President's Message

by Frank Welte

Information sharing is one of the benefits of participation in the organized blind

community. This will be the focus of our meeting on August 5. In the past couple of months SMCCB members have attended two large blindness conventions, a low vision seminar, the VA's Western Blind Rehabilitation Center, and more. This will be our chance to share news and information gathered at these events with the rest of you.

There is now a wide variety of blindness-related publications available that we all can read to stay informed. In fact, there's so much reading material available out there that nobody can possibly read it all. Phil Kutner has suggested a solution to this problem. Members of the chapter could subscribe to different publications, and we each could share information from our reading with the entire group during our meetings. We might even set-up a magazine lending library. To this end, Phil plans to put together a list of relevant publications that we each read. Please take a few minutes some time before the meeting to make a list of the magazines and newsletters that you read, so you can give the list to Phil.

Don't forget that we meet on the first Saturday of each month at 10:30 AM.

at the Bank of America at El Camino Real and 3rd Avenue in San Mateo. Feel

free to call me for further information.

Frank Welte, SMCCB President

(650)508-8329

Hadley School for the Blind

By William "Bill" Hobson [email protected]

What is it? It is a school that offers tuition-free distance learning.

In what formats are the courses available? They can be had in the following formats: Computer disc, Audio tape, Braille, and Large Print.

What are the Admission Requirements? One must be visually impaired or handicapped. Where is the school? Hadley School for the Blind is located at: 700 Elm Street, Winnetka IL 60099-0299.

To get a free catalog just call. You will never leave home to take a test. What you will get is a teacher 8:00 A.M. -5:00 P.M. five days a week. In addition they have a free phone number for any problems you may encounter with the particular course you are taking.

How many courses do they have? You may choose from over 100 courses in the format you choose. Most equipment is supplied with the main exceptions being computers, Braille writers, and audio players.

What courses do they offer? Here are some categories of the courses: English, Mathematics, and Social Studies.

What was your experience with the courses you did take? Without exception all the coursed I took were excellent. I have taken a lot of them. I found them easy to understood, and you will gain confidence in the course as I did.

It is my unqualified suggestion that you call the free 800 number and get your catalog now. In the long list of courses I'm sure you will find some to suit your personal needs. Their toll-free number is 1-800-526-9909. They even give you a certificate upon completion.