The NFBF OUTREACH The Official News Magazine of the National Federation of the Blind of Florida ISSUE #1 -- SPRING, 1992 President Editor Wayne Davis Dan Hicks 1949 Marseille Drive 3700 Curry Ford Road Apartment 2 Apartment X-30 Miami Beach, FL 33141 Orlando, FL 32806 (305) 861-8425 (407) 894-8457 TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM THE PRESIDENT Wayne Davis -- Page 2 AROUND THE CORNER Dan Hicks -- Page 4 PROSECUTORS CHARGE PUB IN BLIND MAN'S COMPLAINT From the Tampa Tribune -- Page 5 EXCITEMENT AT THE STATE CONVENTION Dan Hicks -- Page 7 WHAT'S NEW IN LEGISLATION? Wayne Davis -- Page 10 J O B NEWS Gloria Mills -- Page 11 TECH TALK Dan Hicks -- Page 13 PAC PLANS Jeff Marmon -- Page 14 CONGRATULATIONS--IT'S A CHAPTER! Dan Hicks -- Page 15 CHAPTER NEWS -- Page 16 LEADERSHIP SEMINAR Jeff & Erlinda Harmon -- Page 21 PROMISE YOURSELF Theresa Schaffer -- Page 22 WHAT'S COOKIN'? -- Page 23 SMILES -- Page 25 EDITORIAL MATTERS Dan Hicks -- Page 26 FROM THE PRESIDENT by Wayne Davis By now you have no doubt noticed that our NFBF newsletter has a new name. It will no longer be called The Blind Floridian. The new name is the NFBF OUTREACH. Our editor is Mr. Dan Hicks. Dan is our State First Vice President. He is also President of our Greater Orlando Chapter. Look for some new things in this issue and even more new things in upcoming issues. CHAPTER NEWS will keep everyone up to date on what is new with your local chapter and others throughout the state. Each Chapter President should make sure that Dan hears from you on a regular basis. Tell us what your Chapter is doing for fund- raising, what you are doing to get new members, who in your Chapter got married or had a baby. In other woords, tell us what is going on! Chapter members, make sure your President keeps us posted on what is going on, because of old Dan does not hear from your President, he just might make up some chapter news for you! I'm just kidding about Dan making up chapter news, but I am not kidding about wanting chapter news to publish in this newsletter. TECH TALK will be a column dealing with computers and other things of that nature. Drop us a line and tell us all about that new screen reader you just found or that new scanner and processor you've got. Let us know the things you like and dislike about the new computer gear out there. We will also try to bring you information on new items that are soon to come on the market. SMILES will be a regular section featuring jokes and riddles sent in by our readers. You can also send in funny things that have happened to you because of your blindness or other people's reactions to it. Please keep your jokes clean, though. Old dan said that he didn't want any dirty stories tracking up his nice clean word processor! DBS NEWS will keep you up to date on what is happening with the Division of Blind Services. WHAT'S COOKING will deal with food. If you have found a better way to make a better cake--or anything else good to eat-- drop us a line and let us all learn how it is done. FLEA MARKET is a place where you can list up to five items you wish to buy, sell or trade. Please, no companies; just readers of the OUTREACH. AROUND THE CORNER! by Dan Hicks NFB of Florida always has something going on, something that is just about to happen, and other things to look forward to. It is time for our Spring Leadership Seminar, which will be held at the Florida Lions Camp, 2819 Tiger Lake Road, Lake Wales, FL 33853. The cost is $60.00 per person (children half price). This fee includes two nights lodging in air-conditioned cabins, dinner Friday night, Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner, Snday breakfast and lunch. How could you ever hope to beat that price? Bring your money with you to the camp if you haven't already sent it in. The camp features boating and fishing on Lake Tiger. camp fires, swimming in the Olympic-size swimming pool, full gym, nature trails, a petting zoo, and much more. We will have meetings to teach us all how to improve our Chapters and our State Affiliate and how to more effectively change what it means to be blind. It promises to be interesting and thought-provoking. But we plan on having fun, too. Come and party with your friends and make new ones. We'll sing songs around the camp fire and play games and have a great time! For more information, contact Wayne Davis, NFBF President (see page 1). Now is also time to be making plans to attend the NFB National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, July 28 through July 4. Check recent issues of The Braille Monitor or contact your Chapter President for more information. Make your reservations with the NFB in Baltimore, telephone (410) 659-9314. And we are now planning the next NFBF State Convention, which will be held in October of this year in Orlando. This promises to be a great Convention. I hope to see you all at all these exciting and enriching activities! PROSECUTORS CHARGE PUB IN BLIND MAN'S COMPLAINT The following is excerpted from an article by John Lester, Tampa Tribune Staff Writer, which appeared in the Tampa Tribune, Tuesday Mar 10, 1992 Marion Gwizdala is Secretary of the Tampa Bay Chapter. He, his wife Jan, and his guide dog Diamond are well known at NFB functions Brandon -- The Hillsborough State Attorney's Office filed criminal charges Monday against the manager of Darby's Pub, accusing him of keeping a blind man and his guide dog from entering the tavern. The decision frustrated Darby's owner, who has already apologized for the misunderstanding. But for Marion Gwizdala, filing charges is a "victory for the blind people. It puts a ligal force behind free and equal access." Gwizdala, a 36-year-old computer science student at the University of South Florida, went with a friend and his guide dog February 7 to Darby's in Brandon Mall. The pub manager stopped Gwizdala at the front door and said his guide dog, Diamond, would have to stay outside. Gwizdala said. State law makes it a misdemeanor to deny entry to blind people and their guide dogs into any place open to the general public. Gwizdala said he and Diamond were still refused entrance after he explained the law and called a sheriff's deputy, who also explained the law to the manager, Roy Wilson. Wilson said last month he initially thought allowing the dog inside would be against county health codes. when told the dog had a right to be inside, Wilson said it would be best for Gwizdala to come back the next night because his attitude had turned sour. Gwizdala pushed for the state attorney's office to file criminal charges and said dozens of telephone calls from blind people throughout the state have spurred his efforts to "educate the people about the law." "So many people have told me about their experiences," he said last week. "I'm hoping business owners will see there are legal penalties for discrimination against blind people without cause." He said he is not out for personal gain with his push for prosecution. He said he will not file a civil lawsuit against the pub and he does not want to see the manager jailed or pay huge fines. EXCITEMENT AT THE STATE CONVENTION by Dan Hicks Our latest State Convention was held at the Holiday Inn Round in Tallahassee, October 11, 12 and 13 of last year. Our national representative was NFB President Marc Maurer. We began on Friday evening with a well-attended Hospitality, which included a Talent Show, hosted by myself. I will not try to name all of the participants in the Talent Show; I am sure to leave someone out and I wouldn't want to do that. But President Wayne Davis and even Marc Maurer participated. The Hospitality also included a lot of great food and drinks. You just had to be there! The sessions Saturday included a full agenda, including a discussion by Marc Maurer on chapter officers and their duties. segment on the Flirida Deaf and Blind School, an address by DBS Director Carl McCoy, an address by DBS Library Don Webber on the Library and on the needs of Florida's blind children, an employment panel discussion headed by JOB Chairperson Gloria Mills, and other exiting events. The lunchtime seminar on Social Security hosted by Henry Alexander from Miami was so well attended that it had to be split in two and done twice. The banquet was better than usual--dare I say the food was actually good? It also featured an inspiring speech by President Maurer. After the banquet, Carl Miller, then of the Palm Beach Chapter, served as auctioneer for our annual auction fund-raiser. Several hundred dollars were raised. Sunday we had elections. Here is the State Board as it now stands: President, Wayne Davis; 1st Vice President, Dan Hicks; 2nd Vice President, Jeff Harmon; Secretary, Theresa Schaffer; Treasurer, LeeRoy Schaffer; Board Members--Gloria Mills, Janet Caron, Sandy Pranzarone, and Judy Black. Following the elections the following Resolutions were passed: RESOLUTION 91-01 WHEREAS, one of the primary goals of the National Federation of the Blind of Florida is to encourage and assist the blind citizens of our state to become well-educated, highly skilled, and well- trained in whatever field of work they choose and to be independent, well-adjusted, productive citiizens; and WHEREAS, many of the blind and disabled citizens of the state fall between the cracks and do not qualify for assistance or benefits from any governmental or charitable agency; and WHEREAS, the present cost of purchasing specialized devices is extremely expensive and often places financial hardship on the blind or disabled person needing such devices: Now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Florida, in Convention assembled this 13th day of October, 1991, in the city of Tallahassee, Florida, that, in the interest of all the blind and disabled citizens of Florida, we hereby petition the Legislature of Florida to extend Sales Tax exemption to all blind and disabled citizens for purchasing articles that contribute towards fulfilling therapeutic or educational needs, job training, or personal independence living skills RESOLUTION 91-03 WHEREAS, the administrative fees (set asides) paid by the participants in the Business Enterprise Program have risen every year; and WHEREAS, the Florida Division of Blind Services has been adding employees to its staff in recent years; and WHEREAS, the set aside fees paid by Florida B.E.P. operators are amung the highest in the country: Now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Florida, in Convention assembled this 13th day of October, 1991, in the city of Tallahassee, Florida, that we as an organization call upon the Florida Division of Blind Services to place a ceiling on the set aside administrative fees paid by Florida B.E.P. participants, so that these costs are reduced or held at present levels; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a committee representative of B.E.P. participants be established and empowered to provide input to the Division of Blind Services concerning the administration of the B.E.P program, including the hiring of personnel to oversee the program and the disbursement of funds collected as set asides; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all necessary steps be taken to make those who administer the B.E.P. program accountable to the programs operators. WHAT'S NEW IN LEGISLATION? by Wayne Davis There is a great deal of activity going on all over our state in the field of blindness. First of all, six of us who are members of the NFBF just returned from the NFB Washington Seminar. Melody Lindsay, our Legislative Chairperson and I each led a team of NFBF members on visits to all our Florida Congressmen and Senators. The three basic issues we discussed with them were as follows: Blind people should have to right to choose and direct their own rehabilitation. The 1973 Rehabilitation act is up for renewal. Congressman Jefferson from Louisiana has introduced an ammendment that would give us the right to choose the rehabilitation the facilities that would best suit our needs, regardless of the center's geographic location. Several Florida Congressmen pledged their support to this legislation, and both Senator Bob Graham and Senator Connie Mack agreed to carefully look it over. The second issue we talked to the Congressmen and Senators about was having people with a disability declared a minority. This would make it possible for blind people to get loans from the Small Business Administration. The third and final thing we talked about was NAC--the National Acreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind. We asked each of our elected representitives to write a letter asking the Secretary of Education to no longer acknowledge NAC. This would mean that NAC would totally and finally be a thing of the past. I want to thank Melody Lindsey, Joe Naulty, Janet Caron, David Evans, and Carmen Davis for all of their hard work while we were in Washington this year. It is most likely that by the time this magazine goes to press that the bill that will cause braille to be offered to all blind children in Florida will be passed and signed into law. Thank you all for your phone calls and letters to our Florida Law Makers, asking them to pass this most important bill. J O B NEWS by Gloria Mills Gloria Mills is President of the Tampa Bay Chapter and is a State Board Member. She is also the State JOB Chairperson. Hello all job seekers out there. Even, with the passage of ADA, fully seventy-five per cent of blinnd persons gf working age are either unemployed or under employed. How can we change this? Of course, we need to educate prosptive employers that--with adaptive equpment and the proper training--most jobs can be done without regard to sight. The most important cog is a system of fixed route transportation (buses) and disadvantaged transportation (door to door vans). In many places, agency clients and medical needs are prioritzed by the authorities leaving little space for visually impared job-seekers and commutters. ADA makes this practice illegal, where funding has been allocated to implament the new paratransit regulations. Indeed all needs of people who don`t drive because of physical disabilities should be met. The new regulations also provide that up to fifty per cent of daily trips can be subscription trips, that is a person can make a paratransit reservation for a five day a week job or training. The next step will be placement. Many persons I have talked to as a JOB Opportunities for the Blind co-ordinater for the National Federation of the Blind of Florida, have been less than satisfied with the vocatinal counseling provided by Florida Division of Blind Services. JOB (Job Opportunities for the Blind) is a program extablished by the National Federation of the Blind in association with the U. S. Department of Labor, the purpose of which is to match qualified blind people to prosective employers. This program is not meant to be a replacement for the help of DBS, but to supplement it. I reccommend that you call the JOB hotline: 1-800-638-7518. With this help, you can arm yourself with specific knowledge of your chosen vocation and be put in touch with other blind persons who are already employed at a similar position. Also, if you need to talk about it, you can always call me at (813) 837-4831. TECH TALK by Dan Hicks The answer is NFB Net. The question is... What do you use to catch NFB butterflies? BZZZZZZZZ Wrong! The correct question is what is NFB's new electronic bulletin board called? Now I am just sure that some of you are scratching your heads and thinking that you liked the first question better. But stick with me, but this is really interesting. NFB Net is our BBS--that stands for Bulletin Board System. To gain access to it or "log on", you need a computer with a modem. A modem is a device which gets its name from "modulator/demodulator". It is the device that lets your computer "talk" and "listen" to other computers over the phone lines. NFB Net will allow those of you out there with personal computers and modems to call up a specially designated computer in Baltimore and communicate with it. I can't tell you all of the great things you can do with NFB Net and I am sure that more things are being added all the time. One of the things I do know about is the fact you can download your Braille Monitor and print it out in braille (if you have a braille printer) or read it with a speech synthisizer or on the screen before it comes in the mail. You can search back issues of the Monitor for specific subjects and download those articles to your disk. Using the BBS you can communicate with other blind computer users about whatever interests you care to share. NfB Net is up and operating twenty-four hours a day. It is free, except you will have to pay for a long distance phone call (unless you happen to be in Baltimore. The phone number is (410) 752-5011. Set your modem to operate at its fastest setting (300, 1200, 2400, or 9600 bits per second, no parity, eight data bits, one stop bits. Please write to "Tech Talk", care of OUTREACH and let us all know what you think of NFB Net. And keep a watch out for those butterflies! PAC PLANS by Jeff Marmon Jeff Harmon is Second Vice President of NFBF, President of the Martin Chapter, and is State PAC Chairman. As Chairman of the State PAC Plan Committee, I am taking this opportunity to inform you about the PAC program. PAC stands for the Pre-Authorized Check plan. It is the program that we have in the National Federation that allows pre-authorized gifts to be made from each individual on a monthly basis. A person who wants to be placed on the PAC Plan signs a card which authorizes the National Federation of the Blind to receive a contribution from that individual's checking account each month. People sign up for any amount from $2.50 to several hundred dollars a month. Any amount is appreciated! It ought to be true that everyone makes some contribution to the Federation each month. It is our organization and it is worth supporting. In the list that ranks states according to participation in the PAC Plan, Florida is 36, contribututing $105.00 per month. I believe we can make a better committment than this. If you think about it, the Monitor alone costs $25.00 to $30.00 a year per individual. This is one expenditure that the PAC Plan covers. I feel that joining the PAC Plan is the least we can do to finance our movement. For a PAC Plan form, contact your Chapter President or me: Jeff Harmon NFBF PAC Charman 1220 SE Glenwood Dr. #6 Stuart, FL 34994 (407) 221-7269 Please send your completed PAC forms to: National Federation of the Blind 1800 Johnson Street Baltimore, MD 21230 Write on your envelope "PAC PLAN FORM". Thank you for your contribution and your cooperation. CONGRATULATIONS--IT'S A CHAPTER! by Dan Hicks On March 14, 1992, a meeting was held at the Village Inn Restaurant in St. Petersburg. All but two members of the state board were present as were NFB members from the Tampa area and other parts of the state. Most important of all were the interested people from the St. Petersburg area who cared enough to attend the birth of a new Chapter. The members of that Chapter chose its name: Our newest Chapter shall be known as the Pinellas Chapter. Most everyone enjoyed pie and coffee or soft drinks as the chapter's constitution was hammered out. This is always an exciting process. Although the NFB Model Chapter Constitution is used as a guideline, each chapter has its own needs and refinements. Elections were held and here is the new Board of Directors for the Pinellas Chapter: President, Doug Towne; Vice President, Charlotte Bogadi; Secretary, Anne Aussiker; Treasurer, Lisa Towne; Board Member, Dean Doulou. Watching this new chapter in action, it was clear that this is a spirited group of people and that they will go far. Congratulations Pinellas Chapter and congratulations NFB of Florida! CHAPTER NEWS From Sandra Pranzarone, President of the GREATER PENSACOLA CHAPTER... Last year in April I was pleased to get most of my chapter members out to see Yes in concert for two nights in a row. We were able to go backstage and to watch the group rehearse to an almost empty house for their world tour which originated here in Pensacola. We have begun our "Braille Pensacola" Campaigne. Brailling menus for restaraunts. This is a good way to promote access for blind people, to get our name out, and to raise money. We have been active in our commmunity transportation paratransit organizations. I am serving on the ADA Transportation Advisory Committee for Escambia County We are working with the State Talking Book Library on sending out announcement to our neighboring counties. We are beginning plans for our third annual Walk of Independence, which will probably take place on White Cane Safety Day. This is another fund raiser. Brenda Pride, our chapter secretary, was having problems with her dog guide's not being accepted in her apartment complex. We were able to talk to the complex management and her neighbors and to use this as an opportunity to do some educating. It worked out really well. Our youngest (non-voting) member Miranda Bradley, daughter of Juanita Bradley (chapter vice president) and Richard Bradley. She is ten months old, but expresses her opinions about everything that comes up in our meetings! From Charles Hackney, President of the FIRST COAST CHAPTER... The Jacksonville Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Florida was re-chartered as the First Coast Chapter at the last State Convention in Tallahassee. The First Coast Chapter will be at a local flea market the first weekend in April. Also we are looking into the Emergency Locator System as a Fund-Raiser (chopping cars is just too risky). From Dan Hicks, President of the GREATER ORLANDO CHAPTER... Although our Chapter almost doubled in size in 1991, this year has gotten off to a slow start for us, as most years seem to do. We are making efforts to send a survey out to all blind persons in Orange and Seminole Counties to let them know we are here and find out they might be interested in. There are a lot fo blind folks in this area and we need to make our chapter grow. Four of our members attended the last State Convention in Tallahassee. We hope to send even more people to the Leadership Camp and the National Convention. Our Chapter has made trememdous progress in improving transportation in the ares, especially in the field of para- transit services. But more work needs to be done. Marilyn Baldwin, our Chapter Vice-President, was nominated to serve as the Handicapped Representative on the Florida State Disadvantaged Transportation Commission, which is appointed by the Governor. While she was not selected, they thought enough of her exceptional qualifications to send her to Tallahassee for interviews. Those same qualifications have landed Marilyn on the advisory committee for OSCAR, Orlando's proposed light rail transportation system. From the Gloria Mills, President of the TAMPA BAY CHAPTER... The tampa Bay Chapter is alive and well. We had our traditional Christmas party at CDB's, at which we had the pleasure of congratu-lating the new couple, Jan and Marion Gwizdala. Yes, Marion Gwuzdala is married! There were eighteen people at the party, including Kathy Mills' new roomate Susan. We started the New Year off with a bang by attending public hearings regarding paratransit implementation for the transportation disadvantaged (that's us). NFB was well represented at both of these hearings. A total of sixteen people attended our first Chapter meeting in January. Membership is going well. our biggest problem is getting the people there. We have a great fund-raiser planned for May: A local radio station and GTE are putting together a Europa Cruise. And for each person that signs, up get a piece of the action. This money will be used to help send some of our newer members to the National Convention in North Carolina. We hae a lot of new converts who want to help change what it means to be blind! On a more sobering note (the pun is intended) Marion Gwuzdala and Diamond, his trusty Labrador Retreiver dog guide, were barred from entering Darby's Pub in Brandon because the manager felt that the health laws prohibited "pets" from such establishments. The case has been accepted for prosecution by the state attorney's office. Looks like we have some more educating to do. We are on the verge of organizing a new Chapter in St. Petersburg. We've been sending out invites and calling folks. We'll have a new Chapter by the time you read this. From Jeff Harmon, President of the MARTIN CHAPTER... In October 1991, seven of our members attended the NFBF State Convention in Tallahassee. For our chapter, this was a strong, positive proof of how far we havve come. My effort to gain public support and respect paid off when I was elected Second Vice President of the State Affiliate at this Convention. In order to promode the NFB awareness in our community, we distributed NFB literature to the public library and the community at large. In support of the NFB movement to take the television show Good and Evil off the air, we wrote letters and made phone calls to the program's producers. We also joined our legislative chairman in writing letters to our state representatives and senators about legislative issues concerning the blind. For fund raising in 1991 we sold candy bars. It was a success. Our Christmas party proved to be fun for all. All our active members were present and there were two guests. We exchanged gifts and sang Christmas Carols. In December my wife and I attended a Leadership Seminar in Baltimore. It was very informative and beneficial. From Wayne Davis, President of the GREATER MIAMI CHAPTER... The Greater Miami Chapter held its elections in November. I was elected for my third two-year term of office, Otto Zamora was elected as Vice Presdient, Leah Howard was alected Secretary, and Charles King was elected for his second term as Chapter Secretary. Bryan Sweeton was elected for his third term as a Board Member. Edwardo Rey and Henry Alexander were both also elected to the Board. Our Christmas party was really nice. Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you what everybody got as gifts. During the past year, many of our members have been involved in a fight with Dade County over problems with transportation. We have given out several awards to people in south Florida who have done things to help the blind people in our area. More next time.... The PALM BEACH CHAPTER was well represented at this year's Washington Seminar. The membership of this chapter made it possible for President Joe Naulty, Vice President (and State Board Member) Janet Caron, and Treasurer David Evans joined State President Wayne Davis and State Legislative Chairperson Melody Lindsey in talking to our elected Senators and Congressmen in Washing, to educate them as to what are needs are and what they can do to make life better for the blind of Florida and the Nation. It is hard, but rewarding work. The POLK CHAPTER has a nifty little Newsletter they call the Chapter Chatter. I have been impressed by the three issues I have seen and look forward to more. I suggest if your have plans for a Chapter newsletter, you might want to contact the Polk Chapter at 622 West Williams St., Lakeland, FL 33805 and request a sample copy or two to get some ideas. I suppose I could make fun of its name (calling it the "Pokey" Chapter or something like that), but I wouldn't dream of it. For this is an active chapter and a powerful one; it has three members on the State Board! I wouldn't want them angry at me. --Dan Hicks LEADERSHIP SEMINAR by Jeff & Erlinda Harmon Jeff and Erlinda were married just before last year's National Convention, which they attended as their honeymoon, so we still consider them newlyweds. Jeff is President of the Martin Chapter. Erlinda Works for Braille International, Inc. How can anyone put into words one's experience from participation in a National Federation of the Blind Leadership Seminar, which is conducted ty the National Leadership themselves? How can anyone believe the sacrifice and dedication that Kenneth Jernigan and Marc Maurer display in order to make the National Federation of the Blind the most powerful blind organization in the world? In December, 1991, as selected representatives of the NFB, we toured the National Headquarters in Baltimore and viewed the Technology Center. We can't disclose all of the proceedings. We can only say that the seminar has given us the opportunity to learn what the NFB is all about and what the leadership must do in order for our organization to run smoothly and efficiently. Marc Maurer and Kenneth Jernigan gave us this information about NFB so that we can define and protect our movement. We hope that each of you will someday have the opportunity to visit our National Center. We would sincerely like to thank our leaders for giving us the privilege of participating in the NFB Leadership Seminar. PROMISE YOURSELF by Theresa Schaffer Theresa Schaffer is the hard-working Treasurer of the NFB of Florida and Vice-President of the Polk Chapter Promise Yourself 1)...to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind; 2)...to talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet; 3)...to make all your friends feel that there is something special about them; 4)...to look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true; 5)...to think only of the best, and expect only the best; 6)...to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own; 7)...to forget mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements of the future; 8)...to wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile; 9)...to give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others; 10)...to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble. WHAT'S COOKIN'? This is your recepi column, your chance to share your favorite gastronomic discoveries and culinary sensations with your fellow OUTREACH Readers. Come on now. send 'em in! From Wayne Davis... SMOKE ME OUT As your State President, I thought I would kick this column off by telling you how to fix about the only thing I know how to cook. For reasons I won't go into, this dish is called "Smoke Me Out". You will need two large cans of vegetarian beans, one-and- one-half pounds of ground beef, a block of sharp cheddar cheese, a bottle of Worchester sauce, and a jar of dried onions. Brown the beef in a frying pan after crumbling it up. Throw in a handful of the dried onions. Add several tablespoons full of the Worchester sauce. Cut up half the cheese into little, bitty pieces and mix it with the meat and other things in the fry pan. Add one can of the beans. Mix it in good with a fork or something. Add more onions and Worchester sauce--about the same amount as before. Add the other can of beans and mix well. Cut up the rest of the cheese and add it to the mixture. Add more onions and Worchester sauce. Let simmer for five minutes, then serve. It goes good with garlic bread. Note: Carmen, my wife, is a very good cook and even she likes my Smoke Me Out, so give it a try! From Theresa Sims... Theresa Sims is a long-time friend of the Editor and a supporter of the Greater Orlando Chapter. VEGGIE DIP MIX 1 Pint Plain Yogurt 1 pachage Italian Salad Dressing Mix Mix together and chill. Serve with vegetables or chips. HOT SAUSAGE AND CHEESE PUFFS Makes about two dozen 1/4 Pound Italian Sausage (casings removed) 1/4 Pound Cheddar Cheese, grated 3/4 Cup Buttermilk Baking Mix 3 to 4 Tablespoons Water Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Saute sausage in medium skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up with fork until browned and finely crumbled, about 7 to 10 minutes. Drain off excess fat. Transfer sausage to medium bowl and let cool slightly. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Form into 1-inch balls and arrange on baking sheet. Bake until cheese is melted and puffs are lightly golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately. Puffs can be baked ahead of time and frozen. Thaw and then reheat them in 375-degree oven until warmed through, about 5 to 7 minutes. SMILES Q What is the longest word in the English Language? A Smiles. Because there is a "mile" between the first and last letters. For years Dr. Smith had stopped into Phil's bar two or three times a week. He always ordered the same thing--one of Phil's famous almond daqueries. One day. seeing the doctor entering the bar, Phil discovered he was was out of almonds. He decided to substitute hickory nuts instead. The doctor took a sip of the drink and looking puzzled said, "This cannot be my usual almond daqueri." "Nope," replied Phil, "it's a hickory daqueri, doc." Bill: I crossed my Grandmother with an octopus. Jiil: Wow! What did you get? Bill: We don't know. But you should see it play Bingo! Once there was a couple living in rural Vermont. One morning the wife said to the husband, "Y'know, today's our twenty-fifth weddin' anniversary." "That so?" he asked. "Ayah, that's so. What I want to know is what you intend on doin' about it." "I don't know, what do you have in mind?" "Well," she replied "if I was you I think I'd start by going out in the yard and catchin' the biggest chicken you can find and ringin' it's neck." "I could do that," he said. "But I'm afraid I fail to see why I'd want to punish a chicken for something that happened twenty-five years ago." The judge thought the defendant looked more than a little familiar. "Tell me," he asked, "have you ever been up before me?" "That depends," the man replied. "What time do you get up? So you think you can do better than these? You're on. Send your jokes to the OUTREACH care of the editor. EDITORIAL MATTERS by Dan Hicks We ecnourage you to submit material for the next OUTREACH. Please submit material by August 10, 1992. Send all material, including requests for subscriptions, to the editor at the address on page one. Upcoming issues will have new columns. ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUES will be your forum for sharing helpful hints and different ways of doing all kinds of things. OUT OF CONTEXT will be a column devoted to your favorite short quotes dealing with blindness or NFB or any other subject. And don't forget to send in your contributions to WHAT'S COOKIN', SMILES, and our other interesting departments. At the present time the OUTREACH is published in two formats: large print and cassette tape. If you are receiving it in the format which is not best for you, drop a line to the editor. Also, please give us the names and addresses of other persons who wish to receive the Outreeach. Send us name, address, zip code, phone number, and format. It would also be helpful if you would let us know if the person is a member and of which Chapter. We can't imagine anybody's not wanting to receive the OUTREACH but if you are one of these people, drop us a line and let us know. We'll stop sending it to you. Also, let us know if you are getting duplicate copies you don't need. Send changes of address to the editor as soon as you can. In the future we may be adding a braille or computer disk edition, but only if the demand warrants it. Tell us what you think. If you are not a member of the National Federation of the Blind, consider joining. We have a lot of sighted members too, you know. Contact your local Chapter President or State President Wayne Davis, who's address and phone number are on page one. Putting this first issue of NFBF OUTREACH together has been both a challenge and a lot of fun. I couldn't have done it without a lot of help from quite a few people. Thanks go out to Wayne Davis, NFBF President and to the entire State Board for funding this operation and contributing material. Thanks to previous NFBF Newsletter editors and State Presidents. They helped to build the foundation that OUTREACH stands on. Thanks to all who contributed articles and Chapter News. Thank you to Gloria Mills and and to Sherri, Katie, and Robin Hicks who helped with the tedious but necessary jobs such as putting on labels and duplicating tapes. Thanks to Gloria Mills for profreading the print edition. Thank you all for helping to make the National Federation of the Blind what it is today and for making it even better in the future!