Thunder Dog (21 page)

Retina: The light-sensitive membrane covering the back wall of the eyeball; it is continuous with the optic nerve.

Scanner: In simple terms, these electronic machines examine a piece of paper bit by tiny bit and determine whether that bit contains a color or white space. In a matter of seconds, the machine feeds a composite digital picture of the page to the host computer that can be displayed and manipulated in helpful ways. In the large print production process, using the raw picture file may be possible. The picture file can be enlarged and manipulated to create a picture file that resembles a larger font. However, many times such manipulation leads to spacing and layout problems that are irresolvable until the text is exported through OCR Software. At that point, it can be imported into one of many word processors or desktop publisher programs to create the desired end result. In braille production, translation software is unable to use the original file; so all files must be exported through an OCR package.

Screen Enlargement: Computer software controlled by the user to enlarge and increase contrast of letters on the computer screen.

Slate and Stylus: When Louis Braille began to create braille, he used an awl to punch bumps down into paper or other products. Over time, the awl’s shape was modified into a stylus tipped with metal and usually equipped with a pear-shaped handle for ease of grasping. The slate evolved as a way to bring consistency to the position and depth of dots. Today’s slates come in varying sizes—one short line of braille to one to cover an entire 6 by 4 note card. Two strips of metal are hinged at one side. The uppermost strip has rows of rectangular shapes stamped into it. Tiny scallops form the edges of these rectangles. The lower strip is covered with six dot rectangles pressed into the metal and pointing toward the table. The user places a sheet of paper over the lower strip and closes the upper strip and presses it into place. Small hooks catch the paper and keep it from skidding during brailling. Since braille is read from left to right and must be used with the dots raised, the process of using a slate and stylus requires that the user punch the braille dots into the paper from right to left, pressing the tip of the stylus down through the rectangular openings. The scallops along the edges of the stylus help the user align the tip with the dot beneath.

Speech Synthesis: This is a term referring to use of a computer software package, a sound card and speakers to create speech as a substitute for a computer monitor for blind people. In simplest terms, the software analyzes the data in the video buffer of the computer and turns what it sees into phonic components. Typically, the software has a dictionary of many words with their preferred pronunciation against which to compare the data. The user can control the portion of the screen to be reviewed, the amount of punctuation to be read, among many other features. When commanded to do so, the software sends the data to the sound card and the data is voiced. In addition, there are some independent hardware devices that connect to a computer and accomplish the same tasks.

Tactile Graphics: This term refers to those graphical representations that have been specially prepared for use by touch. Historically, such graphics were prepared with a wide range of tools and supplies—sewing tracing wheel, awls, string, and puffy paint, among many others. More recently with the advent of computer technology and sophisticated embossers, many graphics are being built through use of software and produced with embossers or specially constructed paper that reacts to heat.

Talking Books: In general terms, this phrase refers to any recorded edition of a published document (magazine, textbook, and novel). More specifically, in the world of visual impairments, it refers to the commercially prepared editions of documents offered to the blind community through various organizations, libraries, charities and educational institutions.

Transcription Software: Computer software that converts print documents into braille. The user does not need to understand braille to use the software but relies on the formatting rules built into the software to produce braille.

User Friendly Design: The concept of user friendly or Universal Design, a term coined by the late Ronald Mace, is to make products, services and the built environment “aesthetic and usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of their age, ability, or status in life.” This concept is used to describe architecture, interior and product design, information provision and technology.

Vision Loss: This term usually refers to a progressive decrease in visual acuity. However, it can refer to the sudden onset of substantial acuity decrease or total blindness.

Visual Acuity: This means sharpness of vision or the visual ability to resolve fine detail (usually measured by a Snellen chart). Visual acuity is expressed as a fraction. The top number refers to the distance you stand from the chart. This is usually 20 feet. The bottom number indicates the distance at which a person with normal eyesight could read the same line you correctly read. For example, 20/20 is considered normal. 20/40 indicates that the line you correctly read letters at 20 feet that could be read by a person with normal vision at 40 feet. The test is performed when there are problems or changes in vision.

White Cane: The Long White Cane was invented in the United States in 1930 by George A. Bonham. Its distinctive white length with a red band around the bottom is internationally recognized as a sign that the person using it is blind.

Fink, Mitchell, and Lois Mathias.
Never Forget: An Oral History of September 11, 2001
. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. Personal stories by the survivors of September 11.

Flory, Susy.
Dog Tales: Inspirational Stories of Humor, Adventure, and Devotion
. Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2011. Features seventeen true dog stories, including Roselle’s.

Jackson, Donna M.
Hero Dogs: Courageous Canines in Action
. New York: Little, Brown Young Readers, 2003. A journalist looks at extraordinary dogs and the role they play in the daily lives of humans. Features Roselle’s story.

Kurzweil, Ray.
The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology
. New York: Viking, 2005.

Lee, Nancy, Lonnie Schlein, and Mitchel Levitas, eds.
A Nation Challenged: A Visual History of 9/11 and Its Aftermath
. New York: Callaway, 2002. A detailed visual, graphic, and written account of the WTC attacks in 2001.

Matson, Floyd.
Walking Alone and Marching Together: A History of the Organized Blind Movement in the United States, 1940–1990
. Baltimore: National Federation of the Blind, 1990. Includes an account of the incident where Michael Hingson was forcibly removed from a commercial airline flight for refusing a bulkhead seat, page 529.

Mueller, Pamela Bauer.
Hello, Goodbye, I Love You,
2003 and
Aloha Crossing,
2008. El Paso: Pinata Publishing. Michael Hingson wrote the foreword to
Hello, Goodbye, I Love You
, aimed at children in grades 3–7. Seventh grader Diego raises a puppy named Aloha to become a guide dog for the blind. Diego meets Miss Kimberly Louise, a woman who lost her sight in a car accident, when Aloha becomes her guide dog.
Aloha Crossing
is the award-winning sequel.

Murphy, Dean E.
September 11: An Oral History
. New York: Doubleday, 2002. Murphy is a reporter for the
New York Times
. Features the story of Michael Hingson and David Frank, beginning on page 16.

Reporters, Writers, and Editors of
Der Spiegel Magazine
.
Inside 9/11: What Really Happened
. New York: St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 2002. Michael Hingson and David Frank’s account is featured beginning on page 97.

Sullivan, Robert, ed., and the editors of
LIFE
magazine.
One Nation: America Remembers September 11, 2001
, Fifth Anniversary exp. ed. New York: Time Inc. Home Entertainment, Time Life Books, 2006. Features a story on Michael and Roselle, page 132.

Sullivan, Tom.
Adventures in Darkness: Memoirs of an Eleven-Year-Old Blind Boy
. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007. Blind since birth, Tom lived in a challenging world of isolation and special treatment. But he was driven to break out and live as sighted people do. Tom is now a successful actor, singer, author, and producer.

M
ichael Hingson, national ambassador for the Braille Literacy Campaign, is a miraculous survivor of 9/11. He now owns The Michael Hingson Group, Inc., a consulting firm concerning inclusiveness and diversity and a platform for engaging speaking opportunities. A graduate of the University of California (Irvine) and a cum laude graduate with a master’s degree in physics, Hingson has never let blindness stop him from achieving his goals. His life is a testimony to the power of trust, perseverance, and the amazing bond between human and animals. Michael and his wife, Karen, live in the San Francisco Bay Area with three yellow lab guide dogs, Roselle (retired), Africa, and Fantasia, and one cat, Sherlock.

Susy Flory is the author or coauthor of four books, including
So Long Status Quo
, a memoir about nine women who changed the world. Her articles have appeared in
Today’s Christian Woman
,
Enrichment Journal
,
Guideposts
books, Kyria.com, and with Focus on the Family. With degrees from UCLA in English and psychology and a background that includes journalism, education, and communications, Susy loves to uncover stories with happy endings that inspire and challenge readers to a life of passion, boldness, and adventure. She grew up on the back of a quarter horse in northern California and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two children, and two dogs, Eli (a chocolate Lab) and Sprinkles, (a silky terrier).

Equipping blind children and adults with the technology they need to live out their dreams.

Blind people today face a high-tech world. However, because the technology used to gain access to our world is often very expensive, blind people are sometimes excluded from the tools and technology that would enable them to live life to the fullest and to make their own contributions to society. That’s why, in honor of my guide dog, Roselle, and the courage, poise, and teamwork she displayed on September 11, 2001, I founded The Roselle’s Dream Foundation.

It’s our goal at the Foundation to help today’s blind children and adults not only to have access to the technology they need to excel in school and at work, but to live out their dreams. I have always wanted to do something to help more blind children get a proper education and have the tools to take with them into the future. I’ve also dreamed of helping blind adults get technology to do their jobs and live up to their potential. Through The Roselle’s Dream Foundation, I want to make the dreams of blind children and adults a reality.

To learn how you can help put much-needed technology in the hands of blind children and adults, please contact:

The Roselle’s Dream Foundation, Inc.
www.rosellesdream.org