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DIALOGUE Visits With Its Publisher

Blindskills, Inc. has been providing assistance to people with vision impairments and their families for over two decades. Recently we sat down to visit with the founder and executive director, Carol M. McCarl to learn more about the organization that publishes DIALOGUE and the woman behind its success.

"The mission of Blindskills, Inc. has always been to provide information and resources to people who have experienced vision loss so that they know they can have happy, productive, fun lives," Carol said. Information is provided in the form of DIALOGUE, which begins a bimonthly publication schedule with this issue. Blindskills has also published JOB HUNTING RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE WITH VISION IMPAIRMENTS, a much needed guide to help fill the gap in employment information; CONNIE'S KITCHEN: A COMPILATION OF RECIPES AND TIPS FROM THE PAGES OF DIALOGUE, a cookbook chock-full of mouthwatering recipes and methods useful for a cook who has a vision impairment; and WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE, a cassette that provides tips and encouragement for anyone who is newly blind.

In the local area of Salem, Oregon, Blindskills runs a support group and regularly participates in community events to educate the public about blindness. On a national and international level, Blindskills operates a toll-free helpline as well as a Web site to assist people searching for solutions to vision-related problems and conducts talks, workshops and seminars at conferences. Blindskills works cooperatively with other organizations in the blindness field sharing new resources through the ever popular "WHAT'S NEW AND WHERE TO GET IT" and "CALENDAR" found in these pages and on www.blindskills.com.

Blindskills is a nonprofit organization completely reliant on individual donations and grants for its support. "When you call us, you get a real person," Carol said. "We're not a bureaucracy, we can connect people with the information and services they need."

What's new and exciting at Blindskills? DIALOGUE is going digital. "We want to offer an online version of our magazine and expand the resource section on our Web site," Carol said. For more information, contact Blindskills, Inc. at 800-860-4224 or info@blindskills.com.

To read more about our interview with Carol, see "A Distinguished Career in Teaching and Human Services: An Interview with Carol M. McCarl" and don't miss Carol's article "Save My Sanity!"

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