Publications Archive

New Beacon, July/ August 1995

Summary: leading monthly magazine on issues concerning people with sight problems

Editor: Ann Lee

© Royal National Institute for the Blind

In Depth

The Mountbatten Brailler – An update

Back in the early Eighties, ‘New Beacon’ was among those who helped launch the design proposals for a new brailler, and invited feedback from its readers.

What's been happening since then? Timothy Connell, Managing Director of Quantum Technology, tells the story.

In 1983, the Mountbatten Brailler project was initiated, thanks to a generous donation from the Mountbatten Memorial Fund and the foresight of the Royal National College for the Blind. The project naturally generated a great deal of interest, and due to the time it took to bear fruit an element of controversy also developed.

Twelve years have now passed, and much has changed. This article looks at the progress the Mountbatten Brailler has made and the impact it is having on the education of blind children around the world.

Expectations versus reality

When the idea of an electronic replacement for the Perkins was first mooted, the blindness community was very quick to polarise. Some questioned the need, saying that the Perkins had served them well for forty years and that change was unnecessary.

Others (the optimists) saw in electronics a possible answer to many of their writing and communication problems. It was the optimists (thankfully) who greatly influenced the nature and direction of the project from the outset. Their enthusiasm knew no bounds, and the Mountbatten's capabilities quickly grew in their imagination.

The original specification, developed with the input of many hundreds of individuals and organisations around the world, was at the time a truly breath-taking document. The Mountbatten was envisaged as a multi-function device that could among other things act as a stand-alone braille-writer, as an embosser for a computer, produce interpoint braille, be powered from a solar cell, and cost less than a Perkins.

The specification was in essence a 'wish list', and the parameters were necessarily wide. However, all but two of the original design goals have been achieved. These are interpoint braille (the Mountbatten is a single-sided brailler) and the price - the latter being due to the small size of the blindness market, and the final cost of the project, which, including the funds from the Mountbatten Memorial Trust, the Australian Government and Quantum Technology, was over one million pounds.

The resulting product is a flexible, battery-operated braille writing tool that is meeting the needs of blind students and adults in our modern electronic world. The Mountbatten Brailler is now being used successfully in fourteen countries, in education, employment and for personal use.

What does the Mountbatten actually do?

Because the Mountbatten can be used in many different ways, it can sometimes be difficult for an individual to fully grasp just how it will be useful for them. To overcome this the Mountbatten should be viewed as a number of separate products, all housed in the one package.

The first of these is the braille-writer. The Mountbatten Brailler offers many advantages over older mechanical braille-writers. The most noticeable is the keyboard, which has been ergonomically designed to improve the ease and speed of brailling. It uses rubber membrane technology, which means that it requires very little pressure, just like a computer keyboard. This can be particularly important for very small children just starting out with braille, and anyone with special keyboard requirements, such as people with multiple disabilities. The layout and positioning of the keys enable young children to develop good keyboarding skills, so that the transition to a regular computer keyboard is a natural progression.

In addition, there are a host of features such as auto-correction, selectable margins and tabs, and the ability to easily move around the page. We have expected features like this in typewriters for the last twenty years, but the Mountbatten is the first device to bring them into the world of braille-writing.

The second 'product' to consider is that of a silent memory note-taker. In the standard form, the Mountbatten has a memory into which information can be written while the embosser is turned off. This information can be stored using a filename, and then printed out at a later stage.

There is also now an editor available, so that information stored in memory can be edited using a speech synthesiser, and all corrections made before a final embossing. In this way a student could place all their notes into memory, make changes and edits at a later time, and then emboss the corrected document. Because the Mountbatten is an electronic device, those files could also be sent to a computer, or to an ink-printer.

The third 'product' is an embosser for a computer. The Mountbatten can be used with any computer or electronic note-taker (such as the Braille 'n Speak or the Eureka) as an embosser. The standard Mountbatten can do this with no additional cost. Therefore, the need for a braille embosser can be catered for with the one device. The Mountbatten can also be used as a graphics embosser, and works with all of the braille graphics programs such as Picture Braille.

And the final 'product’ is an optional set of braille translators. The forward braille translation software is resident in the Mountbatten and can therefore be used whenever needed. Information sent from a computer can be directly translated by the Mountbatten and then embossed. In an integrated education setting, the regular classroom teacher can connect a computer keyboard directly to the Mountbatten, and by typing on it produce Grade II braille. There have never been so many options or flexibility for writing braille.

The back translation software works in a similar fashion - except, of course, that information is going in the other direction. As the user types on the Mountbatten keyboard, a print copy can simultaneously be sent to the ink-printer. Again, this can be very useful in education, where the student needs a print copy to submit.

Future considerations

There are two trends evident in the education of the blind in most developed economies. The first is the move to integration, where blind students participate fully in a regular classroom setting. In many countries, including the USA and Australia, this has been accompanied by a decreased availability of trained vision professionals who are able to provide the extra instruction the blind student needs.

In this situation, the Mountbatten has a very clear role to play. By virtue of the built-in braille translation a student is able to work in either print or braille. As they learn braille the regular classroom teacher can review a print copy as they are writing. As they get older, they can take notes directly into memory - producing a braille copy for their own needs, or a print copy to distribute. When they move on to a computer, they already have an embosser available. The production of braille by teachers and support staff is much easier, as text files from a computer can be quickly converted to Grade I or II braille. If a tactile diagram is needed the Mountbatten can be used to emboss the graphic. In short, it brings facilities that have usually only been available from a central location into the school and classroom.

The second trend is occurring in all fields and at all levels of society; and that is the move to electronic information. Be it on a computer or disk, or directly from Internet, the Mountbatten can accept electronic information and produce hard copy braille. If you believe there will always be a role for hard copy braille, then the need for the Mountbatten can only increase.

A vital process

The proliferation of other electronic devices for people who are blind has tended to obscure the humble, but vital, process of writing braille on paper.

Older mechanical braille-writers still dominate, but there is a point where they will be seen for what they really are - venerable old war horses who have put in a magnificent effort, but whose days are numbered.

Their successor is the Mountbatten Brailler, and we should now view it as a beginning, and not an end in itself. Technology today cannot stand still, it has to be continually improved to stay relevant to users' needs. The Mountbatten has been designed to grow, and it is doing just that - growing to meet the needs and challenges of our rapidly changing world.

  • RNC Enterprises Ltd is the UK distributor of the Mountbatten Brailler, which is based at the Royal National College for the Blind, Hereford. RNC Enterprises Ltd is responsible for sales, service and support.
  • For further details about the Mountbatten Brailler, please contact: Michael Williams-Davies, Agency Manager, RNC Enterprises Ltd, College Road, Hereford, HR1 1EB, Telephone 01432 265725 extn 2276, Fax 01432 353478.

A question of canes

Hal Neslen, Commercial Products Development Officer, seeks the help of ‘New Beacon’ readers for a review of RNIB's provision of white canes and sticks:

    Old Australian joke: What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back?

While you're thinking about that one, I'll ask you what the difference is between a cane and a stick. That one is no joke, although it's not very serious either. In brief, I don't know. But for the present, let's agree that a cane is a mobility gadget and a stick is a support gadget (or, one helps you get around, and the other holds you up).

I need your support to help me get around an assignment. Briefly, I am charged with carrying out a review of RNIB white canes and sticks provision, looking at a range of questions: How many different canes do we do? Are they good? Are they bad? Are there any better? And anyway, what is good?

We sell: long canes with or without a crook handle, and in one, two, or four pieces (in different lengths*); also guide canes (*); extending canes; symbol (or identification) canes (*); support canes, either knobbly or smooth in wood, or adjustable height in aluminium. Then, of course, there is a choice of tips.

I need to know, from the experts - herein defined as 'those who actually use a cane or stick' - what they think. If you are an expert therefore, I would like to hear your views.

What do I want to know? Well, generally, it's as simple as outlined above. What do you really think about the mobility or support aid which you are using? If you are, or have been, using more than one type, please be certain that you address your remarks to whichever one you are currently talking about - that is, treat them separately, even if there is a certain amount of duplication in your report.

Here follows a Questionnaire. It is intended as a guideline to the sort of information I am looking to receive. If you would like to help me in this (for which, much thanks), you may either reply directly to the questions asked, or try to include as many answers as you wish in what you do write. It is not necessary to sign your name or give your address, unless you want to - but if you do, I may come back to some of you later for more help.

Thank you for reading this far, and if you take the trouble to reply, an extra-specially-big ‘Thank You’ for your help.

Please send your return to: Hal Neslen, Commercial Products Development Officer, RNIB, 224 Great Portland Street, London WIN 6AA. I am amenable to any medium you want to choose: braille; print; cassette; computer disk; and even telephone if you can catch me in.

It would help me to have received all replies by the end of August [1995]. Finally, once more, thank you for your kind assistance.

    PS: By the way, in case you haven't answered it yet, an Australian boomerang that doesn't come back is called a stick.

Questionnaire: White canes and sticks

About the user:

1. How long have you been using a white cane/stick?

2. If you have received formal mobility training, how long ago was it?

3. Do you think that you would benefit from a refresher course?

About the cane:

4. Please tell me what kind of cane, or canes, you use - and why you have chosen it/ them.

5. Have you tried any other cane(s)? Please list your reasons for switching to your current choice.

6. Have you any personal experience of a cane which you would have preferred, if you could get it? If you do, please share your choice by telling me what it was, and where you used it.

7. Leaving tips aside for the moment, could you please list the five most important features of a cane for you (in order of preference). If you need more, please number accordingly.

8. If you could improve your present cane, what changes would you bring about?

9. Which tip do you prefer? If you would choose another which is not available to you, what is it?

10. Have you any suggestions about how tips could be improved?

11. Consider the place where your hand holds the cane - is it comfortable? If you could improve it, what would you do?

12. If your cane has a handle, is it satisfactory? If you could improve it, what would you do? Would greater choice of handle types be of interest to you?

13. If your cane folds, are you satisfied with the method of fastening it when it is folded? If not, how would you improve it, or what would you replace it with?

14. If you have any comments, complaints (either large or small), suggestions or observations, or wish to make any statement on the subject, please do feel free to add them. All such contributions will be taken seriously, and will be treated with confidentiality.

Reviews: A selection of recent book publications

Be it enacted... 25 years of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970

Twenty-five years ago, on 29 May 1970, the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act received the Royal Assent. The opportunity to legislate was fortuitous! It occurred when Alfred Morris MP came top in the Private Members Ballot in November 1969. That the Act reached the statute book was no less remarkable. It did so because the late Harold Wilson, in the last few weeks before the general election of 1970, gave preference and time to Alf Morris' Bill to allow it to go through, even though much other legislation, including the Government's own National Superannuation and Social Insurance Bill, had to be sacrificed.

The fascinating story of the origins of the Act and its passage through Parliament are told in a new RADAR publication: ‘Be it enacted... 25 years of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970’. The authors, Ann Darnbrough and Derek Kinrade, describe the pressure for change, stress the fundamental character of the Act as a charter of rights for disabled people and measures which replaced compassionate discretion with statutory requirements.

The booklet examines the developments which have followed. Tributes to Alf Morris are linked with a record of massive practical achievement, an increase in public awareness, and a new understanding, among disabled people themselves, of their proper status in society. But it sharply criticises scandalous disparities in services between local authorities, cutbacks in services, and an increasing tendency to charge for such services as are available. The authors warn that statutory rights that have been hard-won must also be safeguarded against erosion and evasion by those who would dilute or deny services they are under a duty to provide. Progress is never automatic, and rights won can also be lost.

In a final section, eighteen contributors from leading disability organisations give their views on what now needs to be done. One of them, Stephen Bradshaw, Executive Director. of the Spinal Injuries Association, comments:

"The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act began as a movement for emancipation and civil rights which has been pressed forward against entrenched attitudes through twenty-five years and which is continuing to gain momentum. Disabled people simply want the same rights as other citizens."

The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act was an historic milestone on the journey of disabled people towards justice. But their way ahead has reached a crossroads. The 25th anniversary of the Act offers a fresh opportunity to take stock.

  • ‘Be it enacted... 25 years of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act’ costs £2.50 including postage and packing and is available from RADAR, 12 City Forum, 250 City Road, London ECIV 8AF - telephone 0171 250 3222; fax 0171 250 0212.

‘In Touch 1995-96 Handbook’

This essential source of information for anyone concerned with visual impairment will be launched on July 18 at the ‘Sight Village’ exhibition.

The twelfth edition of the ‘Handbook’ contains 28 chapters and has been almost completely rewritten, taking into account the advice received by the authors from a wide-ranging consultation with visually impaired people and organisations which serve their needs. As always, the book is primarily aimed at informing people with sight loss about ways in which they can help themselves, but the needs of specialist and non-specialist workers in voluntary and statutory services are also featured. There is a special section called 'Sharing and caring', aimed particularly at those concerned with very elderly frail people, and the information for blind people with additional disabilities has been greatly expanded. There is also for the first time a chapter with information for blind parents.

As ever, the new ‘Handbook’ gives full and up-to-date information on benefits available to people with visual impairments, in a new easy to follow presentation. There is practical advice on how to make applications that succeed, and how to handle appeal procedures should applications fail. Also included is a clear description of what services visually impaired people have the right to receive under community care, and the complaints procedures to follow if things go wrong.

This year's edition contains very detailed guidelines on how parents can ensure that the educational needs of visually impaired children are properly met. The assessment procedure is carefully explained and there are notes for parents on how to check at every stage that the needs of their child are properly understood and that the help offered is appropriate and adequate. There is a list of agencies which offer parents a second opinion if they are dissatisfied with the help provided by the local education authority.

Two new chapters give down-to-earth information to parents, carers, and professionals without specialist training, on helping both children and adults to make the most of their abilities:

  • 'Extra help for extra problems' covers the help available to babies and children of school age.
  • 'Adults with complex needs' gives advice for all who care for visually impaired adults of all ages with learning difficulties and/or various physical disabilities.

For the first time, the ‘Handbook’ has illustrations in colour. These show how sight is affected by different eye conditions, including not only the common problems of the elderly such as macular disease and cataract but also CMV retinitis, which affects an increasing number of people with AIDS. There are also photographs showing how the rooms of frail elderly blind people can be arranged to maximise their independence, as well as ease the burden on their carers.

A new chapter aimed at sighted volunteers explains the range of ways in which their help might be welcomed, and gives basic advice (with illustrations) on guiding techniques as well as an introduction to the skills of good listening.

  • The ‘In Touch 1995-96 Handbook’ is available in print or braille (also on disk for registered blind and partially sighted readers). Orders and payment should be sent to: In Touch Handbook, 37 Charles Street, Cardiff, CF1 4EB. Price £19.95, cheques payable to In Touch Publishing, or phone 01222 222403 for credit card orders. The work of In Touch Publishing is supported by the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

Disability Rights Handbook

The fully updated twentieth edition of the ‘Disability Rights Handbook’ is a detailed and authoritative guide to all the social security benefits and services available to disabled people.

The new edition includes:

  • a complete new section on Incapacity Benefit - which replaced both Invalidity Benefit and Sickness Benefit from April 1995 and affects over 1.6 million people.
  • an expanded section on community care, which looks at charges made for care services and residential care homes
  • a new chapter on the Compensation Recovery Unit

There is also a completely up-to-date and extensive list of addresses and telephone numbers' for disability organisations, self-help groups, advice agencies and DSS offices throughout the UK.

  • The Disability Rights Handbook, 20th edition, by Judith Paterson. ISBN 0 946336 679. Price £8.95 (postfree); concessionary price of £5 for customers on benefit.
  • Available from Disability Alliance ERA, 1st Floor East, Universal House, 88-94 Wentworth Street, London E1 7SA - telephone 0171-247 8776; fax 0171 247 8765.

Directory for disabled people

This is the seventh edition of the unique guide to the full range of services, facilities and opportunities available to disabled people and to those who care for them. It has been completely updated to cover changes in the direction of government policy in education, community care, employment and financial benefits, as well as the many changes in voluntary organisations and their activities.

The book has sixteen sections, covering: ‘Money’; ‘Aids and equipment’; ‘House and home’; ‘Education’; ‘Further and higher education and training’; ‘Employment’; ‘Mobility and training’; ‘Holidays in the British Isles’; ‘Holidays abroad’; ‘Arts, sport and leisure’; ‘Sex and personal relationships’; ‘Legislation’; ‘Selected further information’; ‘Helpful organisations’ (around 400 of these); ‘Access’.

  • ‘The Directory for Disabled People’, 7th edition, compiled by Ann Darnborough and Derek Kinrade, is published by Harvester Wheatsheaf. ISBN 013 433061 7. Price £24.95.

‘Charities Digest 1995’

The guide, now in its 101st edition, is the most comprehensive source of information published on UK charities and voluntary agencies. Updated annually, it is a valuable guide for people giving and receiving charitable funds.

Those who will find the guide a useful tool include social workers, advice and information workers, community nurses, teachers, Training and Enterprise Councils, specialist and general libraries.

  • Published by the Family Welfare Association, harities Digest 1995is available from FWA Publications, 501-505 Kingsland Road, London E8 4AU - telephone 0171 254 6251; fax 0171 249 5443. Cost £16.95 including p&p (cheques payable to FWE).

‘Charity law A-Z - Key questions answered’

by John Claricoat and Hilary Philips

Written by two former Deputy Charity Commissioners (the first of whom is visually impaired), this guide distils many years' experience of advising on the most frequently occurring legal problems faced by charities.

Organised in simple alphabetical order, the book gives straightforward answers to such questions as:

  • How far can charities accumulate their income?
  • Can trustees take out indemnity insurance?
  • What constitutes trading and what are the regulations surrounding it?
  • What happens if the trustees and the membership disagree on a course of action?
  • Price £17.50 (paperback). Published by Jordans Books. ISBN 0 85308 268 5.

‘Silent horizons - Survey of people with a dual sensory loss in Avon’

Bristol Royal Society for the Blind has recently carried out a survey of the needs and numbers of people in the County of Avon with a dual sensory loss - deafblind. The survey, funded by Avon Social Services and Avon Health, has now been published in the form of a report running to over 300 pages.

This survey was the first of its kind in Avon. By focusing on the stated views and opinions of people with a dual sensory loss themselves, as well as their carers and direct service providers, it highlights the problems and issues surrounding this little-known disability.

The report of the survey contains a number of recommendations to improve services in Avon, and some of these have already been accepted and funded by the local authority. The findings of the report, its methodology and conclusions, are of national as well as local significance.

  • Copies of the report, ‘Silent horizons’, are available from BRSB (Dept RA1), Stillhouse Lane, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 4EB. Please enclose £2.50 in stamps for post & packaging.

    Note: All of the books reviewed in this section have been published in 1995.

Letters

Mobility

When I was a youth many years ago, I wished to go about on my own. I was given a white stick and told to get on with it. Then the Americans devised the long cane, and people started to teach clients how to use it. Teaching qualifications became the order of the day. Almost all colleges in the US offered Masters degrees in mobility. When the late Walter Thornton brought the long cane to this country, it started the ball rolling over here.

Mobility has become a science, and teaching the method has become a profession. The one element lacking is communication. We have now moved on to textured paving of many sorts. There is the blister, the modified blister, presented in different patterns.

Pedestrian crossings are now marked with either a K, a V, or a Y. Each denotes the type of crossing in use. There is also the rubber tile, and the corduroy. All very interesting, but nobody seems to tell the responsible local authority what to do.

I live in Birmingham, and I cannot honestly say if I have ever found anything remotely like any of these various symbols. I have not actually been down on my knees to read the textured surface to see what it says - the weather is usually too bad for that sort of research.

It seems to me that Cranfield pronounces, the JCMB discusses amongst themselves, but no one tells the person in the street, or the department responsible for providing these surfaces. It is all far too technical and divorced from reality.

Please stop making mobility into a science and give us something simple which we can all understand.

Frederick Jakeman, Birmingham

Writing

As part of an RNIB-funded project to develop computer-based aids for writing we are carrying out a survey of the variety of ways in which blind and partially sighted writers go about writing. We are interested in all kinds of writing from, for example, brief memos or letters to academic essays, personal diaries to reports or books.

We have prepared a questionnaire about different aspects of writing and would like to send it to as many different people as possible. If you would like to be included in the survey, please call 01782 294000 and ask for either David Galbraith or David Clark-Carter.

Alternatively you can send an email message to SSTDCC@STAFFS.AC.UK, or write to us at Division of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Staffordshire University, College Road, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 2DE.

David Clark-Carter

Getting the message across

In the June issue of ‘New Beacon’, the question of sending instructions to RNIB products in alternative formats was highlighted by a regular customer. At present, RNIB's Product Guides state that all instructions will be sent in large print, and if another format is required then the customer is asked to stipulate this at the time of ordering. This complies with ‘See it Right's’ principles of making information available on request without delay or extra charge.

Of course, where the preferred format of the customer is already known, then every effort is made to ensure that they receive information in that format. We acknowledge that mistakes will happen occasionally, but we are doing everything we can to ensure that these definitely are the exception to the rule.

Nana Yerassimou, RNIB Campaign Officer – ‘See it Right’

Tapes offer

Some friends of mine who are service engineers of office equipment have recently done a deal with a client of theirs which has resulted in their having on their hands a large quantity of mini cassettes, the sort which many of us use in our Philips Memoettes for taking notes etc. Most of the tapes have been only slightly used, and are in very good condition.

My friends, who deal exclusively in new equipment, have expressed a desire that these cassettes should be made available to any blind users who can make use of them. They have asked me if I can make some arrangement to enable the tapes to be distributed, and this preliminary note is to enable me to get some idea of what sort of demand there might be.

The tapes come in two lengths. There are the usual ones which run for fifteen minutes a side, which many of you will have; and there are also quite a number which run for thirty minutes a side - which seem quite reasonable and not liable to come to grief.

I would test each tape before sending it out to make sure it ran properly, and would then have to pack them up as required.

Subject to my being able to make arrangements with the Post Office to use the 'Articles for the Blind' postal service for distribution, as to which I am reasonably confident, and subject to my not being involved in a heavy packaging outlay, I imagine that if I were to suggest a payment of ten pence per cassette, this should cover my out-of- pockets. I have no wish to make a charge at all, but feel that this suggested minimum is unavoidable.

If anyone who might find some of these mini cassettes useful would care to give me a ring on 0121 449 3073, or drop me a line in any format to 35 Greenhill Road, Moseley, Birmingham, B 13 9SS, letting me know what their requirements might be, I will come back to all my correspondents shortly with further suggestions as appropriate.

Peter Jarvis, Birmingham

Comment

Darkness invisible

How can you describe to a sighted person what it's like to be without sight? John Wilson Goddard gets to the bottom of the problem.

‘DANGER IN THE DARK’ read the headline. It was over a piece I had written for the local paper about dangerous driving - and also parking - in the network of streets round where I live, and how I, as a blind pedestrian, feel more at risk than most.

It wasn't my title, though. The newspaper people had come up with that. And, of course, I did recognise the alliterative strength and emotive power of the thing to draw readers in.

‘Danger in the dark what?’, I wondered, in mildly pedantic parenthesis and irritation. But my main reflection was that 'Oh, no, here we go again' feeling at the representation of blind people's lives as happening in the dark. Mine doesn't. And that's not because I'm one of the vast majority of registered blind people with some residual vision. I'm not. But I do have visual memory from when I could see (though still registered blind) up to my mid- teens, some twenty-eight years ago.

My ability so to visualise has, however, over the years faded to a dim adumbration in comparison with what I know I could see when I could see. That's not to say that it's no longer anything I value, because I still do value it, and call upon it. But I am progressively forgetting how to see - even in my mind's eye. What my visual memory mostly provides me with nowadays are overall impressions of colour, light, and shape, from which I have to extrapolate and infer in order to be able to describe what any particular visual memory is actually of. But for most of the time - at least, as far as I'm aware - I do not visualise at all.

But trying to catch hold of even a moment of non-visualisation, to try and inspect it, is like trying to find a simile for how similes work. Or almost. Concentrating on non-visualisation seems somehow to be a visualising process. But it's no use asking someone who has never seen to try it. No one who has never seen would know what they were looking for. It has to be someone who has seen, who has some visual memory, but who no longer visualises their way through life from moment to moment.

All I can say here, then, is that I feel quite clearly that, as a totally blind person, my life is not lived in darkness. From a safe distance, so as not to frighten it away, so to speak, I have watched my non-visualisation, as if operating at two distinct levels of consciousness at once. Only afterwards was I able to refer back to the record which my watching self had made. And only then could I be categorical that what it was I had seen was not what a sighted person would perceive as darkness.

But I shouldn't be too hard on all those people who can only imagine, from their own vantage point of full sight, that that is how blindness is experienced. Full sight - even when it's black, or your eyes are tight shut - is too bright a light to see non-visualisation by. Fully-sighted people, I would suggest, can only see as far as their own darkness.

And, of course, not least among my reasons for balking at this insistence that blind people live their lives in darkness is the symbolism of ignorance, uncharted danger, fear and evil which so often attaches to all matters dark. But my purpose here is to point out that blind people's non-visualisation and sighted people's darkness are not one and the same thing.

Actually, my purpose is more than that. Because just as it's not good enough to make that straight 'blindness equals darkness' equation, neither is it good enough for me simply to point that out and leave it at that.

So I pondered. And what I came up with as a possibly more accurate way of explaining non-visualising blindness is this: that for sighted people to experience something possibly analogous to blind people's non- visualisation, so they might cease referring to us as 'living in darkness', they should try to see through other parts of their anatomy than their eyes - say, their knees... or their buttocks! Try it.

But that still leaves the problem of getting that little lot encapsulated neatly into a newspaper headline!

Insight

Family resource centre for Wales

A family resource unit designed to improve advice and support to parents of blind and partially sighted children throughout Wales was one of the new facilities opened at the RNIB Education Centre, Cardiff, in May.

Jointly funded by a grant from the Welsh Office to help children with sensory disabilities, other new facilities unveiled included specially adapted computers for braille, large print and speech output. ‘Hand in hand’, a new video showing how the staff at the RNIB Education Centre, Wales, work closely with carers, parents and professionals for the benefit of visually impaired children, was also previewed.

A special reception was held for local businesses and supporters of the project.

  • Further information about the family resource unit and the video ‘Hand in hand’ are available from RNIB Education Centre, 33 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF1 2HB - telephone 01222 668606.

Job Matters - an interactive guide on CD-ROM

The first set of interactive CD-ROM titles for visually impaired people has been developed by leading multimedia specialists Julia Schofield Consultants, in conjunction with the Royal London Society for the Blind and the Birmingham Royal Institution for the Blind. Based on true multimedia of sound and graphics, the program provides careers education and guidance for those with sight problems where normal material is not usually available.

The ‘Job Matters’ CD-ROM program teaches users the essential skills needed to find work. These include: providing advice on how to find a job; developing self -assessment and interview techniques; preparing users for starting work; and examining the consequences of different decisions about work and lifestyle.

Designed with the visually impaired user in mind, the ‘Job Matters’ program can also be used by sighted people. It does not require specialist computer equipment. All that is needed is a 486 PC (or better), CD-ROM, sound card and a 24 bit graphics adapter - equipment often available in schools, colleges and on the high street.

Visually impaired users are guided through the program by sound prompts, verbal instructions and a backlit screen, which aids the partially sighted user.

Layout is consistent so that the user becomes familiar with the page set-up. There are also sounds of different pitch to advise the user when he/she is at the top or bottom of the page, since one of the problems blind people face is not knowing where they are on a page. The help key provides tutorial advice, should the user need any help during the program, and there is a quick reference sheet in braille.

‘Job Matters’ uses specially developed multimedia software, entitled ‘Skills from Experience’, which enables blind and partially sighted users to use Windows style programs - previously a problem for visually impaired people. The software can be used for other subjects designed along the same lines.

The ‘Job Matters’ CD-ROM has been successfully used by students at Dorton College and Dorton House School for the Blind in Kent and Queen Alexandra College in Birmingham.

  • It is sold to all through educational publishers Trotman & Co. Ltd. The CD-ROM costs £98 plus VAT. To order call: 0181 332 2132.

Julia Schofield Consultants is an industry leader in the production of multimedia solutions for retail and health environments. The company was asked by the Royal London Society for the Blind and Birmingham Royal Institution for the Blind to look at making this new technology available for those with sight difficulties because Julia herself is blind.

The solution that JSC has provided enables other similar programs to be constructed using the generic software developed for ‘Job Matters’.

RLSB and BRIB hope to attract funds to develop the software for other subjects, and so open up learning for visually impaired people.

Eye conditions: Patient-friendly information

Two major organisations connected with eye care and visual impairment - RNIB and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists - are collaborating to produce the most up-to-date series of information leaflets on eye conditions currently available in the UK. The aim of the series is to give concise, patient-friendly information to people who have been recently diagnosed, and who may know very little about their eye condition.

At present, the series comprises three titles: ‘Understanding cataracts’; ‘Understanding age-related macular degeneration’; and ‘Understanding retinal detachment’, but it will be expanded in the future to include subjects like glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. The leaflets were launched in May at the annual conference of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in Birmingham.

  • The leaflets are available free of charge from RNIB Customer Services, PO Box 173, Peterborough, PE2 6WS - telephone 0345 023153. (Donations to cover the cost of postage would be gratefully received.)

RNIB Housing Service

Housing Liaison Officer

Pervez Akhtar has joined RNIB Housing Service as Housing Liaison Officer for the North of Britain. His role is to set up and deliver a housing advisory service to people with a visual impairment in the region. In addition, he will be instrumental in developing referral rights, raising awareness amongst housing providers and developing training and consultancy services to local authority housing departments and housing associations.

Previously, Pervez worked for Bradford City Council as an Equality Officer in the Housing & Environmental Protection Unit. Whilst there, he worked in the council's homeless persons' unit and in the equal opportunities and policy unit, gaining significant experience in housing needs identification.

Pervez has also recently completed a diploma in management studies, and sits on a housing association management committee. He enjoys participating in several sports and is an active member of the Leeds District Sports and Social Club for partially sighted and blind people.

  • Pervez Akhtar can be contacted at RNIB Tate House, 28 Wetherby Road, Harrogate, North Yorks, HG2 7SA - telephone 01423 886 927.
Colchester

As part of National Housing Week, Colchester Borough Council sheltered housing staff last month received visual awareness training given by RNIB.

The aim of the course was to enable Council staff to deliver an enhanced service to their visually impaired clients, and to better meet equal opportunity provisions. The course, using simulations and audio-visual material, was given by Neil Crowther, RNIB Housing Services, and Jill Smith, RNIB/GDBAJoint Mobility Unit.

"We are delighted that Borough Councils like Colchester are taking the housing needs of visually impaired people in their areas seriously", said Neil Crowther.
"After RNIB visual awareness training, we hope the Colchester staff will be able to develop services responsive to the needs of blind and partially sighted people in their housing."

Visually Impaired Gay Group

Keith May (Chairman and Co-ordinator) writes:

On Saturday 20 May the VIGG (Visually Impaired Gay Group) held its first official meeting at the ‘Horse & Groom’ public house in Great Portland Street, London. Just over thirty or more members and sighted guests enjoyed a social lunchtime meeting.

This was no ordinary blind date, as many of our members were meeting up for the first time - prior to this, the only contact was via the telephone helpline and taped newsletter the group produces for its members. Chairman/Coordinator Keith May said he was very pleased with the results and felt it was a positive beginning for the group. There were representatives from the caring agencies and gay press, who helped to put a future perspective for the group on such topics as sponsorship, general social discrimination and censorship of gay material on tape.

The overall feedback from the members who attended was very positive, and there is a plan to make this a permanent social fixture for the group. We should also congratulate the landlords, Mr & Mrs Mackay, at the ‘Horse & Groom’ public house, for their excellent buffet, general support and the guidance they kindly gave to our members.

We now look forward to holding a more formal committee meeting, followed by a similar social gathering. The group welcomes new members on a national level. If you feel secure about coming out, please do contact the confidential telephone helpline, for general information, support or a copy of our current tape newsletter. Contact Keith May, VIGG (Visually Impaired Gay Group) - telephone 01705 524739.

Kent: Services for visually impaired people with additional disabilities

Ann Lewis (Development Officer, Kent Association for the Blind) writes:

Kent Association for the Blind are the service providers for people with visual impairment in Kent. We provide a comprehensive service to people of all ages, which includes registration, assessment of needs, rehabilitation, mobility instruction, benefits advice, counselling and advice on low vision.

Our service users include visually impaired people with additional disabilities. Amongst these are a growing number with learning disabilities or multiple disabilities. We recently completed a two-year project which highlights the needs of this client group across the county. Following the project we have been successful in securing funding to provide specialist worker posts in needs of people with learning disabilities and visual impairment. They can devote more time than is possible for generic rehabilitation workers and will develop expertise.

A thirty-page report on our research is available, the main points of which are summarised below.

DEVELOPMENT PROJECT 1992-94

The project investigated the needs of people with learning disabilities and visual impairment. Our research included vision screening of 300 adults. From our findings we are able to draw the following conclusions:

  • People with learning disabilities are ten times more likely to suffer serious visual impairment than the general population.
  • More than 50% of people with learning disabilities benefit from spectacle correction.
  • In the majority of instances, where suitable spectacles are provided, they are worn.
  • Access to regular sight assessments, treatment and surgery need to be encouraged.
  • Raising awareness of visual impairment amongst staff and carers is essential.
  • There is a great need for the opportunity for more choice in leisure and recreation.
  • The development of services is instrumental in providing appropriate support.
  • For further information on the services we offer, please contact Ann Lewis on 01622 691357, or write to Kent Association for the Blind, 72 College Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6SJ.

Timelines

Illustration to the entry "1809: Louis Braille born". A gentleman embossing braille.

An educational timeline poster entitled ‘A world perspective of library service for blind and physically handicapped individuals’ has been published by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) in cooperation with the Friends of Libraries for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals in North America, Inc. (Friends).

The large-print timeline features nearly one hundred key dates from 308 AD - the birth of Didymus, blind head of the Catechetical School in Alexandria - to 1995 and the publication of the Library of Congress' 10,000th numbered braille book. The poster is illustrated with a dozen original watercolours painted by Alfredo DaSilva, a retired ‘US News & World Report’ illustrator, as well as colour photographs depicting historical events.

"This project was a joint effort with the Friends to help raise the international level of awareness of library services for blind and physically handicapped individuals provided worldwide over the centuries. The poster traces many of the major people, organisations and events that have helped shape a world perspective on blindness", said Frank Kurt Cylke, NLS director.

  • The poster will be distributed jointly by NLS and Friends to libraries and educational institutions around the world. Additional copies may be obtained by writing or calling Friends of Libraries for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals, Inc., 1555 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036 - telephone (202) 462-9600; fax (202) 462-9043.

Mobile greets 10,000th customer

The mobile bus run by the charity Action for Blind People has had its 10,000th visitor - Mrs Gwendoline Smith of Crewe.

Custom-built to ensure that every square inch is used to full effect, the bus is packed with the latest aids, equipment and specialist advice for visually impaired people. Features include a wheelchair lift, a small kitchen with simple and cheap safety features, talking computers and information on tape, in large print and in braille.

The bus has been on the road since April 1993, giving information and advice on every aspect of sight loss in over 200 different areas.

Gwendoline Smith, 10,000th visitor, said of the bus: "It was marvellous. We found out about loads of useful things we knew nothing about before. All that's left for us to do now is win the lottery."

Birthday Honours

The following names appear in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, published on June 17

OBE

Mrs G. A. Morbey, Director, SENSE Scotland, services to deaf and blind people

G.V. Roberts, services to blind people, Forest of Dean

MBE

H. H. Cohn, International Officer, National Federation of the Blind and editor ‘Viewpoint’, services to mobility of disabled people

Mrs I. T. Holmes, services to blind people

C.A. Smith, services to climbing for blind people

In Brief

North Norfolk

Broadland Council's quarterly newspaper, ‘Broadland News’, is now available on tape free of charge for blind and partially sighted people.

The tapes have been produced in conjunction with the Mardler - The North Norfolk Talking Newspaper Association.

  • To register for the free subscription service, contact Broadland District Council's Marketing and Public Relations Department, telephone 01603 431133 extension 5203, or direct line 01603 703203.

‘Skill’ information service

The information service of Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities now has a dedicated phone line. The service is available on 0171 978 9890 by telephone or minicom between 1.30 and 4.30 pm Monday to Friday.

Skill's information service is available to people with disabilities and/or learning difficulties who are in or hoping to be in education or training, as well as to their families/supporters/enablers or professionals who work with them. The service can give information or advice about all aspects of post-16 education and training and also the transition to employment for disabled people.

How to guide

‘How to guide a blind person’ is a new version of a leaflet from RNIB which gives practical tips for anyone who acts as a sighted guide. Even people who are very good at travelling alone welcome help sometimes, says the leaflet - but it stresses that blind people should always be asked if they want help.

With the help of lively illustrations, the leaflet describes a variety of different situations, from crossing roads to steps, doorways and escalators, turnstiles and ticket barriers to cars and taxis.

The leaflet has been sponsored by the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

  • ‘How to guide a blind person’ costs 40p a copy, or £7.50 for 25, from Customer Services, RNIB, P0 Box 173, Peterborough, PE2 6WS.

Crime prevention

‘Your practical guide to crime prevention’ is a comprehensive guide which offers advice for people to use as part of their everyday lives. The Home Office, in conjunction with Talking Newspaper Enterprises Ltd, have now produced the guide as a 95-minute audio cassette version, aimed at informing visually impaired people, and anyone unable to access the printed word, about how they can prevent crime happening to them. The tapes are being distributed by the Home Office chiefly via crime prevention officers in local police stations, but further copies are available from the Home Office, Public Relations Branch, Room 151, 50 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AT.

Fast-Track programme

British Gas and BOC are the two most recent companies to join the Fast-Track management development programme for disabled people run by Scope, formerly the Spastics Society. Fast-Track places disabled trainees of graduate calibre with some of the UK's leading organisations on a two-year programme designed to be of mutual benefit to both trainee and employer. Among current trainees is Sian Thomas, who is visually impaired and has recently started a work placement with British Gas. Sian is compiling a global register of the environmental effects and hazards of drilling for gas. The first stream of Fast-Track trainees will be graduating in November of this year, and the second stream started in November 1994. Nineteen people, with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, visual impairment and multiple sclerosis, are currently on the scheme. Scope will shortly be recruiting a third round of Fast-Track trainees, who will begin the scheme in January 1996.

  • Scope is at 12 Park Crescent, London W1N 4EQ.

Guide dogs in taxis

The problem of taxi drivers refusing to carry guide dogs is becoming widespread, according to an item in the June issue of ‘Forward’ (the journal of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association). The item is taken from the minutes of a meeting of the Guide Dog Owners National Consultative Committee, where a Scottish member reported that taxi drivers regularly refused to carry guide dogs. Members agreed that it was becoming a problem, particularly as there was no control over private operators. Members were advised that the Leicestershire MP, Mr Greville Janner, is taking an active interest in the issue, and that complaints should either be sent to him or to Mr Harry Feigen, General Secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association, 9-11 Woodfield Road, London W9 2BA.

Choose Your News

RNIB's Electronic Newspaper lets you browse through the headlines of ‘The Guardian’ or search for a specific story. You can then read it using a speech synthesizer, screen magnification programme or braille display.

The newspaper is received via a good quality TV aerial on to an IBM-compatible PC, and costs £655 for decoder card, software and first year's subscription.

For further information contact:

RNIB Customer Services, PO Box 173, Peterborough PE2 6WS, Tel: 0345-023153

News Extra

Learning braille – ‘Dogs & roses’, and other innovations

News of some original reading material for beginners

For adults who are learning braille, and the teachers who are supporting them, there is a selection of reading material available from RNIB.

One of the most recently published books is ‘Dogs & roses’, a modern love story about a single mother with two children and a dog. She meets a widower, and, after several misunderstandings, they fall in love.

This book is written in simple language, ideal for those who are improving reading or braille skills. Sentences are short, and the pace and interest of the story carries the reader along.

This book, along with others, was published by Newmat as part of a project funded by the Adult Literacy & Basic Skills Unit (ALBSU), now the Basic Skills Agency, from whom the book in its original form may be purchased. The book in braille or Moon may be purchased from RNIB.

Other reading materials available include five biographies of pop stars in Grade 1 & Grade 2 braille and on tape. These short and punchy profiles focus on Madonna, Elvis Presley, U2, Tina Turner and the Rolling Stones.

More titles specifically written for adults, but also suitable for younger readers, will be available towards the end of 1995. These include ‘Chillers’ and ‘About that Saturday night’, again in Grade 1 & 2 braille, or on tape.

The author of ‘Dogs & roses’, Karen Beggs-Taylor, won the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Award in 1993 for this outstanding book for adults with learning difficulties.

She is now a lecturer with RNIB Vocational College Outreach Service, part of the specialist residential college at Loughborough which offers a wide post-16 curriculum to visually impaired people across the UK. The Outreach service's main function is to help blind and partially sighted students and trainees fulfil their potential while participating in courses in mainstream establishments.

The service also provides on-site training for visually impaired people in employment, including access technology, commercial software applications and telephony.

As well as writing innovative books and developing training resources, the RNIB Vocational College Outreach Service has recently been awarded an Employment Department contract to produce specialist units towards the 7306 Further Education Teacher's Certificate.

  • ‘Dogs & roses’ in its original print form may be purchased from The Basic Skills Agency, 7th floor, Commonwealth House, 1-19 New Oxford St, London, WC1A 1NU - telephone 0171-405 4017.
  • ‘Dogs & roses’ and other reading materials in braille or Moon may be purchased from RNIB Customer Services, PO Box 173, Peterborough, PE2 6WS - telephone 0345 1 023153.

Leisure for All

Summer scene at the Royal Academy

Gioya Steinke pays her usual visit to the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition - and finds it one of the most enjoyable yet.

My 'scene' is a little more misty this year ... age taking its toll with the already damaged vision. However, the enjoyment of most things goes on, as there appears to be a genuine awareness of visual impairment in most establishments, and an interest in our varied views.

This year I attended the 227th Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy in London on a sunny day, and availed myself of the fine services of their voluntary guides. I must say firmly that I really do recommend this if you feel you are missing out on the exhibition. My enjoyment was greatly enhanced, as I was escorted safely round any obstacles and we shared our different viewpoints with mutual pleasure. (You need to phone first and arrange for this service.)

The courtyard has been incorporated in the exhibition this year, and as the elusive sun was shining on the four large sculptures displayed in the open, it gave a summer holiday atmosphere - especially as the pieces are situated on pebbles in the middle of the courtyard, and one of the pieces looks like the rusting breakwaters on beaches... or so it seemed to my vision!

I will now take you around and mention the sculptures that most appealed to me, bearing in mind that each person has their own choices and reaction to touch. There are alterations in progress at the Academy, so entrance to the exhibition this year is through the Central Gallery. Strangely enough, I have often recommended starting from here (which is normally the exit!) as most of the sculptures are grouped together here and in the adjoining lecture room. If one cannot get around the whole exhibition, there's enough pieces here to satisfy the most itchy of fingers!

The large print catalogue can be obtained in the foyer, and each piece is clearly labelled in large numbers and braille. A great help for me this year was to have the map of the whole floor plan printed on each page, so there's no fumbling to see here one is. (Thank you, lovely ladies in the Education Department, who do listen to our suggestions.) I will also mention that there is no seating in these rooms - but further on, where the pictures beam or glare, down at one, one can sit in comfort and beam or glare back.

Dominating the Central Hall is the massive figure of ‘Newton after Blake’, in plaster for bronze, destined later for the British Museum. This is unmistakably the work of Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, who was one of the first artists to allow his work to be handled, right from the days when touch was taboo. Feel the enormous foot and the hand with its down-pointing finger. Get someone to the describe the huge head. The hall is well-lit, and so much can be seen if one has useful residual vision.

The next move is into the Lecture Room, where there is a good 'touch' in the five masks hanging on the wall (numbers 7 to 11). Here is another sculptor who is always pleased to allow touch facilities - Dhruva Mistry. They are made up from broken wooden bowls and platters, some having little enamel eyes. Nearby, also on a wall, is ‘Germination’ (12), looking like wood, but in fact it is cold-cast iron. A most unusual and peculiar feel, but highly satisfying in its organic ridged shape. This complements ‘The pledge’ (13) by David Annesley, in mild steel - a stark piece with many lines and shapes to explore.

‘Charlie’ (Chaplin) (no 21) - a bronze maquette and a familiar form - stands near to the ‘Death of a sun’ (the solar kind) (no. 22), in stainless steel. One's hands just glide over this piece, and with its reflecting surfaces it could almost be used as a mirror. Mind the few sharper but still smooth edges.

I try not to have favourites, but it's hard to resist David Thompson's ‘Girl holding her foot’. Not only are her curves inviting, but she is carved in the wonderful Carrera marble. So it is fitting after this 'beauty' to go straight to the beast – ‘The patriarch, Jambo’ (28). This is a must if one can recall the dramatic news story of the small boy who fell into the gorilla pit at Jersey Zoo. This enormous 32-stone 'daddy' gorilla stood guard over the unconscious boy, protecting him from the curiosity of the other gorillas. The piece is a good 'feel' all over, especially the head and 'fingered' feet. There's a change in texture and colour to denote the silver-back.

Gallery 1 contained a treat. This was the ‘Water trellis’ -which is just that, and spectacular in sound and sight. Two stainless steel arches spurt jets of water that cross over to form this trellis. (We damped over tissues on the splashed drops and wiped our dusty hands.)

Animal theme

For animal lovers, there's satisfaction from the laid-back, lazy ‘Untitled - Cat 11’ in bronze (no. 36). This sported several small red spots on the labels, denoting that copies had been ordered - not surprising, since cats are great favourites with the public. This was in Gallery 4, and if you get as far as Gallery 6 don't miss out on the ‘Boxing hares’ (39). This room also has two small maquettes of ‘Jambo’. And if you want to pursue the animal theme still further, go forward to Gallery 8, where there's a splendid life-size ‘Cow’ by Gerald Knight (48) in bronze, and ‘Woman with a dog’ and ‘A useful perch’ - a bird sitting on a fat little hippo (nos 49 and 50). It's interesting to note that most of the animal pieces are done by women sculptors, including the gorgeous ‘Leopard’ in wood (but alas, not for touching).

Leaving the animals behind, I returned to Gallery 7 to really take time to enjoy and explore ‘Enclosure’ by John Maine (44). One can mount the low platform and enter this incomplete circle of stone and feel safely enclosed, but not trapped. The sheer rough beauty of natural stone can be appreciated to the full, as well as the myriad scoring and gouge marks traced all around the 'walls', inside and out. His work belongs to the open air and spaces, and this is where I have seen much of his sculpture in the past.

I finished with two exquisite pieces – ‘Mother and child’ (52), in oak, and Michael Stallard's ‘Sidestep’, in cool milky marble (53). I find his work a delight each year - an endless rhythm in space and time.

Take no notice of the critics or any disapproving visitors, who cannot 'see' with all their senses. Go, go, go - and, in well worn words, ‘Have a Nice Day’.

Two of the most Wonder...ful nights in May

In October 1993 - when Stevie Wonder first made the offer of performing two concerts for RNIB - I must admit it was hard to see this become a reality. On 22 and 23 May 1995, I saw a dream come true, not just for RNIB but for every visually impaired person and for an audience of 10,000 people who witnessed the event at the Royal Albert Hall.

It all started on the afternoon of May 22, amid the clamour of a media briefing at which Stevie talked positively to a packed room at the Hyde Park Hotel – including some visually impaired children from RNIB New College and a host of press - about blindness, about how he wanted to help RNIB and about why he was here. He also admitted that his greatest wish was to drive a car (and all afternoon the offers were pouring in from journalists offering to take him up on the idea!).

Monday evening saw the first night. A pre-show reception in the Elgar Room at The Royal Albert Hall started off the proceedings, and it was well attended by members of the public who had paid to be there. Celebrities including Dani Behr, Lisa I'Anson and Michelle Collins (Cindy from ‘Eastenders’) joined guests for a glass or two of wine to get them in the mood for what was to come.

At 7.30 pm, an audience of over 5000 welcomed what is known in the trade as a 'warm-up' act - a comic called Paul Adams. But where was Stevie? After Paul had finished and a brief interval had elapsed, a 32-piece orchestra and three backing singers got the audience raring to go - and then we heard Stevie Wonder. We heard him but we didn't see him.

Well, of course, he was going to make an entrance - and he did. Now 5000 people were on their feet screaming, cheering and applauding. Between 8.20 and 10.45 pm, Stevie simply had them in the palm of his hands. "Tonight, this is my house and there are a few rules", he said. "If you want to clap your hands, do, if you want to sing along, do, if you want to dance, do."

The audience took him at his word. As the evening went on and songs like ‘My cherie amour’, ‘Superstition’ and ‘For your love’ (from his new album) were performed, they were on their feet, young and old, blind and sighted, having a fantastic time. At the end of the first concert, a group of young people from RNIB New College joined Stevie on stage to present him with a bouquet of flowers, and when he sang ‘I just called to say I love you’ to them, we could be sure that the audience knew why they were there.

Meanwhile, the night was still young. Back at the Hyde Park Hotel, preparations were under way for the after-show party in the ballroom. The red carpet was out, ten paparazzi photographers were waiting anxiously for celebrities to arrive, and guess what was playing over the music system at the hotel? By about 11 pm guests were arriving, photographers were photographing celebrities, including Lesley Joseph, Mica Paris and Mona Bauwens, as well as those who had been at the concert. Stevie arrived at about midnight, obviously high from the success of his first night, and the party went on until the small hours.

On the Tuesday night, we had a new audience, but there was the same elated feeling as Stevie performed again for RNIB.

During both nights, Stevie made reference to why he was there. "I am here for the Royal National Institute for the Blind and I am here because I love you", he said. "Money is needed to help people who are blind, I hope you will give some money tonight." And they did. Over £10,000 was raised from bucket collections and programme sales, thanks to a team of amazing volunteers who persuaded the audience to part with all their spare cash.

In the souvenir programme we had written that we hoped these two nights in May would go down in the minds of the audiences as two of the most wonderful occasions, and our hopes were met. The performances, the parties, the publicity - the event was a huge success. As the RNIB banners come down, and the money is counted, and the press cuttings are collated and the clearing-up starts, we can be confident that RNIB has achieved something which a huge number of people will never forget.

BCA Chess Championship - A look ahead

Ivor Wagner writes the first of two articles looking forward to this year's main event:

What promises to be one of the greatest chess battles in the history of visually handicapped chess in the United Kingdom is the British Chess Championship, to be staged by the Braille Chess Association (BCA) in August this year. Blind chess players throughout the country are holding their breath as the two giants, Paul Benson (the current British champion) and Graham Lilley (challenger), put the final touches to their intense preparations for this climactic event.

This is the first of two articles the purpose of which is to look more closely at the two main contenders for that most coveted prize - namely, the visually handicapped chess championship of the United Kingdom.

Two years ago, at the BCA Championship in Morecambe, Paul Benson astounded all his critics when, through a display of sheer chess mastery, he toppled the champion of seven years, Graham Lilley. Paul's victory was no fluke, but the culmination of endless training and preparation, determined effort and peak performance throughout that memorable tournament.

How, then, did Paul Benson, now aged 41, reach these dizzy heights? As is the case with so many talented people, it all started from very small beginnings. In Paul's own words:

"My father taught me. I was about eight, and began to play a few games with my brother and my mother, and several games with my father - that is until I began to win. I was almost ten then, and all my challenges to a game began to be met by everyone in the house with one excuse or another. An old familiar story", he reflects wistfully.
"I had just started at grammar school when I was walking along the corridor one day and saw three of my schoolmates from the new class hovering over a chess board. I immediately joined them, thus making up the foursome. I discovered that this was in fact the school's chess club which I had joined. We played chess every lunchtime, and during my second year, in 1967, I won my school's individual knock-out trophy. My prize was the princely sum of fifteen shillings."

But it was when Paul entered Warwick University in Coventry that he discovered that he had been a small fish in a very small pool. It was 1972. The World Championship Contest between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky was capturing the world headlines.

"During the summer of that year I bought my first chess book – ‘My sixty memorable games’ by Bobby Fischer, which effectively became my first study material during my years at university.
"The only feather in my cap during my university days was in July 1974 at Manchester, where I entered a minor tournament for players graded below 135, and out of 233 players I was the only one unbeaten, with 6 points out of 6. As a matter of interest, several junior players from that tournament have gone on and become titled players."

After graduating, Paul stayed on at university as a research student, and it was here that disaster struck in October 1976. A laboratory accident deprived him almost completely of his eyesight, and despite all efforts by surgeons any residual vision he had after the accident continued to deteriorate. By the summer of 1980, Paul had lost his sight altogether. In the meantime, Paul's interest in chess never faltered. He continued to enter tournaments, relying on his partial vision to see him through.

"The chess pieces on the board just looked like black and white blobs, but I could not tell the difference between, say, a pawn and a bishop.
"It was in February 1980 that I heard about the BCA. My immediate reaction was that the BCA was for blind people and not for me. However, things changed very quickly after that, and it wasn't long before I became a member. A month later, I went to my first BCA tournament, which I won on a tie-break.
"From then onwards I never looked back. I entered the British Championship at Chorleywood in 1981 and, to everyone's astonishment, came joint first, but had to settle for second place on the tie-break. Although I did play in international events in previous years, I made my international debut as a member of the BCA when I represented Great Britain in the World Individual Championship in Hastings 1982, in which I scored 6 points out of 11 - a creditable performance, I think, considering that the World Champion, Krylov from Russia, was among the contestants.
"After that I was selected to represent the UK in many more, such as the Six Nations (three times), the World Cup (twice), the World Individual (twice), the Irisz Cup in Hungary (three times); and, of course, the Olympiad- three times."

The remarkable thing is that there are a number of instances in which Paul won joint first but had to settle for second place on a tie-break. But then came the 1991 Winter Individual Tournament in Reggio Emilia in Italy:

"It was quite a tough tournament, with an old adversary, Krylov, also competing. I scored 8 points out of 9, and came joint first with Krylov. Our tie-break was exactly equal. Every tie-break which had been stipulated at the beginning of the tournament could not produce a result. We had to toss - literally drawing lots! I actually won the event by drawing lots, but it really was a joke."

In the summer of 1992, Paul entered the Scottish Open in Troon. In that tournament Paul scored 5 ½ points out of 7 and again came joint first, but for once he won that event on a tie-break - his first real success in a sighted tournament.

Most certainly an impressive schooling, which no doubt served him well in achieving that ultimate goal by winning the British Championship in 1993. Paul offers no thoughts on the forthcoming Championship in August. But he knows that he will have to draw on every ounce of his reserve to retain the title.

    The second of these articles will consider the challenger, Graham Lilley - his background and chances.

Leisure Notes & News

Tulip Marathon triumph

For the second year running, top blind cyclist Robert Allen from Bordon, Hampshire, won the annual Tulip Tandem Marathon with front rider Steven Winter, in 1 hour 2 minutes and 4 seconds - over four minutes ahead of the second place winners.

Almost ninety teams took part in the competition on April 29, starting in Spalding, Lincolnshire. The contest, organised in association with the charity Action for Blind People, attracted both novice and serious riders, each consisting of a sighted front steersman and a visually impaired stoker. The tandem race has been held for the last fourteen years in Spalding.

Robert Allen, aged 35, has been riding for three years, and was delighted at his second victory in the race. "I would like to make a clean sweep of the three main races this year", he said. "As well as the Tulip Tandem Marathon, I am training hard to win the 40 miles Road Race in Bangor in June and the Tandem Club 25 in July, before I go on to full-time education in the autumn."

Conditions were cold and windy on the day of the Marathon, but only two teams failed to complete the strenuous course. Wally Pepper, chairman of Blind Outdoor Leisure Development (BOLD) and organiser of the event, said: "The Tulip Tandem Marathon has gone from strength to strength over the last fourteen years. It still provides an opportunity for the novice rider to get out and enjoy the countryside from the rear seat of a tandem bike, but also offers a chance for the more competitive among us to get out there and show 'em what for."

Garden award

The 1995 White Cane Award for the best public garden catering for the needs of visually impaired people (given by Action for Blind People) has gone to Telford Town Park, designed by Wrekin Council. The presentation was made by TV celebrity Lesley Joseph at the Chelsea Flower Show, on Action for Blind People's 'Pleasure garden' exhibit.

Standards in the competition were high from all over the country, said the organisers, but the winning gardens excelled. In second place was the Special Needs Children's Play complex at Camperdown Park, Dundee; while the Sensory Garden, Courtney Park, Newton Abbott, came third.

The designers of the garden at Telford, Chris Jones and Michael Vout,-accepted the White Cane Award on behalf of Wrekin Council. The garden, which opened in 1994, impressed the judges for its close proximity to the shopping centre, easy access into and around the garden, with well arranged and comfortable seating allowing wheelchairs to park alongside. Tactile maps and markers around the garden and the good mix of colour, texture and sound elements were also singled out for praise.

Both Action for Blind People's Chelsea garden and the White Cane Award have attracted increasing interest, reflecting the popularity of gardening as a hobby for blind people. Expanding on this interest, Action for Blind People has included another category for the 1996 White Cane Award - for the best public activity garden/nature trail for visually impaired people.

  • More information is available from the Publicity Department, Action for Blind People, 14-16 Verney Road, London SE16 3DZ.

Fieldsman Trails

Fieldsman Trails, based in North Wales, provides access to information, buildings and public spaces, through design and interpretation, including tape cassette guides for outdoor locations such as country parks.

They are now carrying out a survey in order to determine locations and the demand for personalised guided walks throughout the UK:

For each walk, in the company of experienced guides, you will receive:

  • Prior to the walk a taped resume of the route.
  • On the walk, large print and tactile maps.
  • After the walk a 'Guide Book in Sound' to take home - and relive the experience over again.
  • If you feel you would be interested, please write or phone Fieldsman Trails, Fron Deg, Clayton Road, Mold, Clwyd, CH7 1SU - telephone 01352 756202; Fax 01352 756201.

Shape London ticket scheme

New sponsorship of the Shape London Ticket Scheme by the Midland Bank was launched at the Royal National Theatre last month.

The scheme provides an escort/driver for disabled and elderly people to go to the theatre or concert. Over a hundred volunteer drivers give up some of their free time to take members to events and home again.

Midland Bank sponsorship will cover the costs of a bi-monthly events newsletter to members, a leaflet explaining the scheme and other essential publicity. Information is also available to members in braille or on cassette.

  • Further information about the ticket scheme is can be obtained from Jackie Huber on 0171 700 8138.

‘Upbeat’

RNIB publishes a monthly rock, pop and folk magazine, ‘Upbeat’, in braille. It features articles culled from the major music press sources as well as album reviews and a regular gig guide.

  • For more information contact the editor, Simon Labbett, on 0171 388 1266, or to subscribe directly, contact RNIB Customer Services on 0345 023153.

OnLine: ‘Ability’

Whether you are an experienced computer user or a complete novice, you should find much to interest you in ‘Ability’, the journal of the British Computer Society's Disability Group.

Now launched in a lively new format, the magazine is available both in print and on computer disk. The current issue (number 15) delves into the world of virtual reality and describes the ways it can come to the aid of disabled people.

Of particular interest to visually impaired readers (in the same issue) is an article on 'Etexts' - a list of Internet resources on electronic texts and catalogues of braille and audio books.

  • Copies of ‘Ability’ magazine are available from Geoff Busby, BCS Disability Group, c/o GEC Computer Services Ltd, West Hanningfield Road, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, CM2 8HN - telephone 01245 473331 extn 3950.

OnLine: Delphi Forum

George Bell, of Techno-Vision Systems (TVS), sends the following news about the Internet service provider Delphi and a new forum for visually impaired people:

Regarding Delphi, we have arranged that registered blind users can have an extra ten hours per month over and above the normal.

There is a database into which we are trying to put items of interest for people to download. The Publications area is strictly limited access. To get into this, you need to apply by sending a request in the forum section with details of how to contact you. We need some kind of proof that the applicant is registered blind. Once the application is processed, you will be able to get access to the Publications section.

  • This service is being co-ordinated by Techno-Vision Systems, 76 Bunting Road Industrial Estate, Northampton, NN2 6EE - telephone 01604 792777; e-mail: robotron@delphi.com

Obituary

Ted Yates

Beryl Colligan writes:

Many people, both blind and sighted, will have learned with deep regret of the death on May 11, at the age of 71, of Ted Yates, who was Manager of the Howard Hotel, Llandudno, for almost twenty years until his retirement in 1989.

In the early 70s, in its continuing search for up-to-date hotel accommodation for visually handicapped people, the RNIB was offered the use of a legacy, known as the Howard Bequest, by the Liverpool Workshops for the Blind, to establish a second hotel in the North West holiday area. Our search culminated in the acquisition of an hotel in Llandudno which was owned by Ted and Joey Yates. We were so much impressed by the conduct of the hotel and the warm and welcoming attitude of the proprietors that it was suggested that the owners might remain in situ and continue as managers. After demurring a little time as to his ability to meet and to understand the needs of blind people, he eventually agreed to remain as manager, in which capacity he was an unqualified success. His enthusiastic and kindly manner made him popular, and his innovative ideas to encourage the guests to get the maximum enjoyment from their holidays in this very beautiful area in North Wales were much appreciated.

With his considerable experience of hotel management, Ted assisted us greatly in the transfer of responsibility to the RNIB, and working with him, as I did, from the administrative angle was always a pleasure. He was always so helpful, co-operative and supportive. We recognised fully Ted's contribution to the RNIB at that time. Also, one does not lose sight of the fact that, as Ted and his wife had lived in Llandudno for many years, he was a well-known figure in the area and the community. He was a keen sailor and concerned in local sailing activities, as well as being closely involved with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and indeed playing an active role in their rescue work.

He will be missed greatly by all who knew him. We send our deepest sympathy to his widow.

    Beryl Colligan (nee Johns) is the former Head of RNIB Homes Department.

Content author: ann.lee@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 08/04/2008 18:38

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