 Tidbits
If it doesn't fit any other
category, you'll find it here!
This page was last
updated on March 30, 2005
Austin-Bergstrom
International Airport
Planning on visiting Austin, Texas, and bringing your service or guide dog?
The new Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has
a rest area for your animal assistant! There is a dispenser for refuse bags (free!), and a
doggy drinking fountain--the bowl is low to the ground for the convenience of your dog,
while a waist-high-to-a-human button controls the flow of water.
The little park is nicely landscaped, with a
figure-eight shaped concrete sidewalk winding through it. The dog-run is located on the
baggage claim level of the Barbara Jordan Terminal, at the far east of the building, just
past the rental car counters.
This may be the only airport with such a facility.
So, if you go there, could you report back to us on how it was?
Blindspots
For movie reviews for the visually impaired person, go to:
http://www.az.com/~dday/blindtext.html
 Glow
Dog
Many of us
enjoy walking in the evening hours and safety, for both people and their
best friends, is always encouraged. Here's some information to reflect on:
http://www.glowdog.com
Through Our Eyes
This page is part of the MD
Support, Inc. website, and offers a "Gallery of Personal Visual Perceptions
Contributed by the MD People". Visual field photos were created from information
submitted by the members of MDList. They welcome your own submissions, as well, in order
to gain more understanding of individual visual perceptions. To see what they've done and
participate in their project, go to:
http://members.aol.com/danlrob/MDpeople/thrueyes.html
Large Print Checks
The Bank of America has large print checks and
deposit slips. They will even provide sample checks for practice when learning how to fill
them out. Contact your local branch or the public relations office. (Editor's note: I'm
sure that all banks will do this, if they haven't already.)
The "Deluxe Check Company," one popular
check printing company makes large print checks and deposit slips available to partially
sighted customers. Check your bank's product line to see if they offer a series of checks
and deposit slips in large print, high contrast, and with tactual cues indicating the
areas to be filled in.
Future Alternatives
Braille, Large Print, and Audio Translations.
The primary goal of this organization is to provide translations of normal print into
braille, audio or large print. We provide materials and assistance in making facilities
accessible. They also publish materials (old, new, and original) not presently available
through the traditional organizations.
Contact them at:
Future Alternatives
William P. Hedl, Publisher
Email: futalt@aol.com
Lynn L. Hedl, Editor
Email: tripplel@att.net
1639 Ashwood Lane
Birmingham, Alabama 35209
Phone: (205) 939-0223. Fax: (205) 918-0731.
'A Touching
Experience'
May 12th is National Touch Reading Day. You can go to this site to find out more
about Braille and Moon writing, get advice and support, and find out about events in your
area. They will list your events, as well.
Web: http://www.nlbuk.org/touching-experience/home.html
Barbara's Crocheted
Cane Glove
Cane travelers in cold climates need to wear gloves while using the cane and
Barbara has a pattern for these gloves, that can also be used by persons who use a regular
support cane for balance. Canes come in many sizes and shapes, and the pattern can be
adapted to fit most variations. (Hint: these also make good gifts and fundraisers, as
well.). For more information, or to obtain the pattern for these gloves, contact:
Barbara Estes, barbestes@yahoo.com.
Check this out!
Free grocery list that you can print out at various letter sizes.
http://www.organizedtimes.com/grocery.htm
Buttons and Labels
Braille buttons, labels, or other things needed? Go to Access 20/20 at: http://www.access2020.com/.
The Color Test
The American Printing House for the Blind has a product called the Color
Test, which is a talking color analyzer. A pricey item, but may be useful to some people.
Contact APH at: 1-800-223-1839.
The DisABLED News Press
Often, visual impairment is related to, or results
from, other medical conditions. This newsletter-styled Webpage offers tips and helpful
hints relevant to various disabilities. Every month, they publish new columns giving
information on travel, how-to hints, horoscopes, love and romance, and much more.
Informative and fun to read articles for a variety of readers are available at no charge
to their Internet audience.
Web: http://www.pioneerpublications.com
FONcards in Braille
You can receive Sprint FONcards in Braille with your
name and number on the front of the card. Your 'Welcome to Sprint package!' is also in
Braille. The rates are the same as regular FONcards. To request a FONcard or for further
information please contact Sales at the number below.
1-800-746-3767 (that's 1-800-PINDROP)
(24 hours a day)
iGive.com
Designate one of their pages as your home page, and you'll automate the donation process
to the tune of about $60 a year for your cause. Make a purchase from iGive's sponsoring
merchants and boost your donation. (They contribute to Assistance Dog funds...hint, hint)
For more information, take a look at http://www.igive.com.
Large Print Checks
Braille Labels at The Wine
House
"If there are bumps on the
label, it must be Chapoutier. Reasoning that blind customers want the same
information that other wine lovers look for on a bottle, Michel Chapoutier, a well-known
maker and shipper of Rhone wines, has put Braille labels on all his premium wines,
including appellations like Hermitage, Crozes-hermitage, Condrieu, St.-Joseph, Cote Rotie
and Chateauneuf- du-Pape. That adds up to nearly two million bottles each year.
"Reading the Braille, customers can learn the
type and name of the wine, the vintage date, the name of the winery, the town where the
wine was made, and the color of the wine, a vital piece of information, since some of the
appellations come in both red and white.
"Mr. Chapoutier.... came up with the idea of
Braille labels in 1994. Working with the French Association for the Blind, he developed a
Braille label for his Monier de la Sizeranne Hermitage, a dense, smoky, long-lived red
wine from the northern Rhone. The wine was a fitting choice for the new label the
Association for the Blind was founded by Maurice de la Sizeranne, whose family once owned
the vineyard that gives the wine its name."
I guess we'll have to spot-check the accuracy of
the Braille labels, hmm? -)
[This article appeared in the New York Times on
Wednesday, June 17, 1998.]
In the Los Angeles area, Chapoutier Wine with
Braille Labels can be purchased at:
The Wine House
2311 Cotner Ave.
Santa Monica, CA (between Pico St. and Olympic Blvd., West of Sepuveda)
(310) 479-3731
Ask for: Suzanne
Note: I'm told it makes a great dinner and
housewarming gift!
The USABA
The USABA is a non-profit amateur
sport organization providing sport opportunities at the state, regional, national and
international levels for the legally blind. Go see their calendar of events.
http://www.usaba.org/
Talking Sign Research
This is some of the newest
information regarding audible signals and environmental orientation tools.
http://www.talkingsigns.com/research.shtml
1999 Tour Programs
For The Blind and Individuals with Limited Vision
Campanian Enterprises, Inc.
provides Tour programs designed especially for visually impaired travelers. The tour
programs are carefully designed to provide a rich educational experience and offer unique
opportunities for personal growth, relaxation and socialization.
Programs include on-site lectures and
audio-description are given by expert guides; numerous tactile experiences and hands-on
opportunities in each program. They are able to provide all necessary travel
arrangements.
Website:
http://w3.one.net/~campania/blindtour98.html
White Cane Day
October 15 is White Cane
Safety Day. There are several important components of this proclamation, however, the
following paragraph sums it up:
Governor’s Annual White Cane Proclamation
Civil Code Section 54.4
(E.) IT IS THE POLICY OF THIS
STATE TO ENCOURAGE AND ENABLE BLIND PERSONS, VISUALLY HANDICAPPED PERSONS, AND OTHER
PHYSICALLLY DISABLED PERSONS TO PARTICIPATE FULLY IN THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC LIFE OF THE
STATE AND TO ENGAGE IN RENUMERATIVE EMPLOYMENT
Free Phone Calls?
Telephone companies
often make large button telephones and 4-1-1 directory assistance free of charge. Contact
your local service for more information.
When the Earth Quakes!
Visually impaired cane
travelers should tape an extra cane to bottom of their mattress with duct tape. In the
event of an earthquake in the early morning, it should be exactly where it was left and
easily accessible.
First Commandment of Low
Vision:
Focus on your
remaining vision… not that which you have lost.
The Things I
Can Do With My Cane
(To the tune
of "My Favorite Things")
Traveling
downtown, or out in the ‘burbs,
Crossing the street and finding the curb,
If you’re still wondering, please let me explain…
I use it
when finding a street intersection,
Establishing landmarks and object detection,
If you’re confused, don’t think I’m insane,
These are the things I can do with my cane.
I used to
crash things, sometimes smash things
And end up black and blue…
But now with my cane, I’m no longer in pain,
And feel like I’m all brand new!
Checking to
see if the curb’s parallel,
Catching a bus, or boarding the El…
I even use it when I take the train…
These are the things I can do with my cane!
Following
grasslines and finding the door,
There was a time when this was quite a chore.
But please don’t be thinking these tasks are a strain…
These are the things I can do with my cane!
Escalators,
elevators
These I do with ease…
I simply unfold it - in my hand I hold it…
And travel wherever I please!!!
Written
by: Peggy Madera & Judy Holmes
What To
Do When You Meet a Blind Person
Practical hints for relating to a blind person.
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