The TAPING RECORDER May, 2005
News from & about Taping For The Blind,
Inc. www.tapingfortheblind.org

GREAT PARTY--If you missed our reception honoring our volunteers, you
missed a fine party! The speeches were short but the fellowship was long
and strong. It is seriously enjoyable getting to be with Taping
volunteers, and even better with all the delicious food and beverages
(particular thanks to Tony & Janet Parisi for the wine donation).

We were pleased to give the Special Achievement Award to several
volunteers. This is Taping's highest award and is given for extraordinary
efforts on behalf of the organization. This year's winners are John
Borrowman, Cullom Connely, Tom Milburn, Robert Schuller, Scott Ward, and
Bill White (our volunteer, not the Mayor). John Borrowman and Bill White
were honored for their work on our Rodeo Description team. Each has been
doing this work since we began describing the rodeo, and they completed
their eleventh year this year. This is particularly challenging
description as it is done live and there aren't any rehearsals to polish
your patter - it is straight to the real thing. Tom Milburn has been a
super substitute as well as a regular reader on HTBR. He was first in
hours volunteered in 2004, and he comes in from Kingwood every
time. Cullom Connely works the front desk and anything else we ask of
him. He is our Sam's shopper and helps us in many other ways as well. He
was also in the top 10 of hours volunteered. Robert Schuller and Scott
Ward were honored for their excellent work on version 2 of our website. If
you haven't gone to the site (address given above) please do so as it is a
fantastic departure from our old site, with architecture designed to give
you results in three clicks or less, all while being supremely
accessible. This work was done in conjunction with our participation in
the Accessibility Internet Rally last fall. We congratulate each of our
honorees and thank them for their dedicated service to Taping!

We also want to thank Ginger Gish for her great job organizing the
party, as well as her helpers: Sam Bertron, Cullom Connely, Nancy Daley,
Katie Damon, Deborah Filip, Joan Gallo, Gwen Hieger, Lyn & Les Schmaltz,
Karl Seibert, & Connie Wright. And we cannot thank Dorothy Brockman enough
for the gorgeous flower arrangements she donated! Well done, one and
all! We also thank Cynthia Franzetti and Jim Martinez for closing the
building after the party (heaven knows it is tough to get all of those
talkers out when you need to).

TAPING WINS TWO IAAIS AWARDS--We are very pleased to let you know that
Radio Manager Jim Martinez was notified that Taping has won two awards from
the International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS) in
their most recent competition. In the category of narrative reading
(prerecorded), Joan Gallo's reading of "Booked to Die" by John Dunning was
an award winner (narration and production by Ms. Gallo). In the
interview/call-in (prerecorded) category, our show "Turning Sight Into
Sound" was a winner with "Acceptance," where Jim Bratton interviewed three
blind people about their adjustment and adaptation to loss of vision at
different periods of their lives. Bob Bartlett, Arthur Crissey, and Nadine
Saffell were the interview subjects. Justin Blount did the engineering
work, Jim Bratton the interviewing, and Jim Martinez was Executive Producer
for this award-winning show. The awards will be presented at the annual
conference of IAAIS, which will be held June 2-4, 2005, at Lawrence,
Kansas, on the University of Kansas campus. Cynthia Franzetti and Jim
Martinez will attend this conference on behalf of Taping.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?--Part of our effort to step up our ability to market and
raise funds effectively is done by a subcommittee that is "thinking outside
the box." Mary Pedersen chairs this group and she has written the
following piece to solicit your thoughts:

The Board of Directors is considering a name change for our
organization. Why? In the nearly forty years since Taping was founded our
mission and services have multiplied. In 1967 when our founder was tape
recording textbooks for blind students at U of H, "taping for the blind"
described us quite precisely, but that is no longer the case. Since that
date, we have added a 24/7 radio reading service and audio description of a
wide variety of IMAX films, museum displays, theater performances,
convention site venues, and rodeo performances. Our client base has
broadened as well to include anyone who is unable to use print media
whether due to visual handicap, paralysis, or organically based
dyslexia. Finally, due to our new digital technology and Internet
capability, the only "tapes" that remain are the cassettes we send to our
clients (and many of them now prefer the compact disks we are able to
provide).

For these reasons, the Board considers that we have outgrown our name and
need to make a change. We would like your help. Anyone may submit
suggestions to the office, and we welcome anyone who would like to serve on
a brainstorming session that the Board's subcommittee will arrange
soon. Watch this space!
**********
Thanks for this contribution, Mary, and we hope our readers will
contribute to this effort.

SOMETHING GOLDEN--We are pleased to offer the congratulations of the entire
Taping family to Chris & Janet Kiersted who recently celebrated their
Golden Wedding Anniversary! We all wish you many more!

STATION BREAKS--Recently Chris Van Deusen and Bob Bartlett went down to
City Hall to get some HTBR station breaks recorded. We were pleased to
have Mayor Bill White contribute his efforts, as well as At-large Council
Member Gordon Quan. Advisory Director Kym King and her assistant, Kimberly
Phelon, were of great assistance in this effort, and we thank all who made
this happen.

LIGHT THE CANDLES--We wish a very Happy Birthday to the following Taping
volunteers who celebrate in May: 05/02 Donald Wolff; 05/08 Otto Schlamme;
05/10 Steven Galindo, Josephine Tarr; 05/11 Randy de La Garza; 05/16 Deanna
Sullivan; 05/17 Paul Daly, Katy Damon; 05/19 Nancy Daly, Agnes Hortobagyi;
05/20 Margaret Anderson; 05/22 Elizabeth Heeb; 05/23 Lynn Johnson, Bill
White; 05/27 George Nevers; 05/29 Shirley Houston; and 05/31 Allan
Kohlwes. If you have a May birthday and your name isn't in our list,
please notify Ginger so we can update our records.

GET WELL WISHES--We send best wishes for a speedy recovery to Dee Weaver
who fell and broke a hip recently. We also wish a speedy recovery to Susan
Boggio who was in one of those horrible car crashes (about a dozen vehicles
involved), and in spite of the fact that her car was destroyed, she walked
away with cuts and bruises (and the accident was not her fault).

OUR SYMPATHY--The sympathy of the entire Taping family are offered to
Nadine Saffell whose son, Robert, passed away recently.

RLB