you plugged an earphone with a minijack into the machine.  I was given verbal instruction about where the minijack port was located on the machine by someone from Wachovia's department that deals with the equipment, and the jack port was indeed quite easy to locate.

Each Wachovia branch is supposed to have a supply of earphones which can
be given to customers, and which the customers can apparently keep.  But it
is really more practical for the user to have his/her own set of earphones.
In my case, I have a number of pairs of earphones, and I specifically
selected a pair that can be collapsed into a small storable size that fits
nicely in my fanny pack.

I have used the new ATM machines a number of times.  After inserting the

earphones, the user immediately begins to hear clear, easy-to-follow
instructions.  The speech, though somewhat mechanical-sounding, is a
clear, female voice.  The user is told how to insert the ATM card.  This may
not be necessary for all users, but the instructions are quite good, making it
possible to correctly orient the card before inserting it into the machine.

The instructions then continue by telling you which numbers on the keypad or on the additional function keys should be pressed.  The number five on the keypad has a dot on it for easy location.  The three or four function keys to the right of the keypad have tactile markings, allowing for easy identification.  Using the appropriate keys while listening to the instructions, transactions are quickly and easily completed.  The
instructions even remind you to please remove the card, cash, and receipt, and it keeps reminding you until all items are removed.

Wachovia is to be commended for making the effort to make the machines accessible to people who are visually impaired.  Their only failure was that they did not do a good job of informing customer (blind or sighted) about the new machines and their operational features.  It appears that some bank staff at local branches were not well-informed, either.  I visited one branch, and the staff was not familiar with how to demonstrate the
accessible features to their blind or visually impaired customers.  Nor could they even find a set of earphones.  But in spite of this, the bottom line is that the new Wachovia ATM machines are accessible.

 

An article By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Stem Cell Experiments Slow Vision Loss in Rats

Researchers will report today that cells grown from human embryonic stem cells slowed vision loss when injected into the eyes of rats with a disease similar to macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people older than 55.

The experiments do not prove that the cells, obtained through the destruction of human embryos, will work in people. But by showing that the cells have the potential to fill in for failing cells in the retina, experts said, the work may help justify trying the technique in humans.

Raymond D. Lund, then at the University of Utah's John A. Moran Eye Center in Salt Lake City, and Robert Lanza of Advanced Cell Technology Inc. (ACT) in Worcester, Mass., started by developing a reliable method for turning embryonic stem cells into retinal pigment epithelium cells, which nourish the light-sensitive "photoreceptor" cells in the eye. In macular degeneration, the pigment cells gradually disappear.

The researchers achieved the transformation in all 18 stem cell lines they worked with -- including some provided by the National Institutes of Health and others developed privately at Harvard University and at ACT -- proving that their approach can consistently produce the crucial pigment cells. Then they injected the cells, about 20,000 per eye, into the retinas of 14 rats with a genetic disease similar to macular degeneration. Eight control rats received eye injections without any cells.

Forty days after treatment, the team measured retinal electrical activity in response to flashes of light, and it found that the treated rats were twice as responsive as the untreated ones, which by then were going blind. A separate test -- which tracks eye and head movements in response to a moving display, a measure of an animal's ability to discern fine details -- showed that the treated rats had twice the visual acuity of the untreated rats nearly three months after treatment.

Microscopic examination of the retinas at autopsy showed that the treated eyes had healthy photoreceptor layers five to seven cells thick, while the untreated eyes had an average thickness of just one cell. (Healthy rats have layers 10 to 12 cells thick.) None of the cells divided abnormally or grew into tumors, the team reports in today's issue of the journal Cloning and Stem Cells.

"It's important and pretty exciting work," said Lucian V. Del Priore, an expert in retinal cell transplants at Columbia University. A steady source of safe, laboratory-cultivated cells for retinal transplants would be a welcome advance, he said.

But Del Priore cautioned that the rat disease is not identical to macular degeneration (no animal disease is), and it remains uncertain how long the new cells will survive and work. Immune-system responses, while generally suppressed inside the eye, can eventually lead to rejection, he said.

AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND OF MARYLAND All rights reserved.