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* NEW INFORMATION: CVI hosts a couples support group (in which one member is visually impaired and the other is sighted) on the fourth Tuesday of every month from 6:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. The next group meets on May 20.  If you are interested in this support group, or would like CVI to start up another type of support group as well, contact Molli Monk at 404-875-9011, ext. 4363.

* NEW INFORMATION:  CVI hosts the Open Window Book Group on the first Monday of every month from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in CVI's BellSouth Community Room. Participants must be blind or visually impaired and at least 18 years old. Light refreshments will be available. The book for June 2 is: "Angels Along the Way" by Della Reese (GLASS #)  51138 and the book for July 7 is "Interruption of Everything" by Terry McMillan   (GLASS #) 60512. Contact Melissa Imtiaz at 404-875-9011, ext. 4433 if you have any questions

* NEW INFORMATION: "Uncovering Sexuality: Dispelling Popular Myths about Disability" will be Wednesday, May 21, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Charis Books & More located at 1189 Euclid Ave NE (in the Little Five Point Business District).  A panel of disability activists will talk about their experiences with sexual stereotypes and sexual identity. Join them for a community dialogue about the mythology surrounding disability and sexuality. Please contact them in advance if there is a particular myth you would like to have addressed, or if you would like to contribute to the program content in some other way. This program is part of a monthly series at Charis that is dedicated to community building around disability and activism. The series is organized and facilitated by disability activists who are part of the Charis community.  For more information, contact Charis Circle at info@chariscircle.org or 404-522-9912. 

* NEW INFORMATION:  The Georgia Council of Blind Lions (GCBL) is raffling a picnic basket with a gift certificate for a honey baked ham and many other goodies in the basket.  The cost is $5.00 for six tickets, and the drawing will be Sunday, June 1.  You do not have to be present to win.  For more information and to get your tickets please contact Lion Ann Sims at 404-767-1792 or via email at teacherann@bellsouth.net.
 
* NEW INFORMATION: The 2008 AccessWorld Guide to Assistive Technology Products is currently available for $34.95 in paperback, ASCII on CD-ROM or online, from the American Foundation of the Blind (AFB) website at www.afb.org by following the link to the Bookstore.  The completely updated 2008 edition includes detailed profiles of over 280 products for people who are blind or visually impaired, including more than 30 new products.  The Product Guide can help you find the right device.  Some examples include cell phones, PDA's, GPS systems, screen readers, Braille printers, and CCTV's.  

* NEW INFORMATION: "A Pocketful of Sound:A Quick-Start and Buyer's Guide to Accessible Book and Music Players" by Anna Dresner in Braille and PortaBook is now available for $14 from National Braille Press. Have you wished you could carry a library of CDs or audiobooks with you to college, on your commute, or on vacation?  It's now possible to do just that in a device that fits in your pocket.  However, there are so many choices it can be hard to know which one of these little gadgets you should buy.  "A Pocketful of Sound" will help you decide. Author Anna Dresner describes and compares many of the most accessible players, including the Zen Stone, iPods, players running Rockbox; the Olympus DS-30, DS-40, and DS-50; the Victor Stream, the Icon; and many others. She uses the same checklist for each product, so you can quickly compare their features. You will learn how to get the most out of your player with detailed descriptions, basic instructions for use, and tips for power users. Anna has compared the products and shares her opinions in a "Would-I-Use-It section".  Also included are brief sections on the media-playing capabilities of notetakers and cell phones, information about how players organize music, links to tutorials and other resources, and sources for downloading music and books. So whether you already own a player or are considering your first one, this book will help you rock and read the way you want to.  For more information visit: www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/POCKET.html. 

* NEW INFORMATION: Tour to Bermuda: American Star Travel offers a luxurious seven-day cruise from Boston to Bermuda October 5 to 12 for blind and visually impaired travelers. Passengers can have an orientation to the Norwegian Cruise Lines Ship the "Dream" upon arrival and assistance embarking and disembarking if desired. The ship offers fine accommodations and the newest innovations at sea, including freestyle cruising with no required activities.  For more information or to book the seven-day Boston to Bermuda cruise, call American Star Travel at (508) 815-4327. Fares start at $689 + tax for inside cabins. Airline bookings can be made if needed. All cabin rates are per person, based on double occupancy; triple cabins are available by request. The last day to book this trip is June 3.

* NEW INFORMATION: For those looking for a cell phone compatible with Mobile Speak and Talks that won't break the budget, CellHut.com has the unlocked Nokia N72 for $209.98. Use coupon D2BN72 to get that price. Shipping is free when paying via Google Checkout. This phone features a 2 megapixel camera, dedicated music player buttons, and Bluetooth connectivity.  For more information visit: www.cellphonehut.com. 

* Toastmasters International's Beyond Sight Communicators (a club for people who are blind or visually impaired and interested in improving their verbal communication) meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month.  The next meeting will be Tuesday, May 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at CVI on the fourth floor in the BellSouth Community Room.  Please note that the front doors of CVI will be closed 30 minutes after the meeting ends and participants must leave the building before then. Adult guests who are using paratransit may want to consider asking for an L-van pick up at a local public area other than at CVI.  CVI recommends the AT&T North Avenue MARTA station, using the address of 675 West Peachtree Street at the Mall Entrance at Third Street and West Peachtree Streets. This station is a secure spot for waiting with public pay phones, restrooms, seating, and security guards.  For more information, call Garrick Scott at 404-371-1000.

* "Eye on Blindness", sponsored by GaRRS, airs at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28, and repeats at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 31.  This month's show will focus on the current research on GPS devices for the blind and visually-impaired at the Atlanta Veterans Administration medical Center.  Vincent Martin, Health Research Scientist, will discuss how this kind of adaptive technology will make it easier and safer for people that are blind to maneuver inside of buildings and office spaces.  If you don't have a GaRRS radio, you can tune in on your computer at: www.garrs.net.  Or, if you would like to get a GaRRS radio, call 404-685-2820.  Send comments or show suggestions to April Cline, GaRRS executive director, at acline@gpb.org or 404-685-2820.

* The Georgia Academy for the Blind Alumni Association will hold its annual meeting at the school on the weekend of May 31-June 1.  The cost for the two days for alumni members is $45. The cost for guests accompanying alumni members is $35.  For Saturday only the cost for alumni members is $30.  Guests will be charged only for the meals on Saturday.  For additional information concerning the upcoming meeting, contact Tom Ridgeway at 478-474-3577.

* The Atlanta Metropolitan Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Georgia will be hosting a Bingo and Game Night at the Center for the Visually Impaired on Friday, June 6 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. There will be accessible bingo, board games and various other card games.  Pianist and singer, Hillary, will provide entertainment during dinner.  Admission will be $8.00 purchased in advance and $10.00 at the door.  Bring your family and friends for an evening of fun food, door prizes and music.  For more information or to purchase tickets call Jo Ann Weaver, President at (404) 371-1000, ext. 38 or Dorothy Griffin (after 6:00 p.m.) at 404-243-6025. 

* The Decatur Area Chapter Ninth Annual Volunteer Sighted Guide Luncheon will be on Saturday, June 7 at Paschal's at Castleberry Hill located at 180-B Northside Drive NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30313, phone 404-525-2023, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.  The cost is $35.00 per person.  For further information call, Mr. Wayne High, President at 404-768-3206 or Mr. Randy Malone, Fundraiser Chairman at 770-482-8515. 

* The National Federation of the Blind of Georgia, Decatur Area Chapter is holding a raffle for a 19-inch HD flat screen television.  The drawing for the TV will be held on Saturday, June 14 at the Decatur Recreation Center.  Donations of $3.00 per ticket will be accepted.  You need not be present to win.  Tickets may be purchased from any chapter member.  For more information contact Garrick Scott at 404-371-1000. 

* Insights 2008 Call for Art.  If you are a blind or visually impaired artist, you are encouraged to consider becoming part of Insights. Artwork for consideration includes but is not limited to: paintings, drawings, photographs, sculpture and mixed media pieces. Tactile and touchable work is encouraged.  Submit up to 5 entries on 35mm slides (digital images on CD-ROM and 8x10 photographs that accurately represent the creative work will also be accepted).  Distinguished jurors will select work from all two and three-dimensional media except video. Works will be selected on the basis of original concept, expressive use of media, and artistic excellence. Three outstanding artists will be awarded a cash honorarium and will have their work displayed in the exhibit from October 2 to December 12 at the San Francisco Art Commission Gallery in City Hall.  Submission deadline is Friday, June 13.  For more information contact Kim Shuck, Insights Coordinator, at 415-694-7335 or email at kshuck@lighthouse-sf.org. 

* The National Federation of the Blind of Georgia is sponsoring a bus to the 2008 National Federation of the Blind National Convention in Dallas, Texas.  The cost for the bus is $100.00 round trip.  A $25.00 non-refundable deposit is required, and all monies are due by June 15.  The bus will leave on Saturday, June 28 at 4:30 p.m. from the Kensington MARTA Station (Memorial Dr. side).  It will return from Dallas, Texas on Saturday, July 5 at 5:30 p.m. and will arrive in Atlanta on Sunday, July 6 at 1:00 p.m., returning to the Kensington MARTA Station.  Please call Vanessa Meadows at 404-371-1000, ext. 10.

* VSA arts invites entries from young artists with disabilities for Green Light Awards.  The deadline for submissions is July 11.  Sponsored by VSA arts (http://vsarts.org/ ) with support from Volkswagen of America, Inc. (http://volkswagengroupamerica.com/ ), the Green Light Awards program is open to young artists between the ages of 16 and 25 living in the United States who have a  physical, cognitive, or mental disability.  Art must be an original work that has been completed in the last three years. Eligible media include paintings and drawings (oil, watercolor, acrylic, pencil, or charcoal), fine art prints (lithographs, etching, intaglio, or woodcuts), photography, computer-generated prints, and two-dimensional mixed media. This year the program also welcomes entries of sculpture and time-based media (video, film, etc.).  The program will award one Grand Prize of $20,000, one First Award of $10,000, one Second Award of $6,000, and twelve Awards of Excellence of $2,000 each. For more information visit:  http://www.vsarts.org/PreBuilt/showcase/gallery/exhibits/vw/2007/. 

* Damar Cruises for the visually impaired announces the following cruises:

Hawaii August 2 - 9 aboard the NCL Pride of America,  departing from Honolulu and visiting the ports of Hilo, Hawaii, Kahului, Maui, Kona, Hawaii, and Kauai.  Prices start at $1,489.00 for an inside cabin, $1,802.00 for an ocean view cabin, and $1,958.00 for a private balcony. 

Canada / New England from September 27 to October 4 aboard the Carnival Victory,  departing from New York and traveling to the ports of Boston, MA, Portland, ME, Saint John, NB, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Prices start at $977.00 for an inside cabin, $1,157.00 for an ocean view and $1,327.00 for a private balcony.

All prices are per person based on double occupancy and include cruise, port charges, taxes, and gratuities.  For more information, call Dave Kronk with Damar Travel and Cruise at 800-999-6101, ext. 422.  The rates quoted are for singles and doubles (note: not per person).

* Debra Mota is sponsoring a trip to Pigeon Forge, TN on Saturday, August 16 and returning on Sunday, August 17.  The pick up/return point is the Kensington MARTA Station (on the Memorial Dr. side).  Call Debra for departure times.  The trip includes: roundtrip Coach transportation, accommodation, 2 breakfasts, 1 dinner and 2 days of professionally guided tours.  The cost of the trip is: doubles $170.00 per person, triples $155.00 per person and quads $140.00 per person.  Payment schedule is as follows: first deposit of $40 is due by April 25 with installment payments due on May 16, June 20 and July 11.  For more information contact Debra at 404-587-0462 or email at trini402003@yahoo.com. 

* Candle in the Window, a small national non-profit organization with the aim of building both individual skills and a sense of community among persons with visual impairments, welcomes blind people with varied experiences to join them at their 21st annual conference entitled "Family Matters: The Roles of Blindness in Family Life."  They aim to address such questions as: What family influences continue to shape our approach to blindness?  What factors (culture, the "blindness system," etc.) influenced our families' attitudes towards blindness, and how did they respond?  What differences, if any, exist between family relationships of those who grew up while blind compared to those who became blind later in life?  How do we negotiate dependence-independence issues in current family relationships?  In addition to provocative presentations and stimulating discussions, there will be plenty of time for hiking, eating, singing, quiet reflection, and just plain "hanging out."  The conference will take place from Wednesday, September 10 through the morning of Sunday, September 14 at Wooded Glen, a lovely retreat center located in Henryville, Indiana just outside of Louisville, Kentucky.  The cost is: $475 for two to a room; $455 for three to a room; and $405 for four to a room. Registrants will get a $40 discount if a $35 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit is received by August 1.  There are limited scholarships and payment plans available.  For additional information, please contact Becky Barnes at (914) 243-2210 e-mail: beckyb@cloud9.net or Donna Pomerantz at (626) 844-4388 e-mail:dmpomerantz@earthlink.net. 

* Come and sail with Just Us Blind Girls on a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise leaving from Florida's Space Coast (Port Canaveral) on Saturday, November 21, 2009 and traveling to Nassau, the Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Martin.  For more information contact Jackie Colton at 770-969-9565 or Sara Randall at 404-758-0631.   Stop by CVI's front desk and pick up your print or Braille flyers.  For reservations and travel information contact Shiloh's Travel 770-892-3911 or email at reservations@shilohstravel.com.

* Dr. Ronald Schuchard at the Atlanta VAMC Rehab R&D Center of Excellence is studying a way to predict how well people with vision loss can recognize characters on small visual displays, such as on cell phones and home blood pressure monitors.  If you are 18 years of age or older and have macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or any eye disease in which you experience central visual field loss, you may qualify to participate in this study.  This study requires one visit to the Atlanta VA, and you will be compensated for your time and travel. For more information, please contact Katrina Jones at (404) 321-6111, ext. 7515, or toll-free at 1 (800) 944-9726, ext. 7515.

* Researchers at the Atlanta VA Rehab Research and Development Center are studying the helpfulness of a low vision training device called vision restoration training (VRT).  VRT is a non-invasive vision therapy performed at home on a TV-like device.  This study requires two visits to the Atlanta VA Medical Center with each visit lasting up to four hours.  You will be asked to use the device at home for 12 weeks (3 months).  You will be paid $40 for each of your visits to the VA.  For more information call Katrina Jones at 404-321-6111, ext. 7515 or email  Katrina.jones@va.gov.

* The GA Institute of Technology is conducting a wheelchair user research study.  GA Tech is currently seeking subjects to participate in a study looking at the effects of the environment on wheelchair users.  The following qualifications must be met to participate: the participants must currently use a manual or power wheelchair as the primary mobility device.  Study involvement for qualified individuals will include: instrumentation placed on wheelchair for up to 2 weeks, and two sessions at GA Tech (first session lasts up to 2 hrs and the second session for 30 minutes).  The participants will also complete 2 sets of surveys (before and after the instrumentation on the chair).  Participants will be compensated $50 for their participation.  For more information call Dr. Fran Harris at the Georgia Institute of Technology at 404-894-4960 or email at frances.harris@gatech.edu. 

* For sale: an Aladdin personal reader electronic magnifier model AL1A by TeleSensory.  This vision aid was purchased brand new for over $2,000.  It assisted in reading letters, books, newspapers, crosswords, etc.  The unit is in great shape and works perfectly.  It has always been operated in a non-smoking home.  The power cord and all books and records are included.  The machine will be shipped in the original box with the original packing materials.  $399 or best offer.  Please contact Rachael Grotz at 770-844-8252 or email rcgrotz@comcast.net with any questions.