AS EYE SEE IT

Greetings from SDAB Presidents By Keith and Chelle

Happy Spring to everyone! It's hard to believe that April is nearly past us. By the time you receive this newsletter, we'll be more than half way through the season of spring. Where does the time go? In March, SDAB held its CraftAbility Fair (2^nd annual one) at the Center for Active Generations in Sioux Falls. We had a great day for vendors and consumers. The local SDAB Siouxland Chapter operated the food table and brought in a nice profit to be used locally. Thanks to Virginia Miller and her assistants for arranging this fund-raiser again. It is our hope that when we do another one, we can get more involvement from other SDAB members throughout the state. Raffle Tickets - SDAB is also having a raffle this year. We are hoping that many of you will get involved to sell tickets. The drawing will be held on July 26, which is the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. There are four prizes: first prize $200, second prize, $100 with third and fourth prizes being $50. Tickets sell for $1 each or six for $5. If interested in helping, please contact our fund-raising coordinator Virginia Miller at (605) 428-3651 or me at (605) 332-6059. We'll send you the tickets to sell and ask that you have your ticket stubs and money to us by July 22^nd. Please help us to raise money for SDAB. Please begin to plan ahead for the annual SDAB Convention, which will be held in Aberdeen the weekend of Sept. 22^nd. Our Program Committee, led by Dawn Brush, has been working hard to put together a fun and informative weekend. We will be holding elections for officers and at least one new Board member. Please think about becoming more involved with SDAB by running for office to help promote our great consumer organization. Any member is welcome to run. If interested, contact Lerae Olesen who is presently chairing the Nominations Committee. SDAB would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the staff of the SD Rehabilitation Center for the Blind on their new building location in Sioux Falls. The new address is 2900 W 11^th St. they will be hosting an “open house” on May 23 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Please come and welcome them to their new home. Have a great summer. Hope to see you all this fall at the SDAB State Convention!

Public Meeting

You're invited to a town meeting co-sponsored by the Board of Service to the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Division of Service to the Blind and Visually Impaired. May 23, 2006 in Sioux Falls, SD at the SD Rehabilitation Center for the Blind (2900 W 11^th St.) at 4:00-6:00 PM. Topics for Discussion

How can employers be further encouraged to hire individuals who are blind?

How can we improve our consumers' satisfaction with the wages and benefits they obtain through employment?

How can we better prepare high school students with disabilities so they can obtain quality occupations and a suitable standard of living?

How can employment outcomes be improved for individuals with the most significant disabilities?

How can we increase the number of older blind consumers who report having access to previously unavailable assistive technology aids and devices?

How can we increase the number of older blind consumers who report improved daily living skills as a result of independent living services?

State Plan attachments, updates and timelines. Special Accommodations The meeting is accessible to people with disabilities. If you require special accommodations, please call SBVI staff at 1-800-265-9684 at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting. If you are unable to attend this meeting and would still like to comment, you may do so by sending written comments to: SBVI, East Hwy 34 - Hillsview Plaza, %500 E Capitol, Pierre, SD 57501-5070

Relocation By Dawn Backer

The dust is starting to settle and training is back in full swing at the new location of the SD Rehabilitation Center for the Blind now located at 2900 West 11^th Street, Suite 101 Sioux Falls, SD 57104. This is near 10^th and Kiwanis in central Sioux Falls and on Bus Route #10. An open house and tours are planned for May 23, 2006 from 1-3 PM with a public meeting from 4-6 PM. Please plan to attend and check out our new building. For information call 367-5260 or 800-658-5441.

Key Chain Fundraiser The Association still has some talking thermometer key chains for sale at $10 each. If you would like to purchase some, contact Brenda at the Gadgetry, 888-584-7440.

Congratulations! Dawn Brush will be graduating for Northern State University on May 13, 2006. She will receive a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Minor in Gerontology. A reception will be held in the SDSBVI Gym in Aberdeen after the graduation ceremony.

Delbert Aman Scholarship The Delbert K. Aman Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a resident of South Dakota who is blind or visually impaired, and who will be attending a post-secondary program at a state supported university, vocational technological institute, or a private university. A GPA of 3.00 must be maintained in their chosen area of study. An individual student may be awarded a Delbert K. Aman Memorial Scholarship in four consecutive years with a total of no more than six awards per student. The SDAB will pay for lodging, registration and meals for the recipient to attend the Annual SDAB Convention. At which time, the recipient will be asked to share his/her future academic goals and expectations. The Association does not intend to pay travel or other expenses for the recipient to attend the National ACB convention, but this decision is reviewed each year. If interested in applying from the scholarship look at www.acb.org or contact the your local SBVI Counselor.

Board Meeting Chair Keith Bundy called the meeting to order on March 6, 2006. Present: Jack Hogarth, Deb VerSteeg, Lerae Olesen, Steve Hart, Ed Pinkman, Mary Sjerven, Virginia Miller, Dawn Brush, Keith Bundy, and Chelle Hart. Absent: JoMarie Laughlin and Julia Kleinschmit. A motion carried to accept the minutes from the convention board meeting as published. Steve Hart reviewed the budget and gave the treasurer’s report. A motion carried to accept both. SDAB received a wonderful memorial of $800 for Ceceille Gary. Discussion was held on lack of applicants for the Del Aman Scholarship. A suggestion was made to send a letter to Disability Coordinators at the State Universities and especially those who attend the computer class at DSU. Everyone is encouraged to get the word out about the scholarship. Chelle Hart suggested taking it back from ACB and having SDAB administer it ourselves. There is a little over $7,000 in the Del Aman fund.

Computer class at DSU: Will be July 10-21, 2006 with a 3-days preparation course in JAWS on July 5-7. It may be also offered to out of state students. Legislative update: Funding for a SBVI Rehab Teacher position at the Rapid City office has been cut. Letters were sent to the Joint Appropriations Committee from SDAB. The Executive Committee from the SBVI Board of Directors met to try everything possible to keep the position. Keith Bundy will try to meet with Governor Rounds at “Capitol for a Day” in Madison to share concerns.

Brochure: Keith Bundy and Chelle Hart will contact Dawn LaMee about the brochure. Lion’s Convention: Dawn Brush reported on attending an informational session put on by the Lion’s Foundation. The main topic appeared to be how happy the Foundation was about the sale of the Rehab Center building and now they are very interested in working with different groups, such as those that serve the hearing impaired. Dawn stated she felt the Lion’s Foundation was not interested in working with the blindness community any longer. Each SDAB member is encouraged to talk to their Lions Clubs individually. It was suggested the money that was budgeted to attend the Lions Convention could now cover expenses for members to visit local clubs. Members are asked to contact Keith and Chelle for consistency on visits. Motion carried. Info put in State Lion newsletter. A Fact sheet or brochure recommendation on how they could help the blind in South Dakota.

President’s Meeting: Chelle Hart attended the ACB President’s Meeting in Florida. Most affiliates sent representatives. ACB convention dates will be July 8-15, 2006 in Jacksonville, Florida. State Convention: will be held at the Ramkota Inn Aberdeen SD on September 22-23, 2006. Room rates are $68 (1-4 persons), State Rates available with proper ID. Anyone with program suggestions, contact Dawn Brush at 605-229-4129. The meeting was then adjourned. Respectfully submitted: Lerae Olesen, Secretary

New Secretary By Mark Johnston

Gov. Mike Rounds announced today the selection of Jerry Hofer, Pierre, to be the next Secretary of the Department of Human Services. “Jerry has been a leader in the Department of Health for many years and I am pleased that he has agreed to accept this new position,” said Gov. Rounds. “He has managed numerous issues that overlap both the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services. His experience and background will be very beneficial to the citizens served by the department.” Hofer has been an employee of the State of South Dakota for 18 years. He began his career with the Department of Social Services and has been with the Department of Health for the last 7 years, serving as the Director of the Division of Administration. Hofer has been a Risk Pool Board member since the Board’s inception and currently serves as vice chair. Hofer graduated from the USD School of Business, with a degree in Business Administration. He and his wife, Karen Cremer, live in Pierre and have two children. Hofer will begin his duties on April 10, 2006. He replaces Betty Oldenkamp, who left last month to become the President and CEO of Lutheran Social Services in Sioux Falls.

State Library By Dan Boyd On September 1, 2005, South Dakota became a leader in the field of Braille production. On this date through the cooperative efforts of the South Dakota Department of Corrections/State Penitentiary and the South Dakota Department of Education/State Library, South Dakota opened the first Tactile Graphics Center. The Center was officially opened as part of the Braille Production Unit at the South Dakota State Penitentiary. This new addition to "PheasantLand Braille Unit” will increase the speed and quality of Braille production. Twelve inmates have received the required training to produce tactile graphics for Braille books. Lucia Hasty of Colorado Springs, Colorado provided the training. Lucia is respected throughout the world for her knowledge of tactile graphics. She serves as the chair of the Tactile Graphics workgroup of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA). BANA is the official authority for all rules and regulations relating to English Braille. Lucia has provided tactile graphics workshops in most English speaking countries. Today almost 50 percent of the information in a textbook is visual rather than just text. In addition to the Braille for each page of a textbook, there is a need for tactile graphics to represent the visual information on each page. Creating the tactile graphic for the visual information is a very time consuming piece of producing a Braille textbook. Depending on the subject and grade level a textbook can contain hundreds of visual images. The tactile graphic(s) for just one visual image in a textbook can take from a few minutes to a few hours. Before September 1, 2005, the Braille Transcriber was spending about half of their time completing the tactile graphics for the textbook