Update
ISSN 0160-9203
January-March 2000, Vol. 23, No. 1
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
The Library of Congress

Gadd heads Telephone Pioneers of America

James R. Gadd became the Telephone Pioneers of America executive
director and chief operating officer as of July 1, 1999,
following the retirement of Jack Sawka. Working out of the
Denver, Colorado, headquarters, Jim Gadd is responsible for
strategic planning, day-to-day operations, and financial matters.
He chairs the Pioneers' Executive Committee and initiates
partnerships with other organizations throughout North America.
With nearly 800,000 members across the United States and in
Canada, the Telephone Pioneers make up the largest
industry-related volunteer organization in the world. NLS and its
patrons benefit, in particular, from the work of about 1,500
Pioneers who repair most of the machines for the talking-book
program each year.
     Jim Gadd has had a varied and successful career with the
Southern Bell and BellSouth systems. He joined Southern Bell in
North Carolina in the 1970s. Subsequent assignments included
public relations supervisor, business office manager, and
expanding responsibilities as district staff manager. Gadd opened
Southern Bell's North Carolina regulatory office in Raleigh and
served as sales manager with oversight of seven branch offices.
     Gadd's promotion to assistant vice president took him to the
company's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, where he assumed
responsibility for a four-state region. He later advanced to vice
president for sales, managing a $440-million revenue base, and to
vice president for national accounts and federal government
divisions, overseeing the sale of voice, data, and networking
solutions to BellSouth's largest customer base.
     Gadd has been recognized for his achievements in managing
BellSouth's Interactive Media Services and as vice president of
business operations. Since 1998 he served as vice president of
regional operations, with overall responsibility for the start-up
of digital wireless video service in Florida.
     In addition to his impressive career achievements, Gadd has
found time to serve as mentor for the DeKalb County (Georgia)
Partners in Education Mentoring Program. He also serves on the
Telephone Pioneers Foundation Board of Directors, on the America
Goes Back to School steering committee, and with the Connect
America National Partner Council.
     Gadd's educational background includes a degree in marketing
and finance from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North
Carolina, and an M.B.A. from Duke University's Fuqua School of
Business, in Durham. He and his wife, Cindy, have three children-
-a daughter and twin sons. In his spare time, he enjoys
woodworking, reading, and college athletic events, and the couple
looks forward to being involved in volunteer activities in the
Denver area.
(photo caption: James R. Gadd, executive director and chief
operating officer, Telephone Pioneers of America)


Advisory group recommends braille-translation certification

The NLS Advisory Committee on Computer-Assisted Braille
Transcription Certification met in Washington, September 2-3,
1999. The group was formed in 1996 to advise NLS on the
feasibility of developing a certification process for persons who
use automated braille-translation programs to transcribe braille.
Among the groups represented at the conference were braille
producers, software manufacturers, consumer organizations,
braille proofreaders, volunteer groups, and the Association for
Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The meeting was held to finalize recommendations on whether and
how NLS should proceed toward implementing a new certification
process. It also provided an occasion for committee members to
share their understanding of technological trends and
developments that are likely to affect braille transcription
practices in the future.
     The discussions were chaired by NLS braille technology
advisor John Jackson. Other NLS participants included Braille
Development Section head Mary Lou Stark, consumer relations
officer Judy Dixon, and literary braille advisor John Wilkinson. 
     Those present agreed that there should be a high priority on
improving the quality of braille translation (often performed by
untrained persons) using software packages. In particular,
participants emphasized that all braillists should have a
thorough knowledge of accepted braille rules, formats, and
practices.
     Toward this end, committee members unanimously urged NLS to
extend its literary braille certification program to include
those who use braille translators. The committee also advised NLS
to offer the same certificate to both direct-input and
braille-translation candidates. The committee made suggestions on
how the current course might be adapted for translation
candidates. One of the most notable of these was the suggestion
that the practice of using hyphenation could be dropped.
     Discussions of recent technological developments revealed
some significant implications for the future of direct braille
computer transcription. Because some keyboards now use internal
logic that does not allow the simultaneous multiple key presses
required to input braille characters directly, group members
considered whether, within a few years, this development would
lead to the demise of direct braille computer-assisted
transcription. Automated braille translation would then be the
only means of computer braille transcription. The group urged NLS
to view this likely development as an incentive to move quickly
to set a standard for those who use braille translators.
     The formal recommendations of the advisory group will be
published this year, along with a summary of the September
meeting's deliberations and NLS responses.
(In attendance: Geoffrey Bull, Braille International (BII);
Phyllis Campana, American Printing House for the Blind (APH); Kim
Charlson, American Council of the Blind (ACB); Susan Christensen,
Duxbury Systems, Inc. (MegaDots expert); Dr. T.V. Cranmer,
National Federation of the Blind (NFB); Eileen Curran, National
Braille Press (NBP); Dolores Ferrara-Godzieba, Associated
Services for the Blind (ASB); Linda Jacobson, braille
proofreader; Lynda Jones, Association for Education and
Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER),
representing rehabilitation; Florence Mathiesen, Visual Aid
Volunteers of Florida, (VAVF); Martha Pamperin, California
Transcribers and Educators of the Visually Handicapped (CTEVH);
CaraLynn Pender, National Braille Association (NBA); and Joe
Sullivan, Duxbury Systems, Inc.
     Unable to attend: Lisa Davis, Iowa Commission for the Blind;
and Barbara McCarthy, AER.)
(photo caption: (Above, L to R): John Jackson (NLS), Phyllis
Campana (APH), and Linda Jacobson (braille proofreader) discuss
braille-translation certification; (below, L to R): Kim Charlson
(ACB), Mary Lou Stark (NLS), and Eileen Curran (NBP) prepare for
a session on recommendations for NLS. Photos by Yusef El-Amin.)


Montana volunteer appreciation luncheon

Eighty Montana State Library volunteers were honored at the
annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon held at the First
Presbyterian Church in Helena on September 16, 1999. NLS Network
Services representative Steve Prine thanked the honorees for
their contributions and emphasized the importance of local
volunteers to the reading needs of blind, physically handicapped,
and reading-disabled citizens of Montana.
     The keynote speaker, Lois DuPuis from Polson, Montana, was a
1999 recipient of the Montana Blue Cross-Blue Shield "Ageless
Hero" award from Governor Marc Racicot, and she had also received
one of the six national "Ageless Hero" awards from former
president George Bush.
     DuPuis's numerous other contributions include helping to
establish the Polson chapter of the Montana Association for the
Blind and serving as its current president. She brings to her
work her commitment both to her Salish-Kooteni Native American
tribe and to the entire community. She expressed warm thanks to
the volunteers who help bring the joy of books to blind and
handicapped readers, saying, "I don't know how we would get along
without the talking books."
     Prine presented recognition plaques to Telephone Pioneers
Howard and Gladys Bloom for their dedication and service in
repairing playback machines and cassettes. Millie Huxley received
a special Volunteer Appreciation Award from Darlene Staffeldt,
program manager for Statewide Library Resources at the Montana
State Library.
     Regional librarian Christie Briggs presented the 1999
Recording Team of the Year Award to narrator Bonnie Heidel and
monitor Gil Gilbertson. Fifteen volunteers were recognized for
completing periods of service ranging from five to thirty years.
     Mike Schulz, chairperson of the Montana State Library
Commission, presented letters signed by Governor Racicot to
thirteen Youth Volunteers ranging in age from thirteen to
sixteen. Ms. Briggs described the contributions of each young
volunteer: Ariann Hess, Alexis (Lexie) Lund, Chelsea Madison,
Zane Madison, Zion Madison, Christina Rose, Alise Scheeler,
Matthew Semple, Tyler Simmons, Kate Toole, Jessica Vashro, Jason
Vattaks, and Jennifer Vattaks. The governor's letter said, in
part, "Your many hours of service in helping the citizens of
Montana takes compassion, your special talents, and a willing
heart. I thank you for your dedication to the service of others."
     The celebration also included a luncheon catered by the
Ladies of the First Presbyterian Church, a staff skit, "The
Singing Bookmarks," and a surprise skit by two volunteers, "Don't
Demagnetize the Volunteer!"
(photo caption: Michael Schulz, Montana Library Commission
chairman (second from left), and Susie Merrin, Montana State
Library coordinator of volunteer services (far right),
congratulate Montana's Youth Volunteers (left to right) Zion
Madison, Jessica Vashro, Christina Rose, and Zane Madison for
their many hours of dedicated service.)
(photo caption: Keynote speaker Lois DuPuis, NLS network
representative Steve Prine, and Montana regional librarian
Christie Briggs)


Volunteers master new skills

During the last six months of 1999, eighty-nine persons were
awarded certificates in braille transcribing--eighty-one in
literary braille transcribing, one in literary braille
proofreading, six in mathematics braille transcribing, and one in
music braille transcribing.

LITERARY BRAILLE TRANSCRIBERS

Alabama
Gina O. Roden, Munford

Arizona
Samuel G. Allen, Florence
Terry D. Day, Winslow
Lawrence S. Jackson, Douglas
Raymond James Knight, Douglas
William J. Mesa Jr., Winslow
Ann Miller, Phoenix 
Susan G. Owchinko, Scottsdale
J. Heath Poer, Douglas
Michael A. Prostka, Winslow
Kenneth Ransom, Winslow
Christopher Taran Schaun, Winslow
Joseph G. Stern Sr., Winslow

Arkansas
Steven L. Freeman, Wrightsville

California
Julia A. Knapp, Granite Bay
Linda M. Mohr, Cerritos
Clifford C. Nelson, Thousand Oaks
Thera A. Papa, Walnut Creek
Ardith L. Porter, Sacramento

Connecticut
Robert Lepri, Cheshire
James Rocco, Cheshire

Delaware
Sylvester C. Shockley, Wilmington
Benjamin J. Sudler, Wilmington

Florida
Helen A. Fenwick, St. Petersburg
Jeanne C. Grossman, Jacksonville

Georgia
Elaine K. Bullington, Duluth
Joan K. Fulghum, Atlanta

Illinois
Lori Black, New Lenox

Iowa
Kevin Gibler, Anamosa

Kansas
Gary William Brown, Wichita

Louisiana
Shelley Gray, Worth

Maryland
Wanda Laverne Boules, Belcamp
Roxanne Constantino, Glen Arm
Gayle I. Hirst, Catonsville
Sally Ann Shreck, Belcamp

Michigan
James Duane, Jackson

Nebraska
Scott Berke, Lincoln
Chaunce Erickson, Lincoln
Chad L. Guernsey, Lincoln
Douglas Hartford, Lincoln
Wolfgang Rust, Lincoln
Mephian Washington, Lincoln

Nevada
Maria Benitez, Las Vegas
Stephen L. Broy, Las Vegas
Kevin Ennis, Las Vegas
Donald Fung, Las Vegas
George Gonzalez, Las Vegas
Carolyn Christine Kelly-Nelson, Las Vegas
Jason R. Markle, Las Vegas
George L. Marshall, Las Vegas
Donald Charles Peterson, Las Vegas
Stephen E. Schrader, Las Vegas
Robert Orlando Smith, Las Vegas

New Jersey
Linda T. Aldrich, Boonton 
Marie-Therese Dally, Denville
Mary Ellen Freed, Maplewood
Jolinda Hewitt Harkless, Dover
Gloria M. Mocenigo, Livingston
Barbara St. Peter, Morristown
Mary S. Wolfson, Berkeley Heights

New York
Virginia Bonagura, Floral Park
Karen Chauvin, Webster
Dorothy M. Gruszka, Williamsville 
Jeanne E. Johnson, Johnstown
Sylvia H. Kantor, Lido Beach
Ann M. McElwee, Medina
Kathleen Young Metivier, Tonawanda
Ilissa Rubinberg, Sands Point
Kimberly A. Woods, Sands Point
Susan Yoshida, Fairport
Kathryn Ann Zarate, Sands Point

North Carolina
Debra P. Crandell, High Point

Ohio
Floyd Graham, Grafton
Jesse Washington, Grafton

Pennsylvania
Tam Thuy Le, Cambridge Springs

South Dakota
Gerald James, Yankton

Texas
Lisa Ann Pirotina, San Antonio

Washington
Helen J. Miller, Buckley

Wisconsin
Johnny R. Lee, Oshkosh
Rebecca Williams, Janesville

Wyoming
Bonnie Dee Hughes, Rock Springs

LITERARY BRAILLE PROOFREADER
Karen Perzentka, Madison, Wisconsin

MATHEMATICS BRAILLE TRANSCRIBERS
Nadine M. Buston, Auburn, Washington
June E. Englehorn, Littleton, Colorado
Durwin Harmon, Wilmington, Delaware
Tamera S. Lenhoff, Lincoln, Nebraska
Christopher Namestnik, Grafton, Ohio
Kathleen C. Shawl, Poway, California

MUSIC BRAILLE TRANSCRIBER
Trix Eshuis, Manurewa, Auckland, New Zealand


Meetings

National Braille Association (NBA)
Spring Regional Meeting and Workshops, Holiday Inn University
Park, Des Moines, Iowa; Thursday, April 27-Saturday, April 29,
2000 
     Fall Regional Meeting and Workshops, Omni New Haven Hotel,
New Haven, Connecticut; Thursday, October 26-Saturday, October
28, 2000
     Twenty-sixth National Conference and Workshops, Hilton
Milwaukee City Center Hotel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Thursday,
April 26-Saturday, April 28, 2001
     For more information about these meetings, contact National
Braille Association, Three Townline Circle, Rochester, New York
14623-2513; (716) 427-8260; web site:
http://members.aol.com/nbaoffice/index.htm

California Transcribers and Educators of the Visually Handicapped
(CTEVH)
CTEVH XLI Annual Conference, DoubleTree Hotel, Ontario,
California; Thursday, March 2-Saturday, March 4, 2000
     For more information about this meeting, contact CTEVH, 741
North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90029-3594, (213)
666-2211; web site:
http://edtech.sdcs.k12.ca.us/epd/ctevhhome.html

Visual Aid Volunteers of Florida (VAVF)
VAVF 2000 Conference of Volunteers, Radisson Resort Parkway
Hotel, Kissimmee, Florida; Wednesday, May 10-Friday, May 12, 2000
     For more information about this meeting, contact Rella
Corris, VAVF president, 4295A Mango Tree Court, Boynton Beach,
Florida 33436; (561) 738-0737; e-mail: scorris@juno.com


Talking-book coordinators 'snow bird north' for repair conference

The Telephone Pioneers talking-book regional coordinators held
their annual meeting at the Canadian National Institute for the
Blind (CNIB) in Toronto, Canada, August 5-7, 1999. The group
chose this meeting site in order to learn more about CNIB and
Bell Canada repair operations. 
     The featured speaker was Bell Canada's Telephone Pioneer
Region One vice president Tom Myers, who lead off with a
motivational speech. Sylvia Davie, CNIB machine repair
coordinator, gave an overview of the organization's repair
program. (She also arranged a tour of the CNIB facility and an
old-fashioned barbecue in the CNIB fragrance garden.) Vice
president Gary Magarrell provided key insights into CNIB
operations.
     Outgoing chairman of the Telephone Pioneers regional
coordinators Walt Alfred led the meeting and highlighted aspects
of the repair program, noting that the Pioneers had performed
most of the 130,000 machine repairs done in 1998.
     Bob Toye, the Pioneers' talking-book resource director,
provided an update on operations of the Denver headquarters. NLS
Materials Development Division chief Brad Kormann explained
recent aspects of machine and accessory contracts and the status
of the group's Volunteer Repair Project. NLS's Kevin Buck
provided a briefing on his work as equipment and materials
maintenance coordinator and on an initiative to provide the
regional coordinators with computer support for enhancing
communications. Kevin Watson briefed the group on NLS's
production of its video on machine repair.
     The group's new chairman, Joe Bernal, from Southwest Bell
Corporation, was selected to serve the next two-year term. The
final activity was to thank Walt Alfred for his dynamic
leadership as chairman of the regional coordinators for the past
two years (see Remembering Walt Alfred, below).


Braille student-instructor dialog

The Braille Development Section receives numerous questions
concerning a variety of problems in braille transcribing. This
article addresses some of them. The question-and-answer format is
intended to give clarity. 

Student: In the book that I am transcribing, the author has
coined a number of compound words. Many of these words are
divided at the end of the print line. Therefore, it is difficult
to determine whether the hyphen should be retained in braille for
such words. 
Instructor: This is a common problem for transcribers. Compound
words are constantly being coined by authors, and many of these
words cannot be found in the dictionary. Therefore, when a hyphen
appears at the end of a print line and the word cannot be found
in the dictionary-either as one word or as a hyphenated compound
word-it should be treated as a compound word, and the hyphen
should be retained in braille. (See Section 2.5A of the
Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing, 1984.)

Student: It is my understanding that a hyphen may never appear at
the beginning of a braille line. Is this true?
Instructor: That is generally true. However, there is one
exception. According to Section 5A of the official code, English
Braille American Edition, 1994, the hyphen should never be placed
at the beginning of a new braille line except in a disconnected
hyphenated compound word.
Example:
               Mid-April or 
             -May cold spell

Student: I am still a little confused about the use of the letter
sign when a letter follows a number. For example, in the
expression, 5-foot-1, should a letter sign precede the letter "f"
in "foot"?
Instructor: No. When letters follow a number to form a word, the
letter sign is not required. Therefore, the letter sign should
not be used in such expressions as 5-foot-1, 10-gallon can, or
7-Up.

Student: Then am I correct in assuming that if the abbreviation
"ft" had been used
in the expression "5-ft-1," the letter sign should have preceded
the letter "f."
Instructor: Absolutely. When an abbreviation is unspaced from a
preceding number, the letter sign should be inserted before the
abbreviation. (See Section 31A of the official code.)

Student: The print text that I am transcribing contains the
abbreviations M-G-M and S-O-S. I have studied the official code
thoroughly, but I am still not sure whether or not the letter
sign is required in such abbreviations. 
Instructor: Section 13B of the official code says that when
single letters are spaced by hyphens, as in spelling, speech
hesitation, or vocal sounds, the letter sign is not required.
Abbreviations such as M-G-M, S-O-S, V-J Day, etc., are referred
to as abbreviated spelling in the official code. In such
instances, the meaning of these letter combinations is clear to
the reader from context. Therefore, the letter sign is not
required. 

Student: Then why is the letter sign required in the abbreviation
C-in-C (Commander-in-Chief)?
Instructor: Excellent question. In such abbreviations as M-G-M,
S-O-S, and V-J Day, single letters are spaced by hyphens with no
intervening words. However, in C-in-C, the word "in" is included
as part of the abbreviation. Therefore, when an abbreviation
includes both single letters and words that are spaced by
hyphens, the letter sign is required for clarity.


Visual Aid Volunteers of Florida conference: A first-hand account
By Susan McInerney

Yes, it was worth the twenty-odd-hour train ride to Florida to
attend the Visual Aid Volunteers of Florida (VAVF) conference
last May 12-14 at the Radisson Resort on North Hutchinson Island.
Although I was the NLS representative, I had plenty of help
getting there. Marge Goergen-Rood and Kim Schraf shared their
experiences and resources from last year's trip. Billy West
acquainted me with the many persons he knows and has worked with
in Florida. And John Jackson and Norma Belt agreed without
hesitation to braille the many materials I was taking with me.
     In addition to presenting a review of NLS reference and
pronunciation materials, I attended workshops on such diverse
subjects as "Taped Materials from the Viewpoint of the Visually
Impaired," "Everything You Want to Know about Radio Reading," and
the "Efficient Use of Combined Tape/Braille Sessions in Textbook
Production." The workshops were led by Doug Hall, of the Florida
Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services in Daytona
Beach; Susan Weinand, studio manager; Ben and Joyce West, tape
monitors from Second Sight Taping Studio; Gloria Becket, manager
of WUFT Radio Reading Service, University of Florida; manual
creators Dorris Cox, Wally Guido, Martha Forbes, and Elliott
Whitman; Geoffrey Bull of Braille International; Leon Patterson,
tapist (narrator); and Lynnette Taylor, braille transcriber.
     Those who led the workshops are all volunteers or employed
to work with volunteers, producing textbooks and instructional
materials for visually impaired students across the state of
Florida. These individuals are, in effect, "on call" to produce
general texts; literary materials; mathematics, science, and
foreign language textbooks; and music and educational aids. The
VAVF produces both braille and recorded materials. Its volunteers
include certified braille transcribers, tapists, and large-print
transcribers. VAVF also awards college scholarships to Florida
students with visual or physical impairments.
     I attended many tapist sessions at the conference. New VAVF
president Rella Corris is a braillist and, in the time we spent
together, raised my curiosity about braille transcribing. I hope
to attend braille transcribing sessions at the next conference. I
met many other dedicated people in the VAVF and learned from
their expertise and experience. I feel honored to have
participated in the VAVF conference.
(photo caption: Susan McInerney embarks as NLS's representative
to the Visual Aid Volunteers of Florida conference.)


In memoriam
Remembering Walt Alfred

NLS and the Telephone Pioneers of America are mourning the
January 31 passing of Walt Alfred, former chairman of the
Pioneers' Talking Book Regional Coordinators Committee. J. Walton
Alfred was a pillar of Southern Bell and BellSouth's Florida
Pioneers organization for more than forty years. His many
contributions to NLS's Talking Book Repair program, in
particular, included years of energetic and creative leadership
and, for the past seven years, serving as representative of the
southeastern United States in the repair program.
     Mr. Alfred had retired from Southern Bell in 1981 with 44
years of service that won him many awards and honors. He was
known for successfully implementing innovative computer
applications and statistical sampling procedures, especially
during his term as division manager of Southern Bell's
independent company relations.
     NLS Materials Development Division chief Brad Kormann
remembered Alfred in remarks to the funeral congregation in
Miami, Florida, on February 3. Kormann saluted Alfred's lifetime
of service, both military and civilian, and his loyalty and
dedication to his country and fellow citizens. Alfred's naval
career had included service in World War II that earned him seven
major combat stars.
     Kormann mentioned in particular Alfred's accomplishments
during his recent term as national chairman of the Telephone
Pioneers Talking Book Regional Coordinators Committee. Alfred led
a national effort to standardize cassette-machine repair
procedures. Working with J.C. Powell, also of the Telephone
Pioneers, he was able to equip repair personnel to test amplifier
boards in cassette machines undergoing repairs and to repair the
boards, whenever possible, to avoid replacing them unnecessarily.
By late 1999, this effort had contributed to savings of an
estimated $4.2 million and received national recognition for
Alfred and Powell, as well as other BellSouth volunteers.
     This project was in keeping, Kormann recalled, with Alfred's
commitment to the patrons of the Talking Book program and his
respect for the volunteers who sacrificed their free time to
provide the best possible reading opportunities to NLS patrons.
He often expressed his determination to help the program's
volunteers make the best use of the time they gave.
     Walt Alfred is survived by his wife, Rosa; five children;
twelve grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
(photo caption: Walt Alfred, former chairman, Telephone Pioneers
of America Talking Book Regional Coordinators Committee. Photo by
Yusef El-Amin.)


Update is published quarterly by:
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20542
Correspondence should be addressed to Publications and Media
Section.

Coordinating editor: Freddie Peaco
Publication editor: Rita Byrnes
Braille student-instructor dialog: John Wilkinson