From the President

Greetings! Another year has come and gone and yes we have all survived, including your President. To avoid duplication, I will only say that our recent NFBI State Convention in Coeur d’Alene was a rousing success. Several articles will appear in this issue of the Milestones that address the convention. I believe you will find these articles to be moving and positive.

We, the National Federation of the Blind of Idaho, are indeed an active organization – and yes, we are still in the business of changing what it means to be blind! We have accomplished much in the last 12 months.

Philadelphia Convention

Twenty NFBI members attended our national convention in Philadelphia. Our membership continues to grow, most likely not as fast as you and I would like it to, but we are growing. What a great convention that happened to be; it will probably go down as my all time favorite. Your President had the honor of speaking at the Philadelphia Convention and that is exactly what it was – an honor.

New Division

It is with a great deal of pleasure that I announce this important news – at noon, the NFB of Idaho added a new division into our membership, the Idaho Association of Blind Students. What a wonderful achievement. I want to congratulate the students on a fine accomplishment. I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Kimberly Aguillard, from Texas and the Secretary of the National Association of Blind Students for assisting with this giant step in our affiliate. A constitution was adopted and an election was held. Mike Mello will address the student division in his article.

Tape Duplicator

We have been trying to find ways to fund a tape duplicator. Ramona Walhof recently visited with a district governor of the Lion’s Club. We have requested a contribution of $3,000 to purchase that duplicator, and the Lion’s are considering it.

Washington Seminar

Idaho was well represented in February at the Washington Seminar. Al Spooner, Ramona Walhof and I took the long journey to D.C. to pay a visit to our congressional delegation. We had successful meetings and have received positive support on our Earnings Limit Bill and our Medicare legislation. Mike Simpson is once again co-sponsoring the Earnings Limit Bill in the House, while Senator Craig and Senator Crapo are co-sponsoring the bill in the Senate.

Legislative Dinner

Our legislative dinner, held in mid January with 31 members in attendance was a tremendous success. That count ties the record for attendance from our 2001 Dinner. Mary Ellen Halverson served as the Mistress of Ceremonies for the event and did a wonderful job.

We advised the legislators that our Technology Information Access Bill would once again be introduced. Gary Young from Moscow was our able sponsor. (See additional comments later).

Scott Weigt made a presentation regarding the need to continue the para-educator training at ISDB. Simply stated, a decision was made to cut the program and the NFBI was there to say to our legislators that the program had to be continued. This program trains para-educators to work with blind and visually impaired students in the public schools. For most students, this is the only way the student can be introduced to learning the skills of blindness.

Some how, the word got out that we were not willing to accept this decision; this included correspondence to the State Board of Education. The day after the dinner, we learned that the decision had been reversed. the Saturday before our dinner. As one of my non-member acquaintances stated, “I do not know what you guys did or what you said, but your organization came through this time for sure.” I sent 105 letters out to let the legislators know that the program had survived. House and Senate members appreciated our notification of the decision by Superintendent Ramos in such a timely manner and made positive comments regarding our actions.

Elsie Lamp made a presentation on NEWSLINE with a masterful addition by Bill Morgan. Elsie advised our guests that a new source of funding must be secured for the program to survive. Bill followed by discussing the inconsistencies with the Idaho Statesman and the need for quality service by Idaho’s largest paper.

Your President made legislators more aware of issues facing our blind students in Idaho. The Final Report from the Task Force on the Education of Blind Students in Idaho is about to be completed. As a side note, the first two classes taught via distance education to train teachers of the blind and O&M Specialists by Stephen F. Austin State University has started and is going well. A total of seven students from Idaho were accepted into the program for the first semester. The NFBI has been an active participant in the Task Force on Education of Blind Students in Idaho. Ramona Walhof, Shelley Weigt, Mike Gibson, and I have served on the task force for over three years. The educational opportunities available to blind and visually impaired students are miserable at best.

Successful Idaho Legislation

Our House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 56, Technology Information Access, moved through both houses in the legislature without one single opposition vote. Your President and Rep. Gary Young testified on several occasions. By the time you read this edition, Governor Kempthorne will have signed HCR 56. NFB of Idaho Resolution 2002-01 recognized the positive efforts and contributions made by Representative Gary Young in securing the passage of HCR 56.

Organizing

Plans are in the making to send a team in the very near future to two communities for the purpose of establishing new chapters. I will be asking for volunteers to assist with this important task.

Fundraising

Our latest creation is the Idaho Cookbook – actually I should say, the return of the Idaho Cookbook. The final draft is being reviewed as I write this article. We have also sold candles and had a basket auction at our last state convention. The auction was so successful that we are having another this evening after the banquet.

Our affiliate was well represented in Baltimore in January at a recent training on fundraising. Ramona Walhof, Paula Achter, and Brenda Ford gained new knowledge and insights into funding our movement.

Seniors Division

I have set another goal. Like we have seen with our new Idaho Association of Blind Students, we can be successful with good planning and strong determination. We need to work to establish a Seniors Division here in Idaho. I want to be able to stand up in Boise in 2003 and announce during my report that we have accomplished this goal. We know that there are many seniors out there. I believe that many of these fine people are just waiting for the right invitation. No - it will not be easy but we can do it!

NEWSLINE – The Latest

Over an extended period of time, discussions have occurred between the NFB leadership and the Administrator of the ICBVI regarding the continued funding of NEWSLINE. Due to budget cuts, we must find a new source of funding and time is of the essence. We the NFBI cannot stand by and allow an inferior system such as the Kansas Audio Reader to replace Newsline – this would be totally unacceptable!

This could have been one of the toughest battles we have ever had to fight in Idaho. I state to you clearly – and you should hear me clearly – make no doubt about it – decisions to remove a quality product and replace it with an inferior one would not be productive. Some how, some way, we will prevail in this matter regarding NEWSLINE! We have a challenge, which must be met!

As most of you are aware, on March 1, Newsline expanded to an 800 number. I am pleased to announce that on Thursday, April 24, 2002, the Board of Commissioners of the ICBVI unanimously agreed to fund NEWSLINE for one year at the same level, $16,380.00, they have been providing. To say the least, this was good news and I am hopeful that we can move ahead and find suitable long term funding for NEWSLINE. I want to express my appreciation to the Commissioners for making this positive decision. I also encourage anyone who is interested to sign up for NEWSLINE.

National Scholarship Finalist

On April 27, Andrea Travis was honored by being named as a 2002 NFB National Scholarship finalist. Congratulations Andrea! We are all very proud of your accomplishment. Good luck in Louisville!

Recognizing Those Who Have Left Us

As President, it is always sad to tell the membership and our associates bad news. We recently lost one of our favorite individuals in our affiliate, Nancy McElhannon and Gardner Hanks, father of one of our blind high school students.

Nancy died on March 13, 2002. Nancy attended several colleges and later worked with disabled adults. In 1970, she married John and they lived in several locations. All I can say is - what a wonderful person and sprit she was - always positive and always willing to work in the movement. She was an active member of the NFB and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints and took her responsibilities seriously. The funeral occurred on March 19. I talked to John on March 13. I know the NFB meant a lot to Nancy.

John, like you, we will miss her. Her last months on this earth were difficult. I will always remember Nancy for her courage, strength, and determination. Sometimes, we stay here on earth for purposes we often do not understand.

Gardner Hanks (we all called him Gard) was one of the most interesting persons I have ever met. I had the pleasure of riding to from work with Gard for several years on the bus. What a character! Gard was 54 when he died Saturday, Feb. 2 at his home in Boise from pancreatic cancer. He worked as a Continuing Education Consultant for the Idaho State Library and traveled throughout Idaho providing training and technical assistance to professionals in his field. He was actively engaged in human rights issues and legislation, and wrote extensively on the topic of capital punishment.

He was a loving husband and father. I heard him say more than once that he appreciated what the NFB had done for his daughter Kathryn. Gard always tackled difficult questions with dignity and enthusiasm. Riding the bus without Gard has left a gap in my life and the lives of others.

Quotations from the Presidential Report

When I think of Philadelphia, I think of liberty and freedom, of patriots like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben Franklin, and others and of course, the liberty bell. Our forefathers faced many challenges and without their contributions and their sacrifices, we would not be free today. We are patriots of this modern era, and like our colonial ancestors, will face many challenges and conflicts in the days ahead. I remind you again that our battles are far from over and that conflicts will continue to occur. If you are not, you should be critically aware, that some vehemently oppose our philosophy, goals and our desires to be first class citizens, and would do anything to destroy our quest for liberty and freedom.

We continue to set the standard of excellence for others to follow. We are growing, our leaders write with inspiration, speak with authority, and lead by example! No wonder we have been successful throughout these many years. We are the Federation family with a strong spirit, which cannot be broken by anyone!

As a member of the Federation family, I confirm that you have treated me fairly – you have entrusted me with authority to lead – I have tried my best not to let you down. I give you my solemn pledge and promise that I will work harder in the days ahead. I will do my very best to improve our standing in society.

There is still much to do. We can do better, we can work harder to encourage others to join and become part of us. We should study our history so we do not repeat our mistakes, and know our philosophy so we may encourage others to change their attitudes about blindness. We must read our literature, and get out into the public. We must put our words into actions and our actions into daily practice. If we all do just a little, we can accomplish much!

To ensure our liberty and freedom we must be together as one. Let us treat one another with respect, kindness, teach by example, share our thoughts, ideas, feelings, victories, and yes, even accept our defeats with dignity and continue to stand as a unified body. By adopting these qualities, we are not being weak – we are developing a stronger character. If and when the attacks come, we will be prepared and will stand firm in our convictions. Frederick Douglass once said. “Without a struggle there can be no progress.”

So another year has come and gone. We as an affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind will be tried, tested, and challenged more than ever before. We will face our failures, but success will also come our way; we have a solid record of achievement. We earned this record and we plan to keep it and add to it as well.

I thank you for this opportunity to serve. It is truly an honor to be of service. I have personally made tremendous strides since I last reported to you. We grow far more from giving than we do receiving. Being President is indeed challenging! Our challenges await us around the next bend in the river of life. In closing, let us remember the words of Joshua J. Marine who stated, “Challenges are what makes life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”

Reminder:

Time is running out. The National Convention will be held in Louisville, Kentucky at the Galt House from July 3 to July 9. Make your reservations now. The phone number is 502-589- 5200 or you may call the Hyatt Regency 502-587-3434 or 1-800-233-1234.

State Convention Summary

By Al Spooner

Wow, what an exciting weekend that was! The annual NFB of Idaho State Convention was held Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17, at the Coeur d’Alene Inn, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

On behalf of the hosting chapter, the Panhandle Chapter, I want to thank all those who were able to attend and get a little taste of North Idaho, especially those who overcame such obstacles as adverse driving conditions, car break downs, and airport delays.

As a first time Convention Chairman, I have grown to a whole new level of respect and admiration for those who have gone before me. The task of hosting and coordinating a convention was challenging, exciting, and rewarding. My thanks to all of you that pitched in when help was needed. Here are the highlights of this eventful weekend.

Friday kicked off our weekend with a delicious dinner and the NFBI Board Meeting. The state chapters presented an official United States Supreme Court Gavel to President Larry Streeter, and with three knocks, our session commenced. During this meeting we discussed issues such as the new potato cookbook, expansion of the NFB Newsline in Idaho, resolutions considered for this weekend and much more. In addition, we were introduced to three exceptional scholarship finalists, Susan Bradley, Mike Mello, and Andrea Travis, whom would be competing for the $1000.00 scholarship given out on Saturday night.

After adjournment, a small group met with the scholarship finalist and other students to discuss the possibility of creating a student division in Idaho, while many others headed to the hospitality room to socialize with new and old friends.

Later that evening, a very large group met in President Streeter’s suite to iron out the details for the upcoming resolutions to be put forth to the members that weekend. A remarkable amount of discussion and participation made this a long, yet productive meeting. As Chairperson of the Resolutions Committee, Jan Gawith described it, “Everyone involved had something of value and importance to contribute.”

Saturday was a very full day, starting with a proclamation from the mayor of Coeur d’Alene declaring, April as “National Federation of the Blind Month”, which was delivered and presented by Woody McEvers, Member of the City Council.

The theme of this years’ convention was “Setting the Standards”, and throughout the morning and afternoon sessions we heard from a variety of speakers with topics that supported this theme. And don’t forget about door prizes! We had in excess of 200, totaling more than $1000.00. Thanks so much to all the chapters and individuals that contributed. Special mention should be made to Lutheran Brotherhood and Coldwater Creek of Coeur d’Alene, our two largest contributors.

Mary Ellen Halverson started our morning with the introduction of the three scholarship finalists, Susan Bradley, Mike Mello, and Andrea Travis. All three gave a short insightful introductory presentation. The Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation donated a $1,000 to the NFBI and a decision was made to use this generous contribution for the scholarship program.

Our first speaker during the morning session was Barbara Pierce, our National Representative, who is President of the NFB of Ohio and the Editor of our national monthly publication, The Braille Monitor. Barbara gave a report on the latest news from the national perspective.

Dr. Michael Graham, Administrator of the Idaho Commission for the

Blind and Visually Impaired reported on ICBVI activities and responded

to questions by President Streeter and others regarding NEWSLINE and training using the sleep shades. Following the completion of his responses, Resolution 2002-02 regarding NEWSLINE was passed unanimously.

A student panel comprised of three first class examples Mike Mello, Elsie Lamp, and Kimberly Aguillard discussed student issues. I should point out at this time that Kimberly Aguillard was a guest from Texas, and was representing the National Association of Blind Students (NABS) and serves as the Secretary. At noon, with the help of Kimberly’s experience and motivational influence and words of wisdom from Barbara Pierce, the Idaho Association of Blind Students was formed. For more details on IDABS, please refer to the article in this newsletter by the President of this new affiliate, Mike Mello.

In keeping with our theme, Neil Schoonmaker, a blind member who works for the IRS, delivered an attention-grabbing presentation as a successful blind person in today’s work force. Neal has written an excellent article.

Ramona Walhof gave a short presentation about NEWSLINE and discussed how to apply for the service. NEWSLINE was one of the most important issues discussed at the convention.

President Larry Streeter kicked off the afternoon session with the “Presidential Report,” reviewing what we’ve accomplished this past year, and with much positive optimism, what yet needs to be achieved.

Following this report we enjoyed listening to a presentation entitled, “Setting the Standard for Independent Travel” given by Sandy Streeter, with insight on cane travel, and Chelsea Morrow, representing the “Seeing Eye” dog guide school in California.

Next we learned some inside tips about working with our Legislature from House of Representatives, Gary Young. Representative Young has been a tremendous help to the NFB of Idaho in aiding in the passage of legislation for the blind of Idaho. We really appreciate his support and friendship.

The busy afternoon session continued with two informative presentations, the first, “Dealing with Diabetes” presented by Gina Conrath, RN/CDE from Community Health Education Resources, Spokane, Washington. This was followed by a humorous, yet informational delivery by Doug Orr of the Spokane Police Department regarding the areas of personal safety and being prepared.

Our last speaker for the afternoon revealed the importance and influence of the NFB philosophy in a heart-rendering delivery, “Perspectives of a Sighted Member,” given by Scott Bradley, whose wife, Susan, is a blind mother, one of the scholarship finalists, and an energetic strength in her local chapter.

The banquet on Saturday night included an inspirational speech by our guest speaker and National Representative, Barbara Pierce. Mary Ellen Halverson, the Scholarship Committee Chairperson, then presented Andrea Travis as the winner of this years’ $1000.00 scholarship.

Following the banquet, a witty and entertaining blind auctioneer, Don Ashcraft, caused money to disappear from our pockets with the auctioning of baskets and other items that were contributed by our state chapters, individuals, and President Streeter. A Fund Raising trophy was presented to the Gateway Chapter of Pocatello, as winner of this fundraising event.

Sunday morning wrapped up the convention with the general session where we voted on the remaining resolutions and the election of three board members. New member elected to the board include: Susan Bradley, Mike Mello, and Colleen McFadden. We also elected Larry Streeter as our delegate and Mary Ellen Halverson as our alternate delegate to the National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Congratulations! With the final door prizes given away that morning, we adjourned at 10:30 am.

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Impressions of a New Member

By Neil Schoonmaker

From the Editor: Neal Schoonmaker is a relatively new member to our movement. He is a hard working member, served on our state Scholarship Committee, and attended his first convention and delivered a wonderful presentation. I asked Neal to give his impressions of the convention. Here is what he had to say.

I have attended numerous business seminars and conventions over the years, but none of them have measured up to the NFB of Idaho's convention held at the Coeur d'Alene Inn over the Saint Patrick's Day weekend. This is my first NFB convention, and ever since I left the snowy late -Winter panhandle setting, I have been asking myself this question, "Why haven't I involved myself in NFB activities in the past?"

As a new attendee to an organization's convention or a business seminar, I have certain expectations of what I will take away from the event. I hope to learn something about the culture of the organization. I hope to gain an awareness of the recent achievements, and I also wish for specific information as to future goals and activities. My expectations were exceeded at this year's convention.

Kudos to Al Spooner, Panhandle Chapter President, and other members of the local chapter for coming through with a well supplied hospitality room and for attending to all the assorted details inherent with putting on a successful event. Al's coordination of the behind-the-scenes work was a perfect foundation for one of the most significant outcomes of the convention- people coming together to update each other on career developments, family news and ongoing personal endeavors. Beyond sharing, some offered support and a willing ear to those enduring crisis or difficult circumstances such as poor health or a recent loss. Friendship and support of one another is most definitely an important part of the culture of the National Federation of the Blind.

With what seems to be an ever-shrinking availability of public funds, the blind of Idaho face the challenge of securing political support for programs vital to employment and equal access opportunities. President Streeter's address to the convention outlining the success of the Legislative Dinner and a report of the fund raising successes by the local chapters highlighted the successes of the NFB of Idaho in the prior year.

Being new to the NFB, I attended activities and engaged in discussions on organizational policy. The seeds of the NFB's position on issues are sewn in the resolutions committee meeting. As all formal meetings are open to NFB members, this gives everyone an opportunity to contribute to organizational policy. The group writing process to finalize convention resolutions mostly consisted of clearly defining the NFB of Idaho's formal position on a funding strategy for Newsline.

Each person attending the resolution committee meeting offered both content and grammatical contributions as Ramona Walhof skillfully edited and re-edited the official verbiage of the resolutions using a Braille Lite. The final draft of all resolutions was approved unanimously. The NFB also acknowledged legislative support by passing a resolution commending the work of State Legislator Gary Young.

The NFB was established over 60 years ago and has substantially affected the lives of thousands of blind people over the years. It has flourished because of outstanding leadership and a conscious effort to pass on its heritage to successive generations. This tradition continued at this year's convention in the form of two important actions - a $1000 scholarship award to Andrea Travis, an energetic, community-minded, college bound student from Idaho Falls, and the formation of a student division of the NFB of Idaho formally dubbed The Idaho Association of Blind Students (IDABS). The future of NFB in Idaho is assuredly bright as the next generation of leaders is well versed in the tools of independence such as technology and mobility. They already possess outstanding leadership qualities and are a promising reflection of NFB founders and past leaders.

So back to the question of why I haven't involved myself in NFB activities in the past. I have attended college and held a full time job for the past 15 years. In short, I haven't had time. Another way to look at it, however, is that I have been too busy benefiting from the infrastructure of support created by the NFB and other organizations to make a time commitment to the NFB itself. In some ways I would like to think that attending college and taking advantage of an opportunity to advance in my career are consistent with the goals that the NFB has had for Blind people since 1940. The Coeur d'Alene convention, however, has shown me that participation in the NFB by all blind people will strengthen the infrastructure and increase the opportunities for everyone. I am planning on participating in NFB activities and attending future conventions. I hope to see you there.

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IDABS

By Mike Mello

From the Editor: As you will see from the following article that we are indeed on the move. One of the true bright spots of the NFBI State Convention was the formation of the Idaho Association of Blind Students. (IDABS). IDABS has already met success on a couple of major goals. Here is what newly elected Student President Mike Mello had to say about this accomplishment.

At last month’s State Convention Idaho formed a student division. The National Association of Blind Students (NABS) sent Kimberly Aguillard from Texas to assist with forming the Division. Kimberly serves on the NABS Board as Secretary. Thank you Kim for all of your help. The following IDABS officers were elected: Mike Mello, President; Andrea Travis, Vice-President; Susan Bradley, Secretary; Al Spooner, Treasurer; and Justin Brandis, Board Member.

IDABS is currently working on member expansion as our main objective. We are planning several projects for the up-coming months, such as traveling to other parts of the state to conduct student seminars and starting an IDABS student listserv for the dissemination of information. Al Spooner is working on creating a press release to be sent to all high school and colleges throughout the state. We will be developing a newsletter and website to update students as to what is going on in the division. So if you are a student in high school/college and you want to get involved or you just would like some more information please contact Andrea Travis or myself. On the same hand if you know a student that this newsletter may not be getting to please pass along the information about IDABS.

I am excited for the future of IDABS. I have a wonderful team of officers and great members to work with. I believe the scholastic future of students in Idaho will drastically improve with the formation of the student division. I hope to have more wonderful news to report about IDABS in later releases of the Milestones. For now, that’s it.

If you know of anyone interested in joining the ranks of IDAVA, refer them to Mike Mello, IDABS President at mike@mello.com, or by phone at (208) 885-4705 or Andrea Travis, IDABS Vice-President at lakersprincess@juno.com or by telephone at (208) 522-2460.

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Impressions from a Scholarship Recipient

By Andrea Travis

From the Editor: Our Scholarship Committee was active and put to the test at this year’s convention. The Committee received five applications; three finalists were invited to attend the convention. Andrea Travis was awarded the $1,000 Scholarship made possible by a grant from the Weyerhaeuser Community Foundation. Here are some thoughtful insights from Andrea Travis.

I recently attended my first National Federation of the Blind of Idaho State Convention as a scholarship finalist. I have known several people involved in the National Federation of the Blind, and heard numerous stories over the years, but never knew exactly what they did or what they were about.

As I wrote in my scholarship application essay, I have always struggled with accepting my blindness. As a child I was not totally sighted, nor was I totally blind, so I felt I was caught between two worlds, not fitting into either. I fought back against authority, the cane, Braille, and anything else that made me appear or seem different.

Throughout high school I have maintained a 3.9 GPA and been involved in Honor Society, the school newspaper staff as sports co-editor, choir, and Business Professionals of America. I will be attending the University of Idaho in the fall of 2002.

I know that next year in college I will need to use my cane. I will also need to utilize other services, such as books on tape offered by Student Disability Services. I realize that I am blind, and there is no way of changing that.

I am incredibly honored to have won the scholarship this year. To me, it represents the work of countless successful blind people who have gone before me. I had tough competition in Susan Bradley and Mike Mello. I am proud to say I was myself, and completely honest about everything. I was genuinely surprised when I won.

An exciting part of the convention was the forming of the Idaho Association of Blind Students (IDABS). I am looking forward to serving as Vice President of this new division of the NFB of Idaho and seeing it grow. My favorite thing about convention was probably the Resolutions Committee meeting. I thoroughly enjoy a lively debate over the issues. I learned a great deal about the NFB at the Resolutions meeting.

I am planning on attending the National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky this July. I am excited to meet more students and long-time members and hoping to make many new friends there. Thanks again, not only for the money, but also the experience, which I’m sure will make a great difference in my future.

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Bright Ideas

Cooking: A Few Tips Can Make It Easier

By Dana Ard

For me, the holidays are a time for great music, rekindling old friendships, and cooking those favorite holiday dishes for family and friends. I hope that none of you reading this column has given up cooking because of blindness or decreased vision, but if you think that this is the last year for your friends to enjoy your sinful fudge, perhaps these kitchen tips will change your mind.

Four kitchen implements are essential for making cooking easier: a set of measuring cups, and measuring spoons, (I prefer metal), oven mitts, and an adapted kitchen timer. You can easily distinguish the ¼, 1/3, and ½ measuring cups by nesting them inside one another. Raised dots, using a product such as Spot ‘n Line, or Hi-Mark, can also be put on the outside of the cup for reference. One dot could represent the whole cup, and four dots could mark the ¼ cup. I prefer metal to plastic cups, because each of the different sized metal cups makes a different sound when tapped on the counter, or with your finger. I often use this method to tell my cups apart.

I feel that using oven mitts when taking things in and out of the oven is much safer than using the kitchen towel. This is because the corner of the towel could touch the element, and catch fire. Because oven mitts are made of nonflammable material, they will not ignite as readily as a towel. Some people prefer to use barbecue mitts that extend to the elbow to avoid arm burns. Although I have used these, I find the shorter mitts work fine in most instances. A variety of adapted kitchen timers can be purchased from blindness product catalogs. These have either raised dots, or raised print numbers that can be used when setting the time. A few years ago, Avon came out with a simple timer that was set by pushing a button once for each minute of time required. Although this item is no longer available from AVON, similar timers may be available at kitchen specialty stores.

What about recipes? If you can read large print, recipes can be typed into a computer and enlarged, or blown up on a copier. If you no longer read print, recipes can be put on tape. I would suggest using a different tape for each recipe category such as breads, vegetables, and desserts. Either use a recorder like a Handi-cassette that can place a beep tone between each recipe, or start with a blank cassette, and leave a few seconds of silence between each recipe. You will be able to hear the difference between the tape chatter of the recipe, and the blank spaces when fast-forwarding or rewinding your recorder. Writing recipes in Braille, even grade one Braille, can be very useful. I once knew an older blind diabetic woman who learned grade one Braille primarily for her recipes.

I hope these simple suggestions are of help. I would be happy to address specific questions, or answer specific cooking problems in future columns. Please contact me at (208) 345-3906, or by mail at 301 Bruce Ave., Boise, Idaho 83712. My e-mail address will be changing, so that method won’t work for this time. Until next time, keep cooking.

Mini-Gems

Elmore County Chapter

President Karen Blurton reports that the chapter will be having a Bingo fundraiser in May, which will be coordinated by member Tish O’Donnell. They will also be having a chapter picnic in August at the home of Gloria Barns. Karen reported that long time member Al Billman passed away on March 18. Al was 90 years old. She also reported the death of Gloria Barns’ mother who died in March. Although she lived in Portland, Gloria’s mother attended meetings and activities when she came to visit Gloria.

Gateway Chapter

Elsie Lamp, chapter president reports that this chapter will have a community days fundraising project, which will include a silent auction, at the Pineridge Mall on April 27^th.

Treasure Valley Chapter

This chapter is planning fun and worthwhile activities for the late spring and summer. On May 18, the chapter will have a combined meeting and picnic at a local Boise park, yet to be determined. On June 1, the fourth annual Cycle for Independence will be held, with routes of 10, 25, and 50-mile lengths. In August, we again plan to have a booth at the Western Idaho State Fair. I am sure there will be other exciting activities unfold, as the warm weather comes along.

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Recipes of the Month

Taco roll-ups

By Sam and Lisa Albee

Mix 8 oz. cream cheese with 16 oz. sour cream. Add chopped olives, onions, garlic salt or powder, Lowry's Seasoning Salt, fine grated cheese, taco seasoning and/or whatever else sounds good to you. Spread on tortillas. Roll up & wrap in aluminum foil. Keep in refrigerator at least overnight. Can make ahead up to 3 days. When ready to eat, open the foil and slice them up. We've found that a double batch of filling will exactly cover 1 package of the larger tortillas.

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Bake at 350. 3 eggs; 1 cup sour cream; ¼ cup water; 1 package Betty Crocker super-moist white cake mix; 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling; ¼

Mix sour cream, eggs and water in a large bowl. Stir in dry cake mix until moistened (batter will be slightly lumpy). Spread batter evenly in a lightly greased and floured 11 x 17 cookie pan that has low sides (do not use cookie sheet that has no sides). Mark batter into 15 equal rectangles with the tip of a knife. Spoon equal amounts of the pie filling into the center of each square. Spoon equal amounts of the pie filling into the center of each square. Bake until cake springs back when lightly touched (about 25 to 30 minutes). Cool in pan, drizzle glaze on top and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Glaze: 1½ cup confectioners (powdered) sugar; 2 tablespoons cream or milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla.

I hope everyone has a fun filled summer. I’ll be talking to you again before the September newsletter.