WISCONSIN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED, INC.
Incorporated under laws of Wisconsin in November 1952, the Council is directed by 19 volunteer delegates: ten are appointed by four organizations representing people who are blind; nine delegates at large elected by blind people throughout the state.
The Council is a strong voice for blind citizens of Wisconsin. Its mission is to promote the dignity and independence of people in Wisconsin who are blind and visually impaired by providing services, advocating legislation and educating the general public. The Council is funded through proceeds of endowments established through bequest grants, private gifts from individuals and corporations, and the White Cane Fund campaign.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
VISION REHABILITATION TEAM TRAVELS
TO DOOR COUNTY
WCB&VI SPEAKERS BUREAU UPDATE 2006
IS SUMMER SCHOOL IN YOUR FUTURE
IN MEMORY OF KATHLEEN SEBRANEK
INTRODUCING DR. KATHLEEN SCHNEIDER
NEWS FORM OUTER SPACE BY THE
VOICE OF THE NORTH
By: Nona Graves
This issue of The Courier is being dedicated to the memory of Adrian DeBlaey who passed away on January 7, 2006 at his home in Madison. Adrian was born in Janesville, graduated from the Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped, and from Platteville State Teachers College. He taught Math for four years at the Maryland Schoold for the Blind, and soon as an opportunity presented itself, he returned to Wisconsin to be with family and friends. He worked for the Division of Rehabilitation and for the Badger Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired. Adrian was active in state and national organizations of the blind. He served on the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired for many years and was it's president for part of that time. This summer he served on the Council's search committee to select the new executive directore. He was looking forward to serving on the Council for the coming year. Adrian was friendly and helpful and very often had good ideas to contribute to discussions and projects. He will be truly missed.
In this issure of The Courier you will read about the Council's January meeting and about plans for the coming year. You will also meet the Council's new executive director and new Council members. There will be information about legislation, the adult summer school at the Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped and there will be information from Council staff. We sincerely hope you will enjoy reading this newsletter and if you have any suggestions for articles you would like to see, please contact the Council office by phone or email.
By: Chris Zenchenko
If last year was a year of change, this year is a year of possibility and implementation. The biggest change at the Council was hiring a new executive director. You will read more about Karen Majkrzak in this issure, so I won't go into detail here. I have made a reference in past Couriers to our long range and strategic planning. Well, this year some of that planning will begin to effect the services and the way we deliver them. As a statewide organization, we need to reach out, and some exciting grants and partnerships will move us in that direction.
We will be working to finalize a partnership that will expand the reach if our low vision program. We also will be sending staff and some Council members to help teach and lead programs at summer school in Janesville. We are working with the Office for the Blind & Visually Impaired to start changing service delivery in areas that the office is not covering. Technology in the form of our Talking Communities Internet conference room, will help us interact with people who want to talk to Council staff. They may want to discuss issues ranging from new products in the store, obtaining free white canes, computer help, living skills, and any issue that concerns blind and visually impaired persons or their families. As we work on plans to launch this type of service, look for more in the Courier and on the Council web site.
Speaking of the web site, we are starting the process of a major facelift for the site. Other things we are working on include the rollout of our new logo, introduction of our new director to various stakeholders and support groups, launching our name change, and much more. Never in the history of the Council has there been such a tremendous need for the services we provide. Finding new ways to provide these services to a wider area, and working hard to improve their quality will be our focus and mission in 2006.
A few personal remarks are also in order. As many of you already know, the Council and the blind community were rocked by the sudden loss of former Council president, Adrian DeBlaey in January. You will read more about this amazing person elsewhere in the Courier, but I am sure I speak for many who knew him when I say he will be greatly missed. I don't know of anyone else who, at an Alumni or Midwest auction, could turn a simple $1.50 box of store bought cookies into $20.00 for the organization’s fund raising effort. Also I want to offer thanks and praise to Virginia DeBlaey for her long years of service and dedication to the Council. Virginia leaves the Council after many years as one of the Badger Association representatives. She served as president for many years and her writing and editing of this newsletter has helped shape it. For those of us left to follow behind, we are grateful she has offered to continue to help where she can.
This spirit of family and community is one of the most important aspects of being connected with the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired. Its value cannot be underestimated. Our members and staff thank all past members of the Council for their service and the help they continue to provide. I will continue to encourage meaningful contributions of time and skill from anyone who has an interest in our organization and the mission we all serve.
As I write this, the big snowstorm of February 16, has the roads of southern Wisconsin buried in snow and ice, so it is my heartfelt wish that all our readers enjoy a wonderful and warm spring.
By: Karen Majkrzak
The editor of The Courier asked me to include some personal information so you could get to know me a little better. First of all, you pronounce Majkrzak as “may-zak” and it came with the man I married a long time ago: his name is Al and he’s also my best friend. We have three grown sons. Al (JR) lives in Madison and is a job coach for adults with brain injuries; Doug is a carpenter and lives in Hartford with his wife, Lisa, and our four grandchildren; our youngest son, Philip, lives in Kodiak, Alaska and teaches music at an Orthodox seminary. My husband retired early from full time work as a pastor after 26 years in various Episcopal churches. We are connected to Saint Benedict Center in Madison now and bought a house on the east side near MATC. We also have a yellow Lab named Madison (Maddie) who will be two years old in July. I enjoy biking, reading, going to movies and plays, most types of music and travel.
I feel privileged to be part of this organization. Raising a son who is visually impaired has given me a strong personal commitment to the goals and mission of the Council. I know the orientation and mobility training, keyboarding tutoring, glasses with a telescopic lens and other services Philip received in Wisconsin and Connecticut made all the difference in the world for him. Without them he may not have been able to play the pipe organ which led to a scholarship. He attended Westminster Choir College in New Jersey, then to a graduate degree and now a full time job teaching music at Saint Herman Seminary in Alaska. These services, and others like them, encourage blind and visually impaired individuals to be independent—exactly the Mission of the Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired!
Personally, I’ve worked on development of new community programs and services for low-income, homebound elders in Connecticut and Illinois, and have worked in non-profit organizations for many years. The formal change of our name to the Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired will offer new opportunities to reach more people who will benefit from the Council’s excellent programs and services.
2006 will take Council members and staff to many locations throughout the state. It also formalizes the Council’s initiative to enhance collaborative relationships with other organizations. All activities focus on our mission. 2006 will be a year of new beginnings, bringing us enhanced opportunities to serve blind and visually impaired residents of Wisconsin. This is made possible by years of dedicated hard work by the Council and staff, along with the generous financial support of many individuals; I take the responsibility to be a good steward of these gifts as we work together in the years to come seriously. I invite you to contact me at karen@wcblind.org with your questions, comments, ideas, or concerns!
By: Sue Barker
If you are receiving this Courier in print rather than in the email you requested, please contact Sue at sue@wcblind.org and let her know. My address book was lost last month due to a computer crash and I am trying to put the list back together! Also, if you wish to change to any other format, contact me. Be sure to give your name, street address and email address. Thanks for all your help!
VISION REHABILITATION TEAM TRAVELS
TO DOOR COUNTY
By: Kathy Lange-Novak
Starting this March, the Council’s Vision Rehabilitation Team will be taking to the road. Thanks in part to a grant from the Door County Community Foundation, our professional team will travel to Sister Bay, Sturgeon Bay and Southern Door County to offer an array of vision rehabilitation services to seniors.
We are partnering with several organizations that work with seniors in Door County to get the word out about this new program. Our staff will be there 16 times over the course of 2006.
Seniors can take advantage of low vision therapy, sighted guide training and small group classes in activities of daily living and computer technology. David Ballmann, our rehabilitation specialist, will teach food preparation, clothing care, communication aids and organizational skills. Betsy Gruba, our technology specialist, will teach the basics of how to buy a computer, how to use assistive technology such as screen magnifiers and screen readers, how to use the Internet and e-mail, and the basics of Microsoft Word.
We will be hosted by Scandia Village in Sister Bay and the Door County Senior Center in Sturgeon Bay.
If you live in Door County, are aged 60 or over, and would like to take advantage of these services, please call Kathy Lange-Novak at 1-800-783-5213 or e-mail.
By: Nona Graves
The Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired met at its office in Madison on January 28, 2006. After calling the meeting to order President Chris Zenchenko welcomed new Council members and officially welcomed the Council’s new executive director Karen Majkrzak. You will read more about these new additions to the Council and its staff in this issue.
The Board of Directors for the coming year will be: representing the Alumni Association of the Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped, Chris Zenchenko; representing the Badger Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired, Kathy Brockman; representing the Midwest Association for the Blind, Bruce Parkinson; elected as at-large representatives were Bob Hueller and Rhonda Staats. The officers for the coming year are Chris Zenchenko President, Bruce Parkinson Vice-President, Nona Graves Secretary and Arnold Tucker Treasurer.
Committee and staff reports and committee appointments followed the elections. You will hear more about these reports in this newsletter.
The tentative schedule of meetings for the rest of 2006 is April 8, July 29, and November 11 and 12. Council meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend. At this writing it appears that all meetings will be held in Madison, with the November meeting being held at a local hotel.
By: Bruce Parkinson
This past fall the Council held elections to fill the nine delegate-at-large positions that the Council has to offer. It is my pleasure to introduce two of our new Council members. They are Ed Weiss, someone old, and Steve Heesen, someone new.
Ed Weiss is someone old not because of his age, but because he has served on the Council in the past. Ed was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York where he attended the public schools. After graduation from high school he went to C.W. Post College and Hunter College where he received his Master’s Degree in vocational rehabilitation. He came to Wisconsin in 1968 when he was hired by Adrian DeBlaey as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the blind. Ed worked for the state for 24 years and retired in 1993.
Ed’s hobbies include playing the piano and singing, collecting and listening to old radio programs, reading, and song writing.
When asked what he would like to see for the Council in the future he said, “I would like to see the Council have a strong legislative thrust for people who are blind and visually impaired. The Council is strong now, but I would like to see it get stronger in the future.” Ed and his wife Anne live in Waukesha.
Steve Heesen is new to the Council but he is familiar with it since his mother Karen has been a delegate in the past.
Steve was born in and grew up in Janesville where he attended WSVH, Janesville Parker High School and Oakhill Christian School. He graduated from all three in 1996. He also attended the UW-Whitewater for one year.
Steve is currently employed as an E-Commerce Specialist for Industries for the Blind in Milwaukee. His job takes him to military bases all around the country. He also makes presentations on behalf of Industries for the Blind and soon will go to Washington D.C. to make a presentation at a conference.
Steve’s hobbies include reading, bike riding, music, sports, travel, and church activities. He will soon share these activities on a regular basis since he is going to get married in September.
When asked what he saw for the future of the Council, Steve provided a laundry list of things. He would like to see technology put to better use, for instance to use the conference room for small seminars on macular degeneration or glaucoma etc. He would also like to see the speaker’s bureau developed more fully and used more often. He would also like to see Council programs such as technology and daily living skills taken further out into the state to serve more people.
Ed was elected to a three-year term on the Council. Steve was elected to a one-year term and hopes that he will be appointed to the Council when his term expires.
These two men will be assets to the Council during their respective terms.
By: Rhonda Staats
2006 is shaping up to be a busy and productive year for the Council’s legislative advocacy work. We are making great strides regarding Guide Dog Legislation. SB 157, sponsored by Senator Mark Miller, has been passed by the Assembly and Senate, and is awaiting signature by Governor Doyle. This bill brings statutory language regarding service animals to current ADA standards. A second bill, AB 353, mandates the same protection for guide dogs as are currently in place for police and fire dogs. This bill, sponsored by Representative Terese Berceau, has been voted out of committee in both houses, and will be scheduled for a vote by the entire state Assembly and Senate as soon as practicable. The Council has worked closely with the Badger Association Guide Dog Users group to promote this legislation. We especially thank Charlotte Gotz, Pat Beaumont, Elizabeth Whitten, Mike Hinrichs, Rosemary Goodrich and Jim Otepka who have spent long hours at the Capitol educating legislators and testifying in support of this legislation. We are on the verge of a major legislative victory! Passage of these bills will move Wisconsin to the top of the line in protection and restitution for abuse to guide dogs.
The Council is advocating for a Sales Tax Exemption Bill in 2006. This bill is being drafted by Senator Julie Lassa, and currently exempts all assistive devices from Wisconsin sales tax. We are just beginning what is likely to be a lengthy legislative process to promote and pass this legislation.
A third legislative priority for 2006 is to establish parity between driver’s licenses and non-valid licenses used for identification purposes. We are seeking to establish an eight-year time line for these non-valid licenses equivalent to a driver’s license.
The Legislative Committee is planning a 2006 Council Legislative Day on Wednesday, April 12. We plan to meet with a representative from the Governor’s office, and then to split into two groups to visit all departments that have policy jurisdiction over issues and services important to Wisconsin citizens who are blind and visually impaired. We plan to visit the Department of Health and Family Services which houses the Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired (OBVI), the Department of Workforce Development which houses the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), the Department of Public Instruction which has jurisdiction over the Wisconsin Regional Library Service, the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCBVI), and the Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped (WSVH). We also plan to visit the Department of Transportation to reaffirm our advocacy for affordable and accessible intra- and inter-city public transportation, and the Department of Corrections which sponsors a braille transcription service for textbooks and other state publications. At the end of the day, we will hold a small reception in appreciation of Senator Judy Robson who has been our friend and ally for many years.
The WCB&VI Legislative Committee plans to continue legislative advocacy throughout the election cycle of 2006.
By: Becky Williams
The Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired is fortunate that Amy Snow was recently elected to the Council as a delegate-at-large. Born in Beloit, Wisconsin, she received her pre-college education from Beloit Memorial High School and the Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped (WSVH). At WSVH, she participated in swimming, forensics, cheerleading, choir, track, and drama. Proud to be a WSVH graduate, Amy is very active in its Alumni Association, as well as in several other organizations of and for the blind. "I've always known about the Council," she said, "but I never thought I'd be a part of it. I guess I just thought it was for those adults who knew what they were doing."
Amy definitely knows what she's doing. After high school, she obtained a degree as a certified vision teacher from Northern Illinois University and began instructing students at WSVH. "I like teaching the younger kids best," she said. "I love to watch their reactions." Amy takes her work as a teacher very seriously. She encourages her students to be independent and works to ensure that they receive the skills they will need to succeed. "It's a big responsibility," she commented.
Amy's hobbies include reading, knitting, exercise, and staying involved with her church, where she is active on various committees and sings in the choir. She also enjoys working with animals and takes in cats and kittens as foster animals. She lives with her best feline friend, Harry, who keeps her quite busy.
At her first meeting as a Council delegate, Amy was chosen to serve as Scholarship Committee Chairperson. As you can see, the Council is very lucky to have her on its team.
WCB&VI SPEAKERS BUREAU UPDATE 2006
By: Gary R. Goyle
Your help and advice is needed.
Over the past three years the Council has helped schedule and co-ordinate 462 different presentations to Wisconsin organizations, service clubs, schools, seminars, health and vendor fairs, civic groups, symposiums and corporations. My personal thanks to everyone who has helped us achieve those significant numbers.
We hope to do our best job ever in 2006 to inform the public of our mission and the many programs and services offered by the Council. I wish to thank new Council member Amy Snow for being the first person this year to sign up for our Speaker’s Bureau. I am asking for your assistance in helping with this outreach effort. If you enjoy public presentations please let me know. I co-ordinate and schedule these activities. I will try to match your expertise with the requests we receive for presentations.
Contact me by phone or e-mail ( gary@wcblind.org ) with the details of the subjects or activities you enjoy talking about or demonstrating. I will keep all information in our database, and call upon you as needed. I am also interested in friends of the Council who can help us during our White Cane Safety Day promotion. We appreciate your willingness to help in this necessary public education effort. I am also happy to answer any questions you may have on this program.
By: Becky Williams
In December 2005, Rod Burris was elected to represent members of the Midwest Association for the Blind on WCB&VI. Rod's birthplace was Darlington, Wisconsin, not far from Platteville. As a student at the Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped (WSVH), he was on the track and wrestling teams. He was also a member of the dance band and pep band and participated in school plays.
After high school, Rod studied piano tuning and repair at Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville. "I liked the repair better than the tuning," he said, "and I sometimes think I'd like to get back into repair, but I'd need a workshop for that, and Mary (his wife) might not like having it in our living room." After working briefly in telemarketing, Rod was employed at Industries for the Blind in Janesville. He is interested in a second career, however, and hopes to work as a deejay.
"I didn't know a lot about the Council," Rod said, "until I attended the open house when the new office was dedicated. The more I learned, the more I thought I might like to become involved with its work."
Rod has done excellent fund-raising for the Alumni Association of WSVH. He has served as President of the Wisconsin Blind Bowling Association, and has worked very hard for his local Lions Club. It is not surprising that he was asked to serve on the Council's Fund Development Committee.
When he isn't working hard for causes in which he believes Rod enjoys outdoor life, especially the sounds of the wilderness, far away from the hectic city. There's no question that a reliable, hard-working, full-of-energy guy like Rod is just what the Council needs!
By: Betsy Gruba
The WCB&VI is pleased to announce that through a grant from SBC, our technology program will be traveling around the state demonstrating and teaching assistive technology for the blind and visually impaired.
Six portable computers (5 for students and 1 for the instructor) could be coming to a town near you. Mini classes will be held on Introduction to Computers, Introduction to Assistive Technology, Using Internet & E-mail and Basic Word Processing. The demonstrations will show what assistive technology is available for people who are blind or visually impaired and time will be allowed for people to try out the technology with hands on experience.
If your group would like the traveling lab to come for a presentation or a mini class, or for more information , please call Betsy at 1-608-255-1166 or toll-free 1-800-783-5213 or by e-mail: betsy@wcblind.org. A non-refundable class fee of $20.00 per participant will be charged for mini classes.
Distance learning and in-house classes will be starting again soon. For those new to the program classes are offered in a wide range of subjects. Here are just a few: How to Buy a Computer, Introduction to Computers, Introduction to the Screen Reader JAWS 7.0, Introduction to the Screen Reader Window-Eyes 5.5, Outlook Express for a Screen Reader and ZoomText 9.0. For a full list and description of the courses please visit our web site www.wcblind.org or contact the Council office for a copy of spring class offerings.
Registration is currently going on. A non-refundable class fee of $20.00 will be charged per class per student. When eight students have signed up the class will be scheduled.
IS SUMMER SCHOOL IS YOUR FUTURE?
By: Virginia DeBlaey
Although the calendar and thermometer both still say it’s winter, it’s not too early to begin planning for this year’s Adult Summer School program located at the Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped in Janesville. A committee with representatives from the school, the Badger Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Office for the Blind & Visually Impaired, and Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired has met several times to plan this summer’s courses and activities. The dates for this year’s program will be July 9 to July 28.
Again this year, there will be courses available in the following areas: Braille, cooking, orientation and mobility, fitness for life, assistive technology, and adjustment to vision loss. Activities including weaving, knitting, basketry, individual music lessons and a summer school chorus will be offered in the late afternoon and early evening.
An adult summer school has been offered for more than 80 years and has had a life-changing effect on many people who are learning to live with low vision. Many life-long friendships have been formed and several couples have met at the summer school and later married.
If you would like to request a registration form, or have any questions, you can call Kathy Arndt at 1-608-758-6159.
IN MEMORY OF KATHLEEN SEBRANEK
By Rhonda Staats
People throughout the state of Wisconsin and beyond were saddened to learn of the death of Kathleen Sullivan Sebranek. Kathleen passed away on January 14, 2006, while on a Caribbean cruise. She was 58 years old.
Kathleen graduated from the Minnesota School for the Blind in 1965, and received a Bachelor’s Degree from St. Cloud State University. She was employed for thirty-two years as a Rehabilitation Specialist/Teacher for the state of Wisconsin. She covered a six and seven county area offering adjustment training in clients’ homes, and had an estimated 3,000 newly blind client contacts during her career. She was particularly proud of her skill in assisting people in the selection and use of appropriate magnifiers. She was involved in establishing the Wisconsin Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (WAER), and was a member of its Board of Directors at the time of her death.
Kathleen was a founding member of the Wisconsin affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind (NFBW). She was the treasurer of the La Crosse Chapter of the NFBW, and was on the Board of the Wisconsin affiliate. She attended every national convention since the mid 1970’s. Her favorite time in the NFB calendar was the annual March on Washington, a time to educate Congressmen and Senators regarding issues critical to the welfare and dignity of people who are blind and visually impaired. In addition, she never overlooked an opportunity to educate Wisconsin legislators.
Accessible, affordable public transportation was another of Kathleen’s passions, and she served as a member of the La Crosse Municipal Transit’s Utility Disability Committee for several years. Kathleen’s positive attitude about blindness, her support of the use of Braille, and the promotion of the use of the white cane has touched every blind person with whom she came in contact.
Kathleen is survived by her husband Larry, and a mother and sister living in St. Paul.
By: Sue Barker
Did you know that Wisconsin has a Lions Camp in Rosholt, in the central part of the state? Did you know that this camp is open to persons of all ages with any handicap? Did you know you can camp all year long? Did you know there is NO charge to attend Lions Camp?
A project of the Wisconsin Lions Foundation, Inc., Wisconsin Lions Camp is situated on 440 acres and is also a wildlife refuge. Campsites include teepees, tents and cabins. Trails abound for hiking and backpacking, and a 45 acre private lake offers swimming, boating, fishing, canoeing, sailing and many other water sports.
The Pinewood Lodge along with 9 duplex cabins are fully accessible, air conditioned and winterized. Programs are geared to blind and visually impaired, deaf and hard of hearing, cognitively disabled, diabetic and adult resort programs. Also available are family camp weekends.
If you are looking for a retreat or conference center, Lions Camp also accommodates groups from September to May for a fee.
Wisconsin Lions Camp is a gem in the middle of the state. Everyone who has attended comes back with wonderful memories. If you would like more information call
1-715-677-4761.
By: Ann Schroeder
For those who don't know, you are entitled to one free white cane a year from the Council. You may request a support cane, which you would lean on as you walk; an ID cane, a short one that you would hold out so others know you have a vision problem; or a mobility cane, one that you would tap as you walk along but its use requires some training. All canes are available rigid or folding, so they may be tucked away when you are not using them.
Call Ann if your vision is 20/70 or less and you have never had a white cane, or want to replace a cane that you have had for more than a year.
By: Sue Barker
The Iron County Support Group has been re-established in Hurley! This group consists of about 10 people who are happy to get together on the second Monday of the month at 12:30 p.m. Meetings take place in the Iron County Senior Center, 330 3rd Avenue South.
In February I had the pleasure of being the featured speaker for this group. They were thrilled to have someone from Madison come and tell them about new assistive devices and services they weren’t aware of.
If you are in Iron County, contact facilitator Clyde Randall at 1-715-561-3479.
In Watertown, senior residents get together at Marquardt Village a few times a year in addition to one-on-one sessions. This is not a support group by the normal definition, but does offer support to those with vision loss who live in the complex.
Contact Jan Duffy at 1-920-262-8830 if you are a resident or know of someone who will be in the future.
INTRODUCING DR. KATHLEEN SCHNEIDER
By: Rhonda Staats
We are pleased to report that Dr. Katherine Schneider has been appointed to serve a one-year term on the Council as a delegate-at-large. She was appointed to the Legislative and Fund Development Committees during our January meeting, so she is wasting no time in getting to work. Katherine was honored at our April 2005 Philanthropy Day held in Eau Claire.
Katherine Schneider has been blind since her premature birth in 1949 and has had fibromyalgia for over ten years. She was the first blind student to graduate from the Kalamazoo, Michigan public school system in 1967 and was a valedictorian as well as a National Merit scholar. Three years later she graduated with honors from Michigan State University with a BS in psychology.
After receiving her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Purdue University, Katherine has worked at four universities, three public and one private. She taught psychology courses from general psychology to graduate level and has counseled, supervised and administered university counseling services. She has presented papers at national professional meetings and authored articles and book chapters on such topics as counseling people with disabilities, religion and visual impairment. She won awards for her professional work from the Courage Center, the UW-Eau Claire and the University of Wisconsin System Regents, among others.
Katherine has recently retired from the UW-Eau Claire, and enjoys serving on seven state and local boards (at least she's never bored). She is proud to have been a Seeing Eye dog user for the past thirty years. Her current dog is named Ivanna (which means "gift from God") and is a little black Lab who whines if meetings get too long.
In her free time, Kathie is addicted to surfing the Net, belongs to a couple of book clubs, plays very amateur bridge and enjoys vegetarian cooking. She's started a blind puzzler’s listserv for people to exchange information about accessible puzzles. These days, her priorities run toward reading novels and trying to live the Red Hat Philosophy. We look forward to working with her and thank her for sharing her time and talents with us.
NEWS FROM OUTER SPACE BY THE VOICE
OF THE NORTH
By: Gary R. Goyke
I have always referred to Council member Arnold Tucker as our “Voice of the North”. He has earned that distinction because of where he lives. Let me tell you that Park Falls is really in Northern Wisconsin, so Arnold is our voice representing that area.
Outer space comes into this news update in the following manner. Arnold graduated from Winter High School in 1950. Two of his classmates and best friends eventually married. They are Jake and Eunice Williams. The Williams have been very active supporting and running the Low Vision Support Group in the Park Falls area. Eunice is legally blind and Jake has good sight in only one eye. They are wonderful people giving back much to the local community. Their son Jeff Williams is an astronaut and was on a mission to the International Space Station on the space shuttle Atlantis in May of 2000.
Beginning in March of 2006, Jeff will be a major part of the thirteenth expedition to the space station. This year’s mission will have many components. One of the most exciting events scheduled will be the creation of a link between Jeff in outer space and local elementary schools. The space link will allow young science students to participate with Jeff in a science experiment aboard the space station. We will be informing the faculty at the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired about all of this as well. If you have friends in the teaching professional please call the Council and they can participate as well. We are proud to call Jake and Eunice “Friends of the Council”. We are all proud of the work their son is doing; the educational link was his idea. Thanks for the update Arnold.
April 8
Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired Meeting
Council Offices, Madison
April 12
Legislative Day
Capitol and State Office Buildings, Madison
May 20
Midwest Association for the Blind Meeting
Madison
July 9 - 28
Adult Summer School
Janesville
July 29
Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired Council Meeting
Council Offices, Madison
Badger Association meets the first Saturday of the month except for July.
EMAIL EDITION
If you would like to receive our Courier Newletter please send us an e-mail
754 Williamson Street Madison, WI 53703
(608) 255-1166 Toll Free 1-800-783-5213
Sharper Vision Store (608) 237-8100
Contact the webmaster with any comments or questions
Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired ensures the privacy of our patrons
Web site. Accessibility
Copyright © 2002-2008 Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired