Are You Registered?
For many years, a major barrier to voter participation was the registration process. This was simplified by 1993's National Voter Registration Act. Here in New Hampshire, this act has allowed officials to establish same-day voter registration.
You can now register in person at your town or city clerk's office at least 10 days prior to the election - or you can register at the polling place on election day. Either way, you must show proof of age, citizenship and residency, or sign an affidavit of eligibility. When you register, don't go alone. Take a friend, a family member, a neighbor. Better yet, take them all!
If there is No Way you can physically get out, either to register or to vote, there is an absentee registration procedure as well as an absentee voting procedure. Call your city or town clerk for details, but be sure you allow sufficient time for this procedure - two weeks at a minimum.
Once registered, you will need to Vote. The General Election is November 5. With so many seats open, it is important for you to make your presence known and your views felt.
If you have any questions about the voting process, call your city or town clerk or contact the NH Secretary of State's office at 271-3242.
Hope for Elderly Independence
A new program from the NH Housing Finance Authority can assist lower-income adults age 62 or older to remain independent in spite of physical limitations.
A person who needs assistance with at least three of these six activities - cooking, bathing, grooming, dressing, homemaking and transportation - and who is also eligible for rent assistance under HAD Section 8 - may apply for the HOPE program, which combines rental assistance with supportive services. The support services may include homemakers, home health aides, meals on wheels, emergency response systems, therapy evaluations, transportation, day programs, and other services. A coordinator meets regularly with participants, to insure that the services meet the needs of each participant and allow the highest level of independence.
To obtain more information and an application,you may contact your local Housing Authority or call NH Housing Finance directly, at 1-800-439-7247 extension 266.
Are You Diabetic?
Voice of the Diabetic is a free quarterly news magazine published by the Diabetics Divison of the National Federation of the Blind. Each issue contains articles by diabetics and health professionals, reviews of the lates adaptive equipment and research findings, recipes, medical questions answered by an insulin-dependent physician, and an extensive resource list.
Voice of the Diabetic is available in both standard print and special 4-track audiocassette. To receive a sample copy or to subscribe free, write or call Voice of the Diabetic, 811 Cherry St. suite 309, Columbia MO 65201 (314-875-8911)
Survey Results
We received very quick replies to the Reader Survey sent out with the last newsletter, and we now have some information to report back to you, based on these replies.
- 488 surveys were returned.
- 37 readers sent their e-mail addresses.
- 305 readers read fewer than 10 books each month
- 37 read between 10 and 20 books each month
- 34 read more than 20 books each month
When readers told us how well we select books for them, 193 said we almost always did well; 155 said we usually did well; 86 said only sometimes, and 20 said almost never. We'll be contacting the people we've disappointed to see how we can improve.
The roster of problems was not cheering. 11 readers told us their books are always late, 10 said theirs are always unwanted, 27 said that they never get the books they want, and 5 said their books are always incomplete. 343 said 0% of the books had missing tapes or discs, 60 said 10%, 5 said 20%, 4 said 30%, 3 said 40% and 2 said 50%. We thought we were doing much better than that! Now that we know the truth, we will look again at our way of doing business to see how and where we can improve.
How do readers order books? 230 said they use the forms in Talking Book Topics, 179 make calls to the library during business hours, 14 call after hours and use the answering machine, 58 send a note, 9 use e-mail.
What are the reasons readers use this library? 26 said for school, 3 said for work, 92 said for personal reasons, 416 said for leisure reading, 20 said for the magazines, and 18 said "other reasons." That adds up to more than the total number of surveys returned because some readers gave several reasons.
How did you rate our service generally? You were very kind - 339 said Excellent, 111 said Very Good, 22 said Good, 5 said Fair and nobody said Poor.
134 said that they would like "Granite Bits" on cassette. We haven't the ability to record, duplicate and distribute right now, but your interest will help us as we plan for the future. 11 expressed interest in having a braille copy, and will start getting theirs in Braille with the next issue.
Thank you very much for the feedback! If you gave us a low rating and put your name on the survey form, we'll be getting in touch to try to improve your service in particular, as well as service in general.
Use Your "EARS"
Every weekday from 6 to 11 am, EARS - Educational Audio Readings Service - can be heard over WRND, 91.7 FM. Volunteer readers provide current events and information from the Union-Leader, disability-related newsletters, and other publications. Additional programming addresses topics of importance to individuals with disabilities, like health care, assistive technology, and public policy.
"EARS" now reaches a potential audience as large as 125,000 throughout the greater Manchester area. With the new agreement between the New Hampshire Alliance for Assistive Technology, EARS, and Notre Dame College, a campaign to expand both the reception range and the hours of operation is getting under way.
EARS first aired on October 3, 1994. It was developed and is operated by Paul Joseph Harcz jr, then a Communications major at Notre Dame College and now a graduate and recipient of the President's Award for Service.
Magazine Alert for APH Subscribers
If you receive Reader's Digest or Newsweek on cassette, you should be aware that the American Printing-House for the Blind (APH) sends you a letter each year asking if you want to continue receiving each of these magazines. You must reply to APH when you receive their letter, or your subscriptions will be cancelled. We will be able to resubscribe for you if you ask us, but you will have missed several issues.
Please note too that although the letter from APH mentions contributions, donations are purely voluntary. You do not need to make a contribution in order to continue receiving these APH magazines.
Large-Cell Braille
For those who are touch-impaired, or who have trouble managing braille in regular size, Large-Cell Braille instruction and reading material are now available. The Northern Nevada Braille Transcribers specialize in large-cell braille, and would be happy to work with interested individuals who need instruction, or who want materials transcribed into large-cell braille. For information, contact -
Northern Nevada Braille Transcribers
1015 Oxford Avenue
Sparks, NV 89431-3037
(702) 358-2111 voice & TTY
Enjoying DVS?
Many popular PBS shows air with a separate description running on the station's Separate Audio Channel, and now Turner Classic Movies also offer this option every Sunday evening at 6 pm EST. You can hear as well as watch Nova, Masterpiece Theatre, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Mystery! and the National Geographic specials on New Hampshire Public TV. For regular updates and program descriptions, call from a touch-tone phone to 1-800-333-1203.
You must have either special decoder equipment attached to your television, or a newer TV with an SAP switch.
Learning by Ear
Taped textbooks open new worlds to many students with visual, physical and learning disabilities. Learning Through Listening; an Information guide for Educators and Parents of Students with Learning Disabilities (1995) provides information about Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), the nation's primary provider of recorded textbooks, along with instructional approaches and specific strategies that teachers can use to help students benefit from taped textbooks. The 40-page booklet is available free from RFB&D, 20 Roszel Road, Princeton NJ 08540. The toll-free telephone numberis 1-800-221-4792, and they have a Web site at http://www.rfbd.org.
Agency Telephone Numbers
1-800-826-9680
Concord 228-9680
Granite State Independent Living Foundation
advice & referrals for dealing with a wide variety of physical disabilities
1-800-581-6881
Sight Services for Independent Living
advice & referrals for dealing with visual disabilities
1-800-852-3405
Concord 271-2773
Governor's Commission on Disability
deals with complaints from State agency clients, public access concerns, legislation
1-800-464-3075
Concord 224-4039
N H Association for the Blind
rehabilitation & mobility training
Concord 271-3537
N H Bureau of Blind Services
mobility & rehabilitation, job training, other services
1-800-772-7001
Concord 228-9500
N H Job Training Councils
job training programs
1-800-772-1213
Social Security Administration
information on benefits & eligibility
1-800-852-3388
HELP Line
a wide variety of referral information covering a wide variety of issues & problems
Concord 224-7005
Parent Information Center
advice & training for parents of disabled children
Are there services you need to locate? As you ask us, we'll add to this list of telephone numbers in future issues of this newsletter.
Students!
It's time to go through your desk, backpack
and closet to locate those recorded books
you borrowed last year and -
return them!
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