CCB OUTLOOK Spring, 1998 Steve Dresser, Editor Published by The Connecticut Council of the Blind Marcia Dresser, President Toll-free: (800) 231-3349 Hartford area: (860) 521-6749 On the World-wide Web: http://members.tripod.com/~dmclean/ccb.html Together, we can make a difference. This newsletter is published four times a year, and is available in braille, print, large print, on cassette, via E-mail, and on the CCB Web site. ******************** TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM THE EDITOR PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE MEET NEW CCB MEMBER JULIAN PADOWICZ THE IMPORTANCE OF FINANCE by John Mattioli MEET OUR 1998 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT by April Hutchins WHY GO TO A CONVENTION by John Buckley CCB NEWSMAKERS NOMINATIONS SOUGHT TITANIC AND DVS: TECHNOLOGIES PAST AND PRESENT by John Mattioli CCB BULLETIN BOARD GLAXO DERMATOLOGY RX DRUGS NOW PRINTED WITH BRAILLE IN MEMORIAM EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FROM BESB Compiled by Dave Bates CCB STANDING COMMITTEES CCB BOARD OF DIRECTORS ******************** FROM THE EDITOR Since I consider access to the written word to be one of the most important issues faced by blind people, I feel I should apologize to those of you who received the last issue of the _Outlook in something other than the format you expected. Right in the midst of brailling the newsletter, the Juliet paused for a moment, made a noise that sounded a little like indigestion, and died. In order to get the newsletter out before the convention, I decided to substitute tapes for the remaining braille copies. Then, I discoverzed I didn't have quite enough cassettes, even after Dave Bates generously donated some tapes. Fortunately, a few people graciously accepted e-mail copies of the newsletter, and despite all the problems, the CCB _Outlook went to press on schedule. I'm happy to report that the Juliet is back on line, and braille production is once again in full swing. I've never officially announced it, but in addition to being available in braille, print, on cassette, and on the Web, you can receive your copy of this newsletter via e-mail. Now if you don't have a computer, please don't panic--I'm not planning to cut back on braille, print, or tape production. But if you _do have a computer and like the idea of getting your _Outlook electronically, please let me know. With the ACB national convention being held in Orlando this year, there will probably be a record turnout from Connecticut, as well as the rest of the country. Naturally, part of the reason for going is that there's lots to see and do in Orlando. Let's not forget, however, that even without the tourist attractions, an ACB national convention is a major event. I've been to several, and have returned from each one with a renewed sense of purpose. Whether this is your first time, or you're an old hand at ACB conventions, or you've been thinking about going but haven't quite persuaded yourself that it's worth the time and effort, I strongly suggest that you read John Buckley's excellent article "Why Go to a Convention." When you've finished, you'll know some of the reasons why people go to ACB conventions year after year. I look forward to seeing some of you this summer in Orlando, and hope that at least a few more of you will join us next year in Los Angeles. --Steve Dresser ====================== PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Greetings, everyone! During the past several months, I have been very gratified at the increasing involvement of our members in CCB. Our membership has increased from 56 to 70, and our recent activities have been successful and fun. Thanks to Shirley Phelon and her committee, our spring convention came off without a hitch and, according to all reports, was very well received. About one third of our members attended. While this sounds low, it's actually very good, considering that the average attendance at ACB state conventions is about 25%. Everyone enjoyed our travel theme, and GDUCT held its first official meeting. We made two decisions I think you should be aware of. The first concerns our Thermoform machine, which has been in storage for five years. We purchased it in 1983 and used it extensively to duplicate newsletters and notices until computer technology made braille production faster and easier. The Thermoform machine served us very well; however, it is in need of repair which, according to estimates from the manufacturer in California, would cost CCB at least $250. The membership in attendance voted not to spend this money. Carol Gillispie graciously offered to take the Thermoform machine and see about refurbishing it. Carol said that if she can find a way to repair it, she will make it available to CCB members who need materials duplicated. We very much appreciate Carol's generosity, and we are very happy that the Thermoform machine has a good home. In discussing the fall convention, which will be upon us sooner than we think, the membership voted to have another overnight convention. We have been approached by Howard Johnson's in Hamden; Shirley and her committee are investigating this and other possibilities. On Friday evening, Game Night will be back by popular demand, and we are looking into having someone join us from ACB. So please mark your calendars now: the CCB fall convention will be held October 30 through November 1, 1998. Details will follow shortly. Here is another date to save--Friday, August 7. Dave and Julie McLean are organizing a trip to a New Haven Ravens baseball game to benefit CCB. What a great way to spend a summer night! As you'll read later, new member Julian Padowicz has very graciously offered CCB a 50% commission on the sale of his audio books. I've read Julian's book about cats, and I found it to be entertaining, informative, and just plain fun. You'll find a catalog of these audio books included with this newsletter. Please help us with this if you can! Audio books make great gifts for any occasion. Later in this newsletter, you'll read about an important decision the Board of Directors made regarding our scholarship fund. Many thanks to John Mattioli, who thoroughly researched the options and put together a concise and well-organized presentation for our consideration. I hope you find time to relax and have fun this summer! --Marcia Dresser ====================== MEET NEW CCB MEMBER JULIAN PADOWICZ Dear Fellow CCB Members, I have recently joined your council, and Marcia Dresser, our president, has suggested that I take this opportunity to introduce myself to you. I am sighted, but I write and publish audio books, and, thanks to the tremendous support I've received from various organizations for the blind, a great many of my customers over the past two years have been visually impaired persons. Audio book writing and production are something I got into when I retired from filmmaking around ten years ago. Because the making of industrial and educational films put me in contact with a great variety of subjects, from fundraising techniques and personnel management, to the legitimacy of emotions and the nature of alcoholism, I have been drawing on this experience to write audio books on such subjects as computers, the Internet, dealing with the irate customer, managing your own anger and other troublesome emotions, conflict resolution, and the nature of cats. These audio books I record in a studio I built in my basement, and distribute under the name BFI AudioBooks. If you would like a catalog of my titles, you can contact Marcia who is preparing both a large-print version and one in Braille. When I read in an earlier newsletter that you were raising funds for scholarships, I suggested to Marcia that, in addition to selling cookies, the Council also sell some of my audio books for a commission. I proposed that the Council sell not only to its own members, but to visually impaired people everywhere. She and I are currently working on the means to do that. I live in a hundred-year-old farm house in Stamford with my wife, Donna, and our three cats. Donna and I have been married for eleven years, having both been widowed before. The cats came with Donna, and I brought a serious cat allergy into the relationship. Without the help of my allergist, this would not have worked out as well as it has. Donna is a computer consultant, and together we wrote my most successful audio book, "60 Minutes Towards Computer Literacy." It is based on her knowledge of the subject and my ignorance. I'm a very "right- brained" person and have great difficulty following technical instructions and explanations when presented in the conventional way. Donna and I bet on the fact that any explanation of computer concepts that finally made sense to me, would make sense to anyone. We used a series on non-technical, non- threatening, and, I believe, quite creative analogies to which all can relate. It seems to have worked, because our audio book has received some great magazine reviews, and sales have been brisk. Unfortunately, I have a weekend schedule that does not make it easy for me to get to CCB conventions. However, I do invite any of you who would like to visit my studio (there really isn't much to see) or just chat, to give me a call at 203/968-2255 at any reasonable hour of the day. My best to all, JULIAN PADOWICZ ====================== THE IMPORTANCE OF FINANCE by John Mattioli Throughout the years, the Connecticut Council of the Blind has engaged in a wide variety of fund raising activities. I thought this might be a good opportunity to look at where we've been, where we are now, and where we need to go in order to grow our organization. As with many small organizations, fund raising is as difficult as it is important. No organization can survive on membership dues alone, so numerous "old stand-by" fund raisers are tried. Tupperware sales, mug sales, cookbook sales, and t-shirt sales have all been profitable for CCB. In the past, CCB has sold candy to raise money, and we've just proven that this time-honored fund raiser still works for us. Thirty cases of candy were purchased and distributed to CCB members, and money has been collected for all but three of them. While there is still candy to sell, we have clearly made a profit on this venture. As mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter, CCB had an unprecedented opportunity to sponsor a trip to Framingham, Massachusetts to see the movie "Titanic" with DVS. While this trip was not planned as a fund raiser, it did earn a profit of about $150, which has been added to the CCB treasury. It has been recommended that this money be used to defray the cost of future transportation needs, but no official action has been taken thus far. Perhaps, as CCB's treasury grows, we can allocate part of our funds for transportation, just as we do for our scholarship. And speaking of the scholarship fund, a recent board decision should help CCB insure the continued growth of our scholarship program. At our May board meeting the treasurer reported about $2,300 in our scholarship fund. The Board voted to move $2,000 out of the bank Certificate of Deposit that we have historically used for scholarship money, and into a mutual fund run by Prudential Mutual Funds. While the CD has been earning about 4.3%, this mutual fund has averaged over 10% for the past ten years. While returns from mutual funds aren't as predictable as CD returns, we believe we've selected a fund that should easily outperform the CD we've been using. For the first time in a few years, our scholarship oriented fund raising activities brought us more money than we granted to our scholarship winner. In my entire time as a CCB Board member, this is the most positive change I've seen in the organization! The federal government is the only organization I can think of that is allowed to spend more than it makes. While CCB is growing, we are still not in that league. Last year at this time we were on the brink of being unable to offer a scholarship. This year we are all still concerned about CCB's financial health, but you have proven that our members are ready for a good fund raising challenge. Consequently we must all commit ourselves to another successful fund raising year. One of our newest members, Julian Padowicz, is a producer of books on standard-format audio cassettes. The titles cover a wide range of topics from computers to cats. Several titles specifically relate to organizational issues such as fund raising, publicity, and productive meetings. The Connecticut Council of the Blind has entered into an agreement with Mr. Padowicz. In return for marketing his audio books, we will earn a 50% commission on any titles we sell. The books range in price from $10 to $20, but the majority of them are $14.95. Just by selling only 200 books, we could raise about $1,500 for CCB (more than we raised with the candy sale). We expect to bring several books to the ACB national convention, but we'll need your help to sell them in other places as well. If you are interested in any of the titles, or in selling these books to others, please contact CCB. Just think of all the commuters traveling Metro North trains into New York City on a daily basis. Many of thm listen to books on cassette. Perhaps CCB could benefit from this? During a recent convention, Jane French, from the Connecticut Institute for the Blind, offered to assist CCB in grant writing. Although none of your current directors have much experience with this process, we realize that writing grants is vitally important to a small organization such as ours. We hope to bring you more news on this topic very shortly. In summary, our current financial condition is serious, but less critical than last year at this time. We have several opportunities coming up for members who want to get involved, and we hope you'll let us know how you'd like to help. Together we are starting to make a difference. ====================== MEET OUR 1998 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT: Karen Alison by April Hutchins As Chairman of the CCB Scholarship Committee, I felt privileged to present our scholarship award to this year's recipient, Karen Alison. Karen and her family attended our spring, 1998 convention on Saturday, April 25th where the presentation was made. Karen, a junior at Montville High School, expressed her gratitude for the scholarship. She says she intends to use the money to help pay expenses at the University of Connecticut where she hopes to study either psychology or education. On behalf of the Scholarship Committee and the entire CCB membership, congratulations, Karen, and best wishes for the future! ====================== WHY GO TO A CONVENTION by John Buckley (with permission from "The Blind Teacher" September, 1993) I am writing this message one week after the end of the ACB convention, and I am still sorting out impressions and experiences. It has always seemed to me that perhaps the best part of the conventions is something of a well-guarded secret seldom discussed in the _Braille _Forum and never appearing in the convention program. It is the one experience, I think, that first-timers find most valuable in the week. More than any other minority, the disabled usually have little or no contact with people like themselves. For every visually impaired person who attends the state school for the blind or is active in the blind community, there are many more who must deal with their blindness and its consequences by themselves. Successful role models are few and far between for these people. Most of us work in an environment where we are virtually the only disabled person. It is for this reason that attendance at ACB conventions is so valuable. In San Francisco, as at any other convention, I was struck by the impact that mere attendance had on many of those present, especially if it was for the first time. One NABT [National Association of Blind Teachers] first-timer, when asked about the convention, could only say, "I've never seen so many blind people in one place. It's amazing." Not only are there a large number of visually impaired, but there is also an impressive diversity of attendees--attorneys, social workers, data programmers, government employees, independent business people, and vendors, as well as teachers. Each year, the ACB convention showcases what is probably the largest gathering of successful blind and visually impaired people in the United States. As one friend, who is a computer analyst, said, "You live in your own little part of the world, and about the time you begin to think you are pretty hot stuff, you come to a convention and realize you are only one of a great many successful blind people." There is nothing like attending an ACB convention to strengthen one's self-concept. This is especially true for the newly blinded, those experiencing professional problems, persons starting a new career, and students. Having chaired the undergraduate scholarship committee for the last few years, I can testify to the dramatic impact that attending an ACB convention has on the winners. More than once I have run into the previous year's winner only to be struck by how much more poised and confident the student is. This is no accident. Students and first-time attendees often credit exposure to the large number and variety of successful blind people at the convention for their newly found self-confidence. As one of the younger members of NABT remarked this year, "Coming to this convention and seeing all the people who are here really is an inspiration for so many of us." ... *** John Buckley, a retired professor of speech and communication at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, chairs the ACB Scholarship Committee, and has been a member of the ACB Board of Directors since 1997. ====================== CCB NEWSMAKERS John Mattioli and Laurie Doyle will be married on Saturday, June 27, at 10:00 A.M. in the Church of St. Rita, 620 Whitney Avenue, Hamden. Congratulations, John and Laurie, and best wishes for a happy life together! * * * Barbara Blejewski will head down to Seeing Eye to start training with her new dog on Saturday, June 20. Best of luck, Barbara. * * * CCB Recording Secretary April Hutchins was recently elected Vice President of Public Relations for Nathan Hale Toastmasters in Manchester. Her duties include writing press releases, and explaining the workings of the club to prospective members. Congratulations, April, and good luck in your new position. * * * Jan Frost, a rehab teacher at BESB, is retiring on June 30. She plans to spend her time relaxing and taking care of her grandchildren. We wish Jan a long and happy retirement. ====================== NOMINATIONS SOUGHT Although it seems like a long way off, the CCB fall convention will be here before you know it, and once again it will be time to elect a new board of directors. If you're interested in running for office, or have a worthy candidate in mind, please tell the Nominating Committee. You may contact Steve Dresser at (860) 521-8903, Julie McLean at (860) 563-3783, or Carol Gillispie at (203) 933-3929. You can also leave a message for anyone on the Nominating Committee on the CCB voice-mail at 1-800-231-3349, or 521-6749 if you're calling from within the Hartford area. The Nominating Committee needs your help to pick the best possible candidates for CCB's new board of directors. ====================== TITANIC AND DVS: TECHNOLOGIES PAST AND PRESENT by John Mattioli It was a cold evening in April of 1912. People all around the world watched as the era's greatest technological achievement, the Whitestar Line's Titanic, sailed on her maiden voyage with some of society's most wealthy and respected individuals aboard. The sky was clear, the wind was calm, the water was smooth as glass, and history was about to be made. Years later many are still captivated by the loss of Titanic. The unprecedented success of James Cameron's film on the subject is proof of this. Everyone has their own reasons why they remain interested in this tragedy after all these years. One of my reasons is its graphic demonstration of the disaster that can befall those who are over-confident in technology. The wreck of the Titanic happened largely because technologies of the time failed those who believed they could not fail. Yet the movie Titanic became the success it was because of the technologies that were applied so masterfully by all involved. One of the greatest technological successes of the movie was the addition of audio descriptions to the film at release time by Descriptive Video Service of Massachusetts. On a cold February morning in 1998, sixteen blind individuals accompanied by five sighted guides set off for Framingham, Massachusetts to see the movie Titanic in the General Cinema where it was running. The Connecticut Council of the Blind organized this trip and invited all members and several friends from nearby. CCB provided transportation for all Connecticut-based attendees and charged a modest fee, sufficient to raise some badly needed funds for the organization. The event was a huge success, providing many of our members with their first opportunity to enjoy a first-run DVS movie. The mixing of audio description into a standard movie soundtrack, known widely as "descriptive Video," has been available for several years on a limited number of home video titles and several PBS shows. Yet Titanic was the first widely publicized first-run movie to offer this service to visually impaired and blind movie goers. Descriptive Video does not delete any of the content from the original soundtrack. Instead, brief descriptions of action and set are given during portions of the original soundtrack that do not contain dialog. They are provided in a voice that is easily distinguished from normal movie dialog. Unlike home videos, where the additional descriptions are merged with the movie soundtrack, the descriptive information for a first-run movie is recorded on a separate Compact Disc that is synchronized with the theater's projector. The blind viewer hears the descriptions through headphones, while the sighted viewer hears the unenhanced movie soundtrack. Although the headphones got a bit uncomfortable after three hours, and the system used to broadcast the audio to the headphones still needs some improvement, we all left the theater excited by the new technology, and thrilled about the movie we'd seen. As with all technical advances, Descriptive Video has its price. A theater wishing to provide this service to blind individuals must buy equipment to play the Compact Disc, the wireless headphones, and the equipment to broadcast the audio descriptions. While not overly expensive (I've heard estimates of $2,000), there is the additional expense of describing the movie (somewhere around $16,000). While I've been unable to confirm these numbers, I imagine that they are in the ballpark. I'm sure that many in the movie business look at these costs and wonder if DVS is really worthwhile. While DVS seems like a straightforward concept to the visually impaired, its benefits are often not fully appreciated by sighted viewers. Prior to DVS, attending a movie was an exercise in listening skills. A blind movie goer would glean as much as possible from dialog and other audio. One had varying levels of success at this depending on the amount of effort one put into the task. Often scenes required the blind person to depend on a sighted person to describe the action. This was annoying to everyone involved. DVS is like a good sighted friend who has seen the movie before. He senses what you need to know, and fills you in during gaps in the soundtrack without giving away the plot or covering up critical parts of the dialog. Thanks to your headphones, you hear his descriptions clearly without annoying people sitting nearby. You no longer have to struggle to hear hushed whispers! While any movie can benefit from the addition of audio descriptions, Titanic is a particularly good Descriptive Video experience for two reasons. First, the film is loaded with visual references to the ship's enormous size and lavish decor, neither of which is mentioned in the dialog. While the sighted viewer sees the enormous size of the ship and the mechanical workings of the huge engine room, the blind viewer is told the ship's dimensions, and hears about the huge engine and its "telephone pole sized pistons." Descriptions of the first class dining room, the grand stair case, the ornate clock, the living accommodations, and the passengers' clothes provide a great feel for the ship's decor and the distinctly different treatment given to the passenger classes. The second reason Titanic is a good candidate for Descriptive Video is its great special effects. These days, action films are particularly frustrating to blind people. By following the dialog and the normal soundtrack one gets just enough of the plot to follow things right up to the climax. Then, at some point, there's a car chase, a gun fight or whatever and you never find out who shot who or what cars were involved in the crash. While there was no dramatic car chase or gun fight in Titanic, there were lengthy mob scenes. Without Descriptive Video one would never know who got on the life boats, who was trapped in flooding hallways, who fell or jumped into the water and when. As one who saw the movie twice, first without description and then with it, I feel that the movie loses a great deal of its horrible truth due to these omissions. Those of us who attended the movie discussed it for weeks afterward. We all hope that the people at Descriptive Video Service will release it on home video as soon as possible, though we have no information as to when or if this will be possible. The Connecticut Council of the Blind, all the people who took part in this event, and I would like to thank everyone who made the trip such a success. Major contributors include: Jane French, of the Connecticut Institute for the Blind, who provided transportation from the Hartford area, Carol Gillispie, who provided transportation from the New Haven area, and Lenarc Thornton, manager of the General Cinema in Framingham. Mr. Thornton deserves special thanks for spending the money to equip his theater for this experimental activity and providing such great publicity for DVS! As long as technology exists, there will be those who question its use. It is hard to imagine anyone being opposed to DVS, but some people actually are. They are afraid of the costs, unimpressed by the new world DVS opens to the blind and visually impaired, or simply uneducated about DVS. It is up to us, as responsible and considerate participants in our communities, to make our needs known and help provide solutions. Can you help? Of course! You can and you should! DVS is available to many on PBS television. For more information about DVS, call (800) 333-1203. For quite some time we've considered showing a DVS movie as part of our convention program. If you're interested, contact the program committee via the CCB toll-free number (800) 231-3349. On Wednesday evening, July 8, at the ACB national convention, DVS, in cooperation with CBS television, will be showing a prime time CBS television show. I encourage all who can to attend and give feedback. Come help educate one of this country's leaders in the TV market! Learn about DVS and tell those you know how it has improved your life. The more people who know about this technology, the more people will support it! ====================== CCB BULLETIN BOARD Jean Devin, of Enfield, is looking for a good home for her used braille watch, which is in good condition. Contact her at (860) 745-8591. * * * Access U.S.A., who produced our taped cookbook in 1995, offers braille labels for spice jars and medicine bottles. For details and a catalog, call the company at (800) 263-2750. * * * MammaCare, Inc. is conducting a research project on breast self- examination for blind and visually impaired women. The company suppplies all materials for the comprehensive training course, which you complete in the privacy of your own home. The researchers you speak with are women, and all information is strictly confidential. If you'd like to participate, call MammaCare, Inc. at (800) 707-4032. ====================== GLAXO DERMATOLOGY RX DRUGS NOW PRINTED WITH BRAILLE RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (April 14, 1998) Glaxo Dermatology, a division of Glaxo Wellcome Inc., has announced the introduction of a novel packaging design for its prescription drugs that will aid blind and visually impaired patients to properly identify their medicine. The new packaging, developed in partnership with the American Council of the Blind, includes the names of medicines embossed in Braille and marked with large-print labels on cartons. This modification will allow the blind and the visually impaired to clearly distinguish Glaxo Dermatology treatments from other medications they may be using. The Glaxo Dermatology therapies using the new Braille packaging and the large-print labels are Oxistat (oxiconazole), Cutivate (fluticasone propionate), Aclovate (alclometasone dipropionate), Emgel (erythromycin), and Temovate (clobetasol dipropionate). "We are tremendously excited about this innovation in packaging for sightless and visually impaired patients," said Oral O. Miller, Executive Director of the American Council of the Blind. "This is a major advancement, a huge step forward. It will help provide information that others take for granted." Approximately 9 million people in the U.S. with impaired vision have difficulty reading words in ordinary print, even with glasses, according to a special survey by the U.S. Bureau of Census, and 1.6 million of them are not able to read at all, even wearing glasses. Among the major concerns of this population, healthcare and healthcare information rank third behind transportation and employment, and among older Americans healthcare ranks number two. "This new packaging is the result of years of planning and testing," said Kenneth R. Lowry, Vice President, Glaxo Dermatology. "AT Glaxo Wellcome, our mission is to provide healthcare products that improve people's lives," said Lowry. "We hope that this new Braille packaging and labeling also will improve patients' lives by making it easier for the visually impaired to recognize their medicines and reduce the risk of using the wrong treatments." Pharmacists, friends and family members usually read medicine labels and instructions to blind patients, who then have to remember what to use and how to use it. Most visually impaired patients use a variety of methods to identify their medicines such as keeping them in a special place, using rubber bands or tape, and improvising their own labels. "It makes the blind more independent," said Nolan Crabb, editor of the _Braille _Forum, the voice of the American Council of the Blind. "For the first time, blind people will be able to get medicine from a pharmacist, receive instructions on how to use it, carry it home, and still have the information at their fingertips, literally. This is more valuable than most sighted people realize." Patricia Price, an official with Vision World Wide of Indianapolis, IN., a non-profit organization that provides information and referral worldwide for individuals and professionals concerned with vision loss, said, "I never thought in my lifetime that I would see Braille packaging. It is an accessibility tool that we don't have everywhere. It is something we've hoped for for a long time." Glaxo Wellcome Inc., based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., is the U.S. subsidiary of London-based Glaxo Wellcome PLC. The nation's leading research-based pharmaceutical company, Glaxo Wellcome is committed to fighting disease by bringing innovative medicines and services to patient and to the healthcare providers who serve them. ====================== IN MEMORIAM We are sad to announce that Alice Jackson's father passed away on June 4 after a long illness. He was 86. ====================== EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FROM BESB Compiled by Dave Bates The Board of Education and Services for the Blind has an anticipated opening for a Vocational Rehabilitation Assistant Counselor. A Bachelor's degree in rehabilitation counseling or a closely related field and one year of professional experience in rehabilitation counseling, job placement for persons with disabilities or vocational adjustment counseling. A Master's degree in rehabilitation counseling, educational or vocational guidance or other closely related area may be substituted for the General Experience. Salary commensurate with experience. Send a letter, application and names and addresses of three references to: Search Committee, Board of Education and Services for the Blind, 170 Ridge Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109. For an application call (860) 249-8525, ext. 2232. EOE. * * * The following is a list of employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired individuals in Hartford, New Haven, and New London counties: 1. Home employment opportunity. This is an opportunity to work from your own home, no transportation required, as an assembler. This will require assembling small parts, kits, and using a heat sealer. You should be able to lift 50 pounds, and training is provided. The rate is a piece rate based on $6.05 an hour. This is not to be confused with the old home- bound program that BESB had some years ago. 2. Switchboard operators. These positions are offered through V.A. Connecticut Health Systems, and individuals would be employees of BESB. Duties. The facilities are located at 950 Campbell Avenue, West Haven, and 555 Willard Avenue, Newington. Telephone operators must be able to assume the responsibility for placing a variety of special long distance calls, conference calls and collect calls, as well as scheduling appointments. These require a knowledge of organizational units and major functions of a large multi-division unit. Operators must have the ability to meet and deal with people from a variety of backgrounds with varying levels of understanding, and the ability to work well in a fast-paced environment, and to adapt to changing work conditions and respond to various alarms. Applicants should also have a willingness to learn fast- paced demanding jobs. Clear understanding of medical terms and knowledge of a second language would be helpful, but is not required. Previous experience with switchboards and dealing with the public is a plus. Ranges start from $8.50 to $9.40 an hour. Days are Monday through Friday, with various hours and shifts. Benefits are also available. 3. Vending program. This is an opportunity to run/manage your own food service operation. These positions have locations available in Bridgeport at the Fairfield County Courthouse, and in New Haven and Hartford. Evaluation and training is included. These positions require bookkeeping, ordering of stock, serving customers, maintaining clean environments, food preparation, and running the cash register. The ranges vary, depending on location. The average income for vending operators last year was $24,000. Hours are based on the requirements of the building. Vending facilities generally operate Monday through Friday from 7:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. Benefits include health insurance and a retirement plan. For further information on any of the above positions, or if interested in applying, please contact Jessica Dapsis, Human Resource Specialist at BESB at 1-800-842-4510, extension 260. ====================== ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks to Julian Padowicz, John Mattioli, and Dave Bates for their contributions to this issue of the CCB _Outlook. If you'd like to contribute to the summer issue, please have your article ready by August 15, 1998. You may submit your article in braille, on cassette or computer disk, via e-mail, or over the phone. If you want to dictate your article, please leave a message on our voice-mail system, and I'll return your call. Remember, this newsletter is nothing without your help, so please keep those articles coming! ====================== CCB STANDING COMMITTEES Convention (Voice-mail box 20): Shirley Phelon, (860) 289-5697 Legislative (Voice-mail box 14): Dave Bates, (860) 257-0602 Membership (Voice-mail box 15): John Mattioli, (203) 929-4244 Newsletter (Voice-mail box 13): Steve Dresser, (860) 521-8903 Publicity (Voice-mail box 16): John Mattioli, (203) 929-4244 Scholarship (Voice-mail box 17): April Hutchins, (860) 649-6740 Transportation (Voice-mail box 18): Dan Mills, (860) 643-8442 Ways and Means (fund-raising) (Voice-mail box 19): Dave Bates, (860) 257-0602 Nominating (Voice-mail box 13): Steve Dresser, (860) 521-8903 You can leave messages for committee chairs and board members on our toll-free line (800) 231-3349, or (860) 521-6749 in the Hartford area. President Marcia Dresser is an ex officio member of all committees. ====================== CCB BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Marcia Dresser 142 Webster Hill Boulevard West Hartford 06107 (860) 521-6749 Toll-free (800) 231-3349 Voice-mail: box 11 First Vice President: Steve Dresser 142 Webster Hill Boulevard West Hartford 06107 (860) 521-8903 E-mail: 71241.2666@compuserve.com Second Vice President: John Mattioli 146 Trap Falls Road Shelton 06484 (203) 929-4244 E-mail: mattioli@concentric.net Third Vice President: Alice Jackson 191 Centerbrook Road Hamden 06518 (203) 281-0676 E-mail: alicej@concentric.net Treasurer: Roland Soucy 15 Shawnee Road East Hartford, 06118 (860) 895-8157 E-mail: Wtrskii@aol.com Recording Secretary: April Hutchins 129 Eldridge Street Manchester 06040 Corresponding Secretary: Cheree Heppe 68 Gilman Street Hartford 06114-2536 (860) 296-4922 E-mail: clheppe@ntplx.net Immediate Past President: Dave Bates 44 Garden Street Wethersfield 06109 (860) 257-0602 Board Member at Large: Bryan McGucken 11 Hillside Lane Wallingford, 06492 (203) 265-2452 Board Member at Large: Shirley Phelon 60 Elmer Street East Hartford 06108 (860) 289-5697