OCR Text |
Show Blind Student Worksto Develop His Strong Points Thursday. January 10, 1980. THE HERALD. Provo, Utah— ‘Page 37 COLUMBUS. Ohio ‘UPI Dave Kovermanis blind. Bui he’s noi une tu dwell onit It’s not that he won't talk about how he lost his sight more than eight years ago when a bullet penetrated his head while he was on a helicopter mission in Vietnam It’s just that his life has eased 10 center on what he can't do - see — while each day he expands his world by concentrating on what he can do He matchesup his ownclothes every kes his way toclasses at Wright State University in Dayton, dodging fellow students in crowded hallways without breaking stride He can tell whether the woman in front of him has long or short hair or if she needs to shed a few pounds. In fact tell me say, if a low tree branch wasin sors has a penchant for bright. flashy that The laser cane gives Kovern And he's so good at identifying dif ferent rocks that his geology instruc tors dedicated a student manual in his formation ranging from the critical ine's even abletotell if one his profes sportcoats honor How he’s able to do these things is a study in humaningenuity his own and that of others Because of his ability to learn quick- ly, Koverman has been selected by the Veterans Administration to tcst a variety of special devices for the blind most recently a laser cane I'mwilling to try most anything Koverman said in a telephone interview “‘and they say I’m a good guinea pig. But the laser is probably the most helpful thing I've tested so far. It can my way a regular cane wouldn't hit a speeding car about to cross his path to the less essential but important whether a person is heavy or thin The cane. manufactured by Nurion Inc. in Pennsylvania costs about $2,600 and looks like a regular cane only a bit thicker Charged by battery. the cane has three receptors which shoot out laser beams that can detect obstacles via high mediumor low beeping signals The upper signal reaches obstacles from chest-level to 10 inches abovethe head, the middle signal reaches ob Stacles up to 12 feet away. and the tour inches or more oY $ Not quite as easy to useas it m seem. however Koverman says took him three months of special classes to master the cane Youd have to pass tests were they ¢ have you for example walk 32. blocks to a drug store. find the iruggist's counter and ask for something Youd h © figure out where the counter Was by realizing there was a gap where the high beamwasn’t hitting the wail overman, a graduate student whois majoring had long hair but you gol so much stuff it bothered your ear It made sounds like a flying saucer increasing volume accordingto color and texture which is worn around the neck or carried in ‘he hand and can warn the user of obstacles straight ahead or up to six f away. And for figuring out mathematical problems he turns to a ing calculator which verbally states the answers “like a little monotone man pick up but you can’t decipher Mechanical devices have broadened life for Koverman. but he also cwes much of his expanded perceptionto his own ingenuity He talked his way into an elementary geology class and amazed his professors by proving you don’t haveto see to ighted up Hes ie tested a path sounder in personnel management A sonic guide, worn like glasses can the school’s Veterans AdOffice uses other devices identify objects by texture. light or darkness and height Koverman and works in Ininistration to make ile easier One. called a about thesize of a pencil an detect different colors 1 shoot it at my clothes to match lower beam alerts Koverman to drop- the up and J use it in the office to tell how muchlight is coming through the window It’s also handy when I go to use the phone. to tell which lines are They told me you could useit all your life and there wouldstill be things it'd be able totell the differences between rocks “I said ‘How about giving me a however found the vast number of chance?’ signals hard to handle graduate student helped me figure out I could tell height and width and if you had light green pants on or if you So they let me in and a ways to distinguish the rocks and crystals, Solving N-Waste Problem WASHINGTON (UPI) — The Senate Energy Committee has filed a report providing details on a bill to allow the government to relieve utility companies of the spent atomicfuel piling up at their reactors. The bill which went practically unnoticed to the Senate floor just before the Christmas recess, would let the Energy Department take charge of excess spent fuel rods now stored in cooling ponds at dozensof reactorsites. The problem of where to store the highlyradioactive spent rods in the absenceof reprocessing or permanentfederal repositories grew acute as someutilities ran out of space in their cooling ponds. Several have warned they might have to shut down their reactors unless the problem is solved. The bill, sponsored by Sens. Bennett Johnston, D-La., Henry Jackson. D- Wash., and Frank Church, D-Idaho, allows the Energy Department to take chargeof the fuel in return for a lump sum paymentonlyifa utility's waste problem cannot be solved by other means. An earlier report estimated the federal disposal fee at $252 per kilogram of heavy inetal. a committee official said REFRIGERATORS 17 Cubic Foot-Frostfree Two Door Styling Modei UF13 :3 . 266 20 Cu.Ft. Side-by-Side Avocado w : only 31 g** with Water & Ice MICROWAVE OVENS Model RCM10 Total Cook Model RCM6 WIH/DEIH Imperial Laundry Pair 21 Cu. Ft. Side-by-Side Through the Door 899 This Imperial Laundry Pair gives MANY ONE OF KIND MODELS 279° 388 The eed you plenty of Frigidaire elegance and even more hardworking 1-Almond 1-Gold Frigidaire features. Excellent cleaning action, load stabilizer, recirculatingfilter Frigidaire The ae Dryers have Flowing Heat. a cool Not Listed in this downcycle and huge. efficient 219° lint filter. Ad Drastically Reduced! Tuesday. Thebill did rot indicate where the agency should put the wastes. although earlier proposals have mentioned disposal sites in Barnwell, S.C.; West Valley, N.Y.; Morris,Ill., and two other locations 2s possible repositories. In another development, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission planned to hear a presentation today from members of the Atomic Industrial Forum on why the NRC should quickly drop its de facto moratorium on reactor licensing and new construction. The industry, still reeling from the Three Mile Island uproar, has won only a handful of reactor orders in the past few _! tor outages 8 Pc, Living Room 5 PC. SET Includes: years and no new plants werelicensed in 1979. The industry's problemshave been compounded by a sharp decline in the growth of electric power demand since the Arab oil embargo of 1973-74, culminating in a nearly zerogrowth rate last year. Still unpublished yearenc figures from the Atomic Industrial Forum show nuclear power beset by unplanned reac- valle + * Triple Dresser ¢ Vertical Mirror Full or Queen Headboard ° Nite Stand sii —_, BRJOUN This beautiful group includes sofa, love seat, rocker, chair, ottoman, coffee table & 2 end tables BEAN BAG CHAIRS Only 305 =x: 10° produced only about 11.4 percent of the nation’s electricity in 1979, down from 12.2 per- WATER BED SPECIAL cent in 1978, Ninety-one new reactors are now under construction and four completed atomic facilities are idle because of the Complete With Deck And Riser, Liner, NRLlicensing treeze. Nun Gets Heater, Mattress, Headboard and Rail Post of “ecw” $4] QS Mayor DUBUQUE, lowa (UPI) — The new mayor of one of Iowa's largest and most industial cities is a nun whocalls herself a “liberal Catholic.” Sister Carolyn Farell waselected to the office Monday night Satin Sheet 39°" and Pillowcase Set amid a hoopla of controversy when the council bypa sed seven-year member Jim Brady for the oneyearposition as mayor Sister Farrell who is the dean of continuing education at Clarke College said she was excited ° La POPCULL eeCT) KEARNS.., Perse ar 0s ot tren ta ; ra Pris)eee Mon.-Fri. Tne 1211113 CONVENIENT CREDIT CAN BE ARRANGED! i pet FURNITURE & APPLIANCES Pe Toa |