Dining in the Dark

Dining In The Dark Logo

Heartland Council of the Blind Presents the 5th Annual "Dining in the Dark" on May 18, 2013, at 5:30 p.m. at the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, 1117 N. W. 63rd, Oklahoma City, OK 73111. 

Experience food, drink and conversation as you may never have before! "Without Your Sight."

For more information, see the HCB website. 

From the President . . .

Don't forget the TCB Meeting on May 10. We eat at 5:30 and the meeting begins at 6 p.m. and adjourns at 7:30. Location is West Tulsa Freewill Baptist Church, Family Life Center, 930 W. 23rd Place.

Agenda for Friday's Meeting: 

Welcome
Secretary's Report
Treasurer's Report
Old Business:

• Bowl-A-Thon updateTCB Activities
• Any other old business

New Business:

• Meeting meals and possible committee 
•  OCB Convention /Hospitality Night
• Assistance with Revitalizing MCB?
• Any other new business

Guest Speaker:  John Dessauer from the Consumer Credit Counseling

Adjourn

ABC Radio

Photo of Radio Mic with
the words  "On Air"

American Council of the Blind streams via the internet, up-to-date and relevant information worldwide for persons who are blind or who have low vision, provides programming produced by blind programmers, and a platform on which blind musicians and artists express their talents.

Examples of radio shows offered include Book News, Ham Radio, U.S. and World News, Music, Interviews, Talk Shows, Economic News, Adaptive Equipment, Technology, Magazines, Children's Stories, and Cooking. 

Here is the weekly program lineup: ACB Radio.

In order to listen to the programs, you must download and install the player found on this page: PLAYER.

An Author in our Midst!

Photo of Marion

Photo of book,
Welcome Back,
Jimmy

Marion McFadden, a member of Tulsa Council of the Blind, has published a mystery novel. The story setting is rural Northeastern Oklahoma and Southwestern Virginia, in 1969-1970. The genre is soft or cozy mystery, and contains no explicit sex.

The book is available in e-book or print format, and can be purchased for $2.99 (e-book) or $14 (print), by searching for the title, Welcome Back, Jimmy, on Google.

At the Kindle store, the first two chapters can be read by clicking on 'Look Inside.'  If you do not have a Kindle Reader, free software can be downloaded at that site, allowing access on a computer, I-phone, or I-pad.

A signed print copy can be bought by e-mailing marion.webb.mcfadden@cox.net.

TCB Meeting - Friday, May 10th

Come one! Come all! There are many reasons to attend this month's meeting. Want a list? Okay, you ask for it!

1.  First and foremost to celebrate and congratulate President Julie Bailey for passing her Certification for Vision Rehabilitation Therapist exam!

2.  To be informed and enlightened by our speaker, John Dessauer, from the Consumer Credit Counseling. He has a lot of great information that everyone can benefit from!

3. To discuss upcoming activities and fun events!

4. Eat and visit with a great group of folks!

5. Celebrate that hopefully the cold weather is finally gone?

Let's eat at 5:30 and the meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and adjourn at 7:30.

Location is West Tulsa Freewill Baptist Church, Family Life Center, 930 W. 23rd Place.

Look forward to seeing you and come prepared to have a great time!

Jeri Cooper

Secretary

Ham Radio for the Blind or Visually Impaired

You can be a ham radio operator! Courage Center’s Handiham System will get you started with your ham radio studies, and you’ll be on the air before you know it. Having fun with electronics, talking to your friends on the radio, and helping your community with emergency communications are some of the new experiences you can look forward to with a ham radio license.

Classes are available at various locations. Week-long Radio Camp sessions each year are available at Camp Courage on beautiful Cedar Lake, if you want to study in a residential camp setting. The cost of camp is based on ability to pay. Self-study is possible anytime and anywhere with audio or print materials, or on handiham.org with your computer. Online courses are a self-paced member service, and are delivered as audio lectures each week: Beginner course (Technician Class License) Intermediate course (General Class License) Highest level course (Extra Class License) Operating Skills course (For those with any level of license who want to learn to operate better.)

There is also a Handiham World newsletter. (May 2013 edition) Find it online, delivered weekly in both text and audio, or as an audio podcast at handiham.org, or call toll-free, 1.866.426.3442.

For more information, visit the HandiHam website or use one of the contacts below:
Toll-free phone: 1-866-426-3442
E-mail: hamradio@couragecenter.org

Logo of Courage Center

Kitchen Tools for the Visually Impaired

Photo of Ove' Glove

Ove' Glove: five-finger, oven protection. This glove is flexible which makes it perfect for getting hot dishes out of the oven, AND it has a gripping feature so dishes won't slide from your grip!

Speaking of baking, the Cool Touch Oven Rack Guard is a nifty invention. Snap it on the front of your oven rack and no more arm burns! That's a great idea for everyone!

Photo of pasta boat.

Microwave Pasta Boat - I LOVE THIS PRODUCT! Pasta cooking has never been so easy. 1. Measure the pasta by inserting pasta into the round tube handle (one handle full = two servings). 2. Place the pasta in the boat. 3. Add water to the line (NOTE: The water line is very light so you may have to have someone mark the water line on the outside of the boat.). 4. Put the boat in the microwave and cook until done. No stirring, no watching, and no stuck-up noodles either! The pasta comes out perfect every time once you figure out the cooking time needed. It depends on pasta type and the watts of your microwave oven. I cook angel hair pasta for 10 minutes with an 1100-watt microwave. It's SO EASY and yummy!

Accessible Instruction Materials

Photo of students using
assistive technology. 

Oklahoma ABLE Tech assists Oklahoma's elementary and secondary schools by providing accessible instructional materials for students with print disabilities. 

This materials are available to students who are or have (1) low vision or are blind, (2) a reading disability such as dyslexia and/or (3) a physical limitation such as cerebral palsy.

For more information, see the ABLE Tech website. 

Guide to Disability Rights Law

From the U.S. Department of Justice: Guide to Disability Rights Law. This guide provides an overview of Federal civil rights laws that ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities.  LINK

How to Help App Developers, etc.

Lots of new apps are being developed for phones and tablets, but sometimes they are not accessible. Here's an article from Access World on how to help app developers add these features: LINK.

Another good article is Mac, PC, or Both: Choices for the Blind or Visually Impaired.