GemState Milestones

Fall 2006

President's Message

By Paula Achter

Here we are in the hottest part of the summer, but a lot of exciting things are happening in the NFB of Idaho.

On June 30th, twenty of our members flew to Dallas for our 2006 National convention. This convention was innovative and informative. A lot of it was based around the technology of the KNFB Reader.

Next year our 2007 convention will be in Atlanta, Georgia. This too, will be a memorable convention with a March for Independence. The purpose of this march is to let the public know that 75 percent of the blind population in this country is not employed. Our march will demonstrate that by collective action the NFB is in the forefront making a difference in eliminating discrimination against the blind. Start saving money now and help us change what it means to be blind.

Jeff Young, from Payette won a $3000 scholarship. He also received a KNFB Reader along with all of the other winners. Jeff will be attending BYU Idaho and is co-chair of the Student Division. Just as soon as he comes back from the Bridge Program in Washington State, we will be working with him and his co-chair, Jolynn Page to get the Student Division up a moving.

Maria Alvarez from Idaho Falls received a grant from the national office to attend the Dallas convention as a parent of a blind child. The intent of this grant is to also get the Parents of Blind Children Division up and moving again. Maria has agreed to help us do this. We are excited to have her as a part of our team.

What is happening with the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind? We are not really sure. It has taken some effort to make contact with the group that is working on this. We hope that communication will begin and improve. Four of the members of the Treasure Valley Chapter attended the Work Group Committee meeting on July 28, 2006. We were extremely frustrated about how much emphasis is being given by the committee regarding education of deaf children. It is evident that this group does not understand what is needed for the education of blind children. As President, I want you to give input regarding this situation. Angela Roan, the administrator of the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired and a work committee member, wants to gather information from the blind community about the problems we are having in this state with the instruction of our children. This input can be from parents of blind children and/or students who have been through the public school system. Angela wants to hear from you. You may contact her by email at aroan@icbvi.state.id.us or 208-334-3220. You may also reach her at the ICBVI, 120 S. Cole, Boise, ID 83709. There is no time to waste for these comments. Please respond as soon as possible.

In early June, Elsie Lamp and Jan Gawith went up to Coeur d’Alene to reorganize the Panhandle Chapter. Their job was completed with great success. The first night at the meeting officers were elected and 13 people paid dues. The new officers of the Panhandle Chapter are: President, Robert Grantstaff; Vice President: Russell Smith; Secretary, Michelle Grantstaff; Treasurer, Sandy Martinez. Board members elected are: Bob Conger, Ray Judge, John Vandenberg, and Karl Heib. In July, I had the opportunity to attend their first meeting. They are excited and I believe we will see a lot of good things come from this chapter. Robert will be attending the New and Up Coming Leaders weekend in Baltimore during the month of August. He is extremely excited. Good job Elsie and Jan.

Susan Bradley will be attending the Leadership Seminar at the national center in Baltimore over the Labor Day weekend. She will be able to learn a lot and we are glad she can attend.

Be sure to set aside the dates of April 13—15, 2007 for our annual State Convention. This year it is going to be in Boise at the Oyhee Plaza Hotel. Remember it is an election year. You will be voting for a new President.

Keep cool and enjoy the rest of your summer. I will be looking forward to reporting to you again in the near future.

It’s all About Problem Solving

By: Dana Ard

When I hear presenters at our national convention talk about being able to travel efficiently and seemingly effortlessly in complex environments such as the hotel where the convention was held, I sometimes feel sad and inadequate as a federationist. For me, traveling in such environments has never been easy, despite good training and many years of practice. At this recent convention, I had an experience that helped me put things in perspective. I learned that above everything else the real key to success whether in travel or other aspects of life is problem solving.

Wednesday afternoon of the convention is set aside for tour day. Recently, more and more events take place at the hotel for those who do not choose to take advantage of the various tours offered. This was my situation this year. After studying the agenda, I decided that I would attend a seminar on the Braille Note, go see the classic cars at the convention car show, then go to practice for the Whosit Chorus, which was to sing at the banquet. The Braille Note seminar was held in a room on the mezzanine floor of the hotel. Rooms were easily found on this floor as they were arranged in alphabetical order and had prominent Braille signs. After about a half-hour in the Braille Note seminar, the presentation was way above my head, so I decided the find something else to attend. I determined that the cane travel question and answer seminar, also on the mezzanine, was for me. Following the Braille signs I found the room. The discussion was great, but after about an hour, I decided I’d better find out where the classic car show was being held. I took the elevator to the main floor and received directions to where the cars had been displayed. However, when I got there the cars were gone. Thinking I might be in the wrong place, I asked a passerby if he saw any classic cars. He told me that the cars had left early because a storm was predicted. Since I had extra time, I decided to return to my room, located in the towers section of the hotel, to check in with my roommate. This is where my challenge began.

The hotel was divided into two sections, the atrium and the towers. The sections were separated by a large open area with three short flights of stairs. I had seen people get on the towers elevator thinking that they were in the atrium, but I never thought that would happen to me. However, when I hopped in the elevator and said I wanted the twenty second floor, I was told that I was in the atrium and that the elevator only went to the fourteenth floor. I had gotten on the wrong stairs. I decided to call my roommate on the cell phone, and that’s when I learned my battery was dead. I returned to the travel seminar. When that was over, it was time to find the Chambers Ballroom where the chorus practice was scheduled. I had no idea where the room was and the hotel lobby was quite empty. I located a desk with a phone on it and I figured it was a house phone since it faced the lobby. I attempted to call my room and when that didn’t work, tried my roommate’s cell phone. When that failed, I decided to dial zero to try and get directions. The front desk operator answered and connected me to the concierge, who met me and showed me the room, since its location was somewhat hard to explain. Following the practice, I still needed to connect with my roommate since we were planning to go out for dinner. As I walked through the lobby I heard a woman selling Whosit scented soaps, which was a fundraiser for their chapter. I bought some soaps for gifts and then asked if she had a cell phone that I could use to call my roommate. She let me use her phone and the evening went on as planned.

Although this story seems mundane, it illustrated to me the value of problem solving. At any time during the afternoon I could have given up, gone back to my room, and hibernated until dinner. But, because I was willing to problem solve the small challenges; I had an interesting and enjoyable afternoon.

Every day brings problems that must be solved. We have a choice. We can either choose not to solve them and limit our opportunities, or take the plunge and expand our horizons. Our federation philosophy gives us the belief, courage, and determination to do the latter.

My Experience at the NFB Convention

By Maria Alvarez

The NFB convention in Dallas, Texas was my first experience with the NFB. My name is Maria Alvarez. I have a son, Diamond, who is 2 years old and is blind. Diamond is quite an inspiration to me. Being able to help him succeed in every aspect in life is my goal. Any mother would go to extremes to help her children and the NFB convention was so inspirational to me. It allowed me to see about three thousand blind individuals making their way through airports, hotels, restaurant’s, etc. Once at the actual convention, I had the opportunity to sit in with the Parents Division and meet other parents with the same concerns as I had. Some of them have already gone through a lot of the experiences and were so helpful in giving advice. I was able to be understood in a different way with individuals who have overcome some of my doubts and concerns. It was such a comforting moment. I realized that I was not alone and it empowered me to be able to pass this on to my home state of Idaho. I am committed to initiating a parents division for the NFB here in Idaho.

Some of the most inspiring moments at the NFB for me were to be able to witness the young students doing different presentations. Wow! These young kids helped me see my son Diamond in them. They are so well rounded, well spoken, and not at all shy. I think about this moment and it brings a knot to my throat and tears to my eyes. Before I attended the conference I did have different expectations for Diamond, due to his blindness. The convention helped me see that Diamond can be who he wants and what he wants. That blindness does not define him, he will define himself. It was such an emotional experience and is hard to express on paper. I wish every parent could be able to go to the NFB national convention and experience the power and empathy that is flowing throughout.

I want to thank Elsie Lamp for taking the time to talk to me at the Sensory Safari exhibition held at the Shilo Inn in Idaho Falls. I noticed there were NFB pamphlets, I asked Elsie to explain to me what the NFB was, and I had always thought it was only for adults. If it had not been for Elsie taking the time to talk to me and then contacting Paula Achter, NFB President of Idaho, I would not have had the opportunity to attend the convention.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to attend the convention. I met other parents, teachers, O & M instructors, lawyers, scientists, leaders, and many, many friends.

A First-Timer’s View of the Convention in Dallas

By Heidi Cook

Hello fellow federationists! What a wonderfully exciting and overwhelming convention. Getting there worked out wonderfully, starting with some sweet people I met in the Boise airport going to Dallas for a different convention and continuing with sharing a shuttle with the Director of the Iowa training center. Getting checked in was a bit confusing due to a mix-up that was easily resolved. The Anatole Hilton staff were very helpful and willing to do what was needed.

On Saturday I started off by finding out that my agenda information was at home on my computer and the information desk was out of large print copies. (Yes, I do read Braille, but I am still a bit slow.) Thankfully I ran into someone with a large print copy let me look at theirs and I was off and running and running and running. The hotel was enormous and it took a bit to get used to finding things. I really appreciated the marshals shouting out the names of the sessions or the rooms or giving directions. By the middle of the week I was able to help people find rooms when they were confused.

There is way too much to see and attend and not nearly enough time to do it all. So many sessions to go to and so much to learn and experience. I really enjoyed the Entrepreneurs meeting and the Deaf/Blind Division meeting.

These were two of the main sessions I wanted to attend both for information for myself and my parents. I met some wonderful people in both sessions. It is really helpful to find other people that have been where one is currently; who have advanced beyond that level and are willing to be a guide and mentor.

My biggest wish was for more time to go to more sessions. How do you choose when the majority of them sound wonderful and they meet at similar times or overlap? If anyone has figured this out please let me in on the secret! Then there is the Exhibit hall. As a confirmed techno-geek I was in seventh heaven. So many things to see and so little time – not nearly enough to play with all the things I wanted to experiment on and use. Since the exhibit hall is such a drawing place, maybe it would be a good fund raiser for the state affiliate?

I was lifted up spiritually at the devotional services on the weekdays and even had the opportunity to share a song I had written at the Wednesday service. I was up too late Saturday so I didn’t get to the 6:30 service, but the weekday services were wonderful. We have such a rich heritage of talented people of all faiths. It was great to see the different worship styles. It was a definite bonus for me at the convention.

The food was wonderful, although rather expensive. For first-timers I definitely recommend having more than $100 spending money. Thanks to Elsie’s husband Rox who was wonderful and helped me go to the store to buy some food so I could eat in my room. That really helped out on the budget.

Then there were the general sessions and banquet. It was so much inspiration and encouragement. It is really great to see what the NFB does on both a state and national level. Sometimes it is hard to see beyond the local level. I definitely recommend going to a national convention. It helps one get a bird’s eye view of what the NFB is doing. Dr. Mauer is a very dynamic and inspirational speaker. The banquet was incredible. I really enjoyed hearing about the scholarship class, especially since I had met one of its members. The one drawback was I kept hearing about all these great leaders who had gone before and I didn’t know them. It really made me wish I had gotten to know them. I did order the book “Blind Justice; Jacobus tenBroek in His Own Words” from the Talking Book Library and look forward to reading about him.

Overall, the national convention was a wonderful experience I definitely would recommend going for everyone interested in finding out more about the NFB and what blind people can accomplish. There were people of all skills and socio-economic levels. A wide slice of the American blind population was represented. There is definitely something for everyone. So be prepared to be lost and overwhelmed, encouraged and inspired. Dive into the national convention for an experience you will never forget!

Idaho School for Deaf and Blind

ISDB Service Delivery Model

By Carol Baron, Outreach Director

As a member of the ISDB Administrative Leadership Team and regular reader of the NFBI publication, Gem State Milestones, the “Legislation” article in the spring 2006 issue immediately caught my attention. I was somewhat surprised by the misrepresentation of ISDB intent and service delivery model and wish to provide your readers accurate information on this topic.

ISDB administration unanimously opposed HB 821 as written and submitted to the Idaho House Education Committee on March 13, 2006. The exclusion of blind/visually impaired students statewide from the same continuum of services offered to deaf/hard of hearing students is totally unacceptable, not only to ISDB, but also to the State Board of Education. This was made very clear to the House Education Committee prior to and during the March 13 hearing. The bill was tabled and the State Board of Education Working Group was formulated and given their charter to redesign the ISDB service delivery model in accordance with the joint recommendations of the Office of Performance Evaluation (OPE) and State Board of Education ISDB Review Sub-committee. Both reports can be referenced through ISDB website summaries and links at www.isdb.idaho.gov.

History of the ISDB Outreach program is unique in that this State agency has never been assigned legislative authority to provide Outreach services to sensory-impaired students in Idaho, but has done so for the past 30 years because there was an identified need and it is “the right thing to do”. ISDB has provided this service as a “related supplemental support” to school districts statewide who can not or do not employ a teacher of the visually impaired to provide expanded core curriculum (Braille and Nemeth Code instruction, assistive technology evaluation and instruction, O&M, Functional Vision Evaluations, Learning Media Assessments, adapted materials, etc.) to these students. We also provide related supplemental support to the Department of Health and Welfare Infant-Toddler program to insure maximum developmental progress for sensory-impaired children ages birth to three years. Revision of Idaho State Statutes 33-3401 – 33-3409 and passage of HB 16 and HB 17, by the 2006 Idaho State Legislature, as recommended by the OPE at the conclusion of their review in September 2005, finally granted statutory authority to ISDB to operate an Outreach Program and identifies it as “supplemental support” for local education agencies, LEAs, (who hold primary responsibility for provision of education accommodations necessary to insure a student reaching his/her maximum academic potential).

The statement to parents of blind or visually impaired students in the Spring 2006 issue of Gem State Milestones that “Parents with blind children within the public school system need to let the Legislature know about the lack of instructional services and the substitution of a consulting program that is being used for their children by ISDB” is erroneous and misleading. There are only six school districts in Idaho (out of 20+ educating blind/visually impaired students) that employ teachers of the visually impaired (TVI) and even fewer that contract for O&M evaluation and/or instruction by a certified orientation and mobility specialist (COMS). These are, indeed, issues of concern for school districts, parents and ISDB.

ISDB provides related supplemental support services to districts educating blind/visually impaired students statewide under four internal service delivery categories based on students’ needs: 1) Referral, 2) Consultive, 3) Active and 4) Monitor. ISDB does what it can under current legislative authority, resource constraints and in accordance with IDEA 2004 which identifies LEAs (local education agencies) as holding primary responsibility for the accommodation of educational needs of all their students. This also applies to private, religious and charter schools. If parents need to express concern over lack of services for their children, they need to start with their local school districts and determine what the district is doing to meet their child’s needs before approaching legislators about the lack of service provided by ISDB. ISDB supports the school districts’ needs with the cooperation and collaboration of the districts and families through the IEP process. If districts are unable/unwilling to make the necessary accommodations, the ISDB service delivery continuum provides day and residential campus programs to meet greater student needs for grades Pre-K – 12 with full-time specialized instruction by TVIs meeting “highly qualified” criteria in accordance with “No Child Left Behind” legislation.

ISDB has consistently demonstrated concern for and provision of high-quality education for all sensory-impaired students statewide even under drastically out-dated statutes. With the positive actions of the 2006 Idaho State Legislature in rewriting the ISDB governing statutes and recommendations of the OPE and State Board of Education ISDB Sub-committee reports we will continue to improve the quality of our services. I hope that if there are questions in the future about the ISDB service delivery model, Gem State Milestones article authors will contact ISDB administration to further research article content prior to publication so this type of misinformation is not propagated. I welcome readers to contact me or ISDB Interim Superintendent, Harv Lyter, at any time for further discussion of this information.

Spotlight on Careers

Mentoring Can Be Your Key to Success

By Dana Ard

Have you ever had a blind mentor? I had my first blind mentor when I was five years old. Uldine Thelander, who worked as a rehabilitation teacher for the Idaho Department of Public Assistance, came to my house to teach me Braille. She was accompanied by her German Shepherd guide dog. Braille was not the most important thing I learned that year. I learned that a blind person could travel independently and hold down a respectable job. In junior high, Uldine came back into my life when she came to speak to the Y-Teens. From her talk I learned how blind people could match clothing and dress professionally. I figured from that point on that if Uldine could do all of this, so could I. For those who don’t know, Uldine Thelander was the president of the NFB of Idaho in the 1960’s and early 70’s.

The NFB has started a program NFB-LINK to enable blind people both to mentor and be mentored on a variety of educational, vocational, and recreational topics. NFB-LINK is founded on the NFB’s can-do attitude about blindness emphasizing high expectations, independence, and personal achievement. Examples of possible topics for mentoring include: continuing your hobbies and interests such as gardening, grilling and cooking, career development and opportunities, advocacy training for blind students, help for parents of blind children and providing tips for seniors with recent vision loss. To learn more about NFB-LINK, you should visit nfb.org/nfblink. People interested in mentoring are encouraged to sign up on the website. For those without Internet access, you can sign up by phone through the NFB office at 410-659-9314.

As a vocational rehabilitation counselor, I see many great applications for this mentoring program. Young people and others needing to get accurate information on possible careers could request a mentor in a field of interest. Mentors could also advise on all aspects of the job search such as resume writing, completing applications, and dealing with blindness issues during the job interview. If you are in a career and need advice on how you might improve your job performance, the mentoring program could be for you.

I plan to become a mentor. I hope you will join this great program either as a mentor or mentee. Remember that alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

Cycle for Independence 2006

By Ramona Walhof

We had 259 riders, about twice as many as ever before! May 20 was the exciting day! We had wonderful volunteers, and everybody seemed to have a good time! Seven blind members of the Treasure Valley Chapter were among the cyclists, riding on the back of tandem bikes. Fresh grilled hamburgers and hotdogs tasted just as good as they smelled at the end of the ride.

Another cause for excitement was the storm about 10:30 the night before. Along with heavy rain came high winds. I knew the large tent lent to us by the Vista Lions Club could not stand through it, but there was nothing I could do until morning. By that time power at my house was out. Several of us arrived at the starting point, River Glen Junior High, at 6:30 a.m. to observe the damage. I called Lion, Don Frank who had slept through the entire storm. Don came right over, and the tent was raised again with my van helping the bent tent posts. By that time we were about a half-hour behind schedule. Riders were coming to pick up their maps and register if they hadn't done so in advance. We were busy! By 8:00 a.m., the weather was beautiful, and Ken Bass from The River radio sent 140 riders off on their 100-kilometer ride. Forty-five minutes later he sent off 70 riders on the 25-mile route, and shortly after 9:00 a.m. 50 more went off on the 10-mile route.

The Voice of Idaho Ham Radio club handled communications between the water stops and base. Capital Lions helped with transportation and chapter members had all kinds of jobs. Many other volunteers made valuable contributions. There were also a variety of activities at the start-finish point throughout the morning: The Safari Club sent their trailer full of pelts and stuffed game trophies; Cyclista set up a booth to sell bike specialties; Schwan's sent their ice cream truck; Gem Jesters sent clowns; we had two people doing massage. Paula Achter and Terry Olsen handled announcements and prizes. Brenda Ford and the registration crew checked in 259 riders who completed their rides. Harry Gawith and Dusty Bauman managed the grills and food; pictures were taken by Amanda Aumar and Jennie Shenk.

Cycle for Independence sponsors are featured on the tvcblindidaho.org website, and we are already thinking about May 19, 2007. Many thanks to all who helped, and to all who donated prizes, time, and other valuable assistance. The Cycle for Independence has become a good fundraiser and a good time for people to learn about blindness.

Spread the word! We will be riding again and we will be glad to welcome riders and volunteers in even greater numbers!

Educational Seminar

By Larry Streeter

The Idaho State Department of Education (SDE) in collaboration with the NFB of Idaho, the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind is sponsoring an Education Seminar entitled, “Raising the Bar to Beat the Odds.” The seminar will be held on October 19 and 20, 2006, at the Oxford Suites Hotel, located at 1426 South Entertainment Avenue, in Boise. Persons who should attend include parents of blind students, teachers of blind students, O&M specialists, general education teachers of blind students, paraprofessionals working with blind students, directors of special education, and blind consumers.

Hotel reservations may be made by calling the Oxford Suites at (208) 322-8000. Pre-registration for the seminar is required and will be closed after September 15, 2006. Contact Annette Schwab at the SDE at (208) 332-6912 or email asschwab@sde.idaho.gov regarding registration or other program information. A limited number of stipends are available to parents of blind students. Program activities will begin each day at 8:30 AM.

Out of state presenters include Mike Gibson from Denver, Colorado representing Humanware; Shawn Mayo, Executive Director of BLIND, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Mary Jo Thorpe, Education Program Specialist from the NFB Jernigan Institute in Baltimore, Maryland; Dr. Dean Stenehjem, Superintendent of the Washington State School for the Blind in Vancouver, Washington; Carrie Gilmer, President of the Minnesota Parents of Blind Children in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Carla McQuillan, Executive Director, Children’s Choice Montessori School, Springfield, Oregon; and Kevin Nathan, Statewide Independent Living Coordinator, Washington State Services for the Blind in Seattle, Washington.

Topics of interest regarding the subject of blindness and visual impairment will include but not be limited to independent travel, literacy, social skills, empowerment, transition, the work of the paraprofessional, math and science for blind students, educational placement, teaching multi-impaired blind students, testing and accommodations, attitudes and philosophy, developing a quality IEP, and community resources.

MINI-GEMS

By Ramona Walhof

Winner: Jeff Young was selected as an NFB scholarship winner for 2006. In addition to 3,000 dollars cash, he received a Kurzweil NFB Reader, a Kurzweil 1000 scanner, software for his computer, a one-year membership to Bookshare.org, and an expense-paid trip to the NFB Convention in Dallas. Jeff will be a freshman at BYU Idaho this fall. Congratulations, Jeff!

Summer Picnics: Snake River Valley Chapter had its picnic at the home of Vickie and Larry Bateman August 12. Treasure Valley Chapter had a swim party and indoor picnic at the home of Ramona Walhof July 15. Elmore County Chapter had a picnic in June at Gloria Barnes' home.

Special Speaker: On September 26 at the Clubhouse at Sunset Manor, Dr. Price will speak to the Elmore County Chapter on macular degeneration and glaucoma. This will be a good time for anyone who is interested to learn what is new in treating these two eye conditions.

Surgery: Rox Lamp of Pocatello had surgery for a hernia August 3 and is home recovering now. We wish you a speedy one, Rox.

New Phone Numbers: The name of the State Library was changed recently to the Idaho Commission for Libraries. This includes the Talking Book Library which now has a new local phone number, 334-2150; and a new toll free number: 800-458-3271.

NFB Newsline: Newspapers are again accessible by touchtone telephone in Idaho. Officially July 1, 2006, the service came back sponsored by the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Idaho Commission for Libraries. A lot of people signed up in June and July, but many more need to learn about the service. For application forms contact Nancy Wise at ICBVI or the State office of the NFBI. If you have questions about using the service, also contact staff members at the TALKING Book Library or the ICBVI.

New Grandson: John Charles Walhof was born June 12 to Chris and Kristine Walhof. He is happy and healthy and has two big sisters to entertain him.

Death: Bernice Turner died at age 96 on August 4, 2006. Bernice has been a long-time supporter of the NFBI as driver, reader, contributor, and participant in many of our activities. Our condolences go to her family and friends.

Kurzweil NFB Reader: Five NFBI members have been privileged to participate in testing the new portable Kurzweil NFB Reader. This device was invented by Dr. Ray Kurzweil, one of the leading inventors of electronic devices in the country. The device uses a high-quality digital camera to capture an image of the page being read and a personal data assistant (pda) to convert the page into speech. It measures approximately 2½ inches by 3 inches by 6 inches. The Idaho testers are Jim Solem of Lewiston, Lynn Kneip of Blackfoot, Dana Ard of Boise, Ramona Walhof of Boise, and Paula Achter of Boise. Several changes were made in the device as a result of the input from those testing it. The first units were sold at the NFB Convention and others can be purchased from the NFB National Office at 1800 Johnson St., Baltimore MD 21230; phone 410-659-9310 or email jgashel@nfb.org. It is my understanding that the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired intends to purchase one or more of these readers for demonstration and training in the near future. With a little practice, a blind person's reading independence can be enhanced significantly using this reader.

New Website: If you are a user of the World Wide Web, go to www.nfb.org. You will notice a whole new look and re-organization. I have heard it referred to as “Our new website." There may still be additional changes, but a great deal has already been accomplished. The design in intended (first of all) to help newcomers learn about blindness and the NFB. Members can also find a great deal of information on the NFB website.

New Guide Dogs: Jolynn Page traveled to San Rafael, CA in May to get a guide dog. She returned with Megan, a black lab, and she is enjoying this new way of travel for her. In August Amber Crispen went to San Rafael to get a new guide dog. We are looking forward to meeting her new guide. Her dog is a yellow lab and his name is Morrissey.

Please let me know your news for the next issue of the Milestones. Email me at rwnfbi@qwest.net or phone me at 343-1377 daytime or 338-1595 evenings and weekends.

THE END