The RT News
Newsletter of Division 11
Summer 2002
Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired
Message from the Chair: Preparing Future Professionals and Leaders
It is my privilege to speak with you about the future, and about the leaders who will vault our field into that thrilling, unpredictable void. How shall we prepare them to confront the future? What are the issues they - and we - must confront to maintain our effectiveness into the 21st century and beyond?
One primary path seems clear: We must actively engage and grapple with developments, trends, events, and legislation in the all-encompassing world-at-large that envelops our field of blindness and visual impairment.
As we speak about the future, however, we must always remember to acknowledge those legendary figures who have preceded us. What lessons can we absorb from their histories that will help us prepare a new wave of leaders who are equipped to meet these future challenges?
For a moment, select and reflect upon a leader from the past whom you particularly admired and ask yourself if he or she did not possess the following characteristics:
- They were proactive: They continuously observed the world, noticing where and when change was occurring, and guided their constituencies to be responsive to those changes.
- They were risk takers: They provided the stimulus for change by calling attention to possibilities, taking risks, and encouraging others to initiate change. They engaged in divergent, “out-of-the-box” thinking and were willing and eager to engage with the larger world.
- The proportion of children with disabilities is approximately twice as high in single parent families as in married-couple families; in addition, the poverty rate among children with disabilities is higher than the rate among children without disabilities.
- In terms of working-age adults, 80% of people with a severe disability live in a household with an annual income of $20,000 or less, and one in five workers with a disability has difficulty finding a job or remaining employed.
The most compelling shifts, however, are occurring in the aging arena. Joseph Chamie, director of the U.N. Population Division, tells us that “the world is aging so rapidly that the elderly will outnumber the young by mid-century. This is unprecedented in human history.”
Demographically, we are indeed living in an age that is without precedent. The oldest-old - the 85+ age group - is the fastest growing segment of the US population, and the number of US centenarians will increase 20% by mid-century. And - as we are all aware - increasing age is a powerful predictor of blindness and visual impairment.
This unprecedented convergence of concentrated population growth, aging of the population, and increase in new cases of blindness and visual impairment demands visionary leadership that will aggressively pursue the expansion of appropriate and innovative rehabilitation options for older visually impaired persons, while ensuring commensurate funding levels for these crucial rehabilitation programs.
Another contemporary issue that requires the attention of our leaders is the cloning debate, since scientific developments in this field could provide intensive benefits for blind and visually impaired persons of ages - literally from the cradle to the grave. Is therapeutic cloning “a medical miracle that will cure birth defects, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease”? Could it be the ultimate cure for, or reversal of, blindness and visual impairment? Will it someday alter the meaning of old age? Or is it “a eugenic revolution that must be stopped?”
We in education and rehabilitation must develop leaders who can grapple with these complex issues - regardless of our personal point of view - and concurrently address the deeper questions residing at the heart of our commitment to human services, and in particular services to those who are blind and visually impaired.
However, this involvement with the world-at-large will also create unprecedented challenges for our present and future leaders. How can our leaders engage with these larger social and economic trends while preserving the integrity of specialized services in education and rehabilitation? Conversely, how can we continue to advocate for specialized services if we cannot produce leaders who are conversant with “larger world” concerns? This is a delicate - but crucial - balancing act, and one that our leaders must address if we are to survive and thrive.
In our own profession, we will continue to address this challenge through some of the following initiatives:
- The National Vision Rehabilitation Cooperative continues to advocate for health care reform that will ensure equitable reimbursement for vision rehabilitation services by standardizing Medicare coverage.
- The National Agenda on Vision and Aging has established seven key issues with related goals, activities, and milestones to shape public policies and public attitudes about critical issues affecting older people with age-related vision loss.
- The National Agenda for the Education of Children and Youths with Visual Impairments, Including Those with Multiple Disabilities has developed eight priority goals for improving the quality of educational services for all children and youths with visual impairments and continues to advocate for coordinated reform efforts from teachers, parents, professionals, and consumers.
- The proposed AFB National Employment Institute will provide a focal point for the collection and dissemination of employment-related data, and establish a comprehensive network of information and strategies for increasing the employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired people.
We must do the following:
- Create additional entry points into our professions, including expanded undergraduate and paraprofessional training programs. Here we can learn from legend Douglas Inkster who advocated for Rehabilitation Teaching Assistants as an integral component of the service delivery system for older adults.
- Develop a variety of formats - distance, online, and interactive electronic - in our educational programs. Adult learning theory tells us that education is a continuous process and need not be restricted to the classroom. Raise the profile of our professions through coordinated recruitment and outreach efforts that utilize sound market planning by positioning us as careers of the future, and elevate professional salaries to a more competitive and respectful level.
- Work to alter prevailing attitudes about aging and present it as a worthy course of study and professional endeavor. We can learn much from legend Ruth Kaarlela, who was a powerful advocate for the incorporation of gerontology principles into training programs for rehabilitation teachers.
- Promote diversity in our work force and educational institutions in order to reflect worldwide trends and expand our pool of future leaders.
- Keep current with advances in technology, access technology, and biotechnology, including genetic and reproductive technologies, neuroscience, and the development of artificial organs and computer-chip implants that may someday restore visual and physical function.
- Teach our practitioners, managers, and students to utilize effective outcomes-based research that will standardize professional practice, support the efficacy of specialized interventions, and disseminate these results to a wider audience.
- Encourage our practitioners and managers to engage with legislators and policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels to advocate for legislation and social policy that will benefit our specific constituencies.
As former President Jimmy Carter urged, “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.” Will our present and future leaders seize this historic opportunity for evolutionary, visionary thought and action? We can, we must, and we will.
Maureen A. Duffy, RTC
Chair, Division 11 2000-2002
SHOPPING
COMMUTER MUG: Beautiful stainless steel commuter mug. Features the motto "Qualiter Signum" (Whatever Works) in black script. Also contains RT logo and Website address $10.00
NECKCORDS: new design -- white with blue lettering: “Rehabilitation Teaching” and Website address. $3.00
RT T-SHIRT: Cream colored, Hanes polo style t-shirt, with “Rehabilitation Teaching” embroidered in Hunter green over the left chest. Available in medium and extra-large. $20.00
MOUSEPAD: Royal blue with the wording "Rehabilitation Teaching, a profession with a past and a future" SALE $3.00
"RTs Are Really Terrific" Pin: round, white, with dark blue lettering $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00
Please add $3.50 for shipping and handling of all orders. Make checks payable to AER Division 11. Send your orders to: Maureen Duffy, PCO Dept. of Graduate Studies in VI, 8360 Old York Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027-1598, w (215) 780-1362, maduffy@aol.com
MEET A MEMBER:
Bruci Hawkins, chair-elect Division 11 (Bruci will become Division Chair in July 2002)
I was doing my student teaching in bilingual education and saw a notice asking for a person to volunteer as an interpreter for a Vision Specialist (dual RT and O&M, I know now) who spoke no Spanish and wanted to work with a visually impaired woman who spoke no English. I LOVED it! Not only were we providing services that the person could put to immediate use, we were providing services dovetailed to her individual needs and interests. I decided that one-on-one instruction was so much more productive and fulfilling than trying to teach 25 or so children at a time. It took me a couple of years to get back to college for my own training, but that’s where it started.
How long have you been a rehabilitation teacher/vision rehabilitation professional?
I graduated in 1984. That makes it ... 18 years ago.
Tell us about your current job.
Currently I am a direct service provider (RT and O&M) and Director of Rehabilitation at a small upstate New York private agency. The area is quite rural (it’s not unusual for me to drive an hour or so to see a consumer), and our consumers are primarily elderly, but we reach the full range of ages. My youngest student, to date, was two weeks old and my oldest was 95 years old and still living independently in the farmhouse she and her husband built together. As Director of Rehabilitation, I work closely with staff to develop such things as group programming, a summer program with children, working with Rehabilitation Teaching Assistants and more. One of the great things about a small agency is that everyone gets to wear a lot of different “hats.” It’s a wonderful opportunity.
Tell us something special about yourself.
I have a very strong interest in working with people from cultures different from my own - both in the U.S. and abroad. I grew up in Mexico until I was approximately 12 years old. As an adult I’ve been fortunate to work in South Africa (3 years) and Poland (6 weeks). Also, I expect to complete my Ph.D. in Program Evaluation and Planning at Cornell University this summer.
Why did you join Division 11?
Ours is a relatively young profession, and it seems vital to me to support the development of Rehabilitation Teaching as a profession. Also, I find tremendous support from my involvement with Division 11. Working in a rural area, I have found that activities at both state and national levels have provided a means of professional development and networking that would not have been available to me otherwise. I really enjoy the people I meet through Division 11 and look forward to my continued involvement.
Division 11 Officers for 2000-2002:
Chair-elect: Bruci Hawkins, (607) 277-5436, BruciHawkins@aol.com
Secretary/treasurer: Mary Beth Harrison, (708) 447-5765, marydoug@chicagonet.net
Past Chair: Lisa-Anne Mowerson, (412) 635-7318, LASM@worldnet.att.net
RT Regional News
What is PORTA? (The Pennsylvania-Ohio Rehabilitation Teachers’ Association)
Kathy Buskirk, RTC, CDE
Keystone Blind Association, Sharon, PA (724) 342-3441
PORTA meets 3 - 4 times a year, with each agency taking a turn in sponsoring a meeting. Sessions are usually held from 10:00 to 3:00, with an hour for lunch (often a working lunch). The morning agenda usually consists of a presentation on a specific aspect of rehabilitation or blindness as previously identified by the membership, and the afternoons are devoted to a general ‘show and tell’ product session and a short business meeting.
The sponsoring agency sends out a cover letter, agenda, and map to each member at least one month prior to the meeting (with the cost of the mailing usually covered by the sponsoring agency). Paperwork for PORTA is kept in a binder and includes information on past meetings, agendas, maps, lists of attendees, and a current membership list. As each meeting is completed, the binder is passed on to the next host agency. Dates, agency sponsors and topics for the upcoming years are usually planned at the last meeting of each calendar year.
PORTA meets the need for training and networking for rehabilitation teachers for both center based and rural itinerant rehabilitation staff, and provides this training with minimum costs. A group such as PORTA may work for your area. If you have questions about organizing a similar group, please contact me at the number listed above.
ACADEMY UPDATE
Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP)
Continuing Education Providers
At its March 2002 Board meeting, the Board of Directors approved a policy by which agencies and groups can make application to have continuing education offerings approved by ACVREP. ACVREP approved provider of a continuing education program, will be posted on the ACVREP Website. Certificates of attendance will state that the continuing education program has been approved by ACVREP. ACVREP-approved continuing education programs assures ACVREP certificants that the activities offered by an approved provider have undergone rigorous review and have been found to meet ACVREP continuing education requirements. This action was taken to begin to enhance the continuing competency of the ACVREP recertification program.
Nominations for ACVREP Board of Directors
The Board also approved a procedure by which nominations can be made for ACVREP Board openings. The Nomination Application Form will be sent to certificants in July 2002 and will also be available at the ACVREP booth at the AER Conference in Toronto, Canada. Others wishing the Nomination Application Form may download it from the ACVREP Website in July 2002.
Directory of Certificants
ACVREP has on its web site at www.acvrep.org a Directory of Certificants. All current certificants are listed on this directory. We hope that the directory will help certificants check on certification expiration dates. We also hope that university programs will use the directory to locate internship supervisors and employers will use it to check certification status of employees or applicants for employment.
Email: acvrep2@qwest.net
Voice: 520-887-6816
Web: http://www.acvrep.org
Membership Costs for Equivalent Professions
Lisa-Anne Mowerson, RTC
National Association of Social Workers (NASW): $166/year or 45 cents per day
American Physical Therapy Association (APTA): $245/year or 67 cents per day
AER: $120/year or only 33 cents per day!
Any way you look at it, your AER professional membership is an excellent professional investment.
Division Day:Toronto
| 9:00 | Welcome by Division Chair |
| 9:15 | APH Adult Life Products - hands-on experiences with equipment plus a chance to let them know what new things would be of use to us |
| 10:15 | Hadley School - find out what’s new, and how we might incorporate their course offerings into our programs |
| 11:00 | RTA Discussion - after the vote, what’s next? |
| 12:00 | Catered lunch: Scavenger Hunt, Meet the Authors, Wall of Fame |
| 1:30 | Show & Tell - bring something to share that you have developed or discovered |
| 3:00 | Division 11 Projects: Oral History and RT Cookbook |
| 4:00 | Business Meeting & Auction - note: this will be the first of two business meetings, and is open to all whether or not attending the Division Day |
| 6:00 | Adjournment - on your own for the evening |
We hope you will all plan to join us.
CEUs will be available as well as ACVREP continuing education approval
Division Projects
ORAL HISTORY
Bruci Hawkins, RTC. COMS
- identify individuals (service providers, consumers, administrators, educators) who were involved in services to visually impaired adults at their inception
- arrange to interview them following the guidelines laid out in an information packet (available on request from Bruci Hawkins)
- send the completed interview form, audio or video cassette, and any accompanying materials (e.g., recent photo) to Bruci Hawkins who arranges to have these tapes transcribed.
On Division Day, attendees will have an opportunity to see the results of some of the first interviews in the Wall of Fame, and learn more about how they can become interviewers themselves.
Division Day “Show & Tell”
Mary Beth Harrison, RTC
This is a chance for everyone to share their original ideas, similar to the “Springboard” column in RE:view. Please contact me, using the contact information listed for officers, if you have questions or want to sign up to present. E-mail communication is preferred, but please don’t send attachments at this point in time. See you in Toronto!
RT IDEAS
Nancy Paskin, MA, RTC, CLVT
Director of Rehabilitation Teaching, Lighthouse International
- Know any RT with a PT Cruiser? The “PT” on the Cruiser could easily be transformed with the addition of a little contact paper into an “RT Cruiser.”
- Whenever teenagers are bagging your groceries at the super market, speak to them about becoming an RT as a possible career choice. They are usually high school students who are hard workers. They would be a great advantage to the profession!
- Always introduce your self as a Rehabilitation Teacher, not as an RT, particularly in settings where you are delivering services, making speeches or presentations (Lions, Rotary, etc.) or even in social settings. You never know whom you might meet and influence!
- Get a vanity plate for your car that says: “RTC.” Let the world ask questions!
- Volunteer at church or for school programs. Speak to the participants about the safety tips we teach as RTs. Some of our adaptations, such as coin ID, can be used by everyone and are fun.
Call for Nominations
Nominations for Officers
Chair-Elect:
- Serves for 6 years (2 years as Chair-Elect, 2 years as Chair, and 2 years as Past Chair)
- Duties include: Oversees Division 11 Conference committee, History Committee, Awards committee and Nominations committee
- Supports actions of chair as needed
- Attends AERLift and other related conferences as needed
- Serves for 2 years
- Duties include: Recording minutes of executive board and other division meetings
- Managing financial records
- Serves on Division 11 bylaws committee
- Attends AER lift and other related conferences as needed
Award Nominations
Bruce McKenzie and Rising Star Awards
Certificate of Recognition
The Executive Board of Division 11, in an attempt to recognize more rehabilitation teachers earlier in their careers, has created a new award: The Rising Star Award.
The nomination criteria for both awards are listed below. If you know of someone who should receive either award or a Certificate of Recognition, please take the time to nominate him/her for the honor.
Bruce McKenzie Award
Purpose:
The Bruce McKenzie award is a biennial award established by Division 11 to honor Bruce McKenzie for his pioneering leadership in the field of rehabilitation teaching. It is the Division’s highest award. The award is given to an exemplary individual for outstanding contributions to the field of rehabilitation teaching and independent living services.
Criteria:
- A nominee shall be an active or retired rehabilitation teacher/rehabilitation teacher supervisor
- A nominee must have 10 years or more of service in the field of rehabilitation teaching
- A nominee shall have exceptional leadership qualities
- The uniqueness of a nominee’s contribution to the field shall be given due consideration
- A nominee’s contribution shall have been national in scope
- A nominee shall be a member of Division 11.
All nominations must be submitted in writing and should include biographical information, education and training, employment history, leadership qualities, contributions, achievements and professional memberships. If possible, a copy of the nominee’s curriculum vitae should be attached.
Each nomination must be seconded in writing.
Nominations must be submitted to Bruci Hawkins, Chair-Elect and Awards Committee Chair, by February 15, 2002.
The Division 11 Awards Committee shall select the recipients.
Rising Star Award
Purpose:
The award shall be presented to an individual that exemplifies the potential for exceptional leadership and will most likely provide a unique contribution to the field of rehabilitation teaching.
Criteria:
- A nominee shall be an ACREVP certified rehabilitation teacher
- A nominee should have no more than three years of professional service
- A nominee should have demonstrated outstanding dedication and service to profession of rehabilitation teaching.
- A nominee shall be a member of Division 11
All nominations must be submitted in writing and should include biographical information, education and training, employment, leadership qualities, contributions and achievements. The nomination should be submitted by a supervisor or professional mentor. Each nomination must be seconded in writing.
Nominations must be submitted to Bruci Hawkins, Chair-Elect and Awards Committee Chair, by February 15, 2002.
The Division 11 Awards Committee shall select the recipients.
Product Review:
Talking Label Identifiers
Lisa-Anne Mowerson, RTC
At the Spring 2002 Pennsylvania-Ohio Rehabilitation Teachers Association (PORTA) meeting, 18 Rehabilitation Teachers reviewed these two devices. (For more about PORTA, see regional news.) A number of the reviewers were visually impaired, and two were hearing impaired.
The I.D. Mate is described in the product catalog as “a portable self-contained electronic device that can be used to identify any bar-coded product, such as cans, boxes, bottles, compact discs, and books. As easy to use as a cassette player.”
Basic information about the I.D. Mate:
- Size: 11 ¼” x 4 ¼” x 4”
- Weight: 2 ½ lbs
- Memory: 4 Mgb memory card, additional memory cards available for purchase
- Instructions provided in large print and cassette formats
- Accessories included: carrying case with strap, 4 NiCad batteries, AC/DC power adapter, 100 pre-printed bar code labels, earphone and microphone jacks
- Bar code scanner
- One-year warranty
- Cost: $1,600 - $1,800
Basic information about the VOILA:
- Size: 6” x 2” x 2”
- Weight: 8 oz
- Memory: not specified
- Instructions provided in cassette format
- Accessories included: 50 bar tags, 2 AAA batteries and carry strap
- “Instant Identify” function with one keystroke
- No charger, no wires
- Cost: $200.00 - $260.00
| I.D. Mate | VOILA | |
|---|---|---|
| Portability | 2.5 | 4.7 |
| Price | 1.8 | 3.6 |
| Value for price | 2.7 | 3.4 |
| Sound quality | 3.8 | 3.1 |
| Directions for use | 3.8 | 3.3 |
| Flexibility | 3.5 | 2.9 |
Additional reviewer comments:
I.D. Mate:
- “Nice carry case, but the device is large.”
- “Safety and safe use of device is a concern especially with use of laser reading wand.”
- “Sound volume is a variety of adjustment options but the voice can be fast and muffled.”
- “Built-in help features are a nice component.”
- “Has a high degree of flexibility.”
- “Larger size makes locating buttons easier, but there is a greater number of features to learn.”
- “Price is quite high for the average person.”
- “Has a soft voice at maximum volume.”
- “Voice is clear.”
- “Good size for portability.”
- “Concern about the use of tags on clothing, in the freezer, in moist environments, or lasting durability on curved surfaces.”
- “Compact size is good, but may be an issue for persons with limited dexterity.”
- “Tags have tactile clues, but persons with limited tactile ability or dexterity may find them hard to use.”
- “Has potential for greater applications.”
Available from:
VOILA:
Maxi-aids Corporation
800-522-6294
http://www.maxiaids.com
ID MATE:
I.D. Mate
En-Vision America
1013 Porter Lane
Normal, IL 61761
800-890-1180
Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
It’s Auction Time!
We need your help in collecting donations for this event. We thought it might be fun to have a theme for the auction, thus helping us focus ideas for donations. The theme for this year’s auction will be “Rehabilitation Teaching: Touching all corners of the world.” We hope that this theme will inspire our members to donate regional items and local favorites to this Division 11 fundraising event.
To help coordinate donations and transport them to Toronto, we are requesting that you ship or mail your donations to Bruci Hawkins. If you have any questions please contact Bruci at (607) 277-5436 or BruciHawkins@aol.com.
We need your help in order to make this event a success. Please consider sending an item even if you are not attending the conference. Thanks very much.
THANK YOU TO THE MEMBERS OF THE DIVISION 11 UNIVERSITY PERSONNEL PREPARATION COMMITTEE
Barbara Hunt, RTC, Chair 2001-2002
Grace Ambrose, RTC, COMS
Elizabeth Chamberlain, RTC
Elida Gares, RTC
Don Golembiewski, RTC
Bruci Hawkins, RTC, COMS
Vanessa Huang, RTC
Lynne Luxton, RTC
Susan Ponchillia, RTC
Cheryl Richesin, RTC
Janet Silverman, RTC
Diane Storm-Weiss, RTC
Patricia Bussen Smith, RTC
Emery Whitlow, RTC
Felicia Whitney, RTC
Once again, a sincere “thank you” to all, for your dedication to Rehabilitation Teaching personnel preparation standards, and to the profession of Rehabilitation Teaching.
Medicare Update
New Medicare Bill for Vision Rehabilitation Services: S.1967/H.R. 2484
Lorraine Lidoff, Director, National Vision Rehabilitation Cooperative
508-487-5815; llidoff@att.net
Here are three action steps you can take to make a difference:
- Contact your two Senators, asking them to cosponsor S.1967. Select one of the form letters on the www.medicarenow.org Website, or write your own and e-mail it directly from the site.
- Check the list on the Website of House cosponsors of H.R.2484. If your Representative is already a cosponsor, send a thank you letter. If your Representative has not yet signed on, ask him or her to do so.
- Let us know what response you receive, whether it is positive or negative. We follow up on Congressional contacts, and we can help you make your own follow up more effective.
Here is the rest of the Senate Finance Committee:
| Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) | Senator Jay Rockefeller(D-WV) | |
| 202/224-2651 | 202/224-6472 | |
| FAX 202/224-3687 | FAX 202/224-7665 | |
| Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) | Senator John Breaux(D-LA) | |
| 202/224-7895 | 202/224-4623 | |
| FAX 202/224-7895 | FAX 202/228-2577 | |
| Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) | Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) | |
| 202/224-2043 | 202/224-3041 | |
| FAX 202/224-7776 | FAX 202/224-2237 | |
| Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) | Senator RobertTorricelli(D-NJ) | |
| 202/224-5521 | 202/224-3224 | |
| FAX 202/224-2852 | FAX 202/224-8567 | |
| Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) | Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT) | |
| 202/224-4843 | 202/224-5141 | |
| FAX 202/224-1371 | FAX 202/224-0776 | |
| Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) | Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) | |
| 202/224-3744 | 202/224-5251 | |
| FAX 202/224-6020 | FAX 202/224-6331 | |
| Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK) | Senator Don Nickles (R-OK) | |
| 202/224-6665 | 202/224-5754 | |
| FAX 202/224-5301 | FAX 202/224-6008 | |
| Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX) | Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) | |
| 202/224-2934 | 202/224-6253 | |
| FAX 202/224-2856 | FAX 202/224-2262 | |
| Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) | Senator Olympia Snowe(R-ME) | |
| 202/224-4944 | 202/224-5344 | |
| FAX 202/224-3679 | FAX 202/224-1946 | |
| Senator John Kyle (R-AZ) | Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY) | |
| 202/224-2235 | 202/224-6441 | |
| FAX 202/224-2862 | FAX 202/224-1724 | |
Thank you for your commitment to increasing access to vision rehabilitation services through Medicare coverage. Together we can reach our goal!
IMPORTANT NEWS
Academy (ACVREP) Update
Additional information from the April ACVREP Web newsletter: “Within the next few months, ACVREP will be initiating a process by which continuing education offerings will be reviewed and approved by ACVREP for recertification. We are hopeful that these programs will be designed to assist professionals to obtain advanced instruction and specialized skills beyond those required at the entry professional level. These approved continuing education programs will then be listed on the ACVREP web site as well as being advertised by the organization that is offering the program. ACVREP is committed to the standard of a successful continuing competence program through recertification. Such a program should promote education through the duration of one’s professional life.”
THANK YOU TO THE MEMBERS OF THE DIVISION 11 REHABILITATION TEACHING ASSISTANT (RTA) STANDARDS COMMITTEE
Don Golembiewski, RTC, Chair 2000-2002
Grace Ambrose, RTC, COMS
Cherie Caprera
Anne Berenice Donald, RTC
Millie Eads, RTC
Diane Storm-Weiss, RTC
Once again, a sincere “thank you” for your dedication to this process, as well as to the profession of Rehabilitation Teaching.
APH Update
(Excerpted from APH Advisory Services News: April 2002)
www.aph.org
A sixth title has now been added to our unique Art History series. This multi-sensory system uses sight, sound, and touch to convey the richness of the world of art to people who are visually impaired. Complete Kit: 1-09005-00 - $99.00
MasterPlan Medical Record Keeper:
The MasterPlan Medical Record Keeper is a large print organizational tool for keeping medical records. It provides a system for storing and organizing information on personal identification, medical history, insurance, medications, physicians, and other medical records. The product is on non-glare, non-bleed paper, with 22 point black type. It’s housed in a three-ring binder for easy access and re-organization. Extra sheets for physicians’ notes and personal notes are included. Handy folders are included for insertion of invoices, reminders, and prescriptions. Tab pages divide the product into easy-to-locate divisions. MasterPlan Medical Record Keeper: 1-07930-00 - $29.00
Down the Historical Research Road - Or How Acquiring a “Noctograph” Led us to Learn About the Discovery of Carbon Paper!
The latest and most interesting artifact acquired by the APH Callahan Museum is an historic writing device known as a “Noctograph.” It looks very much like many of the old pencil-writing guides-a hinged frame with wire guides, but it predates them by many years. In 1806 a patent was issued in England to Ralph Wedgwood for a “Stylographic Writer” which was designed to help blind people write. Because it was difficult for blind people to write with quill and ink, and pencils were not widely available, Wedgwood invented “carbonated paper.” This “carbonated paper” was made by soaking paper in printers’ ink and drying it. It was fitted in the writing frame between two sheets of plain paper and a metal stylus was then used to transfer the ink onto the plain paper. The bottom sheet was the “original” which was sent out, while the top sheet, with writing in reverse, was the copy. Later named the Noctograph, our writing guide has with it a booklet labeled “carbonated paper” and a booklet with copies of correspondence (in reverse) dated 1811. The well-known visually impaired historian, William Hickling Prescott (1796-1859), used a Noctograph. We have a published photograph of Prescott writing with his Noctograph in the early 1800s. Here is another example of an invention originally designed to help blind people-like the typewriter and the long playing record-that led to products that benefited everyone.
Cooking Without Looking
Blind Chef Teams Up with South Florida Foundation to Produce a Descriptive Television Cooking Show for People Who are Blind
Note: This article originally appeared on aernet, the AER Listserv at aer@aerbvi.org
Bill Quain, a Florida International University professor in the School of Hospitality Management who has macular degeneration, hosts the show, entitled “Cooking Without Looking”. “This is a show that helps you get more out of cooking if you have a challenge,” says Professor Quain. “You don’t need to see to prepare great meals. You just have to have a sense about creating foods that go well together.”
Vision World Foundation, a Florida not-for-profit corporation is producing “Cooking Without Looking,” a half hour television show that utilizes audio description, a technical capability that is much like a play-by-play of what is being seen on the screen. Ren’ee Rentmeester, co-founder of Vision World Foundation along with her partner, Mauricio Guaiana, is creator and producer of “Cooking Without Looking.” A former news and community relations producer for CBS in Miami and a two time Emmy nominee, Ren’ee got the idea for a cooking show for the blind while doing research on blind chatlines. “I found that by far the busiest chatline was the Blind Cooks chatline,” says Ren’ee. “So I set out to find a blind chef and I didn’t look very long before I found Bill, who is absolutely the most perfect host this show could have. He’s caring, positive and very funny. The show is taped in front of a live studio audience made up of blind and sighted individuals, and others who have various disabilities.
During each “Cooking Without Looking,” Bill will choose an audience member to help him create a main course, side dish, and dessert and discuss blindness issues and solutions in a positive, upbeat manner. He’ll also provide viewers with cooking tips in simplifying recipes to accommodate a lack of sight, as well as hints on how to stay safe in the kitchen. In the first show, Bill creates honey Dijon salmon with asparagus spears, simple and elegant rice pilaf, and raspberry coulis. Bill and his guest discuss how to overcome restaurant menus and eating ribs in public. During the show, Bill gets the audience to laugh, sing and clap to a tune he made up to get his students to remember how to tell if fish is fresh. He also gets the audience to recite in unison, ‘A nebulous bouquet, yet it endures,’ to impress guests when sipping wine.
When Bill and Ren’ee started telling people about a television cooking show for the blind, people couldn’t see it. “Blind people eat, so that means blind people have to cook,” says Bill. “We’re going to show them how much fun they can have in an easily accessible way they can enjoy without any special television settings or machines. “Sighted people will love the show, too,” says Ren’ee. “They can walk in the other room and still hear a description of what’s going on.”
“Cooking Without Looking” is currently looking for an on-air home and sponsorships. For more information and to see a presentation tape, please call Vision World Foundation at 305-754-4816 or contact us at www.visionworldfoundation.org.