TANTALIZING TIDBITS

** With all the current confusion about Medicare Part D, check out “WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXTRA HELP TO PAY FOR MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN COSTS?” in the Winter, “Braille Forum”.

** In recognition of the extraordinary contribution to world literacy made by Louis Braille, National Braille Press announces the upcoming release of a new biography of his life, Louis Braille: A Touch of Genius by C. Michael Mellor.

This new biography includes 31 never-before-translated letters, some written by Louis's own hand. An extraordinary collection of documents, photographs, and artistic works--some unearthed from a curator's private archives in France--complement Mellor's meticulous primary research into Louis's life as a child, student, teacher, musician and genius inventor.
The book will be available on or before March 6, 2006, in both braille and print. All of the images in the visually-elegant hardcover print edition have been described by experts in descriptive media for the braille edition. Order the book in advance -- before March 6, 2006 -- and take 30% off the price of either the print or braille editions. Louis Braille should be as well known as Helen Keller or Martin Luther King -- please help us spread the word!

Formats and Pricing: Order before March 6, 2006, and receive a 30% discount! - Print: $35.00 ($25.00 before March 6th!), plus $4.50 S&H - Braille (Paper cover): $35.00 ($25.00 before March 6th!), no charge for Free Matter shipping
Library/School Edition (Hardcover Braille): $50 (No discount available for this format)

Also, to help launch the new biography "Louis Braille: A Touch of Genius," NBP has created gorgeous print/braille bookmarks. We've packaged them in bundles of 30 or 50, so they're perfect for the classroom, the library, the office - or for your friends!

Print /braille bookmarks: Set of 30, $10; Set of 50, $15.

To order books or bookmarks, send payment to: National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115-4302. Or call and charge it: toll-free (800) 548-7323 or (617) 266-6160 ext 20. Or order any of our books online at:
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html .

** The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is pleased to announce the launch of a new online museum dedicated to Anne Sullivan Macy, Helen Keller's teacher and pioneer in the field of education for the blind and visually impaired: http://www.afb.org/AnneSullivan

Anne is best known as the young woman who taught Helen how to communicate with the outside world, and her work became the blueprint for the education of children who were blind, deaf-blind, or visually impaired, a model that continues today. Anne's achievements were so ahead of their time that Samuel L. Clemens, known more popularly as Mark Twain, dubbed her a "miracle worker."

AFB's multimedia museum presents a marvelous and
rich array of information about Anne through photographs, letters, speeches, posters, comics, newspaper cartoons, vaudeville scripts, and video clips. The content traces Anne's life from her impoverished childhood through her death in 1936. During her lifetime, Anne was hesitant to accept honors or accolades for her work. However, her remarkable achievements are remembered to this day, reflected in events such as her induction into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

AFB hopes that through this web site, a new generation will know Anne in all her complexities. So visit Anne Sullivan Macy: Miracle Worker http://www.afb.org/AnneSullivan today!

** From ACB Radio’s “Cooking in the dark” show comes “Labels for Literacy”: Labels for Literacy is a program designed to place more Braille on mainstream products in order to increase the usage and understanding of Braille. The program will also bring equality of access to brand and product information for the blind and visually impaired consumers.

The Labels for Literacy program will accomplish this by producing sheets of self-stick labels that identify common brands and products in large print and in Braille. These labels will then be distributed to blind and visually impaired consumers nationwide at no cost. Get Free Labels and info from the web site at: www.labelsforliteracy.com or For information on corporate participation and sponsorship, media and press inquiries, or to order labels, contact: Tel: 866-32 LABEL (866) 325-2235.

** For free directory assistance unlike that currently being provided by SBC and other companies, call 1 800 373 3411. No charge is incurred except for the minutes required to make the call if you are using a cell phone.

** Attention Knitters! Now, finally, a company selling yarn and patterns for the blind and visually-impaired. All Lion Brand patterns are offered in three versions. In addition to our standard version that includes images and text, each pattern is now available in two versions specially designed for members of the Lion Brand community who are visually impaired. Every pattern includes two new links at the top:

The first link formats the pattern to be read in large-format type or by text-to-speech browsers;

The second link formats the pattern so it can be read by devices that produce Braille.

We've also added color descriptions to all our yarns and added special features to patterns and the pattern directories that are not visible to sighted readers but that make it easier to understand the patterns when they are read by text-to-speech browsers. We welcome your suggestions and comments. Please send them to support@lionbrand.com.

** The Sight Exchange group is open to all who want to donate, share or "recycle" items that serve the needs of the visually impaired. Whether it's a computer or small assistive technology device, feel free to post it. Or maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself! Nonprofit groups are also welcome to participate! One main rule: everything posted must be FREE! This group is part of Sight Exchange Network, a grassroots organization of people interested in keeping good stuff out of landfills and into the hands of people who can use it. It's easy to join and we look forward to meeting you and your group members. To join just follow the link below: sightexchange-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

** From the ACB list comes a request for help with a class survey: Hello, I am writing to you on behalf of an engineering development project for my Capstone class that my group is currently working on at Northeastern University. We are trying to develop a system/device that improves the mobility for the blind and visually-impaired.

I would really appreciate it a lot if you could take a few minutes of your time and fill out the following short survey regarding the matters of the blind. Simply answer the questions in a way that relates your experience with the blind and visually-impaired. The link to the online survey is as follows: http://www.opinionpower.com/Surveys/825034517.html

Thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate your help. Danny Ng, dudedn83@yahoo.com, Northeastern University.