BULLETIN BOARD

A Newsletter of the Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped
Summer 2004
Volume 22, Number 1

Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards

People with Medicare can now sign up for a Medicare-Approved drug discount card to help with the high cost of prescription drugs. Some people on Medicare can get extra help if they have lower incomes. You can get the drug discount card no matter what your income is, as long as you are on Medicare and do not get your drugs from Medicaid. The discounts average 11% to 18% off brand-name drugs. When you call Medicare you can use their automated speech system to hear a recording of frequently asked questions, or you can talk directly to a live customer service representative. If your annual income in 2004 is no more than $12,569 if you are single, or no more than $16,862 if you are married, you may be eligible for the $600 a year credit to spend on prescriptions. To find out if you can get the $600 credit, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227. However, lower income Wisconsin residents who are age 65 and over will probably get more help with their prescriptions by signing up for SeniorCare, a program run by the state of Wisconsin. For more information on SeniorCare call 1-800-657-2038.

Announcements:

Regional Library staff would like to ask everyone to give materials they mail back at least four weeks to arrive and be checked in before contacting us to request their removal from your patron record. Having us manually remove the books and declare them lost takes up staff time needed elsewhere-doubly so if the books arrive later and must be added back into the collection. If you check the on-line public access catalog and see books on your record which have been returned, please wait a month before requesting we remove them from your record and declare them lost.

A need for accessible housing is growing among people with disabilities and the aging baby boomers, boosted by several innovative Federal regulations, such as The Olmstead Act and President Bush's New Freedom Initiatives of 2001. States are now being encouraged to maximize their efforts to provide alternatives to segregated institutional settings for people with disabilities. To stimulate discussion on this topic, Teresa Carroll, a Rochester social worker with a disability, is facilitating a message board called "Residential Accessibility and Housing" located at www.universaldesign.com. For further information or help signing on to the housing forum, please contact Teresa Carroll, forum facilitator, at tcarroll@rochester.rr.com

Resources:

Tape Ministries NW has more than 1,000 Christian oriented books and other reading material on cassette tape to lend to the blind and visually impaired. All of the Library's lending is done by mail, free of charge. To request a large print or taped listing of the Library's selections, and for information on their lending policies, phone 206-243-7377, or write to: Tape Ministries NW, 840 S. 192nd Street, Seattle, WA 98148.

New guidelines have been developed overhauling the existing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG), which were first published in 1991. As part of this effort, the Access Board also revised its guidelines for federally funded facilities required to be accessible under the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Both the ADA guidelines and the ABA guidelines specify access in new construction and alterations, and provide detailed provisions for various building elements, including ramps, elevators, restrooms, parking, and signage, among others. The Access Board has published the new guidelines in the Federal Register and posted copies on its website. The updated guidelines will not be mandatory as a design standard; other agencies, such as the departments of Justice and Transportation under the ADA, and several others under the ABA, are authorized to set the design standards that must be met according to the Access Board's guidelines. These agencies will update their enforceable standards based on the Access Board's final guidelines.

Bibliography: New Cookbooks added to the Regional Library Collection

Hershey Food Corporation. Hershey's 1934 Cookbook: Rev. and expanded with chocolate recipes brought up to date for use in today's kitchen. Terrific 1971 reprint of Hershey's 1934 chocolate cookbook, with added recipes for use in today's kitchen. RCW 1311

Hershey Food Corporation. Hershey's Bake Shoppe Cookies. Delicious cookie recipes, including many low-fat, from the kitchens of the Hershey Food Corporation. RCW 1310

Katzen, Mollie. The Moosewood Cookbook: recipes from the Moosewood Restaurant, Ithaca, New York. A classic source of vegetarian recipes. RCW 1307

Tiberio, Jeanne. Vegetarian Homestyle Cooking. A low-fat cookbook that is designed to help those who are making the transition to meatless eating. Contains both relevant nutrition information and recipes that are easy to prepare. RCW 1356

United States Ski Team. America's Best: a national community cookbook to benefit the U.S. Ski Team. Classic American cookery recipes compiled in a fundraising collection. RCW 1342

Vermont Maple Promotion Board. The Official Vermont Maple Cookbook. Contains over 75 delicious maple recipes from refreshing beverages to tasty main dishes. RCW 1329

Waldo, Myra. The Low Salt, Low Cholesterol Cookbook. Contains 300 unusual and tasty recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts for people on limited salt and cholesterol diets. RCW 1330

Williams, Jacqueline B. No Salt, No Sugar, No Fat Cookbook. Appealing recipes for specialized diets. RCW 1331

BULLETIN BOARD is published four times a year by the Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. It is available in large print, Braille, and audiocassette editions. The Wisconsin Regional Library makes no recommendations or endorsements concerning any products or services which may appear in this publication.

Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped
813 West Wells Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233-1436
1-414-286-3045 (in Milwaukee)
1-800-242-8822 (in Wisconsin)
1-414-286-3548 (TDD)
1-414-286-3102 (FAX)
lbph@milwaukee.gov, (e-mail)
http://dpi.wi.gov/rll/wrlbph/index.html, (website)
http://wmbph.mpl.org/opac, (on-line catalog)

For questions about this information, contact Shiela A. Pollock (608) 224-5395

Last updated on 2/28/2008 8:52:01 AM