THE PROMOTER
May 2008
CONTENTS:
From the President
Gebhard Greetings
Hello from Amy
Deadwood Daily
Deliverer
Ski for Light, 2008
Legislative Report,
Spring 2008
2008 ACB Legislative Report
Call to Convention
NDAB Walkathon 2008
A Labor of Love
Memorials and Donations
NDAB Family News
August is Coming
NDAB Board Meeting Minutes
From the President
Greetings:
This is the
president speaking for the last time.
What a winter we have had! I
think spring is just around the corner for the
There isn’t
too much shop work to talk about for this issue. We will be having our spring board meeting
via teleconference call on Sunday the 13th of April. This is a great way for the board to meet and
save NDAB travel money.
I hope you
are seriously thinking about attending the state convention in
I will close
for now. Winter is coming to a close and
spring is on its way. Convention is
coming and I can hardly wait to see all of you again.
Let me
close with a poem by George Washington Carver titled: “Figure It out For Yourself”:
|
Figure it out for
yourself, my lad, |
Gebhard Greetings
What an inspiration! I recently visited with my sister, Marie
Klein on the phone. She reported that
she had talked to her friend, Vicki Siewart, Vicki is Connie Springsted’s
sister. She passed on some wonderful
news!
Those of us who attended
NDAB Summer Camp last August were made aware that Connie was in need of a
kidney. Paula Anundson, knowing of this
need, gave a kidney to Connie. What a
wonderful gift! The surgery was
successful and they both are recuperating.
These are two very
courageous women! Let’s drop them a note
and let them know we care. Connie is at:
Gift of Life Transplant House, Room 14,
I had the privilege to be the NDAB
representative at the family seminar hosted by North Dakota Vision
Services/School for the Blind held in
The day went fast and the program was interesting. I
got a chance to visit with parents of the children with vision loss and hear of
some of their struggles and triumphs. I want to thank you for letting me
be your representative. I am proud of
NDAB, our history and our vision for the future!
Zelda Gebhard, Editor
Hello from Amy
Dear NDAB Members,
I am very excited to be back in the vision field. I
left my position as Vision Rehabilitation Specialist with Vocational
Rehabilitation in
I would truly like to thank your organization
and Allan Peterson for all of the hard work to make this position possible. I
am here because of your hard work and perseverance. You are a remarkable group!
As part of receiving the funds for this
position, ND Vision Services/School for the Blind has added two more adult
weeks. I would like to let you all know that you are all welcome to come to the
Adult weeks at ND Vision Services/School for the Blind to learn/enhance your
skills in Braille, Technology, Daily Living Skills, Orientation and Mobility or
other low vision aides. We have our next week May 11 - 16. If you feel that you
need more in-depth training we are pleased to announce that we have a two week
back-to-back session coming up June 22 – July 3. I am also available to provide
in-community follow-up once you have learned new skills at the center.
For those of you who are not able to come to
Please feel free to contact me at 701-857-76 34 or
701-340-9226. You can also contact Ken Dockter at ND Vision Services/School for
the Blind at 701-795-2724 or 1-800-421-1181.
I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Respectfully,
Amy L. Brunner
Vision Rehabilitation Specialist
The DEADWOOD DAILY DELIVERER
29th
Deadwood, SD
Pleasant weather amplified
the excitement in the “Hills” for numerous blind, visually impaired and other
disabled skiers. Participants from predominantly North and South Dakota
plus several from as far away as New York came to the Black Hills of South
Dakota to enjoy a week of snow engulfed exhilaration. The skiing week of
invigorating workouts, warm camaraderie, and tons of fun was felt by all
participants, guides and steadfast Ski for Light staff.
After hours of
cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and downhill skiing and numerous hours in
Vern’s Wall Tent warming up to a “HOT naughty-TAUGHTY” in close proximity to
the heat radiating pot belly stove. Soothing bluegrass music played in
the background.
The week concluded with its
normal race day. Race day without qualm was weather wise the most
beautiful, wintry day of the event. To have the best time from start to
the returning finish line was unequivocally the desire of most skiers.
Albeit just to finish the course was a reputable win in itself!
Two youthful skiers that
were fortunate to have finished first place in the class, one
kilometer 35yrs and older in the race were guide Larry Osowski from
Upon finishing breakfast
usually a quick trip to the bathroom was in order then immediately out to the
cross-country course for a practice run, no later than
The time was soon here when
we would be given the signal to ski like a shooting star!!! That time was
now here and we were off skiing like two snow bunnies being chased by a wily
hoodwink on a crisp December day. Sure enough the adrenalin was flowing
or should I say gushing through our internal makeup!!! Not only 30 yards
from the starting line did
Going went well the
remainder of the course. Cross-country skiing guide Osowski managed to
pilot
Then coming down the final
250 yard gentle sloping stretch to the finish line
Words uttered out of
Later that evening Guide
Osowski and Lynn were recognized for their first place accomplishment.
(Printed with permission
from The Deadwood Daily Deliverer)
Ski For Light 2008
Submitted by: Dave Sundeen and
Katrina Wendel
As usual,
the weather in
Usually the
busload of
On
Wednesday, after a full day of skiing and snowshoeing, the day concluded with
an evening bonfire complete with turkey sandwiches, chips, and drinks. There
was a slot tournament at the
At the
Golden Hills Resort, an excellent banquet dinner was served and the trophy
recipients of the Race Day events were announced. Congratulations to the North
Dakota winners: in the Cross Country
Event Maria Vasquez took 2nd place in the 1K Females Over 35
category Partially Visually Impaired as well as the second place trophy for the
Rally Race for Females Over 35, Dave McCloud took 1st place in the
Cross Country 5K in Males Over 35 category Partially Sighted category, Dave
Sundeen received 1st place in the Cross Country in the Males Over 35
Totally Blind category, Donnie Frasier took 2nd place in the 1K
Rally Race in the Males Over 35 category Partially Sighted category, Jenny
Blinsman received 2nd place in the 1K Females Under 35 Totally Blind
category, Krista Doubek took the 2nd
place trophy in the 5K Females Under 35 Partially Sighted category, Tammy Winn
received 1st place in the 1K Females Under 35 Partially Sighted
category, for the second year in a row
Mike Hoppener received 2nd place in the Men’s Visually Impaired
Downhill event, and Todd Folmer received 2nd place in the Men’s
Triple Track Downhill category, and Michelle Zentz received 3rd
place in the Snowshoeing event. Of course Ski for Light would not be complete
without the traditional song from Dave Sundeen at the awards banquet on the
last night.
This year,
in anticipation of the Black Hills Regional Ski for Light 30th
anniversary, a promotional video was filmed where several participants, guides,
and volunteers were interviewed. Look for that video later this year. Plan
ahead to attend the 30th Annual Black Hills Regional Ski for Light January 25th
through
Legislative Report, Spring 2008
By Allan Peterson
Is
spring really here? It's my bet that many of you, found the topic of our
weather earlier this spring to be very aggravating. So if you will focus on the thoughts you had
about our lousy spring weather as you now proceed to read this article, the
subject of politics won't seem to be so painful. It's like a toothache, if you
mash your finger with a hammer, the pain from the toothache doesn't seem to be
so bad!
There
are a number of topics that I'd like to touch on briefly in this article:
First of all, as one of the members of this
year's Convention Planning Committee, I want to strongly encourage each of you
to come to our State Convention that we are hosting here in
A
showcase of vendors and exhibitors will be on hand at the Convention that will
begin that Friday afternoon at
The
second highlight that I want very much to emphasize about our Convention is
that we will conduct a legislative forum that will feature legislators from the
Since
representation in the state legislature is based on population and because
Race
for President
As you
may guess, the past few months have really provided great entertainment for a
political junkie like me, what with all the big shot politicians seeking the
office of the U.S. Presidency. For the non politically minded, I'm sure that
this race seems like it will never end and the bad news for you is that the
real show between the two major parties for the next occupant of the White
House hasn't even begun!
Of
course, even those of you who lack political interest, know that the nomination
for the Democrats hasn't yet been decided but it's my guess that for the two
remaining candidates it must seem like a marathon that just goes on and on.
Like it
or not, the race for the Democratic nomination did provide a great opportunity
for North Dakota to have its moment in the limelight, when both Obama and
Hillary spoke to the Democratic Convention in Grand Forks on April 4th. I
thought that Hillary probably had the best quote that came out of that event
when after she surveyed the estimated crowd in the
Thankfully,
there is an end date for this political cycle and that happens on Tuesday,
November 4th, the date of our nationwide general election! Another election to
keep in mind takes place here in
For
example, say there is three candidates that have filed and met the requirements
for the same political office but only two are allowed to appear on the general
election ballot. In such a case, the two candidates that receive the most votes
in the primary then can advance to run for that office in the general election.
Also, those candidates that appear on the ballot must receive a certain number
of votes, as defined in the state constitution, in order to advance to the
general election. In addition, statewide and local ballot initiatives can appear
on the primary ballot, (such as a smoking ban), so the primary election serves
a very important purpose.
The
nationwide general election happens on November 4th, 146 days after
Exercise
your right to vote
I would
encourage each of you to vote in both the primary and, by all means, in the
general election! Also, I am encouraging those of you who cannot use the
printed ballot to use the electronic voting machines to mark your ballot
independently. They are quite easy to use and provide us with the right that is
fundamental to our political system - that is to be able to vote a secret,
independent ballot. There should be an electronic voting machine at each
polling site in
The
electronic voting machines were purchased with the intent that they would give
persons, who cannot access the standard printed ballot with the means so that
they too can vote a secret, independent ballot. There has been criticism raised
about the electronic voting machines because of the fear of tampering with the
software. The machines that are used in
Budget
Time Approaching
The
wheels of government grind on and are never very far from affecting our lives.
The various departments of state government are now either in the process or
are close to preparing their budgets for the next biennium of 2009 - 2011. It
is these budget requests that the governor uses to prepare the budget he will
present to the next Legislature that convenes the first week of January next
year. It is my hope that we might be able to influence this process and somehow
acquire more financial support for vision services for adults at North Dakota
Vision Services / School for the Blind. That is my goal; I hope that we may be
able to do something in that regard but that is all I can really say at this
point.
Announcing
My Candidacy
Finally, I
am announcing that I am seeking to be elected to the North Dakota House of
Representatives from my District here in
2008 ACB Legislative Report
By
Allan Peterson
One of the most
important purposes that we serve, as an organization, is to advocate for and
help initiate legislation and regulations that have the potential to improve
the lives of those of us who are either blind or have significant sight loss.
As a statewide organization, it is imperative that we advocate for state
legislation or regulations that are beneficial to the community of persons with
sight loss in
On the national stage
regarding federal legislation, we work in conjunction with the American Council
of the Blind (ACB), as one of their state affiliates. The main office for ACB
is located in
It is my intent here
in this article to make the case why it is so very important for us to help ACB
with its advocacy work in the U.S. Congress. One of the ways we do this is to
be involved in the Legislative Seminar that ACB conducts each year in February
or March. Also, many of the resolutions, that ACB considers each year, at its
national Convention often deal with a federal legislative or regulatory issue.
As one of the state
affiliates of the Council, we share an advocacy partnership with them toward
the passage of federal legislation that would improve the lives of people who
are blind. Our partnership with the Council is needed because our
As their
constituents, it is in the interest of our
Another important
reason for our participation in both the ACB Legislative Seminar and the ACB
Convention is to support passage of legislation that the National Federation of
the Blind will not support. The Federation has its own Legislative agenda; they
typically hold their legislative seminar just a few weeks before the Council’s.
The Federation does recognize conducting their own legislative seminar as an
extremely important function and consequently, they do help with financial
support to get as many representatives to attend from as many of their state
affiliates as possible.
It’s true, in many
instances, the Federation does support the same issues as ACB; but, in many
other cases, they don’t support issues the Council supports and will oppose,
even to the point of seeking to undermine the Council’s efforts. Some of the
more notable issues that the Federation and ACB have disagreed on are
accessible paper currency, audio descriptive video, accessible pedestrian
signals and detectable warning strips on subway and train platforms.
The stances that the
Federation chooses to undertake on its legislative priorities are espoused from
its headquarters in
Hopefully, you will
find this background helpful as we turn to the topic of this year’s ACB
Legislative Seminar. The Seminar was held from Sunday, February 10th
through Tuesday, February 12th. The first task of us as participants
is to learn about current issues that should be brought to the attention of
Congress. Most of our time on Sunday and Monday are spent learning about the
background on these issues and how best to address the issues with our
legislators in Congress.
This year’s seminar
was well attended. Many of the larger states bring a number of participants
because they have more people in Congress; consequently, they need more people
so that they can attempt to make visits to all of their state’s congressional
members.
Three primary
legislative priorities were addressed at this year’s seminar. First, was
telecommunications as it relates to access to visual content from TV broadcasts
and video that is sent through the internet. Related to this topic, are an
increasing number of on screen menus that are not made available in an audio
format. The second ACB legislative priority, relates to web sites which are
often structured in a manner that make them inaccessible to people who cannot
see what is displayed on a computer monitor. The third ACB priority was to seek
a legislative remedy for what are termed quiet vehicles. The increasing number
of hybrid vehicles, that emit very little operating noise on the road, pose a
hazard for people who are blind because we rely on sound to alert us to the
presence of traffic as we cross streets and intersections.
Prior to our Capitol
Hill visits with our legislators, we are fed a lot of information about the
priorities and how to best address them on Capitol Hill. Armed with this
information, we then on Tuesday February 12th, made those important
Hill visits! I did actually make nine Hill visits – not only to Senators Dorgan
and Conrad and Congressman Pomeroy but also to the South Dakota and Montana
congressional delegations because no one from those states were available to
attend the Seminar. My Hill visits with other states were cleared in advance
with the
Our first task in
making our Hill visits is to make the case as to why we are seeking legislative
action and our second task is to offer a proposal for a legislative solution,
if one has not yet been offered.
The legislative
action we sought for support of the first listed ACB priority, on
telecommunication access to visual information that is displayed on TV screens
and through internet content, was to seek support for draft legislation called
the 21st Century Communications and Video Description Act. This draft
legislation was created by the House Energy and Commerce Committee in consultation
with the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT), of which
ACB is a member. Our task as advocates was to inform our legislators about this
legislation and then to seek their support for it as a co-sponsor and to vote
for it, when and if, it reaches the House floor.
The legislative
action being sought for the ACB priority on access to information at web sites
was to request that Congress create legislation that would close a loophole
that supposedly exists in Title 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The
courts have ruled that based on the
To address the ACB
priority on the hazards that are posed by quiet cars, ACB is asking that
Congress adopt legislation that would first research this problem and then,
based on this research, request that car manufacturers and transportation
governing entities institute solutions that could provide an answer to this
problem. In our visits we asked that this proposed legislation be created and
supported by our legislators. Just recently such legislation has been
introduced in Congress! More to come on this issue!
A lot is packed into
the three day Seminar. First, is the education piece, which can be intense and
then, actually making the arrangements for the visits to our legislators on
Capitol Hill. Although it can be demanding, I find all of it to be very
stimulating. I have gotten to know the staff people that work in Congressman
Pomeroy’s office and the offices of Senators Dorgan and Conrad quite well. As I
have said in the past, this is a valuable relationship because the staff people
in these offices are the ones that do the research and advise our legislators
about present and future legislation.
Again, thank you for
the privilege of representing NDAB at the ACB Legislative Seminar! No real
problems making the trip this year, other than missing a connecting flight in
Call to Convention
Come to
The
convention will be held at the
The
Be sure to make your room
reservations by May 13. Send in your convention registration form now as this
is an event you won’t want to miss.
NDAB Walkathon 2008
Our
10th annual Walkathon took place on Saturday, April 19th across
the state. At the time of the writing of this article, I do not have totals of
the funds raised, but I want to acknowledge those in charge of the events and
to thank each of you who helped in any way to make this a success for our
organization.
Binford – Violet
Zentz
Bismarck -
Fargo
-
Mott
- Bev Austin
Williston –
Thanks again to all
of you for your HARD WORK! I will have a full report at our upcoming convention
in June.
Kathy Larson,
Financial Chairperson
A Labor of Love
By Doranna Robertson
For Lloyd
Robertson no amount of precious time or hard-earned dollar was too much for the
love of his life – NDAB.
He was a
charter member (1936) and also a charter member of ACB (1961). He held many posts in NDAB; president, vice
president, on the board of directors, delegate to national conventions, and co-director
with Olga Neal of the summer camp.
Not long
after the camp was organized, Lloyd saw the need for some facility for storing
equipment and craft materials. The
wheels in his head started turning. On
winter evenings after a hard day’s work and the children in bed, he sat in his
recliner with his over-sized pipe working out these plans in his head. Nothing was written down. He was totally blind but not proficient in Braille. So when spring came, he began gathering
materials, measuring, and getting ready for his summer project in our
backyard. It was finished in time for
the next camp session.
After the
first few trips to the camp site and back to our yard, he realized that this
was hard on his trailer. Dan Mimnaugh
will remember that we asked for permission to leave the trailer at
Memorials and
Donations
During the
past two quarters NDAB has received the following donations and memorials:
In memory of Timothy Jundt from Loris Van Berkom, and Gary
& Renae Huseby.
In memory of Bob Foster from
Loris Van Berkom.
In memory of Olga's sister, Tilley, from Loris Van Berkom,
and Gary & Renae Huseby.
NDAB also
received donations from Janice Sowokinos, Cliff and Pat Phelps, and Sandy
Atkinson.
Thank you
for remembering NDAB with your donations and memorials.
Renae
Huseby, Treasurer
NDAB Family News
By Olga Neal
We have to
use our imagination somewhat, but it seems spring is about to burst upon
us! Winter is gone for this year! Yippee!
Renae is
back from her
Donna
Iszler is having a battle with shingles.
She has been doctoring for three or four weeks now. She is in constant pain most of the
time. Her kidney transplant complicates
what medications she can have. We
include prayers for her quick and complete recovery, also.
I seem to
be over my “miserableness”--cold, cough, dragging with being tired, etc., which
lasted about three weeks. Enough of that
subject!
We are
working on the Walkathon. So much is
being done with fund raising in the community that it is hard to interest
people, so it may not be as successful this year. Still, people may come out and walk. We will do our best!
I don't
seem to be lacking for something to do.
In February, I chaired our Lions' Valentine's party. Donna was at the piano, playing love songs,
which the group sang. We have many couples
in our club, so we had each couple tell how they met. That created a lot of laughter, and we had
fun.
I also
chaired the
One of the
things I enjoy doing is being a guest speaker at University classes. I had two such presentations in the last
month. One was at an education
class. The other, at a physical therapy
class, was one of the most wonderful interactions I have had yet. It put me on a real high.
Recently
Kathy Johnson and Shereen Faber came to see us.
We took a picnic lunch out to Larimore and had dinner with Don. We had the best time! ( For those of you who don't know her, Kathy was our
camp nurse for several years, and her late husband Larry was Camp director for
a few years.)
I guess
that is about it! But let me leave you
with this Japanese proverb:
"Vision without action is a
daydream;
Action without vision is a nightmare."
This is
your
By Shereen Faber
Greeting's to all NDABers.
I hope by the time everyone receives their Promoter spring will have arrived.
The
For our plays since our
last Promoter, we saw "Little Foxes" with our audio describer, Karla
Peterson, playing one of the main parts and she did great. We also saw "12
Angry Women" and my cousin had a part in this play.
Our own Keith Iten has
graduated from Sister Roseline's
August is Coming!
It’s not
too early to reserve the week of August 10-17 on your calendar for a fun week
at the 38th annual NDAB Summer Camp held at the Elks
All
eligible members will be sent a camp packet with information about the classes
and an application towards the end of June.
If you know of someone who is dealing with sight loss, please contact
one of us with the name and phone number.
We will make the contact and determine eligibility.
Below are
the camp guidelines.
NDAB SUMMER
PURPOSE
1. To provide
an opportunity for persons who are visually impaired to come in contact with
persons with similar impairments and share a common concern.
2. To help in
the process of adjusting to blindness.
3. To provide
an opportunity to learn new skills, techniques, and leisure time activities to
enhance the quality of life.
ELIGIBILITY
1. Must be at
least 18 years of age with vision loss as the primary disability.
2. Must be
capable of participating in the program set-up for camp.
a. Must be able to care for ones personal
needs including bathing, dressing, eating, etc.
b. Must be physically able to get oneself
around the camp grounds, with the exclusion of difficulty with mobility due to
vision loss.
3. Must be
cooperative and demonstrate willingness to abide by the regulations of camp.
a. Alcoholic beverages and/or unauthorized
drugs are not allowed on the camp grounds.
Any violators will be promptly sent home at their own expense.
b. All campers must remain overnight at camp.
c. Campers must attend the entire week of
camp unless other arrangements have been made with the co-camp directors, or a
situation arises, such as an illness or a family emergency.
d. Participants must notify one of the
directors if leaving the campus for any reason.
4. Must
demonstrate respect for authority.
5. Must display
consideration for fellow campers.
Geographical
Eligibility Guidelines
1. Any adult who is visually impaired and not a
2. One member of ACB leadership will be eligible to attend
the NDAB Summer Camp annually as a camper at no cost.
3. Any adult who is visually impaired and who lives in
another state other than
4. Camp capacity, which is set by the Elks
5. Any member of NDAB who moved out of state but continued
to pay their annual dues would be eligible to attend camp at no cost.
Submitted
by
NDAB BOARD MEETING MINUTES